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Chapter 1:

Welcome To Firewall

It was a cloudy day in late July; a thunderstorm was almost certainly on the way. But Carrie Bobcattie, a young eleven year old bobcat, and her best friend, Sarah Tikit, a pretty eleven year old Calico cat, were still in high spirits.

"We certainly had a good time," said Carrie, "Didn't we?"

"I know I did!" said Sarah, "And look at all the stuff we got!" She pulled out a large carrying bag and opened it for Carrie to see. Inside were all sorts of various trinkets; authentic antique scout patches, lucky charms, a guidebook to coping with muddy trails, and various medals and badges. You see, Carrie and Sarah had spent the last couple of days at a scouts convention in southern California. There had been girl scouts and boy scouts from all over the United States at the convention, competing against each other to test and prove their mettle; but also to learn from each other and see what the various scout troops were about. Carrie and Sarah were members of the Swampfox Scouts, and this had actually been their first time at this convention. They, and the rest of the troop, had had a marvelous time, and the medals and badges in their bag, they had won in the various events. Now they were on their way home, and while the rest of the troop was going back in the bus, Carrie and Sarah's parents, and their scout mistress had agreed that they could take the train home, as long as they were careful. The girls didn't know it at the time, but by taking the train, they were destined to go on a wild adventure that would possibly change their lives forever.

"I can't help but feel proud of myself," said Carrie, "We did a lot better at the convention than I thought we would."

"Especially considering it was our first time there." said Sarah, "By the way, Carrie, I'm curious; what was your favorite event?"

"Oh," said Carrie, "The mud bath contest for sure!" Both girls laughed; then Carrie said, "I really liked the touch of ballet that you gave it; I think that made it very original."

"Yeah," said Sarah, "So did I..." She trailed off for a minute as she remembered their performance in the mud bath contest. Most of the troops participating just jumped into the mud pit and rolled around in it; but their performance had been different. At the beginning, she and Carrie had gracefully strode, hand in hand, to the center of the mud pit; then the two girls had performed an impromptu ballet dance in the mud, occasionally splashing each other for good measure; and at the end, they had pulled each other into a hug, purposely fallen into the mud, and then rolled around in it, coating their entire bodies with beautiful brown mud. They even looked the part for 'Mud Ballet' as Sara happened to bring along cute purple leotards, pink tights, and ballet slippers! Their performance received a standing ovation, and had won the Swampfox Scouts first place in the event. But to Sarah, it had meant a little more than a gold medal; it made her realize there was something she needed to tell Carrie.

"Sarah..." said Carrie, "Are... are you okay?" Sarah snapped out of her trance and turned to face her best friend.

"Oh... yeah!" she said, "I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay?" Sarah chuckled, but Carrie wasn't buying it. They had known each other for too long; she could tell there was something her friend wasn't telling her.

"Look, Sarah," said Carrie, "If there's something that's bothering you, just tell me. I'm your BFF! You can tell me anything." She gave her friend a warm smile to comfort her.

"Okay, Carrie," said Sarah with a big sigh, "You see... the thing is... well it's..." Suddenly, Sarah was interrupted by a voice on the train's intercom system.

"Attention, passengers..." said the voice, "This is your conductor speaking. We regret to inform you that there has been a washout on the tracks up ahead and the train cannot progress through that area. We apologize for this inconvenience and will refund you sufficiently. Our final stop is now: Firewall City. Thank you and have a nice day."

"FIREWALL CITY?!?!" cried Carrie and Sarah as they looked at each other in panic.

"Isn't that the city that's practically run by two rival car gangs?!?" asked Sarah.

"Yes it is..." said Carrie, "And we're going to be stuck there unless we can get a hold of our parents and ask them to pick us up."

"Oh... I knew I should have brought my cellphone," moaned Sarah, "Without it, we're going to have to try and reach our parents from a... payphone!"

"You're right," said Carrie, "But remember, we're Swampfox scouts; we've gotten stuck in neck deep mud and we were both fine. Compared to that, surviving the urban jungle should be a cakewalk." Sarah took a peek out the window and said,

"If it's a cakewalk, then the cake we're walking on must be death by chocolate!" Carrie joined her friend at the window and caught her first glimpse of Firewall City. The buildings were horrific dark shades, there was a concrete riverbed running through it, and the thunderstorm was almost directly over it, lightning and all, giving it an ominous look. Carrie gulped and said,

"This... does not bode well..."

In another couple of minutes, the train had pulled into the city center station and was unloading it's passengers. Carrie and Sarah were among the last to embark; they had never been in this kind of situation before, and weren't quite sure how to handle it.

"Well..." said Sarah, "It was a big mistake to send all our other clothes and stuff back with the rest of the troop; now we only have what we're wearing right now for God knows how long we'll be stuck here!"

"We made an even bigger mistake when we decided to take all our medals and stuff with us," said Carrie, "Our bag is a pickpocket's paradise! We've got to call out parents now." Carrie led the way to the closest information desk and asked the clerk, "Excuse me, Sir, could you please point us to the nearest phone?"

"There are booths on the platform," he said, "Need some money for a call?"

"Yes please, Sir," said Carrie, "We're kinda lost." The clerk gave Carrie and Sarah each a dollar in quarters and returned to his work. The two girls made a run down the platform until they came to the first phone booth they found.

"I'll try first." said Carrie. She slipped inside the booth, inserted her coins, dialed her home phone, and prayed she'd get the line. Sarah waited outside, all the while looking around her, watching the people going by and searching for any malicious faces. Only a minute later, Carrie came out of the booth.

"Any luck?" asked Sarah.

"No!" said Carrie, "I left a message, but I don't know if we can wait until they get it!"

"Okay," said Sarah, "I'll try now." She placed her coins into the phone and dialed her mother's cell phone number. After a tense moment of ringing, there was a voice on the other end.

"Hello?" a familiar voice asked.

"MOM!" cried Sarah, "Oh thank goodness!"

"Sarah? her mother asked, "What's the matter? You're on your way home, right?"

"No, Mom," said Sarah, "There was a washout from under the tracks and the train had to stop in Firewall City!"

"Oh no!" said her mother, "Are you alright, Sarah?!? Is Carrie with you?"

"We're together," said Sarah, "But we sure don't like it here. Could you and Dad please come and get us?"

"Absolutely we can," said her mother, "But I'm afraid it will take us six days to drive that far to Firewall. You and Carrie use the emergency credit cards we gave you, find a hotel, and whatever you do, don't talk to anyone who seems to be involved with cars! Don't be afraid, Sweetie, Mommy loves you."

"I love you too, Mom..." was all Sarah managed to say before the line went dead.

"Any luck?" asked Carrie.

"Yeah," said Sarah, "I got a hold of my mom and she's coming to get us."

"That's a relief." said Carrie, "All we have to do now is find a hotel or something." The girls took the elevator up from the station platforms to ground level. As they made their way to the street, a voice said,

"Afternoon, strangers..." Carrie and Sarah looked behind them to see an old elephant man standing behind them. "You from that train that wasn't supposed to terminate here?" he asked.

"Well... yes..." said Carrie, nervously.

"We're just trying to find a hotel..." said Sarah.

"Good idea..." the elephant croaked. Then he happened to catch a peek of the medals and patches that were in their bag. "Country girls, eh...?" he asked, "Well you girlies sure ended up in the wrong neighborhood."

"Sir..." said Sarah, "Could you tell us anything about the car gangs that supposedly are in charge of the city?"

"Sure..." said the elephant, "The two car gangs that rule this city, are the Cool Car Cruisers, and the Hotrod Heroes. If you see any plush and shiny cars, or stripped down bare parts cars, that's them! I'd watch out for them if I was you; they might try to be nice; offer you a ride." He became very stern before saying, "Oh... they'll give you a ride alright... in more ways than one!" With that, he huffed and went on his way.

"Okay..." said Sarah, "Now I'm REALLY scared!"

"That makes two of us!" said Carrie, "C'mon; we've got to find a place to stay before it gets dark!" And so, with very little experience in the urban jungle, the two kitties walked down the stairs to the sidewalk and started walking.

Two hours went by, and the girls had no luck. When they finally did find a hotel, they found that without any valid identification, they weren't allowed to rent a room; and apparently their Swampfox Scout memberships didn't count. Right now, Carrie and Sarah were walking down a side street by what looked like a park. The thunderstorm was very close now; the lighting was flashing almost overhead, and the thunder was rumbling deeply.

"I think we're in a bit over our head," said Sarah, "If we can't even find a place to stay, we're basically in big trouble."

"I know..." said Carrie, "If we had been stranded somewhere more rural, we could have at least built a hut or lean-to or something like that. But out here, there's really nothing to... LOOK OUT!!!" Down the street, was a tricked out and very plush looking car; and it was coming their way! Sarah grabbed Carrie and they ducked behind a bench. As the rumbling of the engine grew louder, both girls decided to sneak a peek at the car. It was an old Studebaker with eight inch rims, a pink paint job with blue lightning bolts, shiny wax, and a flame throwing exhaust pipe. Inside the tricked out car was a smug looking pig wearing a lot of bling with a white jacket that had diamond coating. Once the car had passed, Sarah looked at Carrie and said,

"The old elephant was right; we are definitely in the wrong neighborhood."

"C'mon," said Carrie, "We can't give up." So the girls crossed the street and went into the park. For a few minutes, Carrie considered finding a tunnel or something to give themselves a bit of shelter, but that would leave them exposed to the omegas of the city; which no doubt there were plenty of. It wasn't long before they saw two figures sitting on a bench, about one hundred feet away, with their backs turned. The girls couldn't hear exactly what the figures were saying, but they did hear that they were laughing about something.

"Joking lowlifes..." said Sarah as she nudged Carrie a bit. Carrie was shocked at such a statement; and just for that, she decided to go over and say something to the figures. She strode off towards the bench. "Carrie!" cried Sarah, "No!" But Carrie was already ahead of her. She went straight up to the bench, and as she got closer, she heard one of the figures say,

"And so, the mummy said to the vampire, 'You can't bleed me, I'm covered in bandages!'" And both of them burst out laughing again. What surprised Carrie the most was the fact that the figures on the bench were actually very young. She walked up and said,

"Um... Excuse me..." Both figures turned around and Carrie saw that they were a cheetah boy and a panther boy; probably not much older than she and Sarah were. "Please forgive me for disturbing you," she said, "But my friend and I are in a great deal of trouble."

"Really?" asked the cheetah, "Well, you've come to the right person! I'm Donnie Dixon, and my friend here is Jason Harkins."

"Nice to meet you." said the panther. At that moment, Sarah came up to the bench and Carrie turned to her.

"This is my BFF, Sarah!" she said, "We're not from around here."

"Not from around here, huh?" asked Jason, "What happened? Car trouble?"

"More like train trouble;" said Sarah, "The tracks were washed out and they had to let us off here."

"I see..." said Donnie, "So I'm guessing this is your first time in Firewall City."

"It is..." said Sarah, "and we're hoping it will be our last."

"In any case," said Carrie, "We can't get a room at any hotel because we don't have valid ID, and we need a place to stay for a few days. Do you think you can help us?

"Well..." said Donnie, "I'm sure my mom would love to let you stay with us for a while."

"Would she?" asked Carrie.

"Of course!" said Donnie, "We better get going right away, though; the storm's almost on top of us."

"He's right;" said Jason, "I was planning on coming to his house anyway, why don't we all go together?"

"Well... okay;" said Sarah, "But you two are just Samaritans trying to help out, right?"

"I assure you, that's exactly what we are." said Donnie.

"Okay then," said Carrie, "How long will it take us to walk there?" Donnie gave her a sly look and said,

"Who said anything about walking?"

A few minutes later, Donnie and Jason led Carrie and Sarah to a parking garage across the street.

"In just a minute, our ride will be here." said Donnie.

"That's a relief," said Sarah, "It'll be nice to not have to walk anymore." Suddenly, from deep in the bowels of the garage, there came the roar of a powerful diesel engine. Carrie and Sarah shot each other nervous glances. Then... up the ramp came a car that looked like it had crawled out of the 1950's! It was a low-riding vehicle that had the body of a 1929 Hudson sedan, but absolutely no roof and no hood. It's engine was big, shiny, and powerful looking; and the wheels were old whitewalls with spokes. The car was finished with a yellow paint job with red flames.

"Ladies..." said Donnie, "Say hello to the Afterburner! She's only the finest all-round car in Firewall City!"

"Uh... hello..." said Carrie.

"That's... quite a car you've got." said Sarah.

"She is indeed," said Donnie, "And she means the whole world to me. All aboard, everyone!" So Carrie threw the bag of stuff in the backseat and she and Sarah climbed in. One thing that got the girls worried was that instead of seatbelts, the _Afterburner_was equipped with racing harnesses. As they buckled in, they looked up, and saw Donnie getting into the driver's seat with Jason next to him.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" said Sarah, "You can't drive! You're not even seventeen years old!"

"Oh can't I?" asked Donnie. He fished something out of his pocket and showed it to the girls. Carrie and Sarah just stared open mouthed; it was a valid driver's license!

"Wow!" said Carrie, "You're legally allowed to drive?!?"

"Of course I am!" said Donnie, "So is Jason; he got his license just a year ago!"

"That's right;" said Jason, "All Hotrod Heroes start driving young." This sudden revelation just about froze Sarah's blood.

"HOTROD HEROES!?!" she cried.

"That's right!" said Donnie, "Now hold tight!"

"GRUM-GRUM-BRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!" roared the Afterburner as she turned out of the garage and onto the street. Neither Sarah nor Carrie could believe it; they had been lured into a trap by two young members of one of the city's notorious car gangs! Well... there wasn't much they could do about it now... the best they could hope for was that Donnie would stay true to his word and not take them to his gang for... the very thought almost made them sick.

It wasn't until they were at the edge of the city by the sea that Sarah finally had the courage to ask a question.

"Um..." she said, "If you don't mind me asking... where are you taking us?"

"We're taking you to my house, of course;" said Donnie, "We're almost there."

"You girls are gonna love our neighborhood;" said Jason, "It's a cul-de-sac right by a small beach, so we can go swimming practically any time we want!"

"Sounds delightful!" said Carrie, trying to sound happy; but inside, she was just as worried as Sarah. At that moment, the thunder rumbled again, and Carrie felt the soft patter of rain on her head. "Uh... boys..." she said, "I think it's starting to rain!"

"You're right," said Donnie, "But not to worry, the road has opened up, and it's time to fly!"

"Wait!" cried Sarah, "You're not gonna..." All she got in response was the roar of the _Afterburner's_engine and a quick acceleration.

"Yes!" yelled Carrie, "Yes they are!" The Afterburner quickly got up to speed and was soon racing down the road at sixty miles an hour. Carrie was nervous that Donnie might lose control on the slippery road and crash; and Sarah... Sarah was flat out petrified. But the girls had nothing to worry about; Donnie's mastery of his machine was magnificent. He always picked the perfect line when going around corners, and even recovered flawlessly when the back end started to fishtail. Soon, Carrie wasn't worrying so much as she was enjoying this new experience. At the speed they were going, it only took a few minutes before they got where they were going. Donnie slowed down and stopped before a small cul-de-sac.

"So!" said Donnie, "How was that?" Carrie smiled and said,

"That was incredible! I've never gone that fast in a car before!"

"And how about you, Sarah?" asked Donnie. Sarah was shaking a bit, but she calmed down and said,

"That was absolutely terrifying! I thought you were gonna spin out when you fishtailed it like that around the bend!"

"Don't worry, Sarah," said Jason, "I wasn't so fond of it when Donnie started taking me for rides, but it grew on me!"

"And by the way," said Donnie, "I didn't fishtail; when you do it on purpose it's called drifting or power-sliding." With that, Donnie turned right onto the cul-de-sac and drove up to the end of the street. Carrie and Sarah were half expecting to see a run-down shack or at least a single level house that he lived in; but when they got to the end of the street, the house that was there looked more like a miniature mansion!

"Wow..." breathed Sarah, "You live there?"

"Does a diesel engine work underwater?" asked Donnie. Carrie and Sarah just looked at him blankly. "Uh... yes," he said, "Yes it does." In a matter of minutes, Donnie drove the _Afterburner_up the driveway and into the garage.

"Well..." said Carrie, "We beat the rain, that's for sure!"

"We sure did!" said Jason, "Now let's go inside and get you two situated." The two boys got out and the two girls followed. As Donnie and Jason went up the walk, Sarah pulled Carrie aside and said,

"Carrie... are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Not really," said Carrie, "But it's our only option since we can't get a hotel room. Who knows? His mom might be nice." So Sarah grabbed the bag and they followed Donnie and Jason up the walk.

To Be Continued...