"I don't recall anything like THAT happening on the show," TF said."What the heck happened?" Hunter asked.
"I don't know," S replied, rubbing his neck, "but bouncing off of a vortex exit hurts a HELL of a lot more than the landing!"
The three stood up and examined the cage that they were in. TF examined the lock, Hunter tried to cut the bars with his sword and S tried to pull the bars apart "Superman" style.
"It's pretty obvious someone was expecting us," TF concluded.
"Yeah," S replied, "but who?"
A sound could be heard outside the room, slowly getting louder. As it approached the room's entrance, it could be made out. "OH ho ho ho ho ho ho!"
"I know that laugh!" Hunter realized.
Queen Slider_Sarah triumphantly entered the room, tailed by BritSlider and several guards. She was wearing an outfit very similar to the one she was wearing on their previous encounter, complete with beret.
"I'm glad you could join us!" SS said as her laughter died.
"How did you do this?" TF asked.
"Oh, now really," the queen replied. "It was so simple. BritSlider, here, built a machine that could tack you and ring you here."
BritSlider cleared his throat. "That's uh, TRACK them and BRING them here, Your Majesty."
"Whatever," the queen shrugged BritSlider's comment off. "Soon I'll have revenge on all of you for your pathetic attempt to assassinate me."
"Believe me, it wasn't our idea," S replied.
"Yeah," TF continued, "We were sort of Shanghaied into this mess."
The queen raised her right hand to her mouth. "OH ho ho ho ho ho ho! Details, details! OH ho ho ho ho ho ho! It's not you two I'm interested in anyway."
"Hmm?" TF and S turned to Hunter.
Hunter gulped. "Oh boy!"
"I'll have a treat dealing with you!" SS laughed. "You won't be so lucky, next time!"
"Luck?" Hunter said, "What luck? My winning was pure skill!"
"Yes, well my soldiers will be taking your 'skill,'" SS replied. Her troops moved forward and forced the timer from TF's grasp.
Queen Slider_Sarah nonchalantly examined the device. Then she gave it some more visible thought and after a mere five seconds became frustrated. Without looking, she thrust the timer into BritSlider's chest so hard he was knocked backwards. "You take a look at it," she commanded, quickly regaining her composure. "How does it work?"
"Uh," BritSlider took one glance at the timer. "Well, my guess is, when this time that's counting down on it reaches zero, they have to leave or they're trapped here."
"And how long do they have?"
"About a couple of days," BritSlider replied.
"Well, take that to your lab and see if it's any use to you," the queen ordered. BritSlider quietly left the room as she continued. "Guards, take...uh, take...what's your name?"
"HunterD_Raven."
"Take Mr. Raven's sword and lock it up." After a bit of difficulty on the part of "Mr. Raven," the guards managed to take Hunter's sword away and one of them took it out of the room.
"You two," the queen said, pointing at another guard. "Take Mr. Raven away to his private cell I had specified for him. "As for the others, the rest of you escort them to the dungeon."
S stepped back, gripped his autographed baseball, wound up and fired a fastball at SS. The queen raised her right hand, caught the ball and brought the hand to her mouth in one motion. "OH ho ho ho ho ho ho!"
"Damn it!" S said. "Waste of a good baseball."
"Is that what this is?" SS asked. "Never heard of it!" The guards opened the cell and rounded up the trio with their guns." The queen turned on a dime and began to leave the room. "I'll see you all later!" As she walked out of the room, her laugh echoed down the hallway. "OH ho ho ho ho ho ho!"
"I hate that laugh," TF said.
About ten minutes later, S and TF reached the dungeon and were thrown into a dank cell with a small light coming from a window high up on one side. The door slammed behind them.
"OK, now I'm confused." S said. "Is this Slider_Sarah incredibly smart, a trickster, or is she just lucky and dense?"
All TF could reply with was, "I REALLY hate that laugh."
Meanwhile, Hunter was escorted to his private cell in the northwest tower. The guard opened the door and flicked the light switch, allowing full light in on Hunter's prison.
"A full size bed, bright light, a window with a view and a table with a five course gourmet meal?" Hunter said, surprised. "This is a prison?"
"Don't get too used to it," one of the guards said, "This is where she always sends the people she REALLY hates."
"You're kidding!"
"No. Now if you'd be so kind..." the guard motioned to Hunter with his gun to enter the room. Hunter obliged and entered his "cell." The door was shut quietly and locked behind him.
"Strange Earth!" Hunter said as he sat down to dinner.
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