Alana sprinted after the Blakk Industries worker, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She was running through the rooftops of a city that had the smell of oil hanging in the air. The worker glanced behind her and scowled as he jumped from one roof to the other, Alana less than a dozen feet behind him.
An Arachnet transformed in front of her, and the web pulled up Eli, who rolled onto the roof and began running alongside Alana.
"If he's running at least he means he's probably got what we need," he gasped as he and Alana both leapt to another rooftop.
"Now we just need to get him," Alana said, trying to pump her legs as fast as she can. She and Eli leapt across an alley to one more rooftop before the worker quickly cut to the right and hurriedly climbed up a ladder, moving fast like a spider.
"That's a problem," Eli gasped as the worker jumped up the last three feet of the ladder and kicked it off the level he was on. He smirked and ran out of sight. Alana scowled and ran ahead of Eli, sliding down on her knees and coming to a halt at the base of the wall, glad she had knee guards.
"I'll give you a boost!" she called to Eli, cupping her hands in front of her. He nodded and sped up, jumping and landing on Alana's hands. She pulled her arms forward and pushed up with her legs as Eli jumped, pushing upward and sending him up the wall.
"Thanks!" he called before disappearing, tearing after the worker.
"No problem," Alana gasped, leaning against the wall and taking deep breaths, wiping sweat from her forehead. Ash chirped from her shoulder, concerned.
"I'm good," she said truthfully, stretching out her arms. "Just wanted to catch a breather."
Mage nuzzled Alana's cheek, and Alana rubbed her head affectionately as she reached up with her other hand and pressed her earpiece. "Where's he heading?" she asked as she walked to the edge of the roof she was on and looked around the street.
"He's going north!" Trixie's voice called out through a layer of static. "We're going to head him off right now. Eli's on his tail, still on the rooftops. Where are you?"
"Seeking an alternate route," Alana said, hopping off the roof and firing her Bubbaleone at the ground. The pink slug transformed and expanded with air, sticking on the ground as Alana landed on it, bouncing up a few feet before landing on the street. She waited for the slug to return to protoform before letting her hop back into Alana's backpack.
"Keep an eye out for the gang," Alana told Mage and Ash as she began running through the streets, glancing around at the brown buildings and dark alleyways. The people were scarce- the second they heard slugfire, most of them had retreated into their houses. Those who stayed watched Alana dully, as if they had seen plenty of slingers fighting it out before and had since lost the excitement of a duel.
Alana took a right, heading north, scanning the streets around her. She almost came to a halt when she thought she saw someone staring at her from the rooftops, but it processed that it wouldn't be Eli or the worker if they were standing still, so her steps only faltered for a moment before she collected herself and continued her chase.
"One street to your left!" Alana suddenly heard Pronto shriek. She nodded and turned to her left, cutting through a dark, dusty alley. Dumpsters lined one side, and garbage that had missed its target lined the other. Alana scrunched up her nose as she hopped through the piles, watching her steps carefully before emerging from the alley onto another street. She gasped as Eli barrelled down the street, almost slamming into her, hot on the tail of the worker. Trixie, Pronto, and Kord followed close behind him.
"Welcome to the party," Kord said as Alana began running alongside them.
"Sorry, had to take a breather," Alana gasped, coming to a halt as Eli slowed down, holding up his hand. The worker had ducked into a small, circular restaurant at the end of the street.
"Pronto, what do you know about the place?" Eli asked, panting and wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Oh, you will never find a more foul and wretched establishment!" Pronto exclaimed. "Although the soup is pretty good. Also, it is a dead end."
"That's what I wanted to hear," Eli said with a smirk. "Everyone wait here. I'll go in and flush him out."
Alana nodded and gave him the thumbs up, taking the moment to tighten up her ponytail and stretch out her arms as Eli walked inside the restaurant. The door shut behind him, and Pronto rocked back and forth of his heels, whistling impatiently. Alana and Kord glanced at each other, confused. How long did it take to chase out one guy?
"Perhaps he is trying the soup?" Pronto suggested.
"I don't think-" Alana began, but was cut off when the door to the restaurant slammed open with such force, Alana was surprised it didn't fly off its hinges. Eli sprinted out of the restaurant, shaking his head as he tore down the streets.
"Go, go, go!" he yelled, his eyes wide with panic. Alana and the others followed without hesitation, running down the street after him. Alana stole a glance behind her shoulder and groaned as she saw at least a dozen uniformed Blakk Industries workers streaming out of the restaurant, following by a tall, bulky, purple figure with angry red eyes. He let out an angry yell that echoed down the streets.
"Options, Eli?" Trixie called out, ducking as a ghoul flew by just over her head.
"Working on it!" Eli responded, taking a sharp right down one of the city's many alleys. He came to a screeching halt as he saw that halfway down the alley, there was a pile of metal pipes and drywall.
"That's a problem," Alana gasped, looking back at the entrance of the alley. She could feel the footsteps of the dozen workers and their leader on the ground- they weren't getting out the way they came.
Before she could suggest anything else, the large panel of drywall behind the pipes slid aside. A teenage boy ducked down so he was visible through the opening in the pipes. He had golden hair, tan skin, and green-teal eyes, and wore a gray and white shirt, brown vest, and dark pants. He glanced back at the entrance of the alleyway, where the sounds of Blakk's workers was getting louder.
"Follow me if you wanna live," he said grimly, nodding his head before stepping away from the entrance.
Eli turned and looked at the gang with wide eyes, glancing back at the alley entrance. One of the workers rounded the corner and spotted the gang, calling out to the others. Alana shrugged.
"Random kid seems better than a Blakk Industries mini-militia," she said. Eli frowned uncertainly, turning back to face the boy when the purple creature rounded the corner into the alley, growling menacingly. The blond boy's eyes widened when he saw how many workers were chasing the gang.
"This way," he said, taking a step back and gesturing through the hole he'd made.
Eli sighed and dove through the hole, Alana following behind him. Trixie jumped through, then Pronto, who was definitely the most horizontal to try and make it through, getting stuck between the pipes.
"Bah! This pipe has ruined my timing and trajectory!" he exclaimed. Alana snickered as she heard Kord groan from the other side of the pipes. Pronto suddenly shot forward, kicked out of the hole by Kord, who yanked some of the pipes aside before leaping through.
Pronto spun around, grabbing his blaster and firing a Rammstone at the pipes, temporarily blocking Blakk's men.
"Insolent pipes! That is what you get for impeding the progress of Pronto!" Pronto said. Alana rolled her eyes and smiled as she ran alongside Eli.
Suddenly a chill hit the back of her neck. She gasped and began to turn, reaching for her blaster, but the blond boy was faster. Alana heard the sound of a ghoul transforming before the boy ran into her and Eli, pushing them to the ground. A Grimmstone sped through the air where they had just been. The boy turned and fired a Polero at the worker who had broken through the pipes and fired the Grimmstone, sending him toppling to the ground.
"Thanks," Eli gasped as he and Alana got back to their feet. He looked the blond boy up and down. "Who are you?"
"Name's Twist," the boy said, holding up his blaster.
What kind of name is Twist? Alana wondered.
"Eli Shane," Eli said. Twist started to reply, but his eyes widened and he pointed to a spot behind Eli and Alana.
"On your left!" he called. Eli followed his gaze and dropped down into a backbend, firing Burpy at two Blakk Industries workers balanced on a pipe running along the wall of the alley.
The Infurnus transformed and Alana took a step back from the heat as Burpy flew in circles around the metal pipe, causing it to glow a fiery orange and begin to melt. The workers yelled out in alarm before slipping and crashing down to the ground.
"Two for one? Nice," Twist said as Eli straightened up. "And I know who you are."
Trixie stepped in front of Twist and fired her Tormato at three more workers who had broken through the busted up pipes and drywall. Her tomato-red slug blew out a wind tunnel that sent the three barreling down the alley and back into the street.
"Three for one," she said triumphantly, glancing at Twist. The blond rolled his eyes.
"Who's counting?" he asked teasingly before turning back to the rest of the gang, nodding down the alley. "Down here."
Alana paused for a moment and shrugged, laughing. Trixie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she followed after Twist and the rest of the gang.
Twist held up his hand to stop the gang when more footsteps approached. He pointed up, to where a pipe was crossing over the alley. Kord knelt down and gave everyone a boost up like Alana had done for Eli earlier before climbing up himself. The gang hung from the pipe silently, Alana fighting the urge to brush her bangs out of her face.
Three more workers rounded the corner, running through the alley and looking around wildly. "Where did they go?" one panted.
"One chance," Eli breathed, raising his blaster. Twist did the same. "Drop 'em."
Eli fired an Arachnet that transformed and spat out a line of web across the ground. Twist fired a Bubbaleone that slammed into the workers, throwing the three back far enough to make them trip over the web and crash to the ground in a heap.
"Nice," Alana commented, glancing at Twist through her bangs. He grinned and nodded.
"Thanks."
The moment was cut short, however, when the ground began to shake. Alana jumped and nearly fell off the pipe.
"We have company," she said, looking down the alley. The purple hybrid stomped around the corner. He had dark tattoos on the top of his bald head and down each of his arms. His black and silver gear was donned with several red V's, marking him as one of Blakk's men.
"Who is that?" Eli asked.
"Blakk's main enforcer in this cavern," Twist said grimly. "Seriously bad dude. We should probably run."
Eli nodded, and the gang swung down from the pipe, landing swiftly on the ground (with the exception of Pronto, who face-planted into the dirt).
"Not a bad idea," Eli said as the hybrid's gaze locked in on them. He wasn't quite as big as a cave troll, but he was pretty close. He growled and yanked a six-foot long pipe right from the alley wall, hurling it at the gang. They all leapt out of the way and sped down the alley, exiting into the streets.
They followed Twist down a street that cut off, narrowing down into a ringed bridge over a gaping chasm.
"Careful," Twist called back, glancing over the side of the bridge. "This thing has no bottom."
Pronto turned back and shrieked as the purple hybrid ran out of the alley, yelling angrily and throwing another pipe at one of the rings of the bridge with such force it collapsed the ring, blocking off the exit of the bridge.
"That was our only way out," Twist groaned. Alana turned toward the furious purple hybrid, who was approaching the bridge.
"E?" she asked urgently, grabbing her blaster. Eli turned to Twist.
"Any ideas?" he asked.
"Yep," Twist said with a smile, grabbing one of the canisters off his bandoleer, showing a small red slug. "Dazzle 'em, Loki!"
He loaded and fired the slug, which transformed into a horned beast that made Alana's eyes widen. She winced as she felt a small, scattered wave of dark energy- was it the hybrid, or something else-?
However, thoughts of dark energy quickly faded from her mind when, just as the slug would have hit the hybrid, it disappeared in an explosion of red sparks and smoke. Alana gasped as another bridge formed next to their own, an exact replica. An illusion of the gang standing on the bridge formed as the smoke disappeared.
Alana turned to Twist in wonder, and he put his finger up to his mouth before pointing back at the hybrid. The purple monster scowled when he saw the fake gang on the other bridge, taking a step towards it. The second his foot made contact with the illusion, it rippled and disappeared, sending the hybrid toppling down the chasm.
"I'm okay," the hybrid groaned as Twist's slugs returned, landing on his slinger's shoulder in protoform before returning to a slug canister on Twist's bandoleer. Alana relaxed when she felt the dark energy fading away- it must have been the ghouls the hybrid had.
"Is that a Thugglet slug?" Eli asked, glancing down at the red slug in Twist's bandoleer. "I've heard of them before, never seen one."
"Yep. He's my number one. Aren't you, Loki?" Twist said with a smile. His slug chirped proudly and nodded. Alana smiled. It wasn't too often the gang found people who were as friendly with their slugs as Twist was. Eli must have noticed it too, because he smiled and looked back up at Twist.
"I like that you name your slugs," Eli said.
"Well, 'hey, you' seems kinda casual for the guys who save my bacon on a regular basis," Twist explained. "This isn't my first run-in with Blakk's goon squad."
He paused as sirens began to wail in the distance.
"They're regrouping," he said. "Follow me. I have a place nearby where we can chill until things cool down."
"Isn't that redundant?" Trixie asked as Twist began walking down the bridge.
"Haha, that's funny," Twist said teasingly, nodding back toward the city. "C'mon, let's go."
Trixie rolled her eyes, and Alana laughed at her expression as the gang followed after Twist, hurrying through the streets. He led them to what appeared to be an abandoned energy mill, the large blue turbine still lazily turning. The gang had to ride a small, rickety elevator to the top, where a circular room sat overlooking the city.
Alana looked around the room, lit by one light bulb hanging over a table. Boxes were stacked around the walls, holding clothes and canned food. A cot sat to the side with an old pillow and blanket thrown haphazardly on it. It was obvious the place wasn't prepared for visitors.
It struck Alana as the shape the hideout had been in after Will had left, like without him, it didn't really matter what anything looked like. Even if the hideout had been kept in perfect condition, like it had been back in the golden days, it wouldn't have really changed anything.
"Sorry for the mess," Twist said, following Alana's gaze. "I'm just staying here till my mansion's painted," he added teasingly.
Alana laughed, shaking her head. "You don't know 'mess' until you live with a molenoid," she whispered, glancing back and making sure Pronto was too preoccupied snooping around to hear her. Twist laughed and turned to Eli, who was walking around the windows, looking out over the city.
"This place is great," he said, turning to Twist. "Panoramic view, high ground advantage. I imagine you have the place rigged with traps and a secret bolt hole in case things go bad?"
"Wouldn't you?" Twist laughed. "So," he said, leaning against the table at the center of the room, "that guy you were chasing earlier. What's up with that?"
Eli's smile flickered and he glanced nervously at Alana. "One of Blakk's couriers," he said carefully. "He's the last piece of intel we need for a major operation."
"Uh, Eli?" Kord said from the other side of the table. "We just met this guy."
"Yeah, while he was busy saving our lives and risking his own while doing it," Eli said.
"For which we're very grateful," Trixie told Twist hurriedly. "But, if Blakk gets wind of what we're doing-"
"I know you've got no reason to," Twist said with a sigh, looking around at the gang. "But you can trust me."
Eli nodded at Alana, who sighed and unclipped a holoscreen from her belt. She handed it to Eli, who opened at and set it on the table, revealing the blueprints for a building that Alana knew all too well.
"It's a layout of a ghoul depot," Eli explained to Twist. "Blakk has them all over Slugterra."
"Yeah, I've heard of them," Twist said.
"Well, we figure if we can liberate all the ghouls inside, my healer slug, Doc, can cure them," Eli said, holding out his hand. Doc jumped from Eli's bandoleer to his slinger's hand, before hopping down on the holoscreen and waving at Twist. "That'll mean a lot fewer of Blakk's minions will be armed with ghouls."
"Only problem is we can't find them," Trixie said.
"We've got a layout, but no locations," Alana explained. "Which is probably my fault. These places are dangerous, and I found one a couple years back. It... didn't end well," she said, glancing down at the depot blueprints. "Since then, they've gotten more hidden."
"We thought we'd get somewhere with the courier," Kord continued. "But that plan went sideways."
"Well, it's a good thing you met me, then," Twist said. "'Cause I know exactly where to find one."
~~~~~~~~
The ride to the ghoul depot wasn't a pursuit by any means, but the gang still tore through the caverns, eager to see if Twist was right. Twist rode on the back of Eli's Mecha, and Alana rode alongside the two boys.
"So, Twist," she called over the wind as the gang rode out of the city and into a forest area, "I've gotta know, how'd you find this place in the first place?"
"Followed some Blakk Industries workers here," he explained. "Saw them slinking around the city, taking slugs whenever they could. That was a while ago, and I definitely wasn't as good at slinging as I am now, so I couldn't fight them. Figured the next best thing was to find out where they were going. Then I found this place. Almost got caught, too, so I wasn't eager to come back."
"I wouldn't be, either," Eli admitted. Twist nodded.
"I figured the info would be good eventually. Guess I was right. What happened at the one you found, Alana?"
Alana faltered for a moment. "What?"
"The ghoul depot you found a few years back. You said something happened," Twist explained.
Alana frowned and glanced at the rest of the gang. They were all looking at her curiously. She had only told them that she had found one and discovered just how dangerous the ghouling process was. She hadn't told them exactly what happened.
"Oh. That," she said, glancing at Ash. "Well, I was young, and angry, and made a move without doing much research into what the depot was. That was back before ghouls were even called ghouls. I knew Blakk had been doing things to slugs..." Alana paused, remembering the ghoul that had taken Will. "But I didn't know what exactly was happening.
"I attacked the depot and people almost got really hurt. One actually did," she admitted, remembering the chaos, running through the depot desperately, looking for the only person who hadn't made it out yet. "I slowed up Blakk's ghouling, sure, but it wasn't worth it. After that, I learned to have a more level head. Blakk's workers are bad people, but they don't deserve to die because they're making bad decisions," she said, forcing her tone to become more upbeat. "In the end, it was a good learning lesson for me, and I'm just glad everyone involved in the mission is still alive."
"Wow," Trixie said from behind Alana.
"Why is it every time we learn more about you, it all just gets worse?" Kord wondered out loud. Red crept up Alana's face.
Some of us just aren't lucky.
"It's not that bad," she said breezily. "Obviously things have turned out for the best, otherwise I wouldn't be here with all of you."
"You really look on the bright side, don't you?" Twist asked.
Alana nodded, and Eli shrugged.
"That's Alana in a nutshell."
~~~~~~~~
"Oh, yeah. That's definitely one of them," Eli said.
He was laying down on the ground with binoculars in his hands, the rest of the gang kneeling around him.
They were on a ledge overlooking a ghoul depot, with a similar structure to the one Alana had attacked years ago. A few Blakk Industries workers wandered around, hauling crates or barrels of dark water, but it definitely wasn't the Citadel.
"Lightly guarded, too," Eli said, lowering the binoculars and smiling. "We'll be in and out before breakfast."
"When you say 'we'..." Twist said, his voice trailing off.
"I mean all of us," Eli said as he got to his feet, turning to face Twist. "What do you say? You up for being a pain in Doctor Blakk's butt?"
"Sounds fun," Twist said with a smirk, resting his hands on his hips. "Count me in."
"Good," Eli said, handing the binoculars over to Trixie and crossing his arms. "We regroup and strike here first thing tomorrow morning. Blakk won't know what hit him."
Alana smiled and fist-bumped Eli as the group walked back to the Mechas.
~~~~~~~~
By the time the gang got home, it was growing dark. The Lumino crystals were dimming for the night, and the slugs were all finding cover and going to sleep. The gang entered the hideout with one extra person. They'd stopped for a quick dinner on the way home, where Pronto also picked up supplies for the meal he planned on making in the morning before the mission.
Twist's eyes widened when he saw the inside of the hideout. "Wow," he said. "I think your place is a little nicer than mine."
"You caught it on a good day, if that makes you feel any better," Alana said as she headed upstairs. "Living with a cave troll and a molenoid is a little chaotic."
"I'd say something in response, but I got nothing," Kord laughed as he stretched and turned to Eli. "We've got a spare bedroom, but it's kind of being used as storage right now. Where's Twist gonna sleep?"
"Dude, the ground would be fine," Twist laughed.
"No way," Eli said, rolling his eyes. "How about the couch?"
"It's surprisingly comfortable!" Alana called down from the second floor as she unclipped her bandoleer.
"I'll trust you, then," Twist called back.
"Not a mistake," Alana responded, walking into the bathroom and pausing. "Well, maybe," she teased before shutting the door.
~~~~~~~~
After Alana showered, she quickly got into her pajamas and tied her hair in a braid, ready to get to bed.
"Anyone want a night snack?" Alana asked her slugs, who were all scattering around to their normal sleeping locations. Some were already dozing off.
Mage chirped and nodded, hopping up on Alana's shoulder.
"That it?" Alana asked. When she got no response from the tired slugs, she headed downstairs.
She was surprised to find the television on. A game based off the Slug Run was on, with Twist and Eli both sitting on the couch in tee shirts and shorts playing with razor-sharp focus. Alana sighed and rolled her eyes as she walked down the stairs.
"What are you two doing?" she asked with a laugh as she walked over to the kitchen.
"Playing Slug Kart," Eli responded.
"Gee, thanks for that explanation," Alana said sarcastically as she grabbed an apple from a bowl on the counter. "I'll rephrase: why are you playing Slug Kart?"
"Because Eli thought he could beat me," Twist laughed. Alana rolled her eyes as she heard Eli groan.
"I assume he was wrong?" she asked as she got a knife and cut off a piece of the apple, handing it to Mage, who squeaked her thanks before chomping down on the snack.
"You assume correctly," Twist said, grinning as Alana walked back into the living room. "You up for a round?"
"Mmm, no," Alana laughed, walking up to the television and shutting it off. "We have a mission tomorrow, you two. You need to get to bed."
"Aww man, just one more round?" Eli asked as Alana plucked the controllers out of his and Twist's hands.
"No," Alana laughed, shaking her head as she set them on top of the television. "We all need to get to sleep. And if I have to come back down here, I'll just use an Xmitter and solve this problem right away."
"Okay, Mom," Eli teased as he got up and stretched. "We'll get to sleep. See you two in the morning."
Twist nodded and pulled a blanket off the side of the couch, laying down and sighing.
"Buzzkill," he called up as Alana headed back up to her room, Eli following behind her.
"Whatever," she laughed. "You'll thank me later. One race in Slug Kart turns into twenty."
She headed into her room, finishing her apply and tossing the core in the trash bin before flopping down on her bed. Ash and Mage each took their spots on a small pillow next to Alana's, close enough to their slinger to feel both safe and protective, but far away enough to avoid what were becoming constant fitful dreams.
"Well, I think we'll consider this one a good day, guys," Alana said as she curled up under her blanket. "Great intel, and the new kid isn't half bad."
She closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep.
Or, at least, she might have.
Alana was hanging in the balance where she was by no means awake, but just coherent enough to hear something to not be completely asleep, either. A knocking sounded at her door, and she groaned, rolling over and pushing her bangs out of her face.
She sighed as she got up, straightening out her pajamas as she made her way across the room and opened the door.
"Yeah?" she asked, blinking haze out of her eyes.
In the doorway stood Twist, looking apologetic even before he spoke.
"I'm sorry," he began, scratching at the back of his head. "Eli said you had extra blankets in your closet? It's kinda chilly downstairs."
"Oh, yeah, that's fine," Alana yawned, opening the door wider and beckoning him to follow her. "C'mon, I'll dig up some."
Twist followed her into her room, luckily staying quiet when he saw the slugs all around, most of them still fast asleep. Ash had woken up immediately when he'd heard the knock and waved to Twist sleepily.
"Okay, let's see," Alana mumbled as she swung open one of her closet doors. Twist looked at the mirrored door- it had a few dozen pictures taped up on it- while Alana pulled out a couple folded blankets from the bottom of the closet.
"These should work," she said quietly, leaning back up with the blankets in hand. She frowned when she saw Twist staring at one of the pictures and followed his gaze. Her heart fell a little. It was the one with her and Will.
"You lived with Will Shane?" Twist whispered. Alana nodded, looking at the picture bittersweetly.
"Yeah, for about five years," she answered, staring at the picture.
"Are you related, or family friends...?" Twist asked, looking back at Alana.
"Neither. Just happened to be in a bad situation when he was around, so he helped," Alana said with a shrug. "I was alone, and he took me in."
Twist nodded silently, then held out his hands. Alana gave him the blankets.
"Sorry to ask," he said. "I should've known better, huh?"
"It's okay," Alana said with a smile. "Things happen."
"Right," Twist said, turning to leave. "Thanks for the blankets. And sorry for waking you up."
"Don't worry about it," Alana said breezily, waiting until Twist had left and closed the door before collapsing down on her bed and throwing the blanket over herself, forcing herself to quickly fall asleep before there were any more distractions.
~~~~~~~~
Trixie was up around four in the morning, heading back to her room from the bathroom, when she halted in the middle of the hallway and nearly jumped out of her skin.
Twist was halfway up the staircase, holding up a finger to his mouth. Trixie could barely see him in the dark, but he looked worried. He pointed at the door to Trixie's left- Alana's.
Trixie paused and listened. After a few moments, she could hear Alana, slightly muffled through the door.
"We need to get out of here, it's not safe!"
With a sigh, Trixie crept past the door and stopped at the top of the staircase.
"She's fine. She'll do this for a few more minutes and then fall back asleep," she whispered. "It's kind of a nightly thing."
"I'm sorry, I tried to help you! You wouldn't listen!"
Twist winced. "That's awful," he whispered back. Trixie sighed, brushing her bangs from her face.
"Yeah. It is. But I guess if it clears out her mind so she doesn't think about those things when she's awake, it's worth it," she said.
"I guess," Twist said quietly, turning back to go downstairs.
Trixie waited outside Alana's door for a few minutes until the noise stopped and she was sure she shouldn't go in and wake Alana up before yawning and heading back to bed.
~~~~~~~~
Alana sat in the garage, watching as Kord worked on Pronto's Mecha. Held up by a claw attached to the ceiling, Kord was laying on his back on a rolling board working on the machine's inner gears.
"Can you toss me the wrench?" he asked. Alana nodded and reached into the toolbox next to her, tossing the huge wrench to Kord, who rolled forward just enough to grab it before rolling back under Pronto's Mecha.
He made one final adjustment before resting the wrench on the floor and rolling away from the Mecha and getting to his feet.
"Alright, try it out now," he said, stretching out his back. Alana got to her feet and reached up, pressing a button on the Mecha's control panel. The gears within it began to whirl, and Kord looked at the holoscreen along one of the garage walls.
"How's the strength?" Alana asked.
"Looking better now," Kord said, sighing with relief. "It'll be able to carry the ghouls perfectly fine. Thanks for staying out to help, you didn't have to."
"No problem," Alana said, reaching up on her toes to shut off the Mecha before following Kord out of the garage and into the hideout. "Didn't want you to be stuck out here when we have our pre-mission meal with Twist."
"Speaking of..." Kord said, gesturing to the living room. Pronto was setting down a steaming tray of what looked like a cavern crawler. Alana was surprised to find that it actually smelled decent.
"Just in time!" Eli said. "You two wash up and come on over. This actually looks like a good meal for once."
"Psh! Like it ever does not look amazing!" Pronto exclaimed as Kord and Alana washed up.
"One of these days he'll figure it out," Alana whispered to Kord, washing and drying her hands off before walking over to Twist. "So, how is life at the hideout suiting you?" she asked, leaning against the couch Twist was sitting at.
"It's amazing," Twist said. He paused as Pronto gave him the largest claw of the cavern crawler, which must have been a treat, because his eyes lit up. "Whoa- I don't think I've ever eaten this much in my life. You guys do this every day?"
"My dad always said it was good to have a big meal before an important operation," Eli said as he grabbed a claw for himself. "I figure it's about time we revisit that tradition."
Alana smiled, but it faded as she got herself a claw. She felt a little drop of coldness, somewhere around her- she almost didn't notice it at all. She looked around worriedly, taking everything in. The gang was eating, Twist was over giving Loki, Burpy, and Doc some food, Ash and Mage were on her shoulders, nothing looked different.
"Is everything alright?" Eli asked when he saw Alana looking around.
"Yeah," Alana said, sitting down next to him. "Yeah, I just got a weird feeling. I think I'm just excited for tomorrow."
"Gotcha," Eli said, not sounding totally convinced. Before the conversation could continue, Pronto gasped and nearly leapt to his feet when he saw Twist giving the slugs part of his dinner.
"What is this?!" Pronto shrieked. "You would waste a perfectly good cavern crawler claw on... on your slugs?!"
"A happy slug is a healthy slug," Twist said with a smile.
"And a healthy slug wins duels," Eli finished.
Alana laughed as she watched the slugs take their revenge on Pronto. Doc bent down, balancing a spoon on his back. Burpy loaded the spoon with a pea, and Loki jumped on the other end of the spoon, sending the pea flying right into Pronto's head.
"Ah! I am hit!" Pronto cried out, scowling at the slugs.
"That's what you get," Trixie said in a singsong voice as Loki jumped up on Twist's shoulder, and Burpy on Eli's.
"I can see you- or, most of you," Twist added teasingly, glancing at Pronto, "love these guys as much as I do. And I hate the way Blakk twists them into monsters."
"We're gonna change that," Eli said determinedly.
"Also, was that a joke?" Alana asked, leaning back in her seat. "I gotta know. Is it a pun every time you say 'twist'?"
"Funny," Twist said, rolling his eyes. "Sometimes, yeah. Other times, it's a slip of the tongue."
"Speaking of Twist, how'd you get that name? If you don't mind me asking," Kord added hurriedly.
"I'll show you," Twist said, stepping out into the clear area of the living room. "You're a pretty big guy. But there is no way you can keep ahold of me."
"Hehe," Kord chuckled as he got up and stretched his arms. "Apparently you've never heard of a cave troll channel lock."
"Try me," Twist said confidently.
Alana elbowed Trixie, who was sitting next to her. "I think you're gonna wanna get this," she said, gesturing to her camera.
Trixie nodded and grabbed the camera, flicking it open and starting a recording.
Kord and Twist circled each other for a moment before Kord dove forward. Alana would have missed it if she had blinked, but Twist hurried around Kord, standing behind him and smirking. Kord relaxed his arms when he realized he had grabbed onto thin air.
"What?! How?" he exclaimed. Alana snickered as Twist reached up on Kord's shoulder, flicking his helmet forward. Kord scowled and spun around, but Twist spun with him, always staying behind Kord. While the cave troll was still turning, Twist dove for the floor, yanking one of Kord's feet out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground.
Alana and Trixie burst out laughing.
"Cool moves, Twist!" Eli said with a smile.
"That' was great," Alana laughed, shaking her head at Kord as he got up from the floor.
"Impressive to you, perhaps, but we molenoids are known for our evasive maneuvers!" Pronto said.
"You wanna go next?" Kord growled, peering down at Pronto, who sank down a bit.
"A-another time, perhaps!" he stammered before hurrying to the other side of the couch. Trixie laughed as she folded up her camera and set it down.
"So, you got any family, Twist?" she asked, and Alana immediately wished she hadn't.
She saw the little flicker of hesitation in Twist's eyes, and knew it all too well. Trixie had meant well, but you don't ask a kid who lived in the kind of run-down place Twist lived in whether or not he had family around. Twist gathered himself and sighed.
"It's a long story," he said. "And, at the end of it, I don't know what happened to them. Loki and the other slugs are my family now," he added, looking down at his bandoleer warmly. Eli stepped forward and rested a hand on Twist's shoulder.
"We've all lost someone, Twist," Eli said, gesturing to the rest of the gang. "That's what makes us family. You're welcome to our table anytime."
"And speaking of 'time,'" Kord said, grabbing his blaster, "it's zero hour."
~~~~~~~~
the Twist apocalypse never ends
Cyan out!