Chapter 8: Exhausted? Time for a Distraction!

First I gotta say, writer's block is a pain. Second, I've been very busy for the past couple months with college and a new job in the midst of the holiday season, so I apologize for the unexpected hiatus. I'm not going to drop this story at all, because this was on my mind the whole way through. But enough chatter, let's finally continue this story as we step out of the abomination that is 2020!

September 14th, 2006 6:24pm

Retroville, TX

Back in the lab, Jimmy was trying to scan for clues of any kind on Evil Jimmy's body. He's been attempting many kinds of procedures for the past several weeks. He tried memory scans, DNA scans, nothing. Whenever he wasn't at school or studying, he was down here which made him hardly see anyone at this point, spare for Goddard which helped him on his tests. He was hardly in his house anymore so he rarely saw his family either with the exceptions of breakfasts and dinners. He was running on fumes and the few instances he would sleep would be passed out on the desk. Options were becoming scarce for him on finding out who the assassin is that caused all this. What Evil Jimmy did tell him was not much to go off of. No one in the League of Villains fit that description at all.

Goddard's screen then opened up in front of Jimmy with text typed in. "You cannot keep going at this rate. It is not healthy to stay awake for this long. You need to rest, Master."

"I can't rest now," Jimmy sighed. "As I mentioned before, I need to find out who's out to get me, so please respect that. You can rest if you'd like but I'm not going to until I find out for myself." Goddard listened and they continued into the night.

3:29pm The Next Day

For the sixth night in a row, Jimmy had no sleep. He did come to one conclusion on finding out, but it was too risky to attempt. Since Evil Jimmy still had his body intact, he could revive him using the Electro-life (see Beach Party Mummy), to bring him back to life and then de-clone him from there. However, the last time Evil Jimmy was in his lab conscious, that almost led to the entire world being erased in favor of an evil version of Earth in its place. One thing he did learn from his numerous adventures was his actions had consequences and this seemed too risky. At the same token, he was getting desperate. And if he didn't act soon, many lives could be in danger. It really felt like he had to pick his poison on what he needed to do, since his options boiled down to waiting and finding out who's behind this.

Surprisingly, despite his mental fatigue he still did well in his classes but eventually he'd slip. When an exam happened today, Jimmy scored an 85% while Cindy scored a 99%.

"I never thought I'd see the day you get a B in what you're most good at…" Cindy thought for a second and then rolled with it. "I guess that just means you're losing your touch which will make me with a superior intellect! Hope you enjoy being the silver medal in our graduating class Nerdtron!"

"You wish Vortex!" Jimmy fired back. "Because one slip-up won't stop me from taking the lead for long!"

"Alright class, listen up!" the professor spoke loudly to drown out the kids voices. "The Fall Festival is next Friday at Retroville Park at the fountain area. There will be lots of goodies, games and a dance, so if you wanna take a partner to go, or if you're one to fly solo there will be fun for everyone! It's also preferred to go in your fall clothes to fit with the changing weather."

Great another distraction… Jimmy thought. Once the bell rang, he ran to his hover car as fast as he could to get back to the lab, until…

"Hey Neutron," Cindy tapped his shoulder. He managed to keep up with him despite the head start. They were now close to the exit of the school.

"Yeah, what is it?" Jimmy asked impatiently.

Cindy was about to retort but noticed the dark circles under Jimmy's eyes. Every now and then, his body did shake throughout the day. "Er… You don't look very good. Are you alright?"

"What's it to you-" Jimmy started to lash out but seeing her angry expression, he regained composure to not make things worse. "Sorry about that. I haven't had much sleep recently."

"That explains the condition you're in," Cindy stated. "But that doesn't explain why you haven't hung out with the rest of us in recent memory."

Jimmy sighed and then started walking again. Cindy followed suit. "...I'm sorry. My mind's been on other things. Well one thing specifically. Who was responsible for my evil clone's plot and who sent the drone to kill him. You can't tell anyone else about what I'm about to say, alright?"

They were now at the school parking lot and Jimmy's hover car wasn't too far from it. Since it was middle school, only the staff and a few parents here and there were in this area. "Okay, I promise," Cindy nodded.

"Alright. I took my clone's body back to my lab and I tried everything, just to get a clue as to who the mysterious perpetrator is, but with no progress," Jimmy explained while Cindy silently listened. "This leaves me with only one other option: to revive him using the Electro-life. But it feels too risky to wake him up due to what happened last time. I've… already lost Brobot. I can't risk hurting anyone else, but it seems… it'll happen anyway. I don't know." Jimmy then looked down fighting a tear.

Cindy then put a hand on Jimmy's cheek. He almost instantaneously forgot his problem then and there, but not quite. "Jimmy, you were faced with unfortunate circumstances, but you can't be too paranoid about what happens next. If a new villain did show up, we'll be ready, just like we were ready for Meldar, The League of Villains, and so on. I know Brobot's… deactivation was hard to bear, but if it means anything, we'll be by your side to make sure no one else gets hurt. I know I will."

"Thank you," Jimmy spoke quietly. "Still, I don't know if bringing my clone back to life is a good idea or not."

"Then don't." Cindy said. "Bring him back to where he's still unconscious, in a coma like state. That way, you can scan his memory and find out what you need to know and have all the safety precautions taken."

"No that won't-" Jimmy then realized what she meant. "Wait that's it!", he said with a snap of his fingers. "I'll have to take every precaution necessary to ensure-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down Neutron." She then asked doubtfully. "You really think you'll be able to handle a completely secure mind scan of someone who's equally as smart as you, in your exhausted state?" Jimmy looked like he could pass out at any time.

"Well I-" Jimmy attempted to respond.

"No!" Cindy said before he had a chance to answer. "I don't care how inflated your ego is! That brain won't be any good if it's out of steam! Just please trust me for once and take it easy for a little bit. Even if someone would attack, which could happen anytime between now and the next few years."

"Exactly why I need to-"

"We need to be ready for it, but if you exhaust yourself into paranoia, you'll be left defenseless." I know what that's like she considered saying for a moment but then kept it to herself. "Come on, I'll take you home so you can rest."

"Hold on, I didn't say anything about letting you drive the hover car," Jimmy refuted half-heartedly.

"Don't worry, I'll set it to auto-pilot, and I'd rather you get the rest you need so my victories in class don't come so effortlessly." Cindy smirked which caused Jimmy to slightly grin and scoff. They then got in the hover car and she inputted the coordinates for Jimmy's backyard. He would've protested some more, but he was too tired to even care at the moment. "And once you're rested, maybe we could go sparring again."

"Alright, with my tech, I'll have a strong advantage against your power!" Jimmy gloated.

"Oh yeah? How about a match with no powers involved? My karate skills against whatever experience you've had… if you had any that is."

"I'm totally capable of taking you on with any kind of strategy that comes to mind Vortex!"

"You may be smart on the chalkboard, but I've had years of practice to take you on easily King Cranium!" As they were flying back to Jimmy's house, Jimmy eventually passed out on the passenger seat. Since it was on autopilot, she didn't have to glance off the corner of her eye to look at him, nor did she have to worry about anyone looking at her all the while. When he's not angry, he's pretty cute. Wish you weren't so stubborn sometimes…

To Be Continued...