~Chapter 4~

Barry was struggling desperately, but it was no use. The two big, spotty teenagers, who had grabbed him off the street and dragged him into the dark alley, were pinning him firmly against the damp brick wall. Their even bigger and dumber friend stood in front of him, leering menacingly and licking his right finger. He leaned forward and seized Barry's ear with this left hand, and…

"HEY!"

The three teenagers froze. Fanny Fullbright stepped out of the shadows a few yards away.

"Three against one, that's hardly fair." She smiled and cracked her knuckles. "On YOU, that is. Now, which one of you pizza-faced poop-heads is going down first?"

The teenagers released him and started backing away slowly. Fanny took a sudden step forward, and they turned and fled into the night.

Barry sighed with relief. "Thanks, Fanny," he smiled, "that was just in time."

Fanny walked up to him "Come on," she smiled. "Like I'd let some stupid teenagers mess with my BOYFRIEND." She seized the front of his jacket and pulled him closer, her green eyes playful, and puckered her lips for a smooch …

And then she started to shake him vigorously. "Barry," she hissed, in Eggy's voice. "Barry."

"Huh … what,… " Barry woke up and stared at the dark figure of Eggy, looming over him. "Eggy?"

"Quiet, you moron," Eggy hissed. "Get dressed, quickly." He turned around and started to shake Kyle in the neighbouring bunk.

"All right Eggy, what's going on," Barry said, as Kyle started to mutter and sit up in bed. "It's stonking dark outside, what time is it?" Barry was feeling unusually cranky about being woken up. He couldn't remember what he'd been dreaming, but he knew it had been a good dream.

"It's 10.45 and we're going out after the cards."

"What, now?"

"Yes, now! Ms. Green is sleeping, it's our only chance."

"Out there?" Kyle squeaked. "In the woods? No way!"

"What?" The dark silhouette of Egbert spun around and faced Kyle. "What did you say?"

"I said "No way"" Kyle said, unusually firmly. "It's dark out there … and there's bears and cougars and ghosts and … I'm not going."

"Yes, Eggy, this is crazy," Barry said. "Never mind the cougars, you want us to run around in a dark forest in the middle of the night? We'll get lost or sprain an ankle for real. Go back to bed."

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Somehow Eggy managed to whisper in capitals. "THERE'S THREE THOUSAND YIPPER CARDS OUT THERE, JUST FOR THE TAKING. We can get more candy than we've ever dreamed of, and you're just "Oh, it's dark, there's bears and cougars, we're tired, it's no use". But all right! You COWARDS can just stay here, while I go and collect the Yipper cards. But DON'T expect me to share with you!"

And then Egbert opened the window and slipped quietly into the night. A few moments later Kyle could see his flashlight move around between the trees.

"You … you think he'll be all right?" Kyle asked.

"Who cares," Barry muttered from his bunk. "Jerk."

XXX

Numbuh Thirteen's personal log. 10.55 PM

Not only is the terrain hostile, the trees are the entirely wrong sort for building a shelter. I tried for four hours without success. Fortunately, my outdoor skills are great as ever, and I have found a cave to spend the night in instead. It's a bit dark and smelly and I can't see a thing, but I've found a nice warm furry boulder to sleep on.

Wait a minute … boulders aren't furry …

They don't growl either…

Oh crud.

Numbuh Thirteen out!

XXX

Eggy was still furious as he was stomping through the dark forest, sweeping the ground in front of him with his flashlight looking for the path that would lead to the old treehouse. What a couple of sissies! Maybe when he got back to school and sold the Yipper Cards, he'd use the candy to recruit some better gang members, and Barry and Kyle could go suck eggs. Yeah! That'd show them.

Suddenly he froze. Was that … Oh, yes. There was the path, narrow but clear, leading through a small moonlit clearing in just the right direction. He cracked a triumphant smile, and took a step forward …

And then a dark figure came crashing out of the night, bowled him over and landed on top of him.

"AAAAAH," Egbert stared into the pale, panicky face of his assailant in the light. He got a short glimpse of horn-rimmed glasses, protruding teeth with braces and freckles under a saucepot helmet with the number "13" on it. Then the other boy jumped up, stomping painfully on his chest in the process, and sprinted out in the darkness again.

"YOU JERK!" Egbert screamed. He got up and shook a fist in the other boy's general direction. "I'LL GIVE YOU SOY SAUCE IN YOUR ROLL!"

Then suddenly, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His intellect caught up with his instincts and told him that the "13" boy had been fleeing from something. Something that HE probably wouldn't like to meet either.

He was half way up the nearest tree, when the huge, angry cougar came crashing into the clearing.

It is not good for a boy to be alone – neither for Barry nor Eggy it would seem. Will Egbert O'Reilly's career as a criminal mastermind come to an untimely end as a nighttime snack? Read on in the next chapter – but leave a review first.

I hope the dream sequence was all right and didn't get too confused. As I have hinted in earlier stories, Barry is beginning to develop a bit of a crush on Numbuh 86. This is going to be a plot point in my next story, if I get around to writing it.

FYI the "Soy Sauce in Your Roll" comment is a pre-asskicking one liner from the classic Danish superhero parody "Brødrene Bisp" (the Bishop Brothers) from 1986 – two guys who, when evil was afoot, would dress up as bishops, complete with mithras, robes and staffs and drive to battle in their black Volvo Amazon (the coolest car ever produced in Scandinavia). To see the brothers and their Volvo in action, look for "voldsom volvo" on YouTube. (And yes, the concept is cribbed from Monty Python's "The Bishop" sketch - it's not only in fan fiction you should only steal from the best.)