"That's...a lot." Rocky said. The boys had just finished explaining what had happened over speakerphone.
The boys were in Rico's room, his traps having been carefully defused by Kowalski and Skipper before putting their teammate on the bed. Kowalski held an ice pack to Rico's side while Rico was resting his arms. Private sat in a chair while Skipper stayed standing.
"Mom, Dad, and Chris have known him the longest and if they believe he's good and something happened to him then I believe it." Rocky said.
"So do we." Skipper said.
"I guess you weren't too far off with the spy being someone who was around us."
"Yeah...I just never expected it to be Toby."
"Perhaps that's is why he looked ill over the summer." Private said. "I think he was in too deep and scared of coming clean."
"Makes sense." Kowalski said.
"What were the clues that led you to think Zander was giving him orders?" Rocky asked.
"The final ones were when Toby told him to stop calling him kid and 'why can't you just leave me alone'. Zander barely had time in the interrogation room and didn't call him kid at that point. It solidified based on observation of their body language. Toby had been told Zander was here and he prepared for Zander. I could tell he was bracing himself for a tirade, or something physical. I know you don't like when I reference it, but it's part of my past experiences. Zander has yelled at and become physical with Toby in the past and I'm guessing it's not sparring."
"They wouldn't be in the same weight class to spar heavily." Skipper said. "At least not to make it to the extent where-" Skipper remembered something. "He looked scared for a second. He was like Kenny when Kenny thought Rico was going to hurt him that day of the comment."
"Toby couldn't flee or fight, so he froze and attempted to hide it behind sarcasm and insults."
"Zander's been hurting our brother for over two years and none of us noticed." Rocky stated.
"Two years ago, you were dealing with my situation, it would have been difficult. Perhaps this could even explain his attitude towards my brother and me." Kowalski said. "You've seen my body language when I met Zander. You understand where my fear comes from. I believe he's the root of Toby's fear. Has your brother ever been afraid of anything before?"
"Not really. He was always the bravest one, he seemed fearless." Skipper said. "Fearless to the point of recklessness, really."
"To be fair, bro, I don't think he would have told his youngest siblings his darkest fears." Rocky pointed out. "Did you say anything about Zander being physical?"
"I was already in trouble for 'accusing' him of working with Toby secretly." Kowalski said. "I wasn't looking to get bitten twice, you know?"
"We could tell Dad." Skipper said.
"You could." Rocky corrected. "Was I even supposed to know yet?"
"I don't know, why?"
"Dad's calling me."
"Oh...uh. You should answer that. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
Skipper checked his messages. "My dad said he wasn't going to keep anything from Rocky."
"You should tell him about our discussion." Kowalski said.
"And we should let Rico rest." Private said, pointing out that Rico was trying to stifle a yawn.
"Right. Private, let's go get food. I don't think anyone feels like cooking tonight." Skipper said.
Kowalski laid down next to Rico, chatting about his newest experiments. The other two went out to get dinner.
Rocky had told her dad about the conversation with the boys and George said he would discuss it with Toby. Toby was placed under house arrest and as far as the Sorenson family knew, Zander was under probation.
George called the boys a few days later and said they were correct in assuming it was a pretty big accusation.
"Kent won't let him go even if it turns out to be true." George told them. "As much as she respects my opinions and feelings, she's adamant about Zander sticking around. This probation is just to make sure the other agents know he's in trouble for this."
"Why? Is he really good?" Private asked.
"Sorry, Private, I'm not authorized to tell you."
"Do you know the reason he stays, sir?" Kowalski asked.
"I do." George answered. "Bone and I are the only ones besides Kent who know."
"Do you guys agree with her decision?" Skipper asked.
"I've come to terms with it and Bone was the first friend he made. The two of them were practically inseparable."
"Did the Spain mission set them apart?" Private asked.
"No, they naturally started to grow apart, but remained allies. Spain was a major incident that led to Zander thinking he was better than others, including his former best friend." George said.
Skipper said he wouldn't ask more questions about that, much to Private's dismay. The boys tried to move through this whole mess as best they could.
...
The boys were told that Toby was on house arrest for at least a year. He'd been giving bits and pieces of information to both Zander and Blowhole. He hadn't worked directly with the madman, but with agents around him.
Zander was working office shifts, having officially been taken off of active field missions. Agents were complaining about preferential treatment when it came to him, so Sarah Kent had no choice but to demote him. He basically was filing cases and doing janitorial work now.
Kowalski was working on getting his driver's license while Skipper applied for a permit. They had a difficult time finding a place where they could practice. Rico was feeling much better by the time spring break started.
The sixth graders were buzzing with excitement, even Mort was happy for his classmates. He was asked again if he wanted to try to go, but he said he tried having a sleepover at Eggy's house during the winter and he felt terrified even though Maurice was just a phone call away.
Alice wanted all the sixth graders out of the building, so she told him he had to leave for the week. He happily went to the apartment that he and Maurice lived in.
Mikayla visited the boys, asking if she could do anything to make herself feel useful since Hunter had gone home, Nat and Julien were busy with the upcoming play, and Marlene and Josie were working with the Spirit Squad. Both pairs invited Mikayla, but she wasn't comfortable trying to socialize with large groups, even if one was in a dimly lit auditorium.
Private was hanging out with his friends more during the break while Kowalski kept working on the nanite. He was positive he could fix it. Skipper and Rico were making improvements to the gym and their training program.
Mikayla could tell the boys wanted to have time to do whatever they were working on, but were too polite to tell her to go away. She tried hanging out with Private and his friends who were nice, but she ended up trying too hard not to butt in and ended up looking like she was trying to supervise them. So, she asked what she could do to get out of their hair.
"I told you, you aren't annoying us. If you need something to do, how about an easy task? Babysitting Mort." Kowalski asked. "Maurice has work all day and Mort's a bored twelve year old, our poor friend needs a break from all that stimulation. Maurice will go to Julien's for the night and you can stay in their apartment with Mort."
"Why do you sound like it's already established?" Mikayla complained.
"Think about it, he's around twelve." Skipper said. "He can do a bunch of stuff for himself and all he needs is someone to keep him company. Maurice said he'll give you guys money for pizza."
"You DID establish this!" Mikayla glared at him reproachfully.
"Yeah, sorry." Kowalski had the decency to look ashamed.
"Hey, look at the bright side. It's spring break." Private said. "No homework, no chores, just play games, make sure he eats and gets a decent bedtime."
"As I said, Maurice needs a break and Mort just needs company." Skipper repeated. "We'll be here if you need to call us. You really shouldn't need to though."
"You can't force me." Mikayla grumbled.
"We can't." The leader admitted. "But it's a paid job."
"How much?"
"Twenty bucks for the night. I'll throw in an extra twenty if you feel that you need it."
Mikayla debated this. "Fine, I'll take the original twenty, but you guys aren't allowed to decide things for me again unless I'm in a life or death situation."
"Deal."
...
The night's tournament was brutal. Well, as brutal as their rules would allow. Skipper and Rico had gone head to head, Rico managed to scrape a win. The two of them sat back with water and towels to watch Kowalski and Private spar.
"Ready?" Kowalski asked. Private nodded.
"You?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, boys, you know the rules so I don't have to repeat myself." Skipper said. "GO!"
Private immediately went on the defensive, predicting that Kowalski would think he was going offensive. Kowalski looked mildly surprised before focusing again. He was confused, they were just walking circles around each other.
"Guys? Spar means you have to take a swing or a kick." Skipper said. "Remember why I shortened the planning time. If you both try to plan out what the other's planning, nothing's going to happen."
"Right." Kowalski said.
"Sorry." Private said.
"Do something even if one of you takes the fall." Skipper told them. "Start over."
They got in starting positions. Private tried to fake out, but Kowalski sidestepped and shoved him away. Private immediately put up his defenses and turned to see Kowalski close to him. The younger teen yelped and tried to sweep with his foot, but Kowalski's foot caught his and Private went down.
"Oof!"
"Point for Kowalski." Skipper said.
Private got up and shook his arms. "Right, okay. I'm-is that my phone?" He heard a ringtone.
"Why is your phone not on silent?"
"Sorry, Skipper, Barry got trapped in the mall bathroom without toilet paper and my phone was in my backpack on silent. Luckily Allie always keeps hers in her pocket and she knew where we were."
Rico walked to where they kept the phones during sparring. "Uh...Mort." He looked at the other phones. "Texted all." He brought Private's phone over.
"Mort texted all of us, why?"
"Mikayla."
Private read the message. "Oh dear. Mikayla almost fainted and she's acting strange."
"Strange how?" Skipper asked.
"He doesn't say. He just needs our help."
"Tell him we're on the way."
Private did so. They hurried to get ready. Rico drove them to Maurice's apartment. Everything seemed normal from the outside, so it wasn't anything Mort thought he had to call paramedics for.
Mort answered the door, looking better than his texts indicated. The four boys entered to see a distraught Mikayla on the couch and an unknown man at the table. There was a pile of cards on the table. Skipper wanted to interrogate immediately, but Kowalski intervened.
"We had her babysit so Maurice can have a day off." Kowalski said. "We're their friends and Mort asked us to check because something was happening with her."
"I don't know her, but I do know this young dancer." The older man said. "I don't know what kind of PTSD flashbacks she's having but she's having 'em. I've been through 'Nam, been through that." He gestured to Mikayla's panic attack. "It's none of my business, but I'm assuming you've got a handle on it."
"We do."
"Please no more dancing tonight." The man told Mort.
"Okay." Mort said sadly. "Bye Hector."
The man left.
"Any ideas what to do?" Skipper asked the boys. "Mort, what exactly happened?"
Mort explained his attempts at sharing the brownies he'd made at the Belmonte's house. The boys looked at it, Private restraining himself from asking for one. Mort then said she looked like she was hallucinating or thinking he was someone else.
"Who's Adrian?" Mort asked. "That's the name she was saying."
"Your guess is as good as mine." Private said. "I really do want one-"
Skipper shushed him. Private was about to ask why when he saw the leader's gaze. He was focused on Kowalski who appeared to be thinking deeply. The tallest mumbled incoherently to himself, looking between the brownies and Mort.
"Oh." He came to a conclusion.
"Explanation?" Skipper asked.
"In a second. You four play the cards." Kowalski looked determined. "She's still in the middle of the panic attack. Make sure Mort is seated where she can see him clearly."
Skipper nodded and gestured for the boys to follow. Kowalski slowly approached Mikayla. She became fearful at the sight of him.
"I'm not who you think I am." He said softly. "Whoever you thought Hector was. Whoever you're seeing. I'm not that person."
"A-Adrian?" Mikayla whimpered.
"I can't tell you about him. I can tell you Mort is safe."
Her eyes locked on the youngest teen who was smiling as he chatted with the others.
"My name is Kowalski Harrison."
"It was...father..."
"My old last name? Yeah."
Mikayla shook her head. "His voice...angry."
"Hector was probably more annoyed."
"It's true." Mort said.
"My father...my parents..." Mikayla said.
Kowalski nodded in understanding. "He sounded like your parents who were angry. Was it after you babysat Adrian?"
Mikayla nodded. Kowalski slowly sat next to her, she stiffened but nothing else.
"Did Adrian accidentally eat a pot brownie and your parents got mad?" Skipper asked.
"Died..."
The four at the table looked at her, shocked.
"How much pot was in that brownie?"
"Or how old was Adrian?" Private asked.
"Three..." Mikayla whispered.
"WHAT?!" Rico, Private, and Mort exclaimed.
Mikayla winced and whimpered, drawing her legs in and hugging them.
"They're not mad." Skipper said quickly. "It was an accident...right?"
"No."
"That's rather ominous." Kowalski stated. "Was it the 'con' where you said it was supposed to have been you?" A small nod. "Are you able to explain?"
Mikayla inhaled shakily. "I was eight. It was poisoned...and it was for me."
The silence was thick. Not even Mort wanted to break it.
Kowalski put a comforting hand on her shoulder and she burst into tears, holding onto him like a lifeline. He rubbed her back comfortingly. The others pretended to keep playing their unspecified game.
Once she'd calmed a bit and Rico got tissues, she started her story.
"It was before I knew I shouldn't be babysitting a toddler when I was eight. He had a single mom and she was way overworked and tired. My parents always lied about my age and said I was old enough and that I was just short. She thought I was twelve when I babysat her son-"
"How overworked was she that she thought you were twelve?" Skipper asked.
"Very. And tired. Her ex left before the baby was born and he was really hyper as he got older. He always waited for me to get home from school to play, we were practically best friends. I'd known him since he was born. My dad was the one who drove her to the hospital to deliver the baby. My parents used to be nice. I used to know a loving home and I had no idea they planned to kill me and blame it on his mom, then collect insurance money or something. I gave him my dessert because he saw it and I told him if he was good, I'd give it to him...and he was...I gave him the poison-"
"But he was three and it was a reward for good behavior." Private said.
"I know that now, but my parents claimed it was my fault and kicked me out."
"What happened to his mom?"
"I wish I knew. I lived with a group of fellow homeless people and then I was in and out of foster homes for three years until I got a group home. One of the girls tried to kill me and I defended myself." She showed them her pocketknife. "I let Maurice and Mort know I have it." She added to Skipper's shocked look. "The girl lived, but no one believed that I did it in self defense so they took my knife. I stole it back when they forgot to lock my door and I ran. I found my house but they'd left as soon as they could. I saw a couple go in the neighbor's house so I knew the only person who might still care about me wasn't there...I wish I could find her."
"What happened after that?" Kowalski asked.
"I almost accidentally became-" She remembered Mort was there. "Let's just say I misinterpreted someone being really really nice and taking me to their house with other super way too nice people." She whispered something into Kowalski's ear and his eyes widened.
"Oh-at twelve-I-um-go on."
"Then I felt like they followed me and somehow my group home bullies found me and I ran...in the Arizona heat...in summer...luckily I outlasted them. Then Ethan found me." Mikayla smiled sadly. "He was the only one from my homeless group. The others either died, were still in jail, or just gone. He was like a father to me. He was my only family and that lasted for three years. Long Island was his first home and he wanted to go back. I don't know if he knew he wouldn't last long and wanted to die where he started, but we did it. We didn't get there honestly. There was lying, playing sympathy cards, and pickpocketing. I hated it, but it was necessary."
"Did he make it to New York?" Mort asked.
"Yeah, we were there for months, living by the skin of our teeth, in a family shelter...then he got pneumonia and made me bring him to a hospital and tell them I'm a ward of the state. I couldn't afford much of a burial. I found out later he had asthma and he was in his fifties. I went to the women's shelter after that."
"That's a lot for everyone to think about." Kowalski said. He gently picked up her hand. "But that doesn't mean we think less of you. We've been through a lot, so we can relate, some of us more than others. You're still you. It sounds like Ethan wanted the best for you."
"He did. He was always trying to quiz me on school stuff when we were on the road. I had a narrow stream of luck that sometimes worked and I just got lucky that the school didn't need my past academic records because I was 'homeschooled'."
"I'm sorry we threw you into this." Skipper said.
"Mort's twelve so it's not like he can't take care of himself at all, as you said." Mikayla told him. "It's okay. I needed to talk about it. I didn't even tell Ethan. If there was one thing we all knew, it was don't ask questions about our pasts."
"There's one thing I've learned and it took me twelve years to learn it." Kowalski said. "Trusting people."
"You trust, you-"
"Fall. Yeah, that was what I thought too. It's wrong. It's a gray area." Kowalski looked to Skipper who smiled. "You just have to know who you can definitely trust. Bottling it up isn't healthy."
"I trust you. All of you." Mikayla said.
"Aww." Mort and Private said.
"Rico?" Kowalski noticed the oldest Penguin was in the kitchen.
"Yeah, trust." Rico mumbled with his mouth full.
"Hey! Share those!" Private complained. He and Mort stood up and zipped to the kitchen. Rico held them above their heads.
Mikayla laughed at their antics. She looked to see Kowalski smiling at her.
"Thanks." She said.
"No problem. Want us to spend the night? Can't promise Rico won't raid the cupboards."
"Hurtful!" Rico said, conceding the brownies to the younger two.
"No, I'll be okay. We'll just watch a movie and go to bed." Mikayla said.
"Sounds good, just let us know if you need anything. Text Skipper or me, we're the lightest sleepers."
"Okay."
The boys left and decided to just relax for the rest of the night. There was a lot to unpack from what they'd just learned and it was dinner time. They got a message from Mikayla later saying that they were doing good and had just watched a movie.
Mort had done better that night than the night he spent at Eggy's. Probably because he was in his own bed and he could rely on the Penguins to be there fast.
...
Kowalski did a smaller project for the science fair this year, wanting to observe the other students for unusual activity. Simon hadn't shown up and his school said his uncle withdrew him.
Kowalski had done well in swim, but there was a new student from a different high school who had done better. They were both good sports about it, though Kowalski didn't see Simon or hear about him, which was concerning.
Private said he'd joined a sports team, but didn't tell the boys what it was. They told him they wouldn't laugh if he was in a cooking club or something that was considered 'girly'. Rico said he wanted to do a cooking club, but there wasn't any around. Private said it wasn't, just that he wasn't confident yet.
