FicWad

“I-I-I-I just can’t believe he’s dead. I know we fought all the time, but he was a good person, just addicted to sugar, y’know? I feel so h-h-horrible!” Holly sobbed.
Holly managed to quiet down five minutes later. The train out of the menagerie shuttled back and forth.
Numbuh two slid open the door.
“Cadel says to put your seatbelts on now” Numbuh two stated, and then left.
Everybody buckled up, but nothing happened.
Silence.
“Well, not that this isn’t fun but-” Ingrid started to say, and nobody ever found out the but, because the train dropped.
There was no warning. The train was going straight, then all of a sudden, the tracks spiraled downwards.
Holly and Numbuh three screamed.
Lincoln, Numbuh four, and Numbuh one forgot how to scream.
The train spiraled down, and then shot along straight again. They were going twice as fast as they were before.
“Well..then. I’m going to...go kill....Cadel. Anybody want to join?” Ingrid asked, unbuckling her seatbelt and sliding to the floor.
“We going Cadel hunting? Count Numbuh five in” Numbuh five announced, her cool factor not slipping even though she looked really green.

Ingrid, Numbuh four, and Numbuh five marched up to the front of the train.
Numbuh five heard Numbuh two crack a lame joke and Cadel laughing.
Ingrid slid the door open.
“Hey, Ingrid. What’s up?” Numbuh two asked.
“You look angry. Why do you look angry?” Cadel eyed Ingrid warily.
“So Cadel, blasters are basically waterguns, right?” Numbuh two asked, trying to ignore Ingrid’s waves of wrath.
“Pretty much. They’re pretty useless. Ingrid, are you mad at me? I could sing or something, that usually makes you laugh and it calms you down right? Right? Please don’t kill me, Bing Bang”
Ingrid rolled her eyes and spat into her palm.
“Cooties!” She screamed, slamming her palm into Cadel’s forehead.

“Arg! Ingrid! That’s disgusting! You’ve probably given me mono or, or, or, girl germs or something!” Cadel screamed, clawing at his forehead.
Numbuh five spat into her palm too.
“Ingrid? Is this just you, or can anyone play?” She asked, eyeing Cadel, who’s hands had frozen and was staring right at Numbuh five.
“Abby, Abby, Abby. You wouldn’t do this? We’re friends, right? Right. Don’t give me germs, I don’t even have any hand sanitizer with me right now”
Cadel turned his chair around, trying to keep it between Numbuh five and himself.
“Careful, you two. Don’t sit on the emergency brake, or the actual brake, or the Gofaster button” Numbuh two said, trying to watch Cadel and the tracks at the same time.
The train swerved around a corner and everybody who was not wearing a seatbelt, aka Cadel, Numbuh five, Numbuh four, and Ingrid, fell over.
“Whot’s a Gofaster button?” Numbuh four asked.
“A Gofaster button is a button that makes the train Go faster” Cadel explained.
“Oh yeah. Makes sense” Numbuh four brightened.

Something slammed into the side of the train.
“What the crud was that?” Numbuh four asked.
The lights flickered.
“Guys?” Ingrid said, “I think you better take a look outside.”

Everybody in the front of the train went to the window and looked outside.
Numbuh five wiped a layer of fog off the train window.
And then the lights went out.

The door slid open, and Ingrid screamed.
“Chill out. It’s just us” Lincoln said.
“Cadel, what’s going on?” Numbuh one asked.
“Haven’t a clue” Cadel said.
Another explosion rocked the train.
“Is somebody shooting at us?” Numbuh three asked.
Lincoln wiped some more mist off the window.
“I think I see another train” he whispered.
“Where?!” Holly and Numbuh one shoved Lincoln out of the way.

“See? Over there. It’s another train” Ingrid said, pointing.
There was another train, shuttling long across from them.
“There’s letters on the side, I think. I can’t read them, it’s too dark” Numbuh Three squinted through the window.
“Let me see...D...E....No, F....C...” Cadel trailed off, looking at the side of the train.
“DFC?” Numbuh two asked.
“The Delightful Children? No way!” Numbuh five gasped.
Another shot rocked the train.
“Seeing as they’re shooting at us, yeah, it’s kind of likely” Lincoln said.
“Roight then! Ingrid! Where’re the weapons?” Holly ordered.
“Um, I think I left them back in the other cabin...” Ingrid trailed off as Holly marched out of the room, pink dress billowing.
“This is going to end well” Lincoln commented, settling into a seat.
Holly returned a moment later, looking surprisingly menacing in her pink dress with a firework launcher on her shoulder.
“Normally I don’t condone violence-” Holly started to say.
“Holly, you are one of the most violent people I know, right up there with the Tasmanian Devil” Lincoln stated, folding his arms behind his head.
Holly rolled her eyes and opened a window.

“Ready....” Cadel said.
“Aim.....” Ingrid giggled.
“FIRE!” Everyone else shouted.

Holly squeezed the trigger and the firework ran straight into the other train.

“Direct hit! We got ‘em!” Numbuh two yelled.
Then there was another explosion.

Numbuh two and Cadel checked the front of the train.
“I don’t think it hit us...” Numbuh two said uncertainly.
“Look! It hit the track!” Numbuh three yelled and pointed.

There was a gaping hole in the train track, not that far from them.

“Man, I despise those children” Lincoln said.
“What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Are we gonna die? I don’t wanna die!” Numbuh three panicked.

“Nobody’s gonna die, so shut up and quit panicking!” Holly shouted.
“We jump” Cadel said.
“WHAT?” Everybody asked.
“Just trust me!” Cadel shouted, opening the door of the train.
“Are you crazy?” Numbuh five shouted.
“No! Well, maybe a little. Just jump, okay?” Cadel held the door open.
“I trust you. Just don’t let me die” Holly said.
She strode to the door and jumped off the train.
“HOLLY!” Numbuh four and Lincoln shouted at the same time.
Lincoln jumped out after Holly.
“What an idiot” Ingrid said, shaking her head, but then jumped out too.
Numbuh three jumped out next, followed by Numbuh one, Numbuh four, and Numbuh five.
“I can’t do it! I’m scared!” Numbuh two screamed, staring down at the inky blackness and the wheels of the train.
Cadel sighed, planted his foot on Numbuh two’s back, and shoved him off.
Cadel then pulled his goggles over his eyes and then jumped.

Everybody fell through the blackness.
Then, one by one, they all slowed down and stopped.
The train careened through the hole in the track and fell past them.
“Physics seems to be on a coffee break” Numbuh one said.
“This is amazing. Cadel, how’d you know this would work?” Holly asked.
Cadel grinned.
“I didn’t” he said.

“Guys! Do you see a light over there?” Numbuh four asked.
“Hey, wait a minute, are we dead?” Numbuh one asked.
“For my sake, I hope not” Cadel commented.
“Let’s go towards it, what’s the worst that could happen?” Lincoln asked, walking off.
“Sometimes, I really hate him” Holly sighed, and followed.

The light lead to a ladder.
“I heard about a light, but I never heard about no ladder” Numbuh five commented.
Lincoln started climbing the ladder.
Ingrid took a running start and jumped on the ladder.
“I think it’s safe!” Ingrid called back.

The ladder lead to a manhole cover. Lincoln pushed the cover off the manhole and climbed out.
“Guys! You’ve got to see this!” He called down.

Lincoln helped everyone out.
“Wow” Numbuh three breathed.
The closest thing that you could compare it to was Times Square. Signs lit up, flashed and fizzled. The models in the advertisements moved and offered free products to whoever passed by. Carriages pulled by muscly monsters wheeled by instead of cars. Buskers performed on the sidewalk around them, playing instruments with thousands of keys. Circus performers breathed fire and juggled knives right next to the buskers. Potted plants swayed like seaweed and sent out grabby tendrils to whoever walked too close.
The building around them towered high like skyscrapers. There were stairs and elevators on the outsides of them, and some buildings rotated so that the people inside would get different views.

Cadel took out his map that was tucked into his boot.
“Aha. We’re in the Abracadabra district” Cadel said triumphantly.
“I didn’t even know Roulette City had an Abracadabra District” Holly murmured.
“Abracadabra District, you say? I know just the place!” Lincoln shouted.
“For what?” Ingrid asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Seeing as you and Nigel here have pulled an All-Nighter or two, I think we should find somewhere to stay. I know where that place is!” Lincoln explained, talking with his hands.
“Okay. Let’s go. I’m exhausted anyway” Numbuh four muttered.
“Follow me!” Lincoln shouted, and pulled them all down the crowded sidewalk.

They arrived at a hotel a few minuted later. “The Neon Trees?” Holly asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah! I worked here after I got out of the Menagerie for a while” Lincoln said.
Lincoln pushed the doors of the lobby open.
“Hey Mac! It’s me!” Lincoln shouted to nobody in particular.
“Lincoln, m’boy!” a fat, squat, Toad-like creature sat behind a desk at the end of the room. “My friends and I need a room. We’re kind of broke right now, but can you work something out?” Lincoln asked.
“Of course, of course. You’ve grown so much! And you have more earrings than I remember” Mac said, scratching his chin.
“I know, I know. How bout a room?” Lincoln asked, putting an elbow on the desk.
“How many?” Mac asked, staring shortsightedly at the group before him.
“One Two Three Four Five Six Seven...Eight! Room for Eight please!” Lincoln asked.
“Sure, Sure. For Payment-” Mac started to say.
“We’re broke” Lincoln said flatly.
“I do like you’re friend’s necklace there. If you give it to me, some candy might find it’s way to your room too...” Mac trailed off, smiling.
“Holly, Fork over that necklace. Please” Lincoln asked.
Holly smiled, unclipped her necklace and handed it to Lincoln.

“Here y’go” Lincoln threw the pearl necklace on the desk.
Mac swept it up and tossed Lincoln a key.
“Room 1983” He said.
“Thanks, man. I owe you one”
“Don’t mention it, Lincoln, m’boy”

Havoc KND clambered up the stairs.
The stairs stopped at a window.
“Whot’s this then?” Holly asked.
Lincoln shouldered his way to the front of the group, opened the window, and stepped out.
“Come on!” He called.
They all climbed out the window, and followed a set of stairs that led to another window. Lincoln jammed the key into the center of the window and then turned to the right.
The window slid open and Lincoln climbed through.
“Whatever happened to Ladies First?” Ingrid asked from the back of the group.
“I believe in equal treatment” Lincoln called back.
Havoc KND, minus one, climbed through the window and slid it shut.