A/N: So if you're wondering why I haven't been drawing lately… it's 'cause I've been hit with brainwaves that make me actually write my fic! Wow! So what do you say we get chapter 11 rolling, yeah?

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Chapter 11: The Adventure Begins

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The craft was quickly completed and pushed out into the street within a solid hour. It was parked at the hub of the cul-de-sac, facing away from the curb, as Rethink Avenue was to be its makeshift runway.

The Eds were just about ready to go, but the neighborhood kids showing up delayed them slightly. They hadn't expected anyone to see them off, to be honest.

"You listen up, Ed!" Sarah took on a familiar catty tone, though the words didn't quite match up. "You be careful and come back not dead, got it??"

Ed snapped to a salute. "Sarah, Roger! …I mean, Roger, Sarah!"

"Oh!" Jimmy waved him down. "And if you see any more of those brutish soldiers, smack 'em around for me, okay?"

"You got it, Jimmy!"

There was a pause, where brother and sister made eye contact, real eye contact, for the first time since either could remember. Then, without an exchange of words, Sarah flew into Ed's arms, silently wishing him a safe journey. It was a humungous improvement in their relationship, one that was almost expected, yet still garnered everyone's fair share of shock.

"…Surprising," Rolf commented beside Eddy. "Rolf is supposing Hades has frozen over as well, yes?"

A smirk was his answer. "Not only that, it's the new venue for Smurfs on Ice."

The son-of-a-shepherd laughed heartily, smacking Eddy hard on the back. He nearly coughed up a lung. "Ah… the cul-de-sac shall miss your tomfoolery, amusing Ed-boy! Still, a hero's work is never done, no?"

"Nope. But don't worry, we'll be back before you know it."

"Rolf has no doubt!" He paused. "…well… maybe a little."

Eddy sulked jokingly.

"…ah, alright…" Rolf scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Say, then, if you return with the Nazz-girl within, oh, a week, perhaps… Rolf could guarantee a reward?"

Eddy's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "A full bag of jawbreakers."

"That is your offer?" Rolf considered this briefly, then grinned. "Very well, then! The bet is set!"

"HA!" Eddy firmly clasped into an agreeing handshake. "Better start saving your change, stretch!"

"I shall! Good luck to you, Ed-boys!"

"Wait!" Eddy jumped a couple feet in the air when a voice shouted dramatically beside him. Its owner's identity was hidden with half a watermelon. "You can't leave yet! You'll need the aid of Captain Melonhead and Splinter the Wonderwo…!"

"Jonny, you're not going."

"Whaaaaaat?" The masked kid ditched the act, pouting. "Why not??"

Edd glanced up from his idle inspection of the plane.

"Because in case you haven't noticed, we have the superpowers! You don't!"

Edd sighed. He had expected a quarrel like this to flare up.

"So what! I can still help! Give a guy a chance, will ya?"

"Jonny…" Edd stepped in, gently surprising a few. "…This isn't a game anymore. We're heading off into serious danger, performing tests for a man whose intentions we have no clue of."

Facing this voice of reason, Jonny slumped, discouraged. A hand on his shoulder brought him up to Edd's sad, yet sincere smile.

"We appreciate the support, truly…" The smile dropped away. "…but they've already taken Nazz. We don't want to get anyone else involved if we can."

"…alright…"

"My apologies."

"S'okay." Jonny paused to listen to his silent buddy. "…Plank says if you can, sock that Vull in the face once for him."

"Oh, I will," Edd told the hunk of wood. "You can count on it."

His brain almost tricked him into believing he saw a change in Plank's smirk before Jonny walked away.

"Yo, Double Dweeb." He turned to his new addresser, unfazed by the outdated insult.

"Yes, Kevin?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Before answering, Edd checked to be sure they wouldn't be bothered. Ed was still preoccupied with Sarah and Jimmy, while Rolf was giving Eddy a… good-luck headlock, or something, while Jonny watched in amusement.

"…Sure." Edd faced Kevin, his square face unreadable and unnerving. Edd never felt completely at ease around this imposing young man, intimidated by so many of his outstanding features. Maybe that would change soon, but old habits die hard.

"…Listen, Kevin, I…" His defense automatically switched on, agitated by the slightest of pressure. "B-before anything else, I just wanted to apologize…"

Kevin put on the oddest of looks, snorting. "What for?"

Edd visibly gulped. "Well, I…"

"I don't believe this…" the jock muttered to himself. Was he… chuckling? "Why does everybody think me and Nazz are together?"

Edd wasn't sure what to make of that, so he ignored it and continued. "I… I know you've always had her eye on her… just like the rest of us…" His hands couldn't keep still, winding and wringing in front of him as his confidence plummeted. "…b-but I've always kept to the sidelines, not interfering with your pursuit of her…" His voice cracked as he pushed back his sobs. "…because I knew you had a better chance at her than me."

Frustration was shared equally between them; Kevin rolled his eyes in exasperation as Edd tried to make amends, wiping his damp eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, oh gosh, I'm so…!"

He froze when a hand clenched his wrist, firmly, no doubt, but it wasn't the usual death grip before a pummeling. It was probably the most harmless contact he had ever made with the frightened dork.

When he was certain there were no bruises in his immediate future, Edd relaxed his initial cringe and slowly lowered his hands, bringing his timid gaze up.

"Calm down," Kevin briskly mumbled. "You look pathetic."

…Well. At least that was a step above being pathetic. Chagrined, Edd nodded, and Kevin pulled away. His hands went into his pockets. Suddenly, it was his turn to feel dejected.

"…Look… You saved her life," he admitted, shrugging and chuckling mirthlessly. "I can't compete with that."

For a moment, Edd could only stare back blankly. When it finally sunk in, he gawked, raising a questioning finger. "…are you…?"

"Giving you permission to chase after her?" Kevin paused to ponder this, and it was hard to tell if he was being serious or not. "…I guess I am."

Hardly believing what he was hearing, Edd sighed and stammered and made other noises of hesitation. "I… I-I-I don't know what to say."

"Hey, I'm a jock," Kevin confidently pointed out. "It won't take me long to find another chick. You, though, being a grade-A dork and all, have a rare opportunity you probably won't ever get again."

Wow. Edd wasn't sure whether to cry, take offense, or graciously accept his overwhelming generosity.

"So… you're saying I can…?"

An encouraging smirk crossed his large face. "Go get her, dork."

Edd held his chest at bay as a flooding amount of relief, gratitude, and excitement poured out in warm flows. "Oh… I will, Kevin, I will… as long as she accepts me as well."

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem, dude," Kevin grinned. "Not after almost kissing her."

"Eddy told you that!?" Edd cried unbelievably, howling in vexation as Kevin laughed typically. "Agh! I can never trust him with a secret, can I??"

"Probably not."

"Ugh…"

Snickering to himself, Kevin elbowed him. "Hey, quick question. Are you really gonna muster up the guts to punch that Vull guy in the face?"

"Oho, ho, you bet," Edd replied without missing a beat. "I'll hit him so hard, his descendants will feel it." A pause. "…or is it his ancestors? I'm not familiar with the phrase."

He scowled at Kevin's laughing. "What??"

"Nothing. It just feels weird, hearing fighting words coming outta your mouth."

Finding the humor, Edd couldn't fight back a chuckle of his own. "You and I both, Kevin."

Another pause.

"…so what're you guys waiting for, the bus?? Get going!"

"Ahh!" Edd leaped into action, waving his companions down as he ran to the plane. "Let's go! Launch sequence, hurry!"

"No time for lunch, Double D!" Ed hollered back, hopping into the plane behind him. "'Cause we gotta go get Nazz!"

Urgently, Edd sat down in front, flipping switches and starting the engine, which roared proudly as the propeller began its rapid rotations. The plane was ready for liftoff.

Edd threw back a thumbs-up to Eddy, who was still on the ground behind the plane's tail. With clearance, he took hold of the back wing and began to push with hefty grunts. It looked comical, to see such a small boy trying to get a full-sized aircraft off the ground, and the other kids watching were about to make that point.

Until Eddy began to pick up his feet.

They rapidly quickened in place until they became a red blurry ring underneath him, spurring up smoke from the asphalt. And the wheels began to turn as the plane was miraculously moving forward on its stretch down the street. Reaching the proper momentum, Edd pulled back on the control, and the cheering blew told him that liftoff was successful. Not to mention the house roofs disappearing under his line of vision.

The craft lifted itself over Eddy's head as he kept running, bathing in its grand shadow. He spun around, running backwards as he grinned and waved to his audience before he himself was grabbed and hoisted up on a blue cord of ZPE.

"And they're off!"

"WOOOO!"

"Right on!"

"Go, dorks, go!"

"Good luck, Ed-boys!"

The Eds waved back to them until the protective window encased them inside the craft, and they watched the kids become tiny specks below. And as their cul-de-sac home disappeared among the quilted suburbs of Peach Creek, the trio got a taste of how big the world really was.

Their adventure had begun.

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"Got any fours, Ed?"

"Nope. Hit me, Eddy." WHACK. "Ow!"

"Bwahahaha!"

"Okay, seriously, Eddy, that joke stopped being funny, like, an hour ago."

"Hey, Ed's the one who keeps walking into it!"

"You get me every time, Eddy!"

Edd rolled his eyes at his buddies' antics, keeping his gaze up front as they cruised through misty clouds of ocean spray kicked into the stratosphere. Even with the guidance system, vision was difficult, and the backseat clamor didn't help on Edd's already strained nerves.

It was easier when they were still above land. The inland weather was ideal for flying, and Ed and Eddy were busy watching all the cities and plains and mountain unravel below like a massive quilt, sewn together by the rivers of America. They also made faces at passing public airliners, only to discover later, in much disappointment, that Edd had made their craft invisible during such times to avoid suspicion. He was labeled a 'killjoy,' but that was nothing new.

But now, as they were passing over the boring blue waves of the Atlantic, they were forced to find other ways to entertain themselves while Edd piloted through the fog. And when you don't know the proper rules to any card games, a player's 52-deck gets pretty old, pretty quick.

"Alright…" Exasperated, Eddy threw down two cards. "Pair of fives."

"You sunk my battleship!"

Eddy paused, slowly dragging his inward gaze up. "…battleship? We're playing Go Fish, you ding bat."

Ed's eyebrow irked. "Go Fish? I thought we were playing Big Two!"

"I'll give ya Big Two Lumps on your head, you big…!"

"Hey, hey!" Edd warned over his shoulder. "No bouts of violence on my aircraft!"

"But Double Deeeeee…!"

"Don't make me come back there!"

"Aw, come on, Double D, are we there yet?"

Edd sighed, sharing the headache of many a road-trip-bearing parent as he turned forward again. "Look, we've got roughly about twenty miles to go, alright? So if you could just sit still for another half hour…"

"Are you sure?"

Edd twitched. "Yes, I'm sure, Eddy! I didn't import the coordinates from the disk into the guidance system for nothing!"

"Okay, alright! Geez!"

Edd swallowed when he realized this was only becoming another fight. They didn't have to see the guilt reflected in his face, ever fixed up front. "…look, I'm sorry. This… infernal weather is frustrating me beyond belief right now, and if you and Ed could just behave for a little while longer, the trip will be easier on all of us."

Well. Eddy couldn't argue with that logic. Quietly, he sat down in his seat, elbowing a stiff Ed. "Hey, wanna bet a quarter on who can stay quiet the longest?"

Ed did not reply. His gaze was focused towards the rear of the craft, wide and glossed over.

"…Ed?"

"…wow…"

"What?" Eddy shifted to look, his jaw slacking in a small gape.

The fog began to part in their wake, and behind them was displayed the most fantastic sunset they had ever seen. The sensational palettes of red, orange, and yellow blazed forth from the sinking sun, pink clumps of cottony clouds lacing the lilac sky like icing on a wedding cake. The waves below sparkled with vermillion brilliance like ruby jewels, turning dark and mysterious as night approached. The bright canvas gleamed across their faces, frozen in breathless awe.

"…whoa…" Eddy finally croaked, hints of a small smile tugging at his lips.

Ed sighed raptly, completely at peace.

"…never thought I'd say it, but… that is one awesome sunset."

"Eddy marveling mother nature?" Edd piped up, throwing back a quick smirk. "That's news to me."

"Double D, are you seeing this??"

"Of course I am," he replied, fondling his mirrors as he smiled to himself. "…breathtaking, isn't it?"

"…it's beautiful…" Ed breathed.

"How come we don't get awesome sunsets like that?" Eddy finally got a hold of himself and returned to his normal volume.

"Because last time I checked, we don't live in an ocean," Edd replied nonchalantly.

"Ooh…" Ed began to contemplate what life would be like living in the ocean. His thought scattered in multiple directions as he began to hum Yellow Submarine.

"You know…" Edd grew wistful, his gaze trailing off ahead. "…I always knew we'd never be in Peach Creek forever. I nearly dreaded the day we'd leave home, probably to go our separate ways, and that would be that." He smiled again. "But I never imagined it would play out quite like this."

"Tell me about it," Eddy actually agreed.

"I mean… we have superpowers!" His grin grew and opened in an amused laugh. "I haven't even had a chance to fully grasp the countless opportunities laid out in front of us! Imagine the places we'll go, the people we'll meet, all the good we'll be able to…!" He turned into his friend's most coy smirk. "…what?"

"This coming from the guy who said superpowers are overrated."

"Actually, that was your line."

"Well, whatever! You felt the same way!"

"That was before, Eddy…" Edd could hardly remember back when he was that ignorant. "…I've changed." Before Eddy could ask how, he turned back to elaborate. "I saved someone's life. I've never done that before. My own life was at risk, and it still is even now, but…" He glanced forward, a million miles away. "…somehow I'm more worried for hers than mine."

"Because you totally wanna get with her."

Edd glared at Eddy for ruining his moment. "Whatever my motives… I just hope I'll be able to pull it off again."

"Of course you will!" Eddy slapped him hard on the back. "We save the day, kick the bad guy's butt, and you get the girl! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!"

"Right, you're right…" Edd nodded. "…and I was wrong before. It will be worth the risk."

"Darn right it will!"

"Just to see her again…" Edd trailed off, then nodded again with more motivation. "It'll all be worth it. Whatever Vull throws at us, it'll be worth it!"

"Yeah!"

"Come and get us, Vull!" Ed cheered, breaking from his earlier trance in all the excitement.

"My, my, such enthusiasm! I admire your diligence."

The Eds performed a synchronized double-take.

"The plane's possessed!" Ed concluded in panic.

"No, Ed, that's the speaker system," Edd assured, though he faced the said speaker with a firm displeasure. "…since I knew Vull would most likely contact us before we reached the island."

"And right you were! Well done! Saved me quite a bit of trouble… and it might just save you, too."

Each of the Eds' internal alarms rang off the scale, as if they were strung to the same wire.

"Okay, what's going on?" Eddy demanded.

"Well, first, allow me to congratulate you on passing the first test, which was finding your means of transportation." The man laughed to himself. "Super Child, researcher, pilot, engineer… what can't you do, Eddward?"

"I find it difficult to trust certain people," Edd replied heavily.

Vull chuckled again as if he hadn't heard the response at all. "Of course… well, I'm here to inform you that your next test is up and coming fast." Suddenly, his voice, which didn't change at all, underscored with unmistakable menace. "Actually, we launched it a few moments ago, so it should be within your sight by now."

In a slow, simultaneous movement, the Eds dragged their gazes up front and center. Clear in the distance, a small dark dot grew bigger as it produced clouds of fuel and thundering echoes.

"…is that…" Ed spoke quietly. "…a guided missile?"

"Why, yes it is. Good eye, lad."

The Eds took a brief moment to let sink in just how much danger they were in, then switched into full-on panic mode.

"HOLY SHMOLY!"

"GOOD LORD!"

"What are you, freaking nuts??" Eddy screamed into the speaker. "That'll kill us!"

"Well, of course it will if you don't act fast enough. A superhero will be thrown into many life-threatening situations such as these. It'll be good to practice that now."

"A simulation may have been a bit more appropriate!" Edd hollered.

"Don't worry, I have the upmost confidence in your abilities. As a prize for completing this test, if you end up reaching the island after all, you'll be granted a free rest period until dawn."

"We can't even see the island from here!"

"Ah, yes, people often miss it the first time. Look carefully for it. But do be quick. According to your current coordinates, you have t-minus forty-five seconds to impact."

Second by second the dot grew larger and its whine grew louder. It swerved only slightly in its path, side to side, but deadly impact was evident in the close future.

"Good luck, my dear Super Children. I do hope you make it out of this alive."

"WELL, THANKS A FREAKING LOT," Eddy shrieked, but Vull had already broken their connection.

"Do something, Double D!" Ed wailed.

Edd was back up front, clutching the controls with white knuckles as he stared down the missile, almost trying to intimidate it. But no matter how hard the glare, no missile would be fooled by the buckets of sweat cascading down his temples.

"Hold on!"

"Hold on!?" Eddy blared hysterically. "No, not 'hold on!' We need a plan and we need it now!"

Ed was screaming something along the lines of impending doom, but his voice was lost in the dull hum of what they assumed to be approaching destruction.

"NO! I MEAN HOLD ON!"

"WHAT??"

Roaring, Edd titled hard to the side, to the point where he almost fell out of his chair. His comrades weren't as lucky; they tumbled up, down, and around as the plane spun in a rapid roll, and miraculously, the missile sailed right above them.

By the time the maneuver was finished, Eddy was on the floor and Ed was upside-down in his seat, and both were staring wildly at their pilot.

"What? I said hold on."

"Ahahaha!" Double D, you lunatic!" Eddy whooped in victory. "I didn't know you could fly a plane like that!"

"To be honest with you, neither did I."

"Um, guys?" Ed wore a distraught face as he pointed behind them. The missile banked around in a screeching arc and locked on again, continuing its pursuit.

Edd gawked. "Oh, that's not even fair!"

"Whadda we do, whadda we do??" Eddy bawled, well past conniptions.

"You think of something! I came up with the last idea!"

"…uh…uh…!"

The missile loomed massively behind them, fast approaching. Outrunning it was out of the question.

"…ah! Make us invisible, Double D!"

"It's a heat-seeking missile, Eddy! It's gonna hit us whether it can see us or not!"

Ed was gripped by overwhelming fear, and could only stare as death plunged closer and closer.

"Then… I know! A force field!"

Edd turned to Eddy sharply. "What!?"

"Put one around the plane!" he gestured widely.

"Are you crazy?? I can't make one that big!"

"Just try it, Double D, or we're dead!"

Oddly enough, Ed was more sad. He was looking forward to his days as a superhero.

"B-but Eddy!"

"DO IT, NOW!"

It can't end like this, he thought. We have to rescue Nazz and get back home not dead, or…

…or Sarah will tell Mom.

The plane shook around them as the missile was right on their tail. Edd's nerves were wrecked, his trembling hands only able to produce brief flashes of tiny force field before him.

"Come on, Double D!"

Oh dear god of gravy, not Mom. Anything but Mom. Ed felt suddenly empowered.

"I CAN'T EDDY!"

"DOUBLE D!"

Edd had a single second to stew in the pot of failure before he was grabbed, the glass window shattering above them. There lastly came a deafening explosion and blasts of fire, and he knew no more.

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A/N: I KNOW I AM SO EVIL TO STOP HERE, LEAVE ME ALONE. XD You know what, cliffhangers are essential, okay? They're what keep you guys coming back to see what happens next. So I'm done hearing complaints about 'em. XD Please review!