Deep (John Smith 10)

Story
The Rustbucket is flying back to Earth, when they get a Plumber transmission. John answers it.

John: Hello?

Pyke: John? Magister Pyke here. I was about to call headquarters for backup when I got your BOLO. That creature you call Aggregor is here, on Pisciss.

John: Great. Thank you. We’ll be there immediately.

Pyke: Get here faster than that. We can’t hold this guy off. (Call ends.)

Kevin: When’d you make a BOLO?

John: On the flight to Mykdl’dy. Step on it. We haven’t much time. End Scene

They land on Pisciss, and get into Plumbers’ suits. They go out into the water, and John instantly turns into Ripjaws.

Gwen: What’s that for?

Ripjaws: You know how careful I have to be when I use this guy? Now, I can use him without regret.

Kevin: Then let’s go! We have no time to waste!

The group swims off, traveling slightly aimlessly.

Ripjaws: Uh, where are we going?

Gwen: I’m tracking Pyke. I’ll be able to sense Aggregor off of him.

Kevin: Good plan. (They then spot Pyke swimming towards them.)

Ripjaws: Pyke!

Pyke: That you, John? Doesn’t matter. We’ve lost track of this Aggregor, our tracking systems not detecting him in the outer waters.

Gwen: (After sensing Aggregor’s mana off Pyke.) That’s cause he’s in the planet’s core.

Pyke: Impossible! It’s heavily guarded.

Kevin: Won’t even slow him down. (Then, a herd of sea monsters approaches.) Of course.

Ripjaws: Get to the core! I’ll catch up!

Gwen, Kevin and Pyke swim off, as Ripjaws turns to face the sea monsters. He shifts to Water Hazard, and he swings his arm. A giant water fist forms, slamming into the school of sea monsters. They come at him again, and Water Hazard spins his arms, creating a whirlpool, and sending the sea monsters off.

Water Hazard: Now, to catch up. (Water Hazard shoots water from his hands, rocketing himself to catch up with the others.) End Scene

The group approaches the core, where there were several guards.

Guard: Halt! No one goes in!

Pyke: Plumber business! Let us through!

Guard: Sorry sir! But our orders are to deter all intruders.

Water Hazard: I’ve got this.

Pyke: Don’t hurt them. (Water Hazard shifts to Ditto.)

Ditto: That depends on their reactions.

Ditto splits into 10 clones, and they all swim towards the guards. The guards fire electric nets, and the clones dodge, grabbing the metal weights of the net, and throwing them back. Gwen, Kevin and Pyke had made it inside, and the clones remerge and follow them inside.

Inside the core, the guards are attacking Aggregor. Aggregor zaps them all with lightning, defeating them. Ditto and the others arrive, and Ditto shifts to Armodrillo, charging a vibration punch. He punches Aggregor, causing him to stumble, but it does little damage.

Aggregor: You again. (Aggregor puts his hand on the ground, and pumps his jackhammers, causing the core to shake. Rocks fall from the ceiling, cutting Armodrillo off from the others. Pyke is crushed by a rock, with Gwen and Kevin trying to help him. Aggregor runs off, and Armodrillo follows.)

Aggregor makes his way to a device in the center of the core, with an Anti Gravity multiplier in the machine. Aggregor removes the multiplier, which turns into a Map piece.

Aggregor: Wise, Paradox. Turning the piece into the most important thing on the planet. But that won’t stop me.

Vicktor Stein: But I will. (A stream of lightning travels across the ground, electrocuting Aggregor. However, it all travels up to his head, and Aggregor absorbs it. He turns, and faces Vicktor Stein.)

Aggregor: A valiant effort, but useless. (The planet then begins to shake.)

Vicktor Stein: What did you do?

Aggregor: Farewell. (Aggregor flies off, phasing through the core. Vicktor Stein runs over to the machine.)

Vicktor Stein: Now let’s see what this thing is. Stabilizer, connected to the entire planet, Anti-Gravity multiplier missing? Planet breaking apart? So that’s how the water stays with the core. Easy to fix. (Vicktor Stein turns into Goop, and puts his Anti-Gravity Projector into the machine. The machine reactivates, keeping the water exterior with the planet.)

Goop: That should do it. (Goop reverts.)

John goes back into the hall, finding Gwen, Kevin and Pyke.

Kevin: He got away?

John: Yeah. He took the Map piece, which was a gravity device keeping the planet together. I fixed it, so the planet will survive.

Pyke: Thank you, John. You’ve saved us once again.

John: Sure thing. Let’s go. End Scene

The Rustbucket is flying back to Earth.

John: We’re getting nowhere like this. We have to find out where the Map is before Aggregor does.

Gwen: What could the Map piece be disguised as?

Kevin: It’s probably something extremely powerful, or something necessary for its environment’s survival. (These words sparks a reaction with John.)

John: The Alpha Rune! It’s the Alpha Rune!

Gwen: Are you sure?

John: Positive. Head for the Door to Anywhere, now!

Kevin: On it!

Characters

 * John Smith
 * Gwen Tennyson
 * Kevin Levin
 * Magister Pyke
 * Guards

Villains

 * Ultimate Aggregor
 * Sea Monsters

Aliens

 * Ripjaws (first re-appearance)
 * Water Hazard
 * Ditto (first re-appearance)
 * Armodrillo
 * Vicktor Stein
 * Goop

Trivia

 * Aggregor gets the second Map of Infinity piece.
 * It's revealed that John is extra careful in not using Ripjaws do to the fact he can't survive on land.
 * John uses Ditto again, the first time since Above and Beyond (John Smith 10).