Get to Business: Mega-Mom and Accu-Lad at the museum!

Laura Mallard browses the Native American exhibit gleefully. She was rather proud of the fact she was 1/16th Native, always mentioning it whenever her dark hair was brought up in conversation. Chris could care less, but was always happy when mom was happy, so he went along quietly with this trip.

"Attention!" a voice shouts. "There is a bomb in the building! And I've got the detonator!"

The Mallards' heads snap to the source immediately, a man in a black muscle shirt, young and well-built, holding a device in his left hand high in the air. Chris instinctively reached for his plastic spheres, the specially formulated weapons he used as his primary throwing weapon, but stopped when the man quickly dropped his hand and rested it where Chris couldn't see. Laura noticed him moving to action and gestured towards a door to the labs in the back of the building.

"If I hear any fire alarms from people trying to escape, I blow the place!" the madman continues as they slip out of sight. In smooth, practiced motions, they slip out of their clothes, revealing their costumes beneath. Making their way outside through an un-alarmed door, Mega-Mom flies around front with Accu-Lad close behind, crashing through the glass doors.

"Drop it!" Mega-Mom shouts to the cheers of the people. "Come peacefully and nobody has to get hurt."

"Nobody has to get hurt anyway," the man says, grinning. He sees her gesture to Accu-Lad. "Go ahead, let him go try and find the bomb. Even if he does, he won't be able to move it or disarm it. Believe me, I've thought this out."

Accu-Lad glances at Mega-Mom, but she says, "Go, I'll deal with this guy." Mega-Mom stares down the man in black as Accu-Lad dashes off. "This doesn't have to end badly," she says. "Come quietly and the police might show you some leniency. "

"Okay," the man says. "I'll make you a deal-"

"We don't make deals with terrorists," Mega-Mom retorts sharply.

"You do if you want people to live," he responds. She grits her teeth in frustration. "Deal's simple. You do what I tell you to do, and when you're done, I'll give you the detonator. Only rule is, your feet don't leave the tile you're standing on. You try to come at me or escape, and boom."

Mega-Mom glances at the tile, then back at him. "What could you possibly want where I can't leave this spot?"

"Oh, nothing much really," he replies with a smug grin. "You can start by taking your gloves and boots off, and we'll see what happens from there."

Mega-Mom's face turns red as she realizes what he intended. "You can't mean..." she starts, but he wiggles the detonator with a tsk-ing sound. Very slowly, she slips her boots off. If she can't keep her dignity, she can at least play for time.