Fried Money, Anyone?
To RogueFanKC: Hey there, Rogue! Nice to hear from you again! Yep, Serpentor is back at it again, causing trouble. Lila did put out a really good point about him giving mutants a bad name, even though Serpentor is artificial. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for thenew chapter of "X Kat: The Mutant Squadron"!
To Aaron: Hey there, Aaron! Well, everybody fights in the Misfit-verse. When you're in that world, you can't help but get into a crazy fight. And if you're as smart as the average Dreadnok, the chances of you getting into an insane fight over nothing increase dramatically. Yeah, Cobra's latest plot is heating up! Enjoy the new chapter!
To todd fan: Hey there todd fan! I'm very glad you liked the last chapter! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Slugs and Snails", "X-Men: Evolution, the Musical", "Little Shop of Mutants", and "Welcome to the Enchanted Land"!
To Raliena: Hey there, Rae! Nice to hear from you! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Enjoy the new chapter!
To Red Witch: Hey there Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm especially glad you liked the Dreadnok fight. Those Dreadnoks may be trouble, they may be stupid, and they may smell really bad, but you have to admit, they are one heck of a hilarious bunch. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Valor, Venom, and Other Stuff", and "Memories Are Made of This"!
To Prophet-Song: Hey there Prophet-Song! It has been way too long since I last heard from you! It's very nice to hear from you again! You should get the GI Joe DVDs. I'm thinking about getting a couple myself. Birthday coming up and all. Enjoy the new chapter!
Disclaimer: "Seriously, dude. No one cares." - Me
Chapter 4: Crowd Control!
The Department of the Treasury
"Sir!" An employee burst out of the printing section of the Department and ran towards, Flint, Lady Jaye, Starway, Starchild, and the manager. "Sir! That hissing fool Serpentor is back on the screen!"
"Uh oh." Lila grumbled. The two Joes, two Misfits, and the manager followed the employee to his office. Once there, the employee pointed to a television. Serpentor's mug was on it as bright as day, complete with a bandage on his nose from when he got whacked in the face by Road Pig's hammer.
"My head hurts…" Torch's pained whine could be heard off screen.
"Shut up!" Serpentor snapped. He then turned back to the screen. "Citizens of the United States of America, I am Serpentor. As you know, I have used the power and resources of Cobra to destroy your current currency system."
"I can only imagine how ticked off Ace would be about this." Lila shook her head.
"Forget Ace, what about Tomax and Xamot? I'm sure those two are not happy with the thought of money being destroyed." Paul suggested.
"I don't think so, Starchild." Lady Jaye said. "It's the ultimate way to make a profit. Establishing your own currency means you can control how the money is denominated, stuff like that."
"Wow. Maybe I should try that." Lila blinked.
"However, I did not eliminate your currency without preparing something to replace it." Serpentor continued. "Behold, the new Cobra dollar." He held up an ornamentally-decorated piece of light blue paper with one defining feature: A picture of Serpentor on the center.
"As Kitty Pryde would say, 'Like, eww, that is the most totally grody money I have ever seen, for sure'." Lila joked in a Valley Girl voice. Paul snickered.
"Lila, that's a pretty good Kitty impression, only she doesn't speak that much like a Valley Girl." Paul complimented. Lila bowed.
"Thank you, kind sir."
"Knock it off, you two. We want to hear this." Flint rolled his eyes.
"To obtain Cobra dollars, you can exchange your valuables at any Extensive Enterprises building in your area. Your valuables will be traded for a fair price." Serpentor continued. "It's your only choice to continue civilization, America. I suggest you do." The transmission ended.
"Great." Lady Jaye grumbled. "Cobra is going to sucker people out of their most prized possessions."
"Craig would never be bothered by not having any money." Paul shook his head. "He stole stuff he wanted back when he lived on the streets."
"Unfortunately Paul, not everyone is Craig." Lady Jaye said.
"That's a good thing." Lila nodded.
"I highly doubt that Cobra intends to put any meaning behind the phrase 'fair price'." Paul noted.
"You think." Lila chuckled.
"Either way, we have a lead. Let's go!" Flint ordered. The four left the building, and they saw Pietro Maximoff outside. Pietro was codenamed Quicksilver because his mutant gene adapted his body and mind for speed. He was dressed in his blue-and-light blue costume with the silver lightning bolt crossing the chest.
"Where have you guys been?" Pietro exclaimed, brushing his white, nearly silver hair with his hand to make sure it was in place. "Look at that riot out there! It doesn't look pretty!"
"Cobra just announced that to get some new money they're making, the people can exchange their valuables for it down at any Extensive Enterprises building." Lady Jaye told the silver-haired speedster. Pietro remembered something.
"Oh yeah! I just remembered! I found an Extensive Enterprises building not too far from here during a scouting run. There's a huge line forming there. It's right that way! See you slo-mos!" Pietro zipped off with a grin.
"That impatient little…" Flint grumbled.
"Why am I not surprised? Mr. Ambiguous could never simmer down…" Lila shook her head. "Come on." The two Joes and Lila got on a pair of Silver Mirage motorcycles while Paul took his Starcycle. The three motorcycles raced off after the speedster. They got to the nearby Extensive Enterprises building.
"Whoa." Paul blinked as he took off his helmet. "Look at the size of that line. And I thought the lines for Kiss concerts were long."
"No kidding." Lila agreed.
"What took you guys so long?" Pietro smirked smugly. CLANK! "Ow!" Lila had thrown her helmet at Pietro, nailing him in the noggin. "What was that for?"
"Come on! Let's see what hose snakes are up to." Flint ordered. The five walked towards the front doors of Extensive Enterprises, wanting some answers from Cobra. However, the people were in the line were not too happy to see the Joes and Misfits heading straight through them toward the door.
"Hey, get back in line!"
"The rest of us have to wait! You can, too!"
"Calm down. We just want to speak to the high-ups." Flint told the crowd.
"Then wait like the rest of us!" A man shouted, shoving Pietro to the ground.
"Hey!" Pietro snapped.
"Back off!" Flint snapped, shoving the man. "He's only a kid! We don't want a fight with you!"
"Too bad." Another guy said as a whole bunch of people surrounded the heroes. "Because we do."
"Whatever you kids do, don't fight back. This whole thing is just making everyone panicky." Lady Jaye ordered.
"I can use my powers to blind people temporarily. It doesn't hurt or anything, they just can't see for a while." Paul offered. "No permanent damage."
"I can kick up some winds to knock people over." Pietro added.
"And I can use my powers to teleport all over the place." Lila shrugged. "You know, shake these people up a bit. Give them a good Halloween-style scare."
"Okay, kids. Be careful." Flint nodded.
Well, well, well! Looks like our heroes are in trouble! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes safely subdue the crowd? Can Serpentor ever pull off an incident-free communiqué? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!