Captain Mimi LaFleur In The Girl in Black By Andrew Norris SCENE ONE An Atlantean Spaceship, Space KINJITE is on the bridge, drumming his fingers in boredom as he hums quietly to himself. KINJITE: (Dully) Same old, same old. Fly out to the so-and-so sector and patrol yadda-yadda-yadda. (Sighs) Gee, you fight everyone else, but when there's no-one to fight, I feel like a bag of nerves. A Mammal frigate, the Screaming Mimi, suddenly appears on his scanners. KINJITE raises an eyebrow as he gazes down at the radar screen. KINJITE: Hello, has she dumped the Colonel already? The Screaming Mimi floats slowly alongside KINJITES' spacecraft, and makes contact. MIMI: (Over radio) Sent you on patrol duty too, eh? KINJITE: You heard it, sister. And I thought your lot were going to have a real go at pushing the Toads back. MIMI: Actually, you'd be surprised. A pretty little birdy tells me that they're actually building a new battleship somewhere. KINJITE: Sounds like a little adventure sprouting up. What's say we take a sneak peek at it? MIMI: (Chuckles) You must be joking! You don't even know where it is! KINJITE: (Smirks) Well, let me see. Was the project designated "top secret"? MIMI: Well, yeah. KINJITE: Then that boils it down perfectly. "Top Secret" is usually code for "hidden on some deserted planet". MIMI: And your first guess is...? KINJITE: You'll see. His ship slowly moves forward, and the Screaming Mimi soon follows suit. SCENE TWO A Darkened Room in a bunker, Rigel VI A FIGURE watches several monitors in the darkness, which show an automated production line producing various pieces of machinery. The FIGURE seems to have long, flowing hair, and is the height of a late- teen. FIGURE: (Sly, effeminate) That's right, my little robots. Carry on with your work, and soon the time will be right for us to begin. An alarm trills, and a monitor shows the Screaming Mimi in space, accompanied by KINJITES' ship. FIGURE: Hello, the Mammals on a scavenger hunt? She turns a dial, and replays the audio conversation between MIMI and KINJITE. MIMI: (On tape) Actually, you'd be surprised. A pretty little birdy tells me that they're actually building a new battleship somewhere. KINJITE: (On tape) Sounds like a little adventure sprouting up. What's say we take a sneak peek at it? FIGURE: A battleship, eh? Well, I guess a tour of my factory couldn't hurt. An image of KINJITE appears on the screen, and the FIGURES' eyes light up. FIGURE: (Splutters) The Pet?! (Laughs) This is just too good! SCENE THREE Titans Tower, Jump City, America In the lounge, a green-skinned teenager in a purple suit (BEAST BOY) is dueling with a cybernetic man in white body armour (CYBORG) in a video- game battle. BEAST BOY: You are SO toast, Cyborg! CYBORG: Think again, BB! I am gonna kick your butt! A red-haired, orange-skinned girl named STARFIRE enters, wearing a purple crop-top with matching skirt and boots. As the two boys continue their game, STARFIRE moves over to a dresser and looks down at a photo of her and KINJITE together. CYBORG suddenly stands up and yells after winning his computer game. CYBORG: (Triumphantly) Boo-yah! He suddenly notices STARFIRE, and both he and BEAST BOY go over to check up on her. BEAST BOY: (Gently) Star, you OK? STARFIRE: I am just hoping that Kitty is well; it has been a while since we have seen him. CYBORG: Don't worry, Starfire. We helped him out when Professor Chang pulled his prank, didn't we? He can take care of himself. CYBORG exits, but BEAST BOY still notices that STARFIRE isn't fully convinced. BEASY BOY smiles slightly and pulls a photo of him and a blonde-haired girl out from his pocket. BEAST BOY: Star, You're not the only one who's worrying over a friend. STARFIRE: But a day goes by and we still hear nothing from him. What if he needs our help? BEAST BOY: Take it easy, Starfire. I have to worry too...about Terra. He looks down at the photo and gently strokes the blonde-hair of the girl in his photo. BEAST BOY: I miss her, and if I just knew that she's OK, then I'd feel better. (Looks up at Starfire) So you see, Star, I know how you feel, and I know that we'll see your friend again, just like I hope to see Terra again. SCENE FOUR Kinjites' Spaceship, Space KINJITE is checking his instruments as the ship, as well as The Screaming Mimi, hover in the middle of a cluster of planets. MIMI: (Over radio) Face it, Kinjy, finding a secret base is like finding a needle in several haystacks! We're just wasting our time! KINJITE: (Mumbles) Mimi, I know the Aniverse like the back of my tail; and this is the only planetary system that is likely to be storing it! A light blips on his monitor, making KINJITE worried at the result. KINJITE: Then again, maybe not. According to this, it's on Rigel VI. MIMI: (Worried) But how? That would be shielded from scanning if there was anything there. KINJITE: Captain, we're talking about a construction site, not an intelligence base. Come on, let's check it out. He begins moving the ship out of the cluster, while MIMI mumbles to herself. MIMI: (Grumbling) With what this guy gets up to, a routine patrol don't seem so bad. They eventually reach an outer planet not far from the planetary cluster, and begin their approach to the surface. ON RIGEL VI... The planet is nothing more than a giant dead forest, with all kinds of vegetation standing like dying bodies. The two ships eventually settle down in a clearing, and the crews step out. KINJITE: (Sarcastic) Rigel VI; a comforting place (!) Clean air, warm surroundings and a home from home (!) JONOTHAN: Yeah, this and my toilet are exactly alike. MIMI: (To Kinjite) Well, Indiana Jones, what's next? KINJITE: I saw a factory just out of this clearing. All we need do is say that we've been given permission by Rygar and sneak in. DILE: And what happens if they realize we're lying? KINJITE: (Pauses) We run. They make their way through the thicket to the edge of the forest, and peer through the dead trees. Before them lies an enormous industrial plant, with large chimney-stacks spewing smoke into the air, and lights outlining the building. The crew of the Screaming Mimi can only stare on in awe, but KINJITE is less than impressed. KINJITE: Oh, please! This is the equivalent of a tool-shed on my home! They make their way towards the main gate, which suddenly open automatically as they approach. JONATHON: They must've been expecting us. MIMI: Wouldn't you if a frigate landed on your doorstep? They walk into the giant plant, and the gate closes behind them. A series of lights in the courtyard floor light up, leading into one of the warehouses nearby. DILE: (Mumbles) A bit too elaborate for just a plant, isn't it? MIMI: Hmm. One might think that the .S.P.A.C.E. is badly-spending their money. They enter the designated warehouse, and it's doors groan shut. The lights inside the warehouse flicker on, revealing a large conveyer-belt producing various pieces of machinery. LARRY CALLAN, being curious, reaches out to touch one of these at the end of the process, but a voice beckons out to him. FIGURE: I wouldn't touch them if I were you. The finished components are quite unstable. MIMI: (Suspicous) And you would be the owner of this plant? FIGURE: Yes, but I need to know who you are before I show you around further. MIMI whips out her ID pass and holds it up at arms' length, but the FIGURE makes no attempt to move from the shadows as she examines the pass. FIGURE: Thank you, Captain. I take it that you and your... (gestures to KINJITE) friend, here, wish to examine the battleship under construction. They all nod. FIGURE: Do you have clearance from the Admiral? They all nod, but look nervously at one another. The FIGURE raises her eyebrow suspiciously. FIGURE: I shall show you the progress shortly, but in the meantime, I ask that you stay in the foyer area over there. She points to a door lying beyond, and some lights in the ground flicker on, leading into the door and beyond. FIGURE: Mr. Kinjite, I would like to have some words with you, if you please. KINJITE complies, and trots after the FIGURE as she sinks into the dark abyss of the shadows. The crew of the Screaming Mimi look on suspiciously. JONOTHAN: She seemed a bit young to be running a factory solo, didn't she? DILE: And methinks that she isn't even a Mammal. They all begin walking towards the door, which wooshes open as they walk closer. MIMI: You know what it's like, nowadays. Ever since Willy hopped in, it's all human labour now, isn't it? Makes you wonder why Earth has got so few jobs. The door closes behind, and there is a sudden hiss of gas, followed by heavy thumps onto the floor. SCENE FIVE Plant Office, The Plant, Rigel VI KINJITE is led by the figure into a dark room, but once the door closes, a light flickers on. Around him is a lush office heavily- decorated with marble over the walls and floor. There are some pieces of oak furniture, and a plush chair behind a dominating desk. KINJITE: (Stunned) Nice. He looks down at the green tiles on the floor, which are so clean that he can see his face in them. Looking back up, the FIGURE has hidden behind the chair, facing away from him, but some strands of black hair are visible. KINJITE: I take that I'm here because of Atlantis' neutrality in the war, right? FIGURE: Yes, but the main concern involves my sister. (Sighs) Do you know of someone by the name of Koriand'r Starfire? KINJITE: (Mutters) There was Admiral Tina Starfire, and then... He suddenly remembers his past experience with the Teen Titans, and the image of him and STARFIRE hugging flashes before him, before the FIGURE brings him down to reality. FIGURE: Well? KINJITE: Before I answer that, can I at least know who you are, miss? FIGURE: My name is Kormand'r. She pushes the chair around to face him. The figure is an orange- skinned girl in her early-20's, with flowing black hair fashioned similar to STARFIRES', and has amethyst-purple eyes. She wears a body armour of silver and black, and has her arms crossed. FIGURE: (Continued) Kormand'r Blackfire. KINJITE: I see, but what has Starfire got to do with the factory? BLACKFIRE: She doesn't; I'm just curious to know what goes on between you and her. KINJITE: (Firmly) What do you mean "what goes on between us"? She treated me like her pet, that's all. Besides, she's a teenager, and I'm... old. BLACKFIRE: Plus, her heart is with Robin. That's why I'm here. KINJITE suddenly realizes what's going on. KINJITE: This isn't a factory, is it? (Louder) You're just here to steal your sisters' boyfriend, aren't you?! The doors are isolated as a blast-shield lurches down, locking them in. KINJITE flares up his powers to attack BLACKFIRE. BLACKFIRE: Relax, "Kitty". If you knew more about why I'm doing this, may be you'd understand. KINJITE flares down his powers, but not fully. KINJITE: (Calmer) I'm listening. BLACKFIRE, seeing the situation to her advantage, pulls a sullen face to gain sympathy from her opponent. BLACKFIRE: (Emotionally) When Starfire was born, she was jealous of me because I was the eldest, and the smarter, of the two of us. When I was six, she killed my dog! I loved that creature with all my heart, and she took its' life from me! KINJITE remains unswathed by BLACKFIRES' acting, but continues to listen. BLACKFIRE: And when I gained the crown of my planet, Tamaran, she usurped me and banished me from my own home! Since then, I've been here, waiting for the day to get back at my sister for what she has done. She leans closer to KINJITE, gently stroking the fur on his cheek. But stops acting when she sees KINJITES' spell-gems pulsing with light. In an instant, he is scanning BLACKFIRES' mind to confirm the memories. What he finds are shocking. DURING THE MEMORY-SCAN... Through BLACKFIRES' mind, KINJITE sees the suffering that STARFIRE endured as a child. Everything that BLACKFIRE said is the complete opposite to reality. Among the images include BLACKFIRE stabbing a puppy in the stomach, wrestling with STARFIRE and a battle in the night sky on Earth, with the Titans watching from below. When he has finished, KINJITE lunges BLACKFIRE to one side, and flares up his powers to their highest level, his eyes filled with rage. KINJITE: (Roars) YOU LYING B***H! He fires his powers at BLACKFIRE, who dodges a split-second before impact. The marble walls now have a large crater from the blast, with some light from the warehouse below seeping in. BLACKFIRE retaliates by firing purple bolts from her hands. They do little harm to KINJITE, but when BLACKFIRE aims her fires at his feet, KINJITE trips up and lands on the marble. He is soon unconcious, with blood trickling from a head- wound. IN ORBIT OF RIGEL VI... A streamlined spaceship painted orange hovers over the planet. There are five cockpits, but only two are in use. Inside the two cockpits on the wings are BEAST BOY and STARFIRE; the other three cockpits being empty. BEAST BOY: Star, you sure that Kittys' here? All I'm picking up is a few trees and some freaky spaceships. STARFIRE: But if there are spaceships, then there must be pilots, Beast Boy. If we can only get in closer and see if it is him. BEAST BOY: (Rudely) OK, Starfire, I know you miss your friend, but dragging our butts halfway across space ain't gonna prove anything! What'll Robin say if a mission happens back home and he needs us? STARFIRE suddenly realizes the dangers on Earth, and what could happen to her friends if they are missing. STARFIRE: (Worried) Then we must return at once. I do not wish for any of my friends to get hurt. BEAST BOY notices STARFIRE looking down at her feet as they turn the ship around, but gently smiles at her. BEAST BOY: Don't worry, Star. Kittys' a big guy; he can take care of himself. SCENE SIX Warehouse No. 3, The Plant, Rigel VI KINJITE slowly awakens, with a bandage on his head, and finds himself chained onto a table that is propped against a wall. On the next wall are cylinders made of pale-green glass. Inside them are MIMI, LARRY, DILE, and JONOTHAN; who are all wide awake. KINJITE: (Weakly) Mimi? MIMI: What did that cow do to you? You've been out for a whole hour! KINJITE: Tried to soften me up. What about you? JONOTHAN: Gas-trap. Knocked us out and stuffed us in these tubes. BLACKFIRE enters through two heavily-reinforced doors at the back of the room, and looks over at MIMI and the others. BLACKFIRE: (Sneers) Don't worry, Captain. You won't be staying long enough to pay rent. At the sight of BLACKFIRE, KINJITE makes an effort to break his bonds, but is electrocuted until he submits, and the current switches off. BLACKFIRE: (Tuts) Do you like it? It's a Muscle-Restraint I picked up on Drenthax III; the more you pull, the higher the current. MIMI: (Snarls) Well, come on, you toffee-nosed slut! What do you want us for?! BLACKFIRE: I don't want you for anything. Your arrival was a drawback as the air defences hadn't been emplaced, but Kitty here might be useful. KINJITE: My name is Kinjite! BLACKFIRE: Whatever, but the true purpose of this plant is the construction of my Fire-Bots! The farther wall opens up, revealing a larger warehouse beyond. The warehouse is filled with thousands of purple androids fashioned like knights in armour, with cannons built into the right hand. The visors are permanently sealed shut, and the waistlines are covered in circuits. BLACKFIRE: With an army of Fire-Bots at my command, I can turn Tamaran into a burnt cinder, and my dear sister will be nothing but an insignificant ember in my never-ending inferno! JONOTHAN: Girl, you are seriously f***ed. BLACKFIRE: (Hisses) You really think so? Maybe I should demonstrate to you. (To Fire-Bots) Step forward, FB/0216. One of the Fire-Bots steps out of place and marches into the torture- room; halting short of BLACKFIRE. BLACKFIRE: (Points to the door) Full power on that door! The Fire-Bot raises its' cannon, and a burst of black flame spews from the cannon, over the door. Within seconds, the heavily-armoured door has been pierced. The Fire-Bot stops only when the entire door has been disintergrated. BLACKFIRE: Now do you think I'm "f***ed"? Or do you want a second opinion? The Fire-Bot aims its' cannon at JONOTHAN, who looks nervously into the barrel. With BLACKFIRE distracted, KINJITE sees what he can do about his bonds. JONOTHAN: (Gulps nervously) Not really... He notices KINJITE looking for a weak spot on his restraints, and tries to keep BLACKFIRE talking. JONOTHAN: But what have you got against this Tamaran place anyway? What has it done to you? BLACKFIRE: (Shrieks) What has it done to me?! They isolated me from their community because I didn't fit in with their red-haired, green- eyed society! I was forced from my throne when I siezed power! And everything I wanted, my sister Starfire got! KINJITE soon finds success, and using his powers, slits the restraints in two and thus freeing himself. BLACKFIRE spins around in horror as he does so. BLACKFIRE: Impossible! Nobody has escaped the Drenthax Restraints before! KINJITE: (Smirks) First time for everything, doll. The Fire-Bots suddenly open fire on him, but by leaping into the centre of the warehouse, surrounded entirely by Fire-Bots, KINJITE ducks suddenly as the Fire-Bots stupidly open fire on themselves and obliterate each other. BLACKFIRE: You fools! You stupid, ignorant morons! The Fire-Bot beside her advances on KINJITE, who tries his powers again, but the armour is impervious to his powers. KINJITE: What kind of frelling tin-toy are you? He narrowly misses disintergration by the Fire-Bots' cannon, but by picking up the cannon of a destroyed Fire-Bot in the warehouse, and quickly channeling his powers through the circuitory, the final Fire- Bot is destroyed. For the most part, BLACKFIRE is mortified at the sudden defeat. BLACKFIRE: You shall pay for this, you meddling little cat! You haven't heard the last of me! She fires a large orb of purple energy at KINJITE, knocking him backwards as he ploughs through the wreckage of the Fire-Bots to the back wall of the warehouse. MIMI and the others are able to escape with the security systems failing, and fire after BLACKFIRE. MIMI: (Shouts) Get back here so I can pummel you! As JONOTHAN and DILE run to help KINJITE, MIMI and LARRY continue after BLACKFIRE, just in time to see her escape in a small black aircraft as it leaves the atmosphere. MIMI: (Jeers) That's right! Run away like the coward you are! SCENE SEVEN Space, A while later KINJITE has a small dressing on his head, and is inside his spaceship. The Screaming Mimi is following close behind as MIMI and KINJITE speak over their radios. KINJITE: Do you think that only three tons of explosive will be enough to destroy the factory? MIMI: We'll soon know in (checks her watch) three, two, one... A rumbling growls from the planets' surface, accompanied by the bright light of a massive explosion. The light and sound soon settle, and MIMI smiles to herself. MIMI: Well, guess that's our job done. KINJITE: Yeah, I'll be seeing you around, Mimi. The Screaming Mimi spins around and zooms off into space, while KINJITE alters his radio frequency. KINJITE: This is Kinjite to Atlantis. Patrol complete; flew out to the so-and-so sector. It's just all same-old, same-old. THE END