Cyo was sitting around his compound hidden deep within the Chicago suburbs, running some calculations on the propagation of sponge minions in the area to determine if they were growing or shrinking that year, when a call came in over the private VRCOMM channel of his communications system.
"Cyo, you there?" came Calculus's voice.
"Yeah, Cyo here, what's up Calc?" Cyo responded.
"Katze was talking about some Chicago Festival going on down there, and we wanted to come down. You got room for us?"
"Sure, she called me earlier on it. Come on down," Cyo said, and they hashed out some details. Apparently, Calc would drive Katze and himself to Chicago from Colorado, and Cyo would then get to play tour guide. He wouldn't normally go to Taste of Chicago, as it was overcrowded and overpriced, but he didn't think anything of the feeling of dread he felt. He shrugged it off as just a byproduct of his feelings for Taste, and not as any premonition of things to come.
Cyo ran a quick check on the Beast, his car, an old 85 Olds Delta 88 Custom Cruiser Wagon, and found it to be in good shape. He pulled 12 appropriate CDs from the racks and put them into the car's changer. Just to be on the safe side he popped over to an ATM to get some cash, and returned to the base just as Calc and Katze pulled up in a Mercury Villager.
"Well, you certainly picked an interesting time to visit Chicago. Taste is not exactly normal for the city, but it is one way to get the most of the city in one spot," Cyo laughingly said as he drove towards the city on the Kennedy Expressway. Cyo had already called ahead and reserved a parking spot in the Grant Park Underground Parking Facility (one of the benefits of having friends in city government) and soon Katze was ogling the buildings and the crowds. She was apparently quite impressed by the Sears Tower, and Cyo suggested, "If you want, we can come back here and go up to the observation deck for the fireworks display. It looks great from up there, and it is air conditioned."
"Cool, sounds like a neat idea," Katze responded, and they continued on their way, fighting the crowds to reach the Park.
After what seemed like forever (though it was only about 45 minutes), they fought their way through the crowds and into the garage. They parked the car and before they went up into the oppressive sunlight, Cyo suggested they make plans for a place to meet in case they got separated. They agreed and decided to meet at the entrance to the Art Institute on Michigan just before sundown if they were separated in the crowds.
Katze and Calc marveled at all the people, and the wild food booths. As usual the Turtle Soup Booth was crowded and there were empty beer and soda cups everywhere. Katze kept running from one booth to another, intent on seeing as much as she could. Before too long, they became separated, just as Cyo figured they would. Cyo wandered over to the Art Institute and went inside to get away from the crowds. He wandered the Matisse exhibit for a bit, and then, as usual, found himself in the Arms and Armor section. He again marveled at the wonderful swords and suits of gleaming plate mail.
After a couple of hours, Cyo made his way back to the front stairs. It was about a half an hour before sundown, and Calc was just arriving.
"Well, have fun?" Cyo asked.
"It wasn't too bad," he commented. "Real crowded though. I take it crowds aren't your thing."
"No, I don't go in for big crowds, and there is very little that I can eat here, too," Cyo said.
"Oh? Why?" Calc asked.
"Well, it was a price that had to be paid for my mastering Sinanju. I can't eat anything with chemicals or preservatives, and grease is right out. I mainly get by on rice, duck, fish, and raw free range beef," Cyo explained.
"What happens if you eat a burger or some fries?"
"Shock to my system could possibly kill me, though it is hard to say. Not being human, Master Chiun wasn't sure what would happen with my system, but then, I don't see any reason to find out. I love sushi, and peking duck, not to mention that I live for good red meat, so I don't miss the other stuff much." Cyo shrugged.
"So, where do you think Katze got off to?" Calc asked. "She should be here by now."
"Don't know, she probably lost track of time," Cyo said. "Let's give her her another 30 minutes, and if she doesn't show, we can go look for her. In fact, wait here, I'll be right back."
Cyo quickly ran down to the garage and pulled a Holographic Message cube from the equipment compartment. He returned to the Art Institute and he and Calc quickly left a message that would activate if Katze got within 100 feet of the front of the building. The message would tell her that they were off looking for her, and to go to the car and await them. Cyo then stuck the cube to the banister and watched it blend in to become one with the concrete there.
"There, now we go see if we can find her," Cyo declared, and off they went.
The food booths were a lot emptier now, since most people were getting settled to watch the fireworks on the lakefront, so it didn't take them long to scour the whole area. After a while of no luck, they headed back towards the Art Institute. Cyo checked the Message Cube, and found that it had not been activated.
"Hmm....no luck here," Calc muttered.
"Let's get some of the local authorities involved," Cyo said, and they headed for the car to print out some photos of Katze. With the pictures in hand they found one of Chicago's Finest, and explained that they were missing a friend who was in town for the first time. When they showed the cop the picture, he said, "Yeah, I saw her earlier. A couple of little kids came up to her and handed her a note. She read it and headed off towards Orchestra Hall."
"Thank you, officer," Cyo said, and the two of them turned and ran in the direction of Orchestra Hall.
When they got there, the guard confirmed that she had come there, and directed them up to one of the recital halls that he had directed her to several hours earlier. When they reached the room, they found it to be empty, save for one item...
A small stuffed doll of the Magenta Menace lay on the floor. As they hesitantly approached it, the vile thing began to speak.
"Ha ha, hi, fellas," it began in the insipid voice they knew only too well. "I have your friend, and there is no way you can track me, so I guess you are out of luck, but don't worry. Even though you want to destroy me, I still luv you, and when I finally conquer your dimens...er...planet, I won't destroy you like you want to do me. Heheheh. But, just because I like games, I will give you a hint where I have taken Ms. Katze..."
And with that it started singing an old Crosby, Stills, and Nash tune, Marrakesh Express, and Cyo almost missed it: what the chorus *really* was saying was "o/~ Don't you know we're riding on the *Marraketh* Express....o/~"
"What the hell? That's supposed to me MarraKESH, not MarraKETH..." Cyo puzzled aloud.
"I don't know why, but..." Calc started.
"We have to contact VRDET," Cyo exclaimed.
"Already on it!" Calc said, as he activated his wrist com and put in a call to Phoenix, who was sitting at the COMMS desk while the rest of them were off enjoying the Taste.
And thus began the scrambling to prepare for the rescue mission. Calc assured Cyo that could get back to HQ on his own, and Cyo ran for his car to begin the long drive to Colorado...