The Medusa Compound: Episode 12

Episode 11 pretty much comprised people making entrances or running around: maybe Episode 12 will have greater substance. Let’s find out…

Chapter Five

It had been a long day for Magnuss and his lovely wife, Hair-Trigger. After breakfast they had sampled a little pot-holing in the arctic exhibit inside the museum…

They had done it several times during the past month and thought that perhaps they might try something slightly less dull and tedious. So they drove their race buggies into the pea farming area in the mountains and conversed with former burglars, Erroneous Bosch and Hellfire McWilliams…

“What’s this, boys?” Magnuss called out, “Has an unexpected hurricane blown all your seedlings away?

“Nah, it’s not like that, Magnuss.” Erroneous replied. “We’re trying something new.”

“The world’s first high-altitude rain forest.” Hellfire blurted. “We’re gonna make a haven for all those hairy critters who have been chased out of their natural habitat.”

“We’ll also grow coffee beans.” Erroneous added, “So we won’t starve.”

“Yeah,” Hellfire did some adding of his own, “Skanki Kaffe have agreed to buy every bean we produce. It’s for a special line in their Museum of Future Technology outlets.”

Of course the heroic twosome wished their friends well and returned to the M.O.F.T. where they crossed the putting green on their way to the Age of Stone exhibit…

When they arrived at their destination they were still giggling at the way one pitch and putt user had followed his ball into the hole to avoid being run over…

Hot and steamy, they dismounted and cast off their race helmets. From there it was a mere few hundred metres to Susan’s apartment…

They hadn’t seen the huge green amorphous blob that had been sent from the future to curate and protect the high-tech Age of Stone exhibit for several days. She had been instrumental in helping the Earplug Brothers defeat the Wonky (false) Supreme Being, and in doing so became Magnuss’ younger brother, Chester’s love interest. She was also a pal to them all, and liked nothing more than to adopt all kinds of crazy shapes to entertain her predominantly pinky-orange chums…

And so it was today. She was playing the role of a headless elephant with a conning tower, when Hair-Trigger heard her emergency cell phone buzzing like a looney in the foyer…

“I’m sorry, Susan, I really must answer that.”

Shortly Magnuss joined his wife in the foyer. “What is it, Hairy? You look worried.”

“I don’t know, Hair-Trigger replied, “but we have to meet some panic-stricken earplugs in the Fort Balderdash exhibit. Magnuss, I don‘t know why, but I have a really nasty feeling about this. Perhaps we shouldn’t go.”

Fear made her speak the words; but she would never react to them. Five minutes later they met with Dongler Dolt, Shoreham Bycie, and Wong Pu-Tong in the appointed place…

Immediately Shoreham suggested they take the maintenance lift to the level below the fake fortress…

“No one’s gonna hear us down here,” Wong said loudly, “Nosey sods.”

Of course both Magnuss and Hair-Trigger wanted to know why they had been called away from a pleasant romp with the resident shape-shifter. Between them the trio of would-be sandwich makers told Douglas Tetrahedron’s tale.

Wong concluded with, “The big dope’s waiting for you now.”

Hair-Trigger was dismissive: “Sounds like an over-active imagination to me.”

Magnuss wasn’t much more impressed. To Hair-Trigger he said, “You’ve got that lecture at the Mother’s Union Hall in half an hour. You stick to the schedule: I’ll go check out this Rapid Marker Top. You know what these cheap workers from overseas are like: drunk most likely.”

Although Hair-Trigger felt a little uncertain about leaving her husband to face the unknown alone, she also realised that a booking is a booking, and she owed it to the Mother’s Union to uphold her side of the deal. Of course Magnuss wasn’t entirely alone: he had Shoreham, Wong, and Dongler to show him the way to the Civic Centre…

However, as Hair-Trigger arrived at the Mother’s Union hall, she was met with the friendliest of welcomes by four members of the ruling elite curator’s…

Hair-Trigger’s sharp eyesight quickly noted that Auntie Doris had coloured her hair blond; that she was wearing green contact lenses; and enjoyed smearing a most vibrant red gloss upon her lips. Clearly she and K’Plank the Space Wanderer no longer constituted ‘an item’, and she was on the hunt for a replacement male earplug. “Looking good, Doris.” She said cheerfully. Of the others she inquired after the paucity of her expected audience.

“Cancelled.” Pretty Boy Plankton replied.

“The Mother’s Union is old hat.” Bubbly Salterton added.

Big Purp was a little more forthcoming in the information department: “Couldn’t sell enough tickets to make it worthwhile employing a tea lady. Sorry. They sent this high-ranking delegation to inform you.”

Hair-Trigger was amazed: not so much that she couldn’t get enough bums on seats for one of her lectures; but the fact that she now had four curators exactly where she wanted them. Instead of reminding them that they could have called her on her cell phone, she said:

“Guys, this is most fortuitous: I have something very important to tell you. Something so important that I should have gone straight to the Curator’s Suite instantaneously. Cushions is going to want to hear this, so listen good.”

Nah, not a lot of substance there either. Seemed like an excuse to remind readers of Susan’s existance. Moreover, what the heck was all the buggy stuff all about: just showing how carefree Magnuss and Hair-Trigger are these days? But, I guess, the story HAS moved on.