'Breaker, breaker one nine, this here's the Duck, callin all you hidden folks on our agreed upon frequency. Callin all you big riggers, cab over kens, four wheel furies and two wheel soldiers of the highway. The time has come good buddies, for us to emerge from our shells and give them bears and their zodiac masters hell. Yessir, Rubberduck is on the big road an I got me Pig Pen, Widow Woman and my compadre Prime - we's a haulin important cargo in the personages of a person y'all done heard of. Good buddy calls hisself The Hare an that ol boy an his rebel crew are out to change the world for sure, for sure. But Hare needs yer help - so come on you knights of the road, you glorious gear jamming bastards, come one, come all. The revolution is upon us and we got ourselves a convoy!!! Settle back an I'ma gonna tell you the story of not one but two Hares and them boys is the real deal, an no mistake ...'
*
Hare blinked as the flashlight shone in his face. 'Wharrr ... whasaa ...' he mumbled incoherently as his older self shook him awake.
'Damn it kid, wake the hell up. It's a goddamn miracle!'
'What is?'
'I'll tell you what, shall I?'
'Please do,' urged Jessica who was awake but holding her head - the result of booze consumed during the night. 'But do it in a soft voice!'
The Golden Goose was snoring lightly a few feet away, cradling the half empty bottle of bushmills he had delightedly received when Hare had finally remembered the code to his bag lock. It turned out that he had raided the Goose's drinks cache back at the cabin, when everyone else was packing weapons. The squeal of delight that GG had made when Hare revealed this was reward enough.
Future Hare was babbling excitedly. 'They're all coming out ... all the folks that hid away after the Fall. Duck told them over the CB about your mission, how you're going back to stop this nightmare before it gets started. They all want to help and we're only an hour away from the city - its getting light and already one attack was fended off!'
Hare sat bolt upright. 'We were attacked!'
Future Hare waved a fur covered hand deprecatingly. 'Poison gas attack from above but we've got air cover - the good ol Aces from the Space Trucking Co blasted the gas away with the engines of their space rig. And ... come up front, I think Duck's talking to the Delorian. It's flying above us. Shame there's no flux capacitor but ... well, come on.'
They moved to the cabin and listened as the messages came in thick and fast.
'Great Scott!! Marty and I will continue to give air cover.'
'Come in Duck, come in ... this here's Beau and Luke, we got eyes of a roadblock up ahead. Looks like ol Boss Hogg, but we kin draw em off.'
'Roger that good buddies. I know I can trust the Duke boys!'
As soon as Duck signed off, more calls came through.
'This is the Compact Pussycat. I'll do what I can and so will the rest of the surviving Whacky Racers.'
'Ten Four Penelope. Good ta have ya with us.' replied Rubberduck.
A strangely formal British voice came online. 'Kitt reporting in Mr Duck. How may I be of assistance?'
Another voice followed it up, one that Hare recognized. 'Kitt won't say it but he's aching to get revenge for what they did to Michael. Oh this is his new driver, Miranda the Little Match Girl reporting in.'
'Duck, you receiving? Got the Sons with me and ready to serve up some anarchy!'
'Copy that Jax. Welcome aboard alla ya two wheel terrors.'
And they kept on coming - biker gangs, speciality and tricked out four wheel racers and the big trucks, escorting the four truck convoy right to the city limits of Domain City, where the highway patrol or as Duck called them, the bears ... including Sheriff Smokey the Bear, were set up with their main blockade ... one that the Duck intended to smash on through.'
The Hare felt a thrill go through him. They'd smash up that barricade like ... like ... a bunch of amoebas splitting off from one big cell. He wondered why he thought of that ... then shrugged. The sub conscious was a funny thing.