Okay, so the first two chapters cover the ending of "I, Chiro" and the events of both parts of "Savage Lands". The second chappy is twice as long as the first, for reasons unknown. I tried to not go directly off of the episodes, but you can't always be perfect. Some lines are taken directly from the show, some are my own. Enjoy!
Chiro stood on the platform with the rest of the Monkey Team. Skeleton King's body hovered over the pit, tethered to the Dark One like some demented puppet. He had already forced Antauri to his knees. The boy's mind did an analysis of the situation.
'Despite everything we've tried, the Dark One has already hatched,' He thought, 'The Super Robot is on its last legs and Antauri is badly damaged. Not to mention, the Power Primate is all but completely gone...' He then heard Antauri's words from before, 'Is it really gone, Chiro?' Then the Skeleton King's words, 'Some benevolent cosmic force chose YOU to protect this Universe...' Was this it? Benevolent forces usually seemed to be vague on the details of when to actually protect something. Maybe this was what he needed to do. If there was some small shred of the Power Primate, he could possibly do it...
Chiro began to step forward, his mind set on his next action. He tried to call the Power Primate around him as he walked, and it didn't seem to work... Then, a light began to form around his body as he pulled in more and more energy. He was becoming one with the energy, trusting himself with the energy, trusting the energy with himself.
"Chiro?" Sprx asked, "Chiro what are you..." The human stepped off the edge, falling to the pit below. As he fell, he heard the cries of the monkeys above him, even Antauri's hand just grazing him in an attempt to catch him. He continued pulling in energy, however. Even if it burned his body to a crisp, he would keep pulling it in...
Impact. He landed in the dark fluid of the egg, finding that he could only sink. He then put the next step into action, letting all the energy out, feeling something he never had before. It was as if the energy didn't want to leave. It was acting on its own, understanding what had to truly be done. That was the last time that Chiro felt anything for quite a while...
The five robot monkeys stared at where Chiro had stood only moments ago, mouths agape. Even the Skeleton King -or what was left of him- seemed confused. Only Antauri understood what he had done, but the boy wasn't ready for such an act! Was he?
Nova slowly approached the edge again, not even coming close to the speed she had sprinted at to try and save Chiro. 'Why would he do that?' She thought, tears coming to her eyes, 'Why would just... jump?' Her confusion was shared with three of her four brothers.
"That's... completely illogical..." Gibson muttered, "Why did he... Chiro..."
"I can't believe this..." Sprx murmured, "This can't be true. It can't, Chiro can't be..." His words died as a bright flash emanated from the pit. An orb, one that Chiro would make for his Monkey Fu attack, seemed to float out of the pit at a speed that none of the monkeys would have expected. It seemed to hone in on Antauri, flying straight through him. An energy discharge occurred and the wise monkey began to act "odd," as Gibson would later put it. The orb continued on to the Super Robot, entering the gash on its front. The Robot was surrounded by a green aura and began to move on its own.
"Uh..." Otto pointed to their giant robot, "Who's driving the Robot?"
The massive machine began to walk over to the far wall of the hole Skeleton King's ship had dug, to the edge of the crack. When there, it put its hands on the shell, releasing the energy onto the shell, making it seal at a very slow pace.
At this moment, Antauri had leaped at Skeleton King's body, claws drawn. He landed and began slashing as if, not to sound cliché or obvious, he were an animal. He didn't seem to care how deep he cut, as he only did minor damage to the being formerly known as The Alchemist. His deepest cut was when the egg was nearly sealed.
The shell was slowly decapitating the Dark One, and its head was still moving up. Antauri was tearing at the body, ignoring the head. For reasons unknown, he cut specifically at the neck, completely removing the body from the head of Skeleton King. He tossed the body into the closing egg shell below.
With the egg sealed, the Super Robot shut down. The energy then seemed to disappear. The four simian spectators just stared, wondering what had happened in that little of time. They then looked at Antauri, never having seen him act in such a fierce fashion. He was facing the egg, as if staring. Nova carefully approached him.
"A-Antauri?" She asked, not knowing what to expect. She touched his shoulder. Before she could speak, he claws came out and he slashed towards her. She jumped back, just in the nick of time. Tears came to her eyes, "Antauri... What's wrong with you?"
"Nova..." Gibson whispered, "Look at his eyes..."
She did this and gasped. The black monkey's green eyes were blank. Just blank. As if there was no power in them at all. How could he even be alive if...
Antauri made a sound similar to a growl. He didn't even sound like himself. He then ran from the group, scaling the wall of the crater in record time. He continued running, as if driven by some deep, primal instinct.
Now the monkeys stood there, in the middle of the crater. They had lost two members of their group today... One was undoubtedly gone for good, and the other had seemed to have lost his mind. They then began repairs on the Robot, wondering if they should go after Antauri or not. By the time the Robot would be finished, it would have been too late anyway...
In truth, Antauri didn't know where he was, who he was, or where he was headed. His consciousness was locked deep inside his mind, somewhere around the heavily damaged portion of his CPU, around a slightly damaged portion of his brain. Every now and then, his eyes would flicker on and the Antauri locked inside could see something. But it was only glimpses. Later, his memories would be so fragmented that he would pass them off as some form of dream.
Currently, his body was sprinting through the desert, entering a dark forest that transitioned into a cave deeper in. His eyes flickered as he approached a cliff face overlooking a massive jungle. The whole place was underground, but the cave ceiling was so high that there was something like an atmosphere below it.
'This looks... familiar...' He thought, 'Could it be...?'
In truth, though he would have expected the Power Primate to be guiding him, an old program was activated when that discharge occurred. It was one that the Alchemist was thought to have removed with the mind wipe. In the event of devastating damage that was not repairable by conventional means, the body was to suppress the conscious mind and return Home. It was a simple program that only included the coordinates of "Home" and a prerecorded path, no memories were to be formed from the trip. It was used in the early days of the team, before the Alchemist had met his unavoidable fate.
Antauri's body moved through the jungle with a swiftness he didn't think possible. He avoided several obstacles including man-eating plants, giant serpents, giant spiders, and some form of creature that resembled an animal-like Formless, though it didn't turn to goop when Antauri slashed it in two. At one point during all of this, his consciousness gained just enough control to activate his transmitter, but he didn't think he could get a signal out through the cave ceiling. Eventually, he reached what looked like a massive building in a clearing. It was... a lab. He entered the building, his eyes flickering once more.
He wished to see more of his old home than what the Skeleton King had shown him and his fellow monkeys, but his body wouldn't grant him that. He receded into himself, knowing that it was pointless. For a reason unknown to him, his body had taken control of itself and came here. He wouldn't gain control until his body was done with whatever it was doing.
He decided to meditate, focusing on the Power Primate (or what was left of it). It was then that he found some form of hope, but not as much for himself as for Chiro. He came across another being, another soul, clinging to his own for dear existence. If he could only reach out and connect with it...
'Who are you?' He asked the being in a calm tone.
There was no response.
'Chiro?' Now he was hoping for a reply, but none came.
'Is that you, Chiro?' He dearly wished it to be his friend, his apprentice. The boy was almost like a son to him...
'Please,' He pleaded, but not in so much in a begging tone, "If you are Chiro. Just send me a sign. Anything. I can understand if you are too weak to speak... But please... Chiro, just let me know it's you.' He waited.
As Antauri's mind waited for a response, his body was making its way to an open tank in the lab. It took a meditative position and hovered a couple feet over the ground. Several robotic arms seemed to come from the ceiling and surrounded the small cyborg simian. One arm scanned him, searching for severe damage. It located the nearly irreparable damage to his brain and began sending signals to the other arms of what would be needed to restore him to a perfect functionality, as we as some upgrades that had been planned once before. The process would take only minutes...
The Super Robot was nearly completely repaired, thanks to the depressed team of monkeys. Their mood just got worse when Jinmay appeared, asking if Chiro was alright. Nova couldn't stop crying after hearing the question. She may have been tough, but what Chiro did was totally unexpected and unnecessary... To her, it was like losing a little brother. Sprx was busy comforting Nova. Gibson, not wanting to break the news to the android (plus he may have been somewhat emotionally compromised as well), claimed that he needed to recalibrate the Robot's power system. Jinmay didn't question why he ran to the elevator to his room, and not the power level. In the end, it was Otto who was forced to inform Jinmay of Chiro's fate. He couldn't come up with an excuse.
"Well..." He tried to think of a way to explain it, "You see... Skeleton King had us in a pretty tight spot... No, no... Uh..."
"C'mon, Otto," She pleaded, "You can tell me." She was shaking, as if she had already guessed.
"Chiro's..." The green monkey couldn't think of a lighter way to put it, "He's gone..."
The robotic girl tensed up, "Wh-what?"
"He..." Otto then shook his head, turning back to Sprx and Nova, "Guys, could I get some help here? I don't really know how to explain this to her."
Sprx patted Nova's shoulder, then walked over to Otto and Jinmay.
"Chiro sacrificed himself to save us and Shuggazoom," The red monkey explained, "He basically used the Power Primate to seal the Dark One away, though I think he may have killed it. His body was most likely destroyed in the process. Nothing could have survived that much energy concentrated on one spot. After the battle, Antauri went nuts, tried to attack Nova, and ran off."
Jinmay just sat in a chair. Though she herself was a robot, she felt as if her legs couldn't hold her. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach, similar to when she discovered that she was made by the Skeleton King. It was grief, fear, pain. She felt like she was going to be sick...
Time seemed to pass by at a slow pace, seconds to minutes, minutes to hours. They didn't know how long it had been since the battle had ended, since Chiro was gone, since Antauri disappeared. The time was just as immeasurable for Jinmay, silently weeping in the Robot. Everyone had finally decided to return to their posts. Though the Skeleton King was gone, there was still danger to be had. They were still the Monkey Team. They just lacked two key members.
They only had one goal in mind at the moment, however: Find Antauri. Otto was scanning for him, hoping to find their wise leader and, if possible, repair him. Eventually he received a ping. It only lasted for a couple seconds, but Gibson was able to get a trace on it. Antauri was injured and confused. He needed immediate help.
"Did you find him?" Sprx asked, walking up to the green and blue monkeys.
"Yes," Gibson answered, "We have a trace."
"Well then what're we waiting for?" Sprx asked.
"Oh, right," Gibson said before he and Sprx both shouted, "Monkeys Mobilize!"
"Excuse me?" Gibson asked the red.
"Well," Sprx shrugged, "I just thought that, with Chiro and Antauri gone, I should be leader."
"What makes you think you're a suitable substitute?" The genius asked, "I should be leader, what with my quick wit and high intelligence."
"Leader's don't care about intelligence!" Sprx argued, "They're all about instinct! Which I happen to be full of-"
"Are you two gonna talk all day?" Nova asked, pushing them apart, "Or are you gonna do something?"
They went silent.
"Now," Nova said seriously, "Monkeys Mobilize!"
She and Otto approached their respective elevators, leaving Gibson, Sprx, and Jinmay alone in the room. The girl just put a seat belt on. Gibson and Sprx looked away from each other.
"I'm driving!" Sprx said.
That was it! Antauri found a sign that it was Chiro. The... thing that was latched to him with the Power Primate was Chiro! It was small, but he knew it was him. The forced memory of the Maze made that obvious. Somehow, Chiro had managed to preserve himself with the Power Primate. The boy's control of it was magnificent, if not paranormal...
'What would you have me do, Chiro?' He asked the boy's soul, 'We cannot remain merged forever. I am afraid that your body has been forever lost, if not destroyed by your own actions.'
He couldn't tell if Chiro was responding or not. The boy was still too weak to even consider that...
Antauri's eyes opened. He blinked, noting that he was in a lab. It was the same one the Skeleton King had shown him and the other monkeys. His true home... Being covered in heavy coatings of dust, it looked much older than the false one. He found that the pain that had hindered him before his blackout was gone. He touched the back of his head, finding that the data port was now intact again. But Mandarin's blade had destroyed more than that... How was he alive?
The black monkey stood up, his feet touching the ground. He then remembered the presence in his soul. Chiro... He looked around for something, anything that could help his best friend, his apprentice's situation. As he looked, he gained a better view of the lab. There were six empty tanks lining the wall by the door. In the center of the room, which was huge, was a large platform with one tank on it. Curious, Antauri went up the stairs leading to it.
He reached the top and looked at the tank. It appeared to be active. Could there... be another monkey? He rubbed the dust away, finding only a metallic skull and spine. He didn't even know how he would begin to use this to help Chiro. Then, a computer screen behind him turned on, revealing a familiar face: The Alchemist.
"The Silver Monkey..." He sighed, "The pinnacle of my robot warrior evolution... The perfect fighting machine, but ultimately... a failure! For, the battle against the Evil Undead requires more than just metal parts and computer circuits... It DEMANDS living energy! The unleashed Power of the Primate!" It was a video log.
Antauri noticed a panel slide up to reveal a set of metal parts for constructing a Robot Monkey. Could he...? No, Chiro wouldn't want that! Would he? He had to think. If only Chiro could speak to him somehow...
That was it! He just needed to meditate and reach through to Chiro. If he can give him enough energy, then maybe they could communicate.
He quickly entered a sitting position, levitating off the ground. He searched deeply until he found Chiro. His being had seemed to have grown somewhat. Other than that, he was completely silent.
'Chiro,' Antauri spoke, 'You must be aware of my choice. There may be another way, but...' He stopped as he found that his friend would not give him an answer. After some deep thought, he came to a conclusion. Chiro may not like it, but he wouldn't have liked the only other option, either...
Jinmay had stayed behind with the Super Robot, standing outside the forest/cave. The Monkey Team was currently deep into the hidden jungle, still surprised of the place's existence under the surface. Gibson carried a tracker, following Antauri's signal. Sprx had been trying to take the tracker from him the entire mission, claiming that the leader should be the one to track. They finally reached the clearing with the lab. Cautiously, they entered.
"I remember this place from our nightmare..." Sprx pointed out, "It's the lab where we were created."
Noting that this was true, they continued on inside. They didn't seem to notice that they were being followed by natives...
They came to the large room, the main laboratory. They then heard an odd sound from the tall raised structure in the center. The Monkey Team ran up the stairs and stopped when they saw Antauri doing something they would have never expected...