[A/N: As always Kingdom Hearts belongs to Disney and Square Enix. Thank you for the reviews and favorites.]
The ride from Radiant Garden to the new world lasted longer than Juliet had planned, but when they landed it looked like what they had landed on was a vessel moving through space. They had to walk along an outside race track for a few minutes before entering an empty room with a platform in the middle. Juliet looked around the room finding that it looked similar, but less blue then the rooms of Space Paranoids and the Grid.
"Do you know where we've landed?" Akio had never been outside the computer based worlds and was eager to find out where he was now.
Juliet pulled the map from her pocket and unfolded it. She began tracing the route they'd taken from Radiant Garden and came to a dot labeled Deep Space. "It looks like we landed in Deep Space….whatever that means."
Akio looked around the empty room before walking over to a window. "Sure does look like we're deep in space. Is that really what the world is called?" As he continued to stare out the window he saw something large drift past the window. "What was that?"
Walking over to the window Juliet looked out, but saw nothing. "What's what?"
"Nothing….don't let it bother you."
As they entered a pale blue hallway the pair could hear something coming down the opposite side of the hall and ducked back into the doorway. Juliet peeked out just in time to see a strange looking little blue critter with four arms, two legs, and a pair of antenna wearing a red jumpsuit scurrying down the hallway. Wonder what that is. She took a step out of the doorway, but ended tripping a large purple and grey chubby and four eyed creature who wore what looked like a prison jump suit. "Oh, sorry about that."
"Oh you clumsy…." The creature got up from the floor and looked back at Juliet his previously angry expression changing to one of pleasure. "Oh, you weren't who I thought you were. My apologizes young lady." He did an awkward sort of bow which made Juliet snicker into her hand.
"That's all right Mr…."
"Dr. Jumba Jookiba at your service." He put emphasis on the doctor title.
"What was that thing that just ran past?" Juliet could still hear the critter making strange squeaking noises as it continued to run down the hall.
Jumba looked a little embarrassed at the thought of whatever the creature was. "Ah well that is…well you see that's an experiment of mine."
"What do you mean by experiment?" Akio by now had ventured out of the doorway and was standing beside Juliet. "Did you creature that weird little blue thing?"
Jumba's embarrassment faded to pride at this. "Yes, I created him. That was experiment 626 and if you don't mind I need to go catch him before somebody else does." With that he began to waddle down the hall.
Juliet began to walk after Jumba finding it easy to keep up with his short, but hurried strides. "We could help you if you need help." She saw Jumba stop and look back at her with a hopeful look on his face.
"Oh, would you? That would be most helpful." The scientist sat down on the floor heaving; his face covered in a thin film of sweat. "Just to warn you watch out for Captain Gantu."
Akio stopped while Juliet continued to walk out of the passage way. "Who's Captain Gantu? Why should we watch out for him?"
"Captain Gantu has it out for me. If he finds out that two are helping me he'll do anything in his power to get you in trouble." Jumba dabbed at his brow with a handkerchief. "Just find experiment 626 and you'll be fine."
Akio had to run to watch up with Juliet who by now had reached the next hallway. "Juliet, you might want to slow down. He was trying to warn us about-"
"About Captain Gantu I heard all about that." Juliet could hear the scampering coming from further ahead of them and began to walk quicker. "Come on I think I can hear experiment 626 up ahead." She readied her Keyblade just in case when a large shaggy black dog sprung up at them. "Don't tell me wraiths are in this world too." Juliet swung her Keyblade down and struck the anger dog on the snout sending it whimpering down the hall.
The anger dog began running down the hall towards where experiment 626 was and entered a large room, but was elevated on a platform. The dog went to jump off the ledge when a laser came out of nowhere and shot it down.
Juliet got down on her knees and peeked over the lip of the ledge to see a large shark looking creature holding what looked like a gun. "Do you think that's Captain Gantu?"
Akio also got down laid beside Juliet. "I don't know. Looks like it could be, but that Dr. Jumba didn't tell us what he looked like."
Squirming forward Juliet waved down at Gantu much to Akio's shock. "Maybe if we can get his attention we can find out if he knows where experiment 626 went." She felt Akio pull her arm down and attempted to free herself from his grip. "What are you doing?"
"I could ask you the same question. Dr. Jumba told us to steer clear of Gantu." He sighed heavily as he saw Gantu begin to walk closer to the ledge. "See what you did? If we get caught it will be your fault."
Juliet scowled at Akio. "No one said you had to come with me. Remember it was you who wanted to come with me. You could have just stayed in the Grid."
This got Akio quiet, but he still looked irritated with her. "Fine, you want to go ahead and maybe get us killed then fine you do that."
She continued to scowl at him, but propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at Gantu. "Excuse me, are you Captain Gantu?" Instead of getting a verbal answer the both of them were shot at. "I think that's a yes. Just to be safe." She went forward again and waved back down at Gantu. "Can I assume that that shot means 'yes' that you are Captain Gantu?"
"I am Captain Gantu and you are intruders. Come down so that I can take you to the Grand Council Woman."
Juliet looked over at Akio and shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to go see this Grand Council Woman would it?"
"I wouldn't." Akio pointed down at Gantu. "I get the feeling he's one of those guys who will get rid of us as soon as we go down there."
"Fine, fine we won't go down there, but how do we tell him that we don't want to go down there?" She saw Akio raise an eyebrow. "Where's that weapon you were using earlier?"
"That's right I almost forgot about it." Juliet summoned her Keyblade and aimed it at Gantu. "I don't think I want to risk going down there and fighting him up close. He looks a little too big for me to handle. I guess I'll use magic and stay up here." She pointed the Keyblade out so that it was hanging over the edge of the of the ledge and shot out a fire spell.
Gantu, not expecting the magic based attack had to jump out of the way. "What do you think you're doing? Come down from there!"
Instead of complying with Gantu and coming down Juliet shot another fire spell down at Gantu who once again jumped out of the way. "Why doesn't he stand still?" She glared over at Akio who looked like he was going to say something. "I know the answer already you don't need to tell me."
After dodging the spell Gantu shot another laser up at Juliet and Akio just barely missing them. "I'm going to give you one more chance to come down."
Once again Juliet shot another spell at Gantu this time she just barely missed his hand. "I think I can hit him next time."
Gantu shot at the pair again once again just barely missing the top of Juliet's head.
This time Juliet crawled a bit more forward so that her upper body was hanging off the ledge. "Akio, if I start to fall grab me." She felt Akio grab onto her waist as she aimed the Keyblade at the hand that was holding the blaster. "I think I can hit him from this far away." She shot a blizzard spell this time.
Gantu let out a yell and dropped his blaster.
Juliet felt Akio pull her back onto the ledge just as experiment 626 jumped onto the ledge and ran past them back into the halls. Quickly, the two of them got up and darted back into the halls leaving Gantu on the lower level to nurse his wounded hand.
They ran back into the halls in hot pursuit of experiment 626 running past Dr. Jumba who was still sitting in the hall and ended up entering another room that was made up of several high platforms.
Experiment 626 found himself backed up against a wall and he snarled at Juliet and Akio.
Juliet took a step forward which only prompted further snarling from experiment 626. "Its ok…we're not going to hurt you." When Juliet took another step forward something came crashing down from the ceiling.
The creature that came down from the ceiling had a body gelatinous like the Virus, but was bigger and had a light layer of armor on its body. It slid across the floor towards Juliet, Akio, and experiment 626 rising its vaguely humanoid looking arms.
The comet slime wraith was a rather hideous looking creature that looked human in shape, but was completely covered in a thick yellowish slime. It lunged forward towards experiment 626 with one of its damp looking arms, but it was buffed back by Juliet's Keyblade. It turned its blank face towards Juliet and let out a deep yowling sound and lashed out one of its arms hitting her in the chest.
Akio jumped forward and threw his disk at comet slime hitting it where its jaw would be. "Stay away from her you….thing."
Comet slime took a slimy step towards Akio and swung one of its arms out again. Instead of attacking Akio it went after Juliet again and knocked her off her feet.
For some reason Akio felt himself getting angry with the wraith and threw his disk at it hitting it in the face this time.
This time the wraith turned its attention to Akio and lashed out with one of its arms. It almost knocked Akio off his feet, but it was hit in the torso.
Juliet struggled to her feet after getting the wind knocked out of her. "Don't worry about this Akio I can handle it." She took a swing at comet slime, but missed and was knocked in the stomach by its other arm. Juliet fell backwards again landing hard on her back.
Akio got in front of her brandishing his disk at the wraith and was about to throw it when a laser from a blaster came out from behind him.
Experiment 626 came running up behind Akio and Juliet brandishing a blaster at comet slime and hit comet slime several times in various body parts.
Following experiment 626's lead Akio threw his disk again this time hitting comet slime in the neck and decapitating it.
Comet slime shuddered violently before collapsing in a pile of mush.
Juliet got up holding her stomach and walked over to Akio as she looked down at comet slime. "Good job Akio didn't think you had it in you." She turned to experiment 626 who was still holding the blaster. "Maybe we shouldn't tell Dr. Jumba where we found him. Why don't you run along?"
Experiment 626 looked up curiously at Juliet before tossing the blaster aside and scurrying up the walls of the room; disappearing through a doorway at the top of the room.
Juliet and Akio made their way back through the hallways of Deep Space and very quietly went past Dr. Jumba who was still sitting in the hall.
As they made their way towards the exit Juliet turned to Akio with a little smile. "Thanks for saving my skin back there. I think if you hadn't been there I probably wouldn't have been able to get out."
Akio's cheeks tinged a light pink. "Oh, it was nothing. I just didn't think it would be right to leave you in that situation so I did what I thought needed to be done."
Juliet clapped Akio on the back and summoned her glider. "Well I think our work here is done."