I do not own any of the characters from Fairly OddParents or Jimmy Neutron!
A/N: Insider trading?
Fix Me . . . Please!
Chapter 38: Illegal Activities
The Morning After
Lia's new home-away-from-home was immense, an old warehouse that encompassed an entire city block. It was way too big for her immediate needs, but she liked the idea of having all that extra space, just in case. Her father had already renovated a portion of the top floor for her living quarters, but with over four acres under the roof, the warehouse was bigger than her yard back home. Three quarters of the building would be partitioned off, and rented out as office and apartment space. The rest was hers to use as she saw fit, for pet projects, like her arcade games hobby, and experimental gravity chambers. The stelae were kept upstairs, close to her living quarters, where she, and Jorgen, could keep an eye on them. He was especially excited to study them also, since they were a part of the fairies' long ignored history, and didn't want them falling into the wrong hands. A villain like Anti-Cosmo, could do some serious mischief if he had gotten hold of this tech.
Lia had spent most of the night arranging the heavy equipment she used to build her games, and machines, and wanted to get to redecorating her apartment. With Betty's robotic strength in her arms, she rearranged her dressers, bed, furniture and the huge plasma television effortlessly. Jorgen watched her carefully, and snickered, knowing if Betty were to wake up suddenly, Lia would lose her strength, and probably fall asleep at the same moment. He could just as easily move everything in place with a wave of his mighty wand, but Lia seemed to be reveling in her new found, albeit temporary, strength, and Jorgen felt he could use the workout. Still, he kept an eye on her, making sure she wasn't lifting anything too heavy at an inopportune time. It was nearly noon, where they were, and the android girl was bound to be getting up soon, back in Dimmsdale.
"Jorgen," she asked, "before we leave, I was wondering if you could help me set up the second stele, and get it ready for examination! I'm so excited!" The big fairy was a great help, and Lia knew he also wanted a closer look. Without him to explain the workings of the magical device, she would not have known how to find them in the first place.
"Oooo!" he said with a gleam in his eye, "Since thees doesn't concern saveeng anyone's life, I can at least do that! Een fact, I was hopeeng you'd ask!"
"Betty's not here, but since we've already recovered the remaining stelae from the void, it shouldn't be much of a challenge for you!"
"Yes! Most fairies don't like using machines, since we already have magic, but some, like myself and Poofie, ah fascinated by theez . . . antiques! Eet eez part of owah fairy history that we have long neglected!" Lia pondered a thought for a moment, before wrinkling her brow.
"By the way," she asked, "now that the current trouble with Sandy Komai is over with, when will Betty be able to see Poof again?" This time, Jorgen's forehead wrinkled as he tried to come up with an explanation.
"Een a few more days, maybe. Wanda was so happy weeth the news of Sandy's recovery, that she developed a case of 'happy danceeng feet,' and has been danceeng everyone's socks off since! The other fairies have been stoppeeng by to congratulate her, but she eez weareeng everyone out, so they quit visiteeng! That left only Cosmo and Poof, but Cosmo needs to get back to work, which means Poofie weel have to take ovah for the remaineeng days! Sandy eez currently being looked at by every doctor een Dimmsdale, and Wanda has not been able to see her! Eet should not be much longer!"
"What about you? While I appreciate all the help you've given me here, I'd really like to see Poof and Betty back together again!"
"Ah you kiddeeng? I have two left feet! Imagine eef I stepped on her toes weeth theez gunboats!" he pointed to his heavy boots, "I could break her legs!" Lacroix giggled.
"From stepping on her toes?!"
"Fairies are very fragile . . . !" he grinned, hoping that she didn't see he was trying to hide something. There were a few on the Fairy Council who had gotten wind of the growing "friendship" between the young fairy, and what they perceived to be a . . . "lifeless, mechanical doll." Unacceptable, they decided. No fairy was allowed to fall in love with a human, let alone a human-like robot, and they would deal with the matter when the current issue of Fairy World's near destruction, was closed. Jorgen knew when that time came, he would have to defend his, and Poof's, actions before the Council. Betty could possibly be returned to her pre-magic enhanced state, and memories of Poof would be deleted from her system.
Advice time
Back in the prestigious neighborhood of Hudson Heights, Trixie Tang rolled about on her bed, worrying about Veronica's state of mind. Ron was funny, but a bit psychotic at times. It was the eye twitch that usually gave her away, followed by the teeth gnashing, the hair pulling, and finally, the garbled speech, as if she were speaking in some demonic tongue! Then she'd be perfectly fine after that. Tang was initially frightened when they first met, but soon found this strange girl amused her. They began hanging out with each other. This latest episode was unlike all the others. There was no gnashing of teeth, nor eye twitching, only the sad look of a child realizing she wasn't getting what she wanted for Christmas. It was nothing to kill herself over, right? But still . . .
Trixie jumped out of bed. It was only 8:00, and a weekend. Ordinarily she'd never be up this early on a weekend, but there were some questions she wanted to ask her dad, who by now, was having his morning coffee, and looking over the newspaper.
"Dad?" Mr. Tang looked up from his paper, almost surprised to see his daughter up so early.
"Yes, dear?"
"Have you heard anything about Star-Evolution-Inc., lately?"
"SEI? The company that's owned by your friend's father? I heard about it. It's too bad." He took another sip of coffee, then put his paper down. "I did warn Tony, several times in fact, that he shouldn't put all his money into a bankrupt electronics company with questionable histories, but he said he was on a roll, and he was positive he could turn them around. I let it go at that. He's been extremely lucky the past few years, but I'm afraid his luck is about to run out." A maid came by to refresh his coffee. "Their first shipment is being held up at their warehouse while they try to figure out what went wrong with their computers. They will probably end up delaying the release date. If they delay it too long, there will be lawsuits galore! Come Monday, their stocks are gonna fall flat." The teen bit her lip, and propped her chin up with a single finger.
"Is there anything that can be done to hold off a total collapse?" Mr. Tang raised an eyebrow without looking up from his paper.
"Not likely. Even now, I hear there are a number of corporate raiders waiting for the stocks to drop, so they can buy it up dirt cheap, carve up the company later, and sell off the equipment! The Stars are the majority stockholders, so they'll have to pump more capital into the company if they want to survive. They no longer have that cash on hand, and would have to sell off some of their personal assets so they don't go totally broke by the end of the week."
"What's gonna happen on Monday?" Mr. Tang took one more sip of coffee before setting his paper to the side. With all seriousness, he looked his daughter in the eye.
"This is how things will go down. At the opening bell, there will be an immediate, and massive sell off of common stocks as investors try to recoup a part of their money. If it dives too quickly, and too deep, that will shake up the preferred share holders. If they start selling, then the company tanks, and goes belly-up. SEI is a new, and still untested company with hardly any track record. I doubt if there are all that many shares out there in the first place. They were planning to do a stock split if the company did good on their opening day. I don't think that's going to happen now."
"What would be the best case scenario?"
"Best case? If someone would buy up all the free stock, that might boost confidence, and the company wouldn't go through the floor. But there is still the matter of all those defective computers waiting to be delivered, and that will take time to fix. They don't have to fix all of them, just enough to supply the consumers for their grand opening. Then they would have to demonstrate that the product is all that it's cracked up to be. A lot of promises have been made, and they have to deliver. If that problem could be solved over the weekend, the company may have a chance. There is also the possibility of a hostile takeover, but the company is too small, with little physical assets, and I don't see any takers waiting in the wings." He began to reach for his paper once more.
"What if I were to . . ." This time Mr. Tang put his paper down, frowning.
"No! Definitely not! I don't want to see you throwing away your savings! Besides, you have to be at least eighteen to buy stocks, and I'm not going to set up an account for you, just for this! I'm sorry for Ronnie's father, but he was forewarned, and still he ignored everyones' advice! You would have been better off if you kept Amelia as your friend! Now she has a portfolio that impresses even me!"
Trixie thought for a second. Lia! Of course! If anyone could find a solution for fixing the computers, it would be her! But would she be willing to help if it meant helping Ron? The only way to find out was to ask.
"Excuse me, Dad, but you've given me an idea!" The young Asian girl rushed back to her room for her cell phone. Her father watched her run back to her room. His daughter had been a little rebellious as of late, and that was to be expected at her age, but she had a good heart, and a good head on her shoulders.
Tang bounced back on her bed, still unmade from the morning, and gave Lia a call. She figured her friend must be up by now, working on one of her pet projects.
"Hi Trix! You're up early today! I'm in New Jersey at the mo! What's up?" Trixie's heart sank a little.
"Aww, you're in New Jersey already? I was hoping you and I could have a talk, but I guess that's okay, then."
"No no! I can be back home in a second! Where are you now?" Trixie gave a sigh of relief.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot you have that 'transporter' thingy. I'm home right now, but I need to talk to you in private. Could we get together in your private workroom?" Lia giggled, knowing that Betty and Jimmy might still be there.
"Why don't I come get you, and bring you back here! There's lots of room, and plenty of privacy!"
"You can do that?"
"Yeah, I've been moving stuff back and forth from my house all night long! Wear some warm clothes. It's kinda chilly here, and I've yet to turn on the heaters!"
"Or I could come in my jammys, and we could share body heat!"
"Silly girl! We may never get anything done like that!"
"Hee hee! Okay, give me a few minutes to get dressed, then come over!"
Jorgen was putting the finishing touches on the perimeter of the stelae room. A magical barrier protected the monuments by making them invisible. Had he done so with his own computer room, he could have saved himself some embarassing moments with Poof.
"Thanks Jorgen! You've been a great help! I'll call you when I'm ready to examine the second stele, but I need to get back to Dimmsdale to see a friend!"
"Eet eez my pleasure, brainy human gurl, Lia! Fairee World no longah pays attenshun to eets past, but I steel find it a fascinateeng subject! I am glad to be a part of thees! I have a littul more to do heah, then I weel check up on Wanda and Poofie!"
"Oh please do! I know Betty is dying to hear from him!"
"Eet weel probably be a few more days before Wanda comes down from her high! Poof weel be very tired by then!"
Lia smiled, and touched the bracelet on a couple of preset buttons, setting the coordinates, and opening a portal into Trixie's room. Tang, as was her habit, was still in her huge walk-in closet, trying to pick out an ensemble, so Lacroix found herself a chair, and sat down quietly to watch the show. Soon, Trixie came out with some coats in hand, and some winter clothes. She held them up in front of her, in her big dressing mirror, still oblivious to Lia's presence. Satisfied with her selection, Trixie began changing out of her pajamas, unbuttoning her top, and stripping it off. Lia covered her eyes, grinning all the while. They had seen each other undress before, but this seemed so . . . perverted, like a voyeur peeping on an unsuspecting victim. Trixie still had her back to her, so Lia thought she might exit, and reappear at the front door as she originally intended, but this was too good an opportunity, and Lacroix's fingers spread open just a hair. Typically, Trixie wore no bra under her pjs, and usually no panties either, but this time she had on a pair of Calvin Kleins underwear, covered in hearts, as she pulled her pants down. Her long silky black hair dangled down to her butt as she stood up again, and swished back and forth as she stepped into a pair of flannel pants. Lia took it as a good time to leave, and set coordinates for the Tangs front entry.
She was still grinning when she rang the door bell. One of the maids answered.
"Oh!," she smiled, "Miss Lacroix! It's been so long since you were last here!"
"I know, Mei Lin! Trixie's expecting me!"
"Please come in, then, and I will let her know you are here!"
Lia waited patiently below the stairs, and Trixie came down shortly. "Come with me!" she said, grasping the auburn-haired teen by the wrist, and took her back to her room. "I had the funniest feeling just now, as if someone was in my room watching me undress!"
"Oh really?" Lia snickered.
"Yeah! And it was getting me all excited! I don't know why, but it got me really moist!" Lia put her hand in front of her mouth as she giggled.
"Well then, that's more information than I need to know! We'll talk more when I take you back to my new place! Are you ready to go?" Trixie gave her a wink, and picked her coat off the bed.
"I'm ready!"
"All right, stand close to me!" The Asian teen put her arms around Lia's waist, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Trixie giggled.
"This is what I call traveling first class! Is this how you greet all your 'passengers'?"
"No?" she laughed, "I haven't seen you in a few days, so I thought it might be nice! Besides, it only takes a few seconds to go through the portal!" Lia punched in the coordinates on her bracelet once more. A portal opened instantly, and both girls stepped through.
Tang gasped for a split second as they began the jump. It felt like she had fallen a hundred feet in zero gravity, a roller coaster ride where she left her stomach in Dimmsdale, and the rest of her ending up in Princeton.
"Oh, wow! That felt like I caught some serious, serious airtime!" she said as she caught her breath, "I don't think my heart caught up with my body yet!"
"You'll get used to the feeling if you make enough jumps! It's the result of a time distortion!" Lia explained, "Nothing dangerous!"
"Yeah, but imagine if you could incorporate it into one of your arcade games! You'd make a killing!"
Trixie looked around the enormous cavern that was Lia's future "apartment." Didn't seem to be all living space, because she could see Lacroix's collection of arcade games, and the equipment she used to build them. The room was yet to be divided, so for now it looked like the inside of a gym, except bigger.
"The second floor hasn't been completely partitioned, yet, and the workers are off for the weekend. I wanted to get all the big stuff in through the doors before they got in the way!"
"Hope you'll have a room for me when I come to visit!"
"Heh heh! When you visit, you stay here, with me!" she patted her super-sized platform bed, "We'll have a great sleepover!" Trixie blushed at the suggestion, and smiled shyly. "I'll have more than enough room for a private arcade, and my dad wants to put in a bowling alley, too!" She looked around, and sighed. "I have eighty thousand square feet to myself, . . . it'll be awfully lonely here without some visitors."
"Kinda like living in a Walmart!"
Lia had planned to give Trixie a tour of her home-away-from-home, but it had been over forty-eight hours since she last slept, and back in Dimmsdale, Betty-bot was beginning to stir from her first ever, "human" sleep. Trixie noticed Lia's once bright eyes began to turn into a sleepy expression, and her legs wobbled precariously. She flopped headlong onto the bed, and her face buried itself into a pillow.
"Ahhhh, . . . ressssttt, . . . soooo gooood!" she slurred, "Lemme sleep . . . just a little, . . . until Betty . . . powers up . . . again!" Betty was this robotic "sister" that Timmy had spoken of earlier.
"L-Lia? Are you all right? Don't go to sleep! I-I need to talk to you about something important!" By now Lacroix's body had shut down, her eyes closed, but somehow, she seemed aware of Trixie's presence.
"Keep . . . talking, . . . I can . . . listen . . ." Her response startled the Asian girl. Tang was beginning to understand what Timmy had been going on about the other day when he said Lia was turning half-robot. While Lia's body was genuinely asleep, her mind kept going, as if recording every word, like an audio device. "Go . . . ahead . . ."
"It's about Veronica . . ." Trixie held her breath, thinking maybe the mere mention of Ronnie's name would be enough to jar Lia from her sleep, but no such reaction was forthcoming. Tang slipped onto the bed, next to her. "You don't mind?"
"We are . . . friends, Trixie, . . . say whatever . . . is on your . . . mind . . ." Trixie lay back on the bed, folded her arms beneath her head, and began to explain her concerns.
"Well, you see, . . . it's like this . . .," and she began to explain the potential problem with Veronica, and her father's company.
Lia went quiet for a few minutes after, and the Asian girl wasn't sure what was going on in her friend's mind. She looked to be truly asleep, so Trixie turned on her side, and propped her face in her hand. A finger poke to the ribs did nothing to stir the young brunette, so Tang began to blow in her ear. Still nothing. If Lia wasn't going to wake up, Trixie would be forced to use much stronger methods, and a devious smile curled her lips. She rolled the sleeping girl onto her back, shaking her gently, but still unable to rouse her. "So you wanna play games, do you? Let's see if a kiss can awaken this sleeping beauty!" Tang giggled as she drew nearer to Lacroix's face. She'd soon find out if her friend was really sleeping, or playing possum. She straddled Lia's hips, and crouched over her. "Wakey wakey, little missy, or I shall be forced to sample your delicious lips once more!" Amelia seemed so cute and vulnerable, but Trixie's hands were cold as ice, and what better way to warm them, by pressing them up against a hot body. "My god you're warm! Feels good, though!" She continued pushing her way up under Lia's sweater vest, with no reaction. "I may as well make the most of this situation!" the oriental girl smiled. She was about to plant a kiss on her lips, when Lia's eyes sprang open.
"Boo!"
"Ack!" Trixie fell off, startled, as Lia laughed. "Dammit, Lia! You could've given me a heart attack!"
"C'mere . . ." Lia held her arms out, and pulled Trixie into an embrace. They both had a good laugh before settling down. "Poor baby. You're too high strung." Lacroix cupped Trixie's face in her hands, and the Asian girl immediately felt a reassuring warmth course through her body. "Betty's energizing right now, that's why I feel so warm to you."
"Will you ever be able to separate yourself from her? I worry about you too, you know."
"I don't know, but it has it's advantages. Hooking up with Betty has made me more 'sensual' than I've ever been."
"Really? Because you'll have to give me a demonstration to prove it!" Trixie pressed their foreheads together, framing her arms around Lia's face. Her long black hair providing a veil around them.
"I'll help you with Ronnie's problem, even though she and I didn't get along. I have a plan, but I'll need my friends help to pull it off!"
Meanwhile, back in Dimmsdale . . .
The android rose and stretched, her eyes still half shut. She smacked her lips, and proceeded to scratch herself in her "private" places, like a real human might. Her hair was a mess, "bed-head" it was called. A nice hot shower would fix that in a hurry. Neutron was still asleep, so Betty covered him with a blanket, and got ready to greet the day. "So this is what Lia is like in the morning!", she smiled, and began powering up. "I've a feeling we're going to be very busy today!"
The first thing Betty did was to contact Libby, and her blonde pal. She was receiving a message from Lia, saying she wanted everyone to come to her coordinates for a strategy session.
"Where are you guys?" the android asked.
"We're going to get breakfast before the mall opens!" Folfax chirped happily. "We figured as long as we're here in Dimmsdale again, why not?"
"Well, pack it up, Libby! Lia wants to meet with us in New Jersey! Says she has a business proposition to make!"
"Business?"
"Yeah, plus there are way bigger malls over there!"
Stalking
"Why didn't you want to go to Hudson Mall?" said Turner, "It's much bigger, and heated, too!"
"I need the exercise, and the big malls open much later! Plus I'd have to catch the bus, or a taxi, to and from! It's about five miles one way, so a ten mile round trip, and I don't know if I'd want to jog that distance! This is much more pleasant, and I've got you to carry my stuff for me!" Timmy face-palmed himself, and began to laugh.
"Ha ha ha! Poor little me! But you had no idea that I was coming by! You were just lucky!" Tootie hooked onto his arm, and pulled him closer. She smiled broadly, a slight rouge reddened her cheeks, whether from the chill, or from some memory of long ago, now entering her thoughts, he would never know.
"I know you don't mind, 'cuz I'm a lot less bothersome than when we were little!"
Timmy snickered, but kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Tootie really was sort of like a baby sister to him. Troublesome at first, clingy at times, and always wanting attention, attention that he was afraid to give because of her mean sister, Vicky. He no longer thought about Vicky's abusive, baby-sitter days, because to him, it was already a distant memory. Lia was already over with, and with the return of Gerald, maybe even Vicky. But Trixie still liked him, and Tootie was growing prettier before his eyes. Would he be willing to make a play for her before someone else snatched her up? Or would all those years of trying to avoid her make things a bit too awkward.
"She must still like me," he thought, "otherwise, why would she ask to kiss me? It wouldn't have made much sense if she didn't." Timmy decided to play it cool until he sorted things out in his head. It was too soon after his break-up with Lia to be trying to decide between the two other girls, possibly three if Vicky was thrown into the mix. He'd feel like a heel, and Trixie had already said "I don't do rebounds!" With Vicky out of the picture for the time being, that left little sis a distinct possibility for dating. There was one teeny tiny problem that could grow to be a bigger one, and he could see it running down the street towards them: Rory Cockett. Timmy didn't think of him as a serious rival, but there was a little less than six months before he graduated, and went off to college. Anything could happen in that time. What was he doing here, anyway? Hudson Valley was at least five miles away, and downhill. That meant he had to run uphill just to get here, a ten mile circuit. Timmy could feel a jealous pang crawling up his spine, but would try to remain civil for Tootie's sake. The girl released his arm as the Rocket approached, and gave her best, most cheerful, smile. Rory slowed as he got closer.
"Hi, Angel Face! Fancy meeting you here!" He turned to Timmy, giving him the once over. "That you, Turner? That was a damn good game you turned in the other week! Didn't know you played both ways!" Judging from the smug look on his face, and tone of voice, Turner knew that his words could be interpreted in two ways. The first shots had now been fired, and the war was on, if not for Tootie, then for pride. Timmy put on his best fake smile.
"Yeah well, too bad I don't remember much about it because I got clocked by Bran. . . !" Tootie elbowed him in the side, and frowned her displeasure. She quickly changed the subject.
"What brings you up this way, Rory?"
"At least once a week, I like to take a long run, five or more miles, out and back. Keeps me in shape during the off season! I don't usually come up this way, but I've got some incentive now! Maybe you'd care to take a run around the park sometime!" Turner did not like the sound of that, and turned away in disgust. Tootie, on the other hand, seemed tickled pink, that this senior was applying his charm on her.
"That's a little too long for me . . ." she laughed.
"How about a stroll down by the lake, then?" Tootie's eyes widened excitedly.
"Are you asking me out on a date?"
"I thought it might be a good idea to get better acquainted, since you might end up going to my prom!"
"Don't worry, I'm still thinking about it!" she giggled, "You have my number, right?"
"Sure! I hope I'll see you soon, Tootie! Good seeing you, too, Turner!" Cockett turned to continue running down the street, and was soon out of sight.
Timmy stuck a finger down his throat, and made gagging sounds, which only seemed to amuse his dark-haired neighbor.
"Jealousy does not become you, Timmy Turner!" she grinned.
"I know, but I don't trust him. It's like he's here on a scouting mission, or something! I mean, he just came from the direction of where you live!" Tootie sighed.
"Let's get back to my place, and we can talk more there!"
Several blocks away, Rory stopped to unfold the piece of paper in his hand. "That's one down, but Cisco couldn't find me an address for the other one, the girl Tootie called 'Betty'. She must live close by, though." Cockett refolded the note, tucking it into his pocket, and headed towards the Hudson Hill Mall, where the Cougars first ran afoul of the robot girl. Maybe he'd have better luck there.
The Proposition
Betty-bot had gathered everyone together to hear Lia's plan, and they had made the jump, en masse, to the renovated warehouse in New Jersey.
"Guys, this is my friend, Trixie Tang! She has a problem that I believe all of us can help with!" Cindy, as the informal spokesperson for the Retroville contingent, was as curious as anyone.
"We're listening . . ."
"It's about fixing computers, and if we play our cards right, we'll all make a ton of money! Or . . ."
"Or what?"
"We could get arrested!"
"How exciting!" Cindy cracked her knuckles, "When do we start?"
"But I haven't given you the details yet!"
"As long as we have time left for shopping! You did mention we could possibly make a lot of . . . money?"
"Yes, but it involves some 'breaking and entering'! We need to get ahold of some defective computers, then we need to figure out what's wrong with them, and find a way to fix 'em fast!"
"And suppose we do all this, and get away with it? What then?"
"That's where you come in, Cindy! I'd like to buy the rights to your . . . 'learning' chip!" The blonde girl gasped.
"Oh Jeez!" Everyone turned to Jimmy next.
"Why is it that every time some criminal activity is mentioned, everyone looks at me?" Libby rolled her eyes back.
"That's cuz you're always doing questionable things behind everyones back, and have hidden agendas! You'd make a perfect cat burglar if you weren't such a jerk!"
"You mean because I'm handsome and mysterious?"
"No? Like I said, a jerk!"
End Chapter 38
A/N: Poof might be up for some competition . . . or is the Rocket simply curious about the resident android? Maybe he likes to live dangerously!
A shout out to CommanderTreaty for enlightening me on my use of French!
I have to admit my understanding of the stock market and how everything there works, is "imaginary" at best! It's a good thing this is all fiction! I look at this arc as more of an attempt to help save a friend's well being, as well as her family's fortune, but I could be wrong, and this is not a case of "insider trading" at all!
Saw "Ex Machina" the other night, and thought about the Three Rules of Robotics. Someone forgot to include it in Ava's programming!
FYI: The average Walmart covers nearly two hundred thousand square feet, so Lia's personal space occupies a little better than a third of that!