Hola! I'm really sorry for the really late update! I was on a trip.

I was wondering...I wrote a few extra oneshots(Not as good as Shark Bait, unfortunately) that I don't know what to do with. Should I make a collection of oneshots? Like I said, I was just wondering.

So far, the only thing in this fic that's gone according to plan is that everyone who was supposed to survive for this long has. (Example:The Hyena wasn't supposed to get kidnapped, Anthony was supposed to have only one appearance, etc...I'm serious. The kids were supposed to get their pizza.)

R&R!

Enjoy~

The Hyena traveled down that dark, smelly passageway. Twice she had to skirt around disembodied...things. She managed to keep her cool, though, until a cockroach dropped from the ceiling and landed in her hair. She let out a faint cry of disgust as she swatted it away, but continued along the stone path.

After what seemed like several hours of walking, the Hyena spotted a low doorway with soft light seeping through. It was still bright enough that it was hard to see anything outside, so, squinting and holding a hand up to her eyes, she stepped through-

-Right onto a large, precariously balanced pile of rocks overlooking a desert. The Hyena yelped as the pile shifted. Combined with the shifting rocks and the fact that she was stuck in the middle of the desert with no transportation, she almost wanted to go back into the horrible tunnel.

No! The Hyena told herself furiously. I can't give up now. I'm already this far, and El Escorpion could come at any moment. I have to keep moving. With that firmly stuck in her mind, the Hyena managed to jump down from the pile, then started sprinting out into the desert. She kept an eye open for anything that could prove to be a suitable shelter, in case El Escorpion or Dr. Xavier showed up, or if it got too hot to continue. Once, she thought she saw a nice big hole, but soon a small feathery head popped out and glared at her with unblinking yellow eyes. Despite the situation, The Hyena had to laugh and shake her head at the tiny burrowing owl. It was just too cute to cause problems, which the Hyena liked about people. And animals. Just like the NERDS right now. She sighed to herself. They wouldn't stand a chance against that assassin..Which is why I need to get back as soon as possible.

Diana hurried out of the holding cell just in time to see El Escorpion stomping down the hallway, a whip in his hand. He made no attempt to talk, just pushed past her. Diana shifted her weight from one foot to another, trying to decide. Finally, she made up her mind just as El Escorpion was pushing open the door. "Wait!" She called after him. But it was too late. He had gone through and seen that the girl had escaped. A tense silenced stretched for a second. Two seconds. Three. Diana watched the door nervously, biting her lip.

A furious roar sounded from in the room, causing Diana to wince. A passing henchman gave her and the door a curious look, but she waved him past. The more who knew she was near when the incident happened the more likely that her plans would fail-and she had worked on them far too long for them to fail. Not now. Not when she was so close to destroying-

The door slammed open, and Diana shrank back. El Escorpion walked out, looking surprisingly calm considering his recent outburst.

Diana took a hesitant step forward. "I tried to tell you. She escaped right after you left."

El Escorpion gave her a sharp look. "No one escapes me!" He rasped.

Diana shrugged. "We had a little time to analyze the situation. It seems that she both inside and outside help."

El Escorpion's frown grew deeper, causing his now misshapen jaw to pop. "Why am I only being told of this now, if you had that much time?" He growled.

"We couldn't find you...Besides, we needed to find her...location, before you go running off"

El Escorpion rolled his eyes and sighed. "There's only one way out of that room, and it leads straight into the desert. No places to hide, no one can run fast enough to get anywhere for a good few hours. I could find her easily! So, tell me...WHY WOULD YOU NEED THE GIRL'S LOCATION!?"

Diana held his gaze unflinchingly. "Because she didn't run away. She had a jet waiting for her. Last time I checked, they were crossing over Oklahoma. The jet should arrive in Arlington any minute now." She lied easily.

El Escorpion turned to go, then stopped. "One more thing," he said smoothly, studying Diana. "Who was this 'inside help?' I want to have a little...talk...with them."

Diana fought her urge to smile. This is the perfect chance! "We think it was Dr. Xavier-the intelligent one. He was here just moments ago. I think he escaped to the storage room." She indicated to the hallway opposite the one El Escorpion was about to go down.

El Escorpion sneered. "Is that so? Well, I was going to talk with him anyway." He glanced down that way. "Arty, I'm going to need you on standby. Stay in the control room until I get back, and lock up the storage room. No one gets in...or out."

He tapped one of the speakers on the wall. "Get my jet ready. Put my van on board, and I'll need some things... What? Oh, you know, rope, cloth, my special handkerchief, standard protocol. Yes, that will be all." He tapped the wall again.

Diana dug around in her pocket. "Wait," she said. "You can use this to track her. I already have everything imputed-all you have to do now is follow the dot." Actually, it was supposed to track the com-link belonging to the leader of the NERDS team, but El Escorpion didn't need to know that. It was crucial that The Hyena get to the NERDS before El Escorpion. It was all part of the plan.

...~*~*~...

Diana leaned forward as she watched the monitors, her strikingly white hair falling over her face. El Escorpion had landed in Arlington, Virginia. She frowned. That took less time that she expected. Oh, well. If her little present was any good, he wouldn't get anywhere else too quickly. She turned to the henchman standing next to her. "Did you put the package on board the van like I asked?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She smiled. "Good. I need one more favor. Prepare a jet. In the desert, somewhere West of the Fortress, you will find a girl by the name of the Hyena. Take her to Arlington as well. Do not inform El Escorpion. Instead, drop her off at Thomas Knowlton Middle School. Then report back here, and do not tell anyone where you were or what you were doing."

The henchman gave her a fearful glance. "The Hyena? B-but the boss..."

Diana leaned close to his face. "The boss isn't here, is he? And while he isn't here, I'm in charge. Now, unless you want to end up in the holding cell with a knife in your gut..." She hissed warningly.

The henchman swallowed nervously. "Y-yes ma'am. Right away." He left in a rush, talking into a phone.

Diana smiled and turned back to the monitors. "You've been in power for too long, El Escorpion. I'm going to squash you like the bug you are."

She giggled, then started to laugh. Soon it turned into an outright cackle. Oh, her employer would have been proud! Everything is coming together so nicely!

"Are we there yet?" Flinch asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

Anthony didn't even try to answer this time. He just gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Does it look like we're there?" Matilda grumped. "I don't know where we're going, but I'm pretty sure the car would stop if we were there."

"But the car's stopped a bunch of times." Flinch pointed out.

Matilda frowned at this. "True...Anthony, are we there yet?"

They (Anthony, the kids, and Vlad) were in Anthony's car, driving to Pizza Hut. After hours of waiting, some questioning, bribery, and a fair bit of complaining, Anthony had decided that this Hyena person wasn't going to come to them, so they should go find her. First, though, he had to do something that needed to be done a while ago.

"Not yet. Look. How about we play the Quiet game? First person to talk loses," Anthony said, trying to watch the kids and keep his eyes on the road at the same time.

Jackson piped up from the very back, where he was sitting with Duncan. "Hey! Mom used to love that game!"

Anthony smiled and look sideways at Jackson. "Really?" I can imagine why. Mine did too.

"Yeah," Jackson confirmed. "We used to play it all the time, but I don't know what the prize is if you win, because I never won."

Anthony swerved to avoid a black van that came at him a little too close for his liking. Vlad yelped as he was thrown into the side door. "Sorry, buddy." Anthony scratched his dog behind the ears, then looked back. "Okay, if everyone knows how to play, the Quiet game starts now!"

Everyone sans Heathcliff clamped their mouth shut tight. He had been strangely quiet throughout the entire trip, and had not opened his mouth in the first place.

After about ten more minutes of silent driving, Anthony finally pulled into the parking lot for Pizza Hut. He looked back at everyone else. "Okay, now," Anthony said. "I have to go drop something off. Any requests for a drink or something? We have a long drive ahead of us. Yes, Ruby? No, it's OK. You can talk for a second."

Ruby, who wanted to say something so badly Anthony thought she might burst, took a gasping breath. "Aunty!" She shrieked.

Anthony froze. "What?"

Ruby stared straight at him, her eyes wide. "We're being followed! We're being followed by an assassin!"

Sorry to cut it off there, but I thought it was a nice little point for that purpose. I'm just going to take right now to say that I'm probably going to wrap this story up in three or four chapters(not including the epilogue). If you were tired of this and wanting to see the ending, you're welcome. If you really wanted this to continue for longer than a few chapters, then I'm sorry. If enough people want me too, I can throw in a roadblock that would double that number, but it's whatever you guys want.

A little insight as to what the Hyena is up too, and we're adding a third POV to the list you can expect to see. Not sure if Diana is here to stay, though...

I love the Quiet game, don't you? It comes in handy in babysitting.

Review, please! They make me so happy.

LoL,

~Riverstone