gone_byebye | A trail of aching derrières- next time they'll be more thoughtful

The door opens onto an expanse of asphalt, steel, and glass. Nearby a sign reads:

WELCOME TO WHITE FLINT MALL
BEST PRICES IN THE DC AREA

4708 BETHESDA AVENUE
CHEVY CHASE, MD

It's a big parking lot, with the mall itself only visible off in the distance. Ray gives it the squint-eye before turning to the others. "Okay, people," he says. "This is it. Johnny says it's underground. Egon's best estimates indicate three miles down. Are we good?"

Current Music: Kick In The Ass, Moxy Fruvous

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From:

gone_byebye

"These guys're probably gonna have security on the actual entrance," said Winston. "We don't have anything against the guards, just the guys who messed with Ray."

"Winston's right," Ray said. "Let's go with the mulch- unless that's a problem for Naraht."

From:

lt-naraht.livejournal.com

The Horta sighed.

"We would have to start out in organic material. Oh well, never let it be said that I let foul-tasting mulch get in the way of a mission."

He glided over to the spot KITT indicated and paused a moment to get his bearings.

"Okay, let's do it!" he said, his voice brimming with excitement. "Remember, give me a full 30 second count before following unless you want to burn away your shoes on the trip down."

Vapor and smoke began to belch out from beneath Naraht and a faint, grinding sound emerged as he began to sink through the mulch...and then the topsoil. He took his time. After all, they needed a BIG tunnel so that the team wouldn't emerge at the other end half-crippled with back aches.

From:

precocioustilda.livejournal.com

Matilda prudently decides to wait until someone else starts down the tunnel before doing so herself, since burning shoes are potentially at stake. She passes the time by folding and then lighting fire to a paper crane, keeping it in the air all the time so it doesn't accidentally set fire to anything on the ground.

From:

steadfastknight

One of Kitt's windows rolled down, his sensors reading Naraht's progress for the displays. He could pick up the acidic traces of Naraht's passage, and turned the trail green as it became safe. "All right," he said. "Entry into the tunnel should be safe now."

From:

gone_byebye

"Excellent," Ray says with considerable satisfaction. "Let's get a move on, then. No sense letting these boogerheads get ready for us."

From:

precocioustilda.livejournal.com

Matilda drops the no-longer-smoldering remains of the crane to the ground. "Just show me what I'm supposed to make explode," she says cheerfully, following Ray into the tunnel.

From:

doc-venkman.livejournal.com

Peter eyed the little girl oddly after jogging up to join them. No wonder she got along with Ray there.

But enough with scaring local Peter, they had some extra special busting to do.

"Sure there'll be plenty for that," he remarked as he headed into the tunnel after them.

From:

lt-naraht.livejournal.com

A Horta in his natural habitat...solid rock all around.

Naraht is making good time as he chews his way deeper and deeper. He's not going as quite as steep as he would if he was solo. After all, there's humanoids who have to walk down - and, if something goes horribly wrong, run up - this tunnel.

It takes a while...but soon they're only a few meters from breakthrough. Naraht pauses, waiting for the others to catch up.

"Okay," he says. "That last four meters is the Rubicon. Any last minute advice to bestow, admonitions to give or aspersions to cast?"

From:

blond-w-brain.livejournal.com

Blond-Egon smiles. This should scare those that know him.

"I believe the applicable terminology for this moment is 'let's give them hell.'"

He flips on his proton pack. So does Brown-Egon. And now one other difference becomes obvious: their packs, as they activate, emit a soft while that's JUUUUST different enough to raise hairs.

From:

gone_byebye

Ray's eyes get oddly misty at that.

"You know," he says in a hushed tone, "it's times like this, when I'm three miles below the civilized surface of the planet, surrounded by people who're intent on using fifteen different kinds of science and PKE to wreak incalculable physical and psychological damage on a beyond-top-secret black ops installation of the United States Government because the people involved done me wrong, that I realize.... I've got the best friends in all of Explored Space. Who all's up for a group hug?"

From:

precocioustilda.livejournal.com

Matilda grins her adorable grin. "Group hug!" She sets her bag of explosives carefully on the ground and rushes over to hug Ray.

From:

blond-w-brain.livejournal.com

The two Egons both grimace and pat Ray on the shoulder.

From:

precocioustilda.livejournal.com

Clearly mere shoulder-patting is insufficient.

Matilda exhibits a mock-glare with all the adorability quotient of a determinedly huggable not-quite-six-year-old girl, and proceeds to hug both Egons and Ray all at the same time. This feat is accomplished through the clever application of too much cuteness for one person to legally possess.

From:

lucky-coyote.livejournal.com

"Absolutely," Johnny beams, wrapping one arm around Ray's shoulders and the other around Matilda's. Group hugs are always very good luck, after all...

From:

lt-naraht.livejournal.com

Naraht is just about to join in the fringes of the group hug when Johnny suddenly appears in the huddle.

"Bwah!" he yelps. "Where the hell did you come from?"

From:

lucky-coyote.livejournal.com

"Ley lines," he smiles, pointing to the ground before extending a hand. "Name's Destiny. Johnny Destiny." Somehow, Naraht doesn't startle him too much. Maybe the bar's already having an influence...

From:

spark-girl.livejournal.com

Agatha joins in. She can't help but to be caught up in the moment.

From:

redsnout.livejournal.com

Raptor arms aren't really made for hugging, but Red decide sto do the best she can. Instead of running the risk of impaling Ray, she gives his shoulder a nudge with her snout.

From:

k_in_black

A particularly cryptic expression flashes across K's face at the mention of a group hug. But then he considers what he put Ray and Peter through during that black oil mission and figures, what the hell.

One MiB-approved group hug is executed with smooth and unobtrusive grace.

But this is not going into his after-action report to Zedd.

From:

blond-w-brain.livejournal.com

The Egons look at each other. They sigh, in unison, and then join the group hug. If the MIB can do it....

From:

stilljustandrew

*Andrew's kind of been hanging back, mostly because he's possibly the least superpowered member of the group.*

*But you can't hang back in a group hug.*

*Which is how he finds himself squooshed between Matilda, Agatha, and Naraht.*

From:

wyrd-fox.livejournal.com

And then there's James Dean sticking his head through the rock wall.

"Where is Sigfried?" he carols in a hideously fake, non-descript, European accent. "Hey guys! What's the hold up?"

His eyes light up at the huddle!

"Ohhh! A little love-in before the break-in! Okay, carry on. I'll just send Elmer Fudd into the cafeteria again."

From:

gone_byebye

Ray grins. "You do that. We'll meet you there..." He turns to the rest of the group and nods to Naraht. "Here goes nothing. Cast that die, Naraht. We got us a smackdown to lay."

From:

lt-naraht.livejournal.com

Naraht extracts himself from the group-hug and flings himself against the wall.

"'We few, we happy few!'" he intones. "'We band of brothers!' And sisters," he adds with a chuckle in his voice.

***

Out in the targeted corridor, a faint tremor is the only sign that all hell is about to break loose.