The Never Ending Stories.

"Listen, I'm going in there with or without this broom handle mates,Preferably with so let go and bug off." Captain Manuel intended to prove a point. A life lesson if you will, to certain individuals on his starship, The U.S.S Half-Awake.

Stefondro and Ince reluctantly ungripped the other end.

"Thank you. . . . . .should be 5 minutes tops, if im not out by then well I reckon I must be otherwise occupied. . . . . . . or dead." with that Manuel burst through Decon's door broom handle at the ready.

"Decon, what in Gods name!"

Decon looked up from what he was doing as innocently as one could look while being the complete opposite of innocent.

"What have I told you!"

"You told me not to lure crew members into my quarters with food so I could mind meld my knowledge of interpretive dance and freestyle into their minds so I would have some company to dance with . . . . ."

"Precisley Decon, just look at poor Tib and Lien, You've confused them beyond belief. We need this crew sharper than a porcipine, and you know their simply still thinking about the food you bribed them with not your intrecite dance class melds they'll be leaving now." Manuel gathered Tib and lien up and herded them out.

Hit Decon with the broom handle for good measure, closed the door and left.

"That was more than 5 minutes captain." Ince mentioned.

"Yes Ince I could've died. Stefondro why didn't you come in after me?! kick the door down or something."

"Well i've seen how you handle a broom handle-" Stefondro was cut off as Jaime walked by laughing and muttering something about handeling a handle.

"- Anyway you were fine."

Manuel started heading toward the bridge. Everyone else went the correct way towards the turbo lift. Manuel spun on his heel and joined them. That was the fifth time this week.

*A Few hours Later*

Manuel twisted and turned in his sleep stuck in a fit of dreams. Manuel gulped, He was not prepared for Ince.

As Manuel stepped outside and Ince came closer he could see the thoughtless glint in his eye.

"I am here because I want revenge." Ince bellowed in a smart tone among the graves. He slammed his fist against Manuels chest with the force of a truck. " I Freaking hate you Manuel Ashford."

Manuel looked back even more jumpy. " Ince I dont admire your timing for jokes." he replied.

Suddenley Ince lunged forward and tried to punch Manuel in the face. Manuel quickly grabbed the broom handle and brought it down on Inces skull. Within a few minutes Ince was dead.

Manuel awoke and nearly flipped out of bed. Well even if he didn't all his pillows certainly flipped out of bed. All he could think was why would he have a nightmarish dream like that , what did it mean, he neaver dreampt like that . . . . . and that was one heck of a strong sturdy broom handle. . . .

Time to go see Roland.

*5 minute later*

"Heyyyy Barney."

"Sir, It's Rupert Sir."

"Oh yes ofcourse." Manuel was standing in the opening of Ruperts quarters. " Soooo do you sleep in your suit or what?"

"Nooo . . . . . well sometimes, but I just got back from making the rounds to check on Tarveks pregnant wife."

"He get you with those berries again mate?"

"I didn't eat any this time!"

"Hard not to ain't it?"

" Excruciatingly, Sir."

"Anyway, I need something for sleep."

Rupert looked excited. . . a little too excited. " I've got just the thing Captain!" Rupert shoved a bible into Manuels arms and grinned widely at the thought of doing something for his beloved captain.

"This?"

"Welll, I'd actually like to invite you in and talk about our lord and savior-"

Manuel quickly said he had to get his laundry out of the dryer and hurridley escaped. That was a lie ofcourse. Who does laundry?

The next morning Manuel was late to the bridge. Decon began to swivel. Manuel held up a hand and pointed at him. "Don't even."

"I admire your tendency to be late Captain."

"And I admire your eyebrows Decon, but some things should just be left unsaid." Manuel sat in his chair. Ince gave him a look, not that he didn't enjoy being in charge half the morning.

Manuel jusy mumbled something about laundry and went on about business.

*Meanwhile*

Tib looked at the weathered torch in his hands and felt afraid. Then he saw something in the distance, or rather someone. It was a ghostly figure. Tib turned and bolted.

"Goodness Tib, is everything ok?!" Jaime asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"What is it? Don't keep me in suspense!" Jaime was panicking.

"It's . . . .a . . . .ghost . . . I saw an evil ghost kill a bunch of crew."

"Defenseless crew?"

"Yes, defenseless crew."

"Bloomin heck Tib! Weve got to do something!" Jaime springs up and begins to run. But plows right into Stefondro.

"Bloomin heck?" man your guyses acting is god awful, no ones gonna want to watch this."

Tib also ran into Stefondro and looked confused. " Wait, Jaime did you say chicken fried steak?"

"No uh . . . . where were we? oh yeah. We've got to do something!"

Tib looked around " What am I supposed to say again?"

They stared for a couple minutes and discussed it. Then debated it. Finally Tib continued. "It's not just any old ghost thats!- thats . . . . . you know Steffy, it's really hard to act when your standing there watching me . . . . . ."

Stefondro let "Steffy" slide. " Oh I'm sorry then I'll just back up a little." He would leave but this was too amusing. He set up Rev ( his bow) so he could see.

Tib held an awkward dramatic running pose as if he had been paused. He quickly ran three steps, motioned for Jaime to continue running and shouted " The ghost is Lien!"

"Ommmgggg nooooo." Jaime yelled lamely.

Stefondro whispered to Rev about how they're being way too dramatic while being underdramatic at the same time.

As Jaime was running he said something about needing magic kettles, lots of magic kettles. He ran right by ghost Lien.

Lien shouted." Ah we meet again! you were a coward then and you are a coward now!" But ruined it by apologizing if that was too mean.

"I'm not running away! I mean I am running away . . . . . but i'll be back with deadly kettles! . . . ." Jaime shouted.

Tib didn't know if he should stay or go or run or what.

*On the bridge*

"Please don't tell me my crew is playing games on the holodeck during work hours again." Manuel sighed.

"I believe they are." Decon replied.

Manuel looked dissapointed "Man those blokes never invite me, I-" He was cut off by the graveyard scene before him.

It was still the bridge, but it wasn't. Decon was sitting on a tomb using a casket as the helm. Ince was sitting nonchalantly on a stone chair next to him with a skeleton perched on his lap. They simply went on as usual, so casual like this was completely normal for them.

Manuel tried getting their attention but to no avail.


When Tib awoke he instantly recognized the jungle he was in. This was where he lost his beloved Anavrin. She was now only a green crystal shard after her death. He kept it in his room safe.

Startled he got up and ran over to poke Stefondro. But his best friend simply sat on a rock with Rev next to him and laughed as if all was well and funny.

He hurriedly looked for Jaime or Lien or anybody. " Guys! this isn't funny! you know I have issues right? Right?!"

"Guys?"

"Trillien?!" Lien was hovering in the air a few feet above the ground. His faced masked in a grimace like the world was gonna end. He then pulled his bug eyed glasses out of his vest, put them on and smiled like he won some kind of achievement.

Tib turned around and- " AH!"

"AHH!"

"AHHH!"

"AH. . . . . !"

"AH!"

". . . . Ah. . . ."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

This went on for a while, but stopped cold when Tib just high pitched squeeled it. Tarvek put his hands over his ears and then over his heart a little shaken by that display. Tib simply fainted.

All the while Jaime sat cross legged behind a group of shrubbery, unseen, unmoving, with a smile only a twin brother could love, glowing green crystal shard in hand.


Decon wandered the mansion. He found himself here and Manny and Ince sat at the dining room table and talked the ship talk acting as if nothing was peculiar in the slightest. He checked rooms. Found a disco ball upstairs. Took notes. Reminded himself to return later for the disco ball.

He opened a few more doors and found Tib laying in a bed in one. He looked to be sleeping. Decon didnt bother to check.

Found Lien hovering in mid air in the hall. Jaime was cross legged behind a couch. Couldn't find Stefondro anywhere. Decon also found his way outside to look up and see something glowing on the roof. It was green. It looked to be a glowing green crystal shard.


Rupert rummaged his office. Which strangely enough wasn't his office anymore. It was an old lab and definatley not his.

He chalked this up to mistaking his morning vitamins for very very very very very strong hallucinogens. Incredibly strong.

He rummaged for his bible, but as he lifted a cloth off a dusty table, sneezed five times in a row, he found a glowing green crystal shard instead.


Jaime held on to his green crystal shard tightly. He found it a while ago in the old well his twin brother Skip fell in when he was four. He was on the phone with Skip now, who seemed to be the only person talking back.

" No everything is fine Skip, something weird is happening to me!" "Yes to me." "Yes not you, me." "I told you what- no!"

"Well Jaime im glad everything's ok and alls good and perfectly normal over there bro."

" Jose! Skip . . . . it's really not, my friend is floating in the air, there is no responses, and i'm at our moms house."

"Jaime that's great visiting mom and all that!"

"No, I wasn't here earlier."

"Yeah, it's a heck of a drive isn't it."

"No! like 3 minutes earlier!"Jaime was beginning to realize he was on his own. " I'll um let you get back to your sculpting bro, dont over work your hand might fall off and well you know i'll have to tell mom . . .and yeah."

Skip thought that was hilarious. It really wasn't. Jaime hung up. Just trying to make the best of things.


After prodding just about everyone, and everything, on the ship, a little harshly I might add, Ince gave up.

Yes he was still on the ship but nothing was right. The colors were wrong. He removed Manny from the captains chair and rolled him onto the floor on his side. He simply maneuvered back into a sitting position and sat on the floor as if he was still in his chair.

Which was now pink. And made of soft fur.

Ince tried to pretend he wasn't enjoying the softness. But who was he fooling, there was literally no one to fool. He smiled a little.

"Enjoying yourself?" A voice came from the turbolift.

Ince shot up and immediately morphed into some kind of carnivore ready to tear up whoever dare catch him in a soft moment. Literally.

Mayra shrieked and held her hands up. Ince ,coming to the conclusion a pregnant women was of no threat, morphed back.

" What. Is. " He hissed.

Manny and Decon were having some sort of backward conversation about three way mindmelds and progress in losing only one poor soul that one time last week on that one day in a dark room with candles.

Suddenly Mayra screamed.

"What! What's wrong!?" Ince yelled ready to fight.

"The baby! The baby is coming now!"


Trillien was terrified of his next step. Could be fatal. Might not be. He thought putting his glasses on might help but did absolutely nothing for the situation. It was like he was walking through air, except there were clouds.

And he took comfort, but only about 4% of comfort,(The other 96% was utter helplessness.) out of the fact he hadn't fallen through one yet.

He could see Stefondro gradually sinking through a cloud. If you can differentiate white hair from cloud that was most definatley him. Glasses were good for something afterall!

He saw Rupert, Tib, Ince, Manny, Decon, just everyone because everything was just clouds and sky. And nothingness.

Even when he got close enough to tug Stefondros hair no reaction came. He had lost his voice from yelling to everyone across the vast clouds. The only thing he could do was head toward the only other thing that stood out.

A shiny glowing green spec in the distance. He took one cloud at a time.


The drizzling rain made Stefondro irritable.

He'd had enough of whoopin Tibs sorry butt through the snowy mountainside for not answering him.

On the positive he found his beloved white and blue griffin Oniak bounding through the snow.

"Oh good boy! Daddy has no time for games." With that he vaulted onto Oniaks back and took off down the mountainside.

Oniak jumped off the cliff, spread his wings , and . . . . . . . . . . fell straight down the mountainside.

Screeching in fear he tried to recover and take to the air but to no avail.

They both hit the rocks in an uncontrolled tumble.

To Stefondros credit he tried to at least look graceful.(For who, I really dont know.) Until his face bashed into a sharp rock.

Blood poured down his face blinding him as he kept falling without the slightest hint of grace.

*Tib in the jungle*

"-and it's really really important, very important. You see the stress on VERY? I can't stress the very enough, about how important it is that we do this." Tarvek took a breath.

That was the tenth time he tried to explain to Tib what was going on.

Tib stared at him from the jungle floor. All he heard was gibberish. Something about pizza and lemonade.

He smacked the left side of his head. Maybe that will get his ear device to work with him. He bashed it again. And again. Too hard. Too soft. Waaaay too hard. *Slap* *Slap* *SLap* Till all Tarvek could see was Tib sitting on the ground smacking himself upside the head twenty times.

Tarek reached an arm down. Tib took it in a man clasp and was pulled to his feet.

Tarvek was talking way too fast, Tib couldn't understand. So he just started walking.

He walked past Stefondro. Tarvek stopped and started explaining to Stefondro who was now cradling Rev and pointing and laughing. Tib looked back, saw this scene, and clapped loudly.

When Tarvek broke his rant and looked over Tib simply shook his head no.

Then blood started running down Stefondros face in streams as he laughed. Tarvek backpedaled.

Tib ran over and tried frantically to wipe it off, but it just kept coming.

A newly determined (and hungry) Tib grabbed Tarvek by the shirt and started to run. But then he just whip lashed backwards and fell with a thud at Tarveks feet.

He got up, gave a glare at the unbudging Tarvek, and dusted himself off. " I never glare at anyone, so take this as a gift from me to you."

Tarvek ignored that comment and tried to comprehend the gruesome situation. He turned away from Stefondro and all the blood.

Tib Flexed and tried again. But this time Tarveks shirt tore and sent Tib tumbling into the shrubbery.

He found himself in a somewhat compromising position atop Jaime.

Then he noticed the crystal shard. " Hey! that min-" As he lunged for it and tried to force it out of Jaimes arms, the shard discharged a blast of energy that sent Tib flying.

*Graveyard ship with Manny*

"Ince! please don't tell me you havn't noticed there is a skeleton sitting on your lap. . . . "

Nothing.

"Well I guess you don't have to say anything at all."

Nothing.

"We wouldn't want you to strain yourself too hard by speaking now would we. . . . . . . . ."

Nothing.

"SAY SOMETHING!" Maniel shook Ince around. "THats an Order!"

The skeleton jiggled off Inces lap and fell onto Manny. "Blasted!-" He instinctively flung it toward the graves where it broke into pieces.

One piece caught his attention. It looked like a glowing green crystal shard.

*Mansion with Decon*

Decon climbed past the second story window. One more story to go until he got to the roof.

It didn't take him long at all for if he could professionally dance he could scale a mansion.

Standing on the roof he looked to his left and saw a ladder.

He narrowed his eyes then just mumbled something like vulcans don't need ladders and he didn't use it on purpose, but definatley knew it was there the whole entire time. The ENTIRE time. Ever since he started. . . . . Yes he most definatley knew.

He picked up the shard and studied it. " Interesting."

He looked around to make sure nobody heard that. Because he definatley never talks to himself.

He started to climb back down the mansion, not even touching the ladder just to prove a point.

*The lab with Rupert*

"Blimey!this is amazing, But what is it?" Rupert said as he studied the shard he found. And because he usually always talks to himself.

He sneezed three more times. Suddenly the shard began to hover. He threw his scanner in a frenzied panic, grabbed the shard and it pulled him out the door and into the abandoned hallway.

*Jaime at his moms house*

"Hello?" Jaime knocked on the door frame. " Is anyone in here?" "Mom?"

"OMG!" A voice screeched.

Jaime jumped five feet in the air and screamed.

"Honey! Im so glad your here visiting!"

"Mom!" Jaime ran and hugged his mother. He still had the shard safely stuffed inside his jacket.

""You never write you mother!" She said with a scolding finger and a harsh mom tone. Her son coward at the thought of it.

"Oh but honey I baked some cookies, come have some, your so small and fragile looking." She hurried to get them.

Jaime found a mirror and checked his muscles. He stood up straight and tried to buff out. He managed to look like a fish.

His mom strode back in. He pretended he was just fixing his hair. He grabbed a cookie.

" So mom have you seen Skip recently?"

His mom dropped the cookie platter with a crash. " Hon- Honey, Skip . . . . ."

Jaime put his cookie down. "What is it mom?"

"Honey. . . . . Skips been dead for over twenty years."

Jaime started to back away slowly towards the kitchen. " No. . . "

His mother tried to rest a hand on his shoulder but he quickly shrugged her off.

"Oh, honey." She said walking ever closer as he backed away. " Little Jose never made it out of that well alive."

"Thats a lie! he made it! I just talked to him earlier!"

" Oh but honey he didnt, your just delusional thats all." She had no emotion on her face.

Jaimes back hit the edge of the table where a lonley kitchen knife lay. "You're not my mother!"

He grabbed the knife and right as his mother lunged stabbed her in the shoulder. His mother howled and screeched and transformed into a giant grayish green insectoid. Before he had a chance to react Its clawed hand smashed Jaimes chest and sent him crashing through the kitchen window.

He landed on his head with one of his legs still impaled through the window glass slicing his body with every move.

The wall next to him burst outward. " Giiiiivvveeeee meeeee theeeee shaaaaaarddddd." It hissed.

Jaime only a few feet away ripped his leg out leaving a bloody gash. He scrambled to his feet as quickly as possible and began a strange limp run the heck away from there.

The insectoid jumped in front of him and he fell backward the impact knocking the wind out of him.

It grabbed him by the neck with clawed hands and with on buzz and a leap dangled him over the old well.

"TheeeeeShaaaaaarrrrrrdddddNnoooooowwwwww."

*On the ship with Ince*

Ince helped Mayra get comfortable on the floor. As far away from Manny as possible. Because he was acting creepy. . . . .and so was Decon. Atleast Decon was still in his chair. A pretty yellow flower chair.

There was also a new occurence. Decon and Manny were both clasping green crystal shards to their chests. They did not have them earlier.

Ince tried to take Mannys from him 7 minutes earlier but was brutally zapped into a puddle. It took him a little over 5 minutes to get himself together. Mayras incessive screaming wasnt helping.

*Lien in the clouds*

Lien belly crawled over to the shard and pushed his glasses up his nose. The shard was on very thin wisps of cloud. So Lien thought screw walking we'll do this the hard stupid looking way.

He reached out and brushed it with his fingertips. Almost, if he could just- The shard toppled over and rolled just out of reach.

Lien sighed. He terrifyingly pulled himself up a few more inches, reached out annnnd . . . . . . . The shard rolled into open sky.

"Daaarnitdarnitdarnitdarnitdarnit." He punched the cloud in frustration. His fist went right through bringing his face to rest on the fluffy softness. He could sleep like this.

This was all probably just a dream anyway. As he closed his eyes he felt something cold roll under his hand that wasn't dangling beneath the clouds.

"Oh. Well that was easier than i thought, hehe all i had to do was go to sleeeeeee-" The shard dragged him down through the clouds. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

He didn't dare let go or he'd die. Yes he came to the scientific conclusion hed certainly die. "EEEEeeeep! EEEEEEEP!"

It was like the shard was dragging him with a purpose.

*Stefondro in the snow*

Stefondro awoke to digging. Something was digging him out of the snow he was buried in. A beak poked through.

"Daddys here good boy, Daddys here!"

Oniaks beak grabbed hold of Stefondros shirt and yanked him out. The blood had frozen to his face but atleast it had stopped. Otherwise he seemed to be alright.

He checked Oniak for injuries but he seemed fine too just a few cuts.

Stefondro reached around his back for Rev. Rev was gone.

"Oh My GODS! REV! REV NOOOO Don't do this to me please! you can't!"

Oniak tilted his head in wonder. As Stefondro dug like a rabid badger throigh the snow Oniak sniffed the bow out behind a rock and squaked.

Stefondro froze what he was doing on all fours. Then he ran to rock as fast as he could through the deep snow.

Rev was wedged in a crevasse.

"Good boy, reach down there and get your brother out so Daddy can give a nice long lecture."

Oniak backed up and hissed under his breath.

"Hey you listen to me and get Rev!"

Oniak growled and swiped at Stefondro.

" Hey!. . . . wait a minute You tell me just who the heck you are cuz you sure as heck aint MY Oniak, he'd never swipe at his master!"

Oniaks eyed grew wide. Stefondro picked out an arrow from his pack to weild alone. Oniak lunged from the front.

Ready to impale the imposter Stefondro gripped the arrow tightly. Oniak missed him but sailed behind and grabbed Rev by his insectoid head just before a chunk was bitten from Stefondros skull.

Oniak turned with a beak covered in yellowish blood. He nuzzled Stefondro as the headless body dropped lifless.

Stefondro was taken aback. " Well. . . . I uh *Ehem* i''m sorry."

Oniaks ears perked up.

"I said I was wrong. . . . . . . . . "

Oniak licked Stefondros face leaving spit dripping off Stefondros chin. "Yeah Yeah, but that doesn't help find the REAL Rev!" He pointed feircly and Oniak bounded in a search.

*Jaime at his "Moms" house*

Jaime always thought he'd go out choking on a raisan or something. Not at all like this. This is how he imagined Skip would go . . . . . . . . . . .

Claws squeezed around his neck, he couldn't get in a single breath. He kicked his legs at the creature as he dangled over the old well.

*SPLAT*

The insectoids head exploded spraying yellowish blood all over Jaimes face. Instinctively Jaime put his arms and legs out to catch the wet mossy sides of the well before he fell to his death.

After gasping for a while and slowly sliding down farther, he started to inch back up like a spider.

He quickly realized he needed to do more push-ups or something. He dragged himself out of the well, up up and over.

He patted his jacket, the shard was still intact. He didn't particularly care why the insectoid just up and died. He didn't get a chance to find out. His shard took off pulling his jacket and him along with it.

He got dragged by Lien, who was still floating in the air, but slowly sinking down like a beautiful autumn leaf. And he had an identical shard.

"Wha-?" Jaimes train of thought collapsed for a second as his shard zipped left.

"He didn't have that before! Not fair! Why isn't his dooooooing thi- AHHHHHHHH!" It zipped right.

Jaime was holding his jacket closed along for the ride. Coupons, take out delivery numbers and spare change leaving a trail behind him.

*Tib in the jungle*

Tib grabbed the second manclasp from Tarvek that day and got to his feet. "Ooooooooooo-"

Tarvek crossed his arms " Tib stop it."

"oooooops." His ear device was completely and uselessly fried from the shock. Although he couldn't hear what Tarvek was saying hes been told "Stop it" more than enough in his life to figure it out and pay attention.

As Tarvek walked back over to Jaime he was explaining once again. Tib kept rushing around in front of Tarvek to glimpse his face. Tarvek stopped when Tibs wide eyed stare was less than 3 inches from his nose.

"I we can't have you thinking every word that comes out of my mouth is about food." Tarvek then casually started to use fluent sign language while he talked as if it was a gift from god.

"Well I didn''t know you could do that!" Tib shouted a little too gleefully and alot too loudly.

Tarvek held a finger to his mouth " SHHHHHHHH-" He spit a little "You don't know whats around."

"Do you ?" Tib asked.

"Yesss"

"Who." Tib said alot too quietly this time.

"More like what."

They stopped above Jaime, who was now instead of crosslegged, sprawled on his back still clutching the shard.

Tib itched his head "Hmm wow I flung pretty darn far didn't I?"

"They disguise themselves as the things and people around you, their insectoids and can even be in two places at once." Tarvek explained making sure Tib saw every last word.

" Well how do I know YOU'RE not one of them? hmmmmm?" Tib said jabbing at Tarveks chest and awkwardly cracking his wrist on it.

" Well how do I know YOU'RE not on of them?! DON'T YOU ACCUSE ME YOU FINGER POINTING IMP!"

Tib was kind of glad he didn't hear that for reals. Because he could tell Tarvek was shouting . . . really. . . loud.

"Hehe . . . no that's definatley you, I can tell by that liiiiiiittttttle tiny vein riight there on your temple. . . . . . liiiiiitttttle tiny little vein. . . . . . might wanna get that checked . . . . . . . I think it's movi-"

"And that is most definatley you." " But see Jaimes shard." Tarvek continued.

"Yup that's Anavrin."

"What?"

"What. . . ?"

"Well that means he's found his which is good, but we can't take his we need to find our own in our own reality."

"I need to find my own Anavrin. Got it."

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"Wait where IS Jaime?"

"Who knows where he really is, this is simply a past/present version mix of him stuck in time."

" Sooo you lost me, whats simple about that again?"

"TIB, FIND THE SHARD DAAAARNNNIT!"

*25 minutes later*

Tib tripped over the log he just looked under. He was toooo hungry to looook.

Tarvek didn't give up even when he was snagged in the sticker bush for 20 minutes straight. Tib admired that. Tib could never do that.

But maybe it wasn't Tarvek at all. Obviously these creatures wanted the shards first. That fueld Tib into looking 2.5 second faster.

Tib felt a poke on his back. WA! Karate chop WA!

Tarvek held up the shard with a smirk " I have it Tib!"

Tib paniced " OH NO NOOOOO YOU GOT IT FIRST PLLEEEEEASE DON'T EAT M-"

"What?"

"What?"

"WHat."

". . . I mean . . . uh that's great! eheh."

"Ooook then. Now the shards all have to unite, the insectoids will die if they unit so they'll try to stop us, Our shard should lead us to the others."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 minutes later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 minutes later . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Annnnnnny minute now." Tarvek looked so confident it was sad.

40 minutes later.

Tib wondered if stefondro was ok. . .

*Stefondro in the snow*

Stefondro and Oniak eventually found what looked to be a crystal shard. It wasn't Rev so he didn't give it much attention whatsoever. Oniak carried it with them in his back talons.

"You know what Oniak, I probably dropped it as i was beating Tib senseless." Stefondo leaped onto Oniaks back.

"Up we go."

Oniak just stared. Stefondro held his pose a little longer waiting.

"Ooooh alright then." Stefondro began the process of rubbing Oniaks frozen wings so he could fly safely up. They did not want to repeat what had previously occured.

A half hour later they were back up the mountain. Stefondro half angry walked, half angry bounded through the deep snow to Tib.

Tib had a shard now.

"How in heck did he get that?" Stefondro questioned the air. He checked and saw that Oniak still had the one he had found.

On a positive note Rev was laying across Tibs chest.

"Oh Rev I'm so sorry, I'll never leave you alone with Tib again." He was sorry he put his beloved inanimate object through that horror.

Suddenley Oniak was squaking at the top of his lungs getting pulled by the shard. He grabbed hold of stefondros leg, who quickly grabbed tightly to Rev.

They zipped across the landscape.

*Decon at the mansion."

The ladder lay in many broken pieces. Decon had slipped off a window sill and hit the grown below with a loud thump.

The shard landed right beside his head. Which he'll only admit made him flinch a little. He then carried on and took retribution on the ladder. The ladder is no more,

Decon held the shard up, then rested it on his shoulder. He began walking the mansion yard. Once bored of that he walked back inside leaving the door ajar.

At the dining table Manny was now holding a crystal shard like his. Remembering his climb Decon narrowed his eyes, in a way he hoped Manny hadn't had an easy time getting it. But vulcans don't get jealous. . . . . .

His shard then took off through the table with Decon still attached. Decons shoulder hit Ince out of his cair and his foot bashed Manny upside the head. They fell, along with all the chairs and plates like bowling pins.

The shard zipped Decon through the front door knocking it all the way open.

*Manny on the graveyard ship.*

Manuel sat on his stone grave chair sucking on a lolly pop. He was gonna save it for later but right now the time called for sugar.

Manny had his shard on his lap, he had poked it with his broom handle at first, pet it with it just to make sure it wasn't alive, then full on assaulted the thing with over 50 blows to its nonexistent head.

He looked at the time. It was time for his daily exercise routine, he couldn't miss that.

So he had done about 25 star-jumps (Jumping jacks in Manny speak) when he realized Decon had a shard too.

Manny strutted up to Decon and compared shards. In all honesty Manny thought his was better. He smirked creepily and stroked his beard still thinking about how much better his had to be.

But he almost choked on his lolly pop when his shard took off. He literally had to run up his grave chair and leap off the back of it. He admired his own ability. But then he hit the stone railing and got dragged away on his stomache.

*Rupert in the lab hallway*

"Oh Lord! OH LORD! Oh LORDD . . . OH NO! I used the Lords name in vain!" Rupert had never ran so fast in his life, he almost hit a wall.

"OH MY GOD! oh my GOD! I did it again Oh my GOddddddd!" He covered his mouth with one hand. "BLIMEY! And again ! And again! And again!" Eventually he simply let go and ran after the thing through the hall.

It burst through a door and suddenly Rupert was standing on the bridge. Only the colors weren't quite. . . . . right.

His shard hovered over Mayra. She was screaming and Ince was hunched over her like some kind of ape.

Rupert quickly realized what was happening " Move aside! The doctor has arrived, Babys just happen to be one of my many specialtys and far be it from me to-"

"JUST HELP HER!" Ince yelled. Rupert was next to her in an instant. He pulled out a little portable bible from his suit jacket and handed it to her.

She immediately threw it against the wall.

Rupert gasped " Shame! Shame on y-" Mayra forcibly pulled him by his shirt collar " Get this baby out of me NOW! and wheres my HUSBAND! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Ince just glared at the shard hovering above them like they were long lost enemys.

*Tib in the jungle(with Tarvek)*

". . . . aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaany minute now." Tarvek said for the 50th time. He sat nect to a bush holding the shard expectantly.

Tib sat in the bush. He took comfort in cramped spaces. He plucked a berry and almost had it in his mouth when a hand slapped it away.

"Dont' you eat that! YOU INSULT ME! here eat on of these babys. deluctible goodness." Tarvek held out a choice of two red berries.

Tarvek had a thing about having one poisonous berry and one not to choose from. Some sort of old romulan test.

Tib thought about this and carefully came to the conclusion that it was a terrible idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to not eat one.

He picked one and ate it happily. Thankfully with no consequences.

The shard started to move. "Oh here we go enjoy the ride!" Tarvek grabbed Tib in some kind of manly shoulder hug. Off they went.

*On the pretty colored bridge.*

As Rupert was busy with his "Baby specialty" Ince heard alot of yelling and screaming that wasn't Mayra.

Sounded like a bunch of terrified school girls.

*BAM!* He ducked as Lien came sailing through the door attached to his shard like it was his life. The crystal smashed into the one hovering with enough force that should have sent Lien flying off, and possibly to the emergency room. But Lien hung on to that thing with a vice grip. His glasses hung off his ear.

"You can let go now Trillien." Ince said cross armed.

"NO! I refuse!"

Ince simply shrugged.

The crystals had merged into one. One Lien wouldn't let go of.

Ince barley had time to duck when *BAM!* *BAM!* BAM!* Three more shards forced there way into the first.

Decon flew into a gracefull roll and landed on his feet. Stefondro and Oniak (Rev included) rolled into one giant ungraceful being, making one giant ungraceful scene.

Manuel was sprawling on the floor choking his lolly pop out of his throat.

Ince was ,in a way, relieved to see them all but- *BAM!* ok theres Jaime.

Jaime slammed right into Ince almost knocking him over Rupert who looked ready to protect his patient by any means necessary.

Ince didn't want to deal with that so quickly diverted as best he could and morphed into a puddle. Jaime slid safely upon him (undignifying for them both) to the other side of the bridge where the railing painfully stopped his momentum.

Lolly pop finally in hand Manuel pointed out " Oi! That blasted railing aye mate?"

"The babys almost out!" Rupert announced.

Manuel clapped once "Cheers mate! just a great job to you Randolph."

"It's Rupert sir."

Rupert finally managed to pull the baby out. He looked at it excitedly. "It's a! it's a! . . . . . . it's a . . . . . " His huge smile quickly faded into worry. " Well Blimey it's a . . . . "

"IT'S A WHAT!" Ince yelled. Lien, still hanging on to the shard above them, had his eyes covered with one hand.

". . . . . It's a green crystal shard."


"Wait what?! But Oi! don't trip over the other me on the ground! There is another me on the ground!" Manny shouted.

"There is also another me." Decon stated.

"We're some handsome blokes aren't we?"

"Yes, yes we are captain . . ."

"There is also another you sitting on a tomb somewheres."

"Fascinating. As well as another you discarded under a table."

". . . . . . . "

Ince noted there twins didn't have shards anymore, but then realized this shouldn't be their real concern at a moment like this and the conversation needed to end.

"Where's my baby! I want to see my baby!" Mayra reached out frantically.

Rupert quickly snatched it away and his it behind his body. He feigned looking at his watch. "Oh would you look at the time! . . . . it's time for . . . uh . . . stuff. . . .concerning matters. . . and things . . . .-" He looked quite flustered.

"WHERES MY HUSBAND ! TARVEK! TARVEK! " Mayra screamed. As if on que another shard burst into the room sending two people tumbling.

One managed not to hit a wall, but the other wasn't so lucky and bashed heads with Lien, succesfully removing his grip from the shard.

"Mayra!" Tarvek ran over to her as he quickly recovered from his tumble.

"Our baby! we had our baby!" She menacingly threw Rupert a glance " Give it to me!"

Tarvek was holding her hand.

Tib rubbed his head and looked around. " Are we late?"

Manuel smiled nervously at him " Tardy to the party i'd say mate."

Tib didn't understand a word of that.

Tarvek kept trying to take the "baby" but Rupert, flustered as ever, kept hunching and turning the opposite way. Hunching and turning. Hunching and turning and hunching and . . . . . getting it ripped from his hands.

Tarvek held the shard. Marya was still trying to get a good look around him. Tarvek quickly realized this obviously wasn't his baby and that this was the last shard to make everything normal again.

He had to get it to join with the others before the insectoids could get to it first.

" Give me my baby ! NOw! " Marya shouted.

"I'm so sorry dear." He held it up to the other shards. " Ill expl-" But then a misshapen hand grabbed his wrist. Behind him he heard a huge commotion and bodies hitting the floor. He turned and was looking into his wifes eyes, but what came out of her mouth was anything but her.

" Nooooo neeed tooooo exxxplaaaainnnn giiiiive mmmmeeee theeee shaaaaaaarrrrd." It hissed. Fangs started to form making Mayra look ever more like a monster.

"Nevah!" He shouted as he threw the shard to an unsuspecting Tib, who caught like a hot potato, he didn't know what to do so he threw it to an unsuspecting Jaime.

Jaime could only focus on the thing plowing towards him and threw it to n unsuspecting Lien. Before Lien could catch it Stefondro leaped across it's path and grabbed it, threw it to Oniak who then had it clamped tightly in his beak.

Stefondro stood ready, bow and arrow pointed at the insectoid/Mayra.

The insectoid then fully morphed into its true form.

A bible came flying out of nowhere and hit it in the back of its head. It slowly turned as if to go after the source.

"Good shot there Walter!"

Rupert was to frozen with fear to correct him.

Feinting an attack toward Rupert it swung around and lunged at Decon instead. An arrow sailed towards it, but missed causing Ince to duck for the fourth time that day.

Manuel jumped on its back and tried to bring it to its knees. Jaime was wondering why its head hadn't exploded yet.

It screeched in rage but otherwise ignored Manuel and tried to get to Oniak and the shard.

Stefondro slid between its legs jabbing an arrow straight up through its jaw, giving Ince his moment to jump onto its back and wrap his arms around its neck.

Decon got hit by a stray claw cutting a thin green line across his ribs. He managed to avoid the rest of the blow which would have probably took his head off.

Rupert was trying to stay behind Tarvek, but Tarvek wouldn't quit moving around the room.

Tarvek made it over to Oniak and had the shard in his hands within a second. Tib and Jaime had crawled together over to where they were directly under the hovering shard.

"Hey!" Tarvek shouted.

Jaime stopped favoring one of his legs and looked. Tib kept crawling.

"Catch!" Tarvek threw the shard to Jaime. The Insectoid leaped into the air swiping at it, but Ince threw most of his weight on its head causing it to miss completely. And also causing Manny to catapult off an land upside down against the wall.

Lien belly crawled over to help him. Belly crawling made him feel safer.

Jaime panicked and tried to force the shards together , but they wouldn't go.

Tib pulled a crawling U-turn, got up, staggered, then ran and jumped at it bashing the shards together with the force of his body. He landed on Jaime who thought the monster had him and started kicking the best he could.

"NOooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo!" The insectoid started to shake and then burst into flames. leaving the carpet ablaze. And a little bit of Inces jacket.


*FLASH*

Everything was white for a moment. The burning bridge was no more. Everything was back to the way it was.

Tib started to cough and keel over. . . . .

Manuel sighed. " You ate the poison berry didn't you?"

Tib fell to the ground.

"Yep, he ate the poison berry. . . . Alphie!" Manuel called.

"Rupert sir!"

"Get everyone put back together." He pointed to everyone on the bridge but his finger lingered on Tarvek. He gave him the " you and me are going to have a talk" stare. He was good at that stare. He admired himself.

Rupert looked around at everyone. " yeah, you fellas look a mess. Why didn't you simply let go of the shard and follow it instead of getting dragged across who knows what on your faces. . . thats what I did." Everyone refused to make eye contact. Especially Lien.

Manuel clapped his hands once again. " Sooo who thinks they had the worst time of it?"

Everyone (even Tib) raised their hand except Decon. . . . . . . who then slowly raised his hand cuz he didn't want to like miss out on anything.

Jaime was on the phone with Skip. He was smiling nervously and nodding. The voice on the other end sounded giddy as ever talking about how he wished he'd been there to say hi to Mom and eat moms cookies and hug mom and mom mom mom.

"Ehehe yeahhh . . . . . well . . . . Mom says hi." With that he hung up.

"One more very important thing." Manny said holding up a finger, and sucking on a lolly pop. " Someone call Admiral Sheldon and get some fire extinguishers on this bridge." He glanced at Inces burnt jacket. " You know just in case."