I spent the entire night and day thinking non-stop about Betty Jetty's words. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I ended up writing predictions instead of taking notes for my maths test. My maths teacher wasn't very happy.
As soon as I arrived home, I dashed upstairs (well, I couldn't really dash; I had a crutch) and headed into my room. I flopped onto my soft bed, reaching my hand under my desk. My silver laptop felt smooth beneath my fingertips as I pulled it out. I turned it on, the bright screen illuminating the room. I quickly opened Google Chrome and clicked on Poptropica, via the 'recently visited' page.
I was about to log in as Fierce Fox, when I hesitated. Maybe she's not the best to use right now. Instead, I pressed 'new player' and made a random, new account. It was then I began to wonder what happened to new Poptropicans when their creators didn't make an account. I almost didn't want to know.
My new little Poptropican poofed onto Home Island, where she was greeted by Amelia. I skipped over the dialogue and climbed into my blimp. I flew straight to Super Power Island.
I completed the island again, which felt surprisingly odd. It was how I used to play… Watching the danger rather than experiencing it. At the end, with the flying chase, I was convinced everything was totally normal. At least I thought. At the very end, right when Betty Jetty was captured, a note dropped out of her pocket. I couldn't pick it up for an unidentified reason. However, I saw two words:
Capture Alice.
Fierce Fox and I arrived on Spy Island, via her blimp. Spy Island is a modern island, with many metal buildings and whirring machines. The sky is black with shining stars and clouds, while the ground is thick metal. Fierce Fox and I landed on a semi-sphere shaped barber, and slipped off a lamp post. I led the two of us to Headquarters, which is a gigantic metal building.
Inside is completely silver, like every spy's dream come true. Metal platforms are everywhere, connected with wires and futuristic gadgets. I peered upwards, knowing that we would have to jump up there. A lot of my fear for jumping had been conquered, though I still felt a tad. But it wasn't really all for the jumping. It was for what was up there.
"Up there is Director D," I explained to Fierce Fox. "Believe it or not, he's actually the main antagonist for this island. He's just pretending to be good. And he has a little secret- he's bald. He wants to make everyone else bald so they feel his 'pain'."
"Should we attack him?" Fierce Fox asked, making a fist.
I shook my head. "Not yet. We need to talk to him and he'll give us spy information. Then we need to go and complete the island." I bent my knees, my legs leaving the shiny floor. Fierce Fox followed me as we leaped to the top, where Director D was. He was standing in front of a large computer screen, showing images of diagrams. His eyes would not leave me as we stood in front of him. A little smirk appeared on his face.
"I'm Director D. Head of the Secret Operations." Director D introduced himself, his gaze not leaving me.
"Do you have anything for us?" I asked, the words feeling right. It just felt like... I was meant to say them.
"You'll need this decoder kit to decode messages from other agents." Director D answered, handing me a decoding kit. The smile on his face was still there as we bid a brief goodbye.
"Let's go," I said to Fierce Fox, as we exited Headquarters. A nervous chill rushed up my spine. I was getting a bad feeling... I was so apprehensive that I almost smashed my face right into the Spyglass Eye wear store. Conveniently, it was the store we needed to enter. It has cream bricks, with a big mustache and glasses sticking out the front. "It's bigger on the inside." I pointed out. Fierce Fox seemed to agree.
Just like I pointed out, it's certainly bigger on the inside. The wallpaper is the mustache and glasses as prints, as well as many mannequins with glasses. A man with glasses was at the desk, with a pole gripped in his hand.
"Now," I spoke up, staring at Fierce Fox. "Go and do the eye test with him. When he points to one, do the opposite one facing it. So if he points to three, you point to E, and vice versa. Same with M and W. Once he does that, go outside and jump up to the building above this. The guy in there will give you the chameleon suit, which allows you to blend in with your surroundings." I finished. I suddenly realized there were TWO of us. Only one would be able to go on the mission!
As if she had read my thoughts, Fierce Fox asked, "What about you?"
I bit my lip. "I'm afraid you're going solo on this one. There's only one chameleon suit, which you will be using. I'll explain the rest of the mission to you once you've got the suit." I gestured to the man, and waddled outside. Of course, I felt a bit guilty letting Fierce Fox do everything on her own. But Poptropicans are supposed to do things on their own... Especially players. Besides, she's Fierce Fox... She'll survive. Come on Alice, be ambitious!
A little smile formed on my face. Of course, at that point in time, there were many questions in my head. Some full of concern and others full of curiosity. But even if I never got an answer, I knew it would all be okay... possibly. I hadn't been positive for such a long time because-
"Ehem." somebody cleared their throat. A pair of glowing eyes in the dark startled me. The eyes moved, revealing a Poptropican body.
"Oh! Fierce Fox!" I cried, suddenly realizing who it was.
"So, what now?" Fierce Fox asked. I grinned.
After explaining to Fierce Fox about sneaking into B.A.D's HQ to save a spy, I sneaked off the opposite direction to the B.A.D Bistro on Balding Avenue- note the foreshadowing. The B.A.D Bistro looks surprisingly innocent for a villain restaurant; a large bowl of spaghetti on the roof and glowing windows. Plus, me, a good guy, is totally allowed inside.
Inside has a similar appearance to a normal restaurant: pictures; checkered floor; tasty smells. I rushed past the wooden tables and the quad of villains, trying not to shiver. I headed straight into the kitchen, where the chef roams around, carrying a wooden spoon. The kitchen is very normal too: boiling pots; foods; a white layout.
"I'd like to apply for the job." I said to the chef.
"Excellent! There's just one test you'll need to pass," the chef replied. "A good chef must have a good memory." He pointed to a little table, which has a selection of cooking staples. "Watch carefully and remember the order of the ingredients." Using his spoon, he pointed to each cooking staple in a particular order. I watched very fiercely, straining my memory. Once he was finished, I replayed the scene in my head, pointing at the staples.
The chef started again, nudging each one gently with his spoon. I copied his exact movements, feeling awfully proud of my memory. I don't have the greatest memory in the world, after all. The chef did his final memory round; I completed that successfully. He grinned.
"Very good! You're hired!" the chef exclaimed, placing a chef hat on my head. I tapped it with my finger, expressing a small grin. My grin vanished when I realized what table I had to go to.
Reluctantly, I headed outside to the villains' table, where they were laughing and chatting. One of them looked at me, with a stern expression.
"Ah, chef. Fill up my glass." he ordered, handing me a wine glass with his fingerprint. I left before they could ask me anything else. I returned to the kitchen, although that wasn't the place I needed to be in. The place I needed to be in were the vents, so that's where I hopped into. I shoved my way through the dusty vents, surprisingly making no noise. I soon climbed out of the vents, then hopped from hanging light to hanging light. I jumped to the last one, but I accidentally fell off. Conveniently, the villains noticed me.
"Where are you going?" the one who asked me to fill his drink asked roughly. I felt a shiver up my spine. He got up and glared at me. Then, strangely, his expression softened. He whispered something to his mates, and they went back to doing whatever they were doing. I rushed out before they could change their mind.
What just happened?
Before I left to find Fierce Fox, I trotted up the sloped pathway to a spy hiding near some public plants. He wears a similar disguise you would find in the army. I tapped him on the shoulder; he stood straight up.
"I think this letter contains a hidden message, but I can't decode it." the spy explained, handing me File X. I nodded at him, then turned the other way; I needed to get Fierce Fox.
I found Fierce Fox at the B.A.D's dock. She was still wearing the chameleon suit, her large, rather spooky eyes blinking.
"You don't need to wear that anymore," I laughed. The outfit disappeared off Fierce Fox's body, going back to her original clothing. "Did you get all the items?" She nodded confidently. I grinned. "Great! Now we've got a bit of running to do."
The two of us ran through Spy Island, arriving at Toupee Terrace (yet again, not the foreshadowing). There is an old, red-brick house with dark glass windows. Yellow lasers are shining down on some platforms, hot as the sun. I bolted straight up to the house's first wall, then leaped up onto a little stone ledge.
Fierce Fox followed me. I gazed up at a window ledge, where a yellow laser was flashing down like a fan. I waited until it disappeared, then I leaped. The one in front of me was flashing, and soon it stopped. I jumped to that one, waiting for the next one to stop.
"Whoa!" Fierce Fox cried. She jumped behind me, trying to keep up. Suddenly, she was hit by a laser. I reached out my hand, grabbing hers and pulling her up. She then continued to follow me, through the rest of the laser-avoiding.
Finally, we achieved our goal and stood at the top. A little attic is in front of us: it has jail bars and the bright moon in the background. I turned to Fierce Fox.
"Can you get out the laser pen?" I asked. Fierce Fox listened and brought out the little metal tool. I fearfully turned it on, the red colour appearing awfully similar to blood. Facing the jail bars, tool equipped, I began to slice. The jail bars simply melted away like butter, revealing the attic's dark interior.
I climbed inside, avoiding all the dusty cobwebs and creaky, wooden floorboards. A man was in the corner, tied up. I rushed over and simply touched the rope as if I had superpowers. The man was instantly free, and he got to his feet.
"Free at last!" the man exclaimed. "I have something that will help you on your mission." He held out a grappling bow tie to me.
"And do you happen to have two of those?" I asked, not feeling very hopeful.
"Well, the Director did briefly mention that you had an acquaintance. Unfortunately I only have the one bow-tie on me." the man answered, with a little depression, handing me the grappling bow-tie.
"Is there something that can... Help my friend get into the air?" I asked, praying.
"Not that I know of. All our jetpacks are being used. Oh, and you'll need these." the man answered with a shrug, handing me some satellite clues. He rushed off before I could say another word. I sighed.
"Follow me," I said to Fierce Fox once we were back outside. She followed me all the way through town, until we stopped in Balding Avenue, near the spy wearing army gear. I pointed up at a pale pink building, knowing that was where we needed the bow tie. I bowed my head ever so slightly, debating with myself what to do. "Well... Again, only one of us can complete this part. They'll need this," I held out the grappling bow tie. "And the chameleon costume."
Fierce Fox smiled. "I can give you the-"
"No," I interrupted, holding up my hands. "Look, I got the superpower last time. This time, you get the 'superpower'." I placed the grappling bow tie in Fierce Fox's hands.
"Then... what are you going to do?" Fierce Fox asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tell you what to do." I replied, knowing that wasn't the answer my Poptropican was looking for. You see, the real answer I wasn't quite sure of.
After explaining to Fierce Fox what to do and bidding her good luck, I found the agent dressed in army gear, laying down on his stomach. I sighed, knowing I needed to get worries off my chest.
"Excuse me," I asked. "Has... Director D said anything about a girl called Alice Manchester?"
"Uh..." the agent was thoughtful. "Well, I think one of his papers say 'Alice'... I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't know too much."
"Oh..." I said, bowing my head. "Do any of the other agents know anything?"
"Well, the guy who works in Spyglass Eye wear might." the agent answered, with a shrug. Hope suddenly flooded my body; maybe I was going to get on a lead!
I asked the guy in the Spyglass Eyewear shop.
"Well," he replied thoughtfully. "I did hear him mention something about a girl called Alice."
"What did he say about her? Did he say how he knows?" I asked, ambition entering my voice.
"Well, he said something about her not being from here. Then he said something like that she was a target for the villains." he paused. "A 'special doctor' apparently told him about her."
"A 'special doctor'...?" I repeated, feeling my skin shiver. "Anything else?" The man shook his head and started typing things on his computer, muttering things about being busy. I sighed, knowing that I couldn't squeeze anything else out of him.
I re-met with Fierce Fox underneath the pink building. She was wearing green, swirly goggles to detect hidden lasers. I gave a nod of approval at her work.
"Come," I instructed. "We have some more travelling to do." Again, we rushed through the town, non-stop. We passed the red brick house and came to a dirt hill, which has patches of grass. A wire fence is planted on top of it, with a hole ripped right in the middle. We climbed through, arriving in a new area. I turned to my partner. "Mind if I borrow those?" I pointed to her goggles. She took them off her head and handed them to me.
I slapped them around my own eyes, lasers suddenly visible everywhere I looked. "Follow me and be quick." A straight, red beam was directly in front of my face. I grasped Fierce Fox's wrist, just as it disappeared. I bolted underneath it, not loosening my grip. We performed the same strategy with the next laser, and the laser following it. It was rather stressful, yet thrilling. The hill we were running on sloped downwards, getting closer to Director D's headquarters. We were now on the side of the building, as we dodged more red-hot lasers. Fierce Fox's head almost got hit, but luckily, I managed to save her just in time.
Finally, the laser part finished and it was time for some platform jumping. Not much better. Ahead of us are many metal-built structures, embedded with yellow technology. A platform is right above us, which we couldn't reach.
"Put the grappling tie on," I ordered to Fierce Fox. The bow tie soon popped onto her collar. I gestured at the platform, then gripped her arm. "Take us up." Her bowtie extended to the higher platform, taking us with it. We were now free to roam around on the technology-filled roof. Well, not really; platforms needed to be jumped on. I leaped onto the first platform, Fierce Fox right behind me.
It gently slithered along, before meeting with another moving platform. We both jumped onto that one, and it moved upwards. The last platform has a large, metal, bolted door. I gripped the little wine cup in my hands and waved it over the scanner. The door opened.
Inside has even more lasers and platforms. Yellow technology is inside the walls, as well as glowing wires. We rushed up to a metal platform with a glowing, yellow top. Me in front, we hopped onto it, avoiding the lasers. We leaped to the one diagonal, then to the next diagonal. Above us is a computer, full of whirring buttons.
"That," I explained, once we got up. "Is how Director D will come to us." I pressed a button on the computer, capturing Fierce Fox in jail bars.
"Uh..." she glared at me through the jail bars.
"He'll let you out, don't worry." I assured Fierce Fox, with a smile. Director D, just as I expected, appeared in front of us.
"It's a good thing I made it here too!" he cried cheerfully, with a grin. "Now, let's see if we can get those teleporters working." Those teleporters would take us to space, if you're wondering.
"Uh... what about Fierce Fox?" I asked, pointing at the imprisoned Poptropican.
"Well... Only one Poptropican can come with me. And you're already free, so..." Director D nervously answered. I raised an eyebrow.
"You could at least free her." I protested, folding my arms. Fierce Fox was my Poptropican, after all.
"Just get the teleporter working and I'm sure she'll be free!" Director D cried back, obviously trying not to sound panic-struck. I sighed and whipped around to the computer, typing in the three passcodes: LASER, HAIR, REMOVAL. The computer buzzed, telling me, 'the teleporter is online'.
"It's working at last! BWAHAHAHAHA!" Director D cackled evilly. He glanced at me. "Ladies first?"
"What?" I questioned, shaking my head at the sudden confusion. Was I part of the plan? "What's going on?"
"Shouldn't you know that, Miss Manchester?" Director D replied, with a wicked smirk. I gasped. How does he know my surname? He leaped into the teleporter. Blinded by my curiosity, I followed him, not even gazing back at Fierce Fox.
I found Director D standing in front of a oddly-shaped piece of technology. He grinned darkly and chucked his toupee off, pressing his hand against his machine.
"Tell me how you know all this! Tell me who told you!" I demanded, my fingers clenching to fists.
"That would ruin the surprise!" Director D cackled. "All I'll say is you may or may not know them. Ever since they told me about you, I've been dying to meet you! So have my fellow villains. I even told them not to bother you until you see me! But back to you. I know that you know what will happen next! And apparently I'm going to be defeated, right?"
I nodded, feeling sweat on the back of my neck.
"Well, not today! I'm changing things, ALICE!" Director D yelled, rushing off into his machine. Usually this is when a horde of mini-bots come out and try to zap me. But by the way the ground rumbled beneath my feet, I could tell it was going to be quite different.
A ginormous group of mini-bolts mashed together, their eyes glowing red. Their little shocking antennas stuck out as they formed a great creature; it reminded me of Godzilla. It had shocking, electric claws; a glowing, dirty yellow body; dark red eyes. Director D was inside those eyes, controlling the monster.
"Prepare to suffer!" he screamed, as the creature lifted its great foot. With my breath caught in my throat, I leaped out of the way, fear making me shake. How am I going to defeat this?! I thought. The creature tried to smash me with its claws, but I rolled out of the way. There has to be a way... If only Fierce Fox was here...
I bent my knees and spiraled into the air, the lack of gravity allowing me to jump a little higher- we were in space, after all. The creation attempted to reach out for me again, with its deadly claws. However, I just kept jumping out of the way, like the prey running from the predator.
"Stay still!" Director D growled from the head. Of course, I was far too scared- and smart- to stay still. Suddenly, I got an idea. I floated back down to the ground, feeling adrenaline and energy flow into my legs. Like an athlete, I rushed forward, the creature racing after me. I neared the wall, then suddenly back flipped away from it, as the creature smashed into it with a mighty roar of pain. It created a noisy, beeping sound, like a computer voice.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Director D screamed, as suddenly the monster began to split.
"There's too much pressure from all the robots pushed together!" I answered, thanking sweet sweet science. I heard another scream from the villain, when suddenly the whole robot exploded, covering my vision with pure white, as if I had died.
Director D was locked up, back in the Headquarters. An agent kindly freed Fierce Fox, who was rather grumpy. She wasn't so grumpy when the Poptropicans congratulated her- and me- and made us both secret agents.
"Thanks for saving us... And our hair!" laughed one of the agents, as he handed Fierce Fox the medallion. I grinned at her.
"Sorry for running off on you," I apologized, as my world started to brighten. "Well, I've got to go now. See you later!" My view became white, and I returned back home. My thrill rush began to die down as I heard the cries of the morning birds. It was replaced with fear. Fear for the future.
