Magenta looked at Riff Raff with some concern. She'd never seen him so agitated.
The two of them were in the grassy clearing behind the castle, debating over precisely how much trouble they were currently in.
"Riff Raff, I know you're upset we're stuck here in Denton, but I seriously doubt it will cause any problems. Those three Earthlings have no reason to come back here."
Riff Raff, who'd been resting his head against a tree trunk in a gesture of frustration, turned to face his sister. "I'm afraid we have a larger problem than being stranded in this pathetic little town."
"What are you talking about?"
He sighed. "The problem is from within. Namely, Frank."
Magenta was bewildered. "Frank? A problem? He's been brilliant."
"His brilliance is what one might call a double-edged sword. He's been asking far too many questions. I'm more than a bit concerned about what he might be telling the Queen. We absolutely cannot afford for her to grow suspicious."
Magenta walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. "He doesn't know anything, so what could he possibly be telling her?"
Riff Raff shook his head. "He doesn't need to know anything. All he needs to do is tell her something seems amiss, and that she should be on her guard. Doesn't it seem strange to you the Queen was so insistent that Frank be a part of this mission? Wouldn't you imagine she'd prefer to have him in her bed, rather than light years away seducing hapless Earthlings?"
Magenta shrugged. "Maybe she simply figured he'd be the best person for the job. Or maybe she'd grown tired of him, and decided the mission would be an ideal way to get him out of her way."
"His talents do make him particularly well suited to this experiment, I'll admit, but we could have managed with someone else. And based on what I've witnessed, it's extremely unlikely she's ready to get rid of him. He was a constant presence in the Palace before our departure, and reports I've received have indicated she misses him terribly. They've certainly been in regular contact throughout our time on Earth. I suspect the reason she wanted Frank to go along, despite her desire to have him near her, was because she didn't know if you and I could be trusted."
Magenta smiled grimly. "Unusually perceptive of her, if that's the case."
Riff Raff glared at her. "This is serious. The success of the coup d'etat depends on her being taken completely by surprise. Her youth and inexperience are working in our favor. However, if she grows suspicious and fortifies her defenses, it will mean countless additional casualties among our people. I've spoken with General Luna, and he claims the earliest a coup could be attempted is a month from now. That's far too long. Frank is, understandably enough, already skeptical of my claim that I have insufficient data. Trying to stretch this out another month without him going to the Queen to voice that skepticism to her is too much to hope for. And the General is adamant that we not return until the coup is complete, to insure our safety. Corpses are not known for being particularly effective leaders."
"So block Frank's access to the communication portal. Tell him it isn't working."
"It isn't that simple. I overheard him telling Columbia the Queen provided him with another way to contact her that doesn't depend on the portal, and can't be monitored. I searched his belongings and found nothing, but I can't take a chance he was bluffing. He had no reason to lie to Columbia about it."
Magenta looked at him narrowly. "Why do I suspect you've already arrived at an undoubtedly unsavory solution to this particular dilemma?"
Riff Raff gave her a look that managed to be both smug and defensive simultaneously. "Well, my dear sister, 'unsavory' is a subjective assessment. I have decided that at the culmination of our next 'experiment'…I will use a real laser."
Magenta momentarily stood in stunned silence. Finally, she asked, "You're going to kill Frank? You're going to kill all three of them?"
Riff Raff snapped, "It can't be helped. Since Frank is the second one 'killed' during our scenario, I can hardly keep switching lasers. At any rate, both Rocky and Columbia are close friends of Frank's. Even if I killed him alone at some other point, the two of them would cause us immeasurable trouble once they discovered his death. Frank recruited them not only because of their acting abilities, but because he knew them to be loyal both to the Crown and to him. It makes more sense to get rid of all three of them at the same time."
Magenta didn't like what Riff Raff was telling her, but knew better than to argue with him when he was under such stress. Perhaps she could revisit the issue once they were able to escape from Denton.
Riff Raff ran his fingers through his sparse blond hair, then held out a hand to Magenta. "We have nothing further to discuss out here. Let us return to the castle before the others notice we're missing."