CHAPTER 13: INVADERS FROM IRK, PART 6
Therapy comes in all forms and functions, all of which are customed to the needs ot the individual in question. Often, it is focused on but one person in order to maximize their needs and care, but, occasionally, therapy can be spent together, with two parties who have shared a trauma together, or even in groups to overcome their mental wounds as one.
Rudy and Penny Tabootie face theirs together, inching their way towards mental health once again.
Seemingly destined towards marriage when they had met at 10 years old, sharing harrowing adventures together in a magical land known as ChalkZone, doing so until their teenage years had begun. Just as they had shared adventures in the second dimension as youths, they would have shared the adventure of adult life together as they figured it out as a team...
...but the interference of a foe by the name of Skrawl made the journey together impossible, and they were taken from one another, forced to live out separate lives until 15 years later, when they had both taken on their own traumas throughout their own lives, and even more following the trials following their reunion.
At last achieving the life they desired together through marriage, they lay out their troubles to their therapist, a psychologist by the name of Dr. Judge listens carefully and sympathetically. He has given some instruction on how to overcome their traumas, and today is where they take another moment in the week to see how far their efforts are paying off.
"Alright, it's been about a month since we've all started getting together now." Dr. Judge said.
"A full month." Penny commented.
"I know, right? Amazing how time flies so quickly. So, you two have been spending a lot of family time together, that's very good, and there's been no problems at home?"
"None whatsoever. It's been nice to have a breather."
"Good, good."
"But, um... The, uh... The... nightmares... they're still there."
"Mmm-mmm. Is it the same dream again?"
"Yes. I've been taking the sleeping medication you prescribed, and I've been trying to do a lot more relaxing activities before bed. Most of the time, I read a book or listen to white noise. But it just... Oh, god..."
Feeling anxiety take hold on her, Penny's breathing began to increase, prompting her to stop and collect herself.
"It's alright, Penny. Just breathe." Dr. Judge said.
"I'm okay, I'm okay. Just... I'm okay. It's just hard to get that image out of my head. I saw myself killing my husband. How is anybody supposed to live with that?" Penny asked.
"But he's not dead. You know he's right here, and he's not hurt."
"I know. But after spending so many years missing him, seeing him die, that's- that's not an image I ever want to see again. I know he's here now. I guess I just need time to really have it cemented in my head. I've only had him back in my life a little over a year, and he's been gone for 15. I just need more time."
"That's good, that's a reasonable way to look at it. We don't heal in just a day. You've been coming back for a month, after all."
"Right."
"And what about you, Rudy? You've been awfully quiet the whole time."
"I was just letting Penny talk. She's got more to say than me." Rudy said.
"Now, Rudy, remember what we talked about on the first day? It's not a question of who needs help more. We all need help, but that doesn't make it any less important because someone else hasn't been down the same path as you."
"I remember. I just wanted Penny to go first. I want to make sure my wife's taken care of first."
"In that case, that's just being a good husband."
The three chuckled at the joke, allowing levity to the serious discussion and all topics included.
"Now, come on, Rudy. This is your time, your place. You can say whatever's been going on with you, and there's no judgement here, pardon the expression. This is about being honest not just with everyone else here, but with yourself." Dr. Judge said.
One particular topic of conversation came to Rudy's mind, with his mouth instinctively preparing to open and speak his mind. A second thought brought about hesitation, and his eyes darted to the side, still unsure of how to phrase his thought without revealing ChalkZone, and unsure of whether or not to speak.
But his own self-preservation that once forced him into silence craved the solution of his issues more, and gave him the strength to speak.
"I, uh... I recently... met with... the person who kidnapped me." Rudy confessed.
The comment prompted peaked interest from both Dr. Judge and Penny, who looked back to Rudy with concern and caution.
"You... met with him?" Dr. Judge asked.
"I mean... There's, uh, there's this place that... I go sometimes. I first went there when I was a kid. I went there a lot when I was kidnapped. I went there again recently, and talked to him. The one who did it." Rudy said.
Through Rudy's vague description, Dr. Judge interpreted the story differently from the reality, but nonetheless found a track to work with, nodding in understanding.
"Ah, I think I understand. Please, continue." Dr. Judge implored.
"I killed him." Rudy said.
Rudy's confession came with a calmness and confidence that one would hear only in true killers, stemming from the vigilante justice he exacted onto others. The placid voice disturbed Penny when she heard it, but, yet still unaware of the true context, Dr. Judge kept a nonplussed reaction, keeping his empathy and understanding.
"And what else?" Dr. Judge asked.
"I killed him a lot of times. I thought if I killed him enough times, I'd eventually stop seeing him, and I'd keep him from hurting anyone else. To make sure nobody else would suffer like I did. Sort of like... In Silence of the Lambs, Clarice Starling said to Hannibal Lecter that if she'd just stopped Buffalo Bill, she'd make the lambs stop screaming in her head, from that one bad childhood memory of hers. I don't know if you know that reference, but..." Rudy said.
"I did see it. Very good movie. I always get a lot of funny looks when I ask for Chianti at dinner, though."
Another much-needed chuckle was shared with the group, disarming Rudy and putting him at ease enough to continue.
"But it wasn't working. No matter how many times I killed him, I just kept seeing him everywhere. Knowing what he did to me and what he stole from me. In the movie, Agent Starling said the lambs stopped screaming... but they didn't for me. I guess it just goes to show you that the movies are always full of shit when it comes to happy endings." Rudy said.
"So what did you do then?" Dr. Judge asked.
"I talked with him."
"What did you talk about?"
"I... I told him that I understood why he did it. That there was something inherently wrong with him, and that he took it out on me for it."
"Nothing's inherently wrong with anyone, Rudy."
"That's how he saw it. He blamed me for it. I... reimagined him as finally having what was wrong with him solved, and he was happy. He was thankful that I gave him peace, and I knew he wasn't going to hurt me anymore. He asked me for forgiveness."
"Did you forgive him?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"There's part of me that wants to. I know it's the right thing to do, like it's the right answer on a test, like it's the one thing standing between me and getting this out of my head, but there's also the anger in me that wants to lash out. I've had it with me for so long, it's just as a part of me as my drawing. I don't know if I'm ready or able to give up a part of me."
"Even when it brings you these problems?"
With the dilemma rephrased in a way that reminded Rudy of his current situation, the time to reply came slowly following contemplation, seeing how his actions led to consequences that harmed himself. Once again put between two distinct choices in solving his internal struggle, he cannot reach a decision.
"I don't know. It's something I picked up and held onto in order to survive. I know I don't need it anymore, but it's still a part of me nonetheless." Rudy said.
"So you hold onto your anger for a sense of identity?" Dr. Judge asked.
"I guess so."
Reaching her hand to Rudy's, Penny grasped it, squeezing it to gain his full attention.
"Rudy, you don't need that to tell you who you are. You're my husband, and the father to my children, and a very talented artist with a good career and following. That's who you are. That anger? That's not who you are. That's what Skra- Um, what your kidnapper made you into." Penny said.
"And what about me being your husband? That's something you gave to me. Or my art? Maybe I had that in me, but it was comics that brought it out of me. Everything I am, it's been influenced by other people and other things." Rudy rebutted.
"That's true, but you can also decide for yourself what you want to do in life. What you've done is only half of your life. What you're going to do is the other. It's a simple question at this point: What do you want to do with your life now?" Dr. Judge asked.
This question required far less time to respond, especially after looking into the eyes of Penny as they gazed on him with love and care.
"I want to be a good husband to Penny, and raise our kids to make them good people." Rudy answered.
"And do you think you need your anger to do that?" Dr. Judge asked.
"No."
"Then it's as simple as that. You can choose your anger or your Penny. Which do you think requires more devotion?"
Hesitation comes only briefly with the next response, but it is certain and clear.
"Her." Rudy answered.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Dr. Judge asked.
Looking back at Penny once more, Rudy's eyes were given the view of her loving gaze once again, the size of her eyes amplified by her glasses to appear wider and more innocent. The hazel-brown eyes of his wife carried a need and longing that called unto Rudy, just a step away from tears.
The emotion is not only communicated and reciprocated, but also felt by Rudy himself. To see any sort of distress or discomfort in his wife's eyes is something he cannot stomach, and has an instant drive and obligation to see the source of her troubles completely gone.
In this instance, however, he is at a crossroads with the particular source of her distress.
He knows that it is his own anger that scares her, and to rid himself of it would bring an end to many of her troubles. He feels an enormous amount of guilt for having inflicted these negative emotions upon her, and that guilt also drives him to dispose of his anger as well...
...yet still, this is a task that requires him to surrender what is, for better or worse, a part of himself. This part of him has taken on a firm hold on his identity, making it hard to imagine himself without the anger inside him, and he wonders how he could get through much of his life without it.
But he also wonder how he would live without Penny, and that is a thought that makes him fearful more.
At a choice between his anger or Penny, there is but one obvious solution.
"I love you, Penny." Rudy cried.
With tears starting to form in his own eyes, Penny, too, began to cry, and held his hands tighter.
"I love you, too, Rudy." Penny cried.
Grabbing each other in a loving embrace, both shared a kiss, tasting one another and making themselves one person for but a small moment in time, giving permanence to the love they shared, and strengthening it to solidify their bond and give them both strength to continue on.
The kiss ended with both parties hugging and continuing to release their emotions in a cry, and, trying to hold back his own tears, Dr. Judge watched with pride.
"Now, I think we're getting to a breakthrough." Dr. Judge said.
"I'm not under any illusions, doctor. I know that it's gonna take a long while for me to get through this, but I'll do it. For Penny. I have to." Rudy said.
"As long as you remember that and hold that mentality in mind, you will. I guarantee it."
One member of the team is in, but another is not.
What started as a rapid success in recruiting those needed to fight against Zim and the Irken invasion has hit a recent speed bump with one member refusing to join, leaving the overall team one man short and decreasing the likelihood that the human race will fend off its invaders.
The one who would not join is Gerald Johannsen, once the best friend of Arnold Shortman, and crime-fighting partner of the Green Eye also known as G-Funk. For personal reasons, pertaining both to recent events and those that he has shared with Arnold in Hillwood, his involvement has been sufficiently ruled out.
This leaves not only one man down on the team, but also left a dejected Arnold Shortman.
For the majority of the trip, he has spent his time brooding alone, mostly by sitting at the table or laying on the couch. This time, his solitude seems to be even more introspective and melancholy than before, and the reason for his darkened mood is obvious enough as not to warrant repeating.
It is also obvious enough for Eliza Thornberry to take notice of, and she has made many attempts to reach out to him.
Her latest attempt comes as she walked into the main living room of the Comvee, but came to a momentary pause as she encountered Dib. Having no personal liking for the man, not forgiving him for the threat that forced her to disclose her greatest secret, he is still worthy of her attention, if not to ensure he poses no threat.
At the moment, he does not appear to do so, choosing to stand and face the wall in contemplation, with one foot on a chair and his head looking off to the side. The act is of no obvious threat, but it does illicit enough curiosity for further inspection, which Eliza did before asking Dib directly what his goal was.
"What are you doing?" Eliza asked.
"Thinking about the day we will defeat Zim. It will be a glorious day in history, when the Irken scum is finally rid from the Earth, and the world will bow to its heroes as we celebrate our freedom. It's a moment I've waited for all my life." Dib explained.
The explanation comes in a grandiose voice that reeked of self-importance and delusions of grandeur, prompting Eliza to avoid him with even greater effort.
"Uh... Okay." Eliza said.
Walking away from Dib with caution and an eye kept on him as she walked away, Eliza continued into the main living room of the Comvee, finding Arnold sitting by himself in a brooding manner. The concern for Dib is now gone as she stood in his eminence, hoping with childlike fervor that the Green Eye might return.
Yet again she tries to reach him, in spite of her previous failures, seating herself across from him.
"Hey again." Eliza said.
Arnold gave her a mild glance, looking back down at the table after. Initially disheartened, Eliza was not deterred, and she continued to speak.
"Listen. I, uh, I'm sorry that things didn't work out with your friend." Eliza said.
Still did Arnold show little interest, this time not bothering to look at her in response. Eliza grew anxious as a result, not sure how to continue.
"Was... Was he your best friend? It seemed like you two were close." Eliza asked.
"Used to be." Arnold said.
"Yeah. I had a best friend, too, a long time ago, like you. He was a chimpanzee."
"My best friend's black, your best friend's a chimpanzee. You don't see the obvious racial angle you just laid out?"
Not noticing the unfortunate connection Arnold mentioned, Eliza nervously attempted to back away from the accusation, stammering in anxiety.
"What?! Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I wasn't doing that at all. Honest. I mean, we've been all around the planet-" Eliza panicked.
"Save it. I know that's not what you meant. I also know that you can talk to animals, so I'm guessing you saw him more like another human than an animal." Arnold said.
Cleared of the uncomfortable situation and asked a more comfortable question, Eliza remained calm enough to continue.
"Yes. Yes, I did. Well, I've never actually seen animals as just 'animals', in the way you might, being able to... You know. They all seem like people. But Darwin was my best friend. I knew him for most of my childhood, and we did so much stuff together." Eliza said.
"Hmph. Naming the chimp Darwin. That's real original. Bet you pissed off the creationists real bad with that one." Arnold scoffed.
"Actually, we named him after my cousin."
"Of course. Is there a point to this conversation? Another one of your attempts to try to make me cheer up or something?"
Arnold's negative attitude no longer made Eliza feel intimidated, but, instead, drove her to stand her ground and show her frustration.
"Look. I realize you don't like me very much. That's fine. But I actually believe in what we're doing, and that we need the Green Eye again. Whether or not you choose to believe you're still the Green Eye or not, it doesn't matter. You are. But if you really wanna try to ruin all the good you did, go ahead. See if I care." Eliza sneered.
Getting up from the table, Eliza prepared to walk away, almost leaving earshot of Arnold until...
"It's not that I don't like you, Eliza." Arnold said.
Hearing Arnold's response, Eliza stopped and turned to look back at him, listening for more.
"You're a good person. I know, I can tell. The problem is you haven't seen the worst of the worst. You don't realize how little your efforts actually mean at the end of the day." Arnold continued.
"Oh, I've seen plenty of bad out there. Trust me." Eliza said.
"Like what?"
"The cycle of life. Animals hunting and eating other animals for food. Predator and prey. You name the continent, I can name you which animal's which. That's nature. I couldn't stop nature even if I tried. As much as I'd like to, sometimes."
"That's just how life is. When it comes to animals, you only have one primary directive: You survive. Sometimes you have to hunt and kill, sometimes you have to be the one hunted and killed. It's ugly, but there's an order to it. It's a necessary evil. How many animals can you name me that kill one of their own because they didn't like the color of their skin? Or for believing in the wrong god? Or killed and ate them for no more than a sick pleasure rather than necessity? Or just killed them for the sheer thrill of it? How many?"
"Uh... none."
"Exactly. They don't do that. Only humans. I've seen all that and then more. You can hear an animal being hunted and eaten. I can hear them being raped, killed, and mutilated on a mass scale. An entire city was dedicated to suffering, and it was all turned toward my head. And the only thing that made it stop was a bomb killing everyone. Yeah, you're a good one, I'll give you that. But for every one of you, there's 100 more people that are willing to do all sorts of things you don't even want to hear. I once knew a family man that lived in our boarding home, he had a wife and two children. He raped dozens of little girls into his own sex harem, and he did it after convincing himself that he was saving them from worse rapists who would've hurt them."
The lone shared story made Eliza shudder in disgust and fear, imagining herself in a similar situation.
"The point is, people aren't worth saving. They all go bad eventually. Like an endless leak in a bucket, and I was the sole plug holding it up. And I'm tired of being the only thing holding it. It's burned me out. I'm so goddamn dragged down, it's hard to feel anything else anymore. All I want now is to rest." Arnold said.
Turning away from Eliza, Arnold laid his arms folded on the table, placing his head into them.
"You saved me." Eliza said.
Hearing her counterargument, Arnold looked towards her once again.
"What?" Arnold asked.
"You saved me. Why would you save me if you didn't believe in saving people anymore?" Eliza asked.
"You were in my jungle, and people were hurting the life in it. I had to stop them."
"You could've just ignored it if you wanted your rest."
"No, I couldn't. I can feel everything around me, anything alive. I went back to San Lorenzo because I was surrounded by people I know aren't bad at all. The poachers, the people who took you and your family, I needed them gone. They were like a pollutant in my head."
"But you still saved me and my family. You must still believe in doing some good."
"What difference does it make if I do?"
"You said it yourself, you were surrounded by people you knew had no bad in them. Maybe what you need isn't to get away from everyone. What you need is to be around people who are good again."
"Yeah? And who do you think qualifies?"
"I know a few."
Walking back up to Arnold, Eliza took his hand, pulling him off of his seat and urging him to follow.
"Hey, what are you-?" Arnold asked.
"Come with me. I want you to see something." Eliza said.
Taking Arnold along by the hand, Eliza led him to the bottom bunk of the Comvee, to the bedrooms of the family. Down below could be found Donnie, Shane, and Tucker of the Thornberry family, and also Otto and Twister of Rocket Power, where Shane, Donnie, and Tucker held their guitar, bass, and drums, respectively, and Otto and Twister held acoustic guitars.
Together, they played various songs together in a jam session, with Nigel, Sam, and Reggie sitting by and listening, with the former taking notice of the new arrivals.
"Ah, poppet, Arnold, why don't you come down and join us? Turns out the boys made friends with the surfers quite quickly, and they're playing some music." Nigel said.
"That's what you brought me here for? I knew they were playing down here. I can sense anything." Arnold dismissed.
"But you didn't hear the music for yourself. There's nothing like hearing a good song played live." Eliza said.
"If Otto can play anything good, it'd be nothing like I've heard from him before." Reggie joked.
"Oh, yeah? I'll have you know I got a lot better since No Worries. I won't go down as a one-hit wonder. Me and Twist have some good tunes." Otto said.
"He's right, you know, he's not half-bad. Besides, he's not the first one to use autotune to cover up his mistakes. Half the artists I knew back in the pop scene? They couldn't even pass glee club." Shane said.
"Yeah, yeah. Well, why don't you knock off the jam sessions and actually play us something?" Reggie asked.
"I'm with the lass, play us something. We'd love to hear a song." Nigel said.
The rest of the group encouraged Otto to play a song proper, giving him the will to fulfill their requests.
"Alright, alright. I got a classic one here. I was, uh, listening to this song a lot recently. It's been helping me get through some stuff. It's, uh... Well, it's just a good song. That's all I can say." Otto said.
Taking up his guitar, Otto began playing, starting a riff instantly recognized as the introduction of Under The Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers. The instant recognition brought about great hype from the group, all knowing the song and becoming more excited to hear it in full.
"Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner,
Sometimes I feel like my only friend,
Is the city I live in, the city of angels,
Lonely as I am, together we cry..." Otto sang.
The clear and soft yet strong voice in which Otto sang in greatly impressed the Thornberrys, who all cheered and clapped in response, encouraging Otto to continue. The excitement is felt by all in the group when the song plays, but Arnold does not indulge in the song with the others. Instead, he listened to it silently.
"I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion,
I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am,
She sees my good deeds and she kisses me windy,
Well, I never worry, now, that is a lie..." Otto sang.
Nodding along to the song, the Thornberrys and the rest of Rocket Power began clapping along to the song, with some opting to pat their legs and Tucker clacking his drumsticks together. Arnold takes neither approach nor shows any signs he pays any attention to the song, save for his unbroken stare at Otto.
His focus is kept on the emotions that Otto expressed with his performance, picking up on them both audibly and empathically.
"I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day,
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way,
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day,
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way..." Otto sang.
With the first chorus finished, the group is now fully invested in the song, and their utmost and undivided attention is given to it. Having held his bass guitar in silence, Donnie began playing along, providing a bassline, played acoustically as his guitar was not plugged in.
"It's hard to believe that there's nobody out there,
It's hard to believe that I'm all alone,
At least I have heard of the city, she loves me,
Lonely as I am, together we cry...
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day,
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way,
I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day,
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way..." Otto sang.
When the final lyrics of the song came, the repeated line was sung by the entire group who knew them, again, save for Arnold, who merely listened.
"Under the bridge downtown..." The group sang.
"Is where I drew some blood..." Otto sang.
"Under the bridge downtown..."
"I could not get enough..."
"Under the bridge downtown..."
"Forgot about my love..."
"Under the bridge downtown..."
"I gave my life away..."
As the final notes to the song were played out, the full song came to an end, bringing ful applause from the group. Taking an exaggerated bow to the group, Otto gave his thanks for the applause, expressing his thankfulness like a showman bowing to a larger crowd.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Otto said.
In a gesture of brotherly love, Otto was grabbed in a side-hug by the Thornberry youths, shaking his hand in reparation for their doubts cast upon him.
"How the hell were you a one-hit wonder back in the day? You did great!" Shane cheered.
"To be honest, man, we all kind of sucked back then. We got better." Otto said.
"C'mon, man, I could sing back then. If I was the lead singer, we'd have been in a lot better place then." Twister protested.
"Yeah, sure, Twist. How about the wild boy here? He plays a good bassline."
"What can I say? Playing that song just feels right to me." Donnie said.
"I gotta play drums next time. We'll make it a full cover, maybe put it out as a single." Tucker said.
"You'll get royalty charges up the ass." Reggie said.
"Ah, we're good for it. I make plenty of money." Sam said.
The fun conversations and interactions between the two families brought about several releases of pleasant emotions and joy in the air, all of which were felt by Arnold.
The performance of the song let out somber emotions of suicide and sorrow that Otto has once felt, sending it out from his song as though exorcising an inner demon, and, without said demon, what is left is room for joy and happiness once again, and it is more than filled by the liveliness of his family and new friends.
All of it is fed directly into Arnold's mind, which, against his own will, ate it up with a ravenous need for happiness, gaining a large dose of it after being deprived of it for a long time. The reciprocation of joy goes against his own new, warped philosophy, and he blames himself for feeling it, forcing himself to turn his head away in an attempt to take his attention off of it.
It does not work, and it is obvious to both Nigel and Eliza that he feels the effects of the group.
"Something wrong, lad?" Nigel asked.
"It's nothing." Arnold dismissed.
"Looks more like something to me, Arnold. Perhaps you're feeling something you haven't felt in a long time."
"Like what?"
"Belonging. Community. Life. Life's meant to be lived among others, to be somewhere nice and noisy, and where you can connect with others."
"And where you can feed your head with something better than let all those angry thoughts stir around." Eliza added.
Eliza lightly grazed Arnold's cheek with her hand, giving a calming tactile stimulation that made him no longer turn his head.
"Somebody amazing like you shouldn't be so angry. Especially when you've got so much life in you to live." Eliza said.
No longer attempting to hide himself, Arnold instead looked to the group once again, allowing himself a more unrestricted dose of the positive emotions that were flying in the air. They bring him a levity that he was in much need of, whether he was willing to admit it or not, and, with the hopes of Nigel and Eliza, perhaps can take one step closer to believing in himself once again.
Gathering all their instruments, the boys prepare for another song, this time planning on playing as one.
"Alright, alright, hang on, let's do one together this time. Ready? One, two, one, two, three, four..." Otto said.
And as the journey of the Convee continues, and another song plays, Arnold continues his own journey as well.
The Tabootie household has been home to the family for at least 2 generations, with plans to keep going with the current generation now growing up in it.
It is often correctly said that a healthy home is the best place for a child to grow up in, guaranteeing the emotional stability needed to succeed in life and prevent any lifelong traumas. Carol and Carlos are the two children who will carry on the Tabootie family (by name, though that detail is of little importance), and Rudy and Penny do all they can to provide to them.
Selfless as they are to their children, they do not extend this same givingness to themselves. Some might call this trait admirable in a parent, and perhaps there is some truth in the statement, but there is also another statement of truth that negates what good there is in this attitude:
You cannot help others when you cannot help yourself.
However, therapy has helped them along through their relationship troubles, and they have taken a step further in getting the help that they have needed for their personal hang-ups. In turn, they have also been able to provide and be present for their children all the more, making for a healthier household that grows healthier by the day.
For Rudy Tabootie, he has never been happier.
Without the monkey on his back of anger and revenge, Rudy has been an even clearer presence for Carol and Carlos. Since his marriage to Penny, he has acted as a stay-at-home dad, spending what time he does not utilize on the duties of the house in play with his children.
And still having a strong child at heart, Carol and Carlos are lucky to have a father as fun as him, as shown by a game of Down to One spent together.
The objective of the game is simple: To win, a player must completely rid their deck of any cards, declaring 'down to one' when reduced to a single card. Carol has already declared that she had but one card remaining, and, not only did she deal her last card as a 'draw four cards'...
...but Rudy and Carlos held at least 10 cards each, and had difficulty ridding themselves of any of them, adding insult to injury.
"Out of cards, I win again!" Carol cheered.
"Again? Man, Carol, you're so good at this game. You kick our butts everytime. How do you do it?" Rudy asked.
"You boys are way too busy with your heads in the clouds. I inherited my mama's penchant for practicality and smarts."
"Still can write a comic way better than you can." Carlos said.
"Big deal."
"Now, come on, Carlos, don't be a sore loser. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Obviously, board games with numbers is a weakness both you and I have. Be a little proud of your sister for being smart, it's good for her to be good at something, just like how you're good with comics like me." Rudy protested.
"Okay, fine. You're good at this game. But I'm still not happy." Carlos said.
"Yes, I know, little brother. Better luck next time." Carol teased.
Carlos playfully hit Carol for her tease, prompting her to playfully hit him back, pulling him into a hug. What could have began as violence between siblings turned out to be a healthy act of humor, showing the love both siblings had for each other. The sight makes Rudy happy as his children are, and he grabbed them into a hug to join in, making the scene a full showing of family love.
The front door to the home opened to show Penny walking back in from work, who looked on the happy moment with joy of her own.
"Well, I can see you all had plenty of fun together while I was away." Penny joked.
Seeing their mother return home, Carol and Carlos broke their hug off from Rudy to hug her as well, greeting her from her return home.
"Mama!" Carol and Carlos cheered.
Holding her children in a hug as they returned to her, Penny looked up to see Rudy walking towards her, kissing her on the lips when they met.
"Have a good day at work, Penny?" Rudy asked.
"Just fine, Rudy. Just the usual research and studies, pushing numbers." Penny said.
"Well, I hope you worked up an appetite, you got a big dinner coming up in a few minutes."
"Good. I gotta head upstairs and get changed first, then we can all sit down together and eat."
"Sounds great."
After sharing one last kiss, Penny left Rudy to go upstairs, planning on making herself more comfortable for the rest of the day to be spent at home. With his wife tending to her afterwork duties, Rudy rushed the children off to the kitchen with the intent to follow them in.
Once he made his way towards the kitchen, however, the sound of a powerful engine caught his ear, urging him to turn around and see what the cause of it was. Looking out the window of the house, he saw a large RV with tiger stripes painted across it, rolling down the street and coming to a stop in front of the house.
"Dad? Hey, dad, we need your help reaching the-" Carol began to ask.
Running back with the intent to request help in the kitchen, Carol inevitably began looking out the window at the mobile home parked outside of their front house, and kept an even greater curiosity at the characters stepping out of it, starting with a man in a trenchcoat and single blade of hair, a football-headed man, and at least one man she recognized.
"Hey! That's Nigel Thornberry from TV! What's he doing here?" Carol asked.
"I don't know, Carol. But it looks like they're here for us." Rudy said.
Before the group could make their first impression by knocking on the door, Rudy opened it, greeting the guests as they arrived.
"Afternoon, gentlemen, what can I do for you?" Rudy asked.
'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country'.
This quote from President John F. Kennedy, first spoken at his inauguration and often repeated as a call to action, is what echoes with Rudy Tabootie's first question towards his unexpected guests. One is a television show host of a nature program, one is the son of his wife's employer, and the last is, or at least was, the Green Eye.
They come with tales of a future dominated by aliens, and only a handful of people with special abilities acting as humanity's last gasp before extinction. They also tell that one of the aliens responsible for this invasion is here on Earth now, and he poses a threat even greater than the invasion itself.
As Rudy listened to the story, Penny sat alongside him, and their children stayed in the kitchen, interacting with the rest of the Comvee's passengers.
The full conversation has taken place in the living room, with Rudy and Penny sitting on the couch, and they hang on every single word. They took it in with the same harrowing and fear that anyone would get from hearing how the Earth comes to an end, and that they would live to see it come to pass for themself.
"And that's what's brought us to you, Mr. Tabootie. And, yes, I understand that this might all sound a bit strange to someone like you-" Dib started to say.
"No, I believe it." Rudy interrupted.
"-being a man in... Wait, did you just say you do believe it?"
"Yeah. I mean, after all, why else would the Green Eye, Nigel Thornberry, and my wife's boss' son be standing in my living room?"
"And scientifically speaking, it's not too far out there that aliens exist, and time travel's got to be possible, too. We've been working on several theories at Membrane Labs." Penny added.
The unironic and sincere acceptance of Dib's story made him respond with wide eyes and a jaw agape, soon turning to tears of joy.
"Yes! Oh, god, yes! Thank you! Somebody finally thinks I'm not crazy!" Dib cheered.
"Actually, I just said that I believe your story. You definitely look like a crazy guy." Rudy added.
Dib's enthusiasm was snuffed out in an instant, sulking into defeat back in his seat.
"I spoke too soon. Of course there's no god to thank." Dib grunted.
"Also, I'm not the Green Eye anymore. Let's not forget that fact." Arnold added.
"Well, hold on, now, what makes you so eager to accept the truth so fast? I was hardly able to swallow it myself when I heard the situation." Nigel said.
"If you know who I am, you shouldn't have to ask that." Rudy responded.
"Actually, uh, that's the thing. We don't know why we're here for you." Dib said.
The explanation made both Arnold and Nigel turn to him in shock and confusion, not understanding the meaning of Dib's additional fact.
"What do you mean, you don't know why we're here for him? You said the robot told you everything, and who to find." Arnold said.
"I also said the robot was severely malfunctioning. It was only able to tell me a handful of things, primarily the people I need to find. Everything else was bits and pieces." Dib explained.
"You said Gerald wasn't on the list. Why did you have us stop for him?"
"It was you who sent the message. Gerald Johannsen was your partner in Hillwood when you were both crimefighters. I figured it would be a good investment to pick him up as well. Unfortunately, that didn't pay off."
Rudy cleared his throat, interrupting their conversation and putting the attention back on himself.
"Uh, guys, if you really don't know what I can do or what I have to offer, maybe I can show you myself." Rudy said.
"And I can break it down a little better for you myself. Do you have anyone among you science-oriented who can confirm it for us?" Penny asked.
"Yeah, hang on." Arnold said.
Walking to the kitchen, Arnold saw the rest of the group sitting at the table, with Carol and Carlos serving coffee and snacks to the guests. Most of the refreshments, especially the coffee, is consumed by Marianne, who has spent many nights and days driving the mobile home across America to find their teammates.
Chugging down her 4th cup, Marianne moaned in delight at the taste of the coffee, giving her show of appreciation for their brewing skills.
"Mmm... Mmm-mmm-mmm, children, that is the most wonderful coffee I've ever had. You two ought to open your own barista with that kind of skill." Marianne praised.
"Thanks, Mrs. Thornberry. Comes with having a scientist and artist for parents, they both work long and late." Carol said.
Turning to see Arnold enter the kitchen, Carlos tapped Carol on the shoulder, prompting her to turn around and look at what he saw. Both siblings laid eyes on a man whose very presence brought joy and admiration from his appearance, making both light up as though they met a celebrity.
As soon as the gasp of surprise came out of Carol's mouth, both brother and sister ran up to him, looking up at him with faces of delight.
"You're him, aren't you?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah, it's got to be you! You're the Green Eye!" Carol cheered.
Even with his current attitude towards his former life as a superhero, and previously treating anyone who spoke of it with an anger and dismissal in his voice, Arnold still was not comfortable with treating the children in the same way, making him hold his tongue before them.
"Uh... Who wants to know?" Arnold asked.
"I'm Carol. This is my brother, Carlos. He's a comic book artist, and he draws superheroes sometimes. I'm kind of a big fan, too. You're just, like, really, really cool." Carol said.
Carlos handed Arnold a piece of paper, prompting him to take it. Upon taking the paper from the boy, Arnold opened it up to see its contents.
What was inside was a pin-up drawing of himself as the Green Eye, depicted in the act of jumping in the air in a heroic manner. Behind him was a strike of lightning, with text below reading 'THE GREEN EYE: THE ORIGINAL HILLWOOD HERO", all with bright colors and painstaking detail to him.
"Drew it myself. Really inspired by what you did. You're a hero." Carlos said.
The tribute almost flatters him, and it brings him guilt that he does not appreciate it as much as it was meant for him to.
"Um... Yeah, it's uh... It's really great, it's really great. You're a great artist. Thanks for showing me that." Arnold said.
Arnold attempted to hand the drawing back to Carlos, but he pushed it back.
"Keep it. I want you to have it." Carlos said.
Forced to take yet another reminder of his life as the Green Eye, Arnold gained judging eyes from the rest of the group, none wishing to see him disappoint the child. Swallowing his pride and keeping up a facade of kindness, Arnold folded the pin-up again and placed it in his pocket, nodding to Carlos.
"Uh... Thanks. Thank you. I'll put this here in my pocket so it doesn't get hurt, okay?" Arnold said.
"Okay." Carlos said.
Having waited for Arnold for too long, Rudy entered the kitchen to see what impeded his progress.
"Hey Arnold, everything alright?" Rudy asked.
"Uh, yeah, just, uh... Saying hi to your kids. Hey, uh, Sam? Uh, Squid, right?" Arnold asked.
"Yeah?" Sam asked.
"I need you to come with us for a minute. We need your science... uh, mindedness."
"Sure. Thanks for the coffee, guys."
Getting up from his seat at the table, Sam followed Arnold and Rudy to the staircase, joining Penny, Dib, and Nigel up the stairs.
"Your son, is he, uh...?" Arnold began to ask.
"Autistic? Yeah." Rudy answered.
"I figured. Got a cousin like him. He's not an artist or anything, he, uh, reads ingredients on food boxes."
"My wife does that, too, but that's because she wants the kids eating right."
Arnold scoffed in amusement at Rudy's joke, following the rest of the way in silence.
The destination they arrive at is a small room dedicated to drawing and art, with desks holding unfinished drawings and various stationery items and drawing utensils, all intended to become comic book art. None of them are what Rudy or Penny focus on, however, and what does gain their focus is what they least expect to be of any interest:
A chalkboard, placed upon a stand.
"So, I'm assuming you're all familiar with chalkboards, correct?" Rudy asked.
"In more ways than one, I'm afraid. Our old schoolteacher would run his fingernails across it when we would act up, the old ironside." Nigel answered.
"Of course. Now, to show you it's not been treated or tampered with, all of you hold it and inspect it for yourself; pass it around."
Rudy removed the chalkboard from its stand and handed it to the first in the group, giving each a chance to inspect it.
"I appreciate the attempt at transparency, but what does this have to do with anything?" Dib asked.
"I'm getting to that. Just trying to prove this isn't a trick." Rudy said.
"Prove what's not a trick?" Arnold asked.
Placing the chalkboard back on its stand, Rudy took out a piece of magic chalk, placing it to the edge of the board.
"This." Rudy answered.
Drawing along the lines of the chalkboard, the chalk drawn began to sparkle against the green of the board, and, when the line drawn had reached all the way around the edges of the board, the green of the board completely disappeared in a bright flash, and showing way to what laid on the other side.
The group of four looked with wonder, joining the small number of humans who now knew of ChalkZone.
From the glimpse given from the portal, the group could see various things, sentient, sapient, and else, beyond description, all completely comprised of chalk. To lay eyes on this forbidden world, the group is compelled to lean in and inspect further, gaining a closer look inside.
"What is this?" Arnold asked.
"This, is ChalkZone. Anything you draw on a chalkboard or draw with chalk, then erase, it ends up here." Rudy explained.
"In layman's terms, we live in the third dimension, and ChalkZone is the second dimension. I've been doing some research and writing on it in my spare time, and there's not a whole lot I can say to make a lot of it make sense. I can only sum it up by saying... Well... it's magic." Penny said.
"It's 'magic'? What kind of scientist are you?" Dib asked.
"One who keeps an open mind. Especially when I see things for myself."
"I spent a lot of my childhood in this place, and, uh, almost all my teenage and adult life, too. That whole story about how I was a missing child? Well, this is where I was." Rudy continued.
Picking up the chalkboard again, Rudy handed it off to the group, allowing them to inspect it again.
"Now, see it again for yourself. Go ahead and stick your hand in the portal." Rudy said.
Each member of the group did so, acting carefully as they prodded the unknown beyond the portal, passing it down the line until it reached Dib...
"Hi, there!" Snap greeted.
...and a blue Zoner named Snap popped his head out of the portal, frightening Dib into a scream and making him drop the portal.
As the chalkboard fell on the floor, the impact caused Snap to stumble and fall back through the portal, landing back in ChalkZone. Reaching up to the portal, Snap pulled himself back up, looking back at Dib with a look of disappointment for how, as he saw, was roughly treated.
"Oy caloy, one of the few people I meet with a head as big as mine, and he ain't got the brains to be careful." Snap snarked.
"Hey, I do not have a big head! I... Who are you, anyway?" Dib protested.
"Oh, this is Snap. He's one of my oldest drawings and friends." Rudy explained.
"Matter a' fact, all youse guys have big and weird heads. Rudy, who are all these people? And why are you showin' 'em ChalkZone?" Snap asked.
"Long story, Snap, I'll tell you later. Right now, this is kind of important."
"Oh, oh, alright. Well, fill me in later, Rudy. I wouldn't wanna miss this."
Falling back through the portal, Snap disappeared from sight, and permanently so when Rudy erased the portal.
"The rules of ChalkZone are simple: Anything you draw on a chalkboard and erase, it comes back over there. Anything you draw in ChalkZone, it can be erased once in the real world and comes back in ChalkZone, but, erase it after that, and that's it." Rudy explained.
"So, your power's the ability to draw anything." Sam said.
"But you can only do it with one of those chalkboards. Sounds pretty cumbersome to me." Arnold said.
"It would be, but I don't need it to draw anything. Thanks to something else that happened to me, I can draw in the real world, too." Rudy said.
Demonstrating the ability in real time, Rudy took a piece of plain chalk and drew in the air, making a small, thick cylinder. As the drawing was complete, the empty geometric shape filled in to form words and drawings on it, forming a can of Yahoo Soda in an instant.
Taking the can as it formed, Rudy looked on to the amazed looks of the others, finding all of their mouths agape.
"You... You can draw in two dimensions, and it comes into formation here? But... That's like having a fourth-dimensional shape like a tesseract come into ours. This goes beyond anything I've seen in geometrical possibilities." Sam stammered.
"Like I said, it's magic. Sometimes that's the best way you can explain things sometimes." Penny said.
"Or magic is just science we don't understand yet." Arnold added.
After taking the can of Yahoo Soda, Rudy held it out to the group.
"Yahoo soda?" Rudy offered.
"Sure, lad! I'm parched!" Nigel cheered.
Taking the can, Nigel pulled the tab to open it, beginning to gulp down its contents. As soon as the liquid entered his mouth, however, his taste buds sensed the taste of chalk rather than cola, and the rest of his body reacted accordingly, spitting out the contents in disgust.
"Oh, good god, man, this tastes like chalk!" Nigel groaned.
"Yeah, I forgot to mention: Any food or drinks you draw, you have to keep your mouth dry when you eat it. Because spit's a liquid, and liquid erases chalk, making it lose the magic it had." Rudy said.
"And I'm assuming you can draw more than just sodas, correct?" Dib asked.
"Anything you can think of."
"Including weapons?" Arnold asked.
"Including weapons that don't exist yet."
"That's very good. You'll definitely prove very helpful when you're helping us fight off the Irkens." Dib said.
Dib's final comment made the conversation take a turn, making Rudy's kind demeanor turn to that of skepticism.
"Wait. Is that why you're telling me all this? Because you want me to fight for you?" Rudy asked.
"Yeah. What'd you think we were asking for?" Sam asked.
Penny also grew nervous at the request, grabbing onto Rudy in a hug, and shaking her head.
"I... I'm sorry. I can't." Rudy said.
Predictably, the answer given by Rudy is not to the liking of the others, who are disappointed that they failed to secure another member of the team they needed. Determined to see their numbers increase, none were willing to give up so quickly, and pressed on to change Rudy's mind.
"Mr. Tabootie, you don't seem to understand. We need your help." Dib insisted.
"I can't help you. Not for what you're asking me to do." Rudy said.
"But for you, fighting an entire army of aliens would be a piece of cake. You could, like, draw a dozen missiles and wipe them all out." Sam argued.
"You don't understand. I can't fight at all. It's not in me anymore."
"What does that mean?" Arnold asked.
"I told you I spent a lot of time in ChalkZone as a teenager and adult. It wasn't by my own choice. I was trapped by... somebody I did wrong by accident. He made an alliance with somebody bad, and they forced me to survive on my own. I couldn't draw anymore for years, and it wasn't until Carol and Carlos when I finally found myself again. I got home... but I didn't fully leave ChalkZone. I... I still have an anger in me that I can't control, and I only recently started in therapy. I've been making a lot of progress. I don't want to mess that up and lose myself again."
"You're going to leave the world to be destroyed by aliens because you're in therapy? I don't know whether or not you noticed, but, if the Irkens have their way, there won't be anymore therapy. Don't you get it?" Dib asked.
"And what if I do fight and help you win? I'll have taken so many steps back, I don't know if I'll be able to find myself again. I have a wife and kids to think about. I don't want them to lose their father."
"Wars aren't just fought by the childless, you know. My father fought in the Great War, back when I was just a lad. You'd be fighting for their safety as well as the safety of everyone else on Earth." Nigel added.
"I have my own war to fight. My answer is still no."
The conversation ends in disappointment yet again, and the moment prompts the group to leave for their next destination.
"Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Tabootie. We'll be on our way now." Nigel said.
Nigel is the first to leave, with Dib close behind and Sam after, Arnold shared a small moment of silence looking at Rudy, silently showing his understanding of his decision. No words are needed for what they shared, and both have a feeling that rings somber and true...
...but both come to the opposite conclusions of their shared troubles, which Arnold must comment on.
"I understand your decision, Rudy. But you're not the only one dealing with your own demons." Arnold said.
Taking the drawing given to him by Carlos out of his pocket, Arnold handed it to Rudy.
"Your son drew a picture of me as... who I used to be. It's a nice gesture, but I can't accept this." Arnold said.
Still sharing his empathy for him, Rudy rolled Arnold's fingers over the paper, urging him to keep it.
"We all have our ways of dealing with our demons. Some have different ways than others." Rudy said.
Letting out a small sigh, Arnold headed out the door with the rest, leaving the Tabootie family behind.
Rudy and Penny followed back down the stairs, meeting their children in the kitchen. Seeing the departure of their guests and watching them pile back into the Comvee, Carol and Carlos looked on both them and their parents in confusion, having some idea of what had taken place, but not knowing why it ended the way it did.
"Mama? Dad? What was that all about?" Carol asked.
"It was nothing, kids. They just needed to talk to your father and I." Penny said.
"Did the Green Eye ask you for help?" Carlos asked.
The answer comes with hesitation from Rudy, who felt shame over his decision in light of how Carlos saw Arnold.
"Yes. Yes, he did." Rudy said.
"You told him no." Carlos said.
Another hesitation came with a sigh and his head turned away, forcing Rudy to confess something uncomfortable to his son.
"I had to." Rudy said.
"Why? He's the Green Eye. You have powers, too. You can help him." Carlos said.
"It's not that simple, Carlos. It's... It's not something that you'll understand until you're older."
"I know the Green Eye's a hero. That's all I need to understand."
Forced to face Carlos' persistence on the subject, Penny intervened to free him from his tough discussion, asserting her parental authority to do so.
"That's enough, Carlos. Go on and help your sister get everyone ready for dinner." Penny ordered.
Rushing off in a frustrated manner, both children obeyed their mother to see to dinner, leaving Penny alone with Rudy to see to his well-being.
"Are you okay, Rudy?" Penny asked.
"Did I make the right choice?" Rudy asked.
Penny herself now found it difficult to answer, unsure of the right answer herself.
"Only you can know that." Penny said.
Giving Rudy a kiss on the cheek, Penny headed into the kitchen to join her children, helping prepare dinner for the rest of the family. Left to consider his question on his own, Rudy now is unsure of himself, and, caught between his desire for mental health, and his own desire to do right, finds no clear answer as to what is good in this situation.
Taking the time to contemplate, Rudy sat on the couch to think.
As the Comvee departed, the group stayed silent in dejection, lamenting that yet another member of the team that they required would not join them. Arnold is the most silent, but his silence comes less from the refusal, and the interaction he shared with the son of their desired teammate.
Taking the pin-up out of his pocket, Arnold unfolded it to look upon it once again, looking at the image sketched upon it. Looking at it, he sees himself through the eyes of a child, glorified and shown in a light that makes him a hope and a hero to many, giving an image that others can look up to.
Inside, he feels disgust and shame at what he has lived through, and how it has changed him. Not only does he not believe in the idea of the Green Eye any longer, no longer seeing it as serving any other purpose than to perpetuate false hope in a world that does not forgive or have mercy...
...but he also no longer believes that he is worthy of being seen in that light.