Dateline: Sunday, July 5, 1981, 3:12 AM, Pacific Daylight Time.

Violet was standing in an empty hallway. The building looked sort of like a school. She had seen this school before, but where? She felt a strange sense of navigational power, like she knew where she was, even though she had never been here before. And then she heard it.

"Violet!"

The sound of her brother's voice called to her. He sounded like he was in trouble. Violet raced after him, following her fraternal instinct. But just then, she heard it again.

"Violet!"

Wait a minute, that was Ashley's voice, wasn't it? She heard José and Kimberly too, calling out to her, calling for help. All of the voices seemed to be coming from the same place. She ran through the halls to find them. Violet swung open the door to the gym, and there her team was. She found them cowering in the corner, staring up at a figure in a black cape. The figure was no taller than she was.

"Please," Dash said to the creature, "don't do this! It's just not right!"

"Why?" asked Kim, "Why? How could you betray us like this?"

"Violet," said Ashley, "please let us be! We're sorry!"

What did she say? Violet quietly sneaked around behind the cloaked figure. She gave it a quick jab square in the jaw.

"All right, who the hell are you, and what do you think you're going to do to them?"

The figure turned around and pulled off its hood. Violet got a good look at its face, and her jaw dropped. Its face was her face. The creature bedeviling her friends was herself.

"Oh, God, no!" she screamed.

"Oh, God, yesssssssssss!" hissed the other Violet, a snake's tongue sliding between her teeth as she did.

Violet dropped to her knees and started to cry. Then she felt something on her shoulder.

"Violet, wake up!"

Violet screamed. She looked around. She was back on the airplane. The whole ordeal had been a dream. José was standing over her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a really bad dream is all."

"You want some coffee or something, calm your nerves?"

"No, I don't think that would help. José?"

"Hmm?"

"You know that I love you, right?"

"Of course, I've never doubted that. Why do you ask?"

"Uh, no reason, I guess."

José looked confused. "Okay, Vi." He turned and left her, all by herself. The dream still haunted Violet, and she was determined to find out what it meant.

"Relax, Violet," said Ashley. "Dreams are merely an abstraction of our unconscious thoughts and fears."

Violet didn't need to ask how Ashley knew what she was thinking. Instead she asked her sightless friend, "How do you know so much about dreams?"

"When you're the daughter of a psychoanalyst, you pick up a few things like that."

"Your dad was a shrink?"

"My mother was a shrink. Do you think that may have had any effect on my powers?"

"I doubt it, but we're getting off topic. You mean to tell me that if I tell you my dream, you can interpret it?"

"I'm not licensed to, but I'll do what I can."

Violet took a deep breath, and relayed everything that happed in her dream, down to the frightening confrontation with herself.

"Holy Christ, that is one spooky dream!"

"Why are you telling Him that? He already knows it!"

"Oh, real subtle, boss. Anyway, the way I see it, you're afraid of facing an enemy who is identical to you in every way possible."

"You mean like an evil clone of myself?"

"Maybe. Either that, or you're afraid you'll betray us."

"That's what I thought at first. But, I could never betray you guys!"

"Are you sure?"

"Ashley, I love you like you were my own daughter, and I would never do anything to hurt you. Never forget that, okay?"

"I know, Vi, I was just messing with you!"

Just then, Violet saw Dash speed past her. "Where is it?" he muttered to himself as he searched the cabin. Violet grabbed him by the arm. "What, Vi? I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

"I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, Dash."

"Thanks, is that all?"

Violet gripped her brother in a tight embrace, much to his chagrin. As Violet hugged Dash, she felt something unusual on his back.

"Dash, are you wearing a bra?"

"Oh, so that's where it went! Thanks, sis. Hey, Kim, I found it, here it is!"

Violet stared at her hands in disgust, then sprinted to the bathroom to wash up.

After that little incident, the rest of the flight was mostly uneventful. They refueled the jet in New York around 7 AM local time, then flew straight to London.

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, however, Ashley raised an interesting issue.

"Hey, Violet," she said, "are you sure we can succeed in this mission?"

"Of course! What makes you doubt that?"

"It's just that I've never had to fight a super villain alone before, and I don't know if I could do it."

"What are you talking about?" said Dash. "You're the one who single-handedly defeated the Wicked Wichard that one Saturday at E's house, remember?"

"Yeah, but what about me?" asked Kim. "I'm newer at this than all of you, and unlike Ashley, I've always had you guys around."

"You're right, Kim," Violet answered. "What would make you feel more confident about this assignment?"

"Could we pray?"

"I suppose. What could it hurt?"

The team formed a circle holding hands. Together they bowed their heads, as Kimberly prayed aloud.

"Dear God, we humbly ask that you be with us, each one of us, during this most perilous mission in foreign lands. Um, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen."

"Amen," the team echoed.

"Attention, Alpha Force," Helen said over the radio, "please return to your seats and buckle your seat belts. Please return your seat backs and tables to their full and upright position, we are beginning our final decent into Heathrow Airport. Local time is 6:29 PM."

"This is it," said José. "May God have mercy on us all."

(A/N: Good news! The incredible situation at my house has been quelled, so you can expect more frequent updates! In the meantime, please review!)