After twenty minutes of ordering, threatening, and finally, begging, Katse determined that the Limburgenkatse was doomed. The mob had halted it in its tracks and proceeded to rip into it. For once, Katse was not disappointed to lose hir mecha. If only s/he could convince the mob to finish off the Kagaku Ninjatai.
Dangling from a wall in the mech's center, Ken, Joe and Jinpei strained futilely against the manacles at their ankles and wrists. Jun alone among the Kagaku Ninjatai had the sense to hold her breath when the green gas hit. She watched the situation quietly from just inside a ventilation shaft in the ceiling.
"Fools!" Katse's image shouted from the monitor, "Even the advanced technology of your birdstyle suits cannot withstand concentrated Limburger gas! And if my gas doesn't kill you, little birds, the mob outside will!"
Gas cannons took aim on Katse's command, but before s/he could give the order to fire, a yo-yo burst from nowhere. In less time than it took Katse to shout, "Baka!" the Eagle was loose, followed by an irate Condor and a hyperactive Swallow.
When the goons came to their senses, the Kagaku Ninjatai were long-gone. Their comrades were running for their lives. They glanced out the window in time to get a glimpse of their taicho's retreating escape craft. The mob outside had breached the hull and was well on its way to dismantling the Limburgenkatse.
A disheveled Katse made hirself comfortable into hir escape craft. Not only had the insane crowd shredded the Limburgenkatse with their bare hands, they had tried to eat it. Katse had barely escaped with hir life when they noticed hir head gear. As s/he glanced out hir escape pod window, she saw telltale pieces of yellow foam rubber being bounced around in the crowd below. Somehow, Katse felt incapable of regretting the loss of hir cheesehead.
Upon discovering that the Limburgenkatse did not contain any genuine cheese or "cheese product", the angry crowd stormed back into the Snack J. Above the din of voices at the register demanding cheese, Brain was able to order Pinky to the storeroom to locate, "anything resembling a dairy product." Pinky emerged quickly with a lumpy mass that he distributed to the crowd. As the crowd members consumed their rations of cheese, the din grew calmer, the voices reduced to a dull roar, then quiet. As the last of their patrons exited the Snack, Pinky turned to Brain.
"What happened, Brain?"
"I do not know, Pinky. Clearly this formula is not as effective as desired for long-term use. Where did you find the cheese?"
"It was the Roquefort I smelled earlier, Brain. Hmm. After they ate it, they just left, Brain."
"Yes. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Pinky?" Brain asked.
"Sure, Brain. But what would Bill Clinton do with a blue ascot?"
"No, you dolt! That cheese-like substance must be the antidote!"
"Egad, Brain! There's someone coming through the door!"
At that moment, Jun stormed in, followed by Jinpei. His quiet demeanor in contrast to Jun's stomping and banging indicated that all was definitely not well. Jinpei dashed upstairs without a glance at his surroundings, followed by Jun who appeared to be rather focused on yelling at something on her wrist.
"I don't care, Ken! Do you have any idea how much business that surprise inspection cost me? That woman shut me down for the whole afternoon! Oh, ha ha! Very funny! You owe me more than $1.25 mister Fearless Leader! I'm opening in 3 hours and your ass had better be here with dish gloves on, flyboy, or I'm calling in your entire tab!"
"Pinky, I think it's in our best interest to make a hasty departure before the owner of this establishment takes notice of our changes to the décor," Brain said, noting that their unsuspecting hostess was shouting at her wristwatch as opposed to something more logical, like a telephone.
With that, Pinky and the Brain beat feet out the backdoor of the Snack J.
As the morning approached, the exhausted members of the Kagaku Ninjatai made their way about their daily activities. Fortunately for Ryu, Visa called a second time to verify the charges ("Are you really, really REALLY sure?"). When the charges were declined, Acme Signs and Manhole Covers sent their FTFTL ("Faster-Than-Faster-Than-Light") crew out to recover the "All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet" sign before Jun or Jinpei crawled downstairs.
As the Acme van pulled away, Ken pulled up, roses in one hand, chocolate in the other. An early morning call to Joe indicated that this was the most reliable method to get back on Jun's good side. Knowing how Joe's relationships with women usually ended, Ken wondered if he shouldn't go to birdstyle first.
After one glance around the restaurant, Ken sincerely hoped Joe was right. The place was a mess. Ken hadn't seen it that bad since Jun took "My Way" out of the karaoke machine. Every kind of food imaginable littered the floor, and cigarette butts had been smothered on the booth tables. Three of Jun's nicer ceramic plates jutted out of the trashcan, and six more lay in pieces on the counter. One of the faux hanging plants sported a ceramic coffee cup, a wadded-up napkin, and 3 straw covers.
Whatever fight Jun and Jinpei had last night must've been a doozy. How'd he get scalloped potatoes to stick to the ceiling like that?
That's when Jun came downstairs. She really didn't know what to think. There was Ken, bearing flowers and chocolate, smiling sheepishly amid the total destruction of her bar.
"Honestly, Jun, I had nothing to do with this!"
"It was probably looters, or something. We stick our necks out to save theirs, and this is the thanks we get!" Jun replied, "But if you think flowers and candy will get you off the hook, think again! The broom's in the closet. And don't forget those potatoes on the ceiling!"
Ken sat down for a break a few hours later and was surprised when Jun offered him a plate of sushi, on the house. Unfortunately, Jinpei was still in bed, but Ken couldn't afford to turn down any food, no matter who prepared it.
Hmm, he thought, Better than usual. It still needs something, though.
Glancing around, he spotted the bottle of soy sauce sitting beside the register. There was just enough left in the bottom to satisfy his taste buds.
In the back, Jun had just finished repairing the rest of the damage done by the previous night's crowd of looters. She looked out to the bar where Ken sat, staring at something behind the bar. She began to feel sorry for what she had put him through. Ken had only called the health department jokingly to get back at her for taking his mileage money. He didn't think she'd actually get shut down. Her anger of the previous night faded as he continued to stare off into space, so she decided to venture out into the dining area and try to patch things up.
She took a seat on the other side of the bar from him. He kept staring at something behind her, so she turned to see what was so fascinating. All she could see was Joe's "special" rack for when he decided to take over the Snack for the night and cook pizza. When she turned back around, Ken had returned his attention to the sushi, which he consumed with enthusiasm.
"So, Ken, what are you doing tonight?" Jun hoped her smile would be contagious.
"Same thing I do every night, Jun," Ken mumbled, "Could you pass that Parmesan over here?"