City of IF

[The Powers That Be]

Chapter One

Meet Frank Brill, founder and owner of a small manufacturing concern in the town of Tadpole Hollow. Frank, upset that his factory is inexorably being driven out of business, goes out drinking one night, meeting his employee and friend Chuck Aleno at the bar. As they stumble drunkenly down the road toward their respective homes, Frank and Chuck are approached by strange lights, which appear to emanate from either a spaceship or an unusually large SUV.

Chapter Two

Sure enough, Frank is abducted by a family of aliens, who identify themselves as Rudy, Trudy, Judy and Esmeralda McMahmoudski. They are prospectors who have the rights to anything of value on Earth and are hoping to find something here that they can sell elsewhere. It turns out that the product made in Frank's factory is in tremendous demand throughout the galaxy for a variety of uses.

Chapter Three

Frank agrees to sell rubber cement from his factory to the aliens, known as Rugelachs (yes, like the cookie). Before he can ramp up production at the BrillCo factory, though, he is abducted again, this time by Clazpho and Mitzclom, creatures known as Hamentashen (yes, like the cookie). The Hamentashen want Frank to double-cross the Rugelachs so that they (the Hamentashen) can take over the rubber cement trade.

Chapter Four

Frank manages to enlist Mitzclom's help and escape from the Hamentashen ship. Yes, that's all that happens in this chapter.

Chapter Five

Frank returns to his factory, discovering along the way that a transportation mishap (don't ask) has replaced his finger with a Hamentashen tentacle. He tells his staff about the order from the Rugelachs. After faking a fire in his factory (don't ask) he makes his way home to discover Trudy the Rugelach in his bed, apparently intoxicated on rubber cement. Trudy begs Frank to leave Earth and travel the galaxy with her. Trudy also has a more immediate proposition for Frank.