Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo and Stitch.
All right, no more jumping around in the time stream. Now, everything will happen a lot closer together.
Chapter 8: Trapped
The six of them got Jumba, and they all sat down with the Council Woman.
"With Apollyon and all the Leroy's gone, Hamsterviel can do whatever he wants. I am sure that his first move will be revenge, so you need to keep a good lookout. I will send all of my ships out searching for him. I will also be sending Gantu to patrol the area around Earth, so you have someone you can trust watching your back. I have to get going now and talk with the Council: good luck." The line disconnected, and Jumba turned to the others.
"This is being an interesting predicament." He said.
"We have to tell the experiments." Lilo said. "They need to be ready."
"What about our kids?" Angel asked.
"She has a point." Leroy pointed out. "I don't believe any of us has actually told our kids the truth about what truly went on before they were born. I know we've been trying to protect them from it, from an evil and horror filled past, but they need to know now. They need to know the truth, and I think they're old enough to handle it."
"I think that whether they are told or not is up to whoever it will affect the most." Stitch said.
"I concur." Lilo agreed. Everyone turned to Skipper.
"I don't know." He said. He thought or a minute, before sighing heavily. "I may not like it, but you're right: they have the right to know, and they're old enough to handle it."
"I say we tell them the story first, and then announce Hamsterviel to the rest." Angel said.
"Ok. Lilo and I will round up the kids." Stitch said. "The rest of you stay here so that we won't have to find you later." They took the lift down, and ran into Reuben and Kairi, who were at the bottom of the lift with a laptop.
"What are you doing?" Lilo asked. Reuben swiftly closed the laptop and looked up at them.
"Nothing." He said innocently. Stitch held out his hand, and Reuben handed him the laptop with a heavy sigh. Stitch opened it and chuckled.
"So, you hacked the communication. Where'd you learn that?"
"Leroy."
Lilo smiled. "Well, go upstairs and wait with everyone else; we have a lot to talk about." Stitch handed him the laptop back, and Reuben and Kairi went up the lift.
It took almost fifteen minutes to round all the kids up: they were spread out quite a bit through the crowd. After making sure they had all the kids, Lilo and Stitch went back to the room, which was now slightly crowded. Skipper stood on top of one of the beds, and quieted everyone down.
"Ok, we have something we need to tell you, so sit down and be quiet." The kids did as they were told, and Skipper sat down on the bed. "The adults here, your parents, have decided that it is time you knew the truth about how we all met and go together. I want you to hold your questions until the end, and just listen. Our story starts out almost seventeen years ago, when I first came to the island. When I did, Leroy was in a high security prison, Angel and Stitch were dating, and Lilo, Victoria, and myself were still human." He then launched into the story of everything that had happened between his arrival, and the birth of their kids. The story took quite some time to tell, longer then anyone had expected. At the end, the kids sat silently, all trying to grasp what they had been told.
"We never told you before, because frankly, some of us were far too ashamed of what we had done, and we didn't want to burden you with it. But we decided that it was time you knew the truth." He fell silent, waiting for someone to say something. Reuben stood up and cleared his throat.
"I don't know about all that stuff, but I do know that as long as I've been around, you've been the best father a kid could have. It doesn't matter to me what you've done, because I still love you as my dad." Reuben walked up to Skipper, and they hugged.
"Group hug everyone, come on." Kairi called. A minute later, everyone present, even Jumba, was in one giant hug.
"Thanks guys." Skipper said. "Unfortunately, we have pressing matters to attend to."
"Kairi and I already know about Hamsterwheel dad." Reuben said. "I hacked the transmission."
"Where'd you learn that?" Angel asked.
"Uncle Leroy. He was the other tutor I picked."
Skipper chuckle. "Figures. Kids got too much of me in him for his own good. Fine, but what the rest of you don't know, is that Hamsterviel has cloned himself, and that clone has now fully matured. Not only that, but he has the Leroy's back under his command, and has fixed their weakness. We figure that his first move will be revenge, and then conqueror the galaxy."
"What do we do?" Cynra asked.
"We wait and let him make the first move." Stitch said. "Once he does, we can beat back any assault he throws at us, and then hunt him down in Jumba's ship."
"Just as long as we come along." Jim said.
"Yeah." Kairi piped up. "You aren't gonna leave us behind in this."
"We can figure that out when the time comes." Skipper said. "Right now, we need to tell the other experiments about this. After that, we need to start setting up lookouts and stuff."
"I'll go talk to the experiments." Lilo said. "You guys just get home and get ready." She left quickly, and Stitch glanced around.
"We need to set up a buddy system." He said. "No one goes anywhere without someone else."
"I'm with Kairi." Reuben said, making Stitch growl.
"I'm with Laura." Jim said.
"I get Jacque." Andrew said.
"Then I guess I get Maggie and Cynra." Kara said.
"I meant inside your own family." Stitch said.
Skipper pulled Stitch aside. "Look, I don't like it much either, but we need the kids to feel safe, and we want them to be happy, right?" Stitch nodded. Skipper turned back to the kids. "Ok, so now we need to split you guys up. Who do you want to go with?" The groups huddled together for a moment, before turning back.
"Kairi and I want to go with my parents." Reuben said, making Stitch growled louder.
"We'll go with Stitch." The female trio said.
"We'll take Leroy." Laura said.
"We don't really care." Jacque said. "Andrew and I'll go with anyone."
The parents gathered in a circle and started whispering
"I want Kairi with me." Stitch growled.
"Why, so you can toss my son out a window when you think he's 'making a move' on her? I don't think so." Skipper growled back.
Angel stepped between them. "Guys, stop it now. Stitch, do you really think I'd let my son do anything with your daughter? Huh?" Stitch's ears dropped and he shook his head. "Ok, then they're coming with us. The other's are fine, and Jacque and Andrew can come with us: another two pairs of eyes watching Reuben should make you feel safer, right?" Stitch nodded.
"Ok guys, everyone gets their choice, and Andrew and Jacque are going with us." Skipper said.
Lilo came back in and looked around. "Is it all figured out?" Stitch nodded. "The experiments are cleaning up now, so we actually don't have to do anything. Let's just go home and get some blasters; it'll make me feel safer."
Everyone gave one last look at each other, and went off to the house and adults they had chosen.
Raaro
Hamsterviel had made it back to Raaro in one piece, with the Leroys, thanks to the help of Apollyon and his experiments. They had broken out the Leroys first: after freeing them from prison, Tams had used a specially enhanced transporter to get everyone off safely. After Hamsterviel had paid them and they had double-checked the data, they had let him go. He had successfully cured them of their weakness, and was now attempting to figure out a plan.
"What I need to do is get some information on that little Hawaiian girl and her pesky experiments. This plan will be my most genius yet!" He stroked his chin for a moment. "My first bit of revenge will be against that Skipper: he has never been anything but trouble, and will be the one who ends up hunting me down. Then that original Leroy, but he still has the weakness, so that should be easy enough. What I need to do is find someone close to him: someone he'd be willing to risk everything for. However, in order to know that, I need information!" He started pacing back and forth again, trying to figure things out. After a few minutes, he snapped his fingers. "I've got it! I can hack into the inferior satellites the pesky Earthlings have, and use that to spy on all of them!" He jumped on his computer, and started the hack.
"Ha, too easy." He said. He soon repositioned the satellite above his target: Kauai. He searched for them, and found what he was looking for. "Well, there is that stupid Skipper, and 624. Oh, they have children, how wonderful! Hm, three boys and a girl: the girl is the key!" He shouted to himself. "Every story has the father rushing out to save his precious daughter. Then, if I can capture 624, I bet I can get 626 to come: he undoubtedly has feelings for her." He was about to continue searching, when the satellite feed broke up and stopped. "Stupid technology. Leroys! We are moving out now! With good timing, we can land on Earth under cover of darkness. Half an hour later, the ship was going through hyperspace towards its unsuspecting targets.
Kauai
Skipper and Angel were cooking dinner for the four that they had. Stitch called constantly to make sure his daughter was ok. After the tenth call, Angel told him to stop calling or she'd go spank him into the next century. Funnily enough, he hadn't called for over two hours. The kids were pretty much keeping to themselves, not really all that worried about the possible threat of Hamsterviel.
"Before we head to bed, I want to make sure everything is locked up tight." Skipper said. "I don't want to take any chances."
"Because the locks are definitely going to stop them." Angel said.
"It'll make me feel a little safer. Besides, it'll give me an excuse to check on the kids."
"You're starting to sound like Stitch." The got the food on the table, and called the kids to eat. When they were younger, dinner used to take about a minute. But with Nani's teaching of manners, they had started eating nicely and slowly.
"So kids, if you hear anything during the night, make sure to wake either Angel or myself. If needed, there are a few weapons around the house."
"Don't worry dad." Reuben said. "I don't think anyone wants to mess with you, mom, and your kick butt karate."
"You're not so bad yourself big R." Kairi said, causing Reuben to blush slightly. Dinner finished quickly, and everyone lent a hand in cleaning up. Afterwards, since it was only seven, they sat down to watch Pleakly's fashion show. It was more to kill time, but everyone stayed for the whole two hours.
"And remember, if you need some emergency fashion tips, call our hot line at 555-HELP. You've been a wonderful audience; good night, and see you next week." The show ended, and Skipper turned off the TV.
"I'm going to bed early." He said.
"I think we should all head to bed." Angel said. "It's been a long few days with Christmas, and we need to be awake for tomorrow." The kids nodded, slightly unhappy, but obeyed. Since Reuben and Jim shared a room, he let Andrew and Jacque sleep in there on the beds. He and Kairi went to Cynra's room, which was a merciful color of orange instead of pink. Reuben started lying on the floor, and Kairi stopped him.
"You get the bed she said. It's your house."
Reuben snorted. "So? You're the lady, you get the bed."
Kairi looked at him for a moment. "How do we settle this?" She asked.
"We have a fight; loser takes the bed."
"Rules?"
Reuben thought for a moment. "Karate and wrestling only."
Kairi nodded and took a stance. "I'm ready when you are."
Reuben mimicked her stance. "Let's just try not to knock over any of my sister's stuff: she'll get pissed." They stood still for a moment, and then charged each other and started dueling.
Upstairs, Skipper and Angel were busy brushing their teeth, when they heard a small crash downstairs. "Don't worry." Skipper said. "That'll be Reuben and Kairi fighting over the bed."
"I thought Reuben would give it to her." Angel said, crawling under the covers.
"He wants to, and Kairi wants to give it to him." Skipper said, locking the windows.
Downstairs, Kairi had Reuben pinned to the ground, and looked at him. "No fair." She said. "You lost on purpose."
Reuben gave a small shrug. "So?" They kissed each other on the lips for a minute, and then Kairi stood up.
"I'll go get a pillow from the couch. I also need a drink, so don't wait up for me." She walked out of the room and down to the kitchen.
Back upstairs, Angel turned to face Skipper. "Honey, you're not going to sleep with how tense you are. You need to relax."
"I am relaxed." Skipper said. Angel reached under his pillow, where his hand was, and wrenched the blaster from him.
"Then why do you have this?" She asked, tossing it aside.
"Security. Like I said, I'm completely relaxed."
Angel sighed and closed her eyes. "Just as long as you get some sleep."
"I'm not sure I can with such a beautiful angel by my side." He said with a smile.
"Sleep!" She ordered, trying to hide her own wide smile.
Downstairs, Kairi slowly padded through the house. She checked on Andrew and Jacque first, and they were both sound asleep. She had the urge to check on Angel and Skipper, but if they were having… fun, the last thing she wanted was to walk in. The last one she checked on was Reuben. She smiled at how peaceful and happy he looked. "He doesn't even snore." She said with a slight smile. She pulled out her lower arms and made sure her little device was there. It had been a gift from Sparky when he was teaching her; he called it a Lightning Box. It was capable of producing a small number of large charges, overloading anything or anyone; she never went anywhere without it. After pulling her arms back in, she walked back down the hall, and quietly slipped out the door. Once a little ways from the house, she took off at a steady jog, and didn't stop until she was on the beach. When she was, she laid on her back and looked at the stars. It was something she had enjoyed doing since she was eight, and snuck out often at night to look at them for a bit. She felt bad for deceiving Skipper and Reuben, but what they didn't know couldn't hurt them. She dug herself into the sand a bit, and put her arms behind her head.
"Move and die." A sinister voice said. She felt the point of a blaster on the top of her head, and stayed still. A few moments later, she was tied up and gagged, sitting in front of Hamsterviel and the Leroy clones.
"Don't worry, you will see your daddy soon. I'm sure he will be only too happy to come down here himself and save you." Hamsterviel chuckled. "Too bad for him it is a trap. Of course, he will want proof that it is you." He took out a camera and snapped a quick picture. He then tossed the digital camera to one of the clones. "Deliver it to him with the message. As for you dear, you will come and be our… guest. I will of course make sure that none of the Leroy's takes advantage of you." She felt the back of a blaster hit her head, and she fell into darkness.
Back at Skipper's house, everyone but Skipper was sound asleep. He slowly slipped out of Angel's loving arms and padded through the house. He wasn't going to bother checking on the kids yet: he was sure they were fine. When he got to the kitchen, he heard a light knock on the door. He opened it, and was surprised at who he found.
"Leroy!" He whispered, thinking it was the original. "When'd you change your fur back?" He stepped outside and shut the door, and the clone smiled.
"I'm not the original, I'm a clone. Not a word!" He ordered as Skipper opened his mouth to shout. "I have a message for you from Hamsterviel: he says to meet him at Old Point Hill, you know where it is? Just nod or shake your head." Skipper nodded. It was the hill where the stadium had originally been: it was actually quite large. "He says if you ever want to see your daughter alive, you'll come alone. Got it?"
"How do I know you have my daughter?" He asked. The clone showed him the picture.
"Now you know." He said, before taking off without a sound.
"Kairi?" He asked. "The satellite!" Cobra had called him not long ago, and told him to track a satellite that had moved out of orbit. He had found that someone had been watching him and the kids on their way back from the party: Hamsterviel thought that Kairi was his daughter, and not Stitch's.
"I have a lot to think about." He whispered, walking back into the house.
Skipper didn't get anymore sleep that night: Kairi's capture wouldn't let him. Now he had to face Hamsterviel and an entire Leroy army by himself, since he couldn't let Kairi injured because of him. He didn't realize the time pass, until Angel walked in the kitchen yawning.
"Hey." She said, kissing his cheek. "How long have you been up?"
Skipper shrugged. "I never fell asleep, actually."
Angel sighed as she started making breakfast. "I had a feeling you wouldn't. So the kids survived then?"
Skipper nodded. "Yeah. Kairi took off with… Cynra to go see how Stitch was doing, and so he wouldn't worry too much."
Angel sat down by Skipper, sighing. "Skip, I've known you long enough to know when you're hiding something from me."
Skipper looked at her sadly. "Do you trust me?" He asked.
Angel looked at him, and then nodded. "Yeah, I do." After a moment, Skipper stood up and looked at the clock: it was only six.
"I'm going to go see if Jumba's found anything yet." Skipper said. "I'll be back later." He left the house, and wandered off into the woods to think. When he was sure no one was around, he started pacing and talking to himself.
"It's obviously a trap, and I'm going to end up against all the clones. I have a feeling that Hamsterviel won't let Kairi go after he kills me, so I need a plan, and I need one fast. Unfortunately, any plan I make will probably involve Stitch, Angel, or both. I don't know if I can tell them, but I need a plan before I start." He sat on the ground, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander. He went over everything he had learned from Jumba, Lilo, Stitch, Angel… everyone and everything. He sat there for an hour before he heard someone coming through the trees. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was Jumba.
"624 called and said you were probably out here." He said sitting down across from Skipper. "What is troubling you so much?"
Skipper sighed, and then told him what had happened and what he was trying to do. "I need everybody's help, but I don't have a way to keep them from getting noticed by Hamsterviel and the Leroys. If I could turn them invisible, then I could try. But then I'd have to face Stitch and Reuben."
Jumba smiled. "You may not have a way, but I do. Experiment 604."
That's when it dawned on Skipper. "Houdini!"
Jumba nodded. "Exactly. Now all you need is help and a plan."
Skipper jumped up. "You tell the experiments. I have to go tell Stitch's family and mine, and then I'll figure out a plan. Hamsterviel will wish he had never crossed us.
Noon
Hamsterviel sat tapping his foot on the ground. He had a weapon with him, an Earth one, in case things went wrong: it would ensure they came after him. However, he would worry about that later. He shaded his eyes, and saw Skipper walk up to the top of the mountain.
"You came alone?" Hamsterviel called. He and his clones were sitting at the bottom.
"Ask your clones Hamsterwheel."
"HAMSTERVIEL!!" He shouted in reply. After a quick spot check, the Leroys told him it was clear. "You know you can't escape my clone army."
"I don't want to. I'm going to fight you, and make you pay for taking Kairi."
Hamsterviel laughed. "You and what army?"
Skipper smiled coldly. "This one." He charged down the hill, roaring at the top of his lungs. Hamsterviel smiled, and was about to coolly tell the clones to finish him, when the yelling started to echo and grow. Suddenly, the other experiments were appearing at the top of the hill, charging down as fast as they could, but none could catch Skipper, who was like lighting.
"Get them! GET THEM!" Hamsterviel yelled. The Leroys charged at the experiments.
Skipper was still yelling, his blood and anger boiling over, but with his evil side gone, he still had control. Stitch and Reuben, both were only five feet behind Skipper, and they had the most fearfully looks on them, as they charged with their extra appendages out. Skipper was twenty feet ahead of everyone else; his lower arms blasted out from his side, and he dove into the Leroy ranks. A moment later, the sides clashed together.
The battle had truly begun.
