Quala - The Plush Planetary Takeover Read online

Blazing Squirtguns

  12 noon – Rudolfo’s Toy Store

  The rain stops as Kimi fills up the final squirt gun and proceeds to place all of them in her belt, arm bands, jacket pockets, boots, and straps on the now filled, double-barreled, super soaker pack. They fill each others’ backpacks with as many water balloons as can fit. Locked and loaded, Kimi pumps up the Super Soaker, as does Quala. They rush to the door of Rudolfo’s. There’s a collected crowd of PLUSHEMZ just outside the door, and for some strange reason, all chanting Kimi’s name. Quala pauses for a second - he just received an internal message from BB HQ.

  Q - “Kimi, all the toys in the area have been reassigned to be yours and they’re trying to change my settings. Quick, click the button (lock settings) behind my ear, for that will hold them off for a while.”

  (A heavy fire wall was set to block the incoming download...)

  Q - “This is going to be more of a challenge than I thought.” Quala see’s a motorcycle helmet in the corner. “Here put this on and put the tinted flap down. That should keep anything from getting into your ears or nose for now.”

  Kimi takes off the army helmet and squeezes on the motorcycle helmet.

  K - “It’s kinda big, but it’ll do.”

  Q – “When we go out, stay back to back and spray in bursts, from side to side.” (Quala, with his satellite connection, pulls an area map up of their vicinity on his HD video eyes) “Follow my lead - there’s a soccer field 6 blocks up and 2 blocks down. We must get there as fast as possible.”

  K - Kimi nods, “ready!”

  Just then Quala plays an .mp3 file from “Carlito’s Way” and broadcasts it from the speakers in his ears. “Here comes the pain!!! Click Clack...” He kicks the door, but it doesn’t open…

  Kimi reaches up and unlatches the door, flips up her visor, then yells, “HERE COMES THE RAIN!” She drops the visor, kicks the door open, and both Kimi and Quala jump out into the street, back to back, spraying water in a full 180 degrees.

  PLUSHEMZ of all types back up into each other, falling over each other. Then,

  “FLASH/BOOM – FLASH/BOOM – FLASH FLASH / BOOM BOOM!” the closest toys start exploding all around them. The rest of the confused toys start to retreat. Kimi and Quala run as fast as they can down the street 6 blocks up and 2 blocks over.

  Q - Just about to reach the field, “The exit path from this part of the favela is on the other side of the soccer field, if we can just…”

  As they arrive to the field, there are Plushemz all over the soccer field standing around lifeless kids and parents.

  Q - “Kimi, you run right to the middle of the field and spray whatever you have left in the soaker. I’ll meet you on the other side, just wait in the middle.”

  Quala runs off to the side and behind a shack. Kimi pumps up her super soaker and runs toward the middle of the field spraying a path. When she gets to the middle of the field she starts spraying in a full circle - the toys stay back, as if they know they would explode. There’s a gurgle from the tank on her backpack, and the water stream eases to a slight dribble. She decides to quickly remove the super soaker tank. It gets caught on the helmet, which is too big, and can’t pull it over her head.

  The PLUSHEMZ advance on her in a hurry - they see that she is stuck.

  “We’ll help you get that off Kimi,” some of the toys say. Just then, towering over Kimi, a large Elephant PLUSHEMZ puts his hand on top of her helmet like palming a basketball and begins to pull.

  Elephant - “You’ll need to remove this in order to get the super soaker off Kimi,” (in a deep but friendly voice.)

  Kimi being lifted up off the ground, holds her helmet on with both hands, not allowing her to grab any of her squirt guns or water balloons. Suddenly, Kimi hears a funny noise on the field. Gurgling, then “pop, pop-pop!” all over the field water spouts pop up and start watering the field. The toys scramble in all directions. Kimi lets go of the helmet and falls to the ground. “FLASH – FLASH FLASH, BOOM BOOM BOOM, FLASH BOOM!” Water is spraying all around and PLUSHEMZ are exploding everywhere. Kimi is disoriented and doesn’t know where to go. “FLASH BOOM BOOM FLASH BOOM BOOM FLASH, SSSZzzzzzzzzzsssscckkkkkk!”

  “KIIIIMMMMEEEEEEEE…. RUUUUN THIIIISSS WAAAAY!!!” Blinded by the spraying water, explosions and smoke, Kimi puts her head down and runs as fast as she can to the voice, leaping over toys. She runs right into Quala, hugging and kissing him.

  K - “I’m so glad to see you Quala!!”

  Q - “Kimi, we’re almost to the Lagoa Barra Highway!!”

  Place Your Bets

  Back at BB HQ / Technicians Monitoring Room

  [Emergency tech’s are viewing Kimi and Quala through their HD video feed on their flat screens…]

  “Slap – Slap!” High Fives all around.

  Tech 1 - “You owe me $50, I knew they’d get away!”

  Tech 2 - “Alright here you go, at least we can have some fun before we waste ‘em. Besides BB will never know - he’s outside having the real fun!”

  While leaning back in his reclining desk chair, a shadow shows up behind the tech’s.

  Bristol - “Oh it appears you are having all the fun and games...” (in a very slow and deep tone.) The technicians sit up with shocked looks and turn towards Mr. Bennington, noticing that he now stands behind them with four 900 lb. muscle bound, Hippo PLUSHEMZ, tattooed bodyguards.

  Bristol - Grinning, “Oh, I want to play a different game, called Feed My Hippos...”

  The men are instantly devoured.

  Bristol - “Get me two more tech’s and send the crew from Buenos Aires to take care of this other matter.”

  Take Them Out

  Along the Lagoa Barra Highway - 2pm

  K - “Why’d you stop? I can see the highway from here.”

  Q - “I’m pulling up a satellite visual. Google maps is cool, but the U.S. Navy one works better - it just took me a moment to access it. I was looking for boats. I get a live feed from this satellite, and there are some at Barra Da Tijuca, just under this bridge. We can make it out without being noticed. The only problem is, we have to stick to the highway to get there. I think much of it is safe, but we have to pass through a tunnel. I have a feeling we’re going to need more than water balloons for this.”

  K - “Well, I’m with you and I know we’ll be okay.”

  Q - “Alright Kimi, but we must stick to the highway.”

  Kimi and Quala head down to the highway, uninterrupted by any Plushemz, it just looks as if Kimi is fine with her toy and there’s no need for alarm by the drifting Plushemz. For the last few hours they have been able to stay at a safe distance and get something to eat at a small market.

  K - “Yes, I see the highway!! It is so weird not seeing anyone on it? Only all of these empty cars. Where are all the people?

  Q - “I think the toys have been moving them off of the highway, for safety, they don’t know what might be wrong with their owners, in fact I don’t either, other than something has been triggered in the toys themselves, except me of course.”

  As they walk along the highway, Kimi shouts, “Oh, there’s the Gavea Golf Course! I could only see that from my window in the past, I’ve never been so close to it, I guess I never had a reason. And now I do.”

  Q - Well, there’s good in every bad I guess. We need to hurry, it’s already 4 and we need to get to the boats before dark. We’re at the first of 2 tunnels, we have to go through both to get to the boats.

  K - “What’s to worry, we haven’t had any problems with the toys around here, and I can almost see to the other side, there’s just a few cars in the way...

  They go in... It’s really dark. Quala grabs a flare from the trunk of one of the abandoned cars and lights it. A reddish glow emits, but still leaves many shadowed areas. They walk through yet another maze of cars, still no people around, making it even more creepy. Eyes wide, Kimi grabs onto Quala as they slowly step to the halfway point of the tunnel. Just then, “bum bum bum bum bum...” a l
ow pitched chopping sound comes from outside the end of the tunnel.

  Q - “It sounds like helicopters!”

  Excited, they run the rest of the way. Just as they get outside the tunnel, Kimi, now with eyes squinting from coming out of the dark, barely makes out 2 choppers heading their way.

  K - She runs further out into the middle of the highway, waving her arms and yelling, “Over Here, Over Here! Quala, humans! Live humans have come looking for us!”

  At that moment, amidst the commotion, two PLUSHEMZ hop out from inside a bus and start walking toward Kimi and Quala from inside the tunnel. Then, “buddah buddah buddah ping ping ping!” automatic machine gun fire comes out of the first chopper (a Super Cobra Attack Helicopter) spraying the ground in front and around Kimi and Quala. They start to turn and run back into the tunnel, but the PLUSHEMZ are waiting there with open arms for a great big hug. They turn back around and... “fffffssssshhhhhhheeewwwwww!” a missile is launched, heading straight for them. They dive over the median of the highway protected by cement. “Krrraaaakkkkooowwwww!” The entire tunnel entrance with PLUSHEMZ is instantly obliterated - the shell of a Panda head rolls towards them. Quala grabs it. Kimi and Quala run to the inland side of the highway towards a row of nice homes nested in the hillside.

  Q - “Put this helmet on Kimi! I have a feeling with all the things that have been happening, they are after you! Try to mimic the way I run.”

  They run up a hill and arrive at an extravagant 3-story house.

  K - “Let’s go in there and hide!”

  The helicopters hover over the house...

  K - “They must have seen us!”

  Three men, slide down on ropes from the second helicopter (a BlackHawk), in all black tactical gear and machine guns. “They went in there,” one of them shouts.

  Kimi and Quala enter through the back of the house and immediately dash towards the front. Kimi then notices a little girl lying motionless on the floor. She stops, and for the first time, all the craziness catches up to her. She turns the body over and, shockingly, the girl looks similar to her. Kimi starts to cry. She takes the panda helmet off and lays it down next to her as she closes her eyelids and says a quick prayer to herself.

  “BBBDDDDTTTTTTTT, BBBBDDDDDTTTTTTT BBBBBBDDDDDDDDDDTTTTTTTTT!!!” Machine gun fire rips through the house as if it was made of styrofoam. Kimi remains standing there in shock, emotionless, not even paying attention to what is going on around her. After what seems like a full 30 seconds of straight firing, the guns stop, one of the militia men say, “That awtta do the job - which one a you wimps is going in to check on the mess?”

  Q - Whispers, “I have a plan Kimi, when I say go, you run out the front door...” Kimi (not waiting) runs out the front door.

  Quala has to act fast. As the militia men bicker about who is going in to check, Quala throws as many water balloons as he can at them. “Bishhhhhhshs - splash, Biiiiisssshhhhh bbiiiiiissshhhhh splash splash!” All three get hit. Quala runs as fast as he can through the house as 3 grenades bounce in through the window right behind him. He gets to the front door and, “BBBBAAAAADOOOOOOOOM!!” Quala goes flying into the street. The house half collapses from the concussion. Kimi grabs Quala by the foot and drags him into the forest to hide and looks back across the street at what might happen next.

  She can hear them talking on the radio... “There’s a girl here, confirmed dead, and what looks like part of that toy. Mission accomplished, over....”

  Receiving voice - “Roger that, we need you in Havana now, so get moving.”

  Kimi says to herself, “huh-vah-nuh.”

  The militia men retreat back to the BlackHawk and take off. After about a 100 feet, the chopper starts to spin out of control. Kimi looks up into the cockpit window and can see 2 PLUSHEMZ inside hugging the pilot and one of the men. Then, “BLAAAAAAAAAAM!” the chopper explodes into the second Cobra helicopter at the base of the house making a fiery roll down to the rainforest.

  K - Now relieved, looks down at Quala, “Let’s get out of here, we need to get to the boats before dark, right?”... (no answer)... “Quala?” A tear begins to fall down her cheek. Quala shows no sign of power, lying in her lap, limp and lifeless.¬¬

  * * * * *

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