I've decided to up the rating of this story to T as a precaution, as things are about to get a little heavy by the end of this chapter.
It was getting closer and closer to the wedding day. Fluey had run out of ideas on how to stop this thing. Mike was still beating his brains out trying to figure out where exactly he saw Raphael Caprezio before. And the others wouldn't listen to either of them about their theories.
"I still can't believe you were the one causing all that trouble, Fluey," Coiley said one afternoon. The boys were in Fluey's driveway, tossing around the basketball. Skittles was napping on the porch.
"Next time you pull a stunt like that, leave my dog out of it, okay?" Multi asked.
"Sorry," Fluey said. "But I'm still hopeful. As long as Shawn, FG, and Dani can't agree on bridesmaids dresses, this thing might not happen."
"I don't understand you, anyway," Multi went on, dribbling the ball, and tossing it into the hoop. "Raphael seems like a perfectly nice, normal guy to me."
"Look, I just don't trust him," Fluey said. "He's got to be up to something! Nobody is as perfect as he is!"
"You sound like a broken record," Coiley said, shooting the ball into the hoop.
Fluey caught the ball on the rebound and gave Coiley a dirty look. He dribbled a bit, and then paused, when he saw Raphael in his red Ferrari pull up to the curb.
"Oh no," he groaned.
"Hi, fellas," Raphael said, climbing out of his car. "What's happenin'?"
"Nothing much," Fluey said, throwing the ball.
"Up to any more mischief, Franky?" Raphael asked.
"No," Fluey said, glaring at his sister's fiance. He wasn't surprised Phyllis told Raphael about his shenanigans. "What are you doing here, anyway? Phyllis isn't even home."
"Yeah, I know, she's checking on bridesmaid dresses," Raphael said. "In any case, I don't need to talk to her, I, or rather we, need to talk to you guys."
"Whatever it is, the answer's no," Fluey said.
"Come on, Franky, hear him out at least," Multi said.
"Oh all right," Fluey said, grudgingly.
"Okay," Raphael said. "While Phyllis and I were discussing the members of the wedding party, we found out we have a slight problem. Neither of us has any relatives younger than sixteen. We need a ring bearer, and Phyllis mentioned that you have a younger brother, Mark, and . . . . ."
"My younger brother's three," Multi interrupted. "I don't think he'll be able to stand still long enough for the ceremony."
"Yeah, Phyllis thought so, too," Raphael said. "So we came up with an alternative, if it's all right with you, that is. Instead of a ring bearer, I thought maybe we could have a ring puppy."
"Ring puppy?" Multi asked. "You mean Skittles?"
"Exactly," Raphael said. "Unless she doesn't like the idea of dressing up in a little tux. If that's the case then . . . . ."
"No, she doesn't mind people dressing her up," Multi said (that happened to be true, considering Skittles's double life). "But she can't carry the rings in her mouth."
"I know," Raphael said. "But we thought we'd fix the rings on a pillow, strap the pillow to Skittles's back, and she'll just walk down the aisle that way. Phyllis thinks it'll be so cute. What do you think?"
"I'll have to ask her," Multi said, and he turned to his puppy. "What do you say, girl?"
Skittles barked her agreement, for Phyllis's sake.
"Okay, she's in," Multi said.
"Great," Raphael said, and then he turned to Coiley. "Calvin, we still need a flower girl. Phyllis mentioned your kid sister. Would she be interested?"
"Well . . . . ." Coiley said, thoughtfully. "I'm not sure . . . . ."
"Isn't ten a little old to be a flower girl?" Fluey asked.
"Not necessarily," Coiley said, shrugging. "I am gonna have to ask her about it, Raphael. She was the flower girl at my oldest sister's wedding two years ago, and she loved it, so she might go for it this time around. She loves to play dress up, and she also likes getting all dressed up. I'll talk to her when I get home tonight."
"Great, thanks a lot, Calvin," Raphael said. "I just need one more thing from you guys. I found out that Phyllis's bridesmaids are your girlfriends, and we thought maybe you'd like to, you know, be my groomsmen."
"You mean, stand up on the altar behind you during the whole ceremony and escort our girlfriends out when it's over?" Fluey asked.
"Right," Raphael said.
"Wrong," Fluey replied, flatly. Then he went back to dribbling his basketball. "I'm not gonna do it."
"Aw, come on, Franky," Raphael said, sounding like a parent trying to convince a toddler to eat his vegetables. "Don't you think it'll be fun?"
"Are you patronizing me?" Fluey asked, giving Raphael the "Evil Eye." He hated being patronized. He felt it was a step up from baby-talk.
"Come on, Franky, your sister would really appreciate it," Raphael said. "She said so herself when I suggested it."
"No," Fluey said.
"Look, if Mark and Calvin agree to it, would you do it?" Raphael asked.
"Well . . . . ." Fluey said, hesitantly, and he looked over at Multi and Coiley to see what they were going to do.
"Come on, Franky," Coiley said. "Let it go."
"You mean you guys are actually gonna do it?" Fluey asked.
"Why not?" Multi said, shrugging.
"I don't know . . . . ." Fluey said.
"Well, at least think about it," Raphael said.
"Oh all right," Fluey grumbled. "I'll think about it."
"Great, thanks," Raphael said. "And I can count on you guys providing the entertainment at the reception, right?"
"You know what our fee is?" Fluey asked. "Hundred bucks an hour."
"Franky!" Coiley shouted, swatting his teammate in the arm. "He's kidding, Raphael. We'll do it for nothing."
"Yeah, Franky, this is your sister," Multi said. "You wouldn't charge your own sister for us to play at her own wedding, would you?"
"I guess not," Fluey said, rolling his eyes.
"Great, thanks fellas," Raphael said. "I'll see you later."
And with that, Raphael got into his car, and left. Fluey tossed the basketball aside, and went to the Impossi-Mobile.
"Where are you going?" Multi asked.
"Downtown," Fluey said. "I want to get the scoop with Phyllis."
"Hold it," Coiley said, as he, Multi, and Skittles walked over to the car as well. "Better let one of us drive. Considering you're in a mood . . . . ."
"Man, just because I'm not the world's best driver . . . . ." Fluey grumbled.
"We don't want another lecture from Mike about smashing up the car," Multi said.
"I have to wonder how you passed the driver's license test, anyway," Coiley said. "What'd you do? Copy the answers from the guy next to you or something?"
"Ha, ha, ha, Shorty," Fluey said, sarcastically. That shut Coiley up. He didn't like cracks about his height (or weight, for that matter). That was how Fluey usually got Coiley off his back when he made wisecracks about his driving skills.
The boys made it to the bridal salon just as the girls were leaving it. Each of the girls was carrying a large box.
"I take it you finally agreed on bridesmaids dresses?" Fluey asked.
"We did," Phyllis said. "We went with peach."
"Peach, huh?" Coiley asked. "What was the argument about, anyway?"
"FG wanted mint green, Shawn wanted pink, and Danalleah wanted lavender," Phyllis said. "I figured you guys wouldn't want to be caught dead wearing pink, so . . . . ."
"So you did ask him to ask us to be part of the wedding crew?" Fluey asked. "He wasn't just feeding us a line?"
"Yeah, I thought it would be cute to pair you guys off, you know?" Phyllis said. "Multi and Shawn, you and Danalleah, and Coiley and FG. Oh, by the way, Multi, is Skittles on board?"
"Definitely," Multi said, nodding.
"You'll have to wait until later to know if Courtney wants to do this," Coiley said.
"No problem, we still have time before the big event," Phyllis said.
"Thank goodness," Fluey muttered under his breath. Nobody heard him. "So . . . . what's all this not being caught dead wearing pink jazz?"
"Phyllis thought it would be a nice touch if you guys matched us girls," Shawn said.
"What, are we gonna have to find a place that rents out pastel tuxes or something?" Fluey asked. "No chance, man!"
"No, I don't mean it like that," Phyllis said, giving her brother a look. "I meant you guys wear ties or cummerbunds or something like that that match the bridesmaid dresses."
"I still don't know," Fluey said. "I don't know if I can handle it."
"All you have to do is stand there," FG pointed out.
"Yeah, me standing that close to Mr. Perfect without strangling him?" Fluey asked. "I don't know if I can do that, Phyllis."
"Oh, come on, Fluey," Phyllis said. "Please? It would really mean a lot to me."
"Oh, all right," Fluey said, resignedly. "I'll do it. As a favor to you, sis. But put me as far away from Mr. Perfect as possible. I may be tempted to wring his neck in the middle of the ceremony."
Phyllis swatted Fluey in the arm for that remark, but she did give him a peck on the cheek and thanked him for cooperating.
As the wedding date began getting closer, Fluey was beginning to get desperate. Coiley had talked to Courtney about being the flower girl for Phyllis's wedding, and she was ecstatic. Though Coiley's mother, Martha, wasn't so sure. Phyllis and Raphael asked her if she could cater the wedding (considering Martha's Diner was the most popular restaurant in Megatropolis), so she didn't have time to make the necessary preparations for a flower girl dress. But Phyllis had that covered. Fluey's "aunt" Tillie agreed to make whatever alterations on all the dresses and tuxedos that needed to be made. Being a former Hollywood costume designer, Tillie was an expert seamstress.
"I can't let her go through with this," Fluey said, as his "aunt" was sticking pins in the tux he was wearing at the time. It needed a few alterations.
"Hold still, Franky," Tillie said.
"I don't trust him," Fluey said.
"What's so bad about him, anyway?"
"Have you met him yet?"
"Yes. I think he's a sweet, charming, handsome, wonderful young man."
"In other words . . . . . the perfect guy?"
"Pretty much."
"Exactly. He's too perfect. He doesn't have any flaws! And you know the old saying, if it's too good to be true, it usually is! Oooh . . . . . I'd like to take that Mr. Perfect act of his and . . . . . . ow!"
While Fluey was ranting, Tillie had accidently stuck him with one of her pins.
"Sorry, honey, but I told you to hold still," Tillie said.
Fluey let out a mix between a groan and a growl, and he stood still to avoid his "aunt" sticking him again.
The next day, Fluey went to the SSHQ hangar to get an update. Mike was sitting at his workbench, waving the wedding invitation Phyllis gave him back and forth, using it as a fan or something.
"There's nothin' in the files I have access to," he said. "I need to get a look at the main database, and I don't have access to that. You need a password to get into them, and only Big D and Phyllis know it."
"Don't look at me," Fluey said. "I don't even have access to my own file! How do we go about getting access?"
"We gotta get the chief's permission. And that's easier said than done. He's gonna want to to know why we want to dig in the databases."
"Not good. He'll never give us access if we tell him we're trying to see if Phyllis's fiance is a crook. He's still sore at me for trying to sabotage the wedding in the first place."
"I'm about ready to throw in the towel. I can't find anythin', and I can't think of where I've seen this guy before!"
"Well, we can't just give up, we've got to do something!"
"But what? We can't ask Big D to let us into the main database so we can look to see if Phyllis's fiance is in there, and we can't ask Phyllis for the password. She'll only tell us we need permission from Big D."
Fluey sighed. This was going to be a tough one. He went up to the chief's office. Phyllis was at her typewriter as usual.
"Big D in?" Fluey asked.
"Yep," Phyllis replied. "I don't think he's busy, but you might want to knock, anyway."
"Okay."
Fluey walked over to the door, and knocked.
"Yes?" Big D asked.
"It's me," Fluey said. "Can I come in?"
"All right."
Fluey walked in, and saw Big D going through some paperwork.
"Hi," he said. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Go on," Big D said.
"How would Mike and I go about getting permission to access the main database?"
"You and Agent Rogers want access to the main database?"
"Yeah."
"Ah ha. No. Absolutely not. You only want to get into the main database so you can check on Phyllis's fiance. I don't know why Rogers would want permission to access the main database, but I have a suspicion you two are in cahoots."
"But Big D . . . . ."
"No buts! And don't you dare try to hack into the system yourselves. Believe me, I will know if you two try it. The penalty for that is immediate expulsion. Is that clear?"
"But . . . . ."
"Is that clear, young man?"
"Yes, sir."
Big D nodded, and dismissed his grandson. Fluey was really running out of options here. The wedding day loomed closer, and he and Mike still didn't have any incriminating information on Raphael, and it looked like they never were going to get any.
Finally, it was the Friday before the wedding, and everything was ready. All that had to be done was the wedding rehearsal, but that wasn't until that evening, around seven or so. That morning, Phyllis was getting some typing done for the chief when Mike walked in, holding a folded piece of paper in his hand.
"Hi," he said, clearing his throat. "Uhh, is the chief in?"
"He is," Phyllis said. "Why? Do you need to see him?"
"Yeah, it's . . . . . kinda important."
"Sure."
Phyllis stopped typing for a moment, and pushed a button on her desk intercom.
"Chief," she said. "Agent Rogers is here to see you."
"Rogers, eh?" Big D said, via intercom. "Send him in."
Mike went into the office, and closed the door. Big D just sat there and looked at him.
"I'm a little surprised to see you up here, Rogers," he said, pulling his pipe out of his desk. "I usually don't have any need to send for you. And when I do need you, I come to you."
"I know, sir," Mike said, and he cleared his throat. His throat always seemed to dry out whenever he was nervous.
"You're not here to ask about access to the main database, are you? I don't know why you're so interested in this matter with Raphael Caprezio, but since Fluid had asked about access to the files, and he mentioned your name . . . . ."
"No, sir, it . . . . it isn't about that. I, uhhh . . . . I just wanted to . . . . . ummm . . . . give you my resignation."
"Give me your what?"
Big D got to his feet and stared at Mike as if he had a pussy willow vine growing out of his ears. Mike took a deep breath, and handed Big D the piece of paper he had with him. Big D unfolded it, and read through it.
"You're resigning?" Big D asked, still looking at Mike as if he were crazy. "Why on earth do you want to resign?"
"Well . . . . ." Mike said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I just think . . . . . I think it's just time for me to move on, you know?"
"I see," Big D said, sitting back down. He looked at Mike, oddly. "I find it strange that you would wish to resign, Rogers. You are my best mechanic, after all."
"Yeah, well . . . . ." Mike said, clearing his throat yet again. "Like I said . . . . . I think it's time for me to move on. Time to head back to the ol' homestead in Texas, y'know?"
"And when exactly did you plan to take your leave?"
"Today. After I get all my stuff packed up, that is."
"That doesn't give me much time to find a replacement."
"Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry about that, Big D, but the mechanic team can handle things down there, and I'm sure you can promote one of them. I just kinda want to be out of here before Monday."
"Very well, then, Rogers. If that's the way you want it . . . . . . I hate to see you leave, but if your mind is already made up . . . . ."
"It is."
"Very well. Then I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding then?"
"No, sir. You won't."
And with that, Mike left the office to get back to the garage so he could pack up his things. Half an hour later, the Impossibles and Skittles raced into the hangar.
"Mike! We just talked to the chief and he said you were leaving!" Coiley shouted. "Is it true?"
"Yep," Mike said, tossing a couple of his tools into a toolbox. "It's true. Come Monday, I'll be in Texas."
"But why are you leaving?" Multi asked.
"It's time for a change," Mike said. "Time to move on."
"That's a load of bull, Mike," Fluey said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the young mechanic. "You can't quit!"
"Fluey's right, you're the best mechanic we've ever met!" Multi shouted.
"Shoot, you guys just don't want me to leave because I'm the only one who knows how to fix that darn car of yours!" Mike shouted.
"But Mike . . . ." Coiley started.
"No buts," Mike said. "I'm leavin' and that's that."
Multi, Coiley, and Skittles seemed to accept that, and they left. Fluey stayed behind for a minute or so.
"Mike, you can't quit on me now," Fluey said. "What about Mr. Perfect?"
"I can't find anythin'," Mike said. "And I highly doubt I'll be able to find anything before the weddin' tomorrow. Besides, maybe we're wrong about this whole thing, I don't know."
"Yeah, but why are you quitting the entire agency?"
"I don't think you'd understand, kiddo. But I'll run it by ya, anyway. If Phyllis gets married to Mr. Perfect, I don't think I'll be able to stand it. I really regret not askin' her out when I had the chance, and now, it's too late. I'm not even goin' to the weddin', either. I don't think I could stand it."
"So in other words I'm on my own."
"Pretty much. Sorry to bail on ya like this, kid, but . . . . ."
"Don't worry about it, I still have one last trick up my sleeve."
That evening, everyone in the wedding party was gathered for the wedding rehearsal. Everyone that is, except Fluey. He apparently had made himself scarce.
"Guys, have you seen Fluey around?" Phyllis asked.
"No," Coiley said. "We haven't seen him since we went down to Mike's garage to see if it was true that he quit."
"I just hope he isn't up to something," Phyllis said.
Coiley and Multi shrugged, and the rehearsal got under way. Raphael and his best man (a guy named Luke Jacobs) came in through a side door, and stood at the altar. The minute Raphael got there, he felt something dripping on his head.
"What the?" he asked, looking up, and he ended up with a drop of water right in the eye.
"Oh geez!" he yelled.
"There must be a leak in the pipe or something," the minister said. "Do you want me to call the custodian to fix it? We can wait until they're finished to . . . . ."
"No, it's okay," Raphael said. "I'm not gonna melt or anything like that. Just so long as it's fixed before tomorrow afternoon."
And that was all there was to that. The first one down the aisle as Danalleah. Fluey would have been walking down with her, but he was AWOL at the moment, and the others wanted to get the show on the road. After Danalleah took her place, Coiley and FG came down, followed by Multi and Shawn. They each took their positions at the altar. Then, came Skittles, wearing a satin pillow strapped to her back. There were a set of fake rings sewn onto it. Luke was going to be holding onto the real ones during the ceremony until it was time to exchange them. Then, Courtney came down the aisle, carrying her basket. She was reaching her hand into it, and appeared to be throwing something, but she wasn't throwing anything. Her basket was empty.
"Courtney, what are you doing?" Coiley asked, giving his sister a weird look.
"Practicing," Courtney said. "Duh!"
"Little sisters," Coiley mumbled under his breath. Nobody heard him.
After Courtney, Daisy came down the aisle. Then, there was a brief pause, Phyllis came down the aisle herself, escorted by Big D. So far, so good. The minister began the ceremony, and it was smooth sailing, until he got to one crucial moment.
"If anyone objects to this marriage, let them speak now or forever hold your . . . . . ."
But the minister didn't even get to finish that sentence. Just before he got to the last word, a huge gush of what looked like green water came rushing out of the pipe in the ceiling, and soaked Raphael thoroughly.
"Brother, that's some leak!" Luke commented.
"Yeccchhh!" Raphael shouted. "Now what in the world caused that?"
"I have a pretty good idea," Phyllis grumbled.
"As do I," Big D said. "Come on, Phyllis. Let's go look into this 'leak,' shall we?"
Phyllis nodded, and she and Big D went downstairs to the chapel's basement. Phyllis picked up a nearby broom and began whacking at one of the overhead pipes.
"Fluey, get out here right now!" she shouted. No response. Phyllis continued to whack at the pipes.
"I mean it, buster!" she yelled. "You're in serious trouble, and don't try to worm your way out of it!"
Again, no answer. Phyllis hated to resort to this, but she didn't have any other choice. This was the only way she knew Fluey would come out from wherever in the plumbing he was hiding.
"Franklin Peter McAlister, come out here right this instant!" Phyllis yelled at the top of her voice.
That did it. Fluey streamed out of a faucet by a sink, and morphed into solid in front of his sister and his grandfather. He knew if anyone used his full name, he was in big trouble.
"You had better have a good explanation for this, young man," Big D said, sounding irritated.
"I can't let you marry this guy, Phyllis," Fluey said. "I don't care what you guys say, I don't trust him!"
"Fluey, please," Phyllis groaned. "Stop it! You're too suspicious! Raphael is a great guy! I know he's the one! So would you please grow up and stop acting like such a baby over this!"
"I am not acting like a baby!" Fluey yelled.
"Well, you haven't been acting like an adult through this whole thing, that's for sure," Big D said. "And furthermore, when I signed you boys up with the agency, I gave you strict orders not to use your powers unless it was an emergency, and this does not qualify as an emergency."
"It does to me," Fluey said.
"Cute, Fluid," Big D said, dryly. "Very cute. Deactivate your powers right now, if you please."
Fluey sighed, pulled out his transformer, and pushed a button on it, converting back to his civilian identity. Then Big D held his hand out.
"Hand it over," he said.
"What? My transformer?" Fluey asked. "How do you expect me to fight crime if I can't access my powers? Especially if the three of us end up separated?"
"You won't have to worry about that," Big D said. "You're suspended until further notice. Now hand over your transformer, and your communicator."
"Suspended?" Fluey yelled. "Chief, come on, you can't suspend me for . . . . ."
"I can't suspend you for trying to ruin your sister's wedding, no," Big D said. "However, I can suspend you for unauthorized use of your super powers."
"But . . . . ."
"No buts, young man! Now hand over your transformer and your communicator!"
Fluey grumbled, and did as he was told. Then the three of them went back upstairs.
"Did you fix the leak?" Luke asked.
"We did," Phyllis said. "It turned out there wasn't any leak. My brother was playing with the plumbing."
"Come on, Franky, it's not the end of the world," Raphael said. "You'll get used to me being married to your sister. I promise."
Fluey glared at Raphael, and walked up to the altar. Everyone thought he was going to take his place behind Coiley, but instead, he clenched his fist, and socked Raphael right in the jaw, knocking him off his feet.
"Hey, Franky, cool it!" Coiley shouted.
"No!" Fluey yelled. "I'm not gonna let this wedding take place! I'm not gonna let some fake, phony Mr. Perfect come into our lives, sweep my sister off her feet, and marry her! He's got to have an ulterior motive for all this!"
"Franklin . . . . ." Big D said, in a warning tone. Fluey didn't listen. Raphael started to get up, but Fluey ended up tackling him to the ground, and pinned him there.
"I know you're up to no good!" he shouted. "Why don't you just come clean? Why don't you just admit you're nothing but a lying, sleazy, no good, rotten, son-of-a . . . . ."
"Franklin Peter Anthony Manikatti McAlister Dawson, that is ENOUGH!" Phyllis screamed at the top of her voice. That stopped Fluey cold. He had never heard anyone call him that before! And when someone did use that entire mouthful of a name, Fluey knew he was not only in big trouble, he was in dinosaur sized trouble!
Phyllis stormed over to Raphael and Fluey, grabbed her brother by the back of his shirt collar, and wrenched him to his feet. Then she grabbed him by the arms, and gripped as hard as she could.
"Ow! Hey, come on sis, that hurts!" Fluey shouted.
"I've had it with you!" she yelled. "You've done nothing but act like a spoiled little brat throughout this whole thing! You've done everything you could to ruin the preparation of this wedding, and I am not going to let you ruin my special day!"
"Sis, come on, I'm only trying to protect you!"
"Well, I don't need your protection! As of this moment, I'm forbidding you to attend this wedding!"
"Hey come on, Phyllis, you can't uninvite me to your wedding like that!"
"I can, and I am! I don't want you at my wedding, Franky. You'll only try to ruin it."
"I'm just trying to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life marrying this jerk! But I guess your brain is so clouded you can't even see straight anymore, like every other dumb blonde in America!"
Phyllis then suddenly punched Fluey right in the eye as hard as she could. The force of the blow knocked him off his feet. Everyone else stood there in shock. They couldn't believe Phyllis had actually slugged her brother like that! She didn't say anything afterward. All she did was help Raphael up to his feet, and went to the altar.
"Sorry you had to see that, everyone," she said, and then turned to the minister. "Shall we continue?"
Big D then pulled Fluey to his feet, and led him over to one of the pews.
"Mark, do you have your dog's leash?" Big D asked.
"Yeah, here," Multi said, handing Big D Skittles's leash (though it felt odd having the chief call him by his real name).
"Thank you," Big D said, taking the leash, and tying one end of it around Fluey's wrist.
"Hey, come on, chief, this is embarrassing!" Fluey shouted.
"I'm sorry," Big D said. "But this is the only way I can guarantee you staying out of trouble until the rehearsal is over."
"But . . . ." Fluey started.
"No buts!" Big D shouted (which got everyone else's attention). "If you're going to act like a child, then I'm going to treat you like a child!"
"Ooooh, burn!" FG commented.
"Ouch," Shawn cringed.
Fluey groaned, and sat down. There wasn't much else he could do. When the minister got to the objections part, Fluey once again tried to speak his peace, but the minute he stood up, Big D tugged on the leash, and Fluey sat back down. The worst part of the whole thing was Big D kept him on that leash until they returned home that night once the wedding rehearsal was finished.
"This isn't fair, Big D!" Fluey protested. "I'm only trying to . . . ."
"I don't want to hear it, young man!" Big D shouted.
"But I'm positive Raphael is . . . . ."
"Do you have proof?"
"Well . . . . no . . . . . but that doesn't mean . . . . ."
"Fluey, stop!" Phyllis shouted. "I've heard enough of this! We know you don't like Raphael, but you can't tell me who I can, or can not marry! It's not your decision, and I don't need your approval! Now will you please just drop it!"
"But you know my instincts are always right!" Fluey argued.
"Unless you can provide the proof to back up this theory of yours, young man, then I'm afraid the suspension still stands," Big D said. "Furthermore, you're grounded for the weekend. I don't want you leaving your bedroom for the next two days."
"Grounded?" Fluey shouted. "But . . . . but chief!"
"No buts," Big D said. "Go to your room."
"But . . . . ."
"Now!"
Fluey glared at both his sister and his grandfather, and began stomping up the stairs to his bedroom, grumbling under his breath. Then he slammed the door shut.
"That boy has got to learn some discipline," Big D said.
Phyllis nodded, and then she went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves.
Except Fluey wasn't going to just drop it. At midnight, when Big D and Phyllis were asleep, Fluey quietly snuck out of his bedroom, much like when he was sneaking out of his room to watch The Late Night Fright Fest Double Feature. But instead of going into the den, Fluey snuck out the front door, armed with the address of Raphael's apartment, and a lock pick. He knew Raphael was having a bachelor party that night, and wouldn't be home, so this was his only chance to do some investigating.
"If they want proof, I'll give them proof," he said.
Raphael lived in a swanky apartment in downtown Megatropolis. Luke also lived with him. Not only was he Raphael's best friend, he was also his roommate. Fluey thought that was just another cover. The apartment doors were on the outside, so he wouldn't have to bother with going inside a lobby or anything like that. He climbed up the fire escape to the fifth floor, and found Apartment 5C. Of course, the door was locked, which was why Fluey had brought along the lock pick. Since Big D confiscated his transformer, he couldn't slip underneath it. Once the door opened, Fluey quietly went inside, and turned on a light. Fluey wasn't surprised at the swank decor of the place, but he didn't have time to take it in. He needed to find something incriminating about Raphael. A briefcase on the kitchen counter caught his eye, and he walked over to it. Oddly enough, the briefcase was unlocked.
"Let's see what we have here," he said, opening the briefcase. Inside were several papers, some plane tickets, a couple of bottles, and what appeared to be an Arabian princess costume.
"Eeesh . . . ." he said, once he saw it. "What the heck is he doing with . . . . . no, never mind, I don't want to know!"
Fluey then picked up one of the bottles inside the briefcase and looked at it.
"Chloroform?" he said, after reading the label. "Definitely something fishy about that."
Fluey then took a look at the plane tickets. He figured they were the honeymoon tickets. Phyllis had told him, and the others, that she and Raphael were going to be spending their honeymoon in Hawaii. Fluey was thinking, if he hid the tickets, they wouldn't be going on that honeymoon. But instead of pocketing them, Fluey looked at them.
"Wait a minute!" he shouted. "These aren't round trip to Hawaii. They're one way to the Middle East!"
Fluey dug through the briefcase a little more, and unearthed several documents. One was a check for half a million dollars, made out to somebody named Vincent de Leo. A letter was in the same envelope as the check.
Dear Mr. de Leo,
Or is it Mr. Caprezio? I'm not sure what you are calling yourself at this time, but it does not matter. I can not express my gratitude to you enough for finding me a golden haired beauty for my latest bride, and harem collection. Girls with golden hair are somewhat difficult to locate here in Abrah Kadabrah. This Phyllis is perfect, exactly what I wanted. As we agreed, I am sending you the check for five hundred thousand dollars. I will give you a check for the other five hundred thousand when you deliver my bride to me.
Regards,
Shiek Abdullah Ahblanghatta
"So that's it," Fluey said, putting everything back into the briefcase. "He's gonna trick Phyllis aboard a plane heading to an unknown Middle Eastern country and sell her into slavery! Well, he's not gonna get away with it! I've gotta get this briefcase to Big D before . . . . ."
Suddenly, a hand clamped over Fluey's mouth, and he was dragged away from the briefcase. Fluey struggled and screamed, trying to break free, but his assailant was too strong for him.
"Well, look what we have here," a familiar voice said. "Hiya, Franky boy."
It was Raphael. He and Luke had returned to the apartment.
"Looks like he was snooping around, Vince," Luke said.
"Definitely," Raphael said, increasing his grip on the dark-haired teenager. "Too bad he ain't gonna tell anyone. You want to know something, squirt? You're too nosy for your own good."
Luke opened the briefcase, took out the chloroform bottle, and emptied some of it onto a handkerchief. Then he walked over toward Raphael and Fluey. Raphael removed his hand from Fluey's mouth, and Fluey tried to let out a scream for help, but Luke pressed his handkerchief firmly over his face almost immediately. Fluey fought against it, but was overcome in a matter of seconds.
"Come on," Raphael said, slinging the unconscious teenager over his shoulder. "We've got work to do."