Frederick Jones was on edge and he felt like everything that he'd worked for for the past ten years was falling apart. Pericles was out, and Frederick knew that he wouldn't give up until he got his talons on the Planispheric Disk piece. Frederick wasn't going to easily let go of it, but Pericles had always been much more cruel and heartless than he was. Frederick didn't think he could be scared away the same way that Mystery Incorporated could, but he didn't doubt that Pericles wouldn't hesitate to get original.
The parrot already seemed to believe that he had something over Frederick. He couldn't imagine what it could be, and he hated that he couldn't know if Pericles was bluffing, or if he actually was ready to ruin Frederick's life around him. He could equally believe either option from Pericles.
When Pericles hung up on him Frederick spent another minute yelling into the phone, as though he could get the parrot to start talking to him even though he had already hung up. Finally Frederick took a calming breath and set his phone down. He needed to check on his piece of the Planispheric Disk, and maybe after that he would have a clear enough head to figure out what Pericles could possibly be holding over him.
As he made his way to his bedroom Frederick passed by his son's bedroom. The boy's door was wide open. Frederick paused for just a moment when he saw his son's belongings thrown all over the place. How many times did he have to tell Fred to clean up after himself? In his annoyance Frederick briefly forgot about Pericles and for just a second he felt like just a normal parent.
Memory of Pericles soon returned, and when it did Frederick also remembered exactly where his son was. Frederick's eyes widened and he gasped in a deep breath. His body seemed to forget how to exhale, and he accidentally found himself holding his breath. Frederick's legs grew weak and he staggered back against the wall just for support to keep himself from completely collapsing.
His son wasn't home. He should be at that school field trip of his…a field trip to Destroido Corp. Frederick hadn't even noticed that Pericles was out and about, so he'd let himself get careless. He'd sent his son right into the lion's den.
Pericles had said that he had something that Frederick wanted, and now he had a terrible feeling that he knew what that something was. Freddie. The bird had taken his son. Considering the time, Fred couldn't have been there for very long at all, but even just a second was far too long for a child to be anywhere near Pericles.
Frederick knew that Pericles had said that he would call again in the morning, but he couldn't wait that long. It wasn't even evening yet. It wouldn't be morning for nearly eighteen hours. The thought of his boy being in harm's way for that long made Frederick feel nauseous.
There was still the screaming voice of the Freak in the back of his head saying that he needed to keep the Planispheric Disk piece safe, but that was overpowered by his concern for Fred. He needed to make sure the boy was safe.
With shaking hands Frederick pulled out his phone and started to dial up Fred's number. He knew that all of the boy's teacher's thought that they knew better than Frederick what was best for his son. Every single year Frederick would have to have the same argument with Fred's teacher about the boy's cell phone. Frederick agreed that most children this young didn't need a phone of their own, but Fred wasn't exactly like most children his age.
Fred had a tendency to get overwhelmed at school. He had his phone so that he could call Frederick if he needed some help calming down. Frederick couldn't count the number of times that he had either talked his son through a shutdown, or explain to his teacher how they could best deal with Fred's lack of focus and constant rambling about matters that nobody else understood.
Fred also had a tendency to wander around Crystal Cove after school, and sometimes he wandered just a bit too far or got himself lost. When this happened he could call Frederick to either pick him up or tell him how to get home if he was too busy to get him himself.
Frederick waited anxiously while the phone rang, and he breathed a sigh of relief when it was answered.
"Hello?" Fred said. Frederick didn't think he'd ever been so happy to hear the eight year old's voice.
"Thank goodness." Frederick felt suddenly drained. He staggered into Fred's room and slumped on the bottom bunk of the boy's bed. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Where are you?"
"Hi, Daddy." Fred said cheerfully. Frederick wanted to think that this was enough reason to think that Fred was okay, but it wasn't. The boy could get dangerously hurt and not think that it was anything more than a small headache or a mild annoyance. More than once Fred would accidentally cut himself in the weirdest places, and not even realize it until Frederick saw the blood dripping on the floor. It had absolutely terrified Frederick the first time it had happened.
"Hi, Fred." Frederick said, because his son could sometimes get really upset if he didn't receive a greeting in return. "Where are you?" He repeated the question, because Fred sometimes didn't address every question he was asked if he was asked multiple in a row. Other times though he would answer them all in rapid succession, which could be frustrating if he'd been asked yes and no questions.
"At Destroido Corp." Fred said. "I had a field trip today, remember?"
"Yes, yes, I remember." Frederick felt hope rise in him. "Can I talk to your teacher?" If Fred was okay, then Frederick wanted him home before anything happened.
"Uh, I kinda lost the others." Fred said sheepishly.
"You're alone?!" Frederick shouldn't be surprised, because he swore this happened every other field trip, but every time he hoped that the teacher would be more responsible about keeping an eye on the kids under their charge.
"Oh, no, I'm not." Fred said cheerfully. Well, at least he wasn't upset like he usually was during field trips. "Your friend found and helped me. He said he would call you." Fred was quiet for a moment. "Did Ricky call you?"
Frederick pinched the bridge of his nose. Letting Fred go on this field trip was a mistake. Ricky had found Fred, and if he claimed that they were friends then he had to know who Freddie was. This wasn't good, but Frederick still desperately hoped that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was.
"Has Ricky been treating you well?" Frederick had to fight to keep his voice calm. He was still hopeful that Pericles hadn't reunited with Ricky, and the man had just helped Fred out of the goodness of his heart. Frederick didn't like any of the members of Mystery Incorporated, but he knew that at least Ricky and Cassidy had been genuinely kind-hearted people. Frederick just hoped that much hadn't changed in ten years.
"Yeah, he's great!" Fred said. "He helped me to remember to do the breathing thing that Angel taught me."
If Frederick was remembering right, Ricky had used to be very anxious as a child. Maybe he really did just stumble upon a panicked child visiting his company and felt empathetic.
"He showed me his piano guitar and other toys." Fred sounded like he was about to start rambling. Frederick cut in before he could get very far.
"Fred, focus." Frederick said. "Was there a bird anywhere nearby? A parrot?"
"Oh, yeah." Fred sounded immediately less happy. "Parrotocolis. He was kinda scary."
"Pericles." Frederick corrected his son even as he felt every last remaining bit of hope fade. Whether Freddie knew it or not, he was not in good hands at all. "Did he hurt you or say anything weird to you?"
"No." Fred said quietly. "I thought Permales was your friend."
"Pericles is nobody's friend." Frederick said.
"What about Ricky?" Fred asked. Frederick didn't know if Fred was asking if Pericles was Ricky's friend, or if Ricky was dangerous too.
"I would be careful around Ricky." Frederick said. "But especially if Pericles is calling the shots."
He heard Fred whine slightly over the phone. If Fred had been calm before, he definitely wasn't now. "What do I do?"
"Fred, listen to me very carefully." Frederick said. "You need to calm down. Take a deep breath." He heard Fred do as he said. The boy really did follow instructions well as long as it was given to him in a way that he understood. "Okay, now, where are Ricky and Pericles?"
"I don't know." Fred said, which was a relief. If Fred didn't know where they were, that meant that they weren't in the room with him.
"Do you know how to get out?" Frederick asked?
"I-I think so." Fred said. "Yeah."
"Just be careful." Frederick said. "Think of it like you're playing spies. You need to sneak out of the secret lair without being caught. Do you think you're up to it?"
"Oh," Fred sounded calmer. "I'm good at playing spies. Me and Angel play it all the time."
Frederick was aware. That was the reason why he had suggested it in the first place.
"Just get out as quickly as possible." Frederick said. "And be quiet. I'll stay on the phone with you, but I won't talk to you, and I don't want you to talk to me unless absolutely necessary." He didn't want to let Fred be overheard because they were talking while the boy was trying to escape, but he also didn't want to just leave Fred to his own devices. He needed to know what was going on, instead of waiting anxiously for news.
A very brief moment passed before Frederick heard a noise of frustration and distress. "Dad, the door's locked. I can't leave the room." Fred said.
Frederick tightened his grip on his phone. He should have expected something like this. He tried to figure out what they were supposed to do from here, but his son seemed to think of an answer first.
"Hey, dad, I know you say that I'm not allowed to make traps out of home, but…" Fred trailed off, sounding equally nervous and excited. Frederick couldn't help but smile ever so slightly and shake his head. That was his son.
"I think I can make an exception just this once." Frederick said. "Show them why they're messing with the wrong family."
Fred was confused, overwhelmed, frustrated, and like he was one stumble away from curling into the corner and crying. There were two things keeping him focused. He was still on the phone with his dad, which made him feel safer, and he had a plan. He was way too busy putting together a trap to freak out.
There were lots of little things in the room to mess around with. There were strings, and things to use as weights, and a sheet on the bed to use as a net. What else could he ask for?
Fred didn't think about the fact that he might be in danger. He didn't think about how scared his dad seemed. He didn't think about the betrayal of somebody that he trusted lying to him and locking him in here. All that Fred thought about was putting together the trap.
He found himself rambling about what he was doing. He knew his dad didn't really like it when he talked a lot about things that nobody cared about, but he wasn't scolded this time. His dad didn't just let him talk, he seemed to try to encourage it. Fred wished that he was back home and safe, but he couldn't help but be happy that his dad was listening to him talk about his trap.
It was a very simple trap. It was just something that was supposed to throw the sheet at somebody when they opened the door. Fred hoped that they would get tangled in it, but even if they didn't they should at least be confused, and Fred could take the chance to run out the open door.
Fred sat crouched beside the door, out of the way enough that he shouldn't get caught in his trap like he did a lot, but close enough that he could slip right out the door. Fred waited and waited, and it felt like it lasted forever, but finally he heard footsteps outside and then the sound of the door unlocking. Fred rocked on his toes as he sat with his eyes glued to the door. Finally it was opened and Ricky let himself in.
"Hey, kid, are y-ugh!" Ricky cried out in shock as he set off the trap and got a sheet thrown in his face. Fred wanted to wait to see whether he got tangled up or not, but he forced himself to stand up and duck past Ricky and out the door.
Fred felt like he was running on instinct, like his body was moving way faster than his mind was telling it too. Once or twice he felt like he was going to trip and fall, but he kept going. Fred ran down the halls, remembering the paths that Ricky had brought him through. Maybe there was a faster way out, but this was the only way that Fred knew to go. This wasn't the time to explore.
Fred ran and ran and he was getting close to leaving the 'No Entry' area when he felt something sharp dig into his head and pull harshly on his hair. Fred yelped as he was pulled backwards off his feet, landing with a thud on the ground. Fred's breath was knocked out of him and he felt tears come to his eyes.
Fred could have stayed on the ground for a long time, getting his breath back and calming down again before all of his feelings hit him in the face again and made him shut down. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that. Fred was only on the ground for a few seconds before the sharp feeling in his head returned, worse than before.
Fred screamed. It felt like getting bit by a dog and scratched by a cat at the same time. It hurt. Fred's hands went to his hair to try to chase away the pain. His fingers brushed something soft, like fur or feathers.
The parrot.
Fred's scream grew louder. He shook his head to try to shake the bird off, but the grip just tightened. It hurt.
Fred heard words being said, and he knew that he knew the voices, some more than others, and he knew what they were saying, but his head made it impossible to understand. It was like he forgot the meaning of words.
Fred just continued to scream, whine, and cry, and not just from pain. He was scared. His emotions were too strong and didn't want to stay inside, and he just wanted them to all go away.
Eventually Fred felt the grip on his head go away. He barely noticed it until he felt those same scratchy things grab at his hand instead. Fred flinched and drew back, thinking that the bird was going to attack his hand the same way it had attacked his head, but instead it reached for his phone, snatching it away.
Fred felt a rush of panic as he wished that he actually had been attacked. That would be better than having his phone taken away.
"No!" Fred hadn't thought that he would be able to talk at all, but the word came out. "No, Daddy!" Fred had briefly forgotten that he'd even been holding the phone, but he didn't know what he would do if he didn't have his dad right there if he needed him.
Fred heard his dad yell his name over the phone and realized that that was one of the voices he'd heard talking a minute ago. Before his dad could say anything else the bird crushed the phone in its talons and let the shattered pieces fall to the ground.
"You're a slippery little one, aren't you, Vögelchen?" The parrot said. He was flying just above eye level, hovering just inches away from Fred's face as he glared down at him. Fred whimpered and cringed back. "Just like your father."
Fred was shaking as he cried and stared at the parrot in terror. The bird just looked at him, like he was waiting for something. Did he want Fred to say something? Did he want him to stop crying? What did he want? What was Fred supposed to do so he could be left alone?
There was the sound of heavy and fast footsteps and Fred felt gentle hands grab his arms and pull him back. Fred flinched at the touch. It didn't hurt, but he didn't like it. Especially not when he saw that Ricky was the one that grabbed him. Fred began to pull away from him, but he stopped when he noticed that Ricky was only letting him move forwards or back. He either had to be near Ricky, or the parrot, and Fred was way more afraid of the bird.
"Kid, you can't run off like that." Ricky said. He didn't sound mad like people usually were when they got caught in one of his traps. Ricky actually sounded worried, but Fred didn't trust it. His dad had said that Ricky was dangerous. He couldn't be trusted. Ricky had lied about being his dad's friend.
Ricky touched Fred's head, making it sting again. Fred cried out in pain and began to pull away, but Ricky let go of him first.
"What did you do?" Ricky hissed. Fred whimpered when he heard the tone, but Ricky's touch was still gentle. Fred looked at Ricky's face to see him glaring at the parrot.
"He tried to run." The parrot said coldly, almost emotionlessly. "I had to stop him."
"By grabbing his head?" Ricky frowned. "You really couldn't do anything else?"
"He had to learn a lesson." The parrot said.
"He's a child." Ricky snapped.
"Which makes him the perfect age to learn." The parrot said, a dangerous look in its eyes. Ricky stiffened and looked furious, but he didn't say anything. "Take the boy back, and make sure that he stays put this time."
Ricky sighed and stood up, pulling Fred to his feet. He didn't want to follow Ricky, but he didn't want to get hurt again. He numbly followed Ricky back to the bedroom. As soon as they were in the room Fred pulled away from Ricky and fell face first onto the bed, sobbing into the pillow.
"I'm sorry about Pericles, kid." Ricky said. It sounded like he was going through the room. A minute later he came to Fred's side and pressed something wet and cold against his head. Fred stiffened at the touch but soon relaxed when he felt the soothing relief it provided. "He can be harsh when angered. Sometimes it's better to just do what he wants."
"Wanna go home." Fred muttered into the pillow. "I want my dad."
"I know." Ricky said. "You'll get to go home soon."
Fred wanted to believe him, but he didn't. Adults couldn't be trusted. Fred knew that his dad had been trying to teach him that adults could be trusted and they meant well, but Fred had way too much experience with adults lying to him and letting him down.
Every year his teachers would say that they were nice and understanding, but eventually they became mean and got mad or annoyed at him. Then there were all of his old babysitters that said they cared about him, but they wouldn't let him make traps and said that he was bad for crying.
Fred had thought that Ricky was nice because he had comforted him, and he still was, but he was listening to the bird that had hurt him. Fred knew he couldn't trust him. The only adults he could trust were his dad and Angel. They weren't always super nice, but they didn't lie. Fred knew that he could trust what they told him.
Fred missed them. He wanted Angel to sit him up and wipe away his tears as she waited for him to talk about what was wrong, and then she would either fix the problem or explain to him why it wasn't really that bad. He wanted his dad to sigh impatiently and pull him into his arms and just hold him until he was done crying.
Ricky's touch was nice. Even if Fred didn't trust him, and he felt hurt by that, the touch felt way too nice to hide away from.
Fred didn't know how long he sat there crying for while Ricky rubbed his back. Eventually the man spoke. "Are you hungry?"
It was so confusing. Ricky was bad. His dad had said so, and now Fred knew it. Why was Ricky still pretending that he was nice? Was he actually nice? But could somebody be both bad and nice? Fred didn't know, and thinking about it made his head hurt.
Fred shook his head. He didn't want to eat., even if he was pretty hungry.
"Well, you need to eat something." Ricky said. "Is there any food that you like? Or don't like?" Fred didn't say anything. "What about pizza? Kids like pizza, don't they?"
Fred shrugged. He did like pizza a lot, but he still didn't really feel like eating.
"I'll just get some pizza then." Ricky stepped away from Fred. "Just…stay here, kid. This'll all be over soon. Just don't upset Pericles and you'll be fine. I'm going to lock the door, just in case. See if you can get some sleep. Play some games. Just think of it as a sleepover, and tomorrow we'll see about getting you back to your dad, okay?"
Ricky opened the door, but paused, waiting. Fred knew that Ricky was waiting for him to say okay, but he didn't say a word at all. Finally Ricky sighed and left the room, closing and locking the door behind him. As soon as he was gone Fred's chest tightened.
He rolled over onto his side and grabbed the pillow, curling into a tight ball around it. Fred pulled the blanket up over his head, hiding away from everything and wanting to make it all just disappear.