see that map of yours."
"Listed?" Freddy asks blankly. Nico ignores the question, looking over the map for a long moment.
"You three will also act as the opposition," he says. "We can't let them win this too easily, now can we?"
"Wait, wait, we can't beat some of the guys that'll be playing," Freddy says, suddenly worried. "Like Trent? I've got no chance. In fact, I have no chance against any of the named capes, and I don't want to put my brothers in danger just for a stupid game!"
"Leave that to me," Nico says, only to make the random pieces of metal that Freddy stole earlier start floating. Before their eyes, small devices are built in groups of fives and separated into neat piles. "You figure out the clues and the routes each team will take--I suggest you keep each of the groups at a different station at all times, and I'll give you your battle orders in the morning," he says, grinning evilly. "Don't worry, this is going to be fun for everyone."
He walks out of the room, leaving them to examine the items he created. "We've got a... button on each of these," Lance says, picking one of them up. He pushes the button, staring at it blankly for a moment before letting go. "Nothing happened."
"Let me see it," Freddy says, taking the object and pushing the button again. An image of Lance floats above it, going, "Nothing happened."
"AWESOME!" all three of them cheer. "This is going to rock!" Freddy adds, scooping up one of the piles. "Let's get to work."
***
"Sir?"
"Mmm? Ah, yes, yes, what is it?"
"Nico's broken the rules. You definitively said that there was supposed to be only ONE helper, if the helper is an adult."
"Well, yes, I suppose I did... It's Freddy's turn, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"And did he ASK Nico to help?"
"Well, no..."
"Then I say this is just a bit of... high spirits on Nico's behalf. It does me good to see him so interested in things not mechanical. He's been on the naughty list for some twenty years, now. You can cut the man a bit of slack!"
"Yes, sir."
***
"So? Where's Freddy?" Justin asks, looking around the campus. "Are we going somewhere again?"
"Where's Lance?" Carla asks. "And I don't see Brandon, either--" she races around the group, waving a hand through each of the empty areas. "Nope, he's not here!" she declares.
"Today is a bit different," Nico says as five different objects float over his head. "Today, thanks to Freddy, Lance, and Brandon, we're going to play a little game. Form groups of five or so, everyone--one acting brawler per team." The groups sort themselves out and Nico tosses them each a clue.
Invisible, the three watching them nod in agreement. Lance and Freddy go visible again as they head off to their personal posts. Lance shifts into a tiny lizard, perched high on the cliff wall. As the first group approaches he waits for one of them to point him out. When they do, he grabs the clue and shifts, changing into a reindeer and racing away with them chasing after him and laughing.
Brandon sits on one of the buildings, clearly visible from the ground. The team assigned to go to his post first shows up, looking around for a long moment before looking up. He gives them a wave, showing off the clue, and promptly disappears, clue and all.
Two of the teams are lucky, and find the first clue easily--only to fall into a Technico trap. The last team, though, find themselves facing Freddy, who perches on a red and white pole sticking up a mile in the sky--right in the middle of the Apocalypse field. He's dressed like an elf, complete with pointy hat, golden bells hanging from his clothes, and pointy toes on his shoes. The team steps forward, only to jump as holes in the field open and the robots come out, also dressed like elves and singing Christmas songs. That is, until one of the robots turn on them, and shouts, "INTRUDERS!"
Freddy jumps off the pole, landing lightly on one robot's shoulder and jumping to the next, waving the clue in a taunting manner as the
"Listed?" Freddy asks blankly. Nico ignores the question, looking over the map for a long moment.
"You three will also act as the opposition," he says. "We can't let them win this too easily, now can we?"
"Wait, wait, we can't beat some of the guys that'll be playing," Freddy says, suddenly worried. "Like Trent? I've got no chance. In fact, I have no chance against any of the named capes, and I don't want to put my brothers in danger just for a stupid game!"
"Leave that to me," Nico says, only to make the random pieces of metal that Freddy stole earlier start floating. Before their eyes, small devices are built in groups of fives and separated into neat piles. "You figure out the clues and the routes each team will take--I suggest you keep each of the groups at a different station at all times, and I'll give you your battle orders in the morning," he says, grinning evilly. "Don't worry, this is going to be fun for everyone."
He walks out of the room, leaving them to examine the items he created. "We've got a... button on each of these," Lance says, picking one of them up. He pushes the button, staring at it blankly for a moment before letting go. "Nothing happened."
"Let me see it," Freddy says, taking the object and pushing the button again. An image of Lance floats above it, going, "Nothing happened."
"AWESOME!" all three of them cheer. "This is going to rock!" Freddy adds, scooping up one of the piles. "Let's get to work."
***
"Sir?"
"Mmm? Ah, yes, yes, what is it?"
"Nico's broken the rules. You definitively said that there was supposed to be only ONE helper, if the helper is an adult."
"Well, yes, I suppose I did... It's Freddy's turn, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"And did he ASK Nico to help?"
"Well, no..."
"Then I say this is just a bit of... high spirits on Nico's behalf. It does me good to see him so interested in things not mechanical. He's been on the naughty list for some twenty years, now. You can cut the man a bit of slack!"
"Yes, sir."
***
"So? Where's Freddy?" Justin asks, looking around the campus. "Are we going somewhere again?"
"Where's Lance?" Carla asks. "And I don't see Brandon, either--" she races around the group, waving a hand through each of the empty areas. "Nope, he's not here!" she declares.
"Today is a bit different," Nico says as five different objects float over his head. "Today, thanks to Freddy, Lance, and Brandon, we're going to play a little game. Form groups of five or so, everyone--one acting brawler per team." The groups sort themselves out and Nico tosses them each a clue.
Invisible, the three watching them nod in agreement. Lance and Freddy go visible again as they head off to their personal posts. Lance shifts into a tiny lizard, perched high on the cliff wall. As the first group approaches he waits for one of them to point him out. When they do, he grabs the clue and shifts, changing into a reindeer and racing away with them chasing after him and laughing.
Brandon sits on one of the buildings, clearly visible from the ground. The team assigned to go to his post first shows up, looking around for a long moment before looking up. He gives them a wave, showing off the clue, and promptly disappears, clue and all.
Two of the teams are lucky, and find the first clue easily--only to fall into a Technico trap. The last team, though, find themselves facing Freddy, who perches on a red and white pole sticking up a mile in the sky--right in the middle of the Apocalypse field. He's dressed like an elf, complete with pointy hat, golden bells hanging from his clothes, and pointy toes on his shoes. The team steps forward, only to jump as holes in the field open and the robots come out, also dressed like elves and singing Christmas songs. That is, until one of the robots turn on them, and shouts, "INTRUDERS!"
Freddy jumps off the pole, landing lightly on one robot's shoulder and jumping to the next, waving the clue in a taunting manner as the
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