Chapter 2
Enter the Ninth

"Robbie? Robbie?" she sobbed. "Robbie please? Please Robbie... No... No..."

'Docking sequence activated,' the cool and kind metallic voice of Sportacus' airship rang out.

It was a clear and cool day, clouds dotting the horizon, and a calm breeze brushing through the air.

Sportacus smiled as he watched the second airship in the sky do a careful turn towards his own ship, platform extending.

The airship was a much smaller and sleeker version of his own. It was aerodynamic, more resembling to that of a plane than an airship at all. Bright red, orange and white, it was a stark contrast against Lazytown's blue clear sky.

The Ninth was a roaming hero, he needed the tidy little ship after all. It's ability to retract the balloon and jet off at a great speed was key to his particular mission. He needed to be able to travel, and travel fast.

Clink.

Clack.

The platform of his own ship began to extend from his doorway.

CLINK.

CLACK.

The two ships connected, merging doorways and linking computers.

'Docking sequence completed. Airships in synchronization. Welcome Number 9.'

Sportacus smiled, flipping out of his control seat and making a dash to the door.

It flung open before he even got halfway across the floor, and an red blur collided with him.

Strong, deeply tanned arms enveloped him into a crushing hug, and lifted him off of the ground.

"Teiliedhel!" the low booming voice cried.

Sportacus laughed. "Thalion!" He greeted, hugging the visitor back.

He was put back onto the ground, and he got a chance to actually look at the visitor.

Number Nine stood before him, arms crossed, looking over at Sportacus with a proud glint in his eyes.

"You look as good as ever, Sportacus," the other elf greeted, grinning. "I see that you're staying healthy, eating well?"

"Of course!" Sportacus replied easily. "How about you, Nine?"

"Obviously."

They stood there for a moment before grabbing each other's hands in a fierce handshake. "It's really good to see you," Sportacus said, with much sincerity. "It's been so long. How have you been fairing? Your mission going well?"

"As best as it can be, it is the main reason why I am here." He nudged Sportacus with his shoulder, however. "Besides you, of course."

Sportacus smiled. "I see you finally updated your outfit," he gestured to the red gear the Ninth was wearing.

"Oh? This? Yes. Your dearest father insisted. Though he refuses to update his own."

"Of course he does."

Nine's outfit, though similar to his own in some respects. His had the same black and white stripes down the sides. It was wholly different.

Red and crimson with a dark-red leather cap pulled over his ears, and matching gloves, arm bracers and chest piece. Welding goggles were affixed above the cap's brim.

He looked more akin to a welder than a sports hero. Which fit his specialty nicely.

"I think it looks good," Sportacus complimented. "I'm sure father loved it."

"Of course he did. Speaking of -" Nine suddenly said, digging into his crimson leather side-bag. "Your dearest Adar insisted I gave these to you. Catch."

Nine flicked the items high into the air and Sportacus caught them both easily.

"... Lýsi , and..." Sportacus turned the jar in his hand and squinted at the hand-written label. "... Hakarl... How nice."

He wasn't surprised by Lýsi, he had so much of the stuff growing up with his father being the way he was... But the fermented shark...?

Nine barked a laugh. "Your dear old dad has a sense of humour."

Sportacus grimaced in good nature. His father certainly did have a strange sense of humour. Though, sometimes it was hard to tell when he was joking or not.

Sportacus set down the two gifts onto the nearest table. "I think I might have to hold off on enjoying these... For a while."

Nine continued to laugh. "What? You're not going to insist that the children of Lazytown start to take Lýsi?"

Sportacus laughed back. "I don't think they'd like that very much."

He could already imagine Stephanie's wrinkled nose as she scrutinized the stuff.

"Speaking of the children," Sportacus said, gesturing, "They saw your airship on the horizon earlier, and are very excited to meet you."

Nine grinned. "That's right, the kids! Your response letter told me all about them. It's been so long since I've been in Lazytown, I wonder how much they are like the kids I knew before.

Ah yes, that was right. Nine had known the children that had come long before the ones that Sportacus knew now. It was odd to know that the children - the adults too - in the town would be foreign to the man.

It had been quite some time ago, and so this would be a completely different generation of people.

A generation of whom had heard thrilling stories of the Ninth.

"Well, let's go meet them."

"Of course!"

And meet them they did.

The kids were in awe. They couldn't believe the Ninth hero himself was standing before them even though they were told only a few days before.

As soon as the airship had appeared in the sky, and Sportacus had retreated to his own to greet the other hero, the kids were waiting in the courtyard eagerly awaiting the old hero's arrival.

The Ninth waved, and greeted them with a 'Hello' to break the gaping silence. The tone he used was very reminiscent of Sportacus' own father, and he had to resist snickering.

"This," he announced, "as you all know, is hero Number Nine."

"Nice to meet you!" Stephanie was the first to greet.

"Hello!"

"Will you be my hero?"

"Oh man it's so awesome to meet you!"

"Hello! Hello! Hello!" Ziggy exploded with excitement, cutting over the other children, "Oh! Oh! Are you a sports hero too? Do you have a crystal? Can you do all those back flips like Sportacus can? Push-ups? Handstands? Where have you been? What was Lazytown like when you were here before? Why are you so young looking? Why are you wearing red? What are the gloves for? Do you like sports? Do you eat sportscandy?"

Nine was taken a-back eyes wide and he glanced over at Sportacus.

Sportacus quickly knelt in front of Ziggy. "Breathe Ziggy," he chuckled. "He's going to be here for at least two weeks. You can ask him those questions at a -" he glanced at Nine who had started to laugh his head off, "- at slower pace."

The rest of the kids were sighing, but it was plain they wanted to ask the Ninth a million questions too. They were kids after all, and Sportacus encouraged them to ask questions.

"It's quite alright, Sportacus," Nine said after collected himself. "I can answer all his questions."

Ziggy was vibrating with excitement. "Really?"

"Really," his brown eyes twinkled. "I love your exuberance."

Ziggy was won over immediately.

What followed was a wonderful afternoon.

Both of the heroes and all of the kids spent the time answering each other's questions or generally showing off what they could do.

The Ninth showed where his crystal was embedded - in his right arm bracer, underneath white and black '9' - and the kids showed him their tree house.

The Ninth impressed the kids by doing a kind of back-flip they had never seen before, and Stephanie and Sportacus impressed him by their synchronized hero-stances and handstands. Stephanie excitedly explained that Sportacus had made her a 'heroes outfit' of her own and Nine gently teased him for 'picking favourites'.

The Ninth told them tales of Lazytown before it was the Lazytown the kids knew, and the kids were surprised that really not too much had changed at all.

Just technology was different, really.

The Ninth told him of his own talents, how Sportacus was more of the kind of Hero that focused on sports and play, and how he was focused on the physical trades. Like building and welding, like manual labour and how good it was for the body, mind and soul of a society. At least when he was a settled hero.

The kids got a promised lesson or two in some of the things he knew how to do.

It was allover quite wonderful, really.

Now, they were eating their lunch. Made and brought over by the Mayor - who stammered and greeted the Ninth with much gusto before scampering off - as well as a basket of fruits and vegetables brought by Stephanie.

Nine was sitting on the wall, biting into an apple, and Sportacus was beside Stephanie, munching on one his own.

Ziggy was right beside Nine, completely enamoured. "Hey, did you have a villain too when you were in Lazytown?"

Nine's eyebrow rose. "A... what?"

"A villain! You know, ever hero has to have a villain. Sportacus has one, even."

Nine looked at Sportacus, then back to Ziggy. "He does? Just who is this? A part of a game you all play?"

"No! It's a real villain and everything. He tries to ruin our fun and games and make us be lazy and he tries to get rid of Sportacus all the time. Doesn't Sportacus tell you about that?"

"No... He hasn't." Both of Nine's eyebrows were up now, and he was looking at Sportacus with concern.

Stingy offered, "He tried to fire him out of a canon once."

"Did he."

Sportacus put up his hands. "He's not that big of a threat, actually. Most of what he does is harmless, and a lot of what he does is pretty amusing and fun."

Stephanie nodded. "He's a bit of a softie."

Ziggy frowned. "Yeah but he still tries to ruin things."

Nine took another bite of his apple, intrigued. "And where is this villain now?"

"In his lair."

"Oh there is a lair in Lazytown, now? That's new."

"Well, it has been some time since you've been here," Sportacus offered. "It's more of a bunker, really."

Nine's position changed. "Bunker? Tell me, is this lair of this villain of yours behind a billboard?"

Sportacus blinked. How did he...?

Ziggy bounced. "Yeah! Yeah it is! That's exactly where it is!"

Nine laughed. "Well. Then someone pilfered my old hideout when I was in Lazytown."

Sportacus didn't know that. He thought that Robbie had somehow made it. So he supposed when Robbie had moved into town, he must have found it and taken it over.

"That's so cool!" Ziggy announced, bouncing. "It's so huge, I heard that there are even tubes and stuff underground the city and everything. How did you do it all."

"... Pipes? That's not my doing." Nine shook his head. "It definitely must have been changed since I've last been here. It was more or less an underground home. It was small," he gestured with his hands. "A bit cramped too."

Sportacus grinned a little. It was far from 'small and cramped' now. He was somehow happy to hear that Robbie had improved upon what Nine had already done.

"What is this villain fellow's name anyway?" the Ninth asked carefully after a moment, "I don't believe I've heard any of you say it."

"Robbie Rotten," Stephanie offered.

Nine froze. None of the kids noticed it, but Sportacus did. It was only for a moment, a mere split second. But it happened.

"What a silly name," Nine said simply, tossing the apple core behind his back and it landed neatly in a compost bin in someone' backyard.

He hopped off the wall.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Oh - no. I'm here for two weeks, remember?" Nine consoled. "I just want to talk to Sportacus for a moment. Exchange hero notes, important things like that."

Sportacus tossed his own apple-core into the bin and stood, feeling the distinct change in the air.

"Good idea!" Sportacus agreed. "We haven't seen each other in so long, after all. We need to catch up. You go and play; and we will be back later. Promise," he added with a wink.

"Okay!"

"Bye Sportacus!"

"It was really really nice to meet you, Mr. Nine," Stephanie said.

"And very nice to meet you," Nine said, and Sportacus was glad that Nine meant it, despite the change of the atmosphere.

Nine turned, then saluted at Ziggy. "... Ziggy."

Ziggy, overwhelmed, saluted back, nearly smacking himself in the forehead in the process.

Sportacus and the Ninth made it back to their airships.

Nine immediately paced, hand on his hip, the fingers of his other hand curled over his mouth.

"What is it?" Sportacus asked, standing over to the side, watching as the other hero walked back and fort. "Your attitude suddenly changed."

"I was afraid of this."

"Of what?"

"I was afraid that the problem would still be here."

"What problem?"

Nine stopped his pacing. "I made a terrible mistake to leave Lazytown as it was when I was younger. I left things unfinished."

Sportacus crossed his arms, he felt a pang of worry. "Unfinished business?"

He remembered a long while ago, before Sportacus even started as the hero of Lazytown, that the Ninth had regrettable unfinished business that he wished he had the time to attend to.

"Yes."

"What sort of 'unfinished business'?"

"One that pertains to my current mission," Nine explained.

Ah. Oh dear.

"I didn't think there was anything to do with the fae in Lazytown, Thalion."

"Oh there is," Nine stated, dead serious. "I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger, Teiliedhel. A lot of mistakes. I approached things wrong and plain left things unfinished because I thought they'd sort themselves out."

Sportacus approached him. "What happened? What's here?"

"A fae tool."

Sportacus blinked. "A what?"

"It's hard to explain," Nine waved his hand. "When I came to Lazytown, there was a tool of the fae here. It was created to be used to interfere with children - to cause harm to children."

Sportacus felt his chest tighten in fear. "What?"

"Not just any children," Nine growled.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"I mean Elven children."

Sportacus' hands reflexively clenched.

Now he knew why Nine was so riled. Given the other elf's history, and his particular talents in sensing magic, it was no wonder.

But also...

Elven children were rare. Very rare. Elves lived long lives, but had trouble conceiving children. It was rare for a couple to have more than two children, and it was all the race could do to keep their population stagnant.

He was an only child himself, after all.

Nine used to be an elder brother to three siblings.

Used to be.

Sportacus put a hand on the other's shoulder. "What sort of danger to Elven children, why here?"

Lazytown was far away from Elven society, very far away. It was in the middle of no-where, where nothing happened and nobody bothered anybody.

"I don't know why here, but I believe the intent of the tool was to infiltrate Elven society. It failed horribly, of course, but it still exists. It is very, very dangerous."

"Why didn't anyone tell me this before?"

"Because I wasn't sure. Because I was foolish and weak back then and now I want to be sure. Because I thought maybe it had sorted itself. Because I thought maybe, since I heard nothing from you, that the danger was gone."

"You know I can't sense fae magic like you can," Number Nine had that unfortunate talent.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Sportacus frowned. "What do we do?"

"I will have to eradicate the problem. Its what I should have done." Nine said simply.

"Should we warn the parents? Is it a threat to the kids now? To the other citizens?"

"I get the feeling it has already interfered." Nine tapped his own temple. "I can sense it in the city. It's not strong, barely there, but that could just be part of the foul experiment that tool of their is. It's not like any other fae machination we've seen."

Sportacus crossed his arms, thinking of the kids.

If Nine was worried, he should be worried too.

"I think we should warn the adults - at the very least, the mayor." He added, "Robbie too."

Nine froze. "What?"

"... We should warn Robbie too? Look, I know the kids say he's the 'villain' of the town - he will tell you that too - but he's been here longer than me; he knows this place inside and out. The bunker you had before? He has to have expanded it, it runs nearly under the whole town."

If anyone could help them, it was Robbie.

Maybe he knew something. Saw something? Maybe Robbie had information even if he didn't know what it was.

Nine was dead silent, and Sportacus would wish that in this moment, he paid attention to Nine.

To how he moved. To how he suddenly and carefully spoke. How doubt filtered through his expression and how he suddenly looked worried for Sportacus himself.

He didn't notice, he didn't see because he had looked away, looking out one of the windows of his airship, to the city below.

"... I see...?" Nine said, carefully.

Nine sounded as if he wanted to say something, almost as if he wanted to correct Sportacus of something.

Sportacus wished he had then. He really did.

Sportacus felt that it was this moment was his ultimate failure.

He wished he questioned Nine more before agreeing to Nine's suggestion.

"Let's visit your villain then, Sportacus," Nine said after a long moment, his voice careful. "Let's see what he has to say about this."

R&R~