Chapter Eight!

In which another familiar face shows up, stuff blows up, Carmelite finally shuts up, and Abby and Heinrich get more...alone time wink

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Chapter Eight

Leopold pushed aside a nearby radiator as he led Abby, Heinrich, and Carmelite through the air vent.

"Mom's cell is this way." he informed his future parents, as they all stepped out of the vent.

"I'll stay here and make sure no one's caught on to us breaking in." Carmelite told her brother. Leopold nodded in approval, and, with Abby and Heinrich close behind, ran down the hallway while Carmelite pulled the radiator back.

Before long, he stopped in front of a cell. All three kids took one glance at the cell and noticed the door was wide open.

"Looks like your daddy was here, all right." Abby commented to Leopold, looking around the cell, as the group wandered in it. Abby spotted a small, peppermint candy lying on the floor, and picked it up.

"So ve haff to go look for both Abigail und her husband?" Heinrich sighed in exasperation.

Suddenly, there was a loud clanging noise. All three kids turned to see the cell door shut, and an intimidating figure standing on the other side.

"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere." one of them said. Abby squinted to get a better look at the person in the prison's dimly lighted environment.

"Cree?" she asked the figure, "Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" snapped the adult Abby had recognized as her sister.

"It figures Aunt Cree would be on their side." Leopold remarked.

"Zis is so confusing..." Heinrich muttered.

"At least I know what happened to that time machine now." Cree said, ignoring the boys, "And my partner's already informing President Uno that a certain prisoner's escaped. The only question is...what to do with you?"

Suddenly, a small, round object skidded across the floor and rested in front of the cell. At first, it appeared to be a piece of butterscotch candy, but it emitted a small, flashing red light.

"Stand back!" Leopold shouted to Abby and Heinrich, "I know where this is going..."

All three stepped backwards towards the back wall of the cell, as a bewildered Cree watched. The flashing grew quicker, and was accompanied by a high-pitched beeping. Then, with a sudden BOOM, the candy exploded in a huge blast of sugar and smoke. The cell door was knocked over by the force, and landed a foot away from the three kids. As the smoke still hung in the air, they recognized the form of Carmelite rushing towards them.

"Thanks." Abby said to her.

"It was nothing." Carmelite said. There was a groaning sound, and all four listened to hear Cree getting up, after being pushed down by the explosion.

"Should've used one of the blurpleberry ones..." Carmelite thought aloud, "That would've knocked her out."

"This is Agent Cree Lincoln." Cree's voice could be heard saying, "I'm at the Institute for the Criminally Childish, and I need backup."

The group of four dashed through the slowly-clearing smoke, trying to see if they could find their way to the radiator. Leopold got there first, and pulled it up before jumping into the air vent.

"I don't think she's gonna cha-OOF!" Carmelite began, before forcefully hitting her head on the wall above the vent. She fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Come on, Carmelite," Leopold said to his sister, "Get up...Carmelite?...uh oh..."

"Vell, at least zat shut her up." Heinrich commented. Abby sharply elbowed him in his arm, causing Heinrich to give out a small yelp of pain.

"Knock it off!" Leopold scolded them, as he pulled his sister into the vent, "I need some help here!"

Without a word, Abby helped get Carmelite, and herself, into the vent. Heinrich, still rubbing his arm, followed.

Cree, meanwhile, watcHed their silhouettes in the smoke as she got up.

"They can't hide for long." she muttered.

---

Later, the group was in the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., heading at full speed back to the house.

"Aunt Cree's involved now," Leopold told the conscious members of the party, "So we're gonna start playing it safe."

"What does that mean?" Abby asked, keeping watch over the still knocked-out Carmelite, who was lying on the floor in the back of the bus.

"That means I'm leaving you and Heinrich at home to watch the place and Carmelite while I go look for your adult self and Dad. We're messing with the timeline enough as it is, so I'm not gonna get you two killed."

"Vhat?!" Heinrich exclaimed, "Nein! Ze last thing I vant is to haff to vork vith Abigail again!"

"Would it kill you to get past your grudge for a while?"

"Maybe..."

Leopold sighed, and got the bus ready to land, as they had reached their destination.

"Come on, Heiny," Abby said, as she got up and walked over to Carmelite, "Help me out over here..."

Heinrich stayed in his seat, refusing to help Abby pick up the unconscious girl.

"Heinrich..." Leopold said, "The longer you stay here, the longer it'll take to get you home."

Convinced, but still not happy, Heinrich got up and helped Abby pick up Carmelite, and carry her out the door. As soon as they got out of the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., it took off and sped away. Abby and Heinrich continued carrying Carmelite into the house, neither of them saying a word. As soon as they got in, and had placed their burden on the couch, Abby broke the ice.

"We're gonna be in here a while, Heiny." she pointed out, "Ya might as well tell me what's goin' on."

"Not zis again..." Heinrich groaned, "I said I didn't vant to talk about it."

"Oh, like you don't wanna talk about what REALLY happened in Guatemala?"

"You left, I vas grounded...vhat more is zere to talk about?"

"That's not all that happened, and you know it. Anyway, can't you just tell Numbuh Five what's been on your mind since we got here?"

"You vouldn't understand, liebchen."

"Doesn't mean I can't try to..."

"But you still vouldn't get it."

"I'm not gonna stop buggin' you until you talk."

Heinrich was silent for a moment, considering what he should say.

"Vell..." he finally spoke up, "Zere are some things I've been confused about..."

Abby smiled. Maybe this would be easier than she thought...

---

"So...they escaped?"

"Yes." Cree replied, speaking into her communicator, "But I have an idea of where they went."

"Good." the British-accented voice on the other line said, "Send the coordinates to General Beetles, and he'll take care of them."

"I'm on it, President Uno." Cree assured him, then clicked off her communicator, an evil grin on her face.