Hey peoples, sooooooo sorry I took so long to review, but I just started school again, and we all know what a living hell that is. This is just a heads up to all those who have reviewed so far, especially to those who contributed the most important thing of all; constructive criticism. K, with that said read on and keep reviewing.
Chapter 3: Arrival
Somewhere in southern Africa
"This better be important, Harrison," Father's voice boomed throughout the lair.
"Yes, sir, it is," Sam Harrison said, quivering. The 43 year old man had been working for Father for a few months now, but Sam was still petrified by his boss, "it's about the rover scout we sent into the cave, we lost it."
Father stopped dead in his tracks. It seemed he was about to say, or yell, something, but decided against it. He continued walking.
"And?" he said.
"Well, we got some pretty weird video feed from it just before we lost it," Harrison continued, "I just thought you might want to see it."
Father grunted in agreement. They entered the control room and Harrison, stationed at his computer, played the clip through the overhead projector onto the far wall. The clip showed the rover slowly making its way into a large cavern.
"This cavern is about 30 ft under the entry point," Harrison explained, "we believe we've found the entrance to the city."
The rover rotated its camera 360°, and as it did, it fixated on a very large door. The rover slowly made its way toward the door. Suddenly the door was blocked from sight by a large shape. The shape lunged at the rover and the screen went to static.
"So," Father said expectantly, "what the hell was that?"
"We, uh, don't know sir," Harrison said, "by the way it moved we can assume it's some kind of big cat, but it's far too big to be a lion or leopard."
"It seems that there is more to this than I expected," Father said, stroking his chin.
There was a knock on the door and a guard stepped in.
"Sir, there's someone waiting to see you," he said saluting, "she's, um, in your study."
"What? Who let her in here?" Father demanded.
"She kind of let herself in, sir," the guard said sighing.
"I'll be there momentarily," Father said, he turned back to the control room staff, "I want that image enhanced. Get every nerd on it, I don't care what you do, just get it done."
He turned and left the room, cursing under his breath. What's a guy gotta do to keep people out of his evil lair? He made his way to his study. Inside the room was lit solely by the fireplace, Father's personal preference. His visitor was sitting in the chair in front of his desk.
"Ah, Father," she said without turning around, "I hope I haff not intruded."
Father smiled and sat behind his desk.
"No not at all," he said, "but you could have made an appointment, and saved my guards some trouble."
The girl chuckled. "Now where's the fun in zat."
"You look different somehow, but I just can't put my finger on it," Father said sarcastically.
"Yes," the girl said, "I finally got zat little problem of mein sorted out."
"So I heard," Father said, "I also heard you were reformed."
"I vas, but being bad is so much more fun, zat is vhy I am here, I heard you were setting out an expedition?"
"Yes I am," Father said, "the lost city of the Basuga."
The girl nodded, "Many haff tried to find it, all haff failed, but I could find it for you."
Father smiled again, "How do I know you won't just keep the treasure for yourself?"
"You need a team, I need a paycheck, I guess you are just going to haff to trust me."
Father was silent for a moment. The he stood up and shook the girl's hand.
"You've got a deal, Heinrich," he said.
The girl shook back, "Actually, it's Henrietta."
Tree-House, Sector V
Nigel sighed as the alarm clock next to his bed roared to life.
"Go time," he said to himself.
He got up and looked out the window; the horizon was fringed with orange and yellow as the first light of the day seeped into the sky. He cast his gaze downward towards the street. Abby and Hoagie we're making their way up the side-walk, chatting. Nigel nodded his head in approval.
"Not bad," he said as he turned away from the window and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower.
Hoagie looked up at the tree-house to see Nigel step away from his bedroom window.
"He was watching us again," Hoagie said gruffly.
Abby sighed, "Its okay, a week from now he'll be out of our lives for good."
The two joined the rest of the groggy sector V in the hanger bay.
"Good morning, Sunshines!!" Kuki squealed as Hoagie and Abby walked in.
"Did you guys sleep well?" Nigel asked eyeing them.
"Barley," Abby said rubbing her eyes, "but you're one to speak, you look terrible."
"I was up looking into sector S," Nigel sighed, half-lying, "this is going to be a little more difficult than we thought."
"But I thought you said you we're packing it in early?" Wally said, confused.
"I changed my mind," Nigel said, "anyway there was a small ship hanging around the Tree-House last night."
He looked at Hoagie and raised an eyebrow, "Know anything about that?"
"I saw the S.A.M.P.E.R. go orbital last night," Hoagie sneered, "know anything about that?"
That shut Nigel up. They loaded their luggage into the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and piled in. Hoagie started the engine and the craft glided out the hanger.
Silence held the five operatives in an iron grip. Nigel sat in his chair in the center of the craft, deep in thought, Hoagie was in the pilots' seat, Abby sat up front with him staring into space, Wally sat at his post staring at Kuki, Kuki was looking out the window humming the Rainbow Monkey theme song.
"There's my house!!" She called,"Oh, and there's Wally's house, and Abby's, and….hey Numbuh 2, did your mom get a new car?"
"No," Hoagie said , without turning around.
"So whose car is that?" Kuki asked.
"My dad's," Hoagie said in a low voice.
"But it can't be, silly" Kuki said, all the while receiving signal's from her teammates to shut-up, "your dad left when you were 8 to run off with another…….."
She was cut off by Wally's hand covering her mouth. Hoagie's cellphone began to ring. After a while it went onto loudspeaker voice mail.
"Hoagie?!!" they all heard, "was that you who just flew over? You better get yer ass home you little piece of shit, or I'm gonna…."
Hoagie cut the call off. He turned around and smiled at everyone.
"Must have been the wrong number," he shrugged.
Only Abby saw the face that replaced that smile, that dark permanent gaze that had replaced his usually cheerful, but corny, smile. But it was a look she was starting to get used to, it was a look she feared might not go away.
3 hours later
The sea finally gave way beneath the ship as the African continent expanded all around them. They passed over a large city nestled on the foot of a rather peculiar mountain.
"Direction's say that's Table Mountain," Hoagie said, "called so because of its flat top. This is where we're supposed to meet Sector S."
As the S.A.M.P.E.R. lowered towards the mountain, a scene of terror opened up. Below five operatives aged 10-12, crouched behind a clump of rocks while six teenagers fired heavily at them. Every now and then one of them got the courage to stand and fire back at the teens, only to be chased back by the hellish return fire. Two of the operatives, a tall African 12 year old boy and a fiery 11 year old redheaded girl, stood again and made a feeble attempt to take out at least one of the teens. The boy let out a yell as an enemy shot ripped into his upper arm. He fell back to cover clutching his gaping wound.
"I cannot believe we're going through this for a bunch Americans," another operative yelled, this time a 12 year old, tallish, brown haired boy, "we don't even know them!!"
"Hewena, we're here aren't we?" a second 11 year old girl said in a thick African accent, she looked over at the Teens, "but it would help if they sped it up."
A third 10 year old girl, her skin tone some where between black and white, was tending to the wound of her fallen teammate she looked up to see the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. slowly lowering towards them.
"They're here!!" she called.
"About freakin' time," the brown haired boy said.
The teenagers, thinking they had won, were shocked by the sudden appearance of the ship. They desperately directed their fire to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., hoping to achieve some result. They failed as the ship's cannons returned fire. The teenagers still standing fled. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. touched down and sector V filed out.
"Good morning, Sector S," Nigel stated, "we are Sector V of the American Kids Next Door, we understand you expecting us."
"Understatement of the day," the brown haired boy muttered.
"Who, may I ask is your sector leader?" Nigel said, giving the boy a look.
"I am," the wounded operative said, also thick in accent, "you caught us at a bad time."
"Holey shit!!" Hoagie exclaimed from behind them, he was studying the S.C.A.M.P.E.R., "are these real bullets!?!"
The redhead chuckled.
"Welcome to South Africa."
How many Teddies do you want on your conscience? Review, I aint gonna beg.
