TG Race Week 3 Day 2
“In Too Deep”
Doc slowly gains consciousness to the sound of Tracey snoring lightly. Ah, between dreams, I see. He yawns and stretches as several body parts pop. He slides quietly out of the back and opens the road, errrrr, roof. A little steam from the warm water wafts up to him. He takes a few drinks out of the little river under the van and then splashes a little on his face to help himself wake up.
Remembering the lack of the water of the adventurers in the story he gathers several vials full of water and clasps them into the shelf.
He returns the main room and looks at his sleeping co-pilot. Well, if I’m going to get us father in this race, I’d better take her to the back. He remembers the time in the Egyptian desert that he hit a rock in the sand and woke her up. He gently scoops her up and starts carrying her to the back. “Noooo Tommeee, I’m okey. I cans till play wit jew. Done take me to maaa.” With effort he opens the door and gently sets her in there. She returns to her snoring. He takes her arm and places it on the speaker button and makes her comfortable.
He heads back to the driver’s seat and starts it up. For some reason, the engine sounds louder. He heads forward out from under the river. Her voice reaches him, “Hi, I’m Tracey. Was yore name?” A pause. “Hi, Moaneek. I likes yore clothes.” She pauses again. “You like mine too,” Doc smiles as she seems happy about this.
But his smile drops as he feels a breeze. He looks up. “What? Who took our roof? How did they get it off with that giant rocket on it?” He hits the gas and races after the perpetrator whoever that is.
It doesn’t take long to discover who. After 30 minutes and a two league drop, he spots the giant question mark vehicle that has their roof on its top. The parts rattle and the body shakes as it fights the fully deployed sail slowing it down. “How do I get our roof back? We are both moving and it is probably welded on or something,” he asks himself out loud. “That’s it! It’s OUR roof.”
He pushes the button but pauses before speaking not wanting to wake her up. “Tracey. Wake up.”
She yawns, “Yeah, Doc?”
“I need you to drive.”
“Right away.” She stumbles out of the back, eyes still trying to open. He slips out of the seat while she plops in. Please stay close to that vehicle. It has our roof.”
“Doc, that’s Ed. He helped us.”
But Doc doesn’t hear as he is in the back looking through the vials. “One of these. About time I get to use this. One of … Didn’t I have 3 vials of black stuff? Why is there only two now? And why is this empty one on the shelf?” He goes back to his train of thought, “One of the black ones. And a Pico just in case.”
He returns to the body of the van, jumps into the air, and sends out his wings. Quickly he flies up to the rouge part and lands. He opens a vial and sets down the black one. He opens the sun roof. Their sun roof. He drops in and dumps the vial on the driver. “This is my Neural Inhibitor. You won’t be moving much for about 30 minutes.”
Doc heads back up to the roof and fires both of the Electromagnet Suction Cup Guns at his own vehicle. He launches up into the air and Tracey slams on the brakes. Their roof rips off and knocks over the Incognito onto its side. The tinkle of glass can be heard. The magnets release and rewind. With effort they slide the roof into the van. “We’ll have to repair this later.” They fly up and over Ed’s ride and down another vertical shaft of a league and a half.
Then the reach a fork in the road. “Straight or turn?”
“Straight?”
“Turn?”
They look at each other and hold out their hands. “1. 2. 3.” He shows rock; she shows scissors.
“So, which way?”
“Let’s follow the stream. It hasn’t lead us wrong yet.”
“Ok.” They turn.
After a short distance they emerge onto a beach. They hover along it quite a distance from the exit until the come to a gigantic grove of mushrooms 30 to 40 feet tall with caps with the same diameter. They head into the complete darkness of their shadow.
With more lifting effort, reconnected wires, and some vials of Metal Bots the roof is as good as new. They lower the sail. “Doc, where are we at?”
“I don’t know. I only got to chapter 25.”
Tracey heads to the back, “I suppose it’s my turn to read it.”
Doc pushes the button to reply, “I suppose we’ll have to cross that giant sea or ocean soon.”
“I’ll let you know.”