Introduction and Forward
If you haven't read my delurk story, you should do so first.
As I stated there: Being a newbie at the time, my story plot up through Raiding Namakata does not now (or then) fully comply with the alt.devilbunnies FAQ's. When I first joined the group, the FAQ's were still in the process of being refined and not all 'veterans' on the group were in compliance with them at that time. Looking back, it's no wonder I was confused, with the mech-like Bunnystomper™ thrashing Denverwarren, a 'psi witch', raccoon, troll (as in the mythical monster and not in the Internet sense of the word), and a dragon on the group. (The dragon is still around in human disguise. However, unless you're on the group a while, you may not know who it is, as he does a good job of not letting on that his character is a dragon. No, I'm not going to point fingers to who he is, but he isn't mine.) Keep this in mind as you read this first series of stories and realize there is no way it most of it could be done today.
I have no intentions to say this never happened to my characters. But considering how my characters remained in relative isolation from others in that time period, it would be easy for others to assume Eugene and Aldin are crazy if they should talk about this time period. So they don't talk about it, much.
Immediately after delurking, Eugene/Aldin was invited up to NoCO by the BHX, a standard procedure at the time for new Fudds. The entire story line going up to NoCO and what happened there I will not put on this website. It's in the archives late August-October, 1994 if you want to see it. Simply do a search of the archives for August, September, and October of 1994 leaving the subject line blank, OR, and Bernier for the author.
My reason for not putting that first story after my delurk here is that I look at it as a false start that didn't really contribute with the overall storyline I had planned-out afterwards up through Invading Namakata. Also, it contains several blatant FAQ violations that I don't want any new writers to come along, point to and say: "See, Moxie did this, so we can too!" How bad was it? Well, though Bill hasn't confirmed it with me, some of the stuff I did with Eugene there caused him to put down in writing what you can and can not do at NoCO as a character. (chuckle) Such as: magic or magic-like stunts and torturing devilbunny prisoners. It's not that I'm afraid or ashamed of what I did, I just don't want to provide the wrong influence to other new potential writers as I've been told by several that they joined the group after (egoboost) reading through my website, and *then* the devilbunnies homepage. Sorry Snowy, your sight is still tops! All praise the Fluffy Unix god!
Quick summary of what happened: Eugene/Aldin go to NoCO. On the way there, they are ambushed by a group of bunnies, but escape thanks to the Moxie in the vehicle and a freak bolt of lightning. At NoCO, they waste some time waiting in BHX's office while DemHareIs is busy seducing the BHX within (like I said, this was '94), eventually they go back to their assigned barracks, provide NoCO with a 10 year-out-of-date copy of BUNIX™, go on a dream journey to attempt to contact Sibyl and semi fail, talk to Jrrr-Lwsss briefly then Aldin has a vision from the Spirit of the Wilderness, which convinces him to leave NoCO, Running like the Wind™. All the while Aldin banters with Iago extensively, and more briefly with LonGears.
The first story series below has Eugene/Aldin making their way back to Texas from Colorado and how they discover Lubbock (Underground) Fudd Intelligence. The storyline takes place in September, 1994. Unlike other stories in the archives, I'll be setting this one up as <PRE> format to show how it looked to the reader when first posted. I will shorten the lines accordingly, but otherwise the only changes will be whatever spelling errors I catch.
To you 'newbies' out there who don't think you can write well: Don't give-up. Your writing will improve with time and practice.
Scott Bernier, 27 February, 1998
First posted to alt.devilbunnies late August-October, 1994
© 1994-2002 by Scott Bernier
First HTML-ized 27 February, 1998
A ghost from the past... parallels this story, timeline wise.
Return to Moxie's Stories Homepage.
Moxie Man Awakens
_________email to Bill Keyes, CMDR in Chief NoCo_________________ Bill, sorry we didn't get to meet. Hope the Moxie and the copy of old BUNIX helps the cause. I must leave for personal/family reasons, no time to explain. By the time you read this, I should be well on my way back to Lubbock and then on to Maine. Good luck hunting and may our paths cross again. The Spirit of the Wilderness be with you... Eugene Pomerleau/Aldin Busheytail ________end email________________________________________________ With that Eugene jumped in his Impala, 'Da Beast', reved the engine and left. He explained to the guard that he was heading to Safe Lite Auto Glass to get his windows replaced, and the guard let him through. An hour later he was entering Denver.
> An hour later he was in Denver.
Another hour passed and Moxie Man risked stopping for fuel and supplies
in Colorado City. He got a good deal on repairing his windows, while the
car was getting fixed, he did a little shopping at the local hardware store...
those tricks his brother, ("MacGyver Jr." as his friends had called him--it
weren't broke unless he couldn't fix it), had taught him were going to come
in handy. An hour and a half later he was back on the road to Lubbock. Any
bun that gets in his way was in for a surprise....
General Longears--my tires no longer have your name on them, they now
have someotherbun's name on them...
'Da Beast' was cruising south on I-25 somewhere south of Colorado Springs. "Alright, Aldin, you know everything about me, but you are still keeping secrets from me. Open up, but slowly." *I don't know what you're talking about, Gene.* "You do too. You've been talking to another of those devilbunnies behind my back. I want to know everything, no more secrets. I know you told LonGears that we are one and the same, dispite you telling me earlier that you wish to keep our problem a secret. How much did you tell this Iago?" *Slowly you said....I told him the same thing as LonGears. About what his kind did to me/us. He, like LonGears, believes we are the same person and not two souls in one body. He almost talked back to their side...but how could I trust a species that did what they did again?...* Aldin then opened completely up and the two soul/one body conversation killed a few hours. "So what now?" *The Spirit of the Wilderness said something evil is coming here. What it is, it could not tell at that time. This evil is supposedly greater than that of the devilbunnies. He told me no more other than we need to get ourselves up to Maine as soon as possible. He then said there was one other he needed to contact. Who that was, I don't know.* "Well, we are approaching our exit in Ranton, NM. If there is trouble in the Panhandle like on the way-up, I want you to take over the left side of the body...you said you use to be left pawed/handed, right? It may provide us with a little more leverage in a fight." *We've never tried anything like that before. When you pull-over for fuel we'll try it...after all, we'll need practice.* After fueling up, they attempted it...with little success, how does one walk when one only commands one foot? *Perhaps if I only controlled the left arm and hand.* That worked, though not well. But Aldin and Gene continued to try different combinations out as they drove on...
Moxie Man pulled into Dalhart, TX and stopped at a little truck stop on the edge of the town to refuel. *Cash or credit?* Aldin inquired. *Cash, credit would tip us off to Iago to easily,* Gene replied. They had to be cautious. Every place in town advertised Spam (tm) specials. This place offered a free can with fill-up. The diner had a Spam (tm), 2 eggs, toast and coffee special for $1.99. For lunch, they offered a Spam (tm) burger, fries and Snapple (tm) for $2.25, or so the sign stated in the window. They would have prefered to just keep driving, but 'Da Beast' was low on fuel. They proceeded into the mini-mart portion of the truck stop and picked-up a qt of oil, the free can of Spam (tm) and a Snapple (tm) just to be safe. *OK, Aldin, if you have any cuteness whatsoever left in you, now would be a good time to show it.* They proceeded to the cashier. "I was passing through, saw your sign and thought, 'Wow, free Spam (tm) with fill-up!'. I hope the $22.50 my car took is enough" (happygiggle) Eugene felt sick to his stomach. *Well, Gene, it has been ten years, and FlopEar did drain most of it from me.* The cashier rang-up the order. (happyfluff) "Glad, you stopped, and Spam (tm) is so good for you! That comes to $25.68. Cash or charge?" Moxie Man handed him $26.00. "Keep the change." *GAG! This semi-fluffer is already to far gone!* They proceeded back to the car, topped-off the oil and threw the Spam (tm) and the Snapple (tm) in the trash with the oil bottle. They pulled out of the truck stop and proceeded south-east. *Aldin, we are going to make a course change, and go around Amarillo. I'm sure the fluffer-wanna-be back there will be alerting his superiors.* About 30 miles out of Dalhart, they switched to a little county road heading east. Meanwhile.... ******tightbeam********to Commander Iago********* Cmdr, the squirrel just left and is heading toward Amarillo. Do you wish me to alert our forces there? He's driving the same vehicle--plates 'MOX-1'. He's got something in the back though, all covered-up. It's about 3 and half feet long, 1 foot wide, and 1 foot tall. I didn't get a chance to check further. (attmeptedappologeticfluff). I shall await further orders. Carlos Jose, soon to be Fluffysnug. Dalhart outpost. ******end tightbeam******************************
Da Beast roars down the County back road somewhere SE of Dalhart, TX. Eugene's brother's new alternative band, Color Blind, was blasting through the car's music system (picture music that's a mix of Genesis, Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails Queensryche, and Led Zepplin rolled into one)..... *Eugene, I thought you were good with maps....* "I am, why do you ask..." *You know, stupid! If we wanted to avoid Amarillo, we would have headed due south from Dalhart and gone through Herford. This county road ends just south of Dimmet, with the only choice being to drive into downtown Amarillo.* Eugene grabs the map....damn! The squirrel's right.... "Well, we'll just have to risk it. Once we are on I-27, we ain't stopping for nothing until we're in Lubbock!" Eugene pops open a Moxie, and they proceeded south, rapidly approaching Amarillo just in time for the evening rush hour. (Rush Hour in Amarillo??!! Who are we kidding here?) TBC Eugene "Moxie Man" Pomerleau m8sab@ttacs.ttu.edu The Yankee (Mainah) stranded in deviljack-infested West Texas. "A guy once said that if he owned Hell and Texas, he'd live in Hell and rent-out Texas."--Bella English of the Boston Globe
alt.db off... I tried to think of a way to do this without an off area, but I couldn't pull-it
off. Sorry. Timeline wise, this takes place about the time that the Sibyl and company
had been captured at Denver Warren, before the Battle of Stillwater(loo). alt.db on
*This gives me the creeps.*
"I know what you mean, Aldin. It's the middle of rush hour for crying-out-loud and
look at this. Amarillo is a ghost-town.
*Don't suppose Pantex blew do you?*
"Doubtful. I think our furry faced 'friend' up to Dalhart has tipped-off his superiors.
(depressing the gas pedal to the floor) And I'm not going to hang around for Iago's
surprises."
The only traffic had been on I-40 and even it was light. They cleared the southern city
limits in less than 10 minutes. Surprisingly, no police cruisers. They were now on the
other side of Canyon on I-27 heading towards Happy. A mere 110 miles to go to
Lubbock and (temporary) sanctuary. A lot had occurred in the past 10 days. Eugene
had delivered the Moxie to the BHX as promised; Aldin's conscious had been
reawakened; they had programmed the a ten-year-out-of-date copy of BUNIX into
the Army of Fudd's computers; they had made contact on the dreamplains with the
one called the Sibyl who soon after attacked Denver Warren; they then fled NoCo
for fear of it being a devilbunny front, only to have a devilbunny (General LonGears
himself) explain to them the true implications of this Omega Treaty. And what about
those bantering sessions with Iago and LonGears. LonGears had reaffirmed that the
buns were truely evil--he may be considered the emporer of bantering, but LonGears
was not the best at propaganda. But this Iago on the other hand was a master of
propaganda. He had nearly turned Aldin back to the db cause in his first few rounds
with Aldin. If he hadn't slipped and proclaimed he had been behind the attack on the
way to NoCo, Aldin would probably be in complete control of their body and driving
towards Iago's base in Oklahoma by now. This truely disturbed Eugene. He would
have to monitor anymore sessions Aldin decide to have on the net. Eugene was no
more interested in having long ears than his host was in remaining human. Well at
least they were almost back to Lubbock and good thing. Fall classes were about to
start. It wouldn't look good to have the teacher fail to show-up for lab sessions. He
could get lost in labs and research for a while and relax his troubled mind.
They were just the other side of Happy when trouble showed up. Well they weren't
sure if it was trouble or not. A military caravan was fast approaching behind them.
It's insignia indicated it was from Reese Air Force Base west of Lubbock. Since it
was heading south like them, it probably was returning to the base. Eugene kept his
eye on it though just in case. The first hummer passed and the driver waved. Eugene
recognized one of his past students, waved and relaxed. These couldn't be bunnies.
Eugene had made much eye contact with all his students. It was the only way to tell
if they truly understood something he explained to them. It was difficult to make
ones eyes lie. 10, 11, 12, the vehicles kept passing him. Hummers, older transports
and rigs. One of the rigs pulled back in front of him awfully quickly. There was
another rig passing them.
*Strange*, Eugene thought, *that rig's trailer is open.* Then he noted that the rig
behind him had slowed and that another one was coming up his back and. There
was a ramp lowering from the back of the rig in front of him. Then he noted there
was a rig now driving down the breakdown lane. he was blocked in. There was
a soldier in fatigues at the top of the ramp.
He put a megaphone to his face and said something, but Eugene couldn't hear it
over the roar of the engines around him. He knew he was trapped and there was
little he could do. Sure he could blow the rig behind him, but what good would that
do him...how much of the caravan was behind them. Next thing he knew, the breaks
suddenly slammed on the rig in front of him. Eugene did likewise but a little slower
and found himself inside the trailer with the doors behind him closing. Six armed
guards surrounded his car.
The soldier who had been using the megaphone walked up to Eugene's window and
spoke to him.
"Well, Eugene, we've been monitoring your transmissions. We decided we had
better get you before the buns did. I am LT Greene from Lubbock Underground Fudd
Intelligence (LUFI). The BHX informed us that you might be worth a second chance.
You didn't choose a very good place to attend graduate school. This area has always
been considered deviljack territory...until recently. Whether you like it or not, you'll
begin Fudd training immediately. We'll put you into the ROTC program as
unprecedented as it is for a graduate student, so as not to rouse suspicions from friends
on campus."
"And if I don't cooperate...."
"Well, Eugene, or should I say Aldin Busheytail, you will be put on trial for crimes
you committed back in your days at Namakata Labs. Don't look surprised, our
commanding officer, COL Oullette will explain when we get to Reese."
"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice." Eugene shut his engine off, sat back
and relaxed.
An armed guard had escorted him into a small briefing type room. He had been on the base about a half hour and had undergone a physical examination. At the end of the table in the room sat a middle aged 5'11" black hair, blue eye man in uniform. "Have a seat, Mr. Pomerleau. It's not often I get to talk to a fellow Mainah. I'm sure it's been a long trip, so I'll make this brief. I know you are not really Eugene Pomerleau, but the squirrel, Aldin Busheytail, formerly 2nd in Command of the Devilbunny installation known as Namakata Labs about 20 miles west of Millinocket. Do you deny this?" Eugene looked at the soldier before him, blinked and stared at him with rodent eyes and Aldin spoke, "That, depends, Col. I assume you are Col. Oullette. If you are addressing Aldin Busheytail, I don't deny it, but if you are addressing the human, Eugene Pomerleau, who shares this body with me, then (blinks and shows human eyes)...I deny it." Colonel Oullette had to use all his military training to keep from showing his startlement at the change in eyes and ever so slight change in the tone of voice. "What do you mean you both deny and don't?" "Sir, you are dealing with two minds trapped in one body whether you believe that or not. It's a long story, but since you seem to know about Namakata, perhaps you know what occurred there too," Eugene replied. "Fine, I'll play your game, Aldin. This is what I know. Back in 1988, I was in charge of Loring Air Force Base. A good source of mine tipped me off to devilbunny activity near Namakata Lake west of Millinocket. Some 'military maneuvers' confirmed that there was a base there. I sent in an F-4E Phantom fully loaded on a 'training' mission. It was suppose to empty what it had on the Namakata and return to base. Something went wrong, the jet crashed, but crashed into the devilbunny base, destroying the base. The investigation showed the jet had been sabotaged, but I kept that quite and had the crash listed as accidental. Since the buns weren't suppose to have a base there, they weren't about to protest my destroying it, which appeared accidental." Rodent eyes stared at him in disbelief. "You said you destroyed Namakata Labs six years ago? And you violated the Omega Treaty to do so?" "It's only a violation if one is caught in the act. I wasn't, but it still cost me two good men. The only thing I couldn't figure-out was how did the buns find-out and sabotage the plane." (Aldin, still stunned) "I'm stuck like this forever. My only hope lied in my journals at Namakata to reverse what FlopEar did to me. All right, Col. Here's my story...." Aldin told him everything that had occurred to him at Namakata starting with his falling-out of grace with FlopEar. (If you haven't heard the whole story, email the author.) "...I, Aldin, was recently reawaken and became self-aware again. If what you say is true, there is no more hope of some day undoing what he did. Then again, the research on improving the Bunnyvirus has also been destroyed. Are you absolutely sure there were no survivors?" "I thought so, until you started posting on the network. The crash caused a larger crater than expected and the recovery team had found residual radiation in the area. There were no nukes on that jet." "Then the jet had hit the small nuclear power plant in use at the lab...sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." (glaring at the squirrel turned human) "As I was saying, we were able to recover a small amount of records from the lab, they had indicated you as Second in Command, so I had assumed you were among the dead. Virile improvement you said. Then I'm glad we hit it when we did. As for survivors, any buns in the base at that time were instantly vaporized in the fireball. We didn't find any intact bodies, only ashes or pieces parts." Human eyes were once again looking back at the soldier. "Well, what are you going to do with me/us now? This is Eugene again. Aldin is somewhere deep in the back on our mind pouting over remaining human for the rest of his life. He has doubts about your words, but he can't confirm anything here. If you have read our posts, then you know where I now stand. I believe I can get Aldin to cooperate for now. Are you going to let me train?" Oullette pondered for a moment. "Yes, but first, I'm going to let our psychiatrist see you. You must understand that I want to make sure I am dealing with two separate entities here and not a severe case of schizophrenia." "Understandable." "Good. Remember, Eugene, I'll be watching you. We've got to good an establishment here to give it away. If you turn out to truly be a symp, I won't hesitate to have you killed. PRIVATE!" The door opened. "Escort Mr. Pomerleau to the ward." (salute) "Yes, sir." TBC alt.db off Sorry. The Real World (tm) beckons, so I'll be off line for almost a week. I'm temporarily escaping Texas and flying home to Maine to attend my brother's Eagle Scout Ceremony (Way to go Chris!). I should be back by Tuesday (Nov 8). Scott alt.db on
"As strange as it may seem, Colonel, the subject does possess two soals. I got a second opinion on the subject and then called in a psychic also. What Mr. Pomerleau claims is true. Two seperate enities, one body. I have a full written report for you here including a CAT Scan. Twice as much of his brain is being utilized as compared to a normal human. I could write journal papers on this person for years." (skimming the report) "Thank you, Doctor, as usual, you have done a very efficient investigation. PRIVATE! You may leave doctor." The shrink left and a soldier entered. "Yes, sir!" "Send for Mr. Pomerleau, SGT Groundim, and SGT Blake." "Yes, sir!" The private saluted and left. Fifteen minutes later, Eugene reported to the Colonel. "You sent for my Col. Oullette." "Yes, come in and have a seat, I'm expecting two more people before we begin." The door openned, the Col. looked up and gestured a human and a _rabbit_ in. "Come in, Eugene Pomerleau, this is (gesturing to the human), SGT Groundim and this (gesturing to the rabbit) is SGT Blake." Eugene instinctively reached for the scout axe that wasn't there. "Calm down a moment," the Col. said. "Blake is on our side. They're going to be your training instructors." (doublelook) "The Fudds now employ devilbunnies?" Eugene challenged. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor with the fluffer on top of him, with its fangs centimeters from his face and its talons gripping but not piercing his neck, and Blake spoke. "Look, new recruit, I didn't choose to become a devilbunny." (STOMP!) "I was infected with an extremely strong strain of Bunnyvirus(tm) about 18 months ago in a little skirmish outside of Waco. My Antibuns booster didn't stop it. I became a fluffer within hours, but I kept my sanity and vowed to fight the Evil which Fluffs(tm)" (STOMP!!!)"that much harder. I always have been and always shall be dedicated to the FUDD cause. How do you think I feel in this situation? Every day, my friends try not to show fear around me, but I can smell it in them. I have to fight the urge to bite-off my fellow Fudd's toes, just because some instinct in this new body screams-out to eat them." (STOMP!!!) "I crave Snapple(tm) and Spam(tm) and successfully resist the later, but still must give into the first. And worst of all, I have to live with being cute!"(shiverfluff)"Now then buster, you will show me some respect, or perhaps"(deviousfluff)"I shall give into some of the instincts I hate and fight against. DO"(STOMP!)"I"(STOMP!)"MAKE"(STOMP!)"MY" (STOMP!)"SELF"(STOMP!)"CLEAR." "yyyes sir." "I CAN'T HERE YOU, RECRUIT!!!!" (STOMP!!!STOMP!!!STOMP!!!) "YES, SIR!" "Very good. Now then (he gets off Eugene) GIVE ME TEN!" Eugene does so but struggles with the last two pushups. He then takes a seat at the table between the Colonel and the two sargents. "Well, now that you have met your two instructors, you are dismissed Eugene. You will report to the training grounds tomorrow morning at 0400hrs." Eugene got up and left. "Now then, Blake and Groundim, we have a nearly unique situation on our hands...." Col Oullette briefed them about Eugene/Aldin. (worriedfluff) "Damn, Jean-Paul, I hope I didn't go overboard on the former squirrel." "I think you did just fine, Steve. He needed a good scaring. Besides you didn't know he was in a similar boat to your condition. Don't ease-up on him. The two of you need to turn that college student/scientist into a soldier as soon as possible. Considering the threats this CMDR Iago was making against him, who knows how long before we can expect a 'visit' from him. While he continues to take classes at Texas Tech, I want you, Steve, to keep an eye on him. No one at the school seems to care either way about rabbits and you have successfully blended-in in the past. While, you are there, thank our ground squirrel comrads for providing the diversion we needed while smuggling Eugene in. Any questions? (head shakes from both Groundim and Blake) Good, you are dismissed and good luck." (In unison)"Thank you, sir!" Mac Groundim saluted while Steve Blake (attentionfluffed) and saluted.
alt.db off Author's note: This all took place after the Sibyl's capture and before the battle of Stillwater(loo). Due to pressing matters in reality (TM) (grad classes), these will be sporadic for the next few weeks....sorry. alt.db on Eugene had been training at Lubbock Underground Fudd Intelligence (LUFI) located at Reese Air Force Base west of Lubbock, TX now for a mere 2 days. His drill sergeants had given up on fire axe training when Eugene showed his skills with the lighter weight Official Boy Scouts of America Plumb Axe(TM). After all, one didn't earn the Paul Bunyan Axeman Award whittling sticks. He was good with the scout axe, but his split- second action timing left much to be desired. He had just now found himself on his back on the ground for the twelfth time that morning. (STOMP!!!)"What did I tell you, recruit!" The greyish-brown rabbit on his chest yelled at him for the twelfth time that morning. "To NEVER let my guard down when facing a devilbunny, even if you order me to, SIR!" "Strange, recruit, that is what I said, but you keep seeming to failing to remember to PRACTICE"(STOMP!)"IT! Let's try this again." SGT Blake got off Eugene's chest. They mock fought for 15 minutes, SGT Blake making both leaping attacks towards Eugene's neck and chest and undercuts towards his legs. Eugene was able to block and parry the most dangerous attacks using his scout axe. His Levi's(tm) did get torn on one of the SGT's leap attacks just below the left knee, but no blood was drawn. No matter how vicious his attacks were, SGT Blake was also careful not to draw blood, since he feared passing on the powerful strain of Bunnyvirus(TM) he carried. It was after the knee attack that SGT Blake had called a halt to the training. "At ease recruit. Better check that knee." Eugene relaxed and started to check his torn jeans. Blake leaped at him again, but he didn't find himself sitting on the recruit as the previous dozen times. He had been snatched out of the air in mid-leap by the young recruit. Eugene held Blake in his hands with his thumbs on Blake's neck. It was very tempting to finish him right there with a quick *pop*. "Are you satisfied now, SIR! Of course if this had been a real fight, you would no longer be breathing and your head would be over there somewhere. Of course if your not satisfied, I could put just a little more pressure on my thumbs without killing you I think." (shiverfluffabouttolooseinvoluntarymusslecontrolshiverfluff)"That's quite alright, recruit. You have proven your point. AT EASE!"(quiver) "Not so fast, Sergeant. I believe you said not to let one's guard down in front of a devilbunny. Matter of fact you've been proving that point to me all morning. So sergeant, it's going to take more than 'AT EASE!' to get me to let-up my guard this time. SIR!" The bun quivered and looked to SGT Groundim who had been watching all this. "Groundim, I need some assistance."(pleadingfluff) The human sergeant suppressed a chuckle. "You did this to yourself, Blake. You're in the recruit's hands now." He could no longer hold it in and let off a short laugh.(grin) "Truce?" Eugene asked. "No more 'recruit' garbage. The name's Gene. I didn't sign-up with the federal military here. Nor was I given much of a choice in this matter. I've been a scientist most of my life. I'm willing to train in fighting techniques, but I won't take being treated like refuse anymore. So do we have an agreement, _SIR_." And he stared at the bun with rodent eyes, blinked and human eyes replaced the rodent ones. "Very well, recrui...I mean Gene. Put me down, it's time for lunch anyway." Eugene put the bun down. "Now then, Gene. If you EVER TREAT ME WITH SUCH DISRESPECT AGAIN, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT'S IT REALLY LIKE TO BE TREATED LIKE REFUSE. DO I MAKE MY SELF CLEAR." (STOMP!!!!!) "Yes, sir." "Off to the messhall with you. DISMISSED!!!" (STOMP!) Eugene left and headed towards Reese's mess hall. "You should be dead, you know," Mac Groundim said to Steve Blake. "If Eugene there hadn't showed such control, he would have *popped* you before either of you had realized what happened." (shiverfluff)"I know, Mac. Man, I've got to be more careful. I don't care what the Colonel's orders are, I'm not going to kill myself just to train one new recruit." "Don't let the Colonel hear you say that. I think it's time Mr. Pomerleau returned to Lubbock, before his classmates start wondering. I'll take over with him for the rest of the day if you like. He's still sloppy with that axe. We'll escort him to the city tomorrow." With that human and bun proceeded towards the officer's mess.
It was nice to be back in his apartment. Classes were going to start in two days and he was ready. If it weren't for what he knew already about the war, he might have been able to relax. The two sergeants had escorted him back to the Tech Ghetto neighborhood were his meager apartment was and left. He had a small two-way radio, that he was instructed to use if necessary. They were very open in explaining that SGT Blake would be watching him from time to time. Great just what he needed...another devilbunny watching him. Who cares if he was truly a Fudd, it was still nerve-wracking, despite Blake's assurances that Gene wouldn't even see him. He went to the fridge and pulled-out an ice-cold Moxie(tm), popped it open and took a large sip, holding and savoring the unique "bite" of the beverage. That's when he remembered the conversation he had on the cellular phone only a few days earlier (was it a week already?) [flashback] > "Gene, thank goodness. This is Frank Acher, your stock broker. I've >been trying to locate you for a week. Coca-Cola wants your stock and they >want it badly." > "How badly?" > "They're willing to give you twice it's actually value, a two for one trade >with their stock and they will market the product nation-wide. You are the >only stock holder who stands in their way." > (pause) "Frank, a few weeks ago, I'd laugh at that offer, after all I have a >25% share of the Monarch Company. Their offer would make me a small peon, >though a well-off peon, in their company. I wouldn't even have a vote on >future decisions. However, things have changed recently...for the good of >things, Moxie needs to go nationwide and fast. Don't ask me why, Frank, but >SELL the stock. Tell them I accept their offer. I should be able to get to >the Lubbock Office by tomorrow to seal the deal." > (hesitantly)"Very well, Gene. Bye." > Moxie Man hung-up the phone. "I hope I've done the right thing...damn these >rabbits! For the first time in 110 years, Moxie will not be at least one >quarter owned by Mainahs!" *Damn,* Eugene thought to himself, *with all the training I forgot about the transaction. Will they still be willing to buy? Aldin?...that's right he's resting, better not disturb him...* Eugene picked-up his phone and dialed Frank Archer up in Maine. [ring signal] "Hello, you've reached Archer and Breton Brokerage Service. We're not in right now but if...." "Pick-up the phone, Frank I know you're there. This is Gene Pomerleau." "...we'll get (receiver is picked up) Gene, is it really you? What happened? Coca-Cola is desperate for your stock. When you didn't show last week, they upped their offer to triple it's face value and a four for one trade in their stock. Apparently, this Snapple-Moxie fiasco has increased the awareness of Moxie in previously unknown potential markets. Sales are up 20% in the past week alone. Do you still wish to sell?" "Yes, Frank, see if you can get them to show-up at that brokerage firm run by your friend here in Lubbock...what was his name...Al McCahn? If they still want to buy, have them show up tomorrow at 9am, and I'll show to seal the deal." "Very well." After Eugene hung-up, he had a bad feeling about the upcoming transaction. Why would a giant corporation suddenly show such interest in a small product like Moxie. Sure it once outsold Coca-Cola, but that was back at the turn of the century. It barely made a profit now. That profit on his share didn't even pay for his college tuition. Something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Eugene had on his best (only) suit when he pulled 'Da Beast' over to the curve on Broadway in downtown Lubbock, TX and proceeded into the Micro-Communications Building, the tallest building in the city. It still showed the damage that was inflicted upon it in that tornado that had ripped through the city nearly 25 years earlier. The building was slightly twisted. He climbed the stairs up the four flights to Al McCahn's Brokage Firm and walked in. He was greeted by a tall stereotypical Texan. (apologies to Texans out there, I'm not good at mimicking the accent) "Howdy, y'all must be Eugene Pom-ER-lEou...never could handle them yankee names well...anyway, Frank said to be expectin' ya. Them city-slickertypes from Atlanta are in the backroom a-waitin' for ya. They have all the foRms. Follow me." Al lead Eugene into a back room where two men in business suits with Coca-Cola theme ties on. The one on the left spoke. "Eugene Pomerleau, I presume. I am Bob Fisher and this is Marcus Stanton." Handshakes and greetings were exchanged. "Well, let's get down to business," Eugene said. "My apologies for not meeting with you earlier, I had other business concerns and delays. Now then, if I can see the offer." Bob pulled-out some papers from a briefcase and passed them across the table. Eugene began reading through the lawyerese. Bob glanced at Marcus nervously, but Eugene didn't seem to notice. Eugene read through the first four pages, and so far everything looked in order. Then he got to the last page. There was no real lawyerese on it. Everything was in clear (but cute) English. Alarms started to trigger in his head. He read very carefully: I, ____________________ do hearby agree to sell my 25% stock in the Monarch Company as per the terms in the previous pages of this contract for the agreed sum of 300% of the actual value of the stock as of the time this contract is signed. In return Coca-Cola agrees not to reduce the area in which the UNCUTE product Moxie (shiverfluff) is sold. _______________________ date_____________________________ *Whoa! Shiverfluff....uncute! Blasted db's!* *(mental yawn) Morning Gene, what's up?* *Not much, Aldin, I don't suppose you would know if the devilbunnies own Coca-Cola?* *Of course, who else would think-up such a cute song as "I'd like to teach the world to sing." ? Or how about the more recent Polar Bear commercials... wait...you're very open minded this morning...YOU WERE ABOUT TO SIGN-OVER MOXIE TO THE DEVILBUNNIES???!!!!* *They almost got it by fooling me, but they messed-up the last page....* Eugene began to page through the contract again while Bob and Marcus began to sweat. *Look at all that bunnybody language...you could tell it was stressful for them to try to make this look like a normal contract, lawyers being the crest of Uncutedom. Gene, are they symps or buns in morpharmor.* Eugene looked-up at Bob and stared at him in the eyes. "This contract is not in order, nor is it the terms I had agreed to...." *Bob is human...must be a symp or an unknowing pawn.* "I can't agree to these terms. Tell LonG...I mean, your superiors, that they need to hirer new contract lawyers. This (gestures the contract by waving it in the air) is a joke! Good day." Eugene got up and left without looking back. The two symps just stared in disbelief as he left. "How did he see through us?" Marcus asked. Bob picked-up the contract and paged through it quickly. "Damn! I grabbed the wrong copy from the contract office....this was suppose to be the General's copy...he'll have our toes for sure for letting this deal slip through." Marcus paled. "Do you think so? What would that rabbit want with a little backwoods soft drink like Moxie anyway?" "I don't know, but we still have one chance to salvage this deal. If we're going to go down, we're going down in style. We'll give Mr. Pomerleau time to cool down, then we'll make him a counter-offer I doubt he'll refuse." "What counter-offer? We're not authorized to make another counter-offer. What are you talking about?" Marcus paled even more as he contemplated what the buns were going to do to them. "Marcus, I've worked closely with that rabbit conducting transactions for him for nearly 10 years now. I know a few things about this Mr. Pomerleau. I have a good idea on how to secure that stock and save our toes."
(Author's note: This occurs just before the Battle of Stillwater(loo). ) The first week of classes at TTU were over for Eugene. That of course meant a weekend of Fudd training at LUFI. He was a bit nervous at the moment as he approached his car in the commuter lot, for there weren't any jackrabbits in sight, very unusual for West Texas. As he unlocked his door, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and fired his Moxie(tm) filled Supersoaker(tm) without aiming and nicked the grayish-brown devilbunny on the tip of its left ear as it tried to dodge the attack. It yelped in pain and started to chew-out Eugene. "Damn it, recruit! Be sure of your target before firing!" (STOMP!) As SGT Blake continued to rant and rave, his ear continued to smoke. Eugene ran to the back of the car, opened the tailgate and removed [censored for security reasons]. (cringefluff) "What the hell is in that gun, recruit!" "Moxie, sir. Hold still, I've got the antidote here, unless you wish to loose the ear." He poured some of the Moxie-neutralizer [you think I'm going to tell you what it is!] on the SGT's wound and it ceased to smoke. Sgt Blake immediately felt better. His ear still hurt, but it no longer burned. "Moxie? Colonel Oullette drinks that stuff. I see I have a legitimate excuse to pass-up his offers on the stuff now. The Colonel had mentioned something about Moxie and buns. I'll remember not to surprise you like that in the future. You reacted appropriately to the situation, except next time, try to anticipate where the bun will be rather than where it is." They got into the car and drove towards Reese. Neither one knew about the pink tracking device now firmly attached to undercarriage of the vehicle. --------- The bun in the monitor room jumped up and called to his superior. "Sir! We've got movement. We'll find were the former squirrel's been hiding out real soon." "Very good, comm tech. We'll inform CMDR Iago as soon as that location is determined."
"Steve I've got one of those strange feelings, like...you know, we're being watched." "You feel it too, Gene? The fur on the back of my neck has been bothering me since we left the commuter lot. Pull over in the shopping plaza up ahead. We'll find out if we're being followed, besides, I'm out of Snapple(tm)." Gene looked over to the rabbit on the seat next to him. "Steve, you know that stuff isn't truly good for you. One of these days you'll wake-up and no longer call yourself SGT Steve Blake, but some sickeningly cute bunny name and then you'll betray your friends." "No need to worry about that...the stuff is designed to affect humans, not devilbunnies. Besides, while your inside, it will be easier for me to scan the parking lot for trouble. Oh, and I'll drink anything but Ice Tea." (sigh)"Very well." Gene pulled into the parking lot and went into the supermarket. Steve Blake hopped out and looked around. No noticeable trouble. Then he hopped under the car and a small pink device caught the corner of his eye. *What do we have here?* He thought to himself. *Who needs to tail us with this baby attached to the car?* Steve inspected the device and found it to be magnetically attached. He hopped back into the car, grabbed some tools, went back underneath and after some prying, was able to remove the device without damaging it. Just then the local mass transit bus pulled into the plaza. Grabbing the opportunity offered him, Steve quickly hurried under the bus while people loaded and unloaded and reattached the device to the bus. As the bus pulled away, Steve made his way back to Gene's car and could hardly keep from laughing to himself. Gene was back within ten minutes. "Strawberry-Kiwi alright with you....what's so funny?" Steve burst out laughing. After about a minute, he was able to get enough air to explain what had transpired at which Gene chuckled also. "So, Gene, I suggest we change our plans in case they decide to pull that one again. Let's get over to your place and we'll radio in for transportation." --------- Meanwhile.... "Sir, the squirrel must be real paranoid."(fluffle) "What do you mean comm tech?" (commandfluff) "Well, he's been driving in circles for the past two hours. First down to the S part of the city and the mall, then towards downtown, then out to East Lubbock and then back downtown, then out to the NW part of the city and he's now heading back towards the downtown area." (confusedfluff) "That does seem strange, but the Commander warned us about this one. We don't make a move until he stops. Keep me informed." "Yes, sir!" (attentionfluff) His superior pondered to himself...back and forth to the downtown area...nah, he couldn't have found the device this soon, could he? "Comm Tech, have Special Agent ShortEar catch-up with the suspect and confirm that the vehicle in question is an '82 Chevy Wagon." "Yes, sir."
To Be Continued in Down in Lubbock
Note: Ghost from the past... corresponds along the same time line as this series and before Down in Lubbock.