Interior Freightliner cab.
Sierra and Ryan drop back inside through the hole.

Sierra (happy)
"Hey nice driving DJ. Knocked us around a bit but got rid of those baddies."

Dylan is frantically looking for something under his seat, he pauses and points toward DJ

Dylan (worried)
"Uh Sierra..."

Sierra glances at the driver's seat and gasps in shock. DJ is slumped over the steering wheel, panting heavily.

Sierra (shocked)
"Merciful Heavens what happened?"

Dylan explains how the shot from the cano-blaster reflected in the mirror and hit DJ. Ryan turns pale.

Ryan (grave)
"Those blasters are real killers, I can't believe he's alive. We'd better get him back here and check him out."

Dylan finds what he was hunting for, a first aid kit. He passes it back to Sierra and then unfastens DJ's seat belt. Ryan helps Dylan slide DJ out of his seat, move him back, and lay him on the bunk in the sleeper. DJ just groans. Sierra turns on a small light above the bunk. DJ's armored vest has a large black burn mark about six inches across on the upper left chest section. Some of the burn is spread over onto his shoulder guards.

Sierra:
"Let's get that vest off of him."

Sierra unfastens the many tiny snaps along the sides of DJ's armor. The metalized rubber shines brightly, almost a mirror finish except for the terrible burn on the left side. The vest and shoulder guards come loose and slide off over DJ's head, revealing the upper section of his dark blue jumpsuit. The left shoulder and upper chest area is stained dark with blood. Sierra grimaces.

Sierra:
"If he hadn't been wearing his uniform that thing would have blown a hole clear through him. DJ, can you hear me?"

DJ nods weakly.

Sierra:
"Can you open your eyes?"

DJ does as he's asked.

Sierra holds up three fingers.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"

DJ (in pain)
"Three."

Sierra opens up the first aid kit and begins to paw through it, she is visibly nervous. "They're bound to come after us again, can either of you guys handle this thing?"

Ryan and Dylan shake their heads but DJ raises his arm and points to Dylan.

Dylan:
"ME?? I'd get us killed."

DJ (in pain)
"It's just like my pickup on steroids. You can do it Dyl, I know you can."

Sierra casts a desperate glance over her shoulder at Dylan who is still up in the passenger seat.

Sierra:
"You have to try Dylan, you're the only chance we've got."

Dylan nervously moves to the driver's seat.
"Ok, talk me through this."
DJ (in pain)
"It's a basic ten speed. Shift up five just like in my pickup, snap that range switch into high and go through the pattern again. First gear is now sixth."

Dylan pushes the clutch down and moves the shifter through the pattern, getting a feel for where the gears are.
"Ok..."

DJ (in pain)
"Air brakes have no feel, so ease into them. There is about a second of delay between the time you push the pedal and when the brakes begin to take hold."

Dylan tries the brake pedal to sample it's feel or lack there of, the brakes react with a faint hiss. DJ gives brief instruction on the jake brakes and the gauges and dials.

Dylan (nervous)
"Ok, here goes nothing."

DJ (warning)
"Take your turns as wide as you safely can Dyl, that trailer is fifty three feet long and it won't follow the truck exactly when turning."

Dylan:
"Ok..."

Dylan selects first gear and lets the clutch out, the truck shudders and begins to roll. Dylan revs up the engine and makes his shift, he drops the clutch too soon and the sound of clashing gears is heard. Dylan steps on the brakes and brings the truck to a rough stop.

DJ (weak)
"Don't be so tense buddy. The engine will tell you when to shift, just listen for when it peaks out, don't rush between gears, ease into them, feel your way through the pattern."

Dylan:
"Ok, here we go again."

Dylan tries again, does better this time. He coaxes the big rig out into the road and continues to accelerate.

DJ (weak, happy)
"That's it buddy. Just relax, feel the machine, let it talk to you."

Dylan gets them up to speed and they are again on their way.

Ryan takes the passenger seat while Sierra goes to work on DJ. She cleans and dresses his wound with gauze and tape from the medical kit. DJ is in pain but lays still and quiet while Sierra doctors him. She finishes and lays the first aid kit on the floor.

Sierra:
"That's the best I can do. I suggest you try to keep still, you might go to bleeding again if you move around."

DJ nods.

Sierra shifts her attention forward to Dylan.

Sierra:
"How are you doing up there?"

Dylan:
"I've got it... I think. How's DJ?"

Sierra:
"Not good. This twenty dollar first aid kit isn't doing him much good, he needs some real medical treatment."

Dylan:
"Well sit tight, I won't let you guys down."

Interior, Parvo's base, main control room.
Parvo and the Groomer are standing behind the command console in the center of the room, but without power they are unable to raise it. All the screens in the room are still displaying Sierra's message and the only illumination is still coming from the weak emergency lights. The guards from the hangar have regained consciousness and are assembled before the general. Parvo slams his metal fist down on his console.

Parvo (angry)
"Idiots!"

The guards shudder.

Parvo (angry)
"You are trying to tell me that the eleven of you could not take care of two escaped prisoners??"

A human officer who was in charge of the security team speaks up nervously.
"The hit us right after the power went out, we never saw them coming. And they had inside help."

Parvo:
"Inside help?? From who??"

Security officer:
"Private Hall sir. We had the Rovers pinned down when he came in with the third prisoner. He had armed her and the two of them took the rest of us down.

Parvo (demanding)
"Where is Hall now?"

Security officer:
"With the Rovers sir, he escaped with them."

Parvo (yelling)
"Hall knows the locations of two new bases, he could cause us a lot of trouble if he talks. I want that traitor taken out! Get some men and get on it!"

Parvo's yelling sends him into a coughing fit.
(Gasping) "Lozenge!"

The Groomer shoots a red lozenge into the general's mouth with a device resembling an overgrown PEZ dispenser. Parvo recovers from his coughing.

Parvo:
"I want Hall, I want that load, I want success, understood?"

The security officer salutes.
"Understood clearly sir!"
Parvo:
"Dismissed."

The guards all leave the room, the cano-mutant members of the team leave with their tails between their legs. Parvo sits down in a chair behind his console and rubs his temples.

Parvo:
"Betrayed by one of our own. Groomer... you just can't find an honest criminal anymore."

Exterior, two lane road, mountains.
The moon and stars illuminate the Freightliner as it makes its way along the road. For the moment all is peaceful.

Interior, Freightliner cab.
All are quiet, Dylan is concentrating on driving, Ryan sits silently in the passenger seat, Sierra is standing as straight as she can inside the sleeper compartment, she is leaning forward, supporting herself by holding onto the backs of Dylan and Ryan's seats. The clock on the dash reads "1:27am". The view shifts forward, out the windshield a road sign comes into view, as it comes closer it can be read. "Dooston 25 miles."

Dylan (relieved)
"Civilization at last."

Sierra:
"Let's get there fast, there'll be phones, and as secretive as Parvo is I doubt he'll chase us through there."

Ryan (uneasy)
"That depends on how bad he wants this load. Or me."

Sierra gives Ryan a questioning look.

Ryan:
"Like you said, he's secretive, and I know an awful lot about the insides of GEN-PAR."

Sierra:
"I see your point."

Ryan:
"There's a world of difference between Road Rovers and GEN-PAR. If this had been a GEN-PAR operation the four of us were part of, and DJ had been a cano-mutant, we would have just left him to die or finished him off ourselves. It is easier to replace a badly wounded cano-mutant than treat him."

Sierra:
"You'll find a lot of differences. For one, we aren't cano-sapiens all the time. We all lead dual lives, in a manner of speaking."

Ryan:
"How's that?"

Sierra:
"When we're off shift we revert to dog form. We're all pets."

Ryan sighs.
"It must be nice to have families to go back to."

Sierra:
"You'll be reunited with yours."

Ryan:
"Think they'll take me back?"

Dylan:
"Definitely, you made a mistake, they can't condemn you for that. You'll be just fine."

Ryan:
"You three have been real good to me after some of the things I helped them do to you."

Dylan:
"We don't believe in holding a grudge."

A white light appears on Dylan's shirt, he quickly looks in the mirror and sees the now familiar sight of oncoming headlights.

Dylan:
"But it looks like Parvo does."

Sierra pops a fresh power cartridge into her pistol and takes one of DJ's guns as well.

Sierra (annoyed)
"I've had about enough of this."

She climbs out through the hole and prepares to jump to the trailer, Ryan follows.

Exterior...
Ryan and Sierra have jumped from the top of the truck cab to the top of the trailer, this act has become almost routine tonight. There are four pairs of headlights racing up on the Freightliner. The headlights grow into the shapes of three humvees and a transport truck. The truck begins to move up on them while the rest hang behind. As Sierra and Ryan prepare to start their random fire a laser beam rips through the air between the two of them. Somebody is standing on top of the oncoming truck and shooting at them! Instinctively they drop and lay on their stomachs.

The GEN-PAR truck draws along side, Sierra gets her gun up and shoots toward the other vehicle, she misses and the cano-mutant who had been riding atop the truck and shooting at them leaps onto the top of their semi trailer. The mutant lands close to Ryan. Ryan kicks the cano's legs out from under him and Sierra quickly stands and stuns him. The unfortunate dog falls from the trailer and into the darkness. More shots sail through the air, coming from a gun mounted on the top of the nearest humvee. As before they are running with their high beams on. Ryan stands and tries to shoot the windshield of the vehicle closest to the rear of the Freightliner, but the enemy laser fire drives him back to his stomach. He and Sierra cannot look towards their pursuers because of the high beams. Trial and error has finally taught Parvo's troops the most effective way to attack the Rovers, there is nothing Sierra and Ryan can do except be targets. Keeping low, they retreat back into the cab.

Interior, Freightliner cab...
Sierra and Ryan drop back through the hole. When they re enter the cab they see the GEN-PAR truck that had pulled up next to them, it is pacing them, a human soldier in the passenger seat is pointing a gun through the window at Dylan.

Soldier (yelling)
"Pull over!!"

Dylan (yelling)
"With pleasure!!"

Dylan pulls over, in the wrong direction. He brings the side of the Freightliner into contact with the side of the GEN-PAR truck and proceeds to push them off the road, the soldiers in the front seat are too shocked to shoot at Dylan. The Freightliner crowds the smaller truck across the other lane and off the road into a ditch.

Sierra (impressed)
"Whoa Dylan, I thought you weren't comfortable driving this thing."

Dylan smiles grimly.
"It's starting to grow on me."

The old theory of learning by doing has had an effect on Dylan, he is now shifting and braking like he's been doing it for years. His ears prick up as he listens intently to the sound of the engine.

DJ (voice over)
"Relax... feel the machine... let it talk to you..."

Dylan nods ever so slightly and returns his attention to his mirrors. Sierra and Ryan don't need to explain why they've quit shooting from the trailer, Dylan watched the brief fire fight in the mirrors, the top of the trailer is no longer a good place to defend from. Moving back into the right lane Dylan quickly slows down, two of the humvees pull up on the Freightliner's left side and begin to move up towards the cab, Firing randomly, hoping to score another lucky hit. Dylan waits until they are both next to the truck.

Dylan:
"This one's for DJ!"

Dylan quickly gives the wheel one complete turn and the truck cuts sharply into the left lane, the trailer swings in behind the truck and hits the humvees like a huge hammer, forcing them off the pavement and into the ditch before the occupants can react.

The last humvee does not attempt to move up next to the truck, but follows closely behind.

Dylan:
"And this is for the rest of us!"

He floors the brake pedal, all 18 wheels lock up and the truck grinds to a halt, the humvee plows into the rear of the trailer, completely demolishing the front section. Sierra and Ryan look at Dylan in disbelief.

Dylan:
"I told you guys I wasn't going to let you down, this has gone on long enough. Let's just get ourselves to that town and get to a phone."

(Fade...)

Exterior, two lane road, Dooston Montana.
The truck rolls down a road lined with dark, run down buildings. Not a light can be seen. No cars, no people.

Interior, Freightliner cab.
Dylan, Sierra, and Ryan look around in shock. Dooston is deserted.

Ryan:
"It was probably a logging town. I bet there hasn't been a soul living here since they stopped cutting timber up in these mountains."

Dylan:
"Great, a modern day ghost town isn't going to do us any good."

Sierra:
"Well, now what?"

Dylan (imitating DJ)
"We keep on truckin'."

Sierra giggles, Dylan has DJ's country accent down pat.

Sierra suddenly gets a worried look on her face. They haven't heard a peep out of DJ for quite some time. Sierra turns around and leans over her stricken comrade.

Sierra:
"DJ? Can you hear me?"

DJ offers no response.

Sierra (worried)
"DJ, say something."

DJ lays silently.

Sierra:
"This isn't funny DJ."

No response.

DJ is breathing normally, Sierra checks his pulse. She finds his pulse to be strong and steady.

Sierra:
"DJ if you're messing with my head..."

The shepard mix lays still and quiet.

Sierra:
"I don't like this."

Dylan begins to accelerate out of Dooston.
"DJ buddy, hang in there, we'll get home yet."

Dylan tries to focus on the road ahead but something DJ had said earlier that night creeps into his mind.

DJ (voice over)
"I'll get you guys out of this if it's the last thing I ever do...."

Dylan (whispering, to himself)
"It won't be."

(Fade...)

Exterior, RRMC, grounds at dawn.
It is a peaceful scene, the first dim rays of sunlight are beginning to penetrate down into the cavern.

Interior, RRMC, transformation room.
The master is standing near the transdogmafiers with a group of dogs. A German shepard, a husky, a beagle, and a black lab. The four dogs step into separate transdogmafiers and emerge seconds later in cano sapien form.

Briggs (American accent, serious)
"What's the emergency master?"

Master:
"Three Road Rovers have disappeared. Abducted by Parvo."

Zudnik (slight Russian accent, concerned.)
"Where? When?"

Master:
"Meet me in the briefing room and I'll fill you all in."

Interior, RRMC, briefing room.
The newcomers are gathered around the table, the Master is behind his podium.

Master (finishing his speech)
"...and thus far that's all we know. You'll coordinate your efforts with Hunter and the others. They've already left. Now if you will all move to the operations center I will assign you your target destinations."

Exterior, two lane road, the foot hills, somewhere in Montana, dawn.
Here we see Dervish, a shetland sheepdog cano-sapien, screaming over the pavement on a hoverbike. He is dressed in blue jeans, a black leather jacket, and has his hair drawn back in a pony tail. On his belt is a coiled whip. Dervish is looking bored, as if his trip is taking way too long.

Dervish (bored)
"Val, are we there yet?"

Val (computerized voice, frank)
"According to those reports you recieved there is at least another two hours of travel if we maintain our current speed."

Dervish:
"This place had better exist, or I'll have to hurt somebody."

The sheltie takes a long look around, he sees nothing but the foothills covered with prarie grass and the mountains looming out of the morning haze ahead.

Derv sighs.
"Val, check your maps, any civilization around here?"

In a matter of seconds Val has the answer
"Dooston, a logging community, abandoned in the mid ‘60's. At current speed aproximately one hour ahead."

Dervish:
"That's not exactly the kind of civilization I had in mind Val. Punch us up to 150, I want to get there while I'm still young enough to do this job."

The bike accelerates.

Interior, Freightliner cab, two lane road, dawn.
They are now down in the foothills. The sun is rising in front of them, turning the sky over the Montana prarie a deep reddish orange.

Sierra:
"Beutiful isn't it?"

The response from Dylan is a simple nod.
"How's DJ?"

Sierra:
"No change."

Voice from behind Sierra (weak)
"I'd say I'm doing pretty good, considering..."

The husky spins around and sees DJ awake.

Sierra (surprised)
"You're awake! How do you feel?"

DJ (weak)
"I know I'm awake, and I feel terrible. How long was I out?"

Sierra:
"I don't know, a couple hours at least."

DJ tries to sit up but pain stops him. He sinks back down into his horizontal position.

Ryan:
"You'd best just lay still, that cano blaster probably sent a pretty heavy shock to your nerves."

DJ manages a weak smile.
"Don't worry about me. I know I'll come out of this, I don't have a choice. If the Road Rovers loose me then none of their cars will run right ever again."

Sierra:
"I see that getting shot hasn't hurt your dry sense of humor."

Dylan(pointing)
"Hey, what's that up there?......"

Exterior, two-lane road, foothills.

Dervish:
"Val am I seeing things or is that a truck coming towards us?"

Val:
"If you're seeing things than I am too, and since I'm a perfect artificial life form, I doubt I'm seeing things."

Drevish:
"I didn't think there was anything up this road."

Val:
"According to all my files there isn't anything."

Dervish:
"This could be one of Parvo's then, let's get a closer look."

Val accellerates and quickly closes the distance. As they speed past the truck Dervish catches a glimpse of the driver.

Dervish:
"I must be nuts, I could swear I saw Dylan driving that thing. Let me drive Val, I wanna see that again."

The shelite takes control over from the inteligent computer built into the bike. He reverses his direction and speeds back after the truck which to his surprise has pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

Dervish (confused)
"What in the....."
He pulls up along side the big rig, stops and shuts off his engine. Drawing his pistol just in case, Dervish gets off the bike and walks toward the driver side door of the semi.

Just as he gets to the door it opens and Dylan leans out.

Dervish (surprised)
"Dylan?!? What are you doing way out here?"

Dylan (urgent)
"Long sotry Derv, but geeze we're glad to see you. DJ's hurt bad, we need help."

Dervish:
"What happened?"

Dylan:
"He got hit by a cano blaster."

Dervish:
"Yikes. Let me get my medi kit."

Interior, Freightliner cab.
Dylan and Sierra tell about the events of the past couple days as Dervish puts a clean dressing on DJ's wound. DJ winces in pain but forces himself to lay still.

Dervish:
"Let me wrap this up and I'll get us some support out here."

He quickly finishes and exits the truck.
Interior, RRMC, operations center.
The Master is just finishing giving out orders to the Rovers.

Briggs:
"Ok team, we know what to do, move out!"

All:
"AAAAARRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOO......!!!!"

They run out of the room.

The Master watches them go, then walks over to the communications panel, intent on notifying some Rovers on other field assignments. He puts on a headset and keys in a frequency.

Master:
"Mission control to Dervish, do you read?"

Dervish (over radio)
"Great timing Master, I was about two seconds from calling you. We've got big trouble. If you're calling to inform me about three kidnaped Road Rovers, I know all about it, I'm here with them."

Master (Shocked)
"You are? Is everybody alright?"

Dervish:
"I wish I could say they were. DJ's injured badly and we're out here miles from anywhere. Parvo has been chasing them all night and they have a defecting GEN-PAR soldier here who seems pretty sure Parvo will be back for another try at them."

Master:
"Hold your position Dervish, I'm sending support now."

Dervish:
"Will do Master. Tell them to hurry, DJ's bad and Parvo could show up again any minute. Dervish out."

The Master quickly keys in another frequency.
"Attention, Hunter, Briggs, I want you and your teams to immideatly converge on this location...."

Exterior, roadside.
Dervish, Dylan, Sierra, and Ryan are standing next to the truck.

Dervish:
"Help is on the way."

Sierra:
"Thank heavens. What are you doing way out here anyway?"

Dervish:
"I recieved a couple unconfirmed reports that Parvo might have a new base up in these mountains."

Sierra:
"Well, consider them confirmed."

Dylan is leaning against the trailer and gets a curious expression on his face.
"You know... when they were after us they didn't do anything that would damage this trailer. I don't know what's in here but they must want it back awful bad."

Dervish:
"Let's just find out."

They all walk around to the rear of the trailer. A quick shot from Derv's laser takes care of the lock. He and Dylan open the large double swinging doors.

Dervish:
"Woo-hoo, you guys picked a ripe one."

Secured inside the trailer are the components of three cano-mutators, ready for assembly.

Dervish:
"That's a cool $30,000,000 out of Parvo's pocket right there.

They close the doors again.

Dervish:
"I've got a few grenades with me, if you disconnect the trailer we can blow it right here."

Dylan (uneasy)
"Uh-oh..."

Dervish:
"What's the matter?"

Dylan:
"I don't know how to split these rigs, that's all up DJ's alley."

Dervish:
"Great... You guys better fire up and keep moving then, keep as far ahead of Parvo as you can until the others can get here."

Dervish gets back on his hoverbike as the others climb into the cab of the truck again. Dylan gets the Freightliner moving and Dervish falls in behind them. They barely get a mile farther down the road when a huge dark shadow creeps over them. Turning his eyes skyward, Dervish sees Parvo's bulldog ship.

Dervish:
"Holy shnikies, that's trouble."

Interior, Turbojet Rover cockpit.
Zudnik is flying with Briggs next to him. Having recieved the Master's message just as they had taken off, they are on their way to assist Dervish and the others. It's a tense situation but all seem confidant. That is until....

Dervish (excited, over the radio)
"Hunter, Briggs! Parvo's here and he's really ticked with us. We need some serious help, now!"

Zudnik (into headset)
"We're coming as fast as we can Derv."

Hunter (over radio)
"Hang in there bro, we're turnin' and burnin'."

Then on another channel that only those in the Turbojet Rover can hear...

Hunter (over radio)
"We're over Peru now guys, it'll be up to you to hold Parvo off until we can get there."

Zudnik (into headset)
"Understood Hunter."

Briggs looks at Zudnik who has tensed up but is flying just as he had been.

Briggs:
"Come on, what are you waiting for? We need full speed."

Zudnik:
"This is full speed."

Briggs:
"No, DJ suped up these engines, you need to push the throtles past the stops."

The wolf cross does as instructed. The engines can be heard speeding up and everybody can feel a slight g-force effect as the plane accelerates. Zudnik's eyes widen as he watches the needle on the air-speed meter.

Zudnik (anoyed)
"Why didn't you tell me about that in the first place?? We could have been there by now!"

Briggs (defensive)
"Because DJ told me never to use the extra speed except in an extreme emergency. As the commander of this unit it's my responsibility to do things strictly by the book."

Zudnik tries hard to keep from loosing his temper.
"I don't know what that book says, but if being chased by Parvo does not count as an extreme emergency then I think it needs a few revisions."

Interior, Freightliner cab.
The whole vehicle is shuddering as Dylan makes a futile effort to gain ground on Parvo. Blasts from the Bulldog ship's huge lasers are striking the pavement all around the truck.

Sierra:
"Dylan do something!"

Dylan:
"I am, I'm praying."

Conclusion...