Chapter 11
The next morning was full of activity in the Delightful Mansion, as Edward Venn was briefing the Delightful Children as to what to do. He made it clear that the Kids Next Door were only to be attacked if they visited Numbuh Three's house. He gave his siblings permission to do anything they saw fit to the Kids Next Door, short of killing them. Edward felt ready and confident that nothing will go wrong today.
Smiling, he left the Delightful Mansion with Agent Kyoto for the car. Numbuh Three was in the back, tied up and wide awake, with a blanket around her as she was still wearing her pajamas.
Agent Kyoto opened the door for him and Edward entered the car and sat next to Numbuh Three, with Agent Kyoto sitting in the front. The driver started the car.
"Yay! Car ride!" said Numbuh Three with glee. "Where are we going?"
"We are going to see a new friend of mine, he will be very please to meet you, Kuki. Oh," Venn interrupted himself, remembering formalities, "I'm sorry, forgive my manners. How was your sleep last night? Let me introduce myself; my name is Edward Venn, and the one in the front is Kyoto Tremolo. You are our prisoner."
Even the thought of being captured could not dampen Numbuh Three's spirit. She beamed at her captors. "Oh, my name's Kuki, but my friends call me Numbuh Three! Is this a game?"
"It is far from a game," Edward replied darkly.
One hour later, they finally got to where the Kids Mafia hang about at a social club. "Driver, watch our guest, will you? We will need you to bring her in soon," said Edward. "Yes sir," replied the driver. Edward and Agent Kyoto left the car and walked to the social club entrance. The doorman stopped them short. "Sorry, members only," he said sharply. "But if you two want to get in..." he began again, eyeing them greedily.
"Oh, I know what you mean," Edward said subtly pressing a $20 into the man's hand. "Very good," said the doorman as he opened the door for them.
"Do you know where I can find a Gideon Blade?" asked Edward. "He would be in the bar," said the doorman.
Soon after walking into the bar, they found him.
Edward Mckill felt tired, but he had been told to meet someone here on his e-mail. He had been listening to the band playing and taking it easy for the past half an hour when he noticed two teenagers at the bar looking at him.
One of them had his dark brown hair cut short, and pale blue eyes. He was wearing a black leather overcoat.
The other one was Asian and slightly taller than his companion, and had a look about him as if expecting something to happen.
The shorter one walked over and set right beside him. "May I ask if your name is Gideon Blade?" the guy asked.
"No, sorry, mate, but you mistook me for someone else." He got back to drinking his root beer.
The mysterious boy then walked back to his companion and chatted with him for a bit before walking to the other end of the bar.
The Asian guy than walked toward him and hit him on the face.
It was at this moment that Edward's eyes turned red and blank, which, in turn, summoned Gideon Blade forth.
"How dare you?" He stood and head butted the Asian guy and was about to give him a good beating that he would never forget, when this guy that Mickey had told him to meet stopped him.
"Are you Gideon Blade?" asked Edward.
"Yes, I am, who wants to know?" snapped Gideon.
"Well, I'm here to talk to you about business. I am Edward Venn of the Delightful family, and we have a lot to talk about."
"Yes, I'm listening." He set right down with Edward who sat across from him.
"I have need of the Kids Mafia services, and for you personally with your other skill."
"So what do you want?" asked Gideon, trying to get to get point.
"I want what the Kids Mafia wants, the destruction of the Kids Next Door. I have this plan and I am expecting the Kids Next Door to come to me about their lost friend who I have as my prisoner."
"So you want the Kids Mafia to hold her somewhere for you, is that it?" Gideon asked.
"Yes," Edward confirmed. "And also that you help me fine tune a weapon I been working on." Hopefully, that would interest Gideon even further.
"This weapon you're working on, what is it?" asked Gideon, who was starting to get pissed off because the Asian guy was getting up.
"I don't really want to talk about it in public, if you understood my meaning, because you never know if one of this kids is a spy for the Kids Next Door.
"And my apologies for Agent Kyoto, who just hit you. He must have mistaken you for someone else."
"So he one of your lackeys, is he? Well, if he tries anything like that again, he's dead."
"I'm sure he learned his lesson. You'll be wanting Numbuh Three, but we must talk more in private about our little...deal."
"Yes we should, but what does the Kids Mafia get out of this?"
"Hmmm...let's say, half the Kids Next Door data banks, and a lot more," said Edward.
Edward stood up and held out his hand to Gideon, who shook it and stood up as well, walking to the exit.
"She's in the car and waiting, but I don't want anything to happen to her. She is to remain unharmed."
"What, you got a thing for her?" Gideon taunted, eyeing him suspiciously.
They had walked outside to the lot where the car was parked, only to find the driver having a hard time keeping Numbuh Three under control.
"Ok, I'll inform my boss about your request, which I would think he would be interested in." They opened the back door and Gideon dragged Numbuh Three out of the car. He tossed her into the backseat of a nearby army jeep and walked back to Edward.
"So we meet tonight at my place to talk more about our little arrangement," said Edward.
"Sounds great. What time?" Gideon asked.
"Tonight at the Delightful mansion, around eight," Edward replied.
"Ok, I'll see you there, than." Gideon walked over to the army jeep.
Edward watch him drive away. Everything was going to plan, he thought.
The Delightful children where getting very impatient with doing nothing but looking out for the Kids Next Door or looking for signs of life from inside the Sanban household.
Lenny had suggested that that they go back to the mansion for an hour or so and just leave a spy fly, or get someone else to do it.
They were beginning to agree with him when Kuki's little sister walked out of the house and down the street.
'Had she found Kuki was gone?' they wondered. By the looks of her, she had not. She was carefree, just like her older sister.
'That would soon change, once the Kids Next Door were gone,' they thought.
Just then, they saw Number Two with Number Four and Number Five walking up the street, heading toward the Sanban household.
They had all agreed to attack them once they left the Sanban house and found out about the hologram. They were going to get their revenge for the last time, and maybe destroy them. Then Father would be very please with them.
All they had to do was wait and see what happened, and then the fun would begin.