'So remember, girls, it's OK to say No.'

Janet Weiss finished the speech with her usual conclusion, and smiled expectantly at the hall full of girls.

'Are there any questions?'

As usual, she was answered with nothing but a few embarrassed coughs from the audience. After a few moments, the headmistress stood up and thanked her politely before dismissing the school. Janet shook her head as she began to pack her briefcase. She loved her job, but sometimes she felt that she couldn't get through to these girls, no matter how much she tried. And it was so important, she thought, so vital that they understood the consequences of these things. She herself had given into lust six years ago, and where had it got her? Two dead lovers and a failed marriage before she hit thirty. Men? She could manage without them.

She locked the briefcase, and left the hall. As she approached the school entrance, she heard a voice calling to her. She quickly turned round, and was greeted by the headmistress's secretary, who was hurrying to catch up with her.

'Ms Weiss, thank goodness. I thought I might have missed you,' she said. 'There's someone on the phone for you.'

Janet thanked her and followed her to the telephone in the school office. She picked up the receiver, puzzled. Who would have any reason to call her at work? Panicking, she thought of the nanny. Had something happened to her son?

'Hello?' she said anxiously. 'Janet Weiss speaking.'

There was silence at the other end of the phone.

'Hello?' she tried again. 'Liz, is that you?'

'Hello Janet.'

It was a woman. The voice was not one Janet could put a face to, but she thought it sounded oddly familiar.

'Who is this?' she asked.

'It's been a while.' The woman laughed nervously.

'I'm sorry,' Janet answered. 'I'm afraid I don't know who you are.'

'Doesn't surprise me. We need to meet face to face. Can you get to the Royal Park hotel in an hour?'

Janet looked at her watch.

'I can make that. Can you please tell me who it is I'm supposed to be meeting?'

'I'll be in the lobby,' the woman continued. 'And I'm pretty sure you'll remember me, Janet. I know I remember you.'

'Can't you at least tell me - '

But the phone had gone dead. Confused, Janet put down the receiver, thanked the secretary and hurried to her car.

An hour later - punctuality had always been one of her strongpoints - Janet arrived at the hotel. She sat down in the lobby and smoothed out her skirt awkwardly. She had been here once before, attending a lecture on feminism, and the upper-class atmosphere made her uneasy. She stood up again, and began to walk around impatiently, scanning faces for anyone she might recognise, but there was nobody remotely familiar.

Except…

Looking across the lobby, her eyes were drawn to a poster fixed to one of the walls opposite.

Tonight - one night only, read a black and red strip which had been pasted across it. And there above it was a familiar red bob, topped with a black top-hat.

'Oh my God,' Janet breathed.

'I guess you do recognise me, after all.'

Janet turned upon hearing the voice close to her ear, and found herself staring into a face from a past she thought she had long forgotten. Columbia seemed almost as stunned to see her, and it was some time before Janet managed to speak.

'I don't understand. I saw them shoot you - I remember.'

Columbia led her to a table, and they both sat down.

'Yes, he shot me in his own madness. Next thing I knew, I was lying in a ditch just outside the castle grounds. Only, the castle was gone. I suppose they went home, did they?'

Janet nodded, unable to speak. Memories of that fateful evening were flooding back into her mind.

'I knew they would. They were pining for home - Riff Raff especially. Earth couldn't offer him anything compared with Transsexual. I always used to listen to him and Magenta longing for their planet, and it sounded wonderful. I had hoped they'd take me back with them, but I guess I'm better off here.'

Finally Janet managed to speak.

'They killed Frank. Rocky tried to save him, and he died too.'

Columbia nodded slowly, and swallowed hard.

'I'd guessed as much. If he could shoot me, there was no end to what he would do. I've been trying to get on with my life. I'd put all that behind me - or at least I thought I had. Then I saw this.'

She reached into her bag and produced a folded piece of paper. She opened it, and Janet recognised it immediately as an article she herself had written for a girls' magazine a few months previously. In the corner of the page was a picture of Janet herself. Columbia smiled.

' "Why it's best to wait",' she read. 'Sex-Ed, who'd have thought it?'

Janet sat upright.

'It's important that these girls learn. They shouldn't feel that they have to do anything they're not comfortable with.'

'Sure, I don't deny it,' Columbia replied. 'God knows how I could have turned out if I hadn't gone the way I did. Look at me - hotel cabaret. I'd rather teach girls sex education any day. Anyway, since I saw this, I've been trying to track you down. And here we are now.'

They looked at each other for a moment. Columbia hardly seemed different at all. She had the same bright red bob, and although she wore far less make-up than Janet remembered, her eyes were still outlined heavily with black liner. She was wearing black PVC trousers with a gold sequined halter-neck, and receiving admiring stares from male hotel staff and guests alike. Janet, although she was wearing a plain grey pencil skirt and blouse, suddenly felt very self conscious sitting with her.

'But how did you escape from the laser? I thought it had killed you.'

'Yes,' replied Columbia. 'I was knocked unconscious. But when I finally came round, I found I was wearing this tube all around my body, under my corset. It could have been metal, only it was more bendy, like rubber. It must have been some kind of shield.'

'But why?' Janet asked. Columbia looked down at the table, smiling faintly.

'Magenta and I had a…special bond. I suppose she wanted to protect me from her brother.'

Janet nodded, taking this in. Although it had only been one night, it seemed to contain itself in a whole different chapter of her life. She still thought about it, wondering how different her life would have been if she and Brad hadn't gone to that castle, or had left earlier in the evening…

Columbia suddenly pointed to Janet's left hand.

'No wedding ring? Didn't you and Brad…'

Janet gave a small, humourless laugh.

'Oh, we did. We lasted three months.'

'I'm sorry,' Columbia apologised. Janet shook her head dismissively. 'What happened?'

Janet thought for a moment.

'There were a few reasons. But I guess this is one of them.'

She reached into her bag and pulled out her purse. She opened it, and produced a photograph.

'He'll be six next year.'

Columbia looked at the blonde-haired boy in the picture. He was smiling happily at the camera, with eyes which she recognised well. She'd seen eyes like that before, before they'd even had a face to go with them. After all, she'd been there when Rocky had been put together.

'Oh God,' she said, realisation finally dawning on her. Janet nodded.

'Yes,' she replied. 'That's my son.'

Columbia continued to stare at the photograph for a moment. Then she looked up.

'Janet, I'm so sorry,' she said quietly. 'I had no idea.'

'Neither did I, until a couple of months later. He tried to pretend things were still OK. We even went through with the wedding, so he'd be born into a good family. But then I gave birth, and Brad just fell apart. I think he'd still been hoping the baby would have the Majors' chin, even though I'd already told him it probably wasn't his child. Seeing his bright blue eyes and blonde hair must have come as a real shock. The marriage went down hill from pretty much then on.'

'Do you ever still see him?' asked Columbia.

'Regularly,' Janet answered. 'Charlie goes to him most weekends. Brad may hate me now, but he still loves my son. Charlie thinks Brad's his father, of course.'

Columbia sat thoughtfully.

'Do you think we could pay him a visit?' she asked after a moment. Janet smiled.

'I'll take you there now,' she replied.

Twenty minutes later, and Janet's car pulled up outside a row of terraced houses. They got out of the car, and Columbia followed her to the door of the house which Brad and Janet had once shared. She rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. She rang again.

'He's not in,' said Columbia.

'Maybe not,' Janet replied. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. Finding the right one, she inserted it into the keyhole and pushed the door open.

'After you,' she said, holding it open for Columbia to go through.

They stood in the hallway. A staircase led upstairs, and there was a small table by the door. Janet picked up a pile of letters and began to shuffle through them, pulling a few out as she went.

'I've been waiting for this for ages,' she said as she pulled out a particular brown envelope. 'The bastard never sends on my mail. Follow me.'

She climbed quietly up the stairs, Columbia close behind her. As they reached the top, Columbia became conscious of the sound of running water from behind one of the doors. When they came to it, Janet put a finger to her lips and motioned to Columbia to stay hidden behind the door. Then she turned the handle and pushed it open.

'Well hello, Ralph. Betty told me you were at a seminar all week.'

'I came home a day early,' came the reply. It was a man's voice, sounding very embarrassed.

'Is Brad here?' Janet's voice was calm, but ice-cold.

'He's in the shower.' Through the crack in the door, Columbia saw the man pull the bedsheets up around him nervously. Janet picked up his clothes, which were hanging over a nearby chair, and threw them to him.

'Go and get dressed, please,' she told him. There was a rustling as he got out of the bed, and left the bedroom. He saw Columbia as he ran out of the room, and she grinned at him. He clutched his clothes to him and hurried down the stairs. Columbia turned, and put her head round the door of the bedroom.

'Come on in,' Janet told her. She was re-making the bed. 'Like I said, he fell apart after Charlie was born. This is what he's like now.'

Columbia didn't know whether to laugh or feel shocked. It wasn't like this sort of thing was unknown to her, after all. But still, she thought, poor Janet…

Both women turned to look at the door leading into the bathroom as the running water suddenly stopped. A moment later, the door opened and Brad came out, a towel wrapped around him. He saw Janet, and gasped, wiping drops of water from his eyes.

'Janet, is that you? Where's - '

He paused, looking flustered.

'Ralph's gone, Brad. I'm sure Betty will want to hear all about this, though.'

Janet's voice was still calm. Columbia had to admire her strength of will.

'Jesus, Janet. What the hell are you doing here?' He groped blindly at the bedside table. 'And who's your friend?' he added, squinting at Columbia.

Janet held out a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.

'Looking for these?' she asked. 'Why don't you see for yourself?'

She handed him the glasses, and he blinked rapidly as the room came into focus. Puzzled, he looked at Columbia.

'My God,' he gasped. 'Is that - '

'Hey Brad,' Columbia replied. 'You remember me?'

* * * * * * * * * *

'So that's where I am now, doing cabaret here and there for hotels. I do bar work too, when things are slow, but I'm pretty busy nowadays.'

The three of them were sitting together in the hotel bar. Columbia pulled a cigarette out from the packet she was holding, and looked expectantly at Brad. She had just recounted to him the story of her survival, and he sat silently, sipping from a his drink occasionally. Finally he replied.

'This is just such a shock. I mean, I thought I'd put all this behind me. I hardly even think about it any more. And now, this happens. It's too much.'

Columbia put her head in her hands.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I knew this would be a mistake, but I couldn't just not try to find you after I saw that article.'

Janet shot a withering glance at Brad, and put a hand on Columbia's arm.

'You had every right to come and find us. God knows what you must have gone through, waking up alone in a ditch somewhere. I'm glad you came.'

Columbia sat up and smiled gratefully at them both. Pulling a silver lighter from her pocket, she lit the cigarette and took a long drag before replying.

'Thank you both. You don't know how important this is to me.' She looked at her wristwatch suddenly. 'Fuck, rehearsal. I gotta run.'

She got up and quickly left the bar. Brad and Janet were left alone at the table. Brad avoided his ex-wife's gaze by quickly becoming absorbed in a poster of Columbia on one of the walls next to the bar. Finally, Janet spoke.

'So, Ralph and Betty aren't the happily married couple we thought they were, after all?'

Brad quickly turned his head to look at her, then picked up his drink hurriedly, only to find it was empty. He waved to a passing waitress, who took the glass away. Janet raised an eyebrow.

'I always thought a man who helped with the shopping was too good to be true,' she said.

Brad gave no answer.

'I've got to go,' he replied quickly. 'I'll see you later.'

As he left, the waitress brought back his glass, refilled. On seeing that he had gone, she began to take it back to the bar, but Janet motioned to her to leave it. The waitress put the glass down on the table, and when she had turned away again, Janet picked up the drink and downed the whole thing. This was all getting too much to deal with.

* * * * * * * * *

Several hours later, and Brad and Janet were standing together outside the door of Columbia's dressing room.

'I just don't think she should be alone right now,' Janet was telling him. 'She needs our company. Besides, I thought it was quite a good show.'

'I had other plans tonight,' said Brad.

'I know you did,' Janet replied. 'But I'm sure Betty will appreciate some quality time with her husband. After all, he's away on "business" so often these days.'

Brad shook his head silently. He was saved from replying by the door opening.

'Brad, Janet!' exclaimed Columbia happily. 'I'm so glad you came. You don't know how much this means to me. Did you enjoy the show?'

'It was fantastic,' replied Janet. 'But I really should be getting back. Liz is baby sitting on short notice tonight, and I don't want to keep her too late.'

After they had said their goodbyes, Janet climbed into a cab outside the hotel and gave the driver her address. It was only a ten minute journey, and she was exhausted. Who would have thought one day could be so eventful? She was looking forward to getting in and going straight to bed.

But as the cab neared her house, it became obvious that this was going to be easier said than done. As they turned into her road, she was temporarily blinded by the flashing of blue lights. She soon became aware that the police cars were outside her own house. Without stopping to pay the driver, she ran from the cab and made for the front door, which was wide open. Several windows had been smashed, and the front lawn was a mess.

'Excuse me, are you the owner of this house?'

A policeman had stepped in front of her to prevent her from getting into her home. She struggled angrily to get past him.

'What's happened? Has something happened to my son? Where's the fucking babysitter gone?'

'Maybe you need to come and sit down,' he told her quietly. Janet shouted furiously at him.

'Let me see my son!' she screamed. The policeman put a hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath.

'I'm sorry, Ms. Weiss, but you'll have to come to the station. I'm afraid your son has been abducted.'

'I've already told you. I have no enemies. I don't know who could have done something like this.'

It was two in the morning, and Janet sat, shaking, in the police station, drinking from a cup of strong black coffee. A police woman sat down beside her, and put an arm around her shoulders as she collapsed once again into hysterical sobs.

'Janet, it's OK. We're doing everything we can to find Charlie. We just need to know if you can help us in any way.' She paused, allowing Janet to wipe her eyes on a tattered piece of tissue she held clenched in her hand. 'We already know from your baby-sitter that it was a man and a woman who attacked her and took Charlie. Are you sure there's nobody you can think of?'

Janet shook her head, taking another tissue from the box.

'Oh God, Janet!'

Janet looked up. It was Brad. He ran over to her and put his arms round her.

'I came as quickly as I could. I can't believe something like this has happened.'

The police woman looked at Brad.

'You're Charlie's father?' she asked.

'Yes,' replied Brad, just as Janet was saying 'No.' They looked at each other for a moment. Then Brad spoke.

'We're divorced. Charlie's biological father died before he was born. But he's always been a son to me, and always will be.'

The police woman nodded understandingly.

'Well, I can tell you that we've got the whole squad raking the area. We'll find your boy.'

* * * * * * * * *

Not far away, a woman in a black silk night-dress sat idly brushing her mass of red hair. Her eyes were drawn briefly to the TV monitor next to the bed, and she looked sadly at the small blonde boy it showed, cowering in the corner of his room holding a battered old teddy.

'Don't cry, little boy,' she said in a strong foreign accent, putting a thumb to the monitor and gently stroking the picture. 'You'll be much happier back at home with us.'

Magenta's eyes grew misty as she said the word 'home.' She hated being on Earth again. She had wasted five years of her life here before, in the castle with that ghastly Frank N Furter, and she was eager to leave again as quickly as possible. She turned to her brother, who sat behind her polishing a silver weapon.

'We have the boy,' she told him restlessly. 'When do we return to Transylvania?'

Riff Raff carefully put down the laser and stood up. He walked over to his sister and began to gently massage her shoulders.

'Have patience, my most beautiful sister. You know we have other business to do here. Finding this child is really just a bonus.'

Magenta sighed, looking once more at the frightened little boy on the monitor.

'He wants his Mummy,' she said pityingly. 'Was this really necessary?'

Riff Raff shook his head impatiently.

'I've already told you, Magenta. The boy can't stay here on Earth. His father was a product of our own technology. It was my own research which created him, though Furter took the credit himself.'

Magenta nodded.

'Rocky was a triumph to us all,' she agreed.

'If he is allowed to stay here, there will be repercussions,' Riff Raff went on. 'He will not develop as a usual human child. His ageing process will eventually slow down, and he will grow up at a much slower rate, as we do on our planet. People will notice things. No. It is much better that he returns to Transsexual with us. Besides, we will both be greatly rewarded for bringing him home.'

Riff Raff bent down and began to kiss her neck. She pulled away firmly.

'But when will that be? When are we to return?' she persisted.

'Soon, my sister. But first, we must do what we came to do,' he replied. He picked up the laser and began to stroke it fondly. Magenta smiled at him, but as her eyes shifted to the weapon in his hands, a look of concern passed briefly through them.

* * * * * * * * *

Dr. Everett Scott sat idly in his darkened study, listening to an old wireless radio. He closed his eyes as the music surrounded him, and began to hum gently along to the strains of his favourite piece. Just as he was beginning to drift off, he opened his eyes suddenly and sat up. He was sure he had heard footsteps. Reaching out, he switched off the radio and listened intently. Yes, he could hear something. There was somebody climbing the stairs to the study.

'Hello?' he called out. There came no reply. Then the door handle began to turn. Terrified, Dr. Scott backed his wheelchair away from the door as it slowly opened.

'Who's - who's there?' he stammered. He gasped in horror as a figure appeared in the doorway, a gun held in its hand. He raised his hands in the air, staring at the weapon pointing directly at him.

'Dr. Scott,' said the figure. 'How nice to see you again.'

* * * * * * * *

Brad paced impatiently around the police waiting room. Janet lay curled up across a row of seats. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn't asleep. She wouldn't be able to sleep while she knew her son was still out there somewhere.

The door to the waiting room opened, and the same police woman as they had previously spoken with entered the room.

'Mr. Majors, there's a telephone call for you. He says it's urgent.'

Brad thanked her and quickly followed her from the room. Janet opened her eyes and sat up. She picked up a magazine and began to flick through its pages. She was starving, but her stomach was too sick with nerves for her to eat.

A few minutes later Brad came back into the room, looking thoughtful.

'That was Dr. Scott, would you believe it?' he told her. 'He needs us to go to him right away. He didn't say what it was about, but it sounded pretty important.'

Janet stood up.

'Let's go,' she said, grabbing her coat. 'I need to get out of here before I start to go insane.'

* * * * * * * * *

Twenty minutes later, and they had arrived at Dr. Scott's home. They found the front door wide open, and they both hurried inside, surprised.

'Dr. Scott?' called Brad. There was no answer. He ran up the stairs, Janet following closely behind him. There they found the door of the study ajar, and Brad pushed it open quickly. Janet screamed in horror.

In the middle of the room sat Dr. Scott, two bricks jammed under the wheels of his chair. His hands had been tied together, and a piece of tape had been wrapped over his mouth so that he was unable to answer them.

'Oh God!' cried Janet. They both ran to the chair, and Brad began to untie his hands whilst Janet carefully pulled off the strip of tape from around his head.

'Brad, Janet,' gasped the Doctor as soon as his mouth was free. 'Get out now, quickly. It was a trap - she forced me to telephone you, Brad.'

'Who?' asked Janet. Dr. Scott did not reply. His eyes had been drawn to something in the doorway of the study, and he stared in horror. Slowly, Brad and Janet turned to follow his gaze.

'Now that we're all here, I can begin.'

There stood Columbia, a gun in her outstretched hands.

The three of them stood, horrified, looking at the gleaming weapon in Columbia's hands.

'Hands in the air, all of you.'

Obediently, stunned, they all raised their arms above their heads.

'Now get into that corner. I want you all where I can see you.'

Brad quickly side-stepped into the corner of the study. Janet followed him, and Dr. Scott carefully manoeuvred his wheelchair around, before raising his hands again.

'Columbia, what's going on?' Janet eventually asked. Columbia laughed, the gun still pointed towards them.

'What do you think? You're all going to die.'

Brad gasped.

'But why?' he asked. Columbia walked towards him, the gun aimed at his head.

'Those are my orders,' she replied.

'Orders?' Dr. Scott repeated.

'From whom?' asked Brad, with disbelief. Columbia smiled.

'You see, after Riff Raff shot me, I was knocked unconscious, like I said. But when I woke, we were travelling towards Transsexual. Magenta had confessed her deed to her brother, and they had decided to spare my life and keep me with them as a slave.'

'So you did go to Transsexual with them,' said Janet. Columbia nodded.

'Oh, yes,' she replied. 'And it was wonderful. More so than you could ever imagine. I stayed there for two years. I was working as a servant for Riff Raff and Magenta, but it was still a better life than I have ever had before. But then I was discovered. The Transylvanian Emperor was furious that they had brought a human to the planet without his knowledge. He ordered that I be executed at once, but I pleaded with him. I went to great lengths to gain his favour. Eventually he agreed that I would be allowed to live on Transsexual permanently, as one of its own citizens. But first I was to carry out a mission. I was to return to Earth, find those who knew of Transylvania, and dispose of them.'

'You mean us,' Janet whispered.

'But Columbia,' pleaded Dr. Scott. 'I can assure you that we have told nobody of the planet Transsexual. I myself had almost forgotten the place even existed. This whole affair took place so long ago, it's all more like a dream to me. Killing us would serve no purpose.'

Columbia swung the gun away from Brad to point it at Dr. Scott. Her eyes gleamed furiously as she spoke.

'No purpose? After I've spent nearly three years here, looking for you all? Have you any idea what kind of life I've been leading? I was given ten Transylvanian years to complete my mission. Any day now, that time will be coming to an end. If I'm right about who stole your child, Janet, then they've already come back for me, to carry out my sentence.'

Janet gasped.

'They took Charlie? Magenta and Riff Raff kidnapped my son?'

Columbia nodded, pointing the gun now at Janet.

'That lucky child. He will have a wonderful life on Transsexual with them. And the only way I can get there myself is to complete my mission.'

'Please, Columbia,' begged Brad. 'You don't have to kill us. You can tell them you did it. We'll run away somewhere for a while, somewhere they won't find us.'

Janet had begun to sob hysterically, her arms still raised weakly over her head. Columbia laughed, shaking her head.

'No. I'm afraid that won't be possible. You can't hide anything from them.' She smiled. 'Besides, I never liked you that much anyway. Now, who wants to go first?'

Janet screamed, and collapsed onto the floor. Brad jumped back as she fell onto him, struggling to keep his hands in the air. Columbia shrugged.

'Thank you for volunteering, Janet,' she said. She pointed the gun at the motionless woman at her feet. Brad and Dr. Scott looked on helplessly as her fingers closed around the trigger.

Suddenly the whole room began to shake violently, as an explosion echoed through the house. The vibrations rang around the study, shattering windows and causing several books to fall from the shelves along the wall. Janet sat up, blinking rapidly, and screamed as a small table slid across the room and stopped just a few feet away from her. A lamp which had been hanging from the ceiling became dislodged and crashed down onto Columbia's head. Temporarily stunned, she dropped the gun as she fell to her knees. Brad moved without hesitation, grabbing the weapon and throwing it out through a broken window. Columbia shrieked furiously, quickly regaining her senses.

'Bastard!' she screamed. 'I'll kill you for that!'

She jumped up and grabbed at his waist, pulling him to the ground. Clawing at him with cat-like fingernails, she struggled angrily as Janet launched herself onto her and tried to pull her off him. Dr Scott could only look on helplessly, his wheelchair wedged behind a fallen bookcase.

As the room stopped shaking, Dr Scott suddenly became aware of the two shadows in the doorway. The dust was settling around them, making them more visible by the second. As they stepped into the room, he gasped in horror, unable to move. Brad and Janet were still wrestling with Columbia on the floor, and none of them noticed the newcomers until they heard the voice.

'Now now, Columbia. This is not the way we planned this.'

The fight came to an abrupt halt as Columbia jumped back in surprise. She turned to look into Riff Raff's face, and screamed with fright. Magenta laughed.

'She always did like the hands-on approach,' she said, looking with amusement at the rabble in front of her.

'What do you want?' asked Columbia, her face white with fear. Riff Raff took a step forward, picking his way across piles of books on the floor.

'It has been ten years on our planet since we sent you on your mission. You have failed to complete it. I must say, you were cutting it a bit fine anyway.'

Columbia shook her head desperately.

'I've spent all this time searching for them.' she pleaded. I could have killed them, if you hadn't made me drop my gun. It was your landing which shook the house, wasn't it?'

'I'm afraid your time is up,' Riff Raff replied, producing his laser from inside his cloak. Janet gasped, and Brad put an arm gingerly around her. Columbia screamed.

'No!' she cried. 'I've found them for you. You can kill them yourselves, or let me have another weapon to do it with. You don't have to kill me, please!' she begged. She fell to her knees, sobbing. Magenta looked sadly down at her, then turned to her brother.

'Can't you just shoot them yourself?' she asked him gently. 'She did find them for us, after all.'

Riff Raff shook his head firmly.

'I must obey orders,' he replied. 'Columbia has not completed her mission in the given time and must therefore be executed immediately. As for these others, they are to be taken back to Transsexual as our prisoners.' He suddenly turned to his sister. 'Why do you care so much what happens to her? Could it be that you care for Columbia more than you say?'

Magenta turned away from him furiously, walking back through the study door. Riff Raff watched her for a moment, then turned back to Columbia and raised the weapon slowly.

'I'm sorry things didn't go the way you'd hoped.' he sneered. 'But then again, you wouldn't have made much of a Transylvanian anyway.'

Janet buried her face in her hands, and Brad turned his face away, unable to watch. A flash of green light made them both flinch, and Janet gave a terrified sob. Brad slowly opened his eyes to look at the scene. He gasped with surprise as he saw the body of Riff Raff lying on the floor. Columbia was still kneeling a few feet away, sobbing hysterically. Magenta stood over her brother, holding a long black gun in her hand.

'Oh My God,' exclaimed Janet. 'You killed him!'

Magenta laughed.

'He's not dead,' she replied. 'Stunned. He'll be out for a few hours, at least.'

Columbia looked up slowly.

'Why?' she asked, gazing in horror at the motionless body in front of her.

'I didn't want you dead,' replied Magenta. 'Any of you,' she added, looking at the terrified occupants of the room. 'I'm not a murderer, and neither is my brother. He just needs a little restraining sometimes.'

She laughed again. The room was silent for a moment. Then Dr Scott spoke.

'What happens now?' he asked.

'I will take Riff Raff back to Transylvania. When he awakes I will have a lot of explaining to do, but I'm sure I can manage it.'

She bent down to pick up her brother. Columbia stood up.

'And me?' she asked. Magenta looked up at her sadly.

'I'm sorry, but you cannot return with us. Without your mission completed, you will be executed. Unless we return with the three bodies - ' Dr. Scott flinched in terror ' - we cannot bring you with us. We will have to tell the Emperor that you have been "dealt with".'

Columbia's eyes watered as she began to shake with anger. She turned and ran towards the broken window and leapt through it, screaming hysterically. Brad ran to the window and saw her run from the house. Magenta shook her head sadly, lifting Riff Raff from the floor. Janet suddenly stood up.

'What about my son? Where is he?'

Magenta sighed.

'I can promise you he will lead a far better life on Transsexual than he will on Earth.'

Janet stepped towards her angrily.

'He's my son!' she shouted. 'You can't just come and take him away from me like this.'

'Janet,' replied Magenta. 'He's not a normal human. When he reaches the age of sixteen or so, he won't be able to live a normal life. He won't age at a human rate. He will be much different, unable to function here. We must take him with us. I'm sorry.'

She turned to leave for the ship. Janet ran after her, tears streaming down her face.

'You can't take him. Please,' she begged.

Magenta ignored her and walked out of the room. Janet collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Brad ran to her, pulling her close. A moment later the house began to shake again, as the Transylvanian ship took off. Janet tore at her hair with grief as her only son left her for a distant planet.

* * * * * * * * * *

Janet Weiss opened the front door of her house, ripping away the police tape blocking the entrance, and stepped inside. She slammed the door shut furiously and slumped against a wall. Her son had been taken from her. She didn't care about anything any more. Where was he going to? She didn't know. He was with two people she hardly knew, people who her memory did not have a very favourable impression of. She couldn't bear it. Putting her head on her knees she began to sob again.

'Mummy?'

Janet turned as if in slow motion. In front of her stood a small blonde boy, looking tired and confused but smiling at his mother.

'Oh My God, Charlie!' She flung her arms around her son and hugged him tight. As she held him, she noticed the silver chain around his neck. She pulled it off and found that there was a silver tube hanging from it. Unscrewing the top, she pulled out a small black piece of paper, with a silver script printed onto it. She read the note carefully.

'Here is your boy. We will be back for him when he is sixteen. I hope you can give him the care he needs until then. I'm sorry things have to be this way.'

Janet dropped the note onto the floor and hugged Charlie again.

'What is it, Mum?'

'Nothing,' she replied.

I'll have to tell him some day, she thought. But for now, it was time to let him live a normal life...

THE END...?