Quantum: The Complete Series

Chapter 14: Shining Starlight

—NSFW Warning—
This chapter contains inappropriate content not intended for young audiences.

Meggy: Keep going! We are almost there!

Axol: Give it a few more moments!

The Trencher was now coming up to the opposite side of the abyss below them and beginning to climb the ledge to get onto solid ground. All the while, the remaining beasts were gnawing at the line that was still holding them up.

Axol: If that line snaps, we are done for!

Saiko: Then keep going! I'm not dying today!

Saiko looks out behind the Trencher to see the beasts were still digging and one of them looked up and right at her, letting out a loud scream.

Beast: Screeeech!

Saiko: Ugh.

She leans back into the Trencher with a look of disgust on her face.

Saiko: That is one ugly fucker back there.

Axol: You're telling me. Seeing one up close must be worse.

Saiko: I don't even want to imagine that. I'd rather stay at a distance.

Axol: Better stay at a distance. I don't even know what those things are capable of. We still don't know how Mario and Glitchy are.

Saiko: Meggy must be a wreck back there right now.

Axol: She's more pissed than scared.

Saiko: At Mario?

Axol: Oh hell no. There is never a moment where she's pissed off towards him. She's pissed that these things almost killed him and is blaming these creatures for Tari and Luigi's disappearance.

Saiko: Makes total sense. I actually hope that Luigi and Tari just got lost instead of thinking that those...things...

Axol: Saiko? You alright?

Saiko turns to face Axol, a look of pure worry on her face. It was a look that no one remembers ever seeing on her face.

Saiko: I am worried about them. Tari is one of my best friends, and Luigi has been there for me and you for the longest time now. It would be devastating to lose them.

Axol: I get it, you miss them. But don't you worry. We will find them, I promise.

Saiko: No one left behind?

Axol: No one.

The Trencher was now lifting its back tires up onto the ground when a horrific snap was sounded as the beasts cut the last line from the other end, followed by a loud bang as the metal cable slammed against the Trencher, bringing a scream out of SMG4, who had been cowering in the back seat behind the two the whole time. The Trencher then began to start sliding backwards towards the gaping mouth of the canyon. If their back tires slipped more than four more feet, everyone on board would die.

Saiko: Floor it!

Axol pushes the accelerator until it was flat against the ground and the RPM on the Tachometer reached 8000 as the Trencher slowly started hoisting itself up and back onto solid ground. The whole time, warning lights were going off signaling that the engine was overheating from the extreme work it was performing.

Axol: Don't you die on me yet! Come on, baby, you can do it!

The Trencher continued its slow climb up until it was fully on flat ground and then sputtered and died.

Axol: How convenient, we made it, and then we ran out of fuel.

Saiko: We can just push it back to the Quantum, right?