The terrified girls heard a whizzing sound above their heads. The rabbit man who had fired at them waved his gun menacingly, as if to say that his next shot wouldn't be a warning shot. He then raced after his three comrades, who were nearing the canopy where the schoolchildren were assembled. Beat waited until she and Fern had run two blocks before attempting to call the police again.

Screams erupted throughout the multitude as the four armed men forced their way through. Kids with donuts and drumsticks in their hands dropped them out of fright. The bulldog man pointed his shotgun upward and fired, leaving a bullet hole in the canopy.

Alarmed by the sound of gunfire, Mr. and Mrs. Chanel emerged through the pine doors of the mansion. Their shocked eyes watched as the guests fled in all directions, knocking over tables and food trays in their attempt to escape the angry-looking intruders.

One of the rabbit men trained his sights on a group of kids that included Buster, Amy, and Muffy, none of whom dared move. The other rabbit man pointed his shotgun at Mr. Haney, Zoe, and Cally. The bulldog man held George, Becky, and several other children at bay. Most of the other children and adults fled down the street, shouting for the police. The scene was one of total chaos.

As the pom man stepped up to the front entrance and threatened Mickie and her parents with his weapon, Buster caught a glimpse of his face. It was Elbert England, Zeke's father.

"I want my boy back," the man demanded. "Hand him over." His arm muscles flexed as he held the shotgun steady.

"Mom, Dad, do something!" Mickie cried frantically.

"You can't have him," said the outraged Mrs. Chanel. "You're unfit to be his father. You belong in prison."

"I'll give you to the count of five before my friends start shooting," Mr. England growled.

Buster could sense his breath failing him as the armed, glowering rabbit man laid his finger over the trigger of his gun. Mr. Haney wrapped his arm around Zoe and pulled her closer.

"One. Two."

"I'll get him," said Mrs. Chanel in a tone of defeat.

She turned and entered the mansion, Mr. England following close behind with the barrel of his weapon trained at her back.

Seconds seemed to last hours as the hostages waited for deliverance or death. Zoe and the triplets, remarkably, showed no signs of fear.

Finally Mrs. Chanel emerged from the mansion entrance. Mr. England came out next, gripping his shotgun with one hand and Zeke's arm with the other. The pom boy's eyes were unfocused, his mouth gaping.

"There he is," said George to the armed bulldog man. "Will you let us go now?" The gunman only snarled at him.

Mr. England surveyed the scene of scattered food and frightened hostages. He tightened his grip on his son's arm. Mickie seemed on the verge of tears. Her parents stood motionlessly and helplessly.

"We'll take another kid, so the police won't follow us," the pom man declared.

Still dragging Zeke, he walked past Mickie without the slightest thought as to how valuable a hostage she might make. His eyes were fixed on a different child.

"You," he said, looking at Buster. "I remember you. Take him."

The fierce-looking rabbit man grabbed Buster's arm with his free hand, and started to pull the terrified boy after him.

"No!" shrieked Amy. "Let him go!"

"Take 'em out, girls," said Zoe calmly.

What happened next astonished and bewildered everyone present.

Her movements like lightning, Zoe Belnap used one hand to shove aside the barrel of her captor's shotgun, and launched the other into his midsection. The powerful blow sent the rabbit man and his weapon flying ten feet. As he landed on his back, the wind flew out of his lungs with a groan.

Mr. Haney couldn't believe what he had witnessed, but the show wasn't over yet. Amy leaped into the air, seemed to levitate several feet above the ground, and landed a strong kick in the face of the rabbit man who had seized Buster. He dropped his shotgun and fell backwards onto the grass, unconscious.

Becky hopped, fell sideways, landed on one hand, and swiveled her legs about, forcefully striking the bulldog man's legs from the back. The man's shotgun went off as he fell, sending a bullet crashing against the wall of the mansion. The cat girl snatched the weapon from his hand, and carefully aimed it downward at his head.

Mr. England, seeing that his companions had been felled, ran directly toward the covered truck on the street, dragging Zeke behind him. His son put up no resistance. The pom man only made it halfway, as Zoe picked up a food tray, emptied it of chicken, and hurled it at him. The spinning metal tray collided with his back, and he cried out in pain as he toppled forward, pulling Zeke down with him.

Buster sputtered in astonishment. "Holy... Wh-what's going on?"

Amy grabbed his hand. "Come on," she urged him.

The cat girl led the rabbit boy away from the mansion at top speed. Before Buster knew where she was taking him, they had arrived inside the Tibble house.

"Y-you're not human," Buster stammered as Amy searched through a chest of drawers. "You're a robot, or something."

"I'm an alien," the girl admitted. She soon located a small object in one of the drawers; it resembled a handheld electronic device, with strange characters engraved in its surface.

"Are you a good alien or a bad alien?" Buster asked.

"Good alien," replied Amy as she fidgeted with the controls on the device. "But the Earth people don't understand that. Now that our secret's out, they'll try to capture us and perform experiments on us."

"Cool," marveled Buster. "My girlfriend's an alien."

Suddenly a shrill whining sound filled the room. Buster was amazed to see a tall shaft of glowing light before him. It was rectangular in shape, and the electromagnetic force surging from it made his ears stand on end. Amy rested the handheld device on a table, pointing its transparent end in the direction of the light.

"What is it?" inquired the rabbit boy.

"It's a gateway leading to my planet," Amy answered. "My mother and sisters will be here soon, and then we'll go home together."

"Cool," said Buster dreamily.

"We have another minute or two," said Amy, stroking the boy's cheek. "Would you like to take a quick look at my planet?"

The prospect thrilled Buster beyond words. He had met an alien before, but this was his first opportunity to set foot on another planet.

Yet what if there was danger involved?

"Will it hurt?" Buster asked nervously.

"Not a bit," Amy assured him.

"Will I spin around and around? Will I get sick and barf?"

Amy was growing impatient. "No. It's easy. It's like walking through a door."

The gateway crackled and pulsated, amplifying Buster's anxiety. "Uh...I don't know..."

"Please, Buster," Amy begged. "I don't know if I'll ever see you again."

"Well, if you put it that way..." said Buster, his courage rising.

"You go first," said Amy.

The rabbit boy took a small step toward the gateway, then a larger step. The electricity made his ears feel funny. He took several more steps, until his nose was inches from the portal.

Just as he was about to make the leap into the unknown, a woman's angry voice sounded. "Buster! Stop!"

Zoe Belnap had burst into the room, Becky and Cally close behind. The cat woman's face radiated fury.

Confused, Buster turned around to face Amy, only to find that the girl's mouth had twisted into a devilish grin. "You're mine," she hissed.

Grabbing the electronic device from the table, she pounced on Buster with catlike speed and agility. The two tumbled through the gateway and vanished, along with the device.

As Zoe and her other two daughters watched in abject horror, the portal itself faded and disappeared.

They were looking at each other in desperation, as if not knowing what to do, when Mr. Haney, Muffy, and George arrived. "Something wrong, Zoe?" the principal asked.

The cat woman only stared at him with sad, hopeless eyes.

"H-how...how did you..." he stuttered, gesturing in the general direction of the Chanel mansion.

Zoe had no chance to answer, as yet another incredible event transpired before their astonished eyes.

Six portals, similar in size and appearance to the portal that had disappeared, formed all around the room. Muffy raised an arm to shield her eyes from the intense light. George thought he felt electric currents coursing through his antlers. They, Mr. Haney, and the Belnaps were completely surrounded by glowing gateways.

An instant later, six uniformed, human-like figures stepped out of the portals. Each had legs and feet roughly the same size as those of humans, although their arms were unusually long. Their heads were concealed within crystalline spheres. They all lifted their hands and pointed metallic, wand-shaped devices at Zoe, Becky, and Cally, who recoiled fearfully.

"You are under arrest," uttered one of the beings in a rumbling voice. "Resistance is useless."

----

to be continued