****CONTENT WARNING**** This episode contains depictions of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reader discretion is advised.

Time: 9:35 PM EST

Well, here I am again. Not gonna lie, didn't get much feedback on my last chapter. So I guess that means my writing kinda sucks huh?

That being said, this may be my last chapter for a while since I need to focus on some stuff. BUT if you think this story is worth finishing, PLEASE drop me a message. I do take those to heart. I want to give a shoutout to Athenafrodite. You have been with me for a LONG time time and I LOVE your enthusiasm.

*Note on this chapter: I wanted to touch on a difficult subject. Cindy went through a LOT and I truly believe that anyone (no matter their background) would be prone to experience some trauma from that. Everyone also experiences PTSD in a different way and this by no means represents everyone's reaction. This is only a depiction of what feel this story's Cindy may experience. Sorry for the difficult subject.*

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron...but I don't know if copyright exists in space...so maybe I should go there. :)


Sheen stood in the doorway, holding himself up on the frame, gun in the opposite hand pointed directly at us. My sympathetics were already high from Jimmy, but this took on a whole different level of fight-or-flight. And I'm pretty sure everyone knows what I would choose.

I pushed Jimmy off of me and stood, blue flames returning to my hands now that I wasn't touching him. My eyes were locked on Sheen as he looked from me to Jimmy. Blood pounded in my ears.

Sheen took a step in the room, his legs sluggish. He was drunk, but so was I.

"You," he pointed the gun at Jimmy, "I found my subordinate that you knocked out."

Jimmy stood up slowly.

"Stop," Sheen yelled, his voice slow, "I've been waiting a long time for this. You have no idea what kind of monster you've created." He took another step and grinned, "And I, for one, can't wait to show you."

"Sheen," I said, my voice low. I wasn't sure whether he was referring to himself or me. "Put the gun down." My voice was thankfully even and challenging. I could feel the flames pulse with the pounding of my heart, throwing shadows across the two men that I stood between.

I saw the bloodthirsty gleam in Sheen's eyes and my attention was drawn to the finger on the trigger.

Something inside of me snapped. The pounding in my ears silenced and time seemed to stop. I felt the ripping sensation of molecules tear at my chest as I watched my own hand dematerialize. I was bathed in the coolness of being un-done.

In a thousandth of a second I was standing in front of Sheen, gripping his wrist roughly. Noise roared to life again. Fire engulfed the ray gun, melting the handle. Sheen was bellowing from the pain in his hand as the flames licked at him. The distorted metal object fell to the floor, the sound ringing in the now silent room.

Sheen glared up at me from beneath his hooded lids, hissing and cradling his hand to his chest.

I let out a breath that I had just realized I had been holding before I teleported.

Soldiers poured into the room. Two men ran for Jimmy while Sheen pushed me towards a wall, four other men surrounding me.

"Think this through Sheen," I said flatly.

"Oh, I have," he grimaced, "If you think I'm going to let a little burn come between myself and capturing Neutron, you haven't been listening to me that well during our little chats."

He turned on his heel and walked towards Jimmy, reaching for an object at his hip. The men crowded around me. Did they not think I wouldn't teleport back to Jimmy? The two men had his hands behind his back and forced him on his knees. They had wrenched his head back by the hair and exposed his throat. He looked angry, which was a new emotion for me to see on him. He seemed to me saying something to Sheen, but it was too noisy for me to hear.

I started to form the mental image of the space next to Jimmy when my eyes landed on the object Sheen was now holding.

Blue electricity was arcing across the device.

Electricity.

I froze, watching the unearthly movements of the molecules pass through the air. I watched as it came closer to Neutron's neck. The neck I had kissed not 5 minutes ago. I watched as he attempted to lean away, gritting his teeth.

I felt the pain of my previous torture rip through my body, injected directly into every scar I had in my face, chest, arms, and legs.

Two men grabbed my arms.

And the blue light of the room was instantly replaced with the red fire of hell.

An unholy scream ripped from the depths of my gut, bubbling up through my throat and ricocheting off the walls. I was vaguely aware of my thoughts ceasing as I grabbed the throat of the man who held my right arm, throwing him against the wall. He fell with a sickening thud, not moving.

I grabbed the arm of the soldier on the left and brought it down across my thigh hearing the satisfying scream rise from his mouth as I felt the snap of his forearm radiate up through my own.

More men were filing into the small room. The room that was now bright red from the flames licking off my body. If the fact that my body was entirely encased in flames that were now a different color was concerning to me, my brain didn't allow me to think it. My vision had honed down on Sheen now, who had turned around and was staring at me with wide glassy eyes.

Instinct took over and, grinning, I produced a whip.

I'll make you regret you ever touched him.

Men pounced at me. I caught my reflection in the shiny metal of their helmets that masked their fear. The image of my black eyes piercing the inhuman reflection did nothing to hinder or stop me from continuing my rampage across the room to get to Jimmy.

Men fell to the group covered in flames. Screaming was starting to become background noise as blood pounded in my ears. All I could hear was my heartbeat and my breathing. I crouched as several soldiers attempted to tackle me.

My brain was utterly empty now, as I shielded and punched and kicked through the soldiers.

From somewhere to my left I heard Sheen's voice shout at Jimmy, "What the hell is wrong with her!?"

"I think she's experiencing a post-traumatic episode!" Jimmy said loudly, "Please! Let me go to her. I can help!"

One of the men came through the door with a fire extinguisher, aimed right at me. He gave me a second to consider my options, which was a mistake. I wrapped my whip around him as he pulled the trigger and I was knocked to the ground with the force of white heavy fire retardant.

I pulled the whip and brought him down, the spray derailing and headed in another direction of the room. I attempted to spring myself back up, but slipped on the slick messy foam. Grinning I realized that my red fire had not diminished at all and that I was shining brighter than before.

"Please! I can stop the fire!" Jimmy screamed again, muffled by the other noises around the room.

I grabbed another soldier, a woman this time based on the hair that had fallen out from under her helmet. She smelled of burnt flesh as my fire burnt through her clothing and into the superficial layer of her skin. She was screaming.

I let her go and turned around to find another victim.

Jimmy stood before me. His palms were out as if in offering.

I backed up. My vision was still red and he was standing between myself and Sheen.

"Cindy," he said softly, "I'm here. I'm okay."

I hesitated, feeling some of the heat decrease within my core. My flames started to take on a blue color again and the room was returning to the frozen castle it had once been.

I was shaking now.

"I-I can't stop the flames," I forced out. My voice was hoarse from the heat drying out my throat.

I saw Sheen standing in the distance, cradling his burnt hand.

My flames turned to red again as I felt rage engulf me again. I took a step forward.

Jimmy stepped back into my view.

"Focus on me Cind," he whispered, "You don't need to worry about him right now."

Something about the way he said my name pulled at my heartstrings. Was that his old nickname for me? Air caught in my throat and my gaze flickered between him and Sheen. The vision in my peripherals was fuzzy now as my head buzzed.

Forcing myself to move towards Jimmy I fell into his arms.

Coolness rushed over me as if I were plunging myself into a pool. The color of the room faded as he squeezed me tight.

"I'm here," he whispered into my hair, "You're not in that place anymore. You're okay. I'm not letting you go."

I'm okay.

As the last of my fire faded, I fit my face in the crook of his neck and sobbed.