Kali's POV
I ran to Andie and pulled her into a hug. I hugged her so tight, like we won this war between good and bad. I quickly pulled away as she groaned in pain. I hugged her too hard.
"Andie," I cried, "you're okay."
"Yeah," she coughed out still breathing heavily.
"John," I said turning around, "You did it." John couldn't believe his eyes. He ran to Andie and gently held onto her. Peter, Claire, and Stella quickly followed. Kevin was stuck in his tracks. She began to stumble towards him… then they embraced. Kevin's strong-for-my-family act disappeared. He was crying in her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she whispered almost hush enough that I couldn't hear her, "We'll get him back."
"What happened, Andie?" asked Stella.
"Well, Nick became evil," she backing up from Kevin. He supported her to keep her standing, "He took me to where Kaylie was hiding and she… yeah."
"Was Joe there?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said. She winced so Kevin led her to couch. John carefully lifted her shirt, only showing her stomach, revealing a very nasty wound right over the division scar. "I'll stitch it. I just have to stop this bleeding." She reached over revealing a new mark.
"Andie, what's that?" I asked. I was looking at her shoulder.
"Oh," she said, covering it up with her hand, "I was stabbed by this freaky little boy… Nick… or what seemed to be Nick stitched it." I didn't get it. If Nick was evil at that moment why would he be helping her?
"Oh, my gosh," I said, "I've got it."
"What?" Andie asked confused.
"The cure… I know what it is."
"Then what is it?" asked Claire.
"It's love… its that hurt inside that makes your true self take over what you've become." Andie was thinking this through as she applied pressure to her wound with a dishtowel. She began to smile.
"She's right," she said, "I can't believe this never struck me before."
"I still don't understand," said Kevin.
"Think about it," she explained, "When Claire was evil she told me she could see, she could hear, but she couldn't control what she did. What if somehow your own emotions can overpower the evil in you?"
"That's right," said John, "But there's one problem… how do you do that?"
"I don't know," said Andie, "But we're going to have to do some risky stuff to figure it out."
"I have a plan," said Kevin. We all turned our attention to him.
"Andie, Nick loves you… we've all summed that up. So what if you we in so much hurt that he somehow overcame what was in him?"
"Yeah but I was hurt then… he didn't even budge."
"Because he knew you would make it through this," said Kevin, "but what if Peter and all of us go back with you dead?"
"He could overpower it," said Andie, "So you're saying we all go… you all evil… and I'm dead?"
"Exactly," said John, "Peter could've said Kali somehow knocked him out or something… got you… and got out."
"Okay," said Peter, "This is working so far… but I need to gain their trust back before we operate. I'm going to have to go back now."
"Peter," I said, "You don't have to do this." He stood up bravely.
"Yes, I do," he said, "I will be okay… no matter what… I know how to be evil and I know how to get in their minds." I hesitantly nodded. He was right… he would be okay. If he wasn't I'd kill him.
"I'll go," said Peter getting up, "I'll be checking in with you secretly. Just trust me." Just like that he was gone. We all watched Peter leave on his suicide mission.
Joe's POV
I'm going to figure a way out. Andie will. I couldn't believe this loser was still trying to convince Andie wasn't dead meat within a few hours.
"Did it occur to you that the only girl who can save you is in the other room probably giving up the real location? We're winning… besides, she'll be dead in a few hours."
We'll see.
A few hours passed after that without any noise from the dummy… I was starting to get worried though. Peter still hadn't cam back with Andie. Kaylie was at the spy coordinaters, frustration on her face.
"Ugh! What's taking them so long?" she asked.
"I don't know," I said, "Do you want me to check?"
"Yeah," she said rubbing her temples.
"Are you okay?" I asked stepping toward her.
"Yeah," she said. I nodded as me and Nick went to the other room where Peter dragged Andie. When we opened the door we gasped. Peter was lying on the floor unconscious.
"Dude," I said running to him. I guess evil friends care about each other. Nick did the same, following my thoughts. We shook him awake… he seemed woozy.
"Are you okay?" asked Nick, "What happened?"
"Kali got free… she took Andie," he said angrily. He let out a groan of frustration as he stood up, "I can't believe they got away."
"It's okay," said Nick, "You know where they are… we can just go find them."
"You're right," said Peter, "But you know… before Kali got me… she was dead."
"Who?" I asked.
"Andie," said Peter.
NO! My head was pounding. Nick bent forward… in pain. The same thing must be happening to him.
"You okay, Nick?" asked Peter. Nick seemed to sway around like he was nauseous. He straightened his composure, his eyes alarm.
"Yeah," he said, "Yeah, I'm okay. Excuse me, please." He left the
room going who knows where.
"What are we going to do?" I asked.
"Well what Nick suggested," he replied, "We go find them."
"Right," I said, "Well then let's go."
"No," he said urgently, "I mean, not yet. We have to give it some time. Make it look like we forgot. Then we'll know for sure that they'll stay put."
"You're right," said Kaylie now in the doorway, "I think I'm going to like you here."
Nick's POV
What did you do? asked the voice in my head. He was still here? I thought that if I could overcome the evil that it will still be there. That's because you haven't overcome me completely. I still can get out.
I was walking down the long hallway, passing Kaylie, her eyes questioning. It took a lot of control to not jump her. She killed Andie… my Andie. She was gone… and I helped. I stood there… helpless. I just freaking stood there. I wanted to cry right there… just break down. But I knew I had to find them. Where did they stay again?
"Why can't I remember?" I asked myself.
That was Andie's fault… she took it from your mind, knowing you were me at the moment. Since you've gone through a pretty grieving loss-
"Shut up!" I yelled. I was going insane.
Ha, I was going to say I keep it easy on you but if that's not what you want…
Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in my head. It grew worse and worse. I fell to the floor, writhing in pain. It was trying to win me over. I couldn't let that happen. But how could I stop it? I had to think fast. Tears pouring down my face, I thought of Andie… the first time I saw her. Then I thought of Kali, one of my best friends, then Joe and Kevin, my brothers. They all needed me. Andie wouldn't want me to give in to this… she would tell me to try. Suddenly, the pain was gone… a whisper in my head faded into nothing. I was free.
Andie's POV
It has been days since we saw Peter… who knows what's happened. He hasn't called in at all. Kali was completely under the pressure. She would lock herself in her room and just cry. She was completely convinced he was gone. I was the only one allowed in her room with her.
"He's gone, Andie," said Kali.
"I don't know, Kali," I said, "Maybe he's just trying to keep his cover."
"What if he isn't?" she asked.
"I don't know," I said, "But if he was evil, don't you think they would've come here, kill me, and then turn you guys evil too?
"Yeah, probably," said Kali.
"Listen, I'll just call him tonight." I said.
"Really?" she asked sniffling.
"Of course," I said.
That night everyone was downstairs waiting for me to call him. I stared at my phone giving him time. Five minutes passed and I picked up the phone… giving in. I dialed the number and waited for him to answer.
"Hello?" Peter answered.
"Peter!" I exclaimed, "You're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay, I promise," said Peter.
"Why haven't you called?" I asked, putting the phone on speaker.
"It's been days, I know. It's just I can never get alone here. Someone's always following me."
"Well, no one's here with you now, right?" asked Kali.
"Well, not exactly," said Peter.
"Hey, guys," said a voice I thought I would never hear. It was Nick.
"N-nick?" I asked surprised.
"Um, well, no," said the voice that sounded like Nick, "Remember that night when you, Kali, and Joe-"
"Tick!?" exclaimed Kali, "B-but you're evil! Peter, are you insane?"
"Let me explain," said Peter.
"Tick?" asked Stella.
"T for technological," I said, "I made them from a computer… I thought it fit."
"Tick… Toe… Tevin," said Kevin. I shrugged.
"I was twelve," I said.
"The thing is," said Peter, "Tick, Toe, and Tevin came and said they wanted to join the team. Then when we were alone they explained that they wanted to help save Joe and Nick and basically the entire town."
"W-why?" asked Kali.
"Because," said Toe, "We're the evil ones here. We want it back to normal."
"So what you're saying is after this is all over and we save the town, you'll go back to tormenting us?"
"Yeah, pretty much," said Tevin. There was an awkward silence.
"I think we should do it," I said.
"What other choice do we have?" asked John, "So what's the plan Peter?"
"Well, Tick, Toe, Tevin, and I are going to come and get you guys… pretending we've kidnapped you… then we'll try to get Andie and Nick alone… so she can do her thing."
"Wait, so you know it'll work?" I asked.
"I tested it a few nights ago… the first time I came… I said you were dead. Then Nick and Joes' heads began to pound like something inside of them was trying to get out." I lit up… there was hope.
"So you mean, he's still in there?" I asked hopeful.
"Yeah, it seems so," said Peter.
"Okay," I said happier than I sounded.
"We'll be here tonight," said Tick. There was a noise in the background; knocking.
"We have to go," said Peter, "Just stay put until we come." Then he hung up quickly. There was a long silence.
"So it's going to be okay?" asked Stella. She was always the one to kill the quiet. I looked up and nodded… still not sure.
Nick's POV
I had to remember where… where are they? This couldn't be it, there had to be some way I could remember. Then it hit me. I flashbacked the time when Kali was explaining the flash drive. If it could take things in it and then bring them out… could they take memories? I mean a different kind of flash drive… Andie couldn't have anything big to do this because I would've noticed. If it was a flash drive where did she keep it? I looked ahead of me and saw the car that Andie drove here. Maybe it was there… I sprinted to it. The doors were unlocked. I had some hope.
I had to have looked every inch in that car… I still couldn't find it. It cried out in frustration… I couldn't remember where to go. What would I do? Then I remembered what the stupid thing in me said. They were eventually going there… if I could just go with… then somehow get them out before my family got caught. I could take that risk or I could just simply ask Peter. I decided to do that, using the other plan as a follow-up.
I began to walk to the factory. If I was going to be evil then I had to play the part. I could still feel this ability that comes with the cross-over if I can keep it around long enough then I'll be okay. Even though I was only like this for a few hours, I would try to be as convincing as possible.
Kaylie was waiting for me in the room I left followed by Joe and Peter. They seemed curious of me.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said simply, "The voice in my head… it's pretty new."
"Yeah, I've had that for a while. You'll get use to it."
"So what did I miss?" I asked trying to keep my cool. I couldn't stop think about Andie… dead.
"Well," said Kaylie, "I'm going to have you guys go with Peter to their location… you know what to do with them. But save Andie for me."
"Oh," said Peter, "You didn't know?"
"What?" asked Kaylie.
"You already killed her… well at least I'm pretty sure."
"That can't be possible," said Kaylie, "It can't be. Call them… do something."
"It'll just blow our cover," I said. She looked at me curiously.
"You're right," she sighed, "When you go… check if she's alive."
"Yeah," said Joe.
"When are we going, exactly?" I asked.
"We're going to give it a few days," said Kaylie, "To make sure they don't move."
"Right," I said frustrated… would my ability last that long? "Where might their location be?"
"That's a surprise," said Peter. Great.
***
It had been four days… I was starting to grow impatient and weary. Kaylie would have me patrol at night… looking for them… little by little I would start to become some sort of working robot… emotionless and lost in my thoughts.
There were three things I was absolutely sure of. The first is, either way I'll go to their location and they could get caught and blow it. The second is, Andie might still be alive but I wouldn't let my hopes get up. The third is, I had found the cure to becoming good again. You had to think of the ones you love… with everything breath in your body you have to wish you could see them again.
It was mid-evening… I was about to go on patrol when I heard noises in the other room. I thought it was just me going insane but the constant noise was just bothering me… so I knocked on the door. They didn't come right away. Something was going on. Peter did open the door eventually… his expression gave away that he was hiding something.
"Hey," he said.
"Uh,-" I couldn't finish… Peter pulled me in the room
and shut the door. He pushed me back and I was caught by three pairs
of hands.
"What are you doing?" I asked quietly… I hope I'm right that they're good. I looked up to see my brothers and… me. They must be our evil clones. If they were evil then maybe I was wrong.
"Sorry, dude," said the other Joe, "Evil is our thing so we're going to stop this."
"Wait, Peter," I said, "I'm good. A few days ago… I overcame it." Peter held up his hand signaling them to stop whatever they were doing.
"You are?" he asked. I nodded. "Prove it."
"You said Andie was dead… you said that and then I just managed to push free from it. For a while we switched positions… the evil was in me and I could control myself. But then it tried to do the same thing I did, and I thought… about my family and how much they needed me. Then the voice in my head disappeared along with the pain. Peter you have to believe me." He stared in my eyes for a while.
"He's telling the truth," he said, "Let him go."
"How can you tell?" asked the other me.
"I just can," he said, "I trust Nick now… he's telling the truth." The hands holding me let me go. I stood up and hugged my friend. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I said, "Is Andie… dead?"
"She was," he sighed, "But it was amazing, Nick. John… he basically brought her back. You should've been there to see it." I let out a sob of relief sinking to the floor. All those days I was so worried. But she was okay… Andie was alive and okay. Peter put his hand on my shoulder. I stood up.
"You gotta keep your cool," he said, "We're going to get them… tonight. We have a plan."
"Okay…" I said, "What's the plan?"
"We'll explain on the way. First we have to get on the road. Tick, Toe, Tevin… go out the window and hide until we come out. Kaylie will suspect us if you're here."
Tick, Toe, and Tevin nodded and one by one crept out the window. The were out of sight just in time because Joe walked in the room.
"What are you guys doing?" he asked bored.
"Oh, we're just going over our plan," said Peter.
"Yeah," I said.
"Right," said Joe, "So we're going in, we're taking them all and bringing them here. Kaylie will give us directions on what to do with them after."
"Right," said Peter. I don't think Joe coming was part of his plan.
"Okay," said Joe, "We should get going."
"Joe," I began, "Andie… is dead." His hands went to his temples. Then he began to calm.
"Would you cut it out?" he asked annoyed.
"Andie and Kevin… Kali… Stella… John… Claire… they're all dead." I said. I writhed over in pain. I bent down with him, taking his hands. "Joe, I'm your brother and I love you… we all love you… we need you. You're family needs you."
That had to be it. Joe fell to the ground almost lifeless. Then he sat up. I stared into his eyes, glistening with tears. I knew he was back. He pulled me into a hug.
"Are they… are they-"
"No," I said, "I'm sorry it scared you but I had to get you back."
"It's okay," he said, "It's okay. It's over." Right there, I knew we would win. I knew it.
Okay so I'm pretty sure the next chapter is the finale… make sure that after that is over you tell me what you thought about the whole thing! Who knows maybe you'll see a sneak peek of J.O.N.A.S Alternate Version Part 2
