Like I said, that last chapter was so short I just had to post another one at the same time. As always the standard disclaimer applies: I do not own the Happy Tree Friends; they are the property of Mondo Media. I own only my own characters and this story. Now here's chapter 29:
29 – SIMPLE CATCH
The surveying scouts had assumed that the two reinforcements who followed them would be spies sent to enter and infiltrate the city. However the two people who actually arrived on the day when Emily found Barry practicing with Flippy on the city roof were anything but spies. They were known as "Frik" and "Frak" and they were professional troublemakers. They were not great Marauder warriors, although they could fight well when the situation arose. Their specialty was, as their collective name implied, causing trouble and they had been sent by XL-Jack-3, as the first part of his plan, to Metramegopolis to do exactly that. Specifically they were to enter the city and commit random acts of sabotage and violence as quickly as possible before performing a cut and run, with the effect that the city would be too busy repairing any damage they did to pursue them. This, XL-Jack-3 felt, would be a nice response to the distracting havoc that Flippy and Splendid had caused his camp on the day of the city's departure. Frik and Frak were very good at causing trouble, but they were also very bad at spotting trouble coming their way.
Frik and Frak approached the roof of the city while Barry and Emily watched from their hiding place behind the roof exit. Neither teenager knew the identities of the Marauders and they didn't much care either. Instead they watched the Marauders approach and land on the roof in angry silence.
"How did they do that?" whispered Emily to Barry, "the forcefield – " Barry silenced her with a gesture and pointed at the two Marauders. Frik and Frak had landed quite close to where Barry and Emily were hiding and were now conferring in low voices. Although the kids couldn't hear them, it was clear by their gestures that the Marauders were preparing to split up. Frik motioned to Frak to go one way, and that he would go the other. Silently Barry pointed at Emily, and then at Frak, then pointed at himself, then Frik. Emily understood perfectly. Giving Barry a quick "good luck" kiss she reached into her jacket, pulled out her own blaster, and silently headed after Frak. At the same time Barry headed after Frik, traveling lightly and keeping out of sight as well as he could.
Emily had kicked off her shoes just before leaving Barry so her feet made very little noise as she ran across the roof after Frak. The first he knew of her presence was when, just as he was nearing one of the roof exits, he suddenly felt the business end of her blaster poke him in the back.
"Don't even think about any sudden movements" hissed Emily in the Marauder's ear, "get your hands up and keep them where I can see them!" Frak, taken completely by surprise automatically raised his hands above his head and froze in place.
"Good" said Emily, "now put them together behind your back, slowly – I said SLOWLY!" she barked as Frak began to bring his hands down faster than she liked. She jabbed her blaster sharply into his back. "This thing is set to kill. And my finger is rather shaky." Frak brought his hands together, this time much more slowly until they touched behind his back. Emily unwound the narrow scarf from around her neck and used it to expertly bind Frak's hands. Then she searched him and relieved him of his weapons: two blasters, a couple of laser bombs, and some other explosives.
"That's very good" Emily said, "now make a 180 and march until I tell you to stop. And don't run – or else..." Frak obeyed. Emily marched her prisoner back the way they had come. When she reached the spot where the two Marauders had parted company she found Barry already there, sitting on top of Frik who was lying on the ground on his side with a look of excruciating pain on his face.
"What happened to him?" asked Emily, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh" said Barry in an offhanded way, "one good kick to his business parts and he fell like a stone."
"I see" said Emily, smiling as she pulled out her personal communicator. She entered an ID code and indicated "emergency."
"Hey Tony" she said when the receiver came to life, "come up to the city roof. Barry and I have a couple of presents for you."
Barry smiled as he watched Emily summon Tony Ride, but he didn't feel satisfied. Something wasn't right. It had been too easy.
(To Be Continued)
