CHAPTER 4
Edges of Space and Time
Pokey watched the events unfold. Ness destroyed the vision screen, creating a panicked
message from the Starman. Pokey took it into manual control, using the slightly blurry
StarCam as his vision. The high-pitched eruption of noise from the Starman kept Ness at
bay, followed by both Ness and Poo. Then the blue blur across the camera, as well as
Ness and Poo recovering from the noise occurred. Pokey tried frantically to free it, but
it took a while. Ness and Poo escaped somewhere behind the Starman. He got the ice
broken off, and turned and fired the special beams at random trees. Then the use of PSI
Freeze Beta at tree trunks, since the laser battery had overheated. Suddenly, Paula
appeared and seconds later a loud static noise was heard as vision was lost. "How can
this happen? That was supposed to be invincible!" Pokey almost knew what would happen
now. He had to find the Giygas-mutant and get him against Ness and the others, which
wouldn't be an easy task. By stealing the Starman Invincible, the trust that Giygas had
in him vanished and Pokey became Giygas' enemy.
Convincing him would be tough, but he had been turned human again, so Pokey hoped
things worked out. His plan wouldn't fail; he'd just have a tougher time getting the
Chosen Four destroyed.
Maybe by sending some Starmen into the future, or returning power to one of the
Starman manufacturing base. That'll be all they'll need... Pokey chuckled at the
thought. I need to take a break before anything else. I'll figure out what I want to do
later.
* * *
Monday, November 24- 2:36 PM
Twoson Hospital
The doctor grabbed his emergency equipment and headed for the entrance. The weather
was bitter and cold, but he had no worries about himself. The boy that called on him was
standing outside waiting. "Ready, doctor?" The doctor tipped his hat and said, "Ready as
I'll ever be." The boy nodded. "Good. Let's get going. I'll explain everything on the
way."
In no less than 5 minutes, the doctor saw what the boy was talking about. "Dear me!
That's Paula Polestar!" Ness spun and saw the doctor and Poo walking into the clearing.
"Her mother is going to be very worried." Ness was still standing next to the statuesque
Paula. "But can you help her?" After a few moments of examination, the doctor gave his
answer. "Not immediately, no. But I know how to save her. I'll call this in." From his
emergency pack, the doctor pulled out his cell phone.
"This is Dr. Jonathon Kerns. I need an ambulance and a pair of paramedics at the
One-Two path. This is priority one." After he hung up, the doctor looked for ways to
loosen Paula from the ground. Ness became impatient. "What can be done, doc?" He stood
straight and cleared his throat. "Since the condition she's in is... Well, I won't mince
words. She is dead. Her body's temperature has dropped so low that her brain has ceased
to function. And if this hasn't happened yet, then it will soon."
"Then why try to save her?"
"She can be revived. If her body temperature is restored fast enough, then her brain
will continue to function. But we can't just set her in a big pot of boiling water. The
shock would have the same effect as just leaving her here." Ness shook his head in
despair. "What are you going to do if this doesn't work?" The doctor gave Ness a hopeful
look. "If we leave her in a room that's much warmer than average room temperature, the
ice will melt off quick enough to save her, and slow enough to not put her in a state of
shock."
Just then, Ness got an idea. "I have an idea!" He exclaimed. He could hear the sounds
of an ambulance in the distance, so he explained quickly. "In Saturn Valley, there is a
hot spring that stays warm all year round. The average temperature during the winter is
about 117 degrees. Would that work, doctor?" The doctor thought for a moment. "How long
has she been like this?" Ness shrugged and said, "About 10 minutes, I think." The doctor
nodded. "And where is Saturn Valley?"
"Outside of Threed..."
"Oh, definitely no! By the time you get there, she'd be gone."
"Where then?"
"Onett hospital is the closest and best choice." The ambulance was about 125 yards
away. "How long will it take for her to heal in Onett hospital?"
"About 4 to 6 weeks..."
"That's no good! Can't you make that faster?"
"It all depends on how quickly the ice melts, and this-" he tapped the ice a couple
times. "-Doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon." Ness growled and began to say
something but Poo stopped him. Poo said, "That'll be fine, doctor. We can wait." Ness
groaned and muttered something mean under his breath. The ambulance pulled over roughly
ten feet away and two men hopped out of the back. "That's the girl, doctor?" The doctor
nodded and helped the two paramedics move the frozen statue. "You were right about the
priority one, doc. I'm sure you know who this is."
"Yes. These boys are her friends."
"Where's the third one? That nerdy lookin' kid... Jeff! Where's he at?" Ness sighed.
"It's a long story..." The paramedics and the doctor got the icy pseudo-statue into the
ambulance. Poo sat in the passenger's seat in the front, and Ness rode in the back.
"How long will it take for her to be normal again?" The doctor thought for a moment.
"Well, there's the unfreezing, which may take 4 or 6 weeks. She will most likely have
to go through rehabilitation, which will take up to 3 more weeks, depending on how
quickly her muscles rework themselves. There may be some brain trauma, which means
someone close to her should stay near her once the ice is fully melted. I suggest either
her parents or one of you two..."
Ness made up his mind. "Call me when the ice is gone. I'll stay with her." Poo shot
him a look from the front seat. "You sure?" Ness nodded. "I'd be able to help her the
most."
"But what about-" Ness gave Poo a cold stare. "Err, never mind." The doctor ignored
them and grabbed his hammer and chisel from his bag. "This ice looks strange..." He set
the chisel gently on the very tip of the ice, hoping to crack it a little without
damaging Paula. He swung the hammer, but when it connected with the chisel, nothing
happened. He swung again. This time, the chisel snapped in half. "This ice is hard as a
diamond. Odd... What happened to her, again?" Ness and Poo stayed silent. "Well? You
can't keep the truth from me forever, you know. I can always examine the pile of ashes
or the broken glass screen back on the path."
"I told you, it's a long story."
"I have time for a story." Ness growled. "I can't tell you just yet, doctor. Let's
wait."
The ambulance arrived at the hospital and unloaded everyone. Another doctor was
standing at the door waiting for their arrival. "Hello, John. This is the patient...?"
The other doctor thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Let's get the room set up."
The two paramedics cleared the way of bystanders as the two doctors wheeled the stretcher
holding the frozen Paula inside. The police showed up shortly after and told Ness and
Poo, "There's nothing more you can do here."
4:10 PM
Ness's House
Ness slammed the door to his room and sat on his bed. Poo had teleported himself back
to Dalaam for some reason or another. Frustrated, Ness laid down and rested. He was going
to have a long time to wait. The snow was falling fast enough to keep him out of school
for another week or two. He couldn't do anything for Paula or Jeff. "Urgh, nap time..."
Ness took his hat off and set it on the nightstand, and took a snooze.
* * *
6:56 PM
Threed
Ness opened his eyes and found himself in Threed. Night fell and the people of Threed
began to re-enter their houses. The weather was still slightly warm, and the citizens of
Threed were outside every day. Since the problems of the world were erased, they could
be more relaxed than they've ever been. But Ness felt something coming. He had a feeling
that something was about to happen, and he knew he wouldn't like it.
A loud scream was heard from the southern section of the city, followed by several
other screams. Giygas and its shell, the former guard, ran out of the tunnel leading to
Dusty Dunes, several people ahead of him. Giygas grabbed the nearest person and tore him
in half. This elicited more screams and people running, fearing for their lives. Ness
started heading for Giygas, when, suddenly, Giygas did something strange. Everything and
everyone in Threed became frozen in time, and a hole opened up in the sky. The inside of
the hole was black, darker than anything he'd ever seen. The hole grew until it became
the size of some of the larger buildings of Threed, then a great force began pulling
upwards. A black hole formed in Threed.
Giygas stood still as everything was sucked through the hole, people, buildings,
rocks, trees; everything was pulled into the void. Ness couldn't believe the awesome
power of the new Giygas. He spotted Ness and looked back toward the sky. Ness looked up
and saw the hole getting bigger. It's enormous! How could Giygas have so much power? The
hole stopped growing and the sky began to disappear. Ness realized the hole wasn't
getting bigger; it was falling on the town. "Giygas! Wait! You'll destroy both of us!"
Giygas looked back at Ness.
The remaining humanity of Giygas' form still seemed to function with no delay. "You...
I've waited for this day. You shall die!" Giygas emitted a bright flash that blinded
Ness for a second. When the light dimmed, Ness looked around. The hole in the sky was
gone. Few trees remained, and those that still stood were rotten and hollow. The build-
ings that were still standing were covered in dust, and looked like they would topple
any minute. Giygas was nowhere to be seen. Ness began exploring, when ghosts and zombies
started appearing out of nowhere. Ness felt a vibration through his brain. "What you see
now is what I would've had. This would have been my world."
The zombies and ghosts began heading for the barren hospital. When they were almost
upon it, a boy that looked like Ness except older ran out and began swinging at ghosts
with a baseball bat. "Get out of here, evil monsters! You're not wanted!" The zombies
moved in, and in one fell swoop, the boy fell over, with hordes of zombies blocking
Ness' view. Ness turned away. "This isn't real, it's just a dream. This isn't real, it's
just a dream." He heard an eerie laugh resonate throughout his brain, and suddenly, all
went quiet.
CHAPTER 5
7:46 PM
Ness's House
"Ness, wake up! It's time for dinner!" Ness awoke with a start, and noticed his sister
standing over him. "Rise and shine, spanky." Ness breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's
just you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Ness hopped out of bed and chased his sister out. He changed out of his
pajamas and into some regular clothes, and made his way downstairs. He thought about what
his dream meant all through dinner. Suddenly, the phone rang. "I'll get it," Ness said.
He grabbed the phone and said "Hello?" There was a pause. "Is this Ness?"
"Yes."
"This is Dean Jacobs again. Did I, ah, disturb you during dinner?"
"It's no problem. Have you found him yet?"
"We're still looking, but we have found clues as to his whereabouts. My sources say
he's somewhere in the Eagleland countryside, but they could be simple rumors."
"Well, call me as soon as you get a real lead."
"I will make sure to when we get something we can follow. It's been a long day so
far."
"Dean, you don't know the half of it, but I'll explain what I mean when we meet. When
and where can I meet you?"
"Give me a day of rest. I'll call on the 26th with location and time. Until then, I'll
call if we get anything."
"Thanks for all your help."
"This project is too crucial to leave alone."
"Well, good bye."
"Good bye." Ness hung up the phone and sighed. It might already be here. That has to
be impossible. Ness's mother looked puzzled. "Ness? What was that all about?" Ness sat
back down and stared at his half-empty plate. "It's nothing, just someone from school
seeing if I could meet him on the 26th to discuss something." He shifted his food around
a bit. "Not hungry? Very well, you may be excused." Ness set his for down and walked
into his room, shutting his door once inside. He changed back into his pajamas and went
back to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
Tuesday, November 25- 12:10 AM
Bush Hospital, Onett
The few doctors that had to run the graveyard shift milled about, not doing much of
anything. The most important part of their job was to watch over the frozen girl in room
206. Dr. Kerns was still in the hospital, making sure nothing went wrong. The ice had
successfully fended off drills, diamond-blade saws, and other tools without a scratch to
its surface. He sat in the room, half-asleep, but still monitoring in case something
happens. A nurse walked in just then. "Everything okay, doctor?" He became fully atten-
tive and nodded. "Yes. Not much to observe today."
Poo sat in the opposite corner, also observing. He opted to stay in the hospital in
case something bad happened. That way, he wouldn't have to wait for a signal from Ness.
Poo was observing with a different manner, however. He was using his PSI to communicate
with and monitor Paula's mind. The signals were faint, but they were still there.
Suddenly, a look of intrigue swept across Poo's face. Dr. Kerns caught the look. "What's
going on?"
Poo shook his head. "She wants to be moved to a room that has steel walls. Somewhere
that has no glass or objects that can be broken."
"What for?"
"She has a plan. She won't tell me what her plan is, though." Dr. Kerns thought about
it for a second. "Well, okay. Help me wheel her into the X-ray room." The nurse also
helped, and in no time, they were a floor up and on the opposite side of the hospital.
Poo and Dr. Kerns moved Paula onto the X-ray table. "Now what?" Poo paused for a moment,
then replied, "Now we wait outside." Dr. Kerns shrugged and stepped outside the room,
followed by Poo and the nurse. Poo hoped Paula's idea worked.
A few minutes went by, and everything was quiet. Poo sat nearest to the door, medi-
tating. Suddenly, there was a loud blast and Poo immediately regained his senses.
Dr. Kerns jumped, but stayed fairly intact. The nurse had left for other business, and
wasn't affected by the blast. Poo stood and slowly opened the door. The X-ray room was
almost 25 degrees hotter than the rest of the hospital, and was filled with a fine fog.
Poo entered the room and looked around. Luckily, nothing was too badly damaged, but the
table looked rather sad and melted.
The doctor looked stunned. "What did she do?" Poo quickly explained PSI attacks and
how Paula got into her condition. "Interesting..." Dr. Kerns said when Poo was finished.
"I may want to look into this 'PSI' some time in the near future." When the mist cleared,
Dr. Kerns examined Paula and noticed the ice was completely melted away. "Which PSI skill
was this?"
Poo helped Dr. Kerns set Paula back onto a stretcher and said, "PSI Fire Beta." They
wheeled Paula back into her room and set her on the bed.
"The recoil from the blast bouncing off the ice must've knocked her into next week."
Poo nodded and sat back in the corner while Dr. Kerns finished examining Paula. "Well,
her vital signs are OK, but I'm not sure how fast she'll recover. She still looks like
she's in shock, but the recovery time shouldn't be as long." He exhaled and wiped his
forehead. "What I want to know is how she could still be alive, since no air could get
through ice this thick. Maybe this 'PSI' is more than I thought. Well, I'll stay
overnight in the Hotel. I'll leave her in your hands, since you seem to know what she's
thinking." Poo nodded again. "If I need you, I'll call." Dr. Kerns nodded slightly and
left the room. Poo watched Paula and slowly nodded off.
12:17 AM
Ness's House
Ness woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. No one else woke up, so he crawled out
of bed and picked up the phone. "Ness? It's Dr. Kerns. We met earlier during the, ah,
incident with your friend." He mumbled a response and stretched, looking at the clock
while doing so. "It's pretty late, doctor. What are you doing up?"
"Looking after Paula. I'm in the Hotel right now."
"How's she doing?"
"Well, I can't quite explain it. You should get yourself to the hospital and ask your
other friend."
"I will." He said his good-byes and hung up. What the heck does he want me there for?
Something must've happened... He changed into some warm clothes and quietly left his
house. Ness thought of some theories on his walk. First, there was the obvious; nothing
could be done and she'll be stuck that way forever. He stayed away from that thought.
Some good ideas came to mind; the ice melted faster than the doctor thought. Ness
developed on this idea.
Finally, he reached the hospital. The nurse at the front desk recognized him and
immediately said, "She's in room 206, sir." He nodded and rushed for the stairs. Ness
looked at the numbers of the doors, looking for 206. "203, 204, 205, 207..." Ness
stopped and looked through the hallway again. Room 206 was nowhere to be found. No empty
spaces where the door could be, which meant the door couldn't be hidden. He checked the
ceiling and the floor. Nothing marked '206'. He ran back downstairs to talk to the nurse.
"There IS no room 206!" He yelled. "What do you mean, no 206? I have one Paula Pole-
star marked down for room 206. There's no way the room could be missing. Let me check
with the other doctors..."
Suddenly, the hospital's lights went out. "What now?" Ness muttered to himself. A
bright flash encompassed him and he hit the ground painfully. "What the--!" He could
barely see it, but there it was. A giant floating spider. "Pokey! I thought you were
dead!" Pokey laughed evilly. "Ha! You think I'd get wiped out by temporal naps?" Ness
growled and kept alert, since Pokey could attack at any time and he most likely wouldn't
be able to see it. "What did you do here!? I know you messed with time in this hospital!
Where's room 206? Where's Paula!?"
* * *
Pokey chuckled. "Ness, you know me too well... Or do you? I'll explain it all to you.
Remember your dream? The one where Giygas destroys Threed? Well, if you hadn't noticed,
your dream was actually one I'd had a few months ago. All this time, I made you paranoid
into the thought that Giygas is after you. He wants to kill me, in truth. Let me explain
why...
"Before your battle with Giygas, while my past self was preparing for battle, I
appeared and stole Giygas' ultimate weapon; the Starman Invincible. He knew it had been
a future version of myself, so he tried to kill my past self. Just then, you showed up
and we fought. Giygas figured you were a bigger threat, and tried to get you first. I
had the last laugh. When I turned off the Devil's Machine, I left him unable to harm me.
This is when my future self appeared again and stole a piece of Giygas himself, which
would be needed to re-create him in this time.
"Afterwards, I returned to about 2 weeks ago, and planted the cells where I knew
Jacobs' team would find the next day. I made sure they weren't dead by the time his men
got there, and by then I sent the Starman Invincible on his mission. I knew Jeff had no
chance, since lasers don't affect the Starman Invincible's metal. I also taught the
Starman Invincible PSI Teleport ?, which is how he got to you so fast."
Ness growled again. "Cut to the chase! Where's Paula? Tell me or fry, piggy!" Pokey
laughed loudly. "Oh, Ness... This is what brings me the most joy. 30 seconds before you
entered the hospital, I switched the numbers, replacing the 6 with a 7, and the 7 with
an 8, and so on, until no trace of my adjustment appeared. This brings me the most joy
simply because you took the bait! Fool! Oh, I'm sure you'd like me to finish telling you
why I'm here. As I said earlier, Giygas learned his lesson earlier. He wants to kill me
for betraying him, and he wants your help. I can't have that, Ness.
"By my time scanners, Giygas has just entered Onett, and is tracking my SpiderMech
with his awesome PSI powers. I plan to kill you, then him. And you can't stop me, Ness!
Hit me with whatever you have!" Ness's anger peaked. "PSI Rockin Omega!" A bright flash
flew from Ness' fingertips, heading for Pokey. There was a high-pitched noise, then the
PSI disappeared. "Hahaha! You fell for it! My PSI-disabler worked!" Ness went at it
again. "PSI Rockin Omega!" But this time, nothing flew at Pokey from his fingertips.
"What!?" Pokey laughed. "I told you! At any rate, time to get you before Giygas gets
here. Here I come!" Pokey charged straight for Ness.
"Not so fast, fatty!" A shadow fell from the ceiling and smashed into the SpiderMech,
deflecting it to the side. The outstretched claw missed my mere inches. "What the...!?
Oh, dang! I forgot all about that Dalaam boy." He saw the shadow hit the floor, rebound,
and hop to its feet. "Ness! Go get Giygas! I'll hold Pokey here!" With that, Poo charged
for Pokey. "Go, Ness! Now!" Ness said nothing, and headed for the door as fast as he
could. He turned back to the shadows on the ground. "Poo, be careful!" With that, Ness
ran out the door.
Will Ness be able to reach Giygas in time?
Will Poo hold off Pokey long enough?
What will happen to Paula?
Stay Tuned... Part 3 next week!
Edges of Space and Time
Pokey watched the events unfold. Ness destroyed the vision screen, creating a panicked
message from the Starman. Pokey took it into manual control, using the slightly blurry
StarCam as his vision. The high-pitched eruption of noise from the Starman kept Ness at
bay, followed by both Ness and Poo. Then the blue blur across the camera, as well as
Ness and Poo recovering from the noise occurred. Pokey tried frantically to free it, but
it took a while. Ness and Poo escaped somewhere behind the Starman. He got the ice
broken off, and turned and fired the special beams at random trees. Then the use of PSI
Freeze Beta at tree trunks, since the laser battery had overheated. Suddenly, Paula
appeared and seconds later a loud static noise was heard as vision was lost. "How can
this happen? That was supposed to be invincible!" Pokey almost knew what would happen
now. He had to find the Giygas-mutant and get him against Ness and the others, which
wouldn't be an easy task. By stealing the Starman Invincible, the trust that Giygas had
in him vanished and Pokey became Giygas' enemy.
Convincing him would be tough, but he had been turned human again, so Pokey hoped
things worked out. His plan wouldn't fail; he'd just have a tougher time getting the
Chosen Four destroyed.
Maybe by sending some Starmen into the future, or returning power to one of the
Starman manufacturing base. That'll be all they'll need... Pokey chuckled at the
thought. I need to take a break before anything else. I'll figure out what I want to do
later.
* * *
Monday, November 24- 2:36 PM
Twoson Hospital
The doctor grabbed his emergency equipment and headed for the entrance. The weather
was bitter and cold, but he had no worries about himself. The boy that called on him was
standing outside waiting. "Ready, doctor?" The doctor tipped his hat and said, "Ready as
I'll ever be." The boy nodded. "Good. Let's get going. I'll explain everything on the
way."
In no less than 5 minutes, the doctor saw what the boy was talking about. "Dear me!
That's Paula Polestar!" Ness spun and saw the doctor and Poo walking into the clearing.
"Her mother is going to be very worried." Ness was still standing next to the statuesque
Paula. "But can you help her?" After a few moments of examination, the doctor gave his
answer. "Not immediately, no. But I know how to save her. I'll call this in." From his
emergency pack, the doctor pulled out his cell phone.
"This is Dr. Jonathon Kerns. I need an ambulance and a pair of paramedics at the
One-Two path. This is priority one." After he hung up, the doctor looked for ways to
loosen Paula from the ground. Ness became impatient. "What can be done, doc?" He stood
straight and cleared his throat. "Since the condition she's in is... Well, I won't mince
words. She is dead. Her body's temperature has dropped so low that her brain has ceased
to function. And if this hasn't happened yet, then it will soon."
"Then why try to save her?"
"She can be revived. If her body temperature is restored fast enough, then her brain
will continue to function. But we can't just set her in a big pot of boiling water. The
shock would have the same effect as just leaving her here." Ness shook his head in
despair. "What are you going to do if this doesn't work?" The doctor gave Ness a hopeful
look. "If we leave her in a room that's much warmer than average room temperature, the
ice will melt off quick enough to save her, and slow enough to not put her in a state of
shock."
Just then, Ness got an idea. "I have an idea!" He exclaimed. He could hear the sounds
of an ambulance in the distance, so he explained quickly. "In Saturn Valley, there is a
hot spring that stays warm all year round. The average temperature during the winter is
about 117 degrees. Would that work, doctor?" The doctor thought for a moment. "How long
has she been like this?" Ness shrugged and said, "About 10 minutes, I think." The doctor
nodded. "And where is Saturn Valley?"
"Outside of Threed..."
"Oh, definitely no! By the time you get there, she'd be gone."
"Where then?"
"Onett hospital is the closest and best choice." The ambulance was about 125 yards
away. "How long will it take for her to heal in Onett hospital?"
"About 4 to 6 weeks..."
"That's no good! Can't you make that faster?"
"It all depends on how quickly the ice melts, and this-" he tapped the ice a couple
times. "-Doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon." Ness growled and began to say
something but Poo stopped him. Poo said, "That'll be fine, doctor. We can wait." Ness
groaned and muttered something mean under his breath. The ambulance pulled over roughly
ten feet away and two men hopped out of the back. "That's the girl, doctor?" The doctor
nodded and helped the two paramedics move the frozen statue. "You were right about the
priority one, doc. I'm sure you know who this is."
"Yes. These boys are her friends."
"Where's the third one? That nerdy lookin' kid... Jeff! Where's he at?" Ness sighed.
"It's a long story..." The paramedics and the doctor got the icy pseudo-statue into the
ambulance. Poo sat in the passenger's seat in the front, and Ness rode in the back.
"How long will it take for her to be normal again?" The doctor thought for a moment.
"Well, there's the unfreezing, which may take 4 or 6 weeks. She will most likely have
to go through rehabilitation, which will take up to 3 more weeks, depending on how
quickly her muscles rework themselves. There may be some brain trauma, which means
someone close to her should stay near her once the ice is fully melted. I suggest either
her parents or one of you two..."
Ness made up his mind. "Call me when the ice is gone. I'll stay with her." Poo shot
him a look from the front seat. "You sure?" Ness nodded. "I'd be able to help her the
most."
"But what about-" Ness gave Poo a cold stare. "Err, never mind." The doctor ignored
them and grabbed his hammer and chisel from his bag. "This ice looks strange..." He set
the chisel gently on the very tip of the ice, hoping to crack it a little without
damaging Paula. He swung the hammer, but when it connected with the chisel, nothing
happened. He swung again. This time, the chisel snapped in half. "This ice is hard as a
diamond. Odd... What happened to her, again?" Ness and Poo stayed silent. "Well? You
can't keep the truth from me forever, you know. I can always examine the pile of ashes
or the broken glass screen back on the path."
"I told you, it's a long story."
"I have time for a story." Ness growled. "I can't tell you just yet, doctor. Let's
wait."
The ambulance arrived at the hospital and unloaded everyone. Another doctor was
standing at the door waiting for their arrival. "Hello, John. This is the patient...?"
The other doctor thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Let's get the room set up."
The two paramedics cleared the way of bystanders as the two doctors wheeled the stretcher
holding the frozen Paula inside. The police showed up shortly after and told Ness and
Poo, "There's nothing more you can do here."
4:10 PM
Ness's House
Ness slammed the door to his room and sat on his bed. Poo had teleported himself back
to Dalaam for some reason or another. Frustrated, Ness laid down and rested. He was going
to have a long time to wait. The snow was falling fast enough to keep him out of school
for another week or two. He couldn't do anything for Paula or Jeff. "Urgh, nap time..."
Ness took his hat off and set it on the nightstand, and took a snooze.
* * *
6:56 PM
Threed
Ness opened his eyes and found himself in Threed. Night fell and the people of Threed
began to re-enter their houses. The weather was still slightly warm, and the citizens of
Threed were outside every day. Since the problems of the world were erased, they could
be more relaxed than they've ever been. But Ness felt something coming. He had a feeling
that something was about to happen, and he knew he wouldn't like it.
A loud scream was heard from the southern section of the city, followed by several
other screams. Giygas and its shell, the former guard, ran out of the tunnel leading to
Dusty Dunes, several people ahead of him. Giygas grabbed the nearest person and tore him
in half. This elicited more screams and people running, fearing for their lives. Ness
started heading for Giygas, when, suddenly, Giygas did something strange. Everything and
everyone in Threed became frozen in time, and a hole opened up in the sky. The inside of
the hole was black, darker than anything he'd ever seen. The hole grew until it became
the size of some of the larger buildings of Threed, then a great force began pulling
upwards. A black hole formed in Threed.
Giygas stood still as everything was sucked through the hole, people, buildings,
rocks, trees; everything was pulled into the void. Ness couldn't believe the awesome
power of the new Giygas. He spotted Ness and looked back toward the sky. Ness looked up
and saw the hole getting bigger. It's enormous! How could Giygas have so much power? The
hole stopped growing and the sky began to disappear. Ness realized the hole wasn't
getting bigger; it was falling on the town. "Giygas! Wait! You'll destroy both of us!"
Giygas looked back at Ness.
The remaining humanity of Giygas' form still seemed to function with no delay. "You...
I've waited for this day. You shall die!" Giygas emitted a bright flash that blinded
Ness for a second. When the light dimmed, Ness looked around. The hole in the sky was
gone. Few trees remained, and those that still stood were rotten and hollow. The build-
ings that were still standing were covered in dust, and looked like they would topple
any minute. Giygas was nowhere to be seen. Ness began exploring, when ghosts and zombies
started appearing out of nowhere. Ness felt a vibration through his brain. "What you see
now is what I would've had. This would have been my world."
The zombies and ghosts began heading for the barren hospital. When they were almost
upon it, a boy that looked like Ness except older ran out and began swinging at ghosts
with a baseball bat. "Get out of here, evil monsters! You're not wanted!" The zombies
moved in, and in one fell swoop, the boy fell over, with hordes of zombies blocking
Ness' view. Ness turned away. "This isn't real, it's just a dream. This isn't real, it's
just a dream." He heard an eerie laugh resonate throughout his brain, and suddenly, all
went quiet.
CHAPTER 5
7:46 PM
Ness's House
"Ness, wake up! It's time for dinner!" Ness awoke with a start, and noticed his sister
standing over him. "Rise and shine, spanky." Ness breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's
just you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." Ness hopped out of bed and chased his sister out. He changed out of his
pajamas and into some regular clothes, and made his way downstairs. He thought about what
his dream meant all through dinner. Suddenly, the phone rang. "I'll get it," Ness said.
He grabbed the phone and said "Hello?" There was a pause. "Is this Ness?"
"Yes."
"This is Dean Jacobs again. Did I, ah, disturb you during dinner?"
"It's no problem. Have you found him yet?"
"We're still looking, but we have found clues as to his whereabouts. My sources say
he's somewhere in the Eagleland countryside, but they could be simple rumors."
"Well, call me as soon as you get a real lead."
"I will make sure to when we get something we can follow. It's been a long day so
far."
"Dean, you don't know the half of it, but I'll explain what I mean when we meet. When
and where can I meet you?"
"Give me a day of rest. I'll call on the 26th with location and time. Until then, I'll
call if we get anything."
"Thanks for all your help."
"This project is too crucial to leave alone."
"Well, good bye."
"Good bye." Ness hung up the phone and sighed. It might already be here. That has to
be impossible. Ness's mother looked puzzled. "Ness? What was that all about?" Ness sat
back down and stared at his half-empty plate. "It's nothing, just someone from school
seeing if I could meet him on the 26th to discuss something." He shifted his food around
a bit. "Not hungry? Very well, you may be excused." Ness set his for down and walked
into his room, shutting his door once inside. He changed back into his pajamas and went
back to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be a better day.
Tuesday, November 25- 12:10 AM
Bush Hospital, Onett
The few doctors that had to run the graveyard shift milled about, not doing much of
anything. The most important part of their job was to watch over the frozen girl in room
206. Dr. Kerns was still in the hospital, making sure nothing went wrong. The ice had
successfully fended off drills, diamond-blade saws, and other tools without a scratch to
its surface. He sat in the room, half-asleep, but still monitoring in case something
happens. A nurse walked in just then. "Everything okay, doctor?" He became fully atten-
tive and nodded. "Yes. Not much to observe today."
Poo sat in the opposite corner, also observing. He opted to stay in the hospital in
case something bad happened. That way, he wouldn't have to wait for a signal from Ness.
Poo was observing with a different manner, however. He was using his PSI to communicate
with and monitor Paula's mind. The signals were faint, but they were still there.
Suddenly, a look of intrigue swept across Poo's face. Dr. Kerns caught the look. "What's
going on?"
Poo shook his head. "She wants to be moved to a room that has steel walls. Somewhere
that has no glass or objects that can be broken."
"What for?"
"She has a plan. She won't tell me what her plan is, though." Dr. Kerns thought about
it for a second. "Well, okay. Help me wheel her into the X-ray room." The nurse also
helped, and in no time, they were a floor up and on the opposite side of the hospital.
Poo and Dr. Kerns moved Paula onto the X-ray table. "Now what?" Poo paused for a moment,
then replied, "Now we wait outside." Dr. Kerns shrugged and stepped outside the room,
followed by Poo and the nurse. Poo hoped Paula's idea worked.
A few minutes went by, and everything was quiet. Poo sat nearest to the door, medi-
tating. Suddenly, there was a loud blast and Poo immediately regained his senses.
Dr. Kerns jumped, but stayed fairly intact. The nurse had left for other business, and
wasn't affected by the blast. Poo stood and slowly opened the door. The X-ray room was
almost 25 degrees hotter than the rest of the hospital, and was filled with a fine fog.
Poo entered the room and looked around. Luckily, nothing was too badly damaged, but the
table looked rather sad and melted.
The doctor looked stunned. "What did she do?" Poo quickly explained PSI attacks and
how Paula got into her condition. "Interesting..." Dr. Kerns said when Poo was finished.
"I may want to look into this 'PSI' some time in the near future." When the mist cleared,
Dr. Kerns examined Paula and noticed the ice was completely melted away. "Which PSI skill
was this?"
Poo helped Dr. Kerns set Paula back onto a stretcher and said, "PSI Fire Beta." They
wheeled Paula back into her room and set her on the bed.
"The recoil from the blast bouncing off the ice must've knocked her into next week."
Poo nodded and sat back in the corner while Dr. Kerns finished examining Paula. "Well,
her vital signs are OK, but I'm not sure how fast she'll recover. She still looks like
she's in shock, but the recovery time shouldn't be as long." He exhaled and wiped his
forehead. "What I want to know is how she could still be alive, since no air could get
through ice this thick. Maybe this 'PSI' is more than I thought. Well, I'll stay
overnight in the Hotel. I'll leave her in your hands, since you seem to know what she's
thinking." Poo nodded again. "If I need you, I'll call." Dr. Kerns nodded slightly and
left the room. Poo watched Paula and slowly nodded off.
12:17 AM
Ness's House
Ness woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. No one else woke up, so he crawled out
of bed and picked up the phone. "Ness? It's Dr. Kerns. We met earlier during the, ah,
incident with your friend." He mumbled a response and stretched, looking at the clock
while doing so. "It's pretty late, doctor. What are you doing up?"
"Looking after Paula. I'm in the Hotel right now."
"How's she doing?"
"Well, I can't quite explain it. You should get yourself to the hospital and ask your
other friend."
"I will." He said his good-byes and hung up. What the heck does he want me there for?
Something must've happened... He changed into some warm clothes and quietly left his
house. Ness thought of some theories on his walk. First, there was the obvious; nothing
could be done and she'll be stuck that way forever. He stayed away from that thought.
Some good ideas came to mind; the ice melted faster than the doctor thought. Ness
developed on this idea.
Finally, he reached the hospital. The nurse at the front desk recognized him and
immediately said, "She's in room 206, sir." He nodded and rushed for the stairs. Ness
looked at the numbers of the doors, looking for 206. "203, 204, 205, 207..." Ness
stopped and looked through the hallway again. Room 206 was nowhere to be found. No empty
spaces where the door could be, which meant the door couldn't be hidden. He checked the
ceiling and the floor. Nothing marked '206'. He ran back downstairs to talk to the nurse.
"There IS no room 206!" He yelled. "What do you mean, no 206? I have one Paula Pole-
star marked down for room 206. There's no way the room could be missing. Let me check
with the other doctors..."
Suddenly, the hospital's lights went out. "What now?" Ness muttered to himself. A
bright flash encompassed him and he hit the ground painfully. "What the--!" He could
barely see it, but there it was. A giant floating spider. "Pokey! I thought you were
dead!" Pokey laughed evilly. "Ha! You think I'd get wiped out by temporal naps?" Ness
growled and kept alert, since Pokey could attack at any time and he most likely wouldn't
be able to see it. "What did you do here!? I know you messed with time in this hospital!
Where's room 206? Where's Paula!?"
* * *
Pokey chuckled. "Ness, you know me too well... Or do you? I'll explain it all to you.
Remember your dream? The one where Giygas destroys Threed? Well, if you hadn't noticed,
your dream was actually one I'd had a few months ago. All this time, I made you paranoid
into the thought that Giygas is after you. He wants to kill me, in truth. Let me explain
why...
"Before your battle with Giygas, while my past self was preparing for battle, I
appeared and stole Giygas' ultimate weapon; the Starman Invincible. He knew it had been
a future version of myself, so he tried to kill my past self. Just then, you showed up
and we fought. Giygas figured you were a bigger threat, and tried to get you first. I
had the last laugh. When I turned off the Devil's Machine, I left him unable to harm me.
This is when my future self appeared again and stole a piece of Giygas himself, which
would be needed to re-create him in this time.
"Afterwards, I returned to about 2 weeks ago, and planted the cells where I knew
Jacobs' team would find the next day. I made sure they weren't dead by the time his men
got there, and by then I sent the Starman Invincible on his mission. I knew Jeff had no
chance, since lasers don't affect the Starman Invincible's metal. I also taught the
Starman Invincible PSI Teleport ?, which is how he got to you so fast."
Ness growled again. "Cut to the chase! Where's Paula? Tell me or fry, piggy!" Pokey
laughed loudly. "Oh, Ness... This is what brings me the most joy. 30 seconds before you
entered the hospital, I switched the numbers, replacing the 6 with a 7, and the 7 with
an 8, and so on, until no trace of my adjustment appeared. This brings me the most joy
simply because you took the bait! Fool! Oh, I'm sure you'd like me to finish telling you
why I'm here. As I said earlier, Giygas learned his lesson earlier. He wants to kill me
for betraying him, and he wants your help. I can't have that, Ness.
"By my time scanners, Giygas has just entered Onett, and is tracking my SpiderMech
with his awesome PSI powers. I plan to kill you, then him. And you can't stop me, Ness!
Hit me with whatever you have!" Ness's anger peaked. "PSI Rockin Omega!" A bright flash
flew from Ness' fingertips, heading for Pokey. There was a high-pitched noise, then the
PSI disappeared. "Hahaha! You fell for it! My PSI-disabler worked!" Ness went at it
again. "PSI Rockin Omega!" But this time, nothing flew at Pokey from his fingertips.
"What!?" Pokey laughed. "I told you! At any rate, time to get you before Giygas gets
here. Here I come!" Pokey charged straight for Ness.
"Not so fast, fatty!" A shadow fell from the ceiling and smashed into the SpiderMech,
deflecting it to the side. The outstretched claw missed my mere inches. "What the...!?
Oh, dang! I forgot all about that Dalaam boy." He saw the shadow hit the floor, rebound,
and hop to its feet. "Ness! Go get Giygas! I'll hold Pokey here!" With that, Poo charged
for Pokey. "Go, Ness! Now!" Ness said nothing, and headed for the door as fast as he
could. He turned back to the shadows on the ground. "Poo, be careful!" With that, Ness
ran out the door.
Will Ness be able to reach Giygas in time?
Will Poo hold off Pokey long enough?
What will happen to Paula?
Stay Tuned... Part 3 next week!