Uh, oops? Sorry it's been so long for new chapters. I swore I'd uploaded the rest of the story. Oh well. Here ya go!

Chapter Seventeen: She Has A Plan, Really

"You do realize you're completely insane, right?"

"Not completely. And that's beside the point."

Lisa, Ben, Gary, and Medicus were gathered in Lisa's living room, which was thankfully large enough to hold three people and an 18-hand unicorn stallion. She had just finished telling them of her plan to rid herself from Von Braun, and Ben had spoken his opinion.

"When I want your opinion, I'll give it to you," she concluded in her normal snappish tone.

Ben simply rolled his eyes at her, kicking her anger up another notch. "Why don't you just leave!" she demanded, her wings pulsating red. "The storm is over. It's time for you to go."

"You might need my help."

"Dammit, Ben, if I wanted your help, I'd ask for it!" she shouted. "I don't want you here, so the best thing for everyone is for you to go!"

"Lisa," Gary said, trying to calm her, "relax. Maybe…"

"Don't, Gary," she warned. She knew what he wanted to say, that maybe Ben could be of some help. She didn't want to hear it.

"He's right, though," said Medicus, eliciting an icy glare from Lisa. He cleared his throat. "You may not want his help, but you might certainly need it. What if you get captured again?"

Lisa's plan seemed simple enough: get into the Institute, snatch a syringe of the drug, and inject it into Von Braun. She'd leave him the antitoxin after he'd been affected enough by it and he swore to leave her alone. For good measure, she hoped to destroy everything he had on her, including the blood and whatever other samples he had on hand.

Some still-rational part of her was trying to get a message through that having another person there would be of some help, but the irrational rest of her firmly insisted that it not be Ben.

"I suggest you let him go, Lisa," said Medicus. "Whether you like it or not, you might need him."

"I will never need him," she growled.

"Be that as it may," said Medicus, "a second person may be an asset…and I don't think you'd want to put Gary in danger, would you?"

She threw a silent fit. "No," she said at length. This was a no-win situation. "Damn," she swore under her breath. "Fine, you can stay and 'help', but once I'm rid of this guy, you're gone, understand?" Her dark brown eyes bore into Ben's green ones, just daring him to disagree.

"That works," he said. "When do you intend to do this?"

"We have to find out what's going on on Earth, first," she said. "I'm hoping Von Braun has given up hope of finding us, or something."

"How do you do that?" asked Gary, curious.

"With me!"

Gary's cat had appeared, sitting on a newspaper. Fluffy came walking up a moment later. "How did you do that? I swore you were right behind me."

If Gary's cat could grin, he would have. "That's for me to know and you to find out, sweety."

"Oh, please," she responded, rolling her eyes in the cat way.

"How'd a newspaper get here?" Ben asked.

Gary looked at Lisa, alarm in his thoughts, but she soothed them. He doesn't know, she sent to him. Don't worry. I won't tell. He doesn't need to know.

"Cosmic paperboy," Lisa said aloud. "Now shut up so I can read." She picked up the paper and sat next to Gary so they both could scan the pages, looking for anything about Von Braun.

A moment later, she found it.

THE SEARCH GOES ON FOR INSTITUTE ESCAPEES

Dr. Walter Von Braun, head of the Chicago Institute for Extraterrestrial Life on Earth, has not deviated in his search for the female alien life form and local bar owner, Gary Hobson, who both escaped from the facility two days ago. When asked why he was so determined in his search, Von Braun had this to say:

"Just think! Aliens are among us and we now know that we are no longer alone in the universe. What if she's not alone? What if there are more beings out there, pretending to be human, passing as our own kind? I wish to study her and find the answers to these questions. I increased security for the Institute, because I believe she'll want to return to destroy all my research. I will not allow it."

Our reporters asked about Mr. Hobson, and Von Braun responded with, "The boy had no business breaking into my facility. I intend to turn him over to the authorities, once I examine him to see if he's been contaminated by this girl. I have the necessary permissions from the Chicago-P-D to do so."

Lisa and Gary exchanged a glance. This wasn't going to be easy.

End chapter seventeen.