Chapter Eleven is UP!
And there's a little in-joke in here...if you can't figure it out, check out the second spoiler box at the end.
---
Chapter ElevenOutside of the house, hundreds of Kids Next Door operatives had arrived, and were fighting off the armed forces gathered in the street. A few blocks away, Cree was in a black sedan, watching the battle, and holding her communicator.
"Sir," she spoke into it, "It's not working. Those Brats Next Door are here."
"What?!" exclaimed the voice on the other end, "Oh for the love of - let me come over there!"
"Mister President, are you sure that's a good idea? If you get killed and Vice President Gilligan takes over, I'm moving out of the country."
"Don't question me, Agent Lincoln. Why don't you make things easier and make sure they don't sneak off while the army's being held off?"
"Will do." Cree replied, then turned off her communicator.
---
Startled by Leopold and Carmelite's gasps, Abby and Heinrich, getting up from the floor near the staircase after having been taken down into the hideout, turned to look in the direction the kids were facing. Sure enough, they could see their future selves.
The adult Heinrich was closer to the group. He was fairly tall, and still a little hefty. The older Heinrich was also wearing a long jacket instead of a vest, but otherwise looked similar to how he did as a kid. The older Abby was lying down near Carmelite's desk. Abby remembered that Nigel had said she'd gone crazy in his dream, and her older counterpart certainly looked like it. Her left eye was bloodshot, and her right one...well, she didn't seem to have a right eye. She was wearing the same outfit she wore as a kid, and both she and Heinrich looked like they'd been in some sort of scuffle, especially Abby, whose leg was wrapped up in bandages.
"Leopold," the older Heinrich addressed his son, "I sought I told you NOT to use zat time machine!"
"But,
Dad," Leopold protested, "Carmelite and I were worried after you went missing, and we were kinda desperate..."
"And what if you got our past selves in trouble?" the older Abby asked, "Or worse -
killed?"
"Okay, it wasn't a perfect plan..." Leopold admitted.
"'Wasn't perfect'?!" Abby exclaimed, turning back to the kids, "Don't get me STARTED..."
"Can we talk about something else?" Carmelite interrupted, "Like...oh, I don't know...
how you two got in here?!"
"Ze combination vas obvious." older Heinrich smirked, "
8-13-4."
"Oh...heh...but, um...why'd you hide out here?"
"We're fugitives now." older Abby sighed, "We had to hide out somewhere."
"But why
here?" Leopold asked, "You've got plenty of places to go
outside the States. And why didn't you call to tell us where you were?!"
"First off," older Abby said, "We got...sidetracked."
"Ve vere recaptured after ze jailbreak." older Heinrich explained, "
Und it took a vhile to break out again."
"And we couldn't get outta there without a fight. Or a chase."
"It looks like it vas a pretty rough fight." Heinrich commented.
"It was." older Abby told him, "And Numbuh Five hasn't fought or tried to outrun anyone in a long time..."
"I can tell." Abby said to her future self, looking at the bandaged leg.
"Did you use my first aid kit?" Carmelite asked, "Because I'm probably gonna need it later this week when I head down to Peru to track down these legendary jelly beans I've been hearing about, and seeing as there's gonna be booby traps and all..."
"
Wie bitte?" older Heinrich asked, "Did I give permission for you to go candy-hunting ANYTIME zis veek?"
"
Nein, Vati..." Carmelite sighed, then added under her breath, "Not that it ever stopped me before..."
"Vell, you'd better not being going down zere alone."
"Daaaaaaaad..."
"Vhy does she need permission?" Heinrich asked his older self, "I-er, I mean,
ve never did."
"Heiny," older Abby added, "Are you bein' overprotective again?"
"Vhat? Nein!" older Heinrich exclaimed, "I just...I just don't vant eizzer of
mein children to get into trouble, zat's all..."
"That's pretty much the same thing." Leopold pointed out.
"Hey, how long are we gonna be down here, anyway?" Abby asked, changing the subject.
"Probably until the fighting outside dies down." Leopold answered.
There was suddenly a series of loud, booming sound outside, like explosions.
"Zat doesn't sound good." Heinrich stated.
"We'd better go check on what it was." Leopold told Carmelite, "The Kids Next Door might need a little extra help out there."
"OH, no you don't!" older Abby told him, "You and Carmelite are gonna stay here, so that when it's all over, you can get our past selves back home, and we can move."
"Move?" Carmelite asked, "Move where?"
"Anyvhere." older Heinrich replied, "As long as it's out of ze country."
"Look," Leopold told his parents, "Carmelite and I can handle whatever's out there. I've got
plenty of Kids Next Door experience, and Carmelite's not a bad fighter herself."
"If we don't make it back, though," Carmelite added, "The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. is in the living room. Pop open the hood, and you'll find the time machine."
There was a silence, as older Heinrich looked at his wife, his expression begging her to say something to convince the kids not to go.
"You
sure you can handle whatever's up there?" older Abby asked.
"They can." the younger Abby assured her future self, "Heiny and I know that for sure." She pulled her S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. out of her pocket and handed it to the unarmed Leopold.
"All right." older Abby said finally, "Leopold, if you really think it's safe enough, you and your sister can go."
"Y'know," Abby commented to her older self, smiling, "Numbuh Five doesn't think you're as crazy as people say you are."
"But ve don't even know vhat's going on out zere!" older Heinrich protested to the adult Abby, as his kids walked up the stairs leading to the trapdoor, "Vhat if zey do end up getting hurt?!
Nein! I von't allow it! CARMELITE, LEOPOLD! GET BACK DOWN-"
But as older Heinrich turned in the direction of the staircase, they weren't there anymore, and the sound of the padlock clicking shut could be heard.
"Zis is not good, zis is not good..." older Heinrich sighed, as he began to pace, "Ve vere just supposed to stop here, pick up ze kids,
und leave ze country. Now ve haff to vorry about vhen zey come back, or IF zey come back..."
"Am I really such
ein spaz?" Heinrich whispered to Abby, as his future self continued his rant.
---
Meanwhile, Leopold and Carmelite inspected the house. Many of the walls had collapsed, and there was a decent amount of debris and rubble. However, the army and the Kids Next Door were all gone.
"Aww..." Carmelite whined, "We missed it."
"Something doesn't feel right..." Leopold thought aloud.
"Don't be ridiculous, Leo, there's nothing here."
Just then, both siblings felt someone grab their shoulders from behind. They turned around to see Cree looming over them.
"
Dieses ist megaschlect..." Leopold muttered.
---
Wie bitte? - Excuse me?
Vati - Dad
Dieses ist megaschlect - This is really bad...