I'm back for now.

It was a slow day at the Playground. School was over for the day, and the NERDS were lazing around, waiting for Ruby to return from her solo mission so they could start the weekly meeting. It wasn't supposed to be a solo mission, but everyone else had been too tired to go.

Heathcliff sighed and leaned back in his chair, squinting at his lazy friends through his glasses. Not for the first time that week, he wished something exciting would happen. He considered antagonizing Jackson to pass the time, but the usually peppy braceface was way too lethargic. You'd think it was a Sunday in July, the way they were feeling, not a Friday in February. Heathcliff couldn't blame him, though. He wouldn't have minded a long nap himself.

The thought of a nap enticed Heathcliff, but he was determined not to succumb. He pushed himself out of his chair, intending to go to the vending machine to buy something caffeinated, but he had barely taken two steps before Ruby came shooting down the entrance pipe and hurried over to them. Heathcliff raised his hand in greeting, but Ruby merely glanced at his hair and pushed past.

Heathcliff frowned, hurt. He ran a hand through his red hair, suddenly self-conscious. Did he have a spitball stuck to his head or something? He didn't even notice the sleek black briefcase Ruby had been carrying until she slammed it down in front of Jackson.

"Don't open it yet," she told him, and started to take her hair down.

Jackson blinked at her, his sleepy eyes barely registering her presence. "Why not?" He finally asked, enthralled by her long, kinky hair. She had never taken it out of those small buns she usually wore, at least not in front of anyone they knew. "What's in it?"

"Nuclear Launch Codes," Ruby deadpanned. "By eyes are down here, blondie."

Heathcliff couldn't help it; He laughed out loud. He hadn't meant to sound rude, but still everyone turned to stare at him. "Where did you get it?" He gasped in between bouts of embarrassed giggles.

Ruby smirked, her hand drifting toward her pocket. "Some people will do ANYTHING for a Klondike Bar." She sat down opposite the briefcase, as if she wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

Jackson played with the latch, staring at it thoughtfully. "So…" he said. "What ACTUALLY is in here?"

Before Ruby could answer, the door to Agent Brand's office slammed open, making them all jump. Brand stormed out, his face red with rage. Two very well dressed men with sunglasses and earpieces followed close behind. The men scanned the group of startled 12-year-old spies and one of them pointed at Jackson, whose hand had frozen on the briefcase.

"Are you sure?" Brand asked through clenched teeth.

The man nodded. "He fits the description. Short blond hair, ratty or informal clothes."

Jackson looked to shocked to protest. No one came to his defence, though, and Heathcliff was starting to get a very bad feeling about the way Ruby looked so cooly unconcerned.

Fuming, Brand grabbed the briefcase off of the table and dragged Jackson to his office by his shirt collar. The door slammed behind them and the mysterious men.

Duncan cleared his throat. "Uh, Ruby?" He asked, the strangest expression on his face. "Those weren't actually the launch codes to the U.S. Nuclear arsenal, were they?" He, along with the rest of the team, stared at her.

"Of course they were," Ruby replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Would I lie?"

Heathcliff decided against pointing out the fact that SHE had taught them all how to lie. He chose instead to address a more perplexing issue. "How in the world did you get them without being arrested on the spot?"

Ruby drew herself up proudly. "I drugged some ice cream, and gave it to the intern who had to hold on to that briefcase while the regular employees were...busy."

Heathcliff sighed. He never would have expected a goody two-shoes like one of these nerds to resort to sneaky tactics like drugs.

His teammates still didn't understand. They just sat there blankly, and Heathcliff tried to think of a way to explain it to them, but Ruby beat him to the punch.

"You know that lemonade I gave to you right before I left?" She asked slowly, and they all nodded. Heathcliff smiled at the memory, until he thought about it some, and his smile melted. She wouldn't dare.

Ruby nodded like she knew what he was thinking. "I put sleeping powder in it, because I couldn't afford to have anyone come with me. I basically did the same thing to the intern."

Her teammates, sans Heathcliff, gaped at her. Heathcliff opened his mouth, intending to give her a piece of his mind, and ask the important thing: Why? , but she shook her head and put a finger over her lips. She tiptoed over to stand in front of Agent Brand's office, and they all joined her.

Heathcliff, suddenly curious as to what was going on inside, put his ear to the door. He started to catch snippets of the conversation:

"Very serious matter...do you have any idea...Terrorist...Capital Punishment...deserve it...No more chances…"

Capital Punishment?! Execution?! Heathcliff pulled back from the door, his blood drained from his face. He was so upset that Ruby had to pull him out of the way of the opening door before it broke his nose.

The Secret Service Agents(because that's what they must have been) stalked out, Jackson in tow. He glared at Ruby, and threw a hastily scribbled note at her as they passed. The Agents put handcuffs on him, before leading him away.

Ruby picked it up and unfurled it. Her smile grew as she read it, and for the first time, Heathcliff genuinely worried that he might not be the only legally insane person on the team. He struggled to keep his voice under control. "What...what does it say?"

Ruby shrugged and handed it to him. The note read:

That one went too far. As soon as I get back, I'm going to get YOU back! THE WAR IS ON!

Who's ready for a PRANK WAR? Until it ends, the next chapters will be based on that. Get ready!

-Riverstone