Chapter 8: Onwards into Trouble
"We go left," announced Hacker suddenly as she broke the silence.
Her partners stared at her incredulously, both kats raising curious eyebrows.
"What makes you think so?" asked T-bone finally.
"Trust me." Hacker answered strongly then added. "I'm psychic!"
With some thought and consideration, Razor decided to take a leap of faith into the unknown, so he supported Hacker. "Do what the lady says."
With a shrug, T-bone turned the truck and headed on. "If this is the wrong way Miss Sherlock, then I swear I'll skin you alive! And you too, Razor."
After a mile or so, their headlights picked up a shiny black object on the ground. T-bone instantly stopped the truck and in one fluid motion, he leapt out to investigate.
"It's Felina's radio! I'm sure of it," T-bone cried back to his partners, whom he assumed were waiting patiently in the truck. He switched off the radio and headed back for the Thunder Truck. "We're heading the right direction. Her footprints have hardened but there are still some signs of them."
Suddenly there was a loud screech beside his ear, a whistling sound and then it was followed by a faint thump. T-bone swiftly turned around, his guns already out and pointing into the darkness. On the ground laid a dead body of a D'Airkat, a crossbow bolt pierced into it's mid-section. T-bone's brows furrowed in confusion. Someone tapped his shoulder from behind that made him jump with alarm. Standing right behind him was his grinning partner and a high-tech miniature crossbow.
"Don't ever do that again," T-bone whispered harshly at Razor.
Suddenly, a series of silenced gunshots were fired above their heads causing T-bone and Razor to drop instinctively to the ground. They rolled to take up standard positions, weapons poised and aimed into the darkness, their backs against each other.
A slim feline silhouette stepped out of the shadows, posed erotically, then raised her gun to her lips and blew the smoke from the barrel.
"You boys better learn to watch your backs from now on," Hacker said with a western accent as she approached the two stunned male kats. "I may be occupied next time."
Razor and T-bone gazed around incredulously at all the scattered D'Airkats then followed Hacker silently into the truck. Once they were all in, T-bone floored the pedal and they were off again doing over eighty kilometres per hour. For awhile no one said a word, but glances were exchanged between the trio as unsaid words were communicated.
Razor looked at Hacker in a new aspect, with surprise and admiration. "Where did you learn to do that?"
She looked deep in his eyes. "The shooting or the pose?" she asked in a low voice.
Razor blushed for a minute then regained his cool posture. "What do you think?" he asked in return.
Hacker answered with a smile playing across her lips.
Razor ventured another question. "So how did you know that this was the right way to go?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" jumped in T-bone with curiosity. Although his attention was on managing the twists and turns of the tunnel, he was rather interested in this part of the conversation. "I don't believe anything to do out of the extraordinary much less --"
"I told you, already. I am psychic!" Hacker interrupted almost instantly, all playfulness on her tone lost.
Razor glanced seriously at her, his arms crossed over his chest. "No really."
Hacker shook her head in resignation, allowing herself to face away from Razor's confused and pleading eyes.
"Whether or not you wish to believe in it is your choice," she answered.
"I know how you did it, Miss Psychic," T-bone said taking a quick peek of Hacker in the side mirror of the truck.
"Enlighten me," said Hacker, "please."
"You're the computer expert right? Well, you probably found a way to track the signal from Darkat's lair and found a route with those maps or..." T-bone paused checking Hacker's reaction, frowning when he saw no smile on her face. "...Or you could have picked up anything - like Felina's radio - I don't know! You may have fooled my gullible partner, but definitely not me."
"It does sound reasonable," commented Hacker. "Let's just say that's how I did it."
"There you see?" T-bone said. "There's no such thing as possessing supernatural powers."
Razor reluctantly nodded however something nagged at the back of his mind that he just couldn't quite place his finger on it yet. Perhaps it was because he wasn't used to being saved by Hacker, as he would always be covering T-bone's back and T-bone would be covering his. Maybe this was clouding his judgements; there was still a lot unknown about this feline who was suddenly tossed into their lives. A lot of her past had been answered with simple explanations, but none had gone into detail. Like for example her time with the Enforcers. What had really happened in that place, in that time of solitude? So many questions, thought Razor, so difficult to approach without irritating her. He sighed with defeat, facing the real truth of his silence; he was afraid of asking her about her past - he was afraid of angering her. Sinking into his seat, he was now even afraid to look at her.
After about fifteen minutes of a truly uncomfortable and unforgettable bumpy ride, Hacker picked up another signal on her monitor. This time it was not faint, but very strong. The faint blip blip of the monitor alerted her partners and T-bone instinctively switched off the headlights, as he still wanted to make a surprise attack even though they'd made a complete racket in the beginning.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Hacker eagerly.
Razor and T-bone looked at each other then at Hacker.
"We...um...we bust in and capture the bad guys," T-bone replied simply.
"That's a splendid plan," Hacker said sarcastically, "and what happens if we are caught?"
"Then we'll have to put our instincts and brain to work," said Razor with a grin.
"We act on our instincts," agreed T-bone.
"Okay, how about you go in and get the bad guys while I free the captives," said Hacker in resignation. "How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me," said Razor flexing his fingers. "I'm ready to punch some tails!"
The Thunder Truck rolled silently until they saw a faint glow of light ahead of them. Taking out an infrared visor, Razor slipped them over his eyes.
"Alright, I see three distinct figures. One of them is apparently not moving that much, standing at the far-left end of the cave. The other two are moving something heavy, which has loads of heat in it. I can't make out what it is though," reported Razor. "Here you have a look."
Hacker accepted the visor and as she peered through them, she shook her head, defeated.
"I have no idea what that is," she said.
"Well there's only one way to find out," said T-bone.
Razor gave an affirmative nod to his partners. "We're going in."
"We go left," announced Hacker suddenly as she broke the silence.
Her partners stared at her incredulously, both kats raising curious eyebrows.
"What makes you think so?" asked T-bone finally.
"Trust me." Hacker answered strongly then added. "I'm psychic!"
With some thought and consideration, Razor decided to take a leap of faith into the unknown, so he supported Hacker. "Do what the lady says."
With a shrug, T-bone turned the truck and headed on. "If this is the wrong way Miss Sherlock, then I swear I'll skin you alive! And you too, Razor."
After a mile or so, their headlights picked up a shiny black object on the ground. T-bone instantly stopped the truck and in one fluid motion, he leapt out to investigate.
"It's Felina's radio! I'm sure of it," T-bone cried back to his partners, whom he assumed were waiting patiently in the truck. He switched off the radio and headed back for the Thunder Truck. "We're heading the right direction. Her footprints have hardened but there are still some signs of them."
Suddenly there was a loud screech beside his ear, a whistling sound and then it was followed by a faint thump. T-bone swiftly turned around, his guns already out and pointing into the darkness. On the ground laid a dead body of a D'Airkat, a crossbow bolt pierced into it's mid-section. T-bone's brows furrowed in confusion. Someone tapped his shoulder from behind that made him jump with alarm. Standing right behind him was his grinning partner and a high-tech miniature crossbow.
"Don't ever do that again," T-bone whispered harshly at Razor.
Suddenly, a series of silenced gunshots were fired above their heads causing T-bone and Razor to drop instinctively to the ground. They rolled to take up standard positions, weapons poised and aimed into the darkness, their backs against each other.
A slim feline silhouette stepped out of the shadows, posed erotically, then raised her gun to her lips and blew the smoke from the barrel.
"You boys better learn to watch your backs from now on," Hacker said with a western accent as she approached the two stunned male kats. "I may be occupied next time."
Razor and T-bone gazed around incredulously at all the scattered D'Airkats then followed Hacker silently into the truck. Once they were all in, T-bone floored the pedal and they were off again doing over eighty kilometres per hour. For awhile no one said a word, but glances were exchanged between the trio as unsaid words were communicated.
Razor looked at Hacker in a new aspect, with surprise and admiration. "Where did you learn to do that?"
She looked deep in his eyes. "The shooting or the pose?" she asked in a low voice.
Razor blushed for a minute then regained his cool posture. "What do you think?" he asked in return.
Hacker answered with a smile playing across her lips.
Razor ventured another question. "So how did you know that this was the right way to go?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" jumped in T-bone with curiosity. Although his attention was on managing the twists and turns of the tunnel, he was rather interested in this part of the conversation. "I don't believe anything to do out of the extraordinary much less --"
"I told you, already. I am psychic!" Hacker interrupted almost instantly, all playfulness on her tone lost.
Razor glanced seriously at her, his arms crossed over his chest. "No really."
Hacker shook her head in resignation, allowing herself to face away from Razor's confused and pleading eyes.
"Whether or not you wish to believe in it is your choice," she answered.
"I know how you did it, Miss Psychic," T-bone said taking a quick peek of Hacker in the side mirror of the truck.
"Enlighten me," said Hacker, "please."
"You're the computer expert right? Well, you probably found a way to track the signal from Darkat's lair and found a route with those maps or..." T-bone paused checking Hacker's reaction, frowning when he saw no smile on her face. "...Or you could have picked up anything - like Felina's radio - I don't know! You may have fooled my gullible partner, but definitely not me."
"It does sound reasonable," commented Hacker. "Let's just say that's how I did it."
"There you see?" T-bone said. "There's no such thing as possessing supernatural powers."
Razor reluctantly nodded however something nagged at the back of his mind that he just couldn't quite place his finger on it yet. Perhaps it was because he wasn't used to being saved by Hacker, as he would always be covering T-bone's back and T-bone would be covering his. Maybe this was clouding his judgements; there was still a lot unknown about this feline who was suddenly tossed into their lives. A lot of her past had been answered with simple explanations, but none had gone into detail. Like for example her time with the Enforcers. What had really happened in that place, in that time of solitude? So many questions, thought Razor, so difficult to approach without irritating her. He sighed with defeat, facing the real truth of his silence; he was afraid of asking her about her past - he was afraid of angering her. Sinking into his seat, he was now even afraid to look at her.
After about fifteen minutes of a truly uncomfortable and unforgettable bumpy ride, Hacker picked up another signal on her monitor. This time it was not faint, but very strong. The faint blip blip of the monitor alerted her partners and T-bone instinctively switched off the headlights, as he still wanted to make a surprise attack even though they'd made a complete racket in the beginning.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Hacker eagerly.
Razor and T-bone looked at each other then at Hacker.
"We...um...we bust in and capture the bad guys," T-bone replied simply.
"That's a splendid plan," Hacker said sarcastically, "and what happens if we are caught?"
"Then we'll have to put our instincts and brain to work," said Razor with a grin.
"We act on our instincts," agreed T-bone.
"Okay, how about you go in and get the bad guys while I free the captives," said Hacker in resignation. "How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me," said Razor flexing his fingers. "I'm ready to punch some tails!"
The Thunder Truck rolled silently until they saw a faint glow of light ahead of them. Taking out an infrared visor, Razor slipped them over his eyes.
"Alright, I see three distinct figures. One of them is apparently not moving that much, standing at the far-left end of the cave. The other two are moving something heavy, which has loads of heat in it. I can't make out what it is though," reported Razor. "Here you have a look."
Hacker accepted the visor and as she peered through them, she shook her head, defeated.
"I have no idea what that is," she said.
"Well there's only one way to find out," said T-bone.
Razor gave an affirmative nod to his partners. "We're going in."