Chapter 9
Ace and the others took off to where they were told the assailant had fled to, but there appeared to be no trace of anyone there. Ace figured that the attacker must have managed to get himself lost in the traffic of the population.
"Can ya get a trace on him, Rev?" The roadrunner frowned in regret at the request. He wasn't sure he'd be able to, since he had no way of telling who was responsible for the attack in all the confusion. It could have easily have been any Martian who was involved in the riot.
"Hey,-tracking-down-a-person-is-not-as-easy-as-it-looks,-you-have-to-first-find-and-memorize-a-biological-signature-and-I-have-no-idea-which-specifically-of-those-guys-it-was-But-I-can-see-a-number-of-those-marauder-Martians- running-and-heading-north.-They-look-like-they're-all-heading-to-the-same-place."
"Well, dat's someting at least. Okay, keep an eye on dem and we'll wait and see where dere're headin'. Maybe da guy we want will be wit dem. Come on!" While Ace, Lexi rode their scooter and Rev took off to the air, they seemed to have forgotten that two of their teammates were grounded. Tech growled in annoyance.
"We're going to need a ride, Slam." The Tasmanian grunted in agreement and looked around until he spied a upcoming car with a sign flashing on it. He held out his great meaty paw to stop it, inadvertently causing it to crash into his arm. The Martian driving swayed dizzily in his seat as Tech apologetically addressed him.
"Uh. . .sorry about that. Listen, we have some important business to take care of, and we're in a bit of a rush. Mind giving us a lift?" The man was just about to tell the coyote to shove off until he saw the enormous beast behind him, fangs flashing dangerously in a threatening smirk. The Martian paled significantly.
"S-s-s-sure, get in! I'd be glad to take you where you need to go!"
"Thanks a lot. You see, Slam? People are very accommodating if you just ask nicely." The Tasmanian just smiled as he climbed in after Tech.
He was being tracked. He could feel it! Everywhere he turned he could feel the unseen presence of someone or something following him and he couldn't shake it. As soon as he could, he had ducked into a crowed clothing store, praying they would lose him. It seemed to work, as he spied at three of those wretched Earthlings race by a window. He sighed in relief at his temporary respite, but decided that it wasn't worth taking any chances. He needed to disappear.
Pulling out some spare dollars, he abandoned his garb for some new cheap clothing in case anyone else was on his tail. Drawing his jacket as tightly around him as possible and pulling his cap over his eyes, he slowed his pace and managed to slip out of the store and into the crowd, blending in almost seamlessly.
He needed to leave the city as quickly as possible with the few followers he had left. The checking point toward the other side of the city came to mind. He had told his men that if in an emergency, they were all to rendezvous at the assigned location and from there evacuate to the nearest exit. He hadn't plan on using it this day, but he was grateful now that he had thought ahead.
He snarled to himself just thinking about the day. He had planned it out so well! His men were trained and were eager to take on the military. This was to be the day when they finally took the first step toward ridding Mars of its rulers and established a new figurehead at the helm. If only those blasted Earth creatures had not interfered! Now half his men were captured or were fleeing for their lives. He would have to work harder than ever to reclaim their numbers. Those foreigners would pay dearly for ruining his plans! They would share the same fate as the monarchs they were so eager to defend!
"Dere you guys are! We've been looking everywhere fer yas! Where you've been?!" Ace had spotted Duck and Tyrannus in the shade of a building, chatting lightheartedly. All this time when Ace and the others had busy trying to keep the town from killing itself and here was the duck relaxing?!
The mallard was more than puzzled at the rabbit's surliness.
"Settle down. We were just making small talk. No need to freak out!"
"Why didn't you have your communicator on?!" Ace demanded.
"I didn't realize we were on patrol down here!" The mallard crossed his arms defensively. "Why didn't you mention anything earlier? I was under the impression we were done for the day!"
"Half the city's is in a panic and you didn't even notice?!" Lexi joined in the berating. Duck quirked an eye in skepticism at Lexi's accusation. Things were as calm as could be from where he was. Actually, it was getting a bit boring.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but-"
"We'll talk about dis later, Duck!" Ace snapped, cutting him off. "Right now, I need you to help us track some fugitives!"
A smashed up yellow cab stopped in front of them suddenly, opening up to let out its passengers.
"You could have waited up for us. We nearly lost you back there twice!" Tech told Ace. The rabbit smirked in apology.
"Eh sorry 'bout dat."
"How much we owe you?" Tech asked the cabby, pulling out his wallet, though the Martian shook his head.
"No charge! On the house!" The Martian took one last look at the Tazmanian and then took off as if the devil was after him.
"Ace-I-just-found-a-number-of–those-Martians-heading-toward-an-abandoned-warehouse-about-three-blocks-from-here!" Rev reported from behind him.
"Seems like a strange place ta be havin' friends ova. Let's see if dey'll be willin' ta have a few more uninvited guests dere." Five of the Loonatics took off running, Rev leading the way. None of them noticed the sixth member lagging behind them, standing to the side by himself.
"I don't get it! I didn't even do anything and they're just mad at me for nothing?!" Duck kicked furiously at an abandoned aluminum can and sent it flying across the street."Ugh, why don't they ever listen to me?!"
Tyrannus walked over to the duck, his head bowed in sympathy.
"They don't seem to value your input much, do they?" The youngster watched the others go off, rather troubled and curious that they would just leave their friend behind.
"They don't appreciate me, that's the problem! And after all I've done for them!"
"Why not? Don't they consider you important to their cause?" Duck turned to face the young Martian.
"What are you getting at?" His voice was laced with suspicion.
"Well, you heard how that rabbit just shut you up without hearing your say on the matter."
"Ace just thinks that because he's the leader, that he gets to decide everything." The mallard sulked. Tyrannus acceded the point.
"Well, I guess if he's the leader. . .but why did the other one push you around? She should be more courteous than that. Especially since you saved her and the others' lives so many times." Duck averted his eyes. He had forgotten how he had regaled the kid with all his tales of heroism and stories about how his entire team worshiped the ground he tread on.
"Well, actually, now that I think about it, Lexi is the second in command. . .I guess that would make her next in line." He muttered sheepishly. The young Martian, however, didn't seem too convinced by that explanation.
"From your description, she doesn't sound that particularly gifted. I would think the coyote would be a more suitable candidate, since he is one of the smartest members out of your team, you said."
"I guess, Lexi has some skills. Not as much as mine of course, but some. And Tech may make a lot of gadgets, but that doesn't make him the smartest."
"As far as I can tell, you are obviously the most talented and the bravest of them all. And you said yourself that you seem to be the only other one who's even expressed the interest in becoming a leader as well. That should count for something, right? Perhaps it's time to make a proposal." Duck smirked at his little fan's confidence in him. When Duck thought about it, he probably could do just that. He did have some experience in the field and even managed to lead the team to victory on one such occasion.
"Yeah, you know something? You're right! Why should Ace have all the glory?! I can be just a good a leader as him!"
"I'll join you, and after we finish the job, you will speak with him. I'm sure he'll listen to your rational." The Martian smiled in pride. His new friend and hero would be sure to get the recognition he so obviously and righteously deserved. How could they say no?
He was nearly there. Freedom and safety was within his grasp. The Martian turned a corner, only to spy the Earth creatures who had somehow stumbled over his hideout before him. No doubt they had tracked down one of his recruits who was idiotic enough to allow himself to be followed.
He had only his small blade on his person, having abandoned his larger weapons since they were too conspicuous. He wouldn't stand a prayer fighting all of the superpowered animals on his own. He just hoped that the cowards who had ran off earlier would put up a stand here against the interlopers, distracting them long enough until he could find another way to exit the city.
He kept silent standing in the shadow of a building, out of their line of sight. Once they had gone in, he slowly stepped out, but quickly ducked back into the darkness behind some trash cans. He had missed one. But it was not the duck that held his attention. It was his little companion which truly caught his interest.
He would have had to have been living in a cave on another planet not to recognize the young prince when he saw him. Just one of the many people he had on his list to dispose of. His hand automatically drifted to the laser pistol he had concealed in his belt. It would be oh so easy. One swift move and he'd have one less item to deal with.
He stopped himself. Perhaps he could use this boy for his advantage. It might be that the prince could be of more use to him alive, at least for the time being. The royalty certainly wouldn't lay a finger on him so long as he had a valuable hostage. Enough time to strengthen his own forces before he disposed of the brat. He continued to observe the boy and duck from his spot, careful not to draw attention to himself until he spied an opportunity to make his move.
"What do you think is in there?" The young Martian prince asked curiously and expectantly toward Duck.
"Who knows? It's probably nothing, but just leave everything to me. I am a trained action hero after all. You just sit back and. . .uh take notes or something." Duck prepared to step in, but stopped short as a half-pint blur stepped in front of him blocking his way.
"Not that I don't doubt your capabilities as a warrior, but there must be something I can do to help!" Tyrannus begged eagerly."I have not spent so much time in the armed forces just to stand by idly. And I know that I can learn much more from a seasoned and experienced champion like yourself!" Duck scratched his head, thinking.
"Uh. . .how about you just stand out here and. . .stand guard! Ya know. . .watch my back and make sure nothing in there comes out that isn't supposed to!" The Martian grinned and saluted just as he did his superior commanding officers .
"Yes, sir!" Tyrannus waited outside and watched as Duck trotted into the warehouse. The duck joined in just in time as Ace was addressing a number of red masked Martians. They didn't seem to notice the intrusion until it was too late.
"Eh, sorry ta boist in on ya like dis guys, but we saw ya comin' and were just dyin' ta get ta know ya better." Ace smirked at the startled group of thugs, as they whirled around in surprise at the intruders.
"Yeah, especially the guy who likes to play with knives here. We want to have a little chat with him." Lexi joined in.
"Now, we all know what happened last time we met. So we can do dis da easy way or da hard way. It doesn't matta too much ta us, doh da hard way is usually a lot more fun." Ace gave the group one last chance to surrender peacefully. The Loonatics didn't really expect them to, since their opponents never did, however to their shock and amazement, the whole lot of them raised their hands into the air.
Duck stared at the men and crossed his arms in satisfaction.
"Well, what do you know. Looks like they chose the easy way for once." As soon as he spoke, the Martian's arms still in the air, allowed laser daggers to shoot up from their sleeves into both their hands before assuming a fighting stance.
"Of course I could be wrong!"
"You may have taken us by surprise before, but we shall not run from you this time. We are prepared for you now!" One of the Martians stepped up, waving his blade threateningly. Ace wasn't impressed by the display.
"Okay, have it your way." Ace shrugged before signaling the team to attack.
It turned out that the marauders were all flash and no substance. They may have talked big, but compared to the highly disciplined military forces, they were strictly amateurs, better suited for fighting and taking advantage during situations of mass chaos than one on one with more experienced fighters. On top of it all, their numbers had been severely diminished since the last time, allowing the Loonatics to take on several with relative ease.
Ace smirked as another fighter launched clumsily at him, slashing wildly. The rabbit easily evaded all his thrusts and quickly disarmed him with a quick kick to the jaw.
"Honest, guys, you aw makin' dis too easy." He didn't even turn around to send a crippling punch to the Martian he knew was trying to sneak up behind him.
"HA! Missed me! Ah, too slow! Almost! Not quite!" Duck continued to quack from on random place to another, laughing as the fighters attempted to strike a blow with their weapons, but sliding to a halt when their target was no longer there.
"Come on you guys! How hard is it for you to hit a duck?! I would think you Martians lived for this kind of thing!" The mallard continued to egg them on, reveling in their snarls of frustration. He launched several tar orbs at them, glueing them together in an escapable sticky black mess. He was almost sorry to leave Tyrannus outside where he couldn't see him in action. Oh well, he'd give him all the exciting details later.
Outside the building, Tyrannus paced outside the only entrance way, perfectly mimicking an overzealous security guard.
"Let's see. . .what did they say in basic training. . .?" He spoke aloud to himself, willing himself to remember his lessons.
"Be alert at all times. Never let your guard down. . .Um. . .Watch all directions. . What else?. . .Be observant of your surroundings and always expect the unexpected. . ." The boy collapsed to the ground with a loud 'thud', never noticing the heavy metal trash lid that had slammed into the back of his head, or the person wielding it.
"Well, that was easier than I thought it would be." The marauders' leader poked with his shoe the unconscious princeling at his feet. With emotionless precision, he covered the body with his hat and outer jacket, effectively covering the boy's face and uniform, rendering him virtually unrecognizable to a casual observer.
He swung one of the boy's nonresilient arms around his neck to drag him off, making his way toward the crowd casually.
"Hey. . .are you two okay?" Some of the curious onlookers asked as he dragged along his limp hostage. He shrugged and laughed off their concern.
"Oh don't worry about him. My poor friend was just out late last night and is only just now returning home. A result of a little too much partying is all. You know how youngsters are. I just wish I knew where he parked the car." The people nodded and accepted the excuse as good as any other.
"Still, would you like for us to call you two a cab?"
"That would be very helpful. Thank you." Within a few minutes, a rusty yellow hover cab with a seriously dented hood was called to meet them. He shoved the prince into the backseat before making his way to the front. The cabby glanced at his rearview mirror before turning to his only conscious passenger.
"Is your friend going to be alright? He doesn't look too well."
"Don't worry about him" The other stated emotionlessly. "Just take us out of this town. Head toward Imperial City." The driver quirked an eyebrow at the unusual request.
"A little out of the way don't you think? You sure you don't want to check into a hospital first. He looks a little-"
"He'll be fine!" He snarled, getting more anxious to put this city behind him as soon as possible.
"Suit yourself." The driver shifted gears and headed toward the nearest exit. As they made their way to the checking point, they found themselves waiting in line as the centurions made inspections. The cabby took a sip from his coffee cup, unconcerned at the standard procedure though unaware that the passenger next to him had paled slightly in apprehension.
The robotic guards however were more lax than flesh and blood officials in checking the passengers of taxis than in private vehicles. The droids checked the trunk, underneath the car and asked a few questions of the driver. They only passed a cursory glance at the covered and prone figure in the back and then waved them off. The marauder released a sigh of relief he hadn't realized he had been holding.
They were about a mile or two out of the city limits before he barked at the driver.
"STOP THE CAR!" The cabby slammed on the breaks as the vehicle jerked to a sudden halt.
"What's the-Hey!" The driver found his passenger forcing himself to his side of the vehicle and savagely threw him out of the door into arid desert. The other Martian's foot hit the accelerator and the car took off in a flash, abandoning the dazed and confused cab driver lying on the ground, choking on cloud of sand and dust.
In less than ten minutes, Lexi was hauling the last unconscious Martian and dumping his form among his other defeated comrades. Rev had quickly darted among every fighter, robbing them of their weapons and quickly checking each one over to make sure they weren't carrying any other covert arms. Searching the warehouse carefully, Tech spotted some spare pipes and metal rods, skillfully bent and manipulated them until they effectively chained the Martians together in an inescapable bind.
Ace approached the haggard group.
"Okay, now are ya willin' ta talk? We have reason ta believe dat one of yas was involved in an attack on one of da guads eoilier taday. Confess now, and we'll go easy on da rest of ya before we hand ya ova to da law enfawcas." He knelt down so he was eye to eye with one of the marauders who was glaring murderous daggers at him.
"How 'bout you, Doc? Ya have anyting ta say?" The Martian's eyes narrowed for a split second before he spat in defiance on the rabbit.
"Your words do not scare me, filthy little Earthling! Your kind are too weak to attempt anything other than scare tactics! You do not have that guts to do anything substantial!"
"But we might." The Loonatics turned around to see Marvella and several other commanding officers, their weapons drawn."They may not be willing to lower themselves to certain methods of interrogation, but you know as well as I that we are not bound by their same code of ethics." The head Commander who had spoken stepped toward the bound prisoners, the princess and several soldiers right behind them.
"Ya could 'ave come eoilier an' saved us a lot of trouble, ya know." Ace frowned at the late arrivals. Marvella ignored his disapproval as she surveyed the Loonatics' handiwork.
"You seemed to have taken care of the situation well enough." Marvella stated simply, if not a little condescendingly.
"How'd you find us anyway?" Lexi wondered aloud. The team had let no one else know about what they were up to and they had no prior knowledge of where they were heading. If the military was able to track them down, why didn't they step in earlier instead of leaving them alone to fend of the insurgents?
"I'd have to deaf not to hear the awful din you six were causing here." The princess answered. "I was already in the area and I went to alert the Commanders and troops nearby that something was amiss and to keep any curious onlookers safely away, but I never suspected that you were taking down a group of guerrillas." Well, at least she was gracious enough to acknowledge their efforts this time around. Ace smiled.
"You're welcome, princess. All in a-"
"I don't recall ever expressing gratitude." She cut off the rabbit's speech mid sentence, not bothering to disguise the disdain she still felt for them. "This is a matter of Martian business, with no need for interference from outsiders. You may step aside, now. The military will take over things from this point on." She turned to the head Commanders and nodded, giving a silent signal for him to take over again.
"As for you insurrectionists, if all of you want to keep your limbs intact, you will tell me who it was who attempted to kill our officer." The huge man was intimidating for many of the more slender and less heavily muscled fighters, however they remained stubbornly silent.
"We don't know." One of the marauders in the front finally spoke, his eyes never leaving the floor. The Commander raised an eye brow in skepticism.
"That, I find incredibly difficult to believe." The other soldiers cocked their weapons and a loud hum issued from the laser guns as they warmed up in preparation to fire. Ace and the others looked on in repulsion that the soldiers seemed poised to shoot the others right then and there as they sat bound and defenseless. The other Martians apparently thought the same.
"Honestly, we don't! It-it was too chaotic at the time. It could have been anyone! Maybe even one of the civilians who joined our side!" The Commander raised a hand to signal the soldiers to lower their weapons, at least for the moment.
"Well, I can't take any action against a civilian I have no proof of. But I still have you and we all know that you were involved in the riot earlier on. And since you are so unsure which amongst yourselves is the culprit, I guess we'll have to do away with all of you." The prisoners eyes doubled in size with horror and protest. One of the weaker ones finally caved in.
"I know who it was!"
"I thought you said none of you knew?!" The Commander whipped his gaze to the other Martian who had been so staunch in defending themselves.
"He doesn't know! He's lying!" The marauder insisted on discrediting his teammate, though the Commander would hear no more.
"Quiet!" He had enough of the criminal's lying. He turned his attentions toward the other who had spoken out."Who was it?!" The other Martian winced at the cutting tone and quickly told everything he knew.
"It was Cassius! He is our leader! I saw him first attack one of the head Commanders. He was still fighting him after I fled. But he is not among us, as you can see. Is he the one whom you speak of?"
"You traitor!"
"You don't know the meaning of the word. Take them all in. The council will decide what to do with these rebels later." The officers made toward the outlaws, cuffing them and leading them out of the building for transport.
"Well, all things considered, our part of community service came out better than expected." Tech smirked toothily as they stepped into the blinding sunlight.
"You've got to be kidding!" Lexi looked absolutely dumbstruck at the coyote. How on Earth could he have ever thought that everything they went through was a positive experience?
"No, I'm serious. Think about it. Not only did we do our part this morning, but we managed to help the military stop a coup and capture some of their most wanted criminals. If this doesn't prove to the Martians that Earth is trustworthy, I don't know what will."
"Well, . . .that's one way of looking at it." Duck muttered sarcastically as he stretched his arms. At least it was over. He looked around to see where his number one fan could be hiding."Where's Ty by the way. I can't wait to tell him all the action and excitement he missed out watching me perform. That kid can't get enough about hearing about my life and all my adventures." He preened himself proudly in anticipation for what he expected would be a good hour or so of attention from the youngster.
"There's a three second story if I ever heard one." Lexi scoffed teasingly, earning a sour look from the mallard.
"He's gotta be around here somewhere." Ace reassured Duck, though personally the rabbit wouldn't have blamed the kid for ditching the duck the minute an opportunity presented itself. There was only so much time hearing Duck talk about himself anyone could be expected to endure.
Duck quacked out of sight to make a quick survey of the area. The Martian boy wasn't around the building or in any of the alleys. The mallard quickly checked the streets and some of the nearby stores in case the prince might have wandered there. Duck even made his way to the roofs to get a better view from higher ground. He couldn't spot a trace of the kid anywhere. Annoyed, Duck quacked back down to the ground where the others were.
"I can't find him anywhere! And after I gave him specific instructions to stand guard, he abandons his post!"
"Gee, I wonder why." Lexi rolled her eyes, as though sharing Ace's previous thoughts. Duck ignored the rabbit and spotted the officers as they were leading the last of the outlaws away, while the princess and the leading Commander looked on supervising.
"Hey,. . .uh. . .you there. You see your little brother around here anywhere?" Marvella turned to glance at the short little duck and sniffed haughtily.
"What do I look like? His keeper? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him since he took off to spend the day with you." The Commander next to her appeared a bit more concerned.
"You mean he isn't with you? I can't see where he could have run off to."
"It wouldn't be the first time." Marvella commented, not the least bit worried. "I'm sure he'll show himself before we have to return home. . .as usual." With that she turned back to her work, leaving Duck staring at the back of her head. Feeling the mallard's eyes burning into her, she sighed in vexation and finally addressed her Commander.
"Go with him and see if you can locate my wayward brother. And if Tyrannus is anything short of lying dead in a gutter somewhere, tell him he's going to wish he had when I'm through with him for causing us all this much grief!"
"As you wish." The soldier stalked off with Duck next to him. The Commander took one look at the Loonatics and snapped his fingers with authority."You two! Rabbits!" He pointed at Lexi and Ace with the same tone he reserved for soldiers under his command and authorization. "Comb this building and the nearby surrounding areas. Coyote, you and the bird head west toward the market. Interrogate the locals to see if they have seen the lad. Duck and. . .whatever you are," he gestured toward Slam, "you will accompany me on the east side. Move out!" The Loonatics looked at each other skeptically at being ordered around by someone who wasn't Zadavia, but decided to let it go just this once.
"Sheesh, exactly when did the royalty die and make him King of Mars?" Lexi grumbled under her breath, earning a snicker from Ace as they headed back into the building to see if they missed anything.
The marketplace was a buzz of activity as Tech and Rev had to muscle their way through some of the more congested areas. Tech turned to one of the nearby citizens and began asking around.
"Excuse me, have you seen a- Pardon me have you seen-We're looking for a kid about-" It seemed no one around was interested in hearing out what the coyote had to say as they hurried off to their own business. Tech sighed in frustration before he spotted the bread line where the Loonatics had been delivering supplies earlier on. They weren't moving very fast, so Tech was sure he could catch at least a few of the citizens without them running off. He made his way toward the middle, Rev right behind him, and the two began asking around the customers. None of them seemed to have seen the prince anywhere.
Tech tapped on the shoulder of what had to be the tenth person he questioned. The Martian ignored him and shifted anxiously on the line leaning in to see how many people were in front of him. Tech continued undiscouraged.
"Excuse me, sir. We're looking for a kid."
"There's a lot of kids in this city. Try being a little more specific." The Martian answered nastily, glaring at his watch.
"Well-he's-a-short-little-guy-about-three-feet-tall-with-a-round-head,-large-feet,-two-big-blue-eyes,-white-hair-and-"
"We're looking for the son of the King and Queen of Mars." Tech interrupted Rev. "Have you seen him around anywhere?"
"The prince? No, I haven't seen him around. That boy would be pretty hard to miss, considering his prestige."
"Well could you keep an eye out for him and let us know if you find him?" Tech pleaded with the man as he finally got to the front. The Martian accepted his cup of milk and a roll and got off the line.
"Look, as much as I feel for the royal family losing one of their own, I can't take off to search for anyone. I have work to get back to. But I doubt he'll stay lost for long. He can't exactly hide in a place like this, not with his status." He took a sip from his cup as he walked down the sidewalk.
"This is getting us nowhere fast!" Tech growled in frustration. "Forget what the Commander said! Rev, see if you can track the kid down?" Tech told the roadrunner. Rev nodded as he actually did have a chance to memorize the prince's biological signature the previous night. It would be simple to pinpoint him with his GPS if he was nearby.
Switching into his short range tracking mode, Rev scanned the area, but found no trace of the particular Martian. He quickly enhanced his scanner to stretch farther down, straining to sense a trace of the kid for a mile around. There was no indication of him anywhere in the entire city.
"He's-gone." Rev announced unhappily to Tech.
"What do you mean 'he's gone'?"
"I-mean-he's-gone,-vacated-town,-exited-stage-right.-There's-not-a-trace-of-him-in-the-entire-city."
"That's impossible. No one save you could have gotten out of the city in such a short amount of time on foot.
"Well,-this-is-just-suggestion-though-I-know-you-have–had-some-trouble-with-my-suggestions-in-the-past-but-I'll-just-say-it-anyway-since-I-think-it-is-a-pretty-good-theory-that-maybe-just-maybe-he-didn't-leave-on-foot."
"Fine, if you're so smart, why don't you extend your GPS past the city? Try to scan as far as you can." Rev's eyes glowed red as he switched into long range scanning. He started slowly, checking first to see if there was anything around within a 100 mile radius. Outside the city, it was mostly barren wasteland and he couldn't even sense that many animals, oddly enough. However, his GPS did pick up the signatures of three Martian life forms. One of them slowly heading toward them. Two others speeding away, one of the signatures Rev instantly recognized.
"I-got-him!-He's-about-fifty-point-six-kilometers-outside-the-city,-heading-north."
"I'll call the others to let them know we've found him. You go ahead and bring him back."
"No-problem-I-can-zip-over-there-in-no-time,-though-well-technically-not-'no-time'-since-any-time-is-some-time-and-no-time-is-a-non-existent-concept-unless-you-are-traveling-at-precisely-the-speed-of-light,-and-though-I-am-pretty-fast,-extraordinarily-fast-actually,-even-I-am-not-that-fast,-so-when-I-say-'no-time-at-all-"-I-really-mean-that-I-can-get-over-there-in-a-really-really-short-amount-of-time-that-might-be-considered-hardly-any-time-"
"Just go, will you?!" In a blaze of fire, the roadrunner flew off toward the outer gates. Tech watched Rev speed off as he opened up his communicator to the others.
"Ace?"
"Yeah?" The rabbit's voice from the other end answered in his ear.
"You can call off the search party. We found him. Rev just took off to fetch him." Ace switched his communicator into a split channel so Slam and hopefully Duck would be able to hear the conversation as well.
"Good thinkin', Tech. Tell us where ya are an' we'll all meet ya dere." Tech gave the rabbit his location, and in a few minutes the rest of the team was reunited. The coyote blinked in surprise as the Commander, Duck, and Slam headed toward them with an extra party member.
"Sorry, but she insisted on joining us when we relayed the news." Duck pointed irritably back at the Martian princess.
"So where has he been all this time?" Marvella interrogated the coyote.
"Rev tracked him leaving the city, over fifty kilometers from here."
"Really?" Tech was half expecting the princess to pitch a fit, but she seemed more subdued at the news, as though slowly digesting and relishing it.
"Don't worry, Rev should be back momentarily." As if on cue, Rev flew up behind Tech, cradling a short breathing bundle.
"I'm not the one who should be worrying at this point." Marvella glared at the figure above her as the roadrunner landed. However, her irritation was short lived when she got a closer look. Caked in dust and bleeding slightly was a Martian who was not her kin."Who is this?" Marvella glanced over the Martian. The man coughed as he rolled onto the floor out of the roadrunner's grip.
"Hey, I know this guy. He's the cab driver who brought Slam and me here. Where'd you say you found him again, Rev?"
"I-found-him-wandering-through-the-desert-when-I-went-to-search-for-Tyrannus-and-I-couldn't-just-leave-him-there-so-I-brought-him-back-into-town.-But–then-he-told-me-to-find-some-officers-because-apparently-his-car-was-jacked-and-I-sensed-that-the-princess-and-the-Commander-was-here-with-you-so-I-brought-him-here-and-now-he-is-here-but-you-already-know-that-much-" The Martian on the ground seemed dazed for a moment as a result of traveling as such a high speed, but once he steadied himself, everything that happened came rushing back and he flew into a panic.
"MY CAB! I'VE BEEN ROBBED! TROYCHA NITCHA ANGUIS IN HERBA!" The cabby caused enough of a commotion to earn several glances from passing people, though he paid them little concern as he continued his rant. He saw the Commander and rushed to him, tugging frantically at his crimson uniform cape.
"You there! You must help! You're the bloody law enforcement! Do something!"
"Calm down, sir! We-"
"Calm down?!" The civilian shrieked. "Someone just drove off with my livelihood! And you tell me to calm down?!"
"Well, tell me exactly what happened. What were you doing out there in the first place?"
"I was just minding my own business. I had some customers who wanted to be escorted out of town. Next thing I know the dog orders me to stop and just flings me out of my door, driving off!"
"Did you get a good look at them? Do you know who it was?" The Commander continued his interrogation, ignoring the mounting aggravation of the hysterical Martian.
"Heck if I know! I'm not paid to memorize every single person who gets in my cab! It was some red haired man and his drunken friend. Now are you just going to stand there or are you going to do something?!"
"Well, that narrows it down to only a few thousand candidates." The frustrated Commander remarked sarcastically. It was going to be arduous to do anything to remedy the situation if the man wasn't able to divulge more details than that.
Tech rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Too many odd events happening within such a short amount of time. The escape of the gang leader, Tyrannus's disappearance, and now this? A suspicious idea came to him, but he wanted to make sure of his facts. He turned to Rev.
"Rev, when you were scanning the outside perimeters, did you happen to detect any vehicles?
"Only-one,-Tech."
"And how many people exactly did you detect in all outside the city walls?"
"Three-in-all.-This-fellow-right-here,-Tyrannus-and-some-other-Martian."
"Are ya absolutely soiten, Rev?" Ace joined in, starting to think along the same path the coyote was.
"Absolutely,-my-GPS-is-never-wrong-I-can-assure-you.-There-were-only-those-three,-well-two-now-that-this-guy's-here,-and-right-now–the-remaining-two-of-them-are-speeding-north." Ace shook his head in dread.
"I have a bad feelin' 'bout dis. I just hope I'm wrong wit what I'm tinkin'" The rabbit turned to face the Commander. "Do you guys have a spare speeder we can borrow?"
"I'll see if the forces can spare some hover cars." The Commander headed toward the post to see about accommodating a vehicle.
"Whatever you're planning, if you plan to leave the city, I'll have to have you escorted."Marvella addressed the rabbit, with all her authority. "There is no way I can allow you to run off loose on the planet on your own unsupervised!"
"Fine! Whateva!" Ace threw up his hands at the princesses incessant demands, knowing that this wasn't a time to argue. "Do what ya want, but just hurry it up! If I'm right, we may not have much time ta chat!"
Cassius's foot continued to press the accelerator as far as it would go, the speedometer steadily climbing dangerously high. He would continue to drive as far as he could away from civilization, stow away in one of his hidden sanctuaries until he contacted the royals to let them know just who had stolen their son.
After traveling for several miles, he slowed the vehicle to coast at a much safer and steady speed of around 200 mph. He glanced at the rearview mirror, checking in on his charge. Just as still and silent as he had left him. A low groan caught his attentions back as the prince began to stir. Cassius slammed down on the breaks bringing the car to a swift halt and sending the boy's head slamming into the thick glass pane separating them.
Smirking for his temporary victory, the older Martian stepped out of the car. He opened the back to where the unconscious teenager lay crumpled on the floor. For a moment he wondered if he might have killed the boy when he had stopped. No such luck, though there was an impressive gash along his forehead, leading him to briefly wonder if thick skulls ran in his family. Just in case the boy might once again wake, he lugged the light body out and dropped it carelessly into the trunk. At least there he couldn't cause any more trouble.
He couldn't stay in this area for long. Sooner or later the cab owner would eventually make it back to the city and alert someone about his stolen vehicle. He would just have to keep going as long as he could before he abandoned it.
Cassius glanced at his rearview mirror at the landscape behind him. Across the barren desert, a storm cloud appeared to be brewing. A large mass of sand and dust raced along the terrain at an alarming rate. Just before it, a red blur flew ahead, fire jetting from wings like a rocket.
Rev continued to fly ahead of the others, leaving nothing but a blazing path of flame and sand that gusted up behind him.
The roadrunner focused intently on his target, which was moving fast, but not so much that he couldn't catch up with it easily. As Rev closed in, he gritted his teeth as he noticed that his target was not in any of the seats of the vehicle, but was lying unmoving in the back trunk.
He flew far out in front of the vehicle and stopped, holding his hand out to halt the car. He balked in realization that the car wasn't even attempting to slow down or even swerve out of the way. On the contrary, it was speeding up with the intent of running him over! Rev darted out of the way, growling to himself as the car sped off. Taking off again, he dashed to the cab, this time keeping up to stay alongside the driver's seat.
"Excuse-me-mister-but-you-seem-to-have-a-minor-stashed-away-in-the-trunk-of-your-vehicle-if-you-could-just-pull-over-so-I-can-see-your-licence-and-registration-it-" The Martian in the seat stared incredulously at the bird who managed to keep up with the car. He slammed on the accelerator to speed away, pulling away as fast as the vehicle could. Rev was not discouraged as he easily picked up his pace to stay side by side with the cab.
"You-know-resisting-arrest-is-not-going-to-look-very-good-on-your-record.-I'll-have-to-add-that-to-the-other-list-of-offenses:-flying-at-300-miles-in-a-250-mile-per-hour-zone,-illegal-possession-of-royal-property,-grand-theft-auto-" The Martian reached to his belt and pulled out his laser gun and took careful aim. He shot point blank at the roadrunner's head, however the beam sailed harmlessly by him as Rev moved his head out of the way.
"Assault-on-an-officer!" Cassius pumped several more rapid shots at the bird, each one was dodged effortlessly by the Earthling as the two continued the highspeed chase. Snarling in rage as he failed to take out the meddlesome creature, the Martian resorted to one last weapon in his grasp. He gripped the steering wheel and in one swift motion, yanked it as far left as it would turn. The car swerved violently toward the roadrunner that was flying just a few inches away, effectively ramming into Rev and sending him crumpling to the ground upon impact.
Rev gasped and wheezed as he finally tumbled to a stop on the harsh cracked earth, the wind knocked out of him. He clutched with his arm at his rib cage. He quickly checked himself over. Severely bruised in many places, but miraculously nothing broken, suffering no serious damage.
He had been careless with this one and had underestimated the guy. He wouldn't make such an error again. He opened up his communicator to contact the others.
Ace leaned against the dashboard of the speeding car, hoping to get a glance of Rev or their target. Even with his enhanced eyesight, he could spy nothing ahead. He had figured that Rev would have a better chance of catching up with the stolen car than the rest of them, so he had sent him ahead to see if he could stall or stop them, while the rest of the team and their escort raced behind him. If Rev needed backup, Ace was going to make sure it would be available nearby.
A flashing light on his wrist alerted him that Rev was trying to contact him. He pressed a button to open up the channel
"Rev? Ya dare? What's happenin'?"
"Ace. . . -I-I-. . . found-him-but-"
"Rev! You okay?!" Ace frowned worryingly at the sound of the roadrunner's gasping and wheezing.
"Some-guy- . . .tried-to-. . . run-me-over-. . . He-"
"Save yar strengtd, Rev. We'll be dere in a second!"
"No-wait!-. . .I'm-okay-. . . just-winded-. . .I'll-meet-up-with-you-shortly." The communicator shut down and within a few minutes a sandstorm appeared over the horizon, heading straight for them. The roadrunner swerved to make a U-turn, and slowed down his pace, allowing the two other cars to follow him as he lead them to their target.
Cassius stood perched precariously over the crater's edge and peered over the edge.
"Nothing could walk away from that fall." He remarked aloud, satisfied. He casually walked to the back of the car and leaned against the trunk.
"Well, I have no idea how those creatures tracked me down, but I do know one thing: They won't care about looking for me if they are too busy mourning your demise, boy." He spoke to the unconscious body within.
"A shame I couldn't keep you around for negotiating purposes, but you are too much of a liability at this point. I suppose there is always the other one if I get the chance. She'll be worth two of you I'll wager. But I suppose it doesn't matter if I do what I was planning to do anyway a little prematurely." On that note, Cassius strolled to the front to release the anti-gravity breaks and shift the vehicle into neutral. Mustering up his strength, he pushed the back of the hover car and sent it careening off the edge of the cliff. There was no sound for almost a minute, before a soft thud signified its crash at the bottom. Cassius smirked to himself.
"What are you doing?" An annoying little voice in his head whispered. He ignored the lingering retainment of conscience.
"Making sure there is one less pest on my path to global conquest." He answered back.
"By tossing a car into a ditch?" The voice asked, almost puzzled.
It's what's inside that's the key." He answered back, as though trying to instruct a halfwit. "I doubt the little brat in the trunk will survive the landing."
"Hmm. . .so that's your scheme is it?" The voice asked a bit dubious. Great. So now his conscience was mocking him.
"Part of it. Those aristocrats at the palace will soon follow." He assured the smug little voice.
"Well, good luck with that. . .I'll be seeing you." The conscience finally decided to leave, its faint footsteps signaling its exit.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Cassius bid a welcome relief at the voice's departure. Wait a minute. . .His eyes widened in rage after a moment as he suddenly realized.
Footsteps?!
Cassius whirled around and spied the Martian prince trying to quietly sneak away. He dashed to the teenager and grabbed him by the hair, twisting him around to face him.
"How did you escape?!" The older Martian's eye twitched in crazed fury at having his plan be foiled so easily. The short boy winced under the man's painful grip.
"Ow! Y-you left the t-trunk unlocked." He explained, earning him a rough shove to the ground as Cassius finally released him. Tyrannus staggered to his feet and rubbed his aching scalp.
"You didn't have to grab so hard." He complained softly, trying to ease the pain. Cassius glanced back at the prince, reaching for his belt.
"A crucial error on my part. One that I will soon rectify." He pulled out his laser gun and took square aim at the prince.
"Wait!" Tyrannus tried to halt the man as he stared fearfully at the end of the glowing gun barrel. "W-Why do you want to get rid of me?! I barely know you."
"It's nothing personal you understand." Cassius explained casually, as though remarking on the weather of the day. "It's just that I've been seeking to overthrow the ruling family for some time now and frankly, any leftover heirs would just be a hindrance to my final destiny." Tyrannus gulped as his mind tried to think of some reason to dissuade the lunatic from his goal.
"S-So. . .that's it? You want to take over Mars? Why would you want to go and do a thing like that? It's not exactly a very exciting job. . .doesn't pay well either now that I think of it, at least from what I heard. There's a lot of paperwork, too, I imagine." His reasons did little to convince the other, but rather seemed to enrage him further.
"Because it's what I deserve!" The marauder snarled like a savage animal, causing Tyrannus to jump back instinctively at the tone."You have no idea what I have suffered through! How little honor I receive from everyone around me! Perhaps when I am ruler over them all, they'll finally show me some respect!" Cassius had managed to work himself up into a tempest of tightly coiled fury, and Tyrannus regarded the Martian before him thoughtfully. He decided to make one last gambit.
"Papa always says talking about your feelings can make you feel better. Why don't you tell me all about it?" Cassius stared at the boy as though he had lost his last working neuron and then snorted contemptuously.
"You would never understand."
"And how does that make you feel?" The young prince urged. Cassius blinked in confusion. He never thought about such things.
"Feel? Uh. . .gee. . .I don't know. . .angry. . . frustrated. . . lost. . ."
"I see. . .why don't we start with your childhood. . ." Tyrannus whipped out his inventory clipboard from that morning and started jotting notes
"Then when I was twelve, I had to wear braces. It was a monstrous apparatus that came all around my head three times. It used to pick up signals from space. All the kids called me 'radio head.'" Cassius poured his heart out as he laid prone on his back across the ground, his head propped up against a rock for comfort. Across from him, Tyrannus sat on another rock, scribbling diligently.
"Children can be so cruel." Tyrannus remarked halfheartedly, barely paying attention, more interested in what he was writing. Cassius didn't notice the weary boredom in the teenager's voice, but continued speaking on as through he hadn't been interrupted.
"Then on the night of my junior prom, my date dumped me to go out with the captain of the basketball team."
"I see."
"I ended up paying for a limo and corsage only to take out my cousin."
"I see." Tyrranus parroted the same line.
"I didn't even get to dance. Not once."
"I see." Tyrannus wasn't sure how long he could keep distracting the man like this. Hearing every single mundane thing that ever went wrong with the other Martian's life since birth was like suffering through dripping water torture.
He mentally groaned as Cassius took off on another long-winded tirade about his first marriage. No telling when that was going to end. Tyannus went back to his clipboard and started putting the finishing touches on his latest doodle. He found himself grinning as he sketched out a rather poor stick figure of the Martian in front of him, complete with his own personal additions of large round glasses bigger than his subject's head and crossed eyes.
"Just once I wish she would just admit I was right on a subject! But apparently you don't need an encyclopedia with her around. She knows it all!" Tyannus sighed and went back to his drawing. Perhaps some goat horns would be good. . . and a tail. . .
"What is this place?" Tech stared out from the side of the racing hover car into the desolate desert. Dry parched land cracked underneath them, stretching to the horizon all around them. The only feature interrupting it was a wide crater, nearly half a mile around, at which they were flying precariously near the edge.
"This is one of the sites where Mars was hit recently by a meteor shower." Marvella explained emotionlessly as she drove behind the other car and Rev. Slam stared into the cavernous hole and whistled at its impressive size. Tech looked back at the princess, pondering the statement she made.
"One of the places? You mean there are more?" The woman was surprisingly patient and failed to snap at the coyote's many questions.
"This is one of the more devastating spots." She answered, her voice showing a little more thoughtfulness. "The others are much smaller in scale, though they have been the cause of much damage." Tech shook his head. To think Acmetropolis could have suffered a far worse fate than it had, even it if had still survived the initial impact. Tech remembered many shambled buildings waiting to be rebuilt as well as the long line of citizens lining up to be fed or willing to turn on their own because of a food shortage. From what he had read in books, Mars relied heavily on carefully maintained farms of non-native species to keep the population alive. And the Martians had mentioned a game preserve that had managed to survive, which Tech and the others had managed to have a brief visit to. But if most of those places had been reduced to wasteland like this, it would certainly explain the chaos on the planet as well as the royals willingness to accept Earth as an ally, if only to extract some sort of aid until they were back on their feet.
"I would think that living on a planet right next to the asteroid belt, you would by now have developed a system for preventing such eventualities." Really, it was common sense. The only reason Earth didn't have one for itself is because devastating impacts were few and far between, and rarely affected the entire planet. The thick atmosphere burned off the majority of them anyway.
"We have one and still do. All our indicators showed that there was an enormous meteor heading in our direction, but based on the speed and position of its trajectory, our scientists estimated that it would pass Mars safely. As a result, there seemed no need to take any action to destroy it or raise shields around inhabited areas." Tech listened to the princess as he continued to survey the wreckage of the meteor.
"I'm assuming they were wrong in their calculations."
"No, they were correct." Marvella answered, annoyance slipping into her tone. "Something else happened; something they could not predict. I'm not exactly sure what, though. For some random reason, the thing just exploded on route, right before it passed. The object was already the size of a small moon, and the chunks of debris which remained and entered the thin atmosphere were the cause of the tremendous damage you see a sample of. The survivors are still recovering." Something about that tale struck Tech as incredibly odd. . .and more suspiciously familiar. . .His stomach was beginning to feel slightly queasy, and it had nothing to due with car sickness.
"Exactly when did this happen?" He asked warily and uneasily, staring apprehensively out into the wasteland. Marvella paused for a moment, doing some mental calculations in her head.
"Hmm, let's see. . . I would say about one of your Earth years approximately, give or take." Tech felt a lump growing in his throat the size of an apple and slid bonelessly slumped in his seat. Marvella turned to look at the coyote.
"Is something the matter? You look greener than you did this morning. If you are going to be sick, please be so outside of the car. I'd rather not have to clean up after you!"
The car raced on, following Ace and the others, while Rev led them to the target he was tracking. Tech didn't care for the scenery anymore. All he could think of was that eventful day a year ago, when a second, even bigger comet had been detected heading toward Acmetropolis.
The Loonatics were the ones who had blown the thing up, and they had been so relieved and proud of themselves to have saved the planet. They had given little thought to the remaining debris. But now the results were here in front of them, right before their eyes.
They were they ones who had blown up the giant meteor before it had passed safely by Mars. They were the ones who had unwittingly unleashed devastation onto the planet and its peoples. The Martians may have unknowingly set off the chain of events which lead to the meteor impact at Acmetropolis, and now Earth had returned the favor, though with more disastrous results.
'It's all our fault!'
Ugh, I thought I'd never finish this chapter. I despise writer's block and school work. I wish I could shoot them both.
Okay, before the newly created Rev Runner fan club effectively crucifies me, I just wanted to say sorry. But, yes, I do think Rev could be taken out by a car or some other piece of machinery. Since Slam is the only one shown with greater than average strength, it's probably reasonable to expect that if hit by a fast moving object weighing a few thousand pounds, our favorite roadrunner is not going too fair well. Frankly, I think his superpowers (aka artistic licence) did enough to keep him alive with minimal damage.
Regarding the revelation bit at the end, I just remembered the first time I watched "Comet Cometh", and thinking "Why do they keep showing that red planet in the background?" (watch it again, and you'll see what I'm talking about). I was absolutely convinced Mars was involved somehow, but then it was revealed to be Optimatus. But the thought still lingered and well. . .this is the result.
More Latin lessons!
Anguis in herba means snake in the grass. This is the lovely little curse the cabbie was screaming in "Martian"
Now to try and squeeze out chapter 10.