Chapter 3

Jake

            This was bad.  Rachel and I were morphing as fast as we could, but this guy was gonna pull back that tarp in  about three seconds.  And something told me he wasn't going to like what he saw, not to mention what would happen if he was a controller.  I saw the hand reach in…  Then suddenly, movement to my left.

            This should be interesting, I heard Marco call.

            Right behind you, Tobias said, emerging from his hiding spot to my right.  Like a pair of well trained fighter jets Marco and Tobias raced for the hairy arm.  One right behind the other, they charged up it.  The man was suddenly too distracted to notice Rachel and I.

            "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he cried.  His hand instantly retracted from our cart and with my acute mouse senses, I could hear him bouncing around in what I believe is call the 'ah!  Get it off me' dance.

            Ahh!  This guys pants are WAY too tight.  Got news for 'ya buddy, you're not a size 32 anymore! Marco called, clearly enjoying the havoc he was causing. 

            Awww, man! Rachel muttered as the last of her blonde hair sucked into her head, I knew I should have gone first.  I made the transition to mouse as well.  Tested out my thought-speak.

            Marco, Tobias, are you finished with this little escapade yet? I asked. 

            "AHHHHH!  FRANK, kill it, KILL IT!"

            "I got it Johnny, just…hold…still."
            "AH!  NO, hit it, not ME!"

            Yeah, that's real smart.  Swing a pipe at a mouse on a guy's shoulder.  Mouse moves, guy gets hit.  Duh! Tobias commented.

            Prince Jake, we have approximately 16 of your minutes until the plane leaves.  Maybe we should leave the workers to their jobs? Ax wondered, speaking up for the first time.

            Alright you two, get back in here now, or we're not going anywhere! I yelled.  I don't usually snap out orders like that, but we had to get on that plane.

            But this is hysteri-, Marco started to complain.

            NOW, Marco!

            Fine.  C'mon bird-boy, let's bail before Jake has another Patton episode.

            Amen!  Lead the way, I'm right behind you, Tobias replied.  I checked that Cassie, Ax, and Rachel were all well hidden before I climbed into a pocket of an expensive overnight bag  Man it was a tight squeeze in there.  I heard a dull crunch as I wiggled about.  I'd brushed up against a plastic bag.  I could dimly make out its contents.  Deodorant, toothbrush, contact case.  'Well', I thought to myself, 'this is boring.'

            You two inside? I asked after a few dull minutes.

            Yeah, were on the bottom rack though.  I just hope that guy with the pipe doesn't decide to come looking for us, Tobias told us.

            As risky and stupid as that was, thanks you guys,

            Do my ears deceive me?  Humility and gratitude from our fearless leader? Marco chided me, but he knew I was sincere.  Still, don't push it Marco. 

            Yes, well we have to thank Cassie and Rachel for the brilliant idea.  Our inspiration came from the time they spooked those two guys in the scie-…uh-oh!  Marco realized what he's done just a second to late

            You weren't supposed to tell him, idiot!

            I knew it!  I knew it was you two!  I'll chew you two out later, right now we need to focus, I said to the girls.

            Shit!  Rachel, is it to late to start pleading for my life? Marco wondered.  They started yelling at each other, but I tuned it out.

            Jake, Cassie called to me privately

            Yeah?

            It wasn't as bad as it sounded.  Those guys in the science lab, they we going to hurt the mice.  It was just a coincidence that the mice were us.

            Yeah Cass, I know.  But it keeps Rachel distracted and makes Marco watch his step.

            Do you really think we'll find something out there? she asked

            I don't know Cassie, I really don't know.  I never would have admitted that to the rest of the group.  For them, I had to believe that we would find something that could help us.  Why?  Because they believe in me.

            Something tells me we will.  This really could change everything!  She sounded so optimistic.  I wanted to believe like her, I wanted to have that much faith.  But I didn't.

            I'm…I'm just so resident to get my hopes up.  Every time we do, it usually comes back to bite us in the ass.  I'm just trying to be realistic, I said eventually. 

            Well, than that's why you have me.  Somehow, Cassie never ceased to amaze me.  It reminded me of how much I cared for her.  And for her sake, I wanted this to work.  I wanted to find something out in the middle of Kansas…I really hoped we would. 

            The plane was delayed for about fifteen minutes and they eventually got two new guys to load the luggage.  Actually, after that it was pretty routine.  We crawled out of hiding after the plane took off, demorphing and biding our time until landing.  The only other glitch in our plan…

"So Cassie, you're stranded on a dessert island.  Who would you rather have on there with you, Kelly Clarkson or Kelly Osborne?"

            "What do you have against Clarkson?"
            "She's on my list of 'people I've heard WAY too much about'"

            "Marco…shut up!"

…was not bringing a disk-man for the flight.

Rachel

            Yeah, so that's how we ended up surfing thermals over the endless miles of Kansas cornfields.  I mean, C'mon!  I've never seen such a flat state.  Flown over 60 miles so far and I have seen so much as a speed bump.  Lot of road kill though…But yeah.  You know, my dad once told me about when he played baseball back in college.  He was a left fielder and he said that playing outfield is 95% pure boredom and 5% adrenaline pumping, heart pounding excitement.  Little did I know that playing left field was going to be a lot like this mission.  And the adrenaline hadn't started pumping yet.