I realized its been a while since I updated this. You can blame homework on that. :P Enjoy this chapter, please!

Chapter 6: A Formed Plan

Parm, who had been twiddling his fingers in severe apprehension, looked up sharply and glowered. Moordryd Paynn was the last person he wanted to see. He looked over at the others. Kitt frowned deeply and shared Parm's exact feelings. Artha and his dad were about to do something dangerous, and they did not need Moordryd Paynn and whatever he had to say. They all glared at him as he approached, especially Artha, who looked surprised as well.

"We're rather busy right now, why don't you come back later? We should be free in a few hundred years, check back with us then. No hurry." Kitt nearly spat. The others scowled at him to let him know his presence was not wanted at this particular time. Things were bad enough without having Paynn to make it worse.

Paynn ignored the hint and walked his dragon right up to them, and stopped a few feet away. Parm was slightly surprised to see he was much, much angrier than any of them. He was practically snarling. He glared right at Artha, grinding his teeth.

Artha looked taken aback, and tried to look innocent. Parm stepped up to the plate. "Listen here," he said as Moordryd spared him a fleeting glance which he quickly focused on Artha again, "if you've come to give us a hard time, to steal our dragons or to simply insult us, I suggest you move along!"

"Move along, Moordryd. Now's not the time." Connor said in a stern voice. Moordryd ignored them all.

He continued to stare down Artha. "What? We are busy, so you can just leave…." Artha said.

"Just leave? You think I'm just going to leave?" Moordryd yelled. "After what you did?"

"Well, maybe no…I mean, what do you mean?" Artha asked, apparently clueless.

"You know what you did! And I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work!" Moordryd yelled back.

"I still don't unders…."

"Don't play stupid, you know eventually they'll believe me." Moordryd sneered back. Artha thought this over. "I know things only the real Artha Penn knows, there is no way you could bluff your way out of that."

"But I had nothing to do with this!" He said, switching tactics, trying to escape all blame from what, Parm had no idea.

"What do you mean, you had nothing to do with this? Look at yourself!" Lance looked up at his older brother, but could see nothing unusual. And since when did Moordryd know a lot about Artha Penn?

"I mean, it wasn't my idea!" Artha shouted back.

"Big deal, you still went along with it!" Moordryd said loudly.

"Because I had to!"

"Because you wanted to!"

"I was forced to do it!" Artha yelled back, growing angrier by the minute. But not near as vexed as Moordryd seemed.

"So you're saying you didn't want to do this?"

"No...yes…no! I didn't want to be like this! But since I had to…."

"Oh, so no scales off your back!"

"Hey! Listen you scale-scraping stable brat!" Artha yelled. What followed was utter silence. Moordryd seemed to calm down somewhat, as everyone else watched in complete shock.

"Stable brat?" Kitt questioned. Parm was as perplexed as she. Since when did Moordryd become a stable brat?

"One, I was forced to do this." Artha said breathlessly, holding up a finger. "Two, I didn't mind doing it that much, especially since I'd find out who you really were. Third, I had no idea, absolutely no idea, this…this Deth would come, and ruin everything! And now, he's come to kill me, and he has no idea he's killing the wrong guy. And….and…." Artha appeared to run out of gusto as he silently fumed atop Beau.

It was only until then that Artha and Moordryd appeared to be aware of the others around them. They took in the shocked faces all around.

"But," Artha suddenly said, rather calmly. "Now that I know, I can tell my father." He looked at Moordryd triumphantly. Moordryd's anger started to flare up again.

"You little…" He started to say.

"Listen up, both of you!" Connor said sternly. "I said listen and look here." Moordryd and Artha grudgingly obeyed. "Now I want both of you to tell me what's going on here, and quickly." Moordryd was the first to speak up.

"It's all his fault! His and Word Paynn's!"

"Now hold on. Are you saying my son and Word have some sort of plan between them?" Connor asked.

"No, yes. Arrgghh!" Moordryd said, frustrated. "Look, he's not your son."

"He's not my son?" Connor said, not expecting that particular answer.

"No, he's not. I am."

Everyone sat on their dragons, for the moment shocked. "…oh?" Connor said hesitantly. Parm wondered whether Moordryd had gone mad. Lance stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Dad?" Came a small voice as Lance recovered.

Connor looked at Lance. "Yes?"

Lance stroked the top of Fracshun's head. "Does this mean Moordryd is my long lost brother?"

Moordryd sighed heavily. "I'm your brother, he's not." He said as he pointed to Artha. "He's not even Artha. And technically, I'm not Moordryd. I mean, he's me and I'm him." Parm looked over at a dazed Kitt and twirled his fingers around his head. Kitt nodded, as confused as ever.

Artha twiddled his fingers and looked about. He looked at them all with a malicious grin spreading across his face. Somehow, Kitt noticed it didn't suit him. "Once again, now that I know…" He said and paused, expecting them to fill in the blanks. Suddenly, he pushed forward Beau's handles, and leaned forward in the saddle expecting him to dash off. Beau merely looked up at him and shook his head. "Scales," Artha muttered.

"Off to tell Word Paynn, were we?" Moordryd remarked. Artha sneered at him, but stayed his place.

"Can someone, please, in plain draconian, tell me what in the Magna Draconis is going on?" Kitt asked, thoroughly flummoxed.

"I think I've got it!" Parm instantly exclaimed.

"You do?" Moordryd asked, both surprised and proud.

"Great." Artha muttered darkly.

"Yes, remember the time when Word Paynn switched your…er…Artha's mind with Beau's with that neuro gear? Well, who's to say he can't do something like that again!"

"I hope you don't mean what I think you mean." Kitt said.

"I think I do!" Parm said brightly, obviously pleased with himself. "Artha's been acting strange all afternoon. I mean, he's been rude, irritating and obnoxious…"

"Hey! I'm…" Artha started to interrupt, then fell silent as he noticed the glares from everyone else. Connor rubbed his chin, absorbing what Parm was saying.

Lance spoke up. "Okay, if you're Artha Penn," Lance said, looking at Moordryd, "if you're really my brother, what did you get me for my eighth birthday?"

Moordryd looked pleased that he knew the answer. "Version 2.1 of the official elite racing VIDD-game." Everyone was shocked and leaned back in their saddles. Decepshun stared at her rider in true amazement.

"Well, uh, see! I was right!" Parm said enthusiastically. Lance's mouth hung open. He looked from Artha to Moordryd, and back again.

"You're really…and you…this is so drac!" He pumped his fist.

"No, no its not!" Parm said. "This means that Moordryd knows that Artha's really the…."

"The Dragon Booster! Right! Decepshun, mag me!" Artha, er, Moordryd yelled. Decepshun widened her eyes in surprise. She then looked up and scowled at her rider.

"Oops." Was all Artha got to say before Decepshun lifted him and threw him to the ground. She then quickly magged her real rider into the saddle, and grinned as she felt the familiar touch on the handles.

"See ya, stable losers! My father should be very glad to know where the black and gold dragon of legend has been hiding!" He cackled, and Decepshun snorted at the stable losers before quickly turning and dashing off.

"Wait, Moordryd!" Artha yelled, still on the ground rubbing Moordryd's knee painfully. Beau wasted no time in magging his true rider.

"He's getting away!" Parm shouted.

"Kitt, after him!" Connor started to call, but lost his footing and fell to the ground.

"Wha…" Kitt said, but nearly fell from Wyldfyr as the ground beneath them pitched violently, worse than it had before. Lance hung onto Frachsun as Parm grasped the edges of his saddle with a tight grip. Artha was barely in Beau's saddle before he too was shaken by the quake. Ahead, Decepshun was thrown to the ground as the shaking increased.

"Daaaaaaaadddddd…" Lance managed to stutter as the ground vibrated. Then, just as quick as it had started, it stopped. Everyone released their grip on the handles and Dceepshun shook her head as she shakily got to her feet.

Moordryd put a hand to Artha's head. "Not again. What was that? Was it…"

"Caused by Deth, yes. Just as the first was." Connor said as he got up from the ground.

"But this was more violent." Parm nearly whimpered as Cyrano looked at him, sharing his same feelings of dread.

"Oh, please. It wasn't that bad." Moordryd dismissed it with a flick of Artha's hand.

"But it was bad enough to cause everyone to fall. What if Deth is coming closer?" Artha retorted in Moordryd's voice.

"Then I suppose you have some work to do." Moordryd laughed. He put his hands on the handles and prepared to go.

"Moordryd, wait. You are in terrible danger." Connor said as he walked towards his son's body.

"No, the stable brat and his dragon are the ones in danger. In danger from Deth and from my father." Moordryd calmly replied. Artha glared at him. Moordryd prepared to dash off once again.

"No." Connor said in such a flat voice that Moordryd waited to hear the rest. He also stood in front of Decepshun. "Deth is after you."

"What?" Moordryd was taken aback.

"Deth senses the gold draconium energy from Beau and from Artha's body, which you now possess. Deth has sworn revenge on the Dragon Booster. He will ignore Beau and head straight for you." Connor fixed Artha's body with a glare. "He will come to kill you."

Moordryd looked at Connor and leaned forward. "But…but…I'm not the Dragon Booster."

"No. But you have his body. That is what counts at the moment."

Decepshun looked worriedly at her rider. Moordryd opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Connor continued. "If you rush back to your father now, Deth will catch you before you reach his citadel. That tremor was strong. He is very close now. We've already wasted too much time."

"Magna Draconis, what are we going to do?" Parm said. "Deth is after Moordryd to kill the Dragon Booster, but will kill the wrong person, than Artha will be stuck in Moordryd's body forever. Oh dear…"

Artha's head snapped up as he heard Parms' words. "Trapped in Moordryd's body forever?" He nearly jumped at the horrific shock of it all. "We have to switch back."

"But how? How did you switch in the first place? If we can complete the transformation before Deth arrives, then…"

"There won't be enough time." Connor cautioned. "He's very close as it is." Connor turned to Moordryd. "How did Word switch your minds?"

Moordryd pressed his lips together firmly. "Why should I tell you?"

"So you can switch. Do you actually want Deth to kill you?" Kitt nearly shouted at him.

"Tell us how you switched." Connor said.

Moordryd could see everyone lean forward in earnest. Even Decepshun looked up at him curiously. "Well…" Moordryd started. What harm was there in telling them now? He just wanted to be back in his own body again. "My…my father created another gear, similar to the neuro gear he made once before."

"But how were your minds switched if Artha wasn't connected to you somehow?" Parm inquired, interested.

"I don't know. My father had a sample of Penn's sweat…"

"What?"

Moordryd ignored Artha and continued. "…and he used it to switch…look, I have no idea how he did it, okay?" Moordryd said, both frustrated and annoyed.

Connor sighed. Parm suddenly gave a squeal of delight. Lance jumped and everyone turned to look at him as he punched data into his calculator gizmo. "Did Word put some sort of gear on you? On your head?"

"Well, duh."

"According to my calculations and intricate research in the study of the…er…" Parm looked up slightly from his data. "Er…one does not technically need to connect both recipients with some sort of wiring. One could simply, well, over a long distance use DNA to indicate the…"

"So what you're babbling about is that its possible for Word to put this weird gear on Moordryd's head…" Kitt started.

"…then input the DNA into some sort of super computer, and BAM! If the energy current…well…it would work." Parm finished with glamour.

"Ah, so you need me in order to switch back. I see." Artha said, rubbing Moordryd's chin. "Running back to dear old Word wouldn't help you any, now would it?" Artha said slyly.

"What?"

"If Word put the gear on you, it wouldn't transfer our minds. He doesn't have your DNA all added in the machine. He has mine."

Moordryd considered Artha's logic. It was true. His father only had Penn's DNA in the computer. He could only transfer minds with Penn's body and who ever had on the gear. If he, in Penn's body, were to put on the gear, it would do nothing. "I need…" Moordryd started, realizing he did in fact need the stable brats cooperation to change back. "Scales." Artha's smile of achievement was short lived as another huge tremor ran through the ground, this time obviously much closer.

As the shaking stopped, they all looked at each other. "Deth is already too close. Moordryd," Connor said as Moordryd looked at him, "and there isn't time enough to run back to Word's citadel, activate the computer and switch you."

"Sooo…"

"We stay with my first plan."

"Oh, okay. What? Wait a minute! I am not leading Deth down to Old City."

"Scared?" Lance teased.

"No." Moordryd glared down at him.

"Well, what's your bright idea then? Deth is after you. Whatcha gonna do now?" Kitt said, trying to get things rolling. Time was running out.

"I'll…" Moordryd sighed. His eye twitched before he finally complied. "…fine. I'll lead Deth down to Old City where…you…can take of him." He said to Connor, still unsure as to how Connor Penn was actually going to defeat him. "But in the meantime, the Penn brat tries to switch me as soon as possible. Just sneak into my father's citadel and activate the computer."

"Right." Artha said, his confidence growing now that he knew they had a plan.

"Where's the gear?"

"The…gear. Oh, um…"

"You obviously had it last, and you've obviously taken it off. Did you leave it at my father's citadel?" Moordryd asked hurriedly.

Artha hesitated as he thought. "No."

"Then where is it?" Kitt asked, getting worried.

"…uh," Artha said as everyone looked at him, "Cain has it…"

Moordryd looked slightly disbelieving at first. Artha merely grinned sheepishly back. "Cain? Why in the Magna Draconis does Cain have it?"

"I gave it to him."

Everyone stared incredulity at Moordryd's body. "WHY?" Moordryd nearly yelled, causing several people to glance over. Those particular people then stared at the unusual sight. Moordryd on Penn's dragon and Artha on Moordryd's. Moordryd noticed their silent stares and sneered at them. They slowly left, wondering why Artha Penn, of all people, sneered at them. "Never mind." Moordryd said as he turned back to Artha. Artha frowned. "Just get it from him, and change me back!"

"Fine, he just went back to your compound. I'll get it from him there, and then head to Word's citadel." Artha said.

Moordryd slowly replied, "Cain shouldn't be at the compound, he has scouting to do."

"I told him to clean a stable."

"…oh…" Moordryd said hesitantly.

Connor looked at each of them, the laid out the instructions. "The plan: Artha takes Parm along with him to retrieve the gear and activate it. He'll need you to start the computer." Connor said as Pram looked surprised. Parm quickly nodded with resolve as he understood. "Moordryd will lead Deth into Old City to avoid terrible destruction here. Kitt will go with him and help." Kitt brightened when she realized she wouldn't be sitting on the sidelines. "I'll meet you in the Old City. Hopefully by that time you'll have been switched." Conno finished. "I'm trusting you all to do a quick, efficient job."

"What will I do?" Lance enthusiastically inquired from the back.

Connor looked past all the dragons and young heroes at his youngest son. "Lance, you…"

"Can come with me and Parm." Artha jutted in. Connor looked at him and opened his mouth. "Lance is small, and we may need him to sneak into Word's citadel. Word knows what happened. We may not be able to do it alone." Artha explained his hurried logic. Connor did not look convinced.

"Dad." Lance said as he moved Frachsun closer. "I've done dangerous things before. I've been in the Shadow Track, with the Prophets and a whole bunch of other dangerous things. I can do this. Please let me help. I don't want to sit here and do nothing."

Connor sighed and rubbed his forehead. Finally he spoke, "we don't have much time. We should do this right now. Deth is probably in Work Town somewhere at the moment. All of you, be careful…especially you Lance." Connor smiled down at Lance. "Listen to your brother." Lance's smile made the day seem brighter than any day before.

They all nodded seriously at Connor's words. Kitt looked over at Artha's body, and thought she saw a surprised smirk. "Wait." She said. Everyone groaned.

"We don't have time…" Par said.

"How do we know Moordryd isn't going to call up Word or the like? I mean, if Word knew…" Everyone realized her complete logic. Moordryd attempted to look harmless.

"Don't worry," Artha smirked, "I have an idea." He pushed forward Beau's handles until he was close enough to lean towards Moordryd and speak in a whisper.

"Yeah? What's your big idea?" Moordryd smirked.

Artha leaned close and uttered two, soft words, "Shadow Booster." Moordryd raised Artha's eyebrows in alarm. Artha leaned back, satisfied.

"Fine. I won't tell." Moordryd muttered as Artha's point was taken.

"See? Told you I had an idea." Artha stretched his arms.

"But what did you…" Kitt started.

"Sorry, but it might not hold if I tell you." Artha said apologetically.

"You're scaling right it won't." Moordryd grimaced. Penn knew he was the Shadow Booster, and just threatened to spill his secret and ruin his life. He couldn't let that happen.

"Well," Connor said, "if that's settled, I think we'd better hurry. Moordryd, transform into the Dragon Booster in a secluded place. And quickly."