Happy birthday! To me. Yesterday. No wait, now it's two days ago… Oh well…
Sorry for the delay, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it! My excuse is one word: College. I had to move in and start learning and totally rearrange my schedule and all that stuff. Oh yeah, and… I guess I'm not a Bio major anymore :P Still love it, but I switched.
Man, this chapter did not want to be written! I mean, really! It gave me trouble before college crap, and now it's giving me trouble after!
And now, without further ado, the chapter you've all been waiting for…WordGirl vs. Cats!
It's the necklace! It's been the necklace all along!
The realization struck her harder than one of The Whammer's attacks. The necklace Violet gave her… She had forgotten she was even wearing it, and all this time, that had been the source of her powers! But…how?
An orange tabby kitten started chewing on her nose, slinging her back to the present with a yelp. Becoming aware of her surroundings again, WordGirl had to bite back a combination of amusement and panic. This was absurd. This whole thing: Absurd! She—a powerful superhero who had yet to be defeated—was being overpowered by cats. Albeit, a very large number of cats, but that made the situation no less ridiculous. Maybe even more ridiculous.
Gathering all the strength she could muster, WordGirl forced her way up and out of the sea of cats, a burst of light accompanying her powerful exit and tossing cats in all directions. The terrified felines still clinging to her were shaken off gently. After she had rescued Captain Huggy Face, she hovered above the cats, who were still attempting to latch onto her boots. They could leap surprisingly high—she had to rise a few feet to avoid their outstretched claws.
Looking up, she saw Doctor Two-Brains dangling on a lamp suspended from the ceiling. It was over a table crawling with cats, and the remains of rows of potted plants that had rested there before, now eviscerated, shattered, and overturned in the disarray. He was hanging on for dear life, kicking his feet to throw off the cats climbing up his pants.
"I really didn't think this through!" he wailed from above. "Oh-ho-ho, WordGirl, save me!"
The heroine rolled her eyes, but zipped up to free him from the cats…only to imprison him in a thick knot of lamps once they were safely on the ground. Snatching the Catnip Ray from Two-Brains' tied arms, WordGirl gathered up the cats into a bunch by flying around them in a burst of super speed. She then flew out the door, with a Pied Piper-esque procession of scrambling felines behind her as she led the clowder to the park, and smashed the ray against a rather unfortunate tree—now teeming with high cats—and zoomed back to the plant nursery.
"Now, what exactly was your plan?" she inquired dryly, crossing her arms as she floated closer to the thwarted villain.
"Um…use the Catnip Ray to lure all the cats out of the city, then activate my Anti-Feline Force Field to keep them from slinking back in…?" he admitted sheepishly.
"An Anti-Feline…? You know what, never mind."
"Yeah…I guess it wasn't really the best plan…"
"No, not really," WordGirl agreed, gazing around the devastated building.
The nursery was a mess. There was shredded plant matter and dirt everywhere, broken pots lying in shards, and scratched…well, everything. WordGirl zipped around and did the best she could to straighten up the place before she left, but she was pretty worn-out. As she swept up the spilled soil in a flurry of wind, she unearthed Violet's necklace.
Gingerly picking it up, she was about to put it back on, but Huggy stopped her with a wary squeak.
"I guess you're right," WordGirl sighed, tucking it away into her pocket. "Maybe I shouldn't wear it until we know what it is, and how it works."
Satisfied with her work, she turned back to Doctor Two-Brains. He was trying to wiggle is way out of his ties, but immediately stopped, an innocent look on his face, when he saw her looking at him.
"Well, good luck at your new place," she started as she began flying off. After you get out of jail, she added mentally. "But maybe you should just get a dog to keep the cats away."
"A—a dog?" she heard him mutter before she had flown out of earshot. "The cat's natural enemy…. Hmm…not a bad idea…"
Slipping back into being ordinary, un-super, teenage Becky Botsford, she finally allowed the exhaustion to set in. It wasn't all from the battle—although that made her awfully sore, too. She just felt weaker, after becoming accustomed to her new strength and powers from the necklace, and now being without them after a battle. Like super power withdrawal.
Bob squeaked questioningly as Becky dragged her feet down the sidewalk—she wasn't heading home.
"I'm going to Violet's house," she explained. "I need to know where she got this crystal."
Bob tilted his head, letting out a short string of squeaks.
"I'm fine, Bob, just tired. I'm not sure I should fly now. Besides, it's not that far."
In a few short minutes, they were at Violet's front door. Becky lifted her hand and rapped on the door tiredly. She heard Violet's light, springy footsteps approaching, and dug the necklace out of her pocket.
"Violet, where did you get this from?" Becky demanded the moment the door swung open.
"Oh, hi, Becky—" Violet greeted her merrily before seeming to realize the state she was in. "Oh…Becky! What happened? You have little cuts all over you…like Priscilla used you as a scratching post. Oh goodness…she didn't did she?"
"No, I'm fine, really, but—"
"Oh, that's a relief!" the blonde sighed, looking relieved. "Because you never know with cats. They aren't like dogs, who will listen to whatever you tell them to do—no, cats are more independent, that is to say, that they do not do what you tell them to, and in fact, sometimes they do the exact opposite of what you've told them to do, like they're—"
"Violet!" Becky exclaimed impatiently. Her friend's eyes widened, and she took a steadying breath before continuing. "Violet—where'd you say you found these?" Becky repeated, pointing at the golden stone on her necklace.
"In the park!" Violet sang blissfully, seeming to forget Becky's little outburst.
"Yes, but where in the park?"
"Oh, I was hiking…they were in a pile of beautiful stones… yellows and reds, so bright and vibrant…you know, they should really clean up that area, there were a lot of downed branches to maneuver around, and…"
So this crystal came down in that meteorite? With the lexonite? Becky wondered as her friend went on. So… did it come from Lexicon? And how was it giving her powers?
"…and I thought they turned out lovely, don't you?"
"Um, yeah," Becky replied. "Uh, thanks, Violet. For everything. I'll…see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay!" Violet crooned, waving at her departing friend. "Goodbye, Becky!"
Becky flew home, stumbling into a walk after landing in her front yard. It was probably five-thirty or six o'clock by now, so her family wouldn't be worrying about her absence yet—probably assuming she was at Violet's, or the library. Bob hopped out of her arms as they approached the front door, and held it open for his weary companion. When they walked in, Mrs. Botsford turned to cheerfully greet her daughter, but instead gasped at the sight of her.
"Oh, dear!"
"Becky, what happened to you?" Mr. Botsford exclaimed as he noticed Becky's disheveled state.
She looked down, having forgotten how terrible she looked. Her arms and legs had scratches all over them, with a few shallow ones on her face as well, and her skin was a blotchy red where cats had chewed on her. There was potting soil smudged across her skin in a few places, and her hair was still a bit tousled from the fight. She noticed for the first time that a few loose strings swung from her clothes, unraveled by the prickly claws that had snagged the fabric through her WordGirl suit.
"I…fell into a cactus…at the…cactus store…" Becky replied lamely, too tired to think of anything better to say. Mr. Botsford put his hands on his waist and looked at her sternly.
"Young lady, what have I told you about going to the cactus store?" he demanded.
"Uh…?"
"Don't fall into the cactuses!" her father continued, gesturing with his hands for emphasis.
"Oh," Becky replied, "right…"
"Just…" He sighed. "Be more careful at the cactus store from now on, okay?"
"Okay, Dad."
"So what were you doing at the cactus store, Becky?" TJ asked slyly as he set the table for dinner.
"Oh, just…you know—"
"TJ, leave your sister alone," Mrs. Botsford scolded, "and let her go wash up for dinner."
"Oh, um, I'm not really hungry." That was a lie. She was actually famished, but her fatigue outweighed her hunger at the moment, and all she really wanted to do was lie down. "I'm just going to go work on my homework."
"Okay, hon," her mother replied, smiling gently. "Just, maybe put something on those cuts, and get cleaned up, okay?"
"I will," Becky assured her.
She hauled herself up the stairs, and fell face first into her bed when she reached her room. Bob chirped, reminding Becky of the state she was in. She groaned into her pillow, but eventually gave in, dragging herself out of bed and heading to the bathroom.
Becky decided to take a nice, hot shower. Letting the warm water roll over her aching body seemed to rejuvenate her a bit, and helped her muscles relax. She took care to clean off the dirt and check her scratches, which had already started to heal. While it was difficult for something to actually penetrate Becky's skin, when it did she only healed a little faster than normal humans. Her limited invulnerability had caused many of the cats' claws to simply glance across her skin without leaving a mark, but some of the more avid felines had been able to sink their teeth and claws into her, even with her powers.
After a shower that was probably longer than it should have been, Becky changed into her pajamas and fell onto her bed again. Her wet hair radiated out from her head like a dark, messy halo, and the scratches stung after she had scrubbed them clean. Becky started when she felt something brush her leg—Bob was applying antibiotic ointment to some of the worst cuts, and topping it off with one of TJ's old WordGirl band-aids.
"Thanks, Bob, but I can do it—"
A stern squeak cut her off, insisting that he wanted to help. He handed her a few band-aids for her arms and face, but finished off the wounds he'd been working on. Becky shook her head—sometimes Bob fussed over her so much that it was like having a third parent. But often she was grateful, since sometimes there were things she couldn't talk to her parents about—specifically, WordGirl things—but that Bob was there to help her with.
After Becky and Bob were both satisfied that her cuts were taken care of, Becky walked over to her discarded jeans and dug the necklace out of the pocket.
"So now…there's this."
Bob tapped his chin thoughtfully and offered an idea in a series of squeaks.
"The spaceship's computer?" Becky repeated. "You think it can tell us what this is?"
Bob shrugged, then nodded.
"Okay, then let's go."
Becky flew them to the Super Secret Spaceship Hideout—or "SSSH!", as they jokingly called it—and zipped into the main room, where the supercomputer was. She was still in her pajamas, choosing not to change into her super suit for this, when she approached the computer. Typing in a few commands, she selected the 3D Scanner and pressed Launch.
A round device that resembled two high-tech frisbees stacked together slid out from a slot on the side of the keyboard. A metal, jointed arm held it in place and kept it connected to the computer. The gadget lit up along a series of geometric slits as it came to life, and the frisbee-shaped halves separated when it opened, the top part hovering about a foot above the base. A soft, cylindrical, holographic glow connected the top and bottom halves.
"Okay. Let's run it through the ship's computer and see what it says."
Becky dropped the shimmering stone into the futuristic scanner, where it bobbed a few times before settling into place, where it slowly revolved as it remained suspended in the light. Becky pressed Enter. Bob stared at it expectantly.
They waited as the monitor read SEARCHING…. After a few seconds the screen announced SCAN COMPLETE, and the monitor filled with information about the substance.
«Well that's nifty. »
Becky jumped into a hover at the Narrator's sudden reappearance. Sinking back to her feet, she took a deep breath and chose to ignore him.
"Hmm…" she hummed thoughtfully as she quickly read the screen. "This says it's a mineral called 'Aurumine'… composed of—yeah, skip that…and… and that it's one of the two minerals that make up… lexonite?"
«It's lexonite? »
Bob screeched and smacked his hands to his cheeks in alarm.
"Wait," she continued, holding up her hand. "It says that aurumine actually isn't harmful to Lexiconians…"
Her sidekick calmed down, then scratched his head and squeaked in confusion.
"I don't know why," she admitted, searching the screen for answers. "Um…okay, here's what it says: 'Lexonite is composed of two different elements—aurumine and byrridium. Aurumine is not harmful to the people of Lexicon, and alone it actually augments their off-planet powers'. Hmm, that explains a lot."
Bob nodded and eeped thoughtfully.
"You're right, Bob. If aurumine is actually helpful, then why does Lexonite make me so weak?" Becky wondered, tapping her chin. "Let's see… 'Byrridium, however, acts as a toxin to Lexiconians on its own, and can lead to death if exposed for too long'. Yikes. 'Together, byrridium and aurumine form the compound Lexonite, in which the veins of golden aurumine counteract the lethal properties of the scarlet byrridium. This combination greatly weakens Lexiconians in close proximity of lexonite, but isn't deadly'."
Becky sat in silence for a moment, pondering what she had just read. "Wait…so if lexonite weakens people from Lexicon so much—and I know, it's a lot; I've experienced it—then how do the people of Lexicon survive on the planet? Wouldn't the lexonite everywhere make them too weak to survive?"
«Plot hole… »
Bob shook his head, and explained in a short series of squeaks.
"Oh, I didn't know that it's mostly Lexicon's core that's made of lexonite…so they have the planet's crust of other substances as a cushion against the lexonite's effects?"
Bob gave a thumbs up and grinned.
"See? Not a plot hole!" Becky announced triumphantly in no particular direction. "Because this is my life, not a story, so there can be no "plot holes". Just stuff we don't know yet."
«Well, I guess it all makes sense now. That aurumine stuff gave you those powers. »
"Yeah, I guess so," Becky agreed thoughtfully.
«And Violet has a necklace just like yours—do you think that could be why she's been acting so…different? Could it give her powers too? »
"Hmm… This didn't say anything about its effects on people from Earth," she replied, scanning the screen again and typing a few things. "Wait… It says here that they don't react the same way to it; 'While aurumine strengthens Lexiconians, it only projects positive energies onto Earthlings. Likewise, while byrridium is deadly to Lexiconians, it merely projects negative energies onto Earthlings. This means that an Earthling that has encountered aurumine will experience changes in mood and behavior of a benevolent nature; an Earthling that has encountered byrridium will experience changes in mood and behavior of a malevolent nature. If exposure to either element continues for too long, such changes can become permanent'."
Bob gave a hum of acknowledgement as Becky finished reading, and then chirped a question to Becky, who nodded.
"Yeah; it sounds like as long as Violet didn't pick up any of those red pieces—the byrridium—she should be fine. Judging by her behavior she probably didn't, but I'll ask her tomorrow just to make sure. The effects of that stuff sure don't sound good…"
Tobey glowered as he sat in his room at his desk, his untouched math homework laid out neatly before him. He had just been sent to his room by his mother—at this age, can you even imagine?—for saying something in a manner that she had apparently found disrespectful. And then, apparently, it's unacceptable to accuse your cyclically cantankerous mother of undergoing menopause. He glared at the door again. He was sick of it all—of school, of work, of his mother, of people, of being good…
It was true. He didn't want to be 'good' anymore. He longed for the old days, when he would build endless robots for WordGirl to fight. He would always lose in the end, but if he were to start again, now…he was fairly certain his creations would be able to withstand even WordGirl's strongest attacks. With the knowledge that he had now, he could surely engineer an unbeatable robot! An an idea began to form in his mind.
As he plotted and schemed, Tobey absentmindedly fiddled with a rust-red stone, turning it slowly in the palm of his hand.
*Le gasp!*
So…what did you think of this chapter? And the whole aurumine/byrridium thing? Please let me know; I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Your Pal,
SuperOreoMan