Chapter Twenty-One: The Road of Trials

The rumbling continued for several minutes then slowly died down, and the dot on the screen flashed green before disappearing, and script began scrolling through. "What's it say, Busy?" Unikitty asked, bouncing in place. He leaned over, silent for a minute as he tried to read it as quickly as it was scrolling by.

"It's giving instructions," he said at length, smirking.

"Ew, gross!" Unikitty whined. He laughed.

"I really don't understand what you Master Builders' aversion to instructions is all about. You talk about training to become one, but what's training but just another type of instructions?"

Unikitty stared at him in horror, jaw working as she tried and failed to come up with a response to that. "Cat got your tongue?" Bad Cop asked, and she whirled to glare at him. Benny snickered, clapping a hand over his mouth when she turned that glare onto him.

"…Okay, that was funny, but not appreciated. And you! Stop messing with my head like that!" Business grinned.

"So what do the instructions say?" Airheart asked, bringing them back on topic.

"They're saying that 'the platform has been raised' and that it will require all four keys to 'unlock' Atlantis."

"Okay, so where's the fourth?"

"You have to build it."

"Is it showing another enchantment?" Unikitty asked.

"It is. It's just showing the same thing over and over again, so it'll come back up," he explained as she scooted closer to see.

"Is there anything else?"

"There is. It's describing a machine of some sort, that apparently never got finished." He looked at Bad Cop. "I think that's what we're after. It's telling us how to complete it." Unikitty muttered to herself as she memorized the spell. "But there's something… weirdly familiar about it."

Benny tilted his head at that. "What do you mean?"

"The calibrations for the machine it mentions. I can't quite put my finger on it, but…" Business shrugged. "I'm sure it'll come back to me." He set his tablet to record the instructions for later reference. Lucy began hunting around for any spare materials to create a key from.

Emmet returned to their group at that moment, cupping something in one hand. "Where did you get that?" Lucy asked upon seeing it was a chipped-off piece of blue crystal.

"Oh, it broke off while the thing was firing the beam down, I guess the vibrations shook it loose. I thought it was pretty, so I grabbed

it-"

"Emmet it's perfect," she exclaimed, and kissed his cheek.

He looked bewildered. "It is? For what?"

"We have to make the key for the sky temple!" Unikitty chirped.

"Ohh, okay! What else can we use?"

"I think there was a few extra inches of that copper wire," Benny mused, and floated back down to retrieve it. Bad Cop hummed thoughtfully, and wandered outside.

"What's he doing…?" Airheart asked, watching him go.

"Showing off again," Lucy sighed as they heard a faint thump from high up, tilting her head back to see a small shadow on one spot of the ceiling. She watched the dark spot move across the dome of the ceiling, making its way toward the opening.

"Ohh, be careful-!" Emmet gasped as he watched Bad Cop drop himself down onto one of the rings.

"I don't think he can hear you, babe."

They watched in baffled silence as he walked across the top ring, then climbed down to the lowest, taking off his sunglasses and sticking the folded arms between his teeth before swinging himself upside down. "I think I see what he's after," Business said, and pointed out an unused, cracked focusing lens just within Bad Cop's reach. Benny came back up just in time to see him snag a fragment of glass from its frame.

"How the heck did he get up there?" Bad Cop righted himself again and tucked the shard into his shirt pocket before climbing back out.

"I have no idea."

"Here," Bad Cop said when he came back in, handing the piece of the lens to Lucy. She took Benny's bit of wire and set to work.

"Why didn't you just ask me to go get that?" the astronaut huffed at him. "Would've saved a lot of trouble."

Bad Cop shrugged. "I don't like just standing around feeling useless."

"There," Lucy said when she finished.

"Very pretty!" Unikitty complimented, taking it as Lucy handed it over to her. Her horn glowed as she cast the spell, and the key flashed to show it accepted the enchantment. "Here." She floated it over to Airheart, who looked surprised. "You can have this one."

"Oh, ah… Thank you." She took it, tucking it inside her jacket pocket. "Seems we're done here, now. Shall we go?"

"Let's," Bad Cop agreed. "I am so ready for this to be done."

"I'm sure," Flea chuckled. "We're so close!" They made their way back onto the Sky Rogue, where the rest of Airheart's crew was talking excitedly and pointing down into the water. Business leaned over the railing to get a look at the platform. He could still make out the beam feeding energy down to it, looking more like heat waves shimmering in the air than anything.

"Take us down," Airheart told Flea, and he made his way up to the helm. The ship slowly dropped down to the water, Flea nudging it as close to the platform as he could get it.

It wasn't very large, just enough for a handful of people to stand on, and had a pedestal rising from the center. The pedestal itself was very simple, having four slots with a stylized handprint over each on its face, much like the ones in the jungle temple, with the beam of magic from above flowing into its very center. Lucy stepped down onto the platform, followed by Business, Emmet, Benny, and Airheart. They stared down at the pedestal, baffled.

"After everything, can it really be that simple…?" Lucy mused.

"Only one way to find out," Airheart answered, retrieving her key. Benny floated back out of the way as they stepped up to the pedestal. Together they inserted and turned the keys, palms pressed to the handprints, and the pedestal lit up. The ocean around them began to churn, water splashing up onto the platform and soaking their feet.

The splashes quickly turned into waves, and they hurried back onto the ship to avoid being swept into the water. All around them, as far as they could see, the water was frothing as the city below was dredged back up and pulled to the surface. Airheart could only stare wide-eyed and slack-jawed as the city slowly emerged. Behind her, the Master Builders stared, equally stunned. "We did it," she whispered, sounding on the verge of tears. "We actually did it…!"

The buildings were a slimy green shade from being underwater for so long, but it was easy to see where they had once been sparkling white stone. The streets were cobblestone, though it was hard to see through the sheer amount of sand and seaweed covering them. Once the tremors died down, they finally made their way out into the city.

"Where do we go from here?"

Business pulled out his tablet, going through the instructions again. "I think what we're looking for, at least, is going to be on the eastern edge of the city. But hey, you're free to go wherever you like, so why are you asking me?"

Airheart rolled her eyes at him. "Because I'm curious and I'd like to see how this ends for you guys. And maybe even help, if you'll accept it."

"I don't know about that," Bad Cop muttered.

"Well, suit yourselves. It's still as good a place to start as any." She gestured ahead. "You're the man with the map; lead the way." Business gave her a weird look, but walked ahead anyway.

Bad Cop glanced down at Lucy as they walked. She was wound up like a spring and ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Not that he could blame her; something about the situation seemed off to him as well. He touched her shoulder to get her attention, and tilted his head toward the back of the group. She nodded and fell back with him. Several of the sky pirates gave them wary looks as they passed, but otherwise didn't interfere. "What?" she all but demanded, keeping her gaze on their friends.

"The city's not the only thing that smells fishy," he said after a moment, and she cracked a smile, looking up at him. He smiled back, but it was quick to fade. "You're not wrong to be on alert, I think. Here." He took his gun from its holster, almost pressing his side to hers as he placed it in her hands and showed her how to work it. "That turns off the safety. That switches the settings between stun and sting."

"Cary, why-"

"Call it paranoia if you want. Just keep them safe," he told her. She stared down at the unexpected gift for a moment, then huffed as she clipped it to her belt and wrapped her arms around him.

"You really are a big softie," she teased. "Don't worry, they're in good hands."

"I know they are." Lucy smiled at that, and jogged to catch back up to the group, slipping her hand into Emmet's. He turned and said something to her that Bad Cop couldn't hear, likely asking if everything was okay. Benny glanced back and caught him lagging behind, frowning in concern. He sighed and prepared himself for a barrage of questions as the spaceman held back, waiting for him to catch up.

"You okay?"

"Nervous, I guess."

"I saw you gave Lucy your gun. What's that about?"

"…A precaution."

Benny was quiet as that sank in. "You think something bad's gonna happen?"

"That's just it, Ben, I don't know what will happen. Anything could. And I don't trust Airheart to behave honorably should I be incapacitated. And-"

"I'd say you're more than just 'nervous' if you need to hold my hand," Benny teased gently, holding up their joined hands- Bad Cop's left in Benny's right. He sighed.

"He's catching on quick…"

"What?" Benny's humor faded to confusion.

"That's the other thing I was about to say. Keelan's panicking."

The spaceman stared at him, uncomprehending. "B. 'Splain."

Bad Cop breathed a quiet laugh at him. "It's… a trick Alastar and I worked out. He's left-dominant, I'm right. When I was fronting, he could take control of our left arm, and vice versa. Keelan's figured out how to do it too, it seems."

Benny looked back down at their hands. "…You said he's panicking." His shoulders slumped. "Poor kid." He glanced back toward the group; no one seemed to notice they were missing for the time being. "Maybe I can try to calm him down?"

"I hope so, cause nothing I'm telling him is working…" Benny suddenly found his arms full of a trembling six-foot-four cop, and just barely managed to not let himself be bowled over.

"Whoa, easy there," he soothed, rubbing Keelan's back. "Come on kiddo, talk to me. What's got you so wound up?"

"I d-don't wanna be erased!"

"Whuh…" Benny took a moment to process that, horrified at the very suggestion of it. "Who said anything about you getting erased?!"

"What if- what if they have to, so- s-so Alastar can come back-"

"Now you hold on just a gosh-darned second, you don't know that they will-"

"But I-I don't know that they w-won't either!"

Benny sighed. "Geez, no wonder B's getting nowhere… Come on, sit down." He lowered himself to the ground, pulling Keelan to sit with him. "And calm down. Breathe with me- in… out… that's it. Now you listen to me. It's okay to be a little scared, none of us knows what to expect from this thing. But I don't think 'The Boy', or Finn, or whoever, would have sent you back just to take you away again. Every time he's interfered with our world has been to help, and I really don't see how erasing you at this point is going to do anyone any good. Especially not B, lord knows he'd fight tooth and nail to keep you." Keelan smiled a bit at that, and Benny smiled back. "That's better. Everything will turn out just fine, you'll see. Now. Where have you been hiding all this time?"

Keelan blushed at having been caught out, burying his face in Benny's shoulder. "…From the pirates," he admitted, and Benny snickered.

"I don't blame you for that. I'd hide from them too, if only just to get rid of them. B and I have a plan for that, though."

"I- I know." He smiled. "I c-can't wait."

Benny grinned back, bouncing. "Neither can I. Feel better now?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Cause if we're gone any longer they're gonna come snooping, and I don't think you want that. You better let your brother back out so we can catch up to the others."