🚀 go-pugleaf

I wrote this under the assumption that the crossover I mentioned in last
issue's notes would actually happen.  Hah.

I should point out that the Net.Patrol never got anywhere on the mission,
as implied here.  I think they were busy doing research.


                             Pliable Lad #12
                  "Zen and the Art of Subplot Advancement"
                                   by
                            Mike "Ergh" Escutia


        Lunch time at LNHQ.  Not all that different from the typical cafeteria
lunch:  Sandwiches.  Burgers.  Hot dogs.  Sodas.  Lunch specials.  And a lot of
cheesecake.
        Okay, so lunch time at LNHQ has it's differences.
        Tour Guide Girl got herself a ham sandwich, potato chips, and grape-
fruit juice and went to a table in the corner.  She was normally in a more
cheerful mood, but today, she had a lot on her mind.  It had been several hours
since Pliable Lad and the rest of the Net.Patrol had pulled called upon to go
on an emergency mission, but Pli didn't have a chance to tell her, so she did-
n't know until breakfast.  She later found out that it had something to do with
the coup in Alt.veria, but she didn't know anything else about it.a
        To make matters worse, there was no guarantee the group would make it
back alive.  No guarantee that Pli would make it back alive.
        "Is this seat taken?", somebody standing next to the table said.  Touri
looked up to see Organic Lass standing there, her tray in her hands.
        "Hi, Ori.", Touri (Gee, that wasn't supposed to rhyme) said, trying
to sound cheerful.  "Take a seat."
        Organic Lass set her tray down on the table and sat down opposite
Touri.  "It's not like you to sit way off in a corner like this.  You look
like you could use someone to talk to.", the Mistress of Molecules said.
        "Yeah...", Tour Guide Girl said.  "Yeah, I guess I do."
        "So.", Organic Lass said.  "What's on your mind?"
        "Ori...", Touri said.  "I'm in love."
        "You're in love?", Organic Lass exclaimed, trying to keep her voice
down in the cafeteria.  "With who?"
        "Guess.", Tour Guide Girl said with a wry smile.
        "Hmm...lessee.", Organic Lass mused.  "Kid Kirby?"
        "No.  He's dead."
        "Multi-Tasking Man?"
        "Nope."
        "Irony Man?"
        "Try again."
        "Ultimate Ninja?"
        "Nope.  Guess again."
        "Cheeseca--need I bother?"
        "Nope.", Touri said.  "Let me give you a hint:  He's in the Net.Patrol."
        "Oh!", Organic Lass said.  "Kid Anarky?"
        "Nope.", Touri said.
        "Curly?", Organic Lass asked.
        "You've got to be joking."
        "You're right, I am.", Ori said.  "Pliable Lad, huh?"
        "Yeah.", Touri said.
        "So what's the long face for?", Ori asked.  "You should be happy."
        "I know.", Touri said.  "I'm just...confused, I guess."
        "What do you mean?", Organic Lass asked.
        "I've never really been this much in love with someone before.", Touri
said, feeling some heavy monologue coming on.  "I mean, I've had my share of
teenage crushes and all that, but never full-bloomed love.  And now that I'm
in love, I don't really know what to do with it.
        "And I certainly never expected it to be here.  When I got laid off
at MRE Tours, I came here only because I needed the work.  Of course, my pho-
tographic memory and good tour guide skills helped me get the job, but I fig-
ured I'd be a minor background character, and that all the guys here would
be more interested in the other women here."
        "Which wasn't quite true, right?", Organic Lass said.  "You're a full-
fledged character, you have a number of friends (myself included), and at least
one of the guys here is interested in you."
        "Yeah.  But we're only good friends right now.  Neither of us has built
up enough courage to tell the other our true feelings, but it's going to happen
sometime.  I just don't know *how* to tell him.", Touri said.
        "Touri...", Ori said gently.  "when the time comes, you'll know what
to say.  You can't go and plan it out ahead of time.  Telling someone you love
them just doesn't --can't-- work that way.  Take it from me, and don't worry
about it.  Just go with the flow."  She looked at her watch, noting that
her lunch break was almost over.  "I've got to go.  Good luck with Pli.", she
said as she got up and left.
        "Thanks for the advice.", Touri said.  "Say hi to Pocket Man for me."
        "I will.  Talk to you later.", Ori said as she left with her tray.
        Tour Guide Girl stayed sitting at the table for a few more minutes
before getting up to leave herself.

                *       *       *       *       *

        Once, it had been a popular comic book specialty shop, a haven for
comics fans all over Net.ropolis.  Now it was run down and on the verge of
closing down.  And the lack of business allowed it to be something it wasn't
intended to be:  the perfect hideout.
        The police car pulled up to the curb in front of the store.  Get-
ting out of the car, Officer Ray Wilnot could tell that the place wasn't doing
too good.  The sign above the door was missing several letters, only about
half of the lights were actually on, and there were no customers inside (ra-
ther odd for a weekday afternoon).
        Ray's partner, Joe Paulson, just looked at him and shrugged.
        The two policemen entered the shop, hoping someone was home to ans-
wer their questions.  They had been sent to check on the owner of the store
after one of his neighbors reported some "weird behavior".
        Suddenly, Joe was hit by something behind him and falls unconscious.
Standing over him was someone who could have been the spitting image of the
comics store owner if not for the blue skin, hair, and clothing, and slightly
pointed ears.  The facial features, while a lot like those of the comics shop
owner, were also partly someone else's, and was a lot more menacing than the
shop owner could ever do.
        Ray pulled his pistol out of it's holster and pointed it at the man.
"Hold it right there, sir!  You're under arrest!"
        The blue man just looked at him, then smiled.  "You're probably going
to arrest the comics shop owner for assaulting an officer, aren't you?", he
said.  "Well, see if I care.  You can have him."  And with that said, the
blue man began to blur, and seemed to be splitting.  One of the two forms
that came out of the shift was the comics shop owner, back to normal colors,
but unconscious.  The other looked more like the man that had been standing
there a moment before.  "Besides, I've got a better body to use."
        And with that said, he picked up the unconscious Joe, and seemed
to merge with it.  Like before, the combination had blue skin, hair, and clo-
thing, but it was now that of the police officer trapped inside the body.
        "Joe?", Ray asked.  "You in there?"
        "No, Joe's not in here.", said the new figure, who looked like a
cross between Joe and the person who 'merged' with him.  "He's still uncon-
scious.  *I* am in control."  He pulled out Joe's gun from "his" holster and
pointed it at Ray.  "And you are dead."
        And then he shot Ray.
        Looking to the sky, the blue-skinned two-person merger laughed, then
shouted "Pliable Lad!  I'm coming for you!!!", before leaving the room.


        [Pliable Lad (tm) Mike Escutia.  Organic Lass (tm) Rebecca Drayer.
Panta put in an appearance with absolutely no involvement at all from the guy
who holds her (tm), Hubert Bartels.  But, hey, we're talking CAMEOS here, y'
know.]

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