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"So where is he?"

"I dunno, but he'd better hurry up. We're being watched."

"How can you tell?"

"Heck, even *I* know when we're being watched. Who said that, anyway?"

"I have no idea. Without our Narrator, I can't even tell if I'm saying this
or if you are. Are you?"

"This is ridiculous. We need someone to narrate. With nobody as Narrator,
how are we--?"

"Say that again!"

"Uh, with nobody to narrate... oh. Oh, no. Not that!"

                         Teen Team #17
                How We Spent Summer's Vacation
                        Chapter Three
                              or
                       Nobody to Narrate
                              by
                         Mason Kramer
                  mkramer@mail.tea.texas.gov
                      Comments Welcome

"Look, I don't know if it's going to work! Just try it, okay?" begged
Mental, staring imploringly where I had stood a moment ago. Slowly, the
people in the room realized that it was working.

"It's working!" cried Mirror Maid. "Nobody, I could kiss you!"

No you couldn't. But enough of that. Mason noticed a piece of paper by the
door. He bent and picked it up, and read it aloud. "If you ever want your
Narrator back, come to the Plaza-where-the-C-Building-is Plaza tonight at
12:00. Bwa-hah-ha. The Beach Bunny."

"The C Building? Isn't that where CalForce hangs out?" asked Daydream
Believer through the hole in the wall.

Summer answered, "Yeah. Hey, maybe we can get their help in getting our
Narrator back!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" exclaimed Mighty Dog as he headed out a new
hole in the wall.

Mighty Dog had been the one to suggest California for the vacation. He'd
always wanted to meet Mighty Guy for some reason, and after Boston had been
even more interested in seeing him again for some reason. What this was,
know one knew.

While I was reminiscing, the rest of the Teen Team had made their ways out
the door. Sighing, I flew after them, hoping they wouldn't get to the C
Building before I did.

 -

As it turned out, I was first to arrive. I guess Mighty Dog overshot his
target. As usual. The rest of the Team was not far behind, however, and they
went into the lobby.

Summer slowed up as the others approached the elevators. "Uh, you guys go on
ahead. I'll catch up in just a sec, okay?" She nodded her head in the
direction of the ladies room as she said this. The various Team members
nodded, and the doors to the elevator closed.

"C'mon, we have *got* to see this!" Summer exclaimed.

But I'm not allowed in the ladies--

"Not that! I read about those elevators in Superguy Review three years ago.
If you think I'm getting on them, you've got another think to think!" she
said, heading back out to the street.

A man flew out of the C Building from somewhere near the top.

"Hey, is that Rad?" asked Summer as she changed from being a cute teenage
girl into being a cool-looking set of anime armor.

Looks like him.

Summer took to the air, aiming for the hangar that Rad recently vacated.
"Huh. Wonder if the Sun Worshipers know he's back?" she rhetorically asked.

She paused at the entrance to the hangar and shouted, "HAL! It's Summer? Can
I come in?" The doors opened, and Summer flew through, heading for the
elevators. The doors closed. I waited.

Uh, I'm the Narrator for this episode, and possibly others.

The doors opened again, and I entered. I arrived at the elevators, to see
that Summer had already changed back into, for lack of a better description,
herself. Apparently, I was just in time, as three of the elevators opened,
and members of the Teen Team spilled from each. Two of them, I noticed, fell
from the ceiling of one of the elevators. All of them headed for the
conveniently located basin, where they spilled their guts, or at least the
contents thereof.

<<Hello, Summer,>> a modulated voice came over the speaker. <<I did not
realize that you were working with the Teen Team at this time.>>

"Yeah, just since Team M.E.C.H.A. broke up. Sorry I haven't been in touch,
but their leader keeps me busy."

<<That is quite understandable.>> The camera focused in on the members of
the Team, who were involved in cleaning themselves off. <<Excuse me, but
which one of you is Dave?>>

Phobos looked at Mental, who looked at Phobos. They pointed at each other.
They looked puzzled, then pointed at themselves. They replied, "Huh?"

<<I have a message from Jenny,>> HAL said. Instantly, the Team members said,
"It's for Phobos!" save for Phobos, who was busy gulping behind his mask.
<<I could play it back for you, if you would like.>>

"Uh, er, that is, uh..." Phobos stuttered.

"What he means is, by all means, play it," Daydream Believer smirked. Phobos
shot her a withering look.

A new voice came over the speaker, this time a voice that all the Teen Team
was familiar with, a soft, breathy soprano. "Hello, Phobos. I just wanted to
let you know that it's very... lonely here without you. I really hope you
are able to cut your mission short and return home. I've hardly seen you
lately, with all the time you spent first in Boston, and now in California.
Please, come home to me."

Mirror Maid glared angrily at the speaker. Somehow, it was hard to be
jealous of a computer, but she could try, darnit!

"Uh, thank you, HAL. Er, no return message, okay? But listen," Phobos said,
eager to change the subject, "that's not why we came! We've got a big
problem, right guys?"

"Right!" came the chorus from behind him, marred only by Daydream Believer's
barely heard comment, "You mean besides your love life?"

Mental broke in with, "Our narrator has been kidnapped, and we were hoping
that CalForce might be able to aid us in recovering him. Is anyone
available?"

<<No, Dave, CalForce is not available at this time. They are currently in
Belgium attempting to rescue Dave from kidnappers.>>

"Which Dave?"

<<Leader Dave's brother Dave.>> HAL paused, then said, <<There seems to be a
common thread of kidnappings occurring in the Altiverse of late. I wonder if
there is some connecting factor?>> A few nanoseconds later, he answered
himself, <<There is no correlation that I can detect.>>

Mental said, "Well, that's too bad. We'll just have to take on Beach Bunny
without their help." He glanced out the window. "Er, would it be all right
if we waited here until we're supposed to meet her? It'd be easier to
monitor the meeting site from here..."

HAL processed the request. While the Teen Team was currently Status Level
Budweiser, Summer was Status Level Bass Ale. He considered contacting
CalForce and requesting a change in level for the Teen Team, but decided
that they were too busy with their own concerns. He contacted his Author
instead, who bopped him on the keyboard and told him to leave him alone
about plot and characters and such while he was working on yet another plan
to become prankmeister of the Noj. HAL decided it was up to him.

<<Summer, I believe you know which areas are acceptable and which are not?>>

"Same as the virtual tour you gave me a few months back, right?"

<<That is correct. These areas include the monitoring station, if you would
like to make use of this.>>

Summer grinned. "That sounds most excellent, HAL. Thanks."

And so the Teen Team moved to the monitoring station, there to await
midnight and (dramatic pause) Beach Bunny.

WHY HAS EVERY EPISODE SINCE NOBODY RETURNED ENDED WITH A DRAMATIC PAUSE?

IS THE KIDNAPPING OF THE NARRATOR A MORE IMPORTANT PROBLEM THAN PHOBOS' LOVE
LIFE?

AT FOURTEEN, IS PHOBOS ALOWED TO HAVE A LOVE LIFE?

WILL THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE TEEN TEAM AND BEACH BUNNY BE A GOOD ONE, OR JUST
ANOTHER ANTICLIMACTIC CLIMAX?

WHY IS THIS EPISODE SO SHORT?

None of this, and the definitive "Who's got a Crush on Who guide to the Teen
Team" next episode, only on SUPERGUY, where a kid can be a kid!

mkramer@mail.tea.texas.gov or masonk@tenet.edu::::Geek Code 2.1:
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