A few minutes later, Jazz Jackrabbit, hero of the galaxy, almost-prince of the planet Carrotus, looked down on his feet, which were tied to some probably splinter-full pieces of a box by some rope he had stored in his backpack. "I look like a fool," he moaned, shaking his head at the bizarre footwear.
Next to him, Spaz grinned. "No you don't, bro! You look like a hero who's tied wood to his feet because the floor is cold!"
Jazz glared, and stalked towards the hole Spaz had found the wood inside. Though weird, the wooden "shoes" certainly protected his feet from the extreme cold of the metal plating, and that was something to be thankful for. "So, this is the quickest way to Devan, I guess."
"Sure looks it!" enthused Spaz, bouncing back down into the hole without any warning. "Spaz!" cried Jazz, and sighing, leaped down after him


Panting, Corporal Lori leaned against the door-frame for several seconds before knocking on the door. Moments later, the door was opened by a tall green rabbit, who showed appropriate surprise at opening the door to an exhausted female in exercise garments. Surprise was quickly replaced by compassion, as the green rabbit helped Lori inside onto a couch, which she fell onto gratefully.
"Now, I'll get you a drink, and you can tell me what you're doing here," he said, crossing over to a strangely advanced-looking refrigeration unit. "By the way, I'm -"
"Acid, I know," finished Lori, rolling over to better observe the proceedings.
"How did you...? ...oh." Acid returned with a foaming glass of an unidentified liquid, but this time he was scowling. "You're from R.A.B.T, aren't you?" Lori nodded, and he stared moodily at the wall. There was a long pause, until just as Lori was about to say something, her host spoke again.
"I haven't heard that name for a long time, you know," began Acid, still not looking at her. "I thought I was well shot of your organization. I have a job as a scientist now, you know... I make weapons."
Lori saw no movement triggering the instance, but a sleek, gray blaster appeared noiselessly in Acid's paw, not aimed in any real direction, but deadly solely by its existence. "I have a steady source of income... I have friends... I have family. What reason could I possibly have for going back to R.A.B.T? That is what you're here about, isn't it?"
Lori nodded, but it was a useless gesture, as her object still faced away from her. Casting around uselessly for something to say, she hazarded, "and are you still a master of the transportational technologies?"
Acid laughed, and suddenly he was sitting on the couch next to her - a moment later, by the window, leaning against the wall. "Oh, yes," he said, glancing sideways slightly for some unknown reason. "Don't think you can trap me here, or anywhere. Although I don't trust you not to have some secret squadron on the other side of that window... so!" There was an intake of air, and Lori suddenly found herself in a swamp, foot stuck in the slime. Startled, she pulled it out, but polled a bit too hard and fell down onto the ground. Looking up, she saw Acid staring down at her. He put out a paw, and she grasped it, willingly being pulled upright.
"Welcome to the planet Muckamok, milady," proclaimed Acid, encompassing the planet around them with a single gesture. "I come here when I want to practice my devices without hurting anything - as you can see, there's nothing here to hurt, except for a few Froogs on occasion."
"I think you may have left a device here at one point..." muttered Lori, remembering the story of a dejected bounty hunter she had once known. Zornik? Something like that.
"Well, perhaps," was the response, as a large rock came zooming up to Acid, who sat down on it. "I've probably impressed you enough by now. What do you want with me? Be honest."
Surprised by his sudden friendliness, Lori began to explain the problem. "You've heard of Devan Shell?"
"Yes."
"Well, he sent a minion to Carrotus Castle, who crashed Jazz Jackrabbit's wedding to Princess Eva Earlong. The minion also stole her wedding diamond and returned with it to Devan Shell, who is going to take over the world. Eva has sent Spaz Jackrabbit to rescue Jazz, and the two of them are supposed to save everything, but we don't know if they can do it alone"
Acid was lost in thought for several seconds before he asked his question. "This diamond... it wasn't a power gem, was it?"
"It was."
Acid threw up his hands in despairingly, and his precise location began to grow uncertain from his agitation. "Power gems... whatever Devan is building is going to be something big! These Jackrabbit brothers don't have a prayer without my backup. Well, milady, it looks like you've gotten me out of retirement this once, and I don't even know your name. R.A.B.T. rules, I suppose."
Lori nodded, and Acid sighed dramatically. "Ah, well. I'd best be on my way, then... no telling yet how much time I have. Good luck with your part of this!"
My part of this? Lori wondered, before another intake of air hit her. When everything cleared, she was back on Carrotus, on top of a hill, though the hill was no part of Carrotus that she recognized. Large, painted eggs grew out of the ground, and nearby, a large chocolate rabbit stared blankly, paws in a begging position, obviously offering no instruction for why she was here.
"Acid... I'll get you for this," Lori muttered, looking around. She was far too tired just now for another long trip... before she could make a decision, however, there was a loud thud behind her. Wary, the yellow rabbit turned around to see what had just interrupted the tranquility of the hilltop.





Ok! Jazz and Spaz are about six seconds (game time) into Labrat, Acid has been resolved somewhat, and Lori is a mystery. That was fun.
Thanks to Cooba for inspiring the Muckamok scene. Made things a bit easier. Hey, how many people are reading this? I'm not going to stop writing, I'm just curious.