Author's Note: This one went through some major changes from my original idea. How much? Well, one of the properties in this chapter wasn't even on my radar when I first decided to use the other. In spite of that, I think it all came together nicely. I hope you find it to be a good read!
Earth-4500
Beverly Hills, California
The sun had recently set in Beverly Hills, leaving a dreamy early evening sky in its place above. Below said sky are many sights that could draw anyone's eyes to them, such as the city's many striking landmarks, as well as an abundance of buildings of varying design. One of these establishments was a high school, where the parking lot was packed with car after car, the drivers of which were all walking towards the school through the open front doors. Above said entrance was a large cloth banner that read 'Welcome to the Reunion' in simple to read letters, while two women stood to the right of it as other arrivals passed by them.
"When is Alex finally going to show up, Sam? It's boring out here." one of them complained as she turned to the other.
Sam was a green eyed woman with a pale complexion and long, shiny ginger hair. She was wearing a simple lilac dress that complemented her thin but healthy frame, along with flat beige shoes.
"Try to be patient, Clover. Acting all tetchy won't do you any good." Sam advised, nudging her companion playfully.
Clover was similar to Sam in both skin tone and build, but had medium length blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a flattering, short sleeved black top and a knee length white skirt with brown buttons down the left side, along with black heeled shoes.
"I don't know what that word means, but I get your point." Clover responded.
Sam took out her cell phone and looked at it casually, swiping up.
"Looking for something?" Clover asked, noticing her friend.
"Not really." Sam answered. "I just figured I'd…"
Sam's eyes widened as she looked at her screen.
"Gross!" she exclaimed.
"Huh? What is it?" Clover asked, trying to get a look at the phone.
Sam quickly pulled her phone away from Clover.
"Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to know." Sam spoke.
"Whatever." Clover said with a shrug.
"Hey!" a woman called out from not so far away.
Sam and Clover turned in the direction the voice came from and were pleased by who it was they saw. A woman their own age was playfully running up towards them. She had noticeably darker skin than theirs, short and sleek black hair, and light brown eyes. She was wearing a seafoam green blouse with some thin, light orange stripes, cream colored slacks, and dark brown shoes that matched the small purse she had hanging over her right shoulder.
"Hey, Alex!" Sam greeted her.
"You made it!" Clover cheered.
Clover and Sam ran over to meet Alex and the three shared a little group hug.
"Sorry I'm late." Alex apologized, while still smiling. "I didn't leave you waiting too long, did I?"
"Nah, we're good." Clover assured her.
Sam snickered for half of a second at how cool Clover was playing it. The three happily strode into their old high school, all of them sure that it'd be a pleasant time. The hall was empty, as most of the guests had already gone to the auditorium where the high school reunion proper was being held.
"So what were you up to before you got here?" Sam asked Alex as they walked.
"A solo mission I'd be happy to put behind me." Alex answered.
"Let me guess; You had to deal with the wacky revenge scheme of someone who got way too hung up on sleight from years ago." Clover said.
"You got it." Alex confirmed, nodding as she did. "It was crazy petty."
"Give us the details." Sam requested.
Alex looked at her flatly.
"You two clearly haven't been getting enough action." Alex commented.
Sam and Clover blushed.
"Okay, I'll tell you.." Alex sighed. "So it was this guy who used to play cricket in middle school."
"So this was in England?" Clover asked, intrigued.
"Nope, this was in Nevada. Yeah, not what I was expecting either." Alex explained. "So...the guy got teased for liking cricket. Some kid in another class made him eat an actual cricket, as in the animal. It was a 'If you like it so much' sorta thing. So the guy threw up after swallowing the cricket and a girl he liked laughed at him."
"Wow, that sucks." Sam stated.
"Totally…" Clover agreed. "So how did he take his revenge too far?"
"Alright, get this; so the guy, Bugsy Fields, grew up to become a pro at the game. Made a small fortune. Enough to hire a less than moral science whiz to create a gross, man sized cricket monster."
Clover shuddered, imaging the creepy creature. She was hoping Alex hadn't taken any pictures of it.
"He used it to attack his old bully's daughter's slumber party." Alex went on. "He tried to have the cricket monster eat the girl and her friends, all to get back at the guy for something that happened almost forty years ago. They were all eight year olds."
"Holy…just...yikes." Sam struggled to let out.
"Good thing you were sent to stop it." Clover said, touching Alex's shoulder.
"Yeah…" Alex sighed. "I kind of just want to put the whole thing behind me and have some fun."
"You came to the right place then!" Clover remarked.
The three let go of the topic and walked into the very modestly decorated, brightly lit auditorium, which was full of people who were chatting to each other around several circular collapsible tables. The scene was a very pleasant one for the three women to see.
"It's so...normal." Sam said, taking it in. "Something about this just feels right."
"Good turnout too. I think our entire graduating class is here." Alex observed.
The three walked over to a vacant table and all sat down at it.
"Doesn't surprise me. After what happened, it makes sense people would want to see old friends. ...That's at least how I feel." Clover admitted, becoming forlorn.
"You have every right to feel that way, Clover. Everyone does." Alex said sympathetically. "We were all shaken up when Jerry blew away in the wind."
"Yeah, but you handled it better than us. Sure, we did what we could then, but...when it was over, and we got Jerry back, it wasn't you who asked to go on leave. It was us." Clover said, before glancing at Sam.
"Clover, I think it affected everyone in different ways. The ways people have coped have been all over the map and us taking some time off from work isn't something to be ashamed of." Sam told her, touching her right hand to hers.
Alex smiled and placed her right hand on theirs.
"You two are welcome to come back whenever you're ready. Another week, another month, or whenever." Alex told them.
This made Clover and Sam smile warmly. It was just what they needed to hear. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted when another woman came up from seemingly nowhere and slammed her open hand down on the table. She had long black hair and pale skin, and was wearing a black dress.
"Well it seems like the Three Musketurds showed up after all!" the woman sneered, her voice sounding like a rusty, poorly tuned clarinet.
"Hello, Mandy." the trio all groaned.
Mandy laughed obnoxiously before shoving Sam out of her seat and taking it for herself. She put her feet up on the table. Sam, who had just managed to catch herself from falling, gripped onto Mandy's shoulder.
"I see you're as awful as ever." Sam growled.
"Shut up, loser. At least I actually have a date." Mandy mocked.
Alex and Clover got up from their chairs and they and Sam started walking off in search of another place to sit. Mandy frowned as they did. It was clear that she didn't really want the table, but for the three to get worked up and make more of a scene. She watched as they made their way to a table lined with refreshments for attendees to take. Not many other people were there at the moment.
"That's weird; I thought he said he was getting us drinks." Mandy said to herself.
"Of course she was able to spot us. I cannot stand her." Clover complained, as she picked up some baby carrots and placed them on a small paper plate.
"Don't let her get to you, Clover. Just try to remember that she isn't worth the trouble." Alex reminded her.
"Try to focus on something else." Sam suggested.
The blonde turned her head towards the other end of the table and, if on cue, Clover's eyes widened and she began to blush a bright red. She had spied a rather handsome and muscular man with shortly cut, strawberry blond hair. He wore stylish half framed glasses and was standing by the punch bowl, gazing off into the distance.
"That's our girl." Alex giggled.
"I'm going in." Clover announced.
"I wish you luck, but you don't need it." Sam complimented her.
"Flattery will get you everywhere." Clover replied with a chuckle. "Do either of you have your compact? I forgot mine and I want to check my lipstick."
Well the three friends were talking, another figure walked up to the punch bowl. He was noticeably younger than almost all the other men in the auditorium, including the handsome man who had just caught Clover's eye. Well he was clearly around the same age as Sam, Alex, Clover and Mandy, the younger man looked like he could attend the school during the day as a student. That's because he could. He was of a fairly average build and height, and had brown hair with curved bangs and beady green eyes. He was wearing a brownish green tweed suit with brown loafers. He began to pour some punch into two paper cups. He appeared to be nervous, which the older guy noticed.
"Uh...hey there. What's your name?" the older guy said to break the ice.
"Oh. Hi. I'm Rudy. Rudy Tabootie." the younger one answered politely.
"You're obviously not a graduate, so...why are you here?" the man asked. "Aw geez, am I being rude?"
"Don't worry. It's fine." Rudy assured him, before tugging at his collar. "...an older woman invited me."
The man was about to say something else, only to feel a soft tap on his shoulder from behind. He turned his head around to see Clover, who was looking at him with flirtatious bedroom eyes.
"You here alone, handsome?" she asked, making an effort to sound alluring.
"Hey, Clover!" the man smiled, recognizing her from days past. "Wow! You haven't changed a bit!"
Clover looked stunned. She, Sam, and Alex had assumed he was someone they had never met back in school.
"You know me?"a confounded Clover asked.
"Of course I do, Clover. Did you forget about me?" the handsome guy questioned. "Don't tell me you forgot about good ol' Arnold Jackson."
Clover mouth fell agape, as did those of Alex and Sam. This was not the Arnold they remembered.
"You...you've changed." Clover commented. "Sorry for not recognizing you."
"Don't sweat it. I am honestly flattered that you called me handsome." Arnold said, blushing a little and shifting his eyes.
Arnold then remembered Rudy was there, and motioned to him.
"Hey, Clover, I'd like you to meet Rudy. We just met." Arnold told her.
"Um...hi." Rudy said to her.
"Hi, I'm Clover. Hey, aren't you a little young for a high school reunion?" Clover asked.
"Yeah...I...came here with...ugh...date." Rudy explained once again, trying and failing not to cringe.
Sam and Alex walked up. Something seemed off to them.
"You don't seem to be that comfortable here, kid." Sam observed.
"Do you not actually like your date or something?" Alex asked.
Rudy sighed and looked over in the direction Alex, Clover, and Sam had come from. Towards the table they had been at. Towards Mandy, who shot him an irritated look, but neglected to pay attention who was with him.
"Are you bringing me something to drink or not?!" Mandy shouted.
"Oh my god…" Arnold gasped.
"You're here with her?!" Alex shrieked.
The girls looked at each other and couldn't help but break out laughing. This caught Mandy's attention.
"Mandy's a cougar!" Clover snorted.
"And he doesn't even really like her!" Sam all but howled.
Unlike her friends, Alex stopped laughing when she noticed Mandy furiously stomping their way. She looked over at Rudy, who seemed terrified, and touched his shoulder.
"Run off, Rudy. Duck away somewhere away from her. We'll keep her busy." Alex whispered.
Rudy grinned at her and bolted away.
"What the hell were you doing with my date?! You Three Musketurds better not have told him I'm still finalizing my divorce!" Mandy angrily shouted when she got up to them.
"Hold up. Did you just call them the 'Three Musketurds'?" Arnold asked.
Being all about the auditorium we're starting to stare and murmur. Mandy looked around and only then realized that everyone had noticed her screaming.
"I had no idea you were getting divorced, Mandy." Sam stated. "Heck, I didn't even know you were married."
"I did, but I wasn't going to say anything." Alex revealed.
"Holy crap!" Clover laughed, putting things together in her head.
"Mandy's so desperate that she brought the only guy she could bully into coming!" an unseen guy far off shouted.
Alex couldn't help but recognize that the person sounded strange. Like a teenager throwing his voice to sound deeper.
"No! No that's a lie! The brat asked me! He asked me!" Mandy shouted out, sounding desperate.
Mandy was too late. Well most of the people there didn't laugh at her, just enough did that her mind made her think that was the case. Mandy bursted into tears and ran out of the auditorium, shoving past several of her old school peers along the way. Sam, Clover, and Arnold dashed over to help the people Mandy had knocked down back on their feet. Alex, however, didn't. Instead, she scanned over the whole auditorium with her eyes, and spotted a brown loafer by another open door. Alex walked over to the shoe by the door and picked it up, and her suspicion about it was confirmed.
"This is Rudy's shoe." Alex said to herself.
"Did you say the name Rudy?" someone asked.
Alex looked up from the shoe to see a woman, another one of her old classmates. She was a ginger haired woman in red wearing dark sunglasses and holding a metal crutch cane, indicating to Alex that she was blind.
"Yeah, I did." Alex confirmed.
"Weird. Earlier today I was picking up my niece and she told me about a kid named Rudy falling out of the closet in the art room while she was in class." the woman told her. "The weird thing is that he wasn't actually a student here. The art teacher figured he was stealing their supplies and tossed him out on the street."
"Why are you telling me this?" Alex asked.
The blind woman smirked knowingly and sauntered away without a word, let alone an answer. Though confused, Alex couldn't help but think that she had to find Rudy. She dashed out of the door and ran to where she remembered the art class' room being. It was still there after all those years, with a simple wooden door. It had always been rustic compared to the other rooms in the school. She could tell the lights were off, but she could hear a rustling from the other side of the door. She swung the door open and ran into the dark room.
"I know you're in here!" Alex announced as she did.
This was not the most astute observation Alex had ever made, as Rudy was standing right by the old school chalkboard across from the door. He was holding something in his hand that was block shaped, which he was gazing down at.
"Finally, I have you again." Rudy said to it.
Alex ran up and slammed her left hand onto the chalkboard. Rudy slowly turned his head up to look at her in the eyes.
"You look beautiful in the moonlight. Like a blacktop mural made by a talented artist." Rudy extolled.
"Don't try to butter me up, kid." Alex snapped. "I know you were here earlier today. Who are you really? Some kind of rogue teen spy trying to set a trap for me in my old school?"
Rudy stared at her in response before laughing. It wasn't a sinister laugh at all, but one of genuine amusement. This caused Alex to pull her hand back. After a few seconds, Rudy stopped and started to talk once more.
"I am a lot of things, but I'm no evil spy! I was just trying to get this back after that crabby art teacher took it from me! I'm not here to hurt anybody!" Rudy answered in a friendly tone.
He lifted the object in his hand up so it could be seen in the moonlight. Alex was expecting to see something special, but instead saw only a thin cardboard box of chalk rods, like the kind she used to see teachers use back in kindergarten. The box had 'White Lightning' written on it. She was baffled and wasn't afraid to express it.
"Are you telling me that you got Mandy to bring you to this reunion so you could get back into the school and get a box of chalk?! That's way too much effort for chalk! I don't think anyone even uses chalk much anymore! Tell me the truth!" Alex demanded.
"Sure, I can do that. This isn't my world anyway. Be ready to hear something kind of weird." Rudy warned her with a shrug. "My name really is Rudy. Rudy Tabootie."
"That's a silly last name." Alex said flatly.
"Sticks and stones, Alex." Rudy countered. "Anyway, you seem confused why I would go to such an effort to get this chalk. Well…"
Rudy clapped his hands and the lights on the ceiling flickered on. It wasn't magic or anything. The lights in the room we're just the kind that worked that way. He opened the box of White Lightning chalk and pulled out a stick of it that sparkled, like it had some sort of glitter on it. But Alex could tell it was something more than that. She could feel something was special just by looking at it.
"I always loved drawing with chalk. It was my whole thing as a kid. A little weird, but we all have our quirks...on any Earth." Rudy said, becoming more dramatic and serious as he kept going.
Alex stayed quiet for the moment. It was rare for her to have someone who wasn't an enemy monologue about their past.
"One day, I found a stick of chalk. It was magic. The chalk allowed me to access an amazing world. It's called the ChalkZone. When a chalk drawing is erased, it becomes a part of it. Snap, a character I created, is one of my best friends." Rudy continued. "Since then, I've become the protector of ChalkZone. I was in it when half of the people in my reality were turned to dust. While none of the chalk drawing people vanished, cracks began to form. Chalk drawings from other universes, like this one you call home, began to pour in. After things calmed down, I went to investigate one of the cracks. When I drew a circle on it, it brought me to your world instead of mine. I used that computer on the teacher's desk to learn about your world...and about the reunion. That's how I learned that it happened in your world too. I was going to head back, but the teacher came in and I hid in the supply closet. Then she found me, took my box of chalk, and threw me out of the school. One thing led to another and...here we are."
Alex then cracked up and fell back onto a desk, laughing at what she just heard. Rudy appeared to become offended by this.
"You're totally nuts! I can't wait to tell Sam and Clover!" Alex blurted out before laughing even louder.
"But…" Rudy began to say, but he was ignored.
He turned to the chalkboard and began to draw a circle on it. Alex spring up and pointed at it, still laughing.
"Sure! Try to prove me wrong, kid! I'm sure it'll work!" Alex sarcastically encouraged him.
Then Rudy finished the circle and it glowed before both their eyes. Alex instantly stopped making fun of him and just stared at in disbelief as it transformed into a portal. She couldn't see much in it, but what little she did looked like colorful chalk drawings come to life. Rudy smiled smugly at her with a cocked eyebrow.
"You must feel pretty silly now." Rudy taunted her.
"It's...real. ChalkZone is real." Alex whispered.
Rudy began to climb into the portal. He smiled at her more genuinely, regaining his true, kinder demeanor.
"Told ya. Don't feel too bad. I probably should've just showed you to begin with." Rudy told her as he fully got inside, leaving only his head and shoulders visible to her.
Alex fell to her knees.
"Nobody is going to believe me if I tell them. If I tell anyone, they'll think I'm delusional." Alex shuddered.
"If some of the magic chalk from ChalkZone can end up in my world, maybe it can in yours too. You could try looking for it so you can have proof." Rudy suggested. "Or maybe you can just forget about all this and enjoy your reunion with your friends. Bye, Alex. You were a real help with that awful lady I had to get away from. Good luck in life!"
With that, Rudy erased the portal from the other side. The chalkboard returned to being just a normal fixture of the room, the portal to the ChalkZone reduced to nothing. Alex pressed her hand to the dark green board and just looked at it in silence for about two minutes. She then heard footsteps and turned to see Sam and Clover.
"There you are! Why are you in here?" Clover asked as they walked into the classroom.
"We couldn't find you but then we saw the light on down the hall." Sam explained. "What's up?"
Alex thought fast and pointed to the window.
"I, uh, was helping that Rudy kid. He got his friend to swing by and pick him up. I think he said his name was Snap. He went out that window." Alex lied.
Alex knew she could trust that too, but she knew the truth sounded way too far-fetched.
"Probably for the best. I have to wonder why he would agree to come with Mandy in the first place." Sam said.
"Because she's so terrible, right?" Clover asked.
"Yeah, but there's also the matter of age." Sam replied. "After all, if Rudy wasn't le…"
"Oh god, do not bring that up." Alex interjected.
"Yeah, good idea, Alex. Mandy may be a pain, but she isn't that kind of one." Sam remarked.
"Let's hope not!" Clover gagged.
The three laughed for half a minute.
"Hey, you two head back to the party. I just have to make a phone call first." Alex told them.
"Okay, but leave us waiting too long and I won't let you hear the end of it." Clover joked.
The two walked out. Once she was sure they were out of reach, Alex took out her WOOHP communicator and dialed a number on it. After a few seconds, her call was accepted and the screen displayed a name on it; Marc Clark. A voice answered.
"Hey, you've got Marc." the person she was calling answered, confirming his identity.
"Hey, Marc, it's Alex." Alex said. "I have a favor to ask of you."
"Alright, Alex. We're on the same team. What do you need?" Marc asked.
"I need you to go through the WOOHP database and look for anything, and I mean anything, involving chalk." Alex requested.
"Chalk?" a bemused Marc asked.
"Yes. I know it sounds random, but it'd be a big help. I just don't have the time. Can you please do this for me?" Alex pleaded.
"Well, I kind of had a hot date planned…" Marc started to say.
"Marc, I know who it is you're really seeing." Alex said dryly.
Marc let out an audible gulp at that.
"Alright, I'll check for anything involving chalk. If there's anything at all, you can count on me to let you know." Marc promised.
"You rock, Marc." Alex thanked him. "Bye!"
She promptly ended the call and walked out of the classroom, before turning to head back to the auditorium. In the shadows, out of Alex's view, stood the woman who Alex had assumed was blind, who put on a small earpiece with a microphone.
"It's done, ma'am." she spoke as she watched Alex walk away.
A soft, muffled voice could be heard on the other end before the woman said one more thing.
"Yes, yes...Rudy's got the chalk."
May as well close on the theme song reference. Yes, I decided to have a ChalkZone/Totally Spies crossover. Nothing could stop me from doing it once it entered my head! Nothing!
Some notes:
- Earth-4500 is home to characters from Totally Spies, its spin-off The Amazing Spiez!, and Martin Mystery. In the shows' canon, they all take place in the same universe anyway. It's also home to the characters of Monster Buster Club (it's from the same company, so why not?). You may remember the MBC from Tales of the Beyond (which will come back at some point, I swear).
- No idea what number Earth Rudy is from though. Not really necessary at the moment.
- In case you don't know, Marc is a character from Amazing Spiez.
- The "Bugsy Fields" story was my way of demonstrating what Totally Spies could be like in terms of the villains they fought. Hope fans of the show found it to be on point.
- I guess I may as well explain who the mystery woman was; she was Earth-4500 of Julia Carpenter, who in the comics was Spider-Woman and currently the new Madame Web. That's all I'm spilling though.
Huh, I thought I'd have more to say. Oh well. I hope you liked this and found it a nice addition to the Infinity Crisis multiverse.