Gil helped Arnold out from under the heavy creation, it was easier than dragging the giant thing, but it was still heavy and flailing about dangerously. The flywheel kept trying to turn despite the chunk of wood jamming it. “It’s going to explode!”
“It is?!” Gil looked at around the room and his eyes widened, “Gonna burst the steam pipes! We gotta get out!”
The raptor stoped flailing as a hatch opened and a small egglike device appeared which was ticking. Staring at the bomb he remembered what Avariel had told him months ago…one explosion in the power station could take out the whole city! But don’t worry, it’s mostly safe!
Arnold twitched, biting his tongue. He ignored that as he lifted the heavy thing and took it outside, Gil moving behind him saying they had to cover it with mushroom. Arnold grunted as he threw it into the sewer water as the rat tried throwing nearby crates of mushrooms on top.
The two ran back into the metal room and hid behind the steam pipes as the explosion sent water flying everywhere outside.
The cat was glad he’d mostly adapted to the smell, but this had dredged up a new scent that made him almost gag. He went to the door and looked outside and grimaced. Sludge covered the area and the water had turned an even uglier shade of green and brown.
The only good thing was that he could see Tepic coming back on the raft. The young urchin waved and then parked the raft and swifly made his way up the slope. Arnold wondered where he had gone, but it seemed he wanted to know where they had gone himself, but before they could share stories Tepic looked at the flailing clockwork. “Yer recon we should stuff pawns down them exaust pipes?”
“Good idear.” Gil agreed as the raptor still tried its best to knock loose the wood which hung precariously. The cat sighed and reached for the table leg with the intent to use it to rip the flywheel out.
The raptor saw them coming back and thrashed about violently. Arnold grimaced and moved around the clockwork and reached for the wheel. It made one last effort and the wood snapped loose just as Arnold had almost reached it and the cat caught hold of the flywheel before it started to really move again! His paws held while he set his feet back against the back of the raptor and yelled as it tried to pull his hands with it.
Tepic and Gil leapt towards the pipes desperately and held on while it threw them about. Tepic started to stuff the chess pieces into them and hit them down, while Gil on the other side reached into his pocket and stuffed half a green potato from his pocket in the other pipe!
Gritting his teeth the cat pulled as the raptor flailed ever more throwing them about, and finally the wheel came loose as the exhausts were completely blocked, and the cat went flying backwards into the pipes.
The cat sat up…his back stung, his paws were raw and bled slightly from where he’d held the wheel, his nose wanted to lead a revolution against his other senses, but he was alive.
That was when he heard the clockwork make a new noise. The sound of a boiler beginning to overload.
Arnold screamed as he, Tepic, and Gil took cover behind the pipes as the chess room became a small disaster area.
*adjusts the Viewaratium to get a clearer picture, and facepalms * “How did they learn about the flywheel? the Mecharaptor’s only weakness! …well that and the low IQ…But Eitherway! that is the last time I go cheap on constructing my minions!”