DISCLAIMER: I do not own either series. I only own Austin and this story. Plot starts after Spy Kids 2, and then (after the main characters' hiatus) resumes after Spy Kids 3. It is assumed that Gregorio is still Director in Spy Kids 3.

10 year-old Spy Kid Austin Keith hung silently in a small air vent, eavesdropping on a group of rich villains below. The snobby millionaires had chosen a fancy building with tan, stone siding and hazelnut brown, wooden trim for their meeting. It had a flat roof with vents on it; the perfect entryway for a small spy. The bastards would never know what hit them.

"...and finally, we take over the world!" As evil laughter echoed in the atrium below, Austin received orders from the director of the OSS, Gregorio Cortez.

"That's enough, Agent Keith. Return to base." The call ended immediately, so Austin tapped his earpiece, switching frequencies. Activating his micro-grappler, he waited as the device pulled him up to the rooftop above.

"I'm pulling out, Si. You got those trackers set?" His partner, 11 year-old chipmunk Simon Seville, responded immediately.

"Already back in the sub." Austin climbed out of the small air vent he had been hanging in and replaced its metal grating. Walking to the edge of the roof, he looked down at the tall cliff the building sat on. A submersible shaped like a dragonfly, dubbed the Dragon Spy 5, surfaced in the churning waters below. Its tail, a long tube of glass segments similar to a water slide, ended in a large sphere with a three-foot hatch on top.

"Wish me luck!" Steeling his nerves, Austin jumped off the building, clearing it before pulling the ripcord of a small parachute. WIth expert precision, he glided into the now-open doorway and landed smoothly aboard the sub. Pulling his canopy inside with him, he sealed the hatch before stowing the chute for later reuse.

"Nice jump!" Blushing after his partner's compliment, Austin smiled and headed towards the front of the craft.

"Thanks; bring her down." The younger spy could feel the sub descending as he arrived in the spacious cockpit. It was shaped like a giant dragonfly head, with two glass 'eyes' allowing for a view of the sea before them. Each side had a comfortable seat with a large keyboard; the windows also functioning as holographic computer displays. The left side, which Simon occupied, had access to the ship's manual controls. Taking his usual seat on the right, Austin grabbed a snack and turned to his furry, bespectacled partner.

"So, your brothers still in the dark?" Simon set the ship on autopilot before turning to face his friend with a sigh.

"Of course. Alvin can't be trusted, and... Theo's too innocent..." Austin frowned.

"I guess you're doomed to carry on the family business alone…" Simon nodded sadly. The remainder of the trip was largely silent; the pair arriving at OSS headquarters within an hour. After a quick debriefing, they were sent home until another mission beckoned.

Alvin Seville was growing more suspicious by the day. Dave, his adopted father, disappeared several times a month, and was always gone for at least two days. Simon, his middle brother, was excused from class unusually often, and always at the same time as their classmate, a blonde boy named Austin. Theodore was oblivious, too naive to know better, so it was up to the eldest brother to find out his relatives' secrets.

For several months, Alvin had debated the best plan of attack. He concluded that his opportune moment was at lunch, when Dave was not around to interrupt. For a week, he'd been bolstering the courage to confront his brother, and at long last it was time.

"Austin Keith and Simon Seville to the front office." Alvin's temper flared as the intercom once again excused the two boys from class. As usual, he would have to wait.

In a perplexing move, the Director of the OSS himself had summoned the boys to his office. Such an occurrence was so rare, it had only happened once before.

"What do you think's going on?" Austin shrugged as they neared Mr. Cortez' grand office.

"I don't know, but it must be something important." Simon nodded in agreement as the two stepped inside. Surprisingly, Director Cortez greeted the two boys with a worried expression; his tone gravely serious. Silently, the boys took a seat in front of his desk.

"Agent Keith, I'm sorry I have to tell you this, but… your parents have been captured." Austin's eyes widened; his serious expression overcome by one of sheer terror.

"Oh my God…" Simon, unlike his friend, was not entirely speechless. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Director Cortez continued speaking; a holographic map appearing on his desk.

"Mr. and Mrs. Keith were on a mission in Pakistan, taking out a high-ranking terrorist. They were last seen entering his hideout, a residential compound near the coast." Simon examined the map, noting the geographic features around the area.

"We'll take him out, and rescue my parents." All eyes turned to the short, blonde boy. Director Cortez shook his head.

"Austin, you and Simon are not qualified to-!" The 10 year-old cut off his superior, raising his official OSS badge.

"We are level 1 operatives!" Director Cortez cleared his throat loudly, silencing the boy. Just then, his daughter, Carmen Cortez, walked in with her partner for the time being, Gerti Giggles. Both wore level 1 badges, granted after the Island of Lost Dreams incident.

"As I was saying, you are not qualified to take on this assignment alone." Embarrassed, Austin's gaze dropped to the floor. Simon, on the other hand, spoke up.

"What's the plan, Mr. Cortez?" The director paused, observing the team of spy kids before him.

"You four will pilot the Mothership to Pakistan. Carmen, Gerti, you will focus on the target and his associates. Austin, Simon, you're the rescue team. Are we clear?" Gerti grinned devilishly, eager for a challenge.

"Crystal." The girls bumped fists, but the boys were less enthusiastic as they spoke in unison.

"Yes, sir." As the four operatives filed out, Director Cortez detected a familiar scent in the air. At the last possible moment, he stopped Austin in the doorway.

"Agent Keith, do be sure to change before you leave." Turning crimson, the boy gave a nod before scurrying out.

Ten minutes later, Carmen and Gerti were outfitted in full mission gear, waiting for the boys at the dock. However, the latter agents had been delayed, and by more than just a minute or two. This did not sit well with Gerti, who had no idea what was going on, but had begun tapping her foot impatiently. Carmen, on the other hand, knew that Austin suffered from a bladder problem, and was likely changing his diaper. Herself a former bedwetter, the elder Cortez sibling sympathized with the boy, and did her best to distract and calm Gerti.

Meanwhile, Austin lay on his back, atop a cushioned changing table he'd installed in his office at the OSS Junior. Simon, who had already donned all his gear, stood before him, a bottle of baby powder in hand. The bespectacled boy frowned as he sprinkled a bit on his friend.

"You gonna be alright? I know this is hard on you." Austin sighed a fresh diaper was prepared.

"For now, but I'm worried…" He looked away, his face full of concern. Simon felt his heart melt.

"I'm here for you, no matter what happens." Austin smiled and sat up; his new padding in place. The two boys shared a hug, something the younger sorely needed. After a minute or two, they separated and Austin pulled on his pants and gear. Holding hands, the two friends headed for the dock to join their teammates

Several hours later, Simon sat at the helm of the largest OSS submersible, the Mothership. He and the others had arrived in the waters off of Pakistan's coast, near the target compound. After activating the ship's cloaking device, he brought it to the surface near a deserted beach. All four Spy Kids met up at the exit hatch; an air of dread surrounding them. Gerti looked at Austin, a frown in place of her usual, determined expression.

"Good luck." Austin managed a weak smile.

"Thanks." Without further ado, Carmen opened the hatch and the four agents approached the compound. Splitting up into pairs, they entered the yard at two different points. The building was not patrolled, at least not outside, so the girls had no issue sneaking around to the rear door. Austin and Simon, meanwhile, targeted an opening leading straight to the basement.

Activating a device on her wrist, Carmen kicked in the back door, alerting two armed men just inside it. As they tried to open fire, she let loose a telekinetic blast from the gadget, sending their guns flying behind them. Gerti was quick to attack one, sending him to the ground in a matter of seconds. Carmen used her gymnastics skills to subdue the other, wrapping her legs around his head and snapping his neck. Gerti knocked out the other with a taser.

As the girls moved through the house, Simon peered in through the small, barred opening, scouting the basement. Inside was a large room, with stairs heading up the right wall and a doorway on the left. A single man was patrolling the room, an assault rifle in hand. Simon knocked him out with his dart gun, but the sound of his body hitting the ground summoned a second man from the adjacent room. A second dart left him sprawled out beside his comrade.

"Use your laser cutter on the bars." Nodding, Simon took his partner's suggestion and sliced the thin pieces of metal at the top and bottom. Pushing them out of the way, the boys climbed inside. Austin was quick to ensure the men were knocked out, while his partner advanced to the second room. Simon was interrupted, however, before he could peek inside.

"Si, that second guy was the leader!" The bespectacled boy looked over and identified the evil man Director Cortez had mentioned earlier. The girls were on a wild goose chase.

"Tell the girls; he won't sleep forever." Nodding, Austin radioed Carmen, only to find that the rest of the compound had already been cleared. In the meantime, Simon advanced into the other room, but immediately backpedalled in shock. Shackled to the back wall, unconscious, were none other than Mr. and Mrs. Keith.

Each of Austin's parents were covered in cuts and bruises, indicating brutal, painful torture. In addition, they were stripped down to a minimal amount of clothing, which was dirty and, in some places, tattered. It was quite possible that they suffered from internal bleeding, and Mr. Keith even bore a nasty head wound. Without quick medical attention, their outlook was grim.

"The girls are coming down-!" Austin stopped short, his eyes widening in shock. Simon acted quickly, pulling the boy into a hug as tears began to flow. Carmen and Gerti arrived moments later, the former double-tapping her earpiece. This opened a direct channel to her father.

"We have a code black, agents down! Requesting urgent medevac, they won't last long!"

It was 36 hours later when Simon found himself in the director's office once more. This time, however, he was joined by his father, Agent Dave Seville. Gregorio Cortez gingerly placed his reading glasses atop his desk, and took a deep breath before speaking.

"As I'm sure you've heard, Mr. and Mrs. Keith passed away last night." Simon swallowed hard, his stomach tying itself in a knot.

"Did… did Austin get to say goodbye?" Gregorio managed the weakest of smiles, giving a half nod.

"Yes." Simon could no longer restrain his emotions. He locked his father in a tight hug, tears threatening to fall from his sad, gray-blue eyes. Dave wrapped an arm around his son before looking up at Mr. Cortez.

"So… what now?" Gregorio sighed.

"Austin has no parent or legal guardian. If we do not act quickly, child protective services will take him away. So, I asked him who he was most comfortable staying with, and… he made a rather odd request." Dave had a good hunch what it was.

"He wants to live with us?" Gregorio pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That… and one other thing. Arrangements have already been made to move his belongings, unless you have an objection." Simon shook his head.

"Of course we'll take him in." Director Cortez finally managed a smile.

"Good. I'm giving you a new assignment…" His words trailed off; the younger Seville shooting him a death glare.

"Not right now; Austin needs me." Gregorio ran a hand over his face.

"Let me explain. Your assignment is to monitor Agent Keith and notify me when you think he is ready for active duty again." Simon turned a light shade of red, embarrassed.

"Sorry, sir. I'll get right on it." Director Cortez nodded, accepting the apology.

"Good. Austin should be in his office; I'll inform him of your decision."

Dave and his son were inside the OSS Junior building in minutes. Simon lead his father upstairs to Austin's office, a small room at the rear of the second floor. Inside, they found the new orphan in his rolling chair like usual, though nothing else could be described as such. Surprisingly, Austin had become a chipmunk like his partner, shrinking over a foot in the process. His wavy, blonde locks were now cream colored like his new fur. The young boy was abnormally dressed as well, clad in only a gray t-shirt, a Texas Longhorns track jacket, orange sneakers, and, of course, a diaper.

"You ready to go home?" Austin remained silent, curled up in the fetal position. Half of his face was obscured by his knees, and it was obvious he'd been crying. Deviating from his son's failed attempt, Dave knelt before the young boy, frowning slightly. Their gazes met for a moment, and then, finally, Austin allowed himself to be picked up. Holding his new charge close, the secret agent and father of three- four, now- turned and headed slowly home.

It was almost a year later when Director Gregorio Cortez met with the Treasurer of the OSS, Danger D'amo. The agency was preparing its budget for the next fiscal year, and was under pressure from the government to cut costs. A full audit of the organization's spending, sorted by division, had been carried out to help. Now, Danger presented the results alongside his plan.

"As you know, Mr. Director, we want to save as much money as we can with the smallest possible sacrifice. So, after much review, I believe our best option is to shut down the Spy Kids." Gregorio raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Danger swallowed hard, knowing the of the Director's familial ties to the division.

"The Spy Kids have minimal leadership, and, in my opinion, are not productive enough to merit their division's high operating costs." Mr. Cortez remained silent, looking over the spending report. Finally, he sighed and turned back to the Treasurer.

"Let me think about it." Danger gave a nod of acceptance.

"Of course, Mr. Director." Left alone, Gregorio ran a hand through his hair, pausing for a few moments before picking up his phone. It rang for a few moments, and then- as expected- Agent Simon Seville answered.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Cortez. I assume you're calling about Austin." The Director responded in an unusually troubled tone.

"Yes. How is he?" SImon let out a sigh.

"The same as he's been the last three months: normal." This was no surprise.

"Have you asked him if he's ready to come back yet?" Simon let out a sigh.

"Once each of the last two months. He's not sure." Gregorio exhaled loudly in frustration.

"Look, Simon, it's been almost a year since you two were last active. He needs to come back or retire; I can't have you in limbo forever." For a moment, the line was silent.

"...I'll talk to him, sir. Give me a few hours."

Twenty minutes later, the Seville family was at the local movie theater to see one of the latest blockbusters: The Martian. Austin was somewhat afraid of movies involving people on Mars, so naturally he was hesitant to go inside. Now, he stood in line for concessions, trying to delay the inevitable. Before he could reach the counter, though, the orange-clad chipmunk overheard a disturbing conversation at the front of the building.

The manager was conversing with, by all appearances, two OSS agents with distressed looks on their faces. Despite loud chattering from other customers and the agents' quiet voices, the young Spy Kid stepped out of line and eavesdropped. Quickly, he pieced things together: a bomb had been planted in an air duct above theater 11, and it was expected to level the entire building. Since the manager was hesitant to believe their claims, they were unable to act.

Austin sighed, but gave a determined look as he rushed outside. Heading around to the back of the theater, he pulled out his micro grappler and paused. Here he was, springing into action, and he felt absolutely fine. In fact, it was almost like meeting an old friend after a long absence. Cracking a smile, he used the aforementioned gadget to ascend the building, and then did his best to locate theater 11. It was near the center of the building; a well-chosen location.

Pulling off the metal grating of an air vent, he looked down into a tube that was just over a foot in diameter. There was no sight of the bomb, but his special spy glasses confirmed that the device was further down the duct. Austin tried to climb inside, but got stuck halfway down and had to back out. Thinking quickly, he slipped off his thick, baggy cargo pants and tried again. This time, his padded rear was just small enough to squeeze inside.

Crawling down the duct, Austin found a considerable string of C4 rigged to a timer; easily enough to level the place. Lacking any sort of cutting tool, he improvised; risking electrocution by using his buck teeth. Thanks to his training at the OSS, the young chipmunk managed to chew through the necessary wires and deactivate the bomb. Bringing the device with him, he crawled further until he found an opening that lead into one of the projector rooms.

Using all the strength he could muster, Austin pushed out the metal structure at the end of the duct, dropping out of the vent after it. Carrying the bomb like a championship belt, he headed downstairs and found the theater still full of people. Spotting him, the other agents abandoned their argument with the manager and relieved him of the heavy, explosive device. News crews were on site in minutes; the young Spy Kid hailed as a national hero.

Finally, after a year-long hiatus, Austin Keith and Simon Seville returned to OSS headquarters. Following direct orders, they first headed to Director Cortez' office for a 'special meeting' he'd called. Upon their arrival, the two boys found the office much the same as before. Mr. Cortez, however, was rather surprised by their appearance.

Both wore their mission attire, which consisted of black cargo pants, black boots, a shirt and a black jacket with several pockets. However, Simon now wore a navy blue shirt as opposed to the yellow ones usually assigned. Plus, he'd allowed his usually short hair to grow out into wavy bangs. His partner seemed quite enamored by the changes.

Austin, on the other hand, was a slightly different case. This was the first time the Director had seen him as a chipmunk, and unlike his partner, the boy lacked pants. He'd also opted against yellow, instead wearing a soft, orange onesie. He was now comfortable dressing this way in public, as the national coverage of his heroics had exposed his diapers anyway.

"Agent Keith, Agent Seville, it's good to see you again." The two boys sat down, smiling.

"It's good to see you, too, Director. I've missed this place." Gregorio smiled, relaxing in his executive office chair. It warmed his heart to see the younger boy in good spirits.

"I assure you, it has missed you, too. Agent Seville, did you check those reports like I asked?" Simon gave a nod, setting a folder on the director's desk.

"Mr. D'amo has been funnelling a considerable amount of cash into a private account through the R&D division." Mr. Cortez growled angrily.

"I should have known he was playing me. I never trusted that man." Austin spoke up curiously.

"What about the Spy Kids division?" Gregorio waved him off, cracking a smile as he looked over Simon's handiwork.

"Don't worry about it. We'll save enough money firing Mr. D'amo." Austin exhaled, relieved.

"Good…" Stifling a laugh, Director Cortez set the file down and eyed the two boys.

"You know, Danger was right about one thing: the Spy Kids have no leadership." He paused, looking over the two boys before producing a pair of new badges. "So... I've decided to make you two the new heads of the division. An office has been prepared for you on the top floor of the OSS Junior building." The boys' eyes widened in shock.

"T-Thank you, sir!" Austin was, as usual, speechless. Gregorio placed two special, horizontally aligned badges on the edge of his desk. Very few agents had such identification.

"Good luck, Junior Directors." The two boys turned in their old badges and accepted the new ones before speaking almost in unison.

"Thank you, sir." With that, they stood and exited the office, running into Carmen on the way out. The tall brunette smiled at the sight of the two boys.

"Welcome back, guys." The three Spy Kids exchanged fist bumps. Austin blushed lightly.

"It's good to see you, Carmen." The older girl ruffled his hair and winked.

"You know, you guys would make a cuter couple if you matched." She was gone moments later. Simon blushed hotly as he and Austin headed for the OSS Junior.

"Y-You know… I've been thinking about trying diapers for a while now…" he whispered. Austin pulled him close, giving him a serious look.

"Please, don't do this unless it's what you want." Simon smiled, pressing a kiss to his friend's forehead.

"It is."

After a personal meeting with her father, Carmen Cortez was surprised to learn that she was to report to Austin and Simon for her next mission. Admittedly, while a tad jealous, she was proud of the two for coming so far after such a difficult time. Making the brief trip between buildings, she headed up the top floor and the boys' new, shared office.

Simon was sliding off one of two changing tables on the back wall when Carmen arrived. It was, appropriately, topped with soft, blue fabric, whereas the other featured orange. While Simon dealt with the snaps on his new onesie, Austin turned to face his now-subordinate friend.

"Fancy seeing you here." Carmen smiled as the two took a seat on either side of the young chipmunk's desk.

"Congrats on being named Junior Directors." Simon took a seat, joining the conversation. The two boys spoke, embarrassingly, in complete unison.

"Thanks." Carmen could not help but laugh.

"So, adorable personal stuff aside, do you have my next mission?" Austin smiled.

"You and Gerti have been given the F.A.L.C.O.N assignment. Here's the file." Simon handed Carmen a manilla folder containing the mission information. She scanned it briefly.

"Nice, I love a challenge! See you around, guys." She stood to leave, but stopped just long enough to wink before walking out of sight. Austin smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"Seville, Keith, did I say this was a desk job?" The younger chipmunk almost fell backwards onto the floor. Director Cortez had video-called them on their computer.

"Uhh… I don't know?" Even Simon was surprised. Director Cortez smiled knowingly.

"You two have an assignment as well. Get to it!" The two boys smiled; this new job wasn't so boring after all. Grabbing their gear, they locked their office and headed for the dock holding hands. While the hallway was still empty, Austin gave his partner a peck on the cheek.

"Si… this is the start of something wonderful."