"Okay," Eli called over the wind rushing by as the gang sped through a mushroom forest on their Mechas. "Let's go over the plan.

"Loki will disguise himself as a ghoul and get into the depot. From there, he'll open up the security camera channel so Trixie can access it from the holodesk. Twist, Kord, Pronto, and I will head into the depot when Trix gives us the all-clear. We'll take out the guards inside and get to the ghouls disguised as guards. We'll load up the ghouls and head out, where Alana and Trixie will bring around the Mechas. From there, we put as much distance between us and the depot as possible before stopping and curing the ghouls."

Alana wished she could be closer to the action, infiltrating the ghoul depot, but she and Eli had already discussed it earlier that morning. There was no way for her to safely get into the depot and not risk having a reaction to the dark water. And deep down, Alana supposed she was a little glad she didn't have to do another mission in a depot. Memories of yells and explosions filled her mind whenever she really thought about going into the building.

"Sounds good, Eli," Kord said. He grinned. "Man, I wish I could see the look on Blakk's face when he hears about this."

"I pity anyone in that Citadel," Alana laughed, shaking her head. "I can't imagine being in the same building as him when he gets mad."

"Yeah, that would be pretty crazy, wouldn't it?" Twist said from the back of Eli's Mecha. "I dunno, I feel like I'm getting close enough just going into one of his depots."

"And speaking of the depot, we're coming up on it," Trixie reported, looking down at the map she had pulled up on her Mecha's control panel.

The depot came into view as the gang rode up along the same ledge they'd been at yesterday. The gray and red building was surrounded by a tall wall, with one way out: a large door at the front. Electric wires ran along the top of the wall, making it impossible to go over. Alana and the others hopped down from their Mechas, Trixie tossing Eli a pair of binoculars.

Eli took position between two emerald bushes, watching the depot for a few moments before nodding.

"And there goes the patrol, right on time. This should be a piece of cake," he said, turning to Twist and nodding.

Twist nodded to Loki, who hopped out of one of the canisters on Twist's bandoleer. In mid air, the slug engulfed himself in red sparks, and when he landed on Twist's open hand, he was no longer a slug. He had dark skin, long, jagged teeth, and furious red eyes. Alana gasped and took a hesitant step back- she could practically feel the illusion's dark energy.

"Whoa," Eli breathed.

"That's convincing," Trixie agreed in awe.

"Good job," Twist said before holding up a canister. Loki jumped in, and Twist fired him through the bushes around the gang and toward the depot. Loki transformed for only a moment before quickly soaring through the air and returning to protoform. Two armed guards at the front of the gate stood unaware as Loki hopped toward them.

When one of them finally noticed, he practically jumped out of his suit.

"A ghoul!" he cried out. Loki growled and barked in response, hopping around wildly.

Alana couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but the two guards seemed to have an argument before one unhooked a pole from the side of the gate. It had a circular wire on the edge- apparently rogue ghouls weren't a rare occurrence. He lunged for Loki, grabbing the fake ghoul with the wire on the pole, but Loki pulled away from the guard just as the other one slid a key card through a scanner and opened up the gate. Cackling, Loki hopped into the depot, and the two guards disappeared from sight as they chased after him.

Alana handed Trixie the holodesk, which Trixie unfolded on a stone in front of her. The screen flickered up, showing a screen that read Connection Pending.

"C'mon, Loki..." Eli murmured, watching the screen intently.

After a few moments, the screen changed, flashing and pulling up several camera feeds. The gang all sighed with relief.

"He made it," Twist said excitedly.

"And now their eyes are our eyes. Nice," Trixie smirked, pulling up one of the feeds. It showed the two workers walking down one of the halls, having successfully caught Loki. The ghoul glanced up and saw the camera on the wall, winking.

Alana crossed her arms, feeling uncomfortable. It was weird to see a ghoul behaving so much like a slug.

Kord narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, also looking upset. But it must not have just been about how odd it was to look at a ghoul acting normal, because he took a deep breath and sighed before saying, "Something's wrong with this."

"Wrong how?" Trixie asked, glancing up at the cave troll.

"I'm not sure," Kord admitted. "I can't put my finger on it, but... something."

Twist crouched down next to Trixie, watching as she pulled up feed after feed, looking for anything out of place.

"I don't see anything wrong," he said, turning to Eli, who stood behind him. "What about you, Eli?"

Eli frowned and leaned forward, watching as Trixie scrolled through the security feeds again.

"Everything looks green to me," he said. "But keep your eyes open, people. I trust Kord's instincts."

Kord smiled and shrugged, shaking his head. "Yeah, it's, uh... it's probably nothing," he said, failing to convince anyone. The gang watched with apprehension as Blakk's guards placed Loki into a ghoul carrier with dozens of other ghouls, in a room that likely held a couple hundred.

"Loki's in place," Twist reported when the workers shut the carrier and walked away.

"Alright. Let's move in," Eli said, grinning. "This is gonna be fun."

"Good luck," Alana said as the boys made their way down the ledge to the front gate of the depot. Twist turned back to her and smirked.

"As if we'll need it," he said before hurrying down to walk alongside Eli.

"He definitely doesn't lack confidence," Trixie said with a laugh as Alana rolled her eyes and sat down on the ground next to her and the holodesk.

"No, he does not. But overall he seems nice," Alana said, watching as the two guards returned to the front of the depot. They talked for a few moments before turning and walking around the perimeter.

"Slug Runner to Bunhead. We're in position," Eli said, his voice filling Alana and Trixie's earpieces. Alana snickered as Trixie gasped.

"Bunhead? I'm supposed to be Eagle Eyes!" she exclaimed, laughing and shaking her head. "Perimeter's clear, but you've got four guards inside the first door. Go!"

Alana watched through the foliage as the other members of the gang sprinted across the opening between the forest and the depot, the gate in the wall and the front door still ajar from when the two guards had left it to chase after Loki.

"If Blakk amped up the security after your mission a few years ago, I can't imagine what he'll do now," Trixie noted as she and Alana watched the boys take out the four guards in the control room one by one.

"Well, that's why we're going to have to make sure this works," Alana said grimly. "If it doesn't, we risk increased security. I usually look on the bright side of things, but I don't think we'll ever get a chance like this again."

"Luckily, it looks like things are going well. Look!" Trixie exclaimed, pointing at the holoscreen. The camera feed showed Twist pulling a key card out of one of the unconscious workers' pockets and holding it up to the camera.

"Got the key card," he said over the radio. "We're in."

"Great job," Alana responded, getting to her feet. "We'll bring the Mechas around and meet you out front."

Trixie slammed the holodesk shut, getting to her feet and following Alana over to where their Mechas stood, waiting for their riders. Alana hopped up onto Midnight, and Trixie onto Boomer. The two pressed buttons on their control panels to activate a following command Kord had set up. Wyatt and Fernando, Kord and Pronto's Mechas, would follow Trixie's, while Lucky would follow Alana's.

"Does this seem too easy to you?" Trixie suddenly asked as she started up her Mecha. Alana paused, glancing at her worriedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it just seems like our luck is usually way worse than this," Trixie explained as she rode alongside Alana, the rest of the gang's Mechas following behind. "It's nice, don't get me wrong, but it's weird."

"I wouldn't question it," Alana said as the two rode down the ledge carefully. "I mean, we don't want to jinx-"

Alana suddenly slammed on Midnight's brakes, reaching forward and stopping Trixie with her arm, biting her lip so she wouldn't gasp out loud. The Mechas all stopped behind them, and just in time. Had they kept riding, they would have walked right out of the forest and right into Diablos Nacho and a dozen ghoulslingers.

Trixie looked at Alana worriedly, but Alana was staring at the gate to the ghoul depot. By now, Eli and the others would be walking out at any second with a cart full of ghouls.

Please don't walk out without looking, Alana thought desperately. She didn't want to risk making any noise by talking to them on the comms, and Trixie must have thought the same, because she stayed silent and unmoving.

Sure enough, the door to the ghoul depot cracked open in the slightest. Alana's shoulders sagged with relief when she caught a glimpse of Eli's face before it quickly retreated upon seeing Nacho.

"Alana? Trixie? Are you two okay?" Eli asked into the earpieces. Alana pressed hers and whispered as quietly as she could, never taking her eyes off Nacho, who was ordering the ghoulslingers around.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"Good. We're not getting out of here without a duel. On my mark, get the Mechas over here. We'll hook up the ghouls as quickly as possible and book it, and we won't worry about curing the ghouls until we're home safe," Eli said.

Alana glanced at Trixie, who took a deep breath and nodded, leaning forward, ready to floor it.

"Okay, you two," Eli whispered into the radio. "Showtime."

The front gate of the depot flew open, with Eli immediately firing a Phosphoro at Nacho. The slug exploded in a burst of fireworks, causing Nacho to cry out and drop to the ground. Alana and Trixie sped forward on the Mechas, leaping over Nacho and the ghoulslingers and landing just in front of the rest of the gang, who were dressed in Blakk Industries uniforms.

"Saddle up!" Alana yelled, firing her Frostcrawler in front of Pronto's Mecha to give him temporary cover while he hooked up the ghoul cart to his Mecha.

Nacho recovered from Eli's Phosphoro, stumbling to his feet and shaking sparks from his eyes. "Blast them, you fools!" he bellowed at the ghoulslingers, who hurriedly complied, opening fire on the gang. Explosions shook the ground, and Alana winced as she felt waves of ghoul energy rippling around the clearing.

"This way!" Trixie called out, gesturing to an open spot in the clearing where the ghoul cart would be able to fit through. The gang made its way toward her, fighting ghouls every step of the way. Alana dodged a Harmashelt that exploded just behind her, nearly sending Midnight to the group. She fired Ash as another ghoulslinger fired a Grimmstone. The Infurnus knocked the Grimmstone out of the air and spat out flames that trapped two of the ghoulslingers in a ring of fire.

"Ah! Someone cover me!" Pronto shrieked as a Greneater shattered the ice wall in front of him.

"On it!" Kord yelled, driving Wyatt forward and blocking ghoulfire until the cart was secured. Pronto's Mecha sped forward, shooting after Trixie, with Kord and Alana following right behind.

Alana turned around on Midnight, hoping the mechanical wolf would know enough to not drive straight into a mushroom-tree. Blakk's men were pursuing the gang, speeding after them on Mechas. The thought crossed Alana's mind that the number of workers was increasing steadily- where were they coming from?

"Where's Eli and Twist?" Alana suddenly asked, firing a Vinedrill that dug into the ground and wrapped thick vines around the legs of some of the ghoulslingers' Mechas.

"Weren't they just right behind us?" Kord responded, ducking as a Dark Urchin sped by him. Alana pressed her earpiece, firing her Rammstone, Sarge, at one of the ghoulslingers.

"Eli, Twist! Where are you?" she asked. "Do you need backup?"

"A little occupied- stay with the ghouls, don't let Blakk's workers get them back!" Eli responded. Alana tensed as she heard slugfire in the background. "I'm okay, I'm with Twist and we're taking care of this. We'll meet up with you guys!"

Alana's grip on her blaster tightened and she sighed. "Fine. If you change your mind, let me know."

She turned back to the ghoulslingers behind her, firing slug after slug.

"Does it seem like there are a lot more of these guys than our intel suggested?" Kord called out as his Rammstone knocked an Aquafreak out of the air.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Alana responded, turning to the front of her Mecha and swerving to the left. Midnight reared back and kicked a Grimmstone before it could hit the ghoul cart. "So much for the perfect plan."

"Heads up back there!" Trixie called. Alana and Kord each ducked as Trixie shot a Polero from up from. The red and blue slug transformed and spun through the air, wrapping two ghoulslingers together and causing them to crash their Mechas. "Two for one," Trixie called triumphantly.

"But, who's counting?" Alana responded. Trixie stuck her tongue out before turning to face front, leading Pronto through the forest.

Alana turned and fired her Slyren, Sonic. The slug let out a piercing cry as it reached the ghoulslingers, forcing some of them to come to a halt and turn back to avoid the sound waves. One of the ghoulslingers fired a Grimmstone and a Harmashelt. Alana quickly fired her Grenuke, which exploded in midair, but only stopped the Grimmstone. The Harmashelt wove through the air and crashed into the ghoul cart. Alana winced as Pronto shrieked.

"Sorry," she began, turning to face Pronto, but she cut her apology short. "Pronto, you've got one on your left!"

Pronto saw the ghouslinger hiding amongst the forest and fired his Flatulorhinkus, causing the Blakk Industries worker to collapse to the ground, gasping for air. Suddenly, Eli's voice filled Alana's earpiece.

"Hey, remember what I said earlier? I lied. We need some backup here. We're dueling Nacho, on a path to your right!"

"Roger that, Eli, we'll get there as soon as we can," Alana responded. "Trixie! Fall back! Eli needs help, we've gotta wrap this up!"

Trixie nodded and turned her Mecha around so she fell back to Alana and Kord.

"You two still have a Hop Rock?" Alana asked. Trixie and Kord nodded. "Get them ready."

Alana fired her Negashade, which released a thick black cloud of gas in front of Blakk's workers, forcing them to stop as they tried to see where they were going.

"Now!" Alana called, firing her Hop Rock. Trixie and Kord did the same, and the three explosive slugs flew into the Negashade cloud and detonated, flipping Mechas and throwing riders into the forest.

"Nice!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Eli's this way!" Alana said, speeding Midnight up and taking the lead, turning right. "We'll get him and Twist and then get out of here!"

They rode through the mushroom forest, able to maneuver as they pleased with the temporary ceasefire. Sure enough, they came up on a path where Twist and Eli stood facing Nacho.

"Up there!" Alana called. Kord nodded and fired his Rammstone at Nacho, who hadn't been expecting the shot and was knocked off his feet. Trixie fired her Tormato, blowing Nacho back further away from Eli and Twist.

"I need to get my bandoleer!" Eli called to the rest of the gang. Twist gave him a boost and Eli climbed up a mushroom-tree, where his bandoleer was hooked on one of the branches. The second he got his arsenal back, he fired his Sand Angler. Nacho was just recovering from the Tormato as the slug crashed into him, creating a sinkhole of quicksand that dragged him down into the ground.

"Let's get out of here!" Eli said as he and Twist jumped on Lucky, following after the rest of the gang. Alana nodded and fell back so she was riding alongside Eli and Twist, not eager to be riding up close to the ghoul cart. She could feel the dark energy radiating from it like a dark beacon, and that combined with the rapid ghoulfire she'd just gotten out of was giving her a headache.

"Are you okay?" Eli asked, glancing at the ghoul cart, then back to Alana.

"Yeah," Alana said, rubbing her forehead. "I think so."

"Why would she be-" Twist began to ask, but was cut off as a Greneater suddenly sped between Lucky and Midnight, slamming into the ghoul cart. Alana gasped and turned around. Through the trees, she saw Nacho quickly disappearing from view, an evil smirk on his face.

"Transport's hit!" Trixie called out.

"There's no way that thing stays in one piece for long," Kord said. "We might not be able to make it back to the hideout."

"And the ghoulslingers are regrouping!" Alana said suddenly, turning back toward the forest. She couldn't see them, but she felt the ghoul energy stirring, growing closer.

"We can't afford a firefight," Eli said. "If that pen gets hit one more time, we're going to have a nasty mess of ghouls on our hands."

"I know a hidden path," Pronto assured, turning to Twist. "That is what I do, you see. Point the way when all seems lost!"

Twist raised an eyebrow, and Alana rolled her eyes. Eli pulled Lucky back so he and Twist were riding alongside Alana.

"Think we're good on the ghoulslingers?" he asked as Pronto led them off the main path, speeding through the jungle to put distance between the gang and the ghoul depot.

"Yeah, for now," Alana said, glancing behind her. "We're getting some distance in."

"How did you know the ghoulslingers were regrouping?" Twist asked. Eli's eyes widened, and he looked at Alana hesitantly.

"Heard them shouting while you were apparently taking time to watch the Hoverbugs and smell the roses," Alana teased.

"Funny," Twist replied with a laugh.

~~~~~~~~

The gang rode for a half hour before leaving the darker forest they were in and heading into a lighter one. Now, the shapes around them were more visible as stumps and bushes, not blobs that active imaginations could turn into more of Blakk's workers.

"You see! We are safe," Pronto exclaimed when Eli finally called out that they could slow down. "And the ghouls are-"

The molenoid was cut short as the ghoul cart suddenly jolted to one side. Pronto had ridden too close to a ledge, and one of the wheels slipped off the edge, pulling down the cart. It snapped free of its ties to Pronto's Mecha, falling down the yard-high ledge and crashing to one side. The walls and roof of the cart shuddered and broke free, allowing the ghoul carriers to tumble out and pop open.

"Free!" Pronto shrieked.

Alana winced as she felt the mass of ghouls spread out in the small clearing beneath the ledge, hanging back hesitantly as Kord and Trixie sped forward, firing Arachnets to web up the ghouls.

"There's no way we're going to be able to web up all these ghouls!" Eli said as he rode forward, firing his own Arachnet and trapping a half dozen ghouls beneath the webs. Alana took a deep breath and followed after him, firing Webs at a patch of ghouls and wishing she could be farther away from the corrupted slugs. They were creepy enough without radiating dark energy.

"I've got this, guys," Twist said, holding out his blaster. Loki hopped into it, and Twist fired him at the center of the clearing.

Alana's jaw dropped as Loki transformed and hit the ground, showering the area in red sparks. From the ground grew a perfect replica of a Shadow Clan, its tail flicking angrily. The Shadow Clan let out a shrill cry, holding up its arms and herding the ghouls into the center of the clearing in one big pile.

"Wow," Trixie breathed, staring up at the illusion in wonder.

"Awesome, Loki!" Eli said as he unclipped the canister with Doc from his bandoleer. "Alana, you got Mage?"

"Of course," Alana said, turning to Mage, who sat on her left shoulder. "You ready?"

Mage chirped excitedly and nodded, jumping into Alana's cyan and black blaster. Eli nodded, and he and Alana fired their Boon Docs simultaneously. The slugs transformed, and Alana smiled as she felt their light energy as they swooped above the ghouls, radiating white light.

The Boon Docs flew for a solid minute, bathing the ghouls in light energy. Alana relished the waves of energy that were given off as the darkness in the ghouls was cured and they returned to their normal slug selves.

When their work was done, the Boon Docs both returned to protoform, landing on the ground in the middle of the newly-cured slugs. The slugs chirped happily at their rescuers, and Mage and Doc made their way back to their slingers.

"Good job, Mage," Alana said, scooping Mage up in her hand.

"You too, Doc," Eli said as he picked up his own healer. "Get some sleep, you two. You've earned it."

The gang decided to leave the broken up ghoul cart in the jungle. It was inevitable that Blakk's workers would eventually find the Shane Gang's tracks and find it, so the slingers decided it would be amusing to leave it behind for them to deal with.

No longer weighed down with the cart or the worry of keeping it protected, the five Mechas tore through the mushroom jungle with reckless abandon, excited to get home and celebrate the success of their mission. It may not have gone as smooth as intended, but Alana was just happy they were able to cure so many ghouls.

The second the gang reached the hideout, they made a beeline for the living room, collapsing on the couches, hammock, and bean bag chair with exhaustion. Doc and Mage quickly fell asleep on one of the slug perches, with Burpy, Ash, and Loki standing by. Without the healers, no significant progress could be made on injuries, but luckily the gang had gotten off without a scratch, for the most part.

Eli's shoulder was sore from a fall out of a mushroom tree he'd apparently had, where Twist had caught him before he hit the ground and did any more damage. Alana, who had a decent understanding of basic treatments after living alone for so long, assured him that nothing was broken or dislocated, but she still had to have Chiller make some ice cubes to put in a towel, using plastic wrap to tie it to Eli's shoulder.

Eli had (like usual) sustained the worst of the injuries. Everyone else was suffering from minor scrapes and bruises. Twist seemed shocked when Alana got out antibacterial spread and gauze for a cut on his arm.

"I dunno, I guess I never worry about injuries that much," he said when he finally let Alana clean at the cut and wrap the gauze around his arm. "I usually just let it be."

"That's how you get infections," Trixie said with a sigh. "You're lucky nothing serious has happened."

"Apparently," Twist said with a shrug before going over to watch the slugs. Alana put away the medical supplies before jumping onto the orange bean bag chair next to the couch, unhooking her bandoleer and setting it on the ground next to her. "Well, I'll keep that in mind the next time I get in a scrape back at the city."

"Twist," Eli said as he stood from the couch. "You and Loki were amazing today."

"Slugs needed help. I helped," Twist said. "No big deal."

"Very big deal," Trixie corrected. Alana nodded.

"If the average Slugterran had half the heart you had today, we wouldn't be in such a tough spot," Alana said.

"You should be one of us," Eli said, resting a hand on Twist's shoulder. "You proved that today. You're Shane Gang. You're family."

"If it means more meals like this morning, count me in," Twist said. Then he softened his tone and smiled. "Seriously, though, thanks. It's... been a long time since I've felt like part of a family. Other than my slugs, of course," he added, looking down at the ammo in his bandoleer warmly.

Alana felt a bittersweet pang as she remembered how she'd felt when she learned she wouldn't be living alone anymore. She may have joined the Shane Gang quickly, on a limb, but it was the best decision she'd ever made.

"We're lucky to have you, Twist," Eli said, holding out his hand. Twist shook it gratefully. "Also because the Shane Gang is going to need all the help it can get," he said, turning to face the rest of the gang.

"Ooh, what do you have planned this time?" Kord asked eagerly.

"I've realized that hitting ghoul depots isn't going to have any lasting effect on Blakk," Eli began. "We need something that can put him out of the ghouling business for good. We need to get at the thing Blakk is using to make them in the first place." He stopped and turned to Twist. "What do you know about dark water, Twist?"

"I've heard a few things. And if that's what you're going after, I know exactly how to do it. But I'm gonna have to talk to an old friend," Twist said. Eli nodded.

"Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Let's go," Eli said, starting for the garage bay. But Twist held out his hand and shook his head.

"Wish you could come along, Eli, but he doesn't trust strangers. I've gotta do this solo," Twist explained.

"I get it," Eli said with a nod. "Be safe. Keep an eye out- now that you're with us and Blakk's workers know it, you're going to find that trouble seems to find you."

"I'll be sure to keep a lookout," Twist assured.

~~~~~~~~

The brunette stood at the door to Blakk's office, her arms crossed as she watched Diablos Nacho get chewed out by Doctor Blakk, a smaller figure next to him standing by nervously.

"I should blast you where you stand," Doctor Blakk said coldly. "I lost a lot of precious ghouls today."

"So did I," Nacho growled.

"And now you come to me with a request?" Blakk asked as he stood and walked around his desk. "What makes you think this will work?"

"Because they trust me," Twist said, stepping forward so he was level with Nacho. Blakk narrowed his eyes as he walked up to his two workers.

"Yes. But the question is..." Blakk said as he leaned forward. "Should I?"

Twist took a deep breath. "If I was going to bail on this mission, I would have done it already."

"He's right," the brunette said, pushing off the wall and walking up to the trio. "If Twist were going to betray us, it would have happened already."

"And what say you on this plan?" Blakk asked the brunette. "Will it work? Will she be able to tell the difference?"

The brunette paused for a moment to think, then shook her head.

"No. Her powers aren't that advanced yet," she explained. "If Alana feels a large mass of dark energy, she's not going to be able to tell if it's dark water or just a bunch of ghouls. Don't get me wrong, it'll take a lot of ghouls for it to work. But that's all you have to do. Make sure the workers are armed well, and they won't realize it's a trap until we want them to."

Blakk sighed and curled his hands into fists. "Very well. You will oversee preparations," he told the brunette. "Monitor the energy, and make sure the workers have enough ghouls to fool her. You get the men around and get ahold of more ghouls for yourself," he told Nacho, before turning to Twist.

"And you. Get back to the Shane Gang before they begin to suspect you. Tell them your plan and convince them of its success. If you give me any reason to doubt your faith, Twist, you will learn in the most severe way what happens to those who defy me," Blakk snarled.

~~~~~~~~

The plan was probably the best thing Alana had ever heard. Excitement coursed through her as Twist returned to the hideout late that afternoon, describing times and locations he had gotten. The next hour was spent throwing ideas up in the air, and after a half hour break to unwind with some video games, the gang split up to gear up for their individual tasks.

Alana and Trixie headed to Convertamall Cavern, where they raided the costume store.

"We need a facemask that looks like an old man," Trixie explained to the guy working at the front counter. He looked like he was about to question the request, then thought against it when he saw the Shane star shining on Alana's bandoleer and Trixie's belt.

"Oh, and also a wig," Alana added quickly. She glanced at Trixie and smiled. This was gonna be fun.

~~~~~~~~

Alana bitterly thought to when, around thirty-six hours ago, she had thought the mission was going to be fun.

As she almost stumbled for the seventh time in as many minutes as she bustled around the train car, she was wishing she could go back in time and warn her past self how much it would definitely not be fun.

"Having difficulties?" Twist asked as Alana straightened out her dress shirt and tie.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," she laughed as she filled up glasses.

She stood in a kitchenette car. The actual bartender and chef was currently in the supply closet two cars down, asleep after being exposed to a Slyren's song. Alana was now in a caramel-colored wig that hid the blue streaks in her hair, a crisp white dress shirt, a black tie, black pants, and black dress shoes.

It turned out that she had the most experience with making food (other than Pronto, who was immediately ruled out, for experience does not equal skill) and drinks, so she got stuck playing bartender while Eli played waiter. The fountains were full of flavors she didn't recognize, though, and she had no idea how to actually make the drinks the passengers in the next car were requesting.

She just kept mixing colors until they looked pretty and telling Eli to say they were speciality drinks.

"I don't think that's how you make a Rimmy Tim," Twist said as Alana poured purple and orange drinks together in a glass.

"How do you know how to make an alcoholic drink, Twist?" Alana asked as she dropped some ice cubes in it from a tray that Eli's Frostcrawler, Chiller, was constantly filling.

"I'd rather not say," he responded.

"Well, it's purple and orange, so it'll work," Alana said, setting the drink aside.

Eli walked into the kitchenette, holding a tray and scowling as he tossed it on the counter.

"I'm not sure what annoys me more," he mumbled, pulling at the dress jacket he wore. "The snooty passengers or this disguise."

"Took you long enough," Twist said, walking up to Eli and laughing. "And quit complaining. This was your plan, remember? I got the security card," he said, holding up a gray and scarlet card.

"Let's do it, then!" Eli said excitedly, pausing and pressing his earpiece. "Can everyone hear me?"

"Naturally! And, as always," Alana heard Pronto reply. She snickered at Twist as he laughed and rolled his eyes.

"In position," Kord responded.

"We're good to go, Eli," Trixie finished.

"So are we not going to give that guy his Rimmy Tim?" Alana asked, taking a sip of the drink and almost immediately spitting it out. "Oh, gosh. Yeah, we definitely shouldn't."

"Alright," Eli laughed, shaking his head at Alana. "Let's go steal ourselves a train."

~~~~~~~~

THE TWIST APOCALYPSE NEVER ENDS

For real though I am so excited, I love The New Kid Part 2's heist 👀

Cyan out!✌️