Chapter 1: The Past

Years before Spy Squad and Roramping were born, a young girl named Maya lived with her brother, Leo, and her sister, Lily. They used to live in a small town called LaBelle until their mom and dad decided to move to Megacity, California. There, they met two of their cousins. The older cousin was Grace, and the younger one was Mia.

“We are so happy to see you,” said Mia.

“I can’t believe we are going to live together in Megacity,” said Grace. “We have so much to tell you. And a big secret,” she added, acting mysterious.

“What is it?” asked Lily.

“Come to my room. We can’t let our parents know about it,” said Mia.

“Know what?” asked Leo.

“You’ll see.”

Minutes later, they were all in Mia’s room.

“Drum roll, please,” said Mia.

“Mia and I are spy kids. We work for the I.S.S.—the International Spy Squad—and we stop supervillains,” said Grace.

“My code name is Lazuli, and Grace's code name is Emerald,” said Mia.

Leo whistled, impressed. Lily looked at them, shocked, and Maya fainted right on the spot. Mia, who was now Lazuli, sighed and placed a smelly sock on Maya's face, trying to wake her up.

“I think it was too much for her,” said Leo.

“We talked to the leader of our group, and she decided that you and your sisters can become spy kids too, if you want,” said Grace, who was now Emerald.

Just then, Maya woke up. “We're so in,” she said, surprising her cousins.

“Okay, you’ll need code names,” said Emerald.

“Like Sunny or Tigress,” suggested Lazuli.

“I think my code name will be Rookie, because I love tech,” said Leo.

“I think mine will be Amethyst, after my favorite gem,” said Lily.

“What about you, Maya?” asked Lazuli.

“I’m not sure,” said Maya.

“How about Howler? You like wolves,” said Emerald.

“I like the sound of it,” said Rookie.

“Okay, then. Howler will be my code name,” said Maya.

Suddenly, an alarm went off in Lazuli’s room.

“You have an alarm in your room?” asked Rookie.

“Yes, and it looks like the leader wants to meet the three of you,” said Lazuli.

“What is her code name, anyway?” asked Amethyst.

“Agent Sunburst,” Lazuli replied.

She moved a paintbrush on the wall, and the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a secret entrance to the headquarters.

“Welcome to the secret entrance of the I.S.S.,” said Emerald.

An hour later, they were standing in Sunburst’s office.

“So these are the cousins you told me about,” said Sunburst, pouring some tea. “Your names are Maya, Leo, and Lily, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Lazuli, while the new recruits looked around the room in amazement.

“It's nice to meet you, Sunburst, but our names are different now. We have code names. I’m not Leo anymore; I’m Rookie. Lily is Amethyst, and Maya is Howler,” Rookie said proudly.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that you have code names, but you are missing something very important,” Sunburst said with a chuckle.

Rookie, Amethyst, and Howler looked at each other, confused.

“You are missing your spy suits!” she laughed. “You can’t go around the headquarters looking like this,” she said, gesturing to their regular clothes.

She pushed a button on her desk, and a secret door slid open to reveal a row of spy outfits. Howler grabbed one and immediately went to the changing room.

A few minutes later, Howler appeared wearing a black shirt and black pants, completing the outfit with black fingerless gloves.

“This feels nice and cozy,” said Howler, tying her hair into a ponytail. “You guys should get yours!”

Rookie and Amethyst looked at each other and grinned. Thirty minutes later, they had both chosen their gear.

Rookie chose a blue shirt with gray jeans, pairing them with a highly advanced pair of spy glasses.

“Oh, you chose the latest high-tech glasses,” said Sunburst. “They feature heat vision, X-ray vision, and can provide data in the blink of an eye.”

“My brother loves high-tech things, so these will be perfect for him,” said Howler.

“Maybe with a quick tune-up, I can make them better than ever,” Rookie said.

“And he loves to tinker with things,” Howler added.

Amethyst emerged next, wearing a sleek black jumpsuit with a matching black mask.

“I love it! The mask features little cat ears. And look at this,” she said, showing off her gloves.

“Umm, it’s just a glove?” said Rookie.

“Look again,” Amethyst insisted. She pushed a hidden button, and sharp claws extended from the fingertips.

“Whoa! Awesome,” said Howler.

“Ah, you chose the latest cat-claw gloves. Very useful,” noted Sunburst.

Howler then picked up a pink, cylindrical tool. “What’s this? A spy dog chew toy?” she asked.

Sunburst laughed. “What? No! That is a laser sword; it can cut through solid metal. Look on the base, you should find a button to turn it on.”

Howler examined it and found the switch. A brilliant laser blade ignited instantly.

“Whoa, this rocks!” she said. She swung it around enthusiastically and accidentally smashed a nearby pot. “Ooops,” she muttered.

“It’s okay, that pot was completely priceless,” Sunburst said calmly. “Can someone clean up this mess, please?”

A young agent walked in with a broom and quickly swept up the shards.

“Thank you. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. You might want to be a little bit more careful with that next time,” Sunburst said, taking a sip of her tea.

“I’ll remember that, Miss Sunburst,” said Howler sheepishly.

“Now that you've picked your spy outfits, Emerald and Lazuli will show you around the headquarters. And Howler, try not to break anything else along the way.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” said Amethyst.

“No problem,” Sunburst replied.

Emerald led Howler and her siblings into the massive command center. When they arrived, Lazuli took the lead.

“This is the command center. This is where we monitor the city,” she explained. “Sometimes we find people stealing things, like cash and rare jewelry, and sometimes we spot a hacker doing something naughty, like breaching a secure database.”

“We monitor the feeds day and night, only taking breaks for snacks, lunch, and dinner—or on special holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Emerald added.

“Can we take them to the training center next?” asked Lazuli.

“Sure,” said Emerald.

They walked out of the command center and stepped into the training center.

“So, what does this place have?” asked Amethyst.

“Let me think. Oh! It has a small pool for scuba diving practice, and there is a massive rock climbing wall over here,” said Lazuli.

“Scuba diving?” asked Howler, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Rock climbing?” Rookie echoed, his eyes shimmering with pure excitement.

“Yes and yes,” said Emerald.

“Also, there is a classroom here that teaches you all about different explosives,” said Lazuli.

“Bombs? Why bombs?” asked Rookie.

“So we can blow things up! And stop the bad guys,” she replied.

“I think exploding things sounds like a dangerous idea,” said Howler.

“But I love exploding things!” Lazuli insisted.

“That is one of Lazuli’s biggest weaknesses: bombing things,” Emerald whispered.

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s not a weakness!” Lazuli cried out dramatically.

Emerald sighed and shook her head. “You should really take an acting class.”

“Please, don’t encourage her,” Emerald begged.

“Sorry,” said Amethyst.

“All my hard work studying explosives, all for nothing,” muttered Lazuli.

“Please stop being so dramatic,” said Emerald.

“I'm sorry, I cannot stop. The wounds are simply too deep,” Lazuli said, striking a theatrical pose.

Rookie laughed out loud, while Emerald sighed in frustration.

“Can you show us what else this place has?” asked Howler, trying to get them back on track.

“Of course,” said Lazuli, snapping instantly back to her normal self. She led them to a reinforced door. “This room is designed like an escape room.”

“Except you have to use your physical strength in this version,” Emerald clarified.

“You need to climb, jump, or dodge obstacles to uncover your next clue. And sometimes you have to do it entirely blindfolded. Believe me, it's incredibly tough,” said Lazuli.

“You fall and trip a lot, and sometimes you get a little singed. It can be very frustrating,” Emerald admitted. “But it was worth it. We are Level 3 spy kids now. That means we can go on important missions, though not the extremely dangerous ones just yet.”

“Come on, we’ll show you the fun room next,” said Emerald.

“What’s the fun room?” asked Rookie.

“We’ll tell you all about that in a moment. First, let me ask you a question: are you ready?” asked Emerald.

Howler and her siblings looked at one another. Amethyst and Rookie gave a firm nod.

“We’re ready,” Howler said.

Chapter 2: Roramping’s Past

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, a thirteen-year-old boy named Jackson lived alone in an abandoned warehouse. He had lived there for as long as he could remember; his mom had passed away when he was five, and his dad had abandoned him when he was seven. Over the years, he had learned exactly how to take care of himself without parents.

He was working on an invention when he heard a sudden crash outside. Curious, he stepped out into the alleyway. He looked over at a pile of trash resting against the side of the building, hearing a faint cry echoing from beneath the garbage.

To his surprise, a young fox wearing clothes was weeping inside a discarded box.

“Hey, don’t cry,” said Jackson, gently picking up the baby creature.

“I want my mom,” yelped the little fox.

Jackson almost dropped him in pure shock. A talking fox?! He shook his head in disbelief. Taking a breath, he said, “You can stay with me until you find your family.”

He walked back inside, bringing the small fox into the warmth of the warehouse.

“I think I’ll name you Zeve,” Jackson decided. “Like my favorite game, Zeverland.”

“Zeverland?” asked Zeve.

“It's a cool video game I like to play,” Jackson explained.

“What's a video game?” asked Zeve, tilting his head.

“It's a bit complicated,” Jackson replied.

“I see what you mean. Have you ever heard of Gipplyberries?” asked Zeve.

“What are Gipplyberries?” asked Jackson.

“I don’t know. I only heard about them from my mom. Some kind of berries, I guess,” the fox said.

“Do you know where your home is?” Jackson asked.

“I don’t know. All I can remember are the bright stars, the glowing moss, and the howl of the wind.”

“That sounds more like a poem—a really nice poem,” Jackson said softly. “Now, are you hungry? I have some leftover pizza and some grapes.”

“Yeah! That sounds yummy. What’s a pizza?” Zeve asked, tilting his head sideways again.

“Umm, it’s baked dough with tomato sauce and melted cheese on top,” Jackson said.

“Okay! I like the sound of that,” said Zeve.

Suddenly, the little fox leaped out of Jackson’s arms and began racing around the warehouse floor.

“Watch out for the pole!” shouted Jackson.

“What’s a pole?” Zeve asked, still running at full speed.

Crash!

Zeve ran straight into a structural support beam.

“Oh, what was that?” Zeve groaned, rubbing his nose.

“That was the pole. Next time, look where you are running instead of looking back at me,” Jackson said, placing an ice pack on Zeve’s head to keep the swelling down.

“So, a pole is a long, skinny metal thing?” asked Zeve.

“Yep,” Jackson said. “Now, do you still want that pizza?”

“Yes, please!”

Jackson went over to the old refrigerator and pulled out two slices of pizza. He handed one to Zeve, who was still tenderly rubbing his head.

“Here you go, a slice of pizza.”

Zeve took it cautiously. He sniffed the cheese, took a small bite, and his ears instantly pricked up. In a flash, he gobbled down the entire slice.

“I’m guessing you like it,” Jackson said with a smile.

Zeve nodded happily while reaching for another bite.

“My name is Jackson, and this is my home,” he said, waving his hand around the empty warehouse. “I live here all by myself, and it can get a little lonely without anyone else around. But I manage to get by with food, water, and whatever supplies I can scavenge.”

“Well, I’d say you've done a really good job. What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked Zeve.

Jackson’s expression hardened. “Well, that’s easy. I want everyone to respect me, and I want revenge on the people who abandoned me, threw me away, and destroyed my original home. I am going to be the most wanted villain of all time. And if you want, Zeve, you can be my sidekick.”

Zeve thought about it for a quick second, looking down at the empty pizza plate, and then nodded.

“Sure, I'll be your sidekick! As long as you keep buying me pizza. It tastes amazing,” Zeve said.

Jackson smirked. “Then what are we waiting for? Let our terror be released upon the world, and absolutely no one will be able to stop us. No one.”