Outside, Ace and Captain Planet's argument was interrupted by a loud cackling.
"Fear!" Ace spun around and readied his cannons.
Captain Planet heard a cold, feminine laugh. "And Dr. Blight!"
Ace started firing towards the woods, not bothering to look for Fear, just hoping to hit him.
"Help!" Sparx yelled from inside the Tower, but Ace didn't hear her. Mark, Chuck, Kwame and Kat had all jumped back into the GeoCruiser when Ace had started firing. Captain Planet, trying to use the flashes of light Ace was creating to see Dr.Blight, was the only one who heard her.
"Ace, your--" he started to say, before diving out of the way of a stray bolt.
"Help!" Sparx sounded scared. Planet took one look at Ace, and knew what he had to do.
Throughout her career as a Knight, Sparx had battled mutant pigs, power-hungry skeletons, and walking dead guys, but never flames. Although she didn't know it, it wasn't just smoke overpowering her, but chemicals as well. She was finding it hard to see clearly, let alone stay standing.
"Help!" she yelled, or at least thought she did. "Help me. . ." She started sinking to the floor, and barley heard Captain Planet bursting through the wall.
As soon as he entered the toxic cloud of smoke, Captain Planet was weakened. His only vice was toxins and pollutants. As he started to fall to the floor, he willed himself to stay up. Parting the flames, he began searching for Sparx. She was crumpled on the floor, the fire creeping closer to her still form. Commanding the flames to stay back, Captain Planet flew down, grabbed Sparx, and pulled her out through the hole he had made in the wall. He laid her on the ground outside, before collapsing beside her.
"Sparx!" Kat ran towards them.
Sparx, coughing uncontrollably, tried to sit up. Kat helped her, and started wiping soot from her face and hair.
"Captain Planet!" Kwame joined them, followed by Chuck.
"Toxic smoke . . . weakened me. Must…return to earth . . . to recharge." Kwame nodded.
"Wait!" Sparx grabbed Captain Planet's arm. "Thank you."
Captain Planet nodded. Turning to Kwame, he said, "The power is yours," before disappearing.
As soon as he had seen Captain Planet break into the Tower, and the smoke come pouring out, Mark had rung the fire brigade. He was now struggling to convince them that it wasn't a prank call.
Ace gave up on finding Fear, who was satisfied that a least one of the Knights had been destroyed, and had left. Ace turned around and noticed the hole and the smoke. "What the . .? Sparx!" he saw her on the ground with Kat beside her. "What happened?" he ran over to them. Sparx started to explain, but was stopped by another fit of coughing.
"Lord Fear and Dr. Blight set the Tower on fire. Sparx was trapped inside. While you were out here shooting at your own shadow, Captain Planet saved her." Kat told him, somewhat curtly.
"Where's Planet now?" Ace asked Kwame.
"He had to return to the earth to recharge,"
"Guys, quick! I've got the fire brigade coming, but they can't see you two, and we kids don't want to spend the night in prison as prime suspects for burning down the observatory."
"You three go home, I'll take these two back to Hope Island," said Kwame.
"I'll call you tomorrow, Ace," yelled Mark, taking off with Kat and Chuck.
Sitting next to her in the GeoCruiser while Kwame piloted, Ace tried to apologize to Sparx.
"Sparx, I'm sorry. I should have been there to help you, and I wasn't. It's just, after what Fear did to Lady Illusion, and he's been hiding for so long, I couldn't control myself. I had to destroy him . . . Sparx?" Ace had expected some sort of snappy comment by now. He looked down, and realized that Sparx was asleep, using his shoulder as a pillow. He smiled and put his arm around her.
Sparx hated apologies, mostly because she was normally the one making them. Certain that he'd finished, she sighed quietly and fell asleep for real.
The rest of the Planeteers crowded around Kwame and Ace, who was carrying the still sleeping Sparx, when they arrived back on the Island. They had felt the power return to their rings, and knew something had happened. Kwame filled them in while Gaia showed Ace where to put Sparx for the night.
"I take it you'll be staying here a while, then." she said.