erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: There's Something about Wheelers
Title: There's Something about Wheelers
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG, Cain, and five OCs (mention of another OC and random guards) *and Wheelers
Rating: PG
Summary: Only thing scarier than rabbits and Cain are Wheelers. Actually, Cain's scarier then Wheelers.
Warning: post-series *Three weeks after Why Eat Crow When There's Pie?.
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
Scarecrow | The Cafeteria Boys | Dinner Conversation | Cafeteria Food | Stallone and Rabbits | Rabbits - and Cain - Can be Scary | Why Eat Crow When There's Pie? | No Laughing Matter | Only in the O.Z. Would the Bible Be Funny... | There's Something About Wheelers | Ever Wonder What Would Happen if the Sheep Hit the Finaqua? | DG and Leo's Excellent Adventure (Which Turned Out to Be a Bogus Journey) | What Happened When the Sheep Hit the Finaqua | Preparations of Titanic Proportions | Boys are Cute When They're Flustered | Checkmate | The Blue and the Gray | Times They Are a-Changin' | Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Cain? | Subterfuge | Royal Guards Don't Dance
DG breezed into the cafeteria, tapping Kory on the shoulder as she rounded the table. Aybol and Leo looked up from their trays and nodded mid-chew. “So, I need your help,” DG said, leaning against the table after she sat down in her usual chair. Kory leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. He wondered if she realized that the four of them were not alone.
DG noticed his eyes dart right, causing her to turn to her left. Sitting there, jaws practically on the floor, were two new faces. DG gave them a smile and a small wave. “Oh, sorry. Hi.” She turned back to Kory and Leo. “So... Wheelers.” Leo leaned back in his seat with a flinch, causing DG to do a double-take.
“What about them?” Kory asked, uncrossing his arms and picking at his plate.
“Well, since I’m on 'homework duty,'” she said, with quotes. “Figured I’d read up on the O.Z. and, well, everything. So, I’m reading all these huge and, might I add: very boring, history books-” DG glanced over at Zek and Fitz, who kept looking between her and Kory like they were watching a tennis match. “And there’s this one mention-“ Kory held up a hand.
“What you have to understand,” he began, leaning forward as he tried to find the right words.
“They’re not real,” Aybol interjected. Leo and DG gave him similar looks, and Kory nodded.
“It’s something parents tell their kids to make them behave. You know,” he waved. “’Do your chores or the Wheelers will come for you.’”
“If you don’t eat your vegetables, the Wheelers will know,’” Zek added, obviously over the fact that the Princess was sitting next to him. Kory looked at DG, then just over her shoulder and made a face. DG turned slowly and found that the room was half-full of soldiers, all staring in their direction. She turned back and closed her eyes, cursing herself. Cain was sure to find out now. ‘Oh well,’ she thought with a shrug.
“So, Wheelers are like the Boogeyman?” she asked with a nod. Met with five sets of confused expressions, she embellished: “Monster in the closet; under the bed. Behavior enforcement,” she added, drawing on his earlier comment. Kory nodded, but DG noticed that no one else did.
“Yes. It’s just a way to scare little kids.” DG nodded and pointed to Leo, eyes still locked on Kory’s.
“Then what the Hell was that?” Leo looked at the table as Kory glanced at his friend. Squinting slightly, he looked back to DG, almost sideways. DG suddenly realized and her eyes went wide. Leaning back in her chair, she huffed:
“Oh, we are gonna have a smackdown when I meet your brother. Seriously, I’m gonna go Stone Cold on his ass!” She gave Leo a sincere nod, and he responded with a shy, thankful smile.
“Here’s the thing,” Aybol leaned forward. “It’s not so much the Wheelers... as it’s the idea of the Wheelers.” DG didn’t understand, and her expression told him as much. “It’s not that the Wheelers will get you. It’s that they’re coming to get you.” Kory nodded, but it was Zek who spoke:
“It was an empty threat. Parents couldn’t ever back it up. They didn’t need to.” DG’s head was beginning to hurt.
“Wheelers aren’t scary,” Kory stated. Leo and Fitz both snorted. “They’re men... kinda,” he continued, closing one eye and nodding. Reaching for Leo’s empty plate, Kory help it up, perpendicular to the table. “Imagine another plate,” he motioned with one hand, gesturing the eating surfaces placed together. Nodding to Leo, the younger man shrugged and place his hand between Kory’s and the plate.
Kory nodded to DG. “Hands and feet are wheels. Bend at the waist and off you go.” DG’s eyes grew wide.
“And how is that not scary?” she asked incredulously. Kory set the plate down.
“You grew up in the country, right?” DG nodded. “A windmill,” he offered, waiting for her to nod again. “When the wind picks up and the blades grind-“ DG nodded again, noting Leo turning green. “Imagine that sound, louder and more... screechy.” DG made a face and Kory nodded again. “That’s one Wheeler. They travel in packs of seven.” DG shivered and sat back.
“So it’s power of suggestion,” she said off-handedly a moment later. Kory and Aybol nodded.
“Parents never had to worry, because the fear of hearing that sound was all it took to make the kids behave,” Kory said, leaning back in his seat again.
“Well, someone had to have seen one.” The boys all looked at DG. “Obviously, the story had to come from somewhere,” she said with a nod. Kory leaned forward again.
“There’s always gonna be some crazy comin’ out sayin’ they’ve seen a Wheeler. I mean-” Kory looked to the ceiling for a moment. “The last reported sighting was... what? Fifty years ago?” DG raised an eyebrow.
“So, now they’re Sasquatch?” Kory opened his mouth to respond, but Fitz spoke first.
“My grandfather saw them.” Zek rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. Sitting up, he cleared his throat. Kory raised a hand and nodded to Fitz.
“No one’s sayin’ your grandfather didn’t see ‘em. But, with all the machinery in Milltown... I mean, there’s a good chance that hearing the noises and knowing the stories- I just think that, if Wheelers did exist, more people’d be seein’ ‘em.” Zek cleared his throat again, garnering a glare from Kory before they all heard:
“If you’d like a transfer to the Eastern border, I’ll be happy to put in a good word.” Kory shut his eyes and let out a labored sigh, while Aybol, Leo and Fitz’s eyes went wide. DG stared at Kory’s plate, glancing up for a moment to see Cain standing behind Kory and Leo.
“That won’t be-” Kory felt Cain’s hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down into the chair. “Necessary... sir.” Kory was turning red, more with anger than embarrassment. Cain clenched his jaw and didn’t look at DG.
“Princess, your presence is requested. Upstairs.” DG didn’t look at Cain, either, but threw a glance across the table to Kory - one that included every single version of ‘I’m sorry’ that she could think of. He gave her a quick, twitchy smile as she stood up. Moving quickly around the table, she stopped for a moment between Zek and Fitz and leaned over.
“Nice to meet you both,” she whispered, then continued around the table, taking care to step between Cain and Kory and Leo, placing a hand on Leo’s shoulder as she passed. Cain turned as she passed, still looking at the room of gawkers. DG caught Aybol’s eye and stuck her tongue out, causing him to stifle a laugh.
“Gentlemen,” Cain stated before stepping away from the table. The five of them sat, frozen, until they were sure Cain was out the door.
Aybol shook his head at Zek. “You are so lucky you’re on the other side of this table.”
Zek gasped. “What did you expect me to do? I did the throat clearin’-thing.” Aybol made a face and Kory rolled his eyes. “What did you want me to say? ‘Hey, Cain’s in the doorway. Stop talking now.’” He pointed to DG’s now-empty chair. “And you three! Sittin’ there, chattin’ up the Princess like you’re old pals. Looked like you were more surprised she was in here with other folks present than her bein’ here at all...” Zek whispered loudly.
Aybol, Leo and Kory glanced from each other to the table, causing Zek to huff again. “That’s how it is, huh?” Kory turned to his friends.
“It was one night, three weeks ago. You guys were on duty and it was just one of those- We talked for, like, ten minutes. It wasn’t...” Kory threw his hands up in defeat.
This wouldn’t be the last they heard of it, that’s for sure.
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG, Cain, and five OCs (mention of another OC and random guards) *and Wheelers
Rating: PG
Summary: Only thing scarier than rabbits and Cain are Wheelers. Actually, Cain's scarier then Wheelers.
Warning: post-series *Three weeks after Why Eat Crow When There's Pie?.
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are mine.
Scarecrow | The Cafeteria Boys | Dinner Conversation | Cafeteria Food | Stallone and Rabbits | Rabbits - and Cain - Can be Scary | Why Eat Crow When There's Pie? | No Laughing Matter | Only in the O.Z. Would the Bible Be Funny... | There's Something About Wheelers | Ever Wonder What Would Happen if the Sheep Hit the Finaqua? | DG and Leo's Excellent Adventure (Which Turned Out to Be a Bogus Journey) | What Happened When the Sheep Hit the Finaqua | Preparations of Titanic Proportions | Boys are Cute When They're Flustered | Checkmate | The Blue and the Gray | Times They Are a-Changin' | Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Cain? | Subterfuge | Royal Guards Don't Dance
DG breezed into the cafeteria, tapping Kory on the shoulder as she rounded the table. Aybol and Leo looked up from their trays and nodded mid-chew. “So, I need your help,” DG said, leaning against the table after she sat down in her usual chair. Kory leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. He wondered if she realized that the four of them were not alone.
DG noticed his eyes dart right, causing her to turn to her left. Sitting there, jaws practically on the floor, were two new faces. DG gave them a smile and a small wave. “Oh, sorry. Hi.” She turned back to Kory and Leo. “So... Wheelers.” Leo leaned back in his seat with a flinch, causing DG to do a double-take.
“What about them?” Kory asked, uncrossing his arms and picking at his plate.
“Well, since I’m on 'homework duty,'” she said, with quotes. “Figured I’d read up on the O.Z. and, well, everything. So, I’m reading all these huge and, might I add: very boring, history books-” DG glanced over at Zek and Fitz, who kept looking between her and Kory like they were watching a tennis match. “And there’s this one mention-“ Kory held up a hand.
“What you have to understand,” he began, leaning forward as he tried to find the right words.
“They’re not real,” Aybol interjected. Leo and DG gave him similar looks, and Kory nodded.
“It’s something parents tell their kids to make them behave. You know,” he waved. “’Do your chores or the Wheelers will come for you.’”
“If you don’t eat your vegetables, the Wheelers will know,’” Zek added, obviously over the fact that the Princess was sitting next to him. Kory looked at DG, then just over her shoulder and made a face. DG turned slowly and found that the room was half-full of soldiers, all staring in their direction. She turned back and closed her eyes, cursing herself. Cain was sure to find out now. ‘Oh well,’ she thought with a shrug.
“So, Wheelers are like the Boogeyman?” she asked with a nod. Met with five sets of confused expressions, she embellished: “Monster in the closet; under the bed. Behavior enforcement,” she added, drawing on his earlier comment. Kory nodded, but DG noticed that no one else did.
“Yes. It’s just a way to scare little kids.” DG nodded and pointed to Leo, eyes still locked on Kory’s.
“Then what the Hell was that?” Leo looked at the table as Kory glanced at his friend. Squinting slightly, he looked back to DG, almost sideways. DG suddenly realized and her eyes went wide. Leaning back in her chair, she huffed:
“Oh, we are gonna have a smackdown when I meet your brother. Seriously, I’m gonna go Stone Cold on his ass!” She gave Leo a sincere nod, and he responded with a shy, thankful smile.
“Here’s the thing,” Aybol leaned forward. “It’s not so much the Wheelers... as it’s the idea of the Wheelers.” DG didn’t understand, and her expression told him as much. “It’s not that the Wheelers will get you. It’s that they’re coming to get you.” Kory nodded, but it was Zek who spoke:
“It was an empty threat. Parents couldn’t ever back it up. They didn’t need to.” DG’s head was beginning to hurt.
“Wheelers aren’t scary,” Kory stated. Leo and Fitz both snorted. “They’re men... kinda,” he continued, closing one eye and nodding. Reaching for Leo’s empty plate, Kory help it up, perpendicular to the table. “Imagine another plate,” he motioned with one hand, gesturing the eating surfaces placed together. Nodding to Leo, the younger man shrugged and place his hand between Kory’s and the plate.
Kory nodded to DG. “Hands and feet are wheels. Bend at the waist and off you go.” DG’s eyes grew wide.
“And how is that not scary?” she asked incredulously. Kory set the plate down.
“You grew up in the country, right?” DG nodded. “A windmill,” he offered, waiting for her to nod again. “When the wind picks up and the blades grind-“ DG nodded again, noting Leo turning green. “Imagine that sound, louder and more... screechy.” DG made a face and Kory nodded again. “That’s one Wheeler. They travel in packs of seven.” DG shivered and sat back.
“So it’s power of suggestion,” she said off-handedly a moment later. Kory and Aybol nodded.
“Parents never had to worry, because the fear of hearing that sound was all it took to make the kids behave,” Kory said, leaning back in his seat again.
“Well, someone had to have seen one.” The boys all looked at DG. “Obviously, the story had to come from somewhere,” she said with a nod. Kory leaned forward again.
“There’s always gonna be some crazy comin’ out sayin’ they’ve seen a Wheeler. I mean-” Kory looked to the ceiling for a moment. “The last reported sighting was... what? Fifty years ago?” DG raised an eyebrow.
“So, now they’re Sasquatch?” Kory opened his mouth to respond, but Fitz spoke first.
“My grandfather saw them.” Zek rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. Sitting up, he cleared his throat. Kory raised a hand and nodded to Fitz.
“No one’s sayin’ your grandfather didn’t see ‘em. But, with all the machinery in Milltown... I mean, there’s a good chance that hearing the noises and knowing the stories- I just think that, if Wheelers did exist, more people’d be seein’ ‘em.” Zek cleared his throat again, garnering a glare from Kory before they all heard:
“If you’d like a transfer to the Eastern border, I’ll be happy to put in a good word.” Kory shut his eyes and let out a labored sigh, while Aybol, Leo and Fitz’s eyes went wide. DG stared at Kory’s plate, glancing up for a moment to see Cain standing behind Kory and Leo.
“That won’t be-” Kory felt Cain’s hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down into the chair. “Necessary... sir.” Kory was turning red, more with anger than embarrassment. Cain clenched his jaw and didn’t look at DG.
“Princess, your presence is requested. Upstairs.” DG didn’t look at Cain, either, but threw a glance across the table to Kory - one that included every single version of ‘I’m sorry’ that she could think of. He gave her a quick, twitchy smile as she stood up. Moving quickly around the table, she stopped for a moment between Zek and Fitz and leaned over.
“Nice to meet you both,” she whispered, then continued around the table, taking care to step between Cain and Kory and Leo, placing a hand on Leo’s shoulder as she passed. Cain turned as she passed, still looking at the room of gawkers. DG caught Aybol’s eye and stuck her tongue out, causing him to stifle a laugh.
“Gentlemen,” Cain stated before stepping away from the table. The five of them sat, frozen, until they were sure Cain was out the door.
Aybol shook his head at Zek. “You are so lucky you’re on the other side of this table.”
Zek gasped. “What did you expect me to do? I did the throat clearin’-thing.” Aybol made a face and Kory rolled his eyes. “What did you want me to say? ‘Hey, Cain’s in the doorway. Stop talking now.’” He pointed to DG’s now-empty chair. “And you three! Sittin’ there, chattin’ up the Princess like you’re old pals. Looked like you were more surprised she was in here with other folks present than her bein’ here at all...” Zek whispered loudly.
Aybol, Leo and Kory glanced from each other to the table, causing Zek to huff again. “That’s how it is, huh?” Kory turned to his friends.
“It was one night, three weeks ago. You guys were on duty and it was just one of those- We talked for, like, ten minutes. It wasn’t...” Kory threw his hands up in defeat.
This wouldn’t be the last they heard of it, that’s for sure.