I can't be sure, but I believe this story started somewhere between GaDS2004's The Devil Came Back To Retroville, MidnightMoon14's Intergalactic Love, and various other stories. A relatively long time ago...maybe 6, 7 months?
But anyway; all this, combined with my feverish mind, concocted a crazy stew. So, without further ado, I present the end product:
Jimmy's New World
Um...so...what're you waiting for, already? Look! Read! Enjoy! ...
---------------------O-O---------------------
Sheen Estevez watched his best friend since forever, Jimmy Neutron, trudge across the cafeteria toward the table he always shared with Sheen and their mutual friend, Carl Wheezer. The boy genius held a cafeteria tray in his hands, which was odd, since Mrs. Neutron usually made him delicious lunches to take to school.
Jimmy let out a huge yawn as he sat, or rather, plopped, in a chair across from Sheen. He rubbed his blood shot eyes with a trembling hand.
Carl was the first to speak. "Hey, Jim, are you OK?" he asked curiously.
Jimmy rested his elbows on the table and shook his head. "I, uh, just stayed up late last night. That's all." He muffled another yawn.
"Well, well. Looks like Pewtron needs an earlier bed time." The trio turned to find Cindy Vortex, Jimmy's longtime rival and regular thorn in the side, and Libby Folfax, Cindy's best friend.
The former snootily looked down her nose at Jimmy. "Or at least one to begin with."
Usually Jimmy became upset and retorted with a witty comeback, but he seemed content to ignore the blonde girl and turn back around to munch on his pizza.
Irritated, Cindy knocked on his overly large head. "Hello?" she called, echoing her own voice. "Anybody in there?"
Sheen caught a glimpse of flame in his friend's eyes, but the boy genius stayed silent. He simply took another bite and chewed on it.
Stunned at her opponent's unusual silence, Cindy's green eyes grew large. She defiantly crossed her arms. "What's the matter, Nerdtron? Cat got your tongue?" she taunted. "Or maybe your big head can't think of anything."
Setting his pizza down, Jimmy slowly stood and faced his opponent. Sheen had briefly contemplated warning her against provoking his friend, but it was too late now. From the look on his face, she'd went and pushed him off the edge.
"Maybe," Jimmy began slowly, almost thoughtfully, "I don't feel like trading insults. Maybe I want you to shut your over-sized mouth for once and leave me alone." Cindy gasped indignantly, but he wasn't finished. "Maybe I feel like pinching your head off and the only way to keep myself from doing it is to avoid you and your 'all-that' attitude." He leveled his gaze with the stunned girl's. "How about it? You leave me alone, and I'll leave your head on your shoulders."
Cindy gaped at him incredulously, but the look on his face must have convinced her, for she nodded and gasped out a "Sure, whatever." She turned away, grabbed a stunned Libby's arm, and crossed to the far side of the cafeteria, casting nervous glances over her shoulder all the way.
Jimmy watched her go, then sat back down, picked up the piece of pizza, and ate like nothing happened.
Beside Sheen, Carl shook like a leaf. The boy's eyes had grown huge behind his optical lenses, staring at his friend with real fear.
Sheen, though amazed, grinned widely. "Whoa, Jimmy! That was cool! I almost believed you there for a second!" he exclaimed.
The boy genius raised his gaze to that of his friend's. "You'd better. It's the truth." The words were spoken slowly and calmly, showing absolutely no emotion.
Sheen's expression changed from a grin to a gaze closely matching the bewildered one Libby had exhibited moments ago. Jimmy finished his lunch and rose to throw the remains away. Not a single "Later, guys" or "Gotta blast!" came from him. Watching his friend leave, Sheen got the uncomfortable feeling Jimmy was hiding something. Exactly what...well, of course he had no clue.
But maybe he could find the reason behind his friend's new found irritability. This is a case for Sheen, Private I! ...or is it Private E?
1 Month Ago...
Underground, in a dark, cool lab, Goddard silently watched as his master put the finishing touches on his latest invention. In the notes, he called it a 'HoloDeck' and claimed inspiration from several sci-fi series. Goddard called up the first note Jimmy'd recorded since he began building. "...so it'll be called a HoloDeck, after its inspiration from the various science fiction series which contained these machines. They were created for entertainment, though I'll be using this one for experiments. It won't be as huge, and it's only a prototype, but I'm sure it will work fine. Now, we attach this set of wires over here to-" Goddard ended the clip, having sufficiently refreshed his memory. He glanced up as Jimmy attatched the last bolt.
"It's finished!" The boy genius stood back, gazing at his invention with a satisfied smile. He glanced over at his mechanical dog. "So, whatcha think, Goddard?"
Goddard gave a woof of approval. Jimmy grinned at his dog before looked back at the HoloDeck again. "OK, boy, I'm ready for the holographic subroutines."
Goddard trotted over and attached himself to the mechanical room via a long wire. Information flitted on his screen as it transferred to the computer. Finished, the metal dog detached and stepped back, watching his owner summon holographic images. Varied full body pictures of everyone Jimmy Neutron knew appeared in what seemed to be thin air. He chose three; one of Carl, one of Sheen, and one of Cindy.
The blue eyed boy began typing furiously on a keyboard, linking personalities with 3D models and creating complete holographic images. Goddard could recall, with the clarity due his mechanical brain, how Cindy'd nearly slapped Jimmy's head off his shoulders when she saw him taking the full body picture. He had, of course, recorded the incident, and would replay it whenever he wanted to annoy Jimmy, which might explain a better memory of that then the first note.
Finally, when the typing storm blew over, three figures stood motionless in the Deck. Jimmy keyed in a few more commands, making the Carl and Cindy holograms dissapear and leaving Sheen.
He stepped into the machine and addressed the main computer. "Vox, locate file 'Sheen Experiment One'."
A few beeping sounds, then Vox replied, "File located."
Jimmy nodded. "Execute."
The Sheen hologram came to life, the replica standing on his head and the customary Ultra Lord doll lying close by. The hologram spotted Jimmy and got to his feet.
"Hey, Jimmy!" Sheen's obnoxious voice echoed around the lab. Jimmy winced, plugging his ears against the volume. "Vox!" he yelled. "Lower volume 15 decibels!"
The synthesized calmly replied, "Volume lowered."
Goddard reactivated his audio receptors, which automatically switched off when the hologram spoke, due to the fail-safe device designed to protect them. ...at least I know it works.
The Sheen hologram repeated his greeting, though with a lower volume.
Jimmy smiled back. "Hi, Sheen." He paused then, as if trying to find words. "Sheen...did you hear about the Ultra Lord show?"
The Hispanic teen blinked. "What about it?" he asked curiously.
Jimmy stared at his shoes. "Um...I heard that..." He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself to say the words. "I heard it's being canceled. There won't be any new shows this fall."
The hologram stared at him. "Wh-what? No more...no more Ultra Lord?" Sheen-Gram's shoulders slumped, then heaved back up with his scream. "NOOOOOO! HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO ME!"
Goddard whimpered and covered his eyes. Jimmy tried to comfort his holo-friend, but Sheen-Gram continued screaming "NO!" The boy genius shook his head and ordered, "Vox, end experiment." Almost immediately the screaming stopped and the hologram dissapeared.
Goddard stood up, his head cocked. Jimmy understood his dog's unspoken question. "Yeah, I know, boy. That response was pretty predictable. But I gotta start somewhere! And why not test my accuracy with the predictable?" He turned back to the Deck. "Vox, locate file 'Carl Experiment One'."
"File located."
"Execute."
This time, Carl-Gram appeared laying on the floor, doodling llamas. Goddard extended his neck a little to see what else he'd drawn, but the hologram noticed his attempts. He sat up, hugging the paper close so no one could see.
Jimmy watched all this with a bit of amusement before addressing the hologram. "Hi, Carl."
Carl-Gram looked up at his voice. A smile spread across the holgraphic face. "Hi, Jim," he replied. "Whatcha doin'?"
Jimmy shrugged nonchalantly before replying, "Oh, just thought I'd stop in to talk to you." Again, as with the Sheen-Gram, he paused before continuing. "I was just wondering...did you hear about the South American llamas?"
A confused Carl-Gram got to his feet. "What about them?"
Jimmy looked away. "Uh, well..." He sighed, looking back at his holo-friend. "It seems an unanticipated blight broke out among the llama populace and, well...they're dead."
Carl-Gram stared at Jimmy, not moving a muscle. "D-dead?" he repeated. At the boy's affirmative nod, the hologram burst into tears. "Oh, no," he sobbed. "Th-the p-poor llamas!"
Jimmy patted the hologram on the back. "Don't worry, Carl," he comforted the holo-boy. "There's still an abundance of the llama species around the world!"
Carl-Gram sniffled. "Th-there is?" he asked hopefully, looking at Jimmy for reassurance. The boy genius smiled and nodded. "Sure! The llama population is still alive and kicking!" he said cheerily.
Carl-Gram nodded, smiling through his tears. Looking as though he hurt, Jimmy turned away and spoke. "Vox, end experiment."
As the hologram dissapeared, Goddard trotted up to his master and gazed curiously at the saddened look on his face. Jimmy looked as though he carried the weight of the world on his small shoulders. He looked at his pet and whispered, "I sure hope that never happens."
Goddard still stared up at Jimmy. He sighed and crouched to pet his dog. "I guess seeing Carl cry like that affected me more than I thought, boy. That's all." He grinned. "I'm fine."
Goddard looked at him again, then nodded to himself and walked back to the corner he'd occupied earlier. Jimmy stood up straight and spoke to Vox yet again. "Locate file 'Cindy Experiment One'." He glanced over at the slightly whimpering Goddard. "Don't worry, boy. This is the last one for tonight, promise."
Goddard shook his head and hid his eyes. That's not what I'm worried about...
"File located," a calm voice intterupted. Jimmy shifted his feet. "Freeze at frame 1."
Cindy-Gram appeared standing next to him. He grinned in obvious satisfaction. His growth had finally caught up to the blonde's, nearly taking him four inches higher. Having two tall parents, and yet being shorter than everyone else had really wore on his nerves, but just like his mother promised, he was now only shorter than Sheen.
Goddard whimpered loudly. Jimmy looked back at the dog. "Don't worry. I'm putting the safety on now, see?" He flipped a switch that would protect him from physical harm while he was in the HoloDeck. "But I have to do this, boy. This is one of the most predictable ones yet!" He faced the Cindy-Gram. "Execute program."
Goddard shook his head and hid in the corner. Don't say I didn't warn you...
Cindy-Gram placed her hands on her hips, scowling at Jimmy. "What do you want, Nerdtron?" she sneered.
Jimmy hesitated before taking Cindy-Gram's hand. The hologram stared at the intertwined hands before glancing up accusingly. "What, is this some kind of joke, Pewtron?"
The boy genius placed his other hand on top of Cindy-Gram's to keep her from pulling hers away. "Cindy, just listen to me. There's something I need to tell you." He gazed at their hands. "It's something I've hidden for a long time." He sighed, looking up into her eyes.
"Just spit it out!" Cindy-Gram demanded.
Jimmy moved a hand to take her other one. "Cindy...I think I'm in love with you."
In the dark corner, Goddard cowered, knowing better than his master what was coming next.
Cindy-Gram stared, stunned into silence. She jerked her hands free and raised one like she would smack his cheek, but it dropped back to her side. Her mouth opened slightly, then she burst into tears. "That's an awful joke to play, Nerdtron!" she screamed angrily. She turned on her heel and ran.
Jimmy stared after her, thoroughly shocked at her reaction. "Vox...end experiment," he murmered, still staring after Cindy-Gram. He trudged off the platform, muttering and shaking his head. "I don't understand, Goddard. She should've slapped me, at best. Knowing her, though, I should be buried in a holographic dumpster by now." He shook his head more forcefully. "I've seriously miscalculated," he decided. "We need more information." He took a chair near his dog. "Goddard, options."
Goddard reluctantly opened his veiwscreen to display what his programming demanded. "24-Hour Surveillance."
Jimmy shook his head. "No. There's some things I really don't wanna know." A strange expression crossed his face, then dissapeared as quickly as it came.
"Ask Family And Friends."
Again the boy shook his head. "Too obvious."
"Tap Her Phone."
Jimmy sat back, considering this. "It might work," he said slowly. "But she can't ever find out." He stood and started pacing. "We need some excuse to get inside her house and up to her room."
Goddard cocked his head in a human manner indicating deep thought. A while later, his viewscreen lit with the words "Sheen and Libby."
Jimmy paused in his tracks, frowning slightly at his dog. "Sheen and Libby? What's that gotta do with..." His words trailed off as an idea hit. "You're right! I could get Sheen to- wait, no." He thought for a moment more. Recalling something Sheen'd said earlier that day, he murmered, "Libby's going to have a birthday in a few days, isn't she?"
Goddard nodded; he'd overheard Libby discussing it with Cindy and a few other girls.
"And Cindy always gets her mother to let her throw a party for Libby, right?" A grin spread over his face. "It's perfect! All I have to do is get an invitation from Libby through Sheen. Cindy'll be mad, though..." He shrugged, indicating it wasn't his problem.
Jimmy stood, gathered some scrap metal, circuits, and assorted tools, and took a seat at his workbench. "Better get working, boy. We only have a few days!"
Watching his master work, Goddard sadly shook his head. If only you knew, he thought mournfully. If only you knew...
Present:
Sheen watched Jimmy closely, creeping from bush to bush to keep anyone from seeing him. Sneaking a glimpse at his watch, he frowned. Almost time for Ultra Lord... He looked back up at Jimmy, who trudged ahead on the sidewalk.
Whatta conu- a canoe- a cono... whatta problem. Ultra Lord or Jimmy? Ultra Lord...or Jimmy? Deciding, he (almost) steathily tracked Jimmy, crossing from bush to tree, to car and back to a bush. All this time, the boy genius either didn't hear him, or didn't pay any attention.
Crouching behind a parked car, he watched Jimmy go to his house. "Mom, I'm home," the boy genius yelled. Pausing, he listened for his mother's reply, then went over to his treehouse. Looking around for anybody watching him, he plucked a hair and held before the scanner.
Predictably, the mat beneath his feet sprung open, sending him down a chute that Sheen knew emptied into the boy genius' lab. What do I do now? Sheen asked himself. He knew he couldn't go snooping around the lab without Jimmy knowing, and if he asked to be let in, Jimmy would know he was there, and if he knew he was there and snooping around, he'd hide whatever it was making him act weird. And that wouldn't serve any purpose other than to alert Jimmy that he knew something was up. That wouldn't be good.
I think I'd better get some help with this one... He looked across the street at Cindy's house. The girl and Libby stood in the yard, chattering like only they could. Libby will help!
The boy darted out from behind the bush and leapt toward the sidewalk sitting in front of Cindy's house, where the two girls still chattered.
Cindy was the first of the two to notice Sheen's approach and turned to give him a dirty look. "What do you want, Ultra Dork?" she sneered. Libby, however, ignored her friend and gave Sheen a hug. "What's up, Sheen?" she asked with concern, noting the unusual seriousness in her boyfriend's eyes.
Sheen looked down, admiring his Ultra Lord shoes, which matched his underwear. (hopefully, he was the only one who knew that) He glanced back up at Libby after a while, his face even more grim than before.
"It's Jimmy," he said finally. "He's acting weird. I don't know what happened, but he's..."
"Off his rocker?" Cindy supplied. She shook her head, her expression now matching Sheen's. "I know I said some...mean things today," she forced herself to say. "But the old Nerdtron wouldn't even bat an eye."
Sheen blinked his in confusion. "What do bats got to do with it?" he asked, his voice gaining a high, scratchy volume.
Cindy glared at him and slapped her hands over her ears. Libby shook her head, restraining a grin at the situation. Almost immediatly, though, her smile went flat at the thought of Jimmy's unusual behaviour.
"We know, Sheen," she said, intterupting the rant she knew would come from Cindy. "But why did you come over here?"
Sheen turned his gaze back to her. The brown eyes turned almost black in his distress. "I need your help," he said in a low voice.
"Our help? What do you mean, you need our help?" Cindy demanded, planting her hands on her hips.
The Hispanic teen glanced between Cindy and Libby and back again. "I need to get into his lab. So we can find out what's wrong with him."
Cindy and Libby's expressions matched perfectly; eyebrows raised into her hairline, her hands tangling themselves together, Cindy asked, "H-his lab! What...how do you expect us to get into his lab?"
Sheen grinned suddenly, the old spark in his eyes. "I think I've got a plan."
Libby huddled closer to Sheen's side and beckoned for Cindy to follow suit. The blonde girl complied, though complained loudly. "Ultra Dork's got a plan? Funny, I didn't see pigs flying around..."
Gulping nervously, Cindy wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. Glancing back, she saw Sheen give her a thumbs up and Libby nod for her to go on with the plan.
Turning back to Nerdtron's lab door, she rang the bell, then covered her ears at the explosive 'blast off' sound.
A hidden computer eye exposed itself and focused on Cindy with a singular, unblinking eye. "Vortex?" Jimmy's incredulous voice rang out over the tinny sound system.
Cindy laughed nervously, the high sound ringing in her ears. "Um, hi, Ner- uh, I mean, Neutron."
The computer eye refocused on her again, leaving Cindy fighting the urge to glare back at it. "Why're you here?" Jimmy asked suspiciously.
She gulped again. "I...I want to apologize for...for what I said...earlier."
Jimmy's laugh cut her off. "Oh, yeah, that's believable. The mighty Cindy wants to apologize to me, a mere mortal?" Another short, bitter laugh followed his words. "I'll believe Meldar is willingly going through therapy sooner than I'll believe that." The eye retracted, and the sound system cut off with a hard click.
Cindy winced at his caustic tone. Did she really act that way? No wonder he and his friends always tried to steer clear of her.
Determined, she banged on his door. "Neutron! Jimmy...let me in! Please!" No response.
Cindy searched for another instrument possibly acting as Jimmy's eyes to the outside world. Without success.
Giving up, she shook her head and walked away, glancing over her shoulder once or twice.
Behind a couple of bushes, Libby groaned out loud. "Oh, man! Now what?"
Sheen gazed at Jimmy's lab, concern wrinkling his eyebrows. "Now...is time for Plan 2," he announced descisively.
Libby glanced over at him. "Uh...don't you mean, Plan B?"
Sheen shrugged. "Well, yeah." He looked at her again, his eyes darkening. "And it has to work this time. It just has to..."
'Plan 2' turned out to be simply finding Goddard and asking for his help. The desperate trio finally found him laying on his master's bed, head between his paws and a low whine emitting from his throat.
He stopped whimpering when Cindy burst into the room before the other two. Goddard looked up with mild interest.
"Master James is in his lab," he whispered with a synthesized voice.
"We know," Cindy retorted, crossing her arms. "Why do you think we were looking for you?"
Now they had his full attention. The mechanical mutt cocked his head in a human expression of curiousity.
Libby left the doorway to sit beside Goddard on the bed. It looked musty and covered in dust, as though it hadn't been used in weeks.
"Goddard..." She paused and glanced at Sheen. He gave her a weak version of his trademark grin, and nodded slightly.
Libby swallowed hard. "Goddard, what's up with Jimmy? He's not himself lately. He's...well, he's..."
"Ill-tempered, short of patience, and oddly impartial to activities he previously enjoyed?" The dog nodded. "I know. But I'm afraid I cannot explain why."
"Well, why not?" Cindy demanded irritably. Goddard glanced at her.
"Because I, myself, have only an inkling of a clue. James...Jimmy...he will not confide in me anymore." He whimpered sadly, resting his head back on his outstretched paws.
Libby looked up, startled at this revalation. Goddard was Jimmy's best friend, even better a friend than Carl or Sheen. So with him refusing to tell Goddard ANYthing that was wrong...
Her gaze met Sheen's. The milk chocolate of his eyes had darkened ominously to near black. He looked so worried about his friend...
Goddard suddenly bounced off the bed, startling the other three out of their melancholic thoughts.
"There may be a way to find out, though!" Goddard cried. His metal tail wagged furiously.
Cindy leaned forward, her green eyes glinting with unsupressed hope. "Really? How?" she asked eagerly.
The little metal dog would have grinned if he had a StretchMetal mouth. "Just listen. And listen carefully..."
...yea, I did that. Can't quite believe it myself, but I did it. And please, you can't really expect another chapter until...maybe a few months from now. Who knows, I might surprise myself and all of you out there with an early update, but...nah, I don't think so. I'll try, don't get me wrong, but I can't promise anything but a good sci-fi/romance story. (grin) And guess the romance part...
Anyway, this is Kris Wheezer, a.k.a. Midnight el Gatito, signing out. 'Til next time, mi amigos!