ACT I [EXT. / CHEETAH RESIDENCE (CROP FIELD) / MORNING]
Within the lush, thriving Chadian savannah lies a vast crop field -- one that appears to be not-so thriving by comparison. The only things grown here appear to be multiple loud speaker poles, spread apart in rows/columns. But occupying the empty field lies two crop workers, both making quick work in sowing seeds. "Quick" as in "Hella quick".
Umeme and Radi blitz across acre upon acre as they each carry a bag of seeds, seasoning the ground with them like salt. As one bag empties, it is immediately replaced by another and put in a huge pile of empty bags. Neither speedster shows any sign of slowing down -- at least, not until the last bag has been emptied.
Umeme: ...
Radi: ... [glances at something for a second]
In mere minutes, all the bags have been emptied, as the cheetah and peregrine make their way out of the crop field and toward two separate piles of empty bags. Both of which look staggering in number, but when it comes down to it...
Radi: [gets a good look at his pile] Mmm oh yeah. I totally won.
Umeme: Said the guy who wasn't keeping count. I emptied out the most bags.
Radi: Hey -- feel free to double check, but the numbers ain't liars.
Umeme surrounds the piles in a speedy cyclone, starting from his own to Radi's. After less than a minute, he stops back over to Radi.
Umeme: [points at his pile] 1,260 [points at Radi's] 1,259.
Radi: ...
Radi cyclone-counts as well, finishing in roughly the same amount of time as Umeme.
Radi: ... You got lucky.
Umeme: Either that or you got distracted.
Radi: (scoffs)
Back at the rondavel house, Umeme's grandmother appears from her upstairs window balcony (with a microphone stand placed there) getting a gorgeous view of her soon-to-be lush field.
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SPECIES: Asiatic Cheetah
AGE: Early 60's
HEIGHT: 5' 4"
OVERALL DESCRIPTION: Much like her grandson, she shares a few visual attributes. That being bumblebee yellow fur, streak-like spots, tear marks below her eyes, and 6 black rings on her tail. Similarities aside, she has wily flowing hair coated in cream white, same goes for her underside and 5 tail rings. In regards to her attire, granny bears a long boysenberry dress with asymmetrical sleeving (left sleeve is detached). And as for accessories, she wears a necklace and arm ring, both of which are raisin purple.
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Umeme and Radi speed their way up to the roof and lay on top of it, not too far from where she's standing.
Yumna Ebony Cheetah: Finished so soon, boys?
Umeme: Couldn't keep the audience waiting, now could we?
Yumna: Hm, I suppose not.
As Yumna walks over to her microphone stand, she takes out what seems to be an ordinary fula flute. After polishing the tip, she begins to play a rendition of one of her favorite songs. Fuuta Jaloo - by Afroflute. As she plays it into the microphone, the music emanates all throughout the crop field via the speaker poles. Within moments, the enticing sound of her flute begins to affect all the seeds. As if having a will of their own, the seeds are shown budging and jumping about. This occurs briefly until they get a good feel of the ground they're laid on. As the music continues, the seeds begin to burrow themselves deep into the ground. As soon as they've been planted, something truly eye-catching takes form.
In its entirety, what was once a barren crop field soon blooms into a field of fully grown grain. All this was done thanks to the music of Yumna's magical fula flute -- and to think -- she's not even halfway through her rendition. Nevertheless, she continues to play for her audience, including two more on her roof.
Umeme: [stands up] Welp, grain ain't gonna pick themselves. Apparently.
Radi: Ehh, you can have a head start. I wanna kick back to the music some more.
Umeme: ... Can't say I blame ya'.
The cheetah jumps off the roof and dashes over to the grown wheat. Once there, he spreads his arms out wide, unveils his claws, and begins spinning rapidly like a tornado. As he does so, Umeme proceeds in cutting through the wheat with ease. As for Radi, he lays back for a while, taking out something from his pocket. The object appears to be a cube shaped device of some sort.
Radi: [looks at it with intrigue]...
>> >> >> NOW LOADING...
ACT II [INT. / FRISKA'S LAB / THREE WEEKS EARLIER]
Within the laboratory's scanning room, Radi (not looking all too happy) is currently under heavy analysis of his unknown condition, with Doc taking helm of research. After multiple examinations from both the robot and CT scanner, data reports show zero anomalies festering in his body.
Doc: ...
Radi: Lemme guess. Zip?
Doc: ... R-
Before he could blurt out an answer, Umeme and Friska enter the room, having arrived back to the lab and conversing with each other along the way.
Umeme: So yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it.
Friska: (lets out a quick sigh) Okay, that explains why he couldn't show up to my birthday months back. But that doesn't explain why you kept it a secret from us for so long.
Radi: [gets off of the CT scanner] He did it because I asked him to. Wouldn't be much of a secret if everyone and their brother knew, now would it?
Friska: Radi, if I had known sooner, I wouldn't have called you during that storm. What do you think would happen if Doc hadn't followed you?
Radi: Well... I'd still have my phone, for starters.
Doc: That poor, outdated model.
Radi: That snark better have an off switch -- swear ta' god!
Friska: And speaking of "off switch". Doc, what's the diagnosis on his-
Radi: Spoiler, not spoiler. This was all a complete waste of time. [proceeds to exit the room] If anyone needs me, I'll be grabbing a bite.
Doc: ... Radi, does the term "Phantom Volt" come to mind by any chance?
The peregrine stops before he could fully open the door. That definitely wasn't the type of data he was expecting.
Radi: Uhh... should it? W-wait, [turns back] is that my problem?
Doc: Negative, it is something completely separate. Yet something you and Umeme both share.
Radi: You mean my electro, right?
Umeme: Well -- more specifically, it's your conversion of anima into electricity. [briefly taps his own chest as it emits a faint discharge] A pinch of soul for a pinch of spark; Hence the name.
Radi: ...?
Umeme: Learned it from my gramma ages ago. It's a magic thing.
Doc: And there lies the problem. Though I can analyze many things, magic is not one of them -- the soul especially. Whatever's hindering your Phantom Volt, it's most likely also magical in nature.
Radi: (surprised, yet unsurprised at the same time)...
Doc: All I have to go by are historical records. And so far, I've found nothing relating to it. Apologies, Radi.
Radi: ... (sighs) You wanna know the worst part? I already took that whole route. Spells, items, (begrudgingly to himself) fucking fruits.
Umeme: ...
Radi: And none of them worked at all. If magic couldn't cure me, I doubt science could. Looks like I was right on that.
Friska: Hm...
Taking his notion into consideration, the hare thinks thoroughly to herself until she formulates an idea.
Friska: I wouldn't rule it out just yet, Radi. Maybe science can't cure you, but it sure as hell can compensate.
Radi: ... Compensate how?
Friska: [proceeds to exit] It'll take a while, but you'll see. Doc, you want in on this?
Doc: It would be my pleasure.
The pseudo-tortoise and the hare make their way out of the scanning room and towards the workshop sector, leaving the two speedsters to their own devices.
Radi: [left in thought]...
Umeme: [walks over to him] Welp. After the day we had, I think we're both due for a refuel.
Radi responds with a smirk of agreement, and speeds off with Umeme for some refreshments. Within the passage of around an hour, the cheetah and peregrine are seen in the laboratory's café center. Having already finished their plates, they wash it down with some carbonated beverages. Though regarding Umeme, his number of plates is a tad greater than Radi's.
Umeme: (burps with his mouth closed, like any true gentlemen)
Radi: Damn, 35 hot dogs? That Freak Storm Nightmare must've took a lot outta ya'.
Umeme: 34 actually, watching my carbs. But uhh, yeah -- you could say that.
During their chat, their plates are taken by a couple CD (Catering Duty) Maintenance Droids, being sent straight to the dishwasher.
Radi: ... So this "Phantom Volt" Doc mentioned. This whole time, my electro came from that?
Umeme: Mm-hm. Would've told you a lot sooner, but I assumed you already knew that.
Radi: Well -- heh -- not that I mind the credit. [briefly thinks to himself]... What else do you n' granny know about it?
Umeme: Not much to be honest. But she did say it dates back thousands of years ago; Started out as some sorta hex.
Radi: (sarcastically) Oh great -- so I guess that makes me "double-hexed" then, huh? Just my day.
Umeme: Radi- [soon gets a text message from his phone and reads it]... Alright, that's enough exposé for today. [starts getting up, as does Radi] C'mon.
Less than a minute later, the cheetah and peregrine speed their way over to the workshop sector, where Friska and Doc currently reside.
Umeme: Finished already, huh?
Friska: You didn't expect a longer wait, did you?
Umeme: (gasps) Development hell from Friska Corporation? Oh, perish the thought.
Radi: [looks around the place] Y'know -- I didn't expect it to be rushed either, but I don't see the end product anywhere.
Friska: Oh, [takes something out of her pocket] you mean this?
Friska tosses it over to Radi. After catching it, he sees that her latest invention is a palm sized, cubical device. Said device is split horizontally by the center, appearing to be twistable like a rubik's cube.
Radi: "This" sure as hell can compensate? A cube?
Friska: Don't judge an invention by its exterior, Radi. It'll come in pretty handy the next time you deal with a thunderstorm.
Doc: Simply twist the device counter-clockwise to activate it.
Radi looks back at the cube, now seeing that there's a lot more to it than what meets the eye.
Radi: ... [puts the cube in his pocket]
Umeme: What, cold feet?
Radi: Nah. Just not in much of a rush.
Friska: Uh, not even for a test run.
Radi: [scratches his beak] A storm's gotta brew sooner or later. I'll test it then, when I'm not falling from the sky.
Friska and Doc look at each other for a bit. Though they expected an immediate experiment, neither of them seem opposed to waiting for results. They then look back to Radi.
Friska: Alright, fair enough. But I expect a "thank you" to brew sooner or later.
Radi: (off-screen) Yeah, yeah.
As he says so, the scene pans over to the nearest window, revealing the clear blue of a sunny day.
...
Three whole weeks come and go, and it's been pretty much sunny days since then -- each one completely storm-free. Sure, there were a few rainy days here and there, but never anything more than that. Though despite the lack of rain today, that doesn't stop Yumna's crops from having grown successfully. After being cut down and collected by Umeme (and Radi later on) all the grain is moved into storage via silos. And in little to no time, the speedsters finish a whole week's worth of work in just a single morning. The two then dash over to the front porch, where Yumna is seen enjoying some tea.
Yumna: That was some fine work, boys.
Radi: As per usge.
Yumna: Your paychecks are by the counter. Enjoy your morning race.
Umeme: You bet, Gramma.
Umeme and Radi head inside for a quick break, making their way to the kitchen.
Radi: ...
Umeme: So you gonna open it now or what?
Radi: Mmm... A what the hell. I'll go with "what".
Umeme: C'mon, you're not the only one wondering what's inside that literal loot box.
Radi: I believe the term "surprise mechanic" is more accurate.
Umeme: (a little concerned)... In what regard?
Radi: Look, if you're that much in suspense, just go ask Friska.
Umeme: I mean I tried, but all I got outta her was a hint.
Radi: What was it?
Umeme: (sighs as he takes out his Nightmare Radar) "Nunya".
Radi: (chuckles as he opens the fridge) Guess we're not the only ones who can keep a secret.
Umeme: ...!! We gotta go.
Radi: [goes for some leftover anchovy pizza] You'll eat my dust soon. Just let me eat something first.
Umeme: [pulls Radi back to show him the radar] No, we really gotta go.
The peregrine drops both jaw and pizza at what he's seeing. Right now, the Nightmare Radar is detecting an energy signature, but not just any. This one in particular is big -- very, very big. Bigger than any signature they've seen so far. Yes, that includes the Meerkat Nightmare, which in regarding length, stood at least 50 feet long from head to tail. This is definitely a first for them, and for their sake, they can only hope it's a last.
>> >> >> NOW LOADING...
ACT III [EXT. / CAMEROON RAINFOREST / PARTIALLY CLOUDY DAY]
The cheetah and peregrine bullet their way over to the rainforest of Cameroon, where the enormous energy signature is located. With or without the radar, it would be pretty hard to miss it from a distance. In Radi's case, he gets a full bird's eye view, and descends over to Umeme soon after.
Umeme: Well? Is it really coming from that ziggurat?
Radi: Yeah -- no. It's a lot more dome-shaped than pyramid-shaped.
Umeme: ...?
As they continue to leave trails of lightning in their wake, the swift cheetah soon spots their quarry as well -- that being the complete total opposite of swift. Getting a good look from far away, the Nightmare appears to resemble that of a tortoise, 2½ times as large as a blue whale. Size aside, it possesses three other physical features. One is its incredibly long legs, towering high above the treetops as it treads with the grace of a giraffe. Second is its scales, appearing to be covered head to toe in bony plates, akin to a crocodile's. Third and final is its shell, plated all over in a strange black, shiny material.
Radi: And here I thought our radars were on the fritz. Ho-ly CRAP that thing is huge!
Umeme: No kiddin... Let's just hope "huge" is its only shtick.
Radi: (sighs) Jinx, incoming.
Merely minding its own business, that quickly ends when the Tortoise Nightmare notices something in the distance. Two streaks of electricity zooming on a dirt road and heading right its way. In response, the giant beast opens its maw, and a bright orange light begins growing from within.
Umeme: ...! Flame breath, incoming!
Umeme and Radi split off from the dirt road's path, moments before becoming burnt to a crisp. However, what gets propelled out of the tortoise's mouth isn't a plume of fire. Rather, it's a stream of plasma that incinerates everything in its path, leaving only a charred trench across the forest floor. This also leaves the cheetah and peregrine stunned by the results.
Umeme: ...
Radi: ... Flame breath, my ass!!
Umeme: I thought it was, okay?!
The two quickly turn and see that the walking Tortoise Nightmare is beginning to inhale, rearing for another go.
Umeme: I'm going for the legs! You go for the neck!
Radi: Gottit!
Rushing away as they further their split, the two predators start attacking the beast from opposite directions. They deliver an onslaught of lightning bolts to various exposed areas. Focusing on its moving legs, Umeme tries to get it off balance and come falling down. Meanwhile, focusing on the neck and face, Radi tries to prevent it from making another instant death breath. But as of so far, the tortoise seems completely unfazed by their attacks, responding only with a long sigh of plasma followed by another.
The cheetah and peregrine persist in trying to damage it, all while evading incineration. They then switch it up from electric bolts to electric balls. As opposed to Radi, who creates his spheres with his hands, Umeme creates his own with his feet -- dribbling and kicking them like soccer balls all while maintaining high speed.
The electric spheres gradually grow in both numbers and intensity -- and for the cherry on top, Umeme and Radi each dish out a powerful blast of electricity. But after all that, the Tortoise Nightmare appears still unfazed. It would seem that the beast's scales are just as durable as its shell. Umeme sees that this is getting them nowhere -- the longer they keep this up, the more rainforest will be reduced to ash. With that in mind, he decides to take a more direct approach in stopping the beast, to which Radi gets the same idea soon after.
As the peregrine stoops down towards the tortoise, the cheetah sprints over to its right front leg, running vertically upward on it -- as well as the long neck quickly after. The two both approach the very top of the Nightmare's head.
Umeme: You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?!
Radi: You doin' what I'm doin'?!
Answering both each other's questions, the two deliver a powerful electric discharge, surging all throughout its body. This is in hopes that the beast is fully paralyzed, or better yet, ends up with a fried brain. Either way, the attempt yields results. The Nightmare finally stops walking, appearing completely stunned as the discharge continues. However, the reason it stopped isn't what they expected.
The Tortoise Nightmare takes a deep, deep breath and begins holding in the super hot plasma within its neck. Said plasma builds up more and more, causing the throat to bloat up like a balloon. Not only that, but both the neck and head begin to dramatically increase in temperature. The discharging duo notice this immediately, as they both feel like they're about to burst in flames. Not wanting to be cooked alive, Umeme and Radi abandon ship from opposite sides, which is exactly what the tortoise wanted. As the peregrine rushes far away from the intense body heat, the Nightmare turns its focus to the descending cheetah, ready to release a full powered plasma beam right his way.
Radi: [turns around]...! [stops] UMEME!!!
Umeme: [turns around too]...!!!
Before the peregrine even has a chance to fly back; Before the cheetah even has a chance to muster a single word, he's immediately enveloped within a large stream of plasma.
TO BE CONTINUED...