The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydrants - The Mission

THE ADVENTURES OF THE FANCYCRAZYHYDRANTSâ„¢

THE MISSION

THE ADVENTURES OF THE â„¢

THE MISSION

BALTAZAR RAY FANCYCRAZY PUBLISHING EAST COAST

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales are entirely coincidental. Š Copyright 1998, Baltazar Ray All Rights Reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.

Published by FancyCrazy Publishing www.FancyCrazyHydrants.com 254 Harrison Street, 1st Fl. Nutley, NJ 07110 Conceptualized, designed, written, and illustrated by: Baltazar Ray

ISBN: 0-000000-0-0 (paperback) ISBN: 0-000000-0-0 (hardcover) Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgment I am grateful to all contributors—big or small, direct or indirect—to the editors, the designers, the printers—my family, my friends—Bill (my real hydrant buddy), inspirations like Rosanne, Stan, Tanya, Laurence Mackler, Susan for the ‘the”, Jan for her unfailing support, Trina for my debut FCH exhibit, as well as the pessimists and doubters, the visionaries and inspirers, the Beatles and their music, The Queen and the Queens of the World, Paulina (my audience and adviser), Sabrina and Fyora (my other children), and most of all—the optimists and their incessant prodding and good vibes in helping me transform this idea into reality. May the Voice be with you all.

To Paulina

Never mind who I am.

I am what you see up here . . . —The Voice

CONTENTS Chapter 1

The Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Chapter 2

The Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Chapter 3

The Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Chapter 4

Grunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Chapter 5

Crooton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Chapter 6

Beatree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Chapter 7

The Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Chapter 8

Splatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Chapter 9

Meet Five Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Chapter 10

Mohegan River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Chapter 11

Veeda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Chapter 12

Hydra’s Trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Chapter 13

The Dream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Chapter 14

Elvira . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Chapter 15

Hydra’s Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Chapter 16

Déjà vu, Genoa, Déjà vu . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Chapter 17

Big Tur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Chapter 18

Captain Hydra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134

Chapter 19

Fireeba, Billow and the Fyros . . . . . . . . . .139

Chapter 20

The Third Millennium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

THE MISSION

YEAR: 2999

The Contact

CHAPTER 1 The Contact THE BRIGHT YELLOW TAXI sped down the lane and roared past an old couple waiting in vain. At five in the morning, the driver was weary from working all night, and he had just dropped off his last passenger before heading for the garage.

Sixteen hours straight he’s been driving. A record for fools, he thought. His eyes were half closed and he was barely awake.

All he could think of, as he pressed harder on the gas was his soft, warm bed with its clean sheets and wonderful smell. As he careened down the road, the taxi started to wobble as the driver began to fall asleep. He ran two yellow lights and slammed on his brakes just as a man darted in front of him. He swerved, missing the man by mere inches, but not before the taxi climbed the curb. The driver, confused and desperate, again scrambled for his brakes…

“SCREEEEEEECHE! KA-BLAMMM!” [ 19 ]

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“SPLASSSSSSSSSSSSHH!” Water, water everywhere and there was plenty to drink, too. A fountain of water gushed out of the sidewalk as high as the lamppost, and started flooding the street. The taxi had come down like a hammer and severed the hydrant from its main pipe. The thundering crash woke up the whole neighborhood, and the lights could be seen coming on in sequence in all the buildings. People peered from their windows and others began pouring out into the street. Soon there was a crowd, all curious about the commotion. It was near daylight and everyone seemed to want to see what was going on—like a block party where new and old neighbors could see each other again and look at all the new and old faces.

“Hi, how are you?”

“I didn’t know you were back!”

“Bill! What happened?”

It was bizarre—it was like a party. People even brought their dogs. No one seemed to mind about the accident. No, this was better. People were more curious about the melee, with its gathering, mingling, and the camaraderie.

“TOOOOOOTEEEEE! TOOOOOOTEEEEE!” The incoming ambulances, with their sirens and the emergency crews, only added to the festivity.

They carted out the injured driver as fast as they could, while the crew from the water department shut off the main valve, reducing the water torrent to a slow dribble. Dogs were looking curiously at the hydrant, as if they had never seen a “downed” one before. It must be some dog’s territory. Where do they go now to pee? You can almost hear them whimpering like they were worried or something.

The day went by so fast, it was almost dark again and the hydrant remained undisturbed, still lying on the damp pave[ 20 ]

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

After a couple of maneuvers, the truck finally reached its destination. Its doors swung open wildly as two burly men stepped down and sized up the situation.

“Hmm…this is a big one,” groaned the driver. “Just what I need this morning…ready for this one, Guido?”

Guido growled, still half asleep. He bent down and sized up the hydrant too. “Alright, let’s take this one Ben.” The two men bent down in unison to pick up the hydrant.

“Oomph! Hah!” For a moment, they were playing “tug of war” and acted like they didn’t know which way to go.

“Stop Guido, stop!” Ben yelled, irritated by the situation.

“Okay, now, follow my direction and stop pulling the other way.

You’re going to drop this one like you did before. I don’t have any more feet to spare!”

They carried the bulky hydrant carefully, puffing heavily as the veins bulged in their necks. They took small deliberate steps to the back of the truck.

“Easy now…” Ben blurted out as he looked at Guido’s half awake face.

As they reached the rear of the truck they started to swing the hydrant. On the count of three, they tossed the load right on top of the other hydrants.

“BLAAANNNNGK!” came the crash of heavy metal.

It’s a fairly routine job. Just make sure you don’t drop this baby, Ben thought.

The truck was filled with all sorts of hydrants, big and small, many different colors, but all were severed at the base, like they had been run over. Most of the load was from yesterday and should have been unloaded the night before. They looked animated, just lying there—almost cartoon-like.

As the truck sped down the road and turned the corner, 22

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

disrupting my sleep, you’re also trying to get me killed. Never mind the squirrel!”

Ben, still shaken, tried to compose himself as he took a deep breath. “Alright, it’s time for coffee break. I can’t go on like this. Keep a look out for a diner.”

Guido, looked at him wryly. “Good idea, Ben. Good idea!”

24

The Voice

CHAPTER 2 The Voice THE TWO HYDRANTS lay on the side of the road motionless. They still looked animated, if not out of place—two fire hydrants in the middle of nowhere. They looked like they were sleeping, enjoying the cool autumn breeze swirling around them. Can you guess who was the lucky one to be thrown free from the rest of the heap in the back of the truck? If you guessed the big green hydrant with lots of arms, you’d be right. That truck really took a sharp turn to be able to expend that heavy baby. There’s no way that big unit could have flown out of that truck without some kind of help. And the other one was so small that it was in extreme contrast to the big one.

With its red head and white body, it looked like a colorful midget. The two of them together looked like a couple of cartoon characters.

They lay there motionless as the day drifted by.

25

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

The sun went down that evening as slowly as it had risen.

Stars started creeping out of the dark and began to cover the sky like sparklers. A few shooting stars streaked across the sky, adding to the unique view. In this area, there was rarely such a sight as was being displayed tonight. Stars were able to dominate the evening sky without a throng of buildings and artificial lights to disrupt them. There was a feeling of vastness, of belonging, of being part of the space, the stars, and the galaxies—there was a feeling of—Magic.

The place was quiet and cool with a slight breeze. Crickets and frogs exchanged their usual chatter. It was a perfect evening. And as this magic feeling lingered, there was a noise as something moved.

“SHH, WISHH, SHH, WISHH” The large green hydrant slowly rolled from side to side. All of a sudden the hydrant sat up, as if awakened from a bad dream.

“Whoaa! Hahh!” Yawning? Yes, the hydrant was alive and yawning. Apparently, the magic of the evening had given life to him. It simply sat there, seemingly bewildered, like it had been awakened from a long sleep.

“Hmm… where am I?” the hydrant mused. His memory of his life in the city returned to him. He remembered the accident and felt happy to be alive. He glanced over at the small hydrant that had also started to move.

“Hey wake up, little one! Wake up! Check out the stars!

Aren’t they lovely?”

The small hydrant seemed to be still groggy from the fall as it rolled from side to side.

“Huh?” What the…” the small hydrant said, as it looked around.

“We’re alive! Can you believe it? We’re alive!” cried the big 26

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!” The two hydrants sat there like stone, and Hydra wondered if the voice was still around, but he heard nothing. The voice had been powerful, and now, without it, Hydra felt alone and abandoned. Although the voice was only there for a short time, it made him feel good. Remembering what the voice said, “I WILL BE WATCHING YOU FROM TIME TO TIME,” made him feel more secure. And power? Did the voice mention power? Being alive is power enough, Hydra thought.

“Are you okay…err, Pluggo?” asked Hydra.

Pluggo stood up, looking bewildered, and said, “C’mon, let’s go.”

Hydra fell in step with Pluggo as the two of them walked along the grassy field. They talked about feeling dazed but also how reassured they felt with this newfound life.

“Hey check that out—the Big Dipper!” yelled Hydra.

“Wow! That’s the Big Dipper? It’s so huge!”

“Let’s find the Little Dipper!”

It dawned on Hydra that their intelligence was growing.

And power? What power?

28

The Power

CHAPTER 3 The Power HYDRA AND PLUGGO were on their way to nowhere land.

They had just been given life and seemed to be enjoying everything around them. The night was still young and the moon and the stars were as bright as could be. Their newfound intelligence was still emerging as they noticed and talked about the things surrounding them.

“Hey, Hydra, how do you feel? Pluggo asked.

“I’m fine, I guess. If only I could be a little slimmer than I am right now.”

“You look fine. What’s wrong?”

“Well, I’m big and burly and I can’t walk fast enough.”

“We’ll, didn’t the voice say we have power? Remember?”

“Yeah! You’re right. I wonder what that power could be?”

This gave Hydra a renewed awareness. He moved swiftly ahead of Pluggo and, for some reason, began to glide.

29

The Power

and held it, turning even redder. And suddenly, “SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!” A gush of water burst out of his bottom again, hurling him into the night sky, twice as high as before. Pluggo spun out of control but soon regained his balance and was able to again cushion his fall.

“Boy, that was scary,” Pluggo said in a shaky voice.

Hydra had been worried that Pluggo might have gotten hurt. This power could help or hurt us if we are not careful. To some extent he already understood the power bestowed upon them. He could glide and use his arms to gush out water, while Pluggo could not. But Pluggo could fly upward with a gush of water while Hydra couldn’t.

“I wonder what other power we have,” Hydra said. But he remembered what the Voice had said, “THAT’S FOR YOU TO DISCOVER.” “C’mon Pluggo, let’s go,” said Hydra as Pluggo came along side.

31

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 4 Grunt DAYBREAK FOUND THE TWO hydrants standing in the middle of a field—obviously tired from the night’s events.

Hydra preferred that they stand there, rather than lie down just to be picked up again by the WD men.

The rooster started to crow.

“COCK-KA-DOODLE-DOOO!” And machinery started to hum.

“CHUG-CHUG-CHUG!” It was the beginning of a new day. Hydra opened his eyes and looked up, again bewildered because the sky was different.

It was so bright that it was blinding and hurtful. It was deep blue with sprawls of white cotton clouds scattered all around.

“WOW!” said Pluggo. “Look Hydra! It’s daytime. C’mon, let’s get going,” he said as he nudged Hydra.

Hydra, still looking half asleep walked hesitantly behind 32

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

Hydra and Pluggo seemed relieved as they rolled from under the car. As the dog approached them, he began shaking and wagging his tail. He immediately ran up to Hydra, sniffed him, and then raised his rear leg.

Hydra screamed, “HEY, STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” “Oops! What am I doing? Goodness, gracious! Aren’t I supposed to do that every time I see you?” asked the dog.

“NO, YOU AREN’T!” yelled Hydra.

Pluggo started laughing.

“HA-HA-HA-HA! So that’s why you smell so bad! HAHA-HA-HA!” Pluggo said, as he began rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter.

“Well, that’s the point. Now that we’re talking, you can’t do this any more. I’m not your toilet and this has to stop!” cried Hydra.

“I’m sorry. I thought we had a sort of mutual agreement.

I mean we have been doing this for a long time, perhaps since you were invented.

“Well, I guess I cannot stop you dogs from doing what you do. But right now that I’m talking and looking at you, have the decency to stop. Control yourself!” cried Hydra.

“Okay! Okay! Relax! I’m just being a dog, okay? By the way, my name is Grunt. My name used to be Skip, then Hop. Now I’m Grunt. I hate the name. My boss’s kids couldn’t decide what name to give me, but I think they all went for Grunt.”

“Hmm. I see you’re a mutt,” said Pluggo, snickering.

“Hey! I’m a full-blooded Labrador! Can’t you see? Please don’t call me a mutt. Don’t you like my velvety chocolate fur?”

“That’s chocolate?” asked Pluggo. “Uh, okay, sorry about that. So you’re a farm dog. It’s cool to live on a farm, right?”

34

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

head out. It’s really fun! I really like the wind blowing on my face, and I get a real thrill seeing all the surprised looks of the people when they see me sitting in the front seat. I wish I could drive some day and really surprise them.”

It was obvious that Grunt was enjoying his new company and didn’t want to see them go.

“Do you see that road? It will lead you to the city. Just be careful ‘cause the traffic gets heavy as you get closer to the city,” said Grunt.

“Take care, Grunt!” yelled Hydra as he half-glided past Pluggo. Later, Grunt would express to the other animals his embarrassment about how he tried to pee on Hydra. He had never seen such fancy and crazy hydrants before. He would remark to them that, after all, he was just being a dog.

“Lucky dog, he’s got his own field, the stars—the works.

We’ll visit him again, huh, Hydra?” asked Pluggo. “Where are we going anyway? And what mission are you talking about?”

“I don’t know. It just came out my mouth,” replied Hydra.

36

Crooton

CHAPTER 5 Crooton “HOOOOOOOONK! HOOOOOOOONK!” Hydra and Pluggo found themselves surrounded by large trucks and trailers, all making a frightful noise—like some sort of gigantic monsters. This was a deafening place, so different from the world of Grunt. There were all kinds of different noises—trains, cars, radios, sirens, machines; you name it. The pulsating energy was totally different from the tranquil fields where Grunt lived.

As Hydra and Pluggo glided along the side of the road, Pluggo asked, “Hey, Hydra, you want to see something?”

“Yeah, what?”

Pluggo flopped down on the grass, sucked in his protruding nozzles, and sped down the hill, rolling at a great speed.

“SWOOOOOOOOOOSH!” “That’s great! I think I can do that, too!” exclaimed 37

Crooton

“There it goes again.”

The hydrants continued to look for the source of the sound. They spotted a figure behind a lamppost, wrapped in white cloth and black plastic. They approached the figure cautiously.

“Hey, man!” yelled the figure.

Hydra and Pluggo stepped back, their eyes wide.

“Who are you?” asked Pluggo “My name is Crooton, and I think I’m stuck here. The WDs are currently fixing me. I almost got hit by a truck but it missed my main pipe by a few inches, so I was spared. I thought maybe I could get my freedom like you two. But hey, we’re supposed to be here to help the firemen when they need us to put our fires, remember?” said Crooton, apparently excited to have company.

Hydra and Pluggo stared at this talking marvel.

“You can talk! I thought we were the only kind who could talk,” said Hydra.

“Oh yes, we all talk. We hydrants can talk to each other.

It’s just that right now, I’m stuck here. I can only wait for the firemen to plug his hose in me so I can help him put out a fire. Now and then, you see people opening our nozzles to relieve pressure from the main pipes during floods or simply to give the kids something to play with during the summer,” said Crooton excitedly. Crooton had been standing there for a long time with no one to talk to.

Hydra perked up when he heard “fire” and “firemen.”

Some action, he thought. He imagined kids playing around him, dancing, jumping, and enjoying the splashing water, relieving themselves from the hot scorching summer. You could see the gleam in his eyes. Pluggo seemed to be watching in awe.

“We’ll, we’re on our way to the city. Is there anything we 39

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

can do for you?” asked Hydra.

“Leaving so soon? You just got here,” said Crooton.

“We’re on our way to a mission. We can’t be delayed,” replied Hydra. Pluggo, looked at Hydra again with a puzzled expression on his face.

“When will I see you guys again? I hope it will be soon.

Be careful when you get to the city. There are so many things happening out there,” said Crooton looking sullen. With his rags and plastic wrap, he looked like a Ninja warrior. Hydra wouldn’t mind taking him along to the city but he knew that he and Pluggo did not have anywhere near the combined power needed to uproot him from where he was.

“Be careful of Pete and Rot. They’re two notorious dogs that roam the streets of the city. I know they can’t do anything to you physically but they’re notoriously intimidating. And they have seriously bitten some people. I still don’t know why people keep them as pets and then neglect them—turning them into monsters,” lamented Crooton.

“We will watch out for them. Thanks for the warning but now we have to go. What are their names again? Pete and Rot?” asked Hydra, as he glided away from Crooton. Pluggo, stood there in front of Crooton looking like he didn’t know what to say.

“Err…” Pluggo murmured. He turned his back, his face flushed as he glided away with his head bowed embarrassed that he didn’t know what to say and just glided away slowly with his head bowed solemnly.

All of a sudden he perked up, turned back, looked at Crooton and said, “Do you know that if you try hard, you can pop out your arms and hands!”

“Okay kid, I’ll try that!”

Pluggo ran to catch up with Hydra who was already three blocks away. “Boy, you’re fast. Mission? What mission?”

40

Crooton

Hydra didn’t’ answer. He knew that Pluggo was still puzzled and wondering what he knew or didn’t know, and why he didn’t tell him. Hydra knew that Pluggo had confidence in him, and also knew that Pluggo had some special powers that would come in handy later. Even though he was small, he was faster and more agile than Hydra.

“How do you feel Hydra?” asked Pluggo, panting and gasping for air.

“Great! I’m glad to be meeting new friends like Grunt and Crooton. I wish we had more time to meet Rooto the Rooster and his hens, the rabbits, and the goats, you know. It would be fun going back and meeting them all,” said Hydra.

Pluggo just gave him a blank stare. But then he told Hydra how much he would like to stay behind. He said how much he liked the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, and how he didn’t want to leave because of them. These were the most fascinating group of stars in the sky—like a puzzle. First, you find the Big Dipper; so big you can’t miss it. Then you follow the tail, I don’t know, pointing south maybe, and there you go... the Little Dipper! MAGIC! Pluggo was still rambling on when the noise made him jump.

“WHOOOHRMHHH! HOOOOOOOONK!” “WHOOOHRMHHH! HOOOOOOOONK! Whoa!

Look at those trucks! It’s like they are racing for the finish line. And look at the cars too; they look like a bunch of fishes and whales racing each other. This is exciting!” exclaimed Hydra, his eyes wide as the traffic zoomed past.

Suddenly Hydra saw red—all the brake lights as the cars and trucks began to slow to a stop. He thought that he and Pluggo must be approaching the city.

41

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 6 Beatree HYDRA WAS IN AWE as he and Pluggo strolled along in the city. The throngs of people seemed oblivious to their presence.

“Wow, I’ve never seen so many people!” screamed Pluggo looking giddy and anxious.

Hydra just stood there, quiet but confident. He was a bit nervous too but he never showed it, he just exuded confidence with his sheer size. Hydra could tell that Pluggo liked him; probably thought of him as a bodyguard. Strange though, thought Hydra, his powers are actually more powerful than mine.

“Is everything cool, Pluggo?” Hydra asked, concerned.

“Cool? Of course. How’s your side?”

“Great! Although I’m feeling a little tired,” replied Hydra.

He thought that statement would seem like a good way to hide his nervousness.

42

Beatree

Pluggo said, “I miss Grunt’s place already. Besides, there’s no Big Dipper here—just huge buildings blocking the sky.

And look at these people—there are so many of them; they’re like ants. What’s going on here? What are all these people doing here? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” “C’mon Pluggo! Things are starting to look familiar. I know where we are now,” said Hydra reassuringly, as he waded among the throngs of people. But the noise was getting so intense that he could barely hear Pluggo. It became so intense that both hydrants were screaming at each other. The sound of the constant sirens became almost overpowering.

“TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE!” “TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE!” It may sound like an exaggeration, but the sirens really kept coming, and new ones were added almost every other minute. For two Big Dipper gazers, starry-eyed hydrants this was way too much. But Pluggo kept gliding behind Hydra as Hydra led the way.

Farther along the road they hit a junction full of installed hydrants, some gleaming with new paint. They seemed to not notice Hydra and Pluggo. In fact, the all-friendly Pluggo uttered a “hi” to one of them, and got no response—just a cold stare with no regard for courtesy. Pluggo tried again, “Good morning!”

Nothing.

“How rude!” exclaimed Pluggo.

“Stop trying Pluggo. We are in the city and no one here has the time to say hello. Although there are some who will go out of their way, but most of them will not,” said the everknowing Hydra.

“Why is that?” asked Pluggo, discouraged and forlorn.

“They’re all busy-busy-busy. They come here, they work, and then they go home. They do this every day until they die.

43

Beatree

approached a corner, they met up with an unusual hydrant covered with leaves. The plant’s leaves almost covered the hydrant like a prop, with its main branch growing from the side of the hydrant’s base. The leaves were mostly green but some were covered with dust and soot. Hydra thought it might actually be a weed disguised as a small tree. Peering through its leaves, the hydrant nodded as if summoning them to come over. Pluggo hurriedly walked towards the leafy hydrant with Hydra tagging along.

“Hi there! What’s up?” asked Pluggo.

The hydrant parted the leaves with her head. She was all black and sooty.

“Hi there!” replied the hydrant.

“Hi, my name is Pluggo. And this here—is my friend Hydra.” Hydra stood there looking “stuck-up” himself.

“Hydra, say hello to our friend,” Pluggo said as he nudged Hydra. Hydra never uttered a word. He just acted like a city slicker, looking around and checking out what else might be lurking around.

“My name is Beatree. Sorry about my sooty looks. The WDs have neglected me for some time. I usually get a coat of paint every now and then but for some reason, I have not seen them around,” she said, obviously excited to meet them.

“Oh you look great! Don’t worry about it. This is the city. Anything goes, right? And besides, your tree looks cool.”

Pluggo said reassuringly.

“Oh thanks, Pluggo, that’s very nice of you. I’ve never met such a well-mannered hydrant. What about you Hydra? What’s up with you?” asked Beatree looking more confident after Pluggo’s kind words.

“Err…we’ll…hmm… where are we?” Hydra asked, unmindful of what Beatree had asked.

“You are in Uptown Guerlin, City of Guerlin. And further 45

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

up the block you’ll hit the Mohegan Bridge, which will take you to the next town.

“Oh, okay,” Hydra said, feeling more relaxed since Beatree was so helpful.

“I know where we are now, Pluggo. We better run,” Hydra said.

“So soon? You just got here!” said Beatree. “And besides, I’ve never met anything like you before. You guys look cool.”

“Oh you look great yourself, Beatree. I wish I had the same tree to cover me. It’s like a Halloween costume! I’m sure you have some kind of power.” As Pluggo said this, Hydra looked at him as if saying, “KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND LET’S MOVE ON!” But Pluggo continued to be friendly. His innocence radiated around him as if he could not tell a lie.

“What power?” asked Beatree.

“Ha-ha-ha! Believe it or not, we were asking that ourselves too!” Hydra said, abruptly cutting off Beatree.

Hydra walked away without saying goodbye. Pluggo followed him hesitantly.

“Err…Hydra! Wait!” Pluggo said as he caught up with Hydra.

“We’ll see you around Beatree! Nice meeting you. Have a nice day. Take care. ” Pluggo gushed, as he continued to be ridiculously nice to Beatree. “I’d like to stay and chat with you but Hydra thinks he’s out on a mission, and I have to help him.”

Hydra was now pacing hurriedly, trying to find out the best way to reach the place. The traffic was getting heavy again, the noise—getting louder.

“HOOOOOOOONK! %$#@ “HOOOOOOOONK! %$#@” 46

Beatree

“TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE!” much louder this time. Something was going on.

47

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 7 The Mission HYDRA AND PLUGGO WEAVED through the traffic and all of the throng of people surrounding them. It dawned on Hydra that something terrible was going on. The traffic was not moving at all, and more sirens were approaching from different parts of the city. It sounded more like fire trucks than ambulances. You can easily differentiate the sound if you listen closely. The ambulance sirens are loud and wailing, while the fire truck sirens have a special obnoxious horn that tries to blow your ears off. It’s the only horn that could definitely cause the traffic to give way for the fire trucks.

“BAAAAAAAAHHNNKKK! BAAAAAAAAHNNKKK!” More fire trucks arrived and converged on the area. Obviously, there was a fire going on somewhere. Curious people were milling around, apparently enjoying the lights and sounds.

Nothing is more exciting than watching a fire scene; unfor48

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

crowd of people. He hurled himself on top of the pipe hole but he didn’t fit.

“THUD!” Pluggo jumped and down on the hole but no dice.

“HEEELLPP!” The desperate girl screamed again, her voice slowly fading. The heat and smoke were closing in fast.

Pluggo continued his vain attempts to couple with the pipe hole when Hydra pulled him and moved him to one side.

There was no more time. Hydra saw the unconscious child, her arms limp as they dangled out the window.

Hydra jumped on the pipe hole—and fit perfectly. All he needed was the fireman’s help and everything would be fine; he knew it. At the same time, the ladder truck arrived and aimed the ladder against the building. Some other firemen ran to where Hydra had plugged himself into the main pipe and quickly tried to attach their hoses to his nozzles.

“THEY DON’T FIT! THIS HYDRANT IS OBSOLETE!” yelled one of the fireman. In the confusion, none of them had noticed how old Hydra was. That was why the WDs didn’t repair his kind anymore. Hydra was definitely obsolete—and only good for causing people to get parking tickets.

Hydra knew that the little girl was still hanging for her life, and desperately needed a miracle.

“THIS IS A JOB FOR YOU PLUGGO!” exclaimed Hydra. He knew that only Pluggo could jump that high and stop the fire. Although, it looked like Pluggo could only blow water from his bottom, there wasn’t any more time to worry about that; he would have to try it anyway.

Pluggo pushed his way through the crowd; they parted for this unusual creature. Hydra yelled, “Pluggo, go for it! Remember the Voice!” Pluggo closed his eyes, as if meditating.

Suddenly, his face and body changed, becoming bigger, and 50

The Mission

throbbing as if ready to explode. His body continued to balloon until he was visibly shaking. Soon there was a thunderous noise, as tons of water hurled from his bottom.

“SPLASSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!” Pluggo flew straight up—fifteen feet, twenty-five feet, thirty-five feet, and fifty feet! He was almost up there. The girl was barely moving as the fire inched closer, ready to engulf her.

Pluggo started to turn slowly and was trying to find out if he can burst some water through his nozzles. He closed his eyes again and concentrated. Suddenly his arms started to grow and ballooned again. There was a second explosion of water though his nozzle. The momentum twirled him around like a jet . . .

“WIISSHH-WIISSHH-WIISSHH-WIISSHHWIISSHH-WIISSHH!” The repeated swirling noise sounded like a helicopter, and Pluggo showered water all around like a crazy fountain.

The little girl, now awakened by the deluge of water was almost drowning and was gasping for air. She was all soaked from the drench but was glad with the relief.

As Pluggo reached his peak, he started to slowly fall back to the ground. He managed to cushion his fall at the last minute by forcing some more water from his bottom.

What a scene! Everyone was drenched with water. The firemen quickly climbed the ladder and rescued the girl and all the other people trapped in the building. But Pluggo had single-handedly put out the fire.

The crowd cheered and chanted, “PLU-GGO! PLUGGO! PLU-GGO!” The crowd erupted in high-fives and backslappings. Even though everyone had gotten their office clothes, soaking wet, they seemed to have become ecstatic to see such a potential tragedy have a happy ending.

51

Splatter

CHAPTER 8 Splatter “HURRY UP, PLUGGO!” demanded Hydra. Pluggo ran to catch up. panting. He said, “Wait up Hydra! You’re gliding way too fast. You might have forgotten that I’m smaller than you.”

“Yes, but smaller doesn’t mean slower—just hurry up!”

“Why are you such in a hurry? Didn’t we just finish our mission?” asked Pluggo, seemingly irritated.

Hydra stopped in his tracks and glared at Pluggo.

Pluggo approached Hydra slowly.

“You okay Hydra?” asked Pluggo.

“Look, I hope I’m not being too hard on you. I’m proud of what you did for that little girl. But that doesn’t mean we’re done. OUR MISSION IS NOT OVER,” Hydra stressed.

“But…but…” Pluggo, said, stumbling over his words.

Now he feels that he’s turned out to be the bad guy. But that’s not the point, Pluggo thought. “What about ‘stopping and 53

Splatter

“Hydra! Hydra!” he yelled again but much louder this time.

“Hey you! You’re jaywalking! Go back to the sidewalk or I’ll give you a ticket!” someone yelled as if using a megaphone.

Pluggo blushed and scurried back to the sidewalk but couldn’t get on because it was jam-packed. “Hydra, where are you? And who is that shouting? It can’t be the voice from the field—it sounds too mean.”

Pluggo looked funny as he balanced himself by the curb waiting for his chance to jump back on the sidewalk. Then all of a sudden there was some loud laughter. Hydra stood by the phone booth laughing his heart out.

“Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha! He-He-He-He-He!” Hydra couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hydra! Hydra! Pluggo said excitedly, “Where were you?”

“Hi-Hi-Hi-Hi-Hi!” Hydra gigged, “You almost got a ticket for jaywalking. Hi-Hi-Hi-Hi-Hi!” Pluggo looked puzzled.

“That was me! “Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha!” Hydra continued, laughing through his tears.

“Boy! You really did scare me, Hydra,” said Pluggo.

“Hydra, honestly, I think I was more scared of not seeing you than I was of getting a ticket. I’m going to stick with our mission, no matter what it is.”

“C’mon Pluggo, I was only kidding,” said Hydra.

Pluggo looked enthusiastic and happy as he followed Hydra on the way to the bridge. They kept walking but the bridge was still nowhere to be found. Hydra was not even sure if they were going in the right direction. It seemed like Pluggo couldn’t care less, he was just following Hydra. They both stopped short when they came to a fork in the road.

“Hmm, where do we go now? thought Hydra. He didn’t want to look like a fool to Pluggo, so he abruptly turned the 55

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

corner. This maneuver led them into a maze. They again turned left, then right, then left again—until they ended up on a deserted street. Hydra couldn’t believe that they had actually found a deserted street in Guerlin City. It seemed like only a short time earlier that the streets were full of people. Now they were empty.

“Hydra, do you know where we’re going?” Pluggo said, looking worried.

“Of course, we can turn that next corner and we will be back where we came from,” said Hydra confidently.

Instead of that, when they turned the corner, they came to a dead end. The place was dark and menacing, with old buildings crowding in on them. Rusted metal fire escapes crisscrossed their facades. Paint was peeling from the buildings and the windowpanes were damp from steam blowing past them.

Hydra and Pluggo huddled against each other as they walked and groped in the dark. Hydra thought about the notorious dogs that Crooton had warned them about—Pete and Roth. There was actually a faint growl coming from the other end of the street.

Hydra began in the direction of the menacing noise. “Let’s get out of here while we can Hydra! Why are you heading that way?” asked Pluggo.

“For one thing, I don’t think Pete and Roth can hurt us.

Although, I remember what Crooton said. And besides, we’re here already and I’m curious to see these notorious creatures.”

“GRRRRRR! GRRRRRR!” The hydrants jumped and then ran to hide behind a garbage container.

“Pete? Roth? Is that you guys? Hello? Pete?” Hydra said, feeling foolish.

Silence.

Hydra and Pluggo slowly peeked around the side of the 56

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

ered head light and all this undiscovered power; Hydra wondered what was next.

“How can someone put a spell on you?” asked Pluggo, obviously feeling sorry for Splatter.

“You see, we dogs love to pee on you hydrants. But I didn’t know this one here is off-limits to some dogs.”

“And—” Splatter was about to continue when a skeptical Hydra cut him off.

“Well, we don’t want to know the details right now. Can you tell us how to get to the bridge?”

“Which one? There are several bridges in Guerlin City,” replied Splatter.

“We forgot the name. But I’m sure we’re close by. A friend pointed us in this direction, and said we couldn’t miss it.”

“Hmm… let me see…Oh, okay, just make a right, then turn left once you get out of this street. Walk straight for another twenty blocks and you’re there. You can’t miss it. I think I am talking about the same bridge.”

“Are you going to be alright?” asked Pluggo.

“Well, I’ve been here for a while and I miss my home.

I’m a housedog for Fire Engine #107, right around the corner.

My caretaker sure misses me. His name is Tommy. He’s been posting my picture around as you can see,” Splatter said, motioning to a missing-dog poster tacked to a wall.

“Are you sure you’re telling the truth?” asked Hydra.

“Hydra! Be nice!” exclaimed Pluggo.

“I can prove it. Do you want to see something?”

“Yeaaaah?” The two hydrants said in unison.

“Come closer,” said Splatter. He whispered something to them causing their eyes to widen. Hydra and Pluggo looked in the back of the spotted hydrant and saw something slowly coming out, near its base. It was long and white and spotted, and was jerking from side to side.

58

Splatter

“Whisssk! Whisssk! Whisssk! Whisssk!

“IT’S A TAIL!” exclaimed Hydra and Pluggo.

“Whisssk! Whisssk! Whisssk! Whisssk!”

The tail continued to sweep the pavement, and the three hydrants burst into laughter.

“This is incredible! I’ve never seen anything like it!” said Hydra.

“Oh, Splatter, this is wonderful! You turned out to be a nice hydrant after all, although, I really feel sorry for what happened to you,” said Pluggo.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure the Voice will give you power too!” continued Pluggo.

Hydra glared at Pluggo again. He didn’t want him telling everyone about this “power” thing.

“What power?” asked Splatter.

“We’ll we have to go on our way now,” cut in Hydra. He walked past Splatter and Pluggo as he headed out for the bridge. “It was fun meeting you Splatter,” Hydra said, his tone becoming serious.

“Well, we better go,” Pluggo said in a friendly tone, as if he were overly concerned about Splatter’s predicament. “We’ll come back and get you out of here, I promise.”

“Goodbye Pluggo!” Goodbye Hydra!” Splatter said as he looked after the two departing hydrants. He looked solemn, his tail wagging lazily.

“Whisssk! Whisssk! Whisssk!”

59

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 9 Meet Five Feet MOHEGAN BRIDGE was a gigantic structure with six lanes going in both directions to and from Guerlin City. It was so large that it dwarfed everything around it. In the middle of the span were two soaring “towers” that were supported by oversized cables as thick as Redwood trees. The suspended cables were adorned with dazzling lights that followed the shape of the bridge. This awe-inspiring structure was a masterpiece of engineering and a perfect match for the metropolis’ skyscrapers. It was the gateway to Guerlin City.

Ironically, as wide as the roads were on the bridge, it didn’t improve the traffic situation. Rush hour was still the pits. The bridge was laden with cars and trucks, as was every road connected to it. All the drivers seemed to have one goal in mind—to get away from it all and be home as soon as they could. It was a daily occurrence, a vicious cycle that would 60

Meet Five Feet

“Yeaaah! You’re right! How did those two get there? No wonder we were short yesterday!” exclaimed Ben. “Pull over!” ordered Guido.

“HOOOOOOONK! HOOOOOOONK!” “HOOOOOOONK! HOOOOOOONK!” Irate drivers swerved to avoid the truck’s sudden lane change.

Hydra noticed the rapidly approaching truck. Oh no! What do we do now?

The truck came to a screeching stop and the two men jumped out. They both eyed the prized hydrant they had lost the previous day. They talked about how different the hydrants looked—more alive than regular hydrants.

“Guido, pick up the small one. Throw him by the front side of the pile, there’s a small space there for that size; then help me with this big one,” ordered Ben. Guido picked up Pluggo and quickly threw him in the truck.

“KA-BLANK! CRASSSHH!” “Ouch!”

“Huh? Did you say something Ben?” “No, why?”

“I thought I heard something,” Guido said as he looked around.

“Never mind, I swear I heard something,” said Guido.

“Having ‘flashbacks’ again? Huh, Guido?”

As the two bent down to pick up Hydra, Guido said, “Speaking of flashbacks, didn’t we just do this? We have to make small steps to the rear of the truck, swing the load to gain momentum, and throw this big chunk to the pile.”

“KA-BLANNNK! CRASSSSSHH! “Ouch! Ouch!” This time, the noise came from the other hydrants that Hydra landed on.

Guido didn’t even mention anything this time as he warily 63

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

glanced at Ben. The two men boarded the truck and started to merge back into the relentless rush hour traffic. Meanwhile, as Hydra sat on top of the pile, he cried out, “Pluggo! Pluggo! Where are you?”

“KA-PLANNNK! PLANNNK!” The hydrants began rolling and shifting as the truck moved into traffic.

“Pluggo! Pluggo!” Hydra tried again.

“Hydra! I’m right here in front. What are we going to do?” replied Pluggo.

Hydra looked around the pile of hydrants and noticed several eyes staring back at him. “You guys are alive too?”

“Yes, we’re just too weak to move and escape from here,” murmured one of them. Hydra looked in disbelief. There was nothing he could do to help them. His goal was to save himself and Pluggo first.

Where’s Pluggo? Hydra thought, as he scrambled to get to the front of the truck.

“KA-PLANNNK! PLANNNK! Excuse me! Excuse me!”

Hydra said as he crawled over the other hydrants on his way to the front of the truck. He continued to call Pluggo’s name.

“Ouch! Ouch! Hey watch it, fella,” some of the hydrants cried out.

“Excuse me! Coming through!” said Hydra, as he struggled to get to the other side. At last, he reached the front but he still couldn’t see Pluggo. It was dark at the bottom of the pile but streaks of light lit up the space as the truck moved down the road. There were a lot of other small hydrants, making it doubly difficult to locate Pluggo.

“Pluggo! Pluggo!” whispered Hydra, knowing that they were running out of time. The truck was almost halfway over the bridge and Hydra had a plan. He had to find Pluggo right away.

64

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

of the truck—its torso longer than the rest. The shape of the body was thinner—thinner than Pluggo but much longer. It was an unusual form for a fire hydrant. Hydra quickly approached the subject.

“Hey tall one!” whispered Hydra.

“Hey tall one!” Hydra was afraid that the tall hydrant might also be out of energy.

The tall one opened his eyes, seemingly unaware of what was happening around him.

“You talking to me?”

“Yes, you. Listen, we have no more time. We need your help and we need it fast. We’re about to pass the middle of the bridge and we want to jump out but we can only do it with your help. What do you think?” asked Hydra “Sounds like I don’t have a choice,” replied the tall one.

“Let’s go for it.”

Hydra leaned closer to him and told him his plan in detail.

The tall one nodded and approached the other hydrants and shared the plan with them.

“I’M STILL SHAKIN’! AND I’M BRAKIN’! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH!’ Guido and Ben were singing along with the radio and didn’t appear to know what was happening in the back of the truck.

The tall one and Hydra joined Pluggo.

“Pluggo meet…err,” said Hydra trying to introduce the two.

“Meet!” replied the tall one.

“Meet who?” asked Pluggo.

“Meet! That’s my name! Meet Five Feet, as they call me.”

“Err...hi Meet! Nice to meet you!” Pluggo said, smiling and stammering.

66

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

Finally Ben pulled the truck to the curb. Ben turned down the radio while Guido jumped out to check the tires.

No hissing. He bent down and placed his head close to the hot tires—there was still no hissing sound.

“Nothing here Ben!” Guido said as he climbed back in the cab.

Ben grinned at him and cranked up the radio again.

“LOWVE! YEAH YEAH YEAH! I’M IN LOWVE!” “OH I MISS YOU SAWHOOHAW!” The speakers blasted out the tune and Guido and Ben began to scream along with the music. Ben seemed to be waiting for his chance to move back into traffic.

“Let’s go! NOW!” Hydra yelled. Meet picked up Pluggo and hurled him out of the truck.

“PLANNNNNK!” Pluggo hit the pavement. He continued to roll with such force that when he hit the curb he flew high into the air and over the bridge railing. The other hydrants watched with their eyes wide and their mouths open.

Meet struggled to carry Hydra and was having a hard time.

“UUMMMMMMMPPHHH! AAARRRRRRRGGGHH! You’re so heavy! AAARRRRRRRGGGHH!” Meet was getting all flushed from his struggle with Hydra. “HAAAAAAAHHHH!” “PLUNNNNNK!” Hydra hit the pavement and did exactly what he had seen Pluggo do. He rolled himself towards the railing; his body bouncing awkwardly because of his protruding nozzles.

“KA-PLANNNK! KA-PLANNNK!” He paused for a while, scrunched his face in concentration, and then jumped over the railing.

“I’M WAITING WITH MY ARMS! STRETCHED OUT WAITING FOR YOUHOOHOOO!” The two men were 68

Meet Five Feet

apparently oblivious to what was happening.

Meet was getting ready to jump. But he turned back and looked sadly at the other hydrants. They all stared at him.

“Goodbye Meet! It’s okay!” one of them said.

“Goodbye guys! Don’t worry. We’ll be back to get you.”

Meet jumped over the truck’s railing.

“PLANNNNNK!” He hit the pavement and rolled towards the bridge’s railing as Hydra and Pluggo had done. A little while later there was another splash in the water below.

“SPLASSSSHHHH!” They all made it.

69

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 10 The Mohegan River THERE’S NOTHING MORE exhilarating than jumping from the Mohegan Bridge to the depths of its river—it’s just that you can’t see what is underneath. By the time you hit the water, if you survive the fall, you are instantly lost in the midst of the pitch-black setting. You can’t be sure if it is polluted water or simply the churning water from your dive, making it impossible to see. But not to fret, a few seconds after you hit the bottom, the space gradually brightens up. Silhouettes, shapes, and shadows take their form. Ghostly images and the formation of accumulated junk appear on the horizon at the bottom of the river.

Mohegan River is the extension of the city—a city of excess. One can easily make out an inventory—refrigerators, several bikes, an array of tires—strewn like black Lifesavers, half-buried grocery carts, car batteries, and beer cans almost 70

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“SWOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!” Hydra closed his eyes, grimaced, and waited for the impact.

The noise stopped.

He opened his eyes.

And right in front of him, were Pluggo and Meet!

Pluggo and Meet just floated there, smiling. Hydra could read their minds just like they were talking. (“Hi Hydra! That was us who buzzed you a minute ago. I hope we didn’t scare you!”) thought Pluggo, giggling. (“Yes you did guys, yes you did!”) replied Hydra. (“Glad to see you Pluggo—and Meet. Welcome aboard’. I wasn’t expecting you to follow.”) (“Thanks for welcoming me Hydra. I appreciate your accommodation,”) Meet thought humbly. (“Well, Meet without you, we wouldn’t have made the jump and we wouldn’t be here,”) thought Hydra. (“C’mon guys! Let’s enjoy our newfound power. The power of being a fish!”) thought Pluggo, as he took off and led the way.

Hydra jumped at the chance and followed the other guys as they swam and explored the river. He started slowly and became more proficient as the other hydrants encouraged him.

Pluggo’s enthusiasm and fast-learning capability were contagious. The hydrants had never been this energized and strong before. They had fully regained their strength. The river water may have something to do with it.

Pluggo, because of his eagerness, seemed to be leading the way. Hydra understood and just let him be. He felt like a big brother to him. Meet, new to the group, seemed to be a warm and personable hydrant too. There was good chemistry among them and Hydra felt like they were becoming a real team.

They were cruising like torpedoes in a jet-fighter forma72

The Mohegan River

tion. Pluggo was in front and the other two were on the sides, all of them spewing clouds of bubbles behind them. The fishes stared in obvious awe at these new sea creatures.

“SWOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!” “SWOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!” “SWOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!” They cruised south, unaware that they were approaching the mouth of the river and away from the city—towards the open sea. As they got tired of their jet formation, they started going their separate ways. They knew they could easily communicate by thought, and not lose each other. It was a vast new world to explore, from Grunt’s Place to Guerlin City, and now, the Mohegan River.

The bottom was much brighter at the mouth of the river.

There was less junk and there was more room to move. The ocean current was stronger too so they had to struggle to keep their balance. Hydra was momentarily distracted by the many new varieties of fish he saw. He decided to surface to see exactly where he was.

“SPLASSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH!” Hydra was relieved that Guerlin City was not that far.

They were right at the mouth of the river, exactly as he thought.

He floated on his back, enjoying the view. He was enjoying the breeze too. Ahh, sea breeze! He couldn’t help but admire the enthralling skyscrapers and the sparkling lights of Guerlin City.

No wonder people from all over the world come here to visit. Ships were coming in and out of the river, the gateway to Guerlin City, thought Hydra as he drifted on the surface and floated around slowly, rotating with the waves. He then saw this huge green statue illuminated with lights at the other side of the river, and tried to figure out what it was.

But there were two boats docked close to the foot of the statue that distracted his attention. He felt something was 73

The Mohegan River

The man shoved the teacher and screamed at her to hurry up.

She slipped and hit the ground.

“Get up and move!” the man yelled.

Hydra counted the men as he floated on the other side of the boat. There were three of them. Some of the children, who were already inside, continued crying. However, some of them apparently didn’t know the danger they were in and got excited and playful, like riding in the boat was going to be a wonderful adventure.

In a short time, they started making noises, pushing, teasing and playing, seemingly ignoring the dilemma they were in. (“I’m just waiting until all the hostages are safely inside”), Hydra signaled Meet and Pluggo. (“I’ll tell you when.”) It will be Hydra’s call.

The two men were last to board the boat. One of them lifted the plank and threw it on the boat. He fumbled and tripped and dropped his gun but was able to grab it before it fell into the water. The other guy scurried to help him and the man who had been inside rushed out to check on the commotion. (“This is it, guys!”) signaled Hydra.

“WEEEEEEEHOOOOWEEEEEEEEEEP!” whistled Hydra as a signal to attack.

The men heard the whistle but looked puzzled. They didn’t notice any other boats around and they kept looking around, confused. Then they heard a hissing sound getting louder and closer…

“HHHHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!” The men looked around. The noise surrounded them.

Pluggo and Meet were high in the air and came crashing down on two of the gunmen.

“KA-PLANNNK! CRRASSSHHHH!” “SPLASSSSSSSHHHHHH!” “SPLASSSSSSSHHHHHH!” 75

The Mohegan River

from behind.

“SWOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!” Meet torpedoed towards the boat as fast as he could, his path obscured by bursts of bubbles. A few seconds went by and…

“CRRAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!” The impact blew the boat’s propellers into pieces, scattering them to the bottom. The teacher and the children experienced a thunderous jolt, and the boat stopped. The sirens of the Coast Guard could be clearly heard in the distance.

“TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE! TOOOOOTEEEE!” Hydra kept an eye on the three men as they floated helplessly by the bank, unable to escape. (“Meet? Are you okay?”) Pluggo signaled Meet.

There was no response.

As soon as the men where apprehended by the Coast Guard and the children were safe, Hydra and Pluggo made a frantic search for Meet. They sent him continuous messages but there was neither a sign of him nor any kind of response. They re-traced Meet’s path and looked among the debris of the propellers but to no avail.

As if giving up, Hydra started swimming back towards the bridge. Perhaps Meet lost consciousness and was towed back to the bridge by the current? thought Hydra.

“Wait up!” cried Pluggo as he caught up with Hydra.

They decided to head for the bridge.

They floated to the surface as they reached their destination; the humongous Mohegan Bridge loomed in front of them. Hydra still couldn’t believe they jumped from that height.

“Anything for freedom, Pluggo, anything,” said Hydra as he watched the bridge in awe.

77

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“Shall we give up on Meet for now?” asked Pluggo, discouraged.

After a thoughtful pause, Hydra said, “I feel bad for him.

I hope he’s alright, wherever he is.”

78

The Town of Muttley

CHAPTER 11 Veeda THE EXPERIENCE AT THE MOHEGAN River had been exhilarating for Hydra. He knew that he and Pluggo had their powers restored and that they would need a periodic visit to Mohegan River to keep their powers strong. They had to be strong and vigilant for their mission.

The farther they got away from the bridge, the better the traffic became. The scenery was also starting to change, with more green trees and lawns as they walked deeper into the neighborhood.

Pluggo, still hurt and shock by Meet’s disappearance was walking slowly behind Hydra. Hydra knew how hurt Pluggo was about Meet disappearing. He dared not aggravate the situation by being impatient with him. Besides, he also felt guilty about letting Meet go and stop the boat. Why did we let Meet do it? We could have made a unified decision, Hydra was thinking.

79

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“Pluggo, r’you alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll get over it. Just give me a little time.”

“Hey check out the scenery!” exclaimed Hydra, trying to entertain Pluggo. “One of these days we’ll have to visit Grunt.

How would you like to do that? You know—get to know the other guys, Rooto the Rooster and his hens. That would be hilarious, wouldn’t it?”

They hadn’t seen much action along the way but as they turned the corner, they heard the faint frantic sound of, what sounded like ducks.

Pluggo’s face lit up when he heard the commotion, while Hydra tried to figure out where the noise was coming from.

He saw a man, half a mile away feeding some ducks and other birds. The quaking and flapping of wings were getting more frantic as the hydrants approached the man. The man was throwing pieces of bread, and there were all kinds of other birds surrounding the man—mostly pigeons, sparrows, a few starlings, and a couple of seagulls. The birds were scrambling about to get their share.

“No fighting. I have enough for everyone, no fighting,” said the man as a seagull shoved a sparrow out of the way.

“Good morning!” greeted Hydra.

“Good morning to you.” The man said, without glancing at them. He stayed focused on his birds. At six feet, he towered above them. He was a bit chubby, and his white apron tightly hugged his large tummy. His head was full of white hair and he wore thick glasses. With his reassuring smile, he looked like a kindly grandfather who was taking a break from work to feed the birds.

Hydra and Pluggo watched quietly. Hydra could tell that the birds were having a great time. When the man looked at the two hydrants, he didn’t say anything but he did seem a bit surprised.

80

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

but seemed puzzled by their lack of hands.

Hydra figured it out and nudged Pluggo.

“UUUUMMMMPHHH!” “BLONK! BLONK! BLONK! BLONK!” Hydra and Pluggo extended their hands and arms.

“That’s better,” said Frank.

The two hydrants started feeding the birds and ducks as fast as they could.

“Gee, this is fun!” said Pluggo, who, in his haste, kept missing the big one.

“QUANK! QUANK!” Veeda sounded irritated at not getting her portion. Then she said, “Watch it small one. Over here!”

“These guys are definitely new at this feeding business, that’s for sure,” said another duck.

“Hey, you guys can talk!” exclaimed Pluggo.

“OF COURSE WE CAN TALK!” All the birds and ducks screamed in chorus. Taken aback, Hydra and Pluggo fell on the ground. All the birds, ducks, and Frank burst out laughing.

“Okay guys; be nice to our new friends. I’ll be on my way now.” He threw his last crumb and turned the bag upside down as if to show that there was no more.

“Hydra, Pluggo—it’s nice to meet both of you.”

Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you too sir, err... but we’re on our way too,” replied Hydra, glancing at Pluggo who was looking glum.

“Are you ready Pluggo?” asked Hydra.

“C’mon Hydra! Can’t we just stop and stay here for a while?

I’m tired of walking.” Pluggo, pleading and obviously fed up with Hydra’s intent to accomplish his mission, looked glum.

Hydra looked at Pluggo. He’s never seen him this mad.

No, not this time, not in front of everybody, thought Hydra.

He could have just screamed at Pluggo. But he didn’t want to 82

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

in charge.

“So are you just going to stand there?” asked Veeda.

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Pluggo said, obviously still disappointed with the situation.

“Jump in!” cried Veeda. The ducks scrambled to clear a place for him.

“C’mon, don’t be shy!” cried the ducks. The seagulls seemed impatient as they flew down to give Pluggo a lift.

“Heyyyy!” cried Pluggo.

“SPLASSSHHHHH! THUDD!’ Pluggo landed in the shallow water.

“Are you alright there, boy?” asked Veeda.

There was no response. Pluggo was face down under the stream and was not moving at all. As if sensing this, Veeda called her ducks and whispered something to them. The wideeyed ducks mingled around her, listening intently.

“Hey guys!” Veeda ordered. “See if our friend is alright!”

A flock of ducks dove in to check on Pluggo. They began poking him with their beaks. Soon more of the ducks joined in the fun and began poking him even harder. With his face under water, Pluggo started to smile. Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore as he sat straight up.

“Stop it! Stop it. Ha-ha-ha!! He-he-he! Ha-ha! Stop it!”

Pluggo and the ducks were clearly having a great time as the ducks chased him at the length of the stream. It was such a riot. The ducks seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Pluggo swooped past them and flew in the opposite direction.

He was showing off, and the ducks scattered and flew for cover.

The sparrows, the seagulls, and the other birds watched; their beaks dropped open. Even Veeda was watching with a pleasurable look on her face. She’s happy to have Pluggo around.

84

Hydra’s Trip

CHAPTER 12 Hydra’s Trip WITH MIXED FEELINGS, HYDRA had been constantly and relentlessly thinking about Pluggo. He felt sorry for him but still carried a little grudge against him. Hydra thought that it was selfish of Pluggo to want to play and just be happy while he was intent on accomplishing their mission. However, Hydra was also perplexed with himself. He didn’t know what their mission was, he just knew that they had one, and had to get on with it. He was determined to find out what it was and would even recruit others to help him, if he had to.

It was hard for him to believe that he was all alone with no one to talk to. On the other hand, he was relieved that he could go anywhere without having to convince someone else what to do. He thought that freedom was nice, but loneliness was a tough price to pay for it. Also, he knew it might cost him his life because no one would be able to help him if he needed it.

85

Hydra’s Trip

metal across the pavement.

“SPLANKKK!” “RAF! RAF! GRRRRRRRR!! RAF! RAF! RAF!” The noise diverted the dogs away from Hydra, and he quickly climbed on top of a stack of scrap metal and lay down to hide. The dogs seemed to be discouraged but kept sniffing after Hydra and were growling and barking ferociously. Hydra grinned at them from his hiding place on top of five layers of junked cars. As he peered through a hole between a crevice, he could clearly see the dogs for the first time. They were huge, like Dobermans but taller, like Great Danes, only more agile. They had a black velvety color with silvery patches on their chests. Their piercing silvery eyes, made even more menacing by the sun reflecting off them. Even their paws and fangs were silver, as if they were made of metal. Hydra saw one of the animals actually chewing on metal, something no normal dog could ever do. Together, the three of them seemed to be sniffing their way to Hydra’s hiding place.

I’ve got to think fast! Where else can I go? He only wished that he could fly like Pluggo did in their last mission. Hydra was still immersed in his thoughts when he heard the sound of machinery above him. He cringed under the gigantic shadow looming above him. He looked up to see a huge steel claw suspended from a crane. It was open and about to grab him.

He scrambled and rolled to one side but not before the claw grabbed the car that he was lying on.

“KKRUNKKKKKKKK!” Hydra saw the dogs look up at him as the steel claw lifted him and the junk car slowly higher and higher. He was getting dizzy and he wondered if the crane operator even knew he was there.

Only the dogs seemed to know what was going on as Hydra struggled to keep his balance. They scrambled and 87

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

barked at him as if they were anticipating him falling. The crane operator was moving the load to some huge trucks that were waiting in line. The higher the load was raised, the more Hydra struggled. He felt the force of gravity pulling him down.

Suddenly the crane operator stopped the load in mid air and jumped down to discuss something with the truck drivers.

The sudden stop caused the load to swing, doubling Hydra’s efforts to keep from falling. The junk car was starting to tilt, and the men below seemed oblivious to the impending disaster. Hydra was very close to falling and the dogs continued to howl like hyenas as Hydra became more and more exposed. The men all swung around and looked at the boisterous dogs. The crane operator saw where the dogs were looking as they continued to bark. He grinned at the other drivers as he jumped back in the cab of the crane. He raised the load higher and began swinging it back and forth, seemingly to tease the dogs.

The dogs began running back and forth, following the pendulum, much as a kitten would follow a piece of paper tied to a string. Hydra could barely hang on—every movement was a struggle for him.

“Go for it, boys! Go for it!” the operator said as he played with the lever, the load swung wildly from left to right while the dogs ran back and forth following the movement.

“This will teach you not to make so much noise,” exclaimed the operator.

Hydra found himself being held in place by a thin metal strap. He was only seconds away from being thrown to the metal-eating dogs. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.

“PLANK!” The metal snapped but Hydra still held on to another piece, although it looked like it would also snap at any moment.

88

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

he had come to being “dog food.” He could still hear their frustrated barking. Hydra felt like a giant as he flew over looking at the cars, people, and the small houses—like miniature toys.

The streets still looked familiar from above and he was confident that he was headed in the right direction. Suddenly, he shuddered; he was losing momentum. He quickly looked for a soft landing site, and saw the body of water just ahead.

But he was off balance and couldn’t control his landing. He started to roll like a spinning ball. He hoped to hit the water instead…

Oh no, I can’t control the…he lost consciousness.

“SPLASSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHH!”

90

The Dream

CHAPTER 13 The Dream “Hydra!”

“Hydra!”

“Hydra! It’s me Pluggo! Can you hear me?”

Hydra, barely awake from his fall, thought he was dreaming. He heard a faint voice but couldn’t figure it out. The voice sounded like Pluggo.

“HYDRA!” He suddenly sat up.

“Huh? Pluggo? Is that you? Where’s Pluggo?” he said, as he looked around, bewildered.

“Pluggo is not around anymore!” somebody blurted out.

Hydra could hardly see. There was only one light in the room, and it was propped right above his head. Its yellowish glare was moving like a pendulum that was blurring out all the images around missing him—causing him to become dizzy. Where am I? 91

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“What do you mean? I just heard his voice! Where am I?” Hydra demanded.

Everything was getting clearer to him. He was sitting on a chair in a semi-dark room with a light hanging above him.

It reminded him of some interrogation scene from a movie.

“Can anyone stop this light from moving?”

He heard somebody snickering.

He wasn’t tied up and could move freely but he was afraid to move. He felt threatened as a tall figure came out of the shadows. He couldn’t see clearly because of the merciless glare from the overhead light.

“We found Pluggo face down, deep under a stream. Where were you when this happened?”

“Err...I don’t know? What are you talking about?” said Hydra. Those ducks! Maybe they drowned him or something. But that’s impossible. Pluggo swims like a fish and you can’t drown a fish! Or maybe you can. Maybe there was a bad collision when Pluggo hit the ground. I don’t know. And that voice, it sounds familiar. I know that voice…

“Err...can I have a glass of water?” Hydra said, deciding to play along.

“Give him a glass of water!” the figure ordered.

That voice, it may sound mean, but I’m getting close to finding out who he is.

“SPLASSSSHHHHHHHH!” Somebody threw water on his face.

“Wahhhh! Why’d you do that for? Have you guys been watching too many movies?” Hydra had been surprised by the water but he did feel a bit more awake.

“Now, I’m asking you again. Don’t make me lose my patience. Answer the question. Where were you…?

“MEET! It’s you! Don’t you remember me?” cried Hydra, elated that he had found Meet at last.

92

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

really weird name, like from a futuristic movie. The three dogs took their positions next to each other and looked like trained soldiers. They blocked the hallway leading to a door where the Sheriff and his cohorts had exited. They growled and showed their teeth as they glared at Hydra. Hydra was scared but he was also angry. He wondered if a conspiracy was going on, or if he was going crazy.

The light above Hydra’s head was still dangling and circling like a pendulum. Why is that? He glanced around the room as one of the dogs quietly snarled at him. The rest of the dogs were resting, apparently getting ready to sleep.

To Hydra’s left, there was a partly open window. The breeze coming through it was causing the light to move. The breeze and the circling light seemed to have a hypnotic effect on the dogs. Soon, two of them were snoring while the third seemed to be trying to stay awake, his eyes heavy. Hydra knew that the animal would soon succumb to the tranquil setting.

Hydra, himself, would have fallen asleep had he not been intent on escaping.

Silence.

All the dogs were asleep.

Hydra tentatively stood up, aware that it could be a trick.

At least he could pretend that he was simply stretching if the dogs did wake up. He didn’t have to worry; the dogs were fast asleep—he could even hear them snoring. He walked on his tiptoes to the door. He was worried that the breeze coming through the window would carry his hydrant-scent to the dogs and wake them up. Nah, I’ve got to chance it.

Hydra was thankful that the floors were made of cement and didn’t creak under his weight. A few feet from the door he was about to step over one of the dog’s legs that was blocking his exit. This is doable—as long as the breeze and the moving light don’t stop.

94

The Dream

Hydra lifted his foot to step over when suddenly one of the dogs shifted position. Hydra froze with his foot high in the air, balancing like a ballerina. He almost fell before he got a grip on the wall. He finally managed to clear the dog and continued to tiptoe until he reached the door. He slowly turned the knob, making sure it didn’t squeak as he turned it. He looked back and saw that the dogs were still asleep. He continued to open the door fully and was ready to step out when…

“SURPRISE!” “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HYDRA!” “Should all acquaintance be forgot…” the crowd started singing.

Hydra, jumped in surprise and fell on the floor. Should he be happy or scared? He quickly glanced back to see if the noise had awakened the SyDogs; they were still there and dozing off. But the crowd was still in front of him, all-smiling, waiting for him to respond.

They were all there. Crooton, Splatter, Grunt, Veeda, the crane operator, and the truck drivers, Ben and Guido—almost everyone he met along the way. They were all applauding, cheering, and singing. There were also small hydrants running around like little brats. The backyard seemed to be full of friends he had met along his journey, but he couldn’t find Pluggo or Meet. They should be around here somewhere.

He stood up and tried to smile. He kept looking back, in case the SyDogs woke up but the presence of the crowd made him feel more secure. No SyDogs would attack with all these friends around me. But where could Pluggo be?

As a courtesy, he walked around and said hello to everyone and thanked them for coming. At the same time, he was looking for Pluggo—the only one he could trust.

“Thanks for coming,” Hydra said as he walked among the crowd—still playing along, still on the lookout for Pluggo.

95

The Dream

dangling light. He was just finishing up the letters, “Happy Birthday Hydra!”

“It won’t take long Hydra, it won’t take long,” Frank said, as his hand shakily finished the inscription on the cake.

“Oh, thanks Mr. Frank. But have you seen Pluggo lately?”

“Hmm…no, I haven’t but would you call somebody to help me bring this cake out?”

“Err… okay,” Hydra said, disappointed that Frank didn’t answer his question in detail. He decided to ask him later.

He hesitantly walked towards the hallway and slowly opened the door in anticipation of another surprise. The door made its squeaking sound again. The crowd was the same as when he had left. Whew! He smiled nervously as some of them looked his way. He was about to call someone to help Frank when all of a sudden the noise and the chattering stopped.

Everyone looked the other way towards the backyard gate.

Someone seemed to have arrived, and Hydra tried to see who.

He wondered if it could be Pluggo and Meet. He hurriedly made his way through the crowd and walked towards the gate.

“Excuse me; let me pass please, excuse me!”

Hydra stopped in his tracks when he saw the Sheriff. Hydra had almost forgotten about the interrogation that he had recently suffered; he had become very comfortable with the crowd but he was all mixed up now. He was also very disappointed that the new visitor was not Pluggo.

The sheriff summoned his cohorts and the Sydogs that were partly hidden by the crowd.

“Git him!” The sheriff commanded.

Hydra scrambled to run and bumped into one of the guests, spilling drinks and food all over.

“Oops! Sorry! Excuse me,” he said as he scrambled for safety.

Hydra rushed towards the other side of the backyard, 97

Elvira

CHAPTER 14 Elvira HYDRA HAD SUNK FAST—HIS BODY covered with mud as he spiraled down the hole. He struggled until he finally freed himself but soon he was floating in another body of water. Bewildered, he looked around and found that he was in the clearest water that he had ever seen. He shook himself like a dog, expelling the remaining mud from his body. An oasis under the stream—I must have wandered around into some exotic place.

There was no manmade trash anywhere, and the bottom of the stream was full of different vegetation, rock formations, and a wonderful variety of fish—lots of them. The place was vibrant with color—it’s picture perfect!

Hydra swam around, exploring the area; the gooey mud now gone from his body. The fishes and other sea creatures milled around him in a curious fashion as if they had never 99

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

seen his species. Some of the fish tickled him as they nipped at him, like he might be a meal. Suddenly, a school of fish swam by and they all did the same, nipping his body. (“Stop it! Hi-hi-hi! Stop It! Ha-ha-ha!”)

Hydra quickly swam to the other side, giggling all the way. He was laughing but irritated at the same time. The school of fish seemed like they wanted to continue following him right out of the water. (“Stop!”)

Hydra stopped and cocked his head when he heard that. (“This is not the way to treat a guest!”)

Hydra didn’t know what he was hearing but the fish certainly reacted, as they immediately stopped chasing him.

They retreated and swam back in a tight formation. All except one, who seemed very keen on checking out Hydra. The sparkling silver-colored fish was about fourteen inches long. (“Hi there!”) thought the fish. (“Hi!”) replied Hydra with his own thought. He was still wary of talking to strangers. So much had been happening that he didn’t trust anyone. It would help if Pluggo were around but he wasn’t, and that made Hydra feel vulnerable. (“A talking fish. So what’s your story, friend fish?”) thought Hydra, a bit sarcastically. (“My name is SF1. Don’t be afraid. We’re the guardians of this place. I see that you got in here by accident.”) (“Err… yes. I was chasing this butterfly and I fell and sank into that hole.”) Hydra fibbed. (“We’ll, that happens. Would you like a tour? Or do you want to go back where you came from?”) (“I’d love to see the place,”) Hydra answered quickly. He certainly didn’t want to see the SyDogs again. (“Don’t worry buddy. You’re in good hands. Reading your thoughts tells me that you’re a good fellow with good 100

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

He walked and glided a few paces, halfway expecting to see fake birds flying around the fake sky. He moved towards a cave that was in the distance. As he got closer, he heard a faint noise.

“PLUNK! PLUNK! PLUNK!” It sounded like somebody was mixing something in a big hollow pot. For a moment, he thought it might be a witch but continued approaching the cave anyway. It was dark, except for a flicker of light coming from the corner. As Hydra stopped to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, he quickly dropped to the ground as a large group of noisy bats flew above his head on their way out of the cave.

Hydra picked himself up from the dirt and proceeded toward the light. It began to glow brighter as he got closer. The light was actually coming through a door that was propped open. It was the light from a computer monitor. A figure sat in front of the computer and she seemed to be waiting for Hydra.

“Come in,” she said.

Hydra stepped back.

“It’s okay. SF1 told me you were coming. He didn’t bother to show you around ‘cause he’s got other things to do. In any case, we know you are able to find your way around. That’s pretty clear,” she said, turning around to face him.

Hydra was taken aback by such a lovely creature.

“Hi. My name is Elvira. Welcome to Genoa.”

“Genoa? What kind of a name is that?”

“Genoa is a name given to this place by my great, great grandfather, Dr. Stanislaw Woolf. He was a gifted scientist who invented lots of gadgets, different kinds of machinery, and stuff like Super Fire Hydrants—like yourself.”

Hydra didn’t know what to say How could that be? When that Voice gave us life?

102

Elvira

“That voice was Dr. Woolf’s,” Elvira said, as she looked Hydra directly in the eye—like she had read his thoughts. “The year was 2788, and the fifth world war had just ended. The world was much different than it is today. With the proliferation of super computers, Man had become very advanced.

Soon, computers actually made other computers. It came to a point where everything went out of control. This is a long story but I’ll try to give you the short version,” Elvira said as she continued her narration.

Hydra realized that there were many things that he didn’t know, and the gravity of the story shocked him. He was determined to hear it all but Elvira interrupted the story to get some soup from the pot on the stove. That was the noise Hydra had heard outside—Elvira mixing a pot of soup—no witches here. Me and my imagination, Hydra thought.

Elvira was tall, youthful, and stunning, and surrounded by a special aura. Clearly, she was also very smart. She came back with a cup of soup in her hand, slowly blowing across the top of the liquid. Hydra also noticed several security monitors on top of the mantle. It was obvious that Elvira had seen Hydra approaching.

“Sorry, I didn’t offer you any soup but I know you’re not the soup kind.”

“Try me,” Hydra said smiling.

“Hmm…believe me, I know. Let’s get down to business…”

Elvira sat down opposite Hydra, seemingly more serious this time. She continued. “There has been a lot of advancement in the decades since the year 2000—the year of the Internet “bust,” as some people call it. But it was also the start of a revolution that produced such things as cloning, customized babies, modified DNA, and robotics. There were many other innovations, all revolving around new technologies and a new energy 103

Elvira

Hydra sank back to his seat.

“During this time, there was a prophecy that a ‘figure’ will be born and will create more trouble for mankind. That’s why I am here. I am continuing my grandfather’s research.

There had been a smearing campaign to discredit him, and a lot of his documentation was lost. However, a few followers were able to save some of his writings. That’s what I’m doing now, rummaging through all of his old CDs. I was lucky enough to find an old computer in the antique shop that takes these CDs. Hydra looked at the computer screen with Dr. Woolf’s writings.

“If my hunch is right, the ‘figure’ could be anywhere and getting ready to mount her campaign to destroy the world.

Her first initial target will be Guerlin City a.k.a. New York City in the year 2000. From my last research, I know that her main power will be derived from fire. She is able to manipulate and control fire through sheer will. When Dr. Woolf found out about this, he headed a project to revive the Super Fire Hydrant project—only this time with old antique hydrants.

They would be stealth hydrants, unnoticed by the authorities.

Hydra, your opportunity to help is now. You must destroy this figure before it’s too late. My main focus right now is to determine its identity and location. I already found the correct disk but some force has jumbled the password, and so far, I haven’t been able to crack it.”

“Show me. Maybe I can help,” replied Hydra.

Elvira inserted the disk, and the computer asked for a password.

There were spaces for ten characters in the first row and an additional seven in the second row as shown in the monitor.

“Have you tried it?” asked Hydra.

“I’ve tried everything. I need a fresh approach to tackle 105

Elvira

Right then, the door swung open, and Sheriff Meet, his cohorts, and the SyDogs entered the room.

“Git ‘em!”

Elvira quickly grabbed some of the disks and pushed a button under the desk. Like a spontaneous earthquake, the floor split and separated, creating a wide chasm between her and Hydra and the intruders. The vibration sent Sheriff Meet and his cohorts to the floor. Elvira was reaching for another button when Hydra stopped her.

“Wait!” Hydra said; his eyes glued to the search results on the monitor. The SyDogs seemed ready to jump over the chasm so Elvira pushed the button anyway.

“I’ll see you on the Metro,” whispered Elvira, while she pushed another button, locking the computer.

Hydra just shot her a puzzled look.

“SWOOOOMMMPPPP! SWOOOOMMMPPPP!” Hydra and Elvira instantly sank through two separate holes in the floor, and was out of sight.

107

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 15 Hydra’s Back “Hydra!”

“Hydra!”

“Hydra! It’s me Pluggo! Can you hear me?”

“Huh? What happened? Elvira? Where’s Elvira?

“Hydra, listen to me. Who’s Elvira? You fell out of the sky twenty-four hours ago. Luckily we found you as we happened to be exploring this side of the stream with Veeda and some friends. How are you feeling?”

Hydra lay with his eyes half-closed. He suddenly sat up.

“Elvira!” he exclaimed. But all he saw were all those eyes staring at him—Pluggo, Veeda, the ducks, the sparrows, and other birds.

“Get some rest Hydra. Maybe it will come back to you.

We’ll talk again later when you’re feeling better,” said Pluggo.

Alright guys! Leave him alone,” screamed Veeda, shooing 108

Hydra’s Back

the birds off.

“We’ll I guess you can talk now. There’s no one else around. So tell me what’s going on.”

Hydra sat up. He was still feeling bewildered and subdued.

He didn’t say another word until he grabbed Pluggo and held him, making sure that he was real. Finally sure that this was reality, he started to blurt out the entire story about everything that he had experienced since he last saw Pluggo with Frank the baker.

Pluggo listened, wide-eyed, as Hydra recounted his story in detail.

“You flew? That must have been a dream. What makes you so sure it is real?”

“Pluggo, there were things I learned from Elvira that will prove it,” Hydra said. “Turn around.”

Pluggo turned his back to Hydra.

Hydra was right.

“Right there at the back of your head is a slit discreetly positioned so no one would notice it. This is where these special disks are inserted to program Super Fire Hydrants.”

“Let me see yours,” Pluggo said.

Hydra turned around, and Pluggo said, “You’ve got one too.”

“There’s another thing that I have to show you,” Hydra said as he pulled out a pouch. It contained all the disks that he snatched before he escaped through the hole.

“This is real Hydra—so real,” Pluggo said.

“We have to go back to Genoa and retrieve the rest of the disks. The right one will lead us to Fireeba. We also have to find Elvira. She mentioned a place called ‘Metro’ before we escaped.”

Pluggo immediately summoned Veeda and her entourage and told them what he had learned from Hydra. There was a 109

Hydra’s Back

the stream curved. He walked along the bank, followed by all his friends.

“Oh no!” Pluggo said.

Hydra hadn’t noticed at first. But there they were—ten of them on the horizon, and they all looked the same. There were ten greenhouses with blossoming cherry trees, each with a spacious backyard surrounded by a gleaming white picket fence.

“What do we do now?” asked Veeda?

“We have to check each house for any clue. I don’t care if there are ten of them,” exclaimed Hydra.

The trio set off to inspect each of the houses but they all looked the same, with a few minor differences. The houses seemed to follow the line of the stream bank, and there seemed to be a crowd of people in one of them.

“It looks like a party for children and dogs,” Pluggo exclaimed, clearly excited.

Hydra thought of his own surprise birthday party, and he brightened up. This could be the house, he thought. He asked the other birds to stay behind or just stay by the stream. He didn’t want his approach to the house to be too obvious.

Hydra and Pluggo peered through the pickets while Veeda volunteered to stay by the stream and watch. There was a group of children with their party clothes on. They were running around with brightly colored balloons tied to their wrists. Even the dogs were dressed up. There were all kinds of dogs: poodles, dachshunds, cocker spaniels, golden retrievers, bulldogs, terriers and labradors. Pluggo, watched with gleaming eyes.

“Labradors—hey, could one of them be Grunt?” Pluggo said as he and Hydra scrambled to take a closer look. There were two Labradors and Hydra couldn’t tell exactly what color they were. The party-noise caused Hydra to remember the 111

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

real reason that they were there. He nudged Pluggo to walk towards the stream. He was fairly certain that this was the house they were looking for.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Pluggo turned around and exclaimed, “It’s Grunt! Hey Hydra, it’s Grunt!”

“Grunt! Grunt!” Hydra and Pluggo yelled in unison.

“Woof! Woof! How are you guys?” Grunt said, wagging his tail— uncontrollably. He was drooling all over the place and licking Hydra and Pluggo from head to foot.

“Stop it Grunt! Stop it. You’re drooling all over me!” yelled Hydra.

Grunt stepped back but kept his tail going at ninety miles an hour.

“Oh my, Grunt. You look great in your bandana,” said Pluggo.

“Oh yes, but this is no ordinary bandana. I can change its color any time that I want,” Grunt said as he proudly changed the color of the bandana from white to red.

“That’s a cool trick Grunt. Cool trick!” Pluggo said excitedly.

“What are you guys up to?” Are you still on a mission?

Would you like to go to the party and be introduced to the kids?”

“I’m sorry Grunt. It’s a long story. We’re on our way to look for something,” said Hydra.

“Your mission, huh? Can I help?”

“What about your party?” Hydra said, impressed with Grunt’s thoughtfulness.

“Don’t worry about the party. I go to parties all the time.

And besides, I know they won’t even miss me; there are a lot of dogs there already. Anyway, my boss is used to me disappearing for days. C’mon, let’s go!” Grunt said as he headed for 112

Hydra’s Back

to whimper, his ears and tail hung low.

“We found the boulder! We found the boulder!” Maya screamed.

All the other ducks began pacing back and forth, flapping their wings at the surface of the stream. Pluggo and Grunt perked up at the activity. They turned their attention back to Hydra just as his eyes flickered and he started to spit water. He sat up and continued to spit out water and cough violently.

Hydra opened his eyes to see all of his friends looking at him. Pluggo motioned for them to get back and give Hydra some room to breathe. Hydra managed to sit up and smile.

“Let’s go to the boulder,” Hydra said.

Everyone cheered wildly, “YEAHHHHHHH!” They all applauded and gave each other high-fives.

115

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 16 Déjà vu, Genoa, Déjà vu THE BOULDER LOOKED EXACTLY AS it was in Hydra’s dream. It was so real he felt a chill when he remembered the sheriff’s cohorts running after him. He quickly swam around the boulder, and following and recounting his steps, sat behind it—in the same position as he had done before. And as he expected, he sank through the hole in the mud.

Hydra had already explained to his friends that they all had a role to play. Hydra and Pluggo would go down and retrieve the disks. Grunt was to stay behind and keep watch by the bank. Veeda and the ducks would guard the entire length of the stream, and Maya and the other birds were to keep watch from the sky—just in case. They were to warn each other of any impending danger.

Pluggo had followed Hydra through the hole, as Hydra tried to pull him the rest of the way through, Pluggo resisted 116

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

room with its dim flickering light. Hydra motioned Pluggo to hurry up. He peeked through the crack of the open door.

Déjà vu, Hydra, déjà vu, thought Hydra. No one seemed to be around, not a single shadow, certainly not Elvira.

Hydra quickly scanned the five aging security monitors for anyone who might be around. The first one showed the bank where they had come out of the water. The second monitor displayed the length of the bank, and the three other monitors showed different parts of the cave. The old monitors would flicker, reminding Hydra that, in this age, these monitors were really dinosaurs.

As soon as Hydra thought the area was clear, he approached the computer.

“Watch the security monitor while I retrieve the disks,” whispered Hydra.

Pluggo was still looking around the room as if he didn’t hear Hydra. “Alright Hydra, I’m keeping watch.”

Hydra sat down and put in the correct password. He still vividly remembered the words: n-o-s-e…s-m-e-l-l…

Instead of taking the disk, Hydra tried to run it on the computer, thinking that he could find out the exact location of Fireeba. Hydra did a search for Fireeba, and several pages of data came out of the printer. He quickly scanned the pages, trying to absorb everything. But he couldn’t find what he was looking for. Finally, he noticed several references to subways and trains and the name of Guerlin City and Mt. Chrisco. He read the page again, concentrating mightily. . . . THERE’S GOING TO BE YEARS OF PREPARATION, AND DOOMSDAY WILL BE ON YEAR 3000, NEW YEAR’S EVE IN GUERLIN CITY…” Hydra’s eyes widened as Pluggo was reading over his shoulder.

“Watch the security monitors,” Hydra admonished 118

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 17 Big Tur THE TRANSITION WAS BETTER THIS time, at least for Hydra. The entire group of hydrants was strewn all over the stream. Hydra quickly pulled Pluggo to safety and helped him to the bank. Hydra jumped back to the stream and signaled his friends to abandon their stations. He immediately got ready to fly up again to “close” his dream—fearing havoc from Sheriff Meet and his cohorts in case they decided to follow them.

“KA-BLOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSHH!” Hydra flew up in the air again and slowly dropped into the stream. This time he did it with perfect precision and timing— like a flying trapeze. He didn’t even feel dizzy, and he was conscious the whole time. Practice makes perfect.

“SPLASSSSSSSSSSSHHHHH!” “THUDDD!” Hydra stumbled into some kind of heavy object but he 120

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

the same thing himself. Both of them squinted their eyes as if the light was too bright. They probably had not seen daylight for a long time.

“Hey fella, are you alright?” Hydra said.

“What’s your name?”

The squinting hydrant finally opened his eyes.

“Huh! Where…where am I?” asked the big hydrant.

They all looked at each other.

“What’s your name?” asked Hydra.

“Big—Big Tur,” the big hydrant mumbled.

Big Tur glanced to his left at the other hydrant who was also waking up.

“Silver!” Big Tur said as he fell back to the ground.

“Do you remember chasing us through the hole from Genoa with the sheriff and his cohorts? Well, you two were part of those cohorts,” exclaimed the annoyed Hydra.

“I honestly don’t remember. I can recall being in a truck on a bridge. Hey, I remember you! You jumped over the bridge! There were three of you who jumped. What happened?” replied Big Tur. Hydra and Pluggo looked at each other. Hydra knew that Big Tur could be telling the truth; no one else knew about the jump from the bridge.

They turned to the other hydrant—still out, just lying still like a rock. His skin was still covered in mud and dirt from when they had dragged him to the bank.

“Let’s leave them alone for now,” Hydra said. He requested some of the seagulls and birds to watch over them. Hydra and Pluggo gave the others the signal that everything was okay.

Hydra decided to give both of them the benefit of the doubt.

Big Tur may be telling the truth, Hydra thought. Maybe it’s all part of a dream. He hoped to soon have an answer to this mystery that had been hanging around in his mind.

122

Big Tur

with what I say and how I say it. I also see that you’ve met a lot of your friends. Hello to all of you. Can you hear and see me?”

“Hello there Elvira!” everyone said in unison.

The monitor’s picture began to get fuzzy and sound became static.

“KKSSSTTTTT! KKSSSTTTTT!” “Gee, I guess I’ll sign off for now. Do what you have to do. There are other things in the backpack that I’d like you to see—over and out!” Elvira said, signing off.

“KKSSSTTTTTTTT-POOOOP!” Silence.

They all looked at each other as Hydra excitedly opened the backpack. The first thing he pulled out was a black leather book, covered with dust. He blew the dust away, thinking that it must be hundreds of years old. He could make out the word “confidential” on the right corner of the book, in faded red letters. The book was titled, “FCH by Dr. Stanislaw Woolf.”

Hydra told the others that FCH stood for FancyCrazyHydrants, the alternative name for Super Fire Hydrants named after the first inventions of Dr. Woolf . He opened the book and leafed through the pages. He found all sorts of illustrations and diagrams depicting most of Dr. Woolf’s creations.

He came across a page depicting creatures like Pluggo, Crooton, and Beatree, as well as many others. He saw pictures and diagrams of the likes of Veeda, Grunt, and some he had never seen. The last page of the book contained computer disks of different sizes; names were written on all of them.

At this point, all of Hydra’s friends were at his back, many of them standing on tiptoes trying to see the book. Hydra quickly closed the book and said, “Alright guys. This is supposedly confidential. I hope you understand.” The others backed off, looking sheepish. Big Tur had a sullen look on his face as 125

Big Tur

together, different species and different powers. Some have powers that we don’t even know about. Since reading this book from Dr. Woolf, I’ve begun to understand the mission.

We have been brought together by Dr. Woolf, our creator.

There is danger ahead of us, and some of you will not have the power to protect yourselves. Because of this, I want to give you the opportunity to stay here or leave. If you decide to leave, we may call on you later.”

A few of the birds and ducks tipped their wings to Hyrda and took off in the opposite direction. Hydra knew that without any power, it would be too dangerous for them to stay and fight.

Hydra counted the friends who were left. There are now eight of us including pioneers like Grunt, Veeda, and Maya.

Hydra quickly checked the book to see if they were on the list. He nodded his head as soon as he saw the pages with pictures and illustrations.

“There will be others coming to join us—some of whom Pluggo and I met along the way. Until we can find out how to get to them, then we can settle here for now. Now I want you all to form a line.”

“Ten Hut!” Yelled Hydra.

The group stood looking at Hydra with puzzled expressions on their faces.

“I said Ten Hut—that means that you all should come to attention. Don’t you understand?”

Some of them were snickering.

“Oh man, are we in the military now?”

“Ten Hut” Hydra yelled again—his voice getting harsher.

This time they all stood at attention like real soldiers, albeit hesitant. Hydra took this to mean that he had the authority to lead them. Some of them, however, continued to snicker, although quietly.

127

Big Tur

Captain Hydra.

“You’re welcome Veeda. You’re welcome. Wait. There’s more.” Hydra dug deep in his bag again and pulled out a bright red bandana. It had a silhouette of a hydrant on it with “FCH” written across it in bold letters. It also said “MEMBER,” the official mark of their team. Hydra tied the bandana around Veeda’s neck.

“Remember—and I want you to listen closely. The disk that I inserted in Veeda, and this red official bandana, makes her an official member of this team even if she’s not a hydrant.”

Veeda stepped back to her position as Hydra finished with her, and Grunt was next.

“Grunt,” growled Hydra.

“Yes, Captain Hydra,” Grunt answered as he stepped forward and slobbered all over Hydra.

“Stop it!” yelled Hydra, scrambling to compose himself.

“Oops. I’m sorry Captain Hydra. I can’t help myself.

Woof, Woof.”

Everyone was snickering quietly.

“Alright! Let’s get back to business,” screamed Hydra as he continued to wipe the wetness off his face.

Hydra removed another disk from the book and inserted in Grunt’s head. It had the same effect as it had on Veeda.

Grunt’s brown velvety fur became even shinier than before. He grew an inch taller as he stood there at attention, his tail wagging wildly. Hydra quickly took off Grunt’s color-changing bandana and replaced it with the official red one. Grunt immediately looked sharp—a handsome dog indeed. Hydra noticed that the bandana seemed to be glowing like it was about to change colors.

“Maya!”

Maya trotted slowly to Hydra.

“Yes, Captain Hydra!”

129

Big Tur

was coming to join them.

Hydra noticed that Pluggo was more excited than the rest—even getting restless. Hydra looked in the same direction as the rest of the group and saw three figures approaching.

His face lit up in a huge smile as he realized who they were.

“You’re right Hydra. I found out about a certain button in my monitor and pushed it. It was supposed to send a message to some of the hydrants and even free them up from their spot.

Once they got the message, they were able to follow it here.

Cool isn’t it?” Pluggo said.

Hydra was pleased but he didn’t like the idea of Pluggo doing something like that without telling him.

“Crooton, Beatree, and Splatter, boy, I am so glad to see you guys. You sure are welcome here,” Hydra said as he gave all three of them a bear hug, almost breaking off some of Beatree’s branches. Pluggo did the same thing. Hydra felt very close to these hydrants even if they had not spent a lot of time together.

Everyone was introduced. Grunt seemed to be especially interested in Splatter. They circled each other—their tails wagging wildly. Hydra was really happy to have Crooton with them. He seemed to be the oldest (and maybe the wisest) of them all. He even carried a walking stick, like a wise man.

Everyone was getting louder as the introductions went on. The camaraderie among them was evident as Hydra called for their attention.

“Everyone! Everyone! May I have your attention please?

You may have already met our new friends—Crooton, Beatree, and Splatter. Now let’s officially welcome them to our team,” Hydra said. There was a roar of applause from the members.

“You three came just in time,” Hydra continued. “We were officially distributing these wonderful gifts from Dr. Woolf, our main creator.” The three hydrants looked at each 131

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

other while Pluggo gave them a raised thumb.

“Please—everyone get back to your position. I want to call Silver next. Where’s Silver?”

The ceremony continued until the wee hours of the morning. A small bonfire was lit to fend off the evening chill.

Each hydrant was given his disk, and instead of receiving a bandana like the non-hydrants, they received a sticker with FCH on it. Each of them wore it like a badge. It may have looked like an ordinary sticker but there was really more to it.

As the ceremony ended, some of them tried their newfound powers. They were flying, and chasing each other, and were having fun—until they all got tired and just lay by the fire and rested. Apparently exhausted, they all fell asleep.

At last, there was peace and quiet in the camp. The only noise was the crisp burning wood of the bonfire, complemented by the usual chirping of crickets. The snoring also added to the symphony.

Unbeknownst to them, there was a movement in the flickering bonfire. Sparks started to fly but no one seemed to notice.

Only Grunt perked up and stared at the fire before closing his eyes and lowering his head to his paws. The flicker continued until it grew into a small fireball. The fireball left the bonfire and slowly rolled over the ground, leaving a burnt area in its track. The fireball stopped when Grunt, startled by the noise started barking at it.

“Woof! Woof!”

The fireball suddenly formed in to a shape of a small person about a foot tall. It had a fiery pointed head and a body and arms wrapped in fire. The figure watched the sleeping figures.

Suddenly Grunt leaped at it and the figure took the shape of a fireball once more and shot up into the sky, leaving a trail of sparks and smoke.

132

Big Tur

“What happened Grunt?” Pluggo said. His eyes were still half closed.

“Nothing. Go back to sleep.”

133

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 18 Captain Hydra “Cocka Doo Del Dooo! Cocka Doo Del Dooo!”

“Whoa!” said one of the group.

“Ahhh!” said another.

The rooster awakened everyone.

“What the…is that a rooster?”

“Relax, that’s just Veeda acting like a rooster, go back to sleep,” Pluggo said.

“Oh my…what time is it?” asked Beatree.

“Cocka Doo Del Dooo! Cocka Doo Del Dooo!”

“Hey c’mon—stop that! It’s Saturday!” yelled Splatter.

Beatree’s eyes got wider and wider as she observed the duck crowing like a rooster. She got up and called some of the others to look at the mess of burned leaves and blackened ground.

“Something came out of there last night. I tried to 134

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

“It’s the front page of today’s paper!” Maya said excitedly.

The headline stated, “THREE MORE DAYS TILL NEW YEAR!” “You’re right. We only have three days left to prepare ourselves to find Fireeba. Hmm…Maya, tell me where north is.”

“Well, if the sun comes out of that direction…let me see…”

“Right there,” screamed Maya, pointing her wing to her right.

Hydra looked where Maya pointed. In the far distance he could see a cluster of blue mountains with white-capped peaks— the North East Mountains. But right behind them was a mountain, taller than all the rest—Mt. Calderra. It’s as if the North East Mountains were its façade. It was so tall that clouds constantly obscure its peak, inconspicuous and low profile. Unknown to everyone, there was a smoldering crater in the center of it, with billowing smoke streaming and melding with the clouds. The black book is right, Hydra thought. But there were still unanswered questions—ones that only Elvira could answer.

“BEEEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP!” “Hydra, are you there?”

Hydra quickly dropped his backpack and took out his Metro.

“Yes, Elvira. Where are you?”

“Listen, it’s very important that we meet. I have something to tell you in person. It’s some information that I can’t divulge over the Metro.”

“Where are you? And where do you want to meet?”

“If you look around, you’ll see a cluster of mountains— and if you observe closely, you’ll see another mountain behind it.”

136

Fireeba, Billow and the Fyros

CHAPTER 19 Fireeba, Billow and the Fyros THE GLIDING AND WALKING was a bit rough for Hydra.

He had not traveled this far for a while. Although he could fly to his destination, he chose not to. He would walk and glide to conserve energy. Dr. Woolf had programmed him that way.

“Spare your energy when you can. You never know when you may need it,” he felt the Voice telling him.

After rapidly walking through the maze of streets, he hit the open meadow. He was glad to see the meadow instead of some dead end street. He certainly didn’t want to run into any more junkyards or SyDogs. Maybe it was just his imagination firing up his brain again but he couldn’t keep those ferocious dogs out of his mind.

“Leader? I can’t have Hydra and Pluggo as my leader.

Never,” Big Tur said under his breath. His face was fuming with 139

Fireeba, Billow and the Fyros

imagined how much power was in store for him. There were nine disks left. He quickly took his own disk for safekeeping— just in case. He checked the surroundings again to be sure that he was still alone.

“Hey Splatter, did you see my backpack?” asked Pluggo.

“Nope but I saw you drop it on the ground before you hit the water,” Grunt said.

“That’s strange, my bag is not there anymore,” continued Pluggo.

“Where’s Big Tur? He was just right there,” Veeda said.

“Big Tur! Big Tur!” yelled Pluggo. “C’mon guys, let’s find him.”

As Pluggo walked toward the bank…

“SWOOOOOOOOSHHHHH!” “What the…?”

“Hey! That’s Big Tur, and he has your backpack! Let’s go after him!” yelled Meet.

“SWOOOOOOOOSHHHHH!” “SWOOOOOOOOSHHHHH!” “SWOOOOOOOOSHHHHH!” Pluggo, Meet, and Splatter chased after Big Tur but he was too fast. He flew with amazing speed, and finally the other three broke off the chase. Pluggo was devastated, and worried about Hydra. Since he had lost his backpack, he knew that the rest of them could be in even more danger. He told Splatter that he was afraid of what Big Tur might be up to.

As soon as Pluggo, Splatter, and Meet returned, the entire gang surrounded them.

“You lost him?” asked Grunt.

“He was just too fast, Grunt, way too fast,” said Pluggo “But what about the bag?” asked Grunt as he gave Pluggo a worried look.

141

Fireeba, Billow and the Fyros

“PLANNKK!” He let the cover slam next to the hole. Curiously, the steam stopped as he started down the ladder. He pulled the cover over him before he descended.

It was pitch black inside and Hydra couldn’t see a thing.

He quickly tapped his head twice and out came a light—his headlight. Thank you Dr. Woolf, what would I do without you?

Hydra, careful to keep a tight hold on the ladder, slowly began to climb down, his light casting ghost-like images on the concrete walls of the silo. Suddenly, he felt a rush of air coming from his right, and he froze. The air had come from a tunnel that was off of the silo. He aimed his headlight and looked as far as he could see down the tunnel. He followed Elvira’s urging and climbed deeper into the silo and past the tunnel, until he heard rushing water. As he neared the last rung of the ladder, he was sure that he was at the bottom.

“Splashhh!”

He hit the bottom and was immediately blasted by a torrent of water that forced him into a tumble. He had to hang on to the walls simply to keep his balance.

“HELLO! low, low, low…” He yelled and heard his voice echoing off the walls.

“Elvira? ‘rah, ‘rah, ‘rah…”

Silence.

All he heard was the sound of the rushing water, and it was eerie. Where could Elvira be? He didn’t expect any response anyway but he took some small comfort in hearing his own voice in such a spooky place.

Strangely, the water was rushing towards the mountains so Hydra went in that direction. The atmosphere was strange, with its darkness and the sound of the rushing water. He hoped there were no Sydogs around. They had made a lasting impression on him, and he certainly didn’t need to meet up with any 143

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

far away it was but he knew that he had come too far to turn back. At least he was getting away from the thunderous noise of the waterfall.

Following the light from his headlamp, he walked deeper into the tunnel, looking from side to side. He saw nothing unusual but he was worried about the Sydogs.

As he got closer to the flickering light, he began to feel very warm and wished he were closer to the coolness of the waterfall. The humid feeling dissipated as the light got brighter, and he could feel the heat coming from it. Why would Elvira stay in this place? It was still bearable though as he tapped his head again to turn off the light. He dropped his backpack and retrieved the Metro.

“Elvira? Elvira? Do you read?”

Silence.

“Over here!”

“What?” yelled Hydra. Elvira’s inside! At last I’m going to see Elvira again.

“Elvira, you must be kidding. How could you stay in a scorching place like this?” Hydra said, chuckling.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m well protected. Come inside,” her voice said, quivering. “Maybe if you run, you will not feel a thing.”

“Run? He-He-He. Maybe I’ll just fly—how’s that?”

“Run, fly, or whatever you want to do, just get yourself in here.”

“Alright, alright, I’m almost there, take it easy,” Hydra said, moving toward the opening.

The tunnel ran straight through but there was a small opening on the side, leading to another area. Once inside, Hydra found the light so bright that he was momentarily blinded. He was in a cave with dry reddish earth walls, and fire was coming out of the cracks. The heat was intense, even 146

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

roof of the cave like a tornado. When it landed if front of Hydra, it had a human shape but it was still smoke. Hydra stepped back, unsure of what FancyCrazyHydrant power he had to deal with these adversaries. “A battle is already lost once you lose your faith,” he heard the Voice in his mind. He stood glaring at him while Billow surrounded him with thick black smoke. At the same time, Fyros (foot-long fire midgets) seemed to come out of the walls and circle Hydra like dancing lava.

“Follow me!” demanded Billow in a deep resonant voice that sounded synthetic. The Fyros inched forward, forcing Hydra to follow Billow to a labyrinth of a dark earth tunnels with fire seeping out of every crack. That’s the trick, were they fires or Fyros? Only a water test will tell me what I need to know.

As he walked behind Billow, he memorized his escape route for later. Rounding another corner, Hydra saw a bright throbbing light coming from a room. Billow blew smoke over the door entrance and seemed to be rushing, as Hydra past it.

But Hydra was able to steal a quick glance anyway and saw a giant capsule glowing with light like a giant firefly.

“You didn’t see anything, did you?” Billow bellowed.

Hydra gave him a dumb look. He knew that Billow was afraid of Fireeba and didn’t want her to know that Hydra might have seen something. After a few more turns, they came to a door and Billow opened it and let Hydra in.

“Hydra, are you okay?” Elvira said as she got up from the bunk.

“Elvira, is that really you? What’s that on your skin?”

“It’s a special skin that Dr. Woolf invented to shield me from heat. It protects me from any toxic and nuclear environment. My skin changes its texture when I push this button on my suit. How are the others?”—Wait!” Elvira said. But before Hydra could answer, she put a finger over her lips and 148

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

happen—except for the part about weapons being destroyed.

All documents and references were also destroyed relating to weapons of mass destruction. The world has been living in peace for about six centuries now. But some fanatics are getting bored again,”) Elvira scooped up more water and splashed it on her forehead. She continued with her thoughts, (“Fireeba is going to fire this capsule simultaneously with the dropping of the ‘square’ to mark the coming of the year 3000.”) (“The “square, what square?”) thought Hydra. (“It is the object that is dropped from a tall building on the last ten seconds of midnight, December 31st, 2999— tonight. Many years ago, people used to drop a ball but the tradition changed. Over the years, they dropped things of various shapes, like triangles and ovals. I guess people got tired of the old tradition and kept on changing it,”) thought Elvira. (“Then we’re really out of time. I better send a message to Pluggo.”) Hydra scooped more water and splashed it on his forehead. He strained and blushed as he tried to send a mental message to Pluggo.

Meanwhile, Fireeba and Billow went to check on the capsule.

“That’s good Billow. I knew I could rely on you. The capsule is ready to be launched by midnight, and the old subway track that will carry it seems clear of any obstruction.

We will have our own initial countdown so by the time the new-year countdown ends at zero they won’t even know what hit them. Check the monitor at Guerlin City,” demanded Fireeba.

Billow tuned on the monitors. The crowd had already gathered. Because it was a new millennium, the crowd was much larger; almost three times the customary size. New Year’s Eve was by far the most celebrated holiday in Guerlin City.

150

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

(“Keep on trying. There are only a few minutes left. We can’t fail. If you can’t get Pluggo, let’s move now as planned.

We’ll get to Pluggo later.”) (“Alright Elvira, I’ll talk to you soon.”)

Hydra quickly lay on the bunk, closed his eyes and concentrated, pretending to be sleeping. After a few minutes, he slowly got up. He turned around and looked at an exact replica of himself that he had left on the bunk. He had used the process of Sola (using radio waves) to create his own clone. He didn’t know that he had that power until Elvira told him about it.

Hydra stared for a moment at “himself” and then pounded on the door.

“Guard! Guard!”

“What!”

“You’ve got to see this. Where did this come from?”

“What the…” The two Fyros immediately opened the door and stepped in. While they were gawking at the other Hydra on the bunk, the real Hydra quickly extinguished them with two quick blasts of water from his nozzles. Elvira had told him that if you hit these Fyros in the right place, it was just like putting out a match, and she was right. But if you miss, you could pay a big price. These Fyros were capable of shooting exploding fireballs. This time, Hydra was lucky and on target.

Hydra dashed out to free Elvira from her cell. Elvira had left her own Sola image lying on the bunk as she joined Hydra in the hall. Hydra was intending to follow his escape plan when Elvira summoned him.

“This way Hydra, there could be a trap there. I saw this niche here before; we’ll be safe here for now. Try to contact Pluggo again.”

Pluggo and the rest of the gang had followed the train 152

Fireeba, Billow and the Fyros

tracks but, somehow, missed the fork in the road. Pluggo was a few paces ahead of the gang who had lagged behind as they became involved in a snowball fight. Silver was chasing Splatter with a huge snowball. He had just heaved it when Pluggo turned around to see what they were doing. The snowball hit him full in the face, knocking him to the ground.

“Pluggo are you alright?” asked Silver.

Pluggo tried to compose himself. He was gritting his teeth as he wiped his wet forehead.

“Wait. I’m getting something. Get me more of that snow.

I can hear something inside of my head.” (“Hydra is that you?”) (“Yes, Pluggo. It’s about time. Where were you?” Hydra thought.”)

Pluggo described his location. (“You’ve missed the fork. Go back a half mile and the fork will be on your right side. Hurry up, ‘cause there’s no more time. Listen, Here’s what we’re going to do…”)

153

The Adventures of the FancyCrazyHydramnts

CHAPTER 20 The Third Millennium “I found it! I found it!” screamed Maya.

“Yes, Maya found it! Maya found it,” screamed Veeda.

“Oookay! Relax!” Pluggo said as he welcomed the news from his two spotters.

Pluggo and the rest of the gang retraced their steps and found the manhole. As they all gathered around, Grunt was barking at the manhole cover.

“Okay! According to Hydra’s instructions, we need volunteers to stay up here,” said Pluggo.

There was a collective—“What?”

“I see there are no volunteers. We kinda expected this. In that case, let this be an order. Maya, Veeda, Crooton, and Beatree, you guys stay up here and we will call you if we need backup. Just make sure that your foreheads are consistently wet so we can relay messages to you in case we need your help.

154

The Third Millennium

Fireeba quickly pulled the lever and started the countdown.

“3, 2, 1… Go!” screamed Fireeba, and the capsule started to move forward. Hydra and Elvira just looked sorrowfully at each other. Hydra looked down as Elvira told him not to worry.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! You’re doomed and the world is mine, and mine alone. Ha-ha-ha-ha! Execute the other hydrants! Blast them all! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!

“AHHH! WHAT THE…HEEEELP!” Fireeba was being dragged down the tracks. When Billow was covering everything in smoke, Hydra had spread some cable on the floor where Fireeba had been standing. Now, that same cable had ensnared her and she was pulled off her feet as the capsule moved forward.

The capsule began to move violently down the tracks; Freeba struggled to free herself but seemed helpless. Soon she was flying high in the air like some kind of fiery kite being pulled by the speeding capsule. Meanwhile, Hydra was able to free his hands and quickly untangled Elvira. They were almost out of time; maybe they had fifteen seconds before they and the city were toast. Both Hydra and Elvira were struggling in vain to open the fuse box in a feeble attempt to stop the capsule’s flight down the tracks to the city, when suddenly…

“SWOOOOOOOOOOOSHHHH!” “Hydra! We’ll take over from here! You and Elvira can jump now!”

Hydra looked up and saw Pluggo, Silver, Splatter, and Grunt flying like super-heroes. Without wasting any more time and wondering how dogs could fly, Hydra assisted Elvira and they both bailed out of the capsule. The capsule was still dragging Fireeba, and for a few moments Billow was right behind her. But in the next instant, he disappeared as a strange gust of wind sucked him out of the scene.

157

The Third Millennium

Hydra was feeling ecstatic as he walked with the others back to their camp. He glanced back at the city that his team had just saved, its lights still gleaming from the tall buildings.

Hydra and Pluggo were walking ahead of the gang.

“Pluggo, thanks for your help. I couldn’t have accomplished this incredible mission without your help. We made it. That is one heaven of a mission!”

“Anytime Hydra, anytime, uh, I meant to tell you something.”

“What?”

“About my backpack…”

Hydra stared at him intently.

159

The End

Next: The Wrath of Big Tur