by Joy
NOTE: Wow! It's been a long time since I've updated this story, but here's chapter ten. Finally. Lol. I know many of you have been wondering what happened to me. Well, between a nearly-broken thumb and my busy school schedule, I haven't had the chance to get around to this story. I hope to post chapters as often as I can and I'm already in the workings of a third in the series. I'm having a few second thoughts about the TP/MI one, I might just do a whole new story altogether. I dunno. I'll probably be decided by the time this story is completed.
By the way, if any of you guys are interested in supporting Randall and a MI2. Check out "http://www.geocities.com/randallboggs02/campaign4randall.html" for details. We need ideas for a sequal to send in to PIXAR. And who better than Fan Fiction writers? Please take a look-see and participate, it could even impact Pixar's ideas for a sequal! ^_~
Now, on to chapter ten! Enjoy!
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Chapter Ten - Infiltration
Two dark figures slunk in the shadows in an alley nearing the outskirts of town. In the fading light of evening, they were barely recognizable - that is, unless you were nearby. Both figures stopped at the end of the alley and one of them took a glance around, as if making sure no one had seen them.
"See anything Randall?" Leia asked.
Randall turned around and shook his head. "Nope, nothing," he replied. "Where'd Caylin sneak off to?"
"He should be around here somewhere," Leia replied, giving the alley behind them the once-over. "I told him to keep up."
The purple lizard-monster sighed and shook his head. Sometimes the gecko-monster could be a real pain - especially when it came to urgent things. If he got caught by a BGB agent, Randall wasn't sure he'd risk everything to go after him. After all, each agent was trained to look after themselves. He hoped that Leia was right about him being not far behind.
Then, sure enough, Caylin came running up the alleyway behind them. Tando was with him. Randall raised an eyebrow. What was Tando doing with him? His parents never notified him that Tando would be with the infiltration team. He always knew the guy as a enemy insider, getting information straight from the source. He gave Leia a sideways glance and she shrugged, as if she was thinking the same thing.
Caylin approached, panting to catch his breath. "Hey, guys," he said. "Tando's coming with us. Your Dad says he's an authority on all things BGB. And your Mom just says you need him as backup."
Randall half-rolled his eyes. "Figures," he said, regarding his mother's advice. His eyes set upon the awkward-looking, bird-like monster. "Well, um, welcome to the team Tando. Better keep up, 'cause we're not gonna wait for anyone."
"Roger," Tando replied, saluting with a winged hand.
Leia placed a hand on Randall's shoulder to get his attention and pointed to a faint trail of jeep tracks leading into the forest. He gave her a quizzical look, as if to say, 'yeah, what about it?'.
"It's the road BGB agents use to get to their headquarters," she explained. "We follow those tracks, it'll lead us right back to where the main headquarters is. Plus it's in the Firey Forests - exactly where Tando reported from yesterday."
"Yup, correct you are, miss," Tando replied.
"You sure?" he asked.
Leia smiled and nodded. "Positive, Randall. I've worked for them."
Randall grinned back at her. "Okay, let's go," he said. "And, Caylin, let's stick together now, okay?"
Caylin grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Will do, Cap'n Boggs."
With Randall leading the way, they made their way into the dense, decidious forest. Snow crunched slightly under their feet, leaving distinct footprints. They made their trek through the forest carefully, watching alertly for anything that could signal the presence of a BGB agent.
The fading light gave them a small window of time to find the headquarters without having to do in the darkness of night. Randall picked up the pace a bit, glancing at the evergreens that dotted the landscape between barren skeletons of once-leafed trees. At least those would be good cover for them, if they happened to spot someone. Prickly - but good.
Time went by in silence, as each member of the team listened to pick up the slightest sounds. Each knew it would be very dangerous if they were found out so close to the headquarters. Especially if they had a device such as the Super Scream Generator. With that they could be powering anything. The very thought made them all nervous - all except Tando.
The drab-colored emu-monster followed a few steps behind the team, smiling to himself. Ohh, this was too good! And those idiots at the SSO had no idea he was against them! First, he convinced the goody-goody president to send his son on the mission. Then, he succeeded in coaxing them to send him along. Too easy. . .His boss would be proud.
Through the silence, Caylin finally spoke. "So, uhm, why do they call these the 'Firey' forests? Why not a nicer name, like, say, the 'Pretty Evergreen Forests', or something of the sort?" he asked, leaning against one of the trees.
"These trees are known to spontaneously burst into flames if aggitated," Leia said, a faint smile on her face upon seeing Caylin's calm expression change.
Caylin's eyes widened a bit and jumped away from the tree. "Eek! Why didn't you say so before??"
Leia smiled nonchalantly at him. "You never asked."
Randall laughed lightly. Cute, caring, and intelligent. He couldn't ask for more in a girlfriend. . . ok, so maybe he could. . . but she fit the description almost perfectly. He smiled and motioned for them to pick up the pace.
"C'mon you two," he said. "If we're gonna make if before nightfall, we gotta keep moving."
Leia exchanged glances with Caylin and jogged to catch up with the rest of her team. She walked alongside Randall and he gave her a small half-grin, slipping his hand in hers as they walked. So far, there were no disturbances causing them to be nervous, so things became more casual among the friends. They were careful to stay on alert, nonetheless, knowing that things could change in meer seconds.
Tando caught up with Caylin and put his wing around the gecko-monster's shoulders. "We've been walking for hours, aren't you tired?" he asked.
"Well, maybe we haven't been walking for THAT long. . ." he replied reasonably. "But I am kinda tired. I think my feet have become footcicles."
"Well, why don't you rest here for a few moments while I get us some branches to cover up our tracks?" Tando offered.
Caylin looked doubtful. "What about Randall and -?"
"Don't worry about it," he interrupted before Caylin could finish, eyeing the two love-lizards out of the corner of his eagle eye. "They can scout out ahead, we'll catch up soon as I've got the branches. Then we can snuff out the rest of this trail and confuse the enemy. Don't you think Randall would be proud of you for thinking of that?"
"Uh, yeah, but, um. . .YOU thought of it," Caylin said truthfully, running a hand through his arc of dirty blonde hair.
"So, what? You're helping me. That counts right?" Tando pushed further.
"Well. . .I guess so-"
"Great!" Tando replied, sitting Caylin down on a rotten tree stump. "I'll be right back and we can start."
As he ran off into the brush, Caylin rested his head on his hand. "He's awful pushy for such a little guy," he muttered, waiting for him to return as Randall and Leia got further and further from them.
Oblivious to what was going on behind them, Randall and Leia began to catch sight of the little building that served as the entrance to the BGB. Randall smirked with satisfaction. They made it there not only before the sun completely set, but without any problems whatsoever.
"Hey, boys, we've made -," Leia said in a hushed tone, looking behind her only to see. . .no one! She looked back at Randall. "They're not behind us."
Randall took a quick glance over his shoulder only to see that she was right. He groaned lightly, smacking his forehead. "Not again. . ." he mumbled. "I told them to keep up! Not lag behind like a couple of slugs."
"Maybe they saw something back there," she suggested.
Randall pursed his lips and scanned the area. "Maybe. But aren't they supposed to alert US first, before they decide to go solo?" he said in frustration. This really wasn't the time for Caylin to be fooling around, nonetheless dragging Tando along with him. He sighed. "Okay, here's what we'll do. You and me sneak inside. I told them to catch up or be left behind and I'm making no exceptions. Once they catch up, they'll know what to do. They've been through all the training we have, so there shouldn't be any problems."
"And I don't think your parents would want Caylin inside anyways," Leia smiled. "One - he's a bit of a klutz. And two - he's only an informant. The two of them can probably stake-out here until we get the information we need."
Randall nodded. "Right. Now let's move our tails before someone spots us."
Leia hooked a decoder to the code panel on the wall of the building and activated it. The decoder hacked into the controls and the door slid open. She smiled and stepped inside the elevator, inviting Randall to join her. Once the both of them had disappeared behind the closing doors, Tando watched intently behind the lush covering of an evergreen-like tree. An evil scheme halfway-completed ran through his mind; one down - two to go. Boy, was he going to get a raise for this!
Tando pulled out his communications radio and dialed a red button on it. The emu-monster pressed it against his earhole, listening for the other end to pick up. Finally, Bruton's voice came through loud and clear, giving his loyal accomplice praise for getting the deed done without fault. Tando smirked widely. This kind of praise few BGB agents ever heard - especially from Bruton - who was a stickler for perfection and not to mention the most hot-tempered monster you could ever meet.
"Thank you sir," Tando replied. "Everything's in place. Mr. Boggs and Ms. Kawaii are already entering the building." "
What about the informant. . .er. . .Mr. Fisher was it?" came Bruton's gruff voice on the other end.
"Uh, it's Swisher, sir."
"Whatever."
"Yup," Tando smirked. "He's already been taken out of action, we won't have to worry about him anymore. Are the agents ready?"
One could tell there was a devious smirk on the BGB leader's face, just by listening to the tone of his voice. "Don't worry. I'll have the couple's little 'welcoming party' ready and waiting for them. . ." he replied in a sinister tone. "Just keep an eye on them. Update us of their wherabouts."
Tando nodded, though he knew Bruton couldn't see it from the other end. "No problem boss. I'll be joining them soon," he replied. "You can track us through the homing device on my communications radio. I don't think I'll be able to get a word in edgewise with them around anyways. Might think me suspicious." He laughed at his own joke.
"Very good," Bruton commended him. "President Kilroy, signing off."
Tando shut his radio off and hooked it back onto the pocket of his SSO shirt. It had been given to him by the SSO themselves, so such a radio wasn't anything to be suspicious of - that is, unless you were caught using it to phone the BGB. But he need not worry about that, his calls were always done seclusively. Luckily, the SSO hardly ever monitored their agents' calls either - especially when there was so much else to be done.
The emu-monster then made his way to the BGB entrance and punched in the code to get inside, hoping he'd meet up with Randall and Leia. He straightened the collar of his shirt and disappeared behind the closing elevator doors.
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"You'd think with a place this big, they'd have bigger air ventalation shafts," Leia muttered, crawling on all fours behind Randall.
Randall chuckled softly. "It may be cramped, but all the better for us," he replied.
"Meaning. . .?" Leia asked.
"They wouldn't suspect that we'd try to crawl through them," Randall concluded. "At least, I don't think so."
Suddenly, they heard rustling in the shaft behind them. Randall stopped, making Leia do the same. Leia looked over her shoulder to see the faint shadow of a bird-like monster shuffling along behind them. She glanced at Randall.
"Looks like Tando found us," Leia said.
"Well, better him than a BGB agent," Randall reasoned, pushing on.
Tando finally appeared from around the bend, panting a bit. "There you are! I'm so glad I found you guys!" he babbled, tailing Leia. "You won't believe what happened back there!"
Randall didn't stop, a simple look of impatience crossed his face. Didn't an agent like himself know that part of being a spy was silence? He sighed, but suddenly paused, holding his breath. Had he heard footsteps below them?
"Tando, be quiet!" he hissed.
Voices. . .
"Sounds like Bruton and Hunter," Leia whispered.
Behind them, Tando reached a wing into his shirt pocket to push a blue button on his radio. It blinked in the dark, but Leia and Randall - luckily enough - didn't notice it in the cramped space. Randall pressed his earhole against the floor of the shaft, hoping he could catch a bit of the conversation. He listened in silence for a few moments before lifting his head up again.
"They're talking about something called the 'Shockwave'," Randall whispered to his comrades. He was obviously interested. "Saying they'll destroy the whole town in an evening with it. I think we should follow them, they're going to a conference room to talk about it. Hunter says they'll have blueprints ready for Bruton when he gets there."
"This could be our chance," Leia suggested. "Maybe we can snatch some information or maybe even a copy of the blueprints. I think I've heard them mention the 'Shockwave' on more than one occasion before I rejoined you guys. They say it's the ultimate weapon."
"Well, then we should investigate," Tando agreed. "Perhaps they'll give us clues on where they're hiding your father's invention too, Mr. Boggs."
"Just call me Randall, it's less. . .uh, formal," Randall replied, turning a corner in the maze of shafts.
"Roger," Tando said, crawling on his wings and knees behind the two.
Soon, they reached the conference room. It was pretty dimly-lit and many of the BGB's top agents were seated there, awaiting Bruton's arrival. Randall, Tando, and Leia quietly pressed against each other to peer through the grate of the ventalation shaft. They had a pretty good view from there. They weren't detected and they were positioned way above the table. It was perfect in the perspective that they could see everything that was being passed around or placed on it. A detailed blueprint sat on the end of the long table and it caught Randall's eye. Was that the one they were talking about?
Randall elbowed Leia in the side gently and pointed to the blue paper. "See that?"
Leia nodded. "Sure do. Are those the blueprints Bruton was talking about?" she asked.
"Must be," Randall deducted, reaching into the pocket of his navy blue SSO shirt. "Maybe I can get a snapshot through these grates."
"Just make sure the flash is off, or we're busted," Leia whispered as Randall gave a confirming nod in return.
"Hey, is that one of the new Telescopic Cameras?" Tando asked, as Randall took a pen-sized device out of his pocket.
Randall nodded again. "My parents decided it could be useful," he replied. "It's just a prototype, but I can deal."
"They're making everything more travel-sized these days," Tando commented to no one in particular. "Pretty nifty."
Randall lifted the viewing lens to his eye and pointed it through the gaps of the ventalation grate. He zoomed in as close as it would allow and took a few silent snapshots - and not a moment too soon. Everything quieted down in the room. Bruton had arrived to conduct the meeting. The rugged BGB leader sat heavily in his seat at the head of the table and spun the blueprints around to face his agents.
"These, my friends, are the blueprints that will be our ticket to world domination," Bruton began dramatically. "And. . .now that we have the Super Scream Generator, it will now become a reality! A whole army of these, the SSO in shambles, and the President under serious threat will give me easy access to becoming the new Monstermerican President!"
"And with this simple code. . ." Bruton slapped a paper down onto the table top. "The monster world is ours. . ."
Shocked and delighted gasps filled the room, as agents of every shape and size took in this information. Up in the shaft, Leia lifted a hand to her lips, shock was written all over her face. She glanced at Randall, who seemed to be feeling the same way. All the same, he never took his eyes off of the paper Bruton slapped onto the table. On it was the word, 'RB-Unit3250'. So that was the code! It all came back to him now. His mind flashed through the word, trying to relate it to something. His father was always known for using significant, yet largely unexpected codes for his machinery. Perhaps it could give him useful information.
Unit 3250. . .now why did that ring a bell? He trulled it over and over in his head. It finally hit him. His Scream Extractor was built using the same type of model! He didn't recall until now where he had gotten the brilliant idea that made the Scream Extractor so effective in collecting and utilizing screams. But he had been very observant as a little kid and unknowingly stored the images of his father building the Super Scream Generator in his mind. Having a photographic memory was very convenient at times. . .
"Hey, guys, I think I know what Unit 3250 stands for," Randall finally said, looking at his comrades. "In fact, I'm positive. It's an energy efficient model that I used for my Scream Extractor. But I'm still figuring on what RB stands for. . ."
"What's a 'Scream Extractor'?" Tando piped up, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Long story. . ." Randall sighed, spotting Leia's pensive look out of the corner of his eye. "What is it?"
"Randall," she asked, staring at the code setting on the table below them. "Aren't your initials RB?"
"Yeah," he replied.
"And so are your father's," she concluded. "So, perhaps it's simply Rayford's initials."
Randall nodded. "Probably. I-" He suddenly stopped himself mid-sentence as Bruton spoke of something particularily interesting - a giant machine that they were to be duplicating. He had gotten a few split-second shots of the blueprints, but he never got around to seeing exactly what it was the BGB boss had created. T
he large wall behind Bruton parted to reveal a F-117 Nighthawk type of aircraft. It was fairly small, black, and seemed to be a "stealth fighter" jet. Bruton himself decribed it as "small but deadly". It looked as if a couple of average-sized monsters could fit inside comfortably.
"Say hello to the Shockwave," Bruton declared proudly, stepping aside so all could see. "This was the same aircraft we first tested on our dear 'friends' from the SSO. Their building was completely and utterly destroyed. Four levels - destroyed in meer minutes!"
"So, why did you call it the 'Shockwave', sir?" one agent asked.
"For the simple reason that it sends energy shockwaves through the ground, though the results are as if it had been demolished by a large bomb. The power can be adjusted for each explosion to fit the need," Bruton explained calmly. "Each one will have enough power to destroy a whole city the size of Monstropolis in one blast. . ."
He paused for effect before continuing, capturing the full attention of all who were listening. "And it's all powered by the lovely invention made by our very own enemy - Rayford Boggs." - he smirked deviously at the mention of his name - "The Super Scream whatever will be permanently fixed into the master jet and from there transfers the energy to all of our copies now under construction in the below-ground hangar. AND it's invisible to radar!" Looks of approval and achievement floated around the table.
"So, THAT'S why the whole place shook like it did and we didn't pick up anything," Leia breathed, quickly glancing back at Randall. "We've gotta dig further into this. I have a bad feeling things will get worse if we don't."
Randall furrowed his brow, before looking back at Leia. "I think you're right. We've gotta get over to the hangar and take some more pictures," he said. "They must have accessable copies of this 'Shockwave' blueprints there. Besides, we wouldn't have a chance trying to swipe it from the conference room without someone noticing."
"Let's go," Leia agreed.
Tando, who had stayed quiet through all this, was busy checking his communications radio. The blue button he had pushed wasn't working anymore! Worst of all, it was his tracking device. And now Randall and Leia were making their way - unhindered - towards the BGB hangar with top secret information and pictures! This was REALLY not going according to plan. He knew if he didn't do something fast, it would be the end of the line for him. He'd be booted out of the BGB! Or worse!
The emu-monster pretended to hit his head on the top of the shaft, making a loud metallic clang. Below, all of the agents stopped to listen - especially Bruton. Bruton saw feathers sticking out of the grate above the middle of the table and immediately knew what had gone on. If Tando was with those two SSO brats, then they must have heard everything! Why didn't his men tell him they had picked up the signal?? He slammed his fist on the button next to his seat to close the wall behind him and stood up.
He fumed. "Intruders in the ventalation shaft!!" he cried, pointing up at the grate built into the ceiling. "Annihilate them!"
Back inside the shaft, Randall and Leia abruptly spun around to stare at Tando. "What happened?!?" Randall hissed.
"They know we're here," Leia said nervously, shooting an annoyed glance at Tando.
Tando rubbed his head, looking as clueless as possible. "I don't know, I just hit my head is all!"
*BANG!*
A bullet shot a hole through the bottom of the shaft, flying only inches from Leia's hand. She lifted it out of the way just in time and shot Randall a panicked expression. "Move!!"
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
More shots rained in, making hole after hole in the bottom of the shaft. Tando scrambled out of the way of one, which shaved a few feathers off of his tail. Randall and Leia wasted no time in scrambling out of shooting range.
*BANG* *POW* *BANG* *BANG*
Bullets exploded around them as they made their desperate scramble for safety. Tando was way behind and bullets continued their relentless shower up at him. Tando made a squawk as another shaved against his wing and Randall forced himself to stop for a second.
"Randall, what are you doing??" Leia asked in shock, a bullet flying past her head.
Randall glanced over his shoulder at the struggling Tando. He sighed. Was it that he was getting soft-hearted? Or was it that he couldn't watch another agent be made into mince meat by the shots? He set his jaw with determination and turned around, crawling past Leia. She gaped. He wasn't really going to do this was he? She knew better. Randall was a risk-taker.
*BANG* *BANG*
"I can't just leave 'im there!" Randall called over the noise in response to Leia's shock. "You go!"
"Not again. . ." Leia sighed to herself. But this was his decision and she wasn't going to argue. Leia began to move away. "Okay, be careful!"
She disappeared around the bend and Randall grabbed Tando's wing, pulling him out of the way just as part of the shaft fell out from under Tando's spot. It fell to the table, ceiling and all. Tando collapsed onto the solid part, barely having made it and crawled desperately away from the open area. Randall pushed him along, trying to make the bird speed up so that they'd both still make it out in one piece. The shaft ductwork looked like swiss cheese by now.
Suddenly, another section of shaft began to give way. Randall felt the shaft floor below him lurch downward. He gave Tando a hard shove before it finally fell out from under his feet. . .