whole arm shook. "Most of the dogs died in the early testing, but one survived and grew stronger. And that dog is…"

"Me," leered Abby. "It was child’s play to lure you into trusting me."

"So that’s how you wiped out all those cano-mutants!" Hunter accused.

"About time you caught on." Abby’s voice was laden with disdain like a donkey’s back overloaded with sacks of flour. "You’re almost as pathetic as your friend.”

Hunter was about to demand an apology when a sobbing voice cut him off. "Please let me go!" begged Blitz, showing his typical level of courage. "I’m not a Road Rover! This is just a costume! Really!"

Abby ignored him. Sweeping her gaze over the group she asked thoughtfully, "Now who should I finish first?" Her eyes got a sly look in them. "How about… Colleen?"

"Colleen?" asked everyone.

"You can come out from behind those trees now," called Abby coldly. "I know you’re there."

Colleen stepped from the forest. "Let them go," she ordered.

Abby laughed. "Why should I listen to you? You, who fell for my tricks so easily?" She turned and smiled venomously at Hunter. "Thanks for helping me get rid of her." The other Rovers looked at Hunter. "A little jealousy goes a long way," Abby went on. "All it took was some emotional tweaking, a peck on the cheek, and she thought you liked me instead of her."

"So that’s why you…!" Hunter started to say. Then he gave Colleen a confused look. Waaaiiit a minute…

"Of course that’s why I did it," scoffed Abby. "Did you really not figure out the connection?"

Maybe if I can trick her, thought Colleen, I can grab her and get the others free. She ran at Abby and tried to kick her feet out from under her, but Abby jumped the attack without so much as a glance, then grabbed Colleen by the leg and swung her around, sending her crashing into a tree.

thought Colleen, She ran at Abby and tried to kick her feet out from under her, but Abby jumped the attack without so much as a glance, then grabbed Colleen by the leg and swung her around, sending her crashing into a tree.

"Don’t bother," she said. "I told you, your mind is an open book. In your case, a nice thin paperback"

Colleen attacked time and time again, launching blows and screaming assorted battle cries. "Jadis! Bianca! Mata Hari!" but each time she was mercilessly flattened. I can’t do this, she thought. I can’t do it alone.

"You’re absolutely right," scoffed Abby, standing over her. "You can’t win. I could take all of you on and I’d still win."

Furious, Colleen jumped to her feet and tried to throw another punch. Abby caught it, flipped Colleen’s arm behind her, and delivered a vicious kick that sent her sprawling in the dust..

"Blitz," whispered Hunter. "See if you can cut Muzzle loose."

"Muzzle?" asked Blitz. "Why him?"

Hunter shrugged. "Well, nobody else can guess what he’ll do next. Maybe Abby won’t be able to either."

"You really think that will work?" asked Exile.

The retriever mix shrugged. "Nope, but it's worth a try."

Blitz nodded and set to work on Muzzle’s chains.

Meanwhile, the one-sided battle between the female Rovers continued. Abby’s strategy seemed flawless. Every move was calculated, every motion used, and every evasive attempt second-guessed. "Too bad about you and your boyfriend," taunted Abby.

"He’s not my boyfriend," Colleen shot back.

"Colleen! Over here!"

Both of them looked to see Muzzle down from the three, bouncing his handcart impatiently. "Of course I might just kiss him anyway when this is all over," Colleen added.

"No!" Abby tried to stop her, but for once Colleen managed to evade the attack. She ran toward the others with Abby close on her heels. "Stop them!" ordered the Setter. "Get the Rottweiler!"

Hunter grinned. "Hey Exile, feel like a trip to the Ice Capades?"

Exile responded by freezing the ground under the cano-mutants’ feet. Abby was still trying to stop Colleen’s progress, but then she too found herself helplessly slipping and sliding until another blast stopped her cold. Literally.

Colleen vaulted over a mutant in her way and hurriedly undid Muzzle’s straps. "Alright, boy, Muzzle ‘em!"

Whichever mutants had witnessed battles in the past ran for their lives. Those who hadn’t quickly found out why.

When the dust settled from Muzzle’s rampage, any cano-mutants that had not escaped were in serious need of a vet. Parvo and Groomer had escaped, and by all appearances Abby had broken free her icy prison and done likewise.

On the way back to headquarters, the other Rovers asked for the full story from Hunter and Blitz. Hunter gave a straightforward account of how Abby had lured him out to the beach and then decked him. Blitz told a story that was at least ninety percent hot air about playing along with Abby’s scheme so he could catch her off guard and then getting ambushed by a bunch of cano-mutants. The truth was Abby had gotten him in pretty much the same way she got Hunter: lured him outside the compound and then knocked him out with a blow to the head.

"You know, it makes sense Abby picked you, Blitz," commented Exile. "You were biggest threat to her."

"Yah, that’s what I’ve been saying," bragged the Doberman. "It took her a dozen cano-mutants just to tie me up."

"Bolshoi. You were threat because with you she had nothing to read."

Colleen shook her head as the two continued arguing. "Are you sure those two aren’t still puppies?" she asked Hunter. "They seem to have missed a memo or two about maturity."

Hunter grinned, remembering a previous case where Colleen had brought up maturity. "You mean like the cat-chasing incident?"

Colleen grimaced. "Never mind."

Hunter shrugged, then seemed to remember something. "Hey, what did Abby mean about you being jealous anyway?" he asked with piqued interest.

"Oh, uh, nothing," Colleen stammered. It wasn’t true, but she just wasn’t ready to explain yet. Someday I’ll tell him, she thought. At this rate, maybe in a decade or two.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

(note to dissidents: this quote is multi-cultural and meets all criteria for acceptability on Balto Source)

Abby, Felicia © Dragon Tamer

All other characters (and vehicles) © Kids WB