Chapter 12
Annehunt
At this point, she was entirely running on fumes. The tank was empty and it wouldn't be getting topped off anytime soon. The emergency reserve tank, AKA glowy blue powers, was off the table. Anne ddn't even want to try tapping into that, considering the state it had left her in the last time.
There really was only one option now; run.
This wasn't the first robot King Andrias had sent after her, but it seemed he'd decided to change things up a bit. This one seemed to be a less bulky model, more stripped-down for maneuverability, probably faster but not as heavily armed. Oh, and it could cloak itself. All of which was very inconvenient, especially here in a forest.
At least the forest setting had one advantage; it gave Anne an idea of where the new robot assassin ("The Kerminator", she mentally dubbed it, briefly questioning the compulsion to give the murder machine on her tail a cute nickname) was in relation to herself, since she could hear it snapping branches and breaking twigs behind her. She was just barely staying ahead of it, she judged.
Use your surroundings to your advantage, the voice of Sprig (actually, a stress-and-hunger-induced hallucination of the frogboy, from a previous desperate situation, but potato-tomahto) whispered in her head. Well, that was easy for him to say, but he didn't have to run from this thing. Mostly because Anne was carrying him. Frogs, it turns out, are a lot lighter than humans.
She could really use a lucky break right about now…
"Awp!"
Tripping on a root that was sticking out of the ground was not a lucky break. It was the exact opposite of a lucky break. She fell forward gracelessly, her froggy cargo lost, as the Kerminator loomed closer, unseen butdeadly.
"Well… this is it. Been a good run, guys. You need to run. I'll only slow you down."
"Anne-" protested Polly.
"It only wants me," she said. "You'll be fine." She felt metal claws grab the back of her T-shirt and lift her up. This was it. The end.
*RUMBLE*
And then it hesitated, as if trying to process the noise. It was probably a new model, programmed specifically for one purpose. It had only been provided the data for things related to that purpose. Many things had been left out to make room.
Things like what thunder was. And what it led to.
There was an old saying in California; if you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes.
Anne had pretty much resigned herself to her fate, so feeling those first few drops was like something inside her had been rekindled.
And then the skies opened up.
The downpour not only revealed the robot's silhouette but completely overloaded its cloaking device and briefly short-circuited it. Which would have been nice had it not been holding Anne at the time. It wasn't quite as bad as the Zappapede incident, but she wouldn't have recommended it. At least the thing dropped her before she could take too much of a shock.
"You all right?" asked Sprig.
"I can taste time," Anne answered, shaking her head.
"That sure was ding-dang lucky," Polly noted.
"Yeah… now let's put some distance between us in case that thing reboots."
Earlier…
Aran had left Thai-Go with no real time to prepare. Luckily, On had thought ahead and come armed with flashlights, rain slickers (showers were expected according to the forecast), and a first-aid set.
"Looks like it's another three miles to their location," noted On. "Thank goodness they're staying still."
"Of course," Hop-Pop replied. "Rule number one of wilderness survival, if you know a rescue is on the way, stay where you are. Makes it easier for the rescue party to find you."
"Anne was not exactly the 'outdoors' type," Aran interjected. "The one time I took her camping it did not go very well. She complained a lot, about everything."
Hop-Pop chuckled. "That's the impression I got from her to start with. So it was kind of a surprise when she wanted to come on the family camping trip. For someone who hated camping, she actually proved to be pretty good at it, Saved our lives from cannibal frogs, too. Turns out she just wanted to be included."
"Well, that's Anne for you. Make her do something and she'll complain, but tell her she can't do something and she goes out of her way to prove that she can."
"…cannibal what now?" asked On nervously. "I feel like we're burying the lede here…" She checked her phone again. "She started moving again?"
"That's not good." Hop-Pop said. "Sounds like they got spotted by a forest predator. A scorpileo or a giant forest tarantula or a gore mantis."
"I… don't think we have those here," Maggie replied.
"Yes, just regular things like bears and… cougars… which isn't much better," Aran realized.
"…she's stopped again… now I've lost her…" On inhaled sharply. Hearing herself say it threw her back to those months of pain and uncertainty and that tiny ember of faith that threatened to be snuffed out at any moment. The relief when she returned, changed and yet unchanged, and she could hold her again… and now, the possibility, that, in a moment, it had all been once again ripped away from her by a quirk of fate.
And then, miraculously, she appeared again. "Must have been a glitch," she told herself. Anne's movement, previously erratic, was now purposeful in a single direction, one they'd easily be able to intercept.
That was too close, she told herself. She'd had far more scares than any mother should have just today, let alone in the last six months… hopefully nothing else would come along to rattle her nerves today.
They'd been walking for some time now. Running at first, until they literally could not anymore, but it seemed that, for now, nothing was following them. Maybe the short-circuit truly had taken the robot out of the picture. Anne had been long overdue for some good luck, and she would gladly take any that came her way at this point. There'd been no conversation during the trek, as if all three were convinced that breaking the silence would invite disaster. It was growing dark now, but they pressed on, as best they could. Anne considered using her phone's flashlight function, but that struck her as tempting fate. There was nothing to do but continue on, wet, cold, filthy, and hungry.
"You… you think we're safe yet?" Sprig finally asked, much more subdued than his usual exuberant self.
"Don't jinx it," Anne retorted. "Just keep moving. She squinted ahead. Was… that a light? For a moment, she worried that the Kerminator had somehow gotten ahead of them, but no… this looked more like a flashlight. Several flashlights.
Polly, apparently thinking along the same lines, called out "Hey! Anyone there? You better not be trying to ambush us, I've got a morning star and I'm not afraid to use it!" she added, brandishing the weapon.
"One day you have to tell me where you're keeping that thing," commented Anne.
"Polly?" a distant voice answered.
"Hop-Pop!" Anne called out.
"Anne!"
"Mom! Dad!"
"Mr. & Mrs. B!"
"Sprig!"
"Maggie!"
The two reunited parties regarded each other.
"Well, now that we've had roll call, maybe we should GET OUTTA HERE?" suggested Polly impatiently.
"That would be a really good idea, actually," Anne hastily added. Her luck had held, but she had no doubt luck could only be pushed so far.
PROTOTYPE XM10001 REBOOTING…
REBOOTING…
PROTOTYPE UNIT XM10001 ONLINE
INITIALIZING OPERATING SYSTEM… DONE
SELF-DIAGNOSTIC FOLLOWING UNSCHEDULED SHUTDOWN
STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY 100%
MOTOR FUNCTIONS 100%
INITIATING CLOAKING DEVICE
CLOAKING DEVICE INACTIVE
LOADING MISSION DIRECTIVES
PRIME DIRECTIVE: ELIMINATE TARGET [ANNE BOONCHUY]
SECONDARY DIRECTIVE: AVOID DETECTION
TERTIARY DIRECTIVE: ACQUIRE ITEM [CYNTHIA COVEN VOLUME 6]
SCANNING FOR TARGET OF PRIMARY DIRECTIVE…
SCANNING…
SCANNING…
FOUND
MULTIPLE LIFE FORMS DETECTED IN AREA. SECONDARY DIRECTIVE RECCOMENDS ENGAGING CLOAK. CLOAK IS CURRENTLY INACTIVE.
SELF-DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM RUNNING ADVANCED DIAGNOSTIC ON CLOAKING DEVICE STATUS…
CLOAKING DEVICE CRITICALLY DAMAGED. EXTENSIVE REPAIRS RECCOMMENDED. ABILITY TO COMPLY WITH SECONDARY DIRECTIVE SEVERELY COMPROMISED. CONTINUE FOLLOWING PRIME DIRECTIVE?
PRIME DIRECTIVE TAKES PRIORITY. RESUMING PROGRAMMING.
"So… how did you get all the way out here?" On asked her daughter. The two had just gotten into her car; she'd insisted that Anne come with her, as she wanted to specifically talk to her in private. She'd also decided to take a longer route home so they could talk at length while Aran took the Plantars and Maggie (who really didn't want to go back to her own house) back home.
"Yeah, about that…" She'd known this was going to be coming. This wasn't exactly the kind of place she frequented, and even if it was, it wasn't exactly easy for the typical 13-year-old and her two frog siblings to get to without any kind of vehicle (she was just now realizing she'd left Bessie II at the mall). She'd been too busy alternately unconscious and trying to survive to come up with a story; besides, keeping things from her parents was really starting to wear on her. It would be better in the long run to just get it over with. But then, she'd have to tell her parents the one thing she dreaded telling them. "It's… a very long story."
"Then we will make the time to listen to all of it," On replied warmly.
"I… I don't think you'll like it," Anne said quietly.
"You don't know that. Anne, Cxmk̄hwạỵ, I want to understand what you are going through. It has been clear since you returned that there are things you are not telling us. I wanted to give you time to adjust but… it is clear that it is a burden on you."
Anne shook her head. "I know how much my disappearing hurt you. I'm just trying to keep from hurting you even more-"
"You're already hurting me!" she retorted. "Just seeing the pain this causes you hurts more than anything you can possibly tell me."
You're already hurting me echoed again in Anne's ears, but this time in Hop-Pop's voice, a memory from the Forest Temple. That time, too, was because she couldn't be honest about her feelings. She sighed deeply. "You're right," she admitted. "I… I do need to come clean. The truth is-"
And, as if some hack author had decided this scene was progressing too smoothly and need some form of artificial complication to heighten the tension, a massive metal figure landed in the road directly in front of them, On barely swerving in time to avoid crashing right into it."
"Xarị nı lok nī̂?!" asked On frantically.
"Just drive!" Anne insisted as her mother floored it.
"I am not going crazy, right? That was a robot!"
"Yes! Look… long story short, while we were in Amphibia, we kinda pissed off the King, who it turns out is super evil and has a robot army, and now he kinda wants me dead, hence the robot assassin chasing us."
She risked a glance at her mom, who had pretty much the exact expression she expected.
"Well… now your silence makes a lot more sense," she finally managed to reply.
"Yerp. Kind of a lot to drop on someone all at once. I haven't even mentioned my superpowers."
"There are superpowers now? C̄hạn khng pĕnb̂ā pị læ̂w…"
"Yeah, I get all glowy, my hair and eyes turn blue, and I get really strong and fast and I can fly and all that, but the downside is I can't control when it kicks in and I get really run-down after using it. Which is bad because I used it earlier today and now I can't use it when I really need it."
"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" On asked, still reeling from the colossal infodump.
"I think those are the main bullet points," Anne replied. They weren't, but they would do for now. She glanced at the rearview mirror; the Kerminator was loping after them like some sort of deranged metal frog-orangutan hybrid, the car just barely keeping ahead of it. For now. It was inevitable; eventually they would hit traffic and the robot would catch up.
"We need to get off the road," she said. "You'll pull over and let me out."
"That's not happening," On answered firmly.
"Mom… it only wants me. If you stay with me, you'll be in-"
"No. That thing will get you over my dead body."
"THAT'S WHAT I'M AFRAID OF!" Anne snapped back. "All of this was to protect you!"
"But that's my job," On insisted.
"…I'm going back," Anne found herself saying.
"What?"
"To Amphibia. I left Sasha and Marcy there and I have- I need to go back. For them, and to stop the king."
There was only silence in reply.
"…that's everything. I didn't want to tell you, because I know how happy you are that I'm home, and it would've broken your heart to tell you the truth."
"Anne…"
She was tearing up now. "And now look where it's gotten us. I've broken your heart anyway, and now we're going to get killed."
"…thank you."
"…for what?"
"For being honest with me. C̄hạn p̣hūmicı nı tạw khuṇ māk." She squeezed Anne's hand tenderly.
She… she's proud of me, Anne realized. And, inside, she could feel something had changed.
Changed… because she had taken responsibility.
For what is kindness… without responsibility?
"Mom… pull over," she said, determined.
"Anne, I told you, I am not going to let you face that thing alone."
"Won't be a problem," Anne replied, a glint of blue in her eye.
Her mother nodded, and pulled onto the service road, slowing down. Anne hopped out, and turned to face the robot assassin. "Pull up further. If I'm right, it'll ignore you."
"Anne, I-"
"Please." Anne insisted, her hair starting to change color "I'm going to be fine. I promise." Reluctantly, On nodded and pulled away. "C'mon, you chrome-plated sonofa-"
The robot was on her within moments, his arm extending to constrict her. Anne confidently sidestepped it and leaped forward, delivering a Muay Thai kick to the robot's torso, leaving a sizeable dent. It staggered back a bit, but recovered, launching its other clawed hand at her. Rather than dodging this time, she stood her ground and caught the taloned appendage, and, with all her might, ripped it right off the arm. The robot had little time to react before Anne took the severed extremity and jammed it, claws first, in the robot's eyes. And again. And again.
The robot paused, as if considering its options, before concluding it was time to cut its losses and ran off as fast as its legs could carry it. "Yeah, you'd better run," Anne shouted after it, the power beginning to fade again. She felt woozy, as she usually did when it happened; yet it was different this time. Smoother. Less jarring. It was more like the aftermath of a really intense sugar rush.
[Music: Anne's Theme]
Her mother was there before she was even aware of it. "Mạn ch̀āng h̄elụ̄xcheụ̄̀x!" she said admiringly.
"Yeah…" agreed Anne. "Used to be that using these powers felt wrong, but… I think I finally found the missing piece of the puzzle. I've been hiding all these secrets from you to protect you, but… I should have just been honest with you from the beginning. Carrying all this stress must have been keeping me from being able to use the powers to their true potential." That was it. Kindness was nothing without responsibility… but responsibility was nothing without its ultimate expression, honesty. "Listen, Mom, I-"
Her mother hugged her. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like you had to lie to me to protect my feelings. If I have to say goodbye to you again… I'm just happy I at least get to do it in person this time."
"Whoa, mom, relax," Anne protested. It's not like I'm leaving right away! I haven't exactly figured out how to get back to Amphibia yet. Who knows how long that'll take? It's like they sell interdimensional portals at All-Mart. You're not getting rid of me for a while."
On smiled. "Well, when you do go, remember to say goodbye. Who knows? Maybe we'll come along. It has been a while since the last family vacation…"
"Mom, fighting an evil giant salamander king isn't exactly a trip to Frizzlyland…"
"We'll make it work. Somehow."
"…it kind of would be nice to introduce you guys to all my friends in Wartwood." She yawned. "Right now, I kinda just wanna go home. I still have to explain all this stuff to dad."
"Don't worry about it. You have me for backup this time."
"Thanks. P̄hm rạk khuṇ…"
"I love you too, sweetie."
Translation of the phrases in Thai (I don't even pretend to speak the language, I used Google Translate):
Xarị nı lok nī̂?: 'What in the world is that?'
C̄hạn khng pĕnb̂ā pị læ̂w…: "I must be going crazy…"
C̄hạn p̣hūmicı nı tạw khuṇ māk: "I'm so proud of you."
P̄hm rạk khuṇ: "I love you."
A.N.: This feels like a good place to end on; I'm going to do one more Sasha chapter, and then I'll consider whether to keep going. I'm already diverging pretty far from canon and with the IT_GALZ likely debuting next weekend as I type this and likely not being anything like I've portrayed them, I think now's a good time to wrap it up.
The good news is I already have an idea for a new series, Anne's Journal… which will just be what it says on the tin, a recap of the series as journal entries.
Jose: What'd you think of how it played out? I wonder if I'm on to something with Anne's stress over lying to her parents being the reason her powers don't work right.
Next: Sasha's Birthday