Dr. Dred is a Shrinker II

Toad chased after the runaway train. 'If I don't stop that train, I'm in big trouble!'

'He's in big trouble?' Frankie demanded, pointing at the mutated animal. 'What about us?'

:[

'I think it's time to take evasive action!' Drak ducked into a mouse hole in the wall.

'He went into that hole in the wall!' Dred yelled and the four of them crowded around. 'Curses! Now we'll never find him!'

Drak peered out.

'Stand back, darlings!' Vampira declared.

Drat! Drak backed up, looking for a way to escape her. If it went right though the wall, he could turn and keep running. Unfortunately, the space he'd ducked into was very limited and he was essentially boxed in. That meant he'd have to fight her off. That was awkward. Big D had always taught him to never hit a woman – in the old days that'd included the phrase "even one you're hunting".

'This is a job for Vampira!'

Drak saw the flash of smoke outside. That was different from the way he or even Big D transformed. They essentially just covered themselves with their capes and turned into animals or into their human forms. Maybe it had something to do with the illness she was beset by. He'd have to look into it later.

'Vampira, you are beautiful!' Dred crooned.

'I know!' And then Vampira entered the hole, in the form of a spider. 'Hello, Drak, darling!'

Drak cringed. Don't get him wrong; he was used to women finding him attractive. Big D had once told him it was because vampires were classified as ambush predators. They had several attributes that drew their prey to them, and the prey generally didn't notice until they felt the pain of fangs piercing their blood vessels. Usually, Drak didn't mind it. It could even be kind of fun. However…there was an exception to every rule. And this was definitely an exception.

'Stay away from me, Vampira,' Drak warned her. 'I hate to hit a lady spider, but—'

Her webs suddenly shot out, hooking around his wrists first. Drak tried to transform into mists but the attempt caused a stinging every where the webbing coiled around and she was practically cocooning him in it. Drak ground his teeth as Big D's words from his childhood came back. 'A vampire's ability to shapeshift can get him out of almost every restraint. The exceptions are restraints created from other vampires and blessed barriers.'

Which, of course, meant that these webs would have no effect on her if he somehow managed to get them around her. His mind raced even as he protested. 'Now, cut it out!' Vampira then dragged him back out to Dred. Drat! He was caught. 'Stop it! You're not being very ladylike!'

The mad scientist sneered smugly as he looked down at him.

Drak ground his teeth. 'I'll give you one chance, Dr. Dred. Turn me loose and call off this insane scheme or I'll—' He never had a chance to finish.

The blow of a train whistle was the only warning before a train ripped right past them, conveniently ripping the webs off of Drak and throwing Vampira back. Drak spun but he managed to regain his footing, just in time to see Frankie and Howler jump from the train before it crashed into the wall.

Drak shot over. 'Frankie, Howler! Are you all right?'

'Yeah,' Howler said. 'I guess so.'

'Toad!' Dred suddenly yelled, getting their attention.

Toad skidded to a stop and covered his head. 'Bad Toad! Bad Toad!'

Vampira returned to her vampiress form. 'Maybe not so Bad Toad. Look! He uncovered the rest of the Drak Pack!'

Drak smirked. 'And that spells curtains for you!'

Or, it would have, if Fly didn't drop a dome over them.

:[

'Are we going to deal with them yet, boss?' Toad asked eagerly.

'Not yet, Toad,' Dr. Dred said, leading him out of the room. 'First let's let them wait and see all the gold we bring back from Fort Knox!'

'I don't like the way he said first,' Frankie remarked.

Dred grabbed a train and his microminituriser. 'On to the most ingenious crime of my career.' He laughed as he led Toad out of the room.

'That's a bit sloppy,' Drak remarked, knocking on the inside of the dome, which didn't even yield to vampire strength. 'Dr. Dred let us know exactly where to look for him when we get loose.'

'I don't think he thinks we're gonna get loose,' Frankie remarked.

:[

OGRE stood by the trains.

'Stand by the front of the train, Toad,' Dr. Dred said and Toad did as instructed. 'You can be the engineer.'

Toad's face lit up. 'Thank you, boss! Thank you, thank you.' He suddenly spotted Dred aiming the microminituriser at Toad. 'W-what are you doing, Dr. Dred?' His boss aimed and he was shrunk down. 'No! No! I don't wanna be small. I don't wanna be small!' He jumped up and down. 'I don't wanna be small!'

Dr. Dred leaned down and flicked him into the front car.

'Bad little Toad.' Toad peered over the window. 'Bad little Toad.'

Vampira walked over. 'To be so repulsive big,' she crouched down, 'you look cute now, Toadie.'

Dr. Dred pinched his moustache. 'And so will you, my dear!' He fired and she shrank down too.

'Oh, no!' Vampira cried.

'He's right,' Toad said. 'You are cute.'

:[

'Can you get your fingers under it, Frankie?' Drak asked as Frankie moved around, looking for a spot he could grip.

'No. It's tight to the ground.'

'Then how do we get out?' Howler asked. 'My breath would just blow up a storm in here.'

'Simple physics,' Drak said. 'If there isn't a handhold, we'll make one.'

:[

Mummy-Man grumbled loudly at Dr. Dred, the only one not shrunk.

'Now, don't get impatient, Mummy-Man. I'm coming.' Dr. Dred turned to a mirror and aimed his microminituriser at his reflection. Firing it, the beam shot out and bounded off of the mirror to shrink him down to size. Dr. Dred then turned and ran to the front of the train. 'All aboard! What are you waiting for, Toad?' He climbed on. 'On to Fort Knox!'

'Yes, Dr. Dred!' The train took off.

:[

Frankie punched a chunk out of the floor.

He then blinked. 'Wow. That actually worked.'

'Of course it did,' Drak said. 'Now throw it off us.'

Frankie slipped a hand under the edge of the dome, through the dent he'd just made. Then, with the slightest effort, he lifted. The dome was lifted right off of the Drak Pack. The three teenage monsters watched it fall and promptly shatter. Howler was the first one to vocalise their relief at its destruction.

'At least he won't be able to throw us in there again.'

'I'm more concerned with why he had that thing in the first place,' Drak remarked. 'But we've gotta go after Dred now. Then we'll get his microminituriser and reverse it.'

:[

'Faster, Toad, faster!' Dred urged him.

'Yes, master! I'll throttle up to full speed!' The train shot across the streets, whistle blowing, and even past a dog.

The dog lifted his head.

Even he thought that was weird.

The train passed a woman in her late middle age, stepping out of a magic shop with her arms laden.

Violet McGowan blinked in surprise, and then scowled in irritation.