Tama of Tomeowrrow

Dancing Queen

"And then there were seven," Sara said as Ray and Zari entered the bridge. "Shorter bathroom lines," Zari shrugged.

"Yeah, but no one to watch Patrick Swayze movies with," Ray said sullenly.

"Mr. Heywood will be back soon," Nyssa assured him. "In the meantime, we need to go back before the monarchy turns into anarchy," Sara smiled.

"Never thought I'd get to meet the Queen," John said with a grin.

"Not gonna happen. Too risky. And besides, she's not the one setting off Ray's magic-o-meter. The Queen's favorite new band is 'The Smell,'" Sara said.

"The Smell? Never heard of them, and I know of every rubbish punk band there is in London," John scoffed.

"That's because they didn't exist in this timeline," Sara said. "Gideon?"

"The Queen's cheeky jig launched The Smell's rise to stardom. They were known as much for their music as for a series of improbable anti-establishment pranks," Gideon explained.

"All with a magical signature," Ray added.

"Okay, so we're looking for someone in the band," Zari surmised.

"We could be dealing with demonic possession, mind control, illusion, or maybe just the run-of-the-mill royal dementia. Hold on a minute," John said, tapping on one of the band members' faces on the screen. "There's your magic man right there. Obsessed with riches, given to mischief. That Irishman is a leprechaun."

"S-sorry. Are you being serious or racist?" Zari asked.

"Both, luv," John answered with a smirk.

"Why is the weasel running the show?" Mick grunted.

"If you've got a problem with me, pie-head, why don't you just say it?" John shot back.

"I've got a problem with you," Mick said.

"I'm running this, and I say we need to get close to that band, which shouldn't be a problem because everybody left on this ship is a punk," Sara declared.

"Except for haircut. He hasn't broken a rule in his life," Mick huffed.

"Yep. Not a single rule," Zari agreed, giving a reassuring pat on Ray's chest.

_______

"The Hole—cradle of punk rock and the stickiest floor in the British Isles," John announced as we arrived at the music-filled warehouse.

"Sounds lovely. You kids have fun. Tama and I will have a bottle of hand sanitizer waiting for you when you come back," Ray said with a grin.

Meow! Have fun! I mewed before flicking my ears a few times. The noise inside was way too much for my sensitive ears. I settled onto Ray's lap, purring softly as he petted my coat, and quickly fell into a nap.

________

I was jolted out of my sleep when the car door swung open harshly. "Thanks for the lift, mate!" a stranger shouted as they and their companions tumbled into the car.

"Get us out of here! Come on! Go! Let's go!" the frantic humans yelled.

Ray's eyes widened in panic as he slammed his foot on the gas, the car lurching forward and skidding away from the scene. The police sirens wailed in the distance, their flashing lights illuminating the chaos as we sped off. I clung to Ray's lap, wide-eyed and alert, trying to make sense of what just happened.

The car finally came to a halt in an abandoned parking lot, the adrenaline of our escape slowly fading. The human who had been shouting earlier staggered out of the car, clutching his stomach. "Oh, let me out, I'm gonna puke," he groaned.