Xander then heads toward where he heard the kid. When he is a row before him, he stops, and then jumps, facing the row, to scare the kid. "Ah hah!!" he shouts, but when he looks at the row, he sees a small freckle-faced boy, who looks nothing like the kid who annoyed him. He then sees his mom with a raised pocketbook. For this reason, Xander takes off running, and goes into a latrine and locks the door, after being in hot pursuit by the child's mother. "You can't stay in there forever!!!" the child's mom says, as she crosses her hands and stands near the door. Meanwhile, inside, Xander is catching his breath, thinking of some way to get out without being hit. Meanwhile, back at the Rovers row, Hunter and Julia are signing autographs. "Isn't this the life?" Hunter asks. "Yes," Julia admits, "Inspiring young ones to protect the world, not destroy it. Having fans fawn all over you. It rules!!" "Wherever Xander is," Hunter says, "There is no way he is having more fun than us." Hunter said that pretty loud, and Xander was able to hear him, since it isn't that far from where he is to the row. He then sarcastically laughs and says, "You got that right Hunter," as the lady screams another threat to him. Back at the row again, a kid asks Hunter, "Sir, can you direct me to the bathroom?" "Fame, fans, and little stuff you have to do for people," Hunter says, "That should be the Road Rover motto!! Ok, I'll direct you to the bathroom." Hunter then leads the kid to the back of the plane, where he hears whining in one of the bathrooms that has a familiar voice. "Xander?" Hunter asks. "Is that his name?" the pocket book lady asks, "Well, that dog threatened my son." Hunter appears shocked, and then says, "There has to be some explination to this." "He has a lot to explain," the lady says. The kid is oblivious to this. Hunter then tells Xander, "Everything is cool, pal. You can come out now." Xander then opens the door, looks at Hunter, the lady, and then the kid that asked Hunter to direct him to the bathroom. THE KID!! The kid then takes off running. "I still have a pain in the back of my head because of you!" Xander says. But suddenly, a lot of moms start whacking Xander with their pocketbooks. "You child bedeviler!!" "Don't you have any children to care for?" and "You must pay!!" are among the shouts. Once they are satisfied, they leave and leave Xander with a number of sores. Quietly, he returns to his seat, closes his eyes, and tells Julia, "Tell me when we get to Denver and don't let a mother or a little boy get within 100 feet of me." "Ok..." Julia says, rolling her eyes. We then see Julia waking up Xander over a city. "Xander!" she shouts. "Who? What? Where?" Xander asks. "We're here, " Julia answers. "Cool," Xander says, "What abot the deal? Did any kids or moms come by here?" "That kid started teasing you but gave up, that mom threatened you, and that other kid tried to take your cap but I stopped him," Julia replies. "Geez, where are their nametags?" Xander asks, as they feel a bump against the side of the plane. "What's that?" Hunter asks. "Dunno," Julia replies as some people begin to panic. The captain then comes over the intercom and says, "There is no need to panic. We have just lost one of our wings and we have flown past our destination and we are unable to turn around because of our lost wing. Once again, this is no reason to panic." We then see mass chaos in the back of the plane as people scream and try to get out of the plane. "This makes me glad that I haven't seen Titanic yet!" Hunter screams over the chaos. "Too bad that I have!!" Julia says. We then see the plane crash into a valley betweeen some mountains. A stewardess then says, "Please exit the plane in a orderly..." Suddenly, everyone but the Rovers speeds out of the plane and runs off into the distance. The Rovers then exit slowly, as Hunter says, "I think everyone but me on this plane has seen Titanic." "I would agree," Xander replies, "They were freakin'!" "You got that right!" Julia says. "Well, I guess we should start walking for Denver," Hunter says, "Who knows what those broncos are doing there." "Denver Broncos?" Xander asks. "No, broncos," Hunter replies. Suddenly, the three hear a rumble from the mountains behind them. As they turn around, the noise stops. They then continue walking, and Julia asks, "How long will it takes us to get to Denver?" "Ummmmmmm....about a day," Hunter answers. "Fun," Julia replies. They then hear the rumble again. As they turn around, it stops again. "What is that?" Hunter asks, walking towards the mountain. He then sees a...a...a...AVALANCHE!!! "AVALANCHE!!!!!!" he screams, as a gigantic snow ball continues to come down the mountain as the Rovers run from it. As the snow ball gets closer, Hunter spots a small cliff and jumps at it. He then climbs up to the top. "Julia!! Xander!!" Hunter calls to the other two who are far behind due to Hunter's speed. Xander reaches it first, and Hunter helps him up. As Julia approaches the cliff, the snow ball is within 5 feet of her. Hunter then jumps off the cliff, speeds to Julia, grabs her, and takes off running with her in his hands. "What about me?" Xander asks, as Hunter leaves him behind. The cliff is higher than the snow ball, so Xander isn't creamed by it, but behind it he sees four charging horses. Not only are they horses, but, wild horses. Or, BRONCOS!!! "So we don't have to go to Denver after all," Xander says, "What a twist of luck!!" But then he notices that there are 4 of them and only 1 of him, and all 4 of them are charging right at him. "I might need a little help," Xander says, pulling out his plunger gun. He then shoots, and hits one of the broncos in the back. This angers the bronco, and he begins madly charging at Xander. With nothing else to do, Xander does all he can do, SCREAM!! "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" Xander screams, as the bronco nears. His scream catches the ears of Hunter and Julia, as Hunter quickly stops and sets Julia down. "I'm going in," Hunter tells Julia. "In what?" Julia asks. "The snowball," Hunter replies. "Oh," Julia replies, as we begin to hear heroic music playing, but it stops abruptly when Julia says, "Maybe you should put on another layer of clothing. It could be freezing cold in those things." "Thanks for the encouragement," Hunter says, shaking his head. "That's my job," Julia says, as Hunter takes off running. We then see him reach the large snowball and see him bust right through it with speed even faster than his normal super speed. The snowball then crumbles into a pile of snow, as harmful as a newborn cat. Meanwhile, as the bronco nears Xander, Hunter quickly knocks him out of the way, sending him flying, and avoids the bronco too because of his speed. He then slows down right next to Xander. "Thanks for saving my life, Hunter," Xander says. "Ah, it's all in a day's work," Hunter replies, helping him to his feet, "Now for these troublemakers," he says, pointing to the broncos. Hunter then pulls out his tennis ball gun and fires one near the broncos, but doesn't hit them remembering that they are not really broncos, but harmless animals turned into vicious killers by Parvo. The ball lands in the snow, blows up, and causes the snow to go flying. The broncos are startled for just enough time for Hunter and Xander to jump on two of their backs, and begin riding them like people at a rodeo!! As western music starts playing, Hunter says, "Ye hah!!" and Xander says, "Hop a long, little doggie." Meanwhile, the two broncos don't know what to do, so they decide to go after Hunter and Xander. But that fails, because it only causes them to be kicked and knocked around by the bucking bronco with the Rovers on them, and sends them to the snow. Suddenly though, the Rovers go flying simultaneously off the broncos' backs, face first into the snow. But right when the broncos are about to attack the Rovers, here comes Julia!! "I'm not only the creator of the hair gun for broncos, but I also am a Road Rover!" she exclaims, as she fires her hair gun at the two broncos. Their fur immediatley grows over their eyes, and unable to see, they clumsily fall to the ground. Julia then sets her gun down, and says, mimicking Hunter, "All in a day's work." "Julia, what would we do without YOU?" Hunter asks. "Nothing," Julia replies, as the Rovers don't understand what she means, but she adds, "You'd be dead right now." Hunter and Xander then nod in agreement. Now, I know what you're asking, where was Muzzle all this time? Well, he secretly went off investigating the area, and comes back bouncing happily with Greta by his side. "Greta?" Hunter asks, remembering her as Muzzle's old girlfriend from "Still A Few Bugs in the System." "So that means..." Hunter says, as Muzzle nods his head, and motions for them to follow. "Let's go!" Hunter says, as the three follow Muzzle and Greta up the mountain. We then see them outside the door, and Greta knocks on it. A mechanical voice then asks, "Please identify yourself." Greta then mutters a series of barks. "Identification accepted. Greta, you are cleared to enter." The other four then follow her inside, and look over a balcony at a headquarters Parvo and the Groomer have developed in a mountain. "What's going on...?" Xander begins to ask, but Hunter shushes him, and says, "Listen." We then overhear Parvo and the Groomer talking. "Miami, Chicago, Charlotte, Denver, all lost because of those party-crashing Rovers!!" "And what's worse," the Groomer says, "We're out of animals to turn into our army." "What a day," Parvo says, shaking his head. He then starts coughing crazily, and asks for a "Lozenge!!" "Ay ay, sir," the Groomer says, as she gives Parvo a cherry one. "Mmm...cherry, my favorite," Parvo says. Meanwhile, the Rovers have snuck downstairs, and are hiding behind a corner, far from Parvo, but near a machine that looks a lot like the transdogmafier but different in ways. They all know immediatley what it is. "So that's the machine," Hunter says, studying it, "Now we need a plan." The Rovers then confer, and come up with one. "Here goes," Julia says, as Greta runs to her master. "Good girl Greta," Parvo says, "What have you been up to all day?" Greta then leads him away from the room, and since it is her dinner time, she is about to be fed. "Okay, go!!" Hunter says, as Greta and Parvo are out of sight, and the Groomer as well, who followed them. Xander then sneaks over to the control panels, and turns off the power on the machine. Meanwhile, Hunter un-muzzles Muzzle. "If you see them coming..." Hunter says. Muzzle then nods his head, showing that he knows what to do. They then hear Parvo and the Groomer talking, and everyone freezes. "You know, I could go for a nice walk. Sun's about to set, and everything is pretty nice this time of day, and Greta seems up for one," the Groomer says. "Allright," Parvo says, as the three exit the building and Parvo bolts the building shut. "Phew...I thought we were in deep doggie doo doo for a second," Xander says, "But now that they are gone..." "Remember, they may not be gone that long," Hunter replies, "So let's get going!!" We then see Xander, Julia, and Hunter at the speciesmafier, while Muzzle sits near the door, keeping guard.
1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES LATER:
We then see Parvo's headquarters still in control by the Road Rovers, except for a visible difference from when we left off. The speciesmafier isn't there!! We then see Hunter, Julia, and Xander using all the strength they can to carry it up to General Parvo's plane, which they plan to fly back to headquarters in, after making some brief stops in Miami, Chicago, Charlotte, and a few miles back that is. Lucky for them, the keys had been near the speciesmafier and Julia had found them 1 hour earlier, allowing the Rovers to come up with their get-away plan. They then reach is gigantic plane that is in the shape of a bulldog, and they open the front door to the plane. They then unlock the rest of the doors. Julia then hops to the back where she opens the trunk, and the two guys then slide the speciesmafier in. Suddenly, we hear a scamper up the steps, and Muzzle runs to Hunter. "They're back!!" Hunter shouts, as the Rovers quickly get into the plane and get set for take-off. Meanwhile, we hear footsteps running up the stairs. "Hurry!! Hurry!!" Hunter screams, as he jumps in the front with Julia next to him, and with Muzzle and Xander right behind them. They then take off, right as the Groomer and Parvo enter the room. The plane then busts through the roof, giving the Groomer and Parvo nothing to shoot at but fallen debris. "I can't believe this!!" Parvo says, "They got away!! But what were they doing here?" "I dunno sir," Groomer says, "We should check our important things. Like..." "The speciesmafier!!" they both say at once. They then run downstairs, and see that it is gone. "It's gone!!" Parvo says, "How could I have been so dense as to leave it for them to come and get it? How?" "Don't worry sir," the Groomer says, "You stole it once. You can steal it again!" "Good point," Parvo says, "Good point."
THE NEXT EVENING:
RRHQ
We then see the Road Rover meeting room, where we see Julia, Hunter, Xander, Muzzle........and Exile, Spirit, Buddy, and Shag. "Welcome home Rovers!!" the Master greets, "And welcome back to yourselves, you four," he says, pointing to Exile, Spirit, Buddy, and Shag. "Thanks Master," Spirit replies, "Being a rover is way better than being a panther." "Or a dolphin," Buddy says. "Or a bronco," Exile says. "Ror ra raer," Shag says. "Well Shag as a bear isn't too hard to imagine," Julia says, "Their both real furry and real cute." Shag blushes and says "Aw, shucks," in dog language. "Well, you all need a good night's rest, so, good night Rovers!!" the Master says. "Nightey night, Master!!" the Rovers say, as they head back to their respective rooms.
4 MONTHS LATER:
"Good morning Rovers!!" the Master greets at the Road Rover cafeteria. "Morning Master!!" the Rovers say. "Let me inform you on what has been going on lately:
As you all know, none of us has seen General Parvo for 4 months now. From a secret source, we have recieved information over the Internet that Glenn has kidnapped General Parvo and the Groomer and has taken over their rule. But, of course, the only beigns that know our online names are us. So this could be a trick by some one who has broken into our secret world. Or else it is true, but I think most scenarios point to it being a false lead."
"Anything we could, or should, do?" Hunter asks. "Not at the moment, no," the Master says, "But after what you all told me about Glenn dressing you in monkey suits and taking Rango, I wouldn't trust him for a second." "A millisecond," Spirit says, as Muzzle growls. "Just keeping you informed," the Master says, as he sits down to eat some breakfast himself. Shag brings him some eggs, bacon, and a glass of water. "What kind of water is this Shag?" the Master asks. Shag then replies in his doggy language, and Hunter interprets, "100% naturaly fresh and 0% toilet water." "Good," the Master says, as he eats his breakfast.
THAT NIGHT:
1:30 A.M.
We then see that we are in the Master's room, and we see Muzzle sleeping silently by the Master's bed and the Master fast asleep in his. We then see the door creak open, and Glenn, General Parvo, and the Groomer peeking in to the room. "Good, he's asleep," Glenn says, as he shuts the door, "I was worried about that dog." "So, if we help you get the speciesmafier, you'll let us go?" Parvo asks. "Gladly," Glenn replies, "That's all I want." Little do they know that the Master is tracking them from behind, listening to their conversation, waiting to catch them off guard. He then follows them as they reach the door that reads "No Admittace Unless Requirement From The Master." Just like Hunter did, they ignore it and break right throught it. And, once again, the speciesmafier sits there. "Finally, it's back in the right hands!!" the Groomer says, embracing the machine. Then, suddenly, the Master flies at the Groomer and knocks her into the machine. He had snuck up from behind, and ran past Parvo to send her in to it. But his forward motion sent him into it as well. The machine then lights up, and we see a cloud form over the machine, and then it quietly and quickly goes away. We then see a tabby cat come out, chasing a whining sheepdog who is running away from the cat, that, at first glance even, looks ferocious. They then run out the door. Parvo doesn't care about what happened though, and starts to take back the speciesmafier with Glenn's help.
THE NEXT MORNING:
"Has anyone seen the Master?" Hunter asks. "No Huntie," Spirit says, "We can't find him anywhere. And it's noon." "He's probally off on some important trip that he forgot to tell us about," Hunter replies, "He'll be back in half-an-hour. You'll see." Then, Exile comes running to the two with a piece of paper he has found. "You won't believe this comerades," Exile says, breathing hard from running, "But...read." So, Hunter starts:
Rovers:
When I first became your Master, I knew that there was going to be a desperate time like we are in now. It had to happen sometime, I knew. And that time has come. With Jeff, Colleen, Mars, Rango, Star, and Blitz all left helpless in the north and with this whole speciesmafier deal, times are more desperate than they've ever been. So I am leaving the world in your paws, completely. I feel that the time has come for you Road Rovers to show me that you can lead yourselves through this humongeous obstacle without any outisde help. Do not worry about me. I will be fine and will return when this whole thing is resolved. It gives me great pain to leave this place that has been my home for 2 1/2 years, but I must. I am leaving all leadship duties in the hands of Hunter. Hunter, I am counting on you to track down bad guys and to arrange missions for your fellow Rovers and yourself. I know it is a big responsibility, but I know you will handle it the way you handle everything, with respect and you'll have a little fun on the way. Enclosed is a map that reveals everything about Headquarters to you Rovers. You've only seen about 1/4 of it, since you haven't seen the place where I find out from our colleages around the world the problems going on or many other things. These are your's to discover. And, one last detail, the speciesmafier is gone. Glenn and General Parvo kidnapped it tonight. I know that you can recover it, and when you do I have a promise I need to keep to an old friend. Once a Rover, Always a Rover!
Sincerely,
The Master
(Note: This was written before Glenn and General Parvo took the speciesmafier. It was all in the Master's plan though.)
We then see tears running down all the Rovers eyes. "Wow," Hunter moaps, "There's nothing...much you can say...after this." "It's in our hands now," Julia says, as the Rovers give an "Aaaaaroooo," to the Master, who knew when it was time to leave the world in his Rovers hands.
TO BE CONTINUED...
The RR Mega Series will now go on a hiadeus. The series will re-start with the 1st part of "To the Power of the Pack..." The story is scheduled to take place in mid-June. Enjoy the next three episodes, as the Road Rovers go through life without a Master.
-Finished March 24, 1998