Chapter Four

The Geo Cruiser flew through the air at a leisure pace, now seven hours into the journey to Hope Island. In that time, Laura, Linka, and Gi had set out to become old friends, basically chatting about everything they could think of. Laura learned a great deal of the lives the two had lived before becoming Planeteers, and what their lives were like now. In return, the two Planeteers learned what the life of a cattle rancher was like, with all it's perks and downside. And through it all, Gi gave their friend pointers in how to tread around Ma-Ti, much to the embarrassment of the Planeteer of Heart, and the amusement of the pilot and co-pilot. After all, Wheeler and Kwame had teased each other a great deal over the last month about their particular crushes, so it was particularly satisfying to not be the recipients.

Finally though, Laura was finally tired of speaking with them, and sat back down next to Ma-Ti. "So, you've been teased about this, too?" she asked.

Ma-Ti nodded, grinning sheepishly. "I actually believe I deserve some of it. After all, I have been teasing Wheeler and Linka for the last several years, and Kwame and Gi for the last month." He looked around. "Did you really get it that bad?"

Laura nodded, giggling. "It was horrible. They ganged up on me, and pestered me for information about you. What you were like, what your favorite color was, what you were interested in…among other things." She refrained to mention the other things, as they still brought a blush to her cheeks.

Ma-Ti noticed the slight pinkish tint to Laura's cheeks. "I'm going to assume that you will tell me what else they inquired when we have some privacy," he whispered. He watched Laura as she nodded. "Okay."

For a few minutes, the cruiser was silent, as everyone on board was thinking, or piloting, or just be silent. Laura and Ma-Ti were almost asleep, content with just sitting next to each other. Gi was looking out the window, staring at the clouds as they flew by. Linka had pulled out her book, opened to where she had left off, and began reading again. Kwame began running various diagnostics on the Geo Cruiser's equipment, while Wheeler concentrated on piloting the little plane.

The silence was broken when Gi suddenly jerked away from the window, like she had seen something that she didn't want to see. That of course, prompted Kwame to turn around and ask. "What is it?"

Gi looked at him. "I think we're being followed. And in something I've never seen before."
Wheeler looked at her. "What does it look like?"
"It looks kind of like a mechanical bug."
Wheeler punched into the small computer screen keyboard. A few seconds later, he looked up. "I think we may have a problem," he said.

"What?" Ma-Ti shook himself awake, staring at Wheeler. Laura shifted, slowly rubbing her eyes.

The Fire Planeteer switched off the auto-pilot. "Well, I'm no expert, but I think that's some type of attacker. And if there anything like fighter jets, I'd say we're the target."

As if to punctuate his remark, the vessel's prongs began glowing a bright yellow. Half a second later, it spit twin yellow blasts, aimed right at them. It was painfully obvious what their follower was planning to do.

Wheeler reacted with a speed borne of years of experience, and wrenched the controls, making the Geo-Cruiser swerve to the right. The blasts missed by only a fraction of an inch.

"What the hell?!" Kwame shouted, sounding so unlike what he usually did. "What was that?"

Linka got up to the cockpit. "I think we have just had lasers shot at us. Maybe it is something new from Doctor Blight?" she suggested.

"I've got the funny feeling it wasn't sent by the Doc," Wheeler muttered darkly, wrenching the controls every which way, avoiding the rapid fire of their attacker. "Because I don't think that this guy would chummy up with her real well!"

Laura looked out her window. "Then why are they firing on us? Or at the very least, on you guys?"

"No idea." Wheeler put the Geo-Cruiser into a spin, watching as what looked like a missile of some kind fly over head. "Though I'm going to find out. Kwame, try and contact our attacker. Ma-Ti, contact Gaia. Tell her we're under attack, and see if she can contact Commando Clash. We need some aerial support. In the meantime, I think we need some planet power here!"

Linka stared at Wheeler in amazement as he gave out orders, like a general commanding his troops. He was changing so much, that he was almost unrecognizable. However, he was right on this. They needed help.

Ma-Ti did as he was told, then nodded. "She's getting Clash. He's actually very near here. He'll be here in several minutes."

"All right then." Kwame raised his rings. "Let our powers combine. Earth!"

Instantly, a greenish beam of light emerged from his ring, heading into the sky.

The others followed his example.

"Fire!" Wheeler roared, unleashing his power in an orange beam.

"Wind!" Linka unleashed a bluish-white burst.

"Water!" Gi's ring let loose a dark blue blast.

"Heart!" Ma-Ti called out, his ring emitting a gold color.

As one, the powers that they commanded left their rings, heading up into the air to fulfill their ultimate purpose. To merge into the most powerful being the Earth had ever seen. A being that was created for one reason; to protect nature from those who would seek to destroy it, or any disaster that would threaten it.

"By your powers combined…I am Captain Planet!"

Wheeler didn't yell, "Go, Planet!" with the rest of them. He was too busy piloting, and in that moment, he found it extremely corny. Instead, waiting until they had all said that, shouted, "Cap! We need you to keep that creep off our tail, so we can retreat to a safe distance! Think you can do it?"

"Please. I like to think I'm a person of many skills," Planet replied, grinning. "I'll just make him follow this birdie!" Without another word, he turned and flew in the opposite direction of the cruiser.

Laura watched him go. She had the funny feeling that he wasn't going to slow down this creep any.

Ma-Ti shared her opinion.

----

The Sunak pilot smirked. He had to give those Planeteers credit. They knew how to fly a plane. And they had summoned their protector later than he had predicted. Not that it would matter, of course. The outcome would be precisely the same.

He heard one of them trying to contact him, but he ignored it, actually enjoying the fact that they were concerned for their passenger's safety. It meant very little to him, as she was very fond of one of them.

He activated a small control panel that had been up to that moment dark. Pressing a single button, he deactivated a stasis field. Then, he opened the launch doors. And waited, humming a tune that his people knew.

Finally, the one they called Captain Planet flew in front of him, blocking his way. He slowed down, bringing his craft into hover right in front of him. "At last, the worlds last line of defense. We finally meet."

Planet wagged a finger at him. "You've been a bad boy, not to mention a bad shot. I'm putting you, and whatever plot you have, out of business. So you can turn around now, and fly back to whatever Eco-Terrorist that hired you, and simply say, "Captain Planet got in the way, and ruined my plan, and made fun of me," or whatever you want to say to them."

The pilot laughed, thumbing the outer ship communication grid. "You truly have no idea as to who or what I am, you fool. And you think I serve your pathetic human terrorists? Captain Planet, you are going to have much more important things than the survival of your environment. Like staying alive long enough to save your Planeteer friends." He finally pressed the third control, releasing his 'cargo.'

Planet looked rather confused. Did this guy just say human terrorists? And what were in those canisters that he released? All he knew was whoever this guy was, he was dangerous.

"Don't bother going after the canisters, Planet. There are no toxic chemicals in them for you to worry about. There are, however, some very exotic creatures in them that are infinitely more dangerous. You just have to wait for a few seconds for them to 'hatch.'"

A few seconds later, Captain Planet found out why as the canisters split open, releasing a large cloud of gray smoke. He saw some kind of shadows in the smoke, obscured in shadow. Straining to see what it was, he noticed that they were big.

Then, those something's emerged.

" Amazing, aren't they? I believe your friends would call them giant dragonflies. An un-dramatic, but extremely accurate description." The voice definitely sounded amused. 'However, we of the Sunak Confederation call them Klahsef. Spirit hunters. They're very good at it, as you are about to see. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some Planeteers to kill. Good day." With that, the cruiser immediately flew by Planet.

Planet shook his head. "Looks like negotiations are over," he muttered. And then he was too busy getting ready to defend himself, as those Klahsef were heading in his direction. He dodged the first one, then the other, by only the barest of margins. These things were fast! Then one of them hit from behind, slamming him into a loop. He cart wheeled for a second before he righted himself, rephrasing his thought. They were fast and strong! And they were extremely coordinated for insects.

As if to add fuel to his finding, the two began launching themselves at him, one after another. He bobbed and weaved to the best of his ability, pushing his flying abilities to their limit. In that time, he came up with a half decent plan. It was something Linka would have found immensely workable. He only hoped they were only following instincts, and weren't capable of thinking. Otherwise, he was going to be in a world of trouble.

The two spirit hunters flew in at the spirit again, one from the front, one from the rear, catching him in a pincer attack. Just the way he wanted to be. He didn't like waiting long.

When the closer one reached him, he immediately put all of his power into play, diving under the Klahsef, and at the same time, grabbing it's tail, stopping it in it's tracks. He began twirling around and round, like a top, before releasing his captive at hurricane speed.

The other spirit hunter moved with a speed that was unimaginable, catching his compatriot with a gentleness that was impressive. Planet flew in, slamming into both of them with all the power in his body, trying to knock them into free fall. It worked partially. One of them was knocked into free fall, it's right wing severed from it's body. He regretted doing that, but he had had no time to prepare properly. And he was, as he now figured out, fighting for his life.

The other one gave a shriek of rage, and almost immediately, a long, thin needle appeared at the tip of his tail. The tail curled in under the giant bug, and his wings began beating faster and faster.

Half a second later, he felt a sudden pain in his arm. He looked down, and saw a small cut on it. 'Wow, talk about a major drawback. If that thing can hurt me…?'

He was in serious trouble here.

As he completed his thought, the other Klahsef came flying up again, it's right wing restored already. And it had undergone a similar transformation. He rephrased his earlier thought. He wasn't in serious trouble. There was no word in any language that could describe how much trouble he was in.

And then, he was dodging again and again, barely getting out of the way each time. He was getting a few more cuts to his arms and legs, but nothing that really hindered him. Thank god for not having any blood running through his system. However, he still could feel pain, and it was becoming distracting. He needed to end this fast, and before that creep managed to get the Planeteers.

In that moment of thought, both spirit hunters attacked at once, forcing him into a corkscrew maneuver. Then, as if they had planned it, they instantly slammed into him from both sides, squashing him. In pain, he tried to move, but then, he saw them preparing to use their tails, ready to run him through. He closed his eyes.

----

Commando Clash said only one phrase. "All units, fire at will!"
Instantly, four helicopters fired their missiles at once, targeting the two extremely large dragonflies. Three of them hit the incoming one, blasting it out of the sky. It hit the ground with a sickening thud, though no one up there could hear it. The last one hit the one behind Captain Planet, forcing it to back off. "Gotcha!" One of the pilots shouted in victory.

Planet, now free, turned around, and knocked the last bug into a loop. Another set of missiles issued from the copters, hitting the bug in almost every single body part. It too fell, a few scant seconds later. "Thanks, Clash for that explosive arrival!" Planet shouted, waving.

"Don't mention it! Now, where are the Planeteers?"

"Some kind of kook is after them, in some kind of weird ship. I think he's trying to kill them, and me too! They went Northeast!"
"Well then, let's get going. Boys, formation Alpha! Johnson, pick up what's left of the corpses!" Clash looked at the superhero outside his window. "How do we find them?" he asked.

"Follow the lasers."

----

Wheeler grunted, pushing the Geo Cruiser to the very limits of it's speed and maneuverability, as he bobbed and weaved, avoiding the attacker. 'Apparently, this guy was ready for Cap,' he thought.

The vessel had caught up with them very easily, and began the assault anew. Lasers and those strange missiles flew in after them, trying to hit them. And each time, Wheeler barely got out of the way. The weapons were also doing unmentionable damage to the surface, but there was nothing they could do about it.

"Wheeler! He is trying to get in front of us!" Linka shouted.

Wheeler immediately went downward, taking the attacker by surprise. He waited until the ground had approached the point of no return, then pulled up. Two projectiles slammed into the ground, causing insurmountable damage. "Geez, this guy wants to bury us!"

"I think we established that!" Laura shouted. "Is there anyway for us to fight back?"
"Captain Planet was our way to fight back!" Gi replied.

"Well, maybe you should have lasers installed somewhere!"
"And where would we be putting them?"
"Anywhere! Even a small handgun would be useful!"
"Ladies!" Wheeler roared. "Shut up, so I can pilot recklessly in peace!"
"Sorry," Laura and Gi said at the same time. Linka giggled for a second before looking out the window again, trying to track their attacker's movements.

"Kwame, give me a reading!"
"We're at maximum speed, but he is still keeping up with us! He's not trying to get in front of us again, though!"
Wheeler nodded. "Ma-Ti, can you see what he's doing?"
Ma-Ti looked out the window. "His shots are veering extremely close to our sides. And I think he is aiming there on purpose!"
Wheeler grasped the implications immediately. "He's trying to hit our solar power cells, kill our power supply!"

"Is there an auxiliary power supply?" Laura asked.

"A secondary solar generator on the other side of the Geo Cruiser. Now that I think about it, it's probably a good idea to turn it on right now. Linka, could you please activate it? We need the extra power!"

Linka went over to the cockpit, hitting a button on the dashboard. Almost instantly, the Geo-Cruiser kicked as a surge of speed swept it forward. "Well, that is new," she muttered.

----

The pilot's eyebrows disappeared in surprise. 'They have an additional power supply on that ship,' he thought, 'and are deploying it to increase their speed. I didn't think they would be this prepared.' His opinion of the Spirit's servants went up. They were extremely resourceful, and extremely unpredictable. And they weren't too bad at flying a plane either. He was actually going to regret killing them, but it had to be done. He added more power to his engines.

----

"Geez, this guy doesn't know when to quit," Wheeler growled. He continued maneuvering around like mad. "What's his problem? Hey, I'll ask him that!"

The Sunak pilot prepared to fire once more, when he heard a new voice come over the intercom. For a moment, he figured they were trying to contact him, to try and beg for mercy, until he heard the voice ask, rather bluntly, "What the hell is your problem, you damn asshole?"

He blinked. "Have to admit, didn't see this one coming." Deciding to answer, he activated the send button.

"I have decided to reply, if only because you have managed to survive this long, and since you asked so nicely. You see, you are servants to a dangerous being."

Wheeler's eyes narrowed. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who he meant. The question was, how did he know about Gaia? "Look, whatever you think about Gaia, you're wrong. Gaia is not evil. She is only concerned with keeping Earth alive and healthy for future generations."

"You're wrong there, human! All spirits are inherently evil, and will always be evil! They only manipulate, use, and deceive everyone they meet! And you help her with her plot! That makes you traitors to the greater good, and thus, you must die!"

"If your fight is with us, then at least let us drop our passenger off! She has nothing to do with this." Wheeler noted the hope in Ma-Ti's face as he said this.

"No. Your friend, Laura Talbot, is unusually attached to your Planeteer of 'Heart.' That makes her as traitorous as the rest of you. So she will die with the rest of you, right now!" And with that, the transmission cut off. Ma-Ti's shoulders sagged in despair.

"We're in trouble, and that includes you, Laura. Everyone, better hang on!"

The Sunak cruiser opened fire again, this time taking better aim. Wheeler found himself hard pressed to keep the plane out of the line of fire.

Linka looked at Laura. "He obviously knows who you are. The questions are, how do does he know of you, and why does he hate Gaia so much?"

Laura shook her head, unsure on how to respond.
"Maybe he had had a meeting with Zarm which did not go well," Ma-Ti suggested.

"Or it's something else. Maybe someone who wants to hurt the planet," Gi supplied.

Wheeler nodded. "Your suggestion is, I think, the one that nails this on the head, Gi, but not in the way we're used to. And we're first on the list!"

----

Clash couldn't believe it. "How does he know about you?" he asked. "I mean, only those who have seen you before should know about you!"
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb, and say that he's done his homework. He wasn't using any weapons that created pollution when used, so he is environmentally sound. I just think he hates the Planeteers."

The commando thought about it for a second. "Or maybe he hates something else, or someone else. A spirit, perhaps?"

"Gaia!? But, why?"
"Haven't a clue. But the Geo Cruiser and their attacker are a lot faster than you at this particular moment, and our copters. You're going to have to go to speed up. I'll take one of the corpses to Hope Island, and the other one will go directly to Washington. That way, we have two fronts to find out what the hell we're up against."

Planet nodded. "Sounds like a plan. See ya later!" With that, he took off like a bolt of lightning. Clash immediately swerved in the general direction of Hope Island, and started praying. The other three copter's headed in the direction of Washington D.C.

----

The Geo Cruiser entered the Grand Canyon at breakneck speed, Wheeler redlining the engines as he did so. He began putting all of his concentration into the maneuvering the plane through the various grooves and curves that the longest canyon in the world had formed over millions of years. Now they would serve a different purpose than being simply a tourist attraction today. Today, they were their best chance of survival.

Even as he thought this, several blasts shot by the cruiser, chewing into the rock face. He came to the conclusion that the attacker had followed them in. He decided that he was under orders to destroy them, even if he died in the attempt. That thought did not settle well with the Fire Planeteer. Jerking the controls at a speed that was phenomenal, he banked, swerved, dodged, and rolled the Cruiser like a bird. And the predator continued flexing it's talons at them.

"Wheeler! The solar packs are over heating!" Kwame yelled, trying to be heard over the straining power packs, and the constant firing of their assailant. "If we do not reduce speed to safe levels, the Geo Cruiser may explode!"
"If we reduce speed," Wheeler replied, "we will be destroyed! In my opinion, we don't have a lot of choices here. Probable death by the packs, or certain death at the hands of the enemy! Which do you think I'm going to take?"

"Good point!"
"Drive, Yankee!"

For a minute longer, the Geo Cruiser continued it's deadly dance in the canyon, avoiding every single rock face and depression, emerging virtually unscathed. However, they couldn't keep this up forever.

"That's it!" Wheeler roared, wrenching the Geo Cruiser around in a somewhat wider depression. "I'm tired of running! Kwame, take over! Set a collision course!"
"What!?"
"Just do it! Veer to the right only when I say so! Understand?"

Kwame nodded, wondering what his friend was going to do. The order seemed rather reckless, something the Wheeler he knew would have come up with. But the steel in Wheeler's voice made him realize that his friend was tired of running, and he was going to do something about it.

Laura began chuckling. "Good luck there, my fellow American. Try not to get hit by the back lash."

Wheeler nodded, then pulled open the left cockpit door.

Linka looked at Laura. "Backlash?" she echoed.

Laura simply smiled. "You'll see."

----

The Pilot's brow disappeared into his hairline, as he stared at what the Geo Cruiser was doing. Then he grinned. "So, they have decided to stop running, and play 'chicken' with me. Very well." He stopped firing, and put more power into the engines.

"Steady, steady," Kwame muttered, watching the other vessel speed up. He couldn't believe it. He was playing chicken with a very aggressive being, in the Grand Canyon, no less! And to make matters even more complicated, he was doing it, while Wheeler was preparing to put the next part of his plan into action, which required him to be perched on the outer fringe of the Geo Cruiser, looking like he was going to leap off the ship. The other occupants were gripping their armrest's so hard that their knuckles were white. Fear was apparent in all of their faces.

Fifty meters, thirty meters, ten meters…

"Now!"

Immediately, Kwame veered to the right. At the same time, Wheeler jumped. Immediately, the Planeteer of Earth banked up, taking them out of the canyon. "Good luck, Wheeler," he muttered. Then he started praying.

----

The pilot was amazed. The Planeteers had developed a strategy that was truly impressive. He would now have to go the rest of the way through that section of the canyon before he could veer around. Even simply pulling up would give them valuable seconds to reach the nearby military base. And he wasn't ready to put his vessel through their anti-aircraft missiles. However, he also knew that he could simply speed up. That way, he could catch them before they reached any sort of help.

He reached for the controls…and suddenly heard something thump against his hull. Confused, he looked to the top of his window. Seeing nothing, he shrugged, and prepared to come about.

Suddenly, a person appeared in front of him, slamming his hand against the window. The pilot looked up in shock.

"Hey, pull over, you green skinned son of a bitch! I want answers, and I want them now!"
The pilot shook his head. What kind of madness was this? The Confederation's top commander had been positive that the Planeteers were cowards. So why was this one on his cruiser? He did have to give credit to him. This was truly a courageous act. A pity it would be his last.

Wrenching the cruiser, he tried to shake off the little insect.

----

Wheeler held on for dear life as the vessel began careening back and forth. He knew this was going to happen, and he didn't like it one bit. However, he had been climbing trees ever since he was eleven years old, especially during extremely windy days, learning to keep himself up on the higher branches. And some of his Planeteer exploits had required him to work in hurricane-type situations, and he had quite a grip to begin with. So he held on, using all of his experience to climb.

Slowly, he made his way across the attacker, away from the window, making his way to the back. He was relatively certain that that was where the entry hatch was. In his pocket, he had a small proximity grenade that Clash had given to him for his birthday last year, saying jokingly that it might come in handy. He only hoped that it was still good.

Making it to his objective, he was delighted to see that it was indeed there, and had a small perch there. Why it was there was beyond him, but it provided him with a foothold. And he needed that.

Getting down, he made sure he had a secure foothold, then pulled out the little grenade. More like a proximity charge, it wouldn't cause that much of an explosion, Clash had told him, and in fact would only cause a minor vibration throughout the ship. But he only needed to cause a small explosion to loosen the hatch enough for him to force it open, and gain access to the ship.

Jamming it into the lower portion of the hatch, he pulled the pin, and then scrambled back up to the top. It wasn't powerful enough to cause a great deal of damage, but it would be enough to knock him off the ship if he was in range. Then he held on, tight.

----

The pilot had finally pulled up, and had turned around, going to full speed. After he saw that Planeteer disappear from his sight, he had assumed that he had fallen off. Now he only had to worry about the other Planeteers.

Bringing them back into his sights, he noted that they were going slower than before. 'They must have pushed their engines too hard,' he thought triumphantly. His earlier concerns were unwarranted. There was no where to run, no where to hide. They had led him on a merry chase, and he would fondly remember them as worthy prey. However, he had exhausted his patience on them, and decided he was going to blow out of the sky.

Kwame had given up hope. That last run had not only drained the power packs, but had apparently done some damage to the exhaust port. They couldn't go beyond a certain speed, and he knew the cruiser was coming around, with weapons possibly ready to fire. He closed his eyes.

----

The pilot targeted carefully, aiming at the engines. It was going to be short and sweet. They probably wouldn't even feel a thing.

He began to squeeze…and a shudder ran through the ship, distracting him for a second. He also smelled smoke coming from the rear, near the hatch. Getting up, keeping the targeting system locked on the Geo Cruiser, he went to see what it was.

Wheeler swung down, slamming both his feet into the door.

The pilot suddenly got hit by the hatch, as it was forcibly slammed into him. He clutched his mouth and stumbled back as he saw the Fire Planeteer swing in, landing in the shuttle. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the intruder. Next time, he was going to make sure personally that they were dead before turning his attention to other things.

Wheeler's eyes spoke of steel and fire. "I want answers, and I want them now," he growled. "And I'll get them, even if I have to beat them out of you . And first answer I want is who you are."

His adversary bowed. "I am Zephyer, a member of a species called the Telazis. I am part of a group known only as the Sunak Confederation. And as to why we want you dead, I'm afraid I won't tell. Instead, I'm going to kill you with my own two hands." And with that, he lunged, hands outstretched, closing them around Wheeler's throat, and started to squeeze.

Wheeler brought his own hands up, grabbing the Telazisian's arms, breaking his grip, and driving his head forward. He connected with a solid head butt, driving the other guy back. Zephyer retaliated with a solid right hook, catching Wheeler in the jaw. Wheeler's head snapped to the side, but he recovered and kicked him in the stomach. He immediately followed with a series of punches to Zephyer's face, stomach, and kidney area. With his opponent reeling, he lifted him into the ceiling with an uppercut. The man fell to the ground, unconscious. "That's what you get for messing with my friends," Wheeler growled, kicking him for good measure. Then he headed for the cockpit, and sat down in the chair.

Looking over the controls, he wasn't surprised to see that it was a standard pilot wheel. Apparently, while the weapons were advanced, the piloting functions were not. Next, he noted that one of the screen had what appeared to be a targeting lock on the Geo Cruiser. So, he immediately began sweating. How to remove the lock without accidentally shooting them? "My kingdom for a Rosetta Stone," he muttered.

He finally decided to just put his faith in God, and pressed one button, closing his eyes as he did so. For a second, he waited. When he didn't hear an explosion, he opened his eyes again, and stared at the screen. The target lock was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief. 'Ma-Ti,' he called out telepathically.

Ma-Ti jerked in surprise. 'Wheeler?'

'I have taken control of the enemy shuttle. Please inform Kwame that I'm coming alongside, so as to play around with their weapons systems without putting the Geo Cruiser in danger.'

'Will do.' "Kwame, it's over."

Kwame breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, for answering our prayers," he whispered.

----

"It was a trap. A well set trap, designed to get us."

Gaia sat down, feeling every one of her many eons. "I can't believe I didn't see this coming. Do you know who would want you dead?"

"Not really. We still have no idea as to who we are dealing with. Wheeler was able to stop the assault. You should have seen him."

"I wish I did. Linka, is Laura okay?"
'She is fine. A little frightened, but okay."

Linka was very blunt when she said this. Gaia knew that it meant that her Planeteer of Wind was hiding her fear, and felt a great swell of sympathy. "And Wheeler?" she asked softly, knowing how much of a sensitive subject the American was to Linka.

'On the other ship…wait. Commando Clash is wanting a word with you. Says he has something important to show you."
With a thought, Gaia shifted her gaze to Clash, putting him on the planet vision. "What is it, friend?" she asked.

"We've managed to procure a corpse of one of the beasts that attacked Captain Planet, and I'm on my way to Hope Island. I think you might want to have a look at it."

Gaia nodded. "And Captain Planet?" he asked, concern etching her face.

"He's on his way to the island now. He received word that the fight ended, and should be there right about-"

"Hold that thought, Clash. I think he just landed. I'll talk to all of you when you arrive. And thank you for all of your help."
"You're welcome. See you in a few hours."

Without a second thought to that, Gaia walked out of what Wheeler jokingly called her command center, and headed out to the beach. She wanted to see if he was all right.

When she got there, she realized he wasn't. "Planet!"
Captain Planet staggered, no longer oriented. "Sorry if I look a little cut up," he mumbled. "I just need to rest a little bit." And with that, he collapsed, unconscious.

Gaia was by his side immediately, holding his head up. "Planeteers," she sent telepathically, "get back here as soon as you can! Captain Planet is hurt, and hurt badly!' She didn't wait for a reply, but picked Planet up, and carried him to the hut. "Come on, old friend," she muttered. "Don't you dare die on us! Don't die on me!"

"Are you sure?"

"Affirmative, my lord. Their protector is injured, but the Planeteers live. One of them even managed to get his hands on one of our one man fighters, and captured Zephyer. Do you want us to proceed?"

"Negative. Do not interfere. Humans are notorious for figuring out how to use things in the heat of battle. Stay away from them and head for our base. Between this, and the arrival of that starship in orbit, we need to rethink our approach."

"Yes, sir. Siad out."

The man in the center chair sat back, thinking. He was notably impressed now. 'They've changed a great deal in thirteen years, and have in fact matured. I'm amazed. A pity they all have to die, alongside the three last all powerful spirits.

Then, the ring will be mine…'