Window Shopper: Part 1

Window Shopper is the fifteenth episode of Tech 10: Star Spirit, and the third episode of the second season.

Episode
[Open to the front room of a candy shop. The pleasant aroma of freshly-made sweet treats fills the air, as a kind-looking, unassuming man in a white apron is going about his business, stocking candies in their cases and setting up a window display. After a few moments, two police officers walk into the store, causing a small bell on the door to let out a delightful little “ting”.]

[Cop 1]: “Good mornin’, Mr. Farnsworth.”

The man in the apron finished putting away the candies and wiped his hands on his apron, turning to face the cops with a welcoming smile.

[Mr. Farnsworth]: “Ah, good morning, officers. What brings you here today?”

[Cop 2]: “Nothing good, I’m afraid. Several children in the area have gone missing lately, and we were wondering if you might have seen anything suspicious lately.”

[Mr. Farnsworth]: “Oh my, that’s very bad news indeed. I wish I could help you, but I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary recently. I spend most of my time in the shop, after all.”

[Cop 1]: “True, but we thought it might be worth checking with you, just to be sure. Thanks anyways.”

The police turned to leave.

[Mr. Farnsworth]: “Hold on a moment gentleman.” (Picks up a platter of freshly-made fudge) “Won’t you have some fudge before you go?”

[Cop 2]: “Oh, we couldn’t.”

[Mr. Farnsworth]: “But I insist!”

[Cop 1]: “Well, if you insist...”

[Cut to the cops exiting the store, each eating a piece of fudge.]

[Cop 1]: “What did our town ever do to get someone as nice as Farnsworth living here?”

[Cop 2]: “Can’t say I know. You’re a complete ass.”

[Cop 1]: “It takes one to know one!”

[The camera pans back inside the store, showing Mr. Farnsworth continuing his opening tasks. It continues panning to reveal the back room of the shop, passing by a series of candy-making equipment until it finally settles on an ominous shot of a large vat of strange brown liquid.]

[Cut to an area in the main timeline’s suburbs. It’s close to sunset, and Nova is seen walking into her house, then pausing in the front hallway. The house was much quieter than usual.]

[Nova]: (Thinking) ‘That’s weird. The car’s outside, so I should hear Dad going through paperwork or something.’

Nova walked further into the house, attempting to walk across the carpeted floor as softly as possible. After a few moments, she heard hushed talking coming from the living room. Quietly positioning herself next to the room’s entrance, she listened in on the conversation.

[Cut into the living room, where Herc and Napoleon are sitting in chairs across from each other, speaking in hushed tones.]

[Herc]: “Napoleon, I know when you’re skirting around an issue. Just get to the point.”

[Napoleon]: (Sighs) “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just not something I’m very keen on talking about.”

[Herc]: “You had me come all the way over here for some reason, so it better be something important.”

[Napoleon]: “Look, do you remember our trip to the Anur system?”

[Herc]: “I remember my ship getting wrecked.”

[Napoleon]: “Yeah, that trip. More specifically, do you remember Lord Kucorbian?”

[Herc]: “How could I forget? He literally murdered his entire species.”

[Napoleon]: “Actually, Azmuth and I were able to restore them with the souls Swarm 1 took from Kucorbian when it absorbed him. Unfortunately, there was one soul that didn’t particularly want to leave.”

[Herc]: “Don’t tell me...”

[Napoleon]: (Nods) “Kucorbian’s own soul stayed in Swarm 1. Since it’s connected directly to my brain, it’s only a matter of time before he works out how to take control.”

[Herc]: “Is Swarm 1 still not removable?”

[Napoleon]: “No. I figured out how to make Nova’s Swarm 2 easily removable if necessary, but Swarm 1 isn’t able to change anything in regards to its own command chip.”

[Herc]: “Hm. Do you think there’s anything that can be done about this?”

[Napoleon]: “Well, at first I tried having the Anima Devorantum’s Soul Fire burn him out of the system, but it didn’t work. I’ve been taking anti-psychotics for a while,” (Holds up his cigarette-like device) “and that seems to hold him off for now, but I keep having to up the dosage. Lately, it’s been getting to the point where I have to adjust it every few days.”

[Herc]: “Are you sure your body can handle that?”

[Napoleon]: “No. I know it can’t. With the way things are going, I’m either going to die of an overdose eventually, or Kucorbian’s going to take over.”

[Herc]: “How long do you think that’ll take?”

[Napoleon]: “At this rate, somewhere around a year, tops. Probably less.”

[Herc]: “Does Nova know?”

[Napoleon]: “Not yet. With her mother gone, I’m the only family she has left. I don’t want her to worry.”

[Herc]: “You have to tell her at some point.”

[Napoleon]: “I know, I know, it’s just...I’ve never been good with the heavy stuff. You should know that from personal experience.”

[Herc]: “No kidding.”

[Napoleon]: “Isaac and Moranna already agreed to be her godparents if something went wrong years ago, so I’m not too worried about where she’ll go after I’m gone, but...I just don’t know what I’m going to tell her.”

[Herc]: “Is there anything I can do?”

[Napoleon]: “Actually, yes. It’s why I called you here. You can shapeshift an arm cannon or something with armor-piercing rounds, right?”

[Herc]: “Uh...yeah. Why?”

[Napoleon]: “Look, if Kucorbian gets control of my body, and by extension, Swarm 1, there’s no telling how much damage he could do. He already killed an entire species, and that was just by his own power.”

[Herc]: “What are you saying?”

[Napoleon]: (Pauses for a moment before continuing) “If Kucorbian takes over, I need you to kill me. No second thoughts. No hesitation. Every second he’d be in control would put everyone and everything around me in danger.”

[Herc]: “But-”

[Napoleon]: (Snapping) “No ‘buts’, Herculian! I’ve never been as responsible as I should be, but even I know a situation like that would be too dangerous to mess around with! Swarm 1 has literally destroyed timelines! If Kucorbian gets that kind of power, I know he certainly won’t hesitate to kill every single living thing on this planet! If he gets control, he needs to be terminated immediately and with prejudice, even if it means killing me yourself! Do you understand me?!”

Herc froze for a moment, taken aback by Napoleon’s sudden outburst. After a few moments, he sighed.

[Herc]: “Yeah. I get it.”

[Napoleon]: (Sighs) “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped like that. I’m just...worried.”

[Herc]: “I can tell.”

Napoleon began to reply, but froze upon hearing what sounded like the front door slamming closed. He swiftly headed to the other side of the living room and peeked his head out of the entryway.

Nobody was there.

[Napoleon]: “...I have a bad feeling about this.”

[Cut to a red portal opening up onto an empty cobblestone street in a different timeline. Aeron and Clockwork exit through the portal and pause for a moment to take in their surroundings. The street is lined with tall, thin houses and shops built into tightly-packed spaces, with only the occasional small alleyway noticeably separating them.]

[Clockwork]: “Interesting. Looks like we’re still in Europe.”

[Aeron]: “What, like Britain or something?”

[Clockwork]: “...You didn’t really pay attention in history class, did you?”

[Aeron]: “It’s still part of the continent, you dip.”

[Clockwork]: “I was speaking culturally.”

[Aeron]: “Whatever.”

Clockwork dissipated, leaving Aeron alone on the street. He simply stood there for a moment, absorbing the atmosphere and taking a deep breath.

[Aeron]: (Sighs wistfully) “What a nice area.” (Grins maniacally) “Can’t wait to wreck it!”

Aeron started to walk down the street, but was interrupted by the two police officers seen at the beginning of the episode, who walked up from behind him.

[Cop 1]: “Excuse me, sir, do you have any information regarding the whereabouts of theses two children?” (Holds up a “Missing” poster with the children’s faces on it)

[Cop 2]: “There’s an award for any info that helps us find them.”

[Aeron]: “Well, I just got here, so that would be a no.”

[Cop 1]: “Ah, I see. Sorry for the interruption. Are you new in town?”

[Aeron]: “You could say that, yeah.”

[Cop 2]: “Well, I think you’ll enjoy your stay. It’s a nice community we have here.”

[Aeron]: (Raises an eyebrow) “Except for the whole ‘missing kids’ thing, right?”

[Cop 2]: “It’s not like this happens all the time. We were fairly unprepared for this whole situation, to be honest; I don’t think we’ve ever actually had it happen here before.”

[Aeron]: “Whatever. Clockwork.”

Clockwork swiftly appeared and stopped time.

[Aeron]: “Thanks. Stopping time is easier than carrying on a stupid conversation.”

[Clockwork]: “You’re getting way too comfortable with abusing the DNA Card again, Aeron.”

[Aeron]: (Rolls his eyes) “Fine, last time I’ll summon you until we leave the timeline. Anyways, it sounds like there are some missing kids in this area, so it doesn’t seem quite as idyllic as we thought.”

[Clockwork]: “So, what’s the plan?”

[Aeron]: “Uh, solve the case, kill the morons who think they can operate on my new turf, and then go wild.”

[Clockwork]: (Sarcastically) “Flawless plan. And how do you expect to find them?”

[Aeron]: “Find out where the missing kids were last and have you do that time-rewindy thing to figure out what happened to them. Duh.”

[Clockwork]: “...Well, it’s more thought out than most of your plans. Of course, if this whole “solve the mystery” pattern keeps going for us, we’re just going to end up being a smaller, edgier version of the Scooby gang.”

[Aeron]: “...I’m not entirely adverse to that, although I’m not sure it’s a good comparison.”

[Clockwork]: “Nah, it makes perfect sense. I’m Velma, and you’re Scrappy Doo.”

[Aeron]: “YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

[Cut to the inside of Plumber Base UT1. Alpha is attending to the computer consoles, Pyros and Reaper are making small talk, and Nova is sitting hunched over off to the side. After a few moments, the platform elevator activates, and Herc enters the room.]

[Herc]: “Hey, has anyone seen-” (Spots Nova) “Never mind.”

Herc walked over to Nova and sat down next to her. If she noticed, she certainly didn’t seem to acknowledge it.

[Herc]: “Nova, I think we need to t-”

He was interrupted by the computer’s alert signal blaring.

[Alpha]: “Everyone, get over here! Pyros, go get F3 from the training room.”

Pyros nodded and set off for the training room, while Reaper, Herc, and Nova walked over to Alpha. Nova kept a bit of a solemn hunch while walking, staring down at the floor.

[Herc]: “What is F3 doing in the training room?”

Alpha gave Herc a flat look.

[Herc]: “I meant specifically.”

[Alpha]: “I gave him an air filtration mask to wear over his mouth and nose to keep his powers from backfiring. He’s trying to adjust his fighting style accordingly.”

[Herc]: “Fair enough.”

After a few moments, Pyros and F3 entered the room and walked over to the others. F3 took off his filtration mask and let it hang from his neck.

[F3]: “You guys are not going to believe what kind of a difference this thing makes! I came up with this one move where I generate some dust and then punch a guy-”

[Alpha]: “That’s good, but we have other priorities at the moment. Several key members of the Zodiac Organization were spotted at a nearby iron mine by one of our overhead drones. You need to get there and apprehend them, if at all possible.”

[Pyros]: “I didn’t think we had an iron mine in the area.”

[Alpha]: “Technically, it was shut down and abandoned by the Sheilbasa Iron Company about two decades ago due to the mysterious deaths of multiple workers. However, it was recently bought by an unnamed private company, and seems to be somewhat active as of late, albeit off-limits to the public.”

[Herc]: “Sounds a bit shady.”

[Alpha]: (Nods) “Suit up and head out. I’ll keep tabs on you from here as usual, but I may lose the signal if you go deep enough underground.”

[Reaper]: “Noted.”

The group split up to prepare for the mission, with Herc giving Nova a worried glance before walking away.

[Cut to Theo as Final Countdown arriving in the new timeline. He reverts to human and examines his surroundings, spotting a “Missing” poster on the wall of a nearby alleyway.]

[Theo]: (Reading the poster) “I swear, if Aeron has anything to do with this...”

He heard a nearby door somewhere down the alleyway start to open. Feeling the odd sense that he needed to hide, he swiftly pulled up the StarTrix and transformed.

A couple moments later, the door swung open, revealing Mr. Farnsworth, who was carrying a large, lumpy bag out of his shop. After suspiciously looking both ways down the alley, he warily walked over to a nearby dumpster and tossed the bag inside, scanning the area again before quickly making his way back inside the building.

As soon as the door closed, Theo faded back into view, having transformed into a purple, salamander-like alien with three eyes and a fin on its head. Jumping down from the wall he had climbed onto, he scanned the alleyway a few times himself, then quietly made his way into the building.

[Cut to night time at the iron mine, where the Alpha Team is sneaking around behind some rocky outcroppings. Security guards are patrolling area, making access to the mine pit difficult.]

[Herc]: “Alright, we need some way to take out those guards without making a scene.”

[F3]: “I could try shooting some sleep dust at them.”

[Herc]: “Maybe not the best idea in close quarters. You may be wearing a filtration mask, but we aren’t.”

[F3]: “Oh.”

[Herc]: “Nova, do you think you can sneak up behind them and knock them out with a gauntlet construct?”

Nova simply nodded in response and began to make her way across the outcropping, waiting for one of the guards to walk by. As soon as they did, she swiftly lunged out and smacked them across the head.

Sans gauntlets.

[Guard]: “What the hell?!”

He swiftly pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Nova. Before he could shoot, Herc swiftly jumped out in front of her and shifted his arm into a shield, blocking the bullet.

[Herc]: (Frustratedly) “Good lord, is this giving me flashbacks.” (Looks back at Nova) “What’s going on? Why didn’t you build a gauntlet?”

[Nova]: (Staring at her hands in shock) “I...I don’t know. I tried summoning one, but it just...didn’t work! I’ve never had this happen before!”

[Herc]: (Pauses for a moment) “Well, your dad has. I think I know what the problem is.”

[Nova]: “What-”

Nova was interrupted by the sharp metallic “ping” of bullets reflecting off of Reaper’s scythe. More guards had arrived, and were being engaged by the rest of the Alpha Team.

[Pyros]: “Yo, y’all can talk after we get out of this alive!”

[Herc]: “Point taken.”

Herc shifted his shield into a broadsword, using it to knock the gun out of the nearest guard’s hands before shifting it into a laser rifle, gunning down several approaching security guards.

[Herc]: “Alright, we need to be in and out of here ASAP. Nova and I will go scope out the mines. You three think you can handle the guards?”

F3 coated his hands in small clouds of sleep dust and began punching nearby opponents, knocking each one out in one hit.

[F3]: “Well, I think I’ll be fine, at least!”

[Reaper]: “We’ll be fine. Go ahead.”

Herc nodded and grabbed Nova, shifting his legs into a more aerodynamic shape and running down into the mine pit. Pyros created a massive wall of fire that blocked the approaching enemies and shielded the group from view.

[Pyros]: (Worriedly) “Yo, Reaper, ya sure about that ‘we’ll be fine’ thing?”

[Reaper]: “These are hardly the worst circumstances I’ve ever faced. Hired help, whether the have guns or not, is hired help, and I don’t think they’ll be that much of an issue.”

Pyros began to reply, but was interrupted by two figures suddenly jumping down from a nearby overhang. One of the figures generated a pointed horn of some sort from their hand, spinning it around to “drill” away Pyros’s fire wall.

[Taurus]: “Well well, you were right. This is that Feuer hybrid from a few months back.”

[Virgo]: “You should trust me on these things more often.”

[Taurus]: “I don’t trust anybody. In any case, I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you” (Gestures to the remaining Alpha Team) “to leave.”

[F3]: “Uh, we can’t really do that yet.”

[Virgo]: “And why not?”

[Reaper]: “For one thing, we were sent here to apprehend you.”

[Taurus]: (Notices F3’s Plumber suit) “Ah, the Plumbers. If they’re going to bother us so much, I would at least appreciate a proper strike squad, not this...mismatched group of random people.”

[F3]: “Sorry, but you can’t get always get everything you want, like a nice car, or a large house, or your parent’s love, or not being a disappointment to your family and peers, or-”

[Reaper]: “I think they get the point.”

[F3]: “Oh, uh, sorry. Went on a bit of a tangent there.”

[Virgo]: “We noticed.”

[Taurus]: “In any case, if it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get. We already have two other members going after your teammates down in the mines, so this whole mess should be over relatively quickly.”

[Reaper]: (Raises scythe, assuming a battle stance) “Let’s hope so.”

[Cut to the back area of the candy shop, where Mr. Farnsworth is working on a batch of what appears to be fudge. After a few moments, a small clatter is heard across the room as something falls to the floor.]

Mr. Farnsworth paused for a moment, waiting a couple seconds before turning around. Seeing nothing, he set down the bowl of fudge mix and went to investigate the noise, walking across the cooking area to find a metal whisk lying on the floor.

[Farnsworth]: “Ah, I must have left this balancing on the counter. How careless of me.”

He grabbed the whisk and walked back to the bowl of fudge, dropping the whisk in a dishwashing tray along the way. As he began mixing again, the invisible Theo let out a silent sigh of relief, having almost been caught after brushing against the whisk and knocking it off the counter.

After waiting for a few moments to make sure Mr. Farnsworth was occupied, he quietly slithered over to a door at the back of the cooking area, silently opening it and slipping through to investigate the other side.

[Cut to the inside of the mines, where Herc and Nova are walking into the main cavern. Herc spots a small shack sitting near the entrance.]

[Herc]: (Gestures to the building) “Well, since there weren’t any buildings outside, I can only assume that’s where all the white-collar work happens.”

Nova simply nodded in response.

The two made their way over to the building, with Herc using his shape shifting abilities to pick the lock. As they entered the small shack, Herc spotted a crate filled with metallic crystals.

[Herc]: (Eyes widen) “Oh, that better not be what I think it is.”

[Nova]: “What is it?”

Herc walked over to the crate and grabbed a piece of crystal, holding it up to examine it.

[Herc]: (Sighs and puts the shard down) “Great. As if we didn’t already have enough problems.”

[Nova]: “What are you talking about?”

[Herc]: (Gestures to the box) “This stuff is an off-world compound called ‘Displotram’. A single cubic square-inch of this stuff could utterly destroy a good-sized house if detonated.”

[Nova]: “And they’re...mining it?”

[Herc]: “No way in hell. This stuff is banned everywhere in this sector, and it certainly doesn’t occur here. My guess is that this ‘mining operation’ is just a cover-up for smuggling this stuff on-world. They probably have a cloaked launch bay set up for stealth cruisers somewhere.”

[???]: “Right you are, darling.”

Nova and Herc whirled around to find two humans standing right outside the open doorway. One was a middle-aged Japanese woman wearing some sort of swim gear and having large fins running up her body instead of arms, and the other was a young man with orange-ish hair and a matching turtleneck sweater, along with a pair of black jeans and orange shoes.

[Man]: “Of course, we can’t exactly let you leave. Do you have any idea what sort of mess this could cause for us in the long run? My perfect hair gets split ends just thinking about it!”

[Woman]: “Exactly. I may not be in my prime any more, but I’ve got a ways to go before I should start getting gray hairs.”

[Herc]: “Who are you people? The Zodiac Organization’s fashion department?”

[Man]: (Laughs haughtily) “I suppose you could say that. My lovely companion here is Pisces, and I am the everlastingly splendorous Cancer.”

[Herc]: “You said it, not me.”

[Pisces]: “My my, that attitude of yours is almost as unpleasant to be around as that hideous sash you’re wearing.”

[Herc]: “When you’re a bounty hunter, you learn to value function over form. For example...”

Herc swiftly reached into a pocket on his sash and pulled out a smoke grenade, throwing it at Pisces and Cancer before grabbing Nova and diving out the window, hitting the ground with a roll.

[Herc]: (Getting up) “You okay?”

[Nova]: (Nods)

[Herc]: “Good. We should probably come up with a plan while those two are busy with the smoke grenade.”

[Cancer]: “I think you underestimate our ability to deal with grenades.”

Herc turned to find Pisces and Cancer standing nearby in unnecessarily over-the-top poses.

[Pisces]: “One can have both form AND function, after all.”

[Herc]: “Oh for the love of...how?!”

[Cancer]: (Transforms his skin into a thick shell, then back again) “I have the powers of a crab, darling. This shouldn’t be difficult to figure out.”

[Nova]: “Wait, so you’re just Scorpio without the acid?”

[Cancer]: (Laughs) “Oh, that’s a good one. Scorpio’s exoskeleton shell doesn’t hold a candle to mine. You could probably pierce his shell with a shotgun, but mine could tank an explosion. Why do you think I’m the one working with explosive material?”

[Herc]: (Gestures to Pisces) “And you?”

Small, previously unseen points along Pisces’ body lit up, creating an electrical barrier around her body.

[Pisces]: “Nothing gets in or out of this barrier unless I want it to. It comes in handy quite often.”

[Cancer]: “Now, are you going to leave peacefully, or does this have to get messy?”

[Herc]: “Well, we have to arrest you, so probably the latter. Granted, I’m not sure exactly how messy this can get given that your abilities are defensive and not offensive.”

[Cancer]: “You are just full of wrong answers today, aren’t you?”

The ground behind Herc and Nova began to rumble. After a few moments, the rock composing the cavern floor exploded outwards and reformed into a giant, crab-like golem.

[Herc]: “Since when can crabs make giant enemy crab golems?!”

[Cancer]: “Crab, crab-like alien with the ability to bring things to life as servants, same difference.”

[Nova]: “So you’re a Venefican hybrid?”

Herc, Cancer, Pisces, and the crab golem all stared at her in confusion.

[Nova]: “Theo’s original alien set has a Venefican transformation.”

[Cancer]: “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but yes, I do have the abilities of a Venefican. Kudos for figuring that out, but I’m afraid it won’t help you much at the moment.”

[Herc]: “Maybe not, but I have an idea of what might.”

Herc grabbed a small, cylindrical capsule from out of his sash and pressed a red button on the top of it, hurling it at the crab golem. The golem attempted to knock it away, but the device ended up attaching itself to its claw and began beeping.

[Herc]: “Hit the deck!”

He shifted his arms into one massive shield and held it in front of himself and Nova, immediately after which there was a huge explosion. After a few moments of debris raining down across the area, Herc lowered the shield, revealing the the crab golem had been blown to pieces.

[Herc]: (Turns to face Cancer) “Ha! Got any other bright ideas?”

[Cancer]: “Well, not really, but you never actually canceled out the last one, so...”

[Nova]: “Uh, Herc?”

Herc turned back around to find several stone crab golems rising out of the ground.

[Herc]: “...You have got to be kidding me.”

[Cut to Theo, still transformed, walking up the walls of a staircase in the back of the candy shop. Once he gets to the top of the stairs, he quietly jumps to the platform they connect to and reverts back to human. To his right is an unlocked door slightly cracked open.]

[Theo]: “Alright, let’s see what we can find in here.”

He entered the room and examined his surroundings. It was a relatively small area compared to the openness of the main shop, and was filled with tidily kept personal belongings.

[Theo]: (Frowns) “It’s just this guy’s bedroom.”

He just stood there for a moment and sighed.

[Theo]: “What am I doing? I can’t just break into someone’s living space because I think they look sorta suspicious!”

He moved to leave, but suddenly saw something that caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Turning to look at it, he saw the end of an odd metallic object poking out from beneath the room’s bed.

He walked over to it and pulled it out from under the bed, finding it to be an ID Mask. Curious, he put it on and activated it, giving him the appearance of Mr. Farnsworth. Surprised at this, he took it off and began looking it over.

[Theo]: “Now, if I were really human, why would I need an ID Mask of myself?”

He turned back to face the stairs, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

[Theo]: “Something fishy’s going on here...”

[Cut to Aeron and Clockwork standing in front of a seemingly abandoned warehouse near a river. A windowless black van is parked out front, with the owners nowhere in sight.]

[Aeron]: “See, what’d I tell ya! My plan worked like a charm!”

[Clockwork]: “It took us seven hours to get here.”

[Aeron]: “Hey, I never said it would be fast.”

[Clockwork]: “Yes, but was stealing their entire criminal records really necessary?”

[Aeron]: “No, but trust me, it’s gonna be worth it.”

[Clockwork]: (Rolls eyes) “Whatever you say.”

[Aeron]: “If I needed your sass, I woulda asked for it. Now shoo.”

Clockwork dissipated, leaving Aeron alone in front of the warehouse. After cracking his knuckles, he grinned maniacally and began approaching the warehouse.

[Aeron]: (Enthusiastically) “This is gonna be good.”

[Cut to Herc shielding himself and Nova from a flurry of attacks coming from several directions as Cancer’s crab golems try to smash their way through his defense.]

[Cancer]: “You can’t hold out forever, darling!~”

[Herc]: “If I’m able to hold out long enough for you to stop talking, it’ll be pretty darn close, though!”

[Nova]: (Clenching her fists) “Dammit! Why can’t I summon anything?! I can’t even transform!”

[Herc]: (Sighs) “Alright, let’s see if I can buy us a little time.”

Herc suddenly threw apart his shields, catching the crab golems off-guard and knocking them backwards, giving Nova and himself enough time to run deeper into the cavern.

[Cancer]: “Don’t let them get away!”

The crab golems chased after the two, leaving cracks along the cavern floor with each massive step. As they were running, Nova looked up at the ceiling and caught sight of a massive indentation along the roof of the cavern.

[Nova]: (Points to the indentation) “What the hell could’ve made that?!”

[Herc]: (Glances at the ceiling) “No idea, but it really only matters if it’s still here. Keep running!”

As they were running, Herc noticed an odd crack in the cavern wall to their left. He grabbed Nova and made a mad dash towards the crack, squeezing through it and into some sort of smaller cave chamber on the other side.

The crabs chasing them slammed on the rock separating them, but were unable to break through. Herc and Nova took a moment to catch their breath, then sat down on some nearby rocks. After a few moments, Nova broke the silence.

[Nova]: “So...earlier you said you knew why Swarm 2 isn’t working?”

Herc sighed and remained silent for a few moments.

[Herc]: “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do. Look, when this happened to your father, it was because he had essentially...given up. I don’t understand the exact mechanics of it, but I know whatever powers those nanomachines is tied to their user’s willpower somehow.”

[Nova]: (Nervously) “But...why would I be having that problem? I...I haven’t given up on anything!”

[Herc]: “Nova...we need to talk.”

[Cut to Mr. Farnsworth putting the aforementioned batch of fudge in the refrigerator to set. He begins to walk over to the sink, but is interrupted by Theo suddenly bursting into the cooking area.]

[Farnsworth]: “What the- Who are you?!”

[Theo]: “I could ask you the same question!”

[Farnsworth]: “You can’t be back here!”

[Theo]: “Why not? Afraid I might find this?” (Holds up ID Mask)

[Farnsworth]: (Flinches in shock) “How did you-”

Farnsworth’s eyes drifted to Theo’s left arm, spotting the StarTrix.

[Farnsworth]: (Panicked) “Dammit! How did they find me?!”

[Theo]: “What?”

Farnsworth kicked Theo in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards and causing him to drop the ID Mask, which landed on the floor with a metallic clatter.

[Farnsworth]: “I’m not going back!”

Farnsworth reached for his face and tore off an ID Mask, causing the illusion of his human body to fade. In its place stood a tall, blue alien wearing what appeared to be some sort of dress suit. It had three white eyes, with red markings covering parts of its body and several white cubes running up its arms.

[Farnsworth]: (Assuming a defensive stance) “I’ve never been much of a fighter, but I won’t hesitate to take you down if need be!”

[Theo]: “I don’t think so!”

Theo pulled up the StarTrix and transformed into a dark blue humanoid alien with gold markings. Two wings with heart-shaped marks on them jutted from his back, and his torso was covered in a repeating pattern of strange symbols.

[Theo/???]: “Over Now!”

[Farnsworth]: “What the heck?!”

[Over Now]: “Not expecting that, were you?”

Farnsworth recovered from his shock and lunged at Over Now with a right hook, making direct contact with his face.

Nothing happened.

[Farnsworth]: “Wh-what?!”

[Over Now]: “Cause: Attack. Effect: Injury. Effect nullified.”

[Farnsworth]: “...Oh, crap.”

[Over Now]: “Indeed. My turn!”

Over Now lunged at Farnsworth, aiming directly for his face. Farnsworth managed to block it with his right hand and jumped backwards out of Theo’s range.

[Over Now]: “Look, this doesn’t have to escalate any further. Just give up before somebody gets hurt. And by somebody I mean you.”

[Farnsworth]: “I don’t think so. You’re welcome to try hitting me with your right fist again if you’d like, but I think you may find it rather difficult.”

[Over Now]: “What are you-”

Over Now looked at his right hand and froze mid-sentence. What was previously his hand had melted into a multi-colored goop dripping onto the floor.

[Over Now]: “What the hell?!”

[Farnsworth]: “Your hand’s going to stay melted as long as I want it to be. Give up and go home, kid.”

[Over Now]: “Like hell I will!”

Over Now slammed down on the StarTrix symbol, transforming into the salamander-like alien from earlier.

[Over Now/???]: “Silent Lucidity!”

Silent Lucidity suddenly seemed to vanish, using camouflage to blend in with his surroundings. He began crawling around the room, moving onto the walls and up onto the ceiling.

[Silent Lucidity]: “Can’t hit what you can’t see!”

[Farnsworth]: “You’re right about that...”

Farnsworth suddenly grabbed a nearby bag of flour and punched it apart, flooding the area with white dust. Once the cloud of flour had settled, Silent Lucidity’s shape was clearly highlighted by the white powder.

[Farnsworth]: “But that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue at the moment!”

[Farnsworth lunged at Silent Lucidity with a jumping punch, knocking him off the ceiling and partially melting the area he hit. Silent Lucidity picked himself up off the floor and shook his head, then looked down at the melted spot on his chest.

[Silent Lucidity]: “That cannot be PC with the FDA.”

[Farnsworth]: “It isn’t, but as someone who handles sticky materials all the time, I’ve become rather good at thorough cleanup.”

Farnsworth lunged again, but Silent Lucidity easily dodged the attack using his superior agility.

[Silent Lucidity]: “Alright, let’s see how you handle an alien you can’t melt!”

He tapped on the StarTrix symbol again, transforming into Over The Rainbow.

[OTR]: “What now, smart guy?”

Farnsworth wordlessly pointed towards Over The Rainbow’s feet. He looked down to find the water making up his body slowly merging with the flour on the floor to create a runny dough.

[OTR]: “Well, that’s obnoxious. Split up!”

Over The Rainbow split apart into his seven Droplet forms. Before any of them hit the ground, Droplet Blue sprayed the floor beneath them with water and promptly froze it, giving them a solid surface to stand on.

[Farnsworth]: “This is getting a bit ridiculous.”

[Droplet Orange]: “The only ‘ridiculous’ thing here is your face!”

[Droplet Indigo]: (Yawns) “Look, can we just get on with this? I have a nap with my name on it waiting for me at home.”

[Droplet Red]: “Come on people, focus! Okay, first thing’s first. Blue, use your powers to-”

Droplet Red turned towards Droplet Blue while talking, only to find him staring at the kitchen with a look of awe frozen on his face, completely zoned out of the current situation. There was an awkward moment of silence.

[Farnsworth]: “Uh...This may sound odd, considering that you’re made out of water and all, but has he had an aneurysm?”

[Droplet Yellow]: “Oh please, hun. Blue is always like this around food.”

[Farnsworth]: “Are you even able to eat food?”

[Droplet Violet]: “Hell if I know, but it sure is fun to hoard!”

[Droplet Red]: “And we are getting all of nowhere. Come on!”

[Droplet Orange]: “Way ahead of you, moron.”

Droplet Red turned to see Droplet Orange standing on top of a nearby counter, having put something into a microwave.

[Droplet Red]: “What are you doing?”

[Droplet Orange]: “Microwaving aluminum foil.”

[Droplet Red]: “...Say what now?”

The foil being heated up in the microwave suddenly caught fire, filling the sealed chamber with heat.

[Droplet Orange]: “Hey Candy Man, you know what happens when air full of powder is exposed to an open flame?”

Farnsworth’s eyes widened.

[Farnsworth]: “DON’T-!”

Farnsworth was interrupted by Droplet Orange opening the microwave door.

The resulting explosion could be heard from several blocks away.

[Cut back to the cavern where Herc and Nova are sitting.]

[Herc]: “...You heard, didn’t you?”

Nova didn’t give a response, but the tone of the situation said more than enough.

[Herc]: (Sighs) “Look, I know it must hurt that he didn’t tell you, but his heart is in the right place.”

[Nova]: (Beginning to tear up) “I don’t care about that! I just...I know my dad is going to die soon, and there’s nothing I can do about it! Do you have any idea how that feels?!”

[Herc]: “Grikonian culture isn’t really built on familial bonds, so no, I don’t. But...as much as I hate to admit it sometimes, Napoleon’s a good friend, and I don’t like this situation any more than you do.”

[Nova]: “I...I don’t know what to do.”

[Herc]: “Well, getting out of here alive for one thing is a good place to start. I’m not entirely sure what Napoleon’s opinion on his kid dying before he does would be, but it probably wouldn’t be very favorable.”

[Nova]: (Wiping her eyes) “...Yeah, I...I guess you’re right. But...none of my constructs are really suited for fighting stone golems, and I don’t know how useful a Reduvidai or a Pharatep would be against them.”

[Herc]: “Are you sure you don’t have any other transformations?”

[Nova]: “I don’t. I need to study an alien before being able to turn into it.”

[Herc]: “Huh. Napoleon never really needed to do that with Swarm 1.”

[Nova]: “What?”

[Herc]: “Yeah, he didn’t even know he could transform at first, and he didn’t choose any of the aliens he ended up transforming into. I’m not really sure what the deal was, but it always seemed like Swarm 1 just...knew what he needed. Maybe Swarm 2 can do that too.”

[Nova]: “You think so?”

[Herc]: (Shrugs) “There’s only one way to find out.”

Nova sighed and stood up, mentally preparing herself to transform.

[Nova]: “Alright, then. Here goes nothing.”

[Cut to the inside of the warehouse from before. Two men dressed completely in black are arguing with each other as two scared kids are tied up in the corner.]

[Kidnapper 1]: “There’s only so much money we can get out of these brats, you know! At some point, the police are gonna consider a raid as the better option!”

[Kidnapper 2]: “Assuming the police find out about this place, which, if you’ve done your job correctly, they won’t!”

The first kidnapper opened his mouth to continue the argument, but was interrupted by a loud clattering noise suddenly coming from the upper level of the warehouse. The two instantly drew their guns.

[Kidnapper 2]: “Alright meat head, if anyone else knows where we are already, I’m going to hold you personally responsible!”

[Kidnapper 1]: “Oh, shut up! You keep an eye on those kids, I’m gonna go investigate!”

The first kidnapper left the area and walked to the other side of the warehouse, climbing up the stairs that access the second level. The second floor was completely dark, prompting him to flip a nearby light switch.

Nothing happened.

[Kidnapper 1]: “I swear to god, if the power company is shutting this place off already...”

Suddenly, a small light in the center of the second floor began flickering dimly, illuminating a small folder of some kind lying on the floor. The kidnapper warily made his way over to the folder and picked it up, carefully filing through it.

[Kidnapper 1]: (Eyes widen) “No way...this is my record! How the hell-”

He cut himself off upon reaching the last page, where his mugshot was crossed out with a red ‘X’. Before he could react to this, he suddenly became aware of a strange presence behind him.

[Aeron]: (Quietly) “Peekaboo.”

Without so much as a second to respond, the kidnapper suddenly collapsed, dead where he stood.

[Cut back to the inside of Farnsworth’s candy shop, where everything has been wrecked by the explosion. Over The Rainbow’s body, having been splashed all over the room, slowly coalesces back together into one form.]

[OTR]: “So, ready to give up now?”

Farnsworth groaned and pulled himself to a sitting position, hanging his head in defeat.

[Farnsworth]: “...You beat me and wrecked my shop. I guess there’s not much else to do.”

[OTR]: “Alright, first off, you’re going to tell me what you did with those kids!”

[Farnsworth]: (Looks up in confusion) “With what?”

[OTR]: “Don’t play dumb! Those missing kids that are on the poster! What else could I possibly be talking about?!”

[Farnsworth]: “I don’t have anything to do with that! Aren’t you here to take me in for being here illegally?”

[OTR]: “...What?”

[Farnsworth]: “Hold on, you are a Plumber, aren’t you?”

[OTR]: “...No.”

[Farnworth]: “Then...why are you here?”

[OTR]: (Sheepishly) “Well, I mean, I saw the Missing poster, and I saw you carrying out a lumpy bad as suspiciously as possible, and I guess I just kinda...jumped to conclusions a bit.”

[Farnsworth]: “Those were rotten candy apples. I just have to make sure there aren’t any kids around when I’m tossing them, or they’re liable to dig them out of the dumpster and get sick.”

[OTR]: “Oh.”

There were a few moments of awkward silence.

[OTR]: “Well, uh, what about that weird-looking vat of brown stuff?” (Gestures to the vat in the center of the room)

[Farnsworth]: “That’s melted down cane sugar. I use it a lot, so it’s handy to keep it easily accessible like that.

[OTR]: “...Oh.”

[Farnsworth]: “So...you’re not here to arrest me?”

[OTR]: “Not really, no.”

[Farnsworth]: “Oh.”

There was another awkward pause.

[Farnsworth]: “Well, uh...it sounds like we both made some bad decisions today.”

[OTR]: “Yeah, no kidding. Sorry about wrecking the place. Droplet Orange is very...volatile. But I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Over The Rainbow twisted the StarTrix dial and tapped down on it, transforming into Season.

[Season]: “I know exactly how to fix all this!”

[Cut to Reaper, Pyros, and F3 fighting Taurus and Virgo. They’re barely able to fend off the two’s attacks, with Pyros attempting to maintain a wall of fire between the groups.]

[F3]: (Dodges Virgo’s Mercury) “Uh, I hate to say it, but I don’t think think we can hold out much longer against these guys!”

[Reaper]: “We just need to hold out until Herculian and Nova return!”

[Pyros]: “’’If’’ they return! They mighta gotten taken out by some grunts on the way!”

[Reaper]: “I trust them to make it back to us. They’re more powerful than I think you believe.”

Pyros was about to respond, but was interrupted by one of Taurus’s horns launching through the air straight towards his head. Without any time to dodge or defend, all he could do was watch as the projectile came within centimeters of his forehead...

And promptly rebounded towards Taurus as if bouncing off of an invisible barrier.

[Pyros]: “...The hell?”

Pyros suddenly felt some sort of presence behind him. He turned around to find a strange ethereal figure floating directly behind him. It appeared to have a silver aura, and its arms were splayed out in front of it in a way that put them near the sides of his head.

[Pyros]: “Uh...alright, either I’m crazy, or I’ve got some sort of ghost on my back.”

[F3]: “Really? I don’t see anythi-”

F3 was interrupted by an ethereal figure identical to Pyros’ suddenly coming into existence right in front of him.

[F3]: “...Either the crazy spreads, or something weird is going on.”

[Reaper]: “I seem to have a ghostly figure, so to speak, nearby me as well.”

[F3]: “Uh, guys? Is it just me, or are we not getting attacked anymore?”

[Reaper]: “We’re still being attacked, but the attacks don’t seem to be hitting us.”

True to Reaper’s word, the attacks the Zodiac Organization members had been throwing at them while they were talking had simply been rebounding away as soon as they got within a few inches of hitting them. Taurus and Virgo stopped attacking, seeing that they were getting nowhere.

[Taurus]: “Is it just me, or does there seem to be a bit of a silver light around each of these three?”

[Virgo]: “No, I see it too. Any idea what’s going on?”

[Taurus]: “Afraid not.”

The sound of two sets of footsteps running up from behind them prompted Taurus and Virgo to turn around, finding Cancer and Pisces running up to them as swiftly as possible, Pisces having transformed her fins back into arms. Upon reaching the two, Cancer and Pisces stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

[Taurus]: “What’s going on? Don’t tell me you two were outfought by those squad members that went down to the mine.”

[Pisces]: “Of course not! We simply aren’t able to hit them!”

[Cancer]: “Unfortunately, they’re more than capable of hitting us!”

[Virgo]: “We’re having the same problem. What do you think’s causing this?”

[Cancer]: “Well, darling, if I had to take a wild guess, I’d have to say that it’s probably THAT!”

Cancer snappily pointed upwards behind him, which was swiftly followed by a silver humanoid figure flying out of the mine. It had the general shape of a human wearing silver armor of some sort. Silver flames burned around its wrists and ankles, and it had six large wings flowing from its back. Two large, silver rings orbited around its body, each one having six eyes dotted around them. Four of the eyes were glowing a brilliant white.w

[Pyros]: (Eyes widening) “...Holy shit.”

[F3]: “With emphasis on “Holy”!”

[Taurus]: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

[Virgo]: “What is that thing?”

The angelic figure hovered into the air above the mine, which was shortly followed by Herc climbing over the mine’s ridge onto solid ground, where it could be seen that he had a silver light around him as well.

[Herc]: (Grinning widely) “So, how many of you have heard of the Praesignis?”

[Reaper]: “I’ve heard myths about them, but I didn’t think they actually existed.”

[Herc]: “Well, neither did I until about five minutes ago!”

[F3]: “Uh, what’s a Praesignis?”

[Reaper]: “The name means “protecting fire”. They’re an ancient species rumored to have lived millennia ago, before they mysteriously disappeared.”

[F3]: “Huh. Neat. What can they do?”

[Reaper]: “Well, presumably something fire-related, but nobody actually knows.”

[F3]: “Oh.”

[Taurus]: (Preparing another attack) “Well, no matter what it is, we still can’t let it interfere with our mission.”

[Virgo]: “Uh, Taurus, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

[Taurus]: “And that’s why you have no initiative.”

Taurus suddenly fired a barrage of horns at the Praesignis, who simply watched as the projectiles approached her. As soon as the were about to strike, she raised her right hand and formed a massive pillar of silver fire that shot through the horns, incinerating them, and landed a direct hit on Taurus, who was consumed by the flames.

After a few seconds of this, the Praesignis stopped the flow of fire. Taurus had collapsed onto the ground, unconscious, but seemingly unharmed.

[Pisces]: “...Oh dear.”

[Cancer]: “Well, uh, alright darlings, it’s been fun, but we, uh,” (Frantically pulls out a communicator and frantically starts yelling into it) “OPHIUCHUS GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!”

Reaper lunged to try and grab them, but the members of the Zodiac Organization teleported away before he could touch them. The Praesignis slowly floated down to the group, its wings remaining unnaturally still the whole time.

Once it reached the ground, it became consumed by a white light and shrunk until it reached a human size and shape. As this was happening, the ethereal figures protecting the Alpha Team faded. The white light dispersed to reveal Nova, who put her hands on her knees and breathed a sigh of relief.

[Nova]: “Okay, real talk? I had no idea what the hell I was doing out there.”

[Pyros]: “Saving our asses is what you were doin’! That was awesome!”

[Nova]: (Grins slightly) “Thanks.”

Herc walked over to her and patted he on the back.

[Herc]: “Good job out there. Your father would be proud. Speaking of which...”

Nova glanced at Herc, then sighed and looked back down at the ground.

[Nova]: “I’ll have to talk with him when I get home.”

Herc nodded.

[Herc]: “Alright people, let’s head home. We weren’t able to apprehend anyone, but we at least have enough evidence to shut this place down for good.” (Holds up Displotram crystal)

[Pyros]: “Fine by me.”

The team walked off into the night, with F3 secretly trying to remember where on Earth he parked the van.

[Cut back to the second level of the warehouse, where the remaining kidnapper is climbing the stairs up there.]

[Kidnapper 2]: “What the hell is taking you so lo-”

He froze mid-sentence, seeing his partner’s dead body splayed across the ground. He pulled up his gun, aiming it in front of him and wildly looking around for whoever or whatever had killed the other kidnapper. After a few moments, a rock suddenly flew past his head, prompting him to whip around and fire off a few rounds.

He was suddenly moved to the warehouse’s roof, sliding down the slick metal roofing before he was able to process what was going on. He managed to grab onto the edge of the roofing before falling, losing his gun in the process. After a few moments, Aeron walked up to him, carefully keeping his balance on the roof.

[Kidnapper 2]: “Wh-what the hell are you?!”

[Aeron]: (Smirks) “Just a guy with a sweet watch and a couple knives. Speaking of which...”

A knife suddenly appeared, shoved through the kidnapper’s head, killing him instantly. His body fell to the ground below, prompting Aeron to blink down there and retrieve his knife, with Clockwork next to him.

[Aeron]: “Holy hell, that was cathartic. I haven’t gotten a “what are you?” comment in forever!”

[Clockwork]: “You’re very easily amused.”

[Aeron]: “And that’s why I’m happy more than you are.”

Clockwork began to respond, but was interrupted by what appeared to be a yo-yo exploding through his head, causing him to dissipate. Aeron whipped around to find a lanky, blue humanoid alien with long, hooked fingers and an odd cap with the StarTrix symbol on it. It was whirling around several yo-yos in complicated patterns, and appeared to have the words “Yo-Yo A Go-Go” inscribed on its chest.

[YYAGG]: “For a serial killer, you’re very unaware of your surroundings.”

[Aeron]: “Seriously?! Can’t I just get, like, a day or two in a timeline without you popping up to ruin everything?!”

[YYAGG]: “If you could, I wouldn’t be doing my job correctly.”

[Aeron]: “Tch, you’re already doing it wrong. I managed to kill two people before you got here.”

[YYAGG]: (Narrows eyes) “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”

[Aeron]: “Know it and take pride in it. At any rate, I should probably get go-”

Aeron was interrupted by Yo-Yo A Go-Go throwing a yo-yo at his head, knocking him to the ground.

[YYAGG]: “Not this time, you don’t!”

[Aeron]: (Gets up and laughs) “Seriously? That stung like hell, but do you really plan on stopping me with a yo-yo alien wearing a stupid baseball cap?”

The atmosphere around Yo-Yo A Go-Go suddenly became incredibly tense. His eyes narrowed, and he slowly began approaching Aeron, suddenly becoming rather intimidating for something so unimpressively lanky.

[YYAGG]: (Growling) “What the hell did you just say?”

[Aeron]: “Uh...I said your cap is stupid.”

Yo-Yo A Go-Go suddenly sprung into action at unnatural speeds, creating several more yo-yos from the ports in his arms and hooking them onto his fingers before tossing them at Aeron.

[YYAGG]: “THAT WAS A MISTAKE.”

Aeron barely had time to process what was going to happen before he was assaulted by an endless volley of yo-yo strikes, impacting his body multiple times at high speeds. Phantom Lord summoned himself from the InverTrix to attempt to retrieve Aeron, but was interrupted by being smashed through the head before he could turn intangible, causing him to disperse.

[YYAGG]: “You’re not getting away! Not now, and not ever again!”

The StarTrix Requiem symbol began flashing red, signaling that it was overheating.

[Aeron]: “Hah! You’re about to detransform! What now, smart guy?!”

[YYAGG]: “Oh yeah, I forgot you didn’t know about this yet. StarTrix, activate STAR mode.”

The StarTrix symbol changed to a yellow color, sending out a golden wave across Yo-Yo A Go-Go’s body and changing it to a golden-yellow color scheme. The energy swirling in his arm ports intensified, becoming almost difficult to look at.

[YYAGG]: “Yo-Yo A Go-Go STAR!”

[Aeron]: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

Yo-Yo A Go-Go STAR resumed his barrage of attacks, hitting Aeron with so much force that he went flying backwards through the metal wall of the warehouse, sending him skidding to a halt on the ground.

[Aeron]: “CLOCKWORK!”

Yo-Yo A Go-Go STAR heard Aeron and ran towards him, but was unable to reach him before Clockwork appeared, whisking him away to another timeline.

[YYAGG STAR]: “DAMMIT!”

He sighed in frustration and tapped the StarTrix symbol, detransforming. After a few moments, he looked over his surroundings and spotted the two kidnapped children sitting in the corner of the warehouse, looking on at the bizarre scene in fright.

[Theo]: “...I guess I should probably worry about getting you two home.”

[Cut to the Eldridge household at nighttime. Napoleon is reading the news on a tablet and drinking a cup of tea. After a few moments, the door opens and Nova walks in.]

[Nova]: “Hey, Dad! I’m home!”

[Napoleon]: “Hi! I’m in the kitchen!”

Nova walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, across from Napoleon. After a few moments, Napoleon sighed and put down his tablet.

[Napoleon]: “Nova, I’m not sure how to put this, but...there’s something you need to know.”

[Nova]: “I already know. I...overheard you and Herc talking about it earlier.”

[Napoleon]: “...Oh.”

There were a few moments of solemn silence.

[Nova]: “So...what do we do now?”

[Napoleon]: “...To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve never been good with this kind of thing.”

[Nova]: “Me either. Maybe we should just...talk.”

[Napoleon]: (Grins weakly) “Yeah. That’s probably for the best.”

[Cut to the Zodiac Organization’s headquarters. Orion is being debriefed on the incident at the mine by Virgo, Cancer, and Pisces. Taurus’s unconscious body is laid out on a nearby couch.]

[Orion]: “Let me see if I have this right; you four were defeated by a member of a species that may or may not have ever existed.”

[Cancer]: “Well, it’s become rather clear that it does exist now, sir.”

[Orion]: (Sighs) “Sometimes, it feels as if the universe is working against me.”

[Virgo]: “I’m not sure what you were expecting. You’re bound to encounter resistance when going against the rest of the world.”

Orion was about to respond, but was interrupted by Taurus suddenly waking up. He slowly got to his feet and shook his head, trying to get back to his senses.

[Orion]: “Welcome back to the world of the living, Taurus. You’re remarkably well-intact for having been consumed in a pillar of flames.”

Taurus didn’t respond for a moment, simply looking around at his surroundings. Despite having been here dozens of times, the area felt wrong somehow. Dark in a way he couldn’t describe.

[Virgo]: “Taurus? Are you alright?”

[Taurus]: “...What am I doing here?”

[Pisces]: “You got knocked out, so we had Ophiuchus-”

[Taurus]: “No, I mean...here, in the organization.”

[Orion]: “Excuse me?”

[Taurus]: “I’m not sure how to describe it, but something feels...wrong about this. I joined to reform a broken system, but...it doesn’t feel right anymore.”

[Virgo]: “What are you talking about?”

[Taurus]: “I’m sorry, but...I have to go.”

Taurus began walking towards the exit.

[Virgo]: “Are you going to come back?”

Taurus paused at the door to consider the question.

[Taurus]: “...I don’t think so.”

With that, Taurus left, leaving the rest of the group standing there in awkward silence. After a few moments, Orion sighed and turned away.

[Orion]: “First Scorpio, and now this. I’m beginning to think I chose the wrong people.”

[Cancer]: “Oh please, darling. So you’ve had a couple of walk-outs; what’s the big deal?”

[Orion]: “Honestly, if it were just Taurus, or Taurus and someone else, I wouldn’t be worried. But with Scorpio gone...”

[Pisces]: “Scorpio? What’s so special about that mud-for-brains?”

[Orion]: “Objectively speaking, not much, I must admit. However, I do feel somewhat responsible for the circumstances he joined the Zodiac Organization to escape.”

[Virgo]: “What do you mean?”

Orion paused for a moment. For the first time since they had known him, the 8-foot giant of a man’s presence felt more desperate than intimidating.

[Orion]: “...I suppose someone would have to know eventually. I just didn’t think he would leave so soon.”

[Cancer]: “If you’ve got something to tell us, just say it, darling!”

[Orion]: (Sighs) “You all know that Scorpio was raised in an orphanage, and that his parents are presumed dead by all records, correct?”

[Pisces]: “Yes...”

Orion turned back to face the three. Unexpectedly, he reached for his mask, and for the first time in years, revealed his face. Virgo, Pisces, and Cancer were taken aback by what they saw.

[Virgo]: “Oh my god...you’re...”

Orion nodded, then swiftly returned the mask to his face.

[Orion]: “Scorpio’s father.”

[Cut to Aeron and Clockwork drifting in non-temporal space. Clockwork is healing Aeron’s multiple injuries by rewinding them with his abilities.]

[Aeron]: “You know what really pisses me off, Clockwork?”

[Clockwork]: “I’d imagine a lot of things do.”

[Aeron]: “Well, yeah, but specifically.”

[Clockwork]: “I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s constantly getting beaten by Theodore.”

[Aeron]: “No shit! I need some way to fight him one-on-one, even if he manages to stop my aliens from appearing.”

[Clockwork]: “...I think I know a timeline that could help you with that.”

[Aeron]: “Really? Then what the hell are we still doing here?!”

[Clockwork]: “Making sure you don’t die the moment we enter regular time due to internal bleeding.”

[Aeron]: “Ugh, fine. At least I got to kill a couple people in this last timeline.”

[Clockwork]: “Well, yes, but the people you killed were escaped prisoners previously convicted for murder and kidnapping. When you think about it, the only thing you really accomplished was saving a couple of kids.”

Aeron’s eye began twitching.

[Clockwork]: “Don’t worry about it too much, though. It’s the thought that counts.”

[Aeron]: “...Screw everything.”

Major Events

 * It's revealed that Lord Kucorbian is slowly taking over Napoleon's mind, which is the reason he's been taking medication.
 * Furthermore, Napoleon expects to be either dead or possessed in less than a year.
 * Silent Lucidity, Over Now, Yo-Yo A Go-Go!, and Yo-Yo A Go-Go! STAR make their debuts.
 * Pisces and Cancer make their non-cameo debuts.
 * It's revealed that the Shielbasa Iron Mine is now owned by the Zodiac Organization.
 * Silver Mt. Zion makes her debut (albeit unnamed).
 * Taurus leaves the Zodiac organization
 * Orion is revealed to be Scorpio's father.

Protagonists

 * Theodore Logical
 * Nova Eldridge
 * Herc
 * Pyros
 * F3
 * Reaper
 * Alpha

Antagonists

 * Aeron
 * Taurus
 * Virgo
 * Pisces
 * Cancer
 * Kidnapper 1
 * Kidnapper 2

Neutral

 * Mr. Farnsworth

By Theo

 * Final Countdown
 * Silent Lucidity (Debut; x2)
 * Over The Rainbow
 * Season
 * Yo-Yo A Go-Go!

By Aeron

 * Clockwork (x3)
 * Phantom Lord

By Nova

 * Silver Mt. Zion (Debut)

Trivia

 * Theo is confirmed to have scanned Mr. Farnsworth's DNA off-screen, giving him the DNA sample for Candyman.