“Is that it?” asked Buck, sounding disappointed.
Pai had just hit the last key, sending the tight beam signal.
“What did you expect?” she countered. “Fireworks?”
99. The Raid of Comstock Tower - The Apporach
97. The Big Escape - Aureus Gate Crossing
Gadget had been disturbed by the beeping, but was even more disturbed when it stopped. Pai’s Firewall program was now without power, and he feared they were without hope. Even more CyMS seemed to be coming their way and they could see nothing of their allies. It seemed they were all very busy, because none of his calls were getting through.
96. The Big Escape - The Redeemer
As Goddess approached Ryder and the enormous robot, Lady Rose gestured for Crimson and Jenny to follow her in the opposite direction. A man called Kuznetzov — apparently a Cynfo engineer — came hurrying up rambling about something, but Crimson shut him down. Lady Rose met Rhino and the gunmen behind the convertible and they all looked on as Goddess appealed to her former employer.
93. Flatbed to Freedom
Walter was trying to think of a way to thank Charger; the horse had made the long trip to the zoo just to warn the Animals. Apparently, the good humans had found a method of escaping the city. He seemed sure this would make things even more dangerous for those left behind. Charger mentioned "bad humans," though Walter wasn’t sure if they were the same as the "strange humans."
83. The Escape Plan Part 3 - Day Terrors
69. A Date At Pets R Us
Are you sure about this, Walter? asked Jugger.
I’m sure, replied the chimp, before opening a very wide door at the rear of the store. See — even you can get inside. This is the best supply of food we’ve found. We have to take it while we can.
Jugger aimed her trunk at the nearby sacks of food. Isn’t this enough?
It’s just cereal, replied Walter. The good stuff is all inside.
68. The Rampage
Sometimes, the search for food seemed endless. Athena didn’t do it for herself; she could pick off smaller birds any time she wanted. She did it for her friends, but, unfortunately, elephants, wolves and bears always seemed to be hungry. Athena had noticed there were certain buildings where humans kept a lot of food; some of it just animal food. And it seemed she’d found another one.
62. Whiskey in a Bottle
‘Boss, I’ve got something for you.’
‘Something else, H3x?’ answered Lady Rose. ‘The puppet trick was probably enough for one day.’
H3x grinned. It was always good to keep on the right side of the boss. Before replying, she checked the mirrors and the surroundings of her stationary SUV. Other than a couple of ambling CyMS in the distance, she saw no danger.
‘Actually, it’s kind of connected to the puppets. One of them was unusually lucid and I noticed a bottle of Kabalan sticking out of his backpack.’
57. Super Charger!
Lance wasn’t generally a man to break rules but it was a fine, sunny day and he felt like a proper ride. Passing beyond his normal patrol route, he urged Charger into a gallop along a wide, open street, occasionally dodging abandoned cars. As he was trapped within San Lazaro for the time being, Lance enjoyed such moments of solitude and freedom. His fellow Peacemakers were good people, but their time together was busy and intense. Even a committed law enforcer like him needed the occasional bit of down time.
52. Animal Rescue
‘Impressive creature.’
Ryder “El Jefe” Arcadia peered through the reinforced glass at the Komodo dragon. The lizard was eight feet from nose to tail; currently tearing a deer carcass apart and gorging on the bloody flesh.
Winston ‘Winner’ Malik was sitting on a stool outside the cell, studying his laptop. ‘This one’s more impressive than most, El Jefe.’
42. What Do Animals Eat? Part 1
Walter ran along the fence and dropped down beside Jugger. The elephant was standing on one of the main zoo paths, stripping bark from a tree with her tusks then eating it.
I didn’t know you liked that stuff.
It’s not bad, replied Jugger miserably. And there’s nothing else left.
Walter had done his best to help the group find food but it was especially difficult for the larger animals. He thought chimpanzees ate a lot but their appetites were small compared to Jugger or Bob the bear.
37. Go Nuts for Donuts!
The Hungry Donuts store was on fire. The flames seemed to be emanating from the kitchen and some kind of blast had blown out the windows. Lucky happened to be passing by and he realized this was a chance to grab some complex carbs for his ever-hungry group of friends. Armed as ever with his recurve bow, he approached carefully, worried that the noise might draw CyMS or other dangers.
32. Save the Dolphins!
Walter awoke to the sound of Jugger’s roar. He swung down from the branch he’d been sleeping on and dropped to the ground. Even though he could now sleep anywhere in the zoo, he liked his old home in the ape house, especially the outside section. Looking at the sky, he reckoned the sun hadn’t been up long. He expected Jugger wanted him to do something; she usually did.
30. Curiosity... and the Cat
Jane knew she had to leave.
It wasn’t just because she felt sure her owner, Howard, wasn’t coming back; something had changed and she felt different now. Though she’d spent much of the last few weeks inside the house, she had also patrolled along the walls, watching what was going on. She had seen many of the human craft with flashing lights; and many people wearing green and black carrying weapons. She had also seen others fighting and three different groups trying to get into the house. But Howard had always been careful to keep it very safe: the walls were high and the doors were strong.
28. Fly Like an Eagle
26. Strange Packfellows
The animals had decided that they needed to keep watch. It made sense that Howl and Athena – with their exceptional eyesight – should guard them during the night. On this particular night, Howl took the first watch. He sat on a small hill above where the other animals slept, close to Jugger’s enclosure. Before the Awakening and all the humans had left, the hill was a place where they gathered at tables to sit and eat food. To keep himself awake, Howl would regularly lope around to get different views of the area. His eyes were so good that he could occasionally even make out the humans far beyond the zoo.