AN

Quick note before I begin. This is the first fanfic I've ever written, let alone published on the site, so I don't expect to be on Harper Lee levels of literary talent. That said, I welcome constructive criticism and advice. I've been tossing the idea for this story around in my head for months and decided to take the plunge. With that boring crap out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One: Calm Before The Hurricane

Chirping birds, somewhat cloudy sky, warm weather. This is what the residents of the Peach Creek cul-de-sac get to enjoy. A large group of middle school aged kids populate this seemingly uneventful suburban area, with their families, naturally. One, a boy in a green sweater and red baseball hat can be seen storing his bike by the garage of his house, another, a young man with a yellow shirt and blue hair, an immigrant, is sowing seeds in the miniature farm behind his house. And the three most notable individuals are already up and about as well.

In one of the houses, a relatively short boy walks out the bathroom after finishing his morning shower. He puts on his typical clothes, a yellow bowling shirt, jeans and sneakers, being careful not to forget the wallet chain he always keeps on his person.

"Man, I really gotta get my sleep schedule under control." he mutters, seemingly annoyed at his own inability to get up at a decent hour. He flops back onto his bed, grabbing a car magazine from under his pillow. Before he even has a chance to flip it open, the antique phone on the nightstand next to his bed rings. With a mumble of annoyance, he reaches and answers.

"Yeeeeeeellow?" he says nonchalantly. "Good morning Eddy! I hope I haven't called at a bad time." The voice, chipper as always, belonging to a close friend of his. "Nah nah, I'm good Double Dee. What's up?" he responds, still slightly drowsy.

"Oh I'm just finishing up packing for the big field trip we'll be going on tomorrow! I have to admit, I haven't been this excited in a long time!" The now named "Double Dee" responds, excitement clear in his tone.

"...whats it now?" Replies Eddy, seemingly having no idea what his friend is talking about.

"Oh come now Eddy! You've forgotten? The field trip the class is taking to the newly constructed EDF base outside of town!"

A sudden realization washes over Eddy, as the memory of the announcement of a large field trip 2 weeks ago comes back to him. "Ooooooh right, that's the uh...Earth Defense Force, right? That new military that a bunch of countries put together?"

"Precisely Eddy!" Double Dee answers back. "They've got some of the best technology ever made, and I'm ecstatic to finally have a chance to see it up close!'

'Oh right...' Eddy silently thinks to himself. Now he remembers. An announcement came over the loudspeaker 2 weeks prior at Peach Creek Junior High, informing the students of the recent completion of the newest base for the "Earth Defense Force" a multi-national military funded by all the member nations. They were going to be taking a field trip to the new base as some kind of open house exhibition, showing off the tech and equipment the EDF has at its disposal.

"I can hardly wait! I"ve heard the EDF is looking for technicians and engineers, so it may not be a bad idea to learn about career opportunities!" Double Dee says, obviously ecstatic about the prospects of being employed by such a seemingly advanced organization after graduating.

"Uh-huh...neat." Replies Eddy. He had considered a military career, mostly inspired by playing shooter video games, but really wasn't sure it was for him.

"I can't say I'm surprised at your lack of interest Eddy. I recently got off the phone with Ed, and he seems even more excited than me."

"Well, that ain't really a shocker, since those EDF guys have stuff right out of his comics, like giant robots and jetpacks and stuff." Eddy replies, chuckling slightly at how giddy their friend is likely to be tomorrow. The third part of the Ed trio, Ed is what most would call the dumb one. He isn't very intelligent by any standards, but he certainly is loyal and borderline obsessed with all things sci-fi and fantasy, if the numerous 50s B-movies and models in his room are any indication.

"Umm, actually Eddy, they aren't robots, they're mechs. Mechs are different in that they require a human pilo-" Double Dee begins, but is swiftly cut off by Eddy. "Yeah I know sockhead, it's just easier for me to say." Double Dee utters a quiet jab, something about Eddy's vocabulary.

"Anything on the to-do list until tomorrow?" asks Eddy, flipping through his magazine with the phone held up to his ear.

"Nothing in particular, though I do need to get this astronomy homework finished. How is yours coming along Eddy?"

Eddy looks over to his backpack, not even opened since he got home Friday afternoon. "Yeah...yeah it's coming along..."

"Well, that's good. I know it isn't your expertise, but academic excellence is a necessity for a successful future Eddy!"

Eddy groans.

"Uh-huh, good careers, yadda yadda. Anyway, you mind if I hop off? I still gotta eat breakfast." The end of Eddys sentence is punctuated with a loud growl of his stomach.

"Oh, not at all. I should finish packing anyway. Talk to you later Eddy!"

"Talk later." Eddy hangs up, hopping off his bed before heading to the kitchen.

As he walks down the hall, he can't shake this weird feeling. Like an odd kind of worry you feel when you know you've done something with consequences. He didn't know why he had this feeling, since he's been decently well behaved since that massive prank went wrong last year, which resulted in a massive chase to his brothers house. He just..can't place it. He can't shake the feeling that a field trip isn't the only big thing happening tomorrow...

"Ah, who am I kidding, what can go wrong?" Eddy says to himself, followed by a nervous chuckle...