A Bug's Life (1)

"Stay back Kay!" IQ yelled, but, not before Kay was also victom to a sneeze coming from just around the front of IQ.

Rae's voice inquires, seemingly out of nowhere. Kay and IQ #5 look around in surprise until Kay spots Rae standing on her hands in a dark corner, her legs twisted into an extremely painful-looking position.

Rae shruggs (which looks extremely odd given her position) and smiles. "What are you two doing gown here, anyway? I come here for privacy, you know."

"Really?" Rae looks perplexed. "Must be Sunny's then. I wouldn't mess with it." She climbs to her feet and leaves. "Oh, and if you see Crais, tell him I'm in my room and he was late." She leaves at a half-jog.

In her room, Rae pours herself a mug of tea and curls up on the pillows in front of the fire-place with a book in hand. She is soon snoring.

as she was looking for her old "Glass Houses" album. She knew she put it in storage in one of the rooms under the mansion, but she couldn't remember which one and she really wanted to hear "C'etait toi".

"I was trying to get Honey to come up, and I ran into 5, who found this freezy-thing and an alien, and we're trying to find out what the writing on the pod-thing means. You don't read Sebacean, do you?" Kay asked.

"Um, not mine. I thought it was yours. You know I'm not a tech. I'm a pilot. What the frell would I be doing with that?" Sunny responds moving closer to the warning sign on the tube...but not to close.

"Can you make out what it says?" Kay asked...moving close to Sunny. Sunny backed away from Kay. She didn't like the thoughts coming from Kay.

...there," the angel pronounced, stepping back and admiring the canvas that stood before him on the easel. Staring back at him was a newly finished reproduction of Berthe Morisots Impressionist masterpiece 'The Cradle'. "What do you think?" he asked Twig.

The Whysp, who was perched on the angels shoulder looked up from her 'Tomorrows Fashions Today' magazine just long enough for a quick cursery glance at the work of art. "Uhh.. Yeah .. Cool... Def.." she muttered, before diving back into whatever article on lip gloss or six inch pumps that she had been reading.

"Well, the others might appreciate it," the angel said. "I think this gallery idea is a good one. And it fills in a little of the extrra space we have down here in the basement."

"But like... I still don't understand why it is that you're like doing all this," Twig said. "I mean, like I know that you've always loved this stuff, Gawd KNOWS that I modeled for you enough in the past, but like, why bother?"

"Because this will be a gallery made up of some of the greatest masterpieces in existence," the angel replied. "Stuff that they'd have to travel to over a dozen different museums around the world to see. But with these repos, the can see them all in the same place," he finished.

"Sure," the angel replied. "Every gallery needs a grand opening. I just assumed that I could count on the Beyonds most sought after party planner, but if you're too busy..." the angel said.

"TAAA!," the whysp said, placing her tiny hand over the angels lips. "Moua? Too busy to plan a party? Omigosh," she said. "WHAT am I gonna wear? ME? What is everyone ELSE going to wear? Call the fashion police," she said as she fluttered off.

The angel smiled and shook his head as he watched her flutter off, then lifted the canvas from its place on the easel and carefully carried it off to a corner. As he passed the ventilation grating, there seemed to be voices coming from deep within the duct. The voices appeared to be IQs, Raes and, Mouses.

Setting the painting down, the angel carefully lifted the grating from its place and set it down. The crawlspace was just large enough for him to crawl on hands and knees, and he paused at the three way intersection, listening for which way to go. The voices appeared to be louder to his right, so Spyral set off down the ventilation duct, wondering just what he was going to find.

about that cryo-pod and the alien that appeared to be inside it. She asked #5 if he knew anyone else who could translate the writing.

"I don't know - maybe #1 would know. I'll get this circuit board back up to the fridge and see if I can find him. Meanwhile, I'm going to close it so stand back. We don't want this little bugger to get out if he's not supposed to be out."

#5 hit the big red button again, and the metal door slid silently closed. Then a grating came loose above Sunny's head and almost hit her. Out popped Spyral's head.

"Sorry about that Sunny! I heard voices and I thought I'd see what you were all doing down here." Spyral leaped to the ground rather gracefully for such a big guy and dusted himself off. He made a mental note to remind the DRD's to dust out the vents. Maybe that would stop his allergies from going haywire.

Kay looked at him, surprised. "You mean you didn't actually say that? I thought for sure I heard you say you wanted the DRD's to clean out the vents."

Mouse raised her eyebrows at this new turn of events. She made a mental note to try not to think about anything that she didn't want everyone to know. Luckily her life was pretty boring, except for that time with.... NO - don't think about anything...

Sunny reiterated her need to talk to Rae, who had taken off for her room. Sunny decided to head up there right away, but suggested to Kay that she might want to stay down here with Honey to protect herself from too many thoughts at once.

Kay was reluctant, but Mouse and Spyral backed Sunny's idea but suggested she use the Treehouse, as no one had been up there for a while, and it was nicer than staying down in the caverns.

Sunny headed for Rae's, #5 headed up to fix the fridge and find #1, and Mouse, Kay, Honey, and Spyral headed for the Treehouse.

crouched on the floor, surrounded by papers and with a laser-pointer in one hand. A large chart, cluttered with numbers, is projected onto one wall, and Rae is talking to herself as she dances the laser-pointer across the chart.

"So, as you can see, as impulsivity goes up, so too does--" She nearly jumps out of her skin as Sunny snaps off the projector. "Mother of the gods, Sunny! Are you trying to give me a heart-attack?"

"Like frell you didn't!" Rae replies, rising and weaving her way through the piles of paper to turn the projector on again.

"Ignore her, Sunny." Raegun yawns from the bed. "She's as deaf as a church-mouse right now. Her ears are all clogged up from her allergies."

Rae brushes past Sunny, sending a pile of papers cascading to the floor. She slides a large book-shelf away from the wall and presses her thumb to a small metal pad. With her other hand, she begins typing a combination into the key-board on the back of the book-shelf. The wall slides away revealing a small stash of equipment.

"Dominate a planet?" Rae suggests, strapping on a respirator of her own and picking up Raegun in one hand and a portable scanner in the other.

"You're head's usually empty, like, y'know?" Twig chimed in. Spyral turned to retort, but let out a long, low whistle. "Nice outfit!" he said.

Twig was decked out in a doll-sized leather pants and top ensemble, that were both candy apple red. On her feet were the highest, smallest heels Mouse had ever seen, and she almost asked how Twig intended to walk in them, then her "think before you talk" filter caught her. When did Twig walk anywhere?

"I'm ready to start on the party." Twig giggled. "Guess you like? This is my 'party-planning' outfit." She slowly turned in mid-air at Spyral's eye-level.

"Can we get back to Kaaaaaayyyyyy" Twig mimicked Mouse without any sound. *That Mouse should really learn to prioritize, and dress.* Twig thought, looking at Mouse's old jeans, faded t-shirt and scuffed boots.

Sunny realized that no one was still in the room with the intellint virus. She had been scanning her pals, quietly to keep track of them.

"Rae...we have a problem. They've all left the room. Kay, Mouse, Spy, & Twig are headed to the Treehouse. We have to keep them away from the rest of the Scoobs. Especially since we don't have a way to detect this virus."

"What do you mean, they are headed for the Treehouse?" Rae asked sounding even weirder than before. The combo of her allergies and the mask just made her sound...well....not very Rae like.

"I mean just that...they have headed to the Treehouse. They aren't in the room. Shouldn't you take something for your allergies? I think they are frellin' with your mind." Sunny suggested.

head down into the Mansion. Sunny has the tracker out and they both move to intercept Kay, Spyral and Mouse. They catch them just before they head into the kitchen.

"Enough. Stop kidding around. STOP THAT!" Rae emphasized as Mouse proceeded to swat at Rae's mask like a child.

"No way man. It's creepy down there. There are spiders, and cobwebs, and creepy things..." Mouse answered and sat down. "I'm not moving."

"Hey Mouse. Look over here. Give me your hand. Is that a new ring?" Spyral asked as Mouse extended her arm towards him and turned her head the other way. Then he reached down, and in one motion, pulled her up over his shoulders in a fireman carry.

*I was afraid of that. Look, if I start acting erratically, just send a jolt through my uplink and knock me out. You know how the chain of command goes after me.*

*Stay safe up there, friend.* Rae halts as the small group of Scoobs stop in front of the cryo-pod. "Leave her with me." she says, pointing to Mouse. "Go, gather up the others who might be infected. Sunny, you know the proper quarentine protocols for these situations?"

with fuzzy eyes. Wait a minute. She was back in the caverns beneath the Mansion. How did she get here? Where was Kay? Crap. She really needed to get back and help Kay.

"Rae, I need to get back and help Kay." Mouse said, dusting herself off. She stood, but felt dizzy and weak. *Ah, man, I hope I'm not getting sick.* she thought.

"What? Why? What's up with you? And 'young lady'? Aren't I older than you?" Mouse said, confused. "Look, you can do whatever you need to do, but Kay needs help now. Didn't Sunny tell you about the telepathy? Oh, wait, now I'm remembering. The telepathy is gone. Yeah. That's right. We were heading back to the IQ's to see if they found out anything about that pod."

*The intelligent virus inside Mouse realized it had made a grave error. This host was not very well protected, and it had gone too far too quickly. It was going to have to take over slowly, or it would be found out and extinguished. It backed off and left the host to her own personality. It would choose another time to take over, when the others had fallen also.*

First she was worried about herself, then when it looked like she was back to normal, Mouse started acting really weird.

But, somehow, Kay had not been surprised. Now, why was that. She felt even more confused, but, her head still kind of ached.

"IQ, I think we should really be worried about Mouse. And, I am not sure Rae is okay either. But, the odd thing is that I am not surprised, and seem to feel like I expected this. Why is that?"

meaning, Kay, Spy, Twigg (or whatever that little sprite's name is), and one of the IQ's (I can never keep them straight...they all look alike) she noticed something odd happening in Mouse and Kay. She got the others back to the room with the cryo-pod.

"Hey, why'd you bring us back here?!" Spy asked, he and his little sprite friend wanted to plan a party, he wasn't to happy that they got sidetracked.

"Hmmfph. I've never been treated so badly in all my life!" Spy's little sprite friend said pulling Sunny's ponytail.

Sunny grabbed the little sprite, looked her in the eye, "Do that again and you will learn a few more things that haven't happened to you in your life."

*Now...if I can just clear out all the dren they are thinking about me right now...I might be able to figure out what's wrong with Mouse and Kay* Sunny thought, focusing her mind on Kay. *That's odd...I never knew she had telepathy. It's not very strong....but weird* Sunny finished with Kay and moved to Mouse.

*Well now...I don't think I remember Mouse mentioning having split personalities. One of them is definenately Mouse...the other is....* Sunny quickly got out of Mouse's mind.

"I just probed Mouse's mind and well....I could sense the virus. I don't think it knew I was in Mouse's mind. It's trying to fool us. It's given Mouse free regin again of her personality, but it is laying in wait." Sunny whispered, hoping to keep the intellint virus from hearing. She was also blocking her and Rae's thoughts, so in case Kay or the virus were trying to read minds...it wouldn't know what Sunny knew. Kay wasn't strong enough to break through Sunny's blocks and the virus well, while being an intellint virus...it wasn't always smart.

Rae stepped away from Sunny. "So sorry for the hassle, guys." She grinned apologetically. "You can go now. Seems like the virus never made it out of the cryo pod at all. I guess the Terran word is 'Oopies'."

As the others start to leave, Rae puts her hand on Mouse's shoulder. "Could you help me out, Mouse? This pod takes two people to activate, and you've got most of the appropriate expertise." Rae nods to Sunny who slips out of the room to retrieve (or re-retrieve...) Kay.

"Huh? Sure..." Mouse starts towards the pod, then stops. Something about this seems subtly... off. "Rae, I don't know the first thing about Sebacian technology."

"Yeah, I'm just going to recalibrate the controls if you can just hit the black button..." As soon as Mouse draws near the pod, Rae jumps to her feet and pushes her friend inside, slamming the door.

Sighing sadly, she sits on the floor, leaning against the pos and waiting for Sunny to return with Kay. Whiping a tear away, she hits her comm. "Raegun, we have the virus. It's in Mouse. Tell me you can get it out of her..."

Mentally, she reaches out for Mouse's presence, hoping to comfort her. She pulls back, startled. The virus has fully reasserted itself, and it is NOT happy.

I'm sure. I felt that nasty little buggers thoughts, as well as Mouse's. Mouse doesn't have much time left. If we can't get it out of her before it finds someone else....." Sunny's voice trailed off. She didn't like the sound of what the intellent virus planned to do.

"What happens if it doesn't find someone else?" Rae looked at Sunny, then at Mouse, trapped in the cryotube with the intellent virus inside her.

"Huh? Oh, that...it's called pacing, humans do it sometimes while thinking. It's suppose to help." Sunny responded.

"Not really." Sunny sighed. She was having a hard time concentrating on the problem at hand. She could hear Mouse's 'voice' and she wasn't at all happy that the intellent virus had taken over her body.

in the cryopod. Actually that was all she could do. With the virus raging inside her, she only had a small fraction of her own consciousness left. She felt her body stiffen, like she was trying to get up. Rae saw this from outside the pod and her face dropped. "NO MOUSE! Fight it! Stay still!" She knew what could happen if Mouse was forced to move in the freezing temperatures. And there was no way to reattach broken limbs here at the Mansion.

Mouse fought against the virus and it tried another tactic. A film formed across Mouse's nose and mouth, freezing instantly. The virus essentailly told Rae nonverbally that it would kill Mouse if it wasn't released.

Mouse's eyes rolled back as she passed out. But Rae didn't open the door. She was betting that the virus was bluffing, knowing that if it killed Mouse, it would die also.

Rae sighed weakly. *I'll take care of you, Mouse. That virus is not going to win. Trust me. I'll be back.* Rae disengaged her mind from Mouse's.

Rae hesitated for a split-second. "No matter what." She allowed Mouse to hear her grim determination. "Mouse would expect it of me. Time is short. Let's get to work."

"I'll make sure nothing happens while you're gone." Sunny told Rae, making sure to shield her thoughts from Rae and Mouse. Sunny had a plan, and she hoped it would work...but she couldn't tell Rae or Mouse, because she knew they would both protest.

"See that you do. Don't let anyone else in here until I get back. I don't want that virus getting out." Rae stated heading out the door.

After she was sure Rae was gone, Sunny made her move. She stood right were the virus could see her. And Mouse could as well.

*Yes, I would. This host isn't going to last long enough for me. I need something stronger.* the virus answered

"Sunny, I won't let you do this. You don't know what it's like to have this thing inside you." Mouse mangaed to get out.

"Mouse, I will do this. I don't have a child that needs me. I will not allow this thing to rob Mouseling of her mother." Sunny told Mouse, firmly.

*Here's the deal. I'm willing to allow you to "join" with me. You must however leave Mouse's body and not "join" with anyone else once you have "joined" with me. If you so much as hint at trying that...I will kill you.* Sunny told the virus.

*Mouse, do you have a better idea? Do you really want Mouseling to grow up like I did, not knowing, or remembering her parents?* Sunny sent back

*I'm ready.* the virus told Sunny, having not heard the conversation between Mouse and Sunny. Sunny had blocked it from the virus.

*So am I* Sunny said as she opened the cryopod door and pulled Mouse out. She wrapped a blanket around Mouse and that's when that virus changed bodies. Sunny laid Mouse on the floor and had just enough time to lock herself into the cryopod, before the virus had chance to realize what Sunny was up to.

Rae demanded, dropping her equipment and racing across the room to where Mouse lay. She bent over Mouse, feeling for a pulse. Slowly, she looked up at the pod.

*Hypothermia, but otherwise she seems uneffected.* Rae hesitated, mentally assessing Mouse's condition. *She says her stomach hurts and she has a foul taste in her mouth.*

*Gee, I wonder why.* Sunny sighed mentally. *Take care of her, Rae. You can worry about me- about US later on.*

Rae sighed and nodded, bundling Mouse tightly in a blanket. "Hang in there, Mouse." she whispered as Mouse stirred. Sighing, she stared up at the cryo-pod. *Hang in there, Sunny one so true.*

Rae heard, she looked up from caring for Mouse and noticed that Sunny's face had changed, the virus was in control.

*Oh, I have no doubt she'll get out of this. And I will be kicking her eema when she does.* Rae informed the virus. She went back to tending Mouse.

*Rae, just take Mouse to the infirmary already. I'll be fine. It's going to take something more than this frellin' virus to do me in.* Sunny reassured Rae, before the virus took control again.

Rae looked at Sunny , "I'll be right back. Just going to take Mouse to the infirmary and have Velorek take care of her." she told Sunny. Sunny just looked at Rae, the virus was in control and wasn't talking.

"Keep an eye on her. She's had that frellin' virus in her and has a slight case of hypothermia." Rae told Velorek as she laid Mouse on a bed.

"Some how a cryopod with an intellent virus was brought to the Manison. It inhabited Mouse. Sunny convinced the virus to inhabit her. She now in the cryopod inhabited by the virus." Rae informed Velorek

"Don't worry. I'll figure something out and Sunny will be ok. Then I'm going to kick her eema. What was she thinking?!" Rae told Velorek just before leaving the room.

Sunny and the virus struggled for control of her body. Sunny didn't fight to hard, she knew she had to keep her strength up, in case it took Rae longer to figure something out.

*Why would they save you? You spent time with the Scarrans. They don't trust you. They think you'll turn them all over given the first chance.* the virus said, trying to scare Sunny.

Sunny didn't respond. She wanted the virus to think that. She shielded any thoughts or worries that it might be right and that the others didn't trust her. No one knew what happened while she was with the Scarrans and she'd rather not remember.

*This isn't about winning for me. It's about not letting you hurt my friends or anyone else. As for the cryopod....go ahead and try to get out. It's locked from the outside.* Sunny answered

*Go ahead and try.* Sunny told the virus just after she locked down her abilities. The virus had no idea that Sunny could lock it out of her mind, or rather, parts of it. Sunny knew that if it was given the chance it would use her abilities to hurt people. She wasn't about to let that happen.

Rae came in, the window on the cryopod was fogged over. She had to wipe at it to see Sunny. She knocked on the window, "Sunny, you ok?" Rae asked

followed by Fluffy. Each was carrying quite a large portion of Rae's pharmacopia. Crais also had Raegun slung over one shoulder.

"Velorek seemed rather... sketchy as to the details of what was actually going on." Crais told Rae, handing her Raegun. "But he seemed to think that you might require a bit of assistance."

He nodded and walked over to the cryopod. Curious, he wiped away the fog from the glass window and stared in at Sunny. He gave an absent wave, then joined Rae.

"Heat?" Rae allowed her distaste for the idea to register. "Sun's a Sebacian. I'd cut off her O2 supply before I'd subject her to hot-storage."

"NO!" Rae snapped. "This is my problem, not yours. The welfare of my Unit is of paramount importance to me, and I'll do what it takes to keep them safe. I just need TIME..."

"Fine." Rae throws up her hands in disgust. "Cycle the pod's temp up to Optimal plus one. Raise it by one unit every quarter-arn. Larraq, you've had experience with these things. YOU make the calibrations."

"Crais, run to the infirmary and get me a blood-sample from Mouse. Quickly, please." Sighing, she looks over her shoulder at the cryo-pod. *Sorry, Sunny one so true, but this is how it has to be.*

and tried to focus. All she knew is she had a bad headache and everything seemed a little fuzzy. Her lungs were not feeling so well, either.

the virus spoke, "What do you think you're doing? Crais, if you turn the heat up it will kill me. Is that what you all want? A dead Sunny?"

*Rae, Rae, can you hear me? Don't listen to me. Just tell Crais to turn it up. I'll be fine.* a weak sounding voice hit Rae. Rae looked at the cryopod, Crais awaited the orders to crank up the heat. Rae sighed, she didn't like having to do this. She knew exactly what would happen to Sunny, if this worked.

*Rae, DO IT! NOW! Before the virus catches on!* Sunny yelled, hoping that the virus couldn't hear her...she was trying to keep it blocked from her thoughts...but it was stronger than she anticipated. It was so angry that it had been kept frozen for so long, it had ginormus power.

"But Rivyn, you programed me to not hurt another being." Crais reminded Rae. Rae looked at Crais, muttered under her breath, "Frell".

"Move, I'll do it." Rae said as she walked over to the cryopod controls. Crais moved aside. As she turned up the heat in the cryopod Rae looked at Sunny, "Sorry kiddo...but this is the only way."

"You've always hated me haven't you? Your jealous that my "talents" are stronger than yours." Sunny-virus spat out as it started to get hot in the cryopod.

*Rae, you know that's not me talking.* Sunny managed to get out, before the heat started to frell with her mind and body.