Dateline: Thursday, July 9, 1981, 3:22 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.
"Thank you so much for getting my car out of the impound lot, Kari," Violet was saying, "I cant tell you how much this means to me!"
"Yeah, well, I can tell you what it means to me!" she answered, "Eleven hundred bucks down the crapper!"
"Eleven hundred bucks?" Violet asked the guy running the joint in mock surprise. "Have you no soul, sir? No compassion? You are a monster!" She noticed one of those novelty air fresheners near the man's desk and grabbed it. "This is retribution for your crimes against humanity!" She sniffed it and exhaled loudly as if to rub it in his face.
"Okay, so where's the car I was so nice to give you, Violet?"
"Over there," she answered pointing. When Kari got a good look at the Alphamobile, she flipped her lid.
"It doesn't even look like the same car anymore!"
"Yeah, I know."
"Did you do all that yourself?"
"Nah, my techie did this. Hooked up all sorts of weapons and stuff, you know."
The two women got inside the car, and Violet offered to drive Kari home. She accepted.
"Man, you supers don't compromise on your automobiles, do you?"
"Yeah, that reminds me…"
"Look, Vi, as long as I don't have to spend any more of my money, I'll do anything you need me to."
"No, Kari, that's not it…"
"I mean, it's kind of rude to ask someone to do you a favor and then expect them to pay for it, don't you think?"
"Kari…"
"Not that I think you would do something rude like that on purpose, after all, as a super hero, you're required to have a higher moral standard than most people do."
"Kari…"
"Wow, that must suck, I mean, you being required to stay out of trouble while us normal folks can go around doing pretty much whatever we want."
"Kari…"
"Not that we really get to…"
"KARI!" Violet had learned a long time ago that this was the only sure way to get Miss McKean to shut up.
"What?" Kari spat, annoyed that she was so very rudely interrupted.
"I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"How did you find out I was a superhero? I never told you personally, so what gave it away?"
"I kinda figured it out when I had to baby-sit Jack-Jack that one time when we were kids. I mean, no normal family has a baby that can spontaneously combust and shoot lasers from his eyes and stuff, right?"
"Wait, you remember all that? I thought the NSA erased your memory of the event?"
"They did, sort of. I think that un-remembering machine of theirs has a few bugs in it. They left enough memory in there for me to piece it back together, even if it did take me a year and a half."
"Uh-huh," Violet said, not fully believing her.
"So, how have you been?"
Violet summarized everything that happened to her that week, from Dash's wedding to defeating Harriet Kriznek. "How about you?" she concluded.
"I got fired," Kari said flatly.
"You win."
"Gee, thanks. You know, I'm starting to think that answering phones just wasn't my thing."
"Really?"
"Yeah, well, on the bright side, I've met someone."
This piqued Violet's interest. "Really? Who?"
"You remember Tony, from high school?"
"Tony Rydinger, my ex? You're with him now?"
"Yeah. Is that going to be a problem?"
"Well…eh…no, I guess not. Hey, I'm over him! How about that?"
"So why did you break up with him in the first place?"
"Huh? Oh, he was cheating on me."
"For real? Or are you just saying that to make me break up with him?"
"No, for real!"
"Wow. Sucks for you."
"I know. Well, here we are." Violet pulled the car over in front of the building Kari lived in. "I hope you find work soon, Kari."
"And I hope you can find somebody to love, Vi. I'll see you when I see you!" Kari went inside and Violet drove back home.
When she got there, she found Ashley, Kim, and José waiting for her with arms crossed.
"What?"
"Remember back at Harriet's place, where I was turned into a rock?" asked José.
"Yeah?"
"And then you beat her with the argument move that you and Dash have been practicing?"
"Where are you going with this?"
"Even though the three of us were turned into inanimate objects, we all heard the whole argument."
"So? What does that have to…oh!" Violet feigned an innocent smile. She now knew that they knew about the cigarettes in her super suit.
"Vi, how could you?" said Ashley.
"I'm sorry. I used to be addicted to nicotine. I hate myself for ever lighting up that first time."
"Violet, I just need to know one thing," said Kim.
"What?"
"Just tell me that you don't smoke anymore."
"I've been clean for about a year now. Super's honor."
"Thank you," Kim said, a tear in her voice. She and Ashley left, but José stayed behind. He had more questions.
"Honey, if you're not smoking anymore, why do you still have those smokes in your suit?"
Violet took them out and examined them. "I'm worried that I might relapse, and if I did, I'm not sure what I might do to get a cigarette."
"Vi, just having these increases your chances of relapsing. If you really want to quit, you have to get rid of them."
She sighed heavily. "You're right." She handed the pack to José. "You have to do it. I'm not strong enough."
"Fine."
The next two hours were mostly uneventful. Then, in the middle of the evening news, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it," said Kim.
She opened the door, and there was a man in a suit standing there, whom no one recognized.
"Hello, I'm Bob Freeman, I work for California Child Services. Is this the residence of Ashley Cohen?"
Ashley got up and tapped her way to the door. "Does someone need me?"
"Ashley, with the death of your parents, you've become a ward of the state. I need you to come with me."
"Where?"
"To the orphanage."
"What?" said the other members of Alpha Force.
"You can't do that! She lives here, with us!" insisted Kim.
"Ma'am, you look like you have a very stable household, and if I could leave her here with you, I would. As it is, my hands are tied. I'm very sorry. Come on, Ashley."
"No!" she protested. "I want to stay here, with my friends!"
"I understand your anger, Ashley, but the law says that I can't leave you in the care of anyone other than your parents."
"Go on, Ashley," said Violet. "We'll figure something out."
Ashley got in the car. Then she called out to Violet, "Don't leave me!" The social worker drove away.
"What do we do now?" asked Dash.
"Do you even have to ask? Ashley's an integral part of this team, and she's our friend. What we do now is: we get her back!"
(A/N: Well? How's this for an ending? Forgive me if I get a wee bit sappy with the emotional stuff. This was how I planned the ending for a long time. Only two chapters left! Review, please!)