Chapter 34: Hole In The Sky
After the crew of three men complete the repairing process, Akira decided to ask the boys some more questions regarding their current situation, thanks to his curiosity getting the better of him. As Chris and Kenji told them more regarding the current circumstances, Akira, while still afraid of Jane due to past experiences, felt bad for her still; as the unpredictable nature of her ex-partner left her in a dangerous position.
"By the gods, I pray you all find a solution to this..." stated Akira, exhaling deeply.
"Don't worry dude, we've been on his case for a bit now." responded Chris. "I'll just say this now, we're gonna get him, no matter what we have to do."
"Does that include... well... making him a goner?" asked Akira, being blatantly naive. This made Chris and Kenji get an unsettling feeling, with the latter responding immediately to the question.
"No. Please, whatever you might hypnotize, never bring that subject up. Ever." said Kenji, sounding much more serious and stern than usual.
"I apologize in advance, but by what Chris implied, you two seem to be going to do anything to beat him. But I swear, I shan't bring this up again." responded Akira.
"You're fine, but if we do that, we're no better than he is." stated Chris.
Kenji then checked his phone to see that it was 2:30 PM, and ultimately concluded that it was time for him and Chris to depart; as to avoid suspicion from their friends.
"Chris, it's time for us to depart and head back, we cannot afford anymore wasted time." said Kenji, facing Chris.
"Right." stated Chris, before he then turned towards Akira. "Well, contact us when you've got an update about our stuff alright? We've gotta get going!"
"Wait just a moment! How on earth did you all get here?" asked Akira.
"That would be thanks to my dad, simple as that. See ya later Akira." responded Chris, as he and Kenji waved goodbye to Akira, while making their way out the door.
"What has this world come to...?" stated Akira, while looking up at the ceiling.
Meanwhile, Chris and Kenji ran to the same parking lot that Zoltan had parked in. It took the boys around 2 minutes to get back to the car, and they took the same seats as previously.
"Are you both alright?" asked Zoltan.
"Yep. It went perfectly!" responded Chris.
Zoltan took a sigh of relief knowing that the two boys were okay; as while the care for his son is a given, he viewed Kenji as a part of his family, seeing as how both him and Chris spent so time working and cooperating together. Zoltan then started the engine to the car, and began driving back home.
"As I drive, would you boys care to tell me more details?" asked Zoltan.
Kenji decided to explain what occurred to Zoltan; as Chris had felt buzzing in his right pocket, indicating that he was receiving a phone call. To his surprise, it was Marie, the last person he expected to call him.
"Hey Marie, something you need?" asked Chris.
"Yeah, where are you and Kenji at? I went to go check on you two at your house like half an hour ago, and you weren't there." responded Marie.
"Umm... we decided to go get some lunch, so yeah, that's that. Don't worry though, we're all heading back to the cul-de-sac right now. Is there something going on that we don't know about or what?" said Chris, attempting to sound more upbeat, in order to convince Marie.
"Fine, but get your ass back here! Someone's oh so desperate for you to comeback!" stated Marie, in a mocking tone. In the background, Chris heard someone shout "hey" very loudly, with an accent he knew all too well.
"Marie, do me a favor and be quiet. I'll be back." responded Chris, making Marie laugh.
"Okay, but hey, I'm just saying, hahaha!" said Marie, after which the phone call concluded, with Chris chuckling slightly.
"Marie will never change... but I guess it's just her being herself... Hmph." mumbled Chris to himself.
After around 5 minutes, the three men had arrived, with Zoltan telling the boys one last thing before they head back to their friends.
"Whatever you decide to do, be aware of the consequences that will arise, should you be naive to them." said Zoltan. "Please take care, I shall head back to the house, if you need to know."
"Of course dad, see ya soon." responded Chris, as he and his father shared a quick hug, and everyone left the car.
Kenji went on over to Chris to join him in returning to the trailer.
"Let us make our way back." said Kenji, before he then stopped in his tracks; as Chris made a stop signal with his hand.
"Sure... but in style." stated Chris, as he threw a smoke bomb onto the floor.
Meanwhile, at the Kanker's trailer, the trio of sisters were at the table discussing future plans for tomorrow; as they, along with their mother, agreed on visiting Rod to at the very least attempt to bring him to their side.
"You have his address, right mom?" asked May.
"Yes May, but again, I have not visited this address ever, as... I think you understand why." responded Jane, looking down at the floor.
The daughters could only look at their mother with concerned expressions, as awkward silence became prominent with them. After a second or so, Jane decided to give her daughters a piece of advice that she believes will be helpful.
"Listen, you three... there's something you must know." said Jane, with her daughters staring at her surprised. "It doesn't matter how much you might love your boyfriends, nor how much you do. Someday, eventually, you'll find yourselves at crossroads with your men. But what I wish for you all to know is this. Remaining silent like I did will never help you or him get closure on the issue. Whatever you do, whatever they do, talk about it, and reach a conclusion, no matter what."
While the sisters couldn't think of anything that would tear them apart from their men, the point that their mother made was still of high value. The future is anything but predictable, so the trio of sisters mutually agreed with their mother's statement.
"Mom, you betcha we're gonna keep that in mind. It ain't easy talking serious, but trust me, we'll talk with our men, regardless of what happens." said Lee, with a thumbs up from Marie and May in unison. Jane couldn't help but raise a smile.
However, their conversation is interrupted when they hear a song blasting from the couch area. The family got up to see what the source was, and it turned out to be a record player that was currently spinning side one of the first LP from Skylar's copy of Opeth's Orchid. Currently, the first minute of the song "In Mist She Was Standing" was playing from the player.
"Well, this is definitely more heavy than what we usually play..." said Eddy, as he listened to the song.
"Understatement, that is." stated Skylar, as she paused the record. "I can't play that entire song, as we would need around 14 minutes, but you get the general idea, yeah?"
"Certainly Skylar, but a song's length should not be a determent from enjoyment." commented Double D.
"That's not what I said Double D. I said that I'd rather not keep us here for a whole 14 minutes to listen to it. Plus, if I didn't like that song, I wouldn't have the rest of the album, trust me on that one." explained Skylar.
"My apologies for my naivety." responded Double D.
"Forget all of that, are those two ever gonna get back? What exactly are they helping with that's taking so long!" exclaimed Eddy.
"They're coming soon shorty, just be patient!" yelled Marie, as she and the rest of her family entered the room. "And what's that music that was just playing?"
Skylar lifts up her album to the Kanker family, which answers Marie's question.
"Looks nice, but it doesn't sound nice. How funny." stated Marie.
"Everyone says this, but appearances can be deceiving. But that's good to hear that the two boys will be back." said Skylar, as she took notice of a sly grin forming on Marie's face, making her facepalm.
Then suddenly, a cloud of smoke emerged in front of the door, which attracted the attention of everyone present. Once the cloud dispersed, Chris and Kenji revealed themselves.
"Well, entering the same way we got out. That's clever on my end!" stated Chris.
"But highly unnecessary, as we were more than capable enough of simply walking here." responded Kenji.
"You're no fun man, lighten up a bit, alright?" said Chris, as he gave a playful fist bump to Kenji's left shoulder.
"Welcome back both of you! Did everything go well?" asked Jane.
"It went perfectly man! Couldn't have gone better." responded Chris with a smile, as he took a seat next to Skylar on the couch, who had a look of curiosity on her face. Kenji took a seat next to Hilde.
"What did you two do?" asked Skylar, which gave Chris and Kenji a bad feeling in their stomachs. In what seemed to be a year to him, Chris came up with a fake response.
"You see, my dad's car originally had a problem with the engine not starting. We found out that we had to replace the engine in the end. After that, we went to go get some lunch, and that's that." explained Chris, with a sheepish grin.
While Skylar wanted to believe him, at the same time, she felt as though something seemed slightly off about her friend's behavior. She secretly planned in her mind to do an investigation of her own into the matter. Nevertheless, she decided to play along for the current moment.
"I'm sure you and Kenji worked well, haha." stated Skylar, putting in her typical alluring attitude, which surprisingly made Chris feel relieved.
"I am optimistic that the replacement engine inside the vehicle shall prove it's worth. The evaluation we conducted earlier demonstrated that the machine operated just as effectively as the previous system." said Kenji.
"That's good to hear boys. Looks like you two did your good deed for the day eh?" stated Hilde.
"I'd say so!" said Chris, sharing a laugh with everyone present.
Chris then took notice of the album on Skylar's lap, and decided to ask about it. The Kanker family, along with the Eds, went back to the table to give the four friends privacy.
"What's the album?" asked a curious Chris.
"Oh yeah! I was going to show you this album when I came over, but then you and Kenji left on a whim it seemed, so yeah. When we're at your house I'll tell you more okay?" responded Skylar.
"Alright. The front cover looks nice, but knowing you, it's probably something very... how do you say, inaccurate? Yeah that's it." said Chris, which made Skylar chuckle playfully.
"Trust me, I'm positive you'll love it regardless." stated Skylar.
Meanwhile, at the table, the Eds and Kankers were occupied with their own personal conversations; more specifically, what their respective plans were for the remainder of the day. Jane went upstairs to use the restroom for a moment.
"Well, I think me and the guys need to talk with the others, as I think a LONG talk about what to do next is up on the menu." said Eddy.
"You said it. For us, me and my family are visiting our father tomorrow, and we don't have the slightest clue of what to expect." responded Lee. "The only things I know are that he is biologically May's father, and he was the one who stuck with us."
"That's quite a lot to know... what time tomorrow are you guys leaving to visit him?" asked Eddy.
"Probably at noon or something. I'm mostly worried about mom, because it seems that she there's something that worries her about meeting him again." responded Lee, before elaborating some more. "They barely even speak to each other these days, only to talk about helping us, but other than that, nothin."
"So how's that gonna work then? Because I'm not Double D, but don't you have to be willing to talk with someone in order to solve problems?" asked Eddy, which made Lee think for a moment before giving her boyfriend a response.
"Here's the thing Eddy, my dad is mostly struggling to talk to mom. He'll occasionally speak with us, but it always goes well, or at least better than I expect with mom. So, one of us will try to talk to him first, which I'm thinking should be May, for obvious reasons." explained Lee. "Oh yeah, by the way, if you and the boys are thinking of joining us, don't, as this is-"
"A family thing?" said Eddy, cutting Lee off, before he explained himself. "Yeah, I get it. I'll just plan with the rest of the group, as we can't just sit around and do nothing. In fact, I think first thing's first, me and the boys should do a sleepover tonight."
"A sleepover? Between you and the other four boys? That's totally going to end well." said Lee, sarcastically with a sly grin.
"Come on babe, trust me. Besides, if nothing else, I can just get Double D to do everything for us." stated Eddy, crossing his left leg over his right leg.
"Excuse me Eddy, but I refuse for this to be an operation where I conduct most of the assigned work!" yelled out Double D, who heard his short-friend's original statement.
"Besides shorty, you're supposed to help too! I thought you cared about helping out Lee!" taunted Marie, which made Eddy break into a cold sweat; as he now realized what he unintentionally implied by his previous statement.
"Yes I... uh... shut your mouth Sonic! You don't know squat!" responded Eddy, trying to hide his guilt, while Marie just snickered mischievously.
"Alright Marie, you've had your fun, shut it." stated Lee, silencing her blue-haired sister. "Just don't sit around eating jawbreakers or whatever, work with the rest of the boys, okay sweetie?"
Eddy nodded his head in approval, as Lee gave him a quick kiss on the left side of his face, making him go red in the cheeks.
Over with Ed and May, the quirky couple had been busy discussing similar plans that had been tossed around the table.
"What do you plan to talk with the boys about?" asked May.
"I think I'd have to ask them first. But don't you worry May, we shall put a stop to whatever schemes this antagonist of the story has plotted against you!" exclaimed Ed, as if he was doing a battle cry. While May found the act cute herself, it only resulted in laughter from everyone else, with the exception of Jane Kanker, who simply chuckled.
"Well, thank you very much Ed." responded May, as she gave Ed a hug, with her boyfriend gladly returning the favor.
Last but not least, Double D and Marie were currently having their own personal conversation regarding future plans.
"So I guess you're doing the whole sleepover idea?" asked Marie, as she crossed her arms.
"So it appears Marie. However, I shall be holding all of us to a high standard, as time is of the highest essence, and wasting it on silly activities is something that I shall not tolerate!" said Double D, which made Marie facepalm slightly.
"Oven mitt, calm down!" yelled out Marie, laughing. "You should prepare, yes, but not for everything! No one is perfect, so don't act like taking a small break means the end of the world. In fact, I think you boys might need a bit of a break from all the commotion, especially since you've been at the heart of it for a bit!"
Marie had made a fair point to Double D; however the smart Ed boy had a hard time trying to put aside his several concerns regarding his current situation.
"I suppose you make a reasonable suggestion Marie..." said Double D, who was slightly reluctant.
"Come on sweetheart, we'll be fine. I promise." responded Marie, as she and Double D shared a kiss.
Chris and Kenji came over to the table to talk with everyone present.
"So I hear we're planning a sleepover?" asked Chris.
"Heck yeah! It's perfect, we get to talk, AND do all the stuff we love to do! We'll do it at my place, meet up at 6:30 PM." responded Eddy:
"Alright, it's a plan." said Chris. "Let's make sure that, if we're to stay up, we don't get to like 1 AM or something, as we need to be all ready for whatever happens tomorrow!"
"Relax, we'll just have Double D and Kenji in charge of that. But what are we going to discuss there?" asked Eddy.
"The two of us shall brief you in more detail once we've rendezvous at Eddy's own residence." responded Kenji.
Skylar and Hilde joined in on the conversation; as the pair of friends wanted to understand the context behind the plans.
"What do you think would be a good thing for us to do?" asked Hilde, who had a couple ideas, but wanted to hear the group's input. Marie got an idea based on an earlier suggestion made by Eddy.
"Well, you two can sleepover here if you want. We can some discussions of our own!" suggested Marie to Skylar and Hilde.
"Hmm... I believe I can arrange that. Hilde?" stated Skylar.
"So can I. But I'll need to head home and get some supplies for myself first." responded Hilde, after which the two girls shared a fist bump in agreement, and Hilde expanded upon her original statement. "In fact, why don't I call my mom, and she'll drop you off at your house so you can collect your things, and I'll go to mine and get my stuff. Sound like a plan?"
"Agreed Hilde. Get outside and call your mother, I'll join you in a moment." said Skylar, as Hilde made her way outside, calling her mother as she did so. Skylar then turned herself towards Chris.
"You and the lads should keep focus. Take a break if you absolutely must, but try to keep distractions to a minimum, okay?" advised Skylar to Chris.
"Of course, as this isn't like the movies or whatever." responded Chris, confusing Skylar.
"What the blazes are you trying to say?" asked Skylar.
"He refers to the more often than not over exaggerated circumstances of precariousness of motion pictures, and how it is nonfictional." explained Kenji in detail.
"Or for more easy understanding, the danger is real." stated Chris, simplifying Kenji's original explanation.
"Either way you say it, good point love." said Skylar with a small smile. "I'm going to join Hilde now, so stay safe alright?"
"No worries, see ya later my friend." responded Chris, as Skylar leaned in to give a quick kiss, and then made her way outside; taking her record in the process.
Jane then rejoins everyone at the table; aware of the current circumstances.
"Girls, if your two friends are to sleepover here, I'd suggest either finding a comfortable space for them, or creating one." stated Jane.
"I think the couch area will work fine, we'll just cover a part of the floor with soft materials." responded Lee.
"Should be enough." said Jane.
Meanwhile, the boys mutually decided to spend one more hour at the Kanker's trailer, and they would spend an hour completing personal duties, then rendezvous at Eddy's house.
"Well, I suppose we've got everything mapped out, right?" stated Chris.
"Indeed we have. I wonder what Cassie is doing herself..." responded Kenji.