(…) means twin's telepathy and ((…)) means Cosmo and Wanda telepathy.
No, I don't own FOP or any reference to its varied characters mentioned herein, and unless the new episodes that follow 'School's Out' begin showing the love again, I wouldn't want to. So, for now, Butch Hartman can keep his name tacked on…even if it is for nothing more than the royalties at this point.
Oh…and I don't own The Big Comfy Couch either. That belongs to some broadcasting company in Tennessee I think. : )
Fairly OddParents : The Next Generation
Chapter 18. Aunt Vicky's Turn
"Aunt Vicky?" The kids cried aloud in unison at this immeasurable and very nasty surprise.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my adorable niece and nephew with one of their little friends wandering the inner city streets of Dimmsdale without supervision," said Vicky with all the warmth of a polar ice cap. "Now what exactly would you three be doing here so very far away from home, I wonder."
Tammy gave a little uneasy smile. She definitely had not been expecting this. Aunt Vicky was far from being their favorite relative. She hardly ever came over even during holidays, hardly ever gave them a gift for birthdays and the few times she did actually notice them, she always seemed to Tammy to regard her and her brother as some kind of experiment gone wrong. Basically, Tammy was sure that their Aunt Vicky didn't like kids at all. So how was it that she was actually in charge of a babysitting service?
"Well, like I said. We wanted to ask a few questions about the Vic-Bots."
Vicky rolled her eyes.
"Oh, so I guess you want to ask why all the Vic-Bots are going missing and what I have to do with it, just like your dad, right?" she asked with a bored tone.
"Actually, no," was Tommy's answer.
Vicky looked between Tommy and Tammy for a very long moment before the red haired woman suddenly turned and regarded Wanda in suspicion.
"So what's with the freakishly big pink eyes?" the woman asked.
Wanda blinked in surprise a second as she thought furiously. What could she possibly say besides 'you're one to talk' ?
"Uhhhh…Contacts?"
Vicky gave a studying glance before she gave a half nod.
"Hm. Nice."
The fairy gave a nervous smile.
"Uh, thanks."
Vicky then gave Wanda a shrewd look.
"Of course I've never heard of a nine year old using contacts before."
"Um, well, neither have I. I'm ten you see," was the warbly voiced reply.
"Ah. Right. Ten. Of course you are."
Tammy shifted on her feet.
"Sooo, Aunt Vicky, about those questions," hinted the girl.
Vicky sighed as she leaned back in her chair.
"Right. Well, I suppose it doesn't hurt to tell you what everyone else already knows. I don't know why the Vic-Bots went missing, where they went or why most eventually returned. All I do is run one of fifty babysitting services in the city that contracts them out to clients, and the others I should mention, have also had the same problem with their Vic-Bots. I don't make them, I don't program them, I just buy them."
"With a few special modifications," muttered Tommy under his breath.
"Excuse me?" came the ice cold tone.
Tommy was now caught under Aunt Vicky's baleful glare and there were not many who could get out from under it without explaining themselves first.
"Well, uh, its just that I'm sure that who ever makes these things didn't program them to jump into a kid's room 30 times in one hour and take things that don't belong to them."
Vicky looked at him in wary interest.
"What do you mean 'take things'?"
Tommy fidgeted as Tammy groaned. He'd spoken before thinking…again, and now didn't know how to cover for it. Looks like it was up to her to pick up the slack.
"You know. Taking things. From other people's houses."
Vicky cut her eyes as she leaned forward dangerously.
"Just what are you implying?"
"Stealing," said Tammy bravely.
Their aunt nearly spat venom from her eyes.
"I am not a thief. I did not have them programmed to steal anything. I may have given them nice red hair, fashionable green shirts, modulated their voice synthesizers for something more feminine than they came with originally, and I may have changed a few of their basic care command functions, but I never indicated stealing to their operations."
"So you're admitting that you do reprogram them to torture kids?"
Vicky leaned back with a smug smile and a flippant wave of her manicured hand.
"Torture is such an over used word these days. I prefer to think of it as keeping the rabble on their toes and in line."
Tommy snorted.
"What rabble? We're only nine years old!"
Vicky's eyes suddenly went wide in glee.
"Oh…wait. Don't tell me. You've had a Vic-Bot? Oh…my…gosh! This is just too delicious! My sister's children actually had one of my sitters? Aha ha ha ha ha!"
The kids looked at Wanda in disbelief as Vicky continued to laugh hysterically. When they turned back to the woman, she was still laughing.
"Um, Aunt Vicky? We really don't have a lot of time, so if we could just wrap this up?"
Their aunt managed, though not without a few stray chuckles here and there, to calm herself.
"So the robots have been stealing things huh? I wonder why your dad didn't mention it when he was here."
"He doesn't know."
"Oh? And how is it you do?"
"Look, we just know, okay? The point is, we want to get what was taken back, and we won't stop until we do."
Vicky took in the three earnest faces before her thoughtfully, before she gave a bored sigh.
"Alright. You're secrets are your own, but I can't help you. I didn't know anything about the robots stealing until you told me so there isn't really anything more I can say."
"Maybe there is," said Wanda.
Vicky looked at her.
"You said you only buy the robots from the manufacturer."
The woman nodded the affirmative.
"Well then, who's the manufacturer," asked the disguised fairy.
"That would be Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited. The robots are made by their sub division Victory Robotics, hence the nickname 'Vic-Bot'."
Tammy and Tommy nodded to each other as they and Wanda began to inch towards the door to leave.
"Thank you Aunt Vicky," began Tammy. "We really appreciate it. Oh, and we promise not to say anything about you re-programming the robots."
Vicky gave them another smug, self satisfactory smirk.
"And I'll be sure not to mention to your parents that you were wandering around the city alone."
The kids gave embarrassed little smiles.
"Deal," agreed Tammy.
"I thought as much," replied Vicky haughtily. "One question for you though."
The kids looked back.
"Do you think my robots are tough?"
"Tough?" asked Tommy in astonishment. "If they were any tougher, they'd be deadly!"
Vicky grinned like a slightly more sinister version of Wonderland's Cheshire cat.
"Perfect," she replied.
And with that, the kids left post haste.
"Tammy!" yelled Tommy once they were outside. "Why in the world shouldn't we tell someone about her reprogramming the Vic-Bots? Even if she ratted us out, which I for one think she will anyway, it would still be totally worth being grounded knowing that it wouldn't be allowed to treat us like slaves anymore!"
"Who says we won't? But look at it like this. If she were forced to fix those robots and they were all nice and kind, then what reason would Wanda and Cosmo have to stay? I can handle anything that thing throws at us with a couple of godparents about."
Tommy blinked and Wanda gave a gentle half smile.
"I didn't think of that," said Tommy in surprise.
"I know," was Tammy's cheerful answer.
Tommy opened and closed his mouth a few times mockingly at his sister's know-it-all attitude before he said, "It's a shame we couldn't learn anything more than we did."
"Maybe. But at least we do know who it isn't that's behind the kidnapped fairies. I mean Aunt Vicky may be mean, cruel and nasty, but I really think she was telling the truth back there. She seemed really surprised that the robots were 'stealing' ."
"Right," agreed Wanda. "And that means we're really a step closer to finding Cosmo and getting all the fairies back to their godchildren then we were before."
"So I guess Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited is next on our list of stops for the day?" asked Tommy.
Wanda nodded.
"Well, being as that place is clear on the other side of town," added Tammy. "I think we're going to have to take another bus ride."
Tommy pointed dramatically in the direction of the bus stop.
"Thata' way then."
Several steps later though, Tommy frowned.
"You know, I was just thinking. Why did that secretary just let us in to Aunt Vicky like that. She acted like she knew we were related or something."
"She did," replied Wanda.
"How?" asked the twins together.
"There was a picture of you two on the wall behind your aunt."
The kids looked at each other in shock.
"Oh! I didn't even notice," said Tammy, slightly taken aback that she hadn't seen it. She was normally so observant.
Wanda smirked.
"It was a very small picture," explained the fairy as she raised up a hand with her thumb and forefinger held about an inch apart from each other.
"Ah."
"Hey! Maybe she does like us," suggested Tommy.
The kids looked at each as they contemplated the absurdity of the question.
"Nahhhhh," the two said before giggling.
Half an hour later, the little group was finishing out their second bus ride of the day. On the whole, this second trip had gone much more smoothly and with fewer nosey people to gawk since the people that generally rode the buses to the Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited complex were already presently at work.
When the bus stopped just fifty feet away from the main corporate offices, Tommy looked up at the huge building in dismay.
"I hate to say this guys, but somehow, I don't think this is the kind of place that would let a couple of nine year olds go running up to the corporate president to ask a few questions."
"Maybe not," said Tammy. "But we have to try.
That said, they quickly made their way into the building where greenery abounded in the huge, curiously unguarded, arboretum like lobby. The stone and concrete planters that dotted the lobby profusely, were each large enough to hold 10 men standing and the variety of plants from one planter to the next was staggering. With tiny robotic automatic sprinklers that roamed around and between the plants themselves, they were like perfectly contained miniature eco-habitats.
"I wonder why they don't have any security officers," whispered Tammy as she gazed around the huge, moderately quiet, glass enclosed foyer.
"Are you kidding?" asked Tommy. "In a joint like this? They probably have a zillion hidden cameras trained on us right now. There were probably ten different types of metal detectors in the doors alone and I'll just bet a cutting edge place like this has sensors throughout the whole place made to detect foreign materials to prevent chemical and biological sabotage."
Tammy sighed.
"Tommy, I think you've reading too much 'Paranoid Citizens Monthly' again."
Tommy was about to argue his sister when a man striding by to exit the building paused with a cheery smile and said, "Actually, he's right."
Tammy looked in surprise and disbelief.
"Uhhhh, okay."
"Say, would you three happen to be looking for the receptionist desk by any chance?" asked the man.
"Sure," nodded Wanda giving both the kids beside her quick glances.
"Well, its right in that direction," the man pointed. "Just go past the South American Flora planter, the Chinese Flora planter and the Native American South West Flora planter. Oh, and if you see a Serengeti Grass Plains planter, or a planter with a 5 foot high purple flower with three inch long serrated teeth on it, then you went the wrong way."
Wanda made a slightly unsure face. "Ah. Right. Don't want to see a plant with teeth. Got it. "
The man left then and Tammy, Tommy and Wanda made their way past the three correct planters to the receptionist desk where four people sat like statues. They choose the first person, an older woman, and went up to her.
"Excuse me please," began Tammy.
When the woman moved, all three could not help but jump back for they quickly discovered the creation before them really was closer to a statue than any human being. It was a robot with a near perfect human visage. Its only true fault, and the obvious sign of its lack of life, was that when its mouth moved to speak, nothing else upon it did. It did not bend its head to actually look at them, there was no blinking of eyelids, there was no movement of eyebrows even and no shifting of vocal chords in the throat to advertise that it was indeed speaking in any human way.
"Good day to you, " greeted the robot receptionist with microchip perfected syntax. "How may I direct you?"
Tammy looked at Tommy and the boy waved his hand telling her she should go on.
"Uh, we're looking for the president of Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited. We have some questions regarding Victory Robotics babysitting units, the Vic-Sit 2200."
"I'm sorry, but Mr. Ibrahim is not available for interview. If you have a question or complaint about one of Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited's products or services, you may call the 24 hour automated telephone customer service line at 1-800-473-3255. Please use their automated directory to further assist you in your query. Will there be anything else I can help you with today?"
The girl gave a pleading look.
"Look, we really need to talk to someone about a problem with those robots. They're a menace and some of them have been…"
The machine cut Tammy off.
"If you have a question or complaint about one of Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited's products or services, you may call the 24 hour automated telephone customer service line at 1800-473-3255 Please use their automated directory to further assist you in your query. Will there be anything else I can help you with today?"
"But if we could just speak with Mr. Ibrahim…" pressed the girl.
"I'm sorry, but Mr. Ibrahim is not available for interview. Will there be anything else I can help you with today?"
Her temperature rising at the repetitive robot, Tammy opened her mouth to say something further, but Wanda's hand on the girl's arm quickly stopped her.
"No, thank you. That will be all," said the fairy to the robot as she started to guide the kids back and away from the desk.
"Have a good day," replied the artificial woman.
Once they were some 20 feet away Tammy gave a very annoyed huff as she folded her arms.
"Stupid robots," she muttered as Tommy looked at his sister in surprise at her unusually child like behavior. Tammy as a rule, rarely lost her temper or her cool, but dealing with robots, especially since it was clear that robots had a hand in the disappearance of the fairy god parents, was beginning to tell on her just a little.
"Well, what do we do now?" she asked after a moment.
Tommy looked around before he smiled.
"We go in another way to see Mr. Ibrahim," he said.
Tammy and Wanda turned to him quickly.
"What? How?"
Tommy pointed to a cleverly set fire escape door behind a planter of massive cacti.
"There."
Wanda gave a small smile.
"I get it. Go in through a side door rather then the always expected front and back doors."
"Right. Ten to one says they actually saved a few bucks and didn't go all out with super security in the stair wells since they have so much of it at all the entrances into the building."
"That's all well and good," said Tammy as her mood lifted a little. "But there's still the matter of finding out where in this place Mr. Ibrahim actually is, IF he's even here in the first place."
"One, we can ask someone if Mr. Ibrahim is in and two, we can check that directory on the wall over there…" Tommy pointed to huge black display board, "…and see where abouts his office is."
"Okay. As long as I don't have to ask that robot anymore questions," conceded Tammy.
Tommy nodded.
"Alright, here's the plan. Wanda, you go wait by the door and see if it opens from this side. Tammy, you go and ask someone if Mr. Ibrahim is in today. I'll go and check the board to see where his office is located. Wanda, we'll meet you by the door when we're done. Okay?"
The other two shook their heads in agreement and went quickly to their separate tasks.
Tammy had her answer in barely a minute, but Tommy took several minutes before he was able to rejoin the others. The board was an electronic deal and was subdivided by fifteen different categories and groupings. In the end, it hadn't absolutely imparted which office was Mr. Ibrahim's, but he had not only at least found which floor the corporate offices were located, but it had also given him a quick display of the floor layout as well.
When he met the others by the door, they each gave their update.
"Mr. Ibrahim is in today," announced Tammy. "Apparently he's a work-a-holic and he's in everyday. He oversees every venture in the place and always has his hands in what ever is going on here from business decisions right down to the lab and electronic work."
"Oh. Well that's good," said Tommy with a smile. "You two should get along well then."
Tammy gave her brother a withering glare.
"Come on Tammy. I was just kidding. Can't you take a joke?" asked her brother.
"There is nothing funny about working hard and wanting to keep up on things."
Tommy smirked critically.
"Maybe, but there's a fine line between keeping up on things and being obsessive. I mean come on. Ibrahim Scientific Electronics Enterprises And Laboratories Limited? I-S-E-E-A-L-L? I SEE ALL? If that's not obsessive, or at least a little arrogant, I don't know what is!"
"Fine," Tammy grumbled, "I did my part and we know he's here. How about you? Did you find out where his office is?"
"Well, the directory didn't say exactly, but it did say that the corporate and executive offices are all on the fifteenth floor."
"Yeesh! We have to climb fifteen flights of stairs?"
Tommy gave Tammy an apologetic look.
"Sorry."
"I guess we'll live. That just leaves you then Wanda."
Wanda shook her head.
"It's locked."
Tommy nodded.
"No big deal. We'll just have to wait until someone comes out."
"How long do you think we'll have to wait for that?" asked his sister.
Tommy took hold of Tammy's wrist and held it up to look at her watch.
"Its eleven forty-five now, so it shouldn't be too long of a wait."
Tammy pulled her hand back.
"And how do you figure that?"
"Its almost lunch time, Tammy. There's got to be at least one exercise health nut who'd rather take the stairs instead of an elevator."
Tammy just stared at her brother in mild astonishment.
"How are you coming up with this?" she asked him.
"Eh, movies, TV. That and Daddy told me once that when he was at the academy, he and a bunch of other trainees always took the stairs to help build endurance."
"Yeah, but Daddy's not a health nut."
"No. But he had to keep fit to pass all the physical exercises."
"Ah."
Ten minutes later found Tommy, who had lost the lot by plucking the smallest leaf from a fern, uncomfortably ensconced out of sight behind a large cacti while the others stood off behind another planter some number of feet away. It was a rough go for Tommy. If he moved to far to the right he found the needles of one cactus plant in his side and if he moved to far forward, they were in his face. If he tried to sit down at all, well, it would not have been a pretty picture and neither Tammy nor Wanda even wanted to think about helping Tommy pull cactus needles out of that region.
When lunch time tolled, a slew of about twenty people, all members of Tommy's fitness fanatics club, came pouring out of the stairwell. When it seemed that the last had come through, Tommy quickly stuck his left hand out and caught the door with his fingers. It was unfortunately a rather heavy door and it jammed the boy's fingers roughly enough against the door frame that it was all he could do not to yell out from the sudden pain.
"Hurry up you guys," growled the boy, impatient for one of them to open the door off of his fingers.
Tammy pulled the door open and the three slipped into the stairwell, happily, unnoticed.
Wanda, Tammy and Tommy looked up at the winding staircases.
"Fifteen?" Tammy asked grimly.
Tommy, now looking like he'd decided his plan really wasn't so hot after all, nodded mutely.
His sister sighed.
Then, as if it weighted ten pounds, she dropped her hand onto the railing and started to lead the now not-so-intrepid Cosmo hunters up the fifteen flights of stairs.
Wow. Five and a half pages of writing without including the thank you's. Has to be a new record! Ummm, nope. Its not. I just checked. Chapter 13 had 6 full pages not including TYs.
Speaking of those…
Aerinsol - Wow. I think someone was either on a sugar high or fluff high, lol. Both of which are cool! Glad you liked seeing the old Cosmo back in action. It was kind of hard to get his inane quirkiness just right and not loose what I was going for in this. Its another one of those things that has to be done just right or it comes off fake. Yay! Cosmo hugs! I'm feeling the love! And I already had Wanda's permission to torment Cosmo just a little for the story. We might have to tussle over that chocolate though.
Band Geek - Yay! More chills! Love/hate relationships are so much fun aren't they? And with Crocker, that's about all you can have. He is one of the few antagonists I can't find any sympathy points for. Well, except one. I mean losing his godparents due to a stupid mistake is kind of sad. Ohhh, another fellow artist! Cool. Have any sketches of Cosmo and Wanda? I'm such a sucker for C&W pics! Especially fluff inducing pics. ;) I'm more of a realist preferring to do animal portraits, mostly of dogs and horses in B&W and color pencil. I've tried to draw C&W in BH's style, but they always come out lousy and so fake. I had to go Anime with them and make them more Fae-like to come up with something I could look at and not shudder over. I'm not done coloring it in yet but when I am, I might put it up on my Deviant Art page.
Commander - How about some cyber chocolate cake? Its not as good as my RL double fudge chocolate cake though. Lol. And I completely agree. Cosmo being selfless is totally not contradictory. We just don't see it all that often. Sigh. I just love that little guy. And how could you NOT be a favorite of just about everyone that visits the FOP section? You're writing is flat out awesome!
Invder Lava - Lol. Yes, it was Crocker. You and everyone else deserves cyber cookies for knowing. J I liked your take on Wandissimo for that last chapter and you're completely right. He has once again completely forgotten to look past himself. As if things would end with him. Such an ego he has, eh? And you have completely nailed my view of Cosmo on the head. He may be an idiot, but that doesn't mean he's not wise. There's always more going on with him than people first assume. And don't worry about not reviewing for last chapter. We all make mistakes sometimes. Lol. Just kidding. Really, its cool. I understand that some folks out there actually have a life away from the computer…unlike me. Lol. ;)
Amras Felagund - No, its definitely not you. Crocker is seriously off his rocker. He he. He's totally gone, whoo hoo, bye bye sanity. And I have my reasons why. I can't wait to get to that chapter! Anyway, Cosmo isn't always clear on most things, but sometimes he just knows what really is right. Thank's for coming back and giving me the full links to the pics. They were great. You did pretty darn well superimposing Trixie's eye's in place of the glasses on Tammy's face. It looks totally believable! And thank you so much for marking me as a favorite. I truly feel honored.
Wanda Wish - Lol. They HAD to pull out Wandissimo. No question about it! I don't think the chapter would have had the same feel if there had been anyone else put up there. I'm glad you liked it. I think I'll try to make the chapters a little longer, but not overly so. You're right in that I don't want to sacrifice the quality. I've put too much in it already to flake out on it! Lol.
Lilylynn - I'm very happy you love it and are looking forward so enthusiastically to the next chapter. I look forward to it too!
Kraven the Hunter - Ahhh. You always have the questions. Particularly valid ones at that. I love it. J I'll give you a minor hint now that all your questions regarding dear Denzel Crocker will be addressed in the very near future. I've been in fact working on that very part of the story for about a week now. Getting the finer points down as it were. No stone unturned for me! I hope. And yeah…I've wondered about some of those episode progressions myself. The left turns they take on that show sometimes can drive a person nuts! Once again. Don't worry. I'm doing my best to cover all the bases and not leave any detail out. Though with my need for detail, I'm surprised I used a random walk by in this chapter!
I am so totally thrilled everyone who reviewed remembered that this is old Cosmo I'm going for. As Invdr Lava said…"Cosmo is an idiot, but that doesn't mean he's not wise." That's totally the way I see him. He has a brain upstairs (though I believe he just chooses to use it a little differently;). He can be thoughtful. He can be selfless when its absolutely necessary. He can be loving and he can be compassionate. God how I wish the writers of FOP would remember that.
Pssst. Did anyone happen to 'double check' the last 7 numbers of that phone number by the way? Look carefully. They happen to match the company abbreviation of ISEEALL. I'm so pathetic aren't I? Lol.
Trixie21