It was Friday evening and the best of all evenings, for today was the end of school and the beginning of the summer holidays. As they had done in years past the gang got together in their tree-house to celebrate and eat junk-food till they felt unwell. This year however was different, this summer they would be working. All of the gang had summer jobs and their 'endless summer' would be restricted to the weekends. When they complained about this a 'welcome to the real world' was the most sympathetic reply they received from their parents. But still it was Friday evening; the end of school and the weekend was ahead of them and were determined to get the most out of their free time.

"So who's doing what then?" said Fred clearing the table then putting down bottles of soda and some cups.

"Scoob and me are security guards at that big furniture store FlatterPack, like all we have to do is walk around and watch CCTV pictures all day." Shaggy placed the pizza boxes on the tables while Scooby dealt with the sides.

"Sweet I've got a job there as well," said Fred "I'm assembling the displays and helping them install kitchens and the like. Vel, Daph, what about you two?"

"Working for my mother in her doughnut shop, in the office you understand, they've already got enough meatball technologists at my dad's factory," said Velma putting several boxes of doughnuts on the table behind her next to the freezer-box full of ice-cream that Daphne had brought.

Daphne paused, she'd been dreading this "I'm a salad stylist…"

"A what?" said the rest of the gang.

"It's with a company that does food ads; they make the food look the best it can for the camera. I'm styling the salads."

"Man our two best girls getting such hot jobs," sighed Shaggy as he imagined himself on their place.

"Reah," Scooby felt a bit jealous.

"Mwarle mwumpf ommmnon," said Velma.

"What?" said Shaggy.

"Goolpph mouoomf," said Daphne.

"Not only have they got such 'hot jobs', they've also eaten more pizza than you," said Fred.

"Nooooo!" Shaggy's plaintive cry echoed around the neighbourhood.

In another part of town a brother and sister had just finished moving into their new home. It was a large slightly dilapidated house on an otherwise vacant lot. They had few domestic possessions which the removal crew quickly moved inside; most of time was spent moving all the kitchen equipment into the basement. A few floor-to-ceiling pipes were the only feature in the otherwise vacant space. In a week or so other members of their family would join them but for now they were on their own but they had more than enough jobs to do to keep them occupied till then. Once all was done they sat down to eat dinner, their first taste of Coolsville's local cuisine. After they had finished the sister went to the window and looked out at their new home. They were the vanguard of a new way, a new way for a new world as their mother had said just before she waved them off.

Also in the room was a long dining table, at one end sat an empty jug of coffee, two half-full coffee cups, and dirty plates. Between the plates was an open CoolBalls take-away box and an empty bag of 'Dinkley's Dunkers' pastries.

"Soon dear brother this town will be eating out of our hands, once we find the secret nobody will be able to resist," the young woman looked out from the window; in the distance she could see a sign advertising Dinkley's CoolBalls.

At the other end of the table sat her brother, he was filling a tool-box which sat on the table in front of him. Inside were different pliers, a rasp, screwdrivers, a hammer, alligator clamps, wire wool, a small hand-drill, several rolls of black duct-tape and many cable-ties. He picked up a rectangular box and checked inside; it contained a soldering iron run by small gas cylinders. He placed that in the box along with a bag of surgical gloves. Next to the box was a rolled up tube of cloth. He unrolled it, inside were scalpels of various kinds, each blade as sharp as a new razor, assorted metal probes, some long needles, a pair of scissors and a wire hoop. He rolled up the bundle then placed it inside; the last thing to go in was a spirit burner. He closed up the box and looked at his sister.

"Yes Sonia, we will find their secrets, they will tell us everything, for I know how to make them tell all." He stood up to join his sister, his hand uncovered a copy of the Coolsville Reporter, it was open on an article about that gang, a thick dark ring surrounded Velma's photograph.