Chapter 4:
Later:
That night after the sisters returned to Stone's jet neither could sleep after everything that had happened. Both sisters wanted to tell the other about their feelings for the brothers, but weren't sure how. Emily sat up after tossing and turning for an hour, her sister's voice in the dark scaring her as she spoke.
"Jeez Lane's, you scared the crap out of me! I thought you were sleeping!" Emily scolded her sister.
"Sorry Em." Lainey said sitting up and turned on the lamp. "I couldn't sleep, why are you awake?"
"Can't sleep either. I can't stop thinking about what happened today! I mean, I've had my doubts from the beginning, but after today they've gotten stronger, you know?" Emily answered.
"Yeah, I know. I feel the same way; none of this makes any sense! Stone's reaction to us telling him we didn't find the lion seemed strange to me!" Lainey added.
"I know, it was almost like…"
Emily was cut off by angry voices belonging to Stone and Carter passing by their room, talking about the sisters. Confused hearing their names they looked at each other before they got up and crept to their door. They listened, but didn't hear anything, so Emily opened the door just in time to see Stone and Carter turn the corner. The sisters quietly followed them to the control room, the door didn't shut completely so the sisters were able to hear their conversation.
"Mr. Stone, sir I think we should just get rid of the female tree huggers! Your plan isn't working, they've done nothing for us! We still haven't found the lion and the Wild Ratts are still out there causing us problems!" Carter said angrily as he paced.
"Carter, will you calm down! My plans never fail, I'm Thomas Stone! I may have made a slight miscalculation when it comes to my plan, but we haven't lost yet! I will have my lion, even if I have to make the idiotic sisters do it by force!"
"Sir, how much longer do we have to pretend to be good guys? It makes me sick to act like those…Wild Ratts!" Carter asked with disgust.
"I know Carter, it is rather sickening isn't it? I rather like pretending to be a scientist though, maybe I could do it more often?" Stone said smiling.
"Alright, what are we going to do than sir?" Carter asked.
"We give the sisters one more day, then…"
"Then what?" Carter asked.
"Then we get rid of them and the Wild Ratts team, before we capture my lion!" Stone answered as they laughed.
The sisters looked at each other, they both felt like fools, Stone and Carter had been using them all this time, the brothers were right! Knowing they had to stop them, the sisters crept back to their room, Lainey sat on her bed and sighed as she spoke.
"The brothers were right! We have to stop them, but how?"
"I don't know…we have to get out of here!" Emily answered.
"Where do we go? It's the middle of the night on the Savannah Em's! It's not like we can book a hotel room!"
"Okay…we'll go to the Tortuga!" Emily suggested.
"Good idea!" Lainey agreed as they got dressed and packed their things.
With The Brothers:
After everyone in the Tortuga went to bed, Martin lay in bed thinking of Emily, he wished they could have convinced the sisters they were telling the truth! Spending time with Emily for a while, he could almost forget she was working for the enemy…almost! She made her choice clear, and until Stone and Carter were gone he'd focus all his energy on protecting King. The worst part of this was keeping his crush to himself, he wanted to tell Chris, but couldn't. Martin wasn't the only brother having a hard time sleeping, Chris was too! No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop thinking of Lainey, and how spending time with her today he actually forgot she worked for Stone and really enjoyed himself! He had hoped by bringing the sisters back to the ship they'd see the truth, he was wrong and they had returned to the enemy, and since they made their choice, he made his too! Until Stone and Carter were finished all his focus would be on keeping King safe!
"You think too loud!" Martin said as he lay in the dark listening to Chris toss and turn.
"Sorry bro, can't sleep." Chris apologized thinking he woke Martin.
"Me neither." Martin responded as he sat up turning the lamp on.
"I really thought bringing them back to the Tortuga would make them see the truth, you know?" Chris said frustrated as he sat up too.
"It just wasn't enough Chris, don't beat yourself up over it." Martin said gently.
"I just don't want Stone getting his hands on King!" Chris said angrily.
"He won't not as long as we're around!" Martin said smiling. "We've never failed yet, and we won't this time either!"
"You're right bro! Tomorrow we'll…"
Chris was cut off by someone knocking on the Tortuga's doors, confused the brothers looked at each other, Martin looked at his watch 2AM! When the knocking continued they got up and headed to the hall, meeting Aviva, Koki and Jimmy. All five were confused, who would be knocking on their doors so late? They all went to the door, Martin opened it to find Emily and Lainey holding their bags he spoke.
"Emily, Lainey? What are you doing here?" Martin asked confused.
"We're sorry, we know it's late, but we had no where else to go!" Emily said.
"Come inside, we'll talk in the control room." Chris said as the brothers helped them bring their stuff inside.
"What happened?" Aviva asked gently once everyone had sat down.
"Tonight we were in our room, when we heard Stone and Carter walk past our room talking about us. We followed them to the control room and listened as they…they talked about how they've been using us! You were right all this time! Stone then told Carter we had one more day and if we failed to capture King, he was going to…get rid of us, including you guys!" Emily explained.
"We're so sorry, we should have believed you! Can you ever forgive us? We feel like fools!" Lainey said sadly, the five friends looked at each other before back to the sisters.
"Welcome to the Wild Kratts team!" Martin said smiling as everyone, but the sisters smiled.
"What? Does this mean…"
"We forgive you?" Chris asked cutting Emily off, the sisters nodded. "Yeah, we do! Welcome to the team, you're honorary Wild Kratts now!" Chris answered smiling.
"Thank you!" Emily said hugging Martin, while Lainey hugged Chris.
"Alright, it's late. Why don't we get some sleep, and we'll go over our plan in the morning?" Aviva suggested.
"Good idea, I'm beat! Come on, we'll show you where you guys can sleep, we'll help you with your bags." Martin said smiling.
The Next Day:
The next morning Stone sat in the control room starring at a picture of the white lion angrily, he wasn't a patient man; and the little patience he did have was quickly running out! He wanted his lion and he wanted it now, he had thought with four tree huggers his chances of finding the lion would be doubled! Yet here he was days later and he still hadn't captured him, today though, like he had told Carter last night, if those pathetic sisters didn't find the lion he was going to get rid of them! He had sent Carter to fetch the little do-gooders and bring them to him, in fact they should be here by now.
"Sir, the brats…they're gone!" Carter said angrily as he rushed into the room.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Stone demanded angrily.
"They left last night, they took all their stuff!" Carter answered.
"They double-crossed me! No one double-crosses me!" Stone yelled standing as he slammed his hands on the table.
"Should I take some men and hunt them down?" Carter asked.
"No!" Stone answered spotting a picture of the brothers. "I've got a better idea Carter! Forget the little, inexperienced runaways, we're going to pay a little visit to the Wild Ratts crew! Get some men ready and meet me outside in 10 minutes!"
"Yes sir, Mr. Stone!" Carter said smiling as he left.
Meanwhile:
The next morning while everyone ate breakfast, the team talked figuring out a plan to stop Stone and Carter. They all knew when Stone found the sisters missing he'd be angry, and more focused than ever to find King. After talking for a while they decided that Martin and Emily would take the first shift of searching for King; they planned on going back to the place they first saw King and if he was there they'd follow him to his pride. While they did that Chris and Lainey would stay with the team to work on a way to get rid of Stone. A couple hours later the older siblings left the Tortuga, hoping they'd find King before Stone.
They had only been gone 15 minutes when Stone and his men pulled up to the Tortuga, he got out and stood starring at the ship shaking his head, Carter joined him.
"A flying turtle ship?" Carter asked smirking.
"They are tree hugging, animal lovers Carter! At least it's not a flying tree ship!" Stone said as they both laughed.
"On your order sir, we go in!" Carter said.
"Go."
Chris sat across from Lainey, they had a map on the table before them with the locations of Stone's jet, the Tortuga, and the spot they met King marked on it. They should have been working, while Aviva, Koki and Jimmy were busy doing their parts. Instead they would sneak secret glances at the other when they weren't looking. Suddenly, the doors opened and six armed men rushed inside, followed by Carter. All five Wild Kratts quickly stood together starring at Carter, who just stood there smiling he saw Lainey.
"I should have known you two would join up with the Wild Ratts!" Carter said.
"What do you want Carter?" Chris demanded angrily.
"It's actually me Christopher, that wants something!" Stone said from behind Carter.
"Stone!" Lainey said as Stone stood beside Carter smiling.
"Lainey, it's good to see you again. Did you really think you could double-cross me?" He said starring at her.
"You lied to us Stone! You made us believe they were the villains!" Lainey yelled angrily.
"Yes, yes I'm a villain dear girl! I lie, it's what we do!" Stone said still smiling.
"How did you find us?" Chris demanded.
"Really Christopher, dear boy it wasn't hard! I just looked for the giant, flying turtle!"
"Sir, there's two missing!" Carter spoke up.
"Ah yes, there is isn't there! Where are Martin and Emily?" Stone questioned.
"Not here!" Aviva answered.
"Aw, how precious you five trying to stand up to me!" Stone said his smile growing wider.
"We aren't afraid of you Stone!" Chris said.
"No? Well, that just goes to prove how stupid you truly are! You should be afraid of me…very afraid!"
"What do you want?" Koki demanded.
"What I want is simple, I want the white lion! Since I'm unable to get it myself, you are going to get it for me!" Stone answered.
"Forget it Stone! We don't help psychos!" Chris said angrily.
"You talk like you have a choice!" Stone responded.
"Now sir?" Carter asked smiling.
"Yes Carter, I do believe it's time!" Stone answered as he sat. "Tie the Ratts up, and do make sure the ropes are nice and tight!"
Carter signalled to his men to grab the team, they fought to get free, but it was useless. Once they were being held, Carter took out some rope from a bag he carried and went up to each of them and tied them up before he put a gag over their mouths. When all five were tied up and on their knees Stone smiling, slowly got up and walked up to them.
"As you can see ladies and gentlemen, unlike in fairy tales evil always triumphs over good! Now, to make sure I get what I want; because I always do, I'm going to take the youngest tree huggers with me! When Martin and Emily return you three make sure to tell them I was here, and if they want them returned alive they better call me! Nod if you understand!" Stone ordered, Aviva, Koki and Jimmy nodded. "Good! Carter grab our guests and let's go!"
TBC…