Hello once again! The first time in months, I now bring to you an original chapter. And this one changes the status quo of both the story and the character's lives, particularly that of Sean and Clover.
Read and review!
Chapter Forty-Five
Totally Fused
Gateway Arch-St. Louis-11:37 AM
Completed in 1965, the Gateway Arch commemorated the United States' expansion into the western territories. As the tallest man made structure in Missouri, the arch received over 2,000,000 visitors per year, whether they came from Missouri or out of state. Aside from a few incidents, the worst thing to happen at this monument was a man parachuting down on to it and tragically sliding off of it to his death, nothing out of the ordinary really happened here.
Until the day a careless college student, who had recently exited the inside of the arch, made the mistake of throwing a gum wrapper on the ground next to a security guard who took his role very seriously.
The officer stopped the student, grabbing him by the back of the shirt.
"Is this supposed to be funny?!" he asked the student menacingly.
"Well, I don't think so, man," the student said lazily, turning to face the livid guard. "Stopping a guy on his way back to his dorm room is so not cool."
His face turning red, the officer held up the gum wrapper and gestured to a sign that read "No Littering."
"Can't you read?" he asked the young man impatiently.
"Uh, yeah," the student responded, not seeing the big deal. "Can you?"
"A wise guy, huh?! Well, let me tell you something, if I had it my way, there'd be a law against people like you!"
Passersby heard bits and pieces of the ensuing argument that followed, but no one could tell what they were saying exactly. The only discernible words that anyone could make out were "young punk" or "buzzkill" or something similar.
In a few seconds, though, the argument no longer mattered before a yellow ray of light shot down from the top of the arch. The ray struck the two combatants, engulfing them in the light. When it finally dimmed, both the security guard and the college student were closer than they would have liked to be, with their hips touching one another. They both tried to move away but didn't get very far before the intense pain caused them to fall back to the ground.
The two looked at each other, horrified. They were literally stuck together, as if someone had glued not only their skin but their entire beings together.
Le Cafe au Chandelles-Beverly Hills-6:55 PM
Stepping out of his mother's car, Sean adjusted his tie looking in the side mirror. Even though it had taken forever to get his hair the way he wanted it, he still wasn't nervous. Not like his mother, anyway.
Rachel had spent the entire trip over fussing over whether her makeup was the right shade or whether or not her hair was in its bun properly.
"How do I look?" she asked her son for the fifth time that night.
Sean smiled. "Great. Just like the first four times you asked that."
She laughed nervously. "I'm sorry. It's just that I want to make a good impression."
"And I do too," Sean agreed. "But you've already been going out with this guy for three weeks."
"It's not him I want to impress," Rachel corrected. "From what Michael's told me about his daughter, she can be... opinionated."
A while back, a doctor at the Cedars Sinai introduced Rachel to her ex-husband: a businessman who had served time in the Air Force before meeting her. The marriage didn't work out, but the two were still on speaking terms. When the doctor first met Rachel, she had apparently decided to play matchmaker between the two. Rachel and Michael had been dating for about three weeks, but Sean had never met him. This dinner was to change that. And even more interesting, Michael had a daughter about Sean's age.
Having grown up an only child, Sean wasn't sure how he'd handle having a potential new sister in his life. But he was happy for his mother and since Michael had agreed to take his daughter out for dinner to meet Rachel as well, he was determined to at least make a good first impression on his mother's new boyfriend and his daughter, whoever that may be.
"I deal with opinionated on a daily basis," Sean said, thinking of Clover. "Whoever this girl is, she can't be as bad as you think."
"Maybe you're right," Rachel said, smoothing her orange dress over again. Then she looked at the restaurant doors. "So, you don't think I need to do anything?"
"Well, there is that grass stain on the hem of your dress."
Gasping, Rachel looked down as Sean chuckled.
"Just kidding," he said.
"Sean," Rachel scolded gently. "I love you, but you need to work on reassuring people."
Walking into the restaurant calmly, Sean and Rachel had informed the host that they were expected at another table. Following the sharply dressed man, they were lead to a small table in the corner of the building which had dim lighting and was covered with rich red wallpaper and had floors made of marble so clean Sean could not only see his reflection in it, but the inside of his nose as well.
Thankfully, he had blown it before leaving his house that night.
Seated at the table was a man a few years older than Rachel, dressed in a black suit identical to Sean's and with a red necktie. He had an athletic build, blond hair with streaks of gray around the sides, and blue eyes.
There was something familiar about Michael, but Sean had no time to figure it out before the two began speaking.
"Rachel," Michael greeted happily. His voice deep but gentle and he spoke with a slight Texan accent.
"Michael," Rachel returned, just as thrilled.
Michael smiled as he stood up and kissed her cheek.
"You look beautiful," he complimented, sincerity in his voice.
"Thanks," Rachel returned, blushing. "You look good too."
Then Michael turned his attention to the boy standing behind her.
"And this must be Sean," he guessed, extending his hand. "I'm Michael."
"It's nice to meet you, sir," Sean said, shaking the man's hand.
Michael scoffed. "Oh, none of that 'sir' business. You can just call me Michael. I also like Mike."
"Okay... Mike."
Rachel smiled. So far, so good, she thought. Then she looked at the table and then around the restaurant.
"So, where's your daughter?" she asked.
Michael laughed. "Ladies' room. She just had to apply that last layer of makeup. You know what teenage girls are like."
"Tell me about it," Sean said, rolling his eyes. "I have three of them as friends."
That definitely seemed to catch Michael's attention.
"I never knew your son was such a playboy," Michael joked, earning a laugh from Rachel and an embarrassed blush from Sean.
"No!" he quickly denied. "No, it's not like that. They're just friends." And I only have a crush on one of them, he thought.
"What about Sam?" Rachel asked, apparently able to read her son's thoughts.
"Mom!" Sean exclaimed, his face redder than before. "That's personal!"
Sean scanned the restaurant, hoping to find the perfect opportunity to avoid what was sure to be an uncomfortable discussion about his love life or lack thereof. After all, this evening was about his mother, not him.
"So, where's the restroom?" he asked. "I kind of forgot to wash my hands before I left."
Rachel crossed her arms in disappointment, but Michael came to his rescue.
"At the end of the room and to the right," he said. "Can't miss it."
"Thanks."
And Sean walked off quickly.
Okay, he thought to himself in the men's room. He's a little... a lot. But he seems like a nice guy. And he clearly makes Mom happy. That's all that's important. I just wish his daughter would show up. That way I'd have someone sane around.
As he stepped out the restroom door, he hadn't taken five steps before something collided with him. Actually someone.
"OW!" both he and the other person exclaimed. It was a teenage girl's voice, shrill and very familiar.
"Hey buster!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you watch where you're- Sean?!"
Regaining his focus, Sean got a better look at the girl. From her short blonde hair tied back in a side braid to her expensive pink cocktail dress with matching stilettos, it was obvious who he had just bumped into.
"Clover?!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at that Maroon 5 concert with... what was his name? Eric?"
"Derek," Clover corrected. "And believe me, I wish. I had to cancel because my dad has a new girlfriend and he wanted me to meet her."
Sean dusted himself off, not believing the odds that he and Clover would be in the same boat.
"What about you?" she went on. "Finally pluck up the nerve to ask Sam out?"
"If I did," Sean argued. "Do you think I'd take her to a place that could wipe out my allowance with just an appetizer? No, I'm here for the same reason as you. My mom's seeing someone and she wanted me to meet him."
"Talk about a major coincidence. I'm just glad you're here, so I'm not the only one suffering."
"Hey! I know he's a little eccentric, but Michael's not a bad guy. And I support whatever makes my mom happy."
Clover's eyes went wide. "What did you say your mom's boyfriend's name was?"
"Michael," Sean answered, wondering what the big deal was. "Why?"
She was just about to open her mouth when a kind, playful voice spoke to them.
"There you kids are!" Michael said as he and Rachel walked up to the two. "Looks like I can save the introductions."
The two teenagers faced their respective parents, surprise plastered on each of their faces.
"Dad?" Clover asked in confusion.
"Mom?" Sean questioned in a similar tone.
While Sean was initially unsure of how he'd take a stepsister in his life, he never dreamed of this.
Beverly Hills High-11:22 AM
"So," a stunned Alex asked from beside Sean's locker, which happened to be right next to Clover's. "Let me get this straight. Your parents are dating?!"
"Way to remind me, Alex," Clover said sarcastically. "Of all the women my dad could've gone with, he picks Sean's mom."
"And just what's wrong with my mom?!" Sean asked, offended.
"Nothing. But I spend every other weekend with my dad, so if the two get married, we have to share everything!"
"Why's that such a bad thing?" Sam asked.
"Don't get me wrong, Sammy. I like Sean and all, but a girl has needs."
"Like?" Alex asked.
Clover smiled and went on one of her usual fashion-related rants.
"A walk-in closet complete with shoe rack, about ten jewelry boxes for all my favorite rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, room for all my perfumes, hair gel, deodorant, and don't even get me started on the lingerie rack!"
"How many outfits do you even need for one weekend?!" Sean asked in amazement.
"The point is," Clover continued. "I've seen every closet in Sean's house. Smaller than that bargain store my mom likes for whatever reason."
Sean facepalmed. "What did I say about looking around my house, Clover?"
"Well, I'm glad I did! You could use some fashion tips! I mean, come on! That polo shirt with those jeans?!"
She gestured to Sean's current outfit.
"Nineties much? And I refuse to put my designer outfits in with that!"
"Well, at least I don't strut around Beverly Hills like it's my own personal runway!" Sean retorted.
"Can I help it if my purpose is to be seen?!" Clover asked rhetorically.
"Oh, is that why you're wearing a neon sign for a shirt?!" he fired back, pointing at Clover's bright pink top that he could have sworn would glow in the dark.
"Cut it out you guys!" Sam exclaimed, stepping between them. "You're acting like little kids!"
"He/she started it!" they both said at the same time, apparently proving Sam's point.
"Rachel and Michael aren't even married yet and they're already acting like brother and sister," Alex commented.
When they had finally managed to calm their friends down, Sam and Alex brought Sean and Clover to a soda vending machine at the end of the hall. They figured maybe a little drink would help them on the road to resolving their conflict.
"Take it from me," Sam said. "I know this girl who got a new stepsister and it took them a while to get used to the idea. But they did, and I know you two will too."
"Until Sean embarrasses me with another fashion faux pas!" Clover hissed.
"Or until Clover throws all my stuff out to make room for her one girl fashion show!" Sean argued back.
Sometimes I wonder why I bother, an exasperated Sam thought as she pressed the button that would release a bottle of lemon-lime soda, Sean's favorite flavor.
The button had just illuminated when the front of the machine swung open like a door, revealing a long dark tunnel and an inward blowing wind that sucked the four screaming teens down inside.
When the machine closed again, the bottle of soda slid out, eventually being picked up by Arnold.
Inside the chute, the spies tumbled through the dark and in the case of Sean and Clover, momentarily forgot their feud.
"Next time!" Alex shouted to Sam. "Go with diet!"
The ride ended on the fuchsia cushion which folded downward and landed into Jerry's office.
Jerry himself stood over the spies eating an English muffin.
"Hello, spies," he greeted. "How nice of you to... pop in."
He laughed as the spies looked at him, groaning inwardly.
"Pop. As in soda pop?"
"Jerry," Sean said. "Friendly tip: if you want jokes to be funny, don't explain them."
Jerry cleared his throat. "Very well. Now, on to the matter at hand."
He snapped his fingers and the screen behind him came on to show a map of the state of Missouri, zooming in on St. Louis.
"St. Louis has been struck with a number of unusual attacks in the past few days."
"Unusual how?" Sam questioned.
That was when the screen showed images of at least two people per picture fused together in various ways. From waist to waist, foot to foot, wrist to wrist, there was even one fused pair with their foreheads meshed together.
"Sorry I asked."
"Ew!" Clover cringed. "That looks totally disgusting!"
"Not to mention painful," Alex agreed. "I don't think anyone could walk with their legs stuck together like that. So, any leads, Jer?"
The screen showed footage of the same security guard arguing with the same college student in front of the Gateway Arch.
"Our only clue so far," Jerry explained. "Is this footage of an attack in progress."
The video ended with the pair engulfed by the yellow beam of light and coming out of it like they belonged in a sideway show.
"Freaky!" Clover exclaimed.
"Yes," Jerry agreed as the screen turned off. "So far, these attacks have been limited to the St. Louis area, but who knows how long that will last. Many of the victims who have been fused perform vital roles in society. If we don't find a way to stop this, civic services could grind to a halt."
"And where do we fit in?" Sean asked.
The screen lit up again, displaying a hospital in downtown St. Louis.
"This hospital," Jerry explained. "Has received the most victims of these attacks. I want you four to go undercover and try to find a link between them."
"I almost too afraid to ask," Clover said. "But undercover as what?"
"Hospital volunteers."
Clover sighed in defeat. "As long as I don't have to change bedpans."
"Hospital volunteering isn't all bad, Clover," Sean said. "I used to do it over summer vacation."
"Now I really don't want to do it."
"And now for your gadgets," Jerry interrupted, opening the top of his desk and queuing each one. "For today's mission, you'll be given Molecular Separating Perfume, M-Ray Contact Lenses in aquamarine, the Oil Slick Mascara Brush, Expandable Cable Bungee Belts, Jetpack Backpacks and one pack of S.E.B."
"Seb?" Alex asked. "What's that, some kind of energy drink?"
"S-E-B," Jerry clarified. "Smoke Emitting Bubblegum. One pop of any bubble blown will emit a cloud of smoke for a quick getaway."
Now Alex was excited. "Is it cherry-flavored?"
"And cherry-scented. The smoke, anyway."
He threw the backpacks to the spies, then turned to Clover and Sean.
"Oh, and Sean, Clover," Jerry continued. "I heard about your parents. You two must be so thrilled."
"'Thrilled' isn't the word I had in mind, Jer," Clover said.
"Yeah," Sean added. "Try 'irritated.'"
The two grunted in frustration, turning their heads away from each other.
"Believe it or not, spies," Jerry tried to console them, thinking of his own brother Terrence. "I can understand. Siblings can be different, but sometimes those differences only bring them closer together."
"Whatever!" they both said, still angry with each other.
"Well," Jerry finished, sitting back down. "Good luck, agents. The Gateway to the West awaits."
He pressed a button on the desk, causing four pink seats to pop up from the floor and wrap the spies in seatbelts. The seats shot up through holes in the ceiling like pinballs before coming up into a jet, which took off through a hatch in the roof.
Mercy Hospital-St. Louis-2:07 PM
"As if making us wear these cheesy sweaters wasn't enough!" Clover complained, gesturing to her pink sweater with a bright yellow smiley face. "But here?! Jerry might as well have put us underground for how low we'll get on the social ladder!"
As part of their cover, Jerry had supplied them with individual boxes of wool sweaters, which were brightly colored and each had a symbol woven onto the front designed to promote a positive attitude and welfare. While Clover had complained about hers being unattractive, not to mention itchy, Alex seemed to enjoy hers, which was purple and embroidered with the image of a pink unicorn.
"Speak for yourself, Clover!" she exclaimed with glee. "This unicorn really brings out my eyes!"
Clover scowled. "And it brings you back to first grade, apparently."
"Look," Sean said, feeling embarrassed in his own green sweater with a stitching of a rainbow on the front. "I know these sweaters are kind of... humiliating, but patients at hospitals do get depressed."
He looked up at the hospital doors, trying to prepare himself for what he might see. But all those times he'd visited his mother at work could not have braced him for seeing what Jerry showed him only a screen in person.
"Well, now I'm depressed!" Clover moaned. "What if I meet a cute boy in there?!"
"Clover," Sean reprimanded. "We're on a mission! It's not like you'll be seeing him again!"
"That's what you think," Clover argued, pulling out a pad and pen, obviously for writing down a phone number.
Sean facepalmed. "You know, Clover, some of us are here to actually spy, not flirt with the first person they see."
"And who says I can't multitask?"
"With how distracted you get?!"
Clover crossed her arms in fury.
"Well, better distracted than having a total stick up your-"
"Guys!" Sam came in between them, wearing a white sweater with a heart sewn onto the front. "Can we save the fighting for the baddies?"
Sean and Clover immediately calmed down.
"Fine," Sean relented.
"Whatever," Clover added, before looking up at the hospital's highest window. "So, where do we start?"
"We ask some of our patients about what happened," Sam answered, walking to the doors.
Most of the fused patients were being kept in a special ward in the hospital's northeast wing. Having been given a patient list by the receptionist up front, Sean was able to single out who had been attacked and who hadn't.
"Okay," he announced the girls as they came to the first door. "First up is a married couple named Vincent and Judy Ballard."
"Remember guys," Sam added, turning to Clover in particular. "These two have been through... well, a lot. So try to be a little sensitive."
"Please, Sam," Clover said in a way that wasn't really saying yes. "Sensitivity is my middle name."
And she opened the door to reveal a man and woman, both in their mid-thirties perched uncomfortably on the bed and a hospital gown barely covering them due to being conjoined at the hips.
"Eww!" Clover shrieked. "That's the most horrible thing I've ever seen! And I've seen my mom with a mud mask!"
Sean rolled his eyes while Sam smacked her on the back of the head.
"So much for being sensitive," Sean said, focusing his attention on the unfortunate couple in front of him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Ballard?" Alex asked, coming over to them.
"That's us," the man, Vincent, said. "Are you here to give us our pills or are you just gonna scream like your girlfriend there?"
"Actually," Sam said, reaching for a glass of water. "If it's not too much trouble, we wanted to ask you about how you... got like this."
"We don't really know," Judy replied as her husband took a sip from the cup. "We were just going for a walk by the arch when we got into a fight about something. We don't really remember what it was. All we know is all of a sudden this bright flash of light came out of nowhere. When it finally stopped, this happened to us."
"Freaky," Alex commented.
"Can you remember anything else?" Sean asked.
"Yeah," Vincent answered. "I remember seeing something on the ground after that beam hit us. It kind of looked like chalk dust, only it was glowing."
"And you're sure you didn't hit your head?" Clover asked, not buying it.
"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it either," Judy explained.
"Thanks for your time," Sam told the couple as Vincent tugged on Clover's sleeve.
"Wait," he said. "Someone was also supposed to give us a sponge bath."
"Not it!" Sean, Sam, and Alex all exclaimed.
"Damn it!" Clover swore
In the hospital lobby, the spies sat together, deep in thought. Well, three of them, anyway.
Sean came rushing in, his face panicked.
"I asked around the hospital," he informed. "It looks like all these attacks happened in the same place: the Gateway Arch."
"The what?" Alex asked in confusion.
"That giant archway by the Mississippi River," Sam explained. "You know, the thing St. Louis is the most famous for?"
"Oh, I thought it was just the St. Louis Cardinals."
"Anyway," Sean continued. "It looks like another thing these attacks have in common is that these people got into some kind of fight before getting fused together."
"Real helpful... NOT!" Clover exclaimed in annoyance. "People argue all the time! How're we gonna find this guy if we don't know who he'll hit next."
"At least I'm trying, Clover," Sean countered. "Which is more than I can say for you!"
"Oh, you're trying alright. Trying to make me look like a complete idiot!"
She gestured once again to her sweater.
Sean glared at her. "You don't need my help for that. You already do it every time to you fling yourself at the first attractive guy you see, including me when we first met!"
"At least I take initiative when it comes to dating, unlike some people!"
As the argument unfolded, Sam's eyes lit up.
"That's it!" she exclaimed.
"What's it?" Sean, Alex and Clover asked.
"You two can have a fake fight by the arch and maybe we can catch whoever's doing it in the act."
"Yeah," Clover answered. "That's gonna be hard."
"HARD?!" Sam and Alex shrieked in surprise.
"But you two have been wanting tear each other's heads off all day!" Alex pointed out.
"I can just fake it," Clover explained, before striking a dramatic pose. "It's gotta be real! My public demands it."
"I'll say it has to be real," Sean said. "With how bad you were in Macbeth, anything fake wouldn't be convincing."
Clover snapped out of her acting fantasy. "Who asked you?!"
As the two began bickering again, Sam turned to Alex.
"I don't think we'll have any problems," she whispered.
Gateway Arch-6:30 PM
The arch was currently closed for renovations, giving the spies the perfect opportunity to stake it out. Alex and Sam peered out from behind a light pole and a tree respectively to get a better look at the scene while Sean and Clover took their positions just below the arch.
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Alex whispered.
"With how they've been acting," Sam answered just as softly. "A hundred percent."
Over by the arch, Clover and Sean had turned to face each other. Sean had no doubt Sam's plan would attract the attention they needed. The only problem was he had no idea what the fake argument could be over.
"Well," Clover stated. "Aren't you gonna start it?"
"I thought you were," Sean said, confused.
Clover just tapped her foot on the pavement impatiently. Finally, Sean sighed.
"Okay," he said under his breath before clearing his throat and raising his voice loud enough to be heard but not so loud that he was shouting. "I thought I told you not to touch my mom's credit card!"
"That's it?" Clover asked, on the verge of laughing. "You call that a fake fight?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sean apologized, not really meaning it. "I forgot you're the queen of fake fights!"
"Well, we wouldn't be the ones having a fake fight if you hadn't started the real one back at school!"
"Me?! You're the one who got confrontational about the idea of us sharing closet space!"
Clover scoffed. "If you can call that closet space! My locker has more room than your closet!"
"You had ten backup outfits in your locker the day I first met you!" Sean fired back, his voice getting progressively more frustrated.
As the fake argument rapidly degraded into a real one, Sam and Alex stood back, concerned.
"Should we do something?" Alex asked.
Sam just shook her head. "Look, they're driving me crazy too, but this is our best chance. Besides,they've got to work out their issues sooner or later."
"Judging by this," Alex said, gesturing to the still feuding Sean and Clover. "It'll be later."
"And another thing-" Clover tried to say but was cut off by a flash of yellow light engulfing both her and Sean.
"That's our cue!" Sam shouted, running over to the scene with Alex following close behind her. Placing the M-Ray Contact Lenses into her eyes, and through the tinted vision of the lenses, she could see two men in black uniforms and ski masks standing on the arch's observation deck flanking a large device shaped very much like a machine gun.
"Gotcha!" she called out, expanding the buckle on her bungee belt. Alex imitated her actions and the two girls zipped upward to the top of the arch. Kicking the glass window inward, they rolled inside and confronted the two men.
The men, wearing black jackets and ski masks, tried to make a run for it but Alex jumped in their way and delivered a kick to each of them in the chest. They soon recovered just in time for Sam to grab one by the back of his collar and throw him into his companion, knocking them both into a wall.
Alex took the opportunity to rip the device they were using off of the guard rail just in time for the men to recover. Thinking fast, she detached one of the glass cylinders containing a strange yellow powder and pocketed it. She and Sam took this as their cue to leave and activated their jetpacks.
"We got some evi- whoa! What happened to you?!" Alex said as she and Sam landed on the ground.
Sean and Clover were struggling like they had been all day, but this time literally. Though the two had planned to jump out of the way of the beam, their fake argument rapidly deteriorating into a real argument kept them from seeing what was happening above them. And now they had wound up like so many others in the city, their wrists fused together as if someone had used the strongest glue imaginable to do so.
"What do you think?" Clover asked. "Sean didn't jump out of the way in time!"
"Neither did you!" Sean countered.
"Uh, guys?" Sam said as the two men from inside the arch came running out. "Maybe we could worry about this after we get away."
Sean and Clover immediately stopped.
"I guess you're right," Sean agreed, taking out the pack of bubblegum Jerry had given them and popping one piece into his mouth. Chewing as quickly as he could, he blew the biggest bubble possible and when it popped, it released a huge, thick cloud of red smoke that covered the spies and caused the two men to break out in fits of coughing.
With the two thugs distracted, the spies activated their jetpacks and flew off, albeit with some difficulty in the case of Sean and Clover.
As soon as they were confident that they had put some distance between them and the men at the arch, the spies landed on a rooftop to catch their breath.
"Well, that could've been worse," Alex commented.
"WORSE?!" Clover and Sean shouted in unison.
"Did you see this?" Clover asked. "I'd say it could've gone better! Do you have any idea how hard it's gonna be to date when you're already stuck to another guy?!"
"You know," Sean said. "This isn't exactly a picnic for me either."
Clover growled and turned on Sean.
"This is all your fault! If you had just jumped out of the way, we wouldn't be like this!"
"Well," Sean argued. "Maybe if you hadn't insisted on turning our fake fight into a real one, I would've seen it in time!"
"Okay," Sam said, breaking it up. "That's enough from both of you! Fighting isn't gonna solve your problem. The only way you're gonna get separated again is if we catch whoever's doing this and stop them."
"How?" Clover asked. "He wasn't there."
"Maybe this can help us," Alex suggested, holding up the vial of glowing yellow powder. "I got it off the machine those guys were using."
Sam furrowed her brow in concentration and pulled out her Compowder. "We'd better call Jerry. Maybe he can tell us something about it."
"Hello agents," he greeted warmly as his face dominated the screen. "How's the Gateway to the West?"
"A gateway to disaster, Jerry," Sean said. "We have a problem: Clover and I got zapped by that beam and now we're fused together at the wrist!"
"Oh dear," Jerry said, shocked. "That is a disaster."
"Jerry," Alex said, holding up the vial. "We need some info on this stuff. We think it might be what stuck Sean and Clover together. And everyone else."
"Scan it in," Jerry instructed. "I'll see what I can do."
Alex sprinkled the powder onto the Compowder's scanner and after a few minutes, Jerry's printed ejected a sheet of paper.
"Here it is. That powder you found appears to be compound designed to bind molecules together. The United States military was working on something similar, but their research was reported stolen about a month ago."
"Guess now we now who stole it," Sam said.
"I'm afraid I have more bad news, spies," Jerry said grimly. "The phenomena has spread outside of St. Louis and is now affecting cities across the central continent. I think it's time you four get to bottom of this."
"But we don't know where to start looking," Sean said.
Jerry smiled. "I think I can help with that."
And an image of a thin man with platinum blond hair popped up onscreen.
"The powder contained traces of DNA belonging to a Dr. Russel LeBeau, a couples therapy counselor who took an indefinite leave of absence two months ago and hasn't been seen or heard from since."
"But why would a therapist want to stick people together like this?" Sam asked.
"I'm not sure," Jerry answered. "But it's up to you to find out. Dr. LeBeau's office is in New Orleans. A W.O.O.H.P jet will be arriving to take you there posthaste."
"Hello?!" Clover shouted, holding up her left wrist, which was still welded to Sean's right. "What about us?!"
"Don't worry, Clover," Jerry reassured. "Thanks to the sample you've provided, we're already working on an antidote."
"Can't we just use the Molecular Separating Perfume?!" Sean asked in desperation.
"Sorry. But it's never been tested on human cells. I'm afraid it's too risky."
Both spies lowered their heads, sweatdropping.
"Well, that's all for now. Good luck, spies. Oh, and while you're there, would mind bringing me back a few beignets? They go wonderfully with my afternoon tea."
French Quarter-New Orleans-8:14 PM
As usual, the French Quarter was packed with people busily rushing to and fro. While waiting for the crowds to thin out, the spies stopped beside a small building to stake out the one across the street. That and one other reason.
"I didn't they'd take this long," Alex complained, leaning against the wall.
"Clover takes long enough in the bathroom by herself," Sam said. "But with Sean stuck to her wrist? You can see that being twice as long."
Minutes later, the two fused spies walked out of the building, thankful that their restrooms and the store itself were both relatively empty.
"If you ever want to have kids with Sam," Clover whispered menacingly. "You won't talk about this to anyone!"
Sean gulped in fear. "Understood."
Sam, who thankfully heard none of this, opened her Compowder.
"According to the info Jerry gave us," she informed, pointing to the building. "This address is where Dr. LeBeau's office is. But it's been closed for a month. I don't see how we're gonna get in."
"It may not be good against people," Alex said, smiling and pulling out the pink perfume bottle Jerry gave them. "But this should get us in there, no prob!"
As they sprinted over to the door, Alex aimed the bottle at it. Spraying it until it was coated, she was able to slip through the door without opening it and step into a dark hallway.
Of course, thanks to the position Sean and Clover were in, the two wound up falling over each other.
"I so can't wait for Jerry to finish the antidote!" Clover snarled in exasperation.
"That makes two of us!" Sean concurred.
The office looked relatively normal, aside from the fact that it was totally empty. Seemingly, anyway.
"Where do we look first?" Alex asked Sam.
"Well," she said, gesturing to a door that read "Russel LeBeau, Ph.D." "We could start by checking this out."
The door, thankfully turned out to be unlocked. The office was small, with barely enough room for the spies to fit inside. There was nothing out of the ordinary aside from pictures of couples torn the shreds in the trash can.
"Looks like someone's bitter about being single," Clover dryly commented.
"Bitter, maybe," Sam said. "But who said it was about being single?"
She opened desk drawer after desk drawer, hoping to find some information about what LeBeau was doing and why.
Her search came to an end with the bottom drawer on the left, which held a rolled up sheet of blue paper.
"Bingo!" she announced.
"What?" Sean asked, coming over and dragging Clover with him. "What is it?"
"Looks like blueprints. And look! The design matches the machine we found in St. Louis. This proves it: LeBeau's definitely our bad guy."
"But why would he be sticking people together like this?" Clover asked, indicating hers and Sean's still fused hands.
"Maybe he wants to make his own freak show," Alex suggested, earning a glare from each of her fellow spies. "What, like weirder things haven't happened to us?"
"Whatever it is he's trying to do," Sean said. "We've gotta stop him."
"I'd like to see you try," a Cajun accented male voice said from behind them.
The spies turned to see the man from the picture Jerry showed them standing in the doorway, flanked by two larger men in black jackets, jeans and ski masks. LeBeau himself was wearing a white suit with a black necktie. His face was contorted with a wild, wide grin.
"Back off, pal!" Alex shouted to one of the men, taking a combat stance. "I'm a black belt in tae kwan do!"
In response, the man just curled up his fist and punched a hole in the wall beside him and Alex.
"Of course," she admitted nervously. "It didn't cover that. Run!"
The spies jumped over LeBeau and his two thugs as he snapped his fingers, ordering them to give chase.
As the spies ran out into the hall, both LeBeau's henchmen and three more surrounded them.
Sam leapt into the air and delivered a kick to one's abdomen while Alex performed a leg sweep to two more. But Sean and Clover, thanks to their current situation had more difficulty.
"Okay, this isn't working," Sean said. "On three, we do a flying kick. Got it?"
"Got it," Clover said in confirmation and looked to their two opponents.
"One," Sean started the count. "Two, three!"
Holding each other's fused hand, the two jumped up in the air and delivered a kick to both men's temples, sending them crumpling to the floor.
"Way to go, guys!" Sam said as she took down the last thug.
But their victory was short lived as at that moment, a cage dropped from the ceiling and encapsulated the four teens.
"Oh crap," Alex said, feeling very small all of a sudden.
The cage was later lifted by two mechanical claws up into a hole in the ceiling, taking the spies to a room that was totally empty save for a window and a duplicate of the device found in the Gateway Arch.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm already in a shrink's office," Clover said. "Because after this, I'm gonna need some serious therapy."
The door to the room entered, letting LeBeau and two of his henchmen enter.
"Bonjour and bienvenue, mes enfants," he greeted in a mocking tone. "I hope you're comfortable."
"Not really," Sean said, holding up his and Clover's fused limbs for emphasis.
LeBeau just smiled. "Well, get used to it. You gonna be this way for a long time."
He tapped the side of his machine.
"This baby here will stick you together until all four of you look like a giant pretzel!"
"A low carb pretzel, I hope," Alex quickly added while Sam scowled at him.
"Why are you doing this?!" she asked furiously.
LeBeau's grin disappeared. "I spent years helping people work out their problems and what do I get for it? A low income salary, an apartment so small it might as well be a mausoleum, and a father who calls me every week to tell me I should have gone into the family business of making jambalaya in some restaurant on its last legs!"
He turned around, raising his arms in the air madly. "Well, now I'm helping people resolve their issues... by making it impossible to live without a person they hate!"
"Well," Clover said. "That's a first. A therapist needing therapy. Ironic much?"
"It'll never work!" Sean exclaimed. "We'll stop you!"
LeBeau clicked his tongue. "How are you gonna do that when you're stuck in permanent human chain?"
He adjusted a dial on the side of the machine.
"I'd say you have about five minutes before my machine warms up. I hate to leave, but I have bigger fish to fry."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
"A football game is being held at the Superdome. With all those rabid fans disagreeing, it'll be the perfect place to test out a bigger version of my ray."
"So that's what those blueprints were for!" Sam realized as LeBeau headed for the door.
"Au revoir!" he called out before leaving, laughing maliciously. As soon as he was gone, Sam gripped the bars.
"We've gotta get out of here and stop him before that thing fuses us together like Sean and Clover!" she exclaimed.
"Way to remind us, Sam!" Clover said. "But you're right."
"Alex," Sean said. "You still have more of that perfume?"
"Uh," Alex mumbled, blushing. "I kind of used it all when we broke in here."
"Great," Clover complained. "Getting stuck with Sean was bad enough. But all of you? I'll never be able try on clothes again! If I ever get out of here, LeBeau is so gonna pay! Just wait till I get my hands on the slippery little creep!"
"Slippery," Sam muttered, before snapping her fingers. "Clover, you're a genius!"
"Wait," Sean said. "How is Clover a genius? She was just complaining the whole time."
In response, Sam pulled a mascara brush out of her boot. "If we use the Oil Slick Mascara Brush, we can slip through the bars and escape!"
"Great idea, Sammy!" Alex said with glee.
In no time at all, Sam had lathered herself, Alex and Sean in the oil from the brush. But Clover was more reluctant.
"Are you kidding me?!" she asked indignantly. "Don't you know mascara stains my outfit?"
"Do you wanna be stuck like this forever?" Sean asked Clover, who shook her head. "Then you'll do it."
"Okay," Clover relented. "Lay it on me, Sam."
Like her teammates, Clover's sides were covered in thick, black oil. Following Sam's lead, the spies side walked through the bars, the oil allowing them to slide out with ease just as the ray hit the now empty cage, causing it to buckle and fall over.
"We did it!" Sam cheered.
"Now what?" Alex asked.
"Now we get to the Superdome and stop LeBeau," Sean answered.
New Orleans Superdome-9:00 PM
A quick flight through New Orleans brought them to the superdome. As they landed in the parking lot to avoid suspicion, the spies looked to the stadium with concern.
"Okay," Sam instructed the others. "Be on your guard. LeBeau could be anywhere in there."
The other three nodded in agreement. But Sean and Clover looked unsure.
"I think we'll just sit this one out," Sean said, unsure.
"Why?!" Alex asked in disbelief.
"Earth to Alex!" Clover exclaimed. "You saw what happened back there! We can't fight like this!"
She held up their still fused appendages.
"Really?" Sam asked skeptically. "I thought you did a real good job in that office."
"But we still got captured," Sean bitterly reminded.
"That wasn't your fault. But you two have been so busy fighting each other that you can't really fight LeBeau. The only way we're gonna catch him is if you get your heads together."
Sean and Clover looked down, ashamed.
"When you're ready to clean up your act," Sam said. "You know where we'll be."
And she and Alex ran off into the stadium, leaving their friends alone to contemplate her words.
"Sam's right," Sean said. "If we're gonna have any chance at stopping LeBeau, we have to work together."
"Okay," Clover agreed, holding out her hand that wasn't fused. "Truce?"
Sean smiled before offering her his own hand. "Truce."
And the two ran off to join their friends.
"Hey, wait up!" they shouted in unison.
Inside the stadium, high above in the rafters, LeBeau and four of his thugs stood positioned just over tens of thousands of fans. And all of whom looked ready to disagree about who would win. Many of whom were already beginning to start fights.
LeBeau chuckled maliciously as he prepared to take aim at the first arguing pair in the stands.
"That's it,' he said to himself. "Just keep feuding."
"You know," Sean's voice said from behind him "You should really have your license revoked!"
The disgruntled therapist turned around and saw that the four teens he had previously trapped were now glaring at him angrily.
Scowling, LeBeau snapped his fingers and the four men charged at the spies.
Sam was able to take one down by punching him in the neck, only for another to come up and grab her from behind.
Though the conjoined wrists did make things difficult, Sean and Clover rushed into action, with Sean picking up Clover behind his back and swinging her around to deliver a kick to the back of the man's head, knocking him out.
Alex was facing off against the other two, completely boxed in. Flipping over to stand on her hands, she rotated herself around rapidly until her legs knocked them back. One of them managed to gain a second wind long enough for both Sean and Clover to deliver a punch to his face.
LeBeau regarded the spies with shock and fury, then shifted the aim of his machine to the teens.
Seizing the opportunity, the spies jumped out of the way of each blast. But they couldn't keep it up forever. Then Sean remembered he still had the back of Smoke Emitting Bubblegum.
Maybe if I can confuse him for a minute, he thought. Quickly reaching into his pocket, he pulled the pack out again and slipped another piece of the cherry-flavored gum into his mouth.
As the resulting bubble popped, the room was flooded with a cloud of thick, red, sweet-smelling smoke. Frustrated, LeBeau fired his weapon randomly across the room, missing the spies each time.
When he was finally sure he had them, he moved his ray over to the far side of the room and fired, not knowing that he was aiming at a mirrored wall. The resulting beam bounced off and engulfed him and his henchmen.
When the smoke finally cleared, the spies saw LeBeau and his men clumped together on the floor, struggling to stand. And they were all connected to each other in various ways from wrist to wrist, waist to waist, back to back and forehead to forehead.
"Sacre bleu!" LeBeau exclaimed as he continued to swear in French while the spies watched on with amusement.
"Look on the bright side," Sam side. "You'll have plenty of time to get your act together... in jail!"
The spies high fived each other, but Sean and Clover, still fused together accidentally forgot their situation and fell over backwards.
"Oops!" Alex said.
In no time at all, several W.O.O.H.P agents arrived to apprehend LeBeau, while Jerry stood before the four teens with a gray spray bottle in his hand.
"Another mission accomplished," he congratulated. "Well done, spies."
Then Sam looked down at the bottle he was holding.
"What's that?" she asked.
Jerry smiled. "The antidote to the effects of LeBeau's ray. It took me longer than I expected, but it should separate Sean and Clover. Along with everyone else. We'll administer it to his victims right away."
"Could you start with us?" Sean asked hopefully.
"Yeah, Jer!" Clover concurred. "Lay it on us!"
He nodded and sprayed the clear, water-like fluid on their combined wrists. In less than two seconds, the invisible glue that held the two together melted away and Sean and Clover held up their wrists in joy and relief.
"Yes!" they both shouted in unison.
Beverly Hills High School-9:30 AM
"I don't know about you guys," Alex said as they walked through the school hallways. "But I think I'm off therapists for the rest of my life."
Sam smiled reassuringly. "Hey, that guy was just one bad apple. They're here to help us."
The two then looked to Sean and Clover.
"Well that's something I didn't think I'd see," Alex commented. "Two hours and you guys haven't started another fight."
"Well," Sean replied. "After being literally stuck with her for a few hours, Clover and I decided that sharing a family is no big deal."
"Besides," Clover added. "I've always kind of wanted an older brother."
"Wow!" Sam said, impressed. "I didn't think you had it in you."
"Well," Sean said back. "It could be worse. I could have Mandy as a stepsister!"
And the spies laughed, very aware that Mandy was in the background grunting in offense and walking on to her next class.
Well, that's my first original chapter for the season. And get prepared for more. Thanks for reading!