Chapter II

The Road to Mars

It was a quiet day at Future Ones Head quarters. Flight was watching cartoons and polishing his revolver.

Flight hadn’t seen a cartoon since he was a toddler at his grandfather’s house.

Oracle stared at the screen over his shoulder.

"Interesting. The cultural material at your time predicted the appearance of space travel."

"Come on Orc, it’s man’s destiny to go up in space." Flight said buffing his gun

"Yes but aliens. The twentieth century had some weird ideas."

Static entered the room.

"Oh goody more Twentieth century cultural documentation."

"Yeah he’s about to blow up the planet." Flight said chuckling like a moron. "Boy that Bugs Bunny can act."

Static stared at the screen.

"You know they got the sky all wrong.

"What?"

"Mars doesn’t look like that. They forgot to depict the vapor clouds, you know."

Marvin the Martian took out pellets and grew Martians. Static laughed

Flight put down his gun.

"Whoa, time out kid. You been to Mars?"

"Yeah. It’s no big deal."

"See Orc, I was right. We do go to Mars in the future."

"Uhuh." Static said hypnotized by the cartoon.

Flight tapped him on the shoulder.

"Well what’s it like."

"It’s crummy place. My Mom took me there when I was little on one of her missions. They don’t even have indoor plumbing in most towns."

"So people live on Mars?"

"Criminals live on Mars you mean. Dimensional travel is so much easier than space travel."

Bugs Bunny stared at the Martian.

"These cultural documents on the nature of Mars are intriguing bits of satire." Static laughed. "I’m not for political humor, but this is pretty cool."

"Right." Flight said.

***

Flight followed Oracle into her office. The timid office dweller was staring at Random staring at him, holding his scythe across his knees, gulping and sweating.

"How’d he get in here?" Random asked icily.

The man stood hesitantly holding a dossier, like a shield before the vicious looking duck.

"I don’t trust him." Random said. He stood up and let Oracle sit in her office chair.

"Oracle Coxcombe, I would like a word with you and your associates."

"Sure thing. What do you want to talk about?"

"I am Mr. Emilio Muster, from The Martian Corporation. I have a mission I wish to submit, for the good of civilization as we know it. On behalf of my benefactors the McDucke Enterprises."

"McDucke? Well they’ve got enough cash to afford us." Flight said.

Oracle ignored Flight’s greed.

"Sorry I must decline. Whatever you were told the FO are not mercenaries. We get our missions through official channels."

The representitive wouldn’t leave the room he slammed the key pad on the table

"The future of the system depends on your cooperation."

"Or at least your investors." Random said coolly.

The representative turned around and glared at the mud billed duck

"He’s going to lose a lot of money if we don’t help him. More than Flight can even imagine." The mage grinned.

"But it is important. Our Corp, SHUSH, the Terran Navy, various freelance specialists have failed. Noelle Muddlefoot gave me this as my last recourse. She said that if anyone can help the Corporation, it’s the Future Ones."

Oracle leaned back in her chair.

"Well I’m sorry. Last time I checked we were not Noelle Muddlefoot’s personal army."

"The future depends on you stopping this."

"The FO are not mercenaries," she slipped him back the dossier.

"But I think this will make you change your mind."

The man flipped the folder over.

It was a photograph of the ship.

A strange symbol was carved into the hull. It looked like a lightning bolt, in the shape of an "S"

Oracle’s light eyes flickered dark at the sight.

"Oracle what-"

"We’ll take the mission Mr. Muster."

***

They went to the Mission briefing room.

"What’s the deal, why is she taking this mission? It’s totally crazy."

"It’s a name." Random guessed.

"Don Karnage."

"Yeah the comic book guy." Flight said. "She doesn’t like him."

Oracle entered the room

"Not really Flight. It’s not just simple dislike any longer, I hate him."

They became silent as Oracle spoke, she seemed so strange. She had never seemed so angry. She was normally very professional. Whatever had happened between her and Karnage it wasn’t just another mission, it was personal.

"It’s his symbol. He signs it at the end of his signature Don Karnage double cross…whatever that is. No one knows what it means."

"It look’s like an initial. Or the first symbol in a long name." Static said.

"It’s him. I know it. He was last seen on the Saturnine beltway, pirating a grain shipment. He’s been cornered on Mars. The ship can’t get off the planet. The Corporation wants us to arrest him."

"That’s it, just get the Comic book guy and we get all that money?"

"And his accomplises. The Time Pirates." Oracle said opening the file. And showing the profiles and blurry photos of the Time Pirates.

"We assume there are 4 to 5 members of Don Karnage’s inner circle, his troops if you will. Not to mention his network of smugglers and street trash allied to him. Let’s just say Martians like to keep silent about Don Karnage."

"We don’t know how many pirates there are?" Random said incredulously.

"We’ll probably find out when they make us walk the plank." Flight said smirking.

No one understood the bad pirate joke, so they moved on.

"I’ve seen it before. No one will admit where Don Karnage lives on Mars. The report says that the subversive elements of Martian society are hiding him. But it’s deeper than that. My mom’s been living on Mars since she was 25 and always changes the subject. It’s like he has a spell over everybody." Oracle said looking at the picture of his signature.

"So how are we going to find him?"

Static crossed his arms "The only information we can get on Karnage is a bunch of tabloid holeos and heresay."

"We are going to do a little investigating of our own." Oracle said.

"That’s why we are going to the source."

She placed her knife in the map.

"Gentleman. We are going to Mars."

The transport ship was about to land on the surface of the planet. Random was sick as a dog. He clutched his head.

Oracle brushed back her hair.

"We got to get up to the ranch before nightfall."

Flight looked at the dark sky.

"It’s already dark out."

"No this is afternoon. Night it gets really dark."

The ruddy terrain stretched out for miles.

Static straightened his blaster. Even he wasn’t prepared to go to Mars without a weapon.

"This is kind of neat. We’re on a different planet." Flight said moronically

"The best policy is not to talk to anyone at all. Check your wallets, watch your backs, and pretend like you are not afraid. We’re officially varltrash." Oracle said

"Varltrash?" Flight asked.

"Citizens of the City, but not full Martian citizens. We can only leave the city before night. Our passes for planetary travel expire four days from now."

She handed them each Random a scabbard.

"That’s your id. Don’t lose it."

Static grabbed the sword from her.

"I hate this place." Static growled grabbing the sword.

"If we’re lucky we won’t have to pretend that we know how to use them."

She handed one to Flight.

"You must be kidding?"

"All Martians carry swords and belts."

"Well I’m not Martian."

He coughed and said in a really bad bandito accents

"Sword. I don need no stinkin sword."

They stared at him.

"I really should stop using twentieth century allusions, shouldn’t I?"

***

They exited the transport station. Immediately the trouble began.

A fox came up to Static, but he looked at flight.

"Hey muchachos what you got there?"

"None of your business." Flight said

"Hmmm. Four wings."

"Yeah?" Static said backing off.

" Healthy though. Normally I don’t deal in this market. I’ll take him for 2000. He looks kind of old."

Flight shrugged "What is he-"

Static’s eyes became huge.

"Um uh."

"Come on. I don’t have all day."

"What’s going on?"

Static stuttered "Ummm He’s umm not for sale."

"Everythings for sale."

Oracle grabbed the pommel of her new sword.

"Get lost Varltrash." She snarled.

"Come on, boy." She yanked him along.

"This one’s too stupid for market." Static said.

Flight looked at Static.

"Nothing, just your typical Martian Slave trader." Static said.

"Wait a second. Did he want to buy me?"

"Hey, but now he knows that you belong to Static." Oracle said offhandedly.

"What?"

"As long as Static’s around no one will hassle you."

"So Flight’s my slave now?" Static said.

"I’m not gonna stand for this."

"You should have worn the sword."

***

They arrived at the Sarcastic Gila Monster Ranch.

"So finally we get to meet Ma Coxcombe." Flight said happily. He had a perfect image of a fat happy little mouse lady, ready with cookies and pie.

"Yeah."

"Mom. Mom." Oracle called into the quaint ranch house.

"Oracle is that you?"

The members of the team looked and gaped. A gorgeous red haired fox came bounding out. She looked about 18.

"Wowie. She’s cute."

She ran straight towards Oracle

Oracle bent down to hug her, only to have the little fox babe lift her off the ground

"Ooh I’ve been waiting all day for you to come. I have a pie in the oven. Oh Oracle, it’s so nice to have you up here."

"I didn’t know you had a sister?" Flight smiled at her knocking Static out of the way "I’m Flight."

"Call me Serena."

"I never knew Oracle had an adopted sister."

"She doesn’t." Serena said looking around confused.

"Well you’re a fox? How can you two be sisters?"

Oracle rolled her eyes

"This is my mother you dinks."

"That’s Ma Coxcombe?" Random asked, humorously to Flight.

Random chuckled.

Static laughed "You flirted with Oracle’s Mom."

Oracle looked less than thrilled.

"You guys are sick. Yuck"

"Now Oracle, it’s flattering. Seeing all these nice young boys carrying on over me. It makes me feel like a kid again."

"How old are you?"

"Oh I’m about oh 60."

"60 years old!" Flight moaned.

"Yeah 62 this October."

"But how do you- you-you-" Flight stammered and pointed

"Don’t look a day over 19, right? Well I have pretty good anatomical framework. I’m not wrinkling or anything. My skin is getting thinner though."

She took off her glove to reveal a metallic hand. "Seems like I can’t keep the fur on my body."

Flight was catatonic.

"I guess there are advantages and disadvantages to being a cyborg." Mrs. Coxcombe put her glove back on as Flight passed out.

***

"Who wants more cookies?"

"I do Mrs. Coxcombe." Static raised his hand. Random hid his face in his hand at his companions impeccably dorky manners.

"Here you go Static. Boy it must be so hard being away from home. I remember how lonely it was and how exciting it was at the same time."

"It’s not so bad. I’ve been too busy to miss my home." He grabbed a cookie.

"Now you boys eat up." She pinched Static’s cheek. "These are my special cookies. They don’t use any table sugar. The stores have had a trial stocking this stuff. I invented this recipe the year of the great meteor storm, when the Corporation refused to make any sugar or flour shipments. That was a hard year."

Despite her unbelievably young and perky appearance Mrs. Coxcombe acted much older than she looked. There was something tired about her eyes though.

"You do look like your father, Random." she said handing him a cookie, breaking his concentration.

"You knew my father?"

"Very well, and your mother Annelle too."

Random was surprised, not that he remembered any of his parent’s friends. He could barely remember their names.

"I can’t believe how much time has passed since we all were together…" her old eyes flickered nostalgically.

"What kind of people were they?"

"Noble, honorable, dear friends. I miss them a lot."

Random sat listening.

"I remember when they announced your birth at the Lounge of the Hotel DeHeist. Those were the funnest days of my life. On Earth that is. I’m telling you son, don’t waste a second of your youth, you boys."

"Of course not Mrs. Coxcombe." Static said.

"This does remind of that time my best friend Sparky a robot that is she…"

She continued talking to the two young men.

***

Flight followed Oracle were in the main horse barn.

"PU. It stinks in here."

"Horses do that. They stink." Oracle said opening the door. "I like the smell. It smells real."

Oracle walked past the stalls of hushed horses

"Look at this." Oracle grabbed a huge 15 foot lash, off of the wall.

"What in the heck is that thing?" Flight asked.

"This is Daddy’s whip. They said that the Coxcombe whip could crack the sky in half."

She cracked it.

"That thing is frightening. You got anything like training size?"

"Here we go. This is my whip." She showed it too him. It had the initials OC over lapping.

"It took Daddy three weeks to braid this. I thought he’d never get finished carving the handle."

"Here let me try."

Flight tried to snap it like she could, but it snapped back at his hand.

"Ow. This is hard."

Oracle coiled her whip around her arm.

"My Daddy could knock flies off a mule without even touching it’s skin. Otherwise he was a real city boy. The horses always hated him. It was so strange. Eventually they just pitied him and left him alone."

"He must have been some guy.
"Everyone’s dad is, I guess."

Flight looked at the whip. Oracle continued struggling to keep herself talking

"He was a criminal on Earth before all this. Before he met Mom."

"Your father was a criminal?"

"He changed a lot. I’ve always been able to give people a second chance. If Derek "Steelbeak" Coxcombe could change his life around why not your average everyday safe cracker, huh?"

"Except for Don Karnage of course."

"Don Karnage is different. He’s an animal. He killed my ex-boyfriend."

"What happened?"

"I was riding home one day when I heard a scream, down the road. I spurred Adair to run faster. And I saw him. A fox in a blood red cape, fleeing on Daniel’s horse. It was so strangely and beautifully horrible, like watching a snake. I felt my horse completely freeze, just staring at him. His sword was covered in blood, and it had spattered onto his face.

I only had to see what he had done and I was enraged.

And I spurred my frightened horse after him. I had to chase him down. He already had a huge distance ahead of me. I uncoiled my whip, and spurred my horse faster, trying to catch up with the murderer. I spurred my horse to look him straight in the eye. I was too out of breath to scream. I stared right at him."

"I lashed him across his face. It struck him in the eye. Dan’s horse reared as his rider lost control. My horse reared right along next to him.

I tried to lash him again, but he grabbed the whip, and pulled me off my horse. I fell headfirst into the tree. I didn’t wake up for a night. Daniel would never wake up."