Clash's Revolt

Chapter Ten: Jetta's Hunch

"So you had no luck either, huh?"
Kimber sat down on Aja's bed as the guitarist set to work examining the broken earrings, a frown on her face.
Aja glanced up from her work, shrugging.
"Not where Pizzazz and Jerrica are concerned." She agreed. "Drew a total blank - guess the note was a hoax to throw us off the scent and waste what little time we have left."
"Whoever's behind this sure is clever." Kimber sighed. "They know just how to push all of our buttons!" she grimaced. "At least I got to spend the day with Stormer. Bet it was fun for you with Roxy for company!"
"Actually it was okay." Aja paused in her evaluation of the problem, considering. "This will sound weird, Kimber, but...well, I'm beginning to think we have her all wrong. I mean, she is rough and tough and rude and all that but...well, she's a team player, she helped me out of a sticky situation and...don't think I'm mad but I think I'm starting to actually like her."
"Like Roxy?" Kimber put her hand to her friend's forehead. "Too much desert sun for you, you're talking gibberish!"
Aja pushed Kimber's hand away with a laugh.
"No! I mean it. She's not so bad deep down. I...I guess working like this with her has made me see her in a different light. Not as a Misfit, always causing trouble for us - for once we're on the same side and I think it's showing me more of what she's really like. The rivalry kinda gets in the way of that."
"Well, me and Stormer have that problem all the time." Kimber acknowledged. "But Stormer is different. She's nice!"
"Stormer likes Roxy." Aja pointed out.
"Aja, Stormer likes everyone." Kimber replied. Aja shook her head.
"No, I mean seriously. They're really quite close. Well, as close as anyone can get to Roxy." she paused. "I don't say we're friends or anything...oh, who knows. We have a truce, at least. It shouldnt be so hard to work with her now."
"Well, that's nice and all, but it isnt finding my sister." Kimber remarked. "And it isnt fixing those earrings!"
"All right, I'm working on it." Aja responded. "To be honest, though, I think it's a lost cause. Emmet's wiring is far too complex for me, I don't even know where to begin. I've only tinkered about with this stuff, but the earrings are so important, I'd hate to do anything to wreck them perfectly."
"Well, fat lot of good they are at the moment!" Kimber picked up one of the earrings, turning it over in her hand. "Ah well. Leave it for tonight, huh? We've other things to think about."

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"Well, I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this messin' around." Jetta sank down into the chair behind the desk in Pizzazz's office, pushing paperwork aside and resting her chin in her hands. Though Eric Raymond did all of the business side of things for the business, Pizzazz still considered the company hers, and would often invade it simply to get on Eric's nerves.
Shana took one of the other seats in the room, an identical frown on her own face.
"I know what you mean." she admitted. "Two days and not a single clue to go on. That note came to nothing and Aja and Roxy almost got killed into the bargain. This is getting serious, Jetta. Maybe we should call the police."
"The police? Hah." Jetta snorted. "No way. We do this ourselves, okay?"
"Scared of the police?" Shana asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cuts too close to home, huh, being a Misfit and all?"
"I prefer to do things my own way, is all." Jetta retorted. "Anyway, if we can't work it out, what good will they be? They don't even know Jerrica or Pizzazz!"
Shana was about to reply when the door opened and Eric himself entered, dressed in his usual smart suit and clutching his briefcase in his hand, and stopping dead when he registered the room's occupants. He had spent the week in Washington DC, meeting with potential backers and as a result had not yet been filled in on the latest events back in LA.
It would be fair to say that he did not expect to find a Hologram in the office...much less a Hologram consorting with one of the Misfits.
"What's going on here?" he demanded, suspicion in his tone. "Jetta, what's the big idea? Where's Pizzazz?"
"Not 'ere, duckie." Jetta spoke in tones which were laced with irony.
"Well, I can see that." Eric snapped. He had never had much time for Jetta. "But what's she doing here?" He pointed at Shana. "I go away for one week and the whole world goes mad!"
"Eric, Pizzazz and Jerrica are missing." Shana decided now was as good a time as any to explain the situation to the Misfits' manager. "We don't know who's behind the whole scam, but desperate times call for real desperate measures. Since both the Holograms and the Misfits have been affected, we kinda teamed up to find them."
"You've done what?" Eric exclaimed. "Jetta, you tell me right now what this is all in aid of! Teaming with Holograms?"
"Oh, cool out, love. It ain't the end of the world." Jetta stood, pushing back her chair. "It's just temporary, and we ain't enjoyin' it. We've the rock festival coming up and we need our singer - what choice did we 'ave? For once our 'ands are tied."
"I suppose when you put it that way..." Eric frowned. "Misfit Music can't afford to have you girls pull out of that festival, you're it's big money band." He paused. "So how long has she been missing?"
"Pizzazz? A couple of days. She went to some set-up meeting with someone who claimed to be Jem, only they weren't, and..." Suddenly Jetta's eyes opened wide. "Wait a minute! That's it! 'Ow could I be so stupid? Shana, we gotta go! I got an 'unch and I want to check it out!"
"You've got a what?" Shana looked blank.
"An 'unch. I think I know who could be behind this whole mess." Jetta grabbed Shana's arm, pulling her forcibly out of the office. "Later, Eric. Don't fret without us, will ya?"
And with that, they were gone.
Eric closed the door, a wry smile on his face.
"Fret?" he said aloud, to noone in particular. "It might be nice to actually have some peace and quiet for a change!"
"So, where are we going now?" Shana demanded as they got into Jetta's car, the Londoner slipping behind the wheel. "I wish you'd stop doing this, Jetta! We're supposed to be working together - how am I supposed to help out if you keep taking over?"
"Listen, you daft 'Ologram, I know who the kidnapper is!" Jetta snapped, turning on the engine and putting the vehicle in gear.
"You really do? But how?" Shana asked, looking startled. "I thought that was for Eric's benefit."
"Well, it weren't." Jetta said curtly.
"So? Who is it then, if you're so sure?" Shana demanded.
"Use your 'ead, Shana!" Jetta rolled her eyes. "Who do we all know that's a mistress of disguise?"
"Disguise?" Shana repeated, her mind immediately flying to Jerrica and her rock-star alterego. "I..."
"Think!" Jetta urged. "Who infiltrated one of your tours with a video camera? Who dressed up as Jem to wreck her reputation? Who tried to wreck your movie by dressing up as a stranger and sneakin' on set?"
Shana's eyes widened.
"Clash?" She exclaimed. "Really? You think it's her?"
"I do." Jetta said grimly. "Now I think of it, I don't see 'ow it can be anyone else."
"But...I thought Clash wanted to be a Misfit!" Shana protested. "Funny way of showing it, kidnapping the lead singer! And why Jerrica? You sure you got it right?"
"Listen, I know Clash better than you do." Jetta pointed out. "Where Jerrica is concerned, well, you guys humiliated 'er, more or less, and I know she 'ates you all as much as we do. And as for the Misfit thing...well...to be honest, Clash 'as always struck me as a loser. I guess I underestimated 'er...Pizzazz 'as been kinda cruel to 'er in the past, usin' 'er and all...I guess she finally snapped. I should give her more credit for fighting back...but when I think about it, she's always been kinda intense where we were concerned. One minute she was desperate to join the group, the next she couldn't care less...now I think, she was odd the last time we saw 'er properly, an' we 'aven't heard a thing of her in months. I bet she's been plannin' all this time, waitin' to get 'er revenge."
Shana shivered.
"That sounds creepy." she admitted. "You think she's stored all her hate up all this time?"
"I dunno." Jetta admitted. "And to be honest, love, I care less. I just want to find Pizzazz in time for this concert...Clash is just a nusiance to me, always 'as been."
"It takes someone pretty messed up to do something like this." Shana looked thoughtful. "If it is Clash, Jetta...she needs help."
"Like I said, who cares?" Jetta spoke abruptly.
"But..."
"Listen...if she screws over our concert, I'll 'ave even less sympathy for 'er than I do now. Clash is a wingeing creep and this is just a spoiled temper tantrum." Jetta interrupted. "Granted, she's cleverer than I thought, but we'll get 'er, and make 'er pay. Come on. We gotta go pay Miss Montgomery a visit."

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"So now what do we do?"
Jerrica shot Pizzazz a troubled look from across the dimly lit warehouse which had become their home for the previous two days.
"You're asking me? Miss hot-shot music executive Benton?" Pizzazz snapped. "How should I know? I didn't plan on being here either, you know!"
"Well, its your fault we are here...you must've done something to get Clash's goat in a big way." Jerrica returned.
"The wimp's gone mad." Pizzazz snorted. "All that Jem nonsense...she doesn't know. She's just trying to get me goin'."
"Pizzazz...she does know." Jerrica murmured. "Please...don't upset her any more than you gotta...I'm afraid."
"Afraid? Of a nothing like Clash?" Pizzazz demanded. "And why should I do what you say? What do I care if the world finds out who Jem is, huh?"
"You don't understand." Jerrica sighed. "And I can't explain it to you. Only...a very important old friend could be in real danger if people knew about Jem..."
"Now you lost me too. Clash's delusions are warping your mind." Pizzazz rolled her eyes. "Oh, just quit it, will ya? We gotta work out how to get out of here. You think I'm hanging around here under orders from that creepy wannabe? Not a hope." She growled. "The nerve of the girl!"
"Well, she thought of everything so far." Jerrica frowned. "I guess...I guess maybe both of us underestimated what she could do. I always saw her as your delinquent groupie."
Pizzazz opened her mouth to retort, then paused, frowing also.
"Me too." She admitted grudgingly. "When we first met her, she had some spark, but not these days...she's a loser, like I said."
"Pizzazz, don't. She might hear you!" Jerrica begged.
"So?" Pizzazz shrugged. She raised her voice. "Clash, you no good whining creep, let us out of here!"
"Pizzazz!" Jerrica exclaimed. "You'll get her mad."
"Good." Pizzazz returned petulantly. "Then maybe she'll see sense and let us go."
"What's all the yellin' about, girls?" Zipper poked his head around the door.
"Zipper, you're a weasel, you know that?" Pizzazz snapped. "Where's Clash?"
"She ain't here. Said she had business to attend to." Zipper shrugged. "Not that it's anything to you. You can't do nothin' to stop her. Your concert is less than two days away now...sit quiet and relax like good girls."
"When I get my hands on you..." Pizzazz's eyes narrowed, but Zipper laughed.
"Sure, sure, Pizzazz." he said, amused. "I'm real afraid. Keep it down, will ya? I got things to do. And anyway, you won't be here forever. Soon as the night of the concert is over, we'll let you go...just sit tight. There is nothing you can do to escape."
 
 

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)