Part two written by Garfieldodie
Later that afternoon, Calvin and Hobbes were walking along the sidewalk towards home. They had finished all business with Socrates, Andy and Sherman, and they were ready to get on to some business of their own.
"So, now that we're done over there, what do you want to do?" Hobbes asked.
Calvin paused and pulled out a notepad from his pocket.
"Huh," he said. "Well, let's see, what have done this past week…?" He proceeded in flipping through pages. "Let's see, we went wading in the creek, we threw a water balloon at Susie, we got stuck in another one of Socrates' pranks, we threw a water balloon at Moe, we watched cartoons, we threw a water balloon at my dad, we went treasure hunting, we threw a water balloon at my mom…"
"I remember that one," Hobbes said.
"Hobbes," Calvin said, putting the pad away, "it seems we have overlooked something very important as of late."
"And that is?"
"We haven't had a GROSS meeting in months!"
Hobbes gasped.
"What?!" he cried. "You can't be serious!"
"I'm dead serious!"
"Well, what do we do?! We've got to make up for this somehow!"
"Agreed! There's only one thing to do!"
There was a brief pause.
"And that is…?" Hobbes asked, motioning for him to continue.
"We need to have a meeting right this very minute!" Calvin declared.
"Right!"
They promptly started running down the sidewalk to their house.
Calvin ran on ahead of him and got to the front door first and promptly yanked it open.
He ended up crashing into his father as he entered.
Dad looked down and saw his son and his stuffed tiger had smashed into his legs.
"Calvin, don't run," he said sternly. "You could've ruined my pants."
"And I could've gotten hurt as well," Calvin sighed. "Thanks for noticing."
"Sorry, but your mother and I are going out tonight, and we want to look presentable, which is more than I can say for you at the moment."
Calvin glared at him.
"Well, I'm busy right now," he grumbled. "Hobbes and I have some business to attend to."
Calvin picked Hobbes up and headed for the stairs.
"Oh, and Calvin, Rosalyn is coming by, so best behavior tonight," he said.
"Rosalyn?!" Calvin cried, stopping and staring at him. "What the heck for?!"
"Because you needed a babysitter, and we needed a cheap babysitter," Mom said, putting her earrings on.
"Cheap?!" Dad asked. "You call Rosalyn cheap?! My wallet's never been lighter in years."
"Well, with your bad back, maybe that's for the best," Calvin said.
Dad glared at him.
"Besides, why are you going out? After the blackout today, I'm surprised you're going anywhere!"
"Pah!" Dad snorted. "As if I'd let the technology get in my way! I'd have been happy if it'd stayed turned off!"
Calvin squeezed his eyes shut in annoyance.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
DING-DONG!
They all looked up.
"Oh, good! She's here!" Mom said, walking forward.
Dad followed her.
Calvin gulped nervously and stood on the stairs with Hobbes.
"It's too late!" he whispered. "Nowhere to run!"
"Have you noticed these stairs behind you?" Hobbes asked.
The door was opened by Mom.
Rosalyn stood at the door. She had a grim look on her face.
"Rosalyn! How are you?" Mom asked cheerfully.
"Fine, I suppose," Rosalyn replied. "I had to cancel a date for this, but that's okay. I just love watching Calvin." She said that last part through gritted teeth.
Mom and Dad nodded nervously.
"Right then, well, help yourself to anything you need around here. Calvin, you be good! See you later tonight."
"NO!" Calvin cried. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! SAVE ME!"
Calvin leapt from the stairs just as Mom and Dad were walking out the door.
WHAM!
Calvin collided with the now closed door. He was stuck to it for a moment before he finally slid down and landed in a heap on the floor.
Rosalyn towered angrily over him.
Calvin looked around.
Hobbes had vanished again.
Rosalyn glared at him.
"Bedtime," she said sternly.
Calvin stared at her.
"What?!" he cried. "It's barely five o'clock yet!"
"I don't care! I had to cancel a date tonight to do this gig, and I'm not about to let you ruin an already ruined night! You're going to bed and that's final!" she shouted.
Calvin managed to get to his feet.
"Right!" he said quickly. "I'll do just that!"
And he darted up the stairs to his room.
He found Hobbes already there, just reading a comic book on the bed.
Calvin rolled his eyes.
"You got up here awful fast," he said.
"Three years of practice," Hobbes replied.
Calvin grumbled.
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! ROSALYN CAN'T DO THIS TO US! WE HAVE OUR THINGS TO DO! WE HAVE JOBS! SHE CAN'T HOLD ME!"
"SHUT UP!!" Rosalyn shouted.
"Sorry," Calvin said meekly.
"That's it, Calvin," Hobbes sighed. "Read her the riot act."
Calvin glared at him.
"Oh, this isn't over yet!" he declared. "Come on, Hobbes! We need to strategize! Get out the box! It's time for a top-secret GET RID OF SLIMY GIRLS meeting!"
Back at Yellowstone, Dr Brainstorm's lab was still and waiting.
Suddenly, the door suddenly opened.
Dr Brainstorm was standing in the front, covered in soot and ash.
Jack was behind him, not paying attention to his grumbling.
"Well, that was a wash!" Dr B fumed, stomping into the lab.
"Yeah," said Jack, following him. "Speaking of washing, you need a shower."
"Whatever. Anyway, I guess it's time to start working on Super Plan B."
Jack rolled his eyes.
"Uh-huh," he said. "Just another big and interesting way to fail."
Brainstorm grumbled as he headed over to his workbench.
"Hey, if it's any consolation, you actually sounded threatening to us," he said consoling, patting him on the back.
Dr Brainstorm paused.
"Yeah…it helps a little. Thanks," he sighed.
Jack smiled slightly and then went over to watch TV.
Dr Brainstorm then stood up.
"ALRIGHT THEN, JACK! I'M OFF TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR SUPER PLAN B! I'LL BE BACK TUESDAY!" he shouted.
"Go for it, loser," Jack replied.
Dr Brainstorm started to head for his building room…
…until he saw a light flashing under the big screen.
"Huh," he said. "What's this?"
Jack looked up and saw the red light flashing.
"It means we have a call," he said. "Someone left a video message."
There was a pause.
"Uh…," Brainstorm finally said. "I don't suppose you could…"
"…play if for you?"
"WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?! THAT I CAN'T PLAY IT MYSELF? ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I'M A USELESS DO NOTHING WHO CAN'T HANDLE ANYTHING HE BUILT HIMSELF?! IS THAT WHAT IT IS?! HUH?! HUH?! TELL ME?!"
Jack stared at him.
"Wow," he said. "You just summed yourself up. Good for you."
Brainstorm growled at him.
"Just play it," he grumbled.
Jack grinned wryly and pushed a button on the console.
The giant screen whirred into life, and before they knew it, a picture appeared on screen.
Dr Brainstorm's eyes bugged out and his mouth dropped open in utter shock.
And for possibly the first time in a long time, Jack's eyes opened wide, and his usual bored look shifted into an also shocked look.
"No…," Dr Brainstorm gasped. "It can't be!"
"It…it is!" Jack said.
They both recognized the figures on the screen.
"DR THUNDERSTORM?!" Brainstorm shouted.
"SHADOW?!" Jack cried.
Dr Thunderstorm was glaring at him angrily through the pre-recorded message.
"This is a recording, Brainstorm, you old doof," Thunderstorm growled. "Don't bother talking to me. I just want you to know that I'm back."
"Yeah, we gathered that from your message," Jack muttered.
"Shut up," Brainstorm ordered, fury growing across his face.
"I've decided what to do," Thunderstorm continued. "Shadow's determined where you are. So you decided to live under Old Faithful, eh, Frank? Nice place if you like that sort of thing. Well, guess what: I'm going to destroy you and everything you stand for and everything you've done to me will go flying back into your face. Then, as an added burn, I'll do the one thing you could never do. I'M GONNA TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! BWA, HA, HA, HA!"
"Affirmative," said Shadow, who was standing behind him. "Recording terminated."
The screen blinked off.
Jack glanced over at Dr Brainstorm.
Dr Brainstorm was growling loudly, his nostrils flared, his entire body trembling and he was breathing heavily.
"Uh, Frank, maybe you should sit down," Jack said nervously.
"IT'S DOCTOR BRAINSTORM!!" Brainstorm shouted angrily.
This was far more violently loud than usual. It was far more incredibly loud and threatening. In fact, Jack was knocked over by the shockwaves coming out of his mouth.
Jack stared at him.
"HE'S A JERK!" Dr Brainstorm ranted. "THAT DOUBLE-CROSSING, NO GOOD, ABSOLUTE WASTE OF A SON OF A STUPID PAIR OF PARENTS ESCAPED FROM HIS HOLD!! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM, I'M GONNA SHOOT HIM DEAD WITH A SILVER BULLET!"
Jack stared.
"Seriously?" he asked.
"I hate him more than Calvin!"
"Wow, you are serious."
Brainstorm growled again.
"There's only one thing to do!" he said dramatically. "We must stop Thunderstorm and Shadow before they take over the world!"
There was a pause.
"How'd they get out Thunderstorm out of stasis?" Jack wondered.
"We'll ask him later," said Dr Brainstorm. "For now, we've got work to do! IT'S TIME TO STRATEGIZE! Here's my idea: using a giant wooden horse, we hide within it, and Thunderstorm and Shadow accept it as a gift of surrendering, and they push it inside with us inside, and then we jump out and kill them both!"
There was a pause.
Jack stared at him.
"Uh…no?" he said, reacquiring his bored expression.
"HEY, DON'T KNOCK IT! IT FOOLED THE TROJANS!"
"And that was how long ago?" Jack sighed.
Dr Brainstorm grumbled and stomped away.
Jack rolled his eyes.
"Look, just get a hold of Calvin and Hobbes. Maybe they can help us," he said.
Brainstorm stopped and whirled around.
"Oh, no," he said slowly. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Absolutely not! Negative! No way! Never! And in case you didn't pick on that, NO!"
Jack nodded slightly.
"Right," he said. "Now how about you tell me why it is that when you need help, you refuse it."
"Because I want to be the heroic villain, okay?!" he wailed. "There's got to be at least one time where I'm the one who has a victory!"
Jack shook his head.
"Look, call me useless or not, but I think you need help with this one," he said.
"NO!" Brainstorm shouted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an idiot to kill!"
"You're committing suicide?" Jack asked.
Brainstorm growled and stomped away.
Jack watched him unsurely. Then he glanced over at the communicator.
"Wow," he said. "I think I just had a pang of conscience. I could've sworn I got rid of that thing."
Calvin and Hobbes were hiding under a cardboard box in their room.
"Okay, so are we clear on the plan?" Calvin asked.
"Yeah, we run downstairs and annoy the heck out of her," Hobbes replied.
"And do we have the Calvinball masks?"
"Check."
"Good. And the dart guns?"
"Yep."
"Now then, are we ready?"
"Let's bring it."
"Game on."
The box suddenly exploded off of them, revealing them both to be wearing their black masks.
"ATTACK!" they cried together.
They ran towards the door and yanked it open.
Rosalyn towered over them angrily.
"What are you doing?" she asked stormily.
"Nothing," Calvin said nervously. "Enjoy your dateless evening."
"Good."
Calvin quickly shut the door.
"We probably should've planned that out a bit more," said Hobbes.
Calvin nodded.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
They both looked up.
"What's that?" asked Hobbes.
"It's me," said MTM, who was sitting on the desk. "We're getting a call."
Calvin quickly ran over to him and popped him open.
"Hello, this is Calvin. What can I do you for?" he said.
"Calvin, its Jack. Can I talk to you about something?"
"I dunno. Can you?"
There was a pause.
"You're so lame sometimes," Hobbes sighed.
Calvin glared at him.
"What do you want, Jack?"
"Actually, can you teleport me there?" he asked. "This isn't the sort of thing I want to discuss over the phone. I'll run out of minutes."
"Check," said Calvin. "MTM? Send him in."
"Righto!" said MTM.
There was a pause.
Then in a field of electricity, Jack arrived in their bedroom.
"Hey, guys," he said.
"Hello," MTM said.
"So, what's up?" asked Hobbes.
"We've got trouble," Jack said grimly. "One of Frank's old rivals has shown up."
"What, another mad scientist?" asked Calvin. "Big whoop."
"Yeah, if he's anything like Frank, we're just fine. He shouldn't be too scary."
"I wouldn't be so sarcastic if I were you," Jack said.
"Oh and why not?" Calvin asked, rolling his eyes.
"Well, I'm scared of him."
There was a pause.
Calvin and Hobbes stared at him in surprise.
"…Seriously?" Calvin asked.
"Who is he?" asked Hobbes.
"Dr Thunderstorm and his robot sidekick, Shadow," Jack explained. "It's a long story and should probably be done with a flashback…"
Apparently, Brainstorm and Thunderstorm went to college together, and they both hated each other. Thunderstorm was conceited at the fact that he was a better inventor than Brainstorm was, and Brainstorm was furious about this.
Afterwards, the two scientists would hysterically compete with each other, both of them getting angrier all the time. When Brainstorm built Jack, Thunderstorm built Shadow. When Brainstorm made his hypercube, Thunderstorm made a working hypercube. When Brainstorm moved to an underground laboratory, Thunderstorm built a bigger and better one in Antarctica, which people would never find.
Eventually, Brainstorm got sick of Thunderstorm out-inventing him and decided to get to work on a Brainstorm Space Station in order to prove his point that he could take over the world. Once he found out, Thunderstorm, who by this time had actually gone totally insane, bluffed to Brainstorm by threatening to use a device called the Death Machine that could wipe out one third of the population with a press of a button. Brainstorm refused to believe Thunderstorm and continued working on the space station. It was one of the few smart things that Brainstorm ever did.
At that point, Thunderstorm became hostile. He sent Shadow to the lab in Calvin's town repeatedly to attack Brainstorm and Jack. Shadow, being equally insane and dangerous as Thunderstorm, has several features that Jack doesn't have, and he's a total killing machine. Therefore Jack and Brainstorm were virtually powerless to his attacks. Eventually, Jack initiated a sleeping function on Shadow, and buried him underground.
Then, Thunderstorm attacked Brainstorm and Jack himself, and Brainstorm, accidentally of course, trapped Thunderstorm in stasis. Thunderstorm was then transported back to his lab, and was since forgotten.
"…and that's where a lot of the anger and bitterness comes from," Jack finished. "It also explains some of his egotism, seeing as how trapping Thunderstorm in stasis was his only true victory. In his own dumb way, Frank saved the entire planet."
Calvin and Hobbes had clung to every word and were completely stunned by the story.
"Wow…," said Calvin. "Just when you think you know a guy."
Hobbes nodded.
"It's so strange," Jack continued. "They both started out so nicely."
"What? You mean they were friends at one point?" Hobbes asked.
"Yeah. Frank never gave me all the details, but I think I learned the basic message."
"What's that?" asked Calvin.
Jack paused for a second before he spoke again.
"Most friendships end in betrayal," he said at last. "And those two are sworn enemies now."
Calvin and Hobbes gulped.
"Oh, this is gonna be a tough one," Calvin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We're gonna have to face this Thunderstorm guy at some point. No time like the present, I suppose."
Hobbes groaned.
"Do we really want to get involved in this?" he asked. "This is Frank's problem!"
"Sure!" said Calvin. "If we can just face him head-on, armed with everything we can fight with, I'm sure we can get him back into stasis!"
"It sounds like a really crummy plan, but okay," said Jack.
"Uh-huh," said Calvin. "We'll need some extra arms, though. Let's get Socrates, Andy and Sherman over here."
"Er, could you teleport me back to Yellowstone first, though? I'd better keep an eye on Frank. He could go a bit far this time. We don't know what he'll do next," Jack said.
"True, he has slightly improved as of late by at least one per cent," Hobbes admitted.
"MTM, send Jack home."
"Right," said MTM.
In a field of electricity, Jack was teleported out of the room.
"Okay, now try and get Andy, Sherman and Socrates here, please," Calvin said.
"Oh sure, send for this, send for that, you always think of yourself these days, don't you?" MTM grumbled. "I'm gonna get my paint scratched one of these days."
"Whatever. Just send them here."
There was a pause.
"Well…?" Calvin asked.
"Say please."
"I did say please!"
"Say it again."
Calvin groaned.
"PLEASE!" he shouted.
"Thank you."
In another field of electricity, Socrates, Andy and Sherman suddenly appeared.
"Oh great," Sherman moaned. "I was in the middle of splicing a DNA."
"What do we have to do now?" Andy asked.
Calvin spoke up.
"We have to stop a true threat to the world, boys," he announced.
"Do we?" Socrates asked.
Calvin glanced over to his left.
Hobbes had vanished again.
"Okay," he sighed. "First, we have to find Hobbes, and then we have to stop a true threat to the world."