"Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, what if the
rokellium hasn't exactly worn off yet? If you're not careful, you might
cause us all to stay in the shelter for a couple of years!"
Natalya finished closing the buckle on the gun belt, then looked up
at the worried chameleon standing in front of her.
"Yeah, Espio, I'm not afraid. I think you guys can live off of fire-
flowers for that length of time. Hey, Jacques, you got that gun loaded like
I asked?"
The brown tri-horned chameleon handed her the small handgun. She
hooked it to her belt, on her left waist. Looking around, she turned to
leave the shelter.
"Well, looks like nine o'clock to me. Guess I better go."
"Not before I do this."
Before Natalya even knew what had happened, Espio had pulled her
close to him and planted his lips upon hers. They stayed that way for a
long time.
Espio pushed her away.
"Hey, I was just starting to get comfortable."
"Too bad. You gotta go now. Remember, you were going to show those
red-hammer-and-sicklers how to trade!"
She walked away from him, toward the ladder that led to the shelter
door.
For a second, Espio felt compelled to stop her. He took a step
forward, and felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up; it was Doctor
Kovalevski.
"It's okay, Espio. She can do it. I've seen her do it. She's a big
girl now."
Stopping again at the top of the metal ladder, Natalya looked back
over her shoulder at the crowd of Chamis Lions and Freedom Fighters.
She smiled, her emerald-green eyes sparkling.
_________________________________________________________________________
Above the skies of New Mobotropolis, the six beetle-shaped Soviet
hovercrafts flew
through the air, heading for the meeting spot: the marble fountain.
The old fountain had been built at least seventy years ago, during
the reign of King Acorn the Second. It consisted of four gigantic upright
marble bowls that stood on a huge pedestal with four branches to support
the bowls. Water used to flow into the bowls from pipes in the centers,
spilling out into the larger fountain pool below. Green plants were hung
around the pedestal and its branches.
Now, the fountain had been fully restored, except for the piping.
That part still needed some cleaning and replacing. The entire fountain
stood at least fifty feet high.
Spotting it from above, the lead hoverpod turned around, swinging
low over the buildings. It landed sixty feet away from the fountain pool.
The other five hovercrafts landed in a circle surrounding it.
The door opened in the lead hovercraft, and a large anole in a beige
officer's coat climbed out. Waiting for the other soldiers to leave their
vehicles, he raised a megaphone to his mouth.
"Attention, citizens! Now is the time to make you decision! Do you
bring out your object of trade, or not?"
Behind him, two stronger soldiers held a struggling Sebastian and
Tanya. Looking around, Sebastian cried out:
"Don't do it, Natalya! Don't do what he says! He's a liar and a
cheat; I've seen 'im!!!"
Nevertheless, he saw the young chameleon walk out from behind a
nearby building. She kept walking until she was directly in front of the
fountain, facing the anoles. She leaned on the edge of the pool, crossing
her arms.
"Okay, Commander... Here I am. Release your hostages."
Instantly, Sebastian and Tanya han to her. Sebastian hugged her
tightly, pressing his furry head against her side. Natalya put her hand on
his shoulder.
"Boy, am I glad to see you again, Sebastian! And you, Tanya! We were
very worried about you."
"Aw, you shouldn't have worried about me, Natalya. I was doing fine.
So was Tanya."
"Well, you better hurry down to the shelter. I'll settle this out
with Kothek."
They did as they were told, running off to the metal cover and
climbing down inside, closing it behind them. Natalya turned to face the
anoles again.
The anole Commander turned and pointed to the two nearest soldiers.
"You there. Go get her and take her to the hoverpod number three."
Immediately, the two lead-clad troopers began to run toward
Natalya. As soon as they were ten feet away from her, however, she pulled
out the small handgun and shot both of them.
They fell to the ground dead.
In response, all the remaining soldier anoles pulled out their
bayonets, and aimed at the chameleon. Kothek looked around him and shouted.
"YOU IDIOTS! Don't fire at her! You'll blow the place sky-high!"
The soldiers put down their guns at once. Natalya laughed crazily
at them all.
"Haaa ha haa! Who's trapped now, I wonder?"
She raised the gun. Looking around, the anole Commander suddenly
became worried.
"Now, mistress... You wouldn't shoot yourself, would you? And go
and waste your life like that? What about your friends in those buildings?
They'd be killed along with us."
"Huh. Actually, I was going to try and shoot all of you... But
going ahead and shooting myself sounds even better. I'm willing to give my
life for my country's freedom. Besides, all my pals are safe in the
underground shelter."
"Miss, be reasonable..."
"Reasonable? Hah! You guys were going to kill me anyway, weren't
you? Use me as a weapon against my people! Sure, I'll be reasonable--
reasonable enough to give you five seconds to get back into your hoverpods
and go back to that excuse for a republic you live in."
She twirled the gun on her finger.
"Ready? Go!"
They just stood there, unmoving. Surely this was only a hoax.
When the five seconds was up, Natalya looked around her. The anoles
were still there, and so were their vehicles.
Grasping the barrel of the gun, she planted it firmly against her
forehead, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
For a moment, she looked confused. She lowered the gun, checked the
cylinder, then fired twice at the fountain behind her. The third time gave
out a loud gunshot.
"Ah, there we go."
But the Commander and his troop were already long gone.
_________________________________________________________________________
Watching a nearby camera view, Karma McCartney the Chameleon saw the
anoles leave. After a half a minute, she saw Natalya fall to the ground.
"Hey! Somebody! Help! She's fallen out!"
Instantly, Kovalevski, Espio, Mighty, and Sebastian rushed out of
the underground shelter door, heading toward the unconscious Natalya.
"Josef, you got the rojinium?"
"Yes, I got one here in my pocket."
"Oh, I hope nothing's happened to her!"
"Is she going to be alright, mister Espio?"
"I hope so, Sebastian."
Espio picked the fallen chameleon up, and, sitting down on the edge
of the fountain, laid her in his lap while holding her head up as Kovalevski
pulled out a small bottle and a syringe. Mighty and Sebastian gathered around
the other side while the wolf Doctor inserted the thin needle into the
bottle, drawing the clear-red liquid into the syringe. Putting the bottle
back into his coat pocket, he held the bell of his stethoscope in his hand
while inserting the needle into Natalya's chest, injecting the chemical into
her heart.
He pulled the needle out five seconds later, and placed the
stethoscope over her heart, listening intently. He closed his eyes in
concentration. Espio closed his also, whispering a silent prayer.
After what seemed like an eternity, Natalya tiredly turned her head,
coughed, and moaned. She placed her hand over her forehead.
Mighty sighed loudly, placing his hand against his own heart.
Espio just smiled. He was too enthralled for words.
Turning her head, Natalya opened her eyes to look at Espio.
"Wha... Who... What happened? Espio? Who won?"
"You did, Natalya. You did."
_________________________________________________________________________
rokellium hasn't exactly worn off yet? If you're not careful, you might
cause us all to stay in the shelter for a couple of years!"
Natalya finished closing the buckle on the gun belt, then looked up
at the worried chameleon standing in front of her.
"Yeah, Espio, I'm not afraid. I think you guys can live off of fire-
flowers for that length of time. Hey, Jacques, you got that gun loaded like
I asked?"
The brown tri-horned chameleon handed her the small handgun. She
hooked it to her belt, on her left waist. Looking around, she turned to
leave the shelter.
"Well, looks like nine o'clock to me. Guess I better go."
"Not before I do this."
Before Natalya even knew what had happened, Espio had pulled her
close to him and planted his lips upon hers. They stayed that way for a
long time.
Espio pushed her away.
"Hey, I was just starting to get comfortable."
"Too bad. You gotta go now. Remember, you were going to show those
red-hammer-and-sicklers how to trade!"
She walked away from him, toward the ladder that led to the shelter
door.
For a second, Espio felt compelled to stop her. He took a step
forward, and felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up; it was Doctor
Kovalevski.
"It's okay, Espio. She can do it. I've seen her do it. She's a big
girl now."
Stopping again at the top of the metal ladder, Natalya looked back
over her shoulder at the crowd of Chamis Lions and Freedom Fighters.
She smiled, her emerald-green eyes sparkling.
_________________________________________________________________________
Above the skies of New Mobotropolis, the six beetle-shaped Soviet
hovercrafts flew
through the air, heading for the meeting spot: the marble fountain.
The old fountain had been built at least seventy years ago, during
the reign of King Acorn the Second. It consisted of four gigantic upright
marble bowls that stood on a huge pedestal with four branches to support
the bowls. Water used to flow into the bowls from pipes in the centers,
spilling out into the larger fountain pool below. Green plants were hung
around the pedestal and its branches.
Now, the fountain had been fully restored, except for the piping.
That part still needed some cleaning and replacing. The entire fountain
stood at least fifty feet high.
Spotting it from above, the lead hoverpod turned around, swinging
low over the buildings. It landed sixty feet away from the fountain pool.
The other five hovercrafts landed in a circle surrounding it.
The door opened in the lead hovercraft, and a large anole in a beige
officer's coat climbed out. Waiting for the other soldiers to leave their
vehicles, he raised a megaphone to his mouth.
"Attention, citizens! Now is the time to make you decision! Do you
bring out your object of trade, or not?"
Behind him, two stronger soldiers held a struggling Sebastian and
Tanya. Looking around, Sebastian cried out:
"Don't do it, Natalya! Don't do what he says! He's a liar and a
cheat; I've seen 'im!!!"
Nevertheless, he saw the young chameleon walk out from behind a
nearby building. She kept walking until she was directly in front of the
fountain, facing the anoles. She leaned on the edge of the pool, crossing
her arms.
"Okay, Commander... Here I am. Release your hostages."
Instantly, Sebastian and Tanya han to her. Sebastian hugged her
tightly, pressing his furry head against her side. Natalya put her hand on
his shoulder.
"Boy, am I glad to see you again, Sebastian! And you, Tanya! We were
very worried about you."
"Aw, you shouldn't have worried about me, Natalya. I was doing fine.
So was Tanya."
"Well, you better hurry down to the shelter. I'll settle this out
with Kothek."
They did as they were told, running off to the metal cover and
climbing down inside, closing it behind them. Natalya turned to face the
anoles again.
The anole Commander turned and pointed to the two nearest soldiers.
"You there. Go get her and take her to the hoverpod number three."
Immediately, the two lead-clad troopers began to run toward
Natalya. As soon as they were ten feet away from her, however, she pulled
out the small handgun and shot both of them.
They fell to the ground dead.
In response, all the remaining soldier anoles pulled out their
bayonets, and aimed at the chameleon. Kothek looked around him and shouted.
"YOU IDIOTS! Don't fire at her! You'll blow the place sky-high!"
The soldiers put down their guns at once. Natalya laughed crazily
at them all.
"Haaa ha haa! Who's trapped now, I wonder?"
She raised the gun. Looking around, the anole Commander suddenly
became worried.
"Now, mistress... You wouldn't shoot yourself, would you? And go
and waste your life like that? What about your friends in those buildings?
They'd be killed along with us."
"Huh. Actually, I was going to try and shoot all of you... But
going ahead and shooting myself sounds even better. I'm willing to give my
life for my country's freedom. Besides, all my pals are safe in the
underground shelter."
"Miss, be reasonable..."
"Reasonable? Hah! You guys were going to kill me anyway, weren't
you? Use me as a weapon against my people! Sure, I'll be reasonable--
reasonable enough to give you five seconds to get back into your hoverpods
and go back to that excuse for a republic you live in."
She twirled the gun on her finger.
"Ready? Go!"
They just stood there, unmoving. Surely this was only a hoax.
When the five seconds was up, Natalya looked around her. The anoles
were still there, and so were their vehicles.
Grasping the barrel of the gun, she planted it firmly against her
forehead, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
For a moment, she looked confused. She lowered the gun, checked the
cylinder, then fired twice at the fountain behind her. The third time gave
out a loud gunshot.
"Ah, there we go."
But the Commander and his troop were already long gone.
_________________________________________________________________________
Watching a nearby camera view, Karma McCartney the Chameleon saw the
anoles leave. After a half a minute, she saw Natalya fall to the ground.
"Hey! Somebody! Help! She's fallen out!"
Instantly, Kovalevski, Espio, Mighty, and Sebastian rushed out of
the underground shelter door, heading toward the unconscious Natalya.
"Josef, you got the rojinium?"
"Yes, I got one here in my pocket."
"Oh, I hope nothing's happened to her!"
"Is she going to be alright, mister Espio?"
"I hope so, Sebastian."
Espio picked the fallen chameleon up, and, sitting down on the edge
of the fountain, laid her in his lap while holding her head up as Kovalevski
pulled out a small bottle and a syringe. Mighty and Sebastian gathered around
the other side while the wolf Doctor inserted the thin needle into the
bottle, drawing the clear-red liquid into the syringe. Putting the bottle
back into his coat pocket, he held the bell of his stethoscope in his hand
while inserting the needle into Natalya's chest, injecting the chemical into
her heart.
He pulled the needle out five seconds later, and placed the
stethoscope over her heart, listening intently. He closed his eyes in
concentration. Espio closed his also, whispering a silent prayer.
After what seemed like an eternity, Natalya tiredly turned her head,
coughed, and moaned. She placed her hand over her forehead.
Mighty sighed loudly, placing his hand against his own heart.
Espio just smiled. He was too enthralled for words.
Turning her head, Natalya opened her eyes to look at Espio.
"Wha... Who... What happened? Espio? Who won?"
"You did, Natalya. You did."
_________________________________________________________________________