Chapter Eight: Brains and Brawn

A/N Many thanks to all my anonymous reviewers - thanks so much for your support and encouragement! I greatly appreciate getting your responses to this story - I'm glad you're enjoying it! LB

Her face was expressionless as she watched the sleek and silvery transport vessel lift off vertically from the launch pad and streak off into the darkening sky. The X-1 August, nicknamed 'The Princess' by DeeDee against the loud (and futile) protests of her younger brother, was the fastest aeroship Earth's Combined Forces posessed. It was actually Dexter's property, designed and built in DexLabs, but Mandy had appropriated it for her own purposes since she rarely allowed him the opportunity to use it anymore. She was certain he'd have no complaints this time, seeing as how she was sending it to pull his bacon out of the fire.

"You should have let me lead that mission," said an overly dramatic voice from behind her.

Mandy barely bothered to glance at the reflection cast by the muscular, long-haired, one-eyed man standing in her office. Hoss Delgado probably thought he had circumnavigated security and snuck into the command complex undetected when in fact headquarters security - a vastly overthought and overworked system created by Dexter to thwart Mandark at every turn - had detected him the moment he entered the Secure Zone around Downtown.

"You don't even know what it's about," she said in her usual dry tones, giving away nothing of what she was feeling. "Besides, I wanted them to come back in this lifetime, Hoss."

"That hurt," he said in clipped tones, playing for sympathy from the wrong dictator.

"It was meant to," Mandy replied, finally losing sight of The Princess' glowing yellow exhaust . She felt a pang and frowned at the sensation. Could she be anxious? Her mind was turning over her last conversation with Tennyson. It had been a hurried, whispered account of his suspicions of who and what had brought them to this point, delivered right before he rushed onto the aeroship. She had known since Townsville fell that Dexter thought there was a spy here in command. Faith in his hunch was the reason she'd recalled Tennyson from the front lines. With Ben's observations to back up Dexter's suspicions, security footage and this present mess to prove the facts of the matter, she knew exactly what she had to do.

With a little huff she turned away from the eastern horizon and any concerns about the team she'd just dispatched to glare up at Delgado. "What?"

"You need me."

"Remind me why."

"Earth needs every able man, woman, and child to stand up and fight for the freedom that Planet Fusion threatens to snatch-"

"I had to sit through the Mayor's speech once, Delgado, I don't need your drama class version of it. Besides, Dexter's 'We have the tools, you have the talent' one-liner sank everyone's battleship that day." Including her own speech given at the same occasion, though she would admit to nothing of the sort.

"That was good," agreeed Delgado, plainly at a loss at having had his own plans torpedoed by the petite blonde. A minute or more passed as Mandy just stared at him through narrowed eyes as she came to a decision. Hoss began to fidget.

"I do have something you can do for me."

"Name it," he said too quickly, relieved that she finally blinked. "My planet needs me."

"I wouldn't go that far. I want you -"

"Yes?"

"To-"

"Yes?"

"Stop interrupting me!"

"Sorry. I'm a little excited and I had coffee four days ago. I haven't slept since Tuesday."

"It's Wednesday. I need you to make friends with someone."

"What? Who?"

"An Imaginary Friend I know."

He stared at her, horrified.

"I thought your planet needed you," she goaded.

Caught, he let out a growl. "It does. All right. No sacrifice is too great."

"Yeah, whatever. You've got a new mission, Hoss."

"I hope I don't regret this."

"I don't care if you do or you don't, just do the job. Come on. I have to time this right."

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"So . . . you're all Imaginary Friends?"

Strange as they looked, it was obvious they thought Delgado - unwashed and armed to the teeth - was the strangest one sitting at their table drinking tea with them. He was crowded between Wilt and Coco and he was trying very hard to play it cool. If he had tried to join DeeDee's ballet class he could not have looked more out of place.

"Si, it is what we do," said Eduardo, draining his tiny cup. He sighed in true dramatic fashion, hoping for some sympathy.

Delagado ignored the glaring hint. "So . . . how's that working out for you?"

Internally, Hoss grimaced. This was not the type of work at which he excelled. He was made for action and intrigue, not tea and crumpets. These Imaginary Friends were an odd lot, especially that crazed thing that looked like a palm tree crossed with a bird. What kind of fever dream had produced these creatures?

"It's not working at all," said Eduardo, staring morosely at the table. "Fusion destroyed our home and many of our friends."

"The world lost a great jazz band," agreed Wilt, looking and sounding thoroughly depressed.

Again, Delgado ignored the hint. "How many of you made it?"

"Us. Frankie." Eduardo sniffed, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "No one . . . no one . . . no one else."

Delgado did a quick head count. "That's it? Four?"

"Coco! Cocococo!" cried the palm tree. She gestured and glared, plainly cross about something. "Coco!"

"Uh . . . Right."

"Bloo showed up the next morning," provided Wilt. "We were hoping for some more to make it, but . . ."

"So where's this Bloo character?"

"I'm right here," said a cranky voice. Delgado blinked and looked again as a little blue bump hopped off the couch. He was the exact color of the upholstery, which was why Delgado had missed him when he was pretending to be checking up on them for housekeeping. He seemed perpetually annoyed and he tossed aside a paddleball as he rose up in indignation. "I'm not a character! I'm an Imginary Friend! I was an Imaginary Friend . . . " He suddenly sobered, then snapped right back to bossy mode. "When are we going to be allowed out? I'm sick of being locked in here. What's all hubbub, bub?"

"We're still on high alert," said Hoss, relieved to finally bring the conversation around to his mission. He wasn't sure how much more of this company he could take. "We're on total lockdown. Mandy's orders. There was a security breach yesterday. Fusions got into that lab that scientist kid has."

The teetotalling crew at the table expressed surprise, but Bloo was instantly excited. He perked up and jumped onto the couch again to point at Delgado.

"What happened? Tell me!" he demanded shrilly. His eyes were wide and he was panting for breath.

"Well, turns out they tunneled underneath headquarters and grabbed the whiz kid and his sister."

"And, and, and?"

Subtlety was plainly not an inherent quality in Imaginary Friends, Delgado mused. The little blue zit was near to blithering.

"They trashed the lab and got away with the nerd and the ballerina princess."

Bloo clasped his hands and grinned, close to tears as he begged, "Keep going!"

"Luckily the nerd is even nerdier than they thought. He has a tracking beacon on him. Mandy just sent a commando team to go rescue them."

"WHAT?"

They all jumped at Bloo's scream of panic. Coco ran off and Eduardo dove under the table. Considering he was the largest thing in the room, it made for a small hat resting atop his head. Wilt tumbled to the ground in a tangle of long, red limbs. Delgado didn't move, but just sat there holding his tiny tea cup halfway to his mouth, watching the blue blob across from him.

Bloo was staring up at the man, wide-eyed and full of unmasked terror. He shook himself, sputtering, "What? But - no! They - he - I - can't - No! No! They can't! I won't - I mean . . . " He suddenly switched gears and gave Hoss a cheesy grin, one he clearly thought was endearing. "Um, I have to go to the bathroom."

Hoss frowned. "Uh, okay."

"You can take me!"

Bloo jumped off the couch and undulated over to Delgado, taking his hand in his flipper-like appendage. Hoss stared down at the blue limb wrapped around his hand, not certain if he was horrified or revolted at the touch.

"The bathroom is right there," said Eduardo, pointing to the back of the suite where they were being housed.

"I hate that bathroom," Bloo snapped. "That bathroom stinks. I hate the tile. I want to use the bathroom by the cafeteria. I like the hand dryer in there. Can you take me? Now? Please? Good! Come on!"

He hauled Delgado out of his chair and dragged him to the door, as eager as a dog that has been promised a ride in the car.

"I don't know . . . we're still on high alert."

"Phooey on high alert! Who does Mandy think she is, anyway? I'll stay close and you can bring me right back here. Pleeeeeease! I really gotta go!"

As proof of his need he danced about. Hoss finally rolled his eyes and relented.

"Don't get out of my sight. And don't touch me."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Come on, come on, come on! Open up!" That last was yelled in a desperate crescendo that ended close to a scream.

He darted out the door the instant Delgado's card key opened it, cheering at his sudden freedom. Dashing about, he made a great show of gratitude and even stayed close by as promised all the way to the banks of elevators at the intersection of the halls. Instantly Bloo ran about and pressed every lift button, keeping in constant, bobbing motion around Delgado. Three elevators arrived almost simultaneously, and as Hoss glanced away, Bloo dashed into the first open door.

"Cloooooose!" He pounded the buttons as Delgado whirled, then smirked and waved as the doors closed on the snarling man.

"Hee-hee!" Bloo hugged himself at his daring escape, then sobered up. He had to warn them. Now.

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"You catch all that?"

"Good job, Delgado," said Mandy into the intercom, never looking away from the security monitors. "I'll catch up with you later. Computress, where is lift seventeen going?"

"Level fifty-three," the computer immediately responded.

Mandy had her gunbelt in hand and Numbers One and Three right behind her in the headquarter's security command center as they watched Bloo's progress on the monitors. Strapping on the custom-made weapon (which Dexter, in a fit of stubborn perversity she hadn't seen coming, had made shiny pink and yellow for the sole purpose of annoying her and kept 'forgetting' to remake in more sober colors) she snapped, "Computress, slow that lift down, but don't stop it, don't let anyone else get on or off until it arrives at fifty-three. Bloo is not to leave this complex or be allowed to send any form of transmission." She held her hand flat before her as she moved to the doors. "Give me a comcube and a steady feed through the building."

Instantly a small, mobile, 3-D computer screen snapped to life over her hand and followed her at eye level. She pushed the screen a little off to the side and it stayed there, faintly glowing, a steady communication line to Dexter's super computer.

"Do not let him get out of sight, Courage," she told the nervous pink dog at the controls for the security cameras. He was a neurotic thing, but his constant terror and paranoia made him a highly effective security guard. Number One gestured for several other security personnel to back up Courage and immediately they moved into place.

"Two teams to follow us, Number Thirty-Four," Number One ordered the young boy in charge. "Wait in the elevators at level fifty-three for our orders."

"Yessir," responded the KND security sergeant, snapping to.

"Come on," Mandy ordered, leading the way to elevator in the security center. Without a word One and Three fell into step. "Level fifty-three, and make it snappy."

They shot up so quickly their knees buckled and Number Three tumbled over. The dark-haired girl grinned and clambered to her feet again as the elevator opened and they all staggered out.

"Where is he going?" whispered Mandy to the computer screen.

Instantly a diagram of the floor appeared, showing the three of them by the elevator and Bloo a few halls away.

"Bloo appears to be heading to the heliport dispatch center."

"Anyone in there?"

"Negative. Both crews are off duty or in the hangars."

"Let him get in but not out." She drew her glittery pink gun and nodded for the real experts to lead the way. Number One slid forward and took the lead, Three fell into place right behind him, and Mandy took up the rear.

Time to clean house.

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"Come on, you stupid . . . radio . . . thing!" hissed Bloo desperately. "Work! Work!"

Static answered his attempts to open the channel he had memorized over a month ago but used just a handful of times, and then always in a state of sheer terror. Those instances could not compare to the panic he felt now.

"Work . . . please!"

He could hardly credit that hearing that awful, hated voice would be a relief. He had to get through. He had to let them know. The alternative was too horrible to consider.

"Come on!" he said to the panel, frantically adjusting the controls. It worked every other time before when he had sent the information that he had so laborously gathered. His panic was robbing him of reason and he was crying with anxiety. "Work! Work you stupid-"

He smacked the communicator, then whimpered at the resulting pain. It wasn't working. It wouldn't work. He'd failed. He'd failed and the price would be more than he could bear. There was no doubt in his mind that the promises made to keep him in check would be carried out. He whipped the headset at the enfuriating and uncooperative array of buttons and knobs and dropped his face into his hands to sob.

Suddenly two cold points touched the back of his head. He stiffened, sitting up straight. A small glance to either side showed the barrels of two gleaming weapons pressed against him, held by top KND operatives. Then a voice even icier and more merciless than the Fusion Dexter broke the silence.

"Hullo, Bloo," said Mandy, powering up the null-void blaster as she took point-blank aim. "Care to explain what you're trying to do right now?"

Unable to look her or any of them in the face, the Imaginary Friend hung his head in shame and defeat. There was a long pause, and finally he whispered,

"He has Mac."