Ruby and her pet Armadillo, Hooter, had finished up the last leg of their international tour. They'd started out almost two years ago with a layover in the UK followed by several stops throughout Europe. After that, they'd criss-crossed the US. It had been one hell of an adventure but Ruby was tired and looking forward to getting back home to Oklahoma and kicking back for some R&R with her little sis, Mandy. She imagined Hooter was missing his twin, Junior, too.

She guessed they weren't far from home when the transporter started acting up again—probably some kind of short from an electrical storm they'd passed through when they'd transported out of Minnesota. By the looks of things, it dumped them just after sunrise in an overgrown field somewhere in the Midwest. She jiggled some wires, then restarted the main computer. For good measure she gave it a few good kicks, too. Then helped herself to an early breakfast while she waited for it to boot-up.