Chapter 8

"First Leo, and now Emma, Cass, Haoyu, and Yuri are missing."

"What could have happened to them?"

"I think there's something rotten going on."

"And whoever is running that show that Leo was performing in is behind it somehow."

Eis, Sana, Jose, and Bruce were all discussing the disappearance of the other four children when they were searching for Leo. The fireman took a deep breath. "We need more help," he said.

"We can help, Eis," said Water Blaster as some of the other costumes nodded.

The Tims gathered around, chirping to indicate they would help too. Lance then made his appearance, his Negati beside him too. Iben looked at him in curiosity and he nodded. "My Negati have agreed to help find the children," he said. "And I agree with Bruce. Something is gravely wrong."

Balan came out of his office, looking forlorn and he looked at his friends, who looked sad. "Nothing yet, Balan, but we may have a small clue," Sana said. "Whoever kidnapped Leo also kidnapped Emma, Haoyu, Yuri, and Cass."

"And I've got a feeling that they might have taken advantage of Leo's amnesia," Jose said. "He already doesn't recognize us and whoever kidnapped him must have been worried the kids would help Leo recall his lost memories."

"Guys!" Attilio said, running up to them. "I found a major clue!"

He held up a new poster and this time, all five of the missing children were on it and Lance blinked in surprise. "I don't believe this," he said. "Their names."

"Their stage names from when they first arrived at the theater," Balan said, also surprised before a frown made its way to his face. "Jose is right. There is something rotten about that show Leo was doing last night."

"So our answers are at wherever that show is," Sana said.

"There's just one problem," Attilio said. "Look at the location for this show."

They did. "The show is in another city," Iben said.

Eis had gone to investigate where last night's show had been, but found the place deserted and he headed back to the theater. "They've already left," he said. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about this. Whoever is behind all this must know we're looking for the kids."

"Which would explain the move, but that means they'll be constantly on the move until they're caught," Bruce said. "Not enough time to get the police involved to properly investigate."

"I can still ask my buddies to look into it," the fireman said. "Not only that, I know my boss is good friends with several of the police in other cities."

"Let's hold on that until we have more proof," Lance suggested. "Our suspicions won't be enough unless we have something to back them up."

"Either we find the kids or find whoever is behind all this," Attilio said.

Balan nodded. "First things first, we get to where the next concert will be," he said.

A quick snap of his fingers and the theater and all inside appeared in the next city. "Okay, how should we go about this?" Lucy asked.

"I think if we can't get backstage as fans, we might have better luck getting backstage as stage hands or helpers," Cal said.

"Cal's got a point," Fiona said. "But how many of us should do that? If we all did, we could become as lost or trapped as the kids are."

"I think two of you should try to sneak in as stage hands," Lance said. "Balan and I will be nearby and should you both need assistance, we can pull you out of there quickly."

"He's right," Balan said with a nod. "Eis, please contact your friend to tell him what is going on and to be ready to sound the alert as soon as he gets the word from you."

"You got it, Balan," the fireman said, calling up his friend at once.

Jose looked thoughtful. "Attilio, you know pretty much everything about backstage stuff and how to navigate them," he said. "I think you'd be a good pick to sneak in as a stage hand."

"And I'll go with you, Attilio," Fiona said. "Hopefully between the two of us, we can get proof that the kids were kidnapped."

The amusement park owner nodded and Lance nodded too. "Sounds like a plan," he said.

"If you both encounter trouble, call out of me or Lance with your minds," Balan said.

"Guess we have a bit of time to prepare for this mission," Lucy said. "The concert is tomorrow night."

"Balan, is it okay if Attilio and I use the stage here to plan escape routes and such?" Fiona asked. "I know it won't be exactly the same, but it would be good practice and give us a basic layout."

"She's right," Attilio said with a nod.

"Of course you both can," he said. "In fact, I encourage everyone to participate."

The others nodded. "It certainly wouldn't hurt," Cal said.

"Not sure how fast I can move, but I can scope out hiding areas," Bruce said.

"How about we go into teams?" Rail Runner suggested. "We can have one team be scoping out escape plans and another team doing hiding spots. We can meet up and share plans before switching up for each team to do the opposite of what they did before."

"That's a good idea," Jose said.

"Let's split up into teams and get on it right now," Lucy said.

Lance noticed Balan had moved away from them and he followed his counterpart to his office. He saw the Maestro of Positivity pick up a photo of himself with Emma and Leo and the top-hatted being had tears in his eyes. "Oh, my little ones," he said softly.

"Balan," Lance called softly to him, getting his attention. The Maestro of Negativity hugged Balan, feeling his counterpart hug him back. "It's going to be alright. We at least know where they are right now and by the poster Attilio found, we know they're alive."

"But what if the one who captured them blackmailed them into being a dance group with Leo?" Balan said. "They wouldn't just go and join a dance team and forget about Leo. I know they wouldn't."

"I agree," his counterpart said. "I think the children may have found Leo, but they must have run into the person that is holding Leo hostage, for lack of a better term."

Balan's eyes filled with more tears. "I just want to find my children and hug them," he said. "And find the others. I...I'm just so worried, Lance."

"I know," Lance said with a nod. "I am too. But pacing your office isn't the solution. Let's go see how the others are doing with their search and observe groups."

The top-hatted Maestro nodded and when they went out into the theater room, they found the two teams had completed the first run of their practice work and were working on the second part, which they soon completed.

"Okay, I think this is really going to work," Sana said.

"Fiona? Attilio? You both ready?" Bruce asked.

"Ready," Attilio said.

"Ready," Fiona said.

Balan went up to them. "Get some rest, everyone," he said. "We will need it for our mission."

The next night, they went to the concert, which was in full swing and Fiona and Attilio, disguised as stage hands thanks to Balan and Lance, slipped inside, looking around for the kids. "I don't even see any sign of them," the diver said.

"Yeah," Attilio said. "Something is really fishy here."

Just then, they heard someone speak and Attilio gently pulled Fiona down to hide as they listened in. "The kids are already in the van and it's reached out next destination," a man said.

"Good," one man said. "We have to move now. Don't want to draw attention to ourselves, do we?"

As the two men moved away, Fiona and Attilio snuck back out, running to find Balan, who knew by their faces that they had bad news. "Sorry, Balan, they moved the kids before we could see them," Attilio said. "But get this, we saw no sign of the kids."

"So we know whoever has the kids is keeping them hidden," Fiona said. "One of them even mentioned not drawing attention to themselves."

"Well, unlucky for them, we're not giving up," Lance said. "I know where they are headed next. One of my Negati managed to get a peek at the schedule one of the workers had."

"Let's go then," Balan said, snapping his fingers and teleporting them all to where the next concert was to take place.

The inhabitants and costumes, along with the Tims and Negati, got ready, prepared for a battle to get the kids back.

Looks like the manager of the show isn't taking chances, but will his plan succeed? Or will there be a few snags in his plan. We shall soon see. :)

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GoldGuardian2418