(The scene: Three people are playing cribbage. One of them is in a leather jacket, with a cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes. One looks like David Bowie in golden armor, and the third wears black metal armor over his whole body, with a wide, flowing cape. The cowboy-hat man waves.)
MCT: Good day, everyone! Man Called True here with the latest chapter of Operation: P.O.W.E.R.P.U.F.F. We’re doing things a little differently this time around, however… This story just gets more boring by the day, so I’ve brought some guests along to help out. To my left, from Dissidia Final Fantasy by way of Final Fantasy II, Emperor Mateus Palmecia… or as he prefers to be called, “the Emperor”.
Emperor: Vermin like you do not deserve to call me by my full name.
MCT: To my right, also from Dissidia by way of Final Fantasy IV, Theodore Harvey… but as he’s usually called, Golbez.
Golbez: It is an honor to be here.
Emperor: You will not think that shortly.
MCT: But enough of that… let us begin Chapter 15, “Friend and Foe”.
Emperor: Very well… Conjuring the story.
>Hello fanfiction fans.<
All: Hello, Brian.
>I suppose I owe everyone an explanation as to why this story was deleted and I had to resubmit it.<
Emperor: A sudden attack of good taste by the site’s hosts?
>Well, remember my co-hosting with Starfire? Doing that was against this website's rules. You aren't allowed to put yourself in the stories.<
MCT: Fortunately, we aren’t on that website.
Golbez: Free speech reigns… as long as they aren’t looking.
>So, from now on, the co-host thing must be dropped. Sorry to everyone who liked that part, but it's the rules. I'm as angry as you are.<
Emperor: Oh, no. A man approaching middle age cannot insert himself into scenes with a cartoon superheroine. What a tragedy''.
>But, onto Chapter Fifteen...
And perhaps I should reiterate:
I do not own the rights to Codename: Kids Next Door or The Powerpuff Girls.<
Golbez: And thank the gods for that.
>NOW LOADING<
Emperor: As Kefka would say, “An actual good game?”
>Chapter Fifteen
Friend and Foe<
MCT: Superfluous spaces omitted.
>"The way I see it," said Blossom, pacing around in midair, <
Golbez: Impressive use of Air Dash.
>"is you'd love to send a spy into the Delightful Children's little recruitment drive, but you aren't friends with any villains..."
"We aren't friends with many adults period!" said Numbah Five. "'Cept for old Lasso Lass, but she's too dumb to pose as a villain."<
Emperor: Self-imposed isolation from adults takes its price.
>"Lasso Lass?" said Buttercup.
"Long story," sighed Numbah One. "Long, long, very embarrassing story..."<
MCT: One of the few episodes I’ve seen. She’s a former KND member who never mentally grew up.
Golbez: Then even if she were smart enough, wouldn’t the villains recognize her?
MCT: Good point. Why’d they even bring her up?
>"Oh," said Blossom. "Well maybe we could help..."
"But Blossom," said Bubbles. "We aren't friends with any villains either!"
"Yeah, we're superheroes!" said Buttercup. "Villains hate us!"<
MCT: Unless you’re the Flash, then they invite you to parties.
>"True," said Blossom smugly. "But we do know someone who could make a convincing villain..."
They all looked at her as she spoke the name:<
Golbez: (reverb) Mua’dib!
>"Mr. Green!"<
Emperor: In the Observatory with the rope!
>Bubbles and Buttercup's eyes opened wide.
"Blossom..." said Buttercup. "You're a genius!"
"Thank you," she responded.<
MCT: (Blossom) Now kneel, slaves!
>"Who the heck is Mr. Green?" said Numbah One.
"Our substitute teacher," said Bubbles.
"Okay, Numbah Five's a little confused here..." said Numbah Five.<
All: TIME FOR BACKSTORY!
>The Girls explained.
Miss Keane had been sick one day (which must have been a severe illness, as she rarely missed classes), and her choice of substitute teacher was rather... bizarre. <
Emperor: Later they learned it was an army drill instructor accidentally sent to their class due to having the same name as their real substitute teacher. Amusing, is it not?
>Mr. Green at first looked like something out of a nightmare. He had green skin, horns, fangs, an eyepatch, and wore the sort of costume that any supervillain would love to wear.
The Girls had to admit, they were suspicious of him from the start – who wouldn't be? But it turned out that Mr. Green's ugliness was only skin deep. He was actually a dedicated teacher who loved kids.<
Golbez: It lowered their guard before he ate them.
>The Girls were thankful they found that out before they killed him.<
MCT: Never mind that they don’t use lethal force in canon…
Emperor: But being respectful of life, even villainous life, is so childish.
>"Mr. Green may not be a villain," said Blossom, "but he sure could pose as one."
"And maybe if we get him in," said Buttercup, "we could..."
"Hold on their Girls!" said Numbah One.<
Emperor: Watch where you hold onto them. The police are watching.
>He scratched his chin for a minute.
He paced for a minute more.<
Golbez: Then he came to a sudden halt as “Coward’s Punishment” kicked in.
>"I must say it is an interesting idea," he said. "But we'd still have to ally ourselves with an adult. Even if this Mr. Green character loves kids, as you say he does, we could get in serious trouble from Global command."
"And then some!" said Numbah Four. "Numbah 86 will have our heads! Besides, I hate teachers."<
MCT: The feeling is mutual, dumbass.
>"Girls, I need to discuss this with my team," said One.
The five operatives went to the other side of the room.<
Emperor: The Japanese girl produced papers and marijuana from her overly long sleeves, and they took a moment to “smoke up”.
(They briefly debate the pros and cons of the situation, and One and Four vote against the plan, with Two and Five voting for.)
>They all turned to Numbah Three.
"Well, you're the tie breaker," said Numbah One.
Kuki looked a little down for a minute. She paused.<
Golbez: Day turned into night and back into day.
>"Um, I vote for," she said.
"Ugh," said Numbah Four.
"Sorry Wally," said Three. "But they sent Grandma Stuffum after us after one of those things, and I don't wanna go through that again!"<
MCT: (Kuki) What about my needs?!?
>"Okay, then it's settled," said Numbah One. "We'll try the Girls' plan and if anyone asks, we'll keep our big mouths shut about it!"
They went up to the Girls.
"Okay Girls," said Numbah One. "You have until Friday. Find Mr. Green!"<
Emperor: Bring me the head of Mr. Green!
(SCENE CHANGE)
>The next day at three o'clock.<
Golbez: This scene takes place in real time.
>The Delightful Children were riding their limo home from school. At Delightful Manor, workers were still scrubbing the goo off the yard, and they'd left Mojo to supervise.<
MCT: Which, in the grand tradition of things, meant he goofed off and took all the credit.
>Their cellphones rang. When they looked at the number on the phone, they shook in fear.<
Golbez: They hadn’t paid their tailor in years, and he had finally found their number.
>They answered them.
"H-hello Father," they said.
"Hello my children," came the response. "Tell me something... how come when somebody calls me, and I hear the words 'ice cream factory' with the words 'completely destroyed' I immediately think of the words 'my children are blithering idiots!'"<
Emperor: I like this man already.
>"It wasn't our fault!" they begged. "The Kids Next Door..."
"That's always your answer!" he yelled.<
MCT: To be fair, it’s usually the case.
(They decide to conceal their partnership with Cree and Mojo for now)
>"I'll be delayed longer than I expected," he said. "Continue with the current docket, and try not to screw up again, or I might just decide to get some new children! Do I make myself clear?"<
Emperor: Wise choice, Father. Children are eminently replaceable.
(They continue to shake, and we SCENE CHANGE to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten)
>Class was just getting out for the day, and Miss Keane was waving goodbye to the class. The incident with the Delightful Children was now just an unpleasant memory – stranger things had happened to her.<
Golbez: She had a month of her college life that simply wasn’t there.
>When she got back to her desk, she was surprised to see Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup hovering in front.<
MCT: (Ms. Keane) Oh, right, the protection money…
>"Oh, hi Girls," she said. "Anything I can help you with?"
"Uh, yeah," said Blossom. "We were wondering if you could tell us, um..."
She paused.
"Yes?" said Keane.<
Emperor: (Blossom) Were you ever in German pornography?
>"We, uh need to find Mr. Green," said Buttercup. They knew asking Miss Keane was kind of awkward, but they didn't know any other way of finding him.
"My substitute?" said Keane. "But I don't plan on missing school anytime soon..."<
MCT: So they decided to try the other method and took out the baseball bats.
>"Well, uh..." said Buttercup.
"Buttercup wants to try to do a little better in math," said Bubbles, "and we're looking for a tutor. We'd ask you, but we know you're too busy, and since he's the only other teacher we know..."
"Uh yeah, right," said Buttercup. "I'm not doing very well in math..."<
Golbez: If she has access to their grades, won’t she be able to tell if they’re lying?
MCT: We call these “Do not ask” lines. It’s easier for your sanity to smile and nod.
>"Oh," said Miss Keane. "Well let me look him up in my rolo-deck..."<
Emperor: I’m not sure if that’s a mistake or if that’s the proper name for a non-Rolodex brand V-file.
>As she skimmed through it they sighed in relief. If they had told her the real reason, she'd have asked a million questions.
Telling him the real reason would be unavoidable, but they had it planned out.<
All: ALCOHOL!
(SCENE CHANGE to the KND pulling up Mr. Green’s file)
>MR. GREEN
Age: Unknown
Nationality: Unknown (possibly Monster Island); currently resides in Townsville
Known Relatives: None
Ethnicity: Unknown<
Golbez: So in other words, they have nothing. Let us move on.
>Profession: Substitute teacher
KND Status: Under Class C observation
KND Threat Level: 0
Mental Status: Sane (by human standards)<
Emperor: And what about by monster standards? Are we not allowed to know?
>Skills: Teaching, child psychology<
MCT: And soufflé-making.
>Other Notes: Mr. Green is truly an enigma. Though he resembles the monsters which constantly plague Townsville, he seems to have rejected their destructive ways. Apparently, Mr. Green can be counted on to defend children, as he claims to enjoy their company. In fact, by monster standards, Mr. Green is incredibly eccentric.<
All: Mr. Green is really neat/he’s stuffed with monster meat/We’ve all been eating Mr. Gree-een!
>However, the organization should still watch him with a wary eye, because eccentric might lead to insanity someday, and there is always a chance that Green will snap and become a potential enemy. But until then, he might be considered a potential ally – albeit an odd one. <
Emperor: The lesson for today, children, is to be paranoid about even the most harmless individual.
>"Numbah Five doesn't think there's anything to worry about," said Numbah Five.
"It's certainly a strange situation," said Numbah One. "But if this can help us get into that meeting, it might be worth it... still we have to take precautions..."<
MCT: Fortunately, condoms are over-the-counter nowadays. (is hit with a Glare Hand)
Golbez: There are lines, boy.
(SCENE CHANGE to the home of Mr. Green)
>At a quaint townhouse in Townsville, a green, clawed hand turned on a stereo. The sounds of Handel's Water Music came out of the speakers.<
Emperor: Bah! Cliché! Might as well be playing the “Summer” suite from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons!
MCT: You’re surprisingly mad.
Emperor: I’m a nobleman. We have very delicate tastes in the classics.
>Mr. Green was a big fan of classical music. <
MCT: EENT! “Baroque” and “classical” are separate musical eras. Handel is Baroque.
>He was a person of contradictions. Despite his bizarre appearance and love of wearing long, sinister robes, he loved the more pleasant things in life.
He poured himself tea out of a pot, and sat down at a desk. He scratched his head and began to write:
Dear Life in these United States,
A strange thing happened to me this morning while I was...<
Golbez: And then he collapsed on his table, twitching from blood loss.
MCT: (Snake) Geez, use a pen, Mr. Green!
Emperor: Just goes to show we can steal from The Simpsons as well.
(The BLATANT THEFT ALERT goes off)
>At that point, the doorbell rang.
Now who could that be? he thought, getting up.<
Golbez: He glanced out the window and sighed. It was Shrek, coming by to ask for a loan again.
(It’s the PPG)
>"Y'ello?" said Green. "Girls! What a surprise!"
"Um, hello," said Buttercup. "She was still a little nervous when she saw this man, although a lot of it was due to the fact that they had treated him so mean."<
Emperor: Now why on earth would she say that?
(Small talk)
>"Well, okay," said Blossom. "We need someone for a very important reason...
"How'd you like to do something that could potentially help children everywhere?"
A lengthy explanation later...<
MCT: Huzzah! We were spared the recap!
>"You want me to be a spy?" said Green.
"Oh no!" said Buttercup. "No, no, no, no, no! Well, yes."<
(The BLATANT THEFT ALERT goes off)
Golbez: Why does it sound to the tune of “Mars, Bringer of War”?
MCT: It goes off so often that a normal buzzing tone would drive me mad.
(They talk him into it)
>"Uh, one thing Mr. Green," said Blossom, "if you're found out, it might prove dangerous..."
"More dangerous than teaching you three?" he responded.
Blossom though.
"I guess not," she said.<
Emperor: (Blossom) I mean, we did almost kill you and all that.
>She wrote down something on a piece of paper.
"You'll have a lot of driving to do, so start out Friday morning. Our friends and I will meet you at their base, and we'll go over the plan."<
Golbez: (Blossom) Here’s fifty bucks for gas money.
>"In the meantime," said Buttercup, "try thinking of your own plans... the Delightful Children and Mojo aren't going to be fooled easily."
"Don't worry," said Green, as he got up to leave. "I've already got something in mind."<
MCT: Does it involve the resurrection of the dead?
(Blossom confirms their success to the KND, and we SCENE CHANGE to: )
>The next few days went by without incident. On Friday morning, Mr. Green boarded his station wagon.<
Golbez: He hitched up the horses and set out on the trail.
>Okay, he thought to himself. Tell yourself again why you're doing this Green. Because you want to help those Girls, and you swore that you'd take care of kids.
Well, that and this seems like a lot of fun!<
MCT: Because near-suicide missions are a gas.
Emperor: They are according to Kefka, but that’s Kefka.
(He leaves, and we SCENE CHANGE to: )
>At around three-thirty, the Powerpuff Girls entered the Treehouse hanger bay.
"So," said Blossom. "How goes the preparations for tomorrow?"
He saw that all the operatives were working on various 2x4 machinery.<
Emperor: Secondary Chemical X mutations apparently include spontaneous sex changes.
>Numbah Two was giving the S.K.Y.C.L.A.W. a tune-up.
"Pretty well," said Numbah One. "We'll just have to hope that your guy can cut the mustard, otherwise..."
He lifted up a mustard gun.
"...we will!"<
Golbez: Assault them with your jokes instead.
>"Numbah One," said Two. "The S.K.Y.C.L.A.W. is all set. If our spy gets into any trouble, breaking into the mansion to get him will be easier. Not easy, mind you, just easier."
"Fine," said One. "Now all we need is our spy."<
MCT: Numbah Four removed his cardboard mask and whispered, in a deep French accent, “Right behind you.”
(He’s en route, but she didn’t give him directions: )
>"Look up," said Blossom. "Do you see a Treehouse?"
"A Treehouse?" said Green.
There was a pause.<
Emperor: (Mr. Green) Do you have any idea how many treehouses are in this city?!?
>"Oh, I see," he said. "I'm on my way, but how do I get up there."<
Golbez: (Blossom) Are you asking me or telling me?
>Numbah One took the phone.
"Just stand by the front of the house and wait, fellah," he said. "Well let you up."
"Uh, okay," he said. "To whom am I speaking?"<
MCT: (Numbah One) For the right amount, anyone you want…
(He arrives, and the KND prepare to let him in: )
>"Scan him, Numbah Four," said One.
"Will do," said Four, pressing a button. A crosshairs fixed on Green, and a camera slowly scanned him.
"He's clean, chief," said Four. "No weapons or technological devices on him, aside from his cellphone and watch."<
Emperor: Even monsters carry those digital leashes these days…
>"Okay," said Numbah One. "Numbah Three, activate the tube."
"Gotcha!" she said. She cranked up a winch.
Slowly, a long tube lowered itself over Green's head.
"Huh?" he said.
SHWOOP!<
MCT: And blood fountained from the stump of his neck.
>He was sucked into the tube.
After five seconds, he was shot into the main room of the Treehouse, landing softly on a pile of Numbah Three's stuffed animals.
"Oof," he said. He turned toward the toy that was right next to him, a green Rainbow Monkey dressed like a leprechaun.
"Hey," he said. "Lucky Shamrock Rainbow Monkey! I used to have one of these when I was a kid!"<
Golbez: (Mr. Green) Until I ate it.
>"I like him already!" said Numbah Three's voice in front of him.<
Emperor: Numbah Three would like Exdeath if he liked Rainbow Monkeys.
>The five operatives and three Powerpuff Girls came out of the shadows. The operatives didn't have weapons out, but they had them in their holsters.
"Welcome to the headquarters of Kids Next Door Sector V," said Numbah One. "I must tell you, we rarely allow adults up here..."
"Yeah," said Green, nervously. "I guess you wouldn't..."<
Emperor: At which point he activated his suicide bomb disguised as a cell phone, illustrating why not.
(SCENE CHANGE to some small talk, and then: )
>"Well, anyway," said Numbah One. "As You Know, the Delightfuls are holding a meeting of villains tomorrow at noon. Your job is to infiltrate it using any means possible, and gain any information you can."
"What if I were to gain their trust?" said Green. "Convince them that I could work for them?"
They all looked at him.
"As in work as a double agent?" said Numbah Five. "Numbah Five likes the way this guy thinks!"<
MCT: I just received a note from Future MCT. This will not go well for anyone.
>"Are you sure you could do that, Mr. Green?" said Bubbles. "You said yourself that you're not a spy..."
"I've been practicing over the last couple of days," said Green. "I think I have a way to convince the Delightfuls and Mojo that I could make a good ally – and it's all because I'm so familiar with you Girls. Give me a chance, and I'll make you proud."<
All: ON BROADWAY!
>"Okay," said Numbah One. "But first you'll need an accessory. Numbah Two?"
Numbah Two came up with a small box. He opened it, and inside was a small device that looked like a tiny hearing aid.
"This is the latest in 2x4 spygear," said Numbah Two, "invented by Numbah 362 herself! First, it will let us hear anything that you hear. Second, it will let us communicate with you. And it can't be detected by any technology that the Delightful Children are known to possess."<
Golbez: The downside is that you have to kneel to activate it.
(They test it, and then: )
>"Here's something else you'll need," he said, handing him a flyer. "We were able to forge this invitation to the gathering with your name on it."
"And I was able to hack into their computer far enough to put your name on the list," said Two. "Fortunately, their security for that file wasn't too great. Unfortunately, we weren't able to gain anything else from the list – the only villain we know who will be there is the Toilenator."<
MCT: Crap. I misspelled it last chapter.
Golbez: Consider it an extension of the gag.
>"Who's he?" said Buttercup, somewhat amused.
"Probably the most incompetent bad guy we've ever traded encountered," said Numbah One.<
Emperor: What is “traded” doing in that sentence? Did he originally write “traded blows with” and change it? If so, he did a remarkably bad clean-up job.
>"Yeah, 'encountered'," said Numbah Four, sarcastically. "All our 'encounters' consist of him encountering our fists, him encountering the wall, and him waking up encountering the hospital."<
Emperor: Ah, the answer – he changed the phrasing to try to hide that he’s repeating this joke from earlier.
>"Best rest up everyone," said Numbah One, "because the cattle call starts at ten o'clock tomorrow!"
"Um, girls," said Green, "There's something I need from the three of you before I do this..."<
MCT: (opens his mouth and gets Glare Handed in advance)
(SCENE CHANGE to the meeting, where Mr. Green gets in without a hitch: )
>Inside was a lounge of some sort. A lot of guests were already there. Most of them had costumes, and a lot were pretty ridiculous. He saw a guy that HAD to be the Toilenator, judging by the theme of his costume.<
Golbez: He amused himself by jiggling the handle.
>They all took notice of Green as he silently sat down. He WAS pretty intimidating to people who didn't know him.
"How come the new guys get all the cool costumes?" said the Toilenator to another guest.
Green looked at him. The Toilenator's blood ran cold.<
MCT: He regretted being a low-capacity toilet.
>Then a door opened on the other side of the room. Cree walked in, in full armor.
"Okay all you freaks of nature!" she said. "We're going to let you in one at a time. One warning, if anyone is here to waste our time, we suggest you leave now. Everyone behave yourselves, and we can get this over with as soon as possible.
"Okay, first one on the list..." she said, lifting up a clipboard.<
Emperor: This would be so much simpler if she just recruited manikins.
(SCENE CHANGE to the auditions: )
>"Okay, Toilenator," said the Children. "We invited you here because you said you had made improvements. Well, we're waiting..."
"Yeah," said the Toilenator. "Get a load of this..."
He took from his back what appeared to be a miniature cannon. He aimed it at a pillar across the hall.
He fired, and three plungers shot from the device, planting themselves on the pillar.
"Well," said Mojo, sarcastically. "I can think of a lot of good uses for a portable plunger thrower."<
Emperor: I can think of at least three.
MCT: I never thought Brian played the South Park game...
>"Toilenator," said the Delightful Children. "We know everyone needs a hobby, but we don't think supervillainy is your thing. Have you tried rock collecting?"
Their fingers reached for a button.
"Wait!" he said. "Please don't throw me out the house!"
They paused.
"Okay," they said. "We won't throw you out of the house."
They pressed another button, and a trap door opened under his feet. He screamed as he fell.<
Golbez: Why didn’t the Blatant Theft Alert go off?
MCT: Because if I only think he stole the joke, it stays quiet.
>"Say," said Cree. "Where does that trap door lead?"
"No idea," they said. "It was there when we moved in."<
MCT: Ten minutes later, he landed in Japan, surprising Hyatt. She promptly died. Again.
(Mr. Green is up: )
>Mr. Green slunk into the room. The Delightful Children immediately took notice.
"Thank you for inviting me," he said in a sinister voice. "I hear you've been having trouble with the Powerpuff Girls..."
Mojo perked up.
"What do you know about them?" he said.
"Why, they and I have matched wits several times," said Green. "You might say we know each other... intimately..."<
>The Delightful Children looked at him.
"You certainly seem tough," they said. "What kind of powers do you have?"
"Many," said Green. "I'd love to give you a demonstration, but unfortunately, they only function at night. In fact, coming out in sunlight burns my skin. When the sun is down, the Powerpuff Girls have met me on more than one occasion."<
Golbez: (The Delightful Children) Yet your skin has no burn marks…
MCT: (Mr. Green) Umm… high SPF sunblock?
>"Hold on," said Mojo. "If you have fought the Powerpuff Girls, how come I have never seen you in Townsville Penitentiary?"
"They've never caught me," said Green. "In fact, they never have beaten me. I even have a souvenir from our last encounter..."
He reached into his pocket and took out what looked like three locks of hair tied together – one strawberry blonde, one blonde, and one black.
"Is that really..." said Mojo.
"...their hair?" said the Delightful Children.
"Yes," said Green. "I had them at my mercy, but rather than finish them, I decided to let them know that I was more than capable of it – so I only took this as a memento."<
MCT: Leaving aside that Blossom has red hair, wouldn’t this just make him look like someone who can’t finish the job?
Emperor: I would never hire someone who is more interested in scaring them and taking souvenirs than actually destroying the opponent. If they fall for this, my respect for them as evil shall be lost for good.
(SCENE CHANGE to confirm this is what he asked the girls for, and then SCENE CHANGE back: )
>"We'll see," said the Delightful Children. "A little test on your part, and we'll see if you have the gumption to join our little group...
"Capture one of the Kids Next Door and bring him or her here... then we'll talk deal."
Mr. Green stopped short. But then he regained his composure.
"Certainly," he said.<
Golbez: (Delightful Children) And we mean one of them, not a lock of some random hair!
(Mr. Green leaves, and we SCENE CHANGE to the Treehouse: )
>Inside the Treehouse, the team was discussing the new development with the Girls.
"This is indeed tricky," said Numbah One. "In order for Mr. Green to succeed, one of us is going to have to make a sacrifice... either that, or Mr. Green won't succeed."
They were all silent for a while.<
MCT: And then began the rock-paper-scissors match of the millennium.
>Then Numbah Five spoke up.
"Numbah Five volunteers," she said.
They all looked at her.<
Emperor: The hat apparently cuts off the circulation to her brain.
>"Are you sure, Numbah Five?" said Numbah One. "You might be interrogated."
"They'll never loosen these lips!" said Five.
"You might be tortured!" said One.
"Numbah Five can take it," she said.
"You might be..." started One.
"You don't want to know how far I'm willing to go," said Five.<
Golbez: I grow tired of the constant dire implications.
>"Besides, they've yet to build a joint that Numbah Five can't bust out of!"
"Fine," said Numbah One. "Then we can just hope that..."
"He's coming back," said Numbah Three, looking through the periscope.<
MCT: (Numbah Three) And he bought Chinese!
>"Bring him up here," said One.
Within moments, Mr. Green was drawn back up to the Treehouse.
"Kids," he said. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea. You probably know that they want me too..."
"We already have a volunteer," said Numbah One.
"Now since you claim you can only do your thing at night, here's what we'll do..."<
All: Whisper whisper, cutting board, whisper whisper, three-ply note paper, whisper whisper…
>Will the plan work? Stay tuned for Chapter Sixteen, coming up soon!<
Emperor: Somehow I have trouble thinking it will fail.
(The projection ends)
Golbez: I have a sinking feeling you’ll want us to stick around…
MCT: It would be nice of you.
Emperor: I don’t do “nice”… but I think my legs are glued to the chair…
