Gi parked the Geo Cruiser in front of the Tower.

"How far away is this island?" Ace asked Kwame.

"A fair way. But the Cruiser will make it in easy time," he answered.

"Ace," said Sparx. "I was thinking, there's a lot of machinery in that factory, and heaps of bad guys. We could really use Random for this."

As soon as he heard the word machinery, Mark knew what was coming. "It would be very, very dangerous if he switched sides during this. And one of you would have to ride in this Geo Cruiser thing in case he takes control of it."

"I will!" Sparx was glad for an excuse to see how this Geo thing worked.

Ace sighed. "Well, we can ask him."

"Ask who what?" Captain Planet appeared next to them.

"Must you do that?" Ace asked in annoyance.

"It's the only way I'm going to find anything out from you," was the reply.

"We're going to go see if a friend of ours, another Lightning Knight, will help," said Sparx. She jumped on the Flash, grabbed Ace, who was in the middle of a staring contest with Planet, and took off. "We'll be right back!"

When they arrived at the junkyard everything was quiet.

"Random Virus, show yourself!" yelled Ace.

Random Virus, part humanoid and part machine, rolled out from a small shed.

"Ace, Sparx? What's happening?" he asked.

Ace smiled, relieved that his friend's good side was in control. "We've got a situation."

"What kind of situation?"

"Some stuck-up, pathetic excuse for a superhero has shown up and is--"

"Fear's back." Sparx interrupted Ace, worried they'd be there all day. "And a bunch of other bad guys. There's a new hero and his friends here to help us. We're going to their headquarters to talk, but we need you."

"I guess that sums it up," said Ace.

"It sounds like I'd only complicate matters," said Random dejectedly. "You'd be better off without me."

"Random, please. We need you." Ace placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"We have to go now," Sparx looked at Random. "Please?"

Random sighed. "Fine." He didn't sound too happy about it. "I'll meet you at the Tower."

"There's no time," said Ace. He grabbed one of Random's arms, and Sparx took the other. They lifted Random into the air and flew back to the Tower.

After they arrived, and introduced Random to the others, everyone except Ace and Captain Planet climbed into the Geo Cruiser. It was a bit of a tight fit. Random, Ma-Ti, Wheeler and Chuck sat in the isle between the seats. Gi drove, firing questions at Random about his mechanical parts, which intrigued her. Sparx, who had left the Lightning Flash behind, sat next to Gi, and watched her pilot the Cruiser with confidence and ease. After a while, she shifted her gaze out the window, where Ace and Captain Planet were trying to outdo each other in aerial acrobatics. She sighed.

"Stupid human emotions."

"There is nothing wrong with emotion," Ma-Ti told her.

Sparx turned in her seat and faced at him. "Try dumping a huge bunch of them on a hero who's never had them, and then leaving him to deal with it."

"That might be why he's been acting so stupid around Captain Planet," added Mark. "He's probably jealous."

"Not jealous," frowned Ma-Ti. "Just concerned. Perhaps he feels threatened."

"How can you tell?" Sparx asked him.

"My power is heart. I can tell what people are feeling." Ma-Ti told her.

"And he can sometimes control what people are feeling," Wheeler threw in.

"Really?" asked Random, hopefully.

Ma-Ti smiled up at him. "Yes, but you are going to have to find a way to control your own emotions."

Random nodded, but couldn't hide the disappointment on his face. People were always happy to give him good advice, but it didn't stop his evil side from taking over.

The rest of the journey was spent with Linka and Chuck talking about computers, Kat and Mark writing a story for the school paper, Wheeler and Sparx discussing martial arts, Gi and Random talking about the latest in environmentally friendly fuels, Kwame watching the two heroes outside in amusement, and Ma-Ti playing with his pet monkey.

"We're here!" Gi announced. There was a slight bump as they landed, and then the engines shut off. The door opened and the travelers stepped out.

"Oh, wow," breathed Kat. The others had to agree. Hope Island was beautiful, covered with plants and surrounded by a pristine beach. The sun was high in the sky and birds were singing in the trees.

"Come on," Captain Planet led them down a narrow path into the dense jungle. "It's time to go see Gaia."