A Misfit Should Be...

Chapter Ten: Conclusion

"It's hopeless! There's no sign of them and we've been to all the usual places." Kimber sighed, putting her hands behind her head with a frown. "They've vanished, we'll never find them!"

Back at the old factory, Jeremy had regained his wits, dodging away from the advancing Misfits and out of the door of the room into the network of rooms and corridors that lay beyond.
"He's getting away!" Roxy exclaimed.
"He can't go far." Jetta shook her head. "We botched up his van for 'im before we came in. He's a caged animal, that's all. He can't run forever."
"We'll get him." Pizzazz's eyes narrowed. "Noone screws up one of our concerts and gets away with it." she glanced at Stormer. "Stormer, you stay here with the kid. This could get messy."
"All right." Stormer nodded her head, taking a seat beside the anxious Dierdra. The other Misfits disappeared out of the room to pursue their quarry, and the teenager turned frightened eyes on the youngest Misfit.
"Will we get out of here?" she asked uncertainly.
"Of course we will." Stormer nodded her head, though her heart was jumping. "Pizzazz and the others will take care of him."
"I'm scared, now." Dierdra admitted. "Everything's happening so fast...and I just want to go home. He scares me. He's so angry..."
"Scares me, too." Stormer shivered. "I hope he doesn't come back up here."
"You think he will?" Dierdra's eyes widened. Stormer shook her head hurriedly.
"No." She said carefully. "No. I think the other Misfits will find him all right."
"They scare me too." Dierdra responded. "Will...what will they do with me? I mean, you all won't just leave me here, will you?"
"Of course not." Stormer shook her head. "We'll make sure you get home safely, I promise. Don't worry."
"He told me that he wanted money from Jerrica - he has a boat leaving on the sixteenth." Dierdra remembered.
"I wish I could talk to Kimber, let her know what's happened." Stormer sighed. "Jetta and Kimber and Aja and I were all set up to get you out of here tonight."
"Jetta wanted to help out too? But he's her brother! Why?" Dierdra was surprised.
"Even a Misfit has her limits." Stormer said quietly. "Now, don't worry, all right? Everything will be fine."
"Why don't we split up? We can cover more ground that way." In the dark, winding corridors of the factory the other Misfits had had little luck in finding their prey, and it was Roxy who voiced the suggestion. "He can't run forever, and we'll flush him out quicker that way."
"She's got a point." Jetta nodded. "Pizzazz?"
"Works for me." Pizzazz nodded, realising that her role of leader had been more than restored to her in the crisis situation. "Roxy, you take the right, Jetta, go left...and I'll check out the downstairs." she indicated. "Yell if you find him. None of us want to miss out on the fun."
"Right." With a nod of agreement, the three girls separated, each going in different directions. Pizzazz headed back the way they'd come in, whilst Jetta found herself exploring a network of tiny rooms and Roxy soon met a dead end. With a muttered curse she turned on her heel, intending to rejoin one of her companions and play her part in the hunt. She was badly wanting her revenge on her kidnapper, be he Jetta's brother or not.
"Well, well, this is nice."
Jetta jumped, swinging around and frowning as she met her brother's gaze. "Just you and me now, eh, Sheila? Burns versus Burns. Think you can beat me?"
"Burns versus Misfit." Jetta scowled. "I'll knock your block off. How dare you come in here and try and ruin my life because you ain't so pleased with your own? How dare you?"
"I dare because I can, Sheila." Jeremy smirked. "I think you've gone soft on me, you know. The Sheila I know wouldn't have gotten herself mixed up in things like this. Why did you come here tonight? I don't understand it. What do you have to gain by it? You know full well what the penalty is for sheilding a fugitive."
"Well, maybe I'll get good behaviour." Jetta spat back. "I came because I wanted to, that's all. Blood don't mean nothing to me, Jeremy, but my career does."
"I can ruin your career, Sheila, in days." Jeremy told her. "You know that." He smiled slightly. "But I'll give you another chance to see sense. You can 'elp me take care of your friends, and then nothing more will be said about it...or else I'll blacken your name as 'ard as I ever can. You'll be in trouble beyond your nightmares when I get done."
"You're forgetting, Jeremy, that me name is Jetta, and you can't get blacker than that." Jetta told him coldly. "You got a nerve, tryin' to manipulate me now. If you want me out of your way you're going to have to do it physically, because I ain't protecting a weasel like you from what you deserve."
"Silly words." Jeremy told her. "I can outmanoeuvre you and I'm stronger than you'll ever be. I can hurt you, Sheila...do you really want to put yourself in that position?"
"Go ahead and try." Jetta retorted. "I'll show you who's soft!"
"We'll see about that." Jeremy's eyes narrowed, and he lunged for his sister, who dodged out of his way, her eyes never leaving him. She knew that she could not afford to let her guard down for a second. Her only chance of overpowering him was to play him at his own game - dodge the blows and use her smaller size to her advantage.
But Jeremy was the teacher and Jeremy was too quick for her. He grabbed her tightly by the arm, pushing her up against the wall and putting his hand around her throat.
"Not so tough now, eh, love?" he asked her, his tone falsely genial. "Still determined to play the shrew? Bad idea, Sheila."
"Yours is the bad idea, creep!"
A fresh voice cut across Jeremy's triumphant gloating, and he seemed to stagger back, releasing his grasp on his sister as he did so and toppling to the floor.
Roxy stood over him, a makeshift weapon - more of the piping - clasped tightly in her hand and a self-satisfied look on her face. "That'll teach you to meddle with the Misfits!"
Jetta put her hand to her throat. For a split-second she had wondered if her brother intended to kill her, and for the first time in her life she had been truly afraid of him. Though she knew that she could never openly thank Roxy for her intervention, she sent a silent thought of gratitude in the bass player's direction.
"Is he out?" was all she said, however, and Roxy nodded.
"Sleeping like a baby." She joked. "Come on. Let's get this loser tied up someplace, then we can get outta here. This place gives me the creeps."
Jetta hesitated for a moment, and Roxy sent her a warning look.
"You gonna wimp out on me?" she demanded. "I thought that blood meant nothing to you, Jetta."
"All right, I'm coming. Quit fussing, will you?" Jetta retorted. "'Elp me lift 'im, will you? He's 'eavy. Where are we going to take him?"
"I say we take him up to the little room he had the kid and me in, tie him up nice and tight and then leave him." Roxy replied. "We can send the police to pay him a visit and pick up the reward, too."
"I don't want the money." Jetta shook her head as, between them they carried the still Jeremy back to the room where Stormer and Dierdra were waiting.
"You don't?" Roxy stared, almost dropping her burden in her surprise.
"No. I mean, he is my brother." Jetta replied. "I want him back where 'e belongs, and out of my hair, but I can't take any money for it."
"Well, I can." Roxy shrugged. "They can give me your share, if you don't want it!" She paused, as they reached the top of the stairs. "Hey, Pizzazz! We got ourselves a playmate!"
"What?" Pizzazz emerged from the darkness. Then, "What did you do to him?"
"Roxy clocked him with a pipe, he's out cold." Jetta responded. "We're going to tie him up and leave 'im for the cops."
"You guys had all the fun! I thought I told you to yell!" Pizzazz grumbled as she came to join them. Roxy shrugged.
"There kinda wasn't much time for yelling." she said dismissively. "We still have the reward money to think of, though. Come on, let's get this sucker tied up."

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"Wait a minute! Aja, back up, I saw something!"
Kimber put her hand on her friend's shoulder, her eyes big with excitement. "I think it was the Misfit van!"
"Their van? Where?" Aja put the roadster in reverse with little attention to the rules of the road, her eyes scanning their surroundings. "Where? I don't see anything."
"There!" Kimber pointed. "Look!"
"Okay, I got it." Aja nodded, screeching to a stop. "Let's walk from here, go surprise them."
"We don't know what's going on there...it could be dangerous." Kimber faltered.
"Think Dierdra." Aja responded, pushing open the car door. "Come on."
"Remind me never to get myself paired with you again when we're on a hunt." Kimber grumbled, nevertheless obeying the command. "Hey, wait a minute...something's going on!"
"I spy Misfits." Aja said grimly. "I want to give them a piece of my mind, make no mistake."
"Wait a minute! They're not alone...Dierdra's with them!" Kimber's eyes widened. "Come on, Aja, quicken up, will you? Who knows where they'll take her!"
"Don't need to tell me twice." Aja replied, as the two girls rounded the corner.
"Kimber! Aja!" Dierdra's quick eyes had spotted the two Holograms and, her expression one of joy and relief she had broken away from Stormer's protective grasp, hurrying to fling herself on her guardians. "Oh, have you come to take me home?"
"Of course we have." Aja hugged her tightly. "We've been so worried, Dierdra...are you all right?"
"I'm fine, thanks to those guys." Dierdra indicated the Misfits. "They rescued me."
"The Misfits did?" Kimber's eyes almost dropped out of her head. "But..."
"What are you Holograms doing here?" Pizzazz interrupted the reunion, a confused and suspicious look on her face.
"Looking for something that belongs to us." Aja responded calmly. "And now we've found her."
"What about the jewel thief?" Kimber added.
"We took care of him." Roxy added her bit. "Don't think you can horn in on the reward, either. That money's ours, you hear?"
"We don't want it, Roxy." Aja assured her. She paused. "Wait a minute, though. You guys hared off from your concert...why?"
"Like it's any of your business." Jetta responded darkly.
"Yeah, what do you wimps care what we do?" Pizzazz demanded.
"That guy kidnapped Roxy too...they came to get her out and get me too." Dierdra said, not loosing her grip on Aja. "They were really brave, Aja...don't be mad at them."
"Going soft in your old age, Pizzazz?" Kimber teased. Pizzazz's eyes narrowed.
"I'll give you soft, you little wimp." she retorted. "Take your brat and get lost, huh? We've stuff to do."
"With pleasure." Aja smiled. "By the way, Riot's on the look out for you...I wouldn't want to face him in the mood he's in at the moment. He doesn't like being stood up, apparently."
"Who cares?" Pizzazz shrugged. "I'll do what I want, and noone's telling me otherwise. Not even Riot." She turned on her heel. "Come on, girls, let's leave these losers. We've got our own business to see to."
"We're right behind you." Jetta assured her, casting the silent Stormer a glance. "Stormer? You with us?"
"Yeah, I'm with you." Stormer nodded, turning and sending Kimber a wink, then following her bandmates towards the van.
As they watched the Misfits drive away, Aja frowned.
"Maybe we misjudged them." she mused. "Maybe Jetta was telling the truth, after all."
"I told you Stormer wouldn't lie." Kimber replied. "We ought to get back home too, you know. Jerrica and the others will want to see Dierdra's safe and sound."
"Okay, I'm with that plan." Aja nodded. "Come on, Dierdra, let's get you home."
"You know, there is something which still concerns me." Kimber observed as the three Starlight girls clambered into the roadster.
"What's that?" Aja asked.
"Just what did those Misfits do to Jetta's brother?"
"Dierdra, do you know?" Aja glanced at their companion, who grinned.
"Maybe." she said with a wink. "Who wants to know?"
 
 

Chapter One: The Fight
Chapter Two: Starlight Mansion
Chapter Three: Jeremy
Chapter Four: The Reward
Chapter Five: Where Is Dierdra?
Chapter Six: At The Concert
Chapter Seven: Stormer...and Jetta
Chapter Eight: Kimber's Plan
Chapter Nine: Jetta Of The Misfits

(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)