Terra

by KrissyKat91

A new family moves in next door to the Tenryous. Metabee meets their Medabot and falls hard for her.

KrissyKat91: I DID NOT WRITE THIS STORY! The most I've done to it correcting some grammar and spelling mistakes, reworking sentence structures, and adjusting paragraphs. This is something that my sister, kaileytmarie, wrote a loooong time ago, back when Medabots was first airing. She thinks it's terrible. I think it's cute. And one of the unfinished stories I haven't posted yet ties into it, so I kind of have to post it. So without further ado...

Terra

"Hey, Ikki, who are those guys?" Metabee had been up for about an hour watching three hefty men move furniture into the house beside theirs. "Why are they putting all that stuff in that old house? I thought no one lived there."

"There's a family moving in. Those are the movers. They're helping the family with the furniture." Ikki opened his mouth to take another bite out of his doughnut. "Come on, Metabee. If we don't leave soon we'll be late for school."

"You mean you'll be late. I don't actually have to go to school. I could just stay here if I wanted to." Metabee sat down on the sofa and turned the T.V. on.

"Fine, but remember, the new kid is going to be at school and that kid might have a Medabot. And that Medabot might be good at Robattling, but if you want to miss out on a new Robattle, then you can just stay here."

Metabee kicked Ikki out the door. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE! WE'VE GOT A ROBATLE TO GET TO!" The yellow Beetle type Medabot grabbed his Medafighter's wrist and started running.

Once the two reached the school, there were only two minutes before class. They decided that they would wait to challenge the new kid and go to class instead.

Ikki's teacher was out sick and Coach Mountain was subbing. Mountain looked at the class and spoke. "Class, we have a new student." Ikki looked up at the monster of a teacher. Coach Mountain went on. "This is Shani Hil," he announced pointed to the girl at his side.

Her light blond hair hung to the middle of her back. She used a headband to keep her bangs out of her crystal blue eyes. She wore a blue polo shirt, dark brown Capris, and white sneakers.

"Her parents recently moved here from America and are working at the Medabots Corporation. I expect you all to welcome and be kind to her." Mountain turned to Shani. "Have a seat."

"Thank you, sir." Shani sat at the desks closest to Ikki. "You must be Ikki Tenryou. I believe we're neighbors."

Ikki nodded.

"I saw your Medabot watching the movers through the window. That was your Medabot, wasn't it?"

"His name's Metabee. Do you have a Medabot?"

Shani smiled and nodded.

"You can see her later. I promised my parents that I would leave her at home until I finished fixing her tin-pet."

After school Shani, Ikki, Erika, Metabee and Brass walked to the Hil's house.

It was an average size house with an extraordinary yard. The bushes were perfectly trimmed and covered in blooming flowers. The fence, which had been an old, rotten boundary line that morning, now looked brand new. There was a fountain on one end of the yard surrounded by roses and lilies that caused a sweet aroma throughout the property.

Shani walked up the steps to the front door and opened it. "Come on inside." The blond gestured for the door. "Mom's been making cookies. You guys should try one."

The kids walked into the house and were immediately struck by the sweet smell of melted chocolate and peanut-butter. Unfortunately, before they could reach the kitchen, Ikki and Erika were tackled by a St. Bernard.

"Tiny! No! Bad dog! Get off of them!" Shani grabbed Tiny's collar and dragged him to the back door. "Sorry about that. Tiny is a little over affectionate."

"It's no problem," Ikki said, smiling. "I have a dog, so I'm kind of use to it."

Erika looked around the room. There were a few small boxes stacked in the corner, but other than that, the room looked perfect.

There was a fire place surrounded with stone, the walls were a rich red color with beautiful, white crown molding and the floor was covered in cherry wood. The main light was a chandelier and the furniture went perfectly with the room.

"For someone who just moved in this morning, you have a whole lot done," Erika commented.

Shani smiled. "Terra had a lot of time on her hands. She did do a good job, didn't she?"

The others nodded. "Okay, let's get some cookies, and then I'll show you the house. With any luck we'll find Terra."

Brass looked up at Shani and asked, "What type of Medabot is Terra?"

"Yeah," Metabee chimed in. "And is she a good Robattler?"

"Good? Back in America we were the best. We never lost. Not even once, but some stuff happened so we couldn't make it to the WRC." Shani gave a small smile and added, "By the way, she's an Earth type Medabot."

"'An Earth type Medabot?'" Ikki scratched his head, confused. "I've never heard of an Earth type."

Erika's journalist instincts kicked in as soon as she heard the phrase 'some stuff happened'. "What do you meant stuff happened? What kind of stuff? Are you guys escaped convicts?!"

"What?" Shani jumped at the accusation. "No one in this house has done anything wrong. There was just a small accident and we couldn't make it to the championship. That's all."

"What kind of accident?!" Erika shouted. "A reporter needs to know these things!"

"I'm afraid that Mrs. Hil made Shani promise not to talk about it."

The visitors were awestruck by the sight of the Medabot. She was unlike anything they had seen. Her armor was a cool, sea green color and her eyes were the most beautiful shade of pink. They sparkled in the light and looked as if one could pear into the very life of the bot.

She had arms and legs like Metabee and Brass and her tin-pet looked brand new. She had no visible weaponry and yet just the sight of her told Ikki and Erika that she was built for battle.

"Terra," Shani began "this is Ikki and his Medabot, Metabee. They were in the WRC, remember?" Terra nodded. "And this is Erika and her Medabot, Brass." Shani turned her blue eyes to her guests. "Guys, this is my Medabot, Terra."

"It's nice to meet you." Terra's voice was gentle and sweet. She approached the other Medabot as gracefully as a human princess from a fairy tale. Her eyes again twinkled in the light. She strode past Metabee and Brass and stopped beside Shani. "Would you like me to continue working in your room, Shani?"

"Actually, I think Mom could use your help with the landscaping. Be sure to come back in once you're done. Ikki and Metabee are our neighbors, so you might want to get to know them a little better."

"Of course, Shani." With that, Terra was gone.

Ikki looked at Shani in pure awe. "That was the most beautiful Medabot I've ever seen."

"She was more beautiful than a Mermaid type Medabot," Erika agreed.

"Someone pinch me. I must be dreaming." Metabee had started to swoon at the very sound of the bot's voice.

"Excuse me, Miss Shani." Brass looked up at the fair skinned girl. "Where did you get Terra? I didn't even know that there were Medabots like her."

"Actually," Shani said, smiling shyly, "I built every part of her."

"You what?! This is the biggest story ever! Tell me how you did it. This is going to make me the most famous reporter in Japan!"

Shani looked at Erika nervously and spoke to Ikki. "Does she usually act like this?"

"Pretty much," Ikki said, rolling his eyes.

"Miss Erika, please calm down. You're about to hit the shelf behind you."

Metabee looked around the house for a few seconds before asking, "So, Shani, where exactly did Terra go?"

"Hm? Oh, she's helping my mom in the back yard. Come on guys. The kitchen is this way."

Shani walked her new friends throughout the house. The building was about as beautiful as a mansion. Erika decided to write an article about Shani, both to help people get to know her and because she was hoping to find something out about the accident.

After the tour, not to mention two plates of Mrs. Hil's famous cookies, Ikki and Erika invited Shani to hang out with them for the rest of the day. Metabee made it very clear that Terra would be more than welcome to hang with them also.

Shani merely looked at the floor of her home and shrugged. She had promised her mother that she wouldn't take Terra out of the house for a while. Brass made the suggestion that she ask her mother if it would be okay as long as they didn't Robattle, but Shani had a feeling that it wouldn't happen. "I'll try it. You guys can stay in the living room while I talk to her. Be right back."

Erika pulled out her note book and started writing as soon as Shani had left. She was going to find out every detail of how the strange Medabot was created and make Shani Hil popular. "This is going to be the biggest story I've ever written. I hope Mrs. Hil will let Shani tell us what happened."

"Well, I hope she'll let Terra come. I wanna give her a tour of the town. Metabee style." The yellow bot started to swoon as he spoke. "We'll start by visiting all the best Robattling areas, move on to the town's shops and restaurants, and end with a relaxing walk by the river at sunset," Metabee sighed dreamily.

"I don't get it, Metabee," Ikki started. "I thought you said Oceana was your one true love."

Metabee shook his head. "The whole long distance relationship thing isn't really working out for me. Hey, here comes Shani."

Shani walked into the room, beaming with delight. Terra walked in behind her. Metabee later told Ikki that he was sure Terra's eyes were twice as beautiful when she found out she could leave her house. "My mom said that as long as Terra and I don't Robattle or get into any trouble we can come."

Metabee speedily ran to Terra's side, causing the sea green Medabot to take a step back. "Great!" he exclaimed. "Now you can have the Metabee style tour you've only dreamed of!" The KBT grabbed Terra's hand and pulled her out the door.

He is so going to annoy me.

Ikki led the way through town while Erika asked Shani numerous questions about her life in America.

Metabee walked shoulder to shoulder with Terra. The strange Medabot started to get annoyed and tried to keep some distance between them, but in doing so she tripped. Metabee dove to the ground and pulled her up. He asked Terra if she was okay over and over again. The Earth type became even more annoyed when Metabee wouldn't let her go.

She leaned over to Brass and asked, "Does he do this to everyone, or am I just easy to bug?"

Brass shrugged. "He's only done it one other time that I know of."

"Great," Terra said sarcastically. Her shoulders dropped and she returned her attention to creating distance between herself and Metabee.

Their first stop was everyone's favorite store. Henry was putting a few tin-pets on display in the window when he saw the kids approaching.

His jaw dropped when he saw Terra. The clean cuts; the perfectly rounded and smooth metal was unlike anything he had seen. Ikki waved at him, but all Henry could do was stare. They walked into the store and said hi.

Henry walked over to Terra and bent down to look at her. "I've never seen a Medabot as beautiful as this." Terra blushed. "Whose is it, Ikki?"

"This is Shani and that's her Medabot, Terra. They're our new neighbors." Ikki smiled and went on. "Oh, and get this. Shani built Terra by herself. She never actually bought a tin-pet."

Henry gasped. "Really?" He looked from Shani to Terra and back to Shani. "You made her? How?"

"It really isn't that big of a deal." Shani smiled. "Medabots really aren't that complicated when you understand the way they work. I'm sure that if you tried, you could build one too."

Erika pulled out her camera. "Hey, Shani, I meant to ask if I could take a few pictures of Terra for the school paper."

"That's not up to me."

Erika looked down at the beautiful bot and smiled. Terra looked up at her and shrugged. "I don't know how it could cause any problems, so sure. Go ahead."

The brunette beamed. "Thanks, Terra. Metabee get out of the way." Erika pushed Metabee away and started taking picture after picture.

"Hey! You never asked me if you could take Metabee's picture when I got him!"

Erika ignored Ikki and continued snapping photos. Henry and Shani stood off to the side talking about Terra.

"Well, she's obviously a rare Medabot. Does she have a rare Medal?"

"Actually, I kind of figured out how to make a medal, so, in a way, yeah."

"YOU MADE HER MEDAL!?" Henry froze with his mouth wide open.

Erika and Brass jumped back and gasped.

Ikki's jaw dropped and Metabee voiced the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"Dude, is there anything you can't build?"

Terra took hold of Shani's arm and pulled her out of the store. They ran down the street and ducked into an alley way.

"Are you insane?" the bot harshly whispered. "You're not supposed to tell anyone about me. That's why we keep having to move."

Terra stared at her inventor angrily and crossed her arms. Before Shani could answer, Terra pushed her behind a dumpster and, literally, disappeared.

Ikki, Erika, Henry and the Medabots ran past the alley, calling for the runaways. Shani was about to answer them, but felt a cool, steel hand cover her mouth.

After a few seconds of silence, Terra reappeared in front of her, still scowling. She removed her hand from Shani's mouth and allowed the girl to speak.

"Don't be so melodramatic, T. The guy was an expert. It was only a matter of time before he figured it out." Shani stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. "Besides, I'm sure we can trust them. They seem so sincere."

"That's what you said about Simon, Shani. You may not remember the turmoil he caused in our family, but I do." Terra turned her back to Shani.

The blond girl smiled and put her hand on her Medabot's shoulder. Her soft, blue eyes moistened as she remembered everything her family had gone through in the past. She spoke quietly to her friend and tried to contain the emotion she felt.

"I've learned since then, Terra. These people are different." The robot didn't move. "I won't tell them anything else."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now can we find them? I don't want to be a suspect for Erika to investigate or anything."

Terra looked up at her best friend. "I guess so." She then remembered Metabee. "That is, if you'll keep that beetle brained Medabot away from me. The dude is annoying."

"I think he's cute," Shani laughed.

"You don't have to deal with him." Terra remembered tripping on the sidewalk and Metabee making a fuss over it. She sighed and walked out of the alley way.

The two friends walked back to the store and waited for Ikki, Erika, Henry, Brass and Metabee. It didn't take long for them to return. They immediately started asking questions, but Shani explained that Terra thought she should get to know them better before she shared every detail of her life.

Brass questioned Terra on why she left so hastily, but before Terra could answer, Metabee was up in her face asking if she was okay.

"Terra, are you okay? You left so quickly, I thought you were going to explode or something." Metabee got too close to Terra's face. "If you ever need anything, just ask. Metabee'll be there for you."

"Thank you?" Why are you speaking in third person? Terra looked to Shani for help, but she too was being cornered and questioned. "Metabee?"

"Yes, my darling?" Metabee leaned closer. Terra took a step back.

"Um… Okay?" She looked at Shani again. Shani shrugged at her. Terra turned her attention back to Metabee. "Isn't there a river around here?"

"There's one a few blocks away. Why?"

I'm insane. In the most flirtatious voice she could come up with, she asked, "I don't suppose you would like to take me down to the river, would you?" Why in the world did I just ask that?

Metabee's eyes widened. He happily jumped up into the air with little hearts floating around his head. He then grabbed Terra's hand and pulled her out the door for the second time that day. Only the Japanese can turn their emotions into a background.

After arriving at the river Metabee started walking around, never letting go of Terra's hand. Okay, beetle brain. Let go of my hand already.

"Here it is, my darling. This river is the most beautiful thing in the town, especially at sunset, as you can see."

Metabee lead Terra down the sandbar and up onto a large rock where they sat down. The earth type Medabot gasped in amazement. "What did I tell ya? This place is great."

"It really is nice… Um, Metabee?" Terra tensed up and looked down at the sandy shore.

"You called, my sweet?" Metabee leaned closer to his interest. He could sense that she was becoming uncomfortable. "Is something wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Nothing's wrong with me." Let go, hot head! Terra spoke calmly although she didn't feel calm at all. "I just want my hand back." She looked at the other Medabots hand holding hers.

"Oh, um, uh, sorry."

You don't wanna see me angry, bub. Out loud, she said, "Metabee?"

"Yes?"

"You still haven't let go." She allowed her frustration to be heard in her voice. Metabee released her hand but scooted closer to her. After what seemed like hours of being stared at by the Beetle type (which in reality was only over a minute), Terra decided to start a conversation. "Does Ikki usually approve of you leaving without telling him where you are?"

"I don't care what he approves of. I'm my own Medabot. He's not the boss of me." The yellow bot put his arms behind his head and lay on his back. The sky had turned into a pink-ish-purple color and the stars were beginning to show their light.

Someone's being rebellious. "But without him you wouldn't have been third in the rank of Japan." She couldn't imagine talking about Shani that way. Terra wanted to disappear, but she was afraid that someone would recognize her, so she stayed with her obnoxious neighbor.

"Don't get me wrong, Terra," the KBT said, sitting up. "I like Ikki and everything. We're best buds, but I'm like the wind. No one can control me. Not even my Medafighter. I'm a liberated Medabot!"

Terra rolled her optics. "You sound like the women back in America."

She instinctively turned her head around at the sound of a twig snapping. "What was that?" She checked for heat signatures in the darkness, but found nothing.

Metabee stood up and pointed his laser cannon in the direction the noise had come from. "Who's out there?" No answer. The yellow bot lowered his arm slightly and peered into the darkness. "I'm gonna bet it was a squirrel."

"I should get back to Shani." Terra looked around nervously. "She'll be worried."

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you—"

"Call me 'darling' one more time and I'll shove your face-plate so far into the ground, it'll take years to dig you out." She looked around again. "I know you'll protect me, but we should really head back. Mrs. Hil won't let me leave the house ever again."

Metabee lowered his arm completely and took Terra's hand. Feisty, aren't you?

He lead her back down the rock, up the slope of the hill, down the road and back to her house. He knocked on the door and waited for it to be opened. Shani answered and immediately dropped to her knees and hugged Terra. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick. Mom may never let you leave the house again."

Terra started to speak, but was interrupted by Metabee. "It's my fault. I let the time get away from me. It won't happen again. I promise."

Terra walked inside the house. Shani smiled at the KBT and said, "You better get home too, Metabee. Ikki's been going crazy. His mom had to tie him to a chair to get him to stay seated."

"Really?" Metabee questioned. "He was that worried? I guess you're right. See you ladies tomorrow." He winked at the Earth type and was gone.

Shani closed the door and turned to her Medabot. "You spent this whole time with Metabee?" She smiled.

"It wasn't exactly pleasurable. Don't look at me like that. He's still an annoying bug brain."

Shani started to giggle.

"He was up in my face and asking him to show me the river was the only way I could get some space."

"Uh-huh." Shani laughed and started to walk up the stairs.

"What do you mean, 'Uh-huh'?" Terra crossed her arms.

"If you wanted space and you thought that was the only way to get it, why didn't you drag Brass along with you?" Shani asked.

"Oh," The sea green Medabot sighed. "I didn't think about that."

"Uh-huh."

'Uh-huh. Uh-huh.' Is that all you can say? I guess he is kinda cute, in a 'so annoying he'll make your processors explode' kinda way.

"Where have you been!?" Ikki screamed. He had gone ballistic as soon as Metabee stepped through the door. "Since when do you just run off like that? Someone could have stolen your Medal!"

"The love of my life wanted to go to the river," Metabee sighed as he remembered Terra's sweet voice asking him to take her out. His dream was interrupted by Ikki's ranting.

"That was completely immature, Metabee. Shani said that people have tried to steel Terra before. What if that had happened, huh? You could have put her in danger. No one would ever Robattle us again!"

"K-k-k-k-k! OKAY! I get it. You don't want me to do anything without you 'cause you're afraid something interesting might happen," Metabee sat down on the floor of Ikki's bedroom.

"It's not that, Metabee. I just don't want anything to happen to you." Ikki sat on his bed and thought about all he and the bot had been through together.

"Okay, I won't do it again. I promise."

The two friends went to sleep and dreamed about all that had happened to them since they met their neighbors and all that they might go through in the future.

Simon Skree was a tall man with an ugly scar across his left eye. Anyone who knew him knew to stay out of his way. He was ruthless and uncaring. There was only one thing he wanted and that was total world domination.

He walked into the conference room of his head quarters on an uncharted island. The rumors said that Shani Hil and Terra, his ticket to power, had been spotted in Japan. Four deadly men sat around the table and stared up at their leader.

Simon spoke quietly, but with power. "My goal and your paycheck is said to be in Japan. I want you four to find them and report their whereabouts to me. Is that clear?" The four men nodded. "Don't let them see you and don't attack them until I give the command. It is vital that you remain invisible. If the brat or her Medabot start to suspect you, I want you to lay off. Watch their every move. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the reply came in unison.

Simon's lips curled into an evil smile. "Then go."

The four assassins rose from the table, saluted their leader and left the room. Simon remained for a few seconds. He gave a small dastardly laugh and turned to leave.

Ikki Tenryou and Metabee walked up to the Hil family house and knocked on the door. They were greeted by Mrs. Hil and invited in. "I'll go tell Shani you're here." Mrs. Hil said, smiling. "Have a seat in the living room."

After seeing that her guests were comfortable the woman walked up the steps to her daughter's room. "Shani, your friend Ikki is here."

Shani opened the door. "I guess I can finish on the way to Erika's house."

"What are you doing, dear?" Mrs. Hil looked at Terra's medal in her daughter's hand.

"Terra wanted me to make sure that everything was working right. She said she had a weird feeling last night." Shani winked. "It's probably just a glitch in the programming." She placed the medal in her Medawatch.

Her mother winked back. "Probably."

"It's a glitch. Is that so hard to understand?" Terra growled.

Shani walked down stairs to the living room. "Hey, guys," she greeted happily. She noticed that Ikki was stuffing his face with cookies. "Are you ready to go, or should Metabee and I leave while you gain about a hundred pounds?"

Ikki swallowed. "Very funny. Let's go."

Shani, Ikki and Metabee left the house at nine thirty A.M. At nine thirty-five, Joseph Hertz called base to report the whereabouts of the girl. Within minutes, his three colleges, Peter Lembat, Fritz Normer and Gregory Prite waited for their opportunity to strike. Simon Skree's voice buzzed through their ear pieces.

"Wait for my signal. If you fail, it will be your heads."

Hertz and Prite walked to the bus stop on the opposite side of the street and watched their prize walk away. Lembat and Normer readied their surveillance gear and waited for the signal to follow. It had been a long time since the four had gone after the young Miss Hil. They had completely changed in appearance and were positive that they wouldn't be noticed. Still, the assassins were aware of the hunting skills of the girl's Medabot and decided to play it safe.

"It's about time you guys showed up," announced the soon to be 'famous' reporter. "Where's Terra?"

Shani pointed to her Medawatch.

"Well you should transport her body soon. I want to get some shots of Metabee Robattling the Screws and she might want to watch."

"Who are the Screws?" Shani transported her bot's body and placed the medal inside. Terra's eyes blinked to life. She looked around and dropped her shoulders in frustration when she saw Metabee approaching her.

"You remember Samantha, Spike and Sloan from school, right?" Erika asked.

"Oh! Yeah." She turned to Ikki. "Do you Robattle them often?"

"They're good for practice. Come on. They should be at the park by now."

On the way to the park a long, pink limousine pulled up beside the kids.

A boy with shoulder length, dark hair stepped out. He was followed by a girl with red hair tied back in pig-tails. The boy looked at Shani and asked who she was.

"This is my new neighbor, Shani," Ikki answered. "And that's her Medabot, Terra. Shani, this is Karin and Koji." Two Medabots stepped out of the vehicle before it drove away. "And those are their Medabots, Sumilidon and Neutranurse."

"That Medabot is amazing," Koji couldn't help staring at Terra. "Where did you find her?"

Karin looked at Shani and gasped. "You're Shani Hil! My uncle said that your parents are working for him and they say that you made your Medabot's tin-pet."

"That's not all she made," Ikki announced. "She figured out how to make Terra's medal too."

"Is that true?" Koji opened the Medabot's back panel and looked at the medal.

Before he could touch it, Terra snapped the panel back down and turned to face him. "If you don't mind, I'd rather you not touch it." Terra's voice was as sweet and gentle as ever, yet there was so much authority in the way she spoke, Koji obeyed and stepped back.

Ikki frowned. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "If Metabee had done that you would have started yelling at me for having a dysfunctional Medabot!"

"That's because you do have a dysfunctional Medabot!" Koji was fighting back.

"'Dysfunctional'?! Oh, I'm about to get Meda-busy on you!" Metabee and Ikki readied for a Robattle, as did Koji and Sumilidon.

A barrel rolled down the street and stopped between the Medafighters. The top of the wooden storage unit popped off and Mr. Referee jumped out.

"Then it's agreed!" he yelled. "This is an official submission Robattle. You know the rules. Medabots ready? RO—"

"WAIT!" Everyone turned to look at Terra. She stood with her arms crossed over her torso and a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Metabee was supposed to be Robattling the Screws in the park. This battle would be much more interesting if the Screws were a part of this Robattle too."

Erika smiled. "I get it. A battle between five Medafighters and their Medabots, instead of two. What a story. What do you think, guys?"

Ikki shrugged and Koji smiled. "It would be more fun to terminate the Screws along with Ikki. I'm in."

"What about you, Mr. Referee?" Shani's questioned. "Do you mind waiting a little longer?"

"Do I have to use the barrel again?"

"No," Karin said, smiling. "You could walk with us."

"Then I'll do it!"

At the park Terra was introduced to the Screws' Medabots. Erika explained the situation and Samantha agreed to Robattle. The kids readied themselves to give commands.

Mr. Referee gave the introduction and started the battle. Metabee immediately attacked Sumilidon and Peppercat.

Sumilidon used the shadow sword on Totalizer and the numbers dropped from five to four.

Peppercat shocked Metabee then used the same attack on Krosserdog. The numbers dropped from four to three.

Koji ordered Sumilidon to use the shadow sword on Peppercat while she and Metabee fought, but instead of hitting the red Cat type, Sumilidon was hit by Metabee. His medal ejected, to Koji's surprise.

Peppercat and Metabee faced each other. Both their tin-pets were at fifty percent damage.

Terra and Shani watched the contest with interest. If not for their little accident in the states, Terra would have been fighting at least one of the bots. Ikki and Samantha were exceptional when it came to giving commands. However, they were so involved in trying to win and showing off their skills that they failed to see the many chances they had for an easy victory.

Terra longed to join in, but knew she had been forbidden. Her tin-pet's weaponry still had a few quirks about it and her medal needed a bit more reprogramming. She looked up at Shani, who gave a quiet giggle, and rolled her eyes at the contest.

Metabee delivered the final blow and Peppercat's medal ejected. Mr. Referee stood on top of the monkey bars and declared Metabee the winner. The KBT strode over to his interest and asked, "Did you enjoy the show?"

"You and Ikki are very talented," The Earth type answered politely.

Ikki beamed. "Well, this was just a practice match. In a real competition we do much better."

"We're unstoppable!" Metabee announced.

"There's something I need to tell you, Metabee." The yellow bot's eyes widened as he waited for his love to speak. Terra's optics glittered in the sunlight. She looked straight at Metabee and spoke softly. "If I had been against you in the WRC…" She paused. "You wouldn't have lasted a minute."

"WHAT!?" Metabee threw his arms in the air, angrily. That was not what he wanted to hear.

Terra walked away from him with her head held high. She had accomplished her task. Surely he won't like me anymore. I know I wouldn't like whoever said that to me.

"K-k-k-k-k! Why you little—," The Beetle type stopped. He crossed his arms and closed his optics, slightly. "Okay, I get it. You're just playing hard to get."

Terra froze. Her shoulders sagged and her optics widened in horror. Oh, no! She slowly turned around, then jumped back when she saw Metabee's face only inches away from her. "Whoa! I-I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Very cute." Metabee grabbed Terra's hands and held them tightly. "I'm more determined than ever to prove my love and loyalty to you. I won't give up until you are more than satisfied, Terra."

The homemade Medabot laughed nervously and tried to pull away, but was unable to escape Metabee's grasp. The humans and the other Medabots were on the other side of the park showing off their moves for Shani. Come on, Shani. You're supposed to protect me. Terra looked back at Metabee and tried to come up with a reason to leave, but was so horrified she could hardly think. "I, um—"

"Shh! Don't speak." Metabee put an arm around Terra and pulled her closer. "Just enjoy our time together."

Although the Medabot could annoy the dead enough to make them jump out of their graves and run, Terra found the non-stop attention oddly enjoyable.

She tried once more to break away from her neighbor, but was unable to move. For a brief second, Terra was sure she heard something move in the bushes behind her, but her current predicament distracted her to much to check things out.

Peter Lembat sat, hidden in the limbs of one of the trees in the park, watching Shani Hil and her Medabot like a hawk. He made no sound. He moved only his eyes.

The bald man thought he would witness the power of the genius girl's machine in this friendly competition, but wasn't completely disappointed to see them on the side lines. He fought back a chuckle when this Metabee character made it impossible for Terra to get to her Medafighter.

This would be the perfect opportunity to strike. The man thought. Unfortunately, Lembat had been ordered to stay hidden. He lifted a silent camera to his one good eye and took a picture. It was immediately sent back to HQ.

A small black crow sat perched above Lembat's head. When it saw the sun's reflection on the devise, it was overwhelmed with the desire to take the shiny devise. So, it dropped from the limb and clutched the camera strap with its claws. When the poor bird realized how heavy the object was, it uncurled its toes.

The camera dropped into the bushes below. Peter wanted to pull out his pistol and shoot the bird, but he couldn't risk drawing attention to himself. Luckily, no one seemed to notice the assassin's flaw. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought.

Shani listened to everything her friends had to say and gave them a few tips on Medafighting the American way. The kids started to get hungry and decided it was time to go to Henry's shop for some lunch. Shani walked over to Metabee and Terra and tried her best to keep from laughing.

"Metabee." She choked back a giggle. "I'm sorry, but I need to borrow Terra from you."

"Well okay, but you have to promise to return her," Metabee joked. He removed his arms from his interest's body and called to her as he walked toward Ikki. "I'll see you later, Terra."

Terra shuddered. "Please tell me 'later' means in a million years."

"Doubt that," Shani replied. "You better be careful, T. You looked like you were almost enjoying that."

"You should see your optometrist. I think you have bad vision."

Shani opened Terra's back panel and took her Medal. She transported the lifeless tin-pet back to her house and walked over to the others.

At the store Shani spent most of her time messing with the small Medal. When asked what she was doing, she said, "I told you that my mom wouldn't let us Robattle until Terra was completely fixed."

Karin smiled at Shani and said, "I bet my uncle would love to meet you."

Shani's Medawatch snapped shut. "I think Terra wants to get a bit more use to this place before she has anyone examine her parts."

Terra's tin-pet suddenly appeared on the counter in front of Shani. Its back panel opened and Shani put the medal in. Terra hopped of the counter and stood beside her inventor.

Spike stared at the pair for a second, then asked, "Did she just transport herself?"

"Didn't I tell you she could do that?" The others shook their heads. "Hm. I guess I forgot. How are you feelin T.?"

"Better than ever." Terra examined her body. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sloan rose to his feet with a smile smeared across his face. "Hey, now that you have her fixed she can Robattle, right?"

"Sure. What do you think, T.?" the blond haired, blue eyed girl asked. She smiled brightly at her Medabot. Terra nodded her head.

Ikki jumped up from his seat. "In that case, I challenge you to a Robattle!"

At the park Ikki and Shani readied themselves to give commands. They had agreed to make this a display of power instead of an actual contest. Metabee glared at his Medafighter and whispered, "How am I supposed to fight her? I don't want to hurt her."

Ikki shrugged. "I'm sure she can handle anything we throw. Just imagine this is the WRC again and fight."

"You guys ready?" Shani called from across the park. She stood confidently with her Medabot at her side.

"Sure let's go!"

Karin threw a small pebble into the dirt as a signal to begin. Ikki ordered Metabee to use his laser cannons, but the bot hesitated.

"Come on, Metabee! She can take it!" Shani tried to encourage the bot.

Metabee looked at Terra. She nodded, so he started firing. The green bot immediately disappeared. When she was visible again, she was kicking Metabee in the back.

"Fire Orb, Terra!" Shani ordered.

The sea green bot clapped her hands together and slowly pulled them apart. A small ball of fire appeared and grew with every second. "Now!" her Medafighter ordered. She threw the orb at Metabee.

Ikki's mouth dropped. "Metabee, get out of there!"

The Beetle type barely dodged the shot, but managed to get back to his feet. "Seeker Missiles!" Metabee took aim and fired.

"Stay where you are!" Terra obeyed. She didn't move until the missiles were right on her.

"REPROGRAM THEM!" Shani commanded. The Earth type put her hands up in front of her. Her magnetic pulse somehow reprogrammed the weapon to turn and go straight back to Metabee.

"Metabee! Use the Medaforce!"

"I can't do that!"

"It's the only way. Use it!"

Shani spoke calmly into her watch. "Okay, T. This is his big move. When he starts glowing, you make some kind of shield. He'll be week afterward, so you have to get behind him and attack."

Terra nodded. Her eyes started to glow brighter.

Fritz Normer stood in a nearby phone booth, talking to his boss. The kids hadn't been Robattling long and already Terra's power was too much for the World Robattle Champion.

"The machine isn't guarding the girl, sir. Now would be a perfect time to strike." Normer watched the yellow Medabot start to glow. He was using what they called the Medaforce.

The short, German man watched with interest as Terra made a wall of rock appear to shield her from the blast. When the yellow Beetle type dropped to his knees, the Earth type struck. "The fight is almost over, sir. We must attack."

"Call the others," came the reply. "Take the girl and leave. Nothing more."

Normer gave the signal. Prite, Hertz and Lembat started moving in.

Terra moved in for the final blow, but froze with fear. Something bad was about to happen. "Something's wrong."

She stepped away from Metabee and scanned the area. Three figures were rapidly approaching. Are those the same men that worked for Skree?

"Metabee, attack!"

Metabee looked in the same direction as Terra. "What's wrong?"

The Earth type didn't move. She almost couldn't move. "Shani," she whispered.

Time seemed to stand still. The men jumped at Shani and put a pistol to her head. They said something about shooting her. Terra couldn't believe that her nightmare from only months ago was happening again.

A helicopter flew into sight. Someone dropped a rope ladder and the men started to climb. All the Medabot could do was watch her inventor and best friend being taken away. As the helicopter flew away, a man with a scar across his left eye tossed Shani's Medawatch down at the frightened children and laughed.

Metabee pushed himself up off the ground. No one made a noise. None of them could believe they had seen what they had seen. The yellow bot looked at his neighbor. Her eyes were dimming.

Terra dropped to her knees and started to weep. Her best friend had been taken from her. She should have been more careful. She should have never left Shani's side. Now she was gone and it was all Terra's fault.

She felt a metal hand on her shoulder, looked up at Metabee, threw her arms around him, and sobbed.

Ikki picked up Shani's Medawatch. "What do we do now?" he asked, turning to the others. No one answered. A look of shock and horror was on every one of their faces.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do." The boy was now determined and confident. "We're going to find Shani and get her back."

Koji caught some of Ikki's confidence and agreed. "That's right. We'll teach those guys not to mess with us."

"We can use my family's plane to follow them," Karin pulled out her cell phone and started dialing.

"Haven't you guys forgotten something?" Samantha rolled her eyes at the hero wannabes. "We don't know where those guys took her!"

Terra jerked away from Metabee and rubbed her eyes. "I just remembered something!" She walked over to Ikki and took the Medawatch. "Shani implanted a tracking devise in her headband. We should be able to use it to follow them, but knowing Simon he'll use some kind of electromagnetic shield to block the signal."

"Man," the KBT exclaimed. "That girl thinks of everything."

"What do you mean 'knowing Simon'?" Erika questioned. "Has this happened before?"

Terra lowered her head. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"But I—"

"SHE SAID SHE DOESN'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!" Metabee turned to look at Terra. He grabbed her hands and looked into her dimming optics. "Don't worry, my sweet. I'm gonna find your Medafighter if it's the last thing I do."

Terra looked back at Metabee and nodded. She heard Karin saying that something was ready for them, but she was to busy thinking about Shani.

She walked with Metabee wherever he lead her, though she really had no idea where she was going. Eventually she realized that she was, in fact, on a plane. Koji was using the watch to track Shani. Maybe we will find her, she thought. Time would only tell.

After several hours of flying, they lost the signal. Terra jumped from her seat and exclaimed, "They must be close! Look for some kind of island, or boat, or something."

It only took a few seconds for Spike and Krosserdog to notice a mass of green and brown, surrounded by fog, floating out in the water. Karin asked the pilot to be taken down to the island.

Unfortunately, Terra was right about the electromagnetic pulse. The plane started to shut down when they tried to land.

"Now what do we do?" Karin asked.

"We parachute down!"

The children agreed that Ikki's overconfidence had made him insane. Terra, however, thought it was a brilliant idea. She took the parachutes and strapped them to each of the kids and their Medabots. She then opened the door and pushed everyone out. Terra jumped out after them. She passed Ikki, Brass, Totalizer, Karin and then Metabee.

"Hey! Where's your 'chute?" Metabee called.

Terra continued to free-fall for a few seconds, then flew back up to the Beetle type.

"I don't need one. Specially made, remember?" She flew around the kids and made sure that every parachute worked.

The children floated down to the island and landed on a large rock near the beach. Terra stood at the highest point and scanned the area for any heat signature or movement.

"You see anything from up there?" Ikki called.

"Three squirrels, two lizards, hundreds of birds, five crocodiles, seven monkeys and many, many more animals, but no people." Her optics dimmed.

Neutranurse noticed her sadness and tried to comfort her. "Maybe we just need to go farther in. I'm sure you'll find something in there."

"Yeah," Metabee agreed. "All we gotta do is go farther back. If I wanted to kidnap a genius and keep her hidden, where would I go?"

"Good idea, Metabee." Erika put one hand on her hip and thrust the other in the air. "If we want to find Shani we have to think like the kidnapper! I say we look for a mountain with a waterfall. That would be the perfect place for a secret lair."

Terra shrugged. "I highly doubt Simon would use something as unoriginal as that, but it's a start."

She hopped down off the rock and landed in a crouched position. "There's something in the bushes." The leaves of the exotic vegetation rustled then fell silent.

The Earth type walked over to the bushes, ready to strike the whole time. She peered into the leaves and sighed. "What are you doing in there?"

A tortoise lumbered out from under the plant with a mouthful of leaves. It cocked its head to look at the humans and swallowed.

Sloan bent down to the reptile and patted its head. "Hey, little guy. You wouldn't happen to have seen a bunch of men taking our friend away, would you?"

The tortoise nodded.

"Where did they go?"

Slowly the reptile turned its head toward the sand and drew an arrow that pointed toward the jungle. It opened its mouth to yawn, then hobbled over to a palm-tree and fell asleep in the shade.

"He was helpful," Koji commented. "Okay, let's go!"

The group bolted out into the forest after discussing their search plans. Terra and Krosserdog lead the way over fallen trees, through cold rivers and around a huge bee hive.

After thirty minutes of running, not to mention their ten minute break, they found themselves standing in a meadow. The grass came up to the humans' waists, making it difficult to move.

Totalizer rolled forward and just before Terra could warn him, the Tortoise type had hit an inferred beam. An alarm went off and before anyone could figure out what was happening, someone threw a smoke bomb.

When the smelly, white cloud had diminished, the children were gone. All that was left were their Medawatches and a note.

Medabots,

I knew you would come. You are far too predictable. If you want your friends to live, you will hand Terra over to me. If you try to fight back, I will destroy each of your Medafighters.

Yours truly,

Simon Skree

PS. You have until sundown to hand her over. Ciao.

"K-K-K-K-K! JUST WAIT 'TIL I GET MY HANDS ON HIM! HE'LL WISH HE NEVER MESSED WITH ME AND IKKI!"

Metabee ripped the paper into tiny pieces then fired his laser cannons at them until there was nothing left. He picked up Ikki's watch and sighed. "Where to now, Terra?"

Terra stood silently watching Metabee express his anger. She turned to see that each of the other Medabots had either completely broken down, or found something to destroy in their rage.

She wanted to join in on their attempts to express themselves, but figured it would be better for all of them if she stayed calm. Where do we go now? If I hand myself over, Simon will let them live, but for how long? I don't like the way this is turning out.

"Terra?" Metabee waved his hand in front of her face-plate. "You okay?"

"No, I'm not okay." Terra clenched her fists and scanned the area. "Skree is planning something big. He's taking hostages. He's never done that."

"You've dealt with this guy before?"

"Only too often. He's a terrorist who's hired the world's best assassins to do his bidding. He wants Shani to help him build the ultimate weapon, but she won't."

"So, what's next?" Brass' voice was shaky. She was more worried now than she had ever been in her life. The Sailor type walked to Metabee's side and looked at Terra. "How do we find Erika and Shani and all the others?"

Terra crossed her arms, scanned their surroundings and looked at the ground. She stood there, thinking about all she and Shani had been through with Simon Skree. She remembered the horrible tragedy the man caused. She remembered as if she was there, reliving each moment, but she couldn't think about that.

Terra lifted her eyes to the Medabots before her and truthfully said, "I'm not sure. We should keep looking," The pink-eyed bot lowered her voice to a whisper. "I can't pick anything up, but I believe they are somehow watching us right now. As far as I know, their base might be somewhere around here."

Warily, Metabee looked out at the trees. "We should get the others and keep moving."

In seconds they were sprinting through the jungle again. Metabee stayed with Terra and constantly said things like, "Don't worry, we'll get them back," and, "Nothing's gonna happen," and of course, "I won't let them take you away. I'll protect you to the end." Under other circumstances Terra might have found his determination comforting. Unfortunately, the yellow Beetle type spoke when she wasn't thinking much about the danger that lay ahead.

The bots slowed to a walk. Terra joined Peppercat, Neutranurse and Brass. When asked how she was doing, the sea green warrior muttered, "When this is all over, I am going to hit him so hard."

"You mean Simon Skree?" Peppercat asked.

"More like Metabee. I've never known anyone so annoying."

"I realize his attitude can be a bit overwhelming at times, but Metabee really is very kind and caring." Brass tried to calm her friend down, but too little avail.

"If he's so kind, why doesn't he leave me alone?"

A twig snapped. Something was beside them. No one else seemed to notice though. I must be imagining things. Someone stepped on a leaf. Terra looked down. They were walking on grass. "We're being followed," she whispered.

Metabee wanted to be with Terra, so he started walking over to the female Medabots. He arrived just in time to hear his love say what no one wanted to hear. They were being followed. Followed by whom? The assassins? Evil Medabots? Maybe something else. For once, the egotistical, overconfident fighter didn't want to find out. "Let's go."

"Wait." Peppercat noticed a clearing coming up. "We'll see whatever's following us there."

"Do we want to see what's following us?" Metabee asked.

"She's right." Terra slowed down, just a little. "I don't like the idea that my enemy can see me, but I can't see it. Just make sure that everyone is ready to defend themselves."

The Medabots slowed down then sped up again. They hadn't quite made it past the last group of trees when they saw the tortoise step out of his hiding place ahead of them. He swung his head toward Terra and yawned.

Terra immediately recognized the trick at hand. This reptile was leading them into a trap. She got ahead of everyone and stopped them. Then, her pink optics glaring at the supposedly innocent creature, she shoved a fire orb out at it.

The robotic bomb exploded.

A holographic form of Skree shot out of the remaining debris. The image buzzed and faded, but was soon clear.

"You are apparently more intelligent than I thought. Sundown is in three hours." The man snickered. "I look forward to claiming my prize. Ciao."

The Medabots waited a few seconds then decided to continue their search.

Shani stood at the center of a large, dark room in the hollowed out mountain. She had been told that if she tried to escape, the support beams around her would collapse and she would be buried alive. The only source of light was from a crack in the door, twelve feet above her. She had been lowered down using a rope, but other than that, there was no way down. Unless you wanted to jump.

The door slid open. Shani shielded her eyes from the sudden light. When she was able to look up she saw Simon Skree standing at the door's threshold.

"And how is the young prisoner feeling now?" he cackled. "Does she want something to eat? Unfortunately for you, only my workers eat my food."

"What do you want, Skree?" Shani set her jaw and glared up at the man.

The man's smile faded. "I want your service. I have a plan for the fossils on this island. I need your mind to make it happen."

"What makes you think that I'll help you?"

"You have no choice." He smiled again. He looked as if he would kill the first thing that moved for sheer pleasure.

"You see, I have learned that if I want my way, blackmail is the only way." He pointed across the room.

A door that the girl hadn't noticed before slid open, revealing each of her new friends. They were bound with rope and were guarded by the biggest, most threatening thugs imaginable.

Simon spoke again. "If you don't work for me, I will have them killed. You have one hour to decide." Skree looked at the men. "Unbind them and leave them here." With that, he was gone.

The guards obeyed their leader. Each of the children were untied and left in the darkness of the room.

After their eyes adjusted to the darkness, the friends started to talk. Spike threw himself on the ground and cried, "They're gonna kill us!"

"Pull yourself together, Spike!" Samantha ordered. "Nothing's gonna happen as long as Shani agrees to help them."

"But I can't!"

The Screws gasped.

"If I help him, then thousands will be hurt. Or worse. Besides, even if I do help him, he'll end up killing you."

Erika stomped over to the blond and angrily asked, "You mean you're not going to even try to help!?"

"Take it easy, Erika." Ikki stepped in. He pushed his friend away from Shani. "She's just telling the truth."

"I'm sorry, guys. I won't let him hurt you, but I can't let him hurt anyone else. I wish I knew what to do."

Karin wiped a tear from her eye. "I wish Neutranurse was here."

The others agreed. They started to weep. Everyone wanted to see their best friends one last time, but they feared it would never happen.

The Medabots trudged through the darkening jungle. Sundown was in one-and-a-half hours, according to Skree's last message.

The tyrant had attacked the Medabots at every turn. They had all been severely injured and the electromagnetic shield around the island was making it hard to recharge.

Neutranurse had nearly wiped herself out by getting everyone else up to fifty percent. Everyone except Terra, that is.

The Earth type acted as if she was still at one hundred percent, but in reality she was close to collapsing. She would scan the surroundings, walk a few yards and scan again. She hoped that the other bots would think she was just being cautious. Terra actually just wanted to rest, but she chose to press on.

Brass, Metabee and Krosserdog walked toward the back of the group. "I'm worried about Terra," Brass whispered. "She's been stopping more and more."

"Maybe she's been injured more than we thought." Krosserdog glanced over at Neutranurse, who was being helped by Sumilidon and Peppercat, and sighed. "I doubt there's anything we can do for her, though."

Metabee watched Terra run ahead and stop to scan, but this time she seemed to drop her head for a second before she hunted. "H'm. I think you two are right, but don't worry. Metabee'll handle this. HEY, TERRA! HOLD UP!"

Brass looked at Krosserdog and shrugged. They watched Metabee sprint ahead. "I hope she's okay."

Terra noticed the Beetle type approaching and sighed. Great. He's the last thing I want to see right now. "Hello, Metabee," she said monotonously. "Do you need something?"

"We wanna know what's goin' on with you. You've been taking breaks a little too often."

Terra stopped walking. She paused for a second then spoke. "You can never be too careful." The bot sounded tired. "Just go back to the others and leave me alone, Metabee."

Terra took a step forward and collapsed. She then pushed herself up continued on.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Metabee grabbed her arm and pulled her over to a patch of moss under a tree. "What happened?"

The other Medabots crowded around the green bot. Terra pushed Metabee away and pushed herself up. "I'm fine. Let's go."

After only three steps, the Earth type's legs gave out. Blue sparks flew from her right leg then quit functioning.

"Maybe not so fine," Sumilidon said as he helped Metabee lift their injured friend. They helped her hobble back to the tree and sit down.

Terra scanned the surrounding forest before leaning back. "We don't have much time. Neutranurse, can you help me yet?"

"I'm sorry, Terra. I'm afraid I'm of little use at the moment." The pink bot's shoulders dropped. She looked at the ground and sighed.

"Perhaps we could spare a few seconds for you to repair yourself," Peppercat suggested.

Terra shook her head. "No good. We have to get them out before that blood-thirsty tyrant can choose his weapon." She looked at Krosserdog and Totalizer and said, "Don't just stand there. Help me get up."

"That was so kind of you," Totalizer commented as he took her arm and pulled up.

"Leave her alone!" Metabee demanded. "Can't you see she's hurt!?"

"Quiet, beetle brain," the green bot hissed. Her optics brightened for a second then faded to the now usual dim glow. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking to any of you like that."

Brass placed her cold, steel hand on Terra's shoulder. "We don't blame you. We're all tired and stressed."

Terra tried to walk, but failed miserably. She tried standing, but couldn't do that without using the nearest Medabot as a crutch. After a minute of attempting to push herself up, the depressed robot gave up.

"It's no use. Just go on without me. Rescue the humans, destroy wherever Simon and his cronies are, and pick me up on the way back."

"We can't do that, Terra," Krosserdog said softly. "You're our friend."

"And friends don't leave friends behind," the KBT finished the thought as he scooped up his love interest. After getting a good hold of her, Metabee set off leading the way.

"Don't think for a minute I'm enjoying this," Terra whispered once they were a few yards ahead of the others.

"I wasn't," he whispered back. "Since you brought it up, doesn't that mean you are enjoying out time together?"

Terra blushed. "Slow down, Metabee. I want to talk to someone with a functioning processor."

"See what I mean? You won't even answer the question."

She crossed her arms in frustration. "I don't really want to talk about this right now."

"Talk about what?" Metabee got a little bit louder and started to walk a little bit faster. "You and me? You're the one who brought it up, T."

Terra whipped her head around and looked straight into Metabee's optics. For a split second she felt pleasure at seeing him become a little uncomfortable with the sudden attention, but she shrugged off the feeling.

"What did you call me?"

Metabee was at a loss for words while he looked at Terra in the light of the setting sun. "I, uh, I heard Shani calling you "T" when you were being stubborn. Why?" The KBT was searched his memory for anything he might have said to offend his love when she started to cry. "What's wrong, Terra? Is it your legs?"

"I'm fine," she replied in a shaky voice. "Just keep going. There's a cave up ahead that we can rest in."

"Time's up, Miss Hil. What is your decision?" Simon chuckled menacingly. "Will you help me, or give up your friends?"

Shani stood up and glared at the evil man. She had thought long and hard about how to get out and she could only come up with one plan. "I'll help you on one condition. All my friends have to be with me, alive, at all times."

"You're in no position to be negotiating, girl." He thought for a moment and Shani knew she would win. "What harm will it do? If I see any of you doing anything other than working, I'll snap your neck. Am I understood?" The children nodded. "Good. Get to work."

Simon turned to walk away and as he did, a flight of steps jutted out of the side of the small cliff he was standing on. Shani cautiously lead the way up the steps and into a large laboratory. After her eyes adjusted to the light she was shocked to see mechanical monsters being built all over the place.

A man in a white lab coat walked up to the children and motioned for them to follow. "You will be working on the control chips that will be placed in our weapons," he began. "Mr. Skree wants total control over the machines at all times. Be aware that you will be closely monitored. If you mess up the circuitry, you will be questioned and possibly punished. This is your station." With that the man was gone.

The Medabots hiked up to the cave for a rest. Metabee placed Terra beside a bolder and sat down beside her. Peppercat, Neutranurse and Brass walked farther into the cave to look around. Sumilidon, Totalizer and Krosserdog decided to wait outside the cave and try to find any sign of a secret hideout. The current situation was not what Terra wanted.

"Well, we're alone. You want to tell me why you were crying, or am I going to have to pry the info from you myself?" Metabee inched a little closer to Terra.

"She should have disassembled me while she had the chance." Terra felt a cool liquid begin to leak from her optics and slide down her face-plate. "Then none of this would be happening."

"Hot bot say what?" Metabee asked. "What're you talkin' about?"

"After Shani built me she became pretty famous. There wasn't a Medafighter in America that didn't know her name." Terra looked down at the dirt and continued. "There were a few geniuses that wanted her to come work for them. Simon Skree was one of them. When she turned him down, Simon got so mad that he vowed to make her knowledge his.

The Hils thought they would be fine until, one night, they came home to find their house had been burned down and their son, who was home from college, was gone."

"That creep!"

"A few weeks later Skree sent four assassins to take me away from Shani. That's why she fixed her Medawatch to let me teleport on my own. I told Shani to destroy me and forget that I ever existed, but she said she would rather die."

Terra buried her face in her hands and sobbed. "Now he has Shani and Ikki and everyone else and it's all my fault. She should have never made me." Terra turned away from Metabee to cry.

Metabee stared at his love and tried to choke back the tears. "Well I'm glad she did make you." The yellow bot almost jumped out of his armor when he saw Terra's arms part and her body fall toward him in a hug. He was so shocked, he almost didn't hug back. "We're gonna get them back, Terra. Just wait."

"How can you be so annoyingly nice all the time? You're like some kind of friendly freak." Terra hugged him tighter.

"Oh, yeah, because that wasn't insulting at all." Metabee grabbed Terra's shoulders and pushed her back against the rock. "Are you okay?"

The sea-green Earth type pushed herself up more and nodded. "I'm sorry about that. I usually have more control over my emotions than that." Metabee stared at her. "What?"

He shrugged. "I was just thinking of what a great job Shani did on your armor."

Terra blushed. Metabee continued, "Your eyes are the best things she made, you know." The Hercules Beetle liked seeing her reactions. "When I first saw you, your eyes were as bright as the stars. I sure wish I could see that again."

Terra leaned close to Metabee and said, "That was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, beetle brain." She leaned back again. "If you promise to help me you might see what you want to see. Then again, everything could go horribly wrong and you may never see me again."

"Would you quit being so negative?!" Metabee screamed. He thought about Ikki's house being burned down if they made a mistake and that made him a little nervous.

Then he started thinking about how Terra would feel if she knew that anything bad that might happen was partly her fault. He started to get angry with the strange man all over again.

Apparently his frustration was visible, because at that moment he felt a metal hand wrap around his. He looked at Terra and knew that she was worried again. Then he remembered her legs. He pulled his hand free and said, "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Outside the cave, Sumilidon and Krosserdog watched the two love-bots while Totalizer stood watch farther away. "Do you think we will find them soon, Sumilidon?" Krosserdog asked.

Sumilidon shrugged. "Who knows? As least it's dark now. Maybe that will make things easier for us."

"Or maybe not," Krosserdog sighed. He looked around and noticed a small light in the distance. It flickered on and off, twice. The two bots rushed down to Totalizer to tell ask him if he had seen it.

Meanwhile, Metabee and Neutranurse walked back to the mouth of the cave. Terra sat against the rock, staring out into the darkness. When she heard the two approaching, she turned her head to look at them.

"I'm feeling better now," Neutranurse stated. "I think I'm ready to help you."

Terra nodded then slowly turned her optics back to the jungle. "What is that?" she whispered.

"Psst, Shani," Ikki whispered. "Do you know how to get to the bathroom yet?"

Shani took her time working on the chips. Truth was, she could have had it done in a matter of minutes, but she and her Medabot were the only ones who knew that.

"Maybe it's down the hall. The one that's being guarded be twenty men." The children had agreed not to talk about escaping, but call it going to the bathroom instead.

Spike, Sloan and Samantha sat up against a wall and watched the manufacturing of the robot monsters. Sloan glanced up above Shani's head for no reason and saw a fold up ladder. "Boss, you see that?"

Samantha's eyes widened at the sight. "Keep quiet about it." She stood up and walked over to Erika and Karin and whispered, "The bathroom is looking down at the lab." The Screws' leader winked and walked back to her place against the wall.

"What was that about?" Karin asked.

Erika looked up and quietly gasped. "The bathroom is looking down at the lab. Stay here and be quiet." She walked over to Koji and motioned toward the ladder then she repeated the phrase and walked back to Karin.

Koji passed the message on to Ikki, who then waited for the perfect opportunity to tell Shani. "The bathroom is looking down at you."

Shani pretended to yawn so she could look up. She realized that there was no way any of them could reach the ladder, but using all the reflective objects that were in the tunnel leading to freedom, she might be able to send a message.

The girl lifted one of the shiny devises and acted like she was examining it. She managed to get the light beam to the top twice then she started working again. I need better light.

Neutranurse stepped back. "How do you feel?"

"Much better, thanks." Terra stood up and brushed herself off. "It's time to go. I know where the humans are."

Metabee rounded the Medabots up and they started their run toward the light. Once again, Terra was able to best all of their speed. She led the way with Sumilidon and Metabee close behind. Her eyes sparked to life and she could feel the determination growing in her. She pushed everyone to the limits more than once.

After about forty-five minutes of running, they found themselves standing outside of a large metal building.

"So… how do we get in?" Totalizer asked as he rolled up beside Terra.

She shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

Metabee stepped ahead of her. "Let's check it out. There has to be an entrance somewhere."

The yellow Medabot walked up to the massive chunk of steal and placed his hand on it, or at least he tried to. Instead of stopping, his hand went straight through. "Whoa!"

"A hologram?" Peppercat asked.

"Way to go, Metabee! You found our way in!" Terra gave him a friendly slap on the back as she walked by.

"Yeah, well, it was no big deal. I mean—"

"I guess you're not totally useless," she teased.

"Oh, ha, ha. I can live without your jokes, T."

Sumilidon nudged him and asked, "Who said she was joking?"

"Okay, that's enough." Terra walked through the fake wall and down a hall. At the end of the hall was a large cylinder. When the Earth type looked into the cylinder, she could see Shani being pulled away from a table about four stories down.

"Do you see them?"

"Yeah, Neutranurse, I see them. They're being taken away." Terra scanned for any movement or heat signature on the floor they were on. Nothing. She made a quick plan and turned to the others. "I'm going down. When it's clear I'll signal you."

Before Terra could jump, Metabee grabbed her arm. "What if they see you?"

"They won't. I have a cloaking devise for emergencies only. As long as I'm quiet, it'll be like I'm not there." Terra disappeared right after she jumped. They heard a soft clank, but nothing else.

Metabee peered anxiously down the tube. After a minute, which seemed more like an hour, he was ready to jump down. Suddenly, Terra appeared, crouched on the table. She looked up at him and motioned for them to come.

"It's about time," Metabee started. "Where have you been?"

"Shh! I was looking for the control room. I had to turn off the cameras before I let you guys come down."

She stood tall and looked at the others. "The Medafighters are being held in a small room through those doors. We have to work fast; I turned on the self destruct while I was in the control room. Come on."

"Do you think they saw the light?" Koji asked. He had lost almost all hope of getting out alive.

Ikki shrugged. "Who knows? I just hope that Shani's stalling gave them enough time to get close."

The door suddenly slid open and the steps jutted out of the small cliff. In the doorway stood eight very happy Medabots.

The children bounded up the steps and threw their arms around their friends. They immediately received their Medawatches and fastened them to their wrists.

"I'm guessing you saw my signal." Shani smiled warmly at her friend. "I'm so glad you made it in time."

"We need to get out of here. Now." Terra looked around nervously then pulled Shani through the door.

"Leaving so soon, Miss Hil?" Simon's cold voice echoed through the empty rooms. "You don't know how much you've helped me." He started to cackle. "In one minute my army will be attacking Japan and destroying all of your precious families. Seeing as how you can't stop me, you're free to go."

A door opened up to a stairway and at the end of the stairway a door opened to the jungle. "We have to find a way to stop him," Shani said. Terra pulled her up the stairs.

"Don't worry," Brass called to her. "Terra found the self destruct switch. That's sure to stop him."

Shani and the others stepped out of the prison. "Why would Simon put in a self destruct switch?"

She turned to see the doors closing with Terra, eyes dim, on the inside.

"He didn't. I did." The doors locked. Shani heard Terra running farther into the building.

"TERRA!" she screamed. There was no answer. She felt Koji and Sloan pulling her away. She tried to transport her bot out, but it didn't work.

Metabee tried to get inside, but every time he tried to get closer, he ended up being pulled farther away. Before he knew it, they were all up on a small hill, watching the building burst into flame.

The yellow KBT dropped to his knees beside Shani and shoved his hands into the dirt.

The energy field that had interfered with the electronics vanished. Karin was able to call for her plane to come and pick them up, along with both the American and Japanese army. In half an hour they were ready to leave, but not before searching the debris.

"You see anything, Metabee?" Shani asked after wiping her eyes for the hundredth time.

"K-k-k-k-k! WHY'D SHE HAVE TO GO AND DO THAT!? We were falling in love and everything!" Metabee kicked a piece of melted metal away.

"I'll take that as a no. I see something!" Shani jerked the hot ash away and pulled out a tiny Medal. Terra's Medal.

"Is it okay?" Metabee asked while leaning over to look.

"I don't know. I left my Medawatch on the plane. Let's go."

They ran through the rest of the junk and into the plane. Shani gently placed the disk into her watch and waited. "Terra? Are you okay?"

For a minute there was no answer.

"Don't ever let me do that again." She was alive! Her voice sounded scratchy and tired, but alive.

"It's so good to hear your voice again!" Metabee sobbed.

"Miss Hil?" An FBI agent walked through the door of the plane and looked down at the blond headed girl. "You'll be happy to know that we found Mr. Skree and all of the assassins. They will be taken to the hospital and then to a well guarded prison."

"Thank you, sir. Is it safe to go home now?" Shani smiled shyly at the tall man. He nodded and left. Once the plane was up in the air Shani transported a back-up body for Terra and put her medal in it.

"For once, I'm glad that you were so paranoid, T. Now I don't have to make a new body from scratch."

Metabee walked over to his love interest and hugged her.

Terra frustratingly pulled away. "Okay, yeah, Metabee, let me go."

"What? Are you kidding me? After all it took to get you to realize we were meant for each other, you want me to let you go?"

"I meant let go of my physical body. And I never said that I liked you."

Metabee crossed his arms. "That's not what it sounded like back in the cave."

"It was a moment of weakness." Terra strutted back to Shani on the opposite end of the air-craft.

"Wait, moment of weakness as in you didn't mean any of it, or as in you let your guard down long enough for it to slip?"

No answer.

Metabee sighed. "Oh, yeah. We are defiantly perfect for each other."

One week later everything was back to normal. The children were back to their normal school routine, the Medabots trained daily for upcoming Robattle tournaments and Salty and Tiny had the best time romping together in the park.

Metabee continuously tried to get Terra to admit her feelings for him and continuously failed. After almost every attempt Shani would tell him not to give up because Terra was now actually playing hard-to-get. Skree and the assassins had been sent to court and found guilty for numerous crimes and were sentenced to one hundred years in prison.

Everything was back to normal, or at least for the moment.

FIN

KrissyKat91: Sometimes I think about the shows I watched as a kid. Then I think about how long it's been since they went off the air. Then I feel old. I'm too young to feel old!