CHAPTER 6

THE TRIALS THAT BIND

"Welcome back, guys!" Professor Smith said as the S.S. BEOULVE pulled back into Dr. Thompson's dock. "How did it go?"

"Chalk up another one for the good guys!" Darren laughed as he showed Smith the chip.

"Well done, everyone!" Smith said as he turned the chip over in his hands. The Greek symbol Alpha was branded on the back. "An Alpha chip! We're one piece away from assembling the serum!"

"Wonderful!" Iris said happily. "Then we can reactivate Zero without any Maverick activity!"

"You're lookin' for Zero?" Dr. Thompson asked suddenly.

"Yes, ma'am," Sharon replied. "If we can slap some of these chips on him before we reactivate him, he won't cause any more Maverick outbreaks!"

"That's very clever," Thompson said. "But even if you collect the chips you need, how are you going to find Zero?"

Sharon opened her mouth to answer, but she found that she didn't have one.

Dr. Thompson chuckled warmly. "Tell you what," she said as she pulled out a computer CD and handed it to Iris. "Take this. It has the most up-to-date map of ruins in the world. That should give you some more ideas about where to look."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Thompson!" Iris gasped with a polite bow. "Did you hear that, guys? More ruins to search!"

"Whoopee," Sharon grunted. "More ruins."

"Sounds like fun," Darren said. "I'm up for it!"

"Come along, guys," Smith said. "We have to get back to the museum and give the new chip to Olson and Krein. Thanks for everything, Emma. See you again sometime!"

Dr. Thompson and Bubble Man watched Iris and her friends walk off down the beach and vanish. "D'you think that serum will work?" Bubble Man asked.

"It had better," Thompson said with a frown. "My mom always told me about how horrible Mavericks were... I hope Ross knows what he's doing."

"All right..." Olson said as he stuck the Alpha chip to the others. "One more, and we'll have made a small cube. If Iris's story can be believed, we just need to put it inside of Zero, and it'll shut down the Maverick virus within him."

"Great work, guys," Krein said as he pulled off his goggles. "Only one more chip to find!"

"Yeah, but as always, where do we go?" Sharon asked as she looked at Dr. Thompson's map on a large computer screen. "There's so many ruins, I have no idea where to look."

"We've been lucky so far," Darren agreed. "But we could hit a dead end as easily as we could find something."

"You're pretty pessimistic, Darren," Iris said as she looked over Darren's shoulder. "Why wouldn't we find the chip?"

"Iris, our odds of finding the first three were diddly to squat, if Dr. Thompson's map can be believed," Darren answered as he pointed to the map. "We can't get our hopes up and expect to find the last piece right away."

"But we're so close!" Iris answered. "I can feel it in my bones! We'll find that chip!"

"I'm not saying that we won't," Darren replied. "I'm just saying that it might take time. Be patient, Iris!"

"Patient?!" Iris asked as she frowned all of a sudden. "Darren, I've been out of commission for the past hundred years! I've waited long enough to see Zero, and I want to find him right away!"

"Look, I understand completely," Darren said as he stood up. "But you can't rush these things! If we choose the wrong ruins, we'll just end up empty-handed... To make matters worse, I'm sure plenty of these ruins are booby-trapped. You can't just charge in blindly, expecting to find what you're looking for!" He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "And to top it off, some of us need to rest. I haven't taken a break since we started hunting for the chips!"

"Oh, come on!" Iris growled. "I'm sure that X and Zero wouldn't complain if they were working this hard!"

"Yeah, well, I'm not X or Zero," Darren retorted. "And I need rest, whether you like it or not! Just give me a day to rest and research this map, and we can try something new in the morning."

"I can't believe I got mixed up with someone like you, of all people!" Iris yelled angrily.

"'Someone like me?'" Darren asked as he raised an eyebrow. "What're you getting at, Iris?"

"You said you were going to help me, but now all you want to do is rest?!" Iris huffed. "How did I get stuck with such a lazy human?!"

Darren's eyes narrowed into angry slits. "Fine, then," he growled through clenched teeth. "Let's find a ruin right now."

Darren quickly typed away on his keyboard, and a photo of a triangular, stone building in the middle of a desert appeared on the screen. "Here's something," Darren said. "This is an unknown tomb in Ancient Egypt... Most people just call it the Unknown Pyramid."

"But that's old," Iris said. "We won't find any technology there!"

"I'm not finished," Darren replied. "This pyramid has become the hideout of a band of thieves who mainly steal computer wares. I bet their entire horde is in that pyramid... There might be a chip there."

"Great!" Iris said happily. "Pack your hiking boots and sunscreen, guys! We're heading out!"

Iris cheerfully ran out of the room. Darren looked after her and shook his head.

"Boy, that human crack was a low blow," Sharon sighed as she turned from her computer screen.

"It's expectable," Darren answered. "We're getting closer to finding Zero, so naturally she's getting excited, and sometimes she gets carried away."

"Iris has been pretty strong in the fights we've had," Smith recalled. "But I have noticed that she's more confident with every victory... That could lead to some trouble..."

"Well, we'd better get ourselves ready..." Darren sighed as he stood up. "I'll go tell Snake Man that we're off to Egypt."

A few hours later, Iris and her friends were walking down an empty market street. Sand blew everywhere with the slightest breeze, and a bright, pearl moon dominated the dark blue sky.

"Cairo, Egypt!" Sharon announced as they walked. "Even with a destroyed space colony and Maverick attacks, this place never changes..."

Suddenly, a little man with a camera jumped out from behind a building and stunned the group with a bright flash. After they recovered, he gave them a small card. "You come to my shop, get shot later!" he said. "Only five dollar!"

"...Even if you want it to," Darren mumbled.

"I know another robotologist that lives here," Smith said. "Let's go and visit him."

"But I want to get to the ruins!" Iris protested. "We're so close!"

"Iris, we have no idea what's in that pyramid," Darren said. "Maybe this guy knows something helpful about it."

"But..." Iris started again.

"Besides, the sun is gone," Smith broke in. "If we stay out here much longer, we'll become targets for thieves and bandits. And we really should rest for a while... My feet are killing me."

"Oh... all right," Iris said as she crossly put her foot down.

Professor Smith led the group to a large laboratory on the outskirts of town. "Dr. Ali Bahai is another great scientist," Smith said as he knocked on the door. "He helped me on the fail-safe program."

"He did?" Darren asked. "Really?"

"Along with Thompson and Donnerstag," Smith said with a grin. "What, you didn't think I just met these guys at a symposium, did you?"

"Hmm..." Darren said as he scratched his head.

The door opened and a short, skinny man appeared in the doorway. He had a big, bushy moustache, slicked-back black hair and big, goofy-looking glasses. He leaned heavily on a cane, though he still looked young, and he emitted a strong scent of spices. When he saw Professor Smith, he smiled widely. "Ah, Ross Smith! Come in, come in!" he cried. "It has been too long!"

Everybody was led into the laboratory. "I have not seen you since we finished the project!" Bahai said. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, this and that," Smith chuckled as he motioned towards his friends. "Ali, these are my new friends: Darren, Sharon and Iris."

Bahai almost went through the roof. "Iris?! Can it be?!" he exclaimed. He practically leaped forward and looked her over intensely. "My goodness! A twenty-second century robot! A masterpiece! You are truly beautiful," He warbled as he kissed her on both cheeks.

"Ummm, thank you," Iris said as she blushed. "(Why does everyone like kissing me?...)"

"So, Dr. Bahai," Smith said. "Donnerstag revived Frost Man and Thompson has Bubble Man. Have you had any success in reviving robots?"

"Ah, yes," Bahai said as he grinned widely, then snapped his fingers. "Flame Man! Come and greet our guests!"

A red robot wearing a turban entered the room and bowed deeply. "Hello," he said. "I am Flame Man. Delighted to make your acquaintance."

"Flame Man, huh?" Sharon asked. "Heh! This 'robot assistant' thing must be all the rage."

"Do you have any other Reploids here, sir?" Darren asked. "Donnerstag had a whole collection of them, and I was wondering if you did, too."

"Yes, I do," Bahai said with another smile. "I have five Reploids. Not as many as Donnerstag, but still very good. Come, and I will show you all."

Bahai led the party into a room as high as an airport hangar. Four capsules were lined up against the far wall, and a huge object stood in the center, covered by a tarp.

"JET STINGRAY, VIOLEN, SPARK MANDRILL, BLAST HORNET... Wow," Darren said as he looked over the four capsules.

"Wait, you said that you had five Reploids," Sharon pointed out. "Where's the last one?"

"Right in front of you," Bahai chuckled as he yanked on the tarp; it fell away to reveal a huge capsule containing a titantic, Reploid wearing a golden military uniform. The huge lettering on the capsule bottom read GENERAL.

"Woah!" Darren exclaimed. "General?!"

"Sweet mother of Joe..." Sharon said. "I knew the General was big, but..."

"He was actually a nice guy," Iris said. "Nobody ever thought badly of him."

"It cost almost half a million dollars to acquire him," Bahai said. "Truly, he is the crown jewel of my collection. Ah! But it is late. You must be hungry and tired from your travels. Come, and we shall have a meal."

"Well, thanks, but we're not all that hungry, and-" Sharon started when Smith clamped his hand over her mouth.

"We'd be delighted to accept your offer, Ali," Smith said as he grinned widely at Bahai, then turned an angry eye on Sharon. "It's very rude to refuse an offer of a meal!" he whispered harshly.

"OK, OK, sheesh," Sharon grumbled.

Bahai's meal was fantastic. Nobody had ever eaten Egyptian food before, but it was very tasty. After they had eaten, Dr. Bahai had Flame Man set them up for the night in a spare room.

There was an air of calmness that night. Professor Smith and Sharon snoozed peacefully while Iris and Darren lay head to head in their sleeping bags in the far corner of the room.

"Iris?" Darren asked.

"Mmm... yes?" Iris asked dreamily. She was on the verge of falling asleep, and her voice was drowsy and soft.

"You really love Zero, don't you?" Darren asked.

"Yeah..." Iris murmured. "Ever since I joined the Maverick Hunters, he always gave me courage and hope... Over time, I came to realize that my feelings for him were beyond friendship... I never got to tell him, though... So, I want to find him right away... and make sure that he finally knows..."

"I see..." Darren replied.

Iris smiled. "Tomorrow... Tomorrow we'll find the last chip, and then we can bring Zero back..." she cooed as she closed her eyes again.

Darren sighed softly. "I know you want to see him again, Iris, but I'm worried... You're so psyched about finding the chips, that you've lost your sense of caution, and that's really dangerous... You could be walking into a huge trap, and not even know it until it's too late..."

Darren paused and turned to look at Iris. She looked very peaceful, with the moonlight shining down on her slumbering, smiling face. He gave a sad look, but then smiled gently and brushed some hair away from her eyes. "Just remember, Iris," he whispered very quietly. "Zero isn't the only person who cares about you..."

Darren turned and pulled up his covers, and the night grew silent.

The next morning, everyone awoke and had breakfast while Bahai gave them directions to the pyramid. "This temple is a den of technology theives and rogues," he said. "Perhaps what you seek is within."

"All right!" Iris said cheerfully as she gulped down the rest of her milk. "Let's get going!"

Darren wore a concerned expression, but nodded in agreement.

"No use waiting around," Smith said as he pulled on his knapsack. "Thanks for everything, Ali."

"Errmmm..." Sharon gulped as she scratched the back of her head. "Going into a pyramid... Fun. Sounds like... a whole lotta fun. Heh heh heh..."

Dr. Bahai loaned the party his dune buggy and they sped off north. After about half an hour, they came to a small, run-down pyramid silhouetted against the sky. "There it is," Professor Smith said as he stopped the buggy. "The Unknown Pyramid."

"With any luck, the last chip will be in there," Darren said. "I sure hope it is."

"What're we waiting for?" Iris asked as she hopped out into the sand. "Let's go inside!"

Iris, Darren and Professor Smith eagerly headed towards the pyramid entrance, but Sharon lingered by the buggy. "Come on, Sharon!" Darren called back. "You're coming, aren't you?"

"Ummm..." Sharon gulped as she gave a nervous laugh. "Uh, why don't you guys go on in? You don't need me for this one, do ya? Hee hee hee..."

"What's wrong, Sharon?" Smith asked.

"That pyramid's full of mummies, err, and I, uh, think I'm allergic to dead guy brains," Sharon mumbled.

"Sharon, the Ancient Egyptians removed the brains from the mummies and threw them away," Darren pointed out.

There was an awkward silence. "...I'm still not going in," Sharon retorted.

"Oh, come on," Iris said as she grabbed Sharon's arm and started dragging her towards the entrance.

"Agh! No, I'm serious!" Sharon pleaded. "I really, really hate ghosts and mummies and zombies and any creepy, crawly undead things!!!"

Iris didn't seem to hear Sharon's pleas; she just kept dragging.

"Looks like Iris says that you need to get over your fears," Darren muttered as the four travelers walked into the dark pyramid.

"Don't worry, Sharon," Smith said. "We're all here with you. You have nothing to worry about."

"Phew..." Sharon panted.

The party traveled through the ancient pyramid until they reached a dead end. "Oh, crap!" Darren grunted angrily as he looked around. "Is this it? Did we miss something?"

"This does look like a dead end, doesn't it?" Smith asked as he studied the wall closely.

"Maybe Bahai sent us to the wrong pyramid," Iris gulped. "Damn!"

"Oh, well," Sharon said as she chuckled oddly. "I guess that means we can turn around and leave, huh? Heh heh heh..."

"Wait a minute..." Smith said as he looked at the wall closely. "There's something printed here..."

"Hmm?" Iris asked. "What do you mean, professor?"

"Look," Smith said as he rubbed some sand off of the wall. Several strange pictures appeared on the stone surface.

"Uh... Looks like a scribble pad," Sharon observed nervously.

"Hold the phone!" Darren exclaimed. "Those are heiroglyphs! Something's written here in Ancient Egyptian."

"Who here can read this stuff?" Smith asked.

"Sorry," Iris said. "My lingual database doesn't have those."

Everyone glanced at Sharon, who was nervously shifting her weight and looking down. "Well, Sharon?" Smith asked.

"Huh? Oh, um, uh, I can't read it either," she said quickly.

"Oh, come on, Sharon," Darren argued. "I saw you memorizing this stuff at the museum's exhibit!"

"Wait a minute; Sharon's scared of the mummies, but she memorized Egyptian heiroglyphs?" Iris asked.

"I liked the pictures," Sharon mumbled.

"Please, Sharon?" Darren asked. "We need to get in here."

"Ummm..." she said. "But what about the mummies and stuff?"

"Give me a break!" Smith retorted. "There're no such things! At least, not here."

"What makes you so sure?" she retorted. "Have you got a mummy-detecting machine you haven't told me about?"

"Look, Sharon," Darren said. "Iris needs your help. Won't you do it, for her, at least?"

"...Well, OK... Just this once," she sighed crossly. She walked up to the wall and eyed the pictures. "OK, umm... 'Lean on me when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend and help you carry on,'" she read.

"What?!" Smith asked. "Sharon, those are song lyrics!"

"Yes, that doesn't make any sense!" Iris muttered as she put her back to the wall and folded her arms. Suddenly, the wall behind her rumbled backwards until a doorway appeared.

"...Huh?" Darren asked.

"...Oh! Look!" Smith said as he pointed to where Iris had been leaning; a heiroglyph depicting a beautiful-looking woman was painted there. "That must be a portrait of the person buried here. That's what the heiroglyphs meant! Nice going, you two!"

"Great!" Iris said happily. "Let's go!"

"Wonderful," Sharon mumbled as she brought up the rear of the party. "Why did I have to be such a softy?..."

Just as the party started in towards the entrance, an armed Reploid sentry leaped around the corner. "Hey, who're you guys?!" he snarled, training his gun on the group.

"GYAAAAHHHH!!!" Sharon screamed, instinctively whirling around and kicking the guard's head off. The body crumpled to the ground and sparked silently.

"I think we should worry more about the live dangers," Darren said. "This guy must've been with the bandits."

"I hope we took him down before he called for reinforcements," Smith said. "I don't feel well when I'm being targeted by plasma cannons."

"So what?!" Iris asked, making a defiant fist. "We'll stop them all, and make 'em give us the chip!"

"Iris, we can't be so reckless," Darren cautioned. "There's way more of them than there are of us..."

"You're such a worrywart!" Iris grumbled. "Sharon and I can take them on while the professor and you search."

"All right, but we really should tread cautiously," Smith said. "Now, let's go further in."

"Great..." Sharon gulped.

The party moved into a long maze of heiroglyph-decorated hallways. "Why'd they have to build this place like a labyrinth?" Darren grumbled as they moved. "It makes getting around practically impossible."

"That's why," Smith pointed out. "The Egyptians didn't want anyone getting in and swiping the treasure, so..."

"Well, it doesn't exactly work, does it?" Iris answered. "The bandits got in, didn't they?"

"Speaking of which..." Darren hissed, suddenly stopping and motioning for silence. The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from around the next corner.

"Uh-oh," Smith gulped, looking around quick for some way to hide. There weren't any side routes or tunnels in the hallway; just some sarcophagi built into the walls.

"What do we do now?" Sharon asked.

"We should sneak up on the guard and pump him for info," Iris said.

"But how do we sneak up on him? He's headed right for us!" Sharon replied.

Smith took another look at the coffins embedded in the rock. "I have an idea, but it won't be pretty, " he said. "Hurry up!"

A few moments later, two sentries rounded the corner and looked around. "I could have sworn I heard voices," the first one said.

"I sure wish the boss had chosen a different hideout," the second replied. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Well, there's nobody here..." the first said as he looked around quick. "Let's get back to our post, huh?"

As soon as the guards turned away, the wall coffins flew open and the party leaped out. Iris clubbed the second guard out cold and slammed the first one into the wall.

"Nice going, Iris!" Smith said. "My plan worked perfectly!"

"A little disturbing, but effective," Darren grumbled as he made a face and shut his coffin. "Uh... Where's Sharon?"

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Sharon screamed as she catapulted out of her sarcophogus and charged around the hallway with a rotting mummy clinging to her back. "GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!!!" she screeched.

"Aww, geez," Darren gulped, running up and pulling the piggybacking carcass off of her. "I guess you stood a bit too far back in there," he said as she wheezed on the floor.

"OK, now," Iris said as she held a strong grip on the guard. "Where's your stash? Talk!"

"Stash?" the guard asked. "Look, lady, I don't know what you've heard, but we only steal technology!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Iris retorted with an exasperated sigh.

"OK, OK, I'll talk," the sentry choked. "All the stolen junk is hidden in the lower floors. You'll have to find the trap door to get there, though."

"And where's that?" Iris asked, giving the guard another shake.

"Agh! It's in the boss's room!" the guard hacked. "Heh... But you're never gonna get past him!"

"Thanks," Iris said as she dropped the guard and bopped him unconscious with the end of her Z-Saber. "C'mon guys, let's find their boss!" She turned and charged down the corridor.

"Iris..." Darren started to warn, but she was already out of earshot. He gave a sad sigh and ran after her.

Sharon was still sitting on the ground with wide eyes and rapid breathing. "That mummy really gave you a scare, huh?" Smith asked.

"Uh-huh..." Sharon panted. "Whew... But I think I'm better now."

"That's good," Smith said. "Here, let me help you up."

"Thanks," Sharon said as she reached up and grabbed a withered-feeling hand. With one tug, the hand crumbled into dust, and she screamed in horror again.

Smith peered down and grinned as he shoved the mummy corpse aside. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," he chuckled.

"Ooh, you are SO gonna get it when we get home..." she fumed as she got up and followed Darren.

The party raced down the hall until they came to a long, wide, empty room. "Hmm... What could be here?" Smith asked as he glanced around.

"It looks pretty empty," Iris said. "I guess they forgot to decorate this room."

"Hang on," Darren said as he looked at the left wall and saw a scroll of paper wedged in a hole. He gently pulled the papyrus out and looked it over. "This looks like a map," he concluded.

"A map?" Sharon asked. "What for?"

"Well, it looks a lot like this room," Darren replied. "I don't know why they'd make a map of this place, though..." He turned and started out into the room's wide space.

"What would a map be doing in here?" Iris asked as Darren walked.

"It could tell how to avoid any-" Smith started.

Suddenly, a row of sharp spears thrust out of the floor right behind Darren and plunged into the ceiling.

"...Booby traps," Smith finished.

"Darren's in big trouble!" Sharon gasped.

"Lemme see..." Darren said as he eyed the map and walked at the same time. "I guess I'm holding it the right way, but maybe..."

He turned the map sideways and veered left just as a giant ball of fire seared the ground on his right.

"Or is it this way?" he said as he rotated the map and took a step forward just as the floor and ceiling blocks smashed together.

"...Oh, silly me, I've got the whole thing turned the wrong way," he chuckled as he flipped the papyrus over and missed falling into an opening pit of cobras.

Just then, he stumbled and fell on his face. "Agh! Man, I am so dang clumsy!" he growled as he got back up and turned around. "I don't know why they made a map of this room," he called to his friends. "Seems safe to me!"

Iris, Sharon and Professor Smith just stared with wide eyes and open mouths.

"...What?" he asked.

Through turn after twist, Iris and her friends raced through the ancient maze, disarming sentries that challenged them along the way. Finally, when all direction was lost and just about all patience gone, they arrived at an strangely-decorated door. While it had heiroglyphics scrawled all over it, a large, blue R stamped in its center looked out of place.

"That's a weird heiroglyph," Sharon said. "I've never seen it before..."

Iris eyed the symbol and her face lit up. "Agh!" she cried. "That's not a heiroglyph! That's the insignia for Repliforce!"

"Repliforce?" Darren asked. "The military group you used to work with?..."

"This is very odd..." Smith said. "Be ready for anything."

With a mighty push, Iris and her friends barged through the door and came face-to-face with about twenty bandits.

"OK, who's the boss?" Smith huffed as he looked through the crowd. "Heh! Always wanted to say that..."

"Well, well, well..." a gravelly voice chuckled. "You must be pretty clever to find your way here."

Iris had heard the voice before. "That voice sounds really familiar..." she said, scratching her chin. "Where have I heard it before?"

A red owl Reploid wearing a distinguished military uniform made his way out of the crowd. He chuckled as he eyed the party. Just then, his expression changed from mad to surprise. "Well, if it isn't Iris. How have you been?" he asked.

"...Storm Owl?!" Iris asked suddenly.

"Who's he?" Darren asked.

"Storm Owl used to watch me while Colonel was off on Repliforce missions," she explained. "I guess you could call him my old babysitter."

"Wasn't he a prominent Repliforce officer, too?" Sharon asked.

"Indeed I was, and I will be again!" Owl corrected. "With my employer's backing, soon Repliforce will rise from the ashes, and I'll resume command of my flying brigade!"

"But Storm Owl, why are you doing this?" Smith asked.

"My master told me that if I can gather a lot of technology, he would fund my Repliforce rebuilding plan," Storm Owl replied. "I'll build a new base and restart the entire militia to protect and serve again. I just need a few more pieces, and then I can take to the skies again!"

"So, you're stealing?" Iris asked. "That's funny; I didn't take you for someone who would do that."

"I do what I must if it means getting Repliforce back on its feet," Owl replied. "Why don't you help me? I'd be glad to reinstate you."

"I don't think so," she answered, frowning. "Not if it means becoming a bandit like you!"

Storm Owl fumed. "I didn't expect any other response from you," he said. "To tell you the truth, I don't particularly care for this line of work... We take what others have worked so hard to make, and we hide underground like cowardly rodents... But if it means rebuilding Repliforce, I'll do it without question!"

"You know, I came here to find a computer chip," she said. "But now I'm also going to knock some sense into you! Can't you hear yourself? You're just a puppet for whoever your boss is!"

"Trust me, whoever you're working for, it's not worth all this," Smith grumbled.

"If you don't agree with me, then I don't have much choice," Storm Owl said as he motioned for his lackeys to all back away. "I'm also under orders to bring you in, Iris! So, all of you, get ready!"

"You're actually going to fight us?" Iris asked crossly.

"Finally, a little combat to get my mind off the mummies," Sharon chuckled as she cracked her knuckles and moved to Iris's side.

"It'll be interesting to fight against you, Iris," Storm Owl said. "But don't think I'll go easy on you!"

"Likewise," Iris growled, readying her I-Buster.

Storm Owl lunged at Iris and knocked her flat. Sharon charged at him with her S-Buster blazing, but he slapped her with his wings and kicked her away. Iris got up and shot at him several times, but he flew around each burst and crashed into her like a smart bomb.

"Oww... Man, you're tough..." Sharon grunted as she got up.

"I've had plenty of time to train," he gloated. "Have you had enough?"

"Not at all!" Sharon growled. Just then, her armor flashed and turned grayish-green. "What the heck?!" she asked.

"Oh!" Darren exclaimed. "That must be whatever power you got from beating Launch Octopus! Use it, Sharon!"

Sharon nodded and aimed at the big bird. "OK, let's see what we've got!" she said. She fired the gun and a long, red tentacle shot out and wrapped around him.

"Agh! Hey!!!" Storm Owl growled as he struggled to free himself.

"...OK..." Sharon gulped. "This is a little disturbing..." She flicked the tenacle and sent Storm Owl spinning off into a wall. "...But who's complaining?" she concluded.

"Thanks, Sharon!" Iris said as her armor became pink and green. "My turn! Silk Shot!" She fired a huge web of silky gunk that pinned Storm Owl to the ground. "I don't want to fight you, Storm Owl!" she said. "Come on, let's end this!"

"You bet I will!" Storm Owl grunted as he flapped his wings and broke the binding threads. "We may be old friends, but I've got orders! And I won't let Repliforce stay defeated! Now!..."

"No, wait!" Iris pleaded. "Come on! Stop!!!"

Storm Owl leaped forward and pointed at the floor beneath the party. Instantly a freak windstorm started up and blew them across the room. "Owww..." Sharon groaned as she forced herself to stand up. "Nasty!..."

"Now, then," Storm Owl said as he came up behind Iris. "One more blow to silence you!"

"I wouldn't do that, Storm," she warned as she got up with her back against the wall.

"Orders are orders!" Storm Owl retorted as he pointed at Iris. "Double Cyclone!!!"

Storm Owl's finger shot a fast-moving blast of sharp wind right at Iris, but at the last second Iris leaped away, and it smashed a huge hole in the wall. Instantly the entire room shook violently.

"What... What's happening?!" Storm Owl asked as he looked around nervously. Suddenly, a huge chunk of the ceiling crashed down right beside him. Several more chunks smashed to the ground, crushing a few of the bandits in the process.

"Ahh!!!" Smith cried as he ran to a corner and curled up. Darren ran too, but stumbled and fell just as a gigantic slab buried itself in the corner he was running for. Iris and Sharon stood their ground, blasting any pieces that fell towards them.

After an awful thirty seconds, the quaking stopped. The room was a mess; shattered ceiling lay everywhere, and everyone left was looking about in a daze.

"If you use your wind attacks in here, they'll collapse the pyramid," Sharon said quickly. "What were you thinking, man?!"

"Good Lord..." Storm Owl said as he looked around at the smashed bodies of his soldiers. "What WAS I thinking?"

"C'mon, Storm," Iris pressed. "Go on like this and the pyramid isn't the only thing that'll cave in on you."

Storm Owl hung his head in thought for a moment. "But I have nothing to rebuild Repliforce with," he said. "What shall I do?"

"I have an idea," Smith said as he walked over to Storm Owl and wrote down Dr. Bahai's address on a slip of paper. "Go and see this man; he can find your men and you some honest work so you can restart your army the right way."

Storm Owl started to take the paper, but hesitated. "My boss will know that I didn't defeat you, and he'll deal with me harshly," he said.

"So just keep a low profile," Darren said. "If he can't find you, he can't deal with you. Right?"

"Yes, but it wouldn't be very convincing," Owl replied. He thought for another moment, then opened up his arm cannon and handed Iris a small chip. "Take this," he said. "It's my weapon, the Double Cyclone. My boss would think me destroyed if you have it."

Iris took the chip and stuck it in her own cannon, and her armor turned green and yellow. "Wonderful!" she said happily.

"We will take our leave now," Storm Owl said as he motioned for his remaining soldiers to leave. "The path to the stolen materials is in the northwest corner. Goodbye, and good luck." With that, he turned and stalked out of the room.

"Well, that had to be the easiest Maverick fight yet," Smith chuckled.

"OK, we're wasting time," Iris said as she ran to the northwest corner and stomped on the floor stones. Sure enough, one of them slid away and revealed a flight of steps. "Let's find that chip!"

"Oh, great," Darren said. "For a minute there, I thought we had the old Iris back..."

"Well, we'd better head down," Sharon said. "The sooner we're out of here, the better."

Everyone quickly followed Iris down into a low-ceilinged, wide room. Huge piles of machines and circuitry were strewn all around. One odd, mirror-like device was set up on the far side of the room.

"Man, this is a freakin' spider hole," Sharon grunted as she looked around.

"Let's start looking for that chip," Smith said as he walked to a pile of scrap and started rooting through it.

"(SIGH) All right..." Darren sighed as he chose another pile.

"Thanks, guys! I'll look over here," Iris said as she walked up to the mirror machine and looked around.

After five minutes of searching, everybody turned up with nothing. "I guess there wasn't a chip here," Smith said. "How disappointing..."

"Dammit, you mean I had the snot scared out of me for nothing?!" Sharon fumed. "That does it! I'm going home!!!"

"No, wait!" Iris panted. "There's GOT to be a chip here! There just HAS to be!"

"Iris..." Darren said.

Iris quickly looked over at the mirror machine. "Maybe there's one in there!" she said as she ran to the machine and started pulling at its controls. "Let's pull it apart and look!"

"Uh, Iris, that could be dangerous," Smith warned. "I've never seen something like it before..."

"Iris! Stop!" Darren pleaded.

"Almost got it!..." Iris gasped as she tugged hard. The control panel moved out slightly. "Yeah!" she said. "OK, now I have to yank it out a little more..."

Just then, the mirror glowed bright red, and yellow sparks swirled around its glass.

"Iris! Get away!!!" Darren yelled.

"Something's happening!" Smith exclaimed.

"I don't even wanna know..." Sharon gulped.

"...Huh?" Iris asked as she looked over at the mirror. Suddenly there was a bright flash, and she flew backwards into Darren. Slowly, a red-armored foot emerged from the mirror, followed by an arm, and then an entire figure.

"Holey moley..." Smith gasped.

The mirror had produced a Reploid coated head to toe in red armor. One of his arms had a huge gun attached to it, and his face was marked with war paint and a cruel sneer.

"Finally, I made it through!" he said energetically. "So, they were right!"

"Who the heck are you?!" Sharon growled.

"Who am I?" the Reploid chuckled. "Well, that shows how advanced this place is! I'm Fefnir, one of the Guardians of Master X, the head of Neo Arcadia!"

"Fefnir? Master X? Neo...?" Iris asked. "What..."

Fefnir looked around and grinned sadistically. "Wait'll I tell the others that the Dimension Warp works!" he said. "They'll be so surprised!"

"Dimension Warp?..." Smith asked. "Woah! So... Are you from another plane of existance?!"

"Whatever you say, pal," Fefnir snorted. "All I know is now Neo Arcadia's got plenty of room to expand!"

"Neo Arcadia?" Darren asked. "What's that?"

"Neo Arcadia's the utopia that Master X founded when all the Mavericks had been offed," Fefnir replied. "It was built so lazy humans like you would be safe if the Mavericks ever came back. But you never know who could be a Maverick, can ya? So, we basically take down anyone who goes against us. So, just to gauge what this world is like, are you gonna pledge allegience to Neo Arcadia, or not?"

Everyone glanced at each other, then frowned at Fefnir. "No sale, Fefnir," Iris said. "And if Master X and his soldiers are as bullying as you, then Neo Arcadia must not be a very nice place!"

"So, that's how it's gonna be, eh?" Fefnir threatened. "I guess we'll have to do this my favorite way: the HARD way!"

Fefnir trained his gun on a pile of scrap and launched a giant fireball. The clutter exploded into dust. Iris and her friends shielded their eyes from the blast, then looked at the smoldering pile in horror.

"Oh, my God..." Sharon gasped. "He's insane!"

"What have I done?..." Iris whispered. Just then, she frowned defiantly. "Come on, Sharon, let's take this guy!" she growled. "We can't let him leave!"

"Iris, are you crazy?!" Sharon exclaimed. "You saw what he did to that scrap!"

"That's exactly why we can't let him get outside!" Iris said. "Now COME ON!"

"...Good point," Sharon muttered as she joined Iris in charging Fefnir.

"So, NOW you put up a fight, huh?" Fefnir laughed. "Cute! The little girls think they can stop me!"

Iris switched to her Silk Shot weapon and fired a glob of gunk, and Sharon launched several volleys from her S-Buster. Fefnir swung his fist to deflect the shots and then ignited the goo with a shot of his own. He charged forward, grabbed Iris and Sharon and lifted them into the air.

"Agh!" Iris cried.

"Hey, lemme go! Lemme go!" Sharon snarled.

"So, open aggression towards Neo Arcadia, huh?" Fefnir cackled. "That's grounds for execution, sweethearts!"

Darren nervously watched Iris and Sharon writhe for a few moments, then set his jaw and scowled at Fefnir. He very quickly bent down and picked up a chunk of metal. "Nobody's executing anyone!" he yelled, angrily pitching it.

It hit a surprised Fefnir in the head, and he turned on Darren, dropping Iris and Sharon. "So, you wanna throw down too, huh?" he laughed.

"Darren! What're you doing?!" Smith asked.

"You guys get out of here, now!" Darren shouted. "I have an idea of how to send him back!"

"Darren, are you nuts?!" Sharon yelled. "He'll rip through you like a knife through butter!"

"Maybe, but I have to get rid of him!" Darren said. "Hurry and go!"

Iris looked at Darren strangely. "What're you saying, Darren?!" she asked in shock.

"No time!" Darren huffed, turning and giving her a strong shove towards the stairs. "GO!!!"

"Darren, no, wait!!!" Iris pleaded as she tried to run back, but Smith and Sharon grabbed her.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Smith asked.

"I'll sure try to be," Darren replied. "Now, get out of the pyramid! Hurry!"

Sharon and Professor Smith dragged a kicking and yelling Iris up the stairs and vanished. Darren bit his lip and turned back to Fefnir. "Well, you've got some attitude to ya, human," Fefnir laughed. "I like you!"

"I don't know where you're from or why you're here, but I can't let you stay," Darren growled.

"Heh! Fine, then!" Fefnir laughed as he targeted Darren. "Come and get me!!!"

Fefnir fired a giant fireball, but Darren leaped away and it blew a hole in the far wall. The pyramid quaked angrily.

"Well, well, well!" Fefnir said as he looked at a face-down Darren. "No human's ever dodged my fireballs... Congratulations! But it ain't gonna happen again!"

Darren glanced between Fefnir and the glowing mirror. "(I've got to pull the plug on that dimension warp thing...)" he thought. "(Maybe that'll send Fefnir away...)"

"I'm s'posed to protect humans, as a rule," Fefnir chuckled as he locked on to Darren again. "But ya know what?" He squeezed the trigger. "I CAN'T STAND 'EM!!!"

Darren got up and moved away, but the blast's aftershock sent him flying across the room. Again the pyramid shook violently. Flecks of dust floated down from the ceiling, but neither Fefnir or Darren cared.

"Wow, you are one lucky little brat; you know that?!" Fefnir said, growing red with fury. "OK, third time's a charm!!!"

"Oh, geez..." Darren gulped as he staggered to his feet and tried to run.

Fefnir roared and shot an even bigger fireball. Darren tried to run, but stumbled and fell on his face. The fireball whizzed over him and tore out the entire rear wall, and the pyramid wavered and shook like a gelatin dessert. "Uh-oh..." Fefnir said, suddenly aware of the problem. "Something tells me that was bad!"

"Well, you won't be around to know!" Darren said as he staggered to his feet and ran to the mirror machine. He tried hitting several of the buttons, but nothing happened.

"Tryin' to send me back, huh?!" Fefnir said as he ran over to Darren and put his gun to the young man's head. "Don't even try!"

"(These buttons aren't working, and he's gonna kill me, and this place is gonna collapse any moment...)" Darren thought as sweat poured down his face. "(What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do...)"

"You sure gave me a runaround, but playtime's over!" Fefnir panted as he started to pull the trigger. "So long, sucker!"

"This had better work!!!" Darren yelled, pulling as hard as he could and wrenching the entire control panel out of the machine. Instantly the mirror sparked and whirred, and its surface glowed blood red. Fefnir started glowing red, too.

"Hey, what the?!..." Fefnir yelled as a mysterious force dragged him across the floor towards the mirror. "No way!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!"

With one bright flash, Fefnir vanished back into the portal, which promptly dimmed and shut down.

"Phew..." Darren panted. "That... was close..."

Just then, a huge chunk of ceiling smashed down next to him and he remembered the other threat.

"Iris, quit squirming!!!" Sharon snarled as Smith, Iris and her ran out of the shaking pyramid.

"Darren's still in there!" Iris yelled. "I've gotta go back!"

"Well, then who's gonna come after you?!" Smith retorted.

Just then, the pyramid gave a loud, guttural roaring sound and collapsed in on itself. A mountain of dust and sand burst skyward and blotted out the sun.

"My God..." Smith gasped, his eyes wide with horror.

"Darren!!!" Sharon cried. "Oh, no!!!"

"DARREN!!!" Iris screamed. She quickly broke free of Sharon and Smith's grip and charged into the dust cloud. She frantically looked around, but all she could see was dust, sand and rubble. Madly, she got down on her knees and started pulling the stones up, thinking only of finding her friend.

"Iris, what're you doing?!" Sharon asked as Smith and she ran up.

"Shut up and help me dig!!!" she snapped. Sharon quickly knelt down and helped her move the huge blocks.

After a horrible fifteen minutes, the party ripped out one final stone. Beneath it lay Darren. His clothes were torn, his hair was a mess, and he was hacking up a mixture of blood and dust.

"Darren!!!" Iris exclaimed as she hauled him out of the tomb and held him in her arms. "Please, say something!" she begged.

Darren coughed a few more times, and then slowly forced one of his eyes open. "Oh... Iris..." he whispered. "I... I did it... I sent... Fefnir back..."

"Who cares about that?!" Iris snapped. "I'm just glad you're OK!!!"

"Ugh..." Darren coughed again, and some blood splattered onto Iris's clothing. "H-here..." He choked as he held up the control box for the dimension warp machine. "There... might be something... in here..."

Smith quietly nodded and took the shining box from the broken lad.

"Darren..." Iris said quietly.

"Heh... That's what you wanted, right?..." Darren chuckled. Just then, his face twitched in pain, and he hacked up some more blood. "Ugh... So tired... Must..." he wheezed as his eyes closed and his head slowly slumped over.

"Darren!" Iris gasped as she shook him, practically blind from the hot tears pouring down her cheeks. "No! NO!!! Darren, don't leave me, PLEASE!!! DARREN!!!"

Later that night, a grim party waited outside the Science Museum's medical room. Professor Krein stepped out and addressed them.

"He has severe tissue damage, massive internal bleeding and several broken bones, not to mention lungs full of sand... I'll have to operate right away. Keep clear, everyone," he said as he quickly turned and walked back into the room.

Everybody sat in the waiting room, the tension so thick it could have been cut with a chainsaw. Sharon paced back and forth, anxiously chewing her lip. Smith tried to read a book, but he soon gave up. Iris sat in the corner, unusually silent and miserable-looking.

Sharon sat down next to Iris and looked over. "You look awful," she remarked.

"He risked his life for me..." Iris whispered, turning the recovered control box over in her hands like a newborn. "...And after all I did to him..."

"What do you mean, Iris?" Sharon asked.

"After we got those other three chips, I got really excited that we would find the fouth one right away," she explained. "He tried to warn me, but I just wouldn't listen... I told him to find a location quick, and then I made us all go there as soon as possible... And I'm the one who activated that dimension warp thing... Now he's lying in that room, clinging to life by a thread... and it's all my fault..." Big wet tears rolled down her cheeks as she put her face in her hands. "I'm such a horrible friend..."

"Iris," Snake Man said. "Darren'll be okay. He's a klutz, but he's a really tough klutz."

"First my brother, then Zero... Now this..." Iris sniffled. "Why do I end up killing everyone I care about?..."

"Hey, that's not true!" Sharon said harshly. "Everybody makes mistakes. Darren will forgive you. Ya just... gotta be more careful from now on."

Iris sighed again and hung her head.

Several anxious hours later, Krein quietly returned to the waiting room. Everyone looked at him anxiously. "Give it to us straight, doc!" Sharon said. "Is he gonna be OK?!"

" ...Darren will be just fine," Krein said cheerfully. "The medicine I gave him will heal his wounds pretty quickly. A day of rest and he'll be fine."

Iris was overjoyed. "Oh, thank you, professor!" she cried happily. "Can I go and see him?"

"Certainly," Krein said. "Just be gentle."

Iris and the others ran into the operating room. Darren lay on the table covered by a blanket, and a nearby bag dripped something into a tube that went into his arm.

"...Darren?..." Iris asked quietly.

Darren opened his eyes and smiled tiredly at Iris. "Hey, Iris. What's up?" he asked with a weak chuckle.

"Good to see you again, D," Sharon said. "You almost made me pee my pants!... Almost."

"Thank goodness you're all right," Smith said. "I was afraid I was going to lose my omnitheater operator. Heh! Just kidding."

Iris was strangely quiet. "Iris? Are you OK?" Darren asked.

Iris looked at Darren, then smiled happily as warm tears gushed down her face. "Oh, Darren..." she cried as she grabbed him, hugged him tightly and nuzzled his cheek. "Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me?! Oh, I was so worried... But you're OK... I'm so happy!..."

"Easy there, Iris! My stitches are still pretty loose," Darren chuckled, reassuringly rubbing her back.

"I've got some good news as well," Professor Olson said, coming into the room. "The control panel that Darren brought out of the pyramid DID contain a chip: the Omega chip. We can build the serum now!"

"All right!..." Darren said. "Now you can get Zero back, Iris. That's great! Doesn't that make you really happy?"

"Sure it does..." Iris said with a small blush. "But you know what? Zero isn't the only thing that makes me happy right now..."

Darren smiled brightly, and let Iris hug him again.