FRANKIE COMES AGAIN

NOTE:  Originally there was a song here, deleted in this version.  It was sung by Janet, so the person inside one of the coffins -- a gentle song about the connection of two hearts -- and of the child they shared together.  It was not a song about romantic love, but more focused on the connection of her baby and its father.

PREVIOUSLY:  Dr. Scott pressed the button that set off a timer on a bomb that will eventually destroy the castle, as well as the entire planet of Transexual.  This could be just the break Brad and Janet need to escape.  This could also be the best opportunity for Riff Raff -- whose head was shaved for the execution -- and Magenta to escape as well...

    "It's now or never, Janet," Brad said quietly to his wife, as they stood backstage.  Out in the ballroom, people were running in every direction in a panic.  Most were heading for the double doors to exit the ballroom, and leave the castle altogether.  Although Brad and Janet knew the strength of the bomb, and how the entire planet would be destroyed in fifteen minutes, most of these fleeing Transylvanians had no idea of the devastation the bomb would create.  Most wanted to flee to their homes, blocks away, or miles away, on the same planet.
    "But all these people.  They'll die."
    Brad saw the sadness in Janet and started to feel the same way.  Their plan of escape would end up killing many people ... Transylvanians.
    "Listen up, everyone!" Brad shouted to the crowd, "Can I have your attention?"
    It seemed as though no one would listen.  Sounds of panic continued to fill the air as people ran.  Brad continued anyway: "The bomb will destroy the entire planet.  Get in your space crafts and get as far away from here as possible."
    The response was no different.  Had they even heard him?  Surely they had.
    "Where will they flee to even if they leave the planet?" Janet asked.
    "To another planet," Brad answered, "One of the planets in the galaxy of Transylvania."
    They stood and watched a few seconds longer before running themselves.

    Serena ran up to the electric chairs as Brad and Janet fled, to rescue her two children.
    "Mother!" Magenta said relieved.
    Serena began undoing the leather straps that restrained Riff-Raff's hands and feet.  Then she freed Magenta as well.  Riff Raff and Magenta stood.
    "We've got to get off the planet," Serena exclaimed.
    Riff Raff took his mother's hand into his own, and said, "Mother, find a craft and get as far away from this planet as possible.  Perhaps the planet Transgender?  We'll meet you there."
    Serena looked worried that she may never see her two children again, but she squeezed her son's hand tightly and said, "Okay."
    She started to pull away, but suddenly Riff Raff did something she had never seen him do before.  Something that was somewhat out of character for him: he pulled her to him, and hugged her.
    "What the--?" Serena said, startled.  A second later, she slowly slid her arms around Riff Raff's back and returned the hug.  When she pulled away from him, Riff Raff saw she had tears in her eyes.
    "I promise you," he said, "One day we'll see each other again.  Soon.  Now go...NOW!"
    As if prodded, Serena stepped back quickly.  She turned and hugged her daughter.
    "Mother, we'll be fine.  Thanks for rescuing us."
    Serena allowed the tears to flow, "I love you, too, Magenta."
    Magenta nodded with loving agreement and understanding.
    Serena took a few steps back, never letting her eyes leave the faces of her two children.  She wanted to retain the memory of their faces forever.
    Riff Raff and Magenta watched as their mother jumped off the stage and ran to the double doors, not looking back.
    "Now," Riff Raff said, "We've got to leave.  But first, we have to go upstairs to my room.  I want to get my laser."

    Brad and Janet fled the ballroom and headed towards the control room door where Dr. Scott would be waiting.  As they neared the stairs (the control room was right by the stairs), Janet looked up the stair case and thought of a memory.  A memory that she knew would haunt her forever if she didn't do something important.
    "Brad, wait." Janet said at the bottom of the stairs, "Wait here.  I've got to do something.  I'll be right back."
    As quick as she said that, she ran up the stairs.

    On the highest level of the castle, Janet entered the lab through the hole that Dr. Scott had created a year before.  She looked over the rail and examined the lab.  Goose bumps rolled across her flesh as the memories flooded back.  There in the back was Frank N Furter's bed.  Near that was a set of barbells, some of which were missing.  Below she could see the tank that Rocky was created in (however, this time the tank was completely covered by a white sheet).  In front of the tank sat three rectangular boxes -- Janet realized they were caskets, even though they too were covered with sheets.  In her heart she knew whose bodies were inside those caskets.
    She descended the ramp and stopped in front of the caskets.  One was covered in a black satin sheet, while another was covered in a red sheet -- the same sheet that had originally covered Rocky's creation tank a year before.  Oh, how Janet knew that red sheet very well...
    But the third casket was the one that caught her attention most: it was covered in glittery gold fabric.  The gold color made her think of ... Rocky.
    Janet approached the gold covered casket with a look of sadness.  Something was on her mind.  There was something that she had to say or do before leaving this place, and dealt with this casket.  It dealt with Rocky.
    She leaned over the casket, and wrapped her arms around it.  She lowered her face and pressed her cheek lovingly against it's fabric surface.  Janet's eyes teared.
    "Rocky, oh Rocky," she said softly.  "You were so innocent.  So naive."  Just as I was a year ago...
    Janet felt warmth against her cheek, as though the casket was suddenly getting warm.  Of course, she realized, this was untrue.
    "Rocky ... I'm sorry that they killed you.  You were brought into this world without choice."
    This last statement made her think of her pregnancy.  It made her think about the innocent child that she brought into the world.
    "So much has happened, Rocky.  Brad and I married.  I'm now Mrs. Brad Majors."  Janet forced a smile, as a tear fell from her eye and rolled downward.  It slid off her cheek and onto the gold fabric, soaking a small spot.  Then it seemed that the casket below her got warm again.
    "I had a baby," she said.  "I haven't told Brad.  He doesn't even know I was pregnant.  I can't tell him because he ... he's not father of the baby."
    Suddenly, there was a sound that was from inside the lab.  It sounded as though it were coming from the large creation tank.
    Startled, Janet stood up and wiped away her tears.  She looked towards the tank and quietly listened for the sound again.  (Little did she realize, the gold fabric covered casket she just hugged was secretly glowing a bright light beneath the gold fabric).
    Janet gasped quietly when the sound surfaced again.  It was a faint sound, similar to a human whimper.
    It was coming from behind the covered creation tank.
    Janet cautiously stepped away from the casket and walked around to see the backside of the creation tank.
    There, crouched down in a fetus position was ... Rocky.
    Janet's eyes widened in disbelief as she stood there watching him.  Rocky was looking up at her, his eyes filled with tears.  He was crying quietly.
    "Rocky?" she asked him.
    Rocky, still dressed in his tattered floor show costume from a year before, nodded yes.
    Janet extended a hand to him.  Rocky looked at it and slowly accepted it.  Grabbing her hand, he stood.
    "You're alive?" she asked him, "But ... how?  I mean, you were ... he ... "
    Oh, I forgot.  You don't speak.
    Then Rocky surprised Janet one more time.  He spoke.
    "Help ... me."
    Janet's eyes widened.  Rocky had just spoken!
    "You can talk?"
    Nervously, Rocky spoke aloud, "Yes.  I was afraid in the beginning, but ... "
    "How come you're alive?" she asked him, smiling with joy that Rocky was alive, "I thought they killed you?"
    "I don't know," he answered honestly, "I believe it has to do with Eddie's blood in my system.  It's the only thing I can think of.  I'm not really sure.  All I know is I passed out and fell into the pool.  I held my breath for the longest time, and then slowly turned myself over so I could breathe."
    Janet reflected back to a year ago, "I didn't even notice."
    Rocky continued, "I tried to be as quiet as possible.  You know, it's funny.  Someone could easily look at me as a man with no intelligence, but I'm actually quite smart -- once I get past the fear.  After all, half of my brain is Eddie's."
    "That makes sense."
    "I've been hiding in the castle for the longest time, stealing food to survive.  A couple of times, I almost got caught.  But I need your help."
    Janet looked at him curiously, and asked, "With what?"
    "I want to bring Frank back to life."
    Janet looked over to the black cloth covered casket in which Frank's body lay.  Then she responded sadly, "Rocky, I don't know how to help you."
    "I need you to handle the control panel that Riff Raff controlled when I was born.  Surely you remember which buttons to press and which levers to pull."
    Janet remembered Rocky's creation.  Riff Raff's actions were simple, in recollection: the three triangles, the levers, the crank.  She remembered it all -- at least from that perspective.
    "Yes," she answered Rocky, "I remember what Riff Raff did.  But Rocky, there's a difference between your creation and this one.  Frank's dead, has been for a year now.  You at least had half of a living brain."
    Rocky smiled, "I've already thought of that.  I've got plenty of living brains to choose from."
    Rocky grabbed the edge of the white sheet that covered the creation tank and yanked upwards.  The sheet flew off of it revealing several unconscious guards lying inside of the tank, clumsily stacked on top of each other this way and that way.
    "My god, what have you done?" Janet asked, staring into the tank.
    "At first, I wanted them for their body parts."
    "I don't understand," Janet said to him.
    "Frank used live body parts for experimenting on.  His original experiments involved connecting body parts from various Transylvanian prisoners to form a man."
    "You mean he--" Janet started but didn't know how to finish.
    Rocky explained: "When a prisoner was on death row, Frank took his arm -- or his leg -- or whatever part he needed for his experiments.  He connected theim to make a full man."
    Janet attempted to understand by suggesting, "So what you're telling me is your body is made up of several different people."
    "Me?" Rocky answered, "No, this is my original body.  You see, I was Frank's lover here on Transexual years ago -- and then I died.  Frank wanted to bring me back to life -- I guess I was his inspiration to find the secret to life.  So he kept me frozen until his other experiments proved successful."
    "You mean the body made from body parts."
    "Exactly..."
    Janet gave a look of doubt to Rocky and asked him, "How do you know all this?"
    Rocky knelt down low and reached under the tank, attempting to grab something from underneath it.  Seconds later, he pulled out a stack of papers, each with handwriting on it.
    Rocky showed her the papers, and she flipped through them.  It was Frank's secret to life.
    He explained, "I found them a couple of days ago.  It tells everything we need to know."
    Janet looked at the notes, and said, "But there's a chemical to inject.  We don't have it."
    Rocky's smile increased more, "Yes, we do!  I found it too!  I've already injected him with it.  I even injected Columbia in case we needed a practice first.  I just need to pour the chemicals on him while you do Riff Raff's part."
    "Chemicals" Janet said, remembering the various colors Frank poured into Rocky's tank.
    "Yes," Rocky said hurriedly, "But based on Frank's notes, I don't think the chemicals did anything except make Frank look more impressive.  He was sort of a show-off.  Very dramatic effect, if I'm right."
    "So," Janet said in understanding, staring at the lifeless bodies of the guards, "You gathered guards in case you needed practice -- just like Frank did."
    "Right.  Now you understand why I need your help."
    Janet was hesitant.  She didn't know if this would work.  "But, Rocky, there's a bomb.  It's getting ready to go off in about 10 minutes."
    "I know, I heard.  That's why it's so important to give it a try.  It'll only take a few minutes."
    Janet had another concern, "But I can't take out a brain and put it in Frank.  I'm not a doctor."
    Rocky walked away from Janet, going towards Frank's bed, which had the curtains drawn around it.  Rocky said, "Splitting the brain was a mistake.  It was unnecessary.  I believe Frank realized that towards the end."
    At Frank's bed, he pulled back the dark drapes to reveal Frank N. Furter's body lying there.
    "We have to at least try, Janet."
    Janet looked at the body on the bed.  Frank's body was not decomposed at all.  Perhaps it was due to the airtight casket.  Looking at Frank's face again brought fresh tears to Janet's eyes.
    "Let's do it," Janet said without hesitation, "But we've got to go fast."

In CHAPTER 16:  Will Frank N Furter be brought back to life?  Also: Janet reveals who the father of her baby was!