Chapter Forty: Penetration
On her sandboard, Sandy slid down the slope, chasing the rolling Mrs. Puff. Barreling into Fodders, Chomp-Bots, and Bomb-Bots launched the robots off the mountain. Destroying robots and sandboarding at the same time? Sandy was in heaven.
Except she had to save Mrs. Puff, and thoughts about what the heck these humans were involved in niggled at her. They were embroiled in more drama than an Easter play.
SpongeBob and Patrick had no drama. Squidward was dramatic, but Sandy didn't mind his company on the rare occasions they crossed paths. None of the fish were involved in much drama, even Pearl, Mr. Krabs' daughter, as much as the whale proclaimed that she led a tough life, falling into dilemmas like whether to hang out at the mall with her friends or see a movie with that shark she met during fifth-period chemistry.
The humans carried tons of baggage and had brought more.
They could transform into superhumans, all thanks to being part of some Moon Kingdom that Sandy never heard of, despite studying and flying to the moon. The Moon Kingdom existed centuries ago. By now, its ruins would have deteriorated into dust.
Secondly, their enemies sought to kill them, and the humans had no problem killing their enemies, as shown by the kind Usagi and Chibi-Usa almost blowing up her treedome to annihilate the Dead Moon Circus. With leagues of monsters trying to end them, no wonder the Guardians and Mamoru had been suspicious of Sandy, SpongeBob, and Patrick.
Then the Dead Moon Circus had arrived alongside four new Guardians.
The humans had brought their beef with the Dead Moon Circus, which seemed to be deeper than they were letting on. Now they had to defeat not only the robots, but also the Dead Moon Circus. Plankton was working with the Dead Moon Circus. The tricky varmint had probably slithered into their heads, told them what they wanted to hear so he could use them to steal the krabby patty secret formula. Couldn't he put the energy he wasted to snatch that formula into thinking of a good recipe for his chum?
Sandy was glad that the Sailor Team was whittling down the robots. The humans had no allegiance to Bikini Bottom but were helping because helping was right, even though they could've returned to the surface anytime.
Curses from Haruka and Makoto behind her startled Sandy out of her thoughts. More robots had seemingly teleported to the mountain, attacking the two Guardians, as soon as Mrs. Puff had pressed the button, crushing Usagi with the sandball. The Moon Princess and Mamoru had then fallen, likely to the bottom of the slope. Well, the couple needed their alone time.
How could Sandy move faster? She scoured the slopes for handholds, anything that would propel her. Some wooden signs pointing in the directions of parts where the slopes split stood about. Perhaps she could use those.
Reaching one of the signs, Sandy gripped the top and pushed, quickening. Still, Mrs. Puff rolled faster than her, and Haruka and Makoto were distracted by the onslaught of Monsoons, Makoto's favorite robots; and Chucks, one of the most annoying robots. But the recently built Bomb-Bots might seize the Chucks' coveted crown of "Most Annoying Robot to Grace the Earth."
If Plankton wasn't in his lab building the robots, then who was?
Someone else diabolical had to be pumping out and building more robots, especially since Plankton had long been thrown out of his own restaurant. When Sandy and her friends reached the Chum Bucket, they could stop the culprit once and for all.
Sandy swerved around Tikis and then leaped over a gap in the slope, one that Mrs. Puff had flown over. White light flashed from behind, but Sandy didn't dare tear her concentration off the slope, off Mrs. Puff. With their experience and abilities, Haruka and Makoto could handle the robots.
Mrs. Puff tumbled through Tikis. Thankfully, she hadn't smashed Thunder Tikis, but the way she was rolling, she wouldn't be able to dodge if they appeared in her path.
Unhooking her rope, Sandy began to lasso, her vision tunneling so that she saw only Mrs. Puff. The squirrel threw, the lasso passing over Tikis, robots, diving toward Mrs. Puff.
A Chomp-Bot jumped, chomped on the lasso and held. Annoying bugger.
The Chomp-Bot gnashed its teeth, the lasso beginning to break, but the rope wrapped around Mrs. Puff, slowing her slide enough that Sandy was sliding faster than the pufferfish was. If Sandy pulled her lasso, then the lasso would snap.
Sandy whipped her lasso, sending a wave through it, under the Chomp-Bot and making the robot whip in unison. The Chomp-Bot's mouth popped off the lasso, and it scrambled in the air, shattered on the slope. Sandy's lasso had been chewed so much that it would break at a hint of tension. If Mrs. Puff moved farther away from Sandy or vice versa, then the lasso would break.
Using both paws, Sandy gripped her lasso and pulled herself toward Mrs. Puff. Thank goodness that karate made her ambidextrous, coordinated.
She reached the pufferfish. Sandy wasn't strong enough to carry Mrs. Puff, but she was close enough that her lasso wouldn't break if she pulled. Tightening her grip on her lasso, she pulled, slowing Mrs. Puff's slide as they neared the base of the slope.
More of those robots encircled her.
Both of Sandy's hands were tied up trying to save Mrs. Puff. If one hand let go, then Mrs. Puff would roll away.
The Chomp-Bots tackled Sandy, and the squirrel spun off the side of Guppy Mound, taking Mrs. Puff with her, the lasso snaking behind.
The world blurred. Mrs. Puff was a hand's breadth away, but at least she was quiet, used to such things happening to her, compliments of SpongeBob's lack of driving skills.
The two crashed in a dune of sand, sand bursting around them, ripping out Sandy's breath. Despite protest from her aching everything, Sandy bounced upright, raising her arms to chop the robots down. The Chomp-Bot and the other robots were gone.
Sandy straightened but didn't lower her arms. Had to be ready to fight, no matter how safe the dune seemed.
The area was nearly silent, wind caressing Sandy's suit (Sandy missed the feel of the wind kissing her fur), whistling in Sandy's ears despite her helmet.
Mrs. Puff brushed herself off. "Thank you, Miss Cheeks." Coughed out a cloud of sand. "I thought the robots had me. And I thought I'd only fall down the slope because of darn kids pushing me. Turns out I was wrong."
"Right." Mrs. Puff had terrible luck when it came to her physical well-being, between SpongeBob's boat crashes, to kids abusing her. "At least we're safe now. Sorta."
Sand was piled around them, so high that Sandy couldn't see where they'd wound up. No sounds but the wind surrounded them.
Sandy placed a hand on the back of her helmet. "Ain't dunes supposed to be made by people? Why's there nobody down here?"
Mrs. Puff opened her mouth, but Sandy answered her own question. "Wait a minute, dunes are made by wind. And there's lots o' wind down here. Of course."
"Of course," Mrs. Puff echoed, not sounding confident, like she was saying something for the sake of saying something.
Sandy didn't dare rest with the robots' history of surprise appearances. "Our big ol' group always separates to cover more ground, and then the robots separate us again once we get to these different places." She sighed. "Seems like we can never stay together."
Having nothing to say, Mrs. Puff didn't respond. Sandy was talking more to herself, so she didn't mind the silence to think. Hanging around SpongeBob and Patrick made for nothing but noise. Having a listening companion was a welcome change from nonstop quacking.
"Instead of complaining, I should be thinkin' of a way outta here."
"I can help too, Miss Cheeks. It didn't look like it when we were on the slopes, but I'm much more capable than I look."
Sandy bit back a response of, "I've seen." SpongeBob hadn't said anything, and neither had Mrs. Puff but, on the news, the squirrel had watched Mrs. Puff disguised as a thief, trying to steal SpongeBob's new boat. The boat-jacking was caught on camera. Mrs. Puff could unleash seven kinds of crazy.
The squirrel squinted at the expansive sky, the mountains piercing the horizon. If only there was a way to lasso their way out. Haruka and Makoto might not have seen Sandy and Mrs. Puff fall into the dune, so they might not know where the sea creatures were.
Sandy's ears perked. Something was coming. She backed near Mrs. Puff, fur prickling.
A head with blue hair poked over the dune's surface. One member of the Dead Moon Circus.
Didn't want to find out what this girl's powers were by attacking and making the girl counterattack. But the girl might use her powers anyhow.
The girl blinked at Sandy and Mrs. Puff.
Sandy kept glaring at the human. Had to watch her movements.
"I just saw some more of these humans in Rock Bottom," Mrs. Puff whispered. "It's hard to tell who's good and who isn't."
"These ones ain't good." The Guardians had explained that the Dead Moon Circus was trying to manipulate others' dreams.
If Sandy defeated this girl now…
The girl waved. "Hi, there. I'm PallaPalla."
Sandy forced herself to loosen, ready to attack. "Here to kick us while we're literally down?"
"Ooh, look at your fire. It'll make you much more fun to mess with." PallaPalla bared her teeth. "Now that you can't get away from PallaPalla, let's play." She whisked out a white stone from somewhere—Sandy couldn't see where, the place blocked by the top of the dune—and threw the stone, yelling, "Orb Blinds!" Darkness flashed, whipped out from the stone like a hand. Sandy gasped, her entire being yelling at her to run, but she had to protect the screaming Mrs. Puff.
Sandy karate-chopped the hand of darkness, making the hand flinch, but the hand grabbed at Sandy, the squirrel chopping and kicking and kneeing without effect.
The hand expanded and then clamped down on Sandy and Mrs. Puff. The dunes, the mountains, the sky melted into darkness.
Three monkeys, the most renowned scientists in the animal kingdom, sat at an oak table before Sandy, hands folded, their lab coats gleaming in the sterile lab's lights. Each of them had gotten their in what they called the bare minimum to be a scientist—subdermatoglyphic engineering, to manipulate hands and paws and study what their purpose was because they had to be able to do something other than pick things up and put them down. They had earned five more , along with being medical doctors. To acknowledge their multiple doctorate degrees, the monkeys preferred to be called Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Joe, Paul, and Simon.
Sandy didn't have any fancy degrees, but her lack of formal education didn't keep her from devouring engineering textbooks and inventing. Didn't stop the scientists from seeking her to study her newest, most impressive invention yet: a chip that would allow humans and land creatures to survive underwater, to live in harmony with the sea creatures.
"See here?" Sandy tapped the chip in her paw. "This here chip can make any land critter survive underwater, from a grown man to an earthworm. All ya do is pop it in your ear." If Sandy had been more arrogant, she would've added, "Impressive, ain't it?" Soon, she'd revel in the inevitable applause.
Dr. Joe hardened his expression. Dr. Simon peeled a banana and chucked it in his mouth. Dr. Paul straightened his monocle.
Sandy couldn't help but say, politeness be darned, "You sure don't look impressed." As a squirrel hailing from the southern United States, she had that good old southern charm and manners but had no problem being blunt.
"You cannot simply proffer a device and expect us to believe you when you orate that it works." Dr. Paul took off his monocle, blew on it and then wiped it with his paw. "To win the Bobel Peace Prize, your little chip must lead to peace between land and sea, humans and fish, all creatures who dwell on Earth."
"That's an order taller than a pitcher o' Texas iced tea. But I'm up for the challenge. If y'all need me to prove that it works, go ahead and take off your suits, put these puppies in your ears. I brought a bunch of `em." She hadn't, but chips swelled the pocket of her deep sea dive suit. Amazing what could happen in dreams.
The scientists took her chips. A chill rocked Sandy, tensed her with anticipation. The most awe-inspiring, smartest scientists in the world using her invention was an honor.
They turned the chips over in their paws, Dr. Paul raising the chip to the lights, holding his monocle near the chip and then far from it. Dr. Simon rubbed the chip. They didn't believe that the chip would work but, as scientists, they had to test it. They zipped off their suits and then wiggled the chip into each of their ears.
Sandy couldn't help but grin, ready to hear the scientists sing praises, proclaim from their rockets that she had started world peace. Animals, humans, sea creatures could all literally be on the same playing field. They might not get along right away but, as they got to know one another, they could work together, covering others' weaknesses, exemplifying strengths. Perhaps the humans would share their food with squirrels and other animals so that animals didn't have to fight for scraps anymore. Perhaps the land creatures and sea creatures could build a new civilization together, no longer dividing their kingdoms. Sandy had seen how the humans dominated Earth, not always for good. With the humans and animals working together, they could restore the Earth to tranquility and safety, erasing pollution, dying plants, and reviving animals' habitats overtaken by humans' dwellings.
The scientists' faces darkened into purple. They grabbed at their necks, foaming at their mouths.
"Can't breathe…" Dr. Joe gasped.
Sandy froze. How could her invention not be working? She'd successfully tested it on herself, and Sandy had been on her way to bridging the gap between the land and the sea, the reason why she'd come to Bikini Bottom. She was going to study Bikini Bottom, pinpoint areas in which land creatures and sea creatures could collaborate and improve, merging both worlds, with Sandy serving as the ambassador for the land creatures, at least at first. But now, now…
Sandy's vision blurred with tears. This couldn't be happening.
Sandy reached for the scientists, had to stop them before they… Dr. Joe's and Dr. Simon's faces blackened, and they shriveled up, turning into dust that rained upon the floor, becoming no bigger grains of sand.
Making a noise between a blood-curdling scream and howl, Dr. Paul hurled himself at Sandy, reaching for her, nails on his paws lengthening into claws as long as a wolf's. He grasped Sandy's suit, tore at it, flakes of it scattering to the floor until leaving Sandy bare. He ripped the chip, alongside bits of fur and skin, out of his own ear, and pounded the chip in her ear. Unlike the countless times when she'd tested the chip, the pressure didn't lift but crushed her onto the floor, the lab's lights blinding her. Writhing, she choked on the water, grabbed for her throat. Her skin wrinkled and then swelled, expanding like a water balloon. She was absorbing the water.
She was dying.
"This is all your fault." Dr. Paul's voice was demonic, booming around the decaying lab, the table withering into ashes, the lights flickering and then reddening into a crimson as dark as blood, fire exploding from the floor. He roared, "You disgusting excuse for a scientist."
The flames towered around her and then, opening like a maw, rushed toward her, about to engulf and finish her. She deserved what was coming to her for slaughtering scientists, further isolating the land and the sea.
Dr. Paul's voice echoed, "You've failed all of humanity, all of fishkind. You have failed us all."
The nightmare fell away. Makoto, fist outstretched, stood before her, PallaPalla stuck in the sand, her legs wiggling out.
"How dare you attack my friends?" Makoto barked. Her face was flushed scarlet. Looked more murderous than a bull loosed from its pen.
Haruka stood beside Mrs. Puff, the pufferfish and Sailor Uranus behind Sandy and Makoto.
From above, JunJun swept in, grabbed each of PallaPalla's legs, and tugged. "Damn, PallaPalla, you got fat."
"Hey!" came PallaPalla's muffled cry. JunJun popped PallaPalla loose from the sand only to collide with Haruka's fist, sending JunJun careening backward, sand erupting around her and PallaPalla as they bounced through the sand and then collapsed in the dune's wall, sand cascading around and burying them.
Hawk's Eye jumped into the dune, lobbing a Bomb-Bot, the robot exploding. Smoke surrounded the Guardians, Sandy, and Mrs. Puff, and the group hacked. Sandy couldn't breathe again. Saw the silhouettes flying away but didn't care. Had to breathe, couldn't die like she'd killed those scientists—
A hand gripping her shoulder jolted her, the smoke clearing. The Dead Moon Circus had escaped because Sandy couldn't breathe, because of her defective invention. The smoke wasn't the reason why she'd become paralyzed with fear, nor was it the reason why Makoto had decided to comfort her instead of defeat their enemies.
Because she'd overestimated her smarts, Sandy had fallen into deadly folly and taken others with her. Had no right to be called an inventor or a scientist. Because of Sandy, the Guardians hadn't been able to save the world.
"My husband…" Mrs. Puff's moan tore Sandy's attention away from herself. The pufferfish hid her head in the crook of her elbow. Broke into sobs. Then a cry. Then a wail. Haruka brought Mrs. Puff to her shoulder, but Mrs. Puff shoved Haruka away. "Don't touch me." She leaned on the dune's wall, quaking with grief. Haruka drew back. There was nothing she could do.
Sandy's legs buckled. The squirrel dropped onto her hands and knees, panting, sweat dripping onto and melting the miniscule amounts of snow upon the sand.
Makoto crouched beside her. "Sandy?"
Sandy brightened her voice. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay." She'd never lost her calm, never had reason to fear. But the Dead Moon Circus had invaded her greatest dream, transforming it into her greatest nightmare.
Sandy tried to clamber onto her feet but fell. She planted her face into the snow and howled.