A/N: Long time no see, happy Spooky Month! Lmao college and life have thoroughly kicked my ass, but we still rolling. Here's another installment. I'm pretty proud of this one.

Chapter 12: Wild One

Gohan didn't think much whenever he ran into danger.

Whenever or wherever he sensed a problem, he just ran headlong into it to fix it. It was almost instinctual acting in such an impulsive way. It was likely a habit that he should fix as Piccolo, his esteemed and brutal mentor, had tried to tell him on numerous occasions, but it just never stuck. Training with someone like Vegeta probably didn't help matters like that but he felt like it ran deeper than just some inadvisable habit. He supposed he was his father's son in more ways than he realized.

So when he charged into this new ruckus, he found himself in familiar territory. The room was partially on fire and the pungent stench of melting metal drifted through the air, mixing with the smoke, as a handful of agents had their guns trained on a lithe target.

The lithe man had muscular green arms, duller than his mentor's shade of green, and a sleeveless suit with black and red burgundy colors. There were yellow accents in the vague shape of a "V" with a purple energy humming inside of the "V". He wore a helmet, guarding his face, with a large black and red Mohawk on the top and little ovals on the side of his face. Complete with his sword, fingerless gloves, and floating, circular creatures around him, he looked like some type of cybernetic god of war.

Gohan would've honestly been willing to admire his get-up if he wasn't attacking his friends.

The suited soldier sliced his sword through a blaster beam, letting the cleaved beam spray harmlessly about him, and was on his way to attack another N-Tek agent.

He never got the chance.

The "War God" was sent flying into the wall, cracking it slightly behind him as he sank to the ground. A long groan told him that the alien was still conscious. He had to give the man credit; most of the people that Gohan had encountered in this dimension would've been out like a light. Gohan dropped in front of him, holding the alien's discarded sword with crossed arms. The weird creatures that had been hovering around the man had begun to surge toward him, but he spun around, aiming a palm, and knocked them back with three quick Kiais.

Unfortunately for Gohan, the "war god" had disappeared in the amount of time that took.

Gohan frowned in confusion as he stretched his senses out while scouring the room. "Huh? Where did he go?"

"Gohan watch out!"

Gohan barely heard the cry, but it wasn't needed as he'd already begun moving into action the moment that he'd felt the enemy's Ki. Gohan nailed the man in the gut, eliciting a gasp of air. He raised a shield in time to block the three flying objects from before. He scowled slightly as they began to surge back at him, straining fruitlessly against his Ki barrier. 'Homing devices?' Gohan mused. 'Ah well, they can't do much from out there.'

Gohan easily picked the alien up under the arms as the man's head lolled slightly. He was dazed, possibly even concussed, but he was awake. "Who are you?"

The man seemed to sober up within seconds of Gohan's question as he seemed to glare at him. "What are you?"

Gohan returned the alien's piercing stare with one of his own. "My name's Gohan. Now why are you attacking my friends?"

The man seemed to be measuring his options in Gohan's clutches. It wouldn't do him any good, not with a power level that low. He was trapped. "I am here for the Ultralink," he finally ground out, his voice echoing throughout the room, "I know the criminal is here."

Gohan's frown deepened. "The ultralink?"

"Yes, the fugitive has committed many atrocities, and I'm here to bring it in and repurpose it."

"What's an ultralink?"

The man nodded his head toward the three spheres still straining to get past his force field.

"You're working with the things that you want to capture?" Gohan demanded.

"They've been repurposed."

"Gohan!"

Gohan glanced back at the newly arrived commander with a nod. "I've got him, sir! Everything's under control."

Forge seemed to release some tension as he returned the nod. "Good. Knock him out and we'll disarm him."

"Wait, sir!" Gohan called. "I think we should hear him out!"

The man's apprehension seemed to return full-force. "What did he say?"

"He said that he was here to capture a criminal Ultralink. If that's all he wants, then maybe we can help him find it."

"I don't need your help," spat the alien. "You both are conspiring with it."

Gohan frowned. "I think I'd know if I was conspiring with a criminal. Right, commander?"

Forge looked between the man and Gohan. His face seemed to age several years over the course of a few moments. ". . . I hate to do this, but you'll have to disarm him yourself. My guys have told me he can teleport. Danny, you back him up."

Gohan finally noticed the teen in the room just before he winked out of sight. He turned back to the alien and hesitantly looked down at his apparel. He was reminded of some of the times that he'd be down in Bulma's lab, gazing at the various technologies. Much like the heiress' lab, there was so much stuff that he couldn't hope to figure out any of it. For all he knew, taking the wrong thing could spring a trap of some sort.

"Unhand me."

The command was firm and resolute. Gohan had to give him props; the alien wasn't short on confidence even if it was misplaced. "Not a chance," Gohan retorted, "Danny, make a clone to carry this guy's stuff once I take them off. Hold his arms for me, so I can get started."

"Got it!"

Danny's form rippled slightly before shining with a flash of light. Soon enough, one clone was floating off to the side while Danny gripped onto the man's arms. After making sure that Danny's hold was secure against the alien's squirming and kicking, Gohan let go.

Gohan got to work, taking the various canisters and blasters off of his person. He handed them off, one by one, to Danny's clone who then flew out of the sphere.

Gohan wanted to kick himself when he realized his mistake.

The ultralinks shot after Danny the moment he left the shield's protection, and he just barely managed to turn intangible before they crashed right through him. They skidded to a stop in the air as they rebounded back and began to circle him. Pandemonium was unleashed as every conscious agent in the room trained their guns on the circling machines. Forge was attempting to get some sort of order going, but it only appeared to be half-working.

Gohan scowled at the man, still in Danny's grasp. "Call them off! We can help you."

The man stared at him, impassively.

Gohan gave a slight curse as he dropped his shield. With three quick Ki blasts, the Ultralinks were history.

Danny returned to tangibility as he zipped over to Commander Forge with the alien's weaponry, shooting Gohan a grateful nod. Gohan returned it before regarding the alien with crossed arms.

"Can you take off your mask?" Gohan asked. "So we can see your face?"

The man shook his head. "I won't be able to breathe without it."

Gohan nodded in acknowledgement. "Can we get your name at least?"

The alien simply stared silently ahead for a while. Just when Gohan thought they weren't gonna get another word out of the alien, his echoing voice spoke up. "Ven-Ghan."

Gohan was supposed to be the muscle that kept Ven-Ghan in check. Despite his clear objective, Ven-Ghan had appeared to take up the role of a model citizen since his previous entrance. He sat with his forearms resting against the table as he leaned forward slightly staring at Forge and Gohan, who was off to Forge's right. He looked as if he was waiting on the edge of his seat for a token of knowledge, which might not have been too far from the truth.

It wasn't too hard to notice that the alien was staring more intently at one of them. Gohan sent a glance of his own Forge's way every now and again, but the man gave no indication on what he was thinking.

"Ven-Ghan," he finally said. "I believe we know the ultralink that you're looking for-"

"Finally, you've given up on your lies," Ven-Ghan hissed. "Hand him over then."

Before Gohan could retort, Forge spoke, once again looking like the definition of poise. "You didn't let me finish. We think we know who you're looking for, but he's harmless. At least to the good guys, anyway."

"He's been repurposed?"

"Yes, he has."

Ven-Ghan sat still for a moment or two. Gohan's mind was working overtime to figure out who Forge could've been referring to. He'd said we and assuming that included him, it would have to be someone that he knew. The only problem was that he couldn't think of any floating spheres that he'd seen on this Earth, so that put a damper on his amateur sleuthing.

"Even so," Ven-Ghan said, drawing Gohan's attention once again, "there's still a Bounty to collect for his past crimes. Where's the one the criminal is often found with?"

It suddenly clicked. He could vaguely remember Dread talking about taking Max's ultralink the day that they'd fought for the first time. The man had been reaching for Max's chest when he'd said those words, reaching for Steel. It was a memory so distant that he was surprised that he could still recall it. His eyes widened a fraction once he finally came to the realization. His gaze turned a shade or two harder as he glared down at the alien in front of him. He didn't know what to think about Steel suddenly having a criminal past that he didn't know about, but from what Forge seemed to be saying, it was all in the past. He'd be damned if he let Steel go down for something that he didn't even remember doing.

"Don't worry about it," Forge said. "Now you seem like a good guy. How about you take yourself home and leave Steel here, huh?"

Ven-Ghan spread his palms with a raspy laugh. It sounded more like a succession of short huffs. "I can't. Not while I have a job to do."

"Then lie. Or better yet, let us have a talk with your employers."

Ven-Ghan gave a dry chuckle, tinted with his mechanical, echoing sound. "My employers aren't people that you'd like to mess with."

Forge actually grinned this time. It wasn't a pleasant grin; rather, it was a savage grin that promised a world of hurt. "Look, I'm not sure exactly who you're working for, but you've seen what Gohan can do." He jutted his thumb back at Gohan for emphasis. "And that was him holding back." He paused for a moment, merely staring down the alien as if he were letting that fact sink in. "I've seen him fight before and trust me, if you'd seen it, you wouldn't bother trying to intimidate me with some half-rate bounty league. Best of all, we've got other fighters that are powerful in their own right. So, trust me when I say this Ven-Ghan, we aren't people that you'd like to mess with."

Ven-Ghan just stared ahead at Forge before drifting his gaze over to Gohan. At least, he thought that it was directed at him. He couldn't exactly see the man's eyes behind the mask. However, Gohan gave him a nod. He wasn't one to look for a fight, but if Ven-Ghan was gonna hurt his friends, he'd stop him.

Whatever the cost.

"We can make your employers lay off of you on this one if you let us help you," Forge said, laying on a more diplomatic approach. It seemed like a sound approach. Lay enough of your cards on the table, show Ven-Ghan that he was outmatched, and offer peace first so that he didn't incur the wrath that could befall him at any moment.

Ven-Ghan didn't say anything for a while. ". . . You people are insane. Ah well, I'll stay here for the moment since I don't seem to have a choice. I'm intrigued about whether what I've heard about Makino is true."

Gohan frowned but Forge responded before he could. "What about Makino?"

"They say he, his armada, and a lot of his advisors were killed just a few short days ago. Some say it was a meteor, others say some rebel group ambushed him. Others say there was an enormous flash of light and then nothing. I don't know what to think."

Gohan's heart stopped at the last theory. "Cell."

Ven-Ghan glanced up at him. "Huh?"

"It was Cell," Gohan felt his mouth go dry. He'd felt the alien's power spike but didn't think much of it because it was a good way away from the planet. It wasn't a sure confirmation, but if he knew Cell, it would be right up his alley. "He had to have done it."

"Who's Cell?"

"He's an android that wants to blow up this planet on "tournament day"," Forge answered, grimly. "If he succeeds, he's going to go after the rest of the universe until someone can stop him. Given what he knows, he'll likely go after the multiverse until he's satisfied."

Gohan felt a chill go up his spine at the thought of it.

"You say this Cell person is going to destroy this planet in just a few weeks?" Ven-Ghan inquired.

"That's what he plans on," Forge corrected. "He's gonna get the surprise of his life once we take him down."

"Alright, I guess it looks like I'm definitely staying."

Gohan didn't bother pointing out that he didn't have much of a choice as Forge regarded him carefully. "Why the change of heart?"

Ven-Ghan shrugged. "If what you both say is true, this Cell is single-handedly a greater threat than Makino ever was. He might just be the single, largest threat that the universe has ever seen. I can't afford to let him fester when I can nip him now. The ultralink can wait. This Cell shall die."

Gohan gave a nod and a half-hearted small. It wasn't much, but it was progress.

The N-Tek lounge was beginning to be a favorite resting spot of many of the otherworlders. Danny supposed it was only natural given how boring it'd be to just hide away in your room all day. There was a snack bar off to the far right of the room and a swath of high-def TVs. The couches and chairs felt like silk and the tables were either made of pristine metal or a fine mahogany; it was a wonder how anyone got anything done with how perfect the room was.

So, it was even more alarming to Danny that he couldn't find much to be happy about even as he sat with his friends.

"Did you hear that there's an alien on board?"

"Tuck, I think everyone knows about Gohan," Danny replied, dryly as he sipped from his smoothie.

"Not him, genius! A new one!"

"Yeah, of course I know about him. I helped fight him after all."

"What was he like?" Sam interjected. Danny's brow raised at the girl, who simply shrugged in response. "What? I can't be curious about aliens and other life, Galileo? Or is that only your territory?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Nah, I'm just- I dunno all of this is just so weird."

"I would've expected you to be over the moon about this," Tucker muttered with a frown. "What's eating at you, dude?"

Danny looked down at the table and shook his head. "I know what you guys said about relaxing and not overworking myself, but today with Gohan, I was practically a glorified caddie."

Sam shrugged as she turned to face him. "I mean, he is a super alien after all. You can't blame yourself for not being able to keep up."

Danny frowned, lifting his head to glare at her. "I know that! It's just that Randy's been working his butt off despite the fact that he's worse off than me, and I'm just sitting here playing video games and eating pizza!"

"Danny."

He knew he shouldn't be blowing up at his friends. It wasn't fair to them, and it wasn't even their faults. But darn it, he was just so angry with no way to channel it. It felt like he was primed to explode at any moment. As nut-brained as he could be, he knew he needed to get out of there before he said something dumb. "I just can't right now, guys. I'll see you guys later."

Without waiting for a response, Danny was gone.

Danny's frustrations had led him straight to the N-Tek gym. He hadn't spent too long in there; he just got a couple of reps in at the weightlifting stations to test his limits and then tested his speed at the treadmill. He hadn't been able to shake the funk that had been eating at him despite breaking his record of 290 mph, jumping to 300 mph, so he just left.

That was how Danny found himself now walking the halls of N-Tek, aimlessly going from place to place. He didn't have anyone that he really wanted to talk to. It was strange. Before, he could just talk to Sam and Tuck and they'd make everything so much simpler, but now his mind felt clouded. He could hardly even think straight, only building on his frustrations.

Danny stopped himself short and chewed at his inner cheek. "C'mon, Fenton! You've got a funk because of a super alien and some cybernetic bug. You can either give up or you can stop it." Danny glared at the floor as if he could force it to spit up an answer. "But how can I do it. . ?"

His mind flitted to Jazz. He immediately blanched away from the idea. Going to his sister about hero problems? That was absolutely the last thing that he'd want to do. Especially not after their argument only a few days ago.

But his mind wouldn't let the option leave him.

Almost against his will, his feet took him to his sister's room. He gave a couple quick raps at her door, and after she gave an affirmative "come in", he strolled in.

She looked at him with a flicker of surprise before smiling up at him. "What brings you here, dear brother?"

Danny groaned at her cheeky tone and glared at her. Despite himself, he did feel a little bit of warmth at her jovial mood. It was good to see that she didn't seem to hold any bad blood from their recent spats. "I regret this choice already."

"I'm only teasing. What's up?"

He could feel her eyes starting to drift over his facial expressions even before she'd finished her question. Being psychoanalyzed always annoyed him, if only partially because she was so darn good at it.

Sometimes, anyway.

In any case, it felt like he was one of those lab rats getting inspected by a scientist which in turn felt far too similar to what the Guys in White and his parents wanted to do to him.

His face scrunched in displeasure. Dang, his life was messed up.

Jazz seemed to key in on his negative emotions like a hawk. "Is it about Cell?"

Danny cursed to himself as he tried to return his expression to something more neutral. He found himself at a loss for words, though. What exactly had he come there for? It wasn't for a therapy session. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He didn't need to waste time sitting, talking about his "problems" when he could be getting stronger. That's when the lightbulb went off in his mind. "I wanted to know about what Gohan was teaching you."

Now Jazz seemed to be the apprehensive one. "Again? I thought we've been over this-!"

"No, no," Danny said, holding his hands up, "Don't worry. I'm not touching that topic with a ten-foot pole. What I meant was that I wanted to know if you've been improving at all. Do you feel any stronger?"

He'd remembered requesting Gohan to teach him what he knew about Ki. He hadn't been as motivated to seek him out before, but he sure as hell was willing now. If there was any way or chance that he could get stronger, he'd need to utilize it to the fullest.

Jazz paused as she nodded, slowly. "I can feel my energy a little bit better. At least, I think I can. I haven't been able to bring it out, though. Why do you ask?"

He didn't even need to think about the answer. "I just need to get stronger."

Jazz's eyes must've analyzed him about a million times over the span of a moment with how fast they moved. Finally settling back on his gaze, she stood up and made her way over to him. Her brows were furrowed much like Mom's would be when she was concerned. "Danny, are you really alright? I don't like how this is changing you. I mean, I'm glad that you're taking your duty seriously, but. . . you just seem so. . . off."

Danny shrugged, uneasily, not meeting her eyes. He knew he felt different; it was the understatement of the century, but it was another thing entirely to hear it out loud from so many of the people closest to you. He couldn't help but feel a little sick. "Well, when Cell is dead, I can relax," he replied, evenly. "I'll talk to you later?"

He didn't wait for her response as he turned towards the door, quickly opening it. Discomfort was pressing on his chest now like a suffocating lead, slowing him down and getting set to blow him away.

"Danny, where are you going?"

He tried his damndest to ignore the slight pleading that he felt in her tone. It hurt worse than any punch Gohan, Cell, or Dan could ever throw at him. "To talk to Gohan."

He shut the door.

'I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna give that no good, backstabbing, floozy a piece of my mind! What type of friend backstabs someone like that? Does she think that I'm just gonna roll over and let her have him?! She's got another thing coming!'

This was Theresa's mantra as she marched towards Heidi's room, her bangs jumping with every step. Without so much as a knock, she flung the gossiper's door wide-open.

The girl stared up at her from her bed in surprise. "What the-Theresa?! What the juice?!"

"You're trying to steal my man after I told you I liked him?!" Theresa screeched, slamming the door shut behind her.

She relished in the noise that it brought. She relished in the alarmed look on that bitch's face. She relished in the tickling burn that she felt in her throat from shouting, her racing heartbeat, and her heaving breaths. It all felt so good to let it all out for once instead of bottling it in.

"Girl, I already told you, I don't like him like that. Trust me. If anything, I'm too busy worrying about my blog to even try dating anyone right now."

Theresa shot her an unimpressed look as she kept her hands on her hips.

Heidi rolled her eyes which made Theresa's glare thicken all the more. The nerve of that dismissive, prissy, stuck-up bi- "Look! I'll even help you!"

Theresa stared at her gobsmacked. ". . . What?"

"I'll help you get Randy."

Of all the ways she'd been anticipating this ending, this wasn't one of them. She licked her drying lips as she watched Heidi carefully as if her promise would shatter the moment she looked away. "You will?"

"Yes, what are girlfriends for, right?"

Theresa smiled with a small laugh. She could practically see the tension easing out of her. "Yeah. . . I'm sorry about, earlier."

"Ah don't worry. You didn't mean it. I think being cooped up in here is making all of our brains go crazy."

Theresa neglected to mention that she entirely had meant everything that she'd said before. Instead, she gave another short laugh. "Y-Yeah, it's been so weird. All these aliens and stuff."

Heidi hummed in agreement before she sat back down on her bed.

Theresa just stood there awkwardly for a moment, swinging her arms. She didn't know what to do anymore. The righteous anger that she had resolved to harness was gone and the only thing left was guilt and trepidation. It was strange enough getting into a friendship with someone as popular as Heidi and she just had to go and make things awkward. Heck, it was Heidi that had extended the olive branch to her after she'd got turned into a monster. She'd been nothing but good to her, and she hadn't even given her the benefit of the doubt.

However, one look at the expectant stare on Heidi's face told her that it was truly water under the bridge for the orange-haired girl. She felt her heart melt into a mess of guilt and appreciation that she had no idea what to do with. What'd she do to deserve a friend like her?

"So. . ." Heidi drawled.

The words were tumbling out of her mouth before she could even register them. "I-I don't even know how to talk to him."

Heidi grinned as she swung her legs off of the bed. "That's what I'm here for! Now, if you want to get him, you're gonna have to talk to him."

"Right! But how?"

"Simple, come here. Pretend I'm Randy and talk to me. That way we can see what we're working with here!"

"OK, alright!" Theresa nodded as she stepped forward. She could feel the guilt making way for excitement as she took a deep breath, looking Heidi in the eyes while imagining them as a darker shade of blue; the eyes of Randy. "Hey, Randy, I've been meaning to. . . I can't do this."

"What? Why?"

"You're not Randy. I can't just pretend that I-I-I don't know!"

"Theresa, Heidi, are you guys alright? I heard shouting."

Theresa froze as she glanced back at the object of her affections. He stared down at her with those concerned, sapphire blue, doe eyes of his. He was close enough that she could smell some form of cologne on him, mixing pleasantly with his natural musk. It was all too much to handle.

She could feel her cheeks heat up as she stammered out, "I-I'm gonna go."

Without another word, she bolted out of the room.

Danny hadn't felt this conflicted in any recent time that he could remember. Talks with Jazz could always find a way to get under his skin, but this time it was different. If he'd felt frustrated before, he was drowning in confusion now; it almost felt nauseating. Even as he made his way through the base to find Gohan, getting closer to his hopeful solution did little to alleviate his stress. For a moment, he wished he was playing Doomed with Tucker or even one this Earth's video games instead. They'd be so much more relaxing

He shrugged those pesky thoughts away as he stopped at Gohan's door. He could hear the TV through it, spouting out some random news bulletin. He gave the door a few quick knocks, and Gohan called him in. His room looked just like he'd have imagined it; there were a few weight sets strewn about here and there, but everything else was tidy. It wasn't saying much considering none of them had exactly brought extra clothes with them, but even the man's bed was perfectly made as he sat on it. His own mother would've cried tears of joy at the sight of it.

"What's up?" Gohan asked, tearing his eyes away from the television.

Danny spared a glance at the news, enraptured for a brief moment. There was a picture of Gohan's super form glaring defiantly at the camera. There was so much hate in his eyes that Danny almost tore his eyes away on instinct. Underneath the picture was the headline, HERO OR MENACE?

Danny didn't get to make out much of what the reporter was saying because Gohan turned the volume down to zero. He stared at the docile teen in bewilderment. It was almost night and day seeing the difference between how Gohan normally behaved opposed to that picture. He couldn't help but ponder Jazz's words. It seemed like they were all changing.

"Sorry about that," Gohan winced apologetically, setting the remote down on his bed. "I've just been trying to keep up with the news."

"How'd they get that picture?" Danny asked, jerking a thumb back. He didn't even bother making sure it was still up there. To his annoyance, he couldn't work up the nerve. "The one with you in your super form?"

"Ah. . . Cell attacked the army a few days ago to send a message to the world. He killed one hundred forty-nine soldiers that day, so I've heard. He was going to kill another person live on TV, but I stopped him. I dealt with him, told him to back off, and went right back to the broadcast." He gestured weakly to the TV. "I told the world to back off and let me deal with him. I guess they got a picture of me."

Danny noticed that he'd said "let me deal with him" not us. His rational side supposed that he didn't have the time to tell the entire world about Danny, Randy, Max, and an entire secret agency, but he couldn't help but bristle as his earlier frustrations bubbled up within him.

"I want you to teach me what you're teaching my sister!"

Gohan blinked at him, startled by his sudden outburst before nodding. "Oh, yeah I said that I'd give you pointers, right? You want to learn to use Ki?"

"Yeah, Key. Whatever it's called."

"But you're already using it. Well, kind of?"

"I'm sorry, what now?"

Gohan winced apologetically. "Well, it's hard to describe, but it feels like there are two energies inside of you except they've haphazardly melded into one. They aren't quite mixed, but they're connected. I don't know if that made sense exactly. . ."

"So you're saying that I have Ki and Ghost energy?"

Gohan frowned as he shifted on his bed. "Yes and no. I think you had regular Ki from before the accident. From what I sense from Jazz and your friends, they all have Ki. So, I think that the other energy should be ghost energy, but like I said before, they're touching. It hasn't quite mixed yet, but both of them are tainted."

Danny's mind was reeling from the implications. Even without using the word "tainted", he could feel a knot tying itself in his stomach. ". . . Is that a bad thing?"

"I don't think so, but I think learning to control it might help. So, I say we get started!"

"Alright, one question though."

"Shoot."

"Why didn't you mention this before?!"

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck with his trademark apologetic grin. "I'll admit I was a tad preoccupied, but it seemed like you were functioning fine. It just felt strange overall, but I kinda chalked it up to you being from another dimension. To be honest Vlad is the same way with his energy, to a lesser extent anyway."

Danny's brows furrowed as he glared at the ground. If there was one thing he could've lived without, it was another similarity arising between him and that crazed up fruitloop. "If I control this, will I be stronger than the fruitloop?"

Gohan shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but I think you can become much more powerful than you are now."

Danny smiled as he felt that all-encompassing funk leave him just a bit. He tried to latch onto that warm feeling he felt swelling inside of him as if to prolong it forever. "Now we're talking!"

"What was that about?" Randy asked. Whatever he'd been expecting when he had followed the shouting, this wasn't it. Or maybe it was? Either way, there was obviously some type of story there.

Heidi's face seemed to run through a million emotions before it settled on a strained smile. "Girl stuff."

He could tell that it was a little bit more than just girl stuff, but he decided to let it go. Randy faked gagging as he closed the door behind him. "Forget I asked."

Heidi rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What brings you here? I wasn't planning on grilling you about Ninja secrets for a while now."

Randy paused as he tried to keep his gaze from looking everywhere other than Heidi and felt his mouth go dry. He hated what she was doing to him, and the worst part was that she didn't even know it. Hell, he didn't even fully understand it. "I just wanted to know what's been up with you."

Heidi's face scrunched in surprise. "Huh? How do you mean?"

"You've been acting completely different and it's been throwing me off. You've even been getting my name right! You've never gotten my name right for as long as I've known you. And it's been years."

Heidi rolled her eyes. "I've always gotten your name right, Randy."

Randy tried his damnedest to avoid his brain spontaneously combusting.

"Besides," she continued, "You haven't been acting like yourself either."

Now Randy was confused. Well, not too confused. He had felt a lot more stressed and serious lately. Not to mention, her odd behavior had only served to increase his confusion. Still it wouldn't hurt to know exactly what Heidi thought was strange, considering that before today, he would've thought that her answer would be 'all of him.' "What are you talking about?"

"You're not as dorky or annoying, now," she replied, scrunching her nose. He felt his heart swoon slightly in his chest. "Don't get me wrong. You're still a dork, who can be the occasional shoob, but you seem different."

Randy snorted. "Gee thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied with her annoying little half-smirk. "Well, if that's all, I'd appreciate it if you got out of my hair."

Randy's brows shot past his bangs. He couldn't lie that that wasn't a little hurtful. "How come?"

Heidi glanced up at him through the hood of her eyes, rolling them ever so slightly. "Don't take it personally. A girl needs her alone time, and I've been stressed like crazy over the past two days. I could kill for a vacation, honestly."

Randy chuckled as he turned to the door. "Ha, yeah, I hear ya."

"Oh and Randy?"

"Yeah?"

His heartbeat was racing faster than he'd like to admit. He didn't dare turn around to see the look on her face. He didn't even know what was making him so apprehensive. Maybe there was some type of answer that he was hoping for? Whatever it was, he couldn't name it if he tried.

"Maybe you should try talking to Theresa. She seems like she might like it."

Randy felt his cheeks heat up as he gave her a slight nod, hoping it wasn't showing as badly as it felt. He wasn't so oblivious as to not realize that it had something to do with the shouting he'd heard before, but he couldn't help but wonder why he had to talk to her. He could feel his mind and heart race with a few possible ideas, but he shot them down for the logical one. He was the Ninja, and he was a hero. It was simple and sensible, yet he couldn't help the twinge of disappointment he felt.

"OK?" he finally responded, "I'll try and do that."

And just like that he was on his way.

"C'mon, c'mon! Daddy needs you to get a move on!"

He'd needed to make a few more repairs on his device which was exceedingly difficult with the Sorcerer constantly hanging over his shoulder. There had been more than a few times over the past couple of days that he'd nearly slipped up and blown the whole operation, but he'd found time in the odd hours of the day (and night for that matter) and almost completely fine tuned his device. He called it the Safe Haven. If everything went according to plan, (as it should he would be off in another plane of existence). He hadn't gotten as much time as he would've liked to figure out the finer details of inter-dimensional travel, but he figured that he'd be better off anywhere that wasn't here.

Backup Check. Processed. All systems go.

Viceroy felt a shuddering smile cross his face. He felt a creeping bit of fear along with the relief; he had no way of knowing for certain that the Sorcerer's magic would be unable to find him in the new dimension. He didn't even know what universe he'd be ending up in exactly. That alarming fact had been part of the reason that it had taken him as long as it had to prep his Safe Haven. It was chock full of just about whatever necessity he'd need to keep him alive and thriving.

Even so, there was still the pesky problem of Cell. He couldn't be completely certain that the android wouldn't hop into that dimension after he was done ravaging this one. However, if his hypothesis of the multiverse was correct, there was a good chance that it would take the Sorcerer and Cell years to find him with the endless number of dimensions. His plan was as close to foolproof as it could be on such short notice.

Viceroy laughed wildly, like a man possessed. He was hardly able to keep his laughter so as not to attract unwelcome company. He just couldn't help himself. He'd be free. Finally free after the Hell he'd been through over the past couple of days. It almost didn't even feel real. "Maybe I'll get lucky and start my own! The world could finally recognize my genius, and none of these crazies will ever find me again!"

He felt a slight pang in his heart as he thought of a certain monster with an "M" shaped mane. He didn't like the man all that much; he was just someone who helped his goal of becoming recognized for the beautiful mind that he was. He wasn't some friend of his or anything. In fact, McFist constantly berated him for his own mistakes and stole the credit for his successes. As far as he was concerned, he got what was coming to him.

Right?

Viceroy sighed and cracked his knuckles before he began tapping away at his keyboard. "All that can wait for later. I can't focus on helping anybody unless I'm out of here."

A brief flash of sequences sped across the screen as the robot lit up.

Safe Haven was shaped with a titanium alloy shell and stood just taller than himself. It was packed with a few hidden mini-missiles in detachable leg compartments, hand plasma blasters, an oxygen system, and a jetpack. He could even open the robot on command so that the real magic could happen. By hooking himself up to a few inner wires, he could control Safe Haven and activate its dimensional-hopping abilities. He could use the suit to hop dimensions up to seven times, if his calculations were correct, before he would need to recharge it. He wasn't too worried about the machine running out of power considering the likelihood of finding an electrical power source should've been pretty high, and even if he couldn't find one, he still had a portable charger that could last him for at least three more jumps.

It wasn't quite as powerful as he'd like just yet, but it didn't need to be at the moment.

"Alright, open," Viceroy smiled as Safe Haven made way for him. "Here we go."

He hooked himself to a couple of wires before taking one last run-through of his diagnostics. Nodding to himself resolutely, he drew in a deep breath. "Initiate Dimension-Hop."

In a flash, he disappeared.

A/N: Lemme know what you thought of this! I love feedback! Like fr lol. Feel free to review, fave, and follow. Have a good one!

Uploaded: October 13th 2021