Tired Radio

.:Squirrel Tamer:.

:.-Chapter Four-.:

"Mornin' sleepy head."

There aren't many things that are more unpleasant than waking up to the sight of a gun aimed at your forehead. Although it is much worse when it's your annoying little sister who's got her finger on the trigger.

"What the hell?..." Vicky could only just manage to spit out as she opened her eyes slowly. Her mind was still filled with the grogginess of early morning and she couldn't quite register what was going on, but if she didn't know any better she could have sworn that Tootie was holding a gun to her head.

"Don't move."

You've got to be friggin' kidding me... Vicky thought to herself, the twerpette does NOT have a gun to my head. Just who does she think she is, anyway?

"Look, sis, it's been a real blast so far, but there are a few things we need to discuss."

Vicky felt herself beginning to panic as a billion 'what ifs?' suddenly popped into her head. What if Tootie was really part of the Overlord's army? What if this was all a trap to get to Vicky? What if Tootie pulled that trigger? What would happen to the resistance then?

"Put the gun down Tootie." Vicky said through clenched teeth. Tootie's arm shook and seemed to almost go down for a moment, before she steadied it. Vicky could've killed her.

"Idiot. If you kill me, you kill Timmy's only hope."

That really did it. Tears were streaming down the young girl's cheeks and she had to fight back the urge to weep.

"I don't want to kill you. I just...I want to know some things."

"Put the gun down and maybe I'll tell you."

It was so unfair. Vicky was so much better at threats and force than Tootie was. Just once Tootie wanted to appear intimidating to the elder sibling, but it never worked. Vicky had words and real spiteful emotions and just knew how to frighten people.

"Fine." Tootie said almost bitterly.

She lowered the gun and Vicky pounced.

Tootie screamed in pain as Vicky unkindly twisted her arm behind her back and pulled on her hair. She growled in Tootie's ear and then spoke in harsh, low tones.

"Don't even think about trying that again. I saved your life twice now. I don't need an ungrateful wench following me around. I'm doing you a favor, baby sister. Don't you ever forget it."

Tootie whimpered and Vicky released her. It was strange. She knew Vicky would never actually hurt her and yet she was still miserably afraid of the evil sibling. Her threats didn't seem empty and her insults didn't feel meaningless. Instead everything awful about her sister seemed to be magnified times a thousand.

"Now." Vicky said with a small smile. "What did you want to ask me?"

Tootie's head was filled with questions, but none of them seemed right or appropriate. Eventually she managed to blurt out:

"Why did you come back?"

An interesting question. Why did Vicky go back to visit her family even though she seemed to hate Tootie and her parents had done cruel things to her as a child? What was the point of returning?

"No matter how much I hate them, they're still my parents. Or they were. I'm sure the Overlord's soldiers have slit their throats by now." Tootie almost choked on her own spit at her sister's words, but managed to quell it. "Besides it gave me chances to check up on the twerp and the soldiers assigned to guarding him. We've been planning a rescue mission for the past three years and plan on continuing to fine-tune it for a later date. We may have to do things differently now, thanks to you. Security will be stepped up and there will be a greater interest to protect it from the rebellion. It's unfortunate, but we'll just have to work through these new problems."

"Why is Timmy so important?"

Vicky had to pause and think for a moment.

"Because...he's saved us before. He's been able to stop bad things from happening. Because the resistance won't follow anyone else. Because he just has to lead us. Because we don't have any other plans. We fight little fights and do little tasks to screw the Overlord over, but we're just an annoyance, a bug that he just swats away. Timmy will lead us to victory. Everyone thinks so. Except me. And PINK. Because we haven't forgotten that he's just a kid. I'm not saying he couldn't. I just think that it isn't right for us to rely on him, but no one will follow me."

Tootie felt an odd emotion boiling in the pit of her stomach. Something in the way Vicky had said those last two sentences made her mad. There was an unusual softness and care in her voice and Tootie could sense that there was more to it than just words.

"Oh."

Vicky looked frightened for a moment and Tootie knew that Vicky was afraid that Tootie had picked up the small quiver in her voice. Tootie grinned to hide the fact that she had.

"So how comes you never talked to me like this before?"

"Because..." Vicky began, "You were still a kid and didn't need to know about the rebellion and because you were weak and feeble and I didn't think you'd be able to handle it. I don't relate to you well Tootie. We're like night and day, you and I. I was only ready to take you to the base because you had gotten yourself mixed up in this mess like an idiot, but even though I never really liked you that much I wasn't willing to let you be killed when the guards went looking for you. So I brought you along with me, and I felt guilty, because you didn't belong there. You were weak and scared and you never fought against anything. You never stood up for yourself, but lately..." Vicky smiled. "You really socked that guy and it took some balls for you to stand up to me today. That gun stunt was actually quite spectacular (not saying you should ever try it again) but still it makes me feel confidant that you may be able to handle yourself someday."

"Anyway," Vicky said as she stood and brushed off her pants. "It's time we started heading out."

And so day two of their journey began.

:.-Way Too Fast-.:

As their journey continued Tootie found herself thinking about the past day over and over again. She hadn't meant for things to turn out the way they had and she wished things had been different and yet at the same time she was having the time of her life. Adventures were for storybooks. They never happened in real life.

And yet there she was, Tootie herself, on her way to some unknown rebel base with her not-so-evil sister, Vicky, whom she used to hate, but now was beginning to respect and possibly even care for again. It was crazy, it was ludicrous and it had to be a lie, but it was real and true and she was more amazed than anyone else.

She was happier than she had been in years. Her sister did love her and one day she'd be saving the world with the love of her life, Timmy Turner and she was going to be a hero. She didn't think about her parents, because she didn't want to think about what could have happened to them. And so she had no worries and no sadness and things were finally looking up for her.

Which is why she wasn't all that surprised when everything went to hell again.

:.-Nothing To Believe-.:

"This is bad." Tootie screeched as she tried forcing herself even lower to the ground. The constant hail of bullets hitting against the trashcan was beginning to give her a headache.

"Shut-up." Vicky spoke, enraged. She didn't see a way out of this. They were close to the headquarters. She could make a mad dash to the base, but at the risk of being caught and the entire Dimmsdale rebellion would be revealed. And besides Tootie was with her and she wasn't about to let her only sister get hurt, no matter how much the little punk bugged her.

"When they take me go straight down this road, turn right and then head for the white door. Knock on it five times and then say 'Ti Voglio Amar' (1) . But be quick about it." Vicky ordered. Tootie opened her mouth to speak, but Vicky was already getting to her feet.

"Hey!" She screeched loudly and the firing stopped for a moment. She couldn't believe that they'd snuck up on her. It was so unlike her to let her guard down...damnable little sisters. "Stop shooting ya idiots. I'm valuable property." She stepped out from behind the trashcan and placed her hands on her hips. "Name's Vicky. Icky Vicky."

Tootie could feel Vicky glaring at her out of the corner of her eye, but she was too frozen to move. What on earth was Vicky thinking?

The guards began to murmur excitedly amongst themselves. Ah, Tootie had forgotten to ask why the Overlord was so interested in her sister.

"Run you fool." Vicky whispered to Tootie through clenched teeth.

And then it clicked.

Vicky was sacrificing her freedom to save Tootie.

"RUN." Vicky demanded yet again.

And so she did.

:.-A Tired Song Keeps Playing On A Tired Radio-.:

A/N: Fourth of five parts.

No reviewer responses today. I don't have time. Sorry. ;;

(1) "I want to love you." No real point in the password...I forget what language its in... I think it may be Latin.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.