"Gruesome Twosome, Part 6- Seeing Double"
 
        Her own slow, echoing footsteps were enough to make Ivy's heart 
quicken with both wonder and complete fright as she made her way down the 
dark, massive hallway of the Raptor. The metallic walls frightened her, 
yet she couldn't help being amazed at the various high-tech equipment and 
pieces of machinery all around-- stuff she just knew Carmen would love to 
get her intelligent, tinkering, thieving gloves on! Out of the corner of 
her eye Mallory saw how terrified Ivy looked. "Don't worry," she whispered 
to her, "it'll be okay as long as you don't go near that stuff!" 

        "Don't worry, I won't!" Ivy promised. "I'm just worried my brother 
might!" 

        "It's okay, Tanya will more than likely warn him. I think they'll 
get along well together! They continued down the hallway until some 
robotic sounds stopped them dead in their tracks. "Hunter drones!" Mallory 
cried out. 

        "What?" Ivy asked, but almost in answer three huge, red colored 
robots appeared from around a corner and pointed their arms at them. The 
arms turned into huge machine guns and started firing. Swiftly dodging the 
bullets, Ivy and Mallory took refuge behind some barrels. They looked at 
one another. 

        "Action time," Mallory cried out. "I hope youre thinking what Im 
thinking!" 

        Looking at her, Ivy could see a wild look in her eye that she 
immediately recognized from her own experience. "I do believe I am!" she 
answered. Immediately they both leaped out from behind the barrels and 
began to execute martial-arts moves on the robots, quickly dashing all of 
them to pieces. Mallory then turned and gave Ivy a high-five.  

        "Great job, partner"! she said, causing Ivy to turn a little red. 

        "Thanks! Those were really impressive moves. So much better than 
mine!" 

        "Yours were great too! You think I could have taken on all those 
tin turkeys alone? I was glad to have you with me!" 

        "Still, I'd really like to learn some of those moves! You think  
when we get back you could maybe teach me some?" 

        "Sure, I'd be glad to!" Just then three bright lights surrounded 
them. 

        "Uh, oh!" Ivy whispered, remembering this all too familiar scene.
 
        "Don't worry, just stay close to me," Mallory whispered, taking 
her hand to reassure her. The lights went away and the same three lizards 
who had attacked the detectives in the museum just before were again 
standing before Ivy. Quickly they glanced at her, then at Mallory. 

        "Say, Mal, who's your twin?" the smallest one asked with a snicker. 

        "How about this! We get to fry a Duck, and her look-alike at the 
same time!!" the biggest one jeered. 

        "I don't think so, lizard lips!" Mallory answered as she assumed a 
fighting stance. Ivy did the same as the lizards began to approach. Before 
her startled eyes, the smallest lizard suddenly began to change shape 
until he was the size of Arnold Schwartzenegger. He began to run to her to 
grab her, but Ivy's martial-arts training had helped her prepare for 
things like this. With a swift karate move she smashed him into a pile of 
barrels. But when she picked herself up she saw to her horror that the 
biggest was aiming a gun at her while the other had a fireball in his bony 
hand.  

        "Mallory," she whispered in fright, preparing to try to kick the 
gun out of his hand. With a huge bang, the gun seemed to fly out of his 
hand all by itself. Ivy turned and saw Mallory holding a huge machine gun. 
Winking at Ivy, she gestured for her to get out of the way. As the huge 
lizard tried to get his gun, the other threw the fireballs at Mallory, who 
expertly avoided them while firing her gun. Soon, all three lizards 
retreated back into the bright lights. 

        "I owe you one, Mallory," Ivy said as she gratefully came to her. 

        "Forget it, what are partners for?" 

                        *                                  * 
* 

        "God, help me," Carmen thought as she stared at the metal walls 
through the electric beams that surrounded her. She was weak and thirsty, 
wishing she had some water, but knowing that those cold-hearted lizards 
wouldnt give her a drop. She sank to her knees being extremely careful not 
to touch the beams, knowing full well she would be as good as fried if she 
did so much as brush up against them.  "What's the point, they're going to 
kill me anyway," she reasoned. "God, what have I done? The world is in 
danger, and I'm dying, with no way out!! Oh, Lord, they've gone to far!!" 
she thought as tears once again ran down her wet face. For a long time she 
sat there, regretting her foolish decision to ever do this in the first 
place. Suddenly, the door slowly opened as a bright light spilled into the 
room. She became aware of a shadow, another person was in the room, a 
young woman it looked like..someone strangely familiar.  

        "Ivy?" she managed to whisper. "Ivy..Ivy..please..help..me!!" 

		To Be Continued...