Last time our heroes back at Alfea attempted to get Diaspro to tell them where she took Bloom and Sky, but to no avail. Violet tried to sweet talk the spoiled brat, also to no avail. Aaron attempted a truth serum. The result was nothing anyone expected. Our heroes had been dealing with a clone all the time. Elise tracked Diaspro's financial records to Eraklyon's 4th moon. On with the show!

Chapter 9: Concerning Devine Intervention

"Your boyfriend is more tenacious than I thought," said the disembodied voice of Diaspro, "He's nearly through my dark labyrinth."

"Sky is more than tenacious," said Bloom, "He's courageous, selfless and above all, in love; and he'll stop at nothing to save me. You're as good as dead, that is, if I don't kill you first."

"You are so naïve," said Diaspro, "Neither of you will be alive much longer. Oh look, our friend Sky is nearly at the exit. And I thought he was having fun in my maze. Let's give him a bit more to enjoy." Bloom could only watch as the walls of the maze shifted, forcing Sky away from the exit.

"You goat-sucking whore!!" shouted Bloom, "As soon as my Winx comes back, I'll roast you alive!!"

"How quickly the Earth fairy forgets," said Diaspro, "You Winx has been nullified by an energy field. It won't come back until I deactivate the field, which I won't do until you are dead. Now, let's take a look to see how your pathetic friends are dealing with my double."

The view of Sky in the maze shifted back to Alfea. Yet it showed only an empty room. "What's this?" asked Diaspro, "Where are they?" The view zoomed in to review a flesh colored stain on the floor of the interrogation room."

"Looks like your double had an accident," said Bloom.

"Impossible!!" raged Diaspro, "They assured me that it would last for at least several days!!! Tleiaxian scum!!!"

The view shifted again, showing a rapid view of Alfea, followed by downtown Magicx. It was as if Diaspro was searching for something. Finally the view settled on the space port, showing Stella, Brandon, Max, Jill, Andrew and the others boarding The Night Rider. Bloom could hear from the image Stella talking to her cousins, "The 4th moon of Eraklyon, Amanda, and step on it!!"

"NO!!!" raged Diaspro, "How could they have found me!?!!!"

"I can only guess that you didn't cover you tracks very well," said Bloom.

There was nothing from Diaspro for a few minutes, like she was trying to collect her insane self. "This is an unexpected turn of events, yes," she said, "However, your friends will arrive too late."

The view shifted back to Sky again. Suddenly, the lights came back on in the maze and the tunnels shifted to a straight path. "I'm afraid we're going to have to end our game sooner than I'd like, Bloom," said Diaspro, "Sky will find you, and you're gonna die right before his eyes."

"Never!" said Bloom.

"Oh yes," said Diaspro, "And just to be safe, I'm currently summoning my private security force to deal with your friends, should they arrive before the game ends."

Meanwhile…

"We'll reach the fourth moon of Eraklyon in less than fifteen minutes," said Beauregard as The Night Rider cruised through hyperspace, "is that fast enough for you, Stella?"

"That's perfect," said Stella, "Oh that bitch Diaspro is so gonna get it! She's gonna regret ever meeting Bloom and Sky!"

"I think you're working yourself up a bit too much," said Brandon, "You're gonna stress out."

"I have not yet begun to stress out, snookums," said Stella, "I plan to take my time with Diaspro. I'm gonna gut her like a fish! I'll tear into her like a monkey on a cupcake! I'll bash her brains in so hard her dog will be retarded! if she has a dog."

"Eager one, isn't she," said Andrew.

"You don't know the half of it," responded Layla.

Meanwhile the Ramblers were checking their weapons for the up-coming rescue: Fay was sharpening her knives while Jill sharpened her cutlass; Julie, Max, Andrew, Steve, Sally-Ann and Alec were cleaning their guns, Tyler was doing routine maintenance on his vest while Michael was cleaning the inner workings of his energy swords. Shampoo, Kodatchi and Tenchi were reading their weapons as well. Aaron was trying his best not to throw up, while Virgil, Violet, Shawn and Laura were given the grand tour of The Night Rider by Amanda and Ryoga.

"You've been awfully quiet during this whole fiasco," said Julie to Sally-Ann, "Usually you'd be squawking like a chicken. Anything wrong at home?"

"None of your damn business," said Sally-Ann without looking up from her guns.

"Well something's bugging you," said Musa, "I can tell from your voice you're thinking about something that happened to you."

"True," said Sally-Ann, "I recently had a profound experience, one that I can't seem to stop thinking about."

"Want to talk about it?" asked Michael, "It might help you sort out whatever happened to you."

Sally-Ann sighed and raised her eyes from her guns, "Well, if you must know. Okay, three days ago myself and a few other bounty hunters were about to take down a gang of bank robbers. These were high profile criminals, not your average lowlife scum who try to stick up a bank with just a pistol and a money sack. No, these were professionals; all armed with fully automatic assault rifles. It was a dangerous job, but the reward made it all worth it; $1,500,000 dead or alive."

"What happened?" asked Riven.

"We tracked them to their hideout," said Sally-Ann, "Busted in and took them by surprise. We captured the whole gang without firing a shot, all but one. There was one guy in the bathroom during the capture. He busted out of the bathroom, armed with AK-47 that had a 100-round barrel magazine, aimed at me and pulled the trigger."

"Good gracious!" said Flora, "How did you survive?"

"That's the thing that's bugging me," said Sally-Ann, "I shouldn't have survived. This guy was standing less than fifteen feet away from where I was standing and unloaded that AK-47 on me. He shot 100 rounds of high-velocity, armor-piercing bullets at me, yet I didn't get a scratch. The bullets seemed to just pass through me.

"When the gun clicked empty I was in a state of shock. I turned around and saw the wall I was standing in front of had 100 bullet holes in it. I turned back and saw that the gunman was also in shock. I snapped back to reality and shot him in the head. Throughout the rest of the day and the day after I kept reliving the event. One thought kept running through my mind, 'I shouldn't be alive,' over and over again."

"So you got lucky," said Julie, "it happens to everyone."

"It wasn't luck, Julie," said Sally-Ann, "I told you, that guy was less than fifteen feet from me, point-blank range for a AK-47. You don't miss at that range unless you're not aiming properly, and he was aiming straight for my heart. No, it wasn't luck."

"So what do you think it was?" asked Michael.

"Well," said Sally-Ann, "It was just before The Bureau called me in on this little escapade, that I came to the conclusion that the only reason why I'm still alive, was due to divine intervention."

"Divine intervention," repeated Stella.

"You're saying that you believe that God came down from heaven and stopped the bullets from hurting you?" asked Brandon.

"That's exactly what I believe," said Sally-Ann, "God came down from heaven and stopped the bullets from hurting me. Don't ask me why God would do that, but I'm sure God has a reason."

"I wouldn't go as far as saying that it was divine intervention," said Fay, "I mean, I've heard about people who end up in dangerous situations where there should be no chance of survival, yet they emerge perfectly fine. It's strange but it happens."

"Well this kind of sh$t doesn't just happen to me," said Sally-Ann, "I'm saying what happened to me was a miracle, and I want you to acknowledge it as such."

"Well I wasn't there," said Fay, "So you'll have a hard time convincing me."

"Don't listen to her," said Flora, "You believe you experienced a miracle, and I believe that you believe."

"Thanks," said Sally-Ann.

"Okay," said Michael, "You experience a miraculous event, that we're clear on. My question is 'now what are you going to do?'"

"Well," said Sally-Ann as she finished cleaning her guns, "First thing's first, I'm going to help save Bloom and Sky, while at the same time make sure that Diaspro gets what's coming to her. Then, once we're all home, I'm going to tender my resignation to The Bounty Hunter's Guild of America."

"You planning on going out on your own?" asked Tyler, "Or start your own team?"

"I'm giving up the business completely," said Sally Ann.

"Bull sh$t!" exclaimed Michael, "You can't quit! I mean, leaving The Guild is one thing, but stop being a bounty hunter completely, I mean, what's up with that?"

"I'm serious," said Sally-Ann, "As soon as we're back home I'm resigning from the role of bounty hunter."

"This is f#ck#d up," said Michael, "One doesn't simply give up being a bounty hunter. I didn't quit when I joined The Bureau, and you're not going to quit, all because of some f#ck$ng lucky event."

"I said it wasn't luck," said Sally-Ann, "It was a miracle."

"Fine," said Michael, "Whatever. So, you're quitting The Guild and retiring from the business. Why don't you tell the Guild Masters why you're doing it."

"I'm going to," said Sally-Ann.

"Yeah, and I'll bet that they laugh their collective asses off," said Michael.

"So what are you going to do if you're no longer going to be a bounty hunter?" asked Flora.

"That's what I've been thinking about," said Sally-Ann, "It's obvious that God saved my life for a purpose; what purpose, I don't know yet. But like I said, first thing's first; I'm gonna help save Bloom and Sky. Then I'm gonna make sure that Diaspro gets exactly what's coming to her. After that I'll tend my resignation to the Bounty Hunters Guild. And after that, I'll walk the Earth."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Riven.

"Exactly what it means," said Sally-Ann, "I'll travel the world, go on adventures, meet people, see strange things."

"For how long?" asked Andrew.

"Until I receive a sign that tells me to do otherwise.

"And if you don't receive a sign?" asked Jill.

"If that is my destiny," said Sally-Ann, "Then so be it."

"So you're resigning yourself to be a bum," said Michael.

"What!?" exclaimed Sally-Ann, "No, I'm not gonna be a bum! What the f#ck kind of statement is that!?"

"Well it's what you're planning to become," said Michael, "You're going to be wandering all over the planet with no place of residence, no job, no legal tender, with just the clothes on your back, they have a word for that; a bum, a f#ck$ng bum."

"Well I guess this is where we differ, Michael," said Sally-Ann.

"Look, Sally-Ann," said Michael, "I believe you experienced something weird, even miraculous, but that's no reason to just quit your job and become a bum."

"If my answers frighten you, Michael," said Sally-Ann, "Then you should stop asking scary questions."

Michael was about to retort, but words failed him. He stood up, "Where's the bathroom on this boat?"

"Down the hall, second door on your left," said Lucinda, "You can't miss it."

Michael was just at the bridge exit when he turned around and said to Sally-Ann, "Let me ask you this; exactly when did you decide all of this? Just now or earlier?"

"Just now," said Sally-Ann, "I was sitting here, cleaning my guns, and replaying the incident over in my mind, when I had what alcoholics call a moment of clarity."

"To be continued," sighed Michael as he left the bridge.

"You Meta-Humans are certainly a strange breed," said Tecna.

"Indeed we are," said Jill.

Shortly after that The Night Rider exited hyperspace around the 4th moon of Eraklyon. Using Elise's data gathered from Diaspro's financial records, our heroes quickly located the house the madwoman had renovated.

They landed outside the house and proceeded towards the building with caution when Stella suddenly tensed. "Something's wrong!" she exclaimed, "I can't feel my Winx!!"

"Me neither!" said Flora.

"Same here," said Musa and Layla.

"It's as if there's something in the air that has nullified our powers," said Tecna.

"Our powers are being affected as well," said Carmen, "I'm barely at half strength."

"I'm down to a third of my normal energy," said Elise.

"I don't know how much of my power I have left," said Morgan, "But it's pretty low."

"The house and the surrounding area has been covered by an energy field of some sort," said Virgil as he scanned the area with his PDA, "One that nullifies magical energy, especially the positive energy of fairies."

"Can you counter it?" asked Tecna.

"Not completely," said Virgil, "I'd need to be at the source of the nullification energy. Of course I could always turn it off at the source. What I can do is project a second energy field that would cancel out the first. It wouldn't be a strong field, only a radius of 80 meters, maybe a bit more."

"How long will it take you to set us the counter field?" asked Jill.

"Just as soon as I isolate the exact energy frequency of the nullification field," said Virgil as he continued scanning, "Twenty minutes; thirty tops."

"Bloom and Sky may not have thirty minutes," said Brandon, "We need to find them now!"

"Okay! New plan, people," said Max, "All smart people are to help Virgil set up the counter field. All those whose powers are affect are to remain behind. Everyone else, we're going in."

"Does thou have any idea where we are going?" asked Tatewaki.

"Inside for starters," said Andrew.

Leaving Stella, Layla, Flora, Musa, Carmen and Morgan behind with Elise, Tecna, and Timmy to help Virgil and Violet, Max, Brandon and the others entered the house. They did not receive a warm welcome

At least 30 masked men, all armed with high-powered plasma rifles, started basting at the would-be rescuers. Max and the others dove for cover behind various pieces of furniture.

"I think we've found the right place!!" shouted Steve.

"Gee, how can you tell?!!" Riven asked sarcastically.

Max and the other Ramblers with guns then began shooting back. They provided cover while Brandon, Riven, Helia and Tatewaki attacked with heir weapons. Within minutes the mercenaries were all either dead or unconscious.

"There's a trapdoor here, somewhere," said Brandon as he used a scanner he borrowed from Timmy, "It leads to a large, underground complex."

"Is this what you're looking for?" asked Julie as he basted the lock off a trapdoor that was hidden underneath a rug. Kicking the horizontal door open, they proceeded down into Diaspro's mad complex.

The end of chapter 9. Will our heroes reach Bloom and Sky before it's too late? Find out in the next chapter. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!