FA+
Shop
1677
Views
Views
9
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 50 x 50
File Size 153.4 kB
Report this content
More from Kythra
Listed in Folders
New Beginnings
Union Transit Terminal, Colmaton, California
30 July 2015
“So why us, Morningstar?” The eight foot tall bear femme dressed in Army camo and mask addressed her superior, a bison cow wearing native American attire as her official Bureau costume. “And why'd we have to bring -him-?”
The object of her annoyance was a male cougar in a red and yellow uniform with a blindfold in place of a mask, currently sitting cross-legged on thin air at a sixty-degree angle to the vertical. He'd managed to attract a crowd of confused onlookers and was well on his way to creating a traffic jam in the busy train station. “Ranger! Is that any way to talk about the comedic genius who once got War Wolf to smile?”
Ranger snorted. “According to Strikira, you only managed that by setting yourself up to get hot coffee poured on your head.”
“Details, details...” The cougar grinned again and righted himself. “And I believe the train we're meeting just arrived. Give 'em a few minutes to get sorted out, and we can be on our way.”
Morningstar sighed. “To answer your original question, Ranger, me because I'm the Regional Director and Ferric is a problem not covered by the SRA, you because you're our only operative who's actually taller than her, Slipstream because Coriolis is on the same train as part of her escort, and Medic Mouse because Psyche couldn't make it and we want someone with a medical background to make sure she's all right. Poor kid's just had her whole world turned upside down.”
Ranger raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Because I'm the -tallest-?”
Medic Mouse, dressed in her trademark vintage nurse uniform and barely half the she-bear's height, nodded. “Kid's already nearly seven foot tall, Ranger. Psyche wanted her to meet someone that she could literally look up to as an adult while she gets settled in.”
The bear shook her head. “If you say so.”
The mouse nodded. “We both do.”
Slipstream suddenly rocketed up above the crowd and zoomed over to the exit to Platform 21. “Hey, Corey! How's things back in hurricane country?”
Coriolis, a young, black-haired male raccoon dressed completely - boots, costume, and mask - in haze gray, lifted off the ground and grinned back at the cougar. “Still quiet, last I checked. Season's slow getting started this year.”
“Good, because seriously? We can use your help with the wildfires right now. Toranado and I can't move much water around, and Oasis can't do much either when it's this dry. We need a weather elemental, not just air and water elementals.”
“Well then, let's get the introductions out of the way, and then we can go make it rain for a bit. Can't let you be serious for too long, it might break the universe.” Coriolis dropped back down to the ground as two more costumed furs stepped off the platform and into the main concourse of the Union Transit Terminal, and led the way toward the other three Colmaton agents.
Morningstar smiled and led her people to meet the Eastern agents half-way. “Welcome back to Colmaton, Coriolis. Glad to have you back. Sorry you had to travel overland, but Vortex has been busy moving firefighters around all week.”
“Always glad to help, Morningstar. And the train trip was interesting. Saw a lot of country I usually either fly over or teleport past.” He turned and gestured the two groups toward each other. “Let me introduce everyone. Ferric, this is Morningstar, head of the North American Region, and our official National Heroine. This is Ranger, Medic Mouse, and the one bouncing off the roof pretending to be a balloon is Slipstream.” Ferric nodded politely, and gave a ghost of a smile at the cougar's antics. She, like Coriolis, was a raccoon, with hazel eyes and her hair in a long black braid. Unlike Coriolis, she looked like a woebegone young teenage girl – except that her fur glinted like she'd glued black metallic glitter all over herself, and she was about twice life-size. Her costume, such as it was, was a simple dark-blue jumpsuit and mask. She was toting two full-size steamer trunks, one in each hand, as if they were empty briefcases. She set them down to shake hands. “H'lo.”
“And I understand Ranger has already met Exit...?”
The bear nodded, her expression cold. “Yes.”
Medic Mouse acknowledged the mink, equally frigid. “So have I.”
Exit, like Ranger, was dressed in combat fatigues, though her 'unit' patch was the Bureau logo and she was missing the beret the bear sported. She had a wiry, athletic build, crewcut brunette hair to go with her brown eyes, and a notch out of her left ear. Medic nodded, looking at the injury. “That's new since I saw you last.”
The mink nodded. “Picked it up getting the kid's family out of Dodge. Take good care of her for us.”
Ranger's scowl lessened. “You were involved in that?”
“Aye. Couldn't pull her out at the same time, she's way too heavy. It was either just her, or the rest of her family, so I ported her family back to safety. Rapier wasn't too happy about that, but the kid can take care of herself and the civvies couldn't. Rapier wanted her out, because mission statement. Ferric didn't want to go without 'em.”
“Rapier,” huffed the bear, “loses track of why we -do- this, all too often. I'm glad you figured it out this time.”
Exit gave them a lopsided grin. “Hey, I may be a slow learner, but at least I'm not as bad as Preceptor.”
Medic Mouse giggled. “-Nobody- is -that- bad.”
Slipstream floated down from overhead, upside down this time. “Not even Atomic Ape?”
Coriolis chuckled. “He's got a point, there.”
Morningstar rolled her eyes. “Stop bad-mouthing your fellow agents behind their backs. No matter how much they deserve it. And before we start attracting villains, let's head back to HQ.”
Slipstream saluted. “Aye-aye, ma'am!”
Ferric knelt down to hug the mink. “Thank you for doing that for me, Exit. Take care of yourself.”
“Will do, chica. Good luck, and don't forget to write.”
“I won't. You -listened- to me when I needed you to. Bye for now.” She stood up again, a hint of tears in her eyes, and the mink vanished with a pop of imploding air.
Ranger glanced down at Medic Mouse. “Damn. Maybe she -has- learned since I saw her last.”
The mouse nodded back up to the bear. “Stranger things have happened...”
Ferric looked at the others. “Well, -I- like her. She's grouchy, but she took my family home when that Rapier fellow told her to take -me- home and leave them behind. It may not have been her 'mission', but... she got them out just before the kidnappers started shooting. I can take bullets. Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters... can't.”
Coriolis broke the silence before it got awkward. “At any rate. Slipstream, shall we go do a preliminary assessment? You can show me where they need rain the worst. Ferric...” he floated up off the ground to give her a hug face to face, the wind he controlled to do it whisking hair and loose papers around. “They'll show you around your new home and get you some lunch. I'll be back for dinner tonight if all goes well. You've got your communicator?” She nodded. “Give me a call if you need to, but I'll be too busy to just chat.”
Ferric grinned. “I'll be fine, Cuz. Go put out some fires.” She picked up her trunks again as Coriolis and Slipstream flew off toward the hills to the east of the city. “Lunch sounds good. Amtrak breakfasts are too small, and its been two -hours- since they closed the dining car.”
Cafeteria, Colmaton Base
“Jacob? Why do they want -us- to meet this new agent?”
Jacob Randle, aka Colmaton's resident boy genius Techrat, smiled at the young hybrid femme. “She's not really an agent yet, Nandi. She's still young, younger than us in fact, but according to her file, she's no longer able to maintain a secret identity.”
Nandi, an unusual cross between leopard and bear, with a hint of rodent ancestry as well, opened her eyes wide in astonishment. “She doesn't have a secret identity? Is she... like us?” Both the rat and the hybrid were genetic constructs, not naturally born furs. Jacob had been adopted by Dunston and Rosetta Howe, Dyno-Donkey and his normal wife; Nandi was genetically related to both Ranger and Medic Mouse, but had been raised by a member of the traitorous Confederate Ghost Militia, and her civilian identity was both undocumented and tangled up in the affairs of the villainous rebels – and as a result, her ancestry was a secret even from most of the Bureau.
Jacob shook his head. “Nah, she has a family, but they had to go into the protection program. You'll understand when you see her.”
The cafeteria was mostly empty, still an hour before the usual lunchtime, but there was a group at one table. Morningstar and Medic Mouse were seated on either side of a very tall raccoon girl, who was using a much sturdier chair than the cafeteria normally boasted. Ranger, the Australian wolfess Strikira, and Dyno-Donkey, Director of BoS Western US, were seated around the same table. Two spaces directly opposite the raccoon newcomer had been left open for the youngsters. Jacob took the seat next to Dyno-Donkey, letting Nandi take the one next to Ranger. “Hi, Dad. This is Ferric, right?”
“That she is. Ferric, this is my son, Jacob, also known as Techrat. He'll be the one doing your initial testing. And this is Nandi Moore.”
“Hi, guys!” The raccoon's ears perked up. “They didn't tell me there'd be kids my own age here. Call me Sally. Ferric's for outside.” She turned her head back to the burro. “Wait, Mr. D... -Jacob- will be doing the testing?”
“That he will. It's his lab. He's an engineering genius, if I do say so myself.”
The wolfess chuckled. “Too roight he is. But you don't have ta say it, boss, 'cause we all agree with ya. You're gonna be in good hands, Ferric.”
The raccoon grinned. “As long as lunch is ready soon.”
“Luncheon is ready now, young lady! They told me you were a hungry and growing kit, so I made something that will stick to your ribs! My famous meat loaf, scalloped potatoes, and green beans with bacon.”
Morningstar smiled at the skunk who was the head chef of the Bureau's Colmaton headquarters. “Thank you, Sebastian. I'm sure she'll appreciate it.”
Ferric nodded. “Smells delicious!”
The chef smiled. “And here we are.” He set out a serving platter with an entire meat loaf, a huge helping of the potatoes, and an entire serving bowl of beans in front of her. “They told me that you were a big eater, young lady. So I made plenty just for you. You will not disappoint me, will you?”
She grinned. “This will be a great first helping, Mr. Sebastian.”
The skunk smiled at her. “I see they were not joking, young lady.” He glanced at the others. “What? You are not guests today, so you can serve yourselves in the line.” He hustled back to his kitchen, while the rest of the table started getting up.
Nandi stared at the huge pile of food. “Seriously, Sally, you're going to eat all that?”
The raccoon paused after taking her first bite. “Mmm... Thish -izh- good! Seriously, I'm going to have seconds. And maybe thirds, if seconds isn't this big. My parents are gonna miss me, but I don't think Dad will miss my food bills.”
“I guess not...” The young hybrid got up to join the line.
An hour later, the rest had finished and Strikira had already left. “Got a shift comin' up in my secret ID at the Dixie Diner, luv. We'll 'ave ta see if we can arrange for ya to eat there sometime. Boris and Sebastian 'ave a bit of a rivalry going.” Morningstar had introduced her to several of the other supers who'd come in for lunch, and Combat had taken Strikira's seat to discuss the possibility of martial arts training for the youngster, when they were interrupted.
“Morningstar! Vas ist dis I hear about anozzer youngster moving into de base?!”
The bison winced. “Oh, no...” She cleared her expression before turning around. “I don't know, Preceptor. What -have- you heard?”
The new arrival was a hybrid of canine and meerkat, wearing his costume with his eye logo centered on his chest. “Ha. Ha. You know ferry vell vhat I haff heard. You are turning Colmaton into a nursery! First die young rat, und den die young vun dat Gatling Goat rescued from der Confederate Ghost Militia. Und now zey are dumping anozzer kit on us? If you vill not do sometink, I vill protest zis to ze full Council!”
Morningstar sighed. “Dietrich, this was agreed on by the Regional Directorate and already approved by the Council. Unanimously, I should mention. Protest to them if you want, but I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. Ferric had to be brought into the Bureau early because she simply can't hide under her secret identity any longer.”
“Vas? I haff nefer heard of anyssing so absurd. Vhy not?”
Combat snorted. “Don't you -ever- read your email? But you can ask her yourself. Ferric, this is our Internal Affairs Officer, Preceptor.”
“Do not take zat tone vit -me-, Combat. I-- I-- ” He broke off as the huge raccoon moved and he suddenly realized that the child in question was right in front of him. “I---”
Ferric pushed her chair back, and stood up, looming over the shorter fur. “Because I look like this, Herr Preceptor. Exactly how is wearing a mask supposed to keep people from guessing who I might be without one?”
Preceptor stared up at the young raccoon. “Mein Gott...” He rallied. “Vhat about your unpowered form?”
The raccoon shrugged. “Don't seem to have one.”
“And don't even -think- about sneaking up on her with a suppression collar to find out,” added Dyno-Donkey. After that fiasco with Star? Any more screwups like that are going to come out of your paycheck.”
Ranger chuckled. “We've got two kids already, Dietrich. Might as well keep them all together, even if it upsets you to be assigned to that spot, right?”
“That was my view, and the Council's as well.” Morningstar grinned. “So do us all a favor, Dietrich, and don't cause trouble this time. Somewhere has to be a nursery, as you put it, and it looks like Colmaton's been elected. Unless you want to put in for a transfer...?”
Preceptor muttered, “Die Bureau iss not a babysitting service...”
Ranger snorted. “But until there is an official policy regarding underage supers, we'll just have to improvise. Now go eat your lunch and leave the poor girl alone.” Preceptor retreated to a table on the other side of the cafeteria.
Ferric sat down again, her chair creaking in protest. “Glad I didn't meet -him- first...”
Morningstar shrugged. “He's a bit of a jerk when it comes to rules, but he pulls his weight in a fight. Just ignore him, Sally. We all try to.”
The raccoon shrugged. “Meh. Could be worse. At least he's willing to believe I'm still a kid, even if he complains about it. My classmates were starting to avoid me completely when they weren't calling me a freak.” She tried to keep her voice light, but everyone could tell she was still upset by that.
Medic Mouse patted her shoulder. “We're all on your side here, dear. Even Preceptor in his own obnoxious way.”
Ferric gently put her hand on the mouse's. “Thanks. You don't know what that means to me...”
Combat and Techrat had both noticed the way her chair groaned when she sat down. It was the feline martial artist who asked the question when Ferric and Medic Mouse let go of each other's hands. “How much -do- you weigh? That's not a normal cafeteria chair, and it sounds like it's barely holding up.”
“I'm not actually sure. It's been a couple months since I checked, and I've been growing. But the last time I looked, I was up around seven hundred and fifty.” She paused for effect. “Kilograms, not pounds.”
Techrat sat straight up, his whiskers quivering. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. It's why Exit couldn't take me with my family when we got away from those kidnappers. I'd take up too much of what she can carry.”
“What are you -made- of?”
The raccoon grinned. “Apparently, iron. Which reminds me...” She pulled a pill bottle out of her pocket and shook a couple into her palm before popping them into her mouth.
“Let me guess. Since that reminded you to take them... iron supplements?”
Sally giggled, and winked at the rat. “You could say that.” She passed the bottle across the table to him.
He cupped his palm and poured out a handful. “This is -hardware-.”
“Yep. Half-inch machine washers and hex nuts. Once a week I need an ounce or so of tool steel, too. No idea why, but when I was still a baby they had to let me teeth on a Craftsman wrench.”
Nandi giggled at that. Sally stuck her tongue out. “True story. I've still got what's left of it, kind of a memento. Baby's First Property Damage.”
This got laughs from the entire table. Ranger reached across the table to ruffle her hair. “Kid, you're going to fit in here just fine.”
18 August 2015
“Jake? I. Am. BORED.”
Jacob looked up from his laptop, which was currently connected by a half-dozen cables to Texas Tilly's robotic horse partner. “Please try not to stomp, Sally. I'm doing some upgrades on Silver, and I don't need him jiggled while I work.”
She blushed. “Sorry, Silver. Didn't mean to mess things up for you.”
“THAT IS ALL RIGHT, MISS YEAGER. I KNOW IT IS DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO WALK SOFTLY. I HAVE MUCH THE SAME PROBLEM.”
The raccoon grinned. “But you've got twice as many feet to spread the weight out.” She sighed. “And I'm still bored. I'm in supposedly Sunny California, and I haven't even been outside since I got here. At least we're done with all those tests.” She looked at the rat. “Aren't we?”
Jacob held up a finger, made a few more keystrokes, and sat back. “Ready, Silver?”
“I AM READY.”
The rat flicked one more key and the horse went quiet. “Uploading now. And yes, I'm done poking at you, Sally, at least for the time being. I did get that scale rigged up for you so you can keep a closer eye on how fast you're putting on weight. Just hang on to that chin-up bar, lift yourself off the ground gently, and it'll give you your mass.”
“That's gonna be a lot more convenient than going out to the Interstate and borrowing the truck scales ever was.” She went over to test it out. “Hmmm. Seven hundred seventy two kilos. Well over three quarters of a ton now.”
The boy chuckled. “Truck scales? That must've been interesting.”
“Always drove 'em nuts, and we never seemed to find the same operators twice. We got the explanation down to a fine art, but they wouldn't always let us.”
Jacob nodded. “So... you're bored. What am I supposed to do about that?”
“I dunno. I want to -do- something. I want to see the ocean. Or trees. Or even just feel sunlight on my fur. Or... y'know.” Her voice went soft, and she added almost plaintively, “Do something with -friends- for the first time since I was seven.”
“Well, I've got a superhero identity, but Nandi doesn't. She's been in here even longer than you, y'know. She doesn't have a civilian identity at all at the moment, either.”
“No? I suppose I'm being too impatient, then. But...”
Jacob grinned. “No, you're not. She doesn't have an official legal identity, but as long as she's not doing something that needs an ID, she's fine. So she -has- been able to go outside.” He blushed, and mumbled, almost under his breath. “We've gone on dates, even, a couple times...”
Sally perked up her ears at the embarrassed admission. “Really? Good for you. Even if I -am- just a touch jealous now.” The rat blushed even more. The raccoon shook her head. “Hey, it's not a problem, just didn't know you were an item. You've both been cool since I've gotten here. I'm glad just to have real friends, so I can wait on a boyfriend. I just wish I could go somewhere with ya, and do something outside the base.”
“Well... we can't go with you as civvies. But I don't see why Nandi can't wear a superhero costume, now that she has some control of her powers. How would you like to see a movie with two super-friends?”
Sally frowned. “Movies we can see here. How about going to a mall?”
“Bleah. Shopping?” He thought a little more. “You said trees. Wonder if I can talk Dad into taking us to Sequoia National Park?”
“That... just might be fun. Lemme go talk to Nandi while you talk to Mr. D.”
“As soon as Silver's finished and I've got him buttoned back up.”
Somewhere in the back country of the Sierra Nevada, a feral cougar stared curiously at a black spot that had appeared in mid-air. He growled as the spot expanded and the scents of lightning and two-leg tools wafted out from it, and then took to his heels as two-leg voices emerged as well. He wanted nothing to do with -them-.
“Thanks for letting us do this, Mr. D! And thank you for agreeing to come along, Ms. Crimson. And thanks for the lift, Vortex.”
The pudgy groundhog smiled at them. “No problem, kids. Enjoy yourselves.”
“It'llbefunFerric, andI'mnotdoinganythinguntilschoolstartsanywaysommmff...?”
Dyno-Donkey had gently reached out and held the Bernese dog's muzzle shut. He was starting to suspect that the speedster allowed her colleagues to do that on purpose, since he'd seen her dodge bullets in combat. “Slow down, Crimson Cur.” He turned his attention back to the youngsters. “No problem, Ferric. I know you three can take care of yourselves, but Rosetta insisted on you taking an adult along this time. Checklist. You've all got your maps?”
“Yep.” “Right here.” “Yes, sir.”
“Communicators? Survival kits? Food?” Another chorus of affirmatives.
“Then off you go. Have a nice hike!”
The quartet stepped through the portal and looked around at the sun-drenched forest. Techrat was wearing a brown mask and bodysuit – he could summon his armor when he wanted it, but he'd decided that being sealed up in it for the day would miss the point of taking a hike in a forest and had persuaded his parents to allow him to use a simpler hero outfit, with his armored suit in reserve for emergencies. Nandi had come up with an idea for a superhero costume of her own, a green skirt with a gold top and mask. Ferric was in her blue jumpsuit and mask, and Crimson Cur was in her trademark red bodysuit. Ferric was carrying their picnic lunch in an oversized backpack.
Techrat was looking around, the city kid completely out of his element but fascinated by what he saw. Nandi glanced at the sky. “So, the sun's still in the east this early in the morning, so that way is north, and we follow the trail northeast to get to the lake. So this way, guys.” She pointed up the trail, and the four started on their way.
Dyno-Donkey had decided that an actual National Park would be a bit too public for the super-kids to visit, particularly on their debut outing, but there were plenty of less famous and equally scenic places in the wild parts of North America. The trio and their supervisor had been dropped off along a hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest. The two eastern girls were used to wetter forests than that of the Sierras, and talked about how it was different from the Appalachians and the Alleghenies as they walked.
For Techrat, it was all new. He'd grown up in Colmaton when he wasn't inside the Bureau base, and he found himself captivated by the feral birds that flitted among the pine trees. After about half an hour, and discovering that his requests for identification from his more woodsy peers all too often met with comments like 'No idea, Jake. We don't have them in Pennsylvania', he'd called back to the Base and had Vortex open a wormhole long enough to send him a birdwatcher's guide. The rest of the morning he spent chattering about birds at a rate to challenge Crimson Cur's motormouth.
They reached the small mountain lake a little before noon and settled in to have their picnic lunch. Ferric slung her pack down and started unpacking. “Okay, let's see what Sebastian sent along. Looks like... potato salad, a big bag of raw veggies – carrots, celery, peppers, and broccoli - some hard-boiled eggs, ooo! Fried chicken! A loaf of bread and some lunchmeat to go with it, looks like ham and roast beef, and cheese slices too, two six-packs of soda and two of water, and... chocolate chip cookies for dessert.” She looked up at the others and grinned. “What are you guys having?” Crimson Cur blurred and zipped off, then reappeared with an armload of pine cones. The three of them proceeded to pelt the raccoon with them. “Oh no! Pine cones, my secret weakness! I give up! You can have some of it!”
Nandi grinned. “You, girl, are a troublemaker.”
“Guilty as charged. But our adult supervision was encouraging you all to throw pine cones at me. Are you sure she's a grown-up?”
“I get that a lot. But you ofallpeopleshouldknowthatsizeandmaturitydon'talwaysgotogetherafterallyou're onlythirteenbutyournearlyastallasRangerandmmmmmf!” She glared at Techrat until he let go of her muzzle. “-You- are not old enough to be allowed to do that.”
“It was self-defense, CC.”
“A likely story. Let's eat!”
In spite of the raccoon's threats to eat everything herself, Sebastian had had three weeks to get used to her appetite and there were actually a few leftovers when lunch was finished. They packed up the garbage and the leftovers – there were, after all, no convenient refuse cans in the back country - and continued on their way, following the trail around the lake and uphill along the stream that fed it. They were about a mile up from the lake when Techrat noticed a trail that wasn't on the map. “Huh. I wonder where this goes...”
Nandi looked at the others. “Only one way to find out.”
Ferric had pulled her map out. “There's a firebreak road about a mile in that direction, so it won't take that long to check it out. What do you think, Crimson?”
The speedster thought about it. “I could run down and look if you want, wouldn't take me more than a minute....”
Techrat shook his head and interrupted. “Nah, that'd take all the fun out of it. Let's just go find out, okay?”
“Works for me,” said Ferric, and led the way down the side trail. She stopped only two hundred yards
farther, just after passing a bend in the trail, and held up a hand. “Techrat? You might want to armor up.” She waved them forward – spray-painted on a rock was a skull and crossbones, the words 'No trespassing' – and initials at the bottom. “Who the heck is GB?”
Crimson Cur was suddenly serious. “Not who, Ferric. What. The Gym Brats. A rather nasty little gang of mid-level supers who dress up in sports uniforms and use sports-themed weapons. If they're out here... probably one of those illegal drug plantations we've been hearing about.”
“In a National Forest?”
“Yep. They set them up, depending on being remote to stay under the radar, and they'll sometimes have booby traps set up. Seems out of character for them, though – they are fitness fanatics, and I wouldn't have thought that drug dealing would be something they'd go in for.”
Techrat shrugged. “Maybe they've hired on as muscle. Or maybe Head Coach needs something illegal for her fitness booster concoctions.”
The speedster dog nodded. “Good point. You kids stay here, I'm going to do a quick check ahead. We'll report this back to the Bureau once we know what's there.”
Ferric started to object. “But what if -” Crimson Cur had already dashed off. “Hmmmf. If she's not back in that minute she promised, we're going after her.”
Techrat nodded. “Definitely. She's not good at avoiding traps. I can't tell you how many times a bad guy has taken her out by throwing marbles in her path.”
Ferric suppressed a guilty snicker. “Zoom-zoom skid screech thump?”
“Pretty much.” From ahead, a yelp ended abruptly. “And that's our cue. Nandi, you'd better wait here.”
“No way! I'm coming along, too!”
Ferric was already moving. “Fine, but you're not armored. Stay behind us. And you need a code name ASAP, just in case any of these Gym Brats are there.”
“Ummm.. I shoot force rings. How about... Ringo?”
Techrat groaned. “Okay for today. But... keep working on it.”
Farther down the side trail, a burly pinto stallion, one of a trio of the lowest tier of the Gym Brats gang, was complaining to Jock King. “Why are we even doing this, King?”
“Y'mean, why are we, as the Gym Brats, doing this? Or are you bitching about why you in particular are doing this?”
The second of the trio, an elk bull, joined in. “Well... both?”
The big cougar sighed. “One more time for you morons. -We- have this field because Head Coach modified the plants to produce some ingredients she wants. -You- are here harvesting the plants that are ready because you were the three losers in last week's drills, so you get to spend your rest day getting fresh air and sunshine.” <And I'm here,> he carefully did not say out loud <because Jock Queen is still mad at me for ogling Lady Liberty in our last fight, and I figured it'd be safer to volunteer to be in charge of this week's harvest.> “And break's over. Get back to work. Remember, we want the big buds, don't pick anything else.”
The three got up and went back to work, grumbling to themselves but not to the point where the cougar would take it as a challenge. They'd only just started when a red blur shot out of the trees on the uphill side of the field, yelped, and then faceplanted into the ground. The elk was closest, turned to stare, and then yelled. “Jock King! We got trouble! It's a super!”
“Get yer gear, boys! If it's just one, we can take her!” He grabbed his bat and headed in the direction of the noise, only to find Crimson Cur already down and out. “We... what the hell?” The third of his underlings, a russet-haired boar, caught up to him. “I dunno, King. D'you think she got hit with the darts?”
“I don't see any of 'em.” He rolled the unconscious dog over. “Nope. And this is Crimson Cur. The way she moves, they'd never have caught up with her...” He trotted up to the edge of the clearing. “Nope, the darts are here. They missed her, she moves too fast... Hah! Looks like she actually fell over the trip-wire!”
“You serious, King?”
“You bet! Tie her up, boys, we've got a bonus harvest today!”
The elk looked around nervously. “If she's alone. What are the odds on that?”
“Good point, Rafe. Dump her gear, we don't need them tracking us. Carlos, you reset the trap. And then let's call it a day.”
The elk nodded, unfastening Crimson Cur's utility belt and taking advantage of the opportunity to run his hands over her while checking for hidden items. The boar trotted up the hill to rearm the crossbow and reset the tripwire trigger, and the stallion started gathering up the buds they'd already harvested.
Techrat's armored suit included jets and a few light weapons, and he lifted off as soon as he heard Crimson Cur yelp in dismay. “I'll check on her. If she just got caught in a booby-trap, there's no rush, but if someone else is there she may need help. Call Headquarters, but catch up to me as soon as you can.”
Ferric nodded. “Gotcha. Be careful.” She opened her communicator as Techrat flew on ahead. “Colmaton, this is Ferric. We may have a problem.”
“Understood, Ferric. What's the problem?”
“We found a warning blaze while exploring a trail that wasn't on the maps. Crimson Cur went ahead to check if it was a drug plantation, and didn't come back. We heard her yelp. Techrat's flown ahead to check on her, and, um, Ringo and I are following him.”
“Ringo?”
“You know who. Kind of a spur of the moment idea. We needed a code name for her quick.”
“I'm patching you through to Ranger. Stay clear for now.”
“Not gonna happen. We're not standing down, not until you actually get someone here. She may need help right now, and we're on the spot.” She picked up speed, crashing through the forest at nearly twenty miles per hour.
The elk noticed the noise first. “Jock King, we've got someone with jets coming. Better get out of here now.”
The cougar smirked. “Hah. They come at us one at a time, we can take 'em down one at a time. Get ready, boys.”
Techrat cleared the edge of the forest a moment later, to see the elk carrying Crimson Cur over his shoulder and the rest taking defensive positions. “Put her down right now!”
Jock King just laughed. “And who's gonna make us? Kiddie heroes? I didn't know the Bureau even -had- a kindergarten division.” He took aim, tossed a baseball-grenade into the air, and batted it at the armored rat, who just barely dodged it. “Get lost, we don't want to have to hurt you, kid. Head Coach wouldn't really like it.”
“Too bad, because we're not letting you take Crimson Cur with you.” The rat fired a beam at the elk's feet, making him yelp and jump back.
“We?” Jock King's eyes narrowed, and he watched the boy move, judging the pattern of his dodges. His next ball hit, detonating on contact, and the armored suit spun through the air from the force of the explosion while Techrat fought to regain control. “Bill, Carlos, keep your eyes open. I'm betting there's more of them somewhere.”
The stallion shouted, “Something sure is! Sounds like an elephant's coming through the forest!” A moment later, Ferric emerged from the trees, shedding bits of twig and vine behind her – she'd missed a couple of the turns, but brush and saplings hadn't even slowed her down once she'd gotten up to speed. The reset booby-trap went off, but the drugged darts just bounced off her skin. Carlos the boar got knocked off his feet and trampled as she ran right over him before she could slow down. Nandi stopped at the edge of the forest in her wake and took aim carefully while everyone was watching the raccoon.
“You heard him! Put Crimson down... before I -make-... you do it!” Ferric was panting, furious at the Brats for trying to kidnap the speedster but also winded – the thinner air here in the foothills of the Sierras was making it hard for her to get enough oxygen.
Jock King snickered. “You look a little more like a challenge, whoever you are, but you're still the Junior Varsity at best. Seriously, since when does the Bureau have a kiddie squad?”
Ferric caught her breath. “We may be kids, but we're still heroes. And we protect each other.” She started forward, looming over the Brats and their leader. “I'm Ferric.”
Jock King served up another baseball-bomb. “You're overconfident, kid. Catch.” He batted it straight at Ferric, smacking her right in the chest. He grinned at the explosion for a moment... and then realized that the raccoon girl was still standing. The front of her jumpsuit was full of holes, but she herself merely looked annoyed. “Okay, maybe -you're- not the Little League.”
Ferric growled and started for him. “I am going to wrap that bat around your neck.” Jock King dropped back a pace, swinging the bat at her head, but she caught it on her forearm with a grunt. He pulled back before she could grab it, and continued to fall back, swinging at her and staying out of her arm's reach. The fact that he was -hitting- her most of the time and she was shrugging it off was starting to alarm him.
Jock King heard the elk yell as Techrat recovered from being hit and started shooting at him. “Bill! Rafe! Do something! Get her, while I take take down that annoying flying rat!” The elk dropped Crimson Cur on the ground, and then he and the stallion charged the raccoon, each grabbing one of her arms.
Ferric smiled at that. “Thanks, boys.” She was barely slowed down, and brought her arms forward, lifting the pair to smash them into each other. They let go, hurriedly, and Bill dodged behind her and punched her in the side while Rafe concentrated on staying out of her reach as she turned on him.
The stallion regretted his move almost immediately, as his punch had no effect on the raccoon but nearly broke his fingers. “Ow! What's she -made- of? That was like punching a brick wall!”
Jock King, meanwhile, was batting more grenades in the direction of Techrat, who was dodging most of them, but it kept him too busy to shoot back. Carlos was getting back up from where he'd been run over, and grabbed a chunk of granite from the ground. He staggered and dropped it again when Nandi hit him with a set of force rings from her hiding spot at the edge of the clearing. “Caramba! We got -another- one, King! Uh-oh...” He'd spotted the portal forming behind Ferric. “And more incoming.”
“Time to bug out, Brats. We could beat the kids, but not the kids and more of 'em. Here, Ferric. One last present for you.” This grenade was tear gas, and the raccoon started coughing as the cloud spewed out. The four ran for it, leaving the field of battle – and genetically altered marijuana – to the kids. Ranger and Strikira emerged from the portal a few moments later.
Techrat yelled, “They're trying to get away, Ranger! The downhill trail! Jock King and three of the Brats! ”
“Never mind them! Are you kids all right?”
“Ringo and I are fine. Ferric caught a couple grenades, but only the gas grenade bothered her.” The raccoon was wheezing and coughing, still trying to get her breath back, but nodded and waved her hand in the direction of the retreating Brats.
Strikira grinned in spite of the situation. “Ringo?”
Nandi blushed. “It was all I could think of. I'll come up with something better. How's Crimson?”
Ranger strode over to where the speedster was lying, and carefully snapped the zip-ties holding her wrists and ankles. “Looks like she took a spill at full speed. She'll be fine, but we should probably get her back to Medic Mouse.” She turned to glare at the kids. “What were you all -thinking-?”
Ferric sat up, still wheezing. “Thinkin'... we had to make sure...” She started coughing again.
Techrat took over. “We heard her yelp, and it was either us or letting the Brats capture her, Ranger. We did call you, but time was a bit short. If we hadn't delayed them...”
“And they did insist that I stay in back of them, since I don't have armor.” Nandi added. “We weren't being irresponsible.”
Strikira nodded. “They do 'ave a point, Ranger. 'Ate to think of poor Crimson in their paws. She's faster than any of those 'ooligans, but they'd be tryin' to make 'er do strength exercises.”
The bear nodded, torn between pride in the daughter she'd only recently learned about and worry for her safety. “All right. We'll let Dyno-Donkey sort it out, then. How are you doing, Ferric?”
“I'll be fine.” She coughed again. “Can't get... enough air up here... in the mountains. Let's go home.”
Techrat grinned inside his armored suit. “Colmaton is home now?”
Ferric looked puzzled, and then smiled. “Huh. Yeah. I think it is. Home is where you fit in.”
– This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. –
A Colmaton fanfic
The Colmaton Universe, Ranger, Nandi Moore, Lady Liberty, Psyche are intellectual properties of Train.
Crimson Cur is the intellectual property of CD.
Preceptor is a joint creation of Mojorover and Train.
Combat is the intellectual property of JRCarter.
Dyno-Donkey/Dunston Howe, Rosetta Howe, Bureau of Superheroes, Jacob Randle/Techrat, Atomic Ape are properties of Mojorover.
Slipstream is the property of GameGod210
War Wolf is the property of Vivavulpes
Strikira and the Gym Brats are the property of Wolfrider.
Rapier, Exit, Coriolis, and Ferric are my original characters.
Union Transit Terminal, Colmaton, California
30 July 2015
“So why us, Morningstar?” The eight foot tall bear femme dressed in Army camo and mask addressed her superior, a bison cow wearing native American attire as her official Bureau costume. “And why'd we have to bring -him-?”
The object of her annoyance was a male cougar in a red and yellow uniform with a blindfold in place of a mask, currently sitting cross-legged on thin air at a sixty-degree angle to the vertical. He'd managed to attract a crowd of confused onlookers and was well on his way to creating a traffic jam in the busy train station. “Ranger! Is that any way to talk about the comedic genius who once got War Wolf to smile?”
Ranger snorted. “According to Strikira, you only managed that by setting yourself up to get hot coffee poured on your head.”
“Details, details...” The cougar grinned again and righted himself. “And I believe the train we're meeting just arrived. Give 'em a few minutes to get sorted out, and we can be on our way.”
Morningstar sighed. “To answer your original question, Ranger, me because I'm the Regional Director and Ferric is a problem not covered by the SRA, you because you're our only operative who's actually taller than her, Slipstream because Coriolis is on the same train as part of her escort, and Medic Mouse because Psyche couldn't make it and we want someone with a medical background to make sure she's all right. Poor kid's just had her whole world turned upside down.”
Ranger raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Because I'm the -tallest-?”
Medic Mouse, dressed in her trademark vintage nurse uniform and barely half the she-bear's height, nodded. “Kid's already nearly seven foot tall, Ranger. Psyche wanted her to meet someone that she could literally look up to as an adult while she gets settled in.”
The bear shook her head. “If you say so.”
The mouse nodded. “We both do.”
Slipstream suddenly rocketed up above the crowd and zoomed over to the exit to Platform 21. “Hey, Corey! How's things back in hurricane country?”
Coriolis, a young, black-haired male raccoon dressed completely - boots, costume, and mask - in haze gray, lifted off the ground and grinned back at the cougar. “Still quiet, last I checked. Season's slow getting started this year.”
“Good, because seriously? We can use your help with the wildfires right now. Toranado and I can't move much water around, and Oasis can't do much either when it's this dry. We need a weather elemental, not just air and water elementals.”
“Well then, let's get the introductions out of the way, and then we can go make it rain for a bit. Can't let you be serious for too long, it might break the universe.” Coriolis dropped back down to the ground as two more costumed furs stepped off the platform and into the main concourse of the Union Transit Terminal, and led the way toward the other three Colmaton agents.
Morningstar smiled and led her people to meet the Eastern agents half-way. “Welcome back to Colmaton, Coriolis. Glad to have you back. Sorry you had to travel overland, but Vortex has been busy moving firefighters around all week.”
“Always glad to help, Morningstar. And the train trip was interesting. Saw a lot of country I usually either fly over or teleport past.” He turned and gestured the two groups toward each other. “Let me introduce everyone. Ferric, this is Morningstar, head of the North American Region, and our official National Heroine. This is Ranger, Medic Mouse, and the one bouncing off the roof pretending to be a balloon is Slipstream.” Ferric nodded politely, and gave a ghost of a smile at the cougar's antics. She, like Coriolis, was a raccoon, with hazel eyes and her hair in a long black braid. Unlike Coriolis, she looked like a woebegone young teenage girl – except that her fur glinted like she'd glued black metallic glitter all over herself, and she was about twice life-size. Her costume, such as it was, was a simple dark-blue jumpsuit and mask. She was toting two full-size steamer trunks, one in each hand, as if they were empty briefcases. She set them down to shake hands. “H'lo.”
“And I understand Ranger has already met Exit...?”
The bear nodded, her expression cold. “Yes.”
Medic Mouse acknowledged the mink, equally frigid. “So have I.”
Exit, like Ranger, was dressed in combat fatigues, though her 'unit' patch was the Bureau logo and she was missing the beret the bear sported. She had a wiry, athletic build, crewcut brunette hair to go with her brown eyes, and a notch out of her left ear. Medic nodded, looking at the injury. “That's new since I saw you last.”
The mink nodded. “Picked it up getting the kid's family out of Dodge. Take good care of her for us.”
Ranger's scowl lessened. “You were involved in that?”
“Aye. Couldn't pull her out at the same time, she's way too heavy. It was either just her, or the rest of her family, so I ported her family back to safety. Rapier wasn't too happy about that, but the kid can take care of herself and the civvies couldn't. Rapier wanted her out, because mission statement. Ferric didn't want to go without 'em.”
“Rapier,” huffed the bear, “loses track of why we -do- this, all too often. I'm glad you figured it out this time.”
Exit gave them a lopsided grin. “Hey, I may be a slow learner, but at least I'm not as bad as Preceptor.”
Medic Mouse giggled. “-Nobody- is -that- bad.”
Slipstream floated down from overhead, upside down this time. “Not even Atomic Ape?”
Coriolis chuckled. “He's got a point, there.”
Morningstar rolled her eyes. “Stop bad-mouthing your fellow agents behind their backs. No matter how much they deserve it. And before we start attracting villains, let's head back to HQ.”
Slipstream saluted. “Aye-aye, ma'am!”
Ferric knelt down to hug the mink. “Thank you for doing that for me, Exit. Take care of yourself.”
“Will do, chica. Good luck, and don't forget to write.”
“I won't. You -listened- to me when I needed you to. Bye for now.” She stood up again, a hint of tears in her eyes, and the mink vanished with a pop of imploding air.
Ranger glanced down at Medic Mouse. “Damn. Maybe she -has- learned since I saw her last.”
The mouse nodded back up to the bear. “Stranger things have happened...”
Ferric looked at the others. “Well, -I- like her. She's grouchy, but she took my family home when that Rapier fellow told her to take -me- home and leave them behind. It may not have been her 'mission', but... she got them out just before the kidnappers started shooting. I can take bullets. Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters... can't.”
Coriolis broke the silence before it got awkward. “At any rate. Slipstream, shall we go do a preliminary assessment? You can show me where they need rain the worst. Ferric...” he floated up off the ground to give her a hug face to face, the wind he controlled to do it whisking hair and loose papers around. “They'll show you around your new home and get you some lunch. I'll be back for dinner tonight if all goes well. You've got your communicator?” She nodded. “Give me a call if you need to, but I'll be too busy to just chat.”
Ferric grinned. “I'll be fine, Cuz. Go put out some fires.” She picked up her trunks again as Coriolis and Slipstream flew off toward the hills to the east of the city. “Lunch sounds good. Amtrak breakfasts are too small, and its been two -hours- since they closed the dining car.”
Cafeteria, Colmaton Base
“Jacob? Why do they want -us- to meet this new agent?”
Jacob Randle, aka Colmaton's resident boy genius Techrat, smiled at the young hybrid femme. “She's not really an agent yet, Nandi. She's still young, younger than us in fact, but according to her file, she's no longer able to maintain a secret identity.”
Nandi, an unusual cross between leopard and bear, with a hint of rodent ancestry as well, opened her eyes wide in astonishment. “She doesn't have a secret identity? Is she... like us?” Both the rat and the hybrid were genetic constructs, not naturally born furs. Jacob had been adopted by Dunston and Rosetta Howe, Dyno-Donkey and his normal wife; Nandi was genetically related to both Ranger and Medic Mouse, but had been raised by a member of the traitorous Confederate Ghost Militia, and her civilian identity was both undocumented and tangled up in the affairs of the villainous rebels – and as a result, her ancestry was a secret even from most of the Bureau.
Jacob shook his head. “Nah, she has a family, but they had to go into the protection program. You'll understand when you see her.”
The cafeteria was mostly empty, still an hour before the usual lunchtime, but there was a group at one table. Morningstar and Medic Mouse were seated on either side of a very tall raccoon girl, who was using a much sturdier chair than the cafeteria normally boasted. Ranger, the Australian wolfess Strikira, and Dyno-Donkey, Director of BoS Western US, were seated around the same table. Two spaces directly opposite the raccoon newcomer had been left open for the youngsters. Jacob took the seat next to Dyno-Donkey, letting Nandi take the one next to Ranger. “Hi, Dad. This is Ferric, right?”
“That she is. Ferric, this is my son, Jacob, also known as Techrat. He'll be the one doing your initial testing. And this is Nandi Moore.”
“Hi, guys!” The raccoon's ears perked up. “They didn't tell me there'd be kids my own age here. Call me Sally. Ferric's for outside.” She turned her head back to the burro. “Wait, Mr. D... -Jacob- will be doing the testing?”
“That he will. It's his lab. He's an engineering genius, if I do say so myself.”
The wolfess chuckled. “Too roight he is. But you don't have ta say it, boss, 'cause we all agree with ya. You're gonna be in good hands, Ferric.”
The raccoon grinned. “As long as lunch is ready soon.”
“Luncheon is ready now, young lady! They told me you were a hungry and growing kit, so I made something that will stick to your ribs! My famous meat loaf, scalloped potatoes, and green beans with bacon.”
Morningstar smiled at the skunk who was the head chef of the Bureau's Colmaton headquarters. “Thank you, Sebastian. I'm sure she'll appreciate it.”
Ferric nodded. “Smells delicious!”
The chef smiled. “And here we are.” He set out a serving platter with an entire meat loaf, a huge helping of the potatoes, and an entire serving bowl of beans in front of her. “They told me that you were a big eater, young lady. So I made plenty just for you. You will not disappoint me, will you?”
She grinned. “This will be a great first helping, Mr. Sebastian.”
The skunk smiled at her. “I see they were not joking, young lady.” He glanced at the others. “What? You are not guests today, so you can serve yourselves in the line.” He hustled back to his kitchen, while the rest of the table started getting up.
Nandi stared at the huge pile of food. “Seriously, Sally, you're going to eat all that?”
The raccoon paused after taking her first bite. “Mmm... Thish -izh- good! Seriously, I'm going to have seconds. And maybe thirds, if seconds isn't this big. My parents are gonna miss me, but I don't think Dad will miss my food bills.”
“I guess not...” The young hybrid got up to join the line.
An hour later, the rest had finished and Strikira had already left. “Got a shift comin' up in my secret ID at the Dixie Diner, luv. We'll 'ave ta see if we can arrange for ya to eat there sometime. Boris and Sebastian 'ave a bit of a rivalry going.” Morningstar had introduced her to several of the other supers who'd come in for lunch, and Combat had taken Strikira's seat to discuss the possibility of martial arts training for the youngster, when they were interrupted.
“Morningstar! Vas ist dis I hear about anozzer youngster moving into de base?!”
The bison winced. “Oh, no...” She cleared her expression before turning around. “I don't know, Preceptor. What -have- you heard?”
The new arrival was a hybrid of canine and meerkat, wearing his costume with his eye logo centered on his chest. “Ha. Ha. You know ferry vell vhat I haff heard. You are turning Colmaton into a nursery! First die young rat, und den die young vun dat Gatling Goat rescued from der Confederate Ghost Militia. Und now zey are dumping anozzer kit on us? If you vill not do sometink, I vill protest zis to ze full Council!”
Morningstar sighed. “Dietrich, this was agreed on by the Regional Directorate and already approved by the Council. Unanimously, I should mention. Protest to them if you want, but I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. Ferric had to be brought into the Bureau early because she simply can't hide under her secret identity any longer.”
“Vas? I haff nefer heard of anyssing so absurd. Vhy not?”
Combat snorted. “Don't you -ever- read your email? But you can ask her yourself. Ferric, this is our Internal Affairs Officer, Preceptor.”
“Do not take zat tone vit -me-, Combat. I-- I-- ” He broke off as the huge raccoon moved and he suddenly realized that the child in question was right in front of him. “I---”
Ferric pushed her chair back, and stood up, looming over the shorter fur. “Because I look like this, Herr Preceptor. Exactly how is wearing a mask supposed to keep people from guessing who I might be without one?”
Preceptor stared up at the young raccoon. “Mein Gott...” He rallied. “Vhat about your unpowered form?”
The raccoon shrugged. “Don't seem to have one.”
“And don't even -think- about sneaking up on her with a suppression collar to find out,” added Dyno-Donkey. After that fiasco with Star? Any more screwups like that are going to come out of your paycheck.”
Ranger chuckled. “We've got two kids already, Dietrich. Might as well keep them all together, even if it upsets you to be assigned to that spot, right?”
“That was my view, and the Council's as well.” Morningstar grinned. “So do us all a favor, Dietrich, and don't cause trouble this time. Somewhere has to be a nursery, as you put it, and it looks like Colmaton's been elected. Unless you want to put in for a transfer...?”
Preceptor muttered, “Die Bureau iss not a babysitting service...”
Ranger snorted. “But until there is an official policy regarding underage supers, we'll just have to improvise. Now go eat your lunch and leave the poor girl alone.” Preceptor retreated to a table on the other side of the cafeteria.
Ferric sat down again, her chair creaking in protest. “Glad I didn't meet -him- first...”
Morningstar shrugged. “He's a bit of a jerk when it comes to rules, but he pulls his weight in a fight. Just ignore him, Sally. We all try to.”
The raccoon shrugged. “Meh. Could be worse. At least he's willing to believe I'm still a kid, even if he complains about it. My classmates were starting to avoid me completely when they weren't calling me a freak.” She tried to keep her voice light, but everyone could tell she was still upset by that.
Medic Mouse patted her shoulder. “We're all on your side here, dear. Even Preceptor in his own obnoxious way.”
Ferric gently put her hand on the mouse's. “Thanks. You don't know what that means to me...”
Combat and Techrat had both noticed the way her chair groaned when she sat down. It was the feline martial artist who asked the question when Ferric and Medic Mouse let go of each other's hands. “How much -do- you weigh? That's not a normal cafeteria chair, and it sounds like it's barely holding up.”
“I'm not actually sure. It's been a couple months since I checked, and I've been growing. But the last time I looked, I was up around seven hundred and fifty.” She paused for effect. “Kilograms, not pounds.”
Techrat sat straight up, his whiskers quivering. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. It's why Exit couldn't take me with my family when we got away from those kidnappers. I'd take up too much of what she can carry.”
“What are you -made- of?”
The raccoon grinned. “Apparently, iron. Which reminds me...” She pulled a pill bottle out of her pocket and shook a couple into her palm before popping them into her mouth.
“Let me guess. Since that reminded you to take them... iron supplements?”
Sally giggled, and winked at the rat. “You could say that.” She passed the bottle across the table to him.
He cupped his palm and poured out a handful. “This is -hardware-.”
“Yep. Half-inch machine washers and hex nuts. Once a week I need an ounce or so of tool steel, too. No idea why, but when I was still a baby they had to let me teeth on a Craftsman wrench.”
Nandi giggled at that. Sally stuck her tongue out. “True story. I've still got what's left of it, kind of a memento. Baby's First Property Damage.”
This got laughs from the entire table. Ranger reached across the table to ruffle her hair. “Kid, you're going to fit in here just fine.”
18 August 2015
“Jake? I. Am. BORED.”
Jacob looked up from his laptop, which was currently connected by a half-dozen cables to Texas Tilly's robotic horse partner. “Please try not to stomp, Sally. I'm doing some upgrades on Silver, and I don't need him jiggled while I work.”
She blushed. “Sorry, Silver. Didn't mean to mess things up for you.”
“THAT IS ALL RIGHT, MISS YEAGER. I KNOW IT IS DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO WALK SOFTLY. I HAVE MUCH THE SAME PROBLEM.”
The raccoon grinned. “But you've got twice as many feet to spread the weight out.” She sighed. “And I'm still bored. I'm in supposedly Sunny California, and I haven't even been outside since I got here. At least we're done with all those tests.” She looked at the rat. “Aren't we?”
Jacob held up a finger, made a few more keystrokes, and sat back. “Ready, Silver?”
“I AM READY.”
The rat flicked one more key and the horse went quiet. “Uploading now. And yes, I'm done poking at you, Sally, at least for the time being. I did get that scale rigged up for you so you can keep a closer eye on how fast you're putting on weight. Just hang on to that chin-up bar, lift yourself off the ground gently, and it'll give you your mass.”
“That's gonna be a lot more convenient than going out to the Interstate and borrowing the truck scales ever was.” She went over to test it out. “Hmmm. Seven hundred seventy two kilos. Well over three quarters of a ton now.”
The boy chuckled. “Truck scales? That must've been interesting.”
“Always drove 'em nuts, and we never seemed to find the same operators twice. We got the explanation down to a fine art, but they wouldn't always let us.”
Jacob nodded. “So... you're bored. What am I supposed to do about that?”
“I dunno. I want to -do- something. I want to see the ocean. Or trees. Or even just feel sunlight on my fur. Or... y'know.” Her voice went soft, and she added almost plaintively, “Do something with -friends- for the first time since I was seven.”
“Well, I've got a superhero identity, but Nandi doesn't. She's been in here even longer than you, y'know. She doesn't have a civilian identity at all at the moment, either.”
“No? I suppose I'm being too impatient, then. But...”
Jacob grinned. “No, you're not. She doesn't have an official legal identity, but as long as she's not doing something that needs an ID, she's fine. So she -has- been able to go outside.” He blushed, and mumbled, almost under his breath. “We've gone on dates, even, a couple times...”
Sally perked up her ears at the embarrassed admission. “Really? Good for you. Even if I -am- just a touch jealous now.” The rat blushed even more. The raccoon shook her head. “Hey, it's not a problem, just didn't know you were an item. You've both been cool since I've gotten here. I'm glad just to have real friends, so I can wait on a boyfriend. I just wish I could go somewhere with ya, and do something outside the base.”
“Well... we can't go with you as civvies. But I don't see why Nandi can't wear a superhero costume, now that she has some control of her powers. How would you like to see a movie with two super-friends?”
Sally frowned. “Movies we can see here. How about going to a mall?”
“Bleah. Shopping?” He thought a little more. “You said trees. Wonder if I can talk Dad into taking us to Sequoia National Park?”
“That... just might be fun. Lemme go talk to Nandi while you talk to Mr. D.”
“As soon as Silver's finished and I've got him buttoned back up.”
Somewhere in the back country of the Sierra Nevada, a feral cougar stared curiously at a black spot that had appeared in mid-air. He growled as the spot expanded and the scents of lightning and two-leg tools wafted out from it, and then took to his heels as two-leg voices emerged as well. He wanted nothing to do with -them-.
“Thanks for letting us do this, Mr. D! And thank you for agreeing to come along, Ms. Crimson. And thanks for the lift, Vortex.”
The pudgy groundhog smiled at them. “No problem, kids. Enjoy yourselves.”
“It'llbefunFerric, andI'mnotdoinganythinguntilschoolstartsanywaysommmff...?”
Dyno-Donkey had gently reached out and held the Bernese dog's muzzle shut. He was starting to suspect that the speedster allowed her colleagues to do that on purpose, since he'd seen her dodge bullets in combat. “Slow down, Crimson Cur.” He turned his attention back to the youngsters. “No problem, Ferric. I know you three can take care of yourselves, but Rosetta insisted on you taking an adult along this time. Checklist. You've all got your maps?”
“Yep.” “Right here.” “Yes, sir.”
“Communicators? Survival kits? Food?” Another chorus of affirmatives.
“Then off you go. Have a nice hike!”
The quartet stepped through the portal and looked around at the sun-drenched forest. Techrat was wearing a brown mask and bodysuit – he could summon his armor when he wanted it, but he'd decided that being sealed up in it for the day would miss the point of taking a hike in a forest and had persuaded his parents to allow him to use a simpler hero outfit, with his armored suit in reserve for emergencies. Nandi had come up with an idea for a superhero costume of her own, a green skirt with a gold top and mask. Ferric was in her blue jumpsuit and mask, and Crimson Cur was in her trademark red bodysuit. Ferric was carrying their picnic lunch in an oversized backpack.
Techrat was looking around, the city kid completely out of his element but fascinated by what he saw. Nandi glanced at the sky. “So, the sun's still in the east this early in the morning, so that way is north, and we follow the trail northeast to get to the lake. So this way, guys.” She pointed up the trail, and the four started on their way.
Dyno-Donkey had decided that an actual National Park would be a bit too public for the super-kids to visit, particularly on their debut outing, but there were plenty of less famous and equally scenic places in the wild parts of North America. The trio and their supervisor had been dropped off along a hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest. The two eastern girls were used to wetter forests than that of the Sierras, and talked about how it was different from the Appalachians and the Alleghenies as they walked.
For Techrat, it was all new. He'd grown up in Colmaton when he wasn't inside the Bureau base, and he found himself captivated by the feral birds that flitted among the pine trees. After about half an hour, and discovering that his requests for identification from his more woodsy peers all too often met with comments like 'No idea, Jake. We don't have them in Pennsylvania', he'd called back to the Base and had Vortex open a wormhole long enough to send him a birdwatcher's guide. The rest of the morning he spent chattering about birds at a rate to challenge Crimson Cur's motormouth.
They reached the small mountain lake a little before noon and settled in to have their picnic lunch. Ferric slung her pack down and started unpacking. “Okay, let's see what Sebastian sent along. Looks like... potato salad, a big bag of raw veggies – carrots, celery, peppers, and broccoli - some hard-boiled eggs, ooo! Fried chicken! A loaf of bread and some lunchmeat to go with it, looks like ham and roast beef, and cheese slices too, two six-packs of soda and two of water, and... chocolate chip cookies for dessert.” She looked up at the others and grinned. “What are you guys having?” Crimson Cur blurred and zipped off, then reappeared with an armload of pine cones. The three of them proceeded to pelt the raccoon with them. “Oh no! Pine cones, my secret weakness! I give up! You can have some of it!”
Nandi grinned. “You, girl, are a troublemaker.”
“Guilty as charged. But our adult supervision was encouraging you all to throw pine cones at me. Are you sure she's a grown-up?”
“I get that a lot. But you ofallpeopleshouldknowthatsizeandmaturitydon'talwaysgotogetherafterallyou're onlythirteenbutyournearlyastallasRangerandmmmmmf!” She glared at Techrat until he let go of her muzzle. “-You- are not old enough to be allowed to do that.”
“It was self-defense, CC.”
“A likely story. Let's eat!”
In spite of the raccoon's threats to eat everything herself, Sebastian had had three weeks to get used to her appetite and there were actually a few leftovers when lunch was finished. They packed up the garbage and the leftovers – there were, after all, no convenient refuse cans in the back country - and continued on their way, following the trail around the lake and uphill along the stream that fed it. They were about a mile up from the lake when Techrat noticed a trail that wasn't on the map. “Huh. I wonder where this goes...”
Nandi looked at the others. “Only one way to find out.”
Ferric had pulled her map out. “There's a firebreak road about a mile in that direction, so it won't take that long to check it out. What do you think, Crimson?”
The speedster thought about it. “I could run down and look if you want, wouldn't take me more than a minute....”
Techrat shook his head and interrupted. “Nah, that'd take all the fun out of it. Let's just go find out, okay?”
“Works for me,” said Ferric, and led the way down the side trail. She stopped only two hundred yards
farther, just after passing a bend in the trail, and held up a hand. “Techrat? You might want to armor up.” She waved them forward – spray-painted on a rock was a skull and crossbones, the words 'No trespassing' – and initials at the bottom. “Who the heck is GB?”
Crimson Cur was suddenly serious. “Not who, Ferric. What. The Gym Brats. A rather nasty little gang of mid-level supers who dress up in sports uniforms and use sports-themed weapons. If they're out here... probably one of those illegal drug plantations we've been hearing about.”
“In a National Forest?”
“Yep. They set them up, depending on being remote to stay under the radar, and they'll sometimes have booby traps set up. Seems out of character for them, though – they are fitness fanatics, and I wouldn't have thought that drug dealing would be something they'd go in for.”
Techrat shrugged. “Maybe they've hired on as muscle. Or maybe Head Coach needs something illegal for her fitness booster concoctions.”
The speedster dog nodded. “Good point. You kids stay here, I'm going to do a quick check ahead. We'll report this back to the Bureau once we know what's there.”
Ferric started to object. “But what if -” Crimson Cur had already dashed off. “Hmmmf. If she's not back in that minute she promised, we're going after her.”
Techrat nodded. “Definitely. She's not good at avoiding traps. I can't tell you how many times a bad guy has taken her out by throwing marbles in her path.”
Ferric suppressed a guilty snicker. “Zoom-zoom skid screech thump?”
“Pretty much.” From ahead, a yelp ended abruptly. “And that's our cue. Nandi, you'd better wait here.”
“No way! I'm coming along, too!”
Ferric was already moving. “Fine, but you're not armored. Stay behind us. And you need a code name ASAP, just in case any of these Gym Brats are there.”
“Ummm.. I shoot force rings. How about... Ringo?”
Techrat groaned. “Okay for today. But... keep working on it.”
Farther down the side trail, a burly pinto stallion, one of a trio of the lowest tier of the Gym Brats gang, was complaining to Jock King. “Why are we even doing this, King?”
“Y'mean, why are we, as the Gym Brats, doing this? Or are you bitching about why you in particular are doing this?”
The second of the trio, an elk bull, joined in. “Well... both?”
The big cougar sighed. “One more time for you morons. -We- have this field because Head Coach modified the plants to produce some ingredients she wants. -You- are here harvesting the plants that are ready because you were the three losers in last week's drills, so you get to spend your rest day getting fresh air and sunshine.” <And I'm here,> he carefully did not say out loud <because Jock Queen is still mad at me for ogling Lady Liberty in our last fight, and I figured it'd be safer to volunteer to be in charge of this week's harvest.> “And break's over. Get back to work. Remember, we want the big buds, don't pick anything else.”
The three got up and went back to work, grumbling to themselves but not to the point where the cougar would take it as a challenge. They'd only just started when a red blur shot out of the trees on the uphill side of the field, yelped, and then faceplanted into the ground. The elk was closest, turned to stare, and then yelled. “Jock King! We got trouble! It's a super!”
“Get yer gear, boys! If it's just one, we can take her!” He grabbed his bat and headed in the direction of the noise, only to find Crimson Cur already down and out. “We... what the hell?” The third of his underlings, a russet-haired boar, caught up to him. “I dunno, King. D'you think she got hit with the darts?”
“I don't see any of 'em.” He rolled the unconscious dog over. “Nope. And this is Crimson Cur. The way she moves, they'd never have caught up with her...” He trotted up to the edge of the clearing. “Nope, the darts are here. They missed her, she moves too fast... Hah! Looks like she actually fell over the trip-wire!”
“You serious, King?”
“You bet! Tie her up, boys, we've got a bonus harvest today!”
The elk looked around nervously. “If she's alone. What are the odds on that?”
“Good point, Rafe. Dump her gear, we don't need them tracking us. Carlos, you reset the trap. And then let's call it a day.”
The elk nodded, unfastening Crimson Cur's utility belt and taking advantage of the opportunity to run his hands over her while checking for hidden items. The boar trotted up the hill to rearm the crossbow and reset the tripwire trigger, and the stallion started gathering up the buds they'd already harvested.
Techrat's armored suit included jets and a few light weapons, and he lifted off as soon as he heard Crimson Cur yelp in dismay. “I'll check on her. If she just got caught in a booby-trap, there's no rush, but if someone else is there she may need help. Call Headquarters, but catch up to me as soon as you can.”
Ferric nodded. “Gotcha. Be careful.” She opened her communicator as Techrat flew on ahead. “Colmaton, this is Ferric. We may have a problem.”
“Understood, Ferric. What's the problem?”
“We found a warning blaze while exploring a trail that wasn't on the maps. Crimson Cur went ahead to check if it was a drug plantation, and didn't come back. We heard her yelp. Techrat's flown ahead to check on her, and, um, Ringo and I are following him.”
“Ringo?”
“You know who. Kind of a spur of the moment idea. We needed a code name for her quick.”
“I'm patching you through to Ranger. Stay clear for now.”
“Not gonna happen. We're not standing down, not until you actually get someone here. She may need help right now, and we're on the spot.” She picked up speed, crashing through the forest at nearly twenty miles per hour.
The elk noticed the noise first. “Jock King, we've got someone with jets coming. Better get out of here now.”
The cougar smirked. “Hah. They come at us one at a time, we can take 'em down one at a time. Get ready, boys.”
Techrat cleared the edge of the forest a moment later, to see the elk carrying Crimson Cur over his shoulder and the rest taking defensive positions. “Put her down right now!”
Jock King just laughed. “And who's gonna make us? Kiddie heroes? I didn't know the Bureau even -had- a kindergarten division.” He took aim, tossed a baseball-grenade into the air, and batted it at the armored rat, who just barely dodged it. “Get lost, we don't want to have to hurt you, kid. Head Coach wouldn't really like it.”
“Too bad, because we're not letting you take Crimson Cur with you.” The rat fired a beam at the elk's feet, making him yelp and jump back.
“We?” Jock King's eyes narrowed, and he watched the boy move, judging the pattern of his dodges. His next ball hit, detonating on contact, and the armored suit spun through the air from the force of the explosion while Techrat fought to regain control. “Bill, Carlos, keep your eyes open. I'm betting there's more of them somewhere.”
The stallion shouted, “Something sure is! Sounds like an elephant's coming through the forest!” A moment later, Ferric emerged from the trees, shedding bits of twig and vine behind her – she'd missed a couple of the turns, but brush and saplings hadn't even slowed her down once she'd gotten up to speed. The reset booby-trap went off, but the drugged darts just bounced off her skin. Carlos the boar got knocked off his feet and trampled as she ran right over him before she could slow down. Nandi stopped at the edge of the forest in her wake and took aim carefully while everyone was watching the raccoon.
“You heard him! Put Crimson down... before I -make-... you do it!” Ferric was panting, furious at the Brats for trying to kidnap the speedster but also winded – the thinner air here in the foothills of the Sierras was making it hard for her to get enough oxygen.
Jock King snickered. “You look a little more like a challenge, whoever you are, but you're still the Junior Varsity at best. Seriously, since when does the Bureau have a kiddie squad?”
Ferric caught her breath. “We may be kids, but we're still heroes. And we protect each other.” She started forward, looming over the Brats and their leader. “I'm Ferric.”
Jock King served up another baseball-bomb. “You're overconfident, kid. Catch.” He batted it straight at Ferric, smacking her right in the chest. He grinned at the explosion for a moment... and then realized that the raccoon girl was still standing. The front of her jumpsuit was full of holes, but she herself merely looked annoyed. “Okay, maybe -you're- not the Little League.”
Ferric growled and started for him. “I am going to wrap that bat around your neck.” Jock King dropped back a pace, swinging the bat at her head, but she caught it on her forearm with a grunt. He pulled back before she could grab it, and continued to fall back, swinging at her and staying out of her arm's reach. The fact that he was -hitting- her most of the time and she was shrugging it off was starting to alarm him.
Jock King heard the elk yell as Techrat recovered from being hit and started shooting at him. “Bill! Rafe! Do something! Get her, while I take take down that annoying flying rat!” The elk dropped Crimson Cur on the ground, and then he and the stallion charged the raccoon, each grabbing one of her arms.
Ferric smiled at that. “Thanks, boys.” She was barely slowed down, and brought her arms forward, lifting the pair to smash them into each other. They let go, hurriedly, and Bill dodged behind her and punched her in the side while Rafe concentrated on staying out of her reach as she turned on him.
The stallion regretted his move almost immediately, as his punch had no effect on the raccoon but nearly broke his fingers. “Ow! What's she -made- of? That was like punching a brick wall!”
Jock King, meanwhile, was batting more grenades in the direction of Techrat, who was dodging most of them, but it kept him too busy to shoot back. Carlos was getting back up from where he'd been run over, and grabbed a chunk of granite from the ground. He staggered and dropped it again when Nandi hit him with a set of force rings from her hiding spot at the edge of the clearing. “Caramba! We got -another- one, King! Uh-oh...” He'd spotted the portal forming behind Ferric. “And more incoming.”
“Time to bug out, Brats. We could beat the kids, but not the kids and more of 'em. Here, Ferric. One last present for you.” This grenade was tear gas, and the raccoon started coughing as the cloud spewed out. The four ran for it, leaving the field of battle – and genetically altered marijuana – to the kids. Ranger and Strikira emerged from the portal a few moments later.
Techrat yelled, “They're trying to get away, Ranger! The downhill trail! Jock King and three of the Brats! ”
“Never mind them! Are you kids all right?”
“Ringo and I are fine. Ferric caught a couple grenades, but only the gas grenade bothered her.” The raccoon was wheezing and coughing, still trying to get her breath back, but nodded and waved her hand in the direction of the retreating Brats.
Strikira grinned in spite of the situation. “Ringo?”
Nandi blushed. “It was all I could think of. I'll come up with something better. How's Crimson?”
Ranger strode over to where the speedster was lying, and carefully snapped the zip-ties holding her wrists and ankles. “Looks like she took a spill at full speed. She'll be fine, but we should probably get her back to Medic Mouse.” She turned to glare at the kids. “What were you all -thinking-?”
Ferric sat up, still wheezing. “Thinkin'... we had to make sure...” She started coughing again.
Techrat took over. “We heard her yelp, and it was either us or letting the Brats capture her, Ranger. We did call you, but time was a bit short. If we hadn't delayed them...”
“And they did insist that I stay in back of them, since I don't have armor.” Nandi added. “We weren't being irresponsible.”
Strikira nodded. “They do 'ave a point, Ranger. 'Ate to think of poor Crimson in their paws. She's faster than any of those 'ooligans, but they'd be tryin' to make 'er do strength exercises.”
The bear nodded, torn between pride in the daughter she'd only recently learned about and worry for her safety. “All right. We'll let Dyno-Donkey sort it out, then. How are you doing, Ferric?”
“I'll be fine.” She coughed again. “Can't get... enough air up here... in the mountains. Let's go home.”
Techrat grinned inside his armored suit. “Colmaton is home now?”
Ferric looked puzzled, and then smiled. “Huh. Yeah. I think it is. Home is where you fit in.”
– This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. –
A Colmaton fanfic
The Colmaton Universe, Ranger, Nandi Moore, Lady Liberty, Psyche are intellectual properties of Train.
Crimson Cur is the intellectual property of CD.
Preceptor is a joint creation of Mojorover and Train.
Combat is the intellectual property of JRCarter.
Dyno-Donkey/Dunston Howe, Rosetta Howe, Bureau of Superheroes, Jacob Randle/Techrat, Atomic Ape are properties of Mojorover.
Slipstream is the property of GameGod210
War Wolf is the property of Vivavulpes
Strikira and the Gym Brats are the property of Wolfrider.
Rapier, Exit, Coriolis, and Ferric are my original characters.
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 153.4 kB
Listed in Folders
Surprised I didn't get to find this before, but better late than ever! A great introduction to how Ferric joined the Colmaton Branch of the BOS! Love the way you wrote her interactions with the many different characters she met, and glad she found young supers her age to relate with. Great work!
Comments