"You all are the first people I've seen come out of the portal network in forever," Harper continued, as they all hurried to follow, Cassie dropping behind a bit more than the others. So you'll have to excuse me if it made me a little... anxious."

Jesse blinked. "Oh... yeah, Cassie's aunt was an Old Builder. I forgot. I guess that means you're one of them too?"

Harper let out a little laugh. "Huh, forgot you people called us that. Never was my favorite name."

"None of you really liked it. I think my aunt threw a pie at someone who called her that one time," Cassie said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, it makes you guys sound ancient. But hey, if you're an... um, Old Builder, can't you help my friends get free of PAMA?" Jesse asked, hopefully, lower arms fidgeting and steepling her fingers.

Harper winced. "I'm afraid that's a little out of my abilities right now. PAMA's just too powerful." A short silence. "And besides... there's actually no exit portal back to the portal network from this world."

"Probably a good idea seeing how PAMA wants to, ah, make everyone 'useful'," Cassie spoke drily. Winslow gave his female owner a funny look.

"Yes. It was impulsive, but it was the only way I could think of to make sure PAMA didn't spread to other worlds."

"Ah." Jesse cut Ivor off with a little look, and then asked, in a would-be casual voice, "So, ah, why didn't you stay at the lab? The scientists got a bit more..." Jesse went silent for a moment as she remembered one of the more violent 'tests'. Suffice to say it involved a lot of electricity, pain, and screaming. "... brutal, without you guys around."

Harper rubbed her head. "Well, I never really liked the things they were doing in the first place with the hybrids- I would've just been happy to see the hybrids survive beyond day one, to be honest. I guess after we left, we told the scientists to keep up the work and report back to us, but... we were a little hasty and brought most of the best ones with us. I guess with the best ones out of the way, the others got down to more... primitive measures."

"Mm."

"The last report we got was... about ten or eleven years ago, I think. The remaining scientists alerted us that the hybrids had escaped. I mean, I knew they made more, but I didn't know what species they were or what they looked like. I guess that was why I was so surprised when I saw the ocelot and the Blaze hybrid," Harper finished thoughtfully. "They also alerted us that they activated the memory chips. I guess after ten years of no upkeep or usage, the memory chips started malfunctioning."

"Well, that was informative," Jesse said lightly, after a couple moments, as if she hadn't just gotten one of the biggest shocks of her life at the confirmation that the Old Builders had actually been INVOLVED with the hybrids. Almost directly, too. "So... PAMA. What is it?"

Harper winced as she turned around, all of them slowing to a stop. Cassie had set Winslow down on the ground, and he now sat down and purred pleasantly. "I swear, I made PAMA with good intentions. It was designed to help automate things. Make everything more efficient. Use monsters to help with farming or mining..."

"I'm guessing that PAMA decided that the townspeople themselves weren't efficient enough?" Ivor asked, with a slight frown.

"Right in one. Started making them 'useful.' That happened about... five, six years ago? Since then I've just been trying to stay one step ahead. Trying to figure out how to stop it," and Harper started walking again, a slightly sour look on her face.

"When we were back in town, PAMA seemed to really wanna capture you," Cassie said, arms crossed, "why's that?"

"When PAMA chips someone, everything that person knows gets absorbed into its database," Harper began to explain.

Jesse nodded with a slightly solemn look on her face. "Right, I kinda guessed when PAMA started talking about our adventures."

Harper nodded and continued, "If I got chipped... PAMA would know how to build an exit portal."

Cassie stood up ramrod straight, green eyes flickering red. "Oh hell no."

Jesse frowned, red eye glowing a bit. "Hmph. Yeah, I can see why you'd try to avoid that at all costs," and she shuddered a bit at the thought of Axel or Olivia getting chipped. Or Soren. Or Ivor. Or... well, all her friends really.

"I do think I can help you," Harper spoke up, nodding, "with PAMA, your friends, getting out of here... but to do it we're gonna need to go to my lab."

Jesse blinked. "What's in your lab?"

Harper made a sort of thinking face- it was rather similar to the one Ivor made, actually. Her lips twisted a little and a thoughtful, dazed look came into their eyes. And you'd basically have to shove them to get any response. "It's... complicated."

Jesse's jaw fell open as they headed to a beautifully lit room, with a blocked door and... well, a few channels of water. The floor was made of glass. "Before we head inside, we'd better activate the defense system- don't want any of those chipped up creeps following us inside."

And she strolled over to a lever on the wall, flipping it and making a cauldron shoot up out of the floor. "Grab my bucket for me?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder, "Ron's got it."

Jesse blinked. "Ron?"

They went over to a sort of thing with a creeper head, and a bucket of water. "Hello, friend Harper!" it spoke, making Jesse jump and hug onto Ivor with a little hiss of fright. Cassie coughed. She had a completely blank face, which made Jesse fairly certain the red-haired girl was trying not to laugh. "I am happy to see you, my friend!"

Jesse slowly climbed off, still a bit shivery. "O... kay."

A/N: Stopping point!

We have reached over SIX HUNDRED REVIEWS, people! SIX HUNDRED!

Next chapter's gonna be the defense system. And probably the choosing scene.

Also, I decided no Lukesse, except for fluffiness. I think I'm just going to see if I can last a whole story without any outright romance (DETERMINED face)

Toni42: Cool (thumbs up)

RapidSammi: Ah! (falls over) And yeah, Harvor is cute x3

Guest: The wolf won't show up until Episode 8.

MidNightTwist: Right in one!

Luna96: Lol xD And okay, okay! (surrender)

LittleAngelbun: Coolio :)

NoItsBecky: ... I sort of got it?

rebekahtpe: Happy belated birthday! And I guess Pexel, it makes more sense. Also Paiden sucks.

GuestPerson13: You may be right about that :)

ThunderstarGames: (evil grin)

ChoyofBonk: (pumps fist)

angelwings: Je ne parle pas Espanol. (my French is atrocious... I mean I don't speak Spanish)

Choco: When I have a point in time that it's peaceful :) And... it's still there, I'm just not pointing it out or anything now. And you and everyone else, mate.

awildocelot: Okay, okay!

A fan on Q: Um, once I finish the whole story, I guess. (shrugs)

x.X. A.L. X.x