Music played by the DJ at The Point:
"Let's Groove" by Tips & Tricks vs Wisdome
"Rockafeller Skank" by Fatboy Slim
"Blood Sugar" by Pendulum
Transmission 27: Deadline Set
Having agreed to meet up an hour later at The Point, Nigel and his friends go back to their homes, but the fit has left all of them shaken. As the clock hits six in the afternoon, Nigel has gone outside and is standing in-front of his home, unable to think about anything else than what happened at his uncle's old estate. "I nearly got everyone killed…" he mutters, convinced by Rachel and Patton's acting that there indeed was a gas leak in the buried study room. However, he is somewhat glad they did not connect the fit with their amnesia, or so he believes.
But as the initial shock begins to fade, Nigel remembers the framed photograph that depicted the man draped in pitch-black darkness and it sends chills throug his body. "Who was that man…it couldn't have been Uncle Benedict…surely…" he shakes his head and looks up at the cloudy sky. "I guess that route is now out of the question…but maybe I can find clues elsewhere…" Then suddenly. his thoughts are interrupted by the familiar sound of Hoagie's van horn and the light blue and yellow van stops in-front of the Uno residence. "Don't think about that now. We just got through tough exams and a near-death experience, so I'll worry about the amnesia later." Nigel straightens his back and approaches the van as Wally opens the door.
"Need a ride?" he asks, causing Nigel to smirk.
"Well, you better have room in there." he climbs onboard and Hoagie accelerates away from the Uno residence.
"Oh man, it's feels like forever since we've been to The Point!" Hoagie proclaims as the van passes the fields outside Cleve.
"Yes well, last time we were sidetracked and since then we've been busy, but not this time."
"Yeah! Man, I didn't know they had an open mic night today! I would've thought up more good jokes."
"Is he serious?" Wally nudges Nigel, who nods back.
"Yes, Hoagie's notorious for hogging the stage when they have an open-mic night." Nigel then looks at the rear-view mirror and sees a familiar looking SUV behind them. "Ah, looks like we've got company." he gestures to Hoagie, who also notices the SUV.
"Hah, at least this time we're not last."
Soon, the two cars enter the forest and begin climbing their way through the ever rising, snaking gravel road until finally, arriving to their destination: the disused petrol station that also serves as The Point's entrance. "Why's there so many cruddy cars here?"
"Word travels fast I guess."
"Heh, looks like I've got a real audience today." Hoagie says with a grin as he parks the van into the first empty space he finds while Patton parks his SUV close to Hoagie's van.
As the boys jump out of the van, they are met by an irate Fanny. "Why the heck do ye hafta drive like a blind turtle?! We could've been here ages ago if ya hadn't hogged the road!"
"Hey, in case you haven't noticed, that road is single lane AND it doesn't have any streetlights! I didn't want to hit an animal in that darkness."
"He's got a point, Fanny, just calm down will ya?" Patton intervenes and pulls Fanny away from Hoagie's face.
"Hmph, whatever, let's just go already, it's freezing in here." she stomps away, wearing a long, bright green winter coat, red gloves and a muffler around her neck.
"Sorry about that, guys. She's still a bit…tense about what happened back at the…"
"She's not the only one, Rachel…" Nigel replies silently while Hoagie rolls his eyes under his goggles.
"Well, she didn't have get all up in my face about it." he mutters as the group head over to the disused gas station, where, waiting for them at the door is the same familiar porter, who lets them in without any hassle. However, Wally still finds the place suspicious and eyes the porter under his blond bangs. Once inside, they walk through the back door and descend the stairway, stopping in-front of the reinforced door and just like before, the gruff voice greets them through the reinforced door's small speaker.
"Gilligan! Where you've been? I thought you guys forgot about us."
"Hah, don't worry man, we're here now. You better have my mic ready for me."
"Hah, don't you worry about that. Oh yeah, two of your friends came here 10 minutes ago. They reserved a booth for ya."
"Hey, that's great. Did you guys hear that?" Hoagie looks over his shoulder but Fanny is getting impatient by the minute.
"Will ya just let us in already?!"
"Wow, easy there, toots. I was just about to…" Rachel and the boys immediately are filled with dread as Fanny's face contorts from rage.
"TOOTS?!" she screams and is just about to kick the door in when Patton and Rachel restrain her.
"Fanny, calm down!"
"Sheesh, she's even angrier than normal." Wally mutters as the reinforced door opens and the group enter The Point proper. However, unlike last time, the huge room is full of teenagers, some of them dancing in-front of the stage where a DJ is playing music while others are drinking soda and enjoying the atmosphere.
"Hah-haa, looks like we've got a full house. I'm gonna blow the roof off this place." Hoagie says confidently while Nigel looks around for the girls.
"Right…let's just find Abby and Kuki before…"
"I see them…and it looks like they've got company." Rachel points at a booth not far them, where Kuki and Abby are sitting. However, standing next to their booth are two guys, who are obviously trying to hit on them, quite aggressively.
"Who the crud are those creeps?" Wally becomes irked by the other boy's attempts to take Kuki's hand and stomps over to them, followed by his smirking friends.
"Hey, ya don't have to play so hard to get." The brown-haired boy asks arrogantly.
"Yeah, how about you two come to the dance floor with us?" his bald friend asks but the girls aren't interested.
"For the last time, we ain't movin'. We're waitin' for our friends." Abby hisses but the boys refuse to give up. Then, Kuki, facing the door, notices the others approaching with Wally up front.
"Hey guys, over here!" she waves at her friends while Abby smirks slightly at Wally, who immediately goes between the bald boy and Kuki.
"What the crud were ya doin'?" He glares at the boy but his friend steps in.
"Hey, you got some kinda problem buddy?"
"Yeah, what are ya gonna do about it?" Wally growls at the boys as Hoagie pops out from behind his shoulder.
"Ooh, you two better watch out, the last guy who grabbed her got a one-way ticket to the hospital." Hoagie says while pointing at Wally.
"Gah…come on dude, let's get outta here." The two boys glare at Wally and slip back into the crowd as Hoagie poses heroically behind a grumpy Wally.
"Hah, now that's how you scare off people."
"Why'd ya hafta tell them about that? You know I'm not proud of what I did." Wally hisses over his shoulder but Hoagie immediately gestures towards Kuki.
"Yeah, but now they'll know not to hit on Kuki. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Ugh…" Wally notices that Kuki staring at him and looks away while Abby gets up and sits next to Kuki, giving the others room to join them in the booth.
As the others are removing their winter clothes, Abby notices that everyone except Hoagie have changed their attire for the evening: Nigel is wearing a red hoodie instead of his turtleneck but has a black polo shirt under it while Wally has his sleeveless orange hoodie and yellow t-shirt combo on.
Patton has a dark green long-sleeved shirt over a dark gray t-shirt while Rachel is wearing jeans and an aqua-colored top under her orange blouse and Fanny is sporting a green buttoned-up blouse over her black top and yellow pants.
Abby herself is wearing a blue and white shirt over her blue top and brown, wide bottomed jeans and lastly, Kuki has a light-green blouse over a deep-dark green top and a green skirt that goes almost down to her ankles.
"Come on guys, siddown already." Abby points at the empty booth as the others hang up their jackets on the stand between their booth and the one next to it before sitting down, with Rachel and Fanny sitting next to Abby, Patton sitting at the end of the table while Nigel, Hoagie and Wally sit opposite to the girls. "What took ya? I thought we agreed to meet at the parking lot?"
"Well, I had to pick up Wally first. It's not my fault he lives so far away."
"Hey!"
"Guys, come on, we're here to relax and celebrate!"
"Kuki's right. Let's enjoy ourselves. After all, the exams are behind us." Nigel exclaims but just hearing the exams mentioned, Wally grimaces immediately.
"Gah, don't remind me…my brain is gonna explode if I hafta see another answer sheet…" Wally leans his head against the table while Hoagie looks around the huge room with gleaming eyes.
"Man, I don't remember there being so many people here at once."
"A bit too much for Abby's taste. Ya have no idea how long those two creeps kept pestering us."
"Hah, you should've seen Wally's face when he saw that bald guy try to take Kuki's hand. He looked like he was about attack him." Hoagie nudges Wally on the shoulder but he instantly looks away, much to Abby's amusement.
"Oh, Abby saw that alright, snapped a pic too, check it." Abby shows everyone a picture she took discreetly, that shows Wally approaching the bald boy from behind.
"Hey!" Wally shouts as the others laugh at his expression and reaction, but Kuki feels slightly embarrassed that he did it, but also happy at the same time.
However, the mood soon dampens as they recall what happened earlier, prompting Nigel to lower his head. "Guys, I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking about the consequences at all back there…"
"Ya sure weren't." Abby crosses her arms and eyes Nigel disapprovingly. "From now on, we're gonna figure out this amnesia thing in some other way, got it? No more crazy stunts like that."
"Yes…"
"Abby, I think that's enough. Nigel already apologized like 10 times back there." Kuki says while Hoagie nods in agreement.
"Yeah, let's move on and never go back there again, like we agreed. Now cheer up guys, aren't you forgetting we're here to have fun, not sulk in the corner."
"Says the guy who fell down a hole…" Abby mutters, still clearly angered by their little adventure under the destroyed mansion.
"Abby, give him a break, you're only making Nigel feel worse." Rachel says sternly while the others cast their eyes on Abby as well, forcing her to relent.
"Okay, okay…sorry Nigel…"
"Don't say that. You have every right to be angry."
"Nigel, that applies to you too!" Kuki snaps at him, clearly frustrated by the constant sulking. But then, everyone's attention is drawn to a familiar face, who approaches the table from across the hall and it is none other than Maurice.
"Hey guys, it's been a while."
"Hi, Maurice, what's shakin'?" Abby asks with a smile, but Hoagie starts feeling uncomfortable, as he is reminded of his nightmare back in October.
"Haven't seen ya'll together like this. Lately, it's just been you two." Maurice points at Rachel and Patton, surprising the others.
"Wait, you guys came here without us?!"
"Yeah, since we both finished our assignments early, we've been coming here for the past month." Patton replies, making Abby slightly suspicious.
"Abby thought you two got sick…" she thinks but does not press the issue while Hoagie's shoulder hunch down.
"Aw man…I should've done my poetry essay earlier…"
"Why the crud are we talkin' about school again?!" Wally snaps at Hoagie's lamenting, amusing Maurice.
"Hah-haha, Beetles has a point there, guys. Didn't ya'll come here to have fun?"
"Of course, we did. So, aren't ya gonna take our orders?"
"Hah, not this time, Abby. I've got a different job today. You're gonna hafta go to the bar to get your drinks and snacks. Have fun now, and don't cause trouble, kids."
"You're the one to talk, Maurice!" Abby says jokingly, causing the curly-haired young man to let out a hearty laugh as he walks away.
"Well, let's do as he said and make our orders before there's a line." Patton gestures towards the bar as Hoagie puts his hand up.
"Okay, I'm on it." Hoagie takes out his phone but as he is about ask what the girls want, Nigel interrupts.
"Can I suggest something? Since Patton and Rachel pretty much saved our lives back at the estate, I suggest we pay their share too." Nigel's proposition surprises Patton and Rachel, who start protesting.
"No, no, you don't have to do that!"
"Yeah, it was no big deal…"
"No big deal? You two got us outta that gas filled room! Abby agrees with Nigel, tonight's snacks and drinks are on us!"
"Agreed!" Kuki shouts, prompting Wally and Hoagie to nod as well.
"Guys…" Rachel tries to hide her embarrassment while Patton starts grinning.
"Ookay, you're on."
"Hey, just because we agreed to it doesn't mean ya can bleed us dry, got it?"
"Ah chill out, Fanny. I'm not that sly." Patton gestures to a squinting Fanny but then, Abby gets up abruptly as the music picks up.
"You guys can order your stuff first. We're gonna check out the dance floor. Let's go girls."
"Yeah! I'm gonna make a song request for the DJ!
"Come on, you too, Fanny!" Rachel grabs Fanny's hand and the girls run out to the dance floor, leaving the boys behind before Hoagie heads towards the counter to order their snacks.
"Not gonna go with them?" Patton asks Wally and Nigel who stayed with him in the booth but both shake their heads.
"I can't dance." Wally replies bluntly.
"No, I'm still a little worn out from…earlier…I'll just relax."
"Good idea, buddy." Patton replies as he and Nigel lean back against the booth's soft backrests while Wally looks out into the crowd, but he can't think about anything else except the fit.
"Crud…why the heck did I scream like that? It was just a crummy picture…"
Soon enough, Hoagie returns and sits down next to the dazed Wally. "They said they'll bring them here in a bit."
"Alrighty." The boys sit silently in the booth and look on as the girls are happily dancing in-front of the stage. "Oh yeah, a little birdy told me you asked Kuki out for the party." Patton says bluntly, startling Wally.
"Gah…I didn't…I mean I…I didn't ask her, it just sorta…slipped out."
"Well, she did agree to it, so who cares how it happened. Now there's two of us."
"Huh? Wait a minute, you got a date already?!" Hoagie asks Patton, who smiles slightly at the stunned stares his friends are giving him.
"Yeah? It was a no brainer really." Patton says casually but Hoagie immediately starts interrogating him.
"Who?! Wait, wait, don't tell me…is it that Virginia Sims from ninth grade?!"
"Nope."
"Oh…then is it uhm…Muffy Jenkins?!"
"Wrong again."
"Oh man…Rachel?!"
"No." Patton replies coolly, frustrating Hoagie to no end.
"Argh…okay…then about…"
"It's Fanny, right?" Wally blunt question silences the other boys and for a split second, Patton loses his composure and his turns slightly red, but he quickly hides his surprise from the other guys.
"Don't be stupid, Wally, she's a man-hater, there's no way she'd…hey…wait a minute…is she the one?"
"Ye…Yeah that's right. She asked me before we left the estate. Probably because she wanted to make sure other guys wouldn't try to ask her…"
"*chuckle* Not that anyone would." Hoagie nudges Wally but he stops when Patton squints at him.
"…And also, because for some reason her dad's really suspicious of boys getting close to her and I'm the only one he accepts, since we've known each other from kindergarten."
"Damn, you've got a tough party coming up then." Hoagie says as he puts his hands behind his head, but Patton sees his opportunity and pounces.
"Easy for you to say, since you don't have a date." his sharp reply turns Hoagie red instantly.
"Ah…well, not YET…I just gotta ask, that's all. Heh-heh…" Hoagie laughs nervously while Patton winks at Nigel and Wally.
"He hasn't asked Abby yet, right?" the three boys smirk at each other as Hoagie's mind starts racing over the prospect of actually asking Abby out.
"No, but I'm guessing just thinking about it scares him."
"Hey! I'm still working on it! Wha…what about you then, Nigel?"
"Me? Well, I haven't decided yet, though I'll most likely ask Rachel. It makes sense since she's the Vice-President…" Nigel tries to reply calmly but like the others, he also gets nervous, prompting Hoagie to quickly change the subject.
"Anyway, now that those exams are behind us, we gotta start working on our band project. We've got three weeks to make a set list and practice it."
"I wanna play rock." Wally exclaims bluntly.
"Yeah, we can do that, but we need other types of songs too. Different genre's, you know?"
"But I ain't singing. No way."
"Even though you sing better than both me and Nigel." Patton remarks, but Wally crosses his arms and protests.
"So what? Still not gonna happen." he shakes his head firmly while the others sigh, especially Nigel.
"Come on, Wally, do you have to be against everything? This is a team effort."
"Yeah, but…" then, Hoagie hits his hands together to get his friend's attention.
"We can decide who sings once we figure out the songs, okay? Have you guys practiced your instruments at all?"
"I was busy with school, so not really. But I've got a feel for the piano at least."
"Same here. I've been strumming the bass a few times." Patton nods while Wally lifts his head and spreads his arms wide over the backrest.
"I can play…kinda…"
"Then let's meet up on Monday after school so we can get this thing started." Hoagie's proposal earns him nods from the other boys and he starts grinning. "Awesome. Oh, man, we're finally doing some progress." Hoagie says excitedly as his optimism slowly infects his bandmates as well.
…
As the boys feverishly plan their band project, the girls have stepped out of the dance floor and are now just watching the party unfold. "Man, it's been a while since Abby got to party like that. Comin' here was a great idea, Rachel, after all that crap went down."
"Y…yeah, it's fun to let loose once in a while." Rachel leans against a railing that surrounds the dance floor while Kuki is bopping her head to the beat of the music.
"Oh, let's make our orders too! I need a drink!"
"Good idea, Kuki. Abby was gettin' thirsty anyway." The girls nod at each other and join the line that has formed in-front of the snack bar. As they wait, they notice a young waitress carrying a tray filled with drinks and food towards their booth. "Hah, looks like the boy's got hungry." Abby chuckles while they watch the waitress hand the guys their orders: a coke and a bowl of nachos with two dips for Wally, a pepperoni pizza with stuffed crust and a root beer for Hoagie, a hamburger and a normal soda for Patton and lastly, a box of onion rings and a cherry soda for Nigel. However, Abby's smirk quickly turns into a frown when Hoagie, true to his habit, tries to hit on the waitress, who immediately brushes him aside.
"Hah, she shot him down in just 1 second." Fanny says just as their turn arrives.
"Serves him right…" Abby mutters, casting venomous glances at Hoagie.
Back in the booth, the boys are enjoying their "snacks" to the fullest.' "Aw man, this is almost as good as the buffet." Hoagie says as he gleefully munches down on his pizza.
"Are ya crazy? Nothing beats that buffet, nothing."
"I can't disagree with that, Wally, but these onion rings are pretty good either way."
"Man, now I wanna go back there again…" Patton jokes and the boys start laughing.
"Hah-hah, yeah, that was an experience alright. Oh yeah, I totally forgot, we gotta come up with a name for our band."
"You're right, Hoagie. A nameless band performing in the Christmas party is out of the question." Nigel nods back firmly.
"Then what do ya have in mind, Hoagie?" Patton says as he takes another bite off his hamburger.
"Okay, okay, how about Team V?!" Hoagie's suggestion makes Patton nearly choke on his food, but Wally and Nigel are intrigued.
"Hey, I like that! It's got a cool ring to it."
"I agree Wally. V stands for many things, so it adds a sense of mystery to our project. What about you Patton?"
"Ugh…uh…yeah, sure, I'm game."
"What heck are you guys schemin' here?" Abby's voice startles the boys as she suddenly appears, standing next to Hoagie with the other girls behind her.
"Oh, hi…did you guys have fun?"
"You bet, Hoagie! Dancing is so much fun! You should come there too!" Kuki asks the boys, who immediately decline.
"Well, we just ate so, I don't think it's smart going there right now." Patton replies while Hoagie looks up at the girls, his mouth full of food.
"Yeah, it's gonna be hurl city."
"Ugh, stop talkin' with yo mouth full and scoot over will ya?" Abby snaps at Hoagie, who obediently moves to the right, closer to the end of the table as the girls sit down.
"Ooh, you have nachos! Can I try?" Kuki asks while eyeing the bowl like a hungry hawk.
"Eh, sure." Wally moves the bowl across the table to Kuki, who starts eating them gleefully but after a few seconds, Wally realizes that she's going to eat all of them and grabs the bowl from Kuki's hands. "HEY! Gimme that!"
"Wally!"
"I paid for those, get your own nachos!"
"That's not fair, Wally!"
"Who said I'm fair?!" Wally sneers at Kuki, who leans over the table, and they begin glaring at each other.
"Stop bein' a cheapskate, Wally. Haven't ya heard of sharin'?" Abby says as she casually takes the last slice of pizza on Hoagie's plate, right before his eyes.
"Hey! I was gonna eat that!"
"Boy, ya already ate 5 slices. Besides, if ya stuff yoself full, how do ya think you're gonna do your 'show'?"
"I uh…ah…aw, fine…" Hoagie looks dejectedly at his empty plate as the argument between Wally and Kuki intensifies.
"You said I could have some!"
"I said ya can try one!"
"Liar, you didn't say that!"
"Well, that's what I meant! These are mine!"
"Meanie!"
"If ya really want 'em so bad, you're gonna hafta take 'em from me!" The others immediately look at each other, realizing that Wally is about to regret what he just said.
"Oh yeah?!" Kuki gets up and jumps over the table, tackles Wally and drags him off his seat to the floor but their brawl starts.
"Gah! Get off me! Ya crazy girl, let go!"
"Give…me…those…nachos!" As they wrestle over the bowl of nachos, their friends laugh like a pack of hyenas.
"Hah-hah-haa! You shouldn't have said that, Wally!" Hoagie howls while a smirking Abby starts snapping pictures of the brawl.
"Ooh, you are so busted!" The struggle continues for a few seconds until Kuki stands up victoriously, bowl in her hands.
"I win!" she declares cheerfully and goes back to her seat while Wally lies silently on the floor.
"Why the crud does this always happen to me…"
"Did you forget what happened the last time you pissed her off?" Hoagie asks jokingly as Wally gets up and sits down next to Patton.
"Shut up…" he replies silently and looks away with his arms crossed while Kuki happily empties the bowl by herself.
"Ah, that was delicious." she says as she puts the empty bowl on the table. Then, the same waitress approaches the booth and hands the girls their drinks: Apple soda for Kuki, Lemon soda for Abby and Rachel and a root beer for Fanny. Hoagie again attempts to hit on her but Abby violently elbows him, stopping him stone cold.
"OW! Why'd you do that?!" Abby doesn't reply as she takes a sip from her soda. Then, after the waitress leaves once again, the conversation dies down as everyone is enjoying their drinks, except for Wally, who is pouting over his nachos. But soon, everyone's attention is drawn towards the stage, where the DJ has stopped playing and his table is being moved off the stage. As the DJ receives loud applause from the teens gathered in-front of the stage, Maurice walks out and places a single mic stand on the center of the stage.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, that was our super star DJ, MC Numeral. Now, before we move on, on behalf of everyone here at The Point, I'd like to thank ya'll for coming here to hang out. This is why we started this project. So that teens could have a place to relax and unwind, without all the crazy stuff that goes on in the discos and teen hangouts downtown. All we care about is havin' a good time. So, for that, I thank you." Maurice bows to the audience and receives twice as loud applause, especially from Abby but seeing her clap and cheer enthusiastically however makes Hoagie feel uncomfortable. Then, Maurice gestures everyone to calm down.
"Alright folks, settle down. Now, next up, we've got a real classic for ya, a tradition here at The Point, the open mic comedy hour!" The room erupts into cheers and Hoagie silently pumps himself up.
"Oh yeah, it's time to show these guys some Gilligan magic."
"Now I know our 'regular' comedians are all present here, but if anyone else wants to have a crack at the mic, go for it! And remember, the one who registers the highest decibels, gets a free drinks ticket. Okay, let's get this party started!" Maurice places the mic into the stand as a bar stool is also brought to the stage.
"Alright, my time to shine!" Hoagie gets up and runs towards the stage while everyone except Wally also stands up.
"Huh? Where you guys going?"
"We can't cheer for Hoagie from all the way back here. Come on, let's go!" Kuki takes Wally's hand and drags him out of his seat.
"Hey, quit pulling me!" Kuki ignores his complaints and pulls Wally near the front of the stage where the others have already gathered.
At first, no one wants to go until, one by one, people walk up to the stage and begin telling jokes and do stand up comedy. Most of it is pretty hit and miss and Maurice, who is standing next to the stage with a decibel meter in hand, isn't getting high counts. However, soon, the regulars show up and start entertaining the crowd, allowing Maurice to actually mark the decibel counts on a piece of paper.
"Man, these guys are really bringing their a-game today." Hoagie nudges Abby, who eyes him under her cap.
"Yeah, if ya want that drinks ticket, you gotta up your game."
"I'm not doing this for the ticket! What do you take me for? The best prize a comedian can get is the cheer of the crowd, that's all." Hoagie's honesty surprises Abby, who was certain he just wanted the ticket to drink all the root bear in the bar.
"Look at you, you ain't as simple as ya look."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothin'." Abby looks away as a boy on the stage receives applause for his routine and he steps down.
"Alright, watch and learn." Hoagie says confidently and walks up to the stage as Wally looks around, noticing that everyone is looking at Hoagie expectantly.
"Why are they starin' at him like that? Is he really that good?"
"You'll see…" Nigel whispers as Hoagie takes the microphone.
"Good evening, everybody! It's great to be back up here on the stage. Now, you better prepare yourselves, because I'm gonna make you laugh so hard the roof's gonna fly out!" The crowd begins to chuckle, causing Wally to get slightly exited.
"Okay, okay, here's a good one: So, the exams are finally over, and everyone had to deal with something terrible. Wanna know what it was?" A murmur fills the crowd and Wally starts to ponder what he means.
"I'll tell you. It's paper!" Everyone stares at Hoagie in utter silence, including Wally.
"See? I told you guys; it was tear-able! Hah-aha-ha!" Hoagie cracks up over the punchline and the crowd starts laughing as well but Wally however, is stunned by his terrible joke.
"What the heck…how the heck are they laughing at that crud?!"
"That's his thing. He's been telling bad jokes and puns for so long, everyone got used to it and just laugh at them." Patton explains as the crowd laughs louder.
"It's a case of them bein' so bad, they're actually good." a grinning Abby says with her arms crossed.
"Oh crud…" Wally covers his face with his right hand as Hoagie starts telling more and more bad puns.
"A man sued an airline because it lost his luggage. Too bad he lost the case! Ha-hah-aha!"
However, not everyone finds him funny, notably the two guys who tried to hit on Abby and Kuki earlier. "The heck's this? You supposed to be funny?!"
"Yeah, you suck! Get off the stage, nerd!" Hoagie tries his best to ignore the hackling, but his voice starts getting drowned out by the two guys, and their group.
"It's those guys again…"
"They must be still pissed off about what happened earlier." Abby says while Wally starts pulling up his sleeves.
"Grr…" Angered by their hackling, Wally steps away from the others and tries to approach the boys, but Kuki stops him.
"Wally, don't!"
"Those guys are beggin' for it! I'm not gonna let 'em mock Hoagie and get away with it!"
"I can't stand it either, but you can't just go and punch them! Fighting is against the rules here."
"Gh…I wasn't gonna punch them…"
"Hmm…Oh, I've got an idea." Kuki whispers something into Wally's ear and he starts grinning.
"Heh, I like it. Let's do this."
"Yeah!" Kuki runs back into the crowd, as Hoagie's confidence begins to falter as the two boys try to bully him off the stage while his friends and especially Abby, are getting increasingly angered by the hackling but then, they hear a familiar voice. "Hoagie!"
"…huh?" He sees Kuki waving at him from amongst the crowd.
"Tell me the pilot joke!"
"Oh…uhm…"
"Give up, loser! Get new material!" Hoagie takes a deep breath and steels his nerve.
"Okay, what did the co-pilot say to the pilot whose pants fell down?"
"Boo!"
"He said…"
"PULL UP!" Wally, who snuck behind the bullies while they were busy hackling Hoagie, grabs them by their underwear and gives them unimaginably painful wedgies, causing them to yelp and scream in pain.
"YAUCH! OW, OW, OW!"
"What the heck?! Ahhh!"
"Look Hoagie, it's a pair of headless chickens!" Kuki points at the bullies and everyone starts to laugh wildly as the boys try pulling down their underwear, but Wally pulled them up so hard, they can't do anything but scream.
"Alright, get these jokers outta here." Maurice gestures to the security guards who take the bullies outside. With his confidence restored, Hoagie continues with his routine while Kuki and Wally join the others.
"Hah-hah, that was awesome! It's been a while since I saw a wedgie like that." Patton chuckles as Wally puffs his chest proudly.
"My dad said I used to give the neighborhood kids the worst wedgies when I was a kid."
"Did ya come up with that?"
"Nope." Wally replies to Abby and points at a smiling Kuki, surprising the others.
"Damn girl, you nasty."
"*giggle* thanks…" Kuki blushes slightly as everyone turn their attention back to Hoagie, who has won the crowd to his side.
"Okay guys, before I go, there's a few more good ones I wanna tell ya. So, we've all gone through puberty, right? Or, most of us. Anyway, I know a guy who was so short in elementary school, he had to stand on two chairs to reach the vending machine's buttons!" As the crowd erupts into laughter, Wally realizes Hoagie is talking about a picture of him in their album.
"Huh?!"
"And, when he didn't find any chairs, he needed someone to LIFT him up!"
"You cruddy…I'm gonna kill him! Lemme go!" Wally becomes infuriated but Patton and Nigel hold him back while Kuki giggles slightly.
"Too bad I can't show you guys, I don't do physical comedy! Then, I knew a girl who had pigtails and massive braces…" Then, before he can finish the joke, Abby marches up to the stage, punches Hoagie in the gut, knocking him out and drags him off, causing the crowd laugh so hard that Maurice registers the highest count of the evening.
"There's some physical comedy for ya! Just had to start with the roastin'…" Abby mutters as she drags the unconscious Hoagie by his collar back to the booth while everyone continues to laugh wildly.
"Hah-hah, looks like we just got our winner for the evening! That last laugh sealed the win for our favorite punster, Hoagie Gilligan!" Maurice walks up to the stage and proclaims Hoagie as the winner, but since he's been knocked unconscious, Maurice hands the winner's prize to Nigel. "Give him my regards when he…wakes up."
"I'll be sure to do that." Nigel nods and puts the envelope into his pocket while the crowd begins to disperse.
"That's all for today's Open Mic Night. We're gonna take a short breather and then, ya'll get to sing some karaoke!"
"Oh my gosh, I can't wait!" Kuki hops excitedly as they walk back to the booth, where Abby is sitting next to a knocked-out Hoagie.
"Uhm…here's the prize. You should give it to him later." Nigel says as he hands the envelope to Abby and starts putting on his jacket.
"Huh? Why can't you do that?"
"I'm going to step outside; I need some fresh air." but as he walks out and closes the door behind him, Rachel looks on and sighs.
"You okay?" Patton looks over her shoulder, startling her slightly.
"Uh, I'm fine! It's just…I've got this nagging feeling that Nigel's avoiding me…"
"Why's that?"
"Well…you know…"
"He's still feeling guilty over what happened at the estate, right?"
"Yeah…" Their conversation is stopped by Kuki screaming excitedly as the karaoke equipment is being brought to the stage.
"There it is! Come on guys, let's go sing!"
"You go ahead. Somebody's gotta keep an eye on Mr. Comedian over here." Abby replies while pointing at the knocked-out Hoagie but Fanny on the other hand, is more than happy to join Kuki.
"I'll go with ya! I didn't get a chance to sing karaoke during the trip."
"Yay! Let's sing a duet!" Kuki and Fanny run back to the stage while Wally sits down opposite to Abby and looks on as the karaoke session begins. Patton then makes eye contact with Rachel while gesturing at the door, prompting Rachel to grab her jacket and run after Nigel.
"Huh, what's up?" Abby asks Patton, who shrugs.
"Ah, nothing. Rachel just went to talk with Nigel, that's all."
"Figures." Abby says silently and crosses her arms while Patton sits down next to Wally.
"Hey Wally, we haven't tried 'that' yet, haven't we?"
"What the crud are ya talkin' about?" Wally lifts an eyebrow as Patton puts his arm on the table.
"Arm wrestling of course! You might've beaten Fanny, but I'm way better." Wally immediately accepts the challenge and the two boys lock hands.
"Oh it's on! I'm gonna crush ya!"
"In your dreams, Beetles!"
"Just don't break the table, ya muscleheads."
…
Outside, Nigel is standing in-front of the gas station and staring at the now clear, night sky. Despite what they agreed on, he still can't put away the guilt over what happened at his uncle's estate. However, now his thoughts are more focused on the man in the picture, as well at the five blank-eyed, well-dressed kids in the other portrait, who also seemed familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere.
"You didn't have kids…right? Maybe they were just some distant relatives or something…" he mutters as he walks back and forth, deep in thought.
"Nigel!" then, the silence is broken by Rachel, who comes running through the doors and approaches Nigel.
"Hmm? Rachel? What is it?" Nigel asks as Rachel stops in-front of him to catch her breath.
"*pant* I…just wanted to catch some fresh air too…" she replies and comes to Nigel side. "Wow, the clouds are all gone. You can see the stars clearly now."
"Indeed…" Nigel says while adjusting his glasses. "Be honest, you wanted to talk about something with me, right?" his sharp deduction however does not surprise Rachel, who giggles and puts her hands behind her back.
"Eh-he, nothing escapes you, Nigel."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing…Nigel, back at the estate, why didn't you listen to me?" she asks bluntly, causing Nigel to cross his arms and frown.
"Because I want to know why we lost our memories. None of us can recall anything clearly between kindergarten and last spring. Everything is just…fuzzy. And it doesn't sit well with me, Rachel. I want to know the truth, that's all."
"Even if it means putting everyone in danger?"
"No, I…that's not what I mean! Look Rachel, you don't have amnesia so you…"
"So what? Are you saying I can't understand just because me and Patton don't have it?" Rachel looks straight into Nigel's eyes and her demeanor startles him. "I just don't want to see you guys getting hurt, Nigel, is it so wrong?"
"No, of course not! Argh, then what do you want me to do? Just give up and act like nothing's wrong me. It can't be a coincidence that Abby, Wally, Kuki, Hoagie, Fanny and I all have the same condition!" Nigel stares back at Rachel, who takes a step back and lowers her head, trying to stop herself from revealing the truth about his amnesia to Nigel.
"…why not? Do you…need those memories back?" she asks cautiously as Nigel turns his back on her and begins pacing around.
"I don't know! But there's so much I can't remember! Why did it only happen to us?! How did I become friends with Wally, Kuki, Abby, Fanny and Hoagie? Why do we always start crying when we look at pictures from our past? All these questions just keep tormenting me and I can't make them stop!" Nigel rants as he throws his arms in the air in frustration. "Nothing makes sense and it's all driving me crazy!" Nigel shouts and turns back to face a silent Rachel but as he casts his gaze upon Rachel, she looks back, eyes wide open and lips quivering. "Ra…Rachel, what's wrong?"
However, as small tears start forming in her eyes, Nigel sees a faint and blurry vision fill his eyes. The expression Rachel gave him is not the first time he's seen it and suddenly, Nigel recalls the photograph he had that showed a person resembling Rachel in it, followed by stinging pain that strikes Nigel's head. "Urgh…no…not again!" he collapses on his knees while holding his head, prompting Rachel to kneel next to him.
"Nigel! Nigel, what's wrong?!" she shouts before noticing tears running down Nigel's cheeks.
"Gh…why…why is this…happening…" Nigel weeps as more and more visions start popping up in his head while Rachel gives him a tight hug.
"It's okay…clam down…I'm right here…I'm not going anywhere…" she whispers as Nigel's heavy breathing slows down. "I promise…I'll get you your memories back…just…wait a bit longer…"
After a few minutes, the fit goes away and Rachel let's go of Nigel, who slowly stands up. "…I'm sorry you had…to see that…and thanks…"
"No problem, you'd do the same for me." Rachel's sincere smile makes Nigel blush, and he turns around to hide his face.
"Uhm…*cough*…don't tell anyone about that. I don't want the others to worry."
"I won't, but you need to promise me to never endanger yourself or our friends like that again, okay?"
"I've learned my lesson, Rachel, you don't need to tell me that."
"Promise me!" Rachel shouts, startling Nigel, who looks over his shoulder and sees a very determined Rachel staring at him.
"Ye…yes, I promise."
"Good. But don't you have something else to say to me as well?" Rachel puts her hands on her waist and leans forward slightly, her gaze piercing right through Nigel and he starts to uncharacteristically stutter.
"Wha…No I don't think…so…" suddenly, he remembers the conversation he had with the boys about the party. "Ah…well…you see…I uhm…I…Okay…uhm…how do I say this…You see, I've hit a problem…" Nigel starts getting nervous and takes a deep breath.
"Hmm?"
"Well…since I am the one in-charge of the Christmas party I uh…I thought it would make sense that uh…as I am the Student Council President and you're the Vice-President…we could uhm…Argh! Get it together will you!" Nigel shouts and curses at himself, which makes Rachel laugh wildly.
"Hah-hah-hah!" she laughs so hard she has to hold her stomach, but Nigel is not amused.
"Rachel! This is a serious matter!"
"Hah-hah…sorry Nigel. Of course, I'll be your partner for the party."
"Oh, well that's gre…wait, what did you say?" Nigel's sunglasses nearly fall off his head as Rachel nods back.
"I said I'll go with you."
"Huh? Really? But I didn't even…" Nigel's mind can't comprehend what just happened while Rachel starts laughing again.
"Hah-hah! You know, sometimes your even more thickheaded than Patton or Wally!"
"I…I am not thickheaded! Your answer just caught me off-guard, that's all!" a flustered Nigel shouts at Rachel, who takes his hand again.
"Come on, let's go back already. We're missing the karaoke!" With a bright smile on her face, drags him downstairs, but Nigel is still unable to figure out what just happened.
As they re-enter the big room, they are immediately greeted by the familiar sound of Kuki singing karaoke. They see their friends standing next to the railing that surrounds the dance floor, close to the stage as Abby looks over her shoulder and waves. "Has she been there the whole time?" Nigel asks as Abby puts a lollipop into her mouth.
"She's been hoggin' the mic for like 10 minutes." Abby replies with a slight grin as Hoagie runs up to Nigel and grabs his shoulders.
"Nigel! Dude, I need your help!"
"Wha…what help?"
"There's this song I wanna sing but it's a duet and I can't do it by myself!"
"Why are you asking me?! You know I can't sing!"
"You don't need to sing! Just say the words on a monotone voice, that's all! Come on, help me out, man." Hoagie pleads, showing no signs of being knocked out by Abby only 15 minutes earlier.
"Argh…fine…but just this once!"
"Awesome! Let's get up to the stage before Kuki starts singing another song!" Hoagie runs towards the stage while Nigel remains hesitant.
"Get goin' already!" Abby pushes him slightly from behind and reluctantly, Nigel goes to the stage as Kuki's song ends.
"Hey, Kuki! We're next!"
"Okay! Here you go!" Kuki cheerfully hands her mic to Hoagie while Nigel takes the other one in-front of the TV-monitor.
"Ugh…why am I doing this…"
"Relax, I told you, just say the purple lines like you're bored, okay?"
"Right…"
Then, they start singing "The Valley of the Pagans" by Gorillaz and just as Hoagie told him, Nigel mumbles Damon Albarn's lines while Hoagie enthusiastically sings Beck's parts. Their performance gets the teens hyped up and, seeing his friends cheering for him, especially Rachel, causes Nigel to loosen up and he starts enjoying it.
As the song ends, the boys receive loud applause from everyone. "Thank you very much!" Hoagie does a bad Elvis impersonation while Nigel bows awkwardly before they get off the stage and are greeted by their friends.
"Ohmygosh, that was amazing!"
"Ya did good, Nigel." Abby says while patting a flustered Nigel in the back.
"Heh, I guess…" Nigel scratches his nose while Hoagie puffs his chest.
"What can I say, singing is a part my soul."
"Karaoke's are so fun! I wanna go there again!" Kuki tries to go the stage, but Abby stops her.
"Hold up, girl, you've been singin' the whole time. Ya gotta take a break, or you'll lose your voice."
"Oh yeah, you're right. Then you go, Wally!" Kuki looks expectantly at Wally, who's kept a low profile.
"What? No way! I ain't gonna sing!"
"What, are ya scared?" Fanny's comment immediately angers Wally.
"Am not scared!"
"Then why don't ya prove it, Rock and Roller?" Abby smirks while Kuki keeps staring at Wally.
"Gah…fine! You want singing?! I'll give ya singing! Stupid cruddy karaoke…stupid…" Wally shouts and stomps over to the stage while Abby chuckles.
"Man, he's way too easy."
Wally goes to the stage and picks up the mic with both hands, while everyone watches in total silence. Then, his song starts playing, loudly and the song in question, "I, the Mask" by In Flames, silences the audience, especially Kuki. Unlike the energetic performance earlier, Wally sings/screams with pure aggression and it shows.
"Whoo! That's what I'm talking about!" Hoagie shouts as he and Patton bang their head and play air guitar while the girls are staring at Wally's "performance" in stunned silence.
"Yup, that's his style alright." Abby chuckles while Kuki is equally impressed and shocked, even a little scared.
Then, as Wally's song ends, he puts the mic back down and steps out of the stage, to embarrassed to say anything to the cheering crowd. "There, ya happy?" Wally glares at Fanny, who huffs and looks away while Abby pats Wally's head.
"It wasn't that hard, was it?"
"Gah, shut up." Wally replies and beings to pout but then a smiling Hoagie comes to his side and slaps him in the back.
"Hah-hah, that was awesome, man! You wanna sing with me?" his excited expression causes Wally to loosen up and he nods.
"Ya know my rule, only rock."
"You got it! Let's do this!" Hoagie and Wally run back up to the stage to the disbelief of their friends, who start laughing.
"Hah-ahah! Oh man, looks like ya just woke up a real beast inside him, Fanny." Abby nudges a stunned Fanny while Kuki starts pounting.
"I wanted to sing a duet too…" she laments as Wally and Hoagie start singing Iron Maiden.
…
The party at The Point reaches its end at 9 PM, and one by one, the teenagers begin leaving the underground building. Nigel, Wally and Hoagie have already put on their jackets and are waiting for the others above ground in-front of the gas station. "Man, my throat is sore…" Hoagie tries to speak but his voice is almost gone from the stand-up act and the singing.
"I can tell. You really partied out there." Nigel says while pulling up the hood of his jacket in the cold wind.
"Heh, yeah, I wanted to let out some steam…those exams were murder…" Hoagie replies with a raspy voice, but he and his friends know the real reason they wanted to let loose as the fit they had the estate weight heavily in their minds. After 5 minutes of silence, Kuki, Abby and Fanny walk out of the gas station and join the boys.
"Hey guys, Rachel forgot one of her books at Patton's place, so we're takin' Fanny home instead."
"Sorry Abby…my dad's really strict about my curfew…"
"Is okay, girl. Abby don't mind." Abby shrugs as Nigel gestures towards the parking lot.
"Alright then. We should get going before this wind freezes us in place." however, as they start walking over to their cars, both Nigel and Abby become suspicious about Patton and Rachel's sudden absence but keep their thoughts to themselves.
While the rest of the group begin leaving The Point, underground, Patton and Rachel walk past the stage into the hallway between it and the bar, where at the end of said hallway, they enter an empty room where Maurice is waiting, sitting in-front of a large screen through which Eliza is watching them.
"Numbuh Sigma, Numbuh Alpha." Rachel says as she and Patton salute them.
"At ease guys. I read the report about the estate earlier." Eliza says and stands up. "It's a good thing your Sector intercepted the call, or else things would've gone way worse."
"They nearly lost their minds down there. I've never seen anyone have a fit like that." Patton replies as Maurice crosses his arms.
"We're gonna have to change things up from now, Numbuh Epsilon. Thanks to the disc Gamma sent us, we've got a pretty good grasp on how Erasure works now. You can ask about the specifics from Numbuh Omicron, but the point is, each time a partially Erased person recalls something important, they suffer a fit and the stronger the memory, the stronger the fit gets."
"Yeah, we saw that first-hand…" Rachel says as her shoulder slump down. "It was the same with Numbuh 23...Is their condition getting worse?"
"It is. But Numbuh Omicron and the scientists have already started building the device that reverses partial Erasure, which should be ready in two to three weeks. Which means we'll be able to Recommission everyone who were partially Erased soon." Eliza's explanation fills Rachel and Patton with both relief and hope but then, she continues. "But we don't know when the GKND will make their move, so they might attack Earth before we're ready. Numbuh Epsilon, tomorrow, I want you to gather all of Cleve's TND Observers and brief them. I'll have Numbuh Iota-3 send you my orders and you need to pass them on."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
"One more thing guys." Maurice stands up and looks at Rachel and Patton sternly. "When we start Recommissioning everyone, you need to cut all contact with Sector V until they're brought to the Moonbase. I know it ain't gonna be easy, but I know you can do it."
"Cu…cut all contact? But can't we just bring them with us?"
"No. We don't know yet how they might react if they learn about you and the TND too quickly. Once the device is ready, you'll receive the order." Eliza explains but it does not sit well with neither Rachel or Patton, who clenches his fists.
"What about Fanny?"
"Obviously she's getting Recommissioned too. But for now, keep observing them and if any of them have similar fits like today, report them to Moonbase, got it?" Maurice eyes Rachel and Patton, who salute back.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry if I sounded harsh, but we have to be careful and we don't have much time, you understand, right?" Eliza says apologetically, prompting Rachel and Patton to nod.
"We do. Is this all?" Rachel asks, refusing to show any emotion on her face.
"That's all. Ya'll should head back home now. I'll see ya tomorrow at base."
"Roger that." After another round of salutes, Rachel and Patton leave the room as Maurice looks over his shoulder towards a worried Eliza.
"Telling them the new yourself was the right choice."
"I hope so…I can't imagine how they felt, seeing them have a fit like that…" Eliza replies silently while clutching her chest.
"We'll get 'em back. Just a bit more."
"We need them back, Numbuh Sigma." Eliza says before hanging up, causing Maurice to sigh.
"I know, you don't need to tell me that…"
End of Transmission 27
Note: This chapter was one of the few that I barely had to rewrite at all, except for the end dialog. Originally, I was going to omit this one completely, because I thought it served no narrative purpose at all, but then decided to keep it to loosen the tone a bit and just have the cast some fun for once.
Music plays a big part in this chapter, specifically the duet that Hoagie and Nigel sing and Wally's solo performance. And that's because the songs they perform were ones I listened a lot back when I originally wrote this chapter in 2019. At that time, this fic was supposed to be a short rom-com thing but that obviously is not the case anymore.