"They were alive and unhurt when we left them," you say. "If they haven't returned to Alpha Sector yet, maybe they decided to take a little vacation first. I know I was exhausted after just one day of being Toxifarian."
"So what should we do with them, boss?" Kenny asks, stroking his beard again.
"Deep fry 'em!" one of the guys at the table shouts.
"Brat bourguignon?" suggests Delia.
The rest of Bob's posse at the table laughs. Everyone, that is, but the white-blonde girl at his side. You notice she hasn't looked up once during the entire conversation. But right now you have bigger things to worry about, like not becoming a meatbag buffet.
"I think have a solution to both our problems," you say with a sly smile.
Bob's eyebrow twitches. "I'm listening,"
You glance at your friends, who are all watching you with cautious anticipation. "You need a new band, and we're a group of kids who crave excitement and adventure, right?"
"Sure.." Bob says.
"Well, since we've proven ourselves to be pretty awesome performers, maybe you should just hire us to continue being Toxifarian. I mean, I think I speak for all of us when I say the experience was totally awesome. Right guys?"
Your friends look slightly befuddled, but they all manage to nod in agreement.
"The only thing we ask," you continue, "is that you keep us human."
Bob crosses his arms and settles back in the booth. "lt's an interesting proposal. I'll have to give it some thought."
"I still say we eat them," Delia pouts.
"For now," Bob announces to the table, "They'll be locked up in the dungeon. Gentlemen, please show our guests to their room."
The henchmen prod you out of the booth and lead you to a dim cell underneath the club. "Enjoy your stay," one of them chuckles as the door clangs shut. Their footsteps echo as they disappear down the corridor, and then all is quiet except for the single fluorescent bulb buzzing overhead.
"Well, this is the pinnacle of suck," Chase says, flinging himself onto one of the two stone benches.
"Did you at least get a chance to see Sven in Kappa?" Damien asks the others.
Val shakes her head. "They pinched us before we even got into the sector. What was Gamma like?"
Damien fills them in on the details as you survey your surroundings. The floor and one wall appear to be solid concrete, and the other three walls consist of metal bars spaced about two inches wide. There are no windows or any other potential escape routes aside from the cell door. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?" you ask. The boys shake their heads, but Val pulls a hairpin from her mess of fiery curls.
"I saw someone do it on a movie once," she says. "I'll give it a try."
She pokes at it for a few minutes before giving up and returning to the bench. As the minutes tick by, the reality of your helpless situation weighs heavier and heavier on your shoulders until you have to lie down on the other bench and close your eyes. When you open them again in a fog of disorientation, you want to kick yourself for not knowing how much time has passed. There's no music or noise coming from up above, so the club must be closed. Chase and Val have fallen asleep on their bench as well, and you smile to see them curled up together, Val's cheek resting sweetly on Chase's arm. Damien is sprawled out on the floor, using his backpack as a pillow, and you feel a small twinge of guilt for not offering to share your bench with him. Suddenly, you hear a noise in the pitch black corridor outside your cell. You start to reach for a weapon, when you remember that you have none.
A meek female voice comes out of the darkness. "Are you really General Valentine's daughter?" it asks.
"Yes."
You hear a sliding noise as a protein bar in a green wrapper appears on the floor in front of you. "I have more for your friends too, if they're hungry,"
"Thanks," you say. You open the wrapper and devour it in three bites. You haven't had anything to eat since Benji's doughnuts, which feels like days ago. Three more bars appear, and you set them aside for the others. "What's your name?" you ask the voice.
There's a pause, then a figure steps forward. It's the girl who was sitting next to Bob in the club. Her white-blonde hair glows angelically in the dim fluorescent light. "Make sure your dad burns this place and kills every last one of us, okay? I don't want my kind inheriting the Earth," She slips a key into the lock and turns it with a hard metallic click. "And be sure to tell your mom hi for me." She slips back into the darkness as your friends start to wake up.
"Wait!" you call out. "You never told me your name."
"Jeannie Stark," she calls back. "Oh, and there's a sector interchange back to Zeta about ten blocks south of here. Just follow this street out front, and you can't miss it."
"And how do you know my mom?" you ask, but there's no reply.
"Who was that?" Damien asks, rubbing his eyes.
You shrug. "Our guardian angel, I guess."
Carefully, you tiptoe out of the dungeon and the empty club. You make your way along the tracks of the subway tunnel and are just about to enter the dim Zeta Sector corridor when a beam of light from within it shines in your face.
"Stop where you are!" a voice shouts. "Hands in the air where we can see 'em."
"Aw, crap," Chase mutters. "Now what?"
The firecracker-like sound of guns cocking from the perimeter around you makes you immediately follow the order. Suddenly the beam of light disappears and a soldier emerges. He's holding no weapon, just an eye scanner in one hand. "I'm Sergeant Strumpfer," he says, his voice oozing with a relaxed Southern drawl. "This will only take a minute," He waves the scanner in front of Val's face as three more soldiers step forward to scan the rest of you.
"It's faster if you keep it still," she sneers.
He smirks and taps at the screen to clear it. "You're the sassy one, ain't ya? That's what everyone is saying."
After each of you is given the all clear, the sergeant murmurs something into the little black box attached to his shoulder.
"What's going on?" you ask. "Are you talking to my father? His name is General Valentine."
Sergeant Strumpfer says nothing. He merely points down into the dimness of the corridor and waits for you and your friends to enter it. They follow behind you in lockstep, holding flashlights over your shoulders. At the end of the corridor, there's a military car waiting for you on the tracks. You think back to the last time you rode in one of these things and wish once more for your lost pistol.
"Please enter the vehicle, Miss Valentine," the sergeant orders. Without much of a choice, you obey. After a few minutes, the car begins to slow down. When it comes to a stop, he gets up and reaches for the door release. But first he pauses. "Y'all ready for this?"
"It depends on what this is," Damien says.
The sergeant laughs and hits the button. The metal doors part and a bright shaft of light makes you al shield your eyes. After you adjust to the intensity, you quickly realize you're parked outside your high school. Then a figure steps into the doorway. Even though her back is to you, you recognize her right away.
"This is Gloria Goodbody, coming to you live from Zeta Sector. The Zeta High Four have just arrived, just moments ago having been discovered by an elite team of recovery specialists." Gloria turns around and shoves a microphone in your face as the cameraman behind her zooms in. "Kids, are you alright?"
"Yeah," is all you can manage before she whips the mic away again.
"Unbelievable," she announces, gazing intently into the camera. "Truly, a miracle. Once again, the Zeta High Four are back at home, safe and sound. And I can think of a few people who are very excited about that. Would you kids like to see them?"
You exchange confused glances with the others as she leads you inside the dim, empty school. The cameraman runs on ahead, panning across your faces over his shoulder. You walk past the classrooms and around to the backstage entrance of the auditorium. "Cut!" shouts the cameraman, who then scurries off as you're surrounded by a swarm of women holding brushes and other beauty utensils. They hone in on Gloria first, primping her hair and dabbing at her already perfect makeup as someone slips a yellow jacket-the same one she had on during your impromptu performance on her show, you notice-over her narrow shoulders. Then the horde turns to you and your friends. Someone smacks you in the face with a giant cotton puff, and you try not to choke on the cloud of powder that rises from it. You feel a few yanks in your hair and a pinch at your waist as your microphone pack is attached just before you're pushed out into the path of more bright lights. It's the school auditorium stage, which has been redesigned to look like Gloria's studio. As you enter, the audience rises to their feet. Their cheers nearly deafen you as two assistants usher your group to a half-circle of chairs.
"Welcome back!" Gloria chirps to one of three cameras that are now pointed to her. "If you're just joining us, the Zeta High Four have just arrived, safe and sound. They, of course, are the four students who were brutally kidnapped from their school dance days ago, drugged, and brainwashed by their captors and forced into masquerading as the punk band Toxifarian. One of the alleged kidnappers is disgraced former television host Uncle Benji. Take a look." Gloria points to a nearby monitor, which plays footage of you, Damien, and Benji standing outside the door to the surface garden. The crowd oohs and aahs as Benji swipes Holly's badge and you all disappear up the stairs. Then the screen fades to black. Gloria turns to you with wide, serious eye.
"What was going through your mind in that moment?" she asks.
"I'm sorry, Gloria," you say, tears welling up in your eyes.
"But I don't remember. I guess the drugs were still having an effect on me. But whatever may have happened, I'm so sorry for everything."
The crowd exhales a mournful ohhhhh before breaking out into loud applause. Gloria beams at you, then at the camera. "Well, it certainly wasn't your fault, dear. Were just happy you're back home where you belong."
"Now," she continues, "I would like to introduce some very special guests who have been waiting very patiently to see all of you." She sweeps her arm towards stage left, and a cluster of people enter. You immediately spot your mom and dad, as well as Chase's parents. The other couple must be Damien's parents, and the tall, freckled redhead in military fatigues is obviously Val's older brother. The audience claps appreciatively as you each embrace your family members, and more chairs are pushed onto the stage to accommodate them. Your parents are smiling, but their faces are pale and drawn from worry. You decide to wait until you're alone with them to mention anything else about what really happened, including Jeannie Stark's greeting for your mother. You hug them once more, though you can't help but think once more about that dot on the HFVMs' map over your family's pod. What will become of you if one (or both!) of them are secret meatbags?