Wow, so half a year later we have Chapter Four, in which the effects of their attack on the auditorium become fully presented. Sorry it took so long. I was really close to just deleting this story because I didn't feel like writing it anymore. But yesterday I got a random stroke of inspiration and began writing again. Yay! I'm hoping this rubs off on some of my other more popular stories. Okay, so I only have one story more popular than this, but you get the idea. Anyway...
Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door or it's fantabulous characters. They are the property of Mr. Warburton and Curious Pictures.
Fantabulous my calculus teacher's favorite word.
Chapter 4
"They what!"
Numbuh Eighty-six was always known for being loud and cranky, but she seemed extra double mad when Abby reported what she'd learned on Saturday night.
"Please tell me you're not serious, Numbuh Five," Numbuh One pleaded.
"Do I look like I'm foolin'?" she responded. Looking back to Numbuh Eighty-six she explained it all again, "I swear it on my life. I mentioned the play and they freaked out like nobody's business, and when I threatened Chad's jacket and asked what plans he said, and I quote, 'The ones that'll be ruined if the play goes on!' They're up to something big, and it's gonna go down if we don't do this play."
"No, no, no, no, no, no! This can't be happening…!" Numbuh Eighty-six griped to herself. "Now the auditorium is full of Grandma Stuffum's leftovers, and auditions are on in four days!" By now it was Monday. The team took Sundays off and, as a result, Numbuh Five was unable to make contact with her fellow operatives until Monday morning in front of their school.
"So basically instead of stopping a massive adult plot we've just helped them out," Numbuh Four stated rather than asked.
"Seems that way," Numbuh Five answered, crossing her arms over her chest and lowering her head.
"What are we gonna do?" Numbuh Three asked.
"Well, there's no way to tell. We don't even know what their plans are or when they plan to implement them. They could attack today for all we know. So at this point all we can do is prepare to defend ourselves and try to figure out what their plans are," Numbuh One said. The kids all lowered their heads knowing that this was not good.
"I'm heading to Moon Base Command to find out what they think of it all," Numbuh Eighty-six said. "If the teenagers are that worried about it, this plan has to be big. Heck, with those teenagers it might even be the big one. We might need extra help, but I don't want to make a move without Numbuh Three-sixty-two's say-so. Make sure to get my homework," she commanded. They saluted her, and she strode off in the opposite direction of the school. The team returned to looking glum as they watched her go off. Numbuh Two looked around at his friends amazed at their pessimism.
"No way! Come on, guys! There's gotta be a way to fix this!" he exclaimed. "We're the Kids Next Door! We can figure out a way to clear that auditorium before auditions!"
"Numbuh Two, are you insane? It'll take weeks for us to move all that slop!" Numbuh One said. "Now that it's thawed it'll never go back into that freezer. You know leftovers can only be frozen once. And even if ever kid in the tri-county area ate this crud for the next three days, there's no way we'd be clear of it all by Friday."
"Well, I'm not willing to give up. There's gotta be a way to get rid of all this food!" Numbuh Two declared. The first bell rang, so he started into the school ahead of them to get a jump-start on his plans. Glancing between each other, the others quickly followed on their way to their lockers and then respective classes.
"Hey, Nigel, do you really think this could be the big one?" Wally asked as they headed from their lockers to their math class.
"I don't know, Wally. I really don't-."
"Oh, Nigey!" Wally grimaced and Nigel beamed as they turned to see Lizzie hurrying down the hallway toward her boyfriend.
"Good morning, Lizzie!" Nigel greeted, glad to see the caramels had worked one hundred percent. "I see you're all better."
"All better, thank you, Nigey," Lizzie said, slipping her arm into his. "And I'm so glad you got all my absent work for me. Now I won't be behind in my classes."
"Well, that's what I got them for," Nigel responded. "I wouldn't want you to suffer any more than that awful flu."
"Oh, Nigey!" Lizzie threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh, brother!" Wally threw his arms into the air. He abandoned them and continued to math alone.
"What's his problem?" Lizzie asked rhetorically, rolling her eyes as she relinquished Nigel and allowed him to lead her to their class. "You know Nigey, I am still feeling a little disappointed about this whole play business, especially when I remembered how we had to miss out on the fourth grade musical. So instead of waiting for you to finish this mission to read the play, what I thought we might do is-."
Nigel cut her off, "Speaking of the play, Lizzie. It turns out we made a mistake in ruining it."
"What do you mean, Nigey?" Lizzie asked.
"I mean, the play wasn't an adult plot. It can actually stop the adults in ways we don't even know yet," Nigel explained.
"So we can do the play afterall!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Oh, Nigey, this is wonderful news!"
"Hold on a second, Lizzie. We still can't do the play unless we clean out the auditorium," Nigel said. "And in all likelihood that isn't going to happen. But I do have a favor to ask of you." The last sentence was added rather gravely as he pulled her to the side next to the classroom door.
"What's that?" Lizzie asked, surprised at the seriousness of his voice.
"We're probably going to have our top spies on this task, but your keen ears have helped us out before," Nigel said. "Lizzie, now more than ever, I want you to keep an ear out for any suspicious gossip, especially stuff related to the teens."
"Nigey, I don't know how much help I can be-," Lizzie started.
"Lizzie, I'm serious! This could be the big one!" Nigel said.
"The big one?" she repeated. "Nigel, I don't understand."
"Lizzie, Cree and Chad were the ones that leaked the information, and when they did they were freaked out. I mean freaked out, and these are two of the top teens in the adult organization. And because it has to do with the school play we think this means they're going after all kids now instead of just focusing on Kids Next Door operatives. This could be the greatest threat to all childhood."
"All kids everywhere?"
"Yes!" Lizzie thought about this for a second. "Lizzie, you know I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't of the utmost importance. All I'm asking you to do is listen out for any suspicious activity. That's it. It could mean all the difference."
"…Okay, Nigel." He smiled at her.
"Thank you, Lizzie," he said and planted a small kiss on her lips. Their first one.
Lizzie grinned widely and hugged him tightly. "Oh, Nigey!" The bell rang and the two ducked into their math class to join Wally for an hour of learning.
Over in the science wing, Hoagie was paying less attention to the teacher than to his plots in front of him. So far he had come up with several rather innovative ways to move the food but had yet to determine what they would do with it afterward. They could always save it for hamster food and never have to worry about that again, but it was too risky to have that evil food in the tree house.
As he sat there drawing out plans, Abby sat next to him taking notes on the Earth's orbit. It was hard to say how she felt about his throwing himself into this. On the one hand she thought it was a waste of time because that food would be impossible to get rid of in the next few days. On the other hand, his initiative impressed her, as did his optimism. Hoagie was a smart boy, but she couldn't decide if he was acting intelligent or retarded at the moment.
"Review! Whose research and calculations determined that the Earth has an elliptical orbit?" Mr. Kafka asked the class near the end of the period. The sixth grade Earth and space science teacher was, overall, not the nicest of the teachers in the school. He had his moments, but normally the tall thin educator enjoyed torturing and embarrassing his students. Some believed it was payback for all the years of ridicule he'd seen for the early thinning of his blonde hair. Incidentally, Fanny Fulbrite seemed to be the only student he actually did like. He slowly scanned the room for the indolent and found Hoagie staring at his calculations. "Mr. Gilligan!"
Hoagie didn't quite catch it, and Abby quickly nudged him in the side. "Huh?" Hoagie blurted, dropping his pencil. He'd all but missed the question.
"Would you care to tell the class the answer to the question?" Mr. Kafka asked over the giggling of his students.
"Uh, sure I would. I'd be happy to answer the question. It's uh… it's um…" he looked down at his papers and pretended to rifle through his notes as he searched for an answer. Abby, knowing his distress and knowing that Hoagie had a good reason for not paying attention, lightly kicked him under the table and looked away as she pointed to the answer in her notes. Hoagie glanced to where her finger was and exclaimed loudly as though he'd found it in his own notebook, "Oh! Oh, of course. What was I thinking? It's Copernicus."
"Correct, Mr. Gilligan." Hoagie shot grateful smile toward Abby. "Perhaps you could find it in your own notes next time instead of Miss Lincoln's." The two stiffened.
A few minutes later the bell rang and they gathered their things to leave. Hoagie shuffled his papers together and made to stuff them into his notebook. "Mr. Gilligan," Mr. Kafka appeared by his side a few seconds later. "I noticed you were not at full attention today. Might I see what it is that was keeping your attention away from Copernicus' laws of elliptical orbit?" he instructed rather than requested. Not waiting for a protest or compliance, he took the papers from Hoagie.
"Mr. Kafka, with all due respect, those are personal, and I'd rather-," Hoagie started.
"These are most interesting, Mr. Gilligan. It looks as though they seek to remove the food from our currently inundated auditorium," Mr. Kafka cut him off. "Are you interested in helping Miss O'Dell?" Hoagie looked over to Abby for assistance, but she was as at a loss as he. "Or could it be you know something of the culprits of this serious act of vandalism?"
Mr. Kafka was tall, so his leering down at them seemed all the more intimidating. When he still didn't get a response, he handed the papers back to Hoagie. "Hurry along. You don't want to be late to class." The two nodded their heads and hurried out the door. Mr. Kafka watched them leave for a moment and stepped into his supply closet for a moment as his next class filed in.
"Hey, guys," Abby whispered two periods later in Miss O'Dell's class. "Was Mr. Kafka acting all weird last period?"
"What do you mean 'weird?'" Wally asked.
"Check this: at the end of first period, he stopped Hoagie and was askin' 'bout his plans to get the food out of the auditorium. I think he thinks we had something to do with it," Abby said.
"Well, what's so bad about that? It's not like he knows anything for sure, does he?" Wally asked. The tardy bell sounded overhead.
"You didn't see the way he was lookin' at us," Abby shook her head. "It was as if he was-."
"Class has started, and I will not permit interruptions, Abigail!" Abby was startled by the loud smacking of a ruler on her desktop. Miss O'Dell was standing over her and frowning.
"I'm sorry, Miss O'Dell," Abby said.
"Just make sure it doesn't happen again," Miss O'Dell replied gruffly before continuing to the front of the room and standing behind her podium. "Now everyone take out loose-leaf paper and a writing utensil. Now!" The whole class jumped at her sudden loudness and hopped right to the task. As they did this, she pulled up the projector screen to reveal a paragraph on the board. "You each are to write a two thousand word essay on the above topic relating to Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea." The class sent up a moan of protest.
"But, Miss O'Dell, we haven't even read The Old Man and the Sea!" one boy objected.
"My brother didn't read that until ninth grade!" another girl added.
"Did I ask for a dispute?" Miss O'Dell rejoined loudly, causing every student to shut up. "I said write a two thousand word essay about The Old Man and the Sea. Now get to it. It's due at the end of the period. No extra time will be given. Begin!" Every student immediately put pencil to paper and began writing. They didn't know what they were writing about, but Miss O'Dell was clearly in no mood to be trifled with.
At the end of the period, the students instantly jumped out of their chairs and made a pile on Miss O'Dell's desk with their essays. Immediately thereafter, they dashed from the room. Kuki, Wally, and Abby were the last ones to turn in their papers and were there for Miss O'Dell to glance quickly through. "Kuki! Come here!" Kuki nearly leapt from her skin at the sharp tone in Miss O'Dell's voice but quickly complied.
"Yes, Miss O'Dell?" she asked nervously.
"Is this essay written in blue ink?" Miss O'Dell asked, holding up Kuki's paper.
"Well, yes, Miss O'Dell," Kuki answered uncertainly.
"I'll only accept essays written in pencil or black ink. This earns an F," Miss O'Dell stated succinctly.
"What! But, Miss O'Dell, almost everything else I've done in this class was in blue pen-!"
"Well, then I guess I'll have to go back and change all of them to Fs as well," Miss O'Dell said.
"What! Are you insane!" Wally outburst angrily.
"Zip it, Wallabee, or I'll decide I don't accept pencil either," she responded, holding up his penciled essay.
"Miss O'Dell, you know that ain't fair!" Abby stepped up.
"Well, life's not fair, Abigail!" Miss O'Dell shouted. "Sometimes our teachers don't accept blue ink, sometimes our cars breakdown on the freeway in the middle of traffic, and sometimes the auditorium gets filled to the brim with leftovers!" Miss O'Dell broke down suddenly and buried her face in her arms.
"All I've wanted all these years of teaching is to put on a school play. That's all. I've dreamed of nothing else since being sent home from Broadway. But someone had to go and ruin it for me! Some heartless villain had to stuff the cafeteria full of Salisbury break! It's just not fair!" She wailed helplessly for a few moments before the operatives stepped up and tried to console her.
"It's not all that bad, Miss O'Dell," Abby said.
"Yes, it is, Abigail. Yes, it is," Miss O'Dell sobbed.
"No, the play isn't completely ruined," Kuki said.
"Yeah, you know what they say: The show must go on!" Wally added.
"But how can we have a show with no place to perform? There's no way we'll get that auditorium cleaned up in time for auditions," Miss O'Dell replied, sitting up and sniffling.
"So, what? Who says we have to hold auditions in the auditorium?" Abby asked.
"What do you mean?" Miss O'Dell asked.
"I mean, if the auditorium's not all cleaned up by Friday, why don't we just have the auditions somewhere else?" Abby suggested.
"With all the food in the auditorium, the cafeteria should be pretty clean!" Kuki said.
"Oh, I don't know, kids," Miss O'Dell said, removing her glasses and wiping tears from her eyes. "No one even seems interested in the play, the attacks on the auditorium seem to be a pretty clear indication of that."
"Miss O'Dell, you can't give up on this play," Abby said. "So some… idiots ruined the auditorium. Some kids genuinely want to do this play."
"Like who?"
"Us, silly!" Kuki beamed.
"Yeah, and Nigel and Hoagie and Fanny and Lizzie. We all wanna do it," Wally added. "Not to mention all those other kids on the audition sheet."
"Hoagie's even working on a way to clean up that auditorium," Abby said.
"Really?" Miss O'Dell asked. The three nodded their heads. Miss O'Dell took a tissue from the box on her desk and blew her nose. She slowly stood up and composed herself. "Children… we audition on Friday!" They all sighed in relief and watched her walk to the door. "To the office!"
To, y'know, get approval for taking over the cafeteria. You know you need the administration's approval for something like that. ...Shut up. Anyway, I'm sorry folks who are reading this, but I probably won't have another chap up for at least another week. It's Hell Week in theater since our play is next weekend. I don't know why, but my writer's block always breaks right before Hell Week or any other time that I get really busy and don't have time to use my sudden inspiration. Tis crap, but tis the way it is. Anyway, R&R and KIT&KIR. Hasta, folks.