Mini-Chapters: Numbskulls and Impounded

[Meanwhile]

While Hala was organizing cleanup and Danny was meeting Corsola again, two particular individuals retreated away from the threat of being put to work, and ended up in an alley behind the rec center.

It was a frequent hangout for Team Skull, though it was only the two of them today; a minor mismanagement of construction and renovation had resulted in the back door to the rec center being bricked over, and the alley was enclosed by obscuring wooden fences on both sides; both fences had had planks carefully loosened into makeshift doors, though Yoma had the suck in his gut to squeeze through.

Broseph sat on the old abandoned dumpster that had been forgotten when the area was fenced off. The remaining trash had long since been picked clean by Trubbish and Grimer and was as close to sanitized as Team Skull was willing to make it; pretty clean, as it happened, enough that Yoma was willing to store snacks there.

He chowed down on one such jerky packet now while he sat on a milkcrate. The only sound between the two of them was him chewing ferociously.

Broseph stared at a point two feet above Yoma’s head, thinking. It made Yoma nervous; Broseph was never this quiet.

The shorter teen swallowed and pulled his mask back up. “So. Crazy day, huh?”

Broseph didn’t respond.

“That guy was nuts! Throwing boats all over the place,” Yoma continued, desperate to fill the silence. “How do you think he did all that? With the water?” He gasped. “Do you think they were filming a movie?”

“...” Broseph looked down at him without moving his head. “...Nah. That stupid captain loves his stupid boat too much to destroy it for some movie.”

“Oh yeah…” Yoma pulled another bite off his jerky. “...Oh, yo, and what about that beanpole who took him down?”

Broseph grunted.

“And with the, uh… hey, did we know that guy?”

The taller grunt blinked. “What?”

“The flying superhero guy. Did we know him? I thought he looked familiar.”

Broseph’s frown deepened as he thought. He didn’t quite get a look at the guy before the lightshow happened, but Yoma was right--something he’d never thought before--that guy did remind him of someone.

Yoma snapped his fingers. “Yo, you know who I think it was? I think it was that guy we battled on the beach a while ago!”

“You mean the guy with the--” Broseph’s eyes bugged. “Holy crap, I think you’re right.”

“I am?” Yoma’s own eyes bugged now. “Wow, that never happens!” Yoma’s Spinarak crawled out of the dumpster with a bag of chips in its mandibles, and Yoma opened it for her.

“Shut up, I’m thinking.”

This could be bad, actually. First, that… psychic freak or whatever he was moves the boats around, makes a big wave almost happen… then that punk turns out to have superpowers… they battled him and lost cuz’ he cheated and teamed up on them, he thought, ignoring that they had doubled up first, so he probably doesn’t like us… The only thing that could make it worse is if he was--

“Damn!” Broseph spat out. “Yoma, did you see what the guy was wearing?!”

“Huh?” Yoma blinked, thrown. “Yeah, he was wearing black and white, why?”

Broseph stood up and started pacing. “Oh man, oh man. We gotta find a way to get on his good side, quick!”

“Why, yo?”

He whirled around and smacked the shorter grunt. “Don’t you get it, dude? Black and white, spooky stuff, hangs around the Professor, obviously a badass?”

Yoma and Spinarak stared, uncomprehending.

“He’s a member of Team Skull!” Broseph shouted. “The Boss musta sent him to spy on the Professor, since everyone knows they hate each other--”

“They do?”

“--and WE got on his bad side! We gotta do something!”

Yoma scratched his head, confused. “That would be pretty bad, I guess, but--”

“C’mon, Yoma.” Broseph took a deep breath. “Okay, we can do this. Gotta play it cool.”

“Okay?”

“What do we do, what do we do…” Broseph snapped his fingers. “I got it! He’s doing the Trials, right? He must be trying to get the crystals for the Boss, too!”

“Does Boss even care about the ones that aren’t for Bugs?”

“I know how to help the double agent guy out, c’mon!”

Broseph ran for it, leaving Yoma behind.

The portly grunt exchanged a look with his Spinarak and shrugged. “Well, Broseph must know what he’s doing, right?”

“Spi-krak.”

“Right.” Yoma returned the spider and wedged himself between the boards. “Wait for me, bro!”

---------------------------------

[A Little Earlier]

Johnny and Kitty appeared in the alley, phasing through the ground. Across the street stood the Fenton Works building.

Kitty looked up, holding a hand to shield her eyes. “Man… what’s with all the sci-fi stuff?” she asked, pointing at the metal structure on top of the townhouse. It was easily as massive as the building itself, and then some. “Do you think that thing flies?”

“It’s going to fly when I’m done with it,” Johnny muttered. “But not for long.” He didn’t look up; instead his eyes were locked on the curb in front of the house--looking down. This close he could feel her baby crying for him to come and take her back.

“We didn’t really stick around to get a good look when we came through the Portal,” Kitty went on. “I guess these guys are more like the Ghostbusters than witch hunters, huh Johnny?”

“They’re keeping her in the basement,” Johnny growled. “She doesn’t belong there.”

“What? She who?” Kitty asked reflexively. Then she realized what he meant and groaned.

“She needs to be in the air! On the road! She needs wide open spaces, not a cramped cellar!”

“Johnny, babe,” Kitty said delicately. “You’re talking weird about the bike again.”

Johnny took a step forward. Kitty stopped him with a hand on his arm.

She bit her lip worriedly. Johnny’s whole life had revolved around that bike. He built it with his own hands from spare parts in his dad’s junkyard. When they died, it had followed them, better than before. It was as much a part of him as his shadow.

Kitty didn’t really understand it. She couldn’t, really. She didn’t have a special keepsake like that; her ring and necklace were nice, but they were only special because they were gifts from Johnny. He’d been going a little cuckoo since the bike got stolen.

A part of him was missing, and he needed it back.

“We gotta be smart about this, Johnny,” Kitty reminded him. “These are ghost hunters, okay? Gotta be careful.”

“Careful.” Johnny closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was a little more centered. “Careful. Right. Shadow.”

The shade peeled itself off the ground. It looked just as disgruntled as Johnny did; it was even starting to look a little ragged at the edges, like pieces of it were breaking off.

“Go ahead. And show me what they’re up to,” Johnny commanded.

Shadow didn’t even chuckle as it flew across the street and under the door.

Kitty was starting to feel a little nervous. Johnny wasn’t himself without his bike.

She knew in her core he’d never hurt her. She just hoped he wasn’t going to hurt himself, either.