Chapter 4
All was quiet on the sandy reaches of the Downunda Desert. The "Outback," as it was so commonly called, was so hot, you wouldn't have a hard time believing that it was deserted. But first impressions can be deceiving, for, behind a rock, something stirred. Hardly visible in the sweltering heat waves, an platypus slowly moved into view. Quick as a flash, he dashed across the desert, a giant sand cloud forming in his wake.
C-CHUNK---C-CHUNK---C-CHUNK!!! Lasers suddenly popped up out of the ground, and immediately started firing at the platypus. He jumped and did a half spin in mid-air, barely landing it. A laser blast grazed his chin. Still he kept on running. Suddenly, a laser popped up behind him and shot! He dived, but it caught him straight in the back! As quick as they had come, the lasers retracted back into the ground, leaving the platypus stranded in the middle of the "outback".
"Aargh, since when was there a trick laser? The stupid thing, stabbin' me in the back when I'm supposed to be trainin'….the injustice of it….-grumble grumble-" the platypus grumbled.
Two more figures appeared, a koala and a wallaby, out from behind another rock, "Well, you're supposed to be ready for anything, bein' a Freedom Fighter and all, Bill," the wallaby said, extending his hand so as to help the platypus named Bill up.
"Whatever Walt, but I'm not doin that again until I get some R&R. What is it, Barby?" Bill said, staring at Barby the koala's funny grin.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something." Barby said.
"Ohhh…I know…..It has something to do with our vacation to Mobotropolis, doesn't it? Hm??" Walt said accusingly.
"O - O - Of course not! Nothing of the sort! Heh, heh…." Barby said nervously.
"Really." Walt said with a frown, "Huh. I thought it had something to do with -"
"No! Really, I…Oh, fine. You're right. I was," Barby said staring at her feet.
"You've really got it in for that fox, don't you?" Bill said, smiling. Barby said nothing and blushed. Then she stood up straight and addressed them smartly.
"Yes. I am quite looking forward to seeing him again, thank you very much!" Barby said defiantly. Walt and Bill rolled their eyes. They had been walking this whole time, and finally reached a very green pasture with a big building in its center. A tall bird came out of it, and greeted them.
"Hey, dudes, what's up? Bill need some recovering? I still don't approve of that training ground, I mean, can't we all just get along? *Sigh*."
"Hey Guru Emu. Yeah, he got hit in the back with the laser. I agree with you about the ground, but we have to be ready for anything. We were lucky we were prepared as we were when Crocbot arrived, and we still want to be as prepared as ever," Walt said. As they made their way to the infirmary, Guru spotted Barby.
"What's up with you, dudette, eat a bad beet or somethin'?"
"Oh! No…no, just Walt and Bill giving me a hard time about Tails," Barby said.
"Hey, that's mondo uncool, you guys. If she likes him, it's her decision, not yours," Guru said wisely. Barby, being very flustered after all of this talk about Tails, blushed again, and told them to stop bothering her. Guru left with Bill to tend the wounds, and Walt went to lie down. Barby went into the control room and saw something on the machines. It was the power scanner, and it was spitting out info like crazy! She looked at the main computer and called up a map of the island. There was a blinking light on the screen, right over the Floating Island Crater!
"Oh, my," Barby said to herself, "These power levels are very high!" She turned on the intercom, and shouted, "Looks like we got a power reading on this chart! Everybody off your butts and let's hoof it to the crater!"
All was quiet on the sandy reaches of the Downunda Desert. The "Outback," as it was so commonly called, was so hot, you wouldn't have a hard time believing that it was deserted. But first impressions can be deceiving, for, behind a rock, something stirred. Hardly visible in the sweltering heat waves, an platypus slowly moved into view. Quick as a flash, he dashed across the desert, a giant sand cloud forming in his wake.
C-CHUNK---C-CHUNK---C-CHUNK!!! Lasers suddenly popped up out of the ground, and immediately started firing at the platypus. He jumped and did a half spin in mid-air, barely landing it. A laser blast grazed his chin. Still he kept on running. Suddenly, a laser popped up behind him and shot! He dived, but it caught him straight in the back! As quick as they had come, the lasers retracted back into the ground, leaving the platypus stranded in the middle of the "outback".
"Aargh, since when was there a trick laser? The stupid thing, stabbin' me in the back when I'm supposed to be trainin'….the injustice of it….-grumble grumble-" the platypus grumbled.
Two more figures appeared, a koala and a wallaby, out from behind another rock, "Well, you're supposed to be ready for anything, bein' a Freedom Fighter and all, Bill," the wallaby said, extending his hand so as to help the platypus named Bill up.
"Whatever Walt, but I'm not doin that again until I get some R&R. What is it, Barby?" Bill said, staring at Barby the koala's funny grin.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about something." Barby said.
"Ohhh…I know…..It has something to do with our vacation to Mobotropolis, doesn't it? Hm??" Walt said accusingly.
"O - O - Of course not! Nothing of the sort! Heh, heh…." Barby said nervously.
"Really." Walt said with a frown, "Huh. I thought it had something to do with -"
"No! Really, I…Oh, fine. You're right. I was," Barby said staring at her feet.
"You've really got it in for that fox, don't you?" Bill said, smiling. Barby said nothing and blushed. Then she stood up straight and addressed them smartly.
"Yes. I am quite looking forward to seeing him again, thank you very much!" Barby said defiantly. Walt and Bill rolled their eyes. They had been walking this whole time, and finally reached a very green pasture with a big building in its center. A tall bird came out of it, and greeted them.
"Hey, dudes, what's up? Bill need some recovering? I still don't approve of that training ground, I mean, can't we all just get along? *Sigh*."
"Hey Guru Emu. Yeah, he got hit in the back with the laser. I agree with you about the ground, but we have to be ready for anything. We were lucky we were prepared as we were when Crocbot arrived, and we still want to be as prepared as ever," Walt said. As they made their way to the infirmary, Guru spotted Barby.
"What's up with you, dudette, eat a bad beet or somethin'?"
"Oh! No…no, just Walt and Bill giving me a hard time about Tails," Barby said.
"Hey, that's mondo uncool, you guys. If she likes him, it's her decision, not yours," Guru said wisely. Barby, being very flustered after all of this talk about Tails, blushed again, and told them to stop bothering her. Guru left with Bill to tend the wounds, and Walt went to lie down. Barby went into the control room and saw something on the machines. It was the power scanner, and it was spitting out info like crazy! She looked at the main computer and called up a map of the island. There was a blinking light on the screen, right over the Floating Island Crater!
"Oh, my," Barby said to herself, "These power levels are very high!" She turned on the intercom, and shouted, "Looks like we got a power reading on this chart! Everybody off your butts and let's hoof it to the crater!"