How can this get any worse? I'm sliding down a slide to nowhere and I got a dismembered mouth chasing after me! What was worse was the fact that there were spikes in the way, so I had to constantly dodge and inch away from the hazards coming in front of me. Was this another one of the Mutant or Ale or Frightmare's traps? Either way, I can't trust that girl any more! I just want off this stupid slide! This place must have read my mind as I landed with a thud in a new hall. I looked up to make sure that mouth was not following me. I coughed and rubbed my sore throat; it had gone itchy after screaming all the way down the slide. Then I saw salvation: a water fountain. My throat became soothed with the cold water passing by my lips...until I got slapped in the face and fell back. "YOU KISSED ME!" I looked up and blushed when I saw Flo, boiling mad. Literally. "I...I...I..." "I nothing!" she screamed. "Didn't you hear me screaming to let me out?" I shook my head. "Of course. I was stuck in a fountain. No one can hear me. Anyway, have you seen Dina?" I shook my head again. "Oh, I hope Pinky didn't get her. We lost each other after he stuck me in that fountain." "Well, I met Ale and she sent me down a slide that lead me here," I explained. "Even though she sent a disembodied mouth to chase me." "I think I might have an idea of who that Ale might be. But we need to confirm it." "Confirm what?" She looked around, making sure no one was looking, then said, "That Ale's a part of..." She stopped when a maniacal laughter was heard down the hall. Pinky's laugh. Can't he leave us alone?! "Never mind! While I was stuck in that fountain, I got a message from some anonymous caller. Said to meet him and the Galloping Gazelle on the fourth floor." We took an elevator to get the floor, grateful we did not run into that insane artist. As far as I cared, however, he was just a nuisance. The only threats were the following: the Mutant, Frightmare, Mr. Fear and Ale. Possibly. That's when I realized something when I broke my train of thoughts regarding Ale. "Hey, Flo?" I asked. "Which room are we having this meeting?" "Oh, crud! He didn't say which one!" She looked around at the rooms, then shrugged her shoulders. "Just pick any." Let's see. Broom closet. Torture chamber. (Gross!) Lounge. Cafeteria. Janitor's room. No luck so far. This is getting us nowhere. Finally, a cry from Flo got my attention. "Found them!" I was greeted with many familiar faces. The Galloping Gazelle, Feedback, Dinah Might, and...the Magnificent Molecule Man?! "What are you doing here?!" I shouted at him. "Hey, I'm on your side now!" he protested. "Sure," the Gazelle said sarcastically. "You proved that when you sent me down an elevator shaft!" "I was trying to save you from the Mutant!" "Enough!" shouted Dinah, banging her fist. That got everyone's attention. "Why did you call us here, Molecule Man? Why would you betray your own boss?" "Because my 'boss' is just a pawn in a greater game!" Everyone focused on him. "Okay, get this. You know that green beam that has been appearing on the news?" "I only heard it once in a lounge room," I spoke. "I wondered why the Mutant would want to steal the world's monuments." "Because they're not from this world, Skips. They're from your world!" "WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed. "It's true. The Mutant turns the object or people the beam fires at into comic book creations and sends them here. Take a look at those kids." We turned to where he was pointing. There were two twelve year old kids frozen in fear, and flat as cardboard; they didn't make any noise. Molecule Man explained, "They were as real as Skips. Now they're comic book creations, just like the rest of the world will be." "But," I stuttered. "What's this have to do with Mr. Fear?" "Because he wants out of the comic book world. Somehow he found his way here, but couldn't get out. So, he's using the Mutant to make that green beam so he can reverse engineer it and escape with his Horrifyer." "What's a Horrifyer, and how do you know all this?" "I know all this when I became suspicious of Frightmare's actions. So, while changing into my atom cloud form, I decided to follow him and spy on him while hiding in the air vents. That's when I found out about Mr. Fear's existence and that Horrifyer." "And that is?" asked Feedback. "I don't know the full details of that machine, but from what I was able to find out, it's a monster maker." "That's all we have to know about it then," the Gazelle said, sternly. "Stop the Mutant, shut down the green beam, and stop Mr. Fear." "And Ale?" I asked. No one said a word. "We don't know about her. She's-" "Don't say she's a lost cause. She has been helpful so far!" "And a nuisance," the Gazelle retorted. "She's not been exactly a friend to you and to us." "But-" "Look," Dinah said softly. "I know you might have a crush on her." I frowned at her. "Right. But, she's a trouble maker. We have no choice but to subdue her." "There is a little problem," Molecule Man said. "The green beam machine is on the top floor. And there's a password that needs to be required to enter it." "And how do we know we can trust you with leading us to the top floor?" I asked. "You have my word." And he handed me a slip of paper with one word. Please. "Okay..." I said unsure. "We have your...um...word. What now?" What the Galloping Gazelle said next stunned me. "We need to give you a makeover." "Excuse me?" He pointed at my backpack. "I noticed you picking up costume parts along the way. I think it's time to make you a real comic book super hero." "How does that work?" asked Flo, scratching her head. "Clothes make the man?" "Exactly. Skips here used the identity last time he faced the Mutant. It's time for Bradley 'Skipper' Matthews to become the Colossal Elastic Boy!" I laughed. I laughed for what felt like hours. Actually, it was a minute. "That was a joke!" I gasped. "I was bluffing the Mutant the last time I was here! I'm not a super hero!" The Gazelle smiled. "Like Flo said. Clothes make the man." Oh, dear.