The Hand of Fate
CHAPTER FIVE
On the outside world.
Shane walked through the front door of the Detorri home. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," she said, looking behind her. "Dad, do you need help?"
Wearily, Frank followed his daughter into the house. "No, no," he turned down. "I'm fine, honey. Thanks, anyway." He then took a seat on the old couch. "Hey, what do you say to Chinese tonight?"
Cocking her eyebrows, Shane replied, "Dad, you know how I-"
"Pizza, then," Frank coerced her. "Veggie Lovers."
Sighing, Shane sat down next to her father. "I was thinking more along the lines of this recipe for tofu casserole I got off the internet," she said. "It's always nice to try something new. Besides, it's supposed to taste really good."
"I bet we don't have the ingredients." Frank countered.
"I checked, and yes we do." Shane countered him.
Sighing, Frank decided to give in; he didn't have any other choice. "What the heck," he gave in reluctantly. "Let's give it a shot."
Smiling, Shane ran into the kitchen. "I'll get out everything we need," she said happily, "then you can come in and help me."
Rolling his eyes, Frank laid back. It's almost as if Maggie's still here with us, he thought as he remembered his deceased wife.
Meanwhile, inside Frank.
The City of Frank has many attractions, and one of them is every child's favorite- See World, where the world of Frank's eyeballs comes to life. Drix thought it would be a good place to take Aimee for an hour or so, since it was an amusement park.
After walking around for maybe half an hour, Drix and Aimee decided to see the viewing platform and get a good view of. well, whatever Frank just happened to be looking at. Aimee decided to use one of the See World tokens and got to see. Shane.
Aimee sighed in anguish. She had only been gone for a few hours, and already she wanted to go home. She missed her family, friends, and the very essence that was Shane.
Concerned, Drix tapped Aimee on the shoulder. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Shaking her head, Aimee replied "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I. I miss home."
Feeling sympathy for her, Drix patted Aimee on the back. "It's natural to feel homesick," he reassured her, "but I can assure that you are going to enjoy the time you spend here in Frank."
Feeling a little better about her current situation, Aimee hugged Drix in gratitude. "Thanks, Drix," she said. "It's a good thing to know that there are people like you."
Drix would have returned the compliment, but at that moment, he noticed a shadowy figure walk past a souvenir kiosk. That could be the kidnapper, he thought. Perhaps I should investigate.
Letting go of Aimee, Drix decided to follow this stranger. "I'll be right back," he told Aimee. "Stay here and don't move."
Unsure about what was going one, Aimee was very tempted to follow Drix. He told her to stay there, though; she had to abide by those directions.
Suddenly, Aimee felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to discover.
"Nice meeting you again," said a familiar voice. "What brings you to See World?"
"Hey, Drake," Aimee responded. "What are you doing here?"
Lifting his shades, Drake took a quick look around. "I come here for the cheap food," he replied. "I find a lot of money from people's lost wallets and loose change. Besides, it beats garbage-picking. Now, what are you doing here?"
"Drix took me here for the day," Aimee explained. "Ozzie and his girlfriend are out to lunch, so we're killing time here."
"The cold pill?" Drake inquired. "I'm surprised the guy has a personality. That means Ozzie is the white blood cell, so if you don't mind, would you mind telling me where they're having lunch?"
Aimee shrugged. "I have no idea," she replied. "Why?"
"Well, you mentioned killing time," Drake explained, "so I thought, 'being a virus, I really ought to kill something.'"
While Drake let out a chuckle from his own joke, Aimee just stared at him. Death wasn't often a humorous subject with her, and overall it really was a terrible joke.
Drake just rolled his eyes. "My gosh," he exclaimed. "Some cells really have no sense of humor!"
"Depends on your definition of 'humor.'" Aimee shot back.
"All that humor really is a collection of clever puns, wisecracks, and insults," Drake responded, taking Aimee's reply a little too seriously. "Basically, if you can tease someone and make it look funny, it's humor."
Rolling her eyes, Aimee could have given him a lot of reasons why his view was far off-course. However, Drix would be back soon, and she didn't want Drake caught. yet. Besides, she wanted her friend to discover something for himself- it might as well be humor.
"Listen, Drake," Aimee said, "Drix will be back here very soon. If he catches you here with me, he'll have you arrested before you can say 'spare my nucleus!'"
"He hasn't found me yet," Drake countered. "I play my cards like an expert dealer; when it comes to this 'Cops-and-Robbers' game, I never lose. He's probably still after my decoy."
Out of the corner of her eye, Aimee noticed Drix coming their way. "You want to bet on that, blackjack?" Aimee zinged Drake right back. "Better shuffle your deck before he cuts it."
Drake sneered as he turned to leave. "You're just lucky that the moment presented itself, Aimee," he snapped. "Clever puns won't save you the next time we meet." With that, he disappeared into a gathering crowd.
Aimee smiled as Drix came up behind her. "Did you see anything suspicious?" he asked her. "If you saw a germ or virus dressed in dark clothes, it would help me a great deal."
Once again, Aimee was compelled to keep the promise she and Drake had made. "I didn't see anything like that," she lied. "Sorry I wasn't able to help."
"You are helping me a lot," Drix assured Aimee. "As long as you tell me anything that might help me figure out who this kidnapper is, you are of great assistance to Jones as well as myself."
Grinning, Aimee once again noticed Drake as he watched them from a nearby kiosk. "Hey Drix," she said, trying to get him as far away from Drake as possible, "do you want to get something to eat while we're here? I'm starving!"
"That's odd; you seem quite healthy to me." Drix said, taking Aimee's comment too literally.
Laughing, Aimee explained what she meant by 'starving' as she and Drix walked over to a food vender.
Drake followed Aimee and Drix, being sure to blend with the crowds. He too was hungry, and since he spent his last few vials on that decoy he hired to throw off the cold pill, he reluctantly decided to go garbage picking.
When they finished, Aimee and Drix threw out their garbage in one of the designated cans. After they were gone, Drake used his claw-like fingers to draw up uneaten scraps of food. As much as he hated to sink to the level of scavenging, he had no choice- it was better than going another night on an empty vacuole.
CHAPTER FIVE
On the outside world.
Shane walked through the front door of the Detorri home. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," she said, looking behind her. "Dad, do you need help?"
Wearily, Frank followed his daughter into the house. "No, no," he turned down. "I'm fine, honey. Thanks, anyway." He then took a seat on the old couch. "Hey, what do you say to Chinese tonight?"
Cocking her eyebrows, Shane replied, "Dad, you know how I-"
"Pizza, then," Frank coerced her. "Veggie Lovers."
Sighing, Shane sat down next to her father. "I was thinking more along the lines of this recipe for tofu casserole I got off the internet," she said. "It's always nice to try something new. Besides, it's supposed to taste really good."
"I bet we don't have the ingredients." Frank countered.
"I checked, and yes we do." Shane countered him.
Sighing, Frank decided to give in; he didn't have any other choice. "What the heck," he gave in reluctantly. "Let's give it a shot."
Smiling, Shane ran into the kitchen. "I'll get out everything we need," she said happily, "then you can come in and help me."
Rolling his eyes, Frank laid back. It's almost as if Maggie's still here with us, he thought as he remembered his deceased wife.
Meanwhile, inside Frank.
The City of Frank has many attractions, and one of them is every child's favorite- See World, where the world of Frank's eyeballs comes to life. Drix thought it would be a good place to take Aimee for an hour or so, since it was an amusement park.
After walking around for maybe half an hour, Drix and Aimee decided to see the viewing platform and get a good view of. well, whatever Frank just happened to be looking at. Aimee decided to use one of the See World tokens and got to see. Shane.
Aimee sighed in anguish. She had only been gone for a few hours, and already she wanted to go home. She missed her family, friends, and the very essence that was Shane.
Concerned, Drix tapped Aimee on the shoulder. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Shaking her head, Aimee replied "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I. I miss home."
Feeling sympathy for her, Drix patted Aimee on the back. "It's natural to feel homesick," he reassured her, "but I can assure that you are going to enjoy the time you spend here in Frank."
Feeling a little better about her current situation, Aimee hugged Drix in gratitude. "Thanks, Drix," she said. "It's a good thing to know that there are people like you."
Drix would have returned the compliment, but at that moment, he noticed a shadowy figure walk past a souvenir kiosk. That could be the kidnapper, he thought. Perhaps I should investigate.
Letting go of Aimee, Drix decided to follow this stranger. "I'll be right back," he told Aimee. "Stay here and don't move."
Unsure about what was going one, Aimee was very tempted to follow Drix. He told her to stay there, though; she had to abide by those directions.
Suddenly, Aimee felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to discover.
"Nice meeting you again," said a familiar voice. "What brings you to See World?"
"Hey, Drake," Aimee responded. "What are you doing here?"
Lifting his shades, Drake took a quick look around. "I come here for the cheap food," he replied. "I find a lot of money from people's lost wallets and loose change. Besides, it beats garbage-picking. Now, what are you doing here?"
"Drix took me here for the day," Aimee explained. "Ozzie and his girlfriend are out to lunch, so we're killing time here."
"The cold pill?" Drake inquired. "I'm surprised the guy has a personality. That means Ozzie is the white blood cell, so if you don't mind, would you mind telling me where they're having lunch?"
Aimee shrugged. "I have no idea," she replied. "Why?"
"Well, you mentioned killing time," Drake explained, "so I thought, 'being a virus, I really ought to kill something.'"
While Drake let out a chuckle from his own joke, Aimee just stared at him. Death wasn't often a humorous subject with her, and overall it really was a terrible joke.
Drake just rolled his eyes. "My gosh," he exclaimed. "Some cells really have no sense of humor!"
"Depends on your definition of 'humor.'" Aimee shot back.
"All that humor really is a collection of clever puns, wisecracks, and insults," Drake responded, taking Aimee's reply a little too seriously. "Basically, if you can tease someone and make it look funny, it's humor."
Rolling her eyes, Aimee could have given him a lot of reasons why his view was far off-course. However, Drix would be back soon, and she didn't want Drake caught. yet. Besides, she wanted her friend to discover something for himself- it might as well be humor.
"Listen, Drake," Aimee said, "Drix will be back here very soon. If he catches you here with me, he'll have you arrested before you can say 'spare my nucleus!'"
"He hasn't found me yet," Drake countered. "I play my cards like an expert dealer; when it comes to this 'Cops-and-Robbers' game, I never lose. He's probably still after my decoy."
Out of the corner of her eye, Aimee noticed Drix coming their way. "You want to bet on that, blackjack?" Aimee zinged Drake right back. "Better shuffle your deck before he cuts it."
Drake sneered as he turned to leave. "You're just lucky that the moment presented itself, Aimee," he snapped. "Clever puns won't save you the next time we meet." With that, he disappeared into a gathering crowd.
Aimee smiled as Drix came up behind her. "Did you see anything suspicious?" he asked her. "If you saw a germ or virus dressed in dark clothes, it would help me a great deal."
Once again, Aimee was compelled to keep the promise she and Drake had made. "I didn't see anything like that," she lied. "Sorry I wasn't able to help."
"You are helping me a lot," Drix assured Aimee. "As long as you tell me anything that might help me figure out who this kidnapper is, you are of great assistance to Jones as well as myself."
Grinning, Aimee once again noticed Drake as he watched them from a nearby kiosk. "Hey Drix," she said, trying to get him as far away from Drake as possible, "do you want to get something to eat while we're here? I'm starving!"
"That's odd; you seem quite healthy to me." Drix said, taking Aimee's comment too literally.
Laughing, Aimee explained what she meant by 'starving' as she and Drix walked over to a food vender.
Drake followed Aimee and Drix, being sure to blend with the crowds. He too was hungry, and since he spent his last few vials on that decoy he hired to throw off the cold pill, he reluctantly decided to go garbage picking.
When they finished, Aimee and Drix threw out their garbage in one of the designated cans. After they were gone, Drake used his claw-like fingers to draw up uneaten scraps of food. As much as he hated to sink to the level of scavenging, he had no choice- it was better than going another night on an empty vacuole.