179 replies to this topic

[CraazyOne]

Well, I know it's pretty early, but... *sigh* I'm giving in! Here's another chapter... *runs away before Justine EXPLODES* :lol:

---------------Chapter 7: Recruiting the Rescue Team---------------

As soon as Jimmy had recovered from his shock, he spun around to face Cindy furiously. “Good job, Cindy!” he exclaimed, his voice heavy with bitter sarcasm. “You just endangered our lives again!”

“Oh, yeah?!” Cindy spat. “Well, maybe if you really were so smart you wouldn’t have made such a stupid invention in the first place!”

“Stupid? It’s not stupid!”

“Yes, it is! And if you can’t figure that out, Brainzilla, then maybe you need to check your dictionary!”

“I wouldn’t need a dictionary, Blondie;” Jimmy shot back, “all I’d have to do is talk to you!”

Before Cindy even had a chance to retort, he turned to Carl and Sheen. “Come on, guys, we have to go to Shangri Llama.”

They headed down the street toward Jimmy’s lab, leaving Cindy and Libby to stare after them. Cindy was fairly boiling with a mixture of rage and disappointment. Gritting her teeth in fury, she shoved the Mood Alternator in her pocket. At least Jimmy hadn’t demanded she give that back…yet.

“Girl,” Libby told her friend slowly, “if ya were gonna use that invention on anyone, you should’ve done it to Jimmy.”

Cindy didn’t answer. If Libby could see through her that much, then couldn’t she also understand that Cindy felt using the invention on Jimmy wouldn’t be the same as him truly caring? It would be like the love potion all over again to make him like her. And all she wanted was just for him to like her for who she was. But, now, with Neutron absolutely furious with her, it looked as if that would never happen.

Just a few yards away from the girls, as he walked down the street with his friends, Sheen was oblivious to the frustration and anger churning inside Cindy’s and Jimmy’s minds. Instead, he punched his fist into the air enthusiastically. “Yeah!” he cried. “To Shangri Llama! Yoo-Yee won’t stand a chance against the Chosen One this time!”

“But, Sheen,” Carl protested, “you can’t fight him! Last time you couldn’t even dance without Jimmy’s invention!”

Jimmy frowned suddenly. “I haven’t been able to find the dance machine for weeks, either. I don’t know where it could’ve gone, and we don’t have time to look for it! We have to leave now!”

“We could go to Master Hong’s house so he can train Sheen again,” Carl suggested.

“We don’t have time for that, either!” Jimmy exclaimed urgently. “We need to get to Betty. We’ll have to bring someone who knows karate.”

“Hmmm…who do we know that knows karate?” Carl mused.

“I know!” Sheen burst out excitedly. “Ms. Fowl!”

Jimmy and Carl froze and stared at their friend. “Ms. Fowl?” they repeated.

“Sure! Haven’t you ever seen her black belt and punching bag?” Sheen asked, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for their aged teacher to kick butt in her spare time.

Jimmy and Carl exchanged looks.

“We can’t bring Ms. Fowl, Sheen,” Jimmy objected as soon as he found his voice again. “Do you want to run the risk that she’ll start passing out pop quizzes on the trip?”

That persuaded Sheen immediately. “I see your point. We’ll have to find someone else.”

Apparently Carl took that as his cue to make a proposition even less appealing than Sheen’s. “You mean like Cindy?” he offered.

“Cindy?!” Jimmy could hardly have enunciated his classmate’s name more explosively. “This was all her fault in the first place! There’s no way I’m bringing Cindy.”

“Then how’re we gonna rescue Betty?” Carl wondered.

Sheen gazed off into the distance thoughtfully. “Maybe Betty will like living among evil ninjas and learning their ways.”

Realizing he had no alternative but to bring Cindy along, Jimmy slapped a hand to his forehead in frustration. “Fine!” he snapped, stomping back over to Cindy and Libby, still standing in front of the Candy Bar. It was awful enough for Jimmy to have to ask Cindy to come along, but it was far worse having to admit that he was asking because he needed her help. “Libby…and Cindy…” —Jimmy glared at his nemesis a moment before turning back to Libby— “…I’m gonna need your guys’ help to save Betty.”

“Really?” Libby asked eagerly. “Ya want us to go to Shangri Llama with you?”

But Cindy glared at Jimmy through narrowed eyes. “There’s NO way I’m going to battle a bunch of crazed ninjas to rescue Miss ‘I’m-So-Perfect-I-Make-Everyone-Nauseous’!” she declared.

Beside Sheen in the parking lot, Carl watched Cindy in surprise. “Wow,” he commented, “I didn’t know Cindy hated Betty so much.”

“I didn’t know Betty had such a long nickname!” Sheen responded, equally amazed.

Jimmy raised his voice angrily. “Fine! I didn’t want you to come anyway! I don’t need your help!” He turned and started marching back down the street, too upset about Betty even to start another fight with Cindy.

Libby turned to her best friend reprovingly. “Cin, ya can’t just leave Betty in the hands of those ninjas!”

But Cindy, her arms crossed, continued glaring at Jimmy’s back. “Yes, I can,” she insisted.

“Listen, girl…”

“Mr. Know-It-All doesn’t need my help!” Cindy retorted obstinately.

Now it was Libby’s turn to cross her arms and make her voice even firmer. After all, she could be just as stubborn as Cindy if she wanted to. “Well, I’m goin’, an’ if I’m goin’, so are you!” she declared.

Cindy scowled. “Fine!” she yelled short-temperedly, but Libby was too content over her victory to be upset at her friend’s tone.

“Wait up, Jimmy!” Sheen called after Jimmy, who’d left both his friends behind in the parking lot. “The girls are coming!” He turned back to Libby and poured on the charm with a grin. “I always knew you could solve anything, my Gangstress of Love!”

----------------------------------------------

~Rach~

[sunnstar]

LOL!! "my Gangstress of Love" ROFL! Awesome chapter, Rach! You captured Libby and Cindy so perfectly.

[Beks]

More! More! Hahahahacoughhahahahaha!

[Justine<3]

Oh...my...gosh...

-screams- THAT WAS GREAT RACHY! (and FINALLY, I might add ;))

I was laughing so hard when Sheen thought they should bring Miss Fowl, and didn't know 'Betty had such a long nickname' ROFL!

great job! PLEASE POST SOON!


~*(+Justine+)*~

[CraazyOne]

LOL!! "my Gangstress of Love" ROFL! Awesome chapter, Rach! You captured Libby and Cindy so perfectly.

Thanks, Sunnay-nay... ^_^ :lol:

More! More! Hahahahacoughhahahahaha!

Would ya like a cough drop, Beks? :P

Oh...my...gosh...

-screams- THAT WAS GREAT RACHY! (and FINALLY, I might add )

I was laughing so hard when Sheen thought they should bring Miss Fowl, and didn't know 'Betty had such a long nickname' ROFL!

great job! PLEASE POST SOON!


~*(+Justine+)*~

:blink: *puts on handy pair of earplugs* Hehe...thanks, Justine!

~Rach~

[CraazyOne]

This chapter may just be incredibly lame, and I know some of you have been waiting FOREVER for it... So, I hope it lives up to your expectations. :P


----------------------Chapter 8: Ninjas in Space-----------------------

Down in his lab, Jimmy occupied his friends with gathering up some of his inventions and loading them into the Hovercar outside. Carl, Sheen, Libby, and Goddard went to work willingly, but Cindy stubbornly crossed her arms and made a few ill-tempered comments that, for once, Jimmy was too focused studying his computer screen to pay attention to. Only when Libby threw Cindy a pointed look and thrust the Quantum Replay into her hands did she stomp outside after her friend. Sheen started after them with Jimmy’s rocket and the Hypno Beam piled precariously in his arms, until the Shrink Ray caught his eye. Dropping the inventions he held with a crash, he quickly went to work shrinking everything in sight.

“Sheen!” Libby’s firm voice made him let go of the Shrink Ray immediately and turn to face her sheepishly. But before Libby could say anything more, Jimmy’s astonished voice burst on their ears.

“Pukin’ Pluto!” he cried. Libby and Sheen glanced over to see what had happened just as Cindy and Carl came up behind them. Jimmy was staring at the radar screen on the computer before him, obviously shocked at whatever he’d discovered. “The ninjas aren’t going to Shangri Llama;” he finally explained to his friends, “they’re headed into space!” He slapped a hand to his forehead and frowned in thought. “But I don’t understand! Why aren’t they headed for Shangri Llama? And where did they get a spaceship?!”

“Maybe they went to get the Martians’ autographs!” Sheen suggested eagerly.

Libby shook her head at Sheen’s comment and turned to Jimmy. “Lemme get this straight: you’ve got a tracking device on ’em somehow and it’s tellin’ ya the ninjas are takin’ Betty into space?”

“Well, there’s sorta one on Betty’s shoe,” Jimmy admitted uncomfortably.

“What?!” Cindy exploded. “How—”

“There’s no time!” Jimmy broke in hurriedly. “We have to follow them!” He seemed about to spring from his chair when another voice stopped him.

“But, Jimmy,” Carl protested worriedly, “I don’t like space travel; it aggravates my asthma and makes my back ache and my feet swell up and—”

“Carl!” Jimmy frowned impatiently.

Carl cowered down. “I DON’T WANNA FACE NINJAS IN SPACE!” he shouted.

Cindy grinned at Libby. “So now it’s ninjas in space, huh? That sounds like a cheap thriller movie.”

Sheen had been amusing himself with poking Jimmy’s invisible hamster, but as soon as he caught Cindy’s words, he spun round excitedly. “Ninjas in Space?! That’s the best movie ever! After all the Ultralord movies, of course…” he was careful to add.

This time it was Sheen’s turn to face Jimmy’s frown of annoyance. “We have to hurry!” the genius exclaimed. “Take everything we need out of the Hover car and put it in the space car!”

Libby couldn’t resist a playful jab at Cindy. “Better pack your radiation-proof makeup,” she teased, causing her friend to roll her eyes.

Without wasting another moment, Jimmy leapt out of his chair and started leading the way out of his lab. Libby followed with Cindy walking grudgingly behind. Even Carl had plucked up enough courage to step toward the doors, but Sheen’s attention was fixated on a large, vicious plant sitting off in the corner.

"Cool! It’s the Girl Eating Plant!" he burst out eagerly.

"Sheen!" Jimmy reprimanded, stopping to frown at him. "That’s highly dangerous!"

Sheen, however, remained unconcerned. "Do you think it’d eat Ms. Fowl?" he mused.

"Sheen! Come on; we’ve gotta go!" Jimmy exclaimed impatiently. He ran through the lab door with the others on his heels.

Looking back at the Girl Eating Plant regretfully, Sheen began to follow when a mischievous expression formed on his face. Dashing over to the flower, he snatched it up as he ran out the lab, grinning triumphantly. But another shout from Jimmy made him hastily release it. Without further ado Sheen climbed into the space car, leaving the Girl Eating Plant to sit outside the clubhouse, unnoticed by everyone else.

**************************************************

While Jimmy maneuvered the car over the city of Retroville, Sheen leaned back comfortably in the back seat. "Ahh, the Antares Z-class sedan!" he sighed. "I love this car! It's almost as awesome as the Ultra-Ship, only it was painted in ultra-colors and had a radio built into the control panel so Ultralord could listen to his favorite intergalactic tunes!"

Libby glanced over at Sheen as if she were about to comment, then seemed to think better of it and shut her mouth.

Moments later, the Antares cleared the earth’s atmosphere and entered the realms of space. It was then that Jimmy returned his attention to tracking the ninjas’ progress and reporting it to the rest of the gang. "It looks like they’re heading straight toward—"

He was interrupted by an image of Yoo-Yee in his spaceship abruptly taking the place of the radar screen. Jimmy and his friends gathered close to listen as Yoo-Yee immediately fixed his piercing gaze on Sheen. "I am certain, Chosen One," he began, "that you must recall me: Yoo-Yee, your rival!"

But before the ninja could say anything more, Jimmy interrupted. "What did you do with Betty?!" he yelled impatiently.

"Patience, Large-Headed One, I had not yet completed my gloating in its entirety!" Yoo-Yee fairly barked. "But you are correct: I have indeed kidnapped the one you love!"

Cindy rolled her eyes.

"If you ever want to see her again," Yoo-Yee continued, "you and He Who Puts Leg Behind Head must defeat me in a battle that will be violent! We will fight with fists on the earth-rock and see who truly is—the Chosen One!" With that, the image of Yoo-Yee vanished, leaving the kids to glance at one another, somewhat bewildered.

"So," Libby began slowly, "the guy that’s had one too many punches to the head is tryin’ to defeat Sheen again."

Cindy frowned thoughtfully. "What did he mean by 'earth-rock'?"

Jimmy had returned to tracking the ninjas' progress through space. "I don’t know," he said, "but it looks like they could be headed to that huge asteroid between Earth and Mars!" He indicated a large, lumpy object located between the two planets and the other kids studied it with interest.

After a few moments, with nothing else to do, the kids left Jimmy to piloting his ship while they returned to their seats and stared through the glass. Suddenly, Carl pointed at something and addressed the boy genius. “Hey, Jim, is that planet over there Venus?” he wondered.

“No, Carl,” replied Jimmy, sounding as if he were forcing himself to be patient, “that’s the moon.”

A goofy grin sliding across his face, Sheen turned to Libby. “Ah, Venus!” he said. “The Roman goddess of love!”

Libby merely crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. “Put a sock in it, Sheen,” she told him shortly.

“Where’d your empty skull pick up that information, anyway?” Cindy inquired sharply.

“Hey!” Sheen responded indignantly. “Carl and I learn a lot from Jimmy!”

Libby and Cindy glanced at each other, not needing to say a word to convey their skepticism.

--------------------------------------------------------------

~Rach~

[sunnstar]

AH LONG CHAPTER LONG CHAPTER. **clutches head**


Awesome chapter!! LOLx5. What's gunna happen to de girl-eating plant? OHNOESSUSPENSE. And LOL at the ninjas in space and double LOL at the tracking device on Betty's shoe ROFL!!!! Keep up the good work!!! :thumbsup:

[Beks]

ooo, new chapter! Yay!

[Ang]

SWEET. I just read the whole thing. xD


It's awesome so far, Rach! LOL: Ninjas In Space. XD It's the next movie, I SWEAR!

Anywhozles, keep up the awesome work! I completely love it!

[Justine<3]

Oh, great job Rach!

That was great! LOL, Sheen.. -rolls eyes then laughs head off- Great job! I CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE! :D


~*(+Justine+)*~

[sunnstar]

You know what's funny? In every show/fic I've ever seen/read, whenever a monkey/ninja/monkey ninja in space is involved, it's always "old." But I've never actually seen a REAL monkey ninja in space show/fic. XD

[CraazyOne]

AH LONG CHAPTER LONG CHAPTER. **clutches head**


Awesome chapter!! LOLx5. What's gunna happen to de girl-eating plant? OHNOESSUSPENSE. And LOL at the ninjas in space and double LOL at the tracking device on Betty's shoe ROFL!!!! Keep up the good work!!! :thumbsup:

SUNNY--Haha, thnx. Long chapters are good. :D Hehe

ooo, new chapter! Yay!

BEKS--Yeah, it only took an age, eh? :lol:

SWEET. I just read the whole thing. xD


It's awesome so far, Rach! LOL: Ninjas In Space. XD It's the next movie, I SWEAR!

Anywhozles, keep up the awesome work! I completely love it!

AMANDA--Thanks! :D Ooooh, totally. I can see it now... :lol:

Oh, great job Rach!

That was great! LOL, Sheen.. -rolls eyes then laughs head off- Great job! I CAN'T WAIT FOR MORE!


~*(+Justine+)*~

JUSTINE-- Thanks! Ya gotta love Sheen! I don't know when the next will be up... :unsure:

You know what's funny? In every show/fic I've ever seen/read, whenever a monkey/ninja/monkey ninja in space is involved, it's always "old." But I've never actually seen a REAL monkey ninja in space show/fic. XD

LOLZ! But, Sunny...I'm confused... :wacko: :lol: :P

RANDOM: HURRAY FOR NINJAZ! :ph43r: ...IN SPACE! LOL!

~Rach~

[sunnstar]

XD Yeah they are. I used to have, like, 3.5-4 page chapters.
And LOL.

[CraazyOne]

:thumbsup: Ooooh, yeah!

It's nice to write a long chapter for a fic for a change. My chapters used to be so short. Mainly because Nick.com only allows such short posts... Grrr...

~Rach~

[CraazyOne]

I have no life. So...here ya go! :P


---------------Chapter 9: Surprises---------------

Back on Earth, Jimmy’s parents were proceeding with their everyday lives. As Judy Neutron hummed cheerily in the kitchen as she baked a pie, Hugh strolled out into the yard to clean up after Goddard.

“Well,” Hugh commented as he inhaled the fresh air, “I couldn’t have asked for a better day to clean the yard! The sun is shining…the birds are chirping…our big, vicious-looking flower is terrorizing the neighbors!”

Hugh took a few more steps before realization hit him and he turned back around suspiciously. Mrs. Vortex was shrieking hysterically and bolting down the street—away from a bright yellow blossom sitting right outside Jimmy’s lab. As his neighbor disappeared down the road, Hugh Neutron edged toward the plant to study it closer.

“That’s strange…” he mused; “I don’t remember planting a flesh-eating flower next to Jim-Jam’s lab!” Then, all of a sudden, his face brightened as an idea struck him. “It must be a surprise from Jimbo to Sugar-Booger!” he exclaimed. He patted the plant’s huge, golden petals appreciatively, an action that only caused the flower to snarl. Drawing his hand back quickly, Hugh let a momentary frown darken his face. “Hmm, I’ve never met a plant that could growl! This—this is amazing! I should tell Butter Biscuit about her new gift!” Starting back toward the house, he called out to Judy. “Sugar-Booger!”

Then one more idea ran through Hugh’s simple, childish mind. He stopped to glance back at the plant one last time as he let himself consider this new thought. “Or maybe that’s not a good idea,” he concluded slowly. “It would be much more thoughtful if I left it as a surprise!”

******************

As Jimmy carefully maneuvered the Antares close to Yoo-Yee’s position, the rest of the gang continued gazing out the windows, but they saw no sign of the other ship. Time passed agonizingly slowly for Libby and Cindy as Carl began an especially tuneless song about space travel and Sheen tinkered with his chair’s massage feature.

“Space rocks, space rocks,” Carl’s voice grated on their ears; “full of holes and blemish pocks—”

“O-o-o-o-o-oh, baby!” Sheen exclaimed over Carl’s song. He hit a button on his chair to stop the vibrations and a dizzy grin crossed his face. Right when he seemed about to collapse, he shook his head and snapped back to himself. “Man, that was awesome!” he shouted, and flipped the switch back to the massage setting.

Rolling her eyes, Cindy had just opened her mouth to yell at both Carl and Sheen, when an especially huge asteroid came into view. With mouths agape, she, Libby, and Carl stared in wonder until even Sheen noticed their fascination and turned to see.

“Who-o-o-oa,” he said. He switched his chair off vibrate and sprang from his seat to get a better look, but as he tried to cross the ship’s interior he stumbled dizzily and fell.

“That’s no asteroid,” Libby commented, shaking her head in sheer astonishment.

She was right: for rather than looking like just another floating rock, this asteroid resembled a small planet! Shades of deep green and blue were splashed over its surface, as if the asteroid were a miniature Earth, complete with land and water. Above those colors, swirls of pure white enveloped the asteroid like a shimmering mist. It was a shocking and beautiful sight.

“It looks just like the planet the ruthless cyborgs created as their into their own evil paradise!” Sheen proclaimed in excitement as he pulled himself off the floor. “Ultralord crash-landed on the planet in episode 997 and had to go incognito as a mass of metal with a heart of steel!”

Carl was gazing at a mass of grey clouds hovering over a portion of the asteroid. “Hey, Jimmy,” he spoke up, “is it going to rain on the asteroid?”

Still focused on controlling the ship through the maze of space rocks, Jimmy hadn’t even noticed the asteroid-planet. Now he fought to remain patient with his friend as he veered around another rock. “No, Carl,” he explained, “asteroids have no atmosphere, so it would be impossible for it to ever rain on one.”

“Is that why a bunch of clouds are collecting over its surface?” Cindy’s voice was drenched with sarcasm.

“What?!” Frowning, Jimmy spun around in his seat and stared out at the asteroid, his eyes widening in shock. “Leaping leptons!” he cried. “Someone must have formed an atmosphere similar to Earth’s on the asteroid!”

Cindy frowned in thought. “But how could anyone do that?”

“Well, I was researching possible ways to form an atmosphere that would make planets hospitable,” Jimmy replied, “but no one else has ever come close to my discoveries!”

“Maybe someone stole your research,” Libby suggested.

“But Yoo-Yee doesn’t have the resources or the intellect to use my discoveries!” Jimmy protested. “Who else could have done this?”

“Wait a minute,” Cindy broke in, breaking off Jimmy’s train of thought. “You’re saying that someone stole your studies, flew to this asteroid, and formed some sort of artificial atmosphere around it without your noticing a thing?” She raised an eyebrow pointedly.

“Hey, I’ve been busy!” Jimmy defended himself.

Before Cindy could hurl another insult at Jimmy, Sheen’s voice interrupted. “Well, I don’t know about you guys,” he remarked casually, “but I’m thinking we should get ready to land before we crash into the giant asteroid right in front of us.”

Recalling himself, Jimmy turned back to piloting the space car while the rest of the kids hurried to their seats and strapped themselves in securely. As they swung away from this last space rock, the cloud-covered asteroid suddenly loomed before them.

“This is incredible!” Jimmy breathed. Then his astonishment gave way to triumph and he broke out into a shout. “Ha! I did it! I discovered how to create a perfect duplication of the earth’s atmosphere!”

“You’d better hold off the party, Neutron,” Cindy muttered dryly. “Whoever did this could be dangerous.”

“Yeah,” Libby agreed. “He’s usin’ your own discoveries against you!”

Jimmy’s smile died away and the reminder. Tightening his hands on the throttle, he frowned thoughtfully as the Antares was pulled into the asteroid’s atmosphere by an unnatural source of gravity. Whoever had managed to create this, Jimmy mused, knew how to capitalize on his discoveries. And, if Yoo-Yee’s mysterious ally was this eager to help…well, then Jimmy had an uneasy feeling there was more behind Betty’s kidnapping than Yoo-Yee’s desire to become Chosen One.


~Rach~

[Beks]

Awesome!! :rock: This is getting really good! I loved how you described the asteroid/planet thing. And Carl's song is hilarious! :lol:

[CraazyOne]

Thanks, Beks! :D Ha, Carl's song was very spur-of-the-moment. XD


~Rach~

[Justine<3]

That...was...AWESOME!

So sorry Rachy that it took FOREVER to read and reply!!!

LOL, ohmygosh, Hugh was SO funny! Great job!

Loved the chapter! Post soon!

(*sighs* I wish I could write good replies...)



~*(+Justine+)*~

[CraazyOne]

Yay! I finisheded another chapter! :P And this one's kinda long; I'm so perrrowd! :lol:

*cough* Sorry, Chica; I would've PMed this chapter to ya for a review, but your inbox has been full for, like, days... :ph43r:


----Chapter 10: Welcome to Asteroid City----

An abrupt jerk from the ship tore Jimmy from his thoughts and forced him to put every ounce of his concentration into maneuvering toward the asteroid’s surface. Strapped tightly in their seats and wide-eyed with anticipation, his friends watched silently as they dove through each layer of the artificial atmosphere. Jimmy clung to the throttle, muttering under his breath as they sped downward. “Homosphere… Mesosphere…Stratosphere…Troposphere!”

The billowy white and grey clouds beneath them quickly became larger as they drew near, until suddenly the Antares plunged right into them. Blinding white light surrounded them for a brief moment and then they were out, still dropping at a tremendous rate. The asteroid surface magnified right before their eyes: trees seemed to practically spring from the ground, indistinguishable shapes became buildings, lines formed roads, and specks of motion transformed into flying machines buzzing through the city. At last, Jimmy pulled up and the spacecraft curved skyward, swooping down beside the huge asteroid city as it sparkled in the orange glow of sunset.

Libby stared through the glass in awe. “What is this place?” she asked as soon as she found her voice.

“It looks like a civilization even more technologically advanced than ours!” Jimmy answered, his tone equally astonished.

“I have a bad feelin’ about this place,” Libby muttered, and Cindy shot her a look of agreement.

Sheen, however, unfazed by Libby and Cindy’s fears or Carl’s sudden dash to find a place to throw up, was busy scanning the asteroid city with glee. “This looks just like Ultralord’s home planet!” he announced. Then another idea hit him, and the boy spun around and literally attacked Jimmy in his seat by shaking him until he went limp. “Jimmy, Jimmy,” he exclaimed, “we hafta look for Ultralord! I NEED to meet him; it’s my lifelong dream!”

“Ugh, Sheen!” Jimmy pulled himself out of his friend’s iron grasp, and, frowning, returned to piloting the ship. “We’re here to find Betty, remember?”

Sheen trudged rather disappointedly back to his seat. But when the Antares began soaring over the skyscrapers, he once again joined the others as they studied the city in wonder. Flying cars zoomed through the air below, dodging around buildings at breakneck paces and not stopping for anything. On the streets, people the size of ants hurried about their activities. Many citizens had their own jetpacks and hover boards, boots, and bikes.

“I have to find a safe place to land away from civilization,” Jimmy announced to his friends. “Then we have to find Yoo-Yee…and whoever created this place.”

“It’s amazin’!” Libby breathed. “Just like what Earth would look like in the future!” Lifting her eyes to the sky, she drank in the mosaic of brilliant colors with admiration.

“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed. He swept the space car away from the city and over the gently rolling grasslands on its outskirts. “But you’re right: I don’t have a good feeling about this place, either. I think it could be dangerous.”

The land below gradually grew flatter and more barren, until there was only grass as far as the eye could see. Here Jimmy brought the space vehicle to rest. The gang eagerly stood from their seats and stretched, but crept more hesitantly to the door. As they stepped out cautiously, they peered up at the sky, down at the grass, and all around themselves as if expecting an alien being to attack at any moment. With ears perked and eyes alert, even Goddard appeared apprehensive as he trotted close to Jimmy.

“Goddard, scan for any human presence,” Jimmy said at last, breaking the eerie silence.

Goddard did a quick scan, but his tracking device picked up nothing in the area.

“There aren’t any humans in the vicinity.” Jimmy rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Goddard’s radar must be out of range. Betty could be anywhere on this asteroid!”

“What about all those people back in that city?” Cindy wondered. “Can’t Goddard’s radar pick them up too? Or are you saying they’re all aliens?”

“But they looked human!” Libby pointed out.

Sheen took this chance to burst in dramatically. “They’re the morphing alien subspecies Nick was talking about in school!”

Carl screamed in horror. “Jimmy, let’s go back home!” he cried. “I don’t like it here, and I think this strange atmosphere is giving me hives…”

“Guys, calm down,” Jimmy interrupted. “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation…”

“Yeah!” Sheen interrupted. “We’re all gonna be eaten! Just like in ‘Ultralord Vs. the Brain-eating Aliens’!” He gazed up at the sky dreamily. “This is the best day of my life!” he sighed.

Jimmy stopped Carl before he began to panic again. “Guys, we have to find Betty!” he reminded them, obviously growing frustrated.

“Why don’t we go back to the city an’ see if we can find out somethin’ there?” Libby suggested.

“But the aliens are there!” Carl protested. “And it’s all big and scary…and…and futurey!”

Jimmy’s brow creased in thought. “I think Libby’s right,” he said after a moment. “Let’s head back to the city and ask the native population about Betty. We just have to be careful.”

***

Back in Retroville, Hugh and Judy Neutron were sitting at the dinner table.

“Jimmy’s been ignoring me all day!” Judy exclaimed in annoyance. “I told him to come in and get some dinner before it gets cold, and he’s still in the lab!” She picked at her food rather angrily.

“Now, Sugar-Booger, don’t get upset,” Hugh soothed. “I’m sure he’s just busy inventing some mind-boggling new technology that’ll save the world, or…endanger it again,” he added.

“Well, I don’t approve of him going without dinner or staying up late on a school night!” his wife declared. “Go out there right now and tell him to come in.”

Hugh paused as he dug his fork into a slice of pie. “Oh…but I was just getting to the extra-scrumptious layer of this delicious pie!” he whined.

Sighing, Judy stood and headed outside herself. “Jimmy!” she called, stepping off the front porch and striding purposefully across the yard. But as she approached the lab, she caught sight of the Girl-Eating Plant and stopped to stare.

“What in the world…?” Her voice drifted off as the flower sniffed the air, then turned toward her with a snarl. Crying out in fear and surprise, Judy dashed back to the front porch. “Hugh!” she yelled.

Hugh Neutron appeared at the door. “What is it, Butter Biscuit?”

Trembling with fear and anger, Judy pointed a finger toward the back yard. “Go back there right now and find out what Jimmy’s up to! I think he’s planted some sort of vicious plant!”

Realization dawned in Hugh’s eyes. “Oh, that’s just Jimbo’s surprise! It appears to be sort of…life threatening, but it does add a certain charm to our yard, don’t you think?” he finished, stepping out to admire the flower from a distance.

Judy set a hand on her hip and gave her husband a look. “Hugh! Get rid of it right away!” she ordered firmly. Marching back to the safety of the house, she left Hugh outside to deal with the Girl-Eating Plant.

“I’m on it!” Hugh exclaimed. He strolled over to the plant, lifted it up by its pot, and plopped it down on the curb. It sat within its pot looking completely docile the entire time, causing Hugh to glance down at it curiously after dropping it at the side of the road. But he didn’t bother to wonder about it for long. Rubbing his hands, he turned to the house. “And now back to that pie!”

***

On the outskirts of the futuristic city, Jimmy and the gang stopped to stare uncertainly at the skyscrapers overshadowing them. In the dying light, they had an imposing appearance.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Libby remarked as she examined a darkened alley suspiciously.

“What do you mean?!” Sheen shouted with excitement. “Check out all the technologically advanced, highly dangerous machinery! It’s awesome!” He reached out to touch a glowing electric shield surrounding a building like a fence. When it shocked him, he jumped a whole two feet in the air before falling back to the ground. He blew the smoke off his finger, and, with a grin, poked the fence again.

“And I thought he couldn’t get any weirder,” Cindy muttered to Libby.

“Oh, that’s nothing. He does it all the time,” Carl explained casually. “You should see him after a 24-hour Ultralord marathon.”

Ignoring his friend’s antics, Jimmy scanned the city closely before turning back to the rest of the gang. “Come on, guys. Just because it looks big and dark and dangerous doesn’t mean it’s that bad.” He stepped forward and Libby and Cindy began following reluctantly.

“Wait!” Carl insisted, freezing them all in their tracks. “We should stop for snacks to build up our strength!”

“Carl…” Jimmy began.

“Yeah, I’m hungry,” Sheen put in. Realizing his hair was standing on end, he smoothed it down. Libby raised an eyebrow when she saw him, but since he seemed fully recovered from the electricity and not about to shock himself again, she let it slide.

“Did you pack your Pie-O-Matic Machine, Jim?” Carl wondered.

“Pie-O-Matic?” Libby repeated.

Removing a cube-shaped invention from his pocket, Jimmy forgot all about pushing onward into the city with this opportunity to brag. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just used the technology behind my Slumbertron 9000 and the Hypercube and combined them to form the ultimate pocket-sized, instant pie assembler,” he explained with false humility. “It has enough storage to carry the ingredients for just about any pie you can imagine! I was going to give it to my dad, but I figured we might need it for the trip.”

Cindy rolled her eyes, but before she could snap out a rude comment about Jimmy’s ego, Libby shot her a warning look that closed her mouth. With a frown of frustration, the blonde crossed her arms and studied Jimmy’s invention irritably. Libby found herself shaking her head and wondering what to do with her best friend.

But her thoughts were cut short, for at that instant, the sound of crashing glass rang out in the night. The kids whipped around as a boy flew out of a nearby ground-floor window and fell flat on his face on the sidewalk. From within the building came a man’s angry voice.

“…And STAY out!”

Throwing the building an indignant glare, the boy pulled himself to his feet, brushed himself off, and headed down the street toward the gang. Rather than simply going around, he marched straight up to them and thrust them rudely out of his way. “I’m trying to walk here!” he snapped. “You got a problem with that?!”

Taken aback, the kids just stared after the boy in surprise as he stomped down the street. Suddenly, another piercing noise forced them to look up at the sky and jerk away just before a hovercar, swooping low to the ground, sped right through the spot where they’d been standing. More blaring sounds came from overhead, where furious citizens honked their horns and shouted at one another. A few even rammed other hovercars and then zipped away, laughing evilly at the damage they’d caused. The kids gazed at the havoc in growing astonishment and fear.

“Talk about road rage,” Sheen commented.

As the hovercars poured in from another section of the city, they darted through the air like so many angry bees. The earlier quiet was shattered, and the gang was left standing rather bewilderedly in the middle of the street. In fact, they were so befuddled by all the noise and confusion that they almost didn’t notice when several more hovercars dipped straight toward them.

It was Jimmy who happened to see them. “Watch out!” he shouted.


~Rach~

[Beks]

oooh, after this chapter, I think I have a pretty good idea who's Yoo Yee's ally is! *PMs you*