I regained consciousness sometime later, but I was still disoriented and groggy. There was an incredible amount of activity going on at once, and I was able to process only snatches of it all. My ears were still ringing from the blast, so I couldn't really hear anything anyone was saying.
I was in the diner down the road from Hidden Forest, lying on top of a table.
Odd Squad agents were everywhere. Apparently, they had commandeered the place.
I had an IV stuck in my arm and a few bandages, but otherwise, my body seemed fine. All my arms and legs were accounted for.
Orica was lying next to me. She appeared to be in similar condition, although she was still unconscious.
Our hands were still clasped together tightly. I thought about pulling mine from hers, then decided against it.
A bank of TV monitors had been erected near the soda fountain. They were showing the local news. On every station, there were helicopter shots of the gaping hole the missile had left in the ground. Bits of Hidden Forest were still there: collapsed homes, burning lawns, a few stretches of wall. The gatehouse had somehow managed to escape unscathed. The rec center and all the missile silos were gone, though. The missile had vaporized them all, wiping any trace of THE ORGANIZATION off the earth.
The news crawl at the bottom of one screen said GAS LEAK DESTROYS GATED COMMUNITY.
Nearby, O'Cyrus and Oshton were seated in a booth with several agents around them. It didn't look like they were in trouble. In fact, the agents were shaking their hands. One kid, who looked somewhat important, was laughing and shaking his head, as though he was amused that one of the Odd Squad's biggest rules was broken.
Mr. Wigglebottom sat in Oshton's lap. Evidently, the cat had stuck around the diner after we'd left it there yesterday. Oshton wasn't paying much attention to anyone else. He was too focused on the cat, lovingly stroking its fur and making kissy faces at it.
Agent O'Rafferty stood nearby, scowling at O'Cyrus.
The principal was with him, looking confused. He'd gotten himself a new furry beret to replace the one that had been burned when his office blew up. Amazingly, this one was actually worse. It looked as though a hamster had died on his head.
Out the window, Oshleigh was being loaded inside a tube entrance escorted by two security agents with her hands cuffed behind her back. Oshleigh had regained consciousness and was screaming at everyone. I thought I could make out the words "I stuck the landing".
Ozo, Orca, O'Shea, and Ores sat in a corner booth, away from the action. To my surprise, Outlaw was with them. He was cuffed as well, but he looked far happier than Oshleigh. He wasn't an outcast anymore; he was the center of attention. He was talking animatedly—spilling his guts about THE ORGANIZATION, perhaps—and my friends were hanging on his every word, fascinated.
There was no sign of Murray. He had apparently escaped. And The Oddfather certainly wasn't there. He'd probably been in another country when the missiles fired.
I was too tired to feel frustrated about this. Instead, I felt proud of myself. Maybe the bad guys had escaped to fight another day, but for the time being, I'd helped thwart their plans and save the Odd Squad. My first mission had been a success.
Suddenly, Orica's hand tensed in mine. I looked over at her.
She was awake now. Or at least, kind of awake. Her eyelids still drooped and she seemed a bit zoned out.
"Hey," she said. She sounded oddly far away, even though she was only a few millimeters from me. It was probably due to my ears still recovering from the blast.
"Hey," I replied. "How are you feeling?"
"Excellent. But that's probably because they've given us painkillers."
It occurred to me that this was probably why I felt so calm myself.
"Thanks for saving me," Orica said. It was the type of comment she never would have made unless she was doped up on medication. "I owe you one."
"How about this," I suggested. "Next time you decide to bring me on a mission, you tell me about it first?"
"It's a deal." Orica's eyes began to slide shut again. "In fact, next mission, I'll ask them to make us equal partners."
"Really?" I asked. "You'd do that for me?"
"Of course. That's what friends are for." Orica gave me a dreamy smile, then dozed off again.
I wondered if she'd ever remember saying that. But for the time being, I was too tired to care. Even with all the chaos around me, I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep as well, Orica's hand still firmly clenched in mine.
THE END