Chapter 29- Revelations.
Jimmy stared at Nick, he was paralysed in shock.
"You died, you shouldn't even be alive!" Nick laughed.
"Yes, that is a popular misapprehension isn't it? Well I'm here alive and well, and out for vengeance."
"Why? Why did you join forces with Eustace?"
"I've known Eustace as long as you have Jimmy, and I've been helping to destroy you since I met him."
"But it doesn't make any sense, why would you want me dead?" Nick pointed at Cindy.
"You stole her from me!"
"What?" Jimmy was startled by the statement.
"Cindy was mine! I loved her, and you stole her!" Jimmy couldn't believe it.
"So how did you meet Eustace?"
"I met Eustace at the same competition you did, except we understood each other. It all began on that fateful day two years ago..."
Nick Dean looked at the flying kites with an ounce of resentment, he should have been in the final. But no, once again, Neutron had had to show him up. Nick couldn't believe it, his entire reputation had been brought down to another level. All because of Jimmy Neutron.
Neutron, of course, won the final easily enough. The loser, Eustace Strych, looked furious as he walked away.
"That idiot Neutron's a pain isn't he?" Eustace turned in surprise, he wasn't used to being addressed in such a manner.
"Yes he is, and who are you?" Nick smirked.
"You're very direct aren't you? I'm Nick Dean, and I hate Jimmy Neutron." Eustace shook the child's hand reluctantly, not too sure of what was going to happen next.
"What do you have against Neutron?" Eustace was intrigued by the boy, he clearly held deep and complex emotions within him. Nick pointed towards the blond girl bothering Jimmy, and Eustace nodded.
"Who is that?" The billionaire had noticed the mysterious girl in the competition, and she too interested him. Eustace had always felt alone, but now he felt as though he had found people who he would never forget.
"That is Cindy Vortex, smart, beautiful, strong, a good communicator, the list goes on. She used to be my girl, but now its obvious that Neutron is the only person for her." Eustace smiled, he felt as though he could manipulate this situation to his own advantage.
"I'm sure I could strip Neutron of some of his prized possessions, tell me what is most valuable to him?" Nick smiled, this was one thing he did know about Neutron.
"His mechanical dog, Goddard, take that and you've got him." Eustace again smiled that venomous smile, and Nick felt different. The boy felt as though he had been directed towards Eustace for some purpose, he knew that, somehow, the billionaire would change his life...
Nick carried on with his life over the following months, he had naturally assumed that Eustace had failed and was not interested in his assistance in Jimmy's downfall. The billionaire was now just an afterthought, Nick would destroy Jimmy himself.
Over the next few weeks Nick began to train himself to fight, to be able to use weapons, and if necessary, to kill. He taught himself how to spot advantages in the environment, and how to locate any weaknesses in an enemy. Nick pushed himself to the limit, and he soon found himself ready to take on Jimmy. He had long considered how to dispose of Neutron, whether to scare away from Cindy, whether to force him from contacting the girl, or whether to take truly drastic action: to terminate the genius. Nick had long since decided that this was an option, but doubts entered his mind. It was dangerous, but it could secure Cindy's love. He needed Jimmy out of the way, and a part of him reasoned that the dead could not interfere. But consciously Nick deemed it too risky, subconsciously he was already planning the murder. He was torn, when he received a message from Eustace. It told him to travel to his mansion immediately, and that the time had come to destroy Jimmy. Nick left at once, his mind already projecting various scenarios in which Jimmy met with a gruesome demise.
Nick entered Eustace's house, and he instantly felt dwarfed. The place was huge, exquisite paintings hanging from every wall, priceless historical artifacts were in different halls, the entire building was magnificent.
Eustace was sitting and waiting for Nick, when the boy entered the room cautiously.
"I've called you here so that we can destroy Jimmy Neutron, will you join me or not?" Eustace was as direct asd Nick had previously been during their first encounter, and Nick nodded.
"I'm willing to do what it takes to destroy Neutron." Eustace smiled, and a friendship was born...
Nick failed to go with Eustace during the next attack on Jimmy, he felt it was important he seemed to know nothing about what had happened. He was furious when Jimmy was victorious once again, and he vowed to kill the genius. He and Eustace spent hours training themselves for the final battle, and Nick agreed to keep an eye on Eustace's estate whilst the billionaire joined the league of villains.
Nick was the person who Eustace rang when he returned to Earth, and he organised Eustace's army. He was also the first person who Eustace recruited for his new army, and he quickly infiltrated Jimmy's group...
Jimmy was astonished, Nick was a murderer. Sheen lay on the floor, Libby crying over his lifeless body. Jimmy felt like breaking down, he felt as though he could just fall to the floor and cry. But he couldn't. He looked as though he couldn't be hurt, as though none of this made a difference to him. Nobody really knew how much pain he had crushed down, he was only human. He had to seem strong, he just did. But now Sheen was dead, and all he felt like doing was crying.
"What's the matter Neutron?" Nick laughed, he was clearly enjoying himself.
"I also have something to tell you Neutron." Jimmy looked up at Eustace, and felt the shadow of gloom settle over him.
"Do you remember when I told you we were similar? Well that is more true than either of us realised." Jimmy began to become angry, they had been through this before.
"I'm not the same as you Strych! Get that through your metal skull!" Eustace paid no attention to the insult, and continued.
"I was looking at the time-line, and I found something very strange. It was like a crevice if you will, I looked through it and found events that shaped our universe. It appears that there was once an evil that was more powerful than anything, it had been released somehow and was trying to wipe out everything. Upon looking at the events I saw you battling it at a certain point in the past, you had a device that could be used to destroy DNA. You used the device but, predictably, something when wrong. It absorbed the creatures evil gene, and it absorbed some of your genius gene. It then combined the two, and transferred them into an unborn child. Me. Time then changed, all the events that had occurred rewrote themselves because I was now the ultimate evil. So you see Jimmy we are similar, you created me." Jimmy stepped back, not daring to believe anything that he had just been told. It was too much to take in, his DNA rested within Eustace's body.
"That was your destiny Jimmy, to ensure the ultimate evil could be placed in a human body to make sure it could destroy everything."
"That may have been my destiny once Eustace, but now I've got a new destiny: to kill you!" Eustace laughed, and he looked at the defiant group.
"The war begins today Jimmy, the war between my forces and that of the rest of the universe. The next time we meet will be the final time, as of this moment endgame has begun." Eustace vanished in a blinding flash of light, but Nick stayed behind. He drew his laser sword, and stared at Libby.
"You really fell for it Libby, you thought your stupid boyfriend was the traitor." Nick fingered his scar, and then he threw his sword at Libby with amazing accuracy. It struck her cheek, and it too would leave a scar. It was on the opposite cheek to Nick's, they would be forever marked. Nick too then disappeared, leaving them alone with the dead Sheen...
A.N. Well one more chapter...
