by Joy
NOTE: The new male character to soon make an appearance (Justin Midnight) is copyright of my little brother, Jason. Siarra Dessart is copyright of Gabby-Damioh. Both characters cannot be used without permission of their respective creators.
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Chapter Eleven - Dodging Danger
Randall managed to grab onto the edge of the shaft as the slab of ceiling and metal scrap fell to the table below, a single hand keeping him from falling directly in front of the furious BGB leader. He let himself breathe again, thankful that he had been able to grab hold of the shaft. Randall saw Tando looking down at him pensively and he reached a hand out to him.
"Tando," he breathed. "Help me!"
Tando took a quick glance from him to the agents below and decidedly turned around, following the path Leia had gone. Randall slipped a bit hanging onto the ledge again to keep from falling off. He stared at his comrade in disbelief. He was just going to. . .to. . .leave him there? After what he had did for Tando? It didn't make sense.
Every agent in the room paused to stare at Randall, surprised to see such a prize just fall right out of the shaft above them. They didn't wait for the signal. Immediately, every one raised their guns at his swaying body. Bruton glared at the familiar sight. Why was it that the Boggs family were always right on his tail? Every time he turned around, there stood one. It seemed that he couldn't get away from them! He wanted that to end. Bruton reached into his belt and pulled out a lazer gun.
Up in the shaft, Leia was moving along. Tando was right behind her. But she was taking her sweet time. They were well out of danger, but she still wanted to make sure her boyfriend could catch up. Leia was certainly not going to leave him behind. Not for anything. Suddenly, she stopped when she heard Bruton yelling out orders below them.
"I want him shot!" he was saying.
The squeaking of rubbery scales on metal reached her ears and she immediately knew Randall was in trouble. Leia turned around and crawled hurriedly past Tando. Tando put a wing out to stop her.
"What are you doing??" he asked in shock. "We're safe. Just leave him! It's no use risking our lives too."
Leia looked at him long and hard. "I don't care," she replied. "He saved you back there, didn't he? So, why aren't you willing to do the same for him? I can't believe you just left him there!"
A suspicion began to creep into her mind that there was more to Tando than they knew, but there wasn't time for questions now. Leia simply ignored him, trying to reach Randall before the agents did. She finally reached the ledge. Randall was trying desperately to pull himself up as gunshots began to rain in around his body, each narrowly missing his moving figure. Leia reached out and grabbed the collar of his SSO shirt, hauling him back into the shaft with her.
Randall was panting as the both of them crawled off to safety. They were met by Tando, who had waited for them around the bend. Leia finally took in a deep breath of relief, looking over her shoulder to make doubly sure that Randall was okay. He was tired and obviously a bit shaken up by the event, but other than that there wasn't a scratch on him.
"I'm glad you're okay. . ." Leia told Randall.
Randall smiled faintly. "Yeah, I am too," he chuckled.
Leia smiled back, glancing at the silent Tando, who sat across from them. He had a distant look in his eyes, as if he was sitting there pondering something. Randall looked at him too and gave him an angry glare. The hurt in his eyes said it all. Tando found that he couldn't meet his gaze.
"Tando. Why didn't you help me?" Randall asked. "Don't you know I could have been killed back there?"
"Well. . .I. . I. ." Tando stuttered pathetically. He had no answer.
Randall sighed, looking down at the floor of the shaft and shook his head. Sure, the SSO rule book said that an agent should be able to watch out for him or herself. But it said nothing about leaving a fellow agent who was in danger - if you could help it. He didn't know what to think of this guy now. Was he really on their side like he said he was? He was beginning to seriously doubt it. Randall made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Tando as they continued onward. He hoped to catch a hint that would, at least, tell him why he was acting the way he did.
Leia began crawling through the shaft again and turned around to look at them. "I think we should keep going," she said. "The underground hangar isn't far from here. Probably only a few turns away. And we sure don't want Bruton and the gang finding us."
"Or pulling any stunts," Randall added, getting up on all eights and following her.
Tando slowly crawled behind them. He was in deep thought. What would have happened to him if he fell to the conference table, having failed in completing his mission? He knew full-well Bruton would have had him shot. If it wasn't for Randall. . .
Tando sighed deeply. His mind was stuck in the middle. Randall had saved his life, yet he was with the BGB. Of course, HE didn't know that, but that left his mind a puzzle. He finally shoved the controversial thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on keeping up with the group. . .
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"Thanks for the lousy accommodations!" Caylin yelled at a BGB guard who was leaving the room. "And the food's iffy too!"
Caylin was down in the Bad Guy Bureau dungeons. At least, that's what he liked to call it. He was locked up in a tiny little cell. There was no running water, the floors were filthier than his apartment, and one would be afraid to be smushed by a falling piece of ceiling.
Frankly, he wouldn't be surprised if the cell door fell off of it's hinges in a few days. That's what his 'Plan A' escape was. He'd wait for erosion to very slowly break him outta there. Either that or he'd wait for a piece of the ceiling to fall on the guard and snatch his keys. But he figured that would be unlikely anytime soon.
Caylin took his hands off of the cell bars and turned around, folding his arms. "Jerks. . ." he muttered, staring at the food plate the guard had set on the floor. It was some moving, green slop that Caylin swore he wouldn't even feed to a pig.
"One of these days I'm going to demand to talk to the chef," Caylin told himself, sitting on the rickety, old bed. It collapsed under him in a cloud of dust. He folded his arms. "And I'm going to talk to whoever maintains this place too. . ."
Caylin stood up and pushed the plate of food aside with his foot. "I'm never listening to Tando ever again," he grumbled to himself, since there was no one else in the room. "What a fake. I betcha he hauls Randall and Leia in here too. Then - when he does - I'm gonna kick his tailfeathers! I'm gonna-" He suddenly stopped, hearing strange noises outside his cell. Maybe it was the guard.
He blinked and looked around the cell. He was determined to make his getaway now, whether he knew how or not. He finally spotted the broken leg of the bed he was sitting on and picked it up. He held it over his shoulder, ready to hit a homerun with it if need be. Yup, he was getting out alright and not even the trained guard was going to stop him.
The sound was coming closer. . .
Caylin snuck close to the bars and held the 'baseball bat' over his head. Suddenly, a figure jumped down from one of the small skylights in the ceiling and landed gracefully on the floor outside his cell. Caylin paused for a moment. He couldn't see who it was. The shadows of the dark prison overshadowed the monster's features. It was already night outside and that made visiblility in the prison even more difficult.
"W-who goes there!" Caylin began, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice but failing miserably at it. He still held the wooden bed leg over head-level, just in case.
"The name's Sid," the figure replied.
"Sid?? Do I know any Sids?" Caylin asked himself, lowering the 'baseball bat' and scratching his head thoughtfully.
"I was sent by the SSO," the monster continued, finally stepping out of the shadows into the moonlight. "They heard your call for help and sent me."
Caylin stared at the monster to see that 'he' was a 'she'! Sid was a female gecko-monster, much like Caylin, with aqua scales. Green spots dotted her back and her underside was a creamy white. She looked at him with focused, grass-green eyes. Red bangs framed her facial features and the rest of her long, orange-streaked hair was tied back with an orange scrunchie. The feminine agent was wearing standard issue SSO uniform. Caylin was stunned, but for a much different reason.
"They sent a GIRL to save me??" Caylin finally spat out. "Sid's a GIRL? Boy, they must really think I'm helpless. . .Probably laughing about me back at the ol' SSO headquarters. . ."
Sid placed her hands on her hips and casually rolled her eyes. "And what's wrong with having a girl save you?" she asked. "What were you expecting? Lassie? I'm a Level 2 agent for your information, buddy. Now, do you want to get out of here or not?"
Caylin wiggled a finger in her direction, eyeing her slightly. "Are you threatening me. . .?"
The look on her face was enough of an answer for him. He shrugged uselessly. "Yeah, I guess. . .What's you're REAL name anyways? I know Sid's not it. Never heard of a gal named Sid."
Sid smirked a bit. "Siarra Dessart," she told him. "Yours?"
"Caylin Swisher," he said, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Er, thanks for coming to my 'rescue'." He accented the final word with his fingers. She gave him a pert nod before getting to work on the lock.
Caylin knew he could have done it without her. Okay. . .maybe not. Perhaps it was just the fact that he hated looking so helpless all the time. Sure, he was physically challenged. Caylin knocked over every hurdle in the obstacle course back at headquarters. The other agents didn't. And he, unfortunately, wasn't very brave either - definately not Randall material. No matter how many times he had tried to get into the guy's brain, he couldn't figure out how Randall got so utterly fearless all the time. But, at least, Caylin was resourceful. He had that going for him. It may not have gotten him out of his cell, but it was useful in other situations.
Finally, Siarra successfully picked the lock and the cell door swung open. She stepped aside, letting him walk out. He grinned and gave her a nod. "Not bad, Siarra," he admitted.
"It was a sinch," she said, smiling. "I do it all the time. Besides, it looked like that door was about to fall apart anyways."
"Yeah, tell me about it," Caylin muttered, smiling back. "But I've really got something to tell you, though. It's about Tando Tyler. . ."
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Back in the ventalation shaft, the three SSO agents moved on in silence. Leia was busy listening for the sounds produced by the BGB hangar. She had been there many times before and knew the familiar clanging of tools on metal and the hissing of the welding torch. Randall looked though occasional grates that they passed by, also actively looking for the building's hangar.
Just then, the hallway loudspeaker crackled to life. "Attention all BGB agents," said Bruton's booming voice. "Three enemies are loose in the ventalation system. If anyone sees them, shoot first - ask questions later."
The trio exchanged glances. Tando stared through the grate below in disbelief. He said that there were THREE agents. He was the only other one with them. Realization suddenly dawned on him. Bruton now considered him worthless??
It all began to make sense. Bruton already knew where his main targets, Randall and Leia, were and he would soon have them. That meant that he no longer had any use for Tando other than an additional victim for the BGB's target practice. He seethed inside. After all he had done for that rotten leader. . .
His thoughts were interrupted by another announcement. It was Bruton again. "Oh, and all agents are to report to the underground hangar immediately," he ordered. "There should be an assigned Shockwave aircraft for every three of you. Tonight we make our test-run on Monstropolis. Today, Monstropolis - tomorrow, the world!" He signed off with a wave of evil laughter and the loudspeakers were once again silent.
Randall looked at his two comrades, his fronds laying back with concern. "We've got to find that hangar now," he said, a hint of urgency in his voice. "And not for papers this time."
"Lemme guess," Tando said flatly. "You've 'got a plan'?"
"Yeah," Randall replied, eyeing him sternly. "Since you're so 'excited' about it, why don't you just hang back here and let the BGB catch you?"
Leia furrowed her brow, noting Tando's anything-but-eager reaction. She knew for sure something was up now. "What's with you, Tando? You're on our side aren't you? So why don't you. . ."
Leia suddenly stopped mid-sentence as it dawned on her. She glared at him now. "You're a double-agent!"
Randall was stunned by this realization and immediately grabbed Tando's communications radio. Tando tried to grab it back. "Hey! Leave that alone!"
He ignored Tando and pressed the 'redial' button on it, holding it to his earhole. He made a final attempt to snatch it out of his hands, but Leia firmly restrained him. Randall heard the other end pick up and an aggitated voice came from the other end.
"What now, Tando?!" Bruton demanded over the phone.
'He called Bruton. . .?' he thought. Randall immediately hung up and accusingly poked the emu-monster in the chest with the radio's antenna. "You're with them! Tando, how could you? This was all just a set-up, wasn't it?!"
Tando meekly nodded.
"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, throwing the radio down a decending passage in the shaft. "Bruton knew we were here all along, didn't he? And you were gonna lead us right to him!"
He growled, looking away. Randall couldn't help feeling that this mistake was his fault. It made him angry with himself to think that they were revealed, all because of his poor foresight. Things were already getting pretty suspicious when Tando and Caylin disappeared. He felt that he should have gone on his instincts. Then maybe they wouldn't have been in such a situation. Speaking of Caylin. . what had Tando done with him anyways? Where was he? He glared at Tando again.
"Where's Caylin? What have you done with him?" Randall demanded.
Tando took a deep breath, finally having decided to talk. "I captured Caylin and handed him over to the BGB," he said. "He's probably in one of the prison cells on Floor D2."
Leia let go of Tando and folded her arms. "Great," she sighed sarcastically. "What do you think we should do with him, Randall?"
Randall didn't want to make another mistake with this guy. "We're taking him with us," Randall decided. "We can keep an eye on him here. It's better than having him run off and tell Bruton our whereabouts, that's for sure."
"But then there's still the matter of rescuing Caylin," Leia added. "Maybe I should head off in that direction and break him out. Then we can meet up in the hangar."
"No, I need you with me," Randall said. "I can call for backup right before we leave the hangar."
Leia nodded, looking at Tando sternly. "You're coming with us, got it?"
Tando nodded flatly. "Got it."
With that they began moving quickly, inching ever-closer to the infamous underground hangar. Soon, the sounds of machinery reached their ears. Jets taking off roared and resonated through the shafts. Leia grabbed a tool and began prying the secured grate off of the side of the shaft. "This should only take a few seconds," she said, wedging the tool under the seal. With a swift jerking motion, she had broken the seal and the grate fell off, clattering onto the floor.
"You don't think they heard that did they?" Tando asked.
Randall's voice became cynical before climbing out of the shaft. "I don't know, Tando. You tell us."
Leia was more gentle with her response. "With the sounds of those jets taking off, I don't really think they would hear something like that," she reassured him.
To her, Tando now looked genuinely sorry about betraying them like he did. He seemed much meeker then he was before Randall's rescue. She felt sympathetic towards him. After all, he did willingly answer all their questions when they cornered him back in the shaft. Leia held out a hand to him and Tando - at first - hesitated, but he finally took her hand and she helped him out of the shaft.
They stood among several large shelves. Each one was stocked up with aircraft parts - stolen, no doubt. Randall peeked around the shelves at the open area of the hangar. The smooth, concrete floor slanted at an incline up to an opening in the roof. Shockwave jets were roaring out into the cool night air, sometimes three at a time. Randall wasn't quite sure if his split-second plan was going to work, but he really didn't have any other choices at the moment. He looked around the workshop, as if trying to find something.
"What are you looking for?" Leia asked.
"We have a double-agent of our own assigned to the BGB," Randall said. "They said all agents must report to the hangar, so he must be around here somewhere. The only problem is, heh, I've never met him. So, I'm not too clear on what he looks like."
Before Leia or Tando could respond, an agent waved them over. He was a weasel/otter like monster with blue eyes. The monster had jet black fur with a white belly. Only a small tuft of fur between his ears served as hair. This guy was also unusually short compared to the rest of them, barely under four feet tall, in fact. He wore a BGB uniform, but swore he was all SSO agent. After briefly introducing themselves, the otter-monster - Justin - led them over to another corner of the hangar.
"So, um, Mr. Midnight," Leia began, following the short monster.
"Just call me Justin," he chuckled. "I'm not that high-ranking."
"Okay, Justin," Leia compromised. "Where are we going?"
Randall got a smug smile on his face. "I was hoping Justin could hook us up with-"
"One of these," Justin interrupted, patting the wing of an extra Shockwave jet. "It's ready to go."
"But, Randall, you don't know how to fly a jet!" Leia replied in shock. "And, not to mention, the last time you drove that motorcycle we nearly hit a CDA van."
"It wasn't a CDA van, it was a truck. But that's off the subject," Randall replied. "I think I can do it. I'll give the manual a quick overview before trying anything, I promise."
"You really think you can learn that fast?" Tando asked skeptically.
"I dunno," he replied. "But I'm gonna give it a try. I mean, c'mon guys! What other choice do we have? They're moving out to do test-runs on Monstropolis. Do you really think we're just gonna sit by and watch?" He pressed a green button on his communications radio and it blinked. "I'm sending an emergency message to my dad. At least, it'll give them a heads-up before Bruton and company arrive."
"You know what? You're nuts," Tando commented.
"Well, at least he's got a plan," Leia countered, turning to her boyfriend. "I'm with you, Randall."
"Hey, you didn't let me finish," Tando added, a slight smile forming on his beak. "You're not going without helmets either. I can get you a couple of them."
"You mean you're not coming?" Leia asked.
Tando walked over to a rack nearby and picked out two jet fighter pilot type helmets for them. He walked over to the two lizard-monsters and placed a helmet in their hands. He grinned at Leia and shook his head in response to her question. "No," he replied. "I think I have a few things to reconsile with my comrades in the BGB. Let's just say I'm dropping out. Maybe you'll see me in the SSO for real now."
Randall blinked, slipping the helmet onto his head. His fronds stuck out of holes in the top. "You mean you're really quitting the Bad Guy Bureau?" he asked, now realizing this guy was serious about turning a new leaf.
Tando nodded slightly. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sure Bruton's not gonna want to have anything to do with me after you guys make off with my jet, anyways." He grinned, patting Randall on the shoulder. "Good luck. Go kick Bruton's tail for me. Deal?"
Randall laughed. "Deal."
Justin was helping Leia get up into one of the two passenger seats. She too had a helmet on her head. Justin jumped down and handed Randall the manual. "You're gonna need this," he said. "Oh, and by the way, I heard your friend - Caylin - broke out only minutes ago. He's on his way back to the SSO to assist with the counter-attack."
"Great news to hear, Justin," Randall replied, seating himself in the pilot's seat of the jet. He flipped though the manual for a few moments before turning his attention back to the otter-monster. "Thanks. I'll tell my dad you deserve high marks for saving this thing for us."
Leia smiled, strapping herself securely in her seat. "Yeah, it's a wonder Bruton didn't notice it setting over here."
Justin stepped back a fair distance and waved. "No problem, call me if you have any problems!"
Randall let his eyes scan over the numerous controls on the panel in front of him. Thank goodness he had a manual! The only thing he really recognized was the control stick. Driving a monster motorcycle - not bad. Driving a human truck - okay. Flying a fighter jet - good luck. He sighed, trying to remember what it said in the manual. He flipped a few switches and, luckily, both engines turned on like they were supposed to. The jet now coasted smoothly down the concrete surface towards the open door. So far, so good.
"Hang on, Leia," Randall warned, putting the visor down on his helmet. "I have the feeling this is not gonna go over too easily."
"That's funny, I was having the same feeling," she replied, looking over Randall's shoulder at the runway ahead. "Not that your driving is terribly bad, Randall, but it just makes me nervous that you've never flown an aircraft before."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Randall resorted. "Unless you think you could do a better job."
"No, you be my guest," Leia replied. "I really do think you'd be more capable at this than me. My specialty is martial arts - not flying."
The jet slowly picked up speed as it neared the open door. But as they got increasingly closer, it suddenly began to close again. Randall groaned. Not now. Why'd it have to close now? Leia's eyes widened as she watched from behind him. She knew they weren't gonna make it between there - especially since Randall wasn't exactly a trained fighter pilot. Heck, he didn't even try lifting off yet. They were either going to hit the closed door like a car test run or they'd be crushed like a tin can!
"Do something!" Leia exclaimed. They were dangerously close to smashing into the closed doors.
Randall, meanwhile, was in a panic trying to find something on the control panel that could help them. He was coming up empty. Then something he saw in the manual came to mind. He smirked confidently and pressed a red button on top of the control stick. An energy wave radiated from the front of the aircraft and blew the door to pieces. He pulled back on the control stick gradually and conducted a shaky, but successful take-off. They were airborne!
Leia excitedly wrapped her arms around Randall's neck. "You did it! You really did it, Randall!" she cheered, letting him go. "That was amazing!"
Randall smiled. "It was. . .uh, no problem," he exaggerated, grinning. Sure, it was no easy feat. He himself thought they were gonna crash. But his ego got the better of him this time - factoring in the fact that he was also trying to impress his new girlfriend.
The jet soared off into the night, the group of a dozen other Shockwaves right ahead of them as they neared Monstropolis. . .