The LAB

Chapter 17

The sun beat down on the newly free beasts, a few of them staying within the view of the cave but exploring different things. Dan was the most experienced in the ways of the world outside those testing walls, and became teacher to the group on what was what. The large jet walked gracefully through the trees, head lowered and tail almost dragging along the ground. It wasn't his idea of freedom, but it was something he knew he could teach them about. Cougar was enjoying climbing and leaping through the trees, and laughing when Jaslo failed to copy him. Cunner drove by Dan's feet, absorbing everything like a sponge. Larry was a bit behind the group, learning everything in a much different way, and finding out some rather strange things about himself along the way. Dan just had to make sure his head was down enough for Cougar's leaps through the trees, so he didn't get a face full of angry Hummer.

"Dan, do you think this is the only place we'll stop at?" Larry questioned, bring the group to a halt near the lake.

"What do you mean?" Dan responded, craning his long neck back to look at the blind Mustang.

"This world you remember, these vehicles you spoke of, do you think we could ever live among them in peace?" Larry asked, dragging his tire in the sand to get a better feel of his surroundings.

"I.. am honestly unsure," Dan started, looking back at the three others sitting in the shallow water. "We're all so different, I don't think any of us could make it within the city." The jet lightly unfolded his massive wings to sit in the sand, being joined by all the smaller vehicles. His eyes scanned over each of them and gave a heavy sigh. His eyes spoke more than his voice did.

"What do you mean, different?" Cougar asked finally, standing rather tall and with a fanged frown. Cunner and Jaslo both nodded, looking up to the jet. Dan could only sigh, he wished he didn't have to think on this.

"You all have fangs, unusual eyes, fur, claws... hell even unusual colors!" Dan spewed in annoyance, his back arching slightly as his tail flicked out. "I don't even look like a plane anymore! My wings fold in places they shouldn't, my landing gear has claws, and metal shouldn't bend this easily!" he continued, jumping up onto his wheeled feet and curling his tail under himself, along with his head. The jet stood back up and roared out, causing Larry to tense up and the three others to jump and scattered. Larry could only turn his front at the sounds of scattering birds from the trees as Dan lowered his head back to the ground and flopped down with a heavy thud.

"But, I can hide my wings!" Jaslo eventually spoke up, bounding over to Dan with a light smile. He just looked to here with a raised eye ridge. As if that was the answer, the Blazer shut her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing with her wings extended upwards. Dan just watched a bit startled as the wings seemed to shrink and melt into her sides, her tail even retracting back into her body as well. Not only this, but the Blazer shrunk half her size, no longer dwarfing the Hummer. She opened her eyes once more, her pupils staying a bit of a slit, but widening enough to seem normal to the untrained eye. Dan lifted his head, he was floored by this.

"How long have you been able to do that?!" He looked her over, noticing even her fangs shrunk just enough that as the Blazer frowned they almost completely vanished.

"For awhile honestly... it took me some time to learn this, but I can do it rather smoothly now." Jaslo answered, looking back at the jet a bit confused.

"Someone's coming!" Larry shouted, causing everyone to hide almost everywhere. Cunner and Cougar leapt into the trees, Dan dove into the water behind some rocks and only kept his turbines above the surface, Jaslo and Larry ducked into the bushes, and everyone went silent. Time itself seemed to slow down, the sun starting to burn the jet's back and the light was getting to all their eyes.

A small Nissan slowly drove down to where the group was, following tracks and pausing where Dan had once been laying. The beige car looked around, his purple eyes looking around and the scar along his mouth curled into a smile. Larry sniffed the air, shuffling a tire on the ground before relaxing. The old Mustang drove out from his hiding place, slowly rolling out to the Nissan with a grin. Like old friends, the Nissan drove over and they both gave each other a welcoming nudge of their fronts.

"Nick? I can't believe it's really you!" Larry exclaimed, he was close to tears honestly, and the Nissan in question pulled back with a much more relaxed tone than before.

"I'm here to help," came the robotic tone from a small transmitter on Nick's front fender. "Where are the others? I need to look them over." Larry gave a light chuckle, earning the appearance of the other beasts. The small car was majorly intimidated by the appearance of the large jet from the water.

"Don't worry old friend, they're all good. You're among kind hearts here," Larry spoke in a soothing tone, bringing out a few smiles from most of the group.

"You all still have trackers implanted into you," Nick stated, looking to each vehicle. "Thankfully, you've gotten far enough away that the signal is very weak. I can remove them and take them away from here, allowing you all to rest easier for a bit." Cougar shifted uncomfortably at this, he seemed to be the most verbal of the group for once, and he wasn't about to stop just yet.

"So you can find them, inside of us, and remove them?" Cougar asked, standing a bit in front of Cunner protectively. "What if we refuse?"

"You will be hunted down and killed," Nick bluntly stated even in his robotic voice. "The leader of the Lab is trying to find all of you and destroy you all. If you wish to live longer, I'd suggest letting me remove those trackers. Yes, it will hurt, but it's a lot better than being dead."

"How do you even know where they are?" Dan asked, laying down and placing his long tail behind the Nissan, as if to prevent him from leaving.

"I worked there, I have the same devices and even remember where they placed it in some of you." Nick looked to Dan with pleading eyes, "Please, let me help you."

"You have my trust, Nick," Larry said, lowering his front in a bow. Nick gave the old car a smile, even though he knew Larry couldn't see it. Dan bowed his large head as well, soon followed by Jaslo and Cunner. There was a tense moment before Cougar bowed his front, and Nick gave a short bow in return.

"I'll start with you then, Larry. I have my tools, and I'll make it as painless as possible." Nick said, driving up and placing a tire on the old car's side.

"I trust you, old friend."