Blood Bonds

Part 27 - The Sweet Escape

The white monkey's grin was almost as wide as the explosion was loud from where he sat behind his monitor, watching the dragon anomaly tear into the side of the school. G.U.N. militia had responded immediately, with choppers swarming over F.V.R.'s building and soldiers firing down at the beast. The dragon merely raised its wings and either swatted them away or sent mighty gusts of wind that knocked the helicopters right out of the air. It resumed clawing down the bricks and insulation, intent on breaking its way into the school.

Snow was delighted to see his plans already such a grand success, but he waited with the most anticipation for the fireworks show that was meant to happen. He wanted to see the school blow up just as badly as Juke did.

The monkey shivered as he felt a breath of warm air blow across his neck. He glanced over his shoulder and froze, looking up at the towering figure which stood over him. Zavok glared down at the monkey, silent and unmoving.

"Go back to your guard post! That's an order!" The scientist yelled, angry at himself for being startled, then gazed back at the screen with malicious pleasure. He jerked in surprise when he felt a beefy fist wrap around his entire torso and lift him in the air.

"Put me down! What are you-?"

Zavok squeezed the air out of him with a single clench of his hand. The monkey attempted to gasp for breath, but the crushing fingers allowed no room for his lungs to expand. Within a few minutes, the evil doctor stopped struggling, passed out. Zavok smirked and dropped the limp ape onto the floor, but the Zeti's long red tail shot out and caught him, allowing Zavok to carry the body while still having access to both hands. The burly alien casually walked out of the main control room and headed for the prisoner's hall. He occasionally swung his tail so that it concealed his prisoner from the eyes of guards stationed by doors behind him as he headed for his next target.

Nutmeg sat on the floor of her cell in a meditative pose across from Ray, who mirrored her position. The two glanced over when Zavok lightly tapped a clawed finger on the squirrels' door.

"They're carrying out their plan. Ready to go?" His voice was deep and restless as he peered between the cell's bars, a mixture of excitement and rapport showing on the Zeti's face.

"You betcha." The Head Mistress leapt to her feet and grabbed Ray's hand, pulling him up beside her. Zavok revealed the unconscious scientist, pulling the monkey's keycard from his pocket. The cell door opened with a chime, and the two squirrels escaped their cage.

"Don't forget me!" The raccoon across from them exclaimed.

The Zeti extricated her as well, and they briskly swept through the base, tightly packed together as a group. As according to plan, they met up with rest of the Zeti who stood inconspicuously around the elevator doors that led to the surface. Nutmeg's plan had been simple, quick, and easy; none of the dramatic flair to it that the Zeti preferred, but they executed it nonetheless, and were out of the base by the time a passing guard realized they were gone.

"On to F.V.R.," Nutmeg sighed as they nimbly crept out from the well-hidden base entrance, back on the surface. She gave Zavok a tired smile. "Well, thank you for helping us this far..."

"Why, Nutmeg, you make it sound as though we'll be parting ways," the leader of the Deadly Six let out an amused chuckle. He dropped Snow only for Zomom to carry the unconscious monkey instead.

The counselor looked up at him, wide-eyed, as they walked beneath the dancing shadows cast from the fluttering leaves of the trees overhead. Her hand remained tightly clasped in Ray's as the squirrels wondered the Zeti's intent. "...are we?"

"Oh, don't be so naïve. Juke's at your school, isn't he? And it looks like you and your counselors could use some help." He paused and crouched before them. "Climb onto my back. It'll be faster."

Nutmeg gave the younger squirrel a little boost as he hopped onto the hefty alien's broad shoulders. She joined him, and Zavok stood upright, his shoulders wide enough to carry both Mobians with ease, his black spikes providing handlebars to keep them steady. Zomom merely scooped up Consigliere haphazardly with his other arm, making her curse and struggle.

The leader of the Deadly Six glanced at the Head Mistress out of the corner of his eye, smirking. "If you feel your grip slipping, just hang on to my horns."

Then he took off through the woods, his brothers and sister following behind or alongside him. Nutmeg flashed a comforting smile at Ray, who clung to the Zeti's horn like his life depended on it. They came across a deep ravine, but the Zeti simply leapt over it like there was nothing to it. The pink squirrel let out an irrepressible, buoyant whoop of excitement as they soared over it and landed on the other side with a loud thump upon impact, and Master Zik tittered lightly as he sped ahead of his pupil.

"Enjoying the ride, are we?" He called over his shoulder, the long white wisps of his mustache swinging to the bob of his pace.

"Ugh, it was so drab in that cell!" She laughed, her fluffy pink tail twitching energetically. "This is much more fun than sitting around!"

"I d-don't think I would c-call this fun...!" Ray muttered in a strained voice, pale from his close encounter with death.

Nutmeg giggled sympathetically. "Just hang on tight, sunbeam!"

"Wait, you call him 'sunbeam,' and his name is Ray..." Zor cast a distasteful glance their way, flanking Zavok as the group wove between scattered trees. "Is that nickname supposed to be a pun?"

"Never mind that," Zeena scoffed, "we're almost there."

Even as she said it, they burst out of the woods and onto the dirt path that led to the isolated building. Nutmeg's violet eyes widened in horror at the sight of the massive dragon anomaly destroying her school. However, the pace of the Zeti never slowed in the slightest. They kept at their swift sprint, nearing the school by the second.

The Head Mistress' teeth were clenched as she glared up at the giant thing bombarding F.V.R.. "Mimic's going to regret ever joining N.I.T.E."