"I can't believe that we're only a day away from the show." Copper examined her reflection in the full length mirror, smiling at what she saw. "I think it was a great idea to dress in eighties wear for it, too. I'm glad we got to have a dress rehearsal, though. With so many costume changes we needed it."
"The Stingers haven't shown up." Topaz lounged in the doorway. "Apparently Rory said they were 'too good' for a dress rehearsal, or something like that."
"Mr Ego himself." Sylva grimaced, adjusting her hairtie. "Well? How do I look?"
"Like your mother." Copper grinned. "Scarily like her, in fact."
"Neat." Sylva dimpled. "That's what I hoped. We're little Misfits for this show."
"I s'pose we are." Nancy emerged from the back room, a thoughtful look on her clever face. "But we're also Jewel...we're not clones, after all."
"Your hair looks incredible." Topaz was impressed. "I guess it was worth all your complaining last night when Copper was messing with it, huh?"
"You think it's okay?" Nancy looked self-conscious, eying her reflection critically, then shrugging. "Well, if it is or it isn't, it's done now."
"It looks awesome. You really are Goldie now."
Nancy ran her fingers through her gold-spritzed hair with a sheepish grin.
"S'pose I am." She agreed. "It took forever though. Copper had to dye my hair back to basic black, since the yellow was permanent dye, and then streak the gold stuff through. It'll wash out after a while too, so I'm gonna have to be careful washing it tonight. We won't have time between now and the show for me to have it all re-dyed."
"I wondered why you did it last night." Topaz admitted. "It would be neat though, don't you think, for all of us to go on stage with sparkly hair for one show?"
"Please, there can be enough of a good thing." Sylva said, shaking her head. "You do look good though, Nance."
"Are you girls gonna stand around yakkin' or are you going to come up on stage?" Jetta poked her head around the dressing room door. "We got a lot to perfect today, you know, if tomorrow night is gonna go without an 'itch."
"We're coming, Mom, don't worry." Nancy told her, scooping up her guitar and checking her reflection one last time. "Are we going to play through the songs or just plan stage positions?"
"You're gonna play at least one song, so we can check the accoustics and everythin'." Jetta told them as she led the way along the corridor and out onto the main stage. "We're gonna 'ave a crowd of at least fifty thousand, and tickets are sold out...plus the cameras. Nothin' can be allowed to go wrong."
"Great, I feel miles better." Nancy muttered. Copper sent her a reassuring grin.
"We'll be fine. Takin' it All is selling like wildfire, and we've done tons of big shows." She said comfortingly. "There's nothing to worry about."
"I'm glad you're so confident." Nancy sighed. "I have this feeling."
"What kind of feeling?" Topaz asked.
"It's the Stingers not showing up to block for the show." Nancy replied. "After what they tried on with Copper...I can't help thinking it odd that they've given up so easily."
"Maybe they just didn't have any more ideas." Sylva suggested. "Or maybe they've been working flat out with their own set and they've forgotten about us."
"Syl has a point, they're as out of practice as the Misfits and the Holograms." Topaz nodded. Copper looked thoughtful.
"I dunno. Nancy might be right." She said. "They went to a lot of trouble to upset me...and they did a thoroughly good job of it, too. It seems a bit of a waste of effort to just give up."
"Maybe they realised they can't break our team spirit." Sylva shrugged. "Anyway, who cares? We're here, the show's tomorrow. What can they do now?"
"I dunno. Hopefully nothing." Nancy frowned again. "Guess we'll see."
"Finally! You girls took your time!" Phyllis was waiting for them up on the stage, looking unusually harried. "Get yourselves together, will you? The show is tomorrow, not two weeks time, and I want to make sure we've all the stage directions right."
"Makes it sound like a play." Sylva giggled. Topaz laughed, nodding.
"Romeo, Romeo, where fore art thou, Romeo!" She exclaimed. Phyllis shot her a dark look.
"If you're gonna play, the kindergarten is two blocks away." She snapped scathingly. "Grow up!"
"What do you want us to play, Aunt Phyl?" Nancy asked.
"It doesn't matter...whatever needs most practice." Phyllis replied. "Cynthia? Aaron! Where are you!"
"We're here." Aaron popped his head out from the lighting gallery, shooting his adoptive aunt a genial smile. "Ready when you are."
"Right. Good." Phyllis jumped down off the stage. "I hate being so short-handed...Jetta, I thought you said that nephew of yours was gonna be out here to help?"
"Taylor's coming?" Nancy looked startled.
Jetta nodded.
"He will be." She agreed. "He's flying out for some mushy romantic reason or something with that Teenangel girl of his, and he couldn't get off work till today, but he'll be here to help us out tomorrow. I told 'im 'e could stop at our place on the condition 'e 'elped us backstage...God knows we're gonna need the 'ands."
"Neat." Nancy grinned. "It'll be cool to see him...I didn't know he was coming to watch Violet play. Do you think Violet knows?"
"I don't 'ave a clue and I could care less." Jetta responded dryly. "I care more about gettin' this show on the road."
"Right, then let's give it a run through, huh?" Phyllis put in impatiently. "When you're quite finished talking family rubbish! Tomorrow we'll play through everything, but for now one song will do. Thank God we got the damn Teenangels blocked already this morning...I don't think I can take much more of this fussing about!"
Un-noticed by the busy musicians in the huge arena, a figure slipped backstage, pausing for a moment in the wings to assess the situation.
"They're busy." She mused. "Perfect. Just as we thought. Much as I hate the ignominy of resorting to Misfit tricks, desperate times call for desperate measures. Looks like the coast is clear."
She slipped out the back of the building, putting her fingers to her lips and emitting a shrill whistle. From across the other side of the parking lot, her partner in crime sent her the thumbs up signal, then disappeared into the building. The first intruder made her way slowly back to the stage, in order to play sentry and ensure that nothing could go wrong.
"Tomorrow's the big day. They can't hope to undo this by then." She murmured, keeping to the shadows as Jewel began their song. Her eyes narrowed.
"They are good. Too good." She mused. "Ah well. Good thing we took precautions. Thank God for Sophie and her planning ahead...If nothing else it will pay those wretched Misfits back for that trick they played on us all those years ago on our live album tour."
At that moment Jetta turned her gaze towards the wings and the intruder pressed herself back against the wall, holding her breath and hoping against hope that the black bodysuit she was wearing camouflaged her in the shadows. For an instant, she froze, not even daring to blink. But then the moment was passed, as Jetta turned her attention back to the stage and gave out some instruction in her all too familiar clipped accent.
The intruder let out her breath in a rush, slipping further back into the wings, and glancing around her for her accomplice. A whisper from the darkness told her that the deed was done, and with a grin she crept back through the corridors, back to the waiting black car.
"No problems?" She murmured. Her companion shook her head, pushing back the hood of her jacket and letting her long dark hair fall over her shoulders once more.
"They are careless...they do not lock doors." She responded. "But it is done."
"Good...then let's get out of here." Phoebe put the car in gear. "We have plenty to do ourselves before tomorrow, you know...especially since it seems there will be at least one act less!"

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"Mom! Mom, where in hell are you? Mom!"
Nancy hurried out into the main auditorium, stopping dead as she eyed the arena desperately for any sign of her mother. "Mom? Aunt Phyl? Dammit, aren't either of you here?"
"What's the fuss?" Jetta emerged from the shadows, brushing the dust from her long dark hair. "I was helpin' your brother angle lights - what are you screamin' about now?"
"Someone's been in our dressing room." Nancy grabbed her mother by the arm. "I don't know how and I don't know who, but every single one of our outfits, apart from those we're wearing now, has had the seam slashed. All of them."
"What?" Jetta stared at her daughter in disbelief. "All of them? You're telling me someone's wrecked them? Deliberately?"
"It's very neatly done...we didn't notice until Sylva decided to play dress-up with the first outfits we used to check her hair style or something." Nancy replied. "It's a good thing she did, else we'd not have found out till tomorrow. We went through them all, Mom, and not one of them is undamaged. Someone meant business."
Jetta muttered some unrepeatable epithets under her breath, then, "Dammit, now what are we meant to do? It's too late to get you all new outfits...those were all specially ordered to design as it was! I s'pose I'd better come see them. Pizzazz? You about? We got a crisis."
"Another crisis? What now?" Phyllis pushed open the door of the arena from the restroom, where she had been touching up her makeup. Swiftly Jetta repeated Nancy's story and rage filled the Misfit's gaze.
"Damn Stingers!" She exclaimed, tossing her cosmetic purse down in her annoyance. "I bet it was them! I bet they spent the whole time we were blocking that last song through carefully taking the things to pieces...now what in hell do we do?"
"I said we should go see the damage." Jetta said quietly, and Phyllis nodded.
"Damn right we will, and then I'll sue Riot's sorry backside off for his trouble!" She raged. "How dare he!"
"We couldn't prove it." Nancy said darkly, leading the way back to the dressing room. "But we all thought Rapture and the Stingers were behind it, after their trick with Copper failed."
"Great." Jetta's own expression was decidedly unamused, as she pushed open the dressing room door. "Well? Let's see them."
"It's not pretty." Copper looked troubled. "They've all been cut, Jetta. Deliberately and carefully, so that we wouldn't notice them till tomorrow night."
"Thank God for Sylva's vanity." Jetta muttered. "Sylva? Where are you?"
"I'm here." Sylva emerged from the back-room. "This one is just as bad...they're all ruined, Jetta. All of them bar what we've got on."
Jetta swore again, casting a look at her business partner for guidance. Phyllis shrugged helplessly.
"What do you expect me to do about it?" She demanded. "I'm not a damn fashion designer! I can't sew them back together."
"Oh!" Sylva's eyes lit up at this. "Oh, wait, I have an idea! I think I know someone who can help us!"
"Go on." Jetta eyed the keyboardist thoughtfully. "Amaze us."
"Gaynor!"
"Gaynor?" Phyllis looked blank.
"Oh! Syl's right!" Topaz exclaimed. "Gaynor's a student in fashion design in Washington DC, Phyllis, she's a friend of Syl's sister Anna."
"If she's in DC, what use is she to us?" Phyllis demanded.
"She's staying in Los Angeles with Anna and Mom for the summer. I know she'd help!" Sylva sounded excited. "Can I call her, please? She's so nice, and I know she wouldn't let us down, not with me being Annie's sister and all!"
"Well, I don't spose we have a choice." Phyllis sounded resigned. "You can't play in these with the seams wrecked. Yes, call her, Sylva. But you better damn well be right..."
"Anna said she's straight A on her course, and I've seen some of her sketches, they're phenomenal." Sylva responded, pulling her phone from her bag and dialling her sister's number. "Oh, I just know she'll help! I know it!...Hello, Annie? It's Syl. Is Gaynor about? I kinda have a small favour to ask of her."
Once the young designer was on the line, Sylva explained the problem at top speed, then there was an apprehensive silence as she waited for the answer. Though it seemed like an eternity, the group did not have long to wait, for, with a shriek of triumph Sylva switched her phone off, tossing it up in the air and catching it again.
"She said yes!" She exclaimed. "She'll drive over here right away to see the damage but she said if it's just the seams she should be able to fix them up fine by the concert, if she starts tonight she might even have most of them ready before tomorrow's rehearsal!"
"Thank God for Gaynor." Copper looked relieved. Phyllis looked doubtful.
"You sure this kid can handle it?" She asked.
"She has to." Jetta pointed out. "It's the only option we 'ave. At least we 'ave an option, huh?"
"Yeah. True." Phyllis scowled. "I'll show that damn Rory Llewelyn...I'll get him for this! I'm gonna go over there and tell him what I think of him!"
Jetta's grey eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"No..." She said slowly.
"No?" Phyllis stared at her friend.
"I think we should wait till tomorrow night." Jetta said quietly. "We all know it was the Stingers, but we can't prove it. Well, tomorrow night, we'll give them a night to remember...and we'll do it Misfit style!"