Part 3:
Back at the QCP base, awaiting our assignment, we observed the heroes preparing for action.
We saw the pink, bald alien with four arms, wearing silver strands that formed some sort of armor.
“Her name? Let me check the list,” Del said. He pointed to a single word: Arc’x’vestula.
“Does she, uh, have a nickname?” Dale asked.
“It's Arcs-vest-you-la. I think. She’s a ...sun-jouster? Her home is in the Issa system, sixteen quadrillion light years away.
“That’s pretty far,” Rick said.
“Uubiquatus found her, just like you three, plus the sea planet guy, Jossen of the Red Shell."
“Cool," Dale replied.
“Unfortunately, all that work put him out of action. He used the last of his strength to make sure we could all communicate.”
“But why the mask?" I asked. “No one knows her here."
“Must be her costume on her home planet."
We saw the pink, bald alien with four arms, wearing silver strands that formed some sort of armor.
“Her name? Let me check the list,” Del said. He pointed to a single word: Arc’x’vestula.
“Does she, uh, have a nickname?” Dale asked.
“It's Arcs-vest-you-la. I think. She’s a ...sun-jouster? Her home is in the Issa system, sixteen quadrillion light years away.
“That’s pretty far,” Rick said.
“Uubiquatus found her, just like you three, plus the sea planet guy, Jossen of the Red Shell."
“Cool," Dale replied.
“Unfortunately, all that work put him out of action. He used the last of his strength to make sure we could all communicate.”
“But why the mask?" I asked. “No one knows her here."
“Must be her costume on her home planet."
Lincoln called everyone to attention and read the team assignment.
Rick, Dale and I were put on the King of Clouds team, along with Del and a few others.
A small commotion broke out as the meeting ended.
“I’m not happy about this,” said Lars Ember, clad in a costume of blazing flames. “I asked not to be on the same team as Proogg."
“What?" Lincoln asked.
“My corporate sponsors aren’t crazy about his … persona.”
“Lars, these teams have been planned for maximum efficiency. You’re needed at the Equator.”
“But me – the Man of Magma – alongside that oaf?”
“You’re better than this,” said the swordsman Bantinos, a crimson feather in his hat. “Neither of us agrees with your stance.”
“Us?”
“My blade and I,” he answered, as if it were obvious.
“Proogg's proven himself,” Criss Sallis said, her wings fluttering. “This is really unacceptable.”
“We have no time for personal feelings,” Lincoln added, “and certainly not monetary concerns.”
“I'm a hero AND a businessman,” said Lars. “Let's be adults here.”
“Go to the Equator and do your job. If this doesn’t work out, you’ll lose a lot more than Ski Soda and Burger Queen.”
Rick, Dale and I were put on the King of Clouds team, along with Del and a few others.
A small commotion broke out as the meeting ended.
“I’m not happy about this,” said Lars Ember, clad in a costume of blazing flames. “I asked not to be on the same team as Proogg."
“What?" Lincoln asked.
“My corporate sponsors aren’t crazy about his … persona.”
“Lars, these teams have been planned for maximum efficiency. You’re needed at the Equator.”
“But me – the Man of Magma – alongside that oaf?”
“You’re better than this,” said the swordsman Bantinos, a crimson feather in his hat. “Neither of us agrees with your stance.”
“Us?”
“My blade and I,” he answered, as if it were obvious.
“Proogg's proven himself,” Criss Sallis said, her wings fluttering. “This is really unacceptable.”
“We have no time for personal feelings,” Lincoln added, “and certainly not monetary concerns.”
“I'm a hero AND a businessman,” said Lars. “Let's be adults here.”
“Go to the Equator and do your job. If this doesn’t work out, you’ll lose a lot more than Ski Soda and Burger Queen.”
Once the briefing concluded, Agent Ford stated he had one last errand to run.
We followed him down a hall until coming to a room resembling a giant cave.
Proogg stood barely five feet tall, thick arms poking from his brown overalls. An enormous club sat propped against a wall.
“Proogg going to jungle,” he said to Del.
“So I hear, so I hear.”
“You not going to jungle. You go to cloud man.”
“That’s right, but it’s OK.”
“Me see snakes in jungle?”
“Maybe.”
“Poison snakes?”
“Yeah, there might be some.”
“Mmmm!” Proogg bounced on the balls of his feet. “Poison snakes taste best of all!”
“Here, I’ve got presents for you.”
“Presents for Proogg?”
“Today is your two-year anniversary with the team.”
The caveman took the bag and pawed through it. Out came a sparkling bar of soap with twine knotted through one end.
“Ooooh!” Proogg said. “Pretty.”
“You like it? I thought you’d probably – ”
The gift exploded as Proogg bashed it on a table, chips of soap flying everywhere, a sparkling cloud filling the air.
We followed him down a hall until coming to a room resembling a giant cave.
Proogg stood barely five feet tall, thick arms poking from his brown overalls. An enormous club sat propped against a wall.
“Proogg going to jungle,” he said to Del.
“So I hear, so I hear.”
“You not going to jungle. You go to cloud man.”
“That’s right, but it’s OK.”
“Me see snakes in jungle?”
“Maybe.”
“Poison snakes?”
“Yeah, there might be some.”
“Mmmm!” Proogg bounced on the balls of his feet. “Poison snakes taste best of all!”
“Here, I’ve got presents for you.”
“Presents for Proogg?”
“Today is your two-year anniversary with the team.”
The caveman took the bag and pawed through it. Out came a sparkling bar of soap with twine knotted through one end.
“Ooooh!” Proogg said. “Pretty.”
“You like it? I thought you’d probably – ”
The gift exploded as Proogg bashed it on a table, chips of soap flying everywhere, a sparkling cloud filling the air.
“Proogg … why did you do that?”
“Me thought it was weapon.”
“It was soap. Soap-on-a-rope.”
“Not used for fighting?”
“Only for fighting germs, maybe.”
“Me no like germs.”
“That’s why I got it for you. Right? OK, open the other one, just don’t smash it this time.”
Proogg laughed, as if breaking a gift was a silly idea.
“Me no smash.”
He slowly tore at the paper until revealing a framed picture.
An image of Del and Proogg at the beach.
“Remember that day? We had fun, right?”
“Del put on mask and swam like fish.”
“Look, be careful, all right? Be careful.”
“Me will.”
Proogg wrapped his arms around Agent Ford in a gentle, clumsy manner.
“Thanks for presents. Sorry about soap-on-rope.”
“It’s OK, I’ll get you a new one.”
“Soap-on-rope,” he chanted. “Soap-on-rope, soap-on-rope.”
The caveman and the agent strode out of the faux cave.
“Soap-on-a-rope?” Dale said. “Maybe he's better with a loofah.”
We followed Del to a hangar and boarded a plane with our team.
The aircraft launched free of the ground and lifted upwards, sending us away on our mission with the QCP.
“Me thought it was weapon.”
“It was soap. Soap-on-a-rope.”
“Not used for fighting?”
“Only for fighting germs, maybe.”
“Me no like germs.”
“That’s why I got it for you. Right? OK, open the other one, just don’t smash it this time.”
Proogg laughed, as if breaking a gift was a silly idea.
“Me no smash.”
He slowly tore at the paper until revealing a framed picture.
An image of Del and Proogg at the beach.
“Remember that day? We had fun, right?”
“Del put on mask and swam like fish.”
“Look, be careful, all right? Be careful.”
“Me will.”
Proogg wrapped his arms around Agent Ford in a gentle, clumsy manner.
“Thanks for presents. Sorry about soap-on-rope.”
“It’s OK, I’ll get you a new one.”
“Soap-on-rope,” he chanted. “Soap-on-rope, soap-on-rope.”
The caveman and the agent strode out of the faux cave.
“Soap-on-a-rope?” Dale said. “Maybe he's better with a loofah.”
We followed Del to a hangar and boarded a plane with our team.
The aircraft launched free of the ground and lifted upwards, sending us away on our mission with the QCP.