I've been busy, papers and projects to grade, lessons to plan, students to fail… JK. As I tell my students I don't fail them, I merely record their progress. My goal as it is every year is to get everyone to pass but I can't do that when they cut class, don't do their homework and fail their exams. Sigh. Anyway, real life sometimes is a downer. Hope this brightens your day.
I do not own any of the characters.
Bobo sat next to the stroller talking to Angel. "You know, all I ask for is a little respect. You'd think after 20 years they'd be a little more appreciative of me. Sure I lie, cheat, and occasionally relieve people of their belongings but hey, I've gotta have some way to entertain me."
Angel nodded sympathetically while sucking on his pacifier.
"Hey, kid. You're not a bad listener. Then again you're all cute until you start talking and mouthing off." Bobo sighed. "I wonder where those kids have gone off to?"
Angel gurgled with the pacifier in his mouth. Bobo sighed again and walked over to the side of the boat. As he peered over the edge, a tentacle shot out of the water and wrapped around him. Bobo yelped as the tentacle lifted him into the air. A bulbous head popped out of the water along with several more tentacles. Three crab men boarded the ship.
"Angel! Get away from him you walking crabcake!" Bobo yelled while furiously struggling to get free.
The crab men ignored him. They approached Angel who sat serenely in his stroller. One crab man bent over menacingly, claw extended. Angel pulled out his pacifier and shoved it into the crab man's mouth. The crab man sat down in surprise. Then he sucked on the pacifier. He lowered his claws as if mollified. He continued sucking while the other crab men approached Angel. When the other crab men reached Angel the one with the pacifier in its mouth motioned for the other two to stop. He also motioned for the squid to put Bobo down.
"Okay, this is… unexpected." Bobo muttered but he didn't question it. He grabbed Angel from his stroller and held him away from the crab men. But the crab men no longer looked menacing. The one with the pacifier passed it to another crab man who started sucking on it. It then passed the pacifier to the last crab man who also sucked on it. They seemed to be conferring as Bobo backed slowly to the boat's controls. The crab men unexpectedly turned around to face Bobo and Angel.
"Uh-oh." Bobo muttered pulling out a blaster from his back. The crab men came closer. Bobo got ready to fire. Before he did, however, all the crab men knelt down in front of him.
"Huh?" Bobo lowered his blaster. The crab man with the pacifier pulled it out and gave it back to Angel who proceeded to put it back in his mouth. He clapped. The crab men started to open and close their claws but it didn't look menacing. It looked like they were… happy.
"What's going on?" Kenji asked as he climbed up over the side of the boat. He was ready for a fight when he saw the giant squid. But now that he saw the crab men kneeling in front of Bobo and Angel he was just confused.
One of the crab men looked over and made a gurgling sound.
"They say that the little zoea has shared his gift with them. They will now follow him." Serge said as he surfaced from the water.
"Zoea?" Jade asked as she too climbed aboard.
"Baby crab." Jasmine supplied the answer for her sister. She was unstrapping the air tank on her back.
Violeta helped her brother aboard. "Why are there crab men in our boat?" She asked curiously.
"Can we keep them?" Rafael asked excitedly.
"I think they belong to your cousin." Kenji said as the crab men gurgled at Angel who gurgled back.
"Great, so these crab men are following a baby who can't talk, our parents are stuck under the sea, and we have to stop junior from blowing up the planet." Jade said sardonically. "That's not a problem at all."
"Maybe we can use this to our advantage." Kenji said. "Serge, can you tell these crab men to keep our parents safe while we go stop junior? Tell them it's what the zoea wants."
Serge gurgled at the crab men who enthusiastically got up and gurgled back. Serge turned to the kids, "They said they will but they must do it discretely as the other crab men who has not partaken in the gift would not follow the zoea."
"What gift?" Violeta frowned.
" The pacifier, apparently. They seemed to like sucking on it." Bobo spoke up.
"Ewww," Everyone cringed.
"You let Angel put that back in his mouth after it's been in the other crustaceans' mouths?" Jade gagged.
"Trust me. I'm more worried about their health. You know how disgusting the human mouth is?" Bobo snorted.
"Forget it." Kenji said. "We need to focus on what we need to do."
"Oh yes, great and wise leader, what is your grand plan?" Jade's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Kenji glared at her. "I don't have one. I need help formulating one."
"Oh,do you? Could have fooled me with all your talk about being in charge." Jade retorted.
"I miss something?" Bobo looked from brother to sister.
"Nothing important. They're just fighting again." Violeta said.
Both of them looked at Violeta. "What do you mean again?" Kenji asked.
"You two are always fighting." Violeta shrugged. "Every time we're together you both say mean things to each other and are always trying to get the other one. Uncle Six would tell you to stop except you don't really. But then in the end you're all right."
Jade and Kenji looked at each other. So even a nine year old could tell that they are always fighting. But the last part stuck with them… in the end you're all right.
Rafael yawned breaking the tension. "I'm tired." He announced. "Can I go to sleep?"
Kenji with a start realized that it was dark and the lights were from the floodlights of the boat.
"I think that's a good idea." Kenji agreed. "Serge, can these crab men keep the others out of our way while we rest?"
Serge gurgled at the crab men who nodded. They dove over board. The squid also sank its bulbous head under the waves.
"They have gone to tell the other crab men that you have been taken care of and not to concern themselves with you. They will also make sure nothing happens to your family."
"Thank you Serge." Kenji said tiredly. "Come on guys let's get some rest. We have a long day ahead tomorrow."
"You guys go on ahead. I have to look up a few things. There's something I'm missing." Jasmine had brought out her laptop and was furiously typing away.
"Sure, don't stay up too late." Kenji began unrolling his sleeping bag. The rest of them followed suit. In less than 20 minutes they were all asleep, tired from the day's activities.
Jasmine, however, was up looking through Providence's database. The more she thought about the situation, the more it didn't make sense. Where did junior get all his technology from? How did he learn half the stuff he knew? From what Serge said, they were pretty isolated from the outside world which only intruded now and again with the trash that washed up on their island. So how? Jasmine tapped her teeth again, lost in thought.
As her eyes scanned the data, it grew heavy. She was tired too but she couldn't allow herself rest until…
Then she saw it. She almost missed it. She went back several pages to read the last entry.
Jasmine frowned. Just as she thought… junior did have an accomplice.
And its name is Zag-RS.
Ok, I really debated this because I realized I use Zag-RS a lot. And I mean a lot. But being a cannon girl I hated trying to make up an OC villain. Anyway, I don't know when I'm going to update next. Please be patient. I am working on a Thanksgiving fic for Gen Rex Gen Next. I've been tired lately, trying to jump through the hoops that my job has set up for me and inspiration has been on and off. Hopefully, none of this sucks. Sorry if it's not any good.
