Disclaimer 1: I don't own the source material, I just borrowed it.

Disclaimer 2. No whining about how the story ends.

:}

The three were approaching the site of the Chaos Theater, the hot new underground club. It was hidden in the warehouse district, and one would need to know where it was as well as have the password to get in. It took Robbie nothing to find the location. Sinjin was working Tech for the opening, so Robbie was able to ask him that morning where the club was. The other nerdy boy told him without thinking about it. The password, however, was something they didn't have, despite Gideon inviting him. Robbie knew it was part of the G-Man's game, inviting Robbie knowing he shouldn't be able to get past security, just to look like the bigger man in front of Cat and his friends.

Fortunately, Robbie had something better than the password. He was with three highly attractive girls, each fairly busty, and with the right dresses he was sure that the man at the door would just let them in. That was the plan. He shifted his backpack. The backpack where he'd hidden the weapon he'd use to take down Gideon.

"Robbie, thank god I caught you." It was Tug. "I got the password from some of my friends. I may be a bit of a goof, with my rotating hat and light up jacket, but I'm still on the football team. It was no problem getting the password."

"Tug!" The puppeteer exclaimed as he pulled the big guy out of the line of sight of the front of the club. "You don't want to be associated with us, just in case things go wrong."

"I want to help." The football player said.

"You have been." Robbie replied. "Look, I got this. You want to help, you go in and scout things out. We'll meet up with you once were in, and take it from there. Okay?"

"I don't know..." Tug wavered.

"I'll be fine. Cat'll be fine. But we need you to go in ahead of us." Robbie pressed.

"Okay. I'll be near... I have no idea what the inside looks like." Tug said.

"We'll find you." Robbie said. "And if a fight breaks out, stay out of it. The girls, they don't need any help."

Robbie waited as Tug walked away, and counted to one hundred twice, to give the big guy a chance to go into the club. Then he approached the front door, a small regular type door inserted into the rolling warehouse door that was the entrance to the club. A board looking hipster dude was standing guard.

"Password?" The hipster asked, sounding board.

"Really?" Robbie replied. Jade and Sam both were about to say something, but Trina held up her hand.

"Let him handle this." Trina whispered to them.

"Dude, I need the password." The guard said.

"But I have something better than a password. I have three hot girls." Robbie said. "And you know, if they're with me, then I have to be cool."

"How do I know they're cool?" The guard asked.

"Does it really matter?" Robbie asked.

The guard looked over the girls, his eyes lingering on their busts. For several seconds, he seemed to be wavering. "I can let the girls in, but not you. Not without the password."

"Girls are with me. They go in, I go in." He replied.

"Whats in the backpack?' The guard asked.

"You really want to know?" Robbie replied. "You don't card anyone, and they serve alcohol in there, ad you're worried about my backpack?"

"No pets." The guard said, his eyes still on the girls chests.

"Wouldn't think of it." Robbie replied. The guard opened the door, and they walked in single file.

Then the large warehouse door shuddered. Robbie raced back to find the guard laying on his face outside.

"He was checking out my boobs." Jade said.

"And that's reason enough to hurt him?" Robbie asked.

"If that's the case, you've got a lot of people at school to hunt down." Trina added.

"Whatever." Sam inserted. "It's done. Lets just go in, act as if nothing happened, and get this done."

They pulled his unconscious body into the warehouse, and shut the door. Then they walked down the lit path to an elevator that only went down, with two guards standing in front of it. "Second password." One of them said.

"I don't have time for this." Sam said, pulling out the butter sock. Seconds later, both hipsters were down. Robbie was looking at his companions, shocked at their violent actions.

"What?" Trina asked. "With this group, you thought we'd just talk our way in?"

They took the elevator down, and stepped into the club. At least three stories high, the club was full of the cool and fake cool, with a few minor celebrities thrown in to give it the right mixed feeling of underground and ultra swank. "Split up, and stay close, but not too close. I hope to resolve this without violence. Be there if I need you." Robbie said. Then he walked towards the band. Andre was playing and Tori was singing, backed by Andre's current band.

They stopped playing when the nerdy boy walked up. "Robbie, don't do anything stupid." Tori begged. Andre looked around nervously.

"Don't worry, I got this." Robbie said.

"Robbie Shapiro!" Gideon's voice rang through the club. "I honestly didn't think you'd have the guts to show up here, but I'm glad you came. I believe you like Peppy Cola."

"Thanks, but I'm here to work." Robbie said. He walked quickly to the center of the club, just to the side of the stage. There Gideon had erected a large rise, fifteen feet high, with his throne on it, as well as lower seating for Cat and his personal guests. Robbie walked to the base of that structure.

"So, you've come to fight for your fair damsel?" Gideon asked, twirling his cane.

"This stopped being about just her a long time ago." Robbie said. "You use people, and hold them down, just to stay at the top of what people consider cool. That's why you stayed in high school. It's where that kind of attitude still rules. And I can prove it." Robbie took off his backpack.

"Andre, music." Gideon called. Immediately the crowd split and his hipster guards bounced and flipped in to surround Robbie. Then, from the crowd, came Trina, Sam and Jade, and it took them seconds to take out all of the guards.

Gideon flipped his thumb, and moved to draw the sword hidden in his cane. Only he didn't. The first move went south, and he needed a second to fully draw the sword. By the time he had, Robbie had taken his secret weapon out of his backpack.

"You, this is the tool?" Rex asked.

"Yeper." Robbie replied.

"You're going to defeat me with a puppet?" Gideon asked. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"And why not?" Robbie asked. "You right, the acoustics here are sick. Everyone can hear every word I'm going to say. That's good, cause I think it's time we understood why this is your end."

Robbie made himself as comfortable as a man holding a puppet between himself and another who had a sword out could be. "You see, Rex here is more than just a puppet. He's you. Or rather, my version of you."

"You really going to do this?" Rex asked.

"It's time." Robbie replied.

"Yea, I think it is." The puppet relented.

"Anyways, as I was saying, Rex here was my response to being terminally uncool. I took everything I believed made someone cool, and subconsciously I gave those traits to him. He was supposed to be like the cool brother who makes life for me easier, but that never happened. As he developed into his own persona, he picked on me more than just about anyone." Robbie took that moment to look around.

"So, your a freak." Gideon said. "And I'm the pinocle of whats now, whats cool."

"Are you? Rex is similar. Girls like him, and he's seen as cool, but outside he's so different form you." Robbie said. "It's the inside that's the same. Putting everyone down to appear cooler by comparison. That kind of shit ends with high school. Maybe collage. But whats important is, Rex was still a friend. You, you're just another loser, only one with enough money to fool the world into thinking your the ultimate in cool."

Robbie took a step closer. "You don't want to make that jump. You see, as we were going through this, it occurred to me, this isn't a video game. You're not the boss level, tougher than all your underlings. You hide behind that myths, trying to make everyone believe you're this overwhelming power, but your not." Robbie smiled

"We grow up. I did. Rex may not have liked it, but he understood. He's not real. Well, actually he kinda is in that he's a part of me. To save my friends and bring this to an end, he has to die." Robbie paused to emphasize the impact of that statement. "But he'll live on inside me, and I'll now have the qualities I admired, that I'd given to him. I'll be secure in myself, and willing to be the but of the jokes. A man can make a lot of money as the but of the jokes." Robbie took a deep breath, and dropped Rex.

"I dropped my illusions. But can you? Can Gideon Gordon Graves survive life without the money his parents invested in making him the right contacts, and giving him the right look? Can you be you, and not this G-Man person?" Robbie asked.

"You're betting hard you're right." The G-Man said, voice sounding derisive and a bit scared. "What if your wrong?"

"Jade gets second shot." The nerdy boy said. "No matter what, you lose, and we're free." He gestured around the club.

Gideon made about three steps in his charge before the flying scissors took the sword out of his hands. Gideon staggered from the loss of balance, and rolled down the stairs. He wound up laying at Robbie's feet on the landing mid way down.

"It's over." Rob said again. "Do yourself a favor and just give up."

"NO!" Gideon screamed. "YOU'RE WRONG! I AM COOL! I AM HIP! I'M DANGEROUS!"

"You're pathetic." Someone said.

Gideon rose, with fire in his eyes, and charged Robbie, only to be thrown to the ground. Robbie had no trouble taking the G-Man down again, and just threw him down the rest of the stairs. Gideon wasn't in the shape to fight after that.

"Everyone, just because this guy's a poser, doesn't mean we can't have fun!" Robbie said. "Andre, music." The music once again filled the room.

Robbie assented the stair to join Cat. "Do you hate me?" He asked.

"You grew up." She said.

"Everyone does, but that doesn't mean we give up on all our childish ways. We keep the ones that work for us, and get rid of the rest." He said. "Things are changing. I was hoping you'd be one of those things that stays the same. Same bright, happy Cat."

"I think, maybe, I'm changing too." She replied. "I'm ready now, for us to be a couple."

Down on the floor, Beck had made his way to Jade. "Look, Jade, I need to make something clear."

"You love me, but can't be with me." Jade replied. "I know, I get it. Go, Tori's waiting."

"I would, but I'm not the one she's waiting for." Beck said.

"Beck, I know she hinted at us as maybe a couple, but we both know that's never going to happen." Jade said.

"And if you don't go talk with my sister, then we will have trouble." Trina said. "I've known for months that she was, maybe, probably, holding a torch for you. Now go."

"Don't worry about me." Beck said. "I've got a lot of options, and maybe some growing up to do." But Jade was already gone.

Jade slowly made her way around to the back of the stage, and found the stairs up. She walked to where Tori was singing, and waited. As the song ended, she looked at the Latina with hope in her eyes. Tori smiled. "Maybe it's about time we were honest about our relationship." Tori said. "It's not that I like you, I just like to dream about what kind of life we'll have together. What we'll name our kids, that kind of chiz."

"I guess I kinda like you too." Jade said. "It's funny, I made a point of saying I didn't like you, for the longest time, just to remind myself."

"So, can we skip the middling stuff and go straight to dating?" Tori asked.

"Sure." Jade replied. "I'd like that."

Tori pulled Jade into a hug, then with one arm around the goth, turned and addressed the crowd, and those who'd watch the performance on the slap. "For those who've missed it, Jade is MINE. Hands off."

"God Tori, possessive much?" Jade said, but she was smiling, a full on happy smile.

Sam was on the phone with Freddie, figuring out their lives. "At least consider coming back. I've been offered a podcast, and I could use you as technical director. Also, with all the love in the air, I kinda miss you." Whatever response she got made her smile.

Trina also made some progress with her love life. "So, Tug, ever dated a woman who could break you in two?"

"No, but I'd like to." He replied.

Andre, for his part, found Envy in the crowd. Both knew it wouldn't last, but neither was ready for anything long term.

Robbie sat on the throne, his for the night, and looked at his friends. Their futures were being assured, even as he watched. Jade would help Trina, and Tori would, of course, do fine on her own. All she wanted from the goth was her love. As for him, he wasn't afraid any more, and was ready to take the risks in his comedy act that would help establish him as a top act. He hugged Cat, and felt like the world was right now.

And he heard that ethereal voice say "Winner!"

:}

Is this where I put the apology? Not so much a fight as a moment of truth. Gideon is defeated, completely, by the simple act of letting go. It's how I wanted to end the story.

Review, let me know what you thought. I do hope you enjoyed the story.

And just remember, the illusion of power is power until challenged.