Virtual Insanity!

To Chiomon: Hey there, Chiomon! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked seeing Thunderbird smash up the Virus! The man does need a lot of help…and some booze. No mokeys will get hurt if the West Coast Misfits have anything to say about it! Enjoy the new chapter!

To RogueFanKC: Hey there RogueFanKC! Virus is a freakin' lunatic, no question about it, my friend. Yeah, Blast Radius is going to make Virus's life completely miserable. Actually, one Joe can still escape. Guess who. Enjoy the new chapter!

To Raliena: Hey there, Rae! Don't worry, BR isn't going to go down that easily! Enjoy the new chapter!

To Aaron: Hey there, Aaron! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, especially the cowboy thing with Thunderbird. Who says you can't have fun on a mission? Not all of the West Coast Misfits will be in the story, though. Hi-Tech said the game was incomplete, so not all of the kids will have levels. Enjoy the new chapter!

To Sparky Genocide: Hey there, Sparky Genocide! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Blast Radius smashing Virus upside the head with a coconut? Cool. I like that idea! I'll see what I can do with it! Enjoy the new chapter!

To Dante Tigerwolf: Hey there Dante! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, Virus's mind has gone more bye-bye than before. I do? Thanks! I hope you liked it! To be honest, in a lot of my stories, I just make it up as I go along. However, I have gotten better with practice. By the way, did I ever tell you I love "The Z Project"? It's a good fic, and I know what the Z stands for! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "The Z Project"!

To todd fan: Hey there, todd fan! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, Virus was a screwball. He is goofy, but he's also dangerous. He's a lunatic. Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Little Shop of Mutants", "X-Men: Evolution, the Musical", "Slugs and Snails", and "Random Tales from the Magic Roundabout"!

To Red Witch: Hey there, Red Witch! Nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I'm glad you liked the Virus torture! I'll see if I can put in more! Enjoy the new chapter, and I can hardly wait for new chapters of "Evolution XMJ"!

Disclaimer: "Your planet has just exploded…would you like a hug?" - Ford, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Chapter 8: Cry of the Wolfsbane!

Virus's Fortress, Cyberopolis

"You gonna die, Toad…" Virus sang to himself happily as he continued coordinating his little attempt to destroy the West Coast Misfits. The Malibu Joes looked on incredulously.

"Hey Virus!" Quick-Kick yelled happily. "As Johnny 5 said in Short Circuit, 'Your mama was a snowblower'!" He razzed the inventor. The Joes snickered, and Kicker hi-fived him.

"Quiet!" Virus yelled. "I'm killing here!" He laughed evilly. "Die die die die die die die die! WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

"Man, that guy is messed up." Torpedo grumbled.

"I find it really hard to believe that anyone can put up with someone as insane as him." Daina grumbled.

"I doubt they notice, Vorona." Quick-Kick grinned. "They are Dreadnoks, after all."

"Ugh…" Hi-Tech groaned, rubbing his head.

"Hi-Tech, you okay?" Vorona asked with some concern. Hi-Tech groaned.

"Yeah…it's my head. I got a bit of a headache." A spike of pain hit his head. "AAAAARGH!" He collapsed to the ground.

"Hi-Tech!" The Malibu Joes crowded around him. Virus was completely ignorant of the whole thing. The Malibu Joe screamed in pain as his head nearly exploded with pain. His eyes glowed a bright electronic green and he suddenly disappeared.

"Oh God!" Kicker exclaimed.

"What happened to him?" Jester yelped.

"The hour is not up." Dial-Up checked her watch. "This could not be Virus's doing."

Hi-Tech's Lab, Malibu Base

"Ohhhh…" Hi-tech's body stirred. The blond Joe moaned as he got to his feet. "Wh-where am I?" He opened his eyes and looked around. He was standing in his lab. "How in the name of…Of course! My powers! My ability to mentally interface with computers!" He pulled off the black mind-trapping disk. "My powers must've allowed me to pull my mind out of virtual reality at will! Alright!" The Joe grinned. He noticed Rahne's slumped form on the ground. "Okay, Wolfsbane…" Hi-Tech picked up the body of the red-haired Scottish werewolf. "Let's get you to somewhere more comfortable." He put her on a table in his lab. "There we go…" He turned to his computer. "Now to work…"

The Scottish Castle Level

"Ha!" Rahne slashed through a zombie with her sword. "This is fun!" The Scottish girl grinned as she took another down. "Who knew I was so talented with swords?"

"Yeah, who knew?" A hologram appeared in front of Rahne. The Scottish mutant teenager blinked.

"Hi-Tech?"

"Yeah, it's me." Hi-Tech grinned.

"How did ye-?"

"Easy. My ability to mentally interface with computers allowed me to escape from Virus's little virtual trap. Even though it was…painful. But I highly doubt that little snot Virus noticed." Hi-Tech shrugged.

"I would nae be surprised." Rahne rolled her eyes. "That spaleen Virus is kind of stupid and pathetic in a way."

Virus's Fortress, Cyberopolis

"Hee hee…" Virus giggled as he slept. "Ooh! Althea, you are cheeky…hee hee…die Toad…"

The Scottish Castle Level

"What do we do, Hi-Tech?" Rahne asked.

"Well…" Hi-Tech thought about it. "Virus is holding the Joes hostage in the final level of the game, Cyberopolis. You go there after beating all the levels in the game."

"Great." Rahne groaned.

"Not all the levels are completed yet." Hi-Tech remembered.

"So we cannae go." Rahne sighed. "Terrific."

"Actually, you can go through the levels in any order you want, kind of like Mega Man." Hi-Tech grinned. "I know he's got the others in their own levels. Beat the level, Rahne. And…what's with the knight getup?"

"That little jerk took away me powers. I need tae find something called the Full Moon Gem to use them again."

"Oh yeah. The treasure." Hi-Tech grinned. "The little surprise in this level. I plan to include one. Each level had a hidden object that allowed the character to imitate the powers of a West Coast Misfit."

"I thought Virus did that." Rahne blinked. The holographic simulacrum of the electronic warfare expert shot Rahne an 'are-you-serious' look.

"Are you kidding? You actually believed him?" Hi-Tech chuckled.

"I…guess so, heh heh." Rahne chuckled nervously.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'll go look for the gem, you find a way through this level. You're the boss in this level, but Vrius may have replaced you with himself, knowing that egomaniac."

"This'll be easy." Rahne grinned. She ran into another room. The werewolf gulped when she saw what appeared to be several fearsome-looking powerhouse zombies and suits of armor. The Scottish girl gulped. "Me and me big mouth."

Well, well, well! Looks like Rahne's in big trouble! What insanity will happen next? Can our heroes save the day? What'll Hi-Tech do now that he's free? Will Virus notice? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!