Episode 3: Silence of the Grouse…

When we last saw our heroes, a freak was created, a clue was found, and things were about to get a lot quieter…

They drive up to the abandoned toy building where the sporks were arrested, and enter. Investigating, Grouse opens a Jack-In-The-Box, when a gas sprays out into his face, and a Jack of Diamonds falls out.

Immediately, he yells, “Batspork! Come over he-” His voice then stops.

“Grouse?” calls Batspork, “Grouse! What is it? What happened?”

Grouse motions opening the Jack-In-The-Box. Then shows Batspork the card, and tries to symbolize the motion of gas spring out of the box with his hands.

Not knowing what Grouse it trying to tell him, Batspork guesses, “The Jack-In-The-Box tried to eat you? No? Um… it hit you in the face? No? Uh… it hugged your face? Not it either? Ah ha, a foul, green, gas sprayed out of the box, into your face, and caused your voice to, literally, disappear!”

Grouse nods it agreement, and gestures towards the card with a questioning look on his face.

“Because of the gas, that may be a valuable clue, but first, we need to take you to the Bat-Cavern and see if we can find a cure for the affliction caused by said gas,” says Batspork.

Upon arrival to the Bat-Cavern, the duo is greeted by their butler, Hennery. Batspork tells him what had happened to Grouse, and proceeds to hook Richie up to various machines. Hennery suggests chicken soup, and heads upstairs to make some.

“I don’t get it; the machinery says that you’re perfectly healthy. Maybe it’s time we take a look at that card, see if it can be of any help to us. Look up everything you can on the Jack of Diamonds, Grouse; I’ll be testing the card for trace amounts of the gas that did this to you,” says Batspork.

After a few minutes, Batspork finds absolutely no foreign gas of the card. Suddenly, he hears Grouse tapping his hand on the table. Batspork listens and realizes the Grouse is tapping Morse code for “I found something.”

Batspork runs to the computer and Grouse points at a list of the traditional names of the face cards on the screen. Geoff immediately looks at the Jack of Diamonds, and sees the name “Hector.”

He makes the connection immediately and says, “Hector Nickle! He must have done this. Wait a second, I just remembered; I put a tracking device on him as we took him to the hospital. Come on Richie, we’ve got a Jack to catch.”

Just as the Bat-Go-Cart speeds down its tunnel, Hennery walks into the cave saying, “Soup’s done,” then, noticing that they’ve left, “oh, bother, now it’ll be cold by the time they return. Their loss,” he shrugs, sits the soup down on a table, and goes back upstairs.

Following the tracking device, Batspork and Grouse end up at an abandoned mime school. They enter, and suddenly hear a loud bang from all around them. They then see, walking out of a dark corner of the room, Hector. He holds up a sign that says, “Hello, spork-dork, you fell for my trap.”

Batspork rushes towards him, and crashes into a glass wall. Hector holds up a different sign that says, “Nuh, uh, uh. You trapped in a glass box, and will soon be just as mute as be and your little sidekick there.” Hector points towards grouse and hold up another sign that reads, “Oh, and by the way, call me ‘The Mime’”

Suddenly a green gas sprays out of the top of the glass box, and wafts down towards out heroes. Hector raises yet another sign that says, “You could get the antidote of course; if you’ll bring me 20,000 dollars by midnight tomorrow.” He waves a vile back and forth in his other hand.

Batspork shakes his head and presses a button. Suddenly, the police rush in, hand-cuff the Mime, grab the antidote, break the glass box, and give Batspork and Grouse the antidote. Unfortunately there is only enough for our heroes, and the two sporks shall have to remain mute until a cure can be created.

“Holly back-up plan, Batspork! That was close!” Grouse says as they drive back towards the Bat-Cavern.

“It wasn’t a back-up plan, it was my plan from the get-go. Hey, we’re getting a fax. Read it,” says Batspork.

After skimming it, Grouse says, “Somebody broke out of Columnswine Asylum, and they may be coming for you. The escapee is Jer-”

Grouse is cut off when a car appears out of nowhere and crashes into the Bat-Go-Cart. Both Batspork and Grouse black out.

Grouse awakens the next day, still in the remnants of the Bat-Go-Cart, to find Batspork missing. He immediately starts running to town, to head to the police station.

What will happen to with our fearless hero kidnapped? Will Grouse be able to find him?!?

Find out next week — same Spork-time, same Spork-url!