"Evacuation"
When Mecha Courage exploded the second time, the blast didn't go unnoticed.
Kevin Henderson hadn't taken three steps out of the casino when the blast nearly knocked him off his feet. He landed against a wall and wondered if a propane tank or a gas line blew up outside. Behind him, Jonathan tried to regain his balance as he looked down past the lobby towards the ballroom. To his horror, the ballroom wall, along with the doors, were engulfed in a cloud of fire and smoke. Tortured Artist, Gareth, Chris, and D.M. ran out of the casino just in time to see the cloud of smoke drift into the lobby. All four of them looked at each other with shocked expressions. Misty fell on all fours as she fearfully wondered what had happened. Joe and the Krew were still trying to make their way out of the casino when the explosion threw them off balance.
"What was that?!" shouted Joe, emerging from the casino with his band.
"It sounded like a bomb!" yelled Jonathan.
"Why is Rex bombing his own hotel?!" asked Tortured Artist.
"Maybe that isn't Rex!" shouted Psycho, grabbing onto Joe's leg for support.
"Well, who is it? Greenpeace was pissed because the hotel's polluting some stream?!" yelled Chris.
Before Jonathan could respond, he looked around frantically and noticed that Courage was missing. In fact, he couldn't remember Courage even being in the casino with them. He suddenly glanced at Kevin and asked, "Where's Courage?"
Kevin looked around frantically. "I thought he was with you!"
Jonathan's gaze suddenly snapped to the ballroom. "You don't think…?"
Kevin and Misty looked at each other with fright. Immediately, they both ran towards the ballroom, shouting Courage's name. Everyone else followed them.
Along the way, RX shouted to Joe, "Shouldn't we call Allen?!" (Allen, remember, is still stuck in a closet in the Wild Kard Hotel.)
"Later, dog!" said Joe as he kept running.
When Misty and Kevin reached the lobby, they stopped. The smoke was getting thicker. Kevin turned around and saw everyone running towards them. He looked around and noticed that Sandy was nowhere to be seen.
Kevin turned to Misty and asked, "Where's Sandy?"
Misty shrugged her shoulders and nervously said, "Maybe she went with Courage?"
"Oh, god," whispered Kevin as he ran full-steam through the smoke towards the ballroom, just as everyone else arrived in the lobby. Misty looked back at everyone before she ran after Kevin.
"What now?" asked Chris to Jonathan.
Jonathan looked around. The light coming from the front doors beamed through the smoke. Jonathan looked around some more and noticed a phone on the front desk. He reached over and picked it up. Thankfully, it was still working. "Joe!!" he shouted to Joe. "Get over here and call the authorities! The rest of you, follow me!" With that, Jonathan ran off after Kevin and Misty.
As Joe dialed 911, he ordered the Krew to do what Jonathan said. Reluctantly, the Krew ran down the hall with the former agents and Tortured Artist.
Kevin's T-shirt was pulled up over his face as he made his way through the smoke. His eyes stung as his arms were outstretched trying to find the ballroom doors. It wasn't long before he caught sight of a large hole in the wall to his left. The ballroom entrance had been blown open. Kevin stumbled through the hole and could vaguely see a clearing through the smoke. Kevin continued moving until he emerged from the smoke.
"Oh my god!!!" screamed Kevin.
Misty came up behind him and shouted "What?!" Then she looked in front of her and gasped.
The ballroom looked like it had been turned inside out and incinerated. Everything was covered in a gray layer of dust. Standing on his knees in the center of rubble and debris was a gray, dust-coated Courage. Near him was a burned-up mass that looked like a body…or more precisely, a fried body after a massive autopsy.
Kevin and Misty ran towards Courage, but they stopped when they caught sight of him shaking slightly. Mixed in with the dust, Courage's body was stained with silver and red blood, and his body looked battered and bruised. They walked slowly around him and were surprised when they saw his eyebrows set heavily over his eyes.
"Courage?" asked Kevin. He glanced to the side and did a double take as he suddenly caught sight of the body next to him.
"R-Rex?" muttered Kevin, fighting the urge to throw up. The plank of wood still stuck out of Rex's heart.
Misty bent down and looked at Courage's eyes. They no longer looked friendly like when she reunited with him at the restaurant. They looked cold. Changed.
"What's happened to you, brother?" whispered Misty. She looked like she was about to cry.
Kevin turned back and pushed Misty aside. "Where's Sandy?" asked Kevin, holding Courage's shoulders.
"Kevin?" said a voice from the entrance. Kevin turned and saw Jonathan standing with D.M., Chris, Gareth, and Tortured Artist. Jonathan was pointing to the far wall to the left. Kevin looked to where Jonathan was pointing, and saw a small pink form lying against a burning table.
"Oh god…" murmured Kevin as he got to his feet. "Oh god, no…"
Kevin stumbled towards Sandy as the K9 Krew entered the room. The five dogs looked around in shock and awe. They saw Tortured Artist running to put out a small fire near a wall. They saw the former agents comfort Misty who was still asking what happened to Courage. They saw Kevin let out a wail as he finally reached Sandy and tried in vain to wake her up. He shouted her name in her ear and sobbed out loud when he received no answer.
The scene was almost too much for Gina and Daisy to take in. They tightened their grips around Psycho and RX's paws respectively and fought to keep back tears. Humphrey was the first one to slowly make his way down to where Courage was. The rest of the band followed close behind.
Jonathan held his finger in front of Courage's face and moved it from side to side. Courage's eyes didn't follow it.
"What on Earth's wrong with big brother?" asked Misty, trying not to cry.
"I don't know," said Jonathan. "I think he's in shock or something."
"Should he lie down?" asked Gareth.
"How the heck did this happen?" asked Humphrey, who came up behind Jonathan. The rest of the band gathered around him.
Jonathan looked around at the damage. "I…I don't know…I think-…"
"OHMYGOD!!!" screamed Psycho suddenly. Everyone turned around and stared at him. The dog was staring wide-eyed at Rex's disheveled body. The other band members gasped at the horrific scene. They were stunned to find out that the same being that had interviewed them yesterday now looked worse than Swiss cheese. The former agents were equally shocked when they noticed Rex. After viewing the video last night, they had hoped to talk to him, but it didn't look like that was going to happen now. Gina, Daisy, and D.M. looked away in disgust and shock.
Psycho began shaking as he approached his online buddy. The body looked unrecognizable. Scorched and burned like a victim of spontaneous combustion, the metal tail and arm were still more or less undamaged. Psycho remembered the interview…how Rex was so full of personality. He had always mentioned in his emails and instant messages how he always enjoyed talking to Psycho…and how much fun he had…how it always kept his mind off of his enemy…that annoying pink dog who…
…was standing right over there.
Psycho slowly turned his head towards Courage. His pulse pounded in his ears as Psycho breathed heavily, his paws turning into fists.
"You…killed…William?" Psycho whispered loudly through clenched teeth.
Courage's pupils instantly dilated upon hearing that name. Nobody ever called Rex 'William' unless he was a close friend or acquaintance. Courage slowly got to his feet, his gaze still distant, and slowly turned around to face Psycho. Misty began shaking with fright. She had never seen her brother like that before. She'd never seen ANYONE act like that before.
Psycho's breathing began to get quicker and louder until finally he bellowed, "You just killed my online friend, you bastard!!!!"
If Courage had been acting normally, he probably would have been extremely bewildered and would've stammered out some form of apology. But at the moment, Courage was far from normal. To Courage, the insult felt like a plank of wood had been driven into his heart.
Nobody was prepared for what Courage did next. Courage bent his knees slowly. Thinking he was going to fall to the ground, Psycho opened his mouth to yell out another insult, but he stopped short when he heard a low growl coming Courage. Before Psycho or anyone else could respond, Courage suddenly turned around and, with surprising speed, leaped straight at Psycho! The two dogs collided and tumbled to the ground. What ensued next were five seconds of violent quarreling between the two dogs. The struggle was filled with punches, scratches, grabs, bites, growls, and swearing.
Everyone froze for a moment before they rushed in to break the two dogs up. Jonathan and Chris were startled by how forceful Courage had become. Gareth, Tortured Artist, and D.M. had to help break Courage away from his adversary. The other members of the K9 Krew helped pull Psycho away from Courage. Misty, who was more shocked than anyone by Courage's spontaneous actions, just stood there sobbing.
It was impossible for Courage to look anymore banged up than he already was. Surprisingly, Psycho came away with a black eye, several scratches to his face and arms, and a tear on his shirt. He was also foaming at the mouth slightly and had patches of dust all over his body.
Suddenly, Joe came running into the scene. He brought out his arms to keep a safe distance between the separated canines and asked what was going on.
Psycho suddenly shouted when he saw Courage throw something at him. Luckily, it bounced off of Psycho harmlessly and hit the ground next to his foot. Humphrey broke away from the group and picked it up.
It was the bone bracelet that Psycho had given to Courage when he visited him backstage two nights ago. Humphrey remembered being backstage during that time too and had witnessed Psycho giving the bracelet to Courage. He also remembered telling Courage that, "Psy only gives those to people he likes."
"Gimme that," said Psycho, ending Humphrey's brief flashback. "He doesn't deserve it."
Without a word, Humphrey handed the bracelet to Psycho, who swiftly placed it in his pocket.
"Joe, did you call the authorites?" asked Jonathan.
"They're already here," was his answer.
Then, like water from a faucet, a parade of firemen and rescue workers ran through the entrance of the ballroom.
The next few minutes flew by in a blur. Firemen ran to the fires and attempted to put them out. Other people moved aside rubble and ran to the people and dogs already inside. Kevin, who now carried Sandy in his arms, stumbled to any rescuer he could see, screaming out, "Please! Please, somebody help my dog!!" Firemen, policemen, and hospital personnel instantly confronted Tortured Artist and the former agents. They all began talking and yelling at once. Joe also began yelling at them for not getting there sooner.
Nobody was giving much attention to the dogs. Courage, Misty, and the K9 Krew watched as the rescue workers who towered over them ran by without so much as a passing glance. Through the smoke, Courage caught sight of a red-faced Kevin handing Sandy over to a rescue official who was carrying a stretcher. Courage broke away from the canine crowd and began making his way towards Sandy. Courage was followed by his sister, Misty, who was followed by the K9 Krew. Joe saw the dogs running off so he followed them. Tortured Artist followed Joe, who was also followed by the former agents, so by the time everyone reached Kevin, Sandy was already being hauled away on the stretcher.
As Jonathan made his way to the ballroom entrance, Tortured Artist grabbed his shoulder and pointed back to the middle of the ballroom. Jonathan looked to see what he was pointing at. To his surprise, he saw somebody dragging Rex's body away. The figure was draped in a hooded robe, so it was impossible to see who it was. Nobody else seemed to notice the figure as it disappeared through the smoke.
"Who the heck was that?" asked Tortured Artist.
"I don't know," said Jonathan. "Probably someone who works at a morgue or something. At least somebody's getting that carcass out of here." He and Tortured Artist continued on their way.
Making their way from the ballroom to the road outside was not easy. An endless sea of people rushed around them through the smoke and dust. Many people, mostly policemen, were grabbing onto the former agents asking who was responsible. They had no choice but to brush them off. When they all reached the lobby, beams of morning sunlight (plus the added blinking lights of emergency vehicles) flooded the room. Then, once they cleared the front doors, it was as if a veil was lifted. A chaotic scene lay before them. Fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, news vans were parked all around. Helicopters circled overhead. People were running everywhere, but thankfully debris was minimal, except for lots of glass on the ground. Beyond the emergency vehicles, some traffic was stopped and crowds of onlookers covered the street.
Sandy was led towards the nearest ambulance. Kevin stood on the right, Courage on the left, and rescue workers on either end. Misty held onto Courage's hand. She looked at his brother, who now had a stunned expression of defeat on his face. Misty wished she were already at the hospital. Joe finally caught up with the K9 Krew and tried to get them to tell him what happened while he was phoning the authorities. However, the Krew was too busy fending off rescue workers and nosy police dogs to answer him.
The former agents stayed close together as they traveled through the nightmarish scene. Tortured Artist, bringing up the rear, decided then and there that Reno was a much safer place to play poker than in Vegas.
When Sandy was finally loaded into the ambulance, Kevin tried to go in with her, as did everybody else. The uniformed man inside the vehicle said there wasn't enough room for all of them. After some negotiating, Kevin, Courage, and Misty were allowed inside. Kevin asked them man where they were going.
"Las Vegas General," was the answer.
Kevin ran back to the rear and looked at the others. "They're taking her to Las Vegas General!" he announced in a scratchy voice. "Find some way to get there, okay?! I won't be able to get through this without all of you with me!" With that, Kevin slammed the door and the ambulance drove off.
The others began looking around wondering how they were going to get to the hospital. Joe suddenly had an idea. He grabbed a passing worker and said, "Please, this dog needs to get to a hospital!" Joe pointed at Psycho. Sensing the black eye and torn shirt wouldn't be enough, Psycho coughed to add to his bad condition. That was how Joe and the Krew got a free ride to the hospital.
Tortured Artist and the former agents were stumped at first. How were they going to get to the hospital if they were more or less unharmed? Finally, Joe came across a friendly police officer who was convinced that they need to get to a hospital. It took two police cars to carry the former agents out of the melee and towards the hospital.
In a room not too far away from the ballroom, a door opened. The room, although it was two rooms behind the ballroom, was barely scratched by the blast. The door leading into the room slowly swung open.
The hooded figure struggled as Rex's body was slowly dragged into the room. A silver trail of blood followed him on the floor. The figure closed the door and pulled Rex to the middle of the room. Once Rex was positioned on the floor, the figure removed the hood.
Cindy tearfully stared down at Rex's body. After her early morning shower, Cindy had gone looking for Rex. After searching the upper floors and the rear of the hotel, Cindy had heard the first explosion and ran back to the front of the hotel. Just as she was about to enter the ballroom, the second explosion occurred, knocking her out for a few minutes. When she came to, she peeked into the ballroom and saw emergency workers pouring into the room. When she caught sight of Rex on the ground, she decided she'd rather get him out of there herself than have some hospital worker take him away. So, after finding a dark robe in a nearby bathroom, Cindy snuck into the ballroom and dragged Rex out.
A trail of blood dripped down her forehead at the same rate as her tears. Sadly, she grabbed Rex's scorched hand and bent over, sobbing on Rex's dislocated shoulder. She had spent so long studying Rex, learning about him…enough to form a physical relationship with him, that it didn't seem possible for it to end. Not like this. It…
Suddenly, Cindy felt something clamp down hard on her furry hand. Her head jerked up and she gasped when she saw Rex's hand closed around hers. Cindy looked at Rex's body and saw it moving! The silver blood that was splashed all over his body was soaking through his injured organs…repairing him.
A gargling sound erupted from Rex's throat. He was trying to say something. Cindy could actually see his voice box submerged with liquid. She knew now that the nanobots in Rex's blood had finally started working to fix Rex.
Rex continued gargling fluid until Cindy realized he was trying to say the word, "I."
"W-what is it?" asked Cindy, feeling like she was witnessing a resurrection.
Rex opened his good eye (the one that wasn't currently coated in sliver liquid) and sputtered, "I…th…think…I'm…g…gonna…"
"Gonna what?" asked Cindy, leaning in emotionally.
"I think…I'm…gonna…h…have…t…to…s…sk…skip…b…breakf…fast…"
With a light laugh of relief and happiness, Cindy brought her head down next to Rex and gave him a hug…at least, as much of a hug as she could manage in his condition. "You're going to be okay," she whispered in his ear.
"S…swell…" said Rex. "Now…b…be…a…dear…and…g…get…that…d…damn...piece…of…w…wood…out…of…m…my…ch…chest…"
At that moment, sitting atop the highest point of the Wild Kard Hotel, Dark Sonic surveyed the scene far below. He shook his head in frustration as he shifted his seat on top of the radio tower. He had witnessed the entire show, going back and forth between the casino and ballroom fights. He had to admit, it was better than any movie fight he had ever seen. He was amused to see Card Trick get KO'd in the casino and nearly busted out laughing when Courage realized he was behaving much like Rex. Dark Sonic had waited for that moment for an eternity, it seemed. The irony of it all. However, when Courage defeated both Rex and Mecha Courage, Dark Sonic wasn't feeling so pleased. Of course, he knew Rex was going to come back good as new, but still the fact that Courage was capable of doing the unthinkable surprised him nonetheless.
"Why is it," asked Dark to himself on top of the hotel, "that every time that dog is facing death, I always underestimate him?" It didn't make him feel any better when he saw Courage emerge from the hotel still alive…although it was nice to see Sandy on the brink of survival.
From his pocket, Dark Sonic suddenly revealed his list. "I guess there's only one way to put this
doggie to sleep."
All the entries from ten to two were crossed out. Only the number one choice was left:
FIND THE LAST EMERALD!