A/N: WARNING, THIS STORY INCLUDES VERY GRAPHIC AND SOMETIMES RACIST LANGUAGE MUCH LIKE THE CARTOON ITSELF. IT IS BY NO MEANS CREATED TO INSULT ANYONE OR ANY RACE. PLEASE BE CAUTIONED WHEN READING THIS STORY. Themes are rated G, language rated M and violence rated T.

You wake up groggily to the sunlight. You peer over to your alarm clock: 7:38 AM. You yawn and get out of bed. After your morning rituals, you step lightly past your brother's bedroom to downstairs. Mikhail has always been a light sleeper, even if he pulls all-nighters. You prepare breakfast and make a quick lunch for yourself and Mikhail. After a while, you hear the footsteps of your brother coming down the stairs.

"Something smells good."

You turn around with a fresh plate of eggs and toast and smile at your brother. "Mornin', Mikhail."

"Morning, Mimi. Thanks again for doing this. I was kinda hoping I'd be the one to prepare the food for today. It's your first day of school after all. Are you nervous?" Mikhail, still in his sleepwear, walks to the counter to pours himself a cup of coffee.

After setting up the kitchen table, you seat yourself and start munching on your toast. "Not really, I think 'excited' would be the more correct term." You reach over to grab the strawberry jam and margarine and slather them your toast, enjoying the creamy taste of the mix.

Mikhail gives an amused smile as he holds his coffee mug to his lips. "My little Mimi, 'excited' for school? Are you feeling quite alright?" He moves to his seat beside you at the table.

You roll your eyes. Glancing at the clock, you stuff down the rest of your breakfast and move to grab your lunch box and backpack.

"Slow down, your class doesn't start till 9 AM; it's only 8 right now. The school bus won't be here for another 20 minutes."

You glance back as your hand turns the doorknob. "Don't need the bus, I wanna skate." You jump through the door and move to the garage as your brother calls behind you.

"Naomi, it's twenty blocks!" He emerges on the porch, still wearing his pajamas.

You put on your helmet and gloves and kick your skateboard into position. "Your point?" You ask with a raised eyebrow.

Mikhail sighs. "Ok, Shaolin training, got it. Just be safe and play nice with the other kids."

You roll out onto the street and give a wave to your brother with a cheeky grin. "You know I will. See you later!"

Mikhail waves back before noticing a few passerbys chuckling at him. He quickly realizes his state of dress and retreats into the house.

You giggle slightly at the scene before your house soon disappears from view. The events of yesterday replay in your head. When Huey and his grandfather returned from the hospital yesterday afternoon, you were surprised to see Riley with them. Apparently, Riley had caused such a fuss at the hospital that they were forced to kick him out on an early discharge. Mr. Freeman was quite upset, and had Riley not been declared 'in need of careful attention', he would have received quite the beating. You giggle at the memory. Huey's tired expression and Mr. Freeman and Riley's constant bickering.

You skate past a few more blocks before a familiar kid with an afro hairstyle appears in your view. You blink, surprised, and catch up to him.

"Huey!"

Upon hearing his name, Huey turns around. A brief look of surprise crosses his features.

"Hey."

You wonder if that frown on his face ever goes away. "What are you doing walking to school so early? There's a bus, isn't there?"

"I have my reasons." Huey looks down at your skateboard. "And what's your reason for not taking the bus?"

You grin, "I don't like staying still in one place, so when I can, I try to move about." You slow down your skating to match Huey's speed. "How's Riley?"

"His same old obnoxious self."

You laugh. "Good to know his injury isn't keeping him down."

Huey gives an irritated sigh. "If only."

You both continue leisurely on your way to school before you hear the sound of a bus closing in. You turn your attention to the yellow school bus as it slows down to match your pace. The door suddenly slides open and reveals a large black man in his bus driver uniform. His appearance is less than tasteful.

"Hey you dere, lil, girl. I suggest you not get mixed up with his type. Lil n**** like himself ain't going nowhere but places like jail… or hell. Why don't 'chu hop onto this school bus an' let nice old Uncle Rukus- no relation- take you ta school."

You stare wide-eyed at the bus driver. 'Did he really just say what I think he did?' You shake your head out of the stupor and glance over at Huey. "Did you wrong him in some way?" You ask incredulously.

Huey's expression became drastically more irritated upon the bus's arrival. "No. He's just like that to everyone who isn't white, but he hates black people the most."

You glance back at the driver. "But isn't he also-"

"That's right, I hate 'em blacks! Them n****s don't do no day of hard work. Nuthin' but waste of spaces on the land that the great white man has created for dem. Oh lord bless the white man."

You continue to stare, stunned at the words that are coming out of this man's mouth.

"So hurry up, lil girl, and save yourself. Lord knows what horrible things will happen if you continue to mingle with coloured folks."

You look back at Huey. Though with a dark expression, he tries to pay no mind to your verbal exchange with 'Uncle Ruckus'. You look back at the driver with a smile. "That's very kind of you sir."

The black man smiles, "Now see dere, that's the difference between coloured folks and the glorious white chillin, they so much more smarter and polite-"

"But sir." You decide to cut in. "I have to decline."

You notice Huey glance over at you, curious at your response.

"But, why not? You a whi-"

"Actually," You start with a bright grin. "I'm a quarter black."

The bus driver stares back at you speechless, and in a split second, the door closes in your face and the bus drives off in a hurry. You watch amazed at the disappearing bus. After a few moments, you burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! A-are you- haha! Forreal? I believed you when you said there were characters here, but- hahaha! This is just too much!" You hold your sides in laughter.

Huey raises an eyebrow at your behavior. "I'm surprised you found that funny. Most people would think that's offensive." He pauses as your continue your mad giggling. "I didn't know you were a quarter black." His tone sounds skeptical.

You calm down a bit and exhale a breath of air. "Haaah. Yea, I wasn't lying. I'm a quarter Egyptian. I'm also a quarter Norweign, a quarter Chinese, and a quarter Brazilian."

Huey blinks at you. "Wow." His tone of voice renders his words a little expressionless.

You shrug. "A lot of people say that. Mikhail says it's a gift to have so many different parts of the world meshing so harmoniously within me. I just wish I could have met my parents, or at least known what they look like."

Huey studies you in a re-evaluating way, your story shows you in a different light. "Do you mind me asking what happened to them?"

You shake your head. "I have no idea. Mikhail adopted me from an orphanage in China when I was a few days old. The orphanage was pretty run down and didn't hold many records. Mikhail had some DNA testing done on me out of curiosity. Haha. S'how I know." You give Huey a small smile. He looks away.

"Me and Riley never knew our parents either. Granddad said it was a car accident."

You look over to his passive face, feeling an odd connection. "Do you miss them?"

Huey hesitates before answering. "Can't miss something you don't remember."

XXX

You walk behind the secretary as she leads you to your classroom. When you arrived at the school, Huey showed you to the principal's office before going off to his own class. It's already a month into the school year and you wonder if you'll be able to catch up on the school work.

She stops when you reach the fourth door down the hall and tells you to wait for a second before knocking on the door. A man with a blue sweater and a fair complexion steps out.

"Hello Mr. Uberwitz, I've brought you a new student." The secretary gestures toward you with an encouraging smile.

You smile back.

"Why hello, there. You must be Naomi. Why don't you come on in." The teacher steps aside and motions you into the room.

You step into the classroom and cautiously search the area and the faces of your new classmates. Your eyes widen at a pleasant surprise when you see Huey.

After a brief discussion, the secretary leaves and the teacher steps back in and closes the door. He walks back to his desk and gently rests his hands on your shoulders and addresses the class.

"Everyone, today we'll have a new friend joining us." He looks down at you, "Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone?"

You nod and clasp your hands together in a nervous fashion. You tense up your shoulders and bow your head just a bit, playing the role of a shy girl. "Hello everyone, my name is Naomi. I hope I can get along with everyone."

When everyone replies with a 'Hi, Naomi', you notice Huey give an are-you-serious face.

You give a small shy smile.

"Now, since Naomi is new, I'm going to need a volunteer to help show her around school today. Who would like to do that?" Mr Uberwitz asks the class encouragingly.

Your eyes twinkle with laughter as you see Huey slowly raise his hand. His expression looks a little reluctant. Among the ones who volunteered, Huey is the only boy.

Mr. Uberwitz blinks in surprise. "Huey? Really?"

Huey stares back emotionlessly with his raised arm.

You peer up at the teacher. "My brother asked him to as a favour."

"Your brother? Dr. Montelle?" He glances back at Huey. "Alright, if that's what the good doctor ordered, then I guess I'd better follow through with it." He then points to an empty seat by the window in the second row. "Why don't you take a seat over there. That's going to be your desk from now on, OK?"

You nod and walk quickly toward your seat before Mr. Uberwitz reconvenes his lesson.

XX

"Why do you do that?" Huey asks as you walk down the halls. It's recess, and Huey is fulfilling his promise to your brother.

"Do what?" You eyes wander throughout the lobbies, trying to memorize its layout.

"You act differently toward some people –well, pretty much everyone except me and your brother."

"Oh," you shrug. "That's just a little habit I picked up from an old friend. People are just easier to deal with when you show them what they want to see." You give a sly grin. "It also makes them easier to predict."

Huey raises an eyebrow. "I didn't know the Shaolin monks encouraged deceit."

You hold your hands to your face in mock surprise. "Of course not!"

Huey's face remains unchanged.

Your fake shock melts away and your grin makes its way back. "The monks taught me to show respect and generosity to strangers, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

Huey rolls his eyes and decides to drop the subject.

"You don't have to do this, you know." You say as he leads you down another hallway, past the boys' and girls' washrooms.

"I made a promise to your brother and my granddad. And this isn't exactly something difficult."

You smile silently behind him. You're starting to like his character more and more.

XX

During lunchtime, you are introduced to one of Huey's friends: Jazmine. She greets you with a bundle of energy, hoping she'll be close friends with you right away. The girl is certainly sweet enough, emitting the girl-next-door feeling. Soon after, some of the boys from your class mustered enough courage to invite you to play kickball with them. You glance over to their mediocre game and politely refuse, giving them the impression that you're too frail for sports. The rest of the day passes mundanely, which to your surprise, you actually quite enjoyed. The feeling of being ordinary, being surrounded by people, wasn't bad.

When school ended, you said your goodbyes to Jazmine when her father, Tom Dubois, a district prosecutor, came to pick her up. On your way back home with Huey, you decided to visit Riley to see how he was doing. You still marvel at the fact that this Uncle Ruckus simply refuses to drive Huey and Riley to school on a regular bases simply because they were black. The situation was so ridiculous that had it not been for the fact that Uncles Ruckus was black himself, the event wouldn't nearly be as comical.

You run back out of your house after giving your brother a quick heads up as to where you'll be. Having changed into a more comfortable black tank top and some overall shorts, you give a small wave to a patiently waiting Huey.

Seeing you ready, Huey straightens from his lean against a tree and leads you toward his house. His body seems slightly tenser than usual.

"Something wrong?" You wonder what could have happened in the two minutes you were gone.

Huey narrows his eyes slightly as he grabs the doorknob and pushes the door open. "Not sure... I might just be over-thinking things." His tone sounds unconvinced.

You follow him into the house and begin looking around. Due to your harsh Shaolin training, you've developed a habit of familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. You have to admit, the place was really nice, and strangely orderly. You didn't really see the Freeman family as people who were anal about cleanliness in the house.

"Granddad, I'm home." Huey states as he moves to the kitchen. You follow him in and spot Mr. Freeman on the couch watching TV.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Freeman." You greet politely.

The old man gives a double take, not expecting to see you so suddenly. "Oh! Why hello there, cutie pie, how was school?"

You give a sweet smile. "School was great, thanks to Huey. He was really helpful."

"Good, good. I'm glad you enjoyed your first day of school. Now what are you doing back here for? Shouldn't you two be out playing?" Mr. Freeman directs the latter part to Huey with a strained smile.

Huey looks peeved.

You stifle a laugh. "I just wanted to see how Riley was doing, Mr. Freeman."

"Oh, oh yes, of course. Riley's just upstairs in his room, recuperating. Huey, why don't you take her upstairs?"

Huey gives a curt nod and you turn to follow after giving a brief 'thanks'. You stop when Huey abruptly turns back to his grandfather with a more serious face.

"Granddad, did Ed and Rummy come by?"

You look back and forth between Huey and his grandfather, wondering who Ed and Rummy are.

Mr. Freeman looks up and scrunches his eyebrows in thought. "Yes, they did, actually, just a few minutes ago. You kids just missed 'em."

Huey's glare deepens. "What were they doing here?"

The old man's attention is already back on the TV. "Oh you know, to visit Riley. They only talked for a little while and left as fast as they came."

Without another word, Huey walks briskly back into the foyer and up the stairs. You follow behind a bit nervously. "Huey, is everything ok?"

The solemn boy doesn't answer you. He turns a corner and quickly opens the door to a bedroom. As he stands there at the threshold with a straight back, you peer past his figure to see what was going on.

"Wat'chu doin' bustin in like that?! That ain't cool, nigga." Riley is sitting on his bed in his usual attire, apparently caught unawares and quickly stuffs whatever he was working on under his pillow.

Huey, holding onto the doorknob with a tight grip, glares back at Riley. "Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work."

Riley bristles at his brother's words. "Hey, who said I was plannin' anything. Dang, can't a nigga rest in peace. I just got back from surgery too."

"Ed and Rummy were with you just now, and you guys are never up to anything good."

"Man, why you such a hater? Ed and Rummy are ma homies, an' they just came to visit me. Man, you trippin'."

An angry growl erupts from the back of Huey's throat and you decide it's time to intervene.

"Hey, Riley, how's the rib?" You pop in from behind Huey.

Riley's scowl disappears in an instant and is replaced by a look of surprise. "Naomi? What chu doin' here?"

Huey is a bit irritated by your interruption, but moves aside to let you pass nonetheless.

"To visit you, of course. So how're you holding up?" You plop yourself down at the edge of his bed and grin at him, trying to elevate the mood.

"Oh, you know, it hurts like hell an' all, but you know, since I'mma real G, I don let it bother me or nuthin'." He then turns and shoots Huey another glare. "At least somebody here's showing a brother some love."

You grin at Riley's words while Huey continues to glare back.

A ringtone of the latest song from Sergeant Gutter breaks the silence. Riley quickly reaches into his pocket for the cell phone and answers it.

"Yo, Reezy here... Yea... Yea... Yea, I'll be right out." Riley promptly ends the call and shoves it back into his pocket. Leaping off the bed, he moves toward the door, only to be blocked by Huey.

"Move, nigga."

Huey stands his ground. "And where do you think you're going?"

Riley bristles. "I'm just gon take a stroll 'round the block. Quit yo trippin' an' move."

"No. I'm not gonna let you walk outta this house." Huey's body tenses as both boys prepare themselves for attack.

You sit and watch the scene unfold with amusement, wondering if you should step in. Riley is fresh out of surgery after all.

"What the hell is goin' on with you boys? Can't an old man watch his TV in peace?"

Robert had heard the ruckus they were making and decided to find out why.

"Nothin'! I was just gon go hang at Ed's house and Huey be trippin cuz he a hater."

Huey relinquishes his hold and the door and turns to face his grandfather. "Every time Riley hangs out with Ed and Rummy, they go and cause trouble. Last time, they almost kidnapped Oprah! He shouldn't be allowed to leave the house."

"Oh yea, they did try to do that didn't they..." Robert strokes his chin in thought.

"Well, I ain't gon do dat now! I'm hurt, remember! I can't just go runnin' 'round like I used to. We just gon be playin' video games, and I can't play 'em here cuz granddad be watchin' his TV, and I don wanna be in da way. Why can't ya'll just let me be?!"

Robert looks at his elder grandson sternly. "Riley's right, Huey."

Huey looks back at the older man in disbelief.

"He said he's just going to play some video games. I say let 'im, and I need to watch my TV." Robert looks over to Riley, "Be home by dinner."

"But-" Huey struggles to reason with his grandfather.

"No buts. I don't wanna hear it. Riley is going to Ed's house and that's final." Robert turns to leave with a mumble. "Damn kids, always causing such a ruckus and ruinin' my house..."

Riley pumps his fist in the air. "Heh heh. Yeh! yeh!" He regards his older brother with a sneer. " S'right, nigga. Can't touch me."

Huey's glower darkens when Riley passes him, but not before giving him a shoulder check. You watch your frowning friend ball his hands into fists, the veins on his hands popping in anger.

You stay silent as you hear Riley walk down the stairs and out the door while their grandfather goes back to the living room. You decide to let Huey simmer for the moment as you reach out and grab whatever Riley was trying to hide under his pillow. You see a note pad flipped to its middle. On the sheet of paper, the words say:

Plan to Kidnap Ed Wuncler's Poker Friends.

You flip the page:

Step 1: Kidnap Ed Wuncler's Poker Friends

Step 2: Send out ransom video

Step 3: Get Ransom

Step 4: Get Rich and rule the world.

You stare at the page blankly, not sure how your brain should react to the plan that Riley had drawn out. 'He presents his points pretty clearly, I'll give him that.' You look over to the simmering boy, his expression still dark.

"Huey."

"What." He growls out.

You ignore the tone. "You might wanna see this."

Huey slides his gaze over to you, then to the notepad in your hand. A look of recognition flashes across his features before he snatches it from you and inspects it. Crumbling the pages in his hand, he moves to the window and watches Riley get into a black van. "Damn that kid."

"Hey, mind if I use your computer?" You move toward their desk and hop on the chair.

"Now?" Huey asks, still staring out the window.

"Don't you want to find out who Ed Wuncler's friends are?" You smirk at him. "I was given the impression that you wanted to stop Riley. Maybe I was wrong?"

Huey gives you an odd look before moving to your side.

"How much information can you find on 'em?"

You swivel around and start typing away on the computer. "Just sit back and watch."

Huey stands at your side silently as he watches you soar through hundreds of web pages from all the top business partners of Ed Wuncler's most profitable companies. The screen constantly switches between the colourful array of company homepages to the black screen of codes and scripts. After the lapse of 10 minutes, you lean back with the images of the four main CEOs and federal record holders that were last seen heading to Ed Wuncler's house.

"OK. So we're looking at four of them in total. Terry White: CEO of Boscher's entertainment and future tech; Miriam Travalski: The official holder of government records, Dick Shamsky: Owner of Voistor Industries, and finally, Eric Samson: CEO and chairman of Glower's Hospitals and Clinics."

Huey regards you hesitantly. "I didn't know you could hack."

You shrug. "You should see my brother. He's the real expert. Oh, and don't worry about any tracking, I used Mikhail personal code of algorithm. Their machines won't be able to comprehend it and will probably pass it off as a bug or a cookie. Anyways, from their online messages and journals, they all stated that they would be meeting for poker with Ed Wuncler at his house on September 26 at 6 pm, which was yesterday. It seems their poker games tend to last quite a long time, ranging from a few days to a few weeks." You continue to scroll through their journals. "A lot of money and property of rights end up as betting chips in their games, it seems. I guess they like high stakes." You look back at Huey. "So what's your game plan?"

Huey's eyes are already far away in calculation. He paces around the room with his hand on his chin. "...Ed Wuncler's house. Is that where they're staging the kidnap? ...It's certainly convenient enough...but why them? ... Something's not right..."

You raise an eyebrow, prompting Huey to explain.

"Would Ed and Rummy risk the collapse of so many of his uncle's important financial liaisons just to pull this stunt? Something's off here. Ed's daring, but he wouldn't mess with his uncle. Not like this at least."

"So... let's find out more. Why don't we hear from this Ed and Rummy in person just exactly what they're planning on doing?"

Huey takes his hand off his chin and looks at you contemplatively. "You got a plan?"

"Maybe. You wouldn't happen to have a transmitter would you? Spanning, I dunno, about 100 feet?"

Huey shuffles to his closet and takes out a brief case. He presses in the pass code and the suitcase clicks open. "Maybe not 100 feet, but I can do 50."

You see a number of devices placed carefully within the case, including a semi automatic with a tactical scope mount. You raise an eyebrow. 'Quite the trooper...'

"The Wuncler mansion is quite big. Do you think you can track their exact location from their cell phone signals?"

You turn back to the computer and enter into the mainframe of the closest cell tower. "Nothing." You say defeated. "Either their cell phones are turned off or they're in a place where signals can't reach."

Huey frowns. "Looks like we'll have to do it the old fashion way."

You continue to type away on the computer. "However, I can get you a blueprint of the estate, as well the location of all the security cameras." You pause as you scan through the floor designs. "And it looks like we have ourselves a way in." You point to the screen, showing Huey the blind spot.

Huey examines your suggestion before glancing at his watch. "The sooner we move the better." He takes over the keyboard and prints out the images. Folding and stuffing them into his pockets, he then moves to his closet again and takes out a katana and nunchakus and places them into his backpack with the transmitter. He slides the backpack onto his shoulder and stares back at you. "It takes 30 minutes by bus, then we gotta go uphill for another 15. The next bus leaves in 10 minutes. You ready?"

You peer pensively back at the computer screen. "Actually, I'll meet you there." You look back at Huey squarely. There's a few more things I'd like to get."

Huey pauses before giving a nod. "I'll meet you at the blind spot in-," Huey looks at his watch again. "An hour from now?"

You turn off the computer and walk toward the door. "Sounds good."

"Oh, and here." Huey tosses something small and black to you.

You catch and realize it's a headset.

"Just in case something happens. The channel's already set and the range is 3 miles."

You nod with a smile and exit his room. As you pass Huey's grandfather, you give a quick 'goodbye' before leaving. You hurry back into your house and give your brother a passing greeting before running into your room.

"What's the rush, Mimi?" Mikhail stares at you curiously as you fumble around in your closet.

'Found it.' You grab a pair of dark clothes and stuff them into your backpack. You turn and look back at your brother. "Do you mind if I borrow the mini laptop you customized?"

Mikhail narrows his eyes. "You know what I use that computer for. What are you planning on doing with it?"

You shrug, deciding to let your brother in on the truth. "Riley and his friends are trying to stage a kidnap, and Huey and I are gonna try and stop them."

Mikhail clearly isn't impressed with the way you deadpanned the situation. He gives a defeated sigh. "Promise me you're not doing anything dangerous at least?"

You ponder for a second. "I don't think so. It's more of a tech war than anything else..."

"Alright, you can take it. Just don't be back too late. You have your cell phone with you, right?"

You beam. "At all times."

Mikhail nods and turns to leave, but stops for a second. "Oh, and don't forget to turn it on vibrate. Last thing you need is to have it go off while you're trying to be sneaky..."

You grin and fly past him in a hurry to get Mikhail's super laptop. You grab it from on top of his desk in his study and place it carefully in your backpack. Running back downstairs, you grab a bagel from the fridge and speed outside.

"Be careful! And call me when you're done or if you need anything!" Your brother calls worriedly behind you.

You give a quick wave without looking back, signaling that you heard.

XX

"You got everything?" Huey asks through the branches beside you, his earpiece is already attached.

You're standing, hidden, within the foliage of a large oak just outside of Ed Wuncler's side gates. The fenced walls encompass the estate in a large square, making the house the centrepiece.

"Yep." You fumble around and draw out the laptop. Flipping it open, you use Mikhail's keys and decrypt the security codes of Wuncler's security system. "Ok, I'm in." You smirk as you scroll through the different screens of the security cameras. "This is both good and bad news. They have a security camera in almost every room and hallway, but I found Riley." You move the screen for Huey to view. He looks at the video call number and back at the blueprints and matches with it the security camera.

"They're in the second room in the east wing, third hall."

Huey nods.

You stare at your determined friend. "What is your plan exactly?"

"Get in, grab Riley and get out, even if I gotta knock him unconscious to do it." He slides his firm gaze to you. "I'm gonna need you to guide me. Can you do that?"

Your brow twitches irritably, unhappy that you'll be missing the action. You sigh, "Fine."

"Can you do something about the security cameras?"

"I can blink them out for a few seconds, but if I do it to too many, it'll look suspicious." You scan through the camera screens. "I also can't see where the hostages are being held..."

"I'm not gonna worry about them. Riley's my main target." Huey positions himself for the jump over the wall. "I'm going in."

You slide on your headset and give him a thumbs up. "Remember. After you go in, head for the red door on the south end. It's usually for the servants. There's a security camera, so I'll tell you when to make a run for it. Good luck."

Huey nods. With a burst of energy, he leaps from the branch and flips over the wall. You watch until he's out of view and on the other side. You focus on the sounds over the headset and the scenes on the camera. So far Huey hasn't been caught on any of them.

"Ok, I see the door. I'm about 20 feet away from it." You hear Huey's static voice over the headset.

You enter the crypt key and unlock the door before blinking out the camera.

"And you can go in 4... 3... 2...GO!"

The camera overlooking the servant door blinks out for 5 seconds and you can hear Huey's quickened breathing and the sound of a door clinking open and quickly closing.

"There's no one in the hall. Turn right and go to the end, then turn left and go straight. There's a security camera in the top corner. Want me to blink it out?"

There is a slight pause on the other end... "Nah. I think I got it."

After a few more seconds you see a maid walk out of a door and into the hallway. "There's a maid coming your way! The third door on the right side of the hall should be an empty storage room. Do you see it?"

"Got it."

You watch with a racing heart as the maid continues to walk down the hall. Her movements seem undisturbed as she goes into another room and disappears from view. You breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Is she gone?"

"Yea." You resume scanning the screens. "You're actually not far from where Riley is-"

"Hey, do you know if the vents would lead me to their room?"

You pause, surprised at the sudden interjection. Looking at the floor plans again, you trace a way from where Huey is to Riley's position. "Um, yea, but I'm not sure if you would fit-"

"I'll fit."

You hear a small grunt and a slight clanging noise echoing in something metal. After a few seconds, Huey's breathing evens out.

"You're in?"

"Yea. It'll be easier and quicker like this."

"OK. But how are you going to retrieve Riley after you find him?"

"I'm working on it. Just give me the directions."

"OK." You shrug. "Move back out over the hallway and continue in the same direction." You listen to the shuffling sound of his clothes a few seconds longer before giving him the next steps. "After you reach the end, take another right and turn left on the third opening." You decide to wait for Huey's signal this time.

A brief moment passes.

"Where now?"

"Keep going straight. It's an opening on your left this time. The sixth one."

You hear Huey's continuous crawling and his rhythmic breathing. After awhile you hear another noise from the headset. It sounds like arguing.

"Found 'em."

~With Riley~

Riley sits back on Ed's custom made leather couch with a laptop and watches his two hot blooded friends fight over what to do next.

"Shit. How's I suppose to know a gazillion ain't a real number! Nobody told me! And if it ain't a real number then why people be usin' it all the time?" Riley's redhead friend pulls at his hair in frustration.

"It's a figure of speech, Ed! Everybody knows, s'why nobody needs to tell you, cuz you just suppose to know!" The blond haired man retaliates.

"Well I didn't! And now those idiots be askin' how much money we actually want, and I want a gazillion, but that ain't a real number!"

Riley shakes his head at their idiocy.

"Just think of a number." The blond man suggests.

"I DON'T KNOW! I can't think under pressure!"

"How 'bout a 100 trillion?"

"Is trillion a real number?"

"I'm not sure, I think so..."

Riley rolls his eyes. "Ya'll be quiet. Their companies ain't even worth 100 trillion. We'll ask for 2 billion for each person."

Ed and Rummy look at each other then at their smaller companion. "And where d'you get this intel?"

Riley turns the laptop around and shows them a page from Wikipedia. "I seen Huey use it a coupl'a times. Looked useful."

Rummy looks over at the screen. "Huh. Your brother's a smart kid..."

"Yea, but he's a bitch ass nigga... and a hater." He takes the laptop back. "Alright, that's how much we askin' for." Riley types up the email and sends it out to the deputy executives of each hostages' company along with the secret bank account number they had set up for this operation. Within a few minutes, there's a reply. Riley grabs the screen and examines it closely, not believing what he's reading.

"Dammit! These bitch ass niggas don't believe us. They think we just bluffin'. They say they wants some proof." Riley folds his arms in anger.

"Whut! They think we just some phony bitches who can't do the real thing. They saw the video didn't they? Lemme find them bitches an' pop one in their asses and we'll see who the real phony bitches are!" Taking out his submachine gun, Ed raises it towards the ceiling and shoots randomly, taking out the ceiling lights and causing debris to fall over his two friends.

"Man, calm yo shit down and put that away! Ain't nobody here but us. Shoot, you might've hit Riley or me." Rummy pats off the bits of dry wall and cement off his clothes.

Ed looks down ashamed. "Sorry man, I didn't mean to do dat. Y'know how I get sometimes."

"S'alright man, long as you know." Rummy pats his friend on the shoulder comfortingly.

Riley shakes his head, "Ya'll niggas is gay." He deliberates a bit longer on their course of action. "So? What we gon do now? We can't actually kidnap 'em, not with your uncle there. You said this was gon work."

Rummy throws his hands up in frustration. "I know what I said! This is just a slight change in the plans. No one knows how long their poker games last, and they always cut off all contact with the outside world when they be playin' right? So it's impossible for people to verify if they hadn't been kidnapped." He snaps his fingers in realization. "I know! Them all focus real hard on the game an' shit when they playin' right? All we gots to do is take their wallets and personal effects an' show it to em'. Then they gots to believe us!"

"An' why's that?" Ed challenges.

"Cuz, it's their personal effects!" Rummy gestures with his hands. "You think they just let anybody touch their shit? If we show their company all their security cards an' ID an' shit, they'll think we got it cuz we got them tied up out back. It's fool proof!"

"Dang, Rummy! You's a genius!" Ed gives Rummy a high five.

"OK, ok. So maybe this works. How're we actually gon get their stuff." Riley questions skeptically.

Rummy smirks. "Heh, now you just sit back an' let us take care of that." He motions for Ed to follow him. "We'll be back in 10. Heh."

Riley raises an eyebrow, unconvinced as he watches his two friends leave the room. Sitting back, he picks up a controller and starts a new game of Grand Theft Auto on the Playstation.

CLANG!

A sudden large crash from overhead breaks his concentration.

~With Huey~

"Whut! They think we just some phony bitches who can't do the real thing. They saw the video didn't they? Lemme find them bitches an' pop one in their asses and we'll see who the real phony bitches are!"

Huey sits quietly in his position overseeing the scene below, waiting for the opportunity to strike. His eyes widen when he sees Ed raise his submachine gun into the air and start firing. Huey flattens himself against the right side of the vent, narrowly missing some of the bullets as they embed themselves into the metal vent. A drop of perspiration falls from his jaw as he promptly wipes them away; his racing heart beat tries to calm itself. Peering down, Rummy is now comforting Ed.

"Huey! Are you alright?" A frantic whisper comes from his earpiece.

Huey takes in a deep breath before realizing he wasn't breathing.

"Yea. I'm fine." He hears a sigh of relief from his transmitter.

An abrupt stab of pain shoots through him as he tries to move his left leg. Huey grits his teeth, not letting out a sound. He looks down and sees a slight blooming red on his calf area. One of the bullets must have grazed him.

"Huey, I think they're leaving. Now's your chance. Are you going in?"

Huey looks down at Riley, finally alone, and then back at his leg. This won't be easy, but it may be the only chance he's got.

"Yea."

"Alright. I'm going to cut the camera for the room in 5 seconds, after that, either try to bring him back in the vent, or escape through the window and make a straight run for it, and I'll meet you back at the wall. ...GO!"

Taking out his katana, he brings his right leg closer before launching it at the weakened sections of the vent. The broken pieces of metal bursts open and fall through, landing on top of Riley's head.

"OW! What the FUCK?"

Huey jumps down and lands uneasily on his feet. His left leg shoots another jab of pain through him.

Clutching his head, Riley looks up to see his angry brother standing a meter away.

"Huey? What the hell are you-?" Riley trails off when he realizes what his brother must have found out. He leaps from his spot and grabs the controller, brandishing it like a weapon. Holding his other hand up trying to appease his brother, he pleads, "H-hold up, Huey. Let me explain-" Without another word, he launches the controller at his brother and leaps for the exit.

Upon instinct, Huey jumps into the air and kicks the controller away with his right leg. The moment his left leg touches the ground, the convulsion of the wound breaks his strength and he falls to his knee. When he regains his bearings, Riley has already escaped out the door.

"Huey, what are you doing? Riley's moving down the left side of the hall!"

Biting down, he forces himself back up and heads toward the door. He tries to hide the limp as best he could, worried about tipping off his condition to Naomi.

"Where is he now?"

"Keep following the hallways. He's not far away."

The pain in his leg turns into a dull roar from the continuous strain. Turning a left at the end, Huey spots Riley trying to open the different doors in an effort to hide. Each door he tries is fruitlessly locked.

"Oh, dang!" Realizing Huey is gaining fast, Riley lets go of the doorknob and bolts in the other direction, grabbing whatever is near him and throws it in Huey's path.

"Get back here, Riley!" Huey continues his pursuit as he cuts through an oncoming vase.

"Shit, Huey, the guards at 6 o'clock! The constant bugging must've tipped them off."

Huey turns around behind him and sees two security guards coming his way. He faces forward and continues his pursuit. He has no time to worry about the guards.

Further down the hallway, just as Riley stops to enter a set of giant doors, they swing open revealing a surprised Ed and Rummy.

"Hey, Riley, what's goin' on-"

"Let me in, man, it's Huey!" Riley struggles to push past them.

Rummy struggles to hold Riley back. "Hey, you can't go in there! That's-"

"What the fuck is goin' on?" Ed looks down the hallway at a charging Huey with two angry security guards behind him."

"Huey, I can't see into the room up ahead, I think it might be where-"

Naomi's voice is lost to Huey's ears as he skids to halt in front of Riley. Springing into the air, Huey flips and delivers a kick to Riley's cheek, throwing him backwards into the darkness of the room. The sound of body meeting wood is heard when another set of doors is thrown open from the impact of Riley's body.

Light streams out from the inner room. A bright chandelier hangs above a large round cherry wood poker table, seating a total of five individuals and a dealer: Ed Wuncler, himself, and his poker buddies.

"Oh shit..." Rummy breathes out.

Riley holds his head in pain as he tries to sit up.

Ed Wuncler stands up calmly from his seat and walks outside, facing everyone frozen at the doors. His eyes slide from his grandson to Huey, Rummy and the two panting security guards that finally caught up.

"Would someone care to explain why the fuck my poker game is being interrupted?" His calm tone bespeaks a fury that lies just below the surface.

Huey's glare remains fixed on his younger brother.

Riley simply looks away with a huff, unwilling to admit anything.

When no one answers, Mr. Wuncler looks to his grandson who quickly looks away upon eye contact.

"Well? I don't have all day."

XX

~With you~

Something is off as you see Riley exit out into the hallway. Seconds pass as Huey is still not seen on the screen. "Huey, what are you doing? Riley's moving down the left side of the hall!" You call into your headset.

You hear a strained noise on the other end of the transmitter. Is Huey hurt? He said he was fine... You relax when you hear Huey's voice again.

"Where is he now?" He sounds normal, otherwise a bit tired.

"Keeping following the hallways. He's not far away." You blink the security camera in the hallway out the moment Huey exits.

Suddenly, a vibration comes from your pocket, making you freeze. It takes you a moment to register that it's your phone. Irritated, you pick it up and realize it's a text from Mikhail.

Today, 6:52 PM

I suggest you give this a look.

Attached to the message are two links. The first is a youtube video. The second is something you don't recognize. You put the first link into the web search and play the video. Your eyes widen at its contents. Moving to another tab, you go through the emails and message boards of the hostages companies.

Nothing regarding the video. 'Strange...'

A movement catches your attention in the corner of your eye as you see security guards moving into the section of the area you just blinked out.

"Shit, Huey, the guards at 6 o'clock! The constant bugging must've tipped them off." You warn him.

You reopen the security camera in hall to see what is happening. Huey is advancing toward Riley and his friends who are standing affront two large doors. You scan the security cameras to see what is in there. None of them had the room on display.

"Huey, I can't see into the room up ahead, I think it might be where Ed Wuncler is holding the poker game."

Huey doesn't respond and you realize he's too focused at the scene before him. After Huey kicks Riley through the doors, a brief moment elapses before Ed Wuncler himself walks out into the hall and confronts the chaos in front of him. You can barely hear his words over the headset. You think frantically of a way to get Huey and Riley out of there as everyone in the hall stays motionlessly silent. You move back to the video contents and their messages searching for ideas. Finding nothing, you type in the second address Mikhail gives you and hope to god for a solution. Scanning through the contents of the webpage, your eyes light up as an idea forms in your head.

XX

~With Huey and Riley~

"Well? So no one's gonna explain, huh? Ed? Mr. Gin Rummy?" The intimidating man slides his piercing gaze at the smaller Huey. "And what the hell are you doing here?"

Before Huey can reply, a sudden ringing cuts through the tension. Everyone's attention falls on Ed Wuncler the third.

He takes out his iphone nervously and answers it. "Whut chu want?"

After a brief silence, Ed blinks and looks at his grandfather. "S'for you." He holds up his cell phone for him to take.

Mr. Wuncler grabs the cell phone with hardly an arch of his brow and answers it. "Who is this?"

Everyone watches his expressions as he listened to this strange and abrupt call. Mr. Wuncler turns and looks at his grandson and his friends before sliding his gaze to his poker guests.

"...Really now?"

Curiosity peaks in everyone as to who this person holding Wuncler's attention is.

"Mmhm. Mmhm... I see." Wuncler's eyes take on a calculating light before giving a small grin. "I accept your proposal. ...Goodbye." He ends the call and tosses it back to his grandson.

Everyone tenses up again when Wuncler looks back up.

"You two." He directs the two security guards. "Escort the two Freeman boys and Mr. Gin Rummy out and drive them home if they don't have a ride."

"Yes sir." The two guards obey without question.

"Oh, and treat them with curtsey. They're guests after all." He turns to his grandson. "I'll talk to you after my poker game."

Ed Wuncler Junior looks glumly at his feet.

Huey stares at Wuncler unconvinced. "You're just going to let us go?"

Wuncler gives the smaller child a sneering grin. "Why not? Kids will be kids after all, unless there's a reason why I shouldn't let you go?"

Huey stares back unrelenting, but silent.

The older man snorts and walks back to his fellow businessmen. "I'm terribly sorry for the interruption my grandson and his friends have caused. It won't happen again. Let us continue our friendly game, shall we?"

The servants close the doors to the private room, ending the tense atmosphere. Huey and his brother, along with Rummy are escorted out of the room and eventually to the front doors of the Wuncler Mansion. Rummy and one of the security guards leave in another direction before they reach the main gate. Rummy looked rather disappointed.

Despite the injury, Huey is tense the entire walk out, wondering why Wuncler let them off without even an explanation. His thoughts move back to the cell phone call, but are broken when they reach the gate. Standing outside is a beaming Naomi, waving calmly at him. Beside her stands a slightly tired looking Mikhail, his van parked just behind them.

"What the hell is they doin' here?" Riley glares at Huey accusingly before receiving a blow to the back of his head from his brother.

XX

~With you~

"I'll be driving them home, sir. Thank you for your troubles." Mikhail greets the guard.

After a quick handshake and few more pleasantries, the guard heads back.

"That was quite the day you kids had, ready to go home?"

Huey and Riley look at your brother questioningly before turning to you for answers.

You shrug. "Riley and Huey need to be home by dinner. So let's get going."

As everyone moves to the car, you examine Huey and Riley. "Are you two alright?" Other than a few scruffs here and there, they seem fine...

"Hey, what chu be doin' here, Naomi? And why's your brother here too? Who told you?" Riley whispers, but his words fall on deaf ears when you see the red on Huey's pant leg.

"Huey! You're bleeding!"

Huey eases himself onto the car seat with a slight difficulty while holding you at bay. "It's fine. It's just a cut."

"A cut can get serious if it's not treated properly, Huey." Mikhail says nonchalantly as he adjusts the rear view mirror.

Riley shifts in his seat a little uncomfortably as the car starts and rolls off the driveway and onto the road.

"Huey, lift up your pant leg and let me see the wound. Mikhail, can you pass me the first aid kit?" You reach over to receive the kit from your brother and pull out a cotton swab and some bandages.

"It's fine. I can take care of it later myself." Huey tries to explain.

You grab the stained leg and lift it onto your lap, making Huey cringe.

"Naomi, reall-"

"Be quiet, Huey!" The ferociousness in your tone quiets everyone in the car. You blush slightly from having to raise your voice and quickly roll back the bloodied pant leg. Your eyes widen at the mess of it.

"Whao." Riley breathes out.

You glare at Huey. The bullet had grazed him, but took quite a chunk of skin with it as it passed. The wound is still oozing blood with the edges turning slightly blue.

"You idiot, you should've said something if you were this hurt!" You berate as you pour some alcohol onto the swab. You apply some cleaning solution onto your hands before touching the swab to Huey's wound. Huey jolts the moment the cotton touches the cut. He grits his teeth in pain.

"Now you know to be more careful next time. Running around with a wound like this. Are you crazy?" You mumble angrily as you continue to clean the cut. When you finish, you take a wet napkin and wipe off the dried blood from his leg and wrap it up tightly with the bandages. You roll the pant leg back down and Huey quickly pulls his leg from your lap.

"I hope you learned your lesson this time."

Huey looks away and makes a complicated expression, knowing the glare hasn't left your features.

"...Thanks." Huey mumbles out.

You blink, your eyes softening. Exhaling, you decide to let go of your anger.

The atmosphere visibly lightens.

The ride home is pleasantly silent with everyone exhausted beyond belief. Huey especially, was trying his hardest not to doze off. When you arrive back home, Riley and Huey step out of the car only to meet an absolutely livid granddad.

Robert grabs Riley by the earlobe and drags him into their house.

"Oh you are gonna get one helluva beatin'. It'll hurt so much YOUR grandkids'll be cryin'!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Granddad! I'm still hurt, yo, stop!" Riley fumbles with his grandfather's grip.

"Shut your mouth, boy. I don't care if you were in life support, I'm still gon beat your ass into the ground."

You and Huey watch as Riley is dragged off to meet his punishment. Mikhail had already parked the car and is walking back into the house.

"Don't stay outside too long, kids." He calls back before disappearing behind the door.

Finally alone, Huey looks at you intently. "Mind explaining what happened? And how come granddad looks like he knows everything?"

You chuckle and start your winding explanation.

Apparently when the Ed and Rummy sent the blackmail video to the company executives, they had typed in the wrong address, sending the videos a number of random strangers, who later uploaded them on youtube. The video, catching national and even some international attention exploded with millions of views within the first 30 minutes of its upload. With all the attention, news channels around the globe, including Fox News, CNN and ABCNews caught wind of the video and broadcasted its contents to the nation, which in turn, started a wide upheaval in the economic industry as well as the government. Within the hour, a fundraiser was created with people mainly in the US and some around the world donating money for the safe return of the four hostages. The money amassed was 15.4 billion dollars and counting within the first 3 hours. When you learned of the information from the text that Mikhail gave you, you simply activated the phone that was closest to Wuncler, which just so happened to be his grandson's and offered him a deal. You gave him the rights to the account that held a small portion of the charity money on the condition that he returns Huey and Riley safely and without repercussion. The deal was obviously one-sided and wholly too good to pass up for the businessman, and so naturally, he accepted without complaint.

"I had to get Mikhail to help me with the transferring of rights, though. Legal documentation in regards to monetary amounts of that magnitude tends to have much higher security than most. Mr. Wuncler will probably be taking a small portion of the money for himself after dividing it among his poker friends to cover up for his grandson's mistake." You shrug. "I told him it was up to him to make up a believable story for the mass media and why a portion of the money won't be returned, but it seems like Mr. Wuncler is quite happy with that." You look back at Huey and giggle at his awed expression.

Huey furrows his brows. "So how did granddad find out?"

You give a small laugh. "You'd understand if you saw the blackmail video. They wore masks to hide their faces, but they didn't even bother to change their clothes or alter their voices. Any idiot could see it was Riley, and younger Ed Wuncler still had his necklace with the 'W' on it."

Huey shakes his head, somewhat apologetically. "Thanks... again." He says softly. "Your brother, too."

You laugh, "No problem. Thank you for providing me with such a fun afternoon, though I could've done without the shooting part."

Huey makes a noncommittal noise. He looks back at his house, and you can hear the angry shouts from Robert and Riley's cries. He sighs. "Well, I better get back before granddad kills Riley." He looks back at you and offers you a small smile.

The sky is dark, but you hadn't really noticed it until now. Light from the moon shines down into Huey eyes as he offers you his smile, your heart skips a beat. Ignoring the blush that is creeping onto your face, you grin back at him.

"You sure you're ok walking on your own?" You offer.

Huey shakes his head. "I'll be fine. See you tomorrow." He gives you one last nod before turning to leave.

"Goodnight." With your smile never leaving your face, you walk into your house and shut the door behind you.

'I hope we never leave this place.'

xx

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