The street to the left of the Empire State Building was closed for two reasons. Firstly, the Weather News Network had to tell the weather there today. Secondly, the road was being fixed a little away from where Sam and Manny were to tell the weather. It was a hot day, and everyone ran around in shorts and t-shirts and little fans.

They still had a few minutes before they went live, so Sam and Manny sat inside their van. Manny was cleaning his camera lens, while Sam was fan herself with last week's weather report. She wondered how Flint and Brent managed in this week. They both wore long pants. But then, so did she. Patrick Patrickson had told her earlier that weather girls weren't allowed to wear shorts. Only jeans or other long pants. They also didn't allow tank tops. Manny was lucky. He was behind the camera, so it didn't matter what he wore. He, happily, was wearing his swimming trunks, since all his shorts were in the wash and a concert t-shirt. Sam didn't quite believe him. The reason he wore swimming trunks was to piss off Patrick. There were no swim clothes allowed in the studios.

"Sam Sparks! You go on in ten minutes!" someone called out from outside. Sighing, Sam checked her hair in the mirror. Quickly, she took her glasses off and slipped them into her pocket. Then she smiled at the mirror and then turned to Manny.

"Ready?" she asked.

He nodded and continued to wipe his camera lens. Then he perked up when Sam's Doppler Raider Effect 2000 Turbo began to beep. It only did that when there was a heavy storm was on the way. Otherwise it sat on the shelf collecting dust. Manny looked up at it and Sam took it off the shelf. She blew the dust off and Manny covered his camera so no dust gets on it.

When she opened it and switched it on, the screen flashed in her face and a zoomed out map of New York came on. The map flashed colors. Each color represented where the storm would be heaviest. She peered at it and gasped.

"Manny, a huge storm is heading our way." She whispered and showed him the screen.

"It looks bad." Manny frowned and glanced up at her.

"I know. Though I can't tell if it's a rain storm or hail storm. Can't be snow…" she peered at the screen and then sighing, slammed the thing closed and grabbed her microphone off the shelf. Carefully, she placed the Doppler back on the shelf. Manny heaved up his camera on his shoulder and they went outside.

The street was covered in wires and the WNN crew ran around to make sure that the sound was good and that Manny's camera didn't break out. Manny connected one of the wires to his camera and Sam stood in position with her microphone poised in her hand.

"Sam! You're on in 3…2…GO!" someone called out.

"This is Sam Sparks reporting live from the streets of New York City. To my left is the Empire State Building. All tourists out there, come to see it," Sam began and Manny lifted his camera up at the building for a second. Then back at Sam.

"Today we have yet another hot day with fluffy clouds! The temperatures range from 86° to 87° Fahrenheit, which is approximately 30°Celcuis. Be sure to take a stroll through Central Park and see the kite contest! But be quick! Soon we shall also expect a storm. So get your umbrellas out and be sure to stay indoors when it comes. This is Sam Sparks, signing off." Sam finished and Manny got one more shot of the clear blue sky. As he did, the clouds had begun to turn purple. Manny shut off his camera and everyone around blinked up at the sky. The clouds had begun to grow bigger and fill up the sky. A loud rumble came from the clouds and people gasped. Some ran off for cover, while others just watched with curiosity. It was nothing like anyone has ever seen.

"Manny! It's the storm we saw coming!" Sam gripped her microphone tightly in her right hand. He nodded and the sky erupted with bright colors. Another rumble came and then objects began to fall from the sky.

"It can't be." Sam whispered to herself and watched the objects get closer. It wasn't rain, or hail. It was cheeseburgers. As she held out her hand, she caught one and stared at it in her hand. It couldn't be, it just couldn't.

Around people, were either joyful or frightened. They all remembered what had happened to their city last time it rained food. Some even ran away for cover. Well, most people did. All were frightened.

Sam whipped out her cellphone and speed-dialed Flint. He didn't pick up the first time. Or the second. It was at the third time when he actually picked up. She pressed her phone to her ear.

"Flint! Why the heck is it raining cheeseburgers?" she demanded loudly. There was a silence at the other end for a few seconds.

"It's not me! I don't have the FLDSMDFR! Someone stole it from my lab! I swear, I have no idea what is going on!" he blurted out and Sam felt fear and worry scratching at the edge of his voice. She was confused. What was the FLDSMDFR doing in his lab? It had exploded along with the meatball and Flint had told her, he had covered it in his spray-on shoe substance.

"I know you have questions, but don't worry we'll be over right away. Where are you?" he asked.

"Left side of the Empire State Building. I'm not sure of the street." Sam told him and watched the cheeseburgers increase slightly in size. They now were about the length of her hand span. Normally they are supposed to be the size of a man's palm.

"Great. We'll be right over!" Flint hung up and Sam lowered her phone. Fear twisted in her stomach. If the food increased at such a rapid rate, it could be the sizes of cars by the end of the day. Or worse—city buses.

xxx

Flint and Brent stood on the sidewalk outside the café, as Flint shut his phone closed and stuffed it into his pocket. Now they had to get a taxi, get to Sam and maybe she could help them with finding the FLDSMDFR and the man in the dark blue trench coat. He needed to know, why the man wanted to shoot them in the café. Things just weren't adding up.

While Flint thought, Brent stood near the edge of the sidewalk and waved his hand to summon a taxi. The taxis just zoomed past him, and Brent waved harder. Flint came over and began to wave too. A beat up yellow taxi finally drove up and they clambered into the backseat. Flint told the driver to get them to the Empire State Building.

"Sure thing. I just dropped someone off there." The taxi driver smirked and he slammed his foot on the gas.

"Flint. Look." Brent pointed to a hat lying on the floor in front of Flint's seat. Slowly, Flint lifted the hat and his eyebrows shot up. The hat was dark blue and looked exactly like the one the man in the dark blue trench coat wore. Brent seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Do you think it belongs to him?" Brent took the hat from Flint and inspected it.

"Well, we'll see if he'll be wearing one." Flint pointed out and Brent shook his head.

"He could have a spare." Brent twirled the hat in his hands and dropped it back on the floor. This meant that either the man knew where they were going, or he was merrily following him.

xxx

The street was closed as they neared to the Empire State Building. The taxi driver told them to get out and Brent paid him with the money he had leftover. They ran under the "Road CLOSED!" signs and on the street with construction. There was no one in sight, except for a blue Weather News Network van and Sam and Manny who sat on the ground fanning themselves.

"Flint!" Sam grinned and got up. Flint blinked at her. Wasn't she supposed to be angry at him, for keeping the FLDSMDFR in his lab in the first place? Ah, well.

"I'll take the van back. Sam, can you take a taxi back?" Manny yawned and got up.

"Sure." Sam nodded and Manny took her microphone and his camera. As he loaded them into the back and then climbed behind the steering wheel, Flint wished he could have stayed. What if the man in the blue trench coat came back and they needed to get away fast? He had used the same taxi and the taxi driver had said that he had asked to come here too.

"So, tell me now. Where did you find the FLD…uh… SHMFR?" Sam stuttered; she still didn't seem to get the machine's name right.

"Yes, Flint. Where did you find the machine?" came a crackling voice from behind them. All turned around and Flint felt a shiver race down his spine. Brent whimpered. It was the man in the dark blue trench coat. He had another hat.

Sam seemed to see the way Flint and Brent reacted, so she shrunk behind Flint.

"Flint, I really don't know how stupid you could've been. It is I, who has your invention." The man replied coldly. A chill went through Flint like a lightning bolt.

"Now, think about it. Would you like to join my side or let me kill you? I'd choose the first choice." He smirked. Flint shook his head. What kind of stupid choices were those?

"What about my friends?" he asked and narrowed his eyes at the man.

"I'll kill them." He snapped coldly. Brent whimpered again.

"Kill me instead." Flint snapped back and stood in front of Brent and Sam.

"I thought so." The man sneered and pulled a gun out of his belt. He pointed it at Flint and placed his finger at the trigger.

"NOOOOO!" came another voice. It was the man who had promised the man in the dark blue trench coat to kill Flint. It was one who wanted to warn Flint. Now he was racing at him in full speed.

Everything was now happening in slow motion before Flint's eyes.

The man pushed the man in the blue trench coat as he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the gun and now aimed at Flint, at a strange curved angle. Before Flint could move, the bullet snapped through the air and ripped over his shoulder. But it made contact with his shoulder, and Flint screamed out in pain and clutched his shoulder as he stumbled. The bullet flew at Brent, who pushed Sam aside and he ducked.

The man in the trench coat ran at Flint and hit him with the gun in the other shoulder. A shriek of pain shot out of Flint and he collapsed to the ground. His arm twisted under him and his head it the ground with a crack. He lay motionless.