Joy Ride

By Mark J. DeGregorio, a.k.a.- Lucky

Nonie concentrated on the form and she began to shrink to a diminutive size of five inches. She then sprouted insect wings from her back and began to take to the air. Nonie made three trips around the room and shouted in a pint-sized, squeaky voice, “I did it! I shape shifted into a pixie!”

Nonie remembered how Flexine was able to change into a rhino, grew into a giant, and even sprouted wings to escape with her boss, Dr. Zan. She made another trip around the room, said, “I have to show everyone this”, and flew out of the room.

Penny was in the kitchen when Nonie entered the room, and flew over to Penny and shouted, “Hey Penny! Look at me…”

Penny turned and saw the flying object and shouted, “Augh! A BUG!”

Nonie landed on the counter and thought, a bug…a BUG, then turned to see Penny had swiftly grabbed a newspaper and was coming at her. Oh no, she thought as Penny lifted the paper to swat her.

“Wait Penny…it’s me…” Nonie shouted as she was pounded with the paper.

Nonie got up from where she was knocked down by the paper and again, tried to tell Penny who she was, only to be hit again with the paper.

“Dang, that’s one persistent bug.” Penny said and threw down the paper on top of the bug. This time Penny flattened the bug down on the counter.

Nonie began to peel herself off the counter, took a deep breath, held it hard, and popped back to her rounded self. “Back for more you rotten bug!”

“But Penny, it’s me…” her pleads fell flat, as so did she when Nonie was flattened again by Penny’s paper.

Nonie pulled her flattened little head up and thought, is she using the Sunday edition. She again popped herself into her rounded self. Penny looked at the determined bug and went to get something to really pound it. Nonie tried to inform her, shouted, “But Penny! It’s m…”

Nonie stopped in mid sentence when she saw Penny had abandon the newspaper for a five hundred page, hard covered, cook book. This can’t be good, Nonie thought and before she could get away, Penny smashed her forty-eight times at super speed.

Penny exited the kitchen to get something to clean up the bug mess from her kitchen. At Nonie’s minuscule size, she was flattened to a measly one millimeter in depth. She peeled herself off the counter and didn’t bother fixing herself. She wanted to get the hell out of the kitchen before Penny returns and flattens her some more.

She flapped her wings and flew her two-dimensional butt out the door and into the family room. Nonie hid behind a houseplant and rested from her ordeal with Penny. After a few minutes, Nonie inflated her body back to normal and flew up to a higher altitude. Still hiding behind the plant, just in case, she scouted the room for hazards.

Patricia was sitting at the desk, reading a book. Nonie thought it would be fun to bug her with her new form. This time she would let her know before she sees her. Nonie flew up behind Patricia and shouted into her ear, “HEY PATRICIA!”

Patricia jumped up, turned her head, and saw Nonie flying in front of her face. “Look at me, I’m a fairy princess.”

“Quit bugging me you nincompoop!” Patricia snapped and went back to her reading.

Nonie flew to see the cover and said, “You’re reading a Harlequin romance novel?”

Patricia put down her hardback romance collection and growled, “Beat it will you!” and flicked the redheaded pixie away with her finger.

Nonie regain control of her fight pattern, glared at her mean sister and said, “Of course, you know, this means war.”

Nonie flew back to bug her sister some more, began to fly around Patricia’s head singing, “Patricia is reading a trash novel… Patricia is reading a trash novel… Patricia is reading a trash novel…”

The vain on Patricia’s forehead began to pulsate as she again placed the opened book on the desk. She then lunged at the tiny fairy girl, but Nonie was too fast for her to catch. “Ha-ha, you missed me, what the matter, can’t you catch me, am I too fast for you!” she taunted.

Patricia sat in her chair as Nonie landed on Patricia’s opened book and said, “That’s because I’m a fairy princess and you’re not.”

Patricia looked at her, then slammed the book shut on Nonie and said, “Well, now you’re a pressed fairy.”

Patricia got up and pushed down on the book as hard as her could with both hands. She then formed her right hand into a mallet and proceeded to pound on the book with Nonie in it. Topping it all off, Patricia grabbed the book, placed in on her chair, and then sat on it. She began to hop her butt on to the book several times. Patricia then grabbed the bottom of the chair and pulled herself down on top the book with all her strength.

Patricia took the book from underneath her and placed it back on the desk. Patricia smiled as she opened the book to the page she was on when Nonie started her annoyance. Nonie was flattened on page two hundred and thirty seven. Patricia looked Nonie over. She had no depth to her. Nonie was in a true two-dimensional form. Dang, she can’t be seen from the side, it’s like she’s a picture in the book, Patricia thought.

Nonie’s body was so thin that Patricia could almost read the words underneath Nonie’s body. Patricia placed her thumb on Nonie’s head and proceeded to rub it to get it off the page.

After she was able to get enough to grab at Nonie, Patricia peeled her out of her book and flung her over her shoulder. Nonie caught a breeze and flew back into the kitchen.

“Augh! That bug is back!” Penny shouted.

Ah shit, here we go again, Nonie thought.

* * * * * *

James stood out by the helicopter-landing pad. A shuttlecraft was making an approach landing from the Terisen. When the ship came to a rest, the cyborg, Mike stepped out to greet him. “Well, I’m here… What’s the big emergency?”

“I just got word the those occultists are on the move again.” James responded, as they started towards the mansion.

“Occultists? Who are they?” Mike asked.

James realized that he was never there and really didn’t know, explained, “A couple of years ago, these occultists stole a staff and tried to bring Samhain into the world.”

“Samhain?”

“He’s the spirit of Halloween, the rubber-twins refer to him as Pumpkin-Puss.” James Informed.

“Oh yeah…” Mike remembered, “That’s the guy who wreaked our Halloween party last year!”

“Well, their leader somehow has the ability to walk through solid objects; not much is known about him.” James said as the two entered an elevator to the sublevel of his mansion’s command center. When they arrived, James called the others to join them there.

Alan was in the garage studying the treasure map he had found in Krangle’s ship. He plugged the orb into his data port and began to upload the information from where you land on the planet to where the treasure is located. He also got all the access codes to by-pass the traps Krangle set.

Alan heard Stephanie coming and quickly shut it off and stuffed it into his pocket. Stephanie entered the room to drag him to the meeting, barked, “Come on lunk-head, James is calling us all to a meeting.”

“In a minute.”

Stephanie grabbed a chunk of hair and pulled him out the door, “No…Now!”

* * * * * *

An unknown little girl was walking down the street, looking at a piece of paper, ok, the location of that store where mom wanted me to buy the parts is riiiight around here, she thought.

The girl’s appearance was not considered Human. She had blue hair with a darker blue streak running down the middle, which came to a point at the back of her head. Her eyes were purple and she had a set of horns sprouting from her temples. Lastly, her lower body and arms looked a bit like a tiger with stripes, tail, and all. She had some stripes on her face as well.

The unknown girl leapt onto a street sign to see where she was, it’s the right place, now where is it, she thought, and after looking around a bit, she finally caught sight of it.

"Ahhh!" She smiled, jumped down, and started toward the shop.

As she made her way there, she heard shouting, and three guys dressed in red robes shoved her out of their way, knocking her to the ground. "HEY!" She said as she landed roughly on the sidewalk.

Not far behind them were the heroes. What now, more oddly dressed people...and that one looks like a cyborg, the young girl thought.

"Give up already!" Stephanie yelled at the occultists.

“Yeah! It’s not like you have…” Nonie added as one of the occult members pulled out a large weapon and took aim at the heroes, “a very BIG gun…”

“Good call numbskull!” Patricia snapped.

He fired the weapon and as the heroes scattered to avoid the blast, the unknown girl watched the store she was going to get the parts from be vaporized.

"Ahhh!" She cried out in shock, "Mom would NEVER believe this...that I didn't cause this!”

She turned her attention to the red robed creeps, and snarled, “Those guys are ASKING for it!"

When the dust settled, the heroes re-grouped for another attack. Elasticity shouted, “Ha-ha! You missed us!” and stretched out her tongue three feet.

This made them even angrier enough to take another shot at them. While the villains were distracted by Nonie’s taunts, the unknown girl pulled a gun looking device from her belt, she and thought, mom's Buxomizer ray, that’ll fix’em good. Their second shot missed the heroes as they dodged out of harms way, Nonie taunted, “Do you guys think you could hit the side of a mountain, while standing in front of it?”

When both heroes and villains were starring each other down, the unknown girl took aim at the guys. "Give up yet!" Nonie

They were prepared to fire a third shot when a blast of light hit them. When the light faded, suddenly all three were somehow transformed into girls with hourglass figures. "What...the..." Was all Mike was able to say as he saw the three of them, “what just happened here?”

Suddenly, a bizarre looking girl leapt toward the now women occultists, with three small tube items in her hand. With quick, cat-like movements, she stuffed them into the robed women’s mouths.

The first one’s body began to morph into a form of a swimming pool floatation raft; “Here’s a pool-toy for you!”

The second one’s body began to morph into a form of an inflatable chair; “…and a chair for you!”

The third one’s body began to morph into a form of a rubbery, inflatable snake; “…and lastly for you, a snake like you are!”

The third one was the one who actually destroyed the shop she was going to get the supplies from, and a snake was the perfect punishment for HER crime. It left the victim without arms and legs like a snake. "That'll fix’em for trashing that store!" Unknown said, dusting her hands off.

"What the hell… Ok, who are you, and how did you do all that?" Atomicman demanded.

She turned to the group. "My name's Unknown Queen, and I used some stuff my mom invented." She said, swishing her tail around some.

"Unknown? You don't know your name." Elasticity asked.

God, I hate that line... she thought to herself, "No, Unknown is my name...well nickname but I go by it more than my real name."

The heroes looked over the transformed villains, "Your mother created something that did this...I wasn't aware there was someone of this caliber of skill around." Atomicman said.

"You and your mom are aliens, right?" Patricia asked the girl, who did not appeared to be human.

"Nope, we're born on earth. As how we look...that's hard to explain." Unknown said with a chuckle.

Nonie had walked behind Unknown, "Hey, is this real?" She said, jerking the tail.

"EEEYYHOOOOOOWWWW!" Unknown yelled, still holding the gun in her hand spun a dial and firing at Nonie and transforming her into a blow-up doll. Nonie had the dumbest look on her face with her mouth opened to form an “O”.

Patricia broke out laughing, "Oh this is SUCH an improvement!"

As Unknown jumped around holding her rear, Stephanie sighed to Penny, "Nonie did it again..."

“Hey, look…” Patricia laughed as she found the plug on Nonie’s back and pulled it open, deflating her, “She packs for easy storage!”

"That's not permanent is it?" James asked.

"No I can reverse it, but that just freaking HURT!" Unknown said, waving her tail around some to get feeling back into it.

James signed in relief, but now was curious, "What else can that gun do?" "A few things, it has a couple of settings. The Plugs in their mouths of those three are what changed them into that." She said.

"Can we get a few demonstrations of things it can do, on them AND Nonie?" Patricia laughed. "Sure. I have several more plugs and guns." Unknown said.

For twenty minutes, Unknown demonstrated her devices on the four of them, and at the end restored Nonie and the three occultists, keeping them as women.

"We have to take these three for questioning, so we have to go now." Atomicman said, as heroes detain them.

Penny tossed Unknown a communicator device, "We might want to get in touch with you and your mom again. Keep this."

"Cool." Unknown said as she looked it over and watched as the heroes departed, "Mom will NEVER believe this..." Unknown said as she started for home, without the parts, "…then again..." she mused as she looked at the communicator.

The heroes brought their three captives to the Delphis and headed back to the Terisen for questioning. When they did not cooperate, James used Candi to pry into their minds. It didn’t take her long to discover their plans and where they would meet their leader.

James turned to the others and said, “Okay, Mike, Stephanie, Penny and Candi are with me; we’re going after the rest of the members.”

Alan grinned, “So, what are me and the rubber-twins suppose to do while you’re gone?”

“Think of a way to me back for all those charges you made!” Stephanie snapped.

“You make sure that the computer system is working back at the mansion.” James answered, “and the rubber-twins will help you or find a new job.”

The girls cringed at the much thought of getting another job. Everyone then boarded Stephanie’s ship; the Delphis, and headed back to Earth. They docked the ship and Alan and the twins drove off to the house while the others departed to round up the rest of the occultists.

One of the charges Alan had made with Stephanie’s charge card was for a VW Combi, which explained the twelve hundred dollars to his colossal bill to his sister. He pulled into a Quickie Mart and began to pile up on snacks. The rubber-twins thought, why is he buying all this stuff for?

After he got everything paid for, they went back to the van. When they got in, Nonie asked, “Why all this stuff, are you going on a road trip?”

He turned to the girls and replied, “More like a space trip.”

He started his VW bus and went back to the hanger where the Delphis was docked. He stopped the bus, pulled out the orb from his pocket, and held it up for them to see, “Do you know what this is?”

“A ball?” Nonie answered.

Patricia smiled, “Maybe he wants to play fetch with you.”

“This is something I found on the pirate scout ship we hauled in.” Alan explained as he pushed the button on the orb, “It’s a treasure map to Krangle’s loot.”

“And you’re telling us because…” Patricia nudged.

“With your help, we could get a lot of money out of it.”

“We’re doing it for the money?” Nonie asked.

“No,” Alan answered, “we’re doing it for a shit load of money, who’s with me!”

Nonie raised her hand. Alan added, “and who would rather do this then say, looking for another job.” Patricia raised her hand in compliances.

The three departed the bus and made their way to the Delphis. Patricia said, “You do know that Stephanie will kill you if you take her ship.”

He replied, “So, I’ll giver her a cut in the treasure.” Then thought, a cut of exactly what I owe her that is.

As the three boarded the ship, a chair in the main cabin on the ship opened its eyes, smiled, and watched them as they started the Delphis’ engines.

* * * * * *

Atomicman and his crew arrived at the temple of the occultists. It was hidden in an abandon library in the south side of town. Candi, Penny and Stephanie were wearing the robes that the other occultists they has incarcerated on the Terisen. They were fortunate that they had hoods to help disguise their faces form their identities.

Candi lead the way from the information she obtains from their minds. They progress to the main chamber where James and Mike waited outside while the disguised women entered.

The occult leader turned and said, “It’s about time, what took you to so long.”

Candi used her mental abilities to make him think her voice was a male’s voice, answered, “We had a bit of trouble with some heroes.”

“Did you bring the device?” They looked at one another, and then at the leader, “Come on…a simple question with a simple answer… Did you bring the device?”

They began patting their pockets and Penny pulled out a cylinder looking device. The leader snatched it and placed it into a larger machine. “Now let’s get started.”

He promptly pulled back his hood and the other two, followed suit. He then glared “Remove your hoods for the ritual!”

Slowly they pulled back their hoods, knowing what will happen next. Outside, Mike replaced his right hand with his plasma cannon and waited for James order. The occultists saw that they had imposters amongst them. “Your not out men! Who are you?” the leader demanded.

“Somebody who’s going to kick your ass!” Penny shouted and ran past him, grabbing the device from the machine.

“What the… Stop her!” he cried out.

Stephanie held up her hands and yelled back, “Stop this!” and blasted a pure light beam at him, sending him to the floor.

Stephanie then did the same with the other two robed men. Candi jumped on the leader to hold him down when James gave the order and Mike jumped in blasting away.

Penny ran over to Stephanie when the machine was blasted apart with an explosion sending an energy wave through out the room. When the energy dissipated, the occult leader pushed Candi off him and ran towards the wall.

James shouted, “He’s getting away again!”

The leader did not pass through the wall, rather he ran into it instead. He fell backwards onto the floor knocked out. James, Penny, Stephanie, Mike, and Candi walked to where he rest on the floor, “Well… That was easy.” James stated.

They tied them up and carried them out of their temple. “I wonder why he didn’t run through the wall like he did last time?” Penny asked.

“I don’t have the foggiest notion why.” James answered, “but it all worked out for us.”

Stephanie tried to fly to where they had parked her car, but found that she could not get herself off the ground. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“What’s wrong?” Mike asked.

“I can’t fly.”

Just then, a light blasted across the area, but not from Stephanie. It shot and hit a tree, blasting a hole into it. James quickly turned to see the source of the blast was Penny. She did not know how she did it, or why she was able to.

“You swiped my powers!” and ran to her as if she could take them back.

Stephanie ran passed her and by the time she could stop, she was about three blocks away. “How did I get Penny’s powers?” she gasped.

* * * * * *

Alan and the rubber-twins sang, “We’re in the money…” as they made the first jump into hyperspace.

When they exited hyperspace, Alan pulled out the map and plugged it into the Delphis’ navigation system. When the navigation computer plotted a course, Alan set the autopilot on and let the ship fly itself.

The three then exited into the main compartment to get into the snacks Alan purchased earlier. “You know, the treasure is close to the planet your mother is from, Flaturia.” Alan said.

“Ooo, do you think we could go there too.” Nonie squeaked.

Alan grinned and replied, “I don’t see why not.”

“Yippee!” Nonie bounced around the cabin with a spring lower body.

Patricia stretched her hand over to her stupid sister, grabbed her, pulled her back, and shouted, “Will you stop acting like the goof you are!”

Alan opened a can of soda and the girls did likewise, “To the pirate’s treasure.” Alan toasted.

“To the pirate’s treasure.” The twins toasted.

The three clicked their cans together when they noticed that there were four hands holding four cans at the toast. The forth hand wore a white glove. “To the pirate’s treasure.”

The trio’s eyes grew wide as turned and watched as a chair in the cabin began to reshape into… “FLEXINE!” they shouted.

Before they could react, Flexine stretched out her limbs and hit them, sending them to the floor. She then slapped on restraining collars on them and joked, “Now, now, we mustn’t try anything foolish like escaping.”

She turned towards Nonie and added, “And in your case, even more foolish then usual.”

“Why does everyone think I’m stupid!” Nonie gripped.

“Because you are!” Patricia snapped.

“Now, getting down to business, these collars you’re wearing are restraining collars.” Flexine smirked, “Get out of line and I push this button.”

She held up a remote into view and pressed the button. The trio felt a demoralizing shock running through their bodies. Flexine took her finger off the button and said, “So, now that we understand each other, what’s this about a pirate’s treasure?”

* * * * * *

James, Mike, and the girls arrived at the hanger with the rest of the occultists when Stephanie shouted, “WHERE IN THE HELL IS MY SHIP!”

Candi pointed at the VW Combi setting out front and asked, “Isn’t that your brother’s van?”

“I’ll kill him!” grinded, Stephanie.

James said, “You guys wait here and keep an eye on them, I’ll fly back to the house and get the shuttle.” Then he took to the air.

Twenty minutes later, the shuttlecraft landed and the others boarded with their prisoners. James piloted the ship back to the Terisen. After they arrived, James had the three men place into the brig with the other three they captured earlier. Then, against Stephanie’s protest, had her and Penny go into the medical bay and have Dr. Kelko and Beaker examine them.

James waited for their findings, but was somehow relieved that his wife no longer was super fast and hoped that it would be permanent. He never liked the idea of Penny, being as hyperactive as she was, having super speed. She actually made him tired just watching her do housework.

James’s thoughts were interrupted when Mike entered the room. “We have another problem on our hands, sort of speaking.”

Mike held up his hands into view and James saw that they seem to be melting. “What the hell… you better get to the medical bay with the others.”

Mike began to move out the door but was a bit sluggish as his legs began the process of turning into liquid. James called out to Terisen to bring a gurney. When they got him to the medical bay, Beaker placed Mike into the medvac. Beaker ran some tests and informed James, “The metal in his body is merging with the organic parts.”

“Is that bad?” James asked.

“Well, he’s becoming liquid metal, his body should solidify after awhile, if he survives the process.”

“So, how’s he doing now?” James asked.

Beaker glanced at the control panel, then at a gage and said, “Right now he’s doing fine.”

James looked around the room and asked, “What about Penny and Stephanie?”

“I released them, it seems that the only thing about them different is the fact that they had their abilities switched, other then that, their normal.”

James felt compelled to asked, “Is it permanent?”

“As far as I can tell, yes.”

James has a look of admiration on his face at the much thought of a non-super fast wife. “Keep me posted on his progress.” Then James departed the medical bay.

* * * * * *

“You’ll never get away with this.” Nonie protested.

Flexine had Alan and the rubber-twins ties to the railing of the Delphis’ flight deck. She turned to face them and replied, “Why do all heroes feel compelled into saying that, and yes, I will get away with this.”

Alan smiled, “And what makes you think you can get the treasure?”

“What makes you think I can’t?” she responded.

“Well,” Alan smirked, “if you checked the map, it only shows the planet where it’s buried.”

Flexine grabbed the orb and checked it out for herself. Alan smiled, “Ahhh, what’s the matter, a little snag in your plan.”

Flexine grabbed the remote and pressed the button. A jolt of current coursed through their bodies. “Hey! I didn’t do anything, why’d did I get shocked!” Nonie complained.

“Oh, sorry, three collars…one button. Too bad.” Flexine laughed.

“Keep shocking us, it hurts less and less every time you do it.” Alan snapped.

Patricia turned to the geek and snapped, “Speak for yourself!”

“Enough!” Flexine bellowed, “What happen to the rest of the map!”

“I uploaded it into my brain, then deleted it from the map.” Alan said.

Flexine scowled, “Then I’ll have to keep you around for awhile longer.”

* * * * *

James was sitting in the officer’s lounge when Beaker called him over the intercom, “James, I think you should come down here.”

James pressed the com-link button and asked, “Has Mike’s condition change?”

“It’s simpler if you just come down here.” Beaker replied.

“Okay, I’m on my way,” James answered, “Penny, have Stephanie and Candi meet me in the medical bay.”

Moments later, everyone was in the medical bay. Mike’s condition had changed. He stood as tall as James, had a muscular physique, and looked as if he were made of solid chrome. The girls looked him over when James snapped, “Put some clothes on will you?”

Mike grabbed a rode and put it on, “Sorry, it’s been so long since I had to wear clothes.”

Stephanie smiled, “That’s okay, we girls don’t mine.”

James gave Stephanie a harsh look, then turned to Mike and asked, “So, how do you feel?”

“I feel great, better then I ever felt, he replied, then held up his right hand.

His hand began to re-shape into a plasma cannon, “the rubber-twins aren’t the only one who can shape shift.”

Beaker stepped forward, “Whatever switched the girls abilities also changed Mike on a molecular lever.”

Penny presumed, “It could have been that energy wave after the machine blew up.”

“Well, I was in the room and nothing happened to me.” Candi said.

“Then again…” James theorized, “…The occult leader did run into the wall instead of going through it.”

“Yeah, you were sitting on top of him when it blew.” Penny added, “Just like Stephanie and I were standing next to each other.”

“So, you’re saying that I could walk through walls.” Candi suggested, “then why am I still able to read minds?”

Stephanie said, “Maybe because you were closer to the energy wave, so the transfer was more so, switching all his abilities into you.”

Beaker speculated, “Maybe if Candi was using her abilities at the time, it acted as a capacitor, absorbing his powers into her.”

Candi walked to the door and placed her hand on it, “Nothing is happening.”

Beaker adjusted his glasses and suggested, “Concentrate on spreading your molecules.”

Candi began to focus her thoughts and her hand moved through the door. She smiled and pulled her hand from the door and said, “I did it.”

James smiled, he now has a phaser on his team.

* * * * *

Flexine piloted the Delphis towards the planet. Nonie turned to Alan and asked, “What are we going to do?”

“Well, I’m not going to sit by and have Flexine take the treasure away from us.” Alan responded.

Patricia said, “As long as she has that remote, she can get away with the treasure.”

“But,” Alan thinking out loud, “if we could reach it, get it away from her…”

“You mean, like this.” Nonie said as she reached her arms out from behind her back and began to stretch them to the cockpit.

“How long were your hands loose?” Patricia asked.

“Two hours.”

“Then why didn’t you get us loose then?” Alan snapped.

Nonie pulled her arms back, looked at them, and said, “Well, she had the remote I didn’t want to get shocked again.”

“Nonie, you pea brain! Get the remote!” Patricia snapped.

Nonie stretched her arm back towards the cockpit and began to feel around for the remote. She glided her hand along the floor until it reaches the control console. She then ran her hand up the side of the console and to the top of it. Slowly her hand made it’s way across the control panel until she felt something sitting on the control panel. She began to feel the thing and it felt like the remote.

It was long, thin, and flat with a single button on it. Nonie’s hand gave the Okay sign and when she grabbed it, her thumb accidentally pressed the button.

An electrical shock surged through their bodies as Flexine turned and saw Nonie’s hand with her remote in it. Flexine grabbed Nonie’s wrist, pulled the remote from her hand, and then dragged her arm back into the main cabin. “I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t think you were this stupid.”

Flexine re-tied Nonie’s hands more securely then said, “We’re almost there, so better get ready to get the treasure for me.”

“WHAT!” Nonie squawked, “You mean we have to get the treasure FOR you!”

“Yes.” Flexine sneered, “And Aqua-dork here will lead the way.”

“How come?” Nonie asked.

Flexine moved over to Alan, grabbed him by the jaw. She turned his head to face the girls, pointed at his noggin and said, “If he’s uploaded the map into his head, he probably uploaded all traps and security codes there also.”

Alan smiled, “And what makes you thing there are traps and codes?”

Flexine let go of his jaw and proceeded to the cockpit, then turned and said, “Oh come on, I should know about space pirates and how they do things.”

Patricia asked, “And you know this because…”

Flexine looked around the room, then at her captives and said, “I was a pirate, on this ship in fact.”

Nonie snapped, “When we get out of this, you are going to pay for everything who’ve done to us.”

“Gee girls, why all the hostilities?” Flexine teased.

“Well, for starters… You killed our mother!” Nonie snapped.

Flexine paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, “You two are so pathetic, haven’t you two figured it out yet…”

She stretched her neck across the room until her face was about a foot from theirs, “…I AM your Mother.”

Continued in Treasure Hunt: