"It's time for danger! Time for action! Time for: The brand new DOCTOR ZONE 50th and a half YEAR ACTION FIGURE! Get it to complete your collection today!"
The theme music warbled on as the ad finished up. Milo closed his laptop and spun to face Zack and Mellissa.
"So now you know why I'm so excited for this particular action figure!"
Zack scratched his head. "Yeah, I'm actually still confused, what makes this one different? It looks exactly the same as all the other ones you have."
Milo laughed. "Oh don't be silly, Zack! This is nothing like these other ones!" He ran to his closet and pulled open the door. Well, rather, the door came off its hinges and he put it to the side. Inside the closet sat at least 50 different Doctor Zone and Time Ape action figures.
"You see, it's a re release of an original era variant with the new head sculpt and magenta polka dots on his present hand instead of light lavender!" Milo exclaimed.
Melissa picked up one. "This isn't lavender?"
"No, that's eggplant." Milo replied. "And that one was a variant without the silver lining on the goggles!"
Melissa showed to Zack, who inspected it. "It looks silver."
"It's light gunmetal grey. The point is, this new one is top of the line, and it comes with a commemorative plaque!"
Zack raised his eyebrow. "Wow, the plaque makes all the difference."
"I know, right!" Milo carefully plucked the action figure from Melissa and placed him back in the lineup. "Besides, I'm actually getting two. One for me, and one for Sara for her birthday!"
"Wouldn't she have one already?" Melissa pointed out.
"Maybe, but then she could keep the one she gets in packaging for greater resell value." Milo replied, putting the closet door back into place. "Anyways, I'm going to need your help to hit up the Comic Shop tomorrow morning when it opens! That way we'll definitely get at least two!"
"Couldn't we wait until mid afternoon." Zack asked. "I don't wanna get up at-- what time does the Comic Shop open?"
"Seven, and that's a no go." Melissa replied. "Because as Milo is about to point out--"
"The store sells out of these type things every year within thirty minutes, and then I have to scrounge online to find the best deal." Milo explained. "And with ruthless scalpers, the prices can go up over 500%!"
"How much are these things normally?" Zack asked.
"19 and change, give or take." Milo answered. "Point is, I need to get to the action figure before the swathes of OTHER collectors swing in and grab all the copies! Can I count on your help!"
Zack and Melissa nodded. "We're in." Melissa said.
"Awesome!" Milo exclaimed.
The closet door fell over.
The next morning...
"Huh, there's not a line at all." Milo noted. "That's odd."
Zack yawned. "Do you mean we woke up at five to get in line for nothing?"
Melissa sipped some coffee. "Speak for yourself, I grabbed a Pumpkin Spice latte the morning they were gonna discontinue it, so I count this as a job well done."
"Oh, hi Neil from the Comic Shop!" Milo waved at Neil, who was flipping the store sign from "CLOSED" to "OPEN".
"Hi Milo." Neil replied. "What are you doing here so early?"
"I'm here to get two copies of the limited edition 50th and a half Anniversary Doctor Zone action figure!" Milo replied. "With plaque."
Neil inhaled sharply. "Sorry to tell you, but we're actually sold out. Online orders just came in at took out all our stock."
"We could have ordered online!" Zack yelled.
"Nope, bots get them too fast." Milo replied. "So all of your back stock is gone too?"
Neil nodded. "Sorry Milo. I was gonna get one for Sara for her birthday, actually, but we couldn't sell them until right now."
"Same!" Milo chirped. "Well, do you know where it could be possible to find it?"
Neil stroked his chin. "You could try the Generic Superstore."
"That's an idea! Let's go gang!" Milo shouted.
At the Generic Superstore...
"You guys are sold out too?" Milo exclaimed.
"Not sold out, but... uhh... my system says that we only carry it online." The floor-person replied.
"And let me guess: bots." Zack asked.
"Bots." Milo agreed.
Melissa finished her coffee and expertly tossed it into the nearest trash bin. "Maybe we're going at this from the wrong angle. Do you know any stores that the company who makes the toys actually operates?"
The floor-person shrugged. "I've never been much into action figures, I'm more of a puzzle person."
"Well here we go!" Milo interjected. "Turns out, they have exactly forty locations in the continental US! And one is right here in Danville!"
"That's surprisingly good luck." Zack noted.
"Don't jinx it." Milo replied. "Still, that's where we're off to! Thank you, kind floor-person!"
"Anytime! I guess." They replied.
"And I'd take a step from that tomato soup can pyramid." Milo added as the three ran out of the store."
The soup pyramid collapsed.
"That guy is good." The floor-person noted.
At the Wassis toy emporium...
"Ah, this particular action figure was sold out five seconds ago." The clerk at the front desk said.
"Man, this guy is gonna make a great fighter pilot!" Said the kid walking out of the store.
"We only made about 70,000 worldwide for a very popular version of the protagonist for a very popular TV show and didn't expect it to be this popular." The clerk added.
"Man, what are the odds that all three stores would be completely out?" Milo exclaimed.
"Even money." Zack and Melissa replied in tandem.
"Well, better luck online, I hope." Milo said.
"Wait!" The clerk exclaimed. "Our system says we have two on hand!"
"Really, where?" Milo asked.
"It doesn't say." The clerk replied. "But that will be your best shot, it seems!"
"Well then we'd better split up, search the store top to bottom." Melissa stated.
"Good idea!" Milo said. "Let's go! And thanks again!"
The three ran off in different directions.
Zack ran towards the north side. Sidestepping a mountain of stuffed animals, he found himself in the model car section. Shrugging, he began to, one by one, double check behind each car package.
Melissa ran towards the middle and found herself smack dab in the action figures section. After locating the Doctor Zone subsection, she realized something. It was completely empty. As were most of the other shelves. Pacing, she strengthened her search.
Milo ended up in the clearance section, and began tossing toys out of a bin marked "Underperforming but mass produced side characters that no one wants or bought." One flew a few feet away, where it was promptly picked up be Diogee, who brought it back to Milo.
"Diogee, go home!" Milo laughed, petting him. "You're not supposed to be a in a toy store."
Diogee trotted away, and Milo kept searching. A stray bolt he accidentally shook out flew into a display, which dropped a canister, which kicked a box which knocked into a model rocket which caught an umbrella and snagged the entire pile of toys Milo had discarded into the air.
Across town...
"I can't believe you opened a museum of toys no one wanted to buy and then didn't buy any toys!" A woman shouted at a mustached man across from her. "What did you think, a big pile of toys was just going to fall out of the sky?"
A loud noise was heard above them, and Cavendish and Dakota landed in a heap between them.
"Good heavens, Mistress Block was right!" Cavendish exclaimed. "This area is filled to the brim with positive probability ions!"
"It only works when she's negative." The mustached man said.
A couple seconds passed, then a model rocket crashed down with the umbrella holding the toys from earlier.
"Man, we should invest in this guy." Dakota noted. "He makes a fortune wherever he goes."
The man looked at the woman. "See? They get me."
Back at the store...
The three friends ran up to a check stand, each holding a copy of the action figure.
"Guess they had three in stock." Zack noted.
"I'll get all three." Milo said, completing the purchase.
"Why get three when you only need two?" Melissa asked as they walked outside.
"Seen him before you're gonna see him soon! He's recurring raccoon!" Recurring Racoon walked right up and nabbed the box from Milo's hands and strolled away, giving a wink to the camera.
"Happens every time." Milo noted.
Back at the Murphy house...
"Can't believe we went through all that for a toy." Zack noted as Milo unpacked the figure.
"Correction: two toys." Melissa quipped.
"And not just any toy!" Milo held the figure aloft. "Behold! The limited edition 50th and a half year anniversary Doctor Zo-- oh, he's got two left legs."
Zack groaned. "Stupid Murphy's law. Guess you'll have to return it."
Milo laughed. "Are you kidding? I gotta keep this guy in box! Do you realize how rare defects like this are? Serious collectors will pay extra for random things like that!"
Zack sighed and turned to Melissa. "Remind me to never get into the toy collecting business."
It's my world and we're all living in it!