F/X 9 Chimes


     Radio Announcer: 9 o'clock in the evening, in the unclaimed jungle territory between Suburbia and Noir referred to as No Furs Land.


     Rick Edward's truck remains stuck in the thick growth of the jungle which seems ever reluctant to surrender it, as an expedition of workers from Suburbia work tirelessly to dig it out.


     Jasper Phillips and Leela Lennox had left the expedition to investigate a mysterious side road near the crash site. At the end of this road they had discovered an ancient castle from the time of the elder race, which was under reconstruction by none other than the notorious Blair Montgomery himself, who explained the castle was part of his arrangement with the ruling family of Halloween, which would allow him to marry Princess Kara.


     Jasper found Blair's interest in the princess to be suspiciously out of character, but he had no interest in antagonizing the heartless millionaire, nor straining whatever good will existed between them as childhood friends.


     On their way back to the expedition, Jasper and Leela discovered Blair's security system, made up of thousands of tiny bioengineered insects with camera-like eyes. And Leela expressed great concerned that such insects could irrevocably alter life on the planet Cygnus.


     It is now some time later. And all natural light has faded from the floor of the tightly woven jungle.


     Jasper and Leela have rejoined the expedition, which is now struggling to make do with what light it can generate through fire or electricity.


     Joy, the lioness in charge of the expedition, is busily engaged in trying to keep the entire operation running, becoming ever more frustrated as the resources brought along from Suburbia prove not only ineffective, but far below a comfortable measure of safety as well.


     At the moment Joy is out in the road, inspecting a makeshift power plant which is disorientingly noisy, due to the motors needed for the recharging of old automobile type batteries, long disused in Suburbian society since the advent of solar powered vehicles – none of which can function for long on the sun sheltered floor of No Furs Land.


     Joy watches with extreme misgivings as the batteries spark and smoke, while voltage meters flick and rock with the erratic strain of various electric tools demanding power.


     In the midst of this, Joy notices Jasper and Leela approaching, and she must shout every word to be heard over the motor noise. Listen . . .


     :F/X: Motor noise fades up under announcer's voice and continues under dialogue.

      

     "Well, it's about time you two got back," said Joy, impatiently, as she watched over a female malamute who was busy trying to coax a steady stream of high voltage from a motley collection of batteries, wires and other sundry components that were assembled in the back of a pick-up truck. "Did you find anything I should be concerned with?"


     Jasper and Leela looked at each other for a moment, as if considering whether what they'd found was worth distracting Joy from more immediate problems.


     "Nothing that we need to worry about right now," said Jasper, raising his voice above the noise as he watched the needles on the voltage meters dancing uncomfortably in and out of the red with severe misgivings. "We'll fill you in later."


     "Um, it's none of my business, of course," said Leela, uneasily, also having noticed the needles pressing into the red. "But is this rig safe?"


     "Well, Molly?" called Joy to the malamute over the noise. "Leela wants to know if your rig is safe."


     "Under normal circumstances, yes," the malamute called back, nervously adjusting wires and switches as she spoke, switching between batteries that were spent to batteries which had been recharged. "I've just never had to jury-rig an acid based battery system for such a large load on this short notice. And I've never had to do it with no solar back up at all."


     "Do you think you can keep this up all night?" asked Jasper, sounding doubtful.


     "Well, I gotta, don't I?" said Molly, anxiously, as she waved a signal to some other workers in the road who were helping with the recharging of batteries.


     Again Jasper and Leela looked at each other, as if both had serious doubts.


     "Is this the best power system Perry could supply?" asked Jasper, in obvious dismay.


     "Hey, listen," said Molly, gruffly. "If Perry was here this system would be running like clockwork, even if he had to patch it together with bubblegum. I've seen him do it. But I'm not Perry. I'm just the only other person available who understands this out dated technology. If I can't do it, it's not going to get done."


     "We'd better get out of the way and let Molly work," said Joy, knowing she had little expertise to contribute, her entire training as a mechanic having focused exclusively on solar powered vehicles.


     Joy hopped down to the road from the truck, with Jasper and Leela following as the power team scurried around them.


     Jasper and Leela followed as Joy walked purposefully towards the work site, the workers having already cleared their way pretty far back into the tunnel, which Jasper took note of as they entered - as well as the noise of the generator motors giving way to the intermittent noise of electric saws.


     "Looks like they're doing a good job," Leela remarked.


     "Yes," Joy agreed. "If we can keep the pace up, we should be ready to pull the truck out by morning."


     "But is it wise to keep this pace up?" asked Jasper, noticing how the lights up ahead dimmed significantly while the saws were running.


     "Jasper, I sacrificed wisdom when I took this job," said Joy, nervously, as they came upon the work area - which was so bright with flood lamps that it was painful to the eyes.


     There they saw dozens of furs working to clear and flatten a roadway for the truck, steadily moving forward, inch by painstaking inch. While other workers gathered up the cuttings and hauled them out to the main road to be loaded on large trucks, which when filled would carry the debris back to Suburbia for recycling.


     As soon as Joy came into view, a young gofer girl, about 8 years of age, came running up to her and said, "Miss Joy, my mom said to tell you we need more light."


     "More light?" said Leela, shielding her eyes. "Where would you put it?"


     "These lights go out when they run the big saw," said the little gofer girl. "Mom says it's not safe to cut logs in the dark."


     "Your mom's right," Jasper agreed. "Joy, I've got a bad feeling about this. Knock off the work till morning. The going will be a lot easier and a lot safer."


     "And risk having to spend 2 nights in No Furs Land?" said Joy, skeptically. "It's my understanding that the longer we stay here the greater the danger. I want to pull that truck out in the morning and get out of here."


     "Joy, we're not on the race course here," Jasper urged her. "Haste makes waste in an operation like this."


     "I have my orders from The Prince Of Suburbia himself," said Joy. "I won't slow down unless he tells me too."


     Jasper looked on as he saw two furs preparing a large electric saw to cut through a thick tree trunk lying across the path.


     The motor whirred loudly as the saw was activated, causing the flood lights to dim slightly.


     Then, with a loud screech that caused everyone with free hands to cover their ears, the saw bit into the wood.


     The sound of the saw straining for more energy to maintain its speed was obvious. And the more the saw strained, the dimmer the lights became, until the work site was all but in darkness.


     Only by the sound of the saw's relief could anyone tell when the saw had cut all the way through. And when the saw was shut off, the lights quickly reassumed their full brilliance.


     "Joy, don't stand there and tell me you think that's safe," said Jasper, urgently.


     "They're experts," Joy insisted. "They know what they're doing."


     "No one's an expert at running an electric saw in the dark!" Jasper exclaimed, incredulously. "At least have them take 5 while I call Perry and see how he feels about it."


     "Girl," said Joy to the young gofer. "Go tell your mom to give the cutting crew a 5 minute break."


     "Yes, ma'am," said the gofer, before running back to the workers.


     "I'm going to jog over to the camp where there's less noise," said Jasper, as he started walking briskly away. "This shouldn't take long."


     After Jasper was out of earshot, Joy looked crossly at Leela and asked, "Do you agree with Jasper?"


     Leela looked around thoughtfully for a moment. Then she shrugged and said, "You don't get very far in life without taking some risks. If mine was the only life to worry about, I'd work all night. But when you've got to be responsible for other lives, it isn't so easy."


     "That you're roundabout way of saying it's my problem?" asked Joy.


     "I don't need to tell you it's your problem," said Leela, seriously. "You know that very well."


     Then something seemed to occur to Leela, causing her to reconsider. And she added, "Or do you?"


     "What are you getting at?" asked Joy, defensively.


     "Whose brilliant idea was it to bring a child on this expedition?" asked Leela, with obvious disapproval.


     "Look, I had a hard enough time getting people to volunteer for this job," said Joy. "I wasn't going to turn down an essential worker just because she insisted on making her kid part of the crew."


     "You know," said Leela, forebodingly. "By all laws of probability, if anyone gets hurt in here, it's gonna be that kid. You could at least insist that she keep her distance from the saws."


     "And have to listen to a lecture from her mother about passing on the family trade?" said Joy, distastefully. "I don't have time to be telling parents how to raise their kids."


     "I hear kids are rare in Suburbia these days," Leela reminded Joy. "If one was to die out here, who do you suppose The Town Council would rake over the coals for it?"


     Joy put her hand to her head, as if the stress were beginning to get to her. Then, after a moment, she turned back to Leela and asked, "Lennox, are you after my job?"


     "Sister, I wouldn't trade jobs with you for nothin'," said Leela, coldly.


     "I wish I could figure Noirnians," said Joy. "I can't tell if you're on my side or not."


     "We don't have sides out here," said Leela. "This is a job. You're paid to do your part. I'm paid to do mine. Backing up your bad decisions wasn't part of my job description. Just try not to make too big a mess for me to clean up, okay?"

*****
      

     Meanwhile, back in Suburbia, a desperate and bedraggled looking Rick Edwards continued his so far fruitless search for a 4x4. All such vehicles seeming to have already been commandeered for the expedition. He had by now traipsed all over the town with no luck. The sun was now going down, and he was starting to feel defeated, as well as exhausted.


     Rick began to kick himself for a fool for having left the comfort of the hospital. He might as well be with Twee now, enjoying what to him would seem like a well-deserved vacation in the lap of luxury, for all the good he was doing Chico running his foot pads off like this.


     Then, just as he was about to give up and turn in the direction of Twee's house, he saw it – the object of his quest. In the driveway of a private residence, sitting up on jacks, was an old Camelodian style military jeep - a small but rugged vehicle that could run on just about any type of terrain.


     That is, assuming it had its wheels on, which it didn't. Four tires, obviously flattened from dry rot, lay on the ground around the jeep – the vehicle obviously having sat unattended in the same spot for years. While some distance away a young fox in dirty overalls sat with a forlorn expression, examining a set of brand new tires, and scratching his head, as if they presented him with some kind of unresolvable problem.


     "Howdy, friend," said Rick as he approached the fox.


     The fox looked over his shoulder and eyed Rick helplessly.


     "Hey there," said the fox, taking note of Rick's clothing, which suggested he might be a person who worked with automotives for a living.


     "Nice antique you have over there," said Rick, unsuccessfully trying to hide how pained and fatigued he felt from running around town all day.


     "It was my granddad's," said the fox. "I inherited it several years ago, but never had reason to mess with it till now."


     "You trying to get out to No Furs Land too?" asked Rick.


     "I'm a reporter," said the fox. "I'm supposed to be covering the expedition. But I overslept and all the 4x4's in town have been rented."


     "Tell me about it," said Rick, plopping down on the ground beside the reporter, as if he were too tired to stand any longer.


     "You're Rick Edwards, aren't you?" asked the fox, eying Rick curiously.


     "I was this morning," said Rick, as if to say he was too tired to be sure about anything at that point.


     The fox extended his hand and introduced himself. "Bixyl Shuftan, Suburbia-Linden Newser."


     "Pleased to meet you, Bix," said Rick, shaking the fox's hand. "But, uh, how come you're sitting here staring at these tires instead of putting them on?"


     "They sent me the wrong wheels," Bixyl shrugged. "Guess I just wasn't meant to cover this story."


     "They look like the right wheels to me," said Rick, noting they were the same size as the dry rotted tires.


     "Look again," said Bixyl, as if in complete defeat. "The old tires have 4 lug holes. These have five."


     "Soooooo," said Rick, as if finding it weird that even the most mechanically inept of individuals would be stumped by so small a problem. "Why don't you just switch the rims?"


     "What's a rim?" Bixyl shrugged, again seeming quite helpless when faced with matters of a mechanical nature.


     "You gotta be kidding me," said Rick, looking back at the old Jeep. It was the better part of a hundred years old. And aside from the rotting of its tires, it was in nearly immaculate condition. It had obviously been cared for by somebody who knew his stuff. Which meant Bixyl probably came from a mechanically inclined family. Could he possibly have been so disinterested as to not have picked up even the basics?


     "I'm sorry, Rick," said Bixyl, with a shamed expression. "I know how to drive cars. Not how to put them together. Changing a tire is about all I've ever done. I don't know what to do when the tires don't fit."


     "I'll make a deal with you, Bix," said Rick. "If I get this Jeep up and running for you, you'll give me a lift to the crash site?"


     "If you can do that I'll owe you big time," said Bixyl, all but begging. Though Rick sensed a modicum of insincerity in this begging.


     "I tell you what, Bix," said Rick. "You go in and get out of those dirty overalls. Get yourself all cleaned up and ready to go. By the time you get back, I'll have the wheels on the Jeep."


     "Seriously?" asked Bix, as if he could hardly believe his good fortune in encountering such an expert at a time when every mechanic was out of town.


     "Seriously," Rick assured him, waving Bixyl to be about his business.


     Happily, Bixyl jumped up and ran towards the house, disappearing inside, leaving Rick to concentrate on the project.


     The first thing he'd need would be tools. So he forced himself to get back up on his tired feet and made a dash for Bixyl's garage, which was standing wide open.


     Inside the garage, Rick saw what must surely have once been the playground of an auto hobbyist. Though most of it was covered with 10 to 20 years' worth of dust. Apparently Bixyl's grandfather had been gone a long time.


     Rick would have to ask Bixyl about his grandfather later. For now he needed to remember he was in a hurry. So he quickly gathered the tools he'd need and carried them out to the Jeep. Then he went back and strung a long extension cord out to the Jeep which would allow him to use an electric lug nut turner he'd found. This would save him a good bit of time.


     His own sense of urgency to rescue Chico propelling him along, Rick worked at record speed – such speed that anyone passing by would have thought his movements almost cartoonish in their defiance of physical adversity.


     Once he had the wheels on, he lowered the Jeep off the jacks. Then he hopped in the driver's seat and turned the key. But, as he'd anticipated, the motor would not turn over, no matter how much he pumped on the gas pedal.


     It was right about this time that Bixyl came out of his house, now dressed in his regular reporter's outfit, which consisted of a pair of tan pants, a gray trench coat, and a white hat with slots cut for his ears – making him appear quite attractive by Cygnesian standards – almost Noirnian in style. Only his gentle, polite and well-spoken nature betrayed that he was not Noirnian.


     In his hands he carried his essential equipment – a laptop computer, a camera and a writing tablet. These he stashed in the back of the Jeep while Rick flicked his fingers against the gas gage.


     "Don't tell me after all this it's not going to run," said Bixyl, in dismay.


     "He'll run," said Rick, seeming quite confident.


     "He?" Bixyl queried, in bemusement. "You see something underneath I didn't?"


     "His name's right here on the dashboard," said Rick, indicating the logo of the original manufacturer.


     "Willy, huh?" said Bix, with a slight chuckle. "Never would have noticed that."


     Rick got out and checked the gas tank. Observing it was full, he went around to the front and opened the hood. Where Bixyl watched with amazement at the speed with which Rick started pulling tools out of his pockets and removing parts of the motor Bixyl knew no names for.


     Then Rick went back to the gas tank and pushed a rag into it, allowing it to soak up a bit of the gasoline. Rick then carried the rag back to the engine and started dribbling gas from the rag on to the part he'd exposed.


     "Hop in and turn the key, Bix," Rick instructed, casually.


     Bixyl did so, but the motor still didn't turn over.


     "Pump the gas," Rick called over the noise of the failing ignition.


     Bixyl began pumping the gas pedal, while Rick dribbled a bit more gas into the carburetor. And suddenly the straining engine sparked into life with a loud roar, as if to announce with triumph, "I live again!"


     After a moment Rick drew a finger across his neck, signaling Bixyl to turn it off. And the motor abruptly fell silent again.


     Rick then hurriedly reassembled the parts he'd removed and slammed the hood, announcing, "We're in business."


     Bixyl hopped out and followed Rick as he went back into the garage to pick up some things they might need if they had trouble on the road. And, as Rick was filling a gas can from an antique pump in the back of the garage, Bixyl asked, "Do you think we should take the machine gun?"


     Rick looked up in surprise and saw Bixyl pulling an ancient machine gun apparatus off a shelf.


     "Machine guns are illegal in Suburbia," said Rick, seeming astonished that a mild mannered Suburbian like Bixyl would own such a thing.


     "It's part of the Jeep," Bixyl explained. "Granddad brought it with him from Camelot. You know how Camelodians are about historical accuracy."


     "Would you know how to use it if we needed it?" asked Rick, doubtfully.


     Bixyl looked at the gun with a helpless expression. Then he looked at Rick and asked, "Would you?"


     "I could figure it out," said Rick, confidently. "Might as well bring it. You never know what you'll need in No Furs Land."


     Together they loaded up the back of the Jeep with everything they could find which they thought might come in handy. And at last they were ready to go.


     "Better let me drive," said Rick, hopping into the driver's seat without waiting for an acknowledgement from Bixyl.


     "Suits me fine," said Bixyl, getting into the passenger seat. "It'll leave me free to take more pictures."


     Then, revealing his nervousness, Bixyl added, "Besides, I'm sure you know No Furs Land much better than I do."


     Rick eyed Bixyl suspiciously for a moment. Then he turned the key, and the ancient Jeep once again roared into life.


     The Jeep then lurched unceremoniously forward - it not having been designed for such luxuries as a smooth ride. And they sped out of the driveway, leaving Bixyl's yard littered with tools and junk tires. Neither had they bothered to close up the garage, since they figured they would not be gone more than a day if all went well. Or that they wouldn't care what anyone thought of the mess, should they end up not able to return at all.


     Once Rick had the Jeep out on the road and was headed out of town, he turned to Bixyl and said, "I kinda ruined your plan, didn't I?"


     "What do you mean?" asked Bixyl, feigning obliviousness.


     "You thought if you couldn't get the Jeep going, you'd have the perfect excuse for missing out on your assignment," Rick surmised.


     "Was it that obvious?" asked Bixyl, seeming somewhat ashamed.


     "Don't sweat it, Bix," said Rick, sympathetically. "No Furs Land's a dangerous place. No one would blame you for not wanting to risk your life."


     Bixyl swallowed hard and asked, "Is it really all that dangerous? Even with you along?"


     "I'll do what I can for you," said Rick. "But you know it's anything goes out there. It's not really the place to be if you don't know how to defend yourself."


     "My granddad would know what to do," said Bixyl, obviously feeling inadequate. "He was a big time operative for Camalot. Ran all kinds of operations in No Furs Land. But that wasn't the kind of life my folks wanted for me."


     "Whatever happened to your granddad?" asked Rick.


     "Something bad," said Bixyl. "About as bad as it can get."


     "Lost in the jungle?" asked Rick. "Eaten by mutants?"


     "Worse," said Bixyl. "Plane crash. Midair collision."


     "Damn, that's rare," said Rick, seeming genuinely astonished. "Not too many people fly plains, let alone fly them where they can crash into each other."


     "Long sad story," said Bixyl, with downcast eyes. "I'm really not supposed to talk about it."


     As the Jeep left Suburbia and entered the darkened tunnel of foliage that led into the jungle, Bixyl became even more nervous. And though Rick had his own worries to dwell on, he couldn't help being concerned for Bixyl, as well as all those others who were out in No Furs Land, risking their lives because of that one moment of arrogant foolishness when he had floored the gas pedal instead of flipping the auto-pilot switch. All because he hadn't wanted the two females to see his truck could drive itself better than he could.

     *****
            

     As soon as Jasper made it to a place in the camp site where the noise level was low enough that he thought he'd be able to use his cell phone, he took it out and dialed Perry's number. It rang about 3 times before Perry picked up.


     "Rhoades here," came Perry's voice from the phone. "I hope you've got good news for me, Jasper."


     "Perry, what the hell were you thinking?" asked Jasper, reprovingly.


     "Oh, dear," said Perry, forbodingly. "I guess you don't have good news for me."


     "Perry, you need a power plant for an operation like this," said Jasper. "That erector set of Molly's isn't busting a grape."


     "Well, if you have an extension cord long enough to reach Suburbia . . .," said Perry, jokingly.


     "This isn't funny, you know," said Jasper, his worry obvious in his voice.


     "Jasper, I send experts out to do their jobs," said Perry, helplessly. "I have to depend on them to know what they're doing."


     "Well, take my word for it," said Jasper, anxiously. "Nobody out here knows what they're doing. And at the pace Joy is pushing this, there are going to be accidents."


     "Are you suggesting I recall the expedition?" asked Perry, sounding as if he would seriously consider it on Jasper's advice.


     "No, just tell Joy to wait till morning when we won't need so much electricity," said Jasper.


     "Jasper," said Perry, in as serious a voice as he ever used. "By tomorrow that truck will have been abandoned in No Furs Land for 2 days. In 2 days that area can be reached by someone coming from any town on the continent. The Camelodians being there is already bad news. If you're not out of there by the time somebody else shows up, you could all be caught in a crossfire."


     "If you're that worried about a crossfire," said Jasper. "Then maybe you should have the sense to call us back."


     "That would be a pitiful waste, wouldn't it?" asked Perry, reluctantly.


     "Perry," said Jasper, gravely. "Jan Olstead brought her daughter along."


     Perry was silent for a moment, as if taken by surprise. Then he said, "Oh my Goddess. If anything happens to that child. . . Suburbia is going to be one unhappy town."


     "Why do you suppose Jan felt confident enough to bring her daughter on this job?" asked Jasper. "You got a clue? No? Well, I'll tell you why. Because she didn't believe you'd send her anywhere that her safety wasn't covered."


     "Is the power situation really that bad?" asked Perry, now evincing some serious concern.


     "Hang on a second," said Jasper, as he quickly jogged back out to the road and snapped several pictures of the power rig, which he transmitted to Perry's fax printer. Then he ran back to get out of the noise.


     "You got the pictures?" asked Jasper.


     "Yeah, I'm looking at them now," said Perry. "What the heck? That's not the way I taught her to do it."


     "Does it look like strings and bubblegum to you too?" asked Jasper.


     "Yes," Perry admitted. "But you can do a lot with strings and bubblegum. And you can also do a lot with a good hack saw. Tell Joy to use the power for lights only. Have the workers do the rest of the cutting manually."


     "They're not going to like that," said Jasper. "And it's not going to save us any time. Cutting manually we're looking at being here at least 3 days. Then what do we do if we don't have enough power to pull the truck out?"


     "You know something, Jasper," said Perry, in a downcast tone. "Sometimes your skepticism can be infectious. I should have come along myself."


     "Yeah, that's all we'd need," said Jasper. "To have The Prince Of Suburbia out here and vulnerable as well."


     "I'm up for sharing any risks I would send my people out on," said Perry. "Or is there something else on your mind I should be worried about?"


     "Perry, what would you say if I told you an associate of Blair Montgomery caused this accident?" asked Jasper.


     "You have proof of this?" asked Perry.


     "Blair himself told me," said Jasper.


     "Blair is there?" asked Perry, in disbelief.


     "Blair lives here," said Jasper. "He's restoring some old castle about 3 miles behind the crash site."


     "Hang on a second," said Perry, as he turned to a computer and punched up the history of the area.


     Then he returned to the phone and said, "Jasper, my confidence is shot. The situation is not at all what I thought it was. Tell joy to pack up the whole operation and get back here as fast as possible."


     "Something about that castle freak you out?" asked Jasper.


     "Everything Blair does these days freaks me out," said Perry.


     "You think he was expecting you to come on the expedition?" asked Jasper. "It would have been a great chance to knock you off."


     "Please, let's not take our suspicions that far," said Perry. "But if this wasn't an accident, the odds of some kind of attack on the expedition have just quadrupled. Get everybody back in Suburbia by daylight."


     Just then, Jasper heard the screeching of the saws resume.


     "Crap!" said Jasper.


     "What?" asked Perry, anxiously.


     "Joy didn't wait for me," said Jasper. "When she says 5 minutes she doesn't mean 10."


     Jasper closed his phone and started running back towards the road.


     


     Meanwhile, Leela stood staring at Joy with a sour expression. While Joy did her best to ignore it.


     This became progressively easier as the lights dimmed from multiple chain saws attempting to strip and section fallen tree trunks in near total darkness - the workers having only their memories of what was visible a moment before to guide their blades.


     Then, suddenly, Jan, the senior cutter, an over-weight middle aged gofer, backed her foot into something sticking out of the ground. She lost her balance and felt herself falling backwards. Her live chain saw falling with her.


     Fearful of being cut in half, Jan instinctively tossed the saw away from herself as she fell. And having no way of seeing where she was tossing it, she did not see that the live chain saw landed only scant inches away from her daughter.


     Seemingly in defiance of Leela's laws of probability, the saw had spared the young gofer - it having another victim in mind - the power cable at the young gofer's feet, which it quickly cut through, sending a shower of sparks into the air, as all the saws were simultaneously silenced, and the floodlights exploded - sending a shower of glass and sparks down on the workers.


     The severed cable then flopped about, sparking wildly, as the young gofer tried fruitlessly to get out of its way. Then the wire seemed to rise off the ground like a snake, transfixing the little girl with the light of its two hot wires, appearing as two deadly, glowing eyes in the sudden darkness, ready to strike her down.


     But then Leela sprang forward, leaping onto the end of the wire, as if to pin the head of a snake. Then she snatched the little girl up into her arms and leapt away - carrying her to safety with another precise leap.


     


     Jasper was just running past the power truck when he heard the commotion from the work sight. He would have continued running in that direction, had the smell of frying electronics not caught his nose.


     Without a moment's hesitation, Jasper leapt up onto the pickup truck, where Molly stared at him in surprise for an instant. Then Jasper bounded forward, as if to attack the dumbfounded technician - grabbing hold of her and pulling her with him as he flew over the other side of the truck into the brush on the far side of the road, just as the feedback from a short circuit in the cut cable caused the make-ship generator to explode, sending a shower of fire and acid into the nearby growth.


     In the light of the now flaming foliage cover, Molly looked up at Jasper, completely stunned.


     "You alright?" asked Jasper.


     "Jasper," said Molly, wonderingly. "You . . . You saved my life."


     "Thank me later," said Jasper, as he quickly righted himself and dashed back to the tunnel. Which now, unlike the fire lit road, was completely dark. But this was no more than a slight inconvenience to Jasper, as his feline eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.


     The first thing he saw as he arrived at the darkened work site was Leela kneeling with the little gofer girl still in her arms.


     "Hey," said Jasper, kneeling down with them. "You okay, kid?"


     "I'm okay, Mr. Phillips," said the little girl, in a love struck tone. "Miss Leela saved me. She's just awesome, isn't she?"


     "Yeah, I guess she is pretty awesome," said Jasper, forcing himself to seem cheerful and unconcerned for the child's benefit. "The Town Council will probably give her a medal for saving you."


     Jasper touched the little girl's nose in a big brotherly gesture. Then Jasper stood up and asked, loudly, "Anybody hurt in here?"


     "Nothing more serious than glass cuts," said Joy.


     "Good," said Jasper. "'Cause we need to get out of here. The jungle's on fire."


     "How bad is it?" asked Joy.


     "Wasn't too bad when I came in," said Jasper. "If we go now, we might just make it back to Suburbia."


     "Come on, people, let's go," Joy called. "Make for the road, and tread lightly on that broken glass."


     As they all began moving towards the road, light from the fire flickered in and illuminated their way, making the previously cool night uncomfortably warm.


     On the road they found the Camelodians and several others attempting to put the fire out with hand held fire extinguishers.


     "Hold up, guys," Jasper called to them. "You can't put out a jungle fire with those."


     "What can we use then?" asked the Camelodian commander?


     "There's nothing anyone can do," said Jasper, loud enough that all could hear him. "The fire is burning upwards, far beyond our reach. Nothing short of a torrential rain storm will put it out. Anyone who stays here is going to get cooked."


     "What about the truck?" asked the Camelodian commander.


     "It's lost," said Jasper, with hopeless resignation. "There's no way to save it from the fire. Please, just collect your soldiers and go home while you still can."


     Joy began trying to organize an orderly evacuation, but panic soon spread as workers struggled to pack their equipment in their vehicles and get away.


     Before long, fire was raining down all about the road. A few vehicles had gotten away, but Jasper now feared there was serious danger of the remaining vehicles exploding.


     "Joy," Jasper called to her. "We need to get everyone away from the vehicles."


     "Are you crazy?" Joy called back to him. "How else are we gonna get outta here?"


     "We'll have to hike it," Jasper shouted.


     "Hike where?" Joy demanded. "We're too far out to hike to any town."


     "Jasper!" Leela called to him. "The side road! Montgomery's castle will be safe from the fire!"


     "She's right!" Jasper called to Joy. "Lead everyone up to the side road!"


     "I hope you know what you're talking about!" shouted Joy, as she began trying to urge the remaining workers to abandon their vehicles and get up the road.


     Soon most everyone was moving away from the fire towards safety. Everyone but Jasper, who made one more check of the area to be sure everyone had gotten out.


     His fur was getting badly singed from the raining flames, but this caused him little concern. Singed fur and minor burns were easily repaired. He'd be good as new in time for his next TV appearance, he was sure.


     But Leela had no such confidence as she called back to him, "Jasper! Get a move on before the vehicles explode!"


     Though Jasper didn't share Leela's alarm, he didn't feel like answering questions about why he felt so free to be careless with his life. So he ran to catch up with Leela at the rear of the line of furs moving up the road.


     Joy was at the lead, guiding the fleeing workers to the entrance to the side road. And when they came to the camp site, many of the workers were inclined to go in and collect their possessions. Joy advised against this, but many would not be stopped. So Jasper and Leela also went in to make sure no one lingered any longer than necessary, or tried to take anything that was too heavy to be carried long distances.


     While they were there, Jasper saw the Camelodian soldiers trying to tear down their machine guns.


     Jasper ran up to them shouting, "Are you guys nuts?"


     "Do not interfere," said the commander. "We are responsible for this equipment. It is our duty to rescue it."


     "Isn't saving your own lives more important?" asked Jasper, urgently.


     The solders looked at each other a moment, and then solemnly shook their heads.


     "We are trained to always put duty before our lives," said the commander.


     "Leave them be, Jasper," said Leela, coming up behind him. "They aren't our responsibility. And we have no time to waste."


     "But . . ." Jasper started to protest.


     "No, she's right," said the commander, cutting him off. "You have your duty to do as well. Don't let us distract you from it."


     As if to punctuate the soldiers words, an explosion was heard from down the road, followed by several others as the vehicles began to explode. This increased the intensity and range of the fire, so that it was now only moments away from engulfing the campsite.


     Leela grabbed Jasper by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away. Then they hurriedly shooed the rest of the workers out of the camp to rejoin the main group.


     Once everyone was together and moving again, venturing deeper into the darkness of No Furs Land, their way lit only by those few who had managed to find flashlights to bring along, Leela noted vibrations of misgiving coming from Jasper that were different from those of the other workers.


     "You're not still worrying about those soldiers, are you?" she asked.


     "It's my job to worry about them," said Jasper.


     "You weren't hired to look out for them," said Leela, sternly. "They're big girls. They can look out for themselves."


     "I know. That's what I'm worried about," said Jasper, gravely. "If they'd come along with us and left those guns, I'd feel a lot more secure. Now I feel like we'll be lucky if they do burn up. Because if they don't, and we see them again, it may be the last thing anyone here ever sees."


     Before Leela could comment on what Jasper had said, a ringing was heard from Jaspers arm band, and he opened his cell phone.


     "Phillips here," said Jasper.


     "You still alive?" said Perry.


     "No thanks to you," said Jasper, coldly.


     "I have reports of a major fire in No Furs Land," said Perry, attempting not to sound anxious. "What's your status?"


     "Nobody's dead yet, if that's what you want to know," said Jasper, coldly. "We've got everyone on the road to Montgomery's castle. All vehicles and equipment destroyed. What can you do for us?"


     "At this point, nothing," said Perry, with grave seriousness. "If you can find safety at Blair's excavation I can ask Camelot to airlift you out. That is, as soon as I have confirmation from Blair that no aircraft trying to enter the area will be shot down."


     "What if he won't allow it?" asked Jasper.


     Perry hesitated a moment before responding, as if dreading to face such a scenario. Then he said. "I'm afraid the fate of the expedition now rests with Blair. He might do something heroic, like transport you all to Halloween where you'd be able to catch the train and come home. Or, he might destroy you all just to protect his secrets. There's no law in No Furs Land to prevent him from doing that."


     "Oh, great," said Jasper, unhappily. "Throwing ourselves on the mercy of the heartless one."


     "Have faith, Jasper," said Perry.


     "Faith in what?" Jasper demanded.


     "Faith that our old friend is still alive, somewhere in the depths of that . . . petrified soul."