*Once again, thank you Delia97 for your IM brainstorming ideas and support. Let's keep the laughs coming! ^_^*
The Murky Water Syndrome
Part 4: The Disaster Approaches
R grabbed Delia's arms and drug her out of the kitchenette, leaving the door open which allowed the hallway to flood. "You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she spat out water and commented on the taste. "Hey, this stuff is salty, like ocean water!"
"Yep, we'd better get out of here fast." he choked. "The whole level's gonna be under water soon!"
They made their way down the hall and up to Zed's office, the hallway got drier as they approached, the people on the main floor had no idea about what was rapidly rushing towards them.
"Zed!" Delia called, pushing open his door and stumbling in, soaking wet.
Zed looked up from his phone conversation and noticed the agent and her partner, dripping water all over his office floor. He was afraid to ask.
"What now?! Can't you see I'm busy?" he snapped.
"There's a problem down in the kitchenette Sir." R began.
"I know, someone glues Skittles all over the wall!" he glared at Delia. "And I don't suppose you two came up here to tell me that you've finished scraping them off?"
He glanced down at some documents, he was going to need to fill out an order for some costly cleaning chemicals to melt the crazy glue that Zealtor had invented for Delia's little art project. "I'm not in the best of moods right now Agents, I think it's best if you both just leave."
"But---" they both protested.
"NOW! Or I'll reassign you both to Antarctica!"
Delia and R looked behind Zed to the hallway down on the main level where a large wave of water was rushing forth.
Their eyes widened and they each took a step back as they noticed the aliens and agents standing just a few yards away from the wave, oblivious to what was coming at them.
Suddenly Delia noticed something large and dark swimming along with the wave. It looked over forty feet long! Just then, it hit her. The salty water, the need to flood the HQ, it must have all been done for that…"Zed---SIR!"
"Not NOW Agent Delia---I'M BUSY taking care of another one of your disasters!" Zed signed the document and pushed it aside.
"BUT SIR!"
"NOT ANOTHER WORD!"
"SHARK!"
Zed shook his head, opening up yet another folder full of forms. "WILL YOU STOP MAKING A SCENE AND LET ME FINISH THIS PAPERWORK!??"
******
Kay and Jay were down on the other side of the main level, where the elevator shafts were.
"Alright Slick," Kay said placidly, "the water should stop just below these doors, but it's rising quickly so be careful when you open them."
Jay mumbled something about always being in the line of danger while everyone else got to watch from a sage distance before he pressed the button and the doors slid open. The elevator were no longer running up and down but had stopped above the main level to keep the rest of HQ from flooding. The doors however, still opened as an emergency procedure.
When the elevator binged Jay took a step cautiously to the edge as Kay powered up his weapon. "It's too dark to make anything out!" Jay called from the edge of the shaft.
"Something's in there Slick, we both heard it get lowered down." Kay replied, strolling over to the shaft and looking down into the murky water that stopped just below their feet and continued rising.
Kay walked back down the hall a little ways and opened the communicator, after a few minutes of babbling with the Twins while Jay watched the water rise and start to spill out into the hall, he turned around, "Twins say that the water pipes in the lower level and a few on the main level have busted. Sounds like someone or something is trying to flood the place and it's up to us to find out why."
Jay turned and followed his partner down the hall, the water was splashing around their ankles and finally was knee deep by the time they reached the end of the hall. "Man, we're gonna be up to ears in salt water before morning!"
"How do you know it's salt water?" Kay asked.
"The smell." Jay replied, "I keep expecting a seagull to swoop down over my head!"
Kay had his back to the direction they had just come from as the water reached their waists. Jay had turned to face his partner while they talked and saw something swimming towards them.
"Uh---Kay."
Kay was running a scanner over some of the walls, checking for where breaks in the pipelines were, "Not now Slick, I've gotta find the source of the pressure build up."
The thing became clearer, it was straight, two and a half feet tall, sticking out of the water, and heading straight for Kay!
"K-Kay!" Jay pointed behind his partner who refused to be distracted from his work.
The gray dorsal fin came at Kay faster now, it was sure making time racing down that long hall. For a moment, Jay couldn't find his voice.
"Does anything about all this seem strange to you?" Kay asked absently as he continued scanning the pipes overhead.
Jay nodded, swallowing hard, for lack of a better idea…he started humming the theme from Jaws. "Dun-uh, dun-uh dun-uh dun-uh…"
"Very funny Slick." Kay couldn't believe that Jay was trying to scare him. Val was right he'd never grow up.
The shark was only a few yards away now, "DUN-UN! DUN-UH DUN-UH DUN-UH!!!!"
Jay was getting a lot louder now, just like in the movie. Finally Kay gave up with a sigh, "Alright Jay, what is it?!"
Jay pointed behind Kay just as the fin disappeared beneath the water's surface.
"I don't see anything, what a surprise." he glared at Jay. "Slick, get behind me and quit playing jokes. I've got to get over there and check out those pipes."
Jay shook his head.
"Now Slick!"
"Nuh-uh!"
Kay was getting fed up with this, he turned around and gestured towards the hall, "Slick! This is a building, sharks don't swim around in hallways! Now quit being such a rookie and get back there! There are no sharks in the h-"
Before Kay could finish his lecture a Great White sprang up and made a lunge for his hand. Kay jerked it away with a look of pure shock. Jay grabbed Kay's collar and tugged him back down the hall, towards the main floor. "We've gotta get outta here!" he cried.
******
Meanwhile, back in Zed's office, Delia was still trying to get Zed to turn around.
"Big fish, REALLY BIG fish!" she shouted, holding her arms out wide to illustrate her point.
"I'm losing my patience with you," Zed warned.
R's eyes got wide as he caught sight of what Delia was rambling about. "She's not kidding Sir."
"Not you too?!" Zed yelled, "How many people are in on this?!"
Suddenly Agent Kay came running in with a screaming Jay behind him, "SHARK!"
"AGENT KAY---I'M IN NO MOOD FOR GROUP PRATICAL JOKES!"
There was a loud commotion outside Zed's office as crowd of agents and aliens tore down the hall.
A wave of water followed them and the Worms sailed by on little surfboards. One was holding a coffee pot above his head. "Surf Java!"
Another Worm was paddling against the current. "Wait! We forgot the cream!"
A small wave broke and the Worms wiped out. "Cowabunga dude!"
"Don't spill the coffee!"
Zed shook his head and called after them as they were swept by, "You four whine any more about the lost coffee, and we'll have a fishing trip--- I still have a fishing reel in my office!"
That threat made, he picked up the phone with a sigh, "Can you send a janitor up here with a floor buffer?" then hung up calmly.
That taken care of, he turned to Delia, "AGENT DELIA---WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW?!"
"WASN'T ME ZED---HONEST!" Delia protested.
"I'd believe that as much as I'd believe that there was a SHARK IN THE BUILDING!" he shouted, eyeing Kay.
Suddenly, a shark tore by, close enough for Zed to see. Delia folded her arms and looked out the window, "Told ya so."
Zed shook his head and turned to Kay, "Care to explain this?"
******
Down the hall Zeeltor was having the time of his life exploring the HQ building which was now mostly underwater. "Hmm, I wonder if any aquatic life was brought in with this sudden flood?" he pondered to himself.
Yazmine had been atop a floating table screaming at him for the last fifteen minutes to get out of the water. With a groan she got off the table and waded in after him. She got closer and the water was nearly over her head, "ZeeltooOOoOOoRRrrrRRR!!" her voice got muffled when the water washed over her head.
The delighted scientist didn't hear her as he continued looking through the vast flooded regions of HQ.
Something else was in the water though. Something with its cold, unfeeling eyes on him!
Zeeltor turned to face the creature, "Hmmmm that looks to be of the---- wait a minute--- SHARK!"
Yazmine heard this and saw the thrashing of the tiger shark's tail as it swam towards Zeeltor. "Oh my gosh, Zeeltor!"
Yanei was right behind her and noticed the creature too, "It's no use Dr. Yazmine. He doesn't stand a chance!"
Regardless of what Yanei thought Zeeltor wasn't about to go down without a fight. "Oh dear!" he exclaimed and swam towards the other end of the hall, where Yazmine and Yanei were standing.
Yanei's eyes grew large, "Swim for it!" she cried.
"I can't swim!" Yazmine shouted back.
She had no choice but to kick her way through the flooded hall, pushing furniture and paperwork aside. Fortunately, Zeeltor was right behind her. Unfortunately, so was the shark!
******
Upstairs Zed was trying to get a handle on the situation. Delia, R, Kay, and Jay were standing before him along with at least twenty-four other agents that had somehow managed to jam themselves and six aliens into his office.
"We need to send someone to go check the base floor…" said Zed. He looked at the most annoying members of the group and knew he couldn't trust the worms to do more than hunt for coffee. He looked at Agent Delia. "You--- go." he said.
She gave a shocked look. "ME? Oooh no, Zed! I've ruined four pairs of shoes today and I'm not about to make it 5!"
Zed pointed to the door.
Delia frantically looked around for something/someone to get her out of this. She spotted Elle on the main floor, she was sitting atop a customs counter with X as they lights began to flicker. "I saw that movie--- the young blonde chick died first. Elle should be safe."
"NOW!"
"WELL if you're gonna be that way about it. Don't complain next time I ask for more money to go shopping!"
With a grunt she left Zed's office, R following close behind. The water was up to her knees, "And now my pants are soaked---AGAIN!" she grumbled.
"This is so cool," R muttered, looking around, "Wonder if we'll run into any of those sh-"
"DON'T EVEN SAY IT!" Delia snapped.
R laughed. "Hey look, it's Elle and my cousin!"
He waved to them as they approached. If they were a pain to each other when they dry, they where intolerable to each other when they were wet!
"What's going on?" Elle asked, "Where the heck did all this water come from?"
"Evidently," Delia sighed, recalling the explanations she and Kay had given Zed, "it came from all over the place!"
"What are you doing out here?!" X asked R, he knew his mother would chew him out if anything happened to her little nephew.
"Delia and I have to search the base floor." he explained.
'Great…' X thought. He could just see his cousin drowning or getting eaten by one of those sharks that he'd seen swim by a few minutes ago. His aunt would never forgive him, he'd have to go along and keep R safe.
"C'mon," X said, grabbing Elle by the arm and dragging her off with R and Delia.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Elle demanded, jerking her arm away.
"We've got to go with R and Delia or my entire family will hold me responsible for his death!"
"And why should I come along and help you?!"
"Don't you want to keep an eye on your little clone?" he asked Elle with a sneer, gesturing ahead at Delia.
"Hey! Watch it Spock!" she shouted, R laughed.
The water rose above Delia's head as she drew closer to the lab. "MY HAIR! THATS IT! I DON'T CARE! I QUIT! GIMME THAT NEURALYZER!!?"
X gladly handed her his neuralyzer, Elle slapped him in the back of the head. "Just granting her wish," X snickered.
Delia walked faster, intent on getting away from that annoying pain in the neck. Suddenly, she bumped into something blue and weird looking. "AHHH! BLUE LAGOON MONSTER!"
"Really? Where?!" A familiar voice bubbled as Zeeltor stuck his entire head out of the water.
"AHHH!!!" Delia screamed and shoved him under. "Don't ever do that again!"
Zeeltor came back up spitting and sputtering. "Can I help it if you overreact Agent Delia?"
Delia groaned as X laughed his head off. Elle thought about slapping him again, but it probably wouldn't do any good.
"My hair is a mess!" she complained, "I'll never be able to fix this!"
R shook his head, if only she cared as much about him as she did her hair.
Yazmine and Yanei surfaced behind Zeeltor. Yanei had had to haul Yazmine most of the way. "That's it!" Yazmine choked, "I'm learning how to swim!"
"Might be wise with things underwater." Zeeltor chuckled. Delia was preoccupied with her soaked hair.
"I see nothing funny about all this." Yanei gasped for air, "We were just chased by a shark."
"Well, where's the shark now?" Elle asked, giving Yazmine a concerned glance.
"RIGHT BEHIND US!" Yanei shrieked when she turned around and spotted the dorsal fin.
"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!"
In a panicky flurry of splashing and crashing against walls the agents and aliens turned and made a run/swim for Zed's office.
They barely made it to the stairs when Delia tripped, she had just enough time to yell "R!" before she fell into the water.
"Delia!" he shouted, diving in after the little human.
"R!" X screamed, "Are you crazy?! Get out of the water!"
R ignored his cousin and swam over to Delia, who was a foot away from the shark's opened mouth.
"They're not going to make it!" Yazmine shrieked.
The shark lounged for the two agents but was unable to reach them. Something had a hold of it's tail.
"Huh?!" R and Delia gasped simultaneously.
"X!" Elle shouted.
X couldn't believe what he was doing. Grabbing a SHARK by the tail?! He must have lost his mind. Or maybe he really feared his mother and her sister's wrath that much!
"Swim for the stairwell!" he shouted to the two petrified agents.
R nodded and he and Delia swam towards Zeeltor, Yanei, and Yazmine. Where was Elle?
'Now what?!' X scolded himself, the shark turned and rammed its tail against the wall. X was knocked off and fell back into the water. The shark charged him.
X opened his eyes, the salt water stung but he could still make out a figure behind the shark. It swam with alarming speed towards the creature and grabbed its fin. It went into a death roll, but the figure flipped herself onto its back. Her movements were graceful, she was fast and skilled. Suddenly, X noticed something about the woman that made his heart jump to his throat. It was ELLE!
Elle resurfaced on the shark's back as it thrashed around, unable to shake her off.
"What is she doing?" Delia cried.
"It's alright," Yazmine assured her with a sigh, "she's a professional."
"Kids, don't try this at home," Elle laughed nervously as she yanked back on the shark's fin. It did another death roll and she motioned for X to swim away while she was under the water.
X obeyed, although he was scared to death. What was Elle thinking?!
"Looks like an annoying little human just saved your green skin!" Delia taunted him as he staggered up the stairs.
Elle looked over her shoulder and noticed that X was to safety. She slowly stood on the shark's back and dove into the water, the second she hit it, she swam like crazy for the stairs.
X grabbed her arms and jerked her out of the water.
"Now let's get the heck outta here!" Delia screamed. The others agreed and they all turned and fled up the stairs.
The shark rammed against the steps, it could only swim up halfway before the water became too shallow. That, however, wouldn't be a problem for long…
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