A/N: Thanks to everyone for giving me wonderful ideas for this fic! Anacsadder, Hazelle, the Monkey Queen, Lady Apocalymon, thankies all!

9. Undercover

"Well, that was a large waste of time, now wasn't it?" Otto said, grinning at Rachel.

"No, not at all! It was fun! What other things are we going to do?"

"Well, for now, you should probably get some sleep. You've got school tomorrow, correct?" Rachel gasped.

"Oh, no! I've still got homework!" She dashed to her room, turning off her music and grabbing her books while trying to find a pencil somewhere. She finally found one, and sat down at her desk, flipping through her books and scribbling in her notebook. About an hour later, she came into the den and dropped down on the sofa, sighing. Otto came into the room, tangled up in power cords and wearing a pair of safety goggles. Rachel looked at him, somewhat amusedly. "What happened to you?" She asked, trying not to smile.

"I've been working on something. I needed to take a break." He answered, untangling himself and removing his goggles before sitting down in a chair and lighting a cigar.

"Whatcha workin' on? Can I help?"

"I can't tell you, and no, you can't help."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because it's a secret right now. You'll find out soon enough."

"Oh, okay." She said, attempting to sound disappointed, but Otto could tell she was excited anyway. He smiled and said after a minute,

"Would you like a new assignment, something to do for me tomorrow after school? Because I'll be too busy working on my project to go with you anywhere."

"Sure! What do you need done?"

"Well, there's some materials I'll be needing for my project, if you could pick them up after school,"

"Say no more." Rachel stated with a wave of her arm. "What will you be needing?"

"Here." Otto said, handing her a list of various items. "These are the things I'll need to have by tomorrow night. You should be able to figure out where to find them; but it ought to still give you something to do for the day."

"Cool! Like a scavenger hunt or something! Sounds fun! You can count on me!"

"Good. Now, you should be getting to bed and get some sleep. You're going to need the energy tomorrow." He said, standing up and picking up the cords and goggles from the floor. Rachel also stood up from her seat on the sofa and stretched, yawning.

"Okay. I'm pretty tired anyway. Being asked to be the partner of a super villain, robbing a bank, and then coming home to find you just stole a hundred pounds of chocolate, well, it can really tire a girl out." She said, grinning.

"Well it's a good thing you have a sense of humor. You'll need it. Now go to bed and get some adequate sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight, Dr. Octavius."

"What did I say?"

"Oh, sorry. Goodnight, Otto." She said, smiling as she walked to her room. Otto smiled and returned to the basement and sat down at his desk. He turned on the dim lamp and began work on a small square piece of blue glass. It was about as big as your thumbnail, but it was one crucial element of his project. The 'brain' of the device. Without it, the whole thing was futile, as well as dangerous.

Rachel shut her door and got into her pajamas; a white cami and blue shorts. She climbed into bed and pulled up covers. Closing her eyes, she thought about how lucky she was to be Dr. Otto Octavius's partner in crime, when she drifted off to sleep.

--

The next day, Rachel woke up to an unusual silence. She got out of bed and walked over to the window, looking out onto the horizon. The sky was a dark blue; the sun hadn't come out yet. Looking at the clock on her desk, she saw that it was only 6:30. Rachel got up and walked over to her closet. Opening the doors, she observed what she had brought with her. There was a light tan-colored trench coat hanging up, and Rachel softly laughed, remembering when she had seen it at a store and absolutely HAD to have it, because it was just like Otto's, except in a more feminine style. She pulled out a pair of camo pants and a black t-shirt out of the closet. Dressed, she brushed her hair and pulled it up in a pony tail, brushed her teeth and walked into the kitchen with her laptop. She and Otto had gotten the power back on, and the refrigerator was working again. Rachel opened it and pulled out a Frappaccino and a chocolate coin and sat down at the table with her 'breakfast'. Turning on her laptop, she pulled up her fanfiction and began to work. After about an hour, she looked around. No sign of Otto anywhere. Where was he, anyway? He wasn't in the house, she knew that. Maybe he was stalking about the city. Well, that meant she was all alone in the house. Along with the project he had been working on. She absolutely HAD to know what it was! She started down the hallway, keeping an eye out for Otto. There was a door at the end of the hallway. Rachel opened the door, and there was Otto, standing right in front of her.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, no!" Rachel affirmed, backing away as Otto stepped forward. "Just, uh… exploring the house!" Otto shut the door behind him.

"Oh really? And it has nothing to do with the fact that the door you were about to go through led to the project I've been working on?"

"No, that's where it was? I had absolutely no idea! Not a clue!"

"Rachel you're not seeing the project until it's finished and that's final."

"Aww, party pooper." Otto glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"It's 7:45. You're going to be late."

"Oh my gosh you're right! I've got to go! See you later!" Rachel ran into her room, grabbed her backpack and her trench coat and ran out the door. "I'll see you tonight!" She yelled as she ran down the street. Otto sighed and went back downstairs. Returning to his desk and turning on the lamp, he continued a little bit of homework of his own. Calculations for a scientific contraption. He had to get it right this time. He hoped Rachel would like the surprise; he had been working on it all through the night since yesterday. He picked up a pencil and began writing equations on the paper.

--

Rachel arrived at the high school five minutes before the bell. Anna was waiting for her at the doors.

"Hi Rachel! I didn't think you'd be here! So, tell me, how's Otto Hotto the man doing? You have to tell me EVERYTHING that happened yesterday!"

"Oh, where should I begin!" Rachel said as they walked to class. "Well, first he showed me to my own room, and I set out my stuff, and now I've got my own room in Otto's house!"

"Ooh! What happened next?"

"Well, then we performed our first crime."

"Your first crime the day you moved in?! What was it? What was it!"

"The classics."

"YOU ROBBED A BANK?!"

"Yup. Nobody even saw us! I secretly high-jacked my way into a security room and unlocked the vaults, and Otto took out two guards and stole all this gold! But you know what happened next?"

"What?"

"Well, we returned home, and I was looking through the money we took, when I found out that they were fraud."

"They were fraud?!"

"Remember when John, Mike, and Lenny decided to play that prank on the bank last week?"

"Yeah…"

"Well it turns out that when me and Otto got there, the stuff was still there. We came home to find out that we had just stolen a hundred pounds of chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil."

"You're kidding me!"

"No! But we did have a good laugh about it. He's working on this project in the basement, but he won't let me help him out with it, and he won't tell me what it is, either."

"You think he's making something for you?"

"I don't know. It's a possibility, though. I tried to sneak down to the basement this morning, but he caught me."

"What did he do to you?"

"Nothing. He just said I couldn't see it until it was finished. I've got to see it! I can't wait that long; who knows how long it'll take to finish! There's gotta be a way!"

"I don't know; Otto's a determined guy. You'd be in BIG trouble if he caught you."

"Yeah, I know, you're right. But I'm just not a patient girl!"

"Well, school'll get your mind off it."

"Yeah, you're right. We'd better get to class, or we'll both be in big trouble!" The two girls ran to Algebra five seconds before the bell.

--

Six and a half hours later, Rachel and Anna walked out of the school, talking about Rachel's undercover work.

"Where're ya gonna find all the stuff?" Anna asked.

"Well, I know where some of these things are," Rachel replied, looking at the list. "Anyways I've got to go. Otto said he needed the stuff by tonight, and I've got homework, anyway."

"Okay! See you at school tomorrow?"

"Of course! See you then!"

"Okay! Bye!" Rachel had no trouble finding most the things, but she had a relatively hard time taking them. She walked into a store where they carried copper wiring, one of the items on her list. She had wait until no one was looking, then disable the security cameras so she could take some and stuff it in her pocket then walk out the door. She also grabbed a can of laughing gas on her way out. That wasn't so hard. But the real challenge was about to come.

Rachel now stood in front of an electronics store, looking into the window. Scanning the displays, she found the last item she was looking for: a $300 12-inch motherboard chipset. So, she casually opened the door and walked in, trying to plan her robbery. She looked around the store, creating a mental picture in her head. There were security cameras everywhere, so disabling them was a vital task. Also, there were those cute guys who worked at the store, who would walk up to you and ask "Can I help you?" as soon as you walked in the door. They were all over the store as well. Fortunately, nothing was encased in the store, so she wouldn't have to battle against that. So, what to do, what to do. She walked up to the chipset and studied it for a moment. One of the employees walked up to her after watching her from the cashier desk.

"Excuse me; can I help you with something?" He asked. Rachel turned around to face him. He had blue eyes, and shoulder-length shaggy blonde hair.

"Ooh, he's cute." She thought. "Maybe I can use this to my advantage."

"Actually, yes." She replied. "You see, I'm a journalist, and I'm writing about technological advances pertaining to security measures. Perhaps you can show me around? Show me the protection you have around here?"

"Uh, sure! Right this way." He and Rachel began walking through the store. "As you can see, there are security cameras everywhere."

"Mm-hmm, interesting." Rachel said, pretending to write in her notebook, to look her part.

"Oh, by the way, I'm Jarek."

"Rachel. Nice to meet you. So, how do you monitor these security cameras?"

"Oh! That's in the security room, where all the controls and everything are."

"Really? Can you show me?"

"Well…"

"Please? I'd love to see it; I'm sure a nice guy like you could show me?" She said with a wink.

"Of course! Right this way!" He said, leading her to an area in the back of the room. Stopping at a door, he punched in a code, in which Rachel turned away so as to look less conspicuous, and the door unlocked. They walked into the room, and Rachel an environment similar to the security room in the bank. Just not as many monitors. "As you can see, we are very precautious with security here. These monitors here are top of the line." As he was explaining this, Rachel slipped her hand behind her back and flipped a switch, turning off the cameras in the store. "We've never had a robbery." Jarek said proudly.

"Oh really? Tell me something, can you say 'I got fired cuz' some cute girl winked me out of my job'?"

"Huh?" Before the employee could do anything else, Rachel pulled the canister of laughing gas out of her pocket and threw it on the ground. The smoke billowed out of it, and when it cleared, everyone in the store was unconscious on the ground, and Rachel was gone, along with the chipset.

"That wasn't so hard." She thought as she started back home. "Maybe I won't make such a lousy criminal after all." Looking at her watch she gasped. It was already 7, and the sun had begun to set. Then the rain started to come down. "Perfect! I can't let this thing get wet!" She pulled her coat tighter around herself to protect the chipset from the rain. Then a bolt of lightening flashed through the sky, and a deafening clap of thunder was heard. "Even more perfect. A thunderstorm. Man, I've gotta get home, or find shelter ASAP!" Just then, Jarek ran out the store with a police officer, pointing to Rachel and shouting "That's her! She stole the $300 dollar chipset!" Rachel turned her head to look, and took off running down the street. The police officer ran after her, as well as five other officers who came out of the store and saw her. "Can this get any worse?" Rachel thought as she ran into an alleyway. "Now I've got cops on my tail? Boy, this is getting into the classics!" She suddenly thought, smiling. Not watching where she was going, Rachel slashed her head against an old gutter that was hanging down from a low rooftop. She winced in pain, and she saw a drop of blood fall onto the sleeve of her coat. She didn't care at the moment. She was soaked by the rain, and the police were right behind her. She had to hide somewhere. Turning a corner, she quickly crossed the street and ran into another alley before the police saw her. She ran out of the alley and finally made it to Otto's house. Opening the door, she quietly walked in, as not to be heard by anybody, although the only person who would have heard her anyway was Otto. She walked through the house, looking for him.

"Otto?"

"I'm in the basement." She heard him reply.

"Um, I've got the things you need."

"Go ahead and bring them down." Rachel walked to the end of the hallway and opened the door. She walked down the stairs, and opened another door, walking into a room. She spotted Otto hunched over at his desk, writing.

"Here." She said, holding up a suitcase with the specified items. Otto put his pencil down and stood up, turning around to face Rachel. She was sopping wet from head to toe, rain water dripping off her coat onto the floor. Her wet, stringy hair was in her face, and she had a deep gash in her forehead, out of which a drop of blood was trickling down the side of her face.

"What happened to you?!" He exclaimed. Rachel shrugged.

"I just had a little run in with the police, is all. I got the things you wanted." She said, holding up the suitcase to him. Otto took it from her hands and set it on the desk.

"You look beat up to me." He said upon returning.

"I'm fine. I got the stuff for you, and I'm absolutely fine. My head hurts like heck, but I'm fine."

"Come on. Go upstairs; you should get some ice for that or something."

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just a little scratch. It'll heal soon enough. I'll… be… oh, man…" She put her hand on her head and staggered over to the wall, steadying herself with her hands. "My head…" She said weakly, and passed out. Otto ran up to her and caught her in his arms as she fell. He lifted her up and carried her upstairs into her room. He gently removed her coat, laid her down on her bed, got some ice from the freezer, wrapped it up in a towel and placed it on her head where the cut was. Then he went back downstairs, opened up the suitcase, taking out some things, and continued working on the project.

--

Rachel opened her eyes. Sunlight lit up the room from her window. She took the ice from her head and sat up. Walking into the bathroom, she looked into the mirror.

"Otto was right." She thought. "That is a big cut." She washed the cut, wincing somewhat as she did, brushed her mangled hair, and put on a pair of blue jeans, a dark red t-shirt, and a blue jean jacket. She walked into the kitchen. Otto still wasn't there. "Does he live downstairs or what?!" She went downstairs to the basement. She saw Otto at his desk. Walking up to him, she found that he was sleeping, his head on the desk. Rachel grinned. "You've been working too hard, haven't you Otto?" She glanced over at a rather large item under a sheet. "I wonder if that's the project he's been working on." She cautiously started towards it. Unexpectedly, a tentacle grabbed her by the wrist and lifted her off the ground, throwing her back towards the door. She stood up, rubbing the back of her head, and quizzically looking at the actuators, who were hanging in the air now, ready to throw her again if she got too close. "Man!" She said aloud. "You guys are good at protecting that thing!" They simply hung in the air; she felt they were watching her. Of course they were; she knew the story. She took a step forward, and immediately they started hissing and snaking towards her. "Alright, alright! You win. I'm outta here." She said, walking back upstairs. She went back into her room and looked at the clock. "What?! Ten am! Well, it's looks like I'm not going to school today! Oh, well. I need a day off to get better, anyway." She sat down at her desk and started work once more on her fanfiction.

To be continued…

A/N: Whoo! That's the longest chapter I've ever written! Hope you liked it! And please review!