Happy Easter! I wanted to get this posted sooner, but Saturday got away from me. It's now 1am on Sunday and I'm running on 5 hours of sleep. I didn't have a chance to get this to LouiseX to proof so hopefully I don't have too many mistakes.
"Highway Patrol's dispatch just got a call. A man matching Plunder's description just left a Cracker Barrel off of Route 15 Exit 68. He had a kid with him. They were seen leaving the restaurant in a black Camaro with a silver stripe," Mason says.
"Katherine, see if Captain Planet still has his com device on. If we can get word to him, he can keep a look out from above."
"On it."
'This is good, da?" Linka asks no one in particular, her voice quivering.
"Yes, if Captain Planet can find the vehicle, he will make sure Mikey is safe," Gi reassures her.
"And Wheeler?"
"He will take care of Wheeler too," Ma-Ti says.
"Although Wheeler is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, I am sure," Kwame says as his former teammates look at him skeptically. "He's outgrown his impulsiveness…has he not?"
"You were here when he just hopped on that motorcycle and took off…what do you think?!" Linka points out.
Before Kwame could answer, Agent Young interrupts.
"Captain Planet still has on his com device. I relayed the message to him and he's going to tell Mr. Wheeler…telepathically…I can't believe I actually just said that."
"It is the power of Heart," Ma-Ti explains. "It allows him to communicate with all living things. When Captain Planet returns his powers to us, I can use it to speak with animals or feel people's emotions. It is very useful in my line of work."
"I'm sure it is…so…you can talk to animals?" The agent asks, in awe.
"Well, we do not have conversations in the same way in which humans communicate, but I can reach out to them. Calm them when they are worried. Warn them when they are in danger. They can tell me about things that are going on in the rain forest, not with words, but I can see their thoughts…as if I am seeing it through their eyes."
"That's amazing," the rookie Agent says. Even the more experienced agents seem intrigued.
"So he didn't even really need a com device to communicate with us?" Matthews asks.
"No," Ma-Ti confirms.
"Then why didn't he just say so?" Mason wonders.
"He probably did not want to make you think your gear was unimportant…besides, he is a superhero who never really had any fancy gadgets. This was something new for him," Gi suggests with a chuckle.
"Can we see what he's seeing from the sky?" Linka asks.
"Yeah, he's on this monitor," Matthews says, getting up from his seat so Linka can have it. "You want to keep an eye on this for me while I make some phone calls to Boston?"
"Da."
Linka is thankful for the opportunity to feel like she is being helpful. As much as she tried to argue with Wheeler to stay out of the way, she wishes she'd insisted on going with him. As she watches Wheeler on the screen from Captain Planet's aerial vantage point, she says a silent prayer.
Please watch over my boys.
As Wheeler drives along, looking into each car he passes, he hears Captain Planet's voice in his head.
"Wheeler, Plunder and Mikey have been spotted leaving a restaurant off exit 68."
"That's the next exit. How long ago?"
"Five minutes."
"They gotta get back on Route 15 to Connecticut to get to Boston…we can catch up with them easily!"
"Yeah…and Plunder's penchant for flashiness will be his undoing…haven't seen many other black Camaros with a silver stripe have you?"
Wheeler smiles and agrees.
"He's gonna stick out like a sore thumb! At least I know what to look for now and can stop looking into every car I pass! People were giving me dirty looks. See anything from up there?"
"How'd you know I was up here?"
"Every once in a while, I'd catch a glimpse of your shadow on the pavement. At first I thought, 'that's one weird ass bird'…then I recognized the shape."
"So much for my career of being a secret agent!"
"Not so secret agent…sorry to burst your bubble Cap! I'm surprised you haven't caused an accident yet. But I'm glad I've got you with me. With you up there keeping a look out, Plunder doesn't stand a chance of getting away. It's only a matter of time before we catch up to him," Wheeler says confidently.
"We'll get him. Plunder may be older, but he's not wiser. He's proven that."
They continue on, Wheeler increasing his speed.
"Careful Wheeler. With the BOLO out for Mikey, there are highway patrolmen everywhere. If they stop you for speeding, it will only slow us down and give Plunder a further lead…plus if you wreck, Linka will kill me."
Wheeler cuts back on the throttle so that he's only going over the limit a little.
"I believe it about the cops…but Linka would be fine if she were rid of me for good," Wheeler says sadly.
"Wheeler! How could you think that?!"
"Because it's true. You've been underground for a while. We're no longer the happy newlyweds you once knew. As a matter of fact, we're not even 'wed' at all."
"What?"
"Divorced. Papers signed, sealed, and most likely delivered by now. As of yesterday."
"I'm sorry. I didn't see this coming. I thought you two were meant to be together forever."
"Yeah…me too," Wheeler replies.
"I just don't get it…seriously. You two were SUPPOSED to be a couple. It's why you were chosen. Your children, their children…it was supposed to go on."
"Well we only managed to have one kid and not gonna have any more…unless…" Wheeler trails off as his thoughts begin to consider the possibility of what last night could have resulted in.
"Unless what? Wait…what happened last night?"
"Get outta my head Cap!"
"Really? Last night?" Captain Planet presses, hopeful that there is a possibility the two will reconcile.
"It was a mistake."
"You don't believe that," the super hero states.
"No, I don't. She does."
"She doesn't."
"You in her head now?" Wheeler asks.
"No. Don't have to be."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know her better than anyone…you tell me," Captain Planet says.
"We're not the same people we used to be. We've grown apart…apparently I've pushed her away."
"So fix it?" Captain Planet says, feeling he's stating the obvious.
"It's too late. She said she shouldn't have had to tell me. She's right. I knew we weren't the same as we used to be…I just figured we'd gotten old and boring. I didn't mean for her to think it meant I loved her any less. She felt that I didn't place our family before work. And I guess I didn't."
"I don't want to be too nosy or forward but…there isn't anyone else, is there?"
"No! Not for me anyway. Never will be," Wheeler says decisively.
"Did you two try a separation and then decide on the divorce?"
"No. She just kinda blindsided me one day and said she couldn't do this anymore and wanted a divorce."
"Maybe the divorce was too hasty? Linka can go to the extreme when she lets her emotions overtake her. I think if she had just slowed down, taken a break, seen what life was like without you…she would have realized she needs you."
"Ya think?"
"I really do…hold on…I see something," Captain Planet says.
"Plunder?"
"Black car, silver stripe…about a half mile ahead."
"Let's go get a better look!" Wheeler accelerates and his heart pounds in anticipation.
Hang on Mikey, I'm comin'.
The End
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APRIL FOOLS! New chapter next week, or maybe sooner since this one was on the short side.