It seemed like a normal day in Metropolis, until...
"Oh no!" Cried Linda. "My drains are blocked!" And indeed they were. Her sink was filled with dirty water and the plug hole was just not budging.
Terry, her very masculine husband with a square chin and big muscles peered into the sink, frowning intensely. "This looks like a job for...."
A flash of white light and an explosion of blue smoke erupted as a caped hero flew in through the window of the 178th floor apartment.
"... Plunger Man!"
Plunger Man stood heroically on the coffee table in blue tights, red briefs and boots, a red cape and a big red "P" for Plunger on his chest. He held a plumbers' plunger aloft, which crackled with electricity for no apparent reason, but it looked very very impressive.
"Hiya," said Plunger Man.
"Oh, my hero!" exclaimed Linda, swooning and gushing at the awesome presence of Plunger Man.
"Mine too!" swooned Terry, taking off his pinny and setting down his feather duster.
"Never fear... Plunger Man is here." Plunger Man winked charismatically, flashing a perfect white smile, and stepped off the coffee table onto the immaculate white carpet of Linda and Terry's Luxury Westminster Apartment on the 178th floor. "Nice place."
"Cheers," said Terry and Linda.
"Plunger Man, you must help! My drains are blocked!" begged Linda, running to the coffee table to wipe the crap off the surface that Plunger Man had brought in on his shoes, looking desperately to her immaculate white carpet and Plunger Man's shoes.
"Hush now, little woman," Plunger Man said in a reassuring but patronising way that only Super-Heroes can. "I will use all of my special Super-Powers to help you, and fix those drains - but first I must do an inspection. Are you a new or existing customer?"
".... Er..." thought Terry and Linda, in perfect stereo. "... A new customer...?"
"Fantasicamondo! Then as a special introductory offer, I can offer you a half-price Inspection at only �49.99, which, with call-out fees of �100 and VAT comes to �176.84!"
"....Er..."
"Would you like me to go ahead with the Inspection?" Grinned Plunger Man.
"...Er...."
"Great!" he said, fastening his trusty plunger to his utility belt and positioning his special Plunger Man Inspection Monocle over his right eye, peering into the sink.
Terry and Linda watched, confused, inquisitively, agasp.
Plunger Man continued to peer into the sink, utilising his Super-Thought abilities and his Plunger-Concentration. Finally he removed his monocle and faced Terry and Linda, satisfied with his findings.
Terry and Linda smiled, expectantly.
"I have reached my conclusion." Said Plunger Man.
Terry and Linda smiled.
Silence.
"...And....?" Terry asked.
"Your sink is blocked."
"...." Said Terry.
"...." Agreed Linda.
"...but..." Terry started. "We already...."
"What you need is an unblocking service." Plunger Man raised an eyebrow, oozing charisma.
".... But I thought...."
"Ah! I sense an air of doubt. Would this mean you want a second opinion?"
"... I...."
"Aye! And ach I'll dae tha sortin' fa ye, wee laddie!" beamed Plunger Man, using telepathy to call his trusty sidekick Plunge Boy, who burst in through the window in a crash of lightning and a burst of blue flame, frightening the life out of Terry and Linda, who held each other close. As the smoke cleared, Plunge Boy could be seen in a heroic stance on the coffee table, dressed kind of like Buzz Lightyear, but with his leather jacket, slick hair and dark shades, he looked a little like the Fonze.
Plunge Boy stepped in an exaggeratedly masculine way, far too much for his tiny but muscley body, over to the sink, wherby he pulled out his Inspection Monocle and peered into the sink, alongside Plunger Man. Plunge Boy squinted and peered closer. Plunger Man and Plunge Boy looked to each other and shook their heads slightly, agreeing silently the severity of the problem. They both took off their monocles and faced each other.
Plunger Man said to Plunge Boy - "Plunge Boy, having inspected the sink in question for yourself, what do you make of my conclusion that the sink is indeed blocked? Do you agree?"
"Mmm hmmm." Nodded Plunge Boy.
Plunger Man smiled and they both faced Terry and Linda. "Are you satisfied that your sink is indeed blocked?"
Terry blinked, confused. "I don't understand."
"Then look here, good man. Let me explain." Plunger Man guided Terry to the sink and began to explain. "You see, the water in the sink is usually carried away to the ocean in metal pipes or tubes. What has happened here is that your pipes have had objects such as food put in them which cannot move down all the way to the ocean for the fishies to eat. So much of these objects are stuck down there that your sink had become blocked. Now do you understand?"
"Yes." Terry sighed.
"Now, Plunger and Plunge LTD do offer a service called an unblocking service, which I would recommend to you in this case. We can have your sink unblocked very quickly, without spoiling your pipes and plumbing and without even making a mess."
"Sounds great!" Smiled Linda.
"You can choose from the basic unblocking package, the medium unblocking package which features an annual re-plunge option, or the premium unblocking package which includes a free installation of the latest Version 3.2 Autoplunge adapted to your pipes to keep your pipes constantly block free, for this we have a 24 hour service centre to assist with any faults to the system. Calls are charged a �1 per minute."
Linda blinked.
"Which would you like?"
"We'd like the basic unblocking package please. We just want our sink back." Terry was getting exasperated.
"Marvatastic! And since you are new customers we'll throw in these fabulous Plunger Man coffee mugs and balloons! Two reduced rate call-outs, two inspections and the basic unblocking package plus VAT comes to �452.48. Would you like to take part in our one year service plan?"
"Now look! I don't want your service plan, I don't want you're coffee mugs and I don't want your balloons! I just want that sink..." He points to the sink. "... to be unblocked. I am not willing to pay �450 for it to be unblocked. It's ludicrous money!"
"Our market research says that this is the market rate for such a service!"
"Get out of my apartment!!!!" yelled Terry, and flung Plunger Man and Plunge Boy out of the window of the 178th floor.
Meanwhile.....
"Oh no," cried Jane, "My sink is blocked!"
James looked into the sink, shaking his head. "This looks like a job for...."
And Plunger Man and Plunge Boy flew in through the window, landing heroically on the widescreen plasma TV.
"... Plunger Man!"
"And .... Plunge Boy!"