"Sorry, can I just clarify?" Drake asked, "When you said 'get it', I'm guessing you mean attack."
"Of course." Harvey said, "You five, you have thirty minutes to hand the neon gems over to me."
"Neon gems?" Zsa-Zsa questioned.
"Oh yeah, their called the neon gems. It was the name of the file the video was under." Harvey explained.
"Right." Danny said, "Can we go outside?"
"Don't ask the enemy for permission!" Annaka exclaimed, "Let's go!"
The Jr defenders left the lab without resistance or harm, much to everyone's surprise. Amy and Drake remained where they were. Josh and Zoey still seemed to be hypnotised but it wasn't as powerful as before even Harvey realised this. One click of the fingers and the two teenagers blinked.
"You two okay?" Amy asked.
"Where are we?" Zoey asked weakly.
"In an underground lab filled with a crazy man and robots designed to look like dinosaurs. Unfortunately, you have just missed the 5 teenagers who have 5 dinosaur powers and wear a range of colours"
"Right." Josh said obviously confused by Drake's explanation, "All I remember is some long haired man kidnapping me from my camping holiday with my football club."
"I was camping in general." Zoey replied, "Then that man kidnapped me as well. It's going to take me forever to get home. I live in Pearl Canyon."
"Ditto." Josh said.
"Oh yeah, you guys were hypnotised and this underground lab thing is in a forest, next to Pearl Canyon." Drake continued, "It's like one big convenience."
Meanwhile outside:
"Well, at least Ivar's gone." Jack commented, it was night full and the moon was bright and lighted only a fraction of the forest, "Who knows where though."
"Quick question." Zsa-Zsa stated then asked, "Who actually has there neon gem on them?"
The 4 Jr defenders put their hands up slowly, Zsa-Zsa nodded in response before putting her hand down her jean pocket and pulling out the light blue gem. The Jr defenders got their ones out as well. It was times like these that they needed a voice of wisdom someone like Charles or even one of their parents. They gave good advice…most of the time. Then again, it depended on who you asked, like for instance, Kyle asked Gildar for advice on how to make his chicken spicier. The poor Jr defender got advice on how to make his hair shinier and spikier (although not like Thorne's which is what Gildar empathised most).
"Did anyone else notice that peculiar stone table in the middle of the lab?" Danny asked from the depths of his mind.
"I did." Jack said, "It looked very out of place amongst the modern furniture…oh don't give me those looks. Once you see it, you'll agree."
"Back to the point." Zsa-Zsa interrupted, "What are we going to do?"
"Maybe we can unlock this super power." Annaka stated, "The one Charles was on about."
"How? We have no idea what it even is. That video is old. For all we could know, the super power was the Lionheart." Jack replied as a rain drop fell onto his forehand and ran down the left side of his face, he used his thumb to wipe it away, "There is no option C. We lose 4 lives or we lose this battle."
"There is always an option C!" Zsa-Zsa exclaimed as the rain poured down heavier now. Multiple rain drops were falling on all the Jr defenders now, with the common goal to run down faces and cause damp hair, "Astrid's space ship –or whatever it was. We had too options die from suffocation or find a way home. Instead we found these."
She lifter he wrist up to reveal the small blue glass case her Vulcanodon DNA remained in, "There is always another option and we always find it."
"But there is- the super power." Kyle said interrupting Zsa-Zsa's nostalgic speech, "This time we don't know how to find it or if we've already used it. It doesn't matter anyway; I'm going to hand my gem in."
"You can't do that!" Danny shouted, "If Harvey gets the upper hand-"
"He's already got the upper hand!" Kyle shouted back, "He has my friends and clearly knows information that we don't have."
"Will you two stop arguing?" Annaka screeched, "No one is giving anything in! We are Jr defenders. We have all been through a lot together or separately; orphans or with parents; evil or good but the one thing that we never do is give up! We always find a way. Zsa-Zsa's right, there is always another option."
The Jr defenders remained in silence with the rain pouring down their faces in an attempt to show some sort of emotion. They all had the gems in their hands. The ground beneath them was getting muddy and softer, maybe too soft or possibly so soft that it could open up any minute and swallow them whole in an attempt to protect them from their unknown fate.
James clomped through the woods, not caring that the rain was ruining his brand new suit. He had been monitoring them from the computer in the basement. He had watched Annaka and Danny power up and fail by getting seriously hurt in the process. He had watched Zsa-Zsa and Jack power up and protect Amy and Drake. He had watched them all 4 of them with tears in his eyes as he watched them do their final dino time morph for the avertable was going to happen because Zsa-Zsa and Annaka were right. There was an option C except this one came at a cost. One cost that no one could know about. The oracle had only shown him pieces of the future but it was enough.
He caught up with his group of Jr defenders standing in a circle silently. They still needed to figure out what to do but he and the oracle had already figured out what they would do. James looked over at Kyle. That boy had much to learn but at a cost. He would lose so much in a very little time.
"Defenders!" James shouted causing the 5 friends to look up at him, "There is another way. Give me your Dino DNA and follow me."
James pushed various low tree branched out of the way as he slowly made his way down to the opening of the underground route. The Jr defenders cautiously followed him but Jack stopped.
"We can't go down there." He protested, "There must be another way. Not to mention the fact that we are now defenceless since you kindly took our powers."
"What I am about to do…I do for the best, for your sanity and the future of the world. What happens as soon as we enter that tunnel was always going to happen. Your destiny was picked from the moment Ivar and Neri were pushed off that Cliff with Gildar and I'm sorry. I really am but this is how it must go."
"I thought me picked out destiny." Kyle commented.
"The choices you make have an impact. You four know that." He said as he looked over to Annaka, Danny, Zsa-Zsa and Jack
They all nodded in response. James stood on the ladder and awkwardly made his way downwards. Jack followed as soon as a thud was heard and the remaining Jr defenders followed. James seemed to be familiar with the route of the tunnels much to confusement of the Jr defenders.
In triple the time it took the Jr defenders to reach the lab, James opened the door. Harvey had not moved an inch; robosaurs were holding Amy, Drake, Josh and Zoey captive. James spotted the stone table that Jack mentioned earlier in the centre of the room. He walked towards it and noticed five familiar circle shapes marked into it. Harvey remained quiet, watching James carefully, trying to figure his plan.
"Put the five gems here." He ordered.
The Jr defenders walked over to the table and saw the markings. Jack placed his red neon gem in the centre, with the blue, green, pink and yellow neon gems around the outside. James knew was going to happen and stood back next to the other 4 helpless teenagers.
The five neon gems started to glow. Their colours brighter than any human has ever seen or would ever see, the gems gave off a small cloud of each colour which swirled around the table, dancing and playing like little child oblivious to what was going to happen.
Then the colours merged to create the most gorgeous golden colour that everyone in that room had ever seen. The design of the swirly smoke amongst the gold colour made it feel like everyone was watching a tranquil play. The golden swirls of cloud shot up in the air and placed themselves onto the Jr defenders. They all smiled.
Then the clouds outside went dark and the rain fell harder. The golden swirls fell to the Jr defenders feet and started to grow. The Jr defenders realised what was happening but it was too late. The smoke had travelled up to their knees but it was no longer smoke but glass. Golden glass cocooned the Jr defenders. Harvey looked on in shock, along with the four teenagers.
"James do something!" Annaka screamed as the smoke kept climbing up them.
"Please! Help us!" Danny shouted.
"Amy! Drake! Destroy the gems!" Zsa-Zsa shouted in sheer panic.
"Throw them off the table!" Jack ordered.
Amy and Drake tried to help the Jr defenders but were restrained by the strength of the robosaurs. The smoke continued to turn to glass and continued to grow.
Kyle's yellow jacket was covered with golden swirls. He couldn't move, his legs were stuck to the ground. Annaka's long black shiny hair had frozen on her shoulders. It's freedom restrained by the golden smoke. Danny tried to fly up in vain. His long arms, once used as wings, were grounded by a golden glass with swirls on. Zsa-Zsa tried to think of any chemical formula which could reverse this reaction but her knowledge was useless. No scientist had seen this before. Jack stood there and watched as his leadership disappeared bit by bit. It was his job to protect the team and he had failed. He watched as he team mates endeavoured the same fate as him. There last thoughts combined to a simple…
"How could he?"