Here's the next (and action-packed) chapter of "Nicktoons: The Final Countdown". Last time, they learned from Max where DarkEvil is hiding, and now they just need to get in.

Enjoy…

Chapter 12: Slice and Dice

An hour later, the Nicktoons began to walk out the front door of Fenton Works to begin their mission to go to Bikini Bottom, stop DarkEvil, retrieve Platform, and rescue Danny and SpongeBob. Jimmy had taken the longest to get ready out of all of them, but when questioned by his friends on why it took so long, Jimmy just insisted to drop it and that he would explain later. Jack, Maddie, and Sam bid the group good luck, but Max just stood next to them with an angry frown while SpongeBorg held his hand and waved to the Nicktoons with his other claw. Jimmy used his Recaller to make a green portal which he and the others walked through to reach their destination.

They arrived in Bikini Bottom and reached the Chum Bucket which was still across the street from the Krusty Krab. Both restaurants looked the same as they did four years ago.

"This place doesn't look like it's holding some large machine." Timmy noticed with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it is where Max said DarkEvil is holding Platform." Jimmy responded. "We won't know for sure unless we go inside."

Darry Phantom cracked his knuckles and narrowed his eyebrows in determination. "Let's crash this party." He said with a smirk.

The front doors suddenly broke open by Darry's kick as the ghost boy rushes in afterwards. "Alright, LaserPants, we have you outnumbered!" he shouted out. "So hand over Platform and let SpongeBob and my dad go!" but he opened his glowing blue eyes and noticed he was standing in an empty restaurant. "…Hello?"

The rest of the Nicktoons walk in and stand next to Darry. "You could've waited for us to join you, ya know." Tammy said in a dull tone.

"Yeah," Dani Phantom added in an annoyed tone. "And I don't think it's safe to just barge in."

Darry slumped over in disappointment. "Chillax. He's not in here anyway."

"He's probably somewhere in Plankton's lab." Timmy guessed.

Darry smirked again and rushed off again. "Dar, wait a minute!" Jimmy tried to call out to him.

But the ghost boy jumped in the air and kicked the second down open like he did the last one. "Alright, LaserPants," he shouted again as he rushed in. "We have you- AAH!" but he noticed the entire floor was gone and he slid down underground.

Jimmy heard his scream and rushed in. "Darry, what's- Aah!" but he slid down below like Darry.

The others rushed in, but unlike the last two, they carefully slid down below to see if Jimmy and Darry were alright.

Timmy pulled Jimmy up to his feet and glanced around. "What is this place? I don't remember it being in here."

"This can't really be the Chum Bucket, can it?" Dani asked.

"A better question would be 'where's Plankton?'" Jimmy thought out loud as he looked around and saw a long tunnel leading down the hall. "He has to be around here somewhere. And so is DarkEvil…everyone stay together."

They began to walk through the dimly lit hallway that seemed to almost be like a maze; with turns that led to dead-ends or other hallways that led into empty rooms. Jimmy led the way, but he didn't seem to have the slightest idea where he was going, and just seemed to be quietly winging it with the direction he was going in, hoping it would somehow lead to DarkEvil and Platform.

"Plankton really renovated the place, didn't he?" Timmy spoke up after a while.

"It's kinda strange though." SpongeTron replied in an uneasy tone. "The Chum Bucket back home isn't nearly as dim and depressing as this."

"Something's not right here." Darry said cautiously. "I get the feeling something's just lurking around here waiting for us."

Just then, Jimmy extended his arm to stop Darry and the others from going forward. "I think you might be right, Dar."

From ahead of the hallway, a strange figure walked toward them. When it stepped out of the darkness, it was revealed to be a short square-shaped figure with a black robe covering its body and a straw samurai hat covering its head and shadowing its face with glowing red eyes being the only thing visible. "So…" he spoke in a cold emotionless voice. "I found the intruders here."

Timmy glared and said, "You must be SpongeCog 8, right?"

"You are correct." The robot, SpongeCog 8, answered.

"How did you even know we were here?" Tammy asked.

"I heard you come in." SpongeCog 8 explained. "All I did was follow the sound of kicking and yelling from the door upstairs."

At this, Darry got an embarrassed chuckle as Dani, Tammy, Tommy, SpongeTron, and Timmy dagger at him.

"Let me make this easy for both of us." SpongeCog 8 spoke in the same tone. "Hand over the Target, and things will go a lot smoother than they have been lately."

"If you're talking about Max, he's not with us." Jimmy immediately responded. "So how about you make things easy by handing over Platform."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." SpongeCog 8 answered in the calmest tone possible. "You see, my master has his own…plans for a device like that. All he requires now is the code which only the Target possesses. If you won't relinquish the Target to us, then I'm afraid it will be an unfitting end for you humans. However, it will be…easier if that were to happen."

"You don't scare us, 8!" Darry yelled. "You'll never get Max and we will get Platform back!"

SpongeCog 8's glowing eyes narrow. "We'll see about that…once I dispose of you."

"Jimmy! Timmy! Dani! Get back!" Tammy shouted as she tried to get everyone to back away. "You've never fought someone like SpongeCog 8 before!"

Timmy then backed away and asked, "Compared to the doofus muscle bot and the disguise maniac one, how much dangerous can this one be?"

Suddenly, SpongeCog 8's legs began to stretch upward, making him much taller; and then, he undid his robe to reveal an extra pair of arms that each contained a long sharp katana which seemed to be used as his hands, prepared to strike his opponents.

Timmy stared dumbfounded by this. "Oh geez…"

SpongeCog 8 then swung his swords at rapid speed around his body as he launched himself at the Nicktoons. "Look out, everyone!" Jimmy warned as he and everyone jumped out of the way of the strike.

However, with this place being a hallway, there wasn't really anyplace to dodge and all seven were lucky not to get stabbed. Dani quickly jumped on top of Tammy and Tommy, and then turned them and herself intangible to avoid 8's attack.

SpongeTron turns his hands into iron shields that deflect the swords while Timmy holds his green hammer out to defend himself. Darry levitates in the air and quickly stretches his body into ghostly mist that one of the swords slashes right through, not harming him. Jimmy had taken out his beamsword and began trying as best as he could to deflect the swings from SpongeCog 8.

As SpongeCog 8 swung his swords he paused for a moment and spoke in his cold tone, "Still as worthy an opponent as ever I see." He stared at them through his hidden face. "But I will soon enjoy everything I am about to do to all of you."

He rapidly swung his swords again and charged at the Nicktoons. SpongeTron deflected three of the swords with his own beamsword while Tommy fired magical beams from his wand at SpongeCog 8 which he easily repelled with one of his swords.

Dani fired a large ecto-ball at SpongeCog 8 that knocked him back, but he quickly recovered and continued his onslaught on the Nicktoons. Timmy fired his star flinger and Darry fired ecto-beams from both his hands. But the robot deflected the blasts with two of his spinning swords.

Tammy wrapped her magical jumprope around one of the swords, but SpongeCog 8 suddenly lunged his sword toward her. Tammy gasped, unable to move, but Jimmy quickly grabbed a hold of her and pulled her out of the way.

"It's no use, guys!" Jimmy called to everyone as he held Tammy. "He's too much for us!"

Timmy was pushed into the wall by the heel of one of SpongeCog 8's sword that he was trying to block with his star-flinger. "Well, what else are we supposed to do?"

"Yes, what else?" SpongeCog 8 mockingly asked as he swung another sword at Darry, who blocked it with a blue shield. "It could've all been avoided if you'd have given to me the Target."

Suddenly, from above the ceiling, the air duct suddenly flew open and from out of it, jumped the mysterious figure in the blue robe that kicked SpongeCog 8 backwards away from the Nicktoons.

"What?" SpongeCog 8 questioned until he noticed the figure. "The Target?"

Everyone watched as the mysterious figure (who the Nicktoons already knew was Max and SpongeBorg together in disguise.) charged at SpongeCog 8. But the evil samurai rapidly swung two of his sword at him and cut his robe into shreds, leaving SpongeBorg to be revealed as his opponent.

SpongeBorg squealed in horror, but was suddenly stabbed by two of SpongeCog 8's swords and pinned against the wall. The Nicktoons gasp in horror at this, but mostly in fear for who was inside SpongeBorg. "NO!" Jimmy cried out.

SpongeCog 8 stood in front of the trapped SpongeBorg and coldly demanded, "I demand the Target."

"I see a target!" Darry's voice rang out as he flew toward him with his leg extended out. "Right on your face!" he kicked the robot away from SpongeBorg, letting him slide onto the ground.

"SpongeBorg!" SpongeTron cried out as he and Jimmy rushed over to him.

SpongeBorg seemed to moan as if he was in pain, but the robot quickly opened his head, reached inside, and pulled out Max, who seemed unharmed.

"SpongeBorg, are you okay?" Max asked in concern.

SpongeCog 8's eyes widen as he sees Max. "The Target!"

But Jimmy, SpongeTron, and Darry block the two from the evil robot with their weapons in hand.

SpongeCog 8 recovered from the ghost boy's earlier attack and aimed two of his swords at the three. "Very well," he said as he prepared to approach the three. "If this is how you want your lives to end…" The other Nicktoons were ready to back up their allies, but the robot aimed his two extra swords at them. "…I'll be content to comply."

He began to charge at the three Nicktoons, who stood their ground. But Max sat behind them, looking terrified by this and unleashed a loud scream, "AAAAAAAHHHH!" and all of a sudden, a strong force that churns the ground and heads forward in a straight line as if something was tunneling underneath at great speed. The shock wave was strong enough to knock Jimmy, Darry, and SpongeTron off their feet, and the shock wave soon blew away SpongeCog 8 down the hall, avoiding the others who quickly duck out of the way.

Jimmy, Darry, and SpongeTron begin to stand up on their feet while Max is staring horrified at what just happened.

SpongeCog 8 slowly stood up, using his swords as weight and looked toward the Nicktoons. "This isn't the end. Soon, the Target will be in our possession." He sliced a sword through a pipe hanging from the ceiling, releasing a lot of steam that covered him from view.

Timmy immediately rushed over to try and catch him, but once the steam cleared, the robot was gone and he growled in frustration while kicking the wall.

"Is everyone alright?" Dani asked.

"Other than being almost turned into sushi," Tommy answered cynically. "Yeah, I'm good."

Jimmy rushed over to Max, along with Tammy, and the genius places his hands on his shoulders. "Max, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Max causally answered as he stood up and dusted himself off. "I'm perfectly fine." But then, he suddenly winced and held his left arm.

Tammy carefully removed Max's hand and noticed a tear in his sleeve and a small graze in his skin from when one of SpongeCog 8's swords stabbed through SpongeBorg. "Oh no." Tammy gasped. "You're hurt."

"Don't worry about it." Max insisted as he backed away. "I said I'm fine."

But Tammy kept urging, "I'll have my dad give you some of Cosmo and Wanda's magic medicine."

"I SAID I'M FINE!" Max shouted loudly. "Now leave me alone!"

"Max, she's only trying to help!" Jimmy shouted angrily at him. "Besides, you shouldn't even be here anyway!"

"Yeah!" Darry intervened. "We told you not to come, and that you would be in danger if you did! And look what happened, you were nearly turned into 8's pincushion!"

They heard SpongeBorg beep, and they turn their heads to see SpongeTron using his torch-finger to weld SpongeBorg's damaged metal back together. "They're right." SpongeTron added. "You're lucky he missed you by an inch."

"By the way," Tommy began asking. "How did you do all that stuff before?"

Max's eyes widen. "What stuff?"

"You know, that stuff that defeated SpongeCog 8."

"That's right." Dani remembered. "You did that, didn't you?"

"Uh…no," Max answered nervously. "What would make you think that?"

"But it had to have been you." Darry insisted as he stood in front of Max. "It happened right when you yelled and you were right behind us when it happened."

Jimmy placed himself in front of his future son as well. "There IS something else you're not telling us, is there?"

Max glared and turned away from them. "No! And it's none of your business!"

Darry tried to reach out to him, "But Maxie, we just wanna-"

"I SAID NO!" Max yelled as he swung around. But as soon as he did, the same invisible force, knocked Jimmy and Darry both backwards and they slid across the ground.

"Guys!" Timmy shouted as he stopped to help them up.

Max gasped in horror as he covered his mouth, and then quickly ran away down the hall. "Max, wait!" Tammy shouted, but he refused to stop- even for the pleas of SpongeBorg.

Poof floated overhead as he looked toward the direction Max ran off. "Max…" and then flew down the hall.

"I told you that kid was no good." Timmy said. "He tried to hurt you guys."

"I'm still not certain of it, Timmy." Jimmy replied. "I don't think that was something Max voluntarily did."

SpongeBorg beeped sadly, but SpongeTron pat him on the back. "Don't worry. We'll find him. He can't have gone far."

"Still, we have to keep moving and find Platform." Dani suggested. "…before DarkEvil finds Max."

Jimmy nodded. "You're right. Let's go, Nicktoons."

Wanda looked around and asked, "Has anyone seen Poof?"

Leaving your protectors and running away in a dark hall where a villain lives is never a good thing, is it? Please review what you think and look out for the next chapter.