Author's Note: Allow me to lapse into "Jumba speech" and say "please be to note that I have disabled anonymous reviewing, so if you are desiring to review in this fashion, you cannot. Hee, hee!"
There's a few reasons for this. One, if you're that cowardly that you deign to hide behind an anonymous review, you'll be unable to do so (and I have recently removed an anonymous review which I believe served this purpose). Two, since anonymous reviewing is now disabled, I can reply to whatever little comment your smart mouth provides. Snarky, yes?
I know I've only got one review thus far (since I deleted the other one) and I'll receive reprimands for acting like I'm some sort of "big-shot writer", but I don't really care. I'm not really immured-darkness, I'm actually someone fairly well known on this site (at least, in the JN section), and I could really give a crap who wants to take a shot at me on this account.
Oh, and Dexter's and Jimmy Neutron aren't mine.
Chapter Two
Jimmy Neutron regarded the smaller boy with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. Unfortunately, given his recent experiences with Timmy Turner and his friends, he wouldn't put it past the pink hatted loser to locate another of his two dimensional friends and transport him instead. Timmy loved ruining his life, didn't he? This one probably would immediately affix himself to Cindy, too, and thereby destroy the precarious relationship they'd built. Okay, so it wasn't much of one, but Jimmy really didn't appreciate interlopers. It was getting very tired and pedantic.
"A lab!" the boy exclaimed, with an Austrian accent. He dusted himself off and Jimmy noticed he wore a lab coat and purple gloves. Glancing down, he realized he too was wearing his lab coat, but it was dirty thanks to the grease he'd utilized previously. So it was another one of Timmy's smart friends. Big deal. He didn't care. He'd dispose of him as easily as he had the others.
"A real lab!" the boy continued, trilling over his inventions. "But it's rather small and confined. How can you accomplish anything in a grotto?"
"I beg your pardon!" Jimmy snapped, whirling the kid around and glaring at him. Behind large glasses, bright and inquisitive green eyes peered at his sapphire ones. The red haired boy grinned sheepishly and Goddard barked warningly, tail wagging.
"Goddard," Jimmy called, "configure the portal to release Turner's friend back into Dimmsdale."
"Dimmsdale?" the boy repeated, frowning. "But I do not live in Dimmsdale. I have not even heard of it. And who is this Turner?"
Jimmy glared at him and the boy turned away, glancing eagerly at his shrink ray. Memories of reducing Retroville's denizens to six inch forms flashed through his mind and he grimaced, wrenching it out of his hands. Nonetheless, he soon located another device, his cloning apparatus, and studied it appreciatively. Jimmy's fists balled. This boy obviously meant to usurp his genius and capitalize on it.
"Quit this farce!" Jimmy retorted and the boy shrugged.
"I do not know what you are talking about," he replied. "I am Dexter and you..."
A grin split Dexter's face and he beamed, taking in all the wonderful things Jimmy had created. He looked like a kid in a candy shop; his jade eyes were alight even when they spotted Goddard.
Dexter bounced gleefully, more like his older sister than he'd ever admit at the moment. He scanned this "Goddard" from every angle and Goddard barked fiercely, snapping his jaws at Dexter's face. Nonetheless, despite fear gnawing at him, the auburn haired boy was too excited to be frightened. Another boy who designed robots, apparently, and if this lab was anything to go by, then they had to be kindred spirits. Oh, he'd quested forever to locate a person like him who didn't demand he shut down his lab or demean him at every turn. A friend, perhaps?
"You're a genius like me!" Dexter cried, leaping forth and shaking Jimmy's hand. The brown haired boy looked anything but accommodating, however. In fact, he appeared downright antagonized.
"Dexter or whoever you are," Jimmy snapped, eyes flashing, "GET OUT OF MY LABORATORY!"
Dexter halted. Wow, that particular phrase sounded rather familiar. Now, where had he heard it before? Hmm. Different voice, but he could have sworn he'd heard that uttered before. Oh, yeah. He said it to DeeDee countless times. But wait, Jimmy couldn't be shoving him out of his lab. He needed to get home, first off, and while he could postpone that (and witnessing the wreckage DeeDee and Mandark caused), his scientific curiosity was aroused. He'd love to figure out how Jimmy's devices worked compared to his and basically everything about him.
A female voice alerted Jimmy to newcomers standing by the entrance to a clubhouse. One particular girl, a blonde haired girl who copped an attitude problem, reminded Dexter of DeeDee and he shuddered. Jimmy glanced at Dexter and scowled before activating a microphone that carried his voice out to them.
"Guys, I'm experiencing a small inconvenience," Jimmy snapped and the blonde girl huffed.
"Whatever, Neutron," she snapped. "Either you're joining us to the Candy Bar or I'm hauling your sorry butt out and dragging you up there myself."
"You cannot let your sister into your lab! It is sacred!" Dexter cried, shoving Jimmy away from the mike and inadvertently speaking into it. "She will destroy everything! I should know, my older sister cannot leave mine alone!"
Jimmy and the girl both promptly choked and, behind them, the Mexican boy burst into laughter. The rotund boy looked confused and the African American girl simply shook her head and tutted disapprovingly. Meanwhile, Jimmy stared blankly at Dexter like he'd never seen him before. This, come to think of it, was pretty close to the truth.
"Why does your sister call you by your last name?" Dexter inquired innocently. Outside, the Mexican boy was laughing his bloody head off and the larger boy had joined in, despite the blonde haired girl's mutinous gaze.
"So that's why you two haven't hooked up yet," the Mexican boy said. "You're related!"
At which point, the large boy looked like he was going to die laughing and the African American girl slapped the Mexican boy in the back of the head. The blonde girl sputtered and, to Dexter's surprise, Jimmy started laughing too. In fact, he nearly fell over because he was guffawing so hard.
"I do not understand," Dexter said blankly. "What is so amusing?"
Jimmy took one look at Dexter and laughed harder. Clutching his stomach mirthfully, he eventually calmed himself down and then shivered as the blonde haired girl slammed her fist into the clubhouse's wooden planks outside. If looks could kill, her profession would be staring because she looked murderous.
"Neutron, I am not your sister and this isn't funny!" she screamed and Dexter, completely befuddled, gawked. Jimmy straightened himself up and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Dexter," Jimmy said, still smiling, "that's Cindy. She's my...that's Cindy."
Cindy scoffed, kicking the door contemptuously. Her emerald eyes flashed dangerously and Dexter gulped, once again glancing at Jimmy. Nonetheless, despite Cindy's malevolence, Jimmy seemed collected and thus, Dexter hoped he would be fine. Cindy reminded him of DeeDee except with a larger attitude and shorter legs. And, you know, minus the ballerina outfit.
"She's that annoying girl that always follows Jimmy around and acts like she doesn't like him," the Mexican boy continued and both Cindy and Jimmy blushed.
"Yeah, and we all know she does, so she should quit while she's ahead," the larger boy said and Cindy's response was a swift but brutal karate chop to the stomach. He doubled over, clutching his midsection, and Cindy smirked. Dexter gulped again, ill at ease despite Jimmy's nonchalance. Couldn't he see this girl was dangerous?
The African American girl rolled her eyes and inquired politely, "New visitors from another dimension, Jimmy?"
Jimmy groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. Glancing at Dexter once more, he pressed a button and both boys were ejected outside. Dexter blinked, realizing that Jimmy's lab was not exactly in the most secretive place unlike his. And these people, why were they here? Why would he let them know his precious secret? What was wrong with him?
"Why do all these people know you have a lab?" Dexter cried, aghast. "Especially that girl that you say is not your sister but she must be because she has that high, grating voice and a disregard for your technology."
Cindy whirled on him and Dexter laughed nervously. Ducking behind the trash can in front of the clubhouse, he cowered and Jimmy quickly yanked her away before she harmed him like she had the other boy. He'd never met a more terrifying girl in his life, Mandark's sister notwithstanding. And it didn't help that Jimmy and Cindy were now having an argument about him since Cindy desired to "kick his butt" for his "smart mouth".
"At least he's not in love with you," the African American girl remarked, shaking her head. "I think you've had enough boy troubles, girl."
"I do not have a high and grating voice!" Cindy snapped, glaring at the other two boys, who whistled innocently. She rounded on them too and Jimmy had to grab her by the waist to keep her from pummeling them. Dexter, behind the trash can, swallowed hard. This was truly a terrifying dimension.
"I like this kid!" the Mexican boy proclaimed and held out a hand to Dexter. Dexter regarded it dubiously and, before he could protest, he'd yanked him out into the open. Cindy growled warningly and Dexter's knees buckled.
"I'm Sheen and this is Carl," Sheen said, pointing out himself and the other boy in turn. "And that hot girl over there is my girlfriend, Libby."
"You wish," Libby muttered under her breath. "But yeah, I'm Libby."
Utterly focused on annihilating Dexter, Cindy snarled and fought Jimmy, although he noticed that whenever Jimmy's hands accidentally brushed hers or she drew too close to him, she'd suddenly stop. Both parties were exceedingly uncomfortable with the arrangements and Dexter reluctantly (and fretfully apologized). While that didn't exactly soothe Cindy to the point of removing her homicidal rage, it reduced her temper a bit.
"Are you sure you're not his sister?" Dexter asked once the danger had passed.
"I'm positive," Cindy spat. "Neutron is my rival."
"Then why do you let her know where your lab is? What is wrong with you?" Dexter cried. "She will destroy it! Are you insane!"
"Destroy it?" Cindy repeated blankly. "Why would I destroy Neutron's lab?"
"Because only one genius can have a lab!" Dexter explained like she was an idiot. "If Jimmy has one, then it threatens Cindy's."
"Um..." Sheen said, staring. Dexter didn't understand why everyone was so confused. Mandark would have dearly loved for an opportunity to demolish his lab and the way Jimmy prostrated his, it'd only be a matter of time before Cindy destroyed it. She was, after all, his rival. Moreover, if she was blonde like DeeDee, she'd probably dance around it and push buttons until everything broke or exploded. Why didn't they get it?
"We'd better take him to the Candy Bar and straighten him out," Libby said, draping an arm around Dexter's shoulders.
"Yeah..." Cindy said, befuddled. Jimmy shook his head, hung up on the idea of Cindy being related to him.
"Lead on," Jimmy said, frowning.