Chapter Text
“Is it done?” Chris asks, standing on tiptoe looking across Aviva’s work table.
“Almost.” She responds, “Give me just a few more minutes.”
“Chris!” Martin calls, “Where’d you go.”
“He’s down here.” Aviva calls up, “Come get him!”
It had been a few days since Zach deaged him, and he was tired of Martin getting to have all the fun with the creature powers. He’s been cooped up in the Tortuga for too long.
Jimmy’s games are amazing but he has his limits on how many times he can get his butt kicked.
“I got the disks.” Martin grins, setting them on the table.
“Oh black footed ferret.” Chris says picking up the disk, “I’m guessing indoor test round?”
“Yep.” Martin says, “Just to see how you react.”
“Cool.”
“Alright, because of the complexity we can only do second level activations, fully animal form, but green,” Aviva says, passing the CPS over, “Try it out.”
He inserts the disk and takes a small bit of fur in his hands. “Activating!”
A flash of green light and he’s eye level with Martin’s boot.
“It works!” He calls out, stretching his tail as he wiggles.
Aviva scoops him up, petting his head for a moment before setting him on the table top. “Functions are reading as normal, Martin you can join him.”
There’s a flash of blue and Martin’s standing before Chris, the green much smaller ferret immediately jumps up onto his back. Winding around his neck.
“Play?” He chirps, as he bounces, pulling Martin off balance.
“Sure.” Martin nudges him with his nose, pushing him towards the table's edge.
Aviva sets Chris on the floor as Martin hops off the table. Moments later they’re racing though the Tortuga. Hopping up on the computers in the command room. Under beds, through the vents, all in a wild game of tag.
Eventually Martin stops, stretching out in a patch of sun as Chris barrels into his side. Within moment’s he’s asleep, tail wrapped around Martin’s, head tucked under his brothers.
Once he’s sure he’s asleep Martin wiggles out of his hold and deactivates his suit. Scooping up Chris he walks over to his brother’s room. Gently setting him into the blanket nest he’d made.
It’s a few hours later when Chris comes skittering around a corner.
He takes one last lap around the tortuga then deactivates, “That was awesome.”
________
The next day they got an alert about villan movement in Ethiopia. Targeting the gelada.
As they fly over the ocean, Aviva gets to work on the disks.
They land the tortuga and send the Kratts in to activate creature power.
Martin activates first this time. Turning into the large baboon with a red skin patch in the center of his chest. Then Chris, who as expected is a juvenile. Scampering back to his brother he grins. “We’ll blend in.”
“Yeah!” Martin says, sitting on the grass, “Climb on.”
Chris latches onto him, using his hands and feet to hold onto his brother as they set off to find the bleeding heart monkeys. Tails twine together as Martin walks luring Chris into a light doze.
It’s not long until they’re with the troop.
Poachers have cleary forced them together. All of the Gelada are tense. Martin skirts around the outside of the group and settles down to observe.
Chris drops to the ground, happy to explore for a bit.
He wanders towards the grazing monkeys, only to get tackled by one of the juveniles. Spinning head over tail he tumbles to the ground. A crowd of juveniles engulfs him as he’s roped into their complex game.
Martin keeps an ear out for his brother as he looks out over the cliff.
Hours pass with little trouble. Chris comes and goes as the juveniles drag him around.
“Martin, come in.” Chris’ voice crackles over the creature pod, “We’re dealing with pros. There’s a few males with gunshot wounds.”
“I hear you,” Martin says, squinting as he spots a jeep sending plumes of dust into the air, “I think I see them. Come back to me.”
The words had barely left his lips when a sharp crack echoes across the landscape. Instantly its chaos. The monkeys that were foraging at the base of the cliff stream up onto the plateau.
Fighting his instincts Martin turns towards the threat and runs. Canines flash in a threat display.
He can hear Chris informing the others over the creature pod.
Hopefully it’ll be enough.
He spots an elephant through the brush. Slamming his hand down he deactivates, then reactivates. A stage one elephant CPS is more than enough to knock trees down, and like this, he still has hands.
He has to prevent them from getting to Chris.
——
Chris clings on to the back of one of the monkeys. Someone had screamed an alarm call, and everyone had scattered.
One of the young females had plucked him off the ground as she passed.
He can hear gunshots, an elephant trumpeting, the squeal of brakes, then silence.
One by one they start creeping out of hiding spots, chancing a look over the edge Chris spots the rest of the team, all standing around Martin.
He looks fine, clearly fighting to get back up the cliff but Koki and Jimmy are holding him back as Aviva wraps something around his arm.
The female Gelada pulls him from her back, chirps at him and carries him over to her friends.
Squirming to get free Chris reaches for the deactivation button but finds it blocked by one of their arms.
Thankfully his creature pod is still strapped to his arm.
“Guys!” He whispers, “I’m fine but I’ve been mildly kidnapped.”
“What!” Martin yelps.
“By one of the Gelada?” Koki asks.
“Yeah, she’s just not letting go of me.”
“We’ll be there in a minute.” Aviva promises.
Sighing Chris resigns to his fate. It’s not too bad, they’re just picking through his hair and getting rid of dirt.
“Awwe,” Aviva laughs, “That’s adorable.”
“It’s not.”
“It really is.”
“Can you deactivate the suit?”
It takes just a little convincing and then Chris is freed.
They make it down the cliff before deactivating.
“This was definitely not Zach’s plan.” He says, “And uh, is Martin ok?”
Aviva winces, “He’ll be ok. But he did get shot.”
Eyes widening Chris breaks into a run.
“Chris wait!”
The main doors to the tortuga are wide open. Stumbling from the change in terrain he bursts in. “Martin!”
“Oh thank goodness you're ok,” Martin sighs.
Chris freezes, his brother is laying on a cot with Koki addressing a serious injury to his arm, and hes on oxygen, “You’re asking me if I’m ok? You got shot!”
“Thankfully elephants are pretty tough.”
Scrubbing away tears Chris launches into his brother’s good arm.
“Hey, look at me. I’m ok, the poachers are dealt with. It’s just a scratch. I’m ok.”
“But what if you weren’t?”
That shuts him up.
“sorry bro.”
Chris turns to Koki, “he’ll be ok right?”
“He’ll get a scar but it doesn’t look like anything important got hit. He’ll be fine.”
Chris relaxes, “Ok. We need to figure out what Zach’s up to?”
“Maybe we missed something,” Jimmy says, “He’s pretty good at improvising when he needs to.”
“That's true,” Koki hums.
“Maybe he meant to give both of them the de-ageing serum,” Aviva murmurs, “Take us completely out of commission.”
“He could have done that,” Martin says, “he had more then enough time, it’s like he wanted to get caught.”
“Maybe he’s trying to expand his network,” Jimmy murmurs, “But with his family’s lawyers, no way he’d even be held long enough to even bribe people.”
“Maybe it was all a decoy?” Koki shrugs, “Mess with Chris then send us on a wild goose chase.”
Martin gasps, “That might be it. Wait for us to be distracted, then launch his thing somewhere else.”
“Where is he,” Koki grumbles as she frantically types something in the computer, “Got him. South Africa Wild Life Reserve.”
“Thats where Blurr and Spot-swat live,” Martin gasps, “We’ve got to stop him.”
Aviva sighs, “How? You’re both out of commission. You got shot, and Chris can barely keep his eyes open!”
Martin grins, nudging Chris to keep him focused, “Simple, we’re a distraction.”
Clocking into the conversation Chris nods, “We could both turn into the same animal and pretend the instincts got the better of us.”
“Yeah!” Martin grins messing up his hair, “And while we’re doing that Koki and Aviva use their power suits to fix the main problem.”
“You sure? I’m not great at using the CPS.” Koki says.
Martin nods, “Four of us against Zach, it’ll be fine.”
“And ill be back up if we need it,” Jimmy chimes in.
“Chris, there is just one thing with this that you might not like.”
———
“I don’t think I thought this through,” Chris admits as Martin sets him on the floor.
“The point is for you to get overwhelmed with Gazelle instincts. Make Zach think he’s winning, he’ll get sloppy.”
“Yeah but was the trial run necessary?”
“Yep, we needed a baseline,” Aviva says, “And make sure you’re ok with this.”
“I’ll be fine,” Chris says, flicking his tail.
———
As he steps onto the grassland Chris starts regretting his choice, ears swiveling to catch every sound.
“There’s Zach’s ship.”
“He’s collecting termites,” Jimmy calls as he pilots a small drone back.
“Ugh, why would he do that?”
“Chris and I will find that out,” Martin says nudging Chris with his hip, drawing his attention away from the grass, “Once he sees us go anteater and free them.”
Nodding they head back into the Tortuga as the bros head out into the grassland.
Neither brother is doing particularly well, Chris is constantly distracted by the grass. Murmuring taxonomic information as he grazes. While Martin is regretting the use of a stage two disk. All fours wasn’t the best choice with a hole in his arm. It doesn’t hurt all that much, but he’s walking a little funny.
A perfect cue for predators hunting for Gazelles. Thankfully Jimmy’s keeping an eye out for any and all wildlife.
“Chris,” Martin says, “We’re almost to Zach.”
Glancing up he nods, “I’ll stay here, make sure he spots you.”
“He won’t pass up a chance to gloat.”
As his brother walks towards Zach, Chris lays in the tall grass, the dappled spots helping him blend in.
“I thought you might show up,” Zach says as he spots Martin walking up, “but you’re to late wild rats, rat? Where’s the other one?” He grins, “Oh, was he not able to make it.”
“Chris is fine,” Martin says, backing away as Zach steps towards him.
Martin leads him away from the Termite mounds.
“Is he? I don’t see him.”
“I’m right here,” Chris says stepping out from his hiding spot.
Cackling Zach steps toward Chris, “Oh this is Golden.”
“Why?”
“Why not. If I can make an age up serum, why shouldn’t I make one that can de-age. Do you know how much Donita would pay.”
“I can imagine,” Martin says lifting his injured limb of the ground.
“Turn me back.” Chris demands.
“What makes you think I can?”
Both brothers just stare at him.
“Jezze fine, In evil not irresponsible, here take it.”
Martin takes the capsule.
“Take it once you deactivate.” He grumbles, not noticing as a few of his bots stream towards him.
“Well thanks, Zach looks like our plan worked.”
“What!” He yelps, as his bot grabs him around the waist and takes off toward the retreating plane.
“Bye.” Chris waves.
“Honestly I’m impressed that it worked.” Martin says.
Chris nods, then freezes as something chirps.
“Hey Blurr,” Martin grins, “Sorry your favorite playmate got shrunk.”
The cheetah blinks lazily as she sniffs at Chris. She makes a chuff then licks the back of his head.
A stick cracks as Koki and Aviva walk over, Blurr runs.
“Who was that?” Aviva asks.
“Blurr.” Martin responds, hitting his deactivate button, “here, Zach says this is the antidote.”
“I’ll check it out,” She promises, “Come on Chris, we’ll get you back to normal.”
“Oh thank god.”