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No Compromises Part 2
By Paul A. Metcalfe
August
2nd - early am
The
quietness enveloping Leo and Inez Wong as they slept was shattered by
the shrill ringing of the bedside telephone.
"Get
that Leo, so I can go to sleep again," mumbled Inez as she
looked through sleepy eyes in the direction of the telephone.
"Wong
Ranch, this had better not be a wong number," said a sleepy Leo.
"Listen
very carefully, I shall say this only once," a soft melodious
voice replied.
"Uh!"
replied Leo shaking his head in an effort to wake up.
"We
have kidnapped your daughter Amy and her friend Leela, and are
demanding $5 million for their safe return."
"You
have done what?" Leo repeated as he tried to comprehend what had
just been said.
"What
is happening?" asked Inez as she nudged him in the ribs.
"Someone
saying they kidnapped Amy and her one-eyed friend," he said
holding his hand over the receiver.
"Listen
to me very carefully, the money must deposited in a secure container
at the back of the Blernsball Pitch in New Central Park before
midnight tomorrow, or else you'll never see them again"
threatened the caller.
Before
Leo could reply to threat, Inez grabbed the telephone from his grasp
and yelled "We just want Amy, the other is of no concern."
"Then
pay the money," sounded the cool response.
"Can't
we give part of Buggalo herd instead?" answered Leo who had
wrestled the receiver back.
"No
compromises, just the money, or else." said the caller before
they put the telephone down.
Leo
looked at Inez for a couple of seconds, before dialing the number to
New New York's Police Chief to report the matter to him.
****
Later
that morning.
Fry's
personal alarm clock, better known as Bender, crashed his way into
his apartment closet, which doubled as Fry's bedroom and general
lounge area.
"Morning
Skin tube, you alive yet?" he yelled while tugging the
sheet that covered Fry's body.
"Jeez
Bender, you ruined my dream about Leela," responded a slightly
sleepy and annoyed Fry.
"That's
all you EVER DO, is dream about Leela," said Bender as he sat on
the couch, and turned the TV on.
"This
is Linda Cavanagh and Morbo, with the latest news here on the early
morning edition of Square Root 2 News. This morning's headline, Amy
Wong, daughter of the Mars Wongs, has been kidnapped"
"Did
I hear that correctly?" asked Fry.
"You
have ears don't you, use them better," responded Bender.
"It's
over to our ace reporter, Stephen Reid, with the latest news from
outside her apartment." The picture on the TV switched from the
studio to a tall, dark blonde male news reporter.
"Sometime
last night, Amy Wong was kidnapped from her apartment in the building
behind me," reported Stephen as pictures of Amy faded into view
on the right hand side of the screen.
"Chief
of Police, Theris Bracken will make a statement later on today, after
they have ascertained who took Miss Wong. There is a rumor of a
ransom demand being made, but this is not confirmed or denied at
present. Now back to the studio."
"Thank
you, Stephen, for that report, what do you think of this Morbo?"
asked Linda
Deep
laugh, "So, humans will pay money for their lost children.
Morbo's people will make much profit from this!" He ends with
another evil laugh.
"Thank
you Morbo, now onto the next item"
"I
hope Leela is all right, she was with Amy yesterday," said Fry
as he turned the TV off.
"She'll
be okay," came the reassuring response.
"I'd
better call her," said Fry as he got up and headed towards the
telephone. Just as he placed his hand on the receiver, it started to
ring.
"Hi,
this is Fry" as he placed the earpiece to the side of his head.
"Fry
mon, get your lazy ass to work, Amy is missing, and we need a meeting
about it," came Hermes' voice.
"Yeah,
I just saw it on the tube."
"I'm
trying to contact Leela, but she's not answering, so I guess she's on
her way to work."
"I
hope so, anyhoo, see you shortly" as he placed the telephone
back down.
"Who
was that?" asked Bender.
"Hermes,
he wants us at work, now," answered Fry as he began to get
dressed.
****
Hidden
amongst the boxes of Mom's Robot Oil in the back of the truck, were
three figures. One, a robot, stood up with its back to the side of
the truck. On the floor, sat next to the robot was a pink sweat
suited female figure with arms and legs firmly bound together and a
bootless, bound, and gagged female figure was laid carelessly on the
floor.
"OK,
you two best keep quiet… well one of you keep quiet," said
X-Bot as first Amy and then Leela started to regain consciousness in
the back if the truck.
"What's
happening to me?" asked Amy, as she struggled to move her arms.
"You're
being held to ransom for five million dollars by the Robot Mafia,"
he answered.
"You
mean I've been Cutenapped?"
"Yeah,
and we 'kidnapped' the cyclops."
"You've
got Leela as well, but why?"
"She
interfered in our plans, and we couldn't leave her as a witness."
"Mmmmph,"
said Leela through the gag, as she rolled around the floor in effort
to free herself, as she rolled into a face down position, the gag
over her mouth got caught on a discarded piece of tin, and ripped it
a little bit.
"Leela,
you all right," asked a concerned Amy.
"I
am bound and gagged you dummy, what do you think?", Leela
responded once she'd rolled back onto her side.
"If
I was you, I'd conserve my energy, you could be like that for a long
while," advised X-Bot.
"Leela,
even you can't undo that tape without help," said Amy as she
gave up on her struggle against the tape.
"Amy,
don't you tell me what to do."
"OK,
but you are not in charge, are you?"
A
few seconds later, a slightly muffled but audible sigh came from
Leela as she stopped rolling around the floor of the truck, and
looked balefully up at Amy and X-Bot.
"I
guess you are right for once, Amy." followed by a sigh of
resignation.
"Now,
if you promise not to try that again, I'll sit you up next to your
friend for the rest of the journey" said X-Bot.
"OK.
I won't try again," despondently responded Leela.
X-Bot
stood up, walked over to Leela, picked her up, and then placed her
sitting upright next to Amy.
"We've
a long journey. I suggest you try to keep you friend calm, she looks
like she might try to do something, that would do herself harm"
he said addressing Amy.
"OK.
I'll try, but she can be stubborn. OUCH!" answered Amy, as Leela
managed to head-butt her shoulder.
****
Bender
and Fry arrived at the main door to Planet Express, the sign on the
inside of the door still reading "Sorry, We're Closed!" Fry
pushed the doors open and then him and Bender entered the building
and headed towards the Conference Area.
"Here
are my good friends Fry and Bender," said Zoidberg as they
entered.
"Anyone
seen Leela?" asked Fry, as he looked around and noticed two
empty chairs.
"Maybe
she's caught up in the Tubes," answered Hermes
"Yeah,
I'm just worried about her, this not like her to be late"
"She
is a human female, they are allowed to be late" interjected
Zoidberg
"Cram
a toothpick in it, ya mutant appetizer!" yelled Hermes
"OK,
I was trying to be helpful" came the sorrowful reply
"Sweet
Bat of Muscat, he's attempting the impossible" sarcastically
responded Hermes.
"Hermes,
Zoidberg, shut up, I thought this was about Amy" shouted Fry
"Yeah,
shut your holes, or old Bender will do it for you" Bender added.
"Oh
my yes, let's sort of this problem with Amy. Where is she?"
asked the professor as he walked into the conference area.
"You
daft old coot, she's been kidnapped. I told you earlier"
replied Hermes.
"You
did?" he answered and then turned and looked at the others "Now
off you go, and deliver a consignment of High Tension string to the
Planet Tanglelot!"
"Leela
isn't here yet, so how can we do the delivery?" queried a
fraught looking Fry
"Leela
is missing as well? you never said anything" queried the
Professor looking at Hermes
"Leela
is only late at the moment, she is not missing" sternly
responded Hermes.
"Have
you tried to contact her communicator?" asked Fry anxiously.
"No
actually I haven't, I'll go and do dat now" Hermes said as he
turned away from the table and headed out of the conference room.
"Oh
my, I'll have to create a new intern, with a built-in photon cannon
and an unlimited appetite for human brains..." mumbled the
Professor
The
room fell into a stunned silence while everyone stared aghast at what
had just been said.
"Err
Professor, Amy isn't dead." a slightly stunned Fry responded
"Uh,
what? You still here, you're meant to be on a delivery."
"Well,
t'ings are even worse now, Leela is not answering" announced
Hermes on his return.
"I'm
going to look for her" said Fry as he got out of his chair
"Dat's
all well and good, but where do you start?"
"I'll
visit her parents first and then I'll try her apartment"
"OK,
but put dis on your arm first, so we can contact you" said
Hermes as he handed over a wrist communicator.
"OK,
but Bender is coming with me." answered Fry looking hopefully at
his metallic friend.
"Yeah,
yeah, rely on machines to do all your work, nothing changes"
responded Bender.
"A
Doctor might be needed?" a hopeful looking Zoidberg added.
"Zoidberg
you can go as well, dat's de first good t'ing you've ever said"
chuckled Hermes.
"Hooray,
Zoidberg will be useful! I need to get something first."
"OK,
meet us at Leela's Apartment, we'll go and see her parents first.
Maybe she's just visiting them" replied Fry
****
The
lean, gaunt figure of Theris Bracken sat behind a desk, in his office
on the 25th floor of the New New York Police Headquarers. Looking
across at the three Police Officers he had recently called in, to
discuss the Amy Wong Case.
"Officer
Doyle, what exactly do we now know about this kidnapping?"
"Sir,
after an extensive search of the victim's apartment, we now think
that two persons have been taken not of their own free will",
answered Michael Doyle in his thick Irish accent.
"Two?
We've only had a report for Miss Wong."
"Sir,
there was two wrist communicators and a pair of Grey Boots found on
the floor of her bedroom, the boots are at least a size larger, after
comparing with the ones we found in the wardrobe." interjected
the brown curly haired Officer Zach Conaway.
"OK,
so have we any idea, as to who the Jane Doe is?"
"At
the moment, forensics are examining the communicators and boots for
evidence." the feminine figure of Officer Carina Roche replied.
"OK,
have we any idea as to who perpetrated this crime?"
"Sorry
Sir, until forensics are finished, we have no idea." she
responded
"Inez
and Leo Wong have been told that their daughter is being held to
ransom for the sum of $5 million, they are going to pay the money to
free her."
"Both
of them, or just Miss Wong?" asked Doyle
"Just
Amy, she is their daughter."
"So
what do we do about the other one?" a concerned Doyle enquired
"If
you or the forensics team can get me a name of the other woman, then
I can assign more officers to this investigation"
"OK,
I'll go and try and help forensics" said Roche as she left the
room.
"You
two, go and keep an eye on the Robot Mafia, with Smitty and URL"
ordered the Chief.
"Yes
Sir", replied both officers, then turned and left Theris Bracken
to mull over the proceedings of the morning.
****
August
2nd - early afternoon
Orbiting
the planet Galantron, the crew of The Nimbus were keeping a wary eye
open for Space Pirates, who had been mercilessly attacking the local
trading ships.
"Kif,
go and see if the tailor has my new Velour Gloves ready for wearing"
ordered Zapp
"But,
Captain, I thought you need everyone at battle alert",
spluttered Kif
"You
will be on duty, I'm temporarily assigning you to a more important
task"
"OK,
I'll go and check", as he bent his head in dismay, and headed
into the corridors.
"Weapons
officer, target that large metal object and fire a missile at it"
commanded Zapp.
"Sir,
if we blow that up, the Galantron's will not be happy, that's their
primary communication satellite" Weapons Officer Wolff
responded.
"Well,
find something to shoot at then, that's why we are here!"
Kif
was walking past the main recreation area, when he stopped suddenly,
turned around and ran in as the end of a News Bulletin caught his
attention.
"Did
I hear that Amy Wong has been kidnapped?" he anxiously asked the
crew members who were watching the HDTV screen.
"Yeah,
you did, someone is holding her to ransom of 5 million dollars"
a brown haired crewman responded
"Did
they say who?"
"The
Police have no idea at the moment, why do you want to know?"
"She's
my first girlfriend, and I don't want to lose her" he responded
before turning around and rushed towards his quarters, with a tears
starting to appear from his eyes.
"Her
and him, that's got to be a joke" the crewman said nudging his
friend in the ribs.
“Or
she is in desperate need of a REAL man” came the cruel reply
****
Theris
Bracken sat in his chair, pondering over his computer monitor, which
was showing him, constantly updated information of the Amy Wong
kidnapping.
“I
guess, I'd better contact her parents, and see if they have decided
what to do about the ransom money” he muttered to the monitor.
“PDATS,
connect me to Leo and Inez Wong, please” he said to the monitor.
The
Police Department Advanced Telephone System, altered the image to
show the relevant numbers being dialled, and then after a few
seconds, the image of Leo Wong appeared.
“How's
the hunt for our daughter going?” asked Leo Wong, before the
usual greetings could be exchanged.
“The
investigation is progressing nicely, we've got the Forensics team,
looking for clues to the kidnappers, as well as trying to find out
who the other person with her was” as answered in a calm manner
“You
don't know, who has our daughter and her friend Layla, yet?”
came the irritable response
“Layla,
is that the name of her friend”, asked Bracken as her wrote it
onto a sheet of paper.
“She's
a work colleague with one eye, from Planet Express, the captain”
came the answer.
“Thank
you, Mr. Wong that information was helpful. Have you made a decision
about paying the ransom?”
“We
are going to pay the ransom for our Amy, then she can go about
finding a real man, and giving us grandchildren.”
“So
you are going to pay, what about this Layla, she's involved as well?”
“We
don't care about her, she's not our concern.”
“That's
not a nice thing to say, she is your daughters friend, maybe the
ransom is for both of them?”
“She
only say, that the ransom is for Amy” a woman's voice
interjected on the telephone”
“The
kidnapper is a WOMAN!” was Bracken's surprised response.
“The
person who contacted was female, we know no more” answered Leo
“That
is more vital information. Thank you for your time, I'll contact you
later on today, to help organise the drop-off of the ransom” he
said, as he closed the connection.
****
After
descending the ladder that led from New New York into the ruins of
Old New York, Fry and Bender were greeted by a couple of unhappy
mutants.
"So
you've come to invade our little society again" said Blinkus,
her four eyes blinking one after the other at them.
"No,
we've come to find Leela's parents, she’s missing" answered
Fry
"Leela,
the first mutant to make a success up there, wish it was me"
wistfully answered Gutini, pointing all five arms towards the roof of
the sewer.
"Yeah
freak, and she's better off up there" responded Bender
"Bender,
that doesn't help, we really need to find Leela's parents." said
Fry first looking at Bender then back at Blinkus
"We'll
take you there, as Leela is involved and providing he doesn't cause
any trouble" unhappily replied Blinkus, while Gutini pointed at
Bender.
They
set off into one of the many dank and dark tunnels, picking their way
carefully around any loose garbage and other unsanitary items. After
taking countless left and right turns, they came upon a four way
intersection, which had the drain cover open and the sky providing
some much needed light.
“Sheesh,
how much further is it?” asked Fry, all this rain is making my
jacket wet.
“That’s
not rain, well not as you know it”, replied Gutini with a grin.
“We
have to go straight on here, and them it’s about another 3
tunnels away” added Blinkus, as she briefly looked at Fry,
before setting off up the tunnel.
A
couple of hundred metres into the tunnel, Blinkus stopped. Fry still
not used to the lack of light, crashed straight into the back of her.
“Whatya
stop for?” asked Fry
“Sorry,
I thought I saw something new of interest down here, but I was wrong,
it’s just another Slurm Can” she replied before continuing
on.
"Here
you are, this is where they live." said Blinkus after they had
left the last dark tunnel, and walked across large cleared out area
to the front of an Old New York shop.
"Thank
you, hopefully they can help" replied Fry
"We'll
wait here, until you're finished, then we'll guide you back to your
entrance point" said Gutini
Fry
knocked on the rotting wooden door, and stood back, a couple of
seconds later, a purple haired cyclops appeared.
"Can
you help us, your daughter Leela is missing" asked Fry, before
Maurice could get a greeting in.
"What
do you mean, missing?" he asked
"Well,
she never turned up for work this morning"
"What
is it darling?" asked Maurice's wife
"Leela
never went to work which is unusual"
"What
do we do?" a look of concern crossing her face
"She's
not down here, or at least she hasn't been to see us" answered
Maurice first looking at his wife and then at Fry and Bender.
"We're
going to her apartment, can you search down here?"
"Gutini,
you're good at finding things you're not meant to, go and see if
Leela is in the neighbourhood or got lost trying to get here."
"OK,
I'll be back as soon as possible, I'll try and get some of the others
to help me" he said as he ran off into the sewers.
"Thank
you" said Fry.
"Now
you can go and check her apartment, we can only access the bedroom,
to check if she is OK, so we'll let you know that way."
instructed Maurice, then he turned to Blinkus, “Take them to the
entrance closest to Leela’s Apartment, I’ve shown which one
that is before.”
“OK,
we’ll go now!” she answered and then started down the
suburban street.
"Uh,
OK and thanks Maurice" Fry said as Blinkus beckoned for them to
follow her.
“He’s
a nice young man, he did save our lives and he obviously loves our
beautiful daughter” said Leela’s Mom to her husband, when
the three were out of earshot.
“Yes,
but he’s not Leela’s type, which is a shame” Maurice
responded, and then they walked back into their house.
****
NNY
Police Officer Carina Roche knocked on the closed door of the
Forensic Labs, while making a mental
note of the occupants name, a couple of seconds later the top of
Chief Forensic Officer Holly Brickley's head appeared at the hatch.
"Can
I help you?" she asked a slight Irish inflection in her voice
"I'm
Officer Roche, here to assist you with the Amy Wong case"
"Ahh
and how do you intend do that?"
"Well,
I was on the search party, and I did find the communicators, plus an
extra pair of eyes may spot something different"
"Ahh,
so you are the Roche who found them, come in then" as Brickley
unlocked the door and opened it.
"Thank
you, so how can I help?"
"On
the bench over there, are a pair of grey boots that an Officer Doyle
brought in earlier, they don't belong to Miss Wong, maybe you can
re-analyse them, in case we missed anything" Brickley said
pointing to the other end of the lab.
"Sure,
I've done detailed examinations on other cases" she replied as
she headed past tables full of items waiting to be examined.
"If
you find anything, just yell, I'll be here checking out these
communicators for anything stored on them, once I get past this
password encryption that’s been bugging me for hours now"
Officer
Roche sat down and then put on a pair of latex gloves, before picking
up the left boot and looking at it. “Wow, not the comfiest
footwear I’ve ever seen, but practical”, she thought to
herself.
Reaching
down with her right hand, she picked up a pair of tweezers and gently
undid the Velcro straps, making a quick check with a magnifying glass
for anything that could be construed as potential evidence.
“OK,
nothing on the straps, now I need to check the inside of the boot”
she thought out a little bit loudly.
“Officer
Roche, if you go with the boots through the door on the other side of
the desk, there’s the latest NNYPD’s X-Ray Machine with DNA
enhancing imagery, use that if you want. There are very good and
easy to follow instructions on it .. for once!” Brickley yelled
across the room.
“Thanks
Holly, I’ll give it a shot. Call me Carina, Officer Roche is
too formal for an office this size” as she picked up the boot
and started around the table.
“OK,
Carina it is. I think I’ve partially cracked Miss Wong’s
password, it’s 5 characters long and starts with K and has an F
in it.”
“Just
an idea. try and find out if she has a current or former boyfriend,
or a close relative, she may have used that, some people still do use
stupid passwords like that” as she closed the door on entering
the X-Ray room.
****
As
soon as Fry and Bender exited the sewers about a block from Leela's
Apartment, narrowly avoiding being run over by a van passing over the
top, they set off at a fast pace down the crowded New New York
street, narrowly avoiding collisions with other pedestrians on
numerous occasions.
"Here
we are Bender, this is Leela's Apartment Block" a breathless Fry
struggled to say
"Ok
meatbag, which floor does she live on"
"First
floor apartment, 1i"
They
entered the building and walked up the stairs to the first floor.
Arriving at her front door, Fry knocked on it and after receiving no
response, knocked again.
"Leela,
you in there?" he anxiously yelled
"Well
Fry, looks like old one eye isn't here, let's go get drunk"
Bender suggested as he turned around and started down the stairs.
"Bender,
she could be seriously hurt in there, we have to get in"
"Not
that it matters to me, you humans are too caring"
"She
could be unconscious and can't raise help, can't you do something?"
frantically yelled Fry down the stairs.
"OK,
but you owe me some booze for this, buddy" replied Bender as he
turned around and walked back up the stairs.
"Thanks
Bender"
"Don't
thank me yet, we're not in there" said Bender as he opened his
chest door and stuck his hand in.
A
couple of seconds later he held up a small black box, which he placed
in front of the security pad, and pressed a button, a light blue beam
emitted from it, raced up and down the panel, and then a click was
heard.
"OK,
door's open, let's go find her" Bender announced, as he pushed
it open.
"Leela,
you alright in here?" yelled Fry as he shot past Bender and into
the apartment, and then just beyond the door stopped, as one of his
most prized memories came flooding back.
“What
ya stopped here for?” asked Bender as he closed the door behind
him, and looked around at the empty white walls.
“I
just remembered the last time I was here, it seems like yesterday,
when me and Leela, nearly, well you know” he answered blushing
slightly.
“Leela,
you and those Worms, what a combination” through a robotic
chuckle
“Bender,
you’re right, but something happened between me and Leela then”
“You’re
Alright now, though, everything is normal” responded Bender
patting him on the shoulder.
“I’ll
go and check for her in the bedroom, you search the bathroom and
kitchen, OK” asked Fry.
“OK,
Buddy, but she ain’t here” he answered as he walked towards
the kitchen area.
Fry
cautiously walked towards the bedroom door, and gently knocked on it.
After waiting a few seconds and getting no response, he gently
pushed it, and after it had fully opened, walked in, with eyes
closed.
“Leela,
you in here, he asked” after a couple of seconds, then slowly
opened his eyes, in case his worst fears were confirmed.
“Phew,
she’s not dead” he sighed, as he realised that the bedroom
was empty, and hadn’t been used in the last few hours. To make
certain, he checked under the bed, inside her wardrobe.
“Bender,
any luck?” he yelled.
“Nothing
yet, Skintube”
“She’s
not down here either”, a voice came through a grille just above
the headboard said.
“Whaa!
Ghosts!” yelped Fry.
“It’s
Maurice, Leela’s Dad, we’ve checked our area, there is no
sign of her, we daren’t help anymore, otherwise her secret will
be revealed, let us know if you find her.”
“Where
are you?” asked Fry looking all around at speed.
“In
the wall, at the end of her bed, there’s a little grille. This
is how make certain, she’s safe.”
“You
saw us that night?” asked Fry, his mind temporarily wandering
off.
“Would
it worry you if we had? I’ve got to get back home, otherwise I
maybe caught” answered Maurice, as his voice started to fade
into the distance.
“You
talking to yourself, again?” asked Bender as he walked in.
“No,
I just found out the Leela isn’t in Old New York, and she’s
not here either” his voice starting to break up.
“Now
we go for that booze then?”
“Bender,
Leela is missing and I may never see her again” he started to
sob, as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Never
Fear, Sherlock Zoidberg is here" came a raucous yell as the
bedroom door opened.
Fry
turned around, a smile slowly crept across his face at the sight of
Zoidberg wearing a Deerstalker hat, holding a Calabash Pipe to his
mouth in Holmesian manner, while looking at Bender through a
magnifying glass with the other claw.
“Oh
my Robotic Gods, look what walked in” said Bender
“Zoidberg,
why are you dressed like T. J. Hooker?” asked Fry wiping tears
away from his eyes.
“I'm
here to find Amy.”
“Leela
is missing as well, she hasn't been home since yesterday”
“Oh,
the complications, well Amy and Leela then”
“Where
do you suggest we go?” asked Fry
“The
scene of the crime, Amy's apartment, my dear Watson, our carriage
awaits” replied Zoidberg throwing himself into the part, before
exiting the apartment.
“He's
gone nuts,” said Bender, as both of them followed the detective.
****
“Where
is that lay-about called Kif?” asked Zapp, when he finally
noticed that he had not returned.
“I
‘ave no idea Sir” a French-Canadian accented voice from
behind him responded
“Well,
go and find him, my hands are getting dirty with no gloves on”
“Oui,
Mon Capitan!” responded Private Henri Joyeaux as he mock saluted
Zapp and left the bridge.
“Wolff,
find us something to shoot at, this patrol need spicing up a little”
order Zapp.
“Aye
Aye Sir”, responded the blonde haired, bespectacled Weapons
Officer, as he studied his radar a little closer than usual. Out of
the corner of his left eye he spotted three unusual green dots start
to appear and head towards the middle.
“Sir,
three presumed enemy at 9pm” he turned and yelled
“Good,
that gives me plenty of time for a pre-battle snack” responded
Zapp, looking up at the clock on the wall.
“Sir,
I mean they will be attacking out Port side any moment, not that they
will be here at 9pm” answered the shocked looking Wolff.
“That’s
inconvenient of them, no matter. Let’s see them on the view
screen then”
Wolff
pressed some button on his control panel, and the view screen
shimmered slightly as the focus changed to show three large ships,
shaped like ancient pirate ships, flying in on an attack vector, with
weapons armed and pointing straight at The Nimbus.
The
whistling form of Private Joyeaux entered the main recreation area of
The Nimbus.
“Oi,
Frenchie give it a break, that gets on my nerves” a male voice
yelled as he walked past a table.
“Sorry,
but I love to whistle, it keeps me going” he responded with a
quick dismissive wave of his hand. Then stopping and turning to face
the person who had yelled at him “’ave you seen ze bosses
lap-dog, Kif Kroeker?”
“Yeah,
he went left here a while back, he was in tears over his girlfriend
is missing or something.”
“Sacre
Blue, zat is bad news, you know where he went?”
“I
think he mumbled something about wanting to be alone, maybe he’s
in his quarters?”
“Merci,
mon friend, I’ll go and look”, Joyeaux answered before
starting up his whistling and walking back out into the corridor.
“Sir,
2 incoming missiles detected” Wolff yelped from his position, as
a pair of small green dots, emerged from the slightly larger ones on
the radar screen.
“Fire
two missiles to intercept them” ordered Zapp.
“You
want me to fire missiles at missiles, all I have to do is press this
button and our external anti-invasion missile device will do the job”
advised Wolff.
“Ok,
hit the button if it makes you happier, then fire our missile at the
ships.”
Wolff
gladly pressed the EAIM button and watched as the two smaller green
dots blinked out, then quickly targeted two of the three invading
ships and fired off a couple of missiles, in retaliation.
“Captain,
a incoming transmission from the leader of the opposing force”
announced the female Communications Officer.
“Put
them through, let me see the whites of their eyes” answered Zapp
attempting a bit of bravado.
The
viewscreen shimmered again, to reveal a haggard and heavily scarred
face. Zapp made an involuntary shudder in shock at the sight.
“Avast,
I am Captain Blackeye, of the Intergalaxial Pirate Force, what are
you defending those land-lubbers for?”
“I
am the famous Zapp Brannigan, who has defeated more then enemies than
you have fingers.”
“Ahh,
Captain Brannigan, the idiot who blew up the DOOP Headquarters with a
laser gun.”
“That
is a wild and dangerous statement, my friend, I just .. err,
accidentally hit the wrong button” answered Zapp, ignoring the
other crews member slapping their heads at the blatant lie he just
told.
“Not
what we heard, but why are you the “FAMOUS” Zapp Brannigan,
here?”
“To
stop the likes of you, robbing these poor people”
“These,
poor people attacked us first, this is pure revenge” answered
Blackeye as he appeared to lean closer to the viewscreen. Zapp
shrank back into his chair, as if his opponent was going to eat him.
“I
.err .. didn’t know this “ Zapp responded clearly caught
off guard by this revelation.
“We
advise you to leave, or be destroyed with them, to prove our
sincerity, watch the Satellite, you’ve been near carefully.”,
a quick motion of an arm, and the viewscreen turned towards the
satellite, as a missile hit it and destroyed it.
“Err,
why did you do that?” asked a shocked Zapp
“To
prove, that we are not to be meddled with, as you are one ship
against our superior force, I suggest you leave … NOW!”
“I
only count 3 ships, you’re bluffing” shot back Zapp with an
attempt at Bravado, to keep the slowly ebbing Morale high on the
bridge.
“I
suggest that you check again, I think you maybe surprised”
Blackeye leered into the viewscreen.
“Captain,
can confirm another 20 – 30 blips have appeared on the radar”
announced Wolff anticipating Zapp’s next and obvious question.
Before
Zapp could respond to this information, the door to the bridge opened
and in walked a non-whistling Private Joyeaux, his arm around the
shoulders of a still sobbing Kif.
“Capitan,
I ‘ave found monsieur Kroker, he is upset.”
“What
have you done now?” asked Zapp as Kif sat on his usual chair.
“His
girlfriend, Aimeé, is kidnapped, he is too upset to talk”,
answered Joyeaux, giving Kif one last sympathetic pat on the
shoulder, before returning to his seat.
“So
you’ve lost the love of your life? Unlike me who never has
one!” said Zapp with a sorrowful look in his face.
“Captain,
I hate to interrupt you, but the opposing fleet is now 40 strong,
what do we do?” asked Wolff
“I
don’t know, fire all weapons at them or something.”
“If
we do that, we’ll die.”
“Then
we’ll die knowing we did something brave, except for Kif, he
won’t notice.”
The
normally pale yellow of Kif’s eyes, seemed to darken a little
bit as he lifted his head out of hands and looked up at Zapp, a faint
look of anger crossing his mouth.
“You
are an OAF!” he said slowly his eyes wide and now a distinct
bright orange, his skin the darkest green anyone had ever seen.
“All
you think about is death and glory and trying to get into women,
which you are useless at. You only got Leela, because she felt sorry
for you” he continued, totally ignoring the flabbergasted look
on Zapp’s Face.
“If
you really care about anything or anyone, then we get the HELL out of
here, or are you going to do like you did on the Titanic and put me
in charge, while you whimper off and use an Escape Pod, AGAIN!”
he yelled straight into Zapp’s ears.
“Kif,
calm down, he can have you locked up for this” said a stunned,
shocked and half-astounded Wolff.
“I
don’t care, all I want is to get my AMY found, not die under the
orders of a complete waste of .a .. errr. whatever he classifies
as”, he answered thrusting one of his fingers into Zapp’s
throat.
A
chuckling from the view screen got their attention. “This is
excellent, I like this little green man, he shows a sense of loyalty
to a woman, I haven’t seen in a while. I’ll do you a deal,
if you leave now, we won’t hinder your progress. Delay or
attempt to attack us, and WE WILL DESTROY YOU!”
The
still stunned bridge of The Nimbus turned in one and looked at the
bubbling wreck of Zapp Brannigan, to see what his next move would be.
Zapp briefly stared into Kif’s eyes, then turned to the
Navigation Officer and mumbled “Let’s go find his Amy,
before he eats me.”
****
August
2nd - mid-afternoon
“Igner,
tell X-Bot we're about to land” ordered Walt.
“X-Bot,
we're about to land on Europa, make sure everything is ready” he
yelled into the wall behind him.
“Open
the window first, you idiot” said Larry as he stared at his
brother.
After
opening the window parting the cab from the main body, he yelled the
message through, then turned around looked sheepishly at first Larry
then Walt before muttering “Sorry”
Leela
and Amy looked at each other in surprise at this latest piece of
news.
“Well
ladies, I'm going to have to blindfold you both, as you cannot be
allowed to see where we are going to hold you” said X-Bot, as he
bent down and ripped several lengths off cloth from the side of a
sack.
“We
can only be going one place” said Leela
“Ai
ya, you're right, Mom's Friendly Robot Factory has an Oil Refining
Plant there” followed up Amy
“That
isn't the only place there” answered X-Bot in an attempt at
deception.
“If
we know where we are going, why blindfold us?” asked Amy.
“You
don't know where you are going, you're just guessing you do” he
responded as he walked past Amy.
“You'd
better close your eye, or I will have to help you do it, and that
could be painful”, he ordered Leela.
After
Leela had closed her eye, he leaned down and picked up her head with
one hand and with the other placed a piece over her eye. Tying it
into a knot behind her head Added another piece of tape over her
mouth to cover the slight incision that was in the original piece.
“Now
your turn” he said to Amy.
“OK,
but I'll still be able to talk?” she asked.
“Not
for a little while, you regained consciousness too early, so I'm
going to have to gag you as well. Now close your eyes and keep your
mouth shut”
Once
Amy had eventually fully complied with his order, he tied another
piece of cloth around her head, that covered her eyes and then placed
two strips of tape in the shape of a cross over her mouth.
“Now
you two stay still, until we're finished” he said, as he went to
let the boys know everything was ready.
A
couple of minutes later, Walt gently landed the truck into the
arranged landing garage, and then got out and walked around the back,
followed by Larry and Igner.
“OK,
you two, let's get them to the holding room as quickly as we can,
without being seen” as he opened the back door and started to
clamber in.
“The
easiest way, is for those two to move Miss Wong, while me and you
move the cyclops” X-Bot said to Walt as he rounded some boxes.
“OK,
that will save at least one trip” he answered.
“Me
and you, will lead the way, as I can use my abilities to see if
anyone is coming” as he tapped the side of his eyes.
“You
two, pick up Miss Wong carefully, and then wait outside the truck for
us” ordered Walt.
Igner
bent down and grabbed both Amy's legs, before taking an involuntary
step backwards which pulled her off the seat and onto the floor.
The faint sound of a moan, could be heard escaping from behind the
tape covering Amy's lips.
"Is
she awake?" asked a slightly surprised Walt.
"Yeah,
they woke up, that's why she's blindfolded and gagged now."
replied X-Bot
“Ok,
nothing we can do about that” he answered and then turned to
faced Igner and thundered “I said carefully, can't you do
anything RIGHT?”
“Sorry,
I slipped” he answered his face going red.
“You
grab hold of her by the shoulders, leave the legs to Larry”
raged Walt
Larry
shoved Igner out of the way and grabbed hold of the legs, while Igner
walked around and placed both his hand under Amy's shoulders.
“Ready?
Lift” said Larry without waiting for confirmation, as he hoisted
them into the air. Fortunately Igner lifted the shoulders at the same
time, and they both shuffled off to the door, followed a couple of
seconds later by the other two carrying a slightly struggling Leela.
“You’re
not making things any easier for yourself by struggling” said
X-Bot
“Yeah,
we could drop you, and it’d be all your fault” added Walt.
Leela
quickly realising the futility of trying to continue resistance and
with a mumbled OK just relaxed and let them carry her.
****
After
spending about an hour, using the X-Ray machine, Officer Carina
Roche, now approached Theris Bracken’s door with some pertinent
facts.
“Who
is it?” asked Bracken into his intercom, when the door buzzer
went.
“Officer
Roche, just back from Forensics, we’ve found out some more
useful information” she answered into the microphone.
“OK,
come in, let’s see it” he replied as he pressed the door
open button, and as Roche approached his desk, he beckoned for her
sit in the chair opposite him.
“Sir,
the other woman who is missing is one Turanga Leela, she works as
Captain for the Planet Express Delivery Company, and is a work
colleague of Miss Wong” as she handed over a folder, containing
the information and a few photos of Leela.
“Mr.
Wong, mentioned a name Layla and that she was the Captain, in a
telephone conversation to me earlier, good to see those facts match
up.”
“We
also know that Miss Wong has a current boyfriend, thanks to Miss
Brickley cracking the password to her communicator, he’s called
Kif Kroeker and he’s a First Officer in DOOP.”
“Any
luck with Miss Leela’s communicator?”
“It’s
one that the Cryogenic … people use, and it’ll only work
when it’s attached to her, something to with a DNA match to the
person it was originally assigned to, so we think it’s
unbreakable, unless we send it to the manufacturers”
“Damn,
that will take too long” he angrily responded by thumping the
desk
“Do
you want me to inform the boyfriend, or Planet Express” she
asked.
“No,
that’s my job, you’ve done well today, some clever
investigating.”
“Thank
you Sir”, as pride filled her voice.
“Officer
Roche, I’ve one last order for you today. Go back to the
Forensics, and assist Miss Brickley with the other communicator, two
heads are better than one.”
“Aye
Sir.” She responded as she stood up, saluted him and then left
the office.
As
soon as the door closed, Theris Bracken settled back in his chair to
read the contents of the folder more closely, to gain information
that he could pass onto any relatives of Leela.
****
“Halt!
You can't go in there, it's under restricted access to New New York
Police only” said a burly officer as the Fry, Bender and
Zoidberg arrived at Amy's Apartment.
“I
am the infamous detective Sherlock Zoidberg, here to check for a
crime”
“You
are you, how come we've never heard of you?” his robotic partner
answered
“Like
he said, he's infamous which is bigger than famous” answered Fry
“Now
get out of my way, me and my friends need to solve this case”
Zoidberg ordered waving his claws in a threatening manner.
“Do
you have the proper paperwork with you, so we can let you in?”
asked the human officer
“I
am here, by order of the Wongs, they wanted help”
“OK,
they are her parents, you can go in, but be quick” he answered
after a brief discussion with his partner.
“Thanks”
answered Fry as he pushed Zoidberg and Bender into the apartment,
before he shut the door behind them.
“Now
what do we do, our wonderful detective?” asked Bender in a
mocking tone.
“Robut,
I have no idea, but the contents of the waste bin look tasty”
replied Zoidberg
“Me
and Bender will search the bedroom, you do the rest of the apartment”
ordered Fry, as he headed towards the door.
After
looking all over the bedroom, and only finding an unmade bed, Fry
looked at Bender in disappointment.
“Well,
looks like Leela never came into Amy's Apartment, so where is she?”
“I'm
a Robot, not a Crystal Ball” bluntly responded Bender
“Fry
mon, dis is Hermes”, came a muffled voice from underneath his
Jacket Sleeve
“We
haven't found any sign of Leela and she's not with her parents”
replied Fry after he'd rolled his sleeve up.
“I
know mon, I just heard from de Police, dey t'ink she's been kidnapped
with Amy”
“What?”
replied Fry after a couple of seconds of shocked silence.
“Yeah,
I know mon, de Police are hoping de kidnappers will get in touch wid
dem”
“OK,
Hermes, thanks,” said Fry with anguish in his voice as he
clicked the off button.
"Why
didn't I call her last night, after she never came back to the
office?" he said staring to sob
"Like
it would have done any good," replied an unconcerned Bender.
"Yeah,
I know, but at least we would have known and then WE could have
called the Police."
"You
humans, always thinking of others, never yourselves," said
Bender as he got up and headed out of the bedroom.
"Bender,
we may never see Leela or Amy again," venomously spat out Fry,
as he started to get angry at Bender's lack of compassion.
"Hey,
Zoidberg's eating the contents of her waste basket out here"
responded Bender totally oblivious to the change in tone of Fry's
voice.
"Bender,
did you hear what I said," Fry yelled
"Yeah,
I did, but I'm not human, so it doesn't affect me," he responded
as he walked back into the bedroom.
The
anger welling up in Fry boiled over, and with a guttural yell, he
leapt up and attempted to strangle Bender.
"YOU
UNCOMPASSIONATE HUNK OF METAL," shouted Fry at the top of his
voice into the general location of where Bender's ears should have
been.
Bender
placed his hands onto Fry's side and lifted him up, then placed him
onto the bed. Fry collapsed headfirst into the pillows, and started
to sob uncontrollably.
"C'mon
Fry, there's plenty of other females in the world," said Bender
in an unusual attempt to be sympathetic.
For
the next few seconds all that could be heard were the muffled sounds
of Fry crying and his body writhing back and forth after each
outburst. Eventually, he turned and red faced looked towards Bender,
tears still filling his eyes.
"I
know, but Leela is the only one I love, the only one I know I CAN
love and no other can replace her," he struggled to say, before
burying his head back into the pillows.
"Okay,"
was all Bender could say, as his circuits registered that his friend
was in obvious pain over what had happened
“Finally
Zoidberg is useful,” he yelled as he entered the bedroom waving
a piece of paper above his head.
“What
you got there Lobsterhead?”
“It's
a receipt from Alien Overlord and Taylor for a pack of Tank Tops and
some Lingerie”
Suddenly
the sobbing on the bed ceased, and Fry rolled over, stood up on the
floor and in a daze walked over and took the receipt from Zoidberg's
claw.
“She's
been buying Lingerie, I wonder what?” as he started to show some
interest in life.
“Something
human females buy that makes them think they look good” Zoidberg
replied.
“Zoidberg,
it doesn't matter what Leela wears, she always looks glamorous to me”
“Except
for when she wore that Lime Green Tank Top” said Bender nudging
Fry in the ribs.
“She's
bought herself a.. WOW, I want to see her wearing it”, said Fry
as his eyes nearly popped out his head as he read what the item of
Lingerie was.
“You're
not going to, unless we find her, remember, meatbag?”
“Yeah,
you're right, we can't stay here, let's go and ask Hermes what to do
next” as he headed out of the bedroom.
“Hermes,
he knows nothing, I say we go and have a good lunch” replied
Zoidberg.
“Zoidberg,
we're going back to PE, in case there's some more news.”
****
Walt
and X-Bot carrying Leela, followed by Larry and Igner carrying Amy,
walked through the myriad of corridors, laboratories and warehouse
space that made up the Europa refining plant. Every so often, they
had to take refuge in an office area to avoid being seen by any of
the regular employees.
“Walt,
how much further, she’s beginning to get heavy” asked
Larry, a muffled “ME HEAVY!” could just about be
understood, as Amy squirmed in reaction to the comment.
“Not
much further, it should be around the next corner” he answered.
“You
said that 10 minutes ago, and we’re still not there” came
the response.
“Let’s
leave them here, this is a quiet room, my eyes detect no-one within
hearing range of these two” ordered X-Bot, as he quickly scanned
the surrounding buildings and corridors.
“OK,
this isn’t where Mom wanted them, but as it’s quiet, we can
leave them for a while, then move them later” he answered and
started to lower Leela to the floor.
“Once
YOU find where” added Larry
“Leave
them alone, that’s not a wise idea” said X-Bot with a touch
of robotic concern.
“If
we leave them on the floor, as they are, they’re going nowhere”
answered Walt
“OK,
you’re in charge, but this isn’t the best idea”
responded X-Bot as he lowered the rest of Leela to the floor, and
then watched as Larry and Igner did the same with Amy. Walt then
bent down and yanked the tape off of their lips.
“You
two, we’re going to leave you here, don’t move and
screaming would be useless” ordered Walt to the prone figures on
the floor.
“As
if we can move, you moron” responded Leela rolling furiously
back and forth.
“B’uh,
watch it Leela” Amy added as Leela nearly rolled over the top of
her.
The
three boys and X-Bot left the office and split into two groups to try
and find the actual location where the abductees should be.
“That
wasn’t wise removing the tape, but it may help them if they can
talk to each other.” mentioned X-Bot as they walked down the
corridor.
.****
Fry,
Bender and Zoidberg arrived back at the lounge area of Planet
Express, and sat down on the couch, next to the Professor and Hermes
just in time to catch a Breaking News story on the TV set.
“This
is Steven Reid, here at the New New York Police Headquarters, where
Chief of Police Theris Bracken is preparing to make a statement,
about the Amy Wong kidnapping case” the reporter holding a
microphone said.
“Ladies
and Gentleman, thank you for your attention. We have made some new
discoveries into this abduction of TWO women, and not as we
originally thought just Miss Amy Wong.” Bracken announced as he
walked up to a microphone placed on the top step of the entrance to
the building, “I’ll answer any questions at the end of the
statement” he added to dismiss one or two raised arms in the
crowd of reporters.
“Out
forensics team consisting of Holly Brickley and Officer Carina Roche,
have ascertained that Turanga Leela, who is a work colleague of Miss
Wong for the Planet Express Delivery Company, was also taken as well”
a image of Leela appeared on the TV screen for the viewers.
“Their
current whereabouts unfortunately is still unknown, but we have
initiated a City wide search, of all known or possible hiding places.
In addition to this, Mr. And Mrs. Wong, have received a ransom
demand from unknown parties to the sum of Five Million Dollars for
the release of their daughter only, to our knowledge a similar demand
has not been made to any parties for the release of Miss Leela.”
“I
will endeavour to keep everyone informed with any new information, as
much as possible during this trying time for the relatives. Thank
you for attending”, as he started to back away from the stand.
“Chief,
I’m Steven Reid of Channel Square Root 2 News, how did your team
find out about Miss Leela’s being involved in this case.”
“I’ll
let Officer Roche answer that, as she made the discovery”
Bracken answered and the beckoned for Roche to speak.
“Thank
you Chief” she said with a nervous smile, before turning to face
the crowd.
“I
was assigned to help Miss Brickley speed up her part of the
investigation. During the course of investigating a pair of boots, I
came across several human hairs attached to the inside, that when
under DNA analysis revealed Miss Leela’s identity.”
“Was
anything else found out at the same time, with regards to relatives
of Miss Leela?” asked Reid
“After
contacting her employers, it seems Miss Leela is an orphan and has no
close relatives, only her work colleagues.”
“So
if a ransom demand comes in for her, who will pay for the release?”
another reporter from in the crowd asked.
“If
a demand for monies if forthcoming, then a decision will have to be
made at that time, it’s no use speculating on something that
might not happen” answered Bracken after relieving Roche of the
microphone.
“Did
he just say, that they don’t care about Leela”, asked Fry
to Hermes as he turned the TV off, tears again starting to appear in
his eyes.
“Well
mon, t’Police are in a difficult spot, until whoever has Leela
decides what to do, they can’t do anyt’ing.”
“Well
we can do something, can’t we?” he asked desperation
clearly in his voice.
“Like
what, no-one on Earth knows where dey are.”
“Yeah,
I guess, but I want her back.”
“Listen
mon, I know dis is hard on you, but de best idea is go back home,
I’ll call you wid any news.”
“OK
Hermes, I hope we hear something shortly, she means the world to me”
he answered with a twinkle of hope in one eye.
“C’mon
Buddy, let’s go get drunk” said Bender as he grabbed Fry’s
arm, and pulled him off the couch.
****
“Leela,
calm down, you’re only going to exhaust yourself and injure me”
said Amy as Leela crashed into her again.
“What
do you suggest we do, stay still and do nothing?” angrily
responded Leela.
“Moving
around like you are, will accomplish nothing.”
“So
you’re just going to give up then, like a typical RICH kid would
do.”
“G’uh,
I’m not giving up. I just don’t see the use of exhausting
myself” replied Amy as she arched her body in an attempt to find
the tape going around her legs.
“Amy,
we maybe here for ages, I just can’t lay around and do nothing.”
“Leela,
I know this is unusual for you, not being in charge, but if you calm
down, another and a better idea may appear”
“Yeah,
you’re right, again, but I’m not going to totally give up,
like you have.”
“LEELA,
That was uncalled for, I’m trying to be friendly and you say
that. I’m trying to undo the tape around my legs, instead of
trying to wear the tape and my body out by rolling all over the
floor” shot back a slightly enraged Amy.
“OK,
I’m sorry, that was the wrong thing to say. It’s just that
you didn’t seem interested in doing anything” as she rolled
next to Amy.
“That’s
OK, you’re frustrated. How do you think the others are doing?”
“I
don’t know, but I suspect Fry will be frantic with worry for me”
“He’ll
have gone out of his mind, he REALLY loves you, when me and him were
attached, I could see it in his eyes every time you walked near us.”
“I
know he does, he’s sent me love letters, poetry and is trying to
improve himself.”
“You
think you can give him a chance, someday?”
“I’ll
think about it, but this isn’t the proper place for decision
like that.”
“Ai
ya, I’ve got an idea” shouted Amy.
“If
it’s about Fry, leave it until later.”
“No,
all we have to do is place ourselves back-to-back and attempt to undo
each others tape around the hands.”
“That’s
a stupid idea, it’ll never work” said Leela before giving
it a second thought “Yes, that’s a brilliant idea coming
from you, for once.”
“So
we’re going to try it?” asked Amy as she rolled onto her
said away from Leela.
“Yes,
I said so, now you need to be closer.” answered Leela as she
rolled onto her side, and waited for Amy to shuffle back towards her.
“OK,
I hope this idea works, but this is going to make my Sweat Suit
dirty” came the response as Amy shuffled backwards and found the
tape around Leela’s hands.
<<
END OF PART ONE>>
Thanks
and acknowledgements:
This
piece you have read, probably would never have been finished without
some severe “virtual” nudging from Andy, after I gave it a
month or two hiatus.
Other
BIG Thanks go to the people who put up with me
hassling/asking/persuading/cajoling them into reading, reviewing,
grammar checking and other things that made it legible :- Ellen,
Steve, Matthew, Andy (again) and Jeremy.
Other
Notes:
This
story is based on the assumption that Amy’s birthday is the 4th
August. Lauren Tom’s birthday on the Futurama Calendar’s
is 4th August 2980, so I put two and two together, and
thought what the hell, it can only be a coincidence, but I’ll go
with it.
Part
2 will be written sometime in the near future, but first I’m
going to give more attention to the Second part of Minds Apart, then
have a mini-break from writing.
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