Author's Note: Thanks to Kimpire and KatrynSedai for the pranks. Couldn't have done it without you guys!
April Fools' Day
Darien flipped the TV on, paging through the channels. The Official had given him the day off, and he had absolutely nothing to do.
There was a Road Runner cartoon, some boring business program, a craft program showing how to make Roman shades out of old newspapers, an exercise program, and the news. He turned the exercise program on, but got bored of it after one minute of punching and changed the channel. Besides being boring, it was just old folks, not young, hot girls…
He turned on the news as a last resort.
The reporter was talking about some merger that Darien could care less about, but lacking anything else to do, he listened.
"This morning, the multi-trillion dollar corporation Axis bought up the scientific firm Transfigure. Corliss deValera-Austen, CEO of Axis, says that she hopes to buy several other organizations soon. However, there is some speculation about whether deValera-Austen is attempting to build a monopoly. The government feels that Axis may soon be pushing the limits of…" He turned off the TV. He didn't really feel like hearing about a monopoly and all that crap.
He pulled on his jacket, and left his apartment. He meandered down the street. He wandered aimlessly, hoping that he would think of something to do.
"Darien!" He turned to see who was calling his name. Katryn from the Invisible Underground was running up to him.
"Hey Katryn! Haven't seen you in a while!"
"Do you know what today is?" she asked, breathless.
"No, why?"
"April Fools' Day is today, of course! I was hoping you would help me with something."
"What is it?" Darien asked, suspicious.
"Would you help me," she said, looking mischievious, "help me play jokes on the other Imaniacs?"
"The other what?"
"Oh crap! No one…just the members of my crew. You know, the Invisible Underground."
Darien felt a grin spread over his face. "Of course."
Darien pushed in the last tack and stepped back to view his handiwork. This was going to be funny…but not as funny as the other things Katryn had in mind.
He walked away and joined Katryn behind a desk.
"I can't wait to see their reaction," Katryn whispered, bouncing up and down like a child on Christmas morning. "I love doing this!"
Darien nodded, and both of them turned to look at the bulletin board. He had posted something there, and they waited for everyone's reaction.
Kimpire passed the bulletin board, and the big sign caught his eye. He turned to read it, and a guffaw burst from his lips. Shaking with suppressed laughter, he called out, "Iman Girl! Come see this!"
Iman Girl crossed the room and looked at the bulletin board curiously. A smile spread over her face, and she too tried to keep her laughter in like Kimpire was. She failed, and sat on the ground, howling with laughter.
People heard the laughter, and turned to see Kimpire and Iman Girl helpless with laughter near the bulletin borad. They flocked over to the laughing duo to see what was so funny.
Kimpire pointed to the sign. "Read that!" he gasped out.
Sage read it aloud. "Procrastinators Club has been postponed to next week."
The group smiled.
She went on to the next message, but she couldn't read it. She pulled the sign off the board and held it up. Everyone could see the second message: ".yadretsey dleh gniteeM bulC sdrawkcaB yrotadnaM"
The group started laughing one by one, as they figured out what the message said.
Darien & Katryn exchanged glances and turned to leave the desk. Darien came fact to face with someone's feet. He slowly looked up into the face of one of the QS Undergrounders.
"Well, well, what are you two doing? Or do I want to know? You two wouldn't happen to have anything to do with those notes on the board, would you?"
Katryn glared at him. "Geonn! Go away, you didn't see anything!"
Geonn crossed his arms, and glared right back, not moving. "Oh, I saw plenty."
"You're disobeying a direct order!" Katryn hissed at him.
He shrugged. "I'll live. But if you're so anxious to keep this a secret, I'll strike up a deal with you."
Katryn gave him a suspicious look. "Say on, I'm dying to hear," she smirked.
"I won't tell anyone about you two pranksters if you'll let me help you. I'm sure you two aren't done."
Katryn looked at Darien, who held up his hands. "Don't ask me."
She looked back at Geonn. "Okay, fine. But have in mind that we're letting you do this because we have to…"
He shrugged, a grin on his face. "Does it look like I care? I just want to be a part of the fun. So what's next?"
Katryn smiled. "We have to hurry."
They had set up the next prank, and it had taken a while. But the tricking trio were now in Katryn's office, waiting to see what kind of faces they could get from this prank.
Darien pulled himself up onto Kat's desk, first moving aside papers. At Katryn's look, he protested, "What? I wanted to sit here!"
"Whatever." Katryn turned back to the window.
Geonn laughed and pointed. "I think someone found theirs."
HighlanderFan was typing on his computer, and as she proofread the finished document, she groped for something on her desk. Her hand came in contact with a piece of paper, folded to stand up, and she picked it up. Reading it, her mouth fell open and her eyebrows went down.
"What kind of trick is this?" she said aloud, causing other to look up at her.
The crew in Kat's office all snickered.
The other Imaniacs looked at the sign HighlanderFan was brandishing, and looked down at their own desks.
Each one had a sign where their lunch had been, and the sign read "Hungry? Too bad."
Darien finished the last bite of his apple and tossed the core in the garbage. "Well, what's next? How about…Ivy's thermos of homemade soup?'
Katryn spun around. "Stop!" she said, thwacking the back of Darien's head.
"I'm just joking!"
"Wait, they still haven't gotten to…" Geonn's voice trailed off as someone found the last part of the prank.
"Maybe there's something in the fridge," LozonSkippy suggested.
"Good idea." Iman Girl walked over and pulled the fridge door open. Her face fell as she found that the fridge was empty…all except for a sign that read: "Hungry? Too bad!"
Geonn flexed his fingers. "I am never going to write 200 some-odd signs all at once again."
"Oh stop. You're not the only one who wrote them," Darien retorted.
"Big help you were. You did about two cause you kept talking and looking around and not paying attention. Probably the two you did didn't even say the right thing," Geonn shot back.
"All right, settle down you two," Kat intervened.
"You sound like the Official."
Katryn rolled her eyes. "Heaven forbid. We need to get on with the next trick."
"Wait a second. Something's happening to the computers," Geonn said, still at his post by the window.
The trio ran out and bent down to examine the nearest computer. The screen was blank, but then a stick figure appeared, and walked to a door that had also magically appeared. It opened it, and a pail of water fell on its head. Another stick figure appeared, laughed evilly, then said, "You just got hit by the April Fools' virus!"
The computer shut down, and wouldn't restart.
Angry murmurs broke out over the crowd. R2 appeared beside Katryn, calling out, "Neb! Where are you?"
"Over here." A voice sounded behind them. "Our entire network is down, and I don't think we can get it up anytime soon. Also, we've lost all the files that were stored in the computer-obviously. We were able to trace the virus to this area, but we didn't have time to narrow it down. All I know for sure is that it didn't start here, in our underground." Nebula handed a printout to R2. "Here's an approximation of where the virus came from."
"Okay, I'm taking a team out there. Katryn! With me!" R2 said, noticing Kat standing next to Darien and Geonn. Katryn started after R2 and the two guys followed her. "Darien, you've got to stay here. Chances are, they did this to get to you. Geonn, you stay with Darien," R2 directed.
The two exchanged looks. "Gee, we're indispensable," Darien muttered
Geonn didn't answer, just walked off.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Darien raced after him.
"Maybe in all the confusion we can get out of here. I know someone who might be willing to lend us a car and not tell anyone."
"Who?"
"Ivy!" Geonn called out. A woman turned around and came over to the pair. "Do you think I could take your car out?"
Ivy looked suspiciously at Geonn and Darien. "You're taking him, aren't you?"
Geonn evasively mumbled an answer.
"Only if I can go with you…and bring one other person with me."
Geonn looked back at Darien, who shrugged. "Makes no difference to me. I just want to jet out of here."
"Okay, fine," Geonn turned back to Ivy. She raced off and returned with Higher Spectrum.
"I'm ready…follow me." Ivy led the way to a car, and the four of them got in, Ivy driving.
Higher Spectrum's cell phone rang, and she picked it up. "Yeah?" A frown passed over her face. "But what…wait…" She snapped the phone shut.
"What was that?' Darien asked.
"He means who," Geonn interjected.
"I think it was our computer predator. It was a woman, and she spoke in an Australian accent. She said something about the April Fools prank. I tried to ask what she was talking about but she hung up." Higher Spectrum looked suspiciously at the phone.
Ivy turned a sharp corner, throwing them all to the right. She suddenly stopped, subjecting them all to violent whiplash. "Okay, stay hidden. We're not supposed to be here," she said, getting out.
The other got out in time to see R2 split the group up into teams, each one searching a different building. Darien looked to his group for direction.
"Okay, let's go with…them." Geonn stabbed at the air, randomly picking a team.
They followed the team in, staying hidden and as silent as possible. A clang resounded through the room and the illegal group looked accusingly at each other.
Little Keeper stiffened. "What was that?"
After verifying that it wasn't any of them, Darien's group turned to hear the answer.
ImanGirl looked to her team. "We should go investigate that," she whispered.
The team nodded, and moved in the direction of the noise. Unbeknownst to the team, the four stowaways followed them.
They came into a room with several metal pipes on the floor, probably the thing that made the sound.
InvisibleX looked around. "What do we do now?"
They heard a thud behind them. Whirling around, they saw a blonde-haired girl slide the lock on the door, and then stand in front of the door, a gun trained on the Imaniacs. "Nothing."
Lozon Skippy involuntarily stepped back. "You're not one of us."
"Oh, I was. Until your precious Underground got too boring, too behind in technology. Don't you remember me?" the girl said, smiling in a sinister way. "I'm Inque."
"Inque…oh yeah! I remember now."
"Oh crap," muttered Higher Spectrum. "So do I."
"I went on to better things," continued Inque. "Oh, and I thought you should know. Your valuable Invisible Man? He isn't worth a penny anymore. At least…not to you."
Before any of Darien's friends could help him, he felt a hand grab his neck and tow him forward.
"G'day mate. You've just become our property."
Darien heard the accent and had the sinking feeling that it was the Keeper. He looked behind him and was relieved to find that it was not.
A red-haired woman, who almost rivaled his height, stood behind him, smiling. Darien had the feeling that he had seen that face today, just recently.
"G'day," she said, addressing the team. "Corliss deValera-Austen m'name."
Realization set in on the Imaniacs. "You're the…the…" Little Keeper began.
"The CEO of Axis Incorporated. I have the power and wealth to give you anything you want. But, instead, I'm taking what's most precious to you: your life."
The hidden trio looked fearfully at each other, then to Corliss, the team and Darien.
"We have to stay hidden. If she finds us, we can't do much," Ivy hissed at them. "We don't know what she's got up her sleeve."
"I do!" whispered Higher Spectrum. "I know all about these two and how to stop them…I'm ready." No one heard Higher Spectrum, because they were all listening to Corliss, who had begun talking again.
"But, you," Corliss went on, pointing to Darien, "you are far too valuable to me at the moment. You won't lose your life."
"I'd rather lose my life than work for you," he said defiantly.
"Oh really? That can be arranged. The gland will still be mine."
Darien realized his mistake, and shut his mouth.
The three stowaways silently made their way to one spot, so they could figure out what to do. "We should pool our weapons first," Geonn said, looking hungrily at the pile of weapons that the other team had deposited next to Corliss. The three dug in their pockets and in their jackets, looking for weapons, and didn't even notice that the room had grown unnaturally silent.
Ivy looked up, unnerved by the silence, and saw Corliss looking straight at their hiding place.
"You can come out now."
"Oh crap," Ivy muttered, drawing the attention of the other two.
Higher Spectrum's eyes widened. "You got that right."
"Ditto," mumbled Geonn.
Corliss raised an eyebrow. "Do I have to come get you?"
Meekly, the threesome came out, deciding that there was no other choice.
"I bet you're all thinking 'two against seven, we should be able to pull out all right'." Getting no response, she went on. "You're wrong. You don't know my secret weapon." She gestured to Inque. "You might remember the cartoon where Inque's name came from. They had such a good idea that I made it possible long ago. And then Inque, the perfect test subject, came along."
The Imaniacs' hearts simultaneously sank, knowing that if Corliss wasn't lying, they were in for it.
Higher Spectrum sighed. She hadn't been heard before, maybe they would listen now. She whispered something to Geonn and he nodded.
Inque's facial features blurred, blended, erased, and her body elongated, becoming solid black. She looked exactly like the Inque from the cartoon Darien had seen once.
"How did you do it?" Geonn shot a question at Corliss.
"Look at my wealth and power, and you ask that again."
Higher Spectrum edged closer to Inque. Her hand disappeared into her pocket, and came out with a small bottle.
"So, you wanted to make Inque just like the one on the show?"
"Yes…how many times.." Corliss saw movement, and she realized what was coming too late.
"Inque!"
Higher Spectrum threw the contents of the bottle on Inque, who screamed and slid onto the floor.
The Imaniacs ran out the door and waited for Corliss to come out. She ran past them, carrying something, and tried to get out of the building
ImanGirl shot her gun after Corliss, but missed. They saw her go out the door, hugging something to her.
"Wait a second…wasn't she holding a jar?" Geonn asked.
Ivy sucked in her breath. "God, I hope not."
The eight of them shot out the door, but Corliss and the jar she held were gone…