Tourist Trap

Chapter 34

"That's amazing," Sarah said. "So what do we do now?"  

"I have a secret lab not far from here. I suggest we move over there for the time being. Like I said, Trevor Mastodon knows you're here and he may not be content with just killing me. Your friends should probably come along with us as well." 

"They've had a rough night," Sarah said. "I'm not sure if we're going to be able to rouse them." 

"I believe I have just the solution for this problem," Dr. Octavius said as he fished around in his lab coat pocket. He emerged with two long needles. 

He walked over to the bed where Max was sleeping with his arm wrapped around Zeke. They continued to snore, with Max making strange "Wubba wubba wubba" noises. 

Dr. Octavius stuck them both quickly with the needles. Within seconds their eyes shot open and they leaped out of the bed. 

"Homina homina homina!" Max shouted as he shook his head around spastically. "What the hell's going on? I feel all jittery!" 

"Me too!" Zeke said as he blinked his eyes rapidly and smacked his lips. "Hey what's the Doc doing here?" 

"What did you do to them?" Sarah asked her uncle. 

"I just dosed them with a little pep juice. It should sober them right up and probably keep them awake for a couple days. Now let's head on over to my lab."

* * * 

They walked several blocks until they came to a store that said "Frank's Broken Glass and Rusty Nails." Sarah filled Zeke and Max in on what was going on while they trembled with nervous energy the entire way. 

"This is the place," Dr. Octavius announced cheerfully. "Nobody suspects I've got a laboratory hidden here."  

"What happens if someone comes in wanting to buy a rusty nail?" Max asked. 

"Why, we sell it to them of course. Now come on in. Trevor Mastodon's agents could be lurking anywhere and I don't really want them to come nosing about." 

They walked through the door and found themselves in a room that looked quite similar to the laboratory back on Earth, although this one sported some decidedly different equipment. Zeke was particularly fascinated by something that looked like a giant laser gun pointed at a small canister of glow-paint. 

"We should be safe here," Dr. Octavius smiled warmly. "Please make yourself at home." 

"I'm way ahead of you," Max said as he stretched out on a lab bench and lit a cigarette.  

"I feel like I have a million questions to ask you," Sarah said. "Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" 

"What, we can't listen?" Max asked as he took a deep puff. "Why, are you talking about us or something?" 

"No, it's just family affairs," Sarah glared at him. "Nothing that concerns you." 

"I do have a small adjoining office we could step inside," Dr. Octavius indicated a door. "It's even soundproof." 

"What's with all the secrecy?" Max persisted. "Hell, I feel like part of the family by now." 

"Can I please talk to my uncle alone?" Sarah asked. 

"Fine! Zeke and I will keep ourselves entertained." He stared defiantly as they disappeared into the office. "So, you think that old kook keeps any chemicals around here? Maybe we could whip up some moonshine or something." 

"He's got plenty of weird fluids in flasks but I don't know if I would ingest any of them. Who knows what they are?" Zeke said.  

Max picked up a beaker and eyed it suspiciously. "This guy's gotta be churning out some sort of drugs or something. I mean, why else have a secret laboratory?"