Chapter Seven – An Unlikely Team
* * * * * * * * * * *
“All right already, shut up with the knocking, will ya?”
Roxy padded down the main stairs of the Gabor mansion, tying her dressing
gown around her waist, a scowl on her face as she headed to the front door.
She had been awoken by the pounding and had realised with a curse that Matilda,
the Gabor’s housekeeper was taking the weekend off. Her room was closest
to the staircase, and though she had tried to ignore the pounding it seemed
that whoever was at the door was not willing to give up so easily. Finally,
with a grunt of frustration she had rolled out of bed, pulling on her dressing
gown and sliding her slippers onto her feet as she went to answer the door.
Another barrage of knocks greeted her as she reached the door and she yanked
it open, glaring at the offenders. What she saw did not cheer her mood any,
and her expression darkened as she registered the fact that it was actually
two Holograms who had disturbed her sleep.
“What the heck do you losers want?” she demanded. “It had better be good
– I was trying to sleep!”
“We want to know what you’ve done with Jerrica.” Kimber put her hands on
her hips. “And it’s half past ten – you should be up by now, anyway!”
“Jerrica?” Roxy stared at the keyboardist as if she’d lost her mind. “What
the heck are you talking about, you stupid idiot? Why would Jerrica be here?”
“You tell us.” Aja folded her arms. “All we know is that she didn’t come
home last night, and that she had a very suspiciously Misfit-like letter
calling her to the beach hut.”
“What’s all the racket down here?”
Before Roxy could respond Jetta’s voice came from behind her, and her fellow
Misfit turned, shrugging her shoulders.
“These idiots are talking nonsense about Jerrica being here. I don’t know
what the heck they’re on about.”
“Jerrica, huh?” Jetta lounged in the doorway. “Look ‘ere, girls, we ‘aven’t
seen Jerrica, and that’s a fact. But…when did she go missing?”
“Like you don’t know!” Kimber retorted. “Stop messing around, Misfits! We
want her back – game’s over! We all saw your little note about the meeting
at the beach hut.”
“Note?” Jetta looked startled. “Wait a minute…you got a note?”
“Yeah…and don’t pretend to be surprised.” Aja nodded. “You know full well…”
“Oh, shut up for a minute, will ya?” Jetta looked irritated. “Listen up,
you stupid Holograms. We’ve nothin’ to do with Jerrica’s disappearance, in
fact, it’s the opposite. You see, we ‘ave a little problem of our own. Pizzazz
went to the beach ‘ut too last night…and she didn’t come back. We went down
there to get ‘er and she’d vanished. We ‘aven’t seen or ‘eard head nor tail
of her since!”
“What?” Now Aja looked taken aback. “You’re… for real?”
“Brilliant, Jetta, tell ‘em everything why don’t you.” Roxy snapped.
Jetta shrugged.
“Cool out, Roxy. Fact is we both seem to be one short.” She turned, heading
towards the main lounge, but pausing in the doorway. “Guess you girls better
come in…it might be we can ‘elp each other out.”
“Jetta?” Roxy stared at her companion. “You cracked? Inviting Holograms into
Pizzazz’s Dad’s house?”
“I told you, cool out.” Jetta retorted. “Go get Stormer, huh? We got to get
to the bottom of this.”
And with that, she was gone.
Exchanging confused looks, Aja and Kimber stepped inside the Gabor Mansion,
pushing the door shut behind her and heading in the direction Jetta had gone.
“This had better not be a trap.” Aja muttered to her companion in an undertone
as they entered the lounge. “I don’t trust these guys any more than I can
throw them.”
“Me either.” Kimber responded. “But what can we do?”
“What’s up, Jetta?” At that moment Stormer, with Roxy in tow arrived, Stormer
still brushing her long curls out into something which resembled her normal
style. She had risen early, unable to sleep for worrying about Pizzazz, and
had shut herself away at the top of the house in the little soundproof room
she always used to write, but her anxieties had caused a writer’s block and
she was only too glad of Roxy’s interruption. “Kimber! Aja! What are you
doing here?”
“We’re looking for Jerrica.” Kimber replied. “She’s missing…Stormer, is Pizzazz
really missing too?”
“Yes…she is.” Stormer’s eyes became big as she remembered her find the previous
night. She and Kimber had a strong rapport that had survived the band rivalry,
and so at her friend’s words Kimber’s suspicions melted away. She now knew
that the Misfits were telling the truth.
“So what’s going on, then?” Aja demanded. “Jerrica and Pizzazz…what idiot
would put them together in a cell somewhere? And why?”
“Well, I think it ‘as something to do with the Rock Festival.” Jetta looked
grim. “We thought you might know something that could ‘elp us out, too. We
searched out the whole area where they were meant to meet and we saw the
Roadster there…but we didn’t see any Jerrica or any Pizzazz.”
“So what do we do?” Roxy demanded. “We’re missing our singer, how’re we gonna
put on a concert without Pizzazz?”
“Yeah, our music isn’t ours without her vocals.” Stormer nodded, sinking down
into a chair.
“We’re down one too.” Kimber pointed out. “What about us?”
“Your forgettin’, Hologram, that it’s your manager and not your lead singer
that’s gone AWOL.” Jetta said acidly. “What’s to stop you putting on your
set?”
“We don’t perform if Jerrica’s in trouble.” Aja said firmly before Kimber
could say anything that would give the game away. “In any case, Jerrica organises
all of the behind the scenes stuff. We need her.”
“Well, maybe…maybe we should work together to find Pizzazz and Jerrica, then.”
Stormer suggested tentatively.
“Us work with them?” Roxy wheeled on her companion. “You gone nuts?”
“The Rock Festival is only a few days away, we’ve got no time to argue about
it.” Stormer explained. “Maybe…we can help each other?”
“I don’t think we ‘ave a choice.” Jetta said with a frown.
“You serious?” Roxy demanded.
“Well, Stormer’s right. We only ‘ave a few days.” Jetta shrugged. She glanced
at the two Holograms thoughtfully. “I don’t like it any more than you…but
what else can we do?”
“I guess…we don’t have any option either.” Aja said reluctantly. “Do you
guys promise, though, that if we team up to find Pizzazz and Jerrica there’ll
be no funny business?”
“Us?” Jetta smiled. “Would we?”
“Get real, Jetta, we’re not fooled.” Kimber snapped. “We’re only going to
team up with you guys in this if you promise that you’ve nothing to do with
Jerrica’s disappearance and that you don’t doublecross us the moment our
backs are turned, all right?”
“Kimber’s right. If we’re going to do this we need to know you’re not gonna
bail on us.” Aja nodded.
“All right already.” Roxy rolled her eyes. “Cool out, will you? You guys
are no fun.”
“We promise, Aja.” Stormer spoke solemnly. “We need each other.”
“This is temporary, mind.” Jetta said sharply. “Don’t think we’ve gone all
sweet on you or anything. We just want Pizzazz back in time to do our set.”
“Okay, then it’s a deal.” Aja said finally. “Kimber, go back to Starlight
Mansion and get Raya and Shana…bring them back here, huh?”
“Sure thing.” Kimber nodded, heading towards the front door.
“Stormer, go with her.” Roxy glanced at the synth player. “You’re at least
dressed and I don’t like the idea of trusting those Holograms one inch.”
“Sure, I’ll go.” Stormer nodded before either Aja or Kimber could protest
the obvious injustice of this statement. “Oh, I hope we can figure this whole
mess out in time! Let me just go get my coat, and I’ll meet you outside, Kimber!”
Once in the Holograms’ van, Stormer sent Kimber a troubled look.
“I’m glad I came with you – I wanted to talk to you but I didn’t want Roxy
or Jetta to get suspicious.” She said. “It’s about Jerrica.”
“What about Jerrica?” Kimber asked, flicking the indicator on to turn onto
the main road. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“I don’t know where she is or who has her…I wish I did, because I’m certain
it’s the same person or people that took Pizzazz.” Stormer replied. “But
when we searched the beach hut last night, Kimber, I found something.” She
reached into her pocket. “The other Misfits don’t know I have them, but I
thought you should take them now.”
“The Jemstar earrings!” Kimber exclaimed, only just keeping her attention
on the road. “Okay, now I’m really worried! If Jerrica doesn’t even have these
then we can’t ask Synergy to help us track her…and Synergy can’t help Jerrica,
either.”
“That’s what I thought. And without Jerrica or Synergy there is no Jem, so
you guys are in the same mess as we are.” Stormer nodded. “We really have
no choice but to work together.”
“Well, if we pair up, and I s’pect we will, to make sure there’s no mischief,
I want to pair with you.” Kimber said firmly. “Least I know you won’t doublecross
me.”
“Of course not.” Stormer replied. “But I don’t think Jetta or Roxy will mess
you about, either. Though they won’t say it, I think they’re both pretty
worried about Pizzazz. Jetta especially. They’re pretty close, you know,
for Misfits. And without a leader we’re all feeling kinda lost.”
“Well, I’ll take your word for it.” Kimber laughed. “The Misfits and the
Holograms working together…that’s outrageous!”
“Maybe.” Stormer replied. “But like Jetta said, there isn’t a choice. This
Rock Festival is a big deal…neither one of our bands can afford to miss it.”
“Yeah.” Kimber frowned. “Feels weird that for once it isn’t you guys sabotaging
us, you know.”
“Feels weird we’re not.” Stormer admitted. “Jetta said we’d been outdone at
our own game…I think that got her worse than anything. Being out-manipulated.
She’s the master manipulator, after all.”
“Seems weird that she’s taking the initiative and agreeing to team up with
us.” Kimber commented. “Roxy didn’t like it much, did she?”
“Jetta and Roxy have never gotten along. It’s kinda sad, actually, because
it’s not really Jetta’s fault Roxy hates her so much, and Jetta simply resents
Roxy’s behaviour without knowing what it’s about.” Stormer sighed. “I hate
it when they squabble, and they do it a lot.” She shrugged. “As for Jetta
taking the lead, though…well, comes as no surprise to me, Kimber. I don’t
think you realise how much of an influence she has over the band. She’s the
only person I know who can stand up to Pizzazz as an equal and not be shot
down in flames for it.”
“To be honest, Stormer, I wouldn’t care if Pizzazz stayed lost.” Kimber rolled
her eyes.
“That’s not nice.” Stormer chided her friend. “Pizzazz is as much a human
being as Jerrica, you know.”
“She is? News to me.” Kimber giggled. Despite herself Stormer smiled.
“Well, you know what I mean. And I am worried about her. I know she can be
anti-social, but still, the Misfits aren’t much if she’s not there. Jetta’s
right, we don’t have a choice. For once the Misfits and the Holograms have
a common enemy and it’s up to us all to solve this thing, before the Rock
Festival.”
Chapter One:
Clash
Chapter Two: Deception
Chapter Three:
On Tour With The Holograms
Chapter Four: The
Next Stage
Chapter Five: Jem?
Chapter Six: Trapped!
Chapter Seven:
An Unlikely Team
Chapter Eight:
Laying Plans
Chapter Nine: Letter
From The Desert
Chapter Ten: Jetta's
Hunch
Chapter Eleven:
Some Outside Help
Chapter Twelve:
Kimber's Dilemma
Chapter Thirteen:
The Great Escape
Chapter Fourteen:
Fire!
Chapter Fifteen:
Repercussions and Rock and Roll
Chapter Sixteen:
The End Of An Era
(The Misfits and Holograms and other animated Jem characters are copyrighted to Hasbro Inc. All characters who do not appear in Jem episodes are my own creation. This story is copyrighted to E.A Woolley (2001)