Review replies, yay!

Prominence Flare: I'm glad I have your interest! ;)

Sassy08: Don't worry, Sassy! He'll save her! (Oh, and update soon, please!)

Everyone else, thanks so much! (tosses you roses) This chapter will feature a character we all (should) know, and some of us love, so keep your eyes peeled. I know it's weird, but this is a weird story! Please, enjoy. And who agrees that "Just the Girl" from Click 5 is the PERFECT J/C song? Show of hands, please! HOLLA!

Chapter 4: The Call of Hope

As Cindy lay unconscious in the stretcher, she had a dream.

She stood in a gray mass of clouds and fog. A voice was calling to her. It was Jimmy's voice!

"Jimmy?" she called. Jimmy found his way over to her.

"Cindy!" he said as they hugged, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" she ranted, "I'm being carried to a lab to be brainwashed, and waiting for you to come get me!"

"Cindy, don't worry about it," he smiled and took her hand, "I know where you are...generally, anyway. I'm still working on the specifics so I can come up with a plan of action."

"Well hurry up, 'cause I don't know where I am!" Cindy said, then softly asked, "Jimmy? You are coming for me, aren't you?"

"Of course," he said as the dream started to transit, "I'll always come for you."

In reality, the kids had reached the large room where they would brainwash the poor girl. They started to wheel her into the room. In her dream, Cindy looked anxiously around for Jimmy. He was gone!

"Jimmy!" she cried out, "Please don't leave me here! I know I don't usually say this, but I'm scared! Please, Jimmy! Don't go!" she said this as she sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands.

Tricie and Alex lay Cindy inside a cushion-lined chair cell with glass at the top half of the door and metal the rest of the way around (like a Dragonball Z escape pod).

In her dream, Cindy felt a wind rush all around her. When she looked up, an electric-blue multitude of zeroes and ones were flying all over the place! She quickly stood as the numbers swirled around her.

"What's going on!" she shouted, frightened, "What's happening to me? Jimmy!" She ran forward and tripped. When she did, the numbers flew backward until they were a background. Cindy stood up to see April the Gorlock approach her. Considering the circumstances, Cindy was relieved to see a familiar and (almost) friendly face.

"April!" she ran to the alien girl, "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

"As am I, Cindy Vortex," April put her hands together in greeting, "but I have not come for small talk. I came to help you escape."

"Escape?" Cindy said, "But this is a dream! How can you help me when I'm asleep?"

"Ah, but that is where I can assist you," April smiled, "Listen, Cindy Vortex. I'm very well aware of the special feelings you share with Jimmy Neutron. It is this love that will save you."

"Love?" Cindy said indignantly, "Why, I ought to—hold it. How can it help?" April chuckled at the blonde.

"You are as jumpy as a Lacerean marsh cricket," she commented, "but your heart is overall pure...Now, then. This is what you must do, Cindy, or it will be too late for Jimmy to save you: You must call for him."

"Call for him," Cindy mused, "But I'm asleep! And even if I did, there's no phone, and he'd never be able to hear me from here!"

"I haven't finished explaining," April said, "You must call for him, not with your voice, but with your heart, your soul, your all. With your entire being, and the love you share, you can reach him; and he will hear you. This I can promise."

Cindy looked thoughtfully at April, taking in everything she'd said. Could it be? Would he hear her? She blushed. (Cheesy part coming up.)

"I'll do it, April!" she said, determined, "I'm gonna fight this! I'm gonna call him with everything I am, and he'll save me!"

"I know he will," April smiled, "He is someone with whom you would trust your life." (And she should know about trust.) April then looked above her as they both heard something.

"What is that?" Cindy asked, "They can't be starting their brainwash process!"

The door to her chair cell closed in the real world. From a window in a control room, the first doctor pleasantly said to Alex (who was the only one now standing next to Cindy) "Okay, Alex! You can give her the anesthesia now!"

Alex stood at Cindy's cell guiltily. She was about to ruin yet another kid's life for this doctor's insane, twisted purposes! No. No more!

"Alex?" the doctor asked. She closed her eyes and clenched two fists. She sweated a little as her heart beat faster.

'God help me,' she prayed, 'in what I'm about to do.'

From our perspective, the window with the control room is on the right, and Alex was standing by Cindy with her back to the window.

Alex turned to the doctor and said, "I'm sorry, Doctor, but I must protest!"

"Good heavens, why not?" asked the doctor with a concerned tone of voice, "Don't you want to help her reach her potential?"

"Not if it means kidnapping her and ruining her life, erasing all her most precious memories and bending her intelligence to our will!" she said, "I can't stand living like this anymore!"

Tricie went to the doctor and said quietly, "It's a little late at night for this, Doc. Can we at least put it off 'til tomorrow? We're all tired."

"Well, I suppose," he said, "Come on out of the lab with us, Alex, and we'll talk about it tomorrow morning. It's about time we were all in bed. We'll just leave our little friend there comfortably 'til tomorrow."

They all left the room, so they didn't see Cindy move her arms in the pod (even though she's not awake). Whenever Jimmy would come, she still had to fight and at least get out of the pod!

In her dream, April urged her, "You must do it now, Cindy, while your mind is still yours! Call him!"

(Still in her dream) Cindy breathed deep to gather her strength in voice. Upon doing so, her heart, soul, and mind threw his name to the sky:

"JIMMY!"

Jimmy abruptly lifted his formerly sleepy head from one of his lab tables. He cancelled the tracking scan and called his dog.

"It's okay, Goddard," he said as he ran toward the exit, "I know where she is now, in some strange way. Come on, boy. Mom and Dad have locked away the rocket, hovercar, and my jet pack, so I'll just have to ride you. Goddard! Fly-cycle mode!"

Goddard turned into a fly-cycle and carried Jimmy away to save Cindy.

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Author's Review:
Ha, ha! I pulled out all the stops on that one! They did that out of the parental paranoia that Jimmy might be kidnapped, and the captor would use one of those to get away. Either that, or it's just average paranoia...you pick.

Anyway, this was the first pivotal chapter—part 1 of the climax of the story. I bet y'all were surprised to see April, weren't you? How about that doctor guy? Is he whacked out or WHAT?

Before I forget: I have the three ultimate J/C songs, by rank:

"Just the Girl" from Click 5 (could it be any more true?)
"Collide" from Howie Day (because you know they do!)
"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" (I think it's called that) by Lifehouse (because I read it in a JN fic by RedistheRose—"The White Pearl," I think it's called.)

If y'all agree or disagree with me, HOLLA! (I love saying that!) Hey, you! Open those big slidey doors! I LOVE that! 'Til next time, y'all!

-samuraistar