Time Fixers: Nicktoons of the Future

Episode 7: United We Can't Stand

Plot: Darry and Maxwell have never gotten along since they met, and things don't get better when they're both paired on a mission together. But when SpongeCog kidnaps them, they must work together to escape his mysterious hidden base. Can the Nicktoons save Darry and Maxwell before SpongeCog kills them or they kill each other?

Part 2

Meanwhile at Nicktoon HQ, Danny hands Jimmy a strand of black hair. "Here's some of Darry's hair."

SpongeTron also hands Jimmy a tiny strand of blonde hair. "And here's Maxwell's."

Jimmy looks at the two strands and notices something strange, "I thought Maxwell would have longer hair than this."

Tammy and Tommy dagger at him, knowing just how he got a hold of Maxwell's DNA, but the robot just grinned sheepishly.

Jimmy scans the strands of hair and types on the computer until it tracks the owners' presence and the screen points to an area and types out statistics. "Found them!" Jimmy shouted in accomplishment.

Sam immediately got excited and asked, "Where are they?"

"I'll just have the Nicktoons follow these coordinates and I'll monitor your location as well." Jimmy said explained, tapping on a tablet.

Tammy smiled at Tommy and SpongeTron, "Wow, we're finally gonna find Darry and Max. I'll bet they're just sitting in that world just waiting for us to come get them."

"I am not gonna die in this creepy place with you!" Maxwell whined as he carried Darry Fenton by his feet, dragging his limp body across the floor.

"You don't exactly rank my Top 10 either." Darry responded with a scowl. "And watch out for anymore booby traps. Who knows how many more there can be in here."

"Don't worry." Maxwell replied. "I'm not ignorant enough to fall for anything."

Suddenly, Darry began to regain feeling in his body again and he stood up, stretching his arms, legs, and back. "Only if I have to swoop in and save your butt," he responded to Maxwell, "Even without ghost powers."

Maxwell crossed his arms and turned away. "I can get out of here myself if I wanted to!"

All of a sudden, the floor in front of Maxwell split open as he slipped off the ledge of a pit full of long sharp spikes below, including a human skeleton already inside. Maxwell whimpered as he started falling in until Darry grabbed the back of his coat and pulled him back.

Once the teen dropped Maxwell on the floor, the blonde boy trembled in fear, trying to get his mind off what he saw and what could have happened to him. Darry glanced at him for a moment as he recalled some traits that he saw previously. "Now I get it."

Maxwell shook his head and quickly composed himself. "What do you get?" he asked with bitterness in his voice, "That you're leading us down a path that will eventually get us killed?"

"Dude, quit it. I've had waaay too many talks with my psychiatrist aunt to know what's going on," Darry raised a brow, "This isn't the real you, is it?"

"What?" Maxwell asked again, looking a bit confused.

"The shouting, the fighting, the whole 'Scottie' thing," Darry explained, "It's all just a tough guy act; an egotistical thing to hide your true self."

Maxwell jumped in shock when he heard this and shouted, "What?! That's incongruous! What do you know anything about me?"

"I DON'T because you won't talk to me when I ask!" Darry shot back, glaring down at Maxwell. Darry sighed and continued, "But I know enough just to tell by your personality. You're stubborn, quick to anger, and a lone wolf trying to solve his own problems. My guess is you're acting this way is because you're involved in something big in the future and you don't want anyone else to be involved in it as well."

Instead of reacting, Maxwell finally fell silent, stunned by what Darry had assumed. Darry then looked out of the corner of his eye and spotted something, causing him to push Maxwell against the wall and cover the boy's mouth. Down the hall was a square shadow on the wall, coming around the corner.

"It's SpongeCog." Darry whispered in panic. "But how are we gonna escape if I can't fly us over that death pit?"

Maxwell looked up and spotted an air vent in the wall. He pointed up, inadvertently using his psychic powers to make the vent fly off the wall, opening the shaft.

"Gnarly." Darry said with a grin and putting Maxwell into the shaft before climbing in himself just before SpongeCog could spot them.

Inside the ventilation shafts, they climbed through the tunnels on their hands and knees, trying to find a way out. As he moved, Maxwell looked to see Darry behind him and asked, "So...how long have you had ghost powers?"

Darry stopped, surprised to hear Maxwell asking about his personal life, but he slyly grinned and coyly responded, "Well, look who decided to open up," he chuckled until Maxwell glared at him. He stopped and answered, "Since I was 13. Guess it took a while for my powers to develop and I'm still trying to get the hang of them at 15."

"Were you able to control them?" Maxwell asked again.

"Yeah. It was hard at first though," Darry admitted, "My hands were slippery and I kept dropping things. And by slippery, I mean my hands turned intangible. And don't get me started on ghost rays. I swear every time I sneeze, they shoot out of my eyes."

"But what about Ghost Rage?"

"What?" Darry asked in confusion.

"Ghost Rage?" Maxwell repeated, "You know, that power you have when your anger taps into your full ghost power potential and you end up losing control of your anger and can nearly die from using too much ghost energy."

"Yeah...that's basically how it works. But I learned how to control it about a year ago. My hair doesn't turn white anymore and I'm not in danger of dying anymore since I'm only releasing a little bit of my anger at a time, so no one need to worry."

"But if something makes you REALLY angry, you still have a chance of losing control of your powers and...dying, right?" Maxwell asked, looking more hesitant.

"Well, yeah, but I shouldn't need to worry," Darry assured, "I mean, I was afraid of controlling it at first. Afraid I might use this power to hurt my friends and family." Maxwell became silent and thought about it. Darry then looked solemn, "But it was thanks to my friends and family who supported me that I faced my fear and took control of it. I'll admit, that event with Dark Dan changed me..." he turned to Maxwell and smiled, "But...it changed me for the better."

Maxwell bowed his head, "I never heard that side of the story before. Guess you do deserve the title of Amity Park's Greatest Hero."

Darry chuckled modestly, "Actually, that's my dad's title. I still have a long way to go."

Maxwell began to look annoyed as he continued on, "Everything just comes easy for you. Even though you're immature, lazy, inexperienced, and screw things up all the time, everybody accepts you for who you are. Your dad's famous and you're his son, but no one expects anything of you or is always on your case to be just like him."

Darry sighed in disappointment, "If only it were that way..."

Maxwell froze in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I may have my dad's looks and his powers, but it's not that easy filling his shoes. As the son of Amity Park's Greatest Hero, people expect A LOT from you, wondering if you'll be able to take up the mantle. Puts a lot of pressure on one kid, you know? A kid who's just learning to control his powers, trying to exceed everyone's expectations, and is always screwing up. I even wonder to myself...if someone like me can be..."

"…Just as great as that person everyone wants you to be." Maxwell finished, surprising the teen as he turned to him.

They both stare silently at each, now realizing that despite all their previous arguing, they may not be so different from each other as they previously thought. But before they can say anything else, a beamsword suddenly pierced the metal shaft between them and they both jumped apart, seeing the weapon that almost killed them.

The beamsword cut a hole through the shaft when SpongeCog's head peeked in. "Found you, squishy!" SpongeCog smirked. Before Darry could react, SpongeCog grabbed Darry's leg and pulled him down the hole.

"Scottie!" Maxwell cried and grabbed Darry's arm to pull him back.

But as hard as he tried to get Darry back, the robot was far too strong and he ended up bringing both Darry and Maxwell down on top of each other. SpongeCog stood next to them and sadistically asked, "So you thought you could escape, huh?"

They both manage to stand up, and Darry instinctively pushed Maxwell behind him. "Look, you can do whatever you want to me," Darry told the robot seriously, "Just let Maxwell out of here."

Maxwell was surprised to see Darry offering up his own life for him, but SpongeCog was not fazed by this. "What, and miss the opportunity to kill two out of five Nicktoons? No thanks."

Darry responded by powering up a ghost ray to fire at the robot, but the collar around his neck immediately shocked him until he powered it down.

As SpongeCog laughed and Darry gripped the collar that caused him so much pain, Maxwell became even more scared and screamed, causing a psychic force to knock Darry down and push SpongeCog far down the hall.

Maxwell quickly calmed down and Darry stood up. "A little warning would be nice next time." he told Maxwell in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry," Maxwell replied in a sincere tone, "But let's find a way out of here before SpongeCog recovers."

Darry nodded and they both ran down the hall. SpongeCog gets up and sees them escaping, but doesn't go after them. Instead, he smirks and says, "There's only one way to go from here...and when they get there, it will be waiting."

Back with the Nicktoons, the group was wandering around the spot in the new world where Jimmy had tracked their missing friends' location. But no matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find any trace of Darry or Maxwell. "DARRY!" Tammy called out at the top of her voice, "MAX!"

While walking around, Tommy said into his communicator, "Are you sure they're here? I don't see Darry or Max anywhere."

Also searching with the Nicktoons was Danny Phantom as he flies in the air to get a better view. "He's right, Jimmy." Danny said into his own communicator, "You say they're here, but I don't see either one of them in this area."

Monitoring from HQ, Jimmy responds to them in a frustrated voice, "I'm positive this is where I tracked them. My trackers are still indicating that Darry and Maxwell are still in that area."

"Maybe Darry's invisible?" Tammy assumed.

"Even in ghost form I would still be able to detect him," SpongeTron said as he scanned the area, "Unfortunately, I see no signs of life on the surface."

Sam was beside Jimmy when she heard him. "Surface... wait. Even if you guys track them, you can't communicate with them because something's interfering, right?"

Everyone heard Sam when Tammy gasped. "Of course. We've been looking in the wrong place! They're not above, they're under!"

"Right where Jimmy tracked them." Tommy understood.

SpongeTron shifted both his hands into a drill. "I just hope they're both okay where ever they are in the ground."

They enter inside a giant circular room that was cast in shadows. Darry looks around as Maxwell followed him. "I don't see a way out through here." Darry said.

"Maybe we can locate a communications device to contact the others for assistance." Maxwell suggested.

"Great idea." Darry said with smile.

"I'm full of them, Scottie." Maxwell responded with a smug grin

Darry narrowed his eyes and added, "It's Darry. I think you'd know that by now."

Maxwell looked away and muttered, "I think you don't deserve to be called that."

He looked at the psychic boy and stared at him in anger, "What are you talking about?" he asked in frustration, "I'm the one and only Darry."

"No, you're not!" Maxwell snapped, "You just...you just don't understand! YOU'LL NEVER BE LIKE HIM!" Darry truly didn't understand, but before he can question, they felt the ground rumbling again. Only this time, it was heavier and louder than ever before. They both nearly fell off their feet and Maxwell yelped in fear, "Scottie! What was that?"

"I don't know!" Darry screamed as they felt another rumble, only this time it sounded more like stomping.

From out of the shadows, a large metal foot with sharp claws that looked like swords steps forward. Darry and Maxwell look up in shock and horror as they see the strange creature come out in full view. It was a giant square robot that looked like it was comprised of different metals. It had large muscular arms and legs, sharp fangs, red eyes, a short electrical cord for a tail, and a crooked antenna. "What is that thing?!" Maxwell asked in fear.

Before he could be answer, the thing roared and lifted its arms to pummel the small boy. Darry grabbed Maxwell and pulled him away from the monster's metal fists. After realizing it had missed the boys, the monster roared and pounded its fist against the wall and dragged its sharp claws across the metal wall, making a loud screeching sound.

"Stand back." Darry told Maxwell, shoving the boy behind him. He changes into ghost form; only to immediately afterwards receive a powerful shock from the collar around his neck.

He screams and falls on the ground, changing into human form and panting heavily once the shocks stop. Maxwell glares down at him and scolds, "Scottie, you dope! How many times are you gonna forget that you can't use your ghost powers?"

Darry stood up and snapped back at Maxwell, "Well, we have to do something about that thing!"

"Well, at least I'm not doing anything so STUPID!"

"'Stupid'? Wanna know something stupid?" Darry asked as he pointed at Maxwell, "Standing here and doing NOTHING while in immediate danger is something stupid. No, something that gets you killed!"

"How can you act without thinking?!" Maxwell spat out.

"How can you think without acting?!" Darry snapped back.

While they were arguing, the monster stomps in front of them and roars loudly as the two hold each other and scream. They suddenly hear maniacal laughing and they look up to see SpongeCog on a ramp near a high wall. "Like it?" he asked Darry and Maxwell. "Just a hobby I took up over the year."

"You mean you constructed this monstrosity?" Maxwell asked in shock and disbelief.

"Of course." SpongeCog answered, "It took a while, but it was worth the effort. I built this thing just so I can feed the ghost boy to it and he can suffer as it tears him limb from limb. Did I mention it has a taste for squishies?" The monstrous robot growls as it eyes Darry and Maxwell. SpongeCog calls out, "Now, SpongeCog X, destroy them!"

The monster, responding to the name SpongeCog X, opened its mouth wide to reveal another set of horrific jaws as he lifts the boys close to its mouth. They both quickly jump out the way of its snapping jaws and crawl away on the floor as SpongeCog X pursued them. Maxwell used his telekinesis to throw a nearby desk into its mouth, but SpongeCog X just chomped it into pieces.

"You gotta help me get this thing off!" Darry cried to Maxwell, tugging at the collar around his neck.

"I don't need to!" Maxwell responded, "I can handle that thing myself!"

"You?! You can barely control your powers! What are you gonna do? Bore it to pieces with your IQ chip?"

SpongeCog X clenched its large metal fist and swung it at the two. Darry immediately grabbed Maxwell and faced him away from the robot, holding him as SpongeCog X hit Darry and punched them both against the wall. They both sat up, but Darry suddenly clutched his left leg. "Ouch! My leg." he grunted. "I can't move my leg."

Maxwell looks at him and said, "It's probably a minor stress fracture." he turned to SpongeCog X and narrowed his eyes, "Like I said, I'll take care of that thing."

"Maxwell, no!" Darry pleaded, "You can't stop that thing by yourself."

"You've protected me for years and now it's my turn to protect you." Maxwell said before running off while Darry stared in confusion by what he said. Maxwell went to the robot and put up a psychic shield just SpongeCog X pounded on it, leaving Maxwell unharmed. But the robot did not stop, making it harder for Maxwell to concentrate. The robot finally broke through the shield and Maxwell fell unconscious from exhaustion.

SpongeCog smirked maliciously as he watched, and SpongeCog X slammed its large hand on Maxwell as he lied on the ground with the bladed claws inches from his head. Darry watched helplessly from afar and then narrowed his eyes as he hung his head. "I can't believe it." Darry cried, "That rude inconsiderate brat needs my help and I'm just sitting here uselessly." he then glared furiously as his anger grew, "I wish I can prove to him that I'm not as big a screw up as he thinks, I wish I can prove to SpongeCog that I can kick his and that robot's butt." his eyes began to flare blue, "I wish..."

"I wish you'd shut up so SpongeCog X can rip your lips off and eat you!" SpongeCog screamed, "Finish him!" SpongeCog X hears the order and swings its left clawed hand at Darry, but a ghost shield suddenly forms and blows apart, pushing the robot's hand away. SpongeCog wonders what's going on and raises a brow.

As static from the collar shocks Darry, he was unaffected from the shocks and stands up, ignoring the pain of his broken leg. His ghost aura grows stronger and he suddenly changes into ghost form. Darry yells as the collar shocks him more and his aura grows bright, changing his hair completely white and the collar suddenly breaks into pieces. "Ghost Rage..." SpongeCog realized what was going on, but is unshaken. "What are you waiting for? DESTROY HIM! That's what you were built to do!"

Maxwell groaned as he woke up. "What happened...huh?" Maxwell turned in shock to see the overpowered Phantom surrounded by a blue flaring aura of destruction.

Darry growled as his eyes glow completely blue and he hovers into the air, blasting SpongeCog X with a powerful ghost ray that managed to faze it. SpongeCog X roared loudly and pounced toward the ghost boy, but Darry used his ghostly strength to hold it back and he kicked the robot against the wall. Darry flew toward it at fast speed and punched a hole in the monstrous robot, pulling some of its wires out, scowling furiously and consumed with rage.

Maxwell rushed toward him and shakenly asked "S-Scottie?"

The ghost boy turned his head toward him, but glared straight at him with flaring blue eyes and growled, "You..." and hovered toward him with a charging ghost ray.

Somewhere above the surface, Tammy was digging a large hole through the sand using a shovel and pail while SpongeTron helps using his drills to dig deeper. Poof was a backhoe digger with Tommy at the wheel as they discard scoops of sand beside. SpongeTron continued drilling when his hat beeped and released an antenna and fog horn blaring. Tammy covered her ears and shouted, "What is that?"

"That? Oh! That's my Danger Phantom alarm," SpongeTron explained, "See whenever Darry triggers his Ghost Rage and it rises at a dangerous level, that's when my alarm activates. Guess that means we're getting close."

Everyone's eyes widen in horror as Tammy cried, "Dig faster!" and everyone continued in a quick pace.

Down below, Maxwell screams and ducks down as Darry fired a powerful ghost ray at him. SpongeCog laughed in enjoyment as he watched, "Interesting, I get to see the squishies destroy each other."

"Scottie, stop!" Maxwell cried out as he backed away. "You don't know what you're doing!" From behind him, Maxwell's shadow lifts up from the ground and wraps around his body, holding him in place. Maxwell trembles as Darry moves in closer.

As he trembles in fear, Maxwell suddenly recalls a memory similar to the one he had earlier of him in his timeline with the same man he was hanging out of with before. They were sitting on the bridge as Maxwell shouted in disbelief, "What?! No way that's true."

The man chuckled and replied, "Believe it, Max. But remember that all great people start off small and inexperienced. But with time, they can grow into something big."

Maxwell then asked, "Do you think I'll ever grow up to be just like my dad?"

"Maybe you will." the man replied, "But you know what'll be even better?" Maxwell didn't answer and the man finished, "If you grew up to be cooler than you are now."

Maxwell laughed and asked, "But what if I become a hero just like you?"

The man wrapped his arm around Maxwell and playfully ruffled his hair. "Then I think the Nicktoons will ask you to join 'em." he answered in a playful manner, "Then maybe you can save my life one of these days instead of me saving yours."

"Like you'll ever need saving." Maxwell jokingly replied.

The flashback ends as Maxwell lays at the mercy of the enraged ghost boy. Darry growls as he charges a ghost ray that smokes with powerful ghost energy. Maxwell use his powers to turn on a burner and it heats up a beaker filled with a chemical until he glows, creating a bright light that nearly blinded the two, but made the shadows around Maxwell disappear.

Once Darry recovered, he glared at Maxwell as the boy backed away in fear when he realized something about the conversation he had with Darry before and compared him with the man he knew back in the future. His eyes widened in realization, "So that's really the screw-up you talked about huh?"

As Darry hovered closer to him, he threw a ghost-powered punch at Maxwell, but the boy blocked it with a psychic shield. "Scottie, you gotta stop it!" he called out to him, "You're screwing everything up again!" But Darry got even angrier and controlled his shadow to lunge at Maxwell. The psychic boy screamed and ran away, tripping on the floor as the shadow stab the ground in front of him. Maxwell lied on his back and pleaded to Darry, "Please Scottie! If this is because I was so mean to you before, I'm sorry!"

Darry did not respond and just threw another punch at Maxwell, but he rolled away and Darry punched the metal floor, denting it. "You don't deserve to have me make fun of you!" Maxwell continued telling him, "I just didn't wanna believe you were really a screw-up! I just wanted to be mad, I don't really hate you!"

Darry screamed in fury as his ghostly aura grew bigger, but Maxwell got up and yelled, "I'm sorry I've disrespected you since the day we met!" He gasped and ran off as a large shadowy hand slams hard on where Maxwell would have been. Once clear, Maxwell continued, "And for shouting and ranting about how dumb you are!" He jumped out of the way where a ghost ray could have zapped him. "Which you're not! You're not dumb! You're just quick to act, which sometimes helps us out a lot!"

Darry suddenly zoomed at Maxwell, tackling him and pinning him to the ground by his neck and charged a powerful ghost ray in his other hand. "You were right about me! I was frustrated, but not at you or anyone else. I was...mad at myself...because I was the one who screwed everything up and wanted to fix the mistakes I've caused. I probably deserve everything you're gonna throw at me." Darry continued charging his ghost ray when Maxwell finishes as tears run down his face, "But I wish you could do it while you're you. So please snap out of it, Scottie! PLEASE SNAP OUT OF IT, DARRY!"

As Darry threw a punch at Maxwell's face, the latter opened his eyes to see that Darry's fist stopped just inches from his face and the glow faded from his body. Darry held his forehead and started to groan as his anger dispersed and his hair turned to its normal color. Darry held his aching broken leg and opened his eyes, looking at Maxwell with a weak smile, "I don't know what you did, Maxwell, but thanks...for..." but he suddenly changed into human form and passed out, weakened by all the ghost energy he used.

Maxwell rushed over and held him up. "No, Scottie, you can't die right now!" he cried out in worry.

SpongeCog growled in frustration that they were both still alive and then sees SpongeCog X recovering as it stood up. "Hey, you pathetic monstrosity! Get up and kill them already!" SpongeCog X eyed the two humans and stomped toward them, growling ferociously. Maxwell held Darry in his arms as he trembled in fear, knowing he didn't stand a chance and that Darry was far too weak to do anything.

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound and he and SpongeCog look up to see a drill pierce through the metal ceiling. The drill left and a pair of yellow hands grab the sides of the hole and split it apart, making the whole large enough for SpongeTron to peek through. He sees Darry and Maxwell and shouts, "I knew they were in here. Nicktoons Go!" he shouts as he, Tammy, Tommy, and Danny fall through the hole.

The robot and the twins each bounce off of SpongeCog X's head and he backs away slightly growling in frustration. But SpongeCog shouts, "This isn't how it's supposed to happen! Devour them, X! NOW!"

Tammy and Tommy scream and hold each other in fear as they see the giant vicious-looking robot, but SpongeTron did not react and just stared at it suspiciously. "Hmm...kantana swords? Razor sharp jaws? Large muscles..." SpongeTron noticed and gasped, "SpongeCog! Where's 008, 010, and 013?"

"Who?" SpongeCog mockingly responded with a laugh. "They don't exist anymore, SpongeTron. So don't bother yourself."

"What's going on, SpongeTron?" Tammy asked.

"That monstrosity before us IS 008, 010, and 013!" SpongeTron pointed out.

The twins gasped. "Tenny?" Tommy asked at the horrific monster that was once their former pet.

"Don't mention those names to me again!" SpongeCog hissed. "They're nothing but obsolete failures, not to mention one of the causes behind my master's demise! However, I've made use of them... I took them apart and use their parts to build something even BETTER!"

The monster growled as it took a step forward. "How could you, SpongeCog!?" Tammy cried out, "They were your comrades, your brethren!"

"I'm a robot." SpongeCog answered in a maddened tone, "Robots don't have feelings for each other, unlike you humans! Now, SpongeCog X, destroy them NOW!"

Tammy screamed as the large robot snapped its large jaw towards her, but Tommy and Poof rushed over and Poof guarded them with a large shield which SpongeCog X ate in one bite and chewed up.

Danny was holding Darry's unconscious body as Maxwell frantically asked, "What's gonna happen to him, Mr. Fenton? Is he dead?"

"No. He's just unconscious from using too much power. He should be fine," Danny assured. "But we have to hurry." Danny turned to SpongeTron, "SpongeTron, get Tammy and Tommy and help us get out of here! SpongeTron?" he saw the robot standing still as he stared at the large monstrous robot.

SpongeTron is in tears as he watches SpongeCog X trying to eat Tammy and Tommy. "Robots do feel." he muttered as he cried, "They weren't given a choice to become this. They don't even remember what they once were. No robot deserves this!"

"SpongeTron!" Danny called to get SpongeTron's attention. SpongeTron blinks the tears from his eyes as Danny orders, "Snap out of it! We have to get out of here!"

"Right!" SpongeTron stretches out of his arms and grabs the twins before SpongeCog X could stomp on them. "NO!" SpongeCog yelled, seeing this.

He brings them close to Danny, Darry, and Maxwell. Tommy then whispers to Poof, "I wish we were back at HQ."

"Poof!" Poof agreed and shook his rattle, preparing his magic. SpongeCog released a plasma ray and tried to blast them, only to blast through fairy dust as the heroes disappeared from sight.

"NOOOOO!" SpongeCog screamed as he fell to his knees, having failed to kill the ones he was so longing to get his revenge on.

Hours later, Darry wakes up to find he was lying in bed in Nicktoon HQ with his leg wrapped in a cast and his parents and Jimmy were surrounding him. Darry held his aching head and groaned, "How long have I been out?"

"Darry! My baby!" Sam cried as she rushed over to him and hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

Darry smiled a bit as he muttered, "Mom, you're embarrassing me."

"No, I'm just giving you love and attention while everyone watches."

Jimmy smiled and said, "I told you Darry and Maxwell could handle themselves." Then he lightly punched Danny's arm, "Brains and Brawn, eh Danny?"

"We're not finished yet," Sam angrily reminded Jimmy, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Suddenly, Darry's eyes widen as he remembers, "Oh no, Maxwell! What happened to him? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Don't worry," Jimmy assured. Darry sighed in relief when he heard a crying noise. Jimmy leaned down to pick up Baby Max from his crib, "Aw...did all the excitement wake you? There, there," Jimmy said, rocking Max to calm him down.

"I'm just glad everyone is alright," Darry said with a relieved smile.

"No kidding. Maybe next time Neutron sends you on a dangerous mission, you could warn us first," Danny cautioned, "You had us worried there, Darrel Scott Fenton."

Baby Max giggled as he said, "'Scot-ry! Scot-ry!'"

Darry froze when he heard those words, "Wait, what?"

"Come on, you little genius, let's put you back to sleep," Jimmy said as Baby Max yawned and the older genius placed him back in his crib, leaving Darry in his thoughts.

In SpongeTron's room, SpongeTron was in his chair, thinking about the hideous fusion of SpongeCog's former brethren while Tommy, Tammy, and Maxwell are playing cards. The door slides open as Darry enters inside, holding crutches to walk on his broken leg. "Darry!" the twins said excitedly as Maxwell watches them rush over to give their friend a hug.

Darry chuckled, "Careful, will ya?" he warmly said in his friends' embrace, "Thanks for everything. I owe you guys a lot."

Tommy and Tammy let their friend go as the male Turner says, "No prob, man. We're just glad you're back in one piece!"

Darry laughed and glanced at Maxwell who smiled to see him okay until he realized what he was doing and frowned, turning away. "If it isn't Maxwell," Darry said, seeing the blonde kid when he smirked, "Or should I say...'Max'."

Maxwell froze and turned back to Darry. The twins gasped in surprised, Poof covered his mouth, but SpongeTron said nothing. Maxwell paused until he sighed, "So you figured it out, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Darry nodded, "Now that I think about it, it all makes sense. I can see where you got your looks from...and your personality."

"I didn't want anyone to know." Maxwell explained, "I just wanted to reside here temporarily until it was time for me to depart home. But the rest of you guys found out and...Well, you know the rest."

Darry looked shocked and turned to his friends, "You mean you all knew Maxwell was really Max Neutron and you didn't tell me?" he yelled before banging his crutches on the ground repeatedly, "Why, why, why, why, why?!"

"Tell you that the kid you keep picking fights with was really an aged-up version of the baby?" Tammy asked, "How easy is that?"

Afterwards, Darry turned to Maxwell and narrowed his eyes at him with a pouty lip while Maxwell returned it with a glare. Tammy and Tommy shift uncomfortably, believing they still maintained their hatred towards each other, but SpongeTron didn't show any thought about it. But Darry's scowl disappeared and he said to Maxwell, "I'm glad you're okay, Maxwell...Max."

Maxwell grinned, "And I'm glad you're okay too, Scottie."

Darry chuckled when he asked, "Hey, since we know who we really are, why don't you call me by my actual name?"

"Hmm...maybe not yet," Maxwell said, making Darry frown, "See, where I come from, the future you and the current you are sorta different people, so I won't call you that until I see for sure that you really are Amity Park's Greatest Hero." He holds out a hand.

Darry sighs and willingly agrees, shaking his hand. "It's a deal."

Maxwell smiled as he walks out of SpongeTron's room to eat something in the kitchen when he mutters, "Plus, 'Darry' is still a dumb name, even for you."

Once the genius leaves, everyone laughed loudly until Darry realizes and snaps, "Hey!"

The End

And everybody lives happily ever after; or as happy as they can be at least. Please review and stick around for the next story "Making Fiends".