Part five written by Swing123

"You are to guard the mouth of the cave," Nesbin ordered the two snipers. "Stay above the cave hidden in the bushes and trees. If anyone tries to follow us inside, kill them!"

"Yes sir!" The first sniper said, doing a salute.

"Yes... sir..." The other one said a little slower.

"Good," Nesbin said. "We won't be long,"

And with that, Nesbin and Ned entered the cave.

For a while, they walked in silence. The sounds of water dripping echoed through the darkness. Suddenly, Ned spoke.

"Now, what is this place?" He asked, looking around, warily.

"It's Annkor's only prison," Nesbin replied, simply. "We're making a pick up."

As they continued walking, Ned noticed that the rock walls had changed to steel. And as they approached the end of the cave, they came to a chamber that contained a single cage in it.

Nesbin walked up to the cage and examined the door.

"Shall I blast it open?" Ned asked, putting his hand on his ray gun.

Nesbin took his sweet time in answering, but finally he did.

"No," Nesbin replied. "It's deadlocked sealed. Hand me the laser manipulator,"

Ned complied, and threw Nesbin a small circular device.

Suddenly, Nesbin's eyes fell on a small intercom that was connected to the cage.

"Hello, what's this?" He asked, pushing a button on it.

There was a small buzzing noise, and suddenly, the intercom sprang to life.

There was a moment of silence at Nesbin and Ned stared at it.

Then, a raspy voice emitted from the speaker.

"It's about time,"

Calvin, Hobbes, Socrates, Andy, Sherman, MTM, Galixoid and Nebular were running through the dense wildlife. The MTM's beeping getting faster and faster all the time.

Sherman, Galixoid and Nebualar were engaged in conversation about Annkor's culture, which apparently was interesting Sherman.

"Yes, and just yesterday, we ate a restaurant called the Sdrawkcab." Nebular said.

Hobbes, Socrates and Andy rolled their eyes.

"What does that mean?" Sherman asked.

"Well, it means everything goes backwards," Galixoid exlpained. "We ate there, and we kind of ate in reverse the whole time."

Hobbes and Socrates exchanged disgusted glances.

Suddenly, it was then that Hobbes realized something of vague importance. You notice these things when your bored out of your skull. Calvin had been quiet this whole time.

This was odd. Calvin had never been this silent, before. Hobbes watched him, nervously as he continued holding the MTM out in front of him, following the beeping.

Suddenly, MTM shouted out, "STOP!"

Calvin came to a stop, and Hobbes ran into him.

"OOF!" Calvin and Hobbes grunted, falling forward.

Socrates, Andy and Sherman rolled their eyes.

Calvin glared a Hobbes and stood up.

"What is it, MTM?" He asked.

"We're nearing a cave," MTM replied. "Some kind of prison chamber. Nesbin is in there. But.... Oh.... Uh oh...."

"What?" Andy asked.

"There are two guards waiting outside the cave. They're armed."

"Oh, well that's great!" Hobbes moaned. "How are we going to get across?"

Calvin didn't answer. He was silent for a moment.

"I'll handle it," He said, handing the MTM to Hobbes.

"What?" Hobbes asked, but Calvin rushed off without giving an answer.

They watched him go.

"Huh," MTM noted. "He's unarmed."

Hobbes, Socrates, Andy, Sherman, Galixoid and Nebular's eyes all burst open.

"What?!" They all shouted as Calvin rounded a corner, and vanished.

Meanwhile, the snipers were growing bored.

"This is tedious," The first one grumbled. "When do we get to kill something?"

"With any luck, never," The second one said. "I hate having to..."

Suddenly, the first sniper's head shot up.

"What's that?!" He demanded, looking down at the mouth of the cave.

The second sniper looked around.

Calvin was approached the mouth of the cave, looking straight ahead, expressionlessly.

A devious grin spread across the sniper's face.

"This is more like it!" He growled. He slowly held his gun up and aimed it at Calvin. "Just let him get a little closer...."

"You can't shoot him!" The second sniper gasped, pushing the gun away.

"Why not?" The first one growled, whipping around.

"He's just a child! He doesn't know..."

"Orders are orders," the first sniper declared.

And with that, he turned back around and aimed the gun....

Calvin had vanished.

The two snipers stared in confusion.

"Where'd he go?" The second one asked.

The first sniper looked around, angrily.

"Come on out!" He called. "Come and say 'hello'!"

"Hello," Calvin said.

The two snipers jumped in surprise.

Calvin had climbed up to where they were.

"ACK!" The second yelled. "Go back! He'll use the gun!!"

"Yes," Calvin said, solemnly, looking the first sniper up and down, as he aimed the gun at him. "I imagine he will... You like guns, don't you?"

"This is a specialized weapon," The first one growled, cocking the gun. It's designed for rough duty and long range! I've never used one up close, before."

"Let him go," The second sniper moaned.

The first ignored him.

"Oh, OK," Calvin said, darkly. "Let me come a little closer,"

Calvin took a step towards the sniper.

"Stay where you are!" The first sniper roared, holding the gun closer.

"Why?" Calvin hissed. "Are you scared? Why should you be scared? You're the one holding the gun."

"That's right!" The first sniper growled.

"He'll kill you!" The second sniper groaned.

"Of course he will," Calvin hissed, starting to talk louder. "That's what guns are for! Pull the trigger! End the life! Simple, isn't it?"

"Yes," The first one said, starting to get uneasy.

"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Calvin whispered. "A life. Ending a life!"

"Who are you?" The first sniper asked.

"Shut up!" Calvin spat. "Why don't you do it, then? Pull the trigger. End my life!"

There was tense pause.

"...No!" The first sniper whimpered, suddenly, backing away.

"Why not?" Calvin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't!" The first sniper said, panic stricken, looking Calvin up and down.

"Why not?" Calvin questioned.

"I don't know...." The first sniper said, looking at the gun.

Calvin smirked, evilly.

"No, you don't do you?" He asked, quietly.

He reached up, and took the gun from the sniper.

"Throw away your gun," Calvin ordered, not taking his eyes off the first sniper.

The second sniper complied, terror-stricken.

"Now leave," Calvin growled.

The two snipers exchanged glances.

Meanwhile, Hobbes, Socrates, MTM, Andy, Sherman, Galixoid and Nebular were hiding behind a bush nearby.

They had not heard all that Calvin had said, but suddenly they heard his voice calling out.

"Alright, the coast is cleared!" He called.

The group all looked up.

Calvin was standing at the mouth of the cave and the snipers were gone.

"What.... what did you do?" Hobbes gasped.

"I beat 'em up, what did you expect?" Calvin questioned. "Now come on, we're burning daylight."

And with that, Calvin turned and walked into the cave.

Hobbes, Socrates, Andy, Sherman, MTM, Galixoid and Nebular watched him in shock, then quickly followed.

Moments after the group vanished in the cave, Holographic Retro appeared from behind a bush.

He stared off into the cave, then moved forward.

Suddenly, the two snipers rushed up to him in pure panic.

"Hey!" Retro shouted, causing the snipers to come to a stop. "What are you doing?"

"Getting away from here!" The second sniper gasped. "What are you..."

"I'm following the kid," Retro growled, staring past the snipers and into the cave.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you!" The first sniper panted.

"Why?" Retro asked, staring the first sniper.

"He's crazy! He's some kind of demented monster!" The second one tried to describe Calvin.

"Yeah, I already knew that," Retro said, rolling his eyes. "What else?"

"He's a dark manipulator!" The first one said, his eyes growing wide.

Retro stared at him.

"What?" He asked.

"It is! That what he is!" The second gasped at how accurate his companion was. "He's a dark manipulator!"

And with that, the two snipers rushed past Retro, still panicking.

Retro watched them go.

He then turned and stared at the mouth of the cave.

He shrugged it off, and went into the cave, after Calvin.

Calvin and the gang continued running off further into the cave. The MTM's beeping was getting faster and faster all the time.

It wasn't long before the rock walls turned to metal, signaling that they were getting closer to their destination.

BEEP........ BEEP....... BEEP...... BEEP..... BEEP.... BEEP... BEEP.. BEEP.. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP....

Suddenly the MTM progressed to one long beep.

Calvin stopped.

Hobbes and the others ran into him, nearly giving Hobbes a heart attack.

Calvin whipped around.

"Quiet!" He hissed.

"I didn't say anything," Hobbes whimpered.

"Yes, you just did," Calvin spat. "Now shut up!"

Calvin whipped back around to the MTM.

"Where are we, MTM?" He whispered.

"We're in Annkor's only prison chamber," MTM said, not even pretending to whisper. "This is where Nesbin is,"

Nesbin and Ned were busily working at the lock on the cage with the laser manipulator. It was a slow and tedious process.

"Don't you have it, yet?" Ned whined, impatiently.

"It's a deadlock seal," Nesbin growled. "These things take time to open!"

"Stop right there, you alien!" Calvin shouted, leaping out from behind a rock, followed shortly by the rest.

Nesbin and Ned jumped.

"Where did they come from?!" Ned cried in terror. "How'd they get past the snipers?!?!"

Nesbin looked Calvin up and down.

"Relax," He said, finally. "They're just humanoid garbage,"

"I beg your pardon?" Hobbes demanded, crossing his arms, as he, Socrates and Sherman glared at him.

Calvin and Andy rolled their eyes.

"Why are you here?" Andy demanded, glaring at the aliens.

"We're following up on a promise," Nesbin said.

There was a moment of silence.

"...Yes?" Andy asked, motioning for Nesbin to continue.

Ned sighed.

Nesbin glared at Andy.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" He demanded.

"We are the defense system of planet Earth!" Calvin said, proudly.

Nesbin and Ned stared at Calvin.

"Earth has a defense system?" Nesbin asked.

"Yeah," Calvin said, nodding. "And so far we've protected the planet against over seven attacks from the planet Zok!"

"So?" Nesbin asked.

Calvin paused.

"You have a point there," He admitted.

"What do you mean 'following up on a promise'?" Sherman demanded. "Who's in that cage?"

"Oh, he's the one who helped us get through here," Nesbin grinned, darkly. "He broke down the transduction barriers and allowed us into the planet's atmosphere. He's the dark genius behind all this,"

"I already know who it is," Calvin said, crossing his arms.

CRANK!!

Suddenly, there was a loud sound from the cage behind Nesbin and Ned, signalling that it had become unlocked.

"He's the jerk who really actually thought he could beat us,"

"You're really narrowing it down, Calvin," Hobbes said, rolling his eyes.

Holographic Retro stumbled into the chamber, panting.

SSSSSS!!!

The doorway to the cage opened up, and a tall dark figure stepped out.

"Retro Griffin!" Calvin announced.

"Yes?" Holographic Retro panted, looking up.

He then became aware that Calvin wasn't addressing him.

The original human Retro emerged from the cage, glaring at Calvin, evilly.

"You!" He growled, dangerously, his eyes fixed on Calvin.

Human Retro did not look that good at all. He was covered in dirt and ash, his lab coat was torn, and he looked a lot skinner. His Three Stooges hair cut remained undisturbed, however.

"You?!" Hobbes, Socrates, Andy and Sherman all gasped.

"Thank you," Retro said, turning to Nesbin and Ned.

Nesbin nodded.

"You will leave the planet, now, am I correct?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"As soon as I find a space jet, I'm heading back to Earth," Retro assured them.

"Good," Nesbin said. "Our work here is done,"

He turned back to Calvin an the gang.

"It was nice meeting you," He said, pushing a button on his uniform.

ZZZZZZZIIP!!

Blue light engulfed Nesbin and Ned and they both vanished.

There was a pause as Retro stared at the area where the two Plantonians had just been.

"Four years!" He hissed, his head turning to Calvin. "I've been imprisoned for four years, because of you!" He pointed a trembling finger at Calvin.

Calvin stared at him.

"Actually, I didn't have anything to with it," Calvin said. "Galixoid and Neb...."

"Oh, you didn't?!" Retro growled. "You gave me to those aliens, and I was taken away from my home planet!"

"What, they took you and just imprisoned you right away?" Hobbes asked, his brow furrowing. "That doesn't sound like the Annkorians."

"They didn't imprison me right away," Retro moaned. "They brought me here as a scientist to study their elements! That lasted a good two weeks! I finally snapped under the stress of being on an alien planet, and attacked my assistant! They didn't know what to do with me, so they just threw me away and forgot about me!"

Galixoid and Nebular exchanged worried glances.

"But I still remembered you, boy," Retro hissed, his eyes sparkling with insanity. "I still remembered you. And I still wanted revenge! So I built a holographic version of myself with the raw materials I could scavenge to carry on with my plans with the imaginator until I could escape!"

Holographic Retro rolled his eyes around.

"Then I learned that the Plantonians were planning on invading the planet, and I...."

"Oh, I've already worked that out," Calvin nodded. "You snuck a special remote probe to them that they could use to take out the transduction barriers. But so far, all the damage the invaders are doing is becoming too much for the planet to handle."

Retro stared at Calvin in shock.

"You worked that out?" He demanded.

Calvin crossed his arms.

"Retro, do you have any idea what's been happening on Earth for the past four years?" He asked, calmly. "I've matured a lot more, since we first met each other,"

"Yeah, I know," Retro grumbled. "What are you, ten, now?"

"No, I'm still six,"

Retro's eyes blanked out in confusion.

"The point is that I've developed my personality quite a bit in those four years and so has your holographic double," Calvin said, smiling, slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Retro demanded.

"I abandoned work on the imaginator three years ago," Holographic Retro said, stepping forward.

Retro's head shot up at Holographic Retro as if he had just now noticed him.

He stared at his holographic double for a long moment.

"What does that mean?" He asked in a dangerous calm.

"I've been studying the plan and a lot of flaws have started popping up," Holographic Retro explained. "But I've been developing new plans of late that have...."

"Have any of these new plans killed Calvin, yet?" Retro demanded.

Holographic Retro paused.

"Um... well, no..." He admitted. "But listen, I have a really big plan sure to succeed! You see, I've tapped into an separate reality and I've been linking it to this one to...."

"Enough!" Retro barked, holding a hand up. "Failure! My hologram is a failure!"

Holographic Retro started backing away.

"I'm turning you off, and starting over," Retro declared. "Give me your lightbee,"

The maniacal Retro held his hand out to the hologram before him.

Holographic Retro stared at his creator's palm, still backing away.

"Give me your lightbee!" Retro ordered a little more forcefully.

Holographic Retro paused, then turned and ran off in the other direction.

"Hey!" Retro screamed after the hologram. "Get back here! I am your creator!!"

He whipped back around to Calvin.

"And as for you....!" He cried, murderously, reaching out for him.

Calvin had been formulating a plan to stop the invaders during Retro and Holographic Retro, but his thoughts were interrupted by Retro reaching for him.

"ACK!!" Calvin screamed, holding the MTM up in defense.

"Defense mode activated," MTM said, flatly.

BLAM!!

An explosion of electricity shot from the MTM, throwing Retro off his feet.

"RUN!" Hobbes screamed in panic.

ZOOM!!!

There was a blur of orange and Hobbes and Socrates vanished. Andy and Sherman followed after them, leaving Calvin, Galixoid and Nebular alone with Retro.

Retro laid on his back on the floor, rubbing his head in pain.

Calvin began circling Retro with the MTM in his hands.

"Alright, Larry," He growled. "As you can see, I'm well armed! So don't try anything or I'll...!"

Suddenly, Retro kicked his feet into the air, knocking the CD player out of his hands.

"OW!" MTM grunted. "Don't do that!"

Retro then leaped to his feet and grabbed the MTM out of the air.

"You were saying?" He demanded.

Calvin stared at Retro.

"RUUUUN!!!" Calvin screamed.

ZOOOM!!!

Calvin and the two aliens vanished.

Retro grinned with satisfaction.

"Now..." He said, examining the CD player in his hands. "This must be something Calvin made,"

"Unfortunately, yes," MTM said. "That is on the top of my resume'."

Retro was taken aback at the speech.

"You can talk?!" He demanded.

"Last time I checked," MTM replied.

"Well, good," Retro said, brushing off the shock. "I'm going to use you to destroy the universe!"

"I'll bet you are...." MTM chuckled, wisely.

Meanwhile, Calvin, Galixoid and Nebular had just emerged from the cave, and were running through the forest, into town.

"What are we going to do?" Nebular panted. "Retro's escaped! We're being invaded! You've lost your MTM...."

"Don't worry!" Calvin said, looking back at the alien. "I have a plan."

He came to a stop, and looked around.

Galixoid and Nebular stopped and stared at him, wide-eyed.

"What's your plan?" Galixoid asked.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were talking to Sherman about a backwards restaurant..." Calvin said, his eyebrows jumping.

"....Yeah..." Nebular said, unaware of where this was going.

"Tell me more about it," Calvin said, a grin forming on his face. "Such as, where it is and how fast I can get to it."