Tomb
of Doom
By:
msrandom
INTRODUCTION
I couldn’t read the
thoughts
behind her eyes for the first time in my life. The emerald gleam that
was
normally there when she was happy…gone. That fierceness that blazed
like
untamable flames she used to glare at me with when she was
angry…disappeared.
Even the glazed tears she adorned when she was sad…faded away. All I
could see
in those eyes of hers were dim shades of gray; no emotion, no readable
quality
lay in her, not even her usual green-eyed glow…just the faintness of
disappointment and guilt. And for once in my 5th grade life,
when I
actually wanted to, I had no idea how to help her.
But before I get
ahead of
myself, I’ll take you back to the beginning, to the moment that began
the most
challenging adventure of my life…
CHAPTER ONE
Inspiration From the Science Fair
Well, my name is
James Isaac
Neutron and once upon a time I was born; I remember the first breath of
air I
took in and the precise amount of oxygen molecules I breathed when my
eyes
first opened…well maybe that’s going a little TOO far back. I’ll just
start you
off at school the day this whole challenging predicament began:
Ms. Fowl:
Bwaaark!!! Claaass,
as you all very well know, the school science fair is next Friiiiday!
Cindy interrupted:
And I’M
going to win this year! You don’t even stand a chance against my idea
this year
Neutron!
I, curious to see
what
pathetic bucket of bolts Vortex would come up with this year, yelled
back: Oh
puh-leeze! And what could you possibly make that could beat me?
Sheen added: Well
whatever it
is, it won’t be better than my invention!
Carl blurted: Yeah
right
Sheen! You showed me your “invention” and it’s just a…
Sheen slapped a
hand over
Carl’s mouth: SHHHH! Well let’s see YOU do any better!
Carl challenged
him: I will!
Mine will be the biggest, bestest…
I questioned Carl’s
grammar:
Bestest?
Carl corrected
himself
incorrectly: Sorry…bester…
Libby cut in: Well,
all of
you are seriously outside yo’ minds if you think anything y’all come up
with
will ever get first place before me!
I stated with
pride: MY
invention is going to win the science fair like it ALWAYS does!!!
Cindy shot back:
Well I told
YOU that I’ll outsmart you this year, Nerdtron…ooh I’m taking you
down!!!
Ms. Fowl covered
her ears
with her hands and squawked: CLAAAAAAAAAAASS!!!
At last all the
students
settled down and the matter wasn’t brought up the rest of class, but it
weighed
heavily on my mind all day. So as soon as the final bell sounded, I
rushed home
from school, ideas flowing through my mind, prepared to come up with
the most
extreme and incredible invention I’d ever imagined…and it would
beat
Cindy. I didn’t even bother to go into the house, that’s how dedicated
I was; I
ran straight down to the lab to begin my work. And it was there that I
invented
the most dangerous invention my mind had ever composed. Of course I
didn’t know
this at the time; I thought it was just an innocent little science fair
project. But it turned out to be a whole mess of trouble…and much more
than I
had ever bargained for.
CHAPTER TWO
New and Improved
I toiled away for
hours
attempting to come up with the most perfect invention my brain could
conjure
up, but for some reason I couldn’t seem to think clearly. I felt
challenged for
once. Not because of Libby or Sheen or Carl, of course, but someone
else’s
words got to me. Cindy’s quarreling speech played in my head over and
over
again. The challenge, “I’m taking you down Neutron” and the fiery glare
in her
green eyes when she spoke it affected my thought process. I always knew
what
she was thinking when I looked into her eyes whether it be anger or
excitement
or sadness…she was SO predictable! And for some reason, this year, she
actually
seemed like competition to me. Her grades had been close to mine
before, but
never seemed so close as they did this year when I actually had to work
harder
to keep my scores above Cindy’s on the report cards. And each model of
every
idea I created to beat her again wasn’t adequate enough for me; I kept
imagining her invention to be some amazing, exquisite piece that would
knock my
socks off. But my brain, my better half, returned to me and, since I
couldn’t seem
to compose a new masterpiece, I decided to revise one of my old ones.
I was fusing away
at this
renewed invention when I heard voices outside my lab door. Goddard
looked down
at his metallic chest which revealed a screen displaying the activity
outside
my lab. Watching, I observed Sheen and Carl waiting “innocently”
outside the
door.
Sheen suggested,
flinging
himself into a ninja pose: Let’s just break in, Carl! Like Ultralord
busted
into the Galactic Evil Goon Squad Orbit Headquarters or G.E.G.S.O.H. in
Episode
#217!
Carl whined: We
can’t break
in Sheen! (He covered his head with his arms) One of Jimmy’s
laser-thingies
will shoot at us!
I rolled my eyes at
their
usual childish dialogue and pressed down on a red button near my chair
which
opened up a gaping trap door beneath them, sucking them unexpectedly
down a
chute and into my lab. I heard Sheen screaming with delight the whole
way and
Carl squealing with boyish fear.
I clasped my hands
together
behind my back and eyed them suspiciously: So gentlemen, are you here
to steal
my soon-to-be first place invention idea for the Science Fair?
Sheen’s eyes
shifted: Psh, we
just wanted to uh…um…check up on our bestest buddy!
I ignored the use
of the word
“bestest” again in my friends’ vocabulary and watched as Sheen and Carl
tried
to peer over my shoulders to catch a glimpse of my invention.
Stopping them, I
lectured: Ah
ah ah…no peeking. (I shooed them away) Go work on your own projects!
Carl whined: Aww,
Jim…can’t
you just tell us what it does?
Taking a step to
the side in
an attempt to view my invention, Sheen agreed: Yeah! Like we’d be able
to make
anything like you can anyways!
Silently agreeing
with him, I
compromised and decided to tell them what my invention could do: You
guys have
already seen this invention before, at my birthday party, and my other
one, and
the one after that, and…
Sheen yelled: Yeah,
yeah we
get the point…for the love of Ultralord just tell us!!!
I sighed and
continued,
speeding up the informing process: I made some changes to my Hypnotism
Ray so
that when it is turned on, it convinces anyone around by hypnotism to
believe
exactly what is going on…or what someone pretends is going on.
Carl scratched his
head: I
don’t get it…
I explained
further: Well,
say Carl, you were pretending to be a llama and Sheen, you were acting
like
Ultralord and I started the new Hypnotism Ray up, then Sheen would
believe he
was Ultralord and that Carl was a llama, and Carl would believe that he
was a
llama and Sheen was Ultralord!
Sheen at first
looked confused:
That…is…AMAZING!!! Let me try, let me try!
I held him back: No
Sheen,
you can’t see it until the Science Fair!
Carl knew I
wouldn’t give in:
Aww, all right. Let’s go Sheen; my mom will be mad if I miss dinner.
Sheen glanced at
his watch: I’ll
be mad if I miss Ultralord! Let’s get out of here!
Sheen and Carl
bolted out of
my lab as I carefully lifted the new and improved Hypnotism Ray from my
work
table and looked it over. Little did I know how much danger it would
place us
all in a shorter time than even my imagination could ever dream up.
CHAPTER THREE
The Life-Changing Phone Call
I couldn’t help but
wonder as
Sheen and Carl left my lab what concoction they would come up with this
year. I
recalled Sheen’s typing lizard project and Carl’s pathetic attempt at
mashing
potatoes with fizz from Purple Flurp. I actually felt embarrassed for
them…until they won first place and I didn’t. I had to admit that
Cindy’s
invention that year was decent and actually somewhat useful …but
totally
girlish. It’s typical that she would create something that made
clothes. Psh,
girls. Although I still couldn’t imagine what she planned on bringing
this
year…and the more I pondered that thought, the more I longed to defeat
her.
I fused another
part onto my
Hypnotism Ray and glanced over at my robotic dog: We’ll get her this
year…won’t
we, boy??
Goddard, on his
screen,
displayed a video of me beating Cindy at the science fair a few years
back and
agreed: Bark, bark!
I patted his
metallic head:
Thanks, boy.
As I further
examined my new
and revised Hypnotism Ray, contemplating ways to even further improve
it, my
raging thoughts were interrupted by a repeating ringing noise. At first
I
checked my ears, making sure my ears weren’t ringing from thinking too
hard,
then realized my stainless steel phone was ringing rapidly on my desk.
I
carefully placed the Hypnotism Ray back down on the table and raced
over to
answer the phone before the ringing ceased.
I removed the phone
from its
receiver and questioned into it: Hello?
A voice boomed on
the other
line: Mr. Neutron?
Assuming he wanted
my dad and
somehow happened upon the number to my lab, I answered: I’ll go get my
dad…
The voice asked:
Your dad?
I’m looking for a young boy genius named Jimmy Neutron…
Proudly, I replied:
This is the
boy genius…most intelligent, top of his class…
The voice cut in
impatiently:
Yeah, yeah kid we’ve heard it all. We just need you here ASAP.
I scratched my
oversized
head: We? Who? Here? Where?
The voice sighed
and
answered: My name is Colonel Sparky Miner from the S.E.F.S. and I
desperately
need you to report to my headquarters immediately.
I recognized the
name with
excitement: The S.E.F.S.? The Secret Evil Fighting Society…needs me???
I’ll be
over right away!
I almost hung up
the phone to
leave but the Colonel stopped me: Kid, you need directions right?
I blushed at my
foolish haste
and answered: Yes, sir.
Colonel Sparky: All
right, do
you know the alley between The Candy Bar and the hardware store?
I nodded: Yes.
Colonel Sparky:
Walk down
that alley and on the right you will see a bright yellow garbage can.
When you
take the lid off, it will look like any other heap of smelly garbage.
You may
have to dig a little, but on one of the sides of the inside of the
trash can
there’s a huge red button; you can’t miss it. Press that button; the
garbage
will be sucked down a chute and so will you…down to our headquarters.
I tried to memorize
all the
directions: And you need me to go…why???
Colonel Sparky: We
have a top
secret mission for you, Jimmy Neutron, and only YOU can help us.
CHAPTER FOUR
Trashed Reputation
With that, Colonel
Sparky
Miner speedily hung up the phone and left me hanging on the other line,
listening to nothing but the humming of a dead silence. Placing the
phone back
on the hook, I whirled around slowly, still awestruck at the fact that
the
S.E.F.S. would ask for my assistance. While pondering this thought, I
caught
sight of the mirror hanging quite lopsidedly in front of me and
examined myself
in its shine.
I admired myself
haughtily:
Why wouldn’t they call you for help? After all, you ARE the
smartest
person in Retroville…no, scratch that, in the world!!!
I practically lost
myself in
my reflection until I finally snapped out of it and remembered what the
Colonel
had asked me to do.
I tossed my blue
lab coat
aside: Ah, this will be a cinch!
Goddard pleaded
with a bark
but I told him quickly: You can’t come this time, boy.
Bolting out the
exit of my
lab, I rushed inside to inform my parents that I was going “out for ice
cream”
at The Candy Bar, but truly to seek out this yellow portal to the
S.E.F.S.
headquarters.
My mom headed into
the
kitchen: Why do you need to go out for ice cream, Jimmy? I could just
bake you
some brownies here…
I objected: Mom! I
really
need to go! It’s important…
She crossed her
arms across
her chest: Eating ice cream is not a life or death situation! I’m not
driving
you all the way over there unless you give me a reasonable excuse,
young man!
My dad strode in:
Hiya Jimbo!
You need a ride?
I begged: Yes;
PLEASE take me
to The Candy Bar!!!
A grin swept my
dad’s face:
Oh boy, now we can have some of that father-son bonding time!
I shook my head:
No, Dad! I
just need you to drop me off there.
My dad sighed
disappointedly:
Oh, well all righty…I guess I can take you anyways. My ducks need
polishing
today anyhow…
I wrapped my arms
around my
dad’s leg: Oh thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
I grabbed my dad’s
hand and
dragged him mercilessly out the front door and to the car. We hopped in
and the
car puttered out of the driveway and down the road; all the way I was
continually urging my dad to go faster.
My dad asked
coolly: Well,
what’s the rush, Jimbo?
My eyes shifted: I,
um…REALLY
am dying to have one of those new Bubble-Gum
Slushies!
My dad rambled as
he pulled
up in front of The Candy Bar: I know what you mean, son. When I was
just about
your age, I used to go down to The Candy Bar when there was a new treat
and…
I rushed his
sentences: Yeah,
great story Dad, gotta go!
In a flash, I
hopped out of
the car and darted into The Candy Bar. With a quick wave, my dad said
goodbye
and edged his way down the street and back to our house.
I watched intently,
waiting
for the opportune moment when I knew my dad was around the corner, then
I
trampled into the alley. Darting back and forth, my eyes scoured the
alley in
search of the yellow trash can in which I could find the button to
transport me
to the headquarters. After a few long strides, I spotted a bright
yellow
trashcan on the left side of the alley.
I yelled happily:
AHA!!
Stumbling over to
the
trashcan, I flipped off the lid and began to dig through it, sinking my
hands
into the foul-smelling grime of the garbage disgustedly, but finding
nothing.
Suddenly, my mind took me to a flashback:
Colonel Sparky
Miner: Walk
down that alley and on the RIGHT you will see a bright yellow garbage
can.
I hit myself in the
head and
backed away from the garbage can.
I scolded myself:
And you
call yourself a genius…
Wiping my dirty
hands off
onto my blue jeans, I did a 180 and turned to face a yellow garbage can
on the
RIGHT side of the alley and approached it silently. I quickly removed
the lid
and, without even having to touch the garbage, I discovered the large
red
button on the side of the can. Cautiously, I pressed the button and
without
warning, the trash can sucked down all the garbage and then me down
into the
chute as well. I was pulled down a long, dark, winding tunnel then spit
out in
a dimly lit room that I could only suppose would be the headquarters of
the
S.E.F.S. I could only imagine what my secret mission was to be.
CHAPTER FIVE
Howsaboutisaveya
I slowly rose to my
feet and
dusted my jeans off while peeling a banana peel off my arm, then
removed
various newspaper articles from inside my shirt and scraped some gum
off the
bottom of my shoe. After I did all I could to make myself as clean and
presentable as possible, I glanced around, observing my surroundings,
but all I
could see were shadows and silhouettes in the dim lighting.
I stuttered:
H…hello?
A deep voice echoed
throughout
the room: Hello, Mr. Neutron. We’ve been expecting you.
Suddenly, bright
lights
flickered on and flooded the room, illuminating the owner of the voice,
revealing a large, muscular man with a chiseled, rugged face and a
stern look
in his eyes.
I assumed: Colonel
Sparky
Miner???
The man nodded and
held out a
large hand that looked monstrous when it engulfed my tiny elementary
sized one
in a firm handshake.
I cautiously
glanced up at
Colonel Sparky’s face and, with a smile, inquired: So, what is my
mission,
“should I choose to accept it”?
Colonel Sparky’s
lips didn’t
even form into a smirk; he only answered dryly: Follow me, Mr. Neutron.
Rubbing the back of
my neck
nervously, I followed a few steps behind the Colonel, absorbing all the
sights
as we moved along. He led me through a long hallway that was plated
with
stainless steel from the floor to the ceilings with colorful wires
running
through them, seemingly filled with mercury-like liquid. At the end of
this
lengthy passageway, we entered into an enormous room, steel plated like
the
hallway but filled with metal chairs, desks, and high-tech computers
that all
faced a central area on the back wall which was completely engulfed in
a
television screen larger than any house I had ever laid eyes
on.
My eyes widened,
impressed:
Whoa…Colonel, I must say that this headquarters of yours is superb! I
admit,
sadly, that this is even better than MY lab!
Not responding,
Colonel
Sparky Miner motioned for me to sit in a front-row chair, grabbed an
iridescent
remote from a holster on his belt and hastily flipped the screen on.
Colonel Sparky:
This will
explain everything, Mr. Neutron.
I watched intently
as a video
flashed across the screen and on it appeared a tall, gray-haired man
with
intense eyes, deeply inset behind thick, black-rimmed,
intelligent-looking
glasses; he was dressed in all black. He sat in a brown leather chair
and
stared out at me with an important and urgent message on his lips.
The man introduced
himself:
Jimmy Neutron, my name is Professor Beesworth and I desperately need
your help.
I replied, not
knowing if the
man on the screen could hear me or if it was prerecorded: Me???
Professor Beesworth
exclaimed: Yes, you! You’re the only one that can help us!
I asked,
incredulous: Why do
you need MY help? Don’t you have secret agents for this line of work?
Professor Beesworth
leaned
back in his chair: Let me explain, Mr. Neutron. Do you recall that
little
“adventure” you had a while ago with your friends that led you into the
desert
where you stumbled upon the uncharted Egyptian tomb of Queen
Howsaboutislapya?
I recalled it
quickly: Of
course! How could I forget?
Professor Beesworth
continued: Well, we heard about your expedition, but we still have no
record of
where that tomb is located, and there are items in it which must be
preserved
and kept from others’ hands.
My mind fumbled
over all the
questions: You want to know where the tomb is? Items? What kind of
items?
Wait…who should we keep them from?
Professor Beesworth
clapped
his hands to his balding head: Ahh! Too many questions!
Let me answer them one at a time (He began to
calm down). A certain man, Professor Calamitous…
I shouted:
PROFESSOR
CALAMITOUS?!?!
Professor Beesworth
narrowed
his eyes: You know this fiend?
I answered
abruptly: He’s
only my arch nemesis! The man who can never finish anything!
Professor Beesworth
nodded
his head: Yes, I see you know him well; now we are giving you the
chance to
foil his plan. Apparently, Calamitous started to construct a machine in
which
he could take over the world, but forgot what he was supposed to finish
and
found himself with five precious stones of which he’d forgotten the
purpose.
Supposing he would need them later, Calamitous discovered this tomb you
once
visited and hid them somewhere inside. We have learned that the
Professor has
remembered what he needed the stones for and is returning for them. You
must
stop him, Jimmy Neutron; you must keep them from his hands or…
I trembled:
O…or…what?
Professor
Beesworth: Or our
whole world is in jeopardy…
CHAPTER SIX
Travel Buddies
My jaw hung in
place; I felt
the weight of the world on my shoulders, restraining me from even
speaking
until I could finally utter a few words.
I blinked: I’m
supposed to do
what???
Professor Beesworth
explained: It really is simple, Mr. Neutron. All you must do is return
to the
hidden tomb, seek out the stones and bring them back to our
headquarters before
Calamitous finds them first.
I composed myself
then
blurted: How am I ever supposed to find it again?
Professor
Beesworth: YOU are
the genius here, Mr. Neutron. I’m sure, with your superior intellect,
that
there is some way you can relocate this Egyptian tomb. So…are you up to
the
challenge?
I began to believe
in myself
with the Professor’s compliments and answered with a nod towards both
men:
Professor Beesworth, Colonel Sparky Miner (I jumped from my
chair)…bring it on!
Smiling, Professor
Beesworth
added abruptly: And I would like you to bring some of your past
companions
along as well.
I spun around to
face the
screen once more: WHAT?!?!
Professor
Beesworth: Well,
your friend, I believe her name was Libby Folfax, DID save you all the
last
time you were there. Perhaps you will be in need of her again this time
around?
And, come to think of it…all your other friends should accompany you as
well.
My eyes glared
angrily at the
screen: I even have to take…VORTEX?!?!
Professor Beesworth
agreed:
But of course! We did our homework and figured out that this Cindy
Vortex is
Libby’s best friend. A girl wouldn’t go anywhere without her best
friend now
would she?
I sighed and
surrendered
unwillingly: I guess not…
Professor Beesworth
informed
me: Now, Colonel Sparky will hand you a chip to place into the bottom
of your
watch. This will allow us to communicate with you or give you maps if
you are
lost in the desert at any time. It will be very useful on your journey.
Colonel Sparky
Miner pulled a
small chip from his belt and handed it to me; I immediately inserted it
strategically into my watch alongside all my other gadgets and wires.
I breathed: Thank
you Prof…
The Professor cut
in: And we
expect you to leave tonight.
I pointed to my
watch and
exclaimed: Tonight?!?! But it’s nearly eight o’clock right now! My
friends’
bedtimes are barely an hour or so after this time!
Professor
Beesworth: Jimmy
Neutron, this is the most important task you and your friends might
ever
accomplish.
I tried to explain:
Trust me,
Professor, their mothers won’t believe me when I tell them that, let
alone even
let them go along with me!
Professor Beesworth
suggested:
Sneak them out! This is urgent, Mr. Neutron. And before you can say
anything
(which I was about to do), I don’t care how you do it. Just get to that
tomb
and keep the stones from Calamitous’s hands!
I absorbed his
words and,
with clipped words and a salute, answered: Yes, sir!
Colonel Sparky
Miner quickly
turned off the screen, leaving the room in an eerie silence until he
spoke.
The Colonel guided
me: I’ll
show you your way out, Mr. Neutron.
I gulped and
followed the
Colonel once again; he led me back down the hallway and into another
expansive
room.
Colonel Sparky told
me: I
know this sounds strange, Mr. Neutron, but I need to blindfold you. You
mustn’t
see the way in which I get you out, so do not try to open your eyes and
see
through the fabric. This may feel strange, so clench your fists and
you’ll be
out of here momentarily.
Nodding with a
puzzled
expression on my face, he stretched a blindfold across my eyes and
suddenly I
felt a kind of soft electrical shock around me. Before I knew it, I
woke up
lying on my bed, Goddard beside me, without no blindfold or the stench
of
garbage on my clothing anywhere.
Grasping my aching
head, I
mumbled: It must’ve all been a dream…a very realistic dream…
Just as I was about
to shake
the memory of the whole ordeal from my brain, I heard a crackling noise
from my
watch. Glancing down at it, I noticed Professor Beesworth on the screen.
Professor
Beesworth: Get
going, Mister! You’ve got a world to save!
CHAPTER SEVEN
All In This Together
Dragging myself up
out of bed,
I escaped to my lab silently, making sure my mom and dad didn’t notice
my
departure. Once I arrived, scanned my DNA and entered, I called up
Carl, Cindy,
Libby and Sheen and told them to report to my lab immediately.
Cindy asked
impatiently :
What are we doing here, Neutron?
Libby snapped: If
this has
anything to do with you wanting to know what my amazing science fair
project
is…you’re dreaming.
Carl questioned:
Can I use
your new invention yet, Jimmy?
Sheen yelled
angrily: I’m
missing Ultralord the Movie!!!
Carl aborted his
question and
turned to Sheen: But you rented the DVD, Sheen; you can watch it
whenever you
want…
I silenced the
group by
clearing my throat and, looking at Sheen and Carl, started: Friends…(I
glanced
at Cindy)…enemies…
Cindy caught my
glance and
shouted: That’s it! I’m out of here!!!
I rushed ahead of
her before
she could exit: No, no, no…don’t go yet.
Cindy stared me
down
intensely: What do you want?
I whispered: I need
your
help.
A wash of
contentment flooded
Cindy’s face: YOU? Need MY help?
I looked out at all
four of
them: Actually, I need ALL of your help.
Sheen karate
chopped Carl’s
shoulder who returned it with a cower; he asked excitedly: Do you need
us for
some top secret mission or something?
I stood in silence
and
everyone’s eyes darted over to me.
Libby looked
surprised: Is
that it?
I asked, avoiding
an answer:
Do you all remember that little “field trip” we took to an Egyptian
desert
where we discovered Queen Howsaboutislapya’s tomb?
Sheen placed a
finger on his
chin: You mean that place where all those TP-ed dead guys came to life
and
chased after us?
I nodded and Carl,
Cindy,
Libby and Sheen urged me to continue: Yes…
I began but was
interrupted:
Well, Professor Calamitous….
Carl recalled: That
guy who
never finishes anything?
I sighed: Yes,
Carl. Anyways,
Professor Calamitous hid some precious stones inside that tomb which
he’s
returning to get. He’s going to use those stones in a machine he’s
built to
take over the world.
Libby pulled out a
nail file
and began to shape her nails: So…?
I continued: So…we
need to
retrieve those stones before he reaches them or he’s going to conquer
the
world!
Carl screamed in
dramatic
horror: Conquer the world?!?!
I placed my hand
out into the
middle of the circle we five had created: Who’s in?
Carl rubbed his
nose: That
sounds kind of dangerous…
Sheen grew excited:
Dangerous?… I’M IN!!!
Sheen jutted his
hand out and
placed it on top of mine. I smiled and looked around at the others.
Carl lifted his
hand and let
it dangle in mid air, shaking: I don’t know…
Sheen grabbed
Carl’s hand and
slapped it down on top of his and mine.
Libby inquired: If
this
Calamitous dude takes over the world, will Dance Gazebo still
be on TV?
I stated dryly: No,
Libby.
He’ll outlaw dancing from the world.
She threw her hand
out on top
of ours with urgency: Let’s do this…NOW!
Cindy stood with
her arms
crossed, her blazing eyes filled with a look that told me there was no
way on
earth I could ever convince her.
Libby convinced
her: Come on,
girl. I’m not gonna’ save the world without you.
I smiled; I guess
Professor
Beesworth was right after all.
Cindy shrugged with
defeat
and reluctantly moved her hand out and covered Libby’s with it; they
were all
in.
Surely my friends
wouldn’t
have done such a thing if they knew what was to come, and only cruel
fate could
bring us to the point we’d arrive at all too soon.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Road Trip
A smile swept my
face as I
glanced down at all the hands rested atop mine; I knew that all my
friends, and
even my “not-really-friends” had my back…and I was grateful.
I directed: Well,
we’d better
hurry and get to the hovercraft; Professor Beesworth told me that he
wants us
there tonight…
Libby shrieked:
TONIGHT?!?!
Jimmy, I gotta get my beauty sleep!
Sheen twirled
around as if he
were dueling with a laser-saber: But you already look like Azurga,
goddess and
Queen of Planet Galactica in Ultralord episode #869!!!
Cindy rolled her
eyes: Is
that supposed to be a compliment?
I calmed the chaos
as I
imagined I would many times with this group on a mission:
Quiet!!!
Libby spoke up: And
how are
we supposed to explain this to our parents?
How do you solve that one?!
Cindy thought for a
moment
then yelled: Yeah, how are we gonna pull this off??? My mom will never
let me
go! I have piano lessons tomorrow at four and…(Cindy rambled off a ‘to
do’
list)
Carl pointed at the
clock
hanging on my wall: Yeah Jimmy, my bedtime is in less than half an
hour!
Sheen whined: I
STILL haven’t
watched Ultralord the Movie!!!
I shook my head:
You rented
the videotape, Sheen. You can watch it once we get back.
Cindy complained:
But that
still doesn’t answer MY question!
I shot back: Well,
believe it
or not VORTEX…not everything is about you!
She came right back
at me:
You just want all the attention!
Turning her back to
me, Cindy
crossed her arms in front of her with stubbornness plastered on her
face.
Libby inquired,
wary: Can you
two go three minutes without fighting?? For all of our sakes, please!
Sheen cheered: You
tell ’em
Libbs!
Libby growled: I’m
going to pretend
I didn’t hear you say that.
Sheen ignored her
comment and
added: Maybe we could tell our parents that we’re going on a road
trip…or on
vacation!
Carl became
excited: We’re
going on vacation?!?! I’ll have to bring lots of sun-block though,
since my skin
is very pale and sensitive, and when the sun hits it I get these weird…
I stopped him
abruptly: No,
Carl we’re not going on vacation! (As I spoke the words, a thought
popped into
my mind)…but since it’s Friday, we COULD tell our parents that we’re
going on a
weekend field trip!
Sheen became
defensive: I am
NOT going to the Retroville Art Museum again! (He placed a finger on
his chin)
Although it would help me catch up on my sleep…
Cindy seemed to be
pondering
the idea: That…just…might…work!!!
I was flattered for
a moment:
Really? (My flattered expression faded)
Well, of course it will work since I thought of it!!!
Carl cut in before
we could
debate more: How are we gonna make them believe that, though? My mom
will need
calls every day from a supervisor who’ll tell her I’m getting my
medicine…
I piped in: I’ll
use the
camouflage system on my hovercraft and a holographic supervisor like I
did when
we left to mine space rubies! Now let’s go!
Carl asked quietly,
tracing
the lines on his pudgy hands and glancing shyly up at me: Shouldn’t I
call my
mom?
I contemplated it,
then
agreed: Yeah, Carl that’s a good idea. Everyone call their parents on
my phone
over there and tell them that we are driving to…um…Washington D.C. (I
paused to
think again) for a weekend field trip to tour the White House and that
we’ll be
back before Monday!
Sheen told me: My
mom’s
gonna’ ask if there’s a “guardian”…whatever that is…
I continued: Tell
them
they’ll be getting a call from ‘Chip’ every day to give them an
update…oh and
convince them that they already signed the papers sent out by the
school for
admittance.
Cindy placed her
hands on her
hips: Wait, Chip? That fake guy you made with the weird voice that
reminds me
of an alien from some planet named, Yugopotamia, or something stupid
like that?
I smirked: None
other…
After everyone
called their
parents and explained the “field trip”, Carl, Cindy, Libby, Sheen, and
I
marched confidently, with Goddard clinking behind, out to my garage and
I, by
way of remote, directed my hovercraft out to the driveway. I quickly
camouflaged it as a bus with a holographic ‘Chip’ in the driver’s seat
as my
parents scurried outside to see what all the noise was about.
My dad noticed the
newly
camouflaged hovercraft, masquerading as a bus and ‘Chip’: Jimbo, are
you going
to summer camp again?
I laughed: No, dad
we’re not
going to camp…we’re going on a school field trip over the weekend to
Washington
D.C. You…uh…already signed the papers.
My dad scratched
his head: I
don’t remember signing any papers…I must’ve forgotten…
My mom waved: All
right,
Jimmy. Wait…do you have clean underwear?
I blushed and heard
the girls
giggling mercilessly at my expense behind me.
I murmured: Yes,
mom…
She smiled: Okay,
honey; have
a good time!
I waved a short
goodbye and hopped,
along with all the others, into the “bus”/hovercraft with ‘Chip’
following.
If only my parents
would have
found out right then and there where I was going; if only they would
have
stopped us from leaving to seek out the tomb, maybe I wouldn’t have
gotten all
of us into such a tangled predicament in the first place. But I’m
getting ahead
of myself again…
CHAPTER NINE
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
At last, my parents
retreated
back to the house; I switched the camouflage off and Carl, Cindy,
Goddard,
Libby, Sheen and I all piled into the hovercraft, trying to adjust and
arrange
ourselves in the tight space.
Cindy forcefully
pushed
Carl’s arm out of the way: Nerdtron! Why didn’t you build this
hunk of
junk so it could seat more than three?
I gasped in between
words
while being shoved around: Well…if you GIRLS….didn’t take up…so
much…space!!!
Libby’s eyes
snapped open: Oh
no you didn’t!
Sheen defended his
woman:
Jimmy! That was uncalled for!
Cindy started:
Finally,
someone stands up for…
Sheen argued: My
Libby does
not take up space!
Cindy made an
attempt to put
her hands on her hips: What about me?
Libby turned to
Sheen: Please
tell me I did not just hear you put the word “my” in front of my name!
Carl began to itch:
Guys!
Stop fighting! Arguing gives me the hives!!
I interjected:
Carl’s right,
everyone.
Libby inquired:
About the
hives?
I gave her a blank
stare:
About the arguing, Libby. Just settle down and try to relax as much as
possible. With the “light speed” setting I recently developed and
installed ,
(I typed in the coordinates of where we would begin our search and
quickly
pressed the “light speed” button), we should be there in no time!
Sooner than any of
us could
realize it, thanks to light speed, we five all glanced around and found
ourselves in the middle of a vast Egyptian desert. The hovercraft came
to a
complete halt and landed softly on the sandy ground, the door opening
swiftly.
Cindy shrieked,
pushing her
way through everyone selfishly to get to the door: Get me OUT OF HERE!
Finally, Cindy made
her way
out and leapt onto the ground, stretching out and yawning while holding
all of
us up behind her.
I yelled angrily:
Move it,
Vortex!
Sheen pushed Libby
out the
door: Yeah! Make way for Libby!
Eventually, Carl
was the only
one to not have departed from the hovercraft and he stood at the door,
gaping
and trembling.
Sheen urged him:
Come on,
Carl!!!
Carl bit his
fingernails:
I…I’m scared of heights!
I sighed: Oh
puh-leeze, Carl!
It’s less than five inches off the ground!
Carl panicked
further: FIVE
INCHES!!! I thought it was only three!!!
Cindy snapped: Neutron, if you’re such a genius then why did you bring
this
wimp along?
Sheen marched up to
the
hovercraft, grabbed Carl’s knees (connected to a wildly shrieking Carl)
and
threw him to the ground.
Sheen dusted off
his hands:
There we go.
Rising to his feet,
Carl shot
Sheen a “look” and a tear slid down his cheek as he noticed a tiny
scratch on
his leg.
Libby rolled her
eyes and
ignored him: So Jimmy, where’s that tomb anyways?
Sheen’s eyes darted
around:
Yeah…we’re in the right place aren’t we?
I fiddled with my
fingers:
Well, we haven’t exactly found it yet…
Cindy threw herself
into
another useless rage: WHAT??? Do you mean that I have to go
gallivanting around
with you and your numbskull friends in this extreme heat for hours and
hours
looking for a tomb we don’t even know the location of?!?!?!
Libby took a quick
look at
her hands: We’re doomed! (We all became alarmed until she finished her
statement) I already broke a nail…
I shook my head and
pulled my
new invention, the Direction Doctor 3000, from the utility belt (which
I’d
packed various inventions and tools into including my new and improved
Hypnotism Ray and other useful gadgets I’d created) I’d recently
wrapped around
my waist: We’ll find it soon enough with this! When I created the
Direction
Doctor 3000, I hooked it up to my watch which records all the
coordinates of
the places I’ve been and downloaded the maps onto it. It will give us a
specific area that the tomb should be in. And besides, we’ve still got
the
hovercraft if anything goes wrong…
Just as I spoke
those words,
I heard the hovercraft door slam behind me and whirled around in horror
as it
transferred into total lockdown, surrounded with the stainless steel
plating
I’d toiled so hard to develop and which I formed to be stronger than a
fleet of
armored men; we were now unable to even enter it again.
Cindy glared at me
with fear
and flaming anger within her eyes: You were saying?…
CHAPTER TEN
Aye, Aye Vortex!
I stared at the
enclosed
hovercraft, attempting to comprehend how its total lockdown could’ve
activated
without my consent.
I pondered: There
must be
some explanation…(I kicked the hard metal shell of the hovercraft) Why
won’t it
open???
Goddard’s back
compartment
flipped open and a metal pole shot out with a laser at the tip: Bark,
bark!
I smiled : Good
idea, boy!
Goddard shot a
laser at the
hovercraft, engraving a dark burnt spot on its side, but it barely
penetrated
the first layer.
Libby sighed as Cindy screamed: NOW WHAT NEUTRON?!?
Carl carefully
wiped some
sweat from his forehead: Yeah, Jimmy, it’s starting to get really hot
out here…
Checking his watch,
Sheen
added: If we don’t get back soon, I won’t get to watch the new
Ultralord
episode…with 6 seconds of extra special footage!
I sighed, ignoring Sheen: Well, if we can’t get the hovercraft to work now,
we’ll just have to seek shelter in the tomb.
Libby’s eyes grew
wide: The
tomb? We don’t even know where the tomb is!!!
Cindy argued: I’m
not “taking
shelter” in a tomb!
Carl panicked: The tomb? But the dead things!!!
I silenced the
group: CALM
DOWN EVERYONE!!! The professor who distributed this important and
necessary
mission implanted an immensely technical chip into the base of my watch
to
direct us if we were to find ourselves misled in the desert…plus I have
in my
possession, the Direction Doctor 3000!
Sheen looked as if
his brain
had been fried: So this professor led you out in the -desert- , and you found out he was a -doctor- and…did you say something about potato -chips- ?!?!
Carl, Cindy, Libby
and I
stared at him as if he were crazier than we’d ever previously
thought…and it
was probably true.
A sigh escaped
Libby’s lips
and she explained: Sheen, he means some smart dude gave him some kind
of map
around the desert and Jimmy has another one of his inventions to help
us find
the tomb.
Sheen’s eyes
sparkled as he
took a step closer to Libby: Of course, Libbs …(his expression turned
angry as
he glared at me) Why couldn’t you have just said that?!?!?!
Before Libby could
oppose
Sheen’s nickname for her, Cindy blurted: Would you all stop this
mindless
chatter and get me out of this heat?!?!
I quickly pressed a
small
green button on the face of my watch and Professor Beesworth appeared
on the
screen.
Professor Beesworth
answered:
Yes, Mr. Neutron? Are you in need of assistance?
I replied: Yes, sir. We have somehow been locked out of our hovercraft
and
can’t seem to figure out where we are.
The professor
smiled: No
problem, Mr. Neutron; I have pinpointed your exact location and you are
right…
Almost
instantaneously, a map
popped up on the screen and a large red dot indicated that we were
fifteen
miles left of the Nile River.
I grinned
gratefully: Whew,
thank you, Professor! I think the Direction Doctor 3000 can take us
from here!
Professor Beesworth
spoke
just before his face left the screen: My pleasure, Mr. Neutron.
Cindy’s eyes
flashed with
impatience: So…can we leave now?!?!
Sheen asked: Will I
get to
watch Ultralord?
Carl cringed: Do we
still
have to see the dead things?
Libby asked the
first
sensible question: Jimmy, did he tell you where to go?
I stammered:
Well…not
exactly. But I DO know that we’re fifteen miles left of the Nile River!
Sheen’s eyebrow
arched up:
So…
I continued: So I
can type
our location into the Direction Doctor 3000 and it should guide us from
there.
Sheen took a deep
breath,
then randomly made an observation: Wait a second…if we left at night at
home,
why is the sun up here?
Cindy started off
in her
bossy tone: Duh, Sheen! (switching to a smart-sounding voice) We passed
through
several alternate time zones and have now arrived in one quite opposite
to our
own. So, therefore, when it is night back in Retroville, it is midday
here in
Egypt!
I stared at her
with
amazement, mouth agape.
Cindy blushed for a moment, then her face twisted into its
usual stubborn fixture: Well, make yourself useful, Nerdtron,
and make
that contraption of yours lead the way!
I sarcastically
saluted her
and went to work typing formulas into the Direction Doctor 3000: Aye,
aye,
Vortex!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hovercraft Gone Haywire
After ten minutes
or so, I
was still fiddling with the Direction Doctor 3000, trying to make it
tell us
where the location of the lost tomb was.
Carl collapsed onto
the
ground, rousing up a cloud of sand: Are you done YET???
I started: If my
calculations
are correct…
Cindy blurted: When
are your
calculations EVER correct?!?!
I scrunched up my
face,
glared at Cindy, then returned indifferently to my invention.
Libby exclaimed:
For real
Jimmy! We’ve been standing out here for hours! I shoulda brought my sun
tan
lotion so I could at least sunbathe…
Sheen added: Well I
should’ve
at least brought…(Sheen paused to ponder)…a TV so I could watch
Ultralord!!!
Carl set his chubby
hands on
his waist: Who cares about Ultralord when I’m missing Lily the Llama?
Sheen shot back:
Ultralord
could annihilate every one of your puny furry llamas!
Sitting up and
shading his
face from the sun with his hand, Carl battled: Llamas beat dolls any
day!!!
Not even responding
to such
an insult to his ‘action figures’, Sheen turned his back to Carl and
crossed
his arms across his chest.
Libby rolled her
eyes and
whispered to Cindy: This is pathetic…
Cindy impatiently stomped up to my hovercraft and screamed: I can’t
take it any
longer! I want to go home NOW!!!
She began to kick
the
hovercraft, attempting to at least puncture its hard metal outer shell,
but she
had no effect. She obviously didn’t know how efficiently I’d
built its
protective layer.
Cindy
absent-mindedly kicked:
Must…get…hunk of junk…to…WORK!!!
Cindy released one
last hard
blow but quickly stepped back when a distressing rattling sound emerged
from
within the hovercraft.
Libby took a step
farther
from Cindy and the hovercraft as the noise continued: What’s going on???
Sheen raced in
front of Libby
with cheesy braveness: Stay back! I’ll protect you!
Looking for a
weapon, Sheen
discovered a stick lying on the ground, grasped it and chucked it at
the
shaking hovercraft…it bounced off and the hovercraft only shook harder.
Libby commented
sarcastically, stepping back in front of Sheen: My hero…
After a few
moments, I spun
around and observed the hovercraft’s erratic behavior. Then suddenly,
realization hit me.
I breathed: Oh no…
The hovercraft
began to
tremble violently and the missile launchers rose from the sides. All
were
stunned with fear, our feet cemented to the sand with terror. And all
of a
sudden, one missile shot fiercely into the air, then landed some yards
away
with a great explosion. Then…all fell silent.
Carl’s shocked
expression
faded: Whew! I’m glad that’s over…
I took a deep
breath: It’s
not over yet, Carl…(I watched as the missile launchers began to go
haywire)…RUN!!!
Without warning,
missiles
began to launch through the air in all directions, nearly knocking each
of us
to the ground. Carl, Cindy, Libby, Sheen and I rocketed away through
the sand,
doing everything in our power to escape the swift missiles. Goddard
flew just
behind us, snatching a few missiles in his mouth and spitting them into
the
sand where they could explode without harming us, but not even he could
capture
every missile.
As we were running,
I glanced
behind the group and noticed a missile headed right for Cindy’s head. I
could
have very well allowed it to take her down and I would’ve never had to
worry
about her again. But the waves of immense fear in her eyes pierced my
heart and
I convinced myself to reconsider.
Alarmed, I shouted:
WATCH
OUT!!!
I urgently dove
over,
knocking both Cindy and I to the ground; the missile barely missed her
head.
A cloud of sand and
dust
rose, concealing everything from my sight until finally it cleared and
I
noticed that the missiles, at last, ceased to fly. I stood up and
glanced down
at Cindy and asked, concerned: Are you all right?
Cindy glanced up at
me with a
thankful shine in her eyes, rubbed her head and smiled at me for the
first time
in years: You saved my life…
I offered a hand to
her and
she began to reach out to take it, but out of the blue, she shook her
head
rapidly and suddenly the thankful shine in her eyes transformed to
raging
anger: You tackled me! How dare you jump on me like that!!!
Picking herself up
and
pushing me back to the ground, she marched away, blonde head held high.
Carl whined: I want
to go
home!!! (He tried to brush all the sand off of himself but failed
miserably) I
want Jimmy’s Mom!!!
My head whipped
around along
with all the others to stare at Carl awkwardly
.Carl blushed and corrected himself: Jimmy’s Mom…’s…cookies!!!
I thought quietly:
What is it
with him and my mom’s cookies?
I had already risen
to my
feet again and yanked out the Direction Doctor 3000; at last I realized
something and screamed: Puking Pluto! I’ve got it!
Libby tried to fix
her hair
and brush the dust from it: Got what?
I yelled excitedly:
Follow
me! The tomb isn’t far from here!
CHAPTER TWELVE
Mirage Matters
Trudging through
the
scorching heat and intensely dry air, I held the Direction Doctor 3000
out in
front of me, still following its lead as my tall hair blew behind me
through
the wind.
Cindy battled: Are
you sure
that bucket of bolts even works, Neutron???
I snapped: YES it
works! How
could it not? After all, I made it!
Libby whispered: In
that
case, how COULD it work?
Cindy and Libby
burst into
unceasing laughter.
Knowing the girls
were
mocking me, I shot them a glare then turned my face back to my
invention,
attempting to ignore their giggles and whispers.
Sheen placed a hand
over his
brow, shielding his eyes from the wind and sun: I think I see something
up
there!
Carl’s head bobbed
around in
every direction: Where?? I don’t see anything! SHOW ME!!!
Sheen spoke: It looks like…Ultralord’s Sun-Desert Castle from Episode
#332!
I sighed: Sheen,
you’re just
seeing mirages…
Sheen stuttered:
Mir…mira…what’s a mirage?
I began smartly: A
mirage is
simply…
Cindy finished my
lecture
before I could barely begin it: …an optical illusion in which
atmospheric
refraction by a layer of hot air distorts or inverts reflections of
distant
objects…come on; EVERYONE knows THAT, Nerdtron! We don’t need your
“genius
talk” to explain something that simple!
Libby shook her
head in
disbelief: Girl…
I asked,
dumbfounded: H…How’d
you know that???
Cindy gave me an
“obvious”
glare and I could see the flecks of jealousy in her eyes: Well, I WAS
the
smartest kid in the class once, you know! Until your oversized head
came and
took the spotlight!
I stared down at my
feet:
Oh…well I’m sor…(I pondered what I was about to say but quickly halted
the
words before they could escape)…I’m sorry anyone ever thought you were
the
smartest kid in Retroville! They must’ve all been delusional!
A hurt look swept
Cindy’s
face, followed by a hateful glare.
Carl moaned: Why
are you two
always fighting???
I yelled: Well if
Cindy here
would keep her lengthy, show-offy explanations to herself!
Cindy grunted: And
if you
would stop shoving your big brain in where it doesn’t belong!
Libby shrieked:
Guys, stop!
(She pointed ahead) I really do see something up there!
I didn’t even
bother to
glance in the direction she pointed out; I thought she’d lost it as
well: Oh,
not you too…
Cindy pointed also:
No! There
really is some kind of castle thing!
I shook my head and
looked
over the horizon, spotting the same thing they all were speaking of:
THE
TOMB!!!
Carl elbowed Sheen:
I told
you it wasn’t a castle!
Sheen objected: No
you
didn’t! You didn’t see anything because you’re as blind as (he thought
up a
comeback)…my 101 year old grandma!
Carl wailed: AHHHH!
I’m…I’m…(Carl let out an enormous sneeze)…I’m allergic to elderly
people!
I stared down at
the
Direction Doctor 3000: This is odd; the Direction Doctor 3000 doesn’t
say the
tomb is here…it’s pinpointing a location somewhere…
Libby commented:
Maybe that’s
why they call it the “LOST” tomb!
Cindy laughed: And
as if YOUR
invention would bring us to the right place anyways!
I contemplated the problem: But I programmed it accurately and…
A look of
disappointment
swept Sheen’s face: Does this mean that this ISN’T Ultralord’s
Sun-Desert
Castle?
No one even replied
to
Sheen’s question as we edged closer and closer to this tomb.
Libby pulled a
compact mirror
from her pants pocket: How does my hair look?
Sheen grinned: Perfect as always…
Libby made a
gagging face but
her breath caught in her throat as she glanced at the tomb: I don’t
remember it
looking like this…
Carl observed it
with a
chubby finger on his chin: Me neither!
Sheen exploded with
excitement: Maybe it’s a morphing tomb that can automatically change
into
whatever it wants! (He thought about this a moment). Do you think it
could turn
into Ultralord?!?!
I breathed: I
highly doubt
that, Sheen. But you’re right…this doesn’t look like the tomb we
visited
earlier. Something very strange is going on here…
Cindy whispered to
Libby
while she giggled: With Neutron, that’s a pretty safe bet …
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
From Captivated to Captivity
We all stood in awe
of the
great structure, reaching up to wards the heavens and basking in the
sun’s
warming rays.
Sheen squeezed his
hands
between his legs, staring at the tomb: I hope there’s a bathroom in
there!
I told him: Sheen,
I don’t
believe they built bathrooms in thousand-year-old tombs.
Carl whimpered: Why
do we
have to go in if it’s not the tomb we’re looking for?
Cindy piped up: We don’t know that yet! If Nerdtron says this ISN’T the
Tomb,
then I think it is!
Without another
word, Cindy
trampled into the tomb.
I yelled: Cindy,
wait! You
can’t go in alone! It might be dangerous!
Cindy commented
back from the
shadowy tomb: Since when do YOU care if I’m in danger?
I bit my lip…hard.
Carl grew alarmed:
Dangerous?
(He peeked into the dark tomb with fear) Cindy, is it d..d…dangerous?
Carl waited for an
answer; no
reply.
Sheen screeched: Is
there a
bathroom in there?!?!
Cindy still uttered
no
response.
I called out after
her:
Cindy?
Suddenly, a shrill
cry echoed
from the darkness.
Libby laughed: Come
on girl,
quit playin’.
We heard nothing
after the
scream for minutes.
I panicked, Goddard
and I
running in after her: I don’t think she’s playing, Libby!
Carl, Libby and
Sheen jolted
in after us and soon we were clumped together, searching for Cindy. All
my eyes
could drink in was darkness; I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my
face,
let alone Cindy.
Libby cried,
fearing for her
friend: CINDY!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!
A nasally man’s
voice spoke
back from the darkness: She’s right…um…uh…
I finished the
unknown man’s
sentence: …Here? Wait a minute…(I pondered)…Professor Calamitous?!?!
I heard struggling
as the man
replied: How did you guess?
Libby replied
matter-of-factly, hands on hips: ’Cuz you never finish anything, duh!
Faint lighting
flickered on
and dimly lit the inside of this tomb we’d entered which was composed
of merely
sand, dust and nothing more...except the steel cage Carl, Libby,
Goddard, Sheen
and I now found ourselves confined in. This was obviously not the tomb
we were
in search of…it was a mere trap.
Professor
Calamitous perched
elevated inside a gigantic metal robot with extended mechanical legs
and metal
crab-like pincers on the end of steel arms with various weapons
attached, all
plated in solid sheets of iron. Cindy dangled helplessly by her shirt
from one
of the pincers, bound in ropes and taped at the mouth. Her emerald
green eyes
were flooded with terror and hopelessness as she glanced down at me as
if
begging me to set her free.
He growled at
Libby: Don’t
give me lip, young lady! I would be very cautious with your words if I
were…um…(he gave up, waving his arms in the air)…oh whatever!
I rattled the bars
of the
cage and pointed up towards Cindy: LET HER GO!!!
Professor
Calamitous ignored
my demand and explained: I ingeniously built this phony tomb because I
knew,
with your inferior intellect, that you would enter it and then I could
take one
of your pathetic little friends into captivity and trap you so you
couldn’t
find my precious stones.
Carl noticed: You
spoke in
complete sentences!
Professor
Calamitous smiled
proudly: Yes, I received some training. Now I can do what YOU cannot!
Sheen grew
defensive: Hey!
That’s not…I can….(he surrendered with a sigh) ugh, I got nothing.
I inquired: What’s
the point
in taking Cindy? It won’t stop us from getting to that tomb!
Professor
Calamitous grinned
deviously: If you so happen to escape from my steel cage, which I
highly
doubt…(he rubbed his hands together and chuckled)…you’ll still never
harm me if
she is in my possession.
I opened my mouth
to object
but, looking into her desperate eyes, I knew he was right.
Libby interjected
with
attitude: So how did you know we were even going to the tomb?
Professor
Calamitous looked
down at us devilishly: Didn’t you know? I would think a genius like
Jimmy
Neutron over here could figure it out for you! Haha, his mind is weak!
I
formerly worked as the lead professor at the S.E.F.S.! Those imbeciles
kicked
me out when they discovered some of my evil work! But before I left, I
installed spy cameras in all their rooms and therefore witnessed Mr.
Neutron’s
little interlude with the Captain and the new Professor. They’ll be
sorry when
I retrieve those stones. Oh…they’ll be sorry.
A jetpack connected
to
Professor Calamitous’s robot fired up and the robot, he and Cindy hung
in mid
air.
I fiercely
questioned: Where
are you taking her?!?!
Professor
Calamitous lifted
higher into the air: I’ll take her with me wherever I need to go. But
as soon
as I find that tomb again and collect my precious stones, I’ll be sure
to get
rid of her for good. (Carl, Libby, Sheen and I gasped) After all, I
won’t need
her anymore after I take over the…um…the uh…
Sheen shouted: The
world!
He laughed
menacingly and
shot up into the air, soaring away and disappearing from my sight,
deserting we
four and Goddard in the binding cage. My eyes darted around, looking at
my
three friends and secretly panicking beyond all reason.
Libby placed her
hands on her
hips: Got any more bright ideas, genius?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Great Escape
Carl whined: We’re
gonna be
trapped in here forever! Are we gonna…DIE?!?!
Sheen patted his
back
comfortingly: No, Carl, we’re not gonna die. (He raised his voice and
began to
shout) We’re gonna get dehydrated and starve and get eaten by poisonous
snakes…THEN we’re gonna die!
Carl cried: Sheen,
stop it!
That’s not funny!
Libby shrieked: Who
cares
about you two?! How are we gonna save Cindy!
I calmly said: No
problem.
Libby exploded: NO
PROBLEM?!?! Cindy is dangling from a giant robot controlled by a
menacing
psycho and you don’t think that’s a problem?!
I laughed coolly:
I’ll have
us out of here in no time.
Sheen yelled: You
better! Cuz
there’s a scorpion heading right for Carl’s…
Carl jumped into
the air
screaming: WHERE? WHERE?!?! (He bolted to the opposite side of the cage
and
huddled in a corner, still screeching and trembling)
I shook my head:
Relax, guys.
Goddard will take care of it!
Goddard barked then
opened
his mouth, allowed the scorpion to crawl in, then bit down and shot it
across
the room through the bars, sweeping a picture of relief across Carl’s
face.
Libby placed her
hands on her
hips: So how are you gonna get us out of here?
I glanced down at
my watch,
turned a few knobs and directed it towards the bars: My watch has a
cybertronic
laser built right into it! There’s nothing this bad boy can’t shoot
straight
through!
I pressed down a
tiny button
on the side of my watch and a green laser shot out, striking the bars;
a cloud
of filmy smoke rose up, blinding us all from the effects.
Carl sneezed as he
batted at
the air: AHHHH! I’M ALLERGIC TO SMOKE!
Sheen’s eyes were
mesmerized
by the laser still: Do it again!
Libby strained her
eyes to
see: Did it work?
The smoke cleared
and…absolutely nothing happened; all bars remained in tact.
I stared at the
unaffected
bars for a moment then angrily hit my watch: How is that possible? I
combined
the correct amount of protons with citronic acid and…
Sheen added: It
didn’t work.
Libby breathed: Big
surprise…
Carl’s eyes popped
opened
wide: So we ARE gonna die!
I looked him in the
eyes and
reassured him: We are NOT gonna die! So stop panicking!
Sheen started
again: Yeah,
we’re just gonna get dehydrated and starve and get eaten…
Libby slapped a
hand over
Sheen’s mouth just in time: Can it, Sheen!
Sheen placed two
hands over
his heart and with fluttering eyelashes said in a cheesy tone: Ah, my
lady’s
hand hath touchethed my lips…
Libby quickly
pulled her hand
away and wiped it off on Carl’s shirt: EW! I am not YOUR lady!
I tried to silence
them
although no one listened: Guys!
Carl grasped his
shirt and
attempted to examine the spot Libby wiped her hand on while jumping up
and down
desperately: YUCK! GET IT OFF! Now I have Sheen’s amoebas on
my shirt!!!
I screamed: GUYS!!!!
Everyone silenced
but Libby
added: Excuse me? I am not a guy!
I corrected myself
with a
sigh: Sorry…guys AND Libby…(she nodded a thank you)…we are yet going to
escape
this cage.
Carl whimpered: How
are you
gonna do that, Jimmy? Your laser-thingie didn’t work so…
I pointed to my
robotic dog:
So…we still have Goddard!
Libby seemed
skeptical: He
couldn’t beam through your hovercraft so how could he get us out of
this?
I explained: My
hovercraft
was specially built by myself, therefore I made it so that it was
stronger than
all of my other inventions. These bars…I doubt they’re strong enough to
withstand Goddard’s laser!
I told Carl: Back
away,
Carl…this will be powerful…
Carl sniffled and
took a few
wobbly steps backwards: Okay, Jim…
Goddard: Bark,
bark!
Goddard’s laser
suddenly
burst from his back compartment, aimed itself directly at one of the
steel bars
and fired away, zapping noises filling our ears. Opening his mouth, a
fan from
inside blew the wisps of smoke away, revealing an enormous hole in the
cage,
large enough for all of us to fit through.
I patted Goddard’s
head
gratefully as Carl, Libby and Sheen cheered: GOOD BOY!
I smiled as I
abruptly exited
the confining cage: Come on guys! We’ll have Cindy back in no time!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Runaway Girl
Carl, Goddard,
Libby, and
Sheen all exited the broken steel cage immediately after I did,
breathing
thankful sighs of relief as they escaped their captivity.
Libby glanced
around: So…now
what?
Sheen raised a
valiant fist
in the air: We go save Cindy!!! Duh!
Carl whined with
fear: We
have to SAVE her? From that big scary robotic man? Maybe that’s not
such a good
idea…
I glanced at him:
And what do
you propose, Carl? Just go home without her and allow Professor
Calamitous to
take over the world?
Carl stuttered
sheepishly:
…Yes…
Libby yelled: Not
if I have
anything to say about it!
Sheen elbowed Carl:
Yeah, not
if she has anything to say about it! Wait…say about what?
I sighed and told
them all: I
am NOT leaving this desert until we rescue Cindy and get those precious
stones
before Calamitous gets there first… (Carl tried to interject but my
next words
halted him)…CASE CLOSED!
Miles away,
Professor
Calamitous carefully landed his robot for a rest, declined down the
back stairs
and hobbled around to where Cindy hung.
Professor
Calamitous lightly
clapped his hands: Ah, my dear…you may just be the key to me defeating
Jimmy
Neutron!
Cindy struggled and
grunted
but could not speak through the tape or break her body free from the
rope.
Professor
Calamitous laughed:
Not to mention that if I defeat Jimmy Neutron…I shall at last take over
the
world! (He noticed Cindy trying to speak) What…are you trying to say
something?
She nodded and
flashed
innocent, helpless green eyes glazed with tears.
Professor
Calamitous peeled
away the adhesive from her lips: Well…I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I
just took
the tape off your mouth for a little while…
Cindy exploded: You
will
NEVER defeat Neutron! And you will NEVER take over the world because
pretty
soon you’ll probably just forget why you even have me as a hostage!
Professor
Calamitous placed
his gloved hands on his hips and squeaked: Well, young lady, I think
you are
terribly mistaken! I’ve overcome that whole…not finishing things…phase.
And in
doing so, I’ve become more intelligent than Jimmy Neutron could ever
even wish
to be!
Cindy rolled her
eyes and
shouted: Yeah right! I’M smarter than you!
Professor
Calamitous
chuckled: You are a funny one! And why do you think you’re so
smart?
Suddenly, the ropes
confining
Cindy snapped and broke loose, falling to the ground along with her and
allowing her to slip free and stand on her own.
Professor
Calamitous stood
shocked, mouth agape: What the…??
Cindy answered his
question
as she exposed her open palm, armed with a knife: I’m so smart because
I keep a
pocket knife in my back pocket where I can reach it in case some wacko
nut job
decides to tie me up!
Without another
word, Cindy
bolted off across the sand, leaving Professor Calamitous behind in a
cloud of
dust.
Professor
Calamitous shouted:
Oh no you don’t!
He quickly climbed
back into
the robot and tinkered around with the controls; finally, he lifted it
into the
air once more and speedily jetted after her.
Carl, Goddard,
Libby, Sheen
and I made our way out of the false tomb and back into the blazing
desert sun;
Staring down at the Direction Doctor 3000, I attempted to follow its
directions.
I started
explaining: Well,
the Direction Doctor 3000 tells me we were a few miles south of the
Nile River
when we discovered the tomb which is west of where we are right now and
therefore we need to go…northeast!
Sheen’s arms were
all twisted
around himself from trying to figure out which direction we were
supposed to
head in while I was talking: WHERE?!?!
Carl carefully
tried to
untangle him: Sheen! Hold still!
Libby shook her
head at them
and glanced over at me: So which way are we supposed to go?
I pointed in the
northeastern
direction: This way!
Sheen wiggled his
now free
arms: How do we know if that thing actually works?
I glanced up at the
clear
sky: Well, even if it doesn’t…Goddard can scan the horizon and see the
line of
smoke from Professor Calamitous’s robot in the sky…and if we follow
that…we
can’t go wrong!!!
Libby gulped as she
spotted
mysterious shadows up ahead and whispered fearfully: …Or can we?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Bad Luck All Around
Professor
Calamitous cackled
from inside his robot as he soared above Cindy who was running at an
impressive
pace: You’ll never outrun me, Blondie!
Cindy, with heaving
breaths,
sprinted below and pushed herself further: Watch me!
At last, Professor
Calamitous
flew directly above her and, from one of the feet of the robot, an
enormous net
dropped on top of Cindy’s head and captured her, halting her mad sprint
and
tangling her limbs into its mesh claws.
Professor
Calamitous smirked:
Caught ya!
The net slowly closed in around her, seemingly ignoring her struggle,
and
wheeled upwards, heaving her flailing body into the robot through its
foot and
depositing her in the control room by Professor Calamitous. Before she
could
even utter a word or stand up to confront him, mechanical arms sprung
from the
walls, snatched her pocket knife away and tied her up once again.
Professor
Calamitous glared
back at her: I wouldn’t try that again if I were you.
Carl, Goddard,
Libby, Sheen
and I headed away from the tomb imposter, pressing forwards in the
intense sun
and oceans of dry sand.
Carl placed a
chubby hand
over his eyes and pointed forwards: Jimmy, what are those?
Sheen slapped Carl:
Stop
hallucinating! You’re just seeing a “mirror” thing like Cindy said!
I rolled my eyes
and
corrected him: You mean a mirage? Carl, what do you see?
Carl shook his head
to make
sure he wasn’t imagining it: I don’t think it’s a mirage thingie,
Jimmy. I see
big, scary shadows!
Libby examined the
shadows:
Yeah, I noticed those a little while ago too! What do you think they
are,
Jimmy? You’re the genius…
I squinted my eyes:
They’re
probably just cactus shadows! Nothing to worry about!
Sheen told me: I
don’t think
so…
Carl agreed: Yeah,
Jim…cactuses are NOT that big! And they don’t stand on four legs either!
I thought: Four
legs? What
kind of animal in the desert stands on four legs and is THAT big?
Sheen wiggled his
fingers and
tried to scare Carl: A…GIANT SCORPION?
Carl shrieked
fiercely.
I pondered: No…it
could be a
very large sand cat…
Libby put her hands
on her
hips: A sand cat? Are you making that up?
Sheen laughed:
Yeah, what’s a
sand cat?
Carl’s eyes grew
large with
excitement: Are there sand llamas?!?!
I sighed: No, Carl.
A sand
cat is a mammal that is well-adapted to living in the desert. It has
thick mats
of fur on the bottom of its paws to protect them from the hot sand,
but…they’re
usually no bigger than a domestic housecat.
Sheen puffed out
his chest
and suggested: Maybe it’s a mutated sand cat like in Ultralord episode
#458,
Attack of the Wild Sand Felines! (He sunk his teeth into Carl’s
shoulder,
pretending to be a wildcat)
Carl ran around in
circles
screaming, trying to shake Sheen off his shoulder.
Libby calmed the
insanity:
GUYS! Cut it out! They’re getting closer…
I stated: Maybe
their shadows
are enlarged because of the way the sunlight is hitting them.
Sheen unlatched his
teeth
from Carl’s shoulder: Shouldn’t they get smaller sometime?
Carl objected: No,
Sheen…Jimmy’s always right!
Libby crossed her
arms across
her chest and whispered sarcastically: …And I’m Smally Big Big’s wife…
I yelled
defensively: Hey, I
heard that!
As the words
escaped my lips,
I heard a snarling growl emerge from the direction of the shadows and
my heart
ceased beating immediately.
Carl cowered behind
Libby:
Wha…What was that?
Just then, from
behind a sand
dune, emerged some of the most fearsome, violent looking creatures I
had ever
seen…and they were bounding mercilessly toward us…
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Face the Cats or Die Trying
I had been correct;
they were
sand cats alright. Enormous sand cats. The biggest sand cats that had
ever
walked the earth as far as I knew and they looked more terrifying than
any one
I’d ever seen or heard of as well. Their fangs protruded from their
mouths
several inches and could easily tear right through solid brick…I winced
just
thinking about what they could do to ME. Behind their dark brown,
sand-matted
hair, the cats’ eyes glowed a fierce red, and as we watched them race
faster and
faster in our direction, the four of us all but surrendered to what we
believed
would surely be our untimely death.
Carl’s shriek at
that precise
moment could’ve shattered the sound barrier: WHAT ARE THOSE?!?!
I answered as
calmly as
possible: Sand cats…REALLY big sand cats…
Sheen’s knees
knocked
together in fear as he nibbled at his fingernails and, with darting
eyes, he
asked himself: What would Ultralord do?
Libby’s eyes filled
with
tears as she hunkered behind Sheen: Jimmy…make them stop (They
continued to
grow closer and closer and I attempted to pull myself together and
formulate a
plan)…NOW!!!
An idea popped into
Sheen’s
head: Ultralord would use his Galactic Moonstone Launcher from Episode
#157!
Sheen glanced
around himself
in all directions, grabbed a few stones and began to hurl them towards
the
animals imitating Ultralord…every single one missed.
Libby sighed:
Sheen! Do
something…effective!
Carl questioned
frightfully:
Is running around screaming effective?
I stopped him
before he
tried: No, Carl! You’ll never outrun them!
Sheen panicked:
Then for
Pete’s sakes what do we do??
Carl interjected:
Who’s Pete?
Sheen pondered this
a moment
and obviously his mind came up blank…big surprise. He questioned me:
You’re the
genius…who’s Pete?
Libby yelled: Never
mind
that! We’ve got bigger problems right now!
Carl’s attention
turned back
to the sand cats and he screamed: AHHHHHHHHH!
I quieted him:
Shhh! Don’t
make them even more angry!
Carl trembled: What
do we
do?!?!
I told them: We’ve
got to
face them or…
Libby stuttered:
O…or what?
I released a deep
breath:…or
die trying.
Cindy sat curled up
and
bundled in ropes in the back of the control room, observing Professor
Calamitous working his robot. He seemed to fumble around a bit, getting
flustered and pounding the controls when he couldn’t make the robot do
what he
wanted it to.
He glanced back at
Cindy and
noticed the questioning look in her green eyes and answered her: I’m
trying to
land this blasted thing!
He saw yet another
question
in her gaze: I’m trying to land it because my weather signal tells me
that a
sand storm is on the way! Must you ask so many questions?!
He fiddled with
some levers
and buttons but failed miserably: Dag nab it!
He growled and
glanced back
at Cindy yet again: Can you help?
Cindy nodded and
Professor
Calamitous untaped her mouth again; she informed him: You have to pull
the
green lever to the left then press the buttons in the pattern of red,
green,
orange, blue, purple…
Professor
Calamitous got lost
in the directions: Oh never mind! (He untied her arms and legs) Do it
yourself!
Cindy leapt up from
her spot
on the ground and raced over to the control panels, at once landing the
robot.
Professor
Calamitous smiled
and adjusted his glasses: Why thank you…
He turned his back
and told
the robotic arms to tie her up once again but spun back around just in
time to
gaze out the window and spot Cindy jolting across the sand yet again.
Professor
Calamitous rolled
his eyes: Oh, not again!
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Partner In Crime
Professor
Calamitous rubbed
his hands together and elevated the robot back into the air to once
again chase
Cindy down: Oh, you’re in for it now little girl…
Below, Cindy ran
short of
breath; the intense sun drenched her skin and seemingly absorbed every
pinch of
air from her lungs. She didn’t know how much longer she could make it.
Professor
Calamitous jerked a
few levers and, just like the previous time, a gigantic net plummeted
from the
robot’s foot and as it descended further and further through the air
towards
Cindy, she glanced up and, barrel rolling to the right, evaded the net.
Professor
Calamitous’s face
scrunched up into an angry fixture; he yelled, determined: There’s more
where
that came from!
Pressing a few more
buttons,
two more nets released from the robotic foot; the first
hooked onto Cindy’s ponytail but she
immediately unlatched it and refused to allow it to slow her down. The
second
net began to fall directly in front of her and…
Cindy breathed: I
hope all
that practice wasn’t for nothing…
Letting out a
desperate
scream, Cindy performed a full double front flip over the net and
landed
perfectly on the other side. She wiped her brow with satisfaction but
jolted
into motion once more when she noticed more nets crashing down.
Now frustrated,
Professor
Calamitous shot every last net down at Cindy in a hopeless attempt to
once
again capture her; he vowed that this time, he’d keep her bound in
ropes for
good.
Calamitous stared
down below
as each net was dodged by Cindy’s agile rolls or flips or cartwheels…he
couldn’t believe that any girl her age could contain so much energy or
skill.
Professor
Calamitous pondered
to himself: Forget just using her for bait! This girl…with a simple
shock from
the mind-control helmet…could prove to be a worthy accomplice! With her
help,
taking over the world will be a cinch!
With this thought
in mind,
Professor Calamitous pulled back and allowed Cindy to scurry on,
leaving her
unaware of his plans and causing her to believe she had escaped. For
several
minutes Cindy sprinted forward, thinking the robot was still in pursuit
of her.
Cindy’s eyes
flitted back and
forth; the nets had ceased to fall and Professor Calamitous and his
colossal
robot were far out of sight.
Cindy slowed her
pace to a
walk, caught her breath, and proudly admired herself: He must’ve given
up…haha…I bet Nerdtron wouldn’t have been able to get himself out of
that one!
Just then, one last
tightly-wound net fell from the sky…one she didn’t notice…and enclosed
itself
around her; Cindy had been captured once again. In her prideful state,
she
grasped at the ropes as if she could break free but the fibers were
strong and
the net was inescapable; she was forced to surrender.
Cindy was speedily
deposited
back into the control room and immediately secured in tape and ropes
once
again. Her face grew pale, her green eyes choking back tears; a look of
disappointment and failure graced her once self-confident face. She
couldn’t
conjure up any way out of this one.
Professor
Calamitous set the
robot on cruise control, hopped down from his tall chair and, with his
hands
clasped behind his back, commented: I’m getting quite tired of this
routine.
Cindy didn’t even
struggle to
reply to his words; weakness overcame her and all that escaped her lips
were
exhausted gasps as she attempted to catch her breath.
Professor
Calamitous leaned
in closer to her face, his squinty eyes blinking rapidly behind his
glasses: So
you’ve given up have you? I thought you were the smart one…
Cindy’s face swept
with fury
but her exhaustion closed in on her once again and she decided to save
what
little energy she had left.
Professor
Calamitous paced
the room: You put up a mighty good fight, young lady. You shall make a
great
partner in crime indeed…
Cindy yelled
through the tape
blocking her mouth, muffled but clear: PARTNER IN CRIME?!?!
Professor
Calamitous cackled:
Of course! As if I would allow all that physical talent of yours to go
to waste
for Jimmy Neutron!
Cindy screamed
through her
confinements: NEVER!!!
Professor
Calamitous snatched
a silver, light-adorned helmet from the closet in his control room and
presented it to Cindy, laughing menacingly: You won’t think that way
for long…
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Bite-Sized
My eyes swelled
larger and
larger as the enormous sand cats descended upon the sand dunes. Their
long
fangs were bared as they snarled at us, their crimson eyes fiercely
glowing and
deepening the closer they came to us. Nothing lay in their way but our
fragile
bodies…growing weaker every moment with fear.
Carl cried,
cowering behind me:
DO SOMETHING!!!
Libby agreed while
she
attempted to fix her hair: Yes, please! I will NOT die looking like
this…do you
see these split ends?
Sheen pulled a
small
Ultralord action figure from his left pocket and, looking at it sadly,
shook
his head: So this is how it ends…
I urged myself:
Think…think!
Suddenly, images
began to
flash across my mind; I watched myself preparing for the trip, packing
my
inventions into the utility belt around my waist and the…
With realization, I
shouted:
AHA! Brain blast!!!
Libby sighed: Thank
goodness.
(She glanced up at the sand cats bounding closer and closer) Now HURRY!
I told them: I
packed all my
useful inventions into this belt around my waist and (I pulled a ray
from one
loop) I luckily remembered the shrink ray!
Carl became
confused and took
the ray from my hand: So you’re gonna…shrink us?
Sheen tried to
explain to
Carl: Yes, Carl. Then we’ll be bite-sized and easier to digest…
Libby cut in: NO!
To shrink
the cats you nimrods!
I nodded, snatched
the shrink
ray back from Carl’s grasp, and pointed it directly at the first cat,
wincing:
Here goes nothing!
I pressed the
button and a
greenish-yellow glow surrounded the sand cat…all at once it became a
tiny
insect-sized sand cat, harmless and miniscule; I moved on to the next
one,
shrinking it down, and the others until finally there were only tiny
little
Sand Cats scampering around.
I glanced over at
Goddard:
Will you do the honors for me, boy?
Goddard barked and,
with a
swift motion, scooped the mini sand cats up into his mouth and
swallowed hard.
A robotic burp followed quickly after.
Libby and I cheered
and Sheen
hugged his Ultralord action figure tight to his chest; the threat of
being
attacked by oversized desert felines had been destroyed.
Carl’s pudgy hands
were still
covering his eyes as he trembled and ducked behind me: I…is…is it over
yet?
I patted his back:
Uncover
your eyes, Carl! There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore!
Slowly but surely,
Carl
removed his hands from his eyes and glanced around cautiously.
His eyes searched
in every
direction: Where are they?
Sheen pounded
Goddard’s metal
back; inside we could hear tiny, high-pitched sand cat growls resound:
In
Goddard’s stomach!
Carl grinned, threw
his arms
up into the air and shrieked: I’M ALIVE! I’m safe! I’m…(a great sneeze
erupted
from Carl’s nostrils)…allergic to cats.
Libby giggled: At
least
you’re not allergic to sand. Now THAT would be a problem!
Sheen and I shot
quick
glances at each other and began to laugh.
Carl explained with
one
finger held high as if he were teaching: Actually, I am allergic to
sand. I’m
just on special medication so the sand granules don’t creep up into my
nostrils
and get caught in my noise hairs to irritate my…
Libby gagged:
Okay…that was
WAY too much info…
Sheen began to hop
around
excitedly: You have nose hairs?! Let me see! Let me see!
Carl covered his
nose: No
way, Sheen…
Sheen pouted then
began to
ramble: My DAD has nose hairs! And I see him plucking them in the
bathroom
sometimes and he leaves them in the sink…
Libby and I both
became
nauseas at this: TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
Sheen acted as if
nothing
were wrong: What?
Taking a few steps
forward, I
changed the subject: Should we move on, guys? I’d like to arrive at the
tomb
before nightfall.
Libby asked,
confused: The
tomb? I thought we were trying to rescue Cindy first!
Carl whined: You’re
not going
to leave her are you? (He began to panic) Would you ever leave ME?!?!?!
Sheen yelled: No,
of course
not! (He then whispered in my ear loudly) Yes…
Carl put his hands
on his
hips: Hey!!!
I quieted them: I’m
pretty
sure Professor Calamitous is going to head right for the tomb…where
else would
he go in the middle of a lifeless desert?
Libby pondered:
That’s
true…well, at least we don’t have any more ’a those sand cats to deal
with!
Carl wiped his
forehead as
the sun beat down on him: Yeah, we’re finally safe.
If only we would’ve
known how
wrong we all were. Just when we thought we were out of harm’s way, just
when we
thought nothing else could go wrong…I spotted something across the
horizon,
something that would threaten all of our lives…and oh, how unprepared
we were…
CHAPTER TWENTY
Assistant Vortex
Cindy shook her
head rapidly,
struggling violently, attempting to break free from her roped bondage
but no
movement she made could liberate her.
Professor
Calamitous smiled
wryly: Now hold still! (He chuckled) This won’t hurt a bit…
Cindy’s eyes grew
wide with
fear as the shining silver helmet reflected off the tears in her
horror-filled
eyes.
Professor
Calamitous’s
black-gloved hands forcefully pushed the mind-control helmet down onto
Cindy’s
head. As soon as the helmet slid across her blonde hair, Cindy’s
eyelids fell
across her eyes and her head nodded off to one side as if she’d
suddenly fallen
asleep.
Professor
Calamitous laughed:
Haha! Now for the adjustments…
Calamitous reached
out his
spindly arms and began to tinker with the buttons on the helmet,
pressing a
green button twice, then a blue, pulling a red lever, and twisting a
yellow
knob to the right until all the lights lit up and produced an electric
shock
which zapped into Cindy’s mind and shocked each cell of her brain.
Professor
Calamitous grinned
and clapped his hands together: It’s working! It’s working!
All at once, the
electricity
subsided, the helmet’s lights flickered off, and Cindy’s eyes snapped
open.
Professor
Calamitous quickly
untaped Cindy’s mouth, untied her arms and legs and tested her: Good
evening,
Assistant Vortex!
Cindy rose to her
feet as if
ready to run…but she simply lifted a hand to her forehead in a salute
and, with
clipped words, replied: Good evening, Master Calamitous!
Calamitous giggled
and
twiddled his fingers with glee as he repeated the word: Hehe, “Master”!
Cindy carefully
lowered her
hand and stared at the Professor: What can I do for you, Master
Calamitous?
Professor
Calamitous ordered:
Get this robot off cruise control and find a place to take shelter for
the
night!
Cindy replied: Yes,
sir!
Cindy marched
without
hesitation over to the control panel, took the robot off cruise control
and
flew it straight ahead, her eyes darting back and forth in search of an
area to
land and stay for the night.
Professor
Calamitous clapped
his hands instructively and a large leather recliner popped up from the
metal
floor boards. He hopped up into it, leaned back and closed his eyes.
Professor
Calamitous sighed:
Ahhh…this is the life.
A half hour or so
elapsed;
and the sun began to crouch beneath the dunes. Professor Calamitous
remained in
an undisturbed sleep until Cindy’s voice reached his ears: Master
Calamitous! I
believe I’ve found a suitable area!
Professor
Calamitous rubbed
his eyes, plopped down from his chair and followed Cindy’s pointing
finger
downward towards an enormous cave.
Cindy’s head turned
robotically in his direction and she questioned: Is this cave to your
liking,
Master Calamitous?
The Professor
looked around
and saw nothing else: I suppose this will have to do. Good work,
Assistant
Vortex. Now land the robot!!!
Cindy answered once
again:
Yes sir!
In a matter of
moments, Cindy
landed the robot safely on the ground and she and Professor Calamitous
climbed
carefully down the ladder and out into the desert air. The sun hung
groggily in
the sky, soon to surrender its place to the moon.
Cindy inquired:
Master
Calamitous, how will we fit the robot into this cave?
Professor
Calamitous
chuckled: Ah, my dear…watch this!
Calamitous pulled a
tiny
black remote from his left lab coat pocket and pushed a turquoise
button; all
of a sudden, the gigantic robot began to fold into itself. Both legs
folded
into a compartment in the chest, the legs were sucked up into the lower
body
and the head popped into the shoulders. Now the robot was but a large
metal
block.
Cindy tilted her
head: I
believe it is still too large to fit into the cave, Master Calamitous.
Professor
Calamitous pressed
another button: Never fear…
The large metal
block of a
robot, as soon as the Professor’s finger pressed down on the next
button,
shrunk extraordinarily into a metal block the size of its remote and,
with a
swift motion, Professor Calamitous scooped it up into his hand and
shoved both
the robot and the remote into his lab coat pockets.
Cindy’s face split
into an
artificial grin that only Professor Calamitous could program the
mind-control
helmet to produce: That was amazing, Master Calamitous!
Professor
Calamitous swelled
with pride: Why thank you, Assistant Vortex. Now lead the way into the
cave!
Cindy replied yet
again: Yes
sir!
Professor
Calamitous added
with a cackle: Oh…and destroy anything in your way…
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
It’s a Cloud! It’s a Puppy! No, it’s a
Life-Threatening Sandstorm!
Carl lifted one
hand to shade
his eyes from the sun and gazed across the distance, then used the
other to
point one plump pink finger directly ahead of the group: Jimmy, what is
that?
Libby spotted the
foreign
substance: Oh, it’s just a cloud!
Sheen argued: No
it’s not!
Carl turned to him:
Oh yeah?
Then what is it? A…a…(Carl attempted to be funny)…a puppy? Hehe…
Libby glared at him
with eyes
that communicated that he was not now nor would he ever be funny. At
once he
stopped laughing.
Sheen answered,
rolling his
eyes: No, it’s not a puppy! What kind of a ridiculous idea is that? It
is
OBVIOUSLY Selena the sand goddess of the Dustopian Galaxy in cloud form
from
Ultralord episode #656 when Selena swirls Ultralord up into her sand
whirlwind
and…
Carl placed his
hands on his
round hips and interjected: Nuh uh! It looks more like a puppy
than…Salsa the
sand castle of the Dustbunny Gardens or whatever you said!
Sheen yelled back:
It’s
SELENA the SAND GODDESS of the DUSTOPIAN GALAXY…she’s not some nacho
topping!
Sheen and Carl
began to fight
amongst themselves until Libby stepped between them: Boys, boys,
boys…we all
know what it really is!
Carl and Sheen
asked at the
same time: What?
Libby repeated her
idea,
screaming at the top of her lungs: IT’S JUST A CLOUD!!!
Sheen’s eyes
twinkled: She’s
so beautiful when’s she’s angry…
Hearing his remark,
Libby
slapped him and began to feud along with them, arguing her case as
strongly as
they did theirs.
I stood a few feet
from this
pathetic brawl, Goddard by my side, not making any movements or saying
a word.
I stared straight ahead, mouth agape. Pretty soon Carl, Libby and Sheen
noticed
that I wasn’t trying to halt their fighting and glanced over at me,
only to see
me in a dazed state of shock.
Libby walked in
front of me
and waved her hand: Earth to Jimmy, Earth to Jimmy…Jimmy?!?!
Sheen shrieked:
JIMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn’t move.
Carl tilted his
head: What’s
wrong with Jimmy? It looks like he just saw a…a…(Carl turned and caught
sight
of what I was staring at)…AHHHHHHH!!!
Sheen plugged his
ears: Carl!
What is wrong with you? I don’t see any scorpions!
Sheen laughed and
whirled
around to face the direction we were looking in and pointed: AHHHH!
SERENA!!!
Libby sighed: For
the last
time, Sheen…Serena is not real! It’s just a…a…
Libby shook her
head and
allowed her eyes to pinpoint the center of our gazes.
Libby’s eyes opened
wide and
she trembled: What…is that?!?!
At last I spoke:
That…is the
most dangerous looking sandstorm I have ever seen.
Sheen screamed:
Aha! A
sandstorm! You see, Carl? It’s not a puppy!
Carl was still
shrieking,
ignoring everything we were saying and screeching at the top of his
lungs until
Sheen slapped him hard across the face.
Carl gasped for
breath: Is it
gone yet?!?! (He looked ahead once more and witnessed the storm rousing
up…he
opened his mouth to scream again)
Sheen slapped
Carl’s jaw up
and held it there so no shrieks could emerge: NO SCREAMING!!!
Carl broke free
from Sheen’s
hold: Hey! You just screamed!
Sheen defended
himself: I was
screaming for you not to scream!
Carl shouted: It’s
still
screaming!
Libby quieted them!
GUYS!!!
Stop fighting; you are NOT helping!
I concurred: She’s
right,
Carl…Sheen. We’ve got to think of a way to evade this storm or find a
way
through it.
Libby inquired: Is
there any
safe way to pass through a sand storm without… well…dying?
Carl stated
smartly: Yeah,
won’t the sand granules creep up into my nose hairs and irritate…
I stopped him
mid-explanation: No, Carl…it’s much worse than that.
Sheen considered
Carl’s nose
hair story: What could be worse than that?
I answered them truthfully, fear causing my voice to waver as I gulped:
Being
suffocated by massive amounts of sand granules…and never coming out.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Chiroptophobia
Lighting the
lantern
Professor Calamitous handed her, Cindy held the lone light high and
marched
into the cave, speaking robotically: How far back should we go, Master
Calamitous?
Professor
Calamitous shivered
as a bat screeched over his head: Let’s go somewhere, uh, um…
Cindy finished his
sentence:
Safe?
Calamitous nodded:
Yes, safe.
Safe and sound without the… (He covered his balding head with his black
gloved
hands, ducking down and dodging another flock of shrieking bats)…bats!!!
Cindy observed a
few bats
hanging from the ceiling of the cave: Do the bats bother you, Master
Calamitous?
Professor
Calamitous nodded
and answered: Quite frankly, I’m terrified of them. But don’t tell
anyone I
said that!
A fake grin
plastered itself
on Cindy’s face again: Your secret is safe with me, Master Calamitous.
As these words
escaped her
lips, a mammoth bat, eyes glowing a fierce scarlet red, awoke from the
ceiling
and began to fly towards Professor Calamitous with increasing speed.
Professor
Calamitous screamed
like a five-year-old girl as he ordered: EEEK! MAKE IT STOP!!!!!
Cindy stood
completely still
until the bat came around five feet from them and then sprung into
action. She
executed a flawless round off back
handspring towards the bat, landed on her feet then whacked the bat
with a
powerful high kick and sent it careening back into the cave with a
shrill cry
of pain. Cindy wiped her hands together, completing a job well done and
walked
back towards Professor Calamitous.
The Professor
stood, mouth
agape, eyes open wide and spoke: Well done, Assistant Vortex! That was
spectacular!
Cindy nodded and
answered:
Thank you, Master Calamitous. Shall we proceed?
Professor
Calamitous replied
with a nod: Of course; I see I have nothing to fear with you leading
the way.
Now carry on, Assistant Vortex! There must be some nook or cranny in
this cave
NOT infested with bats.
So Cindy continued
on into
the cave, taking out any bat that came the Professor’s way and scouring
the
cave for some area to rest for the night. But while they were
searching, the
Professor spotted something in the distance.
Calamitous squinted
his tiny
eyes and strained to see: What is that up there?
Cindy answered: I’m
not sure,
Master Calamitous. Would you like me to find out?
Professor
Calamitous gasped
and cowered behind Cindy: I don’t think that will be necessary…
Just then, what the
Professor
had caught a glimpse of entered the light…blazing red eyes and fierce
snarls
drenched their senses and even Cindy, brain washed as she was, felt her
heart
coming up in her throat.
Professor
Calamitous trembled
and, with a gasping breath ordered: Destroy them!!!
At first resistance
gripped
Cindy’s body, but the command of her “master” forced her into action
and she
edged closer and closer to the rabid beasts: Yes, sir!
Meanwhile, where we
five
stood, the sand storm swirled in the distance, the intense wind and
sand from
it beginning to whip around us. I was completely out of ideas. No
inventions in
my utility belt could prevent this storm from enclosing around us and
sweeping
us away…there was nothing I could do.
Libby stared
fearfully at the
enormous cloud of whirling sand: So this is it…
Carl cried: I don’t
want to
drown in the sand!
Sheen objected: You
can’t
drown in sand!
I shook my head and
corrected
them: It’s more like suffocating, guys…feeling the pressure of the sand
weigh
down on every inch of your body and then slowly running out of useable
air…
Libby plugged her
ears: Isn’t
it going to be bad enough when it happens? Do I really need to hear a
whole
lecture on it???
I inhaled a deep
breath and
glanced around urgently when suddenly…a smile swept my face.
Sheen glared at me:
What are
you smiling about? We’re about to be suffocated by the wrath of Selena!
Carl mumbled:
Selena’s not
real…
Sheen yelped: I
heard
that!!!!!
I finally spoke,
surprisingly
happy: We’re not going to die guys! We’re not going to suffocate!
Libby sighed: Okay,
Jimmy…you
stay in your little fantasy world but you’ve got to face reality…
I yelled excitedly:
No!
Follow me, everyone! There may be a way out of this storm yet!
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Saved By the Hole
Carl scratched his
head: So
we’re not going to die???
I exclaimed: No,
Carl! I
think I just found us a way out of this mess!
I sprinted a few
feet from
where all were and pointed down towards the ground.
Carl, Libby and
Sheen walked
up behind me and stared down at the sand in confusion.
Sheen breathed:
It’s a hole.
Libby pointed out:
It’s a
very dirty, sandy hole.
Carl added: It’s a
SMALL hole
that could make me very claustrophobic…
I told them with
joy: It’s
not JUST a dirty, small hole…it’s a hole that’s going to save our lives!
Sheen explained:
The only
time a hole ever saved anyone’s life was in Ultralord episode #348 when
a
raging swarm of plasmatic killer bees (Sheen began to buzz about,
imitating the
bees) from planet Grygor was chasing after Ultralord and just before
they
reached him, he fell into a large, Grygorian craterous hole and…
Libby angrily
grabbed Sheen by
the collar and pulled him close to her face: Would you PLEASE lay off
the
Ultralord stories for, like, five seconds?!?!
As Libby set him
back down,
Sheen smiled wryly: If I don’t, will you do that again?
Libby placed her
hands on her
hips: YES!!!
Sheen, with one
finger up,
smiled: In that case…Ultralord was then sucked into a portal where…
Libby caught onto
his scheme
and yelled: If you don’t stop, I’ll make…Carl body slam you!
This reached
Sheen’s ears and
all at once he stopped talking and pretended to zip up his lips and
throw the
key away.
Libby turned her
attention
back to the hole situation: So…how is the hole going to save our lives
again?
Carl tilted his
head and
commented: Yeah, it just looks like a…(His uncreative mind produced
nothing
)…hole.
I repeated: But
it’s not just
any old hole…it’s a fennec fox hole!
Carl, Libby and
Sheen stared
at me blankly and all replied at the same time: So…???
I went on to
explain:
So…fennec foxes are known for digging long holes that lead into dens
and come
up in other places such as caves or oases or other places we can take
shelter
from the storm in!
Carl cried: How are
we going
to fit in that tiny little hole?
Sheen agreed:
Yeah…Carl’s
never going to fit in there!
Carl crossed his
arms across
his barreled chest as Libby glanced up at the storm and screamed: The
storm is
getting’ bigger than Jimmy’s head!
Ignoring that quip,
I urged
them: Guys, we have no other choice! It’s either suffocate in the sand
storm or
take our chances in this foxhole! Make your decision!
Sheen’s brain
seemed fried as
he stood with a finger stroking his chin as if pondering: What was that
third
option again?
Libby shook her
head and,
with a sigh, began to climb into the hole: Are you guys comin’ or what?
Sheen saw that
Libby was
going and, without hesitation began to crawl into the hole behind her.
Goddard clinked
into the hole
as Carl wavered in indecision.
Carl still seemed
skeptical:
I don’t know, Jimmy…it’s very…small…and I’m very…not small…
I felt the sand
whipping
incessantly against my face and shrieked: Carl, just get in there!!!
Carl began to crawl
slower
than molasses into the hole; Urgently, I pushed him with all the
strength I
could conjure up, but his round body became lodged in the tight space.
Inside
the hole, Sheen and Libby were tugging at Carl’s arms, attempting to
pull him
into the hole.
My eyes grew wide
as the
storm rushed faster and faster towards us: I sure hope this works…
With those words, I
backed up
and, with a running start, rammed into Carl’s backside, shoving him
into the
hole (screaming all the way) and at the last possible second, I crawled
in
behind him and took shelter in the hole.
As soon as we’d all
arrived
safely inside, the sand storm raged over us; ear-pounding whooshing
sounds,
booming and scraping sounds resounded in our ears.
Sheen commended me:
Great
idea, Jimmy! Now we can just crawl right back out once the storm passes!
As soon as those
words
escaped his lips, a large pile of sand flooded the end of the hole,
caging us
into the dark foxhole with no other way out but what lay ahead of us.
Libby shook her
head with
fear: Wrong again…
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Follow the Pitch-Black Foxhole
Carl shrieked at
the top of
his lungs, pushing at the walls around him and trying to escape:
THERE’S NO WAY
OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I attempted to hold
Carl’s
flailing arms down: Carl, no! Doing that will just cause the hole to
collapse
on us!
Sheen, doing the
same thing,
quickly hid his hands behind his back and hypocritically scolded Carl:
Yeah,
Carl! What were you thinking?!?
Libby cried,
afraid: What are
we gonna’ do now?!?!
I pondered and
directed: I
suppose we’ll just have to follow this foxhole to wherever it leads.
Mostly all
fennec foxholes have another opening somewhere.
Sheen asked with
exaggerated
expressions: What if it leads to a gigantic mutated dragon’s lair?
Carl trembled:
D…d…dragon?!?!?!?!
Libby calmed him
with a sigh:
Don’t worry, Carl; dragons aren’t real.
I, in the back of
the group,
yelled: Can we just start moving in (I nodded ahead, though no one
could see
me) that direction so we can get out of this hole as soon possible?
Libby nodded: It
sounds like
a plan to me…let’s go guys!
Sheen called out:
Right
behind you, Libbs!
Trying to ignore
the nickname
and leading the way, Libby crawled on all fours deeper into the fox
hole, Carl,
Goddard, Sheen and I following right behind her.
All of a sudden
Carl stopped
ahead of me and I collided with his rear end.
I rolled my eyes:
What’s
wrong NOW, Carl?
Carl curled up into
a ball:
It’s kind of dark in here…
I tried to comfort
him: Well,
Libby and Sheen are right ahead of you so if anything scary comes, it
will get
them first!
Sheen and Libby
yelled
angrily: HEY!!!!!
I laughed and
pushed him
forward: Come on, Carl. The sooner you start going again the sooner we
get out
of this…dark…foxhole.
Carl agreed and
wobbled
forward, catching up to the other two with me pushing him further and
further
in. Thick darkness shrouded us as we continued, growing deeper and
murkier the
further we scurried into the hole. No sign of light or another opening
appeared
for what seemed like lifetimes. My knees began to burn from crawling
and
scrapes were etched across my hands from all the stones and sticks on
the
ground.
Libby breathed
tiredly: When
are we going to get there?
Sheen agreed: Yeah,
it’s been
like three hours!
Carl wiped his
sweating
forehead: More like twenty!!!
I urged them: Keep
going,
guys; I have a feeling it’s coming up soon.
And, as usual, I
was right. A
couple minutes later, we began to see a faint light glimmered from what
we
assumed was the end of the tunneling hole.
Carl yelled
frantically: Oh
no! I AM dying!!! I can see the bright light at the end of the
tunnel…I’m going
towards the bright light…
I grinned
excitedly: That IS
the end of the tunnel but you’re not dying! We’re almost out of here!
Carl, Libby, Sheen
and I all
cheered and Goddard barked excitedly; we would at last be out of this
shadow-enveloped, confining hole. And yet I still wondered where on
earth this
hole could lead to. The light ahead flickered as if from an artificial
light…I
had no clue what could possibly lay ahead.
Libby all of a
sudden halted
mid-crawl: I don’t think I want to go first. If anyone’s gonna’ get
eaten by a
mutant dragon, it’s gonna’ be one of you three…NOT me!
Sheen and Carl
looked at each
other then glanced back at me: JIMMY!!!!!
I sighed and began
to work my
way up to the front: You guys, there’s nothing to be afraid of up here.
I began to crawl
once again,
leading the pack until we were mere inches from the shining light ahead.
I could hear a
familiar
female voice agree: Yes, sir, Master Calamitous!
Libby contemplated:
Oh my
gosh…that sounded like…
My heart began to
beat a
thousand miles an hour as I whispered: It couldn’t be…
I reluctantly but
urgently
climbed up a bit and raised myself out of the hole only to be
confronted by
something that made me wish I had never escaped from the hole…
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Falsely Fearless
As I exited the
hole, several
confusing things surrounded me; to my right snarled three beast-like
animals,
small but vicious looking enough to make me believe they could take me
out in
the blink of an eye. They seemed to be fennec foxes, only rabid and a
great
deal fiercer. To my left stood Professor Calamitous, cowering behind
none other
than Cindy Vortex who was holding a lantern and proceeding straight
into the
crowd of angry foxes.
I screamed: Cindy,
what are
you doing?!?!
Libby yelled out of
the
darkness from behind me: Cindy?!?! See? I knew Cindy was up there!!!!!
Libby forcefully
pushed me
out of the hole and clambered up right after me to see Cindy but was
stunned
silent by the ravaging fennec foxes. Soon after, Goddard tinkered up
out of the
hole and stood by my side.
I could hear Sheen
tell Carl
back in the tunnel: If Libby’s going up there, then so am I!
Carl whined: Don’t
leave me!
So moments later,
Sheen and
Carl popped up out of the hole and joined our small huddle, staring
with mouths
agape at the foxes and at Cindy who was fearlessly approaching them.
Libby stepped in
front of Cindy:
Girl, what are you doing? Those things will eat you alive!
Cindy pushed Libby
with
impressive force out of her way and continued on.
Sheen rushed to
Libby’s side
as she lay strewn across the hard rocks, rubbing her head.
Sheen placed one
hand on his heart
and offered one to her: Dearest lady, taketh my hand and lifteth
thyself from
the stony ground…
Libby faintly
smiled, then
glared angrily at Sheen: Sheen, I appreciate your help but…GO HELP
CINDY!!!!
Sheen glanced over
at Cindy
then nodded: Of course, my lady…I shall go forth into the unknown….
Libby shouted:
GO!!!!!
Sheen raced over to
where
Carl and I were standing: What’s wrong with her?!
Carl pointed out:
Yeah, she’s
all robot like and not freaking out (he ducked down and
trembled)...like I am…
Professor
Calamitous ordered:
Destroy the foxes, Assistant Vortex!!!
I turned to
Calamitous and
shrieked: What have you done to her?!?
Professor
Calamitous giggled
then explained his deed: I simply placed her under mind control and
now…she
does whatever I say.
Carl, Libby, and I
gasped.
Sheen grinned:
COOL!!!!! (He
sprinted over to Professor Calamitous and began to shake him with a
request)
Tell her to dance, tell her to dance!
The Professor
sighed: Oh, all
right. Dance, Assistant Vortex!
Without hesitation,
Cindy
began to dance about, busting out disco moves and shuffling her feet,
eyes
fixed on the wall with no emotion behind her movement whatsoever.
Sheen and Professor
Calamitous began to laugh hysterically and I stared at Sheen.
I yelled, livid:
Sheen! Whose
side are you on?!?!
Sheen’s eyes
shifted then he
said: Oh…right. (He slapped Professor Calamitous, still suppressing a
laugh)
Make her stop…that’s not funny!!!
Professor
Calamitous
commanded: Assistant Vortex, stop dancing and destroy the foxes!
Immediately Cindy
ceased
dancing and started at the foxes again while agreeing: Yes, sir, Master
Calamitous!
Before I could stop
her,
Cindy started a brawl with the first fox; with gnarling teeth it
pounced at
her, but her right leg flew up in a perfect kick and knocked the fox
against
the wall where it soon lay motionless.
Libby bit her nails
off to
the side as she watched: Cindy, be careful!!!
Not hearing or
caring about
Libby’s warning, Cindy moved on to the second fox; it leapt forward to
attack
her leg and sink its sharp claws into her calf but, doing a round off
back hand
spring over it, she grabbed the fox by the tail and flung it deep into
the
cave. A loud “thud” resounded.
Carl covered his
eyes with
his chubby fingers and cried: I can’t watch!
Now it was time for
Cindy to
confront the third fox. Now this fennec fox was larger than the other
two, more
ferocious and obviously stronger. Its teeth seemed twice as long, claws
three
times as sharp. Cindy, without a hint of fear in her eyes, sprung
towards the
fox and, just when she looked like she was ready to attack, she sat
down on the
ground beside it.
Professor
Calamitous slapped
his gloved hands to his face irately: What are you doing?!?!
Just when the fox
was about
to devour her, Cindy pulled the fox in with her feet, wrapped her legs
around
it, twisted then pushed her legs forward, sending the fox flying and
wailing,
colliding with a large boulder yards away.
She picked herself
up off the
ground then turned around to face Professor Calamitous: Was that to
your
approval, Master Calamitous?
Professor
Calamitous smiled:
Yes, Assistant Vortex. Good job!
A fake smile swept
across
Cindy’s face but it was then that I noticed it…that last fennec fox’s
crimson
eyes snapped suddenly open and it was bounding mercilessly back towards
her…
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Smally Big-Big or Sheen?
I could barely even
breathe
as I tried to decide what to do. Was I supposed to save Cindy and risk
my own
life or let the fox attack her? I thought maybe it would serve her some
good.
Then I would feel the revenge I’d longed for ever so deeply since she
became my
rival. It would be pay back for all of the horrible things she’d done
to me in
the past. But it was just then that I had a series of flashbacks:
I saw Cindy saving
my life on
that show we were forced into: Win, Lose and Kaboom, I saw her in my
lab that
day the love potion made me fall in love with her, looking at me with
green
eyes full of care and compassion instead of the usual hatred and anger,
I saw
her once again pleading with me to stay on the island with her when we
were
stranded and I remembered how her hand felt in mine…and I knew I could
never
let anything happen to her.
A wave of bravery
and
confidence swept my body and I knew then what I had to do.
Sheen noticed that
I looked
as if I was about to do something crazy: Jimmy…what are you doing???
Carl tried to hold
me back:
Jimmy, don’t go!!!
I coached to myself
out loud:
I have no other choice.
The vicious fox
pounded
towards Cindy and crouched down, preparing to pounce. Without
hesitation I
jolted forward, leapt onto its back and began to fight against it in
any way I
could. I sunk my fists into the hairy flesh, yanking out handfuls of
sand-filled fur and whammed my feet into its sides.
Cindy all of a
sudden whirled
around to face the fox’s and my brawl, dust clouds emerging from
beneath us and
howls of pain escaping from both of us. She started towards me as if
ready to
help and for a mere moment in her eyes I caught a glimpse of fear and
concern
as she bit her lower lip until…
Professor
Calamitous
commanded: Stay put, Assistant Vortex! Do not assist him!
Then all of a
sudden all
those emotions in her eyes faded to gray and she just stood there
watching
carelessly.
Carl began to cry:
I don’t
want to look! (He turned away) I want my mommy!
Professor
Calamitous rubbed
his hands together and schemed with a menacing laugh: Haha, this is a
much
better way to be rid of Jimmy Neutron! And I have a front row seat!
Libby glanced at
Sheen and
Carl: There must be some way we can help!
Sheen made the
motion of
rolling up his sleeves and, with a deep voice, nodded bravely: I’m
going in.
Sheen marched over
to the fox
and me and hopped into the scrap; he began to grasp at chunks of the
fox’s fur,
keeping it occupied while I held it down and tried to hit it into
submission.
All of a sudden, in the striving struggle, I felt the fox collapse
beneath my
weight and cease its fight. At last we had defeated it.
Professor
Calamitous squeaked
disappointedly: NOOOO!!!!!
Carl turned halfway
around
and whined: Is it over yet?
Sheen and I rose up
off the
animal, dusting ourselves off. I noticed Sheen cradling his arm,
wincing.
I asked him
frightfully:
Sheen, what happened to your arm?!?!
Sheen removed his
hand from
his arm and revealed several deep gouges from the fox’s claws on his
right
bicep.
Libby gasped and
shuffled
speedily over to him, taking him by the other arm and sitting him down
against
a large rock. She pulled a pink jeweled handkerchief
with a picture of a rapper on it from her
pocket and gazed at it.
Libby sighed to
herself: My
favorite Smally Big Big hanky…
But nonetheless,
Libby took
the handkerchief and wrapped it around Sheen’s arm, tying it tightly to
stop
the bleeding.
Sheen winced and
screamed at
the pain: AHHH! Ouch, that hurts!
Libby rested her
hand on
Sheen’s shoulder and gazed comfortingly into his eyes: Don’t worry,
Sheen;
this’ll help.
Carl glanced over
and noticed
the red stain on the handkerchief around Sheen’s arm: Is that…blood???
All of a sudden
Carl’s eyes
rolled upwards and he fell over, fainting.
Professor
Calamitous glared
at me angrily: You think that fox was the last of your worries? Well
think
again! (He turned to order Cindy) Assistant Vortex (He lifted a bony
finger and
pointed at me)…destroy Jimmy Neutron!!!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Mortal Enemy Showdown
My breath caught in
my throat
with fear as I watched Cindy march robotically around to face me with
heartless
eyes. There was no way I could defeat her…especially since Professor
Calamitous
had seized control of her mind which meant she had no care as to what
damage
she could do to me.
Cindy began to
charge at me
ruthlessly, ready to do just as Professor Calamitous commanded, destroy
me, and
I knew she could do it too.
Libby screamed,
gnawing away
at her nails: Cindy, stop!!!
Sheen’s eyes
fluttered open
from resting: It won’t help…she’s under evil mind control like when
Captain
Corruptive of Planet Zurgor put Ultralord under mind control in Episode
#616...
Libby placed a
finger on
Sheen’s lips to quiet him; she watched in horror as Cindy advanced
toward the
trembling boy genius who stood breathless without a plan.
Professor
Calamitous giggled
with satisfaction as his eyes soaked in the sight of Cindy sprinting
towards
me, her eyes flashing with forced anger and her limbs ready for action.
Just
witnessing her impressive battle with the foxes mere minutes ago, I
knew I had
no chance against her.
I didn’t know what
to do; was
I supposed to fight Cindy and risk hurting her or let her win and
annihilate
me? While pondering this thought, I caught sight of Cindy’s fist,
flying
straight towards my head…but in an almost involuntary motion I lifted
my arm
and blocked her punch. Pulling back abruptly, I could tell she was
surprised at
my sudden action, so she tried again. She attempted a karate chop at my
neck
but I quickly ducked and evaded the shot and bobbed up again.
Professor
Calamitous yelled
with dismay: You can’t do that! You’re supposed to let her destroy
you!!!
I laughed and
answered: Not
in this lifetime, Calamitous!!!
As I turned to
speak these
words to him, I got distracted and at last Cindy grabbed hold of me;
she
clutched me by my the collar of my shirt, raising me off the ground and
growling with fierce anger. My eyes lit up with fear; she was ready to
tear me
to pieces.
Professor
Calamitous shouted
from the sidelines: Finish him off!!!
Carl, Libby and
Sheen all
shrieked at the same time: NO!!!!!
Libby cried: Cindy,
don’t!!!
Sheen shouted: Put
my friend
down!!!
Carl whined: This
isn’t how
it’s supposed to end!!!
No one’s shouts
could make
her stop; she ignored every word. Cindy’s cold eyes reflected the fierce sting of the ice her heart was now
made of. Her fist tightened into a grip that would suffocate my shirt
if it
were a living being. And so I, in one last effort to save my own life
and
restore Cindy, began to plead with her.
I breathed calmly,
trying to
change her evilly controlled mind: Please, Cindy…don’t. Don’t you
remember me?
Jimmy Neutron…I know we hated each other for a long time but things
have
changed …don’t you remember when our brains switched places, or when we
had to
work on that science project together, or when I saved you from the
giant snake
on that island? Please try to remember…please…
Cindy seemed
unyielding for a
moment, but then it was as if my words soaked in and her emotionless
eyes
glazed with compassionate tears; taking a deep breath, she slowly
lowered me
back onto the ground.
Professor
Calamitous tossed
his hands into the air: What are you doing?!?! Destroy him!!!!
I gazed into
Cindy’s emerald
green eyes and waited to see if she would listen to my words or
Professor
Calamitous’s…
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Fading Away
Cindy’s eyes seemed
to glaze
over with a distant, lost look as her hands fell back down to her
sides. She
just stared into nothingness.
I tilted my head
and tried to
get a glimpse of what she was thinking: Cindy…?
Professor
Calamitous
commanded from afar: Assistant Vortex! Come here this instant!!!
She made no
movement that
hinted what she was going to do; she only stood motionless in front of
me.
Libby asked with
concern:
What’s wrong with her?
Carl commented with
a
chuckle: Yeah, she looks like she just saw a ghost (he
cowered)…ahhhhhh!!!! Are
there ghosts in here?!?!
Carl began to hop
around, his
eyes bolting around in all directions and making sure no ghost would
jump out
of no where at him. As he was searching behind a stalagmite, Sheen
popped out
from behind it and screamed “BOO!” into Carl’s terrified ears.
Carl shrieked:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Libby turned to
face them
angrily with her hands on her hips: Will you guys turn it down a few
decibels?
Can’t you see we have a situation here?!?!
I didn’t even
notice Carl and
Sheen’s little charade behind me; I couldn’t concentrate on anything
but that
far-away, spaced out look in Cindy’s eyes.
Professor
Calamitous yelled:
Assistant Vortex!!!
Nothing happened.
Then all of
a sudden her hands fly upwards to her head as if holding it in immense
pain and
then her eyes seemed to fade away, roll upwards and then I watched her
begin to
fall towards me as if fainting. Without even thinking about it twice,
my hands
shot out immediately and I caught her in my arms.
Libby cried and ran
to her
side: CINDY!!!
Professor
Calamitous shouted:
What have you done to her???
I observed Cindy’s
head with
fear: No, what have YOU done to her? (I brushed her hair away from the
area of
her head she was cradling with pain) That mind control helmet must’ve
done some
serious damage to her brain…
Libby panicked and
questioned: So what does that mean?
I looked over at
Libby: You
see this state she’s in right now? Like she’s asleep…
Libby nodded her
head and
urged me to continue.
I sighed with a
sickness
knotting in my stomach: She might never come out of it…
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure
Carl overheard part
of our
conversation and came waddling over: She’s gonna’ wake up, right?
I glanced over at
Carl with
glazed eyes and said nothing.
Carl asked again:
Right?
Sheen marched up:
Bah! She’s
just sleeping!
He slapped her
across the
face in an attempt to wake her but her head only moved in the direction
of the
slap and fell back down onto my arm where it had been.
I caught his hand
in mid air
as he was about to slap again: Sheen, no! Don’t make it any worse!
Professor
Calamitous shrugged
his shoulders and squeaked: Well, she’s no use to me now. She was going
to end
up like that in the end anyhow.
Libby glared back
at him,
fury burning on her face.
I shook my head,
baffled by
his lack of compassion as I glanced down at the motionless blonde girl
in my
arms: How could you say that?
Professor
Calamitous ignored
my question, pulled the robot block from his pocket and pressed the
button on
it; it unfolded and grew huge again, breaking open the ceiling of the
cave and leaving
a gaping hole that exposed the night sky, studded with stars that
seemed ugly
in light of all that was occurring beneath them.
Professor
Calamitous climbed
up into his robot: Later, kiddies! I have a tomb to find!
Sheen shook his
head with a
yawn: Gee, doesn’t that guy ever sleep?
Carl commented: Can
we just
take a (He curled up on the ground and yawned) little nap?
Libby inquired: But
won’t he
get to the stones first?
I sighed and
lowered Cindy
gently down onto the ground: We really have no other choice but to stay
here
for the night, Libby. We can’t outrun that robot, especially when we’re
sleep
deprived. Plus, maybe a night’s rest will do Cindy some good…carrying
her
around all night in the cold air won’t do her any good.
Libby glanced over
at Sheen
and Carl who had fallen fast asleep, all curled up together: So I
should just
sleep?
I nodded: If you
can.
Libby questioned:
What about
you?
I told her: Since
the storm
has apparently passed, I’m going out to try to find this plant…the
ocotillo
plant. It only blooms after a storm. Ancient Egyptians used to eat its
flower
petals to restore memory and reduce head pain after a concussion. I’m
thinking,
if I find it in time, it might help Cindy.
Libby yawned:
Sounds like a
good plan to me…(She pointed to Sheen and Carl)…I’ll be here with
Tweedle Dee
and Tweedle Dum.
Libby laid herself
down on
the ground close to Cindy; Goddard clunked down beside her.
With a quick nod I
began to
traverse out towards the entrance of the cave to find the
plant that would hopefully save Cindy. But
just as I drew close to the mouth of the cave, I caught sight of
something
swooping towards my head….
CHAPTER THIRTY
Just A Nightmare or Foreshadowing of Things
to Come?
I gasped as the
shadow dove
down towards my head then pulled back up and screeched above me; it was
just a
bat. I squinted my eyes and looked ahead, catching sight of hundreds of
perched
on stalagmites, hanging from the ceiling and crawling on the walls
ahead of me.
Their violent ruby eyes threatened me and I began to think twice about
passing
through that way.
I whispered to
myself: Maybe
I’ll just get it in the morning…
Turning back slowly
so as not
to disturb any bats, I crept back down through the cave, at last
reaching the
area where Carl, Cindy, Goddard, Libby and Sheen were.
Libby still lay
awake,
holding up Cindy’s head in her lap when I returned.
She asked quietly:
Did you
get the plant?
I shook my head and
answered:
The entrance is blocked by bats…I don’t think there will be any plants
nearby
anyways.
Libby glanced down
the cave
and watched a bat flutter by; cringing she said: I don’t blame you.
I kneeled down
beside her:
So, how’s she doing?
Libby sighed: She
hasn’t
moved yet…
I breathed deeply
and glanced
up out of the hole Professor Calamitous’s robot had created and gazed
at the
glistening moon: I guess only time will tell. For now, you should get
some
rest. (I yawned and leaned back) In fact…we should all get some rest.
Libby lowered
herself down
onto the ground again: I agree. ‘Night Jimmy, see ya in the mornin’.
I nodded: Goodnight…
Sleep claimed with
quickly,
with the sound of the desert coyotes howling at the moon and the gentle
rushing
of sandy wind outside the cave lulling me to sleep. But after a few
hours of
peaceful sleep, I found myself encompassed in a dreadful nightmare…
I was in a
hospital, sitting
in the waiting room when a doctor came out with a depressing look on
his face.
I heard myself
inquire of the
doctor: How is she?
The doctor shook
his head:
She’s…she’s not waking up.
I yelled: WHAT?!?!
You have
to do something!
The doctor calmly
explained:
I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do…
Before I could
argue, the
doctor turned his back on me and shuffled out of the waiting room,
leaving me
behind, answerless.
I woke up in a cold
sweat, on
the verge of screaming my lungs out. As I lay there on the firm, rocky
ground
thinking over the dream and glancing over at Cindy’s breathless body, I
began
to imagine life without her…no competition at the science fair, no one
always
there across the street, no one to help me turn things around when my
inventions would go wrong…and as I pondered all of this, I felt tears
coming to
my eyes.
I inhaled a deep
breath and
did my best to contain the teardrops that pushed endlessly at my
resistant
eyes. My tired eyes traveled up to that gaping opening in the ceiling
once more
and I found myself gazing off into the moon…the same moon that shone
over
Retroville. I wondered if Cindy would ever get to see this moon from
Retroville
ever again…and if I would ever view it with her again. I swallowed hard
but the
lump in my throat would not retreat. I forced my eyes to close and
forced
myself to try to forget the girl who rested just feet away from me…the
girl
whose fragile life lay in my hands.
The rest of the
night was all
a blur to me; after that I dozed off every once in a while but woke up
every
five or ten minutes, and before I knew it I had spent nearly a whole
night
sleepless as I watched the hot sun climb into the sky above me. That
day was a
brand new day, a day that held more adventure than I had ever bargained
for…if
only I had known…
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Life Left Unlived
As soon as the sun
tucked the
moon in for the day and rose to prominence in the morning sky, I sprung
up from
the ground to check on Cindy. It looked as if she hadn’t moved all
night, and
I’d never seen her looking so lifeless. The excitement of hoping she’d
be awake
drained from my body and was quickly replaced by doubt filled fears. I
began to
wonder if that horrific nightmare I’d experienced would actually come
true and
I turned my back to her motionless body, holding back emotions I had no
desire
to deal with. Just as I shifted I heard something stir and with hope I
whirled
myself around…only to find Libby who’d just awoken and was only seeing
if her
best friend was all right. Once again my happiness dissolved and I took
a deep,
sorrowful breath.
Libby brushed
Cindy’s golden
hair back from her face and shook her head: Still nothin’.
I nodded, stoic: I
know…I’m
going to try to find that plant…can you wake up Sheen and Carl for me?
Libby glanced over
at them;
Carl’s arms were around Sheen, Sheen’s legs were all curled up in
Carl’s, and
they were fast asleep.
Libby giggled: I
wish Cindy
was awake to see this…
As I exited the
cave I began
to think again; Cindy wasn’t awake to see the hilarious scene that Carl
and
Sheen had just provided; what else would she miss? She would miss the
science
fair, Christmas, her sweet 16th birthday party, going to
college,
getting married…she’d only had a short time to live her life and to cut
it off
now, I thought, would be a crime. She would never get to experience all
the
wonderful aspects of life that I would if she never awakened…and it was
then
that I began to feel guilty.
I began to ponder
in my brain
how I could’ve saved her; if I would’ve gone into that false tomb first
or with
her, she would’ve never gotten captured. As I contemplated all this I
began to
convince myself that it was my fault, and a shock of disappointment in
myself
swept my entire body as I moped out of the cave.
Libby spoke softly:
Sheen…wake up…
Sheen’s eyes
fluttered open a
bit but closed before he caught sight of Carl and, hearing Libby’s
voice, he
thought that he was next to Libby and whispered: Good morning, Libbs;
can I
have a good morning kiss?
Sheen puckered up
and as he
did, Libby kicked Carl in the backside, arousing him from his sleep,
and his
eyes snapped open.
Carl screamed at
the sight of
Sheen’s lips coming towards him: AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Sheen opened his
eyes again
and saw that it was Carl he was leaning in for: AHHHHH! BLECK!!!!
Quickly untangling
themselves, the boys shot up from their positions on the ground, Carl
making a
futile attempt to brush himself off and Sheen wiping his lips on his
arm as if
they were contaminated.
Carl shrieked as he
went
spastic trying to clean himself off: AHHH! Now I’ve got Sheen cooties
all over
me!
Sheen yelled at
Carl:
Cooties?!?! That’s nothing! I almost lip wrestled with you! (He wiped
his lips
once again) For the love of Ultralord, that is just WRONG!!!
While all this was
going on,
Libby stood by laughing hysterically, enjoying their surprising waking
moments
while I safely made my way out of the cave and off to find the plant.
Oh, how I
prayed that plant would awaken her…
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Lifeless Desert…Lifeless Girl
As I wandered out
of the
cave, my eyes drank in the destruction from the storm that had occurred
the
previous night; cactuses were ripped up by the roots and strewn across
the
wind-chiseled sand dunes along with a few other plants uprooted and
torn to
pieces by the sandstorm. I was taking this all in when all of a sudden
I heard
something creeping up behind me and…
Sheen screamed in
my ear:
Jimmy!!!!
I jumped five feet
into the
air with a shriek, my heart racing rapidly; I hadn’t nearly expected
Sheen to
be there behind me.
I turned around
only to see
that Carl, Goddard, Libby and Sheen were all behind me, Libby holding a
limp
Cindy in her arms.
I screamed at
Sheen,
regaining my breath: SHEEN!!! Don’t do that!!!
Sheen chuckled and,
with an
upturned palm, told Carl: See! I told you I could scare him!
Carl reluctantly
reached into
his pocket, retrieved a quarter and pressed it into Sheen’s eager hand
which
quickly received the quarter and shoved it into his own pocket.
I shook my head:
You had a
bet going…and you bet a quarter. Just a quarter?
Carl yelled
defensively: Just
a quarter?!? That’s the entirety of my weekly gumball fund!
Sheen rolled his
eyes: How
stupid is that? A gumball fund?!?!
Libby asked Sheen,
targeting
his weakness: Well I bet you’ve got an Ultralord fund…
Sheen opened his
mouth to
object but abruptly closed it again when he realized he couldn’t object.
I found myself
laughing for
the first time since Cindy had been captured but immediately stopped
myself as
I stared at her still, helpless body hanging from Libby’s arms.
I breathed,
desperate: I’ve
got to find that plant, guys…it’s her only hope right now…
Carl raised one
hand to his
forehead to shade his eyes from the intense sun and gazed across the
horizon:
How are you gonna’ find it, Jim? It looks like all the plants here are
dead…
I sighed, scanning
the
lifeless desert that surrounded us: You seem to be right, Carl.
Libby shifted Cindy
in her
arms and inquired: Isn’t there another part of the desert that didn’t
get all
ripped up by the storm that we could check out?
I scratched my
head: We might
just have to do that…(I walked over to where Libby was standing and
gently felt
Cindy’s head, listened for a heart beat, then checked her
breathing)…but I
don’t know how much longer she has…
Just then I heard Carl’s voice; it seemed to waver as he whined: Or how
much
longer WE have…
I asked as I turned
slowly
around: Carl, what are you talking about?…
At the end of my
sentence, my
jaw dropped and I gasped at the towering shadow before me…
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Medjayuan Warning
I stared up at a
merciless
looking man, his clothing made up of black, sand-worn fabrics loosely
draped
from his body, his skin dark and tough like leather, his face chiseled
from the
desert winds and intense heat. He sat atop a dusty colored camel with
long,
shaggy hair that nearly covered its eyes, clumps of dirt ensnared in
it, firm
in its stance and covered in bags and weaponry. It seemed to me that
the camel
had a fierce air about it, its eyes reflecting red against the sunlight
and
grunting every so often as if impatient.
I finally sputtered
a few
words, gazing up at the sight before me: I can’t believe it…
Libby gazed at an
enormous
sword that glimmered from underneath a cloth strapped on the camels
back: What?
That a sword could be that big?
Sheen commented:
No, that a
camel could be that ugly.
Carl disagreed with
both of
them: No…that he’s not riding a llama!
I glared back at
Carl and
turned around quickly to face the man; words trembled from my lips:
S…s…sir? Is
there anything we can…do for you?
The man spoke
clearly,
clipped and forcefully: Yes. Leave this place and never return.
Libby blurted
obliviously:
Yeah right! We’ve gotta…
Jolting back to
where she was
standing, I slapped my hand across her mouth…an opening that could
speedily get
us into deeper trouble than I was ready for.
I watched as his
stern
expression ignited into anger; I corrected her: Uh, what she means
is…thanks
for the warning…what’s the occasion?
He glanced back and
forth
slowly then replied: You need no occasion to leave this desert. Surely
you will
die if you remain here. (He nodded at Cindy’s lifeless body dangling in
Libby’s
arms). I see this accursed place has already claimed one of yours.
A hurt and
defensive
expression swept my face as I tried to convince him and even myself:
She’s not
dead!!!!!
He shook his head
slowly,
turned his eyes downward, then gazed back at me: If she is not now,
then she
will be. (He nodded at Carl, Libby and Sheen) Along with the rest of
you.
I tried to assure
him: We’ll
leave…as soon as we finish something…do you know where a tomb might be?
His eyes opened
wide and he
glared into my blue eyes: DO NOT enter the tomb. There are evils within
beyond
comprehension…it is not worth risking your lives. Many have entered,
few have
returned. You are young, your lives are still ahead of you. Turn around
and
return to the place of whence you came…it is best that way for all of
your
sakes. Especially for the blonde one there (He turned his attention to
Cindy).
If you enter that tomb, she will undoubtedly pass before you can save
her.
I gazed back at
Cindy then
back at the man atop the camel. My heartbeat raced inside me.
The man uttered a
few last
words: Heed my warnings…save yourselves.
Quickly he turned
his camel
around and trotted speedily into the desert wilderness, disappearing
quickly
into the sea of sand, his silhouette melting in the waves of heat.
I shook my head in
disbelief
and stared out into the direction the man had departed in.
Sheen waved a hand
in front
of my face: Earth to Jimmy, Earth to Jimmy…(When I didn’t respond he
looked
back at the others)…Houston, we have a problem!
Carl trembled with
fear:
Jimmy…what’s wrong?
Libby added: Yeah,
why did
you say “I can’t believe it” before?
I tuned back into
reality and
answered them slowly: That was a Medjayuan warrior…a warrior from the
eastern
deserts of Nubia…
Sheen’s brain
seemed fried:
So?
I whirled around to
face
them: Medjayuan warriors were last seen in 2200 B.C. …
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Guardian Angel
Libby repeated,
surprised:
2200 B.C.?!?!
Sheen commented:
So? That’s
only, like…(He counted on his fingers)…twenty years ago!
I looked at Sheen:
Sheen,
that was over 4,000 years ago.
Libby reasoned: How
is it
possible for someone to stay alive 4,000 years?
I told her: It’s
not…it’s not
scientifically possible or mathematically correct…but it’s possible
that their
clan has hidden somewhere in the desert for several millennia. The
legend of
their kind is that they only appeared when a life-altering event was
about to
occur. They were kind of like guardian angels, warning people of things
to
come. But that’s just a myth, of course.
Carl whined: Well
shouldn’t
we listen to him anyways? I don’t wanna’ die yet! There’s lots of
things I
still wanna’ do…
Sheen jeered: Let
me
guess…pet a llama, ride a llama and own a llama.
Carl held his
finger up in
the air, mouth open, as if to add another activity to the list until
Sheen
jutted in once more.
Sheen concluded:
Oh…and BE a
llama.
It looked like the
wind got
knocked out of Carl as he lowered his finger, closed his mouth and
began to
shyly kick the sand around his feet: Yes…
Libby glanced down
at Cindy’s
body lying limply in her arms: We can’t go to the tomb, Jimmy.
I exclaimed,
urgent: Libby,
we have to! Otherwise Professor Calamitous is going to initiate world
domination!
Libby cried: But if
we do,
Cindy’s not gonna’ make it…
I took a deep
breath,
absorbed her words and, attempting to push away any personal feelings,
spoke
logically: If we don’t then EVERYONE suffers…not just Cindy. Turning
back now
is not an option.
Sheen slid closer
to Libby,
his injured arm facing her: I agree with Libbs
…let’s get out of this place! There’s no water, it’s hot, and
worst of
all…
Carl tried to fill
in the
blank as his stomach rumbled: There’s no food?!?!
Sheen excused his
answer with
a wave of his hand: Psh, no. There’s no T.V. to watch Ultralord!!!
Libby rolled her
eyes and
commented sarcastically: No Ultralord! Oh no…we’re ALL doomed now…
I told them: Guys,
I have a
good feeling about the plant…if we can just find it, then I’m hoping
and
praying it will wake Cindy from this coma she seems to be in. If not…
Libby’s eyes glazed
with
tears: If not…what?
I finished the
sentence
abruptly, glancing down at the ground and trying to avoid eye contact
with
Libby: Then I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do.
Those words
resurrected a
flashback of the dream I’d received the night before back into my mind
and I
bit my lip, holding back a wave of struggling emotions. We HAD to find
that
plant.
I urged them: Okay
guys,
we’ve got to find it…NOW…
Carl’s eyes darted
back and
forth: But everything is dead!
I yelled, frenzied:
Then look
for it on the way there!
Sheen picked up a
rock: Is
this it?
I shook my head:
No, Sheen.
Libby adjusted
Cindy’s weight
in her arms: Then what does it look like?
I explained:
Another name for
it is the “vine cactus”…its appearance looks like that of an
arrangement of
dead sticks but up close you will see tiny red buds on the ends and
small ovate
green leaves jutting from all over the branches. It can grow to be a
height of
around 10 cm high and is found…
Sheen stopped me:
Okay, okay
I get the picture! Can we just start looking for it instead of
listening to you
lecture us about it?!?!
I impatiently
answered: Good
idea, Sheen. (I glanced at all of them) Everyone…(I pointed out into
the desert
in the direction the Direction Doctor 3000 located the tomb)…move out!!!
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Is This It?
We trudged through
the
endless sea of sand for hours, not spotting the plant anywhere. I was
certain
that we were headed in the right direction, but what I was not certain
of was
how long it would take to arrive at the tomb or how long it would be
until we
came upon the ocotillo plant. The merciless, scorching sun only caused
us to
drag our feet slower, and at last it was mid afternoon. I knew that as
soon as
the sun went down, I would collapse into a deep sleep.
Carl’s heavy body
staggered
through the sand, on the verge of passing out: Are we there YET?
Sheen added: We’ve
been
walking for a million bazillion hours!
Libby glanced over
at a
frizzy braid of her jet black hair and gasped: Do you have any idea how
much
the sun is damaging my hair?!?!
I held the
Direction Doctor
3000 out in front of me, my arm wavering from weakness: Only a few
more…dozen
miles…
Carl shrieked:
Miles?!? (He
began to scratch himself) Long distances give me rashes!
Sheen agreed: Yeah,
this is
ridcu…riculud…(he tried to pronounce “ridiculous” but gave up)…lame!
I tried to
encourage him:
Come on, Sheen…what would Ultralord do?
Sheen pondered this
a moment
then told me: Ultralord would turn on his cybertronic Ritridian
jetpacks and
FLY to the tomb!
I sighed,
surrendering and
continued to shuffle forward.
Libby whined: My
arms are getting
tired!
Sheen popped his
head over
her shoulder: Want a massage?
Libby retorted with
disgust:
Ugh, never! What I want is someone else to carry Cindy! She’s my girl
and all
but toting her through endless miles of sand in 105 degree weather for
six hours
is enough! (Her arms began to sag underneath Cindy’s weight) Who wants
her?
Sheen answered
quickly: Not
me! My arms have to stay open just in case you change your mind about
that
massage. (He waggled his eyebrows)
Libby rolled her
eyes and
turned to Carl: How about you?
Carl flexed his
bony arms;
the lack of muscles drooped: I guess I could…since I’ve been working
out…
Libby passed Cindy
into
Carl’s arms which in turn sunk immediately to the ground. He grunted
and tried
with all his strength to lift her off the sand but alas failed.
Libby scooped
Cindy’s
motionless body up off the ground and commented sarcastically: Working
out,
huh?
Libby then turned
to me.
I gazed at Cindy,
her body so
fragile, her face once full of life and happiness now drained and pale.
If we
didn’t find the plant, I concluded, I could at least be there, close to
her, in
her last hours. Emotions surged through me but, like many times before,
I chose
to ignore them.
At last I
involuntarily
offered: I’ll take her.
Libby carefully
lowered Cindy
into my arms; I gently pulled her in, adjusted her weight and held her
gently
up then started to walk again.
We continued on for
another
hour or so, Sheen picking up everything he saw from rocks to sticks to
scorpions and asking, “Is this it?” Repeatedly I answered with a
no…every item
he showed me seemed to get farther and farther from what the plant
would look
like and pretty soon he was weighing on my last nerve.
Sheen grabbed a
beetle from
the sand: Is this it?!?!
Carl, Libby and I
all shouted
simultaneously: NO!!!
I yelled,
irritated: NOW STOP
ASKING!!!
Sheen crossed his
arms across
his Ultralord T-shirt and held his head high: Fine, if you don’t want
my help…
Carl, Libby and I
immediately
answered again: WE DON’T!!!
Goddard agreed:
Bark BARK!!!
I shook my head
with
frustration and glanced down at Cindy’s unresponsive body in my arms;
staring
into her expressionless face was frighteningly nerve wracking. I kept
expecting
her to wake up and with a smile exclaim, “Haha, I got you Neutron!” I
used to
hate it when she called me by my last name; it even provoked me to
further
argue with her when she gave me those nicknames. But now watching her,
silent
and emotionless, I realized that I would give anything in the world
just to
hear her speak again.
Suddenly my thought
bubble
was burst by a crunching noise; it sounded like Sheen stepped on
something like
a scorpion then picked it up. I heard Sheen’s repetitive voice: Is this
it???
No one even
bothered to look
back at him.
I yelled angrily,
losing hope:
NO Sheen!!!
Sheen sighed,
shrugged his
shoulders, then carelessly threw behind him…the ocotillo plant…
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Accidental Miracle
By the time the
golden sun
was setting over the silent sand dunes, my arms were nearly numb from
supporting
Cindy's weight and my legs cramped and nearly collapsed beneath my
weary body.
We had marched on for hour after endless hour without even catching a
glimpse
of a living plant, let alone the ocotillo plant.
Sheen slowly turned
his head
to face me: Jimmy, if I make it out of here alive, remind me to never
EVER go
with you on another one of your adventures.
Carl nodded: I'm in
for that
deal too.
Libby told me in an
exhausted
yet panicky voice: Jimmy, in that robot, Professor Calamitous is gonna'
get to
that tomb before us! We'll never beat him to it anyways!
I assured her: Oh
yes we
will.
Libby glared at me:
Okay, I
know you're a genius and all, but the heat must be gettin' to your big
head.
Cuz there is no way that we could go faster on foot than a huge robot
that
flies...even I know that!
Sheen agreed: YEAH!
Even she
knows that!
Carl all of a
sudden tuned
in: Who knows what? (He grasped his head) I'M SO CONFUSED!
Libby asked,
skeptical: And
how can you be so sure that we'll get there first again?
I explained: When a
robotic
devise is confined into a small area for any period of time like it was
when
Professor Calamitous had it in his pocket, the robot must fully
recharge itself
for 24 hours or else it will break down and then recharge.
Sheen began to
entertain
himself with a beetle that landed on his shirt: So...
I concluded:
So...Professor
Calamitous is most likely stranded out in the middle of no where right
now
waiting for his robot to recharge...there's a pretty good chance that
we will
get to the tomb around the same time that he does, if not before.
Carl interrupted:
So can we
PLEASE stop walking now and SLEEP!?!?
I sighed, my body
desperately
crying out for rest but my mind and heart begging my body to continue
until we
found the plant.
Libby straightened
her shirt:
Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me...I need my beauty sleep!
Sheen fluttered his
eyelashes
and grabbed Libby's hand: Like you need it...
Libby's hand
quickly snapped
back; repulsed, she retorted: Maybe I don't but...you could sure use
some...
I stopped the
conversation
before it progressed any more and reluctantly surrendered to my weak
body:
Alright, let's stop for the night.
As soon as the last
word
escaped my lips, Carl, Libby and Sheen sunk to the sand; Goddard let
out a
tired whimper and crumpled to the ground. Soon after, I found myself
flop onto
the sand as well, right after gently setting Cindy beside me.
We all sprawled out
there
quietly for another hour or so until the sun retired for the night;
Carl and
Sheen dozed off a few times, Libby seemed to have drifted to sleep and
I...I
lay awake, staring at Cindy's unanimated body as if I didn't need the
slumber
my eyes were pleading for.
After a while,
Libby sat up
slowly and wandered over to Cindy and I; she placed her hand on Cindy's
forehead
and glanced over at me: Do you know how much longer she has?
I sighed and
admitted the
truth: Not long…not long at all.
Libby inquired: And
if we
don't find the plant by...when...?
I unveiled the
truth that I
had been denying all along: If we don't find the ocotillo plant
tonight...she
might be gone by morning.
Libby cried:
WHAT?!? There's
no chance that we'll find it now that it's dark and there aren't any
plants
anywhere...
I nodded my head
and closed
my eyes, retaining the tears that crowded behind my eyelids. We sat in
heartrending silence.
Sheen all of a
sudden woke
from his sleep and crawled over to our spot on the sand: Jimmy, I think
I broke
my foot.
My eyes flickered
open and I
stared at Sheen who was twisting his foot in all different directions:
Sheen,
if your foot was broken then you
wouldn't be able to move it.
Libby rolled her
eyes and
Sheen wrenched his foot back around: Oh...then why does it hurt like it
got
blasted by a morphonic laser ray from Ultralord episode #913?
I sighed, not
wanting to deal
with such a trivial matter at the moment with a vital life coming to an
end
behind me: Take off your shoe, Sheen...let me have a look at it.
Sheen abruptly
removed his
shoe, an awful odor rising from the newly revealed foot. Libby and I
tried not
to gag.
Libby glanced back
at Cindy's
lifeless body: Girl, you are lucky that you're not conscious right now.
I blocked my
nostrils and
grabbed Sheen's foot; observing it, I saw nothing to be wrong: Sheen,
it's
completely normal.
Libby coughed: You
call THAT
smell normal?!
At once, urgent to
get the
shoe back on Sheen's foot, I clasped the shoe in my hand and almost
handed it
to him when something red caught in the bottom stole my gaze...
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Waiting For A Response
I clutched Sheen’s
shoe in my
hand and stared amazed into the sole: SHEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At this
excruciatingly loud
outburst, Carl’s sleep-filled eyes snapped open and he flung himself
upwards
out of his slumber and released an ear-piercing shriek.
Sheen clapped his
hands to
his ears: AHH!!! Why is everyone screaming?!?!
I couldn’t even
form words
out of my overjoyed mouth as I shook the shoe in the air excitedly and
pointed
to the red substance in the bottom of it.
Libby squinted her
eyes to
see then jumped back, repulsed: EWWWWWW! A dead scorpion!!!
I glanced down at
the shoe
and noticed it: No, no, no…not that!
I quickly removed
the
scorpion from his shoe and motioned towards the other caught object.
Carl came up behind
Sheen and
popped in: Jim, it’s just a dead plant. You woke me up for a plant?!?!
A grin swept my
face as I
explained: Oh, it IS a plant, Carl; in that you are correct. But it’s
not just
a plant…it’s the ocotillo plant!!!
Carl clapped his
hands
together, producing barely any sound from the cushion of his pudgy
hands: YAY!
Sheen stared at me
blankly:
The oco…what?
I shook my head and
turned to
Libby as the realization hit her.
Libby squealed with
joy:
So…so Cindy’s gonna’ make it?!?!?!
I gazed over at her
motionless body…how I longed to see it bubbling with life again: I sure
hope
so…
Libby gripped my
arm and
shook me rapidly: GIVE IT TO HER NOW!!!
I carefully pried
the
ocotillo blossoms from the bottom of Sheen’s shoe and held the branch
of them
delicately in my hands…tiny red miracles.
Sheen opposed: Hey!
Why are
you stealing from my shoe?!?!
I told him: Sheen,
you had
the ocotillo plant trapped in the sole of your shoe…we can cure Cindy!
Sheen observed the
plant I
was holding: THAT? Psh, I asked you if that was it AGES ago, and you
said
no…actually it was more like (His calm voice evolved into a shout as he
imitated) “NO!!!!”
I slapped my hand
to my head:
I’m sorry Sheen…I was just so frustrated and didn’t even bother to look
back at
you…
Carl interjected:
But you
were getting just (He motioned with his pink fingers) a tad on
the
annoying side…
Just before Sheen
shot an
insult back at Carl, Libby stepped in and once again contained the
madness.
Libby restrained
them from
each other and looked over at me: Can we PLEASE just get this over
with?!?!
I nodded and rushed
to
Cindy’s side: Yeah, we better do this quickly…there’s not much time…
Carl, Libby and
Sheen crowded
around Cindy’s lifeless body as I knelt down beside her, cradling her
head
gently in my hands. I slowly ground the ocotillo plant blossoms to a
light pulp
in my palms and with great care opened Cindy’s mouth and lowered the
powder in.
But it wasn’t going down…
My eyes sprinted
from one
person to another with panic: I need someone’s water bottle!
Carl removed his
tiny water
bottle from his shoulder and hesitantly handed it to me: That’s my last
sip…
I smiled with
admiration at
my friend: Thanks Carl; you’re doing a good thing.
At this Carl
blushed as he
watched my attempt to save the life of his fellow classmate and best
friend’s
first rival…or first…
My thoughts were
interrupted
as Libby commanded with urgency: POUR THE WATER IN ALREADY!!!
I shook the thought
from my
mind and slowly poured the trickling water into Cindy’s mouth, flushing
the
blossom pulp into her system…and then came the hardest part: waiting
for a
response…
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Realization…Just A Little Too Late
We four sat in
ominous
silence, only the evening desert wind resounding in our ears as we
waited and
waited and waited.
At last an hour
crept by with
no results; Carl and Sheen had already drifted off to sleep and Libby
and I
crouched over Cindy’s body with frail hope and anticipation.
Libby clasped
Cindy’s cold
hand in hers and turned to me, her voice wavering with tears: Nothing’s
happening…
I swallowed the
lump in my
throat and observed the signs; she still had not moved an inch, her
skin was
frigid and pale, her heartbeat barely existent. I had to face the
facts…I was
going to lose her.
I shook my head and
uttered
abruptly: I need to take a walk.
Libby answered:
But…Cindy…what if she wakes up?
My mind told me:
She won’t…
But I answered her:
Call me
if she does.
Libby nodded and I,
cradling
my head in my hands, stumbled off behind a sand dune and collapsed; my
lungs
felt as if they could absorb no more air, my head throbbed from my
combating
thoughts and my heart ached for more reasons than I dared to admit to
myself.
I whispered: I’m
never going
to see her again.
I told myself this
in a
futile attempt to shove the concept into my mind. It astounded me how
throughout
all my years I had compiled an enormous quantity of data and
information into
my brain with no trouble at all, but this tiny sentence…my mind refused
to
comprehend and accept as fact.
I repeated it: I am
never
going to see Cindy Vortex again.
As the words began
to seep in
and dissolve in my mind, my heart sank like the Titanic and I felt a
foggy
gloom looming over me. Along with the idea of never seeing her again
came many
other thoughts. I would never gaze into her emerald eyes again…those
eyes that told
me everything I needed to know about her…I would never hear her laugh
again,
even if it was directed at me…I would never see that expression that
swept her
face whenever I talked to Betty Quinlin, like she didn’t want me to
talk to
Betty and as if she actually desired my attention for herself…
As this realization
came to
me, I exclaimed quietly: Wait a minute!
I had never noticed
that
before, that seeming jealousy she possessed whenever I paid attention
to
Betty…but what was that supposed to mean?
As I allowed this
view to
invade my mind, it resurrected the memory of Cindy’s jealousy at my
house party
when I was dancing with Betty. Then I remembered Cindy siding with Nick
on the
whole Phantom of Retroland argument and the memory revived exactly how
I felt
that day. I was livid, furious and envious…I recognized exactly what it
was
that I had never felt before…I was jealous!!!
I rubbed my immense
head and
questioned myself: What in the name of Newton’s Third Law of Motion is
this
supposed to mean?
What were these
feelings?
Could it be that I actually…
I shook the idea
from my
mind. Whatever it was, I knew I would never get the chance to figure it
out.
Once Cindy had passed, these emotions would evaporate and life would
resume
it’s revolution…but I could hardly imagine living life without her
there every
day.
I felt tears form
behind my
eyes and this time I knew better than to contain them. Gentle sobs
shook my
body and once controlled tears spilled down my cheeks. I couldn’t
remember the
last time I gave in to crying; this time there was no halting it. I had
never
felt this way previously, as if I was about to lose the most important
thing in
my life…and I didn’t even realize she was the most important thing
until it was
too late.
My voice trembled
as I glimpsed
up at the glimmering stars in the benighted sky and wished: If I could
just
have one more chance, I would tell her…
My eyelids drifted
shut in a
moment of painful stillness, and all of a sudden the silence was
broken.
Something reached my ears that sounded like beautiful, miraculous
music; in the
distance, I heard Cindy’s voice…
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Sleeping Beauty…Waking Beast
My heart leapt with
joy; did
this mean Cindy was…alive? I didn’t even take the time to ponder the
possibilities…I only shot off running faster than I knew my legs could
carry me
back over to where we had laid down to rest so I could witness this
beautiful
miracle.
Even in the midst
of the
dense twilight blackness, I could see the illumination from the stars
reflecting in those emerald green eyes in the distance. I was struck
silent for
a moment, standing breathless and stagnant on the peak of the dune; I
watched
the moonlight dance across her golden hair and observed her animated
movements.
I could scarcely believe this astounding occurrence…Cindy was alive!!!
Libby snatched
Cindy up in
her arms and embraced her, holding her close as if she would never let
her out
of her sight again…and I knew if Libby ever did let her out of her
sight again,
I never would. Cindy’s head jerked this way and that as
if
looking for something or someone, then she caught sight of me,
positioned her
hands on her hips and glared in my direction.
I grinned with
sparkling
eyes: She must want me to come down there.
Without any further
hesitation, I bolted down the dune towards her, so excited to see her
just
breathing that I nearly tripped over my own feet on the way down.
I screamed, my
heart pounding
in my ears: CINDY!!!
I dashed right up
to her, yet
when I came inches away from wrapping my arms around her, she held her
pale
hand out and halted my sprint. My heart sank, the exuberance draining,
and I
took a deep breath, wondering what was next.
Straining my eyes,
I gazed
intently at her; I expected her expression to be overflowing with
happiness and
excitement. Instead, I viewed only blazing anger and a furious, frantic
glow in
her eyes.
I immediately
blurted: What’s
wrong?
I heard her voice
speaking
directly to me for the first time in a much longer interval of time
than I
cared to relive.
She shook her head,
steaming:
I cannot believe you, Neutron!
I took a stride
back, my hand
clutching my chest as if I’d just suffered a rending blow: What did I
do???
She repeated the
question:
What did you do?! You weren’t here when I woke up…where were you?
I nodded back at
the sand
dune: I was over there behind that sand dune.
She rolled her eyes
with
skepticism: Oh, yeah right. Doing what?
I dared not tell
her what I
was actually doing…she would mock me mercilessly: I was… (I invented a
quick
excuse)…trying to find food.
She glanced at my
empty
hands: So where is it?
I held out my open
palms and
examined them, biting my lip: Um…a fox took it?
Cindy squinted her
eyes
suspiciously and commented sarcastically: Oh, THAT’S a likely story…I
know what
you were REALLY doing.
Had Libby spied on
me and
found out? I winced nervously: You…you do?
She threw her arms
up into
the air and slapped them back down to her sides: Of course I do! You
realized
that while I was asleep, you could make your big break! If you ran
away, then I
would be out of your life…you’d have no one to compete with you or
tease you…
As she verbalized
these
words, I couldn’t help but realize that this list she was rattling off
was much
like the one I had contemplated several times before. If she was gone
then I wouldn’t
have anyone to compete with me at
the science fair, in school or to laugh at me…but the real and honest
truth was
that I didn’t care about any of those things anymore. If Cindy was in
my life,
that’s all that really mattered…but how on earth could I let her know
that now?
Instead of telling
her
exactly how I felt, I accused her angrily: How could you even think
that’s
true?
She held her head
high: I
don’t think it’s true…I KNOW it’s true!
My jaw dropped and
I gaped at
her, imitating her phrase: I cannot believe YOU!!!
Our ear-splitting
argument
roused Carl and Sheen from their sleep and they hopped to their feet,
their
eyes darting around hysterically.
Carl whined,
rubbing his eyes
with balled-up fists: Why is everyone screaming?
Sheen pointed and
exclaimed:
CINDY’S ALIVE! Ultralord must’ve resurrected her from the dead!
Libby ignored
Sheen: She’s
been awake for five minutes and they’re already fighting!
Carl scratched his
head:
Jimmy, aren’t you happy that your cure worked and Cindy’s awake? I mean
you
were all worried and depressed and not sleeping and…
I interrupted him
so he would
not continue the embarrassing list, my cheeks blazing red with fury as
I
snapped and stormed away: I was happier when she was asleep!!!
CHAPTER FORTY
In Her Dreams…
Carl cried out
after me:
Where are you going?
I shouted back,
stomping
angrily into the night: I’m going to the tomb!
Libby rubbed her
tired eyes:
Right now?!?!
I grumbled,
ignoring the
shards of my broken heart that pierced my skin with every step I took:
There’s
no use in wasting time; I just want to get this over with.
Cindy shrieked:
Well NORMAL
people need sleep, Neutron!
I snapped back at
her: Well I
guess YOU wouldn’t know then!
Sheen pointed a
finger at
Cindy and retorted: Why would you care about sleep anyways?
You’ve been
sleeping forever…
Libby slapped
Sheen’s arm:
How dare you take his side!
Sheen blushed and
quickly
adjusted his answer: Yeah, Jimmy, we need sleep!
Carl collapsed back
onto the
sand wearily, sinking immediately into snore-filled sleep.
I grunted,
steaming: Fine! If
even my best friends are turning against me then we’ll stay for the
night.
Cindy held her head
high and
nodded with a winning grin, smirking at me.
I added, noticing
Cindy’s
self-righteous expression: But we are leaving first thing in the
morning!
I marched,
steaming, back
towards the group to lay down, thought twice about it, then decided to
sleep a
few yards away from their group. I would have nothing to do with that
Cindy
Vortex…not tonight.
Another restless
night
drifted by, nearly sleepless and utterly painful. Horrifying thoughts
scraped
at my mind and nerve wracking dreams haunted my sleep. Anger, pity,
then
depression seized me numerous times and I could not shake my former
feelings
for Cindy from my mind. The wish I had made and the miracle that
occurred…then
the nightmarish fight that followed. My massive brain could not even
decipher
what on earth was going on.
When the sun at
last settled
into the dawn-painted sky, I was relieved and eager to finish this
mission.
I crept up beside
Sheen and
yelled into his ear: Wake up, Sheen!
Sheen shouted,
obviously just
exiting a dream: You’ll never take UltraSheen alive you demon llamas!!!
He leapt from his
spot on the
ground, senses alert as the order dissolved in his ears.
Chuckling, I padded
over to
Carl, bent down and lightly slapped his face a few times: Get up, Carl!
Carl, still asleep,
grabbed
my hand, kissed it and sweet-talked: Good morning, Mrs. Neutron…
I snatched my hand
from his
lips, repulsed, and slapped him hard: GET UP CARL!!!
He strained his
eyes as they
opened.
I inquired: Carl,
why did you
kiss my hand and call me Mrs. Neutron?
Carl began to
tremble
nervously, his eyes sprinting back and forth, then made a sad attempt
at
distracting me by pointing behind me: Look, a cactus!
I rolled my eyes
and
whispered to Sheen: Sheen, you wake Libby up.
Sheen grinned: It
will be my
pleasure!
Sheen crawled over
to Libby:
My lady, thy space knight in shining galactic armor doth arrived to
awaken
thee!
Libby, eyes still
closed,
subconsciously reached out and Sheen smiled, thinking she was reaching
for him
until she spoke: Smally Big Big? Is that you?
Sheen’s jaw hung in
place:
Smally Big Big? It’s me, SHEEN! (He held a fist to his chest) Your
man!!!
Libby’s face
scrunched up:
Sheen?
Her eyes snapped
open and
with a shriek, she speedily picked herself up off the ground and glared
at
Sheen: How dare you impersonate Smally Big Big!
Sheen crossed his
arms and
stomped away: Ultralord could kick Smally Big Big’s hiney any day…
I shook my head and
silently
approached Cindy, watching her as she slept. She seemed so peaceful,
her
eyelids softly covering her green eyes, stomach rising and falling
gently. No
cruel words were escaping her lips, just graceful sleep-filled breaths.
Was
that why I felt the way I did when she was unconscious? Did I only have
feelings for her when she wasn’t awake and insulting me? But of course,
where
would those feelings I had for her when she was awake come
from? My head
ached miserably…I began to feel as if I would never know all the
answers.
I hesitated as I
reached out
to wake Cindy; as I shook her shoulder lightly, her dream was also
voiced.
Cindy breathed in
her sleep:
I would…love to go back…to the island…with you…
I removed my hand
from her shoulder,
listening intently.
She continued: I…I
love you,
Ji…
Suddenly, Cindy’s
eyelids
flicked open and she noticed I was there.
Uneasily rubbing
her arm, she
hesitantly finished her sentence: I love you…Ji…Ji…Jill!
I inquired, eyebrow
arched:
Jill?
She shot back at
me: Yes! She
was my…golden retriever…that died when I was…three! Not that you care!
Cindy rose quickly
and
stomped away, frantic; I stared after her in disbelief.
Rubbing my head, I
questioned
myself: Did she almost say what I think she did???
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Home Sweet Tomb
Trudging through
the
scorching desert, we five pressed on. The sun blared down upon us
mercilessly,
devouring our strength and causing us to drag our feet ever so slowly.
Cindy
and I uttered not a word to one another, but once I caught her gazing
at me
with pity and something that seemed like compassion until I stared back
into
her green eyes and they filled once again with blazing anger. Her face
twisted
into a bitter fixture and I, in despair, stared back down at the
Direction
Doctor 3000 which I grasped in my sweaty palm.
Sheen asked with a
gasp: How
much longer? I’m tired and my feet feel like cinder blocks!
Cindy snapped back:
Kind of
like the one in your head?
Libby and Cindy
exploded into
laughter and Carl sighed with impatience.
I shook my head and
retorted:
You GIRLS aren’t helping the situation! We’ll be there soon but you
being
irritating is not going to get us there any sooner!
Cindy finally spoke
to me,
cruelly of course: Well, it’s been two days and we still aren’t
to this
tomb yet! Ever think you might’ve messed up in your calculations…(She
leaned
over to whisper to Libby)…again?
They giggled and I
glared at
her, livid.
I shot right back
at her:
Well, if YOU wouldn’t have traipsed into
that false tomb and gotten yourself captured and rendered unconscious,
we
would’ve been there and back by now!
Her mouth hung open
at the
accusation: That is ridiculous! It’s YOUR fault for dragging us out
here in the
first place! And YOU didn’t realize it was a fake either, Captain
Cranium!
I crossed my arms
across my
red shirt: I’m not even going to sink to your level and respond to that!
A smug expression
washed
Cindy’s face: That’s because you don’t even have a good comeback!
Finally, I
win a debate against Brain Boy!
I was on the verge
of arguing
until glint of sunshine reflecting off a distant structure captured my
attention.
I burst into
exclamation: The
tomb!!!
Sheen dismissed my
excitement
with a wave of his hand, winked at Libby, and in an attempt to sound
intelligent in Libby’s presence, scolded: Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy…when are
you
going to emerge from your little fantasy world and face reality? You
are
obviously just seeing a mirage which is…(He struggled to recall the
definition)
…something you see but you don’t see!
His face split into
an
enormous grin as he glanced at Libby in hopes of approval. She rolled
her eyes
with a sigh as did Cindy and quickly he backed off the subject.
Carl pointed his
pink finger
in the forward direction: I see it too! Does this mean I’m seeing a…a…mirror
too, Jim?
I chuckled and
corrected him:
It’s a mirage, Carl…and neither of us are seeing one. The Direction
Doctor 3000
confirms…that IS the tomb!
Cindy stubbornly
held a hand
to her brow, shading her emerald eyes from the fierce sun: I don’t see
anything, Neutron!
Suddenly, the
sunlight
exploded into an aura of illumination and the tomb melted into her
view. With
realization, a sheepish look came over her.
I poked my tongue
through my
lips in Cindy’s direction and immaturely whined: I told you so!!!
Ignoring my
comment, she
cleared her throat and all at once her eyes began to dart away from me
and far
into the distance.
She blurted: Did
you see
that?!?!
Libby flashed her
eyes in all
directions, desperately attempting to view whatever it was her friend
had
discovered: See what?
She motioned to her
far right
and yelled: THAT!!!
It was then that I
caught
sight of it as well. A tiny, shadowy figure was bolting towards the
tomb at
quite an impressive speed for something its size.
I gasped: Professor
Calamitous! How did he get here before we did?
Biting my lip, I
gazed back
at the group. We would be forced to race with all our lives to even
clutch the
hope of beating him there…
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
The Amazingly Tiring Race
I sighed deeply and
told Carl,
Cindy, Goddard, Libby and Sheen: We’ve got to make a run for it.
Carl whined: We’ll
never get
there before he does! He’s too fast!
Sheen agreed: Yeah!
He’s
almost as fast as Ultralord was in Episode #480 when he acquired his
first
cybertronic light speed jetpack and soared away to save his neighbor
planet of
Slygorgia from his evil nemesis…
All four of us
screamed to
silence him: SHEEN!!!
He glanced around,
oblivious:
What?
I commanded: Start
running!!!
Without hesitation,
we raced
in the direction of the tomb, our feet sinking miserably into the sand
which
restrained our speed. The only one who wasn’t affected by the
feet-devouring
sand was Goddard, who zipped through the air above us.
Cindy pushed
herself
extensively in an attempt to outrun me; of course she accomplished this
because
she always did. That was proven a little while back in gym class…even
the shoes
I’d manufactured to cause me to run quicker did not halt her from
humiliating
me.
With concern I
voiced: Cindy,
don’t run so hard! You’re still recovering; moving too quickly could
cause you
to…
Cindy shook her
head abruptly
and gasped for breath as she jolted: You just want me to slow down so
it
doesn’t look like I’m faster than you…which I am!
Anger overwhelmed
my senses.
Even when I just wanted to help her, she continued to treat me like
scum.
I grunted back:
Fine! Go back
into a coma again…see if I care!
Though I knew deep
inside
that I would never desire anything of the sort, I noticed the words
stung her
for a moment; yet in her strength she cast them aside and pounded off
even
faster.
Libby panted as she
glanced
down at her feet: This is gonna’ kill my pedicure!
Carl shrieked:
Jimmy…can we
slow down…just a little?! (He clutched his back in agony) Ahhhhh!!!!!
My
scapula!!!
Sheen reached out
with both
hands and nudged Carl forward: For the love of Ultralord, who cares
about your
scapula?!?!
Carl answered: My
chiropractor!
Professor
Calamitous still
sprung, his speed unhindered, through the wavy sand towards the tomb,
much
farther ahead than we.
I exclaimed:
Faster, guys!!!
With moans of pain
escaping
from everyone, Cindy encouraged: Come on, everyone! Just a little
longer!
Admiring her
persistence, I
observed her; she was panting heavily with gasping breaths that
revealed the
fire I knew this pace had ignited in her lungs. I knew she was
suffering but
also knew better than to tell Cindy Vortex what she was or wasn’t
feeling. So I
held my jaw shut, kept a good eye on her and continued my sprint.
Just a few yards
from our
weary bodies, the tomb towered and basked in the flourishing sunlight.
Her face
erupting into a smile, Cindy glanced back at Carl, Libby, Sheen and I;
the
sunshine danced in the emerald flecks of her eyes and I sensed a
feeling of
accomplishment radiating from her. We were all ecstatic to, after all
this
time, reach our destination.
Yet something
suddenly
shattered our hopes; Professor Calamitous jolted ahead of us, now only
a short
distance from our standing as he chuckled: Mwah, ha ha…I’m going to get
there…uh…um…
Cindy shot at him:
LAST !!!
Professor
Calamitous glared
angrily at her and bounded towards the tomb more speedily.
I taunted him: So,
where’s
your big scary robot, Calamitous?
He patted his
trousers: In my
pocket, recharging!
I yelled with a
laugh: Well,
not even that could help you now!
With a sudden burst
of
energized adrenaline, I surged forward, passing Cindy and leaving her
in the
dust…er…sand. I then found myself neck-in-neck with Professor
Calamitous.
Attempting to suck
in air, I
gulped: How…did you…get so…fast?
Retrieving what
seemed to be
an energy bar from his lab coat pouch, he nibbled off a small portion.
I strained my eyes
to view
the energy bar; it illuminated a reddish glow as if its energy
originated from
some advanced chemical source.
Pointing an
accusing finger I
shouted: Cheater!!!
He cackled: I never
play by
the rules!
With another
mouthful of the
glowing energy bar, he rushed ahead and soon vanished in the heat waves
that
rippled my vision. The weight of a doomed world crushed my shoulders,
for at
this rate, we would never be able to rescue the stones in time…
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Trap Floor
Disappearing into
the tomb,
Professor Calamitous laughed menacingly and his silhouette dissolved
into the
darkness. All five of us shuffled to a halt, Goddard gently landed on
the sand,
and we all stared blankly.
Libby stated the
obvious: He
beat us!!!
Sheen yelled: Duh!!!
Slapping his head
as a motion
to his exclamation, a hollow echo from within resounded.
Cindy threw her
hands into
the air and surrendered: We’ll never find those stones before he does!
We don’t
even know where they are!
Carl collapsed to
his bony
knees and cried out dramatically to the desert sky: We’re doomed!!!
Sheen took a
cautious step
away from Carl and added another scream to the skies: Ultralord, why
have you
forsaken us?!?!
Cindy snapped:
Ultralord
didn’t forsake us, you idiot! (She pointed an accusing finger at me)
UltraBRAIN
did!
I defended myself:
Well, I
didn’t see YOU running as fast as I was!
Cindy grunted and
replied: I
was saving my energy like YOU told me to!
I rolled my eyes:
Oh, so NOW
you start listening to my advice!
Libby clapped her
hands to
her throbbing ears: Would you two please STOP FIGHTING?!?!?! That’s not
gonna’
get us those stones any faster!!!
Sheen scratched his
head:
Then what in the name of the fifth dimension are we waiting for?
I stared at him out
of the
corner of my eye: Sheen, there is no fifth dimension.
Sheen corrected
himself:
Fine… then what in the name of the sixth dimension are we
waiting for??
Opening my mouth to
fix his
mistake again, Cindy shot me a hateful glare and I abruptly clenched my
jaw
once more.
Carl wiped the
sweat from his
brow: Can we just get this over with? My mom’s gonna’ wonder why I’m
not home
yet to watch Lord of the Llamas!
Cindy jutted in
with her
opinion, disregarding the llama portion of Carl’s statement: I
agree…let’s go
now before our clothes go as out of style as Nerdtron’s.
My face crumpled
with anger
but I decided to ignore it.
And with that
demand, we
initiated movement towards the tomb once more.
In a few long
minutes, we
stood staring at the foot of the tomb, its gargantuan structure soaring
above
our heads. Soaked in wonder, we stared up at its majesty.
Seemingly not
amused, Cindy
urged: Can we just GO IN now?
She began to make
her way
inside but I hurriedly grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards me:
I don’t
think so…not this time. I’M going in first.
Snatching her arm
away from
my grip, she grunted with a sarcastic salute: Fine, Major Ego.
Libby gazed away,
delicately placing
her hands on her hips: As long as I don’t have to go in first…
At the sound of
this, Sheen
slapped a clenched fist to his heart and valiantly proceeded towards
the tomb
entrance. As his foot slipped into the darkness, an eerie echo of wind
flooded his
senses. Quickly pulling back, he pushed Carl forward.
Sheen shivered:
Here,
Carl…there’s, uh, llamas in there!
Clapping his hands
excitedly,
he rushed inside, Cindy, Goddard, Libby, Sheen and I close on his
heels.
I called out into
the dense
darkness: Goddard, flame please!
An extending metal
arm
clasping a lit torch sprung forth from Goddard’s back compartment.
Suddenly, an
enlightening illumination drenched the chamber we had entered, its
walls
glittering with gold and masterfully painted hieroglyphics. Mere sand
splattered the ground we stood upon, revealing a few odd patches of
etched
stone underneath. Torch holders jutted symmetrically from the walls,
their
bases hand carved with Egyptian figures dancing across the tarnished
surface.
Carl cried, his
head jerking
back and forth with panic: Where are the llamas?!?!
Laughing Carl’s
horror away,
I padded over to one of the torches, Goddard trotting beside me, and
observed
the holders placed peculiarly around the chamber.
With a grin I told
Goddard:
Light this torch, please, boy.
As soon as the
flame touched
the ancient torch, every torch surrounding the chamber exploded into
flames.
Cindy in
astonishment
wandered forwards: This is amazing! I don’t remember it being anything
like
this…
I nodded an
agreement: I
believe we came into an alternate entrance…
Cindy rolled her
eyes and
kicked some sand away from the ground on which she stood. Her face lit
up and
she waved Libby to her side: Libby, you’ve got to see this!
Sheen raced ahead:
She’s not
going anywhere without me!
Carl frantically
waddled
over: Don’t forget me!
Once all together,
we stared
in amazement at the floor. Beautiful, intricate designs posed beneath
our feet,
and I noticed a tiny rock protruding awkwardly from the center of one
of the
twirling masterpieces. Attempting to remove it, I kicked it and
surprisingly it
sunk beneath my feet…along with the rest of the floor around us.
Suddenly we
found ourselves flailing about, free-falling helplessly downwards into
the
unknown…
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Descent
As we plunged
downward,
darkness seeped through my eyelids and I groped about for anything
solid to
grasp onto, but nothing stretched out to me. I could only hear the
resounding
echo of Carl’s high-pitched shriek and Libby’s cries. Sheen, I assumed,
was
trying to reach Libby, but…where was Cindy? I strained my eyes to view
her in
the dense gloom but neither blonde hair nor green eyes appeared to me.
Then
suddenly I felt a body collide with mine, arms wrapping around my neck
and
gripping me as if holding on for dear life. Squinting, I watched a
gleam of
emerald reflect in the eyes of the person from the torch above; none
other than
Cindy Vortex clung tightly to me…and I could scarcely believe it. She
buried
her face in my chest and I cocooned her trembling body in my arms,
attempting
to comfort her by not acting as terrified as I truly was. Here I was
again,
holding Cindy mere moments before our final end…and there came those
feelings
again…
Unexpectedly, a
reverberating
thud entered my eardrums and soon after I found myself pounding into
the ground
as well; luckily I landed on my back, rescuing Cindy from the impact.
Quickly and without
much
movement I switched the light on my watch on so a soft illumination
encircled
us.
Rolling gently
away, Cindy gasped
and kneeled over me: …Are you okay?
Rubbing my stomach,
I told
her: Yeah, I’m…(I tried to lift myself from the ground but a knot
twisted in my
stomach and I immediately fell backwards again)…aahhh!
A sea of compassion
drenched
Cindy’s eyes as a concerned look swept her face; all of a sudden she
reached
out her tiny hand and laid it on my stomach. For some reason I
instantly felt
more at ease.
She felt around to
locate the
pain: Where does it hurt?
Without even
thinking about
it, I grabbed her hand to place it on the spot it felt most agonizing.
Realizing what I had done after I’d completed the action, I just froze,
holding
her hand in mid air for a moment. She gazed into my eyes softly and
just when I
thought she would become infuriated and snatch her hand away, she
smiled a
smile like I had never witnessed before. It was filled with genuine
care and
contentment and…something so beautiful I couldn’t even define…and I
found my
own lips imitating such a smile.
She whispered,
still allowing
her hand to be held in mine as she pulled me up: Are you sure you’re
all right?
With a nod I
replied,
stunned: I’m…perfect.
Then, without
warning, a
flood of untamable rage seized her; she yanked her hand away furiously
and
retorted: Well, good…now I can KILL you for suffocating me!!!
With mouth agape,
all I could
utter was: WHAT?!?!
She rolled her eyes
and
bitterly explained: When we were plummeting down here, you latched onto
me so
tight I couldn’t breathe! You’re such a baby…you couldn’t even handle
the fall
all by your little genius self…
Still shocked I
exclaimed:
YOU latched onto ME!
Cindy laughed
cruelly: Oh,
please! Like I couldn’t handle falling that tiny little distance…
I butted in: It was
an
immensely dangerous decline…had I not been underneath you, some serious
fractures could have occurred…
She barked:
Nerdtron, what in
the WORLD are you babbling about?!?!
I heaved my arms
into the
air: More like what are YOU talking about? Just a minute ago you were
all
innocent and…you were acting like…well…like…
Before I could even
finish my
sentence, Libby intruded on our argument: For Queen Howsaboutislapya’s
sake,
can you two PLEASE stop your bickering?!?! It is giving me a headache
and it
ain’t getting’ us outta here!
Carl panicked:
PLEASE STOP
FIGHTING! (I could hear him bustling about with panic in horror)…I’M
AFRAID OF
THE DARK!!!
I slapped myself in
the head:
Oh, right.
Quickly switching
the light
on my watch to HIGH, luminosity drowned the space in which we were
imprisoned. It was then that I watched
the radiance reflect off the three-foot long, golden spikes protruding
from the
walls surrounding; they speedily began to close in on us, squeezing the
air and
hope from my body…my eyes zipped from wall to wall; there was no
escape, and as
far as my genius mind could comprehend, we were all doomed…
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Saving the Stubborn
Instinctively, I
commanded:
Goddard, fly us out of here!
My eyes shot over
to my
robotic dog; horror struck me as I realized a spike had already
punctured his
metal shell, sending his systems plunging into malfunctions. All too
soon, his
illumination was extinguished and his steel body clattered to the
ground,
dysfunctional.
Cindy crossed her
arms with
fury: Oh, that’s REAL great, Nerdtron. NOW what?!?!
Carl spun around in
endless
circles: We’re doomed, we’re doomed…WE’RE ALL DOOMED!
Sheen slapped his
hand across
Carl’s gaping mouth and shrieked: We are not all doomed! We’re just
going to
die a slow and painful death as we become impaled on extremely pointy
spikes is
all…
Libby covered
Carl’s ears:
SHEEN! NOT helping!!!
Cindy remarked as
she glared
in my direction: Well, that makes two things in here that aren’t
helping!
Rage gripped me and
I
screamed back: Well, I don’t see you coming up with any ideas either!
She snapped back:
Well, who’s
the one who calls himself a genius?
Quickly
manufacturing a
comeback, I shot at her: Well at least I have the RIGHT to call myself
a
genius!
Cindy raised an
eyebrow: Well
at least I can actually come up with good comebacks!
Sheen hollered: For
the love
of Ultra…
Libby clapped a
hand to his
mouth: Don’t you dare say Ultralord…
Sheen corrected
himself: For
the love of all that is good in this world…(He whispered to Carl)…which
is
Ultralord …STOP FIGHTING!!!
Carl’s fear-filled
eyes
zoomed from spike to spike: I’m too young to die! I never even got to
see
Jimmy’s mom’s smiling face…
Cindy, Libby, Sheen
and I
stared awkwardly at him.
Carl stuttered
nervously,
wringing his hands and added: Jimmy’s mom’s smiling face…uh…cookies!
Her
smiling face cookies! You know those sugar cookies that she draws the
smiley
faces on with icing…
Libby silenced him
and
commented sarcastically: Riiiight…so how are we gettin’ outta here,
Jimmy?
Glancing upwards in
silence,
I estimated the distance between each spike and attempted to calculate
it all
together, contriving a plan that I could only pray would save our lives.
Realizing that I
was speaking
no answer, Sheen concluded: We’re all doomed. (He then cried out
dramatically)
Ahh, why must the good die young?!?!
I hushed him: We
are NOT all
doomed! I know a way we can get out of here!
Cindy rolled her
eyes: Oh,
please. YOU came up with a way we can get out of here alive?
I happily nodded my
head.
She then remarked:
I agree
with Sheen; we’re all doomed.
Libby stood up for
me: Cindy,
come on…give him a chance! We don’t have any other choice!
Without waiting for
an answer
from Cindy, I began to explain: All we have to do is crawl up on these
spikes
one by one until we reach the top; they’re somewhat laid out in the
pattern of
a ladder but we’ve got to be quick. We don’t have much time.
Carl shuddered: I
don’t
know…it’d be like a very, very, very…HIGH ladder and you know heights
make me
nauseas …
I reasoned: Would
you rather
climb a high ladder or get crushed by hundreds of sharp spikes?
Carl pondered this
a moment
then uttered: Let’s do it!
Tucking Goddard’s
lifeless
metal shell beneath my arm, I climbed up onto the first spike on the
right side
and Sheen crawled up onto a spike on the opposite wall. He grabbed
Libby’s
hands and pulled her up beside him and they began to press forward.
Carl stood
trembling below me as I held out my hand to him for support.
Cautiously, he
reached out
and took hold of my hand and I, with much effort, yanked his
body up.
Taking Goddard from my hands, he quickly scrambled up the spikes higher
and
higher. Now only Cindy was left at the bottom.
I offered her my
hand: Cindy,
take my hand.
Stubbornness washed
her face
and she turned her back to me: No.
I yelled,
frustrated: What do
you mean, no? You’re going to die if you don’t come with me!
She snorted and
retorted: So?
Why would you care ?
I furrowed my brow
and told
her one last time: Cindy, take my hand!
She whirled around
to face me
and screamed: I said NO!!!
I hopped down from
the spike
and, without any hesitation whatsoever, lifted her up into my arms. She
was so
shocked that she uttered no retaliation and I held her tight while
telling her:
As a matter of fact, I WOULD care if you died and, as long as I’m still
alive,
I’ll never let that happen to you.
With these words, I
hopped up
onto the first spike and began the long ascent up to freedom…or so I
could only
hope…
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Hop to the Top
Spike by spike,
inch by inch
we climbed up the massive wall towards the ground floor. Heaving,
exhausted breaths
escaped my lips continually as I held Cindy up in my arms while
attempting to
make it to the next spike. The walls were moving in fast, for Sheen and
Libby,
once several yards away from Carl, Cindy and I on the opposite wall,
were now
mere feet away. I glanced upward; we still had several spikes to crawl
up
on…and although I could calculate the exact distance and time of our
journey
aloft, I truthfully did not know if we would be able to make it.
Carl trembled as he
grasped
another spike and pulled himself up: Are…are we almost there?
My eyes lifted and
I watched
Carl shuddering with horror: Carl, we’re almost all the way up! Just
don’t look
down!
Carl unthinkingly
gawked down
at me to hear the words I spoke and instead looked past me, down into
the
depths of the pit we had just come from: Oh no…I’m looking down!
Ahhh!!!!!!!
Carl began to
panic, his eyes
wide as bowling balls as he clung for dear life onto the spike on which
he
stood.
Cindy encouraged:
Just keep
going, Carl! You’re almost there! (She gazed down at me) You know, I
can climb
these by myself now…if you want.
For the first time
in I don’t
know how long, maybe forever, her words didn’t seem to be a grueling
demand;
she was offering to climb by herself, not commanding me to let her
down. I know
it really would have been an extreme amount of help to me and my weary
arms to
set her down and allow her to crawl up for herself, but for some
strange
reason, I honestly didn’t want to let her go.
I shifted her
weight in my
arms and sincerely told her: No, that’s all right. I don’t want you
slipping on
one of these spikes and falling without me being able to catch you. I
think
you’re safer right where you are.
With a blush she
nodded and I
hauled the both of us up another spike.
Sheen spouted off
another
tale as he climbed: You know, this reminds me of Ultralord episode #983
when
Ultralord’s nemesis, Sorcerer Galactico, threw him into the spiked cell
of doom
and he had to use his invisibility ray on himself so the spikes would
think he
wasn’t really there…
Libby retorted: I
think
Ultralord used his invisibility ray on your brain!
Sheen clasped his
hands and
held them to his cheek: Ah, that would be a greater honor than I could
ever
dream…
Libby snapped back:
Boy, you
better stop dreaming and start climbing or your life’s gonna’ be
invisible too!
Carl pointed
sheepishly: I
don’t get it…
I yelled
impatiently, trying
to get up on the spike Carl was still clinging to: You don’t have to
get it,
Carl, just MOVE!!!
Cringing and moving
upwards,
he whined: Fine…
Quickly, I lugged
myself and
Cindy up one more spike and watched Carl frightfully grab the next one.
Cindy’s eyes
widened at the
sight of the spikes closing in and with terror in her voice and tears
clouding
her emerald eyes she asked: Are we gonna’ make it?
Inside I was truly
uncertain,
but I answered her confidently: Of course we’ll make it.
She beamed back at
me and
with a newfound energy from her smile I sprung up to the next spike.
I shouted words of
support:
Just a few more, guys!
Before I knew it,
we were two
spikes from the top, the walls were pushing in closer and closer and
excitement
to escape this pit overwhelmed me.
Carl struggled to
lift
himself onto the ground from the final spike: HELP!!!
Scrambling up to
the last
spike, I pushed Carl’s chubby body with my head and shoulders, still
sustaining
Cindy, and at last heaved him up onto the ground floor.
I gazed momentarily
into
Cindy’s eyes, then carefully elevated her upwards, laying her gently on
the
ground. She then clasped my hands in her own and helped me to crawl up;
Sheen
and Libby remained on the last spike.
Sheen boosted up
Libby: Here,
you go first, my lady…
Libby quivered at
the “my
lady” comment: No…you go. Then you can help me up.
Sheen nodded an
agreement,
thrust himself up and reached for Libby. But suddenly, the spikes began
to
close in faster, and a tremendous spike was heading right for Libby’s
side
quicker than Sheen could pull her up…
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Ultralord’s Last Stand
Sheen’s eyes nearly
popped
out of their sockets; Libby was about to die before his very eyes and
even in
his sugar and cartoon infected brain, he knew full well that he would
never be
able to tow her up in time.
I held my breath
and Cindy
slapped her hands to her quivering mouth in sheer horror as she watched
her
best friend in what would be her final moments.
Cindy cried: Sheen,
DO
SOMETHING!!!
Sheen panicked: I…I
can’t!
Even Ultralord couldn’t get out of this mess! Hey…wait a minute…
Sheen patted his
pants pocket
and felt his favorite Ultralord action figure; whipping it out of his
pocket,
he glanced at it lovingly, then gazed down at Libby, tears flooding her
chestnut eyes and he made the decision of a lifetime. Without any more
hesitation, Sheen shot his hand out, wedged his Ultralord figure in
between the
two spikes about to bore into Libby’s sides and with a great wave of
strength,
he hauled her up in just enough time. As soon as her feet touched the
ground
floor, the spikes crashed together with an ear-splitting explosion of
clashing
metal and twisting, crushing plastic.
Sheen collapsed to
his knees
and mourned: Ultralord!!!
But his wail was
interrupted
by a heart-melting peck on the cheek from Libby who, with admiration
smiled:
You saved my life…
With this, Sheen
immediately
forgot about his departed Ultralord action figure and turned to Libby,
puffing
out his chest with attempted masculinity: I know baby; anything for you…
Libby giggled and
threw her
arms around Sheen’s neck, giving him a hug and Sheen, over Libby’s
shoulder,
slicked his hair back coolly and winked at me.
Carl began to gag:
Ahhh!
Personal displays of affection make me nauseous...
Sheen pulled away
from Libby
and remarked: You’re just jealous!
Carl retorted: Am
not!
Sheen snapped: Are
too!
Carl yelled with
boyish
intensity: AM NOT!!!
Sheen combated: Are
too!!!
Libby smacked her
hand over
Sheen’s mouth and told him: If you keep doing that, I’m gonna’ have to
take
that kiss on the cheek back…
Sheen clapped a
hand to the
cheek that was kissed: By Ultralord, NEVER!!!
Libby positioned
her hands
upon her hips: That’s what I thought. Now can we get those stones and
get
outta’ here now?
I answered: Most
certainly.
I’m just as eager as you are to be done with this whole exploit.
Sheen nodded: Me
too! (He
whispered to himself) If only I knew what an exploit was…
Cindy raised her
hand with
affirmation: Me three.
Carl popped in: Me
one!!!
Cindy, Libby, Sheen
and I
gave Carl a strange glance.
I told them: I just
need to
fix up Goddard here real quick then we can head off.
I pulled some tools
from my
utility belt and some extra circuits and began to work away at Goddard,
repairing the crack in his metal shell and patching up the damage. In a
matter
of minutes, he was fully repaired.
I smiled and
reported: He’s
good as new.
I glanced up at
Cindy and a
look of admiring astonishment flitted across her face until she
realized I was
looking at her, then she rolled her eyes and began to tap her foot.
I sighed: Let’s go
With the echo of my
words, we
started off and began to venture into another chamber.
As we walked, Cindy
questioned: Where do you think these stones will be anyways?
Libby commented,
considering
Professor Calamitous: Some place obvious, I’ll bet…
Sheen added with a
comedic
laugh: Yeah, that guy’s one plasma bullet short of a special edition
Ultralord
plasmatic ray gun if you know what I’m saying…
Carl, Cindy, Libby
and I all
responded dryly: …No.
Sheen frowned: Wow,
tough
crowd. (He then screamed) HEY!!!
Carl, surprised by
the sudden
outburst, cried: AHHHH! What?!?! What’s going on?!?!
Sheen pointed to a
wall: I
recognize that! Hey, didn’t Carl teleport behind that wall last time we
were
here?
All eyes turned to
the wall
Sheen directed our sights to; a vast, gaping hole in the bricks,
crumbling and
decaying, lay before our eyes.
I recalled the
event: Carl
didn’t teleport behind it, Sheen! It was a trap door…and I used some
ancient
spices to ignite my torch and blow a hole in the wall!
Cindy crossed her
arms and
snorted: By all means, toot your own horn, Neutron.
My face scrunched
up and I
did my best to ignore the confusing Cindy Vortex.
Led then by my
torch, we made
our way through the hole and into what I knew would be the Queen’s
burial
chamber. Light overflowed the corner that we would need to round to
reach the
chamber. And as we approached it, my heart caught in my throat as a
shadowy
figure leapt out in front of us with a blood curdling scream…
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Death of the Butterflies
A fiendish cackle
resounded
from the shadow until at last the light from my torch illuminated the
silhouette.
I yelled
accusingly:
Professor Calamitous!!!
Carl, who had
turned around
facing the opposite direction screamed, his eyes dashing around: Where?
WHERE?!?!
Sheen, without
expression,
grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around to face Professor
Calamitous.
Carl calmly
recognized him:
Oh. (His voice morphed to a scream) AHHH!!!!!!
Professor
Calamitous giggled
menacingly: Yes, fear me you…uh…um…
Sheen raised his
hand,
leaping up and down: Oh, pick me! Pick me! I know this one!
Professor
Calamitous rolled
his eyes and discontinued his sentence; Sheen disappointedly slapped
his hand
down to his side.
Libby glared at
him: So, did
you find your stupid lil’ rocks yet?
Professor
Calamitous
retorted: They are not stupid!!! They are vital in my plot to take over
the
world! (He scratched his head, frustrated) If only I could remember
where I put
them…
Cindy shook her
head: Well,
it doesn’t matter where you put them…
Without thinking, I
finished
her sentence: …because we’re going to find them first!
Cindy gazed quickly
over at
me, her eyes flashed and color rose to her faintly smiling cheeks.
Professor
Calamitous snapped
back: Oh no you won’t! I bet they’re…(He glanced about the room)…in
this very
chamber!
We all proceeded
into the
Queen’s burial chamber and were filled yet again with awe. Extravagant
hieroglyphics danced across the walls, coffins halted against them with
exposed
mummies resting eternally within and the marvelous coffin of the Queen
lay in
the center of the hand-laid stone floor of the chamber.
Carl shrunk down
with a
squeal: Iiiick…dead things…
Sheen chuckled:
Psh, yeah…be
glad they’re dead!
Libby shot me a
glare as she,
Carl and Sheen walked several steps ahead of Cindy and I: Yes, and
let’s keep
it that way this time!
I assured them: I’m
sure that
ElectroLife is LONG gone by now…the snakes and lizards
and rats probably ate it down in that pit. No
fear of any mummies coming back to life THIS time.
Cindy rolled her
eyes
sarcastically: Riiight…
For the first time
in my
life, I took no offense to her comment. I simply laughed and gently
elbowed her
teasingly: Hey! I heard that!
She waved it off
and stated
quietly: I’m just kidding, Jimmy. I trust you.
I stopped dead in
my tracks,
mouth agape: You…you TRUST me?
An innocent smile
swept her
face and she brushed lightly up against me while merely saying: Of
course.
I couldn’t help but
ask: But
why?
I could tell I had
taken her
off guard a little by my question; she fixed her eyes on the ground and
answered: You saved my life…several times. You brought me back from a
coma by
searching days for some random plant that only grows in one place in a
huge
desert. So I guess you could say that I trust you with my life. (She
paused and
gazed back up into my eyes) And I do.
Her gaze quickly
shifted away;
beaming, I could only try to force myself to believe that I had
actually heard
the words Cindy had just spoken. Butterflies filled my stomach for a
moment…until an ear-splitting, shrill cry echoed from Libby’s
terror-filled
lips. There in the doorway to the chamber stood Professor Calamitous,
my
ElectroLife glowing in his hand. A threatening, evil grin was plastered
on his
face as he gripped my invention. The butterflies in my stomach suddenly
were
captured in a net of fear and choked to death.
Professor
Calamitous began to
fiddle with the ElectroLife: Well, well, well…what does this do?
I heard Cindy’s
breath catch
in her throat as I yelled: Professor Calamitous, NO! You don’t know
what that’s
capable of!
But he did not heed
my
warning; I watched his finger slide towards the button that would
activate the
invention and suddenly I found myself sprinting towards him…but I knew
there
was no possible way that I could ever stop him in time…
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
I DON’T Want My Mummy!
Mere feet away from
Professor
Calamitous, I jolted onwards hopelessly; my heart was beating at an
immeasurable rate, my lungs feeling as if they would burst and
collapse. So
many scattered thoughts scurried through my mind at that moment that I
could
not even decipher one.
As I shut my eyes
tight and
thrust myself forward with increasing speed, I already knew it was too
late. A
vivid, intense blue blaze of electricity shattered the dense darkness
of my
sealed eyelids and I immediately sunk to the floor.
Before I even
looked around
to see the result once the illumination faded, I picked myself up off
the
ground, and my eyes opened and targeted Professor Calamitous who stood,
mouth
agape, loosely clutching the ElectroLife. I sprinted towards him with
all my
might and snatched my long lost invention from his black-gloved hand.
Surprisingly, he put up no resistance. It was then that I noticed why.
Whirling around at
the sound
of Carl’s terrified squeal, I watched all my friends begin to huddle in
the
center of the chamber, trembling with fear. I joined them and glanced
around as
they did, waiting for some form of life to emerge. After a minute or so
of
complete silence, I broke out with a laugh.
I waved a hand in
the air: It
didn’t even do anything!
Libby began to
stand up from
her cowering position behind Sheen: Are…are you sure?
I assured all of
them: That
thing’s probably so rusted and overheated from being here so long that
the
circuitry has malfunctioned! Like I said earlier, we have nothing to
worry
about.
Slowly but surely,
everyone
began to erase the expressions of fear from their faces. Libby let out
a
giggle, this caused Sheen to chuckle, then soon Carl, Cindy and I were
laughing
as well at our foolish anxiety over absolutely nothing.
With a chuckling
grin, I
sauntered over to one of the mummies. Carl, Cindy, Libby and Sheen
followed
close behind, smirks on their faces. I playfully poked at the mummy’s
bandaged
leg; there was no response, of course, just as I suspected.
Sarcastically, I
added:
Ooh…I’m SCARED now!!!
Giggles resounded
from the
group behind me and I gazed back and noticed Professor Calamitous
rummaging
around the room, still in search of the stones.
Carl timidly edged
his way
forward: Can…can I poke it too?
I stepped out of
the way: Go
ahead, Carl. It’s perfectly safe.
Carl hesitantly
pushed his
finger into the wrapped mummy leg, then once he discovered that it was
safe, he
began to do it continuously.
Proudly, he turned
his head
around and boasted boyishly in a sing-song voice: I’m poking a mummy!
I’m
poking a…
But suddenly, in
the middle
of his tone-deaf melody, his song was cut off; the mummy’s eyes snapped
open,
its arm swung forward, and its bandaged fingers locked Carl’s poking
finger in
a death grip.
Carl hesitantly and
shaking,
turned back around and caught sight of the mummy’s hand grasping his
finger.
Carl released a
scream that
shook the very walls of the chamber: AHHHHHHH!!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!
With all the power
he had in
his spindly arms, Carl jerked his finger away from the mummy and began
to sprint
for his life.
Sheen yelled: Here
we go
again…
All of us,
including
Professor Calamitous, let out one booming shriek and we began to jolt
from the
chamber.
While running,
attempting to
catch her breath, Cindy turned to me and sarcastically yelled: So what
exactly
was the definition of “perfectly” when you said perfectly safe ?!?!?!
I shot back:
There’s no time
for arguing now! (I glimpsed behind us at the seven mummies hobbling
ever
faster after us) RUN FASTER!!!
Once again, we
found
ourselves in the Queen’s throne room, the gigantic statue of Queen
Howsaboutislapya on her throne towering above us. Then we noticed it;
we were
at another dead end. And before we knew it, all six of us were
cornered, the
mummies closing in on us speedily, their crimson eyes boring into us
with every
step further they took toward us. My eyes darted this way and that but
found no
relief; we were completely trapped. My heart began to race as I watched
the
blood-thirsty mummies raise their slimy arms to take care of us once
and for
all…
CHAPTER FIFTY
Queen Wannabe
We all stood
trembling in
horror as the mummies crept toward us, their fang-like, decomposing
teeth
mangled in snarls beneath the bandages.
Libby sunk down
behind Sheen
and Carl melted into a cower against the wall. Professor Calamitous was
already
bawling like a little girl on the floor in fear.
Cindy cried: Well…I
guess
this is goodbye…
I could hear her
voice
shaking, wavering with swallowed tears and I felt myself take her tiny,
quivering hand in mine.
Slowly, with
crystal tears
glazing her eyes, Cindy lay her forehead on my shoulder and allowed the
tears
to plummet to the ground, her body shaking with sobs. I knew I had to
do
something, but what? My eyes flitted about, searching for anything that
could
rescue us from this disarray I’d forced us all into.
Then, all of a
sudden, as my
eyes rummaged for a redeemer, a fleck of glimmering gold stole my
attention. I
squinted, focusing my vision until a clear picture of the object came
into
view.
A relieved, excited
grin
arced my face: THAT’S IT!!!
Sheen stroked his
chin a
moment then motioned with his fingers: By “it” do you mean…(His voice
morphed
into a shout)…our immanent doom?!?!
I yelled happily:
NO! We’re
not doomed!
I grabbed the
object and,
letting go of Cindy’s hand, I grasped Libby’s.
Cindy’s eyes became
drenched
in what seemed like jealousy: Hey!
Noticing that what
I’d just
done seemed like something it wasn’t, I jammed the object in my pocket,
took
Cindy’s hand once more and planted a gentle kiss on her hand..
I told her: Don’t
worry.
As I turned back,
Cindy
retorted, her eyes shifty: Worry? Psh, worry about what?
But, out of the
corner of my
eye, I watched her cradle the hand I kissed in her other hand
delicately as if
it were a fragile, irreplaceable item and a rosy blush washed her
beaming
cheeks.
Blushing myself, I
tried to
shake the feeling and returned my attention to Libby once more: Libby,
I need
you to do something for me.
Sheen squeezed
between us: I
don’t think so!!! That’s MY woman you’re talking to!
I pushed Sheen
away: Sheen,
if you don’t let me tell her this then there will be no Libby to be
your woman!
Sheen quickly
stepped away.
Abruptly, I
revealed the
object from my pocket; a glistening, golden crown sparkled in the
torchlight.
Libby rolled her
eyes: Jimmy,
I see you know me well but this is no time for bling!
I slapped a hand to
my
sweating forehead: NO! Put it on! Act like the Queen like you did last
time!
Libby, quickly
comprehending,
snatched the crown from my hands and placed it neatly atop her braids.
Taking a deep,
drawn-in
breath, Libby sighed: I sure hope this works…
Holding my own
breath, I
watched Libby step forward, her mouth slowly opening to release a
command that
would either save our lives or seal our fate of final doom. I could
feel my
nervous heart beating rapidly out of my chest.
The words poured
from Libby’s
lips: I command ya’ll to COOL IT!!!
It was as if the
mummies
hobbled right into a wall, for they all halted immediately before our
very eyes
and collapsed at Libby’s feet, worshipping her like the Queen they
believed she
was.
An alleviated
expression
bloomed on all our faces; we were saved once more.
I exhaled the deep,
anxious
breath I had inhaled just moments before and crouched down a bit,
recollecting
my breaths and allowing my heart to maintain its regular beat once
more. But as
I bent down, Professor Calamitous was sliding merrily backwards and he
and I
collided violently. Toppling over onto the ground, I watched helplessly
as my
improved Hypnotism Ray slipped from my utility belt and clattered to
the
ground, causing an intense red aura to soak the chamber. I knew that
meant only
one thing: the world around me was about to change drastically
according to
what each person was thinking. And as I glanced around me at Libby
pretending
she was the Queen, Carl leaping like a llama, and Sheen darting back
and forth
as Ultralord in combat, I could only imagine what consequences my
foolishness
would cost us…
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
We’re the Only Sane Ones
My head swirled
with tormenting
thoughts and I could barely focus after the scarlet illumination faded
from
sight. Gathering all the broken pieces of my invention in my arms and
tucking
them back into my utility belt, I quickly sealed my eyes tight for fear
of what
I might see if I opened them.
Finally, I decided
to face
reality and my eyes flicked open to observe the damage.
Sheen pounded a
fist
valiantly on his chest and spoke in a deep voice: Ahh! The mangled
mummies of
Montania have returned from episode #397! I must fly and drop plasma
bombs on
them from above!
Sheen stretched out
his arms
as if he really believed wings would emerge from his sides and stared
up at the
ceiling, awaiting his liftoff.
After a few moments
of
nothing, he smacked his sides and retorted: They must be…stuck…
Cindy, oblivious to
the whole
situation, mocked Sheen: Oh, please, Sheen…in your dreams. When are you
gonna’
learn that you will never be Ultralord?!?!
Sheen stared at her
awkwardly: Sheen? Who is this Sheen you speak of? I AM Ultralord!
Cindy turned to me
and
laughed: Okay, Sheen’s officially lost it.
I rubbed my neck
nervously:
Well, that’s one way of putting it…
Cindy chuckled,
pointing at
Carl: And what’s up with him?
Carl was prancing
about on
all fours, llama noises protruding from his lips.
Cindy elbowed me
jokingly:
Haha, it looks like we’re the only sane ones!
My eyes shifted and
I again
uttered a vague response: You could say that…
Cindy, completely
unaware,
gazed at me and asked: Are you okay? You’re acting…apprehensive.
After a few moments
with no
reply from me, Cindy turned to Libby and giggled as she observed her
lounging
on the golden throne, the decrepit mummies bowing down all around her.
She snickered a
bit, placed
her hands on her hips and spoke: You can cut the act now! Just tell the
mummies
to sleep like you did last time! Then you can get your rear in gear and
find
those stones!
Looking utterly
shocked,
Libby glared Cindy down like a ravaging wolf would stare down its
doomed prey.
I stepped beside
Cindy and
whispered: Cindy, I don’t think that’s such a good idea…
Cindy questioned
with a
shrug: Why not? (She noticed the death stare she was receiving from her
best
friend)…Why is she looking at me like that?
Libby’s mouth
opened and with
a royal tone she yelled: No one tells ME what to do!
Cindy waved it off
and shook
her head with a light laugh: Very funny. Libby, we’ve been best friends
forever
and it never bothered you before!
Libby arose from
her throne
with a stomping of feet and her face tensed: How dare you address me by
my first
name! (She stuck her nose up and cringed) And I would never befriend
the likes
of you!
Hurt, Cindy cocked
her head
and looked at Libby: What is wrong with you?
I carefully grabbed
Cindy’s
arm: Cindy, no…
Libby’s hands fell
to her
hips and her fiery gaze met Cindy’s eyes: Nothing is wrong with
me!!! I
am flawless…the exact opposite of you! (She clapped her delicate hands
twice)
Servants…take them away!!!
Cindy shrieked,
tears filming
her pained eyes and I glimpsed at her, stricken with guilt. As I
watched the
first tear trickle down her cheek and plummet to the ground, I felt my
heart
split in two.
As the mummies
entangled
Carl, Cindy, Goddard, Professor Calamitous, Sheen and I in their
unbreakable
grips, I felt the weight of unforgivable guilt weighing heavily on my
elementary shoulders.
Before I could even
think up
a plan to escape, the mummies dragged us down a dark, eerie, and musty
hallway
and down a winding stone staircase, beyond what I had charted of this
tomb.
Sheen attempted to
fight off
the mummy who held him: Do you not know who I am? I am Ultralord! You
mangled
mummies of Montania shall never take me alive!!!
Carl kicked his
hind legs
like a llama at the mummy whose slimy hands clasped his arms, but his
attempt
was ignored.
Professor
Calamitous flailed
about, screaming in his nasally voice but his mummy detained his tiny
frame
with ease.
Cindy had ceased
her kicking
and retaliation; all hope faded from her eyes and she hung loosely from
the
mummy’s arms, being lugged away like a useless sack of flesh. And it
was all my
fault.
We continued to be
heaved
down more passages, turning hallways, and enormous chambers into the
unknown…and we could’ve never predicted what lay ahead…
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Accepting the Blame…and the Hatred
All my eyes
absorbed was
musty darkness as my feet dragged down the rigid stone hallways to our
unknown
destination. I had given up fighting; the grip of the mummy’s bandaged
hands
was so intense that I believed nothing but a chainsaw could break me
free…and
sadly, I was one chainsaw short of the one I needed.
After a few minutes
of
seemingly endless dimness and gloom, a flicker of fire at the end of a
tunnel
burst into view and soon enough we all were hurled into a barred,
cage-like
chamber which held one single torch. We were locked away tight. The
mangled
mummies hobbled back down the hallway and we were left alone in the
murkiness
of this death chamber.
Sheen clenched his
fists
around the bars and shook them violently: You cannot confine Ultralord
to this
dungeon! I will make my great escape…you’ll see! (Everyone else in the
chamber
stared at him blankly) YOU’LL ALL SEE!!!!!
Carl began to
nibble at the
bars like a llama would attempt had it been caged, but his human teeth
did no
damage to the stone and brick bars.
Cindy sunk down
against the
wall and onto the floor; she wiped a tear from underneath her sullen
eye: What
on earth is going on? My best friend hates me and is acting like a
totally
different person, Carl thinks he’s some kind of animal and Sheen…well
Sheen is
still Sheen. But Libby…I’ve never seen her look at me that way.
I trotted over to
Cindy and
slid down beside her. I exhaled: I have some explaining to do.
She slowly turned
her head to
face me and tilted her chin, asking with inquisitive eyes the question
her
mouth did not.
I allowed the truth
to escape
in one breath: It’s my fault.
Cindy’s brow
furrowed: What?
I took a deep
breath and
explained: I made this invention for the science fair and had it in my
utility
belt and when Professor Calamitous rammed into me…
Professor
Calamitous squeaked
from the background: That was your fault, Jimmy Neutron! I did not…(He
continued to ramble on but I tuned him out)
I continued: When
Professor
Calamitous and I collided, my invention fell out and once it broke into
pieces
on the floor, it detonated and…
Cindy, wearing a
repulsed
look on her face, slid quickly away from me and asked: What did you do?
Feeling my heart
sink, I
attempted to tell her: The invention made everyone believe that what
they were
thinking at that moment was true. So Sheen thinks he’s Ultralord, Carl
thinks
he’s a llama and Libby…Libby believes she’s Queen Howsaboutislapya and
that she
rules this tomb as her palace.
Cindy’s innocent
face bent
into a viciously angry expression and she recoiled from me: How could
you? How
could you mess up like this AGAIN?!?!
I tried to explain
again:
Please, Cindy; I’m so sorry…I never meant it to be this way…
She viciously
pulled away and
stood up, glaring down at me with abhorrence in her eyes like I had
never seen:
You just ruined my life. I lost my best friend and now we’re going to
die in
this dungeon all because of you! I hate you…I hate you, Jimmy Neutron!!!
As she turned her
back on me,
my heart plunged to the ground and shattered into helpless pieces on
the cold
stone. I’d really blown it this time. Right when Cindy was beginning to
trust
me and maybe even enjoy my presence, I ripped it to shreds and threw it
away.
Glancing down at the broken pieces of my improved Hypnotism Ray in my
utility
belt, I knew there was no way I could gather the supplies to repair the
invention. I could never reverse the effects, never get Libby back to
normal,
never free us from this cage, never make Cindy stop hating me, and
worst of
all, never put an end to this empty, lonely feeling that ate away at me
in the
pit of my hopeless heart.
I buried my face in
my hands
and thought: Why does it have to be this way?
Allowing my eyes to
glimpse
downwards as I held my face in my trembling hands, I caught sight once
again of
my wrecked invention and suddenly an idea came to mind…one that could
rescue
us…one that could restore Cindy and Libby’s relationship…one that could
revive
my relationship with Cindy…and one that could save our entire world…
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Kicking Walls and Ancient Ritual Mating Stares
There it was, right
before my
very eyes; the answer to this whole mess. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t
noticed
it before!
I leapt from my
sulking spot
on the floor: I’ve got it!
Cindy sniffed up
her tears
and replied smartly: You’ve got what? Issues? Well we already knew that!
Glaring, I
answered: NO!
Something that will make everyone go back to normal!
A bit interested,
Cindy
turned around but then crossed her arms across her chest and retorted:
Yeah
right! It will probably blow us all to smithereens!
Professor
Calamitous clapped
his hands together excitedly: Ooh…do it, do it! I want to see!
I rolled my eyes
and ignored
their comments: There is something in this very chamber that can fix my
invention! You see, these bricks are composed of mud and straw and
other
various materials that could neutralize the ionic convulsion this
invention has
conveyed…
Cindy yelled:
English
please!!!
I attempted to
compact my
explanation into simpler terms: If we can break off a piece of the
brick from this
wall, the ingredients in it will fix my invention.
Professor
Calamitous tossed
his enormous black-gloved hands into the air: Why didn’t you just say
that?
Sighing, I began to
pound on
one of the bricks, hoping a tiny piece might come loose.
Cindy giggled: Oh,
please,
Nerdtron. Like your wimpy little lack-of-muscle arms will do any
damage!
Sheen piped up from
behind
us: My plasmatic ray gun will blast the brick to bits! STAND BACK!!!
I shook my head
and, humoring
him, stepped away. Sheen patted his pants pockets, searched behind his
ear…and
to his surprise, the ray gun was no where to be found.
Sheen stomped a
foot angrily:
Foiled again! The Zorgiligan aliens from planet Zorgil must have
abducted all
my weaponry! I will have my revenge!!!
Cindy told me:
You’d better
fix this quick; he’s even more annoying than usual.
I muttered under my
breath:
So are you…
Cindy grunted: I
heard that!
And stop trying to break that wall! You’re too puny…you’ll hurt
yourself!
I halted abruptly
and turned
to her: And what would make you care?
Color rose to
Cindy’s cheeks
and she searched for an answer: Um…well…I don’t want to be stuck here
forever!
If you hurt yourself then you can’t fix your stupid invention!
My hopes sunk a
bit:
Oh…(Anger welled up inside of me again) Well let’s see you do better!
Taking note of the
tone of my
voice, Cindy snapped: Fine! Stand back, Neutron, and watch a
professional work!
I crossed my arms,
expecting
Cindy to fail miserably: Oh please…
In one swift
motion, Cindy’s
leg flung upwards in a flawless kick and hammered the wall, sending an
excruciatingly ear-splitting “boom” resounding down the hallways;
portions of
brick tumbled to the ground, clattering onto the stone as a veil of
dust
exploded and sunk to our feet.
I stood, mouth
hanging agape
in sheer amazement as I watched Cindy direct her leg back to the ground
and
glimpse at the morsels of brick with satisfaction. Carefully and with
grace,
she bent over, lifted a piece from the ground into her fingers and
presented it
to me.
Smugly, Cindy
asked: How’s
that for you, genius?
A foolish grin
split my face:
Perfect.
For a moment we
hung in a
beautiful pause, just gazing at each other until Professor Calamitous
erupted.
Professor
Calamitous
squealed: Just fix the invention for goodness sakes!!! I don’t know why
you two
have to waste time staring at each other…
I shook myself out
of it and
concocted an excuse: I was NOT staring at her! I was…examining the
brick to see
if it had the proper components to repair my invention!
Cindy nodded her
head nervously:
Me too! That’s what I was doing too!
Sheen began to
digress: It
looked to me as if you were engaged in the ancient ritual mating stare
of
planet Secrove…
Cindy smiled at me
for a
moment until we both broke out in expressions of disgust: EWWWWW!!!!!!
I quickly brushed
the thought
aside: Now let’s get to fixing this invention…
Gently pulling the
pieces of
my improved Hypnotism Ray from my utility belt and laying them on the
ground, I
began my ingenious work to save us all. We could only hope that this
time, it
would actually work…
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Back to Work
Half an hour passed
and I was
still intent on my work on the Hypnotism Ray. Professor Calamitous sat
in a
corner, twiddling his thumbs, Sheen was still searching for his
Plasmatic Ray
Gun, Carl attempted to scratch the spot behind his ear with his leg and
Cindy
tapped her foot impatiently as she stood, staring over my shoulder.
Cindy sighed: Are
you done
YET?
I gave the same
answer I had
stated 50 times previously: Not yet.
Cindy yelled: WHY
NOT?!
I tried to explain:
Well, I
still have to attach the temporal fuser to the covalent bond valve and
add the
brick to neutralize the…
Cindy halted my
lengthy
explanation: Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up, would ya?
Without response, I
continued
my work for a few minutes until Cindy grew intolerant of standing and
waiting
and plunked down on the floor beside me.
I turned to her
smartly: Yes?
Cindy rubbed her
neck: Well…I
had a question to ask.
The look in my eyes
urged her
to continue.
She replied: I was
wondering…why
didn’t you and I and Professor Calamitous change into anything crazy?
I hadn’t considered
this
before. I pondered out loud: I’m…I’m not sure. (I whirled my head
around to
face Professor Calamitous) Hey! Calamitous! What were you thinking when
my
invention went off?
Professor
Calamitous glanced
up at me: I was thinking about how great it is to be an evil scientist…
I chuckled a bit,
observing
his mannerisms; he had remained the same: So I suppose you were
thinking
something that didn’t affect your personality. We must have been too!
Cindy, do
you remember what you were thinking?
Cindy scratched her
head and
contemplated: Um…
I watched Cindy’s
eyes flash;
she bit her lip and an answer that did not match her previous
expression
echoed: I was thinking…“gosh, Neutron is such a mess up.”
A downcast
expression swept
my face and I turned directly back down to my work for fear Cindy might
catch
the pained look I adorned.
Cindy continued
with her
insults as she rose to her feet: So what were you thinking, Neutron?
“I’m a big
headed dork?” That would make sense because you’re not acting any
different!
Malicious laughter
erupted
from Cindy’s lungs and stabbed my heart like a thousand razor-sharp
needles.
Concealing the pain
she
caused me and the true thought that came to my mind that moment my
invention
initiated, I shot another offense at her: I was ACTUALLY thinking…
“Wow, Cindy
Vortex is a bossy witch!”
Cindy’s eyes opened
wide, she
fell back a step and her eyes glazed with a stinging sadness. She said
nothing
as she turned her back on me and stumbled away, sliding down into a
corner.
I whispered to
myself, the
sorrow in her eyes radiating to me: Good going, genius.
Slowly, sulking, I
began to
repair my invention once again, allowing my work to do what it always
did: shut
out the rest of the world. Whenever I was upset or trying to fight some
emotion
off, I resorted to inventions in my lab. It’s probably why most of my
inventions turned out so horribly: they were all constructed because of
my
anger or self-pity. I used my inventions as something to hide behind
when I
felt vulnerable and didn’t want the rest of the world to see what I was
really
feeling. But I never admitted that to anyone, especially not Cindy.
Because, in
fact, Cindy was the reason why I had such emotions most of the time.
And right
now, I was returning to my old habits by trying to mask my feelings for
her by
laboring over my invention…I only wished that it actually worked.
Professor
Calamitous made his
way to me, teetering over then kneeling down beside me.
I snapped: What do
you want?
Professor
Calamitous
suggested, placing his hand on my shoulder with false sincerity: I just
wanted
to ask that, since you and this Vortex girl don’t seem to get along too
well,
maybe I could take her to be my assistant again? Obviously you don’t
want her…
I grasped his hand
with such
intensity that he pulled away with a wince: You’re not taking her
anywhere…
Professor
Calamitous shrugged
his shoulders and grunted: Fine! But I don’t see why not…
I took a deep
breath and
stared down at the Hypnotism Ray; as he walked away I whispered to
myself:
Because I do want her…
As I spoke the
words to
myself, I glimpsed back at Cindy; she was slouched in the corner,
cradling her
head in her hands. I nearly arose to go talk to her, to tell her…but I
remembered the insults she’d struck me with and clenched my teeth
bitterly. My
heart hardened and I went right back to my work…like I always did.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Heartless Genius
A grin of
satisfaction swept
my face as I held my fully repaired invention in the air with pride: It
is
complete!
Sheen’s face
exploded into
excitement: You mean the war on the Slygorgians from sector 9 is
finally
over?!?!?!
My smile faded and
I shook my
head: …No.
Sheen’s grin melted
into
disappointment and he breathed: Oh.
I continued,
ecstatic: My
invention’s repair is complete!
Professor
Calamitous rolled
his eyes with a devious grin: Finally!
Cindy sarcastically
added:
Woohoo. Now how do we get out of this CAGE, Captain Cranium?
My heart sunk. I
hadn’t
thought about that. Now all that work on my invention would be in
vain…I
couldn’t use it on Libby unless we escaped the cage first. Searching my
mind
for ideas, I came up blank and slapped a hand to my head, scolding
myself.
Professor
Calamitous whined:
Don’t tell me you didn’t devise a plan to get out of here first!
I fiddled with the
invention
in my hands: Um…well…
Cindy, raging,
stood up and
stomped over to me, grabbing me by my shirt and yelling into my face:
You
IDIOT!!!
A few moments
later, Cindy
was still clasped onto my shirt, staring into my face when she finally
dropped
me, turned red and cleared her throat.
Shaking her head
rapidly, she
returned to the subject with anger: You’d better get me out of here in
the next
5 seconds or…
I fiercely shot
back: Or
what? You’ll go have another pity party all by your little old self?
Ooh…I’m SO
scared!
Stunned, she
stuttered: I was
not having a pity party!
I shot back: Well
you were
pouting in the corner like a two-year old after a tantrum that didn’t
result in
getting what she wanted!
She attempted to
produce an
excuse: I was just…trying to think of a way to fix your stupid
invention!
I crossed my arms smugly: Riiight…
She pointed an
accusing
finger into my chest and allowed herself to speak the words I realized
she had
been holding back for so long: You know what your problem is, Jimmy
Neutron?
You have a big brain and a huge IQ and you think you’re all that…but
you’re
not! At least I can be sad; at least I can FEEL! You have no emotions
and no
heart …there’s no room for any of that in your enormous head! You are a
heartless, careless, selfish, cold and arrogant jerk…and I can’t
believe I ever
called you my friend!!!
Cindy once again
retired to a
corner and I stood helpless in the center of the floor. I felt my heart
crack,
smashing onto the ground and splintering into hopeless pieces. She
finally
admitted her true feelings about me…and they were nothing like I had
imagined.
She hated me…and I hated myself.
I glanced over at
her
helpless silhouette, staring off into nothingness. I couldn’t read the
thoughts
behind her eyes for the first time in my life. The emerald gleam that
was
normally there when she was happy…gone. That fierceness that blazed
like
untamable flames she used to glare at me with when she was
angry…disappeared.
Even the glazed tears she adorned when she was sad…faded away. All I
could see
in those eyes of hers were dim shades of gray; no emotion, no readable
quality
lay in her, not even her usual green-eyed glow…just the faintness of
disappointment
and guilt. And for once in my 5th grade life, when I
actually wanted
to, I had no idea how to help her.
Gazing at her
seemingly
emotionless face, I swallowed the lump in my throat. Glimpsing into her
eyes,
my own filled with tears.
Sheen trotted over
to me and
set his hand on my shoulder: I believe you have disturbed the lady.
Possibly
you should perform ritual #76 of the Weglons from Planet Weglozzia…
I sighed,
exchanging my anger
for submission: And what would that be, Sh…I mean, Ultralord?
Sheen stood up
straight,
glanced back at Cindy then looked into my eyes once more: That would
be…the
apology.
I, the super
genius, couldn’t
even compose that idea and Sheen, the delusional straight D- student
was giving
me the advice I needed to hear.
I whispered to
myself,
shaking my head with disappointment: What is the world coming to?
Yet I knew Sheen
was right.
That’s what I had to do…apologize.
Inhaling a deep,
nervous
breath, I closed my eyes and considered what I was going to say, then
conjured
up the guts to approach her…and then I began the seemingly endless walk
over to
where Cindy sat in solitude to perform the very first apology I had
ever spoken
to Cindy Vortex…
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Physical Liberation=Heart’s Confinement
It seemed like ages
before I
reached the spot where Cindy crouched in eerie solitude. Her eyes
remained cold
and emotionless and it pained me to observe her lifeless expression. I
recalled
seeing her truly lifeless mere hours before, lying helpless in my arms
and
depending on me to resurrect her motionless figure. And now the duty
was mine
once more; it was again my responsibility to restore Cindy to life. And
I would
accomplish this by first apologizing, and second…telling her. Telling
her
everything about my feelings when she was submerged in a coma, my
tears,
nightmares, sleepless nights and about every emotion I’d ever tried to
express
to her. And I would speak the words I’d been dying to allow to escape
my lips
ever since the day I first caught sight of Cindy Vortex. And then,
together, we
would devise a plan to break free of this cage.
I started,
slouching down
beside the frail, golden-haired girl who’d been my rival for so many
years:
Cindy…
I hesitated to
speak more,
awaiting some kind of response or sign that she even realized I
existed, but
her expression did not change.
I continued: I
wanted to come
over here to…to…(I struggled to allow that word to emerge)…apologize.
Slowly, Cindy’s
head eased
over to face me and her gray, emotionless eyes stared intently into
mine. Still
no words came forth.
Suddenly,
everything poured
out of me: I was stupid for dragging you out here in the first place. I
should’ve gone with you into that false tomb and protected you from
being
captured. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when you woke up and I’m sorry
for
making Libby hate you and for calling you all those nasty things. I’m
sorry for
fighting with you all the time and I’m sorry that things didn’t turn
out better
between us. I’m just really, really sorry…and I hope you’ll forgive me.
After rattling off
my list of
apologies, I inhaled a deep breath and anxiously awaited a response. My
heart
pounded rapidly, and I sat frightful of the possible rejection I might
face. I
could hardly breathe.
Biting my lip, I
watched
Cindy’s dull, expressionless eyes flare back to a gleaming emerald, a
wry smile
tugging at the corners of her lips.
Abruptly, her face
split into
a coy little smile and before I knew it, she threw her arms around my
neck,
embracing me warmly.
She whispered into
my ear: I
forgive you, Jimmy.
A smile swept my
own face at
the moment those blessed words reached my ears.
I arose from the
ground
carefully, helping Cindy to her feet as well. As she rose to stand in
front of
me, our eyes met once more and I knew that this was the time to tell
her.
I began, taking a
step closer
to her: Cindy…there’s something else I needed to tell you.
Tilting her head,
Cindy
inquired sweetly: What?
I stuttered: I…I…
But before I could
even
finish my sentence, an ear-piercing explosion erupted into my eardrums.
Both our heads
jerked over
and then our eyes drank in a most amazing sight: the bars which
confined us
were broken, crumbling to bits and exposing an enormous opening.
I asked Professor
Calamitous,
who was standing beside the site of the explosion wearing a grin: How
did you
do that?!?!
Professor
Calamitous nodded
towards Goddard: It was that robotic mutt of yours. It used the spices
from
some jars in the corner and ignited them with fire to…well…(He glimpsed
at the
dust and pieces of the bars settling to the ground around the
opening)…to do
that.
I laughed and
patted
Goddard’s head: You remembered what I did last time! Good job, boy!
Goddard yipped:
Bark, bark!
I turned back to
Cindy to
speak the words I wished so deeply to say but she shrieked before the
words
could escape: We’re free!!!
Her face beaming,
Cindy
jolted out the opening, pulling me along with her in excitement.
Stepping outside
the cage, I
took a deep breath and glanced behind me at the horrific dungeon
chamber. At
last we were liberated. But the feelings I locked away in my heart and
those
words I was so eager to confess…were still hopelessly trapped…
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
All Is How It Should Be…Right?
Ecstatic to be
freed, all of
us exited the chamber gladly, all displaying actions that proved who
and where
each of us truly wanted to be; Carl galloped from the cage like a jolly
llama,
Sheen marched out valiantly spouting Ultralord phrases, Professor
Calamitous
hopped out grinning deviously, ready to take over the world once the
stones were
found, and then there was Cindy and me. Grins adorning our faces, we
stood
together, ready to take on the world. And then I knew that all was how
it
should be…besides the whole Carl thinking he’s a llama, Sheen thinking
he’s
Ultralord and Libby thinking she’s the Queen thing. That was still on
my “to
do” list.
My smile faded as I
glanced
over only to see Sheen attempting to mount Carl’s back like a steed.
Sheen slapped
Carl’s back:
Since my Stratatomic spaceship has obviously been abducted along with
my
weaponry, I suppose you’ll have to do for transportation. Giddy up!
Carl began to
gallop but
abruptly kicked his back legs out, sending Sheen careening off his back
and
thumping to the floor.
Professor
Calamitous stared
at the two delusional boys awkwardly: Um…can we use your Hypnotism Ray
to
change these nitwits back, please?
I shook my head: I
can’t run
the risk of using it only on these two. It could possibly break down
after one
usage because of the ancient brick and materials in its composition. We
need to
get all three together.
Cindy nodded then
glanced up
into my eyes: I agree.
Wow, I thought.
That was a
first. I couldn’t even recall one time in the past when Cindy had ever
agreed
with me…ever. A smile danced across my face.
Cindy beamed: So, shall we proceed?
I chuckled: We
shall.
Professor
Calamitous crossed
his arms across his ashen lab coat and shifted his weight to one leg:
What are
you two so happy about?
Sheen jolted in:
Yeah,
there’s still a manic Queen wannabe who’s not going to be excited about
the
fact that we’ve escaped! You’ll both skip up there with glee (He
demonstrated
with light, fake daintiness)…then it will be off with our heads!!!!
Cindy shuddered at
the
thought.
Noticing her
trembling, I
glimpsed over and reassured her: Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen.
Cindy smiled: I
know.
Professor
Calamitous popped
up: Okay, now that you’ve had your little ‘moment’ can we go back to
the throne
chamber?
Color rose to my
cheeks as I
attempted to ignore the statement: Uh…does anyone remember how we got
here?
All fell silent and
I sighed
with grief…another obstacle.
But all of a
sudden, Cindy
piped up with a suggestion: Why don’t you check your watch? Maybe it
programmed
a map of the hallways we were led down to get here like it did last
time we
were here.
My head whirled
around to
face her: That’s a…great idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think of it!
Cindy’s shining
eyes voiced
her “you’re welcome.”
Quickly I began
trying to
locate any map that might have been recorded recently in my watch. At
last I
selected an untitled file under “maps” and discovered a chart of the
winding
hallways of the tomb.
I exclaimed with
enthusiasm:
It worked! It’s all here…
Professor
Calamitous tapped
his foot impatiently: So can we LEAVE now?
I spoke curtly:
Most certainly.
We’re good to go!
So, following my
watch’s
direction, we strolled down the hallways, finding our way back to the
chamber
where our next action would take place…the changing back of our
friends. I
could hardly wait to have everything back to normal again, but I could
have
never imagined how difficult our next task would be. And as we ventured
down
those darkened hallways, I wish I would’ve known what danger stretched
out
before us…
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Off to Restore Reality
Finally, we arrived
at the
chamber and, standing just outside of it, we huddled behind the brick
wall for
fear of being spotted. Carefully I peered around the corner to catch a
glimpse
of what could be occurring inside.
Libby lounged in
her
exquisite golden throne, decrepit mummies heaving themselves at her
feet in
reverence and allowing bellowing groans to escape their bandaged
mouths. One
was filing her nails, another fanning her with some type of desert
leaf. I
spied no other mummies except those around her and decided that it was
the
opportune time to enter…the coast was clear.
I turned around to
face Carl,
Cindy, Professor Calamitous and Sheen. They all stared at me with
anxiety, eyes
glued open wide, ready to make the next move.
I whispered, just
barely
audible: Okay, the coast is clear. Now we need to sneak in there real
quietly,
then we need to get Sheen and Carl by Libby to successfully change them
back to
normal. Got it?
Cindy and Professor
Calamitous nodded silently, Carl and Sheen stared blankly but I paid no
mind to
their reaction; the only part they played in this scheme was standing
next to
Libby at the correct time. Easy enough for a wannabe Ultralord and a
disillusioned llama.
Softly speaking
once again, I
added: On the count of three we tiptoe in…one…two…three…
As soon as the last
number
emerged from my mouth, we five snuck cautiously towards the doorway,
being
careful not to disrupt any rocks or vases or anything that could move
and cause
noise to erupt.
Soon we approached
the
doorway, passing through silently until suddenly, something seized my
arms.
Bony fingers clasped around my arms and dug extensive fingernails into
my skin.
I released a yelp of pain and glanced around only to see the same
situation
occurring with Carl, Cindy, Goddard, Sheen and Professor Calamitous.
I glimpsed up at my
captors
only to catch sight of yet more mummies.
Ashamed thoughts
raced
through my mind: How could I not have noticed? How could I not have
assumed
there would be guards stationed at the doorway? How could I have led my
friends
into yet another hopeless trap?
Professor
Calamitous managed
to force out beneath the mummy’s grip: You…idiot!
I breathed: I’m
sorry…I
didn’t know…
Sheen struggled
against his
mummy: Let me go you mangled monstrosity! You have no idea who you’re
dealing
with!
A booming,
authoritative
voice echoed throughout the chamber resounding from Libby’s slender
figure: You
thought you could escape my dungeon chamber, then sneak back in here to
seek
revenge upon me and actually get away with it?!?! I think NOT! Who do
you think
you are?
Cindy, attempting
to
resurrect the Libby within, exclaimed: I thought I was your best friend!
Libby examined her
sparkling
nails and rolled her eyes with disgust: You could only wish!
A fiery anger arose
in
Cindy’s eyes and she glared over at me in a manner I thought, or at
least
hoped, I would never be forced to witness again: Nice going, Nerdtron!
We’ll
never get her back to normal now!!! How could you be so stupid? I can’t
believe
I ever considered forgiving you!
My hopes
immediately sunk and
my heart panged with such an intensity that I could scarcely breathe.
Just when
everything was going right, when matters I had been confused about for
years
were seeming to fall into place, when I believed life was about to
revert back
to its regular spin, I had to mess things up again.
A deep sigh gushed
from my
lips and I shut my eyes tight.. I had no clue how we would escape this.
Every
solution seemed impossible and I assumed nothing could possibly get
worse…until
I heard Libby’s next announcement.
She yelled
commandingly:
Guards!!!
The mummies
confining our
helpless frames nodded and turned their attention to their “Queen” with
ghoulish grumbles.
Libby finished her
ruthless
order: Execute them!!!
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Taking It To The Grave
Our eyes swelled
with
horror-filled shock at this command. Execute us?!?!
I stole a fleeting
glance at
Cindy whose eyes were drenched with fear, an expression of utter
distress
painted across her sullen face. I could only imagine the thoughts
spiraling through
her mind at that moment. Her own best friend was sentencing her to
death; now
all the odds were against her. She’d lost her best friend, was enraged
with me
and had no where and no one to turn to. I wish she knew then that she
could
always run to me, always fall back on me, but it was far too late to
tell her
now. Soon our fate would be sealed and it wouldn’t matter anymore. It
was the
end for all of us, dictated by the hand of one of our best friends.
Before we could
even conjure
up a resistance, thick, irritating ropes were knotted
intensely around our arms and legs, the rope
which bound us gnawing mercilessly into our skin.
Cindy cried,
wondering with
anxiety what our cruel fate would be: What are you going to do with us?
The mummies uttered
no reply
but Libby proudly proclaimed her malicious means of torture: To the
snake pit
with them!!!
Sheen laughed,
unaffected:
Hah! Snakes are no match for Ultralord! What are they? Five harmless
little
garter snakes?
Sheen clutched his
stomach
with chuckles bubbling from his mouth at the thought of tiny, pathetic
snakes
attempting to finish us off.
Libby snorted:
Quite the
contrary. There are five hundred deathly poisonous saw-scaled vipers
full of
venom in the snake pit. Hardly what I’d call harmless.
My heartbeat halted
dead in
its tracks. I swallowed hard. Saw-scaled vipers held the distinction of
having
killed more people than any other snake. Surely, we were doomed. The
horrific
thought of highly venomous snakes devouring me and my friends invaded
my mind
and I couldn’t help but blame myself. My head hung in disappointment
and shame
as a mummy lifted me in its dilapidated arms, withered and clammy, to
carry me
away to the outcome of my foolish mistakes.
With not another
word spoken,
we were lugged away like innocent sheep to the slaughter house, all
stricken
silent with fear. The only sound that penetrated my deep, ashamed
thoughts was
that of Libby’s torturous cackle reverberating off the brick walls of
the
lonely chamber.
After being dragged
through
numerous hallways, we entered an enormous empty room. Ahead lay an
immense
square hole in the middle of the cold stone floor: the jaws of death,
unfastening themselves to engulf the entirety of my world in their
despicable
terror.
I glimpsed at my
other imprisoned
friends; Carl was flailing about frantically, attempting to kick his
“hooves”
into the mummy but the ties which confined him would not allow such
movement.
Professor
Calamitous was
trying to talk his way out of his sentence. He reasoned to the mummy
smoothly:
You know, if you let me go then I will give you a place of prominence
once I
dominate the world!
The mummy seemed to
comprehend his offer; it pondered the preposition then growled, barely
understandable: Long live Queen Libby!
Professor
Calamitous slapped
a frustrated hand to his head. Negotiating was not about to save his
life.
Goddard was wrapped
securely
in rope twelve times over to ensure no escape; he barked manically but
there
was nothing I could do to rescue him.
Sheen attempted to
force his
“wings” to emerge so he could soar away from his doom but, since the
wings were
not surfacing, he assumed the ropes were detaining them and submitted
to his
fate.
And then there was
Cindy. She
hung limply in the arms of the mummy, dread pouring from her eyes and
disappointment in me radiating from every hopeless sigh she uttered.
Though I did
fear for myself, the honest truth was that I longed desperately to
surrender my
own life just to save her, to keep her smiling, to allow her to live a
full and
joyful life, even if it wasn’t with me. I would sacrifice anything to
take her
place. And yet we were both condemned to die, both destined to vanish
from
earth. And my true feelings would fade from existence with me. She
would never
know of the tears I shed when I believed she was gone forever, the
restless
nights I spent dreaming of her, the words I desired so desperately to
confess
to that blonde-haired girl who had taken residence in my heart ever
since the
first day her gleaming emerald eyes met with mine. She would never know…
CHAPTER SIXTY
Preparing For the Leap of Death
The mummies wobbled
over to
the hole, we five in decrepit hand, and reached inside the opening with
drooping arms, towing ropes from inside up to the floor where we stood.
And
then I realized just what it was they were doing and it was far worse
than I’d
imagined. We weren’t going to just be thrown into the pit to end the
suffering
immediately, we were being forced to dangle from ropes above the vipers
until
some force unraveled or shredded the rope so we would slowly be plunged
into
agony.
As we neared the
merciless
opening, the horrific sound of hissing and scales chafing against each
other
threatened my eardrums. I could nearly feel their slick bodies
slithering,
sliding across my goose-bumped skin when I closed my eyes and absorbed
the
sound of their motion. Terrified, I cringed.
Professor
Calamitous yelled
accusingly toward me: You big brained moron! Your stupid invention is
going to
get us all killed! Can’t you do anything right?
Defensively, I
snapped: May I
remind you that it was YOU who ran into ME in the first place!!! This
is all
YOUR fault!
Professor
Calamitous shouted:
Well if YOU wouldn’t have had that lousy contraption of yours out where
it
could be detonated, we wouldn’t be in this predicament!
I retorted: Well,
if you
would’ve looked before you backed into me…
Sheen interrupted
the
madness: Would you two cease your quarreling? Fighting was what threw
the
Animonic Aliens from Sector 21 into their first civil war!
Professor
Calamitous
shrugged: I’ve never heard of them.
Sheen exclaimed:
Exactly!
That’s because they all killed each other in battle!
I gasped; for once,
Sheen was
right. Arguing with each other wasn’t going to solve anything and
neither was
casting the blame. Although I didn’t believe anything could solve our
problem
at that moment anyways, I knew fighting would only make matters worse,
if that
was possible.
Abruptly, the ropes
retrieved
from within the pit were secured around each one of us then knotted
tightly
with harsh intensity. There was no escaping these woven confinements.
The mummies
carefully stood
us up on our feet. We all looked like stone soldiers, frozen, rigid
characters;
our arms and legs were fastened to the remainder of our bodies and we
were
stricken motionless with fear.
Goddard and I were
tied to
one edge of the hole, Sheen and Professor Calamitous to the one beside
me, Carl
to the other beside me and Cindy to the side across from me.
I glanced over at
Carl; he
was attempting to gnaw through his ropes with his teeth but since his
mouth
wasn’t truly equipped with llama teeth, he had no affect on the bulky
twine. We
were trapped and that was that. No weapons of Ultralord or hooves of a
llama
could liberate us from our cruel punishment…the punishment we received
for
merely trying to help.
I stared across the
vast
opening, the pit that held our condemned fate, into the sad eyes of
Cindy
Vortex. Fear and dread sent an earthquake of trembles throughout her
body, the
vision of hundreds of deadly snakes reflecting in the shimmering tears
which
glazed her eyes. And I could do nothing to help her.
I watched her eyes
slowly
flutter closed, a teardrop rolling off her eyelashes and slipping down
her
cheek. All I wanted to do was be there beside her, wipe her tears away,
tell
her everything was going to be all right. But that would be a lie.
Everything
wasn’t going to be all right. I would never again see the wistful smile
of
Cindy Vortex, never again steal glances at her during class when I
thought she
wasn’t looking, never hold her hand in mine again. How could that be
right?
That was anything but right; it was pure cruelty. Our short lives were
now
going to be sliced even shorter, depriving us of so many experiences
never
explored.
And suddenly, as I
stared
into the twisted face of death, nothing that formerly seemed so
important
mattered anymore. Now winning the science fair, being the smartest kid
in class
and creating more gadgets than any other inventor seemed plain trivial.
All
that mattered was my friends, Cindy, and all the precious words I was
never
given the chance to speak. And I prayed that in my last moments, I
would be
able to tell them everything I ever longed to confess, even if it be
with my
last gasping breath…
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
The Last Time
My heart raced as I
peered
over the edge of the hole, knots of vipers forming a twisted picture of
horror
before my shock-filled eyes. I glanced over at Goddard who whimpered
and hung
his robotic head low, his eyes raking over the horrendous hissing mass
below. I
knew exactly how he felt.
The mummies soon
assembled
themselves behind each one of us, their bandage-draped arms reaching
out for
our backs. I shut my eyes and clenched my bound fists, preparing myself
for the
fatal plunge I was about to undergo. But minutes ticked sluggishly by
and
nothing happened. So with a great heave, I slouched into comfort again,
supposing I had a few more moments before I was launched into the
depths of
demise. Then as soon as I relaxed, I felt the sickening touch of the
mummies’
putrefying hands against my back and
before I knew it, a forceful shove caused me to lunge into the pit, my
stomach
leaping to my throat as I free-fell through the thick must of the air.
Then
suddenly, it felt as if I’d struck a wall then bounced upwards, only to
tumble
back down to the spot where my fall was halted; I had reached the
extent of my
ropes. I dangled helplessly from my confinements mere feet above the
viciously
ravenous vipers. My eyes flitted about and I watched as Carl, Cindy,
Goddard,
Professor Calamitous and Sheen plummeted downwards also, rebounded as I
did
then came to a halt, suspended in mid-air by their ropes in the manner
I did
mere moments ago.
I watched as Carl’s
plump
body quivered with animal-like fear over the vipers. He hung across
from Sheen
who was staring intensely at the vipers, willing his “heat vision” to
scorch
them to ashes. Beside Sheen hung Professor Calamitous, who was mumbling
under
his breath, fuming about how idiotic I was and how he never would’ve
allowed
such a “preposterous” event to occur if we hadn’t obscured his master
plan.
Next to me, Goddard’s head simply drooped in distress, his steel frame
rigid
and lifeless. Across from Goddard and I, Cindy dangled with an
expression of
pure terror dripping from her eyes, brimming with dread. She bit her
lip
nervously as she observed the vipers glaring up at her with eyes like
flame-engulfed infernos, blazing unrestrained. Witnessing her fear only
caused
my own to incline and it felt as if that nightmarish anxiety had
wrapped its
toxic fingers around my stomach and was wrenching it in a thousand
different
directions at once. The only other occasion that I experienced this
torturous
anguish was when I believed that I had lost Cindy forever. Never again
did I fathom
that I could suffer such severe torment once again, but there I
was…suffering.
Sheen shattered my
contemplations as he hammered a fist to his head with a command: Jimmy,
we must
do something! My heat vision is temporarily dysfunctional! We must
concoct a
plan to escape the confines of this pit of doom!
Professor
Calamitous sneered:
HIM?!? Why are you asking HIM? He’s the one who got us into this chaos!
We
wouldn’t be dangling without a prayer above venomous vipers if this
nimrod
hadn’t gone and tried to be the genius he clearly is NOT!!!
I was near ready to
retort
when Cindy’s fragile voice surfaced, calm and timid: This…is the last
time. I
always knew this would happen, that one day Neutron wouldn’t have the
solution
to the problem he made. And now…(She gritted her teeth, eyes simmering
with
fury but still retaining a soft tone)…we’re all going to suffer for it.
I felt my guilty
heart
plummet into a coma, depression and disappointment in myself stomping
its
pain-coated cleats into my unconscious heart.
Dejected, I
breathed: You’re
both right. This is all my fault. Maybe I’m not a genius, I’m just a
stupid kid
who’s obsessed with science and neglects to tell people what is really
going on
inside his…absent, lack of genius mind.
Cindy’s jaw dropped
a bit and
she gaped at me; I suppose she wasn’t expecting me to agree with her
insults,
but shoot back an arrogant remark and begin the bickering process all
over
again. But her words stung my heart so agonizingly that all I could do
was
concur…and decide to tell everyone dangling powerlessly around me the
words
meant for each one of them that I had secured inside myself as long as
I could
remember; they had to know before we were exterminated from the planet,
before
our lives and memories dissolved into the forgetful and merciless fate
which
was now ours to endure, before it was too late…
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Confessions and a…Brain Blast!
At the sudden sound
of
crackling, my eyes dashed upwards and settled upon a most horrific
sight;
savage rats were released and they began to gnaw upon the ropes which
served as
our fragile lifeline. The only thing restraining we five and Goddard
from the
doom we could not avoid was receding fast and soon we would plunge into
the
deadly pool of vipers.
Cindy snapped
viciously, her
former “this is the last time” theory fading fast at the thought of
actually
being in danger: Neutron, are you gonna’ get us out of this or what?!?!
Professor
Calamitous added: I
concur; isn’t it about time for one of your ridiculous “brain blasts”
or whatever
you call those?!
My head dangled sadly as I pouted: Only geniuses have brain
blasts…there’s no
hope.
Sheen gallantly
proclaimed:
There is always hope!
Carl grunted his
agreement.
Cindy shrieked: NO
HOPE ?!?!
You’d better get me out of here soon or so help me…
I shook my head and
negatively responded: No one can help you. Not even me. We’re doomed
and
there’s nothing else to do about it.
Cindy’s
anger-filled face
flashed sullen as the realization struck her: You’re serious…we’re
actually not
surviving this time. But…but…there are so many things I’ve never done!
I never
learned how to drive, never went on a date or got married or won the
science
fair or told you…
Suddenly, Cindy’s
lips closed
and her eyes shifted uneasily as color painted her cheeks.
My eyelids lifted a
bit and I
stared at her curiously: Told me what?
Cindy shot back
rapidly:
Nothing.
My excitement to
hear her
response died and it was then that I decided that this very moment was
the time
to tell everyone the words they desperately needed to hear before I was
unable
to speak them anymore. The ropes were quickly fraying, and all too
soon, time
would be up.
With a lengthy
breath, I
turned to Goddard first: Goddard, I just wanted to let you know that
you’ve
been my best companion ever since I built you. You’re my best and
favorite
invention and I don’t know what I’d do without you, boy.
Goddard barked back
appreciatively, sadness still echoing from inside.
I glanced at
Professor
Calamitous: Calamitous, I know we’ve been arch enemies forever, but you
have
given me many exciting adventures in my life.
Professor
Calamitous blushed
a bit: Yeah, yeah…
Next, I twirled to
face Carl.
I knew he wouldn’t be able to comprehend what I was saying but I found
it
necessary to let him know: Carl, you’ve been my best friend for as long
as I
can remember. No matter how afraid you were, you were always willing to
be my
test experiment for all my crazy inventions, and I’m eternally grateful
for
that. You are my best and closest friend and I will never forget you.
Carl merely snorted.
Cindy shook her
head,
confused: What are you doing, Neutron? All this touchy feely stuff is
making me
WANT to fall into those vipers!!!
Ignoring her
comment, I
whirled around to meet eye to eye with Sheen: Sheen…
Sheen interrupted:
Sheen?!?!
I corrected myself:
Ultralord…thank you for being my friend for all these years. You’ve
kept me
entertained, made me laugh hysterically and always been there to cheer
me up
when times seemed impossible…thank you so much for that.
Sheen’s eyebrow
raised and he
answered: Why, thank you, but I don’t recall doing any of those things
for you.
Depression swept me
for a
moment; I was pouring out everything to my friends and they couldn’t
even
remember all the unforgettable memories I was trying to thank them for.
But I
could do nothing to change that now; all I could do was confess all my
heart
had kept hidden…and Cindy was up next.
This was the
confession I’d
been dreading; I had so much to tell her, so many words I had feared to
allow
to escape my lips that my entire body trembled as I opened my mouth to
let her
know the way I really felt about our fighting, about competing with her
in
science fairs and grades and school, and the way I truly felt about her.
I inhaled deeply
and stared
intently into her eyes. I began: Cindy…
Cindy tilted her
head
innocently, obviously expecting something profound from me. I found
myself
lowering my gaze, not able to look into her eyes while I spoke such
words. But
as my eyes were wandering, I caught sight of Goddard’s back compartment
and
suddenly…BRAIN BLAST!!!
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Sand Cats To the Rescue
My eyes widened and
a mosaic
of colors melted into pictures in my mind. At last I could clearly make
out a
vision; I saw the sand cats we encountered, Goddard swallowing them
once I
shrunk them, and an image of the vipers beneath us…and I had it.
I shouted
enthusiastically:
BRAIN BLAST!!! I’ve got a plan!
Cindy slouched into
a
relieved heap: It’s about time!
Professor
Calamitous sighed:
Tell me about it…
Sheen questioned
curiously:
Is this a master plan you speak of?
I asked: Cindy, did
Libby
tell you about the sand cats that came after us in the desert while you
were
gone?
Cindy nodded,
waiting for me
to finish.
I continued: Well,
one of the
saw-scaled viper’s natural predators is the sand cat!
Cindy’s eyebrow
raised: So…
Professor
Calamitous added
with an impatient tone: And where do you suppose we’re going to get a
sand cat
right now, genius?
Ignoring his
comment, I
inquired once again: But do you remember what happened to those sand
cats?
Slowly, the
realization began
to dawn on Cindy: They’re inside of Goddard! (She exclaimed this
excitedly,
then a frown slid across her face) But Libby told me that you shrunk
them…they’ll never be big enough to eat ALL these snakes!
Recognizing this as
a flaw in
my plan, a downcast expression swept my face. But as I glimpsed
downwards and
my eyes settled on something wonderful, a smile split my cheeks and I
began to
chuckle with delight.
Cindy glared at me
with fiery
eyes as if I’d lost my mind and yelled: Hey Captain Cranium, come back
down to
earth! This is NOT a laughing matter!
Still maintaining a
laugh, I
motioned with a head nod towards my waist and pointed out: The mummies
didn’t
take my utility belt away…I still have my shrink ray!
Cindy’s face lit up
with joy
as she realized the reason for my laughter. But suddenly, a jerking
motion
seized her and she plummeted downwards another inch or so closer to the
snakes,
and her breath choked in her throat. Her eyes traveled upwards;
catching sight
of the fraying rope being gnawed away by the rats, fright drenched her
eyes.
Professor
Calamitous noticed
this also: We don’t have much time! Hurry up, genius, and get us out of
this
mess you got us into in the first place!
I attempted to
shake off his
negative demand.
Cindy’s voice
wavered with
fear as she asked with concern: But how will you reach your shrink ray?
Your
hands are tied!
I pondered this a
moment,
then smiled at Goddard and asked him: Goddard, can you use your heat
vision to break
the ropes on my hands, boy?
Goddard barked with
affirmation and as I held my hands out as much as possible, a steaming
hot,
ruby-red ray shot from Goddard’s eyes and seared through my binding
ropes,
liberating my hands. I watched the ropes tumble down and vanish into
the
swarming, devouring vastness of vipers and, remembering that that could
be me
if I didn’t hurry, I urgently continued my business.
I commanded:
Goddard! Sand
cats, please!
Goddard’s metal
jaws inched
open and, with a clanging mechanical burp, three tiny sand cats bounded
forth
from Goddard’s steel mouth and rested upon his tongue. Squinting one
eye, I
pointed the shrink ray at the sand cats and felt my thumb inch towards
the
button that would detonate my invention…and I awaited what could be our
great
path to escape, or our ultimate downfall…
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Dinnertime
Suddenly, before my
anxiety-drenched eyes, an iridescent red beam burst from the shrink
ray,
enveloping the miniscule sand cats in its shimmering rays. Then
abruptly the
sand cats began to swell enormously into their original sizes, paws
thickening
and fangs elongating.
Before I could even
blink
twice, gigantic sand cats towered before me, snarling with a ferocious
intensity that brought an earthquake of chatters to my teeth.
But their
blood-curdling
growls were quickly redirected from myself to the vipers below which
sunk their
venom-soaked fangs into the tender, fur-blanketed feet of the sand cats.
With yelps and
fierce cries,
the sand cats began to maliciously attack the vipers, tearing them with
razor-sharp claws and devouring them as if they had been famished for
ages.
Professor
Calamitous
attempted to recoil at the sight of one of the horrendous beasts that
stood
before him: What is THAT?!
A wry smile tugged
at my
lips: THAT, Calamitous, is what’s going to save our lives.
All of us watched
with eyes
glued open, too ecstatic that the plan was succeeding to be disgusted
by the
grotesque sight of the sand cats consuming the vipers.
Cindy’s eyes
illuminated with
a shining, hope-filled glow that reminded me of the golden sun rising
over a
glassy turquoise sea after a storm: It’s actually working!
Sheen reminisced:
This
reminds me of the Battle of Skihns when the aliens from Furzikia
battled the
reptilian aliens from Vipenken in the Pitatomic Galaxy when Borelord of
Neptilia became ruler of…
Cindy yelled,
irritated:
Would you put a sock in it ?!?! If I WANTED to be tortured, I would’ve
just
thrown myself into those vipers! (She began to mutter under her breath)
At
least it would’ve spared me from the extreme boredom…
Sheen interjected
with a
defensive scowl: The Battle of Skihns is NOT a boring topic! In fact,
it’s
featured in episode #898, which is an immensely popular episode by the
way,
when I had to fly to the Pitatomic Galaxy to purchase…
Cindy burst in,
finishing his
sentence with a chuckle: A NEW BRAIN?!?!
Sheen’s face
scrunched up:
I’ll have you know that I had my brain upgraded only two weeks ago,
unlike you
who’s had the same old outdated version since…
I interrupted the
bickering:
Would you two STOP fighting?!?! Cindy, once we get out of here and
change
everyone back to normal, Sheen won’t…(I thought about what I was about
to say,
then altered the end of my sentence)…no, he’ll still talk about
Ultralord
episodes all the time.
Cindy sighed with a
joking
smile: Then you were right. There really IS no hope.
A laugh resounded
from
Cindy’s lips and an elegant smile danced across her cheeks. I gazed
into her
gleaming eyes and found myself mimicking the very same grin. She had
confidence
in me; she saw that my plan was working and was beginning to trust me
again.
And it was then that I knew everything was going to be all right…or so
I
thought.
Professor
Calamitous inquired
as he observed the combat below: So…when these freakishly large beasts
are
done, what do we do with them?
My answer arrived
quickly: We
just shrink them back down and have Goddard swallow them again!
Sheen shrugged:
Sounds easy
enough.
Cindy nodded her
agreement,
her faith in me washing over me like that first rain in spring that
drenches
the ground and causes all the flowers to finally emerge from their
refuge and
blossom beautifully.
Below, the war
between the
sand cats and the saw-scaled vipers was racing to its conclusion. Only
a dozen
or so vipers still slithered about, evading the slicing claws of the
sand cats
and hissing with shrill cries of S.O.S.
In a matter of
rapid minutes,
the entirety of the vipers had been engulfed and swallowed and all that
remained were three enormous sand cats licking their chops with swelled
stomachs and satisfied looks spread across their faces.
Cindy took one look
at them
and demanded urgently: Now shrink them back, QUICK!!!
I spoke with
prideful ease:
No worries…I’ve got it all under control. There’s no rush here; all I
have to
do is take out the shrink ray (I pulled the invention from my utility
belt),
aim it at the sand cats (I did so) and…(I slid my thumb onto the
detonation
button)…press the button!
I pushed down hard
on the
button, shutting my eyes to shield them from the blinding light that
was sure
to follow. But as my eyes eased open once more, the sand cats were not
tiny
again. Nothing had happened. And all three were roaring at me, their
fierce red
eyes locked upon me, ready to pounce…
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
Blackout
My heart plunged
out of my
chest, beating like a speed-crazed train running on only one track,
near
collapsing but still pressing on relentlessly. Fear-forced sweat
trickled down
my forehead and my brain throbbed to seek out an answer to this new
problem
that could cost me and my friends our very lives.
Professor
Calamitous watched
in horror as the beasts approached me: Well don’t just hang there, you
imbecile…shrink them!
I cried out: It’s
NOT
working!
A fit of rage
seized Cindy:
Of COURSE it isn’t working! In order for the invention to work, the
inventor’s
brain has to work…and obviously it DOESN’T!!!
Her words struck
me, slicing
apart my hopes and stomping my courage to shattered, hopeless shards. I
almost
surrendered to the creatures that wished to make me dinner, but it was
then
that I remembered that doing so would not only be sacrificing my own
life, but
that of my friends…and Cindy. And with that thought I became determined
to save
us from this impending doom…the fate that I had brought upon us all.
I abruptly glanced
down at
the shrink ray in my hand, analyzing it and urgently attempting to
concoct a
plan to repair it quickly. My thoughts were scattered and I fiddled
desperately
with the shrink ray but couldn’t seem to discover the source of its
break down.
And suddenly, as the stress and pressure of the moment seeped through
my brain,
everything began to blur; undeniable fright wrapped its icy fingers
around me
and wrung my sight to pitch black.
All my senses could
now
absorb were the sounds that enveloped my confused form in the pit
around me.
Cindy noticed my
silhouette
sinking into dark unconsciousness and shouted: Neutron?? Neutron?!
NEUTRON!!
I heard her voice
but my lips
refused to utter a response. And, noticing that I was not soon to
emerge from
this state, she took charge in a brave, leader-like way I had never
witnessed
before, except maybe the time at the science fair when she gave Carl,
Libby and
Sheen directions on how to stop my “I can’t believe it’s not oil”
machine. But
that’s beside the point. I heard it was astonishing the courageous way
she took
over…I wish I would’ve been awake to see it.
Suddenly she
commanded:
Professor Calamitous! Distract the sand cats!
Professor
Calamitous
whimpered: Me?!
His cowardly
demeanor proved
to her that he couldn’t carry out the task asked of him. Quickly she
recruited
another.
She asked
forcefully: Sheen…I
mean, Ultralord! Can you distract them?
Sheen gazed up
proudly: It
would be a great honor to serve in this manner and to…
She hurried him,
avoiding a
speech they had no time for: Yeah, yeah…just make with the distracting
(She
watched the sand cats approaching me speedily)…and QUICK!
Sheen yelled with
haste: Hey!
Over here, you overgrown balls of dryer lint!
Almost robotically,
the sand
cats’ heads craned in Sheen’s direction and their attention was
diverted. They
began to proceed toward Sheen, growls adhered to their blood-thirsty
lips.
Cindy demanded:
Goddard!
Fetch the shrink ray from Jimmy’s hand!
Goddard’s neck
immediately
extended and, clenching the ray tightly but carefully between his steel
teeth,
he delivered the ray into Cindy’s grasp.
She began to tinker
with the
invention, inspecting it for the cause of its malfunction. Suddenly,
her eyes
lit up with realization and she excitedly exclaimed: THAT’S IT!!!
Professor
Calamitous leapt in
shock: What’s it? It’s what? WHAT?!
Cindy grinned: I
know how to
fix this thing! I’ll just need a source of toxic…
Cindy’s grin
stretched even
wider than before as she stared at a dead snake sprawled across the
floor.
She shrieked again:
THAT’S
IT!!!
Professor
Calamitous shook
his head: Would you STOP screaming that?!
Without explaining,
she asked
Goddard: Goddard! Could you give me that snake?
Sheen cried from
the other
side as he moved about, confusing the cats: Could you hurry…just a
little?!?!
Cindy shouted
frantically:
I’m on it!
Goddard retrieved
the snake
and reluctantly, Cindy took the slimy creature into her hands; she
drilled its
fangs into a chip in the shrink ray and squeezed hard to inject the
venom into
it. Quickly discarding the snake, she began to fidget with a few wires,
then
she constructed it once more and held it out proudly.
She proclaimed
valiantly:
IT’S FINISHED!!!
Professor
Calamitous and
Sheen smiled widely at this accomplishment, Carl grunted approvingly
and
I…still hung in unconscious darkness.
Cindy breathed
heavily: Now
to see if this thing works…
Carefully, she
stretched out
her hand and prepared to shrink the sand cats back to bite size…and
only hoped
that her master plan would not fail…
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Cindy Vortex, Girl Genius
Through the dense
foggy
darkness that clouded my eyesight, a flashing scarlet mist seeped
through and
awakened my pupils. My eyelids snapped open just in time to absorb the
sight of
the crimson luminosity engulfing the sand cats and shrinking them down
to
miniscule tufts of fur, scurrying about the abandoned battlefield of a
floor.
Quickly, Goddard scooped them up into his mouth and swallowed with a
resounding
metallic belch.
Cindy smiled with
satisfaction;
then, noticing that I had awoken, she glared at me: Well, look who
decided to
wake up just in the knick of time!
Shrugging off her
comment, I
exclaimed excitedly: You did it!!! But how?
She explained
proudly: It was
quite simple really. I merely injected the venom from one of the vipers
into
the quarktric chip which created a toxic chemical reaction that in turn…
I finished her
sentence:
…sent the electric pulses through the ionic balanced wires to activate
the
detonation of the invention! That’s GENIUS!
A rosy color swept
her
cheeks: It was nothing really …
I marveled:
Nothing?!?! I
don’t even know if I could’ve thought up something like that!
We both gasped as
those words
clung to my throat like sticky peanut butter on a hot day. Had I just
admitted
that Cindy did something that I couldn’t do?
Smugness drenched
Cindy’s
face and superiority radiated from her merciless gaze; my pride began
to bubble
up within me like an unstoppable spring of hatred gushing from a
tortured soul
that concealed the truth I never let escape.
And before I could
snatch the
words back into my throat to swallow them forever, I heard myself
spewing them:
I don’t know if I could’ve thought up something that RIDICULOUS! You
OBVIOUSLY
could’ve just connected the atriatic wire to the chip and it would’ve
saved you
all that valuable time! Psh, I can’t believe you were EVER the smartest
kid in
school!
I watched miserably
as
Cindy’s smile dissolved into an expression that shredded my heart.
Pain-induced
tears twinkled in her eyes but, in her infallible strength, she
restrained
them, swallowed hard and stared coldly with icy eyes into mine.
I had to lower my
gaze; I
could no longer stare into those intense eyes that set my blood on fire.
Her words punctured
my heart
as she sharply spoke them: I can’t believe you were EVER my friend.
A searing shot of
anguish
devoured my happiness as her words bored into my mind. Why did I always
let my
mouth control me? I knew that wasn’t really the way I felt. Honestly, I
really
DID think it was incredible that she thought that up so quickly. I was
proud of
her and happy for her and the last thing I ever wanted to do was lose
her
friendship. But of course my arrogance choked my real emotions down and
let
loose its fury through my mouth…the way it always did.
Professor
Calamitous jutted
in: Alright, now that that little cat fight is over, can you GET US OUT
OF
HERE?!?!
Sheen and Carl
nodded and,
absorbed in their concerns, I pushed Cindy’s and my problem to the
backburner…to boil over and intolerably scorch my heart.
I turned to
Goddard: Hey boy,
can you use your laser to break through everyone’s ropes for me?
Goddard barked his
affirmation. He abruptly sent his laser blazing through our binding
confinements and at last we were freed.
As soon as Carl hit
the
ground, he began to gallop about merrily as Sheen performed a Sector 9
ritual
freedom dance.
Professor
Calamitous rubbed
his gloved hands together deviously as if plotting some twisted plan
that he
would probably never finish carrying out.
But Cindy, drained
of all
positive emotion, stood with her arms crossed and stared sadly down at the floor. But I could do nothing to
help her, or at least my pride wouldn’t allow me to.
I commanded dryly:
Start
climbing the wall so we can get out of here.
We five began to
scale the
brick walls, heading up towards liberation. It started the journey to
repair
what I had jumbled; all we had to do was restore our friends back to
normal…if
only it were that simple…
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Helpless Eyes and Puppy Pink Nail Polish
We climbed as
quickly as
possible up to the surface, all ready to complete this mission, leave
this
sweltering desert and be free from all the lingering dangers that
seemed to
stalk us relentlessly. While also containing this desire, I attempted
to ignore
the ache that infested itself in my heart, drowning out any joy that
could
ensue in a wave of concealed emotions.
I glanced back down
the wall
a ways and spotted Cindy who seemed to be having some trouble with
scaling this
barrier; her breathing was hard and labored and she had to stop to rest
often.
Yet my stubbornness restrained me from doing what I longed so
desperately to do
at that very moment: just take her up in my arms and carry her to the
top…to be
her hero…to keep my big arrogant mouth shut for five minutes and feel
like I
was actually worth something to her. But when she caught sight of me
staring at
her, she glared back fiercely and worked even harder to climb faster
than I
did; I soon found myself competing aggressively against her again, my
head
swelled with foolish pride that could cost me everything I ever wanted,
everything that was worth living for, something more important than
life
itself…and I was too blind to see it.
My eyes traveled
downwards
once more, only this time to see Goddard struggling to lift Carl and
fly up to
the surface with him since Carl still believed he had hooves which
would be
impossible to climb with. Cindy still raced behind them, sweat
glistening from
her concentrated forehead, labored breaths heaving from her lips. Her
dedication was so astounding that I lost myself in the moment for a few
seconds, then realized what I was doing and rapidly began to climb
again.
Finally, my hands
clasped the
top of the pit and I yanked myself to the surface, flinging my body
onto the
ground to be sure I would not plummet into that pit ever again. I
abruptly rose
to my feet only to watch Goddard toss Carl onto the floor then collapse
himself
into an exhausted heap, followed by Sheen and Professor Calamitous, and
then
Cindy. I watched as her fingers, adorned with fingernails once painted
in a
glimmering “Puppy Pink” nail polish, grasped the edge of the pit
weakly. I
stepped a little closer to the edge and peered down, only to view her
painfully
laboring to pull herself up, her grip on the stone loosening by the
second.
Urgently, I offered
my hand:
Cindy, take my hand!
She cried: Yeah
right! You’ll
probably drop me!
Hurt, I defended: I
would
never do that! Just give me your hand or you WILL fall!
She shrieked
defiantly:
Never!!!
My heart began to
thump
anxiously with such an intensity that I believed it would explode or
leap from
its ribbed prison. Her fingers began to slip, and her eyes, once full
of
independence, brimmed with a haze of fear and helplessness; and before
I knew
it, I had gone against her will, grabbed her by the hands and hauled
her up
onto the ground and into my arms…where I knew she’d be safe.
I could feel her
heart
beating vigorously as she leaned against me, and for a split second she
allowed
herself to stay close to me, to find refuge there in my arms. But
reality
clenched her entire body, squeezing all trust in me from her, and she
immediately pulled away, seemingly repulsed.
My arms felt a
haunting void
where Cindy should have been as they lowered back to my sides and I let
her
walk away from me. I could not shake this feeling…I could not remove
the pang
in my heart or the butterflies in my stomach or the ache in my head
where two
different emotions battled eternally. All I could do was mask it with
anger and
pride and pretend those feelings never existed, as if Cindy never
entered my
life and turned my world upside down…as she truly had.
So I mumbled: I
should’ve
just let you fall…
Cindy’s head jerked
around
and her face evolved into one of fury: I could’ve made it up here
without you
and your big head, Captain Cranium, and I would’ve pushed YOU into that
pit!
I growled back: I
would’ve
liked to see you try…
She made a “rolling
up of
sleeves” motion and began to move towards me: Try me…
But just then, the
resounding
sound of booming footsteps echoed throughout the chamber, coming from
some
unknown location in the distance, along with an ear-piercing voice that
ceased
our argument immediately. We had yet to discover the horrifying source…
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
When the Mummies Get Cindy, Cindy Gets the
Mummies
The piercing sounds
grew ever
more intense, causing our eardrums to burn incessantly and our eyes to
water
with anxiety. Danger had discovered us once again.
Carl trotted in
place for a
moment, then set himself to sniffing around the chamber curiously while
we
stood stagnant like frozen figurines in fear of what terror lay before
us.
Then suddenly, six
furious
mummies stomped into the chamber and stared us down ferociously. My
eyes darted
to and fro but alas, there was no escape but down the pit…a place I
dared not
be ensnared in again.
As the mummies
began to
approach us, I immediately heard some kind of sinister, echoing
clacking noise.
But just as I was about to panic in fear of what this sound could be, I
noticed
it was just Professor Calamitous’s tiny knees knocking together in
trembling
fright.
This added a bit of
humor to
the situation, but a laugh never emerged from my lips, for my horror
and shock
strangled it down and cackled as it perished in my throat.
Abruptly, the
mummies grasped
our arms and held us in captivity once again, while the one free-handed
mummy
peered over the edge of the pit to discover how we managed to escape.
When it
noticed there was a lack of vipers in the pit, it communicated this
fact to the
others and their grips grew stronger on us, digging rotting fingernails
into
our quivering bodies. Their lividness engulfed their bodies and spilled
over
into ours through their suffocating hold on us. And before we knew it,
we were being
dragged away…again.
I glanced over at
my fellow
captives just in time to catch Cindy’s “this is all your fault” glare.
I
sighed, knowing full well that she was right once again, and lowered my
gaze,
watching the ground as it rumbled beneath my feet.
We were hauled
mercilessly
back out to the throne room, where the shrill voice was heard once
more,
resonating from the mouth of none other than Libby, or as she thought
she was,
Queen Howsaboutislapya. She fiercely ordered her servant mummies around
as they
willingly submitted to her endless demands, catering to her every whim.
As I registered in
my mind
the exact steps we’d have to take to un-hypnotize our friends, I
realized just
how difficult a task this was going to be. Escaping from the mummies’
grasp
would not be easy, nor getting Carl and Sheen close enough to Libby to
do the
job all at once. Why did I always tangle myself up in such messy
predicaments?
Finally, we were
toted before
the “Queen’s” throne and deposited in front of it, the mummies taking
their
stances behind us as guards for fear we would try to escape again.
Libby spoke
forcefully to her
bandaged slaves: WHY aren’t these prisoners vanquished? Did I not
command you
to throw them into the snake pit?!?!
Knowing better than
to
correct or refute the queen, the mummies hung their battered heads in
shame and
unworthiness.
Libby demanded: Now
I command
you to finish them off…once and for all!!!
A resounding
collective gasp
was uttered from we five, all of us horrendously terrified of the way
in which
they would go about “finishing us off.”
The mummy that
captured
Goddard brought him to Libby; she took Goddard and held him tight
beneath her
arm so he could not aid us.
We all inhaled deep
breaths
as the mummies proceeded to carry out their duty to their Queen; but
just as
the mummy behind Cindy was about to wrap its snarled fingers around her
neck,
her back leg shot out like a rubber band and flung powerfully through
the
mummy’s legs, knocking it to the ground instantly, flailing about with
a yelp of
pained surprise.
My jaw dropped in
pure
astonishment as she rose to her feet, grabbed the mummy by its bandaged
shoulders and hurled it intensely against the wall, causing it to stay
down for
good.
The other mummies
remained
standing, frozen, watching helplessly as their fellow undead brother
was taken
down so easily. And before he knew it, the mummy behind Sheen was
quickly flung
to the ground by Cindy as well, then sent flying into a heap beside the
other
one. The rest of the mummies began to panic as Cindy’s eyes went up in
flames
of fury as she came at them.
Libby screamed
irately:
DESTROY HER!!!
With this command,
the
mummies shook off their fear and began to pound towards Cindy, poised
to battle
and ready to rip her limb from limb. My heart began to race; although I
knew
she was tough, I couldn’t help but wonder…could she take on four
mummies at
once? We were about to find out…
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
Battle Buddy
My heart halted
mid-beat, my
eyes glued open with sick anxiety of what was to be the fate of Cindy
Vortex…blonde haired, emerald green-eyed Cindy Vortex. The girl who was
so much
smarter than I ever let on; I could even call her a genius, though I’d
never
admit it. The girl who was my battling competition, my supreme rival.
The girl
who was constantly my ultimate source of frustration, anger,
bewilderment…and
heartache. She was the girl who made my life worthwhile…and the girl
who would
never even know.
All these thoughts
twirled
and seeped through my mind, weaving a complex confusion throughout my
brain and
twisting my heart and stomach into excruciating tangled knots. I
inhaled
greatly and retained my breath as I watched the girl who sent my heart
and
pride into beautiful disastrous combat stroll straight into the hands
of fatal
danger…and there was nothing I could do.
As she pounded
forwards, the
mummies proceeded towards her, blood-curdling snarls echoing from their
sour
bandaged mouths. Their malicious crimson eyes glared with a fierce
intensity
that I knew any sane human but Cindy would melt beneath, but, with
determined
eyes set afire, she did not lose one step.
My admiration for
her
skyrocketed in that valiant moment, and the only negative feeling I
still held
against her was jealousy….wishing I possessed her never-ending courage.
The first mummy’s
decrepit
arm shot out rapidly as it approached Cindy, binding her arm in its
decomposing
fingers’ grasp. Looking ready to sink its teeth into her shoulder, the
mummy
growled fiercely, but no scream came from Cindy’s mouth. She merely
seized the
mummy’s arm, flung her leg through the mummy’s legs and with one flick
of her
wrist, flipped the mummy onto the ground with a resounding thud. I
couldn’t
help but grin at the way she expertly battled these undead creatures.
Sheen turned to me
and boomed:
We should help her!!!
I glanced at Sheen
and
sighed: That’s a great idea, Sh…Ultralord, but what can we do?
Sheen yelled
valiantly: We
can use my ultra laser to disintegrate the mummies; I’m sure it’s…(He
searched
his clothing, patting at his pockets and looking down his shirt as if
the laser
would actually be there. Giving up, he shrugged) I must’ve left it in
my other
pants.
I shook my head and
humored
him: Yeah, that must be it. How about we just distract them?
Sheen grinned like
the cheesy
superhero he thought he was: Good plan….battle buddy!!!
Remembering that
tiring
nickname that I had heard thousands of times while playing in Sheen’s
Ultralord
videogame a while ago, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
I repeated
humorously: Let’s
go, battle buddy.
I shouted and
flailed about:
Hey you! Yeah, you, the ugly sack of flesh wrapped in toilet paper!
Come get
ME!
One mummy spun
around
ferociously and angrily began to bound towards me. My heart began to
thump
insanely as I thought: What do I do NOW?
I began to panic,
too
flustered to think up a way to fight the mummy. But just as it was
about to
pounce upon me, Carl galloped right in front of me and the mummy
tripped
treacherously over him, flying head over heels into a tangled heap on
the
ground.
I grinned
gratefully at Carl
and said: I always knew there was a good reason why I picked you as my
best
friend.
Carl made a
rumbling noise
and kicked out his back legs; I took it as a strange but meaningful
sign of
gratefulness.
Then suddenly, I
heard a
muffled sound echo from my wrist, and I glimpsed down at my watch only
to see
the face of Professor Beesworth flash onto the screen.
Professor Beesworth
apologized: Sorry I haven’t been in contact, Mr. Neutron. It seems that
Professor Calamitous left us a present before he left; he shut down our
electrical and technical systems and I couldn’t get a hold of you.
Thank
goodness you’re still alive. Do you have the stones?
I made sure Cindy
was all
right and in no need of help before answering: Not yet. We’ve had a
little mishap
with my hypnotism ray but hopefully we’ll fix that soon and beat
Calamitous to
the stones. I’ll contact you if anything else happens.
Professor Beesworth
nodded:
Please do. And remember…the world is depending on you.
With that, the
screen blacked
out and left me with a murky cloud of responsibility hanging heavily
over my
head…but could I live up to the expectations made for me? Could we
rescue this
world in time? Could we even make it past these mummies? I would
discover the
answer to all my questions sooner than I expected…
CHAPTER SEVENTY
Tenglochita
Horror bled through
my
expression as I watched Cindy battling the four mummies left; she
looked worn
and exhausted but nonetheless continued to fight full force against
them. Hard
work induced sweat trickled from her golden hair and her eyes scrunched
into a
look of clashing anger and preparation for combat. I prayed she’d have
enough
strength remaining within her to survive this vital battle.
One mummy increased
in speed
and pounded, wobbling, towards Cindy before all the others. Its
ambition would
however be its downfall because in one blink, Cindy had effortlessly
wrapped
her arm around the mummy’s elbow and smashed it into the ground.
Libby’s jaw dropped
and she
whispered incredulously as another of her mummy servants met the hard
ground:
Impossible…
Sheen commented:
She’s like
Tenglochita, the warrior goddess from planet Onipuculim I once battled
in…
Suddenly, Carl sent
a leg
flying into Sheen’s gut which knocked the wind, and the useless story,
right
out of him.
I grinned
appreciatively:
Thanks, Carl.
My attention
returned to
Cindy, who was on her way to teaching a lesson or two to yet another
mummy.
Then suddenly,
right when I
thought she would spring into the mummy and knock it mercilessly to the
ground
as she had all the others, she just stopped all motion and stood still.
She
glanced around as if she’d never been in the tomb before, looking
totally
oblivious to the mummy who was quickly approaching her.
A devious,
satisfied grin
painted itself across Libby’s face as she watched, seemingly sure that
this
mummy could get rid of this little blonde menace.
I watched
helplessly and
wondered what on earth she was doing. I whispered almost silently while
gripping fear etched itself on my heart: Cindy, no…
Sheen observed
Cindy’s
actions and remarked: Can I take back what I said about her being like
Tenglochita?
I waved off his
comment with
my silence and bit my lip as the mummy drew closer. What was going
through her
mind?
My eyes slammed
shut as the mummy
came within inches of Cindy. I could not bare to watch. I felt my heart
stop,
my breath choking me within my throat, and fright raking its evils
through my
mind.
Then just when I
was
expecting to hear a scream or some cry for help from Cindy, I heard a
resonant
thud and then an ear-splitting pounding noise. I prayed hard that it
was not
that of Cindy’s body hitting the ground.
I allowed my
eyelids to
elevate to see what the source of this sound was…only to find Cindy
standing
tall and every last mummy heaped into one snarled mound against the
wall.
Libby’s face
exploded with
fury and aggravation, while Sheen stood gaping in astonishment,
obviously
erasing that take-back of his warrior goddess comment.
My eyes inflated
with
amazement and wonder: Wha…what happened?!?!
Sheen explained:
Well
Tenglochita here…I mean, Cindy…lured the mummy in by looking as if she
was not
prepared for battle. Then as soon as the mummy came within her combat
diameter,
she kicked it directly in the stomach and sent it flying into all the
other
bandaged creeps which in turn sent all of them into the wall…and now
there they
are.
I could scarcely
believe it.
The mummy fell right into her exquisite trap…and she had been clever
enough to
kick in the exact place that would send that mummy into all the others.
Genius…pure genius.
I stared at her
with such
pride and admiration that it nearly brought tears to my eyes: Cindy,
that was…
Libby’s
authoritative voice
boomed in before I could finish: IMPOSSIBLE!!! There is something wrong
with
this girl! She is not human!
Cindy obviously
didn’t know
if she should take that as an insult or a compliment, for her
expression
flipped between anger and pride simultaneously.
Libby shook it off:
Oh well,
no matter. I always have a backup plan.
My heart sunk:
Backup plan???
Libby’s eyes
narrowed as her
elbow quickly pushed in a square stone on her throne.
Abruptly, an
immense
grumbling noise reached our ears. Our trembling eyes were directed to
an area
beside Libby’s throne…and all of a sudden, an enormous stone wall
lifted,
revealing the most alarming sight I could ever witness…
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
Goliath of the Undead
My lungs felt as if
they’d
collapsed and been marched on by stampeding elephants to wring every
last
molecule of oxygen from their shriveled, helpless frames. My heart and
hopes
crumpled like a thin sheet of paper being squeezed by the angry fingers
of a
mighty giant into useless pulp. And my eyes, my quivering, tear-stained
eyes…wished desperately and hopelessly that they had never lived to
witness
such a sight.
Cindy’s jaw dropped
and she
managed to utter through trembling lips: Oh…my…
Sheen shouted: Holy
galactic
lasers of Ultralord!!!
Carl’s eyes grew
immense with
fright and shaking horror; he collapsed onto the ground in a heap and
covered
his fear-saturated eyes with his quaking “hooves.”
From the gaping
opening that
had just surfaced in the wall, an unbelievably enormous, brawny,
twelve-foot
tall, vicious mummy emerged with brutal violence spread across its evil
face.
It was like the Goliath of the undead…a colossal beast that could
easily squash
all four of us into pancakes beneath one bandaged foot. And no
slingshot and
stone was taking this Goliath down.
Now don’t get me
wrong; I had
faith in Cindy. But, regardless of her nimble movements, intelligent
plans and
amazing attack strategies, for us to come out of this one alive…would
be a
sheer miracle.
Sheen breathed:
What in the
accursed name of Robofiend…
I gulped: We’re
doomed.
I quickly stole a
glance over
at Cindy and observed her expression. She looked frightened into shock
with her
eyes open wide as bowling balls, standing still like a rigid stone
statue. But
as I stared deeper into her flashing emerald eyes, I saw a faint
flicker of
unfailing hope equipped with immeasurable strength that could only be
contained
within this girl…within Cindy Vortex and no one else. And as I admired
her
one-of-a-kind courage and faith, I prayed that that flicker of hope
would
evolve into a blazing flame that would save us all.
Once I tore my eyes
away from
Cindy, I glimpsed over at Libby. She lounged with satisfaction atop her
throne,
looking pleased at the horror-filled expressions we wore. Our dismay
was her
joy, our fear her amusement. The Libby we once knew so well was trapped
inside an
evil mind-warped body that she would be confined in for all eternity if
she was
to destroy us as she planned. And with the look of that gigantic mummy
lurking
before us, her eternal confinement in said body seemed definite.
Then as I was
watching her,
she suddenly sat up straight and glared into our terrified eyes. A sick
menacing grin swept her face and her eyes shifted over to the
gargantuan mummy.
She ordered with
ferocious
intensity: DESTROY THEM!!!
My heart choked in
my
throat…but I knew I had to be strong…for my friends, for myself…for
Cindy. So I
swallowed my panic and inhaled a deep breath to prepare myself for the
dreadful
events that were sure to take place.
As soon as the
mummy heard
Libby’s command, its eyes erupted into orbs of untamable flames that
glowed as
severe as a fatal nuclear explosion. I had to look away; I felt my skin
being
seared and my body being engulfed in those merciless blazing flames
every time
I glimpsed into the face of that horrendous creature.
The mummy began to
pound towards
us, the whole floor quaking beneath its mighty feet. Vicious growls
exploded
from the mouth of the monster, equipped with rotting, jagged teeth that
I was
sure could bite straight through stainless steel.
Cindy stared at the
mummy
approaching closer and closer, then turned her head to look at me with
distressed, pleading eyes.
Her voice wavered
as she
asked me dreadfully: What do we do?
I gazed into her
eyes and
knew so deep down that it hurt that it took a lot for Cindy to ask ME
for
help…to ask ME what to do. At this, I felt an overwhelming sense of
pity and
pain for her because I knew that for her to ask for help must’ve meant
that her
hope was fading fast and she had no where else to turn. But I was glad
that I
was finally the one she turned to, and I felt honored. And as I
searched her
green eyes with my own, I knew I had to pull us out of this. I knew it
was my
turn to stand up, to save the lives of my friends and of hers…because
the last
thing I ever wanted to do was let her down.
With that thought,
I breathed
deeply, sorted the ideas out in my mind and told her boldly: I have a
plan…
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
Framed as a Hero
With all my
quivering heart I
prayed that my plan would work. I prayed that we would all live to see
another
day…crazy as days in our lives would be. I prayed that Libby would live
to hear
another Smally Big-Big Concert…that Sheen would live to watch another
Ultralord
episode…that Carl would live to see another llama…that Professor
Calamitous
would live to be behind bars again. I prayed that Cindy would live to
win a
science fair, to attend another dance, to adorn that beautiful smile
again…and
I prayed that I would live another day to see Cindy one more time, to
look into
her eyes and have her smile at me genuinely, and to tell her all the
hidden
secrets I’d discovered that I had to confess to her…the ones that ate
away at
me night and day every time I caught her emerald eyes gazing back into
mine.
I called everyone
together
and I quickly whispered my plan of action to the group. Once each
person
understood their part in my master plan, we decided to move into
action. Or
rather we were forced to move into action because the
gargantuan mummy
was heading right for us.
I commanded the
start:
Alright team…GO!!!
Carl galloped in
front of the
mummy, Sheen and Professor Calamitous bolted to the mummy’s side and
Cindy and
I sprinted around to the back of the mummy. The beast’s eyes shifted
rapidly
from person to person as if confused beyond all reason. Since Carl was
directly
in front of it, the mummy bent over to pick up and annihilate him
first.
Suddenly, a bulky
rock flew
through the air and pelted the mummy right upside the head. The mummy’s
head
abruptly jerked in the direction of the projectile’s path.
Sheen teased
loudly: Hey! I’ve
got to use the restroom…can I borrow some of your toilet paper?
Sheen and Professor
Calamitous erupted into roaring laughter.
Professor
Calamitous added:
Yes, is that heavy duty or two-ply?
They once again
were absorbed
in mocking chuckles. Fury plastered itself on the mummy’s face and it
quickly
released Carl and began to stomp towards Sheen and Professor
Calamitous. It
growled some kind of infuriated grumble and positioned itself over the
two,
ready to reach down and mash their tiny bodies into paste.
Libby cackled
deviously from
her comfortable position on her throne: I’ve got you now…
Sheen overheard her
overconfident comment and replied: I think not!!!
Just as the mummy
was about
to clasp its rotting fingers around the two, Sheen and Professor
Calamitous
darted between the mummy’s legs and escaped its grasp.
The mummy swiftly
swung
around to catch the escapees who were skipping away giggling like two
schoolgirls who had just beat the bratty, most popular girl in school
at
hopscotch.
My strategy was
going just as
planned…everything was perfect so far. Wow, that was a first. And the
next part
would soon fall into play.
As the mummy turned
and began
to follow after Sheen and Professor Calamitous, Carl raced in front of
the
mummy’s right foot. As soon as its foot came in contact with Carl’s
body, it
lost its balance and began to plummet speedily towards the ground.
Sheen and Professor
Calamitous were clear of the mummy’s path but as I quickly glimpsed
over to
where the mummy would land, I noticed Cindy standing there, frozen with
terror.
I cried: Cindy!!!
I dashed over to
her and at
the very last moment grabbed her and pulled her from danger. Then the
resonating THUD from the impact filled the room. I glanced down at the
shivering girl in my arms, clutching my shoulders and heaving breaths
from her
trembling body.
I smoothed her hair
back with
my hand and whispered: It’s okay now…
She slowly pulled
away from
me and I expected her to look back into my eyes, thank me and give me
the most
genuine smile I’d ever seen. But, as usual, I expected wrong. Her eyes
blazed
wrathfully and she pushed me away from her as if repulsed.
She shrieked: I can
fight my
own battles, Neutron! I don’t need you interfering with my life! You
told me to
stand there in the first place! You just put my life on the line so YOU
could
look heroic! Well that’s just SICK, Nerdtron! Just like YOU!!!
The warmth I felt
in my heart
merely one minute ago from holding Cindy safely in my arms suddenly
froze over
into the most intolerable, frigid glacier of a heart I had ever
weathered. And
like ice it quickly shattered into helpless, piercing shards.
I tried to
encourage myself:
At least the mummy is taken care of…
But I’d spoken to
soon. As
soon as the thought raced through my brain, I heard the ground rumble
and
whirled around only to see the mummy towering before me, more ferocious
than
ever…and it was staring maliciously right at me…
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
Cindy on the Shoulder
I gulped as
fear-induced
sweat trickled down my forehead. I had to think of a new plan…quick.
Cindy glared
intensely at me
as if trying to mentally force me to concoct some way out of this. And
soon
Carl, Sheen and Professor Calamitous did the same. I could nearly feel
their
pressure-soaked eyes boring into my brain. I tried to make my thoughts
come
together. Sometimes I really hated being a genius.
The mummy’s loud,
disturbing
grumbling jolted my brain into overload.
Cindy yelled,
exasperated:
Could you just get on with the brain blast?!?!
I inhaled a deep
breath, clenched
my fists, closed my eyes and forced my brain into thought.
I breathed:
Think…think…
My brain cells
pulsed as
images raced through my mind, swirling rapidly and attempting to focus.
A picture of the
gargantuan
mummy zoomed past, then a memory of health class randomly came into
view. I
focused in on the chalkboard and caught sight of a diagram of the human
body…and a label pointing to the portion where the shoulder and neck
connect
read that it was a sensitive pressure point.
Once this memory
fluttered
away, one last image arrived in my brain…this one of Shangri Llama,
when Cindy
appeared from no where and performed her expertly performed flips right
into my
arms.
My eyes flicked
open abruptly
and I shouted: BRAIN BLAST!!!
Professor
Calamitous sighed with
relief: Phew…
I stared Sheen and
Professor
Calamitous in the eyes and directed: You guys need to distract the
mummy and
lure it away from here…and take Carl with you.
Sheen nodded: Good
plan,
battle buddy!
I quickly sent the
three to
the other side of the chamber to draw the mummy’s attention away from
Cindy and
me. They dashed to their appointed spot and began making absurd noises,
doing
their best to attract the enormous beast.
Luckily, the
mummy’s head
craned in their direction and pounded right past us to investigate the
annoying
sounds resounding from the tiny bodies mere yards away.
I grabbed Cindy’s
hand and
began to run behind the mummy: Cindy, come with me!
She resisted: What
are you
doing?!?! I am fully capable of following you without you handcuffing
my hand
with your bony fingers!
I just rolled my
eyes and
continued to drag her behind me until the mummy stopped to glare down
at the
three guys. It observed them, seemingly amused.
I turned to Cindy
and gazed
right into her eyes. I had to fight myself not to get distracted and
lost in
those pools of emerald beauty…
I shook my head and
whispered
to myself: Snap out of it!
Her brow furrowed
and she
asked: Excuse me?
I waved it off: Never mind. Now when the mummy bends down to pick up one of the guys… I need you to do something for me. Do you remember how