One.
None of the Shane Gang slingers knew how to react.
Two.
The situation dawned on Eli. His fingers loosened on his blaster. It slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground.
Three.
Eli blinked slowly, staring down the train tracks. Hadn't he just been riding Lucky with excitement? Hadn't adrenaline just been pumping through his veins?
Four.
He felt like he had been running down a clear path and a concrete wall had risen from the ground in front of him.
Five.
Even Trixie, Kord, and Pronto were just staring. Sam continued to cry, rubbing at her eyes.
Six.
One by one, the gang realized why this felt so devastating.
Seven.
They hadn't been together for long. But the members of the Shane Gang felt like they were part of a family that had always been there. Alana's absence was already a gaping hole.
Eight.
But she was so dependable, so loyal. She was always there with a smile and positive comment. Without her, the light that they had to keep them upbeat was just... gone.
Nine.
Fear gripped Eli's heart. His friend was not only now miles away from them, but she was trapped on a train with Doctor Blakk, the most dangerous person in Slugterra. Twist, who had a bone to pick with the Shane Gang.
And Dana, her ex-friend who had something terribly wrong with her energy. Dana, who'd had such a vicious look in her eyes when she saw Alana.
Ten.
That was how long Eli let himself stand there and stare at the train tracks. Ten seconds. Then he took a deep breath and bent down, picking up his blaster and holstering it. He moved in front of Sam, getting down on his knees so he was even with her and carefully resting his hands on her shoulders.
He fought to keep his voice steady and calm.
"Sam, what happened?" he asked. His heart sank when Sam looked up to meet his gaze. Her brown eyes were full of tears. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't seem to get the words out between her shaky breaths.
Eli sighed and tried again.
"Sam, I know you're upset. I am, too. Something terrible just happened. But we need to fix it now," he said, locking eyes with Sam. "What happened?"
Sam took a deep, shaky breath as she wiped away her tears.
"She got into the train car, and- she- she used a Bubbaleone to get me away- from Dana," she said, her breath catching in her throat. "She was going- going to grab on, but Dana stopped her and- and now she's still on the train-"
She looked up at Eli, then at the rest of the Shane Gang.
"I'm so sorry," she said. "This is all my fault. I never should have talked you guys into doing this."
Eli sighed and got to his feet, holding out his hand.
"No," he said. "This isn't your fault. It isn't ours. It isn't even Alana's. This is Blakk's fault. And we're gonna get her back."
Sam nodded, taking his hand. Eli pulled her to her feet.
"How long has she been gone?" Trixie asked. Her voice cracked with worry. "Blowing up those equipment cars took at least five minutes."
"Then it's been at least ten," Sam said, looking down at Alana's Bubbaleone, who still sat in her hand.
"Kord, is there any chance we catch that train before it reaches Blakk's citadel?" Eli asked, turning to face to cave troll. Kord sighed and shook his head.
"Our Mechas just aren't made to keep up with those kind of speeds," he said. "Even if we left right now, we'd still be... maybe an hour behind?"
Trixie scowled and curled her hands into fists.
"Then we get an hour behind," she said. "We need to get her back. Let's go."
"Rushing into Blakk's fortress does not seem like the best idea!" Pronto argued. Eli nodded.
"Pronto's right. If we go in without a plan, we're not going to help Alana at all," Eli said. "We-"
Eli fell silent. He turned as he heard a Mecha approaching.
The rest of the gang's Mechas had been stopped a dozen feet away from Sam. But one was slowly stepped forward, looking around with its ears lowered.
"Midnight," Trixie said quietly, stepping forward and resting a hand on the black-and-cyan wolf.
Eli's heart sank as the wolf whimpered and looked around for her missing rider.
"Don't worry," Trixie said. "We're gonna get her back."
~~~~~~~~
Alana had tried for months after the incident to forget it.
It still haunted her dreams, but she had seemingly suppressed the worst parts of that mission at the ghoul depot- until she saw Dana again, and the memories came flooding back.
"No. I'm not spending my life indebted to you. If you're really on the other side, I'm not ever speaking to you again."
Alana curled her fingers into fists. Her nails dug into her gloves.
"What is it with you and power?!" she yelled. "All you care about is whether or not you're the best at everything. Why can't you admit I'm above you in this situation?"
"Because I've seen how it starts!" Dana responded. "It happens once, and then again- I can't keep living like this, knowing there's always someone better than me!"
"Guardian slugs- is this because of your family?" Alana asked. "The family you ran away from? Why does it matter if you left?"
"It..." Dana struggled to find the right words. "It stays with you."
"You could've left it behind," Alana said, anger and sadness flaring up in her. "But you just drag it around with you. You just keep attracting trouble, you realize that? You're causing half your problems by doing stuff like this!"
Tears formed in Dana's eyes.
"Maybe stuff like this is all I know how to do!"
"Maybe I'll just leave you here, then!"
Dana's eyes widened, then narrowed.
"Fine," she scowled. Then she raised her voice. "DO IT!"
Alana's facade faltered. Tears began to fall on her cheeks as she locked eyes with Dana.
"Please don't do this."
"I don't even know if I want help."
"Don't say that! Just let me help you!"
"Leave."
Alana took a deep breath, her senses flowing back to her as the nightmare faded. She hadn't handled it right, and she'd always remember it.
With a sigh, she opened her eyes-
And saw nothing. Just black.
She frowned and felt around. The floor shook beneath her, and train tracks rattled. She was still on the train. She was sitting down against one of the walls, with her hands tied to a rail behind her. Her muscles were sore, and she had a headache.
"Look who's awake," a sour voice said on her right.
Alana jumped a bit and turned in the direction of the voice, squinting. She couldn't make anything out through the blackness, but she knew that voice anywhere.
"Twist?" she asked, straining to hear something else. "How long have I been out?"
"Only a half hour, and yeah, it's me," Twist said. Alana heard a few footsteps. "Except about two feet to your left."
With a frown, Alana turned in the direction of the voice, narrowing her eyes again.
"How can you see anything in here?" she asked. "What happened, did the power get knocked out?"
A pause.
"What do you mean? The electricity is fine," Twist said. "This whole car is perfectly lit."
Alana's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. She tensed and looked around slowly.
"No, it isn't. It's pitch black," she said. "I can't see anything."
"It really isn't dark in here," Twist insisted. Alana heard him take a step forward, and felt the dark energy of his arsenal approach. She scowled and backed away as far as she could, pulling her legs back so her knees were just in front of her face.
"Get away-" she began to protest, but Twist kept approaching.
"Relax, I can't do anything to you. Blakk doesn't want us to. Otherwise Dana would have probably already thrown you off the train," he said, kneeling down. Alana looked around, but she couldn't tell where he was- she could just feel where Loki and his bandoleer were.
"What's going on?" Alana asked. Twist sighed and stood.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Your eyes look dilated, but I don't know- oh. Dana... she hit you with a Photomo, didn't she? A ghouled Phosphoro?"
"I know what a Photomo is," Alana said, irritated. "And yeah."
"That's probably what it is then."
Her heart sank. She was now both trapped and blind. She felt her hands begin to shake with fear- being so completely out of her element felt awful.
"What, you don't know for sure what your little monsters can do?" Alana asked angrily.
"Not until we test them on people like you, no," Twist responded. Alana scowled and rolled her eyes.
"Jerk," she muttered.
"What were you thinking, anyway?" Twist asked, walking away from Alana. "Why'd you come back? You, Eli, and Trixie were home free."
Alanna sighed and rested her head against the wall behind her. The image of Sam crying on the ground while Dana stood triumphantly in front of her passed through her mind.
"I couldn't just leave Sam here to take the fall for everything," she said. She regretted getting caught, but other than that, Alana didn't regret taking such a risk to save Sam. "When someone trusts me, I'm loyal to them. You might have to look up the meaning of that word, though."
Alana couldn't help but smirk as she heard Twist scowl. She may be in a horrible situation, but any jab at him made it all a little better.
She suddenly tensed as she felt a now-familiar dark energy approaching. Without hesitation, Alana closed her eyes and went limp, leaning against the wall and pretending to still be unconscious. Twist remained silent. The door to the train car open and closed, and two pairs of footsteps echoed through the car.
Alana listened- Twist said nothing as the footsteps approached.
One was definitely Dana. Her dark energy churned inside her like a blizzard, and it sent chills running down Alana's back.
The other had a faint remnant of dark energy, like the person had once been tainted with it- and really, once it was there, it never truly left your system.
"So, what are we going to do with her?" Twist asked. Alana was surprised he didn't rat her out, but she fought to keep herself from reacting.
"I have a few ideas," Dana said coldly. Alana's heart skipped a beat as she heard a blaster power up. But the third person cut in, and Alana could hear the click of Dana's blaster being returned to its holster.
"We keep her alive, for now," Doctor Blakk said. "I want to study her energy."
"Why?" Dana asked bitterly.
"Ghouling has been successful so far. But they still lack a certain something to give them power for what I need," Blakk said. "I need to study energy, but I don't have the slug power for it. This girl, however, might be able to provide me with an unlimited supply of it."
Alana feared her heart was beating loud enough for Blakk to hear. Fear coursed through her, but she kept her breathing under control.
I can't be used for energy experiments, she thought, panicked, and for a moment, she felt like a scared little kid.
"Fine," Dana said. "Then what do we do with her now? Won't the Shane Gang come after her?"
"They definitely will," Twist said. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're on their way right now."
"As far as the Shane Gang is aware, we're all heading to the citadel right now," Blakk said.
"Aren't we?" Twist asked.
"This train is. But you three won't be."
"We're going to split up?" Dana asked incredulously.
"You and Twist will take the girl to a secure facility. The one near Chillbore," Blakk said.
Alana wanted to groan in frustration. She liked the look of Chillbore- the snow and ice was beautiful. But now she just associated the cold with dark energy. If she was bundled up in a coat, maybe, but she was in a short-sleeved shirt with only one glove.
"And you?" Dana asked.
"I'll be sure the train reaches the citadel, and prepare an ambush for when the Shane Gang comes to rescue their teammate," Blakk said, dark amusement in his voice. "Once we have them, you three will return to the citadel."
"Is the train even going to make it all the way to the citadel after the slugfight?" Dana asked.
"No," Blakk said distastefully. Alana smiled in her head- at least they had caused some trouble. "We'll stop soon to make some minor repairs and refuel. When we do that, you'll be off."
Thoughts began spinning through Alana's head.
How am I gonna get out of this?
Doctor Blakk and Dana both left, leaving the car to Twist and Alana once more. Alana straightened up and, even though it was redundant, opened her eyes.
"Where are my slugs?" she demanded.
"The next car over, along with your blaster," Twist replied. "You're not getting anywhere near them."
"We'll see," Alana said, narrowing her eyes and beginning to think.
~~~~~~~~
Trixie knew the area the best, so she took the lead. The rest of the Shane Gang rode silently behind her. Nobody quite knew what to say to pass the time.
Sam, who was riding on Trixie's Mecha, had long fallen silent. She was staring as mushroom-trees thinned out around them, turning into a small, quiet town. She had barely said anything since they left. Eli knew that deep down, she still blamed herself for Alana getting caught.
The rest of the gang felt that same guilt, even though none of them would admit it. In the ten minutes they had been laughing at how much their Grenukes and Hop Rocks demolished Blakk's equipment, Alana had been getting stuck on the train.
They couldn't have known. They'd had every right to believe that they would return to the tracks to find both Sam and Alana waiting for them.
But it still stung.
Eli strummed his fingers impatiently on Lucky's handlebars as Trixie led the Shane Gang through the streets of the small town.
People walking by stopped and pointed excitedly. Normally, the slingers would have stopped to say hello. But even the townspeople could tell they weren't in the mood, letting their gazes linger for a moment before carrying on.
"Here we are," Trixie said, slowing her Mecha down. Eli looked up. A retro diner stood in front of them. A flickering neon sign read Lolla's Diner.
"Okay, guys," Eli said as he parked Lucky and jumped down to the ground. "We take a few minutes to wash up, get some food and water, make sure Sam is settled in, and get back on the road."
"What was that?" Sam asked, her voice hoarse.
"You're staying here until we get Alana back," Eli said, leading the way into the diner. "It's not up for debate. If we're really going to Blakk's citadel, we need all the slingers and firepower we can get. Having you on the train, a strategic mission, was great, really. But we're going on the offensive now."
Sam was obviously annoyed, but she didn't retaliate.
"I get it," she said. Eli nodded, relieved it wouldn't turn into an argument.
The diner was quiet, with a half dozen other customers in booths. A woman with tan skin and black hair was wiping at the counter and looked up at the group in surprise.
"Oh, my. How can I help you?" she asked.
"We're getting this all to go," Eli said. "Some water and a burger for me, please."
He turned back to the rest of the gang.
"Don't worry about long-term health here," he said. "We just need enough energy to get us through the rest of the day."
While the rest of the gang ordered, Eli headed to the restroom. He took off his gloves, setting them beside the sink while he scrubbed at his arms. Small cuts and bruises littered them, the usual after a such a big fight.
He sighed and looked up into the mirror above the sink, replaying the moment where Alana had leapt from one train car to the next. Alana had become like a sister to him- he couldn't believe she was gone just like that.
For a moment, all he could think of was his dad, and how upset he would be if he knew the situation Alana was in. Alana may not have been his daughter, but he always talked about her with Eli fondly, like he had known her for years before he had found the five-year-old wandering around in a forest. Maybe he had. But he would never know now.
We're gonna get her back, Eli promised himself.
The rest of the gang ordered and washed up. The waitress looked like she wanted to ask questions about what they were doing, but, much to the Shane Gang's relief, she didn't.
"Are we ready to head out?" Eli asked when each member had gotten ready and gathered up any food they were going to bring with them on the road.
"Pronto is now replenished and ready to aid our comrade!" Pronto exclaimed, hopping down from his barstool.
Eli nodded and stepped forward to pay, but Sam held up her hand.
"Go ahead and go. Trust me, it's literally the least I can do," Sam said from her barstool.
Eli nodded. "We'll contact you when we get Alana, then we're all going to the hideout and laying low for a few days."
"Sounds good. Knock 'em dead," Sam said.
"Believe me, it'll take some self control not to," Trixie said. Sam smiled sadly.
"Try your best. Good luck," she said. Eli nodded and led the gang out of the diner, where their Mechas were waiting.
Midnight was still impatiently looking around, as if her rider might appear at any minute. Eli sadly watched her run alongside Lucky as the gang rode out.
"Okay, guys," Eli said, looking around as mushroom-trees sped by them. It was still early morning- there were still people who hadn't even woken up yet. "Let's head to the citadel."
~~~~~~~~
Alana stayed silent throughout the train ride.
She didn't want to talk to Twist, that was for sure. She was just trying to figure out how she was going to get away from Dana and Twist.
The gang couldn't track the train- the Grays did not want this shipment traced back to them. If it was trackable, Eli and the others might get tipped off that something was up when they saw it stop for a bit. But it was completely off the radar.
Alana's blaster, however, was not.
There was a chip in the handle of her blaster that was hooked up to Midnight's SPS system. The second it was away from the train and its signal wasn't being scrambled by whatever smokescreen Blakk was using, it would ping on Midnight's screen and the gang would be able to access her location.
Chillbore was a lot closer than the citadel- they might have a chance to intercept her before she was locked away in whatever safehouse Blakk had set up.
That meant that Alana had to get off the train as soon as possible, but once she did, she would have to stall as much as she could so the gang could catch up.
All while blind.
Not being able to see was terrible- Alana couldn't tell how much time had passed, or have a good idea of her surroundings. All she could sense was the energy around her, which did give her the advantage of being able to tell when people were approaching.
Otherwise, it was horrible.
She wasn't sure how much time had passed- it could have been fifteen minutes, or it could have been an hour. But eventually, Alana felt Dana's dark energy approaching. She winced and tensed up.
"You can tell when she's coming?" Twist asked from across the car.
"Unfortunately," Alana said quietly, wincing as she heard the train door on her left slam open. The swirling storm of dark energy that was inside Dana approached.
"Doctor Blakk wants you up front, Twist," Dana said icily. "We're ten minutes out from the station."
"Are you sure you should be alone with her?" Twist asked. Alana snorted and looked up at where she heard his voice.
"Aw, you do care," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I care about how mad Blakk will be if he comes back and finds you dead," Twist retorted.
"Relax, I'm not going to do anything," Dana said. Twist hesitated, then left, leaving Alana to wonder whether or not Dana was going to make good on her promise.
Surprisingly, Dana was quiet. She just stood in front of Alana- Alana imagined she had her arms crossed, with her eyes narrowed in anger.
After a few minutes, Alana broke the silence.
"You never actually told me what happened."
Dana paused, then sighed.
"What do you want to know?" she asked.
"Whatever happened after I left," Alana replied.
"Fine," Dana said. "Well, during the explosion, one of the barrels of dark water burst. The conditions were just right, really. Just enough to do damage without actually killing me. I was exposed to the dark energy, and it... fused itself with me. Streaks of my hair turned red. So did my eyes. My skin turned pale, and it felt like every negative emotion in me was dialed up to eleven. I was unstable, and taken to Bonnie Springs."
"But you couldn't have been there long," Alana said. "I went there two days after it happened looking for you, and they said you'd been checked out the day before. By your parents."
"Those doctors will say anything when the threat of tearing apart that hospital is dangling over their heads," Dana said tersely. "I was checked out almost immediately, but it wasn't by my parents. It was by Blakk. I spent months in the citadel just trying to get my mind back under control, and the years ever since then trying to control the dark energy inside me."
Alana shook her head. "I can't believe this. So what can you do? What does having so much darkness in your system do to you?"
"Ironically, nearly the same as the light energy inside you," Dana said. "Just with ghouls. I can feel dark energy with the same ease it takes for me to see in front of me. Ghouls really answer to no one, but out of everyone, I have the most control over them. Along with other things that you don't need to know about."
"What about your parents? Do they know you're helping terrorize Slugterra?" Alana asked. Dana scowled, and Alana's eyes widened as she felt Dana's dark energy pulse, like whatever force keeping it all contained momentarily slipped.
"I don't know, and I don't care," she said, seething. "I haven't talked to them in years. If they don't know, they'll start seeing me on the news. You know, I hope that's how they find out. I hope they see it and squirm because whatever I do is their fault!"
Dana's energy pulsed one more time before she sighed and got it under control. Alana raised an eyebrow.
"You are your own person, Dana," she said softly. "You don't have to be bad like them. And... I'm sorry I never tried to support you earlier."
Dana laughed icily, bending down so she was even with Alana.
"Only apologizing when you're trying to save your skin? I thought you were better than that, Alana," she said.
"I would be saying the same thing if we were having a civil conversation in public," Alana protested. "I'd definitely prefer that setting."
"I think our time for civil chats passed us years ago," Dana noted. Alana could feel the train beginning to slow down. She paused, then looked up at where she felt Dana's energy.
"I don't think it did. It doesn't have to be like this, Dana," Alana said desperately. "We don't need to be fighting each other. Let's stop and talk for a minute, maybe fix things."
"I'm perfectly content with where I am," Dana said. Alana could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm on the side of the most powerful man in Slugterra, and I have something inside that gives me incredible strength. Why would I give it up?"
"Because you've lost yourself in the process," Alana said, glancing around her as the train came to a stop. "You're not the same person who helped me in the forest years ago. But I can help you fix that."
"I've rejected that help before and I'll do it again," Dana said, reaching behind Alana's back and unlocking the metal band that bonded Alana's wrists, moving them away from the metal bar and relocking it. "You're not getting out of this."
"You never know," Alana said as Dana dragged her to her feet. She tried to press away the headache that was forming from being so close to such unstable dark energy. "I'm full of surprises."
"If you try anything, I might just forget about Blakk ordering me to keep you alive," Dana hissed.
At that, Alana fell silent. She was beginning to realize that the hatred Dana felt for her was real and powerful. She allowed herself to be led out of the train car by Dana, who kept one hand on Alana's elbow and another holding her blaster up to Alana's back.
In the next train car, Alana quickly looked around- she could feel a bundle of light energy. Her slugs. Hope fluttered in her chest as she heard a few chirps.
"Well, if it isn't our honored guest," Blakk said. Alana sighed, not even bothering to turn in the direction of his voice. She would look like more of an idiot if she looked in the wrong direction as opposed to not moving at all.
"Yeah, I feel real welcomed," Alana said bitterly. "But hey, y'know, you could always untie my hands. I have a certain gesture I'd like to share with you-"
Dana's grip tightened on her elbow, and Alana stopped talking, gritting her teeth. Footsteps approached, and Dana switched places with Twist, walking across the train car.
Doctor Blakk scoffed.
"You're just like the Shane boy. Far too much confidence in yourself," he sneered. "Dana, load up her gear and slugs. Have them be incentive for good behavior. If she acts up, well, I'd love to ghoul them, but I don't mind if a few get lost along the way."
Alana narrowed her eyes and growled.
"Guardian slugs, I am gonna love when we finally have one final fight and we kick your butt!" Alana exclaimed as Twist shoved her down the train car. "One day, you're gonna get everything that's coming for you, Blakk!"
"We'll see," Blakk said with a laugh.
Dana led the way as Alana was forced through an opening, and she took a deep breath as fresh hair hit her face. She could feel the light energy Dana carried, a stark contrast to the darkness. If she had Alana's slugs, she probably had her blaster.
Twist pushed Alana down a step, and the second Alana felt solid ground beneath her feet, she began pushing back against Twist and digging her feet into the ground.
If she was off the train, her blaster was sending out a signal, and the gang would be able to find her.
"Alana, you're just making this harder on everyone," Twist said quietly, pushing her forward.
"Harder for you, maybe!" she snapped as she continued to resist.
"You're not gonna be able to keep this up all the way to Chillbore," Twist said evenly. Alana didn't reply, but she knew he was right. Her arms and legs were still sore from where Dana's Briardrill had cut into them.
"Maybe not, but I'll keep it up as long as I can," Alana said.
She continued to struggle and fight, but Twist still successfully pushed her forward every time. Finally, she was forced up on a Mecha, where she felt Twist latch her metal tie to his Mecha.
"Just so you don't get urged to jump off, which I know you would do," he said as climbed up on the Mecha. Alana rolled her eyes as he climbed on, their backs to each other.
"You're not wrong," she admitted. "I'd definitely rather jump off a moving Mecha instead of riding with you."
"We could always switch," Twist said quietly as he started the Mecha. "You could ride with Dana."
"I'm good here, thanks," Alana said hurriedly.
"That's what I thought."
Alana frowned as the Mecha jolted forward, following after Dana, who led the way to Chillbore. Twist would have made an excellent teammate.
She sighed and pushed the thought away, instead focusing on what came next.
Eli and the gang would find her in time, before she was tucked away in Chillbore. They would get the signal from Midnight before they ran into whatever trap was waiting for them at the citadel.
It's gonna be fine.
~~~~~~~~
The Shane Gang was tearing through the forest, each slinger's anticipation growing with every step they took toward the citadel. They knew how daunting the mission seemed, but it also seemed unthinkable to consider not going through with it.
She'd do it for us in a heartbeat, Eli thought.
Their rides on the way to missions were usually full of chats about how it would go, who they would see, what they would do afterward. But now, each member of the Shane Gang was just narrowing down their focus so the very second Blakk Industries came into view, they would only have their rescue mission on their minds.
That's what Eli was trying to do, at least. But a certain black and cyan wolf Mecha riding alongside him suddenly decided that wasn't a good idea.
Midnight suddenly perked up, looking around wildly as she ran alongside Lucky. Then she turned toward Eli and began to bark loudly.
Trixie sighed and sped up so she was riding on Eli's left, looking over at Midnight curiously.
"What's her deal?" Trixie called over the rush of the wind.
"I dunno, she was fine a second ago," Eli said.
"Will someone make that machine be quiet?!" Pronto yelled as Midnight barked louder. The Mecha growled and sped forward, darting out in front of the Shane Gang and stopping in her tracks.
"Whoa!" Eli called, slamming on the breaks. The others followed suit, coming to a screeching halt just before colliding with Alana's Mecha.
"What are you doin'?" Kord asked curiously, jumping down from his Mecha. Trixie and Pronto followed suit, all walking up and standing next to Eli. Midnight ran up to Eli, still barking up a storm.
"Okay, okay, we stopped," Eli said, looking around the Mecha for any hint as to why she was so worked up. "What do you want?"
Midnight turned so her side was facing Eli, ducking her head down and exposing her control panel. Eli carefully stepped forward, looking at the small screen.
A map was pulled up, with a bright blue circle pulsing in the middle. It was moving north through a remote area.
"What is this?" Trixie asked, looking over Eli's shoulder. Midnight huffed and nudged at Trixie's waist. Trixie looked down and unclipped one of the slug canisters- the one holding Alana's Bubbaleone.
Eli looked at the slug, then back at the map.
"Is it a tracker?" he asked. Midnight barked and wagged her trail.
"Trackin' what- Alana?" Kord asked. "How's that possible?"
"Maybe it's connected to her blaster?" Trixie suggested.
"Who cares?" Eli laughed. "I don't care how it's tracking her, but where is important. That's not moving toward the citadel. She's not on the train anymore."
"It wouldn't surprise me if she's sitting wherever she is right now hoping we see this," Trixie said, watching as the dot moved across the map.
"If she's not going all the way to the citadel, we might have a chance to catch up to her now!" Kord said excitedly.
"Come, let us go to our teammate's aid!" Pronto exclaimed, leaping onto his Mecha. "Once again, Pronto the Magnificent will
"You heard him!" Eli said, jumping up on Lucky with newfound determination. "Let's ride out!"
~~~~~~~~
Lolla's Diner is from willjaymusic 's
Slugterran Saviors! Thanks for letting me use it!
Cyan out!