ANGELA'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!
There's a kidnapper on the loose in California, and it's scary enough when he takes Zazi! But Angela?! Written because I know one-too-many people who've had their kids kidnapped, chopped into pieces, and thrown along the highway in GARBAGE BAGS- oh. (Blushes) Oh, um... sorry... I'm...
(Audience stares in disbelief)
Um... let-let's just get on, with- with the story.... the story, yeah.... one shot story, one chapter....
**
It was a happy day at Zapz Arcade. The sun was shining, the sky blue with just a few clouds dotting the horizon. Mike happily occupied his time with the Doomrace 2000 while 2-T and Cedric worked on putting the finishing touches on 2-T's new OMAB. Do-Wah was asleep on the couch, and Angela was resting her weight on a guardrail, thinking of what to do next. B-Bop was in the back room, fixing himself a sandwich.
"...to be asured, this is one day that Veronica will never forget."
Ah, the news. At the same time, it can be informative and life changing, as well as putrid and annoying. But, Lilly insisted on watching it today.
"My friend Kawa no Kami's gonna be on!" she spoke cheerily to B-Bop, who had walked past her and asked the question "Why are you watching the news?"
"Kawa no Kami?" B-Bop grinned at the goofy sounding name.
"He's a Higher Being who works part-time as a river!" Lilly sat on the floor, her legs tucked in with her arms wrapped around them. "Miles told me he was going to be on the news today!"
"So, you and Miles and friends now?" Angela asked merrily.
"Eh..." Lilly thought for a moment. "I... guess. I never thought about it."
"In other news," reported Maxwell S. Hammer, special correspondent, "Kidnapping has been on the rise in California."
"He's coming up soon!" Lilly shouted, turning up the volume. However, the teenagers weren't looking for some river; they were listening quite intently to the words.
"The kidnappings began into Northern California and have slowly been moving downward. Victims have all been girls, ages 5 to 14. Recent kidnapees are: Julia Martu of Crescent City."
A picture of a young white girl with blonda hair popped onto the screen, followed by more.
"Dijona Maryland of Arcata." A black teenager with long hair.
"Cedra Marco of New Garberville." A six-year-old girl with red hair.
"Yelena Mirari of Mighter's Town." A teenaged Portugese girl with a large nose.
"Along with several others. The total adds up to twelve kidnapped girls in three months. If you see any of these children, please contact your local police department, or call the Missing Children's Bureau at 555-867-5309. I am Maxwell S. Hammer, and..." Maxwell started to choke, and he rubbed his eyes lightly. "And... Cedra was my niece."
Lilly angrily switched off the tv. "Aw, man! They cut out Kawa no Kami!"
"Lilly, weren't you even paying attention to what they were saying!" Mike yelled. "Kids are getting kidnapped, and it's happening here!"
Do-Wah awoke suddenly at hearing Mike's screaming. "YAH! Woah, bwahuhuh... what's kidnapping?"
"Kidnapping is when a child is taken from his parents and/or guardian without the parent's and/or guardian's consent," Lilly recited the explaination like she has memorized it from the dictionary. "Kidnappings usually result in the child being killed or sold to a foster family."
"WHAT?!" the Martians couldn't believe their ears.
"Yeah, I know, it's awful," Lilly sighed. "I had a friend who's lower being was kidnapped. She went insane trying to get her back; she wound up killing the kidnapper. Had her lower being priviledges revoked and everything." She shuddered. "Don't want that happening."
"Maybe we should rethink our routine for a while," 2-T pointed to the kids. "You guys are in danger with that kidnapper on the loose."
"No they're not."
Everyone shot a glance at Lilly, who was still sitting on the floor. "Well, they're not. It's only Angela who's in trouble."
Eyes now turned to Angela, who immediately put on her best tough front.
"What? Why would I be in trouble?" she growled. "What am I supposed to be, the vulnerable little damsel in distress?"
"Pretty much," Lilly shrugged her shoulders. "You were listening; the kidnapper's only taking girls. 5 through 14. You're a girl and you're 13, so that puts you right in the kidnapper's playing field."
"Well, you can forget leaving me back at my house!" Angela crossed her arms. "There is no way in... in... there is no way I'm staying at my house all night!"
"Her problem?" Do-Wah whispered to Lilly.
'Hates her stepmother,' Lilly answered telepathically.
"Oh."
"Besides," Angela counterargued. "I have two guys, three Martians, and a Higher Being as my best friends, right?"
"Safety in numbers," Cedric said just for the sake of saying it.
"I give up," B-Bop moaned. "Okay, Angela, you don't have to stay at home. You can still come to Quantum Burgers with us."
"But ONLY with us," Mike put on his best "strong man" voice and face. "Nowhere on your own."
"Yeah, yeah," Angela acted as if she didn't care. But inside, she was scared...
**
"See anything?" B-Bop asked 2-T.
"Nope," 2-T jumped down from behind the Quantum Burger billboard. "Let's go."
The large group made their way to Quantum Burgers, the boys making a loose circle around Angela. As a car drove by in the distance, Mike grabbed onto her wrist in surprise.
"Let go!" Angela shouted, yanking her hand away. "I don't need to be treated like a toddler; I can take care of myself."
"'Cuse me for caring," Mike growled. A sharp wind blew through the air, pushing at their backs, then suddenly stopped.
"Hmph, that was weird," Do-Wah remarked. Another hard gust of wind blew through them, this time from the side.
"That was weirder," Cedric added.
With a mighty swoop and a loud THUNK, a long, red form zoomed over the confused children's head and onto the billboard. Lilly knew who it was immediately.
"Miles?" Lilly called to the long dragon, who was clutching the sign like a lizard would; with his feet.
"The same," he hissed cooly, his smooth voice blending in nicely with the ominous, dark enviroment. "Dr. Livingston, I presume?"
"Very funny," Lilly snapped before another little voice broke the quiet.
"Hey, don't I know you?"
"It's Zazi!" Cedric laughed. He loved Zazi; he had met her at school and they had become close friends.
"It's Cedric!" Zazi hollered from Miles' neck. She was partially hidden in Miles' flowing fur, but her head was clearly visible. Annabelle's golden tresses could also be seen from behind Zazi's back. "Hi, Cedric! Come on, Annabelle, say hi!"
"Hello..." came the faint whisper.
Zazi proceed to try and jump off, but Miles caught her in his long claws. "What are you doing out so late with Angela in your midst?" he asked, staring at the teenaged girl in the middle. "Didn't you see the news today?"
"In vivid detail," 2-T placed his hands on his hips.
"There's safety in numbers," Angela fought back. "Besides, what are You doing out so late with Zazi and Annabelle?"
"We are on patrol," Miles explained.
"We're lookin' out for the kidnapper!" Zazi yelled, brandishing a previously hidden baseball bat. "And if we find 'im, it's gonna be BAM!" Zazi hit Miles' metal shell. "And WHAM!" She hit him again. "And KA-BONG!" This time she missed his shell and hit his left fang. He inhaled sharply and snatched her bat away.
"We're keeping a watch on the city," Miles spoke without moving his mouth, just like Lilly once did. "The lastest kidnapping was just a few miles north of here."
"In Pine Oak?" Cedric asked. "Who was it that got kidnapped?"
"Little girl, just a few days after she turned 5," Miles put Zazi back on his neck and gently pushed the fur around her. "We must get back to our patrol."
"If we don't catch 'im," Zazi explained. "The newpapers'll say 'Kidnap Reported in Mountain Cradle, California'. That's what my mom said."
"My mom said that too," Annabelle added.
"Have a good night, Dr. Livingston."
"HEY!" Lilly called after Miles flew off, laughing at the top of his lungs. "Stupid jokes. Come on, let's go eat."
**
Some time had passed, two days in fact, since the meeting of the two Higher beings and company. It was time for another Quantum Burger outing, and 2-T was just starting to pick the lock when a sharp stab of wind and a loud bang alerted the teenagers to Miles' presence again.
"Hi again," Angela turned to talk to Miles. "How's the...."
Everyone was shocked by the dragon's appearance. His fur hung limpy on his body, not floating upwards like it usually did. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of his shell. His normally shiny scales were dirty and dull, and looked a brickish red.
Annabelle alone rode on his neck, clutching a tiny teddy bear and a baseball bat. She was wearing her favorite blue sundress with the lavender floral patterns. She was also shaking uncontrollably, and tears were running down her cheeks. She choked back a sob every few seconds. Her hair was frizzy and wind-blown as a result of riding on Miles' back.
"Miles!" Lilly ran to the wilting dragon and stroked his nose. "What happened?"
"It... all happened... so quickly..." Miles took huge gasps of air inbetween words, his eyes squeezing in and out of his sockets each time. "At the park... Century Park... Zazi left my sight... justa moment..."
Annabelle finally let loose what was making her cry so feverently. "ZAZI'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!"
There was a collective gasp of shock from the group.
"WHAT happened?" B-Bop pushed his way to the front, yelling 'What happened' not as a question, but as a statement of disbelief.
"She had gone to get water, and I turned my attention away for just a second, and she was gone!" Miles blurted out.
"We can't find her anywhere!" Annabelle cried into Miles' limp fur.
"You can't track her, or smell her, or something?" Cedric yelled from behind Mike.
"I've tried; something's blocking her from my senses!" Miles was now massaging his face with his two main feet, holding his weight on the other pairs of legs. "Whatever's doing this is beyond Higher Being comprehension!"
"It's what?" Mike asked Lilly.
"They're called 'Middle Beings'," Lilly explained. "They're a step between Higher beings and lower beings, and, as a result, we Higher Being can't keep tabs on 'em."
"Good thing Angela's safe with us," Do-Wah turned to his friend. "Huh, Ange?"
She wasn't there.
"Angela?" Do-Wah asked again.
"Where is she?" Mike turned his head this way and that, but he couldn't see her.
"Oh no..." Lilly slowed realized something. "Oh no... she's been..."
Do-Wah roared into the street, not caring who heard him.
"ANGELA!!!!!!!!!!"
***
"Hey! Hey, wake up!"
"Huh?"
"Hey, come on, you! Wake up!"
Angela went to sit up, but her head hit a force field. It stung like a swarm of wasps had just flown into her scalp. She started to scream, but a hand squished itself onto her mouth.
"Be quiet! We don't want the big guy to hear! Last girl who woke up got thrown over a cliff just a few miles ago!"
"What?"
Angela looked at the person who had woken her up. She was a girl, nearly her age, maybe a year older. She had long, brownish-blonde hair, and a round, kind face. She wore a karate gi with a red belt and no shoes. Around her finger was a gold ribbon; each side of the gold ribbon ended in a heart. There was something about her complextion that didn't seem quite right; something seemed wrong about her skin color.
"Who are-" Angela began to speak, but the girl just pressed her hand over her mouth and shushed her. "Who are you?" Angela whispered.
"My name is Melania," she introduced herself. "You got kidnapped too?"
Angela finally began to notice that she was surrounded by other girls as well, but they were all asleep. She recognized one small one immediately.
"Zazi!" Angela gathered the girl in her arms and hugged her. "Why is everyone asleep?"
"I saw the kidnapper guy use some kind of gas on this kid," Melania pointed to a Portugese girl that Angela recognized from the news. "That's probably what he used to the rest of us."
"But why are we awake?" Angela asked her.
"Because we're bigger than the rest of them," Melania patted her side. "I'm mostly muscle, but I don't know about you."
"Hey," Angela growled, still holding Zazi.
"The rest of the girls here are skinnier and younger than us," Melania explained. "They got hit harder."
"Is there any way to get through the force field?" Angela asked.
"It covers the bed of the truck, but not the back hatch," said Melania, pointing to the door. "I can open it no problem, I've tried."
"Great, then. Let's go," Angela crawled to the back, but Melania grabbed her arm and squeezed it tightly.
"We can't go anywhere!" Melania hissed.
"Why not?" Angela urgently whispered.
"'Cause of my friend, Anna," Melania pointed to a girl behind her. Although she looked the same age as Melania, she was incredibly skinny; she almost looked anorexic, but something told Angela she wasn't. She was wearing blue jeans with a tear in the knee and a white "Meals on Wheels" shirt. He brown, curly hair was done in a messy topknot; her glasses sat crookedly on her long face. She was also barefoot. She was also much taller than many of the girls there; her body stretched across the width of the pickup. She also looked a little different from the other girls in the truck, but Ange couldn't quite place it.
"The gas hit her extra hard!" Melania held her hand, which made Angela see that she and Anna had matching heart rings. "She's been out longer than I have. I'm worried about her."
Angela took a few deep breathes and asked. "You said a girl got thrown off of a cliff?"
"Uh huh," Melania whispered. "While he was doing that, I looked in the cab and saw a shotgun. I think he's gonna used it on us."
A weird feeling swept over Angela's chest; it was like her chest was cold, or all of the blood in her torso had turned to wax. 'I'm gonna die', she thought. 'I'm gonna die out here with all these people I don't even know.'
"Look," Angela tried to convince the karate-clad teen to leave with her, "When we stop next, we can just jump out, call the police, and tell them where we are!"
"But I don't know where we are!" Melania's voice started to rise, so it was Angela's turn to shush her. "I'm not from here; me and Anna are from Natchitoles!"
"Louisiana?" Angela realized that she was too pale to be from California. That's why she looked funny!
"Yes!" Melania moaned. "I don't know anything about California! I've lived in the South my whole life!"
"Oh great!" Angela slammed her fist down on the metal floor of the truck. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion, and the truck bounced off of the ground and down again, shaking all of the occupants awake. Melania braced herself against the truck sides.
"Geez, girl!" Melania spoke in awe. "Do you take Judo too?"
"What?" Angela asked before another explosion rocked the truck.
"AAH!" the girls started screaming and whimpering, asking eachother what had happened and who everybody was.
"What's going on?" screamed a little white girl Angela immediately recognized; it was Cedra, Maxwell Hammer's niece.
"I dunno!" Angela yelled before the truck bounced again. This time however, the force field broke, flinging the girls into the air. Before they hit the ground, dozens of pairs of hands reached down and caught each and every one.
"MILES!" Zazi happily cheered.
The lone dragon smiled down on the girls, three One Martian Air Bikes floating around his head. "Hold still, girls. I'll put you down in a second."
Miles flew away from the crash sight and set the girls down in the sand. There was a mixed sense of happiness, fear, and uncertainty.
"MEL!" Anna screamed, hugging her friend tightly. "MEL! MEL! MEL! WE JUST GOT RESCUED BY A DRAGON!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Melania screamed back.
"A dragon?" yelled a teenaged black girl. "Oh, no, we didn't just get rescued by no dragon! That's not possible!"
"It's gonna eat us, I know it!" gasped a terried little Japanese child.
"No it's not," teased the first male voice heard in a while. "Keep your shirt on."
"Mike?" Angela got up from her sitting position to see Mike, who was just as surprised to see her. The ran to eachother and embraced, and were soon joined by Cedric.
"Oh, guys, I was so scared!" she cried, not caring if she sounded wimpy and vulnerable. "I thought I was gonna die, but you guys saved me!"
"Well, actually, it was mostly the Martians," Cedric let go of Angela and jabbed his thumb to the Martians, who were helping one girl back onto her knees. Angela rushed towards them and scooped all three of them into her arms. Needless to say, they were embarrassed.
"Angela!" 2-T breathed. "You're okay!"
"Thank you guys, SO much!" Angela hugged them tightly. "I wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for you!" And she gave each of them a kiss of the cheek.
Well, by then, the rest of the girls had figured out what happened, and were hugging them and thanking them and kissing them too! By the time Miles had pulled all of the girls away, the Martians had so much blood in their faces they were getting dizzy.
"I think I found another reason I like this planet," 2-T spoke giddily, his face the color of a ripe tomatoe. B-Bop just muttered nonsense; Do-Wah couldn't stop giggling. (That's an odd thing to picture; Do-Wah giggling. Hmph.)
Well, they stayed in the desert air for just a bit. Miles confirmed that the beer-bellied, brown haired, middle aged maniac that had taken the girls was dead in his truck; the authorites would find him, or, better yet, find his skeleton. The boys took turns comforting the kids, dressing wounds, and answering questions.
"Well," asked Dijona Maryland, directing the question at B-Bop. "You look like you in charge of this thing. How did you find us?"
"Found a kid in the bottom of a ravine," B-Bop answered while holding the young girl from Pine Oak. "She told us where you were going, so we sent her back home with Lilly. Oh, and can I ask you something?"
"Sure 'nough. Shoot."
"PLEASE, DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!"
Dijona never spoke gangster talk again, but that's beside the point.
"Come on, girls," Miles shouted, holding Zazi and Annabelle in his arms again. "Up you go. We've a long way back to town."
"What, we're getting on the dragon?" shouted a voice.
"MEL, WE'RE GONNA RIDE ON A DRAGON!"
"Let's go, Ange," Mike gave Angela a knuckle sandwich. "Am I allowed to touch you, or can you take care of yourself?"
"Shut up," she laughed, punching Mike back. She had just taken a few steps forward when
BeCSHOW!
Angela fell onto her knees, her breathing rapid and shallow. Blood was pouring from her right shoulder...
"OH MY GOD!" yelled Dijona. "SHE'S BEEN SHOT!"
Screams echoed through the empty desert while everyone rushed to help Angela. B-Bop caught a glimpse of the kidnapper out of the corner of his eye; he was holding his shotgun in one arm, carefully balancing it on the door. With the screech of skidding tires, he was off, driving down the road at a dangerous pace.
"That... son of a... COME ON, MARTIANS!" B-Bop lept onto his OMAB and raced after the truck, 2-T and Do-Wah following with a vengance.
Mike was in a panic, trying to get Angela comfortable and to keep her alive.
"Oh my gosh, oh gosh, oh no," Mike mumbled. "Anyone have something to help Angela?"
"I've got a t-shirt on under my gi!" Melania went to untie her belt, but she stopped. "No, wait, it got wet and I took it off before I got kidnapped."
"Here you go!" Zazi handed Mike her white shirt, snapping her overalls into place.
"Thanks, Zazi, but it's still too small," Mike looked around and saw one girl wearing a cashmire sweater. "That'll work. You, I need your sweater! Give it!"
"But... but..." The vain brunette clutched her pink sweater tightly. "But this cost $250 at Macy's!"
Cedric grappled her from behind and wrestled the sweater off her shoulders. "JUST... GIVE IT!" He wrapped it around Angela's bleeding shoulder. Now, they just had to wait.
***
"Give'em all you've got, Martians!" B-Bop screamed, blasting the kidnapper with his wrist gauntlet. It shattered through the back windshield and hit him square in the back of the neck. And he kept driving. "What the plickum?"
2-T shouted inbetween blasts, "WHY! (boom) ISN'T! (boom) HE! (boom) STOPPING!?!"
"He's a superhuman, or something!" Do-Wah hollered.
The truck stopped, and the Martians skid to a stop. The kidnapper stumbled out of the pickup.
He was covered in barbecue stains and smelled of cigarettes, root beer, and blood. His short hair was rumpled and singed, but his skin showed no signs of burns. He was short and stumpy, but his beer belly was gone, replaced by sagging skin and pronounced ribs.
"So..." he growled. "They think I am a super Human, yes?"
"Who's he talking to?" 2-T asked, floating close to B-Bop.
"I dunno."
"They think I am a kidnapping Human, yes?" the man had a country-western singer's voice, like Garth Brooks or something. "They seem to not know that I haven't been human in a loooooooong time."
"What?" The Martians pulled their OMABs back
"Oh no," he stepped forward jerkily, like he had forgotten how to use his legs. "I'm no human. I am Firrz, devourer of Humans!"
With a loud scream from the Martians and a roar from Firrz, he began to grow in size and in volume. His legs basically disappeared (they had actually burrowed into the ground, but his torso and head stayed above the sand, growing to the size of a blue whale and larger. The skin on his head stretched tightly causing his mouth to twist into a menacing grin and his eyelids to rip apart. Muscles ballooned from underneath his skin, rippling to the surface and pushing veins to their breaking point. When he was done growing, he was at least a thousand times larger than the Martians (that is not an exaggeration).
"Oh grix," Do-Wah muttered.
"Ready guys?" B-Bop yelled.
It was like the other two read his mind. "ROGER THAT, COMMANDER!"
The three Martians fell to the ground, and as soon as their feet touched the dirt-
"B!"
"K!"
"M!"
In a lightening quick display of energy, the Martians were encased in their BKM suits. Firrz looked down in them in spite.
"HAHAHA!" it roared in mockery. "Do you think those things can defeat Firrz?!"
"Find his weak spot!" B-Bop ordered, flying to Firrz's face.
"Where is it?!" Do-Wah asked, dodging a slow slipe from Firrz.
"It's gotta be somewhere near a main artery, or a vein, or something!" 2-T reasoned. "His skin's stretched too tightly; if we hit a blood vessel, it'll be like popping a water balloon!"
"Got it!" B-Bop charged at Firrz, slamming into a bulging vein in his arm. Firrz grunted and swatted B-Bop like a fly. "Well, that wasn't it!"
"What about here?" Do-Wah fired a photon beam at Firrz's chest, but Firrz shrugged it off and punched Do-Wah into the sand. "Nope."
"I got it!" 2-T shot a miniature missile right underneath Firrz's ear.
"YAR!" Blood gushed from his neck, although it wasn't a human's red blood; it was blue.
"GROSS!"
Do-Wah agreed with 2-T. "That's disgusting!"
"He's not dead yet!" B-Bop yelled. "Keep firing!"
Missile after phaser after photon blast pounding themselves at Firrz's neck. He roared in agony and kept swiping his hands, but it was too late. He literally shattered into pieces and fell to the ground, nothing left of him but a frail, skinny human body. A wispy black cloud flew out of the human's mouth and into the sky.
Do-Wah landed first, standing over the fallen human. He opened his eyes and beheld the metal-entombed Martians."What the?"
Do-Wah pointed an arm at the man previously known as Firrz, an energy ball forming at his knuckles. "This one's for Angela!"
KABOOM!
***
B-Bop, 2-T, and Do-wah returned to the group of girls- well, there wasn't a group anymore. There was only Cedra and a red-stained patch of sand where Angela had been.
"Where is everybody?" B-Bop asked urgently.
"Um..." Cedra stuttered and twiddled her fingers. "Um... the big red snakey thin- Miles, Miles told me to tell you that he was, um- going to find the girl, who um- fell- um- into the cliff. And- um, he's taking, um, Angela to the, um, hospital and, um, that you should bring me back to my Uncle Maxwell."
"Angela's at the hospital?" 2-T shouted. "With those doctors? They don't know what they're doing!"
"Angela gonna die for sure now!" Do-Wah cried.
"Um... the lady, um, with the tail, said, um, not to worry," Cedra avoided eye contact with the Martians.
"The lady with the tail?" B-Bop asked. "Lilly!"
"Um, can I, um, go back to my Uncle Maxwell's now?"
***
Angela awoke to bright florescent lighting and the empty smell of sleeping gas. As her eyes adjusted, three figures swam into view. One was peachish and orange, one was green and brown, last one was peach and black... her vision focused some more.
She was in a room at the hospital, intensive care by the looks of it. The trademark beep-beep-beep of the Heart Monitor rung loudly in her right ear. She wasn't wearing her clothes; she had on a paper hospital gown. She couldn't feel anything on her right arm; it was limp and useless at her side. She tried to clench her fist, but nothing happened. The two colored figures over her head were now recognizeable as...
"Mike? Cedric?"
"Oh, Angela, you're okay." Mike rubbed her forehead soothingly. "You feel alright? If you don't, go back to sleep."
"Mr. Young?" Cedric poked the person in the chair by Angela's bed. "Mr. Young, Angela's awake?"
Angela felt wide awake suddenly. She tried to sit up, but she was tethered to the bed. "Daddy?"
Angela father finally came into her line of vision. Angela's father was a well kept businessman; his brown hair was cut short and trimmed nicely. His business suit was buttoned, if wrinkled, from sleeping by Angela's bed. Angela hardly resembled her father; she had his nose and his slim hand structure, but that was about it. His face was decidedly square, and his eyes were a light brown. He was a short man, just standing a few inches taller than Mike.
"Oh, Angela, my baby," Mr. Davis Young reached down and hugged his daughter to the best of his ability. "You're alright."
"Daddy..." was all she could say.
"Does it still hurt, Ange?" Cedric asked.
Angela realized that her shoulder was at a weird angle, and it was starting to hurt. "It does now."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey!" Davis pulled away. "Do you need anything; something to eat, drink, read? Anything?"
"I'm fine," Angela said. She didn't feel like eating anything right now.
"Oh, nonsense, dear," Mr. Young held his daughter's hand. "You just tell me if you need anything, okay?"
"Yes, Daddy," Angela smiled.
Knock knock knock.
"G'morning, Angie!" the nurse called as she walked in. The nurse was very old, with graying hair and wrinkled skin. Her glasses sat very primly on the bridge of her nose; immediately after hearing her voice, Angela knew she was British. She held a tray full of cards, bouquets of flowers, and tiny boxes of candy. "May I call you 'Angie'?"
"I'd prefer Angela, Miss," Angela responded as the nurse put the little tray on the bedside table.
"Mrs., actually. Mrs. Brittany Charity, at your service," Mrs. Charity laughed as she patted Angela on the head. "Brought some get-well tokens from your friends."
"Thank you," Angela smiled, taking a card and looking at the beautiful picture of a field of flowers on the cover.
"I'll be back in an hour, after I finish my rounds," Mrs. Charity turned to leave. "Press the call button if you need anything."
"Yes, ma'am," Angela waved goodbye with her good hand. As Mrs. Charity left, Mike goaded Angela into opening the card.
It read: "Hope you feel better soon."
In pretty cursive writing, below it said, "At first I was mad that you ruined my sweater, but now I'm just glad that you're getting better. Safron Henderson." And a little heart ended the message.
"Goofy," Angela handed the card to Mike to read. She picked up a miniature rose bouquet and read the card.
"Can't wait to see your smile. Love, Mrs. Callon and class." On the card were signatures from everyone in her homeroom class, even Mike and Cedric.
"Thanks, guys!" Angela gave the bouquet to her dad.
"Welcome," Cedric grinned. "Who are the SweetTarts from?"
"Let's see," Angela said, picking up the heart-shaped box of sugar candies. The card was in an envelope; Mike had to open it for her.
It said, in messy writing, "Thank yu for helpeng me. Zazini Jackson."
Below it was written, in better handwriting. "Thank you so much for saving Zazi. Annabelle."
"That's so cute!" Angela laughed before giving the card to Cedric. She picked up a homemade card next, with a crude, handdrawn picture of a pegasus of the front, the words "LET YOUR SPIRIT SOAR" printed below it.
Angela opened it and say some weird symbols painted onto the paper, along with the words, "That's Japanese kanji for 'Get better soon!' (Actually, it's 'Become Better Directly', but we couldn't find anything else) Love, Melania and Anna."
"HA!" Angela laughed, putting the card down on her lap. "That's funny!"
"What is? Lemme see!" Mike snatched the card and read it, letting Cedric read over his shoulder.
The last card had no picture on the front, but the words inside gave away who it was from.
Written in yellow was, "Can't wait to have you back."
Written in blue was, "Sorry about this whole mess."
Written in red was: "We miss you."
Angela felt some tears coming to her eyes.
"What's wrong, angel?" Mr. Young asked his daughter. "Who's it from?"
"It's not signed," she squealed, handing the card to Mike, who read it with an expression of surprise.
"Then how do you know it's not from the kidnapper?" Mr. Young started to panic. "Quick, Mike, give me the card!"
"No!" Mike hid the card in his pocket.
A familiar voice popped into Angela's head. 'Hi, Angela!'
'Lilly?' Angela though to herself. 'Why is she calling me?'
'I just wanted to check on you! Is that a crime?'
'You've got some nerve calling me, Lilly!' Angela waged the war in her brain. 'You weren't even there when I got shot! I could've been killed!'
'You almost were killed!' Lilly fought back. 'Do you know how many pellets I had to stop from hitting your heart?'
'What?'
"22. 22 pellets that were heading straight for your heart, and I stopped them! Now, don't tell me I have nerve until you know everything that happened! I broke so many rules, keeping you from dieing, I'm gonna get a demerit for sure!'
***
It was a few days later, and Angela was back out in the real world. Her arm, although numb and useless now, was getting better, even though she had to keep it in a sling. She was back at Zapz one day, watching Lilly flip through the channels, when Maxwell S. Hammer came onto the screen, holding Cedra in his arm.
"... And here, right here in Los Angeles, California, on the national news station to say hello is my neice, Cedra. Cedra, do you want to say anything to the public?"
"I sure do!" Cedra laughed. "Thank you, B-Bop!"
A collective shudder went through the room as the Martians heard their names being called out on national television.
"Thank you, 2-T! Thank you, Do-Wah!"
"Wh- Cedra, who are B-Bop, 2-T, and Do-Wah?"
"Who are who?" Cedra looked blankly at her uncle. He sighed and kept giving his report.
"Gada- wigijub-" B-Bop grabbed 2-T by the shirt collar and started talking to him in Martian. The kids couldn't understand what they were saying, but B-Bop looked mad and 2-T looked confused.
"It's okay," Lilly explained. "I erased the effect of the memory erase crystal. The girls can all remember us."
"THEY WHAT?!"
"They remember us!" Lilly chirped. "But don't worry; the way I have their brains set up, they can't tell anybody about you, even if they tried. And besides, now we have secret agents all the way through California, and two in Natchitoles!"
"Troops! This is Emporer Bog calling!"
Lilly quickly gathered the kids together and hid them while B-Bop address the Emporer. "Emporer Bog! How... unexpected!"
"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" Emporer Bog gloated as he sat upon his throne, Dr. Damage standing at his side. "I heard your names on the Earth's broadcasting system, Commander B-BOP-a-Luna. Explain!"
"Um... um.. um-well, apparently, someone has stolen our names, your excellency!" B-Bop nervously thought up an excuse. "And-and used them as a guise to uh... to, uh..."
"We don't exactly know what their motavation is, sir," 2-T interrupted. "But we will launch an investigation, your majesty."
"Very good," Emporer Bog grinned. "Emporer Bog out."
And away he went.
Hate to end it here, but I'm DO- Oh, wait! I'm not done! Author's note!
Brittany Charity: Brittany, the name, means "Hailing From Britain", thought it was fitting.
Cedra: A name I made up, no meaning.
Sorry if I offended anybody who uses gangster talk, but it drives me CRAZY!
Hi, Double F! Melania? THAT WAS YOU! You like?
Dedicated to the kids and families of people who have been kidnapped, may God have mercy on you. (OW! Shoulder hurts from typing.)
Okay, now I'm done.
DONE!
There's a kidnapper on the loose in California, and it's scary enough when he takes Zazi! But Angela?! Written because I know one-too-many people who've had their kids kidnapped, chopped into pieces, and thrown along the highway in GARBAGE BAGS- oh. (Blushes) Oh, um... sorry... I'm...
(Audience stares in disbelief)
Um... let-let's just get on, with- with the story.... the story, yeah.... one shot story, one chapter....
**
It was a happy day at Zapz Arcade. The sun was shining, the sky blue with just a few clouds dotting the horizon. Mike happily occupied his time with the Doomrace 2000 while 2-T and Cedric worked on putting the finishing touches on 2-T's new OMAB. Do-Wah was asleep on the couch, and Angela was resting her weight on a guardrail, thinking of what to do next. B-Bop was in the back room, fixing himself a sandwich.
"...to be asured, this is one day that Veronica will never forget."
Ah, the news. At the same time, it can be informative and life changing, as well as putrid and annoying. But, Lilly insisted on watching it today.
"My friend Kawa no Kami's gonna be on!" she spoke cheerily to B-Bop, who had walked past her and asked the question "Why are you watching the news?"
"Kawa no Kami?" B-Bop grinned at the goofy sounding name.
"He's a Higher Being who works part-time as a river!" Lilly sat on the floor, her legs tucked in with her arms wrapped around them. "Miles told me he was going to be on the news today!"
"So, you and Miles and friends now?" Angela asked merrily.
"Eh..." Lilly thought for a moment. "I... guess. I never thought about it."
"In other news," reported Maxwell S. Hammer, special correspondent, "Kidnapping has been on the rise in California."
"He's coming up soon!" Lilly shouted, turning up the volume. However, the teenagers weren't looking for some river; they were listening quite intently to the words.
"The kidnappings began into Northern California and have slowly been moving downward. Victims have all been girls, ages 5 to 14. Recent kidnapees are: Julia Martu of Crescent City."
A picture of a young white girl with blonda hair popped onto the screen, followed by more.
"Dijona Maryland of Arcata." A black teenager with long hair.
"Cedra Marco of New Garberville." A six-year-old girl with red hair.
"Yelena Mirari of Mighter's Town." A teenaged Portugese girl with a large nose.
"Along with several others. The total adds up to twelve kidnapped girls in three months. If you see any of these children, please contact your local police department, or call the Missing Children's Bureau at 555-867-5309. I am Maxwell S. Hammer, and..." Maxwell started to choke, and he rubbed his eyes lightly. "And... Cedra was my niece."
Lilly angrily switched off the tv. "Aw, man! They cut out Kawa no Kami!"
"Lilly, weren't you even paying attention to what they were saying!" Mike yelled. "Kids are getting kidnapped, and it's happening here!"
Do-Wah awoke suddenly at hearing Mike's screaming. "YAH! Woah, bwahuhuh... what's kidnapping?"
"Kidnapping is when a child is taken from his parents and/or guardian without the parent's and/or guardian's consent," Lilly recited the explaination like she has memorized it from the dictionary. "Kidnappings usually result in the child being killed or sold to a foster family."
"WHAT?!" the Martians couldn't believe their ears.
"Yeah, I know, it's awful," Lilly sighed. "I had a friend who's lower being was kidnapped. She went insane trying to get her back; she wound up killing the kidnapper. Had her lower being priviledges revoked and everything." She shuddered. "Don't want that happening."
"Maybe we should rethink our routine for a while," 2-T pointed to the kids. "You guys are in danger with that kidnapper on the loose."
"No they're not."
Everyone shot a glance at Lilly, who was still sitting on the floor. "Well, they're not. It's only Angela who's in trouble."
Eyes now turned to Angela, who immediately put on her best tough front.
"What? Why would I be in trouble?" she growled. "What am I supposed to be, the vulnerable little damsel in distress?"
"Pretty much," Lilly shrugged her shoulders. "You were listening; the kidnapper's only taking girls. 5 through 14. You're a girl and you're 13, so that puts you right in the kidnapper's playing field."
"Well, you can forget leaving me back at my house!" Angela crossed her arms. "There is no way in... in... there is no way I'm staying at my house all night!"
"Her problem?" Do-Wah whispered to Lilly.
'Hates her stepmother,' Lilly answered telepathically.
"Oh."
"Besides," Angela counterargued. "I have two guys, three Martians, and a Higher Being as my best friends, right?"
"Safety in numbers," Cedric said just for the sake of saying it.
"I give up," B-Bop moaned. "Okay, Angela, you don't have to stay at home. You can still come to Quantum Burgers with us."
"But ONLY with us," Mike put on his best "strong man" voice and face. "Nowhere on your own."
"Yeah, yeah," Angela acted as if she didn't care. But inside, she was scared...
**
"See anything?" B-Bop asked 2-T.
"Nope," 2-T jumped down from behind the Quantum Burger billboard. "Let's go."
The large group made their way to Quantum Burgers, the boys making a loose circle around Angela. As a car drove by in the distance, Mike grabbed onto her wrist in surprise.
"Let go!" Angela shouted, yanking her hand away. "I don't need to be treated like a toddler; I can take care of myself."
"'Cuse me for caring," Mike growled. A sharp wind blew through the air, pushing at their backs, then suddenly stopped.
"Hmph, that was weird," Do-Wah remarked. Another hard gust of wind blew through them, this time from the side.
"That was weirder," Cedric added.
With a mighty swoop and a loud THUNK, a long, red form zoomed over the confused children's head and onto the billboard. Lilly knew who it was immediately.
"Miles?" Lilly called to the long dragon, who was clutching the sign like a lizard would; with his feet.
"The same," he hissed cooly, his smooth voice blending in nicely with the ominous, dark enviroment. "Dr. Livingston, I presume?"
"Very funny," Lilly snapped before another little voice broke the quiet.
"Hey, don't I know you?"
"It's Zazi!" Cedric laughed. He loved Zazi; he had met her at school and they had become close friends.
"It's Cedric!" Zazi hollered from Miles' neck. She was partially hidden in Miles' flowing fur, but her head was clearly visible. Annabelle's golden tresses could also be seen from behind Zazi's back. "Hi, Cedric! Come on, Annabelle, say hi!"
"Hello..." came the faint whisper.
Zazi proceed to try and jump off, but Miles caught her in his long claws. "What are you doing out so late with Angela in your midst?" he asked, staring at the teenaged girl in the middle. "Didn't you see the news today?"
"In vivid detail," 2-T placed his hands on his hips.
"There's safety in numbers," Angela fought back. "Besides, what are You doing out so late with Zazi and Annabelle?"
"We are on patrol," Miles explained.
"We're lookin' out for the kidnapper!" Zazi yelled, brandishing a previously hidden baseball bat. "And if we find 'im, it's gonna be BAM!" Zazi hit Miles' metal shell. "And WHAM!" She hit him again. "And KA-BONG!" This time she missed his shell and hit his left fang. He inhaled sharply and snatched her bat away.
"We're keeping a watch on the city," Miles spoke without moving his mouth, just like Lilly once did. "The lastest kidnapping was just a few miles north of here."
"In Pine Oak?" Cedric asked. "Who was it that got kidnapped?"
"Little girl, just a few days after she turned 5," Miles put Zazi back on his neck and gently pushed the fur around her. "We must get back to our patrol."
"If we don't catch 'im," Zazi explained. "The newpapers'll say 'Kidnap Reported in Mountain Cradle, California'. That's what my mom said."
"My mom said that too," Annabelle added.
"Have a good night, Dr. Livingston."
"HEY!" Lilly called after Miles flew off, laughing at the top of his lungs. "Stupid jokes. Come on, let's go eat."
**
Some time had passed, two days in fact, since the meeting of the two Higher beings and company. It was time for another Quantum Burger outing, and 2-T was just starting to pick the lock when a sharp stab of wind and a loud bang alerted the teenagers to Miles' presence again.
"Hi again," Angela turned to talk to Miles. "How's the...."
Everyone was shocked by the dragon's appearance. His fur hung limpy on his body, not floating upwards like it usually did. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of his shell. His normally shiny scales were dirty and dull, and looked a brickish red.
Annabelle alone rode on his neck, clutching a tiny teddy bear and a baseball bat. She was wearing her favorite blue sundress with the lavender floral patterns. She was also shaking uncontrollably, and tears were running down her cheeks. She choked back a sob every few seconds. Her hair was frizzy and wind-blown as a result of riding on Miles' back.
"Miles!" Lilly ran to the wilting dragon and stroked his nose. "What happened?"
"It... all happened... so quickly..." Miles took huge gasps of air inbetween words, his eyes squeezing in and out of his sockets each time. "At the park... Century Park... Zazi left my sight... justa moment..."
Annabelle finally let loose what was making her cry so feverently. "ZAZI'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!"
There was a collective gasp of shock from the group.
"WHAT happened?" B-Bop pushed his way to the front, yelling 'What happened' not as a question, but as a statement of disbelief.
"She had gone to get water, and I turned my attention away for just a second, and she was gone!" Miles blurted out.
"We can't find her anywhere!" Annabelle cried into Miles' limp fur.
"You can't track her, or smell her, or something?" Cedric yelled from behind Mike.
"I've tried; something's blocking her from my senses!" Miles was now massaging his face with his two main feet, holding his weight on the other pairs of legs. "Whatever's doing this is beyond Higher Being comprehension!"
"It's what?" Mike asked Lilly.
"They're called 'Middle Beings'," Lilly explained. "They're a step between Higher beings and lower beings, and, as a result, we Higher Being can't keep tabs on 'em."
"Good thing Angela's safe with us," Do-Wah turned to his friend. "Huh, Ange?"
She wasn't there.
"Angela?" Do-Wah asked again.
"Where is she?" Mike turned his head this way and that, but he couldn't see her.
"Oh no..." Lilly slowed realized something. "Oh no... she's been..."
Do-Wah roared into the street, not caring who heard him.
"ANGELA!!!!!!!!!!"
***
"Hey! Hey, wake up!"
"Huh?"
"Hey, come on, you! Wake up!"
Angela went to sit up, but her head hit a force field. It stung like a swarm of wasps had just flown into her scalp. She started to scream, but a hand squished itself onto her mouth.
"Be quiet! We don't want the big guy to hear! Last girl who woke up got thrown over a cliff just a few miles ago!"
"What?"
Angela looked at the person who had woken her up. She was a girl, nearly her age, maybe a year older. She had long, brownish-blonde hair, and a round, kind face. She wore a karate gi with a red belt and no shoes. Around her finger was a gold ribbon; each side of the gold ribbon ended in a heart. There was something about her complextion that didn't seem quite right; something seemed wrong about her skin color.
"Who are-" Angela began to speak, but the girl just pressed her hand over her mouth and shushed her. "Who are you?" Angela whispered.
"My name is Melania," she introduced herself. "You got kidnapped too?"
Angela finally began to notice that she was surrounded by other girls as well, but they were all asleep. She recognized one small one immediately.
"Zazi!" Angela gathered the girl in her arms and hugged her. "Why is everyone asleep?"
"I saw the kidnapper guy use some kind of gas on this kid," Melania pointed to a Portugese girl that Angela recognized from the news. "That's probably what he used to the rest of us."
"But why are we awake?" Angela asked her.
"Because we're bigger than the rest of them," Melania patted her side. "I'm mostly muscle, but I don't know about you."
"Hey," Angela growled, still holding Zazi.
"The rest of the girls here are skinnier and younger than us," Melania explained. "They got hit harder."
"Is there any way to get through the force field?" Angela asked.
"It covers the bed of the truck, but not the back hatch," said Melania, pointing to the door. "I can open it no problem, I've tried."
"Great, then. Let's go," Angela crawled to the back, but Melania grabbed her arm and squeezed it tightly.
"We can't go anywhere!" Melania hissed.
"Why not?" Angela urgently whispered.
"'Cause of my friend, Anna," Melania pointed to a girl behind her. Although she looked the same age as Melania, she was incredibly skinny; she almost looked anorexic, but something told Angela she wasn't. She was wearing blue jeans with a tear in the knee and a white "Meals on Wheels" shirt. He brown, curly hair was done in a messy topknot; her glasses sat crookedly on her long face. She was also barefoot. She was also much taller than many of the girls there; her body stretched across the width of the pickup. She also looked a little different from the other girls in the truck, but Ange couldn't quite place it.
"The gas hit her extra hard!" Melania held her hand, which made Angela see that she and Anna had matching heart rings. "She's been out longer than I have. I'm worried about her."
Angela took a few deep breathes and asked. "You said a girl got thrown off of a cliff?"
"Uh huh," Melania whispered. "While he was doing that, I looked in the cab and saw a shotgun. I think he's gonna used it on us."
A weird feeling swept over Angela's chest; it was like her chest was cold, or all of the blood in her torso had turned to wax. 'I'm gonna die', she thought. 'I'm gonna die out here with all these people I don't even know.'
"Look," Angela tried to convince the karate-clad teen to leave with her, "When we stop next, we can just jump out, call the police, and tell them where we are!"
"But I don't know where we are!" Melania's voice started to rise, so it was Angela's turn to shush her. "I'm not from here; me and Anna are from Natchitoles!"
"Louisiana?" Angela realized that she was too pale to be from California. That's why she looked funny!
"Yes!" Melania moaned. "I don't know anything about California! I've lived in the South my whole life!"
"Oh great!" Angela slammed her fist down on the metal floor of the truck. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion, and the truck bounced off of the ground and down again, shaking all of the occupants awake. Melania braced herself against the truck sides.
"Geez, girl!" Melania spoke in awe. "Do you take Judo too?"
"What?" Angela asked before another explosion rocked the truck.
"AAH!" the girls started screaming and whimpering, asking eachother what had happened and who everybody was.
"What's going on?" screamed a little white girl Angela immediately recognized; it was Cedra, Maxwell Hammer's niece.
"I dunno!" Angela yelled before the truck bounced again. This time however, the force field broke, flinging the girls into the air. Before they hit the ground, dozens of pairs of hands reached down and caught each and every one.
"MILES!" Zazi happily cheered.
The lone dragon smiled down on the girls, three One Martian Air Bikes floating around his head. "Hold still, girls. I'll put you down in a second."
Miles flew away from the crash sight and set the girls down in the sand. There was a mixed sense of happiness, fear, and uncertainty.
"MEL!" Anna screamed, hugging her friend tightly. "MEL! MEL! MEL! WE JUST GOT RESCUED BY A DRAGON!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" Melania screamed back.
"A dragon?" yelled a teenaged black girl. "Oh, no, we didn't just get rescued by no dragon! That's not possible!"
"It's gonna eat us, I know it!" gasped a terried little Japanese child.
"No it's not," teased the first male voice heard in a while. "Keep your shirt on."
"Mike?" Angela got up from her sitting position to see Mike, who was just as surprised to see her. The ran to eachother and embraced, and were soon joined by Cedric.
"Oh, guys, I was so scared!" she cried, not caring if she sounded wimpy and vulnerable. "I thought I was gonna die, but you guys saved me!"
"Well, actually, it was mostly the Martians," Cedric let go of Angela and jabbed his thumb to the Martians, who were helping one girl back onto her knees. Angela rushed towards them and scooped all three of them into her arms. Needless to say, they were embarrassed.
"Angela!" 2-T breathed. "You're okay!"
"Thank you guys, SO much!" Angela hugged them tightly. "I wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for you!" And she gave each of them a kiss of the cheek.
Well, by then, the rest of the girls had figured out what happened, and were hugging them and thanking them and kissing them too! By the time Miles had pulled all of the girls away, the Martians had so much blood in their faces they were getting dizzy.
"I think I found another reason I like this planet," 2-T spoke giddily, his face the color of a ripe tomatoe. B-Bop just muttered nonsense; Do-Wah couldn't stop giggling. (That's an odd thing to picture; Do-Wah giggling. Hmph.)
Well, they stayed in the desert air for just a bit. Miles confirmed that the beer-bellied, brown haired, middle aged maniac that had taken the girls was dead in his truck; the authorites would find him, or, better yet, find his skeleton. The boys took turns comforting the kids, dressing wounds, and answering questions.
"Well," asked Dijona Maryland, directing the question at B-Bop. "You look like you in charge of this thing. How did you find us?"
"Found a kid in the bottom of a ravine," B-Bop answered while holding the young girl from Pine Oak. "She told us where you were going, so we sent her back home with Lilly. Oh, and can I ask you something?"
"Sure 'nough. Shoot."
"PLEASE, DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!"
Dijona never spoke gangster talk again, but that's beside the point.
"Come on, girls," Miles shouted, holding Zazi and Annabelle in his arms again. "Up you go. We've a long way back to town."
"What, we're getting on the dragon?" shouted a voice.
"MEL, WE'RE GONNA RIDE ON A DRAGON!"
"Let's go, Ange," Mike gave Angela a knuckle sandwich. "Am I allowed to touch you, or can you take care of yourself?"
"Shut up," she laughed, punching Mike back. She had just taken a few steps forward when
BeCSHOW!
Angela fell onto her knees, her breathing rapid and shallow. Blood was pouring from her right shoulder...
"OH MY GOD!" yelled Dijona. "SHE'S BEEN SHOT!"
Screams echoed through the empty desert while everyone rushed to help Angela. B-Bop caught a glimpse of the kidnapper out of the corner of his eye; he was holding his shotgun in one arm, carefully balancing it on the door. With the screech of skidding tires, he was off, driving down the road at a dangerous pace.
"That... son of a... COME ON, MARTIANS!" B-Bop lept onto his OMAB and raced after the truck, 2-T and Do-Wah following with a vengance.
Mike was in a panic, trying to get Angela comfortable and to keep her alive.
"Oh my gosh, oh gosh, oh no," Mike mumbled. "Anyone have something to help Angela?"
"I've got a t-shirt on under my gi!" Melania went to untie her belt, but she stopped. "No, wait, it got wet and I took it off before I got kidnapped."
"Here you go!" Zazi handed Mike her white shirt, snapping her overalls into place.
"Thanks, Zazi, but it's still too small," Mike looked around and saw one girl wearing a cashmire sweater. "That'll work. You, I need your sweater! Give it!"
"But... but..." The vain brunette clutched her pink sweater tightly. "But this cost $250 at Macy's!"
Cedric grappled her from behind and wrestled the sweater off her shoulders. "JUST... GIVE IT!" He wrapped it around Angela's bleeding shoulder. Now, they just had to wait.
***
"Give'em all you've got, Martians!" B-Bop screamed, blasting the kidnapper with his wrist gauntlet. It shattered through the back windshield and hit him square in the back of the neck. And he kept driving. "What the plickum?"
2-T shouted inbetween blasts, "WHY! (boom) ISN'T! (boom) HE! (boom) STOPPING!?!"
"He's a superhuman, or something!" Do-Wah hollered.
The truck stopped, and the Martians skid to a stop. The kidnapper stumbled out of the pickup.
He was covered in barbecue stains and smelled of cigarettes, root beer, and blood. His short hair was rumpled and singed, but his skin showed no signs of burns. He was short and stumpy, but his beer belly was gone, replaced by sagging skin and pronounced ribs.
"So..." he growled. "They think I am a super Human, yes?"
"Who's he talking to?" 2-T asked, floating close to B-Bop.
"I dunno."
"They think I am a kidnapping Human, yes?" the man had a country-western singer's voice, like Garth Brooks or something. "They seem to not know that I haven't been human in a loooooooong time."
"What?" The Martians pulled their OMABs back
"Oh no," he stepped forward jerkily, like he had forgotten how to use his legs. "I'm no human. I am Firrz, devourer of Humans!"
With a loud scream from the Martians and a roar from Firrz, he began to grow in size and in volume. His legs basically disappeared (they had actually burrowed into the ground, but his torso and head stayed above the sand, growing to the size of a blue whale and larger. The skin on his head stretched tightly causing his mouth to twist into a menacing grin and his eyelids to rip apart. Muscles ballooned from underneath his skin, rippling to the surface and pushing veins to their breaking point. When he was done growing, he was at least a thousand times larger than the Martians (that is not an exaggeration).
"Oh grix," Do-Wah muttered.
"Ready guys?" B-Bop yelled.
It was like the other two read his mind. "ROGER THAT, COMMANDER!"
The three Martians fell to the ground, and as soon as their feet touched the dirt-
"B!"
"K!"
"M!"
In a lightening quick display of energy, the Martians were encased in their BKM suits. Firrz looked down in them in spite.
"HAHAHA!" it roared in mockery. "Do you think those things can defeat Firrz?!"
"Find his weak spot!" B-Bop ordered, flying to Firrz's face.
"Where is it?!" Do-Wah asked, dodging a slow slipe from Firrz.
"It's gotta be somewhere near a main artery, or a vein, or something!" 2-T reasoned. "His skin's stretched too tightly; if we hit a blood vessel, it'll be like popping a water balloon!"
"Got it!" B-Bop charged at Firrz, slamming into a bulging vein in his arm. Firrz grunted and swatted B-Bop like a fly. "Well, that wasn't it!"
"What about here?" Do-Wah fired a photon beam at Firrz's chest, but Firrz shrugged it off and punched Do-Wah into the sand. "Nope."
"I got it!" 2-T shot a miniature missile right underneath Firrz's ear.
"YAR!" Blood gushed from his neck, although it wasn't a human's red blood; it was blue.
"GROSS!"
Do-Wah agreed with 2-T. "That's disgusting!"
"He's not dead yet!" B-Bop yelled. "Keep firing!"
Missile after phaser after photon blast pounding themselves at Firrz's neck. He roared in agony and kept swiping his hands, but it was too late. He literally shattered into pieces and fell to the ground, nothing left of him but a frail, skinny human body. A wispy black cloud flew out of the human's mouth and into the sky.
Do-Wah landed first, standing over the fallen human. He opened his eyes and beheld the metal-entombed Martians."What the?"
Do-Wah pointed an arm at the man previously known as Firrz, an energy ball forming at his knuckles. "This one's for Angela!"
KABOOM!
***
B-Bop, 2-T, and Do-wah returned to the group of girls- well, there wasn't a group anymore. There was only Cedra and a red-stained patch of sand where Angela had been.
"Where is everybody?" B-Bop asked urgently.
"Um..." Cedra stuttered and twiddled her fingers. "Um... the big red snakey thin- Miles, Miles told me to tell you that he was, um- going to find the girl, who um- fell- um- into the cliff. And- um, he's taking, um, Angela to the, um, hospital and, um, that you should bring me back to my Uncle Maxwell."
"Angela's at the hospital?" 2-T shouted. "With those doctors? They don't know what they're doing!"
"Angela gonna die for sure now!" Do-Wah cried.
"Um... the lady, um, with the tail, said, um, not to worry," Cedra avoided eye contact with the Martians.
"The lady with the tail?" B-Bop asked. "Lilly!"
"Um, can I, um, go back to my Uncle Maxwell's now?"
***
Angela awoke to bright florescent lighting and the empty smell of sleeping gas. As her eyes adjusted, three figures swam into view. One was peachish and orange, one was green and brown, last one was peach and black... her vision focused some more.
She was in a room at the hospital, intensive care by the looks of it. The trademark beep-beep-beep of the Heart Monitor rung loudly in her right ear. She wasn't wearing her clothes; she had on a paper hospital gown. She couldn't feel anything on her right arm; it was limp and useless at her side. She tried to clench her fist, but nothing happened. The two colored figures over her head were now recognizeable as...
"Mike? Cedric?"
"Oh, Angela, you're okay." Mike rubbed her forehead soothingly. "You feel alright? If you don't, go back to sleep."
"Mr. Young?" Cedric poked the person in the chair by Angela's bed. "Mr. Young, Angela's awake?"
Angela felt wide awake suddenly. She tried to sit up, but she was tethered to the bed. "Daddy?"
Angela father finally came into her line of vision. Angela's father was a well kept businessman; his brown hair was cut short and trimmed nicely. His business suit was buttoned, if wrinkled, from sleeping by Angela's bed. Angela hardly resembled her father; she had his nose and his slim hand structure, but that was about it. His face was decidedly square, and his eyes were a light brown. He was a short man, just standing a few inches taller than Mike.
"Oh, Angela, my baby," Mr. Davis Young reached down and hugged his daughter to the best of his ability. "You're alright."
"Daddy..." was all she could say.
"Does it still hurt, Ange?" Cedric asked.
Angela realized that her shoulder was at a weird angle, and it was starting to hurt. "It does now."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey!" Davis pulled away. "Do you need anything; something to eat, drink, read? Anything?"
"I'm fine," Angela said. She didn't feel like eating anything right now.
"Oh, nonsense, dear," Mr. Young held his daughter's hand. "You just tell me if you need anything, okay?"
"Yes, Daddy," Angela smiled.
Knock knock knock.
"G'morning, Angie!" the nurse called as she walked in. The nurse was very old, with graying hair and wrinkled skin. Her glasses sat very primly on the bridge of her nose; immediately after hearing her voice, Angela knew she was British. She held a tray full of cards, bouquets of flowers, and tiny boxes of candy. "May I call you 'Angie'?"
"I'd prefer Angela, Miss," Angela responded as the nurse put the little tray on the bedside table.
"Mrs., actually. Mrs. Brittany Charity, at your service," Mrs. Charity laughed as she patted Angela on the head. "Brought some get-well tokens from your friends."
"Thank you," Angela smiled, taking a card and looking at the beautiful picture of a field of flowers on the cover.
"I'll be back in an hour, after I finish my rounds," Mrs. Charity turned to leave. "Press the call button if you need anything."
"Yes, ma'am," Angela waved goodbye with her good hand. As Mrs. Charity left, Mike goaded Angela into opening the card.
It read: "Hope you feel better soon."
In pretty cursive writing, below it said, "At first I was mad that you ruined my sweater, but now I'm just glad that you're getting better. Safron Henderson." And a little heart ended the message.
"Goofy," Angela handed the card to Mike to read. She picked up a miniature rose bouquet and read the card.
"Can't wait to see your smile. Love, Mrs. Callon and class." On the card were signatures from everyone in her homeroom class, even Mike and Cedric.
"Thanks, guys!" Angela gave the bouquet to her dad.
"Welcome," Cedric grinned. "Who are the SweetTarts from?"
"Let's see," Angela said, picking up the heart-shaped box of sugar candies. The card was in an envelope; Mike had to open it for her.
It said, in messy writing, "Thank yu for helpeng me. Zazini Jackson."
Below it was written, in better handwriting. "Thank you so much for saving Zazi. Annabelle."
"That's so cute!" Angela laughed before giving the card to Cedric. She picked up a homemade card next, with a crude, handdrawn picture of a pegasus of the front, the words "LET YOUR SPIRIT SOAR" printed below it.
Angela opened it and say some weird symbols painted onto the paper, along with the words, "That's Japanese kanji for 'Get better soon!' (Actually, it's 'Become Better Directly', but we couldn't find anything else) Love, Melania and Anna."
"HA!" Angela laughed, putting the card down on her lap. "That's funny!"
"What is? Lemme see!" Mike snatched the card and read it, letting Cedric read over his shoulder.
The last card had no picture on the front, but the words inside gave away who it was from.
Written in yellow was, "Can't wait to have you back."
Written in blue was, "Sorry about this whole mess."
Written in red was: "We miss you."
Angela felt some tears coming to her eyes.
"What's wrong, angel?" Mr. Young asked his daughter. "Who's it from?"
"It's not signed," she squealed, handing the card to Mike, who read it with an expression of surprise.
"Then how do you know it's not from the kidnapper?" Mr. Young started to panic. "Quick, Mike, give me the card!"
"No!" Mike hid the card in his pocket.
A familiar voice popped into Angela's head. 'Hi, Angela!'
'Lilly?' Angela though to herself. 'Why is she calling me?'
'I just wanted to check on you! Is that a crime?'
'You've got some nerve calling me, Lilly!' Angela waged the war in her brain. 'You weren't even there when I got shot! I could've been killed!'
'You almost were killed!' Lilly fought back. 'Do you know how many pellets I had to stop from hitting your heart?'
'What?'
"22. 22 pellets that were heading straight for your heart, and I stopped them! Now, don't tell me I have nerve until you know everything that happened! I broke so many rules, keeping you from dieing, I'm gonna get a demerit for sure!'
***
It was a few days later, and Angela was back out in the real world. Her arm, although numb and useless now, was getting better, even though she had to keep it in a sling. She was back at Zapz one day, watching Lilly flip through the channels, when Maxwell S. Hammer came onto the screen, holding Cedra in his arm.
"... And here, right here in Los Angeles, California, on the national news station to say hello is my neice, Cedra. Cedra, do you want to say anything to the public?"
"I sure do!" Cedra laughed. "Thank you, B-Bop!"
A collective shudder went through the room as the Martians heard their names being called out on national television.
"Thank you, 2-T! Thank you, Do-Wah!"
"Wh- Cedra, who are B-Bop, 2-T, and Do-Wah?"
"Who are who?" Cedra looked blankly at her uncle. He sighed and kept giving his report.
"Gada- wigijub-" B-Bop grabbed 2-T by the shirt collar and started talking to him in Martian. The kids couldn't understand what they were saying, but B-Bop looked mad and 2-T looked confused.
"It's okay," Lilly explained. "I erased the effect of the memory erase crystal. The girls can all remember us."
"THEY WHAT?!"
"They remember us!" Lilly chirped. "But don't worry; the way I have their brains set up, they can't tell anybody about you, even if they tried. And besides, now we have secret agents all the way through California, and two in Natchitoles!"
"Troops! This is Emporer Bog calling!"
Lilly quickly gathered the kids together and hid them while B-Bop address the Emporer. "Emporer Bog! How... unexpected!"
"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" Emporer Bog gloated as he sat upon his throne, Dr. Damage standing at his side. "I heard your names on the Earth's broadcasting system, Commander B-BOP-a-Luna. Explain!"
"Um... um.. um-well, apparently, someone has stolen our names, your excellency!" B-Bop nervously thought up an excuse. "And-and used them as a guise to uh... to, uh..."
"We don't exactly know what their motavation is, sir," 2-T interrupted. "But we will launch an investigation, your majesty."
"Very good," Emporer Bog grinned. "Emporer Bog out."
And away he went.
Hate to end it here, but I'm DO- Oh, wait! I'm not done! Author's note!
Brittany Charity: Brittany, the name, means "Hailing From Britain", thought it was fitting.
Cedra: A name I made up, no meaning.
Sorry if I offended anybody who uses gangster talk, but it drives me CRAZY!
Hi, Double F! Melania? THAT WAS YOU! You like?
Dedicated to the kids and families of people who have been kidnapped, may God have mercy on you. (OW! Shoulder hurts from typing.)
Okay, now I'm done.
DONE!