Chapter 24

Trilby ran through trees and brush. Smoke rose above the canopy, the scar on the earth where Kauai had once been, 626 experiments in one town. It never stood a chance. The air became thick, cloudy. Spike was faster than he let on. He had tied the headsets to his fur, the computer lodged in his mouth. It occurred to him that Spike was hardly equipped for infiltration. Spikes were well and good but he was quite big and stood out. He needed help, or at least another body. But many of the experiments in the camp were not equipped for it either- except Sparky, he could really use Sparky now. But he is probably in the middle of hating me right now, that would any sane reaction to what I did, he thought. But where would he find, experiments with useful powers willing to break onto a ship with high tech security and hundreds of henchman. It didn't help that there were no experiments left in sight of the town. He broke through the trees into the smoking corpse of the town. No experiments to be seen. He walked through the rubble, but there were no experiments anywhere.

"Hamsterviel couldn't have got them all," There was silence after that statement. He was about to leave, when something caught his eye. He bent down picking up a cracked ice cream cone. He was in that shop. He looked up, the freezer, the metal exterior had held against the onslaught of experiments, and beyond any reason had remained locked. It was the last standing building. Hence it stood to reason that inside…

He reached for the lock, it was a big one. He stopped the sound of his breathing was loud, what would he say? He was Spike, but from what he had seen Spike didn't come across as the 'get up and go' type. Regardless, he needed help and a living ice machine could be used a number of ways. He opened the door.

From the freezer jumped Slushy. As soon as the door opened he was on Spike- Trilby.

"Spike, thank you, I've been trapped in there for days, I fought this spy, then woke up in here." He looked around, "What happened to the town? Where is everybody? Lilo? Stitch?" Trilby was trying to recover from the choke-hold Slushy had on him.

"Please… Slushy… Stop…"

"Oh sorry," He jumped off.

"Slushy, I'm sorry but…" He went into a pathetic voice," Ha… Hamsterviel got Lilo and Stitch."

"Oh no!" He put his hand over his mouth in a dramatic episode.

"Yes, I want to get them back, but, you see, I don't know how."

"Spike I'm sure we'll find a way, and we're both Ok so that's good, right?"

"You're right, thank you Slushy." That's one down, he thought. "I'm looking for experiments, can you help me?"

"Ok Spike but you better explain everything to me, what happened?"

Spike- Trilby and Slushy moved out of the town looking out for experiments. Trilby explained roughly what had happened, but he left out anything that would reveal his identity. If Slushy knew who he really was- the person who had almost melted him and locked him in a freezer- he would be less sympathetic. Trilby felt if he had enough experiments he wouldn't have to reveal himself, simply mastermind it. After all, he could only change once an hour. He gave Slushy a headset.

Behind them in the town, Sparky was looking around frantically for Trilby. Or rather Spike, since he was most probably still in his body. Suddenly a voice in his head. Oh no, he thought. But it was Jumba.

"221, you are in town, 629 is leaving toward beach. Follow quick." Headsets more than just sound blocking. He took off in the direction of the beach.

"Jumba, do you know where Trilby came from?" There was roughly a minute of silence as he flew toward the beach, then.

"Yes, 221,"

"Hamsterviel didn't build him did he?"

"No,"

"I saw the blueprints too, ominous right?"

"I cannot say now, but I know this scientist, and if he is involved it's trouble- big trouble- it also explains how Hamsterviel knew about the sonic wave, I thought only I knew about it."

"First things first," Sparky had spotted Spike on the shoreline staring out toward an island. The island he recognised as the one Ying and Yang had been building- he had watched them from the lighthouse. Trilby wanted to enlist them- he guessed. Then he noticed Slushy next to him. He was collecting experiments to help him. Now he had one more.

"You say that Ying and Yang are over on that island right?" Trilby asked, it was a long way away.

"Sure are." Slushy was excited, the whole prospect of breaking onto the ship appealed to him, partly through his family loyalty, and partly because unlike every other experiment he hadn't actually been able to destroy anything as was looking forward to it.

"Can you freeze the water to make a path over?"

"I could but it's salt water, ice and salt don't mix, unless it's sea salt ice- cream, then it does mix, trust me I should know," For a small guy he did talk a lot, Trilby thought. But he felt a slight tingling in the air, electricity. He turned. Sparky was leaning against a tree, he was grinning. Classic cliché entrance. Weirdly, inexplicably Trilby wasn't surprised in the slightest, his brain said he should be, but he wasn't. Sparky should hate him now, and he should be surprised he wasn't. Considering all the things that had happened over the past few days. It didn't make sense, and yet it was the most understandable experience. They stared at each other, trying to figure the others motivation out. Slushy looked between the two, what was going on? Why were they standing looking at each other?

"Sparky!" Slushy leapt toward him," How are you?"

"Good, Slushy, What are you and… Spike here doing?"

"Well we're trying to get unto that big ship, but first we need help from Ying and Yang over on that island, but we can't get there, because…"

"I get it Slushy, Spike you need me to fly over there and tell them?" Trilby was still mid- recovery,

"… What?… Oh yeah, tell them, I'm guessing they create land with lava and water,"

"They don't make land that fast you know. They can bridge the gap in about a week."

"They won't have to. I'm thinking they only need to coat… Yeah, Slushy here will make a bridge over to the island, Ying and Yang create land on top of it. It solidifies and we have a strong bridge… For about 10 minutes."

"Enough time?"

"Should be,"

"On it," Sparky took off toward the island, it was roughly 100 metres away.

"Spike I didn't know you were big on planning," He was looking at him differently, trying to figure out what had changed. Trilby stopped planning for a second to hear it, he needed to keep appearances for a short while at least.

"Oh… I uh… Read some books," It was a weak reason,

"Even less like you," Slushy squinted he was looking harder,

"Hey!" Trilby grinned, "Just because I make people stupid doesn't mean I have to be too,"

Slushy smiled. But, he clearly sensed something was off about his cousin Spike. Maybe I should have spent more time listening to him, Trilby thought. Syntax might be a bit off. Nevertheless, deception was a subtle art. Any weird behaviour can be passed off surprisingly easily. He let the joke drain from his face noticeably he became more pained, he looked down.

"I'm… Just trying to do something," His voice was layered with loss, with an angry undertone,

"What does that mean?" Slushy noticed the change,

"Well… I… uh saw Yarp getting captured. I was so scared I just sat and watched, I watched him get taken and… I could have stood and spiked him… But I didn't… I'm just trying to do what's right." He sighed, convincingly. Watching a family member getting taken has got to be scarring, and sympathy inducing.

"I'm sorry, I trust you really Spike, I was stuck in a freezer while it happened so… I don't know… I still haven't got to grips with it yet."

"Hey, Hey we'll get them back, that's why we're here," Trilby changed his voice to resolved,

"Yeah you're right- let's do this Spike!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" He trusts me now Trilby smiled, it was almost too easy. The experiments trust their family way too much, even when they act completely weirdly. Trilby didn't quite understand the tenets of being in a family. The way Spike had described it wasn't right. It wasn't that simple. The simple act Sparky had done, turning round and forgiving him in the face of facts baffled him. He did consider them to be brothers, even though it was unfounded and illogical. The illegitimacy somehow didn't change how they felt. It was deeper than mere fact. Was that part of being a family too? It annoyed Trilby more than anything, he dealt with things in absolutes and the definition of family kept changing the more he learnt about it. Why can't it have a set definition? Regardless, he needed to keep the new experiments in the dark- especially Slushy. Slushy probably wouldn't take kindly to being ordered around by someone who locked him in a freezer for a day.