N E E D

By DarkHououmon

Chapter 2: Concerns

When the smartest of you is worried, then you should worry.

sss

Penny was worried. She had seen that news broadcast the other day before she had dinner with her mom. She tried her best to remain calm, reminding herself that the man can't really do anything. He knew nothing of ChalkZone, after all.

Yet..she couldn't help but remain worried. She recalled her past incident with the man. He had been quite determined in figuring out perpetual motion from Rudy, refusing to buy his 'it was an accident' story that she knew he had come up with. Being a scientist, he was going to be smarter than the likes of Vinnie and Terry. So a lie like that wasn't going to fly. He was right when he said that Ruy didn't accidentally create that machine.

That man was going to become a problem if he kept poking his nose around. What if he made a discovery that brought him closer to ChalkZone? What if he found out the machine was made of chalk? Or the items it produced? What if he turned to Terry for more information? There were so many things that could happen, and she held her head, trying to cope with it all.

Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe she just needed to relax a little. But she couldn't dismiss this. There was just too much at stake. Von might be harmless now, but if he ever got into ChalkZone, she knew the first thing he was going to want to do was experiment on zoners. She couldn't bear the thought of that, and she shuddered at the multiple thoughts racing through her head.

Zoners being strapped down. Electrocuted. Frozen. Burned. Injected with fluids. All sorts of horrific stuff. She would not put it past that man to do any of this. She had to make sure he didn't ever get a chance to get into ChalkZone or nab a zoner.

She wondered how Rudy felt. Surely he must have seen the news as well. Or at least heard of it. His parents could have heard and told him about it before they headed off to bed.

Rudy must be as disturbed as she was. Even if he might think back on how they stopped Von and how he didn't pose much of a threat now given the lack of knoweldge that he had, Rudy must realize how scary this situation still was. He knew how formidable the man could be, and back then, it was just trying to get answers out of him. The man wasn't trying to hurt him or anything. However, if Von increased his efforts and if he was unwilling to give up, how far would he take it? And how much would he learn?

Would he be able to gain access into ChalkZone? The thought chilled her blood.

Holding her plate of food, she looked left and right in the cafeteria. She had seen Rudy out in front of her when lunch was called, so she knew he would have sat down already. But finding him here wasn't too easy. The cafeteria was often packed, considering that there were set schedules; it wasn't like the students could just get up and get lunch whenever they wanted to. So she had to push her way through a couple of students in order to find Rudy.

She scanned the room, looking at the rows of grey tables. The cafeteria wasn't as large as some schools she had seen, but it was still flooding with students. There was still a long long of hungry kids waiting to get their meal, and the grey seats themselves were almost filled up. She kept looking. Sooner or later, she would find Rudy.

And sure enough she did. She found that he was sitting on the furthest table back, in the corner. He was holding a sandwich in his hands, biting into it and chewing. She immediately went over to him. She had to move past a large group of students who had gotten up to take their tray away. As soon as she was able to get past them, she reached the table in no time.

"Hello, Rudy." Penny said as she moved around in the front, noticing an empty seat right in front of her friend. Rudy lifted up his head, but did not speak due to there being food in his mouth. Instead, he nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Did you hear the news?" She asked as she sat down.

Rudy gave her a confused look, tilting his head slightly. He swallowed loudly and said, "News? What news?" He put his sandwich down. "What are you talking about, Penny?"

"The news that was on last night." Penny said. Her eyes were wide with concern. "I saw it not long after I got home."

Rudy still looked confused. He blinked his eyes a few times. Penny realized she probably should have explained it in a bit more detail. But when she attempted to speak, Rudy's face suddenly changed. A smile had appeared, and now it was Penny's turn to be surprised. "Oh, you mean with old Doctor Von Doktor?" He waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, I'm not that worried about that guy."

Penny was confused at this. Rudy wasn't worried? Why not? He knows what the man could do. Wait, no he didn't. He had only gotten a taste of it. The man hardly did anything except speak to him. Neither of them knew what this man was truly capable of behind closed doors.

And even if they had a better idea of what he could do, they still shouldn't let their guards down. The man did nearly find out about ChalkZone thanks to Rudy's blunder. Penny knew that if Von gotten in, there was no telling what he'd do, and the stuff that she had a feeling he'd try, none was so pleasant. Surely Rudy must know about this, right? How could he just dismiss this?

Rudy noticed Penny's confused look. He smiled at her and said, "Von doesn't know anything about ChalkZone, Penny. He can work all he wants to on perpetual motion. But he isn't going to get any closer to finding out about ChalkZone." He took another bite of his sandwich.

Penny narrowed her eyes slightly. She lifted up her own sandwich and chewed off a small part of the corner. After she swallowed, she held her hand out in gesture and said, "And what if he does, Rudy?" The boy swallowed and stared at her. "What if he does figure out about ChalkZone? What if one of his experiments leads to him discovering something?"

Rudy swallowed another bite, nearly finished with his sandwich. "I understand where you're coming from, but I have serious doubts that Von will be able to do anything. He did not even see me use the magic chalk."

"What about that worried statement you made when I came in?" Penny raised an eyebrow.

"What statement?" Asked Rudy.

"The one where you said something about 'it's happening'..." Penny said. Rudy stared at her. She nodded her head. "Yes, Rudy. I heard that."

Penny recalled what happened when she went after Rudy. She had still been angry with him at the time, but that did not negate her want to help him. So she had followed him via ChalkZone. It had been weird using the chalk for the first time. Snap was quite shocked to see just her and not Rudy. After she explained the situation, he agreed to help her, and they headed towards the location of the science facility Rudy had been taken to.

Once she got to the right spot, she drew a portal and started to make her way in. Before she even got in, she heard a worried cry from Rudy, about something happening. She hadn't thought to ask him about that and now she wished she had brought it up earlier. He had sounded so scared and worried. While she knew that Von could have learned about ChalkZone, she wondered if Rudy's outburst there was the result of his fear.

Well, now she was going to find out.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Penny asked.

Rudy looked down at his tray. By this point, most of his sandwich was done. He placed the small bit that remained back on the tray. His expression shifted, his eyes furrowing in concern. It seemed Penny had hit something of a sore spot with him. Her expression softened up. She hadn't meant to upset him.

"Yeah..about that..." Rudy started to say. He sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. His face looked as if a ton of bad memories were coming back to him. "Yeah I was worried at the time. I just...wasn't thinking straight..and..." He placed his hand on the side of his head. "I had a vision of Von finding a way into ChalkZone, and he brought in a bunch of people with hazmat suits inside."

Penny put her hand on her mouth in horror. "Oh Rudy..."

"And when I saw you open up the portal, and your hand coming..." Rudy closed his eyes. "I thought that my nightmare had come true."

Penny reached over and placed her hand on Rudy's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I scared you, Rudy. I didn't mean to."

Rudy smiled at her. "Yeah...I know."

Penny removed her hand from him. She stared at him sympathetically. She probably should have been a little less...spooky when opening the portal. She realized she could have screwed things up big time. She had made the portal too large and she did not make sure that no one was there first. If she had drawn the portal when Dr. Von was still there... She shivered at the thought.

Oh well, at least that nightare was over. She had been able to help Rudy escape the facility and Von was not able to show off Rudy's chalk creation. He never became wise to the idea of a chalk world, and things had been able to shift back to normal.

At least...until now.

There was still the worry of what Von might do now. He was trying to figure out perpetual motion, yes, but what if they had left some kind of evidence behind? Or what if he spoke to Terry and grew wise to how Rudy could have created such a device? What if he somehow came to some kind of conclusion that would cause them to cross paths again? Would they be able to outwit him again?

"Still..." Rudy's voice finally broke the silence that had settled between the two. "I don't think we have much to worry about him now." He gave a small smile at this. "I mean, he doesn't even have me." He pointed a thumb to himself, and then he pointed at Penny. "Or you." He settled his hands on the table. "I might not even be thinking about us right now."

"It's not wise to lower our guard, Rudy. You know that." Penny said, narrowing her eyes. "You know what could happen if we underestimate him." She held up her hand in gesture. "And you know what might...no, what will happen...if he finds out about..."

"Yeah I know." Rudy nodded his head up and down. "I just don't want to get myself too worked up over something that's probably not going to happen." He looked up towards the ceiling for a moment, lost in his thoughts. He looked back at Penny. "I'm not saying Von can't be a threat, Penny. I'm just saying that maybe we shouldn't expend too much energy worrying about him getting into ChalkZone. What are the odds?"

Penny shook her head at this. She was surprised at how Rudy was acting. He of all people should know the risks in not taking something seriously enough. And if he did know how much of a threat Von could be, then why was he acting all dismissive of it? It didn't make any sense to her. If this was him trying to be brave, she wished he'd cut it out. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"What were the odds of Vinnie getting into ChalkZone? What were the odds of you not erasing that portal, which granted him access inside?" Penny glared at the boy in front of her. She held her and up, pointing a finger on one hand against the fingers of her other hand as she began to list off examples. "What were the odds that Terry would pick up the magic chalk instead of a regular one? What were the odds that Snap would be there and she would be able to grab him? What were the odds of you two getting there just in time for Terry to open up the portal?"

Rudy was silent at this. His eyes were wide. Penny knew that she was finally getting through to him. Before the boy could speak, she continued.

"Don't you see, Rudy?" Penny said, her eyes still narrowed. "All those events had odds against them. It wasn't planned. We didn't see any of them coming. They all could have turned out very different." She placed her left hand down while her other grabbed her drink. "Seemingly impossible things happen all the time, Rudy. We shouldn't be entirely dismissive of this. I would think that, as the Guardian of ChalkZone, you would at least be on your guard in case that man does try something."

As Penny drank, she watched Rudy, looking for any signs of him coming up with an answer. So far, he was just quiet. His stunned expression stared out in front of her, at nothing. He didn't look panicked, more so just realizing something that he hadn't before. She was glad that she was able to get him to see something. She remained quiet, allowing him time to come up with a response.

She hoped that they would be able to find a way to keep an eye on things. She could ask some zoners to stay stationed around where the man would draw his work on the chalkboard. Maybe even take pictures so she could analyze them. If she saw the formulas, she could check them out and make sure that none of them correlated with ChalkZone. If any of his notes makes mention of a chalk world, she would sound the alarm, and she and her friends would have to do something to sabotage his work.

Of course, she did know that may not stop him forever. She shuddered at the idea of doing something more extreme. She did not want it to come to that. She and her friends detested violence. However, if Von kept on trying too hard, if he kept getting in the way even more so than Terry did, then they may have no choice but to consider it an option. They wouldn't be able to keep up with him forever. At some point, something had to give.

Hopefully, things wouldn't have to be taken that far. They never had to before. So perhaps luck would remain on their side, and things would be just fine.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed that Rudy was looking at her again. He looked like he wanted to say something. She gave a nod of her head and waited.

"I know the risks, Penny. I know that the odds are still there he might figure out something. But as long as he doesn't find out about ChalkZone, it will be fine." Rudy said. He looked at her in the eyes, never turning away. He leaned forward. "I am not ignorant. I am not going to completely dismiss him. I do not think that he is going to be a threat, but I will acknowledge that he could be, given the right circumstance. Let's just not get too worked up and expend too much of our energy worrying. That may do more harm than good. Remember that stupid poison pen letter I wrote? How I got worked up because I thought we weren't invited?"

Penny nodded her head. She remembered that incident all too well. She had never seen Rudy behave that way before. It was quite scary.

"I don't want to make the same mistake, Penny. And since this is Von we are talking about, a miscalculation could be disastrous." Rudy said, making a few gestures with his hand. "If we get too distracted with this, what about Vinnie and Terry? They're currently bigger threats than Von. Skrawl, too. We can't divert attention away from him." He motioned both his hands at his sides. "You never know when he will hatch some other crazy scheme to take over ChalkZone!"

Penny had to admit it, but Rudy did have a point there. They did have several very real threats to ChalkZone. Skrawl was always trying to get it over one way or another, and then there were Terry and Vinnie. Unlike Von, they both knew that ChalkZone existed, and they were both determined to find it and gain access. She agreed with Rudy that it would not be wise to divert too much attention away from them. If they worry too much about what Von might be doing, they may not detect a move from one of those three, and they could catch them by surprise.

"Hmm...you might be right, Rudy." Penny tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Right now, Skrawl, Terry, and Vinnie are bigger threats, and they all know about ChalkZone." She paused for a moment and slapped herself in the face, realizing how stupid she sounded. "Well of course Skrawl would! He lives there!"

Rudy put his hand towards his mouth and gave a light-hearted chuckled. "Don't worry, I know what you mean."

Penny adjusted her glasses. "Still...I don't think it will be all that wise to completely dismiss Von." She looked over at Rudy, her eyes furrowed in determination. "Let's at least keep our guard up and watch out for any suspicious activity."

"Yeah...good idea." Rudy nodded his head. He rubbed the back of it nervously. "I certainly don't want to make a fool of myself again. I thought Vinnie wouldn't be a threat, and then I.."

"Rudy." Penny said softly, looking at Rudy sympathetically. "There's nothing that can change that now. At least you were able to get Vinnie out."

"Yeah... That's true." Rudy gave a small smile. "I'm sure our luck will continue to follow us."

Penny nodded her head. "Yeah..."

The two children fell silent after that. They resumed eating their lunch. As Penny started to consume her sandwich, her thoughts felt like a hurricine inside her skull. Thoughts left and right shot through her, clouding her mind. She hadn't brought it up to Rudy, but there was something that had still had her worried.

It had been easy getting Vinnie out. He wasn't the brightest person around. All it took was getting him to ride a coaster that flung him out, and then the building collapsed, destroying the portal.

But what about Doctor Von Doktor? How easy would he be to get out? He was a scientist, after all. A person of a higher intellect. He was much smarter than Vinnie. He may not fall for a roller coaster ride that easily. He might see through a lot of their tricks and lies. If they ever had to collide with him to protect ChalkZone...

...how much of a chance did they have..?

sss

The school day went faster than Penny and Rudy had expected. They were glad for that. Both wanted to head into ChalkZone. They had agreed to talk to Snap about the situation with Von. Regardless if there's a great chance of the man figuring out ChalkZone or not, they knew better than to leave their friend out of the equation. Snap might have some good ideas to try just in case the man became more than just a simple nuisance.

It would also provide them a safer place to be discussing this stuff. Both of them know how risky it was of them to talk in the cafeteria and in the classroom. They were lucky that no one spotted them. They both felt foolish for being so careless. They would be sure not to do that again.

The two children walked down the sidewalk. Side by side, they made their way through the neighborhood, adhering to the signs, stopping at lights when they needed to, and continued on their way. They were getting pretty close to Rudy's house. That was where they decided to meet. Penny's mom had given the okay for her to go to Rudy's place. She told her she would pick her up a few hours later. That gave them plenty of time to speak with Snap.

Although Rudy looked pretty calm and certain, his mind was a different story. His head was buzzing about, unable to be calm, the storm of thoughts bringing him a dull headache. Penny's words kept swirling around him, making it impossible for him to ignore.

He tried to tell himself that everything was going to be fine. He tried to tell himself that Von wouldn't be much of a threat. The man was a fruit loop, yes, a smart one at that, but he wasn't smart enough to figure out that the machine he made was based on chalk, despite holding it himself. He told himself time and again that Von had no clues regarding ChalkZone.

Yet...he couldn't completely dismiss what Penny said. He knew that she made a good point. There was a chance that Von could get wise to what they were doing. He could figure this stuff out. And if he did...

He shook his head mentally. No, he couldn't concern himself with that. Everything was going to be fine. Despite what he said to Penny, a part of him still wasn't fully concerned about Von. The man probably would never think to try to contact him again. Why, he was probably sitting in his chair, throwing away another rolled up piece of paper depicting another failed experiment. Maybe he was yelling at himself in frustration as he tried to figure out the thing about perpetual motion. Rudy smirked at the thought. It was pretty amusing watching the man blow up like that.

He casted the thoughts aside. That wasn't what he should be thinking about right now. As easy as it was to make fun of Von, he knew there were far more important things to concern himself with. Von was still a possible threat. A lower threat than Vinnie or Terry, but still a threat nonetheless. It was important to speak to Snap about this.

He looked out in front of him, adjusting his backpack's straps. He took note of the buildings, and how they were becoming increasingly familiar, on a more deep level than the others before. This was his neighborhood all right. His house would be a few blocks down. If he and Penny kept this up, they should get there in about ten minutes.

Soon they rounded the corner, the one that Rudy knew would get them on his home street. It wouldn't be long now. He and Penny were making excellent time. At this rate, they should be able to get into ChalkZone much earlier than they had expected. They could...

Rudy and Penny froze as soon as they made the turn. They nearly stumbled against something green and solid. They took a few steps back, craning their heads up to see someone they had hoped they wouldn't see again for a long time.

Terry Bouffant.

The woman was holding her usual reporting equipment, some of them stuffed in a large bag she was carrying. A mic was held in her hands, but not pointed out at them. Rather, it was resting at her side, as if she was either getting ready to report on something or she had just finished.

She stared down at them in surprise. She didn't seem like she had been expecting them. Her shocked expression didn't last very long, and soon a scowl of contempt came across her face. She took a step towards them, towering over the two children. Rudy and Penny cringed, though neither broke into a run as Terry wouldn't dare try to do anything to them out in the open like this.

"Rudy Tabootie... Penny Sanchez..." Terry glowered at them, her grip on her mic tightening. "What a pleasant surprise..."

"Yeah, you too..." Penny grumbled softly, glaring at the woman with a frown to match. "What are you doing here, Ms. Bouffant?" She moved her hand out in front of her. "I know our neighborhood is just so full of stories..." Rudy could detect the subtle sarcasm. "...but whatever could you be trying to report on now?"

Terry scowled at this. "The grand opening of a new street light..."

Rudy chortled at this. "Wow, you've really gone downhill, Ms. Bouffant!"

Terry, however, found nothing funny about this. She took another step forward. Penny moved back while Rudy remained where he was. He leaned away when Terry pointed the mic close to him. The rounded tip nearly pushed up against his chest. He stared at it and then looked up at Terry. He stifled a shudder as he stared at those hate-filled eyes.

"Listen here, you little brat! It's your fault that I am in this situation! No one will take me seriously anymore because of your antics!" Terry's voice was filled with anger. Her body was shaking as the emotion swept through her. Rudy took a small step back, not wanting to be so close to the woman if she decided to explode. "If you hadn't been so selfish, I would have..."

"Selfish?!" Rudy snapped. He pointed a finger at Terry. The woman just continued to glare at him, not budging from her spot as the boy continued to speak. "You were the one who kept tailing me and Penny for weeks trying to get us to spill the beans on a world that you know nothing about! You are the one who is selfish, Ms. Bouffant! You don't even think of what might happen to all those innocent people if you..."

Rudy was stopped when Terry reached forward and grabbed him by his arm. With a yelp of surprise, he was yanked towards her.

"Rudy!" Penny cried, her eyes wide in shock. "Let him go, Ms. Bouffant!"

Terry did not listen. Rudy grunted in pain as the woman twisted his arm. He felt her lift him up off the ground effortlessly. She put her face close to his. Rudy glared at her, doing his best not to look afraid.

"You have no right to keep that world hidden, Tabootie. You made an incredible discovery and you are wasting it by hording it to yourself and playing the blasted hero!" Terry curled her lip up in disgust. "Then again, what should I expect from a stupid little boy like yourself? You children understand nothing!"

"You're wrong!" Penny called out, causing Terry to turn her head towards her. "Rudy is not hogging the world to himself! He's just making sure it is safe from people like you..." She jabbed an accusing finger at Terry. "..who seek to exploit and harm it!"

Terry growled at this. "Oh really..? Well then, Sanchez..." Terry released Rudy and rounded on Penny. Rudy watched in horror as Terry cornered Penny against the street light. "What about you? If Rudy is the hero, are you his sidekick? Oh wait..." She raised a finger, a look of mock realization on her face. "That's Snap, isn't it? Well then..." Terry leaned towards Penny. "What does that make you? What's left for you? Someone who just stands on the sidelines, watching as Rudy works his magic protecting that precious world of yours?"

Penny said, "Y-You don't know..."

"Oh that's right. I don't know... Because to you, I'm an idiot. You think that I can't pick up on things. Well that's where you're wrong." Terry put a hand on her hip, her frown deepening. "At least Tabootie actually does something for that chalk world you two love to hide so much. You...you're nothing... You are just a worthless little tag along who just waits for Rudy to give you a command and toss you a bone." Penny's eyes widened at this. "Face it, Sanchez..." Terry sneered. "You're worthless."

Rudy's heart twisted at these words. Anger began to swell up in his stomach, the burning sensation moving through his arms. How dare Terry say those things... She had no right to judge Penny like that. He didn't know what got into her lately, but he had enough of listening to this. He marched forward towards them.

Rudy walked in front of Penny, making Terry take a few steps back. The woman stared at the boy in surprise, and then narrowed her eyes again. Rudy glared at her hatefully. He did his best to control his anger, knowing that he would only make things worse if he simply exploded in the woman's face. He took in a deep breath, feeling the burning anger on the edge of his own sigh. Once he felt he had calmed himself enough, he gave his retort.

"How dare you..." Rudy snarled at her. "What right do you have to say that about my friend? You don't have an inkling of what we do in that world you so desperately want to exploit. You haven't seen any of things any of us have accomplished. You have no idea what Penny is capable of. Just because you wear a fancy outfit and have a job and work at a newstation doesn't mean you automatically know everything! You know nothing about Penny, so stop actingl ike you do!"

"Rudy..." He heard Penny say behind him. There was a cautionary tone to her voice. "Let's just go."

"Yeah, Rudy. Go on. Go to that chalk world that you are selfishly keeping from everyone else." Terry taunted, a contempt-filled smile stretching on her face. "Go on, continue to act like you're so damn special, some hero, while your genius friend there wallows on your shadow, wishing she could be half as great as you.."

"At least Penny doesn't make a fool of herself trying to get a studio to greenlight an idea that anyone with half a mind would realize sounded cuckooo..." Rudy sneered at her.

Terry's eyes widened for a second at this. Her eyes soon furrowed, becoming narrowed. She twitched her eye, her lip raised up, baring her teeth at the little boy. Rudy felt his heart begin to race as the woman advanced on him. But he ignored his instincts to run. Terry can't do anything and he would not abandon Penny to her, even in these relatively safe circumstances.

"You little..." Terry growled. She then stopped. Something had caught her attention. The woman turned her head, looking at something. It didn't take long for Rudy and Penny to see what she was staring at.

There was a small family walking by. They appeared to be heading towards their house. A mother, father, and a couple of kids. They had stopped in their tracks and were staring over at them in confusion and uncertainty.

Rudy felt some sense of relief at this. He knew that Terry would defnitely back down now. Regardless of what she thought, she knew better than to continue on with her harrassment with witnesses around. He took a step closer to Penny, a sort of protective posture, done partly out of defending his friend and partly out of triggering concern in the family walking by. This made it even harder for Terry to make a move.

Terry knew she had been bested. She stared at the family, and then she looked back at the children. She glared hatefully at Rudy and Penny, her clenched fist shaking at her side. Rudy could see the frustration practically radiating off her body.

"Okay then...you win this round. But I'm warning you two..." Terry spoke in a low, growly voice. "...sooner or later, I will expose that chalk world. You can't keep it hidden for long. Sooner or later, it will be exposed. Mark my words..."

Rudy and Penny said nothing, frowning at the redhead as she turned and walked down the street. It didn't take her long to disappear down the street. Only after she disappeared completely did the children look at each other in worry.

That had been an unpleasant and unexpected encounter with Terry. She had acted more aggressive than usual. Granted, she didn't try to hurt them, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't try. The idea of Terry going that far frightened them. She was desperate enough to expose ChalkZone and she already resorted to underhanded tricks like kidnapping. To outright hurt them...

They shook the thought out of their heads. They had to focus on getting into ChalkZone to speak to Snap. That was their top priority right now. After giving a quick smile to the family to show them that they were fine, they continued on their way to Rudy's house. They both hoped they wouldn't run into anymore issues or delays.

sss

Joe Tabootie growled as he glared at the man in front of him. He couldn't believe that this man had the gall to show up at his house, making such a request. Did he not learn his lesson the last time they had encountered? What in the world gave him the right to come here and do this?

He could sense Millie beside him. He didn't bother looking, but he knew that she was also just as infuriated as he was. It was unfathomable that this man would try something like this again. It took all his strength not to punch the man in the face for coming here. He knew that wouldn't be the right thing to do and he held back the urge. He could sense his wife was having a hard time controlling herself as well.

The only thing good about this was that Rudy was not around. He didn't know what to tell his son if he came in with this man, of all people, in the house, waiting for him. He would imagine that Rudy would be quite uncomfortable, and he wouldn't blame him. He'd have every right to be nervous and upset. He knew that Rudy was going to be home any time, so he hoped to get this meeting done and over with soon.

But no matter what he tried to tell him, the man would not leave. He remained where he was, feet firmly planted on the ground. When he had knocked on his door, he had let himself in. He refused to march himself back out, and he showed determination of staying here until he got what he wanted.

Millie had suggested using physical force and just pushing him out. But Joe was against the idea, but only because he had a feeling this man would call the authorities and tell them what happened. Even though it would have been the man's fault, he might twist the words to make it look like they did it. Despite his reputation, Joe knew that there might be some people still willing to side with him. And if those people happen to be higher ups...

Of course, they could just call the police themselves. They hadn't yet tried ot use that threat before. They didn't want to resort to that. They hoped they could get the man to leave on their own. But if he continued on staying, then they may be left with no choice.

"Look, I understand you came a long way over here." Joe said, his teeth gritting slightly. "But I must ask you again to leave. You are not welcome here."

"Get out of our house." Millie said, joining in.

The man shook his head. "No. I will not leave." He narrowed his eyes. "Not until I get what I want."

Joe clenched his teeth at this. "We cannot grant you that wish, mister. We are telling you for the last time." He took a step forward, glaring into the man's eyes. "Get out."

The man gave a short, bitter chuckle. "You are really being unfair." He raised his hand up in gesture. "I did not make an unfair..."

"We don't care." Millie hissed, cutting him off. She put her hands on her hips, her glare practically piercing through the man's gaze. "Take your suitcase and show yourself to the door. We don't want to see you around our house again."

Joe nodded in agreement. He glared at the man, who had remained quiet for a few moments. The man didn't appear to budge, nor did it look like he was going to move anytime soon. Joe narrowed his eyes further. Of course the man would remain stubborn. They had said what they could to him, even trying to sound nice. But here, he still remained.

He was quite determined to talk to their son. But there was no way they would let that happen. Sure, this man never harmed their son in the past, but given how he had acted, and as the situation of what happened to them came to full light, the more disgust he felt for the man. He had only wanted to use Rudy, and here he was, trying to do the same thing again.

Not if he and Millie have anything to say about it. Regardless of how stubborn this man was, they would get him out. They just had to be even more stubborn.

"You are really pushing our buttons, mister." Joe pointed an accusatory finger at him. "We told you, we are not going to let you see Rudy. I don't care how much you are willing to pay us. You will not use our boy like he's your property!"

The man blinked in confusion. He then rubbed his hands nervously. "I think you've got it all wrong, Mr. Tabootie. I never intended to do..."

Millie interjected. "Do you think we believe that?"

"Just get out of our house. Now!" Joe barked, his voice taking on a deep growl.

The man took a step back at this. His eyes widened, worry clearly etching on the features behind his glasses. The man locked eyes with him and Millie, not daring to look away. He still didn't leave, and he started to glare back at thim as if they were committing some terrible crime in not giving him access to their son. But there was some falter to him now, and when he took another step back, Joe realized that they probably finally got him to listen.

Before Joe could speak again and try to chase him out, he heard the door opening up. He turned his head, and his eyes widened as he spotted who was standing in the door way.

It was Rudy and his friend, Penny.

Silence fell upon the room. Uneasy, chilling, gripping his heart. He and Millie exchanged nervous looks. Neither of them had wanted Rudy to see this. And now here he was. Joe looked over at the man real quick, noticing that sick smile spreading across his face. Before he could say a word to him, he heard his son speak in a small voice.

"...dad...? Mom...? What's...what's he doing here...?"

The man stared intently at Rudy, his smile shifting into a grin. "Why hello, Rudy... Remember me...?"

Rudy took a step back, his eyes wide in shock. Penny did likewise, looking just as shaken up to see this man as his son did. The man did not approach Rudy, but kept on smiling at him. Rudy took in a few quick breaths, memories flooding his mind.

Rudy managed to whisper softly. "Doctor Von Doktor..."

He was greeted with a broader smile.

sss

Rudy couldn't believe it. He felt his senses go numb. A cold sensation washed through his body. Any belief of there being no danger from this man went away the moment he saw him standing there. Penny's sentence had been cut short when they noticed an extra vehicle in the drive way. They had hoped it was nothing to get worked up about.

But then...this happened...

As soon as they opened up the door, they were treated to this horrible sight. His parents were not harmed, but they were in the middle of discussing something with this man. This horrible man that had nearly found out about ChalkZone, and had tried to drill his mind for information.

Doctor Von Doktor stared down at him with a smug smile. He looked as if he had been waiting here a long time, and there was a bit of triumph in his face. Judging from his parents' expressions, he guessed that they had been trying to make him leave, but with no luck. And the way the man was looking at him...it made him shudder. Was he waiting for him? Did he come here for him? That certainly seems the case.

And he just walked right on in, and had given this man what he wanted. Himself... Rudy gritted his teeth as he and Penny stood their ground. If the man wanted him, he was going to have to try harder. He had no intention on leaving with him, and he couldn't make him.

Rudy attempted to comfort himself by realizing his parents were here and no longer taking Von's crap. And he couldn't very well just take a child with him without the parents' permission. His mom and dad would never allow that. Von would be setting himself up for arrest. He would not take that risk, especially if it delays him from his precious research.

Still, he felt quite uneasy around him. He found it hard to look at the man, but even harder to look away. He gritted his teeth, adopting a somewhat defensive stance, a way of showing the old man that he wasn't going to come quietly. Penny narrowed her eyes, offering a similiar message.

"Don't worry, Rudy." Came his father's voice. It was slightly shaky, as if he was trying to sound calm, but found himself unable to. Rudy could hear the emotion dripping off his voice. "He was just leaving..." His dad glared at Von. "Weren't you?"

Von ignored him completely. His eyes were on Rudy only. The small child swallowed nervously, but puffed up his chest slightly to make himself look tougher. This seemed to amuse Von and he took a step forward. Rudy immediately deflated, and Von chuckled at how quickly he had backed down.

"It'z okay, child. I won't bite." Von said. "I just wanted to azk you a few questionz."

"Absolutely not!" Rudy moved back as his mom moved in front of him, blocking the man's access to him. "Get out!"

"Oh but you aren't even letting me..." Von started to say.

Rudy's dad, finally having enough of this, gripped the man by his shoulder. His hand squeezed his shoulder tightly. He saw Von flinch in pain and whirl his head over towards his dad. The staring contest lasted a few seconds before Von jerked himself free and take a step back.

"I will appreciate it if you didn't touch me again." Von said, his voice uncharacteristically dark. "I just got zis suit washed."

"And we would appreciate it if you leave now." Rudy's dad said, his frown deepening. "If you continue on staying here, then you will leave me no choice but to call the authorities."

His mom nodded her head. "We didn't want to do it, but if you don't get your ass out of here in the next twenty seconds, then we will get the police involved."

His dad folded his arms against his chest. "Now we wouldn't want to have that, now would we...?" He tilted his head slightly. "Especially after that incident where you were dragged off when you had totally lost it."

At this, the scientist's eyes widened. It seemed that, after however long the man was here, his parents had finally gotten a hook on him. Rudy, standing with Penny, watched as the old man's previous arrogance melted away slightly at the threat of a phone call. This became even more apparent when his dad added one more thing.

"If they reacted that way over something like that, I can just imagine how they would react if they found out you harrassed a child..."

Von stared at his dad in horror at this. He took a step back. He looked from both his mom and dad, and then back at Rudy. For a moment, Rudy could see a flash of anger and disappointment. He then looked back at his dad. His facial features relaxed as he gave a curt nod.

"Very well zen..." Von spoke in a barely controlled voice. "I'll be on my way. Zorry to dizturb you." Von began to head towards the door.

"And don't think about coming back here." Rudy's mom called after him.

"We're finished here." Rudy's father chimed in, his voice stiff and stern.

Von froze at this. He stopped right next to Rudy and Penny. Rudy's mom watched him warily, making sure he didn't try anything. Von looked down at Rudy with a sideways glance, and a smile slowly creeped onto his face. He looked into his mother's eyes before he said, "Oh no... We have barely...begun..."

Rudy shuddered as the man chuckled, his eyes looking directly at him now. He cringed back with Penny beside his mother. Penny glared at him, a hand formed into a fist. Rudy did his best to look brave, but Von could clearly see right through his attempt at a front.

"Get out of our house." His mom growled.

"Az you wish..." Von said. And with that, he was gone.