Part 6: A New Life
The sky overhead was losing its comforting deep blue color day by day. In a few more weeks, even the night would shine with that damnable red glow. Sam knew, Blossom had told her this would happen. The future was today... there didn't seem to be anything she could do to stop it. But just maybe she could outlast it. She hadn't expected to outlast it with Mandy and Arnold, but a little company would be a good thing.
She took her eyes away from the road to glance over at Mandy in the passenger's seat. The three of them had been taking turns driving since they'd been turned away in Utah, with occasional stops to gather the increasingly disgusting food from the stores and take bathroom breaks. They hadn't been going anywhere in particular until Mandy suggested they head back to California. The beach seemed as safe a place as any, and her family owned a small summer-home right on the shoreline.
It wasn't their first choice. They would be isolated from what little society remained, by themselves until everyone decided to snap back to their senses. In Salt Lake they would have at least had other humans to interact with. But the old saying held true, beggars could not be choosers.
Sam sighed and shook her head, turning back to the road. Over the last few days, Mandy had really impressed her. Of course, nobody ever accused Mandy of being an idiot. Evil and whiny maybe, but never stupid. She supposed she'd just never seen Mandy's more admirable qualities, being her high-school nemesis and all.
She turned off of the freeway when she saw a sign signifying rest stops. She pulled into the parking lot of a small convenience store and reached over to shake Mandy's shoulder. She woke with a start, blinking in surprise. "I thought we could use some more food." Sam told her. Mandy rubbed her eyes and nodded, yawning as she stepped out of the van. "Should we wake up Arnold?"
"Nah, he's fine." Mandy replied, turning to head into the small store. She stopped when they entered, looking around in delight. "Alright! Jackpot!" She exclaimed. The last three they'd checked were close to towns and cities, and had long since been either looted or occupied by gun-toting mobs. This one however looked like it was still fully stocked with everything one would need to survive for a good long while.
"Help me load up the water, we should get as much of this as we can." Mandy grabbed several gallons of water and turned to haul them toward the van. Sam followed behind her, carrying water back and forth like a girl in an African village or something.
"Tell me something Mandy. What are we going to do once we get to your summer-home?" Sam asked as they went back into the store for more water bottles.
"Hmm..." Mandy hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "I guess we just live out our lives. Hopefully we'll run into at least one sane cute boy."
"Why?" Sam asked curiously.
"Do YOU want to repopulate the Earth with Arnold?" Mandy grimaced. Sam couldn't help but laugh as she loaded those water bottles into the van. Mandy leaned against the side of the van, watching her. "Besides, people get... lonely, you know?" Sam nodded, leaning against the other side of the van. She was already beginning to feel that problem creeping up on her... the feeling of being alone in the world. It was probably even worse for Mandy, who was used to having boys flocking to her every whim.
"Well there are still plenty of fish in the sea." Sam reminded her. "They just happen to be eating each other by the dozens right now."
"Ugh, I hate fish. But speaking of eating..." Mandy walked into the store again, with Sam following right behind her. "Grab anything that'll last the trip, the fewer stops we have to make through San Francisco the better."
"Why? Is it really bad there?" Sam asked.
"That's where I found Arnold." Mandy replied. And Sam remembered the state he'd been in when she'd woken up a few days ago, bruised and messed up almost beyond recognition. Yeah... perhaps speed was a good idea.
They stocked up on anything that could keep for a while. Various candy bars, Beef-Jerky, dozens of cans of Spaghetti-O's, or anything else they could eat without prior preparation. They loaded it all into the back of the van with the water and pulled the door closed.
"That should last until we get there. After that, we could always take up fishing as a hobby." Mandy said. Sam started toward the driver's side, but Mandy stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take the wheel for a while." Sam stared at her for a moment, then shrugged and climbed in the passenger's side. When they were both in Mandy pulled them out of the parking lot and headed down the road again.
Townsville... Blossom remembered it so well. But what she remembered could never have been real... this crumbling, tattered Hellhole could never have been the haven of peace and prosperity she thought it had been. She'd just flown over five other cities, none of which were this bad. Her sisters must have had a hand in bringing this place to its knees. It was the ultimate irony... Townsville's protectors destroying it with their own hands. Yeah, that had Him written all over it.
She floated toward Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, landing on the front lawn and pushing the door open. The door creaked in protest before falling to the ground with a heavy thud. She remembered this... she'd seen this fifty years in the future, when Him had taken over. Time was catching up with what she'd seen, and it was catching up fast.
"Hey, gimme that back!" A small voice shouted from further down the street. Blossom walked outside, using her telescopic vision to take a look. A little girl was reaching furiously for a kite, being flown by a much larger boy. Behind them it looked like all of the remnants of the town had gathered. Some were eating and drinking merrily, laughing together.
Of course... now Blossom knew why he didn't simply have her sisters and the boys go on a worldwide rampage. If he'd done that, it would have given all humanity a common enemy. As it was, with surgical strikes to all of the leading, calming forces, he'd cut down all of the things that kept people from obliterating each other and caused a panic at the same time. Sheer genius...
"B... Blossom?" An old, familiar voice asked. Blossom looked toward the playground to see her old teacher, Miss Keane, sitting on one of the swings. "Is that you? You're back?"
"Yeah... I am." Blossom replied. The teacher jumped off of the swing and ran toward her, wrapping her up in a tight hug.
"Blossom! Where have you been!? Everything's been so terrible... and you've been missing..." She sobbed lightly, clinging to her as if she'd just found the Holy Grail. "Those... those shadow things destroyed everything... it was terrible... but you're here now... so it'll be okay..."
Blossom growled. Once she would have said 'yes, everything will be fine now', but now, as a Whoopass Girl, she saw them for what they really were. They used her to keep their city safe, they cared nothing for her as a person. Still, she didn't want Him to find her, and this was probably the last place he and his new cronies would look for her.
"Yeah... it'll be fine." She replied, hugging her back. She let the teacher hold onto her, turning her mind to more important matters. She alone had any kind of power against Him, her sisters, and the Rowdyruff Boys. She needed a plan to bring them all down... but she needed time to do that. But she took comfort in the knowledge that it was only a matter of time before she found a way.
"Okay, is everyone ready?" Mandy asked as they moved down the street with a full tank of gas and a week's worth of food in the back. "We're not stopping once we enter the city limits." She heard the clicks of two seatbelts, as Sam and Arnold both strapped themselves in securely.
"Ready Mandy." Arnold replied.
"Good to go." Sam declared.
"Okay then, onward!" Mandy declared, slamming her foot down on the gas. The van lurched forward, barreling down the last hill, straight past the 'Welcome to San Francisco' sign. The van roared into the city, driving on top of broken glass, pavement, and human bodies. Mandy tried not to look at the road, but she heard Sam's breath catch in her throat.
"Oh my God..." Sam muttered in horror, staring down at the street. That was all that needed to be said really. Occasionally they passed by masses of people huddled together, or a brawl between two people or groups. Mandy groaned when she found herself hurtling toward an intersection full of fighting, screaming people.
"How do we get around that?" Arnold asked. Mandy remained silent, keeping her foot on the gas and the van pointed toward the intersection. Sam seemed to read her thoughts, giving her a horrified look.
"Mandy you can't!"
"It's us or them..." Mandy replied softly.
"No it isn't, we can find a way around! Come on, turn!" Sam demanded. Mandy bit her lip as the van hurtled toward the riot at full speed. A few people saw it coming, screaming and trying to get out of the way. The crowd was too thick for anyone to move though.
"Damnit!" Mandy yanked the wheel to the side, sending them into a sharp turn to the right. The van tilted dangerously to the side, the right wheels literally lifting off the ground. The supplies in the back of the van slammed into the left wall, tilting them even further. It was a stroke of luck that the van's roof slid up against the light pole on the sidewalk, as this pushed it back the other way onto all four wheels. They slid between the light pole and the building on the corner, emerging from the sidewalk a moment later with pale-faces and heavy breath.
"Let's never... do that again..." Arnold squeaked fearfully.
"You did the right thing Mandy..." Sam said, reaching one shaking hand over to put it on her shoulder. Mandy's knuckles finally loosened up on the steering wheel from their bone white death grip. She gulped and heaved a huge sigh, trying to get them through the city... but she did ease up on the gas pedal a little bit.
"Hey Arnold, pass me a water will ya?" Sam reached her hand into the seat behind her. In a moment she brought it forward again with the requested drink in hand. "Thanks."
"No problem Sam." Arnold replied. They drove through the city like this for a long time, with the sun sinking rapidly toward the horizon. She'd wanted to be at the beach before nightfall... it could be a death trap if they had to stop in the middle of the city. Her spirits lightened when they came to the top of a hill, looking out across the city to see that the beach is just a straight shot in front of him.
"Finally! We're gonna make it!" Mandy exclaimed happily.
"Woohoo! We can kiss this stuffy van goodbye!" Sam cheered, with Arnold joining in meekly. They roared down the side of the hill, aiming for the beach at top speed. Mandy saw the man on the side of the road with a shotgun, but she didn't pay any attention to him. At this speed he couldn't possibly hit the van... but she had never thought anyone would raid a police supply closet.
The man kicked his leg forward, sending a steel strip across the length of the road. All four tired exploded on contact with the spike strip, sending the van into the air for a moment until it came down on the rims, sending up a shower of sparks behind them. Mandy, Sam, and Arnold screamed as the van slid uncontrollably along the street, carried forward by the massive momentum they'd built up.
Finally the van skidded to a halt, that horrible screech of steel on pavement coming to an end. Mandy looked back through the rear windshield to see the man with the shotgun marching toward them. A group of other men were coming up behind him, all holding various kinds of weapons.
"Let's get out of here!" Mandy gripped her door handle, but Sam grabbed her wrist.
"No, take a closer look. One of them has a sniper scope, he could pick us off like rabbits." Sam told her seriously. "We have to find a way to sneak out... or over power them."
"Over power them? We don't have any weapons." Mandy complained.
"Well I don't see a way out, do you?" Sam asked. Mandy looked around, then shook her head. "Just stay here... I'll take care of this." Sam unbuckled her seat belt and climbed back into the back seat, stepping over Arnold to reach the back doors. Mandy unbuckled her seatbelt and sank down to the floor in front of her seat, leaning to the side to watch Sam.
Sam ripped open a package of water bottles, taking one bottle in the spaces between each of her fingers. She stared out the back window for a few moments, then ducked down, putting her palm against the door handle.
Suddenly she shoved the handle down, throwing the doors open and hurling the water bottles forward. She vanished from Mandy's view, but she could see bright flashes, and hear the sound of rapid gunfire from the back of the van. "Oh my God... Sam..." She muttered in horror. Arnold, who had taken refuge on the floor between the front and middle seats, got up on his knees to take a peak.
"Arnold, get down!" Mandy shouted far too late. A single flash shone from the back of the van, and a spurt of crimson splashed against the dashboard. Harold slowly fell backward, hitting the ground with a cold, lifeless gaze staring up at the ceiling. Mandy's mouth fell open, her trembling hands trying to find the door handle behind her.
The door opened on its own and a strong hand gripped her hair, dragging her out of the van. She screamed and kicked with all her might, but one thick arm wrapped around her entire body. Her eyes went wide when she saw Sam come around the side of the van, howling like a madman with half her body covered in blood. The man with Mandy raised a gun, but Sam was on them before he could level it.
Her flying kick seemed to head right for Mandy's face, missing by less than an inch to slam into Mandy's attacker's face instead. Sam flew past Mandy, landing on top of the unconscious man in a crouch. She pushed herself to her feet and turned around. It was then that Mandy noticed her left arm was hanging limply at her side... most of that blood was hers.
"Sam... Sam!" Mandy rushed forward as Sam wobbled, threatening to fall on her side. Mandy grabbed her and held her up. Her eyes were closing. "Wake up Sam! Stay awake!" Mandy slapped her with her free hand.
"I'm... I'm up..." Sam replied weakly.
"Geeze..." Mandy quickly pulled off her violet vest, crumpling it up and pressing it over the gunshot wound in Sam's shoulder. Sam winced in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. "Hold it there while we go for the beach. We can fix it right when we get to the house." Sam nodded, bringing her good arm up to hold the now bloody vest in place.
"Just hold on..." Mandy mumbled, marching forward with Sam hanging off of her shoulder. "A few blocks... just hold on." She chanted softly. It was so close now, she could see the old chimney rising out of the roof, with the small waves washing up against the support columns. It was just how she remembered it... but she had no time for nostalgia right now.
The WOOHP jet flew high above the battered and blasted landscape that had once been the United States of America. Jerry, Professor Utonium, Alice, and Crimson all sat in the comfortable couches on board. Jerry stared out the window, watching for their destination. The autopilot was guiding them toward the one WOOHP installation that couldn't have been discovered.
"Let me get this straight..." Alice sat up, staring at Jerry in concentration. "Area 51... the place that the Government has been 'covering up' for decades... and the Roswell incident... were all elaborate hoaxes to cover up the WOOHP science lab buried underneath the military bunker?"
"A fake cover up intended to keep people from ever guessing the truth." Crimson smirked. "That seems really strange, even for WOOHP."
"Yes well, as the saying goes. 'Sometimes the best place to hide is right out in the open'." Jerry looked away from the window to examine his spies across the plane.
"Why go to such lengths to protect this specific site?" Crimson asked.
"This is where WOOHP's R$D division is... was... situated." Jerry replied. "As you know, WOOHP technology could be extremely dangerous if it ever got into the wrong hands. It was best if the public never knew where these gadgets were being created, even if they somehow discovered WOOHP's existence."
"Makes sense to me." Professor Utonium stated.
"Yeah, some of those villains out there are pretty twisted as it is. With WOOHP technology it would only get worse." Alice added.
"Ah... there it is." Jerry stood up as the infamous desert base hove into view below them. It looked as it had always been described, like a small patch of military bunkers in the middle of the Nevada desert. Jerry walked into the cockpit to take control from the autopilot and bring the jet down toward the ground just outside of the installation.
The four figures emerged from the jet and walked onto the base. There was nobody around to stop them, the lab had apparently been abandoned by now. But these were professional WOOHP agents, the grounds were left undisturbed and in proper order. Just empty. Jerry led them up to one of the bunkers and placed his palm on what looked like a fingerprint machine.
"DNA Scan complete." A computer said. "Welcome WOOHP Director Jerry." The doors opened into a shabby looking elevator. They all moved inside and waited while the elevator plunged into the Earth.
When the doors opened, Professor Utonium, Alice, and Crimson stared in shock. The entire Earth seemed to be filled with machines, laboratories with glass walls, and research equipment powerful enough to make a Trekkie faint. "Welcome to WOOHP Laboratories." Jerry said as they all stepped off the elevator. Alice noticed several familiar gadgets lying around on various tables, along with a few she'd never seen before. She was itching to figure out what they do...
"Do bear in mind most of these gadgets are in their prototype phases, and not safe to experiment with." Jerry stated, staring directly at Alice. Alice blushed and nodded while Crimson chuckled.
"This place is incredible." Professor Utonium marched slowly into the middle of the room, his eyes scanning every piece of equipment like a child unleashed on a pile of Christmas presents. "There's enough equipment here to construct just about anything..."
"If you feel you can make something that might be of use to our cause, don't hesitate to do so." Jerry said. "In the meantime, I should check the monitoring equipment to see the situation in the rest of the world. Come see me if anything happens ladies." He nodded to Alice and Crimson before heading off toward one of the rooms in the back.
"Where to begin..." Professor Utonium mumbled to himself as he walked aimlessly toward the large piles of complicated equipment.
Crimson shook her head. "Men and their toys eh?" She and Alice both chuckled. Despite the almost hopeless situation, things seemed to get a bit brighter. This bunker was the best... and worst if you think about it... secret in the history of the planet. Of course, with WOOHP Headquarters now under His control, he might be able to locate it with WOOHP's database files. But they'd bought themselves some time at least.
Sam's head lolled to the side as Mandy pulled her through the creaking, wooden door of the large beachside home. "Hang on... I got you..." She pulled the redhead forward, though Sam barely noticed. She'd dropped Mandy's vest long ago, and her limbs were dangling like noodles at her sides. Mandy had carried her halfway down the beach.
"Here... right here." Mandy grunted as she hefted Sam off her back to set her on the couch. Sam stared up at her, barely noticing what she was doing as she unzipped the front of her green jumpsuit. She pulled it carefully over the bullet wound, pushing the top off down to Sam's waist. She got up and ran off, leaving Sam staring at the ceiling warily.
"I don't know how exactly... but I have to get the bullet out." Mandy returned with two arms full of supplies, dropping them on the floor in front of Sam. She picked up a rag and pushed it into Sam's mouth. "I'm sorry Sam... this will hurt like Hell." Mandy apologized as she pushed a pair of thongs into the wound. Sam screamed into the washcloth, her body tensing up.
Mandy's thongs dug into the bullet hole, searching for the bullet as Sam bit into the rag, screaming in pain. Tears of pain poured down her cheeks, but she was careful not to move lest she mess up Mandy's operation. Finally Mandy pulled the blood-covered thongs out of her shoulder, holding the bullet between them. She dropped it and quickly placed a washcloth over her shoulder to stem the blood flow.
"Okay, there we go..." Mandy's ran her hand through Sam's hair as she lay back against the couch, crying and whimpering in pain. "It's almost over... but I have to try to sterilize it." Sam nodded slightly, unable to speak for the rag in her mouth. Mandy picked up another rag and poured some rubbing alcohol onto it. She pulled back the rag from her shoulder and pressed the alcohol covered one against it.
Sam flinched and tensed up, but didn't scream this time. Mandy kept her hand on top of Sam's head, stroking it comfortingly as she dabbed the rag over the bullet hole. Finally she pulled that cloth back and grabbed yet another fresh one, pressing it against her shoulder. This time she grabbed a length of bandages and started wrapping them around Sam's torso.
The bandages wrapped around her body from her shoulder to her waist, running between her breasts as Sam leaned her head back, closing her eyes in exhaustion and pain. Finally the bandages were in place and Mandy sat down beside her, pulling the rag out of her mouth. "Are you okay Sam?" She asked.
Sam looked over at her with a wary glare. "Fantastic... I've always wanted to experience searing pain..." She spat venomously. Mandy smiled and patted her head.
"Good, you're conscious enough to recognize stupid questions." She said. "Come on, you need to get some rest." She wrapped her arms around Sam's waist and pulled her up from the couch. Sam leaned against her, letting Mandy pull her toward one of the bedrooms in the back. Mandy sighed slightly, the danger seemed to be past now, but she didn't know if she did everything right. Sam may never use that arm again, or worse, she could get a serious infection. She hoped it wouldn't come to that... there were no doctors left. So all she could do was hope.
The ocean ripples swept the raft along in random circles, but its occupant barely noticed. Alex stared at the sky blankly, her skin becoming more taught across her bones with each passing day. She couldn't even hope to move her bony limbs anymore, the only parts of her body she could move were her eyes and her lips.
"Swing low..." A soft, whispery breath uttered into the ocean breeze. "Sweet chariot..." She blinked slowly, staring up at the reddening sky overhead. "Comin' 'for to carry me home..." She didn't care about the strange color though, she could barely think about anything. Her mind seemed to be fading with every moment... but she refused to let go of the faint glimmer of hope that still shone in her heart.
"Swing low... sweet chariot..." She breathed, closing her eyes against the raging sun. "Comin' 'for to carry me home..."
TO BE CONTINUED