Chapter Twenty-one: Impetus
Everything darkened.
Plankton's surroundings, the sky, the flower-like clouds, the sand, everything became as black as tar. Like everything had because of the vortex that those humans had popped out of, as Plankton had heard from citywide gossip. It wasn't like Plankton had friends, except Karen, and she was in the Chum Bucket, possibly hacked by the robots.
Another vortex became etched into the sky. Were humans going to fall out of this one, too?
Plankton ran as fast as he could. Despite his small size, he could outrun bigger fish; he was used to dodging their feet, their stupidity keeping them from looking at the ground every once in a while to see if they were going to step on a living creature. Plankton often dreamed of growing big enough to show them how being crushed felt. He was smart enough to crush them with his wits instead.
The vortex seemed to be far away, perched in the distant sky. Besides, Plankton hadn't seen any humans since encountering the blonde one and the blue-haired one with SpongeBob in Jellyfish Fields. Wherever they'd gone, at least they weren't in his way.
Those humans behaved like they fought villains for a living. The villains they fought couldn't be as heinous or filled with genius as Plankton, though. Plankton was the smartest in Bikini Bottom, likely the smartest in the world.
Which was why he was running toward the vortex. As long as Plankton was fast enough, he would be the first creature these new humans saw, preventing others from gaining control of them. The humans would be so awed by his grandeur that they'd obey his commands to retake the Chum Bucket and purge the viruses that the robots inflicted upon Karen. After making sure that Karen was one-hundred percent okay, Plankton would pull the "Obey" lever on the Duplicatotron, forcing the robots under his will. Not only would Plankton have an army of strong, cunning humans, but he would also have an army of robots, outnumbering SpongeBob's human army. He would definitely steal the krabby patty secret formula with his army.
With the sales of his chum skyrocketing thanks to implementing the secret formula, Plankton would draw all fish to his restaurant, brainwashing them through his chum to fall under his rule.
Plankton would be the most powerful in Bikini Bottom.
He deserved to be. He must be the only one in Bikini Bottom to have gone to college. How did Krabs, without stepping foot on a college campus, become the most successful restaurateur in Bikini Bottom? He'd never taken a finance class but was as cheap as the shell he wore.
The vortex was the catalyst of Plankton's success. It had been a long time coming, but here it was.
Plankton reached the vortex. A group of humans slammed onto the sand, sand puffing up around them, and the vortex faded. The humans had collapsed in a heap, unconscious. Excellent.
The humans were so entangled that Plankton couldn't distinguish between them. No matter. Plankton would stash them someplace safe, out of sight of SpongeBob's army, and he would reign supreme.
First, he had to make sure they could survive underwater. That squirrel woman wore suits that let her survive.
Plankton had to get those deep sea dive suits to keep his army alive. Then, they would be indebted to Plankton, would bend to his every whim. He could pretend he had a button that deactivated the suits, made them unable to breathe. If they didn't ask him to prove it, then he would have ultimate control over them.
These humans seemed to be competent since they still breathed. There were eleven of them, a great start for Plankton's new army, a stark contrast to his first army that had been comprised of his nincompoop country family.
One of the humans twitched. Plankton froze.
He hadn't planned what he would say, how he would persuade these humans to side with him. Were they allies with one another? If they were enemies, then it would be more difficult to get them to collaborate. Plankton should've built a mind-controlling device. But with his brilliance, he could complete one before the rest of these humans awakened and then declare himself as their commander.
With his brilliance, he could weave a persuasive story to convince them to side with him.
Plankton planted his feet in a wide stance like he had read that powerful leaders did. Even though Plankton was the size of this human's foot, he would seem domineering. Once Plankton boomed out his voice, then this human would become submissive. Plankton held power; he knew Bikini Bottom inside and out while these humans did not. He could use his surroundings to his advantage. Somehow. Plankton wasn't sure how yet, but with his brilliance, he would think of something in approximately a millisecond or two. Maybe three or four or five. Perhaps more. Bottom line was, Plankton would think of something.
The human wore a blue jumpsuit, blue hair falling over his shoulders. Was the human male? Plankton couldn't tell. He didn't see humans often. But with his brilliance, he'd be able to figure everything out quickly, including how to manipulate these humans.
The human groaned, sat up, rubbing his head. His cloudy eyes fluttered for a moment. "Feels like home."
He looked around, stood, not seeing Plankton. The human tripped over another human's legs, untangled himself from the heap to stand on the ground.
If this human was, well, human, why could he stand and breathe underwater? Unless Plankton had been mistaken and humans could breathe and survive underwater. Or these humans had superpowers. But if all of them could survive underwater, then why had only one awakened?
"Must be where I sent the rest of the Guardians." The human was talking to himself. Like fish did.
The human looked at the pile of humans standing behind him. How had he not seen Plankton? (Based on his voice, the human must be male.)
With his foot, the human nudged another one. No response.
The human's face fell. "Oh, no. Everyone'll die if I don't get them oxygen. If I use Opening Ball again—"
Plankton cleared his throat. "Excuse me, giant human who prayerfully won't eat me, I command thee to listen to me."
The human's brow creased, and he looked around. "What's that? I hear a tiny voice coming from somewhere, but I don't exactly know where."
"Tiny voice?" A vein protruded from Plankton's forehead. "How dare you?" Plankton jumped up and down in rage. "I'm right here, under your stinking feet, you unobservant imbecile."
The human's eyes shot to Plankton. Plankton squeaked. Shouldn't have lost his temper against a human who loomed fifty times taller than him.
"Uh, hi." Plankton put a hand on the back of his head, backing up. "Hi, human. I hope that you don't eat me for my uncalled-for outburst." He found himself bowing to the human. Not at all like what Plankton had visualized. "Besides, I can help you with your not-being-able-to-breathe issue."
"You know, if I wasn't taken by the beauty of the sea, I'd be angry at you." The human's eyes twinkled at his surroundings, the expanse of the blue sky. "But I'd love it if my friends could breathe again. Except for a few of them. They can stay dead." The human cocked his head, his blue earrings jingling. "Tell me, what do you have in mind?"
A grin snaked onto Plankton's face. "Plenty. To make up for my outburst, and to win your undying affection and unwavering loyalty, I will take you to the only place in Bikini Bottom with oxygen and pressure matching that of the surface's. In return, I require you to pledge your life to me." He turned up his head. "Or else I won't help you."
The human's expression brightened. "Of course."
Just like that. Plankton chuckled, rubbing his hands. He'd won their undying, unwavering loyalty forever.
The human crouched to Plankton's level, making Plankton feel less intimidated. The human outstretched a pinky toward Plankton. Plankton took the pinky, and they shook. "My name is Fisheye. If you're wondering why I can breathe and why the pressure doesn't affect me, it's because I was originally a fish, but my masters turned me into a human."
"Former masters, you mean. You just pledged your unwavering loyalty to I, Plankton."
"Yes. Yes, I did. You are one-hundred percent correct. So yes, they are my former masters."
Plankton resisted the urge to wipe a tear from his eye. Fisheye had said that he was one-hundred percent loyal to Plankton. Great negotiating skills Plankton had. His suaveness made everyone bend to his will.
"Why are you smiling, crossing your arms, and nodding to yourself?"
Because Plankton is not only a genius, but also a master negotiator. Plankton hadn't realized what he was doing. He was busy praising himself because no one else had the brain to recognize his genius.
"We should hurry to the oxygen." Fisheye cast raised eyebrows at the heap of humans. "I'm not sure how long they can survive. They do have powers, so they might be able to survive longer than regular humans."
"You don't command me," Plankton said. "I command you. And I say we hurry to the oxygen." He turned around, giving Fisheye his back, placing his hand on his chin, facing the direction of the treedome. "By my own brilliant deduction, which includes those humans coming out of that vortex and surviving, I believe that these humans have powers that are causing them to survive for longer than normal humans."
"That's…what I said, but in more words."
"Silence, my lackey. Come, follow me. And bring the rest of those humans with you. Although I caution you, if SpongeBob comes, he might save the rest of the humans we leave behind. So I suggest we bring all of them."
Fisheye's eyes lit up. "Yes, great idea, Master. That way, we can guarantee that the ones we don't like die."
Plankton chuckled once more. Master Plankton. He could get used to being called, "Master." Problem was, Plankton needed all these humans for his plans. With his amazing persuasion skills, he could convince the humans to work together, no matter how rocky their past. In addition to being a genius, Plankton was the great mediator.
Fisheye turned toward the pile of humans, who didn't seem closer to choking or being crushed by the pressure than when they first crashed onto the sand. "Now, how to carry all these people?" He tapped his chin. Plankton could throw out a few ideas, but he wanted to see how smart his lackey was.
Fisheye snapped his fingers. "I should be able to use their Amazon Stones. So if I use Orb Knot…" He rummaged inside another blue-haired human's pockets, took out a stone. Plankton narrowed his eyes. Had to memorize his lackeys' attacks, especially if, for some stupid reason, they turned against Plankton. Which wouldn't happen, since Plankton seldom made mistakes.
"Orb Knot!" Ropes of energy lashed out from the orb, wrapped around the humans, lifted them in the air. Fisheye clapped his hands. "Beautiful!" He faced Plankton. "Now we can begin our journey to the oxygen."
Plankton walked toward the treedome, Fisheye following. the group of humans, tied like hair bound by a scrunchy, floated behind Fisheye. Plankton was the leader. All sea and land creatures would bow to him. Plankton would use his brainpower to command them to do his will. He would not only steal the krabby patty secret formula, but he would also gain control over Bikini Bottom. He would rule with his queen, Karen, at his side.
No one would be able to resist the master.
Fisheye followed the smallest living creature he had ever seen toward the alleged oxygen and pressure-free environment. Perhaps the underwater world would be useful to the Dead Moon Circus.
Fisheye missed the ocean, so he wanted to spend as much time as possible here. Besides, if worse came to worst, then Fisheye could use Opening Ball to send the Dead Moon Circus back to Japan, where no Guardians could stop them. Above, they could rampage and steal as many dreams as they wanted with no consequence. Their queen would gain unparalleled power.
Fisheye's selfishness, his desire to explore his homeland was keeping them here. As soon as Fisheye had regained consciousness, he should've used Opening Ball to take the Dead Moon Circus to Japan instead of fiddling with a creature that was so full of himself that he believed he had Fisheye's unfailing loyalty. He would be in for a surprise once the rest of the Dead Moon Circus awakened. Fisheye's masters were the Amazoness Quartet, Zirconia, and the queen. No one else. Not even if Plankton did take them to this alleged oxygen.
Fisheye had to make sure that the Sailor Guardians did not awaken, reach the oxygen, and defeat the Dead Moon Circus. After their lopsided battle in the tent, Fisheye didn't want to fight the Guardians until he and his allies became strong enough to defeat them. Perhaps the Guardians would be weakened because of being underwater.
Perhaps Fisheye would gain powers underwater.
If Plankton, the smallest creature on the planet, turned against Fisheye, then Fisheye would have an opportunity to try out his powers. After Plankton was blown into oblivion, Fisheye would use the Guardians as practice dummies. They'd probably be dead by the time they reached the treedome, anyhow. The Amazoness Quartet, Hawk's Eye, and Tiger's Eye were more resilient than the Guardians, even if their performance in the tent said otherwise. They had to train and unlock their potential. They weren't weak; they just weren't strong enough to defeat the Guardians.
Defeating the Guardians was all that mattered. But Fisheye wanted the Dead Moon Circus to be the most powerful group on the planet. Maybe the Amazoness Quartet and Queen Nehellenia did, too. Even if the queen only wanted to steal dreams and transform those dreams into nightmares.
In his two-day lifespan, Fisheye had never met Queen Nehellenia. He must be at the bottom of the totem pole, so a prole like him wouldn't be allowed to meet the highest person on the pole until he did something extraordinarily good or bad. Hopefully good, or the queen would incinerate him.
All he knew about the queen was that she was powerful yet trapped in a mirror. She was also the most beautiful living being in the world. With her looks, she could seduce anyone. Maybe the sea creatures, too.
Zirconia and Queen Nehellenia must be wondering where the rest of the Dead Moon Circus had gone. Would they believe that the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio were skipping their duties to steal dreams? Or would they believe that the Guardians had annihilated the Amazoness Quartet and the Amazon Trio? After each performance, the Amazoness Quartet reported how many dreams they were able to confiscate and steal.
They were searching for the Golden Crystal, which would release the queen from the mirror.
A world under the queen's rule... Hopefully, the queen would give Fisheye command of the underwater world. Fisheye had the potential to be a leader. Even if Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye teased him all the time. Fisheye would use Plankton as a footstool. Or as his second-in-command.
Plankton had the smarts, but his pride and desperation to achieve his dreams were problematic. Desperation made humans more vulnerable, like Sailor Mercury had been before Fisheye had attracted who he thought had been all of the Guardians, only to discover four more.
There were a lot of Guardians to defeat.
The Dead Moon Circus had many members, too. Seven core members, then Zirconia, then the queen. But the Dead Moon Circus could also use Lemures as needed. Seven against eleven was tough to defeat.
But four against seven were tough odds when it came to the Guardians. Thank goodness five of them had been defeated easily.
Easily…
Had they been defeated too easily?
Fisheye couldn't become bogged down in the details. He had to focus on wherever this little green hotdog was taking him.
Screams and strange, artificial-sounding laughter filled the area.
Plankton stopped, Fisheye nearly crushing the creature with his foot. "Did I mention our robot problem?"
"No." Fisheye almost said, "But you probably should've" and then corrected himself, saying, "But should you have, Master?"
Plankton grinned, looking as though he had been entranced by Fisheye's calling him "Master." He said, "Master Plankton. Yes, I will have my subordinates call me Master… Better yet, King Plankton. Yes…"
"Uh, Master?"
Plankton whipped around. "Don't interrupt the master while he's fantasizing. Anyhow, I am always right, so should I have mentioned the robots? No, because I knew that you would be strong enough to protect me from them." He caressed an antenna. "I'm too delicate and important to be hurt."
Fisheye looked past his annoying, temporary master. A UFO-like robot spun, its five hands blurring as it smacked a fish repeatedly into a volleyball net. A robot that looked like a dog but with a giant jaw breathed out green smoke onto several civilian fish. One's eyes watered. A blonde fish's hair burned off due to the robot's breath. Perhaps the robots had defeated the Guardians instead.
"Your job as my lackey is to keep me safe," Plankton said. "Therefore, I command you to keep me safe from these robots. I don't care how you do it." He stroked his antenna. "Make sure that not even one of the precious antennae on my head is harmed."
"Yes, Master." Fisheye ran ahead of Plankton, the small creature directing Fisheye verbally as to where to go.
Fisheye tossed Lemures from his hands. The black, spiky, grinning balls overtook the robots, surrounded them, clamped onto them, smashed them. They pulled back from the robots' remains. For the most part, they were silent killers, preferring to speak in nightmares.
"Just like that," Plankton said. "I never expected a lackey to be strong and to have lackeys of his own. My lackeys have lackeys, so I have more lackeys than I thought, which means my army is bigger than I thought, which means that I'll be able to defeat these robots and get the krabby patty secret formula."
Fisheye and Plankton continued, Fisheye leading the way, Plankton being a backseat driver, the heap of humans floating behind them. Fisheye defeated robots with his Lemures, not needing CereCere's Opening Ball to suck them into another dimension. As they ran, Plankton chuckled to himself, saying that all these fools would bow down to him thanks to his army and his army's army. No one would defy him anymore, crush him because they "didn't see him."
Fisheye ignored Plankton's fantasies. He'd invade Plankton's dreams after they retrieved the alleged oxygen from this alleged place.
A dome sat ahead. A tree towered in the middle of the dome, its leaves touching the ceiling.
"There it is." Plankton stepped beside Fisheye. "The famous treedome, built by that squirrel woman. I've never been inside myself. Because there's no water. Which means that I wouldn't survive inside. SpongeBob and his idiot friend, who happens to be my future minion, go inside quite a bit. They must use some sort of technology each time they go inside." He rubbed his chin. "What could be the ingenious invention?"
He stepped to the treedome's door, turned the wheel that served as the handle, spinning it. The door swung open, the small hallway brimming with seawater, another door ahead leading to the inside.
Fisheye glanced over his shoulder, at his allies and enemies floating together. He took out PallaPalla's Amazon Stone. He'd better ask his "master" for permission to keep up the façade of loyalty. "Master, may I retrieve my own allies from this ball and leave the others outside? If they all wake up together in the treedome, they won't get along well. We fought above ground." Better to be honest than mince words and have Plankton not understand anything, which would lead to his being a distraction in the hellfire of the Guardians versus the Dead Moon Circus.
"You have a point." Plankton jabbed a finger onto his chest to appear macho. Everything Plankton did was an attempt to appear bigger than everyone. "But I am the ultimate sayer, so what I say goes. And what I say is…you have a point."
All that buildup just to agree with Fisheye?
"So, yes, they may remain outside while we retrieve the goods."
Controlling the Amazon Stone, Fisheye untangled the Guardians from the rest of the Dead Moon Circus, letting the Guardians drop onto the sand. With Orb Knot whipping around them, Fisheye controlled the heap of his allies.
Plankton pointed toward the treedome. "And now, into the treedome we go. As long as there aren't any defense mechanisms set up, we'll be good. If there are, I can figure out how to deactivate them or outsmart them. No one in Bikini Bottom is smarter than I, Plankton. Not even a supposedly genius talking squirrel." He waved his hand toward Fisheye. "Besides, I have you to do all the fighting."
How had Plankton gotten through Bikini Bottom by himself without Fisheye, against all these robots? Fisheye had summoned hundreds of Lemures to fight the robots. He couldn't imagine fighting the robots without powers.
Plankton opened the treedome's door, and the water surrounding them spilled onto the grass. Oxygen filled the entryway. He gasped for air.
No way did Plankton have powers. He lacked basic common sense.
"Water, I need…" Plankton grasped at his throat.
A cup lay on the ground.
Fisheye could either fill the cup with the seawater outside and put it on Plankton's head, or he could let Plankton die.
Would Plankton be helpful to the Dead Moon Circus?
Perhaps.
Fisheye would rather keep Plankton alive and on his side in case he ended up being helpful, like for defeating whoever this SpongeBob was. SpongeBob's very name screamed that he was a good guy who would oppose the Dead Moon Circus.
SpongeBob's very name didn't sound threatening, either. If Fisheye had learned anything, it was to never underestimate anyone. Not even someone like Plankton.
Fisheye took the cup, left the treedome, filled the cup with water, popped the cup onto Plankton's head. Plankton hyperventilated, clutching at his throat.
"Pardon my speaking out of turn," Fisheye said, "but you should be able to breathe now."
Plankton stopped hyperventilating. "Oh. Yes, I can. Great job, my lackey. My genius must be rubbing off on you."
If Plankton's genius had rubbed off on Fisheye, then Fisheye would be dead from stupidity.
"Pardon my speaking out of turn again, Master, but the rest of the humans should be awakening as well." Giddiness filled Fisheye as he turned toward the Dead Moon Circus. His friends and allies should be awakening soon.
And awakening they were.
"Yes," Plankton hissed. He laughed, a low rumbling from the deepest sections of his stomach. "The revenge and chaos we'll unleash…"
CereCere opened her eyes. PallaPalla yawned.
Fisheye's true masters were back.
Together, they would dominate the Moon Kingdom, Japan, and the ocean and create an inescapable nightmare for all.