The Lights Start Blinking.....
In2d3
As discussions of trapping the Phantom progressed, SWORD and leaped sat sipping the herbal tea given to them by Mrs. H. in order to counteract the lotus effect of the Phantom Pie Mine. Had she stepped in a moment later, the poor boys would have eaten themselve into oblivion. Eventually, the Phantom would have sent in his Umpa-Lumpas to take the round boys away for processing.
"But we want coffee..." they whined. No, no. They would have to drink this tea. They had since calmed and had become the adoring grandsons she knew they could be. "Yes, boys, that is much better. Wipe your chin, leaped."
"Thank you, Nonna," they chimed in unison. Leaped used a napkin and demonstrated such wonderful manners.
"...and we should charge him with a shield wall!" Ragnar continued. "A good fire is always effective at a siege..."
"Ragnar," SunAeryn cut in, "we can't burn down Dominion house to catch the Phantom. True, he/she/it/what/when/where would no longer be haunting Dominion house BUT THAT WOULD BE BECAUSE THERE WOULD NO LONGER BE A DOMINION HOUSE!!!!"
"...which would force the Phantom to hide in the grotto, where would catch the evil..."
"Just so long as you don't make me sing," TickTick informs them. "I have to save my voice."
"But Ticker, we could arrange sleep bombs in glass jars. You could hit a high note, shatter the jars, and knock the Phantom right out," SunAeryn begins to brainstorm.
"...and then I could put the villian on the rack and begin the questioning..."
"Ragnar's going Durka on us," leaped says between sips.
"Children," Mrs. H. hushes them, "we must concentrate on the false production. This is the bait to lure the Phantom out of hiding."
SWORD stands up from where he had been sitting, working on some leather construction project.
"I love the theater!" he says with overenthusiasm, "it is in my blood."
He puts the leather object on his face, which proves to be a mask with a large nose, his own mustache, goatee, and jaw visible underneath the large, long pointed nose.
"Hey!" Ragnar says jumping to his feet, "That mask! He's the Phantom!"
The burly viking grabs SWORD by the shoulders, lifts him off the ground, and begins to shake him.
"Un..hand..me..you..brute..." SWORD says with a jerky voice from all of the vibrations. "...I'm...no...Phantom..."
"Oh yeah," Ragnar says through a bearded snarl, "then what's with the mask?"
"Why, I'm Scaramouche!"
"Good grief," TickTick says, "he's hallucinating again..."
"So each time he hallucinates...?" SunAeryn begins to ask.
"...he becomes another character in a movie or something," TickTick finishes. "Okay, SWORD, humor us. What is Scaramouche?"
Removing himself from Ragnar's grasp, SWORD begins moving about. "Oh... Scaramouche is a rogue, a hero,... a fool..."
"...and this fool part is supposed be different from your regular personality in what way?" leaped asks.
"And what does he do?" SunAeryn asks.
"He fights," SWORD demonstrates comic fencing, "...he charms..." he tries to kiss SunAeryn on the hand but instead pokes her in the arm with his huge nose, "...and he creates chaos..." he pulls out a pie and throws it at Ragnar.
Ragnar goes berserk and begins chasing SWORD, who runs and dodges behind a curtain.
"...hmmmm..." TickTick ponders. "Maybe we can use this..."
:-{>
TickTick -- WHAT? WHERE?
The Scooby gang is distracted from watching Sword "Scaramouche" chase Leaped and Ragnar by the sound of Scapers in Peril!!!
"Let's go!" shouts Annisette.
The Gang runs into the room to find automated weapons firing indiscriminately on our poor Scapers and on some lurkers who had finally gotten the courage to come out of the shadows. Back into the shadows they go.
"Somebody turn this stuff off!" shouts ArtistStudio.
Air-n-Sun and Ranganathan duck for cover and drag Farscape_GT down with them. RoguePlanet is crawling across the floor in an attempt to find the controls.
"Here we are! We shall save you!" Sword shouts, bursting into the room only to be pelted by Lucky Charms.
TickTick, Annisette, Ragnar, SunAeryn, Leaped, and Mrs. H crouch low and follow Sword into the room. Spreading out, they search the walls for the secret controls.
"BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR FRIENDLY PHANTOM! THANKS FOR PLAYING..."
"Will somebody turn that recording off?" TickTick bellows above the noise.
"My lady, I shall be of service!" Sword sputters underneath the rain of Lucky Charms. A swipe with his sword drops the speaker.
<<<SPLAT SPLASH POW SQUEALCH SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT>>> the onslaught continues.
Where are the controls? ...
goulagirl -- ORGAN MUSIC!?!
why the organ music? why not techno or heavy metal? why always organs? just for that, i'm joining the search for your skinny (hefty?) butt. i admit i have no experience chasing phantoms but i'm enthusiastic and i've got secret stashes of blackberry pies everywhere. so secret you'll never find them. i've also got a few experimental ones filled with phosphorescent (SP?) blackberries that stain quickly and make you glow. you'll never be able to hide once these babies hit you. be seeing you soon.
back into the shadows searching for obnoxious phantoms
SWORDandMUG -- Now you see them...
"Please make it stop!" ArtistStudio cries in pain, "I think my ears are going to bleed."
A desperate search goes about the room for the control device.
"It may be anywhere... anything..." TickTick cries above the din. "...a panel, a switch... ...perhaps a remote control..."
"Hey look!" leaped cries pointing at a curtain rope. Attached to it is a sign that says "Organ Controls." He reaches to pull it...
...when an errant chocolate pie hits him in the face and bowls him over.
Now dancing about like a leprechan singing "Frosted Lucky Charms... they're magically delicious!" SWORD jumps in front of the rope and pulls.
The floor opens beneath, he drops from sight, and the trap door closes tight.
:-{>
Annisette -- Bell pulls and trap doors...
Don't you know about those things. Annisette screeches above the din of the pie bombardment.
Leaped staggers back and forth temporarily blinded. Looking for Sword he holds his hand out and grabs the nearest thing.
No!. SunAeryn shouts but it too late. The bell pull in leaped's hands is triggered and swings open another trap door and both leaped and TickTick slide through with a WHOOOMP!
Aw! Frell! Annisette looks at the chute that this time is open. Hello, down there!
Heellloooo dddooowwwnnnnttttthhhhhheeeeerrrrreeeeeeeeee! The echo comes right back.
Ragnar grabs his Viking hat at runs for the stairs. Ohmygod, the pies in the basement!
Ticker and Annisette peer down the chute. I'll go if you go. Okay on three. One, TWO....is that go on three or is it three and then go? Oh just go! Ticker and Annisette slide down to basementin pursuit of their compadres.
Mrs. H. heads for elevator and pushes down. And I was so looking forward to that Scaramouche bit...Stewart Granger always liked him, she muses. Those Rafael Sabatini swashbucklers...Errol Flynn as Captain Blood, Tyrone Power in The Black Swan!...she pokes the air a bit. But gotta help these kids.
Mrs. H notices the fuse box in the hall. Opening it, and putting on her half moon glasses. She spots a switch labelled "auxiliaries" that is smudged with whip cream.
The pie bombardment ceases as she flicks off the switch. Slapping her hands together. Et Voila. That's that.
Bing! The elevator comes and she heads to the subbasement.
Thanks Mrs H. Thanks! Scapers call out behind her. Thanks.
Go to post 3O in the basement