Spyro, Cynder, and all other Spyro related characters are property of Sierra studios.

Draco, Contrinus, Chip and Cydra are property of my co-author, Cydra.

Matt, his merc team, the NSC and related tech, the ancients/atlanteans and malefors dragon generals are mine.

CPS Chronicles

Soulless Abyss

Chapter 3: Hot Water

It had been only a day since Kala had gone and the events in the catacombs and Chloe was worried. Matt had moved back into his quarters aboard the Nighthawk and locked himself away. He hadn't come out to eat or drink anything.

"We need to get him out of there," said Chloe, "It's not healthy to hold himself up in there all the time." "We could have Morph turn into Mr. Stenchy and toss him there," suggested Draco, "That'd get him out." "Or he might turn violent," said Chloe. She and Draco looked at the door before a blasting was heard.

"We better get in there," said Chloe. "I wouldn't bother try to blast our way in," said Draco, "He's put a protective shield over the door. You'd need a battering ram to have any luck at... Why are you looking at me like that?"

Matt was face down on his bed, plasma blaster in hand when the wall around his doorframe melted and the hatch fell inside. Chloe put Draco down (having used him as an impromptu blowtorch) and walked in, almost falling over one of the 6 litre bottles of kr-ta.

Chloe picked up a bottle and said, "Matt, if you're going to turn to drink, I suggest you do it with beer and not something that's been known to cause liver explosions with overdoses."

Matt turned his head to look. One of his eyes was draconic, probably from all the Kr-Ta. "Who cares anymore...no more Kala...no more anything...haha," he said in a miserable voice, revealing he was laying on a 7th bottle. He blasted the cap off and began gulping it down.

Chloe pulled the bottle from his hand before he could finish it off. "Hey...give that back," said Matt, swinging his fist at her only to miss by a whole foot. "Matt, this is really pathetic. Don't tell me this is what you did after I disappeared."

"No...well...I did experiment with Vasinoc Nectar," Matt said, trying to get both eyes staring in the same place.

Chloe sighed and zapped Matt's head with a lightning bolt, hoping to get his synapses running again.

Matt burped out a smoke ring. "Mwreh...gimme the bottle," he said, making another lunge. Chloe put one hand out and caught Matt's forehead. It was pathetically easy to keep him at bay. "Matt, are you really just going to waste yourself all day thinking about Kala, or are you going to try and save her like you did me?" she said.

"Hey...were you trapped with a total half-dragon nutball who had remained hidden for 4000 years?" said Matt, suddenly icily sober.

Chloe considered this for a minute before saying, "No, but being one of Emperor Hamsterviel's generals wasn't any easier. In fact, I think the odds you had of saving me were slimmer than the odds of saving Kala."

"Oh yeah...I only won cause I tricked NegaMorph into giving me a free shot...not to mention without Omnirus playing' brain drain'...I would have been killed..." said Matt, gloomily.

"Matt, you said the Fates were always out to get you. But if they truly were, they would have never let you reunite with me. I believe it's the same way with Kala. I believe you two are destined to be together," said Chloe.

"No...she's gone," said Matt, before glaring. "Go away...I'm no hero..." he said, pointing dizzily at the door.

"You're no hero?" said Draco, "You've save this planet, twice, you brought down that Kurata creep, made a mockery of Echidra and her minions, also twice, stopped an Infected invasion, twice again, and defeated countless other bad guys. If that doesn't qualify as a hero, I don't know what does."

"Not much point if...HEY...did you talk to Mark the last time he was aboard?" said Matt, glaring at Draco who suddenly learnt an innocent face. Chloe said, "Well, the elders want to see us all, about the...problem we found in the catacombs. Techo's already got some positron plasma rifles ready."

"Ok, ok, fine," said Matt, "Maybe blasting Heartless will make me feel better." He stood up only to lose his balance. Chloe sighed and said, "Here, lean on me."

--

The dragons were waiting outside when they saw Chloe come round the corner, helping Matt. "He's taking Kala's loss really badly," explained Chloe as she dumped Matt in a seat.

Matt twitched at the mention of Kala's name and began singing 'NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLE I'VE SEEN!!' What was more worrying was that he was singing in tune. "Hmm, this really is serious," said Terrador, "I never seen a warrior become this depressed." Cyril sniffed the air and winced. "And I'm pretty sure the stench is atypical as well."

"No...Draco had garlic bread," said Chloe. Zara looked at Matt. "Will someone shut him up?" Chloe pulled out a roll of duct tape and quickly strapped Matt down as well as taping his mouth shut. "When it doubt, duct it," she said smugly.

The group went into the hall, dragging Matt along after them. Morgan and three Atlanteans in some kind of armour were waiting for them. "Now we're all here...why is Mr. Lynch covered in adhesive?" said Morgan.

"He's just being depressed right now," said Chloe, "Trust me, you don't hear him like this." Morgan sighed. "We are here to discuss what occurred in the catacombs below Warfang," he said. "Yes, the Heartless," said Chloe, sitting down, "They're going to be a big problem." "The...Heartless you call them. How many are we likely to deal with? We only have a basic defense force," said Morgan.

"I'm not certain," said Chloe, "But the Heartless are known to mass-produce troops of themselves. They mostly rely on instinct, but they can be controlled, particularly by people who have a great connection with darkness. Also, they're immune to non-magical weapons."

"We fought worse...and Ion blades kill anything," said Morgan. Zara said, "Your...sergeant Morgan said your people regularly fight these monsters. He called them the H.Q.F."

Matt immediately made a muffled noise. Chloe correctly interpreted it and said, "I don't think that's such a good idea. The HQF take the Heartless very seriously. If they can't stop them, they'll quarantine the planet and force everyone off. They've done it before."

The Elders looked grim at that but Wilson looked annoyed."Chloe...you nuts? We don't have the gear for a Heartless infestation," he said. "Not at the moment," said Chloe, "But I think we can put a few things together. Besides, dragons' breath is magic and we have NegaMorph's Lockblade. That's enough to give us some advantage."

"Against what? We're outnumbered and outgunned," said Wilson, angrily. Matt motioned for his gag to be removed. Chloe obliged and ripped off the five o'clock shadow that developed during Matt's drunken state. Matt winced and said, "Ow. Listen, I've almost literally went through hell and back to keep this place from becoming another outpost. This place is not meant to be another Diego Garcia."

"Lynch, for Ancients' sake, see sense. The NSC and Combine had trouble holding them off. This is not a loner job. You want another Praxis?" Matt glared at Wilson and said, "I am captain here and my word is law. And my word is that no one is contacting the HQF, period."

Wilson glared. "Yes...sir," he said nastily and stomped out. Wilson didn't go far. He knew that Matt was not thinking straight and he realized that the planet needed outside help. He sat down in a quiet square and told WARDEN to uplink to the NSC. "NSC control? This is mercenary Jonas Wilson. We have a situation here..."

--

However, Matt was still depressed over Kala. Chloe found him on the city's ramparts, seemingly contemplating whether to throw himself off or not. Chloe said, "You know, it won't work. You'll just transform out of reflex." Matt sighed, "I dunno. You think we were too hard on Wilson?"

"Well, we weren't there when the Heartless first attacked the NSC," said Chloe, "He's probably got deeper issues with them than we do." "Maybe he was right. This is alot bigger than the other stuff we've handled before," said Matt. "True," said Chloe, "I just we could do that without this place becoming another NSC outpost. If only this were some higher-class dimension, like a B or C class."

Matt sighed. "No...this place needs the NSC like I need a bullet in the head," he said. Chloe looked at her wrist as her wrist computer beeped. "What could that be about?" said Chloe as pressed a button.

"Sir, I received a message from NSC logistics. They say your request was received and a HQF unit has been dispatched," said WARDEN. "Wait a second," said Matt, "I didn't call for the HQF."

"A communication was sent via our ID..." said WARDEN. Matt's eyes went white as he got a good idea who had sent it. "Wilson," he said, transforming to dragon form and flying off in the direction of the Nighthawk.

Wilson was heading back to the Nighthawk when a loud roar was heard. "Uh oh," he said, "Sounds like trouble's coming. And I don't think it's villainous." He turned to see Matt land at the other end of the street, practically foaming at the mouth. "Wilson...you're dead," he said.

"Er, it wasn't my idea to sell those weapons," said Wilson quickly, "I knew that was a bad idea from the beginning." Matt glared and spat a ball of fire at Wilson, who dodged the blast. "You called the NSC...you selfish idiot," snarled Matt, pinning him.

"Oh, that," said Wilson, "Matt, you really have no idea what these Heartless are like. We don't have the firepower to deal with them." Matt glared. "You doomed this planet..." he said, baring his teeth. Just then, Sonya and Smoldron flew by. They spotted Matt pinning Wilson and looking very angry. "Uh oh," said Smoldron, "Something tells me Matt's training had a minor flaw in it."

"We better go down and stop him before he does anything rash," said Sonya. Matt glared. "You stupid idiot, you know perfectly well what they'll do when they get here? Game over!" he roared.

Then a blast of icy wind hit Matt's back. Sonya and Smoldron landed nearby. "Matt, I'm not sure if it's you right now," said Sonya, "But we can't let you attack Wilson." Matt glared. "He called in the HQF, Sonya. Remember those guys?" he said.

Dragon faces can't really pale, but that's what Sonya's would have done. "What?" she said, "But they'll remove everyone off this planet. Not just the dragons, but the cheetahs, the moles, and even the pirates."

Matt nodded. "And guess who gave them a ring," he said, nodding at the squirming Wilson. Sonya glared at him and said, "You sold us out?"

"If we don't get the pro's in we're either dead or getting a free trip to traverse town," said Wilson angrily.

"And where would these people live after they're done?" demanded Matt, "You just tossed an entire planetary population out of their home." "At least they will live somewhere," said Wilson coldly.

"You sound just like Dante!" said Matt, "You know what? If you want to leave the planet, fine. But you're going on your own ship. I don't want to see you ever again!" Matt got up and walked off with Sonya and a confused Smoldron who was asking who the HQF were, leaving a shocked Wilson.

--

Back at the ship, Chloe and Techo were trying to reason with Matt. "You can't just fire Wilson," said Techo, "He's been with us for years." "That was before he sold out an entire planet, nothing doing," said Matt, angrily.

"Matt, I don't think you're thinking clearly," said Chloe, "You're letting your feelings cloud your judgment." "We all know the HQF are grade one trouble. They're almost as bad as DARKRIFT!" said Matt. "Well, we'll just have to find a way to deal with the Heartless before they get here," said Chloe. Matt sighed. "Fine...but tell WARDEN to authorize a shuttle for Wilson," he said.

Chloe glanced at Techo and muttered, "We're not going to get anywhere regarding Techo right now. Let's just try to work on the Heartless until he cools down."

--

Meanwhile, Malefor had followed the raptor Heartless until they came to a dark chasm. "I might have suspected the Heartless would nest here," said Malefor. "It shall serve till we reclaim what is ours," said the raptor heartless. Malefor nodded and said, "Lead the way." "You have lots of anger. This is good, but this is not your old form. You smell of...dragon," hissed the creature.

"Gee, is it that obvious?" said Malefor in as sarcastic a tone as he could do. The raptor hissed angrily. "Watch your tongue. Only the orders of my master stop me from striping your soul for a minion." "Erm, don't you mean 'heart'?" said Malefor.

The creature bared its teeth and the shadows leapt forward and tangled Malefor up. "I am not one of the mongrel creatures the humans call 'Heartless', know your place." "Very well," said Malefor, keeping a calm face, "Let us proceed." "First off, your form is useless as it is," said the raptor and the shadows moved to begin swallowing Malefor.

"Hey! What are you-" Malefor's protests were swallowed up the darkness along with his. After a minute, the shadows parted, revealing Malefor who was in his old form, only a purple so dark it was nearly black and bits of metal armor covering his body, obviously left over from Tuatara's old form.

"There, your powers are worthy of serving my masters now," said the raptor creature, "...and you will serve them...or you will join the others of this world when they return." Malefor glared back at the raptor creature and said, "If you think I'm going to be doing all the footwork, you're sorely mistaken."

The raptor creature smirked coldly. "You have no choice in the matter. I can easily strip you of that form again..." Malefor glared at him and said, "Well, if I'm going to work for your superiors, I'll need minions to command." "Then summon them," said the creature.

Malefor looked at the creature like it was crazy before saying in a half-hearted tone, "Come to me, my minions." To his surprise, several Soldier Heartless appeared. "They are at your disposal," said the creature.

--

At Mt. Boyitsbig, the Manweresmall Clan of the Moles were getting worried. Mt. Boyitsbig has been unusually active. The leaders thought it was getting ready for a big eruption. Their thoughts were derailed when a shape appeared in the distance. "The dragons have come to...what?" said a sentry, confused as the shape became clearer.

The instant Malefor's shape became clear, the sentry ran screaming for help. Malefor grinned to himself and said, "Such an ideal place for testing out the fiery ones." Several Red Nocturnes and Scarlet Tangos appeared around him. "Destroy everything," he said to the Heartless who turned and headed into the caves, smashing the doors apart with ease.

--

The next day, several dozen moles were seen staggering towards the city in total panic. Their leader went straight to the Elders. "It vas being Malefor for certain," he said. Zara glared at Matt and said, "I thought you had killed him." "So did I," said Matt, "and people say that I'm hard to kill..."

Morgan was still there. "Then it is a good test to see if he leant anything," he said, amused. "Maybe this time I'll throw him into the lava," said Matt, "That always works with evil villains/artifacts." Cynder grinned as Spyro said, "That didn't work last time."

"That was different," said Matt, "Devina jumped hosts before I could melt her stupid gem." Matt glared as Spyro and Cynder, and even three of the Elders (minus Zara) grinned faintly. "I can see I'm among friends. I'll get a heavy squad together."

"Zen I suggezt you bring plenty of ice-breazers," said Mole-Yair, "The Dark Master had many fiery demons with him." Matt sighed. "We got plenty of gear. Techo should have several Positron guns ready." Then Matt added, "By the way, keep an eye on Morph." "Why's that?" asked Sonya. "Cause he's gonna try to smuggle in hot dogs to roast."

--

Wilson was checking his gear for the trip up to the Bladestorm and to his shuttle. He'd been with the gang since Sy-Yong and had stuck through thick and thin. He was pretty sure that Matt was blowing things out of proportion. After, didn't he threaten to send a dispirited NegaMorph to Kyros after he was brought back to life simply because NegaMorph had no urge to fight?

Then again, Matt had been right. It was more likely that the H.Q.F would consider Avalar a lost cause and force a planet-wide evacuation. Wilson paused for a minute as he considered this. He had helped fight Tuatara, Ghoulwyrm and his forces, the Shar-Virk, and countless Imperial drones. Compared to those,, running from some creatures of darkness seemed outright cowardly. And he hated being considered a coward.

He sighed and picked up his gear before almost bumping into Draco and Contrinus. "Oh, hey guys," said Wilson sadly. Draco gave him a somewhat offended look. "So," he said in a voice that was too calm to be really calm, "You're just calling in HQF and leaving." "No, Lynch sacked me," said Wilson darkly.

Contrinus said, "Draco, of course Wilson wouldn't just run."

Draco snorted and said, "Could have fooled me." Contrinus kicked him. "Draco!" she scolded as Wilson pushed past angrily. Then Chip passed by. "What's going on here?" asked Chip. "Draco here just accused Wilson of running out," said Contrinus. "Well it's true," said Draco. Chip sighed and said, "Draco's never been really good at handling delicate conversations."

Wilson was storming off. Draco's remarks really burned him. He was not just running off. Then he noticed several crewmembers getting ready to go to the volcano. "Well, there's only way to prove them wrong," said Wilson as he slipped his helmet on.

He'd overheard the gang getting ready earlier before he'd bumped into Draco and had a good idea what was coming. Still, it would prove to Draco he was no coward. He stopped as Matt walked round the corner in human form, talking to Spyro.

"Are you certain you should have kicked Wilson out like that?" asked Spyro. "Because of him, the HQF will probably oust you guys of your homeworld," said Matt, "And speaking of which, we have a deadline to bring the Heartless to a minimal threat before they get here."

Wilson gulped and pulled his helmet's mask down over his face. Matt continued, "We have a week at max till the H.Q.F fleet get here." "And will happen if they do get here?" asked Spyro. "Hopefully, the Heartless threat would have been cropped down enough for them to do a simple sweepover," said Matt, "But if not, you guys may as well start packing."

Spyro frowned. "We can't let them..." he began. Matt said, ""Not much of a choice. The H.Q.F are a mix of Combine and N.S.C...and they are not into asking twice." "So, exactly how do we stop the Heartless?" asked Spyro. "They'll have a leader, take him out and they scatter," said Matt. "Would that be Malefor?" asked Spyro.

"Him, or any big Heartless there," said Matt. Techo ran up with an old map. "Survivors say he came knocking at the volcano, good place to start," he said. Nobody noticed Wilson "Since Heartless adapt to their surroundings, I bet we'll be facing plenty of fire Heartless," said Matt, "Which means we'll need plenty of water and ice power."

Techo nodded. "Plenty of cryo rounds for them and Sonya and you will make life easier, Spyro," he said.

"Better bring Draco along too," said Matt, "He's got ice breath and can swim in lava. And we might as well bring Morph and NegaMorph, seeing how they could turn into Slushy or something." Matt nodded. "We need a full squad, maybe two. We got enough men?" he said to Techo.

"Yes, I just haven't made enough positron cannons for everyone yet," said Techo. "No time, just grab anyone from the crew," said Matt. "Right then," said Techo. Then he turned and called to the troopers, "Ok, line up and get your positron cannon. We gotta make it to that volcano within the hour!" Wilson ran up with the rest of the troopers, snatching a positron rifle.

--

The volcano came into sight and looked suspiciously quiet, except for the apparently discarded weapons.

The ship landed on the beach and the troops got out. Draco glanced at the volcano and said, "Boy, it's big."

"...and hot," said Matt as Sonya, Cynder, Smoldron and Spyro landed around them. "Where are the sentries?" said Smoldron in a concerned voice. "They probably left with the others," said Cynder, "Which means we won't have to worry for them." "No, not enough people came to Warfang," said Wilson, getting a few looks. "Just a hunch," he said.

Matt shrugged and said, "We keep on our guard. They'll probably hurl fireballs at us when they see us. Oh, and avoid touching the lava. That stuff burns like nobody's business." Techo said sarcastically, "Oh...and I was planning a dip too." "Well, better get out the rest of the gear," said Chloe as she opened the cargo hatch. She jumped backwards as many packages of hot dogs fell out. Chloe glared and a storm of static flash-cooked the hot dogs. "MORPH!!!" she yelled before stopping. "Oopsie," she said quietly.

Suddenly, there were several flashes of darkness and what looked like little round burning coals appeared. "Those are Heartless?" said Sonya, "They don't look that scary." "Fiery Orbs, guns up!" yelled Wilson, firing at the first one. The positron rifles' effectiveness was proven as the beam sliced clean through the Heartless.

The Fiery Orb just popped out of existence. The other Heartless did not seem to take kindly to this and started shoot embers at the group. The other marines aimed and started firing. The ones with normal rifles just had to watch in horror as their rounds did nothing. Sonya sent a blast of ice into a Fiery Orb, extinguishing it instantly.

But then more Fiery Orbs appeared. "There's too many!" said Matt, "We need to get in there while we still can!" The dragons, Draco, and NegaMorph took to the skies while the troopers headed into the caves.

A blast of embers engulfed a marine that was too slow while the other Orbs started melting the rock above the cave, causing it to collapse and seal the way.

"We'll have to find another way-" Cynder started but then a dark cyclone engulfed her. "Cynder!" cried Spyro. He tried to grab her, but she was carried away. "What was that?" asked Draco. "I think I have a good guess," said NegaMorph, "and it begins with an 'M'."

--

Cynder struggled in the cyclone before being deposited in a rock island floating in the main crater. Several of the raptor heartless appeared, their left arms ending in cannons glowing with black energy. Cynder however was focused on their leader.

She was surprised to see Malefor back in his old body, along with wearing cybernetic armor. "Malefor," she growled, "Why am I not surprised you joined forces with these monsters?" "Cynder, once my most loyal general, how pleasant to see you here. Do you like my new friends?" Malefor said in an amused voice.

"Not at all," said Cynder, "These creatures will destroy this world. But of course, that's what you've always wanted, wasn't it?" "No, they'll help me rule it," said Malefor, "Your friends won't live through this day. I brought you here to give you an offer. You helped me escape Convexity. Join me again and you'll live. I can even arrange for Spyro to survive as well...with some suitable thoughts."

"By suitable thoughts, you mean none of his own," said Cynder. "Of course, but he would be devoted to you, of course, as fitting for my general," said Malefor. Cynder snarled and said, "I am not your general. I don't want to have anything to do with you." "You can't hide it. Even though I removed some of your powers, the darkness is part of you," said Malefor, coldly.

Cynder glared back at Malefor and said, "A good friend once told me I can exist outside of darkness. It does not define who I am." "That genetic freak? He is deeper in darkness then you would think. If he had arrived a month earlier, he would have happily killed you," said Malefor. "You don't know anything about NegaMorph," said Cynder.

Malefor laughed. "He was a proud general in the Empire that almost helped me take this world. Why don't you ask him IF you next see him," he said. "All you know is NegaMorph's past," said Cynder, "You know nothing about what he is now. About how he endures hardships for his friends, or how he cares for his niece, or how he wields his Lockblade to save innocent people."

The old ones all began to get agitated at the word. "Forbidden weapon..." hissed a new raptor heartless who walked out from behind Malefor. "What do you know of the blade?" "Uh, not much really," said Cynder, "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you." Malefor laughed. "Did NegaMorph ever tell you how he used Matthew's love for his sister to try and capture him?"

"But...that was the old him, he wouldn't do that now," said Cynder. "Is his past self really gone?" said Malefor, "Besides, that Lockblade isn't as great a weapon for good as you think. Did you know that he used it to banish Morph through space and time?" Cynder looked horrified at this. Malefor smiled.

"If your closest friend is capable of such things, then what of your other friends?" he said, raising a paw that had a black orb in it. "Darkness lurks in every heart," said Malefor, "Why reject your own? Embrace your darkness and you'll find true destiny."

Cynder seemed zoned out and Malefor blew the orb at her. Darkans watched as Cynder seemed to fall asleep. "You left part of her uncorrupted, explain your actions," he said.

Malefor smiled. "It pays to have a spy in the enemy camp, even better when even the spy doesn't realize," he said, before summoning another cyclone to send Cynder away. Darkans glared, "The humans must die though."

"I never said they wouldn't," said Malefor, "Everyone not native to this world shall perish." Darkans nodded. "Good...remember your place, Dragon." Malefor gave him an annoyed look and said, "I wish you wouldn't talk to me like that."

"You are dragon, one of the ones who worked with the Human to imprison us. My masters want proof of your loyalty," said Darkans. "Let me guess, the hybrid's heart on a platter?" said Malefor. "Yes...bring us his soul," said Darkans.

--

Meanwhile, the ground team was recovering from their narrow escape. "Well, it looks like we'll have to find another way out of here," said Matt, "After we deal with the Heartless." Chloe winced. "Ack...my ankle's busted," she said.

Matt helped her up as Techo helped up another merc and saw who it was. "Wilson?" he said. "Erm? Who? I'm not sure who you're-" "Your helmet's gone," said Techo flatly. "Oh, drat." Said Wilson. Matt turned angrily. "YOU! I told you to get lost," he said, heading for Wilson.

"Well, yeah, but I couldn't just leave like that," said Wilson, "I thought I should stay and help with this Heartless problem before the HQF get here." "I don't want your help," hissed Matt. "Well, you can't really send him away now," said Chloe, "Unless you can smash through that rock."

Matt glared. "Fine, we talk after this is over," he said coldly before saying, "Help Chloe." "I don't need help," said Chloe, "I can stand on my-" She winced as her leg spasmed. "This is no time for feminine pride," said Chris.

The sound of Heartless approaching could be heard from another corridor. "We gotta move...now," said Wilson. "Ok," said Morph before walking into a wall, "It's dark in here." "I know..." muttered Matt.

"Someone did remember to bring lights, right?" said Morph, "Not everyone here can see in the dark."

Matt set off a flare. This saved the group's lives as it revealed the dozen or so heartless warriors heading for them. They were mainly in form of small critters with red gowns and yellow witch's hats. Fireballs appeared above their heads before they threw them.

Another two marines were dead before they could respond and the group were forced down a side tunnel. "We need to get outside and back to the ship..." said Matt, blasting a Heartless. "Okey-dokey," said Morph before turning into Derrick and started drilling a hole into the rock wall. "Go, go, go!" yelled Matt, pushing the rest of the group through the hole before sending a blaze of plasma at the Heartless.

--

Meanwhile, Spyro and the other dragons were flying around, looking for Cynder. Draco and NegaMorph were also helping, as well keeping an eye out for aerial Heartless. Spyro was looking down when he spotted Cynder slumped on the ground with a cluster of Heartless closing in. "Cynder!" cried Spyro and started flying down towards her. The others also noticed and were right behind him.

The Heartless looked up and began casting fireballs and other fire spells at the approaching dragons, apparently not bothered when some of their number were blasted.

Draco and Sonya sent shards of ice that quickly eliminated most of them. When they eventually touched down, there were only a few Fiery Orbs left. The Fiery Orbs, dumb as they were, seemed to recognize when it was a good time to leave and melted into the shadows.

Spyro ran up to Cynder. "Cynder...can you hear me?" he said in a worried voice. Cynder groaned and opened her eyes. "What happened?" she asked. Spyro said, "You were snatched by some kind of dark cyclone. Don't you remember?" "Only that part," said Cynder, "The rest's a total blank." Spyro just nuzzled her. "I'm just happy you're ok. We got to find the others."

--

The group flew down to see the cave entrance much smaller than it was before. The troopers were desperately squeezing out the small hole. Matt, Wilson, and Chloe were the last three on the other side, shooting or throwing orbs at the advancing Heartless. "This is insane! If we try to leave, they'll swarm us!" yelled Wilson.

"One of us has to keep these guys busy." said Matt, blasting a Heartless with a plasma orb.

"You guys are more important," said Wilson, "I'll stay and fight. Besides, I need to make up to you guys somehow."

"Like hell, it's suicide. Get your arse through that hole," said Matt. Wilson paused before saying. "Ok...but what about that?" he said. Matt turned and fell down as Wilson hit him across the back of the head. "Sorry boss," he said before looking at Chloe, "Get lost, ma'am."

"Wilson, you don't stand a chance against these things by yourself," said Chloe. "Better I go than you," said Wilson, "You two are Shar-Khan, I'm just human. You're more vital than I am." "Don't give me that..." started Chloe. Wilson blew the head off a Heartless and yelled, "I have more experience! SO GET YOUR BRO THROUGH THAT HOLE, SOLDIER!"

"You don't order me around," said Chloe. "Then I have no choice," said Wilson before calling out, "NegaMorph! Get Matt and Chloe out of here! They're in serious condition."

NegaMorph appeared on autopilot and grabbed the two Lynches. Wilson turned to the advancing Heartless. "You wanna piece of me?" he yelled, firing.

"NegaMorph! Don't!" yelled Chloe, but he shadow-warped them out before she could any more out.

Wilson fired his rifle at the Heartless till the charge went down. Just then, a raptor-like Heartless appeared and tackled him. Before Wilson could put up a fight, he was down on the ground. "You will make a good warrior, Kar'Lan," snarled the Heartless, plunging its hand into Wilson's chest.

Wilson despite this smirked. "Won't be...for too long......surprise," he said, opening his hand to reveal a armed plasma grenade.

--

NegaMorph appeared and jumped aside as Chloe ran back to the hole, only to fall back as an explosion collapsed the hole. "WILSON! WILSON!" she called. Morph looked around in confusion. "I don't see a volleyball," he said.

Matt came round with a groan. "Dammit...I can't believe he hit me...when I get my hands on him..." he said before seeing the collapsed hole. "No...he didn't have too," he muttered.

--

Sometime later, they returned back at Warfang, in a sorrier state than before. The Elders were there to greet them. "Did you evict those...Heartless from the moles home?" said Cyril. Matt shook his head gloomily.

Zara growled and said, "I knew we should have sent more dragons. We send a small group of humans and they just come back in fewer numbers."

Matt turned dragon and flew towards his quarters while Chloe turned angrily. Chloe was about to speak her mind but Cynder beat her to it. "We lost more than you thought back there," said Cynder, "A friend of theirs sacrificed himself so that we could escape. They were just fortunate enough they haven't lost more than they've already had."

Zara took a step back in shock as Cynder continued. "Ever since you joined the Guardians you've had it in for Matthew and his friends. Have you ever thought about them, about anyone else?" she continued.

Zara was actually silenced by this. "Well, we'll need to prepare ourselves so that next time, we won't have to retreat," said Chloe.

A trooper ran up. "Ma'am, NSC want to confirm Wilson's request with the captain," he said, giving her a datapad. Chloe looked at it before sighing and pressing 'confirm'.

--

Meanwhile, Matt had settled down to more moping. "Stupid universe, first Kala now an entire planet. Way to go, Matt," he muttered to himself.

Morph was wandering by when he spotted Matt. "Aw, what's with the long face?" said Morph. "Have you been paying attention to the last few days? No, of course you haven't," said Matt. "Oh, I know how to make you smile," said Morph. He put his hands inside the sides of his head and pulled hard. His feet got sucked up his body and shortly afterwards was pulled out of his head. "Gotta keep your ears to the ground," said Morph.

Matt's expression confirmed that it was not helping. "Not in the mood, Morph. Go annoy Xephros," he said.

Morph put his feet back where they belong and said, "I tried, but he blew me off, literally." Matt glared angrily. "Go away before I turn dragon and blast you into orbit," he said. Morph thought for a second and said, "Ok Matt, I've got a secret to tell you. But it's really, really, really secret. Nobody else can be told of it. NOBODY! Not even that fancy doorknocker."

"Like it would be..." said Matt before glancing at the doorknocker, which was shaped like a dragon's head. It was looking down at them before it reassumed its proper position. "...Interested?" Matt began to say, "Did that doorknocker just move?" The doorknocker said, "No...it's, erm...your imagination."

Matt twitched. He said, "Well...you should know," before turning to Morph with one of his 'half a second from insanity' grins. "Well?" "Well, you remember when NegaMorph through me into that wormhole and I was sent tumbling through space and time?" asked Morph. Matt nodded. "Yes..." he said.

"Well, I occasionally fell out and ended up in different worlds. But then a malfunctioning portal or something would always throw me back in," said Morph. He paused and said, "Come to think of it, I think I saw a lot of alternative yous."

Matt glared and turned dragon, picking Morph up. "Get to the point," he hissed. "Well, at one point, I ended up in future Nullspace. I really can't tell you much about it. But I saw you and Kala, and I think I saw wedding rings on your fingers," said Morph. Matt seemed to perk up before squeezing, making Morph sound like a squeaky toy. "Talk," he said.

"Well, I only thought they were wedding rings," said Morph, "They had better have been because Kala's really let herself go, or you two were expecting the stork." "Talk or be..." began Matt before a large book materialized over his head and landed...all 2000 pages of it.

"Hey, it's the 'History and Why You Shouldn't Mess It Up' book," said Morph, "I wondered where it went. Oh look, here's a note on it: 'Spill any more and the next copy lands on you, Mr. B'." A 'PS' was included from someone called 'C' and said 'and it won't be the abridged version this time'.

Matt was gently gibbering. "But I don't owe any library books, mummy," he gibbered. "See Matt?" said Morph, "The future's not so bleak. Just keep your chin up and you'll win. Remember, you've got a wife and son waiting for you, unless it was actually a girl. I wasn't there for the ultrascan." A second later, a much larger book landed on Morph hard enough to go an inch into the ground. A post-it note said 'We warned you'.

Matt got up shakily. "Did someone get the license plate on that bookmobile?" he asked in a dazed voice. Morph's hand poked out from under the other book and gave a thumb's up. Matt sighed. "Ah well...least it's some hope," he said.

Then Matt flew off, noticeably with more spirit than before. With a great heave, Morph flipped the book off of him. "Ow," he said, "That almost busted my spine. Oh wait, I don't have a spine." Mr. Black appeared behind him. "Well, next time, take our warnings serious," said Mr. Black as Cydra appeared. "You shouldn't have told him about that," said Cydra.

"What? I was right?" said Morph. "It might not be now that- Wait, you didn't know?" said Mr. Black.

"Uh, I haven't actually been to future Nullspace," confessed Morph. "So, you're saying what you told Matt was a lie?" said Cydra. "More like a guess," said Morph, "How close was I?"

"Well...wait, we're not telling you," said Cydra before making 4 more books fall on Morph one after the other. "I...already...have...both...editions..." said Morph's muffled voice. Mr. Black said, "Was that necessary?" Cydra shrugged. "I wanted to see why Matt enjoys doing stuff like that, surprisingly good for stress."

--

Later that night, everyone was asleep, including Cynder. However, her dreams were very uneasy. It was an old nightmare...of her corruption, except this time the apes were replaced with Heartless. Anyone watching would have seen her open her eyes, the pupils practically invisible before opening a shadow portal. Malefor's face appeared, "I see...report, my general..."

Uh oh…looks like Malefors managed to get a mole into the good guys camp…and one of the gangs gone…tune in next time and please leave a review.