"Raid on Mizuno's HQ"

Gemini6Ice sat up again, his eyes still burning. What a nightmare this had been! He never should have brought Ami-Chan to life. There was only one thing to do: h had to get back to his holodome™ and create more forces to help him reclaim his e- mail system. But how? He had no money; he had no credit cards; he couldn't become a bum on the streets... He was accustomed to technology! He fell back down, but, on his way, he caught a flash of light. He turned over to where the light had reflected from. Something shone from under the dumpster!

He scooted over and grabbed underneath. It was his Visa Mastercard! Yes! He could stay in a hotel, buy some new clothes, get cleaned up, and make it to the airport the next morning. He wondered if he would be able to get up the next morning. He glanced at his watch. Six o'clock a.m. He decided to take the flight the next night. He would sleep during the day.

Gemini6Ice got up, and slowly walked toward the street. A telephone booth just up ahead! "Maybe I could become a superhero and get some energy," he joked to himself, unenthusiastically. He stepped in, and shut the door behind him. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a couple of sirens. "That lady musta ripped off someone else, too..." He flipped through the yellow pages, searching for hotels. He found the Holiday Inn Deluxe, and decided to go there. He ripped the page out of the phone book and tried to get to the hotel.

Red light filtered through the blinds of the hotel. Gemini6Ice got up and looked at his watch once more. It was seven in the afternoon; he had slept for twelve hours!

He locked the door, after stepping out of the room of course, and went to the lobby in the elevator. He headed for an apparel store across the street, purchasing a simple pair of pants and a shirt. He hurried back to the hotel to get cleaned up (thanks to those chibi-soaps and shampoos, courtesy of the hotel). After dressing and turning in his key, he headed for the airport.

Our protagonist took the subway to the airport, where he bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles, California, the metropolitan area of which his holodome was just outside. Before boarding, he picked up a sub at the airport restaurant and a can of Diet Pepsi. He sat on the plane, in his designated seat. It was an aisle seat, with two seats to his right which were next to the window. While eating his sandwich, one of the two seat-neighbors showed up. She was a young woman of about 25 he guessed. She inquired as to why he was eating on the plane.

"Because I'm hungry," Gemini6Ice answered and continued to eat.

"You're not supposed to eat on the plane."

"Why not?"

"See that sign? It says 'No eating'!"

"It says 'No smoking.'"

"Same difference!"

"It's not!"

"Yes it is! If you can eat, then I can smoke!" she lit a cigarette and puffed away.

"Stop that!" Gemini6Ice cried. "Flight attendant!" he pressed the call button several times and the entire plane beeped.

"Telephone!" a flight attendant yelled.

"I'll get it!" a man yelled and popped open his cel phone. "Liar," he spat.

"Flight attendant!" Gemini6Ice persisted.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

"Would you please tell this wom-"

"-can I get you a pillow? A blanket perhaps?" She stuck a pillow over his head, and covered him entirely with a blanket.

He put the pillow behind his head and the blanket on the floor, then pressed the call button again.

"Yes?" asked the flight attendant again.

"Listen to me! This woman is smoking on the pla-"

"-can I get you a pillow? A blanket perhaps?" She stuck another pillow over his face.

The pillow falling to the floor, he shouted, "This woman is smoking on the plane! Please tell her to stop!" Suddenly, the phone, which was of the man who had previously attempted to answer his phone, rang. He ignored it, assuming it was the annoying guy getting all riled up about a woman smoking on the plane again.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid you can't smoke on this plane!" another attendant yelled.

"Well he's eating!" The phone continued to ring.

The first attendant came back and asked. "Oh, is your pillow ringing? Can I get you another pillow? A blanket perhaps?" She tossed another blanket and pillow into the chaos. Suddenly, the blanket caught fire from the woman's cigarette.

"The first attendant cried out in horror and snatched a nearby seat cushion.

"Here!" Gemini6Ice doused the flame with his Diet Pepsi. At this point, everyone was standing up.

Suddenly a man walked in ragged and torn. "I'm so sorry I'm late! Has the plane left yet?" he asked.

"Obviously not," the smoking lady retorted.

"Oh, great! See, I came down with diarrhea on my way to the plane!"

"Do you think we want to know?" yelled the man with the cellular phone. "What's that ringing? Maybe it is my phone. Hello? Oh, hi, Mom! I'm so sorry I thought the ringing was this annoying guy complaining about smoke." He paused. "Yes, there was a fire... Yes, I'm okay!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to leave..." the attendant ushered the lady out the plane. She came back to Gemini6Ice. "I'm so sorry about this! Our company will, like, sue her for violation, I'm sure."

"Attention, passengers, please return your seats to an upright position, be seated, and buckle your safety belts," the overhead com-system echoed the pilot's voice. Suddenly, the plane took off at an angle and sent the two attendants and Gemini6Ice hurling to the back of the plane, spilling the entire cart of complimentary in-flight peanuts.

"What ruckus? Oh some people are flying around in the plane. No, they don't have superpowers. We're taking off. Mom? Mom, we're getting static, we've got to hang up. No, I don't have hiccups. I said hang up! Yes, I love you too Mom. Rope is amazing? Oh! Hope to see me, too! Well, I hope to see you, too! Bye, Mom! Yes, I already said I love you, too! Bye!"

The three in the back of the plane staggered up, and made their way to their seats. As soon as Gemini6Ice was able to sit down and buckle in, the pilot spoke again. "You are now free to move about the cabin, passengers; we are at a stable altitude."

Gemini6Ice pulled down his tray and and started scribbling his plans for reclaiming his e-mail system. Suddenly, the man beside him got up. "Excuse me, I need to get through; it's an emergency!"

Gemini6Ice lifted his tray and tried to squeeze back in the chair as the man tried to get by. Suddenly, the passenger in front of Gemini6Ice leaned his seat back, holding both Gemini6Ice and the man with dirrhea in a stuck position. "I'm stuck!!" screamed the man, "I have to get to the lavatory!!"

"Put your chair back!!" Gemini6Ice screamed. The other passenger quickly obliged and the man went flying forward. He ran to the back of the plane, closing the lavatory door behind him.

This is going to be a looong ride... Gemini6Ice muttered silently.