"JUMBA!"
She'd called his name the moment she stepped foot back into the house, the councilwoman's folder tucked safely under one arm.
There was a crash, smoke billowing from beneath his door and a few choise swear words in a tongue she couldn't translate. Swear words sounded like swear words no matter what language they were in. Jumba emerged a moment later wearing four-lensed goggles on his forehead, his face and much of his jacket covered in grime. When he bellowed, two very large, rounded teeth could be seen at the back of his mouth.
"WHAT?!"
Nani glowered at him and thrust the folder in his face. "READ IT," she hissed. She was furious! He was supposed be ohana and here he was withholding information! Something there was no way he COULDN'T know about.
Jumba irritatingly flicked the folder open and he saw what she had. That photograph. All the anger drained from his face, along with much of the color. He shook his head and peered at it. "Noo..." he said quietly. "It... it can't be. COULDN'T. Never! Where did you get this?" he demanded.
"The grand COUNCILWOMAN. She says it's a rescue mission. Something about this scientist working under duress on some planet called Volenar?" Nani tapped a foot impatiently. Most of the folder was written in alien dialect, so she left it up to Jumba to translate.
"Working under duress? It says here she's suspected of performing vivisections on tourists? And kidnapping stray puppies for illegal genetic experimentation? THAT... that is evil so evil even EVIL GENIUS SCIENTIST is not daring to be so evil!" Jumba protested.
"Why does she want us to save someone who cuts people open alive and kidnaps puppies?!" demanded Nani shrilly. No way could Lilo be exposed to something like that. Jumba was right, that went beyond evil. If this was all true... she didn't have to be rescued, she had to be stopped. But her face... it couldn't be.
"We go NOW," growled Jumba. "I will pack. You go and collect little girl and one eyed noodle," and he spun on his heel and slammed his door behind him.
Which was how, two hours later, Nani had Lilo under lockdown in her bedroom dome and had insisted that Stitch and Pleakley go with Jumba alone. No WAY was she putting her little sister in that much danger. Which would explain a lot, as she went upstairs an hour after they all left to bring her dinner only to find her gone.
"LILOOO!" she howled.
But Lilo and company had vanished beyond all realm of human hearing.
They were among the stars. Jumba was driving, and had entrusted the folder only to Pleakely, who was not being his usual cheery self. Lilo was a little annoyed that neither of them would tell her who it was they were rescuing.
"Another experiment?" she asked Jumba. The ship flew past a beautiful nebula of swirling orange and pink stars and Jumba sighed. "No, little Lilo, not another experiment. Another evil scientist," and that was all he would say on the matter.
As he flew, he tried to think of when and how it was possible that this Dr. Fay even existed at all, and if so, and if she was who he thought she was, WHY get mixed up in workings that were so evil even he would never attempt them? Volenar was a planet under siege, last he had heard. It had been invaded by its allies and burned to the ground, repurposed for other things while the natives had either been killed or forced into servitude. They did not look much like this Dr. Fay.
"When we get there, just let ME do all the speaking," he glanced sideways at Pleakley. He gave an extra hard glare at 626. "This ESPECIALLY means YOU," he reiterated.
Stitch's ears fell a little and Lilo folded her arms and pouted. "How come Pleakley gets to know and WE don't?" she insisted.
Jumba piloted the ship towards a distant planet that looked mostly grey. "Because," he said, "Big sister would not be happy knowing that you had seen things no little girl should ever see. There is REAL evil in the world," he said, his accent getting a little thicker. "Evil that she would not want little girl exposed to."
Pleakley nodded back at the pair of them. "Just stay with me, and let him do all the smooth talking."
Lilo sighed. "Oh okaaay".
Unfortunately it didn't go quite that smoothly.
