Tommy looked at Tubbo for a good minute or so, the pair staring.

"Greetings, Tommy," Tubbo said.

"Hi?"

"What's happened to those shockpads I gave you?"

Tommy paled and tried an awkward smile. "Hey, Toby, you are, like, my best friend in the whole world, you know? I love and trust you, and would never, ever upset you deliberately. We're partners-in-arms and nothing will ever come between us. You're great."

"Why were the shockpads I gave you in the bin, Tommy?"

The blond's nervous smile started cracking under pressure and, despite being a good ten inches taller, Tommy suddenly felt very small and puny under Tubbo's glare. "Well... I was scared they wouldn't work, y'know..."

Tubbo crossed his arms, scowling. "But I made them."

"That... may have been the base of my fear."

The shorter one gasped in offense and gave Tommy the stongest glare possible. "I am an incredible engineer, thank you!"

"I know but..." Tommy wet his lips awkwardly. "They haven't been tested before. I didn't want to, like, kill anyone, y'know?"

Tubbo glared a little more but eventually softened with a sigh. "I know. I haven't tried using them either."

Tommy's fear drained into sympathy and he went to rub his small friends' back. "Hey, it's okay. Your tech is so incredible, I'm sure the shockpads work great. We just don't have anyway to test them."

"You didn't have to bin them, though..."

The blond flinched a little. "I know. I just thought it would be the best way to get rid of vigilante evidence. Like, what if we got a visitor or a search happened? We'd be screwed over so quick."

Tubbo nodded. "I know. I just really think they'd work."

"Well, how are we gonna test that? On me? On you? What if they affect hybrids and biomagicians differently? There's no way we can know."

"We can find out?" Tubbo turned to him. "Tonight?"

Tommy blinked. "Tonight?"

"Well, yeah. The warehouse. Remember, bossman?"

The taller vigilante frowned. "We're still going to do that? You and Ranboo were spotted, they'll be on high alert."

"It's best to catch them before they move, though," Tubbo urged. "If they know we've seen them, they're gonna try and run. We need to catch them before that can happen."

Tommy hesitated. On one hand, Tubbo had a good point. If these people ran, it could bring forth chaos. The motivation of the group hadn't been figured out yet, not even by the best of Tubbo's deciphering software, which left the possibilites open to nearly anything: drug trade; weapon smuggling; trafficking. Tommy knew that human trafficking was an issue all around the world and, only a decade ago, L'Manburg had been a hotspot for it until the Crow Father managed to take the most prevelant organisation down. However, finding a room of scared, kidnapped children didn't particuarly bode well...

"I guess... I guess that makes sense, but..." Tommy trailed off, glancing to a door on the far left wall. Ranboo's room. "Would Ranboo be up for that? What's his night looking like?"

Tubbo hummed. "I talked to him about that, actually. He's called into work, saying he's feeling kinda ill and wants to take a night's rest so he can get better again. Right now, he's sleeping so he can be awake for it if you say yes."

"And what would the plan be?"

Tubbo cracked a small smile up at him. "That's for you to decide, bossman."

Ranboo draped the long, poncho-styled cloak over his human form. It hung too loosely without his shifted height and slid off his shoulder but the hybrid didn't particularly care. As long as it kept identifying features of his clothes hidden, it was all good.

He sighed at himself slightly, fiddling with the hems of the cloak and trying to adjust the way it lay over his chest. In the living room, he could hear Tommy helping Tubbo put on a set of bee-wings. From what it sounded like, the shortest friend was opting for sturdy wings over fast ones this time and this made them difficult to equip. Their ruckus was loud and Ranboo carefully tried to shut his door on them. It wasn't like their noise irritated him, so to say. It was more he preferred a bit more silence when he shifted.

With a deep breath in, Ranboo focused his attention on his bones. They lengthened at his thoughts and the skin stretched with them. A slight throb arose from his forehead, when the long, ten-inch horns pushed out from his skull, and his mouth hurt as the teeth sharpened into fangs. His bare feet on the ground warped, his toes blending together only to form three, sharp, stubby talons resting at the base of an angled foot, an extra claw at the heel. His ankles became more wobbly as his shins grew and the thighs extended. The whip-like tail pushed forth from the base of his spine, the large tip looking fluffy and soft, despite how brittle the hairs truly were. Lastly, his skin changed. Half of him bleached so rapidly that he felt like it could blind someone: the other half had the colour seep from it and the light back away, turning nearly pitch black. The only reason the different sides of him weren't completely blank canvases was thanks to the strange mottling on his cheeks, ears, horns, hands and feet. Tubbo described them as freckles. Tommy described them as acne. Ranboo thought 'mottling' was the best word for it.

When he blinked his eyes, they went from two different shades of brown to red and green. His only carried-on trait in this form was heterochromia, it seemed. Even his face changed, with his jaw turning slimmer and pointed, the cheekbones rising and the nose turning thinner, longer and flatter. Even his ears altered, almost like an elf's: long and prone to twitching at loud noises. As an enderman, he looked like a different person. One of the only reasons he didn't need to wear a mask, like his friends.

The bedroom door swung open and he jumped, turning around with a start. Tommy hung in the doorway, gasmask down under his chin and the flamecan in his hand. "Oi, Ran-boob," He greeted.

"Hi, Tommy," Ranboo said, with a quiet sigh. "What is it now?"

"Tubbo wants to know when we're good to teleport."

Ranboo shrugged, walking over and ducking steeply to get through the door. "I'm pretty much all set. I just need my earpiece."

"Cool. I want you to teleport us onto the docks, by the way."

"Huh?" Ranboo turned to face Tommy with a frown. "The docks?"

"Yep!" Tommy grinned at him. "We wanna turn up there."

Ranboo made a face. "I'm not teleporting onto the docks. I've never been there! What if we end up in the water?"

Tommy snorted, rolling his eyes. "Nah, we won't. If you teleport us a little above ground-level, you'll have time to teleport us out before we hit it."

"That means we'll be teleporting in mid-air before a fight," Ranboo protested, tail flicking behind him. "How's that gonna work out?"

"Uh, dunno," Tommy shrugged, walking past him. "Haven't figured that part out."

Ranboo turned to Tubbo, who only shrugged helplessly. The hybrid turned back to his blond friend in disbelief. "Do we even have a plan here?"

Tommy laughed at him, fixing his grappling hook belt over his chest and buckling it in. While adjusting the shoulder straps, he turned to Ranboo, with a grin. "'F course we've got a plan. It's 'be awesome and kick arse'."

"That's not a plan," Ranboo attempted.

"Yeah, it is. Stop complaining."

"Tommy," The hybrid said again. "That's not a plan."

"It is! That's the plan!" Tommy replied, widening his eyes honestly. "We teleport at the docks, send Tubbo in through the upstairs to scare them and then we come running in from downstairs and corner them."

Ranboo crossed his arms. "We send in Tubbo? By himself?"

Tubbo looked up with a frown. "Wassat meant to mean?"

Tommy arched an eyebrow, with a badly hidden smile. "What, would you want to teleport in with him?"

Ranboo nodded stubbornly. "He'll get his ass handed to him alone."

"Excuse me, I'm not liking the tone you're using here-"

"It could include a lot of guns. Are you sure you won't get spooked?" Tommy teased.

"All the more reason to go. Besides, don't you think a hybrid would scare them more than a bee-man?" Ranboo pressed.

"I am very scary, thank you-"

Tommy shrugged. "Well, I guess. But what about me? Are you leaving me to die here?"

Ranboo shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "No, no, I'm not gonna let you die. Why do you do this to me?"

Tommy bit back a smile. "Because it's funny."

"Go put your shoes on."

"But why?"

"Because we've got people to save. Put your shoes on."

Tommy sighed and turned around. Tubbo turned to Ranboo. "I'd like an apology."

"Huh?"

"An apology," Tubbo stated again. "You said I wasn't scary."

Ranboo stared at him in exasperation. "Did you two decide to gang up on me while I was shifting, or something? Why all of this?"

Tubbo swallowed back a smile, trying to pretend he was still annoyed. "I'm just saying, I'm very scary. I'm a scary individual with scary tech and scary physique."

"Ah, yes. The terror of those five-foot-five is well known. Gosh, you scare me for being half my height." Ranboo smiled slightly at Tubbo. "Spare me, oh short one."

Tubbo kicked his tail and Ranboo laughed at him. This, apparently, did not cheer Tubbo up because he went to step on it next. The hybrid lifted the tail off the ground, wrapping it around his neck like it was a scarf. Tubbo stared at him. "That's cheating."

"No, it's not. It's winning."

"Fuck you."

"Fuck you, too."

"Fuck you both, you're both idiots!" Tommy interrupted, walking back over with his shoes now on. He put his hands on his hips and scowled at the both of them. "Should we get going?"

Ranboo unravelled the tail, holding out his arms. "Why not? Since when did we plan properly anyway."

Tubbo took hold of his hand and Tommy grabbed his wrist. Ranboo gave them moments to adjust their masks and, in Tubbo's case, goggles before teleporting the three of them to the dockyard. Per Tommy's instructions, they appeared in midair, only five centimetres above concrete the sat deeply in the high tide. They fell slightly, all stumbling as they landed but nonw falling over.

Tommy looked around the docks, then pointed at the wall. "Ladder, 11-o'clock."

The brunet and the hybrid looked where he was pointing. "Got it," They chorused.

They moved in silence across the docks, with Tubbo gently rising in the air thanks to his wings. As he risked a peek of the level above, he sent down thumbs-up. The coast was clear. Tommy beckoned him back down, and the vigilantes finally addressed the task properly.

"Okay, since Enderling's being so adamant," The blond began, shooting Ranboo a petty glare, "He'll go in with you, Bee. However, I want him to be teleporting between us if possible. Y'know, shake things up a bit."

Tubbo nodded. "Seems fair."

Ranboo inclined his head in agreement. "Okay. Talk to me through the earpiece if you..." His hand slowly rose to tap the earpiece to find it empty, "...need me. Oh, no."

"What is it?" His human friends chorused with a frown.

"My earpiece," Ranboo said, checking the other ear. "I must not have grabbed it."

Tommy widen his eyes and Tubbo sagged with an exaggerated sigh. "Enderling..." Tommy sighed. "Why?"

"I forgot!" The hybrid protested weakly. "You distracted me!"

"Bee, have you got any spare?"

Tubbo checked his pockets and pouches. "Nope. You've borrowed them all, Theseus." He checked a zip pocket on his leg just to be sure and shook his head. "No, sorry... these haven't been fixed yet, either."

"So..." Ranboo felt his tail flicking around his horns nervously, "I've got no way to contact you?"

"Hey, think of it this way," Smiled Tommy, patting his tall friend on the back, "At least you're the teleporter. You can just do things the old fashioned way and appear in front of us."

The Enderman still seemed hesitant, his jagged teeth tugging at his lower lip. "I don't know... What if we need to hightail out of there?"

"Me and Theseus can keep in contact for you," Tubbo suggested. "We'll tell ya if plans change."

Ranboo let out a reluctant sigh, sagging. "Oh, this is going so badly already."

"It's fine, bossman!" Said Tubbo, trying a grin. He offered out an arm. "Wanna teleport us onto a windowsill?"

Ranboo sighed again, louder this time. "Sure."

He linked arms with Tubbo and teleported them. His clawed feet went from concrete to crumbling stone and his talons instantly dug into the sponge-like stone. Tubbo wobbled slighty and Ranboo caught him swiftly and silently, using his tail to help balance them. His head was stooped and his back hunched to keep his horns from scratching the roof above them.

"Now what?" He whispered as quietly as he could.

Tubbo held a finger to Ranboo's mouth, shushing him, and then reached into his pocket. While rummaging, he used his spare hand to adjust the settings on his goggles, peering at the solid wood. Ranboo took the time to assess where they were. The roof was only a metre above them but, from what he had seen yesterday, it was flat and there was no way up without climbing, flying or teleporting. Empty buildings stood around them, too, all varying in height - skyscrapers sat next to squat apartments, and warehouses, like this one, neighboured humongous docking bays for tanker ships and freights.

A small, "aha," caught his attention and he looked down to see Tubbo holding a small, circular device, reminiscent of a squashed spider. Its' iron, or tin, metal caught the lights of the docks and made it seem like it was glistening silver. There was a singular red button, ready to be pressed.

Ranboo watched Tubbo pin it against the wooden boards then check into comms. "Alright, Theseus," Tubbo whispered. "We're about to blow." He listened to whatever Tommy had to say, then took Ranboo's arm. "Roof," He said, then hit the button.

The hybrid took them to the roof faster than a heartbeat and, the first thing he heard, was an explosion. Things hit the floor far below, glass made tinkling noises and someone shouted.

"Down a floor!" Tubbo instructed sharply and Ranboo obeyed, teleporting the pair of them right underneath.

Instantly, they peeled apart. The human rushed to the window, where a large woman with a larger gun was staring at the exploded wreckage. Tubbo grabbed her and wrestled the gun from her hands while she was still in a state of shock. As he threw the gun behind him, Ranboo caught it. He teleported instantly, onto the roof of the building, and tossed it before reappearing in the fight. He went straight for two men, barely over half of his hybrid height.

His first move was a punch, catching one by the jaw, and his second was a cracking whip with his tail, smacking into the others' back. The punched one bounced back quickly, elbowing Ranboo in the stomach and pulling out his gun. He thumbed back the hammer but the hybrid wasn't about to let him get a good shot.

Teleporting behind them, he grabbed hold of both their heads and smacked them together. He proceeded to kick one in the back of the legs and hit the other one with his tail. They went down, both unconscious. 

Tubbo had managed to successfully deal with the woman - she had cuffs on both her wrists and ankles, and a bag over her head. Ranboo walked over. "You worked quickly."

"Yep," Tubbo said, changing the settings on his goggles with a frown. "There was one more up here yesterday..."

Ranboo looked around a room that was empty aside from them and three unconscious criminals. "Maybe Theseus's got them?"

"No. They're with the hostages." His friend said, grimly. He changed settings on his goggles again and then turned on his comms. "Theseus, how are you doing?" He waited a small bit and then nodded and turned to the enderman. "Theseus is clearing out downstairs just fine. He says, and I quote: I don't work with pussies."

Ranboo made a face. "How nice of him. Where to now?"

"Now?" Tubbo turned to look at a wall. "We're gonna need to take this down."

They stood in silence for a brief handful of seconds. "Bee, that's a brick wall," Ranboo said. "We can't take it down."

Tubbo nodded, taking a few steps back. "Good thing I don't skip leg-day."

"Wha-?"

His short friend took a running start and jumped. He kicked out at the wall and Ranboo watched in disbelief as it caved in contact with the sharp boots. The 'brick wall' didn't even crumble, instead just wafting over with a small, papery whine. Beyond it were eleven children, huddled in cages with tear-stricken faces and one woman, holding a gun out at the pair of them.

She fired skiddly but Ranboo had snatched Tubbo and teleported the pair of them onto the roof to avoid the shot.

"I'll take front, you take back," Were the only instructions before Ranboo took them both back inside. Per his words, he teleported Tubbo behind the woman and appeared in front of her. He grabbed her gun and wrestled for it, using his taloned feet to scratch at her arms and stomach when necessary.

Tubbo jumped up and wrapped his arms around her neck, squeezing as hard as he could. The back of forth of tugging and brawling went on for another ten seconds, neither side willing to give up until Ranboo finally wrangled the gun away and whipped the woman on the head with his tail. She slumped suddenly, unconscious, and Tubbo let her drop to the ground.

"Wow, we make a great team. What's your number?" Tubbo quipped, breathlessly.

"Not now," Ranboo answered, walking past him.

Tubbo groaned, hunching over as he panted. "You really just reject me like that."

"Get your breath back and then try to be cool." The hybrid knelt down by one of the cages, seeing a small girl inside.

She was wearing a tattered and muddy dress. Grubby plasters littered her biceps, forearm, calves and neck, and dirty feet pushed her further against the wall as she whimpered at the sight of the two-toned enderman.

Ranboo smiled gently at her, reaching a white arm into the cage. "Hey, there," He said, as softly as he could. "We're here to help you."

"You-" She gurgled through a silent cascade of tears. "You're- you're on telly..."

"I have been, yeah." Ranboo tilted his palm, trying to show her he held nothing harmful. "Are you okay?"

"You- you," She spluttered snottily. "Mummy- says you're evil! She- she says you're gonna-" she sniffed fearfully, "-gonna hurt me!"

Ranboo slowly adjusted his position from crouching to kneeling, keeping his smile small and gentle. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm gonna help."

"Are- are you evil?"

"I don't think so," Ranboo said, honestly.

"Is she- is she dead?" The girl pointed shakily at the woman on the floor. 

Ranboo turned to look at her and prodded the form with his tail. "No," He said, after a while. "I can feel her breathing."

"Y-You're gonna help me?"

The hybrid smiled and offered his hand again. "We're gonna get you all out of here and you get to go back home."

The girl didn't move for a moment. Then, sniffling and shaking, she crawled over and placed her small, bony hand in Ranboo's much larger, clawed one.

He teleported the pair of them only a few steps back, so she stood outside her cage in a large embrace. She squeaked at first, eyes widening, but when she realised she was free, she pulled back with wide eyes. "Are you alright?" Ranboo asked.

The girl stared at him and then started to bawl, hugging him tighter. Ranboo hugged him back, more awkwardly than intended, and looked over to Tubbo, who was grinning gently back at him.

"Help," He mouthed but his friend ignored his plea. Tubbo instead started looking at the desks and corkboards on the wall. He pulled out his burner phone, beginning to take photos of them. Ranboo managed to pry the wailing girl off him. "I need to help everyone else, okay?"

The girl didn't say anything between the sobs but she did let go, letting Ranboo walk freely over to the next cage. This girl needed no convincing, rushing to grab his hand in a heartbeat. Every child started pushing themselves against their bars, begging and crying loudly for Ranboo to get them out. The hybrid went to each of them, taking their hands and teleporting them out of the cages. By the time he got the last child, a young boy of possibly eight, out of the cages, all of the children ran to him, wrapping their arms around him in a tight hug, all crying and weeping. 

Tubbo just smiled at his friend affectionately. "You're popular," He joked.

Ranboo smiled back. "Tell me about it. What have you got?"

This put a dampener on the shorter ones' mood. He sighed and looked back at the desks and walls. "Nothing. This group's organising is hidden in so many layers of code; it's just impossible to sort!"

"Oh..." The enderman stood, all the children clinging to his legs and tail as he struggled to make his way over. "Well, we don't have time to look now. If you've got the photos, we can check them at home."

"Yeah," Tubbo's shoulders slumped. "I've never been this stumped before..."

"I know," Ranboo said, rubbing his back. "We'll figure it out soon."

Tubbo opened his mouth to say something but stopped, frowning and touching a finger to his comms-device in his ear. Although Ranboo couldn't exactly see it, he knew his friend had paled suddenly and watched as Tubbo began to fumble for his wings.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Trains- train sounds," Tubbo managed to say through the panic. Ranboo's tail puffed up as Tubbo turned to stare at him. "We've gotta go."