Alright, got a few good reviews now time to get started on what I've been waiting for in this next chapter. Things are about to get very intense soon and we'll be featuring a group of certain characters mentioned in chapter 1. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 4: Escaping and Explaining
Later that day, David was thrown into prison referred as the Dungeon by Earl of Lemongrab. The guards lead the young man into his cell, tossing him on the floor and locking him up. David got back on his feet gripping the handle bars, "Let me go! I didn't do anything!" He shouted to the guards.
The guards let out in remark, 'Yeah, sure.' in a sarcastic tone before leaving the prison cell.
In frustration, David turns around facing the back of his cell and punches the wall, "Damnit!" He cursed.
'First I get taken away from home and now I'm stuck here in prison. Just what is going on?'
Leaning against the wall he slouches down to the floor hopelessly, "I wonder if anyone back at home notices I'm gone." The young man said to himself gazing up at the ceiling.
'Sure would be great if I could tell my family that Cartoon characters really do exist?'
He laughs a little, "But now I have to figure out how am I gonna get out of this mess?"
'Double D, Ed, Eddy… I hope you guys are alright.'
Sometime had passed as David settled down on his cot with everything being quiet… too quiet. Just outside of the prison cells was a faint sound of commotion, almost as if someone or something was attacking the guards. Soon after the commotion stopped and everything went quite again when a voice was called out.
'David! Are you in here?'
David leaned up to his response, "Double D!"
Arriving at his cell were the Ed's, excitingly happy to see the young man again.
"DAVID!" Ed cheered happily.
"Thank goodness you're alright." Double D said in relief.
"I'm fine." David answered, "But... how did you guys get in here?"
"We'll explain later, right now you need to get back as far as you can." Eddy said.
"Huh?" David let out.
"Listen to what Eddy said, David. We don't want you to get hurt in the explosion." Double D informed.
David flinched in shock towards Double D's comment, but follows through anyway standing far back as he could. The wall in his cell explodes opening a way out to escape with a young African American girl seen standing on the other side.
She had long black hair which was braided, wearing a white-striped dark blue shirt dress, white mary-jane shoes, golden hoop earnings, and a red cap on her head.
"C'mon!" She said. "This way!"
David follows along with the Ed's running pass by unconscious guards lying on the floor. On the way, they meet up with two other members. One was an overweight boy wearing a sky blue shirt, brown pants, black and white sneakers, yellow flying goggles, and an aviator's hat with the number 2 on it. The other was a short boy with blond hair with a bowl-shaped cut wearing an orange hooded sweater, blue jeans and white sneakers.
"Numbuh 5, your back!" The overweight boy said referring to the girl as Numbuh 5.
"Target is secured Numbuh 2 and 4; let's head back to Numbuh 1." Numbuh 5 informed.
"Good riddance, hate to be here any longer." The short boy, Numbuh 4 said.
They work their way through until reaching the elevator where a Japanese girl is waiting for them. She had long black hair with bangs and eyes seen very thin, almost appearing to be closed. She wore an oversized green sweater covering her hands, black leggings, and black and white shoes.
"Hold the door, Numbuh 3!" Numbuh 5 ordered.
"Okay." The girl, Numbuh 3 responded with a cheerful smile pressing the button to keep the doors open.
Once in, they meet another boy who's completely bald, wearing a red turtle-neck sweater, grey shorts, white socks, and brown shoes facing back as he turns around revealing to be wearing sunglasses. "Is everyone all here?" He asked very sternly.
"Everyone is accounted for, Numbuh 1." Numbuh 5 replied to the boy name Numbuh 1.
"Good, Numbuh 3, take us to the top?" The bald headed boy ordered.
"You got it." Numbuh 3 responded with a salute pressing the button to start the elevator.
"What's going on?" David asked.
"What does it look like?" Eddy replied, "We're bustin' you out of here."
David had no idea what was going on or why he was being rescued, only stood quietly watching the five kids conversing to one another while also counting them in number order 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. "Wait a minute..." David suddenly began to realize something about these five kids, "I know you guys?"
"We're the Kids Next Door!" Numbuh 4 let out.
"You're the guys that kidnapped me!"
"Huh?" The kids and the Ed's all went by David's statement.
"Kidnap you? We're rescuing you." Numbuh 3 informed.
David shakes his head in response, "No, back in Miami Florida, you guys crashed your ship in the park."
"I told you we should have checked where we were before landing." Numbuh 5 exclaimed.
"We didn't exactly land, Numbuh 5," Numbuh 2 replied sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "We just sorta... crashed is all...
"So you guys crashed your ship then take off when I'm on board…" David went on before being cut off by Numbuh 2.
"Wait, you were in our ship?"
"...Well, yeah..."
"Guess that explains how he arrived here." Eddy mentioned.
"What were you doing in our ship!?" Numbuh 2 yelled.
"What were you doing in my neighborhood!?" David yelled back.
"Enough!" Numbuh 1 shouted to the both of them getting everyone's, including the Ed's attention "Listen, I know you have a lot of questions for us but right now our main priority is getting you out of here before we get caught, understood."
David acknowledges quietly with a nod.
"How much longer till we reach the top, Numbuh 3?" Numbuh 1 asked.
"Not much longer."
"Good, once we get out of here we'll explain everything to you, understood?" Numbuh 1 confirmed with David crossing his arms in aggravation leaning to the side.
Seeing his attitude, Double D seemed concerned for the young man's well being. "Is everything alright?"
"Not really." David sternly answered.
Once the elevator reached the top Numbuh 2 and 4 step out seeing if the close was clear. They give the order to proceed towards the exit for the rest of the Kids Next Door followed by David and the Ed's, racing out of the elevator in reaching the outside of the prison hold. So far everything seemed to go perfectly well for their escape.
"This was easier than I thought." Eddy remarked. Before too long the group had stumbled into a trap by police forces blocking their path from escaping. "Or not..."
"Well, well, well... look what we have here." A man possibly between mid 30's to early 40's with long red hair and goatee beard and amber eyes steps out from the crowd. "I was beginning to wonder when you five little brats would show up eventually." He said with a sinister smirk.
"Ali al-Saachez." Numbuh 1 muttered.
"In the flesh," The man, known as Ali al-Saachez replied, "it took me awhile to track you five down. Never thought I'd catch you all at once and during a breaking and entering at a prison no less. Talk about irony."
"Who is this guy?" David asked to the Ed's who only shrugged.
"He's Ali al-Saachez." Numbuh 5 answered for them.
"He's been tracking us down to locate our secret headquarters." Numbuh 1 added.
"We almost didn't make it back after the attack on our ship." Numbuh 2 also mentioned.
"Wait a minute…" David remembered something and steps forward to the police forces leader, "Hey, Saachez…!"
Saachez looked at the young man confused, "Hmm?"
"You're the one who almost got me killed!" David scowled.
"What are you talking about?" Saachez said, "I've never seen you before in my life."
"I was on their ship when you attacked and because of you I almost died."
"Doesn't bother me," He shrugs. "You resistance fighters seem all the same. What difference does it make if anyone of you lives or dies; I'm just hired to do my job. So how's this gonna go? Are you gonna turn yourselves in peacefully or will we have to do this the hard?"
The Kids Next Door remained hesitant of their situation while the Ed's cringed from behind standing close to David.
"What's the plan now, Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 5 asked to her leader contemplating for an idea to escape.
Three officers commence on arresting them, however are quickly taken out one by one from a tall thin 27 year old man with fluffy green hair and brown eyes dressed in a blue leisure suit over a yellow shirt and Lupin III inspired boots. This caught everyone's attention, including Saachez by surprise.
"Well, doesn't this seem a little unfair, using unnecessary force to oppressed unarmed citizens..."
David, and the rest of the group gazed upon the green haired man in shock, "Wh-who are you?" The young man asked.
Before the man could reply he quickly dodges an attack from another officer kicking him in the head, "You might wanna hold that thought if you and your friends here are trying to escape."
"Sir, look out!" Double D frantically yelped pointing from behind him to reveal Saachez, charging in to attack. He throws down his fists in rage but the man swiftly dodges them and strikes back using his hand-to-hand combat and kicking skills against the law enforcer leader.
"So you're Saachez, huh? You ain't bad for a sparring partner."
Saachez looked at him with a satisfying grin, "I can say the same for you punk."
They go all out with one another with the Ed's, the Kids Next Door, and the rest of the law enforcement watching in awe, with David breaking the silence, "What now?"
"We get out of here!" Numbuh 5 calls out getting the jump on one of the officers along with Numbuh's 1, 3, and 4 joining in to take out the rest.
"I'm way ahead of ya!" Numbuh 2 said calling in another transporting ship to arrive. A modified school bus with the letters KND painted in red on the side, a bulldozer shovel in front, a rocket strapped on back, one pair of wheels and three pairs of mechanical legs.
"C'mon you guys, let's hurry!" Numbuh 2 called getting on board the ship.
"You don't have to remind me twice." Eddy remarked eagerly racing on board, followed by David, Double D, and Ed.
"Wait what about him!" David said referring to the green haired man, still facing off with Saachez.
"No time!" Numbuh 2 called out.
Soon after, more officers begin showing up surrounding the area, leaving the rest of the Kids Next Door to finish up their fight before getting on board the ship. The green haired man glances over to the ship, seeing that's his only way of escaping before glancing back at Saachez, dodging another blow.
"Sorry to cut this short, but I have a bus to catch!"
He turns tail making a run towards the ship only for Numbuh 2 to close the door from getting in. This didn't stop him as he flips into the ship through one of the open windows, startling everyone except Numbuh 2 who dismays him in rejection. "Hey, you're not supposed to be on our..."
"Just shut up and take off already!"
The overweight boy flinches and instead of arguing, follows his command to take off into the air with the remaining officers, including Saachez, trying to shoot down the ship, but successful escape in the nick of time.
Saachez groans in frustration throwing his firearms to the ground, cursing, "Damnit!"
Once in the air, everyone seemed to feel relaxed from the excitement that went on during their escape from the prison hold. Eddy whipped the sweat off his brow in relief. "Man that was a close one, huh?"
"I'll say." Double D replied, "We wouldn't have made it out of there if it wasn't for, umm..."
"It's Spike." The green haired man introduced himself, "Spike Spiegel."
David gazed at Spike briefly before saying, "Hey, aren't you one of those Japanese cartoon characters?"
"Huh?" Spike respond.
"I believe you are referring to anime." Double D answered.
"Anime? What's that?" David asked.
"It's what you just called a Japanese cartoon." Eddy replied.
"I think I'll stick with Japanese cartoon instead."
"Don't call me a cartoon kid." Spike said rather miffed.
"Anime characters hate it when you call them cartoons." Double D informed.
"And I take it your name is David?" Spike said to the young man.
"That's right." David nodded, "Sorry if I offended you about what I said."
"It's no problem kid." Spike shrugged in response.
"Right, thanks for all your help Spike Spiegel, but this ship is strictly for Kids Next Door operatives only, no adults or teenagers are allowed on aboard." Numbuh 1 proclaimed.
"Jeez, this is the thanks I get for saving you back from the law enforcement; I should've just let them taken you in." Spike muttered.
"We could have taken them on by ourselves without your help." Numbuh 4 exclaimed.
"In any case, we'll allow this just once since you did help us escape." Numbuh 1 commented.
David turns his attention over to the Kids Next Door, demanding answers. "Alright, start talking... Just what is going on here? Why the law enforcement back in Cartoon Network city arrest me and why are they after you?"
"So the Ed's didn't tell ya huh?" Numbuh 5 uttered.
"Tell me what?"
"Cartoon Network city is no longer a place for us Cartoons." Numbuh 4 answered.
"What do you mean?"
"It's been taken over by an organization trying to eradicate all of Cartoon Network across the world taking everything we cartoons once had." Numbuh 1 explained.
After hearing what Numbuh 1 said, David turns his attention over towards the Ed's who looked shameful for what they've done. Double D steps forward to apologize.
"I'm real sorry we didn't tell you sooner David."
David looked at him with a disappointed look but calmly replies, "It's okay Double D. I don't blame you."
"You don't?" Double D said.
"I just blame Eddy." The young man suddenly added.
"What!?" Eddy yelled out. "Why are you blaming all this on me?"
"If you had told me in the first place what was really going on none of this would've happened. Double D tried to tell me and Ed only goes along with whatever you say to him.
"Yeah, but you said you wanted to go see Cartoon Network City."
"I would've understood at least instead of trying to lie to me."
"Man, looks like you just got owned." Numbuh 2 joked.
"Yeah, well… I ain't giving back your money." Eddy remarked.
"Who cares about a lousy five dollars? I don't want anything to do with this. I just want to be dropped off back at my home."
"No can do." Numbuh 5 replied.
"What do you mean?" David questioned.
"Unfortunately, things here in Fan Fiction are closed off tight. No one's getting in or out of this place."
"Wait, you're saying I can't leave?"
"Afraid so."
David throws his hands in the air in frustration, "Well this is just great. Not only did I get taken away from home and brought into this mess, but now I'm stuck here. All I just wanted to do is leave this place and go home."
"You mean, we're not friends anymore David?" Ed whimpered.
David looked at the Ed boy with shock as he tried calming him down, "No Ed, that's not what I meant. It's just I didn't want to get dragged into all this."
"We'll focus on your situation later. Right now we need to focus on reaching our headquarters." Numbuh 1 informed.
"Where're we going?" David asked.
Numbuh 1 replies, "To the Cartoon Network resistance."
And there you have it folks, chapter 4 complete! Sorry this took me longer to have it updated, needed to focus on my semester once a week for homework. I also apologize for the over usage of the term, 'green haired man' a bit, kind of difficult for me to call someone something else until introductions. Next chapter, we get things really down, with some questions answered and an introduction of our favorite classic Cartoon Network characters along with our villains. Hope you all enjoy.