"Anything?" Daniel asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Cindy scanned the loch's eastern shore one last time before sighing. "Nothing," she dreadfully whispered.

"Don't fret yet," Dan hopefully told Cindy as she turned away from the water and faced him. "We've barely got a third of the loch scanned. He could still be out there."

Cindy nervously chewed on her bottom lip and sighed. "I don't know if Jimmy just forgot to account for it, or if he chose not to consider it, but there's no way Carl could have survived this long in the water."

"Well doesn't he hae twenty-four hours of -"

"It's not the air," Cindy muttered while taking a seat on the floor. "We all barely lasted twenty minutes in that water. Heck, I'm still shivering," Cindy muttered as the breeze picked up and made her shudder.

"I could put on another batch of cocoa," Daniel quietly offered. He gave the harpoon cannon a nervous stare and then sat down on the floor opposite Cindy.

"Daniel," Cindy gently chided, "you know what I'm trying to say. The only way Carl is still alive is if he washed up on shore. And wouldn't we have spotted him by now if he had? How far he could he have drifted?"

Dan forced his mind to race towards an explanation of Carl's survival. "If he did wash up," he slowly ventured, "maybe someone found him. He could be safe in Foyers or Drumnadrochit right noo. It's not like anyone could reach ye oot here."

Cindy considered this but ultimately shook her head. "He could have used a phone to call us." She hesitated and then looked Daniel in the eyes. "But…maybe the water broke Libby's phone. I didn't ask her."

"See?" Daniel offered with a cautious smile. "Don't give up hope, Cindy." Dan watched the blonde-haired girl consider his words and then glanced at the harpoon cannon. He quickly rose to his feet and offered Cindy his hand. "I think I ken what might pick ye up. Care to learn how to use the cannon?"

Cindy cast a quick look at the giant machine and then at Daniel's open hand. With a smile she accepted his offer and was hoisted to her feet.

"Carl!" Sheen's desperate shout rang out over Loch Ness. The manic teenager cupped a hand around his right ear and leaned it towards the water. For five seconds he held this position, focusing completely on listening for Carl's reply. None came.

"Carl!" Sheen shouted once more. He let his eyes rapidly dart around before narrowing them and screaming, "Nessie! Show yourself, you coward!"

Sheen heard footsteps approaching from behind and spun around to see Libby heading towards him. "I know," he quickly began while turning back around. "You think its annoying and you want me to be quiet but I have to keep shouting," Sheen said with a resolute nod. "He'll hear me eventually."

Libby sighed and joined her boyfriend. "I don't want you to stop," she gently said while grabbing his hand.

Sheen rose a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, my eardrums are threatening to burst, but its worth it. We have to find Carl."

Sheen hastily nodded, took in a deep breath, and noticed Libby flinch out of the corner of his eye. He waited a long moment and then quietly exhaled. "Libs," he nervously began, "you think he's out there, right?"

Libby watched the breeze swirl the water around before nodding. "Yeah, Sheen, I really do." Her eyes deadened as she concentrated on the waves beneath her.

"Good," Sheen said with a wide grin, "because I -"

"Carl!" Libby screeched as loud as Sheen had. Her boyfriend recoiled in shock and fell onto the deck. "Answer us now!"

Sheen rose to his feet with impossible speed, gripped the deck's rails, and screamed, "Carl!"

Erin's grip on the ship's wheel tightened as Libby and Sheen's voices rang out one after the other. She shot Jimmy a death glare as he stared at the sonar.

"He might be able to hear them if he's near the shore," Jimmy assured her.

"Well good for him," Erin grumbled while stifling a yawn. "I'm hesitant to ask since I know the answer, but anything on the sonar?"

Jimmy watched the screen for a few more seconds before sighing. "No," he muttered. "Not yet."

Erin's eyes drooped as her mind clouded. She felt her fingers start to fall off the steering wheel as her head collapsed, but she jerked it up at the last second. Adrenaline spiked through her veins but was washed out in an instant, leaving her just as tired as before. She'd been fighting sleep like this for the past hour, and she was starting to lose.

"How are ye bairns all still doe-eyed?" she asked while slapping her cheeks to combat sleep.

"Huh?" Jimmy asked while glancing from the sonar.

Erin scowled and said each word slowly. "How are you so awake?"

Jimmy glanced at his watch. "It's not even midnight back in Retroville."

Erin yanked out her pocket watch and narrowed her eyes at the device. "Well it's nearin' six in the morn here." She began to tap her fingers against the wheel while setting her steely gaze over the water. "Ye sure there's nothin' on the sonar?"

"No, there's not," Jimmy repeated.

Erin nodded to herself and grabbed the handpiece for the ship's speaker system. "Attention crew," she spoke into the device and listened as her words echoed loudly throughout the ship. "Report to the wheelhouse."

Jimmy stared quizzically at the girl. "What's going on? Did you find something?"

Erin ignored the question until Daniel, Libby, Sheen, and Cindy strolled into the tight quarters. "Before anyone else asks," she immediately said, "naw, we haven't found a thing."

"Then what's the matter?" Cindy quickly spoke up. "We need to be out there keeping an eye on the shore."

Erin clenched her right hand into a fist, squeezed it tight, and then released it. "Listen here, blondie, did ye forget that I'm the one doin' ye all a favor by shuttling you around the loch in the middle of the night for free?"

Cindy's face fell as her features softened. "Sorry," she quietly offered.

"Well that's much appreciated," Erin wryly went on, "but I called you in here to let ye know that I'm turning this ship around."

"What?!" Sheen cried out.

"We've been on the loch for nearly five hours," Erin tiredly explained. "We've searched every inch of the water from Foyers to Drumnadrochit and then some. There's nowhere else left to look."

"There's the whole rest of the loch!" Jimmy countered while motioning at the water all around them. "He could be anywhere!"

Erin spun around to face James. "What ye are suggesting is that your friend either swam against the current for over two kilometers or with it for six." She let out a deep breath and let her features soften. "Look, I'm truly sorry about yer mate goin' missing. But I've done everything I can. You need to call in a professional rescue team now. And I need to get back to the docks. I'll be having scores of paying tourists lined up soon."

Jimmy's face fell but he refused to yield. "I can pay you!" he cried out. He desperately reached into his pockets and pulled out a nearly empty wallet. "I…I don't have much money with me, but I have some in the lab for emergencies. I can -"

"It's not the money, mate," Erin sadly said while grabbing Jimmy's trembling arms and lowering them to his sides. "We've searched all of the water yer friend could possibly be in. If he is still alive," she swallowed hard and then went on, "and I hope he is, then he's on the shore somewhere. And if that's the case, then yer best bet of finding him is getting a team of professionals to scour the shore."

"Erin," Dan crossed his arms while his friend stared at him, "can't you spare a couple more hours? Maybe can head closer to land? Sail up and down it for a while?"

Erin considered this for a brief moment before shaking her head. "Like I said, I'm sorry. I'm not saying no because of the money, but I do have a business to run and a reputation to uphold. I can't just leave my customers hangin' in the wind. And a search and rescue team can search the shore faster than we can." She looked at each of her guests and then grabbed the wheel. "I'm bringing us home."

Quiet filled the wheelhouse until the sonar began to beep. Everyone froze and stared at each other save Erin, who simply kept her eyes on the water.

"Erin?" Daniel ventured.

"It must just be some fish," she answered.

"It's only set to beep for large masses," Jimmy protested while taking the few steps towards the machine.

"A big school of fish, then," Erin countered.

Another beep filled the room as Jimmy smiled. "It's the monster," he whispered in relief.

Erin's gaze shot towards the screen and her eyes widened as she saw the enormous mass appearing at the sonar's edge. Another beep echoed throughout the wheelhouse as the creature skirted around the screen.

"Size?" she robotically asked.

Cindy joined Jimmy and instinctively grabbed his hand. "Thirty meters long."

"And ten meters wide," Jimmy added. He stared at Erin. "Still want to go back?"

Erin let out a slow breath and reached her fingers out towards the screen. She let them slide down the glass while allowing herself a tiny smile. "No," she quietly answered. Then, as if a switch was thrown, she snapped her gaze towards Daniel and quickly ordered, "Dan, get to the cannon and man it tight."

"Aye aye," Dan eagerly said with a nod.

Erin didn't hesitate a moment to turn to each remaining member of her party. "Cindy, get up there with Dan," she raced through her words with impeccable speed. "Spot for him with the binoculars and feed him intel on the monster. Libby and Sheen, get back to manning the spolights. I'll be giving ye orders over the speaker and make sure to follow. James, you watch that sonar like your life depends on it, because it does. I'm going to skirt us around the creature so Dan can get a shot in its back."

For a split second everyone stared back at her, so she barked, "Move!" The crowd immediately scattered except for Jimmy, who locked his gaze onto the screen. Erin grabbed the wheel and stared out at the loch before her. "Let's get this monster."

Daniel pulled himself up the wheelhouse's ladder and climbed onto its roof. He immediately offered a hand to Cindy as she climbed behind him and hoisted her up. "Listen close, Cindy," he ordered while standing behind the cannon and staring down its crude sights. "We've got two harpoons for the cannon. If I nail the monster with the first shot, I'll need you to try to winch it in while I reload."

"You mean pull it towards the ship?" she Cindy steadily asked while powering on the night-vision binoculars.

"Aye," Daniel hurriedly answered. "It might try to swim off if I don't kill it with the first blow, so you'll need to keep it in place. Turn the crank," he said while pointing to a small handle at the base of the cannon, "like I showed you. Once we got the beast pinned in place I'll be able to aim better and land a kill shot."

Erin's voice suddenly filled the speakers as the engines sputtered to full power and the ship raced forward. "Monster's heading north," she instructed her crew, "and we're chasing after it. Focus spotlights aft and prepare for contact."

Cindy risked a quick look away from the ship's bow and glanced down at Libby and then Sheen. Both were following Erin's instructions and swiveling the spotlights towards the front of the ship.

"Mass is moving north by northeast," Jimmy urgently told Erin while focusing on the sonar. "Speed is steady at seven miles per hour."

"Use the bloody metric system!" Erin angrily ordered.

"Six knots," Jimmy immediately revised. "How fast can this ship go?"

"Seven," Erin muttered while narrowing her eyes. "It'll do." She spun the wheel slight to port and pushed her ship as fast as it could go.

"You're heading the opposite way," Jimmy protested as he watched the mass drift farther east on the screen.

"We're not facing the Loch Ness Monster head on," Erin shot back. "We catch up to her and circle around." She grabbed the speaker's handset and powered it on once more. "Revising course for northwest path. Shift spotlights thirty degrees starboard. Dan, eye the cannon in the same direction."

Jimmy nervously glanced up at the ceiling. "The harpoon…it will kill it?"

"Aye, it will," Erin answered.

"Is," Jimmy hesitated a long moment, "is that a good idea?"

"Didn't this thing try to kill you and your friends?" Erin shot back. "I'm not losing this ship trying to say hello to the bastard. So yeah, it's a good idea."

"Sheen, move the lights more to the right!" Libby shouted while getting the forward light in place and dashing aft for the back one.

"Got it!" Sheen shouted back while rotating his forward light a little more. He leaned over the rails and watched the water race by. "We're coming, Carl!" he eagerly shouted at the water.

"Distance to mass?" Erin steadily asked while keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of the monster.

"We're closing in," Jimmy quickly answered. "One hundred meters and closing at two meters per second."

Erin grabbed the speaker's handset once more. "We have thirty seconds until strike range! Dan, prepare to fire!"

"I see it!" Cindy shouted while staring through the binoculars at a large patch of churning water hard to starboard.

"Where?" Daniel asked while cracking his neck and closing his left eye. He stared down the cannon's sights with his right and gripped the trigger tight.

"The spotlights are just at the edges of it," Cindy said while lowering the binoculars and staring over the rails at Libby. "Libs!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Shift your lights a few degrees left! Sheen, move yours to the right!"

Cindy slid to a stop beside Daniel and glanced through the binoculars once more. The two sets of lights shifted ever so slightly and centered on the churning water. "There!" Cindy triumphantly shouted while pointing at the waves. "You see it?"

Daniel gave a steely nod. "Aye, I do." He slammed his right foot hard onto the floor twice and shouted down to Erin. "Got sight on the beast! Permission to fire?"

Erin could barely hear Dan's words over the growing waves and growling engines. "How deep is it?" she calmly asked Jimmy while circling the monster.

"Fifteen meters," Jimmy shot back.

Erin nodded and activated the speakers. "Target is fifteen meters deep. Take aim and fire!"

Dan took in a deep breath, tried to slow the beating of his heart, and stared hard at his target. "Firing," he whispered while pulling the trigger.

A loud pop rose above the engines' roar and the waves as the cannon fired. In the blink of an eye the harpoon raced the air and slammed into the water. Dan didn't hesitate a moment as he started reloading the cannon. "Cindy, tow the line and keep that thing from fleeing!"

Cindy grabbed the crank and gave it a hard turn. Her face sank at how easy it was to spin. "There's no resistance!"

"What?" Dan shouted.

"That's not possible," Jimmy mumbled in disbelief while his eyes widened at the sonar's screen.

"What are ye talkin' about?" Erin loudly asked. Another thump came from the wheelhouse's ceiling as Daniel's voice came shouting down.

"I bloody missed!" his angry voice pierced the ceiling.

Erin scowled and grabbed the speaker's handpiece. "How the hell did you miss?! I taught you how to shoot meself!"

"Erin!" Jimmy shouted with clear resolve. She locked onto his gaze as he pointed at the sonar screen. "He didn't miss. The monster…it dodged it."

"The monster's bigger than this ship! How could it dodge it?" Erin scowled while grabbing the speaker piece. "Reload and prepare to fire!" she shouted into the device.

Jimmy shook his head and pointed at the screen. "It splintered apart into dozens of pieces right before the harpoon hit. Then it just...merged back together."

Erin shook her head and loudly asked, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know!" Jimmy shot back. He closed his eyes and forced his mind to come up with possible explanations. "Maybe…maybe this is just a school of fish…or the monster is a more alien creature than we could have imagined."

An ear-splitting roar filled the night air.

"Yeah, well that doesn't sound like fish to me," Erin hurriedly answered. "What's its heading?"

Jimmy's face fell as he watched the sonar. "Straight for us."

Cindy kept reeling in Daniel's missed harpoon until it climbed out of the water and rose above deck. She reached over the edge of the wheelhouse's roof and grabbed the enormous spear. "Got it!"

"Good, now get back on the binoculars!" Daniel instructed while aiming down the cannon's sights. "I can't see the waves anymo -"

"Hold on!" Erin's voice shouted just before the ship lurched hard to port. Instinct grabbed hold of Daniel at his friend's words, and he managed to keep his footing by holding on tight to the cannon. Cindy wasn't as lucky and crashed to the floor.

"What the heck?" Cindy cried as Daniel hoisted her to her feet. Another one of the monster's roars filled the air, this time much closer than before.

Daniel swiveled the cannon around in a desperate attempt to follow the sound. "I think its attacking the ship!"

Daniel's fears were confirmed as Erin's frantic voice cried out. "Starboard side brace for impact!"

Everyone on board grabbed hold of something as a massive impact underneath the ship sent it listing to port. Erin viciously spun the wheel starboard and tried to maintain control of the vessel. Libby was thrown into the salon's wall. Sheen was slammed into the port rails, but the bars kept him from falling over. Cindy was knocked into the harpoon cannon and managed to grasp the iron bar that served as its sights.

She watched in terror as Daniel's fingers slipped off of the cannon's trigger and he tumbled into the icy water.

A few fast blinks, the closing and opening of her eyes, didn't wash away the truth. As the ship righted itself and Cindy saw that Daniel was nowhere to be seen, she cried out his name. "Daniel!"

From inside the wheelhouse, Jimmy managed to make out the sheer terror in his friend's voice. "Cindy?" he shouted as loud as he could.

Erin immediately grabbed the speaker's handpiece and yelled into it. "Cindy, Daniel, report!"

A thump served as Erin's reply as Cindy jumped off of the wheelhouse's ceiling and burst into the room. "He fell overboard!"

Erin's grip on the wheel loosened as she shot her gaze towards Cindy. "What?" she desperately cried out.

Cindy gasped for breath while running a trembling hand through her hair. "The ship listed, and he lost his grip on the cannon. It happened so fast -"

"Daniel?" Erin painfully squeaked. She shook her head hard and stared daggers at Cindy. "You let him fall?"

"I didn't...there wasn't time," Cindy quietly answered.

Erin breathed hard and fast for a few excruciating seconds before staring out at the water. Her hands trembled, but then she dashed towards the small supply closet where she had stored the equipment her guests had brought.

"What are you doing?" Jimmy asked.

Erin rejoined them in a flash and shoved the five flares into Jimmy's hands. "Listen to me very closely," Erin spoke as quickly as she could. "We're only half a kilometer from shore." She quickly spun around and adjusted the wheel. "I'm putting us on a straight course for land."

Without pausing Erin swiveled back towards Jimmy and yanked a flare from his grasp. "You keep the ship on that heading, don't change it for anything. Most of the shore over there is rocky, but I've gotten you headed for a smooth part of the beach. When you approach the shore, cut the engines but do not turn the ship."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Cindy desperately asked while Erin tossed her the pocket watch she always carried.

"If you turn the ship you might flip the whole thing over and crush yerselves," she hurriedly explained while dashing out of the wheelhouse. Cindy and Jimmy followed her as she stared over the upper deck's rails. "I'll pop my flare after I've found Daniel and the sun's risen. You follow the smoke and we'll meet inland."

Jimmy's eyes popped open as he realized what Erin was doing. Another of the monster's roars only made his adrenaline spike harder. "You can't just leave us! I've never steered a boat before!"

"Haven't ye been listening?" Erin roared while kicking off her shoes. "You shouldn't have to steer it at all." She dropped her voice and grabbed Jimmy by the shoulders. "You stay together and keep yer friends safe. Hand out the flares, and if for some reason you get separated use them to find each other."

Cindy tore Jimmy away from Erin's gasp and stared into the teenager's wild eyes. "Daniel took the gum, he'll be fine! You can't just abandon us!"

A pained look conquered Erin's face as she stared desperately at the churning water below. "The loch's a hundred meters deep here and he ain't as strong a swimmer as I. If he sinks to the bottom he'll freeze." She gasped hard as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, but I can't lose him too."

Before Jimmy or Cindy could say another word, Erin leaped over the rails and disappeared into the crashing water.

The two children stared at the water in disbelief. Sheen was following their gaze from the deck below, and then Libby came running up to her boyfriend. "What the heck was that?" Libby shouted.

Jimmy allowed himself a few seconds of terror before steeling his nerves and taking control. "Libby, Sheen, get to the salon and stay in there," he shouted while tossing them each a flare. "Cindy, come with me. I'm getting us to land."

James didn't wait for a response before rushing back into the wheelhouse. Cindy stared painfully at Libby before following him inside. "You can handle that?" she asked while pointing at the wheel.

"She said I shouldn't have to do much," Jimmy repeated Erin's orders. He pointed at the sonar and told Cindy, "I need you to tell where the monster is so I can avoid if it comes back."

A glance at the device was all Cindy needed to tell Jimmy, "It's coming back now."

"What direction and how far away?" he cried out.

"Twenty meters starboard," Cindy shot back. Her eyes popped open and she loudly asked, 'What the hell?"

"What?!" Jimmy cried out.

"It's breaking apart!" Cindy shouted in amazement. "The monster's splitting -"

Her words were interrupted as the beast slammed into the starboard hull and sent the ship rising from the water. Jimmy was thrown from the wheel, and both he and Cindy tumbled through the air. Jimmy watched as Cindy hit a wall and slumped to the ground. For a split second he couldn't figure out why he wasn't stopping like she was, but then he heard the sound of glass breaking.

James flew through the wheelhouse's window and over the deck. The last thing he saw was one of the bars lining the deck slamming into his temple.

All Jimmy could feel was pain as he slowly opened his eyes. It radiated from the large bruise on his forehead, from the searing crease in his neck, and from the impossibly bright sun pouring into his pupils. He quickly forced his eyes closed and focused on the sound of gentle waves lapping against the shore.

"I'm," he paused and listened to the sound of his voice, "alive." He huffed in amazement and slowly brought his right hand to his forehead. The touch sent a wave of pain throughout his body, but he was relieved to find no fresh blood when he yanked his fingers away.

"Okay," he mumbled to himself while steeling his nerves and sitting up. More agony raced through his nerves, but he forced himself to ignore it. When it was over he was gasping for breath, but he was sitting upright. "Okay," he said once more.

The day before him couldn't have been in starker contrast to the night before. Only a handful of fluffy white clouds littered the impossibly blue sky. The sun cast down its warm rays and left Jimmy wondering how he could have nearly frozen to death just hours ago.

Jimmy spent a few moments considering all that he could remember. He knew that Daniel and Erin had gone overboard. He also knew that he had been painfully ejected from the vessel and left Cindy in charge of bringing it to shore. He slowly swiveled his gaze, but saw no sign of the ship along the shore. The paint that accompanied that simple movement sent a hand to his neck.

James could feel chafed skin along the base of his neck but couldn't see the source of the pain. He turned off his watch, tilted the dark screen so that it served as a rough mirror, and thought he could make out a thin red line along his skin. Curious, Jimmy pulled on the back of his shirt. The fabric ended up plastering against his skin exactly where the red line was.

Did someone drag me from the water? he asked in disbelief. He forced himself to his feet and took a good look around. There was no sign of anyone nearby, and the ground beneath him was made of rocks instead of sand. That meant no footprints.

If someone had saved him from the water, why would they just abandon him on this beach? The strangeness of his situation, along with his injuries, brought a new pulse of pain through his head. His eyes shot down to the ground as his muscles tightened, and he saw his flare just a couple of feet away.

Jimmy knelt down on one knee and picked up the orange tube. Then he spun around and stared at the thick forest behind him. He knew that the smart thing to do would be to send up his flare and wait for rescue to come, either from his friends or a boat out on the loch. But Jimmy Neutron was never one for sitting around and waiting when he could get something done himself. He shoved the flare into his jean's pocket and slowly made his way inland.

"Cindy!" he shouted as loud as he could manage while sitting down on an overturned tree. His throat burned from thirst; a half hour of rough hiking had covered him in sweat. He cursed himself for forgetting that the loch was full of fresh water and not grabbing some before heading into the woods.

"Sheen!" this cry came much quieter as he took in a few deep breaths. He coughed and stared down at the dirt below. "Libby," he whispered. "Carl, Daniel, Erin," he completed the list before gently rubbing his temple.

Jimmy took a moment to gather his breath and then stared around the forest. For a moment he let his mind drift away towards the last time he had been stranded. In spite of the direness of his current situation, he couldn't argue that this location was just as beautiful as that tropical island. He allowed himself a brief smile while staring at the bright green plants around him, the moss growing on nearly every rock, and the thin, mostly barren branches protruding from the trees.

Jimmy pulled the flare from his pocket and turned it over in his hands. He was exhausted and needed to rest. Deciding it was for the best, he popped open the tube and watched a cloud of orange smoke rush out into the air. He cocked his arm back and threw it straight up as hard as he could. Luck was on his side as it landed in a tree and sent the smoke high into the sky.

"Might work after all," he said with a tiny smile. Then he settled down on the ground, leaned against the tree, and closed his eyes.

"It came from over here!"

"Are you sure?"

"Look! You can still see the smoke!"

Jimmy's eyes fluttered open as he lifted his head off of the log. The two familiar voices echoed in his ears, and he instantly smiled while climbing to his feet. "Cindy? Libby?" he shouted.

"Jimmy!" Cindy's eager voice shouted back. Jimmy hobbled towards the sound, and within seconds the three friends stumbled upon one another.

"Oh thank god," Libby gratefully said when Jimmy stepped into view.

"You had us worried sick, Neutron," Cindy painfully uttered while approaching her friend. She hesitated for a brief second but then wrapped him in a hug which he readily returned. "Where the heck were you?"

Jimmy waited until Cindy had pulled away and then offered Libby a smile. "I woke up on a beach about a half hour's walk from here. What happened to you guys?" He looked around nervously and immediately asked, "Is Sheen okay?"

Libby hastily nodded. "He's fine. He stayed back with the others."

Jimmy sighed in relief. "So you found Daniel and Erin?"

Cindy allowed herself a wide smile. "Not just them."

It only took fifteen minutes for the girls to lead Jimmy back to their camp. Along the way they explained that Cindy had in fact managed to steer the ship around the monster and safely to shore. They'd spent a half hour combing the area for Jimmy, but Erin had sent up her smoke just as the sun started to rise. They'd regrouped and were soon found by Cap'n Betty himself. Jimmy listened in disbelief and relayed his brief adventure through the woods. By the time the three friends were caught up, they strolled into Betty's camp.

Jimmy shook his head in amazement and smiled as wide as he could when he spotted Carl sitting atop a log by a small fire. Across from him sat Cap'n Betty with Sheen anchored by his side. Daniel and Erin were leaning against a tree a few feet away. Adding a few logs to the fire was a tall, thin teenager that Jimmy didn't recognize.

"Carl!" Jimmy cried out while rushing towards his friend. Carl snapped his head towards James and jumped to his feet.

"Hey, Jim!" he happily answered with a wave. "We were all worried about you!"

Jimmy stopped a foot from his friend. "We were worried about you," he quietly countered. Then he wrapped his friend in a tight embrace.

"Aw," Sheen said while tilting his head. It only took a moment for rage to dance through his eyes. "Hey, I survived too!" He held out his arms and waited for an embrace that was not to come.

A raspy cry sprung from nearby, and Jimmy's blood instantly froze as he recognized the monster's call. He pulled back from Carl in fright, looked around the camp, and spotted thirty seals awkwardly wallowing through the forest. His jaw dropped and his head tilted as he watched them approach.

"Yeah, about them," Cindy said with an amused grin, "I figured it was best to let you see the monster for yourself."

Jimmy slowly shook his head back and forth while staring at the creatures. "Huh?"

Cap'n Betty laughed and patted the empty spot on the log beside him. "Why don't ye take a seat with your friends, Mr. Neutron. I think it's time Cap'n Betty told ye the truth about the Loch Ness Monster."