Chapter 44

Carlos opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness with endless lights resembling stars. 'Where am I?'

He was floating in a dark void that actually resembled space.

"What happened?" Carlos wondered.

'You reacted too quickly and Nebula swallowed you up with one of his portals. If I were to guess I'd say we're in a pocket dimension created by Nebula's personal Method: Field of the Stars.' Warhawk answered.

"Crud." Carlos straightened himself to get a better look around. "He suckered me. I hate it when people sucker me."

'Calm down. The battle is far from over.' Warhawk stated.

"You bet it's far from over." Carlos looked around. "Nebula's smart but he doesn't have a lot bite to back up his bark."

'Nebula is more adept at strategy than combat but he is no less dangerous. We must be highly cautious for we are now fighting on his turf.' Warhawk cautioned.

Carlos grinned. "Like that will make a difference."

Xxx

Nebula listened to the conversation between Carlos and Warhawk. "I have successfully contained the Avatar of Warhawk. This will simplify our plans but if I can kill him I will rise to the status for killing an Avatar of the Flaming King of the Inferno. He's cut off from the mortal world, it will be easy to fight him here in my world."

Xxx

"Carlos come in. Can you hear me?" Gwen said to the glowing symbol in front of her. "Carlos, Warhawk, are you there?"

"It's no good, Gwen. They are completely cut off from us." Dawn said sadly as the symbol vanished. "Carlos must be in a pocket dimension, somewhere outside our world."

"So how do we find him?" Gwen turned around. "We can't leave him to fight Nebula on his own. We need him to stop the Marauder."

"If Nebula has trapped Carlos in a pocket dimension, it means he must have a personal Method for doing so. It would explain why he has been able to evade capture by other Avatars." Andromeda surmised.

"A personal pocket dimension." Sir Lancelot mused from Elliot's earring. "It would explain much and it fits Nebula's MO."

"So what do we do?" Elliot asked.

"We need an Avatar whose skilled in Methods, able to figure out how to disrupt almost any kind of Method-KURT!" Gwen smacked herself. "Of course! Where is he?! He was just here on the beach and now he's gone!"

"He had to leave to investigate every place you've been at over the last week. He probably knows what's going on by now." Tommy answered. "And just when we need him the most, he's off like the wind to some far away-" Tommy stopped upon seeing the girls staring at him. "Oh right, I forgot I don't have to monologue anymore."

"Anyways, Kurt's the only one who has extensive knowledge on Methods that can creator pocket dimensions. He created more than one in the back of his game shop that he used for training when he was still teaching me." Gwen pulled out her cell phone. "He even came up with a way for cell phones to contact call anyone with a phone he's modified, even if they're in another dimension."

"Who are you calling?" Elliot asked.

"The guy who is in another dimension."

Xxx

Carlos grunted as he felt his cell phone rang, causing him to turn back into his human form.

He pulled it out and pressed the 'answer' button. "If this is another machine asking me if I am happy with my current services or Kurt demanding I pay my rent, than you have my permission to go suck your own-"

"CARLOS!"

"Oh…." Carlos chuckled sheepishly. "Hi Gwen. You're not going say what I almost said to Kurt will you? Cause he if finds out what I said he'll think up cruel and unusual ways to make my life miserable and trust me he knows how."

"Will you just tell me where you are?" Gwen asked impatiently.

"Well, the place I'm in sort of looks like the Zero-G dimension Kurt put Jimmy in to sleep in when he tried staying over at Kurt's shop that one time, except it stinks." Carlos said, looking around the empty dimension. "And not to mention Nebula got all the stars wrong. Seriously, how hard is it to memorize the constellations?"

"Focus Carlos!"

"Right, right, right! Getting out of this dimension." Carlos quickly got back on track. "Have you called Kurt yet?"

"I have no idea where he is. He was just on the island and then he's gone. How does a slacker like him move from one spot to another so fast?"

"He probably made a portal." Carlos chuckled.

"…You're right. He's such a lazy ass."

"Hey! Watch your language young lady!" Carlos snapped. "I will not have that kind of language spoken through my cell phone!"

"Carlos, I'm nineteen years old, I can use a little swearing."

"I'm going to speak to Kurt and Andromeda and have them wash that mouth of yours out because there is no call for that." Carlos continued, not hearing what Gwen had said. "The fact that you feel so comfy speaking like that tells me Kurt's let you get away with that."

"Carlos."

"I mean is it so hard to teach a little girl nice manners? Just because you're training to be an avatar does not mean you forget to teach her nice manners, or math, or the facts of life. What is this world coming to?"

"Carlos!"

"We are civilized people trying to protect a civilized race, well two civilized races if you want to get technical, from a bunch of evil demons and rogue spirits out to ruin a nice little day of enjoying the little thing we call life. When did things get so wrong? When did things like manners go the way of the of the dodo? When did-"

"CARLOS!"

"Oh relax Gwen I'm just messing with you…which you make way too easy by the way." Carlos shook his head. "But anyways, to business: getting me the flippity heck out of here."

"Did you just say 'flippity'?"

"I couldn't say fu-" Carlos paused. "…almost got me there. But anyways, escape plans. Anybody have ideas over there or will I have to get out of this the way I always get out?"

"And what's that?" Gwen asked.

"The way Warhawk always does when someone annoys him…Burning everything around him." Carlos said as his eyes flashed red.

"O-kay." Gwen replied hesitantly.

"Don't worry, Gwen. I am a professional." Carlos said before he hung up and started to transform again. "Now where was I? Oh right!"

With a roar Carlos released a shockwave of flames that shot out in all directions with the fire hot enough that it actually ionized the air, turning into a plasma shockwave that would have instantly incinerated a human if they had been touched.

"You can't hide forever Nebula! I'll find and then I'll roast you alive!" Carlos shouted.

Xxx

Despite Carlos's attempts to fight his way out Nebula was not in his pocket dimension where he would have very likely been vulnerable to Carlos's attack. Instead he was hiding in the ocean surrounding Hawaii, watching Carlos as he transformed.

"I may not have to hide Carlos. I can simply wait for you to burn yourself out and leave you vulnerable. I'd bring you out here to drown you but not even the frozen waters of the arctic are enough to cool Warhawk's flames." Nebula mused, a grin form on its snake like face. "But I'll let you burn up my entire pocket dimension until your nothing but a lone candle."

Xxx

"So Carlos is going to burn his way out of the dimension but we need a back up plane." Gwen said as she put her cell phone away.

'I'm afraid our options are limited Gwen. Only a truly experience Avatar can utilize the sensitive methods to disrupt a pocket dimension method.' Andromeda stated.

"Perhaps we do not need to truly disrupt the method." Dawn offered with a smile. "Perhaps all we need is to disrupt Nebula's connection to the dimension."

"Huh?"

"Nebula controls the pocket dimension because it is connected to his own essence. Disrupt it and the dimension will collapse." Dawn explained.

"How do we do that?" Elliot asked.

"By connecting with a spirit in that pocket dimension…Or its avatar."

Xxx

The dimension lit up like a supernova as Carlos let out another war. "COME OUT AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!"

'Carlos! Calm yourself and search for him!' Warhawk scolded harshly.

"LIKE WE CAN ACTUALLY SENSE HIM!" Carlos's demon voice retorted. "I HATE THESE POCKET DIMENSION METHODS!"

A sudden ring tone brought Carlos back into his human form and he quickly answered. "What?!"

"Carlos, we're getting you out. Shut up and be prepared for a Method." Gwen quickly said.

Xxx

"Do it, Dawn." Gwen said, holding up the phone in front of Dawn who was seated in a meditative position.

Dawn closed her eyes as Luna's spectral form came out of the bracelet and slowly engulfed the body of her avatar. "Search for that that cannot be found with eyes. Help us see what remains hidden from the vision of mortals. Bring out that which hides in darkness and into the light!"

Dawn opened her eyes that now glowed with a pure light as Luna's spectral form shot into Gwen's cell phone.

Xxx

Carlos raised an eyebrow as a bright light shot out of cell phone and illuminate the dark pocket dimension. "Well what do you know? A pocket dimension disruption method? Either Kurt went all out on training these girls or they have been practicing."

In the distance Carlos could sear something screaming. "NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"That's my cue!" Carlos grinned as Warhawk's flames covered him, changing him back into his demon form. "LET'S ROCK!"

The entire pocket dimension exploded in what could be described as a Second Big Bang.

Xxx

Gwen, Dawn, and Elliot looked up to see the volcano erupt again, a pillar of fire shooting out into the sky as something roared from within the flames.

"You think Carlos is out?" Elliot asked.

"I'M BACK BABY!"

"Yep." Gwen answered.

Xxx

At the top of the volcano the flames dispersed as Carlos stepped out, changing back into his human form and stared at the beaten and burned form of Nebula who groaned while lying at the edge of the cliff. "Not so confident now huh, Stalker in the Stars?"

"D-Damn you…Carlos…" Nebula groaned as he looked up at Carlos.

"The way I burn that might be too late. Now I have questions…" Carlos leaned forward.

Xxx

RING-RING-RING!

"Now what?" Gwen pulled her phone and answered it. "What?!"

"Is that any way to greet your friend and teacher?" Kurt's teasing voice asked.

"Kurt, where the hell are you?" Gwen growled.

"Hey, language young lady! I will not have any student of mine shooting curses through my cell phone! I am going to talk to Carlos about his habit of being a bad influence on you!"

"KURT!"

"Okay, calm down Gwen." Kurt weakly chuckled.

"Where are you?"

"London."

"What?"

Xxx

Kurt was relaxing on a canoe going down the Louvre while speaking to Gwen with his cell phone. "I said, London."

"Why are you in London?"

"Trying to cancel the Red Marauder's Method." Kurt smirked. "What else?"

"Huh?"

"I took off to one of the locations you were at and I found one of the points that the Marauder is using to connect with the Sea of Absolution. Now I'm working on disrupting it."

"Oh…"

Kurt chuckled. "Thought I was slacking off again didn't you?"

"…No?"

Kurt simple laughed.

Xxx

"Well, that's something he's never going to let me live down for the rest of my life." Gwen said after hanging up.

"Don't worry. He'll only use it on special occasions." Dawn offered to comfort Gwen.

Whatever Gwen was about to say was cut off by another blast of fire from the top of the volcano.

"What was that?" Elliot asked.

"Probably Carlos using his…" Gwen's eyes widened. "Oh crap! Zeke!"

In all the excitement Gwen had forgotten that Ezekiel had been Nebula's Avatar the entire season and Nebula had possessed him.

"Carlos wouldn't-" Elliot stopped as she watched Gwen rush back up the mountain. "Hey Gwen! Wait a second!"

"Too late." Dawn closed her eyes serenely. "She's always on the move."

Xxx

Gwen wasn't sure what to expect when she reached the top of the mountain but she released a sigh of relief when she saw Ezekiel was fine. The prairie boy was lying on the ground while Carlos held a single flame in the palm of his hand.

"Carlos?" Gwen hesitantly asked.

Carlos looked at her and smiled. "Hey Gwen. Just finished talking to Nebula."

"That fire…" Gwen looked at the flame erupting from Carlos's hand.

"What's left of Nebula being burned away." Carlos answered.

That caused Gwen to gasp and in a moment of shock and anger she smacked Carlos in the face. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

Carlos took a second to register the fact that Gwen actually slapped him. "What was that for?"

"Nebula still had an Avatar! You just killed Ezekiel!" Gwen shouted angrily, pointing at the flames. "How could you?!"

Carlos sighed. "Gwen, calm down. I'm crazy but I'm not crazy enough to kill a human."

"So where is he?" Gwen asked, still glaring at Avatar of the Warhawk.

"Here." Carlos snapped his fingers and an orb of red light appeared in his hand. "The flames of Warhawk burn the guilty and evil of those they touch. Zeke was just contained in this, a Method Kurt came up with to minimize casualties."

Gwen stared at the orb. "And Zeke's in it."

"The Method works in tandem with Warhawk's flames, creating a pocket dimension to hide innocents who have become puppets or avatars of spirits like Nebula." Carlos explained, smirking. "You owe me a Klondike bar for that slap, Gwenny."

Gwen sighed, too tired to be annoyed. "Sorry about that…It's been a long day."

"And it's about to get longer." Carlos as he pointed down the volcano. "We still have a job to do."

Gwen followed the direction of his finger. "…You're joking right?"

Carlos's smirk widened. "Do I look I'm joking?"

Gwen didn't even dignify that with a response as she pulled out her cellphone and speed dialed Kurt.

"Gwenny! Has the battle been won?"

"Nebula's dead." Gwen answered simply.

"Excellent! I always knew you had it in you…Unless Carlos did it with his signature burning. Tell him he still owes me for the shop he blew up."

"He blew up your shop?" Gwen asked, looking at Carlos who chuckled nervously.

"Blew up? Blew up?! He went total nuclear meltdown on me simply because dry cleaners mishandled his clothes!" Gwen had to pull the phone away from her ears from the sound of Kurt's angry voice, surprised at how angry he sounded since Kurt was usually mellow about most of the things that happened in the life if a Spirit Avatar.

"He sounds like he's still mad about that." Carlos snickered. "In my defense I was still mastering Warhawk's powers when it happened."

"CARLOS! YOU OWE ME A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS YOU MORON!"

Carlos shook his head. "He should have his shop insured. The job of a Spirit Avatar is one filled with occupational hazards."

"Will you two focus?" Gwen cut in irritably. "Kurt, Carlos wants to jump into the volcano to find the Red Marauder."

"…Sounds like a plan."

Carlos chuckled while Gwen sputtered. "Th-that's a plan?! That's suicide!"

"Not if the volcano leads directly down to the Sea of Absolution."

"What?"

That was when Andromeda manifested herself. "I understand…The volcano is likely aligned with seals and arrays that lead down to the Sea of Absolution."

"Created and set up at focal points around the planet to get the necessary energy to open a portal that leads to the Sea." Kurt continued.

"And that is how the Marauder slipped past the barrier keeping the Sea safe." Carlos finished, looking down the volcano. "And this is where it ends."

"Carlos wait a sec-" Gwen started but Carlos ignored her as he tossed her his cell phone and jumped down into the volcano. "CARLOS!"

A second later Carlos vanished, looking like he had fallen into the lava.

"At this point I don't believe even lava would kill." Gwen sighed.

Kurt chuckled over the phone. "Yeah, for an idiot he's annoyingly hard to kill."

"So now what?" Gwen asked.

"Follow him. He's going to need back-up."

Gwen sighed but nodded. "Kurt, these days I have no idea what I'm going to do with the both of you, you know that right?"

"You know you love us." Kurt replied, letting out a laugh.

Gwen smirked. "Like an annoying bug I can't squash. Look after Dawn and Elliot for me."

"Those two will be fine. Be careful, Gwen. The Red Marauder is a spirit that's evaded capture for centuries. He will be a dangerous opponent."

"Good thing I got a dangerous friend helping me." Gwen took a deep breath…

And jumped over the edge and fell into the volcano.