To their right as they entered the brightly-lit room was a small workbench, upon which was what looked like a gun. But their attention was called to the other side of the room by their host.
“Welcome to my weapons range, gentlemen!” announced Nori. “Not many people are allowed in here, except when I’m showing off.”
At the end of the range was a chair, and strapped to said chair was a mouse, clad in an iron-grey uniform, his hands roped to the back of the chair. He began to stir.
“Mmmh… what…?”
As he woke up, he realised where he was and began to struggle against his bonds.
“What the hell? Oh for God’s sake Nori, not again!"
"Boys, say hello to Larry, my weapons test subject!”
“Who are they?” asked Larry, squinting to try and see Ricky and Maxxie.
“Ricky Hamilton and Maxxie Black, my new apprentices!”
Nori sauntered over to the test bench and picked up the weapon, and in the light Maxxie and Ricky could see it properly for the first time. It was a two-handed gun of some kind, sleek, shiny and carbon black all over, except for the trigger, the muzzle and the sights, all of which were neon pink. All in all, it did not look like the typical weapon of doom that a traditional supervillain might threaten you with.
“We’re testing out the U-B ray again!” the raccoon called happily down on the range.
“Oh joy.” Larry the test mouse called unhappily back up the range.
“The U-B ray?” Ricky mouthed at Maxxie as this was going on.
“Unskinny Bop ray, maybe?” Maxxie mouthed back. Ricky shrugged.
“Right, boys!” said Nori, holding the gun up and aiming down its sights at Larry. “Watch this!”
And he fired the U-B ray.
With a 1950’s “PTEW!” noise, the ray gun shot out a small pinky-purple ball of light at a terrific speed down the range towards Larry. It hit him squarely in the chest and, with a small “Whumph!”, he toppled backwards off of his chair. Ricky and Maxxie leaned forwards to see what had happened to the mouse.
“What..?” Began Maxxie, but Nori raised a hand up to stop him.
“Wait for it!” he whispered. And then they heard it. A most curious noise was issuing forth from where Larry was, a mix between a whining puppy and the moaning of someone having a wet dream.
A very wet dream.
Nori beckoned to the cat and the snake and they both followed him down the range towards Nori’s helpless henchmouse. When they were within five feet of his body, they noticed that he was shivering quite badly all over.
“Well now,” said Nori clasping his hands together and kneeling down beside Larry. “I do believe my little ray’s worked perfectly. Again!”
“Um, Nori?” said Ricky
“Boys,” said Nori, turning to face up at them, grinning a grin that lit up the room and turning the quaking test subject’s body over. “You’ve just witnessed my Über-Boner Ray in action!” And as Nori turned Larry to fully face upwards, the boys could see exactly why it was named that.