Authoress Update: Yep, good ol' writer's block. ….
This took too long. sob Story, why will you not leave meeee?
If you read and review, then I will give you psychic cookies.
The Future Is Wild!
By Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep
Chapter 14: Let's Get Quackin'
"You're not the only super-critter in town."
The slightly lisped words quietly echoed through Ace's brain as his stomach lurched and bounced for a moment. He realized he's closed his eyes, and cautiously he opened them, years of training taking automatic command of his muscles.
"Whoops, heh. Still a little off on the destination."
Ace turned to the orange-fingered waterfowl next to him. "What da hell are you talking about?"
Duck blinked at him for a few moments before breaking out a condescending grin. So he had stumped the bunny, had he? Well, served him right! It was his fault Duck had to embarrass himself like that, and in front of the new boss, too!
"Well, can't you see, my furry little friend? We are no longer in GLA."
Ace made a skeptical face before taking a look around. Duck was right-the alley and their bovine buddy were nowhere to be seen! "What did you do, doc?" he whispered.
"It's Duck, not doc. Danger Duck, to be more precise!"
"Tahmato, TahMAHto, whatevah! Where are we, and how did we get here?" Ace roared. He disliked not having all the facts, and right now the only one he had was his roiling digestive system.
Duck grew quiet and began to fiddle with his fingertips. "When that comet hit, I was…I…I was doused with a lot of chemicals along with those 'mystery rays' all those 'quacks' (if you'll pardon the pun) are yapping about. After that, I would find myself falling asleep in one wing of the field hospital and waking up in another. I decided to try to hone this ability-"
"Wait, wait, wait…Are you sayin' you can teleport?"
"I call it my 'QUANTUM QUACK'!" Duck shouted proudly, striking a grand pose. "I figured this might come in handy, so I've been practicing hopping from one place to another."
A thought crossed the rabbit's mind. "And dat's why I didn't see you on the street, ain't it! You just popped in from outta da blue!"
He was glad to see the bird at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Well, how was I to know you were in the mood for steak tartare?" he snapped.
Ace held up his hands placatingly and chuckled. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. But where are we, really?"
"Why, Acmetropolis, of course!"
"Da Capital!"
"No, the planet. Of course the Capital! That's where the boss lady wanted us to go, isn't it? Only we still have to do some hoofin'. See, I've never 'Quacked' with a passenger in tow, and in exchange for keeping your insides in, we're farther off course than I intended."
"How far is 'farther off'?"
"Got a bus pass?" Duck deadpanned.
Ace sighed, and then winced as his stomach revealed that it was done with being nauseous and growled with hunger. "Weeellll…It is almost sunrise, an' I haven't eaten since lunch. So whaddya say we grab some chow on da way?"
Duck rummaged thru a pocket eagerly. Eyeing his treasure, his features grew clouded with disappointment. "All I got is a qwill-forty1-2."
The rabbit looked at his colleague's open hand sadly. "And I wasn't supposed to get paid till afta' my gig."
"You don't have any cash?"
"What can I say, doc? I like to travel light. Maybe we'll get lucky and that Zadovia'll have an all-out buffet." Duck nodded in agreement, hopeful at the prospect of a free meal. He wasn't about to let on that it had been days since he had last had a meal larger than a gumball. His 'Quacking' wasn't paying off as well as he thought it would. Few people believed he could do it, and those who had reluctantly agreed watched helplessly as their packages ended up everywhere but their proper destination! 'But even Duck Dodgers had to start somewhere.' He thought. Then Duck realized that Ace was staring at him expectantly.
"What?"
"Well?" The lagomorph questioned. When the waterfowl just continued to stare blankly at him, he rolled his eyes and sighed irritably. "Get Quackin'! Y'know, do your teleporting thingy!"
"Ohhh!" The bird nodded sagely. "…Um, why?"
Was he really that thick, or was he just trying to test Ace's limit? "Because we aren't at da tower." He spoke slowly and deliberately to ensure the duck wouldn't get lost. "And da tower is where we're supposed to meet the boss lady."
Duck huffed in annoyance. He wasn't some moron off the streets! "Duck understand. But Duck not sure if Duck can get to tower exactly. Duck tell Rabbit before that Duck no take passengers."
"Well, how will ya know what you can do unless you try?" An idea came into the bunny's head. Flattery will get them only so far, so clearly it was time for a little reverse psychology. "Ohhh, I get it! You can't do it! Ya should've said sumthin'!"
Danger Duck blinked. What was his new friend implying? Wait a second… "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you implying that I can't teleport? How the hell do you think we got here?"
"Oh, no, I think you can. But obviously, you can only do it, what? Twice at a time? Ya got nothin' left, right?" Ace said with a sly grin. It worked. The avian sputtered in outrage before clamping a hand onto the other's shoulder once ahgain.
"WHY YOU-"
Boomf!
Chapter 15: Broaden Your Horizons
Lexi grunted as she adjusted the bulky bag onto her shoulder. Getting through the hyper-tight security just to get her luggage was an ordeal in of itself. Now she was a four-foot creature carrying at least seventy-five pounds of excess baggage through a terminal full of surly guards and even surlier passengers. It was nine in the morning, and she had just endured almost ten hours of travel. Why? Because a suspicious woman in a red cloak had offered her a job.
Man, it had better be a good one. That's all she had to say.
"Hey, watch it!" She squealed as a tall man in a wrinkled shirt plowed his briefcase into her, knocking over her rolling luggage. He barely grunted as he moved on, leaving a slight scent trail of perspiration in his wake. With her hypersensitive ears, she heard his dark mutterings of his desire for a stiff drink. She wrinkled her nose at him and righted her luggage, finding herself adjusting her carryon strap for the umpteenth time. She could not wait to get the heck out of there. Amazing how much longer a distance could be when one was loaded down.
"Finally!" she breathed as she reached the hovertaxi station. Miraculously, she managed to flag one down on the first try, and after loading up, climbed into the large pleather interior.
"Where to, girlie?" The cabbie, a Grizzly in a shabby leather coat that was lovingly patched, asked.
"Umm…The Center Plaza? 87417 Center Plaza. The new tower."
"New tower…? There ain't anything in there yet. You sure that's the right place?"
Lexi nodded. "That's what I was given."
With a grunt, he shifted gears, and the meter began to roll. "That tower's pretty big. Can't imagine what it's for." He casually stated, eyeing her in the mirror.
Lexi smiled, picking up the nuances of curiosity. "To be honest, I don't know either. I'm supposed to be meeting someone there."
He grunted again. "A boyfriend, I bet. Never approved of such things, livin' in sin like that. Back in my day…Hmph."
Lexi bit her tongue. The last part was not meant for here to hear, and the guy seemed decent enough. Old-fashioned, but decent. "No…someone gave me a lead on a job and an apartment. Gotta make a living somehow, right?" She smiled her brightest grin.
The Bear guffawed and slapped his knee. "That's right, girlie! Nothing's certain but death and taxes! Now, take this old contraption here…" He patted the steering wheel affectionately, and began to regale his captive audience about his mis-adventures.
Twenty minutes later, Lexi had reached her destination. "How much?" she asked as she opened her wallet. He eyed her up and down before replying.
"Gimmie a 20."
Lexi looked up in surprise. "But…"
He waved her off. "You remind me of my little girl." He pulled out a fading holo-pic of a young ursine. "I ain't seen her much, not since she went off ta school. She's reall smart-private school, y'see." He thought a moment longer. "It wouldn't be right to charge her, so I ain't charging you. Now, you be good, missy, or I'll find ya and charge double!"
And with a quick wink, he lifted off. She watched in amazement as he reared up into traffic. Well, that was unexpected. Wonder what other wonders were coming her way….
Chapter 16:
Ace woke with a start. Yawning, he blinked as he wondered where he was. His eyes eventually landed on the muddy orange aura of his new avian companion. Two strong blinks, and the color dissipated, leaving Duck behind in a small puddle of drool.
Ace hesitated to wake him. After all, with his own special brand of 'encouragement', they had teleported throughout the city for several hours. They had then argued for twenty minutes over the moral issues of using fountains as personal ATMs before Ace had succumbed and allowed Duck to pick up a box of donuts and a couple of coffees before falling asleep on top of a ledge of the designated tower.
But now he was awake. But why? Granted, he wasn't exactly a deep sleeper, and cold stone wasn't a comfortable form of bedding, but he couldn't help but feel something was impending. Maybe that Zadovia lady had shown up?
A scuffling kind of sound caught his ears, and he peered over the edge to see a young female rabbit of unusual color straining to pull a heavy suitcase. Ace raised an eyebrow. If this girl was here for the reason he thought she was, then being the leader of a mystery team was looking pretty good!
Lexi growled and tugged even harder on the handle of her oversized suitcase. Regrettably, her parents were a frugal lot, and she had left the farm with fifty-year old luggage. The a/g platform3, as a result, worked in fits and gasps. Muttering a few curses in its direction, she kicked and pulled with all her might, managing to scrape forward a whole half inch. Ace looked on with amusement. He wasn't a sadist-he just knew her type. The kind of girl who was in way over her head, but would rather lop off a limb than admit it to anyone, especially of the male persuasion. He decide to observe just a little longer before helping, curious as to how long she was going to keep tugging at that ancient-looking handle. Turned out to be a short wait, as the fatigued handle popped off in Lexi's hand, launching her backwards towards the cold, hard ground.
One minute she was falling, the next she was staring up into the stranger's smirking blue eyes. "Please get your paws off of me." She spoke politely, but with an icy undertone that she hoped implied she was not interested.
Ace's smirk widened. "Aw, what's the matter, doll face? My 'manly charms' jes' too much for ya ta' take?"
Lexi turned her head away and pinched her nose daintily. "You could say that."
The grey rabbit blushed and pouted, but complied, setting Lexi back on her own feet. Lexi made a show of brushing herself off. "Gosh, lady. I'm sorry, but not everyone can be springtime fresh, especially after da night I've had!"
"My name is Lexi. Not baby, not doll, not sweetheart, or lady-"
"Hey, dat kinda rhymes-"
"-Whatever! Point is, I'm here on business! I am not some cheap good time girl! So go back to the dive bar you burrowed out of!" With a huff, she crossed her arms and turned her back on the gray and yellow furred fellow.
"Yeesh, feminists! Look, One- you were about ta get a cracked skull. I thought you might mind that, but now I see that would have been an improvement on yer manners!"
Lexi whipped around with a gasp of indignation. How DARE he speak to her this way! She never asked for his help! Then it happened…. Her nemesis, vertigo, had crossed two time zones to catch her again….
"Two!" Ace continued, oblivious to the subtle change to the girl's aura. "I'm also here on business! I've been sent here to some top-secret work…Hey…You okay!"
In response, Lexi slumped forward into Ace. At least she managed to keep her breakfast inside this time.
"Holy…DUCK!" Ace cried in alarm. From the ledge came a garbled sound.
"Ladies…please…enuff t'go 'round…snnrk…"
"DUCK!"
With a annoyed grunt, the waterfowl peered over the side. Smacking his dry beak, he blearily eyed the scene below. "Looking for a room, sir?"
"Very funny. Poof down here with that leftover juice!"
"I don't 'poof'." The bird pouted. "It's my Quantum Quack!"
"Get Down Here!"
"Well, if you're going to use that tone with me-" A red blast singed the tip of his beak. A thin curl of smoke rose up between his crossed eyes. Looking down, Duck saw a very red-eyed rabbit frowning at him.
"Get. Down. Here. NOW!"
Sulkily, Duck grabbed the cup in question and with a soft 'Bamf!' disappeared and reappeared on the street below. Ace snatched the cup and tilted Lexi's head back, carefully pouring in the lukewarm orange liquid.
"Nnn….."
"Hey, Ace, looks like your girlfriend's coming 'round."
"…Not his girlfriend…"
Ace smirked with relief. "Well, at least yer awake. We can work on our relationship some other time."
Lexi glared at him, but decided it wasn't worth it. He had been kind enough to help, after all the arguing they'd done. "Gee, thanks."
Carefully, gingerly, she got her weight underneath her, the two males tensed to catch her again. "My name is Lexi. Lexi Bunny. And…I'm sorry I snapped at you. I've had a long trip, and to be honest….I'm not even sure why the hell I'm here."
"Name's Ace. Dis here is 'Danger Duck'. And I'd wager da reason you're here is…dis!" He whipped out a sheet of paper. She immediately recognized the logo and grew angry again.
"How did you get that!" She screeched. "This is personal property!"
"Really?" Ace smiled. This girl was as much fun as the duck, and easier on the eyes!
"As if you didn't know! See, it says right here: To Mr. Ace Bunny."
"…"
"ACE BUNNY?"
He made an over-elaborate bow. "At your service, mademoiselle!"
Lexi just stared in shock, first at the rabbit, then the fowl, then back again. "You…you met…Zadovia?" she whispered quietly.
"We know as much as you do, sister. " Duck replied. The trio spent the next fifteen minutes comparing notes, then another ten talking about relationships and family, which ended abruptly when Lexi pulled out a holo-pic of her larger-than-life brothers.
"So, now that we're here, what happens next? Where are the other members? Wht were we chosen? And how do we get in the Tower?"
"Yeah," Duck cried, "It's not like we can just knock."
"Can't you just teleport in there?"
"I can't-I've never been inside it. I need to have a picture in my head to focus on."
"Yea, and lemme yell ya we loined dat th'hard way."
Duck growled. "Shoot! You'd think this stupid piece of paper-" He snatched Ace's letter and began to wave it around. "-would have instructions on it, But Nooo!"
The trio froze as a soft whoosh came from behind the waterfowl. "Welcome, Ace Bunny. Please enter and await further instructions." Zadovia's voiced cooed over a hidden speaker as two metal doors parted. From where they stood, everything inside was immersed in a milky darkness.
"Should we go in?" Lexi said tentatively. Strainging her ears, she could only pick up the thrum of machinery. "It sounds like it's empty."
Ace drew up his courage. "I am. I'm not gonna force either of ya ta come with me….But, yeah, I am." Drawing a breath, he took a step towards the entrance, not looking behind him. If he was going to be a respected leader, he could not show any nervousness now.
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" Duck lept in front of him, blue eyes blazing with fury. "You think you're better than us, long ears! Oho, I get it now! You think you're all fine and dandy on your own! HA! Well, listen up, 'pal'-it's not gonna be more than five minutes before I have to 'Quack' your tail out of trouble!" Muttering darkly, he turned up hios beak and walked up to the door. Once there, he turned back to look at him as if to say 'Well'?
Ace blinked, then a slow grin grew across his features. He turned to Lexi and shrugged. "Guess I can't argue with dat logic!"
The pink lagomorph watched the receding back of the male rabbit. " sigh What did I do to deserve all this craziness?" She moaned. Then she remembered something important. "Hey! What about my luggage! I'm not dragging that damn thing all over the place! HEY!
Ok, let's talk payola! After the demise of the peny, American inflation rates skyrocketd. Despite thise, the United States was the most vocal opponbent of a single world currency. They eventually capiulated when the rest of the world, in a grand show of force, blackballed international trade. To nurse theirhurt pride, the United States insisted that the largest denomination carry the image of Elias Qwilleran, the 1st black president of the United States, who died heroically. Fed up with the whining, the World Council conceded. The Qwill, as it is known, comes in 5 denominations: 1000, 5000, 10000, 20000, and 50000. Each is minted in a different color bearing Elias Qwilleran's profile on the front bordered with his last words; "It Was an Honor To Serve." On the back is the World Council Building flanked by 2 doves carrying olive branches .Next down is known commonly as the 'Teddy'. It is valued at 250 Qwill, and officially known as a Ducket The front image is that of Teddy Ruxpin XXV, a soft-spoken advocate for world-wide civil rights until his assassination by the anti-antho 'Pink & Clean' extremist organization of the late 20th century. The back simply states the coin's worth, and it is bronze coated zinc. The oddly named 'Bit' is worth 50 Qwill. This coin is shaped almost exactly like a screw nut, octagonal with a hole in the center. It is also bronze coated. A favorite pastime of teenagers is to carry their bits on a wire around their neck, which called a' cervi-wallet'. Originally this practice was created as a way for thrifty mothers to prevent their children from losing their lunch money. Now the number of bits indicates financial status. Ironically, less is more, and the richest of children will wear only 1 lone bit, if any at all. Last is the whimsically named 'Roundy'. This thin, rust colored biodegradable plastic circle is the penny of its day. In fact, that is why it was introduced-to prevent the rapid rising of inflation rates once more. It's worth a paltry 10 Qwill. The ones found floating in the World center fountain add up to a whopping 20000 in an average month!
Tthe present day equivalent would be $1040.00. However, it's real worth would be $1.25. In a world where a small cup of coffee is close to 5000 Qwill (Q5000), Duck and rabbit are in for a hungry walk!
A/G platforms :Anti-Gravity Platforms. Also known as Hoverers, AGPs, and Floats. A electrical device that creates a sort of magnetic field that keeps the attached item up to 3" above solid ground. Although 75 years ago it was common to see these on public transportation, it has been all but obliterated in favor of the Skimmitt's Field Disruption Oscillator.
Can you guess who the khaki kids represent? Yes, it's the Irwins. I humbly apologize for my awful Australian. This part came to me at work today, though Wally Gator was already established as the preemptive 'villian'. Ah, sugar.