Spy Game
by Joy


NOTE: Wow! I've been left abandoned for way too long. *laughs* But, as you can see, I finally got around to it. I think you've also noticed that I changed my pen name. Just thought I'd let you all know about that - along with the fact that I've revised my profile. It now has regular updates on the status of my fics, that way you know what's going on and when I'm working on what. I saw it in many other people's FF.net profiles and thought it was a very good idea as a means to help inform my readers.

Oh yeah, and Siarra finally makes her big "Spy Game" story debut too. *winkwink to Gabby* =D

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Chapter Five - Uncovering the Truth

"Psst."

Hayley rolled over in her bed, snuggling tighter underneath the covers. "Leave me alone," she muttered groggily. "It's too early."

"No it isn't," came the voice of her brother. "Get up."

"Ugh," Hayley groaned, opening one eye to look up at him. "So says you. Now you'd better have a good reason for waking me up or I'll stuff this pillow into your mouth."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Fine. Touchy touchy," he replied. "I just thought you might like to know about what I found. . .but oh well. . .I suppose - "

"Find?" Hayley asked, suddenly more alert. "What did you find?"

Her brother shrugged, walking off. "Well, you said you didn't want to wake up, so. . ."

"Okay, okay! So, I do!" Hayley replied, throwing the covers off and sitting up. "But you didn't say anything about finding something."

"Well, I dunno. . ."

"Please?"

Cody gave her the trademark 'Randall-grin' and chuckled. "You just said the magic words, sis," he replied, walking over to his bedside. "Come over here."

Eager to see what it was her brother was hiding, she hurriedly reached his side. Cody was reaching under his bed as she knelt down beside him. Hayley glanced over his shoulder. His grin turning into a sly smirk, he pulled out a huge tarantula and stuck it under her nose.

"Here it is!" Cody declared.

Hayley screamed and jumped to her feet. "HUGE SPIDER!!!"

That was it for Cody; he just couldn't hold it in any longer, so he burst out laughing. "Gotcha!" he cried between laughs. "And it isn't even real! Ha ha! Imagine the look on your face if I actually used a REAL one!" With that, he continued to crack up.

Flustered and outraged, Hayley clenched her fists. "COOOODDDDYYYYYYY!!"

Her scream sent Siarra and Caylin running into the room. The door flung open and Caylin was the first one to appear. "Where's the fire??" he asked, looking around the twins' guestroom.

"What's going on in here?" Siarra asked, folding her arms casually across her chest.

Cody stifled his laughter just long enough to reply. "Uh. . .she saw a spider."

"It was YOUR spider Cody!" Hayley corrected. "And you PURPOSELY scared me with it!"

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention that part. . ." Cody said with an innocent grin.

Hayley groaned in exasperation and looked up at the adults with a 'help-me-out-here-and-ground-him-already' look on her face. Caylin chuckled and shook his head, glancing at Siarra. She just sighed, a small smile on her face, and regarded the children. While they were distracted, Cody shoved his rubber tarantula under the bed and Hayley shot him an annoyed glance.

"Now Cody," Siarra said, her voice reflecting her usual take-charge attitude. "If you play another cruel prank like that on your sister, we'll be forced to send you to your room for the rest of the day. Which means NO trips with Uncle Caylin. Okay?"

"Aww man. . ."

Siarra shot him a look that said 'I-mean-it-little-mister'.

Cody shrugged. "Okay, I won't do it again."

Caylin grinned. "Yeah, don't think we're gonna go easy on ya just because your parents aren't here," he winked. "Your Aunt Siarra drives a hard bargan."

"You know it," Siarra replied, a grin spreading across her face. "Now, who's up for breakfast? It's almost ready."

Hayley, satisfied that justice was paid, grinned and started going through her clothes. "I sure am."

"Okie dokie," Caylin replied. "You two get dressed and make it down as soon as you can. Then maybe I'll letcha walk Midnight!"

That's when Cody's frown turned upside-down. "Cool!"

The twins grabbed some clothes out of their suitcases and quickly dressed before hopping down the stairs to join their aunt and uncle. Once they reached the breakfast table, plates of hot food were already setting at their places and Caylin was kicking back with the morning newspaper.

Caylin glanced over the paper and grinned. "Looks like you two made it down without starting a WWF match - I'm proud of ya!"

Siarra laughed lightly, taking a seat nearby. "Better eat before it gets cold."

Hayley hopped up into her seat and immediately began to eat the scrumptious food. "So," she began. "Where are we going? You mentioned a trip earlier."

"Oh, that," Caylin replied. "Well, I was wondering if you two would like to go to the arcade with me later."

"Awesome! Arcade!" Cody cheered. "Count me in Uncle Caylin!"

"Ruff ruff!"

Hayley glanced underneath the table to see Midnight sitting there, tail wagging. It was as if he knew they planned to take him for a walk after they were done. The fluppy placed his paws on her leg and cocked his head, as though he was asking what she was waiting for. Hayley giggled and patted the dog between his black-and-white ears.

"C'mon Midnight," Siarra cooed to the fluppy. "Get off of Hayley so she can eat."

Smiling in a very doglike manner, Midnight was more than happy to obey. He got down and trotted over to Siarra, curling up at her feet. Caylin watched from behind the newspaper and shook his head, turning his attention back to the news. "I'll never understand how you get Midnight to listen so well," he said. "When I'm involved, he's usually a raging ball of fluff who couldn't care less about following orders; take yesterday for example. . .He utterly tore up the neighbor's paper!"

"Was it Dad's again?" Cody asked, hiding a grin.

"Oh yeah, it WAS Randall's," Caylin chuckled. "Midnight likes newspapers alot; almost as much as the newspaper boy himself. Good thing that kid rides a bike or we'd get sued for damages."

Siarra shook her head, absentmindedly stroking Midnight's velvety back. The dog panted happily. This was a doggy dream; constant petting and attention. "You just need to know how to deal with dogs, that's all," she replied.

"Speaking of which. . ." Hayley said, hopping off of her chair. "Can we walk Midnight now?"

"I don't see why not," Siarra replied, lowering an eyebrow. "Are you done with breakfast?"

"Yup," Cody chimed in.

"Okay, go ahead then," she smiled, giving Midnight a little shove in their direction.

The dog scampered after the twins as they made their way to the front door. "Don't go too far, though!" Caylin added.

"We won't!" Hayley called back, grabbing Midnight's leash off of it's hook by the door. "Okay, Cody, you can hold his leash first; I'll do it on the way back. Got it?"

Cody nodded. "Got it."

Hayley knelt down next to the little dog and held his collar as she attempted to attach the leash to him. Midnight, eager to get up and go, squirmed a bit in her grip. Finally, she got it secured and handed the end of the green leash over to Cody. She pushed the door open and like a shot Midnight darted outside, sniffing in the fresh air. Cody braced himself, trying to keep control over the fluppy while they walked down the driveway.

Hayley giggled. "Who's taking who for a walk?"

"Very funny," Cody replied, trailing awkwardly behind the hyper mutt.

They walked along the sidewalk for several minutes before Hayley finally broke the silence. "Do you think Mom and Dad will ever find out who burnt down our Hawaii home?"

Cody shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "I hope so."

They walked past their house and Hayley stopped. "Wait."

Cody groaned, planting his feet so that Midnight wouldn't drag him off into the street. "What?"

"I forgot to bring one of my books to Uncle Caylin and Aunt Siarra's house," Hayley said, heading up the path to their front door. "I'm gonna go in and get it. You stay with Midnight." She pulled the spare key out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

"Fine with me," Cody replied, but no sooner than he had spoken than Midnight dragged him inside the house with her.

Hayley jumped out of the way and sighed. "I told you to stay OUTSIDE, Cody."

"Well tell that to him!" Cody responded, pointing at the dog.

Hayley just shook her head. "Okay, fine," she said, marching up the stairs. "It'll only be for a minute anyways."

She jogged into her room and began looking through her vast collection of books. Midnight was more than happy to drag her brother into the room with her. He sniffed one of Cody's old, dusty toys under the bed and sneezed before moving on to investigate other things in the room.

"Got it yet?" Cody asked, getting a firmer grip on the leash.

"No, I've read all of these already," Hayley replied.

Cody sighed. "That's very nice that you like to read so much and all. . ." he began. "But can't you just grab one already, so we can go??"

"Hold your horses," Hayley said. "Mom has more in a box in the attic."

"And how do you know they're in the attic?" Cody scrutinized. "We've never even been to the attic."

His sister wasn't paying much attention to his complaint; she just headed out into the hallway. "Mom TOLD me," Hayley replied. "She's been giving them to me to read and I'm sure there are plenty more in the box that I haven't even read yet. I'll just go get one and then we'll go."

Cody shrugged. "Okay, I suppose it won't take too long," he said, following her. "Good thing too, because Midnight's gonna smell everything there and start sneezing on the dust."

Hayley opened a nearby closet and pulled out a stepladder. She placed it under the attic door and slipped her fingers in the slit in the side, pulling it downward along with its unfolding staircase. Midnight sat on his rump and looked up in innocent amazement, as though he had never seen a ceiling open up like that before. Hayley disappeared into the opening and Midnight jumped to his feet. His tongue lollied around in his mouth as he scampered up the stairway after her.

"Boy, there's alot of old stuff up here," Hayley said, weaving around a few boxes.

Cody stopped at the top of the stairwell and glanced around at the dust-covered boxes, antiques, and miscelaneous objects. "No kidding. . ." he said. "Mom and Dad have packed alot up here."

"Help me find the box with the books," Hayley said, opening a box and looking inside.

Midnight found his own way around the attic, sniffing everything in sight and sneezing. Cody shoved a couple of boxes aside, when suddenly something caught his eye. He turned his head to see a large chest setting up against the wall. Midnight immediately trotted up to it to investigate.

"Hey Hayley, I think I found it," he called.

Cody pulled it forward, just as Hayley rustled a couple of boxes to move in behind him. "This had better not be another one of your tricks Cody!" she complained.

"Nope, just look," Cody replied, pointing at the chest.

"But that's, like, a treasure chest Cody - not a box."

"I know," Cody replied. "But it COULD be in here."

With that, he unhooked the latch on the chest and opened it. Inside there were a bunch of photos, miscelaneous gear, awards, and plaques. Hayley gasped and reached inside, picking up a blue SSO shirt. "What. . .is all this?" she wondered aloud.

Cody picked up an unloaded gun and turned it over in his hands. "It says SSO on this one too," he said. "But what IS the SSO?"

"Secret Spy Organization. . ." Hayley read, her eyes going wide. "What is Mom and Dad doing with spy stuff??"

"Spy? Wow," Cody breathed, putting the gun back and picking up one of the plaques. "A-awarded for. . ."

Hayley looked over his shoulder at the golden plaque. "It says, 'Awarded for meritous service to the SSO. . .to. . ."

"DAD??" Cody finished in astonishment. "But. . .but. . ."

"I know! It's unbelievable," Hayley agreed. "This can't be real. This can't be our typical, boring run-of-the-mill parents. . ."

"Can it?" Cody added, meeting his sister's gaze.

Hayley took in a deep breath and sat down on the wooden floor; her back against the boxes nearby. "Okay. Now let's think about this logically," she began. "Mom and Dad never EVER went to any spy organization since I was born."

"I was born first," Cody cut in.

"No, I believe Mom said I was born first," Hayley corrected.

"Nooo, I - "

"Ugh! Just forget about it!" Hayley exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Anyways, Dad is a scarer and Mom doesn't work. So, they can't be spies, right?"

"Uh, maybe," Cody replied, pulling a bunch of photos out of the chest. "Look at this!"

He handed the first one to Hayley; it depicted a scene on the African savanna. In it, Randall stood next to a truck in his SSO outfit, his arm around Leia. Both of them were smiling for the camera. On the truck they stood next to were a couple of monsters with BGB suits on - each one tied up securely. Hayley caught her breath and glanced at her brother.

"Just like the story Mom and Dad told us!" Hayley gaped.

Cody nodded. "And there's lots more. . ."

"So THEY were the spies in the story?? I can't believe they didn't tell us!" Hayley exclaimed, causing Midnight to yelp in surprise. "How could they keep such a cool secret from their own kids??"

"Yeah, why would Mom and Dad do such a thing?" Cody sighed, putting the pictures back into the chest.

Hayley groaned. "And I'm willing to be that Uncle Caylin and Aunt Siarra already know all about this!" she fumed, moving towards the chest and pulling a bunch of gadgets out of it. "Grown-ups are so. . .UGH!"

Cody blinked. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to find Mom and Dad!" Hayley replied.

"WHAT?!"

"ARF?!"

"Are you NUTS, sis?" Cody asked.

Hayley, her arms full of spy gadgets, headed down the stairs to the second-floor hallway. "No," she said. "If no one's gonna tell us the truth, then we're gonna find out ourselves. If they hid that from us, who KNOWS what else they're lying about?"

"Uh, that's a good point and all, Hayley. . ." Cody sighed, following her with Midnight. "But how are we gonna find them?"

Hayley grinned. "We have a dog with us, don't we?"

"Ooooh no," Cody replied, trailing behind his sister as she led them into their room. "Midnight can't track anything; Caylin told me."

His sister began stuffing the gadgets into her backpack. "Well, I still have this," Hayley said, holding up one of the pictures she took from the chest. "It has the address of the SSO headquarters on the back."

"Great, just wonderful," Cody sighed, sitting down on the side of his bed. "But we're just - "

"Kids?" Hayley asked. "If you're trying to talk me out of this, forget it; I'm not buying into your little escape tactics."

"Yeah, but - "

"Look. If you wanna stay here, that's fine with me," Hayley interrupted, zipping her backpack closed. "But I'm going whether you like it or not. . .and Midnight's coming with me."

Flustered, Cody looked down at the dog and then back up at his sister. Sure, he DID want to know what his parents were really up to, but he didn't exactly want to run away from home to do it. Then again, at the moment it seemed to be the most promising option. Maybe it would be fun. Finally, he had his mind made up.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming with you," Cody declared. "But I'm gonna make sure we have plenty of food along."

Hayley smiled, glad that someone agreed with her. "Okay, make it quick, though," she said. "We wanna make a break for it before Uncle Caylin and Aunt Siarra get suspicious and find out what we're doing."

Cody grinned, giving her a firm nod, and jogged down the stairs with his backpack.

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"I wonder what's taking them so long," Siarra commented, standing in the Swisher family living room.

Caylin shrugged. "Probably playing with Midnight," he replied. "You know how they love to throw him sticks even though he doesn't fetch them. It can take hours sometimes to get that dog to fetch one."

Siarra smirked. "No. Seriously, Caylin, I think they should have been home by now," she replied. "Go out there and bring them back inside."

"I suppose you're right," he replied, standing up. "I'll be right back."

Caylin grabbed his green baseball cap and put it on his head before walking outside. He looked around the area, but there was no sign of them whatsoever. "Hm," he muttered to himself. "That's strange. I told them not to go too far."

He then headed down the sidewalk towards the Boggs house and stopped, hearing a familiar barking in the distance. Intrigued, Caylin turned towards the sound just in time to see Hayley and Cody running down the block behind Midnight. Caylin chuckled loudly. "Oh ho ho, very funny kids, you can stop running now!" he called.

But they didn't stop.

"I said you can stop running now!" Caylin repeated, this time more loudly.

His eyes widened, finally realizing that the kids had no intention to stop. In fact, he even noticed that they were wearing their backpacks as if they were planning to. . .

"AGH!!" Caylin exclaimed in panic, switching to a sprint. "Stop! Don't run away! What'd I do??"

The kids looked over their shoulders once before picking up speed. Midnight blazed the trail ahead of them, pulling at his leash as he followed a familiar lizard-monster scent. Caylin panted but kept on running, waving his arms in the air frantically.

"I said STOP!!" he yelled.

That's when the kids made a sharp turn around the block. Caylin skidded around the corner after them, only to find out that they were gone. His jaw dropped and he quickly scanned the terrain for any suttle traces of their presence. But there was nothing. They were just. . .just. . .gone.

Caylin gulped uneasily.

"I am SO dead."