Chapter Text
A few hours later...
Slash was woken up from his nap by a banging sound coming from the other side of the wall he was leaning against. he sat up and looked out to the cab. "what's going on doc?" slash asked, slightly groggy from sleep. "i'm afraid our break is over chum. we've got trouble." rockwell explained, pointing ahead. slash looked through the windshield and saw an armored, jet black truck driving ahead of them. "i encountered that truck on the road shortly after you fell asleep. i've been following them for a while. but that's not why i woke you up, that's why." rockwell pointed up towards the rooftops. slash opened the back doors of the bus and looked up at the rooftops. he saw three figures running along, on the same path as the truck. "what the..?" slash asked as he retreated back inside the truck and shut the doors.
Rockwell's eyes remained on the road ahead as he spoke. "they have been following that truck since i started tailing it. it doesn't take a telepathic mind to deduce that those three are after whatever's inside." rockwell said, and slash gave a nod in response. "i think it's time to wake the beast." rockwell said, gesturing to leatherhead, who was still sound asleep in his pet bed. slash let out a reluctant sigh and nodded his head once again in agreement. slash walked over to leatherhead and kneeled down so he was near his ear. "wakey wakey big guy." slash spoke loudly into leatherhead's ear and gave him a gentle shake. after a few moments, leatherhead's eyes snapped open and he stood up, letting out a tired roar. "a shame, i was having the most wonderful dream." leatherhead deadpanned as he got up from his pet bed. "sorry buddy, break's over. time to get back to work." slash playfully told leatherhead as he walked over to the weapons rack and grabbed his mace.
slash walked over to the doors again and opened them. "pete, get in here. team meeting." slash ordered pete through his commset. "on my way slash!" pete obeyed, swooping down and flying into the open doors of the truck. "what's going on?" pete asked, ready for action as slash shut the doors behind him. slash walked over to the wall between them and the cab and pointed ahead. "that's what's going on. pete's been following that truck for the past few hours, and he clocked three mutants on the rooftops tailing it." slash explained to pete and leatherhead. "what's inside?" leatherhead asked, glancing at the truck. "no clue. whatever the case, if those guys want it, we can't let them get whatever's inside, and we definitely can't let that truck get to it's destination." slash stated matter-of-factly. "here's the plan: i'll stop the truck and secure whatever's inside. leatherhead, you deal with the theives. doc, pete, you stay on the truck, you're on standby in case me and leatherhead can't handle things." slash ordered his teammates and made his way to the bus's doors.
before slash could get to the doors, leatherhead stopped him. "slash, wait." leatherhead told him. "what is it?" slash asked, slightly impatient. "we can do both. i'll stop the truck, and the two of us will engage the mutants, then secure the contents of the truck." leatherhead explained his plan to slash. slash's mouth went slightly agape at leatherhead's uncharacteristic boldness. "that's awful bold of you leatherhead, where is this coming from?" slash asked. leatherhead growled in response. "i want to let off some steam." leatherhead replied. slash chuckled and nodded his head in approval. "okay mutanimals, new plan. me and leatherhead will deal with both the truck and the thieves, you two still stay here in case we need you." slash ordered pete and rockwell. they both nodded their heads in obedience as slash and leatherhead walked over to the bus' doors. "so, how do you want to do this?" slash asked, looking over to leatherhead. leatherhead's answer only consisted of two words.
"cannonball maneuver."
slash gave a grin of his own as he turned to look at rockwell from the cab. "Doc, get us in postition for a cannonball maneuver!" slash ordered rockwell. rockwell formed a slight smile as well as he responded. "on it!" with that, rockwell roughly spun the steering wheel of the bus and turned the truck 360 degrees so the back was facing the truck. "in position boys, you may fire when ready!" rockwell informed slash and leatherhead. slash walked over to the doors and kicked them open. leatherhead cracked his neck,
walked all the way to the back of the bus, and curled into his ball form. slash walked behind slash and lightly planted his foot on his back. "BOMBS AWAY!" slash shouted as he roughly shoved leatherhead with his foot, sending leatherhead rolling down the bus past the open doors. leatherhead made his way down the street, rolling with the same speed as a bowling ball on a warpath towards the truck. once he got close enough, leatherhead uncurled himself and leapt up into the air towards the truck. he let out a bloodthirsty roar as he collided with the truck, the metal slightly wrapping around him. leatherhead quickly got his bearings and grabbed the truck, employing all of his strength to keep it from escaping. leatherhead then lifted the truck into the air and threw it over his head, sending it tumbling onto the street ahead and landing on it's side.
leatherhead let out a low growl and glanced up at the roof, noticing the three figures staring at the wreckage ahead. leatherhead walked over to the wreckage and found the back doors of the truck. with one hand, leatherhead yanked the doors off their hinges and chucked them behind him. leatherhead's eyes went wide at what he saw. inside the truck's trailer were multiple military grade weapons; rifles, shotguns, pistols, and explosives were laid out on the walls and the floor of the truck. this was no ordinary truck, this was a weapons shipment. as leatherhead was processing this discovery, the beast bus came to a rough stop nearby and slash stepped out. "nice work leatherhead, now we secure the- what the shell is this?" slash asked in horror as he saw the truck's contents. "this truck is a shipment of weapons. clearly we have stumbled on something dangerous here." leatherhead explained to slash, who gave a nod in response. before the two could make their next move, massive vines began to snake down from the buidling nearby and wrap around the trailer. the vines began to retract up the building, pulling the trailer up with them.
leatherhead quickly pieced together who the vines belonged to. "snakeweed's with them! leatherhead, stop him!" slash ordered leatherhead. leatherhead nodded and jumped onto the building the vines were protruding from. he ran up the wall and followed the vines up the building. before he could reach the top, bile came down and hit him directly in the face, blinding him. leatherhead removed one hand from the building and attempted to remove the bile, but the third figure shot a laser blast at leatherhead's other hand, causing him to fall back down to the street. leatherhead shook his head groggily and stood up, looking back up at the building. the vines retracted all the way up to the roof and retreated into snakeweed's arms. he held the trailer over his head and looked down at leatherhead and slash with a smug expression on his face. slash looked up and immediately met eyes with the third figure, his former partner; newtralizer. slash gritted his teeth and tightened the grip on his mace as he took in the smug expression newtralizer had on his face as well.
newtralizer mock saluted the mutanimals and walked away, the other two mutants following suit, and the trailer filled to the brim with military grade weapons in tow. defeated, slash and leatherhead both reentered the truck, slash roughly closing the doors behind him. pete and rockwell both had solemn expressions on their faces as well. "we saw the whole thing." pete explained. "what do three mutants want with a trailer filled with weapons?" leatherhead asked, ignoring pete. slash sighed and rubbed his scalp. "i don't know, but what i do know is, this is gonna be a long night."