This chapter is for Chocolate and Drama and SparklySkater. You are both mad. What does that make me!?!
Chapter 8
Ashley and Helen sat on the dusty ground as Cabal agents poured out of the facility and vehicles roared by. The agents ignored the two women, mainly because they had all received very strict instructions from Henry and were off to fulfil them, slightly under the influence of a promised pay rise for the first team to reach the sighting of a very rare abnormal at the North Pole.
"Where were you?" Magnus asked Ashley.
"I don't know. I think I was stuck in a teleport or... something like that." Even a near death experience couldn't stop Ashley from blathering away. She'd spent so long without anyone to talk to, it all came out at once and in no particular order.
"I've got so much to tell you, I've had so much to think about. I could see you sometimes and I know now that I belong here. I have to tell you about the energy manipulation and Dad. He's fighting it, I think he has more control this time, or maybe he's trying harder I don't know, he's staying away from me since we've got back. We've got to get that thing out of him."
Helen stared at her daughter, this was a different, more perceptive side to her.
"I know," she agreed. She was surprised by Ashley's next words.
"And I know how to do it. Theres no time to explain but, trust me?"
"Always. If this goes wrong..."
Ashley nodded, she knew the consequences could be terrible and irrevocable. They were prevented from further discussion by Henry, as he ran from the tunnel leading out of the Cabal facility and slipped in the dusty gravel landing on the ground before Magnus and Ashley, interrupting their peaceful reunion. He stared open mouthed at the blonde in front of him.
"Henry!" Ashley grinned, now even happier to be there to see her brother before her. The smile faded as he scrambled to his feet and held his gun up, his hand shaking.
"How do I know it's really you?" he asked.
"Henry, I swear it's me," protested Ashley clambering up and extricating herself from her mothers arms.
"Henry," interjected Magnus. "It's all right."
"No it's not," he shouted. "It could be a Cabal trick! They've done some freaky things, I know they've got some weird ideas."
"Henry," Ashley stepped towards him, her hands held up in a peaceful gesture.
"If it's really you then you know what to do. Prove it!" He sounded desperate so she grudgingly complied.
"OK, OK." She gave Magnus an apologetic look and felt quite thankful her father wasn't there to witness this, as she began to sing.
"Charlie you look quite down
With your big sad eyes
And your big fat frown
The world doesn't have to be so gray.
Charlie when your life's a mess
When your feeling blue
Or are in distress
I know what can wipe that sad away.
All you have to do is,"
Henry was nodding his head along in time to the song.
"Put a banana in your ear (a banana in my ear?)
Put a ripe banana into your favorite ear
It's true (says who?)
So true
Once it's in your gloom will dissapear
The bad in the world is hard to hear
When in your ear a banana cheers
So go and put a banana in your ear."
"How many verses do I have to do?"
"You're nearly done, just the last bit."
"What are you two doing?" interrupted Magnus "We don't have time for this."
"Mom, please. We came up with this procedure years ago as a precaution for this precise situation and now we have the opportunity to use it we aren't going to miss out," explained Ashley, as though it were a matter of fact.
"Precise situation?" Magnus said to herself in confusion.
Druitt stepped out of the doorway behind Magnus, dusting off his long overcoat and raised an eyebrow as Ashley continued to sing.
"Put a banana in your ear (I'd rather keep my ear clear)
You will never be happy
If you live your life in fear
It's true (says you) So true
When it's in the skies are bright and clear
Oh, every day of every year
The sun shines bright in this big blue sphere
So go and put a banana in your
Earrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
Henry had been pacified by the song and lowered the weapon.
"No one could fake that awful singing voice. I believe you." They grinned at each other.
"OK, my turn." She raised her gun and pointed it at him. The smile quickly left Henry's face.
"Ashley!"
"It's OK Mom, we can teleport back, we'll be there in a second. I gotta do this. Henry was taken by the Cabal too, I need to know that it's really you."
"No fair," he muttered.
"Pop quiz asshole. You've got a hair trigger aimed at your head what do you do? What do you do?!" she shouted at him.
He gulped and thought quickly. He opened his mouth and began to sing, quietly at first then getting louder as he grew in confidence.
"When you're feeling all alone,
The world's a drone,
And nobody's shown any love to you.
When your heart is cold as stone,
Just change your tone,
Get rid of that groan and the world will too.
'Cause swordfishes Love you!
Jellyfishes Love you!
Starfish - 'I LOVE YOU!'
You know it's true,
Catfishes Love you!
Cuttlefishes Love you!
Blowfish-
'STARFISH REALLY LOVES YOU!'
In The Ocean Blue."
Henry took a deep breath.
"Lung fish, black fish, alligator, Ice fish
Armour head, hammer head, anaconda, flat head
Manta ray, stingray, fang-tooth moray
Goblin shark, grass carp, round-river-bat ray
Noodle fish, hag fish, man o' war, lady fish
Black eel, baby seal, sprat, koi, electric eel
Lamprey, pejerey, yellow-edged moray
Salmon shark, sleeper shark, featherback and eagle ray.
Well you can ignore this plea,
That's fine with me,
But one day you'll see that my words are true.
What if ya find that you agree,
I guarantee,
That you will soon be feeling the love too.
'Cause swordfishes Love you!
Jellyfishes Love you!
Starfishes - 'I WANNA BE WITH YOU FOREVER!'
You know it's true,
Catfishes Love you!
Cuttlefishes Love you!
Blowfishes-
'STARFISH! LOVE ME, LOVE ME!'
In The Ocean Blue!"
As the two hugged each other laughing, Magnus and Druitt exchanged a perplexed look as though to say, 'Kids these days.'
The odd family of four rematerialized outside the Sanctuary grounds, out of reach of the EM field. Ashley and Magnus walked up the drive arm in arm, Henry bounding along next them and Druitt bringing up the rear in stony silence.
"You better not have touched any of my stuff," said Ashley to Henry.
"I only got the stuff that was mine in the first place, which you had pinched."
"Like what?"
"My original GameBoy, with Tetris."
"Like I would ever want to steal that piece of junk."
"You were addicted to it."
"Was not."
"Were too."
"Was not."
"What was your max score?"
"45455," she blurted out without hesitating. There were some things you just did not forget.
"Ha!"
Ashley wrinkled her nose in a mock scowl and changed the subject, turning to her mother.
"So, you picked a fight with the Cabal. Clever. You know, if eternal life is all you're worried about, we can do something about that."
"We can?" Magnus raised an eyebrow, this ought to be interesting.
"Sure. We could chop your head off when you've had enough. Right Hen?" Henry nodded his agreement.
"Like on Highlander. There can be only one." He frowned. "What if it doesn't work and we're left with a living head?"
"Oh, well, we could keep it in a jar."
"Oooh, like on Star Trek with Spock's brain in a jar. Yeah!"
"Thank you both kindly for your consideration, I'm sure that won't be necessary," Magnus couldn't help but smile.
Her heart was quickly healing at having her daughter back and she was happy to see Ashley and Henry back together and falling in to their old teasing routine almost like nothing had happened. She could still sense a dark shadow behind her, Druitt was bringing up the rear but keeping his distance. The creature was back in him, she could see that, but it had never kept him at a distance to them before. Something was different. He was there to fight the Cabal but was deliberately holding himself away from them. Did he have more control this time?