After one long trip, Danny rushed over to Julie's treehouse and scurried to the remainder of the gang who was waiting for him. Danny opened the door to the experiment room, only for it to break down before his very eyes. He found the others and shouted, "Guys! We got bad news!" Before he could continue, a tablet was shoved in Danny's face. A recording began, replaying past events the cameras captured. Danny pulled himself from the tablet, awestruck from the damage surrounding him. Despite the disbelief in his eyes, Danny had to focus.
"Seriously, guys!" Danny said with the yank of his cheeks, "There's a problem outside!"
"What's the matter?" Jean-Luc and Julie queried.
"And where's Melody?" Joey dopily added. But before Danny could give an answer, the ground began to shake. It was a violent rumble that threw everyone in a tizzy. Jean-Luc could be heard shouting, "Earthquake!!!" as he threw everyone under the table. The entire laboratory trembled violently. Suddenly, everything came crashing down.
"EVERYBODY RUN!!!" Jean-Luc screeched, causing everyone to scurry out of the experiment room. They dashed for the exit, but one of them, Julie, screeched to a halt. She turned and shouted, "Wait! The pod!!" before turning back. But she was too late. A landslide of debris buried the giant, glowing pod. Julie screamed and reached for it in vain, but Joey would pull her back with the others who had crowded in an emergency exit. Once everyone was inside, Julie activated the escape pod. The pod enclosed everyone in a tight ball then blasted itself into the forest skies. The pod soared before its eventual plummet to the ground.
CRASH! The pod impacted the ground and widened its walls, allowing Jean-Luc to kick the door down. Everyone cluttered out of the pod one at a time, dizzy from the blow. Finally, Jean-Luc asked with a groan, "Is everyone okay...?" Again, a groan was heard as the rest of the bunnies climbed out one by one.
"I can't believe it..." Julie uttered in disbelief, "All my research, all my work... and now the only evidence we had to this series of mishaps ARE BURIED SIX FEET UNDERGROUND!!!" Infuriated, Julie kicked the blade of a snapped tree stump. She'd soon regret it as the pain shot deep into her foot, making her hop on one leg while gripping that foot. But then, Joey sat by her side. He started with a small, awkward chuckle in an attempt to calm her. Eventually, he stuttered, "J-j-Julie...? Hey, it's not all bad. Look, I-I think we can still get down there."
If only Joey kept his poor mouth shut, because as he said that, the roots of the treehouse would snap from its binds. Like a tree in the forest, it came crashing down, blocking the hole from which the pod escaped. And there, the gang stood by the smashed remains of 100% Julie's humble home. Piles of wood and small furniture lay trapped within the tree's cluttered walls. Julie lived in a big tree, so the sound of it crashing down could be heard miles across the forest and parts of town. Everyone stared at the destruction as if their eyes were about to fall out of their heads. Poor little Joey just zipped his lips, refusing to utter another word.
Something was wrong, very wrong. Knowing this, Jean-Luc dragged the remaining bunnies into a huddle. They grouped together, unknown to the fact that someone was watching. Then, deeply hidden within the trees of the forest, a pair of burning yellow eyes scanned the gang as they tried to assess their plans.
"Okay, guys," Jean-Luc began, "I don't know what strange sorcery is going on around here, but I do know that whoever's behind this has been targeting us the entire time."
"No shit, Sherlock!" a rude Danny retorted. The greaser exerted real anger at the incompetence of his leader. He threw his head back and shouted, "Y'know, with the robot ambush, Ryan's sudden disappearance, weird symbols on violent robots, a slime monster made of jelly and robot parts, Melody's disappearance and... THIS!! I couldn't imagine what could be the reason someone is targeting us now!!!"
"Danny, wait," Julie intervened, piqued by a specific quote, "What DID happen to Melody?" Danny had to put himself in a calmer state. He took a deep breath, exhaled, then began to explain everything. He laid out the details of what happened once he arrived, the voracious flesh-eaters that tried to chase him, and how Melody was caught in the crossfire. But then, as Danny continued his story, a pair of burning yellow irises caught his attention. Danny's speech slowed upon noticing. A careful hand of his then tugged Joey's jacket, which prompted him to turn. Joey then caught the burning yellow eyes as well.
The eyes were a distance away from the destruction. Hidden in the shadows, they stared dead in the eye of those it connected with. An uneasy feeling fell over Joey. The bunny gulped quietly and gave his foxy dad a gentle pull on his tail. He stood on his tiptoes and whispered, "D-Dad...? I-I-I feel like someone's watching us." Just then, a snap was heard. Jean-Luc curved his ear and slowly gazed in its direction. But by the time he turned around, nothing was there. Suspicion burned in the fox, like a cattle prod. Finally, a gulp and a hunch swayed him to take action.
"Excuse me, Danny," Jean-Luc expressed, "I hated to interrupt, but... why don't we continue this back at my house? Y'know, have some tea 'n' biscuits while we try and figure this out. Heh... whaddya say?" Both Danny and 100% Julie gave their fox friend a look of unease. But, to be fair, it was better than standing in a warzone. The bunnies agreed, which put Jean-Luc at ease.
"Great. My car's parked on the trail over there," Jean-Luc explained.
"Beats walking home," Joey quipped.
Once everyone was fully loaded and strapped in, Jean-Luc started the Groovemobile's ignition and drove off. They blazed out of the warzone and down the trail of the open forest. Throughout the ride, Joey peeked in one of the side mirrors. The destruction of his girlfriend's home saddened him. He would then attempt to hold her hand, only to be rejected.
Unbeknownst to him, the burning yellow eyes were still watching. They watched as the Whackos drove off. Each blink came with the snap of a camera. The eyes shined as the footage was recorded LIVE. The footage is then uploaded into the supercomputer and sent to an unencrypted source. There, two shadowy beings observed the footage.
"Bah! How dare zat fool let zem get away?!" argued a stern character, "We could have eazily had zem!"
"Patience, dear bruder," a second voice said nonchalantly, "Zis is only a test. A test to zee how much fear we can inztill in zem. Once they're entirely shaken, our plan will be in motion." The second figure had a twitch in its eye. A change in color from white to red to white once again.
"How do you know for sure?" the first voice questioned skeptically.
"Because now we know where zhey live," the second voice remarked. His answer came with a low, evil smirk. The figure then pressed his fingers on a control panel and gave the shadowed eyes one simple command.
"Follow zem. See where they reside and strike," the evil voice ordered, "Oh, and don't forget to... cause a little destruction along the way." The voice ended its command with a dark, brewing laugh. The burning yellow eyes absorbed every last word and peered the Groovemobile's exact location. Its eyes suddenly turned red as it was ready to make its first strike.
Comments (0)
See all