AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, my sincere gratitude goes to all readers of this story. And a double thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to leave a review. Reading what you think of this series (both good and bad) and responding to your reviews honestly makes my day.

While I have some idea of what another story in this Foam Wars universe could look like, I cannot guarantee that there will be another tale. So in case this saga does not continue, I hope this final chapter gives you an idea of where many of these characters I have come to love so much go from here.

Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy what follows.

Seated behind the anchor desk, Courtney Tyler offered the camera a tired smile. "This has truly been one of the darkest days in the history of R.M.S. But as the dismissal bell looms near, it brings with it a glimmer of hope. The Black Atom, who has been revealed as Aashna Shaan from Earhart Elementary, has been subdued. To close out this story, I pass things over to Libby Folfax in the auditorium."

Courtney watched the monitor switch views to Libby. Once she was offscreen, Courtney leaned back in her seat and leaned back to view the show.

Libby stood near the auditorium's entrance, allowing a grand view of the room's destruction. "Thank you, Courtney. As you can all see, the damage to this space was immense." Flour coated nearly every inch of the stage and front rows. Deep puddles of water spattered the entire room. The bolted seats were dented, bashed, and some lay in pieces on the floor.

"And yet, it will not stay this way long." Libby turned to her right, where two dozen students and teachers stood behind Cindy Vortex. They clutched vacuums, brooms, mops, and rolling trash cans. "Under the guidance of President Vortex, an army of volunteers has come to clean up this mess."

Cindy spoke animatedly, her voice barely audible to the camera. She pointed between the different recovery teams and piles of debris. Then she spun around and marched towards Libby.

"President Vortex," Libby faced her friend, "you have come under a lot of fire for your role in catching the Black Atom. Some would argue that directing the clean up of this mess is merely a political act; a photo op to sway the public. How do you respond to these accusations?"

Cindy, whose pale skin and damp hair still held traces of her battle, nodded in understanding. "I don't blame people for being upset over what I said on that stage. It may have helped catch the Black Atom, but the truth is I don't know if it was the right thing to do. But like I said at the beginning of that abhorrent speech, you all elected me president. And that means as long as this school will have me, I will make the hard choices and do what I think is best to protect this place.

"And directing the clean up?" Cindy chuckled. "I was just making sure people know what needs to be done. Now that they're all set, I can do what I do best. Get my hands dirty."

Cindy grabbed a broom and joined the nearest team of volunteers.

Libby watched her go, then turned back to the camera with a smile. "Well there you have it. Today has been a wild ride, and I promise we'll be back next week to help parse through exactly what happened. But for now? I can't think of anything I'd rather do than help my best friend. I'm Libby Folfax from the R.M.S. Report, signing off."

Libby tossed the microphone into her surprised cameraman's hands, grabbed a dustpan, and joined Cindy.

Ethan clutched his sister's wrist while all but dragging her towards the library.

"You don't have to hold my hand! I'm not three!" Aashna protested.

"I feel like you're going to run away if I let go."

"There's just a fifty percent chance of that, I swear!"

Ethan halted before the library and stared his sister in the eyes. "Just remember you promised me that you'd do this." Ethan released his grip.

Aashna immediately bolted ten steps down the hall, looked over her shoulder, and saw that her brother wasn't chasing her. She let out an exhausted sigh and trudged back towards him. "It's no fun if you don't chase me."

"Well we're past the point of having fun today," he answered while pushing the door open. He let Aashna step through and followed her inside. Across from them, seated in one of the four lounge chairs near the magazine rack, was Alex.

Aashna studied the back of the boy's head and rolled her eyes. "This is gonna suck."

"But you're doing it anyway," Ethan said while leading her towards the boy.

"Alex," Ethan said while taking a seat in one of the chairs across from him. Alex narrowed his eyes and wrapped his blanket tighter as Aashna sat beside her brother. "I really appreciate you meeting us here. I'm trying to teach my sister to be less…awful."

"Hey!"

"Her apologizing to you is a great first step."

Alex grit his teeth and glowered at Ethan. "Well I'm not here for you or to help her," he spat while swiveling his glare towards Aashna. The girl glowered back at him with equal abhorrence. "I just wanted to finally put a face to the person who ruined me."

Aashna rolled her eyes. "Dude, it's been almost six hours. Why are you still wrapped in a blanket?"

"Aashna," Ethan warned, "you hurt Alex today. If a blanket makes him feel better-"

"It was just a bad wedgie!" Aashna protested. "That's nothing compared to what he did to you!"

"So that's why you attacked me?" Alex growled. Ethan and Aashna turned back to him as he said, "All of this because I teased Ethan?"

"Teased?" Aashna scoffed. "You made his life a living heck for two years. You ruined elementary school for him."

Ethan rubbed his temple. "Can we please stay on track?"

"I am! If I'm going to apologize for today, he should do the same for Earhart."

"I never laid a hand on your brother."

"You didn't need to," Aashna countered. "He may have put on a brave face at school, but I live with the dweeb." Ethan closed his eyes and shook his head as Aashna went on, "He wasn't just absolutely miserable, Alex. He wouldn't talk, he could barely eat, he got stress migraines. What gave you the right to do that to someone?"

Alex wrapped his blanket tighter. "He said that he wanted to dance with a boy. That's not natural!"

"Says who?" Aashna bristled.

"Says my dad," Alex countered. "When I told him what Ethan said, he told me that someone needed to teach him that's not okay."

For the first time, the scowl disappeared from Aashna's face. "Your dad said that?"

"Yeah."

"Then he's an idiot."

"You better take that back," Alex warned.

"Or what? You're going to try to beat me up and get wedgied again?" Aashna snarled. "There is nothing wrong with my brother. He's the best person I know. And you wanted to ruin his life just because he likes boys? What's the matter with you?"

"But my dad-"

"Alex," Ethan interjected. He finally opened his eyes and leaned towards his classmate. "I'm not saying your dad's a bad guy. I don't know him. But he's wrong about this." When Alex opened his mouth to protest, Ethan raised a hand to stop him. "Can you honestly look back on the last year and say the adults we know are always right?"

Alex considered that and stayed quiet.

"When you and other kids made fun of me, I started to hate who I was. It took a long time for me to understand that I'm okay just the way I am. I understand why you find me liking other boys weird…I feel the same about you liking girls. But Aashna's right. Why does that give you the right to torment me?"

Alex struggled to articulate an answer. "It's just…not normal."

"Not normal?" Aashna scoffed. "I snuck around this whole school today. No one here is normal. You've got kids breeding guinea pigs in the ceiling, a teacher who lives in her classroom, and more LARPers than I can count."

"Somehow, Aashna makes a good point," Ethan added. "We're all weird in our own ways. So why is what makes me different so much worse?"

Alex couldn't answer, so the three of them stayed quiet for a long moment. Eventually, Aashna asked, "You never answered my question. Why do you still have the blanket?"

Alex glared once more at the girl. "You really suck, you know that?"

"I'm just asking!" Aashna sincerely answered.

Alex saw no cruelty in her face, so sighed and admitted, "Ever since this morning, I feel like I need more layers. It's like…an extra barrier. To keep me from being hurt again."

Aashna studied the boy and eventually admitted, "I wasn't trying to freaking destroy you. I just wanted you to understand what Ethan felt when you bullied him."

Alex half-met Ethan's eyes. "What I did back at Earhart, did it really make you feel like this?"

Ethan admitted, "You made me think that something about me I couldn't change was wrong. You made me feel broken. Yeah, whatever you feel right now is close to what I went through."

Alex mulled that over, then turned back to Aashna. "Why now? What made you do this today?"

"That stupid petition," Aashna growled. "About the dance. It was like Earhart all over again. I couldn't lose my brother a second time, so I figured it was time to deal out some payback. I started with the people who hurt him before. I assumed I'd eventually figure out who started that petition, but never did."

Alex leaned back in his chair and stared at the ground. Aashna waited for him to speak. When he didn't, she asked, "Do you know who started it?"

Alex shifted from her gaze and asked Ethan, "That petition really upset you?"

"Yeah," Ethan answered.

"It didn't just upset him. It made him physically sick," Aashna answered. "Those stress migraines make him nauseous and hurt more than anything I did to you. He's been in and out of the nurse's office all week."

They were quiet for another minute, then Alex admitted, "I started the petition."

Ethan immediately latched onto his sister's wrist as she lurched towards the boy. He pulled her back onto her seat and admitted, "I know."

As Aashna tried to wrestle free of her brother's grip, Alex met Ethan's gaze. "Then why you being so cool about all this? Why aren't you yelling at me or beating me up? I know you could, you're not weak!"

"I'll say," Aashna agreed while failing to rip out of her brother's clutches. "How are you this strong?"

"I'm furious at you, Alex," a hint of rage finally made Ethan's words waver. "You ruined my life before and you did it again this week. But what good is punching you going to do? You'll just think that makes you right to judge me. I don't want us to fight forever. All I want is to be allowed to be myself."

"That's what I wanted too," Aashna said before frantically licking her brother's hand. When he didn't release his hold, she went back to pulling away with all her strength and faced Alex. "I mean I actually did want to see you suffer a bit. But mostly I just wanted you to leave Ethan alone afterwards."

Aashna finally collapsed in exhaustion and Ethan released her. The three kids stared at each other until Alex said, "You two aren't even related. And look how much you love each other." Ethan and Aashna traded glances as Alex admitted, "It must be nice to have that."

Aashna studied the broken boy before her, clenched her jaw, and rocked back and forth. After a few moments she finally let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, I'll say it. You were a huge jerk and you deserved to be brought down a few pegs. But maybe I did go too far. So…I'm sorry."

Alex wavered a long moment, then mumbled, "I'm sorry too, Ethan. I won't do anything like that stupid petition again."

"Thank you," Ethan offered. "And I'll make sure my sister never goes ballistic and hurts anyone else again."

Alex offered a weak nod, and the three finally rose to their feet. Alex turned towards the door, wavered, and finally threw his blanket onto the seat he'd just vacated. As he walked away, Ethan and Aashna immediately spun on each other.

"Told you so!" each triumphantly shouted before scrunching their faces in confusion.

Ethan asked, "What are you talking about? We just made Alex realize how stupid he'd been by talking to him."

Aashna rolled her eyes. "And he never would have listened to us if I hadn't attacked him first! Violence works!"

As the siblings glared at each other, a short eighth-grader emerged from the nearby bookshelves. "A time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace." With a worn copy of Nicomachean Ethics tucked under his arm, the boy swiped mahogany bangs from his eyes and strolled towards them. "No single view can allow us to see all of this world. We must take the best from all vantages."

As Aashna's left eye twitched and her jaw dropped, Ethan nodded in understanding. "He's right, Aashna. Being peaceful clearly works, but maybe if I'd stood up for myself at Earhart things would have gone better."

Aashna hesitantly added, "And striking terror into our enemies makes them listen to us. But if I talked to Alex first, maybe I wouldn't have had to assault him."

"Thanks, dude," Ethan turned towards the eighth-grader. "I always see you around here. What's your name, anyway?"

The boy smiled and simply said, "I'm just an observer."

Ethan and Aashna watched him walk out of the library. Ethan shrugged and said, "Well, come on. We still have three more apologies to make."

Aashna grinned. "Okay. Think I can walk on my own this time?"

"I suppose that you've earned that privilege." Ethan motioned for his sister to lead the way and followed her out into the hall.

Ike grunted as he ascended the ladder's final rung. His bulging backpack was an awkward fit through the open trapdoor, but he managed to hoist himself onto the floor. "That's the last of it," he grumbled while unshouldering his bag. He kicked the hatch closed and set his sack on the ground. An enormous pile of various cocktail glasses, bottles of juice, and bartending tools lay next to it. After cracking his neck he leaned forward against the Spitoon's bar.

He cast a quick glance at the two mahogany tables. Three students sat at each, happily chatting and drinking the day's terrors away. The four bar stools were mercifully empty, and Ike relished a moment of peace.

Then the batwings swung open and Meagan Miller strolled inside.

"I need a drink!" she shouted before sitting directly across from Ike.

Ike cleared his ringing ears before asking. "What'll it be?"

Meagan flashed a charming smile. "Something light and buoyant that can carry me away to a world of dreams."

"I know just the thing," Ike said while opening the fridge under the bar. He grabbed some club soda, ginger extract, limeade, and pineapple coconut juice. As he mixed the ingredients, he said, "You're in an awfully good mood."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Meagan leaned back, nearly toppled off the barstool, and frantically grabbed the counter. "Sure, the Black Atom getting captured put the kibosh on that Deep Dish segment we were working on. But now I have even better plans."

Ike clutched his shaker tin and vigorously pumped it up and down. "Yeah? What's your new batch of stew gonna be about?"

"It's not that. This is about a personal matter." Meagan answered as Ike poured her drink into a lowball glass. He reached under the bar, grabbed a handful of jelly beans, and gently dropped them inside the drink. "I'm getting my buzz on before my date with Jimmy."

Ike frowned while pushing the mocktail towards Meagan. "Here's your preggy punch." As she tossed three dollar coins on the counter, Ike said, "And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Neutron's not gonna show for that date."

Meagan's lips halted a millimeter from the glass and curled into a snarl. "What?"

"He's in love with Cindy."

"Pssh," Meagan rolled her eyes. "Like she's got anything on me. He's probably breaking things off with her right now."

"I'm afraid he's not. I talked to him after you left the newsroom," Ike explained.

Meagan shook her head. "But he told me-"

"Think back, Meagan. He never agreed to go on a date with you. You barely let him get two words out in the newsroom."

Meagan opened her mouth to argue, then clamped it shut as she thought back to that morning.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," Ike assured her. "I just figured it would be worse for you to wait at the Candy Bar all night."

Meagan crossed her arms and turned her stool away. "He's really not gonna show?"

"I'm sorry, but no. He's not."

Meagan sighed. "Sometimes, when something gets me excited or pissed off, my brain just runs away with it. All my emotions get ramped up; it's all I can think about. And it won't stop until I take it as far as I can."

"Is that why you're always destroying chairs?"

Meagan shrugged.

"Well, don't beat yourself up. I've taken a wild idea too far plenty of times." He motioned at her drink. "Maybe that'll make you feel better."

Meagan stared at the colorful concoction before her. "I don't think I want this anymore."

She started to rise off her chair when Ike offered, "Feel like something a little broodier?" Meagan said nothing but sat back down and watched as Ike got to work. He grabbed a small pitcher of iced barley tea, poured it into a rocks glass, and added a splash of simple syrup. He gave the liquid a stir, dropped in a large ball of ice, and placed a lemon twist on top.

"Old fashioned for the lovely lady."

Meagan managed a fleeting smile and reached into her pocket. Ike flashed a palm to stop her. "Don't worry about it. I'll just have the punch," he said while grabbing the colorful drink. He took a sip and pulled back in shock. "Wow, I'm a really great bartender."

Meagan rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She sampled her own beverage and asked, "You ever think kids like us should try to be more normal?"

"Define normal."

"Not launching furniture into drywall or building secret armories," Meagan explained.

"And why exactly would we want to stop doing those things?"

Meagan sighed. "Because sometimes reality catches up with us. And then we just feel stupid."

"Listen," Ike trained his aviators on her glistening azure eyes. "You may let whatever you're feeling at any moment take complete control of you. But at least you're being true to yourself. I'll take that over someone who pretends to be something they're not any day of the week."

Meagan chewed her cheek, then took another sip of her drink. "Thanks, Ike."

Ike took a deep breath and said, "You know, if you wanted, you could still have a date at the Candy Bar."

Meagan's face beamed. "You'd talk to Jimmy for me?"

"No!" Ike snapped. "I meant a date with me, Meagan."

"You?" Meagan leaned back and studied the boy as though she was seeing him for the first time. "You're sweet, but aren't you like eight years old?"

"What?" Ike's face scrunched in disbelief. "I'm a month younger than Neutron."

"A whole month?!" Meagan roared. "Oh my gosh, you're an infant."

"Okay, just forget the date."

"Probably for the best," Meagan agreed. "Like I told Neutron, I don't need a man right now. I have to focus on Deep Dish. But," Meagan swirled her glass and watched the liquid go round and round, "I did think you and I would be a good team. And I am pretty hungry." She waited a long moment, then slugged her entire drink.

"To hell with it! Let's go to the Candy Bar and have dinner. As friends," she jabbed a finger over and over against his chest. "This is a platonic brainstorming session for another Deep Dish segment. Got it?"

Ike watched her finger repeatedly bounce off of him. "If I say yes will you stop poking me?" Meagan nodded, so he said, "Then I accept."

"Good!" Meagan shouted. She grabbed the rest of Ike's drink and gulped that down as well.

"Listen up!" Meagan roared while throwing her glass at the wall over a table full of kids. As the children covered their heads, Meagan exclaimed, "The Spitoon's closing early! Ike and I are friends now. Everybody get out!"

Bennett leaned against the wall beside the gym entrance. Still clad in his black polo shirt and cargo pants, he crossed his arms and waited for Yen to finish changing in the locker room. A few stragglers from the recently dismissed gym class shoved the doors open and walked past Bennett. Most paid him no mind, but a boy and girl stopped when they saw Bennett.

"Hey," the boy asked, "you're the hall monitor who saved us!"

"Oh wow," the girl beamed, "I didn't think we'd see you again. Thanks for everything you did."

Bennett stood up straight. "Oh…you're welcome. It's just part of the job."

"Well we appreciate it," the boy answered. "We would have gotten trampled if it wasn't for you and your partner yanking us up."

The girl nodded and asked, "Will you tell her we appreciate her too?"

"Of course," Bennett agreed.

The boy smiled and pushed open the door. "Well thanks again. Have a great weekend!"

Bennett managed a small smile and said, "You too."

As soon as the door swung closed, Yen emerged from the locker room. She was clad in a light pink T-shirt and jeans. She adjusted her backpack over her shoulders and asked, "Ready to go?"

Bennett watched and waited while she tied her dark brunette hair into a ponytail. Once she was done, he shifted his gaze away and pushed himself off the wall. "Some kids thanked us for saving them."

"Really?" Yen asked as they fell in lockstep down the halls. "That's nice."

"It is," Bennett agreed. "If I'm being honest, I hated that we weren't the ones to catch the Black Atom."

"Agreed," Yen said. "It would have been cool to be the ones to wrangle Aashna."

"But we still helped, and it made a difference."

"We are indeed awesome after all," Yen shared a grin with her partner. Their eyes met, and she rubbed the back of her neck while adding, "Now maybe these kids can enjoy their dance in peace."

Bennett nodded. "I hope so, though I never quite got the appeal."

"Really?" Yen asked. "Dances are awesome! They've got drinks and snacks, cool music, all your friends, they're great!"

"Guess I wouldn't know."

"You've never been to a dance? Not even one?"

Bennett watched continue their slow advance. "No."

Yen said, "You know our school has its own coming up. Same night as the one here."

Bennett met his friend's gaze. "I was thinking of going to the Spring Fling."

Yen grinned and asked, "Really?"

"I could chaperone here."

Yen's face fell. "Oh…is that something hall monitors do?"

Bennett shrugged. "Clarke would let me."

Both kids fell quiet as a few students marched past them. Yen peeked in the nearest classroom, saw that it was empty, and walked inside while motioning for Bennett to follow. Once they were past the threshold, Yen closed the door and leaned against it.

"I know why you come here, Bennett."

Bennett crossed his arms. "This school is crazy. It needs us to protect it, to keep these kids safe. We proved that today."

"True," Yen agreed. "But we both know that's not the real reason." Bennett stayed quiet, so Yen added, "You don't feel like you belong at our high school."

Bennett turned around and walked towards the window. He leaned on the sill and stared at the slow stream of kids exiting R.M.S.

Yen stayed where she was and watched him. "That's normal, you know. You're only a freshman. Took me a while to feel like I belonged there. But if you keep hiding out here, you're never going to learn to fit in somewhere else."

Bennett didn't turn around as he admitted, "It's easier here."

"It is," Yen agreed. She sighed and crossed the room. She leaned forwards, and they both stared out the glass. "But eventually you're going to have to leave this place behind for good. So as your friend, I'm telling you that you have to find a way to live out there," she pointed at the world beyond. "Maybe going to our dance would help with that."

Bennett stayed quiet, so Yen added, "You know I'll be there with you, right?"

Bennett turned to her. He looked into her kind hazel eyes and gulped. "I…did not know that."

Yen smiled. "Who else would appreciate these sick moves?" She stepped away from the window, began snapping her fingers, and swayed in a way that could charitably be called dancing.

Bennett watched her somehow fail to match a rhythm that didn't exist. "Those are certainly something."

"Care to join?" she asked while offering a hand.

Bennett stared at her palm for a long moment, then said, "Maybe when there's actual music."

"Fair enough," Yen sighed while swaying for a few more seconds. "But I'm going to hold you to that."

Bennett watched her movements still. "So we're going to the Spring Fling together. As…"

His voice trailed off, and silence filled the air. Yen asked, "What would you like to go as?"

Ben stared at the girl who in three months had become his closest friend. He allowed himself to wonder if that's all he wanted her to be. As he tried and failed to organize the jumbled mess of thoughts in his head, Yen smiled.

She squeezed his arm and said, "Because I was thinking we could go as partners."

Bennett smiled, and he let her lead the way down the halls.

The uneasy silence inside of Principal Clarke's office was deafening. Jimmy stood in the right corner, garbed in his usual jeans and T-shirt. He anxiously rolled back and forth on the balls of his heels. His bulging backpack rested on the floor beside him. Across the room from the genius leaned Cindy, crossing her arms and drumming her fingers. A worn and weary Principal Clare sat at her desk, glaring at the two empty chairs before her.

At last Principal Clarke asked, "So she actually is going to be late for this."

At that moment the closed office door burst open and a sweating Aashna burst inside. "Sorry," she told everyone. She closed the door behind her and wiped her brow. "Ethan and I kind of lost track of time." She stared at the two empty chairs and then turned to Principal Clarke. "Is one of those for me?"

"Yes," Clarke answered. "Take a seat so we can get this affair started."

Aashna gulped and took the chair closest to the door.

Ms. Clarke sucked in a slow breath, then laced her fingers. "Ms. Shaan, are you familiar with the I.O.P. charter?"

"I've never read it."

"Clause Three states that any student who breaks a rule on an I.O.P. day is to be sentenced by the principal of the establishment where the malfeasance took place. Which means that I will be handling your punishment, not your principal. Do you understand that?"

Aashna nodded.

"Then we may begin. You stand accused of-"

"Wait," Aashna interrupted. "Ethan told me about Jimmy's trial."

"That was a sentencing hearing, not a trial."

"Well whatever it was, he had a lawyer. Do I get that too?"

Ms. Clarke answered, "You may have an advocate, yes. Who do you wish to represent you?"

The office door was thrown open by an incredibly frazzled Sheen. "Where is the child?!" he roared.

Cindy blinked in shock at Sheen's appearance. The teenager's dark brown wig was half off his head. He wore one brown Oxford shoe and one green sneaker. His briefcase was hanging open, spilling cookies everywhere. His Ultralord T-shirt was easily visible beneath his wrinkled gray seersucker suit. She managed to ask, "What on Earth are you wearing?"

Sheen's voice wavered in and out of a punchy southern twang. "I just heard about this. I didn't get a chance to prepare, Cindy!"

Principal Clarke rose to her feet and shook her head. "No, we are not doing this. You are skating on thin ice, Mr. Estevez. Don't think I haven't heard about your little riot. You get two weeks of detention and are disbarred. Now leave!"

Sheen blinked three times, then nodded and backed out of the room. "That's fair," he agreed while gently closing the door behind him.

Aashna said, "Okay, I have no idea what that was about, but I was going to ask if my brother could be my advocate."

"Ethan Brown?" Ms. Clarke asked while taking her seat. When Aashna nodded, Clarke said, "Fine, you may go get him."

The door once more opened as Ethan gingerly strolled in. "No need, I was listening outside. Hey, everybody."

Ms. Clarke motioned at the empty chair beside Aashna. "Take your seat so we may get started, Ethan. And lock that door." Once Ethan was by his sister's side, Principal Clarke clasped her hands. "Aashna Shaan, you stand accused of four counts of grave assault. In addition to the heinousness of these acts, your crimes also lead to a great degree of mayhem today," she flashed Jimmy a quick glare. "Do you plead guilty?"

Aashna said, "I kind of have to, considering everyone else in this room caught me in the act."

"Very well," Ms. Clarke pulled out a legal pad from her desk and uncapped a golden fountain pen. "Your actions today were incredibly cruel and easily warrant expulsion. Mr. Brown, why in the world would I not expel your sister?"

Ethan gulped. "Well, um, I'm not as good at this as Sheen."

Aashna's eyes bulged. "That guy was better than you?"

Ethan ignored her and said, "But I can think of a few reasons why you should show my sister mercy. The first is she didn't do these attacks for the thrill of it. She targeted those kids because they all hurt me. Most of them bullied me in elementary school and made my life miserable."

Principal Clarke nodded at Jimmy. "Mr. Neutron briefed me on what motivated Aashna. I understand the desire to avenge someone you love. But her actions were still unacceptable."

"On that we agree," Ethan assured her. "I just want to point out that my sister's not some sociopath who hurts people for no reason."

"Noted, but I hope you have other cards to play."

"I do," Ethan answered. "We were late coming here because Aashna was apologizing to all the people she hurt today."

Principal Clarke made a note of that and faced Aashna. "Is that true, Aashna?"

"It is," she answered. "Ethan made me do it."

Ethan clutched his brow and whispered, "For goodness' sakes."

Aashna glared at her brother and said, "We started with Alex. But after we talked to him, I wanted to apologize to the others. That's why I was late coming here."

Ethan explained, "My sister's very sorry for what she did. Surely that counts for something?"

Ms. Clarke said, "Possibly. Aashna, why exactly are you sorry?"

"Well, those kids all hurt Ethan badly. I wanted them to feel what he felt when they made fun of him or betrayed him. But after I talked to Alex and saw how messed up he was, I started to think maybe I took it too far."

The principal scribbled those words down and said, "I appreciate that you-"

"I mean, I was really ruthless," Aashna proudly went on. "Who makes someone bleed by giving them a wedgie? It's nuts how great I am at that!"

Ethan sat in silence and stared a thousand yards past his principal.

"Are you done, Aashna?" Clarke inquired.

"What was I saying before? Oh right, being sorry. My point is, I just wanted to hurt those kids. I wasn't trying to, you know, completely shatter every fiber of their being."

Ethan cut in, "There's one more thing, Principal Clarke. At Jimmy's hearing, Sheen said that expulsion should be a for a certain kind of kid. Not just someone who does horrible things, but for a person who can't be convinced to change their ways. Aashna isn't that kind of kid. She learned today that violence isn't the answer."

"Well, not the only answer," Aashna countered. "It definitely works sometimes."

As Ethan's left eye twitched, Ms. Clark leaned back in her chair. "Can you explain that, Aashna?"

"When I started all this mess, I thought that the only way to make those jerks understand how they made my brother feel was to break them down. But now I realize, sometimes talking to them might work too. But I still don't think that would change everyone's minds. And if it doesn't," she faced Ethan, "you should do whatever it takes to make them stop hurting you."

"That is not the world I wish you kids lived in," Ms. Clarke said, "though I fear that it may be the unfortunate reality. Aashna, let me ask you one more question. And answer honestly. If you could go back in time to this morning, what would you do differently?"

"Well, I definitely wouldn't have attacked Cindy. Because that's how I got caught."

Ms. Clarke asked, "Is that it?"

Aashna sighed. "No. As bad as those bullies were, they had their reasons for hurting Ethan. They're dumb and stupid reasons, but now I get why they are the way they are. So if I could do this all again, I'd try talking to them to convince them how they were wrong."

"That is good to hear," Ms. Clarke nodded.

"Then I'd give them a less severe wedgie if they didn't listen!"

Ethan clamped his hand over his sister's mouth and grimaced as she frantically began licking him. "Can I just say one thing?"

"Yes, once you let your sister breathe."

Ethan leaned towards his sister and whispered, "Please, for once, just stop talking." He let his sister go, who pouted but stayed quiet. After wiping the drool from his palm, he faced his principal.

"Ma'am, my dad married Aashna's mom three years ago. It was the scariest thing that ever happened to Aashna and I. We each gained two family members we didn't entirely know. We moved to a new house, and Aashna had to change schools. That wasn't easy on her.

"I know my sister deserves to be punished and she is definitely not perfect. But she honestly learned a lot today. If you make her leave Earhart behind and switch schools again, it's going to traumatize her. And that will make it hard for her to keep growing. If you let her stay, I promise I'll do my best to watch out for her and make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

Principal Clarke considered that before turning to Cindy. "What do you think, dear?"

A loving smile crossed Cindy's face before disappearing. "I don't want to risk Retroville's schools having any more chaos. But if we expel her, I think Ethan's right. She'll probably just act out again somewhere else."

Clarke turned to Jimmy. "Mr. Neutron, do you have an opinion?"

Jimmy nodded. "You showing me mercy was one of the most important moments in my life. It's not something I'll forget. I think Aashna deserves the same."

Principal Clarke chewed that over and stared at Aashna. "You certainly deserve expulsion, young lady. But I think all you kids are right. So I will not expel you."

"Whoooo!" Aashna screamed while raising her fists.

"But," Principal Clarke loudly continued, "you will face the harshest punishments I can conceive of. You have detention for the rest of the year. No field trips for the rest of elementary school."

Aashna's eyes bugged in fear. "Not even the zoo?!"

Clarke shook her head and Aashna nearly fainted. "And there is one more thing. An act of retribution which I have never before felt the need to dispense."

Aashna gulped before her teeth started chattering.

"You, Aashna Shaan, will be going to summer school."

Ethan, Cindy, and Jimmy gasped as thunder rolled outside.

Aashna stayed silent as Ethan leaped from his chair. "But ma'am, our parents were going to send us to summer camp!"

"I am sorry Ethan, but you shall be going alone."

"Wait," Aashna said while cocking her head. "You're telling me that I have to go to school all summer?"

"That's right," Clarke answered with a grave nod.

"While Ethan is away at camp."

"Yes."

Aashna birthed a smile so wide that it threatened to split her face in two. "Which means I have three months away from him? You're the best principal ever! I love you!"

Principal Clarke blinked in confusion. "This is a serious punishment."

"Oh sure," Aashna rolled her eyes. "I'm totally devastated," she gave the principal a wink before rising to her feet. "I'm going to go celebrate. You want to get a banana split with me? I'll treat you!"

"Just get out," Clarke growled.

"You got it!" Aashna skipped out the door and shouted, "Best day ever!"

The kids all watched her go. Ethan cleared his throat and said, "I think I should…"

Voice flat, Principal Clarke commanded, "Go."

Ethan nodded and slowly sidestepped his way out the door.

After a moment, Cindy said, "Well, thanks for going easy on her, Principal Clarke."

"It was not meant to be that easy," Clarke answered. She sighed and said, "Anyway, thank you for help today, Cynthia. As always, you did a fabulous job. Now would you mind giving Mr. Neutron and I a few minutes alone?"

Cindy cast her boyfriend a glance. Once he gave a subtle nod, she said, "Okay. I'll see you Monday, ma'am."

"Enjoy your weekend," Ms. Clarke said as Cindy exited the room. When they were alone, Ms. Clarke faced the genius. "We have much to discuss. But first thing's first. Do you have my outfit?"

Jimmy gulped and slowly knelt down. He unzipped his backpack and said, "I have it, but it's a bit…destroyed."

Jimmy pulled out a sopping wet bundle of clothes that were stained with flour. He plopped them on Principal Clarke's desk with a depressing squelch.

Ms. Clarke studied the clothes and then met Jimmy's sheepish gaze. "Please tell me that you did not anticipate your trap involving so much mayhem."

"I did not," Jimmy answered. "I designed the flour bombs with the smallest blast yield I could. I didn't think they could set off the sprinklers. If they hadn't, we would have caught the Atom then and avoided that stampede."

"Fair enough," Ms. Clark said. "I can hardly blame you for doing what I asked of you. I'm just grateful no one was seriously hurt. And with Aashna's sentence complete, there is just one loose end to tie off. The matter of your reward."

"That's not why I helped out today."

"I know. But I've thought about this, and you deserve two concessions. First, the matter of you having detention through the end of the school year. That will still stand, though I feel it reasonable to give you Fridays off. You've earned the right to a whole weekend."

"Thank you," Jimmy said.

Ms. Clarke added, "Your second reward is a bit more complex. Take a walk with me, Mr. Neutron."

Ms. Clarke rose from her chair and led Jimmy out of her office.

"Where are we going?" Jimmy asked.

"Patience, James. You'll find out soon enough." They quickly crossed the main floor and halted before the woodshop's entrance. "Did you know that Ike Burke had a secret armory of foam weapons underneath this room?"

"Cindy told me about that. Wait," Jimmy's eyes widened in fear. "There aren't still guns down there, are there?"

"Of course not," Ms. Clarke assured him while leading him inside. They crossed the empty workspace and entered the vacant Spitoon. "The first thing I did after Cindy debriefed me on last month's war was talk to Ike. I made him bring all of those weapons home. But after seeing how much work he'd put into remodeling that unused space, I let him use it as storage for his saloon. I spoke to him today and he agreed to vacate it. I've found a more important use for it."

"Which would be?"

Ms. Clark opened the hatch behind the Spitoon's bar. "Follow me."

Jimmy watched his principal climb down the ladder and did as he was told. She led him down a dimly lit corridor and stopped before a steel door. She punched a few digits into the adjacent keypad and led Jimmy inside.

With a flick of a lightswitch, the room was bathed in light. The space was the size of two large janitor closets. Gone were the display cases Cindy had raided during the Secret Foam War. All that remained in the small room were two empty shelving units, an old warped chair, and a desk housing an ancient computer.

"Why are we here?"

"I appreciate all the tutoring you've done this past month. But truth be told, I think there's a better use for your unique skills. I don't know if you've realized this, James, but R.M.S. is not a normal school."

"I have noticed that, yes."

"I don't know what it is about you children, but you dial everything up to eleven. A playful idea or simple game morphs into chaos in the blink of an eye. We can't keep letting this school destroy itself. Eventually kids will get seriously hurt or this place will be shut down. Last month's war and today's events prove that the hall monitors, school president, and even myself can't stop the madness that grips this place.

"So I propose creating a new task force. A group of brilliant and talented students who can investigate abnormal events and shut them down before they spiral out of control."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "And you want me on that team?"

"Of course not," Ms. Clarke shook her head and before offering a smile. "I want you to lead it. Make this place your enclave. Furnish it with whatever inventions you desire. Build the team you think will best serve you. Then weed out any shenanigans before they sprout roots and infest this place."

Jimmy stared at his principal, realized she was serious, and stared around the room. The idea was absurd, but his mind's eye was already transforming the empty space into a hero's hideout.

We could use my shrink ray to get into any locked spaces. The Hypobeam would make finding out secrets a breeze. I could make our own communications network that the walkie-talkies can't eavesdrop on.

"Oh," Ms. Clarke added, "and you may keep the golden hall pass. The choice is yours, Mr. Neutron. If you'd prefer, you can continue with tutoring. Feel free to take the weekend and-"

"I'll do it," Jimmy eagerly agreed. "What's the task force's name?"

"That's for you to decide," Ms. Clarke answered. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I appreciate you doing this. Why don't you go home, relax, and start outfitting this place on Monday. You've earned a break."

"I'll take one soon," Jimmy assured her. "But I already have the perfect roster for this team. I'm gonna give them all a call first."

Jimmy could barely contain his excitement as he entered the Candy Bar. His mood was almost dashed when he spotted Meagan waiting at the counter, but she was too busy furiously thumb wrestling Ike to notice him. He locked gazes with the boy and mouthed Huh?

Ike simply shrugged before turning his attention back to Meagan.

Jimmy took a seat at an empty booth and waited for Sam to approach him. Eventually the owner sauntered over and asked, "What'll it be, yeah?"

"Two chocolate malts, a peanut butter shake, banana split, chocolate sundae, and a brownie buster."

"I hope you have friends coming," Sam said while scribbling the order down on his notepad.

"Me too," Jimmy agreed. Sam raised an eyebrow before walking away.

There was nothing left to do but wait. Thankfully it wasn't long before the restaurant doors opened and his first guest arrived.

"Hey, Neutron," Nick warmly greeted him. The boy's face was a mess of bruises, he sported a black eye, and his nose was swollen. Nick limped towards him with the help of an ornate ebony wooden cane sporting a raven-shaved handle.

"Nick," Jimmy's good mood evaporated at the sight of his friend. "I didn't know you got hurt that bad."

"It looks worse than it feels," Nick told him.

"Really?"

"No, it actually hurts a ton," Nick said while sliding inside the booth. "But Nurse Holt gave me some meds which helped."

"Is anything broken?"

"She thought a rib might be, but then she said it's just banged up."

"I'm really sorry," Jimmy rubbed his brow. "If I'd known my trap would end up with you like this…"

"Dude, we go to R.M.S. When I agreed to help you I knew there was a 50/50 chance I'd be carried out on a stretcher. I'm just glad Cindy saved me."

"Me too," Jimmy assured him. He studied Nick's walking stick and asked, "Where'd you get the cane?"

"Oh, this?" Nick studied the staff. "Aldous lent it to me."

Jimmy arched his brow and asked, "You talk to Aldous?"

"Of course. I talk to everybody in the R.M.S.C.K.S."

Jimmy shook his head in disbelief. "Aldous Oldman is in the Retroville Middle School Cool Kids Society?"

"Yep."

"He doesn't even go there. He's a senior in high school!"

"That's why he's our grand elder."

Both boys stared at each other in silence.

"Anyway," Nick eventually asked while laying his staff atop the booth behind him, "why'd you want to meet me here?"

"Because…" Jimmy craned his gaze past Nick as the Candy Bar doors opened once more. He breathed a sigh of relief as every other person he'd invited strolled inside. "Guys, over here!"

"There you are," Ethan said while taking the seat beside Jimmy. "Long time no see."

Aashna froze and blushed once she recognized the bruised boy next to James. "Oh…hey Nick."

Butch bumped into the girl and shot her a venomous glare. "Watch it, Black Atom," he snarled while taking the seat beside Nick.

"Easy, Butch," Angie warned the bully. "Come on, Aashna." She and Aashna took the seats beside Ethan.

"So what's the deal, Nerdtron?" Butch asked. "And where's the free food you promised? If it's not good then I'm out."

"It's right there," Jimmy pointed at Sam, who brought their desserts on an enormous serving tray.

"A brownie buster?" Butch swallowed his drool and said, "I'll give you five minutes."

Angie accepted her peanut butter shake and smiled at Jimmy. "I can't believe you remembered my favorite."

"Me neither," Aashna rubbed her hands in glee as Sam placed the banana split before her.

Ethan accepted his sundae and turned to Jimmy. "Thanks, Jimmy. But what's all this about?"

"I'm glad you asked," Jimmy said as he and Nick grabbed their malts. "Principal Clarke spoke to me after she punished Aashna."

"More like gave me a vacation!" Aashna beamed while chowing down.

"What did she say?" Angie asked.

"She wants me to assemble a team of kids. Our job would be to investigate abnormal events like the Secret Foam War and what happened today. We'd stop those things before they got out of control and damaged the school. That's why I invited you all here."

Butch's jaw dropped. "Wait. You want me to be in some lame goody two-shoes club?"

"Yes," Jimmy answered. "You're all the best people I could think of for this job. Butch, you're incredibly strong. Even when you're scared, you don't shy away from a fight. And most importantly, you're the only one of us who knows how a bully thinks."

"That's cuz I am one. I ain't no hero."

"But that can change," Jimmy assured him. "Remember what I said about second chances? This is it."

"Don't be a bully," Aashna warned Butch while shoveling strawberry ice cream into her mouth. "I will wedgie you."

Butch gulped as Jimmy turned to Ethan's sister. "Aashna, you proved today that you're a fierce fighter and are trying to be good. So what if instead of destroying our school, you helped save it?"

As Aashna pondered that, Jimmy turned to Angie. "Angie, you were a way better queen than I was a king. You are kind and committed to protecting the helpless."

"I'm flattered," Aashna said with a solemn smile, "but I don't want to give up my time at Lindbergh."

"You don't have to," Jimmy assured her. "You help us nine days out of ten and Aashna fills in on the I.O.P. day."

Jimmy turned to the boy on his right. "Ethan, of all the soldiers in my army, I trusted you the most. You never waver from what's right. We need that integrity if we're going to wade deep in the school's underbelly."

Jimmy faced the last member of his team. "And Nick. Cindy's not the only one in this school who will sacrifice everything she has for what she believes in. I'd be honored if you helped me with this."

As Nick smiled, Butch loudly chewed his brownie. After a massive gulp, he said, "Say I was open to this. What would we call ourselves?"

Ethan asked, "The Justice League?"

Angie said, "I'm pretty sure that's taken."

Aashna waved both her hands across the air. "Vengeance."

"That's a horrible name," Angie said. "What about The Guiding Light?"

"Those are both terrible," Nick scoffed. He tapped his chin and suggested, "Maybe the Heroes Against Ludicrous Labors Pursuant to Adopting School Safety?"

Aashna dropped her spoon to the table. "How in the name of heck is that better?"

Jimmy smiled. "That's perfect. H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S."

As everyone put the acronym together, they nodded in agreement.

Ethan smiled. "So this is really happening? You all think we can make a difference?"

"I do," Jimmy said. For the first time since launching his school into chaos, he felt nothing but peace and saw nothing but the truth. Jimmy Neutron had never been all he could be. On Yolkus, he'd lost his nerve. On Intergalactic Showdown, he'd been arrogant. On Minerva's throne, he'd been distracted by the search for his friends. As head of the Strikers, he'd been foolish.

But this was different. Cindy had shown him so many incredible things since they'd met. But watching her grow into a woman who would change the world was the most phenomenal. Now it was his turn to become the person he was meant to be. From this moment on, Jimmy Neutron would never waver. He would listen to those around him, he would never forget his strength, and he would always do what was right.

"We can do this, guys." Jimmy Neutron reached towards his destiny. "Hands in."

Nick smiled and placed his palm atop Jimmy's. "To protecting the ones we love."

Butch rolled his eyes but grabbed Nick's hand. "To second chances."

Angie beamed while saying, "To helping the innocent."

Aashna said, "To righting old wrongs."

Ethan threw his hand on the pile and said, "To always doing what's right."

Jimmy felt the weight of his friends resting atop him. He closed his eyes and, for the first time, spoke H.A.L.L.P.A.S.S.'s solemn vow.

"We are the swords and shields of Retroville Middle School. May we have the skill to wield such a weapon and the wisdom to know when to sheathe it. Let us take any blows that would harm our friends so they may walk away unscathed. And most importantly, let us never forget that the only way we stand against the dark is by lighting each other's way."

Jimmy Neutron opened his eyes and tried to look into his future.

He couldn't.

It was as bright as the sun.