Venus was the first to reach Michael K.’s door. She felt terrible that she had said those mean things to Michael K. And that those things might be the last words he ever heard from her.

Venus banged on Michael K.’s door.

“Michael K., open up. It’s me.”

Nobody answered.

TJ, Bob, Jennifer, Fluffy, Umber, and Hot Magenta raced up the front stairs.

Bob and Jennifer banged on the door.

“GRAB LIFE BY THE HORNS, Michael K.!”

Nobody answered.

“What will they do to him?” said Venus.

Agent Hot Magenta shook her head.

“Nothing good,” said Agent Umber. “They will want to eliminate him.”

Hot Magenta saw the panicked look on Venus’s face and elbowed Umber to get him to shut up.

“Ouch,” said Umber. “Watch where–”

“Oh, Michael K.,” said Venus.

The door suddenly opened. And there, holding the doorknob, was . . .

“Michael K.!” said Bob.

“Wha? . . . Who? . . . Whoa!” said Michael K. when he saw Agent Umber. He stepped back into the hallway and half closed the door.

Bob, Jennifer, Venus, TJ, and Fluffy poured into Michael K.’s house and pushed Michael K. into the living room, everyone talking at once. Agents Umber and Hot Magenta closed the door, double locked it behind them, and followed.

“. . . bad Spaceheadz . . . ”

“. . . thought you were snatched . . . ”

“. . . destroy a whole planet . . . ”

“. . . parking lot! . . . ”

“ . . . only one SPHDZ kid can stop . . . ”

“. . . EXTRA CRUNCHY”

“. . . AAA agents helping us . . . ”

“ . . . eeee eeek eeek . . . ”

Michael K. sat on the edge of Dad K.’s big living-room chair. He could hardly believe they were here. The Spaceheadz and the AAA. In the same room.

“. . . so we really need you, Michael K.,” said Venus.

“The whole world needs you,” said Agent Umber, pulling up his flowered dress.

“Quite possibly the whole galaxy needs you,” said Agent Hot Magenta.

Michael K. was flattered to think that the whole galaxy might need him. And it was pretty nice of TJ and Venus to be worried about him.

But that was just . . . just . . . stupid. How did he know this wasn’t just some big AAA setup? Why were they suddenly so interested in helping aliens? The name of their organization was the ANTI-Alien Agency.

He did not want to be a sucker again.

“I don’t know,” said Michael K. “I don’t . . . ”

Everyone heard the front door open.

Agents Umber and Hot Magenta jumped to their feet and crouched in a Karate Kill pose on either side of the living-room doorway.

Someone was sneaking in the front hall.

Bob covered his eyes.

A three-headed black shadow fell across the doorway.

“Oh, hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Hey, Baby,” said Michael K.

Mom K. and Dad K. froze in midstep.

Umber and Hot Magenta dropped their Kill pose and pretended they were just looking at the wallpaper.

“What are you guys doing wearing white coveralls?” asked Michael K. “And what’s with the climbing rope?”

“Oh, nothing, sweetie,” said Mom K. “Your dad and I were just . . . um . . . working on . . . um . . . a project of ours.”

“Goo gar goo,” said Baby K.

“Eeek squee eek,” answered Fluffy.

Mom K. and Dad K. looked more closely at the crowd in the living room. They saw the Spaceheadz, Venus and TJ, a man in a suit with very long hair, and a rather funny-looking woman in a crooked wig.

“Who are your new friends?” said Mom K.

“And what is the Spudz Club up to?” said Dad K.

“Oh, nothing,” said Michael K. “We were just talking about stuff.”

Everyone stood and sat around very awkwardly, everyone pretending they were something or someone they were not, everyone pretending they were not doing something they really were.

There is no telling how long this uncomfortable shuffle would have gone on, because exactly twelve seconds after it started, it ended when an attack team of men and women dressed in elf costumes and reindeer horns and led by a Santa crashed in every door and window in the K. family house.