Author's note: I like working on multiple stories at a time. It actually keeps me more focused since when I'm in a funny mood I have one thing to update and a serious mood has another story. While you can ask questions, please keep in mind they may be things that come up in later chapters. Suggestions on "why didn't Jimmy/Cindy/Libby/Carl/Sheen just do this instead" will probably be explained throughout the story. Thank you for your time.

Cindy trudged her way up to the Neutron's front door, sighing before she knocked. Judy answered the door immediately and Cindy had to pretend she didn't see the disappointment in Mrs. Neutron's eyes when the older woman realized it wasn't her son. "Hello, Mrs. Neutron. Just came by with the latest home work assignment."

"I'll put it with the others. Please come in," Judy stood back to allow the blond entrance. Cindy would have rather smacked herself in the head or watched an Ultra Lord marathon, but she went in anyway. Judy set the latest pile of homework with the rest. Three weeks worth of homework that had been left untouched, other than for Mrs. Neutron to reorganize from time to time so that it wouldn't spill over.

"Let me get you something to drink," Judy offered. Cindy hesitated. On the one hand, a drink would necessitate her staying even longer in this awkward situation. On the other, she felt like a jerk for even considering leaving Mrs. Neutron alone when she was in this state.

"Sure," Cindy finally said after a pause.

"Have you taken Carl's parents his homework as well?" Judy called from the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am. And Libby's dropping off Sheen's right now." Not that Sheen ever really bothered to do it when he was here, Cindy thought. She muttered a thanks when Judy handed her a lemonade.

"Still no ideas on where they could be?"

And that was exactly what Cindy had been hoping to avoid. The conversation it always turned to with the Neutrons, Wheezers and Mr. Estevez. Where were the boys? No one had seen them go missing. And Jimmy's lab had somehow retracted itself into the ground with no way for the girls or any of the parents to get into it. Goddard had apparently been taken as well. It was like they'd all just ...disappeared.

If I could get into the lab, I might be able to do something. Neutron had to be so stupidly secretive about that. Cindy frowned. She had been doing a good job today of keeping her mind off of the situation, but now it was impossible.

She shook her head firmly. "No leads since last time, Mrs. Neutron. I'm sorry. I've been racking my head for days, trying to remember if Jimmy had mentioned something. But if he did, I can't remember it."

"That's all right. I'm sorry for all the pressure we're putting on you and Libby. It's sweet of you girls to bring by their homework every day. I suppose you need to head home to get to work on your own though, right?"

Cindy nodded, but it was a lie. She'd gotten her homework finished during recess, just as she had done since the day after the boys disappeared. She and Libby had both felt too down to play, and besides, for the last few months they'd spent every recess with Carl, Sheen and Jimmy. Their absence was too keen for the girls to feel up to jumping rope. "I'll just be going now," Cindy said, reaching for the door and trying to exit quickly enough this time.

She didn't make it. As always, when she glanced back, Mrs. Neutron was crying.

"It's just...girl...I feel like there's a hint and we're missing it," Libby let herself collapse onto Cindy's bed. "The lab going into the ground was weird enough, but why haven't they reached us? Didn't Jimmy like, hack into Carl's computer last time something like this happened? Or they could call my cell?" Libby checked her cell phone again. She did that even more often these days, often ten or fifteen times an hour.

"I wish we could stop talking about it," Cindy sighed as she looked up from her paper. She'd been writing down everything she could think of that would explain the situation. She erased vampires, embarrassed that such an idea had ever occurred to her.

"Me too, but it's not going to go away until we find them."

Cindy nodded her agreement then pushed herself up from her chair, pacing around. "Ok, so Goddard's out of the equation so no hope in tracking him or using his tracking capabilities to find the boys. That just leaves Vox..."

"Who is completely under ground and we can't even get to the point where she asks us for a password, so we have no way to access her. I know the adults were trying to figure it out too for a long time, like they did when we were on Intergalactic Showdown. No luck for them, either. Face it, Cindy. We've run the same ideas so far into the ground they're with the lab now."

"We can't give up!"

"I'm not saying to give up. I'm saying it's hopeless."

"How is that different from giving up?"

Libby sighed. "Because we don't have a hope to cling to, but we're going to keep trying anyway. Isn't that the definition of crazy?"

"Technically, that's trying the same experiment over and over again in the same way, expecting different results."

Libby crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "And that is different from this situation how?"

"Fair enough. I guess we are being a little crazy, but gas planets, we have to do something!"

In spite of the situation, despite how awful she felt, Libby couldn't help but laugh. "You just said gas planets! Oh my gosh, Jimmy really got to you, didn't he?"

"I did not say that."

"Umm...ya kinda did, girlfriend."

"If we ever find them and you tell them I said that, I will end you."

"Sure you will. But back to the point," Libby was glad for that moment of levity, but unfortunately it was necessary to be serious right now. "Have you contacted the military? NASA?"

"Yes and yes. Both told me they had no involvement with Jimmy. They didn't sound irritated, so I can only assume they weren't lying. Libs, what are we missing?"

"Other than the boys?"

"I mean what are we missing that could help us find them. But yes, I miss them. ...even Carl. And Sheen, a little. I actually watched an episode of Ultra Lord last night. Ultra Lord, Libby!" Before she realized what she was doing, Cindy had grabbed Libby by the shoulders and was shaking her. "I miss all of them and I never thought I would."

"C'mon, you had to have known you'd miss Jimmy." Libby rolled her eyes when Cindy just shrugged. "And whether you want to admit it or not, Sheen and Carl were your friends."

"Were?"

"Are! Are!" Libby back peddled. "Ugh, they haven't been gone that long and I'm already talking in past tense. I'm sorry, I know that was upsetting. They're out there. They're still our friends. And Cindy? We are going to find them."

"I know we will," Cindy nodded. "but how long is it going to take?"