Aurora jerked upright with a strangled cry. Gasping for breath, she fell back onto her elbows, rib cage heaving as she forced air into her lungs.

"I'm…I'm alive…"

The shock of waking dissipated, and Aurora's senses returned. Groaning, she rolled onto her side. Every inch of her body throbbed in pain. Lying motionless in the puddle left behind by the receded waters, she allowed herself a moment of misery.

"Ughhh…"

Gathering together all her willpower, she planted her hands on either side of her body and carefully lifted herself up. Her muscles trembled in protest as she drew her knees underneath her. Hunched forward, she rested her face in one hand and waited for the waves of dizziness to pass. At last her mind cleared and, taking a deep breath, she checked herself for injuries. She touched the back of her head with a grimace, then peered down at her fingers.

"No blood…that's a good sign…" She rotated her wrists one at a time, then shifted her weight forward onto her knees and rotated her ankles, scowling as she did so. "Sss …jeez that hurts…"

Finally, she twisted her torso from side to side, checking each of her ribs for any signs of fracture. "No broken bones…guess that's a plus."

With a clean bill of health, she hauled herself up, wavering a little before regaining her balance. As the overwhelming pain and stiffness receded, she became conscious of a hundred needle-like pains in the back of her left arm. Frowning sharply, she lifted her elbow to get a closer look at her tricep. Shiny beads of blood dotted the light blue fabric of her suit, and she ran her fingertips across them in bewilderment.

"What the…?"

A glimmer of light reflected off something imbedded in her arm; still frowning, she plucked a shard of glass from one of the wounds. Suddenly conscious of their presence, she yanked out half a dozen more. She stared down at the blood-glazed fragments cupped in her palm, eyebrows furrowed as she attempted to deduce their origin.

"…Glass? How did I get glass in my ar…" All at once the answer poured over her in a waterfall of icy panic.

"The antidote!" she gasped.

Aurora fell to her knees and plunged her hands into the murky puddle, desperately hoping to be wrong. "Please be here, please be here…"

Her finger made contact with a rounded shape, and she hastily fished out the cap to the antidote – which was attached only to a few pieces of broken vial. There was a moment of suspended silence as she stared down at the remains in disbelief.

"It….broke…?"

She mouthed the words again, but no sound came out. The explanation played out in her mind – the antidote must have been crushed when she collided with the duct wall. Aurora curled forward, physically sickened, as the full meaning of this revelation hit home. No antidote. No antidote. No antidote. She repeated this appalling conclusion over and over while dread and anger engulfed her. It was so unfair. So monstrously, cruelly, mercilessly unfair. She had sacrificed everything for this plan – and there it lay, in little shattered fragments in her right palm. She purposely clenched her fist around the serrated shards, scowling in twisted satisfaction as they sliced through her flesh. She watched the crimson rivulets spill down her skin and drip into the water. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she let her emotions bleed out through her hand.

The pain cleared her thoughts, and she rose quietly, fingers slippery with blood. She lifted her hand to her face and peered down at her new crisscrossing wounds, then turned to face the length of the hallway, every line of her body set in bitter determination.

"So. This is the way it has to be after all."

She set out across the corridor, her grim figure refracted in all directions by the water at her feet, like stained glass in motion.

"Neutron, you better hope the kids get to you first," she said in a low voice, "because if they don't, nothing in all of creation will be able to save you."

She walked on, ponytail swaying from side to side with each methodical step. Numb from head to toe, she picked up her pace, every footfall bringing her closer to the inevitable confrontation.

….

Meanwhile, back in Sector 2, Jimmy was turning the door-handle that lead into the maze. "Here we go…"

The door creaked open to a warehouse-like room with a tiny exit at the far end. The floor was shiny and clean, and except for a single light fixture hanging from the ceiling, the space was empty.

Cindy looked around in awe. "Wow. That's a big room."

Jimmy motioned for his friends to follow. "Let's get a move on. But keep a sharp eye out, just in case…I think it goes without saying, but you can't be too careful in a place like this."

They remained huddled together as they picked their way across the linoleum, barely daring to breathe for fear of missing a distant sound. As they reached the halfway point between the room's entrance and exit, Carl suddenly piped up.

"Jimmy, I feel kinda funny…"

The boy genius stopped mid-stride. "Funny? What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I guess I feel…happy."

They all stopped in their tracks, and Cindy considered for a moment. "Ya, now that you mention it, so do I. Like…unreasonably happy."

"You know what?" giggled Libby, after a pause. "Me too! Isn't that weird?

The girls made eye-contact, and Cindy burst out laughing. "Weird? It's HILARIOUS!"

Libby covered her mouth to contain the laughter, and Sheen and Carl burst out into hysterics a second later. Jimmy felt his sides shake involuntarily, and laughter bubbled up inside him of its own free will. He doubled over, barely able to contain himself.

"What…hahahaha…is…so… heeehhahahahahaHAHAH FUNNY?"

"I…I don't…haahaHA! I don't…huhuhaha I don't know!" gasped Cindy between the fits. "I don't get it! Why are we…hee hee…why are we laughing?"

"Not a clue," said Libby, "but…hahahaha…I….haaaahhha! I can't STOP!"

"N…Neither can I! Ha! heehahahuhuhHAHAHAHAHA!" Jimmy gasped for air and leaned forward, steadying himself against his knees. Laughter poured out of his mouth like vomit, and he curled forward, holding his aching sides. "Hahaha! Ha! HAHA! What…what is going on?"

Cindy's lips were pursed in a barely restrained smile. "Hm. Hmmhehehehaha! It's like I suddenly can't control myself. Hee hee. Everything is just so…brilliant!"

The kids burst out into another giggle fit at these words.

Cindy breathed out. "I don't get it. Hm. Hmehehe. I don't remember feeling this way a few minutes ago."

"Hmhehe. Hahaha. Ahem. Me neither. Maybe…hehehahaha! HAHA! Errrg. It could be due to residual stress, or perhaps there's some kind of radiation or chemical in this Sector that causes artificial laughter. Or…hehehahahaaaa!"

"He said "artificial"!" giggled Carl.

"ARTIFICIAL?" belted out Sheen. "BAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Laughter once again swept the group, and Jimmy shook his head violently to break the spell. "We should get out of this room. Regardless of what's going on, we need to keep moving. Follow my lead."

They approached the exit, giggling, staggering, and swatting each other playfully. Jimmy carefully turned the knob, and the kids stepped through the frame and into the next room. The hinges squeaked eerily as the door swung open. A bluish hue seemed to hang in the air, and the floor radiated a bone-numbing chill. There were three identical exits at the other end, and Jimmy pulled up the map.

"Hmm, let's see, which one?"

Like a scene out of a horror movie, the door behind them suddenly slammed shut. Their pupils dilated in unison, and they stopped dead, crushed by an inexplicable internal weight.

"I can't do this anymore," said Carl flatly. "I give up."

His eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed right where he stood. He lay on the ground as if dead, eyes glassy and unresponsive. Sheen took one look at him, then wheeled around and walked into a corner on the far side of the room. Digging his fingernails into the surface, he bashed his own head against the wall. Knocked senseless, he slid down onto the floor.

"Carl!" gasped Cindy. "Sheen! What are you doing?"

Frowning, Libby reached up and brushed her fingers across her cheek. Gingerly pulling her hand back, she stared down at tear-stained fingertips. "What…what IS this? This horrible feelin'? Why…why am I …?"

All at once, Cindy was short of breath. Her palms grew sweaty and her hands trembled; her grasp on reality felt tenuous at best. Fearing for her sanity, she looked to the others. "Guys, what's going on!"

"No…point…in anything…" murmured Carl weakly.

Cindy whirled around, panicked. "What are you talking about? We have to get out of here! Neutron, do something!"

"No…he's right, Cindy. I can see it all so clearly now. We never stood a chance against the Dictator. How could I have been so stupid? I'm so stupid, so stupid…"

He sunk to his knees, covering his eyes and muttering incoherently. Goddard curled up next to his master with a whimper.

"Neutron, what's going on? What's the matter with all of you?"

Carl's voice turned nauseating somersaults through the air. "It's life. It's all too much to handle. I wish I were dead."

"Alive? Dead? What does it matter?" muttered Jimmy distantly. "We never stood a chance. It's all so hopeless. We're going to die, and it doesn't even matter. There's no design or purpose to this life. Just blind, pitiless indifference…"

Libby choked on her tears. "Don't say that!" She sobbed and, hiding her face, ran away from the rest of the group.

"Libby, stop!" called Cindy. "Where are you going? I…What am I…what am I doing?" She stumbled backward as fear tightened around her like a straight-jacket. "Neutron, open the door!"

"I can't!"

Cindy dug her nails into her scalp, struggling desperately to keep her focus. She bit out the words with as much calmness as she could muster. "Listen to me. Jimmy, which door do I need to open?"

"There's no…"

"WHICH DOOR?"

"I'm so dizzy…"

"TELL ME!"

"D-Door?"

She pointed. "Those doors! Which one?"

"…L-Left one…"

To Cindy, each step forward felt like a punch to the stomach. After a few footfalls, she slumped forward onto her knees, every inch of her body straining in protest as her mouth tried to form the words. "L…L…Left! Oh, God!"

She dove forward and grabbed hold of the handle, and it swung open. After a moment their minds cleared a tiny bit, and Cindy was able to stand again.

Libby rubbed her eyes. "Wha…what just happened?"

"Everyone into the next room! Now!" commanded Cindy.

Libby and Carl headed for the exit, and Cindy grabbed Sheen and dragged him along behind her. The five of them crashed through the doorway and tumbled into the next room, where Jimmy slammed the door shut behind him. This room was larger than the previous, and at first glance a red hue seemed to permeate the air. It quickly vanished as flecks of light glinted off of the twisted steel weapons hanging on the wall.

Jimmy gasped for breath. "That was…horrifying!"

"Man, I've never felt so depressed in my life!" rasped Sheen.

"I want my Mommy!" Carl sniffled. "And some Prozac!"

"What…what just happened to us? What on EARTH is goin' on? Did the room do that to us?"

Jimmy straightened. "I don't know Libby…it does seem like our behavior was being controlled just now. But I have no idea how."

"Who cares how?" said Cindy. "All I know is, we have to get out of here before…"

Carl retreated a few steps. "Uh-oh... I think I'm starting to feel something again!"

"What?" urged Libby. "What do you feel?"

Jimmy's expression changed, and his angry shout rang out across the room. "Who does he think we are, anyway? Did he lead us here just to toy with us?"

He slammed his fist against the wall, and the metal pieces hanging there tinkled alluringly. Cindy's head snapped toward him, and she advanced, eyes aglitter.

"This is all your fault, you hear? All of it! The whole thing!"

"How is it my fault?" he asked, escalating at an unnaturally high pace. "You're the one who got us into this mess, CINDY!"

"Not the way I remember it! Your stupid triangle pulled us here, remember?"

"But YOU sprayed the megalomanium in his eyes, you jealous, conniving, cold-hearted twit!"

"WHAT? I'll bash in your freakish skull!"

Libby forced her way between them. "Guys, we need to get out of here! This place is messin' with your heads!"

Jimmy shook off his confusion. "W-What am I saying? This room…it must amplify rage somehow. We need to get to the exit before…"

Cindy barreled into him, and they both rammed into the wall.

"I hate you!" she shouted. "I've hated you every day and I'll hate you for the rest of my life! I hate everything about you! Your stupid hair, your stupid inventions, your stupid atom symbol, your stupid blue eyes!"

"Cindy, you idiot, why did you have to open the left door? Now look at what you've done! You picked the anger room for God's sake!"

"You're the one who told me to go left, remember? You and your stupid hunk-of-junk dog!"

Goddard let loose a low, guttural growl.

"Guys…" cautioned Libby.

"Shut up!" hollered Cindy and Jimmy in unison.

Carl spun around to face her. "Ya Libby, shut up!"

Libby turned red. "What are you talkin' about? You're the one who never shuts up, Carl! You and Sheen both. Always yackin' away about NOTHIN' AT ALL! It's so annoying!"

"Oh, so is that how you feel?" yelled Sheen. "Well maybe we should just stop being friends then!"

"Ya!"

"Ya!" echoed Carl.

Sheen scowled at the redhead. "What are you agreeing with me for? You're not my friend either! Wimpy four eyes! Fatty-fatty, two-by-four! Llama loving geek!"

"Sheen, how could you say somethin' like that to Carl? You're such a jerk! A big, dumb, tone-deaf jerk who's obsessed with a ridiculous cartoon!"

"At least I don't need makeup to feel good about myself!"

A sudden crash distracted them from their spat. Cindy shoved Jimmy against the wall, and a sharpened metal pike fell from its hook and clattered to the floor. They both stared at it fixedly for a moment, then Jimmy dove after the fallen weapon. He swung it around just in time for it to clang off of the deadly-looking blade that seemed to have leaped of its own accord into Cindy's hand.

Jimmy rose slowly. "So it's come to this, has it?"

"I'll cut you to shreds!" she snarled.

"Not if I get you first!"

He sliced his weapon down, and sparks flew off the hilt of Cindy's blade. Before they could inflict any serious damage, however, Libby, Sheen and Carl dove in and restrained them.

"Let me go!" struggled Cindy. "He had it coming!"

"Let me at her!"

"Get them to the door!" shouted Libby. "Now!"

Sheen tightened his grip on his captive. "Which door? There're two!"

"Uh…left one!"

Sheen glared. "Are you telling me what to do?"

"No!"

Sheen and Carl dragged a squirming Jimmy to the left door and threw him through it, exchanging insults the whole way. Cindy took advantage of Libby's momentary inattention and rolled forward, sending Libby slamming into the floor. She stood up and pointed the tip of her weapon at her friend.

"Don't try an' stop me!"

Libby struggled to force air back into her lungs. "Fine, I won't! He's all yours!"

Cindy dashed through the opening, and Libby followed. As soon as the door banged shut behind her, Jimmy and Cindy looked at each other in horror and simultaneously dropped their weapons.

"What…What was I doing?"

"I can't believe it! I was actually gonna…"

They stared at each other in a state of shock as the others fought to get their breath back.

"This is bad." Libby gnawed on her fingernails. "This is really, really bad."

"Sheen, do you really think I'm a fatty, fatty, two-by-four?"

"Well you are a bit on the chunky side, but I didn't mean what I said."

"None of us did," said Libby firmly. "It wasn't really us. Jimmy, do ya think you can figure out why this is happenin' before whatever weirdness this is starts to take over again?"

Jimmy stood up taller. "I think I understand now. This is the reason we didn't see any surveillance or weapons earlier. This whole Sector IS a weapon. We must be in some sort of a sensory maze…a labyrinth constructed of a series of interconnected rooms, each designed to bring out a particular state of mind. I'm not sure how or why, but my future self must have created a system to influence the way people act… maybe with chemicals or artificial brain waves."

"Why would he do that?"

"Well, why not? I mean, think about it. It's a fantastic security measure."

Libby looked puzzled. "Whaddya mean?"

"This maze destroys people from the inside out. We'd be done for if we were traveling alone." The others stared at him blankly, so he elaborated further. "Don't you see? If it weren't for Cindy in that depression room, none of us would have been able to walk out of there. Then, in the anger room, the three of you stopped what would have otherwise turned into a deadly altercation."

Blushing furiously, Cindy kicked her weapon further out of reach. Once it was out of sight, her face cleared. "I think I get it. So the only way we can make it through the maze is if at least one of us is able to open the next door and force the others through."

"Right."

There was a long moment of silence.

"This is just way too weird," shuddered Libby. "This whole maze thing…it's so surreal. Are you sure we're not in some sort of an illusion, like the time the Brains hypnotized us into thinking we were back in Retroville?" She wiggled her fingers in a cheesy imitation. "Ya know...eat and forget...eat and forget..."

Jimmy shook his head. "I don't think so, Libby. That kind of mind control wouldn't work on Goddard. However, he's clearly being affected too, so I think something else is at work here."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" asked Cindy. "Put that freak brain of yours to work!"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

"Well, think faster!"

"Hey, if you're so smart, why don't YOU come up with a solution, eh?"

Libby interceded before the argument could proceed any further "Guys, focus! If we stand around fightin', then we're just playin' right into his hand. We can get through this. We just need a strategy."

Jimmy forced himself to take a deep breath. "Libby's right. OK, so here's what we know. We need to get through this labyrinth to get to the main control room and meet up with Aurora. Each room affects us in a different way. Once we leave this room we only have to get through six more before we…"

"We can't leave this room!" shouted Carl. "This room is safe!"

"It protects us!" blurted Cindy.

There was a stunned silence as they all became aware of their own words.

"Well, I guess that answers my next question," remarked Jimmy dryly. "We know what this room does now. Still, this is good. We have time to plan."

He fell silent, and the ensuing quiet stretched out, increasing in discomfort with each passing moment. Sheen played with a hangnail on his thumb, and Carl scrutinized the tips of his fingers; Libby re-positioned her pink choker. Finally Jimmy opened his mouth to speak, and the others awaited his solution with anticipation.

"Guys…I've got nothing."

Cindy's gestures became animated with her annoyance. "…What do you mean, you've got nothing? Think harder!"

"It's not a matter of thinking harder, Cindy. I'm at a loss. I haven't the faintest idea how to get around this. In all honesty, I'm not really that adept when it comes to emotions. Sure, I messed around with pheromones a little when I created the Love Potion, but that's the most time I've ever spent analyzing the biochemical factors that create human feelings. This kind of technology is years ahead of anything I can even imagine developing."

"Well…then what should we do?" asked Libby helplessly.

"The only solution I can see is the obvious one – we go through the maze, taking each room one at a time, relying on our respective strengths to get us through in one piece."

"Oh sure, now he becomes a team player," scoffed Cindy, before softening. "But...all things considered, we don't have much of a choice. How do we start?"

"We don't. We'll be staying in this room forever. Given that fact, I'd really appreciate a nice cross-breeze to keep us cool on hot days. Wouldn't you guys agree?"

"I guess…" said Carl, perplexed.

"In that case, Goddard, would you be so kind as to blow a hole in that wall over there? That should do the trick."

Goddard barked happily, and unleashed a laser blast on the far door. It collapsed into the next room, and the tension in the air broke, like a shrill musical note cut short.

"Yay," cheered Carl, "I knew you could outsmart the machine, Jimmy! Take that, you big…uh, room!"

Jimmy dusted off his hands, smugness plastered on his face at having been so devilishly clever.

"Don't congratulate yourself just yet, Neutron. We still have to get through six more rooms."

"Right." He struck out across the floor and stopped at the splintered threshold. "Starting now…"