Chapter 25- Countdown.

Jimmy looked startled as Eustace laughed triumphantly, there was no way the former billionaire could be stopped now.

"You know that is over Jimmy, you can't stop my bomb." Jimmy took a step forward, and smiled.

"I can try Eustace, and we both know that that thought frightens you more than anything." The lord of shadows returned Jimmy's smile, and this unnerved the genius.

"You hold yourself in such high esteem Jimmy, don't you realise that you have fufilled your destiny?" Jimmy's eyes opened wide, and he looked Eustace straight in the eye.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eustace laughed.

"You mean you don't know! You have no idea of what you were destined to do, you truly are a fool. Don't worry Jimmy, you've completed the task you were born to do." Jimmy looked worried, Eustace's knowing smile had traces of confidence; and hate. Whatever this destiny was, Jimmy knew he wouldn't like it.

"Where is this bomb?" Jimmy inquired, swiftly changing the subject.

"As if I would reveal such valuable information, this is my master plan Jimmy. This is the final threat, if this fails I have no secondary plan."

"So all I have to do is stop you then." Jimmy stated simply, and Eustace's face remained emotionless.

"Yes, but I happen to know that you can't. The final countdown has just begun, you have three hours." Eustace disappeared in a flash of light, and left Jimmy behind. The genius was furious, he had allowed himself to waste time arguing with Eustace. How could he have been so stupid? Cindy made to say how sorry she was, and that she would love him no matter what happened. But Jimmy cut her off before she could even begin.

"Everybody back to the lab! We don't have much time!" Jimmy took Cindy's hand, and they began to run together. The others followed at a good pace, they had to save the world.

Jimmy sat working at his computer, he was attempting to trace the bomb via satellite imaging. Cindy was sitting beside him, their hands were still joined, as Jimmy tried frantically to stop Eustace.

Sheen and Libby stood together both feeling extremely awkward about what to say. Libby eventually broke the silence that had surrounded the former couple.

"I thought you were a traitor, how could you let us all believe that?" Sheen looked startled, he had expected light conversation before they would discuss the events that had taken place.

"Let you believe it! You chose to believe it, how could I persuade you to change your mind? Especially since your own common sense couldn't show you that you had been duped, and that I had been set up!" Sheen hissed the words, and Libby took great offence at them.

"You know I thought there was still hope for us, but it looks like I was wrong." Libby whispered, shaking her head.

"Well then that's twice you've been wrong about something that involved me." Sheen said simply, and he walked away to see how Carl was doing. Libby attempted to resist the urge to burst into tears there and then as Sheen ignored her.

Jimmy looked over to Carl and Sheen, and he felt sad. If Carl hadn't been friends with him, then his Dad would still be alive. Carl had been targeted becuase of his friendship with Jimmy, and the teenage genius would always feel sorry for that.

"Cindy can you take over for a minute?" Cindy nodded, and took Jimmy's place. She began to trawl through military recordings, trying to find footage of the missing helicopter.

Jimmy stood by Carl, and cleared his throat to announce his presence. Carl was looking at a photo of his Dad, and Jimmy could tell he was still extremely shaken by what Desmond Hunt had done.

"Carl, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about your Dad." Carl looked surprised, why was Jimmy apologising?

"Jimmy, it isn't your fault. It was Hunt, you didn't kill my Dad." Jimmy shook his head.

"I know, but I feel responsible for what happened. Hunt only captured you because you're friends with me, it was all my fault. I'm so sorry Carl, and I understand if you hate me." Jimmy waited for the reaction, but it wasn't the one he was expecting.

"Jimmy, I'm glad I'm friends with you. You'll never understand how happy I am that we met, you've saved me thousands of times. I made the choice to be your friend, and I stand by it. Adventures with you; I wouldn't miss them for the world. Now go on and save everybody, I know you can." Jimmy grinned, Carl was right. Here and now was what mattered.

Libby looked as Sheen and Carl talked and tried to help Jimmy, what had happened to their relationship? How could they have come to this? She loved Sheen, but it was whether he would return the feelings. Perhaps she could bury the feelings inside, maybe that would work for a while. But Libby knew it would only work for a short time, feelings couldn't be hidden forever. Still she had time, it wasn't as if Sheen would just disappear. It was Sheen, the class clown, the boy who everybody liked; but at the same time hated. He couldn't just vanish, somehow he was always spared. Still Libby felt a dark feeling coming, and it was all around her. She felt as if she didn't have much time left.

Jimmy began to type faster and faster, he could tell he was close. Cindy squeezed his hand reassuringly, she knew he could do it.

"Found it!" Jimmy shouted excited, and everyone gathered around him.

"You found the bomb?" Carl inquired, happy that everything would soon be back to normal. Jimmy shook his head.

"No, but I've got the military video of the chopper's route. We can track it via the video, and then find the bomb." Everyone cheered, and then the computers began to make beeping noises.

"Oh no!" Jimmy cried out, and he began to download the video as fast as possible.

"What's happening?" Cindy screamed as the alarms became louder.

"The military found me! They're shutting us down! They're erasing my files!" Jimmy looked as the lights suddenly went off, and all of his computers shut down.

"They drained the power..." Jimmy murmured to himself, as the emergency power he had installed lit up the room. The computer screens switched on with huge words wrote in bright red.

Access denied.

Jimmy looked at the screens, and said nothing. The military had cut him off at the source, now without the video he could never find the bomb. Everything was doomed...