The Great Russo Abduction

Summary: Zeke and Justin had plans to see their favorite space exhibit. Suddenly, Justin and his family went on vacation, but left Harper behind? Something doesn't add up. And Zeke thinks he knows what's really going on. Post-Wizards Exposed.

"We're going to the museum, to see the space show, uh huh, uh huh, uh huh…" Zeke sang as he walked down Waverly Place towards his best friend's restaurant. Well, danced, actually. But it was a special occasion! Zeke and Justin were taking Harper to their favorite space exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, called "Journey to the Stars." Of course, Justin had suggested that Zeke should take Harper there for a date, but Zeke had argued that it didn't feel right going to their favorite exhibit without him.

Besides, Zeke had planned a very romantic evening for him and Harper once the show was over. Since they'd worked so well together for the science fair, Zeke thought he might be able to rekindle that spark if they worked on a robot he was building for a convention. And to be honest, he really needed to do some work on that robot anyway.

Thoughts of an afternoon with Harper made his dance even more enthusiastic. "We're going to the space show, it really is the best show, then we're gonna build some robots, 'cause I like my girlfriend lots…" Zeke continued to sing, his happy, loud voice carrying down the street.

But it wasn't the only noise disturbing the quiet afternoon. It sounded like there was some kind of construction happening at the Sub Station.

Concerned, Zeke reluctantly stopped dancing and broke into a run. His eyes widened when he saw the planks of wood hammered on to the restaurant's windows. "Harper!" he yelled while he started pounding on the door. "Justin? What's going on? Are we still going to the museum?"

"Zeke?" Harper called, her voice muffled. "Uh, hold on!"

He raised his eyebrow when he thought he heard the clanking and squeaking of metal while Harper opened the door. Sure enough, his girlfriend stood before him…dressed in a full suit of armor. Given her unusual style of dress, Zeke didn't even blink. "Wow, cool knight costume, Harper. Did you make it yourself?" Harper had a wide variety of artistic talents, so it wouldn't surprise him if metal-working was among them.

"Uh…yeah, sure, let's go with that," Harper said quickly. "I, um, decided to give metalworking a try. Not that I'm not glad to see you…sweetie…but…what are you doing here, exactly?"

But Zeke was too distracted by the changed Sub Station to think of an answer for her question. The whole space had been converted into some kind of workshop. There was the expected tools and wood, but there were also nets, boxing gloves, and…water balloons filled with a mysterious green goop. "What's going on?" he asked as he tried to come up with a possible explanation. "Are you…trying to catch a rodent or something?"

"Yes, that! There's a…rat infestation, so I decided to set up a bunch of traps for it," Harper answered.

"Oh, okay, good idea. Though honestly, I don't see why you didn't just call an exterminator," Zeke said with a shrug. "Where's Justin? Are we still going to the museum? You'll have to change though, or you'll set off the metal detectors."

Harper let out a nervous chuckle. "Right, um…the Russos decided to, uh…stay with Mrs. Russo's mother. Alex and Mrs. Russo were freaked out by the rats."

"So they left you here alone? That doesn't seem right," Zeke replied. He knew that Harper often did things for the Russos to thank them for taking her in, but this seemed a little extreme. At the very least, Mr. Russo or Justin should've stayed behind to help. "Do you need help? I guess I'm free since we're not going to the show."

For some reason, Harper seemed panicked by the idea. "No!" she exclaimed, then forced herself to stay calm when he gave her a bewildered glance. "I mean, I think I've got everything covered. And aren't you scared of rats, too?"

"They're just too smart! You can train them to run mazes and all kinds of stuff!" Zeke ranted. "They'll be the first to side with the robots when the revolution begins!"

Harper patted him on the shoulder. "That's why you should leave me to take care of them, honey. Why don't you go to the museum by yourself? You love the space show."

"Yeah, I guess…let me just call Justin to make sure he can't go," Zeke said as he took out his cell phone. "I know his grandmother's place is a few hours away, but he might want to take the train in for this. Besides, have you ever noticed how he tends to get from one place to another faster than most people?"

Before Harper could object, Zeke speed-dialed Justin. Then froze when Justin's ring tone sounded from…inside the freezer? "That's weird. Why didn't Justin take his cell phone to his grandmother's house? And why is it in the freezer?"

"To, uh…make the battery last longer," Harper said. "You know what, Justin must have forgotten it. Oh well, I guess - "

But Zeke was already making another call. "I'll call Mr. Russo, then. He'll pass along the message for me."

"No, don't, I'll…you have Mr. Russo's number in your phone?" Harper asked, amused.

Zeke shrugged. "Don't you?"

The phone rang, and rang…until it also went to voicemail. "He's not picking up," Zeke said while he ended the call. That's when it started to dawn on him that something was wrong. He'd given Justin the benefit of the doubt, but usually the most responsible Russo always kept his cell phone with him, fully charged. Even if Justin did just forget his phone as they were rushing out of the building, he would've definitely called Zeke to let him know what was going on. That's what best friends did.

"I don't like this, Harper," Zeke said as he began to pace, the phone still in his hand. "Are you sure the Russos are at their grandmother's house?"

"What do you mean? Of course they are," Harper said with an exaggerated huff.

"But maybe…" Zeke trailed off, a theory starting to form. It wasn't a pretty one, but he had to consider the possibility. "I was reading on a website that there have been recent accounts of humans who were tricked into an alien abduction." He started to pace more quickly as his panic grew. "What if…aliens planted the rats in the building, so you would all go to where they could abduct you easier? Grandma Maggie lives upstate. It's a lot easier for aliens to go unnoticed in farm country." He then grabbed startled Harper in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you chose to stay here and fight! You saved yourself!"

Harper wriggled out of his grasp. "Zeke, that's ridiculous! The Russos haven't been abducted by aliens! Look, Grandma Maggie has horrible reception. I'm sure the Russos just turned off their cell phones since they can't get a signal anyway. They're…they're fine. Really."

As he calmed down, Zeke noticed that Harper was definitely worried too. And she wasn't hiding it very well if he could notice. But while he still thought the Russos could've been abducted, he decided to back off. She was clearly upset enough over trying to catch the rats. "Okay, okay," he grumbled. "If you say so, I believe you. But if the Russos aren't back when the rats are gone, I'm reporting this as an alien abduction!"

Harper sighed. "Fair enough." She then gave him a quick kiss on the check. Zeke's knees started to wobble, but he managed to stay standing.

"What was that for?" Zeke asked.

"Being adorable when you're worried," Harper answered with a coy smile. Then she put her helmet back on. "Have fun at the space show, honey. We can go another time."

"Of course!" Zeke's eyes widened. "Then it will be my hundredth time seeing it, and you'll be there! How awesome is that?"

As Harper waved good-bye, Zeke ran back out onto Waverly Place. But he headed for the subway that would take him home. No way could he just sit and watch a show, even if it was one of his favorites, when his best friend might be in the clutches of alien beings. He needed to start searching the Internet for reports of UFO sightings where the Russos' grandmother lived. Hopefully, there'd be nothing to find.