Without warning a series of shots completely takes out the road in front of them. Dylan just barely manages to stop the big rig before it runs off into the crater where the pavement had once been. Another volly destroys the asphalt behind them. With ditches on either side of the road, there is now nowhere to go.

The Road Rovers watch as Parvo's ship lands and a whole detatchment of cano-mutants disembark and begin to walk toward them, weapons drawn. Taking up their own weapons, Sierra, Dylan, and Ryan prepare to defend themselves as best they can. Dylan opens the driver side door, climbs out and stands on the running board, attempting to use the door as a shield. Sierra does the same on the passenger side while Ryan climbs through the hole in the roof and takes position on top. As the trio prepares to fire on their attackers, the ground suddenly shakes with the force of a sonic boom as the Turbojet Rover flashes overhead, ripping the sound barrier to shreds. This startles the mutants and their attention is momentarily diverted from the Rovers on the ground.

Exterior, two-lane road
Dervish pulls up next to the driver side of the Freightliner. He and Dylan exchange nodds.

Dylan:
"NOW!"

The Rovers begin blasting towards the cano-mutants, sending them running in all directions. Several of the mutants are hit and stunned but the others manage to dive into the ditches lining each side of the road. Now that they have cover, the cano-mutants get bolder. More shots are exchanged and the Rovers are driven to the top of the trailer. This proves to be a blessing in disguise because now that they have taken the "high ground", the Rovers are able to shoot down into the ditches. The situation develops into a stalemate, neither side is able to get the upper hand on the other. The mutants cannot come out of the ditches without being hit by the Rovers. The Rovers cannot get off the top of the trailer or get too close to the edges of it without being fully exposed to fire from the cano-mutants.

"AAAAARRRRROOOOOOOOOO..........!!!!!"

Briggs and Zudnik suddenly rush in from one direction as Rune and Ray come from the other. The cano-mutants are again caught off guard.

Zudnik throws an innocent looking tennis ball into the nearest group of cano-mutants. A thick grey cloud of tear gas begins to hiss from the ball and the mutants scatter. Briggs quickly stuns three as they run past him. In the background we can see Sierra, Derv, and the others climbing down from their perch atop the semi trailer.

The view shifts to Ray and Rune who are holding their own quite well. Three huge cano-mutants rush at them with their blasters drawn. As Ray raises his pistol Rune closes her eyes and places her hands to her temples. The cano mutants run away screaming.

Ray (confused)
"What did you just do to them?"

Rune (trying not to laugh)
"I made them see me as a vet with a thermometer in my hand."

Ray:
"I think stunning them would have been much more humane."

The chaos dissolves into more chaos and a huge shoot out insumes. The cano-mutants with their large cumbersome blasters cannot get the better of the Road Rovers with their pin point precision aim hand lasers. However the Rovers are having trouble pinning the cano-mutants down because of the sheer size and power of the cano-blasters.

Sierra is standing by the side of the Freightliner, leaning around the back corner of the trailer and shooting towards a group of three cano-mutants who have taken cover in a ditch. She does not see a cano-mutant approach behind her and aim his weapon.

The huge mutant Saint Bernard raises his deadly weapon and prepares to blast Sierra into oblivion when suddenly a brown serpantine object wraps around his wrist and jerks his gun arm back into a harmless position. The object is a leather whip and on the other end is Dervish. Holding his whip in his right hand and a laser in his left, Derv stuns the mutant and runs to join Sierra.

Ryan has blasted his way through a group of mutants and has taken cover behind a large rock a few yards away from the road. He is startled and drops his gun when a strong hand suddenly grabs him firmly by the shoulder. He spins around and comes face to face with Parvo.

Parvo (sinister)
"You know the price of trechery."

Ryan (defiant)
"And who is the traitor? What about the way you've misled us all?"

Parvo smiles.
"You're the only one who's complained."

Dragging Ryan to his feet, Parvo begins to lead him out into the road and towards his ship. Upon seeing this both the Road Rovers and cano-mutants cease fire. The Rovers not wishing to hit Ryan and the mutants not wishing to hit Parvo. The general continues to lead Ryan across the road when, without warning and completely unexpectedly, a single laser shot strikes Parvo's robotic hand and short circuits it. Sparks begin to fly from the hand and Parvo releases Ryan and yells in pain. The cano-mutants rush in and form a protective circle around their leader. The Rovers all look in the direction of the blast, knowing there is only one among them who could have made that shot from that distance. Standing next to the truck, still holding a pistol is DJ. DJ remains still for a moment, then doubles over and colapses to the pavement.

The cano mutants and Rovers exchange stares, neither side wishing to fire the first shot to restart the fight. The tide turns in the Rovers favor as the roar of jet engines are heard and the Sonic Rover flies low overhead. The cano-mutants pick begin to assist Parvo back to the ship and the Rovers rush over to see to DJ. Zudnik and Ray carry DJ to the Turbojet Rover, all the others climb aboard and Zudnik gets the plane airborne.

Interior, Turbojet Rover
Everybody but Zudnik is glued to the windows, watching as the Rovers who just arrived on the scene proceed to clean house. From the air they see Blitz chaising after two hapless mutants with his razor sharp claws unsheithed. The Doberman definately has "the biting of the tushies" on his mind. They also see a small brown shape run towards a large crowd of cano-mutants and a thick cloud of dust rises, obscuring the scene. Muzzle has been unleashed.

Putting on a headset, Dervish informs Hunter of the truck's cargo. As the Turbojet Rover turns for home, its passengers watch as a barrage of explosive tennis balls completely obliterate the Freightliner and the cano-mutators it carried.

(Fade)

Interior, RRMC, sickbay.
Marauder, a black lab cano-sapien wearing a white medical coat over black pants and an orange t-shirt is leaning over DJ who is stretched out on one of the beds. Marauder pulls his stethascope away from his ears and shakes his head. Sierra and Dylan are standing nearby.

Sierra (conserned)
"What's wrong?"

Marauder:
"He's breathing normally and he has a good pulse, which is very surprising. To tell you the truth I can't believe he's even alive."

Dylan:
"Will he be alright?"

Marauder:
"He's in extreme shock but he's already beaten the odds by making it this far, I'd say he has a very good chance of coming out of it and being his old self again."

Sierra (trying to be light hearted.)
"I dunno... DJ being his old self... Are you sure that's a good thing?"

Dylan chuckles and Marauder cracks a small smile.

Marauder:
"I think that depends on whose side you're on. Now why don't you two go and get some rest, there's nothing more I can do for now, we'll just have to wait and see what develops."

Before leaving, the two Rovers with whom DJ had shared the ordeal take another long glance at their friend, laying unconsious and hooked up to an I.V. Marauder walks to the door with them.

Marauder (reassuring)
"He's a fighter, he'll be alright."

Just as Sierra and Dylan exit the sick bay, Hunter, Colleen, and Exile enter. As Marauder explains DJ's condition to Hunter, Colleen and Exile walk over and stand beside his bed. Colleen has something in her hand.

Colleen (quietly)
"Here lad, I don't know weather or not you'll be able to feel this but I know you've never felt whole without it."

She lifts her hand, revealing DJ's collar. She carefully fastens the collar around DJ's neck. Exile pulls up a chair.

Exile (quietly)
"Comrade Marauder said it might help to talk to you kiddo, so why don't you help me work on my English, yes?"

DJ offers no response, but Exile pulls out one of his Dr Seuss books and begins to struggle through the words.

(Fade...)

Time passes and various Rovers come to visit DJ, who remains unconsious. Late on the second day Dylan walks into the sick bay, he is holding a cell-phone.

Dylan (into phone)
"Ok, here he is."

Dylan holds the phone to DJ's ear. The voice of DJ's master comes from the small speaker.

Keith Stephens (over phone)
"Hey DJ. How ya doin' boy? I know you're out like a blown engine right now, but you'd better hear what I'm about to say...."

Interior, RRMC, corridor outside sick bay.
Sierra and Dervish are standing by the door. Dylan steps out.

Dervish:
"Well? How is he?"

Dylan looks down and shakes his head, his two friends get dejected looks on their faces. That changes when Dylan can no longer keep a straight face and he looks up with a smile."

Dylan (happy)
"Why don't you come in here and help me shut him up?"

Dylan's smile spreads to Dervish and Sierra. The three of them walk into sick bay and see DJ awake.

Sierra (happy)
"DJ, I thought we'd lost you."

DJ (weak, happy)
"Sierra, it sounds like you were worried about me."

Sierra (joking)
"Not really, I just don't trust anybody else to work on my car."

DJ:
"It's nice to know I would have been missed."

Dervish:
"DJ, they tell me you put on quite a show with that truck up there in those mountains."

DJ:
"I didn't do anything."

He points at Dylan.
"It was this guy right here. I got shot, it was Dylan who got us out of that mess."

(To Dylan) "That's two I owe you now buddy, you've got to stop saving my tail, you're making me look bad."

Dylan looks like he's blushing a little under his fur.

Dylan:
"So what did Keith say to you that seemed to have such great healing power on you?"

DJ smiles.
"He said that if I didn't wake up he was going to wash the rug that I sleep on at home."

Marauder (laughing)
"If a threat like that won't motivate a dog to get better then nothing will."

DJ tries to sit up but is still too weak to lift himself. Dylan and Dervish help him into a sitting position and prop a couple pillows behind him.

DJ:
"Thanks guys. Where's Ryan? What ever happened to him?"

Sierra pulls out a small postal envelope and hands it to DJ. He opens the envelope and reads the message inside. It reads "Road Rovers, we can't thank you enough for bringing our son home to us. We'll never forget what you've done. Sincere thanks, the Hall family." Folded into the paper is a Poleroid photo of Ryan with his mother, father, and brother.

DJ (happy)
"Now seeing that makes my day. Marauder, how long do you think I'll need to stay here?"

Marauder:
"Colleen and I would like to keep you here in sick bay for at least another two days. After that I think the best thing would be to de-transdogmafy you and send you home for a week or so to finish healing up."

DJ:
"Home? I just had a week off, I've been on shift for less than a week."

Marauder:
"I don't want you doing ANYTHING for at LEAST another week, not even picking up a wrench. After that you can come back and take on your mechanic's dutys, but I don't want you going on any missions for at least a month. I figured you could either spend a week laying in your quarters watching tv, or you could go home and be with your master."

DJ:
"Well, since you put it that way.... I guess I'd rather be riding with Keith than watching talk shows."

Just then Hunter, Colleen, Blitz, Exile, Shag, Muzzle, and the Master enter the sick bay and join the others at DJ's bedside.

Master:
"Since DJ's layed up I decided we should do the debriefing for the past few days in here. Sierra, Dylan, DJ... You three not only escaped from Parvo, you disabled his new base, grounded his air fleet, and deprived him of three brand new cano-mutators. Thanks to your efforts we were able to send an assault force to Montana and completely destroy that base before Parvo was able to make repairs. You're good dogs, good good dogs."

DJ:
"Master, you said ‘before Parvo was able to make repairs....' I take it we didn't get him."

Master:
"I'm afraid not."

Hunter:
"Yea, old metalhead managed to give us the slip yet again."

DJ:
"Oh well, we'll get him next time."

Dylan (happy)
"Next time that sucker's ours."

Sierra (happy)
"You're not doing anything to Parvo unless I get to go too."

Dervish (happy)
"Hey guys, save some for me."

Exile:
"I have feeling that by time these pups finish with evil Parvo man we may be in need of finding new arch enemy."

DJ:
"Can I say it this time?"

Hunter:
"Ok, but say it like you mean it."

DJ (happy)
"To the power of the pack!"

All:
"AAAAARRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..........!!!!!!!"


THE END