Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I am writing this for entertainment only. Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me! My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! You have given me a few ideas for some of the chapters. And don't worry, there MIGHT be a bit of hints of Stephs' feelings for the sports elf!
Behind the Crystal
Chapter 9 Another Hero and Villan in Lazytown?
Another day dawned in the small hamlet of Lazytown. However, something vastly different was about to happen when a bus pulled up at the local station. Standing leaning against the wall was a slender figure pulling a trenchcoat and hat around to hide his face. The cane he carried gave him a rather arrogant air, but he appeared to be waiting for the bus to disgorge its passengers.
"Humph, I should have just brought a chair," he grumbled, tapping a spat covered foot.
The bus dieseled to a stop, the doors hissing open. Then the driver leapt out, and a few people stepped off the bus. Last, to amble out was rotund person fat where Robbie was lean, but still distinguishably dressed. The black wool coat he wore came to his knees and the gray Hamburg hat was pulled down to shade his steely gray eyes that gleamed behind round glasses. He had the appearance of a wise old owl, but walked with a slight limp aided by the cane he carried. It seemed carved of one piece of wood and had an ivory inlaid handle.
"Humph well, not much to look at is it," the man grumbled.
"Welcome to Lazytown, Professor," said the other man, striding up.
"Well, well, it's been years, my boy," the man said holding out a hand that did not grasp the cane. "What have you been doing with yourself, Robert?"
"Oh just the usual attempts to get PEACE and quiet. You must be tired from that long trip…"
"Mmmph, I almost wonder what you complain about in your emails," the man said in a German accent as he slugged Robbie on the back. "But I'm not just here for an old reunion."
"And I thought it was just for old time's sake, Professor," said Robbie with a look of hangdog disappointment.
"I will tell you all about it over a cup of your best hot chocolate, and some peace and quiet," said the Professor, taking Robbie's offered arm and limping alongside him.
"Where's your luggage?"
"Oh that? I've got it on me here," he said, patting his pocket. "A new invention I made… er appropriated from a doddering old fool in Japan in a city called Metro West."
"I can't wait to see it. And show you my Coffeemaker 6000," Robbie Rotten laughed. Both men were soon chatting like old friends as they made their way to his infamous billboard.
As they passed the playground, the Professor pulled a face at the kids shooting baskets. The loud noises were making him grit his teeth, and Robbie glanced at his guest with sympathy. "How can you get ANY work done with that damn NOISE?"
"Now you see what I have to put up with. Genius is so wasted here!" Robbie said in an agonized groan.
"Hmm, give me a few minutes and I MIGHT have a solution to your problem," said the Professor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small capsule. Weighing it in his hand he pressed a button on it and clicked the plunger. A loud poof of smoke suddenly erupted in the midst of the children's game. They rushed around, coughing and gasping.
"Oho I love it!" laughed Robbie.
"That's only the expansion my boy," he grinned.
"Shall we go back to my lair and wait?" Robbie laughed. Smoke hung thickly around the playground, and Stingy, Trixie, Pixel and Stephanie all gagged and coughed. Their eyes stung at the intrusion that suddenly ruined their game.
"What the HECK just happened? I can't see MY hand in front of MY face!" Stingy complained.
"OUCH, watch where you're going…" yelped Trixie.
"That's my foot," Pixel groaned.
"Wait, the smoke's clearing," Stephanie gasped, her hand over her mouth.
From overhead, they heard the whoosh of a flying craft. If she peered through gaps in the choking smoke, she could see a blur of blue as Sportacus somersaulted in. With one hand, he beat back the smoke. "What is THIS?" he hacked, waving his hand.
"Sportacus, we're over here! We can't… gasp see!"
"Follow the sound of my voice… this way kids," he hacked. Blindly he flipped around, trying to find a way out of the smoke. When at last he stood where the cloud was thinning out, he shouted for the kids to come towards him. He tied a rope to a tree, and then plunged back into the smoke with the other end tied around his waist.
Stephanie reached him first, and she hugged onto him tightly. Pixel grasped her hand, and then Trixie. Sportacus walked them out first, then plunged back into the smoke, his goggles protecting his eyes while he held his breath. Gasping, the children sat on the lawn with their eyes stinging and their lungs gasping for fresh air.
"Wait, where's Ziggy and Stingy?" Stephanie cried.
"Stay back!" Sportacus said. "This cloud just seems to hang in one place… Stay as far away as you can!"
Stephanie wheezed, wondering what was in the pink and purple smoke still hanging on the playground. Why didn't it dissipate? Instead, it remained thickest where Sportacus had gone. As they stood there, a familiar figure rushed up.
"What happened?" a German accented voice said.
"Miss… cough… Lidenbrock! WE were just playing a game and then… Poof!"
"Oh no… not here…" she gasped, waving her hand. "Where's Sportacus? Is he in that smoke?"
"Yes, Stingy and Ziggy are still stuck in it, and Sportacus is looking for them!" Stephanie gasped.
"Come with me… back away from the smoke…" she said, grasping their hands.
"But…." Stephanie spluttered.
"We've only seconds… I just hope Sportacus can get them out of there before they pass out! This gas will slow a person down in a matter of minutes the more they breathe in!" Gretchen heaved, tying her scarf over her mouth and nose.
"But Sportacus can't hold his breath forever!" Stephanie panicked. "I've got to help him… if only I had a rope."
"Stay here," Gretchen said. Grabbing the rope Sportacus had tied to the tree, she followed the line. Inside the cloud, Sportacus blindly flipped, trying to feel for Ziggy and Stingy's weakening cries. The heavy smoke seemed to fatigue him and he soon realized something in it must be a sleeping agent. It smelled thick like perfume, but heavy and sweet at the same time. Worse, it seemed to stick to his clothing. What made him worried was that it did not move or dissipate like normal smoke would. It almost was the consistency of fog.
"Stingy, Ziggy can you hear me?" Sportacus shouted. He grabbed a piece of cloth from inside his vest and improvised a mask over his own lower face.
"We're over here… we can't… cough… I feel so sleepy," Ziggy whined. Sportacus gave himself more rope and dashed in towards the sound.
"Sportacus, don't breathe it in!" came the muffled voice of Gretchen.
"What are you doing here?" he answered.
"It will put you to sleep!"
"I can't… I've got to get them out!" Sportacus gasped. His eyes despite being protected by the goggles were starting to sting, and his limbs felt heavy like lead. Unfortunately, the choking purple gas seeped right through his improvised mask.
He stumbled towards Stingy and Ziggy's voice, and then felt the two boys curled up as his foot collided with them. Reaching down he tried to carry them. Gretchen reached him in the smoke, and he could feel her nearby. Grasping one of the kids, she tried to move, but the smoke stung at her eyes as well. Both of them started to stumble out towards the edge of the cloud. Carrying Ziggy, Sportacus managed to set him out in the clearer air at the edge of the park.
"Gretchen! Where are you…" he asked, cupping his hands around his mouth.
"Sportacus… I cannot stay awake…" she coughed.
"I… I'm coming!" the hero gasped. Then he heaved a deep breath and plunged in.
He wondered if he should have simply remained in the skychaser and dived in, but it was getting harder to think clearly. Just then, he heard a whizzing sound go past him, and something wrapped around his arm. It felt like a rope. Another whizzing sounded, and he heard something land with a thunk at his foot. Glancing down he saw through the smoke a powerful light like a strobe flashing. It seemed to pierce the gloom of the gray and pink smoke. Another landed further from him, and he realized the light itself was coming from a height of only one-foot but its strobe flashes gave him glimpses of shapes in the smoke.
"This way!" shouted a voice. "Sportacus, come this way! They are over here! Come to the flashing light!"
"What on earth?" he wondered, but followed the strangely accented voice. Someone seemed to be walking and batting smoke away with a length of cloth. He headed towards the second flashing light, and soon found a slender figure grab his arm. From the shape of it, he could tell the newcomer had some sort of mask over his face. Something was shoved over Sportacus mouth and nose, and he gasped with relief as he realized it was a sort of gas mask. Behind him, he trailed a line wrapped around his waist.
"Easy does it my boy. They are over here. Take my hand, I'll guide you!"
"How can you SEE in all this smoke? And who are you?" Sportacus asked.
"A hero like you! I can barely see; even MY eyesight is taxed. However, I put a strobe near where I last heard them fall. I'll need your help carrying them because I'm not as young as I used to be," said the German accented voice.
"Thank you!" Sportacus gasped. He and the newcomer staggered together, and soon he saw another flashing strobe appear through the fog. Two figures lay near it and Sportacus managed to lean down and grasp one while the other squatted.
"I'll take the woman, you take the boy," said the other hero.
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure," said the newcomer. "Now let's get out of here!"
"I might be able to get out of here carrying him… but that would leave you… and I only have one rope tied to me!" Sportacus said.
"Don't worry about me, boy," said the figure. He raised something to his sight, and another whizzing sound was heard. To Sportacus surprise, a rope seemed to stretch out of the fog to the other side. Then the other hero clipped a carabiner from his belt to his rope. Relieved, Sportacus grabbed Stingy and ran out as fast as he could with a hopping jump. They reached the edge of the smoke, and Sportacus saw the clearing mists lead into gleaming sun. To his shock, the smoke remained where it was.
"How do I get rid of this?" he shouted. Close behind him rushed the shape of the second hero. Light shimmered from the still flashing strobes the other had placed, gleaming off Sportacus' crystalline badge. A badge made of similar material but square in shape with roman numerals flashed back. Sportacus felt hope leaping into him because he knew the identity of their rescuer. He had come just in the nick of time.
"Take your airship and use the propellers to blow it away. That should be enough to get it to dissipate. Do not worry, it is dense enough to stay in one place! It's not designed to travel farther then the immediate area!"
"But there's still a lot of it around here, and I can't carry everyone…."
"Trust me. Use that other smaller craft then! Maybe you could generate enough of a wind current to get it to break up!" said the figure dashing out of the smoke carrying Gretchen over one shoulder. A crossbow bounced against his hip, clipped to the bandoleer strap he wore across his chest. His coat hung around his mid thighs, forest green in color that was a shade lighter then the dark pants thrust into the cuffs of his knee high boots. They almost looked like riding ones. Sharp piercing eyes twinkled under the brim of a broad hat which had a feather tucked into its brim. Special gloves covered his hands, letting his fingers and thumb tips bare while his palms and wrists were covered. Chocolate brown hair with streaks of gray swirled over his face, about shoulder length.
"Lay them over there and they'll recover. I'll tend to them while you take care of that smoke."
"Right!" Sportacus said.
"Vielen gluck!" the newcomer nodded. Sportacus set Stingy down and then flipped himself back and forth to gather more momentum to catapult himself up to his craft. Then guiding the Skutla, he flew low to create a current to sweep the smoke away. Several passes and then the fog cleared away like a bad dream. Once it was done, Sportacus then leapt out of his flying machine and landed near where the children were leaning against the trees.
"That smoke… I feel so sluggish," the sports hero mumbled. He gratefully accepted the apple that was tossed to him.
"This should do the trick, take a bite of this, Sportacus 10!" shouted the newcomer, Roman numeral VIII.
"You mean sports candy counteracts it? Why didn't you say so?" Sportacus gasped. Realizing they were near the apple tree he grabbed up the abandoned basketball and tossed it at a nearby tree. The apples fell down near Stephanie and Trixie. Slowly Stephanie blinked and Sportacus rushed over to give her a bite of it.
"Stephanie, can you hear me?" he asked, cradling her head. She blinked up at him, her dark brown eyes clouded with confusion.
"I… Sportacus what happened?"
"Take a bite of this it will help," he said. Meanwhile Roman numeral VIII was aiming his crossbow at the tree, letting a bolt fly with the same accuracy as the ball. One apple landed with a bolt through it near Ziggy, then another near where Pixel lay. By now the newcomer had lay Gretchen down in the shade of a tree with great care and was checking her over.
"Who's that guy?" Stephanie asked.
"Give me a hand and let's see if we can get the others to wake!" said Sportacus.
"It might take longer for the ones who were in longer," said the German voice. Stephanie blinked to see the handsome angular face looking into hers. Something about him reminded her of a folk hero who had shot an apple with uncanny accuracy of his own son's head. Yet, there was a hint of Robin Hood in the fellow as well. Although he carried t he crossbow she also saw a quiver of arrows and a longbow strapped to the man's back.
"Hi… who are you?" she asked as he got up from checking Gretchen and strode over to her. Hooking the crossbow on his belt he dropped in a bow and took her hand. He gave it a kiss and doffed his hat to her.
"Just another above average hero helping Sportacus here," he said with a charming smile. She saw the gleaming Roman numeral VIII on the buckle of his bandoleer strap.