My eyes shot up when I heard Jessica say that. The Dognappers… it can't be…
The Dognappers were one of my first big cases when I was just starting out as a junoir detective and super sleuth. I stumbled onto there nefereus dognapping deeds, and it was only do to my sheer wites and MacGuybrush-like cumming that I was able to escape their plan and then have them become convicts. After they were halted of to jail and those dogs were freed, I never thought I'd hear their name again. So to hear their name, literally, spelt out in from of me… and I knew why they would want revenge so bad for all the things I did to them…
That night, Nick dropped me off home and I had a restlest sleep once again, wondering what the next pawn would be in this game of checkers unfolding around me. But I couldn't be realest for too long, it was a big day the next day for me at Ble Meadows High. You see, every senior class has a secret special senior class progect that they work on all year and then unveil at prom at the end of school, and this year, of course I was voted to lead the project. I was president of the pig pong club adfter all if you remember, and so I enlisted the help of the club plus several other clubs to make a large robot (ok not like 100 feet tall with a cockpit and weapons like a power rangers Magazord, come one, this is a realistic story after all) that would do some really cool stuff. We were gonna make this the best senior project that Blue Meadows High would EVER see.
But yeah, we were all hanging out first thing of the day, sketching blueprints and barnstorming up great ideas for this device. Even Jamie was really into this and he was in the robotics club and said he could make it so we could hook it up to The Grid and give it even more power. Well, I still didn't really know or trust or believe Jamie, but a good spy knows his assets out in the field and if Jamie puts his money were his mouth will be, I could look the other way from his bad vibes. People even started building the robot: I watched on at the work being made, holding the tools, and smilled at the great job we were already doing.
But soon, the bell tolled and we had to go to closses. The only notable things from the first half of the day was that for math, Mrs. Berenczeck's room had some water damage happen to it so we had to borrow Mr. Armenta's classroom for the moment. Usually Mr Armenta hung out directly with my dad and I at our house so I hadn't seen his classroom for a while, but immeditilly when I walked through the wide open door of his room into the room itself i smiled widely too; bwecause I knew Mr. Armenta had upgraded his room with the latest cool drip; on the walls were video game and movie posters like he had the New Blood logo on the wall and then posters for some killer movies like Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1, Blade Runner 2049, and Abduction starring Taylor Lautner. He was always making/getting new ones for the room to refresh the room, I could almost see the one he had my freshmin yeah, Mr. Armenta asked his class if anyone would give up there desks for us just for the moment but only a few kids did so most of us had to stand.
Anyways, the first half of the day ended and it was lunchtime. I headed to my friend's table but When I walked in a lot of things were going on around me. For one, I wasnt alone. Ben was there with his new boyfriend (theyfriend?) named Mengo. We all knew Mengo from school were they recently came out as nonbisexual but they seemed cool and Ben and them really got along plus, Mengo was a really good medic in Battleblocks. When they/them play Ben gave them the good controller and I made a pchologicial note to do the same for Jessica later when we hopped on Titan fall (sorry for misspelling but my phone autocorrect keeps changing this) later. Speaking of Jess too, she was there too and smiled like a beacon in the fog of life when I approached. She scooted over in the chair and we romantically sat down right next to each other. At the table, Tony was spinning a good yam about what happened earlier to him in gym class. Apparently it was swim day and Tony got some new water shoes, so also they got out those boogie boards, and Tony threw one onto the water and tried to walk over to it but they didn't work but I just sank like a rock!"
I smmirked and thought to myself about how water shoes were really WERE a thing that worked, just like lots of other international spy gadgets, but that technology would not be avalblable to the public until 2039.
"That's great Tony" said Ralph "but how are you feeling? I mean, after what happened at the spelling be…"
"Oh yeah. So, I'm taking some iron suppelments for my health conditions, I talked to my doctor about it and he perscribled me them iron suppelments, check these out, they are gnarly!"
Tony showed us the pills he had to take and they were absolutely huge! I couldn't imagine havving to swallow those hole.
"Yeah, but I am feeling better taking them. Heh, maybe I'm part machine now, like Robocop."
Suddenly one of the other kids at lunch at the table next to us spun over to face us.
"Robocop? Haha, more like Ironman!"
This elicited a huge cheer from everyone in the vicinity and everyone was roaring with laughter. Several people picked this kid up, chair and all, and paraded him off while chanting "IRONMAN! IRONMAN! IRNMAN!" We were sckoked, above all and in particular. Tony looked kinda upset that they stole his thunder but I wouldn't take it too personally. After that, Jessica got my attention.
"Fern, your lunch is going cold" she said and handed me an apple, and I began twisting the stem around, hoping to pull it out in one piece. She smiled when I pulled it out and cheers "Og wow Fern, you're so lucky, I never get the wishbone!" I looked down at my cold fingertips and found I had in one hand the apple with no stem. Into the other hand I had gotten lucky indeed.
The rest of school went by normally, well except that in 7th period science I got a strange text message, when I checked it it said "HELLO BLACKBIRD, THE NEST FATHER IS EXPECTING YOU." This was unexpected; very few people knew my personal codename. When l looked back down again after reading it, the message was already deleted off my phone. But I had internalized it into my mind and I knew what I needed to do / be done.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After school, me and Nick, Mike, and Jessica met up again and I briefed them on the message I had received. We were going back to my house - well technically actually to my secret base - as this conversation played itself oyut.
"The Nest Father?" asked Nick. "Sounds dangerous."
"You think this is related to… you know… everything going on now?" said Mike.
"Well, there's only one way to find out" ansewred Jessica. She grabbed my arm cutely. We got to the shed in my backyard and took the hidden elevator down to my secret base once ahain. We walked off the elevator and rows and rows of lights lit up one by one around the central room and my massive supercomputer. I walked up to the computer and pushed the power switch. The giant monitors whirled alive and I heard the familiar voice of my computer's AI.
"Hello. If you are hearing this message, then Ferdinand J. Gully is already dead."
Inside I frowned, because I obviously wasn't dead. I was right here! I should really change that away message. But then the computer optically scanned my vision and verified who I was, then went to the home screen with a welcoming set of beeps. As I typed in the info I needed to enter, as Nick laughed and elbowed Mike as he told a joke:
"You think this thing's got a Hemi in it?"
"Quit joking around boys" said Jessica. "This supercomputer has top of the line parts, with an advanced AI that hasn't even been patented yet. This computer's got every digital record ever created dating back to the very inception of the megabyte; and it can stream 10G at laser speeds all the way around the globe. And don't worry boys, if it thought you were a threat, you would know that by now ;)."
Nick and Mike looked sort of pale, but they recovered from that. After I entered in the final info and clicked one more button, I stepped back as the screen changed to show an attempted dial connection. And soon, something appeared on the other line. It was a man in a suit, close up on the camera in what looked like a private office.
"Who are you? And how did you get this numvber?"
"This is Blackbird, reporting in" I said with a serious tone.
"Ahh, Fern, good to hear from you again. And Jessica… but who are these two with you?" the man asked.
"I'm Nick," said Nick, "and this is my brother Mike. And before you tell us otherwise, whatever Fern hears, we hear. We're a team."
He and Mike looked at each other and smirked. But the guy on the other end didn't seem to like that.
"Are you sure you know what you're getting into? Your friend Fern here is a Class 5 Independent Black Ops agent. That means he's above the law and allowed to break the Geneva Convension. It's a dangerous world we're part of - not one that many people get to see."
It really dawned on the brothers how much I had been holding back every time they bullied me, and what I could really do to them if I wasn't trying to keep my cover. Their eyes went wide and they again turned paler than even before as they looked at me, but I just looked back with the same causal stoic smile that showed them I was keeping my cover for them even now.
"That's great sir" said Jessica tucking some hair behind her ear "let's get to the point. The government wants to talk to Fern?"
The man adjusted his tie "I'm not from the government, I'm from the CIA. This information comes straight from the president. And it's about the Dognappers."
The Dognappers, mentioned once again… this was about to be deeper than just an attepmt at revenge. They was puzzle pieces here that were about to fall all into place…
"Go ahead sir" said Mike.
"As you may know, these Dognappers had broke out of prison early and make an attempt on Fern's life just a while ago… but there is more to this story. They are also part of an international threat that may destabilize or destroy our very way of life if their evil plan succeeds. We think their first step was to come after the one person who could stop them."
All eyes went on me. "Himmm" said Mike under his breathe.
"What plan?" asked Nick.
The man in the suit continued " Recently, a notoreous terrorist group called the Death To All Group (DTAG) stole several portable nukes from the United States. They want to use them against us - however, the launch codes are only known by the President, and those are kept on the collars of the president's dogs. That's where the Dognappers come in - and now, you."
The situation quickly became clear on us and we began putting those broken puzzle pieces all back together.
"If DTAG don't have the launch codes, then they can't use the nukes" said Jessica.
"But if the Dognappers steal the dogs, they get the launch codes" said Mike.
"AND SO YOU NEED TO STOP THEM AND dtag BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE" said the man in the suit.
"Got it" said Nick. "And I presume you're sending Fern - well, us - because this is beyond U.S. government overreach?"
"Exactly. Our hands are tied. Diplomacy, and all that. But Fern is an independent agent; everything you do is off the books and off the record."
"Where to sir?" acquired Jessica. I was almost detracted by the way she had he hair curled today aand almost said something when I was brought back to the mission by the puffing of the man's big cigar.
"We have an informant in Prazil that might have lead to tracking down the terrorists. Put your sunscreen on boys - I hear it's bright out this time of year. I'll send you more info as you need it. Good hunting."
The screen ended, and we all looked at each other.
"So, you ready to kick some ass?" said Mike.
Nick smirkled "I'm always ready." Then he cracked all of his fingers all at once and pulled out hid gun. "To Prazil we go!"
But there was one more thing to do before we left…to stop those dognappers, we were gonna have to put our noses to the floor...and SNIFF out this tierany and corruption... thats right, we were now...the return of THE DIAMOND DOGS!