Hi everybody! I hope y'all haven't forgotten what's happened since last time. Though you probably have. Well, read it anyway because this chapter's really long and it took me forever to read. So, read, enjoy, review. In that order!

I'm not allowed to do reviewer responses anymore, but here's what I'm going to do. When I update, I'll go down the list and respond to everybody who's reviewed, also telling them that my next chapter is up. That way, not only will your reviews be answered, but you'll also get a cool author alert, kinda. Sorry about your anonymous reviewers, but I can't respond to your reviews unless you include your e-mail. If you don't want to be reached by e-mail when my stories are updated, please tell me. Now that this important announcement is over, onto the chapter!

Chapter 7

Nova watched helplessly as her boyfriend fell to the ground, and was carried away by the crowd of formless below. She pounded on the clear surface separating her from the rest of the room, but she couldn't break it.

She sat down. The room was once again empty and she was alone again. She called out in anguish, "WHY DO YOU KEEP LEAVING ME!" She buried her head in her hands and shook her head.

But then something profound hit her. Yes, she was alone, but she wasn't helpless. This time it was SPRX-77 who was helpless and she would have to save him. She stood up straight, "Okay Sparks, I'm coming."

Nova noticed that the tunnel she was now standing in was not only near the ship's surface, but it went beyond the room she was currently in. She ran to the edge of the room where the formless had disappeared. A tunnel headed in the direction but inside of it she would no longer be able to see what lay below her. But she knew she would be able to know where SPRX-77 was, she wasn't sure how she would know, she just knew that she would.

Nova turned on her head lamp and crawled down the tunnel. She crawled for a half hour and heard nothing, nothing but the metal of her legs scraping against the cold boney floor. Nothing had changed, but sudde3nly she stopped. She was close to SPRX-77, and she knew it.

She began to sweep around the dirt on the floor, and lo and behold, she found a place where it was translucent, and she could see into another room, or in this case a cell, below. She saw him laying on the ground, and … wait that wasn't SPRX-77! She cleared away more of the rough dirt. No! That was Antauri! And next to him was Gibson! And… and… there was SPRX-77, lying nearby!

Nova banged on the floor, desperately trying to get their attention, but they didn't stir. They didn't even twitch. Nova leaned closer. All three were unconscious.

"Antauri! Gibson! Sparks! Wake up!"

But she knew it was no use. They couldn't hear her, nor see her. She couldn't get to them. They were stuck, but she wasn't.

"I guess," she said, "I'll have to go straight to the source."

"Otto, are you sure you can pilot this thing?" Chiro asked, worriedly.

"Don't worry Chiro I've seen Sparks do this lotza times!"

"Yeah, that's what you said about running the weapons systems in training practice last week," mumbled Chiro.

"Hey, who knew you had to turn them up gradually?"

"Forget it Otto, let's just go. I have a target on the last received transmission from the Brain Scrambler. We'll just head there and then decide what to do." Chiro pressed a large button and the Super Robot rocketed off the tiny planet.

"My coordinates say they were last found somewhere near the outskirts of the Tagathon sector."

"That place? I've been there lots of times!" Otto said, gripping the steering mechanism ahead of him.

"You sure you don't need a star map, Otto?"

"Me? Please! I don't need a map."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Really sure?"

"Chiro! I've driven there plenty of times! What makes you think I'd need a map?"

Chiro sighed, "Cuz you just missed your turn."

"Oh," Otto removed his hands, "maybe you should drive."

Chiro grabbed the wheel and made the robot make a 180 degree spin. "Hey, this spare Fist Rocket seems to be working well! How'd you make it?"

"I just used some scrap metal and put rocks inside until it weighed the same as the other Fist Rocket."

"Oh," said Chiro. The Super Robot shifted uneasily. Chiro glanced down towards one of his monitors. "Uh, Otto, how well did you screw those pieces of scrap metal together?"

"Well enough, why?"

"Because we just lost the front panel!" Chiro yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"What? That's impossible!"

Otto glanced to one of his own monitors. "And there goes a second panel! And the rocks! Stop, Chiro, we're off balance!"

Chiro eased up on the gas, bringing the Super Robot to a stop. "Great. We're stranded out here. And with nobody to call for help!"

"Uh, Chiro. Something weird's goin' on. I'm watching the footage from those metal things peeling off, and, and…"

"What?"

"The screws they… they unscrewed themselves."

"What? How?"

"I dunno!" Suddenly, a small beeping noise resonated inside Otto's foot crusher. "Chiro…"

"What now, Otto?"

"We've got something big and threatening heading straight for us!"

"Wait, I'm getting a visual." Chiro's eyes widened in terror, "It's the Citadel of Bone!"

"But we can't go anywhere! We're stuck!"

"Raise the shields, Otto!"

Otto pulled a small lever. "Done. Now what?"

"I guess we just wait. Maybe he won't see us."

The two watched silently as the Citadel grew closer and closer. "Wow, maybe they really won't see us." Chiro finally spoke.

A laser shot out of the Citadel of Bone, striking the left knee of the Super Robot, causing it to spin a few times and settle uneasily.

"Chiro,"

"What now?"

"We've lost our shields! They hit the generator on the knee!"

"How in Shuggazoom did they know where our shield generator is? We're sitting ducks!"

"Not quite!" Otto began to explain, "We can still – Aaaaaugh!" Chiro's eyes zoomed down to his shot of Otto. The Skeleton King's large Television Monster was inside the Foot Crusher, and a large, pink energy entity was pulling him toward it. "Chiro! Help!" But Chiro was helpless to do anything as he was yanked into the screen and disappeared.

Chiro removed his restraint and jumped to his feet. He was next. He ran over to his tube and went to the level that contained his bedroom. He ran quickly up to his door and opened it, then slipped inside. Without so much as turning on the light he slipped inside his closet. 'There's no way the Skeleton King'll find me here.' He thought, trying to convince himself that he was right about his speculation.

However Chiro was there only seconds before he heard a strange noise coming from the main room. A high female voice was calling, "Help! Help!" Chiro was hesitant to leave his room, but it might be someone who really needed help.

As quietly as he could, Chiro snuck out of his room and down to the meeting room. He hid behind a spherical chair looking toward the source of the noise, and readied a Chiro Spearo in case it was a trap. But when he saw who was standing there, his heart skipped a beat and he jumped to his feet, stars in his eyes.

"Shuggazoom pop sensation Kaily Carcksen?" he practically screamed.

The blonde smiled and giggled, her curly hair bouncing as she spun in a small circle, displaying her stylish pink space suit.

Chiro stepped closer, "Uh, hi! Can I help you?"

The Girl just giggled and spun around once more. Chiro should have thought this odd, but he didn't. However he did find it odd when Kaily neither stopped spinning nor giggling after about twenty seconds.

"Uhhh…" Chiro stuttered.

The head on the pop star grew large, and then exploded, sending black goo flying across the room.

"A, a formless clone?" Chiro said disappointed. Then he realized, "But that means that this is a-" Chiro spun around but not in enough time. An army of twenty formless had snuck up behind him, and as he spun he was hit in the head with a spiked ball and chain protruding from the formless' arm.

Chiro fell to the ground, head throbbing. He could feel the firm grip of several formless grabbing his arms. And as his head reached the maximum amount of pain it could consciously bear, one last thought drifted through his mind, 'How did he know I liked Kaily Carcksen?'

Nova's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she said was, "Wow it's cold in here." Having found almost the rest of her team, she wasn't quick to move on, particularly to single handedly battle her greatest enemy. She had stopped to rest before moving on, laying on top of the clear panel which allowed her to view her three companions. She had apparently fallen asleep. She hadn't meant to.

Nova looked down to the cell below her, but found it empty. She checked again, squinting, straining her eyes, sure she was simply missing them, but no multi-color monkeys were in the room. She leaped to her feet and sprinted down the tunnel, whispering quietly, "Ready or not, here I come!"

When Chiro once more opened his eyes he was being dragged down a long hall by the formless. He knew where he was, it wasn't hard to figure out. The cold floor bumped his feet as he was carried by. The temperature was unusually low and he felt the cool air nipping at his bare face. He wished he had a fuzzy face like his primate counterparts. The place reeked of the all too-familiar Citadel of Bone.

A doorway brought Chiro into the also-too-familiar throne room of the Dark Lord. And on the other side of the room, hanging by their wrists was the "Monkey Team!" Chiro cried out. He heard a mumble of replies.

"So they got you too, kid? Eh, figures."

"I knew you'd come for us Chiro. Though I'd hoped it not be like this."

"I'm happy to see that you are in good health, Chiro."

"Ya got any food?"

As Chiro was being hauled closer, he noticed the series of pink tubing connecting to the restraints which held the team. The tubing went from their wrists and lead into a large transparent pink bubble secured to the wall. He soon found himself in a pair of matching cuffs, which surrounded his wrists uncomfortably tightly.

"Are you alright, Chiro?" Antauri asked.

"I've been better." Chiro glanced to an empty pair of clasps between himself and SPRX-77. "Where's Nova?" He asked.

"Wish I knew," responded SPRX-77, "she was here with me, but we got separated. I got captured. I hope she didn't, but I can't be sure."

The ground shook. He was coming.

"What I don't understand," Gibson noted, "is how Skeleton King knew all that he did. From all accounts he knew how to take down all of us. It's not just any chemical composition that can eat through the alloy that composes the Super Robot. And how could he possibly know the location of the Super Robot's shield generator?"

"And my fascination with Kaily Carcksen," Chiro mumbled quietly.

"Guess you should've found a better hiding place for those Teen Girls magazines that were under your mattress, eh Chiro?" SPRX-77 questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Chiro blushed. Then he looked puzzledly over at SPRX-77, "Hey! How did you know about those?"

"I find things out."

"Chiro," Antauri sounded, "Teen Girlsmagazine?"

"I just read 'em for the articles."

Before Antauri had a chance to rebut Chiro's improvisational allegation, the Skeleton King entered the room. His colossal being towering over them like a Great Dane over a Toy Poodle.

"Hello, Hyperforce," his voice boomed.

"Whatever your plan is Skeleton King, it won't work." Chiro remarked, "Evil never wins."

Skeleton King's booming laugh flooded the room. "Chiro, please. You make me laugh. Surely you realize that there is no hope."

SPRX-77 spoke up, "You're wrong! Nova's still out there!"

The Skeleton King's laugh boomed louder, to the point that they all felt the need to cover their ears. "The girl? You think she can help you?"

"Wha-" stumbled Otto, "What did you DO to her?"

"Maybe nothing, maybe everything," he answered.

"No!" Cried SPRX-77, "You haven't hurt her! She IS still out there. I know she is." SPRX-77 coughed as he felt a sudden contraction about his throat.

"Silence, fool. You know not what you speak." The Skeleton King relaxed his hand and SPRX-77 gasped for air. "Besides," the Skeleton King continued, "you're already in hot water with your friends, are you not?" The team looked at him questioningly. "You, you haven't told them yet, have you?"

SPRX-77's eyes dropped to the floor, but Gibson asked inquisitively, "Told us what?"

"That it's his fault you're all trapped here," replied the Skeleton King.

"That's not true. It was you who kidnapped him. We just came to save him," Chiro defended.

"No," said SPRX-77, "that's not what he means" His eyes did not leave his dangling feet. "Ya see, I'm the reason he knew all this stuff: the ship's alloy, the shield generator…Kaily Carcksen. I told him."

"Sparks!"

"How could you?"

"I had to!" He finally looked up, tears forming in his eyes, "he was gonna hurt Nova, and I couldn't let him."

"Don't be mad at yourself," came the comforting words of the black monkey, "you had to do your best to protect a member of your team. And that's commendable." A tiny hint of a smile appeared at the end of SPRX-77's mouth when he heard these words.

"This is all very touching," the Skeleton King croaked, "but I have something important to take care of. He motioned towards the large pink container on the wall and it began to whirr. A couple of seconds later the entire team cried out in pain simultaneously. The pink tubes began to fill up with green, being sucked out of their wrists.

SPRX-77 was instantly feeling weaker. "What are you doing?" He yelled over the screams of his friends.

"After doing an analysis of your primate bodies, I discovered that every ounce of your Power Primate energy passes through your wrists. By creating this clever device I will be able to take every ounce of Power Primate out of all of you! Unfortunately, the machine won't actually retain the energy until all of the energy is out of you. And without Power Primate…"

"…there's no primate," Gibson finished, gasping for air.

"But Gibson, Otto, and I have hardly any Power Primate!" SPRX-77 shouted.

"Yes and your end will be much faster than that of Antauri and the boy."

"But why do you need the primate?" Chiro asked, still writhing in pain.

"For my mind only, boy." The Skeleton King tapped his head.

"Antauri? Can't you do anything?" Gibson yelled.

"I'm afraid not my friend," Antauri replied, sweat forming on his brow, "the only hope now is to hope for a miracle."

Screaming! She heard screaming! Shouting! Yelling! Those voice, those monkey calls she heard any time the Super Robot plummeted toward the ground, or they fell down a deep abyss. The whole team was trapped. She could even hear Otto and Chiro.

She had been lost amongst the tunnels, but the sound of voices pointed her in the right direction. She sprinted with all of her might in the direction of the voices, not knowing what Skeleton King was doing to them. She finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, but this glow wasn't the odd, dark green glow she had grown accustomed to in the Citadel of Bone, this light was bright green and rhythmically pulsated. The screams grew louder and she reached the end of the tunnel. She was going to jump right in, but instead she shrunk back into the tunnel. There was the Skeleton King, laughing maniacally and talking of "the end."

She quaked. Ever since she learned that it was he, or rather his alter ego, that created them, she had been ambivalent about her feelings. She was afraid that by destroying the Dark Lord, she would also destroy the noble soul who created her. It was the first time she hadn't wanted to beat the heck out of him. When she had first been abducted she attacked out of self-defense, but now…it just seemed different.

But suddenly, a sound shattered her thoughts. It was her SPRX-77, calling out her name. She looked out of her hold and down at him, just in time to see his beautiful white pupils become engulfed by the surrounding black, and his body dangled limp, no more screams escaping from his lips. The green tube that had once connected him to the large green bubble turned pink. Not two seconds later she heard Otto and Gibson yellow out and collapse similarly.

Nova felt a rage growing deep inside her. She could no longer control herself as she engaged her fists and leaped towards the Skeleton King. Unfortunately she was further from him than she thought, and he heard her coming. She knew what was coming now. She wasn't stupid, she had heard enough about the monster. She would soon be dead, but she didn't care. SPRX-77 was dead, her existence didn't matter. She felt herself fly9ing in the opposite direction. She heard nothing. Not the screaming Chiro and Antauri, not the laughing Skeleton King, not the air flying by her ears. She only heard the beating of her heart and the yell of her love's last moments. The wall was nearing, she was seconds from collision. She saw the giant bubble glowing green on the adjacent wall, and her wrath turned to it. She turned on her rocket pack, turning her course by forty-five degrees. "IF SPARKS CAN'T HAVE HIS POWR PRIMATE," she screamed, "THAN NEITHER CAN YOU!" Then she collided, head first.

A/N: Woo-hoo! 8 pages! The other good news? I know what's going to happen! I even already have started working on the next chapter, so it shouldn't take too long to load. Well, let's hope. Again, really sorry about it taking so long. Please review!

RobotMonkeys4Ever