And an arc of electricity shot out of the machine, grabbed hold of Tim, and pulled him towards it. Rikk scrambled over as quickly as Rumy’s short legs would allow, grabbed the scruff of Tim’s shirtcollar, and yanked hard. The shirt started to tear, but by then Will was pulling too, and Tim was free and clear.

   "TIM!" Rikk shouted, somewhere between anguish and command. "TIM!" He slapped Tim’s face, making the 37^th time that Tim had been slapped by Rumy’s hand. Tim had been keeping count.

   "’Mokay," he gasped. "I’m okay."

   "WHAT IN THE NAME OF CTHULU WAS THAT?" contributed Will.

   "Okay," Tim said, surprisingly calm. "I thot I’d disconnected th’ power, here, but I guess not. Next step is fer somebody… preferably somebody who can stand up without barfin’, an’ that kinda rules me out right now… ta cut th’ power to th’ buildin’. It’s already six-thirty, so we ain’t gonna muck with too many physics classes, an’ astronomy can go f$%* a Whookie tonight…"

   Will stood, walked over, and pulled the switch to cut power to the building.

   Or started to, anyway,

   And promptly found himself slammed against the wall by a yellowish thunderbolt.

   Rikk now scrambled back over to Will, keeping him from falling completely to the floor. In Rumy’s body, that was no mean feat. Will was staring at his body as he slumped to a sitting position.

   "THE HELL??" said Tim.

   "I didn’ MEAN it, okay?" said Will. Only it wasn’t Will. "I know you been dyin’ ta get inside my pants, Willy, but I ain’t gonna force the issue this way! I mean, it’s way too much fun watchin’ ya hidin’ yer carnal need under a mask of hate an’ disgust…"

   "I’m not Willy," said Tim, quietly.

   "Yer not?" said… Tim in Will’s body, Tim-as-Will.

   They both turned to Rikk. "Don’t look at me!" he answered. "I’m still Rikk!"

      "So if I’m still me," said the two Tims, in eerie chorus, "then where’s… hey, ya mind? Yer creepin’ me out here. Stop that! Now look, I know how much fun it is ta repeat everything a guy says, but I’m tryina… shut up! No, you shut up! No, y–"

   "So," said Rikk, pointedly interrupting them both, "the thot plickens."

      "Huh?" chorused the Tims.

   "It’s a old… never mind. The plot thickens."

      "An’ stickens."