by Joy
NOTE: Good luck to Sean on his new story. Oh yeah, and if you didn't get my e-mail, you have permission to use Naomi and Rayford in your story, just keep in mind that I would like it very much if you gave me credit for them. ^_^
By the way, I'll be putting up bios and pictures of all the new characters in DS on my site as soon as I can. I'm also going to be changing the voice talents and a few bio things for Leia and Caylin, cuz I finally found just the perfect voice talents (something I was having problems with doing earlier). I'll keep you guys posted on that and let you know when I do, but I just thought I'd give ya the heads up. ~_^
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Chapter Seven - Joining Forces
Hunter waited until the car came to complete stop and raised the gun until it was steadily aiming at his target. Randall had his back turned, so this would easily reach it's mark before he even realized what hit him. Hunter smirked and pulled the trigger. . .
Leia was talking with Randall, when something behind him caught her eye. She squinted at it. "Hey, what's that car doing over-" she began, but suddenly she gasped when she heard the sound of a gunshot. "Randall, look out!"
Without waiting for him to react, she pushed him down onto the sidewalk as the blue lazer shot zoomed over them, hitting a nearby aspen and slicing it off at the trunk. Rayford and Naomi jumped back in surprise, watching it fly past them and kill the tree with a clean cut that would have been in Randall if it hadn't been for Leia.
"Where in the heck did that come from?!" Randall exclaimed, glancing up into the place where the silver car was parked.
Leia propped herself up on her arms, following his gaze. "It's Hunter and Sloop again," she muttered. "It seems they've been hot on our tails the whole time. . ."
Randall growled, his lips parting to reveal rows of sharp teeth. "Those jerks. Don't they ever give up?"
"I don't think they will until they have what they want," Leia replied, glancing at him before getting up. "I know those two better than anyone."
Rayford went over to Randall and began helping him to his feet. "You okay? That was a bit too close for comfort, if you ask me," he said. "It's a good thing your girlfriend here was smart enough to shove you out of the way."
Randall almost choked. "Girlfriend??" he exclaimed, getting to his feet.
"I told ya!" Caylin interjected, pointing an accusing finger.
"We're just friends," Leia declared nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'm not into that mushy love stuff," Randall agreed.
Rayford held up his hands in defense. "Okay, okay," he chuckled. "Sorry I brought it up. But, still, it was a good thing you did what you did, young lady."
Leia nodded, brushing herself off. "I appreciate it, but you shouldn't be thanking me yet because I really don't think this is over yet," she commented.
Just as she finished her sentence, a shot whizzed by, scraping across Rayford's fronds. Rayford winced and spun around to see more shots coming their way. "Take cover!" he warned everyone.
Caylin leaped into a bush, blue lazer shots showering around him. Randall pulled his mother behind a nearby car where Leia and Rayford already took cover. The sound of shattering glass came from the red car they were hiding behind and Naomi peeked around the car to see the silver car pulling out and heading over to where they were hiding. These guys really meant business. . .
Naomi shot a desperate glance toward Rayford, Leia, and Randall. "They're coming this way," she said. "Maybe we should grab Caylin and make a run for it."
Randall snuck over to the back of the vehicle just as another shot made it's way straight through the metal of the car door. It almost hit his tail and he called out to Caylin. "Cay, we're making a break for it," he yelled. "C'mon!"
"Comin. . ." Caylin replied nervously, running as fast as he could manage to go towards the red car.
Just then, Mike came out the back door, wondering what was going on. "What're all the bang-bang and pow-pows about?" he asked, looking around, then spotting the five and screamed.
"My car!!!!" he yelled, his hands flying to his head as he saw the shattered window and holes in the red-painted metal. "What've you guys done to my baby!?!?"
"Wazowski! Get back inside!" Randall warned urgently.
Mike put his hands on his hips, a glare on his face. "You just want time to get away before I kill you, you. . .you. .eight-armed car wrecker!"
"UGH! I'm serious!" Randall insisted.
Mike opened his mouth to give him a comeback, but it was cut short when a shot shaved off one of his horns. He closed his mouth and gulped, looking in the direction of the car that began picking up speed towards the group. "Uh, gotcha," Mike replied briefly, running back into the building and slamming the door behind him.
Rayford grabbed Naomi's hand and they began running towards the other side of the parking lot. Leia, Caylin and Randall followed closely behind, the silver car tailing them from behind and picking up speed with every step they took. Caylin glanced over his shoulder and saw how close the car was getting and quickly picked up the pace.
Leia panted. "Where exactly are we going?" she asked Randall's parents.
"I suppose we're gonna have to explain the other part of our reason of coming," Naomi explained, panting in between words as they went through a bunch of bushes on the borderline of the Monsters Inc. property.
"And that is. . .?" Randall asked.
"You'll see, right now we've gotta concentrate on losing Hunter and Sloop first," Rayford said, batting a branch out of his face as they emerged onto the sidewalk on the other side.
Caylin ducked as Ray let go of the branch and it flew towards his face. "I've been craving for something new to start happening in boring old Monstropolis, but this is a bit too exciting for my taste," he muttered, trying to keep up with the others. "So these guys'll kill all of us, right?"
Naomi nodded, not looking back. "I'm afraid so."
"Wonderful," Caylin said sarcastically. "Well. . .at least we're stickin' together."
They ran down the sidewalk as the silver car swerved tightly, pulling into the street going after them. Randall spotted them from the corner of his eye and picked up the pace with all four of his feet, nervous that Hunter now had his micro-blaster trained on him. Leia saw the nervousness and worry on his face and slowed down a bit so that she was running directly behind him, shielding his back from them with her own.
"So, how do you suppose we lose them?" Leia asked, starting to run out of breath like everyone else.
Rayford didn't reply but ran into a narrow alley, so the rest of them just followed. It was way too narrow of a vehicle to pull into, so the car screetched to a stop and Hunter and Sloop got out with their guns. Rayford led them down a series of turns in and out of alleys and soon they found that they had lost the two stalkers. All five then had the chance to slow down, exhausted and sore.
Caylin rested his back against the wall of a building and looked at Rayford. "Can you tell us where are you taking us now?" he asked.
"I might as well," Rayford replied, turning to his wife. "Naomi, why don't you explain?"
Naomi nodded. "We're taking you to the SSO," she explained. "My father and I decided you were old enough to join. That is, if that's what you want to do, son. We'll understand if you wouldn't want to."
Randall raised an eyebrow. "You know, I don't believe I had the word 'spy' on my job description. . ." he began, looking off into the distance as if thinking it over. He looked back at his parents. "Why do you want me to join now?"
Naomi brushed a strand of brown hair out of her eyes, and put it into a ponytail with the rest of her hair. "Well, the Bad Guy Bureau is growing by the day," she said. "We can't quite handle it with the number of agents we currently have, at least, the number of good agents we have. They swiped your father's Super Scream Generator and who knows what they've done now, if they got the code from you, Randall."
Randall bit his lip. "I'm pretty sure they did," he said. "Me and my friends overheard Hunter and Sloop talking about it in Slimy's Diner."
Rayford rubbed the back of his neck. "This isn't good," he muttered. "Since they already have it, they could be more dangerous than ever. Then they might try something. . ."
"Like what?" Leia asked curiously.
"Like. . like. . .oh, I don't even know," Rayford replied. "We've been trying to figure out what Bruton has planned, but it's become very difficult to figure out. We don't have a basis for our theories to work off of, so it's virtually useless information."
"So, you think I could help?" Randall asked, looking back to his parents.
Rayford and Naomi nodded. "You are our son, after all," Naomi said gently.
Randall smiled gently at them and nodded. "If it's to get rid of them and help you guys, I'll do it," he replied.
They smiled proudly and Naomi hugged him, running a hand through his fronds and ruffling them up. "That's wonderful news. I knew you'd want to," she said.
"And your friends might be allowed to join too, if they meet the general standards," Rayford said, looking at Caylin and Leia.
Caylin puffed out his chest. "I'd meet your standards, sir," he said, saluting.
Leia giggled and nodded. "I'm not ever going back to the Bad Guy Bureau, no matter what my father says," she said.
Rayford and Naomi were caught off-guard at this statement. "You were with the BGB?" Rayford asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, but not anymore," she explained, noting their reaction. "My father forced me to join. But I'm already trained and the works, so I'm pretty much ready for the duty. I swear, I'd never turn on Randall, Caylin or you guys."
Caylin nodded in agreement. "She's the nicest lizard-monster gal you could ever hope to meet," he enforced. "Yup, not a streak of true BGB agent in her."
Leia smiled at Caylin. "Thanks."
"Anytime, girlie-girl," Caylin replied, winking.
Randall nodded. "I knew her two years ago, she helped out with that whole scientist situation," he said. "You guys've probably heard all about it."
His parents nodded. "Yes," Naomi agreed. "Then I suppose if you two trust her, so should we. You're welcome to join to SSO, Leia. I'm sure they could use alot of secrets that you aquired from the BGB."
Leia nodded with a grin. "I'm more than happy to oblige," she said. "I would love to help annihilate the Bad Guy Bureau."
Rayford nodded with a smile. "It's settled then. Let's get going," he said. "I'm sure I can get you guys in."
"How can you be so sure?" Caylin asked, heading down the alleyway with them.
"I'm the SSO President," Rayford replied simply.
Caylin's eyes widened with interest. "Ooooh, I tell ya, Randall's got the coolest parents. . ." he commeted.
Randall chuckled. "Little did I know 'til now."
Suddenly, the voices of Hunter and Sloop came from behind them. "I've got one of 'em!" Hunter said, jerking Caylin towards him by the arm.
"Hey, jerk-o, let go of me!" Caylin demanded, struggling against his iron grip.
Hunter just laughed evilly, wielding his micro-blaster and pointing it at him. "I don't think so. . ."
Randall and Leia gasped as they watched. But they didn't need to do anything. Caylin began tickling him and he burst out laughing, letting his arm go. Sloop was about to grab him when Naomi side-kicked him into the wall, taking a karate stance waiting for him to react. But when nothing happened, she relaxed and glanced over at Caylin, taking his hand and dragging him with them down the alley.
Randall and Leia followed. "Hey, Mom, I didn't know you knew karate," Randall began with an amused smile.
"There are many things you don't know about me, son," she smiled, switching to a jog.
Suddenly, a shot went off and Leia's scream could be heard. Randall gulped in dread at what could have happened and he turned around to see her laying on the ground clutching her leg. The worst of it was that Hunter and Sloop were coming to claim their prize. Randall ran over to her and grabbed her hand, which she held out towards him.
"I'll carry you," he offered quickly, beginning to pick her up.
She shook her head and pulled herself to her feet. "No, I'd slow you guys down and they'll shoot you too," she said, pushing him forward. "Just go, I'll follow!"
"No, I'm not leaving you behind," Randall insisted.
"Listen, Randy, I'll be okay," she said calmly. "It's you they want. Go!"
Hesitantly, he nodded slowly and jogged after his parents and Caylin, hoping she'd be able to keep up for a little while longer. They ran for several blocks before Randall dared to look back. She wasn't behind them and neither were Hunter and Sloop. He began to have regrets at leaving her behind, but he forced himself to keep going.
"What happened to Leia?" Caylin asked Randall.
"She insisted I go," he said. "She said she'd follow us on her own."
"You know, the girl does have a point there," he said.
"How?"
"They wouldn't hesitate t' kill ya. That's how," he said. "You stay behind with her and we'd have two injured monsters to drag back to the SSO. Either that or you'd be dead by now."
"Yeah, but I keep feeling guilty that I left her back there alone," Randall muttered.
"Hey, she's a tough gal," Caylin reassured him. "True, she was shot. But if she thinks she can take care of herself for awhile, she probably can."
"We're nearly there," Rayford spoke up as they approached a large, normal-looking store building.
Caylin looked at it in all it's plainness and blinked. "This is your headquarters?"
Rayford nodded. "Sure is," he said. "But it's more than it appears to be."
They approached the door and Rayford pressed his hand onto the panel and it scanned it. The door parted with a smooth sound and the four stepped inside. Randall found himself taking one last look behind them, hoping Leia would show up okay, but no one came. He sighed and the doors slid closed again. Why was it he felt this way? Was it that he had left her behind to fend for herself? Was it because she was his best friend? Whatever the reason, he was unsettled and worried as they decended down.
Naomi looked at him, noting the expression, and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong? Is it Leia?" she asked.
Randall snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her, forcing a faint smile. "Huh? Uh, nothing. Just thinking," he lied.
She nodded just as they stopped moving and the elevator doors parted again. The four of them stepped out into something that looked much like a mall lobby, except with a more professional, high-tech feel. The receptionist's desk stood right ahead of them, a tall indoor waterfall and foliage behind her. The soothing sound of rushing water echoed through the large, warmly lit lobby. Two moving stairways sat on either side of the receptionist's desk, leading up to a second level and down from the second level. Monsters traversed from them pretty actively as they approached the desk.
Rayford set his arm on the desktop. "Sheila," he said, glancing at the pretty, purple-haired monster behind the desk. "Sign me in and give me three enlistment forms, please."
"No problem, sir," she said, smiling at her boss before thumbing through a stack of papers. Randall's familiar appearance caught her eye. "Who's this?"
"This is my son, you remember Randall, don't you?" Rayford replied.
"Oh! Randall, that's right," she said, giving Ray the papers. "Welcome to the SSO. Following in the footsteps of your father, I see."
Randall half-grinned. "Yeah, you could say that, thanks."
Sheila nodded. "I'm sure you'll be a great agent," she grinned.
"And I'm Caylin, his friend," Caylin introduced himself, smiling.
"Nice to meet both of you," Sheila said, answering one of her ringing phones and waving as they headed off.
Naomi took Randall's hand and led him with Caylin and Rayford, to the upward moving stairway. Caylin ran a hand down the railing, admiring the specks of purple and golden yellow painted on it as they ascended up. Randall looked over the side railing at the spectacular indoor waterfall behind the receptionist. It was a lovely and relaxing touch to the place, it was much more inviting than the Bad Guy Bureau headquarters - by far. The foliage scattered all around gave the place a slight jungly feel as well, but it was a warm, inviting place to be.
"You like that waterfall?" Naomi asked, smiling.
Randall looked back at her and nodded. "Man, you've got quite a setup here," he said. "I love the jungle feel you gave the place."
Naomi set her hand on the railing. "Yes, I loved it too. I believe your father was in charge of the decorations," she said. "He even grew an indoor jungle in one of the training rooms. It's probably the most lovely place in the building."
"Really?" Randall asked. "Hm. So, once I get this form filled out. . . then what?"
"You'll be signed up for an intense training schedule," Rayford said. "It'll have to be intense, since the BGB now has the code. But it'll also help prepare you to be a spy."
Randall nodded. "I'm sure I can handle it," he said confidently, as they reached the top and stepped onto the tiled floor of the second floor.
"I'm ready for my duty, sir," Caylin said, saluting Rayford.
Rayford chuckled. "Good to hear."
He handed Caylin and Randall the enlistment forms. "I'll show you two to your rooms and you can call Mike and Sulley or whoever you want to let them know where you guys are. I don't want them worrying over you," Naomi said.
"I'm going to be in my office," Rayford explained to them. "That'll be just two halls down from your rooms. I'm sure I've got too much to do, calls to make, announcements to make known. . .that kind of stuff. But don't hesitate to approach me if you need anything, son."
Randall grinned. "Thanks Dad. I'll keep that in mind."
"Now, your rooms," Naomi said, leading them down a hall lined with hexagon-shaped metal doors and numbers at the top. "You don't mind sharing a room with Caylin do you, Randall?"
"Naw," Randall said. "We shared dorms in college, so that's nothing new. It'd actually be nice to have someone I know to talk to until I work myself into the social system here."
"Yeah, it'll be just like old times, eh Randall?" Caylin agreed as they approached a door.
It parted in front of at a diagonal into the walls to reveal a very decent-looking room. A bunk bed sat at one end of the room and a desk stood near it. Every essential they would need was already there. Naomi stayed at the doorway as the two lizard-monsters walked inside and looked around. She leaned her shoulder on the door and smiled, watching her grown son explore all the attributes of the room. She missed him so much and now they were reunited again. That fact made her feel complete again.
"Everything is voice activated," she said. "So, it should make things easier. Get some sleep. Tomorrow you'll probably begin training."
Caylin picked up a orange from a fruit bowl on the desk and he took a bite out of it. "Shounds Goot," he said, his mouth full of orange.
Naomi smiled and shook her head. "Good night boys," she said. "Hopefully we'll be able to locate Leia and she can join you."
"Night Mom," Randall replied, sitting on the bed again. Leia popped into his head and a guiltiness overcame him again, the door closed as his mother left. He glanced at Caylin. "You really think she'll be able to hold out on her own out there?"
"Sure do, buddy," Caylin said surely. "She'll make it back."
Just as they spoke, their door opened again and Leia stood there, being escorted in by Rayford. "Sheila saw her outside," he said. "I found her in the nurse's office. You don't mind if she joins the party in here do you? At least, until I can get her a room of her own."
"Hey, it's Leia. . . whaddya know?" Caylin said, looking at Randall. "Toldja."
Randall breathed a sigh of relief seeing her limp into the room, her leg bandaged up. "Hey Leia, so you really did make it out fine. . ." he said. "I thought something had happened back there. I shouldn't have left you."
Leia smiled as Rayford left the room too. "Hi Randall, Caylin," she greeted with a smile. "No, you did just what you should have done. See? I got here just fine." She sat on the bed next to Randall.
"Yeah, but-" he began.
"Is it that I'm a girl?" she interrupted.
"Well. . .maybe, I - er, well, I'm not even sure myself," Randall replied.
Leia nodded silently and smiled. "It's not that bad. It's just a deep cut," she reassured him. "The nurse says it should be fine within a week."
Randall half-grinned and shook his head. "You're probably the toughest female I think I've ever met. . ."
Leia chuckled, running a hand through her golden blonde hair and tying it back with a royal purple scrunchie. "Well, after going through putting up with the jerks at the Bad Guy Bureau, you kind of have to adopt a tough attitude," she replied. "It's full of obnoxious egos."
Randall laughed. "Obviously," he replied, grinning. "So, you gonna join us in training tomorrow?"
"Of course, someone has to teach you boys how it's done," she joked, shooting him a smile. "Just kidding. Yeah, I could use a refresher."
Randall smirked and nodded. "Okay, sounds good."
Caylin, meanwhile, picked up the phone and pointed to it. "I'm gonna call Mike and Sulley and let them know where we are," he said, dialing the number into the pad.
"I suppose we should get some sleep," Leia suggested, patting Randall's shoulder before climbing onto the top bunk. "Good night, Randall, you too Caylin."
Caylin winked at her and gave her the thumbs-up as he talked on the phone. Randall felt led to help her up there and put his hands on her waist and gave her an extra boost up. She sat down on the edge and grinned down at him. "Thanks," she said, laying down and pulling the covers over her shoulders, careful not to hit her leg on anything. "Night."
"Yeah, night," Randall replied, plopping down onto the soft mattress of the lower bed and closing his eyes.
He was only planning to rest his eyes, but soon he found himself drifting off to sleep. He kept drifting until sleep began enveloping him like a blanket. Soon, he was fast asleep.
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NOTE: Keep a lookout for more outtakes!