Calamity Returns:
Return To Amphibia
"DUDE!" exclaimed one Anne Boonchuy, "Are you serious about this?"
The ever-mysterious Mr. X nodded his head, a genuine smile on his lips. The Tai-American squealed excitedly and began dancing behind the counter of her Family's restaurant.
Mr. X watched the girl dance a happy dance and thought back to the incident a few days ago.
The government agent, Mr. X, had been monitoring a town of interest, having been informed about odd dealings there. To his utter astonishment, a gateway to another reality had been set up in that town. He was even more astounded to find the residents of Gravesfield regularly interacting with the beings of this reality.
He was further surprised to learn that the beings from the new reality could do magic—actual magic! This put the agent on high alert, and he began to take this investigation more seriously.
X had spent weeks watching this town, and the more he learned, the more his curiosity piqued; those witches from the demon realm weren't all that different from those in the human realm.
X made a face as he thought about the people he got to know people from the town and the demon realm while helping them with a certain "problem."
"First, I learned there was a place with talking frogs," Mr. X muttered to himself, "Now I know magic and demons are real."
"Huh, did you say something, dude?" Anne asked curiously.
Mr. X cocked an eyebrow, not realizing he spoke so loud. He then put on a practiced smile and replied smoothly, "Just talking to myself, girl. Nothing to worry your pretty little head about."
Anne gave the agent a suspicious look that made her look ten years older, and Mr. X frowned. Anne was close to 14, but it was times like this that the agent was reminded that everything the Tai-American had gone through had aged her in mind more than in body.
"Sure," Anne retorted, rolling her eyes and getting excited again. "So when can we leave?"
And like that, the experienced traveler of two realms was back to being a teenager. It actually brought a smile to the agent's face, and he chuckled as he held up a hand.
"Now hold up, girl," Mr X said calmly, "Before you go off on another trout in the land of frogs, we need to get everything set up."
Anne deflated somewhat at the news and groaned, "How long will that take?"
"Not long," Mr. X replied optimistically.
(SC)
"THREE MONTHS!" Anne shouted, throwing her arms up. It took that long to get everything ready!"
The Boonchuys stood outside an old shake with a strange portal device next to it. Oum Boonchuy shook her head and got beside her daughter.
"Anne, Sweetie," Oum said in a light, scolding tone. "It best not to rush these things."
The Tai woman frowned as she studied the portal. It looked similar to the one Terri made, with the only difference being the large wire connecting it to the house.
"Your mother's correct, young lady," a man said, stepping into view. "This is a delicate process, so we can't be too careful."
Anne's dad, Bee, looked at the man. He was elderly but looked surprisingly fit for his age. The man wore a red sweater, black pants, and dirty brown boots. He took a second to fix his glasses, and everyone saw that he had six fingers on his hands.
"Oh," Bee said, extending a hand, "You must be Professor Pines."
Stanford Pine smiled a polite smile and shook the Tai-American man's hand.
"Please, Ford would do," Ford replied, "I'm just a consultant for Mr. X, after all."
Ford let go of Bee's hand and looked at Anne. The scientist frowned slightly when he saw how impatient the girl was. He walked over to the child and lightly studied her.
Ford was impressed and a little disturbed by the look in Anne's eyes. He could tell the girl had been through much and somehow still retained that youthful spark.
Anne was a little freaked out by the looks the older man was giving her but hid it well. Thankfully, a familiar voice filled the air before things could get awkward between the two.
"ANNE!"
The Tai girl was all smiles as she turned round. She squealed happily when she saw the black-haired girl running to her, a slightly taller blonde-haired girl trailing behind her.
"Marcy!" Anne called out as she ran to meet the other two.
Marcy Wu and Sasha Waybright were about halfway to meeting Anne when the black-haired girl suddenly tripped. Anne didn't stop and quickly got close to Marcy, helping her up.
As soon as the clumsy genius was on her feet, she wrapped her childhood friend in a hug. Anne giggled as she hugged Marcy back.
"I can't believe you're here!" Anne said happily, pulling away to examine her friend closely. "I mean, when you said you lived just a town away, I couldn't believe it!"
Marcy hadn't changed much since Anne last saw her. She wore baggy jeans with a patch on her right knee. Her T-shirt also looked ready for the trash, and the denim jacket wasn't any better. The only thing that looked new was the black high tops Marcy had on.
Macry's hair was longer, reaching to where the neck meant the shoulders and tied back with a hair tie.
Marcy giggled at her friend's antics and said, "I know! When you told me about this, I couldn't believe it myself. Hey, Anne, did you get taller?"
Anne couldn't help but giggle as she looked herself over. Like Marcy, she had worn an old pair of jeans, a white sweater with her family's restaurant logo, and a hole on the right bicep. She also wore a pair of cheap sandals with black socks.
The Tai girl looked back at her oldest friend and puffed out her chest with pride.
"Why," Anne replied proudly, "Thanks for noticing. I grew while you were gone and am now four inches taller!"
"Please, Boonchuy," Sasha teased good-natureally, "You're still the shortest girl in our class."
Anne gave her friend a mock pout as she looked at the cheerleader. Unlike her friends, Sasha wore military-style clothing: baggy camo pants, Amy boots, and a gray shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow.
Also, Sasha's hair was cut short and combed back.
"By the way, Boonchuy," the blonde said, half joking, "Thanks for leaving me in the dust."
Anne looked at her friend, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Sash. But I'm super excited to the Plantars again."
Sasha glared playfully at her friend for a second, then smiled. "I know what you mean," she replied nostalgically, "I hope Grimesy didn't get too out of shape without me around."
Marcy nodded as the trio of old friends made their way to the house.
"I know," Marcy added bubbily. "I can't wait to see Lady Olivia and Yunan again. And maybe…Andrias."
Anne and Sasha watched as their friend's face fell with her mood, and they acted; they pulled Marcy into a tight hug. Marcy looked at her friends, feeling their warmth, and shed a few tears as the trio reached the house.
Ford noticed the kids' state and gave them a minute to calm down. It wasn't long before the trio collected themselves, and Anne looked at the older man with determination.
"Now, let's get this show on the road!" the tai teenager exclaimed, her friends cheering alongside her.
"Before we begin," Ford said urgently, "There are some things you need to be aware of."
The trio of teens and the Boonchuys give the scientist their undivided attention. Ford looked at the group and frowned as he realized something he missed.
"Ms. Waybright, Ms. Wu," Ford said, looking between the two teens. "Are your parents going to be here?"
The two teens' reactions were very different; Sasha rolled her eyes with a slight sowl. Marcy looked towards the ground to avoid eye contact.
"My dad said I could go if I listen to the Boonchuys," Sasha scoffed.
"My parents are too busy, so I needed to have a relative drop me off," Marcy said in a slightly sad tone. Then, she quickly looked at the group and waved her hands when she realized just how loud she spoke. "B-But they totally fine with me going!"
Ford stared at the young girl for a second. Marcy continued to smile sheepishly. The experienced reality hopper sighed, filed this under "look into later," and looked at the group.
"Now," Ford said, "This device is still in beta. There are still some minor problems that need to be ironed out; among them is power."
Marcy, who had been taking notes when Ford began talking, looked up, frowning.
"Like what?" she asked curiously, "Does the size of the portal cause power failure?"
Ford blinked that Marcy guessed correctly but composed himself quickly.
"Actually…You are correct," Ford confirmed, causing Marcy to gasp. "We don't have a power source strong enough to hold the portal open for long. Also, the size of the portal could put a strain on the power source, so it could take forty-eight hours or longer to recharge."
The oldest Pines man looked at the group with a serious expression.
"Are you centrain you still want to do this now?"
Anne looked at Marcy, then at Sasha. The Calamity Trio looked at the older man, all wearing matching grins. Ford was surprised by this determination but couldn't help but admire it.
"Okay," Ford said, "we sent a drone a few days ago to get the lay of the land, and we found a town a few miles from the portal's entrance point."
He looked at Anne, debating telling the Tai girl what he had found. He quickly decided against it, figuring she wouldn't want the surprise ruined.
Anne frowned when she noticed the scientist giving her a look, but he continued before she could ask anything.
"You can use the drone to contact the town's residents so you don't have to walk," Ford explained, then looked at the portal to Amphibia. "Now, we just need to wait for my assistant to finish the system diagnostic check, and we can proceed."
Just then, a boy, about 18 years old, walked into view. He was wearing a pair of tan dress pants, loafers, and a button-down, short-sleeved red shirt. Because his hair was combed back, his birthmark in the shape of the Big Dipper could be seen.
"Everything ready, Great Uncle Ford," the boy said.
Ford looked at his great-nephew, nodded, and then turned his attention to the group. "Everyone, I would like to introduce my assistant and nephew, Mason Pines," the scientist said, gesturing to his nephew.
The young man offered the group a smile and replied, with a hint of bashfulness, "Please, call me Dipper."
Ford smiled at his nephew and then watched as the group began introducing themselves. Once the introduction was done, Ford returned to business, looking at the older Boonchuys.
"I know Mr. X talked with you during his last visit, but are you okay with the girls going by themselves?" Ford inquired.
Oum sighed reluctantly but nodded as she got behind Anne and her friends. Ford cocked an eyebrow when he watched the older Tai-American put a hand on her daughter's shoulder and Sasha's shoulder.
"Like I told Mister X," Oum said calmly, "I trust these girls. They have the experience in that world."
"Besides," Bee added, sending a scolding glare to Anne and Sasha, "They promised to be back by the end of the three-day weekend, right girls?"
"Yes, dad/Mr. Boonchuy," the Calamity trio replied automatically.
Ford cocked an eyebrow, shook his head, then went over to the portal controls. Dipper took that as his cue and walked up to the Calamity Trio, offering them the remote for the drone. Marcy eagerly took it and began learning its functions as Ford finished with his part.
The portal machine came to life with a soft hum, and everyone looked at it. Anne gasped faintly as a familiar feeling went through her. She looked at her right hand, flexing it slightly.
Before she could examine things further, Ford got their attention.
"Now Hurry! The portal can only be held open for a few minutes, and you don't want to be caught between dimensions when the portal closes!"
The trio looked at each other, determined, and nodded. Sasha and Marcy then grabbed Anne's hand. Together, they stepped through the portal, disappearing in a twinkle of light.
Ford closed down the portal a few minutes after the trio entered it so as not to damage the equipment due to power failure. The Boonchuys looked as the portal to another land quickly shrunk and then blinked out of existence.
"Do you think it was a good idea to let them go after all?" Oum asked her husband, voicing the thoughts she's been holding in since they arrived at the site.
"...No," Bee replied after a moment of thought, "But we both know we couldn't stop Anne if we tried. Besides…what could go wrong?"
(SC)
In some unknown area, machines were abuzz with data, which was coming in a rush; it was a wonder why the machines didn't short out. Standing in the center of the room was a figure, grinning gleefully as it read over the data.
"Well," the person said, "Seems that I was right, and those three are returning here. Soon, my dear mommies, you will be under my thumb."
The figure held up a glowing crystal to its face, and the light was enough to show the face of none other than Darcy!
(G Corner)
With the second anniversary of my Noceda-Clawthorne Series here, I decided to celebrate by starting the next leg of my "Rejuvenation" Mega Series. If you're wondering about some things, check out "Sisters' Family Vacation" to learn more. Be warned: It's the eighth entry in my Noceda-Clawthorne series, and you might be lost if you don't read the others that came before it.