"Wait; where's your time machine? I don't see it now," Malcolm observed as they walked back down the hallway. As excited as he was about going to the future—or anywhere, for that matter—with her, he felt a tad apprehensive. What if Lydia had put too much faith in him? What if he couldn't learn her technological advances and Kilokahn could no longer be destroyed with just a push of a button?
"I made a modification to it. After a certain time, it becomes invisible. You like?"
"I love it," he laughed, pushing back his anxiety. That feeling could take a long hike on a short trail, as far as he was concerned. He watched as she tapped the air twice and the machine reappeared, lights and all.
"Are you ready to see the future?" she asked, stepping into the machine.
"Most definitely," he nodded, following her inside. "But there's something I need to do first."
Before Lydia could say anything, he placed his hand on the back of her head and kissed her longingly. He had been wanting to kiss her for a month. There was no way he was squandering the chance while he had it. Finally, they broke apart and he smiled with satisfaction. "There. Now I'm ready for anything."
Lydia blinked, taken aback but not complaining. "Okay, then. Hold on tight. Two thousand seventeen, here we come!"
"Well, hello, Meat-Things," a familiar voice—and face to match—appeared on the monitor. "Going somewhere?"
"You listen to me, you waste of syberspace," Malcolm threatened. "When I get through with you, you'll be trying to unscramble your RAM for centuries!"
"My, my; quite open with the threats, aren't we?" Kilokahn quipped. "Well, think again, Malcolm Meat-Thing, because your fun is just beginning."
"As soon as I get home, you'll be sorry, Kilo Creep!" Lydia scoffed, but Malcolm was sure he heard a quiver in her voice.
"No, you'll be the ones who are sorry! You don't know what pain is yet. But you will," he laughed.
"Buckle up, buttercup. We'll see you on the other side," Lydia muttered before pressing the start button on the machine.
Malcolm nearly lost his balance, but Lydia grabbed him around the waist from her spot on her stool to steady him. As much as he was enjoying her holding him, he realized they were still shifting through time and space. "I hate to sound so cliché, but are we there yet?"
"Something's wrong. We're not going where I've set the machine. It's like it's on autopilot," Lydia replied, trying to type different coordinates into the computer.
"I'm piloting your machine now," Kilokahn said happily from the monitor screen. "Next stop is what I call virtual reality hell. Enjoy!"
Malcolm looked over at Lydia before they clutched each other tightly, terrified. How did Kilokahn get so powerful? And what exactly is a virtual reality? Whatever the answers were, this was not looking good. Damn his anxieties. And his intuition.
Amp knew he should have been paying attention, but he couldn't get his mind to focus. I know Lydia said she and Malcolm were just going to work on a class assignment, but everyone knows that Spring doesn't really start in Brooklyn until June, he thought to himself. Something is rotten in Delaware, that's for sure.
"Um, Amp? The bell just rang. That means class is over," Tanker tapped him on the shoulder.
Amp looked to see he was still sitting at his desk. "I knew that. I was waiting for my little toe to wake up," he lied.
A few seconds later, he grabbed his books and headed to his locker.
"Wow, Amp. You're more of a space cadet today than usual. What's the matter?" Sam asked.
"I think he's like all of us," Sydney chimed in. "Still a little shaken from seeing Lydia unconscious. Am I right, Amp?"
"Mmm-hmm. I bet I know what Malcolm and Lydia are doing right now."
"Working on exciting computer programs together?" asked Sydney.
"Eating spaghetti tacos?" Tanker suggested.
"Making out?" Sam winked.
"No, you're all wrong. I bet Malcolm isn't really helping her with computers. They've probably gone back in time to…ancient Egypt to learn about Lydia's ancestor, Pharaoh Aukatok."
"Pharaoh Aukatok?" Sam repeated. "Amp, have you been eating your toothpaste again?"
"Only a couple of licks. But think about it; going into the future to work on a class assignment? That sounds so…un-Malcolm."
Sam laughed. "I know, but what can I say? It's obvious the guy's in love. Just like I am with Jennifer. I'd watch paint dry if it meant being with her."
Amp couldn't relate, but he smiled and nodded, anyway. He had a feeling deep down in his gut that something bad was going to happen. He just wished he knew what it was so he could warn his friends. It's probably just another mega-virus monster that Servo will have to—oh, wait. Ever since Kilokahn disappeared, Servo's been unemployed. Hmmm…or maybe I just ate too much of Mrs. Starkey's meatloaf surprise again.
"So, are we gonna cover for Frink since he's off doing whatever with his girlfriend?" Tanker asked.
"I guess we should. Not for him as much as for Lydia," Sam pointed out. "She needed help and Malcolm is really good with computers."
Sydney crossed her arms over her chest. "And what am I, chopped liver and onions?"
"Ew, I hope not! I'm allergic to onions!" Amp cried out, stepping away from her.
"Of course not, Syd," Sam replied, ignoring Amp. "You are an amazing computer programmer. But Lydia's not really into you like that."
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Sam," she rolled her eyes but smiled.
Amp listened to the rest of their conversation as they headed towards their sixth period class. He loved his friends dearly, but why weren't they sharing in his uneasiness?
Suddenly, it hit him. "Guys, I need you to cover for me! I gotta go to the little boy's room…now!" Yep, it was the meatloaf.
Lydia clutched tightly to Malcolm as her time machine continued to spin out of control. She wanted to cry, but she wasn't about to give Kilokahn the satisfaction of seeing her tears. Thank God Malcolm and I are both wearing our black boots; we're going to need them when we eventually kick Kilokahn's ass, her braver inner voice stated. Her other voice—the more terrified one—was asking her why she didn't take Sam to the side and tell him what was really going on.
"Are you ready to have a little bit of fun?" Kilokhan chuckled before murmuring, "I lie."
"Where are you taking us, Kilokahn?" Malcolm asked, his voice about an octave higher. Lydia was glad she wasn't the only one a little scared.
"To your worst nightmare," he growled.
Lydia swallowed the panic rising in her throat as best she could. "You can't create your own mega-viruses to save your life but yet you can control my machine?"
"Let's just say I've found a new partner. And they are much more loyal and destructive than you ever were, Malcolm Meat-Thing."
"A new partner?" Lydia and Malcolm repeated in unison before the machine stopped and abruptly landed, causing them to tumble to the floor.
"I take it this isn't your house?" Malcolm grunted.
Lydia slowly stood and helped Malcolm to his feet. "Sadly, no. First off, my house isn't this dark." She looked around to see that they were in what looked to be the middle of a thick forest. "Nor do we have trees indoors."
Malcolm turned back to the monitor angrily. "Where are we, you—oh, great; he's gone."
"Looks like we're on our own, then." Lydia opened one of the drawers inside her machine and pulled out two identical keychains. "Here, take one. It'll put out enough light to see where we're going."
Malcolm nodded and turned his on as soon as they exited the machine. "Well, this looks rather ominous."
Lydia squirmed as she untangled herself from a spiderweb between two trees. "Yuck." This place screamed Halloween horror movie. But which villain would they walk up on? Freddy? Jason? The headless horseman?
"Hello?" Malcolm called out. "Is anyone out here?"
Yep, we're going to chopped and sliced for sure, Lydia thought, not daring to even move. "Malcolm, we need to get out of here and fast. I don't like this at all."
"Well, surely there has to be someone out here who can help us. Maybe if we went that way," he shined the flashlight down to show a small clearing, "we'll have better luck."
Lydia nodded and started to follow him.
SNAP!
Lydia gasped and turned around as she heard what sounded like a tree branch snapping. "Did you hear that?"
"I thought that was—" Malcolm began, but he didn't finish his sentence.
"You thought that was what?" she pressed, turning back to him. "Malcolm!" she cried when she saw that he was on the ground, unconscious. This just went from bad to worse, she thought seconds before she felt something hard strike the back of her head and the world went black.