Well, I've been gone for too long and I guess I deserve a bit of a butt whooping because of that. Just want to let you know that school did keep me very busy and all I can do is apologize. To make up for it, I decided to work on Chapter 18 while I'm here at school (I doubt I have any upcoming classes until around 1). Enjoy and I own only my OCs except for Nada, who belongs to MonstarzGirl.

Hale's POV:

Waking up was a bit of a doozy. While clutching onto my forehead and moaning, I sought the strength to get up and look around for any damage that may have been done to the ship. I noticed smoke coming from the front end of the ship and hobbled over there. The rudder of the engine was fried. Great.

My vision cleared as I looked around for the others. Thankfully, everyone was still together and it seemed no one got hurt except for the ship. Nawt was the second one to come to as he shook his head to clear himself from his crash-landing stupor. Blinking his eyes a couple times, he glanced around his surroundings then spotted me. He smirked. "So I guess we all lived, huh?" He got up and dusted the dirt off himself.

I went over to him with a bewildered look, noticing the environment and how vast it is.

"So this is Moron Mountain?"

He nodded his head. "Yep, The one and only. Pretty pathetic, isn't it? This used to be our home before we were sent over to your planet."

I was shocked. This barren wasteland with hardly any sources of life, let alone fertile life, was originally their home? I shook my head at the poor condition of the planet.

'Now that we were here, we can finally resume our mission to find and save Kari, Elise, and Marie.'

"Hey! Hale! Nawt!" We both turned our heads to see Bugs and the other Tunes and Monstars now awake and trying to pry the tailgate of the ship open. Nodding at one another, we began to rush over to help our comrades in opening the large door.

I glanced carefully at the gate. "What's wrong with it?"

Bupkus took a deep breath then tried to pry it open again with the help of the others. "It's stuck! Something from inside must have jammed one of the hinges!" Nawt and I went on either end of the door and began helping to get it open.

It wouldn't budge.

'Rats!' I thought to myself, 'Our extra weapons and ammunition is still in there! We need them to get inside Swackhammer's fortress!'

Unfortunately, the only entry to the tailgate was the main tailgate door itself. There was no other bypass door.

'If only there was a way to get rid of whatever is keeping the door from opening. Wish there was someone who could go in there and help get this open..'

Third Person POV:

Meanwhile, inside of the trunk of the ship behind all of the ACME material, the girls who were hiding in the very back, were strewn about on top of one another from the crash. A certain blonde shook her head lightly before settling to the realization that the ship was finally set on firm ground.

"Hey gals! I think we made it!" Lexi squealed in surprise. Mika moaned while her head kept tilting from side to side. Maddie groaned and rubbed her lower back sorely. "'Bout damn time, too! I thought we were going to die! What the hell was Hale thinking?!"

Nada, who was making her way out of their little hiding spot, could hear the grunts and cries of the Tunes and Monstars from outside the tailgate door. "I think they're having trouble opening the door."

Lexi got on her two feet and climbed her way over to where Nada was over the dozens of boxes and carts full of ACME explosives and weapons. "So? Why can't they get it open? We're not gonna be stuck here, are we?" Panic started to rise in her voice. Mika and Maddie were now in tow, trying to glare into the somewhat dark space that they're in. Mika gently moved both Nada and Lexi aside, catching a glimpse of something near the edge of the left side of the door.

"Looks like a candle. Anyone got a light on 'em?" Nada and Lexi searched their pockets, but to no avail. They both shrugged in defeat. Maddie sat angrily down on the floor, scowling bitterly. "Great! Just fantastic! Now we're stuck here in the back on this ship with nothing but a dozen explosives and ammunition to keep us company!"

Lexi glanced down at her disapprovingly. "We can't just give up, Maddie! We have to keep trying. There's got to be a way out."

Nada nodded in agreement. "She's right! We have to! It's the only way we can save Kari and the other two from Swackhammer."

Maddie glared through the darkness at her two friends. "How can you be sure they're not dead already? For all we know, while we were playing Star Wars with the enemy ships, he didn't just go and brutally murder them!"

Nada tried to hold back a stifling sob. She hated this; Swackhammer, her friend being kidnapped along with an innocent toddler and another innocent bystander. She wished there was something that could be done immediately. Lexi noticed Nada's anxiety despite the darkness separating them and glared back at Maddie. "They're not dead. I'm sure of it. Now quit being such a bitch and help us find a way out! The sooner, the better. Whining and complaining about our current situation won't take us anywhere."

Mika ignored their little argument and tried to look closer at the door and noticed something is stuck in between the hinges. "Maddie. C'mere, would ya?"

Maddie held back a reluctant reply and instead complied to her friend's wish as she carefully crawled over to where she was. "What's up?", she said bitterly.

Mika pointed at the hinges. "There seems to be something stuck there in between those two hinges. That's why the guys can't pry the door open. I could get it out, but I need some light. Don't you have a lighter on you?"

Maddie widened her eyes a bit and started rummaging through her pockets. "Hold on, I think I have it on me… Let's hope I didn't leave it at home.."

It was Lexi's turn to scowl as she made a retort "The hell! You mean to tell me that you were sitting your arse down, bitching while all this time, YOU had a lighter on your person? Son of a-" Nada tried calming her down. "Now, now. Let's not get into another fight. Remember, we got to work together to get out of here. The guys can't do this alone."

Maddie grumbled, "The hell, they can't. They're sitting ducks without us! Ah-ha! Here it is!" She pulled out a lighter with a yin-yang symbol engraved on it. Mika glanced around for hopes of finding a candle. She smiled as she found something that looked like a candle at the corner of her eye. "Got a stick. Now light her up!"

Maddie opened the top and started to flick the wheel to light it. Nothing. "Oh, come on! Why won't it light?"

Mika looked over and now noticed that they were covered in something powdery. "Huh.. that's strange.. where'd this stuff come from?"

Nada quipped in curiosity. "What stuff?" Lexi noticed it too, despite not being able to see at all. She felt something soft but grainy on her skin. "Nada, check your skin."

"Huh? My skin?" Lexi nodded, her outline of her head barely made out to Nada. The obsidian haired girl ran her hand gingerly down her arm and felt that substance. "You're right! There's something on us. Maddie, wait! Don't try to-"

Maddie growled on frustration. "This piece of shit ain't workin'!" She threw down her lighter in an angry notion. "Why can't we just light this shit up?!" She pointed her finger at the candle Mika was holding and to hers and the other girl's surprise.. fire shot out from the tip of her finger.

"Aaaiiiee!" Maddie fell back in shock, not believing what she had just done. Mika gaped at her than at the candle. It was a bright light on the wax rope of the candle. Lexi and Nada couldn't believe their eyes as Lexi let out a breathless "Whoa."

Maddie shakily brought up her hand to her face and, as though she willed it, her five fingers lit up with flames at the tips. She dropped her hand and the flames disappeared. Mika snapped out of her own stupor and glanced at Maddie once more with a smile. "Well, you definitely lit that shit up!"

Looking back down at the item that was stuck in between the hinges, she grabbed a stick of dynamite that was in there and pulled it out. As she pulled it out, a loud rumble came onto the ship, causing Lexi and Nada to tumble over to where Maddie and Mika were. Losing balance, Mika was knocked back and by mistake, had the candle flying out of her hand and into a full carton of ACME fireworks and rockets.

The door of the tailgate was finally pried open, allowing the girls to be sent flying out of the back and into the arms of their Monstar counterparts.

"What the hell?" Bupkus cried out as his eyes boggled at the sight of Lexi in his arms. Bang dove down to the ground and caught Maddie with a cry. Pound grabbed hold of Mika with a surprised look. Blanko, who saw Nada tumbling last, caught her nimbly by the arm and held her bridal style. Hale, Nawt, and the rest of the Tunes looked at the girls with their eyes almost falling out of their sockets.

"What the hell are you girls doing here!?" Hale cried out in exasperation. Bugs gawked at the scenario that was in front of their eyes, but switched to a horrified expression when he glanced up. "Uh.. docs?!"

Everyone simultaneously looked up with their eyes widening. Hale screamed, "EVERYONE GET DOWN!"

All at once, everyone took cover as the ACME fireworks and explosive rockets shot out of the back of the ship like it was the Fourth of July, flying and whizzing in different directions. A big rocket went flying straight into the fortress wall, blowing a huge hole into it. All the other rockets flew about, hitting parts of the large domain and even destroying some of the lethal areas and some booby-traps. Once the noise settled down and it was safe to get up, the gang turned their heads over to the large entrance made by the biggest rocket. The girls turned to Maddie, causing the others to notice this notion and look at her as well. She flushed in embarrassment and chuckled lightly. "Well.. at least we can go in now, huh?"