Disclaimer: Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, and all characters and events related to it, are property of Jetix Animation Concepts and Ciro Nieli.

Authors' Note: Sorry we didn't elaborate on this earlier, but this story is written through a joint account of two authors who were somwhat favored among the other authors here: 38SouthernAngel89 and Hayley Cometra! Please read and review this; we both worked real hard together to bring this to you!


Chapter Two

Soft snores could be heard coming from a small hammock, no one was in the room except for him. He enjoyed sleeping in and did it quite often, unless…

"Hey!" shouted the gruff voice from a man. He didn't even bother to open the door, as he pounded hard on it. "Get up, ya lazy bum!"

"Time to work…" he chuckled lazily. He jumped off the hammock, ran out the door, and made his way to his spacecraft. It had been difficult to learn to fly this kind of ship, since the ship that he used to fly was still in the jungle. They hadn't had time to retrieve that ship. He wasn't sure why exactly, but he didn't push his boss's buttons.

"Get a move on, Sparky!" the boss ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" he grinned as he jumped into the ship and took off.

It seemed like only yesterday when SPRX-77 revived on the small planet of Mowgli. For a while, he had stayed in the jungle and tried to fit in with other monkeys he had found. But after being rejected by them and getting bored, he had begun to venture out of the jungle and explore the outskirts of a city.

Among the spacecrafts that were parked outside the city gates, there was a collection of jet-like ships: VZ3X star speeders. It was love a first sight for him. With a mischievous chatter, he had picked the lock on one of them and climbed into the cockpit, where he played with the steering controls. Fortunately, he didn't touch anything else, so nothing was damaged.

But how mad the owner was when he and his companions had returned. They seemed to have been in a bit of a hurry when they came, so the owner quickly took Sprx by the neck and threw him roughly into a cage. Then, after hastily throwing the rest of their cargo into their jets, the pilots took off and returned to the mother ship.

Sprx had expected the worst when the pilot brought the cage to their boss. But instead of being angry with him, the superior smiled at him. He had seen clever creatures before, but nothing clever enough to not only pick a lock and break into a ship but also not to touch anything that could hurt him while he played with the steering controls.

He saw much potential in him.

In the years that followed, Sprx was carefully supervised through the same training that all of the other pilots went through. It didn't take long for him to become the best pilot among them.

He had wondered for a long time what he was training for, and he found out one day when alarms rang throughout the mother ship. Everyone except for himself and the boss had jumped into their jets. Sprx had watched longingly from the boss's window as the space jets tore apart a cargo ship. Sprx wanted to help them, but the boss merely chuckled and assured him that it wouldn't be long before he would join them.

And after he had started to help destroy a cargo ship for its valuables, he had become an invaluable asset to their team.

"Sprx, take out their engines, then their weapons system!" the boss ordered through his com-link, interrupting the trip down memory lane.

"Aw, we can't have a little fun with 'em first?" Sprx whined.

He heard his boss chuckle then reply, "Not this time, next time, my boy."

With a smile, Sprx snuck around to the engine room and shot out the ship's main engine. He then located the weapons system and destroyed it.

"Done and done," he said proudly, then parked his jet near the others and joined the crew as they boarded the now destroyed ship.

As the others grabbed the loot, Sprx decided to take a look around. "Nothing much le—" Sprx was interrupted by a cry from a baby. "Huh? That can't be right, nothing but cargo should be on this ship…"

He followed the crying until he found the source and gasped at what he saw. There, huddled in pain and in fear, was a family among the wreckage: a man with several cuts on his arm, a woman bruised in several places, and their hungry baby daughter.

"Aw man, I gotta get the others, they'll know what to do," he whispered and ran back to his crewmates. He had them follow him to the family and asked what they could do for them.

"What else?" one gruff man replied. "Get rid of 'em! We leave no survivors!" And pointed his gun to the family.

The woman gasped in fright.

"I don't think so!" Sprx countered, activating his magnets and pulling the gun from his hands. As he threw it into a fire nearby, the crew looked at each other in shock. Then they looked at Sprx again and quickly brought out their guns.

"Mutiny!" one yelled, and they all roared with rage. Sprx growled and pulled their guns out of their hands and threw them all into the fire. You'd think that without their guns, they'd quit, but they only growled furiously and brought out swords with blades made of light and attacked.

The battle seemed to have lasted for hours. But no matter if it was hours or minutes, Sprx panted heavily as he defeated the last of the crewmembers.

He turned to the family. "Hurry! They'll be more where that came from. Follow me!"

The husband and wife looked at each other before following the red Robot Monkey.

"Come on, come on!" he rushed them, taking them to his ship. Once they were in, he quickly explained to the man how to fly it, then watched them take off.

"There, there he is!" a man yelled and more shouts were heard. Sprx gasped, jumped into the nearest jet, and took off.

"What have I done?" he questioned himself. "How many more families, how many more babies, have I…killed?" he questioned himself and shuddered at the thought of all the ships he destroyed.

"I don't deserve to live!" he sighed to himself and headed for a planet he knew well. "There's only one thing to do…"

- - - - - - - - -

"Are we certain we're at the correct location?" Antauri asked as they entered the outskirts of the city.

"Yes, Antauri," Mandarin replied simply. "The signal that we have been tracking has led us to this jungle planet Mowgli. It's far too dangerous to land in the jungle itself, and this was the nearest city. Logically speaking, the first of our brothers must be here."

The pair entered through the city gates and slowly looked around. Although there was a slight variety in the locals and visitors, they noticed that almost everyone gave them a very queer stare. Both of them felt strangely uncomfortable with the looks everyone was giving them, so they didn't stay in one place any longer than was necessary.

What was even stranger was that every time they asked someone any questions about another one like themselves, the civilians gave them the cold shoulder.

Finally, after about an hour of questioning, Mandarin spotted a man whose attire and appearance gave him the impression of authority or law enforcement.

"Pardon me, sir," he began, "but we are looking for someone who resembles us."

At first, the officer gave them the same stare, except this time a sense of mistrust toward these two was also hidden within. Slowly and cautiously, he removed a pen and some paper. He began taking notes, asking them in reply, "You mean SPRX-77, the Jet Pirate Monkey? All right, what did he steal from you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Mandarin asked.

"We have not been robbed," Antauri stated.

The look in the officer's eyes changed, but not for the better. His frown became slightly deeper as he said, "Then, judging by your appearances, I would say you are his accomplices. Came to turn yourselves in?"

"We are not involved in any illegal activity," the Black Monkey calmly answered. "We are simply looking for him, that is all."

"I'm not surprised," the officer told him. "Everyone is looking for him. Just like the other Jet Pirates, he has given us the slip many times. If you aren't his accomplices, then I would watch myself if I were you two. And if you do find him, be sure you inform us immediately. There's a huge price on his head."

Before giving either of them a chance to respond, the officer had walked away.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Mandarin looked at Antauri. "Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all…"

"Or perhaps there was a misunderstanding," Antauri was quick to reply. "Surely our brother cannot be consorting among pirates. And even if he was, he is still one of our own. I suggest we continue interviewing the citizens but carefully."

"Very well."

After that, the pair took turns; while one was asking anyone any questions, the other stood in casual lookout for anything or anyone that might hinder their efforts.

A few hours later, they had a new lead. This time, it was not in the city itself but back at the outskirts bordering the jungle.

"SPRX-77?" the man asked as he rested his cart, which was littered with all kinds of handmade metal jewelry. "Yeah, I see him now and then. He always came alone. He teased me sometimes about using his magnets to steal my jewelry for the ladies. At first, I thought he meant it; but then I found he was only joking. You could say that he has a magnetic personality."

"What else can you tell us about him?" Mandarin asked.

The man hesitated. "I was sorry when I heard that he was flying with the Jet Pirates. He deserves better. He deserves a family, a better one than the one he used to fly with."

"Used to?" Antauri inquired.

"Word on the street is that he escaped from them and is on the run. Local rumors claim that he's hiding somewhere in the jungle, maybe hoping that some predator would eat him."

The man then gave a low chuckle. "Like any wild animal would kill something that isn't another wild animal. I would go in and take care of him myself, but the jungle is a dangerous place."

Mandarin and Antauri looked at each other, both thinking the same thought. They quickly thanked the man for his information and tore into the trees.

- - - - - - - - -

Sprx sighed as he looked around. He had tried exposing himself to the elements, but his emergency systems kept him cool during the hot days and warm during the cold nights. He had tried making himself available to wild animals, but every single creature he encountered ran away in fear. He had tried starving himself, but even the bananas looked too good to pass up.

Finally, he came up with the perfect and fitting way to end his living nightmare.

"Well…" he said to himself. "It's been real…and I wish it hadn't."

With that, he pushed the boulder that was next to him off the cliff. Tied to the boulder was a vine, and his ankle was tied with the other end. In moments, the boulder dragged him off the cliff and plunged him into the midnight blue lake. Where the surface was darkest, the lake was deepest.

And he didn't activate his oxygen mask.

As the rays of sunshine slowly disappeared from his view as the boulder sent him deeper and deeper into the water, so did his rays of hope.

At least I'll die with my two biggest fears: in the water and in pitch-black, he thought to himself as he started to feel his lungs collapsing.

But just before he blacked out and started to drown, he could have sworn he saw a pair of sharp-clawed paws glowing an intense bright green.

Swish, slash, and Antauri had cut the vine that connected Sprx to the boulder. He gingerly wrapped one arm around the limp body and quickly used his rocketpack to send him back to the surface. He took very good care not to hold him so tight that he would accidentally free what little air was still left in his lungs.

The instant he broke the surface, he flew to the far side of the lake, where Mandarin awaited. Antauri placed Sprx's body down in a way that he was sitting between the two with his back to Antauri. The white pupils in his eyes had disappeared, and water slowly trickled from his slightly open mouth.

"Is he alive?" Mandarin asked.

"I sense that he is," Antauri replied. "However, he had been submerged within the lake for several minutes. His systems are in emergency shutdown. Perhaps if I reboot his cerebrum…"

"How do you—?" he started to say, but suddenly stopped himself when Antauri held up one hand. Instead of transforming into the ghost claws he usually used, the fingers and palms immediately retracted into the arm, and a tool emerged in its place. It was somewhat large, a little thick, and had several connectors in the middle.

Mandarin saw this design before. It matched the socket that was on the back of Antauri's head. He took a quick glance and found that this Red Monkey had the same socket. Having not noticing this until now, he felt along the back of his head to find the same socket.

Antauri inserted the tool into the back of their new acquaintance's head, and a beeping sound immediately followed. The white pupils began to reappear, but the monkey immediately began coughing and gasping to get rid of the rest of the water that was in his lungs.

As soon as that was done, the Red Monkey locked eyes with the Orange Monkey's. Immediately, he shot a glare at Mandarin before shoving him away from him. "Why did you do that?!" he snarled, struggling to get up.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Mandarin yelled back. "If it weren't for us, you would have perished!"

"Then you've wasted your time and mine!"

"You ungrateful little—!"

"I'm outta here!"

And before Mandarin and Antauri realized it, he shot to his feet and ran down a random direction.

"Stop!" Antauri yelled, holding his hand up.

Sprx gasped in shock, for although his feet were still moving, he wasn't going centimeter further. He looked down to find that a psychic power was holding him off the ground. He whimpered in the tiniest hint of fear as Antauri used his telekinesis to turn him around while still holding him off the ground.

"SPRX-77, I presume?" Antauri asked.

Glaring rudely, Sprx crossed his arms and asked in reply, "What's it to you?"

"Just answer the question," Mandarin said, trying to remain calm.

Sprx scoffed at them. "And what if I am SPRX-77?"

"Then we have found the first of our brothers," Mandarin answered.

"You got to be kidding me," Sprx immediately said. "I don't have any brothers."

"If that is the truth, how would you explain our uncanny resemblance to one another?" Antauri calmly asked, trying to use logic to his advantage.

With a confident grin, the Red Monkey answered, "Easy. I'm so handsome that you two copied my look."

Both Mandarin and Antauri glared at him in disapproval, not the slightest bit convinced.

However, Antauri decided to try this from a different approach. "May I ask the reason you tied the vine and rock to your ankle and tried to kill yourself?" he asked.

Immediately, Sprx's smile faded and his head hung low. "I was righting a terrible wrong, me being alive," he replied. "I'm a liar, a thief…a murderer…"

Antauri and Mandarin's expressions changed to sympathy and concern. "SPRX-77, you may have done wrong but you don't have to do away with yourself to make it right." Mandarin told him.

"What else is there to do? No one cares if I live or die, anyway. I have no one to turn to…"

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," Antauri replied with a smile. "There are those who care if you live or die."

"Oh yeah, who?" Sprx asked.

"Us!" Antauri and Mandarin answered.

Sprx looked at them in surprise.

"You ARE our brother," Mandarin said. "Come with us, help us find our three missing brothers that remain, and together we can pool our individual skills protect the universe."

And for the first time in a long while, SPRX-77 found peace inside his soul. He had wondered where his destiny lies, and for a long time he didn't really care, since he never got his answer right away. But upon hearing the words 'protect the universe', he felt his heart yearning for acceptance again. And he felt like he belonged with these two.

With the first genuine smile that he had for a long time, he nodded. Antauri slowly placed him back on the ground. Putting a hand on his chest, he said, "Yep, name's SPRX-77, but you can call me Sprx."

- - - - - - - - -

"There it is!" Sprx yelled excitedly as he dashed ahead.

Antauri and Mandarin watched as their newfound brother jumped onto what looked like a giant bush with its branches tangled up. They watched in confusion as he began to pull on one of the vines.

Only when one of the branches snapped off and they saw a glitter of silver and red did they realize what he was doing. Mandarin activated his sword, and Antauri transformed his claws, and together, all three freed what looked almost like a cube with flat silver wings along the top and a single cannon in the middle of the bottom. On each side were red panels that matched his fur; this was obviously his ship made by the same manufacturer as their own ships.

"Ha ha!" Sprx cheered. "My pride and joy, you've been abandoned by those who used to be my teammates so that nature could bury you. Well, never in a millennium! Fist Rocket Three, you're back in business!"

"Fist Rocket Three?" Mandarin asked.

"Well, that's what I call her," Sprx grinned in reply. "Three is my lucky number. And when I flew her before, she punches through the sky like a fist! Yee-ha!"

He then noticed the strange looks they were giving him. "What? You don't give your ships names?"

Antauri thought about this for a few moments. "We never thought about it before, but perhaps it would be wise if we identify our vessels with individual names."

Mandarin smiled. "I agree. Now, Sprx, our vessels are outside the jungle. Shall we meet you in the atmosphere?"

"Bet on it!"


Replies to the Reviews! (Note: "Dawn" is 38SouthernAngel89 and "Dusk" is Hayley Cometra.)

To beautybelle300256:
From Dawn: Thank you very much!

From Dusk: Yep, thanks! If you thought the first chapter was good, this second chapter is more alike to the chapters you guys will be reading soon!

To Dark Fox Tailz:
From Dawn: Thanks for the review. Yes, bug Hayley, we need more of her wonderful stories!

From Dusk: Yes, it's been a long time since I've written anything…officially. After I finished my third story, I had a serious case of writer's block. In hopes to break it, I did write several of the original episodes to include my OC. After that, I had several issues, both in the fandom and personal issues. Now that most of those are through, I'm hoping to get back to business with my series soon.