"We have to find the secret laboratory with the cache of doomsday weapons before anyone else does!"

Tossing aside her now-drained juice box, Ms. O stormed toward the old house. The holographic ghost of Rayenyrk floated out of the ground right in front of her.

"LEAVE OR BE DOOOOOOO..."

"NOT NOW!"

Without even breaking stride, Ms. O walked straight through the ghost and up the stairs to the back door. She turned to the Odd Squad agents and the Scooby gang.

"Well? You coming or not?"

They all hurried after her.

#

"Well, yeah, the thing is, I've been all over this house," Oscar was explaining as he unlocked the door. They walked through the entrance into the pantry. "And I haven't been able to find any... MS. O, LOOK OUT!"

Darting forward, he seized Ms. O and yanked her back just as an enormous razor-sharp guillotine blade dropped from the ceiling and embedded itself in the floor where she had just been standing.

"Oh yeah," Oscar adjusted his glasses. "There're some booby traps my Uncle rigged up to make sure noone got in the back way." He noticed Otto. "Don't step on that rug!"

Otto paused just before wiping his feet on the 'Welcome' mat. Stepping back, he took an old soup can from a nearby sack of ancient, forgotten groceries and dropped it on top. The mat fell under its weight, dropping into an underground chamber of vicious, snapping crocodiles.

"Whoah..."

"Oh yeh..." Oscar rubbed the back of his head. "I really oughta feed those guys, it's been awhile..."

Otto edged carefully around the hole in the floor to safety.

Shaggy shuddered at the pirate flag collection hanging along the walls. "Don't you have any normal relatives?"

"Well, my Cousin Karen," Oscar responded. "She's been pretty normal ever since she had the extra head removed. We sent it to my Uncle Elias. It's kind of an adjustment for him. But at least he doesn't walk into walls anymore."

Olive facepalmed, took a deep breath, and tried to re-focus on the case.

"Are there any more traps?"

Oscar shook his head. "Not that I know of."

Fred double-taked. "Not that you know of?"

"Well, you know, I haven't really been back here that much. I'm trying to clean the place up 'cause it's been abandoned so long. And I figured I'd better start in the front rooms because, y'know, it's important to make a good first impression. I did have Archon throw out a BUNCH of spoiled food, though. My uncle, he was a BIG eater. He especially liked those little sandwich cookies with the creme in the middle..."

"OSCAR!"

Oscar froze and looked over as Ms. O addressed the rest of the group.

"Everyone just be careful and watch your step. And don't touch anything!"

Scooby shied back from the crumbling pile of cookies he was sniffing. Cringing, he followed the others through the door into the kitchen at the back of the house.

Daphne looked around nervously. "It's safe in here, though, right?"

"Well, yeah," Oscar nodded. "I mean, I haven't found anything..."

An arrow shot across the room, embedding itself in the wooden door just above Oscar's head.

"Well, aside from that. But everything should fine now."

They looked around.

"I'm... not sure I can agree with you there..."

Ordinarily, Otto liked kitchens. This one, however, not so much. The ancient iron stove in the corner, the refrigerator covered with disturbing smears, the evil-smelling sink, the bare lightbulb hanging from a swirling cord above the half-rotted wooden table, the dirty dishes and grease-smeared papers piled up in the corner, and the cabinets hanging crookedly with their doors flapping open and closed in the complete absence of wind made them all intensely uncomfortable.

"Really," Daphne sniffed. "Avocado green tiled floors? That's so retro kitsch..."

"Yeah," Oscar nodded sadly. "My Aunt Wendy didn't like them either. She said it was like standing on an alligator."

"Probably why he had them," Olive noted dryly.

Velma noticed Ms. O was getting impatient and opted to head things off. "So Oscar, you've explored this entire house, you said. Are there any places you've noticed where the lab might be hidden?"

Oscar pondered. "I'm... not sure. There are a ton of secret rooms and passageways."

Fred nodded. "Well, let's try to reason it out. You're a scientist. Where in this house would YOU put a lab?"

"Hmmm," Oscar considered. "Well, y'know, that's kinda tricky. Y'see, I'd want a LOT of sunlight so I could see better. But my uncle didn't care for sunlight that much."

Shaggy gulped. "Yeah. The whole vampire thing."

"Well, he used to say that, yeah. And of course good ventilation is key. You don't wanna get light-headed from mixing chemicals. Believe me, I've mixed a lot of chemicals..."

Velma caught Shaggy before he said anything. Olive did the same with Otto.

"And... Oh yeah, privacy. That's what he'd want most, privacy. He'd want to have everything hidden away so no one could see what he was doing."

Fred snapped his fingers. "Of course!" Then to Oscar. "Have you checked the basement?"

A dawning realization came over Oscar's face. "Of course! The basement! That's where he'd have his secret lab! In the basement!"

Olive leaned forward. "So have you checked the basement?"

"There is no basement," Oscar shrugged.

Ms. O nodded. "Then that's where it is!"

Everyone stared at her.

She explained: "An old house like this would have to have a basement. And if Oscar hasn't found the basement, that must mean it's hidden."

Fred picked up on her wavelength. "And if it's hidden, it's probably for a good reason!"

Daphne completed the thought. "Like his secret lab!"

Olive looked around. "But how will we get down there?"

Ms. O started kneeling down to punch through the floor. Oscar stopped her.

"Um, no, don't do that. We hafta keep the place's re-sale value."

Shaggy looked around. "THIS place has RE-SALE VALUE?"

Oscar shrugged. "Well, my aunt's gonna want to get as much money out of it as she can. So we can't really go around tearing up the floors."

"But then how are we going to find the lab?"

Velma smiled. "We have someone whose senses are better than ours look for it!" She turned to Scooby.

Scooby looked to his left, to his right, behind him, then swallowed. "RE?" He shook his head vigorously "RUH-UH! RUH-UH!"

Daphne produced a box out of nowhere. "Would you do it for a Scooby-Snack?"

Scooby hesitated, then shook his head.

"Two Scooby Snacks?"

"Hey, I'LL do it for a Scooby Snack!" Otto took the treat out of Daphne's hand. "I always wondered what these tasted like!"

He gulped the Snack down, then sighed in ecstasy. "Oh, man... Soooooooooo good..."

Scooby glared at him. Shaggy patted the dog's head.

"Hey, at least you got out of it, pal!"

Scooby mumbled under his breath. "Rould've done it for ree..."

Dropping down on all fours, Otto sniffed around the baseboards. He made a face.

"Cripes! Didn't he ever CLEAN this place?"

Oscar was about to reply when Otto resumed sniffing. He crawled along several feet, then bumped his head on a pipe sticking up from the floor.

"OW! What's this doing here?"

Olive ran over to her partner. "Look at this! This pipe doesn't go anywhere!"

It was true. The pipe stuck up from the floor, ran along the wall, went up several feet, then stopped an inch or so short of the ceiling.

Velma pondered. "Why would he have a pipe that doesn't go anywhere?"

Fred snapped his fingers again. "It must be a clue!"

Velma sighed. "Yes, Fred. It must be a clue. But what does it mean?"

Otto and Olive examined the pipe more closely, Otto moving a broom that was leaning against the wall. Oscar came over and started examining the pipe too.

"Hmmm..." Picking up the broom, Oscar banged the handle on the ceiling overhead one, twice, three times. A shower of dust rained down on everyone.

"KOFF, KOFF... Oscar!"

Oscar turned and banged the broom handle against the pipe twice.

A hidden panel on the wall slid open, dislodging more dust.

"Whuh... Huh?" Otto stared in surprise.

Daphne gasped. "A secret door!"

Velma took the broom from Oscar and examined it. "It must have been rigged to open when someone hit the ceiling and the pipe the right combination of times!"

Fred gaped at Oscar. "But how did you...?"

Oscar shrugged. "Uncle Rayenyrk was a big Tony Orlando fan."

They decided to let that one go. Plucking off her badge, Olive activated the flashlight and shone it down the long, dark passageway . Unidentifiable things fled back into the shadows.

"I'm not sure I'd trust those stairs..."

Pulling a gadget from behind his back, Otto stepped forward.

"Staircaseinator!"

He fired the gadget down into the dark. A new staircase appeared, far sturdier and safer than the rickety wooden one that had been there before.

Leaning into the passage, Olive swung her flashlight badge up and down the walls. "There doesn't seem to be a light-switch."

"Yeah..." Oscar sucked his teeth. "My uncle liked the dark. He said he found it... soothing."

"He would!" Shaggy whimpered. He and Scooby clung to one another, shivering.

Fred checked the cupboard. "Here's some candles!" He handed them out. "Anyone got any matches?"

"Here," Oscar blew on one of the candles. The wick burst into a cheery, illuminating flame. He handed it to Otto.

Otto gaped. "How did you...?"

"It's another reason I joined." He blew on another candle and the same thing happened. "I was gonna get to it, but we stopped doing those things..."

Eventually, each member of the group had a candle. Ms. O stepped forward.

"Shall we?"

Shaggy and Scooby hung back. "Uh, you guys go ahead! We'll wait here, just in case!"

Velma shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, half-smiling. "You can keep watch for any odd villains or monsters that might show up!"

Scooby's eyes grew large. "Rodd rillains?"

Shaggy's did too. "M-M-Monsters?"

Ms. O was growing impatient. "Is that enough character schick? Can we go now?"

Huddling together, they descended into the shadows...

TO BE CONTINUED...