~ Volume II ~ Chapter 9 ~ Episode 2 ~

“Anika hunny, we Bear Scouts are heading out.” Aiden tells his wife. “I told the other scouts we’d meet them in town promptly at noon.” He glances at the time. “As Cub Master, I can’t be late.”

Anika wraps her arms around her husband. “I can’t believe you’re going away for four whole days. I’m gonna miss you.”

Aiden looks at his wife and grins. “What?” she asks. “What’s that smile for?”

“I remember when you came camping with my family for the first time up at Granite Falls.” Aiden replies.

Anika smiles too. “Oh yeah! We were just teenagers then.”

“It was your first time camping. You couldn’t believe that we were going to be sleeping outside.” Aiden laughs. “I’ll never forget the look on your face.”

“You’re whole family was there.” Anika says. “Noelle was about the triplets age I think. That seems so long ago.”

Aiden’s eyes fill with tears as he thinks of his deceased sisters. “I remember that trip like it was yesterday. It’s like I can almost hear my dad playing the guitar as us kids roasted marshmallows over the fire.” He visualizes that night in his mind.

“I hope I can make memories like that with Ben while we’re camping this weekend.” Aiden says.

“I’m sure you will.” Anika replies. “Don’t tell me you forgot about our trip to Granite Falls with Jade and Sage when they were young. We made a ton of memories with them.”

“How could I ever forget that trip?” Aiden responds sarcastically. “That’s the trip when the girls got lost in the woods overnight! Boy were you ever angry at me!”

Both Aiden and Anika can’t help but giggle at the distant memory. “I was so relieved when we finally found them. That was the longest night of my life!” Anika says.

“Hey, look at it this way, both Jade and Sage have become strong, independent young women. Maybe that night alone in the woods contributed to that.” Aiden smiles.

“C’mon dad!” Benjamin calls from the front doorway. “It’s time to go!”

Aiden looks at Anika once more. “Guess I’ll see you on Monday.” he waves. “The cub calls.”

“One more kiss!” Anika pleads. “Muuaah!”

Aiden grabs his camping pack and heads for the door. “Oh hey Aiden.” Anika calls. “Don’t lose Ben, will ya?” she laughs.

******

Aiden and his Bear Scout troop gather together in front of the Municipal Muses Museum in Willow Creek. “Are we going now?” Magnus asks excitedly.

“We’re just waiting for our ride.” Aiden replies. “Should be here any minute now. Everybody is sure they have everything, right?” he asks. The children nod their heads, as their enthusiasm escapes them. Aiden looks at his watch, five of twelve. “Let’s all line up.” he tells the troop.

The kids all keep their eyes peeled for their ride as they can’t contain their excitement much longer. “Oohh, I think I see it.” Aiden announces as he catches a glimpse of the minibus. “Alright boys, this is the one. Here comes our ride.”

The boys hoot and holler with excitement. When the minibus comes to a complete stop, Aiden gestures for the boys to go ahead and cross into the street to load up.

Once everyone is seated and buckled up, the minibus begins it’s lengthy journey into the wilderness. “Camp Granite Falls, here we come!”

******

“Here we are!” Aiden announces. “This is where we’ll be staying for the next four days.”

“Awesome!” Magnus cheers.

“This is gonna be so much fun.” Benjamin adds.

“I hope we don’t get eaten by the bears.” Layton giggles. “How ironic would that be, Bear Scouts get eaten by bears.” he says continuing to laugh at his own joke. Josiah looks on nervously. “Josiah, I’m kidding.” Layton tells him. “Relax a little.”

“C’mon fellas.” Aiden says. “We got a lot of setting up to do before dinner.”

Once on the actual camp site, the boys scatter in different directions to explore. “Look guys, there’s a horseshoe pit. Who wants to play horseshoes?” Josiah asks.

“Whoa! Dad, look at this! There’s a waterhole! Can we go swimming? Can we, can we?” Ben asks his father.

“Not right now Ben. Priorities. You don’t want to be sleeping on the dirt with the bugs, do ya?” Aiden replies.

“Look at me!” Layton hollers as he swings across a set of monkey bars.

“C’mon Layton, get down from there.” Aiden tells the boy. “We’ll have plenty of time to play later. I promise. But right now we have work to do.”

“Mr. Pickles, can we have a fire?” Magnus asks noticing the fire pit in the center of the camp site.

“Why don’t you boys come gather around and take a seat.” Aiden instructs the boys. “Listen up guys.” he begins. “I know you’re all very excited to be here and you want to get started doing activities, but first things first. We have to get our camp set up. We need supplies to get us through our time here. Here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna take a walk to the ranger’s station to gather our supplies. Then I’ll need a few of you to help me set up the tents while the others gather some wood for our fire.”

“I’ll help you with the tent!” Benjamin replies.

“Me too!” Josiah offers.

“Then me and Layton can look for fire wood.” Magnus responds.

“Sounds like we have ourselves a plan.” Aiden says standing. “We’ve got no time to waste, let’s go!” The group travel together down the dirt path to the ranger’s station. “Hello there!” Aiden greets the ranger. “We Bear Scouts are in need of some supplies.”

“Okay.” the ranger replies grabbing a supply form. “Here is an inventory of the supplies we offer.” .

“Let’s see here.” Aiden says looking over the list. “We’ll need two of the large tents, a tote full of cooking supplies, a cooler, oh…and some sleeping bags.”

Benjamin glances at the list. “What about the table and chairs?” he questions.

“What about them?” Aiden replies.

“Don’t we need a table to eat at?”

“Each site has picnic tables.” the ranger tells Ben. “This table is more for those that want a soft place to sit at, to play games at and such.”

“Can we get the table Mr. Pickles?” Layton asks. “I brought a deck of cards!”

Benjamin intertwines his fingers. “Please dad?” he asks.

“Okay. Add a table and four chairs to that.” he tells the ranger.

“You got it!” the ranger replies. “I’ll get this stuff together for you and deliver it to your site. Give me about twenty minutes.”

“Thank Ranger!” Aiden replies. He and the boys hurry back to the site to await their supply drop off.

Just as the sun begins to set, the scouts finish getting their tents set up. “Great team-work boys!” Aiden compliments them.

He begins preparing dinner on the grill. “First meal of the trip, campers stew!” Aiden tells the boys who sit at the table playing a game of cards. “Don’t go thinking that I’ll be the only one doing the cooking during this trip.”

“Chow time!” he calls once the stew finishes cooking. Each Bear Scout grabs a bowl and takes a place at the picnic table.

“Smells so good.” Magnus says taking a whiff of his stew.

“It tastes good too!” Josiah adds.

“Listen up scouts.” Aiden says. “We have to go over a few simple rules. Rule number one, never go anywhere alone. Everyone must have a buddy at all times when leaving this camp site. That means when looking for fire wood or going to the bathroom. There’s a story about a boy that got lost here at this very campground because he didn’t take a buddy when he went out exploring. As the story goes, he was never found.”

“Can you tell us about the boy dad, can you, can you?” Benjamin asks his father excitedly.

“Noooo!” Layton shrieks. “It sounds scary.” he replies looking at Aiden with a serious face.

Aiden bursts into laughter knowing there is no true story about a missing boy.

“Rule number two, everyone will pitch in to keep the camp site clean. We can take turns cleaning up dishes and taking the trash to the barrel. A clean camp will also help to prevent attracting wildlife to our site. Rule number three, do not approach wild animals, always keep your distance. Rule number four, no running or any llamaplay around the camp fire. Fire is dangerous. If I see this behavior, you will not be invited to sit at the next fire. You’ll have to miss out. Rule number five, never eat anything wild unless approved by me. It could make you dangerously ill or even kill you. And rule number six, have fun! After all, that’s what we’re here for.” The boys agree to the rules and talk them over while they eat. When they finish, the boys get right to cleaning. They divvy up the chores making everyone happy.

Once camp is cleaned up, the scouts gather together excitedly around the campfire. Aiden grabs a matchstick and strikes it against the log. The match head ignites.

But so does Aiden’s sweatshirt!

“Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!” he shouts blowing on his arm trying to put out the flame.

Thinking quickly, Aiden removes his hat from his head and uses it to smother the flame. “Phew! That was a close one!” he says replacing his hat. “What the heck just happened?”

“Mr. Pickles, you have to be more careful around the fire.” Josiah says laughing. “No llamaplay, remember?”

The Bear Scouts sit around the fire for a while. They talk about their day and discuss the next day’s events.

As the fire begins to die down, Aiden tells the boys it’s time to turn in for the night. “Awe, do we have to?” Magnus asks.

“Tomorrow will be a busy day. You’ll need to be fully rested.” Aiden replies. The scouts change into their pajamas and go as a group to the bathrooms. As they stand in line to take turns brushing their teeth, Aiden reminds them that no one ventures out alone. “Always have a buddy.”

Back at camp, the group split up into the tents. Aiden, Benjamin and Layton in one and Magnus and Josiah in the other.

“Goodnight fellas.” Aiden says. “Sleep tight, don’t let the camp critters bite!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 9 ~ Episode 1 ~

“What in Sims are you doing up so early for on a Saturday?” Anika asks Aiden. “And are you baking? Is my husband actually attempting to bake something?” Aiden holds a wooden spoon tightly in his hand.

“This is my third attempt at making brownies.” Aiden tells his wife. “The first batch didn’t cook so well in the center, and well the second batch were as hard as a rock. I’ve got my first meeting today as leader of the Bear Scouts.”

“The Bear Scouts are coming today? Why don’t you let me finish up these brownies then and you can go see about getting Ben to clean up that pig-sty of a room. I’ve been on his case all week about it!” Anika stammers. “If he doesn’t have it clean by noon, then it’s no Bear Scouts for him!” She grabs a couple eggs from the refrigerator and begins cracking them open.

Aiden enters Benjamin’s bedroom. There he finds his son playing with Skelly the bear.

“Beep beep. This is the national weather service. Be on the lookout for a tornado, last seen tearing through Ben’s room.” Aiden says glancing around the room at all stuff on the floor.”Benjamin Pickles, is this the way you take care of your belongings?”

“What? You don’t like the way I decorate?” Ben replies with his hands on his hips.

“Sorry bud, there’s no way out of this one. I was sent by mom. You’ve got to clean this place up.”

“Awww man!” Benjamin replies stomping his foot. “Do I have to dad?”

“She says no Bear Scouts unless this room is clean.” Aiden answers.

Ben hangs his head low. “Alright, I’ll clean my room. But only cuz I don’t wanna miss Bear Scouts.” Aiden leaves the room and Benjamin gets right to cleaning.

A short while later the room is clean. “I’m done!” Ben calls out. “You can come check it now!”

“Good job Ben, I’m proud of you. It looks like a whole different room!” Aiden tells his son exaggerating a bit.

“Ben’s room is all clean.” Aiden tells Anika. “He did a great job.”

“And you didn’t have to pull teeth?” she responds jokingly.

Aiden laughs. “He’s actually really excited about this scouting stuff. Maybe being involved in Bear Scouts will be an incentive to be a little more responsible around the house.”

“That would be nice.” Anika smiles. “Here’s your brownies Leader Bear.”

******

-DING DONG- The doorbell rings. “They’re here dad! The Bear Scouts are here!” Benjamin calls out excitedly.

He quickly makes his way to the door, eager to meet the other boys in his troop.

Aiden joins his son at the door. “Come in, come in.” Aiden greets the three scouts. “Are you fellas looking forward to scouting?” he asks.

“YES!” the boy with red hair shouts. “This is gonna be awesome!”

“It sure is!” Aiden replies. “Why don’t we go out back and introduce ourselves to one another. Then I’ll grill up some hot dogs. How’s that sound?” Aiden asks. “We have some brownies for later too.”

“Uh, about those brownies.” Anika chimes in. “Bristol kinda got to them.”

“The whole batch?” Aiden questions.

Anika nods. “The whole batch.” she answers. “I found her hiding under the playscape with the empty plate.”

Aiden sighs. “Sorry boys, nix the brownie idea.” The boys follow Aiden and Ben through the house to the backyard. They gather around on the patio furniture. “I’ll go first to break the ice a little.” Aiden says. “I’m Aiden Pickles and I’m the leader of this troop, your Cub Master.” he pauses gazing around at the group. “Who would like to go next?”

The red headed boy raises his hand. “I will.” he says. “I’m Magnus Townsend. I’ve never been in Bear Scouts before but I heard it’s really fun and you get to all sorts of really cool stuff.”

“You heard right Magnus.” Aiden replies. “Who’s next?” he asks.

“Me!” Ben volunteers. “My name’s Benjamin Pickles, but everybody calls me Ben. I live here.

Without being prompted, a dark haired boy with bright blue eyes speaks up next. “I’m Josiah Copeland. Are we gonna go fishing?”

Aiden chuckles. “Josiah, I’m sure we will buddy, I’m sure we will.” He turns to the last unintroduced child. “And what’s your name?”

“Who me?” the boy says shrinking back into his seat shyly. “Layton.” he answers softly. “My name is Layton Ray.”

“It’s very nice to meet all of you.” Aiden says with a smile. “I’m sure we’re going to have a fantastic time doing all the things that Bear Scouts do. Do any of you have any questions that you’d like to ask?”

Magnus raises his hand. “Are we gonna go camping?”

“We sure are Magnus!” Aiden answers. “Camping is one of our first planned activities actually. It will help us to get to know one another while teaching us new skills such as how to be resourceful.”

“You mean we get to sleep outdoors?!” Ben responds enthusiastically.

“We certainly will Benny! We’ll be under the stars among the peacefulness of the wilderness.” Aiden tells his son.

“Won’t there be b-b-b-bears?” Josiah chokes out nervously.

“There will be lots of wild animals around us. No need to worry Josiah, we’ll have a full lesson about bears and what not to do’s before we go. Besides, the rangers take care in keeping their eyes peeled for bears and alerting the campers. We’ll be fine.”

“Now who’s hungry?” Aiden asks. The boys all raise their hands and bounce out of their seats as if they have ants in their pants. “Why don’t you cubs go get changed into your swim suits.” he suggests. “Ben can show you where to change. I’ll get the grill going and throw some hotdogs on.” While the kids change, Aiden lights the grill and makes lunch.

The scouts scoff down their lunch as fast as they can to give them as much pool time as possible.

Shortly after, Ben notices his sister Brooklyn come out sportin’ her bathing suit. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asks.

“Going swimming. How do I look?”

“You’re not swimming with us. We’re having our Bear Scout meeting. No girls allowed!”

“Benjamin Pickles, you’re mean!” Brooklyn shouts before storming off to go find Anika. “I live here too ya know!”

After the lunch mess is cleaned up, Aiden and his new scout troop spend the remainder of the afternoon in the pool together. They swim, they splash, and they play water games.

When the sun starts to set, Aiden asks everyone out of the pool. “Time to start drying off!” he calls out. “Your parents will be here soon to pick you up.”

“Awww, man!” Magnus replies. “I wish we never had to leave. This was fun.”

Josiah dries himself off and heads toward the house to change. “Hiiiiiya!” Bristol says loudly with a cheesy grin.

“Uh…..hi?” Josiah replies unsure of the girl before him.

“I can do this!” Bristol says holding up her hands and making a silly face.

She giggles at herself and her goofiness. “Funny, huh?” she says.

“You’re weird!” Josiah replies. Bristol’s smile quickly fades. She glares at Josiah as she walks past.

A short time later after the other two boys have been picked up, Josiah and Benjamin sit together talking about their day. “Is that your sister that has the glasses?” Josiah asks. Ben nods. “What’s wrong with her? Why’s she look funny and act so weird?”

Benjamin covers his mouth in shock, worried about his sister. “Why? What happened?” he questions. “What did you say to her?”

“Nothing. She was just making weird faces and stuff.” Josiah answers.

“She’s not normal, that’s for sure.” the boy adds.

“Josiah, Bristol has ups-simdrome. That means she was born with an extra plumbob, it doesn’t make her weird, it makes her special. Sometimes she does things a little differently than you or I would.” Ben explains. Josiah listens contently.

“I’m sure Bristol was only trying to be your friend. She doesn’t have many friends, not many people give her the chance.” Benjamin continues. “Ya know Josiah, one of the Bear Scout Laws is being kind to others, always. I hope you weren’t mean or rude to my sister.”

Josiah thinks for a moment. “I think I owe Bristol an apology.” he says.

Josiah spots Bristol sitting all alone at the table. Hesitating for a moment, he approaches her slowly. “Bristol.” he  says. “I’m sorry for calling you weird earlier. You weren’t being weird, you were being funny. I was the weird one.”

Bristol sits quietly, ignoring Josiah’s presence.

“Josiah, you’re mom is here!” Aiden calls from the back door. Josiah waits another moment for a response from Bristol, but gets nothing. He waves goodbye to Ben and exits through the side yard.

“Wait!” Bristol calls, running over to meet up with him. “I forgive you.” She reaches out her arms giving Josiah a hug. He hugs her back.

Josiah then continues his way out front to where his mom is parked. After only a few more steps, he stops suddenly turning back toward Bristol. “Hey Bristol, look at this!” Josiah says making a silly face.

Bristol breaks out into a fit of laughter.

Watching Bristol’s amusement makes Josiah grin. He doesn’t understand why his insides feel all warm and fuzzy. He shuffles his foot on top of the grass. “I gotta go. My mom is waiting.” he says gesturing to the front of the house. “Bye Bristol.” Josiah waves. Then he skips his way toward the street liking the feeling inside himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 11 ~

Oliver and Dill sit down at the table with Alexis and the children, asking X-Finity to join them. None of the kids have any idea that their real sister Infinity is hidden in Oliver’s bedroom. Dill takes a deep breath in and exhales. “I know you all know that our family doesn’t keep secrets from each other. That’s why I want to tell you all the real reason why I’m here.” he begins. Alexis listens intently.

“Well guys,” he says turning in the direction of Piper and X-Finity. “Things haven’t been what they’ve seemed since moving to Windenburg.”

“What do you mean Dill?” Peter asks. “What’s not what it seems?”

“Yeah, what exactly do you mean?” X-Finity asks.

“I think you know exactly what I mean.” Dill replies looking directly at the impostor.

“What on Earth are you talking about?” Alexis asks becoming easily confused.

“Well, you see Alex, there seems to be a phony among us.” Dill replies gesturing to X-Finity with his thumb.

X-Finity is taken back, for she now knows that Dill is aware of her secret identity. She swallows hard, but tries to keep her cool.

Finn, what’s phony mean?” Peter asks unsure of the meaning of the word.

“Uh, I dunno.” X-Finity shrugs.

“Of course you don’t!” Dill blurts out. “But the real Finn would!”

“The real Finn?” Alexis repeats. “What do you mean real Finn? You’re saying she’s not the real Finn?”

“This here is X-Finity.” Dill replies.

“X-Finity?” Alex, Peter, and Piper all say in unison.

“X-Finity is a clone that Hector Holmes, a very clever scientist created. He sim-napped Finn and was holding her captive. That evil man had been performing all types of experiments on her while this impostor was here pretending to be her!” Dill explains.

The family all glare at X-Finity.

“How could you?” Alexis shouts.

“I’m sorry.” X-Finity apologizes. “I didn’t know Infinity was gonna be experimented on. I was only following the instructions that Hector gave to me.”

“I’ll be right back.” Oliver says excusing himself. He is only gone a moment before he returns.

“Hi guys!” Infinity says excitedly, happy to see her brother and sisters.

“Finn!” Piper hollers. She darts from the table to give her sister a hug.

“I knew that girl wasn’t my sister, I just knew it!” Piper tells Infinity. “She was acting too weird. She doesn’t like milk and her skin is white. Plus she doesn’t even know what a noun is.” Piper rambles. “There’s no way Infinity Pickles would forget that!”

“And she couldn’t read dad’s mind either.” Peter adds.

“Well X-Finity, whadda ya say, we should be on our way. I have to get back to school.” Dill says stretching his legs.

“I’m coming with you?” X-Finity questions.

“You sure are.” Dill replies. Oliver looks at his son with sad eyes. “It’s for the best.” he whispers as he walks past. “Give me hugs.” Dill tells his siblings. “College life calls.” After saying his goodbyes to the family, Dill and X-Finity exit the cottage.

They are gone only a few minutes before Oliver goes chasing after them. “Dill, Dill!” he shouts. “Hold up! Wait a minute!”

“What is it dad?” Dill asks stopping.

“I was thinking. Maybe she should stay. Ya know, live here with us.” Oliver says.

“Dad, what are you crazy?! After all she’s done to Finn?” Dill responds. “What’d you forget about that already?”

“No I didn’t forget. But son, it’s not like ‘she‘ was the mastermind of this plan. This isn’t X-Finity’s fault.” Oliver pauses. “I’ve made up my mind Dill, I’m going to keep her. I’ll raise her as if she’s Infinity’s twin.”

Oliver places his hands on X-Finity’s arms. “X-Finity, how would you like to live here in Windenburg with our family?” he asks. “No more pretending, no more acting, this charade is over. You are you from now on.”

“Really dad? Can I?” X-Finity raves, a huge smile on her face.

“On one condition.” Oliver replies. “You reside with us as someone other than X-Finity.”

“What does that mean?” X-Finity asks.

“It means you get to choose a new name.” Dill answers.

“That’s correct.” Oliver nods. “So X-Finity, what would you like your new name to be?”

X-Finity thinks, but only for a second. “Zoey! I want to be called Zoey!” she replies. “Please? Can I be Zoey now?”

Oliver smiles down at his newest daughter. “That sounds like a great name. C’mon Zoey, let’s get you home.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 10 ~

Well Finn, here we are. This is Windenburg!” Dill tells his sister.

“This is where the family lives now. They moved here to keep your alien secret safe.” Dill pauses a moment and thinks. “Hmmmmm.”

“Ya know Finn, it’s probably a good idea for you to put your human disguise on. I’m not so sure how the Windenburg community would react to seeing an alien walking through their streets.” he tells her.

Infinity nods and does as her brother tells her. She instantly changing into human form.

“That’s better.” Dill says. “One day you’ll be able to roam freely without that synthetic skin, just you wait and see.” he winks. “You ready to go see dad?”

“Yes!” Infinity answers excitedly.

Just as they begin their journey through Windenburg, Dill’s phone rings. “Hello?” he answers.

“Hey Dillon, it’s Ramona Lake from SIMS.”

“Oh hi Ramona!” Dill replies, a huge smile forming on his face.

“Where are you?” Ramona asks. “Class is about to begin.”

“Sorry Ramona, I’ll be missing class today.” Dill tells his college-mate. “Something came up.”

“Is everything okay Dillon? Did your tour go alright at the lab?” Ramona questions.

“Yeah, my tour was great.” Dill pauses. “Look, I can’t go into details, but I’ll get back as soon as I can. See ya soon. Bye.”

“So, is he coming?” Derrick Lowe, a fellow college classmate asks Ramona.

“No.” she answers. “He said something came up and he’ll get back as soon as he can.” Ramona pauses.

“I sure hope everything is okay.”

******

Dill and Infinity continue on their way….

“We should be almost there.” Dill tells infinity. “Are you feet tired?”

“No. It feels good to walk after being locked up all that time.” she answers.

“Excuse me?” Dill says to a passer-by. “Can you direct me to the Coorinberg Cottage please? I’m not even sure if I’m heading in the right direction.”

“The Coorinbege Cottage, why you’re already there! It’s right there.” she points. “It’s this house right behind me.” the woman smiles.

Dill grins. “Oh! I didn’t realize we were that close! Thank you. Thank you so much.” He and Infinity approach the front door. “Are you ready to give dad the surprise of his life?”

Inside, Oliver washes his hands at the kitchen sink. The doorbell chimes.”One sec, I’m coming!” he calls out.

He turns the faucet off and quickly pats his hands dry on his shorts. As he approaches the front door, Oliver can see Dill through the lattice window.

“Dillon!” he shouts. “What a surprise! Come in, come in.” Oliver says opening the door. He wraps his arms around his son. “I’ve missed you!”

“What are you doing here?” Oliver asks.

“I’m here to return something. Or should I say, some one.” Dill replies stepping aside revealing Infinity’s presence.

“Daddy!” Finn shouts happy to see her father.

“Infinity? I thought you were in your room with Piper?” Oliver questions looking puzzled. “What are you doing with Dill?”

“Uh dad,” Dillon begins. “you’re not gonna believe this unless you see it. Why don’t you uh, go have a look in that room for yourself.” Oliver does as Dill requests and opens the door to Infinity and Piper’s bedroom. He gasps when he sees who he thinks is Infinity sitting there on the bed.

“Huh?” Oliver looks back and forth between the bedroom and the front doorway. “But how?” he asks scratching his head. “There’s two?”

“Dad, this here is the real Infinity.” Dill tells his father. “That child in there is an imposter, a clone created by a scientist at the science lab.” Oliver can hardly believe his ears.

Dill continues. “Mister Hector Holmes, an established scientist at the Future Sims Science Lab sim-napped Infinity and had her locked up. Excuse my Simlish, but that bastard was performing invasive experiments on her.”

Oliver’s eyes grow wide.

“Dad, she was hardly recognizable.” Dill adds. “I got to her just in time.”

Oliver gestures to the bedroom behind him. “So where did this clone come from?” he asks.

“After Hector created it, he sent it to come take Finn’s place, hoping you’d never find out.”

“Yeah, he called it X-Finity!” Finn says.

“How could I not know?” Oliver sighs. “Now it all makes sense, the milk, the grammar. Piper knew something wasn’t right, I should have listened.”

“It’s okay daddy, I forgive you for not knowing.” Infinity says with a smile. “I’m just happy to be home.” Oliver bends down giving his daughter a hug.

“Dill, you’re my hero.” Finn says. “You rescued me from that cage and from that bad, bad man. Hero is a noun meaning a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Infinity smiles at her brother. “It took a lot of courage for you to come down into that basement. Those scientists could have caught you and locked you up too. I’ll always remember what you did for me.” ❤

******

“Dill! You’re home!” Alexis shouts as she spots her brother. She hurries through the kitchen to give him a hug.

“Dad didn’t tell me you were coming.” she says. “What a total surprise!”

“It was just as much of a surprise for me.” Oliver tells Alex. “Dill didn’t tell me he was coming either.”

Hearing all the commotion, Peter exits his bedroom. “Dill, you’re home?!”

He takes a seat at the kitchen table. “Dad never said anything about you coming home, but I’m happy you’re here!” Peter giggles. “Are you gonna live here with us now?”

“Sorry bud, I’m just here for a quick visit. I gotta go back to college.” Dill replies. Peter sighs with disappointment.

“Dillon!” Piper squeals as she emerges from her bedroom as well. She slides her body into the seat next to Dill.

“I didn’t know you were coming. Dad never…..”

Oliver interrupts Piper. “Let’s get this straight, I didn’t know Dillon was coming, okay? Everybody understand? I didn’t know.” Oliver gets up from his chair. “Dill, can I talk to you privately for a minute please?” Dill excuses himself from the table.

“What’s up dad?” he asks.

“What do we do now?” Oliver questions. He gestures to the kids at the table. “I have to tell them something. There’s two Finns!” he says whispering.

Dill stands silent. “C’mon Dill, help me out here.” Oliver says trying to remain quiet. “What do I with this X-Finity gal?”

“Dad, let’s go outside where we can talk.” Dill grabs his father by the arm leading him out to the back patio. “Look dad,” Dill begins. “You have to keep in mind that X-Finity is a clone. She was derived from a group of cells that were replicated using genetic engineering techniques. Although she looks like Infinity, she’s not.”

.”I don’t know how to put this gently.” Dill pauses. “Ahem” he clears his throat feeling very uncomfortable.

“Dad, X-Finity needs to be destroyed.”

“Destroyed? What do you mean destroyed?” Oliver questions his son.

“I have this sim-ray.” Dill explains. “With one pull of the trigger, it’ll be like she never existed.”

“Dillon Pickles.” Oliver sighs. “I could never.”

“I would never ask you to do something like that!.” Dill replies. “I’ll take           X-Finity with me back to the lab at school. It’ll be quick dad, I promise.             X-Finity will never see what’s coming. ”

Oliver shakes his head with uncertainty.

“Dad, we don’t know what she is capable of. Hector assigned her to a specific task and she’s going to follow through with that task. She lived in your home under false pretenses. She pretended to be your daughter. Infinity almost lost her life!” Dill shouts becoming upset as he recalls the images of his ill sister. “She needs to go and she needs to go now!”

Oliver swallows hard, his head hangs low. The thought of almost losing Infinity floods his mind. “Okay Dill. I guess you’re right.” Oliver says, his voice shaky.

“But before you go, we have to expose X-Finity to Alex and the twins.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 9 ~

Dill makes his way down the stairs to the basement of the Science Lab. When he reaches the bottom step, he looks around viewing the different equipment that is stored there. “What’s so off limits about this?” he wonders.

He doesn’t notice his sister locked up in the cage to his left. Infinity lets out a low pitched moan as she slumps over on the bench.

“What the heck was that?” Dill says quietly turning toward the sound. His eyes grow wide when he sees the familiar looking being. Confused, Dill moves closer to the fencing to get a better look.

“Finn?” Dill wonders. “It looks just like her. Could it be?”  He thinks back to his conversation with his father just a short time ago. “No, it can’t be. Finn is in Windenburg with dad.” he says. “But the resemblance is uncanny. This poor thing looks so frail and sickly. I wonder where it came from?”

******

“Caroline? Caroline.” Hector calls over the intercom. “Where are you?”

“I’m in the back laboratory.” she answers. “Do you need something boss?”

“Yes. I would like for you to check in on Operation I.P. please. Then report the findings back to me.”

“You got it boss.” Caroline replies. She makes her way through the facility towards the basement where both Infinity and Dill are. Suddenly Dill hears the clanging of the metal framed door, then footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Crap!” he thinks, immediately looking for a place to hide. He runs to the only door in the room. Praying it’s unlocked he tries the handle, it opens. “Phew!” He scurries inside quickly pulling the door closed behind him. Not finding many options, Dill ducks behind the largest object in the room. His heart pounds. “Please don’t find me. Please don’t find me.” he prays.

Caroline approaches the cage. She stands there for several moments surveying Infinity’s physical appearance.

“How are you feeling?” she asks Finn. Infinity doesn’t answer. “I see you’re sitting upright. That’s a good sign.” Caroline adds smiling a little. “I can give you more IV fluids if you’d like. Do you think they’re….” Before Caroline can finish her question, Infinity flops over onto the bench. “Oh my Sims!” Caroline cries out. “What just happened?” She radios to Hector. “Hector, Hector! I need you in the basement ASAP!”

Hector and Barry both come running as fast as they can. “What is it? What’s wrong?” Hector asks rushing to the cage.

“I dunno, she was sitting there one minute and then all of a sudden she toppled over.” Caroline explains. “She doesn’t look good. She doesn’t look good at all.”

“What’s wrong with her Hector? Do you think she’s dead?” Caroline asks.

“How am I supposed to know?” Hector replies cold heartedly.

“Oh my Sims. This is bad.” Caroline cries out. “What are we gonna do Hector? What are we gonna do?”

“First you are gonna shut up!” Hector shouts.

“She’s just one more experiment that went wrong. No harm, no foul.” he says shrugging.

“Hector!” Caroline shouts back. “What do you mean no harm no foul? Do you not see her? Can’t you see what you’ve done?” she says pointing to Finn’s lifeless body. “She was colorful and vibrant when she got here, now look at her. You did this. This is all your fault.” Caroline glares at Hector.

“In case you’ve forgotten, we’re scientists.” Hector says to Caroline. “Operation I.P. was our experiment. So, our experiment failed. What do you want me to do about it? Huh?”

“Have some compassion.” Caroline replies. “Infinity had feelings. She had a family. Now she has nothing. Not even her life.”

“I told you to never say that name!” Hector scolds her.

“Infinity?” Dill says. “Did I hear that correctly? Did they just say Infinity? But, it can’t be.” His eyes well up with tears at the thought.

“C’mon guys.” Barry says. “We better go figure out a disposal plan for Operation I.P. We can’t let NASA find out about this.”

Dill waits until the sound of the scientists footsteps fade before quietly exiting the room he was hiding in. He stares into the cell at the ashy colored alien lying on the bench.

“Infinity?” he says quietly. Recognizing her face, a tear escapes his eye. “Oh my Sims Finn, what on Earth did they do to you?” he cries. Feeling helpless, Dill leans his head against the metal fencing. “Why my baby sister, why? She was special.” he sobs. “I was gonna change the world for her, me…Dill Pickles, a nobody was gonna change it all. I promised her. I promised her!” he shouts. Dill becomes startled when he hears a beeping noise behind him. Turning to see what it is, he’s surprised to find the satellite dish has turned on.

Seconds later, the satellite begins spinning as if receiving an electromagnetic signal.

“What the heck is going on?” Dill wonders as he continues to watch. But as suddenly as it started, the satellite abruptly stops. “Hmmmm…weird.” Dill says turning back around. “Ahhhhh!” he screams, startled to find Infinity standing at the fence. Infinity stares blankly, not recognizing her brother as Hector wiped her memory clear from her mind.

“Finn, you’re alive!” Dill shrieks. He rapidly searches the room looking for something to aid him in getting to Finn. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you outta there!” Spotting a sim-ray on the floor, Dill gets an idea.

Throughout the years, Dill has read about sim-rays and knows how to change their settings. He picks it up and adjusts the setting to ‘disintegrate’. He aims the gun at the door of the cell. “Nooooo!” Infinity cries at the sight of the gun. She holds up her hands and closes her eyes.

“Finn, Finn.” Dill says trying to calm her. “I’m going to break down the door so I can get to you. I’m not going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you. I promise.” Those words resonate within Infinity’s mind. She hears the words “I promise” over and over. Dill instructs Infinity to stand back and close her eyes. He aims the gun at the door and pulls the trigger. With one shot, the door disintegrates. Finn is freed. She steps out of the cell and stands before her brother. Infinity looks up at Dill with her big black eyes. She focuses on his face.

“What’s the matter Finn, don’t you know who I am?” Dill asks. “It’s me, Dill, your brother.”

Infinity continues to focus, staring deep into Dillon’s eyes. Then she speaks. “Promise is a noun. It’s a statement telling someone that you will definitely do something or that something will definitely happen in the future. Dill will never hurt Finn.” she smiles.

“That’s right.” Dill replies bending down giving his sister a hug. Her body is cold to the touch.

Infinity hugs Dill back tightly not letting go of her grip. “What did they do to you?” Dill wonders, still holding onto his sister.

Suddenly, he can feel her body temperature rising, the warmth radiates under his hands. “I’m so glad I found you Finn.” he tells her. “I don’t know what our family would do without you. I love you Infinity.” It is with those words, those three words, I-love-you that Infinity’s ashy skin disappears and converts back to it’s original shade of lilac. “Finn! You’re purple again!”

“And I don’t feel tired or sick anymore!” Infinity adds excitedly. “I feel like my old self!”

“Old self?” Dill thinks back to Oliver’s words.  ‘Finn has been a little off lately. I think she’s having a more difficult time adjusting.‘  “Infinity, this is very important. How did you get here? Do you remember?”

“That mean old scientist Hector sim-napped me from the park.” Infinity begins. “I tried to scream but he covered my mouth.”

“He made me stand on his invention in the lab. It made a copy of me Dill! I think he called it a clone or something. It looked just like me!”

“Hector named it X-Finity. He sent it to go live with the others at our house and pretend to be me.” Infinity explains.

Dill pats his sister on the back. “It’s okay Finn, everything is gonna be okay.” He leads her to the stairs, grabbing the sim-ray on the way by. “Now let’s go get you home where you belong.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 8 ~

(Knock Knock) Piper knocks on the bathroom door. “Finn, can I come in and brush my teeth?”

“What?” X-Finity calls out from the shower. “I can’t hear you.” she says as she turns off the running water. “Coming.”

Piper mistakes her sister’s words ‘coming‘ for ‘come in‘ so she opens the door and enters the bathroom. Piper gasps at what she sees.

X-Finity steps back into the tub and pulls the shower curtain closed. “Piper, why did you come in?” she hollers.

“I thought you told me to come in.” Piper says.

“I said I was coming!” X-Finity replies worried that Piper may have seen her bare skin. When she was cloned, Infinity’s purple alien skin tone didn’t transfer, so X-Finity remains plain white in color.

She dries herself off, puts on her human disguise and gets dressed.

“Finn, are you sick or something?” Piper asks, clearly having seen the white skin. “Why is your skin white? What happened to your purple skin?”

“White skin? I always have white skin.” X-Finity giggles showing Piper her hand. “See!”

“You know what I mean Finn! Your real skin isn’t purple.” Piper grows angry. “What is wrong with you? You have been so weird, ever since we moved to Windenburg.” She storms off.

“Dad! Dad!” Piper calls out, seeking out Oliver in the kitchen. Oliver opens the fridge to grab himself something cold to drink. “Dad, I need to talk to you, it’s important.”

“Okay sweetie.” Oliver says giving Piper his undivided attention. “What’s up?”

Piper notices Finn is standing in the living room watching, listening in to what she has to say. “Can we talk privately please?”

“O-kay.” Oliver says looking at Piper strangely. “Let’s go into my room.” He and Piper both take a seat on the bed. “Is everything okay Piper?” Oliver asks.

“Dad, something is wrong with Finn.” Piper begins. “Ever since we moved to Windenburg, she hasn’t been herself.”

“Can you elaborate a little?” Oliver asks.

“Well, Finn’s favorite drink is milk, now all of a sudden she hates it? And the other day, Peter asked for help on his homework. Finn didn’t know what a noun OR a verb was. Dad, that’s just crazy.”

“And mind reading.” Piper adds. “Finn’s special alien power is reading minds, now all of a sudden she can’t. Don’t you find that strange?”

“To be honest Piper, maybe Infinity is just trying to be a regular ole’ child. Maybe she doesn’t want to stand out and draw attention to herself.” Oliver suggests. “Moving to a new town is a big change, especially when it’s as far away as Windenburg. Finn may not be adapting so easily. That could be why you’re noticing such a change in her.”

“Okay, but just now in the bathroom, I saw her skin and it wasn’t purple. It was white dad,  pure white!” How do you explain her skin then?” Piper questions.

Oliver shrugs. “Maybe you’re eyes were playing tricks. That happens sometimes.

Piper let’s out a sigh. “I wasn’t seeing things.”

Oliver pulls Piper close. “It’s nice of you to show concern for your sister and to be looking out for her, but I think things will smooth themselves out over time. Give her time to adjust.”

“But dad….” Piper says, knowing deep down something is wrong.

“No but’s Piper. Finn needs you to be like a friend to her right now. Can you do that for me?”

Piper sighs again. “I guess so.” she answers hesitantly.

“That’s my girl.” Oliver smiles. Before Piper can say another word, Oliver’s phone rings. “Hello?” he answers.

“Hey dad!” Dill says excited to hear his father’s voice.

“Dill!” Oliver replies just as excited. “How are you?”

“I’m good,  busy, but good. College is a lot different than high school. How’s everyone there?” Dill asks.

“Everyone’s doing well.” Oliver replies. “Alexis has made some new friends. I don’t see her very much anymore. She’s part of some sort of dance club thing so she’s always busy practicing. She’s all ga-ga over this new boy she’s met.” he chuckles. “And Peter is loving Windenburg. He’s made several new friends himself. We don’t live too far from a small creek, he’s taken an interest in fishing.”

“Neat! What about the girls?” Dill questions.

“Piper loves school here. Her grades have improved actually. And Finn, well Finn has been a little off lately. I think she’s having a more difficult time adjusting.” Oliver tells Dill. “So hey, tell me how school is going?” 

“It’s going great, I’ve met a lot of nice people. My dorm mates are all awesome. I’ve even got my eyes on a girl dad. Her name is Ramona. She’s super sweet and she wants to be a scientist too.” Dill tells his father. “It’s easy to talk to people who have the same interest as you.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. It’s so nice to hear from you Dill.” Oliver says. “I miss you. I miss you a lot son.”

“I miss you too dad. Time goes by so fast at school.”

“So what, are you taking a break from homework to give your old’ dad a call?” Oliver asks chuckling.

“Actually dad, I’m not at school right this moment. I just finished shadowing one of the scientists down at Future Sims Science Lab.”

“Oh really? That sounds interesting.”

“Some of it was.” Dill replies. “There was something fishy about the scientist though. I can’t  quite put my finger on it.”

“So now you headed back to school?” Oliver questions.

“Naw, not just yet. I have one thing that I need to take care of first.”

******************************************************************************

“What? What do you mean there was a student in here?” Hector asks Barry angrily.”We don’t allow visitors!”

“He was sent from SIMS.” Barry explains. “I got him out of here as fast as I could boss.

“What did he see?” Hector asks gritting his teeth.

“Nothing. I promise. I showed him the testing lab in back mostly.” Barry replies nervously.

“He didn’t go down to the basement, did he?”

“No, no, no!” Barry says repeatedly. “Of course not sir.” Hector gives Barry a questioning look.

“So this student doesn’t suspect anything?” Hector confirms.

Barry shakes his head from side to side. “No boss. He would have no reason to suspect a thing.”

******

That evening at dark…..

“I wanna know what that sneaky scientist is hiding.” Dill says to himself as he peers around the corner of the Science Lab.

Assuring the coast is clear, Dill hurries around back to a set of double doors.

Slowly, Dill opens the door and glances inside. He sees no sign of Barry Somberg or any other employees for that matter so he quickly slips inside. Rushing over to a door, Dill looks through the glass window to make sure no one is coming.

Finding the long corridor empty, he knows now is his chance to make a break for it. Dill takes off for the gated doorway that leads to the forbidden stairwell.

Dill makes his way down the stairs to the basement. Barry made it clear to Dill that he was not allowed to go down those stairs, but why? Dill was about to find out.

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 7 ~

“How is our subject doing?” Hector asks Caroline.

“I’m afraid not too well.” she answers. “Operation I.P. has used up four liters of IV fluids and doesn’t look any better.”

“That’s a shame.” Hector replies.

“A shame?” Caroline answers back becoming angry. “You did this to her! You pushed your experiments too hard Hector! This is your fault! This is all your fault!”

Hector walks away from Caroline without uttering another word. He decides to check in on his secret operation for himself and is quite surprised to find her in an upright position on the bench.

“Oh good, you’re awake. Then you must be feeling better I presume.” Hector says peering through the wire fencing. He grabs his sim-ray, unlocks the door and enters. “One more little experiment shouldn’t hurt then.” Hector says as he examines his ray gun. “Besides, I’m only going to wipe out your memory.” he chuckles aiming the ray at Infinity. She doesn’t move an inch. She doesn’t beg for Hector to stop, nor does she cry. Instead, Infinity sits with a slight grin on her face. “I’ll wipe that smile clear off your face!” Hector shouts becoming annoyed as he pulls the trigger.

“Ouch!” Infinity cries out, putting her hands to her head.

“How did that feel? Now your memory should be wiped away! You shouldn’t even remember who you are.” Hector tells her as he exits the cell locking the door behind him.

******

“Future Sims Science Lab.” Barry says answering the phone.

“A college student? No, we weren’t aware.” he says. “Where are they from? When will they be coming?” Barry pauses to listen. “In a few hours?! Well gee, thanks for the plethora of notice!” he shouts sarcastically as he slams down the phone. “Caroline, we’re you aware of any college student coming in for a shadowing session?” he asks his co-worker.

“No. Nobody told me. When are they coming?” she asks.

“Today!”

“Today?! Hector is not gonna be happy about this.” Caroline replies.

******

“Welcome. I’m Barry Somberg.” Barry introduces himself to the science student.

“Hello Mr. Somberg, my name is Dillon. I’m from SIMS. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Well Dillon, you’ll be shadowing me today while I show you around our facility. I’ll show you a little bit of what we do here as well.” Barry has no idea that Dillon is any relation to Infinity.

“Sounds great.” Dill replies. “I’m excited to be here and I’m really looking forward to learning.”

“I guess we’ll begin the tour right here.” Barry tells Dill. “Over here we have our mega pump filtration system. As you can see it has eight hydrolic pumps. These pumps provide ultimate pressure for chemical catalyzation.”

“What’s that smaller single one for?” Dill asks.

“That’s just a single tank that holds gas. Nothing too impressive.” Barry says gesturing for Dillon to follow him. He leads him through several secured doorways, down a long corridor and through multiple small hallways. “This here is one of our testing labs.”

“Behind me is what we like to call our ‘wedge-tastic tank’. This tank with it’s wedge technology keeps a diverse amount of chemicals reacting all within itself. It controls both temperature and pressure all on it’s own.”

“Wow. Impressive.” Dill replies examining the tank.

“And over here is our chemical analyzer.” Barry says stepping in front of the analyzer.

“Yeah, I’ve seen these before.” Dill responds.

“Oh, but you haven’t seen one quite like this!” Barry replies turning on the machine. “This piece of equipment has up to date software paired with state of the art technology. It will give you nothing more than accurate readings one hundred percent of the time.” Dill looks over Barry’s shoulder to see what he is doing. “You’re not trying to steal my password, are you?” Barry says glaring at Dill.

“No, not at all.” Dill replies feeling a bit defensive.

“Let’s move on, shall we?” Barry says shutting the machine down. Next he shows Dill the chemistry table.

“I have one of these at school.” Dill tells the scientist. “I use it to create the most absurd concoctions!” he laughs.

Barry continues on with the tour ignoring Dill’s comment.

He leads Dill out of the testing lab and shows him to the launch pad where he introduces him to the Zero Gravity, the facilities first Rocket Ship. He also shows him the botanical garden, the area where they get plant samples for many experiments performed and serums they create. Next he brings Dillon up the the observatory where Dill takes a few moments to search the galaxy. “Time for a lunch break.” Barry says stopping in the break room on their way by.

Barry and Dillon each warm a plate of food and sit together at the table.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dill says. “I want an honest answer, okay?”

“Shoot.” Barry replies scooping up a spoonful of peas.

“Do you believe that aliens exist?” Barry immediately begins choking on his food. “Mr. Somberg, are you okay?” Dill asks worried. Barry coughs and coughs, his face bright red. He nods.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” he answers. “Just wasn’t expecting that question.”

“So?” Dill says, still waiting for an answer. “Do you?”

“That’s a question we scientists have been wondering for decades Dillon.” Barry begins. Trying to play it cool, he offers a little more info. “I do think there is life out there somewhere and I also believe it’s only a matter of time before we find them.” he pauses. Digging deeper, he turns the question to Dill. “What about you Dillon? Do you believe aliens exist?”

Feeling a shady vibe from Barry, Dill shrugs and decides to lie about his answer. “Ah, I dunno. I don’t think there could be aliens out there and nobody have found them yet. And if there were anything out there, they’re obviously not out there to hurt anyone or they would have already, right?”

Barry furrows his brow at Dill. “Good point.” he says cleaning up their lunch plates. “You ready? I gotta get back to work.” Barry says in a hurry.

“What’s that over there?” Dill asks peering into a fenced off area as they walk by.

“That’s just a contaminant barrel. It holds toxic chemicals, bio-chemical hazardous waste. Nothing impressive to see.”

“Not the barrel.” Dill replies. “That big contraption over there.” he points.

Barry turns to see what Dill is referring to. “Oh, that! That’s a Hydro Aqua Filtration Chamber.”

“What’s it do?” Dill asks.

Fearing he’ll never get rid of Dillon, Barry opens the gate to let Dill get a closer look.

“It’s a catalystic chamber that ensures the most pristine filtration.” Barry continues. “It filtrates harmful impurities. This system purifies any chemical base liquid using its UV photon emitter.”

“The facility’s got a lot of neat stuff. I can’t wait till my schooling is over and I can get into a facility myself.” Dill enthuses.

The duo turns to exit. “It was certainly nice meeting you Dillon. I wish you the best of luck with college. SIMS is a great school.” Barry tells Dill.

As Barry exits through the gate, Dill turns to the left. “Hey, what’s down here?” he asks beginning to head down the stairs.

“NOOOOO!” Barry shouts. His voice echos loudly through the open room. He quickly grabs Dill by the arm and pulls him back to the top landing. “Down there is off limits!”

“You are not to go down there! Do you hear me?” Barry scolds Dill.

Little does Dill know, his alien sister, Infinity is locked up only a flight of stairs away from him and she’s fading, fading fast.

“It’s time for you to go now Dillon.” Barry tells Dill. He leads him to the front lobby. “The tour is over now.”

Dill pushes his way through the front doors of the facility. “Thank you again Mr. Somberg.” he says. ” The tour was great. Now it’s back to SIMS I go.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 6 ~

Hector Holmes promptly begins testing the samples he took from Infinity Pickles. He begins by adding a few drops of a specialized solution to the tube that holds the swab containing Infinity’s cells.

He swirls it around in a circular motion a few times. Then using a syringe, Hector extracts some of the liquid.

Lastly, he excretes a small amount onto a petri dish to be analyzed.

By a press of a button, the analysis begins. Unfortunately for Hector, this process will take forty-eight hours to complete.

******

Two days later….

Hector checks the results of the analysis. “Damn!” he shouts, receiving no new information. He immediately heads straight for the basement.

“Where ya going Mr. Holmes?” Caroline asks Hector.

“Operation I.P. needs some tending to. Find Barry and meet me downstairs.” Hector tells her.

“You got it boss.” Caroline replies.

Hector continues on to the basement. When he arrives, he finds Infinity sleeping. “Sleeping again? That’s all you do is sleep! Wake up!” he hollers.

Infinity opens her eyes and struggles to pull herself to a sitting position. She’s tired and weak. Hector opens the door. “C’mon.” he tells her, pulling her along.

“You’re letting me out?” Infinity asks, her voice barely a whisper.

“Wishful thinking alien.” Hector replies. He leads her in the direction of the door next to the cage she’s been locked in.

“What’s this room for?” Infinity questions, looking at all sorts of equipment.

“More experiments.” Hector tells her. “Now get in there.” He pushes Infinity inside the rectangular shaped machine. “This fantastic piece of technology records your temperature while spraying you multiple times with water ranging from cold to hot.” He presses the button to begin the scan. “I want to see if aliens can withstand extreme temperatures.”

“Ahhhhh!” Infinity screams. “That’s freezing!” Hector switches the temperature of the water to a lukewarm state. Infinity stands still, not making a peep. Then the water temperature begins to rise. Infinity stands still for as long as she can. “OWWW!” she shouts leaping out from the machine. “That’s too hot!”

Hector looks at Infinity angrily just as Caroline enters. “What on Earth are you doing in here?” she asks.

“He’s trying to burn me!” Infinity cries out.

“I’m not trying to burn you.” Hector hollers at Infinity. “It’s part of my test.”

“Well maybe your test is too much.” Caroline interjects. “I mean, look at her! Look at her skin! Why isn’t she purple any more?”

Hector shrugs. “I dunno. Who cares anyway!”

Both Caroline and Hector are startled when the door opens, but it’s just Barry. the third scientist.

“I’m hot.” Infinity complains.

Caroline feels her forehead. “Hector, I think she’s overheating. She feels like she has a fever.”

“Fever-schmeaver!” Hector replies.

“You can’t just ignore it.” Caroline tells him. “Hector, she’s sick. When’s the last time she ate or drank anything?”

“Two days ago.” Hector answers. “She hasn’t wanted to eat. She’s been refusing food.”

“Two days?!” Caroline shrieks. “She needs water Hector! She’s dehydrated!”

“I got something that’ll fix all her ailments.” Hector chuckles as he retrieves a small device from the cabinet.

“What is that boss?” Barry asks curious as to what the little gadget is. Hector holds out his hand revealing what’s inside.

“It’s a cryogenic contrivance.” Hector tells him. “It’s a special adaption for my sim-ray. Operation I.P. is already familiar with my sim-ray, aren’t you?” he smiles at Infinity as he pulls it out.

“No, no, please! Not again.” Infinity begs, her eyes unable to tear up due to being so dehydrated.

Hector slides the cryogenic apparatus into the gun. “Hector, is this really necessary?” Caroline asks, feeling bad for Infinity.

“The alien is burning up! We have to cool her down, right?” Hector laughs, pointing the ray at Infinity. He pulls the trigger. Waves of blue light emerge.

Barry watches with delight, excited to see what will happen.

He gasps when he sees the final result. Infinity Pickles is frozen in a solid block of ice.

“Bwaahahahahaha!” Hector laughs his evil, evil laugh.

“There!” he says. “She won’t be feeling anything now! Take her to her cell to thaw.” he instructs Caroline as he and Barry exit the room.

Ignoring Hector’s instruction, Caroline searches the room for a chisel and a hammer. “A-ha!” she says finding the tools. She immediately begins chiseling away at the ice trying to break Infinity free.

Working diligently for thirty solid straight minutes, Infinity is freed. “Are you okay?” Caroline asks her.

“I’m c-c-cold!” Infinity replies shivering.

Caroline positions Infinity so she is standing on the heating grate that lies within the floor. She turns it on high so the forced air warms her up quickly. “What in Sims are you doing?” Hector asks returning to the basement.

“Warming her up!” Caroline responds. “She’s freezing.”

“Well duh, I froze her!” Hector replies sarcastically. He forces Infinity back into her cell and slams the door shut. Infinity collapses on the bench.

“Would you look at her?” Caroline says pointing. “She’s sick Hector! Look at the color of her skin for Sims sake! That’s not right!”

“And she hasn’t eaten in days. You said so yourself.” Caroline continues. “Imagine what the National Alien Search Agency (NASA) would do to you if they found out you not only hid an alien from them, but killed one?! Cuz that’s where she’s headed. She’s gonna die Hector!” 

Hector takes a good look at the alien lying there lifeless on the bench. Caroline is right. Infinity’s health is declining and declining fast.

“Get her hooked up to some IV fluids.” he tells Caroline. “I’ll lay off the experiments until she’s more stable to handle them.” Caroline hurries to prepare Infinity for the administration if IV fluids. It only takes minutes before the IV is up and running.

Caroline leaves Infinity to rest. She meets Hector and Barry upstairs.”Is Operation I.P. up and running now?” Hector asks.

Caroline pulls the two men into the back hallway. Standing in front of the fans inhibits others from overhearing the conversation. “IV is in, but she doesn’t look good.” she tells them quietly. “I don’t think her little body is equipped enough to handle so much stress at one time.”

“What do we do now?” Hector asks, worried that NASA will have his head.

“We wait.” Caroline shrugs. “We wait it out to see if she pulls through.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~Episode 5 ~

Back at the science facility, Infinity Pickles is kept locked up in a confined space in the basement. When she isn’t being poked with needles, swabbed for samples or forced to drink serums, Infinity cries for her family to find her. “Daddy, please help me!” she calls out. “Somebody please get me out of here!”

The days drag by as Infinity’s time out of this make-shift cage is very limited. “Awww, so cute.” Hector sneers as Infinity sleeps on the cold, hard bench.

“Hey!” Hector shouts rattling the door. Infinity startles awake. “You hungry?” he says unlocking the door briefly giving himself just enough time to slip a plate of food and a can of soda pop inside. He then locks the door back up quickly.

“I’m not gonna hurt you ya know.” Infinity tells the scientist as she grabs the can of soda. “Hurt is a verb meaning to cause physical pain or injury to.” she pauses. “I wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Infinity puts the can to her lips.

“You like soda, do you?” Hector says watching the alien take several big gulps.

“My favorite drink is milk. I’m just thirsty.” she replies.

“Well soda is what you get here.” Hector says loudly. “That’s enough drinking anyway, eat your food.” he instructs her.

Infinity grabs the plate and takes a seat on the bench. She eats most of her sandwich leaving behind only the crust. “All of a sudden I don’t feel so well.” she says.

“My eyes feel heavy, like I can’t keep them open.” Seconds later, Infinity topples over onto the bench.

Hector unlocks the cell door and steps inside. “Can you hear me?” he says, removing Infinity’s plate that had fallen to the floor. He waits for Infinity to respond. Nothing. “Good, the hidden sedative I put in her food worked.” Hector then pulls a small syringe from his coat pocket. Holding the needle up, he squirts a small amount of liquid into the air and then injects the rest into Infinity’s arm. She immediately wakes but is groggy and weak.

“Hey.” she says getting up from the bench. “Why do I feel so weird?” She stumbles forward catching herself.

“It’s for my own protection.” Hector answers. “I don’t trust that you don’t have some kind of secret alien powers or something.”

“I don’t understand.” Infinity replies, her vision blurry.

Hector laughs, a deep, evil laugh. “I don’t need you fighting me when I use this on you.” He pulls out his sim-ray. “It’s time for more testing.”

“What is that for?” Infinity begins to cry becoming scared.

“Silly alien, I’m gonna show you, right now.” Hector points the ray at Infinity. She begs him to stop.

“Please don’t! Please!” she cries, holding her hands out in front of her all while squeezing her eyes closed tight.

Hector shows no mercy and pulls the trigger. Bright light floods the area, Infinity’s scream echos through the basement.

Her body goes limp as the sim-ray takes complete control over her.

After several minutes, Hector disengages the ray. He’s left astonished as he stands looking at Infinity now flesh colored.

“I don’t feel well.” she says, her bottom lip quivering.

“Open your mouth.” Hector instructs her, completely ignoring her complaint. Infinity does as told. “Say ahhh.”

“Ahhhhh.”

Hector swabs the insides of Infinity’s cheeks.

Placing the swab into a test tube, Hector says “I think that’s enough testing for now.” He exits the area, locking the door behind him. Infinity curls up in a ball on the bench and cries herself to sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Volume II ~ Chapter 8 ~ Episode 4 ~

“Hhmmmmm?” Peter says as he works on his homework after school one day. “Drink?” he says, questioning the word. “Well a noun is a person, place or thing.” he says as he chews on his pencil.

“And a verb is an action word.” he continues. “Drink.” he repeats continuing to bite the tip of the pencil.

Piper, who is working on her own homework watches her brother annoyed. “Can you stop chewing on that please?” she asks. “That sound is so annoying!”

“I’ll stop if you help me with this.” he bribes his sister. “The word ‘drink‘, is that a noun or a verb?”

Piper shrugs. “I have no idea. We haven’t gotten that far in my class yet.” she answers.

 “I think my teacher is trying to trick us, cuz I think it’s both.” Peter says confused. 

“Why don’t you just ask Finn? You know she’s the walking dictionary!” Piper giggles. “If anyone knows the answer, it’s her.”

Peter smiles. “Why didn’t I think of that?!” he pauses. “Hey Finn.” he says interrupting her homework. She glances over his way. “You’re the grammar goddess. Is the word drink a noun or a verb?” Peter asks.

X-Finity gives him an odd look. “How am I supposed to know? I don’t know even know what a noun or verb is!” she replies.

Peter and Piper sit staring blankly.

“Something is wrong here. Something is seriously wrong.” Piper says quietly to her brother.

“Yeah.” Peter agrees. “It’s like she’s a whole different person or something.”

******

“So, I was thinking.” Alexis begins. “We should go to the mall and get matching outfits for our club.”

“Matching outfits?” Keegan chuckles. “No way! Besides, Windenburg doesn’t have a mall.”

“What? No mall?” Alexis pretends to hyperventilate.

“We don’t have a mall, but we do have several shops.” Yuki replies.

“Oh.” Alexis says with a smile. “So again, I think we should go shopping to get matching outfits.”

“And again, no way!” Keegan answers in a mocking tone.

“Why not?” Alexis asks.

“Yeah, why not?” Yuki also questions. “I think it sounds like a cool idea. Then when we get good enough, we can perform in front of people and we’ll look like professionals.”

“You kids want popcorn?” Oliver chimes in.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” the three younger kids cheer. Peter and Piper complete their homework and head on into the living room to watch a movie together.

“Popcorn sounds good dad.” Alexis replies. “We’ll take some.”

Oliver places several bowls of popcorn on the table. “Here ya go kids.” he says.

“Thanks Mr. P!” Keegan says.

“Yeah, thanks Mr. Pickles.” Yuki smiles.

Alexis grins up at Oliver. “Thanks dad. Smells great!” Oliver brings the twins each a bowl of popcorn to go along with their movie and then he takes a seat at the kitchen table with his own bowl, leaving Finn’s on the counter until she completes her homework.

“You need some help there Finn?” Oliver asks. “It’s unlike you to take so long on your homework.” X-Finity shakes her head no and continues working on her own.

“So, as I was saying before Keegan knocked my idea. “I think the outfit idea is a good one and I think we should at least vote on it.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Keegan says. “Of course Yuki is gonna side with you. There’s no point in even voting.”

“What if we at least agree to go look at clothes?” Yuki suggests. “That way we can get a feel for what is out there before we make any decisions.”

Keegan nods. “I can agree to that.”

“Me too.” Alexis says.

“One more thing.” Yuki adds. “I think we need a name.”

“A name?” Keegan repeats.

“Yes, a name. A group name, a club name. Whatever you want to call it. Something that we can refer to ourselves as.” Yuki explains.  The trio sits racking their brains trying to come up with a name for their dance club. They each toss out several ideas but the ideas aren’t fitting for what their looking for. Just then a little light bulb goes off in Yuki’s head.  “I’ve got it!” she says grinning. “Let’s call ourselves EA Elite!”

“EA Elite.” Alexis says repeating the name aloud. “Oooh, I like that!”

Keegan nods. “It is pretty cool sounding. And it’s not girlie either.”

“Then EA Elite it is!” Yuki confirms. “Well group, it’s time to go shopping!”

******

Later that evening….

“Ladies, I think we look pretty hot!” Keegan says admiring their new clothes. “We did an awesome job picking out club outfits. Don’t ya think?”

“We should really set a few club rules, ya know just so we’re all on the same page with everything.” Alexis says.

“I agree.” Yuki says. “We should definitely have a club leader. I vote Alexis.”

Keegan shrugs. “I’m cool with that.” he says winking at Alex.

Alex can feel her face turning beet red. “Me?” she questions. “You want me to be club leader. but why? I’ve never lead anything before.”

“Don’t worry, it’s all good.” Keegan says. “It’ll be easy.”

“It’s not like you have to do much.” he continues. “You’ll be the one in charge of organizing our get together’s since we’ll be meeting here at your house. And since you’ll be choreographing our dances, you’ll have to teach us the routines. Plus, you’ll be the final decision maker on which new club members are allowed to join, since you’ll be the one to know if they’re teachable or not.”

“Geesh, that’s a lot of responsibility.” Alexis replies.

“You’re the best one for the job.” Yuki adds. “You’re smart, not to mention outgoing and social. You’re the perfect one to recruit new members into EA Elite.”

Alexis chuckles. “Recruit new members? I hardly know anybody, I just moved here, remember?”

Just then Keegan’s phone chimes. He pulls his phone from his pocket. “Ugh! That’s my mom. I gotta go.” he tells the girls. “We’re gonna meet tomorrow after school, right?”

“Yeah, tomorrow, three o’clock sharp.” Alexis replies with a smile. “Don’t be late.” she says in a flirty tone.

“I won’t. I see you both tomorrow.” Keegan says as he begins his walk home. Alexis watches him go until he disappears around the bend.

“Oh my Sims!” Yuki squeals. “You are totally crushing on him!”

“Who? Me?” Alexis replies.

“Yes you! You are so obvious!” Yuki giggles. Alexis breaks out in a fit of laughter.

“C’mon, let’s go work on some dance moves.” Alexis says still laughing as she leads the way to her room. She turns on the music and both girls bounce dance ideas off one another. “How’s this?” Alexis says creating moves on the make-shift dance floor.

“I like it!” Yuki enthuses. “We could always do this too!” she adds taking Alexis’ place. Yuki bends at the knees and boogies on down.

But her dance is interrupted by a vibration in her pocket. She pulls out her phone. “It’s my sister, Candy.” Yuki sighs. “Time for me to go too. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’m lookin’ forward to our first club meeting.” Alexis replies.

Yuki smiles at her friend. “I’m sure you are Alex, I’m sure you are.”