Disclaimer: I don't own WordGirl; this is a fanfiction.

A/N: This is a relatively sad chapter with some mild peril. Just given a heads up.

She stood there. The wind listlessly combed through the exposed threads of her hair as well as pull at the trim of her cape. Her face had lost its readability as she stared at the hat she had found behind the bench.

Huggy didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew his guesses couldn't be too far off. She blamed herself. Something bad had happened to Scoops, and it was WordGirl's fault for not being there. She knew that someone very dangerous was at large, they had tried to kill her before, and now, due to her incompetence, Scoops was gone.

What could he say to comfort her? Huggy could do nothing but wait.

WordGirl's eyes would no longer allow her to read the note left by her friend.

Sigh.

"I have to find him."

Scoops' hat tightly clenched in her hand, WordGirl flew off forgetting both her catchphrase and her sidekick.

Captain HuggyFace cried out in hopes WordGirl would hear him, but alas she was out of ear shot. He would have to walk. And being it was so late at night the buses would have stopped their runs. Not to mention that WordGirl was way too troubled to respond to a call on their communicator belts. Could tonight get any worse?

There was a clap of thunder as the sky suddenly changed to a dark black. Rain began to pour as the monkey breathed an exasperated sigh. He'd have to walk all the way home and in the rain.

Across town a similar scene was playing out.

It had taken all of Tobey's cunning to trick Liz into telling him where his mother kept the neutralizing remote. And now, when he had full use of his robots again, it had started to rain.

The robot Tobey had been using now lay on the ground, sputtering and sparking as its gears rusted to a halt. Now how was he supposed to look for Becky? By foot? But what other choice did he have. Sooner or later his mother would be home to find Liz tied to the stair railing and she would come out looking for him. He probably should have left a robot there to guard Liz, but it didn't seem necessary at the time.

Maybe this whole idea was stupid.

Tobey stood outside the ice-cream shop he and Becky had eaten at yesterday. It was kind of an illogical hope, but he had half believed Becky might be there. That's where he had last seen her, but it wasn't like he was looking for a lost socket wrench; Becky was bound to walk away at some point. Tobey needed to think more like a villain . . . well, more villainously than usual. If he were a kidnapper, where would he take his victim?

This was pointless! There was no way for him to know. And thanks to this random storm, he was going to have to walk all the way home in the pouring rain; alone.

Dr. Two-Brains was just as frustrated as the boy genius and monkey were. Looking for a kidnapper was like removing cheese from a mouse trap; there was no way of doing it without getting snapped. If Two-Brains was too extreme in his search methods he would run the risk of the police catching him, but sneaking around wasn't bearing any results. Two-Brains needed to lore his villain out, but how? Obviously this person was after WordGirl, but if the kidnapper really wanted to get her attention, why didn't they hold the kid for ransom? WordGirl would have come to his aid immediately. Something wasn't adding up.

"Have you found anything boys?" Two-Brains called out in the warehouse he now stood in. He chose to start his search here due to the fact his own evil hideout was in such a place.

"Not yet boss!" The henchman's voice was distant; he was deep within the facility.

The mousey villain looked back out of the warehouse's door to see the rain beginning to fall.

"Maybe this kidnapper doesn't like warehouses, but where else would he hide?"

If the kidnapper went somewhere too public he was bound to be caught. Maybe that was just what the kidnapper wanted people to think so they wouldn't look for him there... perhaps searching was the wrong approach. Too bad the country club was gone; Two-Brains could have searched the place for clues.

The rain continued to intensify as the doctor concerned himself with the questions of his minds. But even lost in his train of thought, Two-Brains was able to make out a figure walking in the down pour.

"Wait a minute," the doctor squinted as the silhouette became more clear. "That's, that monkey fellow, Captain HugFeast." The doctor smiled wickedly as an idea popped into his head. "If I use that monkey to lore WordGirl to me, then the kidnapper will have to come to me to get to her. Genius. Boys!" Two-Brains hollered to his henchmen. "Stay here, I'll be back."

The rain was cold.

Tobey couldn't help but stop his journey home. For now, he would wait under the overhang of one of the apartment buildings. It was eerie how quiet it was tonight. He had only passed one other person on the street that night, and that man seemed even creepier then the silence.

Thinking of that man made Tobey look back the way he had come. He suddenly felt like he was being followed. Why had he started this escapade? He'd never read that Bible before; of course the first bit of advice it gave him would get him killed. What if the kidnapper was after him!?

Tobey closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was no need to worry. He was a genius, he could handle any stupid threat that came his way . . . of course, he wouldn't mind if someone could join him out here.

Lightning? There was a sudden flash in the sky as something appeared to be flying by. WordGirl? A large smile plastered itself onto Tobey's face. She'd be able to help him find Becky. But she was too high to hear him call and too fast to see him. He needed a better way of getting her attention.

And, as if noticing Tobey's lonely state, opportunity came knocking. Out of the corner of his eye, Tobey noticed the solitary figure of Captain HuggyFace and the perfect attention getter of WordGirl.

"WordGirl won't go too long without that monkey," Tobey began to cross the street to confront Huggy. "She'll come back to him eventually and then I can ask her."

Huggy stopped his traveling when he noticed the boy coming toward him. What on Earth could that selfish brat want now? And why was he out here so late?

"You, monkey!" Tobey called as he finished his jog over to Huggy.

Huggy waited as patiently as he could while Tobey caught his breath. Tobey had to be one of his least favorite people to associate with. The boy's temper was shorter than a toddler's attention span and he was constantly causing trouble just to hang around WordGirl. Tobey only wanted to speak to him to get to her. But maybe he should at least humor the boy . . . perhaps he could get the child to give him a ride home.

"You've got to know where WordGirl is. We got to get her attention. Get her somehow." Tobey gasped. His heart was beginning to slow back to its regular speed. "Are you listening to me?"

Huggy looked up into the pleading eyes of Tobey just in time to see a dreadfully familiar face appearing behind the boy. Tobey quit his rant upon the disfigurement of fear washing over the animal before him. That's when Tobey heard a foreign click come from behind him.

He turned.

The rain spattering around them washing away the world. With senses dulled, all Tobey could see was the glinting object Adler expended out in front of himself. The boy did not know this man, nor that weapon, nor the reason. This silent moment froze time; man and child.

The man's finger firmly wrapped around the trigger.

"Good-bye your Highness."

"No!"

Everything seemed to happen in a flash. A streak of white, a cry, a loud bang; the ringing in Tobey's ears was all he could hear as the image of two men fighting over the loud weapon came into focus.

Tobey was shocked to see that Dr. Two-Brains had come to his rescue. The mousy villain had knocked Adler to the ground and was trying to pry the weapon out of his hands. It was such an intense struggle; Tobey's eyes began to play tricks with his mind, it appeared that the rain was tainted with a crimson hue. Was this really happening? What, was happening? He . . . couldn't . . . thinking it through, He-

The noise the two men were making caught the attention of someone in the apartment building across the street. The shutters to one of the third story windows flew open.

"Keep it down out there!" Tobey recognized that voice, it was Granny May. "Some of us are trying to rob places over here." The elder woman could not fully make out what was happening in the rain. It kind of looked like Dr. Two-Brains was rolling in the puddles while trying to chew the hands off some other guy. And was that Tobey? "Why do scientific geniuses always have to be so strange?" Granny May raised an eyebrow as she watched the scene.

At that moment it was as if Tobey was trying to call out to her, but his voice had lost its place within his fear. His eyes began to react as tears of pure confusion ran down his face, but went unnoticed as they mixed with the rain.

Granny May watched as the strange man took a sucker punch into Two-Brains arm. The punch didn't look very intense from her position, but it was clear that it had caused the doctor severe pain. Two-Brains relinquished his hold on the man as he grabbed the afflicted area on his arm. He was being such a cry baby . . . or was he.

Just as the doctor removed his hand from his wound to examine it, he and Granny May both saw the source of true affliction. It was also in this moment that Huggy snapped out of the trance he had found himself in.

The monkey began screaming to the top of his lungs, waving and pointing at Adler who now had repositioned his weapon back on Tobey. Without hesitation, Granny May pulled the kiting needles from her hair striking them together to form a strand of yarn that shot out from the ends of them. Her aim was a bit off as she couldn't make out the exact location of the man, but she could see the shining metal perfectly, so she made it her target. The yarn dashed through the cold, wet air until it had wrapped itself around the arm and weapon of Adler.

Adler immediately began pulling at his entanglement with his free hand.

"You better run babies!" Granny May's voice echoed off the buildings surrounding the group in the street. "Granny's not staying around for when the police come!"

Several windows in the apartment buildings began to light up as their occupants where awaken by all the noise. Shoots and shouts; the residence of this area could no longer pretend the sounds were being made on accident; there had to be something serious outside. Two-Brains was still kneeling on the ground as he once more covered the bleeding wound on his arm.

Tobey still stood in shock watching the crimson ribbon through the water at his feet; blood that was not his own, but was his saving grace.

The boy wasn't left with much time to think; Captain HuggyFace grabbed Tobey's wrist and began pulling him away with vicious intensity. Tobey couldn't move, he looked back at the man who had now managed to wiggle his arm free from its confines.

"I'm going to kill you, Theodore." The man spoke calmly and frankly. "I can hunt you, as long as you are here, there is nowhere to run."

Huggy then began screaming something in his monkey language. Tobey never removed his eyes from the man. This evil person fixed his gaze on Huggy; a gaze of recognition.

"You," The man rose to his feet. "You had the princess."

Adler was unable to take another step toward the two as something came from behind him and kicked out his legs.

"Tobey, get away from here!"

Dr. Two-Brains snapped at Tobey as he once more lunged for the weapon in Adler's hand. The two men continued to brawl as the boy and monkey made a hasty retreat.

Two-Brains might have been hurt, but there was no way this new up-start villain was going to come into this city and kill anyone, least of all a child. . . To be honest, Two-Brains couldn't quite put a finger on why he was saving Tobey. He was a bad guy, but he never wanted to hurt anyone . . . well aside from stealing from them, and attacking WordGirl, but that's an entirely different story; she was a superhero who was able to fight back. But a child standing helplessly in the street? Something inside of the doctor just couldn't allow it to happen. . . It was the same feeling that over took him at the lake. It was the whole reason he was out here.

Dr. Two-Brains was finally able to rip the firearm out of Adler's hand. With it he scrambled away from the man and got to his feet. The doctor held the weapon toward Adler in hopes of intimidating him. It was time to get some answers.

"You apparently don't even know what that is." Adler spat from his seated position.

"If this thing's anything like a ray gun," Two-Brains taunted as he loomed over the snarling man. "I'm certain I can figure it out."

"And then what, old man?" Adler spoke with a slight grin.

Old Man!?

"What do you mean old!? I'm not old! I'll have you know I'm in the prime of my life."

"With white hair? I'm forty and I don't even have one grey hair."

"Well whoop-dee-doo for you," Two-Brains scoffed as he took a firmer hold on the weapon. "I bet you're 'young' enough to still learn new tricks, too."

"Just one," as Adler made this statement several sirens sounded as four police cars surrounded the two men. "And if I'm not mistaken, possession is nine-tenths of the law."

Two-Brains dropped the gun in realization, but it was too late. The police had seen him standing over this fallen man holding a weapon; there was only one thing they could assume.

"Freeze Two-Brains!" One of the officers screamed through a megaphone. "You're under arrest."

Two police officers quickly handcuffed the doctor as two others went to assist Adler.

"This man attacked me," Adler wasted no time in building a story. "I saw him aiming that thing at a child and I came to stop him, but he was crazy."

"Lies!" Two-Brains was hushed by the commissioner who had just stepped out of his car; Adler was permitted to continue, hamming up his performance as much as possible.

"The little boy went running as I fought for that weapon in his hand, but I, a citizen of this overly naïve city, had never seen such a thing before. As I tried to take it from him, it let out a loud noise. He had accidently hurt his poor mousy self. I was so scared. The boy was too. The poor . . . reporter boy if I'm not mistaken."

Two-Brains then anticipated what Adler was doing. He was going to pin the kidnapping on him! Not only would Two-Brains be locked up for the use of a firearm, something he still wasn't certain about, he would be incarcerated until he gave the location of Scoops; a location he didn't have.

"I object!" Two-Brains hollered; weariness in his voice. "I never kidnapped that kid, and this man was the one trying to kill Tobey. Ask the neighborhood, they had to see something!"

A paramedic then arrived on the scene. The commissioner ordered Two-Brains' arm be examined while his team surveyed the residents. The neighbors gave similar stories,

"I heard a loud 'Bang,' but I wasn't sure what it could be. Maybe someone's car just backfired, but then I heard screaming. When I opened my window I did see someone running away. They were small enough to be a child and maybe his pet dog. I saw one man standing over the other so I called the police."

"This man's story checks out," the commissioner pointed to Adler as he approached the group of officers. "It only makes sense that a villain would do something this bad. I only want to know why."

All the officers turned to look at Two-Brains, but all the mousy villain could see was the ever growing grin on Adler's face. How he hated that man. . . Wait! Were they letting him go!?

Two of the officers patted Adler on the back congratulating him for his heroism as he began walking off.

"You can't let him leave!" Two-Brains had to be held back. "He'll go after Tobey!"

"Knock it off rogue," The commissioner barked at the doctor. "It's bad enough you're kidnapping children to dig in your cheese mines; don't make it worse by harassing the populous."

Several of the officers looked to each other with questioning looks. Cheese mines? But it was best not to argue when serious matters were taking place.

"Harassing!?" Two-Brains could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, you know, irritating people or being annoying and pesky when they don't deserve it."

By this time Adler was gone. There was nothing Two-Brains could do. Hopefully HuggyPants could get Tobey to safety. For now, Two-Brains could only hope the interrogation and crime scene investigation could clear his name.

As the doctor was placed in the back of a cop car, the commissioner was approached by one of the investigators.

"Sir," she asked holding the weapon in her gloved hand. "Does this look like a gun to you?"

"Goodness, it does!" The man leaned in closer to inspect it. "I haven't seen one of these in this city since. . . well I've never seen one in this city. Not even the squad carries them around anymore."

The commissioner wasn't allotted much time to question the gun's presence. Running down the street shouting as he came, was a very frantic looking citizen.

"Help!" the man yelled as he came up to the commissioner. "Are you the police?"

"Yes, yes we are. What's your emergency?" the whole squad looked at the man and waited for his response.

"You're really the police?" the man smiled broadly, he'd never found the police on the first try before. This had to be the happiest day of his life . . . now what did he need to tell them. "I think I forgot what I was coming to tell you, sorry."

Just then, the radio in the patrol car crackled to life with another report. The dispatcher had given the address to yet another missing child. She continued,

"The boy, age eleven, wearing a blue and orange top with shorts on, is named Tobey MacCallister. He is a blonde haired caucasian. He was last seen at his home by his babysitter. There is reason to believe his disappearance is in connection with the other missing children."

"By Jove!" the commissioner turned to look back at Two-Brains. "I think he's got it!"

"Got what sir?" one of the officers asked.

"Two-Brains mentioned this missing boy's name, a description that Adler fellow did not give. Adler said it was the other kid he saw. This means that a lie has been told here!"

Gasp!

"Two-Brains isn't kidnapping children! He's luring them to his mines with a piper's pipe! Just like in the story 'The Pied Piper.'" The commissioner called out.

"But sir, he isn't playing a pipe." The officer looked at Two-Brains shaking his head despairingly.

"Don't you get it?" The commissioner pressed his face against the glass of the car to get a better look at his captive. "He was attacking the reporter boy for escaping his mines while his evil henchmen were playing the pipe that got Tobey. His terror must be stopped."