Author's Note: ATTENTION! THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHEN YOU FIND OUT WHO THE BOSS IS! I HOPE YOU ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. You can't sue me.
venusgal100: I'm not going to tell you if you're right because I don't want to ruin the surprise. Thanks for reviewing!
A. Nonymous: I'm glad that you liked the scene with Patrick and Sandy. Thanks for the boss comment. (No one is going to know who it is). I'm also happy that you liked all of the things about the flashback. I won't tell you if you're right about Plankton, but you'll soon find out! Umm… I have a month left of summer. Do you go back in August? Because Canadians go back in September. P.S. WoRdLiFeCeNa4 said that she bases her reviews on the content of the chapter as well, but she puts in other things to make the writer happy. So…ya.
WoRdLiFeCeNa4: Thanks for the word comment. It popped into my head when I was writing, so I'm not entirely sure where it's from… I thought of another name you could give the female sponge, Spongette. It's the only thing I can really think of. I hope it helps… OMG! Okay, first of all, Spongebob's Suspicion does not suck! Second of all, my early stories really did suck. The chapters were really short! It takes a while to boost confidence. When I first started writing I never thought that I would get as many reviews as I do. The point is that you should like the stuff you write. P.S. I find that keeping the characters' personality helps. Thanks for reviewing!
anonymous critic: I'm glad you like this. I wish that you would tell me who you think the boss is. Almost everyone suspects Squidward. Anyway, thanks for reviewing! P.S. I don't know if you already have, but you should read the first RAN before the second.
Chapter 6: Questions Asked
"I would do anything for some seatbelts. Some nice, safe, tight seatbelts. If only this bus had seatbelts…"
This was the thought that was going through Patrick's mind as he and Sandy rode the bus to Rock Bottom. It was a very long bus ride, but Patrick didn't dare relax. He hated it when the bus gave the horrible lurch then dove straight down. He always got flung to the back of the bus, and it was very painful.
Sandy, on the other hand, seemed quite comfortable. Compared to the Texas activities she used to do, holding onto her seat while the bus free-fell straight down was nothing.
Sandy had not told Patrick about what she saw on the T.V. last night. She did not know why, but she had a felling that it would be best if she kept it quiet.
An hour had passed, yet they still did not arrive at Rock Bottom. Sandy was sleeping, and even Patrick was growing restless, but finally, the drop came. Sandy gripped her seat with no real effort. In fact, she was rather enjoying herself. Patrick, on the other hand, had flown back to the back of the bus; despite his efforts to remain in his seat.
The drop stopped and the bus pulled to a halt. Sandy rose from her chair and gave a polite 'thank you' to the bus driver. Patrick followed, dazed and shaken.
"Well, where do we go from here?" asked Patrick as the bus pulled away.
Sandy thought back to the day when Spongebob retold his entire story to his friends. "We should find the boss to Spongebob's old job. He might be able to tell us if Spongebob is here or not."
"But where is the guy?" asked Patrick, bluntly.
Sandy thought some more. "I think the building was at the intersection of Dark and Despair. The guy's name was Rick."
"Well, then, we should start looking!" Patrick walked forcefully off into the darkness. Sandy was taken aback from his bluntness, but followed him closely.
The last time the two friends had been down here, they were lost without any sign of civilization. If possible, it was even scarier when there was civilization. It was oddly quiet for a town, as if no one had been there for years. The street lamps gave off a ghostly glow, and both friends felt like they were being watched.
After many minutes of searching, Sandy and Patrick found the building they were searching for. It was large and looked mysterious. The worst part about it was that there was a huge dump right next to it. Fortunately, neither Patrick nor Sandy could smell the stench emitting from it. Sandy was wearing her helmet, and Patrick didn't have a nose, so they took their time entering the building, considering that it was very sinister looking.
The friends entered and looked around. It was very dim inside, but their eyes had already adjusted to the darkness.
"I guess this is it," Sandy said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "C'mon, let's find Rick." Sandy walked up to a counter, where an odd fish was standing. "Umm, is there a guy named Rick here?" she asked the fish.
The fish looked up from his papers that laid on the counter. He considered her presence for a minute, and then went back to working on his papers.
"Uh, excuse me, but my friend and I would like to see Rick," Sandy said.
"Go, phppt, away," the fish said, still working on his paper work.
"We need, phppt, to see, phppt, Rick," said Patrick, approaching the counter.
The fish looked up from his papers. "Ohhhhh, phppt. Why didn't you, phppt, say so? I'll check to see, phppt, if he's busy."
The fish reached for his head set and put it on. Sandy looked at Patrick, surprised that he caught onto the fish so easily.
"He says, phppt, that if it's urgent, phppt, he will see you."
"It, phppt, is," Sandy said, following Patrick's example. She felt silly using such an absurd accent.
"Okay then, phppt. His office is down the hall, phppt." The fish pointed to a long dark hallway, leading out of the main room.
"Thank, phppt, you," said Sandy. She and Pat started to head down the hallway.
"Wow, Pat, that was really smart of you, figuring out how to talk to that fish!" Sandy exclaimed.
"What, phppt?" asked Patrick. Sandy gave him a look.
"Never mind…"
The two walked farther and farther down the long hallway. With every step the darkness seemed to increase. They walked in silence until they reached a walnut door. It was black. It might have been painted a different colour, but the darkness drained it of any colour it might have held. In the middle of the door was a gold plate with the word Rick carved on it. Sandy took a deep breath and knocked. She didn't know why she was nervous; it was just that the door gave off an unpleasant sensation.
"Come in," said the voice behind the door. The fur on the back of Sandy's neck stood on end. She noticed, and dismissed the feeling as silly. She had faced Alaskan Bull Worms before. This couldn't be any worse. She creaked the door open and stepped inside. Patrick was close on her heels.
The fish sitting in the chair turned around to face them. This time, all of Sandy's fur stood on end. It was probably the scariest sea creature she had ever seen. It had glowing red eyes, and a pitch black body. It had many tentacles, with spikes like teeth around every one.
"Yes?" asked Rick.
Sandy noticed that he didn't speak with a weird accent. For that, she was grateful. It would be a lot easier to talk. "Umm, my friend and I have some urgent business to discuss with you," Sandy said, to her surprise. It took enormous effort to make a sound in the presence of that face.
"Oh, yes. My secretary told me you were coming. Please sit down." Rick gestured with a long tentacle to two chairs. Sandy didn't know whether to thank him, or run away, so she sat down without a word. Patrick followed suit.
"So, what is this business that is so urgent?" asked Rick, a small smile crawling onto his face, as if the urgency of the business was one big joke. Sandy cringed as she saw that all of his teeth were blackened by disease and plaque.
"Well," started Sandy, at a small loss for words. "I'm not sure if you really remember…"
The smile on Rick's face grew. "Try me. I have a very good memory."
"Well, it's about one of the workers you used to have. Spongebob Squarepants?"
The smile on Rick's face disappeared it was soon replaced by a small scowl. He had a glare of suspicion in his eye. "You mean the worker that caused me so much inconvenience then only worked for one day? Yes, what about him?"
"Well, my friend and I are looking for him. (He disappeared you see.) And well, last time he came to work here, so we came to check if he came back." Sandy said this all very fast, as if it might somehow decrease the frightening face that glared in front of her.
Rick's scowl increased so did his suspicion. Sandy could tell that it was directed at them. "No, he hasn't returned. And frankly I hope he never does. If they weren't so forceful for me to take him…" Rick paused in mid-speech. He had a look of regret in his eyes that made him look like he said too much.
"Who's they?" said Sandy, curiosity overcoming her fear.
"Frankly, I don't think that that is any of your business! Now, if you excuse me, I am very busy…"
"No," said Sandy at the edge of her seat. "You know something, don't you?"
Rick paused, as if making a decision that would change his life. "I might… Anyway, why would you want to know?"
This time Sandy paused. Patrick didn't understand why. It's not like he was asking anything personal…
"He's…my friend, that's all," Sandy stuttered. She didn't sound very convincing.
"Well, I think you would be better off not knowing. Now if you excuse me…"
"No, Sandy said again, the forcefulness back in her voice. "Tell me what you know!"
"What's in it for me?" asked Rick, slyly.
Sandy turned red. There were flames in her eyes. "You've never got into a fight with a Texan before? Have ya?"
For the first time, Rick looked a little frightened. It was a weird sight, seeing a monster like that afraid of something as innocent as a squirrel. However, Patrick wasn't surprised. He knew from past experiences what Sandy was capable of. Patrick rubbed his neck, remembering all to well the trumpet incident.
"You think you're supposed to frighten me, do you?" asked Rick. However, there was a slight quiver in his voice. He didn't sound at all convincing.
"Unless you want to experience particularly unpleasant pain, I recommend you tell us everything you know."
At first it looked like Rick was going to refuse, however a second glance at Sandy taught him better.
"All right, I'll tell you. However, nothing I say leaves this room, got it? If they ever knew that I told you…"
"They?" asked Sandy her curiosity replacing her furry. "Who's they?"
"Wow, you really don't know anything, do you? Well, I guess I'd better start at square one. I take it you know who took your friend last time?"
Sandy and Patrick nodded. "Yes, Flats Flounder. He said he wanted revenge for getting embarrassed last time. Or something like that…" Sandy said.
Rick gave a snort. "Well I guess that's half of it. But it's not the real reason why he was after the kid."
Sandy's interest had burst to exploding point. "The real reason? What's the real reason?"
"Well I wasn't really in on their plan. I was just used because of the job I was offering. Well, I wasn't really offering it; I was more forced into it…"
Sandy gave a polite cough to get him back on topic.
"Yes, well… All I was told was that their boss wanted the kid to be as miserable as possible until Flats could get him to their headquarters."
"Who's the boss?" asked Sandy.
"Your guess is as good as mine… All I know was that he was the head of the operation. The others seemed to look up to him…"
"The others? You mean it wasn't just Flats and the boss?"
"Oh, no, of course not! There were two others. However, I don't know who they are, either. Never showed themselves. I only ever talked with Flats."
"But surly you must have some idea…"
"Well I know that one was sort of a rookie. He was old to the group, but no good at plans. Then the other one was at an argument with Flats. They didn't seem to be on very good terms. I think they were competing for a certain job… Don't know, really."
Sandy counted mentally in her head. "So there are four in all. One boss and three workers. One of them is Flats."
"Yep, you got it."
"Don't you know anything about their plan?"
"Hardly anything. I think that the boss guy was trying to keep it under wraps. Only his closest workers knew about it. Even then I don't think they knew all the details. All I know is that they needed that kid for something special. Not just for some silly revenge…"
Sandy went over all the facts in her head. She knew that there was nothing else that Rick would be able to tell them.
"Do you know where their headquarters are?"
"Yes," said Rick happily, sensing that their conversation was coming to an end. "It's located at the base of Sand Mountain."
Sandy was mildly taken aback. That was the mountain Spongebob and herself sand-surfed on. To think that such a fun place would one day be a place of danger…
"Thank you," Sandy said, coming back to herself. "Well, we better go…"
"You're not really going to Sand Mountain, are you? Those are no ordinary fish. You could get seriously hurt!"
"I'm sorry, but that's our business. C'mon, Pat." Sandy stood up from her chair. Patrick followed suit. "Thank you, Mr. Rick. You have been very helpful."
Sandy had a business flair to her voice. It didn't sound natural. Patrick wondered why Sandy was acting so odd…
"Remember!" said Rick, stopping them as they made for the door. "Nothing we've discussed leaves this room, alright?"
"Yes," Sandy replied, meekly. She then opened the door and exited.
As they left Rick's office, Sandy closed the door behind them. Suddenly, she burst into tears again. She flung herself against Patrick.
"Oh, Pat, I'm so worried. Flats was bad enough, but three? And that boss doesn't sound great either. And of all the stupid places to have a hideout…" She stopped talking as a fresh wave of tears overcame her.
"C'mon, Sandy," Patrick said, for what seemed like the twentieth time that month. "Don't cry. I'm worried about Spongebob too, but there is nothing to cry about."
"Oh, Pat, that's not it. You don't get it…" Sandy paused and took in a deep breath. "I think I love him."
Spongebob laid in his room. There were still so many questions yet to be asked. So many left unanswered. However, he grew accustomed to the curiosity. There was no possible way to escape where he sat, and now that he was completely conscious, the assassins were careful not to say anything to close to his place. Spongebob wondered off in his daydreams, covered in thought. What had happen that day in the kitchen? Where was he now? Where were his friends? He remembered jellyfishing with Patrick. That figure he saw was Flats. He knew that now. Harry was right, too. There was someone there that night. It was too late now. He hoped Harry was okay. He was a smart snail. He would find some way to get food. He remembered the day he bought Harry. He looked so much like Gary…
I'll take this one. Spongebob said, pointing to Harry's cage. The owner took out a key and opened the cage. Spongebob reached in and took the snail in his arms. I'll name you Harry. Harry started to purr. It was a pleasant sensation…
"Hey, get up!"
Spongebob woke up to realise that he had been sleeping.
"The boss wants to talk with you."
"With me?" asked Spongebob, still a little dazed from his sleep.
The assassin opened the door to Spongebob's area. Spongebob got to his feet and exited the room. He could see the assassin's face; it was Flats.
"Don't try any funny stuff," Flats said, closing the door. They then entered a long dark hallway. Spongebob remembered the time he walked down the hallway to Rick's office. Was this walk going to have an equal fate in misery? Or even worse?
Spongebob and Flats stopped outside a door with a golden plate on it. However, instead of saying Rick it read Boss. Flats knocked on the door.
"Come in," replied the voice of the boss. Spongebob grew suspicious of it. He had heard that voice before… Where did he hear that voice?
Flats entered the room with Spongebob in tow. It looked like any normal room, only there were no windows. Instead, a solitary lamp that was mounted on the ceiling gave off light. At the end of the room there was a desk and a chair. Someone was sitting in the chair, but they were in shadow.
"Thank you, Flats. You may go now," said the voice in shadow.
Then Spongebob realised where he had heard that voice. But it was impossible… It couldn't be…
Flats nodded with his head and then left the room. Now only Spongebob and the boss sat there.
"Spongebob. It's been quite a while since we last met, but of course I have no doubt that you remember me."
Spongebob wasn't sure what to say. He didn't want to talk to just a voice and no face. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"I guess it is time you knew the truth. Fine, I'll tell you everything. It won't make any difference…"
Spongebob had his suspicions of what the boss meant of this, but curiosity overtook his fear. Were some of his questions finally going to be answered? "Who are you?" he asked a second time, this time with more wonder instead of force.
"I guess you have the right to know…" said the boss.
He rose from his chair, and walked across the room. As his face hit light, Spongebob couldn't help but give an unbelieving gasp.
"No, it can't be… …Dad?"