"I [i]had[/i] planned to check in yesterday after my meeting, but I had an unexpected [i]incident[/i]--" Jack glanced over to Shock "--to deal with."

Shock just shrugged.

"...Yeah, that's fair," she said.

The trio all glanced up the ramp.

"You'll--" Barrel started.

"--Do--" Lock continued.

"--[i]What[/i]?" Shock finished.

All of them snickered at his rage. Jack crossed his arms, and the trio settled down. Shock glared at Chad as he left, and enjoyed the soft hiss from Loki as he shared her offense. She made a mental note to make him pay for that comment later.

Oh, if he wanted hot stuff, she'd [i]give him[/i] hot stuff.

She smirked as she watched Carmilla handle Chad. Lock and Barrel both glanced behind Jack to see. Lock's tail flicked in amusement. Barrel giggled. All of them mentally agreed that they wished to see this more than her diva antics.

Sobki helped Chad up, muttered an apology to the vampire twins, then shoved Chad along.

"We've gotta have a talk, bro," he said, "before one of the ghouls [i]actually[/i] kills you."

He dragged Chad away from the growing crowd of monsters before any of them could ask more questions.

Back at the Finklestein home, Jack started to say something, before the doctor went on a tirade. Lock, Shock, and Barrel, no longer with an amusing distraction, turned their ire to the evil scientist.

"Oh, can it, Finkle-stink," Lock said. "You couldn't handle--"

"--[i]One[/i] of us--" Barrel continued.

"--Let [i]alone[/i] all three!" Shock finished.

"[i]That's enough[/i]!" Jack cried.

He stepped between Carver and Finklestein and pulled Finklestein's hand off his creation.

"I already warned you to treat him as his own monster," Jack said, "and not a [i]thing[/i] to be possessed."

He gestured to Carver's new body.

"[i]This[/i] is what you got from our talk? To turn him into something he's [i]not[/i]?"

Lock, Shock, and Barrel all quieted and even stepped back. They knew Jack's wrath from experience, and were only too happy to let someone else be on the end of it.