UNUSUAL SPECIES
Chapter 6
Authors Notes: Chapter 6! At long last! Woo! I know I said this wouldn't take as long as Chapter 5, but that doesn't mean I got the chance to write any of it. Did you know that between ending Chapter 5 and starting Chapter 6 I've lived in 3 towns? Yeah, that should give you a small impression of what I've been dealing with, and what's stopped me from updating so quickly. A lot of the ideas have been there, but they've kinda not made it out of the note-pads and onto the computer.
There's also that little thing called inspiration. I haven't been in that right state of mind for a while, and so I've kinda forced myself while I've been back at fiction to do some more of this. I'm just... not at EB fiction yet. This means any other projects I've been thinking of aren't going to be worked out so quickly, either. Swapsies and the Alternate Realities to name a few. I'll get round to that eventually, but I've got to put Sapphire back down, first. ^^;, uh, yeah... I picked THAT up.
Anyway, on with the story! Hopefully this worked out better than Chapter 5!

********

The World began drawing into focus, but Jeff wasn't sure whether to be relieved or concerned at the beeping sounds surrounding him currently. He vaguely recalled reaching safety minutes before passing out, but he'd lost the concept of up and down somewhere in the midst of the Starman hoarde. He had nearly beome delusional when a shot hit him in the back of the neck; he could have imagined Paula's voice, or being carried by Poo, and Dr.Andonuts and Apple Kid panicking in the background.
Opening his eyes, he confirmed his safety, looking around the medical room he himself designed for his father's lab not long after their adventure against Giygas. His wounds had been bandaged and he was laying on one of the nicer beds -- the one he bought, rather than the cheap, second-hand ones his father had brought in from old friends getting rid of theirs. As he looked around the room to see what he was hooked up to he realised he couldn't have seen Poo, since the Prince would have healed him in an instant.
"Ah, you woke up!" a voice rang out, jolting him from his thoughts. He blinked and looked around for his glasses, happy enough to define the room without them but not strangers. The mystery girl came into view and took something off of one of the side-tables, offering it out to him. "For a Starman encounter you got out lucky. Apple Kid checked the scanners and told us there were about fifty Starmen signals out there! Now that's a lot of Starmen!"
Jeff, finding the object to be his glasses, slid them onto his nose and murmured "I know: I was in the middle of it." now he could see, he could clearly identify the redheaded young woman who was now unhooking him from different machines.
There was a small pause before the redhead spoke again, "I was going to make up some noodles. Did you want some?"
Still confused Jeff nodded, rubbing an eye until his wrist suddenly siezed, "That would be nice. Thank you." he paused, then looked at the girl again, slightly drowsy, and asked "Who are you again?"
The girl grinned, readjusting his pillows and offering him a wink, "My name's Pippi." she announced, "I'm helping out around here for a while. Now, for the noodles!" she declared, dashing off out of the room and nearly knocking over Paula as she came in.
Running a hand through his hair Jeff smiled a little, "She seems very energetic."
Shrugging, Paula walked over and sat next to him, "She's been on and off like that since we met her. Always so impulsive. Good at cooking, though."
"What's she doing here?" he asked quietly, "Dad never mentioned needing another assistant and-- why are you looking at me that way?"
Paula had quite an amused look on her face, "he didn't need an assistant, though he does seem to like her. He even offered your hand to her already."
This took a second to sink in, but even when it did Jeff couldn't react much to it. A hand reached under his glasses to rub at his eyes as he tried to pretend he hadn't heard that, "So why is she here?"
Leaning back Paula sighed. She began to recap what had happened in the past few days, starting with the dreams, then the detailing of the Megicant Statue, the battle with the Starmen Chrome, Mystery Kid and the Buzz Buzz Meteorite, ending on the update of Ness's journey back across EagleLand. She didn't forget the small part of Tracy's journey she knew of, nor the Starman assault on Frank and his odd behaviour now. Jeff listened quietly, frowning as he heard the tale, and wandering what it was she seemed to be conveniently forgetting to mention. When she had finished he made a vague recap, making a short story of the short story.
"... and then Poo carried me into here to recover?" he asked, looking himself over and deciding that Dr.Saturn's assessment had been about right.
Nodding, Paula responded "Yup, that's about the jist of it."
Even after hearing everything explained and even making his own recap, Jeff still felt he was missing something. Ah, yes. Poo. The Prince's appearance wasn't explained, nor the other issue that came with that. He looked squarely at Paula and spoke "If Poo's here right now, why didn't he heal me?"
It was as if he'd pushed a wrong button. Positive shining Paula suddenly looked very awkward, casting a glance at the doorway, where the blonde genius guessed the Prince was lurking, listening to their every word. This was confirmed when he stepped out of the shadows, though there seemed to be a discomfort about him, and that confident spark, that glint in his eye, wasn't there. Even with this minor taint, he was still as... well, as Poo as ever."It is because I have lost my PSI." he walked further into the room, prompted by his friend's questioning glance, "Nearly two weeks ago now I lost my PSI under mysterious circumstances. I cannot perform even the simplest of feats and have no longer got the sixth sense, as you called it. Recovery is not looking too likely, as my attempts to retrieve it seem to succumb to any failing."
Jeff knew exactly what that felt like, recalling the frosty chill of the winds that tried to stop him freeing Tessie. He was about to ask about the nature of the circumstances when Pippi called out that the noodles were ready. Poo's eyes lit up in a rather unnerving way (only when seen in the eyes of the Eastern Crown Price, anyway), and he excused himself hastily before dashing out the room.
The two blondes blinked at the space Poo had been standing just moments before. Never had either seen their usually collected Prince act in such a way, and were used to his calm, meditative nature, not this childish streak.
"Well," Jeff said, "I didn't expect that."
Slowly Paula rose, offering a weak smile at the genius, "I'll bring yours to you. But then you have to rest, okay?"
In response Jeff's stomach let out a loud growl, to which he smiled sheepishly, "But I don't want to rest, again. I've still got some questions I want to ask, yet!"
Paula folded her arms, "You just got attacked by an army of Starmen, and you're trying to jump around like your usual self? I think not. But I will get your noodles."
Gratefully Jeff said "Thank you."
That feeling of usefulness came back, and brought back with it Paula's confidence. Feeling a little better herself, she replied "No problem." closing the medical room door behind her.

********

Fourside, a town of lights, drama, industrial revelations, industrial deteriorations and sparkly things. A town in touch with both urban society and nature, without really paying any particular attention to either one. Two landmarks, the World's Tallest Building and the World's Tallest Mall were just across the road from one another, as well as other popular landmarks nearly everywhere you looked. And with a very offencive police force always on patrol, it was also one of the safest cities in the World.
So naturally, Tracy was loving it.
Having been told to 'stay out of it' by Ness, she had chosen a much less agressive option that he couldn't complain against. Since Threed was out-of-bounds, since Ness or one of his friends would be there, Onett was already thoroughly searched and she had another day before she could go back to Twoson, Fourside seemed like the logical place to go for an inconspicuous shopping trip. Besides, it was big! She couldn't possibly not find what she was looking for here! She had only gone half-a-block from the bus stop and she had almost had a curiosity overload!
For some reason, as Tracy passed the museum something caught her attention. She blinked curiously and made her way across the street to it, shouldering her backpack. It was light, since she'd prepared herself to buy an assortment of artillery to aid her , and the items that were really important -- purse, keys, reciever phone, Magicant segment -- were safely stored in her pocket. The source of the distraction was easily located walking slowly into the museum: a teenager with raven black hair and dark clothes. Instinctively the blonde jogged in after her, drawn to finding out what made her so important. She didn't even look as she paid the admission fee, dropping the money down and going straight inside.
Once inside, Tracy was distracted from her distraction by the artefacts and ancient bones you expected to find in a museum. With each different display, Tracy remembered with crystal clarity Ness's stories of his adventure, including the journey across Scaraba, Deep Darkness, and the Lost Underworld. Each object had its own little story, and she could imagine her brother holding, using or even just looking at one of those items with each passing, as he played out another part of his adventure in her mind. To her, this wasn't a museum, it was like a diary, dedicated to her brother's achievements. It made her feel warm inside. She could even match the descriptions of the dinosaurs he'd seen against the skeletons that stood tall and proud, the central attraction of the museum.
"Extravagant, aren't they?"
Much to Tracy's suprise, Tracy wasn't suprised. Part of her expected this little meeting, and another part of her thought it had to be cliché by now. She turned to see the tall, dark-haired pale-skinned female standing confidently, looking up at the skeleton of the Chomposaur like the young blonde didn't really matter to her. Determined not to be fazed by the arrogant demeanour, Tracy turned back to the skeleton, "Definately big. Heard they're dangerous, though. Wouldn't want to meet one."
The woman grinned, "You make it sound like they still exist."
Now really not even feeling nervous, Tracy answered, "I'm the brother of the Hero, he's met them before. This one had really thick skin you couldn't easily penetrate."
Brushing back a loose strand of hair the woman said "Nice to meet you, sister of the Hero. I'm Lizzy." she shrugged her shoulders before continuing "The Chomposaur was -- is a powerful creature. But why have such power if you have nothing to use it on?" Dark eyes trained on Tracy, "Appropriate, don't you think?"
Feeling the eyes on her, Tracy looked up with her own innocent eyes, "No," she replied matter-of-factly, then turned back to the display.
Apparently this wasn't the expected answer, and silence hung over them. It didn't take long for Tracy to get bored of looking at the innards of Chomposaur, and decided to get a better look at the structure of Wetnosaur. She found to her amusement that Lizzy followed, like there was something that still needed to be said before they could part ways. Tracy let the woman follow, knowing now she would say what needed to be said when it was time to say it. She had time. It was still early in the day, there would be plenty of time to browse shops and haggle shopkeepers.
The words seemed to come now there was a change in scenery. Lizzy folded her arms and began, "I have been watching you and the heroes for a little while, as this dillemma has unfolded, these past few days. You and your brother are very strong."
Tracy just nodded, wondering where this was going.
"It also can't be said that you're not intelligent. You are, in fact, rather smart." Lizzy continued, "You're also very caring and concered. And you have a nobility and ambition about you."
Eyes sparkling, Tracy replied "Thank you, I'm flattered!"
The woman turned her back to the display and added "In a sense you are very much like your brother and his friends. But there is a significant difference."
"I'm younger, not physically strong, I use the slingshot, I can hold a job," Tracy began rattling off a list.
Not too pleased at being interrupted, Lizzy held up a hand and spoke, her tone slightly chippy, "Something besides the painfully obvious. Something important." She began walking toward the exit before saying "Come."
Tracy found herself following Lizzy, whom she guessed was a psychic, judging from what she was saying. That explained how she knew so much about what was going on. But still the blonde couldn't decide what role the woman played. And now her interest was caught by this 'significant difference'. She let the girl lead her from the museum and through the busy town of Fourside, where they could resume conversation.
With a grand gesture, Lizzy declared, "Look around you! This bustling metropolis has no idea what impending forces may be coming to destroy it at any given moment! And its not the only place. An entire unsuspecting World about to get caught in another paranormal crossfire, and only a select few truly know of the devastating effect this will have. What this select few choose to do could decide Earth's fate. But more importantly, it's the how and why they choose to do it."
Now doubly curious Tracy asked "How so?"
"Think about it," Lizzy explained, "Your brother and his friends are out to save the World the way a policeman does his patrol. He knows its important, he may not want to do it, but he knows its not his choice, so he'll do it since its his job. They know the stakes, but can they really say they're doing it because they understand the stakes? You, however, have a different approach. You know you're needed, you know you can be important, and you know what's at stake. In a way, you're better prepared."
Tracy frowned. This didn't sound entirely right. Ness knew what his responsibilities were and he usually had his priorities pretty straight (unless it was schoolwork). So did the others. They had people they had to protect, surely they wouldn't be so quick as to forget the stakes. Anything thrown at them they'd be able to handle, thats how it always went. But wait, did anyone really know who, or what, they were fighting? How could they be prepared if they didn't know? And weren't there a few setbacks? She'd heard on the news about the blizzard in Winters, and didn't someone mention Poo losing his PSI? That meant they had their own problems to deal with first, and there wasn't a lot of time for that. But despite all of this, they didn't accept any outside help, like, for instance, from Tracy herself. Was it pride?
Settling on her thoughts, Tracy stated "I'm not prepared, yet. I've still got a while to go. But whatever's happening, we'll all sort it out."
"I'm sure you will." Lizzy smiled, stopping.
Tracy blinked and looked up. They were outside the Monotoli building. Awestruck by the size of the Skyscraper, Tracy asked "Wow, do you work here?"
Lizzy nodded calmly, "I do have work to do here, yes." she said, and began walking inside, "Tracy, you have a strong innocence about you that the others do not. That can be used to your advantage." and then she was gone.
Tracy looked at the building for a little while longer, just taking in its sheer size. Finally she got bored of looking at it and decided to find the mall.
She was going to buy herself some new weaponry.

********

About this time in the morning Ness decided he wasn't going to see mystery kid, now. Having scoured nearly half of Eagleland for him, he figured the boy must have had some other form of transport that enabled him to go where he pleased so getting caught by search-parties wouldn't happen. This did not settle well with Ness: if he wasn't on their side, that meant the boy could be very dangerous to them.
Feeling a little downhearted by this (and more than a little tired from an all-night search), he decided to stop by the Magicant Rock, for a small morale boost. He also told himself it was to check on it, to make sure it was still there, in case any Starmen or mystery kids had attacked it while nobody was looking.
When he got there, he was relieved to note that the rock was still in one piece, and had been relatively left alone by anyone who may have possibly passed it by. A few animals had obviously gotten a bit curious, but nothing was particularly out of place, and the animal 'territory marking' wasn't too noticeable. More curiously, there was a new aura around the rock: a sort of... happiness, or relief, that he'd approached. Almost as if it were glad to see him, as though it really was alive. part of him felt he shouldn't be all that suprised, and another part was slightly unnerved by the concept. He wondered again how on earth it had gotten to where it was.
Apparently the rock could read his mind, as the aura changed again, to a beckoning sort of feeling. He got the image in his head of a child eagerly calling him over, like it had discovered something it found interesting and wanted him to take a look. Whether or not this image was projected by the rock, or whether his own imagination had concocted this was unclear to the teen, but he approached anyway. The Magicant Rock had so far not given him a reason not to trust it, and it did seem to be at the core of all this mystery. Perhaps this would help him understand some of the unclear things better.
Once he was in front of it he reached out a hand to touch it, hoping that by doing this he would get some answers, and not another of those huge psychic waves he couldn't control. Getting another one of those wouldn't help all that much, he figured.
The moment his fingers brushed against the pink walls, his vision faded and his head seemed to fill with an array of images and senses he hadn't even known existed. PSI was rushing into him, then out, making him feel overburdened with power, then flushed out and drained. He forced his hand against the wall of pink and the feelings intensified. The PSI stopped pulsing through him, instead seemed to flow together, like it was filling him and emptying him of it at the same time, in full circulation. He could see clouds, he could see water, he could see mountains, he could see his own Magicant, he could see someone else's view, and another, and another, and soon he was struggling to figure out whos was whos, what he was seeing, and even how he was even seeing it. Various arrays of other people's emotions flooded him, too, the pattern going from a vast peace, a shock, a determination, and then pain, in every person that he felt. Then came the sounds. People laughing, people crying, people shouting, and even some phrases floated through the darkness.
"I'm looking for my mother..."
"Not bad kid. I hear you're causing trouble in my area..."
"... This is just who I am. I hope we can be friends?..."
"... If you hadn't arrived soon, I would have had to bust out of here myself..."
"Uhh... can you go first? I'm scared..."
"It is my destiny to serve you, Ness..."
He vaguely recalled some of the phrases from his friends during his adventure, first meetings. He wondered if those he didn't recognise were from another person meeting friends for the first time? He couldn't be sure, but he didn't get much chance to think about it. Different images began floating through his head, of battles and pain and fear... he was sure even the Giygas battle was swimming in his head now, and his body tensed up. But then he saw two images that made him freeze up.
<i>... The girl looked upset by what had been said. "I'm... hurting people? People like me?" she whispered, and seemed to shrink away a moment from the boy in front of her. The three people still by the door looked on expectantly. Was this over?
Then her eyes lit up suddenly. "I know how I can help!" she exclaimed, and the power around her suddenly flared. Little balls of energy suddenly erupted from the girl floating near her for a moment, before flying away, one hitting the boy confronting her.
Panic rising in him again he demanded "What did you do?!"
Giggling in a really eerie way the girl replied "I gave those who feel victimised like me the power to do what I can do! Now they can be happy, too!"</i>
He shuddered before the other scene entered his head...
The two boys, exhausted from their journey, looked up at the gold statue standing in the way of their goal. The Mani Mani statue was preventing them from exiting, and they were annoyed. Paula still needed them. They had to get past.
Their battle had been quite long as well. The thing had PSI, which was always bad, and it was strong! The blonde had been having some trouble, having already run out of bottle rockets, and Ness was running out of PSI. Neither knew how long the statue would last.
Finally Ness had had enough. Summoning up all his energy he swung at the statue, letting out a battle cry as he ran at it, feeling the hit as the weapon connected. A few seconds passed, and the statue began to crack. Slowly their World began to go white: Moonside was fading away. Both boys became disoriented for a moment, and missed the two balls of energy that released from the statue, hitting them before the statue finally shattered.
Ness looked uneasy. He'd been shown them for a reason, and he wasn't sure what that reason was. Something significant related to those scenes, but he had no idea what it could be. What were those energy things? Why did they go into those people? How many people were affected by this?
Fuzzy songs began to play in his head. One song he didn't get at all and didn't recognise in the slightest, but the other he caught bits of and knew all too well what it was. Once the songs ended, the real World flowed back into focus, and Ness pulled away.
At first the teenager didn't know what to do. He'd just seen some really weird scenes that were definately not good, and then he'd heard two songs, and he'd only caught bits of the one he knew: the Sanctuary songs. One part was perfectly clear, the bit he'd heard in Milky Well. As he began to walk away toward Saturn Valley he mulled on the significance of what he'd seen.

********

The noodles had been finished relatively quickly. Only Poo had stretched out the time spent by having seconds, thirds, and scraped up fourths before following Pippi into the kitchen as she took the pot out to have it washed. Once this spectacle was over, he made his way to a secluded part of the lab to meditate once more. Apple Kid and Dr.Andonuts, the only other people to have seconds, sidled off to test the rock some more. It was really hard to study, apparently, since the very molecules were fluxuating, fluidly shifting within its space, and seemed impervious to any and all tests. This left Pippi and Paula, who decided to settle with a coffee before checking on the sleeping genius.
"So," Pippi started, a small grin on her face, "I do believe you owe me a fear. I did tell you mine yesterday."
Shifting a little in her seat Paula protested "You were throwing rocks at a cave. Its hard to not be curious when someone's doing that."
Wagging a finger Pippi countered "No excuses! I've entrusted my fear to you, and now you must entrust one to me!" then she paused "We really don't know that much about each other, do we?"
Paula chuckled a little. "Very true. Okay, I'll give you one fear, and then we talk on a more social level. Deal?"
The redhead nodded. "Deal."
Even with that said and done, it still took a little while for Paula to actually respond. In her mind, Pippi's fear was understandable, but she had no idea how the girl would take hers, being far less common and silly without details. Finally she answered "I've got a fear of religion." When there was no response, Paula looked over at Pippi, to find the other girl looked like she was trying to place a rationality to that fear. A quick tap into her mind confirmed this. The fact that she hadn't laughed was a comfort to Paula as it was. "I know, its strange, isn't it?"
"And a fear of the dead isn't?" Pippi pointed out, then continued "I'm just not sure how... I mean their entire point... How come you fear religion?"
Slowly Paula gathered her courage and explained "A year ago I was kidnapped by a bunch of cultists in a nearby village to my hometown. They were going to use me as a human sacrifice to praise their God. If it wasn't for Ness, I would never have gotten out of there alive."
Nodding, Pippi urged "I can understand that. But why did they choose you? I mean there are probably a whole bunch of other girls they could have gone for. Why you?"
The blonde answered "Because I have PSI. In Twoson I had become quite a famed figure for it, and the media were always trying to find out everything about me, and scientists were always trying to find out more, and try to do experiments on me, but... Nobody ever suceeded until that point. Only those cultists, those Happy Happyists actually managed to take me away. It was terrifying."
Sipping her coffee, Pippi said "That is pretty harsh. Although I'm a little suprised you haven't got a fear of scientists or reporters or something, as well. Like a reporter will just pop out of from the back of the sofa or something."
Paula giggled, "Nah, my dad was always good at keeping them at bay. And now I'm strong enough to stop them myself should they try anything. And if I can't, Ness can." She drank some coffee and smiled. That conversation was over. "Now, I've got a question for you!"
"Eep!" Pippi mocked a wary look, ducking behind her mug.
Ignoring this Paula ventured "You keep mentioning all your friends in the East and how things were in the East and your cooking skills clearly developed in the East, so here's my question: Why did you come to Eagleland? Why come all this way west?"
Straightening up Pippi answered "Education. Its not like they didn't have any good places in the East, don't get me wrong, but there were a few courses in the Threed school that really caught my eye. My dad is always travelling anyway and there was a time I used to travel with him, so I already knew plenty of English, so it's not like I was making a big horrible leap into something I wouldn't understand."
"What courses were they?"
Grinning Pippi answered "There was an interesting philosophy-like course, literature, and a really good science course. My friends didn't like the thought of me going at first, what with one of them disappearing when they travelled and all, but they had to accept it eventually. They know I'm too stubborn."
The conversation lasted quite a while, with Paula and Pippi sharing their interests, learning about their pasts and both slowly understanding why they acted the way they did. This lasted until they heard a door going. A med room door. Both fell silent, listening out for what might possibly be happening, and heard someone shuffling around.
"Sounds like Jeff's up." Paula commented.
Raising an eyebrow Pippi asked "Isn't he supposed to be asleep? No way could he have eaten and slept in that little while."
Shaking her head Paula commented "Doesn't suprise me. He always seemed to neglect the sleeping part of things." Then she got up, followed by Pippi, and walked toward the source of the noise, seeing the bespectacled one using a wall for support and walking along toward the lab.
"All right, you, stop right there!" Paula called out. Jeff froze in his tracks.
The girls caught up to him, where Pippi folded her arms and tutted, "You should know better than to be up and around in your condition!" she stated.
Deflating a little Jeff whined "But I'm bored! Do you have any idea how little there is to do in that room?!"
Taking one of his arms Paula suggested "Try sleeping."
Groaning in annoyance Jeff complained "But I'm not tired!" He realised they were leading him back to the medical room and tugged weakly to pull away, "No! Come on, stop it! I'm not going back in there!"
"What if we find you a book or something?" Pippi suggested, shifting her grip so he'd find struggling a little harder.
Paula added "That'll be a lot better than running around like this. Besides, you know we won't give up until you're resting."
Sighing in defeat Jeff muttered "I forget how irritating situations like this are when no-one's around to heal you." and let them lead him into the medical room once more.

********

With several floors, a large number of traders and a wide selection and variety of products that could be used as concievable weapons in the upcoming events, Fourside Department Store was the place to go. Tracy was now spoilt for choice. She had checked the surrounding smaller shops in the local districts without luck (although there was a nice pair of boots on the high street), and now had come to the Department Store, like her brother had before, in hopes that their selection would give her the artillery she needed.
Now she was checking out a selection of bats on the shelves, trying to find one she would be able to use easily. She frowned uncertainly as she tested the weight and grip of the Minor-League Bat when a voice spoke behind her "That one doesn't suit you."
Blinking, Tracy turned to the speaker, putting the bat back. "I'm sorry?"
The young man who had spoken out against her selection reached over and picked up a Sand-Lot Bat, "This one has a better size and weight, better to suit your muscle and bone structure, your size, and undoubtedly would be easy to handle whilst running at high speeds." he handed the bat to Tracy with a pleasant smile.
"Thanks." Tracy said, now testing this new bat. The teenager stood nearby as she made a few practice swings, and she found he had been right. This one seemed easier to handle, and would certainly make a decent dent with a well-plotted swing.
The boy spoke up again, apparently impressed by her skill, "Is there a baseball tryout you're working for?"
Tracy was about to say 'yes' to cover for her real cause, when she really looked at the boy she was getting aquainted with. Silver hair, pale skin, stormy eyes, glasses... this was the mystery kid everyone was after! And what luck, he was helping her find a good weapon to use against the enemies he himself was seen fighting! How handy was this? "Actually, I'm," she stopped again. He wasn't getting in touch with people, he was telling people not to get involved, it would be crazy to turn around and announce she was going to try helping him! He wouldn't stick around past a second. "I'm doing some self-defence. I've heard about these weird robots going around and attacking people, and I want to be prepared." she turned and used her 'innocent eyes' on him, "Any advice?"
The boy seemed to shift uncomfortably now. He coughed nervously and said "Well, my forthcoming advice would be to stay well away from them, since they can cause some serious damage. O-otherwise, use some form of projectile weapon. Getting up close to these can be extremely dangerous, so this bat might not be for you."
The pale boy was getting paler, and Tracy could see it. "Are you okay?"
He waved her off, only to suddenly need to depend on a nearby shelf to stay upright. "N-not again..." he mumbled, his vision fading.
Determined not to get left in the dust, Tracy walked over and offered her shoulder. "I have built my own weapon, but I'm not sure how effective it will be," she said, trying not to sound too learned on the subject.
This piqued the boy's interest. "A self-made weapon?"
Now she had plotted the bait, she would reel him in! "I saw a cafe a little walk from here, we can get coffee and you can tell me if my weapons any good? It's my first slingshot."
It was clear part of this boy wanted to run as far as possible, but it was also clear he wasn't going anywhere in his state. And for some reason he felt really calm and certainly a little less dizzy around this girl. A moments consideration was all that was neccessary to convince him. He nodded and said "Okay. We'll take a quick look. Slingshots are definately a good choice."

********

There was a conundrum going on by the medical room again. Apparently Jeff really want content to with sitting still and was going to protest as much as possible, despite his condition. Paula wondered, not for the first time, if it would be easier to just strap him down so he wouldn't keep jarring his wounds, or just getting a TV installed so he would have something to do. After all, this was certainly not the first time that he'd tried to move around. Thinking back to her ideas she realised a TV would be no good, he would dissect it within an hour; on the adventure the gang had only booked into a leisure room once, and then never risked getting kicked out again. She decided to see if she could resolve this herself, heading down to where Pippi and Poo were trying to get Jeff back into the medical room.
When Paula found the group, she was impressed that Jeff had gotten so far. The injured blonde wasn't far from the Phase Distorter, which was the other side of the lab from the medical room, and the only thing holding him back was Pippi hanging around his waist like a deadweight, and Poo in front of him trying to usher him back toward the medical room. Despite having been attacked by an army of Starmen Jeff was still pretty lively, and was holding his own pretty well, doing a good job of holding up both himself and Pippi.
"You can't just send me back!" Jeff was complaining, fighting to get through the Phase Distorter, "Don't you know I'm a thinker? You can't expect me to just sit in a room and do nothing for hours on end!"
Pippi shifted her hold, getting into a more comfortable position, "You're not supposed to be active, you know that! You'll only hurt yourself more!"
Jeff looked down at her, "Then let go of me before you make things worse!"
Curiously Paula looked over at where Dr.Andonuts and Apple Kid were standing behind one of the desks, watching the spectacle. "Aren't you going to stop him?" she asked.
Not looking away Apple Kid shrugged, "Seems a lot safer observing."
"Besides," Dr.Andonuts added, "we did try reasoning with him but it didn't get us anywhere."
Sighing Paula walked over to the other teens, tapping Jeff's shoulder, "Okay, you've excited yourself enough today, time to go back to rest."
Jeff folded his arms, straightening up, "I'm not going back," he said stubbornly, "I want to help out, and I can't do that from some medical room. The least you can do is get me some gadgets I can work with while I'm resting!"
Shaking her head Paula tapped Pippi's shoulder, helping her back to her feet. She then shared a look with Poo, who nodded in understanding. The confused Jeff didn't get the action in time and quickly found himself hoisted onto Poo's back, being carried back through the lab to the medical room with the girls following, not one of them paying his protests any heed. As the bespectacled one complained and struggled, Paula once again considered strapping him down to keep him still for his own safety. Briefly she wondered what she could get him to keep him busy as he recuperated, so he wouldn't keep getting up and causing trouble.
Poo caught a better hold of Jeff's leg before stating "You know, we did try this before, but he managed to struggle loose."
Nodding in agreement Pippi added "He only stopped last time because his ankle geve out. Even then he managed to hop further on before we caught him."
"What can I say, I know how to hop." Jeff grinned.
Paula looked at him sternly, "You know perfectly well you could make things worse running around like this. If you needed something to do you should have called one of us, and we would have helped."
Jeff turned to her and said simply "I want to help."
The ribbon wearer retorted "Wait until you're better! Right now you're in no state to go around like you used to, testing your limits and ignoring your injuries. You were beaten up just yesterday and nobody's been able to heal you, yet; look, that lazer mark's been bleeding! Its only a few more hours before Ness comes back, and you'll be free to help all you want. You've got to be patient, and stop over-exerting yourself."
For a moment Jeff stopped and looked at Paula. There was something in her voice that called out to him -- a falter that he recognised and had to get to the bottom of. He frowned and started struggling again, trying to get off Poo's back, "I'm not that-- Ack!" he cut himself off as his wounded shoulder sent a stabbing pain through him, shocking him to docility. "Ow." he mumbled.
As Pippi shuffled closer to take a look at the injury, Poo turned his head to look at his quarry, "Are you okay?" he asked.
Before Paula could voice her concern Jeff looked at her again. "We need to talk."
Blinking, Paula asked "What?"
"I'll come quietly," he reiterated, "but we should talk. You're coming into the medical room with me."
Paula regarded the genius before looking at Poo, "I can take it from here."
Apparently Poo had guessed that she'd say that, as he let Jeff down without question, supporting him until Paula had a good hold of him before stepping back, "Then, I shall leave you two to your discussion. I shall inform you when Ness returns. In the meantime, I shall try meditation once more."
Pippi gave a peace-sign and said "I'm gonna find a way to make myself useful. I'm sure my buddy might know what--" she stopped. "Oh, man! I keep forgetting to call him! I gotta go!" and with that she and Poo left, leaving the blondes to go the rest of the way to the medical room. Jeff looked at Paula and said "Come on. Medical room, now."
Once they got to the medical room Jeff was lowered carefully onto the bed, getting comfortable before Paula took another, better look at his injuries, opening his shirt to clean the seeping wound. At first both were quiet, the wounds taking precedence over their words. Once his injuries were re-dressed Paula sat down with a small sigh, "So whats on your mind, then?" she asked.
With a small smile Jeff continued "That's what I should be asking." at Paula's inquiring expression he explained "You seemed upset about something, it showed when you were talking to me. I was curious as to what caused that. So what's wrong?"
Despite the fact Paula didn't really want to talk about the problem since she was determined to do something about her predicament, she also knew she couldn't get away from Jeff; he had dealt with his own angst and could spot it a mile off. He wouldn't believe her if she said nothing was up. Resigning herself to talking about it Paula began, "Well, if you remember earlier I told you Ness had that dream?" Jeff nodded so she continued, "I caught a segment of that dream. The problem is I don't think I was supposed to catch any of the dream at all. It wasn't aimed at me. I think my getting any glimpse of it was a complete accident. Moreover I couldn't help Ness and the others against the Starmen. Apple Kid and Dr.Andonuts have been setting up to research the Magicant rock, Ness is linked to this rock somehow, Pippi knows things about all this that none of us do, and even Poo is involved, his PSI somehow important. It feels like everyone has a part here except me."
"I'm not exactly center-stage here, either." Jeff pointed out.
Paula frowned, "All of Winters covered in a giant illusion? That massive Starman attack?"
Holding up a hand Jeff interrupted "I'm not the only person who lives in Winters. Think about it, my dad's lab is in Winters. If there are any Winters resources he needs he can't get it, and that creates problems. All I had trouble with was being in an illusion. It was probably a fluke."
Giving it a little thought the female admitted "That's true."
Jeff leaned forward and smiled, "Paula, you're a powerful psychic with a heart purer than pure. I'm pretty sure there's a role here for you that goes beyond reassurance. You're just as important as everyone else out there."
Feeling a little more confident Paula smiled and stood, "Thanks, Jeff. You're a real friend."
"Hey, wait!" Jeff whined, "You can't go, yet! Its so boring in here, I need something to do!"
Amused that this dignified genius had resorted to childish antics again Paula sat down again, "Okay, we'll talk about something else, but then I've got to go." regarding the matter she added "But then I'll get Pippi for you."
Jeff looked pleased. Not only because he now had something to do before Ness returned, but also because his friend felt better. If he couldn't get up and be useful, he was going to do it from here.

********

Pippi's first instinct was to find the nearest phone to call her friend. She had been about a meter from the lab phone when Poo had informed her that if the phone did indeed work what with the illusion blizzard outside, then the scientists would probably need it more than she. So she had gone back to Saturn Valley, where nobody else but Mr.Saturns were for the time being, and had gotten herself set up to use the phone in the hotel, getting comfortable on the ladder, giving herself room to hop to the sofa-bed should this take longer than it was supposed to.
Smiling at the thought of speaking to her friend again, and in such a short amount of time, Pippi picked up the phone and dialled in the familiar number, letting the phone ring.
... and ring... and ring... and ring...
Putting the phone back down Pippi paused. She pulled her mini-organiser from her pocket and flicked through, finding her friend's number again, double checking she had it right. Again she dialled in the number.
Ringing... ringing... ringing... ringing...
Once more the phone went back on the hook, and she stared at the number. "What gives?" She grumbled, holding the organiser up and typing in the number slowly, so she wasn't making any mistakes.
More ringing... another bout of ringing... ring... ring... ring...
"What's with this?!" she snapped, glaring at the phone, "He told me to call him! That was a few days ago, now, but still! Pick up the phone!"
ringing... ringing... ringing... ring, ring, ring--slam!*beepbeepbeep*
Scowling in annoyance Pippi checked one last time that she had the right number, then put away the organiser and pulled the phone down to the sofa-bed, settling down. She was determined to get in touch with her friend, no matter what.

********

It had to be Tracy's lucky day. The teenager that was being sought by so many people, the one that had eluded the best of the psychics so far, was sat opposite her right at that moment, inspecting her slingshot -- voluntarily -- after meeting up unexpectedly at the mall. To top that, they were sat opposite each other in a coffee shop. This, she decided, had to be one for the books. She glanced over her mug again to see the silver-haired boy as he looked over the slingshot with an experienced eye.
"Well," the boy finally put the hand-made weapon down, "As far as slingshots go, for the intended purposes, its fine. However, as a solid weapon against the sort of enemies you will no doubt face if things continue as they do, I don't see it holding up against the strain it will be put under." he stopped to sip his coffee and slide the slingshot back to Tracy, "I understand there are certain department stores that have begun stocking the newer 'Bionic Slingshot', which is a better choice, but again it wouldn't hold out for too long; just slightly longer than yours." he paused, "However the worksmanship on yours is good."
Nodding in understanding Tracy asked "So what would you reccommend? Should I get a Bionic Slingshot?"
The boy scowled at his cup, "I supposed I should say 'yes'. It does have its benefits."
Pressing the issue Tracy continued "Does the Bionic Slingshot cut loading time?"
"Ah," the boy leaned forward, "No. But I can see that would be a good point. I guess having something of a more cross-bow design would certainly benefit the way it handles, and it would open up other prospects, too, like multiple firing."
Prompting this thought further Tracy asked "Like an automatic crossbow, instead of the standard one? Maybe if it could be loaded with several ball-bearings at once, with something to push the balls up to the firing center? Would that work?"
The boy opened his mouth, but then stopped, and a small spark of inspiration was caught in his eye, "Actually, yes. Setting up maybe some sort of tubing leading from the slingshot to the ball-bearing bag, or maybe..." he trailed off, clearly caught up in his own thoughts. There was currently something bright and innocent about the male that made any previous comments made about him seem really silly. How could this guy be evil?
Even though she was amused by how quickly the bespectacled one got tangled up in a World of his own, Tracy had more questions she wanted to ask. But less of them were about the slingshot, now. "What's your name, anyway?"
It was clear to see he'd snapped back to reality. His eyes came back to focus, and he seemed really wary again. "... My name isn't important." he replied.
This was certainly not enough. "Oh, come on! If you're going to sit here and value my slingshot, I'd feel better some if I could put a name to my beta-tester! Or should I make one up for you?"
He now looked awkward, "Really, a name isn't neccessary..."
However, Tracy was just getting started, "How about 'Mr.Spectacles'? You do have glasses."
The look on his face was priceless. "Don't call me that."
"Okay, four-eyes."
Clearly this was a losing battle, but the boy was determined to put a stop to it, "Don't call me names!"
Innocently Tracy asked, "Why not, Silver?"
The boy paused, "Actually, that one isn't so bad..."
Taking a closer inspection Tracy corrected, "Well, its more of a grey, really."
Deflating, the boy complained "Hey..."
"Ooh, what about 'china doll', because of your pale complexion? Hm, thinking about it, your features are rather feminine, too..."
Before the concept of being called 'girly' could truly be called to the open, the boy gave an annoyed sigh, "These cruel, demeaning names, or my real name? What a choice."
Tracy put her mug down and looked at him seriously, "I won't call you names if you give me a name I can call you by."
After some consideration, the boy finally caved in. "Okay," he said, "My name is..."

********

The light grass came into view, prompting Ness's mood to brighten a little. Hills of white and trees that were slightly off-shade, complimented perfectly by the strange little pink huts that made up the small colony. Ness had reached Saturn Valley again.
Adjusting his cap and smiling a little, relieved to finally be somewhere he could get some shut-eye, if only for an hour, Ness trudged up to the hotel, letting out a small yawn. He really needed sleep, and he would need a good reason not to go and close his eyes for a few minutes.
"Ness!" he heard shouted his way. He looked up and saw Paula, who'd just stepped out of the Phase Distorter, and offered her a small wave. She quickly dove back in, giving Ness a reason to blink blankly. He wondered what that was all about.
He quickly found out, as people spewed forth from the time-travelling contraption, eager to greet him after his journey away from them all. On the outside he gave them a smile, but inside he deflated -- so much for a rest. Even with that thought on his mind he hugged Paula as she approached, and offered greetings to the others.
Suddenly the hotel door flew open. Ness and Paula both yelped as they were thrown forwards by the sheer force of the door, and the redhead who had opened it. "Maybe it'll work better if I'm closer to the East!" Pippi wondered, looking none-too-happy that she had clearly not been able to get through to her friend. She paused when she saw whom she'd knocked over. "Heyy, it's Ness!"
Ness didn't say much, he just nodded and stood up, helping Paula. Apple Kid, Dr.Andonuts and Poo just smiled nervously.
"Oh, hey, Ness," Paula spoke up, going from perky to sombre in an instant, "there's something you should know. Someone else arrived while you were gone yesterday. He--" She stopped. Ness wasn't looking.
The red-capped boy had been paying attention right up to the point where a blonde stepped out of the Phase Distorter, clutching a wound bandaged on his chest and grimacing as he limped over as quick as he could. Ness needed no prompting. Immediately he jogged over, ignoring everyone else who had been crowding him, and caught his friend just as his ankle gave out on him. "Whoa!" Ness called, "Steady there, Jeff! What happened to you? You're wearing more bandages than a Shattered man!"
Trying to push himself back to his feet despite the pain Jeff answered "I got more hand-aids than a Shattered Man still." Then he sobered up again, giving up on the idea of standing as a nauseating feeling washed over him, "I was attacked on my way through Winters. A whole ton of Starmen were waiting at Rainy Circle, more than I could count. I was lucky to get through it alive."
Eyeing up some of the bloodied bandages that even Paula was looking at again he agreed "Sure looks that way." Then he decided to use some PSI. He placed his hands over Jeff's chest, then closed his eyes.
The soothing feeling that came from PSI Healing was not lost on Jeff, since this wasn't the first time he'd recieved it, however that didn't mean he was used to it. The cooling blue energy seeped from Ness's fingertips and began to pile up over Jeff, before going off on its own in search of injuries to cure. Once the energy found an injury it would work its way in, like water finding its way into a crevice. Then it would start... fixing things. It was hard to describe that relaxing feeling of his wounds getting better, only that they were slowly not being painful holes ripped into him, and he was becoming whole again. He relaxed as the energy did what it did best, even ignoring the fact that he currently had a crowd around him.
It didn't take long for the healing to complete. Ness sat back, opening his eyes again, and looked down at his handiwork, satisfied that his friend was going to be okay again, now. A second later, Jeff opened his eyes, too, and smirked.
"Y'know," the blonde stated, "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."
Paula looked at the boys and felt relief wash over her. Sans Poo's PSI problem, everything seemed to be okay again. It seemed that no matter what was thrown at them all, they always bounced back. It made her feel stronger just knowing that. It didn't matter what they were going to go through, since they'd just be able to knock it away and be all the stronger for it.
Still curious about what had happened Ness urged Jeff on "So Starmen attacked you? But why? How?"
Shaking his head Jeff just answered "I don't know any details. All I know is that they were trying to do something at Rainy Circle. What that is I'm unclear of, however. I didn't get a lot of time to look in before I was discovered."
"How much time did you get?" Ness asked.
Wincing, Jeff answered "I fought three of them before I even made it up the ropes."
Ness grimaced. His friend had been right; there hadn't been a chance for him.
Seeing Ness's reaction Jeff continued "What I can say, however, is that they weren't operating independantly. Apparently someone was leading them into doing... whatever it was they were doing."
Hearing that, Poo frowned. "So Someone is conducting the Starmen into doing what they are doing. Perhaps they are also conducting some of the less pleasant things that are going on currently?"
Nodding, Jeff suggested "Your missing PSI?"
In agreement Poo added "And the subtle misleadings."
Taking up a part in the conversation Pippi mused "So someone else is sending them after Sanctuaries and the Magicant stone? But what would they want to do that for?"
Ness froze. Something somewhere in him had just clicked on after Pippi had said that. He recalled the songs that had been played to him by the Magicant stone, as well as the images. "There's something important about the Sanctuaries and the Magicant Stone." he said suddenly.
Folding her arms, Pippi scoffed "Yeah, we knew that already."
Ness shook his head, "No, I mean the Sanctuaries are important for the Magicant Stone. Something about them triggers something in the stone. At least," he stopped himself getting ahead, "That's what I think."
Sensing there was a little more to the story than that Paula asked "What do you mean, Ness? Did you see something?"
Not that he needed much prompting, Ness took this as his cue to explain what the stone had shown him. When he explained the two scenes, only one of them had an effect on the group, as Jeff went slightly pale at hearing about the Mani Mani releasing something into him. Then he explained about the songs and Pippi immediately clicked onto something else.
"Melodies!" she shouted, making Apple Kid and Poo step away rather quickly. "I remember my friend telling me about these songs he had to get for Magicant! He got them when he visited certain points! Oh, but..." her mood sank a little, "When he collected the songs, it didn't make things better, it destroyed Magicant."
Paula tried to work that one out. "But if Magicant's been destroyed, how come Ness has been there? And why is there a stone leading there now?"
Ness knew how to field this one, "There's more than one Magicant. Some of the images showed different Magicants. Lots of them. Mine is different to the one her friends visited, and that one's different to the one in that stone this time. Its like a land made specifically for certain people."
Uneasy, Jeff piped up "But then if the songs destroy Magicant, wouldn't that be what happens this time?"
Dr.Andonuts decided he wanted to get a word in, "But didn't you tell me before that the Sanctuary points were used to open up Ness's Magicant? Maybe the effect is different, depending on the Magicant?"
Looking a little dubious about that Pippi mumbled "That could happen."
Silence fell for a short moment. Everyone was wrapped up in the thoughts of what they'd learned and what was being theorised. There was a chance they could open Magicant, or destroy it, or maybe something completely different! Someone was leading the Starmen -- someone they hadn't met yet (or more, hoped they hadn't met, since none of them wanted to face Pokey again). And they, too, were trying to get to the Sanctuaries, which promoted the 'destroying Magicant' idea... or maybe the opening Magicant? They couldn't be sure.
"Have I told anyone how cold Saturn Valley is?" Jeff asked, bringing to attention that he was still mostly wrapped in bandages.
Snapping from her trance Paula yelped "Oh! Goodness, lets get you some proper clothes on now you're better!" she helped him to his feet and began leading him to the Phase Distorter.
Dr.Andonuts clapped his hands together and declared "Well, we're not going to find out what'll happen to this 'Magicant' sat around out here, now will we?" he beamed, turning to Apple Kid, who agreed, and they followed Paula and Jeff.
"The East!" Pippi nearly yelled, coaxing Poo into putting a greater distance between them, "I have to call my friend! He'll know what to do! But why isn't he picking up the phone?!" she began muttering to herself as she walked toward the Phase Distorter herself.
This left Poo and Ness, who looked a little awkward for a moment as they tried to work out their next move. Poo knew he needed to meditate, but after the fuss everyone made over Ness's return, he didn't want to just leave him again in Saturn Valley. Ness wanted to sleep, but now he was awake, he knew it'd be a while before he could doze off again.
Finally, Ness came up with an idea, "Say, Poo," he turned to the Prince, "you wanna come see some Sanctuaries?"
The bald one's first instinct was to say 'no', as he knew he still needed to meditate. However he wasn't getting anywhere with that, and it was stressing him out a little. Besides, he himself hadn't seen all the Sanctuaries, yet, and perhaps they'd give him an insight to his dreams. There was always that chance, right? "Very well." he agreed, smiling a little. "Lead the way."

********

One problem with living in a Boarding house with set Uniform was that you didn't end up with many other clothes. This problem was only made worse when you weren't even at the Boarding house and needed a change of clothes. Not only did you not have anything casual, most everything was at the Boarding House.
Paula was lucky, since she didn't have that problem, but she could see where it became an issue as she watched Jeff look with great distaste at the near-dry SnowWood uniform that was hung loosely over a chair.
"I'm not wearing it." Jeff stated, not looking away from the Uniform.
Sighing, Paula said "Jeff, you don't have any other clothes here. You're going to have to put up with it, if only for a little while. Unless you want to borrow from Apple Kid?"
At first it looked like he was going to laugh, judging from the shock on his face. When he asked "Where is he right now?" however, the female found it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
Blinking, she answered "Uh, he's in the lab, with your dad. They're looking at the Magicant Stone, remember?"
Elated to finally have something different to wear, Jeff jumped up, gave Paula a quick hug, then ran off toward the lab. Said blonde looked a little suprised a moment, before she reached over and touched the Uniform herself.
"Oh, goodness, that's itchy material!" she gasped, dropping the blazer. No wonder he refused to wear it, that stuff just did not do clothes justice! Although it was thick material, so she supposed it was okay if you were in Winters, but man! That was super itchy stuff! "And he went around the World with us in that stuff? Wow. He needs new clothes."
She turned around sweetly, a few minutes before Pippi entered through the doorway, stopping in suprise as she noticed she already had Paula's attention. The redhead leaned against the doorway, "You psychic types, always so alert! Well, since you're on the ball today, how about you tell me what the phonecall I recieved was?"
Paula shook her head. "I knew you were coming, and I know something's wrong, but I don't know what it is you were talking to Carpainter about."
"Well--" Pippi stopped, realising she knew who had been speaking, "Wow, I didn't even know what his name was..." She shook her head, "Anyway, apparently some really mean looking robots were spotted going toward that cave of theirs -- you know, toward Lilliput Steps or something? Yeah, apparently a bunch of metal men with visor-faces just went in there, shooting randomly at stuff."
Worriedly Paula stood up, "Has anyone been hurt?" she asked.
Pippi's brow was furrowed in irritation, "No, not yet. It was mostly suprise that did it. But they don't know when they're gonna come back out and have another go. They need someone to go down and check it out."
"I'm game."
Both girls looked round to see Jeff in the doorway. He was sporting a blue pair of jeans -- his only other clothing at the lab, and a really baggy red hoodie, that clearly belonged to Apple Kid. It was suprising how the look suited him, despite the ridiculous size.
Still something tugged at Paula's mind, "But Jeff, you've only just been healed from the last attack. Are you sure--"
Jeff quickly cut her off, "save it. You know as well as I do that I'd be no better use here at the lab than off fighting a small bunch of Starmen. Even though I fought quite an array of the guys, I still beat some of them. I can still fight, and I intend to. Besides, they shouldn't be allowed to think they can get away with such a cheap shot, like what they did at Rainy Circle."
Now assured, Paula looked at the two in front of her. "Okay, so it's settled. Us three against--"
"You two," Pippi corrected, "I still haven't gotten in touch with my friend. He'll be able to help us figure out how the songs work, so we know what we're even doing with the Sanctuaries." her gaze softened slightly, "Besides, you two are far more effective against Starmen than I am right now. I'm better off here, where I know I can still be useful."
The two blondes stared at her, both wondering how far through this feeling useless thing went. Surely everyone didn't feel like this? That was just insane. I mean, this was Pippi! She knew what she was doing when it came to these events, so how could she feel in any way inadequate here?!
Sighing, Jeff mumbled "If you say so." before looking up at Paula, "Well, since we still don't have a teleporting buddy, we may want to start walking now. Happy Happy Village is quite a walk from here."
Paula nodded. "True." Then she looked at Pippi again, "Hey, if you can find out a way of stopping these Starmen for all of us, we could all fight then, and there would be less of a problem, right?"
The redhead turned and offered a wink back quickly, "I'll see what I can do! Good luck you two!"
The two blondes nodded and went to get their weapons. 

********

A suitcase had been set up by a solid oak door. Atop the yellow suitcase was a ticket, proclaiming a return journey to Eagleland. Beside it sat a blue backpack from which protruded a few toys, including a yoyo that had seeped from its pouch and was spilling string onto the floor. The owner of the luggage didn't notice, and in fact had completely redirected his attention to the phone.
The boy chuckled and brushed some hair behind his ear, wondering how he had been convinced to grow it out in the first place. He heard more comments from the other end of the phone and listened calmly. He had spent nearly half and hour trying to assure the girl on the other end of the phone he was coming back.
"Its only for a couple of weeks!" he pointed out to her. "I'll be back once all this is sorted. I promise." There was a rather dubious comment from the line, to which he reiterated "I am coming back! With what you've taught me, I can hold my own now against anything that might try anything. I'll be back before you know it."
Finally she reluctantly accepted he'd go, and be back, and the two said their goodbyes. He looked at his stuff and smiled. He was going to Eagleland. He'd never been there before, though he'd heard a bit about it. He didn't know what he'd find when he got there, but he knew he'd be okay. He walked over and picked up his backpack, tripping himself on the yoyo string. Blinking, he re-wrapped the string and got his suitcase, leaving the house.
He hated when things left signs like that.
Then the phone started ringing again.

********

A brunette glared at the plate that had been placed in front of her. Her deep eyes scanned upward to the monkey that sat beside her. "This is not a muffin." she declared, poking the item on the plate.
Talah-Rama chuckled a little and explained "It is an Eagle-muffin. New Western style muffins. They have also been known to go under the name 'cupcakes', too. Did you never come across these?"
Still poking the chocolate fudge cupcake the girl mumbled "It looks like a cake exploded. Is it safe to eat?"
The sound of solid shoe-soles storming up through the tunnels of the monkey caves alerted the two humans that the third had returned. Both looked up as the boy came in, and the monkeys began chattering about getting more muffins in, which the silver-haired one paid no heed to.
Sensing more agitation than usual the brunette asked "Is everything okay? Did you get to the Sanctuary in the end?"
The male looked up, shooting her an evil look. "Eleven-year-olds are really manipulative." he stated, plonking himself down against a wall and leaning back, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Slightly confused by this Talah Rama asked "How so?"
"I accidentally met up with a kid today, and somehow she managed to get me to rate her weapon, sit with her in a coffee shop, and tell her my name. My full name. I don't ever tell people my full name anymore, yet she knows, now! How on Earth did she manage to do that?!"
Offering her cupcake to the boy the brunette inquired "Was this a pleasant looking young blonde with deep brown eyes and a look of determination set across her visage?"
A small smirk on his face Talah Rama uttered "That may be the problem right there, is it not?"
His mood not picking up, the boy growled "No, O wise one, that's not the problem. That is the girl, but that's not the problem."
Realising he wasn't going to take the muffin the female set it back on the table. "Well, if that is whom I think, and I am certain I am right, then there is a very good reason she's as 'manipulative', as you seem to believe. She is the sibling of a very important person in this Country, and so she is filled with the adventure that he is. Within our mission she is already fulfilling her part, and to us she is harmless."
Catching onto that last statement the boy looked up, "'within our mission'? So there's more than just me in this? There are others who are supposed to be fighting this, and she was one of them?" he looked slightly unsure, now. "Does that mean I've done something wrong by interacting with her?"
The chocolate eyes of the female softened warmly, "No. In fact, quite the opposite. Interacting with that female was good for us, as she now knows how to help herself out, and she knows that if trouble really picks up, that she has someone who is around to help her when she needs it. Your paths will likely cross on occasion, but you should not be afraid of her."
"Why did I never get any assurance like that?" the boy mumbled, looking at his hands solemnly. A vague haze of his past crossed his mind, as he tried to sort through which was good and which was bad for a time he could have possibly recieved such a warm offer.
The girl looked like she was going to respond, when she stopped suddenly. Her eyes clouded over and she frowned. "Something... something is..."
The other occupants of the room stopped what they were doing and looked at her anxiously. She put a hand to her head as the World began to swim, and the two males got up as if to help her.
Slowly she came back round, holding out a hand to stop anyone from further approaching. She looked up at the bespectacled boy and spoke calmly "Trouble is about to brew in one of the Sanctuaries. One... One made of tiny steps. Things are going to become rather nasty. You must go, and you must stop this from happening."
Nodding, the boy jogged from the room. "Thank you, Oracle!" he called in with a grin before he left.
The two last humans blinked and looked at the doorway before Talah Rama asked "Do you know what that was about?"
Shaking her head the Oracle answered "I am guessing that is how the Hero's sibling managed to get him to tell her his name--" she paused again, that feeling washing over her again. She used the table to prop herself up and winced. "Another Sanctuary... trouble will stir later. That one he has had trouble with."
The old man looked tense. "That does not bode well, I assume?"
She looked up. "It doesn't end there. He is about to face more people -- people who are getting themselves involved. He will not like that. Moreso, their involvement is beginning to intrigue the one causing the trouble."
Face paling, the wise one breathed "You mean..."
"The heroes of a time gone are going to be in this like everyone else soon enough. And there is nothing we can do to stop it."

********

This did not settle well with Poo. He and Ness had decided, after a long talk, to visit Rainy Circle, so they could at least try to figure out what the Starmen were after, preferably without getting caught. The illusion blizzard was a little odd to get around, but curiously Ness couldn't see it. This made Poo wonder what it was that the illusion was trying to stop. They had gotten to StoneHenge before realising there were no Starmen present, but the old base was now locked. Now they stood in Rainy Circle, and there was nothing to report: No Starmen, no new devices or glitches, and nothing had been taken. So what exactly HAD the Starmen done?
Shrugging, Ness pointed out "Well, if it helps, I've learned a little about this Sanctuary."
Poo just frowned, "But we know not where the Starmen have gone. What if they're still nearby? Or worse, what if they've gone to SnowWood? With Jeff gone, nobody is there to protect them."
This made Ness a little uneasy, "I'm sure something would let us know if anything was happening to SnowWood. And besides, this place is too open for anything to hide in! I mean, look! We'd be able to see if anything was in here!"
"They can teleport."
Ness nodded, "True, true, they can do that. But we can hear it when they teleport, and there were, what, fifty? We'd have to be totally deaf not to hear that many Starmen teleport."
This gave Poo food for thought, "Maybe that's why this illusion is here? To prevent havoc from being noted until it is too late? Something is planned to happen here, perhaps, and in order to prevent anyone from intervening, they have placed this pretend 'blizzard' here, so that nobody will be able to react fast enough to stop it?" he looked down, "But what? What could possibly be a threat to anyone in this Country?"
Ness stared at Poo squarely, looking very nervous, "Only the lab. And maybe SnowWood."
The prince flinched, "That is very true."
Determined not to get brought down by this knowledge Ness spoke up "Well, I won't let any harm come to anything round here! No blizzard's gonna stop me from protecting my friends! Are you with me?"
Immediately Poo looked up, ready to question what his friend could possibly be thinking asking that. When he saw the bright grin on the hero's face, however, he realised this wasn't so much about the loyalty as it was about motivation. A part of him wondered how he was supposed to be able to help without his psychic ability, but the rest of him took control, smiling and nodding fiercely. That part wasn't about to let anything hurt his friends, either. This part didn't particularly have a plan, but he'd get to that when the time came.
He began to wonder how much influence Ness really had on him.
Retracing back on their subjects, Poo asked "So what did this place teach you?"
Ness shrugged. "You see that wonky looking hole there in the ceiling of the cave?" He pointed up at where the hole was, "That's been protected by other areas of the cave above it, which the snow can't get to. And because this cave is so high that it goes above the clouds, the sun melts the snow, which goes back through the complex drain like thing, which lets it down like rain."
Poo nodded slowly, "So it's basically melted snow."
"Basically." Ness replied.
Slowly the bald one nodded again, before turning, "It is a shame we haven't found where the Starmen are, but at least we have something to report on the cave."
Ness agreed, catching up to his friend, "I've got to check out the Magicant Rock, to see if anything's changed. Wanna come with me?"
Bracing himself for the cold ahead Poo answered "Of course."

********

Paula and Jeff looked into Lilliut Steps. Having been sent there to confirm the sightings of Starmen Chrome the two blondes had expected some sort of encounter. Jeff seemed to want some form of vengeance for the Rainy Circle escapade and was packing his Gaia Beam. Paula was just happy to be involved. They had taken their journey warily, knowing that these Starmen could be anywhere, and didn't want to be caught off-guard at any point.
Now they were at Lilliput Steps. And there were no Starmen in sight.
The two waited around for half-an-hour, looking around, checking hiding spots, sensing the area telepathically, but nothing. No Starmen, no monsters, no robots, just slightly irate critters that were not quite irate enough to challenge the heavily-armed humans. No Starmen.
Somewhere between waiting and giving up Jeff announced "Well, this was a royal waste of time."
Still hesitant about giving up Paula spoke, "Maybe we're looking in the wrong places."
Jeff sighed, "Paula, we've checked everywhere! We haven't picked up a trace of Starmen since arriving and I'm beginning to think that if there were Starmen they've been and gone by now. We've missed them. We've been here long enough, and we haven't got money for a bus ticket home."
Hearing that swayed Paula, "Well, Saturn Valley is a while away..."
They agreed, both left the cave, disappointed that they didn't find what they were looking for. After a quick assurance to the former cult-village that no Starmen were littering their caves, they began their long walk back to Saturn Valley, starting with Peaceful Rest Valley.
"So what have you been up to?" Paula asked, "aside from getting beaten senseless by Starmen."
Jeff shot her a good-natured look, "Ha, ha. It's been mostly school since we last spoke. I've caught back up and then some, in school work, and Tony-"
The sound of teleportation cut Jeff off and distracted the blondes from their train of thought. Five enemies had just teleported around them in battle-stance; three Starmen Chrome and two off-colour orange Mooks. At first the two teenagers weren't sure the enemies were really there, then their senses caught up with them. Both pulled out their weapons, ready to dodge if the enemy attacked.
"You take the mooks!" Paula shouted, turning to the robots, "I'll take the Starmen!" she wasted no time casting PSI Freeze on one of the Starmen, freezing it to the spot. Jeff took position and fired at one of the mooks, hitting it just above the tentacles. Both mooks launched angrily as a unit at the one shooting at them, giving Jeff little time to roll out of the way. As this happened the two Starmen had reared up their lazers and fired at Paula. One was dodged quickly, the other grazed her arm, giving her small reason to cuss.
Jeff got back to his feet quickly, "Where did these guys come from?!" he demanded, firing again at one of the mooks. He'd lost sight of one of the mooks, which rammed him from behind. He stumbled forward, right into the second mook, which tackled him from the front.
Paula used PSI Freeze again, evening her battlefield as another of the Starmen became encased in ice. She just dodged the other Starman's lazer before responding "They certainly didn't come from around here!"
Peeved at the Mooks' cheap shot, Jeff pulled out his Multi-Bottle Rockets, lighting the fuses and firing them off in record time. The teens ducked away as the rockets made impact, hitting the enemies head-on. The results lifted the spirits of the blondes; one of the Mooks and one of the frozen Starmen were down and out. Only now the other Starman was free from the ice. The two Starmen fired at Jeff, who had turned to find where the other Mook had gotten to this time, only to get two lazers in the chest. Paula had gone to put her attention on Jeff, when the missing Mook rammed her from behind, knocking her to the ground.
"Stick to the Starmen!" Jeff grunted, pulling himself up and firing at the offending Mook. To his annoyance the Mook dodged, speeding over and delivering a barrage of tentacle-whips to the genius, who could only put up his arms in defence.
Paula, forcing herself not to wonder how on Earth Jeff beat a Starman where everyone else failed, used her PSI Freeze once again, her only affective PSI, and again improved the odds. The sound of teleportation made the girl hesitate as she realised she should have concentrated on the other Starman. She whirled just in time to see a figure slam into the Starman, knocking its lazer fire off-course. The figure pulled out his own weapon, a gun similar to Jeffs, and opened fire on the Starman underneath him, before launching himself off and landing in a defence pose not far off.
The bespectacled blonde managed to pull away from his Mook attacker and shot again, hitting one of its eyes and stunning it. Paula snapped back into motion and shot PSI Freeze at the offending Mook, sending it reeling until it stopped moving. The other Starman broke out of its ice, firing at Paula and hitting her shoulder. She turned and whacked it with her Holy Fry Pan, and Jeff shot it with his ultimate weapon, both turning away as it fizzed and stopped moving, instead watching the Starman and the pale young man scuffle in their own little fight. The Starman was firing its lazers while the young man dodged, trying to find the right position to fire.
Jeff glanced sidelong at Paula, "Where'd he come from now?"
"Don't know," Paula admitted, "I think that's the mystery kid we keep hearing about though."
The two blondes watched a little longer, then realised the boy needed a little assistance. Jeff readied himself and said "I'll head around for a sniper shot, you keep it in place."
As Jeff snuck off, Paula fired a final round of PSI Freeze at the Starman, catching it off-guard momentarily, but not freezing it. As it turned to fire on Paula, the mystery Kid fired his weapon, destroying it in one blow. The battle was over.
Warily Paula looked over at the mystery kid, wondering just what his intentions were. Her stare caught his attention, though when their eyes met the reaction was not what she expected. The confident yet grim look faded to total shock, storm-blue eyes widening in a look akin to fear. The independant demeanour was gone, replaced with a scared, confused young boy.
"A-Ana..." the mystery kid whispered.
This shocked Paula further. "What?" she gaped, stepping back. The emotion from the boy was overwhelming, confusing her between the power, the name, and why it was directed at her.
Apparently the reaction wasn't what the boy was expecting and he snapped out of his own confusion, his morbid, closed off face returning. "I'm sorry," he coughed, running a hand through his silver hair and looking ready to leave.
"Who are you?" Paula asked as her senses returned.
Shaking his head the boy took a step back, "I can't answer that." he replied, then turned to run with a mumble of "again" just catching the wind.
However the boy hadn't taken Jeff into account, and he was happy to make himself known.
"The lady asked you a question!" the male blonde yelled, leaping from the tree he'd hidden in and landed on the silver-haired male's back.
The struggle that ensued seemed more amusing than alarming. Despite the weight that had just launched onto his back the mystery kid remained mostly upright, and in that respect Jeff had the advantage. Only the other male had gripped one of Jeff's shoulders, limiting his movements somewhat. Paula could only watch the stalemate as the two boys wrestled, equally matched, one trying to floor the other, one trying to get the first off their back. Even as they struggled Jeff continued to demand the name, and the other boy loudly refused to answer the question. Their fight took an interesting turn as the boys both shifted their weight to better grip their weapons. Finally Jeff wrenched his arm free of the boy and jumped back, while the boy whirled. Both took aim. And then they hesitated.
Still acting confident Jeff demanded once more "So who are you?"
"You don't hold the power here." the boy countered calmly, "Your weapon could do some damage but mine is a lot stronger. You wouldn't last a round."
Smirking Jeff spoke "That's fine, any harm comes to me, Paula will just heal me."
Said female tried to figure out what Jeff was up to. Surely he knew she couldn't heal him, so if any firing did happen, there wouldn't be a whole lot she could do. Though, she realised, this other kid didn't know that.
The young man looked a little less sure of himself now. He stared into Jeff's eyes, looking for any hints of doubt, but finding none. Finally, he relented. "Call me Gomire."
And now, mystery kid had a name. Paula smiled, having a name she could associate with this boy. Now, if only they would break the stalemate...
Suddenly, Gomire looked beyond Jeff in suprise, aiming his plasma weapon at something behind the blonde. Quickly Jeff whirled to attack whoever was behind him, then paused.
Nobody was there.
He caught a sound behind him and rounded again, watching Gomire dash off. Irritated that he'd been bluffed like that Jeff fired warning shots at the fleeing figure. No shot hit, and the silver-haired boy escaped.
"I can't believe he bluffed." Jeff grumbled, folding his arms. "The oldest trick in the book, and he used it." he turned to Paula, "He bluffed me, Paula!"
Paula patted his shoulder and began walking off. "You bluffed too, you know."
Pouting Jeff complained "But he wasn't supposed to bluff!" he followed as Paula had put a distance between them. "He bluffed! He did that on purpose..."

********

Out of pure curiosity, Tracy had decided before leaving Fourside, to find out what was so important about Magnet Hill, and also why Gomire kept collapsing when he tried to get near it. Instead of taking the way Ness had a year ago, a convenient fire exit from the department store led straight there with little hassle. The security guards would probably raise an issue later, but at least for now she had a few moments to check it out.
Daylight reflected lazily off the silver structure, which bounced off the windows of the first few floors, making them seem so much brighter than they would have done without it. It also shone into the blonde's eyes, which was annoying. She moved out of the light's way and observed the structure from a new angle. It didn't look natural, by any stretch of the imagination, which made her wonder how it got there, and why. It was like a piece of art that had been dumped in the back to keep it out of the public eye. Yet when she kneeled down, she noticed the structure was stretching beyond the soil, like magnetic roots growing a crummy metal bush. Definitely interesting, but it didn't explain why Gomire was interested in it, nor did it explain why he nearly collapsed (twice, if his complain of "Not again..." was any indication, anyway).
"Guess he's allergic to magnets." she mumbled sourly. She had now looked this thing over and still there were no clues. Shaking her head she turned to go back into the Department store, when she heard something behind her; a sort of rough breeze through some digital shingles, leaving the hair on the back of her neck tingling. She didn't waste any time, whirling and firing from her slingshot, throwing her bag to the side.
Her aim was true, and one of the three Mooks recoiled in suprise as the pellet hit it at the tentacle base. The other two lunged at her, giving her very little time to move out of the way. She managed to dodge one of them, but the other caught her in the stomach, the momentum sending her back into the wall. She retaliated with a kick, sending it flying into the hill, much to her suprise. She didn't get that much time to think about it, though, as the other Mooks were already making their moves again. Her best course of action was to get around the other side of the structure, avoiding the Mooks as she did. This didn't go as smoothly as she'd hoped, but she made it round relatively unscathed. Only the Mooks all rounded on her; one atop the hill, the other two either side of it. Determined to beat the crimson menaces she fired at the one on the hill and immediately took off after it, letting the other two Mooks run into each other. The pellet hit the Mook in the eyem stunning it, and Tracy followed up by delivering a punch and a shove, pushing it off of Magnet Hill. It didn't end there, either. She jumped off the hill herself, missing the Mook that flew overhead, and instead landing on the one she'd just pushed. She made sure she'd definitely gotten it by stamping on it a few times. Suddenly the Mook she'd missed rammed into her again, knocking her into the hill and pinning her to it, preventing her from moving her limbs, or using her slingshot.
The other Mook slinked up to the top of the hill, "Looks like the Sanctuary isn't as impressive as we thought," it mused, looking down at the blonde with a sneer, "And here was me, thinking there was power at these spots! How foolish of me."
Tracy blinked up at the Mook, "What are you talking about?"
With a smirk the Mook explained "The master told us there was something significant about the Sanctuary Locations, something powerful that must not be harnessed! Yet we are no stronger, and you are no stronger. What power is in that?"
Struggling a little Tracy mulled on what had just been revealed to her. The Sanctuary spots were supposed to be powerful, eh? Odd then, that she couldn't use it. Or could she? She had been sending these Mooks flying. Or maybe she was just getting stronger. But if the Mooks couldn't feel any power rise, that probably meant only certain people could use the spots, and she'd bet anything that Ness was one of those people. But was it only him who could use it, or would Gomire be able to use it too, should he be able to get near it? And what about anyone else? She felt she should find the answer to that.
Just as she remembered she needed to keep an eye on the Mooks, the one holding her loosened its grip absently, giving her the opportunity to pull her slingshot free and beam her captor over the head with it. It flailed backwards, so she fired a pellet at it, not sticking around to watch it collapse. The final Mook took off after the blonde and barely missed ramming her, instead catching her with a stray tentacle, tripping her up. She let out a yelp as she hit the floor, but rounded in time to fire at the alien, which hadn't been able to stop itself before hitting the wall. It growled and came after her again, but she rolled clear out of the way, pulling herself up against the hill and firing again. Just before she did a shock ran through her, nearly making her jump just after firing her shot. It connected, knocking down the last Mook, meaning she'd just won. Against three Mooks. On her own. She looked again at the Slingshot, and at the Magicant segment nestled safely in the wood-work base. It was able to destroy these things. That was good news, Ness should probably know that, she decided. Then she remembered the shock Magnet hill gave her and she spun to face it, kicking it and calling it a rude name.
About then she noticed that the Department Store was somewhat quieter than when she'd initially passed through it. Slowly she turned around again, and nervously noted that at least the first few floors had gone totally silent, kind of like the giant crowd at the windows. She looked at the mess of Mooks, at the hill, then back at the crowds. Casually she made her way backwards, gave a small wave, then awkwardly she climbed down into the sewer system.
Apparently it would be about ten minutes before anyone dared move again, and a few people even decided, having watched the Mook's bodies fade away, that it was all just an illusion caused by too much stress. Slowly work and leisure continued, and finally the alien battle against the young girl (who was conveniently dubbed 'mystery kid', which concealed the battle under poor Gomire's identity), was pushed out of mind. Said girl was also let out of the museum by Mr.Spoon, who decided he should stop drinking coffee, since pretty girls don't usually climb out of sewage systems. The girl also made the deduction that this was the scientists she'd been forbidden to see.
Above the slowly progressing scene, in a conveniently placed window able to look out over the whole setup, someone did just that. They rubbed their chin in thought, waving a hand, and watched the Mooks disappear. The person smiled as they watched the blonde move back along the streets, innocently, as if the past half-hour hadn't even happened.
"Hm," the person mused, "I should keep an eye on that one, too."

********

The two non-blondes of the Chosen Four had first considered trying to catch up with the blondes when they'd heard about something going down in Happy Happy Village, but had been assured they could handle it. From there they had teleported over to the Magicant Rock, which still stood really proud, untouched by passers by or Starmen. This, at least, was a comfort.
With a grand gesture Ness ushered Poo to the rock, "Why don't you give it a whirl first?"
Looking a little startled Poo tried to protest, "But why? What is it that you are expecting to happen?"
Ness shrugged, "I just thought maybe it'd react to you, and tell you how to find your PSI again. Lord knows we're probably going to need it for what's probably up ahead."
Still not sure about it the Prince argued "But it is only supposed to react to you -- this is what Paula has told me, from when she attempted to touch it. There is also the fact it is not doing anything for our scientifical friends, despite how it reacted when you touched it."
Then there came that ever-so-annoying argument stopper: "There's no harm in trying, right?"
Poo bulked hearing that. Ness had obviously gotten it into his head that this should work, and was not about to be thwarted in this view until he actually saw it fail right in front of him. Shaking his head at this, Poo walked up to the Magicant rock and placed a hand on it.
Despite all his arguments against the reaction, Poo had still hoped something would have happened. Even if it was just a small shock, or a vision or something. Heck, if something had just fallen from the rock and HIT him it was better than this reaction -- this nothingness. He was a little disappointed that nothing really had happened, but at least he'd proved himself right -- the rock wasn't about to react to him.
"When does it start doing things?" Poo asked carefully, just in case he was wrong.
Somewhere behind him Ness said "Oh, isn't anything happening already?"
Ignoring how disappointed the cap-wearing boy sounded, Poo responded "I am afraid not." He pulled his hand off and looked at his friend, "Which means Paula was right. It truly is only for your use. Like the Sanctuaries."
Upon hearing this, Ness looked a little displeased. "I was afraid of that." he murmured, walking up to the rock and putting his own hand on it.
The shock he recieved nearly choked him. Keeping himself firmly rooted to the ground and firmly against the rock, Ness steadied himself against the energy barrage the rock seemed to throw at him.
The songs seemed to be the first thing that came out at him when the everythingness (since there was no better way to describe it) finally died down. Still there was nothing with the first one, but in the second, he could now clearly hear two segments instead of just the one. He had to collect the Sanctuaries in order to hear the song. And collect the melodies Pippi mentioned to hear the first. How he was going to do that, though, he was still not sure of. Did this mean he'd have to go to the East?
Then the chattering started again. He could feel all the different emotions somewhere in the pit of his stomach, while the murmuring was gathering somewhere in the small of his back, and the energywas everywhere, making the hairs on the back of his neck prickle upward.
"What do you mean something's happening in Spoo..."
"I'll help. I'll aways help you..."
"Sure. I've just got to get some... things to help us..."
"... Why are you asking me anyway? Yeah, sure, kid..."
Ness's brow furrowed. It sounded like these came from nearly the same time. What was going on?
We're almost there. We will have visualisation in three..."
"... What's that smell?..."
"I don't see anything. What about you..."
"...? ... Rosemary?..."
After that Ness picked up a lot of fear and pain. It took every ounce of effort not to pull his hand away, and to keep focused. The pain seemed to go on forever. But it soon stopped, opening up to another, later scene. But like the last, he was only catching segments.
"What's wrong?.."
"... going to... I have to go away..."
"It's neccessary! You'll love it..."
"..?"
"I'm sure you'll like boarding..."
"What? I'd have loved to do something like that, kid..."
"Where? Cool! Can I go with you?"
That last voice was definitely Pippi. He could tell. It was younger and lighter, but that perky, bold, outspoken voice was unmistakable. But like the last scene, he didn't get much time to dwell on it. A scene floated through his head which terrified him beyond all measures of terror he ever knew.
... the flames licked the burned out building, the ruins of brick walls now only vaguely distinguishable. The snow was all burned away, and the grass underneath wasn't protected either from the heat. Nor were the papers that were now scattered to the wind, some crisp and fried, some still with shreds of white on, and at least one lucky piece was still proud to show the crest of SnowWood Boarding House. But this was only on the outside of the metal gates, which was covered with something that was unclear. The stench of burned flesh was unmistakable in the air, and further probing showed why; nobody had survived this fire. No-one. Many were gathered in one large square former-room, which could have probably been the assembly hall, some where scattered around in hallways, fallen from destoyed upper-levels, and some even looked like they had tried to escape through the snow, but had been stopped, but not by the blast: gunshot wounds were still visible in their backs. Then there was the gate again, but this time it was clear to see what was hung from it. A young teenage boy had been strung up on the outside of the gates, bound in chains. The killers had clearly been sick enough to cut open his back, meaning he was burned from the inside out when the blast had struck. Little was left, sans a few tufts of still-blonde hair, and his coke-bottle lenses that were left several meters away in the snow...
Ness pulled away and stumbled over to a tree, retching against it as he tried to keep his footing. His eyes were wide with horror, seeing a terrible fate befalling his friend like that. Never had he experienced such a terror, not even when facing the Cosmic Destroyer. Nothing thrown at him that previous year could hold a candle to seeing in crystal clarity what he had just then.
"Ness..." Poo whispered, rubbing Ness's back. He had no idea what his friend had just witnessed, but he had a feeling he didn't want to himself.
The raven-haired boy looked up once his nausea died down, and was about to speak when he noticed a few burn-marks on his friend. "What happened to you?" he asked.
Looking sheepish Poo replied "I, ah, wasn't expecting you to release a surge of energy when you touched the stone, and didn't get out of the way in time. It threw me back and caught me off guard, but I am okay."
Now it was Ness's turn to look guilty, "I'm sorry, I didn't know I did anything like that when I touched the stone." he paused, "Well, I know I did the first time, but I had tried to then and..." he stopped and shook his head, standing up straight. "Nevermind." He healed his friend, then looked back at the rock.
Glad he hadn't been able to get a reaction from the rock Poo asked "What did it do, Ness? What did you see?"
Turning green again Ness mumbled "You... you don't wanna know." Then he stopped. "Wait, maybe you already do. Have you ever had a premonition of something bad -- and I mean really bad -- happening to SnowWood?"
Poo looked at the boy blankly, before frowning at him, "I did warn you something would happen; that the blizzard was going to stop us intervening--"
Ness shook his head hastily "No, it can't be abut to happen -- Jeff was there already. And he's not as tall..." he looked off into space a moment, "Come to think of it, he did look really young. He was shorter and looked a little pudgier. It must have been before we met him or something."
Thinking back Poo responded "I recall something was destined to happen at the hands of terrorists, however the act was stopped before it even reached Foggyland. I was not so good at premonitions back then, so I was saved from what my master had seen." he looked at Ness, and realised that the two scenes may have been the same. "But I see you have not."
Wiping his brow, which had gathered quite a collection of cold sweat, Ness mumbled "No, I saw it." he then spoke louder "You said terrorists, right? What stopped them?"
"I do not know." Poo replied, "At the time my master told me it wasn't for me to get involved in, that it was to be stopped by another group."
Thinking about that Ness realised "Pippi's friends."
Poo nodded, "Probably. But I recall that my master felt something... went differently to fate's path. Something factored in which should not have been a factor, and the terrorists were stopped before they reached Winters. This was not meant to happen, but something caused fate to... well, I suppose it altered to someone's whim."
Looking worried Ness asked "But what? To who's whim? What if something worse happened in its place?" he shuddered, "What if it was supposed to happen, and whoever's causing this new problem stopped it?"
The crown Prince placed a hand on Ness's shoulder, "Perhaps we are putting too much thought into this. You look like you need rest right now."
Feeling a little shaky Ness agreed with this, "Y-yeah. I think I need rest, too. But then I've got to talk to Paula and Pippi."
Casting one last look at the rock, the two boys lined up and teleported away.

********

Being unable to teleport had the obvious quirks, but it did give you time to think. If you were passing between two towns with an extra town and some scenery between, this was especially true. Such was the case for Paula and Jeff, walking from Happy Happy Village to Saturn Valley -- after all, neither of them had any money for a bus.  And Paula found herself with quite a bit to think about. She found herself looking into the palm of her hand, questioning to herself about Gomire and his... detest?... fear?... for this Ana person. What could make him feel so bad like that? And just who was Ana, anyway? Why did she and herself look so similar? As far as she was aware, there were no Anas in her family.
  Of course, while Paula was confused and worried after the encounter with Gomire, Jeff had felt somewhat differently. He had admired the skill and the artillery of their new guardian angel. Yup, guardian angel, that's how he saw it. Didn't matter that the guy drew a weapon on him, it was clear that he wouldn't have pulled the trigger. The mysterious one hadn't wanted to hit the blonde. But then, Jeff reflected, he hadn't wanted to shoot Gomire, either. Okay, they'd pulled guns, but in reality it had been unneccessary. They didn't want to hurt each other, just pull ranks of authority. He was pretty sure they both respected that.
Even though this fascination ran through his head, Jeff forced himself to push it out of mind (as far as he would allow anyway) to concentrate on Paula, who hadn't been particularly happy since meeting Gomire. Recalling the battle, he pinpointed Paula's shock and concern to around the time mystery kid had called her 'Ana'. He didn't know why the boy had called her that, but there was obviously a reason. So who was this Ana person, anyway?
When Paula let out a shaky breath, Jeff decided to act. He looked at her with as reassuring and caring a smile as he could muster, "You okay?" he asked.
For a moment Paula was suprised, having forgotten her friend's presence. She quickly recovered and returned the smile, "I'll be okay." she answered, "I guess I just felt..." she trailed off. What did she feel? Pity? Did she just feel sorry for him? Or for this Ana, maybe? She wasn't sure how she felt about the two mysterious people. But then, was she meant to feel anything, really?
As the girl's expression darkened again, Jeff rushed to reassure, "Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of that Ana thing."
Looking melancholic Paula asked "What if we're not meant to find out?"
Confidently Jeff replied "Then our curiosity will be satisfied and we'll deal with what comes as consequence as,when and if it comes!" when this didn't work he added, "We'll find them; Ana and Gomire. We'll find them and maybe even help them."
Paula looked at Jeff incredolously, "What makes you so sure we'll find them? Usually its Gomire who finds everyone else."
This dampened Jeff's spirits. He couldn't even cheer his friend up in her time of need. All he'd wanted to do was help her realise things would work out. "I don't know," he finally admitted, "probably the same way I thought I could make you feel better." the moment those words left his mouth, however, he regretted them. That was no way to treat a frienc in need. He put a hand to his forehead guiltily, "I'm sorry," he apologised, "That was selfish of me."
"No, no," Paula held up her hands, "Don't apologise, you were only trying to help." She began to feel bad for shooting down all of Jeff's efforts and ignoring him like she had. That was no way to--
"You have every right to feel as you do at the moment," Jeff cut in before she could really feel guilty, "And it wasn't fair of me to push you when you weren't ready. I should have respected your feelings and left you time to think, like friends do." he smiled, but there was a glint of sadness behind it, "You shouldn't have to feel bad because I made a mistake."
And now the tables had turned slighltly. "Don't feel that way," Paula spoke quietly, "You were being a good friend by trying to help me when I felt down. I should have appreciated you for that. Thank you."
Slowly Jeff looked at her again, hearing her gratitude. Slowly his confidence built again, until he grinned cheerfully and announced "Then as a good friend, we shall stop in Threed for hamburgers! Good cheer-up food!"
Watching Jeff, who was often so serious acting young like a child made Paula smile. So what if someone looked like her? And why did she concern herself if two people weren't friends? She had her own to look out for, first, and she wanted to be there for them as much as they were there for her. Like Jeff was being there for her now. Now confident herself Paula skipped ahead a little and gave him a mischievous smile, "How? We don't have any money, remember?"
Jeff blinked a few times, remembering this little fact. After all, that's why they were walking currently through the subway to Threed. He let his arms and head drop dramatically, and gave an exaggerated groan, "I forgot! No cheer up food for us..."
"Actually," Paula tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Pippi's house is in Threed, and since it IS getting kind of late, I'm sure she wouldn't mind offering hospitality to two lost friends like us, right?"
Looking up with that same mischief, Jeff answered "Right! Let's go! She makes a mean noodle dish!" they got a few steps before Jeff stopped, "But wait, Pippi's in Saturn Valley."
  Nodding, Paula said "We can call her from her house. I'm sure she won't mind, its for a good cause!"
Cheering, Jeff caught up to Paula, and they continued on to Threed, assured they could deal with whatever lay ahead. They were strong. They were noble. And they were hungry, and the thought of noodles made them both feel better.

********

"I understand that you're annoyed, tired, and maybe a little concerned at the moment, but its been hours and there are other more important matters going on, so please get off the phone!" Pleaded Apple Kid.
Pippi turned a very cold stare in the inventor's direction. "I have to find my friend!" she growled, her voice taking on a strange tone. Sensing the uneasiness Apple Kid backed up until he reached the doorway, then he ran off.  The freckled one tapped in the number once again, holding the phone up expectantly. The constant ringing sounded in the phone for several minutes, making her more agitated, and then it cut out. She sat with the phone against her ear for a few seconds before slamming it down. "Guess he's not home." she finally accepted.
It was at that moment Poo passed by, whistling a tune that made her freeze up and look at him. He didn't stop, though, and soon the very familiar song faded away in the distance and behind three closed doors. It took her a moment to place where she had heard the song before and, more importantly, who sung it. Her eyes lit up as a throught struck her, and she immediately dove back to the phone. She tapped in a new number and waited.
Ring! Ring! Ri-click! "Good morning, Live House Hotel Establishment, Elouise speaking, how can I help you?"
There was something elating about getting to speak to someone on the phone after so long of connecting tones that as Pippi spoke she decided to do a little dance, "Hi, this is Pippi, I'm a friend of the manager? Is he around at the moment?"
Elouise shuffled some papers before answering "One moment," and then the music played -- similar to that which Poo had been whistling.
A few minutes passed before the music clicked off and another voice spoke, "This is Beatrix, the manageress. How can I help?"
Pippi's heart sank. "Manageress? Did the Live house undergo new management?" she asked, sitting down.
"No, I'm the manager's partner and wife. Is there something I can help with?" Beatrix asked.
Frowning, Pippi replied "Yeah, I'm wondering where he is? I'm trying to track down one of our friends and I was hoping he'd know?"
There was a chuckle from the other end of the phone, "Oh, he's not likely to know. Are you aware he's the base player in a band?"
Vaguely the redhead recalled hearing something about it before she moved to Threed, "I think so. I moved to Eagleland a while ago so I haven't been keeping up with the news."
The woman was silent for a moment. "Eagleland, you say?"
Pippi nodded, then remembered it wasn't visible on the other end of the phone, "Yes, why?"
"Well," Beatrix explained, "you shouldn't be trying over here, he's touring with the Rockin' Titanees in Eagleland! He's playing in Fourside very soon."
Brightening up considerably the teenager exclaimed "Allright! Thank you very much!"
"Have a nice day." was the proffessional departure.
"Bye!" Pippi said, putting the phone back down. She beamed to herself and went to pick up the phone again, before something hit her, making her realise something she really didn't want to realise. "If he's overe here, then he doesn't know, either! Oh, man! Where is he?!"

********

If something could be said for Onett at night, it was that it produced a really nice sunset. The super-bright atmosphere created during the day looked really nice with splashes of pinks and oranges, and distance silhouetted in shadows behind the cool scene. It made a journey home look really lovely, especially with the soft glow perking up from the hills right at the back, where Buzz Buzz was reacting to something less-pleasant with the World.
Treated to this beauty was Tracy, walking home from her day out at Fourside. She'd already gotten the bus out of Twoson, and was just crossing her hometown, to the fields that would take her to the hidden houses -- to her home.
Even though she was happily taking in this scene, a part of her was also thinking on the events of the day. It had been suprisingly eventful, which she had been expecting, but they weren't the kind of events she had thought came out of a busy city everyday, which was what she'd prepared for.
First there was that meeting with that psychic girl. What she'd said about Ness and his friends had been really unnerving. What could there possibly be out there that they wouldn't be able to be prepared for as the Chosen ones? Surely they were chosen for what they could face, and not for what they couldn't? What could possibly stop them from being able to face this new threat? And why did that psychic take such interest in it -- and her -- anyway? She seemed really sure that Tracy would be significantly important in this adventure, but she herself couldn't see it. She wasn't all that good at things.
Or was she? She thought back to the Mook battle and frowned. How on Earth had she beaten all those Mooks? Were they meant to be really weak, or was that just how it seemed to her? Did the battle with the Starmen give her significantly more strength than she'd originally thought? Sure they'd mentioned the Sanctuary spots giving off a lot of power, but surely even with that boost she shouldn't have been able to kick that Mook that far? And now she'd won that battle, did that mean she'd be able to do more damage in future? Was this how Ness and the others felt on the first adventure, getting the experience of battle and slowly getting stronger? Did they do more than they thought they could at first? Did they get used to that?
Then there was the last thing she could recall of this day: Meeting Gomire. She got to meet the elusive 'mystery kid', and she got to find out his name. His full name. Though apparently he only liked 'Gomire', so she chose to call him that, so he wouldn't feel too terribly uncomfortable. The sort of friend-like bond they'd worked on today really felt good to her. She'd connected to someone so distant, and come out of it with some good information she could use to make a better slingshot, and something more curious: The way he acted. They'd met, and there was this innocent glint in his eye. She mentioned battle, it went away, and was replaced with something that almost seemed like a haze. That remained until he started looking at and talking about the slingshot, when the innocence came back. It was like there were two people inside of him, fighting for control and the opportunity to be the only Gomire in his head. Yet at the same time they were both definitely the same person, which was more interesting. It was more like a mental struggle, between two different emotions that were warring strongly in his mind, one of purity and innocence, one of hostility and wariness. Part of her wondered if maybe that was why he made Buzz Buzz react.
Finally she was at her door. The lights were all on, so someone was home. Smiling a little at the possibility of dinner, Tracy walked in, absentmindedly petting King as he trotted up and circled her legs. "Hey, mom!" she called, "I'm home!"
Her mother looked out of the kitchen quickly, before disappearing back in, spatula at hand, "Hello, sweetie!" she called back, "I'm just making dinner, now! Did you want to give me a hand?"
"Sure," Tracy replied, walking in and grabbing the plates. It smelled really nice, and a little smoky. It was probably a casserole or something. That in mind she got bowls, too.
Her mother looked up suddenly, "Oh, I just remembered!" she turned to her daughter, giant pot at hand, "You got a phonecall earlier, from some boy?" she set the pot down and tapped her chin, "what was his name again? Fred? Gene? I'm not sure, but he seemed to like mentioning oranges. Anyway, he said to tell you everything's set up, and you can go over first thing tomorrow."
Beaming with relief, Tracy sighed, "Thank you."
This wasn't met with a response. The young girl looked up to see her mother looking very thoughtful. "You're going to be going off again, aren't you?" she hadn't asked -- it was a statement.
Tracy looked down. "Yeah. I've got to help out somehow." she answered, then let her more determined side get the better of her, "But its really important, though! And I'll come back, soon, I swear! Its nothing dangerous, I'm just going to see a scientist for a while. Like today, I'm just going out to do something that's really not intended to be an adventure!" she neglected to mention today she was attacked by Mooks.
Her mother shook her head. "You're just as stubborn as your brother." she muttered, "And your father, come to think of it. Okay, I'm not going to stop you. Just promise you'll be careful on your journey, okay?"
Fresh relief spread through the ribbon-wearer. She looked up from where she sat at the table, her eyes sparkling in joy and gratitude, "Thanks, mom!" she exclaimed, determined to see her way home again, if only to keep her word to her mother.
Besides, no-one cooked casserole-smelling roast quite like her mother did, she noted, as she got up to put away the bowls.

********

Contacting Pippi hadn't been all too hard. She was still by the phone, though clearly not making calls yet. The blondes were allowed to grab some grub, which was nice, but Pippi was reluctant to let Jeff sleep at the house, instead lending him cash (conveniently stored somewhere in the house that only Paula was allowed to locate) so he could stay at the hotel for the night. Even though Jeff did pout about this, he still accepted, and they had sat down to noodles while Paula eyed up the uncollected mail.
"Hey," she mused, "This one looks like it came from the East," she held up a letter with two sets of addresses on. She looked it over briefly and said "Maybe its from her friend in the East."
Digging in to the heavenly noodles Jeff murmured "Then we'll take her post to her tomorrow. Then maybe she'll stop hoarding the phone."
Chuckling, Paula went back to her noodles. "These are delicious, aren't they? I can see why Poo seems to be enchanted by them."
Smirking Jeff answered "I don't think he's just enchanted by the noodles."
Paula laughed, "Oh, come on! I know he's only after her for the food! Their personalities are far too different for them to get on!"
Leaning back Jeff countered "Well, there's that saying about food cooked with love, right?"
This was a running joke for about fifteen minutes, as they polished off the noodles and drank a coffee. Once that had grown old, there wasn't a lot to talk about. A lot of the catching up and the sharing conversation had been done both during Jeff's talk during his healing process, and also on the way back to Threed. This was a bit of a shame as neither really wanted to call it a night, yet, though they knew they probably should.
Finally, Jeff found something to talk about which was a bit more sobering. "Hey, you know Gomire? What if he's really not on our side? What if he is our enemy?"
Looking to the bottom of her coffee cup Paula answered "I don't think he is evil. He doesn't seem to be, no matter whether he's on a chosen side or not. He's got a good heart, even if it isn't pure." she smiled a little, "I'd almost be tempted to say whatever side he's on, we'd be on the wrong one if we were against him."
Jeff nodded, relaxing a little, "I thought so. I mean, I don't know, or anything, that's your job. But, well... There's always that bit of doubt, that voice inside me that thinks something can go wrong at any point, and I'll end up facing someone I don't want to."
"How come?" Paula looked up with concern.
Grimacing, Jeff replied "... That gun of his. He wasn't kidding when he said it was stronger than mine. That boy has got smarts, not only to be able to identify how strong mine is at a glance, but also to be able to come up with something so much stronger, yet so much more compact! Like finding a hand-held nuclear warhead, and finding a way to make it into a thumbtack or something! And that is impressive. But... But then you've got the fact that it was aimed at me. I could tell he wouldn't have shot me, but if he had chosen to..." He looked up, his eyes deadly serious, "Lets put it this way. Even if you did have healing PSI, if he'd chosen to shoot me, right then and there... I wouldn't have survived."
Something in there stung Paula a little. Even if she had a better range of PSI, she would have been useless there. If Ness or Poo had been there, they'd have been useless, which made her more useless... "Then we should be glad he wasn't going to shoot you then, right?"
Glancing back down with a brief nod Jeff answered "Yeah. And we should also be glad he's not fighting against us. I don't want to fight against him. There's something in him. Something real deep in him."
Knowing exactly what the bespectacled one was talking about Paula finished "Your angst-homing beacon switched on there, didn't it."
Jeff laughed. "You could say that. But please, don't. I'm not feeling like that anymore."
Drumming her fingers together Paula spoke cheekily "I'm sure we can find something you'll get all mopey about!"
"Hey!" Jeff protested good-naturedly, throwing a balled up piece of kitchen-towel at her. She yelped, before retaliating, the two of them getting into their own small amusing battle before calming down. Then they cleared up the mess they'd made.
With a sigh Jeff said "I guess I should go along to the hotel, now, before they stop checking people in."
A little sad that the fun had come to an end Paula nodded, "I guess so. I should go to bed." Instead of saying what she'd intended to next, which went along the lines of not being that tired, a huge yawn escaped her.
Jeff chuckled, "Sounds like you need it." he gathered his stuff together, "Well, I'll see you in the morning. Should I come back here?"
Paula shook her head, rubbing her eyes, "No, the hotel's closer. You go on, now, before you end up on the street for the night!"
Smiling, Jeff saw himself out, leaving Paula to prepare herself for bed.

********

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's notes: o.o *dies* Yup. Longest chapter, this one. More happening than I could recall. Plus other stuff made it in that I thought up as I went along, rather than the usual whole 'plan' thing. The Oracle bit for instance, shouldn't have been there. Nor were those Magicant scenes. The second ones, anyway. In fact, I'd been a bit dubious of bringing that scene into the story at all! But it seemed right for the moment, and will make sense when things really pick up later.
Next chapter, new character!
Uhm... Yeah. I'm all deaded out and stuff. See you in 6 months or so! ;)
~~SaturnStorm