Thor yawned and stretched as he woke up first, or at least seemed to. "All right then, what are we gonna do today, guys?" he then asked aloud before looking around. "Uh, guys?"
Atticus appeared to be writing something down in a notebook as he looked like he barely got any sleep last night.
"Don't tell me, you had a vision about what we have to do, right?" Thor guessed.
"We have to stop Mondo Burger from crushing Good Burger," Atticus explained urgently. "We were right to not trust those Mondo Burger guys."
"Let's not spoil things too early, huh?" Lionel asked. "Besides, we've got a whole movie's worth of shenanigans to go through."
"Movie?" Atticus muttered as Lionel was being meta again.
"Yeah, Atticus, we need to have fun while we can and we're on vacation," Cherry then said. "Besides, we're gonna help out Good Burger where we'll be needed."
"Exactly," nodded Lionel. "If we solved the problem too quickly, what else would we do with all the extra free time?"
"I just thought it would make things easier if we knew what we came here to do in the first-" Atticus began to say.
Thor soon took out a magic wand and waved it around until a blast of magic shot Atticus in the back of his head.
Atticus suddenly stopped talking as his eyes grew wide and he then squeezed his eyes shut, then shook his head. "What was I just doing?" he then asked once his sapphire eyes came back through his skull.
"Thank you, Storm Cloud~" cooed Lionel.
"No problem, buddy." Thor chuckled at that.
"We should get some breakfast at least and see what we can do after that," Cherry soon said. "Right, Atticus?"
"Yeah, we need breakfast to start the day and then we can enjoy the rest of our vacation." Atticus agreed as he forgot his motivation earlier due to Thor's superior magic since he was Drell's nephew.
Everyone then got out of bed and began to get dressed and ready for the day until there was a knock at the door. Cherry opened the door to see no one there until she closed it and suddenly, someone was right behind her.
"Do you guys need clean towels?" Claudia asked, right behind Cherry, startling everyone else and only making Cherry jump briefly.
"No thanks, I think we're good," Cherry replied calmly as she faced Claudia. "Is there any breakfast served around here?" she then added.
"You'll have to call the caterer to get breakfast delivered to your room, but other than that, you're on your own for meals." Claudia explained in her gloomy tone of voice.
"That's fine," replied Lionel. "We wouldn't want to get too lazy, even if this IS a vacation!"
"Very good," Claudia nodded before she stepped away. "You guys are doing great so far."
"Does that mean she likes us?" Atticus asked.
"Yes, even if she might not be giving sincere service with a smile," Cherry replied. "I know her type very well, like when we first met people like Raven in the Teen Titans." she then added.
"Well, smile or not, the service is sincere." Thor responded.
The others nodded at that.
"So what're we gonna do today after breakfast?" Thor then asked his friends.
"I guess we could take a walk around town," Cherry shrugged. "Maybe we'll run into Ed again or something since he's the person we know best around here so far."
"Worth a shot," responded Mo. "It ought to make things fun."
"All right, we'll go after breakfast." Atticus suggested.
The others agreed to that and they soon had a big breakfast together of their own favorite foods so that they would all be satisfied without any clashing such as someone's bacon ending up in Lionel's plate since he didn't like that food.
"It's just not as good as Selina's eggs." Lionel said with a sigh.
"I know what ya mean," Cherry nodded. "She always makes the best eggs when we don't have school."
Lionel shrugged before he continued eating anyway. "Ah, well... beggars can't be choosers." he shrugged.
Eventually, the group had all finished their breakfast, and after brushing their teeth they had all gotten dressed for the day.
"All right, guys, let's go explore the neighborhood." Atticus suggested.
"Right!" The others agreed.
Soon, everyone stepped outside of the inn and waved off Claudia who appeared to be reading what looked like a gothic poetry book. It was a very nice summer day so far for everyone in town, including the group since they were new to these parts and they wondered where to stop.
Meanwhile, at Good Burger, Ed was fixing the malfunctioning milkshake machine from the inside. The top of the machine soon flipped open as the goofball employee popped out with a wrench in hand and was dripping in pink strawberry milkshake. "Mm... my favorite!" he then grinned as he licked his lips.
Mr. Baily appeared and gasped when he saw Ed. "Ed!" he then cried out. "What are you doing inside the milkshake machine?!"
"Tryin' to fix it." Ed said as he waved the wrench in the air.
Mr. Baily rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand downward over his face. "Did you turn it on, Ed?"
"What?"
"The switch. Did you turn on the switch?"
Ed looked sheepish as he bit his lower lip before peering over the edge of the machine and down on the switch at the side. He reached down and flipped it, causing the machine to hum to life and he began to churn along with the strawberry milkshake he stood in. "Whooooa! Strawberry Jacuzzi!" he then blurted and suddenly grinned.
The group continued to walk along as a trio of younger kids appeared to be standing in front of Mondo Burger and making a video.
"Hi! I'm Carly!"
"I'm Sam!"
"And we're right here in front of Mondo Burger before it opens to-" Carly began to say with a grin.
"'Scuse us, kids." Cherry said, bumping into them as she and the others stepped by suddenly.
"AUGH! CUT! CUT! CUT! CUT!" Carly suddenly yelled out, sounding like a primadonna actress all of a sudden.
"Cut?" Freddie asked with a frown until Sam waved her fist in his face. "Ah! I mean, yes! Cut! Cut!" he then said before turning off his camera.
"Watch where you're going!" Carly glared at Cherry suddenly. "We're in the middle of something important here!"
"Well, so are we!" Thor responded.
"Don't you know who I am?" Carly asked. "I'm Carly Shay from iCarly."
"Oh, yeah, I've seen some of those videos," Mo smiled. "They're pretty funny."
"Especially when you mess with your grouchy doorman, Lewbert." Atticus added.
"Thank you, thank you," Sam smirked before facing Cherry. "How 'bout you? What do you like about iCarly?"
"Uh... nothing really..." Cherry shrugged.
"WHAT?!" Carly and Sam yelped.
"Sorry, it's just not my kind of humor," Cherry replied. "I guess I'm too mature to laugh at pranks and goofy stuff like that."
"I never really got into it, either," Lionel chimed in. "Just didn't seem like it was my sorta thing."
Carly and Sam glared a bit.
"I'm in the middle," Thor shrugged. "Sometimes you guys are funny when I babysit my little sister, but other times I feel like you're overly harsh like that time you had that hyper chipmunk boy Fred Figglehorn on your show."
"Thank you." Freddie whispered, sounding relieved about that opinion.
"Shut up, Fredward." Sam glared at him.
"Hey, sorry, people have these things called opinions, that's just how it goes," Cherry shrugged. "Congrats on having a video and behind-the-scenes tour of Mondo Burger, but that's the only nice thing I can say right now."
"Oh, I know what this is," Sam smirked. "You're just jealous that we're world famous and you guys are nobodies."
Lionel blinked. "...uh, no. We just don't really like your show very much." he responded.
Sam glowered and crossed her arms.
"Now if you'll excuse us..." Cherry said as she and her friends began to step out of the way.
"You guys will pay for your personal opinions, so says Sam Puckett..." Sam glared dangerously before Freddie turned the camera back on so that Carly and Sam could film their iCarly episode to discuss the opening of Mondo Burger.
"Sheesh... what was with those girls?" Atticus complained. "I guess they have bigger egos than they do on their show."
"I've seen cartoon villains with smaller egos." commented Lionel dryly as they went inside.
"Tell me about it." Cherry agreed.
Everyone else seemed to agree on that as they left the web stars.
"They'll pay for this." Sam glared.
"Sam, let it go, it's not that important," Carly advised. "Besides, everyone's entitled to their own-" she then began to say.
"No. You listen to me, Carly," Sam interrupted and glared as she spun on her heels to face her best friend. "We are not going to let this go."
"I smell trouble... either that or Sam forgot to shower again." Freddie commented.
Sam walked over to him and punched him in the arm rapidly while Carly just stood there and did nothing to stop the tomboy even if Freddie cried out that he was in pain. "They. Will. Pay." she then said firmly and aggressively.
"Why didn't you stop her?!" Freddie complained and rubbed his arm.
"Oh, you can just walk it off." Carly then shrugged off about his pain.
"Yeah, but I don't think I have the strength to use my camera right now." Freddie glared.
"You shouldn't have provoked Sam then." Carly replied.
Freddie narrowed his eyes and grumbled to himself as the other group went inside Good Burger for another visit.
"Oh! Hi, guys!" Ed smiled from behind his counter. "Are you staying for lunch?" he then asked.
"Sure thing, dude," Lionel gave a nod. "Plus, it's an opportunity to stick it to Mondo Burger!" He ran to the window, pulled down his right-lower eyelid, and stuck his tongue out. "NYAH-NYAH, YOU STINK!"
A spiky-headed guy inside the building glared as he overheard that.
"I'll be right with you guys in a sec, someone needs to talk to me." Ed said as an angry customer approached him.
"Take your time, Ed, we understand you're a busy guy." Cherry nodded.
The group then went to take a seat while Ed would work with someone else before tending to them.
"Excuse me," The customer told Ed firmly. "Look, I ordered one Good Burger with nothing on it.
"That's what I gave you." Ed said innocently.
"No, you gave me a bun. Just a bun," The customer explained as he shoved the empty buns in Ed's face. "Look, there's no meat in here."
"But you said you wanted nothing on it." Ed said.
"Yes, well, I expected a meat patty!" The customer glared.
"Dude, a meat patty is something. You said nothing," Ed defended before calling out to his co-worker who walked by behind him. "Fizz, is a meat patty something or nothing?" he then asked.
"Uh... something?" Fizz said, somewhat confused.
"I win!" Ed then smiled at the man.
"All right, that rips it!" The customer glared as he threw the bun onto the counter. "I am reporting your name to the manager!"
"The manager already knows my name." Ed simply replied.
"Oh, I'll see you in Hell!" The customer shuddered in anger.
"Okay, dude! See you there!" Ed smiled as the customer stormed off in a huff. "Such a nice guy; I don't know why he had to throw the bread everywhere," he then said to the Toon Force. "I mean, jeez."
"Indeed." nodded Mo.
From one of the booths, another teenager watched the man storm out. On the table in front of him were a dozen empty Good Shake cups.
Ed walked over to the booth and put another shake on the table. "Here's another Good Shake," he said.
"Good," the boy muttered. "Keep 'em coming."
"Don't you think you've had enough?"
"Who are you, my mother?"
Ed checked his name tag curiously, just to make sure.
The boy's eyes narrowed as he stared up at Ed. He craned his head forward, studying Ed's face. "Hey... you look familiar. Don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked.
"Maybe," Ed said. "You ever been to Australia?"
"No."
"Me neither."
"Not the brightest bulb in the box, is he?" Cherry rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, but he has a good heart," Thor remarked. "Kinda like me."
"...that's a fair point." Cherry admitted to that since she did like Thor even if she wasn't exactly open about it most of the time.
The teen continued to stare intently at Ed. "I could've sworn I seen you someplace before."
Ed's face then suddenly brightened with a grin. "Hey, I know. Maybe I'm someone famous. You know, like a baseball player, or a pretty nurse. Huh." he then suggested.
The other teen's face screwed into a confused frown. "What? Man, what in the world are you talking about?"
"Okay, okay, I give up," Ed then said before shrugging at the other teen. "Who am I?"
The teen shook his head slowly. "I don't know who you are, or where I know you from, or why you think you're an attractive nurse... but I am sure I don't want to know you any longer. Now please, go away. I've had a very bad day."
"What's wrong?" Ed frowned, sounding genuinely concerned. "Were you bitten by a sheep?"
"What?!"
"Did you lose your trousers?"
"No!"
"Sore bladder?" Ed then tried again, much to the other boy's impatience and frustration.
"All right, kid, what's up?" Atticus asked, deciding to help the kid out since Ed wasn't going to be much help to him.
"I got $1,900 dollars to fix some jerk's car, another 1900 to fix my mother's car and I just got fired." The teen finally explained as calmly as he could.
"Oof." The group winced as that sounded like it really was a bad day.
"Man, I can't believe Kurt fired me from Mondo Burger," The teen then said, spitting at the name Kurt with disgust. "He yelled at me, he insulted me, he made fun of me…"
"Boy, you must really suck." commented Ed.
The teen frowned. "See, normally about now, I'd slap you in your head... but I'm not sure your brain would understand the concept of pain."
Ed's eyes widened as he grinned again. "Wanna see my belly button?"
The teen sighed as he stood up to leave, taking his milkshake with him. "Well, it was very unusual to meet you, Ed. I'm gonna go now and try to beg someone for a summer job."
"Why don't you just work here at Good Burger?" Ed asked.
"Here?"
"Hey, Mr. Baily?" Ed called to his boss, who was behind the front counter. 'This guy needs a job. Can he have one?"
"No." Mr. Baily said.
"See ya." The teen said with a wave, heading for the door.
"Wait!" Ed grabbed the boy's arm, turning to Mr. Baily again. "C'mon, Mr. Baily, he really needs a job! He could do fries."
"Otis does fries."
"Well, yeah, but look at him..." said Ed. "How much longer could he possibly live?"
Mr. Baily turned and looked at the stooped-over, wheezing form of Otis, the oldest living fast-food restaurant employee. Thinking about it, Mr. Baily looked Dexter over. "Ever worked in fast food before, uh... what's your name?"
"Dexter." responded the teen.
"Dexter. What a smart name." Cherry remarked.
"Haven't heard that one before." Dexter rolled his eyes at her.
Cherry then stuck her tongue out a little as she could tell that Dexter was going to be a handful.
"I have worked in fast food," Dexter soon told Mr. Baily. "A little."
"You know how to drive?" Mr. Baily then asked.
"Oh, yeah. I'm a good driver."
"Any accidents on your record?"
"Not to your knowledge." Dexter said with a smile.
"All right, kid. I'll give you a chance," Mr. Baily told Dexter. "You're on deliveries. And you may have to pitch in and do some counter work."
"Okay." Dexter nodded out of respect.
"Cool!" Ed beamed out of excitement. "I'll teach him everything I know!"
"Oh... God help us." Mr. Baily rolled his eyes and muttered to that.
"Don't worry, Mr. Baily," Dexter said. "I won't let you down."
Mr. Baily disappeared into his office as Ed showed Dexter around, introducing him to the others.
"Hey, Fizz! This is Dexter," Ed introduced. "Dexter, Fizz. Fizz works the drive-through."
"Hi-dee-ho, Dex!" Fizz said enthusiastically.
Dexter smiled. "Hi-dee-ho, Fih!"
Fizz blinked, surprised. "Wow! No one's ever abbreviated my name before! I love that!"
"This is Otis, Dexter," Ed said. "He's in his 80s, and he still works in fast food."
Otis lifted his head with great effort to look at Dexter. In a weak, quavery voice, he said, "I should've died years ago."
Deedee was brushing her hair over the grill. "And over there is Deedee. She's a veterinarian."
"Vegetarian." Deedee corrected.
"Yeah. That means she won't eat fur."
"I won't wear fur," Deedee said. "I don't eat meat. No one should. Cows are defenseless creatures."
"If you're against eating meat, what are you doing working in a burger place?" Dexter asked.
"My goal is to start a revolution from within the system." Deedee replied.
Dexter nodded, impressed. "Let me know how it works out."
As they walked farther into the back of the restaurant, Dexter saw a huge and menacing, slightly hunched forward guy with his spatula clutched in an enormous, meaty fist. "Uh, Ed?" he then spoke up as he stopped and clutched the other boy's elbow. "What is that?"
"Oh, that's Spatch," Ed simply stated. "He's our cook."
Spatch turned his enormous head to look their way and made a guttural growl as a fly buzzed around his head frantically.
Lowering his voice, Ed leaned close to Dexter and said, "Spatch isn't exactly um... a people person."
The fly landed on Spatch's nose. For a moment, Spatch's eyes crossed, then he swatted himself hard in the face with the spatula, killing the fly.
"Hey!" Monique said to Spatch, looking disgusted. "You wanna rinse that off before you use it again? Those people from yesterday want more Good Burgers and Good Shakes." she then added.
"Hopefully it doesn't kill us!" Thor called out from his and his friends' table.
Dexter's eyes widened when he saw Monique... and his heart skipped a beat. He stepped toward her, flashed his biggest smile, and said, "Well, hellooooo. I'm Dexter, your new co-worker."
"I'm Monique."
Dexter reached out, took her hand, and shook it, but he didn't let go. "That's a very handsome paper hat you're wearing," he then complimented. "And those green stripes on your uniform really bring out the color of your eyes."
"Yes," Monique said, smiling. "You can imagine how embarrassed I was when I came to work and saw everyone else wearing the same outfit."
Surprising himself. Dexter let out a hearty, genuine laugh as he released her hand. Not only was she beautiful... she had a sense of humor! "Uh, I guess I'll see you later."
"I guess you will," Monique said, going back to work.
As he walked away with Ed, Dexter said, "Ooohh, she is all that!"
"All what?" Ed asked.
"Forget it..." Dexter shook his head until he faced Ed again. "So what do I make my deliveries in? A truck? A van?"
"I'll show ya." Ed said.
Soon, the Toon Force had their lunch and smiled as they began to enjoy it very much like they did yesterday.
"I really like this burger, but I feel like it just needs something else," Cherry said before shrugging. "Maybe mayonnaise, maybe mustard? I dunno."
"We'll think about that sometime," Thor nodded. "I hope that Dexter kid is gonna be okay."
"Same here." Atticus and Mo both agreed as Atticus ate his fries and Mo sipped her shake.
Ed and Dexter soon went over to the Good Burger garage behind the main building to reveal the Burger Mobile: it was a light blue car with the front molded into a giant Good Burger and tires dressed up to look like pickle slices.
"There she is; the Burger Mobile," Ed presented to Dexter before facing his new co-worker. "Think you can handle her?"
"I don't know," Dexter said hesitantly. "I never driven a sandwich before.
"Hop in!" Ed laughed as he opened the door and came inside the Burger Mobile. "I'll take you for a spin."
"Guys! They're gonna drive a sandwich!" Thor exclaimed as he came out of the bathroom in a rush to see his friends.
"I guess you don't need a license to drive a sandwich." Cherry smirked.
Dexter got into the Burger Mobile reluctantly as Ed started the engine. "You can drive, right?" he then asked nervously. "I mean, you can read all those street signs and-"
Ed peeled out of the garage and shot into the street, turning sharply. The Burger Mobile sped down the street, tires squealing with every turn. Dexter fumbled with the seat belt until it was fastened snugly around him, then he clutched the edges of the seat for dear life.
"Whooaaa!" Ed cried. "Now this is fast food!"
"Yeah, yeah," Dexter said. "Just look out for the-"
Ed drove the Burger Mobile straight through a red light. Other cars honked their horns as they squealed to a halt.
"That was a red light!" Dexter shouted.
Ed glanced at him and said, "Uuhhh... no?"
"And... we're clear!" Freddie said as he stopped filming Carly and Sam.
"Nice one, Freddie," Carly smiled. "When we go to the opening of Mondo Burger, it's gonna be a great video."
"Think of the views!" Sam added out of excitement.
Freddie laughed until he gasped with wide eyes. "Carly, look out!" he then yelped.
"Huh?" Carly asked before her eyes widened and she screamed as The Burger Mobile was about to hit her.
Freddie then tried to dive in to save Carly, but ended up having them both on the windshield suddenly as Dexter and Ed were riding by.
"Hey!" Sam cried out.
"Oh, my gosh! We hit those two kids!" Dexter panicked.
"Kids, move it!" Ed complained as he took the next turn that was a bit too wide.
Carly and Freddie then slid off the windshield and landed in the yard of where Ed turned, but luckily, both weren't horribly harmed.
The Burger Mobile headed straight for a mailbox at the edge of a sidewalk in front of a house... and at that very moment, the occupant of that house was on his way to his mailbox to get his mail and it was a certain someone that Dexter knew.
"Oh, noooo!" Dexter cried.
The Burger Mobile jumped the curb and flattened the mailbox like a twig, then turned back onto the road and drove on... as Mr. Wheat stood in front of his house, glaring angrily.
"Thank you, Ed!" Dexter snapped.
"You're welcome!" Ed said with a grin.
"Thank you for making my life even worse!" Dexter said as the Burger Mobile raced down the street.
"Oh, my God. Oh, my God, no, NO!" Sam panicked as she rushed over to Carly and Freddie. "Are you okay? I was so worried!"
"Actually, I think I'm gonna be-" Freddie began to say.
"I WASN'T TALKING TO YOU, FREDWARD!" Sam snapped at him and soon hugged Carly. "Oh, there, there, it's gonna be okay, Carly. I'm right here." she then soothed her best female friend.
Freddie rolled his eyes at that, letting off a groan of annoyance.
"Yeah, I think I'm okay, Sam." Carly said softly.
"We'll call your brother so he can sue Good Burger for this." Sam suggested.
"Sam, Spencer quit law school to become an artist." Carly reminded her best friend.
"Then we'll work this out somehow," Sam then promised. "I won't let you get hurt on my watch."
"Oh, Sam, you're such a good friend." Carly smiled at that.
"Yay, Sam... you're so helpful..." Freddie rolled his eyes to himself.
Soon, Ed and Dexter came back so that Dexter could get adjusted to his new job at Good Burger.
"Just remember to be responsible," Cherry advised Dexter. "This might be a fast food job, but it's still a job and you need that money."
"I got it, I got it." Dexter reassured her.
"Let's hope so!" nodded Lionel.
"You guys gonna come back tomorrow too?" Ed asked hopefully.
"We'll see, Ed. We'll see." Cherry replied.
"I hope so, you guys seem really cool." Ed said with a smile as always.
"So do you!" Thor responded.
And so, Dexter settled into his job quickly. He got along with everyone at Good Burger and even managed to enjoy his job.
On his third night at Good Burger, Dexter stood behind the counter as Otis swept up. His dinner, a wrapped Good Burger, was on the counter in front of him. He frowned thoughtfully as he muttered to himself, "Let's see... five dollars an hour, six hours a day, five days a week, that means I'll be able to pay for the car in..." He counted on his fingers. "...another lifetime," he said, his shoulders sagging.
Cherry waved at Dexter from her and her friends' table.
Dexter gave a friendly smile and decided to wave back at her until he jumped when the front doors were kicked open suddenly. A certain man walked in along with two men by the names of Troy and Griffen.
Kurt strutted in and looked around with his constant smirk, shaking his head slowly. "Man," he then said, approaching the counter. "This place is the most nauseating, pathetic hole I've ever seen. What kinda diseased maggot would eat here?"
"I'll ignore that." Cherry glared.
The rest of the Toon Force firmly nodded in agreement.
"Should we mess with him?" Thor asked Lionel with a small, mischievous smirk.
"I'd be delighted." Lionel responded.
Thor snickered and grinned as he and Lionel snuck off together.
"Should we stop them?" Atticus wondered.
"I wouldn't." Cherry suggested as she sipped her shake.
"Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order?" Ed said as he stepped up to the counter and smiled enthusiastically.
Dexter went to Ed's side immediately, knowing Ed wasn't just dealing with any customers.
"Hey, check it out, boys!" Kurt called to his friends as he pointed at Dexter. "It's the REJECT!"
"Hey, check it out, Ed," Dexter said with a grin. "It's the Mondo Idiot!"
"Oh, well, nice to meet you, Mondo Idiot," Ed said with a friendly nod. "I'm Ed."
The other kids chuckled as Kurt leaned over the counter and pushed his face close to Ed's. "Yeah? Well, Ed... you just better watch your butt."
"Okay," Ed said. He craned his head around to look at his butt, but found he couldn't crane his head around quite enough. He began to stumble around in a circle, trying to look at his butt, like a dog chasing his tail.
"You got some reason to be here, Kurt?" Dexter asked.
"Yeah," Kurt said. "I just thought you Good Burger losers should be aware that tonight is the grand opening of Mondo Burger. And the second we open our doors, Good Burger goes in the grinder."
"Again with the grinder!" Dexter said. "Look, either order something or get out."
"Sure," Kurt sneered. "You can take my order. I'll have the last Good Burger," He snatched up Dexter's burger from the counter. "To go." He tore the wrapper open and took a big bite from the burger, then laughed with his mouth full... and open. He turned and left Good Burger, with Troy and Griffen behind him, laughing.
Ed finally stopped spinning around. He swayed back and forth as he stared at Dexter with wide, wobbly eyes. "I give up! There is no way a guy can watch his own butt!"
"Don't worry about it, Ed," Cherry advised. "Mondo Burger can't be better than Good Burger."
"Yeah, she's right," Dexter agreed. "We definitely got this."
Later that night, Cherry was with her friends yet again along with the Good Burger gang as they stared out the window at the Mondo Burger festivities across the street. Two rotating spotlights shot bars of white light into the night sky and sparkling lights of every color blinked and flashed around the restaurant as a huge crowd gathered. A small spotlight focused on an elevated stage where a metal box was set on a three-foot-tall stand beside a microphone.
"Is everyone lovin' my party?!" Kurt asked loudly as he stepped up to the microphone.
His question was met with raucous cheers and loud applause.
"Today kicks off a radical new frontier in fast food," Kurt then said. "Big burgers, but not at big prices!"
There was more applause.
"Hey! Introduce us already!" Sam complained from the crowd.
"Oh, very well..." Kurt said with a sigh before shining a spotlight on Sam, Carly, and Freddie. "And what a big honor it is for the grand opening of Mondo Burger to be witnessed by the internet's biggest stars from iCarly!" he then announced.
The crowd whooped and cheered as Carly and Sam basked in the spotlight, while Freddie stood off to the side, looking nervous.
"I'm Carly!"
"I'm Sam!"
"AND WE'RE AT MONDO BURGER!" The two announced together.
The crowd then cheered for them in excitement.
"And you guys, like them, get to try out the brand-new burger for yourselves!" Kurt then added as he grabbed the lever beside the box. "And now... I am psyched to present to you... Mondo Burger!" he then added as he then jerked the lever hard.
Against the black night sky, a mammoth hamburger, a bag of fries, and a milkshake suddenly lit up like giant mythic gods.
"This is better than the Fat Cakes factory tour." Sam gushed.
"This is better than the iWeb Awards." Carly added.
"That sandwich looks like a heart attack on a bun." Freddie scoffed.
"No one asked you, Freddie." Sam glared.
All the lights inside Good Burger buzzed and flickered as Ed and Dexter and all the others tilted their heads back to look at the dimming lights. They finally blinked out, leaving everyone in darkness.
"Well, this sucks." Thor groused.
"Then I say we get even!" Lionel responded. "But how, I wonder?"
"There must be something we can do." Atticus frowned.
"But what?" Mo wondered.
"Hmm... let's see..." Cherry paused to think.
Across the street, Kurt left the elevated stage and the crowd followed him to the front entrance to Mondo Burger... two enormous glass doors that stood tall like the gates to a castle. A fat red ribbon stood between the crowd and the others.
"Open the door!" Sam ranted. "Mama needs her meat!"
Smirking, Kurt held up a large pair of scissors and said, "And now, people... welcome to Mondo Burger!" he announced as he cut the ribbon, then stepped aside as the crowd poured into the enormous, brightly lit restaurant, in which a band played music and the smell of gigantic burgers filled the air.
"Mama's home." Sam grinned, almost carnivorously as she stood between Carly and Freddie.
"Roll that beautiful burger footage." Carly added as Freddie took a closer look inside.
The Good Burger gang sat in darkness, watching the glamorous grand opening of Mondo Burger through the window.
"Any ideas yet?" Cherry asked her friends.
"I dunno, maybe we should just leave." Mo shrugged.
"Uh, Mr. Baily," Dexter said. "Seein' as we got no customers or electricity, uh..."
"All right," Mr. Baily said with a sigh. "Maybe we should all just go on home." After a moment, he blurted, "Hey! What's that in my pocket?"
"Oh, sorry," Ed said. "I thought that was my pocket!"
"Jeepers, Ed!" Mr. Baily barked. "It's not that dark, is it?"
"Well, kinda." Ed said with an embarrassed chuckle.
"Okay, everyone," Mr. Baily said. "See you tomorrow."
"I'll put the power on long enough to at least make us some to go." said Lionel as his finger sparked.
"All right, just make sure you don't overdo it and give them a bigger electric bill than a kid genius having a laboratory in their house." Cherry suggested to Lionel.
"Oddly specific reference, but okay." Lionel nodded as he went into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the group was leaving Good Burger, each with a few full bags in their hands. The party at Mondo Burger was still going strong, while Kurt and his cronies enjoyed their victory.
"Have a nice evening." Mr. Baily told them, sounding miserable.
"See ya, Mr. Baily." The group replied as they left with their Good Burger leftovers.
"Looks like Good Burger closed early tonight." Troy said.
"Yep," Kurt said with a cold chuckle. "And pretty soon, they'll be closed for GOOD!"
Sam, Carly, and Freddie were soon eating free Mondo Burgers together to show their audience at home.
"How are ya likin' your Mondo Burgers, gang?" Kurt asked them.
Carly and Sam gave two thumbs up while Freddie looked unsure.
"I feel like this is too much meat." Freddie commented.
"Wuss." Sam scoffed at him.