For a professional thief, Raymond Mansch managed his anger well. On this occasion he had a lot to manage. Prunella and the Brainchildren noted the expression of barely contained fury on his goateed face as he returned to Bernie's living room after a fruitless hour of scouring the neighborhood for Tegan.
"No luck," the cat man told his partner. "She's gone, and a good job of it."
"Maybe we should call the police," Alan suggested.
"Don't be ridiculous," Mansch snapped. "They're looking for her already."
"Could be she has other powers besides the mind thing she does," theorized Bernie, who was puffing on a smelly cigar. "Maybe she's invisible, and she's watching us right now."
"I've considered that possibility," said Mansch, dropping himself into a recliner with a heavy sigh. "By the way, I thought I asked you not to smoke in front of the children."
"My house, my rules," said Bernie flippantly.
Mansch opened his mouth to make a peevish remark, when a strange light filled the room in which they sat. When it had faded, Tegan stood with folded arms next to the coffee table, a curly-headed cat girl on either side.
"What the…" Alan blurted out. "Sue Ellen? April?"
Before offering a word of explanation, Tegan bent over, plucked the neuroblocker barette from the table, and adorned her head with it.
"Where have you been?" demanded Mansch, rising. "I've looked everywhere. And who are these other girls?"
"Those are my friends," Alan told him. "The tall one is April, and the short one is Sue Ellen."
"What are you, twins?" Bernie queried.
"In a sense," April replied.
"You must be the terrible Mr. Mansch," said Sue Ellen to the cat man, who was only an inch or two taller than April.
"I'm still waiting for an explanation," said Mansch impatiently.
Tegan led her two companions to one of the couches, then began to speak. "We were beamed up to a space station by some interstellar cops. They were scanning Earth for aliens posing as humans, and they found us."
"What?" said Prunella, startled. "You mean…you're…"
"I'm not," said Tegan.
"This is where it gets crazy," said April. "It turns out our parents are alien spies from the planet Yordil, and we never knew it. They're alive, by the way."
If Alan and Prunella had been standing, the relevation would have knocked them flat.
"It gets better," Sue Ellen added. "The Belnap triplets are from Yordil. They're holding Buster on their planet."
"Wait," said the flustered Alan. "I'm having trouble following you. First we thought your parents were diplomats, then we thought they were CIA agents, then we thought they were murdered by enemy spies, but now they're alive, and they're really aliens?"
"Yes," April acknowledged. "Confusing, isn't it?"
"The male population of Yordil was wiped out by a rogue biological weapon," Tegan related. "The Armstrongs were on an assignment to Earth when it happened. Since then, the Yordilians have been abducting males from other planets for mating purposes."
"That's why the triplets were so obsessed with boys," Alan realized.
"Excuse me," Prunella interjected, "but who are these triplets you're talking about?"
"You've met them," said Alan.
"Now we have to choose between staying on Earth and going to Yordil with our parents," said Sue Ellen dolefully.
"If Yordil will even take them back," said April.
"It's a tough decision," said Tegan, "but I bought them some time. I offered the assistance of the Brainchildren in liberating the abducted males."
A shocked silence swept through the room.
"Come again?" said Mansch.
"Sue Ellen and April are Yordilians by birth," Tegan went on. "They can travel to Yordil without arousing suspicion. Once they get there, they can help pave the way for the Brainchildren to invade and free the captives."
"Hold on," Mansch objected. "We're not ready to fight a whole planet."
"Will our powers work against the aliens?" C.V. asked eagerly.
"Mine do," answered Tegan. "Their brains are similar to ours."
"If we go into space," Victor remarked, "we won't have to hide from the police anymore. We'll be free."
"Vive la liberté," Claire enthused.
"It's an intriguing prospect, cooperating with aliens," Mansch admitted wistfully. "But we'll need reinforcements, and we'll need training. The children have no experience using their powers to defend against real enemies."
"Buster needs us," said Alan boldly. "I want to help."
"So do I," Prunella added, "though I don't know what good I can do."
"But I may need your help to free the Brainchildren from Trumbull Academy," Mansch reminded Alan. "Then again," he continued thoughtfully, "I think I can pull it off with just Victor, Claire, and C.V., but we'd have to do it at night." He nodded approvingly. "All right, Alan. Go talk to the aliens."
The bear boy jumped to his feet. As he strode in Tegan's direction, he paused to look over his shoulder at Prunella and cast her an encouraging glance.
"Uh, I don't know," said the rat girl meekly. "I'm afraid I'd only get in the way."
"Please come," Alan urged her. "Otherwise you'll be here all alone with Bernie."
"And his secondhand smoke," Mansch quipped.
With a bit of reluctance, Prunella rose and shuffled over to join Alan, Tegan, Sue Ellen, and April.
"What now?" Alan wondered. "Do we just wait around to be…"
A burst of energy surrounded the five. By the time Alan completed his sentence with "beamed up", they were standing on a transport pad within an alcove of the spacious alien control center.
A tall, sphere-headed Thrag officer approached, a weapon and other devices dangling from his belt. "Welcome," he intoned. "There is no reason to fear. I am Lieutenant T'l'p'g'r of the Alliance Star Police."
Alan and Prunella had seen a space alien before, but the realization that they were inside an actual alien craft left them speechless. They couldn't tell if the long-armed beings seated at the consoles were looking at them, as the round crystal helmets concealed whatever eyes they might have.
"Go ahead," Tegan goaded her brother. "Say something."
Alan bashfully stepped forward. "I am Alan Powers from the planet Earth," he announced. "I come in peace."
Weird, thought Prunella as she gazed at the space cop. I wonder if I can see the future in his head.
"Walk this way," said T'l'p'g'r, who turned about and moved with inhumanly long strides. Alan, Tegan, Prunella, Sue Ellen, and April followed, taking large steps to keep up.
The alien led them through several angular corridors. The temperature was pleasant, but the air was a bit thin, and they were soon panting. A few sphere-heads passed by them, as well as a creature with a quill-covered head and fangs. A metal door with a diagonal lattice pattern slid aside, allowing them into a large hall where dozens of cat people in plain uniforms were seated on benches.
Alan and Prunella froze in their tracks.
"Omigosh, it's true," Prunella exclaimed.
Hank and Daisy Armstrong were walking toward them with broad smiles.
"Well, hello, Alan," said Mr. Armstrong warmly. "And Prunella, too."
"You must be very surprised to see us," his wife added.
"'Surprised' doesn't begin to describe it," said Alan. "We all thought you were dead."
"No, we're very much alive," the tall cat man assured him.
"Although we're prisoners here," Mrs. Armstrong complained, "for who knows how long."
"Are you ready to begin the transfer?" Tegan asked the feline couple.
"What transfer?" Alan inquired.
"If Sue Ellen and April are to infiltrate Yordilian society," Tegan explained to him, "they need to become familiar with the language and culture. I intend to use my mental powers to give them the knowledge of their parents."
"Ah, I see," said Alan with interest.
"It will take some time," Tegan told him. "You may want to find a math book to read."
As she retreated to a corner of the hall with the Armstrongs and their daughters, Prunella and Alan returned to the corridor with the alien T'l'p'g'r.
Alan took a deep breath. "I've been thinking of a plan," he stated. "It won't bring back all the abducted people, but it may save our friend Buster."
"Go on," said the sphere-head.
"Here's what we do," Alan began. "Sue Ellen, April, Tegan, and I go to Yordil. Sue Ellen and April tell the authorities that they want to live on their home planet, and they brought their boyfriends along. Sue Ellen's boyfriend is me, of course, and April's boyfriend is Tegan disguised as a boy."
"Ewww," groaned Prunella.
"She's already got the hair for it," Alan continued. "Once we're there, we find Buster and use our powers to save him from the Belnaps."
"The Belnaps are in our custody, except for Amy," T'l'p'g'r informed him.
"That makes things even easier."
"You are brave," the Thrag policeman remarked, "but it would be unwise for us to place Earth children in danger for the sole purpose of rescuing one boy."
"Buster's my friend," said Alan. "I'll accept the risk."
"I shall have to discuss your plan with my superiors," said T'l'p'g'r flatly.
The alien's tone sounded noncommittal to Alan. He quickly came up with an idea.
"I figure you owe us a favor or two," he said slyly. "You did, after all, make Sue Ellen and April miss a day of school. A Monday, no less."
The sphere-head didn't seem to react.
"School Monday is the most important, most anticipated part of an Earth child's week," Alan went on as Prunella tried not to roll her eyes. "Take it away, and the rest of the week is ruined. But I wouldn't expect you to understand that. You aliens probably don't have such a thing as school. You probably gained your knowledge by connecting your brain to a computer."
Alan wasn't sure if his speech had produced any effect, as T'l'p'g'r's opaque helmet betrayed no emotions.
"We apologize for interfering with your friends' educational process," the alien finally said. "We will make whatever reparations we must."
"Good," said Alan with pleasure. "And while we're on the subject of reparations, my good friend Prunella would like to make a special request."
The rat girl stared at him in confusion. He winked.
"Oh," Prunella blurted out in sudden realization. "Um, your medical science is more advanced than Earth's medical science, right?"
"Affirmative," T'l'p'g'r replied.
"Then maybe you can help me." Prunella's confidence grew. "My short-term memory is broken. Every morning I forget what happened the day before."
"The medical facilities on this station are limited," said the alien, "but they may serve. I will speak to my superiors. Is there anything else you desire?"
"Yes," answered Alan without hesitation. "A good night's sleep."
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to be continued