Ohyaho everyone! Sorry about the late update. I have another story that's eating my lunch right now. Anyway, in this chapter Zak and Annabelle are forced to hang out while Dr. Grey is being stabilized. Annabelle isn't handling her situation very well and making it hard for Zak to understand. Enjoy.

As I rampage all over this city, alls CJzilla has to roar is this: R&R! Love... hate... review.

Bookworm1994: Sorry about the long wait. Here's another chapter for you.

KaliAnn: Thanks Kali. You'll find out just a little on Annabelle's history. More to come.

Captain Deadpool: Thanks. I dig your penname. Anyway, you'll have to read on to find out...

TheMarySueMurderer: Yeah. I enjoyed Zak making a total fool of himself. And as far as Doyle is concerned, I try to stick with the layout of the TV show. Doyle's no longer hanging with the Saturdays so, he's not in this fiction. Sorry.

Rosie: Thanks for your patience and here's another update for you.

Rain999: Here's another update. Sorry it took so long.


Chapter 4

Secrets and Slip-Ups

Doc, Annabelle, Fisk and Zak rushed Dr. Grey's unconscious body into the medical wing of the airship. The medical wing was all ready prepared for an injured person, but no one knew how injured the physics scientist was. Doc wheeled the med-cart up to the big medical machines. He began rushing through the medicine shelves to find drugs to stem Dr. Grey's internal bleeding.

"Annabelle, did you give your mother anything for her injuries?" The super-genius called over his shoulder to the fifteen-year-old girl. He heard the plastic lid of the med-cart tuck back into its housing.

"No. I couldn't get to the medical area of my home because it was destroyed in the explosion." Annabelle answered as she checked over her mother again. Miranda looked worse than ever.

Just then they heard footfalls racing down the hallway toward them. Drew Saturday skidded into the room, breathless.

"I'm here! What's going on?" The woman rushed past her son, the Fiskerton Phantom, Annabelle and Cniks. Doc was filling an empty syringe with medicine.

Spitting out the safety cover to the syringe, Doc pushed the needle through the top of the bottle. The man eyed the kids, cat and cryptid in the room.

"Zak. Take Annabelle and her cat and show them around." He told his son. Annabelle's face lit with objection but Doc shook his head at her. "Please go with Zak, Annabelle."

Zak took the girl's hand.

"C'mon Annabelle." The eleven-year-old pulled her to the door. The fifteen-year-old girl opened her mouth to protest Doc's command but she didn't get the chance.

The medical door shut in her face. Annabelle stood there for a long moment, looking more scared than ever. Zak saw the terror on the girl's pretty face and he thought it was best to take her away from there as fast as possible.

"Let's go, Annabelle." But her feet were planted at the door. The eleven-year-old didn't want to hurt the girl but he had to get her out of there.

Zak was just about to ask for Fisk's help when Annabelle's cat meowed at her feet. The teen looked down and saw that her cat was dripping wet from the wind-blown snow they were just in. Her face softened.

"Do you have a place where I can dry him off?" Annabelle turned to Zak. The boy nodded welcoming the distraction.

"The bathroom. It's waaaaaaay down at the other end of the airship. If we hurry we can get there!" Zak forced an excited smile as he took a step down the hall. He felt a weird tug on his hand.

Stopping, the preteen found that he was still holding Annabelle's hand. Zak instantly dropped her like she was red-hot and took a big step away from her. Annabelle merely blinked at his weird behavior before she bent over and picked up her cat. The girl hugged her pet and instantly Cniks started purring. Annabelle held her cheek to her cat's head as she walked down the hallway, passing Fisk and Zak. As soon as the girl couldn't see them, Fisk nudged Zak.

"Rsgoofmisurm." The gorilla-cat then started dramatically acting out Zak's look when he realized he was holding Annabelle's hand. Zak glared at his friend.

"Thanks for helping, Fiskerton." The preteen marched down the hallway after the girl.

"IsFunnymisiurm!" Fisk shouted to his friend. The gorilla-cat threw his lanky arms in the air and laughed heartily.

At the other end of the airship, Annabelle walked into the bathroom with her soaked cat in her hands. Fisk and Zak followed but stood at the doorway as Annabelle put Cniks in the sink. Their walk from one end of the airship to the other had been in silence and for Zak, silence never lasted very long.

"So…" The boy began as Annabelle slipped off her heavy coat and set it on one of the clothing hooks in the bathroom. Zak saw a thin form come out from under that big coat. "What kind of cat is… your cat?"

The fifteen-year-old girl walked back over to her cat.

"Well, he was designed to be a normal short-haired tabby but he's become a little more high-strung than a tabby." Annabelle voiced, smirking slightly at her cat. Zak blinked.

""Designed"? You mean you got him from a breeder or-?" But then Fisk and Zak saw Annabelle grasp the cat's fur and give it a tug. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Fisk screamed and jumped back as Zak rushed into the bathroom and grabbed her wrists. Annabelle blinked at the boy.

"I'm drying off my cat." The girl responded, cool as a cucumber. Zak was freaking.

"You don't dry an animal off by RIPPING off its fur!" The eleven-year-old pushed the girl away and looked at the cat's injuries. To his surprise, he saw Velcro and something shiny under the "cat's" fur.

Cniks hissed at him. Zak jumped back.

"Whoa!" The preteen held his heart as Annabelle stepped back up to her "cat".

"Cyber Nero Innovative Kat Substitute. I call him "Cniks" for short." The girl set her hand on her robot cat's head. "Mom designed him for me."

Annabelle took off the robot cat's fur and revealed its sleek, shiny metal body. Cniks jumped down from the sink, his metal paws "clunking" on the floor. Zak was up on the toilet as he watched the strange robotic cat circle, giving him a death glare. Annabelle wrung out the cat's fur.

"This is a polyester cashmere mix because mom's allergic to real animals but I insisted that Cniks's fur be super-soft." The girl held open the artificial fur. Zak's eyes were huge. "Do you have somewhere I can hang this?"

Zak nodded and gestured for the towel rack in the shower. Annabelle tossed the fur over the rack and straightened her warm brown coat and her button up shirt. Then she saw Fisk peeking out from the bathroom doorframe. She smiled and moved over to him.

"This robot is amazing." The fifteen-year-old girl awed, pulling Fisk into the bathroom's light. She walked around him, running her hand through his soft fur. "It's very realistic."

Then Annabelle pressed her ear to Fisk's chest.

"I can almost hear a heartbeat!" She rubbed her face in the cryptid's fur, tickling Fisk and making him giggle. The girl wrapped her arms around the gorilla-cat. "And what type of fur is this? It's SO soft!"

Zak laughed as he stood on the toilet.

"That's because Fisk is a real animal, Annabelle." The preteen replied. "He's flesh and blood just like you and me."

Annabelle jumped off Fisk and gave him a frightened, wide-eyed stare. The Fiskerton Phantom gave a bashful smile and waved.

"Hisurmr!" Fisk murmured. Annabelle slowly backed up, her face going a whiter shade of pale.

Her back hit the wall and she clapped a hand over her mouth to stop from screaming.

"R-r-r-real?" Annabelle trembled. "I've never-… never seen a real animal before."

"Cool. That's a first for both of us because I've never seen a robotic cat before." Zak kicked the air around the robot cat to scare it off. "Shoo! Shoo!"

Cniks just hissed at the boy. The fifteen-year-old girl swallowed hard; this big, lanky, furry thing in front of here was an actual animal!

"Can-… Is it friendly?" Annabelle peeped, pointing at the suddenly scary Fiskerton Phantom.

"Who? Fisk? Oh yeah! He wouldn't hurt a fly!" Zak returned, hopping into the shower and shutting the glass door before Cniks got to him. The preteen stuck his tongue out at the robot. "Hey! If you think Fisk is cool, you should see my other two pets!"

Annabelle's face went even paler.

"You have… more…?" She trailed off. Zak nodded through the shower door's glass.

"Oh yeah! I'll show you just as soon as you call off your robot. It's… giving me the creeps." Cniks was pawing at the glass, his eyes glowing green.

"I-I-I… That's all right, Zak. I don't really want to-" Annabelle began before Zak cut her off.

"If you like Fisk, you'll love Zon and Komodo!" The eleven-year-old boy smiled wide. The fifteen-year-old girl was still huddled in the corner, giving the loveable Fiskerton Phantom a frightened stare. "Just get your cat away from the shower. I've already taken a bath."

Zak folded his arms and glared at the moody robot cat.

"Cniks, leave him alone." Annabelle called out. The robot stiffened before it obeyed his master.

Cniks walked up to the girl and rubbed along her ankles, just like any domesticated cat would. Annabelle softened as Zak stepped out of the shower.

"Cool. I wish I could get my pets to obey me like that." The eleven-year-old boy grinned. Fisk grumbled.

"Ushmur." The gorilla-cat folded his lanky arms, obviously offended.

"Cniks can do a lot more." Annabelle looked over at Zak. She smiled. "Watch this."

The girl looked down at her robot cat.

"Cniks… sit." The cat sat obediently. "Show me your whiskers."

Suddenly six whisker-like metal rods came out of the cat's top lip. In an instant, all six whiskers lit up with electricity.

"Cool!" Zak awed.

"Good boy." Annabelle grinned. "Sit pretty."

The cat sat on it haunches, front feet on his chest.

"Okay… show me your eyes." The teen commanded. The cat's robotic eyes began to glow green.

Suddenly the cat discharged a laser that shot clean through the ceiling, blowing a big hole above the toilet. Fisk, Zak and Annabelle ducked. When the dust settled, they all saw that the toilet was covered in a pile of debris from the hole in the ceiling.

"Oops." Annabelle peeped. Cniks blinked, his eyes going back to normal. "Sorry. I didn't think Cniks would DISCHARGE that laser."

The girl glared at her cat. Cniks just turned up his nose and yawned. Annabelle scooped up her cat and hugged him.

"Cniks can easily pull fifteen times his weight, scale vertical walls and holds two-hundred gigabytes of memory." The girl cradled her cat. "Other than being super-cute, he's a girl's best friend… My only friend."

Zak was trying to stuff a towel in the hole of the ceiling, hoping that his parents wouldn't notice it.

"You don't have any friends? A cool girl like you? No way!" The eleven-year-old hopped to the floor and moved the debris behind the toilet.

"It's true." Annabelle answered, completely honest. "You're the only boy I've seen in the flesh and blood."

The fifteen-year-old girl reached out and touched Zak's shoulder.

"I remember seeing one other person and that was… my mom." Annabelle's hand went to Zak's cheek. The preteen gave her an awkward smile before he took a step away from her.

"C'mon! Dr. Grey can't be the only person you've ever seen." The boy gave a laugh but when he saw the dead serious look on Annabelle's face, he zipped his lips.

"Dr. Grey isn't my real mother." The girl shook her head. "But she'll never tell me who my real mother is. She says that I don't really need to know."

Annabelle stroked her cat's head, getting a sad look on her face.

"And I'm in danger of losing Miranda too." She hugged her cat. To Zak's horror, she started to cry.

"No! No, don't cry!" Zak pleaded, jumping off the toilet and coming up to her. "Dr. Grey's going to be just fine! Mom and dad are working on her right now! She's going to be good as new!"

But Annabelle kept weeping, tears flowing from her concerned dark eyes. Zak gulped, not sure what to do with a crying girl.

"Please don't cry, Annabelle." The eleven-year-old put his hand on her shoulder.

The fifteen-year-old girl looked up at the boy.

"I'm scared, Zak. Miranda was hurt very bad and she might-…" Annabelle trailed off as her tears came in rivers.

"She won't!" Zak was quick to reply. "If there's anything I know about Dr. Grey is that she's stubborn! It's going to take more than this to knock her down!"

Annabelle was still crying. Zak looked back at Fisk and gave him a pleading look. The Fiskerton Phantom rolled his red eyes and motioned for Zak to hug her. Zak looked back at his best friend like he was crazy-insane. The boy mouthed the words "no way" before he swiped the air with his hands. Fisk shook his head and made the same action for Zak to hug the girl. The preteen glared at his friend but knew that he was right. Gulping and shutting his eyes, Zak threw his arms around Annabelle.

Zak gave the girl a fast hug, startling himself, Fisk and Annabelle. To his relief, the girl went silent in his arms. Zak felt his cheek resting on the girl's shoulder, some wispies of her thick red hair tickling his neck. He wasn't aware how tight he'd shut his eyes until he opened them.

"Uh… don't cry." Zak peeped. "Your mom will be just fine."

He felt Annabelle breathe in before she set her tear-covered cheek on his head. The two kids stood there in that awkward hug until Zak couldn't take it anymore. Giving Annabelle one last pat on the back, he pulled away from that embarrassingly clumsy hug. But to his shock, the girl grinned at him before she wiped her face with her sleeve.

"You're incredibly decent, Zak." Annabelle voiced, sniffling a little. Cniks was nearly crushed against their chests when Zak hugged Annabelle, but the moody robotic cat looked relieved to see his master grin.

The preteen blushed and looked at his feet.

"Now no more crying or you'll get another one of those…" Zak squirmed. "Uh… hugs."

Annabelle nodded but she still looked like she was going to cry. Zak looked up at Fisk and gave him a worried look.

"Let's… go meet Komodo and Zon, Annabelle!" With that Zak started to push Annabelle toward the door. "They're in the control room. C'mon!"

Anything to keep the girl from crying. The boy never had a girl cry around him and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

Down a hallway, just a door away from the control room, Zak was trying anything and everything to keep Annabelle's mind off of her mom's injuries. He was blabbing on and on about studying cryptids since he was born, how he met Fiskerton and the Kur Stone.

"So then I faced down about seven of the ugliest Amaroks in Ellef Ringness! I had no Claw and-!" Zak went on before Annabelle interrupted him.

"Claw? Is that the thing you threw snowballs with?" The girl pointed at the Claw that was hanging from his hip. Zak nodded.

"Yep! The Hand of Tsul'Kalu!" He grabbed the Claw and showed it to Annabelle. "I call it the Claw for short; it's easier to say."

Annabelle touched the metal housing but was more tentative to touching the bird's foot. Zak just grinned at her.

"You want to hold it?" He asked. She nodded and he handed it to her.

The fifteen-year-old girl carefully looked at the many buttons on the metal staff before looking at the bird foot. Annabelle brought her finger to one of the toes and carefully touched its claw. Zak watched her examine his weapon. He couldn't fight off that goofy, proud smile on his face.

"It's an ancient mystical tool that helps channel my powers-" Suddenly Annabelle pressed a button. The Claw shot out of its housing.

Fisk and the kids gasped as the Claw bounced off the ceiling and walls of the hallway. The wayward weapon finally hit Zak in the chest, rocketing him off of his feet. The preteen came to a sliding stop halfway down the hall. Zak opened his eyes and found that he couldn't breathe; he'd had the air knocked out of him. He rolled to his side and gasped for air, hearing Annabelle, her robot cat and Fisk race up to him.

"I'm sorry!" Annabelle rushed falling to her knees beside Zak. "I didn't mean to press that button! I'm sorry!"

Zak gave her a thumbs up as he sat on his knees.

"Isusallrightsius?" Fisk grabbed his best friend by his shoulders hand helped him to his feet. Zak was finally able to take a break and nod.

"I'm fine." He put a hand on his chest before he looked into Annabelle's worried eyes. "The Claw has a hair trigger, doesn't it?"

Annabelle didn't crack a smile, still looking like she'd just hurt Zak bad.

"I'm really sorry, Zak. I didn't mean to." She handed him back the Claw. Zak coughed but took his weapon with a smile.

"Don't sweat it, Annabelle. I'm okay." He returned. Annabelle finally nodded before getting a slight grin back on her face.

She looked as if she was about to ask another question when she suddenly looked up. Annabelle gasped loudly and dove behind Zak.

"There's something down there!" The fifteen-year-old girl whispered, looking very frightened.

"What?" Zak stammered, looking surprised.

"Down there! At the end of the hallway! Something's there! I can hear it." Annabelle whispered pointing to the end of the hall where the door to the control room was. Zak looked down the hall but saw nothing.

"Annabelle, I don't see a thing." The eleven-year-old returned. "Are you sure you're not hearing things?"

But judging by the frightened look on her face, Annabelle was not lying. The girl clamored back until she hit Fisk's chest.

"It's coming closer! Don't you hear it breathing?!" She was now hyperventilating. "It's a monster!"

Cniks took off toward the end of the hall.

"Cniks! Don't!" Annabelle felt another one of her super sonic screams threatening to come out of her mouth. "Come back here!"

But instead, the robotic cat stopped about halfway down the hallway and stared into the seemingly empty space. Cniks hissed, his back arched and his eyes lighting up. Finally the robot lit the hallway with an intense light from its artificial eyes. Now a shadow could be seen.

"Oh! Komodo! You scared us!" Zak groaned. "Come out and show Annabelle that you're no monster."

Suddenly the empty space became a solid mass of genetically altered komodo dragon bummed that he had gotten caught. Annabelle gasped again.

"It's a komodo dragon!" She peeped. "They're vicious! One bite and an injection of their toxic saliva will KILL you! What is it doing on your ship?!"

Zak laughed.

"That's just Komodo! He's family." The preteen twirled the Claw in his hand.

Komodo was carefully investigating Cniks while the robotic cat wasn't letting him pass.

"H-How does it turn invisible?" Annabelle questioned, shaking like a leaf. "Komodo dragons cannot go invisible."

"He's genetically altered." Zak responded, shrugging like it was no big deal. Then he took the girl by the hand and led her to the big lizard. "C'mon, Annabelle! Komodo wouldn't hurt a fly."

Annabelle had no choice but to get dragged down the hallway.

"Hey Komodo! Come meet our guest!" The boy called at the dragon. The big lizard hissed at the robot cat before becoming invisible moved toward the kids.

Zak let go of Annabelle's hand as Komodo became visible again. The preteen put a hand on the big lizard's head, giving him a scratch. Komodo gave the guttural growl he did when he was happy. Zak then laughed.

"No one's ever spotted Komodo when he's invisible before, Annabelle. How'd you even hear him?" He waited a second but he heard no reply from the girl. Zak turned his head and saw the fifteen-year-old girl racing down the opposite end of the hallway. "Annabelle! Where are you going?"

As if an answer to his question, Cniks bounded off of Komodo's head and raced after his master. Annabelle ran around the corner with her robot cat on her heels, and disappeared out of sight. The big lizard growled his displeasure with the robot as Zak moved to run after the girl. But Fisk jumped in front of him before he could take another step.

"Get out of the way, Fisk!" The preteen nearly ran into his best friend. "I gotta go after-"

"Musisgurner." The gorilla-cat shook his head. Zak was stunned.

"What?! Why not?" The boy tried to push the Fiskerton Phantom out of his way. Fisk put a furry hand on Zak's shoulder.

"Susmirsus." To Zak's surprise, Fisk used his finger to trace a tear streak down his cheek. The boy blinked.

"What? She was crying again?! I gotta go after her!" He pushed Fisk's hand off of his shoulder. But the gorilla-cat grabbed him again.

"Nosusirnerner!" The seven-foot tall cryptid held the squirming boy against his chest. "Tisusturnm!"

At what his best friend just said, Zak stopped fighting him.

"You really think this was too much for her, Fisk? I mean, Komodo's appetite is worse than his bite." The boy looked up at Fisk. The gorilla-cat nodded as he let Zak to his feet.

"Momsir." Fisk returned, again tracing a tear streak down his cheek. "KomodoFiskZaksurm."

The eleven-year-old cringed.

"So showing her you and Komodo was too much?" Zak gulped. "Man… girls are strange."

Fisk rolled his red eyes.

"KomodoFiskstayhereisismr." The gorilla-cat gestured for himself and Komodo. Then he waved at Zak. "Zakgo."

The preteen's face went pale.

"I can't talk to her alone! I'll freeze and say something stupid!" Zak shook his head. "I called her a popsicle! A POPSICLE, Fisk!"

"Furmurnis." Fisk shook his head and pointed to the hallway Annabelle disappeared down. Zak turned and looked down the hall.

He'd have to go after her; Annabelle needed someone right now. The boy gulped and his knees started knocking together. THIS… wasn't going to go well.

Zak searched the hallways. He found that creepy robot cat's fur gone from the towel rack in the bathroom. The boy followed his instincts and his ears. The hallways were metal and echoed the smallest sounds. He hadn't gone far when he heard quiet weeping from one hallway. Zak peeked around the corner and saw Annabelle sitting on the floor, her back against the door of the medical room that Dr. Grey and his parents were inside. The fifteen-year-old girl held her cat, crying into his fur.

Zak squirmed and ducked back around the corner. What was he going to do? What was he going to say?! She looked really upset and it was his fault. He shoved too much on her at one time and made the pretty girl cry. How was he going to fix this?

The sheepish eleven-year-old took a step out into the hallway and stood there for a second, watching her. The girl was slowly stroking her robot cat's tear stained fur, her thick bangs blocking the look in her eyes. Zak inhaled and held his breath as he walked down the hall to her. The preteen stopped beside her and let out his breath. Still Annabelle didn't look up at him.

"Uh… hi, Annabelle." Zak spat out before his brain caught up with him. Still, silence from the girl.

The boy sighed, took a step across the hall and plopped down on his butt. Zak sat across from Annabelle, strangely frustrated when he couldn't see her attractive eyes. There was still a very thick quiet between the two kids, only the sound of Cnik's artificial purring was heard.

"I'm really sorry." Zak spoke quietly. "I didn't mean to overload you. Komodo's stench is worse than his bite…"

Annabelle was still quiet and petting her cat. The preteen sighed again and finally gave into the silence. The two sat there, quiet and thickly awkward.

Suddenly the door behind Annabelle opened and Drew nearly kicked the sitting girl. The woman blinked as she saw her son and the fifteen-year-old girl get up from the floor. Drew smiled at Annabelle.

"You must be Annabelle. I'm Drew, that brat's mother." She pointed to Zak. Zak slapped his forehead.

Now he knew understood the clichés about parents being ridiculously embarrassing. But it appeared that Annabelle wasn't interested in what Drew had to say.

"My mother. Is she all right?" Drew's eyebrows rose slightly when she heard the girl's weird voice.

"Uh, yes. Miranda is going to be fine." The woman responded. Annabelle zipped under her arm and ran into the medical room. "No, that's all right. Just go right in."

Drew was a little offended by the girl's bluntness.

"Mom!" Zak hissed. She turned to see her son looking flustered. "Don't call me a brat! It's embarrassing."

"Oh. Sorry." The woman ran her fingers through her son's hair. "What about pookie pie or pumpkin?"

Drew was clearly joking but Zak's embarrassed expression remained.

"Seriously… don't embarrass me anymore." The eleven-year-old moved past his mom, following Annabelle. Drew set her hands on her hips and sighed.

Two kids in one airship. This was going to be tricky.

When Zak caught up with Annabelle, she was at her mother's bedside carefully looking over the injured and unconscious woman.

"She'll be out for a while, Annabelle." It was Doc, coming from the medicine cabinet as he pulled off a surgical mask. "My machines were able to repair her shoulder and stop her bleeding. Miranda just needs rest now."

Annabelle looked up at the tall black man and gave him a thankful smile.

"Thank you Mr. Saturday." The fifteen-year-old girl nodded at him. Doc set a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Call me Doc, Annabelle." The tall man gave her a smile. "And I just finished what you started. YOU saved your mother's life by stabilizing her. That was some pretty smart thinking."

The man winked at her. To Zak's horror/disgust Annabelle's eyes fell to her feet as she blushed.

"Mom taught me." The girl peeped. "She said that if anything happens to her that I was to run to the shelter and call you guys."

"You were very brave back there, Annabelle." Doc nodded back at her. "You faced down a monster all on your own. I don't think you needed our help."

Annabelle's blush grew darker. Zak had enough of it.

"And speaking of monsters, what did your mom create?" The eleven-year-old broke the conversation. The fifteen-year-old girl looked up.

"It's an energy creature. Mom was experimenting with mass and molecular energy." Annabelle answered. "Cniks has downloads of all her notebooks."

The girl looked down at her robotic cat. Drew and Doc looked confused.

"That's not a normal cat." Zak pointed at Cniks. "It's a robot."

The adults looked surprised but nodded.

"Mom made him for me." Annabelle explained as the robotic cat jumped into her arms. The girl looked over at her battered and unconscious mother. "She made a lot of stuff for me."

"Like that super sonic weapon you have?" Doc questioned. "We all saw you use it on the monster."

Annabelle nodded.

"That's not really a weapon; mom doesn't even know I can do that." The girl gulped. "Mom made me a larynx and eardrums. You see… I'm deaf and mute."


LONG LIVE ROCK!