Chapter Seven

"Okay, we've got a little change in plans." Leopold told Abby and Heinrich, as the three gathered in the kitchen. Leopold was holding a large, rolled-up paper, which he unrolled onto the the kitchen table. Across the top of the paper were the words "INSTITUTE FOR THE CRIMINALLY CHILDISH", and underneath was a map.

"This is the jail you're gonna end up in, Mom." he continued, turning to Abby, "See, she had some information about President Uno - well, he was actually a Senator back then, but still pretty powerful - and he and the rest of what used to be your team let it slip that you were still a Kids Next Door operative. Since the war with the Kids Next Door had just begun, they naturally arrested you for it."

"When was that?" Abby asked, a little unnerved at her future.

"Three years ago. And let's just say the years haven't been good to you."

"So, vhat are ve doing?" Heinrich asked, trying to make sense of the map.

"Well," Leopold began, "We were going to split up at first - Mom and I would break into the prison while you and Carmelite would go look for Dad, using whatever hints we got from Stickybeard. But, seeing as Dad went to the prison in the first place, we're all going there to check and see if he had any luck getting Mom out. If he didn't, we break her out, and the five of use can go find Dad. If he did, we look for both of them."

"How are we gonna do that?" Abby asked.

"I know where to look...at least, I'm pretty sure."

"Vell, zat's helpful..." Heinrich sarcastically muttered.

"Anyway, I already borrowed a couple 2x4 weapons before we left," Leopold continued, "They're back in the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. And Carmelite's going through her arsenal, so we'll be ready for anything."

---

"I can't believe I'm NOT ready!"

Carmelite was in a dimly lit, underground room. The walls were covered with maps leading to ancient ruins, candy-related artifacts, and an occasional photo. She was in front of a desk, with a few candy-based weapons laid carefully out on it, and was rummaging through a giant trunk, panicking as she looked for something.

"How could I forget those explosives?! Where are they where are they whe - oh, HERE they are!"

She pulled out a small sack and put it in her pocket. Then, Carmelite looked over the weapons she had set out on the desk.

"Leo said to travel light..." she muttered to herself, "...maybe I'll just take the sword and the licorice."

She picked up a sword fashioned from a candy cane, hooked it onto her belt, then grabbed a long, rolled-up licorice whip, and fit it into her other pocket. Carmelite then heard a knock on the trapdoor.

"Hey, you ready yet?" Leopold's voice called down.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Carmelite replied, "I just had a small crisis, but I'm fine now."

"Good, because we're gonna leave now." Abby's voice added.

"LEO!" Carmelite yelled, marching up the wooden stairs, "What part of 'secret hideout' don't you understand?!"

"Oh, come on." Leopold answered, "Kid or adult, these two know about it, anyway."

Carmelite unlocked the trapdoor, then opened it. Leopold, Abby, and Heinrich were waiting for her in the garage. The garage door was open, with the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. still standing outside. The group got into the vehicle, but not before Abby took a quick glance at the back of the bus.

"Something wrong, Mom?" Leopold asked.

"Numbuh Five just thought she saw something stuck on there..." Abby replied, "Might've been a bug, 'cause it's gone now."

"Well, get in, then."

As the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. took off, a black sedan drove up towards a nearby intersection. There were two people in the car, watching as the vehicle flew off.

"That was too close." the driver commented, "And you said giving the tracking device a Camouflage Mode was a dumb idea."

"Can we not talk about this?" the person in the passenger seat sighed, "Let's just follow them before Uno fires us."

The driver said no more, and drove the sedan towards its target.

---

"So, who else is in this prison?" Abby asked her future children.

"Well..." Leopold pondered, "Rachel T. McKenzie used to be in there...you probably know her better as Numbuh 362. I don't know what happened to her recently, though. I know for sure that The Tommy - or Tommy Gilligan, as some people still call him - is still at large, so he's not there yet. But I think you might know Mushi Sanban. She's in for an...extreme protest for Rainbow Monkey rights."

"Huh?"

"Let's just say she scribbled over the fine line between protesting and just being crazy with her 'Eleventy-Billion Color Shower of Doom'."

"Oh. Anyone else?"

"Not sure you would know a lot of them...a lot of other operatives from your time are either working for the adults, just living a normal life, or missing."

"Like who?"

"Numbuh Nine. Or Maurice, as you'd know him now."

"Maurice is gone?!" Abby exclaimed.

"That's right." Carmelite said, nodding.

"Who is zis Maurice?" Heinrich asked suspiciously.

"You don't need to worry about him right now." Leopold told him, "Hey, look, we're almost there. Get ready for landing, everyone."

As the bus tilted downwards, Abby looked in Heinrich's direction, but he looked away from her, though Abby could tell he was even angrier now then he had been earlier.

"Heiny, could ya just tell me what's wrong?" Abby asked, but Heinrich didn't say anything.

As the bus landed, the passengers looked out the windows to see the nearby prison looming over them.

"Well...you guys ready?" Leopold asked, getting up from his seat.

"Ready as we'll ever be." Abby replied. In truth, all four were nervous as they exited the bus to put the recently-changed plan into action.