A Break in Memory: Part Eight

     ******

"There he is!" shouted Rocky in relief. The red Ruki zipped into super-speed and dashed to his unconscious best-friend's side in half a second.

     "DeSoni? DeSoni!" he pleaded, first gently tapping, then worriedly shaking the small, unresponsive yellow Aisha's body.

     Khargana ran over and skidded to a halt, her clever brown eyes scanning the scene. What had happened to Volt and Secret? Where were Brandy and Mina Galba? Had there been a fight? The hardest question she had to distract herself from: would DeSoni be all right?

     Mr. and Mrs. Sonix, slightly out of breath, caught up. Mrs. Sonix rushed over to DeSoni's side and took him in her arms, hugging him tight. Mr. Sonix joined the Wocky Detective.

     "What happened, you think?" he asked.

     "I'm not sure. Two of the Mega Three out for the count with DeSoni and the prison door's ajar. I'd say Mina's escaped with her brother - but what of Brandy?"

     Volt groaned, hearing the voices around him. He was pathetically weak, but surprisingly hadn't fully lost consciousness. His eyes opened slightly and Mr. Sonix rushed over to help. Rocky reluctantly left DeSoni's side to join them.

     "P-please..." the electric Alien Aisha managed to beg, his voice barely audible.

     "It's a prototype weapon designed to disable an enemy's power supply," Mr. Sonix explained to Khargana.

     "Wonderful," said Khargana sarcastically. "How do we get it off? It's not like you can just grab it."

     Mr. Sonix pulled out the phase blaster Khargana had given him, aimed at a small silver stud at one end of the cord, and fired a two second beam. The cord turned black and slipped right off Volt. Rocky helped him upright and Mr. Sonix went to check on Secret. Mrs. Sonix kept cradling DeSoni in her arms, but she was paying sharp attention.

     "What happened? And can you tell us anything from after you were attacked with that thing?" asked Khargana.

     Volt rubbed his face weakly. "I-I told Mina we'd filled our side of the deal, and that Derek wasn't part of it. But she wouldn't let up. She shot me, then Secret, then... spoke to her brother. They left - someone else came by; I could vaguely hear the cell door open and shut. Whoever it was must've gotten Derek out. Brandy came by and... the stranger got her to chase Mina and Galba. That's it."

     "We can't just let them get away!" said Rocky angrily, then glanced fretfully back at DeSoni. "But-how much time do we have?"

     "Not enough," said Khargana tensely. "Kregor said if we don't hurry, DeSoni could be lost forever."

     Rocky groaned. "So we're letting them escape?"

     Secret was coming to. The shadow Alien Aisha slowly blinked open her eyes and climbed upright.

     "Tell you what," said Khargana quickly. "Mrs. Sonix and I will take DeSoni back to the cruiser. Rocky, you and Mr. Sonix get those Galbas!"

     Rocky nodded. Khargana, being quite a bit stronger than Mrs. Sonix, scooped DeSoni up in her paws. She and Mrs. Sonix took off back to where they'd docked the cruiser they'd come in.

     "We're coming too," said Volt firmly. "Brandy's down there and we know Mina's ready for her!" He looked quite a bit better for the minute's rest.

     "Whatever!" declared Rocky. "Let's just go already!" He, Mr. Sonix, Volt, and Secret ran off down the hall.

     A blue Aisha slipped out from the prison cell and ran off after Khargana and Mrs. Sonix. He didn't really care if the Galbas were caught; he did care that DeSoni came through all right.

     ******

     Khargana and Mrs. Sonix quickly came upon the cruiser they'd come in and climbed aboard. Mrs. Sonix piloted while Khargana monitored her adopted brother's condition.

     After Khargana checked his pulse, she pulled a box from a pocket and pressed down a button on the side.

     "Khargana to Kay, transmitting."

     "Kay here. Status?" answered her owner through the box.

     "We have DeSoni, but he's unconscious. We've got a cruiser and are on our way."

     "I'll be ready with the antidote. Kay out."

     ******

     XP smiled in relief and pulled a small spy-receiver from his right ear. He had done all he could. There was no point in following the cruiser and risking exposure, and besides, Fyora was expecting him.

     ******

     "Here!" said Mina cheerfully, approaching her parked cruiser. She ran up and grabbed the handle for the door, only to cry out and leap back, nursing her paw.

     "What's wrong, Terra?" asked Galba suspiciously.

     "I'd say the metal door's too hot to open," said a sarcastic voice, rich in meaning and anger. Brandy came around the side of the cruiser smirking. She slapped the cruiser. "Baby wouldn't melt, but I still say you ain't going anywhere."

     Mina, holding her burnt right paw close to her chest protectively, drew out a handheld Neopian frost cannon. "Don't make me use this, Brandy."

     The fire Alien Aisha's eyes were glaring angrily straight at Mina. Her paws were slightly smoking, she was so hot with rage.

     "You hurt Volt and Secret. You're going down."

     Mina laughed, but it wasn't as full as usual. Brandy was deathly serious. Of the Mega Three, Brandy was the only one that scared her.

     "Come on, Brandy girl. Surely you could tell Volt and Secret didn't like my plan for the freak? They outright disobeyed me; I had to take them out. But you're like me, Brandy. You don't have qualms about hurting people that get in your way. Come with us - we'll start a new team: you, me, and my brother. Volt and Secret don't have what it takes to make the big time."

     Brandy set a paw against the cruiser. Maybe she hadn't been able to melt it earlier, but she was so enraged at Mina's comments that her paw melted straight through the dense metal. "Don't you dare say another word about my team! Volt's right - you are a princess! A selfish little spoiled brat!"

     She took a step forward dangerously. Mina backed up. Ex-commander Galba didn't seem to follow entirely what was going on, but he was smart enough to back off from between the two crazy females.

     "You think I'm stupid, huh? Just cause I'm the tough one? What if I told you Volt warned me? He figured out that DeSoni wasn't the only security distraction - you were planning all along to leave us here for the military to catch! It's not that I'm dumb - it's that I didn't think you could possibly be so stupid! I was dead wrong."

     Mina fired a freeze blot from the frost cannon, which melted before it even reached Brandy. She quickly reached for another weapon, a water bomb, and threw it at Brandy.

     It exploded in the fire Alien Aisha's face, slamming her to the ground where she slid against the floor for a second. She groaned, water hissing as it evaporated around her.

     "Volt was right," said Mina triumphantly. "I was planning to serve you three freaks to Jierdana on a platter. Looks like it worked too."

     Brandy groaned again, but to Mina's horror she began climbing to her rear paws.

     "Don't underestimate the Mega Three," she growled, suddenly smiling, looking over Mina's shoulder.

     "Excellent advice," contributed a sassy voice from the doorway. Volt was just inside the doorway, leaning against the wall with a large smile across his face.

     A loop of black rope suddenly slipped around the pink Alien Aisha and tightened, pinning her arms to her sides. Secret dropped from the ceiling, pulling one end of the lasso down with her.

     Mina flew screaming 12 feet into the air and hung there.

     Galba twirled around, intending to run, and found himself face to face with a tall, lanky, very familiar red Ruki.

     "Remember me? You kidnapped my best friend and used a memory-destroying potion on him."

     From the trapped look of Galba's face, he very definitely remembered the Ruki.

     Rocky swiftly grabbed the large red Alien Aisha by the shoulders and flung him across the room, where he slammed into a wall. Mr. Sonix was waiting.

     DeSoni's dad leaned down and grabbed the ex-commander by the collar of his prison uniform, locking eyes with him. "I hope you're getting used to prison, Galba, since you're going right back. Word of advice - don't ever come near my son again."

     Galba fainted - what from, it was hard to tell. Disappointment, pain from being flung into a wall, fear of Rocky and Mr. Sonix - perhaps a combination of all three.

     Volt casually sauntered over to the strap Mina was dangling from, screaming her head off. Secret handed the end to him with a smile. He returned the smile, took the unusual rope with both paws, and watched happily as a surge of electricity climbed up the cord and zapped Terramina Galba. She slumped, instantly unconscious. Then he lowered her to the ground, where Secret wound the cord around her several more times and secured it.

     Volt walked over to Brandy, still standing in a hissing puddle.

     "Sorry I doubted you," said Brandy.

     "I'm just glad we're still a team," laughed Volt.

     Secret clapped her paws happily.

     "You lot had best get home before security comes down," warned Mrs. Sonix. "You're all still wanted criminals."

     "We are still criminals, right?" Brandy asked Volt.

     He frowned to himself, then shrugged and laughed. "Probably. Where's the fun in playing by the rules? See ya, Rocky, Mr. Sonix!" He waved and the Mega Three ran off to where they'd stashed another of the cruisers.

     Mr. Sonix shook his head in exasperation. "Young hooligans."

     Rocky just laughed.

     ******

     DeSoni slowly came to, laying on the sofa with a pillow under his head and a warm blanket tucked around his body. A paw rubbed his head and he opened his eyes.

     "Mom?" he asked, sitting up weakly.

     "Oh, honey - how are you feeling?" asked Mrs. Sonix.

     "A little sick, but I'm finally thinking straight," he said slowly, a smile coming over his face as he realized, for the first time in quite a while, that his head was perfectly clear. He was a little nauseous, quite a bit weak, but it was worth it to remember where he was. He was home.

     He noticed Khargana sitting on a lounge chair across from him, watching him tensely with a very uncharacteristic look of worry on her Wocky face. He laughed, though the action hurt his queasy stomach.

     "Chill, big sis. Everything's cool."

     Khargana smiled, her eyes alone telling him how much she cared. "Good thing I was there to save your tail again," she said pompously.

     "Sure, the rest of us did absolutely nothing," said Mrs. Sonix, pretending to take offense.

     DeSoni laughed again and Kay rushed in from the kitchen carrying a glass of milk. "DeSoni, thank goodness. Kregor said this might help, but you'd be sick for a good three or four days from the antidote."

     "Long as the headaches are gone," said DeSoni, taking the milk thankfully and sipping. "Where's Rocky and Dad?"

     As if in answer, the two in question entered the room. The anxious looks on their faces quickly faded into relief at seeing DeSoni up and alert.

     Mr. Sonix wordlessly walked over and squeezed his son tightly in a hug.

     "By Jierdana, I thought I'd lost you just as we were finally getting to know each other," he said softly, his voice slightly choked with emotion.

     Rocky's legs trembled from the release of apprehension and he sat abruptly on the floor, staring at DeSoni in incredible relief, his large eyes wide and happy.

     Mrs. Sonix patted her husband on the back and Mr. Sonix, blushing a little in embarrassment, let go and sat next to his wife on the sofa.

     "Okay," said Kay contentedly. "How much do you remember, DeSoni?"

     DeSoni's smile dropped. "Everything," he said softly, eyes dark as he remembered those lost, lonely, confused feelings that had plagued him constantly. Those pounding headaches, the horrible knowledge that he was losing himself...

     Mrs. Sonix rubbed his back. "It's okay, honey. It's all behind us now."

     "Good," said Kay. "Because I've been stuck here at home playing messenger and butler while you four were busy gallivanting about Neopia having the adventure of a lifetime. Now that we're all here, you're all obligated to tell me the story. DeSoni, you're first."

     They laughed and took turns bringing poor Kay up to speed.

Not quite the end yet...

     ******

     After a long, grueling questioning with first the AAERT (Alien Aisha Emergency Response Team), then several security chiefs, then finally with the Madam Commander herself, Agent C2 was on his way home to Virtupets Space Station. Except he was planning to make a quick detour in Faerieland. In the cruiser he'd been lent, the added traveling time would be less than an hour. Besides, it was important. To him, anyway.

     It was well into the night, making his target that much harder to spot. There! The castle! So the hidden tower must be right... there. If he landed on the roof - yeah, he could do it.

     The blue Aisha skillfully set the cruiser down on the roof, on the back of a pointed minaret to be exact, popped the top, and scampered over the castle roof to drop through the hidden tower's single window.

     "Agent C2!" exclaimed Queen Fyora's voice.

     The Faerie Queen was minding her storehouse of super Battledome weaponry and whatnot, but thankfully the tower was empty.

     "Please, ma'am. Can I see XP again?"

     She frowned and shook her head dismissively. "Your mission is over with your return to Neopia, Agent C2. XP returned, checked in, and even filed his report hours ago. I never expected to even see you again unless I should have reason to summon you."

     "But-"

     "I believe we went over this. XP is the top agent in the Faerie Protection Program. I called him from his missions to work temporarily with you on this one special mission. He has no doubt already visited the lab ray again and begun his next assignment. Even if you recognized him - which I doubt - you'd jeopardize his cover by speaking with him. I can't allow you to see him, and I won't tell you where he is."

     "What about the FPP? I could leave a message..."

     "Even for a level 9, telling you the location of FPP Headquarters is out of the question. Scarcely 20 people, counting myself, have that knowledge. Goodbye, Agent C2."

     "But-"

     "Get some sleep. Say hi to the Space Faerie for me when you dock and check in."

     C2 looked tragic, hanging his earstalks and with sad eyes. But he nodded and turned to leave.

     Fyora couldn't stand seeing any Neopet so miserable.

     "Tell you what, C2," she began.

     He turned back to her, eyes bright with hope.

     "I'll see what I can do. Maybe after his current mission you agents can meet up."

     C2 smiled and saluted.

     "Thank you, ma'am!"

     "Dismissed."

     C2 left a bit more cheerful, thought still not in his usual good spirits.

     In about 20 minutes he was back at the Space Station. He met with the Space Faerie, delivered his report and Fyora's regards, then, somewhat depressed that he'd never gotten to give XP a proper farewell, started for his quarters.

     Halfway there, his stomach rumbled and he detoured to Grundo's Café. He grabbed a seat at an empty booth and ordered the usual. It had been a long day and he felt himself dozing off.

     The café was filling up with all the workers just getting off their late shifts and the Neopets that had been hard at work repairing the shops that had been destroyed by some psycho Alien Aisha. C2 didn't really notice how full it was until a handsome red Kyrii slid into the seat across from him.

     "Place sure fills up fast," the Kyrii said casually, with a thick accent just around the vowels.

     C2 didn't bother saying hi or making small talk. He didn't feel much like conversation.

     "And it just figures you'd pick the one table in the entire café that hasn't been wiped down," added the Kyrii in an entirely different voice minus the accent.

     C2 slowly glanced up to look at the Kyrii, who had snagged a few napkins and was fitfully flicking crumbs from the previous customer off the table.

     "It can't be," he whispered to himself. It couldn't be. He was too handsome. Too suave and debonair. His thick red mane had been expertly trimmed and styled and every hair was perfect. It was coincidence that he could do voices and didn't like crumbs on tables.

     Was it?

     The Kyrii folded the napkins, leaving them in a neat stack on the end of the table, noticed C2's staring, and winked.

     "I usually don't drop out of character for just anyone, but after today..." The Kyrii shrugged.

     "XP! I can't believe it!"

     "If we're going to be friends, you'd better get used to it." XP said, smiling. "A week from now I could be a female Disco Kau, posing as a teacher at some secret dance club in Altador."

     (Author's Note: At the time of this writing, XP had indeed become a female Disco Kau.)

     "Are we? I never got to ask you. Are we friends?"

     XP pretended to think about it, tapping his left paw against the table nervously. "Let's see, you risked life and limb to save me from someone you knew hated you. Thanks to you, DeSoni got the antidote and will be okay. And you had the guts to apologize for being rude to me at first."

     The red Kyrii grinned. "I'd say I've got two friends now - DeSoni and you. You've proved yourself, C2. I still say you're immature and silly, though."

     C2 laughed. "I can live with that. I still say you're a nervous wreak."

     XP had been straightening the salt and pepper shakers as C2 said that. He let his paws fall from them and chuckled.

     "How did Fyora get to you so fast?"

     XP looked confused. C2 quickly explained his side-trip.

     XP shook his head, his long mane flapping. "Nope. Technically, I'm supposed to be in Happy Valley, interviewing visitors about ice cream flavors with my eyes open for a certain someone. Classified. I dropped by here just on the off-chance of running into you. But it's nice to know Fyora might not bawl me out for going so far off protocol."

     XP reached into his gorgeous Kyrii mane and pulled out a card. "Well, as long as she doesn't find out about this," he said mischievously and handed to C2.

     "What is it?"

     "Neomail address. Specifically, my personal one at the FPP. Only other FPP agents are supposed to get that." He smirked.

     C2 laughed and clicked a button on the side of his collar. A slit opened and he pushed the card in. "You've been around me too long, XP. Breaking protocol, shame on you."

     "Speaking of which," continued XP, "you might like to know that cruiser you stole has been returned to the poor visiting mechanic. He's a good five hours late for dinner."

     "And you might like to know the house you set on fire is fine, though minus one antique side table."

     XP shuddered. "It would've been better news if it had burnt to the ground. I had to take three showers before I felt clean enough to go in public again."

     "I can't wait to know how you pulled those moves on Hardy..."

     "You wouldn't believe me."

     "C'mon!"

     "00Hog, back before the FPP."

     "No way! You worked with the Neopian Secret Service!"

     "How did you think Fyora had even heard of me? Let me tell you..."

     And on the conversation went. The two secret agents laughed and spent hours talking like the oldest of friends.

The End

Thanks to everyone who got through my longest series ever! As always, neomail me questions and comments and just because! Also, special thanks to legoman8000 for the character Agent C2, his Neopet (really cuty20000), and to scarrift for help with my title. If you want to hear more about the Mega Three, C2, XP, or anyone else, make sure you neomail and tell me so!