Kratt Undercover

Prologue

"Martin! Chris! It's almost seven-thirty! Mom can't hand out candy all night!" Lacey yelled up the stairs, fixing her headpiece in the mirror that hung by their front door.

That year for Halloween, the Kratt siblings dressed as their favorite Marvel characters. Well, it was more Lacey forcing the boys to do it and them complying. Martin was Captain America, specifically Age of Ultron Captain America, Chris was Spiderman, and Lacey was Wanda from the Halloween episode of WandaVision.

"Okay, Lace. Are you ready?" Martin asked.

"Yes, please! I mean, no one takes two hours to get dressed into a Halloween costume."

As she turned around, they strutted out from behind the corner and posed at the top of the stairs. Lacey smiled and laughed, slightly covering her mouth.

"Oh my god, you guys are the best brothers ever."

"Oh, we know," Chris replied as they walked down the steps.

When they reached the bottom, Martin strapped his shield to his back before wrapping an arm around Lacey's shoulders.

"So, I nominate Chris to hand out the candy until Gavin's group gets here. I want to scout out the neighborhood anyway," he said, grabbing a mini Snickers from the candy bowl that sat by the front door.

"Oh, no way! You got to scout last year!" Chris argued.

"You remember that? I thought you'd forget!"

"Like I'd forget!"

"Well, whatever. I'm older and wiser so I should do it."

"You're older by one year, it doesn't count."

"It does too! You're just jealous."

Lacey pushed Martin's arm off her shoulder and stood in between them.

"How about I go out and scout the area? It'll stop your bickering and prepare me for when you guys let me live on the Tortuga. Besides, why do you even want to 'scout out' the neighborhood? You lived here for nineteen years, you should know this place like the back of your hand," she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Why not? I like walking around the neighborhood!" Martin argued.

"Well, you could've just said that! There was no need to go all 'Oh, I wanna scout the neighborhood like I'm some creepy weirdo'," Chris said in a mocking tone.

"Okay well-" Martin started but then Linda, the Kratt's mother, interrupted.

"Can you boys stop your fighting? I swear, it's non-stop when you visit," she said, pushing them aside and picking up the candy bowl. "Go into the TV room and turn on a movie or something while you wait."

Chris stuck his tongue out at Martin before walking into the living room. Lacey laughed and followed in her brother's footsteps.

~~~~

"Kids! Gavin and his friends are here!"

Lacey jumped up and ran towards the front door, expecting her brothers to follow. But they stayed on the couch, munching away at the popcorn they had made earlier. Linda stepped out of the way and set the candy bowl on the side table.

But somehow, she wasn't presented with smiles, but instead grim frowns and knit-together eyebrows. It was strange seeing those looks from four young boys.

"Hey, guys...what's wrong?" she asked, holding the door handle and looking down at the kids.

"Well," Gavin said, looking down at his pillowcase full of candy. "We sort of heard some news from Sani."

He looked down at his brother, Ronan, and then back to Lacey.

"Sani heard from Evan who heard from Ava who heard from Katie who heard from Jenny that she heard some talking in the park while she was taking her sister trick-or-treating. So she snuck into the park and hid in a bush and saw Zach talking to his Zachbots. And from what she heard, he was talking about kidnapping you and the rest of the crew to do...something. I don't remember. But all I know is it's bad and we needed to tell you right away. That's what Martin and Chris told us to do, to tell one of you if we ever see one of the villains."

Lacey felt her eyebrows furrow and she sucked in a breath.

"Okay, uhm, go inside and tell my brothers. They're in the living room. And stay inside. Maybe call your moms," she said, ushering them through the door.

Once they were all inside, she stepped off her porch, closing the door behind her, and walked into the empty road. Parents and children watched as she slowly spun in a circle, looking into every dark corner and cranny for a Zachbot. She was too busy being in her stress-filled head that she didn't hear Martin and Chris calling her name until they were practically on top of her.

"Lacey, what are you doing?" Martin asked, gripping her shoulders.

She shook out of her focused state and looked up at her brother. She turned her head and saw Chris standing behind her, his hands balled into fists and hanging by his sides.

"You shouldn't be out here. ESPECIALLY after knowing that Zach knows who you are," Martin said, dropping his hands. She heard the concern and anger in his voice and her eyebrows furrowed deeper.

"Shouldn't he know who I am? He lived next door for years!"

Chris sighed and fixed his stance. "He moved to another neighborhood about two months before you were born. The only reason you saw him here and there is because he still had friends in our neighborhood. But he was never aware of your existence. Not until now."

Lacey sucked in a breath and looked around one more time.

"Well, I'll walk the kids home and then-"

"No. You're going to stay home and I'm going to take them. And when I get home, we're going to talk to Mom and Dad. Chris, when you get her inside, call Aviva or Koki. Tell them to bring the Tortuga."

Chris nodded and grabbed Lacey's hand and dragged her inside with Martin on their heels. Once inside, Martin grabbed the group of kids and stepped out the door, shutting it firmly behind him. Chris smiled at his sister and ushered her into the living room.

"Hey, honey, what's wrong?" their mom asked as she sat on the couch. Chris pulled out his phone and dialed Aviva.

"You should go get Dad. Once Martin gets back, we're going to want to talk to you guys."

~~~~

"So, what's so important we have to interrupt Halloween night?" their dad, William, asked, sitting down on the couch next to Lacey.

The brothers shared a look and Chris sighed. After sharing what they knew, Linda and William also shared a look.

"Now, I know you guys want to keep her here so she'll stay safe," Martin started, "But her coming with us is currently the safest option. We'll be able to travel and keep Zach off our trail. Please, Mom. Dad. We just want to keep Lacey safe. She's our main concern and we feel safer with her on the Tortuga."

All three siblings silently sucked in a breath as their parents contemplated what the boys had just said. Martin made a gesture and Lacey got up and stood in between her brothers. They each put an arm around her shoulders and she wrapped hers around their waists.

"Well...I'm genuinely not sure what to think or do. I want to keep her here of course. She's my child and I'm her mother. I want her to be safe," their mother said. She looked over at William and took his hand. "But we also trust you boys, and you two know Lacey very well. So if you believe that's what's best for her, then...we'll allow her to move in with you and the crew. But, there will be a few exceptions, of course."

Lacey looked up at Martin and then Chris, giving each of them a smile.

"Really?" Martin asked, squeezing her shoulder.

"Really."

Chris hugged Lacey and Martin sighed with relief. "I promise, we'll keep her safe. She is our baby sister after all."

William smiled and stood up. "So, Lace. Should we get packing? Your ride is almost here."