In this story, Ally meets Gutrot. Ally belongs to Sparkling Lover and I own Rachel, Joseph, and Charles. All other characters belong to their respective owners.

The Walking Laboratory

"Atomix!" called a young voice. "Where are you?"

Ally was searching for Atomix to ask him more about atoms. She had a test coming up and wanted to know a bit more so that she could pass her test.

But she checked his room and he wasn't there. "Where is he?" she asked aloud.

"Where's who?" asked a voice and Ally turned to see Rachel coming upstairs with a basket filled with folded clothes, indicating she had just done the laundry.

"Rach, have you seen Atomix?" the young girl asked.

The older girl thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him today," she said. "But as far as I knew, he didn't have a mission today. Why?"

"Well, I have my science test coming up and it's about atoms and I was hoping he could help me study for it."

Rachel smiled, remembering a few times when Atomix had helped her with her projects, like her floating space project for the science fair where she had first met him and then in college when she did her report on atoms. "He helped me with some projects like that too," she said. "It was how I first met him."

"I remember you telling me that," Ally smiled. "Well, I guess I'll keep looking."

"Why not try Frankenstrike's lab?" Rachel suggested. "Atomix and Frankenstrike sometimes swap ideas on projects they are doing."

The eleven-year-old agreed and raced down the stairs to head off to Frankenstrike's lab, but when she looked in there, neither alien was in there, making the girl puzzled. So she kept walking and heard a hissing noise. Following the sound, she saw a door up ahead that was open and some mist hung around the door like a thick fog. "What is that?" she asked herself and moved closer.

"Look out!"

The unfamiliar voice along with someone grabbing her startled Ally as she felt her captor quickly pull her back and press a button on his arm and then heard the familiar sound of huge fans, which quickly dispersed the mist. Her captor gave a sigh of relief.

"That was too close," he said and then looked down at her. Ally looked at him and let out a small, fear-filled gasp when she saw what he looked like. He looked very similar to Ultimate Echo Echo, but was much broader and scarier to her. She tried to get free, but he didn't let her go.

Coughing was then heard. "What the crud?" asked Rachel as she came up to them, coughing. "What on Earth is that smell?"

She felt someone grab her. "Cyanide gas!" he exclaimed and quickly ran with both girls in his arms into the outside air so that they could breathe again.

Charles and Joseph, who had just come for a visit, quickly used a gas-containment vacuum and took care of the gas and then checked on their two nieces, who were alright and weren't in danger anymore.

Ally looked up and saw the creature who had gotten her out of there and quickly hid behind Uncle Joseph, who chuckled and picked her up. "It's alright, Ally," he said. "Gutrot is a friend."

"Gutrot?" she asked and looked at him.

Rachel smiled and stood beside the large alien. "He's a walking laboratory, similar to Atomix," she said. "Only, Gutrot specializes in gases. By the way, what were you doing with cyanide?" she glanced at the alien.

"I was trying to experiment with it when it got out of control and the little one almost walked right into it," he explained.

"But you grabbed me in time," said Ally, now not too scared of him.

"Yes," he said. "I'm sorry, Rachel."

She smiled. "It's okay, Gutrot," she said. "But next time, could you keep the dangerous gases out of the mansion, please?"

"Will do," he said.

The two Jocklin brothers went back to the Jocklin Mansion after receiving a call from the mayor and Ally looked up at Gutrot curiously and saw what looked like a clear-glass container that looked like his stomach and she could see the gases moving around in there. She poked the skin around the glass and to her and Rachel's surprise, Gutrot laughed.

"Hey, that tickles, kid," he said in his Brooklyn-accented voice.

Ally just grinned and went to tackle him when he caught her and sprayed a small amount of laughing gas as her through his hand before that same hand tickled her stomach. Ally squealed as she felt those large fingers tickle her crazily on her ribs, sides, stomach, and underarms.

Rachel smiled as she watched them, remembering when Gutrot had done that to her too as a small experiment, making sure she didn't get hurt. He often would now just tickle her, but rarely used his gases on her unless it was laughing gas or for an emergency.

"RACHEL! HELP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ally cried out as she tried to push the large white fingers away. Rachel lightly shook her head as she came back to the present.

"Hey, Gutrot!" she said, making him turn as she then tackled him and he caught her, holding both her and Ally in his arms as they fell down on the grass, all laughing.

"So, this is the little one the others speak so fondly of," said Gutrot. "Quite the ray of sunshine, she is."

Ally grinned at the affectionate way Gutrot spoke to her. "Thanks," she said, hugging him and Rachel hugged them both as the alien hugged them back.

"Well, it's safe to enter again, but I'll keep the mixing gases to a minimum," he said. "Don't want that to happen again."

"But it might," said the mischievous little girl. "Because you're a walking laboratory."

Gutrot turned to her and raised his hands and wiggled them at her. "Oh?" he said. "Then the walking laboratory is going to get you, little one." Rachel heard the smirk in his voice.

"You better run, kiddo," she said to her younger cousin who took off with Gutrot behind her and then she saw Atomix catch Ally and hold her as Gutrot tickled her and Atomix joined in, making Ally squeal and Rachel smile.

Being a walking laboratory was really neat and what was better was being best friends with them.

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418