"They Live...Again!" - Part Three

Part Three

            “Of all the places they could choose to set up their signal, why Elmore Junior High?” Gumball questioned to Rick. The group returned to Cara’s T.A.R.D.I.S. posthaste in learning of the Overtakers’ whole plan.

            “Probably ‘cause of their previous attempt on another Earth,” Rick surmised. “Their signal there was at a *burrrp* cable news station. I guess they’re thinking outside the cable box this time and using your school as their base of operations in this dimension.”

            As feasible as all this was, Cara still couldn’t wrap her head around one thing:

            “If you knew where the source of the signal was this whole time, why did you decide to shoot up the bank?”

            “I wanted to be sure I had the right dimension,” Rick replied. “I…I mean, have you seen this world? It’s the last place we’d expect the Overtakers to overtake, which is why it’s so ingenious.”

            Cara couldn’t argue with that logic. “So, what’s your plan?”

            “You, Morty, and me are going undercover at Gumball and Darwin’s school. You and Morty are gonna be *uurp* students, and I’ll be one of the faculty members.”

            “How’re you guys gonna pass that off?” Gumball asked Rick and Morty specifically. “Your faces are all over the news after that bank shootout.”

            “Ah, but I anticipated that scenario,” Rick said before retrieving a couple of necklaces from his lab coat. “These will camouflage us completely.” He demonstrated by putting on one of the necklaces and adjusting the attached dial for his chosen appearance.

            Rick morphed through a dozen different people until finally settling on a tall, fluffy cloud-like man wearing a rainbow-patterned shirt, black bell bottoms, and blue and yellow sandals.

            “Hey, you look just like our school counselor, Mr. Small,” Darwin observed.

            Cara, Gumball, Darwin, and Morty stood amazed from Rick’s demonstration.

            “L-Let me try mine,” Morty said, taking his necklace and adjusting the dial to his chosen disguise. His dial, however, only gave him the form of a slightly deflated, teal colored balloon, whose face was drawn on with black permanent marker ink. “What the…?” His voice became high-pitched and squeaky to suit the cover. “W-Who is this guy?”

            “That’d be our good friend, Alan,” Darwin recognized.

            “Though I wouldn’t necessarily call him our ‘friend’…or ‘good’,” Gumball remarked in a dismissive tone.

            “Wait,” Cara realized, following Rick and Morty’s transformations. “What about me? Where’s my necklace?!”

            “Oh, uh, about that…” Even with Mr. Small’s stereotypical hippie voice, Rick still retained some of his usual gruffness (and belching). “I didn’t make you one, ‘cause you *buuurrrp* know…I didn’t expect to see ya in this dimension. So, I gotcha this on the way here.” He threw her a disguise that came complete with a short brown wig, a bright orange sweater, a red mini-skirt, and glasses.

            Only after putting it on in the wardrobe room and looking at herself in the mirror did she discover that she bore a striking resemblance to Velma Dinkley of Mystery Inc., albeit more sexualized in the disguise Rick provided for her.

            “Seriously?!” she griped. “What is this, Rick?!”

            Taking a swig from his flask (an odd display for Gumball and Darwin, who perceived Mr. Small as the one drinking from it), Rick told her, “What? You wanted a disguise, so I *uurrp* gave you one.”

            “Yeah, as Velma Dinkley!” Cara stormed.

            “I…I don’t see what you’re complaining about. Isn’t she the sexy one?”

            “That’s Daphne, you moron!”

-------------------

            With no other choice, Cara went along with Rick’s ridiculous disguise. She arrived at Elmore Junior High the next day with Rick and the boys. Gumball and Darwin were welcomed back by their peers and teachers alike (except for maybe Miss Simian, who could’ve gone an extra month free of their antics).

            Cara, the “new student,” got a lot of attention, particularly from Tobias Wilson.

            “Well, hello there, pretty mama,” he flirted, developing a fast crush on her. “Haven’t seen you around here before? What’s your name?”

            “Thelma,” Cara giggled, putting on a thick southern accent.

            “Enchanté, Thelma,” Tobias said. “You just moved to Elmore?”

            “Why, yes,” Cara returned, feigning enthusiasm. “I transferred here all the way from a little place called Gallifrey.”

            “Gallifrey,” Tobias repeated the name like it was something else for him to fall for. “Sounds as beautiful as you.”

            Gumball and Darwin weren’t sure if they should laugh or gag at the exchange.

            Thankfully, they didn’t have to make up their minds just as soon as Principal Brown spoke over the intercom: “Attention! All teachers, students, and staff are to report to the school auditorium at this time for an important announcement.”

            Cara, Gumball, Darwin, Rick, and Morty included themselves in the assembly, curious as to what this announcement entailed. Once they were in the auditorium, Tobias sat next to Cara, still fawning over her during Principal Brown’s presentation. Brown rambled on for minutes about himself and how hard of a job he had been doing with keeping the school together.

            “…which brings me to the reason I called all of you here,” he reached his point, at last. “Starting today, I’m taking a much-needed paid vacation. As such, the school will be under the care of an interim principal. Without further ado, I welcome Miss Holly Thompson to Elmore Junior High.”

            A formally-dressed, redheaded woman stepped on stage and stood beside Principal Brown to the curious murmurings of all the students and teachers in the audience. The most unsettling thing about her to Cara and Gumball were her eyes.

            “Is it just me or the blue in her eyes freakishly pale?” Gumball inquired.

            “From here, they’re practically white,” Cara noted.

            They then heard Rick gasp aloud, “You’re kiddin’ me! It’s her!”

            “You know her?” Cara asked him.

            “Holly Thompson,” Rick recited the name Principal Brown introduced the woman as. “She helped in the fight against the Overtakers in the previous dimension…and she’s supposed to be dead!”