Thanks for all those who have been reading! Now, moving on to Part 2...Enjoy!

"I wonder what's taking Max so long," Booster mused, adding, "Uh, if that even is Max."

"Hmm, it has been awhile," Beetle admitted. "Or, at least it feels like it's been awhile."

"How long has it been?" Booster asked.

"I don't know. There's no concept of time in a dream."

"Okay, but say if there was such a thing as time in a dream – hypothetically speaking. How long would you think it's been?"

Beetle shrugged. "I don't know. Twenty minutes, maybe?"

"That seems to be right," Booster concurred. "I can see it being twenty minutes." The two were quiet until Booster finally inquired, "So, why do you think we're in this dream for?"

"I'm not sure," Beetle answered. "It could be for a whole number of reasons."

"That's really not comforting or helpful," Booster pointed out.

"Well, at least I figured out what's going on," Beetle snapped. "That's more than what you've done."

"I've done stuff," Booster insisted, crossing his arms.

"Like what?" Beetle pressed. Booster frowned, but before he could come up answer, Beetle suddenly changed the subject, "What happened to your wife?"

"My wife?" Booster repeated with confusion. "I don't have a wife."

"Yes, you do," Beetle retorted. "Her name is Gladys, and she's sixty five."

"Ick!" Booster's face contorted in disgust. "That's gross!"

"It's true," Beetle stated, adding, "And yes, it is gross."

"Then why on Earth would I marry her, huh?"

"Because she's rich which, admittedly, makes it a little bit more understandable."

"But still..." Booster trailed off, and then inquired curiously, "How rich?"

"Very rich."

"Really?" Booster seemed intrigued for a moment before he shook his head and stated, "This is absurd, Ted. If I had a wife, I think I would know about it."

"I'm telling you, you do," Beetle persisted.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I – " Booster stopped mid-sentence, as a memory unexpectedly stirred. "Wait – I do have a wife."

"So you remember now?"
"Yes," Booster replied, mumbling an additional, "unfortunately..."

"For whatever reason, she doesn't exist here, though," Beetle went on, "and no one seems to remember her."

"Hey, maybe this isn't a baddream, after all!" Booster suggested optimistically.

Beetle looked at his friend doubtfully. "In any case, who knows what else we're forgetting about or what else has been altered without explanation? Do you know how serious this is, Booster? Our whole lives have been tampered with, and we don't even know the half of it!"

"I guess," Booster said, "But I'm just glad I'm no longer married to the old bat anymore."

Beetle sighed. "Why do I even bother?" Frowning, he then stated, "Max should have been back by now."

"It has been a while – uh, I think," Booster concurred. After a moment, he then asked, "Did you put the television on?"

"No. Why?"

"Because it's on," Booster pointed to across the room, where his television set was broadcasting a breaking news story. "And normally, we would consider that odd, because televisions just don't go on on their own. However, since this is a dream, weird things like that can happen for no reason - right?"

"Right," Beetle confirmed. "No explanation needed. But it's good that you're starting to notice these things."

Both men walked over to the television set and watched the news coverage. To their shock, they saw film of Maxwell Lord being arrested right outside Booster's apartment building just minutes before, the arrest complete with dozens of police cars and even more officers. "How did we miss that?" Booster questioned, scratching his head in confusion as the coverage switched to an exclusive interview with L-Ron. "Oh, right, the dream thing."

"This is not good," Beetle stated grimly.

"Yeah," Booster consented, "I mean, I can't believe L-Ron sold out Max. What is this dream coming to?"

"Haha," Beetle sarcastically remarked.

"But maybe it's nothing to worry about," Booster offered, "Couldn't that Max just have been a figment of our imagination like the one that killed you?"

"Maybe, but I just got this feeling that it's not," Beetle explained.

"You and your feelings," Booster commented offhandedly, "I thought you were supposed to be the practical one."

"This is a dream – "

"It's not supposed to be practical," Booster concluded for him. "I got it. But what do we do now?"

"Figure out what exactly is going on," Beetle answered, "And fast."

Beatriz Bonilla da Costa, also known as Fire, watched the newscast of Maxwell Lord's death with utter confusion from the headquarters of Checkmate. "I don't understand..."

"Fire," Amanda Waller, Checkmate's White Queen, questioned sharply, "Is there something wrong, or did you forget we have a meeting in five minutes?"

"It's the news," Fire tried to explain, eyebrows furrowing in perplexity. "Maxwell Lord has just been arrested."

"So?" Amanda Waller grew impatient.

"He was killed, wasn't he? Wonder Woman broke his neck. I mean, it was practically on every channel."

"So?"

"But then how is he alive?" Fire asked, "If Wonder Woman killed him last week, how is it that he's being arrested today? Doesn't anyone else think this is weird?"

"Fire, I don't know what you're talking about, but you better be at the meeting," Amanda Waller warned before marching away.

"None of this makes any sense," Fire continued to think aloud, the realization hitting her, "And why am I even a member of Checkmate for? What am I doing here...?"

Shortly later, Amanda Waller came out of the conference room and angrily stated, "Fire, the meeting is – Fire?" To her surprise, though, Fire was nowhere to be seen.

"I know my rights!" Maxwell declared as he was ushered into what could only be described as a strange hybrid between a regular federal prison and the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane. "I'm entitled to a lawyer!"

"The Justice League has already decided the verdict of guilty," the prison guard informed Maxwell, pushing him along.

"But they can't do that," Maxwell protested, "What about my trial by jury? It's in the Constitution!"

"President Wayne rewrote the Constitution."

"President Wayne? As in Bruce Wayne?"

"That's right. He was just appointed to his second term as United States President," the youthful prison guard elaborated.

"He was appointed? Don't you mean elected?"

The prison guard laughed. "Everyone knows that Superman appoints the president. He is, after all, emperor of the world."

"What?!"

Another, burly prison guard sitting at a desk cleared his throat as the two approached. "And this is?"

"Prisoner number 1576," the first prison guard answered, "Maxwell Lord."

"Ah, we've been waiting for him," The second guard said, "Okay, Mr. Lord, please step forward and strip down slowly."
"I am not stripping down!" Maxwell argued, "I demand to see a lawyer!"

"He's a little crazy," the first prison guard whispered to the second, who nodded in understanding.

"Then he came to the right place," the second said lightly.

"I am not crazy," Maxwell snapped. "It's all of you who have seemed to have lost your minds. Just go and ask Booster Gold – he'll tell you the truth about me!"

"Booster Gold?" the second, obviously more seasoned guard questioned. "He's been working with you?"
"Yes," Maxwell answered.

"Really? That's interesting." The second guard raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the first guard, who made his leave knowingly. "Don't worry, Mr. Lord - we'll go fetch Booster Gold for you right away."

Maxwell frowned, at once realizing his blunder. "Uh, I think you misunderstood - "

"Mr. Lord, please strip down," The second repeated his original command.

"I already said – "

"Mr. Lord," the second spoke over him, "I would suggest you do as I say, or I'll have no but to force you into submission."

Maxwell winced and reluctantly complied, uncomfortably eyeing the other additional prison guards stationed throughout the corridor. To think, he said to himself, with all the crimes I have committed, I finally get arrested for the one that I didn't do...this is so embarrassing.

"He looks clean," the second prison guard said to another nearby after what seemed to Maxwell like the longest minute of his life. "Get him his uniform and send him to his cell."

"My cell?" Maxwell's voice cracked. "For, uh, how long?"

The second guard chuckled. "You've been sentenced for life, Mr. Lord – two consecutive terms, in fact."

"Wait – there must be some mistake – there has to be!" Maxwell pleaded in vain.

"Come on, now," the third guard – who was quite intimidating at six foot six – threw him a gray prison uniform. "Hurry up and get dressed. The others are waiting for you."

This time, Maxwell was more eager to obey, and quickly threw on his new clothes. Once he was clothed again, he grew considerably calmer as he was harshly yanked forward by the physically imposing third guard to his prison cell. This is only a dream, he told himself repeatedly, this is only a dream. And you'll eventually wake up. And you'll be rich again and happy and everything will be normal. This will not be for the rest of your life. This is only a dream...

Before Maxwell knew it, he was in a prison cell, the door slamming closed behind him. In the dark shadows, he saw familiar faces of various super villains he and his Justice League had encountered throughout the years. Nervously, Maxwell choked out a weak laugh and leaned back against the thick, locked door. "Uh, hi there..."

"Well, if it isn't the Maxwell Lord," sneered the Riddler with amusement. "How's it feel to be on the other end of things?"

"Not so good," Maxwell answered truthfully, before quickly adding, "But, uh, I mean, it doesn't seem too bad here. Kind of nice and cozy...sort of…you know?" The super villains did not seem impressed and Maxwell, quite frightened, futilely pushed back even more against the locked door. "I think it's important that you all remember why I'm here – I killed Blue Beetle. That's right – the Blue Beetle! I shot him in the head – bang! Just like that. That makes me like – a super super villain. I mean, how many of you can say you've killed a superhero, huh? Sure, he was like only third tier, but that's still something! I should be your role model, shouldn't I?"

The other inmates, however, simply broke out into hysterics at this assertion. "Look at this! He thinks he's the Joker!" The Scarecrow managed through his laughter and the others laughed harder.

Maxwell frowned, embarrassed. "Well, I…" he trailed off awkwardly before another idea struck him, "You know, I have a lot of money so I could really help you all out with – " He never got to finish, because the laughter grew worse.

"Now he thinks he's Lex Luthor!" Bane blasted and the laughter continued.

"How about the fact that I came back from the dead?" Maxwell sheepishly tried. "That was pretty impressive, right?"

"Please," Sinestro yawned. "We always come back from the dead. It's what we do."

"Oh..." His frown growing more severe as he looked around at his new hostile roommates, Maxwell weakly suggested, "Considering that we're going to be stuck here for awhile, how about we agree to try and get along – let bygones be bygones, you know?" Seeing that he had done very little to convince them, Maxwell then desperately mentioned, "Did I mention that I can control people's minds...?"

This led to the incarcerated super villains breaking out into complete hysterics, which caused Maxwell's face to grow both red and hot with humility. However, before any more words could be exchanged, abrupt shouting that came from down the corridor caught their attention. "Let me go! I am innocent! Like the Magna Carter says, guilty until proven innocent – no, wait – I mean, innocent until proven guilty. You can't ignore the Magna Carter! It was written by Abraham Lincoln and all those guys from Noah's Ark!" At once, Maxwell grimaced, recognizing the voice immediately.

Soon, the door to the large prison cell swung open and in stumbled an indignant Booster Gold, his colorful uniform replaced by a dull gray one. "That was quick," Maxwell commented, before saying, "You know, your knowledge of American history is really pathetic."

Upon hearing Maxwell who beside him, Booster turned to him and matter-of-factly defended himself, "Well, you forget that all that was Ancient history when I went to school." Then, remembering his current situation, he grew angry and pointed a wrathful finger at his colleague. "This is all your fault! Why did you tell the police that I was working with you for? As if my reputation wasn't bad enough!"

"I didn't tell them that you were working with me...exactly..." Maxwell remarked with a cringe. Whispering, he added, "Besides, do you really think this is the best time to argue given present company?"

"Huh?" Booster blinked and looked at the notorious criminals in front of him. Understanding, he began, "Ah...oh, hello there..."

"This seems to be our lucky day," Two-Face stated with a smirk, repeatedly flipping his coin. "Two do-gooders for the price of one."

Booster let out a nervous chuckle as he joined his comrade backed up against the unyielding prison door. "But, uh, didn't Max here tell you that he's a super villain? He even killed –"

Maxwell interjected with a shake of his head. "They didn't buy it."

"Oh," Booster frowned, but soon a new idea sprang into his head. "Hey, Max has got a lot of money, so I bet if – "

"That didn't work either," Maxwell informed him.

"Really?" Booster questioned with surprise. "Okay, how about this? Max can control your mind, just like he did with Superman – " This time, he didn't need Maxwell to cut in; he could tell by all the laughter that not a single one of them was taking him seriously. "So..." Booster started, turning to Maxwell. "This is bad, isn't it?"

"Very bad," Maxwell agreed.

"And we're probably going to die, aren't we?"

"I'm thinking yes..."

"Don't be so alarmed," the Ultra-Humanite then spoke up through the hysterics of the others, noticing the white, fearful expressions on their faces. "You're just third tier – hardly worth our efforts. My associates are just trying to have a little fun at your expense. So just relax and enjoy your stay."

Maxwell and Booster exchanged skeptical glances, before Booster hesitantly replied. "All right..." With that, the two cautiously slide away from the hardened and insane inmates and moved to the farthest corner possible. Slumping against the wall, the two sat down, warily eyeing the rest of their cellmates. "Maybe this won't be so bad, after all," Booster offered and Maxwell immediately shot him a deadly glare. "All right, all right, so it's pretty bad even if they're not going to beat us to a bloody pulp. Seriously, this place could really use some renovation. Why on earth would anyone stick a bunch of deranged psychos in such a dark and dingy hell hole? Haven't they ever heard of lighting?"

Maxwell nodded in agreement. "This place could use a little color..." Changing the subject, he then asked, "So, how'd you wind up here?"

"Well, I – I think I was with Beetle watching you on TV and then – bam, I 'm here in handcuffs. This dream thing is really starting to get annoying."

"You mean nightmare thing," Maxwell corrected. "And, yes, it is. But at least with Beetle still out there, we have some hope of getting out of here."

"We think he's out there, but who really knows..." The two were silenced by this valid point and looks of misery quickly spread across their face as they remained miserably slumped against their prison wall.

"Oh, praise you Lord Jesus Christ!" a teary Mary Marvel exclaimed with overwhelming enthusiasm as she tightly embraced her old companion, Fire, who had tracked her down by Captain Marvel's side at the Rock of Eternity. "I just knew that you would never forsake me!"

Wincing in pain due to Mary's arms strongly wrapped around her, Fire awkwardly asked, "Could you let go now...?"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Mary apologized, pulling away and wiping the tears from her glassy eyes. "I'm just so happy to see you! But I knew that God wouldn't abandon me – that He'd hear my prayers. Because, Bea, you see – everyone's gone crazy!"

"I know," Fire replied but Mary, looking rather frantic herself, grabbed desperately onto Fire's arm.

"No, I mean they're really, really crazy!" She explained with frenzied emphasis. "I don't think there's a single happy person left in this entire world! Poor Sue is dead and Ralph is crazy and Beetle's dead and Max is crazy, but he's dead too, and then I thought you were all evil just like Max was - I am so glad you aren't – and now Ralph hates Booster who doesn't even care about Beetle and you don't care about Booster and nobody cares about Max even though he was our friend – I mean, I care about Max – and Superman is gone and nobody can seem to remember anything about the way everything is supposed to be!"

"Mary, I think you should try and calm down," Fire suggested, but to no avail.

"And my brother," Mary whispered, glancing over at her shoulder to where the new Shazam seemed completely oblivious to either her of Fire's presence. "He's the worse! He thinks he's talking to the seven deadly sins but you can't talk to sins! They're not real people! So who is he talking to, Bea? Who is he talking to?" Mary's voice had considerably risen in volume by the time she concluded. She shook Fire hysterically and started to sob again.

"Uh..." Fire was lost for words as she stared down at the young superhero.

"But do you see?" Mary went on through her weeping. "The whole world's turned upside down and inside out! But I'm so happy that God has sent you to me and that you're not evil after all! I thought I was the only sane person left."

That's debatable, Fire thought, but said instead, "Listen, Mary, you have to try and pull yourself together. Otherwise, we'll never get out of this mess."

"Okay," Mary whimpered.

"Now, what the hell could be causing all this weirdness?" Fire mused. "Maybe it's Doctor Destiny. He could be manipulating us with some sort of dream world, right?"

"Right!" Mary earnestly concurred. "And that would mean everyone's not insane!"

"So that just means we should try to find the others and figure a way to wake up," Fire concluded. "I guess we should start with Max..."

"But Max is – is – dead, because Wonder Woman...did that – that awful thing to his neck..." Mary stammered with a shaky voice, looking ready to begin crying once more.

"Actually, he's not," Fire informed her.

"Really?"

"Turns out he's alive, after all, which is what made me realize this whole place is completely messed up. They just arrested him, but I figure, given that he's just miraculously risen from the dead, he might be the best person to start with."

"Do you mean we're going to break him out of jail?" Mary questioned, biting her lower lip nervously. Fire simply shrugged. "Golly, isn't that wrong?"

"It's a dream, so it's not really wrong," Fire reasoned. "Besides, it's about time you started to walk on the wild side a bit. That's what dreams are made for, after all."

Appearing confused, Mary innocently said, "I thought dreams were made for us to always keep in our hearts so that whenever we doubted we could simply turn to them and find the hope and faith to believe in ourselves and our ability to accomplish anything with God's help."

Fire's face contorted in some disgust. "Sometimes, Mary, you are too nauseating."

"What?" Mary blinked in confusion.

"Just forget it," Fire instructed, "And let's get going. We've got a prison to break into."

"But – " Mary began with a frown. Yet, as she turned her head to glance at Captain Marvel, clearly on the brink of insanity, her face grew resolute and she knew she had no choice but to follow Fire if she was ever going to save her brother.

Taking a deep breath, Blue Beetle closed his eyes and with just a hint of hesitation, he knocked on the apartment door. No answer. Frowning, he knocked again. "Hello...?" Still no answer. Becoming frustrated, Beetle then began to pound on the door. "Hello! Open up!"

"Go away," Ralph's dejected voice carried through the thin walls from inside the apartment.

"Ralph, it's me," Beetle tried to explain. "It's Blue Beetle."

"That's not funny," Ralph snapped from inside. "Now get out of here."

"Don't you recognize my voice," Beetle persisted. "It's Ted."

There was a moment of silence and then the sound of the apartment door unlocking. Opening the door, an unshaven white-faced Ralph Dibny stood before Beetle, completely dumbfounded. "It is you. But – but you're dead...how can this be?"

"I'll explain, if you'll just let me – "

Ralph, however, interrupted, latching onto Beetle's shoulders. "If you're somehow alive, then you must know how to bring back Sue, right? That's why you're here, isn't it?

"Ralph..." Beetle trailed off dejectedly, staring at his broken friend with pity.

"Tell me, please, please tell me how I can bring her back," Ralph insisted. "Please, Ted, please."

"I don't know," Beetle answered truthfully. "But, I think if I could just explain – "

"You're lying!" Ralph venomously cut in. "You have to know how it can be done if you're here – here in the flesh. I know you were dead. So if you can come back, she can come back! There has to be a way! You're just keeping it from me! Why are you keeping it from me?"

"Ralph, listen to me, this isn't real," Beetle hastily answered.

"What?"

"It's not real," Beetle repeated. "We're in a dream."

"No, we're – what?" Ralph seemed unable to comprehend what Beetle was telling him as he stepped back, shaking his head.

"Can I come in now and explain?" Ralph nodded weakly and Beetle entered the apartment, closing the door behind him. Ralph's place was in shambles, uncared for and not cleaned for quite some time. Half eaten and many untouched leftovers from takeout dinners had been left piled in the kitchen area, leaving quite a strong odor. Beetle scrunched up his noise at the unpleasant stench but tried to ignore it as he turned to Ralph and said, "Now, I know this is going to be hard for you to understand, but I think Sue is alive."

"She – she is?" Ralph's eyes gazed past Beetle, disbelieving what he was being told.

"I heard her," Beetle went on. "She brought me back to life – or something. Anyway, I think she's in the real world trying to communicate to us here."

"Why should I believe you?" Ralph questioned sharply. "You come in here and you think – how do I even know that you're real? That you're not just something I'm dreaming up?"

"Because I'm not," Beetle explained impatiently. "Look, we don't have a lot of time. Booster and – "

"No," Ralph interjected. "I don't want to hear it because I don't want anything to do with that fraud. He could have saved Sue and he just – "

"Ralph, I know this is hard for you," Beetle then offered, "But you have to believe me when I tell you Sue is alive."

"And why should I?"
"Because, because..." Beetle trailed off as he tried to think of anything he could use to convince his friend. "You remember that Wonder Woman killed Max right?"

"Obviously."

"Well, what would you say if I told you he was still alive?"

"I would say – " Ralph started, but then his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why? Is he still alive?"

"Have a TV?" Beetle then asked.

"Yeah, but it doesn't work," Ralph gestured toward the small set in the living room. "I've been late on the bills..."

"Trust me," Beetle gave him a knowing smile and walked over to it as a skeptical Ralph followed him, taking a seat in his arm chair. "It'll work." Switching it on, a news broadcast appeared on the screen of Maxwell Lord's arrest earlier that day.

"How did you do that?"

"It's a dream – it doesn't need to make sense," Beetle rationalized. "Now pay attention. Does it look like Maxwell Lord is dead to you?"

Ralph shook his head. "This is – I don't believe you. I think you're just coming in here and trying to – I don't think you're even Ted. It's all a lie."

His patience wearing thin once more, Beetle clenched his fist and said, "Ralph, will you just think for a minute? I know you're upset, but if you just took a moment you'd see that none of this makes any sense! I mean, do you really think that Max could have gone all those years hiding his true intentions and no one – not even J'onn or Batman – was able to figure it out?"

"I don't care what you have to say. If you can't bring back Sue, then I just don't care."

"I'm telling you Sue is alive," Beetle persisted. "She's alive while we remain stuck in this ridiculous dream."

"Stop it!" Ralph shouted. "Just stop saying that!"

"It's true," Beetle stated relentlessly. "And if you would just listen to me, you'd start to realize that none of this is real, either. Come on, Ralph, do you honestly think that Max was working for Checkmate all this time?"

"Yes, I do," Ralph coldly answered

"And so you believe that he'd kill me as cruelly as he did without a second thought?"

"I guess so..."

"And that Max would leave his entire fortune to L-ron?"

It was then that Ralph Dibny grew so pale that he looked whiter than snow. His face had the expression of someone who had just been slapped out of a daze. He glanced over at Blue Beetle wide-eyed. "You're right..." he said softly before a small smile appeared on his face, his memories returning to him, and he began to laugh almost maniacally. "You're right!" he repeated, this time louder, springing to his feet. "I can't believe I didn't see it sooner, but now it all makes sense! Of course he wouldn't leave his fortune to L-ron! L-ron!" Ralph continued to laugh harder, doubling over. "It's all so absurd!"

"Uh, Ralph, are you all right...?" Beetle hesitantly asked, taking a step forward toward his friend.

"I'm better than all right!" Ralph exclaimed, suddenly jumping on his couch with joy. "I'm the happiest man alive! The nightmare is over! It's over! Well, not for Booster, because he's still married to that old hag – ha!"

"I don't know if we should be celebrating just yet," Beetle reminded him. "We still need to wake up – "

Ralph sprang off the couch and threw his arms around Beetle. "It's a miracle! Do you know I haven't showered in three weeks? Three weeks! But now I can shower again because the love of my life is still alive!"

"Eh..." Beetle managed, feeling immediately relieved when the unclean Ralph finally released him from his embrace.

Ralph, however, suddenly had a worry look on his face. "She is alive, right?" he asked, doubt in his voice. "And she – she hasn't experienced any of this dream, has she?"
"I think – I think she's okay," Beetle answered as best he could. "But we won't know for certain unless we wake up."

Ralph nodded in understanding. "So how do we do that?"
"Well, first we need to help break free Booster and Max," Beetle replied, adding, "Although, actually, I think Fire and Mary Marvel are taking care of that."

"They are? You mean, you've been talking to them, too?"

"No, I haven't."

"But then how do you know what they're doing?"

"Because," Beetle began, pensively furrowing his eyebrows as he pondered the question. Then, suddenly stumbling upon the revelation himself, he responded in some shock, "I'm the Spectre."

At this, Ralph burst into hysterics. "No, seriously, was it on the news or something?"

"I am being serious," Beetle countered. "I am the Spectre."

"No way. There's no way you're the Spectre."

"But I am. I don't know how or why, but I am the Spectre." After a thoughtful moment, Beetle added, "And you know, it's actually not that bad being the embodiment God's wrath. I kind of like it – sort of empowering. After all, I've never actually had super powers of my own before."

Ralph, though, was still not convinced. "If you're the Spectre, prove it."

"Well, most of my powers seem to have to do with killing people gruesomely, so it might not be such a good idea if I give you a demonstration. That being said, I can tell you that it's actually been more than five weeks since you took a shower, not three weeks."

"You know that?" Ralph inquired with a wince.

"Five weeks, two days, and seven hours to be precise. I'm practically omniscient now, so I pretty much know everything."

"So then you should know how we can get out of here," Ralph eagerly pointed out.

Beetle grimaced. "My abilities seemed to be limited to this realm of reality, unfortunately, although, I seem to have all these memories about some Crisis on Infinite Earths..."

"What?"

"We'll walk and talk," Beetle suddenly said, heading toward the door.

"Wait, where are we going?" Ralph questioned, following his Supper Buddies teammate out into the hall while still wearing his bathrobe and slippers.

"To the prison holding Max and Booster," Beetle explained curtly.

"But I thought Fire and Mary were taking care of that," Ralph said, locking his apartment door as quickly as he could before he continued to trail after Beetle, who was walking much faster.

"They are, but that's not what I'm concerned about."

"Then what is it? What's the problem?"

"Booster and a nuclear powered submarine."

Ralph sighed and shook his head. "Oh yeah, 'cause that makes a lot of sense..."

To Be Continued...