A/N: The song "Carried Away" is owned by George Strait, not me. This chapter might be a little shorter than the others. Anyways, please R/R, and of course, enjoy!
The morning was cold and somewhat cloudy. Jimmy shivered, rising from his sleeping bag. He'd been in South America for two days now, and so far he still hadn't realized what was wrong with his invention. Pulling it from the floor beside him, he routinely popped open the yellow casing on the side and peered in. He reached over to his right for his screwdriver (given to him courtesy of, well, himself), but unexpectedly felt something else… Cindy's hand.
He hesitated for a second, before pulling his hand away. He blushed, even though everyone else in the room was either gone or sleeping. Reaching over for his original intention, he shot one more glance over to Cindy before working on his invention yet again.
I don't take my whiskey to extremes
I don't believe in chasing crazy dreams
My feet are planted firmly on the ground
But darling when you come around
Walking out the door, a sound caught Jimmy's ears. He looked up to see Jim tinkering with one of his gadgets, sitting on the edge of the roof. Without looking up, he jumped down and put a hand on Jimmy's shoulder as he walked past.
"I'm gonna be gone for most of the day. Sven and Reeve are gonna check up on you a couple times."
Jimmy nodded. "Where are you going?"
"Scouting around. Now that you two are here, I can find that tomb and go back home."
"Well… how are we gonna get home?"
Jim put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder again. "I'll reveal everything you're ever going to need to know tomorrow."
"Neutron!!" the voice of General Abercrombie reverberated around the town, making Jim cringe.
"I've gotta go now. I'll see you tonight around dinner time." he turned and started walking away, but not before twisting back around for a second. "Talk to Cindy, alright?" with that, he left.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
"Jimmy, where were you?" Cindy rolled over, still in her sleeping bag.
"Outside."
"Hmm? Why?"
Jimmy looked over at her. "Talking to myself."
Cindy rolled her eyes. "You know, I think you're taking this thing a little too seriously."
Jimmy laughed. "Too seriously? More like not seriously enough."
"What do you mean?"
He smiled slyly. "Exactly what it sounds like."
Cindy stood and put her hands on her hips. "C'mon, Neutron. You're talking in riddles now."
"Sorry Cin. I couldn't help it."
I get carried away, by the look, by the light in your eyes
Before I even realize the ride I'm on, baby I'm long gone
I get carried away, nothin' matters but being with you
Like a feather flying high up in the sky on a windy day
I get carried away
"Neutron?"
"Yeah?"
Cindy looked down at the ground below. The two were on the roof of 'their' house, Cindy sitting on the edge. "Um… well, I know all I've done since we got here was stay alone and argue with you…"
Jimmy walked up and sat next to her.
"And well, I'm sorry."
Jimmy looked up. "It's okay. I'm sorry too."
Cindy turned to him questionably. "And what do you have to be sorry about?"
"I'm the one that got you into this whole mess. It's… all my fault you're here." He trailed off and looked away.
"Oh, come on Jimmy. You had no idea this was going to happen."
Jimmy sat in silence for a few minutes, never looking at Cindy. Finally, he turned to her.
"Vortex… thanks."
It might seem like an ordinary night
Same old stars, same old moon up high
But when I see you standing at your door
Nothin's ordinary anymore
"Your welcome, I guess."
NvEoUrTtReOxN
"Cin? Jimmy? You guys here?" Sven walked into the house they were staying in, not bothering to knock.
"What?" Cindy whirled around from her position next to the window.
"Where's Little Jim?"
Cindy shrugged. "He went outside a while ago. I haven't seen him."
"When?"
"I dunno. Maybe an hour ago."
"Crap. I'll be right back." Sven ran back outside, and Cindy turned and looked out the window.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
"Geez, why didn't Jim tell me this was gonna happen," Sven muttered to himself, walking briskly through the ruined town. It was a little after noon now; he had been searching for almost a half hour. He couldn't have gotten far. I hope he has enough sense to stay away from the desert. Then again, knowing Jim, he doesn't…
Approaching his Jeep, he quickly hopped in and started it up. It sputtered once, then twice… and then died. Sven swore and hopped out, pulling out his M16. It was now a few minutes before one, and Jimmy still hadn't been found. Sven was getting tired of looking, with no sign of the boy genius in sight.
NvEoUrTtReOxN
"Hey Neutron." Cindy looked up slightly as Jimmy entered the room.
He nodded in return, but said nothing. He walked across the room to the window overlooking the rest of the town, and stared out into space.
"Sven's looking for you," Cindy said, still sitting down. "Where were you?"
"Just across the street, inside."
Cindy laughed. "Sven's gonna kill you when he finds out," she snickered.
I get carried away, by the look, by the light in your eyes
Before I even realize the ride I'm on, baby I'm long gone
I get carried away, nothin' matters but bein' with you
Like a feather flying high up in the sky on a windy day
I get carried away
"Oh well," Jimmy muttered. He held up his portable teleporter in his hand, waving it around. "I think I figured out what went wrong."
NvEoUrTtReOxN
Sven dragged himself back through the doorway at three in the afternoon. He was tired enough to just drop right there, and his eyes were full of strain. Walking over to a chair, he slumped down heavily onto it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around, his gaze stopping on Jimmy. "How long have you been here?" he sighed.
Jimmy looked at him. "I don't know… an hour?"
"Jim…" Sven muttered angrily. He looked back up and forced a smile. "So… what do you guys want to do?"
"Well… what is there to do?" Cindy asked.
Sven shrugged. "I've got some cards." He pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. The backs were gold-colored, as was the writing on the other side.
"Wow," Cindy mumbled. "That's a lot of gold."
Sven nodded. "What do you want to play?"
"Speed?"
The man grinned, raising his head so that the sun reflected from his blond hair. "Doubles?"
"No," Cindy replied coolly.
"I have to warn, you, I haven't lost a game in three years."
NvEoUrTtReOxN
"That's what now? Thirteen games?" Cindy grinned. Sven was lying facedown on the floor, pounding it with his fist. He looked up at her with desperation.
"Rematch!"
"Again? You sure about that?"
"Yes!" he half-yelled desperately.
Cindy turned to Jimmy. "You wanna play?"
Jimmy shook his head. "Go on ahead."
Cindy nodded and dealt the cards. The game lasted about one and a half minutes, until- "Speed!" Cindy crossed her arms and grinned, as Sven looked from the cards in his hand, to the table, and back to his hand. He cursed and sighed.
I get carried away, by the look, by the light in your eyes
Before I even realize the ride I'm on, baby I'm long gone
I get carried away, nothin' matters but bein' with you
Like a feather flying high up in the sky on a windy day
I get carried away
"Lost again, eh Svenny-boy?" Jim laughed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorway.
Sven glared in response, but turned away and went back to mourning his once-perfect score by repeatedly smacking the floor with his fist.
"We have a big day tomorrow. We should all get our sleep," Jim continued, walking into the room. "Sven, could you get us some dinner?"
Sven grunted, "Fine. I guess so." He walked out of the room, leaving the three in their loneness.
"What are we doing tomorrow?" Jimmy asked.
"Packing up. We're on the move on Wednesday."
"So," Cindy asked quietly, "when are we gonna get to go home?"
"Tuesday of next week, at about seven." Jim turned and walked out the door.
"Tuesday," Jimmy and Cindy repeated quietly in unison. "That's in about eight days," Jimmy muttered.
Cindy shrugged in response. "That's not that long."
I apologize for the delay of this chapter. I have to get ready to go back to school and such… I wasn't expecting long delays for another couple chapters. Anyways, please review! They help me write faster.