Alfonzo came back from class feeling nervous about how his paper was being graded. He decided to visit Clark and Drake to see what was going on. Alfonzo rang the door bell. Drake opened it and he was wearing a paper bag over his head. "I'm sorry but the lion has the hots tonight so he is getting himself ready for going to a rave to meat some weird lady that I never heard of before." Drake said.
"What lady does Clark have goo-goo eyes for?" Alfonzo asked as he entered the house.
"I don't know, I prefer not to get involved in his ridiculous fantasies." the human said with a shrug. "He's been combing his mane for the past half hour. Now he is using cologne and breath mints because he wants to hide his bologna breath." Alfonzo and Drake chuckled together. "So are you going out with Snips?" Drake asked.
"I hope so. We are going to the cafeteria." Alfonzo said. "I like to keep things casual and simple."
"Heeey, I have an idea." Clark entered the living room. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans with holes over where his knees were. "Why don't you take Snips with you to the rave with me so you can see the goddess I am partying with!"
"Nope, Snips does not like wild parties. I am not trying to scare her off." Alfonzo said.
"Your loss." Clark shrugged.
"How many girlfriends do you have anyway?" Drake asked with suspicion.
"How many girlfriends did you have on Earth?" Clark shot back.
"I had one but she no longer remembers me because the SSP wiped her memories." Drake replied.
"Well she is a hotty! Here is a photo of her." Clark handed the picture to Alfonzo. He saw a curvaceous gazelle women in a tank top and a pair of shorts. She had a flirtatious smile on her face as she was walking by boys who were ogling her in the photo."
Drake didn't bother to look at it. "She must be far too cute for you."
"Well, she is a beauty but I believe that external appearances are not what matters but it is what is inside that counts. Snips and Elise are lovely women but they are also very kind."
Clark said, "Alright, you two can have your own version of fun while I have the night of my life. And Drake, take that ridiculous paper bag off your head. Your driving me bananas!" As he opened the door, the gazelle woman was standing in the doorway. Clark had a dreamy yet dopey grin on his face. Alfonzo stood there aghast at her beauty. Drake's eyes widened in shock and he disappeared down the hall.
"Hi, boys!" she said in a velvety voice. She gave a seductive smile towards Clark. "Tell me, tiger, are you ready for the big night?"
"Yeees!" Clark purred. Alfonzo was mesmerized by her appearance when Snip's walked up behind the gazelle.
"Excuse, me. I want to get inside."
"Sure, sweety." the ungulate replied.
"Who are you? I have never seen you before?" the cow asked looking confused. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Sorry, we haven't." she replied.
"What's your name?" Snips asked.
"My name is Melody Hind and I am taking this lion guy out with me." she said. "Clark, are you coming, honey?"
"Yup." he replied as he followed her out the door. Snips entered and whistled. "Well, I never seen Clark that happy." she closed the door behind her. "He's acting as if he fell into angelic arms."
"Uh, what are you talking about?" Alfonzo asked still staring at the front door."
"Boys!" Snips sighed. "I was talking about Melody that show-off Melody!" Snips looked around. "And where is Drake?"
Alfonzo walked down the hall and saw Drake shifting through a manila envelope."
"That girl is not what she seems." Drake said.
Snips asked, "Don't tell me she works for the SSP!"
"No, she was created by the SSP!" Drake pulled out a paper with a photograph of Melody on it. She was dressed in a gray uniform with a frown on her face. "Her name is MEL-07. She is a clone of a gazelle woman who was abducted by the military."
Snips said, "Aha! I knew that face! She looks so familiar but different."
Drake replied, "Because you did not see MEL-07. You saw the real Melody. She is being held hostage on a secret base on Pluto."
"Where's Pluto?" Alfonzo asked.
"A planet of my solar system." Drake said. "But we need to focus on taking down that gazelle. She was bioengineered to be more beautiful than her host and they made seven clones of her. She could be planning on seducing him to get information from him about my whereabouts or the government files he has been hacking into."
"Well, let's crash that party!" Snips said.
"Hold your horses!" Drake said. "We don't want to make a scene and get found or the space program will know we are onto them!"
"I'll go myself. I am not easily seduced by that siren's charms." Snips said.
Alfonzo handed her an earbud. "Here, take this so we can communicate."
"Copy that." Snips said.

***

The rave was noisy as the bovine walked through. The music was blaring and the people around her were so oblivious of their surroundings that nobody noticed her. She spotted Melody and Clark walking towards the backdoor of the building. She followed them outside and kept a distance. She watched as Melody gave the already drunk Clark a metal flask. "Are you feeling tired, hansom?" Melody asked as she pressed her hand on his chest.
"No, I'm fired up for more." he slurred.
"Okay, we can have more fun. Can you tell me the code to the room?"
"Code, code, code." the drunk lion grinned.
"Yes, tell me and I'll give you exactly what you want." she nipped his ear.
Snips couldn't stand it any more. She pulled a tranquilizer gun from her purse, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The dart hit Melody in the buttocks. She turned and faced Snips in a look of shock, then she swooned and hit the ground asleep.
"I tranquilized MEL-07 and I am taking the two lovebirds with me back to you too. An interrogation is in order." She looked at the now sleeping lion from his drunken state and muttered. "What a chump!"

End of Chapter