FRANKIE COMES AGAIN

PREVIOUSLY:
    The cleaning maid, Helen, who cleans the Criminologist's office, continues the tale that the Criminologist didn't finish.  Brad, Janet and Dr. Scott returned to Denton that morning after the castle took off.  The town made them laughing stocks.  They all three decided to forget about the situation and not talk about it ever again.  But forgetting about it proves to be difficult.  Later that night, in effort to remove their guilt, Brad and Janet made love.  They vowed they wouldn't make love again until their wedding night, as yet unplanned.  Brad drove away, and Janet found herself staring up at the stars...

    The camera focuses on Janet gazing upwards into the night sky, staring at the millions of stars, thinking about the castle.  The camera passes Janet's face, gently moving upwards into the sky, focusing on the twinkling stars.  The camera "zooms" in closer to the stars.  Closer...  closer... and still closer... until we are past the night clouds and venturing into space.  Soon the castle, a small vision at first, comes into view, getting larger and larger as we continue to "zoom" in on the image.
    We can see the underside, at one angle, with a strange glow coming from it, and occasionally some blinking lights.  The camera moves up the side of the castle in an extreme close up, until it reaches the highest window, the same window where Riff Raff watched Brad and Janet approach the castle.
    The camera's viewpoint moves INTO the window, venturing into the room.  It is, by appearance, an attic.  The door is open, with stairs that lead down to another open door.  As we enter this second door, the camera continues its journey - down halls, and stairs, going room to room.  We see rooms that were visible in the previous movie, but from different angles, if possible.  We see rooms never before explored by our eyes.  We see a bedroom where Riff and Magenta sleep at night.  We see Columbia's room, now eerily deserted.  We venture up a flight of stairs where a large hole is made in the wall.  We have entered the lab.  Below we see Magenta, her back turned to us.  The large aquarium is there but there is something different about the room: 3 rectangular boxes (coffins?) are lined up in front of the tank, with draped cloth over each.  As we go down the ramp, we see Magenta, with her arms around one of the covered boxes, her eyes closed, as if in morning, or prayer.  The camera passes her and revisits the lab and master bedroom before descending back up the ramp from the other side, and out the hole.
    Quicker than before, the camera goes down all the stairs to the lower level.  We revisit the dining room, the living room, and the ballroom.  On the other side of the dining room, we get a quick glance into the kitchen, with its large stove and oversized oven.  In the living room, we see a wall with paintings on it and what seems to be an open door.  We enter the door, where we find Riff Raff staring out a bay window.  To his side are 2 large glass tubes - large enough for a person to stand inside them - open on the front side.  In front of Riff Raff are blinking lights on what appears to be a control panel.  The camera stops motion in this area.  WE ARE IN THE CONTROL ROOM...

    As the spaceship / castle journeys into space toward the planet Transexual, in the galaxy of Transylvania, Riff Raff was in the control room, guiding the ship.  His eyes look worried as they move from the view of the galactic stars to the flashing lights on the control panel.  He reached his hand out and flipped a couple of switches, and then stared at a particular gauge which seemed to worry him.
    Riff Raff spoke to himself, "Oh no..."

    In the laboratory on the third floor, Magenta was dressed in a black see though nightgown, her black bra and panties visible underneath.  She had her arms around Frank's coffin, which was draped in a black satin sheet, covering it completely.  Her head was bowed, as if in prayer - her eyes closed.
    Her mind reflected back to the events that had happened:

    Frank had lost sight of their mission on earth.  Obsessed with the spotlight and the art of entertainment, Frank had forgotten that the Queen of Transexual had sent them there on a mission.  Riff Raff decided to take control of the situation by ending the mission and returning to Transexual.  He knew that master Frank was out of control, and so he killed him, as well as his creature, Rocky.  Unfortunately, Magenta's dear friend Columbia was killed as well.
    Leaving the earthlings (Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott) behind, the castle left earth, on a journey toward home.  Her brother Riff Raff went to the attic and pulled out 3 glass caskets, which had been there for human specimen captivity, if necessary.  Riff dragged the glass coffins carefully into the lab, and in each casket placed the bodies of Frank N Furter, Rocky and Columbia.  The caskets were hinged at the top, but not locked.
    Shortly afterwards, Magenta put her domestic skills to use.  She cut some fabric to cover each casket in respect.  For Frank, a black satin sheet would look best.  For Rocky, she merely covered the tank with the red sheet that once had covered Rocky's tank.  And finally, for her dear friend Columbia, she used a glittery gold fabric, a reflection of Columbia's vibrant lifestyle.
    After kissing the glass top of Columbia's coffin, she covered it and moved over to Frank's which was in the middle of the three.  Although she had seemed cruel and heartless as Frank expressed that, at last, he was "going home," she felt a bit of remorse for his death.  She found herself kneeling at his coffin -- and embraced it apologetically.

    Magenta joined her brother's side and stared down at the control panel.
    "What is it?" she asked him, "What's wrong?"
    "We don't have enough fuel to make it home."
    He pointed to a fuel gauge that showed their fuel level as nearly empty.
    Magenta started to panic.  "You mean we're gonna be stuck out herein the middle of space?"
    Riff Raff tried to calm her with a gentle hand placed on top of her hand.  "Not if I can help it."
    Magenta looked over at the large glass tubes, and suggested using them: "Perhaps we can get inside the pods and beam ourselves back to Transexual."
    Riff Raff shook his head, "No, that won't work.  Someone has to operate the pods from the control panel.  But you could go.  I can beam you back home."
    Magenta shook her head nervously, "No, I won't leave you behind to die.  There's got to be another way."
    She looked at the panel carefully, and saw a switch marked "Audio Transmission."
    Smiling, she pointed to it and said, "Contact the Queen.  Perhaps she has an answer."
    "It's worth a try," Riff responded, flipping the switch on.  Instantly waves of audio static and noise filled the room.  Riff and Magenta looked at the monitor, which showed nothing but static snow, on top of a black void.
    Riff Raff turned a frequency knob, stating, "I think we're too far away."
    But Riff Raff was wrong.  A few seconds later, an image was trying to show itself on the monitor.  However, the transmission was too far away to get the entire image.  Adjusting the knob some more, Riff was able to focus in on part of the image: red lips.
    "Who is it?" Magenta asked.
    "I'm not sure," he answered, still adjusting the knob, "I can't get a clear image.  We may have to settle with just their mouth."
    The audio static was attempting to fade, allowing bits of voice to seep through.  Riff Raff saw a switch that read "Noise Reduction" and flipped it.  Instantly the static was minimal, and the voice matching the lips on the monitor could be heard.
    It was the Queen.
    "I repeat," she said, "Can you hear me?  This is Queen Andoria from Transexual.  We are receiving your signal, ship 40982.  Is that you, Frank?"
    Riff Raff pressed a button to respond: "No, your majesty.  This is Riff Raff.  I'm here with my sister, Magenta."
    The Queen responded, "I can barely see you, Riff Raff.  I can see your lips, and maybe your nose.  Otherwise, it's nothing but blackness."
    Riff Raff and Magenta looked at the monitor's image of the Queen's lips.
    "Yes," Magenta said, "We must be too far away for a complete transmission."
    Queen Andoria asked, "Where is my beloved Frank."
    Nervously, the two looked at each other before responding.  Riff Raff pressed the speak button and said, "I regret to inform you that Master Frank N Furter is dead."
    There seemed to be a long pause, which alarmed Riff Raff and Magenta.  They knew how much the Queen loved Frank, and they knew that there would be lots of questions to answer.  And in the back of their minds, they knew there was a price to be paid for killing him.
    At last, the Queen stated, "Return to Transexual at once."
    Riff Raff explained, "We're low on fuel.  Is there anyway you can help?"
    More silence filled the room for about thirty seconds.
    Finally, the queen answered, "Yes, I'll have your ship magnetically pulled to our galaxy, at which point you can safely land with what little fuel you have left.  In the meantime, shut down all your power - except for necessities.  Your ship will float towards our galaxy courtesy of the magnetic pull.  Given your distance and the strength of the pull, than can take a long while, but it is the only way home.  The journey should take you....approximately one year, earth time."
    Magenta's eyes widened, "One year!"
    The Queen responded, "Do you have enough food in storage."
    Riff Raff responded, "Yes, your majesty, and we will conserve whenever possible."
    Suddenly the queen changed the subject: "What have you done to Frank's body?"
    Riff Raff answered, "He's in a containing box.  It should preserve him until we arrive there."
    The Queen's mouth seemed to frown and she snapped at Riff Raff, "Secure his container air tight so that his body does not deteriorate.  When you arrive, I wish to see Frank as beautiful as I remember him.  Is this understood?"
    "Yes, your majesty," Riff Raff answered nervously, "Yes, it is."
    The Queen made one final request before cutting of transmission: "When you arrive, I wish to speak to both of you at once!"

    Riff Raff turned off the main power, and instantly felt the castle stop motion in space.  They were literally floating.
    He looked at his sister and said, "It's going to be okay.  I promise you."
    "I know it will be.  I've got an entire year to spend alone with my brother."
    They faced each other and smiled, before heading up to the lab.
    Once in the lab, Riff Raff reached underneath Frank's casket, his fingers searching for a switch.  Suddenly, he found it and flipped it.  A quiet him sounded for a second and then silenced.  Frank's casket was now air-tight.  Over at Columbia's casket, Magenta did the same thing, securing Columbia's body inside the air-tight casket.  Riff went to Rocky's casket and flipped it's switch as well.
    Once completed, the two faced each other and smiled again.  Riff looked at her, stating, "You look lovely tonight.  Black is your color."
    Without warning, their fingertips extended in front of them, and then touched.  The joined fingertips arched upwards, allowing the palms to meet, as well as the arms.  Quickly, they arched back down and separated.
    Riff leaned towards her and kissed her gently on the lips.  "Come, my beautiful sister.  Let us adjourn for sleep."
    They walked together up the ramp and entered the large hole in the wall, the one Dr. Scott created when he crashed through it.  But before exiting, Magenta took one final look down into the room.
    Something odd caught her eye: there seemed to be something wrong with Rocky's casket.  She stared at it and couldn't see what was bothering her.  Suddenly she could see the problem: while Columbia's and Frank's coffin fabric covers were smooth and undisturbed, Rocky's had a wrinkle on one side, as if moved recently.
    Riff Raff rejoined his sister's side, staring down into the room.  He asked her, "What's wrong?"
    Suddenly, Magenta could see a strange shadow moving from underneath the large tank where Rocky had been created.  "Look, under the tank.  Do you see movement?"
    Riff saw the shadow, and then explained to her what it was: "It is one of your dogs.  I knew how fond you were of them, so I kept them.  They're running around the castle somewhere.  That must be one of 'em."
    Magenta seemed worried, "Are you sure?"
    Riff tried to get her to leave, "What else would it be?  A ghost?  Come on.  You can visit the dog when we wake up."
    "I guess you're right," she said, turning back to the hole in the wall, and exiting the room.

    Eight and a half hours later, Magenta slipped out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen.  She was hungry.  Entering the kitchen, she saw that the food pantry was open, and that a box of potato chips had been opened, as evidenced by it laying on the kitchen floor, with chips and crumbs spread out in a trail out the door.
    "The dogs have been eating from the pantry!" She mumbled.
    She noticed the trail of chips lead out of the kitchen, so she followed them.  They head upstairs before vanishing altogether.  "I know where you're at, my little mutt."
    She ran up the stairs, three flights, until she emerged into the lab through the large hole in the wall.  At her feet, she could see a couple of potato chip crumbs.  "I know you're in here, dog."
    She ran down the ramp, and turned to the the large tank where Rocky had been created, remembering the moving shadow she had seen before retiring.
    The shadow was still there.  And this time, she could hear the sound of breathing coming from underneath.
    Cautiously, she snapped her fingers and mumbled, "Here boy...girl...or whatever you are.  Come to mamma."
    Suddenly the dog emerged, wagging it's tail.  He (or she) ran up to Magenta and licked her on the face.
    Magenta laughed, "Hungry, huh?"
    The dog continued to lick her, making her laugh.  "Okay, fine.  You can eat my chips.  Just stay away from the chocolate.  You can play anywhere in the castle that you'd like!  How does that sound?"
    The dog barked joyfully, and then ran up the ramp and through the hole.
    Magenta called out to him, "Go join the other dogs!  Play!"  She laughed, and shouted, "Later on I'll pour you guys some milk!"
    Suddenly, her mind remembered they were to conserve food.
    "Oh dear," she said, "Did I cancel the milk delivery?"
    She left the lab through the elevator and returned to her bed to join her brother Riff Raff.  He was still asleep.  She had forgotten all about her hunger.  She was calm and relax.

IN CHAPTER 4:
    Janet is ill and visits the doctor.  Ralph visits Brad.  What news does Ralph have to give, having just got back from his honeymoon with Betty?  What news does the doctor have to tell Janet?  How we she take it?