Chapter Seventy-Four: Panic

“They're all out cold. Darn it!” Lady Courage groaned as she tried to keep her fellow Knights safe. The drug had gotten them all, and now they were all in trouble.
“I've got Sir Dark, Lady Luck and Sir Hyper.” Patrick pulled up in an unmarked old station wagon with no back seats. He wore a black scarf around his face. “I'm so glad you wear that gas mask.”
“It was a present from someone who protected me.” Lady Courage replied, thinking of the late Joe Masters who had treated her like his own grand-daughter. “Where are Chuckles and Giggles?”
“Load those two into the back, then we'll go look for them.” Patrick replied.
“Good idea Sir Motor.” Lady Courage grinned beneath the mask which had protected her from the poison gas. With a bit of difficulty, she loaded Sir Lionheart and Lady Silent into the back of the car, both of them unconscious.
“Looking for these?”
Lady Courage spun around. Sidewinder had a small wagon, where Chuckles and Giggles were loaded.
“I'm only helping because I don't want the Mob threatened. I'm hunting down any Troupers that haven't been gassed and chasing them out of town. No killing.” Sidewinder spat.
“Thanks Sidewinder. We won't forget this.” Lady Courage smiled at her.
“Oh won't DAD be pleased when he sees this!” They heard another voice, a much slimier, nastier voice!
“Ruby.” Lady Courage glared at her brother. Ruby Daryl floated above them, looking pleased with himself.
“What do YOU want you little sneak?” Sidewinder snarled.
“Aww, c'mon Wine-dy, don't be like THAT.” Ruby grinned. “I just want a little peek under the hoods of your cargo there.”
“Of course you do.” Sidewinder snarled.
“I mean, weren't YOU going around claiming that Belle Masters and Charlie Begly were our worst foes?” Ruby continued to gloat. “You wouldn't happen to want to keep them hidden because you're WRONG would you?”
“Shut up!” Sidewinder lashed out with an Emerald Shard, which did nothing against the Ruby Suit.
“Nice try, but the Emerald Suits have NOTHING on the power of the Ruby Suit!” Ruby laughed, skewering Sidewinder through the shoulder with a Ruby Spear.
Pure fury rushed through the veins of Lady Courage. She HATED Daryl, her older brother who had helped her father treat her like dirt!
“Sidewinder, get Chuckles and Giggles into the car and protect Sir Motor. Get them out of here.” She said.
“Are you nuts?! There's no WAY you can take on Ruby by yourself!” Sidewinder cried.
“This isn't your battle.” Lady Courage told her. “I have my own problems with the Jones family.”
Sidewinder looked at her funny, before helping Sir Motor load Chuckles and Giggles into the van.
“Not so fast!” Ruby went to attack as they drove off, but he was stopped by a baseball bat to the chest by Lady Courage.
“Owwwww!” He choked.
“Your fight is with ME, Ruby.” Lady Courage squared up to her brother.
Chuckles stopped again. He could hear Giggles calling him, but he couldn't see her.
“GIGGLES!” He called out.
“CHUCKLES!!!” He heard her voice again. Either she couldn't hear him or (more likely) she was ignoring him.
He ran towards her voice. Suddenly, something flew out in front of him, smacking him in the face and knocking him out cold.
The world was filled with joy and laughter. The water was perfect, the sun was warm, the breeze had the slightest suggestion of jasmine…and it was fading.
“Ugh…” Sir Dark sat up in the back of the moving station wagon.
“You guys were drugged.” Patrick told him. “Smoke bomb.”
“Why is Sidewinder outside?” Sir Dark looked out of the window and onto the roof.
“Because she's helping save your butts.” Patrick replied. “She really must have a thing for Lionheart.”
Sir Dark chortled.
“NOPE!” Patrick suddenly swerved. “Oh not good, not, NOT good!”
“You keep driving, I'll take care of the Crusaders!” Sidewinder leapt off the car and into the path of the advancing March Hill Crusaders. Patrick quickly pulled a 300-point turn, before shooting down a side-street.
“Why are you protecting them?” Crusader Roger aimed his new bayonet at her.
“Because they happen to be our best weapon against YOU.” Sidewinder aimed the Mystic Eight Gun back at him.
“CHUCKLES!” Giggles cried, desperately trying to make her way through the thickening forest.
She could hear the Haunted Maze Trouper laughing at her. “You can't save him little girl. Pull off your helmet and I'll let him live.”
“He'd never forgive me if I did!” Giggles fired back, angry. She fired the Lucky Seven Gun at a branch, which fell, allowing her to fly upwards. Alas, as she flew up, the forest grew up with her!
“Your little deus ex machina won't save you now little girl!” She heard the Trouper gloat. Two vines shot out and grabbed her feet. She shot them away, pulling out the Desert Eagle. More vines shot out, and Giggles dodged them, heading to ground before running through the thickening undergrowth. The vines shot after her, and she knew it was only a matter of time before they got her.
“C'mon guys, wake up!” Sir Dark shook Sir Hyper and Lady Silent. Lady Luck and Sir Lionheart were awake and groggy, and Sir Motor nearly had them at the tip.
“Where's Sidewinder?” Sir Lionheart rubbed his eyes. “What happened?”
“I think it was a group hallucination.” Lady Luck told him.
“Sidewinder is taking care of the Crusaders.” Sir Dark added. “This is bad. If we now have enemies that can take us out en masse like that, then we're in big trouble. We're just lucky none of us had our identities exposed.”
“Thanks Patrick.” Lady Luck smiled. “Where's Sunny?”
“Taking on her brother.” Patrick replied bitterly.
“Damn! We have to help her!” Sir Lionheart cried as Lady Silent started to come around.
“You guys aren't in any condition to help anyone. Plus, this is HER fight.” Patrick told them.
Meanwhile, Lady Courage and Ruby Daryl were falling from a building together, locked in a death grip. Seeing Lady Courage was serious, Ruby quickly pulled them up and threw Lady Courage to the side. She landed on her feet and glared at him.
The siblings were fighting to the death.

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