Chapter 1- Could It Be Doom?

The summer night in Big City was silent apart from the sounds of rock music from the rock bar the Golden Penguin where rock music was where it was at.

The solitary figure stood on an outcropping of rocks on the coast. Dressed in traditional Ninja garments and carrying a black backpack and a sword slung behind his back, he took out a pair of binoculars and studied the home that was only a few hundred yards away from his position.

His mission was clear. The victims should be asleep in the house. He would kill the three of them and then he would raid the garage for the three motorbikes that his employer had requested he steal.

He stashed the binoculars back into his pack and slipped a black hood over his face. It was time to get the job done. He broke into a full run until he reached the perimeter of the house.

The security systems were easy enough to infiltrate. The intruder found the boxes around the perimeter of the compound and disabled each of them. He came back around to the east wall and using a grappling hook he had in his pack, climbed the the wall with ease and made his way to the house.

The floorplan the intruder had studied indicated that his victim's bedrooms were on the top floor. He carefully crept across the floor, slowly up the stairs and carefully creeped into one of the bedrooms. At the center of the room was the first target he was seeking. He noted a large penguin sleeping in the middle of a massive bed.

Looking the sleeping penguin over, his description matched the one of the three penguins that the inruder was given for the first intended victim. The intruder stood at the edge of the bed, and unsheathed his sword. He raised it over his head, ready to finish the first part of his mission.

It was then two more penguins stared at the intruder and the medium sized penguin did a flying leap kick. Taken by surprise, the intruder stumbled and fell to the ground. He was none to pleased and attempted to push the penguin off of him.

"Get off of me, pal." his voice was low and menacing.

"No one talks to Marlon Penguin like that." Marlon snarled as he ordered the smallest penguin to grab hold of the intruder's hood and pulled it off.

Rocky Penguin was by no means a sound sleeper but it took a few moments for his sleep-fogged brain to register that he wasn't alone in his bedroom. Waking quickly, he scrambled out of bed taking in the scene of Marlon and Bluey both tugging at an intuder. He madly scrambled for the pistol beside his bed, switched off the safety and aimed for the intruder.

However, his frustration mounted when he couldn't get a clear shot for both Marlon and Bluey continued to pounce on the intruder.

"Guys, get away from him!" Rocky commanded. However, the effect he got wasn't quite what he expected.

Rocky looked on in amazement as he saw the intruder stiffen almost in reply to the command he gave Marlon and Bluey. Seeing an opportunity, he rushed toward the intruder but was met with a fist to the jaw. Stars danced in front of his eyes as he staggered back.

As his vision cleared, Rocky heard the smashing of his bedroom window. He massaged his jaw and being mindful of the broken glass, stepped carefully to the window and looked out across the yard.

He could see no sign of the intruder. Walking over to a control panel near the light switch, Marlon flicked a button.

"Okay, Bluey, locate that intruder." Marlon said cooly feelign glad Professor Boring put a real speaking chip in Bluey's brain.

"That guy's left the house and jumped out of the window, Marlon." Bluey stated.

As both he and Rocky walked back over to the scene of the struggle, Marlon kneeled and picked up the hood that the intruder used. He turned it inside and out, looking for clues and managed to spot a couple of hairs caught in one of the seams. Bluey carefully walked over and sat down besde his comrades and gave them a quizzical look.

"Well, Penguins, it seems our assasin left a calling card," Marlon mused. "Can it be Doom even thouguh we haven't seen him in over 10 years?"

I usually think Professor Boring likes to extrapolate DNA himself but I wanna know know who's trying to kill us. thought Marlon as Bluey picked up the hairs and connected them to his laptop.

"JOEY, extrapolate DNA and compare with known database archives," Bluey told his computer. After another thought, he added "Also implement security percaution level 2."

"Understood." came the monotone feminine voice from the computer.

Yawning, Rocky got to his feet and turned to go back to bed. The level 2 security protocol would lock down the compound enough to get a good night's sleep. Usually if JOEY had to search all of the available DNA databases, it took most of the night.

A completion tone issued from JOEY and all three penguins turned in some surprise.

"That was quick, JOEY," said Rocky. "Display results on monitor one."

Marlon, Rocky and Bluey all turned to the far wall as it switched on and promptly staggered back.

It can't be... thought Bluey.

"JOEY," Bluey stated. "Enough with the jokes."

"DNA study completed," came JOEY's curt reply. "Sample matches 99.9% with subject on file."

Holy cow. thought Rocky as he felt the blood drain from his face.

Numbmess washed over the penguins. Any last questions would erase any doubt in their minds but they were all afraid to ask it. So many years of joy with no Caractus P. Doom but they had to find out.

"Probability DNA's been cloned?" Marlon choked out.

There was a pause before JOEY replied "Probability of cloning: 10.654%. Age of sample and genetic markers inidcate that this sample is legitimate."

The penguins all hung their heads completly overwhelmed. Years of happiness from Doom's disappearence came back to the surface in an instant. If what they were seeing was true-

Spurred into action, Bluey dropped back into the seat at the edge of the table and adjusted a few controls and said "JOEY, Priority One. Locate Harry Slime."

Chapter 2- Old friends, Bitter Past

The beeping wouldn't stop at the Slime home in South Park, Colorado. Slimegirl Slime moaned and covered her head with a pillow.

She knew it wasn't the alarm clock...the beeping was too short and high pitched. With a groan, she sat straight up in bed and looked out of her bedroom window into the darkness.

It's still the middle of the night, thought Slimegirl. What's going on here?

Slimegirl got to her feet, and quietly made her way downstairs. Listening carefully, she followed the sound to a closed door at the end of the hallway. It was a room that her husband of 10 years Harry Slime had forbidden her to go into.

She ran a hand through her long dark green hair and pondered her options. Harry tended to be a light sleeper but he had come home tonight exhausted after tracking down a criminal for a local bounty hunter.

He's not awake and it's been ten minutes already, thought Slimegirl. If I don't shut that noise off, I am not gonna get any sleep.

Slimegirl placed a hand on the knob and turned it slowly. The door yielded with little noise and she carefully stepped inside. The room was illuminated by moonlight from a nearby window allowing Slimegirl to see well enough without turning on the light. She noticed gadgets of all sorts filling the room's shelves and the walls were flanked with pictures of Harry's time spent with the evil Caractus Doom.

Slimegirl stopped short in front of the desk against the wall. She spotted what looked like a small square PDA. A status light on the side of the unit was flashing in time to the beeping.

Picking it up, she pressed a button on the side of the Unit. The small screen lit instantly showing a face she hadn't seen in some time.

"Marlon Penguin?" Slimegirl asked.

"Hey, Slimegirl, great to finally see you," Marlon said. "Is Harry around?"

"I don't know," said Slimegirl. "He was out on a case for most of the night and just got home two hours ago. I'll go check and-"

"No need, I'm right here." said Harry.

Slimegirl jumped at the sound of her husband's voice. She turned around and started apologizing profusely.

"Sorry, darling," said Slimegirl. "The beeping of your unit was keeping me awake and I just came down to shut it off and-"

"It's all right, my little bundle of snot," Harry said quietly taking the device out of her hand. "Would you leave the room for a bit? I need to talk to the Avenger Penguins alone."

Slimegirl hadn't seen her husband of 10 years so ill at ease in the longest time but reluctantly she left the room closing the door behind her.

After Harry made sure that she shut the door, he sat down, turned back to
the face showing on his communication screen and said "It's been a long time, Marlon."

He saw the image of his friend nod in reply. "It has."

Harry noticed the penguin was shocked but excited as he said "Well, are you going to tell me why you called me at one in the morning?"

"Doom's alive, Harry." Marlon said.

Harry groaned in reply. They have had this conversation more than once and it was starting to get thin and said "Marlon, don't do thi-"

Harry was cut off by Marlon stating "Hear me out. Me, Rocky and Bluey were attacked tonight by a ninja-style assassin. Luckily, Me and Bluey kept him busy long enough or Rocky woulda been catfood right now. In all the chaos, the intruder's hood came off and he chose to make his escape. We didn't get a good look at his face but I discovered a few hairs trapped in the hood. DNA analysis shows that they are a perfect match for Doom. The age and the markers in the sample indicate that this is no clone."

Harry's eyes widened. After all of these years... "There was an investigation. They found a man's remains in the explosion. For God sakes, Marlon, the investigation was handled by Inspector Elinor and Superintendant Johnny."

"Yeah and it was an investigation we were both shut out of, remember?" Marlon retorted.

"That's to be expected 'cause we were too close to the victim," Harry shot back. He noticed the leader of the Avenger Penguins cringe at the description and calmed his voice. "I'm sorry. Is the DNA evidence the only thing you have?"

"Bluey was the first one to recognize him, Harry," said Marlon. "Rocky thought we were attacking the intruder but Bluey must have recognized Doom's scent."

Harry stared at the communicator screen in astonishment. He knew Bluey easily recognized friend from foe but after over 10 years?

He sighed before speaking again. "I have to admit that is pretty compelling evidence. So, say for the sake of argument Doom was found dead."

"Go on." Marlon said.

"To keep this quiet, the perp would have had to have someone on the inside because Big City's always kept locked down tighter than Fort Knox at night thanks to Professor Boring's surveillance equipment," Harry finished. "Is that what you are thinking?"

"Look, Harry ole buddy, ole pal, I'm not above begging but I know you can help us and I can think no one better to put my trust in right now. I've followed your career as a bounty hunter for the past four years, and know you have kept your skills sharp. You've also got knowledge of the men that were investigating the case at that time so what do you say?" Marlon urged.

Harry paused and said "I'll send my jet, Marlon. I'll help you stop Mr Doom from coming back from the dead and that's a promise."

A distinct young feminine voice piped up from behind him "You mean WE, don't you, Harry?"

Harry didn't even bother turning around. He figured Slimegirl couldn't resist listening in and said "Slime-"

Marlon smiled and said "Slimegirl can come too, Harry, thanks for believing in the Avenger Penguins."

The communicator then blinked off.

Harry stood and turned to face his wife and said "Better get packed, Slimey. We're taking the jet to Big City in two hours."

Chapter 3 - A Question of Loyalty

Back in Big City, the solitary figure ran through the night. His conditioning allowed him to run great distances at a time and on some nights, it came in handy. He was trying to quiet the frenzied thoughts that ran through his his head.

Why couldn't I kill those stupid penguins? thought the ninja. How can this be?

He broke into a sprint once he was in sight of the hotel.

His room was on the top corner of the top floor. He always had a habit of picking that particular room whenever he stayed somewhere. It usually made him feel safe and he could usually see an enemy coming from miles around.

Opening the door, he entered the room. The furnishings were few but he didn't want to attract attention by staying at a nationally known hotel.

He sat down at the desk in the corner and took out a laptop from his backpack. Placing it on the desk, he quickly powered it on and tapped out a series of commands. In response, a communication window opened and a shadowy figure appeared.

The voice that issued from the speakers was grainy and distorted.

"You're late," said the voice. "Report."

He ran a hand through his shoulder length brown hair nervously. The person he reported to never tolerated failure especially from him. He had been trained, conditioned and educated not to fail.

He spoke quickly "They were all awake and two of them attacked me. I- was
unable to finish my task."

The voice from the speakers became agitated.

"That doesn't please me," the voice said. "I've given you the best training that money can buy in order for you to help my research. In return, all I'm asking for is for you to kill three penguins and steal their motorbikes. Do you want to be sent back to him as a failure? I love you like a son but I can assure you that your punishment'll be harsh."

He cringed remembering the times he had been punished before.

"No, Mr Doom, I don't wanna disappoint you," said the man. "Me and the gang can carry out this mission."

He could hear the tapping of keys in the background as the voice replied "Well, luckily, we have some time before we activate phase two of this plan. Youn and your gang'll have another opportunity to finish your mission over the next few days. I want you to go to under the guise of a normal high school student named Zach Alexander at Big City High School. Marlon Penguin teaches mechanics there so I want you to mingle and survey the site."

"Yeah, I can do that." he replied absently. He kept playing back the whole incident in his head, questions still rolling around in his mind.

Doom's voice took on a harsh tone snapping him back to the present and said "Don't fail me again. The Avenger Penguins are enemies that can stop my plans and take you away from me, do you want that?"

"No, Mr Doom," said the man. "When the time's right, I'll kill those feathered pests."

He shut the connection down and closed his laptop.

Laying down on the bed, he breathed a sigh and thought about the encounter he had with the Avenger Penguins. His mission was clear but for some reason, he still couldn't get that encounter out of his mind. However, the events of the night caught up with him. His eyelids drooped and he was soon fast asleep.

The next morning at the Penguin house, Harry came downstairs after showering to find his wife sitting at the breakfast table with the penguins. Bluey was focusing on the contents of a computer screen in front of him.

"What's got your interest, Bluey?" Harry asked.

"I'm using a program I borrowed with the permission of a forensic artist friend of ours," Bluey said looking up from the screen. "It ages children's pictures based on input of attributes from the parents."

"He's already scanned in pictures of Doom and any relatives he's got left in Big City." Slimegirl piped up.

"Now I just need to make a few adjustments." Bluey said as he typed in calculation after calculation and soon, a 3-D image appeared on the screen. It held the basic contours of a face but lacked features. To the side of the image, the program offered three different options for each facial feature including the hair.

The program offered me these options based on the attributes of the photos I scanned into it, Bluey thought quickly tapping in some options. Now if I remember right, my friend told me to type in this command and-

He pressed the final button in the series. The program sprang to life trying different facial feature combinations until the program stopped.

"Bingo." Bluey yelled.

The others all stood around Bluey to take a look at the screen. The face that stared back at them was complete and with the exception of the brown hair, bore a striking resemblance to Caractus P. Doom.

"Uncanny, isn't it?" Rocky quietly asked.

"Yeah," Marlon said cooly. "Now that we've got an idea of what this brown haired guy might look like, we'll need a plan."

Chapter 4 - Old wounds

When Harry left Big City airport later that afternoon, he rented a car and quickly made his way to the marble and stone building that was the Big City police department. He felt a pang of nostalgia as he entered the building. It had been five years since he had set foot in the building but not much had changed.

After being buzzed through lobby security, he went into the heart of the building. The maze of cubicles was still there, along with the greenery draped across each one. The higher ups always claimed it gave the office atmosphere when actually all it did was set off the allergies of about half a dozen officers. Harry reached the elevator and punched the button for the top floor.

In Superintendant Johnny's offcie, he leaned back in his leather chair and stared at the ceiling in his office for the tneth time in as many hours. Becoming superintendant had it's perks but waiting for feedback from the critical missions had to rank as one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the job.

"Who's there?" he asked as heard the door knocking.

"It's Inspector Elinor and Harry Slime's with me, sir," Inspector Elinor announced from the intercom "Want me to come in too?"

"Go ahead." said Superintendant Johnny.

Superintendant Johnny looked up as his door opened and both Inspector Elinor and Harry came into the room.

"Harry, good to see you," said Superintendant Johnny. "Take a seat."

Harry and Inspector Elinor both stepped into the massive office but Harry could barely hold back his surprise.

His sources had told him that said Superintendant Johnny had done well but judging by the wood paneling, exotic plants and the Mahogany desk, said Superintendant Johnny was doing very well.

He took a seat in the cushioned chair that said Superintendant Johnny indicated.

"So, Mr Slime, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" said Superintendant Johnny asked lightly. "Has one of your bounties done something that merits our attention?"

"I think you know why I am here, said Superintendant Johnny." said Harry.

"Has your time away from Big City made you lose all of your charm, Mr Slime?" asked Inspector Elinor mildly.

"Not when I think the investigation into Caractus P. Doom's death was mishandled," Harry stated cooly. From his pocket, he extracted a data disc and handed it ot him. "The Avenger Penguins and Professor Boring have both recieved new evidence indicating that he's alive."

"I can assure you all avenue's were considered and explored that were concerning Caractus P. Doom's demise," said Superintendant Johnny pocketing the disc. "We even had the dart that hit you analyzed but nothing panned out but I'll have Inspector Elinor give this a once over as a favor to you."

Harry bit back a retort. He knew to expect a chilly reception but at this rate, he felt like he would freeze to death.

"So how's life as the new superintendant?" Harry asked idly.

"It has it's ups and downs," Superintendant Johnny replied simply. "How 'bout you? The life of a bounty hunter exciting?"

"It pays the bills." Harry replied.

"Join us, Mr Slime," said Inspector Elinor. "We never blamed you for 'that incident' and anyway, we could use all of the manpower we can get."

Harry flinched in anger. To have an event like that reduced to 'that incident'. He stood, then leaned over until he was mere inches from Superintendant Johnny and said "No thank you, officers. I made a promise to a friend that I intend to keep. I'll get to the bottom of 'that incident' and right now, that's my only priority."

"That didn't seem to be your priority five years ago when you quit, Mr Slime." said Superintendant Johnny.

Harry fought to keep his temper in check as he said "Things change. What about the Avenger Penguins, officers? I noticed they don't seem to be a priority anymore."

"You're right, Mr Slime," said Inspector Elinor. "The higher-ups got tired of him coming to us constantly over the past five years begging us to reopen Caractus P. Doom's case. We still keep an eye on him every so often to make sure their work's not being affected."

That did it. Harry grabbed the front of Superintendant Johnny's shirt and pulled him forward.

"For your information, someone tried to assassinate the Avenger Penguins last night and all you officers seem to care about is whether or not they're still around!"

Both Superintendant Johnny and Inspector Elinor stared at him in stony silence until it was broken by the ringing of Sergeant Philipa arriving in the office.

Superintendant Johnny's voice was cold and even as he said "Mr Smlime, we've to get that if you don't mind. Now get out before Sergeant Philipa here throws you out."

"We'll be in touch." Harry replied simply. He released his hold on Superintendant Johnny's shirt, walked out of his office and slammed the door.

Chapter 5- Discoveries

"I'm coming home." a female voice said.

Rocky sighed. He had phoned his fiancée Bella to tell him what they had discovered about Caractus P. Doom and she insisted on coming home right away.

"I'd rather you didn't, Rocky replied with worry in his voice, "Me and the guys had a close shave, and besides, we don't know what Doom's been up to yet. He could just as easily come back and try and kill you too."

"I was gonna use the free time to visit my folks before I came home but this is more important," Bella stated. "And you can't talk me out of it. I wanna help and two heads are better than one."

"Try six," Rocky said. "Marlon and Bluey are helping to and Harry's agreed to help and brought his wife Slimegirl along."

"You talked Harry Slime into coming back to Big City?" Bella replied in astonishment. "This is momentous indeed. I'll be on the first available bus and I'll call you when I arrive."

Rocky heard the click at the end of the line and put the phone back in it's cradle. Immediately, the phone rang and he picked the receiver back up.

"Hello?"

"Rocky, it's Marlon," Marlon said. "I haven't got any classes this afternoon so I thought I'd check in."

"Our plans so far are coming together," Rocky said. "My fiancée Bella'll be home in the next few hours but she'll be safe here."

"I called Harry just before I called you," Marlon said. "He's in the air and on his way back now."

He heard Rocky pause for a moment. "I heard you promised Professor Lake that you were gonna do another class in the next day or so so I'll be on campus in an hour. If you'd like, you can ride with me after school to pick up Harry and knowing Slimegirl, Bella and Bluey, they'll also be in soon as well."

"That'll be good...but is there any way I can go ahead and go now?" asked Marlon. "I talked Principal Lake into enrolling a couple of my students in Latin of all things. That's the deadest language around and-"

He was cut off by laughter on the other end of the line as Rocky said "My mom once told me you'd try something this, Marlon. Go to class and I'll see you later."

"Figures." Marlon groaned placing the receiver back on the cradle, then broke into a run when the next class bell sounded.

Two hours later, Rocky heard the last bell of the day and went back to his car to wait for Marlon. His meeting with Prfoessor Lake had been productive and he had gathered many ideas on index cards to use in his friend's presentation.

He had just finished stuffing the cards into his pocket when he spotted Marlon rushing out of the building and quickly got onto his bike. Before he could ask about his friend about his day, Marlon saw Bluey taking a laptop out of her pack and held it out for his inspection.

"Let's go." Bluey said hurriedly.

Both Rocky and Marlon were shocked because they both knew that this wasn't Bluey's laptop.

"Where did you get this from?" Marlon asked.

"I'll explain when we pick up the others but I think this'll give us a line on Doom." Bluey explained.

Chapter 6 - Schemes

At Big City airport, Harry was not in a good mood to begin with so when he had arrived at the airport in Big City only to have learned that Bluey grabbed potential evidence, he was shocked.

He and his wife both followed the three penguins to a small cafe area just off of the main terminal. They were waiting for Bella's plane to arrive but there were more pressing matters on his mind.

"What's that?" Harry asked as they sat down.

"It's a laptop but it's not mine, Harry." Bluey groaned.

Marlon's hands started to tremble so he took a quick deep breath to calm himself before he continued "Bluey, you're a part of the Avenger Penguins but 'cause of us, Doom was dead and I don't wanna lose you too."

"Marlon, Bluey's right and here with us now," Rocky said. "Let's let him explain."

Marlon fell silent for a moment and sighed "Go ahead, Bluey."

Bluey gave his leader a worried glance and said "As I was leaving the garage, Mr Cabilerro asked me to take some paper work to Miss Shore. I went and started talking to her and that's when I saw him."

"Mr Doom?" Harry asked. "You saw him? Are you sure?"

"He was an extremely close match to picture I generated from that software," Bluey replied, "Anyway, he was in Mr Cabilerro's office talking to him. I couldn't catch much of the conversation but I noticed an open backpack propped against the door. I asked Miss Shore and she verified that it belonged to the new student at Big City High School. When she had her back turned, I took a quick look inside the bag and spotted the laptop. I made a split second decision, made sure no one was looking and that's how come I have it."

"We all appreciate your eagerness to help, Bluey but Marlon's right," Slimegirl said. "What you did was very dangerous. If he knows that we're onto him-"

The airport announcements came on before Slimegirl could finish her thought.

"Flight 24 from Los Angeles has arrived at gate 2."

Marlon got to his feet and said "C'mon, gang. Let's pick up Bella and get back. We'll finish our conversation then."

Caractus P. Doom sat in his mountaintop hideaway and surveyed his surroundings. It wasn't easy getting back into Big City but with the right officials on his payroll and a disguise, he was able to get through with minimal effort.

His contact had set up the place so he could be close at hand when his plan was executed. The Avenger Penguins new bikes were easily be adapted to carrying out cyber attacks, plundering the worlds markets and crippling their defenses. His trained assassin will kill them and steal the bikes for him-and who better to be the assassin than his own son?

He turned to a nearby console. After adjusting a few settings, a section of wall slid open revealing a communications screen showing a familiar face.

"Hey, Mr Doom," said the voice of Doom's couin Labyrinth Q. Doom. "I trust you found the accommodations appealing?"

"They're brilliant," Doom said. "I want to check the progress of our operation. When will our assassin complete his task?"

"He's infiltrated a local high school where Marlon Penguin teaches mechanics," said Labyrinth. "He'll kill him and his friends then and steal the bikes."

"Excellent. Have you had to use anymore of the drug on him?" asked Doom.

"No, Caractus," snapped Labyrinth. "For the last few months, he's proven himself totally loyal to us so the drug's proven unnecessary. He's even stopped asking about you."

Doom smiled at the screen and said "He's my son and he's completely bent to our will. Everything's falling into place. Keep me informed."

"Yes, mom." said Labyrinth sarcasticly.

Labyrinth Q. Doom closed his communication screen when Doom's image disappeared.

The man had invested a lot of time in Harry Doom. He had put the boy through training that most men don't go through until they are much older.

Combat scenarios, martial arts, endurance training, sensory depravation, it had all been necessary to break him, to make Harry totally reliant on him and his father and ready him for the mission at hand. As a master stroke, he even conditioned the boy to call Doom dad as he thought If those stupid penguins only knew...

Everything was being manipulated as planned. Once the plan plays out, the man would finally be able to fulfill Doom's purpose and gain his freedom. Now all he could do was wait on Harry.

Chapter 7- Strategies

When they reached the Penguin house later that evening, Harry, Slimegirl and Bella all sat on the couch while Marlon, Rocky and Bluey all went to the garage.

Rocky whistled in appreciation when they reached the garage. What advancements he had seen from the last 10 years were surpassed here easily.

"You've been busy, Bluey," said Rocky. "The computer equipment you have here makes our bikes look like kids ones."

Bluey placed the laptop on one of the wooden work tables and took a seat to the side as both Marlon and Rocky sat down in front of the unit. Marlon powered on the laptop and tried a typing in a few commands before sliding the unit over to Bluey in frustration.

"Impressive security," said Marlon. "Password and encryption protection all the way around. It'll probably take a couple of hours for us to crack."

Bluey sighed pointing to a nearby computer panel and said "We better get started then. Hook the laptop up to that interface on the panel and we'll let my computer have a go at it."

Bella came downstairs after showering and changing into her favorite pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt and noticed both Harry and Slimegirl sitting on the main sofa taking in what looked like a black and white detective movie on the big screen television. The movie looked to be nearly over.

Not wanting to disturb them, Bella took a seat in a nearby armchair. The flight from LA had been frantic and exhausting. If it were not for her father and the favors he pulled in order to get him on that flight, Bella doubted that she would even be sitting here now.

From what her mother told her before she went back to Big City, it would probably take some time to crack the security on the laptop. She settled back and closed her eyes intent on catching some sleep.

"What happened that day, Bella?" asked Harry.

In the garage, Rocky and Marlon both monitored the decryption process while Bluey worked with some equipment in the far corner to pass the time. After a half hour had passed, Rocky got to his feet and stretched. He noticed that Marlon and Bluey were still working on the same equipment.

"So what's the big project your working on this time, Bluey?" asked Rocky.

Bluey looked up from his work and said "A fully interactive virtual reality world that'll let us work from within the computer. We'll be able to conduct experiments in VR that are normally deemed dangerous in-"

A loud beep from the computer interrupted him.

"Wow, JOEY must've made some progress," said Marlon. "Status of decryption, JOEY?"

The smooth computer voice was quick to reply. "Level one decryption complete. Thirty percent of data now accessible. Shall I continue with Level two decryption?"

"Yes, JOEY, also go ahead and show us the data decrypted thus far." replied Bluey.

A panel inset into the counter slid back revealing a computer touch screen.

"Now let see what we've got here," Marlon mused as line after line of data came across the screen. "Looks like we got the email for the past week or so."

"Well at least we can get a trace off the IP addresses in the headers but that usually takes time even if they don't wanna be found," said Bluey. "There's quite a few emails here and they look to be from the same source."

Bluey started reading one of them but when he finished, his eyes grew cold.

Rocky and Marlon noticed the change, leaned closer to the screen and asked "What is it?"

"Listen to this: 'Project progress excellent. Caractus P. Doom sends his compliments. New training regiment attached to this message. Keep up the good work. Uncle Labyrinth'

Bella opened his eyes to find both Harry and Slimegirl staring at her.

"What happened the day Mr Doom was found dead?" Slimegirl asked. "Marlon said that Harry refuses to speak about it and since I only got to visit you guys only once, I barely even remember him now."

"That's a day that no one in Big City'll never forget," replied Bella. "We were all distracted in one way or another and someone took advantage of our distraction. Harry refuses to discuss it 'cause he was incapacitated during the whole event and he feels like it was his fault."

"It was," Harry stated. "No one saw this coming, right?"

"We-were always at risk," Bella said. "The FBI and the CIA both kept a pretty tight hold over the city. Marlon, Rocky and Bluey all discovered that Harry was hit by a sleep dart but instead of looking at this evidence, they discounted it and made Harry feel like he failed."

Harry realized how bitter Bella's voice sounded. He sat up straight and watched his wife go over to the window and look at him and sighed. His tiredness allowed emotion to creep into his thoughts and he said "I kind of miss him. We became fast friends the day we met in 1989. When Mr Doom was thought to have died, I decided to meet up with Slimegirl again to keep myself sane. I wanted to go but Slimegirl's father told me that he wanted me to marry his daughter which I did. I was so mad... he didn't realize that I was hurting too. I had just lost my boss after all."

Slimegirl looked back at Harry and said "With the penguins working together, they'll get him back. You'll see."

"Doom, I can't believe he'd turn his own son against us," Marlon snarled. "And it looks like he's got help from someone calling himself Labyrinth Q. Doom."

Bluey walked towards a window at the far side of the garage to look out the window. Outside, the Stink Brothers seemed as chaotic as his thoughts. He thought once he knew who his opponent was, things would fall into place but instead, it only fueled his feelings of helplessness. The brainwashing Doom's son must have went through for over 10 years.

Rocky's voice broke through his thoughts. "Marlon, whoever set this up has put Doom's son through the ringer. I just peeked at his training schedule and the stuff they're making him do would break most rookie agents in their first year at the FBI and the CIA. It's brainwashing pure and simple. Doom wants us you dead for a reason so we need a plan."

"I promised Principal Lake that I'd lecture at the school and that's what I'm gonna do-" Marlon began.

"But-" Rocky said.

"Let me finish," Marlon stated. "I want ALL of us there. Since Bluey spotted Doom's son at the garage, I know that's where he'll try to get us next. If what we're seeing here is true, Doom's back from the dead and is gonna be watching things from a distance while his son does the dirty work. If we muck up his plans, the last player in this drama should show up."

"That's a mighty big gamble." said Rocky.

"I'd like to call it instinct mixed in with a gut reaction," said Marlon. "Bluey, you didn't see him jolt with recognition when I called out your name that night."

"You were also dodging a sword to your head." sighed Bluey. "Though I believe this is the right track for us. We better get some sleep. I want to get there early tomorrow to prepare for trouble just in case."

He shut the laptop down and they all left the garage.

Bella looked out the window and said "Looks like the guys are done. Think we should press for details?"

Harry stretched, got to his feet and headed for the stairs as he said "It's very late now and if we're to be prepared for this guy, we need to have all of our senses on alert. According to Bluey, he's proven to be quite the assassin. I do not want to 'lose my head' before we try and un-brainwash him."

"Point taken," Slimegirl said. "Goodnight, my little bundle of snot."

Chapter 8 - Cold Betrayal

The young man ran.

Shivering with cold, he ran along the dark metal corridors twisting and turning along with every bend. There just had to be a chance for escape. The alternative was unthinkable. He turned the final bend that led to freedom and that's when he ran into trouble.

Terror and revulsion threatened to overwhelm him as the Stink Brothers grabbed at him, pushing and holding him to the ground. Voices came from all around threatening to drown him in a sea of noise.

"Hold him down!" Poodle Stink said.

"This is the third time he's evaded his normal medicine schedule." said Cecil Stink.

"That won't affect the process, will it?" said Johnny Stink.

The needle jab came soon after. He wiggled, squirmed and screamed for many minutes until his perception grew hazy. His reasons for wanting freedom were slowly slipping from his mind.

He struggled to hold onto his identity...the only thing he had left. Ever since his uncle Labyrinth raised him forcing him through physical stuff that Rocky Penguin wouldn't even make him do, he held onto the last piece of info that made him who he was.

"I'm Caractus P. Doom's son," he said. "I only follow my dad and uncle's orders."

"NOOOO!!!"

He sat up straight in bed, sweat dripping heavily off of his brow.

The nightmares were coming regularly since he took this mission but the most frustrating thing was that he could barely remember them once he woke up. At the same time, he could barely remember his early days with his uncle Labyrinth and the training he went through. Every time he tried, he hit upon a painful haze inside his head that threatened to pound his head into oblivion.

He checked the watch on his arm.

8:15, he thought. D'OH, I'm gonna be late for school.

He jumped out of bed. Grabbing at a pair of black jeans and t-shirt he had laid across the chair, he quickly dressed and scrubbed his face at the sink. There was a job to do, and he didn't want to let his father down. He almost called him in a panic yesterday when he discovered his laptop missing from his
bag at school but was afraid that his father would take this news as a failure and punish him.

He couldn't fail...not after all the work and training that he was put through.

Quickly, he put on his shoes and then checked his backpack. From what he had gathered through his interview with the principal yesterday, the school's security procedures were minimal at best.

Before he went to sleep last night, he chose his weapons carefully. Packed in-between his science and English textbooks were a dagger in a sheath and a pistol with a scope and silencer.

The lecture would be the last class of the day. Plenty of time to psych himself
up and prepare.

He zipped up his backpack and rushed out of the door.

Rocky went in to the living room to check on Bluey when he heard their song Bike Up emanate from the cell phone on his belt.

He unclipped the phone and quickly said "Rocky."

"Rocky, it's Marlon," Marlon said. "He's on campus."

"Are you sure?" Rocky asked.

"One hundred percent," said Marlon. "I saw him going into his English class."

"Okay," said Rocky. "When your class is over, I want you to take a position off to the side of the auditorium and watch the people going in. We'll set you up with one of Bluey's micro-communicators so we can keep in touch. I've got a feeling this guy could sneak in but it can't hurt to try for a little warning."

"Okay, Rocky." said Marlon.

"And promise me, no matter what happens, you won't leave that spot unless you wanna follow Doom." said Rocky.

"Roger," said Marlon. "This is gonna be dangerous and we don't need to give this guy any chances to take any hostages. Until we can determine the extent of his brainwashing, we're gonna have to treat him as an enemy. Got that?"

"Got it, Marlon," said Rocky. "You better go or you're gonna be late for class."

When he heard Marlon hang up the phone, Rocky closed his cell phone and clipped it back on his belt.

Rocky found Bluey sitting in the corner of the living room reading what looked like a large medical text. He looked up at him in anticipation and said "Well?"

"Marlon spotted him," Rocky said. "Look, Bluey, are you sure we're ready for this? I mean he could very well mow us down where we stand before we even get within spitting distance of him."

"I've got a plan that should buy us enough time to get close," Bluey said. "Harry and the girls are gathering the computer equipment that we need and we should be able to leave soon."

The man stepped into an awaiting private jet and took a seat in the passenger area. Strapping in, he flicked a speaker switch beside his seat.

"Take off immediately and head for Big City." Doom's voice said.

"Yes, sir." the pilot said.

He flicked the switch back off and settled back. By his calculations, he would arrive just before Doom's own son finished his task. Then they both could-

The cell phone in his pocket buzzed harshly against his skin. Taking it out, he quickly pressed the talk button.

"Hello?"

"I don't like being kept in the dark," said Doom's voice. "I've checked up on my son and have found the signal from the laptop we gave him is coming from the Penguin house."

The man expelled an uneven breath. Pressing a few buttons on his phone, he activated a GPS tracker. After a few moments and some calculations, he verified what Doom already knew.

He nervously put the phone back to his ear. "Sir, I'm in the air right now and heading towards Big City. It should be an hour or two, tops. I'll take care of this."

"I know you will because as your final mission for me, I want you to kill them all." said Doom.

He felt time stop for precious moments before he finally replied "Yes, sir."

He hit the talk button to quickly sever the connection and put the phone back in his pocket.

A brief moment of regret came to him at the thought of killing the pneguins. He put in a lot of work and time putting the lad through intensive training. He even entertained thoughts of taking the boy along with him once the mission was over. However, if he wanted to be free from Doom's influence, he would have to follow orders one last time.

From the holster at his side, he drew out his weapon and checked it over thoroughly.

When the time came, he would be ready.

It was finally time for the lecture.

He had managed to sneak into the auditorium along with a group of students, keeping his head low and avoiding eye contact. Yesterday, he tried everything to get official permission, expressing every interest in science that he could but the principal flatly refused, telling him the lecture was planned weeks in advance and was already at capacity.

If anyone asked, he was simply here to retrieve his backpack that he left here during gym - which he had.

The auditorium was dark, almost pitch black. He noticed Marlon Penguin already hard at work in his class explaining and displaying figures on a screen behind him.

He stayed low and near the top row of seats, crawling until he reached the far wall.

Feeling behind the last seat on that row, he dragged out his backpack and quietly unzipped it.

After securing the dagger at his side, he took out the pistol and attached the scope and silencer. He knew once he took his shot, there would be chaos enough to secure his escape.

Rocky crouched near the bottom row of seats, using heat sensitive goggles that Professor Boring gave him. He was able to see many faint blue/green heat signatures from the students that had been here for class an hour ago but nothing else so far.

Marlon had ensured that the students that had signed up for the lecture were safely routed to a classroom so there was no danger of hostages. Harry and Slimegirl were managing a computer hookup and the lighting controls for the auditorium. Rocky hadn't heard anything from Bella which meant that either Doom's son didn't come or-

He suddenly heard a whistling sound, then a cry of pain.

"Marlon, are you okay?" Rocky whispered harshly into a micro-communicator clipped to his shirt.

"I'm ok, just got nicked on the arm from a gunshot," Marlon said. "Look near the top row of seats, it came down from there."

Rocky turned his gaze upward to where Marlon indicated. Sure enough, there was a hot spot about the right size for a human being.

There! Rocky thought.

"Harry, Slimegirl, the lights!" Rocky shouted into his communicator.

The auditorium lights blazed to life as Rocky quickly pocketed the goggles and rushed to where he had spotted the heat signature.

Nothing. Not a trace. He looked all around him before calling Bella.

"Bella, has anyone gone out of the main auditorium doors in the last few min-" Rocky began but he didn't get to finish his sentence.

Doom's son came at him from behind with a flying tackle that caused the two of them to tumble a few rows down. Rocky landed hard against the one of the seats and went down. Dazed, he didn't have time to react to thr young man swinging the butt of a pistol down hard against his head.

Pain clouded Rocky's senses as his vision blurred then faded to black.

Marlon crouched low behind the projection screen. From what he could tell, the bullet had only struck a glancing blow off his arm but it was bleeding badly.

He quickly tore a strip from the bottom of his shirt and bound his arm as the micro-communicator clipped to his shirt blared to life.

"Rocky? Marlon? Can anyone hear me?" Bella's voice asked.

"Bella, keep your position," Marlon said. "We've got things taken care of. Stay there."

Marlon stole a quick glance from behind the screen and saw Doom's son bring down a gun against Rocky's head.

I've gotta do something. Marlon thought.

Grabbing for a tranquilizer gun he had hidden near the screen, he stuffed it into his pants pocket and stepped from behind the screen.

"Don't hurt him!" yelled Marlon.

"If you don't want him hurt, you'll come to me with your hands in the air." said the young man.

Marlon did as he was told, stepping carefully towards him.

I gotta keep him talking. thought Marlon.

"Hey," Marlon said. "I know you're Caractus P. Doom's son."

Marlon thought he saw pain on the young man's face but it disappeared quickly under a mask of anger. His frustration was building. He was so close to finishing his mission and yet, Marlon was putting up a strong struggle.

Dropping his pistol, he managed to twist Marlon's arm making him cry out in pain and drop his weapon. By twisting and pulling around, he managed to hook an arm around Marlon's neck and squeezed. The strength training he went through came in handy.

He felt Marlon struggle in his grasp for many moments. Maintaining a tight hold of Marlon's neck, he brought out the dagger from the sheath at his side and said "Time to finish the job."

A sound of footsteps interrupted his train of thought. Whipping his head up in surprise and recognition, he recognized the man who walked into the auditorium.

"Dad?" the young man asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm very disappointed in you, Harry." said Doom.

Marlon could only stare at the surreal scene in shock and anger and said "You jerk. . How could you?"

"Don't look so surprised, Marlon," Doom said. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner from the laptop Bluey had stolen from him."

Chapter 9 - Past Demons

Marlon struggled hard against Harry Doom's tight grasp and said "Bluey's figured out enough. What did you promise you cousin Labyrinth, Doom? Money? Power?"

"It's not that simple," Doom replied with a harsh laugh. "That moron and I were involved in an I-1 op that went badly. I would've been convicted of treason, but I was able to cover it up. That dunderhead threatened to expose me unless I did his dirty work."

He stepped closer and kneeled down until his face was mere inches from Marlon and said "And now for my last task, I'll kill you and your friends."

"But, Dad," Harry said. "I was about to finish the mission and-"

"Shut up," Doom growled. "You failed when you let your laptop out of your sight. All of that training was a wasted effort. You're grounded for a month."

Marlon fought the revulsion that surged within him. He could have only guessed at what Harry went through and felt his enemy's son's grip on him loosen. Looking around, he saw that Harry got to his feet. Marlon rushed to his feet but Doom quickly trained his gun on him and snarled "Don't move. The others won't get far. I'll hunt them down and finish you all momentarily."

"You may be able to finish this mission but you'll never win," Marlon snarled back. "I've encountered Harry Slime enough to know that he doesn't leave loose ends."

"Come now, Marlon," said Doom. "This 'loose end' will rule the world."

A feminine voice piped up from behind him "Yeah, right, you and who's army?"

Bella appeared behind Doom armed with the pistol Harry was using.

Doom raised his hands and said "Well, it seems we have a stalemate."

"You got that right," Marlon replied advancing on him. "Now hand me the gun."

"Or what, Rocky Penguin'sfiancée'll shoot me?" Doom laughed. "Let's test that theory..."

Tossing his gun to Marlon, Doom then quickly snapped around grabbing Bella's arms and twisting them sharply upward. She let go of the gun with a sharp cry as Doom twisted one of her arms behind her picked up the gun and aimed it at her head.

"...hmm, I would call that a checkmate, wouldn't you, Marlon?" Doom asked.

Marlon glared at Doom as he pointed the gun at him but with Bella in the in the way, there was no way to get to him.

"There's no way I'm leaving here without completing my mission," Doom said. "Now, how about-aahhh!"

Doom staggered back in pain and dropped his gun. Bella used the opportunity to stomp down on his foot and scrambled out of his grasp. She ran quickly to Marlon's side.

Marlon didn't realize what was going on until he saw a tranquilizer dart sticking out of Doom's shoulder. Turning, he saw Rocky and said "I owe you one."

"This ain't over yet," said Rocky. "You guys go get Doom's son harry, Doom himself is mine."

Handing his gun to Rocky, Marlon broke into a run following the path he saw Harry Doom take.

"You okay?" Rocky asked turning to his fiancée.

"Yeah." Bella replied.

"Stay here, Bella," Rocky warned handing her the gun and the tranquilizer gun. "I've got a little unfinished business with Doom but keep these handy just in case."

Rocky turned to face his enemy. He knew that Marlon dosed the tranquilizers to take down someone of his own and Harry Doom's size so he figured Doom wouldn't be out for the count just yet. Staggering, Doom slurred his words.

"Veeery good, Rocky, you haave manipulated me welll."

"You should know about manipulation and returning from the dead, Doom," Rocky replied menacingly. "You offered our heads on a platter in order to rule the world. You don't deserve to live."

Doom steadied himself against a nearby seat and said "I dunno bout that, Rooocky. I manipulated you and all of Big City for over 10 long yearsss. I've also maannaged to avoid arrest for treasonnn, so what are youu gonna doo about it?"

"The only thing I can do." Rocky answered back as he quickly spun around, landing a roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling. Doom tried getting up, but was met face to face with the gun Bella had pointed at him.

Rocky dragged Doom to his feet and said "Now THAT'S what I call a checkmate."

Marlon ran through the auditorium door and found himself on the high school's football field. The green grass was flanked by two large sets of bleachers but otherwise seemed deserted.

He spoke into his communicator.

"Bluey, Harry, Slimegirl, meet me outside on the double."

The replys came quick.

"You've got it."

A few moments later, they all pondered the field and finding nothing, went to check under the first set of bleachers. They all carefully advanced around the metal grid work of the bleachers looking over every possible hiding place they could find.

Bluey spotted Harry Doom near the end of the row and once they reached him, they became alarmed.

Harry Doom laid on the ground, the front of his black shirt stained a dark crimson from the two gunshot wounds in his shoulder. His dagger was on the ground beside him.

Harry approached him carefully and said "Harry? This is your namesake, Harry Slime; we're all here to help you."

Harry Doom reached up, pushed the other Harry back, grabbed his dagger and said "Screw you."

"How can he believe us?" Slimegirl asked. "We don't remember anything about him apart from having the same first name as my Harry."

Wincing, Harry Doom struggled into a sitting position, making more blood seep from his wounds and said "You guys don't know what I have been through. How can I believe you?"

Harry stepped back in frustration and felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Marlon, let me try." said Bluey.

Marlon relented allowing Bluey to step forward.

"In the early 1990s, no one in Big City trusted your dad," said Bluey. "He was sloppy, the only thing he cared about was not being seen as a traitor. Still, he did fail. We've stopped your dad before and we can do it again."

Doom arrived and turned to his son. He had slumped all the way back to the ground and his face was ashen white but he was smiling and said "It's okay if you failed, you're not grounded."

"That's okay, Dad." said Harry as both Dooms walked off.

Rocky and Bella arrived allowing Rocky to put a hand on Marlon's shoulder and steered him towards the parking lot.

"We need to be on our way as well, Marlon." said Rocky.

"Penguins, bike up." Marlon said.

THE END