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Counter Earth Chronicles

Chapter 117: When You Least Expect It... Expect It (Knight Watch Part One)

Day 965 (After five weeks of counseling sessions)

The empire's citizens are reacting to the shocking findings of a investigation conducted by the knight core and whose results were just made public by orders of the High Evolutionary this weekend. The hub reporter, a female foosa said trying to compose herself given the magnitude of the story she was presenting.

Recapping now, the investigation initially started by the Knights of Wundagore five weeks ago- expanded pooling resources from the Knights of Warwick, Sevren, Sogreth and Sovereign in Worlds Two, Three, Four and Five respectively. The investigation was looking into reports that Counter Earth was being visited by beings not of this world. There were whispers among the population for years that these off worlders were abducting beastial citizens for some unknown purpose.

Yesterday the knight core released the results of their five week investigation and are you ready for this? It is TRUE. There is a portion of the beastial populace, a small portion that are missing due to extraterrestrial activity. The public reaction has been profound. Some have expressed shock and outrage that the empire knew that this was happening all along but would not admit it until now. Others are relieved that the empire is finally acknowledging the phenomenon.

But there are bigger questions for the rest of us- what do the beings want? Are they malevolent? On another matter can the empire protect its citizens? If the empire can't, then what happens now?

"What happens now is nothing." My lady bear grumbled as we finished watching the news report within the prototype. "The empire can't do anything to prevent the KLIS from taking its beastial citizens."

"That is one part of the report the knight core didn't make public and for good reason too." I said.

"That is because the master would be blamed for that too." My warrior bear growled.

"Mistress are you ok?" I asked turning to her.

"WHY?" She asked me.

"You seemed to be quite grumpy and irritable today for some reason."

My bear knight had been that way since we had woken up that morning.

"How is Tauren?" She said sidestepping the question. "I heard he finally hired some replacements servants."

"It took him three weeks and a lot of time off from the castle but he did."

"Who were the candidates?"

"Are you ready for this? Remember the stallion, mare, mule and donkey he interviewed that weekend we were visiting the Frosts?"

"The ones that took a look at Gabe and Gabby and said no?" My grumpy bear said.

"Yeah that group. Well guess who came crawling back?"

"You mean?" My she beast said.

"Yup, they contacted Tauren, Sorren and Lurie begging for a second interview. The trio interviewed them Saturday and they started working for the couple yesterday with several stipulations."

"Like what?"

"That the four love and care for the elderly couple as if Gabby and Gabe were their own offspring. If they did, Tauren would guarantee the four would have steady employment no matter what shape the empire's economy is in." I said to my grumpy fierce ursine warrior.

"So it was like the old farmer said, the four equines weren't desperate enough." My she beast said returning to watch the end of the news report.

For the time being citizens are ordered to contact the knight core if they see anything not from this world. The foosa said concluding the newscast.

(Well at least the empire has finally acknowledged a badly, badly kept secret.)

"Wow, the prototype hasn't changed much in the time that we have been away has it?" I said staring at the copilot's monitor from the passenger seat.

"The ability to pull up hub reports is a nice touch pet. I wonder what other additions have been made?"

"I am still trying to figure that out mistress." I said combing through the weapons directory.

"Sir Ram did say that he and Mara made two more prototypes for the knight core." My Bear knight added.

"So after all the tests, retests and more tests, they finally realized that the time was right." I concluded. "Just like Lord Tiger did with you."

"It took him long enough pet." My she beast said grumbling again.

"What? But it has only been a month and a week!" I said laughing.

"Alex?" My warrior bear said raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't this the ultimate irony? Before our vacation (from hell) you were burnt out from the job and couldn't wait to get away. After our vacation you couldn't wait to get back to it."

"Yes, pet it is quite funny. I just wish my responsibilities now weren't so... reduced." My she beast said as we were contacted by our healer.

"Hey gorgeous how is the sexiest healer this side of Counter Earth this morning?" I said as the beautiful lioness appeared on the upper left monitor in the center stack of the prototype.

"Checking in on the both of you." Lea said and surprised the knights made their findings public- did you see the news report this weekend?"

"Avoid any and all bizarre and strange lights you see in the night sky." I said warning the lioness.

"Indeed. How are you my lady?" The hot lioness asked.

"Glad to be back out in the field Lea." My she beast exclaimed.

"She is just concerned that it is on limited duty."

"It has been twenty months my lady." Lea responded candidly. "But I think you are ready- you responded well to the treatment regimen and your nightmares have all but subsided right?"

"Mostly." My bear knight said to our healer.

"My lady?" Lea asked.

"She had one this morning." I said candidly.

"It wasn't about the greys again was it?" The sexy she beast asked.

"No. Alex and I were stranded on a remote desert island with Boris. After waiting months, upon months and then a year for rescue we abandoned all hope and decided to live out the rest of our lives there." Lady Ursa said.

"That doesn't sound like a nightmare my lady." The young lioness responded.

Lady Ursa told me that in her dream she had a heart to heart with her assigned breeding partner from the outpost. Eventually she became his mate. The dark brown bear also had a heart to heart with me; he wanted to become close- as close to me as I was to Lady Ursa. I agreed. We became good friends and lived out the rest of our lives in paradise. I agreed with Lea it did not sound like much of a nightmare.

"Did I mention that I was with Boris?" Lady Ursa shot back. "And no longer a knight?"

"Oh." Came the response from our healer. "So how goes your morning mission?"

"Searching for pockets of lawlessness can be quite tedious and boring." Lady Ursa sighed.

"Remember my lady you have to ease back into this a little at a time."

"Affirmative." My bear said.

"I will check on you two later." Lea said ending the communication.

"Oh ho ho, we got something!" I said turning my attention from the weapons directory to the site in front of us. A derelict emerge from a building we were observing in the basement of World One. He was holding something folded over in his arm.

(Was it a flag?)

"What is the status of the holo-projector pet?"

"Operating within normal parameters." I said glancing at the system's status monitor. "To everyone around us we are nothing more than mere signpost."

We then returned to watch the male human who was dressed in shaggy clothing. He approached a pole located a few buildings down the street, attached the 'something' he was carrying and hoisted it up for all to see. It was a sign containing one word in big bold letters.

*RESIST!!! *

(Resist what? The aliens or the empire? Given that he was human it could not have been the former.)

"We well see about that." The brown bear seated next to me grumbled.

**Side-pod Engaged**

**Laser System Engaged**

As the man finished hoisting his sign, he discovered that the rope supporting it had been cut. It floated back down to the street. Perplexed the man reattached the sign to the rope and attempted to hoist it back up onto the pole.

**Laser System Engaged**

Again the support rope was cut and it floated back down to the street. The man kneeled down to look at the rope that had been cut by something. He then looked around and proceeded to hoist it up again oblivious to the Knight of Wundagore and her human pet who were laughing their asses off at his expense inside a hidden blue coupe.

"What did commander Rhinox say?"

"You have to find humor where you can pet otherwise this job will get to you." Lady Ursa said gasping for air.

(It was great to see my brown bear smile and laugh again.)

"So how long are you going to taunt that protester and his illegal protest mistress?" I asked my laughing lady bear.

"Just a little while longer while you call it in."

"What? We aren't supposed to take down anyone ourselves?" I asked her.

"We are on surveillance only per Lord Tiger's orders." My she beast said as she pressed the left toggle switch on the weapons console again.

"Son of a bitch!!!" The derelict shouted as his sign floated to the ground again.

"Let me guess the commander's way of easing you back into the field again." I said as I activated the prototype's communicator.

"Castle Wundagore Watch Supervisor Sanda speaking." A caracal said appearing on the upper left monitor of the prototype.

"Morning Sanda." I said greeting him.

"G'day Alex. How goes the patrol?"

"My mistress found a pocket of lawlessness southeast of the city- the Claremont neighborhood."

"How big is this pocket of lawlessness?"

"One protester with a sign." I said to the caracal.

"Then I am sending Coal. He is on patrol in the area."

"Um, who is Coal?" I asked the watch supervisor. "He is a relatively new knight that recently came aboard."

"How recent?" I asked.

"Within the last few months." Sanda said as he contacted the junior knight.

My fierce ursine warrior continued to play with the now extremely frustrated protester who by this time realized that someone or something was screwing with him.

"Alright, whoever is doing this stop right now!" He shouted as Lady Ursa made another selection from the weapons monitor.

**Sound Projection Engaged**

"If you insist! Human you are guilty of illegal demonstration and protest!"

"Where, where are you?!" The man said startled.

"We are the Knights of Wundagore WE ARE EVERYWHERE ." Lady Ursa said laying it on real thick. _"Give yourself up now! You are our prisoner!" _

"Coal should be on site any second now." Sanda said to us.

I watched a grey donkey with a black mane in a junior knight uniform on a hoverbike arrive just as the protestor realized he was screwed.

"Oh crap!!!" The man screamed as he started running down the street.

"And we have a runner!" Lady Ursa said.

We watched as the junior knight gave chase.

"What should we do?" I asked.

"Follow and observe. He is being evaluated." The Watch Supervisor said.

"So I am babysitting junior knights now?" My mistress said annoyed.

"Have you read through the briefing about how the knight's responsibilities have changed in the last year and a half?"

"Yes Watch Supervisor." My she beast said.

"Well then to answer your question yes, you will be evaluating this junior knight today. He has the potential, he just needs some direction." The caracal said. "With everything that is going on, the knight core has been increasing their numbers to crush the unrest and preserve the empire, part of that is grooming new and upcoming warriors."

"Yes Watch Supervisor." My she beast said.

"Observe and assist him if he gets into trouble." The caracal said.

"And the evaluation part?" I asked Sanda.

"I want a report on his performance on my desk at the end of the day. Sanda out." The caracal said ending the communication.

"Well I guess we just became proctors." I said de-activating the holo-projector.

My mistress growled as she powered on the prototype retracted the side-pod and drove after the junior knight who was in pursuit of the would be protestor.

We watched as the human in his desperate attempt to get away threw the sign at the hover bike chasing him. It hit the donkey in the face causing him to lose control of his hover bike landing it hard on the street.

"He should have been able to deflect that." My she beast grumbled as we continued to observe.

Coal recovered chasing the man into a crowded open street market filled with merchants selling fruits and vegetables.

Lady Ursa drove to the entrance of the market and parked. I pulled up the feed from the front mounted camera. We watched the junior knight dodge in and out of the humans in the market while in pursuit of his prey.

Coal lost sight of his target for a moment before finding the derelict again. The man had been hiding behind a vendor's stand. Upon his detection he jumped up and started running again. That was when the donkey pulled out his weapon set it on the paralysis setting and fired at his target. The junior knight hit his target paralyzing him.... and four other humans in the process.

"Amateur!" Lady Ursa face palmed.

"Well at least he got the target." I said trying to spin it positively as my she beast left to help the junior knight haul away his prisoner and to reanimate the other four humans he had paralyzed in the process.

I didn't hear what the senior knight of Wundagore said to the junior knight, but judging their body language, she must have given him an earful. No, she was yelling at him.

As the two came within earshot I heard the verbal exchange.

"So you are the one who is conducting my evaluation?" The donkey said in mock confidence.

"Yes." My she beast grumbled. "You are not off to a brilliant start either."

"But I caught the protestor."

"Yes, but made several mistakes in doing so." My she beast said staring down at the donkey.

"You used your paralysis weapon in a crowd when there was no imminent danger. You should have just tackled him. If you had, you would have avoided the collateral damage."

The donkey nodded to his superior's assessment.

Two other knights arrived in a transport to take away the protests soon afterwards. Coal walked back to his hover bike and hopped on. Fortunately it wasn't badly damaged from the hard landing earlier.

"I will be shadowing you today on your rounds." My she beast said to the junior knight.

"Yes ma'am, I will strive to meet your expectations."

Lady Ursa grumbled again as she got back inside the prototype.

"I know he is a little raw around the edges, but what happens if he fails his evaluation?"

"He will be punished."

"Mistress?"

"He will be kicked out of the knight core pet." My mistress said as the donkey came running over.

"Ma'am we have been summoned."

"Regarding?" My fierce ursine warrior said looking at her charge.

"There was a theft at the World One Warriors store; someone stole merchandise there. The owner called it in- he is in pursuit of the thief!"

"Great!" My lady bear said. "You lead. We will follow."

The junior knight jumped on his hover bike and headed toward the direction of the store with Lady Ursa following in the prototype.

About a mile from the store Coal, Lady Ursa and I found the thief in a black sedan apparently speeding away from the store.

"Wait that doesn't look right." Coal said to us.

"Why is that?" My she beast said testing the junior knight.

"The store's owner said that he was in pursuit of the thief. He isn't! He is on the hood of the sedan!"

"Apparently he didn't really think that through or he wanted to really stop the thief." I said checking the footage from the front mounted camera. We saw a male weasel in an apron holding on to the hood of the sedan for dear life while the vehicle's driver most likely the thief was trying to shake him off.

"Ma'am what are we going to do?" The junior knight asked. "The shop owner's life is in danger!"

"No Coal, what are you going to do?" My she beast said putting the junior knight on the spot.

"The shop owner must be saved at all costs... I d-don't know!"

"Coal, you have had the training, you have been tested. You wouldn't be here otherwise." My she beast countered.

"We can't use the static pulse or the tractor hooks. It will cause the sedan to fall from the sky killing the shop owner and the thief." I said to the two knights.

"Wait Alex, this is Coal's mission." Lady Ursa said correcting me. "He must learn to think quickly on his hooves."

"I know." The junior knight suddenly responded. "You two stop the sedan, I will catch the the shop owner."

"You heard junior knight Coal- pet."

"Ok then let's stop the sedan." I said typing on the copilot's keyboard. "Ready mistress."

**Holo-projector engaged**

The thief abruptly stopped his hover vehicle in mid air as he was surrounded by four knights on hover bikes. As he did the weasel went flying off of the hood of the sedan.

"COAL!" My mistress shouted.

We watched as the junior knight dove hard to catch a weasel in an apron as he was falling from the sky. He soon reappeared with the shop owner secured in a net.

(Good job!)

"This is still your mission junior knight." My she beast said.

"Give yourself up thief as of now you are our prisoner!" Coal said via his PA system.

We followed the sedan and its driver, a sheep back down to the street where he abruptly surrendered thinking he was surrounded by four knights in hover bikes. Until Lady Ursa disengaged the holo-projector.

Coal paralyzed the driver and called for a transport vehicle while Lady Ursa and I saw to the shop keeper.

"Thank you for saving me." The weasel said. "I don't know what I was thinking chasing after him."

"You weren't citizen." My warrior bear said crossing her arms and chastising the shop owner.

"When he came in my store, I asked him if I could help. He didn't say anything, before grabbing what he wanted and then running, it just made me so mad!"

"It wasn't a good idea to risk your life for your wares sir. They can be replaced, however there will never be another you." I said to the weasel.

"Point taken." The weasel said.

A transport arrived and the paralyzed sheep was placed inside to be taken back to the castle for judgement and punishment.

"How did I do?" Coal asked Lady Ursa as the knight's latest capture was about to be taken away.

"You froze out there." My bear knight said belittling the junior knight yet again.

(What has gotten into her today?)

"But, we got the thief and saved the shop owner!" The donkey protested.

"Yes. But in situations like that, you can't be indecisive when lives are on the line. Assess the situation and make a decision!"

"Yes ma'am." The junior knight said looking at the ground.

"Wait here. I need to talk to the those driving the transport." My she beast ordered Coal and myself.

"Is she always like this?" The donkey asked me.

"Not always, but she seems to be in a mood today." I said making my way back to the prototype. Coal followed me.

"Is that?" He asked.

"It is." I said to the junior knight.

"Do you think I will ever get to drive it?"

"It is not the driving part it is knowing what to do with and how to use the vehicle's upgrades." I said the donkey.

"Here, I will give you a run down." I said sitting down inside the blue coupe. Coal sat down on the driver's side.

**Recognized Alex Winter Specialist Castle Wundagore**

"What is that?" The junior knight asked me.

"The prototype authorizing me for use." I said removing my hand from the dashboard. "All operators must be approved.

"What is with the three monitors?" He asked me.

"The one in the upper left is for communications and the micro camera that is mounted on the nose of the vehicle. The one on the upper right is the vehicle's system status and the one big one in the center..."

"Is the weapons menu." The donkey said staring like he was a child in a candy store.

"Any of those look familiar?"

"I have some of these on the hover bike but not all. Say what is that icon, the one that looks like a thought bubble with a question mark?"

"Yeah, I have never noticed that before. It must have been one of the upgrades Sir Ram and Mara added." I said pressing it.

*Good morning Alex Winter I am the Automated Assistant. How may I help you today?*

A voice said.

(WOW!!! Quite an upgrade!!)

"What is an Automated Assistant?" The donkey asked.

*I am a assistant program created by Sir Ram and Mara to aid less experienced knights in the operation of this prototype. My creators felt that there was a need to offer guidance to junior staff in the proper use of the prototype's weaponry.*

"That is a great idea. One of the problems with having an arsenal is knowing when and in what circumstances to actually use it." I said to the Automated Assistant. "So can you tell me what additional upgrades have been made?"

*Well Mr. Winter, there is a sound projector that has been added to the halo-projector to make projected images more realistic, the prototype now is impervious to EMP attacks and my creators made two more prototypes.*

"Are they identical to this one?" Coal asked.

*Yes very much so.*

"Did Sir Ram or Mara add any additional scanning capabilities outside of the probe? That is another limitation- if you need to use something like infrared detection then you have to launch the probe."

*I am afraid not Mr. Winter. However if you need advanced surveillance scanning you can just deploy the probe but not launch it.*

"That is an ingenious idea AA!" I said.

"I don't understand." The donkey said.

"I think I do." I said pressing the third toggle button on the weapon's console.

The copilot monitor and keyboard popped out of the glove compartment. From there I deployed the probe but I did not launch the device; it remained on the launch platform at the rear of the blue coupe.

"Ingenious." The junior knight said as we watched all activity around us in a two mile radius.

We saw Lady Ursa talking to the knights driving the transport, citizens walking up and down the street and a sloth bear and her cubs shaking down a well dressed man in a blind alley. Wait, what?

"Coal look at this!"

"Alex go back to that." The junior knight ordered. "The audio is a bit weak."

"Trying to clear it up." I said. "Got it."

"Please, just, just leave me alone!" The man said as he was surrounded by a shaggy female and two equally shaggy cubs who appeared to be just shy of adolescence.

"Not going to happen. You know you should never come between a momma bear and her cubs right?"

"Please, please don't hurt me!" The man cowered before the female beastial.

_"Then give momma some honey!" _

"It's go time!" The donkey said jumping out of the prototype and running down the street.

"AA can you record that? I have to alert my mistress."

*Affirmative*

The junior knight ran after the sloth bear and her cubs. While I notified my bear knight.

"Mistress! There is a mugging in progress!" I said running up to her. "Coal is attempting to intercept."

Lady Ursa looked at the blind alley the junior knight was running to. "Stay." She ordered me as she went to join Coal.

Not five minutes later my warrior bear and her charge had three more tenants for the transport vehicle a female sloth bear and two cubs.

"Thank you madam knight." The man said. "She threatened to hurt me unless I gave her my cube."

"You did the right thing." Coal said. "We just need to have you fill out some forms." The donkey said to the man.

"How did you and Coal?" Lady Ursa asked me.

"I was analyzing the weapons menu of the prototype and discovered a few upgrades Sir Ram and Mara added. We started playing around with them and saw the robbery in progress. Coal assessed the situation and then reacted."

"Better. He still is very shaky pet." Lady Ursa said as we walked back to the blue coupe.

(Seriously, what is wrong with her today?)

"I wonder why that female beastial decided to rob that man?" I said as we sat back down inside the prototype.

*I think I can be of some assistance Mr. Winter*

"Where did that come from?!" Lady Ursa asked.

"That is the automated assistant, a computer program Sir Ram and Mara installed in the prototypes to help less experienced knights." I said to my she beast.

*The would be assailant is Serena Sulfur and her cubs Skip and Skee Sulfur. They are self proclaimed radicals who disagrees with the High Evolutionary and his laws.*

"In what way?" Lady Ursa asked.

*That humanity is a mistake and should be erased from all of Counter Earth. She was abandoned by her parents at a young age and forced to fend for herself.*

"I think Coal and I witnessed that." I said to my warrior bear.

"Well, her and her cubs will have a place to stay while awaiting their punishment pet. I can see that this automated assistant is quite useful." My she beast said powering on the prototype. "It just needs a better name."

So Coal resumed his patrol with Lady Ursa and myself shadowing him. The rest of our morning was uneventful as was part of the afternoon. It was around 2:15 when we decided to stop off for lunch. Unfortunately we were on the other side of the city when we decided to break.

"It is too bad the Wild's don't have their restaurant on the north west side of the city." I said to the two knights.

"Well will have to make due with what's here." The grey donkey said. "Salad? My treat."

"I am fine Coal. None for me." My she beast said.

"Trying to butter up your evaluators?" I asked the junior knight. He only smiled and walked toward the stand. "Salad for lunch yay."

My she beast was quiet.

"Mistress are you alright?" I asked her.

"Fine pet, just a little dizzy. That is all." My bear knight responded as her charge came back with lunch.

Coal and I sat down on the front of the blue coupe to eat our lunch and enjoy the peace of this beautiful late summer day.

"So Coal why did you decide to become a knight?" I said as we started eating.

"Oh me?" The donkey asked.

"He asks that of all the knights he has gone on missions with in the past." My she beast said.

"Well it all started a few years ago when...

The junior knight's origin story was interrupted by a traffic accident a block from our location.

A brown pick up truck was hauling some furniture and from the looks of it, some of the items were unsecured. A long block of wood flew off of the truck and pierced the windshield of a grey sedan following behind it.

"YOU ASSHOLE!!!" A alligator said climbing out of the hover vehicle. He was joined by the passenger a weird looking lizard, both were enraged.

"Look at what you did!" The driver of the sedan said to the driver of the truck.

"I am so sorry." A bearded man in overalls said climbing out of the truck. "I guess I should have tied that down.

"Not a sorry as you going to be." The lizard said punching the man hard in his stomach.

"Lunch time is over. Hey you two!" Coal said running up to the man's assailants.

"Great it is one of them!" The sedan's driver said as he kicked the man- hard.

"Mistress?" I asked my she beast.

"Wait. Pet let's see how Coal handles himself." My warrior bear said.

"You two are in a lot of trouble." The donkey grumbled.

"He started it! That debris could have impaled the both of us!"

"Rightly so. But you did not have to react the way you did." The donkey said to the alligator and lizard.

"Pet call this in." I am going to see to the man. Lady Ursa said as she walked over to join the junior knight.

Within two minutes a penguin arrived in the equivalent of an ambulance to treat the beared man while Coal interviewed his attackers further.

"Look Mr. Knight we didn't mean to over react the way we did." The sedan's driver said.

"That was right it was the heat of the moment thing." The sedan's passenger said as my she beast started to look at the damage the block of wood had done to their hover vehicle.

"Regardless. You two savaged this human, you are our prisoners." The junior knight said as he prepared to use the confusion setting on his weapon.

"Not today." The driver said punching him in his face.

The donkey went flailing backward while the second reptile picked up Coal's weapon and shot him with it.

"You are our prisoner!" The two threw the now confused knight into the back of the ambulance.

"I wouldn't come after us either if you value his life bear." The two sneered jumping in the vehicle and driving off.

"Hey!" The female penguin treating the human yelled out as the two reptiles activated hover mode and took off into the sky.

"Alex!" My she beast said as she wobbled back from the grey sedan to the prototype.

"Right, let's go Coal is in trouble!" I said jumping back into the passenger seat.

But that was not what my she beast meant.

She dropped down to all fours and started dry heaving before...

**BLARFF**

(She has never done that before.)

"Alex! Get Coal!" Lady Ursa said dry heaving.

I moved over to the driver's seat and powered on the prototype. "Take care of her!" I ordered the female penguin driving off.

I was concerned about my mistress, she had been irritable this morning, dizzy this afternoon and now just threw up. Was it something we received from the alien encounter in World Four? No. Lea had cleared Tauren, Lurie, my mistress and myself when we came back from visiting the Frosts three weeks ago. It didn't matter the healer on site would take care of her. I just needed to catch up to the ambulance there was no telling what the two reptiles were doing to the junior knight, they could have dropped him from the sky by now.

(Oh crap!)

I just remembered! I only knew how to drive the prototype but not fly it! Crap! I quickly pressed the thought bubble image with the question mark on the weapons screen.

*Good afternoon Mr. Winter how may I assist you?*

"AA do you know how to pilot the prototype?" I asked.

*Yes Mr. Winter but my creators have prohibited me from doing so.*

"Why?" I asked as the ambulance started to fade from view.

*Because of the Neo incident that happened at Counter Earth Cosmetics.*

"I was there during that time. AA this is an emergency, A knight has been incapacitated and abducted."

*What about the senior knight on duty?*

"She is similarly incapacitated."

*Searching for help... oh dear, there aren't any other knights in the immediate area.*

"Yes we are it and I don't know the first thing about flying a hover vehicle."

_*But Mr. Winter...* _

"Emergency authorization for Automated Assistant. Authorization Alex Winter Specialist Wundagore Castle." I shouted to the prototype.

*But...*

"AA this is a dire emergency. You are an automated assistant aren't you?" I asked the computer program.

*Yes Mr. Winter...*

"WELL ASSIST!!!"

_*Right. Engaging hover mode.* _

"Head north that was the last known position." I shouted jumping back over to the copilot seat.

I activated the front mounted camera and started searching knowing time was of the essence.

"I found them. Stay with that vehicle!" I ordered the computer.

The ride was a little bumpy but the automated assistant was keeping pace with the alligator, lizard and their prisoner.

*What do you plan to do once we catch up with them Mr. Winter?*

"Bring them back to the ground." I said pressing the third of the left most buttons on the weapons console.

**Side-pods engaged**

**Tractor hooks engaged**

Using the copilot monitor and keyboard, I lined up the shot.

*THOK!!*

Both tractor hooks fired and hit the ambulance's bumper.

"Bring them back to the surface!"

The prototype struggled to stop the moving ambulance.

*I am having trouble complying with that order Mr. Winter.*

"Fine we will soften them up a bit." I said selecting another item from the weapon's menu and took the shot.

**Laser system engaged**

There was a small explosion on the ambulance's left rear stabilizer as the laser hit its mark. The automated assistant used the prototype to forceably pull the ambulance back to the surface.

The prototype landed quite softly, but the ambulance, well it did not.

**Surveillance probe deployed**

I was trying to determine if the two reptiles were out cold from their landing. I didn't have long to wait as Coal's service weapon appeared out of the window and started firing at us.

"AA contact Sanda. Give him our location we need immediate assistance."

*Right away and you Mr. Winter?*

"I am ending this right now!"

**Static pulse engaged**

A ball of electricity fired from the left side-pod just above the tractor hooks which were holding the ambulance in place. The EMP disabled the vehicle.

The alligators exited. The driver still firing at the prototype.

**Sound Projection Engaged**

"Give it up boys you are our prisoners!"

"Let me think about that- NO!" The driver said.

**Static pulse engaged**

I fired two more balls of electricity this time the targets were the reptiles. I easily dropped both of them.

(Finally.)

I left the prototype and made my way to the ambulance where I found the donkey still confused but otherwise alive.

Springer and Chemar arrived five minutes later.

"You did this?" Then buck said amazed.

"Yes. Those two beat up a second class citizen earlier during a road rage incident. When the knights approached, they stole that rescue vehicle and tried to get away."

"That's because the knight core has been searching for them." The cheetah said to me. "They are wanted for attacking mobile healers."

"I would like to stay and psycho analyze those two, but Coal and I have to get back and check on Lady Ursa."

So I let Chemar and Springer clean up the reptile situation while I took Coal back to visit the healer who's vehicle the alligator and lizard had stolen in attempt to get away.

"How is our junior knight here?" I asked the penguin.

"Except for a rash of extreme embarrassment he will recover nicely." She said to me. "What about my hover vehicle?"

"It was damaged during the rescue." I responded apologetically. "It is going to need some repairs. Okay, a lot of repairs. How is Lady Ursa?"

"See for yourself." The penguin said guiding me back to my bear knight.

"How are you feeling mistress?"

"Better pet." She said quietly.

"Did you find out why you were dizzy and threw up during the abduction?"

"I did Alex." My bear knight said abruptly. "And why I have been moody all day."

"Really? It wasn't the assignment?" I asked her.

It was then that the healer pulled me aside.

"Is she sick?" I asked the penguin healer.

"No. She just has a little bear growing inside her." The healer said to me.

To Be Continued....