-II-

"Ha! Now, what's absurd?", asked superboy, beaming triumphally.

"THIS is absurd"

Robin signalled in the general direction of the... the... the thing Impulse had showed them.

It was a Flying Saucer, no doubt. I mean, only way of makig it more of a Flying Saucer was sticking a note saying: "Look, it's a Flying Saucer!". It was flat and round, grey, cold and metalic, with its tiny protuberance of a cabin. It was loopsided, one of its legs wrecked, and it seemed dirty and battered, blackened as if struk by some lighting. And all in all it was no bigger than a truck cabin.

And it was absurd because... well.. because the reason Ed Wood was considered the worst director ever was that his films were only acurate when they showed THE END. And just barely.

"Do you think it's real?" Asked Impulse. "I can't find an opening."

He was rounding the ship at superspeed. It was a wonder he was seeing it at all.

"Let me see", volunteered Superboy.

"Guys.. we should be careful around that thing"

"I can..." Bart began .

"NO! DON'T..."

But it was too late. Vibrating, he phased his head through the metalic surface, half dissapearing.

That same instant, something shrieked inside the cabin.

Impulse yelled too, tugging his head out and getting behind Superboy.

"There's a... there's a thing in this thing!"

"I bet I can take it out with my Tactile Telekinesi".

"Sure you can. But we should be really careful. We don't now if the lifeform inside it is hostile or..."

But Robin let his voice trail off and die, because, obviously, they were not listening. Nooooooooo. Of course not. Superboy was using his Tactile Telekinesi to open the cabin as if it was made of tin, while Impulse ran around him, describing in a nearly undecipherable babbling the terrible alien life form inside it.

"Itwasgreenandflatandreallybig.Becareful!Itssquekingstillringsinmyheadand..."

A ray hitting Superboy silenced the speedster.

The super gasped, landing on his back, swearing in a very inapropriate manner.

"I told you to be careful!" Said Bart.

"I was being careful!" Superboy stood up, massaging his chest. "Anyway, I'm fine, it just tickled. Let me put my hands over that thing and..."

But there was no thing to put his hands on.

Still, Robin didn't lower his bo.

"No way! There was something inside that thing before!" Protested Impulse. "I saw it"

"Perhaps it was some hologram" Proposed Superboy "Part of the security sistem. Like the ray"

"A shrieking hologram?"

"An alarm?"

"Shhhh" Tried Robin, his ear trying to tune in.

"An alarm my ass! I know what I saw! And it was really ugly."

"Oh, there was a mirror?"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

"No, just a picture of some certain Superboy!"

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Robin finally made them both shut their mouths, if only for a few seconds, while his not so subtle interjection traveled through the woods. And, in those scarce seconds, he would have sworn he heard the sound of tiny feet cracking over dead leaves...

"Don't you dare shh'ng me!"

Robin finally lost his patience.

"Would you please pay a little atention before the alien scapes? You are the one with the superhearing, for crying out loud!"

Yeah. It was not a really bright thing to do, brawl your plan like that in front of a alleged invisible threat.

That time the ray hit him, making him sprawl on the dry leaves and sticks.

Superboy was right. It tickled.

He did not have much time reflecting about its meaning. Howling like drunk hooligans, Superboy and Impulse jumped to the spot where the ray had come from.

There was a thud, a pang and a crash... and then something began to screech to loudly that Robin thought his lenses were going to explode.