Amy felt a sense of adrenaline as Breeze rushed through the damp and frosty Twisted Willows. The dirt path ahead of them was bumpy and uncertain. But she knew they would make it home okay.
"C-can't we slow down a little?" Tekno stammered as Breeze swerved downhill. She clutched the torn ends of the worn seat cushions.
"It's okay, Tekno. This is fun!" Amy exclaimed, turning around to face Tekno. She smiled brightly.
"It's terrifying!" Tekno yelled.
"C'mon, live a little," Amy replied. She got hit in the back of the head by a tree branch, but she didn't seem to mind. "Sonikku goes fast all the time, and he's happy because of it." Amy turned back around and put her legs up. "And, he makes me happy! When he runs with me."
"You're all crazy," Tekno mumbled. "I think I'm gonna be sick."
"It's okay," Big said. "Breeze is nice, I think he'll take care of us."
"Of course I will! Amy's here, after all. So you're in good hands. Erm… tires?" Breeze drove into a roadway carved from the trunk of a giant oak tree amidst the weeping willows. Driving in circles up the all but hollowed out tree, they eventually shot off a giant wooden ramp made from one of the branches! They rocketed across the gap between the tree branch and a nearby cliff.
"Wow… Look at the city!" Big exclaimed while airborne. Everybody gazed past the Lantern Lake, all the way back to the fireworks in the distant city of Illedence.
"Does that firework look… off to anyone else?" Tekno asked, squinting at a red and purple orb floating into the sky slower than the other fireworks.
"I dunno. But it's pretty!" Amy exclaimed.
"No, seriously. It looks like it's—!" Tekno yelled. Suddenly, the orb burst into a wave of color. Everyone screamed as the blast enveloped them. When the glow subsided, it looked like… there was a huge hole torn in the sky. Everyone but Big screamed. Amy looked to the ground, and saw that they were being lifted off of the trail.
"We're flying!" Amy gasped, looking up at the strange swirling vortex in the sky. Around the limits of the purple-red mist surrounding the black hole, she could see a sky full of stars. Within the hole of the vortex, there were none.
"Flying? I… I can do that on my own, thanks!" Tekno squeaked. Birdie nodded in agreement, as Breeze was lifted off the ground along with entire trees and pieces of land.
"Hammer!" Amy exclaimed, smashing her hammer into an uprooted tree, bouncing them over to a large boulder also being carried into the void. Breeze drove all around the boulder at high speeds, then rocketed off to a strip of broken natural corkscrews upside-down. He drove at full-speed across the bits of corkscrew, jumping from piece to piece.
"Fast enough for ya, Amy?" Breeze asked, his voice strained. Amy, being bounced off her seat with every jump, could only react with a tremulous electronic drone. "I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Tekno sat there rocking back and forth.
"Whoa-oh-oh!" Big exclaimed. "This is scary!" Suddenly, the vortex let out a loud sound like a hum, descending from a high-pitched serenade to a low rumble. Before suddenly, it collapsed in on itself. It shrunk until there was no longer anything left. Breeze flipped forward in the air. Gravity reclaimed control of the land, before Breeze hit the grass on his tires and spinned out. There was a moment where everyone just sat there, catching their breath. "Quite a bumpy ride."
"Yeah, you're right…" Amy mumbled, wobbling around dizzily. She heard Birdie sobbing. "Hey, Birdie… are you okay?" She stroked the feathers on his head gently. "He's not calming down when I pet him, so he must be hungry."
"I could give him fish," Big offered. "I have a lot of those."
"I think these types of Flickies only eat plants and small worms," Tekno stated as soon as she caught her breath. She looked around at the barren patch of forest around them. "We should go to a more lush part of the woods."
"I'm on it, then!" Breeze replied, smiling. "Everyone buckle up." Breeze drove forward along the gravel trail.
"So what do you think that storm was about?" Amy asked.
"No idea," Tekno sighed. "It certainly wasn't natural. Could it have been Cleave's doing?"
"Possibly," Breeze replied. "We shouldn't worry about it, as long as we can get far away in case it comes back."
…
"Gamma, I have a very special assignment for you," Cleave growled hollowly, leaning on the wall inside the dark, moist Torch Tower Zone. A few specks of dust flowed out of his mouth along with his cold breath.
"Assessment: you seem upset. Is this urgent?" Gamma asked.
"Back in line, you cheap piece of foreign hardware! Did I tell you to ask questions?" Cleave barked. "No. It is not urgent. I simply ask that you clear out two prison cells for the witch and the traitor."
"Yes, sir," Gamma replied. Cleave wobbled away. Gamma walked to the door on the left, Beta's room. Surely clearing out two cells was a task for two robots. Two firearms. Only half of the guilt. "Beta? Are you in there?" No response. Gamma pressed the button to open the door. It slid open slowly. "Please come out. I could use your help." Gamma walked into the room, it was pitch black. "Activating night vision." There was a high-pitched sound like an old TV turning on, as Gamma's vision was tinted green. Gamma scanned the room. There were scratch marks on the walls, even some bullet holes and strangely, a black spot of ash on the wall. Gamma looked to the corner, and saw Beta slouched over on the floor. "He must have malfunctioned. I will take him to Mayor Cleave." Gamma walked towards Beta, and tried to pick him up by his left arm. But then, Beta's left side fell over. Gamma jolted back as the innards of his brother spilled out of his body. He gripped tighter onto the hand he held instinctively. Gamma's logical processing then kicked in. He dropped the hand and the arm it was attached to slammed onto the mildew-covered floor without a sign of resistance.
Gamma turned and walked to the door. He closed it behind him. He didn't actually care. That couldn't have been Beta. Because Beta had been perfectly fine just an hour ago. It must have been something else. This led Gamma's processors down a path to one conclusion…
"This is the wrong room."