A Little Surprize!

A Little Surprize!

The Phantom relaxes within in his subterrean lair when the warning buzzer sounds. The caped figure checks the monitor and sees the "Scooby Gang" drifting towards the lair of the Phantom.

"So they think they can invade my domain. Intertubes, indeed. How dare they?"

In2d3 walks to the wall and pushes a button that opens a secret panel. Behind the panel is a 10 foot tall chrome robot.

"Klaatu Barata Nicto, Gort"

Gort steps forward waiting for his master's command.

As the Phantom disappears into the shadows, the intrepid gang of Phantom Hunters immerge into the hideaway. Suddenly, they are bombarded with pies. They look up and see a robot slinging pies that miraculously appear in his palms. Little do they know that Gort has pie convertors in his palms.

Will the Scooby Gang discover Gort's weakness or will they be pied into subsmission?

TickTick -- Just as they finished dressing....

in the pirate costumes (all except for Mrs. H who wisely choose to keep out of this little adventure) a pie whizzed by Sword!

"What the-" he began, stuffing one leg into some pirate trousers.

"Not MORE Pies!" The Ticker yelled, pulling on a pirate hat and ducking for cover behind Ragnar.

"Thanks a lot Tick," Ragnar says moodily. The Ticker grabs him by his pirate shirt and pulls him down.

"Look!" Annisette shouts. "A robot"

"ROBOT?!?" Everyone says.

"I am Gort. Must protect master," the robot says as he flings pies from out of nowhere.

"He has a pie converter," SunAeryn says knowingly.

"Mrs. H, you're the expert, what'll we do?" asks the Ticker.

"I'm an expert on Phantoms, not on robots."

Everyone looks at Annisette for help.

"What're you looking at me for?" she asks.

TickTick frowns. "You just seem like the robot expert type."

"I don't know...get him wet? Short him out?" she says hesitatingly.

"YEAH!" shouts Sword. "Pirate Brownie Man to the rescue!"

"Oh, no..." TickTick says. "Now we're in trouble."

Ragnar leaps to his feet and takes a pie to the face.

"Come on Sword!" he says, undaunted by pie filling. "Let's get him!"

The guys run forward only to be stopped by a shout from the Ticker.

"Yo, guys!" she says. "_Water?_"

"Nah, we got something better..." Ragnar holds up two large jugs of...

"PUNCH OF DOOM!!!" the gang shouts with glee.

"Come and get it, robot boy!" Sword shouts...

SWORDandMUG -- Into the fray...

"Okay troops!" TickTick commands, "We need a plan here. SunAeryn--get Ragnar out of there and help him recover. Mrs. H--watch our backs in case the Phantom returns. Anni--grab the Punch of Doom. You're with me. SWORD--distract that robot!"

"Of course," Ticker says, "SWORD is very distracting."

SWORD stands dumbfounded for a moment.

"I... I... I can't think of anything!" he shouts with confusion.

Anni thinks for a moment. A lightbulb appears above her head (well, SWORD saw it, but consider his state!).

"SWORD!" Anni says to him, "What's your favorite swashbuckling movie?"

As though something just hit him in the head, SWORD spins and draws his cutlass. He pulls of his cloak and runs at the robot shouting, "No! Save him for me! Hahahhahahahah!"

SunAeryn pulls at Ragnar's huge form and drags him out of the way. She begins to clean the chocolate creme pie from his face when notes that he's licking his lips. "mmmmm... good pie...." he is muttering. She kicks him and rolls him back into the river.

Ticker hands Anni a bottle of Punch of Doom from the knappy-sacks. She motions for Anni to flank on the right while she moves in from the left.

SWORD jumps forward, his cutlass in one hand, and the discarded Phantom cloak in the other. He twirls the cloak in a figure-eight pattern, alternating clockwise and counter-clockwise, snapping it forward to snatch pies out of the air. Using his cutlass, he cuts pies in quarters and strikes in time to harry the robot's motions.

"…parry in prime… …counter in sixte… …riposte in quarte… …thrust in quartata… …retreat… …beat in secunda… …feinte in quarte… …lunge with cut in sixte… …advance… …retreat… …pasada soto… …recover…"

Ticker pauses for a moment. "Gee, I never expected it to work this well… I thought we'd have a couple of seconds before he was… well, you know 'creamed'…"

SWORD throws the pie spattered cloak over the robot's head and blocks it vision. It pauses in an attempt to remove it only to continue to be blinded by pie filling.

"Anni!" Ticker commands. "Quickly, before his windshield wipers start to work… NOW!"

The nubile ladies jump forward and leak Punch of Doom into the joints of the robot and then dodge the sparks that fly. The robot begins to jerk spasmodically but errant pies continue to fly from its hands.

At this time, SunAeryn drags Ragnar back out of the river by his beard, points his head toward the robot, and commands him.

"See that robot? Be a good viking and squash it!"

Ragnar growls with battle rage.

"Ragnar… SMASH!!!!" With that, he thunders into his metal foe, and the weakened joints break apart. The robot crashes to the ground in pieces on top Ragnar and SWORD with the sound of a kitchen shelf collapsing.

CLANG BONG CRASH CLATTER….

SWORDandMUG -- From within a hidden alcove....

The Phantom of the Farscape watches.

"Curses!" the cloaked figure hisses, "They should not have been able to defeat Gort with physical force... but how?"

A voice in the back of the Phantom's mind asks him.

"Did you say the words?"

"All of the words, exactly as I instructed you?"

"...well, maybe not every little syllable, but essentially YES, I said them..."

"You FOOOL! Without the proper incantation, Gort was vulnerable to physical harm! You have doomed us all!"

The Phantom pulls a headset out from under the cowl.

"I really wish I could get a different station down here in this grotto..." the figure gripes. "Oh well! Time to set another trap."

The dark shadow moves along skipping and whistling.

leaped -- Uh, can someone..

help me get this fargin' inner tube off. The last time the Sword swung around, he punctured it with his stihletto, it shrunk and.....well, I could use a hand. (The group stands and gives leaped a standing "O" as the inner tube continues to tighten around his NOW quite slender waste). OK. Fine. Thanks a lot you guys!

SWORDandMUG -- Aha!

"It is only, leaped, dearie," Mrs. H. says as she cleans her spectacles of some pie debris. "The poor boy is in a bit of a pickle at the moment."

Ragnar sits up, and pieces of Gort fall to the wayside. In the process, he frees SWORD of from a Gort arm, the hand still firing pies.

"Leaped," Anni begins to ask him, "how did you find..."

SWORD stands, spins around in an en guarde' position, and lunges forward, the tip of his blade stopping just shy of the Adam's apple of Leaped's throat.

"Aha!" SWORD says, his speech now sounding like an English actor pretending to be a French character with an English accent, "Thought you could sneak up behind us, eh Phantom? How convenient that you should come upon us after we vanquish your deadly pie-sling robot." His eyes narrow and his mustache twitches. "You have some explaining to do, my good fellow...."

"...'e's a little bit jumpy, isn't 'e?"

leaped -- IIIIIIIIII have some

'splanning to do?? Oh contrair!! I believe You are the one with some 'splanning to do.

A little difficult to take Leaped seriously while the shiney, ever decreasing-in-size inner tube tightens around his waiste. The Sword smirks, or was that just gas, at Leaped's cheap Ricky Ricardo accent.

"I've been standing behind you ever since you punctured my inner tube man!! Wake up! Get a grip!! I'm not the Phantom!!

SWORDandMUG -- You sly, dog

SWORD pauses for a moment and considers the words that are making his head hurt. He shakes his head, his eyes beginning to get that glazed look once again.

"You are a clever one, no?" he says, his personality seeming to slip into Zorro ready to babaloo. "So, how do you explain..." he says as he takes a step backward, not noticing that his foot bumps into the still active Gort arm. The arm turns over and begins pummeling SWORD with various pies convections in the dairy-air.

"Oh non! U've been shot in de bum again!" He spins around and keels over face down onto the contraption. He lays there with his head jerky back repetitively from pie impacts.

"Unpredictable..." Ticker says tongue in cheek. "Great plan, Anni..."

"...it... had its moments..." she says with a disappointed look at the jerking form of SWORD.

"Guys?" SunAeryn points out, seemingly the only one paying attention to detail, "We have two problems here--Leaped is being strangulated by a shrinking inner tube girdle, and SWORD is either going to suffocate from pie impacts or gain a zillion pounds from pie consumption. Think we should try attending to the situations at hand?"

Ragnar grabs the robot arm, closes the fist on the hand, and causes it to stop firing. He lets the hand open, and a pie flies out to hit Anni. He closes the hand back and stops the pie firing.

"Hrrrmmmm! Ragnar have weapon!"

pzzzzzsssssttttttt....

"Could you... please... get this... thing offa me...." leaped gasps.

"SunAeryn," Ticker says, "cut him loose!"

...mmmmm! boston creme!...

leaped -- Leaped exclaims

"that's cut IT loose, not THEM". Whew! Thanks SunAeryn. Now, let's see if we can get communication restored with 'Her General' Sword. The man has GOT to find it hard to breath, face down like that.

TickTick -- Somebody grab that sword!

The Ticker commands, pointing to Sword's ...uh. sword.

"Got it!" Anni proclaims.

"Okay, now cut Leaped loos before he gets a little too Antibellum thin for us!"

As Anni cuts off the inner tube (very carefully) the Ticker looks around.

"Well. A mighty fine gang we got here! Surely we can do something to catch the Phantom-"

suddenly the room fills with an eerie fog...

"ICAN'TSEE!" "WHEREISEVERYBODY?" "OHHELPWHEREAMI?"

"Hahaha...can't catch me!!!" the gang feels a breeze as _someone_ races by...

"Where'd the Phantom go?"

"Where are we anyway?"

TickTick shouts over the clamor...

"WE HAVEN'T CHECKED THE BALLROOM YET!!!"

godallmitey -- Why, it’s not the phantom at all in

the ballroom. It's ArtistStudio eating chocolate cake. Robert, which way did he go?

RagnarRB -- Which Ballroom?

TickTick asks."There are two of them! It's so frustrating!"

"She's right."SunAeryn cuts in"There are two now. That's how this whole mess got started!" She paused. "What's that noise."

Everybody looks around. "Oh, it's alright its just Leaped wheezing."

"Wheezing?" Leaped rubs his tummy."I just want to breath!"

"Give him a brownie TickTick." Ragnar suggested. "If it works as well as it did the last time we'll have a little sword to go with our big sword. You know a sword that leaped. They're like clones when they're on brownies."

"I don't know ." TickTick worries.

"Well we have to do something?" Annisette injects. "Whichever ballroom we decide to go to first either of them is a long way off and we keep getting ambushed! How are we going to defend ourselves?"

"We have this arm thingie>" Ragnar begins.

"But that's not enough." SunAeryn exclaims. "We need more."

"You still have Brownie Man" Sword seems busy trying to figure out just how small Leaped stomach now is, but puffs up nicely at his own announcement. "Nothing stops Brownie Man!"

"And Sword...What other choice do we have."

"Well we could use some of the stuff I picked up before we hit the river again TickTick."

Everyone turned towards Ragnar, Annisette most curious of all. "Uh Ragnar big guy...what Stuff?"

"These." Calmly Ragnar puts down the arm, grabs one of the sacks he an Sword looted..er..fill up, and opens it. The scooby gang gasps when they see what he's brought.

" What are those child? I don't remember anything like that being good for Phantoms." Mrs H. adjusts he glasses for a better look.

"They're cremepuff gernade launchers nana! Ragnar where'd you get those?"

"Back at the bill board. I've got five of em."

Annisette is almopst beside herself. Doesn't anyone else realize what he's done! The big stupid oaff! "You snurched them!"

Ragnmar looks hurt "Did not!"

"Too!" They were starting to lean at each other now. TickTick stepped in between. Brave girl.

"Well if you didn't take them Ragnar" She begins, "Who did?"

"She did" Ragnar casually replays pointing a finger at Annisette.

She's flabergasted "Me?" Her eyes are gig in disbelief. "How? when?"

"Just before we left. I left a note for *****Gen CalSelkie that says so."

Annisette was starting to turn red. This was an interesting twist." You stole *****Gen CalSelkie's prototype cremepuff gernade launchers?!"

Ragnar sighed. She was so confused. "No, again." He tried to clarify. "You did."

Annisette gasped, choking on words. "She's going to get us! She's going to get ME!" She turned at Ragnar with intent, he arms leaping out for his throat. "I'm going to get YOU!"

But Ragnar was ready. TickTick, there between them, slowed her down just enough. With one long arm he reached out and placed a finger on her forehead to hold her at bay.

But Annisette was readier. She kicked him...

"Ooff." He dropped to one knee now well within range. He flinched back "But Annisette you said ANYTHINMG for In2scifi, ANYTHING. I was just trying to help!"

"Help me!" She yelled. Seems the phantom's voice wasn't the only one echoing at the moment. "That's not help!" She reared back a shaking fist, not that she could really hurt him but a good whatfor was in order."

"ANNISETTE!" Mrs. H.'s stern voice stilled everything."Later dear, AFTER we catch the Phantom. I may not approve but they just might come in handy."

Leaped stepped foreward and picked up a weapon. "At least we're all armed now."

in2d3 -- Drats! Foiled Again!

Those meddlesome kids have destroyed Gort. They'll pay for their intrusion dearly. The Phantom flicks off the lights.

In2d3 releases the pie toting giant bats. Using their sonar, they home in on the Scooby Gang.

<Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>. Direct hits!

Meanwhile, in the confusion, P of F sneaks around behind the melee and jumps into his motorized "Flying Dutchman". Will our daring adventurers under bat attack see the Resident Ghost head back up stream? Or do they begin to suspect that one of their number is an ally of the Phantom?

Stay tuned! Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel!

godallmitey -- This guy could be anywhere!

Went back to post #0001 on 3-2-99. No in2d3 there yet, but truthseeker has been skulking around in the area adding "tac" as a reply to all the posts. Very mysterious. Also a "Phantom82" replied to some posts back there around the beginning of time. Could he be our phantom or our phantom's father. If we deleted the father, would our phantom disappear in this time line?

SunAeryn -- SunAeryn’s secret weapon...

While no one was looking SunAeryn snuck into the kicthen and whipped up a big ol' pan of her enchiladas.

"No one can resist these! Not even a Phantom." SunAeryn said as she hurried back to the Gang. She got there just in time to hear godalmitey's musings and

"Ok, who let godalmitey eat the Browines?" SunAeryn asked still holding the piping hot pan of enchiladas.

"What's that smell?" Annisette asked

"Yeah....it's making me hungry." Ragnar said, drooling.

"Brownie Man will find out." SWORD replied heading straight for Sun and the pan.

"Stay Back!" Sun yelled.

"I have a plan.....No one can resist my enchiladas. So I thought we could use them to trap the Phantom." She whispered,very very quietly so the Phantom couldn't hear.

"Ay, lassie, that's a good plan. But, I must warn ye....the Phantom has great will power." Mrs. H, told Sun.

"Well if he/she/it/they/them, resist then we'll just have to eat them and noit share with the Phantom." Sun said(trying not to look hurt)

"Well let's get moving again before SWORD, godalmitey, Ragnar & leaped take the enchiladas and run." TickTick advised.

So the Scooby Gang headed off again, still not quite sure which Basement the Phantom was hidding in.......

Annisette -- Rinnngggggg, brrrrr, rinnnnnggggg

The gang looks at Annisette who is still simmering and is not sure how she ever got dragged into this. The gang can hear the outboard mototr kick over and see the wake created by the motorized Flying Dutchman although they can't see him.

Rinnnng, BRRRR rrrrring.

ANNI...Anni, why you are ringing! Tick Tick looks aghast, somewhere there are more bells on Annisette.

Sword shivers...ugh...bells....bells ....bells...bells...

You brought a cell phone? SunAeryn recognizes the sound.

RIINNNNG.. BRRR RIIIINNNNGGGGGG! Oh yea,I almost forgot.

Hello? Annisette reaches into the thigh high boots that she has not relinquished and pulls the cell phone free from its hiding place.

Uh, yes, yes. Annisette visibly straightens and talks into the phone.

Uh yes General, Thank you General, I will General...Yes General....Uh..THAnk you General. Annisette looks at the group relief visible in her eyes.

That was the General Cal Selkie,...And it seems that the Phantom...

Yes ...What'd General CalSelkie say?...are we in trouble? What? Tell us! leaped can barely contain his interest, Ragnar pulls back to stand behind MRS. H.

That the Phantom is.. the Phantom is....Annisette continues again.

Sword's eye's narrow suspiciously...TickTick scoots abit away and SunAeryn looks back and forth.

The Phantom is THE TOP priority! We, me, Ragnar, whatever, are not in trouble at all...seems we showed initiative!

We have access to the whole arsenal if we need it. Carte Blanche as it were. Annisette explains the call to the group.

Sword breaths and looks relieved...TickTick sighs.

Whew. Thought we had had it.

Mrs H. pats Ragnar on the back, well the thigh, since that is about as high as she can reach on a Viking. Twinkling eyes smile up at the group.

You gang are lucky... when Annisette's fired up...whew...I tell you...she reminds me of me, but something, yes something is troubling me. She looks at the assembled amateur phantom hunters over the edge of a pair if half-moon glasses.

I think the Phantom is recieving help from the inside. One of us maybe in league with the Phantom!

No! We Wouldn't! Nuh uh! Who could? Naw! Unbelievable!

The gang begins to look at each other up and down, sideways, long ways...eyes narrow...fingers point....You! No you did! I saw you over there! Me? that was you...

the group shouts at each other back and forth.

QUIT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mrs H. shouts for quiet! But no one listens.

You! J'accuse. Me...No way darlin...I'll bet its you...all those brownies...Then its you! Vikings they can be sneaky...You.. Nu uh! Not me...

And on and on and on and on........

SunAeryn -- Slicker ‘n snot

SunAeryn says as she notices the Phantom's shadow heading for The Roof Garden.

"Ummm Gang." SunAeryn trys to get the Gangs attention, but the rest are to busy blaming each other for being the "inside person".

"HELLO!" Sun whispers really loudly, but it doesn't phase anyone. Finally she puts her lips together and blows....and a high pitched whistle is heard.

"Ow! SunAeryn that hurt my ears!" godalmitey whined.

"Geez, Sun did you have to do that?" Annisette asks rubbing her ears.

"Um, yes...sorry but The Phantom just headed to The Roof Garden. And I thought that we should head that way." SunAeryn replied.

So the "Scooby Gang" takes off after The Phantom...still trying to figure out who the "inside man" could be......


	The Archives A Little Surprize! in2d3 The Phantom relaxes within in his subterrean lair when the warning buzzer sounds. The caped figure checks the monitor and sees the "Scooby Gang" drifting towards the lair of the Phantom. "So they think they can invade my domain. Intertubes, indeed. How dare they?" In2d3 walks to the wall and pushes a button that opens a secret panel. Behind the panel is a 10 foot tall chrome robot. "Klaatu Barata Nicto, Gort" Gort steps forward waiting for his master's command. "Gort, protect!" As the Phantom disappears into the shadows, the intrepid gang of Phantom Hunters immerge into the hideaway. Suddenly, they are bombarded with pies. They look up and see a robot slinging pies that miraculously appear in his palms. Little do they know that Gort has pie convertors in his palms. Will the Scooby Gang discover Gort's weakness or will they be pied into subsmission? TickTick -- Just as they finished dressing.... in the pirate costumes (all except for Mrs. H who wisely choose to keep out of this little adventure) a pie whizzed by Sword! "What the-" he began, stuffing one leg into some pirate trousers. "Not MORE Pies!" The Ticker yelled, pulling on a pirate hat and ducking for cover behind Ragnar. "Thanks a lot Tick," Ragnar says moodily. The Ticker grabs him by his pirate shirt and pulls him down. "Look!" Annisette shouts. "A robot" "ROBOT?!?" Everyone says. "I am Gort. Must protect master," the robot says as he flings pies from out of nowhere. "He has a pie converter," SunAeryn says knowingly. "Mrs. H, you're the expert, what'll we do?" asks the Ticker. "I'm an expert on Phantoms, not on robots." Everyone looks at Annisette for help. "What're you looking at me for?" she asks. TickTick frowns. "You just seem like the robot expert type." "I don't know...get him wet? Short him out?" she says hesitatingly. "YEAH!" shouts Sword. "Pirate Brownie Man to the rescue!" "Oh, no..." TickTick says. "Now we're in trouble." Ragnar leaps to his feet and takes a pie to the face. <<SPLAT!!>> "Come on Sword!" he says, undaunted by pie filling. "Let's get him!" The guys run forward only to be stopped by a shout from the Ticker. "Yo, guys!" she says. "_Water?_" "Nah, we got something better..." Ragnar holds up two large jugs of... "PUNCH OF DOOM!!!" the gang shouts with glee. "Come and get it, robot boy!" Sword shouts... SWORDandMUG -- Into the fray... "Okay troops!" TickTick commands, "We need a plan here. SunAeryn--get Ragnar out of there and help him recover. Mrs. H--watch our backs in case the Phantom returns. Anni--grab the Punch of Doom. You're with me. SWORD--distract that robot!" "Me?" "Him?" "Of course," Ticker says, "SWORD is very distracting." SWORD stands dumbfounded for a moment. "I... I... I can't think of anything!" he shouts with confusion. Anni thinks for a moment. A lightbulb appears above her head (well, SWORD saw it, but consider his state!). "SWORD!" Anni says to him, "What's your favorite swashbuckling movie?" As though something just hit him in the head, SWORD spins and draws his cutlass. He pulls of his cloak and runs at the robot shouting, "No! Save him for me! Hahahhahahahah!" SunAeryn pulls at Ragnar's huge form and drags him out of the way. She begins to clean the chocolate creme pie from his face when notes that he's licking his lips. "mmmmm... good pie...." he is muttering. She kicks him and rolls him back into the river. Ticker hands Anni a bottle of Punch of Doom from the knappy-sacks. She motions for Anni to flank on the right while she moves in from the left. SWORD jumps forward, his cutlass in one hand, and the discarded Phantom cloak in the other. He twirls the cloak in a figure-eight pattern, alternating clockwise and counter-clockwise, snapping it forward to snatch pies out of the air. Using his cutlass, he cuts pies in quarters and strikes in time to harry the robot's motions. "…parry in prime… …counter in sixte… …riposte in quarte… …thrust in quartata… …retreat… …beat in secunda… …feinte in quarte… …lunge with cut in sixte… …advance… …retreat… …pasada soto… …recover…" Ticker pauses for a moment. "Gee, I never expected it to work this well… I thought we'd have a couple of seconds before he was… well, you know 'creamed'…" SWORD throws the pie spattered cloak over the robot's head and blocks it vision. It pauses in an attempt to remove it only to continue to be blinded by pie filling. "Anni!" Ticker commands. "Quickly, before his windshield wipers start to work… NOW!" The nubile ladies jump forward and leak Punch of Doom into the joints of the robot and then dodge the sparks that fly. The robot begins to jerk spasmodically but errant pies continue to fly from its hands. At this time, SunAeryn drags Ragnar back out of the river by his beard, points his head toward the robot, and commands him. "See that robot? Be a good viking and squash it!" Ragnar growls with battle rage. "Ragnar… SMASH!!!!" With that, he thunders into his metal foe, and the weakened joints break apart. The robot crashes to the ground in pieces on top Ragnar and SWORD with the sound of a kitchen shelf collapsing. :-{> CLANG BONG CRASH CLATTER…. SWORDandMUG -- From within a hidden alcove.... The Phantom of the Farscape watches. "Curses!" the cloaked figure hisses, "They should not have been able to defeat Gort with physical force... but how?" A voice in the back of the Phantom's mind asks him. "Did you say the words?" "...yes..." "All of the words, exactly as I instructed you?" "...well, maybe not every little syllable, but essentially YES, I said them..." "You FOOOL! Without the proper incantation, Gort was vulnerable to physical harm! You have doomed us all!" The Phantom pulls a headset out from under the cowl. "I really wish I could get a different station down here in this grotto..." the figure gripes. "Oh well! Time to set another trap." The dark shadow moves along skipping and whistling. :-{> BONK! leaped -- Uh, can someone.. help me get this fargin' inner tube off. The last time the Sword swung around, he punctured it with his stihletto, it shrunk and.....well, I could use a hand. (The group stands and gives leaped a standing "O" as the inner tube continues to tighten around his NOW quite slender waste). OK. Fine. Thanks a lot you guys! SWORDandMUG -- Aha! "What?" "Who's there?" "It is only, leaped, dearie," Mrs. H. says as she cleans her spectacles of some pie debris. "The poor boy is in a bit of a pickle at the moment." Ragnar sits up, and pieces of Gort fall to the wayside. In the process, he frees SWORD of from a Gort arm, the hand still firing pies. "Leaped," Anni begins to ask him, "how did you find..." SWORD stands, spins around in an en guarde' position, and lunges forward, the tip of his blade stopping just shy of the Adam's apple of Leaped's throat. "Aha!" SWORD says, his speech now sounding like an English actor pretending to be a French character with an English accent, "Thought you could sneak up behind us, eh Phantom? How convenient that you should come upon us after we vanquish your deadly pie-sling robot." His eyes narrow and his mustache twitches. "You have some explaining to do, my good fellow...." :-{> "...'e's a little bit jumpy, isn't 'e?" leaped -- IIIIIIIIII have some 'splanning to do?? Oh contrair!! I believe You are the one with some 'splanning to do. A little difficult to take Leaped seriously while the shiney, ever decreasing-in-size inner tube tightens around his waiste. The Sword smirks, or was that just gas, at Leaped's cheap Ricky Ricardo accent. "I've been standing behind you ever since you punctured my inner tube man!! Wake up! Get a grip!! I'm not the Phantom!! SWORDandMUG -- You sly, dog SWORD pauses for a moment and considers the words that are making his head hurt. He shakes his head, his eyes beginning to get that glazed look once again. "You are a clever one, no?" he says, his personality seeming to slip into Zorro ready to babaloo. "So, how do you explain..." he says as he takes a step backward, not noticing that his foot bumps into the still active Gort arm. The arm turns over and begins pummeling SWORD with various pies convections in the dairy-air. "Oh non! U've been shot in de bum again!" He spins around and keels over face down onto the contraption. He lays there with his head jerky back repetitively from pie impacts. "Unpredictable..." Ticker says tongue in cheek. "Great plan, Anni..." "...it... had its moments..." she says with a disappointed look at the jerking form of SWORD. "Guys?" SunAeryn points out, seemingly the only one paying attention to detail, "We have two problems here--Leaped is being strangulated by a shrinking inner tube girdle, and SWORD is either going to suffocate from pie impacts or gain a zillion pounds from pie consumption. Think we should try attending to the situations at hand?" Ragnar grabs the robot arm, closes the fist on the hand, and causes it to stop firing. He lets the hand open, and a pie flies out to hit Anni. He closes the hand back and stops the pie firing. "Hrrrmmmm! Ragnar have weapon!" pzzzzzsssssttttttt.... "Could you... please... get this... thing offa me...." leaped gasps. "SunAeryn," Ticker says, "cut him loose!" :-{> ...mmmmm! boston creme!... leaped -- Leaped exclaims "that's cut IT loose, not THEM". Whew! Thanks SunAeryn. Now, let's see if we can get communication restored with 'Her General' Sword. The man has GOT to find it hard to breath, face down like that. TickTick -- Somebody grab that sword! The Ticker commands, pointing to Sword's ...uh. sword. "Got it!" Anni proclaims. "Okay, now cut Leaped loos before he gets a little too Antibellum thin for us!" As Anni cuts off the inner tube (very carefully) the Ticker looks around. "Well. A mighty fine gang we got here! Surely we can do something to catch the Phantom-" suddenly the room fills with an eerie fog... "ICAN'TSEE!" "WHEREISEVERYBODY?" "OHHELPWHEREAMI?" "Hahaha...can't catch me!!!" the gang feels a breeze as _someone_ races by... "Where'd the Phantom go?" "Where do we go?" "Where are we anyway?" TickTick shouts over the clamor... "WE HAVEN'T CHECKED THE BALLROOM YET!!!" godallmitey -- Why, it’s not the phantom at all in the ballroom. It's ArtistStudio eating chocolate cake. Robert, which way did he go? RagnarRB -- Which Ballroom? TickTick asks."There are two of them! It's so frustrating!" "She's right."SunAeryn cuts in"There are two now. That's how this whole mess got started!" She paused. "What's that noise." Everybody looks around. "Oh, it's alright its just Leaped wheezing." "Wheezing?" Leaped rubs his tummy."I just want to breath!" "Give him a brownie TickTick." Ragnar suggested. "If it works as well as it did the last time we'll have a little sword to go with our big sword. You know a sword that leaped. They're like clones when they're on brownies." "I don't know ." TickTick worries. "Well we have to do something?" Annisette injects. "Whichever ballroom we decide to go to first either of them is a long way off and we keep getting ambushed! How are we going to defend ourselves?" "We have this arm thingie>" Ragnar begins. "But that's not enough." SunAeryn exclaims. "We need more." "You still have Brownie Man" Sword seems busy trying to figure out just how small Leaped stomach now is, but puffs up nicely at his own announcement. "Nothing stops Brownie Man!" "And Sword...What other choice do we have." "Well we could use some of the stuff I picked up before we hit the river again TickTick." Everyone turned towards Ragnar, Annisette most curious of all. "Uh Ragnar big guy...what Stuff?" "These." Calmly Ragnar puts down the arm, grabs one of the sacks he an Sword looted..er..fill up, and opens it. The scooby gang gasps when they see what he's brought. " What are those child? I don't remember anything like that being good for Phantoms." Mrs H. adjusts he glasses for a better look. "They're cremepuff gernade launchers nana! Ragnar where'd you get those?" "Back at the bill board. I've got five of em." Annisette is almopst beside herself. Doesn't anyone else realize what he's done! The big stupid oaff! "You snurched them!" Ragnmar looks hurt "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did too!" "Not!" "Too!" They were starting to lean at each other now. TickTick stepped in between. Brave girl. "Well if you didn't take them Ragnar" She begins, "Who did?" "She did" Ragnar casually replays pointing a finger at Annisette. She's flabergasted "Me?" Her eyes are gig in disbelief. "How? when?" "Just before we left. I left a note for ***Gen CalSelkie that says so." Annisette was starting to turn red. This was an interesting twist." You stole *Gen CalSelkie's prototype cremepuff gernade launchers?!" Ragnar sighed. She was so confused. "No, again." He tried to clarify. "You did." Annisette gasped, choking on words. "She's going to get us! She's going to get ME!" She turned at Ragnar with intent, he arms leaping out for his throat. "I'm going to get YOU!" But Ragnar was ready. TickTick, there between them, slowed her down just enough. With one long arm he reached out and placed a finger on her forehead to hold her at bay. But Annisette was readier. She kicked him... "Ooff." He dropped to one knee now well within range. He flinched back "But Annisette you said ANYTHINMG for In2scifi, ANYTHING. I was just trying to help!" "Help me!" She yelled. Seems the phantom's voice wasn't the only one echoing at the moment. "That's not help!" She reared back a shaking fist, not that she could really hurt him but a good whatfor was in order." "ANNISETTE!" Mrs. H.'s stern voice stilled everything."Later dear, AFTER we catch the Phantom. I may not approve but they just might come in handy." Leaped stepped foreward and picked up a weapon. "At least we're all armed now." in2d3 -- Drats! Foiled Again! Those meddlesome kids have destroyed Gort. They'll pay for their intrusion dearly. The Phantom flicks off the lights. "Bwa-Ha-Ha-Ha" In2d3 releases the pie toting giant bats. Using their sonar, they home in on the Scooby Gang. <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>, <Splat>. Direct hits! Meanwhile, in the confusion, P of F sneaks around behind the melee and jumps into his motorized "Flying Dutchman". Will our daring adventurers under bat attack see the Resident Ghost head back up stream? Or do they begin to suspect that one of their number is an ally of the Phantom? Stay tuned! Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel! godallmitey -- This guy could be anywhere! Went back to post #0001 on 3-2-99. No in2d3 there yet, but truthseeker has been skulking around in the area adding "tac" as a reply to all the posts. Very mysterious. Also a "Phantom82" replied to some posts back there around the beginning of time. Could he be our phantom or our phantom's father. If we deleted the father, would our phantom disappear in this time line? SunAeryn -- SunAeryn’s secret weapon... While no one was looking SunAeryn snuck into the kicthen and whipped up a big ol' pan of her enchiladas. "No one can resist these! Not even a Phantom." SunAeryn said as she hurried back to the Gang. She got there just in time to hear godalmitey's musings and "Ok, who let godalmitey eat the Browines?" SunAeryn asked still holding the piping hot pan of enchiladas. "What's that smell?" Annisette asked "Yeah....it's making me hungry." Ragnar said, drooling. "Brownie Man will find out." SWORD replied heading straight for Sun and the pan. "Stay Back!" Sun yelled. "I have a plan.....No one can resist my enchiladas. So I thought we could use them to trap the Phantom." She whispered,very very quietly so the Phantom couldn't hear. "Ay, lassie, that's a good plan. But, I must warn ye....the Phantom has great will power." Mrs. H, told Sun. "Well if he/she/it/they/them, resist then we'll just have to eat them and noit share with the Phantom." Sun said(trying not to look hurt) "Well let's get moving again before SWORD, godalmitey, Ragnar & leaped take the enchiladas and run." TickTick advised. So the Scooby Gang headed off again, still not quite sure which Basement the Phantom was hidding in....... Annisette -- Rinnngggggg, brrrrr, rinnnnnggggg The gang looks at Annisette who is still simmering and is not sure how she ever got dragged into this. The gang can hear the outboard mototr kick over and see the wake created by the motorized Flying Dutchman although they can't see him. Rinnnng, BRRRR rrrrring. ANNI...Anni, why you are ringing! Tick Tick looks aghast, somewhere there are more bells on Annisette. Sword shivers...ugh...bells....bells ....bells...bells... You brought a cell phone? SunAeryn recognizes the sound. RIINNNNG.. BRRR RIIIINNNNGGGGGG! Oh yea,I almost forgot. Hello? Annisette reaches into the thigh high boots that she has not relinquished and pulls the cell phone free from its hiding place. Uh, yes, yes. Annisette visibly straightens and talks into the phone. Uh yes General, Thank you General, I will General...Yes General....Uh..THAnk you General. Annisette looks at the group relief visible in her eyes. That was the General Cal Selkie,...And it seems that the Phantom... Yes ...What'd General CalSelkie say?...are we in trouble? What? Tell us! leaped can barely contain his interest, Ragnar pulls back to stand behind MRS. H. That the Phantom is.. the Phantom is....Annisette continues again. Sword's eye's narrow suspiciously...TickTick scoots abit away and SunAeryn looks back and forth. The Phantom is THE TOP priority! We, me, Ragnar, whatever, are not in trouble at all...seems we showed initiative! We have access to the whole arsenal if we need it. Carte Blanche as it were. Annisette explains the call to the group. Sword breaths and looks relieved...TickTick sighs. Whew. Thought we had had it. Mrs H. pats Ragnar on the back, well the thigh, since that is about as high as she can reach on a Viking. Twinkling eyes smile up at the group. You gang are lucky... when Annisette's fired up...whew...I tell you...she reminds me of me, but something, yes something is troubling me. She looks at the assembled amateur phantom hunters over the edge of a pair if half-moon glasses. I think the Phantom is recieving help from the inside. One of us maybe in league with the Phantom! No! We Wouldn't! Nuh uh! Who could? Naw! Unbelievable! The gang begins to look at each other up and down, sideways, long ways...eyes narrow...fingers point....You! No you did! I saw you over there! Me? that was you... the group shouts at each other back and forth. QUIT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mrs H. shouts for quiet! But no one listens. You! J'accuse. Me...No way darlin...I'll bet its you...all those brownies...Then its you! Vikings they can be sneaky...You.. Nu uh! Not me... And on and on and on and on........ SunAeryn -- Slicker ‘n snot** SunAeryn says as she notices the Phantom's shadow heading for The Roof Garden. "Ummm Gang." SunAeryn trys to get the Gangs attention, but the rest are to busy blaming each other for being the "inside person". "HELLO!" Sun whispers really loudly, but it doesn't phase anyone. Finally she puts her lips together and blows....and a high pitched whistle is heard. "Ow! SunAeryn that hurt my ears!" godalmitey whined. "Geez, Sun did you have to do that?" Annisette asks rubbing her ears. "Um, yes...sorry but The Phantom just headed to The Roof Garden. And I thought that we should head that way." SunAeryn replied. So the "Scooby Gang" takes off after The Phantom...still trying to figure out who the "inside man" could be......