Episode 2, The Big Apple Adventure
Run Time: 22 minutes
Story Release Date: September 11, 2014
Nicktoon Release Date: September 11, 2041, with a repeat in the Snickel-O-Zone the following Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Central, as according to Siri on my iPhone, September 11, 2041, will be falling on a Wednesday.
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1, as it remains the same throughout this entire story, thank you.
Location: New York City, September, 2039
It was the opening of the first ever, Reptar opera at the Metropolitan Opera House, where while Reptar would sadly, be dying for good, Reptar Junior would be grown up, and would save the princess, giving way to the new generation, making Reptar Junior, everybody's new hero. Seeing he was a huge fan of Reptar, Tommy wasn't going to let his boys, miss this show. So Tommy, Silvia, Darin, Keenan, along with their friends, Peter, Violet and Rosemary, Zack, Kimi, and their daughters, Abbie and Casey, and Chuckie, Nicole, and their daughter Melenda, all took a trip to New York City for this special event. On the day of the opera, they had been touring around New York City. They had gone and ridden the farris wheel at Toys R Us in Time Square, gone to see The Freedom Building, which replaced The World Trade Center, though their tour guide had mentioned how it was formerly known as Ground Zero, and they ate lunch at a pizza place called 2021, where the waiters and waitresses, dressed up as aliens. Tommy was sorry his brother Dil had to miss that outing, as he would have fit right in! But now, they were standing outside the Empire State Building, and the grown ups, were all trying to decide what to go and do next, as they only had a few hours before the opera would be starting that evening. Meanwhile, the offspring, all next to one another in their strollers, were having a conversation of their own.
"See that building?" Asked Darin, pointing to the Empire State Building.
The others nodded.
"That's the Entire State Building! It's the tallest building in the whole wide world! And I hear that if I go to the top when it gets dark out, I can touch the stars and make a wish!" Said Darin.
"Are you sure about that?" Melenda asked hesitantly.
"Yep, I'm pretty sure. So, come on, let's go!" Said Darin, hopping out of his stroller, and pushing Keenan's stroller closer to the door of the building, with Abbie, Casey, and Melenda, bringing up the rear of the line. Before they could get too far though, Rosemary, walked up to them.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Rosemary snapped, blocking their path.
"Oh, we're going up to the top of the Entire State Building, so we can be on top of the world and touch the stars." Said Darin.
"Oh no you don't." Said Rosemary.
"And why not?" Darin asked.
"Because, I'm gonna destroy it!" Said Rosemary, pulling out a couple of bomb shells from her pocket.
The others gasped.
"What's that?" Abbie asked.
"These are bombs. They're the same thing the terribelists used many years ago to blow up the World Spade Center." Said Rosemary.
"What's a terribelist?" Casey asked.
"A terribelist is someone who tries to break the world, and in this case, they did, making ground zero." Said Rosemary.
"Why do you want to be a terribelist Rosemary, that's bad! Don't you wanna be a good guy, oh, like I don't know, Reptar?" Darin asked.
"Shows what you know, Reptar's dying tonight. But I wouldn't worry your little baby brains, someone named Reptar Junior is taking over. But anyway, back to my story here. I wanna take away the Entire State Building and make Ground One, and then, while they made the free building, I want to make the princess building. Now move out of my way!" Snapped Rosemary.
"No!" Yelled Darin, grabbing at Rosemary's dress, tackling her down to the ground.
"I'll help you." Said Melenda, as she came over, snatched the bomb shells out of Rosemary's hand, and threw them on the ground. Rosemary snuck past Melenda, and snatched up the bomb shells, putting them back into her pocket.
"Hey Nasty Nasty!" Said Keenan, pulling at Rosemary's long brown hair.
"Ow!" Shreaked Rosemary, as she got up, and ran towards the doors.
"Come on guys, we've gotta get up to the top before Rosemary does so we can save this building." Said Darin, as he led the others into the building, to the elevator.
Just then, the elevator opened up, and they stepped inside. Darin, Melenda, Keenan, Abbie and Casey got inside, and the doors closed before Rosemary could get there, as she got lost on the way to the elevator, when Casey and Abbie, pushed Rosemary behind a potted plant in the hallway, and Melenda, stuck some of the leaves in Rosemary's mouth.
"Stupid babies." Muttered Rosemary, as she spit the leaves out of her mouth, and peered out from behind the plant, to notice the hall was deserted. Meanwhile, the toddlers were in the elevator, trying to figure out what to do.
"So how does it work?" Abbie asked.
"It's easy, we just press these buttons. And I think the button we want, is all the way at the top." Said Darin. But he couldn't reach it. So Melenda, Abbie and Casey, all stacked on top of one another, and Darin climbed on top of Casey's back, and reached the top button, pressing it. The elevator went up to the top floor, which was the lookout observation deck, and the toddlers, walked out on to the deck, to find it desserted.
"Are we at the top of the Entire State Building?" Abbie asked.
"Looks like it." Said Darin.
Keenan giggled, while Melenda, covered her eyes.
"Wow! You can see everything from up here." Said Casey, as she looked around to see the city, looking like a tiny toy town down below.
Darin was looking up at the sky, and noticing the sun was starting to set.
"Hey, we should be able to touch the stars any time now." Said Darin excitedly.
Just then, Rosemary walked out of the elevator on to the observation deck.
"Well, looks like operation Rosemary Ditch didn't go as planned, did it!" Snapped Rosemary, as she walked closer to the toddlers. Keenan, threw a teasing ring at Rosemary's head.
"Nasty!" Said Keenan, giggling.
"Can't you say Rosemary?" Asked Rosemary.
"Nasty!" Keenan said again.
"Well you mave have found your way up here, but there's no way we're letting you destroy this building. Now give me the bombs." Demanded Darin.
"Never!" Snapped Rosemary, as she took the bombs out of her pockets, and realized, she had nothing to light them with to set them off.
"I said give them to me!" Said Darin, as he grabbed on one end of the bomb shells, Rosemary, tugging on the other. The two of them continued to fight over the bomb shells, until they lost their grip, causing them to fly over the side of the observation deck, and down to the ground.
Meanwhile, Violet happened to look in the strollers, and saw they were empty, and Keenan's stroller and diaper bag, were missing.
"Um, where are the kids?" Violet asked.
"They should be in the strollers dear." Said Peter.
"Oh, so our kids are invisible then. And I thought we only had powers like that in dreams." Said Violet.
"We do." Said Peter.
Just then, Chuckie looked in the strollers.
"My daughter, she's… gone!" Shreaked Chuckie.
"Now don't panick Chuckie, we'll find our kids. They couldn't have gone far." Said Tommy.
"Tommy? Do you know where we are? We're in New York City! The biggest city in the world! They could be anywhere!" Yelled Chuckie.
"We've got to find them!" Said Silvia, as all of the parents started wandering all over the place, looking for their kids.
Meanwhile, the Empire State building closed for the night, and it started to get dark. As it grew darker, the wind started to blow, and it was growing colder.
"I'm cold." Said Melenda.
"I'm hungry." Said Casey.
"I'm cold, and hungry, and I think I need a new diapie." Said Abbie.
Just then, Darin looked in Keenan's diaper bag, and pulled out a few items.
"Well, here's two Reptar bars and half a bottle of brest milk. But we've gotta make this last until someone finds us." Said Darin.
"What are you talking about? Can't we just, take the elevator back downstairs?" Melenda asked.
"Good idea Melenda." Said Darin, who went over to the elevator, and pressed the button, but several minutes, which felt like hours to the toddlers passed, and no elevator came.
"The elevator must be broked." Said Darin.
Just then, Keenan started to cry.
"Now don't cry Keenan, we're gonna be ok." Said Darin.
"Oh no you're not." Snapped Rosemary.
"What are you going to do now?" Melenda asked, with a shrug.
"I'm gonna throw you all off the side of this building! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Said Rosemary.
"You wouldn't dare." Muttered Melenda through gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, the Rugrat parents were down in the heart of New York City, looking everywhere for their kids, while a swot team gathered outside the Empire State building, when they saw two bomb shells down on the ground. The commotion caused the Rugrat parents to head back in that direction, thinking that this may lead them to their kids. Upon getting to the scene, they reported their missing kids to a police officer, who passed the message on to the TV reporters on the scene.
"Once again, we're faced by childhood. A time of innocents, a time of joy, a time of unspeakable, tragedy. And on all days of the year, the thirty-eighth anniversary of the terrorist attack of the World Trade Center." Spoke Rex Pester into a microphone, facing into a television camera.
Rex turned to Zack.
"Mister Wehrenberg, tell me how it feels to know, you may never ever see your children again?" Asked Rex.
"Hey! Can't you be a bit nicer than that?" Kimi asked.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please, tell me how it feels to know, you may never ever see your children again." Said Rex again.
Everyone continued to argue over the fact that their children were missing.
Rex then turned to Chuckie.
"Mister Finster, tell me how it feels to know that your best friend lost, your only daughter." Said Rex.
Chuckie screamed, grabbing at Tommy's neck.
"Hey! Let go!" Shouted Tommy.
"Onkly if you get my daughter back." Shouted Chuckie.
"And, there you have it. A sour Finster and a sour Pickles, two bomb shells on the scene, and the kids, Jarid, baby Teenan, the twins, Gabby and Tracy, little Glinda, and poor Roseberry, all vanished without a trace. I'm Rex Pester, and this has been another edition of Big, Action News!" He said with a grin, signing off of his report.
"Wait a second, did I hear that reporter say something about, bomb shells?" Peter asked.
But everybody else was still too busy quarreling to notice.
"Hey! Would you guys calm down? I think I may know where our kids might be." Shouted Peter, as he walked down the sidewalk and spotted the bomb shells. He recognized them right off. They looked just like the ones he kept in the supply closet at the confederacy. He knew Rosemary to go in there and take things that didn't belong to her, but for her to sneak these bomb shells on the trip? He only hoped at that moment, she didn't sneak any matches along with them, but then he remembered, he had the matches locked up in a cubbord where she couldn't get to them, so these bomb shells were harmless. But in this day and age, it was hard to know what was safe anymore.
"I know where our kids are." Shouted Peter again, hoping he'd get everybody else's attention.
"Where?" Kimi asked.
"They're at the top of the Empire State Building. It's the only place where they could be." Said Peter.
"But The Empire State Building closed an hour ago." Said Chuckie.
"No worries, I can get us in there." Said Peter.
Meanwhile, the little ones were still up on the observation deck at the top of the building, Abbie, Casey, and Melenda had finished off the Reptar bars, while Keenan had drank what was left of the brest milk, leaving nothing for Rosemary and Darin.
"You didn't leave anything for me!" Snapped Darin.
"Oh put a lid on it blondy it's not like you're that important anyway." Said Rosemary.
"Hey, nobody talks to my bestest friend that way." Said Melenda.
Now the little kids were arguing, Keenan was crying, and the little ones were starting to lose hope of ever going home.
"Hey, maybe we can wish on a star to go home." Shouted Darin. But when he looked to the dark sky, there was nothing but clouds, not a star in sight.
Down on the ground, Peter led Violet, Tommy, Silvia, Chuckie, Nicole, Zack and Kimi up to the doors of the Empire State Building, where he approached a security guard.
"I'm sorry, but The Empire State Building, is closed for the evening, and won't be open again until tomorrow morning." Said the security guard.
"But my kid is up there!" Shouted Chuckie.
"Chuck, let me handle this. Sir, I am King Peter Albany of the Confederacy, and as king of the confederacy, I demand you let me into this building!" Demanded Peter.
The security guard gave him a good look up and down, eyeing his gray uniform, and scratching his forehead before responding.
"Ok, I'll let you go up there, but the rest of you, will stay down here." Said the security guard.
"Very well then." Said Peter, as he set off towards the elevators, and headed up to the top level, where he figured the kids might be. Meanwhile, Tommy tried to sneak past the security guard, but the security guard had to put him in hand cuffs, to hold him back.
"You can't go up there." Barked the security guard.
"But my boys are up there." Said Tommy.
"Silence, or I'll have you arrested." Said the security guard, as he handcuffed Tommy.
Meanwhile, Peter road the elevator, and as he approached the top level, he heard Keenan crying, and the other toddlers, arguing about something. He got to the top level, and walked out on to the observation deck, to be greeted by five small children.
"Daddy!" Said Rosemary, as she ran to Peter and gave him a hug.
"Awe, come here my little princess." Said Peter.
"Hey guys, stop! Peter is here to save us!" Said Darin.
"Yay!" Said Melenda, Abbie, and Casey in unison.
Everybody piled on to the elevator and headed back downstairs, where they were greeted by their parents, who all gathered round, picked up their kids, and hugged them so tight, it's a wonder they could breethe.
Later on, everybody is seated in the dress circle at the Metropolitan Opera House, catching the Reptar opera. At the very end of the opera, Reptar jumped off the castle, landing on a mattress down below, so bouncing ever so slightly as he fell to his death, but while Reptar was gone, standing up top the castle was a full grown Reptar Junior, next to the princess. The crowd cheered as the opera ended.
"Reptar Junior saves the day!" Said Darin, as he clapped and smiled at the stage.
"Yeah! And thanks to Peter, we get to sleep in the nice comfy hotel instead of on the cold ground of the Entire State Building." Said Melenda.
Abbie and Casey nodded at this. Rosemary, just had her arms crossed, as she figured she was in some pretty big trouble with her mommy and daddy for taking those bomb shells without permission.
After the opera, everybody headed back to the hotel, to turn in for the night, after quite a big day of adventures. Sure enough, after they got back, Peter took Rosemary off to the side to have a talk with her.
"Now Rosemary, you know that daddy's weapons closet is off limit, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you." Scolded Peter.
"I'm sorry." Said Rosemary, sniffling back some tears.
"I'm afraid sorry isn't enough. Do you know how dangerous those weapons are? You could have been killed had you had the right stuff to use them!" Said Peter.
"But people do that stuff on TV all of the time! It's talked about by those guys that wear suits and ties on that CNN channel or whatever it's called." Said Rosemary.
"Yes, there is a lot of violence in the news, and while it's a sad part of life, I don't need my little princess of the confederacy, to add to it. Do you understand?" Said Peter, laying a hand on Rosemary's shoulder.
Rosemary nodded.
"So as punishment, there will be no TV, and no dessert for an entire month." Said Peter.
"What!" Shouted Rosemary.
"You heard me. This is punishment, to teach you a lesson. Now run along and get to bed. We've all had a very big day today." Commanded Peter, as he sent Rosemary off to bed.
Meanwhile, Tommy and Chuckie were sitting outside on the little balcony of the hotel, talking about the day they had.
"Hey Chuckie, can I tell you something?" Asked Tommy.
"Sure Tommy, what's up?" Chuckie asked.
"This might surprise you, but, well, for the first time, well, I was scared." Said Tommy.
"You? Scared?" Said Chuckie.
"Yeah, I mean, I nearly lost my boys today. I mean, I look at what happened with us, when my kids were missing, and I think back to when we were their age. I mean, sure I took us on many adventures, but after today, I see all of those adventures in a new light when looking back on them." Said Tommy.
"What do you mean?" Said Chuckie.
"I mean, now I see those adventures from our parents point of view. Sure they didn't notice we were gone for most of them, but what about when we were in that forrest after my brother was born. Or when you and I got locked in that toy store. Surely our parents had to be scared once they realized we were gone." Said Tommy.
"Well yeah, why did I always say it wasn't such a good idea. Cuz it wasn't!" Said Chuckie.
"I know, and now, we're the parents. And, while I want my kids to go on adventures and have fun, the world isn't like it was when we were kids. It's more dangerous now, and more high tech." Said Tommy.
"Well, yeah…" Said Chuckie.
"And, I think from now on, if our kids are going to have adventures, then we should be there too. Unless, they're in the backyard or something." Said Tommy.
"I know what you mean Tommy. It's not easy being a parent. I mean, look at how hard it was for me to get Melenda potty trained. It was hard for me to face facts that she needed out of diapers, probably because I had trouble with the potty training part myself when we were young, but I stuck by her, and saw her through it, because that's what we as parents, have to do. And just as we had to be protective big brothers when we were younger, as I had to watch over Kimi and you did with Dil, well, now the tables have turned. Now, we have to look out for our kids, and that's what I'm gonna do from now on." Said Chuckie.
"Me too Chuckie, me too." Whispered Tommy.
"Man, this city sure is noisy, even at night." Said Chuckie, as he stood up from his chair, stretching, as he heard several cars down below on the street come past.
"Well Chuckeroo, they don't call it the city that never sleeps for nothing." Said Tommy with a grin.
"Maybe the city never sleeps, but I'm exhausted. I'm heading to bed. Goodnight Tommy." Said Chuckie.
"Goodnight Chuckie." Said Tommy, as he continued to sit outside for a little while longer, listening to the sounds of the city, before finally heading in to head to bed.
Inside, the toddlers all lay side by side in a bed near the window that looked out on the balcony where Tommy and Chuckie were talking.
"Darin? Did your daddy just say this is the city that never sleeps?" Melenda asked.
"Yep, he did." Replied Darin.
"Then why are we going to bed? Shouldn't we be playing all night or something?" Melenda asked.
"Good idea!" Said Darin, as he sat up, picked up his pillow, and threw it in Melenda's face.
"Hey!" Said Melenda, throwing the pillow back at Darin.
The two of them continued to throw the pillow at one another, a few minutes later, Abbie and Casey woke up, saw what was going on, and joined in too. The kids were throwing the pillow at one another, giggling, until Silvia walked into the room.
"Sh'sh'sh'sh'sh." Said Silvia, putting a finger to her lips.
"It's time to go to sleep." Silvia whispered, as she tucked Abbie, Casey, Melenda, and Darin back into bed, and left the room.
"I knew it, stopped by a grown up as usual." Grumbled Melenda, as she let out a huge yawn.
"Maybe so, but if it weren't for the grown ups, we'd still be stuck at the top of the Entire State Building." Said Darin.
"So are you saying the grown ups are important?" Melenda asked.
"Yeah, and I think they want us to get some sleep, so we can go on more adventures tomorrow!" Said Darin excitedly.
"Oh no, not more adventures. When is it going to end?" Melenda asked, rolling over to go to sleep.
"Never! I'll have adventures for the next bazillion years, just like my daddy did, and I bet ya my grandpa and great grandpa did too. Right?" Said Darin, as he too let out a big yawn and turned over to go to sleep.
"Yeah, I guess so." Replied Melenda, as the two of them, closed their eyes, and drifted off into dream land.
The End
Author's Note: And there you have it. My tribute to September 11, with The Offspring, or better known as, Rugrats, The Next Generation. I hope you all enjoyed it, as Rex Pester from The Rugrats Movie made an appearance, Keenan calls Rosemary, the Angelica of the next generation, Nasty, just as Dil called Angelica Yucky back in the day, and, you see that once you're parents, you see your childhood, in a completely different light, especially when deep down you realize, that your children, may be very much like you were at that age. And, while school is back in session for me, I've compiled a schedule in my head, so I can continue to release new stories and more chapters to existing stories, which, I'll tell you guys right now, that be looking for Chapter slash Episode 3 of The Offspring at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, September 20, 2014.