Stepping out of the multi-colored fog, Odd Todd struck a ferocious pose. "Yes, my little oddlings! It is I! Odd Todd! I've..."
The entire Squad walked past him. He stood there, stunned. "Hey!"
"Not now, Todd," Olive growled.
Odd Todd blinked. "I... It's ODD Todd now, oh beauteous former partner! I've kidnapped your beloved hamster..."
"Well, put him back. We're busy right now."
As The Squad continued walking, Odd Todd ran to get in front of them again. "But I've... Come on, guys, I've gone through a lot of trouble here! I kidnapped your hamster! Really!" He did a double take. "Hey, is that Wonder Woman? Oh man, I've always wanted to be captured by her!" The Squad passed him again. He ran back in front of him and struck a pose. "That's right! I, Odd Todd, have..."
Olive sighed. "Look. We really don't have time right now. Wonder Woman's arch-enemies Villainy, Inc. have kidnapped Oscar. We'll deal with you later, okay?" She ducked past him and ran to catch up with the others. "What about that pterosaur Clea was riding? Maybe we can track that..."
"But... But... But..." Odd Todd ran after them, then stopped dead. "Wait a minute. That was today? I thought that was next week."
That stopped them. The entire Squad turned to look at him as he checked the calendar on his cell phone. "Yep. Yep, it's today." He sighed. "Great. You know how much smoke bombs cost? I'm gonna hafta get a whole new batch and keep that stupid hamster overnight..."
Olive's eyes narrowed. "You knew about this?"
Otto's eyes narrowed as well. "You heard about them planning to kidnap Oscar so you copied their plan and kidnapped our hamster? That's lame even for you, Odd Todd!"
"Hey, I came up with that plan months before... Whadya mean, 'even for me'?"
Ms. O stepped forward. "But you knew about the plan to kidnap Oscar."
Odd Todd shrugged. "Sure. It's been all over AVEC for weeks."
Ms. O sighed. "We've got to start monitoring that site. Agent Olan, make a note of that."
Agent Olan scribbled in his notepad. "Monitor AVEC site. Yes, ma'am!" He saluted and ran off.
"Wait a minute," Agent Oren looked around, confused. "Where'd he come from?"
I even suggested the..." He suddenly realized Wonder Woman was approaching him. "I, uh, think I'd..."
He was lassoed before he could take another step.
"No! NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME, YOU CAN'T... Oboy, you can, can't you?" Odd Todd squirmed in the lasso.
"You gave them information and helped them find a hideout, didn't you?"
"Uh... Um..." Odd Todd swallowed. "Would it help if I said I was really sorry and promised never to do it again?"
"Not really, no." Wonder Woman looked at him. "Would you do it again?"
"Um... Well, not this, specifically..."
She shook her head.
"Would it help if I begged and pleaded and burst into tears?"
"No."
"Can I beg and plead and burst into tears anyway?"
"If you must."
"Thank you," Odd Todd dropped to his knees, sobbing. "PLEEEEEEEASE , PLEEEEEEEEASE, PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE DON'T MAKE ME RAT OUT VILLAINY, INC! It took me forever to get on AVEC, I'll violate the No-Tattletale Code, I'll be in SO much trouble..."
"Fine," Wonder Woman said grimly. The Agents all looked at her. "I'll give you a choice. You can tell us where Villainy, Inc. have taken Oscar..."
"Please don't make me..."
"Or you can tell us the fantasies you've had where I've captured you."
All the color drained out of Odd Todd's face. "In front of everyone?"
"In front of everyone."
The Agents all looked at him. He swallowed.
"W-W-Well, I... You... You capture me... And you tie me up... And you say I've been a very bad boy..."
Olive put her hands over Otto's ears. After a moment, she took Otto's hands and put them over her own ears.
"And... And you take out the wooden spoon... And... And... And..." He sobbed. "Oscar's in the third cave on the cliffside by McKeon's Beach, just past the old surf shop near the lighthouse." He slumped. "Okay? Are you happy now?"
"That's all we needed to know," She removed her lasso from the shivering boy. "I'm sorry, Odd Todd. It was absolutely necessary."
"This is so totally humiliating..."
"Oh, and give back the hamster."
He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the hamster, and handed it to Otto, who cooed and petted it.
"That's a good little hamster, that's a sweet little hamster..."
Meanwhile, Agent Olaf rose from his nap and hurried to catch up with the others. "I back now."
Odd Todd shook his head. "I'm never gonna live this down, I hope you're satisfied..."
"Oh, don't worry, Odd Todd," Wonder Woman smiled. "The No-Tattletale Code has an exemption for magic lassos. You can check it when you get home. You'll be fine."
Otto blinked. "Wait. It's written down somewhere?"
Odd Todd nodded. "I got a packet in the mail after I turned evil."
"You got a packet?"
"They all do," Wonder Woman explained. "It's sort of like a twelve-step program in reverse."
Otto pondered this while Odd Todd stumbled to his feet, straightening his suit and trying to retrieve a shred of dignity. "All this work and I didn't get a single thing out of it. I can't believe this, I'll be the laughing stock of AVEC, nobody's gonna want me in their evil team..."
"All right, Todd, all right. Hold on," Olive whispered something to Ms. O, who then whispered in turn to Agent Olan.
"Wait," Oren blinked. "He's back?"
"Someone had to pick up the hamster." Otto handed it over to Agent Olan, who scampered off on his mission, returning moments later.
Some time later, Odd Todd was strolling through the park, kicking pigeons, barking at toddlers and singing happily to himself.
"A youth, who's already uncouth, wants to meet, pretty girls in the street, with a plan, Jack The Ripper began... That's Entertainment!"
Periodically, he'd pause and caress the box of Zagnut Bars in his hands.
"Mine... All mine..."
Meanwhile, Odd Squad and Wonder Woman were headed toward McKeon's Beach.
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"But what was that about a wooden spoon? What wooden spoon? Wonder Woman doesn't carry a wooden spoon. I don't..."
"Let it go, Octavia..."
"But I don't understand. Why would Wonder Woman have a wooden spoon? And why would..."
Ms. O sighed. "Fine. You see, Octavia, when a super-heroine and an arch-villain hate each other very much..."
The team were descending down a long path from the third cavern into the bowels of the Earth. Ms. O and Wonder Woman led the way, Ms. O illuminating the darkness with a lampinator gadget. As they went deeper and deeper, they began noticing odds and ends, debris littering the otherwise empty caves.
"Discarded food packets... Empty gasoline cans... A used lipstick?"
Oren picked it up and handed it to Wonder Woman. She examined it.
"Sapphire red. That's The Countess' shade. We're on the right track."
The path forked, leading into two pitch-black caverns. The Agents all looked at one another.
"What do we do now?"
Olive pondered. "Should we split up? Or..."
Suddenly, they heard a noise. Something was moving in the cavern on the left.
"Stand back," Wonder Woman cautioned. She readied her lasso as a small shadow moved in the recesses of the pit.
"It's coming this way!" Ms. O motioned for her Agents to get ready. "Everyone! Prepare your gadgets!"
The kids checked their pockets, trying to find a good defensive gadget to use. The figure grew closer, finally stepping into the light.
"Hi, guys!"
The Agents stared. "Agent Ori?"
Clambering over the lip of the cavern, Ori waved at the assembled Agents. "If you want the weird, scary ladies in the funny costumes, they're over in that other tunnel." He indicated the cavern on the right.
"Great." Otto tried to see past him into the darkness. "So what's down that one?"
"Dero," Ori shrugged. "Don't worry, though. I took care of 'em." Blowing on the barrel of his ray gun, he strolled past them back toward the surface. "Have fun, guys!"
They headed into the cavern on the right.
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The Countess was applying a fresh coat of sapphire red when she noticed a flashing light. "Someone's tripped the alarm."
"Probably Wonder Woman," Clea rose from her throne. "She might even have The Odd Squad with her."
"What a shame she's too late," Cheetah chuckled.
Behind them, a hypnotized Oscar tightened the last screw on the death ray.
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