Chapter 1: A Plus

James Neutron and Cynthia Vortex The Final Battle Summer vacation. For most kids in most towns, this beloved phrase brings to mind visits to the beach, days spent in cold movie theaters, and nights playing video games with their friends. Unfortunately, we're not most kids and Retroville isn't most towns. We thought this past summer would be the time of our lives. How we were wrong. It started similar to many others before it. Trips to Egypt to visit our friend's ancestral tomb, visiting the island where the two of us truly realized we might one day be more than friends, and reluctantly following our friend Sheen to the newest Ultralord movie. Perhaps we were more nostalgic than summers past, perhaps we had some inkling that there was a good chance it would be our last. But all we know for sure is that what began as a fun and innocent respite from school eventually turned into the most dangerous adventure of our lives. It was the last day of summer vacation when things fell apart. We decided to travel to the moon for one last trip before school started once more. We packed a lunch, brought some clubs for a little low-gravity golf, and intended to just spend our last day of freedom relaxing amongst friends. How quickly it turned to hell. Our old nemesis, billionaire Eustace Strych, launched an attack. Over a dozen highly armed robotic soldiers were advancing across the barren lunar wasteland to kill us. We grabbed the pulse rifle kept in the rocket for emergencies and slowly whittled them down, one by one. We managed to disarm and defeat Strych, but not before our friend Libby was shot in the leg. We rushed back to Earth and tried to find her help, but it quickly became apparent that there wasn't a single adult soul in town. Even worse, some sort of electrically charged force field had sealed us inside the town, preventing communications or people from leaving Retroville. There was only one explanation for what was going on. The Yolkians had returned to Earth and kidnapped our parents. For two weeks we prepared to take our parents back. We fixed Libby's leg and informed all of the town's children what was going on. We gathered food, water, medicine, and controversially, guns. We created ships capable of reaching Yolkus and set about finding a way to disable the force field that surrounded our town. At long last, we were ready to rescue our parents once again. An advance force which we led was sent ahead of the main battle group to disable the force field. We all activated our electromagnetic pulses, but they didn't fire. As we hurtled towards the sizzling wall that represented certain death, a miracle happened. The force field vanished for just a moment and powered back on as soon as the last ship had passed. The advance force had made

it through, and the force field's power had dropped enough to allow communications with the remainder of our forces on Earth. It was our first real stroke of luck, but also our first inkling that something wasn't right about this adventure. The odds of the force field deactivating and coming back online at that moment were beyond astronomical. This could only mean that the Yolkians hadn't kidnapped our parents for some religious sacrifice, but were using them as bait for a trap. Still, we were sealed out of Retroville and our parents were still kidnapped, so we had no choice but to press on. We soon landed on an asteroid we had designated as Little Boy and took stock of our situation. We had left behind a great deal of our supplies, but we still had enough to accomplish our objective. We had one hundred and thirty-seven people amongst our ranks. More than half had been left behind on Earth. They would assist Libby, who had stayed behind due to her injury, in helping us navigate through space and locate our parents. For a few days things went according to plan. Nick Dean, coolest kid in school, became one of our closest friends and best assets as he taught us how to fight and use guns. We prepared Little Boy to be used as a weapon by using our rockets to alter its path towards Yolkus. We planned to destroy the part of the planet that our parents didn't reside on with an asteroid strike and thus cause chaos on the ground, giving us an opportunity to sneak in and save our parents. But as usual, things eventually fell apart. Little Boy passed through an asteroid belt and was pelted by smaller rocks. We all scrambled onboard the three largest ships, knowing that only Nick and ourselves would be able to safely pilot us through the field of swirling rocks. Sheen bravely decided to gather whatever supplies he could and fly his own smaller ship through the asteroid belt. We didn't realize until we had made it through that Sheen was stranded somewhere amidst the ocean of asteroids. In what was the toughest decision of our lives, we realized we had to leave him behind. There was no way our ships could handle another pass through the asteroid belt, and we couldn't jeopardize dozens of lives for one, no matter how important that one was. We pressed on and briefly landed on the planet Minerva to figure out how we could still rescue our parents. We were depressed, heartbroken. We had almost no supplies, only three ships, less than half the people we'd planned on bringing, we'd just lost a friend, and to top it all off, we learned that our parents were being held on a Yolkian cruiser instead of a planet. This would make sneaking up on their location decidedly more difficult. In the end, we did what we always did. We pressed on, knowing that we had no choice but to try to save our parents. It didn't take long to reach the cruiser. Cindy and I went onboard first. We knew that we would either be captured or killed, but we hoped to make a small dent in their forces and, more importantly, make the Yolkians believe that the two of us had come alone. We'd hoped that this would give Nick and his much larger team the element of surprise. Once onboard the cruiser, we were shocked to find not the hundreds or thousands of soldiers that we expected, but only a few dozen armed Yolkians. It was the toughest fight of our lives, but we managed to disable or kill most of the soldiers onboard the ship. We reached King Goobot's chambers, but a contingent of highly trained guards engaged us before we could get any answers out of him.

It took all the skill and luck we had to defeat those guards. In the end, though, we were victorious. We called for Nick and his team to join us on the ship. By the time they arrived, the elevator that Goobot had escaped through was hacked and we moved in after him. We cornered him, interrogated him, and ultimately killed him. He used his last words to plead innocence to the kidnappings, but they weren't heeded until some sort of knockout gas was released through the ship's ventilation system. Once we awoke, we finally realized that Goobot had told the truth. He had been framed for the attacks by Eustace Strych. We thought it was the end of the line. We were tied up, badly wounded, and unarmed. We would have all died aboard that ship if it weren't for Sheen. Somehow, someway, the friend who we had always underestimated had managed to survive a crash landing, hijack a passing Yolkian mining vessel, and locate us. He shot Eustace, but not before the sadistic billionaire squeezed off a round and gravely wounded one of us. In the end, it wasn't cold logic that did Eustace in. He wasn't killed to prevent him from destroying more lives. He was killed out of anger, out of a need for revenge, out of the pain he caused when he tried to destroy the relationship we had just formed. And so he died and we lived. We found our parents, used the controls on Eustace's body to disable the force field, and returned home. Home. For so long up in space it seemed like we would never see it again. Yet here we all are. Every single one of us is back home and safe. Our parents are back. Our injuries are nearly healed. And as the days go by, we steadfastly return to the life we once had. Because, in the end, that is what we have always done. And if necessary, it's what we will always do. We'll press on. Teacher's Comments You two did an absolutely amazing job. A+'s for both of you. Nearly everyone in this class wrote about the kidnappings, but no one did nearly as good a job of explaining things as you two, and they certainly didn't do so in such a captivating and succinct way. I am proud of both of you and look forward to being your teacher. And of course, as I have said to all of my students, my pride in you goes far beyond your writing abilities. You all risked your lives to save not only your parents, but adults like me who you've never met. You are all brave, mature, and wise beyond your years, and you have my heartfelt gratitude. I still find it curious that I had to wait until you turned in your paper to find out exactly what happened to me. From the time I was knocked out in my bedroom to when you rescued me in that space prison, I can recall nothing. I still don't understand how the government seems not to care about this alien business, not to mention that this city has children who routinely fly off into space and are more than capable of forming a lethal army. Ah well. Perhaps it is best not to question these things. I'm sorry for getting off track there. Again, you both will get top marks for this paper and I look forward to spending the year with you. And remember, if you ever need to talk about anything you went through, don't hesitate to come to me or our school psychologist. I can't imagine what you two have been through, even after reading about it. Your teacher and friend,

Ms. Creek

Chapter 2: Lunar Solace

The silence was the first thing that Nick noticed. As soon as he and Jimmy cleared Earth's atmosphere and entered the vacuum of space, the thunderous whooshing of the wind ceased. As Jimmy silently manned the Strato XM's controls, Nick tried to steady his trembling right hand and keep what little food was in his stomach from coming up. It's been nearly a month since I've been in space. He gave a tiny smile in spite of his nerves. How many children in the world could think that sentence and mean it? He allowed himself a moment to savor this joy, but then quickly shook his head and gave a deep sigh. "You okay?" Jimmy asked while cocking his head over his shoulder. Nick stared at his friend for a moment before giving a tiny nod. Jimmy nodded back and turned forward. Nick watched silently as Jimmy drummed his fingers against the Strato XM's steering wheel. "I think this flies smoother than the XL," Jimmy continued as he continued to stare at the empty space in front of him. The moon was still little more than a small circle against the vastness of space. The ride wouldn't be too long, but it wasn't instantaneous either. "I didn't really add any upgrades to the XL's design. That thing was over three years old, though. I guess it was time to let it go." Nick didn't respond as he noticed the sadness lacing Jimmy's words. Nick had known Jimmy for over three years, but he'd barely spoken to him until less than two months ago. Their friendship had been forged in the heat of battle. Even though it had been nearly a month since they had returned home, the two still remained close. Maybe they didn't see each other or hang out every day like Jimmy did with Cindy and the rest of his friends, but Nick still felt a deep connection to Jimmy. Jimmy had trusted him to lead the town's children into battle, to make sure they got home alive. He'd believed in Nick when he hadn't believed in himself. "It flies good," Nick finally responded while clenching his trembling hand into a fist. Nick took a deep breath, but made sure it was quieter than his last sigh. He stared at the distant stars and at the moon which was slowly creeping closer. After a few seconds he glanced over the side of the rocket and stared at the bright red letters painted across its hull. Strato XM. Nick knew that it had pained Jimmy to lose his beloved rocket in the asteroid belt that had nearly stolen their lives. He had begun construction on this new ship as soon as the first day of school ended. Jimmy had just finished the final touches on it yesterday and had asked Nick to accompany him on its maiden voyage. Nick had agreed. The pair flew in silence for several minutes until Jimmy slowed the rocket. "Coming in for a landing," he monotonously said. The rocket's speed continued to rapidly decrease as the ship descended. "Hang on to something," he instructed Nick.

Nick took head of Jimmy's words and gripped the door beside him. He lurched upwards and forwards once the ship touched down on the moon's surface. The rocket skidded to a halt after a few dozen meters. Jimmy gave a little nod and unclipped his seat belt. "Alright, looks like we're pretty close. Let's get started." Nick nodded and unbuckled his seat belt. He cracked his neck and his knuckles before placing a hand on the top of the door and jumping over it. Jimmy opened his and stepped onto the barren white ground. The two young men looked at each other for a moment before staring ahead. "How close did we get?" Nick asked as he and Jimmy started to walk away from the ship. Jimmy turned his new hypercube around in his right hand while answering. "Closer than I'd hoped. It's hard to tell exactly where anything is on the moon. Everything looks pretty much the same." Nick felt his hand start to tremble once more. He glanced down at it nervously. The nausea in the pit of his stomach returned with newfound intensity. He spun around and looked in every direction, searching for any sign of trouble. His breathing came more rapidly, and he felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He'd hoped that he would hold out longer than this, but he couldn't wait anymore. There was only thing that would ease his troubled mind, assure him that he would be safe on this barren rock. Nick reached his trembling hand towards his back and pulled a pistol out of his waistband. It was nothing fancy, a basic nine millimeter. It was the only gun of his father's that hadn't been lost in space. Nick had taken it out of his father's gun case a few days after they'd gotten back. Nick knew it was only a matter of time until he was caught and grounded, but it was the only thing that put his mind at ease. Jimmy had seen Nick reach for something near his back, but he had had no idea that Nick would produce a gun. He stared at it for a second in shock, and then immediately stopped in his tracks and looked away in disgust. He brought a hand to his forehead and squeezed hard to stop the memories from coming back. It didn't work. The images raced through his mind in an instant. Libby's leg dripping blood on a makeshift surgery table. Jimmy emptying rounds into Yolkian guards. Goobot's one remaining eye widened in terror as Jimmy grabbed his brain. Eustace Strych lying in a growing puddle of his own blood, clutching the bullet wound in his back. The fearless, antagonizing look on his face. And lastly, the image that haunted him more than any other; the quick glimpse of what remained of Eustace's lifeless head. "It's for protection," Nick's words breached his ears as that last image raced through Jimmy's mind. Jimmy narrowed his eyes in anger and spun around. He clenched his hand into a fist and stared up into Nick's sad eyes. "Why? Why would you bring that?" He shouted. Nick opened his mouth to speak, but Jimmy wasn't done. "How did you even get that, Nick?"

"We need it," Nick said weakly. Jimmy was about to chastise him more, but the pain in Nick's voice stopped him. Jimmy shook his head and took a slow, deep breath. The images in his mind faded from memory, and Jimmy felt himself calming down. "Just put it away, Nick. We're safe here. We're fine." Nick hesitated for a second before finally giving a tiny nod and tucking the pistol back into his waistband. The boys stared at each other for a few more seconds before continuing on their walk. Two minutes went by before Jimmy decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "Nick, you don't need a gun. We're safe here. There's nothing on the moon." "Better safe than sorry. Isn't that what we always used to say?" Nick asked. The pain and weakness in his voice was gone. Despite the myriad of reasons why he should feel sick up in space, he felt himself calming down. Maybe it was coming back to the place where everything had started. Maybe accompanying Jimmy on this trip would give him some closure and let his troubled mind rest. Jimmy didn't have much to say to that. He was relieved to see that they had reached their destination. "This is it," he said while giving the hypercube a little squeeze. He pulled out a bottle of water and tossed it to Nick. Nick caught it and cracked it open. "So this is where it all started." The two boys stared at the empty battlefield in front of them. Bits of stray wire and electric components littered the ground for a few hundred meters into the distance. Motionless robotic droids littered the landscape. And nearly half a kilometer away, barely visible from where they stood, rested a tiny steel shed. Now it was Nick's turn to take the lead. He took a few steps forward and stared down at the ground. He got down on one knee and examined a few drops of dried blood, perfectly preserved on the windless moon. "I thought Libby got hit farther ahead. Did a bullet graze one of you?" Jimmy looked down at the red liquid and then at the rock outcropping a few meters ahead of him. "No. When the droids first opened fire, they were hundreds of meters away. They had no chance of hitting us. We took cover over there," Jimmy explained while pointing at the outcropping. "We rushed over, and Carl tripped and skinned his knee." The situation may have been dire, but the memory still brought a tiny smile to Jimmy's face. Carl was the last person who should have been in a firefight. Still, he had to hand it to his best friend. He may have been terrified, but he hadn't cried or gotten injured. Nick got back on his feet and handed Jimmy the bottle of water. Jimmy took a few sips as they continued strolling across the battlefield. They rarely stopped to stare. They just walked slowly and Nick paid avid attention as Jimmy pointed out various objects of interest.

"That's the first droid we took out. I wasted nearly a whole magazine taking it down. By that time we had decided to move ahead, try to meet the robots head on. We didn't want them getting too close to us and destroying our ship," Jimmy explained while pointing down at the nearest robot. "That's where Cindy took the pulse rifle from me," Jimmy motioned at a crater nearly ten meters wide. "We jumped in there before moving to the next pile of rocks. Cindy just snatched it out of my hands, gave it a quick look over, and started shooting. Before I could even respond, she'd taken out one of the soldiers." Jimmy smiled once more as he remembered Cindy's actions. He hadn't expected her to just grab the gun from him. In spite of the danger, he'd been paralyzed by her beauty for a split second as she scowled, found a line of sight, and squeezed the trigger. Anger at her actions quickly replaced that feeling, followed by a grumble of respect. "We took turns with the gun after that. When our hands got cramped from pulling the trigger or we started to miss too many shots, the other would take over. We nearly ran out of ammo, but we made it." Jimmy and Nick finally stopped as they came across a puddle of blood much larger than any they had yet to see. A trail of drops led to a nearby boulder. "This is where she got hit," Jimmy sadly said. Nick stared at the blood for a moment before taking a seat on the ground beside it. Jimmy followed suit and threw the empty bottle of water into his hypercube. He pulled another bottle out along with a couple of protein bars. He handed Nick one and opened his. "It looks bad," Nick told Jimmy while taking a bite of his meager snack. His voice didn't sound pained anymore. Now that his nausea had faded, he finally felt how empty his stomach was. He hadn't eaten a thing all day; he'd been too nervous about flying into space with Jimmy. Jimmy stared at the puddle a little longer and then met Nick's gaze. "It could have been a lot worse. The bullet went straight through. It didn't hit any arteries or do any permanent damage. It looks like she lost more blood than she actually did." The boys sat in silence for a few moments as they finished their snack and water. Nick screwed the cap back onto the empty plastic bottle and pointed at the nearby shed. "And that's where he was? Eustace?" Jimmy nodded. He thought back to how Eustace had nearly killed him, how it was Cindy who had saved his life with a well-aimed shot from a flare gun. He remembered the blast of heat washing over him and seeing Eustace scrambling to put out the flames on his clothes. More than anything, though, he remembered how he had felt when forced to pull the trigger on his pulse rifle. He hadn't known that the clip was empty. In that moment, it felt like the trigger weighed a thousand pounds. He'd thought he was about to extinguish a life with the simple twitch of a finger. If I'd only known

"Hard to believe none of this shit would have happened if you'd killed him here," Nick interrupted Jimmy's thoughts. Nick's words took hold of Jimmy immediately. He felt partly confused, partly angry, and fully shocked. He glared at Nick and opened his mouth to speak, but Nick warded off his words with a shameful glance at the ground. "I'm sorry," he quickly muttered. "I didn't mean that" "Forget it," Jimmy shot back while picking himself up and strolling the few feet towards the boulder he had dragged Libby behind. He roughly slid his palm down the uneven rock and stared at the white lines it left on his skin. He knew that Nick had meant no harm. Any anger he'd felt towards his friend had rapidly been turned towards himself. He closed his eyes and took an uneven breath. Jimmy knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that everything he had put his friends through was his fault. He had failed to realize that the Yolkians weren't behind the attacks. He had led his friends into a trap that he knew was baited for him. Eustace may have been a sadistic madman, but Jimmy had been unable to shake their conversation aboard the Yolkian cruiser. "Even when you thought it was the Yolkians that had taken your parents, you knew that you were the main target. You discussed it with that Dean boy. So why did you take all of those other kids with you?" Even with a month to ponder that question over, Jimmy had failed to come up with a good answer. His friends may have all made it home alive, but they hadn't come out unscathed. Sheen had nearly died alone on an asteroid. A dozen kids had received broken limbs in the asteroid belt. Cindy had barely survived her gunshot wound. Not to mention the Yolkians they had all killed. They may have kidnapped their parents before, but did they deserve to die? So many had suffered because of him. And that's just the pain you can see, Jimmy thought while spinning around to see Nick walking over to him. His friend was strong and brave, but he couldn't hide what their adventure had done to him. He was scarred from what they had been through. Jimmy had noticed the tremors in his hand and the weakness that sometimes showed in his voice. Not to mention that he couldn't come on this trip without bringing a gun. Jimmy let go of the rock and stood up straight as Nick approached him. Nick hesitated before he spoke, and Jimmy wondered what his friend would say to try to absolve him of his sins. A second passed, and Nick finally gave a half smile and silently handed Jimmy the empty water bottle. Jimmy took it and tossed it into the hypercube. He was grateful for the silence. "You good?" Nick finally asked. Jimmy nodded, and Nick gave a quick look around. "So, is this where we'll put it?"

Jimmy cracked his neck and took a quick breath to rid himself of his guilt. He'd deal with it another time. "This is as good as any," he answered while taking a few steps away from the boulder and kneeling on the ground. Nick followed suit as Jimmy pulled what looked like a large steel box out of his hypercube. Jimmy began pressing buttons and staring at the small monitor on the box as Nick looked on. "Jimmy?" He asked. "What?" Jimmy half-heartedly muttered while turning a few dials and scowling at the monitor. "Why didn't you want Cindy to come with you up here?" The mention of Cindy brought another small smile to Jimmy's face. "I did. She's at the doctor's to see if she can finally get out of that wheelchair." He looked to Nick, unable to keep his excitement to himself. "And you're not worried about getting the cold treatment for not being with her?" Nick joked. For the first time since they landed, the two of them felt something other than despair. Jimmy's smiled faded as quickly as it had come. Nick noticed his eyes sadden as he turned his attention back to the device on the ground. "I'd like to be. Her mom's with her right now. She doesn't really know about me and Cindy yet." Nick was surprised. "It's been a month since we came back. You guys haven't told her mom yet?" Jimmy shook his head. "Mrs. Vortex isn't my biggest fan." Nick wished to learn more, but a hole suddenly opened on the top of Jimmy's invention. A long metal rod slowly extended two meters into the air and expanded into a satellite dish. Nick was reminded of a flower blooming as he watched the device activate. Jimmy pressed a few more buttons, and a noticeable hum was heard as a series of small lights on the box flickered to life. "It's online," Jimmy said giving the device a look over. "That's it?" Nick asked in surprise. He hadn't expected the process to be that simple. "That's it," Jimmy said while pressing a few more buttons. The device seemed to shift a little, and Jimmy got to his feet. "What was that?" Nick asked while standing up. "It just anchored itself to the ground," Jimmy explained. He nudged the device with his foot, but it didn't move. He pulled a small data pad out of the hypercube and stared at it. "My lab's receiving the signal. It's all set."

Jimmy slipped the data pad back into his hypercube and stared at Nick. "Now we'll know if anything is approaching Earth." Jimmy gave a tiny smile and rolled the hypercube around in his palm. "Let's get back to the rocket." Nick followed Jimmy as they began the trek back to the Strato XM. The walk back was silent and seemed to last twice as long as it actually did. It was obvious what needed to be said, but neither one could bring themselves to say it. It wasn't until Jimmy had wordlessly lifted off of the lunar surface that Nick finally spoke. "We didn't put that detector there just to be safe," Nick began. He noticed Jimmy's grip on the steering wheel tighten. "It's not just to see if an asteroid will collide with Earth." Nick gulped and wrapped his hands around the pistol digging into his back. "You think they're coming for us." Jimmy wasn't sure what to say. He felt burdened by the thought that had tortured his mind since he had typed up the essay that he and Cindy had written. Sitting alone in his room, typing up the details of their adventure, the realization had finally come over him. He hadn't wanted to tell anyone, he'd been too worried about causing a panic in case he was wrong. He'd decided to bring Nick with him to install the detector. He'd lied and said that it was just a safety precaution in case an asteroid was headed towards Earth or some other crazy unforeseen incident happened. Just a little project he was working on to keep busy. That's what he'd told Nick. What he'd told himself was that he'd invited Nick along for the company. Yet he knew that he had wanted Nick to figure out the reason they had gone to the moon. He'd wanted to share the burden which kept him awake at night. But he'd been too much of a coward to just tell him. He'd left it up to Nick to figure it out. And he had. "I'm not sure if they are," Jimmy finally answered. He nervously swallowed and drummed his fingers over the steering wheel. "I'm not sure," he repeated. "When did you realize it wasn't over?" Nick asked. "A week ago," Jimmy answered. "When I was writing that essay I told you about. Thinking about when I killed Goobot, how I was afraid that he might send out a distress call to his home world, it made me realize that they must have learned by now exactly what happened to him." Jimmy took a deep breath and spun around to face Nick. "When did you realize it?" "Last night," Nick quietly answered. "I'd actually thought of it a couple of days before that, but I didn't think I was right until you said we were going to install that thing up here." Nick paused, and then asked, "Do the others know?" Jimmy shook his head. "Not even Cindy?" Nick asked, surprised that he was the only other one who had thought of the danger they faced. "She's been preoccupied," Jimmy defended his girlfriend. "She's had school and physical therapy to worry about." They sat in silence as the moon grew smaller behind them and the Earth seemed to loom over them. "We killed their king," Nick solemnly said. "They won't just take that lying down. They're

coming for us." He clenched his hands into fists and felt his stomach tie itself into knots. "We're not wrong." Jimmy didn't know what to say. If the Yolkians did come, there was little they could do. Earth had no orbital defenses, no means of protecting the planet from an alien attack. All the Yolkians would have to do was park their ships in Earth's orbit and destroy the planet from the sky. Jimmy had tried to think of how he could defend their planet, but what could he do? I could come up with a design for something to put around the planet, something to keep it safe. But to actually build something of that size; to create a complete orbital defense system? The money, the time it would take, not to mention that there's no way I could do that without the government noticing. It's impossible. So as Jimmy and Nick reentered Earth's atmosphere, sitting in silence along with their thoughts, Jimmy tried to convince himself that he was wrong. That the Yolkians would not learn how their king died, or that they would not come for revenge. Yet deep down, he knew that he and Nick were right. He knew that the Yolkians would not just accept the death of their king. He knew they would come, and he knew it would be soon. And as he looked in Nick's eyes and held his gaze, he knew that the two of them shared the same thought. And when they come, Earth will fall.

Chapter 3: Call To Arms

Barak sighed in deep despair as yet another Yolkian shoved him hard as it tried to move forward. I hate crowds, he dejectedly thought while lifting his eyes off of the ground and staring at the apparently endless sea of Yolkians surrounding him. Crowds. That might be the understatement of the cycle. In every direction that Barak looked, he could see nothing except exultant Yolkian as far as his eyes could see. The steady stream of cheering and screaming turned into a deafening roar as the head of the Yolkian council finally appeared on the stage standing thirty feet above the crowd. Normally a creature of a very composed manner, even the councilor couldn't help but grin as he motioned for the crowd to be quiet. Barak found this task easier than most. "Citizens of Yolkus, heed my words. It has been a tremendously difficult time for all of us since the passing of our old king, Lord Goobot V," the councilor loudly spoke to the tens of thousands of Yolkians crammed into the coronation chamber. For the first time, the crowd did not respond in uniformity. Barak took a keen interest in this. Some Yolkians seemed truly saddened by the loss of their old king. Barak saw many of his fellow citizens stare at the ground, cover their visors with their hands, and even allow their shells to touch the ground in an act of despair. Others seemed indifferent to the councilor's words, and

still others appeared to actually be hiding smiles. Finally realizing that he may not be the only sane Yolkian in existence, Barak allowed himself a tiny grin as well. "It has been an arduous task for this council to decide on a new ruler of this great land. The lack of a direct heir proved a difficult obstacle, but we have overcome it." Barak did not doubt the councilor's words. It was practically unheard of for a king to die and leave no living heir. The first action of most kings was to sire a son to continue the royal bloodline. Though Goobot had reigned for some time, he had never fathered any children, nor did he have any relatives close enough to make a claim for the throne. For the first time in hundreds of cycles, the council had had to decide amongst themselves which one of them would become king. The councilor blinked slowly and deliberately as he took a quiet breath. "The members of the advisory council, myself included, have discussed this matter for some time, and we have finally chosen Goobot's successor. I humbly call upon our Veras Conone to claim his crown." A large hole appeared on the stage, and the king was lifted up on a platform from below. As soon as his ornate shell crested the stage, the crowd burst into a frenzied applause once more. Even though he had been expecting this, Barak still recoiled in shock at the sheer volume and intensity of the crowd's cries. He manually turned down his shell's audio collection system before his brain ached. Worse than the crowd's frenzied scream was the anxiety coiling in his stomach. As Barak finally laid eyes on his new king, he felt his right eye begin to twitch in concern. Barak had hated Goobot, but at least he had understood the king. This new king, this Veras, was a complete mystery to him. All Barak knew was that he was a relative newcomer to the advisory council. His ascension to the throne was no doubt due to some backhanded scheming and dealing with the members of the council. Barak knew nothing of his political alignment or plans for the Yolkian race. The platform carrying Veras finally came to a halt, and Veras moved towards the councilor. Barak paid close attention to this new king. He moved at a moderate pace and stared the councilor straight in the eyes as he hovered towards him. Even from the middle of the giant coronation chamber, Barak could tell that Veras exuded confidence and regality. The councilor slowly allowed his robotic shell to hover higher off of the stage. He pressed a button on his shell, and a small port opened to reveal the sparkling royal crown. The council grabbed the headpiece with both hands and gently placed it on top of Veras' visor. It was official. Yolkus had a new king. The crowd erupted into deadening cheers once more. Veras stared silently out into the center of the crowd, seeming to meet Barak's gaze. Barak began to wither under his intense stare. As King Veras raised one hand in an attempt to silence the masses, Barak felt that he could maintain the king's piercing gaze no longer. Finally, Veras dropped his hand and spoke one word. "Humans."

The king spoke slowly but powerfully. There was another pause as the crowd became truly silent and leaned forward in anticipation of what the king might say next. Barak took in a nervous breath and let out a shaky sigh. That one word was enough to cement his concerns. He felt his heart break and the pain in his stomach grow tenfold as he stared at the king. Veras' emotionless faade broke as a deep scowl took over his face. "It is time, my fellow Yolkians, that we truly discuss this word and what it means for our race." Veras blinked his eyes and scanned the crowd. Everyone seemed to be hanging on his every word, and he noticed traces of anger welling up within them. Veras clenched his hands in anger around the railing that surrounded the stage. "Poultra is our lord, and the humans are nothing except food for this almighty god. This is their only role, this is their only destiny. Yet they have failed in their task. And what have they done instead?" King Veras spun swiftly around and made a swiping motion along his wrist. Instantly, a greentinted hologram appeared in front of him. He pressed several buttons on the hologram, and the three large video monitors behind the stage sprang to life. Various clips from old security footage began to play. Yolkian ships were engulfed by a solar flare. Human children engaged Yolkian soldiers in the sacrificial arena. The same children, slightly older, battled more soldiers aboard Goobot's private vacation vessel. These and other similar images played silently on the screens as King Veras continued his speech. "These vermin have done nothing but bring our empire shame and destruction. They freed the sacrificial crop. They have killed our soldiers. They have slain our god!" Veras paused as he pressed another button on his wrist's hologram. The three screens began to play the same video. One of the children with oddly shaped brown hair cornered King Goobot. Everyone in the crowd gasped as the footage began to play. They all had heard that their old king had been murdered by a human, but the security footage sent by the hijacked vessel had never been publicly revealed. They watched in silent horror as the human sent his hand flying into the King's body, gripped his brain, and yanked it out. "And they have killed our king!" Veras angrily shouted at the crowd as Goobot's brain was pulled from his body. The crowd erupted in gasps of shock, cries of horror, and shouts of unbridled rage. Only Barak was silent as he touched a trembling hand to his visor and stared at the ground. "These humans are nothing but animals. Dangerous animals perhaps, but still vermin suitable only as sacrifices for our lord." The screens showed footage of Earth as Veras went on. "Look at their pitiful civilization. Examine their pathetic, unarmored bodies." The footage being played shifted once more to a rapid-fire series of clips from various human wars. "And scowl at how they fight one another, from across fields, nations, and oceans! They feel no shame for their cowardice, for killing from such a distance that they cannot even see their foe!" Barak glanced around him once more, and he worried that the crowd was beyond controlling. Every Yolkian was screaming curses at the humans, raising their fists in the sky, begging for blood in exchange for their slain king. The pain in Barak's stomach became unbearable. There

was no reason for the king to say all of this unless he was about to do the unspeakable. Barak silently begged that he might be wrong. "The humans are cowardly vermin, and their infestation upon this galaxy shall be wiped clean. Today, all of Yolkus declares war upon humanity. Tomorrow, we set off to destroy their planet!" The words were confirmation of Barak's greatest fear. As he listened to his fellow Yolkians roar in approval at this senseless bloodlust, he was overcome with disgust at his species and fear for the humans. Before he could control himself, he flew above the rest of the crowd and shouted a single word as loud as he possibly could. "NO!" Barak roared louder than he thought he possibly could. As soon as the word escaped his shell, time seemed to slow down. The anxiety in his stomach disappeared for just a moment, and then slammed back hard enough to nearly make him topple over. His eyes widened in shock and fear, and his whole body trembled as the crowd rapidly pushed themselves away from him. He focused his gaze just in time to see King Veras staring him dead in the eyes. King Veras was a very composed Yolkian, but even he found it extraordinarily difficult to keep from recoiling in shock at what had just inspired. He narrowed his eyes in fury as he glared at the trembling Yolkian. The sea of Yolkians in the coronation chamber rippled as everyone scrambled to get as far away from the heretic as possible. In the blink of an eye, a trio of elite Yolkian guards had burst through the crowd and faced the dissenter. Two of them grabbed his arms and slammed him to the ground. The third extended his spear with the flick of a wrist and held it against the Yolkian's visor, right in line with its brain. The guard glanced towards the king for the confirmation to kill, but King Veras slowly raised his right arm up and made a quick motion to the right. Without question, the guard holding the spear touched it to Barak's shell, pressed a button on the weapon's shaft, and pulled his weapon back as the Yolkian was immediately shocked into unconsciousness.

"Awaken!" An unknown voice shouted at Barak. "What?" Barak struggled to ask as he tried to steady his shaking vision. He went to lift an arm to his visor, but realized that his hands were shackled together. He wondered why he felt so cold, and then realized that the glass portion of his shell had been forcible retracted. A large Yolkian guard held an electrically charged dagger directly against his green body, right between the eye stalks. The slightest movement downwards would pierce his brain. The guard floated around Barak until he was behind the heretic. The blade never moved an inch from between Barak's eye stalks. "Move, heretic," the guard gruffly said while pushing Barak into a large, ornately decorated room. Barak's eyes widened in shock and fear as he saw King Veras look up from a desk and stare at him. King Veras slowly flew over to Barak and looked him over. He then pulled back and motioned the guard away. "Leave us."

The guard had clearly not been expecting this. He stared back at the king and asked, "My lord?" King Veras' temper began to flare as he snapped, "Do you know my service record?" The guard slowly nodded. "Do you doubt my ability to protect myself against a lone dissident?" The guard glanced down at the floor and shook his shell in response. "Then leave us!" The guard immediately released Barak and flew backwards out of the room, never taking his eyes off the floor. Barak glanced behind him as the Yolkian exited, shocked at seeing the new king's temper flare. He turned around to see King Veras holding a sizzling dagger to his right eye. "Scream and die," the king calmly muttered while squeezing Barak's stalk with his free hand. His usual stoic demeanor had returned. "I hate screaming." Barak gave a tiny nod in response. "Let us get one thing straight between us, heretic," the king continued while pressing the dagger slightly forward. Barak's eye twitched and he struggled not to scream as the tip of the knife gently pressed against his pupil. His eye began to sizzle slightly from the electric shock. "I am your king. You shall show me the respect I deserve. You shall not disobey my orders. You shall treat me as the divine agent that I am. Do you understand, Barak?" Barak was shocked that the king knew his name. He wished to nod in understanding, but he didn't want to damage his eye. He merely whispered, "Yes, my lord." King Veras didn't smile, but the answer seemed to please him. Barak flew a foot backward as the king released his eye stalk and placed the knife back into the metal holster on his side. Barak rubbed his eye stalk gently as he got a good look at the king. Veras hovered before him looking even more regal than before. The ruby-adorned crown rested in the center of the top of his visor. Ornate purple gloves speckled with ruby dust covered his metallic hands. A small metal holster for his dagger was attached to his right side, no doubt due to some magnetic attraction. A similar holster on his left side held a golden plasma pistol. The king stood with a confidence and determination that Goobot never had. If Barak did not despise this new king so, he might be impressed. Any loathing that he felt, however, was taking backseat to fear at the moment. I cannot believe that I am still alive, Barak thought as the king stared intently at him. He began to feel the stirrings of relief, but this rapidly away as Barak realized the only reason why the king had spared his life in the coronation chamber. "Am I" Barak gulped and tried to stop his right eye from twitching in fear. "To be publicly executed?" King Veras stoically finished Barak's statement. The king let the question hang in the air for an excruciating moment before finally waving the question away with a raise of his hand. "No." Barak felt the fear slowly drain away. He waited a moment before asking, "Then why am I alive?"

The king slowly flew away from Barak and sat back down on the throne that lay behind his desk. He stared at Barak, who simply hovered several yards in front of him. "You are Barak Neroma, yes?" Barak slowly nodded in response. "Then you are very lucky that Councilman Thimitch values you so." Barak immediately was filled with adoration for his employer. Barak had always felt estranged from his fellow Yolkians. He had never shared in their love for combat, their gloating sense of superiority due to the technological advances that their empire held dear. It was this sense of alienation that drove him to focus his schooling on the oft-ridiculed subject of alien studies. He had become fascinated by learning whatever he could about the galaxy's various races. Though over a dozen sentient species had been discovered by the Yolkians, all were dismissed as being primitive animals. Barak had only finished his schooling a little more than five cycles ago, but his passion for the subject had caught the eye of Councilman Thimitch. Thimitch was one of the older members of the council. One of his creations had been the ARC, or Alien Research Committee. It was little more than a joke to most Yolkians. Whenever Council expenditures needed to be reined in, the ARC was always the first committee to take a hit. Thimitch had publicly formed the committee to gain useful data on other species in case it was ever deemed necessary to go to war against them. After noticing Barak's love for the work and respect for other species, the councilman had confided in Barak that he had actually formed the committee out of a rare belief that other species were worthy of interest. Barak had become close friends with Councilman Thimitch, although he was still curious as to why Thimitch had risked his life to ask the king to spare Barak's. He was even more curious as to why the king had listened. "I am forever grateful to the councilman," Barak finally said to Veras. "As am I," King Veras responded while setting his unsettling gaze upon Barak's eyes. Barak realized that the councilman must have played a role in helping Veras ascend the throne. It appears that luck has sided with me today. The king rose off of his throne once more, and Barak immediately hovered a few inches backwards. "The councilman asked for your life to be spared. I will grant that request." The king edged closer to Barak, and now Barak found himself too frightened to move in spite of the king's relieving words. "But your crime will not be unpunished." The king's steady voice was unnerving Barak as much as his stare. "You not only interrupted my coronation, but questioned my authority. I think that a decade of state-serving labor will suffice." Barak trembled at the king's words. State-serving labor was merely a politically correct way of saying tortuous slave labor. He was about to abandon the last of his self-respect and beg for mercy when the king held up a hand to ward off any words. "But before you go," the king continued, "I find myself curious as to why you would throw your life away to protest the invasion of this human world. Would you care to enlighten me, Barak?"

Barak gulped nervously as the king stared at him with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. Fears of being sent to a labor camp vanished as Barak remembered why he was in this mess. The humans. This is my only chance to save them. Barak would surely never again have the opportunity to directly plead to the king for Earth's survival. He would need to handle this situation perfectly. "My lord," Barak said as strongly as he could while dropping his shell to the ground in a show of respect. He tilted his robotic body forward in a bow and stared at the floor beneath King Veras' hovering shell. "I have studied the humans continuously since we learned of their existence over four cycles ago. Nearly my entire career has been spent learning all that I can about them. And I truly believe that they are not deserving of annihilation." Veras stared down at the pitiful Yolkian in front of him. Barak kept his eyes glued to the floor while waiting for the king's response. Veras noted that his prisoner's glass visor was still retracted. He briefly considered unsheathing his blade and finishing Barak off, but decided against it. I have always been curious about how the mind of a madman works. Veras circled around Barak as the prisoner kept his eyes on the floor. "What reason could you have for believing this? They fight like cowards. They have no technological prowess. They do not acknowledge the divinity of Poultra or this empire. How can you believe the heresies that you spout?" The king's words were steady as always, his demeanor blank and unchanging. Barak clutched his trembling fingers into a fist to keep from showing fear. "My lord, they show indisputable signs of sentience." "Sentience is but the lowest measure of a species' worth," Veras waved off Barak's remark. The king stared at Barak once more, and then grew bored with the conversation. "Their extinction shall commence tomorrow, as will your sentence." Barak lifted his gaze and shouted, "I beg of you, my most divine lord, do not end the lives of billions of sentient beings!" Veras immediately pulled out his knife, tossed it in the air, and caught the blade in his fingers. He cocked his arm back and took aim at Barak's brain. "You dare shout at your king? You dare to question my authority again?" the king shouted. Veras had had enough insolence for one day. His calm demeanor completely vanished as the last of his patience washed away. Barak was taken aback by the king's tone. "My lord," Barak pleaded while sinking back onto the floor and struggling to think of what to say next, "if you shall not heed my concerns about the humans, consider the lives of your soldiers." The words were out before Barak was sure of what they meant. A heavy pounding was heard on the door to the King's chamber. "My king, do you require assistance?" the gruff voice of the guard urgently asked. "I shall handle this personally!" Veras shouted back. "Leave me to it!"

The king flew forward and swiped the dagger across Barak's exposed body. Barak screamed in pain as his shell fell backwards and his body spilled onto the ground. The king angrily hovered over him as Barak writhed in pain. The wound was bad, but not fatal. A long black line of burnt goo was etched across his side. The skin near the mark sizzled from the electricity and heat. Barak felt like his whole right side was on fire. "You dare to threaten my soldiers?" the king roared while twirling the knife and slowly edging towards Barak. "No!" Barak cried out. "I did not mean to threaten, only to warn! Please, your royal majesty!" Barak cried out as tears collected in his eyes from pain and fear. "Hear my words and kill me if they displease you, but please hear them!" The king stopped a foot away from Barak and glared down at his prisoner. "Say them quickly and choose them wisely," the king angrily instructed. Barak moved his eye stalks up and down in lieu of an actual nod. He tried to ignore the pain encompassing the right side of his body. "My lord, I speak with the utmost respect of our race and our soldiers. But the humans have killed us and defeated us at every turn." "Due to Goobot's lack of preparation and tactical prowess," Veras quickly shot back. Barak nodded his eye stalks once more. "Of course, my king. I fully acknowledge that you exceed our old king in every way. I merely wish to point out that the humans have a predilection for surprising victories. Every time that we have fought them, we have lost. Though I am sure you will command our men better, you must acknowledge it is a possibility that more of our soldiers will be lost if we fight them." King Veras scowled at Barak's words. Veras was a seasoned veteran of the Yolkian army and considered the life of every soldier sacred. "Under my command I am sure that we will defeat these vermin with minimal losses." "But still there will be losses," Barak hurriedly continued, speaking twice as fast as he normally would in order to get his words out before Veras lost his patience once more. "I have studied the footage Goobot's vessel sent to us over and over. I believe the humans on that ship did not mean to kill our king, that they were tricked into doing so." "I care not for their motivations, only for their crimes!" Veras shouted. "They will not attack us again, I swear on my soul," Barak pleaded. "My lord, they pose no threat." "Revenge must be inflicted!" Veras shouted back. "Every Yolkian demands it, as do I!"

"This revenge will cost your men lives, I am sure of that!" Barak hurriedly replied. "This Neutron, the one that killed Goobot, he is different than the other humans. He is resourceful, my lord. I truly believe he could harm many of your men." Veras squeezed the handle of his knife so tightly that it nearly snapped. He wished to destroy Barak with every fiber of his being, but he was not willing to risk the lives of any of his soldiers because of his anger. He would hear this Yolkian out. Then he would kill him. "Get in your shell," Veras sternly instructed while sheathing his weapon and gripping Barak by the eye stalks. Barak squealed in pain as Veras roughly dropped the Yolkian into its shell. He hovered a few feet backwards and allowed Barak to regain his balance. "My most sincere thanks, my lord," Barak said in a trembling voice. Keep it together. This is working. Focus, Barak. He took a deep breath as quietly as he could and tried to ignore the burning pain in his side. "Alright, Barak Neroma," King Veras angrily said while sitting on his throne once more. He pressed a button on his desk, and another seat rose out of the floor on the other side of the desk. "Sit and let's discuss this." Barak slowly took a seat on the chair and looked at the king. "My lord, I understand that my views on humanity differ radically from other Yolkians. But I have studied them and I truly think that they do not deserve" "I care nothing about the lives of the humans," Veras angrily interrupted. "Only for the lives of Yolkians. You say we would lose men in the fight against the humans. I have read what the ARC has compiled on them. You yourself wrote that they have no orbital defenses. How would we lose men if we blasted their planet to dust with our cruisers? What say you to that, Neroma?" Barak thought for a moment as the king's eyes bore into him. His mind raced faster than it ever had before. He knew that billions of human lives, as well as his own, depended on him saying just the right things. "My lord, I understand that their ability to travel through space is very limited. This Neutron appears to be the exception. He alone has the knowledge of how to travel any significant distance from their planet. But the other humans, they do have ships capable of short-range space travel. It is conceivable that they could use this to reach your ships and release either weapons or soldiers." King Veras narrowed his eyes in frustration. "We would burn their ships with our cruisers' defense systems before they could reach us." Barak gave a tiny nod in response. "My king, I do not deny that that is very likely. I merely am saying that given the humans' resourcefulness and propensity for luck, it is not inconceivable that they could damage some cruisers." Barak paused for a moment to compose his thoughts once again. "I am not denying that we would win this war. I am not even saying that it would be a close fight. I am merely saying that

there is a risk that we would lose many soldiers in the battle. If a single cruiser was destroyed with a bomb or boarded by soldiers, hundreds or thousands of Yolkians may be lost. It would not be anywhere near the billions that the humans would lose, but it would still be a horrible tragedy. As I have said, I honestly believe that the humans pose no threat to us. They have never gone on the offensive except for when Goobot and his soldiers were killed. And after analyzing the recordings from Goobot's ship and the mining vessel, I believe that it was due to some sort of miscommunication. I do not believe that the humans will ever attempt to fight us if we leave them alone. I merely do not wish for hundreds of Yolkian soldiers to die out of a need for revenge." Veras felt himself calming down as Barak finished speaking. The Yolkian was no longer hysterical or speaking true heresy. "I hear your words, Neroma. But I never was concerned about the humans coming back to attack us. They are merely vermin and must be exterminated. I care not for why they attacked Goobot; I only wish to punish them for it. Every Yolkian on this planet, including myself, calls for their blood in response to his death. I will not deny us that." Barak felt his breathing slow down as the king once again adopted the stoic demeanor that he had displayed during the coronation. "My lord, it is not as though all of humanity was behind these attacks. From what I can tell, Neutron and his allies acted alone. In fact, most of Earth seems oblivious to what has happened. While I understand the call for revenge, I once again stress that this Neutron is not like other humans. If we attack Earth, I am confident that he will come up with some way to hurt us." Barak immediately widened his eyes in fear. "Not defeat us, my lord, but hurt us." King Veras narrowed his eyes in frustration. While he hated to think anything positive about humanity, he was forced to face the truth that this Neutron human had bested the Yolkians no less than three times. A great deal of that could be attributed to Goobot's idiocy, but could all of it be? This Neutron appears to be the humans' greatest weapon. "My lord, I beg of you," Barak slowly spoke, "there must be another way to resolve this." King Veras stared at the Yolkian across from him. This Neroma was a heretic. Though his advice made some sense, his motivations were clearly to protect a race of beasts, not to preserve Yolkian lives. Veras sat in silence for a moment as he pondered Barak's words. It is not as though all of humanity was behind these attacks. This Neutron is not like other humans. I am confident that he will come up with some way to hurt us. King Veras smiled as his mind wrapped itself around a plan. He stared straight into Barak's eyes and slowly muttered, "Perhaps there is."

Chapter 4: First Steps

Nick and Jimmy remained silent as they returned to Retroville. It wasn't until they descended the final few hundred yards that Jimmy warned Nick once more that they were about to land. "Brace for landing," he solemnly told his friend. Both young men steadied themselves as they lurched forwards and upwards. The rocket slowed to a complete stop and came to a rest right in front of Jimmy's lab. "Home sweet home," Nick softly muttered while removing his seatbelt and exiting the rocket. Both boys stood in Jimmy's lawn for a moment and stared at each other. A moment of eye contact was all they could stomach before glancing away. "Thanks for the help," Jimmy finally whispered while rubbing the back of his neck. "No problem," Nick answered while giving a slight nod and glancing up at the moon. "Do you want a ride home in the hover car?" Jimmy asked while facing his friend once more. Nick shook his head. "It's fine. I'll walk." Another beat of silence enveloped the two of them. "Well, see you tomorrow," Jimmy awkwardly said while turning around and heading towards his lab. Jimmy was a step away from the door when Nick's quiet voice rang out. "Jimmy?" Jimmy turned back around. "Yeah?" Nick hesitated for a second before speaking again. "If they do come here and you need me" Nick thought for a second before giving a nod of resignation, "I'll have your back." Nick spun around and began the short walk home before Jimmy could respond. Jimmy watched as Nick's form grew smaller as he headed down the street. Finally, he gave a tiny sight and pressed his eye up against his lab's new retina scanner. "Thanks," he finally whispered \as the laser beam danced painlessly over his eye. "Welcome, Jimmy Neutron," Vox's cheery voice welcomed Jimmy into the lab. Jimmy took a quick look around the empty shed before stepping inside the elevator a few feet in front of him. With a simple press of a button, he rapidly descended beneath the Earth towards his lab. As soon as he left the elevator behind and stepped foot into the heart of his lab, he felt his pain and worry begin to melt away. "Home sweet home," Jimmy whispered. Nick's words held new meaning in this place. He took a few steps forward and couldn't help but smile as Goddard woke up from a nap on a nearby chair. "Hey boy," Jimmy happily said while kneeling on the ground. "Bark bark!" Goddard cheerfully exclaimed while hopping off the chair and dashing over to his master. Jimmy laughed and patted his mechanical canine behind the ears as Goddard licked his face.

"Busy day, boy?" Jimmy sarcastically asked while rubbing Goddard's belly. Goddard let out a playful whimper in response. Jimmy laughed and got back to his feet. "I'll bet it was." Goddard bowed down to the ground and let out an inquisitive whine. Jimmy gritted his teeth as he took a seat at his workbench. "It went as well as I'd hoped," Jimmy answered Goddard's wordless question. "Nick knows now." "Bark!" Goddard shot back in response while giving a quick shake of his head. Jimmy slowly shook his head as well. "I know that we don't know for sure, Goddard. But we've both agreed it's likely. Too likely to ignore." Goddard slowly approached Jimmy and gave his leg a gentle nuzzle. Jimmy smiled sadly and patted the dog's head. "Love you too, boy." Jimmy hesitated a moment and felt his sour mood begin to dissipate as he had an idea. "Will you do me a favor?" Goddard excitedly barked in affirmation. "Interface with the audio control system. Could you play something light? Some Beethoven, maybe?" Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief as Beethoven's Fr Elise began to play from every speaker in his lab. For just a moment, all of his worries dissipated as he let the opening notes flood his senses. The song seemed to him to brim with both joy and sorrow. Whatever the emotion behind it, its sheer beauty calmed Jimmy's soul. After about a minute, the song abruptly changed pace, and Jimmy took in a deep breath. "Time to get to work," he told Goddard while getting off of his seat and heading towards the lab's main computer. Jimmy had thought of this newest project not twenty minutes before. After seeing Nick so skittish on the moon, Jimmy had quickly decided to come up with an herbal concoction to aid his friend. Jimmy grabbed a pad and paper and began taking notes as he researched various herbs on his computer. Time passed quickly for Jimmy as he became absorbed in his work. The minutes turned into an hour as he tampered with several possible combinations and made careful note of any potential harmful effect. Once he had settled on a formula, he smiled while getting out of his seat. This smile held no traces of fear or worry. In spite of the dire circumstances he knew that he might soon face, being back in his lab and having a harmless project to focus on brought a familiar sense of peace and joy. "Bark!" Goddard loudly yelped while walking after Jimmy. "Let's get started, boy," Jimmy answered while leading his most loyal companion to the lab's small garden. He checked the list of herbs on his pad and nodded in approval. "We should have

everything we need here, except maybe the kava. I can't remember if Cindy planted that one or not." The lab's small garden seemed out of place amidst the surrounding computer equipment and chemical supplies. Jimmy smiled a little wider as he knelt down in front of the rocks that bordered the large circular patch of plants. The garden was the newest addition to his lab, other than the heightened security measures he had installed after returning to Earth a month ago. He remembered the warm July day that he and Cindy had created it well. As his hands rummaged through the dozens of plants to find the herbs that he needed, he let his mind wander back to that day.

"Will you stop scowling?" Cindy nearly shouted while following Jimmy out of the elevator and into his lab. She grunted slightly while getting a better grip on the large bag of potting soil in her hands. "I'm not scowling," Jimmy shot back while scowling at the heavy bag of fertilizer he was struggling to carry. The last thing he wanted was to show Cindy how much stronger she was than him. "Too heavy for you?" Cindy asked as Jimmy led her to a small empty section of his lab. "Not at all," Jimmy wheezed while tossing the bag onto a pile of gardening supplies. The sudden lack of weight in his arms made him lose his balance, and he fell forward into a mound of bags of dirt. Cindy burst out laughing as she gracefully dropped her bag beside Jimmy. She extended a hand, and Jimmy frowned as he took it. "Laugh it up, Vortex," he grumbled while letting her hoist him to his feet. "Isn't it funny how you've got brains, but I've got brawn?" Cindy asked through a wide smile as Jimmy strolled over to the lounge area. She followed him and waited as he opened the refrigerator and grabbed two cans of Purple Flurp. "And height," Cindy added as he handed her a soda. "And beauty, and grace, and I actually have brains too," Cindy teased as they both took a seat on opposite ends of a sofa. "What have you got going for you again?" Jimmy didn't know how to respond, so he merely frowned while downing his soda. Every muscle in his arms ached; he barely had the strength to bring the soda to his lips. "Jeez, lighten up, Neutron," Cindy finally spoke while taking a sip from her soda. "It's not my fault I'm the only one you've got to hang out with today." Jimmy knew she was trying to sound mean, but he couldn't help but detect a twinge of weakness in her tone. Jimmy sighed and felt guilty. Installing a garden in his lab was hardly his idea of fun, but what else had been there to do today? Carl was visiting his grandma, and Libby's parents had taken her

and Sheen to the movies in an attempt to better understand the insane teenager who was dating their daughter. Jimmy flashed her a wide smile. "Hey, I always love it when we hang out together," he happily told her while putting his soda down and rubbing a fist against his chest. "Nothing feels better than having a whole day to constantly show you up. Still want to argue that magnesium is the principle element in soil needed by plants?" "You know I meant to say nitrogen!" Cindy immediately shot back. She couldn't help but break a smile as well, though. "I still say heading to Retroland might have been a better way to spend the day," Jimmy said while picking his soda up once more. Cindy took another sip from her drink and shook her head. "On Saturday during summer vacation? We'd be lucky to find a spot on two rides. Besides, it's like I said before. If you're going to spend every other day in this lab, you might as well have a little bit of nature to look at." Jimmy scoffed. "You make it sound like I never get out of here. We just went to Egypt three days ago!" Cindy smiled, and Jimmy couldn't help but do the same. "Besides, the garden really fits in with the rest of this place. You want to plant some tomatoes in the same building where I've perfected time travel, shrink rays, and space travel!" "Perfected is pushing it," Cindy immediately responded. "And don't act like this place is a monument to the greatness that is Jimmy Neutron. A cheese ray was made here," she muttered in disgust. Now it was Jimmy's turn to shout. "You weren't complaining during the end of the year picnic when Carl ate all the school's cheddar!" The memory of a furious Sheen chasing Carl and a heaping platter of cheese around the school brought smiles back to both of their faces. "Alright, Vortex," Jimmy playfully began while finishing his soda and hopping off of the couch. "I guess it'll be nice to have something pretty to look at down here." He extended his hand, and Cindy let him help her off of the couch. "And I'm sure you'll need some plants for an invention at some point," she told him with a smile. Jimmy smiled back and stared at Cindy. It was moments like this, when the banter was playful and not spiteful, when the smiles were easy and not forced, that he thought back to when they had been stranded on an island together. How they had practically become a couple. As he looked into her eyes and watched the grin on her face grow larger, he couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking the same thing. "Ready, Jimmy?" Cindy finally interrupted his thoughts.

"Ready, Cindy," Jimmy answered while they walked side-by-side back to where his garden would soon be. As their steps fell in line and their fingers brushed past each other, Jimmy couldn't help but grab her hand. A shudder shot through both of them as they smiled and continued on their way.

Jimmy had just found the chamomile when Cindy's gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Glad to see this thing is finally getting some use." Jimmy smiled as he got to his feet and spun around. Cindy stood in front of him, looking down at him with a smile on her face. "Hey Cindy." Cindy stared at him for a few seconds, her smile slowly fading. Jimmy became nervous and asked, "Everything okay?" Cindy's eyes widened in disbelief as she stretched out her arms and stared at him like he was an idiot. It finally hit Jimmy. "You're out of the chair!" he shouted in joy while wrapping Cindy in a hug. "Took you long enough to notice," Cindy growled, but Jimmy's embrace melted her anger. "The doctor gave me the okay, but he said to hold off on the t'ai chi lessons for a while," she muttered in disappointment. Jimmy released Cindy and smiled as wide as he ever had while looking her up and down. "This is great, Cindy," he excitedly told her. Then, just as quickly as the elation overtook him, it began to vanish. "I'm sorry I wasn't there today." Cindy waved off his remark and slowly walked to the lounge. "I'm the one who asked you not to come. The last thing I needed was my mom figuring out that we're together." Jimmy took the seat beside her and grasped her hand. Her skin was as smooth as ever, and he still felt the familiar shudder twitch its way up his spine. Cindy turned to face him and gave an inquisitive smile. "So, how'd your date with Nick go?" Cindy's words hit Jimmy like a bullet. All the peace he had found since working in his lab vanished at the reminder of his journey to the moon. "It went" Jimmy paused and struggled to keep from drumming his fingers on the sofa. "It went fine," he finally told her. Gone were the days when he could lie to Cindy with ease. He was her boyfriend now, and it killed him to keep his fears a secret from her. I'm not even completely sure yet. I don't want to worry her. Cindy stared curiously at him. "You sure everything's okay?" Jimmy gave a quick nod, and Cindy stood back up. "Then show me the readings. Let me see how it's working." "Sure," Jimmy quietly answered her while leading her to the lab's main computer. He sat down in his large chair and began to input commands on the keyboard. "Bark bark!" Goddard yelped while approaching Cindy. He advanced slowly with his body held near the ground. Goddard still wasn't used to Cindy being in the lab so often.

Cindy stared at him for a moment before smiling. "Hey Goddard," she pleasantly said before turning her attention back to the lab's main monitor. "There it is," Jimmy said while sharing Cindy's gaze. Various lines of information scrolled across the monitor. "Everything looks normal. Power supply's maxed out, signal strength is good, detection software is online. If anything seems to be approaching the planet, it will override whatever's on the monitor and let us know." Cindy nodded while leaning against a nearby wall. "So why did you make this thing, anyway? You know that the odds of an asteroid colliding with Earth are remote. Besides, NASA already tracks that stuff." Jimmy sighed and spun his chair around to face Cindy. Why am I even lying to her? Half the time she gets mad at me, it's because I don't treat her like an equal. If they are coming back, I'll need her help. Besides, he thought while staring into her eyes, I can't lie to her. Jimmy took a deep breath and steeled himself. "I did it because I think the Yolkians may be coming back, Cindy." There was a long pause as Cindy took in Jimmy's words. "We killed Goobot," she slowly said, thinking about her words carefully. "You think they're coming for revenge?" Jimmy nodded in response. "Based on what we know about the Yolkians, I can't imagine that they would just let this go. I think that as soon as they institute a new king, they will come after us." "And you knew?" Cindy suddenly asked, her voice rising as her temper flared. "You knew this whole time and you didn't tell me? You lied to me?" "I didn't know," Jimmy quickly shot back. The temper that always accompanied his arguments with Cindy quickly resurfaced. "And I was worried about you. I figured you had enough on your plate with therapy." Cindy marched forward and glared into his eyes. "Don't you talk down to me, Spewtron. You don't get to decide if I can handle something!" Goddard growled menacingly and arched his back as Cindy raised her voice. "Down!" Jimmy snapped at Goddard before turning back to Cindy. Goddard gave a tiny whimper and took a few steps backward. "I wasn't even sure if I was right!" Jimmy shouted. He threw both arms in the air and clenched his right hand into a fist. "I've been trying to convince myself every day for a week that I'm wrong, Cindy!" Cindy scowled and gave Jimmy a little shove. "No more lies, Neutron. And no more secrets." She hesitated and was disgusted to feel her lip tremble. She saw Jimmy notice this and stare in

surprise. "We're a team now, okay? Not just when we're fighting aliens, but all the time. Or did what you said before we boarded that cruiser mean nothing to you?" Cindy spat out her words and spun away from him before crossing her arms. Jimmy's expression fell at her words. He'd always known that lying to Cindy about his fears was bad, but he'd tried to convince himself that all the truth would accomplish was worrying her. He took a deep breath and unclenched his fist. "I'm sorry, Cindy," he said while splaying his arms out in a gesture of reconciliation. "I just didn't want to worry you in case I was wrong. I mean," Jimmy hung his head and shook it in deep despair, "I don't think I'm wrong. But I hope I am," he weakly muttered. Cindy hesitated before finally sighing and turning around to face Jimmy. "You really think they're coming back for us?" Jimmy slowly nodded. "We may still have Goobot's ship, but I'm sure they can remotely tap into its video systems. They must know by now that we're the ones who killed their king." Cindy thought about his words and began to pace in a circle while nodding. "That makes sense. But remember what he heard on that ship before Nick and the others came onboard? The Yolkians were worried about some council sending an assassin to kill Goobot. Maybe the Yolkians won't care that we killed Goobot. It didn't sound like he was too popular." As Jimmy processed Cindy's words, he felt an enormous weight begin to lift off of his shoulders. I hadn't thought of that. If Goobot was unpopular among his people, maybe the Yolkians wouldn't seek revenge. Maybe Jimmy and his friends had even helped them. Besides, it's been a month. If they wanted revenge, they would have gotten it by now. Right? "You're right," Jimmy answered while giving a tiny chuckle. His lips curled into a smile, and his tiny laugh chuckle turned into a true laugh. "Cindy, I think you're right!" he practically shouted in relief. Cindy stared at Jimmy in concern. "How long have you been worrying about this? Since we got back?" Jimmy strolled over to the lounge and collapsed on the sofa. "No," he answered as Cindy stood in front of him. "Since we finished writing that essay for Ms. Creek's class." Cindy nodded. "You've seemed off this past week." Jimmy's elation dissolved at her words. The dreadful feeling of guilt returned as he thought of why he had been depressed for the past week. Fear of the Yolkians had been just one of the many reasons. He looked at Cindy and wondered if he should talk to her about the pain he was feeling. I will tomorrow. One problem at a time. "Sorry," was all that he said. Cindy glared at Jimmy for a second before sitting beside him. "Alright, here's what's going to happen," she instructed him. Jimmy faced her and paid close attention to her words. "One, we're

going to keep an eye out for the Yolkians and try to figure out what we'll do if we they do come back. Maybe I'm right, but maybe you're right instead. Remember what our old motto was?" "Better safe than sorry," Jimmy said. "Right," Cindy went on. "And two, you need to keep me in the loop, Big Brain. Because I can't help you if I don't know what's going on." She paused and her stare hardened before she continued. "You do want my help, right?" Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, I do, Cindy." "Good," Cindy answered, "because if you lie to me again, I don't care what the doctor says, I'll kick your ass in a second." Jimmy gave a tiny smile, but then wiped it off once he realized she wasn't joking. "Understand?" "Got it," Jimmy said while nodding. As they stood back up, he realized that no conversation with Cindy felt right unless he made a snide remark or too. "I'll keep you in the loop, but be sure to keep up, Vortex. You know how my mind works ten times faster than yours." Cindy gave a playful smile. "We'll see about that when we get our math quizzes back tomorrow." The two pre-teens stared lightheartedly at each other before Cindy glanced down at her watch quickly. "It's getting late. I told Libby we'd grab a shake at the Candy Bar at seven." The fact that his heart sank at the knowledge that Cindy would be leaving made Jimmy happy. For a moment, he was filled with joy that he had never gotten together with Betty. As powerful as his crush for her had seemed, he was sure that what he had with Cindy was a million times better than what he might have had with Betty. "Tell her I said hi. And be careful, Cindy. Don't walk too fast." Cindy gave him a quick kiss on the lips before squeezing his hand and walking towards the elevator. "I'll try to take it slow. See you tomorrow, Neutron." She stepped into the elevator and stared back at her boyfriend while pressing the button that would take her to the surface. "And sleep tight, Jimmy." Jimmy waved and smiled as she disappeared from sight. "You too, Cindy." He stared at the elevator shaft for a few seconds before heading back to the garden. He paused mid-step and immediately felt a new sense of guilt. "Goddard!" he shouted. Jimmy heard a whimper as his dog slowly crawled towards him. Jimmy sighed and reached into his pocket. "Sorry for yelling, boy. You know how I get when Cindy's around. Forgive me?" he asked while holding out a fistful of lug nuts. Goddard barked excitedly and started jumping straight up. "Love you too, boy."

Jimmy resumed his short stroll towards the garden when he heard the unmistakable sound of his elevator descending. He thought that Cindy must have come returned, but his suspicions were dashed as soon as an all-too familiar screech rang out. "Jimmy!" Sheen ecstatically screamed right before the elevator came into view. Sheen hopped out as soon as the doors opened and ran towards his best friend. "Jimmy, thank god you're here!" Jimmy darted his eyes from side to side as Sheen enveloped him in a crushing bear hug. "Needair," Jimmy muttered. "Dang, I forgot," Sheen exclaimed while releasing Jimmy and taking a step back. "Cindy let you in?" Jimmy asked while struggling to get a breath in. "Sure," Sheen nervously muttered while rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, well" Jimmy began to say. "I haven't figured out how to sneak into your lab!" Sheen shouted. A long silence enveloped the lab. Jimmy made a mental note to fix his retinal scanner after school tomorrow. "Everything okay, Sheen?" Sheen nodded. "I just came to see if our little project is complete." Jimmy raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. "I was just in the garden earlier. It looked like they were all set." "Sweet!" Sheen squealed in glee while dashing off to the garden. Jimmy lifted half his mouth into an amused grin before following his friend. Both boys stopped in front of a small patch of colorful plants on the edge of Jimmy's garden. A dozen roses in just as many brilliant colors stood out among the plain patches of herbs surrounding them. Sheen curled his hands into fists and bumped them together in glee. "Libby's going to love these!" He quickly darted a hand towards a pink rose and mustered all his willpower to stop from himself yanking it out of the ground. He glanced back at Jimmy and pleaded with his eyes. "Go ahead. Just don't snap it," Jimmy warned. "I'll get a vase." Jimmy returned a minute later with an exquisite crystal vase. Sheen anxiously grabbed it and placed the dozen roses inside as gently as he could. "And they'll never expire?" Sheen asked.

"No flowers expire," Jimmy happily explained, "but these will never wilt. They'll stay fresh forever. It was a lot of work to figure out how to prevent telomere degradation, and the implications for extending human longevity are quite startling, but" Jimmy stopped as he saw Sheen staring blankly at him. "Never mind. I hope Libby likes them, Sheen." Sheen smiled. "Thanks, Jimmy. I owe you one. Want to come over and watch Ultralord? Carl's coming too; we're going to watch Llamaland after." Jimmy couldn't stifle his yawn before it escaped his body. He stretched his arms and glanced down at his watch. "I think I'm going to get ready for bed. It's been a big day." Sheen shook his head in disapproval. "It's barely dark!" "We'll hang out tomorrow. Candy Bar after school?" Sheen nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks again, Jimmy!" Sheen shouted while racing out of the lab, clutching the vase against his chest as if it were a newborn baby. Jimmy smiled as he watched his friend travel back up to the surface. Sheen was right; it was way too early to go to sleep. But it had been a crazy day, and Jimmy knew that he wasn't getting any more work done that night. "I'll finish Nick's remedy in the morning," he muttered to himself while heading towards the elevator. He pushed a button and waited for it to return once Sheen exited it upstairs. "Ready to get home, Goddard?" Jimmy asked. "Bark bark!" Goddard excitedly yelped while racing back to Jimmy. They both stepped into the elevator and Jimmy gave one last look at his lab. "Let's grab some cocoa and watch some TV, buddy. We deserve a night off." Goddard nodded in agreement as Jimmy pressed a button and the elevator raced back up to the surface. The empty lab remained lit for several minutes, and then the lights shut off one by one automatically. As the last light flicked off, the only sound in the lab was the hum of machinery. A second passed, and then the faint glow of Jimmy's main monitor pierced the blackness. A beeping began to emanate from the speaker system, but there was no one there to hear it. The lab was bathed in faint green light as a single line of text scrolled across the screen. Unknown object approaching Earth.

Chapter 5: Back to Life

Jimmy began the night with an uncharacteristically pleasant sleep. The knowledge that Cindy was walking once more, his humorous visit with Sheen, and a relaxing night sipping cocoa and

watching documentaries with Goddard had all eased his troubled soul. Yet as the night wore on, these happy details faded from Jimmy's mind. In their place came the familiar scenes he had watched every night since typing up his essay; since he had finally been forced to ponder all that he had done. A week's worth of practice was not enough to prepare Jimmy for the horrors he faced. He gripped his blanket tighter as he watched Sheen crash onto an asteroid. He weakly moaned and clenched his teeth while seeing himself rip out Goobot's brain. He cried out in horror and nearly woke his parents as he watched a bullet tear into Cindy's waist. For hours his mind replayed these and other moments from his latest adventure. Yet it wasn't until the sun's rays assaulted his closed eyes that he was finally thrust into consciousness by the words that haunted him more than any other. Every muscle in Jimmy's aching body contracted as he watched Eustace slowly saunter towards him. In his dream he was tied up, unable to ward off his attacker in any way. But Eustace intended no physical harm. No, the diabolical boy in front of Jimmy knew that words would damage Neutron worse than any fist or bullet could. And so Eustace knelt down on one knee and stared Jimmy straight in the eyes. "You knew that you were the main target," he whispered while resting his face inches from Jimmy's. His lips curled up in a twisted sadistic smile. "So why did you take all of those other kids with you?" The words crushed Jimmy underneath a wave of guilt. Eustace smiled at his nemesis' pain and raised his revolver to Jimmy's temple. Jimmy didn't have the strength to fight back as the gunshot filled his ears and the bullet pierced his brain.

"Ahhh!" Jimmy cried while shooting straight up out of bed. He raised a trembling hand to his forehead and pulled it away after a second. No blood, he weakly thought to himself while trying to get to his feet. His legs' shaking proved too much and he collapsed onto the ground. The impact woke Goddard, who was sleeping on his bed across the room. The mechanical canine let out a disgruntled whimper and opened his eyes. Any anger the dog felt rapidly vanished as he saw Jimmy sprawled on the floor. Goddard immediately jumped out of bed and made his way towards Jimmy. "Hey boy," Jimmy weakly whispered while patting Goddard's head with his trembling hand. Goddard let out a pained whimper and nuzzled his master's hand before giving it a gentle lick. "Good dog," Jimmy said a little more steadily while closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. His eyes were barely shut when they shot back open. He stared in horror at the sky outside of his window and narrowed his eyes in frustration. He glanced at his alarm clock, and both his fears were confirmed. He had failed to set the alarm before falling asleep, and he had just missed his bus. The rest of the time spent in his house was little more than a blur to Jimmy. A shower would have to wait until school was over. He brushed his teeth while throwing on the first clothes he could get his hands on. He scooped up his backpack and gave Goddard the tiniest of smiles. "Heading out today?"

Goddard gave his head a violent shake and rolled onto his back. Jimmy nodded. "Will you help out mom?" Goddard gave a wide grin and barked in affirmation. "You're the best, boy. Gotta blast," he said with a wave of his hand while stepping out into the hallway. The joy that Goddard always instilled in him immediately dissipated as Jimmy hurried down the stairs. He grabbed a granola bar out of the cupboard before dashing out the door and hitting a button on his backpack. In an instant the jetpack was activated and he was barreling across town towards Lindbergh Middle School. As Jimmy flew through the air, he found his mind rapidly straying back to his dreams. He clenched his fists in a vain attempt to keep the guilt from washing over him once more. Think of Cindy, he told himself. Think of kissing her. Think of helping Nick. Think of how I'm wrong about the Yolkians. He thought all of these things, but they brought his mind no solace. By the time he landed in front of the school's doors and sauntered inside, he felt broken once more. The bell rang as soon as Jimmy cleared the lobby. He sighed once more and felt the sadness grow. In spite of his jetpack's speed, he was still late. He slowed his pace significantly while making his way towards Ms. Creek's class. He was already tardy; there was no point in rushing to class. "Running late, Mr. Neutron?" Jimmy's English teacher asked as he slowly opened the door to her classroom. He gave a tiny nod and solemnly made his way towards his seat besides Cindy in the front row. She flashed him a look of concern, but he didn't meet her gaze. Ms. Creek stared at him worriedly for a moment before turning back to the chalkboard. "As I was saying, we'll be starting work on our persuasive essays today" "Jimmy," Cindy whispered as loud as she dared while staring at Jimmy in concern. She suddenly cursed their decision to choose a front-row seat two weeks ago. It made talking in class a hell of a lot harder. "Later," Jimmy mumbled while opening his notebook and scribbling down the notes that Ms. Creek put up on the board. Cindy stared at him for a few more seconds before trying in vain to focus on her teacher's lecture.

The bell eventually rang, and Jimmy was out the door before Cindy had tossed her backpack over her shoulder. She narrowed her eyes in frustration as she struggled to move past the two dozen students equally eager to leave Ms. Creek's classroom. She finally reached the hallway only to spot Jimmy twenty yards ahead of her. "Neutron!" she shouted while shoving a sixth-grader out of her way. She noticed Jimmy stop as he heard her voice and saw his body slouch as he sighed in despair. She hurried towards him and managed to get rid of the anger she harbored due to him leaving her behind. It wasn't hard to tell that something was seriously bothering him.

"Jimmy, are you okay?" she asked as gently as she could while grabbing his hand. Her touch, normally a conduit for a sizzling electric shock, did nothing but make Jimmy feel worse. He released her hand and squeezed his own into a fist once more. "I'm fine," he weakly answered. Cindy frowned. She hurried to get ahead of him and blocked his path. "Don't make me get angry," she calmly warned him. Jimmy stared into her deep emerald eyes and felt even worse. Part of him wanted to shove her out of the way and run towards his next class. Seeing her care for him only exacerbated his misery. Yet the part of him that always embraced the rational choice made him stare at the ground and say, "I'm not great." Cindy took a quick look around the hallway and scowled at how many people surrounded them. "Come on," she forcefully told her boyfriend while grabbing his hand. She was relieved to find that he didn't reject her touch this time. "We have class," Jimmy quietly protested. Cindy stopped walking and took one more look at Jimmy. She stared into his blue eyes. Normally they always seemed to be masking the intricacies of his mind; veiling the constant stream of information his brain was pondering. Now they seemed empty. Cindy immediately knew that whatever was bothering him was more important than math class. "We'll be late," she sternly told him while leading him down the stairs. Lindbergh Middle School's basement was not an inviting place. Windows were a rare commodity viciously fought over by the teachers stationed in the dank dungeon. The airconditioning seemed to always be on, and the chilly air made the hair stand up on both their arms as Cindy led Jimmy past the few classrooms towards an old computer lab that was never used. She flicked the light switch and scowled in disgust as only the first of three rows of lights turned on. She closed the door and sat down in an uncomfortable blue chair before kicking another towards Jimmy. Jimmy slowly took a seat across from Cindy and stared at her. The silence lasted nearly a full minute before Cindy accepted the fact that she would have to be the first to speak. "Okay, Jimmy," she began while looking into his eyes once more. "You've been acting funny all week. After last night, I thought it was because you were worried about the Yolkians. But you seem worse than ever today, so what is it?" The question wasn't asked in her usual sarcastic tone. Jimmy couldn't help but believe that she was legitimately concerned. "Do you think I'm wrong about the Yolkians not coming? Or is there something else?" Jimmy couldn't stare into her eyes any longer. He wanted to tell Cindy everything that he was feeling. He wanted to release all the pain and guilt that was tormenting him. Yet it seemed impossible to form the words. He stared down at the floor for several seconds and expected to hear Cindy snap at him; maybe yell at him for not confiding in her. When no sound pierced his ears, he quietly said, "You're usually yelling by now."

The remark made Cindy's blood boil slightly, but seeing the pain on Jimmy's face rapidly cooled it. He needs you. The realization sent a shiver through her entire body. The only time she had ever seen him this vulnerable was when they were imprisoned on Yolkus three years ago. The memory brought back an unfamiliar resolve; the commitment to help Jimmy. "I'm not yelling today," Cindy answered. She took a deep breath and stared into his eyes again as he lifted his gaze off of the ground. A tiny spark of hope was ignited in them, and she remembered how much she loved the boy in front of her. "I'm here for you." Ten seconds passed, and then the words that had been so hard to form simply passed out of Jimmy's lips. "You have no idea how guilty I feel." The words took Cindy by surprise. Without thinking about it, she pulled her chair closer to Jimmy and slowly placed a hand on his knee. He met her gaze, and she raised a troubling hand to his cheek. As soon as their skin connected, a tiny shock twitched her fingers. "What do you have to feel guilty for?" Her words shook Jimmy in a way he hadn't expected. He got out of his chair so fast that his chair fell over. "I knew you wouldn't understand," he spat out while heading towards the door. For just a moment, confusion paralyzed Cindy. But before Jimmy could turn the doorknob, she snapped back into action. "Then make me!" Only the knowledge that half a dozen classrooms lay at the other end of the hallway kept her from truly shouting. Jimmy turned to face her, and she went on. "Jimmy, you're the one who taught us how to build our ships, came up with the plan, and saved our parents! Why would you feel guilty?" Jimmy's right eye twitched as it began to burn from the forming tears. "Why would I feel guilty?" he asked, his voice slightly louder than Cindy's. "Don't you remember that I'm the one who led the Yolkians here? That I'm the one who gave them a map to Earth?" Jimmy's words confused Cindy. "Jimmy, the Yolkians didn't even do anything this time. It was Eustace who kidnapped our parents." Jimmy shook his head and began to pace back and forth. "It doesn't matter, Cindy! He only tricked us because the Yolkians took our parents before! If I'd never brought the Yolkians to us, none of this would have happened." Cindy was about to respond, to try to explain to Jimmy that it wasn't his fault that the Yolkians had come to Earth, when Jimmy released all that he had been holding in for the past week. "And don't even try to defend me, Vortex! There's so much more to this than telling the Yolkians where to find us. I'm the one who didn't realize that Eustace was behind everything. Sheen knew that something was wrong, and I didn't even listen to him!" He wished to shout his words as loud as he could, but he was struggling not to choke as he tried to hold back his tears. "I'm the one who underestimated him and thought he couldn't do anything, yet he's the one who saved all of our lives!

And if that's not enough to make you hate me, how about I knew that the whole thing was a trap for me and I still made you all go up with me? As soon as that force field let us through, there was no doubt that our parents were just bait for a trap for me. I should have just gone and sacrificed myself, but instead I put everyone else in danger!" Cindy got up from her seat and tried to grab Jimmy's hand as he spiraled further out of control, but he yanked it away. She scowled once more as she failed to keep her anger in check. "We were sealed out of Retroville, Jimmy!" she shouted. "We had no choice but to push on!" Jimmy madly shook his head and shouted back, "Really, Cindy? You expect me to believe that you really think that? You know as well as I do that you all could have landed in another city that the force field didn't cover. None of you had to follow me, but I let you! And what happened?" Jimmy couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He spun towards the wall on his right and looked away from Cindy while wiping his eyes. "What happened was Sheen nearly died of thirst. You were" Jimmy's voice trailed off and he gripped the wall in a vain attempt to keep from crying. "You were shot, Cindy!" he shouted while spinning towards her. He walked quietly towards her, and she appeared almost frightened as he lifted a hand towards the few strands of hair hanging over her forehead. Just before his fingers made contact, he snapped them away and backed away from her. "I nearly lost you!" he cried while collapsing onto Cindy's chair. "Jimmy" Cindy whispered, but Jimmy wasn't done yet. "And Nick? He can't even leave town without bringing a gun with him. And what about all those kids who got hurt in the asteroid belt? All because I couldn't take responsibility for what I had done." "Jimmy, listen to me!" Cindy yelled, but Jimmy waved her off. "And Eustace and Goobot?" he painfully asked. "Goobot hadn't even done anything, and I ripped his brain out, Cindy! Eustace was shot, he couldn't have hurt anyone. But I killed him too! I shot him in cold blood. I'm a murderer! I'm a murderer. The words raced through Jimmy's mind and burnt everything they touched. He had never spoken them aloud before. Actually saying them, admitting out loud that he was a killerthe guilt was unbearable. He sank out of the chair and collapsed onto the ground. The only thing he could manage to do was lift his trembling hands to his eyes and cry. Cindy stared at him in shock for several seconds before slowly lowering herself onto the floor and inching towards him. For the first time, she was afraid of him. He had seemed to lose his mind while explaining his sadness to her. Yet he didn't resist as she finally came to a rest right in front of him and gently grabbed his tear-stained hands with her own. He stared down at the ground beneath him as she squeezed his hands. Softly and slowly, she released his right hand and lifted his chin up.

"You ready to listen to me now?" she quietly asked. Jimmy seemed to ponder the question and gave the tiniest of nods. Cindy nodded back and made him look into her eyes. "I understand, Jimmy. I understand why you feel guilty. It's because you're such a good person." He immediately tried to shake his head, but Cindy grabbed his cheeks and prevented the action. As he met her gaze once more, she released his face and grabbed his right hand once more. Jimmy took a quick look at her delicate hands wrapped around his own before looking into her eyes once more. To Cindy, he seemed like a child how had just finished throwing a tantrum and who was looking to his mother for consolation. "Jimmy, listen to me, okay?" Jimmy slowly nodded, and Cindy went on. "You need to stop blaming yourself." Cindy squeezed his hands before he could brush away her comment. "If I met a new kid at school and brought her to my house to get to know her, and then she killed me, would you blame me?" Jimmy stared blankly at her in silence before shaking his head. "Of course you wouldn't. So you need to stop blaming yourself for telling the Yolkians about Earth. All you did was say hello. They're the ones who chose to kidnap our parents. They're the evil ones. And you?" Cindy gave a tiny smile. "You're the one who saved our families. You brought them back." Her words seemed to strike Jimmy in some way. His despondent stare softened and he slowly pulled one hand out of Cindy's grasp to wipe the tears off of his cheek. "But Eustace" he whispered. "It was a trap. II shouldn't have let you come." Cindy gave another tiny smile and stroked the few remaining tears off of Jimmy's cheek. "Jimmy, do you think any of us would have let you go up there alone? It wasn't just your fight, Jimmy. Eustace stole someone from all of us. You wouldn't have been able to stop us from coming with you." She paused before smiling a little wider. "I would have gone with you even if it was just your parents that were taken." Jimmy's eyes widened in surprise. He sniffled and wiped a wrist under his runny nose. "Youyou mean it?" Cindy nodded while biting her lower lip. "Of course, Jimmy." Jimmy's mind began to come alive once more. I love it when she calls me Jimmy. Cindy knew she was getting through to him. "And Nick and Sheen? It's not your fault they got hurt. The same with me and the others. Eustace was the one who did all of this. He's the one who nearly killed us, Jimmy. All you did was keep us together. You didn't nearly kill us, Jimmy. You kept us alive." Hearing Eustace's name began to fill his stomach with despair. "Eustace," he muttered. He glanced quickly at his hands before looking back up to Cindy. "I killed him."

"You had to," Cindy gently responded. Jimmy shook his head. He began to feel sick once more, but he was able to keep calm as he spoke. "You can't defend what I did, Cindy. I killed Eustace because I was angry. The same with Goobot. I know that killing them was thetactical choice," he said while slowly choosing his words, "but I didn't kill them because it was the smart thing to do. I killed them because I was angry." He took a deep breath and sighed. "You can't defend that." Cindy scooched closer to Jimmy and bridged the tiny gap between them. "I would have done the same thing, Jimmy. Anyone would have. You're only human. Goobot had tried to kill us all three times already. Eustace had done the same. If you hadn't killed them, they would have done it again. Maybe you acted out of anger, but it was still the right choice. You only did it to protect us, Jimmy. Eustace had just shot me and tortured you. What were you supposed to do?" Jimmy was quiet as Cindy leaned forward and kissed him. Her soft lips pressed against his own, and he felt his sadness melt away as the stray hairs on her forehead brushed against his face. She pulled away and ran her hands down his arms. He grabbed them and squeezed tightly as they reached his palms. Cindy got on her knees and gave Jimmy a tiny smile. She gently pulled her right hand away as his lips curled up ever so slightly in response. "You've got to stop blaming yourself for everything, Jimmy," she whispered while stroking his hair. "You're not the bad guy. You never were." She paused and looked Jimmy in the eyes. He met her gaze, and she swore she could see them filling up with life once more. "It's time to get that big brain of yours back in the game, Jimmy. Because the fact is, there's a town full of people here who'll need you if the Yolkians come back." Cindy stared into his eyes for a second longer before looking down at the ground. "Cindy?" Jimmy quietly asked. Cindy knew what needed to be said. She took a tiny breath and slowly released it before looking back up at Jimmy. She'd already told Jimmy that she loved him on the Yolkian cruiser. And she'd already told him that she needed him on Yolkus three years ago. But the words that filled her heart; they seemed to mean so much more than either of those things. Yet as she squeezed his hand and looked up into his eyes one last time, she had no doubt that they were true. "And I need you even if they don't."

Chapter 6: Family

The bell signaling the end of second period rang throughout the school just as Cindy and Jimmy reached the top of the stairs. Though their conversation had taken less than ten minutes, neither had seen the point in heading to a class in which they knew everything only to get detention for

being late. Instead, they'd sat in silence until second period was nearly over. Cindy had rested her head on Jimmy's shoulder, and Jimmy had slowly stroked the back of her hand. He had wanted to thank Cindy for all that she had done for him, to reciprocate her feelings, but what could he possibly say? Jimmy had known that she loved him, just as she knew that he loved her. They had said as much before undertaking their suicide mission. But to hear to say that she needed him, to hear nothing but truth and love in her voice; it had touched him. He still couldn't figure out the right way to respond. Cindy released Jimmy's hand once the bell had stopped echoing throughout the halls. She held no hard feelings towards Jimmy for his silence. She could spot the life in his eyes once more, and constant tingle of his fingers on her skin had been more than enough thanks. As she stared at Jimmy and smiled, she felt almost giddy. "I'll see you at lunch. II love you," she stammered while smiling and rushing towards her art class. Jimmy watched as she rounded a corner and left her view. He couldn't help but smile widely and say, "I love you too." Jimmy set off towards his history class, and with every step he took he felt his joy grow. Every second that passed seemed to wash away more and more of his sorrow. For the first time in a week, he felt like his old self. Sure he had had fun with Sheen and Goddard the night before, but his guilt had always been at the back of his mind, gnawing away at his sanity. After talking with Cindy, he felt all that misery vanish. He felt like himself again. The good news just kept coming as he entered his classroom and found out that Mr. Wagner, his history teacher, was out sick. All that he had left was a simple worksheet for his students to complete. His mind working clearer than ever, Jimmy finished his assignment in less than five minutes and strolled up to the teacher's desk. "I'm all done," he happily said while placing the paper in front of the substitute teacher. The teacher stared at Jimmy in disbelief before a wave of recognition washed over his face. "Oh, you're the genius boy." Jimmy nodded in amusement. He started to walk back to his desk before taking a look around the classroom. The only people he knew by name in history class were Butch and Brittany. He realized that he had no other work to do and had failed to bring a book to read. He turned around and went back to the teacher's desk. "Is it alright if I go to the library for the rest of class?"

The teacher stared at Jimmy, wishing only to return to his crossword puzzle. "I couldn't care less if you do," he monotonously said while filling out a hall pass and thrusting it into Jimmy's outstretched hand. I love substitute teachers, Jimmy thought while grabbing his backpack and heading towards the library. Once inside, he headed towards the magazine rack and searched in vain for a scientific periodical. He stopped just short of grabbing a newspaper when he smiled at the familiar voice coming from nearby. "Are you sure you haven't gotten any more llama books in? We need at least three book sources for our biology paper," Carl desperately asked the librarian. Jimmy strolled over as the librarian sighed in disgust. "Kid, I've told you every day this week the only llama-related book we have is The Histories of Llama in Dance." The librarian raised her hand and rubbed her forehead in disgust. "I honestly don't even know how that's a real book." Carl's frown vanished as he spun around and saw Jimmy smiling at him. "Hey Jimmy! What are you doing here? " Jimmy led Carl to the quartet of comfy chairs near the magazine rack. They both took a seat across from each other. "Substitute teacher in history. I'm guessing you're here on research?" Carl huffed in disgust while setting his backpack down on the floor. "I'd like to do research, but this isn't even a real library!" he angrily said in the loudest voice he dared while shooting a nasty glance over his shoulder. "I hate you!" the librarian desperately shouted back while retreating into her office. Jimmy smiled. "When's the paper due? I can help you tomorrow after school if you want." Carl smiled back. "Thanks Jimmy." He turned over his shoulder once more, and Jimmy pinched the bridge of his nose in dismay. "At least someone here appreciates llamas!" "You need therapy!" the librarian's shout rang out from her office. Jimmy noticed a trio of large books poking out of Carl's backpack. "Are you sure you need help? You seem to have enough books already." Carl's smile immediately vanished and he made a desperate grab for his backpack. Jimmy merely sat in silence and watched as Carl picked it up and struggled to shove the books deep enough in his pack to close the zipper. "Come on!" Carl weakly groaned as the backpack slipped from his grasp and fell onto the floor. The books tumbled out, and Jimmy picked one off of the ground. "You Can Be the Best You You Can Be," Jimmy slowly read the title while staring at the cover. He vainly pondered this for a second before looking up at Carl and asking, "What?"

Carl yanked the book out of Jimmy's hands. "It's just a book," he answered. "Uh-huh," Jimmy said with a slight nod. "But the only book I've ever seen you read that wasn't about llamas was about alpacas." Carl sighed in defeat and let his backpack drop back onto the ground. "It's kind of embarrassing." Jimmy gave a playful grin. "Carl, I'm pretty sure everything we've ever talked about was embarrassing." Carl smiled back and said, "You really want to know what it's about?" Jimmy nodded, and Carl gave Jimmy back the book. Jimmy flipped through the pages as Carl spoke. "It's kind of aselfhelp book." Jimmy finished scanning the chapters and handed the tome back to Carl. "Carl, why are you reading this?" Carl fidgeted in his seat before taking off his glasses and wiping them with his shirt. "Well, I've been thinking a lot about how you and Sheen and everyone else went out into space to save our parents last month." Carl paused and gave Jimmy an apologetic look. "You remember that, right?" Jimmy squinted his left eye and contorted his face in confusion. "Um, yeah, I remember." "Good," Carl said with relief while continuing. "Well, you guys all learned how to use guns and formed an army and fought space aliens. But I just kind of sat in the lab and drank soda," he said guiltily. "You were part of the control team. You led us there!" Jimmy said while giving Carl's arm a gentle punch and smiling at his friend. "That was mostly Libby," Carl sadly said. "You guys all risked your lives to save our parents, and I didn't do anything." Jimmy knew all too well the pain that guilt could bring. He stared at Carl in sorrow as his best friend let his eyes fall to the ground. "Carl," he gently began, "you know that most kids don't go into space and form armies to fight aliens, right? It's kind of a rare thing. You don't have to feel bad about being normal." Carl sighed and met Jimmy's gaze. "I'll be turning thirteen this year, Jimmy. I want to stop being a scared little boy who loves llamas." Jimmy couldn't help but pull back in shock. "You're giving up llamas?" Carl recoiled as well. "Of course not!" he nearly shouted. "I just want to be a brave man who loves llamas."

Jimmy was about to console Carl some more, but Carl smiled and motioned at his backpack. "And these books are going to help me. Next time we go on some crazy adventure, you can count on Carl to save the day!" he happily exclaimed while pointing a thumb at his chest. Jimmy smiled at Carl's optimism. He opened his mouth to voice his encouragement, but a loud maniacal shrieking beat him to it. "You get 'em, Carl!" Sheen ecstatically shouted while twitching slightly. Jimmy's eyes widened in surprise as Sheen seemed to materialize out of nowhere beside him. "Sheen? What are you doing here?" Sheen turned to Jimmy and let a blank expression take hold of his face. "Oh, I'm everywhere. All the time." "What?" Jimmy asked once more, his voice riddled with confusion. Sheen gave Carl a thumb-up before cracking his knuckles. "Glad I could help, guys, but I've got to go. We're in the middle of dodge the ball in gym." Jimmy stared at Sheen some more, his face beginning to hurt from being contorted in bewilderment for so long. "You mean dodge ball?" Sheen shook his head in disgust. "You'd think a genius would be able to speak properly, Jimmy. Shame on you." Before Jimmy could respond, Sheen had spun around and dashed out of the library. "Well, I better get back to Mr. Ramirez and tell him I won't be done my research until tomorrow," Carl said while hopping out of his chair and struggling to get his backpack over his shoulders. "See you at lunch?" "You bet," Jimmy slowly answered while glancing over his shoulder one last time at where Sheen had just dashed out of the library. Once Carl was gone, he flipped through the newspaper for a few minutes before the bell rang. Jimmy gave a light groan while getting to his feet once more. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and headed to his locker. His next class was typing, and lunch was after that. He didn't need any supplies for either of those things, and his back could use a rest. He'd just finished closing his locker and walking down the hallway when he spotted a familiar head of braided black hair. He smiled and picked up his pace to catch up with Libby. "Hey Libby," Jimmy happily said while coming up beside her. Libby turned towards him and smiled back. "Hey Jimmy. Escorting me to class?"

Jimmy gave a little laugh. He tried to think up a sardonic remark, but he suddenly noticed that the tip of a brilliant red rose was gently tucked into the braids on the right side of Libby's head. "That looks really pretty, Libby." Libby smiled and touched the flower gently. "You like it? Sheen got me a whole dozen of them." She turned to face Jimmy, and he noted as a flash of mischief raced across her eyes. "He told me they'll never wilt. And he got them all by himself, no help from anyone. Isn't that crazy?" Jimmy smiled nervously and gave a tiny chuckle. "You know Sheen, he's a resourceful one." Libby gently grabbed Jimmy's arm and made him stop walking. She bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "It was really sweet to make them for him," she whispered. The touch of her lips sent a feeling of warmth rushing through his body, and he felt himself blush. As soon as she had pulled away, he tried to stifle the pleasant feeling and felt slightly guilty. Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while following Libby up the stairs. "How'd you know I helped?" Libby smiled. "Once I believed Sheen that the flowers would never wilt, I asked where he got them." She and Jimmy both entered their typing class and took a seat in the back right corner. "He said, and I wrote this down because I wanted to get the wording right when I told you," she began while pulling a small notebook out of her backpack and flipping through the pages, "Ah. He said, 'I bought them from the magic geneticist flower guy with the store on Main Street you can't see because he makes it invisible. With his magic.'" Libby gave Jimmy a playful smile, and Jimmy just gave a nervous laugh. "Well, I have heard that" "Meow." The noise could barely be heard over the din of their classmates' talking. Jimmy straightened his back and glanced around the room curiously. "What's wrong?" Libby asked while beginning to rapidly tap the table with her index finger. Jimmy gave a little scowl and said, "I'm not sure. It almost sounded like a cat." "Nope, no, that's impossible," Libby quickly shot back as the teacher strolled into the room just before the bell rang. Jimmy and Libby put their conversation on hold until Mr. Acer had told them what typing lessons to complete. Jimmy and Libby set to work on their computers before Jimmy turned to face Libby once more. "As I was saying, I'm pretty sure" "Meow." The sound was unmistakable to Jimmy this time. "Libby, there's a cat in here." "No I don't!" Libby nervously whispered while keeping her gaze fixated on her monitor.

Jimmy struggled to contort his face into confusion once more. "What?" he asked while getting a cramp beneath his right eye. "Meow!" the adorable squeaky voice rang out. Jimmy stared at Libby and finally pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Oh no." Libby gave a guilty smile and made sure that Mr. Acer wasn't looking at her. "It's not my fault, Jimmy," she said while picking up her purse off of the floor. Jimmy noticed that the zipper was a quarter of the way open, and Libby slowly opened it the rest of the way. Jimmy sighed as he saw the black and white kitten. It was bigger than the last time he had seen it, but it still had no problem fitting in Libby's purse. "Meow," it softly cried while looking up at Jimmy. "You can't have a cat in school, Libby," Jimmy told his friend once again. A sad look overcame Libby. "I didn't have a choice, Jimmy. My mom and dad are at work, and Chowder has a fever. A mother can't leave her sick baby home alone!" Jimmy would have looked confused, but his face couldn't handle any more contortions. Instead, Jimmy just sighed. "Libby, that was the name of my fake cat. You didn't have to actually name this one Chowder." Libby smiled once more and gently stroked Chowder under the chin. The kitty rolled onto its back and gently licked its mother's finger. "I know, but just look at him. He makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, like I'm sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's day eating a steaming bowl of clam chowder. I love him!" Jimmy noticed Mr. Acer glancing in his direction and rapidly turned his attention back to his computer. He began to type rapidly, and Libby zipped her purse mostly closed before gently placing it back on the floor beside her. "Libby, you know being in that thing isn't helping its fever, right?" Libby shot Jimmy a stern look as she began typing. "Did you see my purse? It's better than my room at home!" Jimmy risked a quick look downwards and unzipped the purse slightly. In spite of himself, he couldn't help but smile. He was reminded of how Libby had organized a giant breakfast cook-out when he and Cindy had spent the night away from the lab a month and a half ago. You can't deny she gets things done right. The purse was barely big enough for Chowder to move around in, but Jimmy had to admit that it looked comfortable. A soft white blanket lined the bottom. Next to chowder was a tiny stuffed mouse. A small pet's water bottle was sturdily taped to the purse's right side. Taped directly across from it was a miniature keychain fan that sent cool air throughout the purse. A tiny

battery-powered imitation tea light candle was super glued next to the fan and lit up the dark purse. Tucked in the corner of the purse was a tiny Tupperware container filled halfway with kitty litter. "Food?" Jimmy curiously asked while closing the purse once more, making sure to leave enough of a space for Chowder to breathe. Libby pulled a few pieces of dry cat food out of her jacket pocket. "You want to give him his lunch?" Jimmy chuckled and outstretched his palm. "Why not?" He tossed the food into the purse and watched in amusement as the handbag rocked slightly. Libby got a worried look on her face as she resumed typing. "You won't tell, will you?" Jimmy shook his head before turning back to his work. "Don't be ridiculous." Libby smiled, and they both finished their assignment in contented silence.

The bell had barely finished ringing when Jimmy and Libby walked out of Mr. Acer's class. "Aren't you going to lunch?" Libby asked as Jimmy began to stroll away from her. "Yeah, I just need to do something real quick first. I'll be there in a minute," Jimmy answered while waving goodbye. He twirled his pen in his hands and stared at the blank piece of paper he had taken from typing class as he headed towards the staircase. Cindy's locker was on the second floor. He moved as quickly as he could and practically ran up the stairs. He had no intention of missing any more of his lunch break than he had to. The granola bar he had consumed on the way to school had in no way filled his stomach. He was so hungry he felt sick. But there was one thing he had to do before he could head to the cafeteria. Jimmy knew that Cindy visited her locker right after lunch. He'd decided during the tail end of typing class to thank her for all that she had done for him that morning. He slid to a stop in front of her locker and placed the paper against its door. He quickly scribbled down the words I need you too before folding the paper in half and sliding it inside. He smiled happily and dashed to lunch.

The rest of the day passed quickly for Jimmy. For the first time in a week, he found himself truly able to enjoy lunch with his friends. Jimmy's history and biology classes flew by in spite of the fact that none of his friends were in them. Once the bell that signaled the end of biology rang out, Jimmy dashed down the hall to where Nick was exiting his classroom. Nick noticed him and let a tiny smile come over his face as Jimmy approached him.

"Hey chief," Nick slowly said with what seemed to Jimmy to be the tiniest amount of happiness possible. Jimmy smiled back, albeit more intensely than his friend. "Nick, can we talk for a minute?" Nick slowly reached into his pocket and took a quick look at his cell-phone. "I can't be late for class again." "I can," Jimmy lied. "I'll walk with you." Nick said nothing while heading towards his sixth and final class. "Nick, I wanted to let you know that I think we might have been wrong," Jimmy spoke his words quickly, knowing that Nick's time was limited. Nick slowed to a halt and stared down at Jimmy. He narrowed his eyes and steadily said, "No, we're not." Jimmy stood still for a second as Nick resumed walking. That wasunexpected. "Nick!" Jimmy shouted out while struggling to catch up with his friend. Nick stopped in place once more and sighed. "Screw it," he said while taking a turn and leading Jimmy into an empty classroom. "Better late than dead." Jimmy closed the door behind him as Nick leaned against the chalkboard. Jimmy took a seat on top of a desk in the front row. "Let's hear it, then," Nick monotonously uttered. "I told Cindy about our concerns," Jimmy explained. Nick raised an eyebrow at this, but he didn't say anything. "Do you remember how I told you on the cruiser that I suspected the Yolkians might be embroiled in some sort of civil war?" Nick stared at Jimmy for a few seconds. "Not really," he flatly stated. Jimmy sighed slightly. "Well I did. Cindy and I heard some Yolkians talking on the ship, and they seemed to indicate that Goobot wasn't the most adored dictator. Cindy brought up the good point that maybe the Yolkians are happy to be rid of him. That would explain why it's been a month since we killed Goobot and they haven't attacked yet." Jimmy stared earnestly at Nick, waiting for his friend to smile or at the very least acknowledge Jimmy's good news. Instead, Nick stared him down and took half a minute to merely mutter, "That's not true." "What?" Jimmy asked. Nick pushed himself away from the chalkboard and strolled over to the door. Jimmy followed him and Nick pointed out the glass window at the dozens of kids racing through the hallways. "See all of those guys out there?" Nick asked. "Nearly every one of those people out there helped us save our parents. They were either fighting the Yolkians with us or listening back on Earth to

us fighting. They knew what was at stake, they knew the risks. And yet one month later they're back to worrying about homework and the Halloween dance." Nick turned to Jimmy and stared anxiously at his friend. His stoic demeanor broken, Jimmy could almost see the cracks in his sanity. "How is that possible? We learned how to shoot guns. We formed an army. We were all nearly killed and held captive by some evil billionaire. We killed an alien king! And now they're just back to normal? How can they just forget what we went through?" Jimmy watched in silence as Nick stormed away from the door and angrily kicked a desk. "They didn't forget, Nick," Jimmy tried to explain while watching the desk slide a few feet across the floor. "It's justlife goes on. We saved our parents, and I think this whole thing is actually over." Nick turned back around and glared at Jimmy. "I thought you of all people would understand," he angrily said. "Last night you spent half the time looking like you were about to cry. Now you think everything's hunky dory? What the heck happened to you?" Nick clenched his hands into fists and stared at the blackboard in front of him. "Nick," Jimmy gently spoke while taking a seat beside him. Nick didn't respond. "Nick, believe me, I know how you feel." Nick's angry expression seemed to weaken slightly. Jimmy slowly stretched out his hand and placed it on Nick's shoulder. "Feeling that it isn't over. Not being able to sleep at night. Do you have nightmares too?" Nick's lip trembled slightly before giving the tiniest of nods. Jimmy gave a tiny smile, which Nick saw out of the corner of his eye. "Nick, we're still going to check to see if anything is heading towards Earth. We'll come up with a plan to stop the Yolkians in case they come back. But" Jimmy paused a moment before continuing, "Cindy helped me today. And I want to help you." Nick hesitated before speaking, although he kept his eyes straight ahead. "Why?" Jimmy squeezed Nick's shoulder before pulling his hand away. "Because we couldn't have survived Eustace's trap without you." Jimmy thought for a second and then added, "And you're my friend, Nick." Nick blinked his eyes and stared at Jimmy. Two years ago he was just the biggest nerd in school and I was king of Lindbergh Elementary. What the hell happened? He remembered how Jimmy had listened to him talk about his father, how he had been the one to bring him back to reality when he was lost in the past on Little Boy. The right side of his mouth twitched upwards in a tiny smile. He waited a moment before saying, "Let's go to class before we get detention."

"Just one more thing," Jimmy said. Nick turned back around to face him. "I was working on something for you last night. It's a little herbal concoction. Nothing too special; it's just to help you sleep better and relax a little." Nick stared at him with an inscrutable expression before Jimmy went on. "I wanted to finish it this morning, but I overslept. It shouldn't take more than a half hour to finish. Do you want to come to my lab after school and try it?" Nick considered Jimmy's offer before exhaling deeply and looking at the ground. "Guess it can't hurt." He immediately snapped his head back up after remembering that it was a rare invention of Jimmy's that worked as planned. "Can it hurt?" he asked skeptically. Jimmy shook his head. "I was careful with the formula. It's perfectly safe. I promise." Nick gave a tiny nod. "Alright. I'll call my dad and tell him I'll take the bus with you back to your lab." Jimmy smiled and followed Nick as he opened the door and strolled out into the empty hallway. "The gang and I are heading to the Candy Bar afterwards for some ice cream. Do you want to come?" Nick thought for a second before saying, "Sure." The two boys walked in silence until they reached a staircase. "I'll see you on the bus," Jimmy said while walking past the stairs. His last class was on the first floor, unlike Nick's. Nick nodded and finally said, "Neutron?" Jimmy stopped and looked over his shoulder. Nick paused and said with an approving nod, "You're a pretty cool dude." With that, Nick ascended the stairs and left Jimmy with a smile on his face. "Don't need to tell me," he muttered in amusement while heading on his way.

Nick was the last person to climb onboard the school bus. He glanced to his right and saw Jimmy and Cindy sitting together. Jimmy gave him a smile, and Cindy asked, "Nick? Doesn't your dad give you a ride home?" "Not today," he answered while noticing that Sheen and Libby sat on the opposite side of the bus across from them. Carl sat alone behind them, and Nick hesitantly sat beside the asthmatic llama lover. "Hey Wheezer," he muttered. Carl muttered a greeting in return, and Jimmy explained to his friends that Nick would be joining them at his lab and to the Cady Bar. "That's awesome!" Sheen ecstatically shouted while spinning around and smiling insanely at Nick. "We need a sixth person for paintball!"

"No paintball!" Libby, Cindy, and Jimmy shouted in response. "No paintball," Carl weakly said a second too late. He sighed. "I always miss everything." Nick gave a tiny smile. "You ever think you five spend too much time together?" Jimmy, Cindy, Carl, and Libby all glanced at each other and shook their heads. Sheen thought for a second before nodding. Cindy suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Wait, why are you stopping at your lab?" she asked while shooting Jimmy a warning glance. Jimmy gave a nervous laugh. "I just need to finish up a little project really quick." "Adventure time!" Sheen excitedly shouted. Cindy groaned. "Nice, Neutron. Because nothing ever goes wrong when you finish up one of your inventions with all of us there." "There goes the Candy Bar," Carl muttered dejectedly. "It'll take a half hour tops," Jimmy explained in exasperation. Nick spent the rest of the ride silently watching as Jimmy and Cindy argued over the likelihood of Jimmy's project spiraling out of control, Sheen tried to persuade Libby to watch Ultralord with him after the Candy Bar, and Carl became surprisingly engrossed in a large book. Only the violent braking of the bus caused everyone to shut up. Nick sighed loudly as he followed Libby off of the bus. "Weren't they supposed to stop arguing when they got together?" He asked in exasperation. Libby shrugged. "I don't even hear it anymore." Jimmy hopped off the bus first and absent-mindedly grabbed Cindy's hand as he continued to explain why his herbal concoction was safe. "And if you disagree, Vortex, I would suggest you apologize for planting a garden in my lab in the first place." Cindy rolled her eyes and shoved her shoulder against Neutron to knock him off balance. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see. All I know is that if we stay in your lab all night you owe me a double fudge sundae." The six kids halted in front of the entrance to Jimmy's lab. Nick stared at the new retina scanner with slight curiosity. "No more hair scanner?" he asked Jimmy.

"Too easy to crack," Jimmy explained while placing his right eye in front of the machine. As soon as the laser finished dancing over his eye, Vox's cheery voice said, "Welcome, Jimmy Neutron. The door unlocked and Jimmy led his friends into the tiny shed. "This is kind of a tight squeeze," Libby complained as they entered the elevator and was shoved into the wall by Carl. "Beats falling through a hole onto your ass," Cindy said in contempt while shooting Jimmy a quick glare. "We'll have to endure the ten second ride," Jimmy sardonically muttered while pressing a button. The polished steel doors slid closed and the elevator began to descend. "So Jimmy, what project are you finishing?" Carl asked after a second. "Well, it's actually" Jimmy began to explain, but immediately stopped speaking as soon as the elevator doors slid open. For just a moment, everyone was paralyzed in shock as they saw a lone Yolkian staring at them from halfway across the lab. The Yolkian stared back and appeared equally stunned until a tiny grin spread across its mechanical mouth. It raised a single hand into the air, and that was enough to snap Nick into action. Before anyone could understand what he was doing, he pushed his way out of the elevator, reached behind his back, yanked a pistol out of his waistband, and fired a shot straight at the Yolkian's control panel.

Chapter 7: Answers

Everyone remained silent once the bullet hit its target and the Yolkian dropped to the floor. Jimmy's eyes shot from Nick's gun to his back, and then he frowned while stepping forward. "You brought a gun to school?" he shouted while stepping in front of Nick and staring his friend straight in the eyes. Jimmy's words snapped everyone into motion. Carl immediately leaned against the wall of the elevator and screamed. Sheen grabbed his pudgy friend by the collar and slapped him across the face. "Snap out of it!" Sheen screamed while slamming his palm into Carl's cheek. "Sheen!" Libby shouted in shock. "I knew this wasn't over!" Nick growled at Jimmy while lowering his gun. "I told you we were right!" Cindy stared at the chaos around her and quickly scanned the lab. It only took a second for her to notice the thin coolant pipe attached to the wall. Scowling the whole way, she walked over, used all of her strength to rip it free, and walked over to the Yolkian.

"For the love of God, regain your sanity!" Sheen screamed while slapping Carl across the face twice more. "I'm fine!" Carl shouted as Sheen connected with his cheek once more. "Stop it!" he cried. Jimmy glared at Nick. "If any teacher at school found out you had a gun, it wouldn't have mattered that you saved their life. You'd be expelled!" "You're going to kill him, Sheen!" Libby shouted while staring at her boyfriend in disbelief. "I'll kill him! I'll kill him right now!" Sheen hysterically shouted while slapping Carl once more. Nick glared at Jimmy and said, "I just saved your life and you're worried about me being expelled? What if that thing had come to school instead of your lab?" "Guys!" Carl shouted while widening his eyes in shock and bracing for Sheen's next slap. "Get off of him, Sheen!" Libby shouted while gentling tossing her purse outside the elevator. Once Chowder was safe, she while grabbed her boyfriend's waist and pulled him away from Carl. "I'll slap you too!" Sheen cried out while he and Libby fell onto the floor. "GUYS!" Carl screamed at the top of his lungs. "What?" Nick, Jimmy, Sheen, and Libby angrily shouted while staring at Carl. "Cindy's doing something dramatic," Carl sheepishly said while pointing at Cindy. Halfway across the lab, Cindy had just lifted the pipe over her head and moved in position to swing it down on the Yolkian's visor and destroy its brain. "Cindy!" Jimmy shouted while ripping the gun from Nick's hand and running to her side. She looked up from her target and watched Jimmy slide to a stop beside her. "Should I kill him?" she calmly asked. "Get back!" Jimmy shouted while gently pushing Cindy backwards and aiming his gun at the Yolkian. "Are you okay?" he nervously asked. "I didn't do anything yet," she growled while stepping forward and gripping her pipe tightly. She shot him a blank look and said, "But that's very sweet. I owe you a kiss on the cheek when this is over." Carl, Libby, Nick, and Sheen strolled over to the alien. "Is it dead?" Carl quietly asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "Nick just immobilized it." Jimmy stared down at the Yolkian and noticed its eyes were closed and it was completely silent. Cindy did the same and managed to scowl even more intensely. "We know you're not dead. So you better say something." A second passed, and the Yolkian's eyes slowly opened. "I was not feigning death," it calmly groaned. The pile of goo inside the shell seemed to strain with exertion. "I have never been shot before. It was surprising." The six humans briefly stared at one another. Cindy lifted the pipe over her head once more and met no resistance from Jimmy. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you right now." For the first time, the Yolkian seemed to understand the danger he was in. His eyes widened in fear and his calm tone vanished. "Humans, please hear my words. I" "Cut to the chase!" Cindy shouted. "My name is Barak Neroma, and I am here in peace," the Yolkian said as quickly as it could. The children stared at each other once more before Libby huffed, "Yeah, like we haven't heard that before." Jimmy nodded. "Libby's right. The last time we heard that, Goobot tried to sacrifice our parents to Poultra. Again." "Please!" Barak cried out. "I assure you all that I shared no love for Goobot!" "This is bullshit," Nick angrily muttered. "You really expect us to believe that we killed your king and you came here to make friends with us?" "Should I kill him or not?" Cindy angrily asked. "Wait!" Barak cried. Jimmy felt Cindy's gaze upon him and knew he had a decision to make. He thought for a few seconds before raising Nick's pistol. "Everyone cover your ears." Jimmy's friends heeded his words and Barak closed his eyes in fright as Jimmy fired two shots into the Yolkian's control panel. "You killed him!" Carl cried out. "I didn't kill him!" Jimmy angrily shouted while facing Carl. "Now we're sure it can't move. So let's figure out why it's here. You can put the pipe down, Cindy." Cindy stared at Jimmy for a few seconds before letting the pipe drop to the ground.

Barak tentatively opened his eyes once more. He found six angry faces staring down at him. "I'm still alive," he breathed in relief. Jimmy waited a few seconds to confirm that he was viewed as the one in charge. Once he saw all of his friends staring at him, he knew he would have to take the lead. Taking a deep breath, he knelt down on one knee and loomed over the Yolkian. "What was your name?" Jimmy asked in the toughest voice he could muster. "Barak Neroma," the Yolkian quickly answered. Though the Yolkian's mechanical mouth no longer functioned, its eyes brightened and Jimmy believed it might have been smiling. "And you are Neutron. I have found you!" Jimmy looked up to find all of his friends staring at him nervously. "Want the pipe?" Cindy calmly asked. "Not yet," Jimmy shot back while looking down at Barak once more. "So you were looking for me?" Barak's eyes widened and his voice was filled with regret as he said, "Oh, I have misspoken. I did not intend to frighten you. As I have stated, I am here in peace." Jimmy narrowed his eyes in frustration. "I don't want to kill you, Barak," he calmly said. "But my friends do. Unless you start telling us the truth, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop them." Barak's eyes widened slightly in fright. "Neutron, I swear I speak the truth. I know my race has mistreated yours, but I am no follower of Goobot's. I have come to warn you. Your planet is in grave danger." Jimmy took a second to process Barak's words before slowly lifting his gaze upwards. We already know that's true. Is he really here to warn us? He glanced at Nick and Cindy, and he knew they were both thinking the same thing. "That's crazy," Libby slowly said. "We're not in danger. We killed Goobot. We beat you guys." Barak's eyes shifted to the dark-skinned human female. "You killed our king, yes. But another has taken the throne and promised our people revenge." Jimmy looked to Cindy and then at the pipe. Cindy looked into his eyes for a moment before slowly shaking her head. Jimmy nodded in agreement. Jimmy stared back down at Barak. "How exactly are we in danger? What do you know? And more importantly, why are you warning us?" Barak sighed. "Our new ruler is Veras Conone. He, along with nearly every other Yolkian, views humanity as a race of savage animals. Our people are furious that you killed King Goobot. Veras

has declared war on your planet. As we speak, he is preparing the Yolkian fleet for a full assault." Barak's words brought all of Jimmy's fears racing back. Gone was the exhilarating relief Cindy had brought him the night before. The one time I beg for her to be right, she's wrong. Jimmy clenched his jaw in thought. "They're coming to kill me?" he asked. He hoped with everything in his heart that Barak would say yes, would tell Jimmy that he was the only target and that the rest of Earth would be spared. Barak's eyes saddened as he said, "I am sorry, Neutron. He has ordered the complete decimation of your planet." A cold silence enveloped the lab. Jimmy hung his head in momentary defeat before meeting Barak's gaze once more. "Then why are you here?" he asked. No longer was there any anger in his tone. Jimmy rapidly realized that humanity's only hope may be the Yolkian in front of him. Barak sensed the change in Neutron's voice. "I am here to try to save your people," he slowly said. "I want to save humanity." "Why?" Nick coldly asked. "Every Yolkian we've ever met has tried to kill us. Why would you want to help us?" "I apologize for my race," Barak said, his voice filled with regret. "I am ashamed of all the pain we have inflicted on your species," he said while meeting Nick's icy stare. "I beg of you, please believe that I am" Barak paused and Jimmy wondered if Yolkians were capable of crying. "I am not like them," Barak finished. "I work for the ARC" "The ARC?" Cindy interrupted. "The Alien Research Committee," Barak explained. "It is a group in charge of studying various forms of alien life. I was tasked with observing humanity." "You mean aliens have been watching us all this time?" Sheen loudly asked, his voice becoming excited. "I knew at least one conspiracy theory had to be right!" Barak swung his eyes from side to side. "We haven't been observing long," he explained. "We only learned of your species just over four cycles ago." "Cycles?" Jimmy asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. Barak paused and closed his eyes in dismay. "My apologies. I forget that our species' languages differ in some small regards. A cycle is slightly less than half of one of your years." Barak took a deep breath and continued. "As I was saying, we only learned of your species when you learned of ours. But ever since you freed Poultra's crop, I have been charged with watching you and learning all I can."

"And what did you find?" Jimmy asked. In spite of the situation, he couldn't help but wonder what this alien thought of humanity. "Striking similarities and startling differences between our races," Barak excitedly explained. "We share the same level of sentience, similar ideals of individuality, and one of your planet's languages even nearly matches ours. Yet your technological advancement is inferior and your culture was deemed barbaric and lacking of honor." Cindy scowled once more. "Jimmy, can we maybe discuss the fate of the Earth right now and compare our societies over tea later!" "Sorry," Jimmy apologized. "Barak, you haven't answered my question. Why are you here? Why are you warning us?" "You actually believe this egghead?" Nick asked in disgust. Sheen jabbed Carl in the stomach. "I came up with that insult," he whispered proudly. Carl looked down at the ground in despair. "My whole face is on fire." "We need to at least hear him out," Jimmy sternly told Nick. "So it's a him now?" Nick nearly shouted. "Am I the only one here who remembers that these things have nearly killed us more times than we can count?" "I'm pretty sure it's four," Carl weakly offered. "Human, please listen," Barak said. "I understand your feelings, but I am here to save your species. I promise you that." Barak turned his gaze back to Jimmy. "I am here because I will not let billions of sentient lives be extinguished. I was granted an audience with King Veras and pleaded for him to leave Earth in peace, but there was no appeasing him." Jimmy eyed Barak skeptically. "Wait. This king is so ruthless that he wanted to kill every human alive, yet stupid enough to let the one Yolkian who opposes him come here to warn us?" Barak hesitated for just a second before shaking his eyes once more. "Of course not. I pleaded with the king as I said, and he refused to see reason. It was at that point that I formulated a plan. Knowing that your world would fall, I humbly begged the king for forgiveness. I explained that I would not let my thoughts on the matter prevent me from serving my race. I said that if my lord viewed humanity as unfit, then I was surely wrong to believe otherwise." "And he believed you?" Jimmy slowly asked. Barak's eyes bobbed up and down in affirmation. "Veras is prone to flattery. After several minutes of exaltation, he agreed to let me use my services to aid the Yolkians in the battle for Earth."

"Your services?" Cindy asked. "I know more about humanity than any other Yolkian," Barak explained. "That is the only reason he let me live. I offered to return to this solar system and collect any last minute data I could on your defenses and then report back to him and serve as an advisor for the assault. That is why he believes I am here. But I am really here to help you." Bark paused and stared Jimmy in the eyes. "Neutron, please hear me. Veras intends to show your species no mercy. It will not be long before he orders dozens of battle cruisers to this planet. He will take no chances. They will hover over this world and simply burn it to dust with their weapons." Jimmy's heart sank. All of his worst fears were coming true. The Yolkians wouldn't even give them the chance of fighting them off on the ground. They knew Earth had no means to prevent an attack from space. "How long do we have?" "Not long," Barak immediately answered. "It takes three days for my cruiser to travel between Earth and Yolkus. I was ordered to perform reconnaissance on your planet for no more than one day. That means Veras is expecting me back four days from now. If I am late, he will not wait. His ships will be ready to be launched at a moment's notice. A week from now, they will reach Earth. The day after that" Barak paused and looked away from Jimmy. "There will be nothing but ashes." Cindy immediately turned to Jimmy. She knew what was at stake. "I'll do anything I can to help you," she said as quickly as she could. "No fighting, no arguments, no insults. I'll be at your beck and call 24 hours a day. We'll build something to defend the planet together." Jimmy was shocked at her words. In spite of the fact that he had just learned his race would be extinct in a week, the only thing he could think at that moment was I never knew I could love someone this much. He let himself savor the joy of the thought for a split second before shaking it out of his head and returning to business. "Impossible," Jimmy muttered. "Building an orbital defense system would take months at absolute best. And I don't have nearly enough supplies for something like that. With just a week?" Jimmy closed his eyes and raced through some calculations. "We'd have almost nothing. Maybe delay the inevitable for an hour." "Neutron, hear me," Barak said. His voice was stronger and more reassuring than Jimmy had yet heard. "I have a plan." Nick crossed his arms and glared at Barak. "This oughtta be good." Barak ignored the insult. "There is no way your species can defeat ours. Even if you somehow managed to destroy this fleet, Veras would merely send another. You have but one slim chance. You must travel to Yolkus with me and kill King Veras."

The lab became silent once more. After what seemed an eternity, Nick was the first to speak. "You're all hearing this, right? The last time we killed one of your kings, your species declared war on ours. And your solution to that is to kill another king?" Jimmy shot Nick an angry glare, but he couldn't deny that he had a point. He thought for a moment before saying, "Nick's right, Barak. How does that plan make any sense?" Barak blinked in excitement. "You do not understand the ways of my people, Neutron. You have killed our king and humiliated our soldiers. They clamor for your blood. They will not show mercy, they do not understand compassion. They only respect force. You must come to Yolkus with me and kill the king in his royal chambers. Inside there is a communications link to every video monitor on the planet. You must proclaim to every Yolkian that you, a mere human child, have killed two of our kings. You must show that you are more than a worthy adversary. You must show the Yolkians that you are capable of destroying them. Only then will they even consider leaving your world in peace." Everyone considered Barak's words. This time it was Jimmy who broke the silence. "You said they'll only consider leaving us in peace. Is that the best you can offer?" "Yes," Barak sadly said. "Neutron, I am sorry. I have thought of nothing but how to save humanity on my journey here. It is the only viable option I can think of. There is no way humanity can stop our ships, even with you at their aid. There is no time for you to prepare. I am not promising this will work." Barak stopped speaking for several seconds; just long enough for Jimmy and his friends to wonder if that was all the Yolkian had to say. Finally, Barak finished with, "But I promise you all that my plan is humanity's best hope." Jimmy stared at his five friends. Nick seemed unconvinced. Libby seemed thoughtful. Cindy's face was impossible to read. Sheen seemed oddly pensive, and Carl seemed confused. We better talk this out. Jimmy sighed and got to his feet. "We need to discuss this," he said to everyone in the lab. He looked down at Barak. "Give us a few minutes." "Hurry with your decision," Barak warned, although his voice wasn't threatening. "If you decide to heed my words, we will not have much time to act." Jimmy nodded and walked away from Barak. Sheen, Libby, Carl, Nick, and Sheen followed after him. "In here," he said while leading everyone into the small control room. Before anyone could speak, Jimmy held Nick's pistol out to Sheen. "Sheen, will you watch Barak? Make sure he doesn't try anything?" Sheen looked at the gun hesitantly. "You don't think I'm smart enough to talk about this?" he asked, clearly hurt. Jimmy put a hand on Sheen's shoulders and shook his head. "I'm not going to underestimate you again. But we need someone to watch Barak. We'll fill you in. I promise."

Sheen looked down into Jimmy's eyes before nodding. He took the pistol, ejected the clip, inspected it, and slammed it back in before heading back out into the lab. The door slid closed behind Sheen, and the five remaining friends looked at each other. "Alright, what do we think about this?" Cindy finally asked. "You know what I think," Nick immediately answered. "This has got to be a trap. We already gave the Yolkians a chance before when they came to Earth. All they did was try to kill our parents again. What makes this time any different?" "This Yolkian came alone," Jimmy said. "That's different. Last time they came with an army." "Are we really in danger?" Libby asked, her voice cracking in fear. "The entire planet?" Jimmy became immensely sad as he remembered that Libby, Carl, and Sheen hadn't known that their planet was in danger. This was news to them. He looked into Libby's frightened eyes and nodded. "We've suspected it for a few days now." "Wait," Carl slowly said. "Jimmy, you knew about this?" Libby turned to Carl and stared at Cindy. "Cindy? You knew too?" Cindy shook her head and her expression softened at Libby's accusation. "Libby, Jimmy just told me yesterday." Libby shook her head in disbelief. "So you've both been lying to me? And Carl and Nick too?" Libby watched Nick look down at the ground guiltily. "You knew too, Nick?" Jimmy held up his hands in defeat. "Libby, Carl, I promise I'm sorry. But we didn't know. Not for sure. We suspected it, and we didn't want to worry anyone else if we weren't sure." Libby frowned. "We're friends! Friends tell each other when their planet might be in danger!" she nearly shouted. Carl frowned. "I'm" Chapter one said always share your feelings, even when you're afraid to. Carl nodded and crossed his arms. "I'm very disappointed in all of you." "Enough!" Jimmy shouted. Everyone stared at him. His mind began to race as he realized that Earth's time was running out. "Libby, Carl, we're all sorry. We truly are. We should have told you. But you have to understand we were all hoping we were wrong. We did not want to be right about this." "But you were," Libby said. "We were," Jimmy agreed. "And from now on, we're all a team. Plain and simple. No secrets at all. I promise."

Libby looked to Cindy and Nick. "I'm sorry," Cindy anxiously apologized. "Libby, you know I never lie to you. I'm truly sorry. Jimmy's right. It won't happen again." Nick saw Carl's expression sadden as Cindy ignored him. He sighed before saying, "I'm sorry WheeCarl. We should have told you." Libby and Carl stared at each other. "You mean it?" Libby asked. "Yes," Jimmy answered. "But we need to figure out how we're going to handle this. We know Nick doesn't believe Barak. Cindy?" Cindy crossed her arms and drummer her fingers for several seconds. "I'm on the fence. I believe Barak about being in danger, but I'm not sure if this is a trap." She paused and added, "He seems sincere. I don't know." Jimmy faced Libby. "Libby? What do you think?" Libby sighed. "This is crazy. An hour ago I thought we were heading out for ice cream. Now you're telling me humanity's doomed?" She closed her eyes for several seconds and scrunched her face in deep thought. Her eyes finally popped open. "Let's do it. If you guys thought we were already in danger, then that means Barak's telling the truth, doesn't it?" "Alright" Jimmy began, but Carl immediately interrupted. "I agree with Libby!" he shouted out. A short silence overcame the group and Jimmy nodded. "Okay. Libby and Carl believe Barak, as do I. That's three people who agree. Nick's against following Barak. Cindyyou seem to be leaning towards our side, right?" Cindy stared at Jimmy. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "If I'm on the fence, I'll hop over to your side." Libby frowned. "Glad to know I was a big influence." Cindy was about to apologize, but Jimmy didn't give her the chance. "That's four in favor of Barak's plan. Even if Sheen disagreed, the majority says we listen to Barak." Jimmy turned to Nick. "But this is something we should all agree on. Nick, we wouldn't have survived without you last time." Jimmy thought back to when he was on Intergalactic Showdown, to when Cindy had taught him how it important it was to be a team player. "I'm not doing this if you're completely against it." Nick looked at the four people around him. He breathed deeply for several seconds before sighing. "I said I'd have your back. I don't trust the Yolkian, but I trust you, Jimmy. If you're in, I'm in."

Jimmy nodded. "We'll talk to Sheen, but I'm pretty sure he'd side with Libby." Libby smiled at that. "So we're in agreement that we should listen to Barak." Jimmy suddenly closed his eyes. "Jimmy?" Cindy worriedly asked. "Give me a second," he gently instructed while raising a hand to ward off her words. He thought intensely about Barak's plan, all the guilt he had had to overcome since returning to Earth, and finally nodded in resignation. "I'll go with Barak. I'll end this myself." Cindy narrowed her eyes and glared at Jimmy. "And you're playing the hero here why?" Jimmy saw the anger in her eyes. "I led the Yolkians here. I killed Goobot. This is my fight." Cindy's gaze hardened. "We went over this!" she suddenly shouted clenching her hands into fists. Everyone in the lab recoiled at the intensity of her outburst. "I helped you!" Jimmy nodded. "You did. And I'm calm now. But those are the facts. And I'm not letting you risk your lives to fix my mistake. This plan is dangerous. I'm not having any of you die." Libby scowled. "Neutron, you're dumber than I thought if you think we're letting you do this alone." Nick nodded. "We've got your back. We're with you on this." Cindy crossed her arms once more and stared at Jimmy. "The clock's ticking, Neutron. Do you really want to waste precious time arguing with us? You're not making us do anything. We're choosing to go. And this is the last time I'm telling you it isn't your fault. After this, you can deal with it yourself." Jimmy met Cindy's gaze for several seconds before slowly nodding. He took a deep breath and released it while saying, "Okay. I'll need your help anyway." He sighed and looked into Cindy's eyes. "I want you all to come. I just needed to be sure it was your choice." He paused and quietly added, "And you did help." "Well it is our choice," Cindy said while nodding and giving Jimmy the tiniest of smiles. "Let's fill Sheen and Barak in," Jimmy said while leading everyone out of the control room. The group found Sheen sitting on the floor next to Barak. The two seemed to be talking in a friendly manner, but Sheen still had taken care to keep the pistol pointed at the Yolkian. "We're back," Jimmy said while approaching the duo. Sheen quickly got to his feet. "I think Barak's right," he immediately said. Jimmy nodded. "So do we."

Barak breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, humans. I know it must not be easy to trust me." "It's not," Nick shot back. Jimmy didn't bother giving Nick an angry glance. He was sure that Nick knew what he thought about his remark. "It won't be easy getting to the king, will it?" Barak shook his eyes in response. "I will try to bring us in when he is under the least guard, and land us fairly close to his chambers, but we will all still have a fight on our hands. My shuttle cannot transport an entire army. I know you also have ships, Neutron, but I feel a small group is best suited for this mission." Cindy nodded. "We'll need to move quick and strike hard. I agree." Jimmy nodded as well. "Sheen, this is your choice. Do you want to come with us?" Sheen gripped the gun tighter and nodded before smiling. "Do you really think you would get halfway there without my shooting skills?" Jimmy smiled back. "Alright. So we've got Nick, Cindy, Sheen, and myself. With Barak on our side" "Hold on a minute," Libby interjected. "I am not staying behind this time. You better make room on that shuttle for me." Jimmy opened his mouth to protest, but Sheen beat him to it. "No!" he shouted while staring at Libby in disbelief. "Libby, my queen, you could die!" Libby crossed her arms and frowned. "Do you guys have any idea the hell I went through last time?" Everyone looked at her in silence. "Sitting in this stupid lab not knowing whether you guys were going to come back? I sat here for nearly twelve hours thinking you all were dead! So don't you dare tell me I'm not going up there with you!" she screamed. Sheen took a step backwards. "I suppose Libby will be joining us." "Wait a moment," Barak suddenly said. "Female human, you did not fight the Yolkians aboard Goobot's vessel?" "No, my leg was hurt," Libby answered, calm once more. Barak shook his eyes from side to side. "I must protest your accompanying us. Only those who killed Yolkian soldiers should come." Nick stared at Barak. "Why?"

Barak met Nick's gaze and took a few seconds to answer. "We only have space for a handful of fighters. As I stated, our team must be small. Each member should have experience fighting Yolkians." Jimmy stared at Libby, and it wasn't hard to spot the pleading in her eyes. He sighed and said, "Libby's strong. And I'm sure Cindy's taught you some of her t'ai chi, right?" "Right," Libby agreed. Jimmy nodded. "We'll need her. If she wants to come, she'll come." Barak sighed. "Are you sure?" "We're sure," Jimmy answered. "So that makes six members, including you, Barak. If I fix your shell, will you be able to fight?" "Wait!" Carl shouted before Barak could answer. "I'm coming too!" Every human in the room stared at Carl in disbelief. Barak noticed and slowly turned his gaze towards the round human as well. "Um" Jimmy began. "My book says I need to be brave," Carl explained. "What llama book says that?" Cindy asked in disbelief. "It's a self-help book!" Carl angrily exclaimed. "It says I need to imagine what someone I admire would do and then do that. So I'm coming with you guys!" "Um" Jimmy continued. Nick stared at Carl. "Dude, no offense, but you're not in fighting shape." Sheen nodded. "Don't you have scapula problems?" "And many other problems?" Cindy quickly added. "No!" Carl shouted. He fell silent for a moment and added, "Maybe." Everyone turned to Jimmy, who smiled awkwardly. "Carl? Umyou know this isn't like dodge ball or anything, right?" "Dodge the ball," Sheen incorrectly corrected. Ignoring Sheen, Jimmy continued, "This is serious stuff. We all almost died."

Carl crossed his arms. "I'm tired of being scaredy Carl. From now on, I'm bravedy Carl," Carl slowly explained. "I'm coming with you" Carl quickly ripped off his backpack and yanked out his book. He flipped through a few pages and nodded. "And that's that!" "Um" Jimmy concluded. Nick stared down at Barak. "I'm okay with you fighting us on this one." Jimmy looked to Cindy for help, but she honestly couldn't think of anything to offer. She just shrugged, and Jimmy turned back to his best friend. "You'll need to train a lot on the way to Yolkus," Jimmy slowly warned. "I promise!" Carl happily exclaimed. Jimmy sighed and sighed, "Welcome to the team, then." "Okay, so that's seven people including Barak," Cindy summed up. Barak replied with, "I believe we can bring another human or two. But I truly must insist they have fighting experience." "Agreed," Jimmy said. He turned to Nick. "Nick, you were the one who chose who got a gun last time. Are there any people who stick out in your mind? Any people who really stood out from the pack?" Nick thought for a few seconds and nodded. "Yeah. Betty, Ike, and Butch." "Quinlan?" Cindy asked in disgust. "Bigger issues," Jimmy gently reminded Cindy. Cindy stared at him before sticking her tongue out and crossing her arms in disgust. "Why those three?" Libby asked. "Ike and Betty were the two best pilots we had. And both were great shots, although Betty took a little longer to learn," Nick explained. "Having a pilot on hand could be advantageous if something unexpected comes up," Jimmy said. "Ike and Betty sound good." "Ooh, totally didn't see you agreeing with Nick on this one," Cindy mumbled in disgust. "Okay, but why Butch?" Libby asked. "Yeah, he can be mean," Carl quietly added. "One time, he took my"

"He's the strongest kid in town," Nick interrupted. Jimmy shook his head. "We need more than raw strength. Besides, Butch can't follow orders well." Cindy sighed and shelved her hatred of Betty for the moment. "Neutron's right. We can't have Butch second-guessing us." Nick considered their points and nodded. "Alright. So Betty and Ike it is." Jimmy nodded and looked at Barak. "That's nine of us. Are you sure you don't want to make it an even ten?" Barak moved his eyes up and down while saying, "I believe that nine is acceptable. And to answer your previous question, I will fight by your side once mobile. I am no soldier, but I will do all that I can." Jimmy nodded. "When should we leave?" "I suggest now," Barak offered. Everyone frowned at his. "We just found out about this half an hour ago," Jimmy countered. "We don't even have any supplies yet. We'll need time to prepare. We spent two weeks getting ready last time." "I am sorry, Neutron, but time is a luxury we cannot afford," Barak explained. "As I said, we have approximately four days before Veras unleashes his ships. The journey to Yolkus takes three days." "Then we should leave tonight," Cindy added. Nick nodded in agreement. "We can gather supplies and recruit Ike and Betty right now." Jimmy closed his eyes in thought once more. He then glanced down at the watch on his wrist. "It's almost four o'clock. Here's what we need to do. Nick, you go and tell Ike and Betty what's going on. If they agree to come with us, have them meet in front of my lab at midnight." Nick nodded. "Sure thing." Jimmy looked around the lab at everyone in front of him. "Barak, you'll stay in here for the night. I'll repair your shell as soon as everyone leaves. The rest of you, get home and get some rest. Pack whatever you can carry and be back outside for midnight. Once we all meet up, we'll gather supplies and then head to Barak's ship. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Jimmy gave a slight nod of resignation and looked around the room at his friends. "Okay," he slowly said while choosing his next words carefully. "Let's try to get some sleep and prepare ourselves. In eight hours we get ready to finish this fight." Jimmy saw Sheen giving him a slightly amused look out of the corner of his eye. He sighed and hastily added, "Again."

Chapter 8: Introductions

Jimmy followed his five friends as they headed towards his elevator. Even though his gaze was kept firmly on Cindy, he could fill Barak's curious eyes drilling a hole into his back. Ignoring the strange sensation, he shifted his gaze slightly to watch Libby gently scoop up her purse and hang it back over her shoulder. Cindy took this brief pause in their stroll to turn around and stare at Jimmy. Before he could respond, she wrapped him in a hug and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. Her lips moved slightly upwards and her breath tickled his ear. "You know I could have handled Barak, right?" she growled. Jimmy nodded, too entranced by the scent of jasmine to form any words. Cindy gave his earlobe a gentle kiss and whispered much more gently, "You're" Cindy swallowed nervously and remembered how it had felt to share her feelings for Jimmy in school earlier that day. "You're the sweetest guy I've ever met." The moment was over as soon as it had begun. Cindy pulled away and took the few final steps backwards into the elevator. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay and help?" she asked, her tone normal once more. Jimmy blinked his eyes several times and saw the five children staring at him. "You shouldn't stay alone with it," Nick warned Jimmy. Nick's voice snapped him out of his daze. "No, I need you all rested," Jimmy explained as the fog enveloping his mind began to dissipate. He found himself thinking clearly once more. He glanced briefly into Cindy's glowing green eyes and then turned to Nick. "We've already agreed to Barak's plan. It will never work if we don't trust him. I'll be fine." Nick gave a hesitant nod, and Cindy's hand wavered over the elevator's up button. "Call if you need anything," Cindy said while staring intensely into Jimmy's eyes. With that said, her fingers pressed the button and the elevator's doors slid closed. Jimmy felt his eyes follow the elevator up the shaft. Once he knew they had exited the shed that concealed his lab, he let out a long sigh and stared at the ground. Jimmy turned around to find Barak's eyes still trained on him. Jimmy met the Yolkian's gaze and slowly walked back to his new ally. "I'm sorry forshooting you," Jimmy finished his sentence slowly, knowing how ridiculous the words sounded.

"Apologies are unnecessary," Barak explained as Jimmy sat down on the floor beside him. A few seconds passed, and then Jimmy stared at the three bullet holes in Barak's shell. "I'll fix those for you right now." Before Barak could respond, Jimmy raised his wrist to his mouth and tapped two buttons. "Bark!" Goddard's excited voice yelped from the watch. Jimmy allowed himself a small smile. "Goddard, can you meet me in the lab right away? There's someone here I think you should meet." Jimmy turned his attention back to the elevator and counted the seconds until it hummed to life once more. Less than a minute passed before the doors slid open to reveal Goddard's smiling face. This rapidly transformed into a hideous snarl as the mechanical canine jumped out of the elevator and caught sight of Barak. Goddard immediately bowed down, growled, and bared all his teeth. A split second later his back split open to allow a small laser blaster to rise up. "Bark bark!" Goddard roared in fury while taking aim at the Yolkian. "Goddard, terminate defensive measures!" Jimmy cried out while jumping to his feet. Goddard immediately straightened his stance and let a neutral expression take hold of his face. In spite of Jimmy's command, he kept his weapon trained on the fallen alien. An inquisitive whine escaped the canine's mouth as it took a tentative step towards Jimmy. "Goddard, Barak's here to help us. I need you to help me fix him." A few seconds passed as Goddard looked back and forth between Jimmy and Barak. "Woof?" he asked while casting a sidelong glance at his master. Jimmy shook his head in response. "He's immobile, boy. He can't be threatening me to say it." Jimmy motioned at Barak and flashed Goddard a reassuring smile. "Come check for yourself." Goddard eyed Jimmy curiously before finally slowly making his way towards Barak. The Yolkian watched intensely as Goddard walked a circle around him, prodded him with the laser blaster, and sniffed the damaged control panel. "This is fascinating," Barak said as his eyes lit up. He wished his mechanical mouth was still functional. More than anything he felt like smiling. "A fully mechanical canine familiaris." Barak turned to Jimmy with an inquisitive stare. "Surely it does not possess true artificial intelligence?" Goddard barked angrily in response and took a seat near Jimmy. "Play nice, Goddard," Jimmy teased while grabbing a lug nut from his pocket and tossing it into his dog's mouth. Jimmy turned back to Barak and nodded. "Goddard is fully sentient."

Barak widened his eyes in disbelief and slowly shook both eye stalks from side to side. "That isunfathomable," he calmly explained. "My observations have shown your species to be barely capable of creating mindless mobile automatons. Yet you have created a fully functional artificial intelligence companion?" Barak locked his orange eyes onto Jimmy's green ones. "The vastness of your intellect exceeds even my greatest expectations." Goddard sighed loudly and lay down as he prepared to endure another instance of Jimmy's ego spiraling out of control. Jimmy smiled and chuckled lightly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, Goddard is my finest work. I" Goddard let out a sharp bark and flashed Jimmy a stern stare. Jimmy sighed. "Taking cues from Cindy, eh boy?" Goddard let his tongue hang out and barked happily. Jimmy rolled his eyes in response. "Alright, we've got a lot to do. Goddard, will you fetch me my toolkit please?" Goddard nodded and jogged towards Jimmy's storage area. Jimmy then turned to Barak and explained, "We have a lot to talk about." Bark let his eye stalks rise and fall in response. "I shall any questions you have while you work." Goddard quickly returned dragging a large black case across the floor with his mouth. Jimmy tossed a handful of lug nuts onto the floor as thanks. Goddard immediately lay down and started to savor his reward while staring intently at Barak. "Let's start at the beginning," Jimmy instructed while pulling a pair of tweezers out of the case. "When did you get here?" Barak watched as Neutron set to work pulling the first bullet out of his shell. "I arrived under the cover of darkness sometime last night." Jimmy found the first bullet and struggled to get a grip on it with his tweezers. "Where's your ship?" Barak watched as Jimmy yanked the first lead round out and let it clatter to the floor. "I found a small clearing in a wooded area several magnars" Barak paused and closed his eyes in thought. "Apologies, Neutron. I sometimes forget about the differences in our languages. I landed in a clearing approximately two kilometers away." "Was it near a park?" Jimmy asked, wondering if Barak was referring to the woods behind Retroville Park. Barak raised and lowered his eyes once more in affirmation. "Yes, near some sort of outdoor obstacle course."

"We call it a playground," Jimmy explained while placing the second bullet on the floor. Barak pondered this for a few seconds before continuing. "I made my way to your laboratory in shell from there," he explained. "Your streets were nearly deserted; I do not believe that I was noticed." Jimmy grimaced while trying to yank the final bullet free. "My lab," he muttered while letting it fall next to the others. Jimmy tossed the tweezers back into his case and stared into Barak's eyes. "How did you break in?" Barak broke away from Jimmy's gaze. "My apologies for entering this place," the alien hastily explained. "I could not risk visiting you in your residence for fear of waking your parents. I knew that you came here often, so I decided to wait inside." Jimmy nodded in understanding, but repeated his question once more. "But how did you break in? I have a retinal scanner." Barak sheepishly met Neutron's gaze once more. "With respect, your defense system was easy to override. It seemed" Barak paused and tried to choose the least offensive words, "inadequate for such a marvelous place." Jimmy sighed and thought, I'm getting tired of hearing that. Looks like I've got to think bigger than a retinal scanner. He turned his attention back to his tool kit before mumbling, "The detection system." "I am sorry?" Barak asked, not having fully heard Jimmy's words. Jimmy stared at Barak curiously. "Why wasn't my alarm system going off when my friends and I came in here? It was supposed to let me know if anything was approaching Earth." Barak stared down at the floor in shame. "Once more, I must apologize for my actions. I had no idea how long I would be waiting in this laboratory, and the beeping from that monitor," Barak said while motioning with his eyes at Jimmy's main computer monitor, "grew unpleasant after a short time. I am afraid that I deactivated it." Barak thought about his words for a second before adding, "But I assure you that I interfered with nothing else in this place." "It's fine," Jimmy answered after a moment, deciding to believe that the Yolkian hadn't been poking around in his lab. He grabbed a small laser out of the tool kit and started repairing the circuitry in Barak's shell. Barak allowed Jimmy to work in silence for several minutes before speaking once more. "Neutron, I feel it prudent to once more thank you for agreeing to my plan." A second passed, and he saw Neutron furrow his brow and clench the laser tighter. "I understand the sins my race has committed are unforgivable. Yet I promise you I have done nothing but wish for peace between our worlds. II never wished for your parents to be sacrificed or revenge for their rescue to be undertaken."

Jimmy worked in silence for several seconds and felt his right hand began to tremble. He clenched the pen tighter before allowing it to fall to the ground. "Neutron?" Barak asked worriedly. Jimmy dug his fingernails into his palm before looking into Barak's worried eyes. "I don't want to kill anyone," he quietly told the Yolkian. Barak and Jimmy stared at each other for several seconds before Jimmy continued speaking. "Killing Goobot was a mistake. I thought he had kidnapped our parents again. I was angry," he sadly explained. "I never meant for this to happen." "I suspected as much," Barak told Neutron. "I tried to explain to King Veras that you were tricked into killing Goobot, that the surveillance recordings indicated as such. But there was no deterring his call for revenge." "Why?" Jimmy suddenly shouted. Goddard lifted his head off of the floor and woke from his brief nap, aiming his blaster at Barak once more. Jimmy felt tears begin to well up in his eyes, but he fought them back down. "Do we have to kill your king? Do we have to risk my friends' lives? Can't we talk to this Veras, make him see reason? Can't we just ask for a truce?" Jimmy desperately asked. Barak stared at Jimmy curiously, shocked by the human's words. Barak had never viewed humanity as a pack of blood-thirsty savages, but he had not known that Neutron desired peace so badly. "Youyou truly wish for peace? You do not wish for revenge against my people at all?" Jimmy gave his head a tiny shake and leaned backwards. Goddard immediately outstretched his tail to support his master. Jimmy leaned against his dog and sighed. "What has revenge ever gotten anyone?" Jimmy sadly asked. "When I shot Eustace, I wanted him to suffer for what he did to Cindy. And now I can barely sleep at night. I just want this to be over." Jimmy wallowed in sadness for a second before looking at Barak once more. The Yolkian seemed both confused and deeply thoughtful. "Eustace" Barak slowly said the word, noting how strange it felt to say a human's name other than Neutron. "This human is the one who deceived you into attacking Goobot, yes? The one who injured the blonde-haired human?" Jimmy nodded. Barak tilted his eyes slightly and noted the pain on Jimmy's face. "She is your mate, yes?" In spite of his sadness, Jimmy gave a tiny smile at Barak's words. He stared at the Yolkian and explained, "In a sense. It's more similar to" Jimmy hesitated and wondered how well Yolkians understood the concept of love. "Courtship, at the moment." Barak met Jimmy's curious stare. "You appear to already have won her affections."

Barak's words touched Jimmy in a way he wasn't expecting. He stared into the alien's eyes and felt himself smile. "Let's finish fixing your shell." It only took Jimmy a few minutes to complete his task. One minute Barak was sitting motionless on the ground, and the next he shot up into the air and his mechanical mouth twitched back to life. "How does it feel?" Jimmy asked as he watched Barak wobble while trying to hover in a circle around Jimmy. "Curious," Barak said while nearly tipping over. His mouth twitched slightly while trying to match his emotions. A few seconds passed, and the shell seemed to fly straighter. "I can feel the auto-stabilization subroutines coming back online." Barak's mouth matched his words more fluidly, and soon the shell was in perfect balance. Barak lifted his mechanical arms up and moved each of his fingers one at a time. Each movement was easier than the last. After testing his mobility, he gently lowered his shell onto the ground and bowed forward towards Jimmy. "Your skills and kindness seem infinite. I offer my thanks, Neutron." Jimmy felt his lips twitch into a smile of their own accord. "Don't mention it, Barak." He glanced down at his watch and realized that he was running out of time to prepare for his journey. "I should go rest and pack," he told Barak. Barak followed Jimmy as the human led the way to the lab's lounge. Jimmy scooped a remote control off of the couch and handed it to Barak, who examined it curiously. "It's for the TV," Jimmy explained while motioning towards the small television at the other end of the lounge. "There are some books over there too, in case you get bored," Jimmy explained while pointing out the bookcase in the corner. Barak nodded. "I shall await our reunion. And I give my word no facet of your laboratory will be disturbed." "Thank you," Jimmy answered while extending his hand. Barak eyed it curiously for a few seconds before slowly holding out his own. Jimmy gave it a gentle squeeze before lifting it up and down. "I'll come get you at midnight." Barak watched as Jimmy turned around and headed towards the elevator. "Neutron?" the Yolkian suddenly asked. Jimmy halted and faced his new friend once more. "I share your wish for peace. But there can be no reasoning with Veras. If your planet is to live, he must die." Barak hesitated for a few seconds before quietly adding, "I am sorry." Jimmy breathed deeply as he listened to Barak's words and gave a tiny nod. "Have a good night, Barak," he finally said before heading back to the elevator. "Rest well, Neutron," Barak answered as Jimmy entered the elevator and ascended to the surface.

Jimmy found himself rising from unconsciousness seconds before his alarm was set to go off. The familiar feeling of icy adrenaline washing through his veins snapped him into action, and he shut his alarm clock off before it could wake his parents. 11:20. Nothing beats a good night's sleep, he sarcastically thought while rolling out of bed. Jimmy took a moment to let his mind spring back to life and glance around his room. The moonlight streaming through his window was the only illumination. He noticed Goddard sleeping silently on his small bed in the room's corner. He saw his desk cluttered with scientific formulas and various homework assignments. He noticed his backpack, stuffed to the brim with textbooks and folders. Finally, he settled on the light switch and slowly made his way to it. A twitch of his finger sent light coursing through his room. "Huff!" Goddard angrily exclaimed while rolling over and lazily opening his eyes. Catching sight of his master, he immediately remembered why he was being awoken at this time. Goddard immediately lunged out of his bed and ran over to Jimmy, whining the whole way. "Hey boy," Jimmy sadly said while falling to one knee. He rubbed his fingers over Goddard's metallic cheeks and felt his eyes burn yet again as tears threatened to pour out of them. Goddard whined sadly and rubbed his head on Jimmy's knee before giving his hands a gentle lick. "I'll miss you too, buddy." Goddard couldn't stop whining as he followed Jimmy around their bedroom. He averted his eyes just long enough for Jimmy to change out of his pajamas and into his usual T-shirt and jeans. Once Jimmy was dressed, Goddard sat in front of his master's backpack. Jimmy yanked the bag off of the ground and gently tossed it onto his bed. He emptied all the folders, notebooks, and textbooks onto his bed and looked around his room, trying to decide what supplies to bring. He grabbed his hypercube off of his desk and tossed it into his backpack's front pocket. The family portrait of himself, his parents, and Goddard was taken out of the frame, neatly folded, and placed into a side pocket. Jimmy then walked into his bathroom and stared at his towel, still wet from the shower he had taken before going to bed. He grabbed it along with his toothbrush before walking back into his bedroom. The rest of the backpack's meager space was dedicated to as many changes of clothes as Jimmy could cram inside. Once Jimmy was packed, he sat down on his bed and stared down at Goddard. The dog sat down at Jimmy's feet and met his pained gaze. Jimmy opened his mouth to speak, but Goddard beat him to it. "Bark!" he said as loudly as he could without waking Jimmy's parents. Jimmy smiled sadly and patted Goddard's head. "You know I want you to come, boy. I hated leaving you behind last time too. But someone has to stay here and keep all of our holograms running." Goddard barked once more and angrily shook his head. "Bark! Woof!" he snapped back.

Jimmy slid off of his bed and sat down on the floor. Goddard climbed onto his master's lap and let out a low whine while licking Jimmy's right hand. "Woof," the dog sadly moaned. Jimmy sighed and rubbed his dog behind the ears. "I know it won't fool them long, Goddard. I know that. But you have to buy us enough time to at least get out of the solar system. The farther away we are when Mom and Dad find out, the less likely they'll try something crazy like coming after us in my rocket." Goddard barked in disdain. "Besides," Jimmy went on, "the longer you can keep them from discovering that we're gone, the less time they'll spend worrying." Goddard whined at that. He had to admit that Jimmy made a good point. Jimmy lifted Goddard up and placed his pet on the floor. Goddard stared into his master's eyes and became unnerved by the seriousness in them. "Besides, I need you here," Jimmy explained. "If something goes wrongif Barak's plan fails" "Bark!" Goddard exclaimed while shaking his head. Jimmy sighed. "But if it does, you'll be our parents' only hope of surviving the Yolkian's attack. Keep them safe, boy. Keep all of them safe." Goddard whined and stared at Jimmy sadly. "I don't know, Goddard. But you can think of something," Jimmy sadly explained. He watched in agony as Goddard stared miserably at the ground. "Hey," Jimmy gently said. Goddard lifted one eye up and met Jimmy's stare. "This will work, boy. It has to." Boy and dog stared into each other's eyes, each silently begging that they would see the other once more. "Bark," Goddard gently uttered. Jimmy stared into his pet's eyes, and Goddard extended his neck so that his face was only a foot away from Jimmy's. Goddard looked right into Jimmy's eyes and then at Jimmy's heart. "Bark," he whispered. Jimmy smiled sadly. "I love you too." Jimmy slowly got to his feet and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'll see you soon," Jimmy sadly whispered while opening his bedroom door. He took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway, being sure to close the door quietly behind him. He turned around, placed his right palm on the door, and felt a tear roll down his cheek. "I love you too," he repeated. Jimmy blinked away tears once more before walking down the hall towards his parents' bedroom. He opened their door a tiny crack and peaked inside. His mother rested her head on her husband's shoulders and shivered slightly. Jimmy's father wrapped his arms around his wife and snored gently. Both seemed to be sleeping soundly; both were completely unaware of the danger they faced. Jimmy forced himself to smile through his sadness and whispered, "I'm sorry I have to leave you so soon."

Jimmy opened the door a tiny bit more and took a little step forward. He looked into their tired faces and sighed. He remembered how it was less than two months ago he had come back to Retroville to find them kidnapped, how the entirety of his last adventure had been to get them back. Now, not even a month after their reunion, he was leaving once more. "I love you both," he quickly uttered while exiting the room and closing the door behind him. Jimmy tried to steady his breathing as he quietly opened his front door and stepped onto his lawn. He'd barely stepped foot on the grass when he saw Cindy exit her house across the street. Both froze for a moment and looked at the other. Jimmy slowly raised his hand into the air, and Cindy gave a tiny smile in response. They met in front of Jimmy's lab. "Hey Jimmy," Cindy softly whispered. "Cindy," Jimmy quietly answered while leaning against the wooden shed. He looked back at his house and quickly ran a hand over his moist eyes. Cindy noted the sadness her boyfriend was trying to hide and gently put a hand on his shoulder. Jimmy stared at her soft skin and let his hand fall to his side. Cindy hesitated for just a second before squeezing it and intertwining their fingers. Jimmy and Cindy looked into each other's eyes, shared a tiny smile, and looked up at the moon. Both sat on the slightly wet grass at the same time. "Here we go again, huh?" Cindy asked. "Getting all our friends together, gathering supplies, and blasting off into space to fight some evil and save the day." She stared at Jimmy sadly. "Remember when our adventures were simple? Sneaking into Retroland and breaking into museums?" Cindy shook her head in vague amusement and looked up once more at the night sky. "When did things get so complicated?" Jimmy gave Cindy's hand a gentle squeeze and stared at the dozens of stars twinkling in the sky. "Guess we grew up." They both stared into each other's eyes for a second. "You ever think it happened too fast?" Cindy smiled a little and looked at the blue seas that were Jimmy's eyes. "It has its perks," she playfully whispered while leaning in to kiss him. Their lips had barely connected when Carl's cheery voice interrupted them. "Hey guys!" he said a little too loudly while waving and strolling towards them. "I'm here to help save the day!" Cindy's eyes seemed to glow with rage as she and Jimmy pulled out of their kiss. Jimmy sighed and turned to his best friend. "Hey Carl. A little early, huh?" he said with a twinge of annoyance. Carl smiled widely, not noticing the angry stares directed at him. "Chapter two says the early bird catches the worm." Carl shivered in fright and added, "I hope that's just one of those metaphor things, because I'm allergic to worms."

Jimmy was about to speak, but he noticed Libby and Sheen strolling down the street hand in hand. He smiled a little and turned to Cindy, pleased to see that Libby's presence was whittling away at her temper. "And they're strong, and smart, and they breathe fire!" they heard Sheen nervously explain to Libby. Libby rolled her eyes and sighed while approaching her friends. "Sheen, Yolkians don't breathe fire." "We don't know that!" Sheen nearly shouted while waving his arms frantically. "And theyand they" Sheen struggled to come up with another reason why the Yolkians were dangerous. Libby smiled sweetly and made Sheen look into her eyes. "Sheen, I promise I will be careful." She frowned playfully and put her hands on her hips. "I can take care of myself, okay? So stop worrying, because I'm coming no matter what you say." Sheen sighed, and an uncharacteristically serious expression took hold of his face as he stared into Libby's eyes. "Justplease don't' die," he whispered while squeezing her hand. "IUltralord needs his queen." Libby smiled at her boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss. "And your queen needs her king. So worry about yourself, and I'll be fine. Okay?" Sheen swooned slightly and managed to give a tiny nod in spite of the paralyzing warmth spreading from his lips all over his face. "Alright," Jimmy began while looking at his friends, "looks like we're just waiting for Ike, Nick, and Betty. I'll go get Barak," he explained. He gave Cindy's hand one last squeeze before placing his eye against the retina scanner and entering his lab. Jimmy stepped out of the elevator and found Barak sitting on the lab's couch reading a thick book. "Hello Barak," he said while strolling over to his storage closet. "Greetings, Neutron," Barak happily replied while setting his book down and hovering off of the couch. "I have been examining your literature collection in between rest cycles. Your species' ability to turn simple words into art is spectacular." Barak followed Jimmy into the storage room and felt a sadness creep through him as he remembered why he was here. "Is it already time to undergo our journey?" "It's midnight," Jimmy answered while opening a large metal box. Inside were the dozens of headsets that all of the town's children had used on their last adventure. He pulled the hypercube out of his backpack and tossed a dozen headsets inside. He noticed Barak staring curiously at him. "They're communication devices," Jimmy explained while closing the box and placing the hypercube back in his backpack. "We'll need them on Yolkus."

Barak nodded and followed Jimmy back towards the elevator. "Are you ready, Barak?" Jimmy asked as they stepped inside and Jimmy held his hand over the up button. Barak nodded once more and blinked his eyes one at a time. "I am prepared, Neutron. Let us assemble and save your world." Jimmy and Barak soon stepped outside of the shed to find Nick, Ike, and Betty already there. Ike and Betty stared in shock at Barak, who stared sheepishly back at them. Nick glared at the alien before giving Jimmy a tiny nod. "We're all here, chief." A moment passed as all of the kids and Barak looked at each other. Jimmy took in a deep breath and realized that it was time to resume his role as leader. Here we go. He cleared his throat while taking a step forward and staring at Ike and Betty. "Ike, Betty, thank you for coming. I assume Nick has told you the basics of the mission we're undertaking?" Ike stepped forward before Betty could open her mouth to speak. He gently touched the dark sunglasses on his face and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Jimmy watched curiously as the thirteen year-old placed a cigarette in between his lips and lit it. "I think I've got the gist of it," Ike explained while stopping a foot in front of Jimmy. Ike took a drag of the cigarette and swirled the smoke around his mouth before turning to the side and blowing it away from Jimmy. "The Yolkians are trying to kill us, so we're going to kill them first. That about right?" "Basically," Jimmy answered after a few seconds. Ike smiled and outstretched his hand. Jimmy clasped it and let Ike give it a hearty shake. "It's a shame we don't have any classes together this year, Jimmy. Things always were more interesting when you were around." Jimmy finally smiled back and said, "They tend to be more dangerous, too." Ike took another drag from his cigarette before tossing it onto the ground and crushing it under the hell of his sneaker. "Danger's my middle name." Jimmy gave an amused grin, and Ike let a serious expression take hold of his face. "I'm serious. It's Ike Danger Burke." Jimmy's amusement faded as he wondered if Ike was kidding. "Um, sorry," Jimmy finally apologized. "Hi Jimmy," Betty quietly said while stepping besides Ike. Jimmy couldn't help but smile widely once more as Betty stepped into view. "Thanks for inviting me along." "No problem, Betty," he happily said while outstretching his hand for Betty to shake. Cindy growled and shoved Jimmy aside. "Let's have a little talk, Quinlan," she angrily muttered while grabbing Betty's wrist and leading her far away from their friends.

Jimmy's eyes widened in shock and he opened his mouth to protest Cindy's actions, but Ike grabbed Jimmy's arm and pulled him away from the girls. "Best to let Cindy get it out," he warned Jimmy. Jimmy stared over his shoulder at Cindy before sighing and turning back to Ike. "I guess," he said uncertainly. Ike pointed over Jimmy's shoulder at Barak. "Nick says he's on our side, but didn't seem to mean it. You sure that thing's cool?" Ike asked Jimmy. Jimmy nodded. "His name's Barak Neroma. He came here to warn us about the Yolkian's attack. He's our best chance at saving our planet." Ike nodded and gave a quick glance at Cindy and Betty, who seemed to be arguing intensely. Jimmy went to walk over, but Ike grabbed his arm once more. "I'm going to talk to Carl. Give them some time." Jimmy stared at Ike curiously as the most bad-ass kid in seventh grade started to walk away. "Carl?" Ike flashed Jimmy a playful smile. "The kid's got potential."

"Alright, Quinlan, let's just get this settled right now," Cindy angrily told Betty while letting go of her wrist. She glanced back at her friends and was satisfied that she and Betty were out of earshot. Betty sighed and looked down at Cindy in disdain. "What are you talking about, Cindy?" Cindy snarled up Betty. "You said you would leave him alone, and you just waltz in here and make goo-goo eyes at him?" Cindy angrily told Betty while attempting and clearly failing to flutter her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner. "I didn't do thatthat thing you're trying to do," Betty said while pulling back in disgust as Cindy's eyes twitched maniacally. "Oh shut up," Cindy snarled. "Sorry I'm not the harlot that you are." Betty scowled back and forced herself not to shove Cindy. "What is your problem, Vortex?" Cindy quickly glanced over at Jimmy, who was in the middle of a conversation with Ike. "You know thatthatNeutron is" Cindy stammered out. "He's my boy" Cindy felt her right hand quiver as she struggled to say the words. "He's my" Betty shook her head. "What is wrong with you?"

Cindy looked at Betty in shock. "What did you say?" Betty stared pathetically at the girl in front of her. "You practically bite my head off because I say hi to Jimmy, warn me to stay away from him, and then you can't even admit he's your boyfriend?" "I've admitted it!" Cindy snapped back. Betty stared sadly at Cindy. "It's not something you should have to admit, Cindy! You should be happy to say it!" "Not to you!" Cindy practically yelled back. Cindy felt her voice break and was terrified to feel tears collecting behind her eyes. She quickly clenched her hands into fists and made herself feel even angrier. "I don't have to admit anything to you! It's not my fault he liked you first!" Cindy's face fell as the words escaped her, and she immediately took a few steps back in shock. "II didn't mean that!" she tried to shout back, but her voice was cracking. "Shut up!" she angrily shouted. Betty stared at Cindy sadly as she seemed to lose control. "I don't care that he loved you!" Cindy shouted. What the hell am I saying? Cindy screamed inside her mind. She no longer seemed to be able to control the words escaping her mouth. The more she tried to stop them, the faster they were spoken. "He loves me now! And you can't take that away!" She felt the tears forming and began blinking as fast as she could to prevent them from escaping. "You're not taking him away!" Betty's hard expression fell as Cindy began to fall into hysterics. Cindy's fists loosened and she began to breathe rapidly. "He's not your to take," Cindy finally whispered. "Am I going to have to slap you?" Betty nervously asked, wondering if Cindy was fully sane. Cindy took a step backwards and looked into Betty's scared eyes. "He's mine now," she whispered while lifting a trembling hand to her mouth. Betty stared sadly at Cindy for a few seconds. Cindy stared back while covering her mouth, not believing all that she had just said. At last, Betty sighed. "Cindy, do you even understand that Jimmy never loved me?" "Ha!" Cindy immediately laughed nervously. She formed fists with both hands once more and squeezed them so hard she thought her fingernails might draw blood. She didn't even know why she had just laughed. Betty forced herself to give a tiny smile. "Cindy, he only liked me because you made his life hell. It was obvious he really liked you the entire time."

Cindy's lip quivered at Betty's words. "You, you don't mean that," she tried to sound mean, but her heart skipped a beat at Betty's words. Betty stared sadly down at Cindy. "Cindy, I was never trying to steal Jimmy from you. We were just friends." "You kissed him!" Cindy shouted, slowly feeling her sanity return. "After that tornado destroyed our school." Betty's expression didn't change as she explained her motives for that kiss. "He'd saved our lives, and it was obvious he'd wanted to kiss me in that play. It felt right," she said with a tiny shrug. Sadness tore through Cindy's heart once more. "He did want to kiss you," she whispered. Betty sighed again and stared at Cindy's worried face. Slowly, she extended her hand and placed it on Cindy's shoulder. Cindy recoiled in shock, but Betty didn't withdraw her gesture. "Cindy, you were a complete bitch to him." Cindy narrowed her eyes in anger, and Betty rolled hers in response. "Oh please, Cindy. Don't act like I'm insulting you. We both know it's true." "I was the best," Cindy whispered while breaking away from Betty's gaze. "Before he came." Betty pondered that for a second and then went on. "It wasn't hard to tell he liked you and you liked him. But don't blame me because you made his life shit instead of showing him how you felt." Cindy twisted her shoulder to remove Betty's hand. Taking a step back, she shouted, "Shut up, Quinlan! You have no idea what I went through when he came here, how everything changed!" Betty rolled her eyes, losing patience with Cindy once more. "And I don't really care," she admitted. "Jimmy's a sweet guy and all you did was pick on him. It's not my fault he got a crush on me because of how you acted." "Well he's mine now!" Cindy shouted back. "And I'm happy for you!" Betty snapped back, finally clenching her hands into fists and contemplating punching Cindy. "So get this through that thick angry skull of yours. I am not trying to steal him. I am his friend. And if you didn't spend every second acting like an asshole and screaming at me, maybe I could be yours too!" Betty and Cindy stared at each other, and for once Cindy couldn't think of something to say. Betty sighed and spun around. "Whatever, Cindy. Just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." Cindy watched Betty walk away and muttered, "Fine." The fact that she couldn't sound angry frightened her.

"Hey Carl," Ike happily said while strolling over to the pudgy llama-lover. Carl spun around and smiled as he saw Ike walking over to him. "Oh, hi Ike," he happily said. Ike extended his hand in a fist, and Carl did the same. Both young men bumped their hands together. Ike looked over his shoulder at Cindy and Betty's distant forms. "Is your money on Betty or Cindy?" he asked while yanking another cigarette out of his pack and lighting it. Carl gave a nervous laugh. "I'm not allowed to gamble." Ike stared at Carl in confusion for a second before chuckling. "Good one, dude." Ike took a deep drag from his cigarette before lifting his face up to the stars. He stared at the moon before blowing out a trio of smoke rings. "I kind of miss hanging out with you." Carl smiled at the compliment. "Yeah, me too." Ike gave an amused grin while looking at Carl. "Heh. Remember how crazy it was when Cindy stole Jimmy's heart?" Carl's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he practically shouted. Ike gave a curious look while taking another puff. "Remember? Cindy stole Jimmy's paper mache heart in art class last year? Jimmy nearly failed because of it? We all had to band together and raid Cindy's locker to get it back." Carl let out a nervous laugh. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that." Ike smiled as well and twirled his cigarette around in his fingers. "Good times, man. Good times."

Jimmy had just finished discussing Ike and Betty's recruitment with Nick when Betty came storming by. "Your girlfriend's a real piece of work, James," she snarled while walking towards Ike and Carl. "What?" Jimmy asked in confusion. Nick shrugged and flashed a nervous smile while looking over Jimmy's shoulder. "Good luck, dude," he said to Jimmy while following Betty. Jimmy turned around and saw Cindy barreling towards him. "Cindy, what the heck happened?"

"Shut up," she snarled while barreling past her boyfriend and heading towards Libby. Barak watched this odd turn of events and shook his shell in response. "Humans," he said to the eight kids scattered around Jimmy's lawn, "I do not mean to intrude on personal affairs, but time is running short. If we are to gather supplies before departing, we should begin now." Everyone stopped their own conversations and stared at Barak. Jimmy finally stepped closer to the alien and nodded in agreement. "Barak's right. We don't have much time to get to Yolkus. Now that we're all here, we're going to have to go gather supplies. I've put some thought into this, and I believe that" Sheen's eyes widened in surprise as Jimmy spoke to the small crowd in front of him. He immediately shot his hand into the air and shook it wildly. "Jimmy, can I ask a question?" he nervously said. Jimmy immediately stopped talking and looked into Sheen's concerned eyes. "Sheen, please do." Sheen gulped. "How big do owls get?" Everyone's face contorted into a look of shocked disgust as they stared at Sheen. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Cindy angrily asked. Sheen pointed a shaking hand towards a tree twenty meters behind Jimmy. "Because if that's not an owl, I think we're in trouble." Jimmy turned around and followed Sheen's gaze. The tree he was pointing at was covered in thick branches and huge bundles of leaves. One large patch of leaves was twitching wildly. "I don't think that's an owl," Jimmy flatly stated while everyone watched in disbelief as a human dropped out of the tree. A tall, thin teenage girl fell the ten feet straight down. She spread her legs wide and cushioned the fall by laying her left palm onto the ground. Taking a slow breath, she lifted her gaze upwards and stared at the pack of children in front of her. Hair as dark as night parted to reveal impossibly pale grey eyes hidden beneath. As everyone stared in shock, her thin pink lips rapidly contorted from a blank expression to a menacing sneer. With one quick motion, she unsheathed a small hunting knife from the holster on her waistband and raced towards Jimmy. Her angular face seemed to reflect sparks of moonlight across Jimmy's yard as she silently closed the distance between them. Cindy's lifetime of karate training took over, and she dashed forwards to protect her boyfriend. The girl effortless ducked underneath Cindy's punch, grabbed her wrist, and kicked Cindy's feet out from under her. By the time Cindy had fallen onto the ground, the girl was already running at full speed once more.

Jimmy took a step backwards as the girl barreled towards him. With effortless ease, she jumped straight at him like a missile. The impact sent him flying onto the grass. Before he could respond, she'd pinned him to the ground and shoved the knife against his throat. Jimmy's eyes widened in fear as she leaned forward, nearly letting her lips touch his. He stared into her menacing eyes and took a frightened breath as the cold metal blade pressed against his skin. The girl gave an amused half-grin and asked, "Still want to leave me behind, Neutron?"

Chapter 9: Ascension

The entirety of Jimmy's yard was filled with utter silence as everyone watched the girl stare down at Jimmy. "Well?" She nearly shouted while pressing the knife down slightly harder. "Stop!" Barak shouted. Everyone turned to face him save the girl, who kept her wild eyes trained on Jimmy's terrified ones. "If you kill Neutron, you kill your entire planet!" Jimmy wished to gulp, but the slightest movement would cause the knife to draw blood. The girl scowled and lowered her face down even closer to Jimmy's. Jimmy's eyes widened in shock as their lips nearly connected. "I suggest," she said in a menacing purr, "you answer the question." Jimmy had faced death countless times. He'd been shot at with bullets and laser beams. He'd been beaten bloody and senseless by Yolkians and, on occasion, Cindy. Yet having a knife held to his throat by a clearly insane teenage girl was different. He couldn't hide the fear in his voice as he croaked out, "No?" The girl immediately shoved herself off of Jimmy and sheathed her knife. Jimmy coughed and wrapped his right hand where the blade had just been, relieved to not feel any blood. "Good answer," the girl said with a slight grin while extending her hand to Jimmy. She heard a twig snap behind her and turned around to see Cindy's fist flying straight at her right eye. "This is the coolest adventure ever," Ike happily said while lighting a cigarette and watching Cindy punch the girl in the face. Cindy let out a satisfied smile as the girl was thrown backwards by the force of the blow. Cindy prepared to launch another attack when she caught sight of the knife sheathed on her enemy's waist. Cindy scowled and took a step backwards while remembering her lessons on fighting a knife-wielding adversary. "Enough!" Nick shouted while drawing his gun and aiming it at the girl. Everyone froze once more, and Nick couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He'd never pointed a gun at another human before.

Jimmy scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could and realized it was up to him to defuse the situation. "Everyone freeze and stop shouting," he told everyone as loudly as he dared. "It's a miracle we haven't woken our parents yet." Cindy's hands remained clenched into fists as she shot Jimmy an irritated glance. "I think that's the least of our problems here, Jimmy." Jimmy stared at the tall girl who had attacked him. She met his gaze, and Jimmy finally let himself get a good look at her. She was even taller than Sheen and seemed to be roughly the same age. Her long black hair was tied back into a single French braid and formed a bun on her head. A few errant strands lay in front of her eyes, which were an impossibly pale grey. They glared at Jimmy with an almost mocking quality. Thin pale lips were cocked into an amused half-smile. A rope necklace holding five shark teeth dangled off of her neck. She wore a black tank top and black shorts. If he wasn't scared to death of her, he'd have thought she was beautiful. "Are we going to waste more time arguing, or are we going to get this show on the road?" she angrily asked while slowly leaning her head to the left. A sickening crack enveloped the yard at her movement. Everyone save Ike stared at her in disbelief. Nick shot a quick glance at Jimmy, who merely shrugged while giving him a confused stare. Nick let the pistol rattle around in his trembling hands for a few more seconds before slowly lowering it to the ground. "Who the hell are you?" he finally asked. The girl's eyes narrowed in clear frustration. "Glad to see I leave such a lasting impression." "I'm impressed," Ike said coolly while taking a drag from his cigarette. The girl shot Ike an icy stare before turning back to Nick. "Name's Miranda. Anything else you want to know?" Cindy clenched her fists tighter and stared worriedly at Jimmy. "I'll kill her right now if you let me," she growled while staring at the crease on his neck that the knife had left. "I'd love to see you try, Vortex," Miranda shot back. "Really great job in actual combat, by the way. Glad to see those years at the dojo paid off." Cindy bit her lip as hard as she could in blind rage and began to march towards Miranda. Jimmy grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop. "Everyone needs to calm down," Jimmy instructed. "Miranda, what the hell was all that?" he angrily asked. Miranda crossed her arms and stared at Jimmy with an unreadable expression. "In the interest of actually getting off this lawn and saving our planet, I'll fill you in." Miranda shot Jimmy a cold stare and Jimmy thought he saw some pain register in her eyes. "Little Boy. The asteroid field. Minerva. Goobot's vessel. Any of these ringing any bells?"

Jimmy gave a slight nod, instantly understanding what she was getting at. "You came with us before. You fought with us." Miranda nodded, but Betty shook her head. "Wait. I don't remember you. And how old are you, anyway? Weren't all the older kids kidnapped?" Miranda scowled in response. "I'm fifteen. He looks about the same, and he went up with us, didn't he?" Miranda asked while staring at Sheen, who gave an awkward smile as everyone followed Miranda's gaze. "Wait," Miranda said while taking a few steps towards Sheen. Sheen's eyes widened in fear and he took a tentative step backwards. "You must be Estevez. The one who saved us." Sheen blinked at her words and gave a tiny nod. Miranda let a small smile pass over her lips. "You're cuter than I thought you'd be." Libby's eyes bugged open at her words. "Are you serious?" she asked while dropping Sheen's hand and clenching hers into fists. "Ever," Ike happily said while taking another drag. Miranda turned towards Libby and cocked her head in curiosity. "You seem young. I'm sure your relationship is healthy," she sarcastically said while spinning around and approaching Jimmy. "I vote we kill her," Libby angrily said while staring at Cindy, who merely nodded in response. "You have a real knack for making friends," Nick angrily muttered as Miranda came to a rest a few feet in front of him and Jimmy. "Not my strong suit," she casually admitted while looking down at Jimmy. "Humans, I am confused," Barak said with a heavy sigh. "But we really must begin our preparations." Miranda shot the Yolkian a curious glance before turning back to Jimmy. "Alright, here's the deal," she said while crossing her hands once more. "I live next door to Betty." "You do?" Betty asked in disbelief. "Once again, glad to see I leave an impression," Miranda said with a twinge of sadness that Jimmy found immensely curious. "I was in my room near the window when I saw you," she said while casting Nick a quick glance, "ring her doorbell. I heard you talk about the Yolkian coming to warn us. I figured I'd offer to help." Cindy scowled and took a step towards Miranda. "By nearly killing Jimmy? What the hell is wrong with you?" she snarled.

Miranda stared down at Cindy. "If I'd wanted to kill him, I would have," she flatly stated. "Just like if I'd wanted to do more than knock you on your ass, I'd have done it." Jimmy scowled at Miranda's words, remembering how she had kicked Cindy to the ground. "You owe Cindy an apology," he angrily told her. Miranda turned back to him and gave an amused smile. "Glad to see you two are as in love as ever." "I mean it," Jimmy warned her. "Or you're not coming." Miranda sighed and turned back to Cindy, who crossed her arms and glared back at her. "Sorry you got in my way. I should have realized you couldn't handle my abilities and gone easier on you." She turned back to Jimmy, who didn't seem amused. "Fine," she said with a sigh while facing Cindy once more. "I'm actually sorry," she said with a hint of actual sincerity. "And you were in a tree why?" Nick exhaustedly asked while splaying his arms out in exasperation. Miranda shot him a hostile glare. "Since you all thought it so necessary to bring Betty and the kid," she said while motioning at Ike, who gave a sly grin in response, "but forgot all about me, I figured I'd give a little audition." Nick, Cindy, and Jimmy stared at each other. "So what happens next?" Nick asked. Jimmy faced Miranda once more to see her staring at him intensely. "I can fight and shoot. You let me come, I'll help you win." She looked over Jimmy's shoulder at Ike and Carl and raised an eyebrow in amusement. "And you can bet I'll be of more use than tubby over there." "That was uncalled for," Carl sadly whispered. "Don't let the pretty girl make you feel bad," Ike said while staring intensely at Miranda's hair. Miranda rolled her eyes in response. "So what's the deal, Neutron? Am I part of this team or what?" Jimmy turned to Cindy, who snarled at him. "You can't be seriously considering this," Cindy said in exasperation. "She nearly killed you!" "But I didn't," Miranda quickly countered while giving Cindy a sarcastic smile. Jimmy sighed. Miranda terrified him and he wasn't happy at how she had hurt Cindy, but he reminded himself that Earth was at stake. I've never seen anyone beat Cindy in a fight. We'll need her. "She'll be a good asset," Jimmy slowly said. "She puts the ass in asset, that's for sure," Ike said while raising his sunglasses.

"Do you not see that I have a knife?" Miranda nearly shouted while staring at Ike in incredulity. "That's enough," Jimmy angrily muttered while shooting Miranda and Ike warning glances. "Barak is right. The planet is at stake here." He glared at Miranda with strength she had yet to see in him. "If you come, can you be part of a team and follow orders?" Miranda gave an earnest smile at Jimmy's tone. "Yes." Jimmy nodded in response. "Then you're in." Jimmy sighed as two thoughts raced through his mind. "But we don't have much time to waste. You'll have to pack quickly. And there's no way I have time to program a hologram to fool your parents into thinking you're home." A fire sparked in Miranda's eyes at Jimmy's words. "My bag's over there," she said while pointing to the small backpack lying against the tree she had jumped out of. "And my" she paused and clenched her hands into fists, "father will not be a problem. I'm ready to go." Jimmy nodded in response and stepped in front of the nine people strewn about his yard. He took a deep breath and tried to move past the insanity that he had just been a part of. Remember what's at stake here. Remember why we're doing this. He gave a tiny nod and looked out at the small crowd. "Okay. We're all here. Now it's time that we prepare. As I was saying before, I've put some thought into gathering supplies. I originally planned on going back to the Wal-Mart in town that we went to before, but then I remembered that there's no force field locking us in town. There might be better places to get what we need." Jimmy saw Nick give a tiny smile. "I think I know what you're getting at," Nick said. "There's a gun store my dad goes to ten miles outside of town. It's the best I've ever seen." Jimmy nodded. "Then that's one place we'll go to. But we're also going to need food for the journey." He hesitated and turned to Barak. "Barak, are there barracks on your ship? Places for us to sleep?" Barak hovered a few inches backwards as everyone stared at him. "There are rest areas for Yolkians," the alien slowly explained, "but they consist solely of recharging pods for our shells. They will not be suitable for your sleeping needs." Jimmy nodded. "Then we'll have to go to the camping store in Retroville to gather sleeping bags and other supplies." Cindy scowled and drummed her fingers against her arm. Now that Jimmy was out of danger, her conversation with Betty raced through her mind once more. Don't let Quinlan get to you. Jimmy's right about the planet being at stake. I need to focus. She gave a heavy sigh before looking at Jimmy and saying, "We should split up, then. We'll cover more ground that way." "That's right," Jimmy said in agreement.

"We can get camping supplies and food at Wal-Mart," Carl offered. As soon as he was done speaking, he allowed himself a proud smile. Chapter Three says don't be afraid to offer your knowledge and skills. Yay me! "True, but such a large store would have people working overnight inside," Jimmy gently countered. "We'll need to find small stores with low security measures and no one working at this time. The food mart and camping store in Retroville should suffice." Nick nodded at Jimmy's words. "Okay. So we'll hit those three stores. Who goes where?" Jimmy looked at all of the kids in front of him while contemplating Nick's question. "Give me a second," he quietly said while closing his eyes and allowing his brain to race through possible scenarios for gathering supplies. Five seconds later his eyes popped open and he nodded confidently. "Okay, here's what we'll do," Jimmy explained. "There are ten of us now. We should all be able to fit in the hover car, though it isn't going to be comfortable." Ike smiled, wondering how difficult it would be to convince Miranda to sit on his lap. "Cindy, Sheen, Nick," Jimmy said while looking at each of them, "you're the best with weapons." Jimmy hesitated and then cast a glance towards Miranda. "Miranda, I'm guessing that goes for you as well. So you four will go with to the gun store and gather weapons there." Cindy glared at Miranda but kept her comments to herself. "Carl, Ike, and Betty, you three will go to the food mart and gather food. Make sure you get stuff that won't need to be refrigerated and all the water as they have." Jimmy saw Carl, Ike, and Betty nod. He then turned to Barak and Libby. "Libby, Barak, you'll come with me and gather supplies from the camping store." Jimmy turned back to Cindy and offered her a tiny smile. He pulled the hypercube out of his backpack and gently tossed it to her along with the keys to the hover car. "Cindy, you'll drive the hover car. You'll bring Sheen, Miranda, and Nick to the gun store and drop the rest of us off at the other two stores first. When you're done getting everything you'll need, come pick us up." Cindy caught the keys and hypercube and squeezed them tightly in her hands. Jimmy waited for a response, but Cindy merely stared blankly at him. After a few seconds he cleared his throat and broke his gaze away from her. "The food mart and camping store should have shopping carts, whereas the gun store probably won't," he began to explain. "So Cindy will take the hypercube. The rest of us will have to fill up as many carts as we can and leave them outside. When Cindy comes to pick us up, we'll put all our supplies in the hypercube and sort them on Barak's ship. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded at Jimmy's plan. They watched as Jimmy strolled over to Barak, who stared at Jimmy curiously. "Ike, Betty, Miranda, you all know the basics, but proper introductions should be made. This is Barak Neroma, and he's risked his life to come to Earth and help us." Barak's eyes saddened at Jimmy's words. "Neutron, such words are unnecessary." Jimmy shook his head and stared into Barak's troubled eyes. "No they're not, Barak." Jimmy turned back towards the eight humans watching him. "I know every Yolkian we've encountered until now has been hostile. But Barak's risked his life to come here and warn us of the Yolkian's attack, not to mention coming up with the plan of killing his king." Jimmy paused and looked into Barak's sad eyes. "Thank you for helping us, Barak." Barak's mechanical mouth trembled. "It isnothing, Neutron. I only wish to save humanity," he slowly repeated. Jimmy briefly wondered why Barak sounded so strange, but then realized that it couldn't be easy to abandon one's people to do the right thing. Jimmy gave Barak an encouraging nod and turned back to his friends. "Alright, everyone. Let's get in the hover car and get to work. We've got a lot to do."

The camping store was the first stop. Cindy pulled the hover car to a smooth halt and turned to her right to face Jimmy. "Here we are," she told him. Jimmy nodded and squeezed her hand before giving her cheek a quick kiss. His heart sank a little as she gave no response. "Barak, Libby, let's get to work." With that said, the three of them struggled to find enough room to move and exit the hover car. "I'll pick you guys up last," Cindy flatly said while staring at Jimmy and Libby. "It'll probably be about two hours. Good luck, guys." As soon as she was done speaking the hover car lifted into the air once more and sped towards the food mart at the other end of town. Barak, Jimmy, and Libby stared at each other for a few seconds before Libby spoke. "Alright, guess we should get started," she said with a shrug while heading towards the padlocked front entrance. She frowned in annoyance and said, "Jimmy, any chance you know how to pick locks?" Jimmy smiled and aimed his watch at the lock. "You could say that," he happily muttered while firing his watch's laser. Barak and Libby watched the lock split in half and fall onto the ground. "Let's go," Jimmy said while opening the door and leading his friends inside. It took a moment to find the lights, but once they were on Jimmy realized that he had come to the right place. The store seemed to be larger than he remembered. A dozen aisles held sleeping

bags, tents, cooking supplies, water, and everything else he and his friends would need on their journey. "Let's each grab a shopping cart and get started," Jimmy instructed while walking over to the cart corral. Libby and Barak followed his lead and followed him to the center of the store. "So what exactly are we going to need for this trip?" Libby asked while looking at the thousands of items surrounding her. Jimmy shared in Libby's feeling of being overwhelmed. "It's a three day journey each way, right Barak?" Barak slowly turned towards Jimmy and gave a slight nod. "Yes, Neutron," he sadly uttered. Jimmy's mind stopped racing as he heard Barak's tone. "Are you okay, Barak?" Jimmy worriedly asked while staring at his new friend. The Yolkian's eyes widened slightly at Jimmy's words. Jimmy watched as Barak swallowed and gave his shell a slight shake. "Apologies, Neutron. I am" Barak hesitated and looked into Neutron's eyes. "I am merely filled with anxiety over the prospect of beginning this journey. I" Barak paused once more and clenched his mechanical hands into fists in an act of frustration. "I merely worry for you humans' safety. I truly wish there was an easier alternative for saving your planet." Jimmy and Libby gave each other a concerned look. "HeyBarak," Libby softly began, saying the Yolkian's name out loud for the first time, "we all know it's dangerous. But we all agreed to go. It's our choice. And" Libby paused and smiled warmly at the crestfallen alien. "You're helping save our planet. We're not forgetting that." Jimmy nodded. "Libby's right, Barak. I know it can't be easy to just go against all of your people. But you're doing the right thing. And we're grateful." Barak let his fists unclench and gave a tiny nod. "Thank you for the words, humans." Barak took a shaky breath and then met Jimmy's gaze. "You know what your species requires on a long journey better than I. Would it be acceptable if I merely took a rest to collect my thoughts?" Jimmy nodded. "Sure, Barak. Just come find us when you're ready." Barak nodded once more and hovered away from Jimmy and Libby. "I am as grateful as always, humans," he muttered while heading towards the opposite end of the store. Libby and Jimmy stared at each other for a moment. "Is he okay?" Libby asked as Jimmy began to stroll towards the sleeping bags. Jimmy shrugged. "He risked his life to come here and warn us. He's essentially betraying his species to save ours. I'd be depressed too."

Libby nodded in understanding. She and Jimmy began to examine the different types of sleeping bags. After tossing several into Jimmy's shopping cart, Jimmy noticed that Libby was carefully eyeing the largest one in stock. "Um, this isn't that thing where girls think they're fat, is it?" Jimmy worriedly asked. Libby shot Jimmy an annoyed glance. "You always put me in stitches," she said while rolling her eyes. "I'm trying to find one big enough for me and Sheen." Jimmy's hands froze at her words. "Youyou and Sheen?" Jimmy awkwardly asked while keeping his gaze on the pile of fabric in front of him. Libby smiled at Jimmy's awkwardness. "Don't get any sick ideas, Neutron. It's just nice to cuddle." She watched Jimmy awkwardly nod and pay an exorbitant amount of attention to the sleeping bag in his hands. "Will you and Cindy be sharing a bag as well?" Jimmy's hands shook at her words. "Idon't think so," he slowly answered. Libby giggled as she tossed her sleeping bag into the shopping cart. "She'd sleep in the same bag as you, you know." Jimmy smiled a little and shook his head. "Yeah, because Cindy's such a cuddler. She's a bundle of feathers and love, that one." Jimmy flashed Libby an amused smile, and she grinned back. Jimmy was immediately grateful that Barak had given them the opportunity to hang out alone. "I like this," Jimmy said without thinking. As soon as the words passed over his lips, he felt his cheeks burn bright red and looked away. "Are you blushing?" Libby asked in shock. "Of course not. The temperature in here is merely" Jimmy quickly tried to explain. "Cindy's right. You are adorable," she said with a laugh. Not it was her turn to be embarrassed as she slammed her lips shut and stared at the ground. Jimmy smiled at her words. "Wait. Cindy said I'm adorable?" Libby sighed in relief at Jimmy's question. "Why is it you two always seem to be shocked when the other says something nice? I know you've already said you love each other. What else is there?" Jimmy sighed while leading Libby a few aisles over to the cooking supplies. "Libby, I may be a genius, but I've come to accept the fact that I know nearly nothing about women. But even I can tell that my relationship with Cindy isn't normal." Libby's playful smile began to fade at Jimmy's words. "What do you mean?"

Jimmy looked at the ground below him and sat down on the floor. Libby joined him as he stared at the various camping stoves. "Don't get me wrong, Libby. I really love Cindy. I mean, did she tell you what she did for at school yesterday?" Libby nodded. "She's smart and beautiful and funny and kind when she wants to be. It's just" "Just what?" Libby asked. She put her hand on Jimmy's shoulder, and Jimmy stopped pretending to figure out which camping stove would last longer on a tank of propane. Jimmy rubbed one hand over his eyes and clenched the other into a fist. "It's just that it's still like half of her loves me and half of her doesn't." "Jimmy," Libby sadly said while squeezing his shoulder. "I'm fine," Jimmy whispered while taking a shaky breath. "Really." Libby stared into his blue eyes and gave a sad smile. "You really think you're going to fool me that easily?" Jimmy gave a tiny smile and turned around so that he could lean back against the shelf of stoves. Libby repeated his movements until they sat side by side. "I think Cindy saved me yesterday," Jimmy began. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Libby staring intensely at him. When the hell did it become easier to talk to her than Carl and Sheen? "She told me helping you made her happier than she's been in a long time," Libby offered. Jimmy smiled a little at that. "She was sweet and caring and kind and everything I needed. The same thing happened in the lab after we shot Barak. She offered to help me, she listened to my opinions, and she told me I was sweet to try and protect her. But then as soon as Betty showed up, she just snapped back to the old Cindy, the one that liked to shove my head into a toilet." Libby smiled sadly at Jimmy. "She's just jealous. You did seem a little too happy to see Betty." Jimmy shook his head. "I don't feel anything for Betty. When we were up in space last month, the only person I could think about was Cindy." Jimmy paused and thought for a second before going on. "And then she saved me from Miranda, and she wouldn't talk to me afterwards." "Jimmy, can I ask you something?" Libby asked. Jimmy turned to her and nodded. "Other than the Betty thing tonight, when was the last time you felt like Cindy didn't love you?" Jimmy paused and considered her words. The truth was that ever since they had returned to Earth he'd felt happy with what he and Cindy had. "I guessnot since we came back." Libby gave a wise smile. "So it's not really half and half, is it?" "I guess not," Jimmy admitted. He took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess it just kind of scared me to see her ignore me after she talked to Betty, like she did before. I don't"

"You don't want to lose what you have," Libby finished Jimmy's sentence. Jimmy smiled and stared at Libby. "That's right. I don't want it to get like it was before, where we never showed how we felt." Libby smiled back. "You're not going to, Jimmy. Don't you dare tell her I told you this, but pretty much all she's ever talked about since coming back is how happy she is to finally be with you." "Really?" Jimmy excitedly asked. Libby nodded. "I mean, yeah she was pissed you beat her on that math quiz, but overall she's loving the whole dating you thing." Jimmy smiled wider and leaned back against the shelves. Libby did the same, and they stared straight ahead in silence for several minutes. "I like this too," Libby finally said. Jimmy stared into her brown eyes and smiled. "When did it get like this?" Jimmy asked, feeling more at peace than he had in a long time. "You and me?" Libby smiled back. "Remember elementary school; how all I ever did was make fun of you until fifth grade was halfway done?" Jimmy nodded slowly. "Sorry about that, by the way. I blame peer pressure. Cindy was a bad influence." Jimmy laughed at that. "When did you stop being a stupid girl who helped Cindy berate me at every turn?" Libby smiled once more. "And when did you stop being the nerdy boy who needed his ego kept in check at every turn?" Jimmy stared at Libby's face and truly studied it for the first time. The beautiful brown eyes. The wide smile that always came so easily. The jet-black hair tied into beautiful braids. He wondered if in another life they may have been more than friends. But then he thought of Cindy's green eyes that always seemed to pull him into a whirlpool of love, her blonde ponytail that tickled his neck when they hugged, and the angry tone that always drove him to be the best he could be. There could be no comparison between the two. Cindy was his; it was always meant to be that way. Jimmy could tell that Libby was thinking the same about him. They both smiled warmly at the same time. "Sheen's lucky," Jimmy said. "And so is Cindy," Libby immediately replied. "And we're lucky to have them," Jimmy added. "Amen," Libby said while getting to her feet. She extended her hand to Jimmy, who clasped it and allowed himself to be hoisted to his feet.

"And to answer your question, it's when we said good-bye last time," Libby said. Jimmy stared at her intensely before nodding. "I'd never realized how little I knew you," he admitted. "And how much I wanted to know you," Libby added. There was a brief pause as Jimmy and Libby stared at each other. "I'm just glad we had that shake," Libby finally said. Jimmy agreed, and they stared down at the stoves once more. "We should get to work. We don't have long before Cindy and the others get back." Jimmy nodded, and he knew that their brief respite from their adventure was over. "We need at least one stove and plenty of propane. We'll need pots and pans, utensils, flashlights, batteries, and every drop of water in the store." Libby realized that they had their work cut out for them. "Should we get Barak? We might need the extra hands." Jimmy shook his head. "Let's give him a few more minutes. He'll come back when he's ready." As Jimmy and Libby grabbed the best camping stove in the store, Barak lay in the opposite corner of the store, clenching and unclenching his fists while silently sobbing.

"We'll pick you up once we're done at the gun store," Cindy told Carl, Ike, and Betty while lowering the hover car onto the ground in front of the food mart. "Make sure to get all the water you can and stay away from refrigerated stuff," Cindy instructed. "Got it," Ike said while jumping out of the hover car. Carl and Betty were right behind him. "Good luck," Cindy said while lifting the hover car back into the air and speeding off. Betty sighed and followed Ike towards the food mart's entrance. "Guess we should get started." The three kids froze in front of the door once they realized it was locked. "We probably should have realized it would be locked," Ike wisely stated. "We're not going to break in, are we?" Carl nervously asked right before Ike spun around and slammed his foot backwards into the glass door. "Oh," he sadly muttered as glass shards flew onto the ground. "Come on," Ike said while squeezing through the whole he had made. Once he was inside he opened the door for Betty and Carl. "Let's grab some shopping carts and stock up."

Once the lights were turned on and the three kids were roaming the store with carts in hand, Carl forgot all about his fears of breaking and entering. In front of him was a wonderland of food, and he was its king. "Follow me," Carl happily said while heading to the canned food aisle. Ike smiled as Carl took charge. "Right behind you, buddy."

"That's it, on the right hand side of the street," Nick said while pointing to a medium-sized store at the end of the street. "Alright, let's get started then," Cindy said while parking the hover car in front of the gun store. Sheen and Miranda hopped over the side of the hover car as Cindy pulled the keys out of the ignition. Nick hesitated a moment and then followed them. "Need a hand?" he asked while holding a hand out to Cindy. Cindy stared at it for a second before scowling and jumping over the side herself. "Let's get inside," she angrily huffed while heading to the front door. "Pleasant as always," Nick sighed while following her. The four kids stood in front of the locked door for a few seconds. "Is there an alarm?" Cindy finally asked. "Only one way to find out," Nick muttered while slamming his foot through the door. Everyone held their breath for a second and then exhaled as one once no alarm sounded. "I got this," Miranda quietly said while slowly maneuvering through the hole Nick had made. A few seconds passed, and then the door flew open. Sheen caught it and held it open as he, Cindy, and Nick strolled inside. Nick found the light switch and immediately illuminated the majority of the store. He let a small smile spread across his face as he stared at the rows upon rows of guns, ammunition, and supplies. "Looks like we came to the right place." Cindy nodded in agreement while looking around her. "This store's big. Best to split up again." Nick nodded and turned to Sheen. "Estevez, head over there," Nick said while pointing to his left. "That's where the accessories are. Grab everything that looks useful and make a pile. They have stuff here we could only have dreamed of last time. Scopes, slings, tactical vests, grab it all." Sheen gave a crisp salute and smiled. "Yes sir, sir!" He took a few steps towards the aisles in question before pausing and spinning back around. "Can we be on a first name basis again?"

Nick hesitated and remembered how Sheen had saved everyone's life. "Alright Sheen," he said with a gentle smile. Sheen smiled widely in response and went back on his way. Nick then turned to Miranda. "Miranda, why don't you go to the back and see what they have in storage. Anything that looks useful, grab it." Miranda stared into Nick's eyes and nodded before heading towards the employee's door that led to the back. Nick watched curiously as she strolled away. When she had complained on Jimmy's yard that she didn't leave an impression, he'd thought her insane. Yet watching her move silently away, her dark clothes blending into the shadows, he began to realize why he couldn't remember her. Apparently when she wasn't stark raving mad, she was a ghost. She hesitated just before leaving their view and spun around. "You see any knives, grab them for me." With that she shoved the door open and disappeared. Nick and Cindy shared a concerned look before Nick finally shrugged. "Let's grab guns and ammo. Still got the hypercube?" Cindy produced the small device and nodded. "Lead the way." Nick strolled over to the area behind the cash registers. The wall was filled with various firearms, as was the counter in front of it. Nick grabbed an M4 assault rifle off of the wall and placed the stock against his shoulder. "We'll be better equipped this time, that's for sure," he told Cindy while aiming down the sights. "Wal-Mart didn't have stuff like this." Cindy stared at the gun questioningly. "Isn't that a military weapon?" She hesitated and looked at the dozens of guns on the wall. "Is this stuff legal?" "It's only semi-automatic," Nick explained while ejecting the empty magazine and inspecting it. "As long as it's one shot per pull of the trigger, it's legal." Cindy grabbed a 9mm pistol off the wall and inspected it carefully. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her forehead and aimed the handgun across the store. She let the pistol fall to her waist and breathed a heavy sigh. "I really thought we were done with this," she sadly stated. Nick wiped the smile off of his face and stared at Cindy. "Done with what?" Cindy stared at Nick. "Gathering guns, forming armies, killing things. I kind of thought once we killed Eustace it was over." Nick shrugged and tossed his rifled into the hypercube. "Ever since we came back I felt like it wasn't over. Knowing that we're in charge again, that we're preparing, that we're ending this ourselves," Nick gave her a tiny smile. "I feel better than I have since we've come back." He gave Cindy a playful smile and asked, "Never thought you'd go soft on me, Cindy."

Cindy scowled and contemplated pointing her empty pistol at Nick, but decided that was a horrible idea. "Don't ever say that again," she warned while tossing her gun into the hypercube. Nick and Cindy stared at each other for a few seconds before Nick finally nodded. "We'll need guns for ten of us. I'm thinking we should each have 2 shotguns, 2 rifles, and 5 pistols." Cindy shot him a curious look. "We'd never be able to carry all of that." Nick nodded. "We'll take more than we can carry to be safe. That way we can choose which guns we'll want before we begin the fight. Besides, if we have a chance to return to the Yolkian's ship, we can always switch guns or grab new ones in case we lost ours." Cindy nodded at his logic. "Better safe than sorry, I guess." A few seconds passed as Nick and Cindy began to gather weapons. Nick broke the brief silence by saying, "Cindy, we're friends, right?" Cindy stopped examining a shotgun and looked up at her old crush. "You helped us get our parents back. We couldn't have done it without you." Nick frowned and gripped the pistol in his hand tighter. "That's not an answer." Cindy hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, we're friends." Nick stared at her as she returned to examining her shotgun. "You need to go easier on Betty and Jimmy." Cindy froze and spun around to face Nick. "What?" Nick stared down at the blonde-haired girl in front of him. "Betty didn't do anything tonight, and we all saw you yelling at her. And then you came back and told Jimmy to shut up when he asked what happened. He seemed upset." Cindy rolled her eyes. "What, are you Neutron's lap dog now?" Nick frowned at that. "You just need to chill out with the anger issues." Cindy pushed herself away from the counter and took a step towards Nick. "Don't talk to me like you know me, Nick." Nick sighed. "I'm just saying that we're trying to save the planet here. Maybe we can, you know, try to get along and not kill each other before the Yolkians do." Cindy crossed her arms in response. "Maybe you should be giving that little speech to our newest guest, seeing as she's the only one who's actually tried to kill one of us."

Nick stared at the door Miranda had disappeared behind. His face turned serious as he faced Cindy once more. "You worried about her?" Cindy gave Nick a disgusted look. "Am I worried? First thing she does is drop out of a tree like some crazed ninja and shove a knife against Jimmy's throat." Cindy felt her stomach fall at the memory of Jimmy lying helpless on the ground. Nick smiled a little. "Don't forget about the part about beating you in a fight." Cindy's concern for Jimmy vanished in an instant as anger raced through her veins. "I got knocked to the ground. That doesn't mean the fight was over. Ten more seconds and I would have wiped the floor with her!" Nick leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. His face turned serious once more. "Let's be completely serious. Do you think she should come?" Cindy leaned against the counter and met Nick's gaze. "Of course not. She's insane." Nick shrugged his shoulders a little. "She doesn't seem crazy. A littleintense, but not crazy." Cindy scowled. "Something tells me you'd feel differently if she'd shoved that knife against Betty's throat." Nick gripped his arms a little tighter as he silently admitted Cindy had a point. "She made sense, though. Including her, we've only got ten people. Carl's useless and we don't know what Libby or the Yolkian can do." "Libby can take care of herself," Cindy growled. Nick nodded. "I'm not saying she can't. It's just" Nick took a deep breath and pondered his words. "The Earth is at stake here, Cindy. I know you won't admit it, but that girl can fight. Likereally fight," Nick said in admiration. "I don't think we've got the option of being choosy about who we bring. We need her." Cindy sighed and clenched her teeth while forcing herself to think about how if they failed, every single human on Earth would die. I can admit that she is good. Cindy drummed the fingers of her right hand against her left arm. I can admit that. "Fine," Cindy said. "But if she touches me or Jimmy one more time, I'm killing her." Cindy saw Nick began to smile and immediately added, "And if you think I'm joking I'll kill you too."

Jimmy sighed while struggling to push the last shopping carriage straight ahead. It was filled with propane tanks, utensils, and large packages of bottle water. "Ithink I'm dying," he admitted between shaky breaths

"It's on wheels!" Libby shouted from the front of the carriage. She pulled it to the left to steer it around a corner. "Really dig in with your heels when you push." "I hate you," Jimmy moaned as his hands slipped and he fell onto the ground. Jimmy closed his eyes for a few seconds but immediately snapped them open as he heard the familiar hum of Barak's shell. "It appears that you are having difficulties," Barak flatly stated while looking at the carriage and then back at Jimmy. "Might I offer assistance?" "It's a little overdue," Libby angrily said while strolling over and yanking Jimmy off of the ground. "Where have you been?" Barak looked guilty and wrung his hands together. "Apologies, female. I did not realize that my stress levels were at a dangerous point. I have ordered my thoughts and am now fully committed to our mission once more." Barak turned to Jimmy and gave his shell a reassuring nod. "Humanity will be saved." Jimmy gave an exhausted nod. "Good to know. Can you push the cart please?" "Or course, Neutron," Barak happily said while gripping the shopping cart and pushing it towards the store's entrance. Libby and Jimmy slowly followed the Yolkian and heard the hover car's horn honk once they approached the door. "There's our ride," Libby said while beginning to jog. Jimmy sighed before picking up his pace as well. Jimmy stepped outside to find Cindy hopping out of the parked hover car. She stared at the carriages of supplies and gave an approving nod. "Looks like you did good. Did Neutron annoy you too much?" Cindy playfully asked Libby. Libby gave a half-smile. "The kid's growing on me." "Would you put the stuff in the hypercube?" Cindy quietly asked while handing her best friend the device. "I need to talk to Jimmy." Libby nodded. "Sure thing, girl." Cindy walked towards the store's entrance just as Jimmy came outside. "Let's talk," she said while grabbing his hand and leading him back inside the store. Jimmy followed silently until they stopped walking. "Cindy, are you okay?" he asked in concern.

Cindy noted the pain in his eyes as he worried about her. She gave a little nod and took a deep breath. "You know I'm not good at this, so will you give me a second?" "Good at what?" Jimmy asked. "Just give me a second!" Cindy snapped. "Okay, jeez!" Jimmy defensively shot back. Cindy sighed and ran a hand down her face. This isn't how it was supposed to go. "Alright, look Jimmy. I'msorry for ignoring you." Jimmy immediately let a smile wash over his face. "You're really apologizing?" Cindy's face immediately hardened. "Don't get cocky, Neutron. You still stared at Quinlan like your dream girl had just walked in." Jimmy sighed. "I'm sorry, Cindy. She's just a friend, really. II love you." Jimmy paused and noticed Cindy slowly staring up into his eyes. "I've always loved you." Cindy couldn't stop the smile spreading across her lips. "Me too, Jimmy." They each took a step forwards, and Jimmy slowly grabbed her hand. "Still a team, Vortex?" he gently asked. "Always have been, Neutron," she whispered back while leaning in to kiss her boyfriend. "Let's go! I'm bored!" Sheen's voice shrieked from outside. Cindy immediately snapped her head back and clenched her right hand into a fist. "That's it, I'm punching someone." "Whoa," Jimmy hurriedly stated while grabbing her wrist before she could storm off. "He's right. We've got to get moving. We're running out of time." Cindy slowly exhaled and forced her fist to unclench. "Alright, let's go." Jimmy quickly planted his lips onto hers before they could be interrupted again. After a few seconds he broke the kiss and grabbed her hand once more. "Let's go, Cindy." Cindy felt the last of her anger melt away at the warmth of Jimmy's lips. Through the hazy fog in her mind, she managed to form the words, "Right behind you," and followed Jimmy outside.

"It is over there, Neutron," Barak said while pointing ahead and to his right.

Jimmy followed Barak's gaze as he raised the hover car higher into the air. He was already well above even the tallest trees in the forest near Retroville Park. "How much farther in is it?" "Right there," Barak said while motioning to a small clearing in the forest. "I see it," Jimmy said while slowly beginning the hover car's descent. Nearly directly beneath him lay a small rectangular shuttle. Everyone in the cramped hover car tried to get a look at Barak's ship. "It's smaller than I thought it would be," Cindy said. Sheen nodded at her words. "Yeah, the ship I hijacked was way bigger than that." Barak turned to face Sheen and said, "That was a mining vessel, human. This is merely a small research craft." "Don't Yolkian ships look like chickens?" Carl asked while staring at the plain silver shuttle beneath him. Barak nodded and explained, "Our cruisers are all adorned in Poultra's likeness. Our smaller vessels, however, are designed more simply." Jimmy landed the hover car ten meters in front of the ship. Everyone waited as Jimmy grabbed his backpack's strap with one hand and used the other to vault over the side of the hover car. Once he had exited the vehicle, everyone made sure they had their supplies and followed suit. "It really is small," Nick said discouragingly while breaking away from his friends and approaching the shuttle. He doubted it was bigger than the first floor of his house. "Why don't we take some of Jimmy's ships too?" "Impossible," Barak immediately answered. "King Veras believes I am here performing reconnaissance. The only way we shall be able to land near his chambers is if we arrive in the vehicle I left with. Any of your vehicles would be shot as soon as they approached the planet." Jimmy approached the ship and slowly ran a hand over the polished steel hull of Barak's vessel. "It's fine, Nick." "It's got to be roomier than the hover car," Libby grumbled while stretching her legs and leaning back against the hover car. "I think we all grew a lot closer on the journey here," Ike said giving Miranda a warm smile. Miranda stared at Ike's sunglasses and frowned. "Do you enjoy making yourself blind to appear cool?" she exhaustedly muttered while walking away from him.

Ike gently jabbed Carl's stomach with his elbow. "I'm pretty sure that's the nicest thing we've ever heard her say." Cindy walked up to Jimmy and Nick. "Guess this is really it, huh?" She looked at Jimmy, who met her gaze. "Want to give another one of your inspiring speeches?" Jimmy frowned as the playful smile took hold on her face. "You want to take it this time?" Cindy's smile turned genuine at his question. "You serious?" Jimmy smiled and walked back to the crowd of children waiting in front of the hover car. "Let's see how inspirational you can be, Vortex." He stopped walking and flashed her a smile over his shoulder. "Good luck, Cindy." Cindy looked to Nick, who offered a smile and a shrug before following Jimmy. Barak watched as Jimmy and Nick came to a halt beside him. "What is the hesitation for, Neutron?" "Pre-flight pep talk," Jimmy happily answered. "It's a tradition," Nick explained without looking at Barak. "Isn't this your job, Jimmy?" Carl asked. "We delegate occasionally," Jimmy answered. Once everyone was done speaking, Cindy looked at the nine people in front of her. She quickly cleared her throat and met their gaze. "Alright, everybody. We're ready now. We've got our supplies and all the people we need. It's time we take this fight to Yolkus and end things once and for all. I know this has been different from our last mission. I know we haven't had two weeks to prepare. I know we're not leaving with all of our friends by our side. But I can see in all of your eyes that you're ready. You all know what's at stake. We're not doing this for revenge. We're not flying off to skip school. We're not even doing it to save our families." Cindy's gaze hardened and she felt a fire burning up inside her. "Our entire planet is at stake. Over six billion people are counting on us. What we do now will affect the entire human race. We'll have to be the strongest, the smartest, the very best we can be. This fight won't be easy. But I know we can do it." Cindy gave everyone a reassuring nod and stared into Jimmy's deep blue eyes. "We'll win this fight because we have to. Humanity hasn't come this far, gone through all that we've been through, to be crushed underneath a cowardly empire's ships. We'll leave this world and fight them on theirs. We'll kill their king and prove how deadly we really are. We'll show them once

and for all that you don't mess with Earth. And more importantly, you don't mess with us. Because we're the best there is. And it's time we prove it!" she nearly shouted while spinning around and slamming her fist against a small button beside the shuttle's door. The entrance hatch popped open, and Cindy hopped inside before staring back out at her allies. "Tonight, we leave for Yolkus. Three days from now, we kill their king and save our world. So let's get started!" Everyone stared at Cindy in awe as she walked inside the dark ship. Nick finally gave Jimmy a gentle nudge and whispered, "I think she's got you beat, dude." Jimmy smiled. "For once, I think I can admit that." He took a few steps forward and said, "Let's go, everybody. We've got a planet to save." Everyone followed Jimmy's lead into the shuttle. Barak was the last to enter. He closed the hatch and quickly made his way to the cockpit. A few seconds passed, and the ship silently rose into the air and shot off into the sky.

Chapter 10: A New Home

Barak breathed a sigh of relief as his shuttle cleared Earth's atmosphere and entered the vacuum of space. And so it all truly begins, he thought while staring at the dashboard in front of him. He quickly plotted a course for Yolkus and then hovered out of his chair. As he approached the shuttle's main chamber and saw the nine humans staring anxiously at him, he struggled maintain his composure. I wish it may never end. Barak hesitated for a second before quietly saying, "It seems prudent to give you a tour of this vessel." Barak hovered closer to the group of humans and pointed to the hatch they had used to enter the ship. "That is the ship's exit hatch, and across from it is" "Where do we enter the ship if there's only an exit hatch?" Carl nervously interrupted. Sheen let out a loud sigh. "We already entered the ship," he explained in clear annoyance. "Once we did that the entrance hatch became an exit hatch." He couldn't help but roll his eyes at Carl's stupidity. "So the hatch is an exit when we're inside, but turns into an entrance when we're outside?" Carl asked, feeling a little more confident about his knowledge of the ship. Jimmy gave Carl a curious look. "That's not entirely accurate" he began to explain, but Sheen quickly interrupted him. "Jimmy's right," Sheen hurriedly said. Jimmy began to smile in agreement, but then Sheen added, "That's absolutely accurate."

Barak watched curiously as Carl furrowed his eyes in frustration. "But what if half of us were outside the ship and the other half needed to get out in a hurry. Since people are outside, it would be an entrance hatch, right?" Sheen's eyes bugged a little at this flaw in the ship's design. "So we couldn't exit the ship until the people outside had entered." Carl felt his hands begin to shake in fear. "And they couldn't enter because we're inside and that makes it an exit hatch!" "It's a time travel paradox!" Sheen nervously screamed. Libby stared at her boyfriend in more disbelief than usual. "How did you get time travel involved?" Ignoring Libby's intrusion due to the intensity of their work, Carl clasped a hand to his mouth in fright. "And Jimmy said when there's a time travel paradox, the source of the paradox stops existing." "Abandon ship!" Sheen immediately screamed while lunging towards the exit/entrance hatch. Only Libby's firm grasp kept him from falling over. Miranda stared at Carl and Sheen in disgust as she silently pondered how they had been chosen ahead of her to save Earth. "Humans!" Barak shouted, although his voice held no hint of anger. "I assure you all that one may enter and exit the shuttle via the hatch at any time. Now, there is much to show you. Please follow me." "Come on," Libby impatiently said while Yanking Sheen's wrist and following Barak. Ike lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag as Barak motioned to a large round table in the center of the main chamber. "This is a holographic knowledge interface. It's mainly a research tool, but I believe it shall come in handy when we prepare our plan to reach King Veras." Jimmy wished to question exactly what their plan was, but Barak was already leading them farther into the ship. "The cockpit is obviously behind us and serves as the control center for the ship," Barak quickly explained while spinning around and motioning to the small room he had exited out of a moment before. There was no door separating the cockpit and main chamber, only a short, thin hallway. The wide main chamber gradually narrowed to a bottleneck that turned into a hallway. The hallway led to the back of the ship and ended in a blank wall. Several yards ahead of the wall stood two sealed doors directly across from each other. Barak stood in the middle of both doors and turned to the one on his left. A small purple button lay a foot away from the center of the door on the hallway's wall. Barak pressed the button, and the door immediately shot open.

"This is the ship's lounge and supply chamber," Barak explained while leading the humans into the fair-sized room. The far left corner held a large steel table surrounded by three ornate chairs. A large video monitor was built into the wall above the table. In the other far corner stood two large storage cabinets resting against the wall. The rest of the room was completely empty. "You guys have TV?" Sheen excitedly asked. "Do Yolkians watch Ultralord too?" Barak shook his head and said, "The video monitor serves only as a source of emergency communication between this ship and Yolkus and to review observations made of your planet. It has no entertainment value." Jimmy looked around the room and was shocked at how desolate it was. "It's veryempty," he summed up while looking at Barak. Barak nodded slowly. "I tend to become engrossed in my research. I only enter this room when I need to fetch stored supplies or review my findings." Jimmy nodded and slowly turned his hypercube around in his right hand. "Well, that's good for us. We can store everything we brought in here." Nick cautiously broke away from his friends and approached the storage cabinets. Both were a made from a highly polished silver metal. Each had a large red button on the left-hand side. He turned around and faced Barak, who eyed him curiously. Nick glared at the alien for a moment before letting his curiosity overpower his distrust of the creature. "What's in these things?" Barak slowly hovered over and came to a stop beside Nick. The Yolkian pressed the red button on the first container, and instantly the door slid upwards and disappeared. Inside the container were three retracted spears, each resting horizontally on two golden hooks. Beneath the last hooks rested a single plasma pistol on a shelf Nick looked at Barak questioningly, and the alien gave a slight nod. "This is only a research vessel, so minimal armaments are stored onboard. I have never found cause for using them. You may take them if you wish." Nick heard footsteps and saw everyone crowding around behind him. He grabbed the center spear and stared at it intensely. It weighed about five pounds and was about half a foot long. In the center of the rod were three colored buttons. The right end of the rod had a small golden picture on it. Nick examined it closely and realized it was a bolt of lightning. "It's a spear," Nick said. He examined the buttons closely and turned to Barak. "How do I work it?" Barak stared at Nick sadly before saying, "It is a terrible crime to reveal the secrets of our race's technology." There was a slight pause, and then Barak's mouth curled upwards into a tiny smile. "A crime I am happy to commit. The buttons must be pressed in the proper order, or the device shall explode."

Cindy stared curiously at Barak. "That seems risky. One wrong move and the soldier carrying it dies? What if they make a mistake?" Barak stared at Cindy sadly. "Our soldiers make no mistakes with their weapons." A sense of dread filled the room until Nick held his thumb over the three buttons. "What's the order?" "Red, green, blue, red," Sheen quietly uttered in a voice a hair above a whisper. He stared at the spear more intensely than he had ever stared at anything as a brief memory shot through his mind: him pressing the buttons in that order, a Yolkian's terrified expression, and then the spear jutting into its body. Sheen shuddered at the thought and looked at Nick. "Hold the last one down and point the end with the picture away from everyone." Everyone froze at Sheen's cold tone. Barak tilted his shell at a slight angle and stared at the human curiously. He then turned back to Nick and gave a slight nod. "He speaks the truth." Nick pointed the spear towards the ceiling and pressed the buttons. The rod immediately extended to just under three feet long. The tip of the spear crackled quietly as small bolts of lightning seemed to dance around the razor sharp edge. Nick stared at the weapon for several seconds before asking, "How do I put it away?" "The red button," Sheen and Barak said at the same time. Nick pressed the red button, and the spear immediately retracted back into a useless metal rod. Nick stared at the weapon for a few seconds before passing it to Cindy. Cindy nodded and slipped it into her pocket. Nick grabbed the second spear from the storage unit and looked at Miranda. Her pale grey eyes bore into him until Nick handed the weapon to her. Unlike Cindy, she showed no gratitude. She merely snatched the weapon and gripped it tightly in her right hand. Nick then grabbed the plasma pistol off of the shelf. It looked vaguely similar to a human pistol. The biggest differences were the fact that it was completely purple and the space where the magazine shaft would be was replaced by a translucent core. Inside this core was a reservoir of light blue gas. He examined it carefully. "I saw a couple of these on Goobot's ship." He looked at Barak once more, a little less harshly this time. "It shoots plasma, right?" Barak gave a slow nod. "Superheated ionized gas to be precise, but yes. I am afraid I am no expert on weaponry, but I know you must avoid the plasma bolts at all costs." Barak stared at the humans with a dire expression. "Our shells offer protection. Your clothes shall not. A single hit could melt your skin and vaporize bone." Nick turned the weapon over in his hands before looking across the crowd at Sheen. Sheen met his gaze, and Nick gently tossed the gun over. "Ultralord ever use one of these?"

Sheen smiled a little at the question as he caught the pistol. His voice still held an unusual note of seriousness, however, as he answered, "Close. He used a particle rifle sometimes." Sheen examined the weapon carefully before gently sliding it down his back and tucking it inside his waistband. Cindy stared at the spear in her hands and then looked at Barak. "Barak, if you Yolkians have such powerful guns, why do your soldiers almost always use these spears?" Barak let out a sad smile. "That question is yet another reason why my race despises yours. We value honor on the battlefield as much as we pride ourselves in our technology. To attack one's foe from a distance is considered cowardly. We prefer to fight face to face." Cindy nodded. "I can understand that," she said while thinking of how much more rewarding she found t'ai chi compared to firing a gun. Ike pulled his sunglasses slightly down his nose and stared at Barak. "This should be easy then, shouldn't it? We've got guns and the Yolkians will be fighting with spears." Barak shook his head and stared at Ike. "Make no ill-fated assumptions of the battle that lies before you. The first soldiers we face will fight in the most honorable way possible. But once they realize our intentions of killing King Veras, they shall take no chances. Our ranged weaponry is used when a melee combat is impossible or a battle cannot afford to be lost. Veras' soldiers will stop at nothing to protect their king." A silence enveloped the group once again. Nick pressed the button on the supply chamber, and the door immediately slid downwards. He turned to the unit on his right. "And this one?" he asked Barak. Barak quickly pressed the button himself. The door slid open to reveal five shelves, each holding five clear glass bottles. Inside each bottle was a clear, lumpy liquid. "These are merely nutrient pastes," Barak casually explained. "They hold no use to you." Everyone watched as Sheen slowly stepped towards the front of the crowd. "They did for me," Sheen quietly told Barak. He grabbed one of the bottles and stared at the disgusting beverage inside. Sheen had told Jimmy every detail about his battle on the Yolkian's mining vessel. Jimmy knew all about the effects of dehydration and had confirmed to Sheen that he had been within hours of dying when he hijacked the ship. Sheen looked at the bottle wearily and turned to Barak. "Can I keep one?" Barak's mouth registered confusion for just a second before a neutral expression took over. "If you wish, human."

"Thank you," Sheen quietly said while returning to his spot beside Libby. Libby immediately grasped Sheen's hand and intertwined their fingers. Sheen smiled a little at that and tucked the bottle inside his backpack. "The resting chamber is in the other room," Barak finally said while leading everyone back out into the hallway. He pressed the button besides the other door to reveal a room even barer than the lounge. Only a row of five devices across from the entrance lay inside. Each device was shaped like a claw with the pincers held horizontally. They jutted two feet away from the wall and rested three feet above the floor. "Those are recharging stations for our shells," Barak explained while motioning across the room. "Obviously, they are unfit for your resting needs." "We brought sleeping bags," Jimmy quickly replied. "This room will be enough for all of us to sleep in." Barak faced the nine humans and gave a small smile. "I am afraid there is little else to show you. Flanking either side of the entrance to the cockpit are two small storage closets. Other than that, you have seen the entirety of the vessel." Jimmy nodded and faced his friends. "Alright. We've got three days to prepare for this battle. Right now, it's" Jimmy took a quick look at his watch and gave a tiny sigh. "Just past two thirty. I know we all got at least some sleep before leaving, but we shouldn't mess up our sleep cycles more than we have to. Let's organize our supplies as quickly as we can and then get to bed." "Can't we just leave them in the hypercube?" Sheen whined. Libby smiled as the sad tone he had used in the storage room was completely absent. Jimmy shook his head. "Everything's a jumbled mess in there. If we all work together, it won't take long. Let's do it quickly and then we can sleep."

As most of Jimmy's friends expected, he had fudged the truth slightly. The pile of supplies in the hypercube was nearly enough to fill the entire main chamber of the ship. Even with ten people working at once, it took more than two hours to get everything organized. By the time Jimmy's watch read 5:00 a.m., everyone was barely able to keep on their feet. Like Jimmy had said, most had been able to gather at least a few hours of sleep before meeting in front of his lab, but this barely made a dent in their fatigue. Only Barak seemed wide awake as everyone stood in the middle of the main chamber. "We're done," Ike slurred while grabbing his pack of cigarettes with a trembling hand. He tried to use his left hand to open the package and pull out a cigarette, but his vision was blurry and he could barely stand. "Screw it, I quit," he muttered. "For the night," he quickly added.

"We did good," Jimmy struggled to say. Not only was he sleepy, but every muscle in his body ached from dragging their supplies around the ship. He forced his eyes open as wide as they could in an attempt to maintain consciousness for a few more minutes. He looked around the nearly empty main chamber in pride. The only supplies left in the largest room on the ship were a stove, several canisters of propane, cooking utensils and dishes, and a small cache of food. Everything also was organized in the storage chamber. The only exception was the portable toilet that he and Libby had grabbed from the camping store, which rested in one of the two maintenance closets along with a case of water, a few towels, and several rolls of toilet paper. Cindy barely managed to nod in agreement as everyone slowly made their way to the barracks. She briefly wondered if she was more tired than that first night after their parents' abductions a month and a half ago. She remembered how she and Jimmy had fallen asleep in the hover car and ended up in each other's arms. The memory brought a small smile to her face and caused her hand to involuntarily grab Jimmy's. The barracks were just large enough for everyone to have their own space. Eight sleeping bags lay in two rows of four, meticulously spaced by Jimmy and Cindy. In between the two rows of sleeping bags lay two everyone's backpacks in two rows. Jimmy was vaguely amused as he realized it truly looked like a military base's barracks. Everyone had packed pajamas, but no one had the energy left to change into them. Everyone climbed into their sleeping bags except for Libby and Sheen, who crawled into a large bag together. Libby rested her head on Sheen's shoulder, and Sheen fell asleep sniffing the rose still tucked in her hair. Barak watched as his compatriots got comfortable. He stood in the entrance to the barracks and let a sad smile come over his face. "Rest well, humans. I shall see you when you rise." With that he pressed a button on the wall beside him, and the low purple lights in the room immediately shut off. Barak hovered into the hallway, closed the door, and made his way to the cockpit to pass the time until his allies awakened.

"Jimmy," an uncharacteristically calm voice whispered. "School's not for an hour, mom," Jimmy mumbled while wrapping himself tighter in his sleeping bag. Sheen paused for several seconds as he pondered the best way to wake his friend. Deciding that subtlety had no place on this adventure, he grabbed Jimmy's shoulders and shook him as hard as he could. "Wake up!" he shrieked.

Jimmy's eyes snapped open as his arms flailed wildly from Sheen's shaking. He saw his friend's face was a mere two inches from his own. Jimmy's eyes widened in shock as he stared into Sheen's crazed and dilated eyes. "Sheen?" "You're missing everything!" Sheen shouted while rearing his right hand back. Jimmy immediately ducked and narrowly avoided Sheen's slap. "Stop slapping people!" Jimmy shouted while wrestling out of Sheen's grasp. "What are you doing?" Sheen jumped to his feet and calmly dusted himself off. "I'm inviting you to breakfast, James." Jimmy looked around the barracks and saw that it was empty save for him and Sheen. He looked down at his watch and felt his eyes widen in shock as he saw the time. "It's noon already?" Sheen smiled. "Cindy told us to let you sleep in. She said you deserved it." Jimmy let a small smile pass over her lips. "Oh. That was nice of her." Sheen smiled wider as he said, "We also only grabbed one box of donuts, and she said she wanted to make sure you didn't take the chocolate ones." Jimmy's smile faded into a frown. "That's less nice." "Anyway, here's a menu," Sheen happily said while pulling a thick, highly decorated piece of paper from behind his back. Jimmy slowly accepted the menu from Sheen and gave a quick shake of his head. "I'm not even going to ask how you got this laminated." "That's probably for the best," Sheen monotonously replied. Jimmy raised an eyebrow in disgust. "Sheen, what the heck is this? Two pancakes costs three kisses? Five minutes of holding hands for an egg?" "Let me see that," Sheen said while snatching the menu from Jimmy. He took out his rarely utilized reading glasses and perched them delicately on his nose. "Ah," he muttered in understanding while closely examining the menu, "this is Libby's menu. My bad," he said while pulling another menu out from behind his back. Jimmy impatiently snatched it and gave it a quick look over. "One egg for doing one of your book reports." Jimmy sighed and glanced up at Sheen. "That sounds slightly more normal." "Come on, everyone's almost done already," Sheen said while extending his hand down to Jimmy. Jimmy stared at it for a few seconds before smiling and clasping his friend's hand.

Sheen led Jimmy to the main chamber. Jimmy was pleased, but not surprised, at what he saw. Nick was stirring a pot of what appeared to be oatmeal on the camping stove, and Carl was flipping flapjacks on the grill. A small table was set up near them and held a small variety of breakfast foods, utensils, and dishes. Jimmy saw Cindy, Libby, and Ike sitting on the floor in the corner opposite Nick and Carl. He stared into the cockpit and saw Betty sitting in the copilot's chair beside Barak and eating a plate of eggs. "Miranda?" Jimmy asked Sheen. Sheen pointed to the door beside them. "She said she had some stuff to do in the supply room." Sheen stared walking towards Carl and Nick and said, "Come on, let's get some food." "Hey chief," Nick happily uttered with a small smile. See anything you like?" he asked while glancing at the menu in Jimmy's hands. Jimmy smiled back and decided to see if he could find something to his liking. "Um, I guess I'll have two over easy eggs and some toast." He hesitated for a second and then asked, "Carl, did you get any orange juice?" Carl flipped the pancake resting on the grill before pointing beneath the table beside him. "The sun kiss is under the table." He then turned to Sheen and said, "Want to make the flop two and brown down?" Sheen nodded in response. "Sure, go pop a squat. Where are the Mike and Ike?" "I'm right here," Ike said in confusion while looking up from his bible at Sheen. Carl sighed in frustration. "Not Ike, Ike. The Mike and Ike!" Ike stared flabbergasted at Carl. "What?" Now it was Sheen's turn to sigh. "The things we keep the sea dust and sneeze in!" "Are you speaking English?" Ike worriedly asked. Sheen and Carl exchanged a glance and gave a disappointed shake of their heads. "Go sit down, Jimmy. We'll give you your plate when it's ready. And take a life preserver while you wait," Sheen gently offered while handing Jimmy a donut. "Umthanks," Jimmy said while slowly accepting the donut and strolling over towards Cindy. Cindy flashed a playful smile at Jimmy as he took a seat beside her. "Sleep well?" Jimmy nodded and took a bite of his donut. "No ulterior motives behind letting me get my beauty sleep?"

Cindy smiled a little wider. "Just figured you earned the rest." Jimmy rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall behind him. "Libby, did you organize this again?" Libby shook her head and smiled over Ike's shoulder at Sheen. "This one's all his." Ike, Jimmy, Cindy, and Libby stopped talking as they heard the door to the supply room shoot open. Miranda stepped outside while twirling a large curved knife in her hand. "Nice knife," Ike said as she strolled by the small group of children. Miranda immediately froze in her tracks and gripped the hilt of the weapon tighter. "It's a kukri, not a knife," she angrily corrected while glaring at Ike's sunglasses. She then scowled and made her way to the cooking area. She sheathed her weapon before quickly tossing a donut and piece of toast onto a plate. She then silently poured herself a glass of water, grabbed her breakfast, and headed back to the supply room. She stopped before entering the hallway and spun back around to face Nick. "Get me when training starts." Once she had spoken she went inside the supply room. The rest of breakfast passed by quickly. Once Jimmy finished his meal, Nick told everyone that he was going to get the main chamber set up for training. Carl, Sheen, Ike, and Libby helped move the cooking supplies and food into the supply room until training was complete. Miranda, Jimmy, Nick, and Cindy set up targets in the main chamber and brought a variety of weapons and ammunition out from the supply room. As she helped prepare the main chamber, Cindy couldn't keep her thoughts off of the girl sitting in the cockpit with Barak. After what seemed an eternity, she finally excused herself and went to speak with Betty. "And this is the mechanism that reroutes energy to different subsystems of the shuttle," Barak explained to Betty while pointing at a small holographic display rising an inch off of the dashboard's surface. Betty examined the hologram closely. "So if I needed to push the engines harder than normal, I could redirect power fromI don't knowthe environmental control system?" Barak nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Any non-critical system can have power rerouted to a critical system in times of need." Cindy nervously drummed fingers of her right hand against the nearby wall. She finally said, "Learning how to fly, Quinlan?" Barak and Betty spun around and stared at Cindy. Before Betty could respond, Barak rose off of his seat. "I shall leave you humans to your discussion." "You don't have to" Betty began to say, but Barak interrupted while hovering towards Cindy.

"I require a rest phase anyway." He paused in front of Cindy, who was blocking the narrow hallway. "Excuse my passing," Barak gently said. Cindy stepped to the side and allowed Barak to hover by her. Betty stared angrily at Cindy and asked, "What do you want, Vortex?" Cindy slammed her eyes shut for a moment and forced herself to keep from scowling. "Can I sit?" Betty sighed and turned back to the observation window in front of her. "If you need to." Cindy took the seat next to Betty and stared silently out the viewport for a few seconds. Betty tapped several buttons on the dashboard and finally spoke. "I already know how to fly, Vortex. In case you forgot, that's one of the reasons I'm here." Cindy couldn't her comment to herself. "Yeah, that's the reason you're here." Betty immediately turned the autopilot back on and glared at Cindy. "I'm getting sick of this. I offered to leave you alone, but you can't even do that, can you? Do you just want to kick each other's asses already? Because that's a great idea, to get ourselves injured three days before we fight a battle that decides the fate of our planet." Cindy glared at Betty until both turned back towards the viewport at the same time. "You know what I hate more than anything?" Betty asked after a moment. "Me?" Cindy offered. Betty turned to face Cindy and saw a curious look on her face. Cindy eyes were narrowed in a typical display of anger, but her mouth held no expression, as though the question were completely serious. Betty turned back to the observation window and loosened her grip on the steering controls slightly. "The fact that everyone thinks all I can do is look pretty. In case you forgot, I piloted us from Minerva to Goobot's ship. I fought the Yolkians onboard. I proved myself." She hesitated, realizing that she hadn't intended to say that last sentence out loud. Cindy stared out into space in silence for several seconds before speaking. "I guess you did." Five minutes passed in complete silence. Betty resumed piloting the ship along the course Barak had charted. Cindy stared straight ahead, moving only her eyes from side to side at whatever interesting celestial body was visible in the distance. Eventually, she decided to just say what she had come to say. "I'm sorry." The words were just as hard to say to Betty as to Jimmy. Cindy saw Betty's grip on the steering controls loosen further, but she didn't speak for a full minute. Finally, she said, "Me too." A few seconds passed and then she added, "For swearing at you yesterday."

Both girls kept their eyes straight ahead. "He does love you," Betty stiffly said after a few more minutes had passed. "I know," Cindy said. Cindy could hear Jimmy and Nick discussing the best possible way to arrange the main chamber far behind her, but she kept her eyes glued to the viewport ahead of her. She eventually shifted her eyes to the right and saw how easily Betty was managing the controls. "You spent all morning with Barak," Cindy flatly stated. "Very observant," Betty offered back with only a hint of sarcasm. "He was helping me learn more about flying." "Do you like it?" Cindy asked while struggling to keep from gritting her teeth. Betty kept her head straight ahead but turned her eyes towards Cindy. "Yeah." Two more minutes passed. "Do you know what I hate more than anything?" Cindy finally asked. "Me?" Betty offered. Betty saw Cindy gave her head a miniscule shake out of the corner of her eye. Betty waited for Cindy to answer her own question, but instead she said, "I had a dream last night." A snarky remark raced through Betty's mind, but she decided to shelve it for the moment. "Yeah?" Cindy closed her eyes for several seconds and felt her stomach quiver at the memory. "You were in it. We were on Jimmy's lawn. It was after we argued. I walked up to Miranda, and she held out the knife she used against Jimmy. I took it, grabbed your hair, and held it to your throat." Cindy looked to her right and saw Betty staring at her with a combination of disgust and fear. "I didn't kill you," Cindy quickly added. She had no intention of scaring Betty off before she could finish her story. I need to do this so we can work together to save Earth, if nothing else. "You asked me, `Why do you want to kill me?" Betty turned the autopilot back on, but resumed staring out at the emptiness of space in front of her. "Must have been a long list," she flatly said. Cindy clenched her hands into fists and felt them tremble. "I couldn't think of a reason." Betty's eyes darted back to Cindy of their own accord. "I find that hard to believe." "I woke up after that," Cindy explained. She turned to face Betty and said, "Jimmy heard me moving around and asked what was wrong. I told him I'd just had a bad dream." Cindy couldn't

keep a small smile from spreading over her lips. "It was hard to see with just the small lantern on, but I could tell his mind was racing. Then he asked if I wanted to lie next to him." Cindy turned back to the viewport. "So I did." She closed her eyes and thought of how they had spent the rest of the night. She wrapped in his thin arms, his head resting gently on top of her hair. As she thought back to the night before, she could feel flickers of electricity dancing across her arms where their skin had connected. "I thought of the dream," Cindy went on. "Tried to make a list of why I hated you. Reasons you deserved it. The only real reason I could think of was how you tried to take Jimmy away." Cindy paused and sighed. "And then I admitted you didn't even do that. That I pushed him to you." Cindy turned to face Betty, and Betty saw in Cindy's eyes what she had only seen once, the night before. Sadness. "That's what I hate most. That I have no reason to hate you." Cindy stared straight ahead once more. She took a deep breath and finally added, "So I'm sorry." Betty took a few minutes to think about Cindy's words, about how genuine they seemed. And so she finally added, "Apology accepted." Cindy nodded and got out of her seat. "I'll see you at training." Betty hesitated and slowly said, "Yeah. Guess you will." Betty kept her eyes straight ahead as she heard Cindy walk out of the cockpit. She listened to the faint sounds of her friends arranging weapons and supplies behind her. Sighing, she turned off the autopilot and resumed silently steering the ship.

Chapter 11: New Perspectives

Even with her earplugs firmly jammed in, the noise was nearly deafening. Libby gave her head a quick shake and stared at the gun in her hands for just a moment before glancing across the main chamber at her target. She sighed as she saw the bullet hole resting on the steel wall of the ship, a full foot from the edge of the paper target. "That wasnearly a bull's eye!" Sheen happily shouted louder than normal. He quickly rubbed his sore ears. The earplugs were uncomfortable, but Nick had been insistent on everyone wearing them. Apparently shooting hundreds of rounds in an enclosed ship could burst his eardrums. Libby scowled and stared at her boyfriend with clear annoyance. "It didn't even hit the target!" Sheen rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you could trydoing it right," he quietly whispered while looking away.

"What?" Libby snapped. "It's just, well" Sheen let his voice trail off before sighing in resolve. "You're doing it wrong." Libby stared at the pistol in her hands before looking back up to Sheen. "What's wrong about the way I shoot?" "Everything," Sheen simply summed up. "Let's see you do better," she huffed while shoving the pistol against Sheen's chest. Sheen's eyes bugged out in response and he immediately grabbed the gun and pointed it at the ground. "That! That was wrong!" "What?" Libby sighed. "You didn't even turn on the safety!" Sheen shouted while pointing at the small button beside the trigger. "You shoved it against my chest. You could have shot me!" Hearing the seriousness in Sheen's tone caused Libby to take a step backward. "You'reyou're joking, right?" Sheen shook his head and took a deep breath. "Watch me, Libbalicious," he said while carefully gripping the pistol. He put his left leg forward and raised the pistol to stare down the sights. Grasping the gun as tightly as he possibly could without letting his hands shake, he aimed the barrel of the gun at the center of the bull's eye. He slowly exhaled and pulled the trigger right after the last of the air had left his lungs. Libby's jaw dropped slightly as he hit the dead center of the target. "See?" Sheen asked with an easy smile. He handed the pistol back to Libby, who hesitated for a few seconds before taking it. "Just stand the way I did, grab it tight, and shoot after breathing." Libby stared at Sheen uncertainly, but followed his instructions. She raised the gun up to her eyes and aimed the sights properly. She flexed her fingers around the gun's grip and then squeezed it tightly. She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, gently pulling the trigger once finished. She looked at the target across from her to find that her bullet hole was now in between the bull's eye and bottom right hand corner of the paper. She allowed herself a tiny smile. "Guess it's an improvement." A trio of much louder gunshots rang out from beside her, and three bullet holes appeared along the outer ring of her target's bull's eye. Libby glanced angrily at her left to see Ike holding a rifle over his shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Libby. We can't all have eagle eyes," Ike cockily said. "Shoot at your own targets," Nick angrily told Ike while strolling behind him. "Do you want to accidentally hit someone?"

"Sir, no sir," Ike said with a half-smile while ejecting his nearly empty magazine and slamming in another. Nick strolled over to the ship's exit hatch and leaned against it while crossing his arms. Once again, he felt a twinge of pride at his work. He hadn't had nearly as much space to work with as he had on Little Boy, but he had still managed to create a training center. In front of Nick sat Barak's research interface, effectively cutting the ship's largest room into two portions. On the right hand side stood Ike, then Sheen and Libby, then Miranda, and finally Jimmy. Each had a paper target attached to the silver wall directly ahead of them at the opposite end of the room. Nick wished they had a longer distance in between their targets, but the fifteen yards they had would have to do. On the left hand side of the room, Cindy was trying to whip Carl into physical shape. The overweight kid was currently running laps around the small area with Cindy jogging beside him and shouting into his ear. Betty emerged from the cockpit and narrowly avoiding being bowled over by Carl while strolling towards Nick. "Finally joining us?" Nick asked with a small smile. "I was just testing how fast I could make this thing go if I gave the engines some power from the barrack's lighting systems," Betty answered. Nick turned to Betty with a somewhat bewildered look. "What?" Betty angrily asked. Nick let out a small chuckle. "Guess I didn't realize how serious you were about the whole becoming a pilot thing." Betty scowled. "Well that was one of our problems, wasn't it? You not listening?" Nick felt a twinge of guilt at Betty's jab, but kept the amused smirk on his face. "Sorry I didn't want to be married at thirteen," he sarcastically answered. Betty stared at Nick's playful face and gave a small smile back. "No hard feelings, right?" Nick nodded. "That's what we agreed." They stared at their five friends shooting. "Think they'll make it?" she asked while staring at Jimmy. Nick followed her gaze, and then she quickly motioned her head towards Cindy. Nick drummed his fingers against his crossed arms and thought for a few seconds. "Jimmy loves her." He turned to Betty with a serious look on his face. "More than I thought someone our age could love anyone." Nick then gave Cindy a curious glance as she scowled down at Carl, who was lying down and panting heavily. "And you can't tell right now, but it's softened her." Betty was about to protest this, but thought of how Cindy had apologized to her less than an hour ago. "Guess so. She loves him too."

Betty and Nick looked into each other's eyes and shared a smile. "I think they'll make it," Betty quietly said. Nick nodded in agreement. "I just wish they'd shut up once in a while and make out instead of argue." Betty laughed. "Same here." She glanced over at Libby and Sheen, and Nick followed her gaze. "Those two, though? I have no idea what she sees in him. She could do way better." Nick leaned his head back against the hatch behind him while watching Sheen teach Libby the proper way of reloading a pistol. "I think he might be insane," he softly told Betty. "Literally," he said while meeting Betty's eyes once more. Betty chuckled once more and said, "I wasn't going to fight you on that." Nick stared back at Sheen and felt his lips curl up slightly on their own. "He may be stupid and crazy, but he's brave. And" Nick hesitated while thinking back to the time he had spent training with Sheen on Little Boy. "He's got a good heart," he finally finished. Betty watched as Libby dropped her gun's magazine. As soon as it hit the floor, he practically threw himself onto the ground and scooped it up. He gently handed it to her, looked around wildly, and gave her a quick kiss before smiling widely. Betty smiled and turned back to Nick. "Can you believe you're friends with those weirdoes?" Nick laughed and gave his head a slow shake. "Two years ago I thought they were all nuts. There's the black belt with anger issues, the girl who goes into withdrawal if the battery on her iPod dies, the twitchy idiot obsessed with dolls, the llama lover who has serious issues with older women, and" Nick hesitated as he watched Jimmy carefully line up a shot with his pistol. "The genius." Betty followed Nick's gaze and smiled gently. "Going soft on James, huh?" Nick felt his smile twitch. "Remember what the Yolkian" "Barak," Betty immediately corrected. Nick hesitated before continuing. "Remember what Barak said when Miranda nearly killed him? That if he dies, our planet dies." Nick pondered this for a few seconds before turning back to Betty. "He was right." Betty and Nick stood in silence for several moments. Betty finally pushed herself off of the wall and flashed Nick a smile. "Well, better start shooting some stuff." She went to go grab a gun from the array of firearms on the research table, but then raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I haven't seen you fire a shot yet. Aren't you worried about getting rusty?"

Nick gave a tiny smile back. "Stop shooting!" he shouted as loud as he could. Ike, Miranda, Jimmy, Libby, and Sheen immediately lowered their weapons and turned to Nick. "Back up against the wall," he instructed them. They slowly did as they were told, and Nick whipped his father's pistol out from behind his back. He took a deep breath, raised his weapon, and rapidly fired one shot at each of the four targets. Three of them hit the bull's eyes, and the last barely missed. He turned back to Betty and smiled. "I think I've got it covered." Nick resumed leaning against the wall and watched for several more minutes. Once Betty had secured a weapon, Ike allowed her to take his spot so that he could use the bathroom and take a smoke break. Not long after that, Cindy strolled over to Nick; leaving Carl huddled in the corner downing a bottle of water. Nick became concerned as she saw Cindy stumble and nearly lose her footing. "Are you okay?" He worriedly asked as she leaned against the wall next to him. Cindy gritted her teeth and clutched her waist while taking a deep breath. "Fine," she mumbled while slowly exhaling. A few seconds passed, and she let her arm fall back to her side. "Yeah, I'm fine." Nick stared at her, concern etched across his face. "Are you sure you're okay?" Cindy nodded. "Just the gunshot." She turned away from Nick and lifted her shirt up slightly to see the large scar on her stomach. "The doctor said I was supposed to wait before doing karate again." Nick frowned. "Should you be doing this with us?" Now it was Cindy's turn to frown as she dropped her shirt back down and met Nick's gaze. "I'm fine. It barely lasted a second." Nick's worries slowly faded as Cindy's pain seemed to vanish. "Just don't overdo it, okay?" "Yes sir," Cindy said sarcastically. A few seconds passed, and then Nick glanced over at Carl. "How is he doing?" Cindy exhaled deeply and thought for a second. "He's trying harder than I thought he would. I have to admit that." "Guess those books are helping," Nick joked. Cindy shook her head. "I can only do so much in three days. He'll never be able to hold his own against a Yolkian soldier. At best, I can get him to run from cover to cover without collapsing." Cindy watched Libby for a moment and smiled as her best friend finally got a bull's eye. "His best hope is to learn how to shoot."

"I'll teach him myself once he gets back on his feet," Nick offered. Cindy sighed and took a few sips from her own water bottle. "I still don't think he should come. He'll just end up" Cindy hesitated and let her voice trail off as she approached the end of her sentence. Nick saw a hint of sadness dance across her eyes and stared at her curiously. "You care about him?" Nick asked, genuinely wondering what her answer would be. Cindy scowled and glared at Nick. "I don't want any of us to die." Nick smiled slightly as the all-too familiar fire sparked to life in Cindy's eyes. "Just asking. You didn't argue nearly as much as I thought you would when Jimmy asked you to train him." Cindy rolled her eyes and stared at Carl in disgust. "He's almost as weird as Sheen. He's obsessed with llamas, he can't spell to save his life, his medical chart's thicker than a phone book" Cindy listed all the reasons she found Carl annoying which counting them off on her fingers. At last, she gave a tiny sigh and crossed her arms. "But we've been through a lot. And he's nice; I have to give him that. Plus Jimmy loves him like a brother. I guess all of that makes us friends." "That's cute, Cindy," Nick sardonically muttered while letting out a small laugh. Cindy spun around and stared daggers at Nick once more. "I will still kick your ass at any time, Nick." "Things sure have changed since you swooned after my every move, huh?" Nick joked. He saw Cindy's hands tremble slightly as she took a sip from her water bottle. "Don't flatter yourself, Nick," she sternly said while screwing the cap back onto the bottle. "Don't feel bad. I've always had a way with the ladies," he said while casually inspecting the fingernails on his right hand. "Not your fault you couldn't resist." Cindy scowled up at Nick. "I did resist. If I'd really wanted you, I'd have had you," she said confidently while giving a frightening half smile. "In case you haven't noticed, I've got charm myself." "Yeah, didn't take long for you to get Jimmy," Nick shot back. "Only two years." Cindy wasn't sure what to say to that, so she stared straight ahead. Nick laughed lightly. "Lighten up, Vortex. We're just screwing around." A few seconds passed as Cindy's sour mood slowly dissipated. Eventually she turned her gaze towards Miranda, and Nick followed suit. Cindy looked at the target across from her and let a smile pass over her lips. "She's not a good shot, is she?" Cindy merrily asked, a little too loudly. The vast majority of the girl's rounds had hit the outer circles of the target. Only a small handful had come close to hitting the center.

Cindy's words were spoken a little too loudly just as a brief lull between gunshots overtook the ship. No one paid much attention to her words, save for Miranda, whose back stiffened and brows furrowed in response. Cindy watched as Miranda shoved her gun into the holster on her side and stormed off to the barracks. "I think you hurt her feelings," Nick chastised Cindy. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Cindy said without a hint of sincerity. "Next time I'll act nicer to the girl who shoves knives against our throats." Miranda quickly exited the barracks with her backpack slung over one shoulder. Nearly everyone in the main chamber watched as she immediately went into the supply room and came out holding an apple. She immediately walked over to Cindy and stopped a foot in front of her. "Take it," Miranda ordered. Her normally neutral expression was tainted with fury. "What?" Cindy asked while staring at the piece of fruit in her hand. "If you are going to mock me, at least have the courage to stand behind your words," Miranda angrily muttered through gritted teeth. "Take the apple and stand over there," Miranda growled while pointing across the main chamber. Cindy stared at Miranda for a few seconds before sighing. "Fine," she muttered while snatching the apple from Miranda's hand. Everyone watched as Cindy walked over to where the nearest target stood. "Toss it towards the cockpit when I say," Miranda calmly instructed while dropping her backpack to the ground and unzipping the front pocket. Everyone recoiled in shock as they saw it was filled with knives. Miranda pulled out the smallest knife in her arsenal and fluidly twisted around each of her fingers. She finally grabbed its hilt and cocked her arm back. "Throw it now." Cindy sighed. "What for? You'll never hit it." "Throw it," Miranda flatly repeated. "Fine," Cindy muttered while cocking her arm back and tossing the apple towards the cockpit. Everyone watched as the last traces of emotion vanished from Miranda's face. Her mind shut down as she took in its speed and trajectory in an instant. Her wrist then lunged forward, sending the knife spiraling through the air. Everyone's jaws dropped in disbelief as the apple was thrown backwards against the wall. It bounced off and fell to the ground with the blade firmly stuck inside of it.

No one spoke for a full minute as Miranda studied the fruit. "Get out of the way," Miranda calmly uttered while pulling four more throwing knives from her backpack. Cindy didn't move, and Miranda spoke once more. "You're in front of the target," Miranda calmly said. Cindy realized Miranda's intention and took several large steps to the left. Miranda took the first knife in her right hand and threw it across the room. It landed in the center of the first target's bull's eye before bouncing off of the wall and clattering to the floor. The next three knives all hit their targets. Everyone watched in stunned silence as Miranda closed her backpack and slung it over her right shoulder. She strolled across the ship and ripped her knife out from the apple. She then went to the first three targets, inspected the holes her knives had made, and picked her weapons up off of the floor. She paused in front of the last target and cocked her head slightly in annoyance. The hole from her blade didn't rest in the bull's eye like the others. Instead, it punctured the ring surrounding the red circle. She angrily scooped the knife off of the ground and turned to face Jimmy. "I won't miss again," she furiously promised while strolling back into the barracks. Everyone stared after her for a few seconds. Ike finally broke the silence after giving his head a bewildered shake and bringing another cigarette to his lips. "Anyone else in love with this girl?"

The rest of the afternoon was spent training. In order to conserve ammunition, Nick had everyone practice reloading, holstering, and drawing their weapons until everyone could do them all in an instant. He explained the differences between the different guns at their disposal and helped Carl learn to shoot. By the time evening rolled around, everyone was starving. Ike helped Carl heat up several cans of beef stew and Sheen grilled some pieces of bread for everyone to have with it. Everyone ate together, except Miranda, who once again took her meal to the supply chamber. Little was seen of Barak. He spent most of the afternoon in the barracks resting. While the humans ate dinner, he sat quietly in the cockpit. Though Jimmy and Sheen invited him to eat with them, he explained that he did not wish to leave the autopilot on longer than was necessary. He said that he preferred to pilot the ship himself. Dinner passed quickly, and by eight o'clock everyone was changing into their pajamas and retiring to the barracks for the night. Jimmy was more than happy to allow everyone a few hours to relax before they went to bed. They had made huge progress in their training, and Jimmy knew it was important to keep morale up among his friends. As Cindy exited the makeshift bedroom to use the bathroom and change into her pajamas, Jimmy looked around and closely examined his friends. Carl lay on his sleeping bag, fervently reading one of his self-help books. Betty and Nick were playing checkers. He then turned to Sheen and Libby, who were lying together on top of their sleeping bag.

"So we'll watch the new Boys Pretending to be Men concert, and then we'll watch an episode of Ultralord," she happily said while turning on her iPod. Sheen frowned in annoyance. "Why don't we watch Ultralord first to get the adrenalin flowing, and then we watch Boys Pretending to Have Talent after to cool us down before bed?" "Or maybe we don't watch Ultralord and Libby keeps her iPod for herself!" Libby snapped back. Jimmy smiled as he saw Sheen immediately changed tactics and apologize to his girlfriend. He caught Libby's eye and mouthed "Go easy on him." Libby rolled her eyes before settling back onto the sleeping bag. Jimmy then turned to face Miranda, who was sitting silently on her sleeping bag while sharpening her kukri. Ike sat on his bag next to her while reading his bible, but it wasn't hard to notice that he was slowly scooting towards her. "So, how did you learn to throw knives like that?" Ike asked while finally looking up from his holy tome. Miranda kept her eyes glued to the blade in her hands. "Time," she slowly answered. "Do you think you could teach me?" Miranda glanced up from her weapon and stared at Ike. Jimmy noticed how empty her eyes were. The only time he had truly seen her emote was when she had held the knife to his throat and introduced herself on his lawn. Even after Cindy had insulted her, only the vaguest flicker of feeling had shown on her face. "No," she quietly answered with a hint of annoyance. "Okay," Ike slowly agreed. He stared at the five shark teeth hanging around her neck and asked, "What's with the necklace?" Miranda narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "I take one from each shark I kill." Ike laughed, but his smile slowly faded as Miranda's deadly serious expression didn't falter. "Well, um, if you want to sit with us at breakfast tomorrow" "Leave me alone," she warned him. "Now." Ike flinched a little and began to scoot away. "Okay," he sadly whispered while moving towards Carl. "Hey," Cindy said while coming back inside the barracks and sitting beside Jimmy. Jimmy smiled as he saw that she had let her ponytail down. "Hi Cindy," he happily told her. He stared at the long plaid pajama pants and pink tank top she had changed into. "You look reallyyou knowpretty," he offered.

Cindy felt herself smile as her cheeks began to feel warm. "Thanks," she mumbled while glancing down at her hand. Jimmy immediately took the hint and slowly grabbed it.

"She let her hair down," Betty said with a small smile while glancing towards Cindy. She then looked back down at the checkerboard in front of her before jumping over one of Nick's pieces. "King me." Nick kept his gaze glued to the board. "Literally or figuratively?" "Literally," Betty said while rolling her eyes. "Hm," Nick said while moving one of his few remaining checkers. "Think they'll actually kiss or do something normal for once?" "She's pulling a chessboard out of her backpack," Betty sighed in response. "Want to superglue their lips together while they're sleeping?" Nick offered without a trace of humor in his tone. Betty smiled as she saw Jimmy and Cindy begin to argue lightheartedly. "They'd probably just blame each other and argue about it on paper." Nick chuckled at that. "You're probably right." He moved a piece towards Betty's side of the board and smiled a little wider. "King me."

"All I was asking," Jimmy said while letting a playful smile take hold of his face, "is if we're going to have a repeat of the last day of school last year." Cindy rolled her eyes in disgust. "Neutron, everyone knows I had that last game in the bag. You're just lucky the bell rang before I got my knight in position." "Oh yeah, I was sure beat alright," Jimmy huffed. "The final tally was only five games to zero. You were just about to pass me." "Well let's see how well you do this time," Cindy threateningly said while moving her first pawn forward. The game took all of seven moves to complete. Jimmy did his best to avoid sounding cocky while saying, "Hey, give yourself credit for countering my Blitzkrieg. Sheen and Carl never notice it when I try that move."

"That's because they're idiots, Jimmy," she said with a sigh of disgust while setting the board up once more. Jimmy's smile slowly faded as a thought raced through his mind. "Cindy, do you mind if we wait a little while before the next game? I want to go talk to Barak." Cindy looked up from the board in slight concern. "Something I should know?" Jimmy shook his head. "I just didn't get a chance to talk with him today. He seemedpretty sad yesterday." "I'll watch the concert with Libby," she offered. "Unless you want me to come." "I'll be fine. I'll be back soon," he said while beginning to get to his feet. He hesitated and then stared down at Cindy, fully realizing how beautiful she looked in the soft lighting of the barracks. He smiled at her, and she smiled back as they let their lips connect for a few precious seconds. "Love you," he whispered, surprised at how easy the words came out. Guess the third time's the charm. "You too," Cindy whispered while trying to keep from blushing. She watched Jimmy exit the room before strolling over towards Libby.

Jimmy slowly walked into the cockpit holding a can of Purple Flurp in one hand and a bottle of nutrient paste in the other. "Hey Barak," he said while stopping behind the Yolkian. Barak spun around in his chair and smiled warmly at Jimmy. "Neutron, I was not expecting your presence." A worried expression took over his mechanical mouth as he asked, "Has a problem appeared?" Jimmy shook his head. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk. Is that okay?" Barak blinked each eye slowly before nodding. "Of course, Neutron. Please join me," he said while motioning at the co-pilot's seat beside him. Jimmy hopped onto the chair and nodded while holding out the bottle of nutrient paste. "I haven't seen you eat today. Do you want one?" Barak smiled warmly at the gesture. "I thank you, Neutron," he said while grabbing the bottle. "I was going to gather one from the supply chamber shortly." Barak quickly turned the autopilot on before opening the bottle. Jimmy stared straight ahead out the cockpit's observation window, and Barak did the same. "Do you ever get tired of it?" Jimmy slowly asked. "Seeing space?"

Barak slowly shook his shell while taking a sip from his glass bottle. "Even after all this time, so much of it is unexplored," Barak said in wonder. "By the time we are both dead, the state of knowledge will be the same, for space is infinite." Barak pondered that last word before looking at Jimmy. "Does that frighten you as it does me?" "I get chills every time I look at a star," Jimmy agreed. He and Barak exchanged a smile before staring out the window once more. "Barak, can I ask you something?" "You always may," Barak answered. "How old are you?" Jimmy curiously asked. He saw Barak turn back towards him and met the Yolkian's gaze. "I have no idea what your species' life span is; your rate of maturity." Barak gave a small smile at the question. "I am approaching my forty-seventh cycle." It only took a second for Jimmy to do the math. "So you're twenty-three years old? Is that old or young for a Yolkian?" Barak took another sip of his nutrient paste as Jimmy drank from his soda. "We live slightly longer than your people. The average is approximately two hundred cycles." "So you're an adult, then?" Jimmy asked. Barak nodded. "I only finished my schooling recently. I was incredibly lucky to secure a position on the ARC so quickly." His smile faded as he added, "Although there are not many Yolkians interested in xenological studies. I had little competition." Jimmy thought back to his friends in the barracks. "You don't mind hanging out with a bunch of kids like us?" he playfully asked. Barak's eyes lit up at Jimmy's question. "Far from it, Neutron. Every one of your compatriots is fascinating, as of course you are as well." Barak paused and quickly glanced at the main chamber behind him. "It was amazing to watch you all train today. You are all highly skilled despite your ages." Jimmy chuckled a little. "Well, we had no choice but to learn last time. And Nick's a great teacher." A few moments passed as Jimmy and Barak turned their attention back to the viewport in front of them. Finally, Jimmy asked, "What are you going to do if we succeed?" Barak placed his empty glass bottle delicately on the floor beside him. "What exactly do you mean?" Jimmy sighed slightly as he finished his soda. "It's justI know you're betraying your species. It wouldn't be safe for you to stay on Yolkus, would it?"

Barak's eyes saddened. "I shall stay and do all I can to keep peace between our worlds." "You could come back with us," Jimmy offered. Barak's mood seemed to worsen at the suggestion. "I appreciate your generous offer, Neutron," Barak slowly began, "but Earth is not my home. I shall be safe on Yolkus. You need not worry about me." Jimmy hesitated. "Do you have family there?" For a second, Jimmy could swear he saw a dark blue tear welling up in the Yolkian's eye. Barak quickly blinked, and it immediately disappeared. "I had a brother once." The implication was clear to Jimmy. "I'm sorry," Jimmy quietly said while looking down. Barak turned towards Jimmy. "He has not passed on, Neutron," Barak slowly explained. Jimmy looked up at Barak, confused by his words. "What do you mean?" Barak sighed heavily. "Karab is a highly decorated member of the Yolkian guard. My interest in alien life always caused a rift between us." Barak blinked slowly and kept his gaze straight ahead. "During an argument I revealed to him how I believed humanity was worthy of mercy and deserving of peace. He severed ties with me on the spot." Jimmy stared sadly at Barak before repeating his brother's name in his mind. Karab. "Are all Yolkian siblings named like that?" Barak let a small smile spread across his mouth. "I should have realized that you would notice. Only twins are given identical names." Jimmy's heart fell. "He was your twin and he just abandoned you? Because you thought it was wrong to sacrifice our parents?" Barak nodded. "He told me the only reason he did not turn me in for heresy was because of how I saved his life." Barak saw Jimmy's curious stare out of the corner of his eye. "When we were younger, his shell malfunctioned while hovering over a body of water. I heard his screams and saved him just before he would have drowned." Jimmy wasn't sure what to say. Barak sat in silence for a moment before saying, "He changed his name to officially sever our fraternal bond." He stared sadly at Jimmy and added, "So I no longer have a brother." "You've" Jimmy paused and tried to think of the right words to use, "You've sacrificed a lot to help all of us."

Barak stared back at the stars in front of him. "Humanity must be saved," he steadily said. "Your species does not deserve annihilation." He cast Jimmy a quick glance and added, "If I am the only Yolkian who can see that, then it is my duty to help." Jimmy smiled and gave a reassuring nod. "We're all grateful, Barak," Jimmy said. "I've had trouble trusting people before, but" Jimmy hesitated and tried to think of exactly what to say. "I'm glad we listened to you." Barak slowly nodded. "As am I, Neutron. I only wish this mission were not so dangerous for you and your allies." Jimmy gave a reassuring smile. "I know it's dangerous, but I actually have a good feeling about this mission. When we went after Eustace, I spent the whole time worrying. This time, I really feel like we'll succeed. This king doesn't know we're coming, and we have you to help us reach him." Jimmy looked into Barak's eyes and said, "I think we're going to be okay." Barak hesitated before matching Jimmy's smile. "I shall try to share in your optimism, and I promise I shall do all I can to preserve humanity." Jimmy nodded and slowly got to his feet. "I should get back to Cindy. I'll see you tomorrow, Barak." Barak watched Jimmy leave and quietly added, "Rest well, Neutron."

Chapter 12: Miranda

The dreams always consisted of the same dozen memories. The order was always random, and not every single piece made an appearance in every dream. The chaos of the night before, coupled with her extreme fatigue, had been enough to keep the nightmares away for a single night. But tonight there would be no respite from the pain. Three images were all she could take before snapping awake. There was the slow creak of the door. A quick shot of her hand grasping her blanket. And lastly, her clutching her teddy bear close while quietly sobbing. As soon as the first tear fell, she sprang into action. Years of practice made her movements fluid and silent. Miranda's upper body shot straight up and her pupils dilated to take in what little light the barracks offered. She spun around and immediately ripped the kukri out from under her pillow. As soon as the weapon was in her grasp, she got to her feet and held the blade out be her side, ready to strike at her attacker. As always, she realized that the only danger present was herself. After a few seconds, she slowly lowered her weapon and glanced around the room. It wasn't easy to ascertain from the dim rays of the lone lamp they left on in the barracks' corner, but she saw that she hadn't woken anyone.

She slowly placed the kukri on her sleeping bag gave a tiny sigh. They already think I'm crazy as it is. At least they didn't see that, she thought in relief. If they'd seen her snap awake and whip out her weapon, they might not allow her to join them in the attack on Yolkus. A second passed, and Miranda slowly sat on her sleeping bag. She looked around the room and stared at each of her allies. The annoying kid lay beside her, snoring gently. At least he doesn't sleep with those stupid things on, she thought while eyeing the sunglasses resting beside Ike's sleeping bag. She turned to the fat idiot next and saw that he was holding a stuffed llama. Of course. Because if you're going to pack for a battle that will decide the fate of your planet, the first thing you include is a stuffed animal. Idiot, Miranda thought in disgust. The Yolkian was sitting in one of the recharging devices behind her with its eyes tightly closed. Then she saw the tall mental case with his arm wrapped around his young girlfriend. Miranda cocked her head slightly at this. Though she found Sheen incredibly annoying, she was willing to admit that he was an excellent shot. And the fact that he was nearly the same age as her was a bonus as well. If she had any intention of making friends on this ship, she might have started with him. She turned to his dark-haired girlfriend and wondered exactly how old she was. She looked rather young, but she always seemed to carry an air of wisdom about her. Nick and Betty were next. Though they had separate sleeping bags, the tall brunette had somehow ended up resting her head on Nick's chest. Wonderful. Just what this ship needs: more romantic drama. Miranda rolled her eyes at the girl but gave the boy a second glance. He was undoubtedly attractive and looked to be less than two years younger than she. She remembered how he had been one of the leaders the last time she was in space. She gave a tiny nod of respect at the young boy before turning towards the last two kids. Miranda had moved to Retroville during the second half of eighth grade. This meant that she had missed the town's first battles with the Yolkian menace. It also meant that she had never been in the same school as Jimmy and Cindy. The boy was famous around town as a genius who brought destruction upon the town half the time and saved it from certain demise the other half. She'd heard rumors about the girl and how he had a sort of love/hate relationship with her, but she'd never witnessed it firsthand until she had gone up into space a little more than a month before. She'd been more than impressed by the both of them. The boy, this Jimmy Neutron, was certainly the genius everyone made him out to be. Despite his age, he had proven to be a capable and brave leader. She'd come to admire him although they had never spoken. The girl had struck her as arrogant and bull-headed, although she had to admit she was incredibly skilled in combat as well as being just as brave as the boy. She'd noticed how their attitudes towards each other hand slowly changed over the course of their adventure; how they had admitted their love and become a couple. Though they had tried sleeping apart the night before, they had ended up in each other's arms by morning. After much annoying flirting, they had agreed to sleep next to each other again before going to bed. Miranda remembered this as she noticed that the blonde-haired girl was now sleeping in the boy's bag alone. Miranda gave a quick look around the room once more and confirmed that Jimmy was nowhere to be seen.

Miranda sat in silence for several moments while pondering what to do. Her heart was finally slowing down, but she still felt fear in the pit of her stomach. The effect of her dreams always took time to fade. She wouldn't be able to sleep for some time. She debated just lying on her sleeping bag, but curiosity and restlessness finally convinced her to get to her feet and find out where the boy was. She got to her feet and took two steps before clenching her fists in anger. The fear was too strong; she couldn't leave the barracks without a weapon. Cursing herself for being so weak, she grabbed her kukri and its sheath and attached it to her waist before slowly exiting the barracks. The light in the hallway and main chamber was softer than it had been during the day. Gripping the hilt of her weapon tightly, she slowly made her way towards the main chamber. She stopped in place as soon as she entered it. The smell of chocolate was unmistakable. She turned to her right and saw that the group's stove had recently been used. She then turned towards the cockpit and saw the boy's feet hanging off of the pilot's chair. Slowly and silently, she made her way towards him.

Jimmy took a tiny sip of his hot chocolate and couldn't help but give a tiny smile as it warmed his entire body. He stared out the viewport at the thousands of distant stars and remembered Barak's words; how it would be impossible to ever explore them all. The thought chilled his body, and he took another sip from his mug. He'd woken a half hour ago from a pleasant dream. He could remember nothing about it except the smell of Jasmine, but he'd had a smile on his face when he stirred. Realizing that he wasn't tired, he'd slowly got out of his sleeping bag and made his way to the cockpit, stopping only to make a cup of hot chocolate. He'd spent the time since staring at the stars. As he took another sip from his drink, he got the unmistakable feeling that someone was watching him. He strained his ears first, but heard no sound. Then, he ever so slowly turned around in his seat to see Miranda staring at him. "You made hot chocolate," she flatly whispered while staring intensely at the mug in his hand. Jimmy looked at the large knife sheathed at her waist. "Youbrought a knife," he slowly responded. He tried to stifle the fear welling up inside him as he remembered how he and Miranda had met. "It's a kukri," she corrected, although there was no anger in her tone. She stared intensely into his blue eyes, and Jimmy stared curiously into her grey ones. They held no trace of emotion; no joy or sorrow or feeling of any kind. "Do you want some?" he quietly asked while holding the mug out to her. Miranda stared at him intensely for what seemed like a full minute. Just as Jimmy was about to shout for Cindy to help him fight her off, she said, "I guess."

She unhooked the sheath from her waist and gently placed her weapon on the ground. Jimmy breathed a little easier after that and let her take the mug from his hands. She sat on the chair beside him, took a small sip, and stared straight ahead at the stars. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Miranda never felt the need to talk, and Jimmy had no idea what to say. Finally, he decided to try and break the ice. "We were all impressed today," Jimmy began while staring at her out of the corner of his eye. "We had no idea you could throw knives like that." Miranda kept her gaze straight ahead as she finished the hot chocolate. "I can," she answered while gently placing the mug on the ground. "How did you get so good at it?" Jimmy asked, curious as to the answer. A hint of emotion appeared on Miranda's face. "How did you get so smart, Jimmy?" Jimmy hesitated before finally deciding that the question was not rhetorical. "I guess I was born that way." "Well I wasn't," Miranda immediately snapped. She turned towards Jimmy, and he could swear he saw sparks ignite a fire in her eyes. "I had to work at it." Jimmy turned away from her and swallowed nervously. "Okay," he quietly said. More time passed as Miranda and Jimmy sat in silence. Miranda never took her gaze off of the viewport in front of her. Eventually, she said, "You made me apologize for fighting Cindy." Jimmy took a moment to register that she was speaking again. He turned to face her, but she didn't do the same. "Well, you shouldn't have knocked her down like that." Miranda hesitated, and Jimmy thought it strange how long she took to form a sentence. It was if she pondered every single word before speaking. "Yet you didn't make me apologize for nearly slitting your throat." Jimmy wasn't sure how to answer that. Miranda added, "I find that interesting." She turned to him and looked into his eyes once more. "I could understand wanting me to apologize to her first, since you love her. But you never asked for one yourself at all." Jimmy shrugged. "You can apologize now, if you want." For a second, a smile seemed to flicker across Miranda's lips, but it was gone before Jimmy could be sure of what he had seen. "Maybe another time," she whispered. Another minute passed in silence. "Miranda?" Jimmy finally asked. She didn't turn from the window in front of her, but he saw her eyes move towards him. "Why don't you ever talk to us?"

Miranda's gaze snapped back towards the viewport. Jimmy waited, but she didn't answer. "It's just, we're kind of worried about" "I'm leaving," Miranda immediately interrupted while swiftly getting to her feet. "What?" Jimmy asked, shocked at how quickly she had moved. "Thanks for the cocoa," she angrily spat at Jimmy while walking towards the main chamber. She stopped for a second to scoop up her kukri, and Jimmy spun his chair around to stare at her. "Miranda," Jimmy anxiously began, "we're just" "Just what?" Miranda snapped while taking a step towards Jimmy. Gone was the emotionless faade that she always wore. In its place was fury and, buried deep beneath that, despair. "Worried about me?" Jimmy tried to hide his fear and gave a small nod. "We just want to" "You're lying," Miranda said while glaring at Jimmy with more rage than he had ever seen. Not even Cindy had ever looked at him with so much hatred. "You're worried about yourselves. That the crazy girl with the knives will kill you in your sleep." She took another step towards Jimmy and clutched the sheathed weapon in her hands. She looked into Jimmy's eyes and felt pain well up inside her. "If I'd wanted to do that, I would have." With that said she spun around and started to march back to the barracks when Jimmy's voice rang out, "Miranda, are you okay?" She froze and felt something she hadn't felt in six years. Tears. Tears welling up in her eyes. The burning was unmistakable and unforgivable. That she would let a child do this to her was insanity. For the briefest of moments, she couldn't figure out why she was reacting this way. And then it hit her. It was because he cared. She spun around and looked into Jimmy's worried eyes. There was no malice, no judgment, no scorn in them. Some fear, yes, but mostly concern and kindness. A thought ran though her mind, a conversation she had overheard between Betty and Nick the night she had attacked Jimmy from a tree. Nick had told the girl that Jimmy needed them, that they owed it to him to help. Because Jimmy was always there for them. Because he was a good friend. Betty had agreed. "Stop sounding like that!" Miranda seethed while spinning around. She wished to shout with all her might, but deep down she knew she couldn't awaken anyone. She would not allow anyone else to see her like this. "Like what?" Jimmy asked.

"Like you care!" Miranda cried. The first tear fell, and she failed to wipe it away before Jimmy noticed. She could tell he had seen from the pity in his stare. "Miranda, I just" Jimmy tried to explain, but Miranda interrupted him again. "Why would you care?" she asked while marching back towards him. She saw him scoot back in his seat, frightened of her once more. She smiled a little at that. "You don't know me. I attacked you. So why would you care?" Jimmy's mind raced in fear as she approached him and slowed down in relief as she stopped a few feet away. She glared at him with pure fury once more. "It's just, it's what people do for each other," he nervously answered. Miranda kept staring at him. "Not the people I know," Miranda scoffed. She began to walk away once more, but Jimmy spoke to her, and this time his tone froze her in his tracks. "What happened?" Jimmy asked; his voice stronger than she knew it could be. "Miranda, what happened to you?" Her breathing came fast; her eyes burned once more. She felt the kukri slipping from her grasp and immediately caught it before it fell onto the floor. She couldn't keep track of the thoughts racing through her mind. End the pain. Let it out. He won't understand. You're alone. No one cares. Yet he does. Look out for yourself. Push him away. Let him in. Fix the damage. It can't be healed. Finally she felt more tears falling down her cheeks, and her mind collapsed under the weight of six years of pain. She wiped the tears away and turned around. "Was she your first kiss?" she asked while pointing at the barracks. Jimmy hadn't expected that question. "What?" he quietly asked. Miranda took a few steps forward and remained in the hallway leading to the cockpit. "The blonde girl. Cindy. Was she your first kiss?" Jimmy saw how serious Miranda was and decided to answer. "No, Betty was." He hesitated and remembered his time on Intergalactic Showdown. "Then April. Then Cindy." Miranda's face registered some confusion. "Who the hell is April?" she angrily asked. "She's a Gorlock," Jimmy answered. "What the hell is a Gorlock?" Miranda asked in exasperation. Jimmy rubbed the back of his neck nervously and rushed through his answer. "She was an alien we met on Intergalactic Showdown." She saw Miranda's face fall and quickly went on. "She helped us stop the show and prevent everyone's planets from being destroyed by Meldar."

For just a moment, Miranda's face conveyed pure shock. That was immediately replaced by pure anger. "I knew you wouldn't understand," she growled. "What are you talking about?" Jimmy asked. Miranda shook her head in disgust and took an angry step closer to Jimmy. "Do you understand how fucking lucky you are? Do you even give a shit about how you're happy and spent your childhood fighting aliens and travelling across space and flirting with cute blonde girls?" She gripped her kukri so tight that she thought she might snap it in half. "Do you have any clue how stupid you are?" Now it was Jimmy's turn to get angry. He jumped to his feet and gave Miranda a hard stare. "You're not the only person with problems, Miranda. My friends and I have nearly died a thousand times. We didn't just have fun flying around the galaxy!" Miranda's face contorted into an animalistic snarl. "So you think you've had it bad?" she nearly shouted. Jimmy rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying my life's not perfect either." Miranda dropped her kukri to the floor and used every ounce of self-control to keep from attacking the boy in front of her. "Do you want to know who my first kiss was, Neutron?" Jimmy sighed, expecting to hear that a boy had broken her heart. "Fine, Miranda. Who was your first kiss?" Miranda clenched her teeth and gasped for breath. "My fucking father!" All of Jimmy's anger evaporated in an instant. The only sound he could hear was Miranda's pained breathing as he struggled to understand her words. "He was the first man to kiss me, to touch me, to fuck me!" she struggled to shout through the tears finally flowing freely. "I was nine years old!" she cried while collapsing onto the ground. Her body heaved as she struggled to wrap her trembling arms around herself. Jimmy's mouth dropped open in disbelief. He had no idea how to process her words, to truly understand what the sobbing girl in front of him was saying. He stared at her, completely unsure of what to do. Then, as if his body was on autopilot, he got down on his knees and wrapped his arms around her. "I was nine," she whispered while sobbing into Jimmy's shoulder. Part of her hated herself, begged to keep her composure, fought with everything she had to remain strong. But the other half gave in to the pain, welcomed the opportunity to cry on someone's shoulder, and believed that Jimmy might help.

There was nothing Jimmy could say to ease her pain. As her tears drenched his shirt, he racked his mind for every possible comforting phrase he knew; every combination of sympathetic words, but nothing could do justice to the poor girl in his arms. All he could was hold her tight and let her cry. After five minutes, the tears finally stopped. Slowly, Miranda lifted her head off of Jimmy's shoulders. She ran an arm under her nose and wiped the tears away. Jimmy watched silently, but the concern in his eyes said more to her than any words could. She wrapped her arms around herself and realized there was no longer a point in holding anything in. "My mom died when I was eight," she slowly said. She allowed herself to picture her mother's black curls, her warm smile, and her caring brown eyes. "And then he changed." She remembered how her father used to play dolls with her, how he had pushed her on the park's swings. "He was hurt. And he was lonely." Miranda took a deep breath and let it out while convulsing. "And I guess he only knew one way to fix that." Miranda shivered in disgust at the memory of her bedroom door creaking open. Jimmy slowly grabbed her hand, and Miranda squeezed it tight before she knew what she was doing. "I let it happen for a year," she whispered. She remembered the bruises, she remembered the tears, she remembered the meaningless apologies and the empty promises that it would never happen again. She squeezed Jimmy's hand tighter and heard him give a tiny pained whimper, but she couldn't make herself let go. She looked into his eyes and begged for them to heal her. "And then one day I realized I didn't care if I died. And that's when I knew I had to stop it." A silence came over the two of them, and Miranda managed to ease her grip on Jimmy's hand. Jimmy watched as she looked into his eyes. "He was asleep. And I knew that it had to end one way or the other." Miranda let out a shaky sigh and suddenly grabbed her kukri. She hugged it close like it was a teddy bear. "I grabbed a knife from out kitchen and snuck into his room. I shoved it against his throat. I remember his eyes. They just popped open. They were so scared," she said with a tiny smile that greatly unnerved Jimmy, although he managed not to show it. "I wanted to kill him so bad," Miranda whispered while looking at Jimmy, begging him to understand. "But I couldn't. I couldn't slit his throat." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "So I told him it had to stop. That if he ever touched me again I would kill him." She stared into Jimmy's eyes once more. "And I meant it." Jimmy and Miranda looked at each other and sat in silence for a moment. Jimmy wondered if it was time for him to talk, but Miranda continued speaking just before he decided to open his mouth. "I'd always liked karate," she said with a small smile. "I started in kindergarten. I was pretty good by the time everything started," she sadly explained. "But after I threatened him, I knew I had to be able to protect myself. So it became my life."

Miranda picked up her kukri and gave it a weary smile. "This is the first one I bought," she explained. "I stole the money from my dad's room and paid some drunk teenager to get it for me." She gently placed it on the ground and looked at Jimmy once more. "The rest I bought online or stole." She hesitated and then added, "But I always left the money. I just wasn't old enough to buy them." Jimmy realized her story was done. The words were out before he could stop them. He knew it was probably the easiest and least helpful thing to say, but it was also the most natural. "I'm so sorry," he earnestly whispered. Another tear rolled down Miranda's cheek. "Ibelieve you," she said with a tiny chuckle. Miranda slowly moved her hand towards Jimmy, and he immediately grabbed it. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" Jimmy gently asked. "Why not put him in jail?" Miranda looked down at the ground. "I thought of it. I decided if it ever happened again I would. Maybe he felt guilty or maybe he was scared of me, but it finally stopped after I threatened him." She hesitated and gently squeezed Jimmy's hand. "We haven't said a word to each other since." She paused and added, "I found out we were moving to Retroville in a note he left on the table." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "He's my only family. If he went to jail, I'd just go from foster home to foster home. Maybe end up in a worse place." She gave Jimmy a sad smile. "I've got a roof over my head and food. It's fine for now." "I can help you," Jimmy said, although his voice was uncertain. Miranda looked up at him with a blank expression. "When we get back to Earth. I canI can" he hesitated, not sure of how he could fix her problem. Miranda felt a small part of her get angry at Jimmy's empty offer, but somehow she managed to give a sad smile at the boy beside her. "There are some things even you can't fix, Jimmy Neutron." They sat on the floor in silence; the only sound piercing their ears was the steady hum of the shuttle's engines. Miranda didn't let go of Jimmy's hand, and he never drew away from her touch. "Can I ask something?" Jimmy whispered. Miranda kept her gaze on the floor and slowly nodded. "Why did you come save our parents? Why did you help us if you didn't care about your" Jimmy let his voice trail off, not wishing to finish his sentence. Miranda thought about his question and softly sighed. "I wanted to fight. To use what I'd learned." She released Jimmy's hand once more and let it rest on her kukri. "And I guess I'd decided I was done feeling sorry for myself." She felt her eyes burn once more but managed to fight off the tears. "I thought I'd get home and not let my shitty life hold me back. I thought I'd move past it and be normal. I thought I'd try to make friends." She gave a sad laugh. "But nothing's changed. I'm still broken. I'm still alone."

This time Jimmy knew just what to say. He grabbed her hand once more and gave a tiny smile as Miranda looked into his eyes. "You're not alone, Miranda." Miranda gave a small smile and, before she realized what she was doing, immediately gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her lips had barely touched him when she yanked herself back. They sat in silence for another few minutes before she spoke once more. "She's lucky," she whispered while slowly getting to her feet. For the first time in six years, she didn't feel like an invisible hand was shoving her back down. Jimmy rose up as well. "Thank you." Miranda stared at Jimmy and, out of habit, let a blank look take hold of her face. But she couldn't hide the spark of life in her eyes that Jimmy had lit. "I'm going to bed," she quietly said, her voice steady and flat. "Me too," Jimmy agreed. He bent down and picked up her kukri. He saw Miranda flinch as he touched it, but she made no move to stop him. He gently extended it to her, and she slowly grabbed it from him. They began to walk back to the barracks side by side. Miranda felt fatigue begin to weigh her down with each step she took. She wondered if the nightmares would stop now, if she could sleep without a knife under her pillow. She lunged forward and grabbed Jimmy's wrist before he could press the button that opened the barracks' door. She looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry for hurting you," she sincerely whispered. "Apology accepted," Jimmy whispered back while giving a slight nod. "Goodnight, Miranda. And sweet dreams." Miranda felt her lips contort into the tiniest of smiles. "You too, Jimmy. You too." With that said, they quietly entered the barracks and went back to sleep.

Chapter 13: Unity

The left half of Nick's mouth twitched slightly as he stirred awake. He slowly blinked his eyes several times and frowned at the fact that the barrack's lights had been turned back on. He briefly wondered if they came on automatically or if the Yolkian had done it. Doesn't matter, he slowly thought while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He suddenly froze as he registered the pressure on his chest. He glanced down and saw that Betty was lying beside him and resting her head on his heart. He stared at her for several seconds while trying to remember how they ended up like this. The last thing he could recall was putting away the checkerboard and saying goodnight to her. After a few seconds he supposed it didn't matter and gently lifted her head off of him.

"Sleep tight, Betty," he whispered while slowly lowering her onto his pillow. Once he was satisfied that he hadn't woken her, he tiptoed over to Libby's sleeping bag and scooped up her iPod. He tapped the screen and saw that it was barely eight o'clock. At first he thought that he was the first one awake, but then he realized that Jimmy, Cindy, and the Yolkian were missing. Nick felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. As quietly but quickly as he could, he exited the barracks and entered the main chamber. He could see the Yolkian sitting in his pilot's chair, but Jimmy and Cindy were nowhere to be found. Hand shaking, he pressed the button beside the door to the supply chamber and stepped inside. They weren't there either. Nick's blood turned icy cold as he saw the pistol sitting on top of a pile of water bottles. He grabbed it, ejected the magazine, checked that it was full, and then slammed it back into the magazine shaft. He stormed out of the supply room and racked the slide while approaching the cockpit. "Where are they?" he growled while maneuvering to the side of Barak's chair. He kept his gun steady as he swung it towards the Yolkian's control panel. Barak recoiled at Nick's sudden appearance. "I do not understand what" "Jimmy and Cindy!" Nick seethed while tightening his grip on the trigger. "What did you do to them?" Barak slowly blinked each eye. "I heard them in the main chamber a short time ago." "Well they're not on this ship," Nick angrily said. Barak only took a second to formulate his question. "Did you check the closets?" Nick's face fell as he realized he had forgotten about those. Barak slowly moved his arms towards the dashboard and pressed several buttons. A small video monitor came to life and revealed Jimmy and Cindy sitting side by side in a very small space. "They are well," Barak told Nick. Nick stared at the monitor, then at the Yolkian, and then back at the monitor. He realized that if there was some sort of security camera in a storage closet, then there must be one in every room of the ship. "Have you been spying on us?" Barak seemed genuinely shocked at the accusation. "Of course not," he immediately answered. "You merely wished to know where your friends were." Nick stared at Barak intensely for a few seconds more before finally lowering his pistol. "Sorry," he half-heartedly muttered.

Barak kept his eyes firmly trained on the human in front of him. "I understand your reservations about me, human. But we do not have long before our assault on Yolkus begins. If we are to succeed, you must believe that my intentions are true." Nick stared at the Yolkian once more. There seemed to be genuine pleading in his eyes. Nick had never truly trusted the creature. In the pit of his stomach, he'd always expected to be attacked by the Yolkian in his sleep or to be led into a trap. Yet all of his friends were still alive, and the Yolkian hadn't done anything to impede their progress or training. Nick thought back to the lasts words he had heard Jimmy say in his lab. We've already agreed to Barak's plan. It will never work if we don't trust him. "Why?" Nick slowly asked. Barak slowly blinked his eyes once more. "I am afraid that is a rather broad question, human." "Why help us?" Nick clarified. "I have already explained my motives," Barak calmly answered. "I will not allow humanity to perish. To let six billion lives be extinguished when I have the ability to stop itit would be wrong not to act." Nick clenched his teeth as he studied Barak. "What makes you so different? We've seen hundreds of Yolkians, and every single one of them tried to kill us or are parents. Why are you so special?" Barak looked deep into Nick's piercing eyes. "I am not special," Barak sadly said. "Imerely wish to do the right thing," he said with a solemn pause. Nick hesitated and finally placed his pistol in his waistband. He slowly sat down next to Barak. The two allies stared at each other for a moment before Nick finally spoke. "How long until we reach Yolkus?" Barak stared down at the dashboard. "We shall arrive at Veras' chambers tomorrow at midnight." Nick had known from the beginning that their journey would take three days, but hearing that he would be fighting for his life in less than forty-eight hours still shocked him. He felt a knot form in his stomach and clenched both hands into fists. The night before had been a welcome respite from the days of crippling fear he had had back on Earth. Ever since he'd gathered supplies with Cindy, he had at the very least felt like he was in control of his destiny. No longer would he have to wake up every morning, unsure if this would be the day the Yolkians came for revenge. Now he knew what he faced. But realizing how close he was to the end brought his fears bubbling back. He thought of the team he was a part of; their strengths and weaknesses. Jimmy could think their way out of any problem they might come across. Cindy and Miranda would be nearly unbeatable at close quarters combat. Ike, himself, and Sheen could shoot any Yolkian they spotted. Betty

was brave, a fair shot, and could pilot a ship if it came to that. Libby didn't excel in shooting or fighting, but he had seen the determination in her eyes. He had no doubt she would help them succeed. That just left Carl and Barak. Nick considered Wheezer first. Cindy had been correct about his willingness to learn. He had paid close attention to Nick's lesson on how to shoot and, after overcoming his initial fear of guns, had become a mediocre shot. Not the worst Nick had ever seen, but definitely the weakest of the group. And Cindy had also been correct about his physical abilities. He would never be able to help in a straight fight. That meant at best, he might pick off a Yolkian or two with a pistol. At worst, he might get killed and distract others from the mission. He sighed and shook his head. Like it or not, Carl was adamant on coming and it was too late to change that. Nick then turned his attention to the Yolkian in front of him. If what he said was true, if his intent was to help them succeed, he would be invaluable. Nick had no idea if he could fight, but he knew how to reach their target. Nick swallowed and finally spoke once more. "When exactly are we going over our plan?" Barak closed his eyes for a moment in concentration. "I know the layout of where we will be landing. I have been considering every possible avenue of attack. But there are still some final revisions I must make." Barak opened his eyes and met Nick's gaze. "We shall discuss our assault once you are done your training today." Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His mind raced back to his parents in Retroville. He wondered if they had realized by now what he was up to. Then he remembered there were more important matters than their worrying for him. He remembered that if he failed on his mission, his mother and father would die. And so would every other human on the planet. "Will it work?" he quietly whispered. Barak's eyes saddened at the human's tone. It had been easy for the Yolkian to forget that Nick was just a child. The tall boy beside him was mature, a fierce fighter, and deeply distrustful of him. Yet staring into his worried eyes, Barak felt sorrow well up inside him. He slowly extended his right hand and gently placed it on the human's shoulder. He watched as the boy stared at his hand and then back into his eyes. "Do you fear for your life?" Barak quietly asked. Nick pondered the question. He didn't want to die. He was only thirteen, after all. He was nowhere near ready to leave his life behind. But he knew that if it came to it, he would sacrifice himself without second thought to save his planet. "For Earth," Nick sadly answered. Barak gave an approving nod. "You are all skilled and brave. And what Neutron's mate said before we began this journey was correct. Your species is too remarkable to be slaughtered by a coward like Veras." Barak hesitated and removed his arm from Nick's shoulder. "I have faith." Nick and Barak shared a solemn stare before Nick gave an appreciative nod. They looked into each other's eyes for several seconds before both heard the slight whooshing sound that mean a door was opening. They both turned towards the main chamber and saw Betty strolling out of the

barracks in her nightgown. Her face took on a confused expression as she sauntered towards them. "What's going on?" "I was just discussing our mission's status," Barak explained while bowing his shell slightly towards Betty. After Neutron, he considered the tall dark-haired girl to be his favorite. Betty smiled at Barak as Nick said, "And I was trying to find Jimmy and Cindy." Betty's smile vanished. "They're gone?" she nervously asked. Nick shook his head and pointed at the video monitor. "They're getting some alone time." Betty strolled into the cockpit and stared at the screen. She smiled as she saw Jimmy holding Cindy's hand. She turned to Barak and asked, "Does this thing have sound?"

Jimmy smiled while leaning back against the door to the closet he was in. Cindy sat against the wall to his right. Jimmy barely had enough room to stretch out his legs, but he didn't mind the tight space as long as it forced him and Cindy to stay close. Cindy was resting her legs on top of his, and her left hand firmly grasped his right. "Still mad I woke you up early?" Cindy teased while smiling at her boyfriend. Jimmy shook his head. "You were right. It's cozy in here." "Figured we could use some alone time," she whispered while rubbing the top of Jimmy's hand with her thumb. Cindy let her head rest on Jimmy's shoulder for a moment before looking up into his eyes. He stared down at hers and they both smiled at what they knew would come next. Cindy felt nothing but ecstasy as their lips connected. Jimmy and Cindy never let their kisses last for more than a few seconds. One of them always felt something come alive in the back of their mind that told them it was time to break away. Despite the depth of their feelings for each other, neither was yet thirteen. As Cindy rested her forehead against Jimmy's and looked down at his slightly quivering lips, she was filled with love for the boy genius. Love for how he cared as much for her mind as her appearance. Love for how he had saved her life countless times. Love for how he trusted her, respected her, and listened to her. And out of that love came a sense of trust she had never had with another person, not even Libby. "I love you, Jimmy," she whispered. "I love you too, Cindy," Jimmy said. They slowly pulled their heads away and smiled at each other before leaning backwards once more. "So what should we do now?" Jimmy asked. Cindy thought for a few seconds before letting a devious smile spread across her lips.

Betty smiled as she watched Jimmy and Cindy kiss. "They really are cute together," she happily whispered. Nick felt some of his anxiety over their mission dissipate. For some reason, watching Jimmy and Cindy together lifted his spirits a little. "Glad to finally seem them doing something normal for once." Barak's eyes shifted nervously between the screen and the humans beside him. "Is it appropriate to view theirmating?" Betty smiled. "They're not mating, Barak." Nick rolled his eyes as a small smile spread across his lips. "We've had to watch these two idiots argue that they don't love each other for two years now. It's nice to see them be happy for once." Betty and Nick spun around as they heard Sheen's voice drift towards them. Betty turned the monitor's volume down to hear what he was saying. "I still can't believe you like that band. They didn't even play the Ultralord theme song when I requested it!" Libby rolled her eyes as she and Sheen emerged from the barracks hand in hand. "Sheen, yelling at a recording of a concert that you want to watch Ultralord already is not the same as requesting a band to play a song." "It is to me," Sheen sadly whispered. His eyes immediately lit up once he saw Nick, Betty, and Barak in the cockpit. "Hey guys!" he happily exclaimed. "Sh!" Betty angrily said while holding a finger to her lips. "They didn't hear," Nick assured her after staring at the video monitor for a few seconds. "What's going on?" Libby quietly asked as she and Sheen squeezed into the small flight deck. "Jimmy and Cindy are having a moment," Betty answered while returning her gaze to the screen. She frowned as she recognized the all-too familiar glint in Cindy's eyes. "I think it's over now, though." "Wait," Sheen immediately said while releasing Libby's hand and taking a step backwards. The obvious shame in his tone caused his friends to look away from the monitor and stare at him. "Jimmy and Cindy have just declared their love for each other a few weeks ago after years of denying themselves true happiness. This is the first private moment they've had since we all decided to risk our lives on a semi-suicidal mission to save our entire planet. They're facing death to save our world, and you're just going to sit there and spy on them like it's no big deal?" Nick and Betty exchanged guilty looks. "You'reyou're actually right," Betty said in disbelief.

"We'll turn it off," Nick agreed. "What?" Sheen nearly shouted. "I meant it is a big deal! It's a huge deal! I'll go make some popcorn!" he happily exclaimed while dashing out of the cockpit.

"So those are the rules," Cindy summed up. Jimmy was staring at her intensely, taking in every single word she spoke. If they were going to do this, he was not going to fail because he hadn't heeded her instructions. "You got it?" Jimmy nodded. "We each pick the category we want. The other person answers. No repeating the same category twice in a row, and the questions have to get harder each time." He gave a small smile. "That about right?" Cindy nodded back. "You sure you up for this, Neutron? I mean, I'll admit you know more about math and science, but with any subject on the table, I think we both know I've got you beat." She smiled devilishly at Jimmy while cracking her knuckles Jimmy's smile turned playful, although a hint of seriousness sparked in his eyes. "Let's do this, Vortex." Cindy nodded and glared at her nemesis. "Biology." Jimmy racked his mind for the easiest question he could think of. "What's the largest animal on Earth?" Cindy narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Ever or present-day?" "Present-day," Jimmy clarified. "The blue whale," she said while leaning back against the wall and inspecting her fingernails. "I said start easy, not at preschool level," she mocked. "Your turn." "Chemistry." "What's the lightest element?" Cindy asked. "Helium," Jimmy angrily muttered. "Can we move past elementary school now?" Cindy glared at Jimmy. "Math. Go." "Square route of 144," Jimmy immediately asked. Cindy threw her hands up in the air. "And that's not elementary? Twelve! Your turn."

"Astronomy!" "The Latin name for the moon," Cindy asked. "Luna! I knew that when I was three!" Jimmy shot back. "Oceanography," Cindy quickly muttered. "What's the deepest point in the ocean?" Jimmy asked. "The Mariana Trench," Cindy immediately answered. She grinned in amusement and shot Jimmy a playful stare. "Still think you can win this, Nerdtron?" "We're just getting started, Vortex," Jimmy promised.

"So you really think I did a good job, yesterday?" Carl quietly asked while trying to hide his smile. He stood over Ike's sleeping bag, waiting for his friend to get up. Ike slid his sunglasses over his eyes and got to his feet. "Hey, for your first day shooting, you did great. Another day of practice and you'll be blowing those eggheads out of the sky," Ike happily whispered while mimicking firing a rifle at the ceiling. "No way we'd win this without you." "Thanks, Ike," Carl said sincerely. He stared at Miranda, who lay sleeping on the sleeping bag next to Ike's. Her kukri was lying beside her, and Carl shivered slightly at the sight of the weapon. Stay strong, Carl, he told himself while regaining his composure. Ike stared down at Miranda and smiled sadly. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" He looked at her long black hair, pleasantly surprised to find that she had let it down since going to bed the night before. "She's scary," Carl whispered. He immediately chastised himself for the cowardly remark, but was relieved to find Ike nodding in agreement. "She's a hellcat, alright," Ike said with a devious grin. "But you know what they say about fiery girls." "What?" Carl inquisitively asked. Ike's smile fell. "WellI don't know. But I'm sure it's something good," he said with a shrug. "I should go help Sheen make breakfast," Carl said while walking towards the barrack's exit. "Think you can make me one of those black cows again?" Ike excitedly asked while stepping foot into the hallway.

Carl didn't answer as he and Ike reached the main chamber. They'd expected to find everyone sitting in the main chamber while Sheen cooked, but instead Libby, Betty, Nick, and Barak were huddled inside the cockpit. "Popcorn's up!" Sheen happily exclaimed from behind the stove. Ike and Carl exchanged a curious glance as they watched Sheen pour the bag of popcorn into a large bowl. "What's with the popcorn?" Ike asked while watching Sheen dart across the main chamber and squeeze inside the cockpit. Ike strained his ears and thought he could hear Jimmy and Cindy's angry voices. "Is that Jimmy and Cindy?" Sheen waited until Ike and Carl had approached the cockpit to answer. "Yeah, but they've really jumped the shark here," Sheen said while shaking his head in disappointment. "Once they resolved the romance plotline things just kind of fell apart." Betty gave Libby a nervous look. "Does he know this isn't a TV show?" Libby smiled and shrugged. "I pretty much don't ask questions anymore." "Commercial!" Sheen happily shrieked.

Jimmy and Cindy stared across from each other, fire burning in each of their eyes. Jimmy had just managed to answer Cindy's question, and now they sat in silence as Cindy pondered what category to choose next. "Clock's ticking, Vortex," Jimmy said with a playful smile. "Anatomy!" Cindy snarled. "The three bones in the ear," Jimmy immediately offered. "Malleus, incus, and stapes," Cindy quickly shot back. "We're regressing," she muttered in annoyance. "Fine. Chemistry again. Give me everything you've got." Cindy hesitated and tried to think of the most obscure fact she knew about chemistry. "What's the atomic weight of mercury?" Jimmy smiled and felt pride displace some of his aggression. "You know that?" "Answer it," Cindy ordered, although she couldn't help but smile at the pride in his voice. "Two hundred point five-nine," Jimmy answered. He paused and smiled. "Let's see what you've got, Vortex."

Cindy hesitated. She knew that that last question had been so obscure as to open the door for any mundane bit of trivia that Jimmy had locked away in his mind. She had to pick her next topic carefully. "Well?" Jimmy asked while shooting her a triumphant glance. Cindy smiled as the thought came to her. "Personal."

"Ooohhh, you go girl," Libby happily said while taking a handful of popcorn. "This is going to get good," Ike muttered while rubbing his hands together in excitement. "So they each pick the questions they want asked?" Carl asked, confused as to the rules of Jimmy and Cindy's game. "For the millionth time, no!" Sheen shrieked. "They pick the category, not the questions. It's not complicated!" "Shut up, guys," Libby angrily whispered. "I can't hear, and Ike's right. This is getting good." Betty let out a small laugh. "Until it's over. Whoever screws up and misses is going in the doghouse." Everyone hesitated as they realized that Betty was right. "Turn the volume up," Libby whispered with an excited grin.

Jimmy hesitated. "Personal about me or personal about you?" Cindy hesitated as well before frowning. "Well if you're asking the question, it has to be about you. I'd know it if it was about me!" Jimmy frowned at her tone. "Alright, Vortex. What's my middle name?" Cindy scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Isaac. That's a joke. Your turn." "Personal," Jimmy confidently said. "What's my middle name?" "Aurora," Jimmy said with a smile. "You better know that," Cindy playfully threatened. "Personal."

"How old was I when I made Goddard?" Jimmy slowly asked. Cindy closed her eyes and pondered the question. "You were seven," she whispered under her breath. Nodding in confidence, she repeated the answer louder. "You were seven." Jimmy smiled at the fact she remembered him mentioning that. "You're right. My turn." Jimmy waited for Cindy to ask a question, but she just looked at him. "What?" "What category?" Cindy slowly asked. Jimmy had almost forgotten that they were even playing a game. "Same thing." Cindy hesitated, closed her eyes in thought, and then smiled. Let's see if he knows that Libby's more important to me than my parents. "Who's the most important person in my life?" The question took Jimmy by surprise. Cindy just stared at him with a smirk on her face. Jimmy felt his mouth begin to go dry as he looked into her eyes. He swallowed nervously and weakly offered, "Me?" Cindy's face fell. She hadn't meant the question in that way. She let her mouth drop slightly as she found herself pondering his answer. Libby had been there for her always. She'd always been the only person she could share anything with, who she could always count on. They were sisters. But then there was Jimmy. The boy who meant so much to her, who she could finally admit was the love of her life. She thought back to elementary school, how she had always considered him to be little more than a nuisance or a punching bag. She remembered how they had screamed in each other's faces, how she had humiliated him in front of their entire class. She thought of the fights they'd had, the pain she'd felt whenever she'd been beaten on a test, the way her mother's pride had turned into disappointment after he'd moved to Retroville. And then she thought of the memories that she'd secretly clung to when her mother yelled at her failures. She thought of the look they'd shared their first time in space together. She thought of him crying in prison on Yolkus and how she had admitted she needed him. She thought of being stranded on an island and holding hands. The memories raced quicker through her mind. Sharing a hug after winning a baseball game. Sitting on his shoulders on an Egyptian beach. Lips nearly touching in the Candy Bar after winning Intergalactic Showdown. Feeling his lips on her cheek while fighting the League of Villains. Him admitting he was distracted by her on Mars. Then came the thoughts from their most recent adventure. Sharing cocoa the night their parents were kidnapped. Working together to discover the force field. Him trusting her with complete access to his lab. Complimenting her ability to build a fleet of ships. Kissing on Little Boy, holding hands on Minerva, admitting their love on Goobot's ship. Each thought made her heart beat faster, forcing her to admit that which she had known all along.

"You," she whispered. Before he could respond, she shoved him against the door and kissed him like she never had but had always wished to.

"We should stop watching," Libby whispered. The look in Cindy's eyes as she'd answered Jimmy's question had sent guilt coursing through her veins. She knew it was a look no one had the right to see except Jimmy. No one stopped her as she reached forward and turned off the monitor. The cockpit was silent for several moments. Sheen grabbed Libby's hand and squeezed it tight, and Libby smiled while leaning her head against his shoulder. Betty and Nick shared a small smile. And then, all at once, everyone inside got the feeling that they were being watched. They turned around to see Miranda standing in front of the cockpit. It wasn't hard to spot the anxiety in her normally lifeless eyes. "What's going on?" she whispered. Ike was still a little scared of Miranda from her threat the night before, but he got the unmistakable feeling that something was different with her now. "We were just getting ready to eat. Want to join?" he asked. Miranda took a deep breath and steadied her shaking hands. "Yes," she slowly whispered. She swallowed and gave a tiny nod. "I would." Libby stared at the tall girl curiously before nodding back. "Want to help me grab some food from the supply room?" she asked with a small smile. Miranda stared into Libby's eyes and noted how similar they were to Jimmy's. Not the color, but the emotions swirling around in them. Miranda managed to give a tiny smile. "I'dlike that," she struggled to whisper.

Jimmy pressed the button that opened the closet's door and hoped beyond hope that the main chamber would be empty. Instead he found Sheen and Carl cooking while everyone else but Barak sat in the corner across from them. He clenched his teeth in fright. He could think of no way to lie about what he and Cindy were doing in there. Jimmy and Cindy took a few tentative steps forward and found everyone looking at them. Half of their friends seemed to be smiling, while the other half looked strangely guilty. "Weum" Jimmy tried to explain. "We neededthe" Cindy said with a nervous laugh while rolling her eyes and rubbing the back of her neck.

Betty sighed. "Took you long enough," she said while rolling her eyes at Cindy in clear annoyance. "Did you find the spare computer chip for the autopilot in there or not?" Cindy met Betty's stare and saw her smile at her. This time Cindy couldn't help but smile back before letting a frown wash over her face. "Maybe if you'd described what it looked like, Quinlan, we'd have been able to spot it in there. Thanks for making us waste a half hour," she spat out while grabbing Jimmy's hand and leading him towards the grill. Everyone smiled at the couple as they gave Sheen their order.

Chapter 14: Faith

Jimmy breathed deeply and stared with utmost concentration at the round table before him. He watched as Barak stood in front of it, tapping button after button on the hologram projecting from his wrist. Jimmy felt fear building in the pit of his stomach. He finally looked at his friends and saw that everyone wore the same worried expression. It was time. Breakfast had been shared, training was completed, and a quick dinner had been made. The day had started off light for everyone, but that chanced once training began. They all knew their time was running out. Once noon had come and went, Barak had told them they were over halfway to Yolkus; that they would arrive in less than thirty-six hours. Though all had known that the fight for Earth was never far away, hearing that they had passed the halfway point struck something in all of them. They'd trained with renewed vigor, speaking only to offer tips to one another. Dinner had been a silent affair. Idle conversation seemed out of place amidst the fact that they may all be dead in less than two days. Once they had eaten, Barak had recruited them to the center of the main chamber. And so there they stood. Jimmy began to drum his fingers as Barak continued to configure the holographic research interface. The nine humans formed a large ring around the table, with Barak standing between them and it. Jimmy looked to his left and saw Nick's eyes narrowed in clear concentration. He glanced to his right and saw Cindy's right hand balled into a fist, her eyes filled with anger and determination. He looked straight ahead and saw Miranda staring at him from across the table. Gone was the spark of life he had ignited in her eyes. She met his gaze and gave the tiniest of nods. Jimmy noticed her right hand was grasped firmly on her sheathed kukri's handle. "It is activated," Barak said at last while moving a short distance away from the table. The circle of humans adjusted themselves to allow Barak to hover beside them. Barak pressed two more buttons on his wrist's hologram, and an image of Yolkus hovered over the table. Everyone stared at it intently. Jimmy noted that even Carl and Sheen's gazes were completely serious. "This is Yolkus," Barak said while motioning at the large hologram. "In the broadest sense, it is our target." Barak pressed several more buttons, and the image zoomed in onto the largest of the planet's four continents. "And this is Bastion, the most densely populated of our continents." The image zoomed in further. "Coronus, the heart of our empire," he said while motioning at a smaller region. The image zoomed in yet again. "And our capital city, Yolkus' soul. Animus."

Everyone stared intently at the view of Yolkus' capital city. Glistening metallic skyscrapers towered impossibly high above the streets. Hundreds of tiny hovercraft darted through the sky at impossible speeds. Barak swiped his left hand along the small hologram projecting from his right wrist. The much larger hologram above the research interface quickly changed images to a small spaceport. "And this is the royal docking bay," Barak said with a hint of anger. Jimmy and Cindy immediately glanced at each other. They had never before heard such a tone in Barak's voice. "It is where we shall land and begin our assault." Barak slowly hovered towards the hologram and pointed at three small landing docks. Each was perhaps three times the size of Barak's shuttle. They all seemed to be hovering over empty space, and each was connected by a short bridge. "This is the dock associated with my research shuttle," Barak said while pointing at the center landing bay. "It is where we shall touch down and exit our craft." Everyone stared intently as Barak caused the hologram to zoom out until the landing docks were but small rectangles amidst a much larger picture. "This is the entirety of our battlefield," the Yolkian explained. "It can be split up into four sections." Barak blinked his eyes slowly and pointed once more at the center dock where the fight would begin. He traced his finger south along a short pathway. "This is the path leading to the docking bays' control tower. It is a relatively short distance to the elevator at the bottom of the building. Perhaps two hundred meters," Barak explained. His finger stopped moving at the base of a very tall building. "This is the elevator that grants access to the tower. It is the only entrance." Barak spoke and moved his finger slowly so as not to confuse his allies. He began to run his hand up towards the top of the building. "The control room is at the very top. This is where I shall be to aid you." Barak slowly hovered around the table and stared at each human. "From here I will be able to view your positions, unlock any doors that are sealed, and provide valuable reconnaissance. Hopefully, I will be able to draw away some of the Yolkian soldiers as well and give you less hostiles to fight." Barak turned towards Neutron before pointing back at the center landing bay. "You humans shall proceed forward," Barak explained while tracing his finger north. Another short pathway led to a wide open area. Cindy took a step forward and looked closer at the area Barak was displaying. It was tough to tell since the image was zoomed out so, but she thought she could make out trees. "Is this a park?" Barak nodded. "It is a place for rest and relaxation for members of the Royal Guard and the councilors." Barak moved his hand around the edges of the park. "It branches off in four directions. Behind it is the shuttle bay, which you shall be moving away from. To the west is a long civilian path towards the king's chamber." Barak showed how the western edge of the park led to a very long, curved pathway. This path steadily quickly rose upwards and then leveled out.

It ultimately led to a building directly north of the park. "To the east are several buildings, and then a secure path to the king's chamber." Barak pointed to the eastern edge of the park, which had a path heading straight to the right. This path went through two small buildings before heading straight north. After a while, this path angled to the left and eventually came to a rest at the king's chamber. "But this is the path you shall take," Barak explained. He traced a path that led straight ahead from the park to a small building. "This building is a lounge of sorts. It contains several small stores, eateries, and resting areas." Everyone watched as Barak continued tracing the path out of the lounge. "After the lounge, this path slopes upwards towards the king's chamber. It is the shortest and most direct route." Barak jabbed his finger at the building that all three paths converged on. It was even taller than the control tower, but much narrower. "The base of this building is nothing but an elevator. We will regroup at this elevator and ride to the top level of the tower, which holds King Veras' main chambers. The ride shall take approximately four minutes, but we should be safe from harm during the ascent. Once the elevator comes to a halt, we need only breach the king's chamber and kill him." Barak stared at the nine humans watching him. "Once he has perished, Neutron must use the king's control interface to communicate with all of Yolkus." Barak stared intensely into Neutron's eyes. "You must explain how you, a mere child, have killed yet another king. You must threaten them; make them understand how dangerous your race is. If you succeed, I believe they shall leave your species alone." Ike stared at the hologram and was the first to speak. "How do we get out?" "A mere reversal of our previous path," Barak explained. "We shall descend in the elevator and fight our way back to the shuttle." Barak paused and examined his allies. "Are there any questions?" Nick took a step forward, and everyone watched as he studied the hologram. "This plan's no good." Barak's eyes widened slightly. "What exactly do you mean?" Nick pointed at the park, and then at the three paths leaving it. "You've got all nine of us heading down one path when there are three options. If we get screwed, we all die. We should split up. That gives us three chances to reach the elevator." Cindy stepped towards the hologram as well. She looked into Nick's stern eyes and nodded in agreement. "You're right, Nick. Our best bet is to split up. His them from three sides." Barak immediately shook his shell from side to side. "Our group consists of a mere ten warriors. The Yolkian security forces shall heavily outnumber us. To splinter our forces further would leave us too weak to engage our enemies."

Nick shook his head and stared at Barak. "You said you're bringing us in when the king is under the least guard. How many Yolkians will even be attacking us?" Barak mechanical mouth twitched slightly. "I cannot know exact numbers. The royal docking bay is always guarded by at least several dozen soldiers. Our best chance of success is to fight as one unit." "Then why are you breaking off?" Nick asked as he narrowed his eyes. "Why are you heading towards the control chamber by yourself, anyway?" Jimmy could sense the hostility in Nick's tone. "Nick, I don't" "No, Jimmy," Nick said while shooting his friend a warning glance. "We can't split up our forces because we need every man. So why is Barak going off on his own?" Barak narrowed his eyes in frustration. "If we do not seize control of the control tower, you will be locked out of Veras' chambers. We must have a member there who can override security lockdowns." "Then have Jimmy go," Nick suggested. "He's the smartest one here. He can handle that job." "Alright, calm down," Jimmy said while stepping in between Barak and Nick. "You're both making sense," Jimmy assured each of them. "Barak, you know the layout of this area, but you said yourself you're no soldier. Nick's always been our general." Jimmy faced Nick. "Nick, I agree that it makes sense to give us three chances at reaching the elevator. But Barak's right too. We'd only have three people on each team. Would we even be able to fight off Yolkians with such a small group?" Nick studied the hologram intently. "These pathways look narrow. That means the Yolkians wouldn't be able to come at us in large groups." Nick turned to Jimmy and nodded. "If we stick together but reach a blockade or some other obstacle, we'll be screwed. If we split up, we triple our chances that a group will make it to the elevator. And we might be able to help each other if one team gets stuck. It's the best bet." Jimmy nodded and turned to Barak. "Okay. Barak, Nick makes sense. We'll split up into three groups. But you still need to reach the control tower, right?" Barak nodded. "I am not running away from this fight, humans. I assure you all of that. The control tower will be guarded, and it will come under attack once I secure it. But if we do not take control, access to Veras' elevator will be restricted and we will never reach him. It is a necessary target." Cindy cleared her throat, and everyone turned to face her. "Okay, let's sum things up here. We need to split up into four groups, right? One to reach the control tower, and three to try to reach the elevator."

Nick sighed and stared at Barak. "Alright, Yolkian. If the control tower is so important, you'll need someone to fight with you. If you're going to be hacking doors open, you'll need someone to watch your back." Barak met Nick's stare. "I know your worries are actually about my loyalties," Barak calmly uttered. "I am not opposed to having a human escort me. But be aware you will be removing another soldier from your other groups, and that it will be harder for me to sneak into the tower with a human beside me." "Sneak in?" Libby asked curiously. "I do not have clearance to access the control tower," Barak explained, "but Veras' soldiers will be preoccupied with fighting humans. If I am alone, I may be able to reach the tower with minimal fighting." Jimmy pondered Barak's words. "That's true, but Nick's right. If you're going to be providing reconnaissance and hacking security systems, you'll need someone to watch your back. Someone should go with you." Barak stared at Neutron and nodded. "If that is your wish, I shall have a human come with me." Bark paused and stared at the nine humans. "I am willing to make compromises on my plan," he assured all of them. "I have admitted I am no soldier, and you all understand how to fight. But you must heed my words in this regard," he warned them. "I understand the logic behind splintering your forces. But you must use your best warriors to protect Neutron." A silence enveloped the chamber after Barak finished speaking. Jimmy finally managed to quietly ask, "What?" Barak hovered towards Neutron and stared at the human in admiration. "Neutron, you must be the one to convey humanity's threat to the Yolkians. You are the one they fear most. They know that you are humanity's greatest weapon. You are the one who bested Goobot at every turn. If humanity's threat does not come from you, it will have no weight. And if the threat fails, then all of this will occur again. A new king will claim the throne and they shall attack Earth. This madness will never end unless you stay alive." Everyone turned to Jimmy. He stared nervously at each of them. "IWe can't do that," he whispered. He cleared his throat and steadied his voice. "My life's no more important than anyone else's." "Yes it is," Barak urged. Everyone faced him once more, and he did not hesitate to continue speaking. "You are noble, Neutron, and that is one reason I admire you so. But I do not exaggerate this claim. I have said before that if you die, humanity dies. That is the absolute truth. You are the only human any Yolkian comes close to respecting. You killed their king. You bested their soldiers. And it must be you to threaten their world, to say that you will fight them at every turn if they do not end this conflict. You must live."

Another moment of silence passed, and then Nick stared at Jimmy and said, "He's right." Nick took a step closer and looked into Jimmy's eyes. "You're the one who's always saved the day. You brought us together. You killed Goobot and Eustace. This is all of our fight, but you're our leader. And we're keeping you alive." "But" Jimmy stammered out, but Cindy quickly interrupted him. "They're right, Jimmy." She turned to Barak and nodded. "We'll keep him alive, Barak." Barak nodded. "I am glad we shall not argue on this." Nick stared at the hologram once more and held his hand up to keep everyone from speaking. After a moment, he nodded and spun around. "Okay. We need to figure out who's going where. We've got ten people to split up into four groups. That means two groups of three and two groups of two." Nick paused and looked at his soldiers. "Since we need to keep Jimmy alive, it makes sense to make his team have three people. And they should take the route straight from the park to the elevator. It's the least dangerous, right?" he asked while looking at Barak. Barak nodded and said, "Correct." Nick looked at the crowd around him once more. "There are basically two kinds of fighters on this ship. People who can shoot, and people who can fight without guns. Jimmy should have the best of each group." "That's me," Sheen said while giving Jimmy a nod. "And me," Cindy added, which earned her an annoyed look from Miranda. Nick stared at each of them before shaking his head. "No. That's not a good idea." "What do you mean?" Cindy angrily asked. Nick met her gaze. "You and Sheena are too close to Jimmy. Sheen's been his friend for years, and you're his girlfriend. At this point, we need to be focused on saving the planet." Nick turned to Jimmy and gave him a sad look. "Jimmy, if you saw Cindy get injured or killed, could you leave her behind and keep going?" The question made the memory of Cindy getting shot race through his mind. He remembered how he'd felt like a bullet had slammed into his heart, how every emotion except sadness and anger had seemed to vanish until he'd learned that she was still alive. He stared at Nick, but couldn't bring himself to answer. Nick nodded sympathetically. "We need to be smart about this. We can't have couples fighting together. That means Miranda should be with Jimmy."

Miranda's eyes instantly shot to Jimmy, and she nodded. "I'll protect him," she said with unusual steadiness. Nick nodded. "I'm nearly as good a shot as Sheen, so I'll go with Jimmy too." He turned to Cindy and stared deep into her eyes. "He'll be safe, Cindy. I promise I'll keep him alive." Cindy scowled, but Jimmy looked at her and gave a slow nod. "Fine," she muttered. Nick nodded. "That's one team. Barak, if holding that tower is important, you're getting two troops as well." He stared at his friends and nodded at Libby and Carl. "Libby and Carl, that's your job. Make sure he keeps control of the tower." Libby and Carl looked at each other and nodded. "You sure we'll still have a fight, Barak? I'm not sitting this one out." Barak met the female's harsh gaze. "Fear not, female. You will do your part." Libby nodded. Nick looked at the curved pathway that led west from the park. He narrowed his eyes and stared intensely at the hologram. "All three of the paths from the park rise up. But the western path does it right away and then levels off." Nick looked up and saw that Sheen was standing beside him. "Put me there," Sheen calmly uttered. He looked at Nick and gave a small smile before glancing at each of his friends. "If any of you guys get stuck, I might be able to help you since I'll be above you. I'll have a line of sight on each of you." Nick nodded in agreement. "Ike, you're a great shot. Go with Sheen. If any of us get pinned down, you can hit our enemies from the side." He hesitated and then stared at Ike and Sheen. "But focus on getting yourselves to the elevator. That needs to be the main objective of all three teams." Barak glanced around nervously before interjecting. "Keeping Neutron alive should be the primary objective." Nick and Jimmy both glared at Barak. "We need to kill King Veras first," Nick explained. "Any of us can do that. If Jimmy" Nick swallowed and shook his head, refusing to finish his sentence. "Killing the king is the main objective. We'll try to keep Jimmy alive, but any one of us making that threat to the Yolkians is better than none of us making it, right?" Barak saw the strength in Nick's eyes and sighed. "I suppose. But I stress again that I cannot see it working unless Neutron proclaims it." "Nick's right," Jimmy argued. "We won't even be able to access Veras' communication device if we don't kill him first. So reaching the king is the priority." Nick then turned to Cindy and Betty while pointing to the eastern route. "That leaves you two to take the eastern path. Cindy, you can handle any up close work. Betty will shoot anything at a

distance." He hesitated and shared a nervous glance with Jimmy. "You two can work together on this, right?" Cindy and Betty stared at each other before nodding. "We'll get it done," Cindy calmly assured Nick. Nick nodded and turned back to Barak. "That covers everything except how you, Carl, and Libby are going to reach the elevator. You'll be far away from it by the time we get there." Barak pressed a few more buttons on his wrist's hologram, and the research interface displayed a new image. A fairly large space held a door on each side wall. At one end of the room was an elevator, and at the other was a panel with a wide array of buttons. "This is the control tower's main room," Barak explained. He pointed at one of the doors. "This is where armaments and propulsion systems are kept." Libby raised an eyebrow. "Propulsion systems?" Barak nodded and faced her. "They are small thrusters that can be attached to our shells to rapidly improve our speed. Once you all have reached the elevator, we can use these propulsion systems to rocket across the battlefield. You will not need to wait long for our arrival." Nick nodded and looked around the chamber at each of his allies. "It sounds like we have a plan. Does anyone have any questions?" Barak raised his hand and spoke once more. "Humans, I have one final request. Obviously, we shall be fighting for our lives. We will need to disable our foes to accomplish our objective. But I humbly ask that we kill as few Yolkians as possible." A few seconds passed, and Jimmy wasn't at all surprised to hear Nick break the silence. "This is getting freaking ridiculous," he complained while desperately looking at his friends. "Now we're not supposed to kill any Yolkians?" "I did not say any," Barak quickly clarified. "I merely wish to minimize Yolkian causalities. Once our shells are disabled, we pose no threat. I merely ask that we not waste time to deliver unnecessary fatal blows." "This is bullshit," Nick said while shaking his head. "Whose side are you even on?" "I am on yours!" Barak angrily shouted, which caused everyone to recoil in shock. Barak immediately glanced around the chamber and sighed. "I am sorry," he nervously muttered. "Truly I am. But I am risking my life to save your planet. I have led you here and offered my full aid in this mission. I am merely thinking in the best interest of both our species. Asking for peace will have a higher chance of success if we kill fewer Yolkians." "I thought you said Yolkians respect force," Cindy added while skeptically eyeing Barak.

Barak hesitated. "I did. But" Jimmy looked into Barak's eyes and believed he understood Barak's reasoning. "Karab." Barak stared curiously at Neutron before bowing forward slightly. "Of course you would realize," he muttered in a thankful tone. "Karab?" Betty asked. "He's Barak's twin," Jimmy slowly explained. Barak nodded. "He is a member of the Royal Guard. I hope he is not present during the attack, and he did disown me. But I still do not wish for him to be killed." Nick still glared at Barak, but Jimmy spoke before he could open his mouth. "We won't kill Yolkians that are already disabled," Jimmy slowly explained. "I agree that's a waste of time. But if a Yolkian is attacking us and we don't have a choice, we'll do whatever it takes to protect ourselves. I think that's fair." "More than fair," Nick grumbled. Barak pondered Neutron's words and finally nodded. "Understood, Neutron. I thank you for your merciful ways." Everyone stood in silence for several seconds, and Jimmy realized that it was time to end their meeting. "I guess that's it, then. We should get to bed and try to rest up as much as we can. Tomorrow we'll get all of our supplies ready and end this fight once and for all." He saw the worried looks on everyone's faces and knew that more needed to be said. "Cindy was right when she said that we're the best of the best. We've beaten the Yolkians before and we'll do it again. There's no way we've come this far just to fail. Our last mission had setback after setback, and we still all managed to survive. Things have been going smoothly so far, so let's have some faith." He narrowed his eyes and nodded at his team. "We can do this, guys." He extended his hand and held it out in front of him. "For Earth." Cindy looked at Jimmy and nodded before placing her hand on top of his. "For Earth." "For Earth," Nick agreed while placing his hand on top of Cindy's. One by one, every human placed their hands on the pile. Jimmy finally turned to Barak, who stared at them enviously. Jimmy nodded, and Barak gently placed his mechanical hand on top. "For Earth, humans."

Cindy lay awake on her sleeping bag. Around her was the sound of Ike snoring, Carl wheezing, and Sheen mumbling in his sleep. She'd woken up a half hour ago and had been unable to drift

back to sleep. She'd spent her time staring up at the ceiling, counting the minutes pass by. She'd contemplated waking Jimmy, whose arms were wrapped gently around her, but she wasn't willing to rob him of his sleep. Everyone needed to be rested for what lay ahead. Sighing, she finally decided that it might help to go for a quick walk around the ship. She slowly wiggled out of Jimmy's loving grasp and stared down at his face. It always seemed so peaceful when he was sleeping. "Be back soon, Jimmy," she whispered while getting to her feet. She took a few steps towards the barrack's door when she noticed that Libby wasn't in Sheen's arms. She glanced around the room and realized that she was missing. Cindy hurried out of the barracks and saw that her friend wasn't in the main chamber. She walked towards the cockpit when she heard a sound that deeply confused her. "Meow," the kitten's tiny voice rang out. "Oh no," Cindy whispered while rubbing her forehead. She'd known how much Libby was attached to her cat, but had she really been foolish enough to drag it along on this trip? She took a few steps forward and realized that the sound was coming from the closet that she had hidden inside with Jimmy. She was about to open the door when she realized that she could hear sobbing coming from inside. "Libby?" she worriedly asked while pressing the button beside the closet's entrance. The door immediately slid open to reveal Libby watching a video on her iPod. Tears glistened on her cheeks, and her hands were trembling. Libby recoiled in shock but regained her composure as she realized that it was Cindy who had discovered her. "Hey, Cindy," she softly whispered while scooting over. Cindy immediately sat down beside her friend and closed the closet's door behind her. "Libby, what's wrong?" Cindy worriedly asked while gently wiping the tears off of her friend's cheeks. "Nothing," Libby lied while glancing back at the video. Cindy followed her gaze and watched for a moment. Chowder was rolling around on the floor and viciously attacking a piece of string that Sheen dangled over him. "He's got fight in him," Sheen laughed while poking the kitten in the tummy. He immediately recoiled and shouted, "Ow!" as the kitten bit Sheen's finger as hard as it could. "Aw, play nice, Chowder," Libby's voice playfully warned off camera. Sheen glared angrily at the creature beneath him and began to walk away. "I hate you," he muttered while taking a step forward. Chowder immediately pounced on the back of Sheen's leg and began to viciously bite through Sheen's pants.

"Why?" Sheen shouted while running around in a circle and falling onto the ground. "Stop him!" he shouted at Libby, who was laughing hysterically behind the camera. "So you can handle a ship full of Yolkians but not an adorable kitten?" Libby asked as Sheen began to sob violently. "I can't hurt it!" he muttered between sobs. "It'stoo fluffy and cute!" he cried out. "Off, Chowder," Libby finally said, and the kitten immediately jumped off of Sheen's leg and meowed softly. The video ended, and Cindy smiled at Libby. "Maybe we should have brought the little guy with us after all." Libby laughed and leaned her head against the wall before beginning to cry once more. "I'm sorry," she whispered while wiping her eyes. "Don't be sorry," Cindy gently said while wrapping her arm around Libby's shoulders. Libby immediately rested her head against Cindy and sighed. "It was a nightmare," she whispered to her best friend. She looked up into Cindy's green eyes and then immediately looked away. "I dreamt youyou died," Libby whispered. Cindy hesitated, unsure of what to say. Libby took a shaky breath and resumed speaking. "I saw you get hit by one of those plasma guns. And then we were flying back to Earth, and everyone was quiet and crying. And I woke up and told myself it was just a dream." She paused and stared at Cindy sadly. "And then I realized that it was going to happen." Cindy's pulled away slightly, and Libby shook her head. "Not you, Cindy. I don't mean you. Butcan we all survive this?" she weakly asked. "Aren't some of us not going to make it?" Cindy looked at the floor and pondered the question. She'd tried to keep her hopes up over the course of their journey, but the closer they got to Yolkus, the more she'd been forced to face how dangerous their mission was. "We all made it last time," Cindy offered. She looked into Libby's eyes and added, "Even Sheen made it back. It was a miracle." Libby grimaced and nodded. "That's just it, Cindy. It was a miracle. That's all we've ever had," she said while lifting her head off of Cindy's shoulder. "Miracle after miracle after miracle. Everything the five of us have ever done was dangerous. Yet we just keep surviving." "Isn't that good, then?" Cindy whispered. "We're lucky." "But everyone's luck runs out," Libby quietly answered. "If you, or Sheen, or Jimmy or Carl," Libby paused and shook in fright, "or anyone dies, how are we supposed to live with that?"

Cindy had no answer. She'd barely spent any time worrying for her own safety. She'd been worrying about what her life would be like if any of her friends were killed. Could she live without Libby constantly by her side? Without Jimmy to argue with and kiss? The thought of losing even Sheen or Carl terrified her. And Ike, Betty, Miranda, and Nick? She barely knew most of them, but how could she deal with any of their deaths, knowing that they had died to save their planet and she would never see any of them again? "I don't know," Cindy whispered. She felt Libby squeeze her hand, and Cindy let her head rest on Libby's shoulder. They sat in silence for several minutes. "Look at this," Libby finally whispered while picking her iPod off the floor. She stared nervously at the battery's indicator and knew she didn't have much time before it shut off. She rapidly scrolled through her library of videos and picked the one she wanted. She gave Cindy a sad smile and quickly added, "And don't get mad."

The video was of the five of them the previous summer, before they had set off to fight Eustace and the Yolkians. Libby was filming herself adjusting her make-up, and it only took a second for Cindy to realize that they were all in the Candy Bar. "I'm just saying," Sheen's voice rang out from off-screen, "I don't think a llama could ever beat a bear in a fight." Libby sighed in disgust and turned the camera towards Sheen, who was being angrily jabbed in the stomach by Carl. "And you don't understand the tenacity of a llama who's been scorned!" Libby muttered something unintelligible under her breath before turning the camera towards the Candy Bar's counter. "And what have we here?" Libby whispered in amusement. The image zoomed in on Jimmy and Cindy, who were fiercely arguing. "And I'm telling you, Vortex, that you that there is no way you could ever beat me at chess," Jimmy said triumphantly while taking a sip from his milkshake. "And I'm telling you," Cindy angrily spat out while grabbing his shake and stealing a sip, "that you know darn well I can outthink you in the long run. Next game I'm blocking your Blitzkrieg and settling in for a protracted siege." "And I'm telling you" Jimmy angrily muttered while grabbing his shake and pulling it away, "that" "Oh for the love of humanity," Brittany sighed from the seat beside them. "Will you guys just kiss already?" Jimmy and Cindy both glared at Brittany with enough combined anger to cause her to leave her half-finished sundae and back out of the store. Jimmy and Cindy turned to each other.

"Like we'd ever kiss," Cindy laughed while playfully punching Jimmy in the shoulder. Jimmy nervously chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's funny." "More like hilarious!" Cindy nearly shouted while widening her eyes. "Likehello!" she nervously muttered. Jimmy gave her a playful shove and let his hand brush through her hair as he pulled it back. "Yeahlike that would ever happen." "Ever," Cindy added while looking at the counter. Jimmy laughed once more and slowly slid the milkshake over to her. "You canfinish it," he offered. Cindy smiled. "Thanks," she said while taking a sip. She stared up at Jimmy and saw that he was staring at her. "I meanwhy would they think we'd kiss?" Jimmy shrugged. "I mean, yeah, we've held hands." Cindy nodded. "Yeah, but that was.for warmth," she said while contorting her face into confusion. "It was cold," Jimmy agreed. "Each time," Cindy nodded. "It's chilly in here," Jimmy suddenly said while lifting his head up. He scowled at the vent above him. "Sam turned the air conditioning up." "I hate that," Cindy whispered while inching her hand towards Jimmy's. Jimmy slowly slid his hand over and gently grabbed Cindy's. "The milkshake was cold too," he quietly whispered. Cindy looked into his eyes and nodded. "Mymouth's cold," she agreed. "Mine too!" Jimmy happily said while nervously laughing. Cindy laughed as well as they tilted their heads together. "It'swell" she whispered just before their lips connected. "Jimmy!" Sheen's maniacal voice filled the entire Candy Bar. Jimmy immediately slammed his head onto the counter as Cindy spun around and glared at him. "Can a llama fight a bear or not?"

Libby gave Cindy an amused grin as Cindy glared up at her. "We all appreciated that little show," she teased Cindy. Cindy growled and grabbed the iPod from Libby's grasp. "I'm deleting that." "Don't," Libby sternly said while grabbing it back. Something in her tone made Cindy stop. "You really never want to watch that again?" Cindy hesitated and sighed. "Just no more secret filming, okay?" "Fine," Libby said with a small laugh. She and Cindy stared at the wall across from them. "He loves you so much," Libby whispered. Cindy smiled. "And Sheen loves you too." She paused and rolled her eyes in disgust. "But I still say you can do so much better." Libby's felt her smile fade and stared at her best friend. "I know he's crazy. But he saved all our lives. You should go easier on him." Cindy felt guilty at her friend's tone. "Sorry." Libby nodded and they resumed staring straight ahead. "I love you, Cindy," she softly whispered. They looked at each other once more. "Thanks for always being there." Cindy smiled sadly. "You're the one that was always there for me. I wish you were safe on Earthbut I'm glad you're here this time," Cindy whispered. She felt her eyes stinging and clenched her hands into fists. "I know you can do this, Libby. Just please be careful." She looked into her friend's worried eyes and couldn't stop a tear from falling. "I can't lose you." Libby shook her head and closed her eyes to stop the tears. "And I can't lose you." Libby hesitated before quickly adding, "If I don't make it, take care of Sheen." Cindy's heart sank at her words. "Libby, don't talk like that." Libby shook her head. "Why? We all know what could happen. I'm not stupid. So make sure he's okay ifI die," she unwaveringly said. "Help him get through it. Promise me." "You're not going to die," Cindy sternly told Libby. Libby looked back at her angrily, so Cindy relented. "But I promise." She thought of Jimmy and closed her eyes at the thought of leaving him. "And take care of Jimmy." "You know I will," Libby softly added. They sat together in silence for several minutes before Libby finally sighed. "We need to get to sleep," she whispered while getting up. She looked down at Cindy and gave her a small smile while extending her hand. "Come on."

Cindy grasped Libby's hand and got to her feet. They stepped out into the main chamber before Cindy yanked Libby to a stop. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my sister," she whispered. "Forever." Libby wiped away a few more tears and nodded. "Same here, Cindy. Always." With that said they both returned to the barracks and struggled to fall asleep.

Jimmy, Cindy, Miranda, Ike, Carl, Sheen, Betty, Nick, and Libby sat in a large circle in the main chamber. Barak sat in the cockpit several yards behind them. Everyone was silent as they focused on their tasks. Jimmy was tampering with ten of the headsets he had brought onboard. Nick was attaching scopes to rifles and making sure they would be accurate. Miranda was sharpening every one of her knives. Everyone else was loading shells into shotguns and filling magazines with bullets. "Ten hours left," Jimmy quietly said, breaking the tense silence that loomed over them. Nick sighed as he looked at the large pile of empty magazines in the center of the circle everyone had formed. He looked over his shoulder at Barak. "Barak, want to help? We could use the extra hands." Barak spun around and stared at the human curiously. "Ido not know much about your weapons." Nick shrugged. "Neither does Carl, and he's helping. Come on." Everyone widened the circle enough for Barak to join them. He gently lowered his shell until he was hovering a few inches above the floor. "Just take these," Nick instructed while sliding half a dozen of pistol magazines towards the Yolkian. "And put fifteen of these inside each," Nick said while handing him a few boxes of bullets. "Like this," Nick said while slowly loading Barak's first magazine. Barak nodded and slowly imitated Nick's actions. Everyone watched him for a moment before turning back to their work. A silence took hold of the group once more. It wasn't broken until Miranda slowly cracked her neck and stared at the dozen blades in front of her. "You'll all need one," she slowly spoke. Everyone turned to face her, and she swallowed while closing her eyes for several seconds. "At least if you don't' have a spear," she added a little more confidently. Nick nodded at her. "You're right." The two teenagers stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. "Thanks for sharing." "You're welcome," she said with a tiny sad smile. She slowly handed a knife to Ike, Barak, Betty, Sheen, and Carl. She turned to Jimmy last and slowly handed him a blade. "Don't let them get

close enough to use it," she sternly told him. "Weneed you." Jimmy looked into her eyes for a moment before nodding. Everyone stared at their new weapons. Each knife was different, but they were all roughly ten inches long and heavily serrated. Each also had a holster that could be attached to their pants. Once everyone finished inspecting their blades, they silently returned to their tasks.

Two hours passed in near silence as magazines were filled, guns were loaded, and weapons were assembled in the main chamber. Jimmy glanced at his watch and felt his stomach twitch as he realized only eight hours were left. "We need to get everything back in the hypercube," he told everyone. "We don't know if we're going to be able to use this same shuttle to get back to Earth. Best to take everything with us." Cindy nodded. "You're right. If use a different ship and don't have food or waterit won't be a fun ride back." Every headed to the supply chamber and began to toss their supplies back into the hypercube. "Keep a bottle of water and some protein bars for yourselves," Nick instructed everyone. Once the supply chamber had been emptied, Libby turned towards the room's exit. "Are we bringing our backpacks with us to the surface?" Nick, Cindy, and Jimmy looked at each other for a few seconds. "No," Jimmy finally answered. "Throw them in the hypercube. You brought vests for us to keep our ammunition in, right?" he asked Nick. "Yeah. We don't need the backpacks," Nick agreed. Everyone went into the barracks and threw all of their supplies into the hypercube, leaving only their sleeping bags on the floor. Once the room was empty, Sheen asked, "Should we eat?" "Sure," Cindy answered while leading everyone back to the main chamber. The stove and grill were still set up, so Carl and Sheen heated up a few cans of canned pasta. Most could only manage to get a few spoonfuls in their uneasy stomachs. Jimmy checked his watch and saw that it was five o'clock. He exhaled loudly. "Anyone tired?" Everyone looked at him, but no one nodded. "Me neither." "We should still try to sleep," Cindy added. "We'll be starting our fight at midnight. We need to be wide awake." "She's right," Nick agreed. "We'll set an alarm for ten. That will give us two hours to get everything ready. Sound good?"

No one spoke, but everyone made their back to their barracks. Sheen waited until everyone had gotten settled before he turned the lights off and laid down besides Libby.

Everyone had eventually fallen asleep and was jarred awake by the alarm on Jimmy's watch. Ike was the first to get to his feet and reach the small panel that controlled the lights. "Guess nap time's over," he sadly told his friends. Everyone got their feet and grabbed their sleeping bags while walking over to Jimmy. He held out his hypercube, and everyone tossed them in. "I was coming to wake you," Barak said as everyone entered the main chamber. He was waiting in front of the holographic table. "We have slightly less than two hours before we land. I shall pilot us in as you make your final preparations." He then turned back around and headed to the cockpit. Every weapon that they had brought aboard was lying on the floor of the main chamber. Forty pistols, two dozen rifles, and nearly 20 shotguns rested in front of the nine children. There were also a dozen tactical vests, numerous slings and scopes, countless pistol holsters, and other supplies nearby. Nick stepped forward and turned around to face his friends. "Alright. This is where we need to go from here. Everyone has a different fighting style, and that's going to determine what guns you bring. We're all going to bring at least two pistols since they're light and we can holster one on each hip. But the rest is up to you. Cindy and Miranda," he said while looking at the two young women, "you're easily the best fighters we have. My advice would be to just stick with the pistols so you can be light on your feet." Cindy and Miranda glanced at each other, and Miranda gave a small nod. Cindy turned to Nick and nodded at him. "Sounds good." Nick then turned to Ike and Sheen. "You two are our best shots, and we might need you to help us out from across the battlefield. I've attached scopes to two carbines for you. We need you to have those. If you want to carry another weapon, I'd suggest a shotgun. Put a sling on it and keep it on your back in case you need it." Sheen and Ike nodded. "Libby, Carl, grab whatever you're comfortable with. You'll be fighting in close quarters inside the control tower, but you might need something more long range in order to get there." Libby stared at Nick. "Any advice?" Nick thought for a second. "Libby, you're the better shot. If I were you, I'd grab a rifle. Let Carl handle a shotgun for up close work, since he won't need to aim as much." Libby turned to Carl. "Sound good?"

Carl took a deep breath and steadied his trembling hands. He felt fear coursing through every one of his veins, but he found if he concentrated hard enough he could control it. "Okay." Nick faced Betty and gave her a small smile. "Cindy's going to need you to hit targets at a distance, so I'd grab a rifle if I were you." Betty nodded, and Nick then turned to Jimmy. "That just leaves you, Jimmy. Take what you want. Miranda and I will cover you." Nick looked at the eight kids standing before him. "Let's split up into our teams and help each other suit up. Grab as much ammo as you can hold in your vests. If you've got a shotgun, grab an ammo pouch for your pants." He hesitated and gave everyone a weary smile. "Last time we lost nearly all of our weapons and still won. This time we're prepared. Let's get ready, guys." Everyone splintered off into their groups. Cindy grabbed two nine millimeter pistols and attached their holsters to her waist. She made sure her guns were fully loaded and slid them in place. She stared at the vests that Nick had procured and narrowed her eyes in frustration. She planned on using her pistols as a backup means of protection, and the vests would restrict her movement too much. "Take these," Miranda's quiet voice spoke from beside her. Cindy recoiled a little in shock and wondered how the strange girl was able to sneak up on people so easily. She noticed that Miranda wore a special belt filled with her throwing knives. Her kukri was firmly sheathed at her side. She then looked at Miranda's hands, each of which was holding two clip-on holders for pistol magazines. "They're not heavy." Cindy stared at the girl for several seconds before accepting the gift. "I didn't know Nick grabbed these," she slowly said while staring at Miranda curiously. "I found them," Miranda slowly answered. "In the back of the store." Cindy kept her gaze fixed on Miranda for a few more seconds before attaching the four extra magazines to her waist. She took a few steps forward and backward and was pleased at how little they hindered her movement. She looked back up to see Miranda studying her. "What?" Cindy snarled. Cindy's tone didn't affect Miranda. The girl merely glanced at Jimmy before looking deep into Cindy's eyes. "I want you to know I will do everything I can to keep him safe," she calmly said. Cindy noticed that the words came out much faster than Miranda usually spoke. "I will not let James die." Cindy stared up at Miranda in confusion. She glanced over to Jimmy, who was discussing something with Nick. "Why?" she finally asked. Miranda swallowed nervously and said, "Because he helped me. I'll keep him safe," she promised before strolling over to Jimmy and Nick.

Cindy watched Miranda for several seconds, unsure what to make of her words. Her thoughts were interrupted by Betty asking, "Cindy, is this on right?" Cindy turned around and saw that Betty was having trouble securing the back of her vest in place. She sighed slightly and said, "Hang on," while helping her. "Thanks," Betty sincerely said while turning around. She looked down at Cindy and gave a small smile. "For what it's worth, Vortex, I've always thought it was amazing how you could fight." Her words took Cindy by surprise. She finally managed to nod and said, "Andyou really know how to fly," Cindy slowly told her. "And shoot." She struggled to give Betty a small smile. Betty nervously began to put spare magazines in her vest's pouches. "I'll have your back, Cindy. Will you have mine?" Cindy looked into Betty's eyes and saw no hatred or anger of any kind. Cindy clenched her teeth and nodded. "Yes." Betty smiled once more and extended her hand. "Thank you. And good luck." Cindy let a tiny smile spread across her lips. "You too QuinBetty."

"You sure you can handle this?" Libby gently asked while handing Carl a shotgun. It wasn't easy to spot the trembling in her friend's hands. Carl grabbed the weapon and sighed. He looked into Libby's kind eyes and asked, "Do you think I can do it?" Libby put her hand on Carl's shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, I do, Carl." Carl nodded and took a deep breath. "Thanks, Libby." He paused and remembered everything he had read over the past few days. "I do too."

Sheen and Ike stared down the scopes of their weapons and put on their vests. "You ready for this, Estevez?" Sheen nodded while grinning. "With all this stuff, I could beat Ultralord himself in battle," he happily said while staring at the scope and the vest he was wearing. He filled his vest with spare magazine and then nervously turned to Ike. "I was just kidding. Don't tell him I said that." "Don't sweat it," Ike calmly said while slamming a magazine into his rifle. "You taking a shotgun?"

Sheen nodded as he grabbed a twelve gauge shotgun and attached a sling to it. He slung it over his shoulder and took a few steps to get used to the weight. "Want one?" he asked while handing Ike another shotgun. "I'm good," Ike said while attaching a sling to his rifle. "This baby's all I need." Sheen nodded and began filling an ammo pouch with shotgun shells.

Jimmy strolled over to Libby and Carl. He placed a hand on Carl's shoulder and looked into his friend's beady eyes. "Carl, you okay?" Carl nodded and nervously swallowed. "Is itokay to be scared?" Jimmy immediately nodded. "We're all scared, Carl. But the fact that you're doing it anyway, that's what makes you brave." Carl nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Jim." He immediately wrapped Jimmy in a tight hug, which his friend readily returned. "Have some faith in yourself, Carl," Jimmy assured him. "Because I sure do." Jimmy gave Carl a clap on the back before taking a step towards Libby. She spread open her arms, and he wrapped her in a hug. "Remember last time?" she whispered into his ear. Jimmy nodded and rested the side of his head against hers. "I still love you." Libby pulled back and nodded while trying not to cry. "Me too, James." They smiled sadly and squeezed each other's hands. Jimmy slowly raised a shaky hand to her hair and gently stroked a few of her braids. He gently leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Be safe, Libby." Libby nodded and looked into his eyes. "Give 'em hell, Jimmy. And don't you dare think this is goodbye." "I don't," Jimmy quietly answered before slowly making his way over to Cindy.

"Hey," Jimmy whispered while approaching Cindy. Cindy immediately shoved her spear inside her pocket and looked into Jimmy's eyes. "Hey," she whispered back. Before they knew what they were doing, they immediately wrapped each other in their arms.

"I know you can handle yourself," Jimmy whispered into her ear. "But they're tough, Cindy. Use the guns when you can. And let Betty help you." He pulled away and looked into her worried eyes. "I... he paused and struggled to swallow, "I can't lose you again." Cindy nodded. "Let them protect you, Jimmy. Don't try to be a hero." She paused and gave him a quick kiss. "Because you already are." Jimmy squeezed her hand tight and ran his free hand through her hair. "If you get stuck, if you think you've lost... Jimmy paused and gave her a stern look. "Remember you're the only one who's ever challenged me. Don't give up. Think your way out, Cindy. You can do more than fight. Don't forget how smart you are." Cindy felt the tear slide out of her eye and nodded while wrapping him in another hug. "When this is over, we'll finally be safe. And we can be happy and normal." Jimmy smiled at her words. "Could we ever be normal, Vortex?" Cindy smiled back and looked into his eyes. She hesitated and finally said, "Maybe not, Neutron." She gave a little nod. "Just stay alive, okay? For me." Jimmy nodded. "If you do the same." They stared at each other once more and allowed themselves one last kiss.

Ike finished filling his vest with ammunition and saw Miranda approaching him. He gave an uneasy smile and asked, "Come to say goodbye?" Miranda gave a small scowl. "Ijust wanted to say good luck." Ike hadn't expected that. He pulled back slightly and eyed her skeptically. "Really?" Miranda hesitated and gave a tiny nod. "Be careful, kid," she slowly told him. She swallowed and added, "I've gotten used to you annoying me." With that said she spun around and returned to Jimmy's side.

Jimmy strolled up to Sheen and gently placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Sheen spun around, and Jimmy noticed that all traces of manic energy had vanished from his eyes. They were calm and cool. "Sheen, thanks for coming. We couldn't do this without you." Jimmy was shocked to see Sheen's lips trembling. "I'm sorry, Jimmy." "For what?" Jimmy quietly asked.

Sheen shook his head in a vain attempt to rid his eyes of tears. "I should have gotten on that ship sooner. I shouldn't have slowed the mining ship down to give myself time. I" he paused and took a deep breath, "I shouldn't have let Cindy get shot." Jimmy gave his friend a stern glance. "You saved all of our lives, Sheen. You have nothing to apologize for." He hesitated and felt guilt well up in him for the first time in days. "I'm sorry we left you behind." Sheen felt a smile flicker across his lips. "Water through a bridge," he muttered. Jimmy smiled and chose not to correct his friend. "Be safe, Sheen." He paused and added, "And know we believe in you."

Barak sat in the cockpit alone, steadily bringing the shuttle towards Yolkus. He blinked each eye one at a time and looked over his shoulder at the humans he had come to respect so. Suddenly, he noticed the tall maniacal one heading towards him. "Barak?" Sheen quietly asked while taking a seat beside the Yolkian. Barak let a small smile take hold. "How may I help, human?" Sheen twiddled his thumbs and stared at the ground. "Could you do me a favor?" Barak nodded. "Of course." Sheen hesitated and looked into the Yolkian's eyes. "Jimmy said you were going to stay on Yolkus when this was over. Is that true?" Barak sadly nodded. "It is best if I stay and try to broker peace between our worlds." Sheen waited a moment and then asked, "If you get a chance, could you find Dopsil's family?" Barak tilted his shell slightly in confusion. "I am sorry; I do not know that name." Sheen looked away from Barak and tried to keep from breaking down. "He was one of the pilots on the ship I stole. II killed him," he quietly whispered. He immediately met Barak's eyes and added, "I shouldn't have done it. He helped me learn how to fly the ship. I wouldn't have saved my friends without him." Barak stared in disbelief as Sheen went on. "Could you try to find his family and tell him I'm sorry? Please?" Barak turned away from the human in what Sheen assumed was anger. Barak clenched both of his fists together and tried to keep from crying. "Yes," he steadily whispered to Sheen. "I will do

as you ask. NowI must pilot the ship," he managed to say without letting his voice break. "Please go." Sheen nodded and struggled not to cry. "I'm sorry," he whispered while heading towards Libby. He tried to move past the conversation and focus on the task at hand. Only the thought of saving his family back on Earth managed to steady his mind. I hate you, Barak thought with every fiber of his being. I hate you more than anything, Veras. I hope you die in agony, Barak snarled inside his mind while slamming his fist into a control panel. He didn't even care if the humans heard. He clenched both hands around the ship's controls, struggled to compose himself, and resumed piloting.

Once Sheen had composed himself, he made his way to Libby. "Hey, Libbalicious," he quietly said with trembling lips. Libby turned away from Carl and immediately hugged her boyfriend. She then pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Sheen, I know you can be wacky. I think its cute most of the time, but I need to know you're serious about this. You are, right?" she nervously asked. Sheen nodded. "Yeah, I am." "Good," Libby quickly shot back, "because you need to listen to me. Really listen." She saw that Sheen's eyes were fixated on her, and so she nodded before breaking down into tears. "You can't die," she whispered while collapsing into his chest. Sheen was taken aback, but he wrapped both his arms around Libby. "I won't," he assured her. "No!" Libby nearly shouted while pulling away. She looked deep into Sheen's eyes and felt more tears flow down her cheeks. "I thought you were dead, Sheen. I thoughtyou were gone," she squeaked out while struggling to breathe. She clenched her fists and forced herself to keep talking through the tears. "And I can't do it again. You cannot leave me. So do not die, Sheen. I forbid it." Sheen nodded and couldn't keep from crying. "I won't, I swear." Libby bit her bottom lip hard enough to break the skin. "I'll never forgive you if you do it again," she whispered. "Never." And then she grabbed Sheen's cheeks and kissed him like she never had.

By the time everyone was ready and done saying their goodbyes, it was past eleven thirty. Everyone stood at the entrance to the cockpit and watched as the Yolkian piloted the ship. "There it is," Barak said while pointing at a small green dot in the distance. "Yolkus."

"So this is it," Nick quietly said. Everyone felt their stomachs tie in knots as the planet steadily grew closer. A few moments passed in silence. As the planet drew nearer, Jimmy suddenly remembered something. He rummaged around in his hypercube before passing around everyone's headsets. "Take these," he solemnly instructed everyone. "I've given them a little upgrade. If you remember, last time we had to turn them off or change frequencies if we wanted to speak without everyone hearing." Jimmy waited until everyone had put on a headset before putting his in place. Jimmy handed Barak a special headset that he had redesigned. It was little more than the mouthpiece, but it attached easily to Barak's control panel. "This time," Jimmy went on, "just tap the button near your ear to speak." He looked at Barak and added, "You can just tap the microphone itself, Barak." He faced his friends once more and added, "Once you haven't spoken for a few seconds, it will stop sending an audio signal." He shrugged and said, "It should make it a little easier to communicate." "Thanks," Cindy summed up for everyone while adjusting her mouthpiece. A few more minutes passed, and the planet began to loom over them. Sheen pointed at what looked like a small space station with a ship beside it. "What's that?" Barak followed Sheen's gaze and explained, "That is an orbital repair facility. It rearms, refuels, and repairs cruisers." Barak zoomed activated one of the control panel's video monitors and zoomed in on the ship. "That ship is the Flaming Justice." He studied the monitor for a few more seconds before adding, "It looks nearly destroyed. It must have suffered heavy damage on its latest mission." No one took much interest in Barak's words. They all struggled to control their growing discomfort as they counted the minutes until they would land. Finally, just as Barak was about to enter Yolkus' atmosphere, he spoke once more. "I am going to initiate communications with the control tower," he calmly told the humans. "Please make no sound. They cannot know that you are aboard." Everyone nodded as Barak activated the ship's communications device. "This is Barak Neroma of the Royal Research Fleet. I am bringing the Inquisitor in for a landing in the Royal Docking Bay. Request immediate clearance." A short pause filled the ship before the radio crackled back to life. "This is Commander Viser of Royal Control. Is the package onboard, Neroma?" Every human onboard the ship froze at the Yolkian's words, but all managed to keep from speaking. "The package is onboard. Repeat, the package is onboard. Requesting immediate clearance to land," Barak repeated.

There was another short pause before the radio spoke once more. "You are cleared for landing, Neroma. Begin your descent." As soon as Barak flicked the switch off, Nick aimed his rifle at the Yolkian. This time not even Jimmy tried to stop him. "What the hell is the package?" he seethed. Barak blinked angrily. "The package refers to the data on your planet's defenses. It is why Veras sent me to your planet," he angrily explained. He glared at Nick and added, "We are moments away from our assault. Human, it is time for you to decide. Do you trust me or not?" Nick gritted his teeth and stared at Jimmy, who stared back at him before nodding. Nick lowered his weapon and met Barak's stare. "If you betray us in any way, I will kill you." Barak scowled but otherwise ignored Nick's threat. "Everyone ready yourselves," Barak said as the ship began to rapidly descend towards the planet's surface. Everyone grabbed their weapons and turned the safeties off while heading towards the ship's hatch. "I have faith in you all. Once we land, clear the dock and proceed on your paths." The sound of wind blasting over the ship was a shock after days of flying in silence. Everyone grabbed hold of something as the noise became deafening and the angle of descent steepened. "This is it, everybody!" Jimmy shouted. He saw the capital city beneath him rapidly rise up towards the ship. "Stick with your team and find cover as soon as you can!" Nick shouted. "Watch each other's backs! And good luck!" Everyone's grip tightened as the shuttle leveled out. They could see the docking bays in front of them. Everyone took one last deep breath as the ship descended. "Humans, it has been an honor," Barak said while flipping several switches. Everyone held their breath as the exit hatch slowly opened to reveal the docking bay. Then, as one, they all exhaled and jumped out of the ship. The assault had begun

Chapter 15: Mission Accomplished

For the most fleeting of moments, the nine humans focused entirely on taking in their surroundings. Everyone's eyes darted rapidly in every direction as they took in all the information they could. They were standing on what appeared to be a large metallic square hovering in the air. On either side rested a docking bay similar to the one they were on. Each was connected by a short bridge. Behind them, a crooked pathway led to a building that rose hundreds of meters into the air. Instead of a door, the only entrance was a lone elevator. In front of them was a straight path that led to a large circular park slightly more than a hundred meters away.

Then they spotted the four Yolkians staring at their ship. Their somewhat bored expressions rapidly morphed into ones of fear and disbelief as they registered that humans were standing in front of them. The nine humans glared at the Yolkians. "They're mine!" Cindy and Miranda both shouted. Miranda unsheathed her kukri and Cindy extended her spear. The other seven children aimed their various guns, prepared to offer assistance if needed. Dispatching the shocked dock workers took only seconds. A slash of Miranda's kukri disabled one of the aliens. She immediately twisted the blade around and shoved it behind her, stabbing the second creature in its brain. Before it had even died, she yanked the weapon out of its body, spun back around, and thrust the point of the blade in between the fallen Yolkian's eye stalks. Cindy slammed her spear into her first target's control panel and saw the creature flail wildly while it was electrocuted. She turned to her next target and saw it reaching for a plasma pistol. Leaving her spear behind, she tackled the one remaining Yolkian to the ground. Lying on top of its shell, she pulled out her own pistol and fired a round into the alien's control panel. As the alien's mechanical arms twitched offline, she jumped to her feet, placed her right foot on top of the Yolkian's shell, and shoved it over the docking bay's edge towards its death. Barak exited the shuttle holding a pistol in each hand just as Cindy yanked her spear out of the now deceased Yolkian. He narrowed his eyes at the bloodshed, but did not speak a word. Nick gave the two girls a nod of approval and looked over his shoulder. "Barak, Libby, Carl, get to that tower. Everyone else, on me!" Sheen and Libby looked into each other's eyes before the two groups spun around and ran in opposite directions. Jimmy found himself at the rear of the pack of seven children. He immediately realized that it had been a wise choice to carry an extra pistol instead of a heavier rifle or shotgun. He wasn't as strong as the others, and it was hard enough for him to keep up with most of his friends with just the pistol in his hands. "Yolkians," Nick seethed while sliding to a halt. Ten of the creatures glared at them from the entrance of the park, eyes narrowed in hatred. "Destroy the infestation!" one of the aliens shouted to its comrades. It flicked its wrist downwards, and a sizzling electric spear extended three feet. The nine other soldiers did the same and charged towards the humans. "Aim and fire!" Nick shouted. Ike, Sheen, Cindy, Jimmy, Betty, and Nick dropped to one knee, took aim, and fired at the approaching wall of soldiers. Miranda tossed her kukri into her left hand and grabbed a throwing knife off of her belt with her right. She cocked her arm back, narrowed her eyes, and threw her weapon as hard as she could. Yolkian after Yolkian fell as bullets tore through their control panels. Miranda's blade stuck firmly inside one creature, which dropped to the ground and slowly rolled several feet forward.

By the time the gap between the two species had lessened to ten feet, only one Yolkian was still charging. Its glass shell was cracked open and it was missing an eye. Cindy and Miranda glanced at each other, and Miranda let a smile flicker across her lips. "You go high," she said while charging forward. All of her fear and doubt had vanished as soon as she stepped onto the battlefield. This was the one place where she knew she belonged. Cindy and Miranda ran towards the injured alien. Miranda slid along the ground, slamming her kukri into the creature's control panel. Cindy spun to her right, dodged the alien's spear, and shoved her spear deep into the alien's brain as its control panel died. Both girls yanked their weapons out of the alien and set off on a dead run. Their five friends followed mere feet behind them. The seven children entered the park and quickly scanned their surroundings. Impossibly green grass filled the entire area, which Jimmy quickly guessed was two hundred yards across. Purple trees littered the landscape. An ornate fountain spewed water into the air, which collected inside a large pool. Small metallic buildings littered the landscape. Each had a large rectangular hole in the middle of one wall, and it wasn't difficult to surmise that they were food stalls. And in every direction, dozens of Yolkians hovered about in confusion. "Take them down and get in cover in the fountain!" Nick shouted while aiming at the nearest alien ten yards away. Two shots in its control panel put the creature down. The group moved slowly towards the center of the park. Most of the Yolkians in the park were civilians or council members, neither of which proved very threatening. Most of the creatures ran and tried to hide. The few that carried spears proved woefully inept at using them. Jimmy fired a shot into a Yolkian and watched the highly decorated shell clatter to the ground. The green creature inside seemed to be struggling with all of its strength to move, but it was useless. It was trapped inside the destroyed shell. Just then, Jimmy noticed Miranda ten yards to his right. She was yanking her kukri out of a fallen alien's brain and turning towards her next targets. For a moment, Jimmy wondered why the trio of Yolkians nearest Miranda was so small. Then it hit him. "Miranda, stop!" Jimmy ran faster than he knew he could. He gritted his teeth in desperation as her kukri slashed against the first child's glass visor. The creature wobbled, lost its balance, and fell to the ground. Its shell tipped over, and its small green body flowed across the ground. Jimmy realized Miranda was deafened by her fury and saw only one way to save the Yolkian. He jumped at Miranda and slammed her into the ground. Miranda and Jimmy rolled several feet before Miranda kicked him off of her. She pulled back her arm and prepared to stab Jimmy through the brain when her face fell as she realized he was a human. A scowl quickly replaced her concern as she yelled, "What the hell was that?"

"They're kids!" Jimmy shouted while pointing at the Yolkians she had just attacked. The one with the ruined shell was slowly crawling across the ground, while the other two were trembling in fear. Miranda's face fell a second time, and she hesitated for two seconds before pulling out her pistol. She took aim at each Yolkian's control panel and fired two shots into each. "That doesn't kill them, right?" she shouted at Jimmy. Jimmy nodded at her logic. Shooting their shells seemed to cause the Yolkians no harm, but it took them out of the fight. Jimmy quickly looked around and saw that there were no hostiles left near him or his spread out group of friends. Jimmy and Miranda sprinted towards the fountain and slid to a stop behind its low wall. Everyone arrived with seconds of each other and took cover beside each other. "Anyone hit?" Nick asked while reloading his rifle. Everyone shook their heads and breathed deeply. "Then it's time we" "Attention Royal Squadrons Alpha through Omega," Veras' calm voice emanated from all around. "Human hostiles have invaded the planet. Rally at the gunship repository and proceed to the council chambers for defensive action." A second passed, and Barak's calm voice spoke through everyone's headsets. "That is good news, humans. Veras has ordered several squads to protect the council. That means there are fewer soldiers for you to engage." "Libby, how are you guys doing?" Cindy quickly asked. "We've reached the elevator," Libby's voice answered. "We're good so far. You guys?" "Halfway through the park," Cindy answered. "Hit 'em hard," Libby shot back. Everyone heard her microphone click off after several seconds. Nick and Jimmy popped their heads over the fountain's wall and looked around. There were no mobile Yolkians left in the park, and the entire area was completely silent. "This is weird," Nick whispered. "It's almost too quiet," Ike agreed. A second passed and then Nick ducked back down and stared at his friends. "This is where we split up," he told them, racing through his words. "Miranda, Jimmy, with me. Everyone else?" He gave Ike, Sheen, Cindy, and Betty a quick glance. "Give them hell. We'll see you at the elevator." Everyone nodded and jumped to their feet before heading in three different directions.

Libby, Carl, and Barak stared at each other as the elevator rocketed into the air. Libby and Carl slammed into the walls; caught off-guard by the rapid ascension. Barak merely stared curiously at them before glancing at the elevator's door. "There will be a security detail several yards in front of the elevator," he calmly instructed his allies. "Female, take the Yolkians on the left. I shall target the right." Libby stared at Barak curiously. "You sure you can handle it? Do you know how to use those?" she asked while glancing at his pistols. "They are strange, but I understand the mechanics of them. Fear not, human." "And me?" Carl quietly asked while struggling to get a good grip on his shotgun. "Stay alive," Barak whispered as the doors slid open. A three-foot high wall extended across the center of the room ten feet in front of the elevator. A thick glass window extended from the top of this wall to the ceiling. The only way to move past this barrier was through a small entryway in the middle of the wall, although a shimmering force field was currently blocking access. Two Yolkian guards stood behind the walls clutching spears. Barak and Libby opened fire through the glass windows. Both enemies fell to the ground, their spears falling from their grasp and rolling across the floor. "Poor design," Barak said while cocking his shell and staring at the force field. He slammed his weapons against the weakened glass windows and shattered them, creating a hole large enough for him to hover through. Libby studied the control room as Barak began to hack the force field. It was about as large as the cafeteria at school. At the far end stood a gigantic glass window that looked out over the entire battlefield. In front of it rested a computer panel that contained a myriad of buttons, monitors, and switches. Each side wall held a large metallic door. Libby watched as a trio of Yolkian guards came out of the door on her left. "Annihilate the heretic!" one of the Yolkians shouted while pulling a sizzling dagger out of its sheath. "Barak, watch out!" Libby shouted while aiming her rifle at the aliens. She fired seven rounds and knocked two of the creatures to the ground. The third charged towards Barak, and Carl managed to aim his shotgun at the creature. Carl narrowed his eyes and squeezed the trigger. The gun shot backwards in his hands, and the Yolkian's shell exploded in shards of glass and computer components. Barak fell to the ground and covered his glass visor with his hands. Carl stumbled several feet backwards and slammed into the wall behind him.

Libby stared at Carl with a proud smile. "Nice shot, Carl!" Carl shook away his disorientation and stared at the Yolkian slowly crawling across the floor. "They're kind of cute when they're not in the shell," he said with a tilt of his head. "The force field is down," Barak said while tapping one last button. The glimmering door shimmered away, and Carl and Libby strolled into the main area of the control tower. "Barak, get on that computer and do your thing," Libby said while staring at the crawling Yolkian beneath her. "You shall pay for your actions with your life!" the creature snarled up at Libby. Libby frowned at the creature and pulled out the knife sheathed on her hip. "Is that so?" Barak spun around and widened his eyes in fright. "Female, do not kill it!" Libby stared angrily at Barak before sheathing her knife. "You're lucky," she growled while yanking the Yolkian into the air by its eyestalks and throwing it as far from her as she could. "Carl, let's make sure these rooms are clear," she said while looking down the sights of her rifle and investigating the room that the three soldiers had appeared from. Barak sighed heavily as he took his place at the control tower's computer panel. He began to press several buttons, but immediately stopped as he noticed a scrolling line of text on one of the video monitors. He immediately tapped the microphone attached to his shell and shouted, "Humans! Find cover!"

Jimmy, Miranda, and Nick had reached the park's northern exit when they heard Barak's words. The park had been gradually narrowing for some time and had just reached a bottleneck that was three feet wide. As Barak yelled at them, they immediately took action. Jimmy and Nick took cover on the wall to their left, while Miranda hid behind the right wall. "What is he" Nick began to ask, but a volley of plasma bolts interrupted his question. Everyone watched in amazement as they spiraled past where they had just been standing before slamming into the fountain far behind them. "Barak?" Jimmy nervously asked. "Secondary combat protocols have been enacted," Barak quickly explained. "Use of ranged weapons is now permitted." There was a slight pause before Barak added, "We have secured the tower. Be sure to remain in cover. The plasma is deadly. May luck be with you."

Nick peeked out of cover and saw five soldiers twenty meters in front of him. By that point the pathway had widened slightly and grass no longer lined the ground. The soldiers stood in front of the entrance to what Nick assumed was the shopping center that Barak had told them about. "Take a few shots and then pull back!" Nick said while dropping to his knees. He leaned out of cover and fired three shots from his rifle, sending one Yolkian crashing to the floor. Miranda did the same and managed to shatter another Yolkian's glass visor with her pistol. Jimmy stood over Nick and prepared to emulate his friend's actions, but Nick pulled his arm. "Wait," he sternly said. Several more plasma bolts raced down the pathway, causing the air to sizzle in front of the humans. "Now!" Nick shouted. The three kids unleashed a torrent of rounds, knocked three more Yolkian's down, and pulled back behind their walls as more plasma raced by. "One left," Miranda angrily said while squeezing her pistol and kneeling down like Nick. She took a deep breath before peeking out of cover and firing three shots. A plasma bolt hit the wall a foot above her head and ate away at the metal. She ejected her pistol's nearly empty magazine and slammed in another as her target crashed onto the ground. "Let's move," she snarled while jogging towards the lounge's entrance.

Cindy and Betty ran as fast as they could through the park's eastern exit. The grass beneath their feet was gradually replaced with ceramic tiling. Both girls came to a halt on either side of a door to a large building. "Barak, we've reached a building? What's inside?" Betty asked while catching her breath. A few seconds passed, and Barak answered, "A warehouse of sorts. It has an exit at the other end. Most of the Yolkians inside should be dock workers, but be careful. The building after the warehouse is a security station, so there are soldiers nearby. Move cautiously, females." Betty gave a tiny smile at the concern in his voice. "We will be. Thanks, Barak." Cindy cracked her neck and retracted her spear before sliding it into her pocket. She pulled out one of her pistols and held it out in front of her. "On three I open the door. Take out the ones on your side," Cindy instructed Betty. "Ready," Betty said while readying her carbine. "One, two, three!" Cindy shouted while slamming her fist against the door's button. The door slid upwards, and both girls peeked out of the doorframe and aimed their weapons.

Dozens of rows of metal boxes and crates of various sizes shot out of the warehouse's side walls. These rows were spaced several yards apart from each other, and they left a center aisle five yards wide in the middle of the warehouse. Cindy and Betty immediately realized that this design offered perfect cover and rushed to the first rows of boxes. They stared across the main aisle at each other and nodded. Betty and Cindy peeked over their cover, rested their weapons on the boxes in front of them, and opened fire on the frenzied dock workers. Five Yolkians dropped to the floor, their shells spitting out sparks and their mechanical arms twitching wildly. "Nice shots," Cindy said while reloading her pistol. "Same for you," Betty agreed. "Move up?" she asked while scanning for more hostiles. "Row by row," Cindy said while placing one arm on the box in front of her. She vaulted herself over, landed on her feet, and was immediately shoved to the ground. The Yolkian hovered over her before slamming its shell straight down onto her waist. She wheezed in pain and lost all of the air in her lungs. She rapidly realized the only lucky thing about her situation was that the Yolkian was a dock worker, not a soldier. This meant that it was unarmed. "Human!" the creature madly snarled while wrapping its cold hands around her throat and squeezing hard. Cindy's eyes popped open as she wondered if the Yolkian had the strength to snap her neck in half. She struggled to move, but the Yolkian was pinning her body to the floor with its shell. She only managed to lift her neck off of the ground and stare the crazed alien in the eyes. Cindy was just about to black out when she heard Betty's terrified voice shout out, "Cindy! Drop your head!" Cindy immediately let her head collapse to the ground. The Yolkian fell forward slightly, and Cindy watched as one of its eyes exploded. "Arg!" the Yolkian screamed in pain while releasing Cindy's neck and hovering backwards. Another bullet slammed into the creature's control panel and sent it crashing to the floor. Cindy coughed violently and felt as though her neck was on fire. She heard footsteps and saw Betty jump over her collapsed body, land beside the Yolkian, and empty three more rounds into the alien's control panel. "You okay?" she worriedly asked while kneeling to the ground and offering Cindy her hand. Cindy kept coughing but managed to nod while weakly lifting up her left hand. Betty hoisted her to her feet before shoving her hard against the boxes to her left. Betty aimed her rifle, fired two more rounds, and took out a charging Yolkian a mere three feet from away. "We have to get out

of this place," she nervously muttered. She stared at the rows of boxes and added, "They could be anywhere in here." Cindy nodded and grabbed her pistol off of the floor. "Run for it?" she quietly asked while rubbing her neck. Betty nodded back and ran towards the main aisle. Cindy was right behind her. They stopped in the center of the warehouse, faced the far exit, and ran as fast as they could towards it. Cindy watched the right side of the warehouse while Betty took the left. Some spaces between rows of boxes held nothing, whereas others held a cowering Yolkian or two. Betty and Cindy managed to disable the majority of the enemies they faced, but they knew that they hadn't gotten them all when they slammed into the exit door. "Get it open!" Betty shouted while kneeling down and scanning the room with her rifle. She slowed her breathing and forced her hands to remain steady while scowling. Cindy stared at the door and swore under her breath as she realized that it didn't have a simple button like the other entrance. Instead, a number pad rested on the wall beside it. "It's locked!" she angrily told Betty. "Then unlock it!" Betty screamed as two Yolkians burst out of a side aisle three rows ahead of her. One of them chucked a spear at Betty, but it missed her by two feet. Betty wondered how she and Cindy were going to fare against actual soldiers while taking the two creatures down. Cindy studied the number pad for several seconds and tried to decipher which buttons would open the door. Then she remembered Barak. She pressed the button on her headset and shouted, "Barak? How do I open the door?" Two seconds passed, and then Barak asked, "Which door?" "The one in the warehouse!" Betty screamed at the top of her lungs while taking down another dock worker. "Is there a number pad?" Barak calmly asked. "Yes!" Cindy shouted. "What's the code?" "One moment," Barak said. Suddenly, a Yolkian burst out of the left aisle nearest Betty and tackled her to the ground. Her rifle clattered to the floor and slid towards Cindy. The alien unsheathed a blade that seemed to be made of shimmering energy. Only a quick shot from Cindy's pistol kept it from slamming the weapon into Betty's throat. "Three, Seven, Four, Nine," Barak hurriedly told Cindy.

Cindy punched in the numbers, and the door slid open to reveal three soldiers wielding plasma pistols. "Cover!" She cried to Betty while ducking behind the doorway. Betty immediately rolled to her side just in time to see three plasma bolts eat away at the floor where she had just been lying. "Here!" Cindy said while grabbing Betty's rifle and tossing it to her. Both girls stuck only their guns out of cover and emptied their clips. They heard the Yolkians groan and made out the sounds of their shells hitting the floor. Cindy peeked her head out of cover and saw that they had taken out the soldiers. "Come on," she said while getting to her feet and aiming her pistol straight ahead. "Right behind you," Betty said while reloading her rifle and following Cindy's lead.

Sheen and Ike ran as fast as they could down the western park exit. It wasn't long before the path steeply shot up at a forty-five degree angle. "Stay sharp," Ike told Sheen while aiming his rifle ahead of him. "They've got the advantage until we reach the top." "Okay," Sheen agreed while bringing his rifle up to his eyes. He placed the stock against his shoulder and took in his surroundings. To his relief, the entire pathway was littered with pieces of cover. The right hand side of the path had four-foot high booths every few dozen yards, the middle had three-foot high islands with trees planted in them, and the left hand side had tall, narrow boxes that reminded Sheen of the storage units in the Inquisitor's supply chamber. Ike and Sheen moved from cover to cover as quickly as they could. After twenty seconds of not spotting any Yolkians, Sheen studied one of the booths on the right-hand side of the path. Inside sat what looked like a very advanced computer. "Looks like a computer booth," Ike said while following Sheen's gaze. Sheen was about to respond when he spotted five Yolkians twenty meters ahead of him. "Yolkians!" he shouted while ducking behind the booth. Ike growled in anger while jumping onto his stomach and taking cover behind one of the islands in the center of the path. He felt plasma bolts sizzle the air directly above his head and felt his scalp heat up. He scowled as he realized that the Yolkian's elevated positions nearly negated his cover.

"We've got to get higher!" Ike screamed while pressing himself lower to the ground. Sheen gulped and saw a green plasma bolt fly half a foot from the edge of his booth. He saw that Ike was in a much worse spot and nervously nodded to himself. "I'll cover you!" Sheen shouted while kneeling down and taking a shaky breath. "Now!" Sheen popped out of cover and fired three rounds at the Yolkian farthest to his left. The alien collapsed on the ground and began to roll down the hill. Sheen pulled back into cover just in time to avoid a flurry of plasma bolts. Ike took this brief opportunity to scramble to his feet and hid behind the narrow storage compartment. He took aim at the nearest Yolkian and dropped it to the ground. Ike and Sheen shared a terrified glance. They were still outnumbered by a fierce force with a better position. Ike took a series of rapid breaths and turned on his headset, not wishing to scream across the path at Sheen. "You think we're trapped?" "Yeah," Sheen nervously answered as more plasma flew by him. Ike gulped and quickly said, "We'll take a chance and charge them. They won't expect it." Sheen contemplated this before nodding. "Okay." Ike nodded back and gripped his weapon tight. "Stay low and run quick. It's our best chance." "On three," Sheen said while crouching down. "One, two" Ike began. "Three!" Sheen shouted while racing out of cover and charging up the hill. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ike do the same. Both young men ran towards the Yolkians while firing. The Yolkians seemed surprised by this move and for a split second kept shooting at where the humans had been hiding. This gave Sheen and Ike just enough time to take the aliens down. "Don't stop!" Ike shouted while racing past his fallen enemies. He knew they had to get to the high ground and fast.

Miranda narrowed her eyes and growled in animalistic fury while tossing her knife at a fleeing Yolkian twenty yards away. She made sure to lead her target and smiled in satisfaction as it slammed into the creature's control panel. The alien crashed onto the ground and skidded behind a small food stand.

"Cover!" Nick shouted while jumping behind a row of chairs and shoving his back against it. He heard the now familiar sound of plasma washing over his head and leaned the back of head against the chairs. "This is getting tough." Jimmy heard Nick's remark and silently agreed while grabbing Miranda's arm and pulling her to the ground just as a plasma bolt flew by where her head had been. She and Jimmy scrambled behind a wall ten meters to Nick's right. The plaza was a chaotic mess. Yolkian civilians, still not understanding exactly what was happening, were running all over the place, occasionally actually knocking into the humans. "They're getting smarter," Miranda shouted to Nick. "You're right," Nick agreed. More and more of the Yolkian soldiers had begun to use plasma pistols instead of spears, and they were starting to use cover instead of standing in the open. "They're fighting less honorably," Jimmy agreed while reloading his pistol and biting his lip. "They must be viewing us as higher priority targets." The three humans shared a nervous look before popping out of cover to fire their weapons. Two more Yolkians fell to the ground. "Where do they keep coming from?" Nick angrily shouted while reloading his rifle. Jimmy had no idea. They'd taken out at least a dozen of the soldiers, but more just kept coming. "I have no idea, but we can't stay here forever!" "Neutron," Barak's voice spoke through his headset, "I am viewing reports of heavy fighting in the plaza. Is all well?" Miranda clenched her teeth and turned on her headset. "No, it's not well!" "We're pinned down," Jimmy clarified while pointing his gun over his head and firing blindly. "We could use some help." A second passed, and Barak slowly responded. "Neutron, this may seem foolish, but can your species capable of night vision?" Nick slammed his fist into the row of chairs in frustration. "No! Why the hell are you asking?" "I can disable the lighting in the plaza from here," Barak quickly answered. "That should disorient the soldiers, but I was unsure of the limits of your visibility. If you could see in darkness, that would be an advantage." Nick scooted several feet to his right, popped out from the side of his cover, and fired four shots, taking down another soldier. "Well next time we'll bring freaking Chowder along with us!" he screamed.

Jimmy tapped Miranda's shoulder and motioned to an island of trees several feet to their left. She nodded, and they both dove across the open space before slamming into the ground behind their new cover. Jimmy tapped his headset and said, "If you kill the lights, we can make a run for it. What's past this plaza again?" "A straight pathway to the elevator," Barak immediately answered. "You are nearly there." Jimmy looked up at the lounge's ceiling and felt the sweat pour down his face. "James, you have a plan?" Miranda asked while grabbing one of her throwing knives. She popped out of cover, took a split second to spot a soldier, and hurled the weapon at its control panel. Jimmy took in a deep breath before nodding. "We just run for it," he said in exasperation. "Move as fast as we can and get the heck out of this plaza." A second passed, and Nick added, "Works for me. This area's too big. We need to get in a narrow space where we can pick them off easier." "On three?" Miranda asked. Jimmy nodded. "Take a look and make sure you know where the exit is." Everyone quickly poked their heads out of cover and saw that the exit to the plaza was roughly thirty yards straight ahead. "Got it," Nick said. "I see it too," Miranda added while grabbing her pistol with her left hand and her kukri with her right. "Barak, kill the lights. We move on three," he said. "Onetwo" Jimmy began, and the lights immediately died out. "Three!" Nick, Jimmy, and Miranda appeared out form the sides of their cover and ran as fast as they could. The only light came from stray plasma bolts which passed by them. Miranda bumped into a Yolkian soldier and slashed wildly with her kukri. Nick desperately fired shots as wherever he thought the plasma bolts came from. Jimmy slammed into the plaza's wall and fell onto the ground; having misjudged the distance until he reached the door. Nick came to a stop beside Jimmy, slammed his fist on the door's button, and squinted as bright sunlight streamed into the plaza. He moved backwards through the door and emptied his magazine at all the Yolkians he could spot in the plaza. Miranda was right behind him, dragging Jimmy along the ground. As soon as they had exited the door, Nick closed it behind them. Miranda hoisted him to his feet as they stared at the long straight path ahead of them. There were no Yolkians in sight, but three hundred meters away stood a thin building shooting four hundred meters into the air.

"That's it," Nick managed to whisper in between breaths. "We're almost there." Miranda stared Nick in the eyes and pointed at the door they had just come out of. "I'll stay and watch your backs. Otherwise we could get hit from both sides." "What?" Jimmy asked while shaking his head. Miranda scowled at him. "Get to the elevator. I'll meet you there with the others. Go!" she shouted while opening the door and running back inside. Jimmy tried to run after her, but Nick grabbed his arm and led him towards the royal chambers. "She can handle herself," he nervously said. "We have to keep moving!"

Cindy and Betty burst into the small security station guns blazing. Half a dozen Yolkian soldiers stood near the right wall, grabbing plasma weapons out of a large storage locker. They all fell before they could take aim at the humans. Betty swiveled to her left and shot the panels of three charging Yolkians, stopping the third a second before it would have slammed a knife into her heart. Cindy noticed a Yolkian barreling towards her and aimed her pistol. She pulled the trigger but heard no gunshot. She realized she was out of bullets and narrowly managed to dodge the Yolkian's spear. She ripped her own spear out of her pocket and pressed the four buttons need to extend it. She saw that Betty was mopping up the remaining Yolkians and prepared to engage her own target. The Yolkian scowled but made no sound as it spun around and thrust its spear forward. Cindy used her spear to parry the blow and slid underneath the creature. The Yolkian slammed its spear down a second too late and left a scorch mark on the polished floor. Cindy shoved herself to her feet and thrust her spear forward, but the Yolkian hovered to the side and pulled a dagger out of its sheath with its free hand. It threw the knife at Cindy, who barely managed to duck below the spinning blade. Cindy roared in anger and charged forward. She sidestepped the Yolkian's vertical slash and managed to shove her own spear into the creature's brain. Cindy took no time to savor her victory. She whipped out her spare pistol and shot the only remaining Yolkian, who was cocking its arm to throw a dagger into an unaware Betty's back. Cindy hit the creature in the nick of time and sighed in relief as the dagger dropped harmlessly to the floor. "We clear?" Betty shouted while unholstering a pistol and aiming it around the room. "Clear," Cindy said in between desperate breaths. She leaned against the wall of the security office and pulled her water bottle out of her pocket. She gulped half the bottle down and tossed the rest to Betty, who immediately finished it off.

"Barak, we cleared out the security office," Betty panted. "How much farther?" "You're nearly halfway there," Barak immediately answered. "Do not take the path to the west. That leads to a small prison. Go north instead. That path will angle east after a short time and rise sharply. The elevator is right after that. Move quickly." Betty and Cindy shared a glance before reloading their weapons. "Ready?" Betty asked. "No," Cindy tiredly said, but she pushed herself off of the wall and headed towards the security office's exit.

"The elevator's coming back up!" Carl nervously shouted while pointing towards the far end of the control tower. Libby followed his gaze and realized she could hear the car groan as it ascended. "Get ready," she instructed Carl while taking cover behind the low wall. Carl followed her and aimed his shotgun at the elevator. The door opened to reveal six soldiers. Libby and Carl filled the car with lead and managed to disable four of the soldiers before they had exited the elevator. "Barak!" Libby desperately shouted while slamming her body to the ground as plasma flew over her head. She knew she was in trouble. The Yolkians were advancing quickly and would hover over her in a matter of seconds. She saw that Carl was lying on the ground as well, and then realized that Barak was no longer at the computer panel. She saw him race out of the second room in the control tower carrying what looked like a large rifle. "Remain low!" Barak shouted while firing the weapon at the two remaining soldiers. A brilliant blue orb of light attached to each of the hostiles, rapidly shrunk, and then the soldiers exploded into shards of glass and globs of green goo. "Holy shit," Libby muttered in disbelief while slowly getting to her feet. Barak eyed her and gave a tiny smile. "Did I neglect to mention that armaments are stored in that room?"

Nick and Jimmy hunkered down behind an island with trees jutting out. Nick stared at the trees in disbelief and asked, "What the heck is up with all of these plants?" "Don't complain," Jimmy snapped while glancing back at the plaza behind him. He tapped his headset and nervously asked, "Miranda? Are you okay?" Jimmy heard a pained grunt and the crashing of a Yolkian shell onto a floor. "Holding them off," she groaned back. "Just keep moving, James!" After a few seconds her headset turned off.

"She was right," Nick hurriedly said. "We need them off of our backs. Let's get to that elevator!" he shouted jumping on top of the island and racing ahead. Jimmy followed suit and four Yolkians came barreling towards them, spears in hand. Nick and Jimmy found it easy to dispatch them and thought their troubles were over when a thin laser beam flashed several inches over Jimmy's head. "Sniper!" Nick immediately shouted while diving behind a computer booth. Jimmy took cover behind a four-foot high stone block on the opposite side of the path. He glanced upwards and saw that a sculpture of an old Yolkian king rested on top of the block. Barak's voice immediately pierced their headsets. "Did you notice a flash of pink light?" "Yes," Jimmy answered. "You are now considered targets of the highest priority," Barak spoke in concern. "Well great for us," Nick angrily shot back. "Advice?" A moment passed, and Barak said, "The sniper rifle in question cannot fire two shots in rapid succession without explosively overheating. Draw the sniper's fire and quickly eliminate it." "I've got a better idea," Nick told Jimmy while giving him a weary smile. "Sheen, up for some target practice?"

Sheen slid into cover behind a small food kiosk as he heard Nick's question. "Where's the sniper?" Sheen quickly asked while popping out of cover to disable two more Yolkians. There was a long pause on the other end. "Nick?" Sheen worriedly asked. "It's got to be on top of the main tower," Jimmy quickly answered. "He's right," Nick agreed. "The shot came from high up. Can you get a shot?" Sheen slowly exhaled and looked at Ike, who was in cover at the other end of the plaza and reloading. "Can you cover me?" Sheen shouted. "Hang on!" Ike shouted back while slamming his magazine in. He popped out of cover and began taking out Yolkians as they came into view. "I've got this! Get the sniper!" Sheen dropped to one knee and located the top of the main tower. He took in several slow, deep breaths while finding his target. It was easily a half kilometer away. Sheen had never engaged a target at such a long range. "You can do this," Sheen whispered while steadying his hands and placing the center of his scope on the Yolkian's control panel.

Sheen saw the sniper fire another round, and Nick's headset crackled to life. "Sheen, it nearly got us! Hit it now!" "I do so relish these times of peril," he whispered while squeezing the trigger. The bullet traversed across the battlefield and slammed into the Yolkian's glass visor, knocking it off balance. "Damn it!" Sheen seethed as he struggled to line up another shot. Jimmy's voice shouted through his headset. "Sheen, we've got soldiers pinning us down. We need that sniper taken care of!" Sheen exhaled one last time and pulled the trigger. He saw the Yolkian's arms drop its weapon and tumble over the edge of the tower. "Done," he whispered while getting to his feet and following Ike farther down the path.

Miranda breathed deeply and ducked back behind cover. She yanked one of her last three knives free from her belt, steadied her shaking hand, and popped out of cover. She threw the knife as hard as she could and mumbled, "Shit," as the handle bounced off of the Yolkian's visor. She grabbed her pistol, took aim, and eliminated the Yolkian. Before she could pull back into cover she heard the unmistakable sound of a Yolkian's shell hovering beside her. Instinct took over, and she threw herself to the side seconds before the creature's spear slammed into the wall she had just hidden behind. She unloaded three rounds in the alien, grabbed its spear, and threw it ten yards into a Yolkian barreling towards her clutching an energy dagger. Miranda slowly made her way behind an information kiosk and reloaded her pistol before turning her headset on. "Ican't hold them off much longer," she whispered in between gasps. "Get to the elevator." She shoved her pistol back into her holster and leaned against the kiosk. "Miranda, we're nearly there!" Jimmy's worried voice shouted back. "Get out of that plaza and join us!" Miranda sighed as she saw five more Yolkians barrel into the plaza. She unsheathed her kukri with one hand and grabbed a throwing knife with the other. She waited until her headset had clicked off before whispering, "Not yet," and charging out of cover.

Betty and Cindy jogged away from the security station and saw that a long flat pathway led to a sharp incline farther down. "It's clear," Cindy said in relief. She holstered her pistol and pulled out her spear. "Thank God," Betty whispered back while readjusting her grip on her rifle. Just before they reached the start of the incline, four Yolkians fell out of the sky and activated their propulsion

systems just before hitting the ground. They landed a mere two yards in front of the two girls and flicked their wrists to reveal four crackling spears. The six warriors stared at each other. "Leave one alive," the lead Yolkian snarled with a menacing smile. "We shall see how long their allies continue to fight when they see us tear out her still beating heart!" The Yolkian charged forward and thrust its spear at Cindy. Cindy threw herself backwards and rolled away from the Yolkians as she hit the ground. She had enough time to whip out her pistol and fire a shot at one of the two aliens approaching her. The bullet cracked its visor and caused it to lose its balance. The other Yolkian smacked the pistol out of her hands with its spear, and the gun was sent flying over the edge of the walkway. Cindy dodged another swing of the Yolkian's spear gripped her own spear with both hands. Tiny bolts of lightning spewed in all directions as the tips of the two weapons slammed together. Cindy gritted her teeth in anger and managed to outmaneuver her foe and slam the spear into its control panel. Satisfied it was disabled; she yanked out the point of her weapon and turned to the second Yolkian to find the staff of its spear slamming into her forehead. Cindy slammed onto the ground hard and groaned in agony. Her forehead was throbbing with an insane intensity that nearly blinded her. She forced herself to roll to her left, narrowly avoiding a downward thrust of her enemy's spear. She forced herself to ignore the pain in her skull and focus on the threat at hand. For Jimmy, her mind weakly whispered as she jumped to her feet. She wobbled a little and stumbled to her left. She crashed down onto an ornate mechanical bench. Just as she thought that she might be done for, a voice filled with nothing but terror snapped her back to reality. "Cindy!" Betty's terrified scream filled Cindy's ears. Never before had she heard the girl she used to hate sound so weak. She snapped her head to the side and saw one of the three remaining Yolkians holding Betty's arms behind her back. A second Yolkian was snarling madly while unsheathing a dagger from its side. Cindy rolled off of the bench and collapsed onto the ground. She felt blood flow from her nose and heard the Yolkian engaging her roar in fury as it slammed its spear down deep into the bench. Cindy weakly took out her one remaining pistol and aimed it at the Yolkian restraining Betty. She knew she and Betty couldn't win this fight on their own, so she used her free hand to activate her headset and said the five words she never could have imagined she'd ever utter. "Sheen, I need your help!" Cindy's gun fired and the bullet slammed through the Yolkian's glass visor before piercing the alien's right eye. The creature released Betty and hovered backwards in shock. Betty immediately jumped to the side and narrowly dodged the dagger being thrust where her heart had been. "Where?" Sheen's desperate voice shouted back as Betty crawled to her feet and pulled a pistol out of its holster.

"Base of hill!" Cindy screamed back before Betty barreled into her, knocking her to the ground. Cindy was confused until she saw her enemy slam a spear into the ground beside her. Cindy's head was spinning as she and Betty crawled backwards. She heard Jimmy's hysterical voice shout, "Cindy!" into her ears. "Are you okay?" he screamed. Betty and Cindy watched in horror as the three Yolkians, one missing an eye, charged at them with their spears held forward. The one on their right suddenly wobbled against its comrades as a hole appeared in its visor. All three Yolkians hesitated and struggled to regain their composure as Cindy watched hole after hole appear in their visors and control panels. Cindy and Betty scrambled further backwards as several bullets missed their mark and slammed into the ground near their feet. The Yolkians collapsed to the ground, and Sheen's voice spoke to her once more. "Hope that helped," he nervously said. "We don't have a view once you climb the hill," Ike told Betty and Cindy. "You're on your own from here on out." "Understood," Betty barely managed to say while wiping a few sweaty strands of hair out of her eyes. "Thank you, Sheen," Cindy wheezed while slowly getting to her feet. "Are you okay?" Jimmy worriedly asked. "We're alive," Cindy quietly answered. Betty and Cindy exchanged a solemn glance before walking towards the four immobilized Yolkians. Cindy gripped her spear tight while Betty withdrew the knife sheathed on her hip. Both girls slammed their weapons into the creatures' brains.

Nick and Jimmy ran faster than either of them ever had. Every muscle in their bodies was burning from exertion, but they could see their target. The tower that contained Veras' royal chambers was a mere fifty yards ahead of them. The only entrance was a large elevator. Its doors were a flawlessly polished gold designed with beautiful pictures that neither boy had time to appreciate. Ten yards in front of the elevator rested a large fountain surround by a circular pool. Unlike the one in the park, this fountain was made completely of stone and spewed out a purple liquid instead of water. The pool that collected the fountain's water had a wall three feet high, perfect for the humans to hide behind if necessary. The purple liquid was only a few inches deep.

As Jimmy and Nick approached the fountain, they saw that there were two pathways on their left and right. Sheen, Nick, Betty, and Cindy would hopefully be coming up these paths soon. Jimmy and Nick nearly collapsed against the elevator's doors in exhaustion. Nick spotting a lone button on the wall beside him and slammed his fist into it. Both boys waited several seconds, but the doors didn't slide open. "Barak!" Nick tried to shout, but he barely had the breath to speak. "The elevator's not opening!" "One moment," Barak answered back. "Now!" Nick seethed. Ten seconds passed, and Barak finally answered, "The elevator has been recalled to the top of the tower and has been locked down." "So we're screwed?" Nick desperately asked. "No," Barak calmly answered. A few seconds passed, and Nick and Jimmy heard the elevator come to life. "I have overridden the lockdown. It will take four minutes for the elevator to descend." Nick and Jimmy stared at each other. "We'll have to wait," Jimmy sadly stated. There was no alternative. "In the fountain," Nick said while breathing deeply. "We'll need cover." Both boys jumped in the fountain as Barak spoke once more. "Our job in the tower is done. We shall attach the propulsion systems and meet you at the elevator. May luck be with you," Barak said. Nick ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair and sighed deeply. He glanced at Jimmy and saw that his friend was equally exhausted. "Jimmy, hold there," Nick said while pointing to an area of the fountain that had a line of sight on the center and right paths. "I'll stay here," he went on while pointing to a spot that offered views on the center and left paths. "Need ammo?" "I'm good," Jimmy breathed while heading to his position and dropping to one knee. He aimed his pistol over the fountain's low wall and saw a lone Yolkian thirty meters away. He took careful aim and dropped the alien. Nick nodded and slowly began to fire his rifle. "Everyone, we've got four minutes until the elevator gets here. Get your asses over here now!"

Libby and Carl followed Barak as the Yolkian entered one of the control tower's rooms. "Take these," he instructed after a moment. Each of his hands held what looked like a large silver belt with two rockets attached to it. "Are these safe?" Carl asked while putting his on. "How do they work?" Libby questioned while tightening hers. Barak pointed at the four buttons on the center of the belt he was putting on. "Activate, increase speed, decrease speed, deactivate," he quickly explained. Libby, Carl, and Barak hurriedly made their way back to the control tower's observation window. Even though they were hundreds of meters in the air, they could still make out the forms of disabled Yolkians and see the damage that the battle had caused. Barak hovered several yards backwards and said, "Take cover, humans." Carl and Libby heeded his words as Barak aimed his explosive rifle at the window and fired two pulses of energy. The glowing orbs rapidly faded away before causing the entire window to shatter. "The steering is intuitive," Barak hurriedly explained. "Merely move your body in the direction you wish to go. Follow me." Barak activated his propulsion system, and in an instant he was barreling out of the window towards the royal tower. Libby and Carl stared at each other before activating their own thrusters. Both children were immediately propelled forward and rocketed through the sky.

"Where the hell is everybody?" Nick shouted as plasma bolts slammed into the fountain's low wall. He fired two more shots and watched another Yolkian crash onto the ground. "I don't know!" Jimmy desperately shouted while taking aim at a soldier staring down the right path away from Jimmy. Jimmy's worried expression rapidly switched to a triumphant smile as he saw the Yolkian fall. He hadn't fired a shot. He activated his headset and shouted, "Sheen!" Sheen and Ike came into his view a second later. Both boys were running for their lives as plasma bolts flew past them. They vaulted over a garden island and took cover behind it before aiming behind them and unleashing a torrent of rounds. They then ran out from their cover and met Jimmy's stare. "Jimmy!" Sheen ecstatically shouted while closing the fifty meter gap between them. Ike smiled as well, and thirty seconds later they vaulted over the fountain's wall and landed on either side of Jimmy. Jimmy and Sheen shared a huge smile before hugging each other. "You made it!" Jimmy shouted in relief while staring into Sheen's tired eyes.

"And so did I!" Ike snarled while aiming down the center pathway and shooting two more Yolkians. His voice dropped as he stared at Nick and Jimmy. "Where's Miranda?" Nick closed his eyes as he ducked back behind cover. "She stayed behind." A few seconds passed, and Ike shouted, "What? Where is she?" His voice was breaking and he looked desperately around the battlefield. He activated his headset and screamed, "Miranda!" Jimmy and Nick shared a solemn glance at no response came. Then, a crackle of static flooded their headsets, and both held a hand to their ears in a desperate attempt to better hear the transmission. Ike smiled in relief as he took aim at a Yolkian in the center path and watched a knife slam into its back. "Miranda!" he triumphantly shouted. Everyone watched in disbelief as the bloody girl limped into view. She paused to yank her knife out of the Yolkian's control panel, smash its glass visor with her foot, and slam her kukri into its exposed brain. She then stared at the fountain and, in spite of herself, smiled. Everyone watched as her hand touched her headset. "Still think you should have left me behind, Neutron?" Jimmy grinned in relief. "Never crossed my mind, Miranda." Several Yolkians raced towards Miranda, but everyone focused their fire and dropped them before they'd fired off a shot. Miranda eventually managed to reach the fountain and tried to jump over the wall, but ended up falling into the pool of liquid. That was when everyone noticed the bloody burn on her left calf. "Ike, Sheen, Nick, keep shooting!" Jimmy shouted while kneeling beside the injured girl. "Miranda, what happened?" Miranda gritted her teeth and pulled herself up so that she could lean against the wall. "One of them" she paused to take a deep breath, "slashed me. I'm fine," she assured Jimmy. "Is she okay?" Ike worriedly shouted over his gunshots. "Kid," Miranda said with a tiny laugh. It was the first time she had done that in years. "You made it." "I had your luck," Ike shot back while reloading his weapon. Jimmy stared at Miranda's leg. It looked terribly painful, but the spear had cauterized the wound and stopped the bleeding. He saw Sheen staring at her injury as well and watched him nod. "You'll be fine," Sheen assured her. "I got one like that before. Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked.

Miranda shot Sheen an icy stare and spat out, "Yeah, it hurts." As worried as Jimmy was for Miranda, his head perked up and he lost his breath as Cindy's voice came over his headset. "We're coming up!" she shouted. Jimmy watched as Cindy came into view on the left path and found himself smiling widely. "Cindy!" he screamed as loud as he could. Cindy and Betty came barreling down the path. Both girls spun around and fired several round at an unseen foe. Jimmy held his breath until several seconds had passed and no plasma rounds were returned. His heart then lit up as Cindy stared at him. He had never seen her look so relieved. "Jimmy!" she screamed while pushing herself even faster. She jumped over the pool's wall and slammed into her boyfriend while wrapping him in the tightest hug she could manage. She yanked him to knees and shoved him behind cover, but she couldn't bring herself to get back in the fight just yet. She grabbed his cheeks and slammed her lips onto his. "You're alive," she whispered while breaking the kiss and staring into his eyes. "We could use your help!" Nick angrily shouted as a plasma bolt whizzed over his shoulder. "We're still mid-battle here!" His words snapped the couple back to reality, and they immediately aimed their pistols over the wall. "How long until the elevator gets here?" Cindy asked while firing her gun and taking out another soldier. "Better question," Ike seethed while cracking his neck and switching to his pistol, "Where the hell do these things keep coming from?" Jimmy ignored Ike's remark and glanced at his watch. "Sixty seconds," he said. "More hostiles on right!" Sheen shouted while tossing his empty rifle into the pool and grabbing his shotgun off of his back. He took aim and knocked two of the aliens down. "Seven on left!" Betty shouted. "Need ammo!" "Here!" Nick shouted while tossing her his last spare magazine. "Everyone space your shots, make them count!" The seconds ticked by as more and more Yolkians assaulted the pool. Plasma bolts and bullets filled the air. Spears and daggers slammed into the fountain and the pool's walls. Just as everyone began to wonder if they would be killed before the elevator reached them, they spotted three creatures barreling across the sky. "We're here!" Libby screamed into her headset while aiming her rifle at the ground and adjusting her propulsion system to let her hover slowly to the side. She hoped her slight movement and the

distance between her and the Yolkians would protect her from their plasma fire. There were dozens of targets to choose from. She fired three shots at each and allowed herself an angry smile as the aliens began to fall motionless to the ground. The elevator doors opened as Yolkian after Yolkian fell. They had not expected to be assaulted from the air and were mowed down as they tried to coordinate their fire between the two enemy groups. "Inside now!" Nick screamed into his headset. He sloshed through the pool towards the elevator, vaulted over the wall, and dropped to one knee beside the elevator's entrance. "Everyone in!" Sheen and Ike ran in first. They ducked behind the elevator's walls and struggled to pick off the remaining Yolkian forces without hitting their friends. Betty, Cindy, and Jimmy came in next. They were helping Miranda limp into the elevator and let her slump against the wall and fall to the floor. Barak, Libby, and Carl flew through the air and into the elevator. They hovered above their friends for a second before deactivating their thrusters and dropping to the floor. Once all his friends were safe, Nick took out two more Yolkians and ran into the elevator. Sheen slammed his fist against the top button elevator's top button as soon as Nick was inside. The doors slammed closed, and the humans heard several plasma bolts eat away at them. A second later they rocketed straight upwards A silence filled the car for several seconds as everyone looked around the elevator. Then, Ike laughed. "We did it! We all made it!" Cindy stared at Libby and both girls smiled widely at each other. "We did!" Cindy triumphantly shouted. Libby grabbed Sheen's hand and gently kissed him before nodding and smiling at Jimmy. "We're almost done." Jimmy squeezed Cindy's hand and stared at Carl. "Carl, you did it!" "You should have seen him with that shotgun!" Libby laughed. Carl chuckled and stared at the weapon in his hands. "I guess I took out a Yolkian or two." "And Barak was amazing," Libby said while staring at the Yolkian in admiration. "He saved our lives." Nick stared at the Yolkian and watched as the creature stared at the floor. He then gritted his teeth and looked at his team. "We're not done yet, guys. Once we kill the king we still need to fight our way back to the shuttle." Everyone's face fell at his words. Reaching the elevator had been hard enough. Fighting their way back to the shuttle seemed impossible.

"There's got to be an easier way," Jimmy mumbled. He turned to Barak, who seemed oddly pensive. "Barak, is there another way off of this planet after we make our announcement?" Barak stared at Jimmy sadly and forced a tiny smile to spread across his mouth. "Do notdo not fear, humans," he struggled to say. "We have been lucky so far." Barak hesitated and added, "I may be able to use the computer in Barak's chambers to summon an escape craft." "What can we expect inside the king's chambers?" Cindy asked. Barak met her gaze and took a few seconds to answer. "I doubt there will be more than a small handful of soldiers guarding him. We should outnumber them easily." Nick nodded and gripped his rifle. "First thing's first. We need to be ready to kill the king. We've got a couple of minutes left. Everyone reload your weapons and hand out extra ammo if you've got it. Some of us are nearly out." Everyone nodded and readied their weapons. The rest of the ride passed in near silence, and the elevator doors opened as soon as the ascent stopped. Everyone aimed their weapons ahead of them, but only a long empty hallway lay in front of them. Thirty yards away rested another large, golden door. "Let's go," Jimmy said while stepping out of the elevator. Everyone followed his lead and approached the door. Jimmy felt his stomach twist itself into knots once more. He looked at his friends and saw that they all seemed unnerved except Miranda. She merely scowled at the door and limped towards it while clutching her kukri. They all stopped in front of the large entrance and readied their weapons. "Wait," Barak loudly uttered. Everyone turned to face him, and he stared Neutron directly in the eyes. "NeutronI" his voice began to break, and Jimmy stared at him curiously. "Barak, what's wrong?" Jimmy nervously asked. Barak gave his shell a tiny shake and took a deep breath. "Iwish to apologize," Barak slowly uttered. He slowly blinked his eyes one at a time and added, "I am sorry for all that my race has done to yours. I am sorry we kidnapped your parents, I am sorry we view you as inferior beings, and I am sorry for all the danger you have faced to get this far." Barak paused and Jimmy saw his orange eyes watering. "I am sorry." Jimmy sighed and put a hand on the side of Barak's shell. "Barak, you don't need to be sorry. It's because of you we're going to be okay." Nick sighed deeply and looked at the Yolkian. "Even I have to admit you've done good." Nick hesitated and nodded in affirmation. "Thank you, Barak."

Barak took in a shaky breath and steadied himself. "I thank you both for your kind words." Barak gazed into Neutron's eyes and sadly added, "In a different life, perhaps we may have been true friends." Jimmy gave the Yolkian a warm smile. "You are my friend, Barak." Cindy began to tap her foot on the ground and shot a nervous glance back at the elevator. "This is all really sweet, but can we get a move on?" Barak slowly nodded and gently removed Neutron's hand off of his shell. "Let us end this, James." Jimmy looked into Barak's eyes and nodded. "Everyone, let's finish this." Jimmy slowly reached to the button beside the door and pressed it. The door slid upwards and revealed fifty soldiers clutching spears, daggers, and plasma pistols. Before Jimmy or his friends could react, they felt a fire burn inside their lungs and collapsed onto the ground. Jimmy landed on his cheek and saw Cindy's terrified eyes staring into his. Jimmy tried to speak, tried to cry out to her, but he couldn't move a muscle. "And so there it lies," a menacing voice calmly said. Jimmy could hear the humming of a Yolkian's shell and tried to turn to face the sound, but even that slight movement proved impossible. A few seconds passed, and he felt himself pushed onto his back. He looked straight up to see a Yolkian staring down at him. The creature wore a bejeweled crown, had sparkling purple gloves, and had a plasma pistol and electric dagger sheathed on its shell. King Veras stared down at Jimmy in contempt. "Such a pitiful thing," Veras said with a hint of insincere sadness. "Little musculature, short in stature, unarmored body. Unremarkable in every way." Veras cocked his shell in curiosity and looked into Jimmy's terrified eyes. "So easily incapacitated with a simple gaseous anhydrotetrodotoxin. I find it" Veras hesitated and searched for the right word, "deeply disturbing that so much effort has been made to secure you." Veras unsheathed his blade, lowered his shell, and held the tip in front of Jimmy's left eye. The king let a sadistic smile take hold of his mouth. "How I wish to cut you right now. To dig into your flesh and end this madness once and for all." Veras slowly pulled back his blade and shoved Neutron onto his side. Jimmy stared into Cindy's green eyes and wished more than anything that he could reach over and grab her hand. "Or even better, to slice your mate open in front of you," Veras seethed while hovering over Cindy. Jimmy's eyes twitched as hatred raced through his veins. Veras noticed this and smiled once more. He looked into Jimmy's eyes and calmly said, "But I am a generous king, and I would not dare be so selfish. I shall let all of Yolkus share in your execution." Veras smiled wider and stared past Jimmy. Jimmy wished to see what he was looking at, but it instantly became clear. Any doubt in Jimmy's mind as to how he had managed to end up in this

situation vanished at the king's words. "Excellent work, Neroma." Veras paused and sheathed his blade. "Your king is pleased."

Chapter 16: Betrayal

Barak felt as though his heart was being torn into pieces as he looked into Neutron's eyes. The combination of fury and sorrow in them was unmistakable. As badly as Barak wished to break away from the human's withering gaze, he couldn't bear to do so. He might never again have the chance to see Neutron before the execution. Barak hoped beyond hope that James could see the regret and sorrow in his own eyes. "Heed my words, warriors," King Veras calmly spoke. Gone was the angry tone he had used with his new prisoners. In its place was his usual steady intonation that always made him appear to be in control. Barak finally turned towards his king and tried his best to hide his despair. "This is a monumental moment in our species' history, but we must shelve our celebrations until the executions are complete. Undeserved pride in himself was one of Goobot's most damning attributes," Veras angrily told his soldiers. He moved towards the pile of motionless humans and studied them for several seconds before pointing at a nearby Yolkian clutching a spear. "Captain Hyras, have your soldiers bring the humans to their holding cell. Remove everything except their robes. I will not allow Neutron to concoct a device to escape with." Captain Hyras bowed forward and looked up into his king's trusting eyes. "Your divine will shall be done, my lord." Veras nodded. "Once they are in place and you have tested the force field's integrity, administer the toxin's antidote. I do not wish for them to perish from its complications before the execution. Be sure to have a constant guard presence both inside and outside the prison. Secure their hands behind their backs during their imprisonment. Failure in any of these regards shall not be tolerated. Any mistake shall result in your execution beside the humans. Do not disappoint me, Hyras." Hyras bowed lower before nodding. "I would never, my lord." Hyras then hovered towards the humans and motioned at them. "Transport the prisoners!" he huffed while grabbing Nick's arm. Another soldier grabbed his legs, and they carried him towards the exit. It only took a moment for the other soldiers to drag the remaining humans out of the chambers and into the corridor. Barak gave Neutron one last apologetic glance before the boy disappeared. Barak turned back towards Veras and saw the king staring at him with a blank expression. Barak looked around the room and saw that ten soldiers remained in the royal chambers. Barak hesitated and gave the one farthest from him a curious glance. Then, King Veras' steady voice interrupted his thoughts. "Neroma, seat yourself. We have much to discuss."

Barak watched as Veras hovered over to the throne behind his large desk. He pressed a button, and a chair in front of the desk shot out of the ground. Barak took a seat across from his king and waited for Veras to speak. He shot a nervous glance behind him and saw all ten of the soldiers eyeing him intensely. Veras stared into Barak's eyes for several seconds before swiping his left hand over his right wrist. A large green hologram appeared several inches above his arm, and Veras' eyes narrowed in concentration. "Have patience, Barak. I am awaiting the preliminary battle reports." As Barak sat in silence, he let his mind drift back to the last time he had sat across from Veras a mere week prior; back to the conversation that had destroyed his life.

"My lord, I beg of you. There must be another way to resolve this." Barak stared pleadingly into Veras' eyes, as though the pain and yearning in his gaze might persuade the king. King Veras studied Barak for a short moment before giving Barak a smile that chilled him to his soul. "Perhaps there is." A few seconds passed as Veras leaned back in his throne. "It appears that we are in an interesting situation, Barak. We both have need for the other." Barak hesitated and pondered the king's words. "For what purpose might you have need of me?" he slowly asked. Veras delicately drummed his mechanical fingers together and smiled slightly wider as the last bits of his plan fell into place. "I yearn for humanity's destruction." Veras' eyes lit up in vague amusement as Barak couldn't help but cringe in response. "Yet I value the lives of my warriors more than my thirst for revenge." Barak couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his mechanical mouth. I have done it! I have saved humanity! He thought the words in disbelief and barely managed to keep from shaking his shell in amazement. "My most gracious king, you agree that it is best to leave the humans in peace?" Veras' smile slowly faded, and the king took great pleasure as Barak's joy visibly vanished. "Far from it. What I see is an opportunity to satiate both of our desires. The species you so foolishly adore may be spared, while our people's call for revenge shall be satisfied." Barak felt the air sucked out of his lungs. He could see only one interpretation of Veras' cryptic words. He gulped nervously and steadied his trembling hands. For humanity. For the billions of lives that matter more than mine ever could. Barak slowly hovered off of his chair and lowered himself onto the ground. He bowed towards his king and steadily whispered, "I offer myself as sacrifice in exchange for the humans."

Veras' eyes widened ever so slightly in disbelief. The creature is truly mad, he thought while trying to avoid displaying his shock at Barak's offer. That a Yolkian would oppose humanity's demise was heresy. But offering to die for them? That was lunacy. Veras took several seconds to make sure his voice would remain steady before calmly saying, "That is not what I was offering." Barak lifted his gaze off of the floor in confusion. "Thenwhat is it I may offer?" Veras stared at Barak for several seconds before flatly stating, "You shall travel to Earth and bring humans here for public execution." For a moment, Barak was paralyzed by his king's words. Then he felt his right eye twitch in fear and disbelief. Veras did not wait for Barak to answer. He pressed a button on his wrist, and a hologram projected in front of him. He slowly tapped the image as he explained his offer. "I admit that destroying the humans' world may result in Yolkian casualties. And it is true that most of humanity has not fought us. But this human has been at the front of every attack." Veras tapped his hologram one last time, and a picture of Jimmy Neutron appeared. "Neutron," Barak sadly whispered. He knew the creature well. Though his overall mission for the ARC had been to study humanity as a whole, he had been asked to obtain as much information on James Neutron as possible. Veras nodded and narrowed his eyes. "He is the leader of the humans who oppose us. He is the one who liberated the crop, who thwarted Goobot's invasion of Earth, and who killed our last king." Veras turned off his hologram and stared into Barak's wide orange eyes. "You shall bring him to me. He shall be publicly executed for his crimes." Barak blinked rapidly several times and stared at where the king's hologram had just been. He had spent four cycles studying this human, watching him grow and mature. The creature was brilliant, kind, brave, and caring. Barak felt as though he knew him already. How could he possibly drag him to a painful death? Veras narrowed his eyes in concentration and continued speaking. "But a lone human being executed will not be enough. We must really give our audience a show. Bring me" Veras rolled his eyes while absent-mindedly choosing a number, "at least four more humans to kill. Their deaths shall be a preamble to the main event." Barak stared at Veras in disbelief. "Four other humans?" Veras inspected his hologram projector while adding, "If we allow each death to take a half hour and permit the executioners a little creativity, then we shall have a wonderful afternoon." Veras noticed Barak's horrified stare but did not comment on it. "Bring me these humans. And make sure they actually assisted in Goobot's demise. If you succeed in this, we shall have exacted our revenge upon humanity. Our people will be happy,

and none of my soldiers' lives will be lost." Veras hesitated and frowned in annoyance. "And humanity as a whole shall be spared." Barak still could not bring himself to move. He had no idea of how to even begin processing Veras' request. "Surelythere must be another way," Barak quietly whispered. Veras' calm frown vanished as he burst off of his throne. "Are you a fool?" the king roared. Barak immediately fell backwards onto the floor and struggled to hover several feet backwards. "Do you think my patience is infinite? Are you delusional enough to believe I care for you or the humans?" Veras reached out a hand and pinned Barak to the ground. "This offer preserves my soldiers' lives and keeps your pathetic pets alive. If you shall not aid me, I shall destroy you and humanity. Make your choice!" Barak's entire body shook with fright. The fact that the king was normally so composed made his outbursts incredibly frightening. "Imay I take some time to consider" Veras pushed down harder on Barak and snarled, "You have three seconds. Make your choice!" Barak did not doubt Veras' threat. He closed his eyes and forced his mind to work faster than it ever had. His thoughts raced by in a blur as he considered betraying the creatures he so admired; leading mere children to a painful slaughter. Then he thought of Veras' fleet raining fire down upon the entirety of Earth. He thought of billions of lives being extinguished, and he knew there was only one decision he could make. "I accept your request," Barak whispered. Veras stared at the pitiful creature beneath him before slowly hovering backwards. "Then rise up, Neroma. We must discuss your plan." Barak slowly rose off of the ground and felt the life seep out of his soul, leaving nothing but cold emptiness behind. He followed Veras back to his desk, and both Yolkians took their seats. "You have a research vessel, yes?" Veras quickly asked. "Yes," Barak monotonously answered. "You will take it to Earth," Veras explained. "You will leave immediately. Gather the humans and lie to them. Say whatever you need to say to get them here." Barak's mind flickered back to life at Veras' words. Say whatever you need to say to get them here. How could I possibly convince them to travel with me? Barak hesitated before quietly saying, "I do not believe they would believe a peaceful invitation. Not after Goobot's previous invasion attempt and our species' latest confrontation." Veras scowled but remained somewhat calm. "Then think of another way to get them here!"

Barak slowly closed his eyes and willed his mind to work. Images of Neutron dying flashed inside his brain, but he ignored them and instead focused on the billions of lives he would be saving. "Icould bring them here to fight you," he slowly uttered. Veras widened one eye in curiosity. "Explain, Neroma." Barak slowly opened his eyes and sighed. "I could tell them of your intent to destroy Earth. I could say that I wish to bring them back to Yolkus to kill you." Veras smiled slightly once more. "An interesting proposal. And when they step foot off of your craft, we shall ambush them." Barak found his mind working faster, although each newly formulated step of his plan sent a sharp wave of pain throughout his body. "The humans would insist on bringing weapons with them to fight with. And they are clever. If I came in to land and they saw anything out of the ordinary, they would notice it and take over my ship to flee. All must appear normal." Veras considered Barak's words. "Then bring them here to my chambers. I shall lessen the security in the royal docking bay. I shall leave enough guards to give your humans a fight, but not enough to kill them all outright. They shall not question the validity of your plan to kill me." Barak was surprised. "You wish for them to truly fight their way to your chambers?" Veras closed his eyes and appeared more thoughtful than Barak had yet seen. He finally nodded and said, "Yes. This Neutron is humanity's greatest weapon. I admit it is possible he might find a way to destroy a ship or two if our fleet invades Earth. That would result in an unacceptable number of casualties. If they fight their way to my chambers, I doubt more than a few dozen would perish." Veras paused and slowly drummed his fingers on his desk. Each soldier's life was precious, and it pained him to consider losing any of his warriors in a false fight. His warriors would die a meaningless death, wrongly believing that they were protecting their king. But a few dozen lives could not compare to the hundreds or thousands lost if a ship were destroyed. "They shall be a necessary sacrifice." A necessary sacrifice. Barak silently repeated Veras' words and sadly shook his head. "I shall lead the humans here," he woefully whispered in agreement. Veras nodded. "I shall have our chemists create an airborne paralyzing agent that affects only the humans. Once they enter this room, they shall be incapacitated." Both Yolkians stared at each other for several seconds. Barak finally whispered, "Some humans might be killed in the assault. They could not be publicly executed if that occurs." Veras showed little interest in Barak's words. "Then persuade a few more humans to come on the journey. If they do not die on the battlefield, we shall have additional animals to publicly execute." Veras hesitated and stared intently at Barak. "But keep Neutron alive. He is the one all

of Yolkus wishes to see killed. If he falls in battle, then our deal is off and Earth shall be destroyed." Barak sat in silence as he pondered all that he had been told. Hours ago he had thought the worst part of his day would be watching a boring coronation. Now he had been tasked with murdering human children. He forced himself to remain composed and asked, "But if I do as you ask, you shall leave Earth in peace?" King Veras looked at Barak and smiled once more. "I offer my word." Barak sadly nodded. "When shall I depart?" "Now," Veras firmly instructed. The king hovered out of his throne and narrowed his eyes. "And make haste, Neroma. I shall give you one week to return with the humans." Veras let a cruel smile take hold once more and added, "Starting this second."

Barak quietly sighed as he watched his king stare angrily at the hologram emanating from his wrist. Barak could make out scrolling lines of text, but they appeared backwards from where he was sitting. Before he could decipher them, Veras spoke. "Preliminary reports indicate at least four civilian and thirteen soldier casualties," Veras calmly said while staring at the report in front of him. He hesitated before adding, "And over one hundred soldiers with disabled shells." Barak silently waited as Veras turned off the hologram and seemed to be thinking intensely. "The disabled shells are easily fixed," he muttered. "And thirteen soldiers are far less than what would have occurred if a cruiser was lost. Neutron is secured, and we have more humans for our execution than I had hoped." Veras leaned back in his throne and allowed himself a small smile. "I am pleased, Neroma. Your mission was a success." "Iam grateful for your praise and delighted at your approval," Barak slowly spoke. Veras hovered out of his chair and began to circle around Barak. "You have indeed done well, Neroma. I would even go so far as to say that you did a splendid job." Veras slowly came to a halt and cast Barak an amused glance. "I must say, however, I am curious as to how it feels to have betrayed the creatures you hold so dear. Would you care to enlighten me, Barak?" Barak stared sadly into his king's eyes. "I am merely grateful for the opportunity to have served my king and to" Veras laughed. Barak immediately stopped speaking as his eyes widened in shock. He had never heard the king laugh before. "I am no fool, Neroma," Veras said while hovering to the side so that he rested directly in front of Barak. "You have made it clear that your motivations were to preserve humanity. Do not insult me with your pathetic lies."

Barak quietly sighed. He felt his eyes watering and couldn't hold in his pain anymore. "I am dead inside." Veras laughed once more, and this time most of his guards joined in. Barak stared at the bloodthirsty savages and noticed that one of them did not seem amused. It was the one that had drawn his attention while the humans were being dragged away. Barak's eyes slowly widened in recognition. It is impossible. Barak watched in disbelief as the Yolkian recoiled slightly in shock as his eyes widened. "How appropriate," Veras triumphantly said while lifting his right hand and quickly turning it towards Barak. Three of the soldiers immediately lunged towards the Yolkian and restrained him. "Because you shall be dead soon enough." Any thoughts of the Yolkian he had been studying were shoved to the back of his mind. Barak was frightened, but he had not been exaggerating about the despair he felt. He let his shell drop to the floor and solemnly whispered, "I shall not resist. My work is done." My life means nothing. All that matters is that humanity is safe. Veras stared at Barak in amusement. "Indeed it is. You have done all that I requested." A small smile spread across the king's mouth as he went on. "You have tricked the humans and taken their greatest weapon from them." Barak slowly looked up in concern at Veras' words. He felt his heart begin to race as he stared into the king's flaming red eyes. "You have denied them the one pitiful chance they had at halting our attack." Barak felt his muscles become paralyzed in fear as the meaning behind Veras' words became clearer. Veras' smile grew ever so slightly as he saw the recognition flash across Barak's eyes. "Tomorrow we execute the animals. And once the last drop of blood has been drained from their bodies, we shall set off to destroy their planet!" Veras grinned sadistically and bore his gaze into Barak's eyes. "And it is all thanks to you, Barak Neroma. You have killed them all." Barak found himself unable to speak for some time. Silence enveloped the royal chambers until he finally managed to force his mouth to move. "Wewe had an agreement," Barak whispered. Veras scowled. "My word holds no weight with a heretic." Barak couldn't take anymore. He could not accept that he had condemned an entire race of sentient beings to death. "We had an agreement!" he angrily roared as loud as he could. Veras immediately pulled out his electrified dagger and slammed its hilt against Barak's visor. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces. Not one had touched the ground before Veras spun the knife around and slammed the blade into Barak's right eye.

The pain was worse than Barak could have imagined. Every one of his nerves seemed to be engulfed in a river of fire. He felt his entire body convulse as electricity coursed through him. His eye seemed to explode over and over again, sending shrapnel of pure pain into every inch of his body. After several seconds, he began to pray to whatever deity might be out there to let him die. Veras yanked the blade out and effortlessly slashed Barak's right eye stalk, sending the sizzling eyeball crashing to the floor. "The only reason I do not do worse" Veras seethed in pure hatred, "is that I wish for all of Yolkus to bear witness to your punishment." Veras hovered backwards and stared furiously at the wailing creature in front of him. "Grab him!" he snarled at his guards. Two Yolkians hovered forward and stopped just short of Barak. "Remove him from his shell and bring him to the security station." Veras turned around and stared out the glass wall that offered a full view of Animus. He heard the hum of his guard's shells as they began to carry Barak away. A thought raced through his mind just as the door to his chambers opened. He raised his right hand up and spun back around. "Halt," he instructed. Veras hovered towards Barak and stopped a foot short of the terrified creature. He glanced at each guard and said, "Imprison him with the humans." He then looked down at Barak and smiled sadistically while narrowing his eyes. "I find it deeply amusing that your attempts to aid humanity have assured their destruction. But I doubt the humans will enjoy the irony. I am sure they shall wish to tear you to pieces once you arrive." Veras looked into Barak's lone terrified eye and smiled wider. "I do not plan on denying them this. Farewell, Barak Neroma." King Veras waved his hand and watched as the heretic was carried away.

Chapter 17: Forgiveness

Jimmy and his friends could do nothing but remain motionless on their backs and stare up at their prison's ceiling. No one knew exactly how much time had passed when the room began to fill with a green mist, but they had had plenty of time to ponder what had happened to them. They all knew they had been tricked by Barak. They knew that they were to be publicly executed within a day. And they knew that this King Veras seemed ten times the foe Goobot had ever been. Everyone's muscles began to jerk at once as they breathed in the green vapor. Fingers curled, lips trembled, and eyes twitched as the paralyzing effects of the tetrodotoxin wore off. Everyone managed to roll onto their sides and stared at each other as they coughed wildly. "Wewe got screwed again, didn't we?" Ike wheezed in between shaky breaths. He began to cough so severely that he thought he might throw up.

"Yeah, we did," Nick seethed in pure hatred. He noticed that Jimmy was lying beside him and stared angrily into his eyes. "I knew that the Yolkian was lying!" Jimmy let out a defeated sigh and tried to move his arms so that he might push himself off of the floor, but he realized that his wrists were immobilized. He craned his neck and shifted his arms so that he could see what was restraining him. He glared at the glowing golden ring hovering a centimeter off of his wrist. He tried as hard as he could to yank his wrists apart, but the restraining device remained firmly in place. Jimmy knew every second counted. He had little time to make sure his friends were okay, figure out what their prison looked like, and orchestrate an escape attempt. "Is everyone okay?" he loudly asked. A sea of disgruntled voices shot back at him, and he managed to spin around in a circle by kicking his legs. He saw all eight of his friends and was momentarily relieved to find them all unharmed. "Can anyone move their arms?" A few seconds passed, and Jimmy saw that everyone was restrained as he was. More angry voices confirmed this. "Our legs are free," Jimmy instructed everyone. "Let's get up and see where we are." One by one, everyone but Miranda managed to get to their feet. Everyone's arms were locked behind their backs, but they otherwise appeared fine. Everyone walked the short distance towards Miranda and saw her face contort into pain as her injured leg moved along the ground. "Damn it!" she furiously cried out as she found herself unable to get to her feet. She suddenly clenched her teeth and slammed her eyes shut as the burn slid across the floor, sending waves of unbearable pain throughout her body. "Ike, help me get her up," Jimmy said while turning his back to Miranda and kneeling down. "Sure thing," Ike worriedly uttered while mirroring Jimmy's actions. "Miranda, we're going to grab under your arms and help you up," Jimmy calmly explained. Miranda let out a deep breath and sighed. "Okay," she angrily whispered. Ike and Jimmy struggled to position their restrained hands underneath Miranda's arms. Once they got a good grip, Jimmy said, "On three, we'll lift. Try to help us out if you can." "I'm ready," she steadily whispered. "One, two, three!" Jimmy said while standing up and pulling with all of his might. Together, he and Ike managed to get Miranda to her feet. As soon as she put weight on her bad leg she began to wobble.

"We've got you," Ike assured her. "I'm fine," she shot back while hobbling over to a side wall of the holding cell. She leaned against it and breathed deeply for several seconds before giving a small nod. "Thanks," she whispered. Jimmy nodded and looked once more at Miranda's injured leg. The wound was over a foot long and nearly charred black. The skin beside it was filled with painful yellow blisters. Jimmy had no idea how she managed to remain standing, even without putting much weight on that leg. Jimmy saw all of his friends standing beside him and staring at her leg as well. "Yours is worse than mine was," Sheen quietly told Miranda. Miranda gritted her teeth and glared at the crowd of children staring at her. Now that the adrenaline from their battle was wearing off, she was finding it harder and harder to keep her mind focused on something other than the pain. She slowly slid down the wall and weakly cried out as she bent her knees up. "Stop staring!" she fiercely growled. She leaned her head against the wall and breathed deeply through her clenched teeth. "Let's figure out how to get out of this place already!" Everyone slowly turned to Jimmy, who hesitated a moment before nodding. As worried as he was about Miranda, everyone would be dead within a day if they didn't focus on the task at hand. His friends followed him as he strolled around their prison. The area was fairly large, about the size of a classroom back at their school. Jimmy studied the three metallic walls, each perfectly polished and reflecting his image back to him. He stared up at the twelve-foot high ceiling and saw thousands of holes little larger than pinpoints. He assumed this is where the gaseous antidote had been administered from. He gave a quick glance around the area and saw that it was completely empty. There were no beds, chairs, or furniture of any kind. The space was completely open. Then Jimmy led his group to the last shimmering wall. Unlike the others, it wasn't metallic. It was white, translucent, and shimmered with energy. "Force field," Jimmy whispered. Everyone stared through the lucent barrier and stared at the building they were in. Jimmy realized that the area outside the force field was exactly the same size as the holding cell he was in. The barrier effectively cut the building into two equal halves. The portion that was out of Jimmy's reach, however, wasn't bare. A large desk rested to Jimmy's left along with a chair behind it. Rows of storage cabinets lined the center wall, and on the right-hand wall rested a door. Standing in front of it were two fierce-looking Yolkian soldiers armed with plasma pistols. The Yolkians stared back at Jimmy for a moment before smiling. "The prisoners are up," one of the Yolkians said while hovering towards the force field.

"Indeed," the second guard added while smiling cruelly at the humans. "Let us out!" Libby shouted at the aliens while slamming her fist onto the force field. She found it to be as hard and unyielding as an ordinary metal wall. The Yolkians both let out short, shrill squeaks that were the equivalent of laughter. Sheen immediately clutched his ears and squeezed his eyes shut, as annoyed by the sound as ever. "Do not fret, female," the first guard sneered while staring fiercely at Libby. "You shall not need to wait long before the execution." "Veras is pleased with your numbers," the other guard added. "Nine humans to dispatch? What a glorious day tomorrow shall bring." "We are deserving of a vacation," the first Yolkian sneered before hovering back towards the prison's exit. Nick roared in fury and slammed both of his fists against the force field with enough force to cause his friends to take a step back. He shot daggers at the Yolkians, stared at Miranda's wound, and then turned to his friends. "I knew it was lying!" Everyone hesitated as the veins in Nick's neck bulged. "I knew it was a trick. I knew it!" he shouted while turning back around and attacking the force field once more. "I'll kill you!" he screamed at the two guards, who smiled while staring at him in amusement. "Nick," Jimmy quietly said while placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, but Nick shoved it off and spun around. He stared into Jimmy's eyes and seemed to be debating whether or not to say something before finally taking in a deep breath. "I will kill Barak if it's the last thing I do." "If that is what you wish, it is the least I can offer," Barak's quiet trembling voice spoke. Everyone froze and became completely silent at his words. They turned around and stared at the left corner of the cell's back wall. Barak lay without his shell, his green body huddled into a tiny ball. He had been so quiet and still that they hadn't noticed him. Jimmy felt his heart race as he stared at the creature. It was difficult to tell Yolkians apart, but the voice was unmistakable and Jimmy could see the long black scar on Barak's body. This was indeed the Yolkian he had called his friend, the one who had betrayed him. Jimmy wasn't quite sure how to react, but Nick was. He tried one last time to free his hands before growling, "I guess I can still stomp his brain in." He then took a step forward and marched towards Barak.

"Nick, stop!" Jimmy shouted out. He saw his friend's back straighten and saw how hard it was for Nick to listen to him. "Why?" Nick cried out. He spun around and looked deep into Jimmy's eyes. Jimmy was surprised to see that Nick looked on the verge of tears. "Why shouldn't we kill him?" "Because I want to know why," Jimmy slowly answered. "I need to know why." Everyone watched as Nick breathed deeply before nodding and walking slowly towards Barak. Everyone but Miranda followed his lead and formed a wall in front of the creature. She stared at the scene unfolding from across the prison, wondering what James would do. As they drew nearer, it became apparent what state Barak was in. His entire body was coated in what Jimmy guessed with sweat. His right eye and half of its stalk was missing. Barak was trembling and breathing deeply. Its one remaining eye held no life inside it. The Yolkian looked near death. "Barak," Betty gently whispered as she took in the alien's condition. All of her anger and confusion took a backseat to concern. She knew it made no sense to feel this way, but she couldn't help it. "What happened to you?" "Are you kidding?" Nick screamed while glaring at Betty. "You care what happened to this piece of shit? Look at her!" He yelled while pointing behind the group at Miranda. "Look at Miranda! She fought for us and was nearly killed for it! She can barely move because of what this thing did!" Nick glared at Barak and forced himself to keep from attacking the creature. He clenched his hands into fists and looked back at Miranda once more. "I was wrong. You deserve to kill him, not me. He's all yours." Miranda found everyone staring at her once more. She met James' concerned gaze and gave a tiny nod. "James, find out why." Jimmy nodded and looked down at Barak. He spent a few seconds thinking of how to ask the question before deciding no ornate words were needed. He merely looked into the creature's lone eye and sadly asked, "Barak, why?" Everyone watched as the Yolkian's orange eye began to water. "I had no choice." "Why'd you do it?" Nick screamed while dropping to his knees and squeezing Barak's left eye stalk. "Nick!" Jimmy shouted, but Barak spoke before Jimmy could stop his friend. "I had to do it!" Barak cried out as tears fell onto his body. Jimmy knelt down beside Nick and stared at Barak. He knew he should be furious, and deep down he was. But even as he had been dragged away from Veras' chambers, a part of him had

refused to believe that Barak would ever truly betray them. Part of him had still believed in his friend. Seeing Barak brought that part front and center. "Why? Why did you have to do it?" Jimmy whispered. Barak wept as he answered. "Veras wished to destroy your planet, Neutron. I did not lie when I stated this. He told me the only way he would spare Earth was if I brought you and your allies to Yolkus for execution. It was the only way to save your world." Barak's words did little to sway Nick. He growled at Barak and snarled, "So you lied to bring us here, to have us all killed? You murdered us all!" Barak gazed into Nick's eyes and shouted in a shaky voice, "I had to make a choice! Six billion lives or nine!" Barak wept once more and looked at Jimmy. "What would you have chosen, Neutron?" Barak didn't give Jimmy enough time to answer. "I had to make a choice," Barak repeated. "My friends or your planet. I saw no alternative." "We are not your friends!" Nick screamed while shoving the Yolkian's eye stalk away from him. Jimmy looked to Cindy, who met his gaze. He expected to see a fire burn in her eyes, to witness her rage against Barak with Nick. But she calmly turned to Barak and asked, "Did it work?" Everyone became silent at Cindy's question. It took a few seconds for them all to understand what she meant, but they eventually realized she was asking if their world would be spared. Despite their looming deaths, they thought of their family and friends and at least took solace that they would be safe. And then their hearts fell as Barak quietly answered, "No." Barak struggled to breathe as he explained. "Veras lied. He never intended to leave your world in peace. He merely wished to prevent Neutron from protecting your planet." Everyone turned around and stared at Miranda as her normally quiet voice loudly asked, "So you tried to save our world and ended up killing us all?" She narrowed her eyes in frustration and added, "That about right, Neroma?" Barak curled his body tighter and slowly bobbed his eye up and down. "I" Barak closed his eye and let out a shaky breath, "I am worse than Veras. Your world has been doomed by my hand. I am more sorry than you all could ever know." Barak looked sadly at Nick, who glared at him furiously. "I only have my life to offer. Kill me. It is a small gesture, but at least take pleasure in my death. I truly hope it relieves some of your suffering." Nick glared at the creature and slowly cracked his neck. He turned to Miranda, who stared back at him. Her eyes were lifeless and blank once more. "He's yours if you want." Nick turned to Jimmy. Both young men stared at each other. Jimmy stared down at Barak and saw the guilt in his eye. He was still angry at the creature, but was the Yolkian really any different from himself? He'd tried to help humanity only to have his plan blow up in his face.

How many times had that happened to Jimmy? He looked into Nick's eyes and said, "I don't think you should kill him." Nick felt his heart slam into his chest again and again as he looked down at the alien by his feet. He clenched his restrained hands into fists and took a tentative step towards the creature. He drew his foot back and held it in place and looked at Jimmy, wondering if his friend would stop him. "It hurts to take a life," Jimmy sadly warned. He did not want to kill Barak. But he knew it wasn't up to him to make this decision. Nick had been the one to question Barak at every turn, and he had been right. Nick had earned the right to make his choice. "You can't take it back." Nick felt his body tremble as he stared down at Barak. The alien stared at the ground beneath him, fully accepting his fate. Nick's breaths came hard and fast as his leg shook. He lifted it over Barak's brain, held it for a long moment, and angrily slammed it down onto the ground beside the alien. Nick felt everyone watching him and saw Barak look up at him sadly. "Why?" Barak quietly asked. Nick felt a tear fall down his cheek and immediately wiped it away. "Because I'm nothing like your kind," he spat out while spinning around and marching towards the prison's opposite corner. Everyone watched Nick walk away and sit on the ground. He stared at the wall and didn't move a muscle. Eventually, everyone's gaze turned back to Jimmy. Jimmy sighed and stared at his friends. "We need to get out," Libby urgently whispered. "We've got to escape and get the hell off of this planet." Cindy nodded and glanced at the guards who were staring intensely at them. "Let me and Jimmy figure this out for now. We can't be too obvious we're all talking about trying to escape," she quietly instructed everyone. "Spread out and act normal. We'll let you know when we've got something." Everyone agreed and began to spread out among the prison. Cindy watched as Jimmy took a few steps towards the force field and studied it intensely. After a moment, she joined her boyfriend. "How can we disable it?" she asked as quietly as she could. Jimmy kept his gaze on the shimmering wall of energy as he sadly whispered, "We can't." Cindy recognized the tone in Jimmy's voice. It was filled with despair and guilt, and she immediately knew what was clouding his mind. She struggled to move her wrists and grab Jimmy's hand. "Jimmy, this isn't your fault. We all trusted Barak. We all chose to come."

Jimmy stared at the force field for a few more seconds before facing her. "I'm fine," he quietly whispered back, and Cindy was surprised by the strength in his tone. "Really?" Cindy asked. Jimmy nodded. "When we couldn't move, I started to think about how this is all my fault." His sorrowful gaze slowly turned into a tiny smile. "Then I remembered all the stuff you said to me. And I realized that feeling sorry for myself isn't going to get us out of this." Cindy gave Jimmy a sad smile back. "It's not." Jimmy turned his gaze back to the force field that imprisoned them all. "But the two of ustogetherare." Cindy stared at the shimmering wall curiously. "You said we can't disable it." "We can't," Jimmy quietly agreed. "They took my watch, Libby's iPod, everything. Do you have anything in your pockets?" Cindy shook her head. "I'm pretty sure they didn't even leave any lint." Jimmy nodded. "There's nothing in this cell. We have no tools to use. So we can't disable the force field." Cindy stared at Jimmy and couldn't hide the confusion in her voice. "So how do we escape?" Jimmy glared at the two guards who sneered back at him. He narrowed his eyes and squeezed Cindy's hand. "We do what we do best." He paused and looked into Cindy eyes, and she saw a hint of mischief race through his. "We outsmart them."

"You okay?" Ike quietly asked while approaching Miranda. She was leaning her head against the wall and slamming her eyes shut. Miranda slowly opened her eyelids and frowned as she stared at Ike. "They took my kukri." Ike noticed for the first time that Miranda's blade as well as her knife belt was gone. "Is it okay if I sit?" he quietly asked. Miranda stared at him with a withering intensity for what seemed an eternity before she finally answered, "I suppose." Ike nodded and sat down a few inches beside her. He gave her a tiny smile and motioned at his eyes. "They took my sunglasses, you know."

Miranda scowled and said, "My leg is nearly burnt off." Ike's smile rapidly faded. "II guess you have it worse." Miranda stared straight ahead and added, "You are not very amusing, kid. I hope you know that." Ike sat silently with her for several minutes while staring across the cell at Barak. After a while he saw Jimmy walk over to the Yolkian and take a seat beside him. Eventually, Ike slowly turned his gaze to Miranda and studied her long black hair which had fallen out of its bun. "I see you," she angrily whispered while keeping her gaze fixated on James. "Sorry," Ike sheepishly apologized. He hesitated a moment before asking, "Miranda, are we friends?" Miranda stopped breathing at the question and slowly turned to face Ike. She studied his sad face and deeply pondered the question. The truth was she barely knew what a friend was. She had spent six years utterly and completely alone. James is a friend, she finally decided. James had tried to help her. He had taken care of her and given her a shoulder to cry on. He had listened to her and fought by her side. He had saved her life on the battlefield. James was indeed a friend. But the kid? Miranda studied Ike intensely. He was annoying to be sure. But for some reason that she truly did not understand, she had been happy to see that he had survived the battle. She had heard the fear in his voice when he called out her name over his headset. He bad seemed genuinely concerned for her when he noticed her wound. And he had helped her get to her feet in the prison, had been careful to minimize her pain. After what seemed an eternity to Ike, she finally whispered, "I suppose." Ike nodded and allowed himself a sad smile. "You really scare me, you know," he admitted. Miranda felt a tiny smile spread across her lips. "I'm glad to hear it." "When you fell out of that tree and attacked Jimmy, I thought you were some kind of ninja assassin or something," he said with a light laugh. "I was terrified." Ike hesitated and then added, "But after you got off of him and I realized you weren't going to kill him, I thought, 'Wow. She's really hot.'" Miranda turned to Ike and shot him a look that could kill. "Sorry," Ike apologized. He swallowed nervously and quickly added, "I just meanI'm not good with girls," he admitted. Miranda's gaze softened ever so slightly as she found his words curious. "Most girls like boys with sunglasses and cigarettes and guns. I think they find itbadass," she slowly explained.

Ike gave a sad half smile. "Well, I had an incident with a girl once. It waspretty traumatic," he said with a slight shiver. "Anyway, we're probably going to be dead tomorrow, so I just wanted to admit that I think you're really pretty and brave and even though I'm scared to death of you, I think you're amazing. And I'm kind of in love with you." Miranda's eyes widened slightly at his words. The kid didn't seem to be joking. In fact, she was shocked to find him blushing. And without his sunglasses on, she could actually spot the sincerity in his eyes. Miranda thought for a long moment about what to say. "You're not in love with me," she finally whispered. Ike thought about that before shrugging. "Maybe not. I only met you three days ago. But you're awesome, and I like you," he sheepishly admitted. Miranda stared at the curious boy beside her. "You realize I'm over two years older than you, right?" She found her words coming out a little easier than normal. "Yeah," Ike admitted. "I justjust wanted to say it since I'll be dead soon." Miranda felt something stir in her. It was an emotion she had only recently rediscovered after half a decade. She had felt it two nights before when she had broken down in front of James. As she saw the fear in Ike's eyes, she felt sad. "We won't die," she finally said with unwavering strength. "James will save us." Ike gave a tiny sad smile before reluctantly nodding. "Maybe." Ike and Miranda sat in silence for several more minutes and watched as Jimmy eventually got up and strolled over to Carl. Ike's voice finally broke the silence. "I've never kissed anyone." Another long moment passed as Miranda decided not to glare at the boy beside her. She felt fear build up inside as she kept her gaze straight ahead. She heard Ike sigh and say, "I don't want to die without kissing anyone. No offense to Carl, but even he kissed that Swedish girl." He hesitated and finally turned to Miranda. "Do youthinkmaybe" Miranda clenched her teeth and firmly said, "No." Miranda saw Ike's expression fall out of the corner of her eye. "Okay," he sadly whispered, and she was shocked to find him near tears. It all came back to her at that. The feeling of hopelessness and despair that had assaulted her two days ago when she had revealed her past to James. She felt her eyes water and forced herself to keep the tears from escaping. "I'm screwed up, kid," she sadly whispered.

Ike looked at her in shock. He'd never heard her sound so weak. "Miranda, are you okay?" Miranda began to tremble as she forced herself to remain calm. Images from her past raced through her mind, and she shuddered as they assaulted her. "Just go," she said in a shaky voice. Ike struggled to move his body so that he could gently grab Miranda's hands. He felt her try to pull away, but he squeezed tight. A few seconds passed, and he felt her stop resisting and squeeze back. A moment passed as Miranda stopped shuddering. She felt her skin tingle at Ike's touch and forced herself to accept the pleasure. She doubted they would survive the coming day. Even if they did, she knew she would never be able to be with anyone romantically. She would never be able to press her own lips against a man's without thinking of her past. She would never be able to escape the painful hold her father had on her. And even if she could, the kid was still annoying and was too young for her. But in this moment, a moment she knew she would cherish when the nightmares assaulted her, she felt at peace. And she was determined to let it last as long as possible. "Thank you," she whispered, barely loud enough for Ike to hear. "Thank you," Ike whispered back, and he smiled as Miranda squeezed his hand tighter.

Jimmy silently took a seat beside Barak. The alien turned its eye ever so slightly but immediately looked away as he recognized who was approaching him. They sat in complete silence for several minutes before Jimmy spoke. "You should have told me," Jimmy finally whispered. He felt his voice break and struggled to remain calm. Barak looked at the ground in despair. "I am sorrier than you can ever imagine." Jimmy looked at the alien, and this time Barak struggled to meet his gaze. "We managed to reach the king," Jimmy sadly said in a shaky voice. A combination of sorrow and anger infused his tone as he added, "You should have told me. If we'd known about the trap, we could have figured out a way to kill Veras. We came so close!" Barak sighed and his eye water once more. "I know, Neutron!" he quietly pleaded. "I spent the entire journey to your planet thinking of how to save your world, to find an alternative plan that didn't require your demise. But each time I thought I had figured something out, an inescapable truth raced through my mind." Barak hesitated and slowly added, "If I did not follow Veras' plan and we killed him, nine extra lives would be saved. But if we worked together and failed, six billion lives would be lost."

Barak stared deep into Jimmy's eyes and willed him to understand. "The risk was too high. I could not risk nine lives for six billion. No matter how important those nine were." Jimmy rested his head in his hands as he listened to Barak. He knew the alien was making sense. Hadn't he used the same logic to justify leaving Sheen behind to die on an asteroid? "It's justI would have done it!" he weakly shouted. "I would have sacrificed myself to save Earth. We all would have. Why didn't you tell us?" "I could not risk it," Barak sadly explained. He took in a shaky breath and looked into Neutron's eyes. "You are so intelligent, Neutron. And you and your allies are so close. Would you be willing to sacrifice each other? Would you not believe that you could think up a better plan? I could not risk this. II had to think of your planet." Jimmy waited a few seconds before glancing at the guards by the prison's door. He saw them shifting gazes between each of their prisoners. Jimmy turned back towards Barak and whispered, "We're getting out of here." Barak stared at Jimmy curiously before whispering back, "Even you cannot disable a force field without any tools. Escape is impossible." Jimmy gave his head a slight shake and narrowed his eyes. "Cindy and I came up with a plan. You've told me twice that I need to survive or Earth dies, right? That means Veras wants me the most for the execution, right?" Barak slowly nodded. "That is correct." Jimmy nodded back. His face turned deadly serious as he glanced at Cindy, who was talking to Betty and Nick. She saw him looking at her and gave him the slightest of nods. "Then we've only got one chance. I'll need to act like I'm dying." Barak kept his gaze on Neutron for a few seconds before asking, "You wish to lure them inside?" Jimmy nodded. "If we get them in here, we can overpower them." Barak contemplated Jimmy's words. "Your hands are all restrained, and I can barely move without my shell." Jimmy glanced at Miranda and remembered how deadly the girl was. Even with an injured leg and no hands, he believed she could probably take a Yolkian on by herself. "We outnumber them nine to two. If we rush them, we'll have a chance." Barak sighed. "Even if you could disable these guards, there are more outside who would hear their cries and come in to help. They would shoot you all in an instant. They have been instructed to take no chances with you."

Jimmy's mind wasn't swayed. "It's a long shot. But it's the only chance we've got." Jimmy paused and coughed loudly while clutching his stomach. "Neutron?" Barak asked in concern. Jimmy saw the guards eyeing him curiously and waited several seconds before nodding to Barak and slowly regaining his composure. "We're waiting an hour. I'll pretend that I'm suffering complications from the gas they used. When I cough three times and lean against the wall, that's the signal. I'll fall on the ground and act like I'm dying. If I'm as important as you say, they'll have to try to save me so that they can publicly execute me." Barak looked into Neutron's eyes. "May luck be with you all, Neutron. I hope beyond hope you and your allies survive." Jimmy hesitated and finally asked, "Did Veras do this to you? Cut off your eye and nearly kill you?" Barak quietly answered, "It does not matter." "Is he going to kill you?" Jimmy asked. Barak hesitated and said, "Yes. But I wish to die. I do not deserve to live after what I have done." Jimmy stared back into Barak's eye and gave a slight nod. "We're taking you with us, Barak. We're not leaving you here to die." Barak's eye recoiled in shock. The Yolkian had always considered Jimmy kind and merciful, but this was more than he ever could have expected. "I do not deserve to live." Barak waited and added, "Save your friends and your planet. Leave me to my fate." Jimmy stared at Cindy, who was walking over to Sheen and Libby. She gave him a small smile and another nod. Jimmy turned back to Barak and said, "Someone special once told me not to blame myself for the problems my friends and I always get ourselves into. She said that I never was the bad guy." Jimmy gently placed a hand on Barak's body and narrowed his eyes. "You're not the bad guy either, Barak. Veras is. So get back in the game." Jimmy hesitated and gently squeezed his hand. "Because we still need you." Barak hesitated before speaking. "If we escape this prison, our job is not yet done. If we travel to Earth, Veras will be on our heels. Your world will still be destroyed." Jimmy hesitated before nodding. "I know. We need to get back to his chambers and kill him. Were you lying about the communication device inside?" Barak shook his eye from side to side. "I obviously did not intend for you to use it, but it is there. If we kill Veras and use the device, if we follow our original plan, we might yet be able to save your species."

"You know the area. If we escape this prison, can you get us to the king?" Barak breathed deeply and nodded his eye in affirmation. "I can and shall. I will do anything to aid you." Jimmy nodded before staring more intensely at Barak than he ever had. "I can't risk my friends' lives without asking this, Barak. I need to hear you say it. Are you on our side? Truly?" Barak stared back at Jimmy with the same intensity and slowly bobbed his eye up and down. "I am with you, Neutron. I swear on my soul. I will not betray you again." Jimmy nodded, satisfied. "We'll try to leave one of the guards' shells intact for you," he whispered before getting to his feet. "May luck be with us, Neutron," Barak whispered back. "We'll need it," Jimmy said while walking towards Cindy.

The next hour passed slowly for everyone. It didn't take long for Jimmy and Cindy to finish relaying their plan to their friends. Everyone tried to act normally except Jimmy, who gradually acted as though he were getting sicker. His occasional coughs turned into fits that sent him to his knees. He began to groan and clutch his stomach as Cindy loudly voiced her concerns about him to their friends. After fifty minutes, Jimmy was acting as though he were unable to stand. Then, a few minutes before Jimmy prepared to give the signal that he was ready to fake his death, a loud knocking sound erupted from the prison's entrance. The humans froze, worried that their execution had arrived sooner than they expected. They strained their ears and listened as one of the guards loudly asked, "Who is there?" "It is Yujup," a loud voice calmly answered. One of the guards pressed a button beside him, and the door slid open. A Yolkian soldier slowly hovered in and looked at each guard. "Veras has asked me to make sure all is well with the animals." "They are well," the second guard answered while motioning to the force field. "Although the one called Neutron seems ill." "No matter," Yujup said with a wave of his hand. "There are plenty of other humans to execute if he perishes." All the humans inside the cell lost all hope at the Yolkian's words. Jimmy stared at Cindy in defeat, and she slowly squeezed his hand in response.

"They are curious, are they not?" Yujup said while hovering towards the force field. He glanced around the holding cell and saw Barak sitting in the corner, staring at the humans sadly. "As is the Yolkian prisoner," he loudly continued. Barak stared at the force field and widened his eye in disbelief. The Yolkian staring back at him was the soldier from Veras' chambers, the one he thought he had recognized. What little doubt he had had was erased. He was sure of the soldier's identity. "He is worse than the humans," one of the guards snarled back. "He is a traitor to our race." "Indeed he is," Yujup calmly agreed. He stared at Barak intensely for several more seconds before turning towards the guards. "I have heard an interesting rumor about the beasts in our presence." "What is that?" one of the Yolkians asked. Yujup hesitated and shook his shell from side to side. "It is nothing. I am sure it is impossible." The guards stared at each other, intrigued by Yujup's words. "What is the rumor?" the second guard asked. Yujup seemed to contemplate whether or not to reveal what was on his mind before facing the guards once more. "I have heard that the humans' brains function differently than our own. Apparently, some of our scientists believe we may be able to hear their thoughts because of this." The guards stared at each other and shook their shells from side to side. "We have been guarding them this whole time. We have heard nothing." Yujup pointed at his glass visor and explained, "The scientists believe that our shells interfere with this process." Yujup paused and looked questioningly at the guards. "Might I attempt to see if they are correct?" The guards looked at each other and shrugged. "The force field remains active, of course." "Of course," Yujup agreed while retracing his glass visor. He turned towards the humans, who were staring at him curiously. He hesitated a moment before spinning around and staring at the guards wildly. "I can hear them!" he nearly shouted. "Impossible," the first soldier shot back, although his eyes lit up in curiosity. He glanced at his fellow soldier, and they both retracted their visors. "I hear nothing," the second guard said after a moment. Yujup stared at them curiously before hovering by their side. "It has faded," he quietly mumbled. He turned his gaze between the humans and the two soldiers before saying, "It must be necessary

to be near them. Hover where I rested a moment ago and see. Focus on Neutron. I could hear him the clearest." The guards stared at Yujup curiously before hovering right up to the force field. They stared at Neutron intensely. Barak watched in disbelief as Yujup unsheathed his dagger and hovered towards the guards. "I do not hear" The first guard's words were interrupted by Yujup's dagger slamming in between his eye stalks. Yujup effortless ripped out the blade and slammed it into the second guard's exposed brain before it could make a sound. Once the second guard had died, Yujup immediately sheathed his weapon and hovered as quickly as he could to the wall near the exit. He found the force field's control panel and rapidly pressed button after button until the shimmering wall of energy faded away. "Karab," Barak uttered in complete disbelief. "You came for me." "That I did," Karab answered while hovering towards his brother. "Now it is time to get you out of here."

Chapter 18: Pressing On

Jimmy and his friends watched in disbelief as Karab lowered his shell to the ground and gently picked up his brother. He stared at Barak's missing eye and narrowed his own eyes in fury. "Karab, why?" Barak asked as his brother carried him towards one of the dead guards. Karab slowly set his brother back on the ground and ripped the first guard's dead body out of its shell. "Because I shall never stop owing you, brother." Barak tried to decipher his twin's words as Karab carefully placed him in the now empty shell. "You have repaid your debt," Barak gently answered. "You did not turn me in for heresy all those cycles ago." Jimmy felt all of his friends glancing towards him, silently asking what they should do. Jimmy merely shrugged and watched the two Yolkians, curious himself how things would play out between them. Karab huffed and began to effortlessly run his fingers over the shell's control panel. Even Jimmy found it hard to keep track of the myriad of buttons he was pressing. "You recognized me in the chamber," Karab softly explained while trying to sync the shell with its new occupant. "I saw it in your eyes." "Of course," Barak quietly answered.

"Yet you said nothing," Karab said while pausing from his work to stare into his brother's lone eye. "Even after being tortured, you did not reveal my identity." Barak considered his brother's words. If he had wanted to, he could have revealed to Veras that one of his most elite guards was the brother of a heretic. At best, Karab would have been stripped of his position. At worst, he might have been imprisoned or killed. "I have caused enough pain already," Barak slowly answered. "Indeed you have," Karab said with an unamused huff. He tapped one last button, and Barak's new shell hummed to life as it rose off of the ground. "Does it function properly?" Barak slowly hovered in a small circle while flexing his fingers. After a few seconds, he found his new shell responding as well as his old one had. "Yes. Thank you, brother." Karab nodded and turned towards the humans. He cocked his shell slightly and hovered towards Jimmy. Jimmy gulped and clenched his hands into fists as the alien approached, but he didn't back away. "So you are the great Neutron," Karab said in disdain. "The one who has brought war between our worlds, murdered our king, and nearly gotten my brother killed." A second passed, and Karab narrowed his eyes. "I was expecting something more impressive." "He is impressive," Barak immediately shot back while hovering towards Jimmy and gently pushing Karab away. "And so are his allies," he said while motioning to the other prisoners. Karab rolled his eyes. "I have not come to resume our age-old debate. I have come to save your life. Let us leave," he ordered. "About time," Nick seethed while taking a step forwards. His foot had barely touched the ground when he saw Karab aiming a plasma pistol at his heart. "I am not here for you," Karab growled in disgust. A second passed in complete silence, and then Barak spoke. "Brother, the humans are with me. If I am to escape, they are as well." Karab stared into Nick's eyes and found himself slightly impressed by the rage in them. "I sense a confrontation brewing," Karab flatly stated, "so I shall remind all present that the guards outside the door are still alive. I suggest we resolve this quietly or we shall all be killed." "Agreed," Jimmy said while staring at Nick and begging for his friend to remain calm. Nick turned to Jimmy and clenched his jaw. "Fine," he seethed while glaring at Karab.

Karab turned towards Barak while keeping the pistol aimed at Nick. "I have already given everything to save you," he angrily growled. "I have become a traitor to my race. I can never return to the Royal Guard. All that is left is for us to escape together." "I know you have sacrificed much to come here," Barak sadly agreed, "but I owe the humans more than I can ever repay." Karab stared back at Nick and clenched his pistol tighter. "What do you find so fascinating about these creatures, Barak? What do you see in them that would cause you to abandon our race?" Barak narrowed his eyes and spoke in a stronger tone than Karab had ever heard his brother use. "Abandon our race? A race that sacrifices sentient beings? A race that would torture children to death for entertainment?" Barak glowered at his brother and spat out, "I want no part of this race." Barak watched his brother tighten his grip on the plasma pistol and lowered his voice. "Karab, I shall not abandon the humans. If you are to help me, you must help them." Karab hesitated for a few seconds before breathing deeply and slowly lowering his pistol. He turned towards his brother and gave the slightest of smiles. "I suppose it was too much to hope that you might stop causing trouble, brother." Barak gave a tiny grin back. "So you shall aid us?" Karab sheathed his pistol and pulled out his dagger. He twirled it around in his mechanical fingers for several seconds before throwing it towards his twin. "I will never understand your concern for these creatures," he said as Barak caught the knife and stared at it. "You do not belong with us, Barak. You never were a true Yolkian. But you will always be my brother. I am sorry I lost sight of that." Barak looked up from the blade and into his brother's sad eyes. "Fight by our side. Let us be a family once more." Karab seemed to contemplate the idea before giving his shell a slow shake. "This is not my fight." He gave his brother a tiny smile and then turned towards the humans. "I hope you appreciate what my brother has done for you." Jimmy met the Yolkian's gaze and slowly nodded. "I do." Karab nodded as well. "I shall leave the two guards outside alive to delay suspicion being aroused. Best of luck on your path, Barak." Barak nodded and felt his eye burning once more. "And to you, Karab." Karab grimaced and hovered backwards towards the door. "I shall not be there to save your life again. Tread carefully." A second passed, and Karab slammed his fist hard against the door three times. "Yujup coming out." The door opened and Karab quickly left the building. Everyone watched as the door immediately closed behind him.

Barak took a few seconds to steady his breaths before hovering towards Neutron. He activated the dagger and listened to the sparks of electricity dance along its blade before sliding it through Neutron's restraints. Jimmy immediately pulled his arms out in front of him and rubbed his wrists. "We need to get out of here and get to Veras," he quickly told his friends while watching Barak gently cut Cindy's restraints. "Agreed," Cindy said while nodding towards Jimmy. Nick was next to be freed and immediately headed towards the row of storage cabinets across from the holding cell. He ripped the middle one open and was pleased to find two spears and two plasma pistols. One by one, the humans were all freed by Barak. They joined Nick at the storage cabinets and watched as he and Cindy opened them. Suddenly, Miranda's furious voice caused them to spin around. "I can walk!" she seethed as Barak carried her towards the group. "Apologies, female," Barak said while gently setting her down. "Your leg appears badly wounded." Everyone stared at Miranda's wound once more, and Nick shot Jimmy a nervous glance as Miranda struggled to limp forward. "Miranda" Nick began while turning back to her. "I'm fine," she angrily whispered while wiping a few sweaty strands of hair out of her eyes. She slowly cracked her neck and stared at the group. "You can barely walk," Jimmy gently told her. Miranda glared back at him, but she allowed him to speak. "Nick and Ike could carry you." Miranda immediately shook her head. "That would take three people out of the fight." She stared down at her leg before looking back at James. "I'll cover the rear of the group. If I fall behind, just keep going. I'll watch your backs." Jimmy was about to protest, but Nick spoke before he could open his mouth. "We don't have time to argue. Miranda, are you sure you can handle that?" Miranda stared into Nick's eyes and gave a grateful nod. "Absolutely." "Okay," Nick said while nodding back. "What exactly is our plan, then?" Jimmy watched as Cindy opened the last storage cabinet to reveal nothing but bottles of nutrient paste. "We need to get back to the king and kill him. Then make our announcement to all of Yolkus." Jimmy turned to Barak and asked, "Is Veras still going to be in his chambers?"

Barak met Jimmy's gaze and nodded. "He should still be there." He closed his eye in deep concentration before snapping it open and racing through his words. "It is still believed that we are imprisoned. We must maintain this advantage as long as possible. It will be impossible to make it all the way back to the elevator undetected, but the closer we are when discovered, the less likely it will be that Veras tries to flee his chamber." "What do you mean?" Betty asked. Veras turned to the female and explained. "If we are far from the chamber when discovered, Veras would seek a more secure location to hide. But if we are close to the elevator, he would not risk leaving, for we would be waiting at the base to assault him. It would be safer for him to hide in his chambers with his guards." "So we stay quiet as long as possible," Cindy agreed. "Weapons?" Ike asked while trying to get a glimpse of the cabinets' contents from the back of the crowd. Nick stared at the three storage cabinets and glared at them. Only the first had contained any weapons. "Two spears and two pistols. None of our supplies are in here." Cindy's face became filled with fear as she turned towards Jimmy. "We need your hypercube. It has the spare weapons, not to mention the food and water." Jimmy nodded gravely. A three day ride back to Earth without food or water would be unpleasant at best and fatal at worst. "Barak, they confiscated our supplies. Where would they take them?" A second passed, and then Barak answered, "The security station is only a hundred meters from here. It is possible they stored the confiscated items there." "You mean the building where Cindy and I fought in?" Betty asked. "Indeed," Barak confirmed while nodding. "We're wasting time, then," Nick said while grabbing a plasma pistol and tossing the other to Sheen. Cindy grabbed a spear, stared intensely at it, and finally turned towards Miranda. "Until you get your knife back," she said while giving her a nod of respect. Cindy tossed the retracted weapon towards her, and Miranda caught it with ease. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ike beat her to it. "It's a kukri," he corrected Cindy. He saw Miranda give him a small smile out of the corner of his eye.

"If we need to stay under the radar, we can't just disable shells. We need to kill every Yolkian we see," Nick ordered while examining the vial of glowing blue gas in his pistol. He glared at Barak, who nodded in response. "Your words are wise, human," Barak agreed. "The time for games is over. We must fight with all we have." Nick let out a deep breath and watched as Cindy and Miranda extended their sizzling spears. "Then let's do this." The group checked their few weapons one last time and slowly made their way to the prison's exit. Miranda saw that Ike was still beside her, eyeing her carefully. "Be careful," he gently whispered. Adrenaline was flowing through Miranda's veins once more. The fire in her leg was slowly being doused, and she found her words coming easier. "You too, kid," she instructed him. "You're not done annoying me yet." "Nick," Betty said while grabbing Nick's arm. He turned around to find her gently placing her lips onto his. She pulled back after a second and looked into his eyes. "You're one hell of a general." Nick smiled, looked into her kind eyes, and nodded. He stopped in front of the prison's entrance and looked at his team. "There are two guards outside this door, right?" he whispered. Barak nodded. He turned towards Cindy, who met his gaze with incredible strength. Barak paused a second, and slowly asked, "Vortex, shall we each take one?" Cindy hesitated, shocked at hearing Barak use her name. She nodded. "I've got the left." She turned towards Miranda, saw the pain in her eyes, and offered, "Miranda, if we need help, you're on clean up." Miranda nodded and clutched her spear. "Got it." Everyone readied themselves as Jimmy's hand hovered over the door's button. He glanced at his nine friends and whispered, "Let's do this." His fist slammed down, the door opened, and the battle began. Barak and Cindy sped out of the door and immediately spotted the two guards a few feet away. Both were ruthless, extremely capable warriors armed with plasma pistols. Had they been expecting the attack, Cindy and Barak would have stood no chance. But seeing the prisoners not only escaping, but armed and attacking, was enough to give them the slightest pause. This was just enough time to let Cindy slam her spear into one guard's brain as Barak shoved his blade through the other's visor and in between its eye stalks.

"There," Barak said while pointing down a straight, bare path. A hundred yards away rested the security station that Cindy and Betty had fought in little more than an hour ago. "We must reach it." "Let's go, then!" Nick told everyone while sprinting down the path. Nick, Cindy, and Barak reached the door first. They braced against the wall and slid down it, keeping their weapons ready. Libby, Sheen, and Betty reached them a few seconds later. Ike, Carl, Jimmy, and Miranda were last. Nick was relieved to see that Miranda wasn't much slower than Carl or Jimmy. He had no idea how she was managing to keep moving on her leg, but he was impressed. The ten allies knelt down and stared at each other. "What's inside?" Ike asked Barak. "I expect a half dozen soldiers," Barak quickly answered. "There should not be much cover." "There's not," Cindy confirmed. "Just weapons lockers on the walls and a couple desks and chairs. Nick nodded. "Sheen, you and me will shoot anything we see. Make sure we aim for their brains so they can't cry out for help. Barak, Miranda, and Cindy, you three take out the rest. Everyone else? Find a weapon and use it if we need the help." Nick paused and took a deep breath. The next few seconds would determine whether they lived or died. If they were quick enough, they would retain the element of surprise and have an opportunity to gather weapons. If the soldiers inside raised the alarm, he doubted they'd ever reach the king. "On three, okay?" Nick finally said while nervously swallowing and steadying his trembling hands. Everyone nodded, and Nick took one last breath. "One, two, three!" He slammed his hand against the door's button, and the entrance slid open. Nick and Sheen burst through first. A split second was all it took to realize that Barak had been correct in his assumption. Six Yolkians were strewn across the small room. One sat behind a desk, rapidly pressing buttons on a hologram shooting out of his wrist. Three aliens with holstered plasma pistols stood several feet away, angrily discussing something. A fifth creature was inspecting a row of weapon lockers, and a final Yolkian was spinning a dagger in his hands. The boys fired two shots each at the trio of Yolkians near the desk. They all fell to the ground as bolts of plasma ate past their visors with ease and melted their brains. The alien seated at its desk unholstered its spear just in time to have its entire shell burnt away by the boys' combined fire. Cindy leaped through the door and tackled the Yolkian spinning its dagger. She slammed it onto the floor, snarled madly, and shoved her spear deep inside its brain. Miranda limped into the building, spotted the last target near the weapons lockers, and threw herself towards the creature. She slammed the spear into its control panel. As the alien's shell threw out a shower of sparks, she slammed her left elbow into its visor and shoved her right hand through the hole and ripped out its brain.

In three seconds the fight was over and six Yolkians were dead. "We clear?" Nick whispered as loud as he dared while aiming his gun at each of the fallen Yolkians. "Clear," Miranda, Sheen, and Cindy, shot back. The rest of the humans spread out around the security station and inspected it for supplies. The first five weapons lockers held dozens of plasma pistols, rifles, daggers, and spears. This put a weary smile on everyone's faces, but it was the contents of the last three lockers that brought them all true relief. "Those idiots put it all right near us," Nick tiredly said with a wide smile while staring at all of their confiscated weapons and supplies. Their guns, vests, ammunition, even Miranda's kukri rested in front of them. "The hypercube?" Jimmy nervously asked. Carl timidly moved past the four dead soldiers near the desk and opened one of its drawers. "I found it!" he happily exclaimed while pulling out Jimmy's invention. Jimmy strolled over and examined it. "Everything's inside," he said in relief. He looked at the drawer beneath him and allowed himself a smile. "Even the headsets are here!" He began to pull out the communications device and spotted his watch beneath them. He hastily strapped it to his right wrist and turned to face Cindy's voice. "Let's not waste time," Cindy warned everyone while grabbing her old pistol. "It won't take long for someone to find those dead guards in the prison." "Agreed," Jimmy said while distributing the headsets to his friends. He frowned as he failed to find Barak's. "Barak, I can't find yours." Jimmy wasn't surprised. The Yolkian's modified headset had barely been larger than the microphone on his own. "Doesn't matter," Nick said while quickly helping Sheen put his tactical vest on. "We're sticking together anyway." Barak glanced nervously between the humans as he activated the hologram on his wrist. He stared intensely at it before nodding. "Humans, I believe we must modify our plan." Nick glared at Barak and took a threatening step towards him. "Something tells me I'm not going to like this." Barak blinked slowly and stared at Nick. "I must break off from our group and secure the control tower once more." "Why?" Nick immediately asked while shoving his face closer to Barak's visor. The Yolkian recoiled slightly in response.

Barak blinked several times before answering. "As soon as you humans are spotted, access to the elevator shall be restricted. You must have someone in the control tower to override it." Cindy bit her lip as she watched Nick and the Yolkian. "Can't Jimmy hack into it directly?" Barak nodded slowly. "Yes, but that would take time. Neutron would be in the open and vulnerable." Barak took in a shaky breath and slowly looked at every human. "Believe me, humans; I know you have no reason to trust me. But unlike before, this time I must go alone. This is a soldier's shell," he said while motioning at his shell. "It has clearance that my old system did not. The guards shall also be focused on finding you humans, not a Yolkian. It should be easy for me to sneak inside the control tower." Nick shook his head. "We're not letting you out of our sight." Nick turned to Jimmy and looked into his friend's eyes. "Jimmy, tell me you've got my back on this." Jimmy looked between Barak and Nick before sighing. "Nick, I understand what you're saying. But we were already in prison. Barak convinced Karab to let us out. If he wanted to get us killed, he could have just left us there." Nick clenched his teeth, but he knew Jimmy had a point. "I am not getting tricked for a third time." Barak stared Nick in the eyes and let his shell touch the ground. "Human, I owe you my life. I am forever in your debt. I swear on my soul, my only purpose is to save humanity and the lives of you and your allies." Barak felt his arms trembling as he added, "Please, allow me the chance to aid you." Nick stared down at the creature and realized everyone was staring at him. He turned to Betty, who slowly nodded. "I'm not giving you a third chance," he warned Barak. "You screw us again, and I'm killing you slow." Barak eagerly nodded and rose off of the ground. "I shall not fail youNick," Barak slowly said. "I shall secure the tower and assure you reach Veras." Cindy finished loading her pistol and grabbed her spear off of the floor with her left hand. She then asked, "After we kill Veras and make the threat, what do we do?" Barak tapped several buttons on his wrist's hologram, and a zoomed out image of the battlefield was shown. "Head back down the elevator and make your way to the docking bay. I shall meet you all there. Even if the Inquisitor is gone, there shall be other shuttles to escape with." Jimmy nodded. "Barak, looks like you know what you're doing. Everyone else? We stick together this time. We head up the path Cindy and Betty took before, reach the elevator, and kill King Veras. Then we threaten Yolkus and get off of this planet. We clear?"

Everyone nodded and finished grabbing weapons. Libby spotted a large rifle identical to the one that Barak had used to save her life. "Barak?" "Yes, female?" Bark asked while facing her. Libby extended the gun to him. "You should take this. If you're alone, you'll need it more than us." Barak allowed himself a small smile. He never ceased to be amazed at the humans' generosity. He accepted the weapon, looked it over, and nodded. "Thank you" he paused, realizing that he still did not know the kind female's name. Libby realized why he was staring at her and said, "Libby." Barak cocked his head inquisitively and slowly said, "Lib-bee." He noted how strange it felt to say these human names before focusing back on the task at hand. Everyone put on their headset except for Barak, who couldn't fit one around his shell. The humans assembled at the door that led to the long path towards the elevator. Barak moved towards the exit nearest the warehouse and looked back at his comrades. "May luck be with you all," he sadly told them. "And with you as well," Jimmy answered back. Barak looked into his friend's eyes, nodded, and exited the security station. Once the door had closed behind him, everyone looked at each other and nodded. "The plasma guns are quieter. Use those until we've been spotted," Nick told everyone while holstering his father's pistol and gripping a plasma rifle. Everyone switched to plasma weapons and waited for Nick to open the door. As soon as everyone was set, he said, "Let's do this," and opened the door. The long flat pathway led to a sharp incline in the distance. Several Yolkian soldiers milled the area thirty meters past the humans. Everyone focused their fire and dropped the creatures to the ground, but they didn't pull their fingers away from the triggers. The gang continued to fire bolt after bolt while advancing until nothing was left of the aliens but ashes. Nick led his team quickly down the path. They ducked behind whatever cover they could find, made sure the coast was clear, and then rapidly darted forward. They reached the base of the hill without further incident, and Betty nudged Cindy's arm. Cindy watched as Betty pointed towards the bodies of four Yolkian soldiers, and Cindy recognized them as the foes that had nearly killed the two of them. Both girls shared a grim look before pushing forward. "It's too quiet," Ike whispered from the rear of the group.

"I'll take it," Nick answered back as the nine humans slowly and quietly made their way up the hill. The area was completely silent. Not even a rustle from the wind assaulted their ears. They'd made it a third of the way up the hill when an ear-splitting alarm came from all around. Jimmy and Nick glanced to each other, and both immediately knew that they no longer had the element of surprise. "Switch to the guns you want and move!" Nick shouted while pulling put his father's pistol and charging up the hill. Veras' voice once more filled the battlefield, amplified by an unseen sound system. This time he was far from calm. The raw fury in his voice managed to startle the humans and caused them to nervously find the source of the noise. "The humans have escaped!" the king roared. "Find them and kill them all at once! Tertiary combat protocols are in effect!" Three bolts of plasma washed over the group's heads, and everyone immediately scrambled behind rows of plants, information kiosks, and whatever other cover they could find. "Top of hill!" Cindy screamed while popping out the side of her cover and dropping a Yolkian. Three Yolkians fell from the sky, activated their thrusters at the last second, and landed in the middle of the group of children. Plasma rifles charged in their hands, and they smiled evilly at the humans. "Cindy!" Miranda screamed while leaping forward and slashing the first soldier's control panel with her kukri. Cindy fired a round from her pistol into the second Yolkian's visor and thrust her spear into the third's control panel. Miranda immediately shoved her kukri through the hole in the second Yolkian's visor and pierced its brain. More plasma bolts flew past the girls, and they struggled to get back into cover. "Take them out!" Nick screamed as he shot Yolkian after Yolkian. Purple bolts of superheated gas ate away at his cover as more and more Yolkians took the place of those he shot. "There's too many!" Sheen shouted while ejecting his empty magazine and slamming in a new one. "Behind us!" Libby desperately shouted as Yolkians burst out of the security center behind them. She and Carl desperately fell to the ground, narrowly avoided the Yolkians' shots, and dropped the aliens. Jimmy knew they couldn't stay there any longer. This wasn't like the faux fight they had been part of an hour before. Veras had no intentions of keeping them alive. He realized that he and his eight friends would soon be facing everything that the Yolkians could muster. "We have to push forward!" he shouted into his headset.

Nick nodded, steeled his nerves, and jumped out of cover. Time slowed down as his adrenaline reserves were emptied. His sights locked on alien after alien, and each one fell as his bullets struck each of their control panels. He saw his friends follow his lead as they all slowly made their way up the hill, ceasing fire only to reload their weapons. All the humans knew their only chance was to work together and keep moving. The group stepped forward in tandem, moving as one unit. Carl, Libby, and Miranda fired shot after shot behind their team as more and more Yolkians burst out of the security center. Cindy used her spear to ward off aliens dropping from the sky into the middle of the group. Everyone else focused their fire on the Yolkians that kept appearing at the top of the hill. For a few precious seconds, Jimmy had hope that they would win. The Yolkians were being mowed down under his friends' combined fire before they could take aim at the humans. The shots fired by the aliens kept missing, and each step brought them one foot closer to the elevator. Then he heard the scream. The voice was undoubtedly Miranda's, but only Jimmy and Ike recognized it at first. They were the only ones who had ever heard true fear and weakness in her tone, and this shout of pain held nothing but that. They spun around at the same time to see their friend drop her pistol from her left hand and use it to clutch her stomach. Then she sank to her knees and fell onto the ground. "Miranda!" they both screamed while dashing towards her. They both saw the Yolkian that had fired the shot. Its plasma pistol was steaming and it smiled widely at the injured girl. Jimmy and Ike emptied round after round into the creature, not satisfied until it dropped the weapon from its immobilized hands. Nick turned his gaze just in time to see Ike and Jimmy slide to a stop beside the girl. He knew she was hit and for a moment, was paralyzed with fear and indecision. Then he tapped his headset to life and shouted, "Form a circle and cover them!" Betty, Libby, Carl, Sheen, and Nick formed a circled around the injured girl and struggled to find cover as Cindy ran towards Jimmy. Jimmy knelt down on the ground and gently moved Miranda's hand off of the wound. He could stare at it for only a second before his eyes involuntarily looked away. Jimmy knew more about anatomy than most doctors. He could name every bone and muscle in the body with ease. He understood the mechanics behind most medical procedures and knew he could serve as a doctor in a pinch. But the sizzling hole in her waist was more than he could ever hope to repair. He looked into her pained eyes and immediately understood that she knew this. Ike and Jimmy each grabbed one of her hands and squeezed tight as Cindy knelt down beside them. "Jimmy, what do we do?" She dropped her gun and got ready to help him fix her. Jimmy hesitated and felt tears building in his eyes. "MirandaI" his voice trailed off as he realized that he had no idea what to say. Miranda glanced down at her wound and began to tremble. She struggled to swallow and for just a moment, allowed pure fear to race through her eyes. Then, as if a switch had been thrown, she

radiated calmness and determination. "Vortex, keep him safe." As soon as Cindy had nodded, she turned to Ike and struggled to form a small smile while lifting up her kukri. "Kid," she weakly uttered while slitting her necklace off of her throat, "stay alive." She grasped the fallen necklace with trembling fingers and gently placed it in his hand. She swallowed one more time as sweat glistened on her forehead. "I" she paused and clenched her teeth in agony. I'll miss you." Before he could respond, she turned to Jimmy, who couldn't stop the tears from falling. She forced a tiny smile across her trembling lips. "It's okay," she whispered while squeezing his hand. "Miranda," he whispered in between shaky breaths. Miranda let out a tiny pained laugh and said, "I couldn't even really be dying," she paused to cough violently before whispering, "if you hadn't brought me back to life." She breathed fast and hard, struggled to stop the tremors coursing through her body, and squeezed his hand one last time. "I" She felt the life drain out of her and forced herself to hang on. "I lo" she gasped for breath, stared into Jimmy's eyes, and fell onto the ground. "Miranda?" Jimmy quietly croaked out. She didn't respond, and he hung his head in defeat. He struggled to catch his breath before sliding his hand down her open eyelids and slowly lifting her hand to his lips. He gave it a gentle kiss and pondered her last words before giving a sad smile. "I love you too," he whispered before letting the tears fall freely. "Jimmy!" Nick shouted into his headset. "Fix her now! We need to move!" Cindy stared at Jimmy and Ike before looking down at Miranda's face. She sighed sadly and thought, She looks peaceful. That was all the time she could afford to give the fallen warrior. She gently placed her hand on Jimmy's shoulder. Her touch seemed to bring Jimmy back to reality. He tapped his headset and muttered, "She's gone." "What?" Nick shouted while taking down another soldier. Even through their headsets, the children needed to shout to be heard over the chaos surrounding them. "She's dead!" Ike screamed back while placing Miranda's hand on her chest and squeezing her necklace tight. For just a second, Nick stopped shooting and looked over his shoulder. He stared at Miranda's lifeless body and was crippled with despair. He lowered his gun and took a step towards her. "Nick!" Betty screamed. A plasma bolt washed an inch over his shoulder and made his skin sizzle. As he felt the blisters rise off of his skin, he spun around and resumed firing. "We have to go!" he struggled to shout. He ignored the pain and raised his rifle to his eyes.

Cindy nodded sadly and aimed her pistol at two approaching Yolkians. Three shots sent them tumbling to the ground. "Jimmy!" She saw Jimmy staring sadly at Miranda's closed eyes. She shoved his shoulder hard, and he turned to face her and blinked in confusion. "Jimmy! Nick's right! We're all dead if we stay here!" Jimmy hesitated before gently lowering Miranda's hand and releasing it. He grabbed his pistol, sighed, and nodded. "Ike, we've got to go." Ike glared at the fallen Yolkians near the security building. He could see the creature that had shot Miranda. It was immobilized, but still alive. Though its mouth was no longer capable of forming an expression, Ike could tell by its eyes that it was smiling. He yanked his combat knife out of its sheath and glared at the alien with pure hatred. "It's still alive." Jimmy realized his intention and yanked his arm. "Ike, we have to go!" Ike glared at Jimmy and ripped his arm out of his grasp. "I'm not leaving it alive!" Both boys ducked as another flurry of plasma flew past them. They scrambled behind cover and Jimmy looked Ike in the eyes. "She wanted you to live. Don't get yourself killed!" Ike glared at Jimmy before dropping his gaze in sorrow. He tucked the knife back in its sheath before whipping out a plasma pistol. He popped out of cover and fired three shots at the creature that had killed Miranda. He glared at its burnt body and scowled deeper as its death did nothing to relieve the pain in his heart. "Guys, we need to go now!" Nick shouted at the top of his lungs. Jimmy knew Nick was right and grabbed Ike's shoulder. "Ike" Ike gripped his gun tighter and nodded. "I know." He gave one last look at Miranda and silently said goodbye. He then faced Jimmy and got to his feet. "Let's press on."

Chapter 19: Redemption

Barak Neroma kept his eyes fixed straight ahead and his hands firmly gripped around his rifle while hovering past the Inquisitor. Dozens of soldiers rushed past him, all clamoring for the humans' blood. It killed Barak to watch them pass by. A few shots from his plasma launcher could decimate the entire squad. Yet he had more important matter to attend to. If he failed to get the king's elevator under control, his friends would surely perish. Though Barak was traveling in the opposite direction of the soldiers rushing past him, none stopped to question him. His haste spared them from noticing his missing eye, and his posture indicated he was on a mission. He halted in front of the control tower and found two soldiers guarding the door.

Both Yolkians crossed their spears to form an X that blocked the elevator. Barak forced his voice to remain steady as he gruffly said, "I must ascend the tower at once. I have urgent news for Commander Viser." The guards stared at Barak's missing eye and glanced at each other before deciding the injury was from an old battle. The first guard huffed and said, "Then give us the message. We shall pass it along." Barak studied the creatures for a moment before nodding and extending his right arm. He slowly tapped its hologram several times before shooting his left arm down to his side. He ripped his dagger out of his sheath and rammed it through the first guard's visor and into its brain. Barak grabbed the spear from its hands, spun around, and killed the second soldier before it could attack. Barak immediately entered the elevator and began his ascent. He had left his dagger behind, but his new spear more than made up for that. He deactivated the weapon and watched as it shrunk to a sixth of its size. He placed it in his dagger's sheath and gripped his plasma launcher once more. The doors opened to reveal chaos inside the control tower. Ordinarily, a new arrival from the ground below would have been given everyone's full attention, but the half dozen Yolkians inside the tower were busy examining their wrists' holograms, the main computer console, or staring out the tower's observation window. Barak aimed his rifle through the panels of glass he had broken earlier. He fired four shots and watched as the Yolkians turned to find shrinking balls of blue energy attached to their shells. They barely had time to widen their eyes in fright before they all exploded into a hail of shrapnel. Barak ducked beneath the low wall in front of him. He yanked his wrist along the rifle's underbelly and narrowed his eyes as the weapon's excess heat vented out. Satisfied that it was ready to be fired once more, he hovered along the wall and popped out of cover. It only took a second to identify his disorientated targets. Two more pulls of the trigger was enough to kill the stunned creatures. Once the sounds of the explosions finished echoing throughout the room, Barak hovered over the wall and inspected both side rooms of the control tower. Neither had any Yolkians inside, so Barak rushed towards the computer panel and set to work. "The humans are making a push for the royal chambers!" a terrified voice shouted from the control panel. Barak struggled to divide his focus as he attempted to hack the king's elevator while listening to the soldiers' broadcasts. "At least one has fallen!" a calmer voice shouted back. "Focus your fire and remain in cover. Remember tertiary combat protocols!" Barak's heart sank at the soldier's words. For the briefest of moments, he stopped working and stared sadly out the observation window. At least one has fallen. He replayed the words in his

mind and wondered which human had died. He shook these thoughts from his head and forced himself to focus on the task at hand, knowing that the humans were counting on him. "We are losing too many forces! Request Sagittarii assistance!" Barak hands froze once more at the request. Sagittarii gunships were similar in size to his shuttle, although they countless times the firepower. With three powerful plasma turrets and a stockpile of missiles, the humans would have no chance against them. Barak's hand slammed onto the control panel's communication button. "Sagittarii assistance denied!" he shouted out. A silence enveloped the radio chatter, and Barak knew he was in trouble. "That is not Viser. Who is this?" an angry voice shouted. Barak thought fast and realized a partial truth might serve as a convincing lie. "Commander Viser is dead. This is Major" Barak heisted for a split second to think of a name. "Saveri. The control tower was breached and Commander Viser was lost in the assault." Another pause enveloped the radio, and the angry voice loudly asked, "Why are you denying Sagittarii support?" Barak struggled to override the king's defense systems and narrowed his eye in frustration. He slammed his fist against the communication console once more and shouted, "Sagittarii support has been grounded due to reports of human anti-air weaponry!" "I have not heard" "I have heard!" Barak roared back. "As commanding officer in the Royal Control Tower, I am denying your request for gunship assistance! Fight with honor on the ground and annihilate the human infestation!" Barak's eyes widened in shock at how easily his frustration turned into believable xenophobic fury. The voice on the radio hesitated for several seconds before responding. "Understood, Saveri. Royal Squadrons Sigma through Omega, intercept the humans on the eastern flanks! Kappa and Lambda squads, mobilize through the park! Send Xi squadron in from the air!" Barak forced his hands to move faster and finally shoved himself away from the control panel as he unlocked access to the king's elevator. He grabbed his weapon and prepared to head back to the elevator as he pondered the conversation he had just had. He stared out the observation window and looked at a docking bay several hundred yards directly to the east of the control tower. His eyes widened as he spotted the gunships.

"There it is!" Nick roared while shoving his empty pistol into its holster. He ran several yards to his right and slid to a stop beside a fallen Yolkian soldier. He ripped the plasma rifle out of its arms, rolled behind a computer booth, and blindly fired at a trio of soldiers nearby. The elevator was in sight. The eight remaining humans were still fighting as one nearly unstoppable unit. Though horrendously outnumbered, even the most thoroughly trained Yolkian soldiers had little experience in ranged combat. Even at this late stage in the fight, most still charged towards the humans and were mowed down before they could take proper aim or hide behind cover. "The fountain!" Cindy screamed at the top of her lungs. She heard the unmistakable roar of a Yolkian's thrusters activating and dove to the right just as a Yolkian landed beside her and slammed its spear into the ground where she had just stood. She landed hard on her elbow, took aim with her pistol, and watched as Betty melted its brain with a plasma bolt before she could squeeze off a shot. Everyone ran towards the fountain that had been their salvation little more than an hour before. They vaulted over the low wall, crashed into the purple liquid, and rolled into cover. The eight children hunkered down and continued firing. "Is the elevator online?" Libby screamed while hearing the clack that meant her rifle was out of ammunition. She angrily threw it aside and whipped a pistol off of her hip. Jimmy gritted his teeth while shooting a Yolkian's eye off. That's for Miranda, you son of a bitch. He took aim at the other eye, but Ike had launched a plasma bolt at the creature's brain before Jimmy could fire his pistol. Both boys stared at each other, pain etched across their faces. With every Yolkian they killed, they hoped that some of their despair might vanish. Each fallen soldier brought only disappointment. "Jimmy!" Libby screamed so loud that her voice cracked. Libby's voice snapped Jimmy back to reality, and he stared across the fountain at his friend. "What?" he shouted into his headset. "The elevator!" Libby shouted back while pointing at their ride to Veras' chambers. "I'll check!" he shouted while rising out of cover. Sheen remembered Barak's insistence that Jimmy survive to make the threat to Yolkus. He immediately jumped out from his cover and pushed his friend back into the fountain. "You can't die!" he shouted while sprinting towards the elevator as fast as he could. Nick watched in amazement as Sheen vaulted over the fountain's wall and dashed towards the elevator. He forced himself to put aside his admiration for the insane teenager and resumed firing at the never-ending horde of Yolkian soldiers.

Sheen slammed into the wall and smashed his fist into the elevator's button. He waited, but the door didn't slide open. He tapped his headset and lay prone on the ground while pulling out his pistol. "It's not opening!" Jimmy gritted his teeth and saw Nick shoot him an angry glance. "Barak will get it open!" he shouted. Cindy reloaded her pistol and racked its slide before taking out another two soldiers. "How long before we try to hack it ourselves?" "Barak's on it!" Jimmy assured her. Nick continued to glare at Jimmy and activated his headset. "Neutron, if that thing's betrayed us again" "It's open!" Sheen shouted as the elevators doors slid open. Jimmy let out a sigh of relief and nodded at Nick. "Ready?" Nick took one last deep breath and nodded back. "Let's move!" Everyone made a mad dash towards the back of the fountain. Plasma bolts and sniper beams whizzed past each of them and sent heat washing over their skin, but none were hit as they vaulted over the fountain's wall. Nick and Cindy hunkered behind the fountain and nodded at each other before popping out of cover and firing wildly into the wall of soldiers. They took out as many as they could and tried to draw as much fire as possible as their friends slid into the elevator. "Cindy!" Jimmy screamed as he realized that Cindy had stayed behind. "Ladies first!" Nick shouted while popping out of cover once more. Cindy hesitated before shoving herself off of the ground and sprinting for the elevator. She jumped inside, and Jimmy immediately caught her and yanked her behind the relative safety of the elevator's wall. "Nick!" Jimmy shouted into his headset. Nick felt his blood chill in his veins as he got ready to run. He tapped his headset and shouted, "Close the door!" while sprinting towards the car. Sheen pressed the button and watched as Nick raced towards him. The boy threw himself into the elevator just as the doors slid shut. The eight humans could hear dozens of plasma bolts eat away at the door as the elevator shot into the air. Nick lay on the floor of the car and panted for a few seconds before Betty gently lifted him to his feet.

The eight friends stared at each other as the four-minute ride got underway. As the adrenaline was washed out of their veins, they began to feel the blisters and scrapes adorning their bodies. Far worse than that, however, was the realization that Miranda was truly gone. No one said a word, but everyone knew they all shared the same thoughts. It took two minutes for Ike to finally whisper, "Did anyone know her last name?" Everyone sadly looked to their friends, but no one could answer Ike's question. Ike slammed the back of his head against the elevator's wall and groaned. "She's gone." Jimmy stared at his friend in understanding. "Wewe" he felt his voice quiver as tears welled up in his eyes. "We'll kill Veras for her," Cindy weakly offered. She remembered how she and Miranda had fought together on the battlefield; how the girl had pledged to keep Jimmy alive. She felt an overwhelming wave of sadness and squeezed her weapon tighter. She looked into Jimmy's despondent eyes and wished more than anything that their battle was over. Ike moved his head off of the wall and ripped his sunglasses off at Cindy's words. He shoved them deep into his pocket and glared at Jimmy. "He's mine. Veras is mine." Jimmy slowly nodded. "Okay." "We need to get ready," Betty urgently reminded everyone while reloading her rifle. Nick forced himself to shove his pain aside and focus on the mission. "She's right. Everyone reload and get low. As soon as those doors open, we all shoot. We don't know if they'll be waiting for us." Though Ike couldn't wash the look of utter hatred off his face, he heeded Nick's instructions. Everyone made sure their weapons were ready and got as close to the ground as they could. They aimed their weapons at the elevator's rear door and placed their fingers on the triggers. As soon as the doors slid open, everyone opened fire. Bullets and plasma bolts filled the air, flew across the long empty hallway, and slammed into the door to Veras' chambers. "Cease fire!" Nick shouted while pulling his finger off of the trigger. A second later everyone mirrored his actions and silence filled the hall. "Is he in there?" Ike spat out while getting to his feet and aiming his rifle ahead of him. "Are you in there?" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Ike!" Nick seethed while grabbing his friends arm. "He knows we're here," Ike shot back while ripping himself free.

Everyone got off of the ground and aimed their weapons at the door, unsure if Veras or his guards would suddenly emerge and attack. "Plan?" Cindy quietly asked. Nick answered before Jimmy could. "Take cover on both sides of the door. If you can't fit, lie on the ground. As soon as we open the door, fire with everything we've got." Jimmy nodded. "They'll do the same, so just stick your guns out of cover." "Fill the room with lead," Cindy agreed. "If there's anything in there, we'll hit it." Everyone got in position. Jimmy and Cindy took the right side of the door. Nick and Betty took the left. Carl, Libby, Sheen, and Ike lowered themselves onto the ground and readied their weapons. Nick looked across the door towards Jimmy. "On three, Jimmy?" Jimmy nodded. "One." Cindy cracked her neck and drummed her fingers on her pistol. "Two." Nick felt his heart slam into his chest and took in one last deep breath. "Three!" he shouted while hitting button beside the door. As soon as the door shot upwards, bullets and plasma bolts filled the air. Three Yolkian guards fell as their reinforced shells withered under the humans' combined fire. Carl, Sheen, Ike, and Libby felt their scalps warm as they hugged the ground and plasma hurtled over their heads. Once the initial volley from both sides was over, Nick peeked out of cover, aimed his pistol, and took out another soldier. Cindy jumped through the doorway and rolled behind an ornate sculpture. She snarled madly while aiming her pistol and dropping another alien. Ike burst in right after her, slid behind a decorative chair, and drilled the last guard with three rounds from his rifle. All that was left was the king. He aimed his plasma launcher over his desk at the sculpture Cindy rested behind. Libby screamed, "Cindy, move!" as loud as she could while shooting the king's visor. Cindy trusted Libby's words and immediate jumped out from behind the statue just as it exploded into a hail of stone shrapnel. She felt one piece slice her arm and groaned as warm blood flowed onto the floor. Veras' glass visor cracked and splintered to pieces. Ike roared in fury and emptied his clip into the king's control panel. The plasma launcher fell out of his deactivated hands and rolled along the floor as Veras fell to the ground. No silence filled the room this time. Jimmy shouted, "Cindy!" while running towards her. He immediately reached into his hypercube, yanked out a spare shirt he had packed, and wrapped it

around her injured left forearm. He heard footsteps approaching, and he looked up to see Libby desperately sliding to a halt beside him. Nick cast Cindy a concerned look, but her wound didn't seem too deep. "Move in!" he quietly ordered everyone into the chamber. He stared down the sights of his plasma rifle and fired two rounds at each fallen soldier. Once he was sure they were all dead, he saw Ike staring at the fallen Veras and breathing deeply. "Ike?" he nervously asked. Ike felt his hands tremble as he stared at the king. Veras merely met his gaze with equal hatred. "Jimmy," Ike snarled. "Let's end this." For Jimmy, anger had taken a backseat to the only emotion powerful enough to rival it; love. Memories of Cindy bleeding onto the floor of Goobot's vessel sent his heart racing and began to shut his mind down. "Cindy," he pleaded while tying the makeshift bandage over her arm with trembling hands. "I'm fine," she gently assured him while staring at her arm. A stream of blood stained her arm, but it was nowhere near large enough to be fatal. Jimmy didn't seem able to comprehend this and began to shake as he struggled to form a knot with his shirt. "Jimmy," she calmly said while staring into his eyes. "Jimmy," Libby gently whispered while placing her steady hand on top of his trembling ones. He stopped wrapping Cindy's wound and blinked several times before turning to Libby. "She's okay," she calmly assured him. She turned to Cindy and gave her a concerned look. "Right?" Cindy nodded. "I'm fine." She squeezed Jimmy's hand before placing her other hand on Libby's knee. "Help me up?" she asked while struggling to get to her feet. Libby and Jimmy helped lift her up, and Cindy sighed while staring at Veras. "Let's finish this." Jimmy hesitated for a moment, took one last look at Cindy's bloody arm, and nodded. He swallowed hard and slowly walked towards his enemy. Thoughts of Miranda dying flashed through his mind and he found the rage inside him building with every step. "You pathetic creatures!" Veras screamed out as Neutron approached him. Jimmy clenched his hands into fists and forced himself to keep from stomping the alien's brain in. He gritted his teeth and snarled out, "Why?" "Why what?" Veras sneered back. "Why do this?" Jimmy screamed. "Why kill my friend? Why have your soldiers die? Why not just leave us all alone?" Veras huffed angrily as his eyes widened in animalistic fury. "You dare to ask questions of me? You have the gall to question the wisdom of your destruction? Your species"

Ike whipped out his pistol and shot the alien's left eye. Veras' entire body trembled in silence for a moment, but he was unable to keep himself from roaring out in pain. "Our species has beaten you every time you've fought us!" Ike shouted while aiming his gun at Veras' remaining eye. "We beat you at every turn," Ike snarled in between pained breaths. "We saved our parents. We stopped Goobot's invasion. We killed your king. And now we're going to kill you!" Ike shouted. "So what the hell gives you the right to think you're better than us?" Veras glared into Ike's eyes and let out an evil laugh. "You dare to kill me? What do you think that will accomplish, human?" Veras turned his gaze to Jimmy and glared at the human. "Do you think ending my life will save your world? Do you think it will give my people the slightest pause in clamoring for your blood?" The king narrowed his eye and added, "Nothing you will ever do will save your species. Kill me and I shall be replaced. Stop my fleet and another will take its place." Veras roared in fury and screamed, "Your world shall burn, and nothing you do will stop it!" Ike threw his gun to the floor and ripped the knife Miranda had given him out of its sheath. "You know what?" he snarled while kicking the remnants of Veras' visor in. "Maybe you're right. Maybe Earth's doomed. Maybe we're screwed no matter what we do. But want to know the funny thing, King Veras?" Ike mockingly seethed while bending down on one knee and gripping his knife tighter. "You killed my friend," Ike growled while raising his blade. "So I don't really give a fuck." He slammed the knife deep into Veras' body and felt it slam through the alien's brain. The life instantly drained from the king's eye, and Ike ripped the blade out. "Burn in hell," Ike angrily whispered while facing his friends. The humans all looked at each other. No one knew what to say. Veras was dead. Their job was nearly done. Everyone's gaze slowly turned to Jimmy, and Nick said what everyone was thinking. "Just one thing left to do." Jimmy nodded. "We need to find the communication device." Cindy pointed towards the chambers' right wall. "That looks about right." Everyone followed her gaze and saw a panel of buttons and video monitors jutting out of the wall. They all walked over to it and watched as Jimmy set to work studying the panel. He tapped button after button and let his mind focus entirely on his task. For a precious few seconds, he had complete hope that he would find the device and end the madness he and his friends were a part of. Then his heart sank as his gaze fell on a video monitor crackling to life. The screen showed a dozen Yolkian soldiers piling into the king's elevator and beginning their ascent. Cindy stood beside him and watched the video as well. "We need to hack the elevator and lock it down!"

Jimmy nodded and began to desperately push button after button as his friends anxiously watched on. Thirty seconds passed, and Jimmy's fingers began to tremble before he slammed his fist into the computer panel. "I can't lock it down!" "Why not?" Nick asked. Jimmy scowled in frustration while pointing at a second video monitor. Hundreds of Yolkians surrounded the ground entrance to the elevator. Jimmy held his finger over one of the aliens, which was bent furiously over the elevator's control panel. "They have an engineer fighting my lockdown. I can't beat him." "But you're a genius!" Betty cried out. Jimmy clenched his teeth and shouted, "I have three minutes to learn how to operate an entirely alien computer while fighting an expert on it!" Nick cracked his neck and looked around the king's chambers. "We'll need to hold them off. We need to fight them." Cindy gulped nervously as she stared at the entrance to the king's chambers before looking back at the hundreds of soldiers on the screen. "How are we getting out of this, guys?" Libby felt her hands tremble as she looked at the warriors on the monitor. "We can't fight our way past all those soldiers." Nick looked to Jimmy, who met his grim gaze. "We'd never stand a chance. They'd fire the second the doors opened and fill the whole elevator with plasma before we could take one step out." Everyone turned to Jimmy, whose eyes were twitching as his mind raced faster than it ever had. He quickly realized that Nick was entirely right. Once he and his friends had killed the car full of soldiers, they couldn't take the elevator back down. There was only one other way out of the chambers. Everyone followed Jimmy as she pushed himself off of the control panel and walked behind Veras' desk. He stared out the glass wall at Animus before looking down at the ground half a kilometer below. "There's only two ways out," he whispered. He looked at Nick sadly and said, "The elevator's surrounded by soldiers, and we'd never survive this fall." Nick felt his stomach twist into a painful knot at Jimmy's words. "Wewe're not getting out of this one, are we?" "Jimmy?" Cindy nervously asked.

Jimmy turned to his friends. "I can't think of anything," he admitted. "Does anyone have any ideas?" No one spoke. A painful silence took hold of the group as they looked into each other's eyes. "Wewe're going to die?" Carl whimpered. Jimmy turned towards his best friend and tried to think of something to say, but there were no words that could change the facts. There was no way out of Veras' chambers. "We'll stay here," Nick quietly told everyone. He took in a shaky breath and forced himself to nod in affirmation of his own words. "We'll hold here as long as we can. They'll keep sending soldiers up, and we'll keep taking them down." Cindy slowly nodded back. "Every soldier we kill is one less they can send to Earth." Jimmy stepped back from the window and slowly made his way to the control panel. He pressed a few more buttons and watched as one of the monitors displayed footage from inside the elevator. The soldiers inside were all equipped with various guns and seemed thrilled to be heading into battle. Jimmy realized he and his friends had little more than two minutes left. He turned around to find everyone facing him. "The broadcast?" Betty quietly asked. "We need to make it, don't we?" Jimmy sighed and examined the computer once more. "I can try to find the communications device in between attacks," Jimmy sadly whispered. "But I don't know how effective a threat will be if it's followed by our deaths." "We killed the king," Ike growled. Everyone stared into his pained eyes. "That's got to count for something. Buy Earth time, at least." Jimmy nodded and forced himself to believe Ike's words. "We've done all we can do." The eight friends stared sadly at each other. Jimmy cleared his throat and struggled to say in a croaky voice, "Thank you. All of you. For helping me do this." Nick struggled to swallow and felt his eyes burn with tears. "Neutronwe've always had your back." "Because you've always had ours," Libby quietly added while wiping her eyes. Jimmy sadly nodded and looked into Cindy's beautiful green eyes. He took a step towards her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "I've always loved you," she whispered into his ear while struggling to keep the tears at bay.

Jimmy nodded and whispered, "Me too," while pulling back. He slowly raised a trembling hand and ran it through the few loose strands of her golden hair. He saw her shake at his touch, and he gave her a sorrowful smile. "A team to the end, right Cindy?" "Always," she agreed while grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Cindy turned to Libby, and they both managed to lift their trembling lips into a pained smile. "Love you always," Libby whispered as a tear fell down her cheek and splashed onto the floor. "Forever," Cindy struggled to say with a slow nod. Betty turned to Nick and slowly grabbed his hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and both looked into each other's eyes. "You're a hell of a pilot," he managed to whisper. Betty began to cry while resting her head on his shoulders. She struggled to keep from shaking as she whispered, "Thank you." Jimmy looked into Libby's dark brown eyes and couldn't keep from crying any longer. "Libby" "I know," she whispered while nodding. She lifted a shaky arm, and Jimmy gently squeezed her hand. Carl and Sheen turned to each other. Carl quietly asked, "Sheen, do you think I'm a man now?" Sheen's eyes held nothing but despair, but he managed to give a sincere smile. "You're the toughest hombre I've ever seen, Carl." Carl cried as he smiled back. "Thanks, Sheen." Jimmy stared at the two boys he considered brothers and looked into their eyes. "Guys" his face broke down into pure despair as he found it impossible to breathe. He could never hope to condense the love he shared for them into a handful of words. The three boys forced themselves to smile sadly at each other. "Cindy," Betty whispered while slowly backing away from Nick and staring into the blondehaired girl's eyes. Cindy met her gaze, and there was nothing but respect in them. Betty struggled to think of exactly what to say, and finally whispered, "I'm glad I was on your team." Cindy nodded and weakly smiled at her old rival. "Same here, Betty." Libby pulled Sheen away from his friends and stared deep into his eyes. "Sheen" she hesitated, cursed herself for being so weak, and broke into tears. Sheen wrapped her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, being sure to savor the tickling sensation her braids always caused. "Libbalicious, do you think Ultralord's in heaven?"

Libby laughed in spite of herself and gently slammed her fist onto her boyfriend's shoulder before opening it and grabbing onto him. "Yeah," she sadly whispered. "I really do." Sheen's eyes watered as he forced Libby to meet his gaze. "I'll find you before I look for him," he promised. "Sheen," Libby moaned, touched by his words. She slammed her mouth shut and cried into his chest. Nick ran a hand through his hair and walked over to Jimmy. The genius turned away from Carl, and Nick immediately held out his hand. "Jimmy," he whispered. Jimmy grabbed Nick's hand, and both boys stared deeply at each other. Nick gently pulled Jimmy towards him, and both boys wrapped their free arm around each other. Nick gently clapped his friend's back before slowly pulling away. "It's been more than an honor," he quietly told his best friend. Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Same here, Nick." Jimmy saw Nick look at the pistol holstered on Jimmy's hip before staring at their friends. "Remember when I tried to kill you?" Nick asked with a chuckle that turned into a sob. "The day this all started?" Jimmy nodded and wiped his eyes before looking at Nick once more. "We've all come a long way." Ike heard Jimmy's words and gripped his pistol tight enough to drain the blood from his knuckles. "Guess we end this together, huh?" he loudly asked. Cindy spun towards him and nodded. "Together," she agreed. Everyone found cover near the back of the room and aimed their weapons at the door. Only seconds remained until the elevator arrived. Ike took one last deep breath, drummed his fingers along his pistol, and said, "See you all on the other side." Everyone nodded and took in one last deep breath as they heard the elevator arrive. Then, as they heard the enemy's shells hover down the hall towards them, a thunderous roaring blasted into their ears from behind them. The eight children spun around and felt their eyes widen in disbelief as a ship roughly the size of the Inquisitor barreled towards the chamber. "What the hell is that?" Ike screamed. Nick had thought he was already as scared as he could be, but his heart somehow managed to beat faster as a turret extended from beneath the vessel and begin to rotate wildly. "Get down!"

he roared as loud as he could. The ship opened fire just as the Yolkian soldiers burst into the room. Everyone slammed onto the floor and covered their heads as the entire glass wall shattered into a million pieces. Hundreds of laser laser beams poured into the chamber. The children waited for their inevitable deaths, but saw in disbelief that the ship was annihilating the Yolkian soldiers. Shells overloaded and exploded, bodies were burnt to a crisp, and other aliens merely vanished from the onslaught of fire. As the last warrior fell to the ground, the humans heard the gunship's turret slow its rotation and cease firing. Everyone stared at the ship in disbelief as it turned to the side and hovered in place two feet from where the glass wall had stood. They slowly got to their feet, and Nick shook his head in utter disbelief. "No way in hell," he whispered. A moment passed, and the ship's hatch slid open to reveal Barak hanging onto the vessel's wall with one hand while extending his other towards the children. "Humans, get aboard!" he sternly instructed before a small smile appeared on his shell. "It is time for you go home." "Barak," Jimmy uttered in disbelief. A few seconds passed, and Betty smiled widely at the alien before turning to her friends. "Are we ready to get out of here?" Nick met her gaze and found a smile spreading across his face. "Yes," he said with a heavy sigh of relief. He nodded at the ship and turned back to Betty. "Ladies first." Everyone holstered or dropped their weapons and walked towards the edge of Veras' chambers. Betty looked at her friends, who nodded at her. She took a dozen steps back and ran towards the edge of the chambers as fast as she could. She leaped into the air at the last second and landed inside the gunship. Barak grabbed her arm and steadied her as she faced the alien. "Thank you," Betty said with a grateful nod. "Thank you, Betty," Barak firmly answered. Libby backed up next and jumped onto the ship, followed by Carl and Sheen. Everyone watched as one by one, their friends escaped Veras' chambers.

The Yolkian's one remaining eye twitched in agony. The pain was nearly unbearable, even for a seasoned warrior such as himself. It took all of his concentration to focus on the situation in front of him. He saw the crop's offspring, noticed the gunship, and narrowed his shaking eye in hatred at the sight of the heretic aiding them.

The alien knew its shell was immobile. Yet it still struggled with all its might to move towards the creatures, to extinguish the triumphant faces of those boarding the gunship. Suddenly, his right arm jerked forward. The Yolkian's eye widened in shock. A stray circuit must have survived the damage the ship had caused. The Yolkian breathed hard and fast as it realized that it had survived the Sagittarii's assault to avenge his fallen king. It was fate that spared him. And he would not deny a force as powerful as destiny.

Cindy, Jimmy, and Nick watched as Ike landed onboard the gunship and disappeared into the vessel. The three remaining humans glanced at each other. "You guys first," Cindy said while squeezing the makeshift bandage over her arm. Nick and Jimmy shook their heads. "We're right behind you," Jimmy assured his girlfriend. "Get inside." Cindy hesitated before nodding and leaping inside the vessel. Jimmy and Nick turned to each other. Jimmy smiled at his friend and said, "My fight, so I'm the last one leaving." Nick managed a small smile back. "Guess I know better than to argue with a genius." He got a running start and joined his friends on the gunship.

The soldier slowly dragged his shell across the floor to the nearest weapon in sight. His eye narrowed as he realized it was a particle beam rifle. He'd always viewed sniper rifles as the least honorable weapons in existence, but perhaps this was a sign. The humans deserved no honor in their extermination. The soldier slowly bobbed his eye in affirmation at this realization. Besides, the weapon would ensure that he would not miss his target. He wrapped his hand around the gun and looked down its scope.

Jimmy flew through the air and landed inside the gunship. Barak grabbed his arm and stared into his eyes. "I am sorry," the Yolkian immediately apologized. "I meant to arrive faster. I should haveI should have" Barak raced through his words and begged for James to forgive him for taking so long to come to their aid. "Barak," Jimmy said placing his hand on the Yolkian's shell, "You came back." Barak blinked several times and bowed forward. "I hope one day you may forgive my transgressions."

The soldier tightened his grip on the trigger and switched aim back and forth between the two targets. Which to eliminate? The human that Veras had claimed was Earth's greatest weapon? Or the traitorous heretic who could reveal Yolkus' secrets? The alien took in a deep breath, chose his mark, and pulled the trigger.

Jimmy stared deep into Barak's lone eye and smiled wearily at his friend. "You're forgiven." Barak felt tears build as Neutron's words lifted an immeasurable burden off of his soul. He looked into Neutron's kind eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, James," he softly said. Then the beam of light smashed through his visor, tore through his brain, and caused all life to drain from his eyes. Jimmy pulled back in complete disbelief as Barak's shell stopped humming and clattered to the floor. His mind failed to process what he had just seen. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. "Jimmy!" Nick roared in desperation while barreling across the ship and slamming into his friend. Both boys crashed onto the floor as a second beam of light flew by where Jimmy's head had just been. Nick jumped off of James, slammed his fist into the hatch's door, and turned towards the cockpit. "Betty! Get us out of here now!"

Chapter 20: Cherenkov's Gun

Years of friendship with Nick had taught Betty one thing, and that was Nick's current tone held no room for hesitation or questioning. Betty immediately gritted her teeth, grabbed the ship's controls, and blasted straight up into space as fast as she could. Everyone was thrown backwards as the ship accelerated as quickly as possible. Jimmy and Nick slammed into the wall behind them, and Barak's corpse landed by their side. Jimmy struggled to move away from Nick while desperately screaming, "Barak!" Betty struggled to keep the ship steady as she pushed the ship's engines to their limit. She shouted, "What the hell just happened?" as loud as she could in a desperate attempt to be heard over the wind's roar. "Jimmy, he's gone!" Nick yelled while grabbing his friend's arm. Cindy tapped her headset with one hand and held onto a weapons locker with the other. She stared out of a nearby window and saw the darkness of space as the wind instantly ceased roaring. "Betty, slow down!" she instructed.

Betty took in a deep breath and slowly nodded as she realized they had left Yolkus behind. She tapped her headset and whispered, "Okay," while slowing the ship down. Everyone onboard save Jimmy shook their heads and struggled to balance themselves as they looked around the ship. The gunship had roughly the same design as the Inquisitor, with a few minor alterations. Rows of weapons lockers lined the main chambers walls, along with several round windows. A large metallic table with four chairs replaced the holographic research interface. The rear hallway held four doors instead of two. Nick ran a hand over his haggard face and slowly got to his feet. "Set the autopilot for Earth," he tiredly told Betty. He leaned against the wall behind him and stared down at Jimmy, who was still looking at Barak. Betty rapidly activated the autopilot before jumping out of her chair. She ran into the ship's main chamber and immediately covered her mouth with trembling hands. "Barak?" she squeaked out in shock. "He'swe just need to" Jimmy desperately said while gently touching Barak's shell. He looked into Barak's lifeless eye and saw that the color had drained from his body. Tears splattered onto the alien's visor as Jimmy sat back in defeat. He looked up at his friends, who all stood in front of him. "He's gone," he barely managed to whisper. No one knew what to say. Two friends had died in less than an hour. The sense of invulnerability that had always accompanied their adventures had disappeared. Even in the most dangerous circumstances, a part of their minds had always believed that they would all survive. Now, staring at Barak's corpse and the memory of Miranda's death fresh in their minds, the illusion was shattered. Cindy finally took a step forward and knelt down beside Jimmy. She gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder, and he slowly placed his hand on top of hers. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Jimmy managed a tiny nod and clenched his right hand into a fist. He waited until it stopped trembling before tapping several buttons on Barak's control panel. A few seconds passed, and then the shell hummed back to life. A few more buttons were pressed, and then Barak's visor retracted. Jimmy slowly reached his hand down and closed Barak's eye. "He saved us," Jimmy whispered. He looked up at his friends and struggled to swallow. "He came back for us." Nick looked down at the creature beneath him for a long time before nodding. "Yeah, he did." Ike looked at Jimmy and Cindy sitting on the floor and lowered himself down as well. One by one, everyone did the same. They leaned against the ship's wall and stared at the cockpit ahead of them. "We lost Miranda," Ike whispered while lifting his trembling hands up to his face. He took off his sunglasses, slowly folded them, and slid them in his pocket. He laid his head down on his hands and took in a shaky breath. "We lost her."

Jimmy closed his eyes and swiped his wrist across them. How many tears had he shed the past week? For feeling guilty, for Miranda's past, for watching Cindy get hurt, for seeing Barak and Miranda die? Betty bit her lip and stared at Cindy, who stared back at her in despair. Betty looked down at the floor before speaking. "They were heroes. We'd never have survived without them." Nick clenched his jaw at her remark. Miranda was a hero; there was no doubt about that. But the alien? He stared at Barak's corpse and glowered at it. He'd saved their lives, but also been the cause of their near deaths. He had no idea what he truly felt for the Yolkian, and he was far too exhausted to figure it out. That realization made him truly understand how tired he was, and he closed his eyes while muttering, "It's over, though." Jimmy had thought his despair paralyzing, but Nick's words sent his head snapping up of its own accord. He narrowed his eyes and tried to contemplate what his friend had just said, but Libby interrupted his thoughts. "We did it," she agreed with a solemn nod. "We killed the king. We're safe now." Jimmy stared at her for a moment before shaking his head and forming a fist with his right hand. Sheen and Carl looked at each other. "We're going home," Carl timidly said. Everyone looked up at him, and he stared sheepishly at the ground. "We'll be okay," he tried to assure everyone. Jimmy slowly got to his feet and looked around the ship curiously. "Jimmy?" Cindy nervously asked as everyone stared at him. Jimmy didn't respond as he placed his hands on the chamber's table and looked down at the metal surface. He closed his eyes in deep concentration for several more seconds before snapping his head towards his friends. "It's not over." Though no one knew the full meaning of his words, all felt their hearts sink upon hearing them. "What do you mean?" Libby anxiously asked. Jimmy pushed himself off of the table and began to pace around it. "This isn't over," he angrily muttered. He glared at his friends for a few seconds before looking down at the ship's floor. "We're not done." Nick rose off of the ground and took a few steps towards Jimmy. "The threat doesn't matter," he told Jimmy, who stopping pacing to meet his gaze. "We killed Veras. That has to be enough." "Nick's right," Cindy agreed while standing up and walking towards the boys. Everyone got to their feet as well, knowing that their brief rest was over. "We didn't just kill the king; we fought his soldiers on their own planet and won. And we must have killed dozens of Yolkians." She pondered her words before nodding. "We showed them what we're capable of."

Jimmy shook his head. "We killed soldiers on Goobot's ship before," he explained. "That didn't prove anything. And killing their king last time only made them declare war on us." He hesitated and silently begged his friends to understand. "We're just repeating everything. This is never going to stop. Nothing's going to change." He saw the fear flicker across their eyes and narrowed his own in response. "Unless we change." Libby turned to Cindy, who seemed to share in her confusion. "What do you mean?" she quietly asked. "We're reacting," Jimmy said while pacing around once more. "We fought Goobot the first time because he kidnapped our parents. We fought him the second time because he tried to take over Retroville. We fought him a month ago because we thought he kidnapped our parents again. And we killed Veras because he declared war on us." He stopped midstride, pondered his plan for a few more seconds, and finally nodded. "We need to stop reacting and start going on the offensive." Betty's eyes darted to Barak's corpse, and she immediately felt like she was going to be sick. "Betty?" Cindy nervously asked while watching Betty step backwards and wobble slightly. "I'm fine," Betty answered. She slowly took in a breath and saw Jimmy staring at her. "Jimmy, what more can we do?" Nick stared at her and nodded. "Betty's right. We've lost two of our people. We're practically out of ammunition, and we're all hurt and exhausted. We killed the king. What else is there?" Jimmy stared at Ike, who he knew would have his back. The distraught boy met his gaze and waited for Jimmy to speak. "We need to hit them. Hard. Show them that we're not going to stop at merely defending ourselves. That if they continue this war, we'll fight back with everything we've got and then some. We need to prove to them how dangerous we are." Cindy bit her lip before speaking. "Jimmy, I hear you. But Nick's right. We're not in fighting shape. Let's go home and figure this out there." Jimmy didn't respond. He walked away from his friends towards one of the three windows on the wall to his right. He stared out the center viewport and nodded to himself. "I know what we have to do," Jimmy whispered. He faced his friends and looked at them once more. He saw the worried expressions on their faces and sighed. He forced himself to take a few deep breaths and held his hands up defensively. "Hear me out," he began. "If you don't want to do this, you don't have to. But if you agree to it, if you want to help me, I can destroy Animus." Another silence filled the ship. Nick finally asked the obvious. "How?"

Jimmy motioned for everyone to look out the gunship's windows. In the distance rested the repair station that Barak had pointed out when they had approached Yolkus less than three hours ago. Jimmy pointed at it and said, "The ship. The Flaming Justice. We use that." Betty cast Jimmy a sideways glance and shook her head. "Barak said it was heavily damaged. I remember that." Nick stepped back from the window. "Even if we took control of it, the Yolkians have hundreds of other ships. They'd shoot us down as soon as we started to attack the planet." Jimmy glanced at both of them. "We're not going to use its weapons." He hesitated and grabbed Cindy's hand. He gently pulled her away from the window and looked into her eyes. "We're going to turn it into a weapon." It took a few seconds, but Cindy soon realized what Jimmy had in mind. She released his hand and recoiled in shock, and she saw a flash of pride race across his eyes as he understood that she knew what he was planning. "You could do it?" she asked in disbelief. Everyone stared at her curiously. Jimmy nodded. "I'd need your help, but I could." Ordinarily, Cindy would have been flattered by his words. But at this moment, knowing full well what Jimmy was planning, all she could do was shake her head in disbelief. "The safety protocols?" Jimmy met her gaze with unwavering strength. "If we get to the engineering bay, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to override them." Everyone rapidly switched gazes between Jimmy and Cindy. Nick opened his mouth to ask what the heck they were talking about, but Cindy left no opening for anyone else to speak. "One of us would have to stay behind to pilot it." Jimmy shook his head. "The autopilot," he gently reminded her. Cindy took a moment to consider his words. "They would shoot it down before it landed. They'd figure out what we're doing." Jimmy considered this for the most fleeting of moments before shaking his head. "They'd have to vaporize the entire ship to prevent the blast." He stared intensely into her eyes and assured her, "It will work." Nick took a step forward and glared at each of them. "Can you fill the rest of us in on what's going on?"

Cindy met Nick's hard gaze and let her face fall. "Jimmy wants to turn the Flaming Justice into a nuclear bomb." While everyone else looked at Cindy in complete disbelief, Ike stepped beside Nick and stared intensely at Jimmy. "You can do that?" he immediately asked. Jimmy met his gaze and nodded. "Their ships are powered by fusion reactors. If you sabotage them in the right way, they basically turn into nuclear bombs." Ike nodded eagerly. "So we destroy their engines and slam the ship into the city, then blow it up. That about right?" "Basically, yes," Jimmy agreed. Ike felt his hands begin to tremble. "I'll help you. Let's do it right now." "Okay, stop," Libby said while raising her hands. "Can we back up a bit and maybe discuss this for a minute?" Betty nodded and desperately added, "We can't just go dropping nuclear bombs on cities." Jimmy met Betty's gaze. "We have to attack them. If we don't do this, they'll just send their ships to Earth and destroy our entire planet." "But we killed Veras!" Libby nearly shouted. "We already showed them how tough we are!" Ike scowled and stepped towards her. "They started this fight. They kidnapped our parents, they tried to take over Retroville, they declared war on us, they" He paused and felt his breaths come hard and fast. "They killed Miranda! I'm done screwing around with them. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. Let's show them what we can do." Betty sighed in exasperation. "If we bomb their city, do you really think that will make them leave us alone? They'll just get even angrier!" "Or they'll be too scared to fight us!" Ike shouted back. Nick gritted his teeth in frustration and slammed a hand against his forehead. "Guys!" he shouted, and everyone turned to face him. He took a deep breath and slowly pulled his hand away. "Let's calm down," he pleaded. Carl nodded and slowly cleared his throat. "We're all on the same team," he reminded everyone. Jimmy looked at his friend and nodded. "They're right." He looked around the ship at his seven friends. "Let's sit down and talk about this."

"Okay," Libby immediately agreed. She looked into Jimmy's eyes and smiled gently at him. "Let's figure this out together." Everyone headed towards the table. Jimmy, Cindy, Nick, and Libby took the seats, and the other four children stood beside them. Jimmy opened his mouth to speak, but Cindy beat him to it. "Okay," she began while laying her arms out in front of her. "I think there are two things we need to figure out. The first is if Jimmy's plan would stop the Yolkians from attacking or if it would cause them to fight us." She stared at Libby, who nodded. "And the second is if dropping a nuclear bomb is the right thing to do." She looked to Betty, who agreed. Nick rapped his fist against the table, and everyone looked at him. "I've got to side with Jimmy on the first point," he explained. "The Yolkians keep attacking us. I don't think killing Veras will change that. As soon as they get a new king, this will just happen all over again." Betty looked at Nick, who returned her gaze. "If you're wrong and we do drop this bomb, then they would change their minds and fight us." Jimmy leaned forward and looked at both of them. "We have to look at all of the evidence in front of us. The Yolkians have never left us in peace. Every time we fight, we win, yet they keep coming back. Killing this king won't change that. They're going to fight us again." Libby leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. "But Jimmy, that means they'd still try to fight us if we did drop this bomb." Jimmy looked at her, pondered her words, and slowly shook his head. "This is different. This is a much larger attack than anything we've ever attempted. And even if they did want to fight back, we would have destroyed their capital city." Cindy nodded. "We know they have some sort of Royal Council in that city. My guess is the new king would come from that council. Blowing up the city would kill all of them. They'd have no leader." "Even if they still wanted to fight, this would buy us time," Jimmy agreed. "We could build a defense system for Earth with that time," Cindy added. Betty and Libby looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Nick noticed this and nodded. "I think Jimmy and Cindy are right. Best case, we make them too scared to fight us. Worst case, we kill their leaders and buy us time to prepare." "That leaves the second question," Libby slowly began. She nervously swallowed and looked at Jimmy questioningly. "I know the Yolkians have hurt us. But can we really just drop a nuclear bomb on them?"

Jimmy looked into her kind eyes and felt some of his resolve melt away. Carl slowly leaned forwards and softly said, "I don't want to kill all of those people, Jimmy." Sheen immediately nodded and thought back to killing Dopsil. "Carl's right," he eagerly agreed. "We're the good guys," he proudly said. "Good guys don't do that." Jimmy sighed and looked down at the table before glancing at Cindy, who seemed just as troubled. When he'd come up with this plan, he'd only been concerned with saving Earth. He hadn't truly considered the damage he would do to Yolkus. Ike squeezed his hands into fists and glared at his friends. "This is ridiculous," he angrily told them. "We've already agreed that Jimmy's plan is the best way to protect Earth. What's more important? A few million evil aliens that killed our friends, or billions of humans?" Betty glared at Ike and pointed at Barak's corpse. "Barak was a Yolkian, and he tried to help us. I know he betrayed us, but he thought he was saving our planet, and when he realized he was wrong he saved all of our lives. There have to be other Yolkians like him." Libby nodded. "Jimmy, didn't you stop Miranda from killing Yolkian kids when we were fighting?" Jimmy felt his stomach curl at the memory. The fear in the childrens' eyes hadn't seemed alien at all. It was the same fear any human child would have at being killed. "Yes," he quietly answered. Libby lowered her voice and said, "Dropping this bomb would kill them. And a lot of other kids too." Nick rested his head in his hands once more. Except for Barak and Karab, every Yolkian he had ever met had tried to kill him and his friends. Yet the thought of killing children, even children of a hostile alien race, made him feel sick. Jimmy turned to Cindy once more and recognized the deep pain in her eyes. He moved his hand towards her, and she clasped it tight. "It's not right," she solemnly agreed. Ike pushed himself off of the table, and everyone watched as he growled in anger. "So we just let them get away with all of this? Just let them attack us again?" Libby stared into his eyes and quietly said, "Miranda didn't kill those kids, Ike. Doesn't that say something?" Ike faltered, and everyone's hearts sank as tears glistened in his eyes. He turned around and slowly walked away from the group before halting and facing them once more. "What about our friends?" he quietly asked while returning to the table. "Our friends are kids too. Our planet has millions of kids, billions of people. If we don't do this, they'll all die."

Everyone hesitated, and Ike turned to Jimmy. "We just agreed that this plan is the best way to save Earth." Ike paused and bit his lip while beginning to tremble. "Can I sit please?" he asked in a quivering voice. Jimmy immediately jumped out of his chair, and Ike collapsed onto it. He laid his head on the table and wrapped his arms around it. He felt pathetic for letting his friends see him like this, but he couldn't help it. He felt Jimmy's hand rest on his shoulder and let out a deep shaky breath. "We have to do this," he weakly said while lifting his head up. He saw everyone staring intently at him and struggled to swallow. "Don't we?" He looked up at Jimmy, and everyone followed his gaze. Jimmy hesitated and pondered all that they had discussed. Earth would almost certainly fall if they didn't turn the Flaming Justice into a bomb. But doing so would kill millions of Yolkians, thousands of whom would be children or like Barak; aliens who didn't resent humanity. "I guess" Jimmy slowly began before pausing for a long moment, "It comes down to billions of us or millions of them." Jimmy had barely finished speaking when he remembered Nick threatening to kill Barak and begging to know why he had betrayed them. Barak's desperate response swam through his mind. I had to make a choice! Six billion lives or nine! Jimmy turned to face his fallen friend and stared sadly at the creature, finally beginning to understand the pain he had endured. Is this what it had felt like to weigh a few lives against many? Everyone waited, but Jimmy didn't know what else to say. He turned to Cindy, who gave a slow nod. "We'll vote," she quietly said. Hearing her speak gave him strength, and Jimmy found his voice once more. "It has to be unanimous to do it," he told everyone. "Guys," Betty asked, "should we even be the ones deciding this? Shouldn't we go to Earth and tell the government or something?" Jimmy looked to Cindy and Nick, who seemed puzzled by the question. Nick looked into Betty's eyes and slowly answered. "We're the ones who've fought the Yolkians. This is our fight, so it's our decision." Jimmy nodded. "Plus we just killed Veras. The Yolkians are probably confused and scared. This is the best chance anyone will ever have to hijack that ship." "One last thing," Libby said. She looked at Jimmy and asked, "How dangerous will this be? Would we be able to take over a Yolkian ship?" Jimmy turned to Nick, and the two boys stared curiously at each other. "If the ship's being repaired, it's probably almost deserted," Jimmy began.

Nick nodded. "If we board the ship, some of us could hold the Yolkians off at wherever it connects to the repair station. Compared to what we went through on Yolkus, it should be a piece of cake." Betty contemplated their words before nodding. "Okay. Let's vote." Jimmy felt everyone staring at him and sighed. He thought back to killing Eustace and Goobot, how it had nearly destroyed him. He closed his eyes and realized his plan would do millions of times the damage that killing them had done. He thought of Miranda and Barak, how they had been murdered trying to protect Earth. Hatred swam through his veins, and he suddenly felt an insatiable urge to kill every Yolkian on the planet beneath him. He embraced this desire for a moment before clenching his fists and forcing the thought away. He removed all desire for revenge and forced himself to weigh his options logically. At long last, he opened his eyes. "I vote yes," he told everyone. "Not for revenge. For protecting Earth." Everyone looked to Jimmy's right at Ike. He stared into Jimmy's eyes and struggled not to cry. "I vote yes." He hesitated, clasped his hands together, and rested his forehead on them. "I hate them," he angrily whispered. "I hate them all. But I won't kill them because of it." He took in a deep breath and nodded. "I'll kill them to keep us all safe." Sheen was next. He stared down at the floor while trying to comprehend the impact his decision would have. "I don't know," he admitted. "What would Ultralord do?" Carl offered. Sheen glanced up and stared at his friend. He thought for a long moment and finally answered. "Ultralord makes the hard decisions." He stared at Jimmy and quietly said, "I'm tired of killing people. But if we don't do this, we'll have to come back and do it again, right?" Jimmy looked to Nick, who gave a grave nod. Jimmy quietly sighed and said, "I think so." Sheen nodded. "And I don't want any of more of us to die. I vote yes." Cindy was next. She gave Barak's corpse a quick glance, formed fists with both hands, and nodded. "I vote yes. We need to end this, and this is the only way. It has to be done." Betty stood beside her. She hesitated a long moment before nodding. "Okay. Barak betrayed his people to keep Earth safe. He chose us over them. Thatthat says something, doesn't it?" she asked. She didn't give anyone a chance to answer. "I vote yes." Nick drummed his fingers on the table for a few seconds before speaking. "Yes. We need to finish this fight. Let's do it."

Libby and Carl were the last two votes. Everyone stared at Libby, who stared blankly past everyone for several seconds. Finally, she blinked several times and quietly said, "Yes. I can't lose any more of you doing this again. Let's just end it," she whispered. Everyone turned to Carl, who stared down at the ground between his shoes. Jimmy saw the fear in his friend's eyes and gently said, "Carl, you can be honest with us. What do you think?" Carl kept his eyes on the floor. He thought of everything he loved on Earth that would be destroyed if the Yolkians attacked. Llamas, his friends, Mrs. Neutron, his parents, they'd all die. And he couldn't let that happen. He sighed and answered in the weakest whisper he had ever used. "Yes." Everyone nodded and turned to Jimmy, who looked as though his entire body was racked with pain. Libby noticed this and said, "We were going to do this before." Everyone looked at her curiously, and she explained. "The asteroid. Little Boy. Jimmy, you said that that would have nearly destroyed the Yolkian planet. We all agreed to it without a second thought." Everyone realized that Libby was right. Betty quietly asked, "What's changed?" Jimmy sighed. "We thought it was our best chance at saving our parents. We thought we had to do it." He said the words, but didn't truly believe them. He remembered the pride he had felt when explaining his plan to Cindy and Nick, how he had felt so smart for figuring out how to extinguish billions of lives. He knew what had been different then. Even though it was a mere month ago and he had known that hundreds of lives rested in his hands, he had still been immature. Something had changed since then, and he knew what it was. "We'd never killed anyone," he quietly answered. No one spoke for a long time after that. They sat in silence, thinking about what they were about to do. Finally, Jimmy stood up and looked around the table at his friends. He swallowed and stared gravely at his friends. "The Flaming Justice will live up to its name." He hesitated and nodded while stepping back. "Let's get started."

Chapter 21: Eleven Minutes

Betty slowly strolled out of the cockpit and made her way into the central chamber. The ship was completely dark except for a lone lantern resting on top of the room's table. Her seven friends were crowded around the table as Jimmy hastily finished his sketching on a piece of paper. Betty stood beside Nick, who sat across from Jimmy. He looked up into her eyes, and she nodded gravely before staring at Jimmy. "Okay," Jimmy urgently began while placing his pen down. "Let's go over everything we have planned." He looked at his friends before staring at the drawing in front of him. He immediately wished that he was back on the Inquisitor with its holographic research interface. The thought

sent crippling waves of despair surging through his body. He glanced over his shoulder at Barak's corpse, quietly resting in a corner. "Jimmy?" Cindy gently asked. Jimmy took in a deep breath and focused on the job at hand. "I'm fine," he whispered while staring at his drawing once more. He gently cracked his neck, remembered how often Miranda had done that, and focused on staying above another wave of sorrow. "Alright. Let's get started," he finally managed to say. The drawing showed a large round space station. The damaged cruiser called The Flaming Justice rested nearly up against the station, and a small space bridge connected the two. Far away, Jimmy had drawn a rough picture of the gunship he and his friends were in. "Betty, what did you find?" he asked. Everyone turned to face her, and she crossed her arms before answering. "There are three plasma turrets like the one Barak used to save us," she softly answered. Nick saw her lips twitch in sorrow before her voice steadied. "One pops out of the cockpit, and there are two on either side of the rear of the ship. There's also a half dozen missiles onboard." She hesitated and looked into Jimmy's eyes. "I don't know how powerful they are. You might want to take a look at them and figure it out." Jimmy nodded. "I will. But I think that we have enough firepower to accomplish our task." "One last thing," Betty added. "The pilot can control the cockpit's turret and the missiles, but the two rear turrets need to have someone else controlling them." She pointed at the hallway leading to the rear rooms of the small ship. "That's what the extra doors back there are for. There's a weapons control station in them." Jimmy gave her another appreciative nod. "Thanks, Betty." He quickly added three turrets beneath his drawing of their gunship and drew six missiles beneath the ship. "Okay. This is exactly what we need to do." Jimmy cleared his throat and pointed at the lantern a few inches in front of him. "Betty's shut off everything on this ship except basic life support so she can vent the ship's excess heat into space. Ships create an enormous heat signature which can be detected remotely. By getting rid of our ship's heat and approaching the repair station with only minimal engine use, we should be able to throw off their sensors." "Won't they have normal radar?" Cindy asked. Jimmy nodded. "Certainly, but they likely use heat signatures for longer range detection. Minimizing our own signature will hopefully buy us a precious few extra seconds before they know we're approaching."

"And give them less time to shoot us down," Nick added. "Exactly," Jimmy agreed. Jimmy slowly drew an arrow stretching from the gunship to The Flaming Justice. "Now, there are two possible ways we could enter the ship. The first would be to board the repair station and fight our way through it to reach the dock, which connects to the cruiser." He looked up at his friends and shook his head. "That would certainly be a heavy fight and waste too much time. Instead, we're going to use every weapon onboard this gunship to blast a hole in the cruiser's hull. The Flaming Justice is already damaged, so we should be able to punch a big enough hole for us to fly through." Jimmy pointed at Nick and Sheen. "Nick, Sheen, you two need to man the turrets in the back of our ship." They nodded, and Jimmy turned to face Betty. "Betty, you're a good pilot, but we're going to need to fly straight through a hole little bigger than this ship. So I'll handle getting us inside." Betty nodded. "Okay, Jimmy." Jimmy looked to Cindy last. "Cindy, the pilot may be able to handle the cockpit's weapons, but I need to focus entirely on flying us in. You'll be with me in the flight deck and will handle the last turret and missiles." Cindy looked into his eyes and gave him a nod of reassurance. "Sure thing." Jimmy took in a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "Assuming that all Yolkian cruisers have the same basic design as Goobot's vessel, the second floor from the top is a wide open room. That's going to be our best place to enter. We won't have to worry about slamming into anything big except the wall on the other side, and we'll have plenty of room to land. Once we do touch down, we'll need to split up into three teams." Jimmy glanced at Cindy once more. "The first team will need to head to the engine room on the bottom level and overload the fusion reactors. Cindy, you'll obviously be helping me with that." Jimmy turned to Betty next. "The second team will need to go to the cockpit and set the ship's autopilot to head towards the center of Animus. Betty, since Cindy and myself both need to sabotage the reactors, that's obviously your job." "I can do that easy," she assured Jimmy. Jimmy nodded and stared down at the watch on his wrist. He remembered how many times the small device had saved the lives of him and his friends, how triumphant he had felt after repairing it from the EMP's damage it had received the first night after his parents' last kidnappings. He slowly undid its band and slid it across the table towards Betty. She stared at it curiously, and he explained.

"You'll need to take the watch with you," he began. "Once you program the autopilot, contact me over the headset. I'll tell you how to sync the ship's piloting system with my watch. That way, I'll be able to remotely make any necessary course adjustments should the autopilot fail or the Yolkians take control of the cockpit." Jimmy turned to Carl before Betty could respond. "Carl, I'm not expecting there to be many, if any, Yolkians onboard the cruiser. But Betty needs to focus on the piloting system, so she'll need someone to watch her back. We need our best shooters for the third team, so would you protect her while she works?" Carl felt everyone staring at him. He nervously swallowed and adjusted his glasses. "Umokay, Jim." "You can handle it?" Cindy curiously asked. "Hey, I said I could do it!" Carl angrily complained. Libby nodded towards her pudgy friend and smiled. "He did good in the control tower. Don't worry, Cindy." Carl smiled at her said, "Thanks, Libby." Jimmy stared appreciatively at Libby before turning towards Nick. "Nick, Ike, Libby, and Sheen, you're all going to be on the third team." Jimmy pointed at his drawing once more, and everyone watched as his finger hovered over the short bridge that connected the Flaming Justice and the repair station. "There are only two places that the Yolkians could enter the cruiser from the repair station. The first is the hole we'll make with our gunship, but that seems unlikely compared to the alternative." Jimmy tapped his finger on the piece of paper to make his point. "This is the only connection point between the cruiser and station. I need you four to guard this bridge and make sure the Yolkians don't get onboard." Nick nodded while examining Jimmy's drawing. "Holding a single doorway? That's nothing compared to the fight we had on Yolkus." Sheen nodded as well while turning to Nick, who met his gaze. "It funnels them all into a death trap." Cindy raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Sheen gave her a weary smile. "Video games, remember?" Cindy rolled her eyes in response. Jimmy leaned back in his seat and sighed. "That's it. Once the reactors are sabotaged, we'll meet at the ship's hangar bay on the bottom floor. Goobot's vessel had several small fighter ships onboard, so I assume the same goes for all Yolkian cruisers." Cindy eyed Jimmy curiously. "Assume? Shouldn't we be sure about our form of escape from a nuclear blast?" she snarkily asked.

It had been a long time since Jimmy had heard Cindy use that tone. He was surprised to find himself give a tiny smile in response. Never thought I'd miss that. "Once Betty's in the cockpit, she can check to make sure the escape craft are there," Jimmy told her. "If not, there would definitely be smaller escape pods. Even if we couldn't reach those, we'd still have this gunship." He looked at his friends and gave them a small smile of reassurance. "Don't worry. We won't be on that ship when it blows." Everyone hesitated before agreeing. Jimmy ran a hand through his hair and finally asked, "Any questions?" Nick stared at Libby, Sheen, and Ike before glancing back at Jimmy's drawing. He nodded to himself before locking eyes with Jimmy. "Are you taking suggestions?" Jimmy gave another small smile. "Of course." "You said you'll need Cindy's help to sabotage the reactors, right?" Nick asked. "Right," Jimmy agreed. "That means you'll both be busy the entire time," Nick continued. "You should have someone to watch your backs, just like Betty has." Jimmy and Cindy looked to each other. "That makes sense," Cindy agreed. Jimmy nodded as well. "Okay. But only if you're sure you can hold that bridge with three people." Nick thought for a moment and studied the drawing. "Sheen, Ike, and I can." He turned to Libby, who stared at him curiously. "Libby, we're the three best shots. No offense, but we're the ones needed at the bridge. Will you watch over Cindy and Jimmy?" Libby briefly scowled before admitting that she was nowhere near as talented with guns as the boys were. She sighed before nodding. "Okay," she agreed. She looked into Sheen's eyes and felt her heart sink at the realization that she wouldn't be there to watch over him. "Be careful," she weakly told him. Sheen seemed just as pained. "You too," he quietly told her. Libby smiled sadly at him before turning to Jimmy and Cindy. She took a moment to rid herself of fear before narrowing her eyes in determination. "I'll have your backs." "I know," Cindy strongly answered. Jimmy nodded in agreement before slowly rising out of his chair. "I guess that's it, then."

Nick stood up next and grabbed the lantern off of the table. He walked over to the wall opposite from the ship's hatch and examined the three weapon lockers lining the wall. He opened one to find two plasma pistols and three retracted spears. "We're almost entirely out of ammunition," Nick said while grabbing one of the pistols and examining it. He heard everyone coming to a stop behind him. "Only the shotguns have enough ammo for a fight, and they shoot too slowly." Cindy nodded while opening the second locker. Three shelves rested inside. The top held a plasma rifle. The middle had three electric daggers. Six perfectly spherical metallic balls the size of gumballs rested on the last shelf. "These weapons are better anyway," she agreed while picking up the rifle. "They can actually kill them." Sheen stepped beside Cindy and slowly picked up one of the metallic balls. He saw that a tiny circle the size of a dime was drawn onto the top of the device. He turned to his left and saw Nick staring intensely at it. "Grenades," they both whispered at the same time. Libby slowly moved away from the group and walked up to the third locker. Inside rested a large rifle identical to the one Barak had used on Yolkus. She gave a sad smile and lifted up the heavy weapon. The group moved to the other side of the ship and opened the remaining lockers to find several more pistols and rifles. The final locker they examined held dozens of vials with swirling gases of various colors. Cindy and Nick both grabbed one and stared at them curiously. "For the weapons," Cindy quietly mused. Nick stared at the identical vial resting in his plasma pistol. He nodded at Cindy. "They're like magazines, except with gas instead of bullets." He turned to his friends and said, "Everyone grab some." Once everyone had armed themselves, Jimmy took in a deep breath and marched into the cockpit. Everyone followed him, and Betty watched intensely as he effortlessly tapped several buttons and nodded. "Excess heat has been fully vented. We're as cool as we can get." He turned around and stared at his friends. All of them were scared, exhausted, and uncertain about what lay ahead. But they all held a fire in their eyes, a blaze kept alive by despair and hatred. They all knew it was time to finish this fight once and for all. Jimmy gritted his teeth and said, "Let's end this."

"Sound off," Jimmy said while cracking his neck once more. The ship's controls rested firmly in his hands; his breaths came deep and slow. He knew that the fate of two worlds lay in his hands, and he refused to fail.

"Nick here," Nick answered while sitting in the small turret control room. His lone chair rested in a space even smaller than the supply closets onboard the Inquisitor. A holographic image rested two feet in front of his eyes and displayed an image of the repair station and The Flaming Justice. A glowing red circle hovered over the small are of the ship that Jimmy had instructed everyone to fire on. Next to that hologram rested another, showing a picture of the space that lay in front of the ship. Nick tapped a button in front of him, and he heard his turret extend beneath him and come online. He gripped its controls and gritted his teeth. "My turret's ready." Sheen sat in an identical chamber across the hall from Nick. The same holograms rested in front of him, and he brought his turret online as well. The lines between reality and fantasy became blurry as he gripped the turret's controls and realized how similar this was to his favorite video game. He tried to shake the thought aside and focused on keeping his friends safe. He tapped his headset and calmly said, "Sheen here. I'm ready to go." "Ike here," Ike growled from his seat around the main chamber's table. He clutched his plasma rifle with one hand and grabbed the underside of his chair with the other. He glanced down at the array of spare gas vials, pistol magazines and grenades in his tactical vest before looking at his nearby friends. Betty, Carl, and Libby all sat across from him. All shared a look of nervous determination. Ike nodded at them and spoke into his headset. "We're ready." Jimmy turned to his left at the copilot's chair and saw Cindy tapping several buttons. He watched her ponytail swish back and forth as she switched gazes between her turret's controls, the missile launching system, and the viewport in front of her. She finally nodded and cracked her knuckles before turning to Jimmy. "I'm ready," she said while nodding intensely. Jimmy nodded back and tapped his headset one last time. "Everyone, get ready. I'm bringing us in. Sheen, Nick, Cindy? Aim at the highlighted point of the cruiser. And don't fire until I give the word. We need to keep a low profile as long as possible." His three friends voiced their agreement, and Jimmy took in one last deep breath. "Bringing engines online and flying us in." His mind flashed back to Barak once more, and he closed his eyes for a moment. "May luck be with us." The gunship's engines flickered to life as Jimmy slowly turned the gunship around. The repair station and the damaged cruiser came into view, although both remained little more than tiny dots amidst a sea of stars. Yolkus rested behind it, a small glowing orb in the distance. Everyone breathed slowly as their target slowly came closer. Jimmy carefully glanced at the control panel in front of him and confirmed that he was minimizing his ship's heat production. The gunship silently drifted toward its target, which seemed to ever so slowly grow in size. Ten minutes passed, although it seemed like hours. Silence filled the ship as everyone clutched their controls or weapons as tightly as they could. They knew that at any moment, they could be detected and blown to ashes. The damaged form of the Flaming Justice grew ever clearer, and everyone's eyes widened as they saw the ship that would be the source of their salvation and Animus' destruction.

Jimmy struggled to keep from holding his breath as he passed the halfway point to his target. He bore his gaze into the repair station, but there was no sign of any hostile activity. "They still don't see us," he whispered to Cindy. Cindy drummed her fingers against her turret's controls while keeping her gaze glued to The Flaming Justice. "Or they don't care. We are in a Yolkian ship, and it's just a repair station. It can't be too highly defended." The station continued to loom in front of them, and Jimmy realized it was time to act. He slowly turned the gunship so that it flew towards the targeted portion of the cruiser's hull. "We'll have their attention once we open fire," he whispered. A second passed, and Cindy nodded. "Any way we can stop that?" Jimmy let his mind race through various options until he settled on a plan. "This can't hurt us, but it just might help." Cindy gave him a curious look. "Do your thing, Big Brain." Jimmy nodded once more and increased the gunship's speed while activating its radio. "Mayday, mayday! This is Captain Amoren! I have lost control of my ship!" Jimmy shouted in the gruffest voice he could muster. A second passed, and a crackling sound answered him. "What is your situation?" a confused Yolkian spoke over the radio. "Fire now!" Jimmy screamed into his headset. Cindy, Nick, and Sheen shot the cruiser's hull with everything the gunship had as Jimmy picked up his speed. "I can't control her!" he groaned after activating the radio. He gave a small smile of relief as he saw that his plan had worked. A large smoking hall had appeared in The Flaming Justice's hull. Jimmy steadied his ship and raced towards it. "Collision imminent!" Jimmy gritted his teeth, gripped the controls as tightly as he could, and slowed the gunship down as it barreled towards the cruiser. The gunship raced through space, groaned as though it were alive from its rapid deceleration, and squeezed through the hole in the Flaming Justice's side. Jimmy slammed the gunship onto the floor beneath it, and everyone was thrown into the air except Jimmy, who used every inch of his strength to retain control of the ship. He felt his vessel slam through rows of computer banks and ultimately slam into the far end of the cruiser. The final impact sent him falling onto the floor, and smoke filled the damaged gunship. Jimmy groaned and slowly shook his head while pushing himself off of the floor. His heart seemed to stop beating as he saw Cindy lying motionless on the ground, and he sighed in relief as she slowly struggled to get to her feet. Jimmy slowly stumbled over to her and held out his hand. "Let's move."

Cindy glanced up at him and gave a tiny smile. "Ever think of just leaving me hanging, Jimmy?" Jimmy shook his head and hoisted her to her feet. "Not a chance, Cindy." They looked into each other's eyes for a precious second before hurrying out of the cockpit and entering the main chamber. Ike, Libby, Betty, and Carl were groaning and helping each other stand up. Betty looked at Cindy, who gave her a nod respect and a tiny smile. Jimmy made his way to Libby and Carl, who both grinned wearily at him. Everyone saw one of the turret chamber's doors slide open, and Sheen stumbled out of it. He crashed into the wall opposite him, caught his breath, and lumbered towards his friends. "Libby?" he desperately asked in between coughs. "Sheen!" she hoarsely screamed in relief. Nick stammered out of the other turret chamber and glared at everyone. "Nicelanding," he wheezed. He gripped his plasma rifle in one hand and held the wall for support with his other. Everyone grabbed their weapons and struggled to make their way towards the gunship's hatch. Lights exploded overhead and sent showers of sparks falling over them. Small portions of the wall burst open and sent flames crashing onto the floor. Smoke began to fill the chamber, and Jimmy knew that they weren't going to get the gunship airborne again "We need to move fast," he groaned. Though none of his bones seemed to be broken, he felt as though his entire body was covered in bruises. It wasn't hard to spot the pain on everyone's faces. Fresh cuts, scrapes, and bruises adorned all of his friends. He shook the thought away and gripped his plasma pistol. "We all know where to go. Ready?" "Ready," Nick said. "Let's do it," Jimmy said while pressing the button beside the hatch. He gave Barak one last look and slammed his eyes closed to fight the tears. Goodbye, Barak. He gave the Yolkian a tiny nod before opening the door and leading everyone out of the gunship. No one could believe what they saw. It looked like a bomb had gone off in the cruiser. The floor was completely torn apart from where the gunship had skidded across the Flaming Justice. Rows of computer banks had been completely crushed, resulting in the floor being coated in a sheet of shrapnel and wires. Small fires littered the floor, and a thick smoke was rising to the ceiling. Then they saw the Yolkians. It was hard to identify them at first. The shell components could easily have been parts of destroyed computers, but the stray globs of green goo and motionless mechanical hands were impossible to ascribe to anything else. Everyone stared at the carnage and blinked in disbelief as a lone Yolkian stirred to life. Its glass visor was completely gone, and half of the bottom part of its shell was obliterated. Jimmy had no idea how the creature was still mobile. It rose several inches off of the floor, wobbled, and crashed back to the ground. A lone mechanical arm weakly grasped the remnants

of a nearby computer, and the alien struggled to lift itself up. It stared incredulously at Jimmy and his friends and asked, "Humans?" in disbelief. Ike narrowed his eyes, took aim, and fired a round from his plasma rifle at the creature. Its brain instantly melted away, and Ike lowered his weapon. "We need to move." Jimmy stared at Ike in shock before looking back at the dead Yolkian. He kept his gaze on the creature for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Ike's right. We'll stick together as long as we can. Let's go!" The group ran across the ship's floor until they reached two ramps; one going to the ship's top floor and the other going to the third. Jimmy looked at Betty and Carl. "Betty, Carl, head up to the cockpit and get that autopilot programmed. Radio me when you're done." "We're on it," Betty promised while tightly gripping her plasma pistol. "Good luck, Jim," Carl nervously said while looking over his plasma pistol one last time and following Betty up the ramp. "Carl!" Jimmy shouted, and his friend turned around to face him. "I still believe in you." Carl smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Jim." With that said, he spun back around and ran after Betty. The six remaining children ran down the incline towards the middle level of the ship. They all stared at each other with a grim expression. "Guess this is where we get off, Chief," Nick solemnly told Jimmy. Jimmy nodded and locked eyes with Nick. "Hunker down and keep them off this ship. Good luck." "You too," Sheen quickly added. "Good luck, Neutron," Ike growled before running away from the ramp. Sheen and Nick immediately set after him. Jimmy, Libby, and Cindy stared at each other. "Let's move," Cindy said while running down the next ramp. The three friends rapidly made their way to the lowest level of the ship. They slid to a stop at the bottom of the last ramp and held their weapons out in front of them, scanning the area for Yolkians. They realized that a long narrow hallway led from the ramp and ended in a large circular room. "Let's move," Cindy hurriedly said while jogging down the hallway. Libby and Jimmy followed right behind her, and they all slid to a stop once they entered the large room.

"That was easier than I thought," Libby muttered as she stared at the ship's massive engines. The room they stood in took up the entire width of the ship. Rows upon rows of computer banks surrounded the enormous engines, and catwalks crisscrossed the ship above them. To Jimmy and Cindy, the clutter proved a minor irritation. To Libby, it was impossible to decipher. "So what exactly do we need to do here?" she nervously asked while scanning for Yolkians once more. Jimmy and Cindy took a few steps forward while rapidly scanning the area. "We need to find a control panel and override the fusion reactors' safety protocols," Cindy explained while studying one of the computers. "If we can increase the amount of fuel being shunted into the reactors, we can mimic a nuclear explosion," Jimmy continued while staring around the room. "There's one of the reactors," he said while pointing at a large metallic tower ten meters wide extending from floor to ceiling. Gleaming steel shutters prevented the humans from examining the fusion reaction taking place inside. "There's two more," Cindy said while pointing across the ship. "We need to get to the control panels," Jimmy hurriedly uttered. "Is that one?" Cindy asked while pointing at the catwalk above him. A small computer rested five meters in front of the top of the reactor. "Worth a look," Jimmy said. He found a service elevator twenty meters away and led Cindy and Libby towards it as his headset crackled to life. "Jimmy? It's Betty. I'm in the cockpit." Jimmy tapped his headset and saw that Libby and Cindy were intently listening as well. "Did you already set the autopilot for Animus?" he asked while boarding the elevator. "Not yet," Betty answered. "I wanted to let you know I was able to access information on the hangar bay. There are three ships inside. They look like they're fighters of some kind." Jimmy nodded as the elevator came to a halt. Jimmy ran out and sprinted to the reactor's control panel. "Good. We'd never get that gunship airborne again. Get to work on the autopilot. We're going to start the sabotage." "I'll try," Betty worriedly shot back. Her tone caused Jimmy to stop in his tracks. "Betty?" he nervously asked. "This cruiser's a lot more complicated than the shuttle," Betty said. There was a pause, followed by a groan of frustration. "II'm not sure if I can do this."

Cindy tapped her headset and scowled. "Quinlan, its Cindy. You got us from Minerva to Goobot's ship, and you saved our asses once Barak was shot. I don't care how complicated this thing is, you can do it. You're here because you can fly like a bird. And you know it." Jimmy stared at Cindy in amazement. A second passed, and Betty let out a deep breath. "You're right. Sorry. I'll get it done," she promised. "Good," Cindy gently said. "Radio us when you're finished, and Jimmy will tell you what to do with his watch. Cindy out." Cindy found Jimmy and Libby staring curiously at her. "What?" Jimmy shook his head and began to activate the reactor's control panel. "Later. Let's see if this is what we need. Cindy, watch me so you'll know how to overload the second reactor. Libby, keep an eye out for Yolkians." Jimmy hesitated and tapped his headset one more time. "Nick, how are you guys holding up?"

Nick tapped his headset and immediately fixed his grip on his rifle. "Jimmy, we're good here." Nick took another quick look at his surroundings. To his left, Sheen was taking cover behind a three-foot high square of metal with a large purple tree sticking out of it. To his right, Ike was kneeling down behind a computer kiosk. Nick himself was peeking out from a small row of three ornate chairs. All three boys were aiming their weapons at the door straight ahead of Nick. The wide door in front of them was stuck open thanks to Sheen shooting its control panel. A tenmeter long bridge a mere ten feet wide connected The Flaming Justice to the orbital repair station. The station's door remained closed, but everyone kept their guns trained on it. "Details, please," Cindy's angry voice shot back. Nick narrowed his eyes at her tone, but gave the information she wanted. "We managed to prop the door to the space bridge open. Sheen was right. If anything tries to board the ship from here, it'll be dead in a heartbeat." "Have any Yolkians tried coming aboard yet?" Jimmy asked. Nick shook his head. "We came across three aliens right before we got here. Only one of them had a weapon." "They probably came to help the gunship's crew," Cindy slowly spoke. She turned to Jimmy and added, "They must have believed it was a Yolkian that crashed. Did they let the repair station know we're aboard?" "We killed them before they could call for help," Ike angrily shot back.

Nick gritted his teeth and stared at the repair station's door. "Jimmy, this is all too easy. I've got a bad feeling about this. Hurry up and blow the engines." There was a pause, and Jimmy hastily explained, "We're sabotaging the reactors, not the engines." "Neutron," Nick seethed. "We're hurrying," Jimmy quickly added. "Make sure you watch your backs. There could still be Yolkians on board this ship. "Yolkians!" Sheen shouted as the repair station's door flew open. Three of the aliens, all brandishing spears, slowly hovered into the bridge and were immediately mowed down by the boys' plasma fire. "They know something's up," Nick growled. "Get a move on, Jimmy."

Libby rested her plasma launcher on the catwalk's railing and aimed at the ramp her team had entered the engine bay from. After a few seconds, she spun around and aimed past the engine bay, down another long hallway. "Nothing yet," she told Jimmy and Cindy. They didn't respond, and she looked over her shoulder to find them both hunched over the control panel. "The back-up safety protocols aren't yielding," Jimmy complained while tapping several more keys. Despite the pressure on him, his voice was steady and his resolve unyielding. He knew he could sabotage the reactors, it would just take time. He'd never seen a computer he couldn't hack. "This ship's got to have a self-destruct mechanism," Cindy angrily whispered. "Try finding it and accessing it." Jimmy nodded while letting his fingers dance across the keyboard. "Self-destruct sequence requires captain's authorization and ignites base charges throughout the ship," he quickly spoke while shaking his head. "That won't initiate a nuclear explosion." Libby cocked her head in curiosity as she overheard Jimmy. "Why can't we just blow up the reactors?" Jimmy and Cindy both snapped their heads up and stared at her. "A simple detonation of the fusion materials won't cause a catastrophic reaction," Jimmy quickly answered. "We need to cause a self-sustaining chain reaction between the deuterium atoms," Cindy added. Libby blinked at them. "Okay," she weakly replied. Jimmy and Cindy nodded before turning back to the control panel.

Nick tossed his plasma rifle to the ground and angrily pulled his father's pistol out of its holster. It was fully loaded, he still had one spare magazine, and it wasn't as though he had to save the ammunition for another fight. One way or another, things were going to end aboard The Flaming Justice. He placed his back against the chair in front of him and waited until the volley of plasma bolts flew over his head. He took a deep breath, popped out of cover, and dropped two more Yolkians. "I'll finish them!" Ike shouted while sending two plasma bolts at each of the fallen aliens. Both burnt to ash, and Ike snarled at their remains. "How long until they realize they can't get in this way?" Sheen asked while ejecting his rifle's gas vial and gently replacing it with a new one. Nick clenched his teeth as he heard more Yolkian voices. He aimed his gun over the chairs and blindly fired three rounds while Ike dropped the rest. "Five of them that time," Ike shouted. "They're pressing harder," Nick murmured. He looked over the chairs and waited for the doors to open. Once they did, he fired two more rounds. No Yolkians appeared, and he glared at the door angrily. Suddenly, a transparent glowing green disc the size of a Frisbee raced through the air and slammed into the chair a few inches below Nick. It stuck in place, and all three boys stared at the device quizzically as it began to beep slowly. Sheen widened his eyes and scrambled to his feet. Years of video games had taught him that there was only one explanation for a strange beeping device on a battlefield. "Grenade!" he screamed. The beeping came faster, and he ripped the disc out of the chair. He spun around and threw it down the bridge as hard as he could. He jumped over the chairs and huddled next to Nick. The three boys popped their heads out of cover and watched in disbelief as the entire bridge was enveloped in streams of boiling green plasma. Nick stared at Sheen and then at the three grenades in his own vest. He pulled the small circular device out and gripped it tight. "Let's see what these can do," he snarled as a dozen Yolkians charged towards them.

"Yolkian!" Libby shouted as an alien clutching a plasma pistol raced down the ramp towards the engine bay. She fired her weapon just as the Yolkian halted and took aim. The blue sphere raced towards the creature, shrunk to a pinpoint, and then exploded as a flurry of plasma bolts impacted the catwalk near Libby. She took in a startled breath and stared at the scorch marks half a foot away. "Guys, how are you doing?"

"Almost there," Jimmy whispered while tapping one last button. A hologram shot out of the computer screen, and he placed his right index finger on a large purple square in the middle. He rotated it sideways, tapped it twice, and then gave a tiny smile. "Done." Cindy nodded as the reactor's steady hum increased to a furious roar. She stared at the hologram and bit her lip. "Safety protocols overridden, fuel supply stream increased twenty-fold, reactor stabilizers withdrawn. We did it." Jimmy pushed himself away from the control panel and stared at the two remaining reactors. "Cindy, take the left one. I've got the right."

Betty angrily wiped the hair from her eyes and stared at the hologram in front of her. "Carl, we still clear back there?" Carl peeked out from behind the cockpit's wall and aimed his plasma pistol straight ahead. "No Yolkians yet." "I think I've got it," Betty said in relief. "The autopilot was buried inside the navigation programs, but I thought it was hidden in the" "Alien!" Carl shouted while aiming his plasma pistol and firing four shots. One hit the Yolkian's shell and sent it crashing to the ground. Betty cursed under her breath and began typing feverishly. "Come on," she whispered. "I don't see any more," Carl nervously shouted. Betty nodded and pushed away from the controls before tapping her headset. "Jimmy, the autopilot's set. Now what?"

Jimmy tapped his headset as Libby fired two more rounds from her plasma launcher. "Place the watch on the control panel where the hologram shoots out." "Okay," Betty urgently answered. Jimmy tapped the control panel's hologram and groaned in frustration. "Check the watch's menu for interface mode." Jimmy's head shot up in concern as Libby growled in frustration. She tossed her weapon onto the ground, shook her pained hands, and pulled a pistol out of her waistband. "Is it out of ammo?" Cindy asked.

"It's burning up!" Libby shouted while aiming her pistol and dropping another Yolkian just as three more raced down the ramp. She went prone and rolled to the side as a volley of plasma flew where she had just been. "I need help!" Cindy gritted her teeth and pulled her own plasma pistol out while running towards Libby. "Jimmy, finish the reactors!" she screamed while racing down the catwalk. Libby watched in disbelief as she placed one hand on the railing and vaulted over the edge. For just a moment, even the Yolkians paused in shock as Cindy fell the twenty yards straight down. Halfway through her fall, she wrapped her arm around a pipe extending from the catwalk to the floor. She hugged it tightly and felt herself slowing down. She slammed onto the floor and rolled to the side. "That's for nearly shooting my sister!" she screamed while dropping the first alien. She grabbed the retracted spear out of her pocket and pressed the four buttons to activate it while firing two rounds at the second alien. She flicked her wrist as the spear extended and watched the remaining Yolkian's eyes widen in fear. She raced towards the creature, spun around to dodge its plasma fire, and slammed her weapon in between its eye stalks. Cindy looked back at the catwalk to find Jimmy and Libby staring incredulously at her. "Jimmy! The reactors!" she screamed while ducking behind the wall near the hallway. Another Yolkian dash through, and she effortlessly dispatched it with her spear. "Second reactor is set!" Jimmy shouted while racing to the last control panel. "Jimmy!" Betty's voice shouted. "What do I do after I select interface mode? Is Cindy okay?" Libby opened fire once more as two crew members raced past Cindy carrying spears. She disabled them both, and Cindy immediately finished them off. Jimmy groaned while finishing the sabotage. The ever-increasing roar of the two sabotage reactors was nearly drowning Betty out. "Choose the synchronization option and wait until the watch says the process is done. And she's fine!" "Jimmy!" Nick's desperate voice shouted into his ear. "I don't know how, but they're cutting into the hull of ship! They're going to burst through in half a dozen spots in a minute!" "Jimmy, focus on the reactor!" Cindy screamed while firing her plasma pistol into another crew member's visor as it dodged Libby's fire and raced past her. "Nick, they must have jetpacks and are in space outside the ship. Can you hold them off?" "Not for long," Nick warned. "Another dozen in the bridge!" Ike's distant voice shouted. "Shit," Nick groaned as a volley of gunfire assaulted Cindy's ears.

Jimmy forced himself to ignore the chaos surrounding him and focused on shunting excess fuel to the reactor. "Critical fuel supply en route," Jimmy muttered. "Just need to override the stabilization systems." "The watch is set!" Betty screamed. "There's more Yolkians!" Carl shouted. "Carl, get in cover!" Betty screamed. "I've got your back!" Libby bit her lip and dropped two more aliens charging down the ramp. A third dodged Cindy's spear, extended its own weapon while pulling out a spare dagger, and feverishly slashed at Cindy. "Jimmy, we need to get out of here!" Cindy parried the alien's spear, ducked underneath a swing of its dagger, and speared the creature's control panel. "Nick, did any get past you?" "No!" Nick screamed. "There can't be many more on this ship," Cindy tried to reassure everyone. "We must have killed most of them by now." "They're halfway through the hull!" Nick roared. Jimmy felt his heart slam into his chest and nearly punched the last button on the control panel. The reactor in front of him began to tremble and roar. "We're done!" Jimmy shouted while running past Libby and hoisting her to her feet. "Everyone meet us at the engine bay! We'll hold here until you arrive!" Libby followed Jimmy to the elevator and looked behind her at the reactors. "That's it?" she asked, clearly confused. "Isn't there supposed to be an alarm or" "Critical Reactor Overload!" a booming mechanized voice shouted from all around. A frantic alarm rang out with an unwavering intensity. "Twenty-five minutes until catastrophic nuclear explosion!" "Never mind," Libby shouted while slamming her fist into the elevator's controls. Cindy braced herself against the wall behind her and waited for more Yolkians to dash by, but none came. She cautiously poked her head out and stared up the ramp but saw nothing. "No more Yolkians," she said in relief after tapping her headset. Jimmy and Libby dashed out of the elevator and took cover behind a row of computer banks. They aimed their pistols at the ramp as Cindy clutched her spear beside it. Two minute passed without any Yolkians appearing, and their headsets suddenly crackled to life.

"We're coming down!" Nick shouted. "Don't shoot!" Libby and Jimmy held their fire as Nick, Sheen, and Ike raced down the ramp. Sheen's eyes lit up in relief as he spotted Libby. "Libby!" he triumphantly shouted while running towards her. Libby felt her eyes water as Sheen vaulted over the computers and wrapped her in a crushing hug. "I love you," she whispered while squeezing him back. Nick's tired eyes sparked with life as he approached Jimmy. "Chief," he muttered in relief while clapping his friend on the shoulder. "Nice work." "You too," Jimmy immediately said with a weary smile. "Did the Yolkians get through the hull?" "They must have after we left," Nick grimly said as his eyes dulled over once more. "They can't be far behind us." "We're here!" Betty shouted. The sound of her plasma pistol firing was unmistakable, and she screamed, "There are half a dozen on our tail!" "Lead them here!" Ike shouted while aiming his pistol at the ramp. Carl and Betty immediately sprinted down the slope and jumped to the side past Cindy. Six soldiers appeared, and everyone opened fire. The creatures were mowed down before they could take aim, and Cindy speared any that survived the initial assault. "Twenty minutes to catastrophic nuclear explosion," the mechanized voice loudly stated. "We need to go," Carl nervously said while Betty helped him to his feet. "Jimmy, can they fix the reactors if we leave?" Libby nervously asked. Jimmy thought her question over for a second before shaking her head. "It would take at least an hour to fix what I've done. We don't need to stay here any longer." "The hangar bay is down that hallway," Betty said while pointing past the engines towards the other end of the ship. "That's where the fighters are." "Get in a circle," Nick instructed. "Jimmy, you and me look ahead. Carl, Betty, take the right. Sheen, Ike, get the left. Libby and Cindy? Watch our backs." Everyone voiced their agreement as they formed a circle and aimed their weapons in all directions. "Let's move," Nick said while jogging forward. "Shoot anything you see." The gang moved past the engines and down the hallway as one unit. A few more Yolkians came down the ramp behind them, but Cindy and Betty managed to take them out easily.

"We're going to make it!" Sheen shouted in relief as the hallway widened into an enormous chamber. Three large ships twice the size of the Inquisitor filled the hangar and faced a large wall. "How do we get out?" Betty asked. Jimmy looked at the wall and nodded. "There's a control panel near that wall. It must retract up for the ships to lift off." He looked at his friends and hesitated a moment. "Everybody get onboard one of those ships. Betty, fire it up and get ready to lift off." "I'll watch your back," Cindy immediately offered. "Me too," Sheen added. "Me three," Nick said with a nod. Jimmy stared at them a moment and held up his hands. "That's plenty. Everyone else get in that ship and help Betty get it ready. This will only take a minute." "Jimmy," Betty said while tossing his watch up and down. She locked eyes with him and gently threw it towards him. "Catch." Jimmy caught the device, nodded, and strapped it to his wrist. He tapped several buttons and confirmed that he had control of the ship's navigation system. "Let's move. We've got less than twenty minutes." Jimmy, Cindy, Nick, and Sheen raced towards the wall in front of the three fighters and knelt in front of Jimmy. "Do your thing, Big Brain," Cindy said with a small smile. "On it," Jimmy shot back while examining the control panel. It had ten buttons on it, and he frowned as none of them caused the hangar's door to open. Two soldiers raced into the hangar, and Sheen and Nick dropped them with one shot each. "Any time," Nick nervously uttered while reloading his pistol. Jimmy tapped three buttons in quick succession and nodded. "Got it," he said in relief. The enormous wall began to pull upwards, and everyone stared in amazement as the enormous form of Yolkus filled their view and began to draw closer. If they were not in the middle of fleeing a nuclear blast, they would have stopped and appreciated the magnificent view. "We're done here," Nick said while shaking his head. He tapped his headset and asked, "Betty? You good on that ship?" "Engines are online," she immediately answered. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Jimmy nodded and led his group towards the fighter. Sheen dropped another soldier barreling towards them from the engine room and saw that there we no other Yolkians in sight. Nick and Cindy stared behind them and rapidly scanned the area for other hostiles. Jimmy thought they were home free when he noticed that this end of the cruiser also had a ramp connected to the floor above. Three unarmed Yolkians raced down it and widened their eyes in fear as Jimmy took aim. "Do not shoot!" the lead Yolkian desperately screamed as Jimmy opened fire. Nick, Sheen, and Cindy spun around and opened fire on the aliens as they hid behind a pile of crates. "Do not shoot!" the Yolkian shouted from behind its cover. "We are unarmed!" Jimmy and Nick stared at each other while keeping their guns trained at the crates. "Get out of there!" Nick shouted while closing one eye and steadying his aim. Sheen saw this and immediately shoved Nick's arms as the Yolkians cautiously came out from their cover. "Damn it!" Nick seethed as his bullet slammed into the ceiling. The Yolkians ducked back behind the crates and Nick glared at Sheen. "Estevez, what the hell?" "They're unarmed!" Sheen worriedly whispered. Jimmy and Cindy shared a curious look. "We're not shooting!" Jimmy shouted while looking down his sights once more. A second passed, and the lead Yolkian shouted, "Are you lying?" "There's going to be a nuclear explosion in less than twenty minutes! Stop wasting time!" Cindy screamed in agitation. The Yolkians slowly came out of cover once more, and slowly hovered a few feet towards the humans once they didn't open fire. "We are just the repair crew," the front Yolkian quietly spoke. Its two compatriots hovered in place behind him. "We have no quarrel with you." Nick glared at the creature and tightened his grip on his pistol's trigger. He turned to Jimmy and whispered, "They know the ship's going to blow. They'll warn Yolkus." "Guys, what the hell is going on?" Betty's worried voice asked through their headsets. "Minor complication," Nick growled. "Don't worry. We'll be there in a minute." Cindy stared at Nick and then at Jimmy. "There are other soldiers on this ship. They've heard the alarm, so they probably already warned Animus," she offered. The reminder that soldiers were likely pouring into the ship made Jimmy look over his shoulder, but no Yolkians were approaching from behind. He aimed his pistol at the repair crew and

swallowed nervously. "If we let you on one of the escape craft, you could shoot our fighter down." "That's right," Nick seethed. "Sorry, eggheads." "Wait!" a different Yolkian shouted. Everyone recoiled in shock at its high-pitched voice. "You're a girl?" Cindy asked in disbelief. She and her friends had seen hundreds if not thousands of Yolkians, yet they've never encountered a female. "Her clutch is set to hatch soon," the lead Yolkian pleaded. "My only concern is for my team's safety. Let us leave." Nick swallowed nervously at the alien's words. "Youyou're pregnant?" "Pregnant?" the female curiously asked. "We don't have time to figure out how they reproduce," Cindy growled. She cast another glance over her shoulder and was relieved to find no soldier, but she knew it wouldn't be long before they appeared. "Jimmy, we've got soldiers behind us and a ship about to blow. Should we let them go or not?" Jimmy swallowed. There was no easy answer. "You fix our enemy's ships," Jimmy softly said. A memory shot through Nick's mind. He watched Miranda fall onto the ground, clutching a hole in her stomach. He remembered how lost he'd felt when Jimmy said that she was gone. He cracked his neck and shakily said, "We're not letting any more of us die. We can't risk them shooting down our fighter." "Fifteen minutes to catastrophic nuclear explosion," the mechanized voice shouted over the blaring alarm. Jimmy closed his eyes in despair and nodded at Nick's logic. He didn't want to kill anyone, but he wasn't prepared to risk all of his friend's lives for three aliens. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Stop!" Sheen screamed while lowering his weapon. Nick, Jimmy, and Cindy stared at him, and he took a step toward the aliens. "Go! Get out of here, and stay away from the capital city." The aliens stared at him in disbelief, and he nodded at them. "Get out of here!" The female bowed her shell forward, and the lead Yolkian nodded at Sheen. "We thank you, human," it muttered. "Let us leave this place!" he shouted to his team. All three Yolkians raced past the humans, who watched in shock as they boarded one of the three fighters. "Estevez!" Nick roared, but the sad look on Sheen's face gave him pause.

"We're the good guys," he weakly reminded the group. He cringed as he remembered how ruthlessly he had killed Dopsil. "If we're going to blow up their citywe need to do at least one nice thing." Jimmy stared at Sheen in disbelief until Cindy gave him a gentle shove. "This ship's about to blow and crash into the planet," she reminded him. "Let's go." Jimmy forced himself to nod and led his team back to the fighter. "You're right. Let's get out of here!" The four children ran into the ship and saw Ike, Carl, and Libby strapped into a row of seats behind the cockpit. "Are you okay?" Libby nervously asked. "They're aboard?" Betty shouted from the cockpit while looking over her shoulder. "Yes," Nick shot back. "Get us out of here." The ship's thrusters activated, and the fighter raced out of The Flaming Justice's hanger. "What the heck happened back there?" "I have no idea," Nick angrily muttered while glaring at Sheen. Jimmy ignored Nick and ran into the cockpit. Cindy was right behind him. He sat down in the seat beside Betty and began to rapidly press buttons on the control console. A video monitor came to life and showed heavily damaged Flaming Justice descending towards Yolkus. "Will it crash into the city right as the bomb goes off?" Cindy asked while staring at the monitor over Jimmy's shoulder. Betty shook her head while flying away from Yolkus. "I set the autopilot so that it would make a rough landing instead of crash. I didn't know if you needed the reactors intact." "Good idea," Jimmy said. "When will it touch down?" Betty checked the watch on her wrist. "Ten minutes. How long until the bomb blows?" Jimmy glanced at his own watch and pressed several buttons until he accessed the cruiser's damage reports. He stared at the small screen for a long moment. "Eleven minutes." He paused and felt his stomach painfully curl. He turned to Cindy and saw the pain begin to form on her face. "Eleven minutes until we blow up the city," she quietly spoke.

Everyone hesitated and stared at each other. Carl struggled to speak and weakly offered, "Eleven minutes until they all die." No one spoke a word as Betty raced away from Yolkus.

Chapter 22: The Good Guys

The silence was deafening to everyone onboard as Betty continued to speed away from the doomed planet. Ike, Carl, Sheen, Libby, and Nick stood just outside the cockpit and watched as Betty fluidly handled the controls. Though the silence couldn't have lasted more than a minute, everyone aboard felt themselves losing their sanity. They watched the video monitor show The Flaming Justice steadily descending towards Yolkus, quietly coming closer and closer to ending millions of lives. It wasn't until Betty slowed the ship and spun it around that her words pierced the stillness. "We should watch," Betty quietly explained as she turned around and saw everyone staring sadly at her. She swallowed nervously and looked out the observation window at Yolkus. "We need to see what we've done." Jimmy ran a trembling hand over his mouth and felt Cindy rest her sweaty palm on his knee. He glanced at her, and it wasn't hard to tell that she was in immense pain. There could be no other explanation for the fact that her emerald eyes weren't glittering in the ship's light. Nick stepped forward into the cockpit and leaned over Betty's shoulder. "Betty, check to see if there's another fighter like this one coming towards us." "Why?" Betty quietly asked. "Sheen let some Yolkians escape," Cindy whispered. Libby stared at Sheen curiously. "You did?" Sheen looked down at the ground as everyone turned towards him. "Theythey just didn't want to die," he quietly offered. Betty immediately ran a scan for any nearby vessels. "Cindy, get weapons online," she steadily ordered. Cindy had never heard Betty give an order before. She flashed her a curious look, but did as she was told. "Bringing main turret online," she softly answered. "There," Betty said while pointing at a radar screen. A small dot could be seen traveling towards Yolkus. "That ship is the same size as ours. It's heading to Yolkus" Betty paused to get a closer look at the screen. "Away from the capital city."

Nick exhaled sharply and bit the inside of his lip before turning to Sheen. "Guess they weren't lying," he hesitantly admitted. Jimmy looked at Sheen and felt his mind break free from his control. Thought after thought raced through his brain as his stare stayed fixated on his unusually calm friend. His gaze didn't falter even when Sheen looked back into his eyes and seemed unnerved by his stare. "Nine minutes," Betty told everyone while looking out the ship's window once more. Cindy spun her chair around and gave Sheen a curious glance. Ever since he'd saved their lives on Goobot's ship, she'd reluctantly respected him, although she'd had no trouble viewing him as an idiot. Now, having seen him take charge and make the right call in spite of his friends' warnings, she couldn't help but see him differently. "Sheen," she quietly said before gently clearing her throat, "We didn't have a choice. It was us or them. Why did you do that?" Sheen blinked his eyes and turned away from Jimmy, who still seemed to be staring into his soul. "There's always a choice," he quietly answered. He felt Libby squeeze his hand and quickly looked into her approving eyes. He gave a small smile and asked, "Isn't there?" Jimmy could hear his friends quietly continue their discussion; he could hear garbled sounds come out of their mouths and fill the cockpit, but he couldn't decipher them. The wheels in his mind had been set in motion. Thought after thought raced through his head, and he was powerless to stop them. He pondered Goobot's death, he remembered killing Eustace, he recalled the overwhelming guilt he had felt. He replayed his conversation with Cindy in the computer lab; how she had told him killing them was necessary, how it was the right choice. He remembered Barak willing to sacrifice nine children to save an entire planet. He thought of how everyone had agreed it necessary to destroy Animus. He remembered how, in spite of the pain it had brought them, it had seemed their only option. All of us or a few of them. There's no choice in that. Then Sheen's words replayed in his head; his friend's voice shouting over and over. There's always a choice. There's always a choice. There's always a choice. Jimmy reeled back in his seat as he remembered fixing Barak's shell in his lab. The memory felt as though it had taken place a lifetime ago. The Yolkian had explained that his people only respected force; that Jimmy needed to make a threat in order to save Earth. A threat. Jimmy glanced at The Flaming Justice and narrowed his eyes in fury. There's always a choice. Yes, the wheels were spinning faster now, the thoughts shooting off like fireworks deep inside his brain. A threat could be made. A threat didn't have to end in violence. A threat itself didn't kill anyone. A threat could end a war, if it was made in the right way. If it crushed a people's spirit, if it made them feel weak and unable to win. Or, in a different way, if it made them understand the error of their ways. Orperhaps both.

They do not understand compassion. Barak's words, words that Jimmy had believed without a second thought. The Yolkians were brutal, hateful creatures. Yet Barak was a Yolkian and had died to save humanity. Karab had sacrificed everything to protect his brother. The Yolkians Sheen had spared had cared for a soon-to-be mother, had chosen to save her rather than pursue revenge. There have to be other Yolkians like him. Betty's voice now, speaking to Jimmy as clearly as though she were whispering into his ear. Her begging everyone to understand that innocents in Animus would be killed, that other Yolkians must share Barak's views, that surely not all of the creatures were as evil as Veras. She was right. Your mind is like a computer. A different voice now, a more maniacal one, a voice laced with hatred that wrapped itself around Jimmy's soul and squeezed the life out of him. Eustace's voice, taunting Jimmy aboard Goobot's vessel. His enemy had been right. Jimmy's mind was like a computer, racing through thought after thought, blocking out everything around him. And when his mind screeched to a halt, when it had found the solution to the problem in front of him, everything became clear. It was so impossibly simple. "There's always a choice," Jimmy calmly said while getting to his feet. He swallowed hard, nodded in affirmation, and walked out of the cockpit. "Jimmy?" Cindy asked in confusion while standing up and walking after him. Everyone followed suit and watched as Jimmy stared out of the main chamber's center window. He gazed at The Flaming Justice, felt his stomach twist into an all-too familiar knot, and glanced down at his watch. "Eight minutes," Jimmy whispered to himself. "Jimmy, are you okay?" Cindy nervously asked while grabbing his hand. Jimmy spun around to face her and found his seven friends staring at him. Jimmy slowly nodded. "We don't have time to discuss this." His words came slow at first, but came faster and faster as Jimmy did the math in an instant. Less than 480 seconds remained until Animus was destroyed. There was no time to waste. "I need to know, right now, do you want the Yolkians on Animus to die?" Everyone was confused by his words, but Jimmy saw their eyes deaden because of them. Jimmy looked to Betty and Libby, and gave them both a tiny nod. "You were right. Children and Yolkians who don't want to fight us, they'll all die. They'll die, just like Miranda and Barak did." Jimmy throat burned as bile rose up and he felt his body tremble, but he forced himself to keep talking. "Their families will feel what we feel from losing our friends. So I need to know, right now. Do we want that?" Nick turned to Ike, who responded with a grim look. Nick stared into Jimmy's eyes and frowned sadly. "Jimmy, we don't have a choice. We kill them or they kill us."

Jimmy turned to Sheen and stared at his friend with utmost respect. "There's always a choice," he repeated. He looked at the crowd in front of him and steadied his shaking hands. "I need to know. Do we want to kill them? Do we want that?" A silence filled the group, and Jimmy wasn't surprised to hear that it was Carl who broke it. "No," he quietly answered. Jimmy gave everyone three seconds to disagree. Their silence said it all. Jimmy nodded and raced towards the back of the ship. Everyone followed him as he slammed his fist into a large button beside the first door he came across "Jimmy, what are you doing?" Cindy desperately asked as his eyes quickly darted around the large room. "The right thing," Jimmy shot back. The ornate chairs told him he was in the right place. This was the ship's lounge. Jimmy nodded as he found what he was looking for. He approached the video monitor and activated it. Cindy and Nick shared a confused look, but didn't have time to speak before the image of a confused Yolkian appeared on the screen. The Yolkian slowly blinked each eye as it recoiled in shock and disgust. "Human?" it angrily asked. Jimmy growled and glared at the creature. "You will listen to me," he said in the strongest and steadiest voice he had ever used. "Your capital city is going to burn in," Jimmy glanced at his watch, "seven minutes, unless you do exactly as I say." The Yolkian snarled back and leaned forward in its seat. "I know not who you think you are, but" "I am Jimmy Neutron!" Jimmy screamed louder than he ever had. "I am the one who rescued our parents, who thwarted Goobot's invasion, who killed your king!" Jimmy felt the vein in his neck bulge and bared his teeth in a show of pure fury. "I am demanding that you patch this communication into every video monitor on your planet!" The Yolkian slammed its fists onto the computer panel in front of him. "You dare to demand anything of" Jimmy stepped towards the monitor. "I dare! Do you have a family?" Jimmy roared. "A love, a child, a father or mother?" Jimmy saw the Yolkian hesitate and lowered his own tone ever so slightly in response. "There is a nuclear bomb heading towards Animus. If you do not patch me into every communication device on your planet, your capital city will burn, and they will die. Jimmy swallowed and took a step back. "But if you do as I ask, they'll live." The Yolkian stared angrily at Jimmy. "You have no idea what"

Jimmy slashed his right arm through the air. "I don't care. If you don't do this, everyone who dies? Their blood will be on your hands. Patch me in. Now." The Yolkian stared at Jimmy for what seemed an eternity before huffing in anger. It darted its fingers across the computer panel for several seconds before slamming his right fist onto a large purple button. "It is done," the creature spat out. Jimmy wasted no time. He turned to his friends, who stared back at him in complete shock. They had never seen him act this way. He gave them a reassuring nod and looked deep into Cindy's eyes. She finally gave him a tiny nod, and Jimmy turned towards the monitor. Jimmy took another step back and felt the weight of two worlds on his shoulders. He glanced at his watch once more. Six minutes until the reactors blow. Five minutes until the ship lands. Four minutes before I can't get the cruiser far enough away. Jimmy took one last deep breath and bore his eyes into the monitor in front of him. "My name is Jimmy Neutron." Jimmy's tone was calmer now. He spoke with complete resolve, but no anger laced his words. He felt billions of unseen eyes staring upon him and forced himself to ignore the fear welling inside him. "I am a human. I am speaking to every Yolkian on your planet right now, because both of our worlds are on the verge of destruction. We are at war, Yolkus and Earth. We have been for years, ever since I first contacted your planet. I called for peace, for an exchange of ideas, for an opportunity for both of our worlds to grow. You answered that request by kidnapping my parents, my friends' parents." Jimmy hesitated for the slightest moment as he remembered that adventure two years ago. How much things had changed in those two years. He dug his nails into his palms and forced himself to focus. "We fought you and got them back. Then Goobot came to Earth and tried to take over our town. We fought him and won. One month ago, our parents were kidnapped again. We assumed you were behind it, because why wouldn't you be? But we were wrong." Jimmy paused, closed his eyes, and swallowed hard. "I was wrong." "It was an enemy of mine, a human, that had kidnapped our parents. His name was Eustace, and he framed your old king, Goobot. So my friends and I fought himand killed him. I killed him." Jimmy slowly paced a few feet back and forth while looking at the ground. He caught glimpses of his friends staring at him, all unsure of what exactly he was doing. But despite their confusion, he felt their trust, their faith in him. He took in a deep breath and realized how lucky he was to have that. "I regret killing him every day," Jimmy said while turning back to the monitor. "I wasn't wrong to do it," he strongly said. "Goobot had tried to kill my friends three times. There was a good chance he would do it again. And I truly thought he'd kidnapped our parents again. But I regret it, and I would take it back if I could."

Jimmy nodded at the monitor and took another step backwards. "So you'd started the war. And we killed the king behind it. And what did you do?" Jimmy narrowed his eyes and glared at the monitor. "You officially declared war on us. Your new king, your Veras Conone, ordered the destruction of our entire planet. Why?" Jimmy stepped back towards the camera and motioned at his chest. "Because you say we are weak. But we have beaten you at every turn. We saved our parents, we thwarted your invasion, we killed Goobot and Veras. We've won every time we've fought you, and you dare to say you're stronger than us?" Jimmy angrily questioned. He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Because we don't fight with honor?" Jimmy incredulously asked. "I lost a friend while trying to reach Veras. Her name was Miranda, and she was the bravest, strongest person I've ever known." Jimmy felt rage burning in his veins, and contemplated shutting off the monitor and letting Animus be destroyed. He turned to Sheen, caught the undying kindness in his friend's eyes, and found his resolve once more. Jimmy swallowed and moved past the pain. "She fought with honor. She sacrificed herself to save us; she refused help because it would have put us in danger." Jimmy hesitated as he remembered her crying on his shoulder, how shocked and pleased he had been when she'd kissed his cheek. "And you murdered her. She died fin agony. She was a child!" Jimmy roared. He motioned at his friends and hoped that the Yolkians could see them. "We're children!" he shouted in desperation as tears filled his eyes. "You kidnapped our parents, the adults who raised us and loved us! Your King Veras, the leader you all adored, wanted to torture us for entertainment, to kill us all! We're children!" he cried out again. Jimmy pointed at the monitor and shook his head angrily. "You sacrifice sentient beings. You fight children, you kill them, you torture them! And you dare to say we're the ones without honor?" Jimmy stepped back and snarled. "You're delusional if you believe that!" Jimmy glanced down at his watch. Two minutes left, he angrily thought. Jimmy nodded and stared back at the screen. "If you're in Animus right now, look up at the sky," Jimmy angrily ordered through gritted teeth. "Do you see that dot coming closer? That's a ship. A ship that my seven friends and I, eight children with no military training, managed to board and hijack. That's the ship we managed to turn into a nuclear bomb. And it's hurtling towards you." Jimmy smiled wildly. "Shoot it down. Hit it with everything you can. It won't change a thing. That ship's reactors will detonate and scorch your city, kill your council, and burn all you love. It will kill you all." Jimmy crossed his arms and glared at the screen. "So there you have it. My friends and I, a group of human children, have killed two of your kings. We've killed dozens, hundreds of your kind and lost" Jimmy forced himself to fight the sickness lurching up his throat and kept talking. "Only two of our own. We've beaten you at every opportunity. And now we're going to destroy your city."

Jimmy let his expression falter slightly. "You know our planet doesn't have orbital defenses, that we don't have ships like you do. If you want to continue this war, if you come to our planet, maybe we will fall. Maybe I can't change that. But I can promise you one thing." Jimmy clenched his right hand into a fist. "We will not go quietly. We will not go out without a fight. If our world burns, we shall lay waste to yours. If we go extinct, we'll take you out with us. So continue this war and let both our species die. And I promise you all, you will die." Jimmy hesitated for a precious second before softening his gaze. "Look up at the sky again. The ship's coming closer. It's almost ready to blow." Jimmy slowly pointed to his watch. "This controls it. This can send it away. With the press of a few buttons, I could spare your city. Save millions of your lives." Jimmy took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and knew it was time to make a decision. He thought of all he'd lost and all he'd learned. He thought of how killing Goobot and Eustace had tormented him, had nearly killed him. He turned to his friends, who silently stared at him. He loved them all, and he wished he could sit and talk this through with all of them. But he only had seconds left, so he turned to the girl who he'd loved to hate, then hated to love, and who now mattered to him more than anything else. She saw the pain in his eyes, the desperation for his wish to be approved by another. So she nodded. Jimmy nodded back. He turned to the monitor and slowly tapped the first button on his watch. "You've started this war, but I'm going to finish it." He tapped another button and steeled his will. "But not the way you would. Not with fire and blood." Jimmy tapped another button and exhaled deeply. "I'm ending this my way." Jimmy rapidly pressed five final buttons and bore his eyes into the monitor. "I'm turning the ship around." A few seconds passed as Jimmy examined his watch. He finally nodded at the device and looked back at the screen. "We all have a choice to make," Jimmy sternly told the Yolkians. "We all have to decide who we are, what we believe in. Whether we'll blindly follow the path set for us, or choose for ourselves what's right and make our own way. I've made my choice. Now it's your turn. The fate of both of our worlds is in your hands now. Fight us, and perhaps we'll die. But I swear on my life you won't come out unscathed. That's one option. Or, you can leave us in peace. Accept that we're not the savages you think us to be. Accept that we have beaten you before and we can do it again. Accept that you will lose much of what you love if you continue this war." Jimmy took one final step back. He sighed deeply and stared sadly at the screen. "It's up to all of you now. It's time for you to make your choice." Jimmy paused and nodded. "My name is Jimmy Neutronand I've chosen peace." Jimmy slowly stepped forward and turned off the monitor. He stared at the blank screen for a long moment while taking a few slow, deep breaths. He finally closed his eyes, pushed himself away, and walked towards his friends. They all stared at him, and he met their gaze for a few seconds before looking at the ground. During their entire journey, he'd always stressed how they

were a team, how they would decide things together. Yet in their adventure's last moments, he had taken it upon himself to make the most important decision of their lives. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He tried to swallow and found the simple act impossible. He suddenly felt his legs giving way and lumbered over to the nearest chair before collapsing onto it. Everyone crowded around him, and Cindy slowly lifted a hand to his hair. Jimmy looked into her eyes and felt an immeasurable weight lift off his shoulders as she gave him a small smile. "Don't be," she whispered while giving his forehead a gentle kiss. Nick nodded and slowly extended his hand. "It's a hell of a risk," he said as Jimmy clasped his hand and looked into his eyes, "but you made the right call." Ike turned to Jimmy as Nick hoisted him to his feet, stared at him with an unreadable expression, and then finally sighed. "You...let us stay the good guys." He hesitated and stifled the forming tears. "Thanks." Jimmy steadied himself and let go of Nick's hand. He turned to Carl, who seemed to be thinking intensely. "Carl?" "It's still going to blow up, right?" Carl slowly asked. Everyone paused and turned to Jimmy, who nodded and looked at his watch. "In one minute." Everyone immediately hurried out of the lounge and back into the cockpit. They stared out the observation window and watched as The Flaming Justice raced out of Yolkus' atmosphere and away from the planet. Large portions of the hull exploded and sent flames and debris flying into space. Jimmy grabbed Cindy's hand and stared into her kind eyes. Libby rested her head on Sheen's shoulder and watched the ship fly away. Nick turned to Betty, who offered him her hand. He accepted it and interlocked their fingers. Carl anxiously shifted his weight from one foot to the other before Jimmy gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Ike slowly reached into his pocket, pulled out his sunglasses, and slipped them over his eyes. Five seconds passed, and then a new sun seemed to burst into existence. The Flaming Justice silently disappeared in a blinding flash of light, which shone for a single glorious moment. Then, as quickly as it had come, it vanished. There was no trace of the cruiser's existence, nor was there any remnant of the explosion. All that it had been had ceased to be. A long minute passed in complete silence aboard the fighter. Ike finally bit the inside of his lip, took in a heavy breath, and slowly removed his sunglasses. "Well," he quietly whispered, "not many people get to see that." Everyone silently agreed and continued to stare at the emptiness where the cruiser had just been. Then, one by one, they turned their gaze away from the viewport and stared at each other. Jimmy

felt Cindy squeeze his hand and realized that he was the only one still looking out the observation window. He glanced around the cockpit at his friends and gave them a solemn nod. "We did what we came to do," he slowly told them. In spite of the sadness still eating away at him, he felt a fragment of hope stir to life and slowly grow. He turned to Betty and waited until she turned towards him. "Betty?" She looked into his eyes, and he managed a tiny exhausted smile. "Take us home."

Chapter 23: Epilogue Part I

Huras Thimitch stared nervously at the ceiling above him. Even through the thick layer of polished metal, it wasn't difficult to hear the exultant cheers of thousands of Yolkians. He could hear the head councilor finishing his introductory speech and knew that only seconds remained before he had to ascend to the stage and claim his crown. He used these seconds to ponder the unrelenting chaos that had plagued Yolkus. Everything had gone to hell the second that Goobot had been murdered. He was far from adored, but the Yolkian Empire had grown used to his rule. Once he had been dispatched without an heir, the council had had to fight amongst themselves to procure a new king. It had taken weeks to settle on Veras Conone. Now, less than two weeks after his coronation, he too had been murdered by the humans. Humans. Thimitch allowed the word to swim through his mind while closing his eyes in exhausted frustration. As leader of the ARC, Thimitch had always been interested in the other sentient races inhabiting the galaxy. None had ever proven so worthy a foe. The creatures had killed two Yolkian kings and plunged Yolkus into chaos. When Thimitch had first learned of Veras' assassination, he knew that there could be no possible course of action except for war. That had all changed with The Flaming Justice's detonation. Thimitch's silent musings were cut short as the platform he stood on began to ascend. He closed his eyes once more and allowed one last deep breath to steady his nerves. The roaring of the Yolkian crowd threatened to overload his auditory collection system, so he turned it down to its lowest setting so that he might at least hear himself speak. Thimitch had attended coronations before, but they had always seemed smaller when he had been part of the audience. Now, being the center of attention, he couldn't believe how many of his fellow Yolkians could fit in the coronation chamber. There had to be fifty thousand creatures in front of him. He nervously swallowed while hovering forward. Every one of these lives depends on me, and they are but a fraction of the Yolkians on this planet. Thimitch pondered the vast responsibilities of being king as the councilor slowly placed the ruby-adorned crown on top of his visor. The crowd's already deafening roar somehow intensified, and Thimitch looked into the eyes of as many Yolkians as he could. All held unbridled joy and enthusiasm. Even with the fate of two

worlds hanging in the balance, none of Yolkus' citizens could keep from partaking in the joy of a coronation. Thimitch felt fear building in his gullet. He allowed himself three seconds to close his eyes and embrace the terror before shoving it aside. He was king now, and he needed to act the part. As his eyes opened, he exhaled loudly and nodded in affirmation while hovering towards the edge of the stage. "Citizens of Yolkus, I am honored to accept this crown," he spoke. His voice was strong and unwavering, which the Yolkians had expected. What surprised them was the warmth in his tone, the calming intonation of his words. They looked at their king in awe, wondering how he would begin his reign. Thimitch paused and stared at the crowd for a few long seconds before giving a small smile. He decided that the best way to start his reign was to finish his musings with the audience, show them that he shared in their confusion. He hovered a few inches higher off of the stage and motioned to all before him. "My subjects, the past weeks have held much chaos for our people," Thimitch calmly spoke. "We have lost two kings to the humans, nearly had our capital city destroyed, and suffered many losses. I know of your confusion, I am privy to your concerns. And it is time we discuss the matter at hand." Though the crowd had stopped cheering when Thimitch had begun his speech, there had still been the occasional shout of joy or murmur of excitement. Now, as the king paused and motioned at them in a gesture of reassurance, they fell truly silent. "How has it come to pass that I came to wear this crown in a mere three days?" Thimitch quietly asked. He gently touched the center ruby on his headpiece before letting his arm fall back to his side. "How was the decision made to allow me to lead this glorious empire?" Thimitch noticed how intently the crowd stared at him, how they hinged on his every word. No king without an heir had ever been replaced as quickly as Veras. The process of choosing a replacement had always taken weeks, not days. Thimitch began to hover back and forth and answered his own question. "Because this is the most important moment in our species' history," Thimitch loudly answered. "We stand at a crossroad, a fork between two paths. It is time for us to not only decide the fate of the humans, but of our own world." For the first time, Thimitch heard murmurs of discontent and confusion in the crowd before him. He felt the fear rise up once more but used every ounce of his strength to fight it down. Two worlds depend on you, Thimitch. Do not let Neroma have died in vain.

The king gave himself a tiny nod and stared intently at the crowd. "Hear my words, and take heed. I love my planet," Thimitch passionately said while motioning all around. "I love my people, and I love this empire. But we are not perfect, my brothers." Nearly every member of the audience's eyes widened in shock. Thimitch narrowed his own in response and managed to keep his tone steady. "Recent events have forced us to reexamine what it means to be a Yolkian and how we are to proceed with the human problem." Thimitch paused and took a small breath while hovering back towards the edge of the stage. "For a hundred cycles I have served on our Royal Council. More than half my life has been spent making that sure our empire prospered. I am the founder of the ARC, the organization dedicated to understanding alien life and making sure we are prepared for any war with any world." Thimitch hesitated and steeled his will before continuing. A fire had been lit the moment the human crop had been secured four cycles prior. This fire threatened to burn both Yolkus and Earth. Thimitch' next words would either douse or strengthen the flames. "Yet, that is not all it was made for. I created the ARC to understand the other life forms in our galaxy, to study them, to learn from them. I have come to respect the subjects of our study, including the humans. They are not the animals we have made them out to be." Thimitch felt his hands begin to shake and forced them to remain still. "And that is why no war shall be declared on them." The crowd erupted into chaos, and Thimitch found it impossible to tell whether the majority of the Yolkians were furious or relieved. He raised his hands and shouted, "Heed my words!" as loud as he could. The roar slowly died down, and Thimitch glared at the crowd. "We have all seen the broadcast that the humans made," Thimitch loudly explained. "We have seen how our empire's soul lay in their hands; we have seen how they chose mercy instead of revenge." The word revenge seemed to confuse many members of the audience, and Thimitch began to hover back and forth across the stage as he calmly continued his speech. "Yes, I have chosen this word," he explained. "For it is we who began this conflict, brothers. It is we who decided to appease Poultra with the sacrifice of sentient beings. It is we who struck the humans first, and it is we who bear the responsibility for the losses we have incurred." The crowd seemed confused, and Thimitch gave them no chance to speak up. He resumed hovering back and forth while continuing his speech. "The human on the broadcast, this Neutron, did you heed his words? Have you considered why we have despised the creatures of this galaxy, why we choose to stand alone?" Thimitch stared accusingly at a dozen random members of the crowd before continuing. "Is it because of their technological inferiority? It may seem long ago, my brothers, but there was a time when we did not utilize these shells," Thimitch reminded everyone while pointing at his shell. "There was a time before this glorious age, a time when our species was not beyond what the humans now are. When our race was young, did we deserve to be exterminated by a more

advanced society? Would you wish that upon ourselves? Because if you clamor for the Earthlings' blood because of their lack of technological advancement, then you surely must." Thimitch felt the fear he had been hiding slowly dissipate as the crowd seemed to ponder his words. He felt hope stir inside of him and spoke with renewed strength. "Or do you hate them for their style of combat? Does it matter how we take a life, whether with a plasma bolt or a dagger?" the king sadly asked. "In the end, once we are gone, shall the method of our demise change anything? I think not, but even if you do, know this. The humans that fought on our world did not just use ranged weapons. I have analyzed the security footage, and there can be no question that their skills in melee combat rival our own." Thimitch let his subjects ponder his words for a short moment before going on. "The humans are not weak. This Neutron was correct when he stated they have beaten us at every turn. If we were to go to war with them, would we win?" he asked. He hesitated before giving a slow nod. "I do believe we would. But I know our losses would be staggering, that all on this world would suffer. Why inflict this pain on our own people. Why destroy a race of beings not terribly unlike ourselves?" Thimitch scanned the crowd and slowly blinked each eye. "The humans had the opportunity to destroy millions of us. We had taken their caregivers and tried to usurp part of their world. Yet in the end, they chose to show mercy. I do not view this as a weakness, as some of you do," Thimitch said with a hint of disdain. "I see this as a strength, as a wise and virtuous act. And I, as your king, shall honor the humans' wish. All hostilities against the Earthlings shall end. The war is over." Thimitch looked out at the stunned crowd and slowly lifted the crown off of his head. He stared at the beautiful headpiece and gave it a small smile before turning back to his audience. "I have been chosen to lead this empire, and lead it I shall," he promised. "I shall restore honor and virtue to our people. I shall protect our lives by avoiding a pointless war. I shall wear this crown with honor and humility. I pledge to all of Yolkus that as long as my heart beats, I shall do all I can to protect this world. I love you all, and I pledge myself to every one of you." The king slowly placed the crown back on his head and looked out at the crowd. A second of silence passed, then two, then five. Then, just as Thimitch came to believe that he had failed and would be killed by his subjects, a soft clapping was heard. The noise steadily grew and began to include a few cheers. More and more Yolkians joined in until the roar was deafening, and Thimitch felt tears form in his eyes. He bowed towards the crowd and smiled wearily. The joyous clamor showed no signs of weakening, so Thimitch rose back up and slowly hovered back to his platform. He activated his wrist's hologram, tapped a few buttons, and slowly descended beneath the stage. Once the hole above him had sealed itself, he breathed a loud sigh of relief and looked around the small room. "It is done," he whispered. "Not quite," a menacing voice rang out. Thimitch spun around to see an angry Yolkian enter the room from the rear hallway. Thimitch immediately recognized the creature and frowned.

"Zilvera," the king wearily spoke. "I do not suppose you came to congratulate me on my speech?" Zilvera huffed in disgust while stopping inches in front of the king. He narrowed his eyes in fury and glared at his ruler. "You are not worthy of that crown," he growled. "I know not how you tricked the council into appointing you king, but your reign shall not last." Thimitch hovered backwards but showed no fear as he answered. "It is no secret how I came to be king. Two of our lords were killed by the humans. It was reasonable to appoint an expert on aliens to take the throne." Zilvera angrily slashed his arm across the air and scowled even more fiercely. "An expert?" he angrily mocked. "There can be no such thing on the vermin you claim to study. All there is to know about the creatures on Earth is that they must be exterminated." He hovered towards the king once more, who calmly glanced at a large stack of crates nearby before facing his adversary. Thimitch still remained composed while gently shoving the councilor back. "I shall not warn you again, councilor. Save your dissent for the advisory meetings. Do not approach me like this again." Zilvera flashed a menacing smile and withdrew the dagger sheathed on his shell. "Oh, we shall not be meeting again, my lord," he seethed while lunging forward. Even King Thimitch was surprised by how fluidly Karab flew out from behind the crates, ripped the blade from Zilvera's hand, and slammed its hilt into the councilor's visor. Zilvera reeled back, but Karab lunged forward, slammed his right arm through the hole he had created, and grabbed the councilor's left eyestalk. He ripped the creature out of its shell and placed the tip of his blade above Zilvera's brain. Thimitch allowed himself a small smile as he saw the disbelief in Zilvera's eyes. "I do believe you are right in that regard, councilor." "Shall I finish the beast?" Karab calmly asked. Thimitch kept smiling as he waited a long moment before lifting up his right hand. "Let us not sully my coronation with unnecessary bloodshed. Release him, Yujup." Karab dropped the councilor onto the ground, twirled the dagger in between his mechanical fingers, and tossed it aside. "This concept of mercy is new to me," he mockingly told Zilvera. "I suppose you should thank the humans for introducing it." "This is not over!" Zilvera roared while struggling to cross the two feet between him and his damaged shell.

Thimitch and Karab shared a slightly amused look before the king took on a serious expression once more. He glared at Zilvera and angrily warned the councilor, "My patience and mercy are not infinite, Zilvera. Repeat this encounter and I assure you that things shall end differently." The king spun around before his enemy could respond. He quickly hovered out of the room and down a long hallway towards the royal shuttle waiting for him. Karab quickly appeared beside him and matched his pace. "I must say, Karab, I found that quite impressive," Thimitch spoke. Karab bowed slightly while continuing to hover beside his king. "I am most gracious for your kind words, my lord." Karab hesitated before adding, "And for this opportunity." King Thimitch slowly came to a stop and faced his bodyguard. He gently touched the side of Karab's shell and gave a sad smile. "Karab, your brother helped save two worlds. Beyond that, he was a friend. I shall do all I can to honor him." Karab looked into the king's kind eyes before slowly nodding. Both Yolkians resumed heading down the hallway, and Karab slowly said, "The councilor was right, my lord." Thimitch froze once more, and Karab stopped beside him. "This peace shall not last. It isnot our way." Thimitch stared at his bodyguard curiously. "Do you wish it to last?" Karab met the king's gaze, thought for a long moment, and finally gave a small sigh. "I know not what to think anymore." "Explain," Thimitch gently encouraged. Karab paused while hovering towards the wall beside him. He leaned back against it and crossed his arms in frustration. "I spent my life honoring all that we hold dear. I served in the Royal Guard. I fought our empire's enemies to secure our dominance. I honored my kings and despised all other races." Karab hesitated and looked sadly at Thimitch. "Yet what has that gotten us? Two kings are dead within a month, over a hundred soldiers have been killed, millions more were nearly annihilated by that cruiser, and my brother is gone." Karab hesitated and squeezed his arms tighter to ward off the sadness. "Perhaps Barak was right all along. But can you truly hope to change the ways of our people?" Karab asked. "My lord, it shall take more than a speech to accomplish that." Thimitch nodded and sighed. "You are correct, Karab. We have a long road ahead of us. It will not be easy to sway the minds of all our people. And it shall be even harder for me to stay alive," the king calmly added. He saw Karab stare at him in curiosity. "Zilvera was but the first of many assassins. The path of peace shall not be popular, but I truly believe it is the best course for our race to take."

Karab stared at the king before nodding in admiration. "Barak spoke highly of you, and you have given me my life back. You have my loyalty, my lord, and I shall do all I can to protect you. As long as my heart beats, so shall yours." The two Yolkians reached the end of their stroll and stepped outside. Yolkus' three moons shone brightly above them, and hundreds of stars dotted the sky. Thimitch and Karab stared up at the beauty before them and fell silent for a long moment. "I know you and Zilvera are right," Thimitch calmly spoke. "I know that this peace cannot last. Eventually I shall die, as will the next king. Perhaps it will not occur right away, but there shall be rulers like Veras and Goobot again, creatures of hate that clamor for war." Karab blinked slowly and watched a shooting star fly by. "Then what is the point, my lord? If even you believe this peace is futile, why bother trying to change who we are?" Thimitch looked away from the sky and gave his new friend a warm smile. "Because, Karab, though our people may go astray, there will always be souls like Jimmy Neutron and Barak Neroma to bring us back."

Chapter 24: Epilogue Part II

The only sound Betty could hear was the steady tapping of her fingers against the fighter's control panel. In spite of the beautiful view of space before her, the only thing she could focus on was the tiny screen in front of her. She narrowed her eyes and felt her heart beat faster as the timer finally hit 1:00. With a heavy sigh, she rose out of her chair and exited the cockpit. I guess it's time. The shivering began as soon as she'd cleared the flight deck. For the briefest of moments, she tried to convince herself that the rest of the ship was somehow colder than the cockpit. Yet as she glanced around the empty room, she abandoned the lies and faced the truth. It wasn't the temperature, it wasn't her exhaustion, it wasn't even how this ship seemed so very different from the inquisitor. It was the people that weren't onboard. Betty had had much time to ponder the irony of her and her friends' misery. Barak and Miranda had been the quietest members of their party, the two most reclusive souls onboard the Inquisitor. Barak had really only interacted with Jimmy and herself, and Miranda had barely acknowledged the rest of the team until they had prepared to touch down on Yolkus. Yet without them, the ship seemed empty, quiet, alien. It felt wrong. Their absence was a pervasive force that clawed at the eight remaining children's sanity. Betty gently gnawed at the inside of her right cheek as she quickly made her way through the fighter's main chamber to the lounge. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. To her surprise, Nick was the only one in the large room. He was sitting in one of the ornate chairs, staring at the floor, repeatedly ejecting and loading his pistol's magazine.

Betty watched him for a few seconds before clearing her throat and quietly saying, "Hey." Nick looked up and stared into her worried eyes. He gently slid his magazine back into the weapon's shaft, placed the gun down on his seat, and walked over to her. "Hey yourself," he muttered while stopping a few feet away. The two friends stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before Betty explained her presence. "We're almost home. Less than an hour away now." Nick bit his upper lip before nodding and offering a small smile. "You got us home." He returned to his chair and leaned back against it. "I told Jimmy we'd need your flying skills." Betty couldn't help but smile back as she took the seat beside him. She looked into his kind eyes and was pleasantly surprised to feel her heart flutter. It reminded her of what she'd felt the first time she'd laid eyes on the boy, what she'd felt when she'd seen him stroll back into camp after going missing on Little Boy. She saw his gaze soften as he slowly grabbed her hand. Betty watched as he stroked her skin with his thumb. "Betty?" he asked. She looked up and met his gaze once more. He looked deep into her eyes, smiled, and then let his grin disappear. "We're not like Jimmy and Cindy, are we?" Betty smiled back. "Do you mean the star-crossed lovers part, or the borderline verbally abusive part?" Nick flashed a small smile once more. "Star-crossed lovers." Betty looked back down and watched as she gently squeezed his hand. "Definitely not." She saw Nick slowly nod in agreement. She waited a few seconds before gazing upwards and staring back into his eyes. "Doesn't mean I don't like you, though." Nick nodded. "Assuming we're not busy saving the planet again, want me to take you to the Halloween Dance?" Betty smiled and nodded back. "Yeah. I'd like that." They sat in silence for a moment before Betty stood up. "I'll go tell the others we're almost home. Are they in the barracks?" "Yeah. They're packing everything up. Should be done by now." The two friends shared one last smile before Betty quietly exited the lounged and opened the door across the hallway. Everyone stopped preparing their backpacks and glanced towards her as she stepped inside. "We're almost there, guys," Betty said. Cindy zipped her bag closed and slung it over her shoulder. "How long?"

"Less than an hour," Betty answered. She stared in curiosity as Jimmy glanced at the watch on his wrist and furrowed his brow. "Almost exactly the same time it took to get to Yolkus," Jimmy stated, the curiosity evident in his voice. He looked at Betty and said, "I thought this ship was slower than the inquisitor." Betty nodded. "I rerouted power from a lot of the noncritical subsystems to the engines so we'd get home faster." "Nice work," Cindy said. Betty offered a small smile in return, and Cindy reflected the gesture. Jimmy nodded in agreement before glancing nervously at his watch. Cindy saw this and quickly whispered, "Everything okay?" Jimmy looked up at her and quietly answered, "We're in communications range with Earth now. I" He paused and tried to steady his voice. "I can call Goddard." Cindy gave Jimmy an amused smile and quickly kissed his cheek. "Guess it's time to phone home." Jimmy nodded. "I'll be back," he promised while hurrying out of the barracks. He raced towards the cockpit and took a seat in the pilot's chair. Jimmy stared at the watch and gently rubbed the screen with his thumb before giving a weary smile. He began tapping button after button and anxiously waited to hear his dog's voice. It took a moment, but as soon as he heard it, he felt so happy he could cry. "Bark woof bark bark!" Goddard maniacally shouted. Jimmy found tears forming yet again and squeezed his eyes shut to keep them from spilling out. "Bark bark!" "Goddard," Jimmy whispered with a weak smile. Goddard barked twice more at his name and then fell silent. "Been a good boy?" "Woof!" Goddard immediately shot back. Jimmy smiled even wider at the sound of his friend's panting. He took a deep breath and struggled to speak. "Boy" Jimmy hesitated and shook his head while adding, "I don't even know where to start. You have no idea what we've been through." "Woofwoof?" Goddard nervously asked. The question made all of Jimmy's joy dissipate. He sank deeper into the chair and ran a trembling hand over his forehead. "Arf?" Goddard weakly asked.

Jimmy cringed at the pain in Goddard' voice and slowly shook his head. "Weeveryone you know is fine," Jimmy managed to answer. "But Barakand Miranda" Jimmy leaned his head on his hands and felt his lips tremble. "They died, boy." A few seconds passed, and Jimmy wondered what Goddard was thinking. The dog had briefly met Barak, but he'd never heard of Miranda before. A low howl of despair came through Jimmy's watch. Jimmy solemnly nodded in response. He leaned back in his seat and stared out the observation window in front of him for a moment. "Boy, how are Mom and Dad? Everyone's mom and dad?" There was a short hesitation before Goddard let out a nervous yelp. A series of short barks told Jimmy all that he needed to know. "They're asleep now, right?" A bark of affirmation answered Jimmy's question, and he nodded. "Woof?" Goddard asked. Jimmy thought about the question before shaking his head. "No, don't wake them up. We're landing in an hour. I'll tell them in person." Jimmy felt a tiny smile come across his lips as he asked, "Do you want to meet us at the ship, Goddard?" "Bark!" was the immediate answer. Jimmy nodded and smiled wider. "We're going to land in the woods behind Retroville Park. There's a clearing not too far in. Meet us there in an hour. I love you, Goddard." Goddard panted happily and yelped in response. Jimmy savored his friend's voice for a few seconds as his finger hover over the watch's controls, and then finally turned the device off. Jimmy walked back into the barracks and helped everyone finish packing their supplies. Once that was done, they all headed into the cockpit and watched as Jimmy and Betty took the controls. They all were silent as Mars passed by, then the moon. It only took a few minutes after that for Jimmy to say, "We're about to enter Earth's atmosphere. Everyone hang on." The ship buckled slightly and everyone heard wind begin to rush past the ship. Nick watched as Betty tapped a small red button and stared at a monitor that seemed to be displaying a map. "We're on course for the middle of Texas. Want me to adjust it?" "Go ahead," Jimmy said with a nod. Everyone felt the rocket turn slightly to their right, and Betty said, "All set. We're headed for Retroville. "We're headed home," Sheen happily said while squeezing Libby's hand. The wind roared louder and then steadily quieted down as the ship's speed dropped. "Entering Texas airspace," Betty calmly said.

A few more second passed, and Jimmy pulled back on his controls. "Twenty seconds until we reach the clearing. Betty, you think you can land by yourself?" Betty allowed herself a small smile as she nodded. "I can do it." Jimmy let go of his controls and leaned back. Everyone held their breath and felt their hearts skip a beat as the ship flew through Retroville, entered the park, and hovered in place over the small clearing in the woods. "Putting us down," Betty quietly told everyone while slowly lowering the fighter onto the ground. Everyone felt the floor lurch up slightly as the craft came to a complete landing. Betty released the controls and wiped a few strands of hair off of her forehead. "It's done." Jimmy nodded in approval, and both pilots rose from their seats. Everyone followed them as they headed into the fighter's main chamber. Jimmy, Cindy, and Nick walked towards the fighter's hatch and stared at the door for a long moment. "This is it," Nick said with an air of disbelief. He looked into Jimmy's eyes and gave his friend a nervous smile. "We're actually home." Jimmy nodded and let his hand hang in place over the door's control button. "Yeah, we are." With that said he opened the door, and everyone stared at the field of grass lying before a dense forest. Jimmy and Cindy looked at each other before tentatively stepping off of the fighter. They took a few steps away from the ship and immediately grabbed each other's hands. They heard a thud and turned around to see Nick leaping off of the ship. His hand shot to the holstered pistol on his side, but he ultimately pulled it away. Betty was right behind him, and the two friends walked away from the vessel beside Jimmy and Cindy. Carl slowly exited next, followed by Libby and Sheen. Ike was the last to depart and slowly walked the few feet towards his friends. Everyone stared in all directions at the forest, completely unsure of what to say. Cindy opened her mouth to speak, but a faint roaring assaulted her ears and a tiny form seemed to be barreling across the sky towards the group of children. Everyone looked up, and Cindy saw Jimmy give a wild smile out of the corner of her eye. "Goddard!" Jimmy desperately shouted as the mechanical canine barreled towards them. Its thrusters abruptly ceased firing when he was twenty yards away, and his ears began to whir in a circle to slow his descent. "Bark bark!" Goddard barked louder than he ever had and panted rapidly as his ears slowed their rotation. They stopped completely when he was a few feet away, and he dropped ten feet down and landed at Jimmy's feet. His master immediately scooped him off of the ground and gave him the tightest hug the dog had ever received. "Goddardboy" Jimmy struggled to say as his voice broke and he began to cry. The dog began to lick Jimmy's face with a feverish intensity, and Jimmy broke out in laughter.

"Bark bark!" Goddard yelped while yanking his head back and staring into Jimmy's eyes. Jimmy met his gaze and squeezed him tighter. "Woof," the dog quietly added before resting his head against Jimmy's chest. Everyone watched as Jimmy fell silent and kept hugging his dog. Goddard allowed this for a few more seconds before gently pushing himself away and jumping onto the ground. He excitedly hopped over to Carl and Sheen and happily barked at each of them. "Hey Goddard!" Sheen yelped while dropping to one knee and feverishly rubbing his hands over Goddard's cheeks. "Who's a good boy? Who's a good robot dogyou are! Yes you are!" Goddard angrily huffed, shot Sheen a somewhat annoyed look, and turned to Carl. "Hi Goddard," Carl happily said while gently patting the dog on his head. Goddard gave his hand a quick lick before turning to Libby. Dog and girl stared at each other for a long moment as Libby nervously smiled. "Goddard, it'sgood to see you again." She slowly reached out her hand, and Goddard rubbed his cheek against it. "Woof," the dog quietly answered. Libby stared at the creature for a few seconds before dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck. Everyone watched in surprise as she kissed the dog's cheek. "Thanks again," she whispered, and Goddard quietly whimpered in response. Once Libby released her grip, Goddard turned towards Cindy. The dog slowly made its way towards the blonde-haired girl, looked deep into her eyes, and then jabbed his head in Jimmy's direction. Cindy stared at the dog, unsure of what it meant. Goddard repeated the movement before bowing down and quietly barking. Cindy turned to Jimmy and asked, "What's he saying?" Jimmy hesitated before looking into Cindy's eyes. "He's thanking you for keeping me safe." Cindy took a small step backwards. She'd never really thought much of Goddard, never really interacted him beyond a quick hello or pat on the head. Even after becoming Jimmy's girlfriend, she'd found it difficult to accept the robotic creature as a true dog. But Goddard's gesture deeply touched her, and she immediately touched the top of his head. The dog slowly closed its eyes, and Cindy noticed how cold he felt as she ran her hand down to his cheek. She gently scratched the hard metal and said, "Don't mention it, Goddard." The dog let out a low woof before slowly rising up. He stared curiously at Betty, Nick, and Ike, who all did the same at him. Goddard gave them all a tiny nod before heading back to Jimmy's side.

The group fell quiet once more. They continued to look at the forest all around them and the sky above them. They faced each other at the same time, and Nick let out a heavy sigh before walking the few feet back towards the fighter. He leaned against it and slid down to the ground. "It's over," he sadly muttered while gently banging his head against the hull behind him. Jimmy slowly made his way towards Nick, took a seat beside him, and gently put a hand on his friend's shoulder. Nick looked deep into his eyes, and Jimmy met his gaze. "It is," he agreed. Cindy took a seat next to Jimmy, and soon everyone was sitting on the wet ground and leaning against the hull. They stared straight ahead at the wall of trees and tried to figure out what to say. "I think you were right," Libby quietly began while turning to Jimmy, "about stopping the bomb. But" Libby slowly closed her eyes and squeezed Sheen's hand tight. "Do you think it worked? Or is this all just going to happen again?" Cindy saw the concern etch its way across her boyfriend's face and grabbed his hand. "I think it worked," she confidently said. Jimmy turned to face her and quietly asked, "You do?" Cindy nodded and felt her friends stare at her. "We did everything right," she assured them. "We killed Veras. We showed them all how tough we are. We proved we could destroy their world, or at least a good part of it. But we also showed them something that they may never have realizedthat it doesn't have to be like this. That we can end this peacefully if they want." She paused, nodded to herself, and squeezed Jimmy's hand tighter. "It's done." Goddard let out a low whine as he curled up on Jimmy's lap. Jimmy began to rub behind his ears as Ike slowly looked up from the ground and gave a weary sigh. "Does anyone even know what day it is?" The question surprised everyone, but the fact that they didn't know the answer shocked them even more. The days had all blurred together over the course of their journey. Everyone turned to Jimmy, who tapped a few buttons on his watch. "It's Wednesday," he answered after a few seconds. "Sowe have school today?" Carl quietly asked. Everyone looked at each other, examined the bags weighing all their eyes down, and slowly shook their heads. "I'm staying home and sleeping," Libby uttered in exhaustion. "Me too," Betty agreed.

Ike reached into his pocket to pull out a carton of cigarettes and immediately felt his eyes water as he touched small piece of rope instead. He slowly pulled out Miranda's necklace and gently stroked one of the shark's teeth with his thumb. "She's gone," Ike whispered. Everyone saw the pain in his eyes, and Betty placed a hand on his knee. The gesture had no effect as tears began to fall down Ike's cheeks. "Wewe lost her." A solemn silence filled the air as everyone remembered the girl who had so briefly been a part of their lives. Nick gave his head a slow shake and wiped a hand across his eyes. "It was only four days, wasn't it? Four days that we knew her?" Jimmy pondered the question and gave his head a slow shake in disbelief. "Less," he quietly answered. He had no idea how it was possible that Miranda hadn't been a part of his life the week before. Libby gave a tiny sad smile as she looked at Ike. "I liked her," she quietly offered. Ike met her gaze and clenched the necklace tight. "She was scary, but deep down, she seemed nice." Cindy thought back to how she had met Miranda, how the girl had knocked her to the ground and shoved a knife against Jimmy's throat. Her blood began to boil, but it rapidly cooled once she remembered the other side of Miranda that had slowly revealed itself over the course of their journey. The side that had shared her supplies with the group, the side that had pledged to keep Jimmy alive, the side that had refused help because it would endanger everyone else. "I liked her too," Cindy said. Everyone turned to her, and she gave a solemn nod. "She was a warrior." Jimmy closed his eyes once more and remembered Miranda crying in his arms that horrible night. "She was a friend," he whispered to himself. Betty crossed her arms on top of her knees and laid her head down on them. "Barak," she wearily muttered. "I didn't even see him die. He justhe was just there and" She couldn't finish her thought and shoved the image of Barak's lifeless corpse out of her mind. Jimmy's mouth twitched as he remembered the laser beam slamming through the Yolkian's shell, sapping the life out of his friend. He turned to Nick, who met his gaze with surprising sadness. "He was a hero too," Jimmy explained. "If he hadn't come here, Veras' ships would have destroyed the planet." Nick sighed and slowly nodded. "He came back for us," he muttered. Everyone watched as Ike lit up a cigarette and twirled it around his fingers. He finally took a deep drag and savored the smoke for a long moment before blowing it straight up towards the stars. "Well," he said while getting to his feet, "I think it's time I go home." Everyone stared at him curiously, and he barely managed a shrug. "We're done, aren't we? I'm telling my parents I didn't get killed and then going to bed."

Before anyone could speak, Ike had spun around and marched off. Jimmy noticed his hands tremble as he stormed away, and Carl immediately jumped to his feet and ran after his friend. "Ike!" Carl shouted, but Ike didn't slow his pace. Both boys disappeared into the forest that separated the park from the clearing, and Libby looked at Jimmy in concern. "Should we go after him?" she asked. Jimmy pondered the question for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. "Carlhe can handle it." Jimmy was shocked to find that his words brought a small smile to his face. Betty nodded before grabbing Nick's hand and squeezing it. Before he could react, she let go and got to her feet as well. "I think I'll go too." Five curious faces turned towards her, and she let out a tiny sigh. "I miss my Mom and Dad. I'll see you all" she hesitated and slowly finished, "tomorrow, I guess." Betty took a few steps away from the ship before Jimmy loudly asked, "Betty?" Betty turned around and stared at him, and he gave her a tiny smile. "Thank you. For everything. Wewe really needed you." Cindy cocked her head at the dark-haired girl, swallowed nervously, and surprised herself at how easily a smile formed. "Jimmy's right. We couldn't have done it without you." Betty pulled back a little in shock before smiling at Cindy. "Thanks, Cindy." She turned to Jimmy and gave an appreciative nod. "You too, Jimmy." She slowly blinked her eyes before adding, "If you ever need a pilot againI'll be there." Jimmy nodded. "You'll be the first one we call." Betty gave him a small smile. "See you guys tomorrow, then." With that said, she slowly turned around and began the short walk home. Nick stared at the four remaining members of the group and gave a sad smile. "Guess that's my cue to head out." He tried to rise to his feet, but Jimmy immediately grabbed his arm. Nick stopped and looked down at his friend. "Nick" Jimmy began while trying to think of what to say. It took a few seconds, but he eventually added, "You know you're always welcome here." Nick looked at Cindy, Libby, and Sheen, who all gave him a friendly nod. Nick smiled back, but gently pulled his arm out of Jimmy's grasp. "II know," he said with a tiny chuckle. He smiled warmly at Jimmy. "But I'm wiped. I'm ready to get home and go to bed." He took a few steps backwards and slowly pulled his father's pistol out of its holster. He stared at it with a deeply thoughtful expression, ran his hand over the polished steel, and gave a sad smile. "And I think I'm finally ready to give my dad back his gun." Jimmy nodded in understanding. "I guess we'll see you at school, then."

Nick nodded in return. "If we're not all grounded, want to go the Candy Bar tomorrow after school?" He paused and felt some of the joy vanish from his face. "Maybe figure out exactly what the hell happened on this trip." Cindy crossed her arms and nodded before giving Jimmy a playful smirk. "Sounds good. If I recall correctly, Jimmy owes me a double fudge sundae." The group shared a smile, and Nick holstered his gun. "Good night, guys." He paused one last time and gave Jimmy an approving nod. "And Chief? Sweet dreams." Jimmy gave a small smile back. "You too, Nick." Nick walked into the forest, and everyone watched the trees until Carl came jogging back a few seconds later. "Is Ike okay?" Jimmy nervously asked. Carl looked at the ground and took a seat beside Jimmy. "He'sreally sad." Any remnants of light-heartedness that Nick's conversation had given them disappeared at Carl's words. Jimmy rubbed his forehead in sorrow and frustration. "Me too." Libby leaned her head against the ship and stared up at the star-lit sky. She bit her lip until she tasted a drop of blood and then finally looked at Jimmy with tears in her eyes. "II didn't know them well," she weakly began. Sheen immediately squeezed her left hand as Cindy grabbed her right. "Barak and Miranda," Libby explained. "Butthey helped us. We'd be dead if it wasn't for them." She paused, and everyone nodded. "Andwe'll never see them again." She gently pulled her hand away from Sheen's and wiped her eyes. She leaned back against the ship and stared at the trees. "Guys?" she weakly croaked out. Everyone faced her, and she barely managed to whisper, "How do we get through this?" No one spoke for a long time. Jimmy tried to think of an answer to console his friends. He tried to remember all that he had read on the grieving process, tried to choose one of the many sayings on how things always get better after a tragedy. Yet nothing seemed to fit; nothing seemed real and true. He was about to tell everyone that he didn't know when he truly studied his friends. Libby was struggling to keep the tears at bay. Sheen was whispering in her ear while squeezing her hand. Carl put a trembling hand on her knee. Cindy was stroking her hair. He saw the love in each of their actions and, in spite of his sadness, suddenly felt tremendous peace. "I know how," he calmly offered. Everyone turned to face him, and he gave his friends a warm smile. "The same way we've always gotten through everything."

Jimmy scooted towards Libby and placed his right hand on top of hers. He gave Carl and Sheen a warm smile, and then gave Cindy a kiss on the cheek. The five friends sat there, huddled together in the moonlight, as Jimmy said the one word that they all knew to be true. "Together."

Chapter 25: Author's Note

Well, it's hard to believe, but Pushing Through is now complete. It's taken two and a half months and over 130,000 words, but my longest story is done. I have a lot I feel the need to say, and I think it's best to start with the most important thing. When I posted the first few chapters of this story, I couldn't help but feel a little sad at how small the audience was. I'd always been used to getting hundreds of hits and tons of reviews, and this was no longer the case. I'd expected this; I'd known that the JN community would surely have shrunk over six years. Yet I still felt sad for a little while. That all changed when I began to hear from some very special reviewers. I want to thank everyone who's read and reviewed this story, but there are four friends I've made who deserve a really special shout-out. Miss Yaya, you're up first. You took the time to really spell out exactly what you liked about each chapter, and let me know that this story was being taken seriously by my audience. I'll always be grateful for all of your reviews and support. As soon as I posted a chapter, I couldn't wait to hear what you thought of it. I loved reading and responding to all of your reviews. TheKyttin13, you're next. I loved our late-night chats about this story and how you seemed to put more thought into it than even I have. Your responses to the hints about Cherenkov's Gun and Miranda's injuries showed just how much effort you put into reading this book. Conversing with you and hearing your thoughts was a real pleasure, and I can't wait to see what you think of The Lost Chapters. Linklover77, I didn't forget about you. You've been an incredible inspiration throughout this writing process. You started out as an ardent fan of my work, and I became an equally zealous fan of your own. For everyone reading this, check out this amazing author's stuff. It's of incredible quality and I heartily recommend it. I don't know how you found the time to review every single one of my Jimmy Neutron stories plus every chapter of this story, but I deeply appreciate it. I love the discussions we've had in regards to both of our works, and I hope we have many more. Last but not least, there's Farley Drexel. Now that I've finished with Pushing Through, I can't wait to really get into your story. I know how hard it is to find time to write, so I really appreciate you somehow finding more time to get through this book and give really thoughtful, expansive reviews. I can't wait to return the favor.

Now on to some more commentary about this story. There are a few major points I want to cover, so let's just jump right in. One thing I love about these two books is how you've gotten to see the evolution of Jimmy and Cindy's relationship. During the summer before The Final Battle, I've shown in flashbacks that Jimmy and Cindy were closer than they ever were in the cartoon. They still fought and didn't shout their love from the rooftops, but they were clearly able to hang out without screaming at each other. They openly enjoyed each other's company and their jabs were playful, not spiteful. They flirted quite often and enjoyed occasionally holding hands. This continued until chapter 24 of The Final Battle, when Jimmy and Cindy finally kissed. Now, I say finally because when I wrote The Final Battle, I had never seen the episode "Lady Sings the News." So in this universe, the events of that episode never took place. Their kiss on Little Boy was their first. From chapters 24 42 of The Final Battle, the relationship between Jimmy and Cindy changed slightly. They began to act as though they were dating, although they still didn't make it official or declare their love. They kissed twice more on Little Boy and Minerva, as well as continuing to show how loyal they are to each other. Cindy refused to allow Jimmy to form a suicide team without her, and Jimmy trusted her to fly one of the four ships through the asteroid belt. Chapter 43 is where their relationship truly changed. They finally admitted their love for each other before boarding Goobot's vessel. Though they didn't officially go steady until they got back to Earth, from this point on they are a couple for all intents and purposes. We saw how well they work together on Goobot's cruiser, and we're shown how broken Jimmy was when he believes that Cindy has been killed by Eustace. Throughout Pushing Through Jimmy and Cindy remain a strong couple. They only have one significant fight in chapter four, and it is there that Jimmy realizes how necessary it is to treat Cindy as a true equal. For the rest of the book, they work in perfect harmony. Jimmy trusts Cindy to protect the group and values her input, and Cindy has complete faith in Jimmy to think his way through any problem they encounter. This book shows how perfect these two kids are for each other and how much stronger they are together than they ever were apart. I've had several people make note of the fact that romance plays a huge role in these books, but it is not the central focus. I'm glad people have noticed this and I wholeheartedly agree with their assessment. I love the Jimmy/Cindy relationship. It's the major reason I watched the show, and even six years later I still get a smile on my face when I think of these two characters together. Yet I wanted these books to be more than a love story. While I love the plots of both books, it's the characters' developments and interactions that I enjoy the most. Every character has changed and grown from the first chapter of The Final Battle. Even more so than writing action scenes, writing characters interacting is my favorite part of being an author. I love showing how these characters deal with the obstacles they face and how they grow closer over time. I'll discuss every character in a little bit of detail. I greatly enjoyed writing Jimmy throughout these two books. Over the course of these adventures, he has grown so much. He's truly accepted his role as a leader. He's learned to trust others more fully than he ever has. He's grown closer to Libby, learned to respect Sheen, formed a deep friendship with Nick, came to love Miranda like a sister, and ultimately learned that

Cindy is every bit his equal. Yet it was him learning how to come to terms with his guilt over killing Eustace and Goobot, as well as learning from those actions, that is my favorite part of his story. He killed two evil characters out of anger. His actions were, if not completely justifiable, then at least completely understandable. But Jimmy is unrelentingly good, so he couldn't just forgive himself. It was a long journey, but he eventually moved past his pain. More importantly, he learned from it. When it came time to destroy Animus, he chose the path of mercy and peace. He'd redeemed himself and saved two worlds from destruction. Nick was one of my favorite characters to write. He was never shown much on the show, but I never got the sense that he was cruel or evil in the way that some authors portray him. I loved expanding on his backstory and showing that he's more than a head of hair. Jimmy became one of the first people to ever try to look beneath Nick's surface, and this led to an incredible friendship between the two. Over the course of The Final Battle, both boys came to deeply respect the other's abilities and trust each other completely. As much as I enjoyed Nick's role in The Final Battle, I loved his character in Pushing Through even more. He's more confident in his role as a leader and grows even closer to Jimmy. Even though the two don't always agree on the best course of action, they always consider the other's point of view and know that they'll have each other's backs. Theirs is a true friendship in every sense of the word, and I absolutely loved Jimmy acknowledging that he is a true member of his group in Pushing Through's epilogue. Ah, Cynthia Vortex. I actually feel that one of the biggest weaknesses of The Final Battle was Cindy's portrayal. I wrote her as very subordinate and rarely showed her taking control. While she wasn't Jimmy's lapdog, she wasn't a true leader either. I made a very conscious effort to fix this in Pushing Through, and I think the story was much better for it. This time around, she shares the role of leader equally with Jimmy and Nick. She's constantly voicing her opinions and giving orders to the group. She was the one to confront Barak in Jimmy's lab when everyone else was caught up in their own chaos, she snapped Jimmy out of his misery in school, and she was an equal partner in sabotaging The Flaming Justice's reactors. And of course, she is an incredible fighter. Over the course of this book, Cindy really learned how to lead, she learned how to move past much of her anger and jealousy, and she came to respect Sheen, Carl, and Betty. She's grown up a lot over the course of this story, and I loved showing that. Sheen. I love Sheen so much. He's stupid, he's maniacal, and hes almost legally insane. But he's got one of the group's biggest hearts, he's incredibly brave, and he loves all his friends. In both books, Sheen is really the one who saves the day. In The Final Battle, he freed his friends and stopped Eustace from killing Jimmy. In Pushing Through, it was his actions aboard The Flaming Justice that convinced Jimmy to spare Animus. If it wasn't for Sheen, it is very likely that the Yolkian-Human war would have continued after Animus' destruction. Sheen's trusting nature and good heart ended up saving many, many lives. Yet in spite of all the amazing things he has done, Sheen is still Sheen. Though he'll never forget all that he's been through and the people he's lost, he'll return to the wacky, energetic, kid-at-heart teenager that you saw early in this story. Libby really showed her true colors throughout these books. Even after being shot in the leg at the beginning of The Final Battle, she always did all that she could to help. She organized a breakfast for all the kids, she helped assemble rockets despite being on crutches, and she proved to be incredibly useful at being the head of the control team. Most importantly, she refused to sit

out the fight in Pushing Through. She showed her bravery and skills and was an integral part of the team. Most importantly, she served as a rock for Cindy and Jimmy. Libby has always been a sister to Cindy, and I loved showing the two of them comfort each other in chapter 14 of Pushing Through. Yet my favorite aspect of her character is her growing relationship with Jimmy. In The Final Battle, these two characters realized how important they were to each other while simultaneously discovering how little they knew about each other. By the time Pushing Through began, they're closer than ever and are incredibly good friends. Libby becomes a rock for Jimmy, which is mostly shown during their talk in the camping store and when Jimmy becomes hysterical over Cindy's injury in Veras' chambers. Though these characters are both attracted to each other and realize they could be more than friends, they love their currents partners more and are happy being very close friends. Another weakness of The Final Battle was the near-lack of Carl. I never appreciated his character until recently, and I wanted to make sure that he played a larger role this time around. I loved having him struggle to overcome his fears and become a man. While he provided only a minor help during the fighting in Pushing Through, he served as the group's moral center, along with Sheen. It was the two of them that had the biggest issue with detonating The Flaming Justice, and it was Carl who answered Jimmy's question of whether the kids actually wanted to destroy Animus. Having Carl run after Ike in the epilogue shows how much he's changed. After everything he's done, he has faith in himself now. When he sees a problem, he's no longer going to rely on others to fix it. He believes in himself and will try to solve it. On to Betty. Betty was barely mentioned in The Final Battle, but I greatly enjoyed having her be a major player in Pushing Through. As soon as I came up with the idea of her wanting to become a pilot after flying one of the ships away from Minerva, I knew she was going to be a great presence in this story. All she wants is to help her friends and prove that she's more than a pretty face. As even Cindy admitted, she'd done that and more over the course of this book. Her everchanging relationship with Cindy was probably my favorite subplot of this book. I loved having Cindy realize that Betty isn't this evil harlot that she had always envisioned. My second favorite subplot was Nick and Betty's relationship. They're not star-crossed lovers, but rather two young kids who are good friends and are attracted to each other. I greatly enjoyed showing the easy friendship between the two and mentioning, but not giving great detail, about their short relationship. Ike. Poor Ike. He suffered a great deal in elementary school after losing his love Sandy. It took a long time, but he ultimately moved past his pain to become a sarcastic badass with a heart of gold. I loved him serving as a major source of humor in this story and greatly enjoyed portraying his slowly-evolving relationship with Miranda. It really hurt me to write him so differently after Miranda's death. It hit him hard, and I wanted to really show that. After she dies, he never jokes and he's clearly depressed and filled with a desire for revenge. Yet in spite of that desire for retribution, he still chooses to destroy Animus for the right reasons. And when push comes to shove, he doesn't fight Jimmy on changing their plans. He admits that it's important that they stay the good guys. At the end of this book he's still miserable, but with friends like Carl and Jimmy it's a good bet he'll be able to get through this.

Miranda Candor. She's my favorite character of the story as well as being the most tragic. It killed me to wait so long to introduce her, it hurt more to relegate her to such a minor role during her first few chapters, and it was nearly impossible to go through with killing her. Yet I knew I couldn't change her destiny just because I liked and admired her so much. She'd always been slated to die, so she did. She really is an incredible human being. She was only nine years old when she was raped by her father. Yet she refused to give up and became a fierce warrior; a survivor. Her chapter is probably my favorite of this story. I loved Jimmy's good heart finally breaking through her walls and enabling her to slowly open up to the group. Though she died far too young, at least she was able to, as she put it, come back to life before dying. There is no doubt that she saved the lives of all the other children. Had she not stayed behind in the plaza, Jimmy and Nick would almost certainly have been killed. And her refusal to be carried by Ike and Nick kept three extra guns in the fight and ensured that Veras was killed. She had lived alone for so long, but she died a hero and surrounded by friends. Lastly, there's Barak Neroma. I adore him almost as much as Miranda. Here's a Yolkian who's managed to avoid the xenophobic hatred that claims most members of his species. He is more than willing to sacrifice his own life to protect humanity, and that is what makes his actions throughout this book so terribly sad. There is no question that Barak is a good person. Yet he was given an impossible choice: help murder nine children, or condemn an entire planet to destruction? Barak decided to do the former, but it killed him to do so. As he explained to Jimmy, he wanted nothing more than to be honest with the kids and find a way to kill Veras. Yet he knew that he couldn't risk six billion lives to save nine, no matter how much he valued those nine. Barak ultimately made up for his betrayal by saving Jimmy and his friend's in Veras' chambers. It cost him his own life, but he died knowing that Jimmy had truly forgiven him and still considered him a friend. Barak was truly a hero. As Jimmy noted in the epilogue, had the Yolkian failed to take Veras up on his offer, Earth would have been destroyed by the Yolkian fleet. By bringing the kids to Yolkus, he saved Earth. By bringing the gunship to Veras' chambers, he saved his friends. Now that I've discussed the characters, I'd like to discuss the aspect of leadership briefly. Throughout this story, Jimmy, Cindy, and Nick served as the group's three equal leaders. Jimmy took charge of gathering supplies and led the assault on The Flaming Justice. Nick headed the battles on Yolkus. Cindy made sure to let her voice be heard and provided several key pieces of advice for the fights she partook in. After writing the fights on Yolkus, I was getting worried that I was having Nick play the leader too much. That's one reason why I had Jimmy concoct the plan on how to take over The Flaming Justice. Another thing I want to touch on is the original ending for this story. Things changed drastically from my original vision after the kids killed Veras. Originally, I'd intended them to sabotage a large nuclear reactor on Yolkus instead of a warship. This would have lengthened the book considerably, as I had a great deal planned for the assault on the reactor. I would have had an anti-aircraft gun protect the facility, so the group would have had to move in on foot. After the reactor was sabotaged, Jimmy would have sent Carl, Ike, and Betty back to the gunship to flee Yolkus while everyone else stayed behind to make sure the Yolkians didn't fix the sabotage. This would have been a certain suicide mission. The group would have fiercely fought waves of Yolkian soldiers while Carl desperately tried to think of a way to save his friends. He would have

come up with the idea of Betty luring another gunship into attacking them. She would have led the enemy ship into range of the AA gun and used that ship as a shield against the cannon's fire. The enemy gunship would have crashed into the AA gun and destroyed it. This would have allowed Betty to pick up Jimmy's team and speed away from Yolkus after Jimmy reversed the sabotage due to a change of heart. There were several problems with this original idea. Betty had been shown to be a good pilot, but using another gunship as a shield would probably have been above her abilities. Secondly, I doubted that Jimmy would so easily have been able to reverse the effects of his sabotage. Lastly, and by far most importantly, my research showed that there is no way to turn a nuclear reactor into a nuclear bomb. I tried to think of a new but similar ending and came up with the idea of turning a ship into a nuclear bomb. I did this after remembering the ending of Halo: Combat Evolved. So I did a little research into the fusion reactors on so many science fiction ships. They're purely theoretical at this point, but it seemed reasonable to turn a ship into a nuclear bomb if they used these reactors. I feel that this ending flowed much better than the other ending would have, and I'm happy with how it turned out. Now, I want to briefly mention Barak's death. I'd always intended for Miranda to die in this story, but I didn't decide to kill Barak until a week or two before writing his death. I was thinking of how unrealistic it was that only one of ten characters would be killed over the course of this incredibly dangerous journey. I was trying to think of which character's death could be done in a realistic way and would serve a good story-telling purpose. I realized that Barak was making himself very vulnerable by standing in the open door of the gunship outside Veras' chambers. The idea to have an injured soldier snipe him just popped into my head, and I realized it would solve my problem perfectly. It was unexpected, it was realistic, and it happened right after Barak had redeemed himself. Though I'm sorry to see him die, I'm confident it was the right choice to make. As we near the end of this note, I'd like to share a few small pieces of trivia and discarded ideas. I briefly considered having Nick have a crush on Jimmy. Their friendship seemed pretty intense, and it somehow seemed natural to me that Nick might have gay feelings for his best friend. I decided against this after considering it for only a short time. I enjoyed showing Nick and Betty's relationship, and I didn't want to alter his character so drastically from his cartoon appearance. Back before I came up with the idea of killing Barak, I considered having either Nick or Sheen have their arm badly burnt from a plasma bolt during one of the fights on Yolkus. Jimmy would have made a replacement arm for them back on Earth. I liked this idea because it reinforced how dangerous the mission was without killing a character, but I decided against it because I couldn't bear to make either Nick or Sheen go through so much pain. The journey back to Earth took three days, and the group didn't have any medical supplies or painkillers. A three day journey with a charred off arm would have been torture, so I avoided this plot point. Jimmy originally discovered Libby in the supply closer in chapter 14, not Cindy. I wanted them to have yet another moment together and thought Jimmy could mirror Libby's sadness over being separated from Chowder with how he missed Goddard. I decided to shift gears and have Cindy discover Libby because these two best friends hadn't yet shared a long moment in the story. I

realized Jimmy and Libby had already had plenty of moments, and I didn't want to go through the book with Cindy having one with her best friend. Well, there's only one last thing I want to say about these books. That is that I'm really glad that the Jimmy Neutron community has two more full-length novels to read. I know all of us Jimmy Neutron fans feel that the show ended before its time, but let's all look on the bright side. We had three seasons of a great show and had some incredible episodes. Stranded, King of Mars, Lady Sings the News, Trading Faces, Crouching Jimmy; Hidden Sheen, My Big Fat Spy Wedding, Beach Party Mummy, and The Great Egg Heist are my personal favorites. These episodes are all of tremendously high quality and showcase everything we love about the show. They have great romance between both Jimmy and Cindy and Sheen and Libby, they're hilarious, and they really do a great job of showing the group's friendship. And I just have to say how much I love Win, Lose, and Kaboom. In my mind, it does everything right and nothing wrong. Just watch the first five minutes of that movie. It's incredible. I love just watching the five characters hanging out in the Candy Bar. Yet we don't just have these episodes, we have a vast collection of incredible fanfiction. We all have different stories that we love, but we can all agree that there are some fantastic pieces of art in this section of this site. I truly hope you've all enjoyed The Final Battle and Pushing Through, and I'm glad that fans of the series have two more books at their disposal.. Once again, I just want to thank everyone for reading. I hope you've enjoyed reading this book as much as I've loved writing it. I'm humbled by every member of my audience, and I can't wait to get to work on my next JN project. Keep reading and writing, and I love you all. Sincerely Yours, Quietthinker