CHAPTER 4
TROUBLING DISCOVERY
The discovery of the new substance, called blue eco, was very popular amongst the inhabitants of Tunnel Town.
Not only did it help giving the ottsels more energy, it also turned out to be great fuel for their machines.
Still Buster felt he could get more out of his research so it didn't take long before he was back in his lab with Jingo.
Even Jingo had a bit higher confidence now.
"So what kind of miracle mixture shall we make up this time doc?" he asked Buster one day, as he arrived to his lab.
"Couldn't we try to figure out anything that could make an ottsel stronger? Since we've already managed to get faster" Buster said.
"It should be possible" Jingo said. "In fact, I already thought of a theory that could work. I've managed to collect some blood samples from dead draco-birds, so I might be able to figure out the secret behind their firepower".
"Try it" Buster said.
It didn't take long before two new kinds of eco were finished.
The yellow eco, contained firepower even more powerful than the strongest draco-bird, and the red eco was more like the eco that Buster wanted to make in the first place, something that could make the ottsels stronger.
Some might say that was enough, the people of Tunnel Town had already decided Buster and Jingo deserved a great deal of prices for each type of eco they had created, the green eco (which was the first), the blue eco, the yellow eco and Buster's pride, the red eco.
Even so, Buster wanted more.
"We've made it this far" he said to his wife as he was leaving for work. "If we made the red eco stronger… or maybe combining red and yellow… just think what we could do!"
"You already made a mixture that can knock out most of the precdators around Tunnel Town" Snowrose sighed. "Why do we need more than that?"
"The precdators aren't going to just stand by and let us kick their tails for long, evolution will make them stronger. We have to stay one step ahead" Buster said.
"It's nature. We'll evolve too" Snowrose said.
"Are you sure about that? How do you know nature just decided we should stay prey for all eternity? Are we just going to accept that? Let our race fall like the chinbits did?" Buster asked. "We have to beat them now while we still can. And let "nature" figure out how the world should be without the precdators and with us, the ottsels on top of the food chain".
And before Snowrose was able to complain, Buster had left again.
"Dad's really cool isn't he?" said Balder, who had been standing by his parents listening (obviously he had only heard what his father had said).
"He sure is" Snowrose answered, though she didn't exactly agree.
Buster's lab had grown since the discovery of the first green eco.
With all the money and fame he got from his researches, more and more ottsels wanted to join his project.
Jingo was still there of course, even his oldest son, Spike, had joined the project, though only as an assistant for the scientists, fetching coffee and stuff.
"There he is! The big boss" he said enthusiastically as Buster entered. "Do you want me to get some coffee for you boss? Or perhaps you want some water. I can go to the grocery store and get you some muffins if you like me to boss"
"Er. No thanks Spike. But I think Kiro might need some help over there" Buster said.
Spike quickly turned around and ran towards Kiro's work place as Buster walked over to Jingo, who was laughing his head of.
"Did he get too much blue eco this morning?" Buster asked.
"No. He just thinks you're the best" Jingo said between his giggles. "Did you notice he just said boss like every other second or so?"
"Yes I did. Why on earth did you bring him here?" Buster asked.
"He needed some experience. Maybe he'll make a good scientist some day, in a couple of millenniums" said Jingo as Spike tripped in the vacuum cleaner he had forgotten to put away and spilled all of Kiro's coffee all over the floor that he had just washed with mentioned vacuum cleaner. (Okay so I managed to sneak in a clown here too)
Buster just sighed as Jingo started laughing again.
"Okay enough fooling around! Are we making progress?" Buster said.
"A little bit. We tried mixing the yellow and red eco as you said and even put in some blue eco to make it more versatile but eh…"
"What?" Buster asked.
"It blew up" Jingo said, pointing at some burn marks on the wall. "Some of us got a few scrapes but nothing green eco couldn't fix".
"Oh, well… good work anyway" Buster said and went of to his own desk.
For a couple of hours it was actually quiet at the work place, except the occasional sounds of Spike tripping in random things.
But suddenly…
"Buster! I think I got something here!"
Buster and most of the team ran over to the desk of Blooney, a grey-colored female ottsel who was now staring at a bottle of sparkling purple liquid. (Oh uh)
"What is that?" Tia, Kiro's sister asked.
"It looks dangerous. Let's flush it" said her friend Tara.
But Buster walked over to the liquid and picked it up.
"Doesn't look that bad to me" he said. "In fact; I think we've reached our ultimate goal."
Miss.Ecofreak: and cut! Anyone want to guess what that purple thingy is?
Zakura: as if it was any doubt.
Miss.Ecofreak: shh! Let the readers guess. Please review and… yeah… review
Zakura: and give me some salad! And a large roosted pig.
Miss.Ecofreak: that rabbit scares me sometimes.