— This is officially the strangest thing we have lived through — declared Marta, while the group advanced along a path surrounded by leafy trees and strange noises from animals —. And that's saying something considering I once got stuck in a portable bathroom with a squirrel.
— I still can't get over the karate duck — added Carlos, who was walking with the pet locator held together with duct tape and improvised wires —. It was a duck. With a black belt!
— Do you think Max will be okay? — asked Alex, with a tone more worried than usual. He had been through many absurd things, but the only thing that mattered to him was finding his dog.
— Our goal remains the same — said Marta —. Save Max. And prevent the mysterious villain from achieving whatever it is they are trying to do.
— And not die in the attempt — added Carlos, who at that moment tripped over a root and almost fell face-first.
In their search, they had followed a tracking signal that led them out of the city, to a small and seemingly abandoned animal shelter in the woods. The strange thing was not the place, but that, according to the locator, there were several energy traces there like that of the stolen artifact. And Max was nearby.
— Do you see that? — Carlos pointed with his finger —. There's movement.
From the bushes, a small figure peeked out. An instant later, several teenagers emerged wearing strange uniforms, similar to those of a school... but with tactical vests and backpacks full of gadgets.
— Who are you?! — asked Marta, in a defensive position with a can of pepper spray in hand that, according to Carlos, was actually "anti-mutant koala repellent."
— Calm down — said a red-haired girl, who seemed to be the leader —. We are not enemies. My name is Sam. We are part of the Suburban Rescue Club.
— Suburban what? — asked Alex, frowning.
— Suburban Rescue Club — Sam repeated, proudly —. We are a secret group dedicated to saving endangered pets, recovering stolen artifacts, and thwarting plans.
The evil. We've been dedicated to all that since... well, since the Indian rabbit
My cousin tried to dominate a neighborhood with drones.
How did they know about us? He asked me, crossing my arms.
We have our own trailers. Your friend Max is on our list.
"Protected objectives" This is why we followed it from the party.
Charles released a short chill.
I saw the theft.
"We've seen more than that," said Sam, opening a tablet with images and recordings.
What this wild man is looking for is a component of ancient technology, part of a
A military experiment that disappeared many years ago. And for reasons that he does not understand,
He pulled it.
I knew I shouldn't give him that mysterious taco! He told Alex.
"The point is," Sam continued, "that the wicked man, whom we call "Lord."
"I want to use this component to activate a machine that alters the
the perception of time... and so you will use it to steal in slow camera, make monologues
dramatic, or worse: control all the pets to create a domesticated army!
"That's a ridiculous way," Marta said.
"And that's why we need to unite forces," Sam said. With your locator, our drones
And your knowledge of Max — looked at Alex — could be impaired.
What do you win? He asked Carlos.
The glory. Additional points in our club. Moreover, Max is lovely, it would be a sad thing.
He was the general of a robotic army.
After a few minutes of talk and some emergency snacks (Marta took out a package)
from the cookies that he had in the bag "for if the apocalypse"), the group decided to unite
The forces.
The plan was clear: to locate the fool's base, infiltrate using the old tunnel
I found the club's boys and rescued Max.
The second phase of the experiment.
What is the phase 2? -Alexiatrist asked while they walked to a truck.
Camouflage with branches.
— We don't know — replied Sam —. But it has a very big red button. It's never a good sign.
During the trip in the Suburban Rescue Club van (painted like an ice cream truck, with speakers playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" at full volume), Alex looked out the window, thoughtful.
— What if we arrive late?
— We are not going to arrive late — Marta replied —. Because you are the most stubborn human I know. And that dog adores you.
— Besides, it wouldn't be the first time we saved the day with ridiculous ideas — said Carlos —. Remember the time we defeated a drone with a fishing rod and a wet sock?
— Don't make me remember it... the smell still haunts me — Marta grimaced.
Upon arriving at the coordinates of the villain's base, they encountered an impressive landscape: an old factory turned into a laboratory, with red lights, drones patrolling the sky, and signs that said "Danger: Temporary Testing Area."
— Testing area of what? — Carlos whispered.
— Come on, team — said Sam —. Time to show that pets matter.
The group descended through a hatch covered in weeds and ventured into the underground passages of the factory. The tunnel was narrow, damp, and smelled of moisture and mint gum. Sam explained that the smell was part of the security system to scare off intruders. It worked. Carlos sneezed every five seconds.
When they reached a security gate, Marta used an old Morse code she learned by accident watching spy movies to unlock it. It worked. It seemed suspiciously easy to everyone, but no one said anything for fear it was a trap.
— There he is — said Alex, seeing Max through a security camera. He was in a kind of transparent capsule, with a small aluminum helmet on his head and surrounded by screens.
— Max! — he shouted, although no one could hear him.
— The villain isn't here yet — said Sam —. We have to move quickly.
The club members activated a small robot that looked like a vacuum cleaner with legs. It was their technical assistant, whom they called "Chispa." With its help, they began to deactivate the security systems.
Everything was going well... until the lights went out. A voice boomed through the speakers.
— You thought you could stop me... But I have anticipated every one of your steps!
It was the villain. The one and only Mr. Shadow. And now he was watching them from a floating booth, accompanied by an army of henchmen with bright-colored helmets.
— Oh, no... — murmured Carlos —. Evil Power Rangers!
— Prepare for the unexpected! — shouted the villain, pressing the big red button.
Everything started to slow down. The lights were flickering. The ground was shaking. And Alex, Marta, Carlos, Sam, and the other club members looked at each other with a mix of terror and excitement.
— I think phase two has just begun — said Marta.
— Time to improvise — replied Alex, clenching his fists —. Let's go for Max!