MATLAKZE - QUEST'S END

She forgot, though, that the scene change allowed her to travel through space, but not through time. This she realised when she saw the huge sign in front of her that proclaimed:

In Project

ACME ACRES

Coming soon!

Drat, that meant that the Looniversity hadn't been built yet! Instead, everything was just an open field, with tree clusters all around. It seemed that Professor Coyote forgot that Acme Acres was still in the designing stages right now! How was she supposed to find him now and give him his note—?

The note!

Yes! If she could find Lightning and Calamity with their postcards, then there was a chance that she would be able to find Professor Coyote with his note to himself! She pulled it out, and took a deep breath, once again praying that this would work. She jumped, closed her eyes, and pulled down the scenery again, wondering where she would end up. Los Angeles? Burbank? Malibu?

She opened her eyes.

The desert?

She guessed that Professor Coyote preferred his natural habitat to fancy houses. She looked around and saw that the area was filled with canyons, cliffs—

And caves.

The cave behind her, she noticed, had a front door. Well, here goes nothing. She rang the doorbell and waited a moment or two, and then a minute or two, and then ten, and then twenty. She rang again, but he still didn't answer. So, she sat in front of the door and waited for him.

"Excuse me, young lady?"

The next thing Mary knew was that she was lying on her side, and a large brown paw was shaking her awake. Suddenly she sat up—

She hoped for the briefest moment that the entire ordeal had been a dream, but her surroundings told her different. Furthermore, it was around noon. But what was most important was that the elder coyote was standing next to her!

"Professor Coyote! Am I glad to see you!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and hugging him.

"Um, young lady," he lowered his ears and fidgeted in her grasp, "might I ask who you are and what someone like you is doing in such a desolate place such as this, and blocking my doorway? And why did you call me 'Professor'? I'm a Genius, but I don't teach."

Oops. Embarrassed, she released him, remembering that in this particular time they hadn't met yet. "Um, sorry, Prof—um—Mister Coyote. I realise that you don't know me—um, yet—but I'm sure that this will explain everything." She handed him the note, and he raised an eyebrow when he saw that it went like this:

Ethelbert!

Our time travel theory was correct! Unfortunately, interfering with the timeline has brought about horrendous repercussions in the space-time continuum! This young lady has travelled back to your time to correct an event that another toon artificially brought about, which created an alternate timeline resulting in the demise of a fellow carnivore. If you're reading this, that means that the young lady in front of you was successful in correcting the timeline, but now she needs your help to return to her own time, which is your future. Don't worry, you're quite healthy in the future, and are working with this young lady, along with all your friends, in a most interesting place that will be built later on. I sent the time machine with her, but to a separate place. I'm sure you remember our hideout near Hoover Dam?

Help this young lady in everything you can. I left instructions in the time machine for you so you can operate it with no problems, and I'm sure you'll be impressed with the technology that will be developed in the future.

Deepest regards from your future self,

Wile Ethelbert Coyote

P.S.: Call your mother.

For a while, the coyote read and re-read the note, drooping one ear, and then letting his jaw swing open in disbelief, and he even included a squeaking hinge effect. He turned away for a moment; his genius brain having come to a complete halt. "Prof—I mean—Mister Coyote? I know this is difficult for you to believe and I know that it sounds like a hoax, but—"

"This—" he pondered, "this is my pawriting, my middle name, and—(sniff)—egad, my scent as well! But if all of this is true, then—then—" he turned to her, "that means that you're—you're from the future?"

The humanmaid nodded. "You really helped us—helped me—a lot—in this mission—um—you will have helped us—" she giggled, "so I might as well say thank you."

It was then when the male noticed something. He took the female's left arm and leaned down to examine her watch. "Digital?" he gasped, and gasped again when he saw the date. "Oh—oh my—I was right—I mean—I will be right—" He had to sit down, and he did, right in front of his door. Looking at her again, he struggled in his mind to come to terms with everything, and finally realised that he had work to do. "Um, yes, yes. Come right in. We have to get everything ready." He led her inside, and turned on the lights. Mary saw that the equipment was just a tad cruder and less sophisticated than Calamity's laboratory, but it wasn't cluttered as she expected it to be. Instead, the laboratory was set apart from the living quarters, where she was being led. "Please, take a seat. I'll make the necessary arrangements." The Genius padded to the kitchen, while the Questor was glad to finally sit down in a comfortable couch that didn't reek of tobacco, alcohol, or body fluids. "Since you just finished your mission, and from your appearance, and—um—scent—I will deduce that you're extremely exhausted and dehydrated. Therefore, I will prepare you some ref—"

The humanmaid was out like a log.

The canid realised that he was going to need help for this, so he went to his rotary phone and called up some assistance.

Mary yawned, feeling warm and comfortable, and pulled on her covers a bit. The smell of pancakes helped bring her out of her slumber, so she stirred and pulled the covers off her head. It was still dark, she noticed, and was about to go back to sleep, but her digestive tract seemed to dislike that idea. Then, she saw someone in the darkness. "M-mom?"

"You're finally awake, I see."

The humanmaid smiled, "Oh, mom, I just had the weirdest and longest dream."

"I'm sure you did, hun. Now, come on, you'll tell us all about it at dinner."

She stretched and chuckled. "I dreamed someone went back in time to destroy—"

Dinner?

She reached over to her bedside table to check her watch, and suddenly realised that it wasn't there, and that she was still wearing her watch. "Huh? This isn't my r—"

The light turned on.

Mary nearly screamed when she saw an old brown female coyote standing next to the light switch. The coyote lady was not just old, but old fashioned: she wore a blue nineteenth century full body dress with a matching hat, which held a lavender feather. Her grey headfur was tied up in a bun behind her head, and the tip of her muzzle supported a pair of frameless horn-rimmed bifocals, through which looked a pair of amber eyes. Glancing everywhere else, the Questor's heart raced when she saw that she was on a couch, which was apparently inside a cave. She threw the covers off and saw that she still had her shirt and pants, but not her shoes. What the bleep—?

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The elder female smiled and replied, "I'm Wile's mother. He called me and told me he had an unexpected guest. Since you are female, he knew that he would need female help in order to take care of you."

This helped calm the Questor down, and disappointed her; too, since this meant that she was still in the past. "Oh—okay—um—Mrs. Coyote—I'm—I'm pleased to meet you—" she stood to shake her paw, "I'm—sorry that I—uh—thought you were—um—I'm a bit confused—"

"Aw, don't you go apologising for that, deary. Sleeping for thirty hours non-stop will do that to anyone, but I made sure you were tucked in."

"Yes, I understand it can—THIRTY HOURS!" she screamed, finally.

The mother remained calm. "You must have had a gruelling quest for you to get so exhausted. My word, not even cats sleep that long!"

"N—no, I'm sure they don't—" her brain was still trying to catch up, it seemed.

"Well, now, child, since you're all rested up, it's time to get cleaned up before dinner, and then Wile can send you home."

Mary then noticed something, "Say, where is Prof—um—Wile?"

"Reviewing his notes, it seems. He said something about a space-time disruption theory, but let him work. I got the bathroom ready for you." The canid led her down a hall, and stopped at a door in particular. "Go in and give me your clothes so I can wash them. After all, you don't want to face your boyfriend again smelling like a bum, do you?" she smiled with a spark in her eye.

This seemed logical. "No, I don't. I really can't remember when I last—————how did YOU know I have a boyfriend!" demanded the omnivore, angrily eying the aged carnivore.

Mrs. Coyote kept her ears up, gave another sly smile, leaned down, and whispered in Mary's ear, "You talk in your sleep, hun." At that, the humanmaid blushed incredibly, wondering just what words had escaped her lips as she slept. The female latrans winked, "Don't worry, dear. Wile didn't hear you, and I won't tell anyone."

"Um—thanks," she replied, still blushing, as she stepped inside and closed the door. Moments later, the teenager stuck out her hand and gave the elder her clothes, and she handed her a new white towel. Smiling, Mrs. Coyote padded to the washroom.

(Author's note: just so you know, this scene is shot from the shoulders up.)

Mary closed her eyes, leaned her hands on the wall tiles, and let the water soak her hair and splash her face. Though the last time she did this was no more than three days ago, from the feel of the water cooling her and washing away sweat, dirt, sand, and soot, she might as well have very much been a bum. She would rather be soaking in her own tub in her own bathroom, naturally, but this would have to do.

Remembering those Michael J. Fox movies, she wondered if any other pictures had changed, since the ones she had did not. Come to think of it, when that female villain thought she had succeeded in making The J.A.M. lose an eye, she did not pull out a picture to verify that. Was she just intent on making her boyfriend suffer? Were the changes going to be finalised when the brunette caught up with J and M, whoever they might be?

Or, had her own efforts been futile, and nothing had changed with The J.A.M., and he was still an Anathema in the future?

Fear overcame her again—no, terror overcame her again. How did she know that her boyfriend did not lose an eye, if his big brother used a different branch than what he was supposed to use? Had the branch been too short or too long? How did she know that the evil toon did not pull out a picture in the seconds when Mary wasn't looking? Had anything truly changed? Had she changed anything, if at all, back to how it was supposed to be? Or even worse, had she changed things, but not to the way they were before? Had they been changed into something much more terrible? How many lives had the Anathema destroyed in this third timeline? How many more toons been pulled into his life of perversion? Had the bit players been pulled into his circle? How many more authorities had been bribed? And even worse: how many more Terminators had been assigned to destroy him this time?

Stop that. You're getting paranoid, she thought. The J.A.M. is okay. He didn't lose an eye. Everything is back to normal.

Though try as she might, she couldn't get rid of the thoughts of doubt, fear, and destruction. She had seen too much of that recently, and it was all practically embedded in her brain. It looked like she would need plenty of counselling when she returned. Anyone would need counselling after going through what she did, no matter how loony or crazy they might be. There was a conflict inside her: part of her wanting to feel peace, while the other part kept asking questions that she could not answer, and those questions brought turmoil that pushed away the peace. How she wished she could talk to any of her friends now.

Did I succeed? Did I save J.A.M.? Did I defeat that girl? Will the time machine work again? Will any of this happen again? Will—

"You all right in there, hun?"

Mary nearly slipped on the tiles by the sudden knock and question. Leave it to furry toons not to use non-slip pads on their shower stalls. "Um, yes, Mrs. Coyote!" she replied, washing herself. "I'll be out in a minute!"

"Take your time in there. You have all the time in the world now!"

The Questor looked up and sighed.

Could that be true? Could she really have succeeded?

The only way to find out was to finish up here, and then march to that time machine.

Mrs. Coyote had the laundry ready long before Mary was finished, thanks to her son's quick-wash and quick-dry washer and dryer, so she was able to finish cooking the teenager's dinner. Later, she padded up to the open bathroom door, where the re-dressed humanmaid was attaching her hair ribbon. "Dinner's ready, hun," she told her, making Mary smile.

As she followed her to the kitchen, the Questor asked, "Mrs. Coyote?"

"Yes, dear?"

"I—I know you don't know me—but thank you for trusting me, and letting me trust you, and for this favour. If I can—"

"You're welcome, hun. But come on; don't let your dinner get cold!"

"Mrs. Coyote," she insisted, "I know I'm just a student now, but if later on, you ever need my help—"

"You want me to call you without hesitation because you'll do whatever you can to help me?" she asked, stopping in her tracks and leaning down to look at her.

"Yes," replied the teenager with conviction, looking at the mother's amber eyes. "It would be the least I can do for all the trouble you went throu—"

An index paw-digit on her lips silenced the humanmaid. "Honey, think of all this as a favour to a fellow carnivore, or a carnivore and an omnivore, if you will. Also, it's been ages since I was asked for help of this kind. I love doing this, sugar; it reminds me that I'm important. I haven't felt like this since my last day at the weapons factory in '45!"

Mary was surprised at that, but understood the elder. When she straightened up, she replied, "O—okay, Mrs. Coyote. Thank you." With that, she gave the canid a powerful hug to express her gratitude, which was gladly returned.

Dinner was a simple affair, though it looked more like breakfast due to all the pancakes and cereal, which was complemented by broiled steak and fruits. Both carnivores were surprised at how much this young omnivore could eat in one sitting, and wondered when was the last time she ate and just how much energy she had spent on her quest. Finally, the African-American was done, and was about to take the dishes to the sink, but the elder stopped her. "Now, now, child, don't worry about those. You go with Wile so he can get you back, okay?"

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Coyote," she replied, hugging her again. "And thanks again! See you in the future!"

"Any time, dear. See you later!"

The Questor turned and walked to the Genius, held his paw, and stated, "Okay, Pro—Mister Coyote. I'm ready." The male nodded, reached up, and pulled down the scenery.

The lights of Hoover Dam were quite breathtaking tonight. She would one day return here with The J.A.M. to admire the sight, even if she had to drag him here. Turning, she saw Wile pad up to a rock wall, press some rocks in a certain sequence, and stand back. Then, a portion of the rock wall slid underground with a low rumble, revealing a hidden cave inside. Mary gasped, naturally, but he just stood there as if this was an everyday event. It wasn't until both went inside and he turned on the lights when the coyote decided to gasp.

The time machine!

The female saw his amber eyes widen and his ears lower with surprise, as if he were a puppy getting his Christmas present. The elder male padded all around it, trying to digest what was before him. "I—" he stuttered, "I built this?"

"Well, a student of yours came up with the blueprints, and you helped him build it," she replied, walking inside.

"S-student of mine?" he queried. Would he actually pass on his knowledge to another generation?

"Yes. He's a great friend of mine, and of my boyfriend. He learned a lot from you." She walked up to the machine as the canine ran his paw along the CPU.

"A micro-computer?" he gasped. "Did my student also come up with that?"

"Oh, no," she replied, retrieving the notes from under the keyboard. "A human did, but I'm sure your student would have done it first if he had been born earlier. These are for you, from you." The canid took and read the instructions, quite shocked at first, as if he were reading a revolutionary science-fiction novel. But then, his genius brain took over, treating the time machine like a new device of his own invention. Mary saw him turn serious and focused, and then begin to work. She, too, helped with the installation by checking connections and hooking up cables. It wasn't as complex as she thought it would be, after all, the time machine just needed a power source.

"Turn on the CPU," read Wile while throwing the main switch. The humanmaid sat in front of the monitor, activated the computer, and ran the controller program while the canid watched in silent surprise. "Did you help my student with the program as well?"

"Huh? Uh, no, actually, I didn't."

The male raised an eyebrow and lowered an ear. "What? Then how is it that you know how to use this?"

The female sighed, "Where I come from, 'micro-computers' are practically in every home. Since they use a visual-based operating system, it's easy to learn."

"Egad. I wish I could just keep the CPU and see what wonders will have been built in the future!"

"Heh. You'd need an electron microscope to see the inside of the components close up!"

"But I do have one of those," he said.

Figures. "Um, sure, but by the time you figure ALL of them out, the components will very probably have been invented already."

Both his ears lowered at that. "Perhaps you're right. And according to the notes, I will eventually tell my student what to do with this thing so that no more space-time disruptions occur."

"That's good to hear!" the teenager sighed again. "I really don't want to go through this again."

The screen then asked for the time and coordinates, and the coyote padded up to type them from the notes. "I see that my future self also wants the time machine in the future. Oh, well, I suppose I will be right. Keeping it here for such a long time would be too risky." He added more instructions, which would make the time machine go to the future as well. Both then sat and waited, and five minutes later the machine signalled it was ready, just as the lights dimmed in the cave, and outside. The elder glanced at the entrance and said, "I hope the power outage doesn't last long."

"Me too." She stood, and looked at him again. "Thanks for everything, Mister Coyote. I'll try to be a better student of yours from now on."

The Genius did a double take and gasped, "What? You mean that you are my student as well?"

"I'm one of them," she smiled, stepping on to the pad. "But you haven't met your top student yet."

"O-one of them?" he stuttered, wondering just what would happen in the future, as he prepared to activate the time circuits. Mary quivered with expectation now that everything was almost over. And soon she would see if everything had returned to what it was supposed to be. She was about to see the pictures again, but then remembered that they had remained unchanged because of the original incident, according to Wile.

Or, had The J.A.M. been safe all along because her quest had already been successfully finished?

Oh well, she'd let the Geniuses ponder on that one.

Wile put his paw on the "enter" key.

"Thanks again, Professor. See you in a little bit!"

"See you in a few years," he replied, smiling.

This was it.

Mary closed her eyes, "Dear God, please let this work, and please let everything be as it was!"

Wile pressed "enter", and padded back.

A blue light engulfed the humanmaid, and then the entire machine.

(WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPPPP!)

And with the sound of several hundred people slowly saying "warp" while gargling, both disappeared, leaving behind a bewildered coyote.