-HAVEN-

Finn groaned painfully as he pulled himself out of the rock wall his opponent had smashed him into. The young hero shook his head and looked around, spotting Fifth Arc standing a few feet in front of him, arms crossed. He valiantly stood straight, cracking his neck and raising his fists.

"That all you got?" he smirked.

His foe was stunned.

"Seriously? After that?"

The strange human dashed forward, immediately sending a lightning-fast flurry of punches into Finn's gut. He groaned, but held it in through bared teeth. Once Fifth Arc had grown tired of the constant hits, which were having little effect from her point-of-view, she backed off, panting ever so slightly.

"Why…won't…you…quit?"

Finn coughed, then took a struggling step forward.

"Because, I'm just like that. I can take your shots. I can take anything!"

Frustrated, Fifth Arc dashed forward again, grabbing the boy and shoving him into the open. She then proceeded to spin all around him, every few seconds delivering a painful slug or kick to his most vulnerable points. Although the strikes to his boing-loins hurt quite extensively, Finn kept standing.

Eventually, Fifth Arc became agitated enough to simply jump onto Finn and relentlessly beat in his face on the ground.

"Just. Give. Up!"

The boy continued to hold his resolute expression, refusing the girl's order. She growled and stood up, kicking Finn in the side repeatedly. He seemed to stop moving. By now, the Arc was breathing heavily.

"Yeah, just like that."

Suddenly, the thought-to-be pacified Finn grabbed her leg, startling her as he quickly tripped her up, getting to his feet in a flash and elbowing Fifth Arc downward right in the gut. She shouted in pain as her spine met the dirt. After a quick groan, the girl found herself restrained to the ground by Finn's hand on her shoulder. The hero's other hand was balled into a fist, prepared to discourage any attempts to escape the hold.

She just glared at the boy.

"You've got to be kidding me. An Arc, losing to a plain old human."

Finn was feeling victorious, but not overconfident.

"Maybe, but it's not like you're the strongest of your gang. I mean, you are the fifth one."

Fifth Arc scowled at him.

"We're not ranked based on our power, you moron. We're ranked by how hard we are to stop."

Finn was momentarily surprised, then smirked.

"Oh yeah? Then I guess your muscly pal is gonna get his pants beat by my friends."

Fifth Arc practically disappeared from beneath Finn's hold, stunning him. Next, he received a firm kick in the face, sending him skidding across the red dirt of the valley. Upon trying to stand up, he was met with a foot slamming his chest back down.

"Don't. Just don't," Fifth Arc warned.

Finn stared woozily up at his foe. By now, even he was getting too hazed to fight back. There was simply a limit to his physical body, even if his mind and heart still held strong. The young hero noticed the circle on Fifth Arc's shirt, nearly concealed by her jacket. He weakly reached up and attempted to touch the symbol in its center. The girl easily slapped him away, scowling again.

"I said don't! How dumb are you?"

Finn took in one last, powerful breath, then opened his mouth.

"I'm full-on stupid!"

Startled by the outburst, Fifth Arc was caught off guard as Finn lunged at her with his upper body and did his best to bring her to the ground. Somehow though, she managed to get his feet in the air and instantly was off at high speed. Finn was astounded by how fast the girl was moving, nearly losing his grip around her neck as she tried to fling him off. It took all his energy to stay attached.

Growling with irritation, Fifth Arc spotted a rocky slope nearby that led even further into Red Rock Pass. She changed directions, almost throwing Finn to the side. He held along, but grew nervous as the cliff came up fast. Instantly, the girl stopped on a dime, catapulting her passenger over her head.

Thinking rapidly, as if by a divine instinct, Finn looked over his options. Sadly, there were few. He either gets terribly injured, more terribly injured, or dies. Deeply conflicted about the bleak range of results, Finn swallowed his pride and did the only thing he could come up with to save his butt, regardless of how unchivalrous it was.

He grabbed Fifth Arc's hair.

The girl screamed in pain, immediately being dragged along with the young hero down the slope of the rocky valley. The two humans rolled along the hard rock like ragdolls, unable to secure any footing whatsoever. Both shouted out whenever a rock or bump would smack them in their body or face. Somehow though, Fifth Arc managed to regain limited coordination and eyed Finn when her sight came around the roll. Finding the right moment, she pounced on top of her opponent, causing him to involuntarily become her sled down the slope.

Finn became much more concerned about his poor shredding backpack than anything else, as the bottom of the range came closer. In the meantime, Fifth Arc had resumed punching the bejesus out of him. With consciousness slipping fast, the young hero made his final move, tightly embracing the girl with all four limbs, immobilizing them both. Losing control of her 'manmade' sled, Fifth Arc cried out as she once more began tumbling down the solid incline.

A moment later, both teens smashed into a boulder at the base of the valley.

Fifth Arc got lucky, only striking her back, although still receiving a great amount of pain in the process. Finn however, struck his head directly on the blunt rock. The two foes were heavily disoriented, the hero especially. Even so, with his vision fading quickly, he tried one last time to touch Fifth Arc's symbol while she was groaning and rubbing her back. This time, he succeeded.

In a split second, a hyper fast vision flooded Finn's mind, nearly driving him mad by how quickly the images were firing through his brain. The only thing he made out was something familiar; the sight of a burning earth. Before much more could be distinguished, he was out. The girl beside him noticed the slump, gazing over to the boy and letting out a breath.

"Ugh, finally."

In response to the finished confrontation, time restarted where it left off, signaling that HAVEN had deactivated. Fifth Arc's circle flashed momentarily, confirming the act. She sighed, then struggled to get to her feet. Immediately, she found that her ankle was twisted, meaning something quite dreadful. She couldn't run.

Cursing under her breath, she gave the unconscious Finn one last kick in the side, angry with how much damage he'd managed to inflict on her. Suddenly though, she gazed at the pained look on his face. Even with his eyes closed, the hero still appeared to be showing a determined expression. Somehow, Fifth Arc found a glimmer of respect in her mind.

"Jeez. Even knocked out you're still resisting."

She actually smirked.

"Although, I guess I'll count this one as a draw."

The human sat down beside the form of her enemy, sighing once more at the inconvenient situation. As much as she wanted to just limp away slowly, something just couldn't bring her to leave the fallen Finn out in the barren environment. She decided that she'd wait for him to wake up, seeing as then he could potentially help give her leverage to walk back to the hideout.

Not that he'd be allowed to leave afterwards.

The atmosphere in the room was tense. Neither scientist dared to move from where they stood, each waiting for the other to make the first move. PB was admittedly in a more stressed position, and she was sure that Second Arc could tell just by looking at the candy princess. The analytical woman was calmly staring the candy monarch in the eyes, which were clear of any sort of worry or insecurities.

Peebles may have not been as intelligent as her adversary, but she was smart enough to know one thing: she stood no chance against this lady.

"Do you still wish to go through with this?" the human asked coolly.

PB narrowed her eyes, trying to think what to do. All she had to do was stop Second Arc from walking out the door behind her, but this was easier said than done. The princess was starting to cramp up in her legs. In all truth, the two ladies had been standing there for nearly half an hour, just waiting for the other to take the first move. Tired of the suspense, Bubblegum decided, for better or worse, she had to be the one to act.

Something simple first. She grabbed a nearby flask and flung it at the human. Second Arc caught it, then tossed it to the side, where it shattered. Disappointed, Peebles let out a breath, realizing that was pointless.

Oh for Glob's sake, what the heck.

She ran at the human, expecting for her to dodge and counter. The dark-haired woman did so and sidestepped the princess, before quickly jabbing her straightened hand into a spot on the monarch's back. Instantly, PB felt her arm go limp. The two had now switched sides in the room, which Bubblegum realized was a mistake.

Second Arc tried to simply walk out, but the candy lady ran at her again, trying to stay more vigilant for another pressure point attack. Instead, a shocking jolt was sent through her spine, causing the princess to freeze in place and stare with shock at the woman before her. Second Arc casually turned around, holding up her hand and displaying a set of tiny micro transmitters on her fingertips.

"Within your strike, hide a poison. I suggest you better yourself on the art of combat, princess."

With that, the human touched two of her fingers together, activating the chip latched onto PB's back and forcing her nerves to make her back off. The monarch felt like a puppet.

"Ngh. What are you and your allies up to? Or at least, why can't you tell us? If the cause was by any chance noble, we could even help you."

Second Arc stared at the subjugated Bubblegum for a moment, before tapping her fingertips together again. Instead of another shock, PB felt the chip self-destruct in an explosion so tiny it caused her no harm. Although she was free, she couldn't command her nerves to move forward at all. Her human counterpart actually smiled a little.

"I must say, that is a generous offer. However, our goal involves elements that your people would not accept. I'm afraid cooperation is impossible."

She stepped back towards the door.

"Your spinal cord had been temporarily stiffened. You should be able to walk in about an hour."

Suddenly, the circle on the woman's shirt flashed orange again. In that moment, PB felt that whatever conditions had been set previously by the human had now been removed.

"What is that thing?"

The dark-haired lady touched the circle on her attire.

"HAVEN. I designed it by request, as a close friend of mine did not wish to cause unnecessary violence should we be forced to confront any of you."

Second Arc held her hands behind her back.

"Officially, the Hedron Aligned Virtual Engagement Nexus."

She held her hand out now, gesturing to the surroundings.

"Within its influence, time and space are removed from the equation. None but those battling are unaffected by the system. A true equilibrium of combat."

The woman placed her hand back down and looked blankly at PB.

"I am sorry about our disruption of your daily lives, but our work, it is important to the planet. That is all I can say. Goodbye, Bonnibel."

PB was stunned by how the woman knew her name.

Second Arc opened the door and was about to step out of the room, but stopped just before exiting. Reaching over, she hit the alarm button positioned on the wall, which every one of PB's labs was equipped with in the event of an unstable experiment. As the bell rang loudly to attract Banana Guards to the room, Second Arc gave a small nod to Peebles and walked off down the corridor.

It took a few minutes, but the loyal protectors of the Candy Kingdom stormed into the lab, instantly astonished by the stiff Bubblegum inside. Her first words were an order to secure the castle. Half the guards were sent off to carry out the command, while the rest gently carried their leader down to the hospital room.

PB knew it was practically useless to try clamping down on Second Arc. For all she knew, the human could be disguised as one of her banana guards. Once the princess was safely in bed, she called for Peppermint Butler. The red-striped man came in a few moments later, holding an ice pack to his head. His ruler frowned.

"Pep But, what happened to your head?"

The candy man sighed.

"I'm afraid I had an unfortunate run-in with some scoundrel in the dark hallways."

Peebles asked the servant to remove his soothing ice. Sure enough, a nasty looking dent was present in his curved cranium. She gently rubbed the spot, hoping to help relieve the pain. Peppermint Butler let out a relaxed breath, telling her it worked.

"Ok. After getting a bandage for that injury, I want you to place a guard at every entrance to the castle."

The candy person bowed and promptly left the room, grabbing a fresh ice pack from a table nearby in the process. PB sighed once again.

I hope the others had better luck than I did.

Jake disgustedly wiped off another drip of unknown green goop from his arm. Behind him, Susan chose to shake herself like a dog, flinging off the large amount of gross material that had clung to her head and shoulders. This was much to the discomfort of her friend, who groaned and wiped off his share (or rather hers) a second time.

"Susan, couldn't you be bit more careful?"

The humanoid just smiled.

"But goo feels nice."

Jake smacked his face, forgetting the large differences that remained between surface dwellers and Susan's people. Getting over it however, he pulled the map back out and studied it carefully. It was rather complicated.

"Man, I hated going through this place the first time. Now here I am again, crawling through a huge dungeon, with a wacko lady, trying to find a wackier dude who can probably squish me into a coffee cup."

Susan leaned down, confused.

"Jake, who you talk to?"

The magic dog only now realized he'd been ranting out-loud.

"Oh, uh, never mind that. Let's just get to the-"

A sudden rumbling attracted their attention. Not a ground shaking rumbling, but as if some metal object was being rolled across the stone floor. Jake grinned.

"Bingo."

He motioned for Susan to follow as the two made it around the corner. Walking a small distance, they came to an opening that overlooked their target: the toxic lake beneath the kingdom. And sure enough, the figure of a tall, muscular man could be seen, scooping out and sending barrels of the green waste rolling down the floor, where they formed a line with the ones who had already bumped into each other. Jake formed himself into a pole which his friend could use to slide down to the same level as Sixth Arc, who had fortunately not noticed them yet.

"Ok, Susie, here's the plan."

Jake suddenly rethought his original idea. He grew to the size of Susan and held up his fists.

"Actually, you know what, just run up and beat the nuts out of him."

The two companions instantly made a run at the human, who heard their heavy footsteps and swung around to face them. Reacting quickly, he caught both of the punches aimed at his face, stunning Jake and Susan. He then pulled them in, grabbing them by the throats, lifting them up, and smacking their heads together. The two were then hurled apart, landing hard on the floor.

"Aw man," Jake groaned.

"That did not go the way I thought it would."

Sixth Arc approached him, cracking his knuckles.

"You should learn to lie down, dog."

Just as the human was about to pummel the dizzied canine, he was tapped lightly on the shoulder. Turning around, he was immediately slugged in the face by Susan's fist. He grunted, then staggered back. Jake took the opportunity and tripped up the man with his stretched out leg. Upon hitting the floor, the Arc growled in frustration.

"Dang. Ok, that's it. No mercy!"

The circle on Sixth Arc's shirt glowed purple, then a second circle expanded from the ground he was lying on, spreading out to cover the whole area. Both Susan and Jake were briefly illuminated when the edge of the shape reached them. The two were shocked when the room was suddenly silent. Looking up, their eyes went wide upon seeing hanging water drops that were about to fall to the floor. However, they never did.

Not even the eerie echo of the tunnels entered the area, actually creeping them out even more so. Sixth Arc took advantage of their distracted senses and grabbed both by the back. Shoving them forward, he then made a running kick, forcing Susan to go flying at the ground. The woman groaned from the scrapes, but quickly returned to her feet regardless. Jake was being stretched apart at an alarming rate as their human foe was tying the magic dog into dozens of knots.

"Ngh, Susie, a little help?"

The humanoid tightened her fists and ran at the Arc.

"Let go of Jake, butt!"

The man failed to see the punch coming, releasing his hold on Jake as Susan proceeded to send him round after round of powerful strikes, all aimed at his face. The human was unable to resist for a while as she forced him further and further back towards the wall of the cave. Eventually, Sixth Arc felt his back touch stone and the impacts of his opponent's punches increased. A few hits were sent to his stomach, then back to the face. He grew angrier with each successful slug.

Sadly, Susan's streak was broken when the man caught her wrist and made a quick maneuver that switched their positions, slamming the woman into the wall while Sixth Arc held her to it and prepared to deliver his own cascade of punches. She bared her teeth and glared at him, realizing she could't escape his grip. Just as the human was drawing back his fist, he froze.

He stared into Susan's angry green eyes, as if he were trying to confirm something by peering into the black spots at their center. Jake recovered from his stretch and watched as Sixth Arc miraculously lowered his arm.

"It...It can't be."

Susan switched her own expression to one of confusion.

"What?"

The man reached up slowly and took hold of Susan's cat hat, still holding her against the wall. He then gently pulled it off, letting loose all of the woman's blonde hair, which fell and covered the majority of her face. Sixth Arc parted the locks to one side, at last revealing her full face. Jake gasped and grew wide-eyed.

"Susan...you're..."

There were no gills, no aquatic features anywhere on her complexion. She looked just like a female version of Finn. Sixth Arc finally backed away, releasing Susan from his grip and allowing her to step away from the wall. Although a bit shaken from being revealed, she was more concerned about her hat, which was still in the man's hand.

"Give back hat, jerk!"

She prepared to run at him again. Meanwhile, Jake looked over to the Arc.

"What are you playing at?"

Sixth Arc gazed sadly, first at Susan, then at Jake by slightly turning his head.

"She's...my sister."

A/N: No reviews? No problem. I see the traffic graphs, I know people are enjoying the read. Feedback is nice but it's not like I'm forcing you.