Early the next morning Amy had caught Cora pacing around in circles and mumbling to herself incoherently, like a crazy person you didn't want to startle.

she stepped out and cleared her throat, "Cora, will ya stop it, you're making me nervous!"

Cora looked up at Amy and stopped instantly embarassed.

"what are you doing back here alone?"

"Just thinking, you startled me."

"what were you thinking about?" Amy asked.

"Last night. Jackie Chan got through the barrier, he was this close to my face," she held up her finger and thumb, showing her point, " And now i don't feel safe even with others here, I've been like this hours now." Cora sat down holding her throbbing head. "past me the rucksack will you, love; I'm starving."

Amy through Cora her rucksack, which seemed to get lighter every hour, "Cora relax, eat something before going into hysterics."

Cora opened her rucksack and had a rummage round, nearly falling into it like it was Mary Poppins handbag.

"Hay, someone stole my last bag of crisps!" Cora looked up at the guilty Amy.

"Sorry." she smiled, awkwardly dusting the crumbs off her shirt.

"We're seriously low on food. I need to go food shopping but i dare not leave in case Chan follows me!" she folded her arms feeling rather pathetic.

Amy held out her hand, "Cora, you really need to relax, if you want, I'll come shopping with you."

"thanks but I just remembered, I don't think we can leave, Drago wants us to stay close."

"bah!" Amy leaped up then pulled up her sulking comrade, "he's not my keeper now lets go explore, before the cabin fever takes us!"

However before Amy could take another foot, a booming shout echo throughout the yard and bounced off the metal towers. "Boys. Where are you. get ready its time to go to work!

"Hey, whats going on now?" Amy watched the boys walk across the junkyard to meet Drago.

"Well, I'd say they're going off to find another Zodiac Maiden in some far off land."

"cool!"

"and we have to stay behind." Cora added dryly.

"well that sucks." Amy sulked, then she was struck by an idea, "Hey, wait here."

Cora just stood and watched in tired frustration, Now what's she doing?

Amy stalked low like a serpent and as quickly as a trained ninja following the Ice gang, creeping quietly behind a rusty, oil drum, as Drago gave his orders to his underlings.

Amy remained hidden as the boys walk by without seeing her, Ice moaned, "Man, i cant believe it we get to go all the way to Australia and we don't even get to go to the beach, what a rip off."

Australia huh? I've always wanted to go there. Amy grinned mischievously, then once again crept away as though she had never moved at all.

"Cora!" Cora jumped with a surprised yelp.

"stop sneaking up on me!" she gasped.

"Sorry, listen. I have found the cure for your Chan anxiety and my cabin fever. a vacation!"

Cora raise her brow, confused and worry.

"lets get packing, we have a plan to catch."

...

3 hours later, on a plane. In First Class

Drago and the Ice gang had hijacked a set of luxurious seats in first class; it was a long flight from san fransisco to Australia so one by one the boys went to sleep.

"ouch, watch your nails!"

MC Cobra woke up; he heard a familiar voice whispering behind his seat, he got up slowly and looked behind him to see two women in big sunhats, sunglasses and scarves, like something out of a spy movie, really inconspicuous.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered careful not to alert his snoring friends.

"I'm sorry darling, i think you've mistaken us for someone else." Cora replied in an posh accent, MC smiled at her act. but turned serious; returning to her normal accent she explained, "OK look it was Amy's idea, and there's no way I'm staying in the junk yard, ( which by the way no longer has a barrier) a second time while she's playing games on the other side of the world."

"And if you squeal on us your going sky diving without a parachute." Amy threaten. "Got it?"

MC looked behind him to the guys then back to the girls. "You know Drago's gonna kill ya when he finds out you're here."

"you mean IF he finds out." retorted Amy,"I tell you what: we'll just stay on beach, and you can come get us when its time to go home."

MC Cobra sighed, raking his hand through his hair "be careful. stay on the beach and don't get caught." them sat back in his seat.

"No worries, we will." Cora promised.

~lady's and gentlemen we will be touching down in Australia in 20 minutes, please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts~

...

Bondi beach, Australia

"OK we're there, now what?" Cora asked, staring awestruck at the beautiful scenery.

the beach sand was light and fine like freshly ground flour, the ocean, clear and shimmering called out like a siren, "please come to me," the waves crashed and foam and crashed again. the locals, some fat some thin, many tanned or near burned, the local boys so muscular and fine, so very fine.

Amy smiled breathing in the fresh air, "first we should get into a disguise so Drago doesn't recognize us while he's working, and its too hot for t-shirts and jeans. then we find a nice spot to lay down and tan, with our skin you'd think we were a piece of tin foil on the beach. LOOK A BEACH SHACK *gasp* WITH BIKINIS." Amy ran full speed towards the shack literally dragging Cora behind her like a doll.

~after several fittings and some struggling ~

Amy submerged from the beach shack wearing a green bikini with hot pants shorts and matching green sandals, behind her a reluctant Cora came into the sun, white as a swan and cheeks red as cherry tomatoes.

From inside the shack Cora called out laughing while shaking nervously, "Amy I was crazy to let you talk me into coming on this trip, but i draw the line of wearing THIS!" referring to the rather skimpy number Amy picked out for her, a midnight blue string bikini with strings as thin as dental floss.

"What you talking about? it totally suits you, don't be self conscious and come out here." she complimented.

exhaling Cora walked out with her clothes in a beach bag, then snagged a turquoise sarong and cream sun hat off a bamboo rail before anyone caught her, "At least let me cover my shoulders." she tied it up above her chest, covering her bikini like a see through dress and places the hat on her head. "I need a lie down and a coke, lets go."

...

Across the way a group of local boys were playing volleyball, two of the players walked off for a cold drink, one of them had moppy golden curls, wearing green swim shorts and a sharktooth necklace; he grabbed a cola bottle from a cooler. the other had pinch black hair brushed back like a stallions main, he poured cool, bottled water over his head and down his back, gradually rolling down to the rim of his black shorts.

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, the blonde man caught sight of Cora and Amy in their swimsuits walking along the beach.

"Ay Heath look," he nudged his friend, "check out the two beauties."

the man known as Heath lowered his sunglasses and smiled at the two ivory beauties, shifting from one to the other and back again, "Wow! I call the brunette!"

"Now way, mate, she's mine you can have the other one."

Cora and Amy carefully tip toed along the sand avoiding stepping on someone, Cora lost a flip flop over someones beach bag and bent over to slip it back on. when she straighted up she felt a strange form behind her.

"Hi there snow white."

she turned around to a leering stranger with coal black hair. accompanied by a another man with his eyes on Amy.

"Amy I think there's a space way over there." Cora tried to ignore the two men.

"Hey, I'm Jack, this is Heath," said the moppy haired young man, flexing his trimmed muscles.

Cora shivered, she hated when strange boys tried flirting with her, "just ignore them and they'll go away." Cora kept walking with Amy, hoping they'd take the hint.

but instead they followed beside them, Heath tried to touch Cora's arm, "listen, we're having a volleyball game, you wanna play with us?"

Cora moved away, flashing him a dirty look "no thanks," she hissed.

Amy pushed Heath and Jack away, "yeah, go play with yourselves, go away," she ordered, grabbing Cora's arm and leading her away.

...

"Surfs up!"

first sunbathing now surfing, Amy is so fickle Cora sighed. personally she was content to just lay in the sun, listening to the waves roll up and down over and over. it really relaxed her, Amy was right it seemed, a change of scene was just what Cora needed to calm down and breathe freely.

"Hey Cora watch me watch me!" Amy shouted from the ocean, trying to keep balance on a stolen surfboard. Cora lifted her sunglasses to watch.

"So how it going?" someone behind her asked.

"not too bad, Amy cant surf for sh... " she looked up and smiled, pleasantly surprised, "MC!"

MC Cobra smiled back. "Hay just wanted to warn you, Drago's got the girl and we're heading the airport asap, I'll tell you what happened when we get home."

"Oh thanks you're a doll." she noticed he was staring blankly at her, " what?"

he woke up, "oh nothing, you look nice."

"Oh, thank you." Cora blushed, she was flattered and a little embarrassed he had seen her half naked. but MC Cobra quickly ran off, so Cora decided it was time to get ready. collecting their clothes she called out to the ocean, "Amy, come on we're leaving!"

...

"Ladies we're back, miss us?" Drago beamed, proud that he was once again victorious. behind him Strikemaster Ice and his crew stood wearily with the unconscious Maiden of Zodiac lying asleep in DJ Fists arms.

"Not really." Amy muttered. inside she was beeming too, the cleverness of her to travel halfway around the world and back again, right under Drago's nose without him knowing.

"Welcome back boys. We'll take over from here." Cora lead DJ away to find a place to lay the woman down to sleep.

"Amy, Cora why do you look so different?" Drago asked sensing something was amiss.

"i feel different, a lot better." Cora replied quickly, nervous that their cover had been blown. but then Amy smoothly added.

"we were bored and got a spray tan together."