Schoolhouse Rock: The Lost Chronicle Chapter 7: The Critical Rescue Mission, a crash bandicoot fanfic

Sunrise came through the blocks quickly and already shone a cascading blue colour. But a figure could be made out on one of the blocks, which was easy to make out.
Neo sat among the carrier pigeons in deep thought. The upcoming mission against Tiko and Sgt. Soup... exactly how could he cope with it? Sure he needed a positive attitude as that could make a big difference between life and death. Speaking of which, what about the others - Snappy, Boron, Goliath, Corona, Travis, Bubble and Kiwi? They've spent a whole night inside that old warehouse, but could this be one night too many? And what about his party of five? He knows that he wants to make them escape alive, but as Gadget said last night, "every battle we have someone killed" and for everyone to make it out alive would be a miracle. He looked out to the skies again, with that same concerned look, and gave out a long and worried sigh. Finally he looked down concentrating on the thoughts. Then... there were some footsteps coming up the rooftop, and out from the stairs... came Gadget.
"Hi", she said calmly.
Neo turned around, and gasped at the sight of her. "Gadget!!!" He stood up on both feet. "What a surprise!"
"What exactly are you doing up here at half past six in the morning?"
He resorted to a shrug. "I'm not sure, but the thoughts about everyone else were the cause of this."
"Don't panic about your friends", she smiled.
"Does it look like I'm panicking?" said Neo with a confused look.
"Now mark my words - I can see a guarantee that you will be as safe as can be."
He then sighed in front of her. "Gadget's a poet, and I didn't know it."
"I heard that! Now back on topic... remember last night that I told you that someone gets killed in every battle?"
"Exactly", Neo said. "That thought's been on my mind for a while now."
"Well forget it this time - we will ALL survive!"
"But I thought..."
"Think about it - if you wanna fight well, you gotta have the attitude for it. Think positive thoughts, my friend", she winked. "It's the easiest way to win. And don't worry about the tricks that Tiko and Soup have in store - it's the weaknesses that count. We've already learnt about Soup's weakness that he always aims for his target, even though he doesn't watch himself for his own safety. But Tiko... I'm not sure about."
"Neither do I", he said while lowering his head. "Before we met here, I never saw him in a long time."
"Remember - focus, and have a positive attitude at all times. What have you got to say to that?"
There was silence for a few seconds, until out came a rather dodgy remark.
"Baby, you can lift my spirits any day of the week", Neo grinned.
"Oh my goodness, you just said THAT?!?" Gadget's eyes widened. "How sweet!" She then took his hand, leaving them to walk towards a nearby stairway. "Now come on. It's gonna be a while before the others awaken, so how about we go for a one-on-one game of Scrabble?"
"You bet!"
So they both left the rooftops towards the stairs down to the main hall, where they should take their time unwinding themselves before the battle.

Two hours later, everyone else was up and around the breakfast table... along with empty bowls of cereal in front of them. At the far end of the table, Gadget looked on at her companions with determination.
"OK, today's the big day, so try and look the part!" She stood up. "I know you may seem afraid that we may lose someone again, but if you have a very positive attitude, it's not gonna happen."
"That's what you said in the other missions, yet we always lose someone in battle", frowned Misty.
Gadget leant towards her. "Hey, turn that frown upside down!"
"I know what's gonna happen, believe me. And if that's the case, make me the one to go."
"No!!!" Chad shouted. "Misty - don't do it!"
"What's the point?" the turtle growled. "I'm living in a world where I'm not getting any attention from anybody, someone in this room is being so big headed and the toilets are being mucked up all over the place!"
"Well we can't blame your overdose on alcohol from last night, can we?" Neo questioned her.
"Look at me - I'm a grown girl! I can drink all the beer that I want!" she folded her arms. "So there!!!"
"Now listen - without your input we can't survive this mission", blinked Brio.
"Yeah", Chad frowned viciously. "You were the reason why we failed in recent fights!"
"Trust me - there's no way you can beat Sgt. Soup. Not even Spiky over there can slaughter him."
"It's not Spiky, it's Neo", he said while leaning towards her. "Now read - my - lips! I know that you think there's no way of getting out of this mess..."
"Other than a time machine", Misty whispered under her breath.
"...but if you co-operate properly this time, we'll ALL be survivors!" Neo smiled. "One slip, and you'll be facing this problem for time to come."
"But..."
"So which world would you rather live in - a pain-infested world thanks to the 'Terrible Two' or a peaceful world like the one before, even though some of us could be dead?"
She thought long and hard through this, but she had different thoughts through it. Even though she hates him, she doesn't have a choice but to let them see the dreaded future up ahead. She then looked up... with a confident smile.
"Let's get ready to rumble!!"
The remaining four cheered and looked on at the path outside the room.
"Hey, now that you seem more confident, how about we go show them what we're all about!!!" Chad smiled.
So they stormed out of the back door pretty quickly, and raced on towards Miami Beach. Time is running out already - what are the others doing if they are still alive? And if not, how did they end up in the situation they're in? Either way, Tiko and Soup are now on the road to punishment.

The door to the warehouse's main room opened once more, and this time it gave out a fair bit of dark light. Then two feet stepped into the room - one of them with a dark boot, the other with a brown hiking shoe. Finally the door opened widely, and Tiko and Soup stepped into the room and made their way to the other side. The lights were turned on, chasing the dark shadows away from their spots, and now in the light... the remaining people in the good alliance were sitting on metal chairs, all tied up! Sgt. Soup got out his club once more and started taking his time to going up to them. With that, some of them were nervous, Travis being no exception - his head was shaking and sweat was pouring down the side of his face!
Finally he came to a stop a metre in front of them.
"Any last words?"
Bubble growled in front of him. "TELL ME YOUR PLAN, JERK!!"
Soup then squealed with anger. He held the club high above his head and was about to hit Bubble on the head as hard as hard can be when... Tiko rushed to him and took a hold of his hand.
"Not yet - before their punishment they'd better learn about our evil scheme. Then when we slaughter them, they can't tell anyone about it!"
"Ah yeah!" smiled Soup.
"What was the milk for?" Travis asked curiously.
"I plan to smuggle these across the town, and when they drink out of it they will turn to the dark side. And after that, they will bow down to me as their ruler!!!" Tiko smirked.
"So?" blinked Kiwi. "One city isn't good enough."
"Ah, but this is where the clever part comes in", smirked Soup. "From this town we will build an army and using that, no one will stop us from traveling around the world and taking over it!!!"
"Our first stop will be the northern city of Washington D.C." Tiko smiled with determination. "The president will suffer from our wrath!"
"Hey, just because you're master criminals it doesn't mean that your plans are good", Snappy roared back.
"WHAT?!" Soup blinked towards him.
"If I'd classify you as a criminal, I'd say that you're King Kong."
"Why?" Corona asked the alligator.
"Because both of them have a brain the size of an electron!"
"AT LEAST I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE, THANK YOU!!" Soup brawled back.
"Sheesh, don't get your underpants in a twist." He turned towards the others with a blink. "If you want to do a situation like this, don't try this at home!" He then paused for several seconds before winking. "Do it at school."
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!" Tiko shouted before looking towards Soup. "Give him the club!"
"Yes sir!"
He took the club and lifted it up to a high height... and aimed directly for Snappy's head!

Whilst all this was going on, a sound of footsteps could be heard from further up the corridors of the warehouse. They came closer and closer... and we saw them as the remaining five!
"There are the wooden doors up ahead!" Misty exclaimed.
"Excellent job!" Chad smiled towards her. "I'm glad we've finally knocked your sense into you..."
"Oh, it was nothing", she said while looking up suspiciously.
Gadget smiled. "Now all we have to do is get in, find the others, take them out and-"
Suddenly, a big bang occurred. Everyone panicked at the sound of it, and came to a sudden stop.
"Gunfire!!!" Neo shouted as he started sprinting towards the door. "You just wait - I'll try and find out what they're doing!"
"Yes, but keep your wits at all times!!!" Brio shouted from the sidelines.
As soon as he reached the fork, both doors were slightly open again, and as he turned to the door to the conference room... he peeked in and saw something unfold. Then he gasped.
"What is it?" Gadget asked. "Is there something wrong?"
Neo then turned towards her, with a depressed look showing on his face. "I'd hate to tell you this, but..."
"YOU DOWNRIGHT PLONKER!!" boomed Tiko's voice from behind the doors.
"They're in there", Neo smiled as he pointed towards the conference room doors, "and they're still alive!"
"YEE-HAW!" Gadget squealed happily with a spring in her step before turning towards the others. "Hey come on - we're home free so far!!!"
"What?!?" Brio said with widened eyes. "YES!"
"So much for the Death Parade", blinked Misty.
"Quick", commanded Chad. "If we go in now then we'll be able to make it through! Let's go!!!"
The doors swung open violently, and in came the good alliance, ready for a good fight. As they looked around the room, they saw Tiko and Soup quarrelling at each other, and the remaining seven, all tied up. Then they saw shattered pieces of black metal on the ground. They all looked at each other... and winked.
"HEY! STOP WINKING AND GET US OUTTA HERE!!!" shouted Snappy's voice.
"SNAPPY!!" Neo gasped as he ran towards him.
"Careful m'lad", said Chad with caution. "You never know what they could have done to him!"
But he didn't pay any attention. He just continued going across to the others, and when he came to them he went in the darkness, so that he could hardly be seen.
"Listen guys", he smiled. "Now that we're here we'll try and take you guys out one by one."
"But what if they stopped quarrelling and noticed us making our escape?" Travis frowned.
"Calm down Travis - if they notice us, we'll be ready for an attack. Now just hang on", Neo smiled as he brought out a pair of giant scissors from behind him. "We'll have you out in no time."
"Yeah, the sooner the better!" Bubble grinned. "I can't bear to put up in a dark atmosphere like this!"
There was silence between them all for a while, and as he looked on, he saw the others waiting for their cue. He stuck his thumb up, and then the others came over, with great stealth.
But as they ran, Chad accidentally tripped up, causing a loud clang on the floor, and for the enemies to be silenced.
"Did I hear something?" Tiko asked Soup.
"If that's the case, it has to be in the form of…" He turned around, facing Chad, lying on the floor. "A TRAITOR!!!!!!"
Chad gave out a squeal, trying to back away from him. While that happened, Tiko brought out a giant red gun from under his cape.
"And any traitors on our land will be immediately... terminated!"
There was the pull of the trigger - it gave out a bang, firing a strong bullet. And it got Chad directly on the chest! He started suffering from a bad injury, but he eventually managed to stand up.
"CHAD!" Misty shouted towards him.
"ANOTHER ONE!!!" Tiko shouted as he started firing again.
Quickly Misty grabbed Chad and dragged him back into the main corridors, avoiding the gunfire on the way.
"I have a bad feeling that they've spotted us", Neo frowned.
"Don't panic", shouted Snappy. "Free us and we'll be able to help you out!"
"We'll try!" Gadget smiled over to them.
She immediately grabbed a hold of the ropes, and cutted Snappy out... with her teeth! Then she came over to Bubble and freed him with the same method. Finally she went for Travis, who got out easily! Having seen that, Neo looked on at Boron, Goliath and Corona, and freed them with the scissors. Brio saw Kiwi on the smallest chair, in the middle of them all, so he grabbed her body and pulled her out!
"Mind my rib cage - it's delicate!" the parrot screamed over to Brio.
"Sorry...!"
"THEY'RE FREE!!" Tiko squealed over to Soup angrily.
"Don't squeal at me - I'll take them out!" Soup smirked.
"You best do, or else!" Tiko said as he placed a jetpack on his back. "I'm outta here - I'm gone from this state for good!"
So he blasted out of the building from the roof, and this left Sgt. Soup to take on the others.
"Careful guys - this means business", frowned Neo, while looking on at Boron growling next to him. "I know you want to take him on, but he seems tougher than last time."
All of a sudden, Goliath screamed and started leaving the room, leaving Gadget's expression to show curiosity.
"Hey, where are you going?"
It wasn't long until Boron started following him, leaving stained footsteps across the steel floors.
"Hoo boy", sighed Corona. "I bet those hound dawgs are gonna suffer."
"For now... I guess it's up to the rest of us", shrugged Neo.
"And this time, we're tougher than ever before!" Gadget said as she charged towards Soup.
"No, wait!" Brio screamed towards her.
But it was already too late, as Gadget immediately tackled Soup with a head butt and then jumped right over him! He then grabbed Tiko's gun, and started shooting that, but she picked up a piece of the floor and blocked the shots from it, and when the fire stopped... she tossed it like a boomerang... and hit him on the head, as well as breaking the helmet!
"OH NO!" he screamed towards her. "You've got a price to pay!"
He loaded his gun again, and this time she had no chance of escape. Cornered in, the guns quickly were fired, and she started cowering.
But... a few seconds later, she still didn't feel a single shot to her body! She looked ahead of her... and saw Neo with the piece of the floor in his possession!
"WOW!!!" she screamed. "You've saved my life!!!"
"No problem Gadget", he deviously smiled. "I'm here to stick up for everybody no matter what happens!"
"DARN!!!!" Soup exclaimed as he kicked the gun across the floor.
"I'll take the control from here", Neo nodded towards Gadget. "Watch out, because I have a way to get round all this!"
"Thanks!"
"Hey, two can play at that game!!!" Soup screamed as he picked up another piece of the floor.
As they looked on at each other, the others made their escape quickly… but it was all interrupted by a rapid shaking in the room, followed by the room caving in.
"I wasn't expecting THAT coming in play", Neo blinked.
"EARTHQUAKE!!" panicked Soup, standing upon his tiptoes.
They both raced each other for the door, trying to hit each other with their floorboards. Within the time... they both failed at hitting each other, and they were both neck and neck! Finally they reached the door, and only just... Neo came out of the door first, and slammed it in Soup's face, showing his face print on it! He slipped his floorboard through the lock, so that... he can't get out! Then a fire erupted from the boiler, causing him to panic a bit more! As he ran, another figure could be made out - two figures rather - they are Chad and Gadget!
"Hey Neo!" Gadget shouted towards him. "Over here!!!"
At this stage, they were a fair distance between the erupting fire, and with that, Neo slowed down to reach the two of them.
"What happened here?" he asked her.
"Boron and Goliath destroyed the boiler, and are out there safely, with the others. We've tried to make our escape, but my dad's been limping behind for a while now."
"I..." Chad said faintly. "I can't go on like this..."
"Stay calm soldier - we'll take you out!" Neo smiled towards him.
"Be careful", Gadget squealed. "The fire's coming this way!"
Neo gave out a gasp. "Best make a run for it!"
Quickly he placed Chad in his arms, and dashed out of the area, and Gadget soon ran and followed him.
The fire zoomed past the camera, and they were both up close to the exit, but... they don't seem to be going anywhere! They looked down... and a conveyor belt is carrying them back towards the fire pretty quickly! Gadget hung onto Neo's shoulder, as they struggled to get past the area. Then by some surprise... it quickly stopped, and they started running again, with the flames up close to them!
"I can't hold on much longer!" Gadget squealed.
"GADGET!!!" Neo shouted towards her. "HANG ON!!"
But as soon as he finished speaking, she slipped behind, but she managed to dodge the flames, and sped up, overtaking the others. Then as they came to the exit... the door closed on them!
Quickly, Gadget jumped into a small opening above the blocked exit, and as soon as she jumped up, a stream of fire can be seen throughout the area. She looked down, and had worry spelt across her face. Are Neo and Chad still OK down there? She had to find out!
And the question was soon answered, as they came up, with sweat pouring down their faces! That way, they made their run again, and this time... the fire came up the passageway! But she didn't realize the danger from behind her.
"GADGET!!" Neo shouted towards her.
She gasped and turned around. "What the...?"
He was slowing down and was no more than a centimetre away from the flames!
"Hang on!" she shouted towards him.
"NO! It's too late!!!"
"But..."
"If you see Tiko again, take care of him for me!!!"
And after that, Neo and Chad both went into the flames, and they couldn't be made visible from there. Quickly she continued running further and further.
There was a light at the end of the tunnel, and she was no more than a few inches away from the flames, and as she quickly stepped her foot out, the fire seemed like it was touching her...

"Soup?" Tiko's voice was heard on a cellphone. "Soup, can you hear me? SOUP?!? NOOO!"

The midday sun can be seen through here, as the warehouse can now be seen as a worse wreck than it was to start with! Through one of the holes, Gadget was seen running across the shores, towards the others, whom were all waiting. Finally she stopped at their feet.
"Hey Gadget - nice to see you out!" Misty smiled towards her.
"Yeah, but... I've got some good news and some bad news", she frowned.
"What's the good news?" asked Corona.
"The good news is that the building has been burnt out, telling us that Sergeant Oxtail Soup... we think... is now dead."
Everyone started cheering and celebrating.
"But the bad news", Gadget started again, "is that Neo and Chad didn't-"
"OVER HERE!!" said a nearby voice.
Gadget gasped before turning behind her, seeing Neo coming towards her. "YOU'RE ALIVE!! YEAH!!"
Everyone turned to him, and they saw him with Chad in his arms this time around! The cheering went wilder and wilder than it ever has been before!
"I knew we would do it with his help!!!" Corona smiled.
"Yeah, and for some reason", Misty smiled, "I feel happy for him."
"What?" Bubble suddenly asked her.
"It's best living in a world where the enemy is down rather than where he's up. So I'd like to congratulate him."
As they spoke, he came closer and closer to them, with a proud look on his face.
Finally he made a stop, and he placed Chad down on his feet... who collapsed as soon as he was let go.
"DAD!" Gadget gasped towards him.
He tried to get up, but he just couldn't. Gadget started to have a worried look on her face now.
"Please... what's wrong?"
"The gunfire", Chad responded with a faint voice.
"What?"
"Give me somewhere to rest. The gunfire has caused a bad effect on me..."
He was left to lie down upon his back, upon the sandy shores. While that happened, several tears started to show upon her face.
"No... don't rest now - stay awake. Please... don't go..."
"Yes... but I'll wake up", he whispered.
"Good."
"In heaven..."
Gadget sniffed sadly. "What?"
"I have lived long enough to see my dream come true... and now... like Dr. Brio before me... I shall move on to a new mission..."
Gadget gave in a worried inhale. "No... please..."
"Remove... my bandana."
And so she did, slowly but carefully.
"If there's any chance of evil returning", Chad started speaking, "I am counting on you to make the dreams... come true..."
"No", she continued to sob.
"And finally..." Chad brought his attention towards Neo and the others. "Neo... I want to thank you... for your courage in helping us... it'll be great to have you... to be a great help in the future... and your cub Boron... I'll be happy... to classify him... as a Private... he showed bravery in the previous mission... and now he'd be happy to have the title."
"Any time", Neo nodded, trying to hold back a small tear showing on one of his eyes. "But... it'll be horrible to see you go. Please don't..."
"Sorry... but now... it's my only choice... I'll be looking up to you... in the city in the sky..."
Gadget gasped with a quivering lip. "Please no..."
"I love you all..."
Gadget gave out a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears while speaking to him. "We all love you too..."
"I'll remain in your heart for time... to come..."
"No..." she sniffed. "Dad!"
"I'll... be... by... your... siiiiiiiide..." he said before limping on the ground and closing his eyes.
Gadget sniffed again. "Dad?"
There was no response. She lifted his arm, and it dropped down. She placed her ear to his mouth... but he wasn't breathing. Then she placed her ear to her heart... and there was no pulse. Her crying went from bad to worse - she buried her head deep into his chest, and tears can be seen dripping down terribly. Charles Medulla IV... is dead.

It wasn't long until night started to show, and darkness overlapped the city, with smoke being seen coming through the atmosphere.
Everyone living in the block were surrounding a bright fire, and this was no ordinary fire. Now, Chad's body is being cremated. Everyone looked on with mourning looks on their faces, especially Gadget, who was shredding tears in her eyes.
"I know your feelings", said Neo as he stroked her on her back, "but I'm afraid everyone has to lose a special person at some stage of their lives."
"Yes, but..." she moaned sadly. "You don't understand. My father... was the closest relation to me since my mother and my siblings...!"
"I know, but..." Neo gave out a sigh. "I know for sure that Chad was a nice man who lived a great life, fighting crime and defending the state. Having used speed as much as he could, he was a perfect icon, serving the city well. But now, he's gone... and he's achieved a dream of clearing the toughest enemies around."
"Why do you say that?" Gadget said while looking onto him with bloodshot eyes.
"Now that Sgt. Soup is gone, he can't kill anyone else."
She wiped her face clean of some of her tears. "As for Mozzarella Cheese?"
"She'd be in jail by now. I know that she has a magic finger and all, but what we know is that she's physically weaker than she was before. So no matter what... she can't go and kill you."
Gadget didn't take any notice. She continued sobbing at the sign of her father's burning body.
"I know this mission is over, but how about we stay with you for another week, just to help you calm your nerves", Neo nodded towards her.
Gadget sniffed again, but turned back towards him, with tears in her eyes. Even though it's all over now, there is still a heart out there to save her soul.

-ONE WEEK LATER-

The same cream colored jeep can be seen outside, parked on the road. The main doors opened from the apartment block, and out came Snappy, with two suitcases full of luggage. He came to a sudden stop at the back of the car, and tossed them in the boot. As he was placing the luggage inside, Bubble came out through the doors, rushing over to him.
"Snappy, you can't go yet!" Bubble said to him.
"Why not?" the alligator asked as he turned his head towards him.
"I know that you've been here for over a week now, but you've still to try and help me catch Goliath and evolve him!"
"Hey, relax", Snappy smiled. "I know that you like evolving animals, but think about it. What's the point at the end of the day, when there's no Sgt. Soup anymore?"
"Er..." Bubble looked on at himself with a puzzled look.
"Think about it. What else do you need him for - a butler?"
Bubble then turned around to face the block of flats in front of him. "I guess you could be right there. If Boron gets a chance of seeing him again, then I don't think he likes the sound of evolved animals in an area like this."
"What about Corona and Misty?" Snappy asked.
"Well, with the exception of the "Florida Freedom Fighters", the starfish replied with an abrupt cough."
"Nice alliteration", winked the alligator.
"Thanks!"
As they spoke, everyone else came out from the building, seeing the goodbyes unfold.

Well, not quite everyone. As for Neo and Gadget... they were round the back areas, where they were now standing next to a plot of grass with a wooden Christian cross on it.
"Now", she said with a deep breath, "I'm not the best of goodbyes, but thank you for making this week a lot easier for me."
"No problem", Neo smiled back. "Why?"
"First you helped me get over my feelings for my father", she said while looking down at the cross. "As a matter of fact, he'd be with us in this apartment for time to come. Secondly", she continued speaking while looking towards her belly, "I'd like to thank you for a future gift."
"Any time. Remember the method - take a male and a female, put them together and in nine months all your dreams will come true", he winked towards her.
"You sweet thing!" she giggled towards him. "And thirdly, you've been a bigger help to everyone else's lives as well. As you said, no one can slaughter us, now that Sgt. Soup is gone."
"Don't give all the credit to me - you need some as well."
"Really?" Gadget asked with widened eyes.
"Exactly. If it weren't for you, my time in defeating Tiko and Soup would be much more difficult."
"Oh, thank you!" she smiled while bringing him slightly closer. "Hey, how about we go for a couple of good luck presents before your departure."
"I'd be more than happy to!"
"First I'll give you this as a token of my greatest gratitude."
She hands him... a suitcase. As he opened it he saw a blues guitar, looking finer than ever.
"You need this more than I do", she said. "I can't even play the thing."
"Neither can I, so why bother?"
"You'll soon learn from the instruction manual inside the case."
"Thanks", Neo nodded. "And what's the second gift?"
Gadget then came closer towards him, "Brace yourself, because you'll be thinking all about this", she responded with a wink.
And with that, the wind blew further and further towards them, until it formed a cyclone around them. Their heads come closer as well... until their lips touched and they performed a lengthy kiss under the gust. Gadget's hair was moving in the wind, as well as a few blades of grass from underneath them. Finally, the gust faded out, and the lips left each other.
"Now I DEFINITELY won't be forgetting that!" Neo smiled towards her.
"Really? Hey, I see a future ahead of us. Misty told me... that you could be the man of my dreams."
"You're joking!!!"
"No I'm not. I know that you're leaving the area now, but I can sense that someday... you'll be back."
"Thanks", he smiled, before sighing. "Looks like I have to go and finish off with my life long dream."
"Which is?" she asked.
"To imprison my siblings for life."
"Good, good!" she glanced towards her eyes, showing a mixture of panic and determination. "Good luck!"
They both shook hands, and with that, Neo finally turned away from her and walked slowly towards the front of the block. After a few steps he took a mischievous glance over his shoulder, to see Gadget, looking depressed. After 20 seconds he turned back towards the vehicle, where everyone else was crowding round. As soon as he got there, everyone moved out of his way, and the others hopped in first. Finally he came in to the driver's seat, started the engine, stepped on the gas, and left the area at so far 20km/h. Meanwhile, Gadget looked on, and saw them leave the area. She looked up, and saw a metal ladder leading to the rooftops. So she immediately climbed up it, and whilst she was half way up, she could already see her hero, driving off into the open roads of the state.

As they were driving off to another location, there were still a few doubts about where to go.
"How far is it to Columbus?" Neo asked the others.
Another sign came across, revealing the answer.
"About 1150 km from here", shrugged Brio as he read it.
"Here we go again", Snappy growled.
Boron gave out a worried howl.
"Hoo boy..." Neo sighed and remained silent for five seconds. "How far is it to Los Angeles?"
Snappy couldn't help but laugh. Then the sign came up saying the answer... and a little more.
"About 2795km from here", Brio read from it before turning to Snappy, "and it's not funny."
"Who wants to go to LA at this time?" he chuckled back.
"Oh come on, the day's still young." Brio then looked towards Neo with a curious glance around him. "Ain't that right?"
Even though his control on the road was still as good, there was a sign of depression on his face.
"Awww, I know that you miss your home", Brio started, "but what else can we do?"
"It's not my home", Neo said to him. "It's... Gadget..."
"Say what?"
"I'm afraid that I might never find a girl like her ever again."
"Oh cheer up, there's still plenty of fish in the sea. There's bound to be one for your needs, right?"
No response.
"RIGHT?" Brio repeated again.
Still no response. What he didn't realise... was that Neo was lost in his own thoughts, though he's driving OK. The thoughts showed almost every movement of Gadget within his mind, all the way from where they met in the ruined funfair, straight through to when they gave off their last handshake in her back yard.
"Earth to Neo!" Brio said as he waved his hand in front of him.
"Houston, we have a problem", blinked Snappy.
"Wh... what?" Neo said, regaining his senses.
"Never mind", the alligator shrugged.
"As I was saying", Brio repeated, "there were plenty more fish in the sea where that came from."
"I know, but she's the one for me", he frowned. "I'd never find anyone like that again."
He lowered his head towards the gas pedals. While that happened, another sign came past them, this time saying 'Cheer up, bud!'
"Told you those signs can talk to us!" winked Snappy.
"Er, thanks", Neo smiled sheepishly.
"Look at things this way", Brio started speaking again. "We have a dream to accomplish here, and that's to make sure your siblings are at rest, and that's what we're here for, right?"
"Good point", Neo winked back. "I know that we may have lost a hearted soul, but we'll lose a million more if we're not careful."
"Why's that?" Brio asked him.
"From this experience, I have learnt one thing - one can make all the difference."
"So?" Snappy puzzled, with Boron responding with a confused bark near him.
"Why one?" Brio questioned Neo.
"You never know what could happen when we have a few additions to our side, and they made a difference to me." He then looked on ahead of him. "For now, we need to complete the dreams and see the differences that lie ahead... as the foursome we are."
And so they continued driving up the deserted highway, looking forward to the challenges ahead.

Back with Gadget, she was seen looking over the top of the block of flats, seeing her dreams vanish over the horizon. She also had a few tears in her eyes, but then again, she can't help it. She pulled out Chad's bandana from her pockets and waved it high in the air, then a few seconds later she removed her headband and put it on. She then saw a can of lager at her feet, and showing how broken- hearted she is inside she kicked it off the building and looked back at her belly. Finally she looked up at the sky, and smiled. Neo has a future ahead of him, and it looks bright. Gadget also has a future ahead of her... and it's destined to make her a proud woman, with a future filled with her own signs of destiny.

-fin-