Parement Retirement

The Rust Bucket has stopped on a desert road, at an ice cream parlor. Jennifer, Gwen, and Nicole were getting ice cream, while Max was using the local ATM. A dirty red pickup truck pulls up to the same spot, and a big burly man walks up to Max.

"Outta the way, Grandpa. I got a major withdrawal to make."

He shoves Max to the ground, Max looks up and sees a buck-toothed man in front of him smiling; who seems to be the other man's associate. In the parlor, the kids are choosing their ice cream. An frowning old man is serving them.

"What do you have that's non-fat with less than three percent sugar?" Gwen asked.

"Napkins. What about you two?"

Jen opens her mouth, but gets cut off by the sound of a large chain. She looks out the window and sees the burly man walking to the ATM with a chained metal hook.

"I'm about to go 'rocky road'!" Jen said.

"Aww. Can't we get one day to ourselves?" Nicole said.

Both she and Jennifer ran out of the parlor and armed the Omnitrixes. Outside, the burly man digs the hook into the ATM and yells to his associate in the pickup.

"Hit it!"

The buck-toothed man tries pumping the gas, but nothing happens. Suddenly, the wheel melts out of his hands and the entire dashboard forms into Jennifer's black technorganic alien named Upgrade.

"Your cash request has been denied!" Upgrade said.

Nicole on the other hand, she was standing behind the burly man as she was in her Greyfyre form. She tapped on the burly man's shoulder as he turned around to see the grey alien.

"Greetings. I have your withdrawal receipt and your sucker." Greyfyre said.

She gave him a right hook as the burly man fell backward.

"Your sucker punch that is." Greyfyre said.

Upgrade merges with the entire pickup and kicks the man out the door. She forms back into herself. The burly man grabs the hooks, swings it in the air and throws it at Upgrade, who lets the chain wrap around her arm and pulls the man, launching him into a pole and into Greyfyre, who kicks him to the ground. As he tries to get up, Max puts his foot on his chest.

"Where do ya think you're going? Good work, Jenny, Nicky." Max said.

Oh yeah. I'm ready for anything. Bring it on! What's next?" Upgrade asked.

Greyfyre was giggled at Upgrade showboating.

"We're headin' off to see your Aunt Vera for the weekend." Max said.

"Ugh, boring old Aunt Vera?! Nooooo." Upgrade said.

The Rust Bucket continues driving through the barren desert. Nicole was looking at Jennifer for a moment to see that she wasn't happy at all.

"When Aunt Vera said she wanted to "move away from it all", she really meant it." Gwen said.

"Aw man, this summer was supposed to be about F-U-N, not hanging out in some old lady's place." Jennifer whined.

"Is she really that bad?" Nicole asked.

"Oh totally bad. Trust me, Nicky. Being an orphan is like heaven to you guys." Jennifer said.

"Uh thanks, I guess." Nicole said.

"Oh don't mind her. On the other hand, I like Aunt Vera." Gwen said.

"Duh! That's because you act like you're a hundred years old." Jennifer said.

On her lawn, Vera speaks with an old man name Marty, a neighbor of hers.

"It's been years since I've seen Max and the kids! I'm not sure I'll even recognize them. Stop by and say hello." Vera said.

"I'd like that." Marty said.

Marty retired to his apartment. The blinds are closed. He puts on a scary movie and gets a bowl of snacks next to him. A sentient green glob of liquid suddenly slithers up next to the bowl. Marty grasps when he first feels it on his hand.

"Help me-"

The glob jumps to his face, muffling his cries. The Rust Bucket finally enters Vera's retirement village. It drives past old folks' homes and some folks out on the sidewalks.

"This is gonna be soooo boring. They're idea of excitement in this place is probably watching the grass grow." Jennifer complained.

"Are you going to complain on this entire visit?" Nicole asked.

"Yes." Jennifer answered.

Nicole just shook her head. An old man is climbing on his roof, trying to reach his satellite, but starts slipping down. Instead of flailing off, he makes an expert Olympic-level backflip off the roof and lands safely on the ground, just as the Rust Bucket passes by.

"Woah! Did you see that?" Jennifer asked.

Both Gwen and Nicole looks out the window and only sees old people.

"See what? The heat must be frying that pea-sized brain of yours." Gwen stated.

Jennifer frowned. The quartet have arrived at Vera's place. Jennifer is the first to step out; she holds her hand up against the glaring sun.

"Seriously, why do old people have to live where its soooo hot." Jennifer said.

Gwen walks behind her and surpries her by spraying a water gun.

"Hey!" Jennifer said.

Both Gwen and Nicole laugh and run away. Instead of running after them, Marty's window catches Jennifer's eye. Marty is looking at her through it. He hisses at Jennifer, cracking his neck in all directions, and shuts the blinds on her.

"Huh, they really make you feel welcome here…" Jennifer said.

"Just watch your cheeks. Vera's a pincher." Max said.

Nicole was looking at him as she giggled. Then suddenly…

"Max!" Vera called out.

Nicole hid behind Jennifer as she was shy. Jennifer just smiled as she placed a gentle hand on Nicoles to assure it was okay.

"Vera!" Max called out.

Vera comes out and gives her brother a hug, and then hugs Gwen and pinches her cheeks.

"I can't believe you're finally here. And look at you two so...grown...up." Vera said.

"Oww." Gwen said.

Vera hugs Jennifer and also pinches her cheeks.

"Oww." Jennifer whined, rubbing her cheek.

Vera was looking at Nicole for a moment who was hiding behind Gwen.

"Oh, and who's this shy little one?" Vera asked.

"Vera, this is Nicole Chambers. She is getting a summer vacation experience." Max said.

"Aw why hello dear." Vera said.

"H-H-H-Hello, ma'am." Nicole said.

"Aw such a well mannered young girl you are." Vera said.

Nicole blushed.

"Thank you." Nicole said.

"Well, come on in. I can't wait to chew the fat with all of you." Vera said.

They walk in, while Marty sneers at them through a crack in his blinds. Jennifer sniffs the air.

"Ugh, why do old people's houses always smell like somebody's cooking socks or something?" Jennifer said.

At the table, a giant orange gelatin mold with brown and white bits sits on a plate, wiggling disgustingly.

"Ooh, Vera, this is delicious. Now, what are these brown chunks in the mold?" Max asked.

"Pork chops, and the white parts are cauliflower." Vera said.

Jennifer, Gwen and Nicole exchange looks of disgust.

"So, Jennifer, what have you been doing so far this summer?" Vera asked.

"Dealing with alien life forms." Jennifer said.

Nicole was looking at her with an "Are you serious" look.

"Ohoho, you." Vera said.

Gwen notices Vera's shelf and gets up from the table to see. Various frames and trinkets are on the bottom shelves, but the top shelf holds many stuffed birds of different species.

"Aunt Vera, is that a stuffed Red-Billed North American Chickadee?" Gwen asked.

She gasps and joins her.

"How perceptive, Gwen. and did you know the song of the Red-Billed North American Chickadee is actually-"

"A call indicating alarm or excitement! Brrrrr!" Gwen and Vera said.

Jennifer, while they're all distracted, moves his slice of mold onto Gwen's plate. Nicole gets up to get some air.

"I am totally stuffed." Jennifer said.

"Jennifer, would you like some candy?" Vera asked.

She brings him a bowl full of small brown pieces.

"Now we're talking." Jennifer said, delightfully shooting one in his mouth, pauses, and spits it out. "UGH! Coffee?! As a candy?! Is this some kind of joke?"

She gets up and runs away.

"I need to use the bathroom." Jennifer said.

She runs into the bathroom and shuts the door.

"It's "Attack of the Old People"! I gotta get out of here." Jennifer said.

She gets an idea and turns into Ghostfreak. Ghostfreak flies out of the bathroom, making himself invisible. Max went outside to see Nicole sitting on the porch. He knew that something was bothering Nicole.

"Everything alright, sweetheart?" Max said.

"Oh, hi Mr. Tennyson. I am fine." Nicole said.

"Come on, sweetie. You can tell me. I know that Vera is being lovely to Jennifer and Gwen makes you miss your parents even more. You don't have to put on a brave face." Max said.

"I know. I just miss them. I just want to have that bond once again." Nicole said.

"I know you do, sweetheart. Tell you what, when the summer is over, I will personally help find a family." Max said.

Nicole was looking at Max as she felt a little hope in her heart and she hugged Max. Meanwhile, Vera continues to show Gwen her collection, now on to a conch shell.

"And this one is a Valentiana. Can you hear the ocean?" Vera asked.

Gwen holds the shell to her ear, but-

"Loser." Ghostfreak said.

Gwen is wide-eyed.

"Loooooser…" Ghostfreak said.

She cackles as she reveals herself to Gwen.

"Jen?" Gwen asked.

"See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya." Ghostfreak said.

She waves and flies out of Vero's house. She looks around the neighbourhood.

"There has to be something fun to do around here." Ghostfreak said.

She drives the golf cart down the street. People on the sidewalk are surprised, as they see no driver. Ghostfreak only drives for a bit before she catches a whiff of a smell and goes to investigate.

"Apple pie?" Ghostfreak asked.

Indeed, an apple pie is sitting out on a window, cooling off. Ghostfreak takes interest in the pie's cook, an old lady trying to swat a fly in the room. The fly flies above her swatter's reach and lands on the ceiling. The old woman suddenly springs up on the ceiling and eats the fly right off it.

"Eugh! No way! Ninja old people." Ghostfreak said.

She lands back on the ground and cracks her neck, very similar to Marty. Ghostfreak loses interest in the pie; he turns around and sees Marty himself driving the golf cart. As he passes the fly lady's house, her automatic sprinkler system kicks in. Marty freaks out at the sight of spraying water and swerves the cart around it, to the point of breaking a sweat. He drives off, carrying a rolled-up rug behind him in the cart.

"Wonder what "Mr. Friendly's " up to.." Ghostfreak said.

Marty and Ghostfreak arrived at a gated-off dumpster site. Marty stretches his legs beyond human capability and carries the rolled up rug over thee fence gate.

"This place just keeps getting weirder by the minute." Ghostfreak said.

Ghostfreak passes through the gate, Marty pushes one of the dumpsters aside, revealing a trapdoor underneath. As he opens the trapdoor, the Omnitrix times out and turns Ghostfreak back to Jennifer. The noise and light immediately alert Marty; his head rotates completely behind himself. Jennifer gasps. Marty lets the door and rug go, turns the rest of his body around, and roar at Jennifer.

"AHHHH!" Jennifer screamed.

Marty grabs Jennifer. Jennifer squirms out and runs to the gate, climbing over it as fast as she can, while Marty grows his l3egs to walk over it again. Jennifer jumps in the golf cart and rides it away, while Marty chases after her. Even though he's the one on foot, Marty is catching up to Jennifer.

"Uhh, I didn't see your face suddenly pop on the back of your head. I swear! What kinda vitamins are these freaky old people taking?" Jennifer asked.

The cart's main gauge starts lowering to zero.

"Come on, come on!" Jennifer said.

Marty gets close enough to be able to stretch his arms and grab the two front bars on the cart, literally stopping it in its tracks and dragging it backwards towards him.

"Let me go." Jennifer said.

Marty hisses violently. Jennifer tries to escape, she notices the bag of golf clubs beside him. She takes one out and makes a shot at the old man's arm.

"Fore." Jennifer called out.

Surprisingly, the club slices right through, as if it was made of something more liquid than solid. It was enough to get the cart moving again, and make Marty lose his grip with the other arm. But as soon as Jennifer starts driving smoothly, she feels a rumble above her. Marty has made his way onto the roof of the cart. He extends his hands below, trying to grab Jennifer.

"No." Jennifer screamed.

Jennifer can't maintain her grip on the wheel. She swerves the cart over a speed bump, causing it to fly in the air and crash on someone's lawn. Jennifer gets out of the cart and sees Marty standing up. Marty cracks his arm and neck back into place and extends his arms to Jennifer. Jennifer catches him and drags him across the lawn. Jennifer panickingly tries the Omnitrix, but it's still recharging. Suddenly, a sprinkler system goes off next to Marty. He winces at the water, dropping Jennifer and running away. Jennifer lies on the lawn.

"Okay...what just happened here?" Jennifer asked.

At sundown, Jennifer finally gets back to Vera's. She rushes to Gwen, Nicole, and Max, in the kitchen.

"Grandpa! Gwen! Nicole!" Jennifer called out.

"Shhh, your Aunt Vera's in bed." Max scolded.

"Seriously? It's like only 6:30. Nevermind. Listen, this whole place is way creepier than I thought. First, this old lady runs up a wall and munches a fly. Then Marty, that weird next door neighbor, is an "E.T." or something. With a face on the back of his head, and these long sticky arms and this body that oozed right through this gate and-" Jennifer explained.

"Wow." Nicole said, placing her hand on her head.

"Jen, you snuck out. Aunt Vera was hurt." Gwen said.

"Ah, she's old, she'll forget. Okay. I say I go Four Arms and Nicky, go Crimson Queen and check out Marty's apartment." Jennifer said.

"Well, maybe we should do some investigating, but you stay as you are. Us old fogies don't forget as much as ya think." Max said, winking at Jennifer.

Nicole just giggle as Gwen looked at Jennifer.

'You know, ever since you've had that wach, you're like a magnet for the weird." Gwen stated.

Jennifer makes her body snap and point to Gwen like a magnet.

"You're right." Jennifer said.

"Very funny." Gwen said.

Nicole laughed at how weird Jennifer was acting.

Max opens the door to Marty's apartment.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Max asked.

The apartment is dark, deserted. The pendulum of a grandfather clock swings to and from as Max, Gwen, Nicole, and Jennifer walk past. Something suddenly startles them, but Max turns on the lights; only a jacket on a coat rack, blowing from the open window beside it.

"Well, nothing here seems out of whack…" Max said.

"Except for what he rolled up in his rug...that was right here." Jennifer said.

Jennifer points to a rug outline on the floor. Max is puzzled.

=== Back at Vera's ===

"You three sleep well. I'll be in the guest room if you need me." Max said.

"But grandpa." Jennifer whined.

"There's nothing more we can do tonight. I'm going for an early walk in the morning, but once I'm back, we'll check things out again. Now get some rest." Max said.

As Vera sleeps that night, another sentient green blob makes its way into her room. As her limp arm falls off the bed, it crawls up it. jUst as Vera wakes up, it covers her mouth and eyes. In the morning Jennifer opens up Vera's fridge.

"Prune Juice, prune juice, and oh, what a surprise, more prune juice, Why does it seem old people were always old?" Jennifer said.

Nicole and Gwen were looking at her. Gwen was pouring a lass of water. Vera was walking into the kitchen.

"Morning Aunt Vera. How'd you sleep?" Gwen said.

Nicole was looking at Vera for a moment because she could tell that something was off about Vera just looking at her body language.

"Just...fine. How 'bout you?" Vera asked.

She violently grabs and shakes Jennifer's cheeks.

"Fine. Aunt Vera!" Jennifer said.

"I made you some coffee." Gwen said.

Gwen brings her a tray with a mug of coffee and a glass of water, but she trips and spills them obht of them on the kitchen floor.

"Sorry." Gwen said.

Just before the spilled water makes its way to her shoes. Nicole watches as Vera jumps up and holds a perfect split in the room.

"Clean it up! Clean it up right now!" Vera yelled.

"I'm sorry." Gwen said.

Gwen starts cleaning, and Vera lands back on the ground. She looks over to the guest room; it's empty.

"Where did your grandfather go?" Vera said.

"He said he was going for an early walk." Gwen told her.

"...Well, behave yourselves. I'll be back soon." Vera said.

She walks out the house.

"She's totally one of them." Jennifer whispered.

"One of what?" Gwen asked.

"I think that Jenny is on to something, Gwen. I saw the way she acted when she came into the kitchen and how she reacted when you spilled that water." Nicole said.

"Yeah. Whatever's possessing these old people. Something or someone's gotten to Aunt Vera, and who knows how many other fossils around here." Jennifer said.

Some time later. Jennifer, Nicole and Gwen go out and walk through the village, taking alleys and out-of-site paths.

"So, where are we headed, Sherlock?" Gwen said

She adjusts her backpack that she brought with her. Jennifer quickly hides behind the corner of the alley. Some old folks walk past.

"We need to get to that trapdoor by the dumpster." Jennifer said.

"Trapdoor?" Nicole asked.

Jennifer covered her mouth and shush her. She hold Gwen back, waiting for the folks to walk further before moving quickly. In another part of town, Marty and another old man stand shift-eyed. Vera meets with them.

"Is the food supply ready for transport?" Vera asked.

"The pods are in the final stage of gestation. What about the young ones?" Fake Marty asked.

"Too chewy. They need to age more before they get nice and tender…" Fake Vera said.

"I'm not talking about eating the boy suspect too much." Fake Marty said.

The kids continue, now close to the dumpster site.

"It's right over there." Jennifer said.

"Eew." Nicole said.

"Just follow the disgusting smell." Gwen said.

They both held their noses. They pass by two old ladies, innocently playing what looks to be street curling with small pucks. Jennifer, Nicole and Gwen keep their eyes on them. They suddenly hiss with sharp yellow teeth and whack the pucks in their direction.

"DUCK!" Gwen shouted.

They took cover to avoid the pucks.

"RUN!" Jennifer yelled out.

The three of them started running for their lives while pucks were flying after them. They hid behind a corner and caught their breath. Max is suddenly there.

"Guys, what's going on?" Max asked.

"They're everywhere!" Jennifer said.

Nicole noticed something was off about Max just like Vera.

"Uh, guys. I don't think that is your grandpa." Nicole said.

They looked at Max closely to see his teeth were green. He outstretches his hand, then stretches his arm just like Marty. He roars.

"Let's get out of here!" Gwen said.

The kids start running away but get stopped by Marty, Vera, and the other man, all holding up a car. Max is behind them.

"Ooh, this is not good." Jennifer said.

The car is thrown. Jennifer, Nicole, and Gwen dodge out of the way of the car, just as Max tries swiping at them. He get crushed by the car.

"No!" Gwen said.

Green slime flies out from under the car and assembles into Max, save for his left eye which is bright green and orange.

"Come on! The trapdoor." Jennifer said.

Gwen spots the trapdoor under a dumpster, while Jennifer and Nicole stood against the fake elders. As she tries to move the dumpster off it. Jennifer and Nicole slam the Omnitrixes and turn into Wildmutt and Wild vixen. Gwen still struggles, so both Wildmutt and Wild vixen simply take the dumpster and throw it at the elders. He slobbers at Gwen, "Motioning" to the trapdoor.

"Got it. That's scary, I'm starting to speak mutt." Gwen said.

Nicole growls at her.

"Oh I didn't mean you, Nicky. I meant this mutt." Gwen said.

The elders are back up on their feet and run after the three. Gwen opens the door to a giant pit, leading underground. With no time. Wildmutt bucks her up on her back and leaps down into the pit while Wild Vixen follows after them.

"Woah!" Gwen said.

As they're falling, Wildmutt tries to slow her fall by digging into a rock wall, though they still hit the floor pretty hard. Wild Vixen landed on them as she shook her head. She got off of them as Wildmutt roared at her which made Wild Vixen to whimper.

"Does the expression "look before you lep" mean anything to you?!" Gwen asked.

She looks above them. The elders are crawling down after them.

"Move it!" Gwen ordered.

Willmutt and Wild Vixen speeds down a dark tunnel for a while, only stopping when they comes to a split path. Gwen gets off Wildmutt.

"These tunnels must go under the whole complex." Gwen said.

Far behind Gwen, a pair of red eyes stalk her in the dark. Wildmutt and Wild Vixen senses it and make out the outline of Fake Max, just as he tries to grab Gwen with his stretchy arms. Both Wildmutt and Wild Vixen clamp down on the arms and pull Max into a wall, but he quickly gets up. Wildmutt stands protectively in front of Gwen and so does Wild Vixen. They both charge at Max, but Max grabs the both of them by the neck and suplexes them. As they get up, Max punches them repeatedly, smiling. Wild Vixen slowly get up and stood in between Wildmutt as she growled at Max.

"Oh you want to protect her. That's sweet, but you both are going to be destroyed very soon." Fake Max said.

Then Wild Vixen attack, but Max dodge her before he drops an elbow down on Wild Vixen's back. Wildmutt's spines quickly stand up, though, and she gets a second wind, shouldering Max into a wall and grabbing his arm in her mouth and shaking him all around until she launches him across the cave. Wildmutt runs to Max while he is down and raises his arms, preparing to finish him.

"You wouldn't wanna hurt old grandpa Max now would'ya?" Fake Max asked.

Wildmutt winces. Max quickly kicks her away and twists herself back on her feet. Gwen climbs on Wildmutt's back.

"Hey "short, dumb, and hairy'? Rule one: he's not grandpa. He's an alien freak! And that leads to rule two: which is we kick alien butt. And rule three: grandpa would never hurt our friend." Gwen said.

Wildmutt looked at Wild Vixen laying down as she growl in rage. She angrily charges at Fake Max, smacking him into a wall with enough force for rocks to crash down on him and bury him for good. Wildmutt walked over to Wild Vixen and nuzzled her to make up. Wild Vixen started to wake up as she slowly got to her feet. She barked happily to see that Wild Vixen was okay. Then Wildmutt suddenly senses something big.

"What?" Gwen asked.

She bolted off in a direction. Gwen struggles to hang on while Wild Vixen was right behind them.

"Woah! You don't come with seatbelts, remember?" Gwen said.

Both Omnitrixes start beeping, they are about to hit a wall of wooden boards and moss.

"Look out!" Gwen yelled out.

They just manage to crash through before Wildmutt and Wild Vixen turn back into Jennifer and Nicole.

"Hey, freak show! What do I look like, a crash test dummy?!" Gwen said.

"Listen, I don't know what it is, but I picked up some kind of scent in here." Jennifer said.

Nicole winces for a moment as she was rubbing her side for a moment.

"Yeah I'd scent it too. Something is in here and it's alive." Nicole said.

They walk for a bit and find that the tunnel leads to an enormous room, with a large spaceship in the middle and small green pods lining the entire floor. They walk for a bit among the pods. Mart's unconscious body is visible in one of them.

"It's like everyone in Retirement Village has been podded up." Gwen said.

"Yeah, but for what purpose? Why take these folks from their homes and why not take the three of us as well?" Nicole asked.

Jennifer looks to another pod and sees Max inside of one the pods.

"Grandpa!" Jennifer yelled.

She tugs on the pod and cracks it open. Max's body falls out and comes to.

"Huh, I was out for a walk, and then...can't remember what happened next." Max said.

Jennifer reaches for another pod.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Fake Vera said.

The three remaining elders advance on the three Tennyson and Nicole.

"Well, you're not me!" Jennifer said.

"Not yet I'm not!" Fake Marty said.

Marty and the others morph into their true selves, green liquidy aliens with orange eyes and pink internal origins, known as Limax.

"You can fill me in later." Max said.

The Tennysons and Nicole back up. Gwen accidentally touches the back of the ship with her hand and activates it, revealing a doorway to more pods loaded onboard.

"Look what's back here." Gwen said.

"Their ship." Max said.

"They found it. We can't let them out." Limax 1 said.

"Get the pods on board. They've been marinating long enough." Limax 2 said.

"Marinating?" Max asked.

"Aw grosh. They eat old people." Nicole said.

Gwen looks inside the ship and sees Vera inside one of the pods on a wall.

"They've got Aunt Vera." Gwen said.

Jennifer and Nicole turn on the Omnitrixes and they both select Heatblast and Greyfyre.

"You guys just burn me up." Jennifer said.

"Then let's turn up the heat." Nicole said.

They both slam the dial and turn into Greyfyre and Heatblast.

"Now, We're going to return the favor." Heatblast said.

Heatblast unleashes a wave of heat on the Limax. Instead of being damaged, they are unaffected and instead grow, into one big combined alien and speak in one voice.

"Whatever you are, you just made a terrible mistake. Us Limaxes live for the heat! Why do you think we came to the desert in the summer?" Giant Limax said.

Greyfyre palmed her forehead for picking the one alien that has no effect on them. Heatblast frowns and starts punching the Giant Limax's leg. It grabs her arm and throws her repeatedly on the ground. Greyfyre fire off some fireballs at the monster alien. It looks behind it and sees gwen and max carrying the pods out of the ship, and spawns two small Limaxes from its back to deal with them. One of them swipes at Gwen, but she ducks and it only knocks her backpack over. All of its contents, including Gwen's water gun, spill on the floor. The two Limaxes suddenly realize what the water gun contains and run away from it in fear. Gwen grabs the gun and sprays them through the head, causing them to fall as liquid on the ground.

"They hate water! Aunt Vera, when she was in the kitchen." Gwen said.

"Or Marty, when I was on the golf cart." Heatblast said.

"Hmmm If I am right, these tunnels are connected to a water source. We just need to make sure to hit the right spot to spray this guy." Greyfyre suggested.

Both Heatblast and Greyfyre, as they were held up by the Limax, notice a water pipe above them, and shoot fire at it. The limax tries to dig into Heatblast's eye, but water splashes out from the pipe. The Limax drops both Heatblast and Greyfyre in pain, and they both run from the Limax as it starts to come falling down.

"See yam slimeball." Heatblast said.

The giant Limax is now just a puddle. Heatblast picks out the liquid in her eye and tosses it. Greyfyre helped Heatblast to her feet. At the ship, Gwen and Max finish carrying out the last of the pods, just as the ship starts to make a whirring noise, indicating it's about to take off.

"Sorry, there's no drive-through service here." Max said.

As Max runs out, the last liquidy remains of a Limax crawls in and the door shuts. The ship shakes the ground and rises up out of the crater it created, tunneling right through the cave and bursting onto the moonlit desert above, where it zooms out of Earth's atmosphere. The Tennysons and Nicole look around at all the pods.

"We should put them all back in their condos, so they'll think they never left." Max suggested.

Gwen sits against a pod.

"That could take hours." Gwen complained.

"Give us a few minutes, we'll see if XLR8 and Velociraptor can help out." Heatblast said.

She looked at Greyfyre who just smiled. The next morning is the end of the weekend, and Max is hugging Vera goodbye.

"Don't be strangers." Vera said.

"We won't." Max said.

"Bye Aunt Vera." Gwen said.

"Bye dear-Oh, this is for the road." Vera said, hands Gwen a greed mold of hers in a glass container. "Jennifer told me how much you liked my gelatin mold. This one's lime with chunks of grouper and chickpeas."

Jennifer is smiling to herself while Gwen tries to be nice to Vera.

"Uhh, thanks." Gwen said.

She hugs Vera and takes it in the Rust Bucket, Leaving only Jennifer to say goodbye.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer. If there wasn't enough excitement here for you. I hope you weren't bored to tears." Vera said.

"Actuall, it turned out better than I thought." Jennifer said.

"I'm glad. Well, have fun on the road." Vera said.

"I will." Jennifer said.

She hugs her and hops on the Rust Bucket.

"Oh, and Jennifer? Keep up the good work, dealing with all those aliens you were telling me about. And good luck with Nicole too." Vera said.

"You're...kidding right?" Jennifer said, blushing from ear to ear.

Vera laughs.

"Of course, dear." Vera said.

As the Rust Bucket leaves the desert, it passes the giant hole the Limax spaceship left. Down it, and back through the caves, the Limax that impersonated Max crawls out of buried rocks and slowly creeps along the tunnel floor.

Next time: Hunted