Chapter 3
Location: Interpol headquarters
"Yes, sir. Yes, we're already mobilizing, but as you know, we're stretched thin right now. I don't just how many people we can get on this. Man, they sure picked a fine time to escape. It's almost like they knew how bad off we are right now. What? No. No sir. We'll manage. Well, I see it as this branches duty to put them away. We're the ones who were hunting them the longest back in the day, so I think it would only be right for us to be the ones who track them down now. Please try to understand….Thank you, sir. Yes, we'll do our best. But, uh, I wouldn't mind some back up. Great, thank you. When can they be here? In two weeks? Man, the whole agency is stretched out, isn't it? Well, I guess it can't be helped. Okay, send them down. We'll make due until then. Alright, I'll talk with you later, sir. Goodbye." Inspector Jamal hung up the phone after having been on it for a stressful fifteen minutes. He had been on it with his supervisors. "Why now? Why'd they pick now to bust out? It really is almost like they knew what state we're in. Hmm, I wonder. No, I couldn't be, could it? I'd better search through everything and see if there is a leak." "Sir?" Jamal looked up. His secretary was standing at the door to his office. "Yes, Miss Buxley?" "The guard unit just left for Hollywood. They just got on the highway." "Good. Thank you for letting me know. 'sigh' I just hope nothing happens before they get there." "Sir?" "Yes?" 'If you don't mind my asking, exactly why did you dispatch a guard unit to Hollywood?" 'You didn't read the file did you?" "I've had a lot to do, sir." "I understand. Fine. Here's the deal. Seven years ago, the Vorstein's got two groups of kids, six in total, three boys and three girls, into a race around the world. They promised to award one hundred thousand dollars to the winners. But, it was all actually another one their jewel smuggling run. The kids had no idea until the near end that they were helping criminals. But, to the kids credit, they managed to put up a valiant enough struggle at the end to give us the chance to catch the Vorsteins. Really, we owe those kids, if you think about it. Now, flash forward to now, and those kids should be teenagers, assuming nothing's happened to them. Now, they seemed like pretty capable kids back in the day. After all, they did pull a trip around the world, in hot air balloons no less. So, I'm sure they've only gotten better over the years." "Older and wiser, huh?" "And probably stronger. However, they are still civilians, and minors to boot. They really have no business tangling with people like the Vorsteins. But, they did, and if I know the Vorsteins half as well as I think I do, they'll want revenge on them. And you know, vengeful criminals are much worse than ordinary ones. So, it's our duty to protect them. Hence the guard unit." "I see. Um, one more thing." "Yes?" "Who are these kids exactly?" "Ever heard of Alvin and the chipmunks, or their girl counterparts, the chipettes?" "No way! It's them? My daughter loves those six." "Well, if we do our jobs right, when this is all said and done, your daughter will still have something to love. And if we do our jobs well, the munks will barely even know that they're in danger." "We have to do all we can." Jamal nodded. "Say, Miss Buxley, can I confide something in you?" "Of course, sir. If nothing else, I've always tried to prove myself trustworthy to you. What is it?" "Well, you see, I think that the timing of this breakout is just too well timed. I mean, they break out exactly when the agency is at it's most strained? That just can't be a coincidence. I think that there may be a leak. And I want to shut that leak off. Can I count on you to help?" 'Of course, sir. I'll do whatever I can to help." "Thank you. For now, just go back to your job and do it as you normally would. In the mean time, I'll plan out how to investigate and once I've got it all figured out, I'll call on you." "Okay, sir." Miss Buxley then left the room. "Please, let nothing happen."
The next day
Location: Seville house
"What do you mean you ate the last one?" Alvin yelled. "Just what it sounded like I meant. I ate the last doughnut." Brittany said. "But, those were my doughnuts!" "Funny. I didn't see your name on it. Next, you ought write your name on your food in some food dye…wait a second. You didn't lick them all and make them 'your' doughnuts that way did you? Cause that's just disgusting." "No, I didn't do that. I'm not some little kid. Although, considering who I'm dealing with, little kid tactics might just be exactly what I need." "Are you saying I'm immature?" "If the shoe fits. Man, Britt. What's wrong with you? Your body got older and bigger, but your mind just stayed the same. As a stuck up, little brat!" "Oh look at the pot calling the kettle black! You think your so mature? Pffft, you're the least mature person I know. The way you act, it's almost infantile." "Infan-what?" "She means that you act like a baby, Alvin." Simon said. Simon then realized what he done and slapped his forehead. "Oh no, what have I done?" "See, that just proves your immaturity. You don't know any advanced words at all. Just like a little kid." "And now your insulting my intelligence?" "Oh, wow. Intelligence. That's a mighty big word, for such a little boy. Four stars, little Alvy." Suddenly, Alvin grabbed Brittany's shirt and yanked her right up against him with it and then cocked his other fist back. "Go ahead. Do it. Do it so I'll have an excuse to beat you like a drum. Come on, I'm begging you. Just do it." Alvin paused for a moment, staring angrily into Brittany's eyes. However, he never fired his punch. "No. Your not worth it." He then released her. "I knew you didn't have the guts." "No, it's just against my policies to hit girls, no matter how much they might deserve it. And besides that, your just not worth it. Not worth the effort it would take to take you to the hospital after I broke your nose and knocked you out." "Oh, you think your tough enough to do that, do ya? Well come on! Prove it! I'll even give you a free go. So come on, hit me with your best shot!" "Well, if that's really what you want, fine. Just remember, you asked for it!" Then, Simon bolted up. "Alright, that's enough! I'm sick and tired of listening to you to argue like morons! Just stop it!" "But, Sy, she.." "I don't care, Alvin! Just stop! Look, those stupid doughnuts started this, so just go buy some more and end this. You got your allowance, so you've got plenty of money. So just go buy some more doughnuts. Heck, I'll give you my allowance and let you buy even more. Whatever it takes. Just stop fighting." " 'grrr' Fine. I'll go buy some more. And if you so much as look at them when I get back, Brittany, they'll have to get a mighty big spatula to peel you off the floor." "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." Alvin ignored Brittany, grabbed his wallet and cell phone and left. "Really, Brittany. Why do you always have to fight with Alvin?" Simon asked. "Because he always gets on my nerves." "You know what I think it is? I think your in love with Alvin, but your emotions are all twisted up so, whenever your around him, your judgment gets cloudy and you end up arguing with him." Eleanor said. "Me in love with Alvin? In his dreams, maybe. And when did you become a relationship expert anyway, Eleanor? Correct me if I'm wrong, but, haven't you only been dating Theodore for a month?" One month ago, Eleanor and Theodore, along with Simon and Jeanette, finally came to terms with their feelings and became couples. "Well, yes. We just had our one month anniversary. Same as Jean and Sy. But, that's got nothing to do with what I said. I'm just calling it as I see it. Come on, Britt. Just admit it like we did. Just admit that you love Alvin. It's not that hard. I mean, you've done before.' "No I haven't." "Yes, you have." "When?" "In your sleep. Some nights, when I've gotten up to go to the bathroom or something, I'll walk by your room and I'll hear you talking in your sleep. And your pretty much always saying things like 'oh, Alvin, why can't you see how I feel? Can't you see that I love you?" Brittany turned beat red. "Uh, that, that, that must be another Alvin." "I really doubt that. Come on, Britt, just say it. Here, I'll start the sentence for you. I love…" Eleanor got cut off by sudden crash. The munks noticed that a small, metal object had been flung through the living room window. "What the?" Was all Theodore managed to say before the canister opened and started spraying a blood red mist into the room. "It's a gas grenade! Everybody, hold your breathe!" Simon yelled. Try as they might, every munk eventually fell prey to the gas and slumped to the floor. Simon was the only one left standing. However, he couldn't hold his breathe much longer. He ran for the door, where he was greeted by two strange men. Simon released his breathe and said 'who are you?" Right before one of the men hit him over the head with a club. This knocked Simon unconscious, same as the others. "Start loading them up. I'll call the boss." One man said. "Right." As the other man started taking the passed out chipmunks, the man pulled his cell phone out and called his boss. 'Boss, we got them. Yeah, we'll start distributing them real soon. No, he wasn't here. I don't know, boss. He was gone when we got here. I guess he must've stepped out for some reason. Oh well. He just did part of our job for us, right? You didn't want him, right? Okay, good. Yeah, I'll leave the note. Okay. Talk to you later. Bye." the man pulled a note out of his pocket and placed on the nearby table. "I don't know what the boss has got up his sleeve, but if it's worth going through all this trouble, it's gotta be something big. Man, I can't wait for the fireworks to go off." The man then left. Twenty minutes later, Alvin arrived back t home. Immediately, he noticed the window. "Hey, Simon, what happened to the window?…Simon?" Alvin then noticed the gas grenade in the living room and the lingering cloud of gas. "Oh no! No!" Alvin ran into the depths of the house, calling out to the others. "Simon! Theodore! Jeanette! Eleanor! Brittany! Anybody! Somebody answer me!" Suddenly, Alvin heard a noise. It was the sound of someone talking downstairs. "That's not any of the others voice, so it must be the people that did this. They came back! Well, they ain't taken me without a fight!" Alvin ran to his room and grabbed his metal baseball. He then darted to the stairs and jumped down them. He landed at the bottom and cried 'You idiots picked the wrong guy to mess with! Come on, let's do this!" Alvin then noticed who he was yelling at. "Easy, junior. We're with Interpol." One of the three men in the room said. 'Interpol? Like, as in you work for Jamal?" "Exactly. Now, let's see. Your Alvin Seville right?" "Yeah." "Well, it's good to see that you avoided capture." "Capture?" "Yes. You see, the Vorsteins have escaped and we believe that they've had your family kidnapped for revenge." "Those psycho…" "Sir, we've got a note! I think it's from the kidnappers!"