Sponge: Welcome to chapter 9! Last week the chapter title was a song by Brandi Carlile. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Scooby Doo characters. They belong to Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, and Hanna Barbera. Flight information from O'Hare to Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport comes from Google Flights.

Chapter 9: The Longer I Run

Fred was reeling. He felt as though he'd been reeling all day, but especially now. The gang had spent days believing that the texts they'd been receiving were clues from Brad and Judy. But that, apparently, was untrue.

Velma was having trouble believing it as well. Blinking hard at the older couple, she murmured, "Why would we be receiving coded text messages from blocked numbers if they weren't leading us to you? All of the clues pointed here."

Brad furrowed his brow. "How so?" he asked. "What did the messages say?"

"How many were there?" asked Judy.

"Three," Daphne answered. "Freddie got the first one, I got the second one, and Shaggy got the third."

Brad frowned. "Why not just send them all to one person?" he mused.

"Could we see the messages?" Judy asked them. "It's been a while since we've tried to crack a code, but we'll give it a shot."

Fred, Daphne, and Shaggy handed their phones to Judy while Brad went into the kitchen to retrieve plates.

"We should eat the pizza before it gets cold," he said.

"Like, amen to that," Shaggy remarked.

"Reah," Scooby agreed enthusiastically.

Everyone took a few slices and gathered around the table in the dining area. Scooby and Shaggy ate ravenously while the others were more deliberate in their bites, gazing at Brad and Judy as they studied the phones.

"My first thought is that it's a cipher of some sort," Judy said after a few moments, chewing thoughtfully. "Which is helpful...that's what we used to specialize in."

"But it doesn't seem like an Alberti or Vigenere," Brad commented.

"I agree," Judy said. "My first thought would be that it's a book cipher, though I think it's still incomplete."

Velma frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Normally, a book cipher is a series of three numbers," Judy explained. "The first number represents the page, the second number represents the line on the page, and the third number represents the word in that line. But this is just a word followed by a number, which makes me think that these texts are the cipher key."

Fred furrowed his brow, confused.

"For example," Judy went on, seeing his consternation. "The text you received, Fred, reads 'Heel 7.' That makes me think that the word 'heel' is the seventh word in the line or on the page. Similarly, 'toe' is the eleventh word, and 'arm' is the fourteenth word."

Daphne frowned as well. "But…in what? In a book?"

"That's what I'm having trouble figuring out," Judy sighed. "These are the only messages you've received?"

Daphne nodded. "They've come every night for the past three evenings. Always right before or right after we learned something about you – that's why we thought they were clues from you both."

Judy shook her head. "Like we said, we had no idea you were looking for us."

"But the clues did lead us here," Velma pointed out. "Sort of."

"How so?" asked Judy. "I'm having trouble seeing a connection."

"Well…I thought the words referred to baseball," Velma began. "Specifically the White Sox, given 'heel' and 'toe.' I believed 'arm' represented Armour Square, the neighborhood where their stadium is located. And the numbers, when added up, seemed to indicate the stadium's address. I thought you lived near it…" Velma flushed, embarrassed at how wrong she'd been. "I suppose my hypothesis was rather convoluted," she said quietly.

Judy just looked at her kindly. "You're a very bright girl," she told her. "And your instincts are good." Her heart twisted in her chest. Velma's dependence on logic reminded Judy so much of Cassidy. In fact, all of these teenagers reminded her of her high school friends. They even had a talking animal. The parallels were uncanny.

Daphne pursed her pretty mouth in confusion, still dwelling on the text messages. "But that still doesn't explain why we got the texts whenever we learned something about you. Could that have just been a coincidence?"

Brad shrugged. "Well, maybe so, but I think there's another pattern there." He gestured to the three phones and swiveled them on the table, so they were facing the gang. "Notice anything?"

The gang leaned forward and peered at the screens.

"Uh…should we?" asked Shaggy.

Brad pointed. "Look at the timestamps," he suggested.

Everyone peered closer, and Velma gasped.

"Jinkies!" she exclaimed. "On all three nights, the messages arrived at the same time! 10:21 p.m!" She exhaled, shaking her head. "I can't believe I didn't notice before."

"Maybe you weren't supposed to," Judy said gently.

"That means we might get another message tonight," Daphne realized. She looked at Velma. She was the only one of the gang who hadn't yet received a text. "It'll probably come to you," she told her.

Velma nodded. "Probably." She glanced at her own phone for the time. It was a quarter to seven.

Shaggy sighed and reached into the box for more pizza. "There's one slice left," he announced to the others. "Does anyone want it or like, is it okay if I eat it?"

"It's all yours," Fred told him.

Nova exhaled and glanced around at the teenagers. They all seemed like such good kids. She could tell that these messages they'd been getting were genuinely worrying them, and she was eager to change the subject to something less distressing.

"How long are you planning to stay in Chicago?" she asked after a few moments.

The tension in the air dissipated, and Scooby glanced at Nova gratefully.

"Not too long," Shaggy replied with his mouth full. He gave an enormous gulp and swallowed. "Like, we still have to drive to Stanford."

Brad and Judy gaped at him. "Stanford?" asked Judy.

Daphne nodded. "This trip started as an opportunity to visit the colleges we'll be attending in the fall. It was only after the mayor told us about you that we decided to try and find you along the way."

"We've already seen Coolsville University, where Fred will be," Velma continued. "Daphne's going to NYU and Shaggy's going to Roosevelt, so we stopped there too. I'm going to Stanford and since it's the farthest away, it was the last place on the list."

Brad and Judy shared a glance. "How coincidental," Brad mused.

"You mean, the fact that all of our colleges just happen to be in places where you've lived before?" Fred asked.

"Indeed," said Brad. "And it's where the very last remnants of the serum are."

Shaggy dropped his pizza crust onto the plate with a smack. The others stared at Brad aghast and confused.

"Like wait a minute," said Shaggy. "I thought you said that you destroyed the serum in New York."

"That's true," Brad told him. "We destroyed all the serum that was in New York. But there's one preliminary batch from our very first trials that we left behind in California before we moved east. After Pericles killed Ricky, we thought about slowly trying to work our way back there to destroy it."

"So why haven't you?" asked Fred. "It's been eight years. Why have you never gone back there?"

"We're too afraid," Judy admitted. "Pericles doesn't know about that store of the serum, and it seems too risky to go there in case he follows us."

"Besides, it's well-hidden," said Brad. "Judy, Nova and I are the only ones who know where to find it. We're confident it's safe from Pericles there. So, it seemed safer to stay where we were than risk detection by traveling across the country."

"Pericles hasn't found us in eight years," Judy told them. "We have no reason to jeopardize that."

"But if you destroyed the serum," said Daphne. "Then he wouldn't have a reason to chase you anymore."

Nova looked at Brad and Judy. "She has a point," she murmured.

"It's too risky," Judy replied, firmly shaking her head.

"What if we did it?" Fred heard himself say.

Everyone gaped at him.

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Judy after a moment's stunned silence.

"But it makes sense," Fred said. "Think about it. We're on our way there anyway. Pericles doesn't know us, so he's not going to be looking for us. We can do it."

Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma looked skeptical, but Daphne nodded eagerly. "We might not even have to destroy it," she said. "Maybe we could bring it back to you, so you can alter it before Pericles does. You said there wasn't any more of that mineral under the tree in the Willow Springs Woods, right?"

Brad shook his head. "No, there's nothing left there. Judy and I made certain that…wait." He stared at the redhead. "How did you know the tree was in the Willow Springs Woods?"

"We've been there," Fred told him. "Two years ago, there was a couple who was posing as a Wendigo to keep everyone away from the woods, when really they were using that room you found as their hideout for the counterfeit money they were creating."

"My goodness," Judy breathed. "How did you figure it out?"

Fred shrugged. "It was pretty easy, once all the clues started coming together." He glanced at her again. "I guess getting caught up in supernatural mysteries is…kind of hereditary, huh?"

He looked away, so he didn't see the immensely proud gleam in his parent's eyes. Scooby noticed it though and felt himself get a bit choked up.

Judy sighed. "Be that as it may," she said quietly. "It could be incredibly dangerous."

"If it helps," Velma spoke up. "We're no strangers to peril." She was totally on board now. Fred using the word "supernatural" had convinced her. If they found the serum, she could study it – learn more about this strange mineral and prove to herself that there was some logical answer for the reason it acted the way it did. All her questions might be answered. Suddenly, she was incredibly eager to get to Stanford to have a look at that serum, and she'd do anything she could to ease Brad and Judy's worries.

"The Willow Springs Wendigo isn't the only case we've solved," she continued. "We've been solving mysteries in Coolsville for the past few years. I can't tell you how many broken down buildings we've searched, how many haunted cemeteries we've investigated, how many made-up monsters and ghosts we've chased down who all turned out to be people in costumes."

Brad looked mollified by Velma's explanation, though Judy still seemed wary.

"But Pericles isn't a made-up monster," she pointed out. "He's very real. And…if he finds out about Scooby, or you get in his way, he will destroy you."

Velma took a deep steadying breath. "We…we have experience with real monsters as well," she murmured, thinking of Leon.

Scooby put a comforting paw on her knee. Nova noticed and looked as though she wanted elaboration but didn't comment on it.

"Judy," said Brad quietly. "I trust them. I think they can do this."

"I have no doubt that they can, Brad," Judy replied. "But it's a question of whether they should. This is Professor Pericles we're talking about. If he ever finds out about them – particularly about Scooby Doo – they'll all be in danger."

Daphne and Velma both reached over to pat Scooby protectively.

Brad set his jaw. "All right," he said determinedly. "Then we'll go with them."

The gang stared at him aghast.

"No!" exclaimed Fred. "That doesn't make any sense. You should stay in hiding."

Brad turned to look at Fred. "Judy is right," he told him. "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. It would be irresponsible for us to send you by yourselves."

"Besides," Judy pointed out. "We're the only ones who know where the serum is. You need us to find it."

Nova cleared her throat. "Actually," she said. "That's not true. I know where it is as well. You've told me everything about the serum's location, and how to find it. So... I could go with them."

Brad and Judy stared at Nova in shock.

"Nova, no!" exclaimed Judy.

But Nova looked resolved. "They're right," she said, inclining her head towards the gang. "It's too dangerous for you both to go to California. Pericles will be expecting you. But he won't be expecting them. I can lead them to the serum, and we can bring it back to you." She glanced over at the gang. "That is, if you don't mind me tagging along."

"Of course not," said Daphne at once.

The others nodded in agreement, Scooby rather enthusiastically.

Nova gave them a small smile, then turned back to Brad and Judy. "I'm tired of hiding," she told them. "I'm tired of running. And I know you are too. The longer we run, the more we live in fear. So, let's be done with this – once and for all."

After a few moments of silence, Brad and Judy finally nodded.

"All right," said Judy wanly. "But...let us do something for you."

"Like what?" asked Fred.

"These messages you've been getting," Judy replied. "You're right – they're definitely a code. I think Brad and I can crack it. Please let us help."

Fred shared a look with the rest of the gang, who nodded simultaneously. "All right," he agreed. "But...I think you should do it from Coolsville."

Brad and Judy raised their eyebrows. "Why?" asked Brad.

"The mayor can hide you," Fred replied simply. "That's why you left me there, wasn't it? Because Pericles wouldn't dare come after me as long as I was with the mayor. It'll be the same for you." He gave them a sidelong glance. "Besides, you've given me an explanation for what happened all those years ago. Now I think it's time you gave him one."

Brad nodded. "Of course, you're right," he said. He reached out as though to clap Fred affectionately on the shoulder but couldn't bring himself to complete the action, and let his hand fall awkwardly back into his lap. He cleared his throat and pulled out his phone. "It looks like there's a flight out of O'Hare tonight at eight-thirty," he said to his wife. "We should arrive at PKB just after midnight Eastern time."

Judy nodded. "We should pack a few things," she suggested. "Clothes, money. It shouldn't take long."

"If you'd like to start on that, I'll purchase boarding passes," Brad offered, walking back into the living room and extracting a slim laptop from a drawer in the coffee table.

Fred exhaled. "Do you need a ride?"

x.X.x

Judy packed quickly, and she'd come back downstairs with two small carry-ons before Brad had finished booking the flight. Once that was taken care of, everyone clambered out of the house and into the Mystery Machine.

The journey to the airport didn't take very long, though the van was extremely cramped. They'd never had to fit so many in the Mystery Machine before. Velma sat between Daphne and Fred on the bench seat while Brad, Judy, and Nova squeezed into the back with Shaggy, Scooby, and everyone's luggage. When they arrived at the airport, Fred pulled up to the curb for Brad and Judy's terminal and put the Mystery Machine in park. Everyone tumbled out of the van like clowns from a circus car.

Judy turned to Brad. "What time is it, dear?" she asked.

Brad checked his watch – Fred noticed that it was turned to a twenty-four-hour clock. "Almost half-past seven," he replied.

"Perfect," Judy said. She glanced at the teens. "If you need us for any reason, we're only a phone call away," she told them. "We'll give you our numbers."

"I'll give you mine too," Fred offered, exchanging his phone with theirs. They each punched their phone numbers into the other's contact lists and handed the phones back.

Judy bit her lip. "I had hoped that I wouldn't have to say goodbye to you again so soon," she murmured, her eyes wet.

Fred's throat tightened. "It's not goodbye," he told her hoarsely. "We'll see each other again once we've got the serum."

Brad nodded, and clapped Fred on the shoulder – a gesture he hadn't been able to complete earlier. "We're so proud of you," he said. "You've truly grown into such a spectacular young man." He sighed. "I suppose we have Mayor Jones to thank for that."

Fred didn't know how to reply, even though he knew it was right. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you," he told them truthfully.

"Let us know when you've made it to California," Judy requested, eyes still shining with unshed tears.

Daphne nodded. "I've been texting all our parents every time we arrive in a new state," she told her. "I'll make sure I text you now, too."

Judy gave her a watery smile and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Thank you, dear," she murmured. Daphne was such a thoughtful girl. Judy was glad that Fred had her. She was glad he had all of his friends.

Brad cleared his throat. "We should go," he said quietly to Judy. Even though they'd purchased their boarding passes online before they left, they still needed to check in for their flight.

Judy nodded solemnly and took a deep breath. "You're right," she sighed, adjusting the shoulder strap of the small bag she'd packed.

"Like have a safe flight," Shaggy said.

Velma reached out and shook their hands. "I'd love to talk with you more sometime about the serum," she told them.

Brad and Judy grinned at her. "I'm sure you would," Brad replied. "Perhaps once all this is over, we can tell you the process of our research and trial period."

"That would be amazing," Velma said sincerely.

With one final wave, Brad and Judy grabbed their bags and walked into the airport. Once they were out of sight, the gang climbed back into the van and sped towards the highway.

"Babe, what's our ETA for Stanford, California?" Fred asked Daphne.

Daphne checked the GPS and grimaced. "It's about a thirty-two hour drive," she told him. "We'll have to stop a few times to rest."

Fred nodded. "I bet we can make it to Des Moines before we have to stop for the night," he said. "It should take a little less than five hours. How's that sound to you, gang?"

Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby nodded in agreement. Nova smiled fondly.

Scooby noticed. "Rhat?" he asked her.

She shook her head, still smiling. "He's just so much like them," she replied. "I can see Brad and Judy in him."

"You can?" asked Fred.

Nova nodded. "I've heard about you all my life," she told him. "Brad and Judy talked about you constantly at home, and they loved to wonder about your life. I think they're pleased with how you've turned out." Nova looked at him seriously, and he met her gaze in the rearview mirror. "You have to know; it truly broke their hearts to leave you."

Fred inhaled deeply and nodded. Daphne squeezed his arm comfortingly.

Nova decided it was time to change the subject. "How long have you been together?" she asked, nodding her head at the pair of them.

Daphne smiled and explained her courtship with Fred – how they'd known each other for years, but she'd never really thought of him romantically until they'd solved the mystery of the Wendigo. Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby chimed in every now and then, offering their own opinions and experiences. Before long, they had told Nova all about their lives in Coolsville and the mysteries they'd solved. As they traveled along the highway, eventually crossing the border into Iowa, the gang regaled her with stories of their past cases, laughing at some of the more ridiculous ones.

By the time they'd finished, they were only about two hours out from Des Moines.

"It sounds like you've had quite the adventures together," Nova told them.

Fred nodded. "The best," he agreed. He gazed through the windshield at the headlight-illuminated interstate. "Although now we have a bit of a reputation in town as 'meddling kids.' It's gotten us in trouble a few times."

"It's hard to imagine any of you in trouble," Nova smiled. "You all seem like good kids to me."

"Hey, speaking of trouble and mysteries," said Daphne, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. "It's after ten. Do you think our mystery texter will message us again?"

"I'm counting on it," Velma replied, looking at her phone. "But now that we know it isn't Brad and Judy, I have no clue who it could be. Or why they're texting us in the first place."

No one had any ideas, so they sat in silence for a while.

"Can we listen to some music?" asked Shaggy. "It's like, too quiet in here."

Fred popped The High Kings back into the CD player.

"What's this?" asked Nova as Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore began. "It sounds familiar."

"It's an Irish folk group," Fred replied. "The High Kings."

"Of course," Nova said with a sigh. "Brad and Judy love them. I didn't know you were a fan as well."

"I'm not," Fred told her. "I mean…they're good, I'd just never heard of them before a few days ago."

"None of us had," Daphne added. "We only have the CD because we thought it might be a clue to lead us to Brad and Judy."

"What do you mean?" asked Nova.

"The mayor – Fred's adoptive dad – received a copy of this album in the mail the morning of our high school graduation," Daphne explained. "It was postmarked from Brad and Judy's old address, the one in Farmingdale."

Nova stared at her, her mouth agape. "That's where I was born," she murmured.

"We met Roy," Shaggy said. "He was the one who like, told us that Brad and Judy had adopted you and moved to Chicago eight years ago."

Fred frowned. "You know…I remember thinking it was odd that we'd gotten a package from New York when Brad and Judy didn't live there anymore." He glanced at Daphne. "Do you think that maybe the person who's been texting us sent my d—the mayor this CD?"

Before Daphne could respond, her cellphone buzzed at the exact same moment as Fred's and Shaggy's.

Scooby and Nova glanced at the humans, alarmed. "Rhat's roing on?" Scooby demanded.

"I don't know what's going on," Shaggy replied, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

Velma, whose phone hasn't vibrated at all, frowned confusedly. "It's ten twenty-one on the dot," she announced, glancing at the clock on her phone. "Is it the mystery texter?"

"Yes," said Daphne, also frowning. "No words this time – just numbers. 94, and 166."

"Like that's what mine says too," Shaggy replied.

"I can't look at my phone," Fred said. "I'm driving. Babe, is that what mine says too?"

Daphne glanced at Fred's phone and nodded.

"Well, what the hell does that mean?" asked Fred.

"And why didn't Velma get the text?" Daphne wondered.

"Can I see that?" asked Velma, reaching out her hand for Fred's phone. She furrowed her brow at the message.

At that moment, all three phones went off again.

"Rhat now?" asked Scooby.

"Is it them again?" Fred demanded.

But Velma was still looking at Fred's phone, and saw the message first. "Jinkies," she murmured, her face turning white.

"What does it say?" asked Nova.

Shaggy, too, was staring petrified at his phone and was also incapable of speaking. Velma wasn't much better, so Daphne took a deep breath, swallowed, and read the message aloud.

"This is your final clue," she read. "Crack the code in time, and you may escape our revenge. If not, you'll find yourselves face down in the asphalt. Good luck, Mystery Incorporated."

Nova was still confused. "I…don't understand," she said.

But Scooby understood. Everyone in the gang understood.

It was the asphalt comment.

The one that Tony had told them Leon had made in the courtroom.

And that meant that the person who had been texting them – taunting them – had been Leon all along.

Sponge: All right everyone, your clue this week is the text: "94 and 166." Tune in next Wednesday at 10pm EST for more answers! In the meantime, review if you please and don't forget to guess where the chapter title comes from!