Captain Micro & Vector Girl

Chapter 1: Origins!

At a mall in Arizona on a Saturday afternoon, in the stage area where a presentation was to be held, a man in his late 30's and a 13-year-old girl stood behind a curtain. The two performers were a Latino man named Mike Roman, a.k.a. Captain Micro, and the girl was Moxie Miller, a.k.a. Vector Girl. Mike was wearing a futuristic spandex uniform that accentuated his muscular physique, while Moxie was wearing a mini-skirt with mid calf boots, and a tank top and gloves. Both of them wore a belt and a wristband with a built-in communication console that actually worked, so they could communicate with each other as their characters do in the video game.

The announcer stepped up to the microphone: "And now for the main event you have all been waiting for, your favorite video game characters come to life, give it up for Captain Micro and Vector Girl!"

The curtain began to rise, and the crowd of kids went wild. Two little boys in the front of the crowd asked Mike a question.

"Captain Micro!" said the first boy, "Can you really shrink?"

"No," Mike replied, "that only happens in the video game!"

"What a rip-off!" said the boy.

"I bet Vector Girl can't even grow, either!" said the second young boy.

There were two bins in front of Captain Micro, one with Captain Micro and Vector-Girl video game cartridges, and the other with Captain Micro and Vector-Girl comic books. Mike and Moxie began tossing them to people in the crowd. The young people went wild, each of them clamoring for a prize.

"And don't forget," said Mike, "the next installment of the Captain Micro and Vector-Girl videogame comes out next month!" After all the games and comic books were given out, the crowd dispersed.

A teenage boy in the crowd approached Moxie. "Are you doing anything tonight, Vector Girl?"

"We're going out of state in a couple of days, so I can't really get involved with anyone while I'm on the road," Moxie replied. "Sorry!"

About an hour went by as Mike and Moxie answered questions from the few remaining people who were left after the crowd had diminished. Eventually, the crowd dispersed completely.

"I only got hit on once today, do you think I'm losing my touch?" Moxie asked.

"No, there'll be others. But I think you should consider going out with one of those boys one of these days. You don't really have much of a social life like other girls your age."

“No, we're traveling to malls all across the country,” Moxie replied. “I'm not really in a position to have any kind of a real relationship."

A middle aged woman approached Mike. “Is your name Mike Roman?” the woman asked.

“Yes, it is,” Mike replied.

“I have a fantastic idea,” said the woman, “the name Mike Roman sounds a lot like Microman, you should use that as the name of your character.”

“There’s a problem with that,” said Mike, “Microman was trademarked when I created the Captain Micro and Vector Girl video game, that’s how I came up with the current name for my character, because it wasn’t taken.”

“Well,” the woman replied, “if you try to use the name Microman, I’ll sue you because it was my idea.”

Mike pulled out a business card and handed it to the woman. “This is my lawyer’s business card, contact him if you have any questions. You’re the third person to approach me with this concept this year alone.” The woman took the card and walked away.

Mike and Moxie exited the mall and entered the parking lot looking for their car, a convertible known as the Micromobile.

Mike and Moxie got into the Micromobile, and Mike drove them back to their hotel. Mike parked, and they got out and entered their hotel room. Once inside the hotel room, Mike got on the hotel room phone and called room service, and Moxie used the remote control to turn on the television.

Mike was on the phone talking to room service: "Yes, I'd like a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, preferably baked, half an avocado, and an order of brown rice, and broccoli." Mike turned his head to look at Moxie. "What would you like, Moxie?”

"A protein style cheeseburger and a baked potato," Moxie replied. "And some broccoli."

Mike told them what Moxie wanted, and hung up.

A newscaster on the news on television was saying, "--and a scientist who worked at the research facility said they have a neutrino dissimilator that could miniaturize people or objects, and claims he was told to keep it a secret. Whether or not these claims are true remains a mystery, but a spokesman for the facility claims there are no neutrino dissimilation experiments currently being conducted at the facility."

"Mike, we need to go check that place out! It's in this area!"

"Why should we go there?" Mike asked.

"Because!" Moxie replied, "If we could sneak in, we could get some pictures of you near actual miniaturization technology! It would give us street cred!"

"But we could get busted by the police if we get caught!" said Mike.

"You're the one who always complains that the kids are disappointed that we don't actually have the powers of our characters! This is our chance for you to acquire actual shrinking abilities!”

"If you buy a map of this area, I'll drive us over there. This is your project, Moxie.”

Moxie pulled out a map book and held it up in the air. “I already have a Thomas guide for southern Arizona!"

"Okay," said Mike, "we'll go there after we finish eating."

Fifteen minutes after they finished eating, they were down the street from the research facility. Mike drove past it, then parked down the block and pondered their next move. They exited the Micromobile, and Moxie had a pair of wire-cutters, and gave them to Mike. He cut through the chain-link fence.

They crawled through the hole Mike made in the fence, and hid behind a dumpster.

"You stay here," said Mike, "I’m going to go take a look."

Mike disappeared inside the facility. Moxie waited a few minutes, then followed after him. Two guards emerged from a different door than the one Mike had gone through, and started patrolling the parking lot, but the door they were guarding was open. Moxie found a lug nut that was on the ground, and threw it to the other side of the yard, and the guards went after the sound. Moxie proceeded inside without being spotted.

Moxie approached a computer terminal. Within less than a minute, she found the homepage that has a link to the page with a map of the complex. Finding her destination, she snuck off in that direction.

Meanwhile, Mike had found the neutrino dissimilation chamber. After studying the control panel for several minutes, he figured out how to work it. Moxie showed up with her camera.

"Mike, why don't you step inside for a photo?" Moxie asked.

Mike stepped inside, and Moxie pushed the button that sealed the chamber door, and Mike was trapped inside. He beat on the titanium door hatch, but to no avail. Mike activated the communication device on his wristband to talk to Moxie.

"Why did you shut the door hatch, Moxie?” Mike asked over his wrist radio.

"Because I want to get a picture of you shrunk, and I knew you wouldn't go for it. Sorry, Mike!"

Moxie studied the control console and figured out how to work it quicker than Mike did. Within seconds, she activated the neutrino dissimilator cannon that was aimed downward at the heart of the chamber where Mike was trapped. In an instant, Mike was shrunk down to about one inch tall. Moxie jumped up and down in excitement and pushed the button that opened the door hatch. She scooped Mike up in her hand.

"We did it, Mike!" said Moxie. “Now you're really Captain Micro! Let me get a picture of you now!"

In the control room, however, a guard didn’t appear to be as thrilled as Moxie. He picked up a phone.

"Let me speak with the director. We have a power drain in the neutrino dissimilation chamber. We have intruders, I have them on camera now!"

Five armed guards rushed into the room Moxie was in. She was surrounded, and brought to the room of the director of the facility. Carrying Mike in her hand, she sat down as she was asked to by the director of the facility.

"I'm Duke Hollister, the director of this research facility. What you have done is inexcusable! The two of you broke in here and utilized our neutrino dissimilation technology without permission."

"Sorry!" said Moxie.

"There's no need to be sorry, it's too late for that. Perhaps the three of us can work together for our mutual benefit."

"How?" Moxie asked.

"I recognize you and your miniaturized partner as Captain Micro and Vector Girl. You are celebrities. If we allow you to use our technology, all we ask in return is that you advertise our company. We are going public in a few weeks, and we need all of the publicity we can get."

"I'm willing to do it," said Mike.

"Me too!" said Moxie.

"I will have you re-enlarged immediately, Mr. Roman!" said Duke Hollister.

Mike was carried to the chamber where he had been miniaturized, and the guards reversed the process. When Mike emerged from the chamber at normal size, the director handed him a belt with sophisticated electronics equipment built into it. Mike put the belt on and fastened it.

"That has both a neutrino dissimilator to shrink you down to size, and a neutrino assimilator to re-enlarge you back to normal size." Duke Hollister handed Mike a device built into a strap. "You attach that control gauntlet to your wrist, and it will control the device built into the belt. You don't need to enter the neutrino dissimilation chamber to shrink. That was just a prototype we built before we developed this more sophisticated design. On your belt is a neutrino dissimilation device that will shrink you down to any target size you punch into the sizing scope built into your wristband."

As Mike put the wristband on, the director continued: "You will be given an electronic tablet that explains your powers and the technology. Understand?"

"Understood!" Mike responded.

"If you are ever in somebody's stomach," the director continued, "you will not be able to re-enlarge. This is for the protection of anyone who swallows you. I want our company to benefit from the publicity of your new shrinking ability, but I don't want anyone getting injured with our technology. I know that places you in potential danger, but I have no choice."

“I understand!" Mike replied.

“There is a way for you to escape if you do get swallowed by someone, the information is in the electronic tablet.”

Duke Hollister pulled out an I.D. card from a drawer in the desk he sat at. It was attached to a lanyard. He got up, and went to a safe in the back of the office, and slid the card through the scanner, which opened the safe. Duke pulled out another belt and control gauntlet, but this set matched the colors of Moxie's uniform.

"And this is for Moxie,” said Duke, as he handed the belt and control gauntlet to Moxie. She took them from him and tried them on.

"You've got something for me? Are you serious?" Moxie asked, as she took them from him and tried them on.

"We have dimensional technology that allows someone to grow, and their strength increases in proportion to their size," said Duke. “Of course, the theory is more advanced than the theory utilized in your video game."

"Yeah?" Mike asked. "Was I on the right track?"

"Your theory involved dark matter and dark energy, and our version opens a tear in the center of each quark and gluon composing the sub-atomic particles of Moxie’s body."

"That's intense!" said Moxie. “Is it safe?"

"Yes!" Duke replied. "Partially phased matter from another space-time continuum that exists on a larger scale is forced through the center of those elementary particles, causing them to increase in size, weight, volume and mass."

"How is this possible without violating the square-cube law?" Mike asked. "Couldn't she be crushed by her increased body weight?"

"We use a gravitational field attenuator," said Duke, "We can increase her size, mass and strength without increasing her weight, thereby circumventing the square-cube law." Duke Hollister handed an electronic tablet to Mike. "The details of the theory are all there in black and white, in case you want to review them later. The technology controlling your shrinking and re-enlarging abilities are in there, too."

"Thanks!" said Mike, and he handed the tablet to Moxie.

"Would you mind telling me where all this technology came from?" Mike asked. "And who you people are? This stuff is thousands of years removed from anything our government is currently capable of!"

"I think I owe you that much," Duke replied. "I am part of a team from twenty-thousand years in your future. We were actually counting on the two of you breaking in here tonight. The worker who reported us to the news was following my orders.”

"Oh, really?" Mike responded. "What brings you here? Is the world in danger or something?"

"Something like that," Duke replied. My government doesn't choose to get involved in matters pertaining to the distant past. There have been two or three wars between your time and mine where information detailing the 21st century was largely erased due to electromagnetic pulse."

"What kind of a threat are we facing?" Mike asked.

"A man from my century has traveled back to your time, to exploit it."

"What does he look like?" Mike asked. "What name does he go by?"

"From checking your near future, we know he goes by the name of Amnesio, master of mind control. He has three teenage nieces he travels around with, about the same age as Vector Girl. We developed this research facility because we knew you would be in town at this time, so we could give you the technology you'll need to protect yourselves from him."

"How dangerous is Amnesio?" Moxie asked.

"He's going to try to kill you. Our goal is to level the playing field by giving you these abilities!"

"Why won't your government try to stop Amnesio?" Mike asked. "They could travel back in time and apprehend him!"

"Our government won't finance a mission through time to deal with anything from before about five thousand A.D."

"Why not?" Mike asked.

"Even in our century we don’t completely understand the ramifications of time travel, but according to time travel physics as we understand them, it is impossible to alter the past. My government feels that Amnesio poses no threat to our livelihood, so they won't authorize a mission into the past to stop him."

"So who do you represent?" Mike asked. "Why have you come back to help us?"

"We are part of a private non-profit organization that relies on donations," Duke replied. "I am a volunteer."

"That's so typical!" Mike replied. "People will never change! Governments are all the same! Ran by bureaucrats who don't care about anything but money!"

"Mr. Hollister," Moxie asked, "will we be allowed to keep our powers after we defeat Amnesio?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Duke replied. "But that's only IF you defeat Amnesio! It's not a guarantee that you will! Let's go to a larger room so Moxie can try out her new power!"

Mike and Moxie followed Duke to a large warehouse that is at least a couple of stories tall.

"You should have enough room to grow here, Moxie. Use your gauntlet to program your target height. Program it to grow three times your current height!"

"Is there a time limit before I can return to normal size again?" Moxie asked.

"Unfortunately, yes!" Duke replied. It takes an incredible amount of power to enlarge you to giant size, so when you leave here, it takes time for your belt and gauntlet to re-charge. We have enough power here to return you to normal size without waiting the first time, though."

Moxie programmed her gauntlet as Duke suggested, and she started growing. She stopped growing at fifteen feet tall.

"This is incredible!" said Mike. "Your technology really works! Making someone shrink is one thing, but growing? It's beyond belief!"

"Moxie, would you like me to call you by your real name, or would you prefer Vector Girl?" Duke asked.

"You can call me Vector Girl, now!" Moxie replied.

"Vector Girl, pick up one of those barrels at the edge of the room!"

Moxie walked over and picked up one of the barrels, and held it at eye level.

"Now pick up another!" Duke commanded.

Moxie walked over and picked up another barrel, and started to juggle them.

"Those barrels weigh eighty pounds each!" said Duke. "Moxie, see how far you can throw them!"

Moxie threw the barrels at one of the walls of the warehouse, and they hit very hard and bounced off and hit the floor. One of the barrels rolled over by Mike's feet. Mike tried to lift it, and found it to be very heavy.

"You weren't lying about that thing weighing eighty pounds!" said Mike. "How strong does she get? Is there an upper limit?"

"The larger she grows, the stronger she gets!" said Duke. "We haven't tested the upper limits of her abilities yet, you might want to take her out to the desert and find out on your own."

"I want to get bigger!" said Moxie. “Is that okay, Mr. Hollister?"

"Yes,” Duke replied. "I want to demonstrate to Mike how to use the space warp function to warp out of your stomach if he gets swallowed by someone, so I need you to get on your knees and grow until your head is just below the ceiling, then swallow Mike!”

“Now hold on,” said Mike. “Why does she need to swallow me?”

“Amnesio’s nieces will stop at nothing to defeat you if you challenge them, and swallowing you is par for the course, so you need to learn to use whatever means I provide you with to escape from someone’s belly.”

Mike reluctantly agreed to let Moxie swallow him, and listened to Duke’s instructions on how to use the space warp.

Moxie grew to colossal size until she had to tilt her head to avoid crashing through the ceiling. Mike was around an inch tall from her perspective.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Mike?” Moxie asked.

Mike gave a thumbs up and said, “Rock and roll!”

Moxie picked him up and dropped him into her mouth, then swallowed him. Mike dropped down her esophagus into her stomach, and used the lights built into his costume to illuminate the interior of Moxie’s stomach. He activated his wrist communicator to summon Moxie. “Vector Girl, this is Captain Micro, do you hear me?”

“I hear you loud and clear, Mike!” Moxie replied.

“I’m about to use the space warp!” said Mike. Less than three seconds later, he tumbled through the air and landed on the ground in front of Moxie. “It worked!”

“You can also use a neural stimulator built into your suit to make your captor vomit you up when you’re miniaturized, Mike!” said Duke.

"Do you want me to return to normal size right now?" Moxie asked.

"Yes," Duke replied, "“The larger you grow, the more power it takes to restore you to normal size. We will use our technology here in the warehouse to return you to normal size.”

Duke Hollister motioned to some of his men, and they got some devices attached to hoses and surrounded Moxie. There were three men, and each with a device. Duke activated a remote control device that he held in his hand, and the three hoses discharged a strange purple energy that engulfed Moxie, and brought her back down to normal size. Moxie ran up to Duke and Mike.

"That was so much fun! Mr. Hollister - -"

"Call me Duke!"

"Thanks, Duke!" said Moxie. "Do we have to keep our powers a secret?"

"Eventually, people are going to figure out you have these powers, but initially, I think you should keep them a secret until you're ready to reveal yourselves to the public!"

"What happens if I accidentally swallow Mike when he's shrunk?” Moxie asked.

"What?" Mike asked.

"I mean, hypothetically?" said Moxie. “I'm not saying I would do that, but what if it did happen?"

“If you do swallow Mike, don't leave him in your belly for too long, or he could suffocate. I would suggest using the neural stimulator built into your gauntlet to make yourself vomit, in case that happens. You also have fire suppression technology from our century built into your gauntlet. Everything you need to know is in that electronic tablet I gave you.”

"Thanks, Duke!" said Moxie. "But what happens to a normal sized person if I swallow them when I'm giant sized? Like, if I'm three hundred feet tall?"

"If you have someone in your belly when you're giant-sized, when you return to normal size while they're in your gut, they will shrink proportionately."

"Proportionately?" Moxie asked. "So if they seem to be an inch tall to me because I'm hundreds of feet tall, when I return to normal size, they would end up at one inch tall for real?"

"Precisely!" said Duke.

"Moxie is very intelligent!" said Mike.

"One thing you don't need to worry about is for one of Vector Girl's victims to somehow gain her powers." said Duke.

"Why would we be worried that they could gain her powers?" Mike asked.

"The center of every quark, gluon, and electron of Moxie’s body has a dimensional lock that opens when she activates her growing power. When she swallows someone at giant size, they have a similar mechanism employed in the quarks, gluons and electrons of their body when Moxie returns to normal size."

"So it might be possible for them to grow like Moxie?” Mike asked.

"We specifically formulated Moxie’s Vector Girl abilities so a swallowed victim would shrink when Moxie returns to normal size, but they wouldn't have those dimensional locks composing the elementary particles of their bodies."

"How would we go about restoring them to normal size?" Mike asked.

"There are two ways," Duke replied, "You could bring them here to this facility, or you could use your neutrino assimilator to re-enlarge them one at a time."

"That sounds so cool!" said Moxie.

"One more thing for you to remember, Moxie, is that if you are ever in handcuffs or manacles of any kind, you can't try to re-enlarge yourself or you could get seriously injured."

"I won't forget, Duke!" said Moxie.

"One more thing, Moxie, your powers are on a probationary period, you won’t be able to grow until we re-activate your powers when we feel you’ve earned it by proving that you’re mature enough to handle it. My men will show you to the front door." said Duke. "I have a lot of paper work to finish, if you don't mind."

"If we have any more questions, how do we get a hold of you?" Mike asked.

"Here is my business card," said Duke, handing one to Mike and a second card to Moxie.

"Thanks for all you've done for us, Duke!" said Mike.

Mike and Moxie exited the research facility. It was night time. They headed for the Micromobile, and Mike held the passenger door open for Moxie.

"Do you think we'll wake up tomorrow and this will all have been a dream?" Moxie asked.

"Don't talk to me until we get back to the hotel room," said Mike, "I think Duke and his men might be listening in on us."

Ten minutes later, Mike pulled into a parking space at the hotel. Mike and Moxie exited the Micromobile and headed into their room. Once inside, Mike closed the door to the room.

"Don't ever try to talk me into doing anything that crazy again!" said Mike angrily. "I can't believe you sealed me inside that chamber!"

"I was just doing what was best for both of us, Mike... it's not like you were hurt or anything."

"That doesn't matter!" said Mike. "You completely did whatever you wanted to and used that neutrino dissimilator on me! You had no way of even knowing if I'd survive or not! Not only is the Captain Micro video game the worst selling video game of all time, but now I’m probably radioactive!”

"Okay, I'm sorry!" said Moxie. “I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of all of this! I'm going to the store, to get us some root beer!" said Moxie, and she went out the door.

While Moxie was gone, Mike decided to test out his new miniaturization technology. He activated the control gauntlet built into his wristband, and shrunk himself down to an inch tall. When Moxie got back with the root beer, Mike was nowhere to be seen.

"Mike?" Moxie asked. "Captain Micro, if you shrunk yourself, you need to let me know!”

Moxie hunted the hotel room, and when she pulled up a corner of the bed spread, she spotted him, and grabbed him.

"We have to be at another local mall here in Arizona tomorrow," said Moxie. “We don’t have time to test out your new ability.”

Moxie propped Mike up on her thigh, as she read through the technical manual given to Mike by Duke Hollister.

"It says here that the atoms of your body are partially phased," said Moxie. “Over 99 percent of the matter composing the elementary particles of your body are in another dimensional continuum."

"I'm curious as to how different their theory is compared to the one I came up with in my video game," said Mike.

"From what it says here," said Moxie. “A dimensional membrane keeps the matter in that other continuum separated from the matter over here in our own space/time continuum."

"Kind of like a cheese cloth separating the cheese curds from the whey when making cheese," said Mike. "That's how my character describes it in the video game. Does it say anything about the excess matter that is converted into neutrino particles and held suspended in some kind of force field in that other dimension?"

"Does your video game describe that happening like that?" Moxie asked. "It doesn't say anything about that in this technical manual."

"Use the business card Duke gave you to call him up and ask him personally," said Mike.

After Moxie called Duke on her cell phone and put it on speaker phone so Mike could hear, Moxie asked the question, and Duke replied, "That's one aspect of the neutrino dissimilation theory Mike got wrong. It would take the amount of power generated in one minute by an exploding medium-sized star to suspend the neutrinos that were subtracted from your body in a force field in another dimensional continuum for a period of one year. With our theory, he could stay shrunk for a year without using any additional wattage than what was used to shrink him in the first place."

"So what happens according to the theory you guys use in 20,000 A.D.?" Moxie asked.

"Once the excess matter is subtracted from Mike's body by the dimensional membrane, those neutrinos shoot off into that dimensional continuum, and are never recovered. During the neutrino assimilation process, neutrinos are subtracted from atoms in the air surrounding Mike and are transferred to his body, thereby re-enlarging him. The only time that wouldn't work is if he was in a vacuum, such as outer space, because there would be no surrounding atoms available to subtract from and transfer to his body."

"Anything else?" Moxie asked.

That’s all you really need to know about it,” said Duke. “I hope that explains it, Moxie, I need to get back to work."

"Thanks, Duke!" said Moxie, and she hung up the call.

"Well, I'm not planning on going into space any time soon," Mike replied, "so I guess I'll be okay. In the video game, the discarded neutrinos fly off into space, and during the assimilation process, other neutrinos from atoms in the air around the shrunken person are taken and re-assimilated into the miniaturized atoms, re-enlarging them. So at least I got that part right."

"Let me see about the assimilator function," said Moxie as she flipped through the technical manual.

"A lot of this stuff is really technical," said Moxie. “I doubt your theory is as complex as the stuff in this manual."

"It was never meant to be a hundred percent scientifically accurate," said Mike. "As long as I got the general idea correct, that's what counts."

The next day, Mike was at normal size and both he and Moxie were dressed up in their costumes as they pulled up in a parking space at another mall. Moxie waited in the car as Mike got out and headed in the direction of the mall. He turned around when he realized Moxie wasn't coming with him.

"What are you waiting for?" Mike asked.

"I'm waiting for you to open my door for me!" Moxie responded.

Mike walked over and opened her door for her. They walked together toward the mall.

"Are you going to shrink for the audience?" Moxie asked. "This is the first time you actually have shrinking powers!"

"I haven't made up my mind yet," Mike replied, "I still think it might be a good idea to keep my shrinking ability a secret. What do you think?"

"I don't think it matters," said Moxie. “You could always tell them it was special effects or something."

As they walked through the front doors of the mall, an older man in a business suit approached them.

"Hi, you must be Captain Micro and the lovely Vector Girl... I'm Randall Havenhurst, the manager of this mall. This is the first time we've had an appearance like this, and there's a huge crowd waiting! I was getting worried you wouldn't show up!"

"Moxie just takes a while to get ready." said Mike. Moxie scowled at Mike for that comment.

"Is there a reason you're meeting us here at the door, Mr. Havenhurst?" Mike asked.

"Yes, there is," Mr. Havenhurst replied, "we've had a threatening phone call this morning. I'm assuming it's just a hoax. I didn't want to evacuate on this big day!"

"If you're concerned about our safety, maybe we should leave and come back in a couple of months," Mike suggested, "We'll be back in this state at the end of Summer."

"I won't hear of it!" said Mr. Havenhurst. "My mall needs the financing the game company that puts out the Captain Micro and Vector-Girl video game gives us to promote their product! I know the game isn’t doing that well, but there are some kids lined up to get your autographs!”

"Mike," said Moxie, “don't be a chicken! It was probably a hoax or a prank call!"

"Yeah," Mike replied. "you're probably right."

Meanwhile, outside, three vans pulled up and a group of ski-masked men holding machine guns jumped out of the side doors and hustle toward the doors of the mall. An older man saw them.

"Hey," the old man said, "is this some kind of a show you're putting on?"

One of the gunmen shoves the butt of his weapon into the guy's head, and he fell over. The gang leader shouted to the half dozen other ski-masked men: "Move, move, move!"

Inside the mall, Mike and Moxie were in position and waiting for the curtain to rise when the bandits ran in with their machine guns. Nobody was shot, but there was a lot of noise and shouting, and some women screamed in terror. Mike jumped down from his platform and tried to disarm one of the suspects, but was knocked across the side of the head with the butt of a rifle and hit the floor. Mike was out cold!

Moxie nursed the wound on Mike's head by applying pressure to it, and listened to the demands of the gunmen.

"Okay," said the gang leader, "we made a phone call earlier to the director of this place, and we made a few demands!"

Moxie looked at Mr. Havenhurst, and scowled at him; she knew this was his fault.

"There's a vault," the gang leader continued, "that is one hundred feet below this mall! Inside are gold and silver bars! I want those bars delivered within two hours, or I'll handcuff all of you, and rig this bomb to go off after we leave!"

Mike woke up.

"Moxie?"

"Shhh!" said Moxie quietly as she placed her finger over her lips. "Be quiet!"

Two of the gunmen walked around with chains and handcuffs, and cuffed the people one by one to the furniture of this part of the mall. He handcuffed Moxie and Mike to each other, then attached a chain that connected them to a metal clothes rack. Once the criminal was out of earshot, Moxie whispered: "You can shrink and go find the vault!"

Mike adjusted his gauntlet, and activated the shrinking mechanism. He shrunk down to an inch tall, just as he had done the night before. The metal handcuff stayed normal size, and Mike was able to slip right through it. Moxie picked him up in the palm of her hand.

"Good luck!" said Moxie, and she set Mike on the floor.

Mike ran to an air vent that was nearby, and used a pocket knife he had on him to cut open a section he could climb through. Once inside the vent, he turned on the lighting system that was part of his costume that had at first been designed as a prop. Just then, one of the gunmen approached Moxie and asked: "What happened to the guy who was handcuffed to you?"

The masked gunman raised the machine gun and took aim at Moxie as she tried to think of an answer...

To Be Continued!