Another young woman with long brown braided hair stuck out her head from the window. "Should we shut it behind us?" she called.

 

"Sure, Tonya." replied the blond. "It will keep the weirdoes out."

 

"But Sally," called the driver. "We got in." she said with a smirk.

 

Sally sighed and got back into the truck. They headed down the paved drive way. The girls were unaware that they were being watched as they surveyed their new home.

On this side of the gate, the grass was dried up and dead. The trees were lifeless and bare, rising from the ground like the ruins of a once prosperous city . As the girls approached the house, the dense tangle of gray foliage gave way to a beautiful, lush forest. As the truck rounded the final bend, the house came into view. The girls gasped in shock, awe, and amazement. For behold, in front of them appeared the grandest structure they had ever laid eyes on. The truck stopped in front of a 3 story mansion. The girls exited the vehicle and stared at the colossal building.

"Uhh... Tonya." started Sally. "I thought you said this was a house?"

"I thought it was," replied Tonya.

"Well," added Sally, "It looks like a mus-eum."

"I see um no moose!" The girls giggled. "Shall we?"

 

"Lets go."

As Tonya unlocked the door, she turned to Sally and said, "Did you know that this place is supposedly haunted?" She pushed open the door and it creaked open. 'eerreeerrrr.'

The girls peered into the room before stepping inside.

"Phew," said Sally, "It's dusty in here."

As they exited the foyer and into the sitting room. Tonya jumped back and shrieked as she grabbed Sallys arm.

"Ahhh!" yelled Tonya. "It's a ghost couch!"

Sally, frightened by Tonyas unexpected shout, jumped slightly. Then upon seeing the cloth-draped furniture, gave Tonya a quick glance of death. Tonya stepped into the room. Looking around, she noticed a white figure in the corner. She turned in a moment of terror, facing a floating sheet. Tonya astounded by her nemesis, blinked. Then turned to glare at Sally.

"Sorry. Just having a little fun." Sally managed between giggles.

The girls began to explore the huge mansion. They found the swimming pool, empty except for a rubber ducky laying on the bottom, and discovered it ran both indoors and out, with a panel to seal off the hole when the pool was empty.

 
"Why do you think there's a rubber ducky in there?" asked Tonya.

"Because he makes bath time so much fun," Sally replied.

Continuing their self guided tour, Sally and Tonya found the two dining rooms, a technologically advanced entertainment room, the study/library, a cozy den, a glass walled room filled with plants, and a beautiful kitchen on the first floor.

 

The duo slowly made their way up the grand wooden staircase covered with a deep red, almost burgundy carpet. A beautiful crystal chandler hung from the ceiling. The second floor hall was lined with doors, which hid the many bedrooms the mansion contained. Opening the doors, the girls realized that most of the rooms were connected in pairs.

 

"We could each have two rooms," Tonya said, "There are so many."

"What would we use the other room for?" Sally asked, "One for sleeping, and one for napping?"

Tonya shrugged and kept opening doors. She opened one door, blinked, then stepped into the room. "Oooo," she purred. The carpeting was a couple of shades darker then her truck, and the walls were painted a golden cream color. A canopy bed was against the right hand wall. Its silky flowing drapes were the perfect shade of burgundy to compliment the carpeting. The quilt, sheets, and pillow cases were matched with the rooms color scheme. Opening the bathroom door and flicking on the light, Tonya realized the scheme carried over into the bath as well. Stepping back and turning off the light, she noticed the large vanity equipped with a mirror against the left wall. Looking in the mirror for a moment, Tonya combed her wild bangs with her fingers. Stepping to the French window, she pulled open the burgundy drapes and looked out. Slowly she closed the drapes, and turned back to face Sally, who was gone.

"Sally?" Tonya queried. "Where be you?" she paused listening, then shouted, "DIBBS!"
* * * * * * *

Sally had kept going down the hall after Tonya had entered her room. She went to the farthest door and opened it. The room was bright with the afternoon sun, which shone through long sheer curtains on the French windows from the left side of the room and the wall that faced the backyard. The floor was wooden, but a large blue and white designed floor rug covered most of it. The bed in this room was against the right wall, next to one of the windows. It also had silky flowing drapes coming from the canopy, but they were a soft baby blue. The bed was covered with a wedding ring patterned quilt in shades of blue, green, and white. There was a dresser on the far wall. On the right wall were two doors. Sally opened one and found a large closet. The other led to a bathroom, decorated in blue hues. It included a huge bathtub. Sally stepped back into the hallway, and almost ran into Tonya.

"This one," Sally said. "This one is mine!"

"Fine with me," replied Tonya. "I found mine."
- - - - - - -
After checking the exquisite ballroom, and the partially finished third floor. The girls returned to the ground floor, and began to look for the basement. They ended up in the kitchen, and Tonya began to open cabinets, drawers, the microwave, and the refrigerator. She found a large assortment of pots, pans, utensils, and other kitchen gear. Tonya also found a box a Cheerios on a shelf, and milk in the refrigerator.

"I don't think you'll find it in here,Tonya." Sally told her friend.

"I know that." Tonya rolled her eyes, "I was just looking to see if we needed to bring anything for the kitchen." she smirked, "We don't need milk or cereal."

"Uhhh, Tonya? Did you look at the expiration date on the milk?"

"Yup!" Tonya chirped, "Expires next week. Almost a full gallon, too."

"But Tonya, uhhh, hasn't your uncle been dead for a few months now?" Sally asked, confused.

"Yes," Tonya answered, "And I know milk only lasts for two weeks tops. So what do you think it means?"

"Either the rubber ducky likes Cheerios for breakfast," Sally said, "Or we have a house guest."

Walking out of the kitchen, the girls located the servant stairs to the basement. Downstairs and to the left, the girls found a huge washer and drier. Both were big enough for a full grown man sitting inside comfortably. To the right, was a room filled with tapestries. Horns of various animals were fitted between them.
"We have come to view the tapestries." Tonya said with a Scottish accent, thinking of Sally's favorite movie.

"This is a castle," Sally replied in her best Austrian accent, "And we have many tapestries. But if you are a Scottish Lord, than I am Mickey Mouse!" The girls giggled together.

The girls began to admired the tapestries. Lions, tigers, griffins, and other animals lined the walls. Suddenly, Tonya squeaked and dashed forward.

"Look, look, look," she cried, "This is sooo pretty."

Sally walked up to stand by her friend in front a beautiful unicorn tapestry.

"Yeah, that is nice."

Turning, Sally noticed the deer horns on the right wall. "Hey, this is crooked." Sally said pointing to the pair.

Tonya peered behind the tapestry, and didn't hear her friend. "I think there is a door or something here." she mumbled to herself. Just then Sally succeeded in turning the antler back into the proper position. The wall slid open, and Tonya's eyes went wide in surprise.

"What did you do?!" Tonya stared at her friend, still holding onto the edge of the tapestry.

"I just fixed the antler," Sally said, "It was crooked."

"You fixed the antler?" Tonya asked.

"It was crooked." Sally looked at her friend, "What? I just fixed it."

 

"It opened the wall.' Tonya said, stepping back to reveal the opening.

 

Seeing the opening, Sallys eyes grew big. "Cool." She walked over to the opening, and looked at Tonya suggestively.

"Shall we?" Tonya asked, sweeping her hand in an ushering gesture.

"Lets go." The girls walked through the hole in the wall, and followed the passage way. The corridor began to slope, then began to turn into stairs. Soon the left wall stopped, leaving the wide stairway open to a large, cavernous room beneath the mansion.

"Ho-ly Shit!" exclaimed Tonya upon seeing the expanse. "I didn't know THIS was down here."

Sally stared in awe, eyeing the massive stone walls. The girls crept farther down the stairs. They saw a faint glow lighting the floor below.

Upon reaching the bottom, the girls turned to see a massive computer screen upon the huge stone wall. At the computer stood a man. The man was tall, with shoulder-long hair pulled back in a ponytail. He wore a long black trench coat and black pants. He was mumbling to himself.

"Now, where did those girls go." On the computer screen various scenes from the house and grounds flashed, as he typed keys on the console. Tonya's teal truck flashed onto the screen. "They're still here. I knew I shouldn't have turned my back on them for a second."

"My God!" blurted Tonya. "What'd you think we were going to do, break something. It's my house!" Tonya clapped a hand over her mouth.

The man turned whipped around. His right eye was covered with a black eye-patch, and his chin was covered with new whiskers. His uncovered eye looked at the duo in shock. Then his expression turned stern.

"What the hell are you two doing down here?" Came the man's gruff voice.

"The better question is: What are you doing down here?" Tonya replied. "It's not your house."

"It may not be my house, but it's my home," the man said.

"Well, how long have you been here?" asked Sally.

"For about 11 years."

"You knew my Uncle Robert?" asked Tonya.

"Yeah, he took me in when I was 14. Are you Diane?"

"No, I'm Tonya, Diane's daughter."

"I'm Sally," the blonde gave a small wave.

"What's your name?" Tonya asked. "Or shall we just call you the 'cave dweller'?"

The man gave a small smirk. "Call me Techno."

"Hi, Techno!" Exclaimed the girls in unison.

"Well," Tonya explained. "There are going to be five of us girls here, once school starts. If you want to stay, it's okay, there are plenty of rooms upstairs."

"I live down here." Techno gestured to a door off to side. "And I should be telling You whether or not you can stay."

Tonya folded her arms and glared at Techno. Her tail shot straight up then started to lash menacingly behind her.

One of Technos eyebrows raised. "Is that... a tail?"

"Where?" Tonya asked, turning fully around, giving Techno a full view of the said appendage.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, she's just being a nerd. Yes, she has a tail, and yes, she knows it's there."

"Oh, my tail?" Tonya looked puzzled. "Had it since I was born."

Suddenly, a large brown spider came scuttling across the cave floor towards Tonya. Tonya's eyes grew big and she gave a high pitch squeal. Sally noticed the spider too, and smiled a mischievous smile.

"Oh, look Tonya." Sally said. "A jumping spider!" The spider then began to fly up into the air and land closer and closer to Tonya.

Tonya ran and hid behind the man. "Kill it, KILL IT!!" she screamed, squeezing his shoulders.

Techno began to laugh. He picked up the spider by the thorax and carried it to a large crevasse in the cave floor. "If you ladies are going to be living here, you should know about this." He threw the spider down the abyss. "It's never been explored, but its a long, long, long; long long way down."

Techno reproached the girls. Tonya walked up to him. She looked at him, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a great bear hug. "Thank you."

Techno gently pushed her away, "No problem."

"So..." asked Sally, "Is that YOUR rubber ducky upstairs?'

Tonya began to cough and choke, trying not to laugh. Techno whacked Tonya on the back till she stopped coughing.

"The one in the pool?" Techno queried, "Or in one of the bath tubs?"

"You mean theres more?" Sally gasped.

"Robert was a strange man." Techno began, "he thought the pool and all the bath tubs should have a rubber ducky." Techno smirked, "His rational was 'They make bath time so much fun.'"

Tonya was still laughing, but now she was lying on the floor, close to tears.

 

Sally laughed and shouted with triumph, "I knew it!"

Techno walked with the girls back up the stairs.

"I usually keep to myself down here, the only time I come up is to eat and to do the chores around the house."

"So, youll be like our reclusive butler?" asked Tonya.

"I am Not a butler! My titles include gardener, mechanic, plumber, electrician, and handyman."

"And Bug-get-rid-of-er." added Tonya. "Is that a word?"
Techno and Sally shook their heads.
- - - - -
Techno gave the girls a tour of the rest of the house. In the basement were various storage rooms, and a couple more bedrooms.

"Hey Techno,whats your favorite kind of cookie?" Tonya asked suddenly.

Techno looked at her puzzled, "I guess I'd have to go with snickerdoodles. Your uncle had this kick ass recipe he'd got from .... some relative."

"Was it Opal May?" Tonya asked.

"Yeah, I think that's right. You had them before?" he asked.

"Yup," Tonya smirked, "At every family reunion I've gone to. I love them! I got the recipe memorized. I can whip you up a batch later tonight." she blurted.

"That would be a great way to familiarize ourselves with the kitchen." Sally said, "Let's get cooking."

"Wait!" Tonya pouted, "I'm not in a baking mood." Techno and Sally looked at her, and she suddenly smirked, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's get this party started!"

"But the kitchens rather bare." Techno cut in.

"So we'll go shopping." Sally replied.

"Shopping Spree!" Tonya yelled.
- - - - - - - -
A short while later, the smell of baking cookies filled the air. Techno, Sally, and Tonya made a great baking team.

"I still resent having to help you bake these." Techno grumbled.

"Hey," Tonya growled, shaking the spatula at him with her tail, "You help bake 'em, or you don't get to eat em."

"Just don't get any tail hairs in the cookies." Sally warned.

Tonya stuck out her tongue at Sally, but said nothing. Sally rolled her eyes, then checked the oven. "These are about done."

"Good." Techno replied, as he rolled a ball of dough in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then placed it on a cookie sheet. "This ones full, and so is that one. Just how many are we making?" he asked.

Tonya paused, cocked her head, and frowned, "Well, one batch makes about four dozen cookies." she said, "But with us stealing pieces of dough, I'd say well get about three to three and a half dozen per batch. I've made three batches, so..." she paused again, "Between nine dozen and twelve dozen cookies."

"That's quite a bit." Sally said.

"What are we going to do with nine dozen cookies?" Techno asked.

"Eat em!" Sally quipped, "What else are you supposed to do with cookies?" Sally smirked, "They'll at least last long enough to keep you quite until we move in."

"SHHHHHHH!" hissed Tonya, "Don't give away our ploy!"

"Oh, sorry!" Sally whispered.

"Don't worry," Techno said. "I won't give you anymore trouble about moving in... as long as I can stay."

"Where else would you go?" Tonya asked. "You've lived here for how long?"

"Eleven years or so."

"Of course you can stay." Sally said. "We wouldn't want to kick you out of your home."

"As long as I stay," Tonya added. "You can stay. Though," she chuckled slightly. "I'm not sure what I'm going to tell my mom."

"Just tell her I come with the estate."

Tonya looked at him for a minute. "Maybe I just won't tell her. You don't know my mom."
- - - - - - - - - -
Later that evening, Techno was showing the girls some of the neat gadgets in his laboratory. It was the only time he was truly talkative. The police scanner was turned on. It seemed Techno liked it better than music.

"And this over here," he explained picking up a small metallic box. "This is a ... oh hell, I've forgotten what it is, but watch." He pushed a minute button on the top of the box. It unfolded into large iron cage.

"Cool," said Sally.

"Well, that's helpful," added Tonya.

From the corner, the police scanner buzzed, then gave an announcement. "Hostage situation at the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Suspects are armed and dangerous. Severe caution is advised."

"Translation," added Tonya. "That means theyre idiots with guns."

Sally gave Tonya a questioning look.

"Sure." chirped Tonya.

"It's gonna be our town soon." replied Sally. "Might as well start now." Sally gave a large yawn.

"Awwwwhhh," the girls yawned in unison as Tonya stretched her arms and tail. 

"Bedtime!" called Tonya.

"Yeah, goodnight Techno."

Techno watched the girls run swiftly up the stairs, a look of bewilderment on his face.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Techno turned on the television. A reporter was on the screen covering the hostage situation. The Wal-Mart stood behind him.

"Tensions are mounting, as police await contact from the armed assailants inside the Supercenter here on Atlantis Street." The reporter droned on about the unknown facts. Suddenly gunshots were heard from inside. "There seems to have been a disturbance in the store."

Behind the reporter, the automatic doors rolled open as a masked man came flying threw the air. The camera followed the projectile as he landed in a nearby tree. Soon after three more followed suit. Each one was flung and landed up in the trees, near the barricade of police cars. Soon the flood of hostages stampeded out the door.

"There were two of them." "It was like... pow, pow." "Did you see that?" Came voices from the scared witnesses.

Then the doors slid open once more. Out of the store walked two masked figures. Ones clothing was orange with black stripes. The other wore gray and blue.

 
"Our work here is done," called out the hero in orange.

The two each gave a peace sign. Then they floated up into the sky.

The camera came back to the reporter, who stared up into the sky, mystified.
"What the h.." The reporter turned toward the cameraman. "Oh, um..." He tried to compose himself. "It seems the situation has been rectified by two mysterious persons. Stay tuned for more information. This is Rob McDudle, see you then."
Techno turned the channel. All the news stations were showing footage of the puzzling event.

Techno went into the kitchen to get a cookie. As he opened the cookie jar lid, he heard the front door open. He walked out into the foyer. The two heroes were standing there talking to each other.

"Did you see that one?" said the one dressed like a pirate.

"That one was being held up only by his pants?" replied the tiger striped one. "That'll teach him to wear baggy jeans." They giggled.

"Back so soon, girls," interrupted Techno between bites.

The two looked at him in surprise.

"What do we do now?" mock whispered the tiger.

"It's not like I don't know who you are." Techno replied.

 

"Awww... what gave us away?" Tonya said as she pulled off her mask. Sally, too, removed her own.

"One: the tail. Two: the conversation in the cave. Three: Robert said someone special would take his place."

 

"Awww... he thinks were special!" Tonya squealed.

 

Techno rolled his eyes. "Goodnight girls." He headed downstairs.

 

The girls gave each other hi-fives and went upstairs to bed.
- - - - - - - -
The next morning, the girls found Techno waiting in the kitchen for them, reading the paper and eating his breakfast. Cheerios, orange juice, toast, and milk. He looked like a technological poster boy for the balanced breakfast ads. He didn't look up as they entered the kitchen; just pushed the paper toward them.

 

Picking it up, Sally scanned the front page with an appraising eye. Tonya looked over her shoulder, speed reading the major articles. The whole front page was dedicated to the mysterious duo who had resolved the hostage situation at the Supercenter the night before. In fact, the whole paper was article after article of guesses on who the duo was, where they had come from, why they were in Tequila Heights, and what they wanted. But the coup de grace was the large, color picture on the front page. The heroines stood there smiling benignly, flashing peace signs to the reader.

"Gee," Sally mused, "I've always wanted to be famous."

"We should keep this." Tonya said, "Maybe start a scrap book." she paused, "Or maybe a file. My scrap book is pretty full."

"Do you plan to continue doing this after you move in?" Techno asked between bites.

"Eating breakfast or fighting crime?" Tonya queried, cocking her head.

Sally rolled her eyes as she pulled the Lucky Charms from the cereal shelf.
Techno looked at Tonya for a moment, chewing. He looked like he wanted to say something sarcastic, but couldn't think of anything appropriate.

"You'll get used to her," Sally cut in, setting the box of cereal on the table.

Tonya grinned, and got two bowls out of the cabinet, "Either that, or you'll try and kill me. And your answer is yes to both."

"So your little friends: Are they all special crime-fighting freaks too?"

"Everyone is special in their own way," Sally answered matter-of-factly. The girls grinned at each other and Techno shook his head.

Sally reached into her back pocket for her billfold. She pulled out a picture and handed it to Techno, who had just stuffed a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth.

The picture was of five girls in costumes. Tygeress and Abra Pirata were there with three others. One looked like an woodland elf. One was decked out in hippie garb. The last one was dressed like a slut, but somehow she caught Techno's eye.

"Do they have names?"

"Yeah, Um... You know I'm Tygeress and Sally is Abra." Tonya pointed to the elf. "This is Poopsie a.k.a. Shashani. The hippie here is Jessica or Lucy Diamond. And this is Dee." She pointed to the one in a long leather coat. "Her code name is Slick Pimp Pattie."

"So what makes them special?" Techno was still staring at Pattie.

"Well..." Tonya started.

"Were not going to tell you," interrupted Sally. "You'll just have to find out when they get here."

"Heeheee," added Tonya, then she stuck out her tongue and make a raspberry noise.

"Well," Techno said handing the picture back to Sally. "You can't come back if you don't leave."

The trio finished their breakfast and the girls grabbed what little luggage they had and headed out to Tonya's truck. They threw their stuff into the truck. Sally waved and said good-bye.

"See you in two weeks," said Tonya and she put her arms around him in another bear hug.

"You have got to stop doing this," Techno replied as he wrenched himself from her grasp. "And two weeks will be too soon."

Tonya gave a little wave, and she turned, flipping her long braid and flicking her tail. "Later." The girls boarded the truck and drove down the long driveway.