It was a few minutes past one o'clock when Groomer climbed up the back wall of Road Rover Headquarters. Her leg banged on one part of it and she silently cursed the pain. Quietly she waited, huddled against the shadows. After a few minutes of quiet, she started up again. Following the path she had discovered using the computer and Parvo's map, she was able to sneak quietly to the Headquarters and silently was sneaking along the secret route to get inside. She listened for any sounds coming from the darkened window just above her. No, she was sure all the Rovers must have gotten to sleep by now.
She stared above her again. There it was, the upstairs window of the Rover Leader, which thankfully had been left open, the red, white, and blue curtains blowing in the breeze. She touched the pocket computer she had in her pocket, ready to summon the Clone any time she chose. Soon, my lovely, she thought. Very soon! She would show Parvo, she would show them all!! Once she proved THIS part of the plan worked, he would HAVE to go along with her!
Finally she reached the window and pulled with all her strength. She grasped the wooden pane and frantically pulled her body up. Finally she collasped on the soft red carpet below, rolled up against the window, and waited. After a few seconds she breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up and out of her pocket she pulled a gleaming silver pistol- Storm's silencer. She had managed to pilfer it after her argument with Parvo, he was probably looking for it now. Well, once Parvo had seen what a great job Groomer did, he was bound to just take the pistol- but nothing else of Storm's. With the time being as late as it was and with a silencer in her hands, this was the perfect time to end Hunter's old life and begin a new one for him- CONTROLLING him! Or rather controlling a Clone of him!
The old Hunter- the undeserving Hunter-,was asleep in front of her, and he was alone and vulnerable. She listened to his slow, even breathing in the night. Yep, he was asleep. She raised the pistol, took perfect aim- then her mouth went dry. For a moment she wondered if Parvo was right. Maybe she wasn't up to this. maybe she SHOULD let Parvo run the show, he was the expert. But if Parvo ran the show, the Groomer would be stuck in the background while his and Storm's idea took hold.
"NO!" Came a voice in her head. "This is your destiny. You will carry out this plan! You CAN carry out this plan!" Groomer smiled. She then picked up a pillow that had fallen to the floor. Storm had said this was a silencer, but you could never be too sure. She raised the pistol, took careful aim, and pressed the pillow upon it.
Hunter looked so sweet, laying in the bed asleep. He's sweet all right, Groomer thought, and revenge was even sweeter! Revenge for a lifetime of plans and performances totally destroyed by these horrid canines! She aimed the gun, then hesitated with shaking hands. Maybe she didn't have what it took, maybe she really couldn't go through with this.
"It's time," the voice insisted. "Do it!" In one fluid motion, Groomer pressed the pillow to the gun and pulled the trigger three times. Each time the gun jumped in her hands. She didn't hear a thing, although the pillow really got messed up in her hands. A faint, sweet scent danced around her nostrils. She recognized it- magnolia. She didn't understand it, but it somehow made sense, it had symmetry.
Groomer smiled, understanding. The old Hunter was dead, a new Hunter was about to be born. She moved closer to the bed and gazed triumphantly at the still form of the old Hunter, Former Leader of the Road Rovers. Even in the faint glimmer of moonlight, she was able to see the blank expression frozen on his white face. Blood was soaking into the pillow and staining the sheets. The next part was to dispose of the body and hide the sheets until she could burn them. She pulled out her computer to summon the clone, when she heard it, a huge thump in the next room. The sudden noise made her gasp and drop the computer. Cursing, she scrambled in the night, looking for it. It was then she heard a noise on the door. She gasped, she was no longer the only one awake!
Colleen tossed and turned again and again in her bed, trying to will herself awake. Finally a huge thump rocked her body and at last allowed her to open her eyes. She was startled to learn she had actually fallen out of bed! But her pulse was pounding, Hunter's words kept echoing in her head, Help me, Colleen, I need you! Only now she was convinced she was no longer dreaming this!
Hunter was in trouble, she knew it- her whole body knew it. This was no longer a dream. One look at her neck confirmed it, her collar was glowing in the night. "Hunter!!" she cried. She tried to run, but her limbs wouldn't move. Her body felt paralized, but she forced herself to move. She ran out of her room, forgetting even her robe, and raced to Hunter's door.
She began to pound on it. 'Huntie?" She said. He wouldn't answer.. She tried to open it- locked! She pounded even harder. "Huntie?" She cried again. "HUNTIE!" She yelled, he didn't answer. By know she was extremely scared. She knew the Master might punish her for this, but she felt she had no choice. She took a fighting position, and with a yell of "MACARENA!" she kicked the door in. As she did, and arc of light from the hallway reached across the room. A figure, dressed in red and black, was scrambling out the window, holding a pistol. This figure had cold blue eyes and flowing black hair. Colleen stopped in her tracks.
Groomer!
Groomer was there, in Headquarters, how did she get there? Where did she come from? But in one fluid movement, she was gone, Colleen followed her gaze to the bed, and screamed. Tears flowed down her face as she held Hunter's limp body. "Huntie! HUNTIE!" she screamed. She gently slapped his face to try to urge him back to life. She touched the back of his head and was appaled to discover it felt sticky, wet, and damp. Slowly she withdrew her hand, it was covered in blood. "Oh, God, no, please...PLEASE! HUNTER!" She yelled. A sick sweet smell filled her nose, she grew dizzy. Then everything went black.
"Hurry it up, Blitz!" Exile cried out, shaking his sleepy comrade.
"All right, all right," Blitz said. 'What is going on anyway?"
"You blind, comrade?" Exile said, pointing to their collars that were glowing brightly. "One of our comerades is in trouble! We got to goski!"
"But where?" Blitz said. "And where are Hunter and Colleen, they should have been waking us?"
"I do not know,' Exile confessed. "And that scares me too. We have to try to wake them up." They were almost in Hunter's room when they heard a scream, a scream of complete horror that seemed to bounce from all four corners of the room. Exile immidiatly recoginzed it, Colleen! He turned to Blitz, who had the same worried look on his face. "GET THE MASTER!" Exile cried, running to Hunter's bedroom. He was surprised to find the door kicked down, but hurried in and flipped on the light. "BLITZ!!" Exile cried, falling to his knees at the terrible scene in front of him. "MASTER!!!" His eyes took in the sight of Hunter and Colleen collasped on the bed, covered in blood, with their arms around each other. The bedsheets, especially the pillow, were soaked in blood, and Hunter's face was a gastly white. Exile took his hand to check for a pulse as she sound of dogs wailing was heard from far away.
Colleen was vaguely aware of a familiar voice calling her name, but she didn't want to open her eyes..not just yet. She felt numb, paralysed, as if part of her had suddenly been torn away. She didn't want to be awake. Something horrible was happening, a nightmare. As long as she stayed asleep, it wasn't real.
"Colleen? Can you hear me?"
It was the Master's voice. 'I think she's coming around." said another voice- Exile. Gentile fingers touched her neck, and she reluctantly opened her eyes. She found the Master holding her in his lap, while Exile bent over her. Images came back to her- bloody sheets, Hunter's still white face.
"NONE OF THIS IS HAPPENING! " She thought. It had all been a dream. Any minute now she would wake up and be back at Buckenham Palace with the Prime Minister, and all of this would be a dream. She almost sighed with relief, but one look at master's concerned, scared face told he this was horribly real.
"Colleen, I hate to be the one to ask you this.." Blitz began, coming over to her. Master stopped him.
"Not now, Blitz," he said. "Can't you see she isn't ready?"
"Huntie.."
"We don't know," the Master began. "Professor Humbert is looking him over now, in his office. He couldn't revive him at the scene, but he said he would run some tests, all we can do is wait."
A while later Colleen paced around the room. Her hands were clean, but she couldn't even remember washing them. Her tears marked a path across the shiny floor of the Main Room. A hand touched her shoulder. "Colleen, sit down," the Master said, gently leading her to a chair. "Professor will tell us as soon as he knows anything for sure," but she couldn't notice he was choking on his words.
"He's dead, isn't he?" She whispered. "I was holding him in my arms and he wasn't breathing..there was blood everywhere! So much blood..."
Exile put his hand on her shoulder. "Comerade Colleen, we can't give up hope! Professor said there could still be brain activity, he's trying everything he can think of on Hunter now...we can only pray." he stopped. His eyes filled with tears, and he turned away.
Shag quickly came out of the kitchen with a tray. He barked and Exile nodded. 'I agree, Shag, we can all use something to drink." Shag poured out some tea, added sugar and a little milk, the way Colleen liked it, and passed it to her. The Master forced her to accept it. She sipped her favorite drink mechanically, not even tasting it.
"How long is it going to be?" She whispered. 'I can't stand not knowing!"
"We have to be patient," Exile said quietly, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"If only I'd woken up sooner!!" She said, choking on tears. "If I'd come into his room a few minutes earlier than maybe.."
Master shook his head. "This is no time for guilt." he said, taking her hand. "Whoever did this to Hunter might have hurt you, too."
"I know exactly who did this!" Colleen said. "it was Groomer, I saw her climb out the window!"
"Bulshinoi!" Exile said.
"But..this place is virtually hidden from the outside world! There is no way Groomer could have come here!"
"I saw her!" Colleen said in a loud sure voice. Exile and Blitz exchanged a worried look.
"Let us not think of that right now," Exile said. Just then a door swung open. Everyone rose to their feet as Professor Humbert slowly came into the room. Just one look at his face and Colleen could figure out the truth.
"Oh no," she whispered. Suddenly she was trembling so hard she could hardly hold on to her teacup. She didn't notice Professor Humbert slowly take it out of her hands and lead her to her seat.
"I'm terribly sorry," he began with his head bowed to the ground. "We tried absolutely everything, but he had lost too much blood, and there was far too much internal damage to the brain area." He shook his head and turned his face away. "I'm terribly sorry," he said again. 'But I'm afraid I just couldn't save him. Hunter is dead."