Far away, in the land called Overworld, Ellie Sattler and her dragon grandmother walked out of a movie theatre, both wearing 3D glasses. They snuck past clumps of people, who didn't appear to notice them. The reason for this strange phenomenon was made clear by the way they wove through the crowd. They touched no one, for to do so would most likely arouse suspicion, as they were invisible to everyone else in the building. Once outside (and far away from the wandering moviegoers), Ellie leaned against a decorative pillar and sipped her drink.

"So. What did you think?"

Slowly, a grin spread across the dragon's face.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" she declared. Ellie laughed.

"I'm glad you think so, Elkay."

The dragon frowned.

"Why did you use my name?"

"Because I need it for the narration. It's expository."

The dragon twisted her beak.

"Ah. Didn't you say it before?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Maybe. I don't remember."

Elkay hummed in disapproval.

"Well, you ought to write these things down . . . Erm, what I mean is, you should take better notes. It's dangerous to let crucial information slip, as you learned during your . . . episode."

Ellie frowned.

"Thank you for bringing that up."

"You're in denial."

"It's not denial!"

"Denial of denial is the first sign of denial."

Ellie rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Look, I have everything under control."

"That's a dangerous word to use . . ." the dragon said ominously.

Ellie put her hands on her hips and curled her wings.

"Can you lighten up a little? I'm doing my best to meet your standards. I've even improved upon your grammar. Or rather, I've made a point of going against the stupid rules you made for yourself, which were inaccurate, by the way. In any case, I'm not trying to fumble through this like an idiot. I'm working hard, you know . . ."

Elkay smiled.

"I know. Thanks for maintaining the integrity of our saga. You did a good job. Both you and Zebil. By the way, the stegoceratops-"

"In the movie? Yeah, Wu's been doing some crazy shit."

Elkay tented her fingers.

"I see. Did he ever go through with his plans of hybridization?"

Ellie nodded.

"He's been secretly sending his tests to the Cholana Kangtoap Serei Cheat Kampuchea in an effort to militarize genetics under the table."

"Holy shit!"

"He thought he was sending non-viable embryos, but the Cambodian government found a way to grow the stegoceratops fetuses in top-secret laboratories. Some of the experiments didn't make it, but others thrived. The scientists' ploy was quickly discovered by the UN, however, and they had to cover their tracks by sending the stegoceratopses back in time using a Receditur Device. The experiments ended up in ancient times, where they lived peacefully with humans until the Great Separation of 1482, but that's a different story."

Elkay's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit, Ellie! Why is this the first time I'm hearing any of this?"

Ellie shrugged.

"I had to set up the backstory. My plot was in the Beta Stage for a very long time, so I couldn't allow myself to make any leaps in logic."

"Like how they managed to keep all of this a secret, for example?" Elkay asked sardonically. Ellie smiled.

"Well, I may have intervened once or twice to create convenient situations, but other than that, we're all good."

Elkay sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Ellie, don't get carried away."

"Look who's calling the kettle black . . ."

Elkay hummed in agitation.

"I'm not saying that this is a problem yet, but I do need to know a few details for security reasons. First, how many memories did you wipe?"

Ellie shrugged.

"Does it really matter? I made sure that there would be no risk of discovery-"

"That's not the point, Ellie!" Elkay stressed, "Amnesia is, like, the laziest plot device ever! We've already had to erase Claire and Owen's memory on several occasions, and there's only so many times we can use our mind-bending powers to serve the plot without being called talentless hacks!"

Ellie pursed her lips.

"And here I thought you were going to say that we have to be responsible because of morality . . ."

Elkay frowned.

"Don't get sassy with me, young lady. Remember, this is a continuation of my legacy. If I say 'no more forced amnesia', I expect everyone's memories to be intact."

Ellie threw out her empty cup and sat down on the sidewalk.

"Bit late for that. I've already wiped every brain that I had to, and I don't plan to go any further on that account. I'm well aware that it's a cheap way out, but I see no alternative. You remember what Henry Wu got up to in my dimension without moral guidance. We can't let that happen again. Not right now, anyway. Our primary focus is June, and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to make her well."

Elkay nodded.

"Are you sure it can be done?"

"Absolutely."

Elkay narrowed her eyes.

"You've been using that word a lot lately. Is that your new thing?"

Ellie shook her head.

"No. I'm just confident, that's all."

Before Elkay could reply, Ellie held up her finger to preemptively silence the dragon.

"Before you say anything about Chaos Theory or how I'm too wrapped up in my narration, I'll remind you that on the inside, I'm scared shitless. I'm fully aware that this situation is dangerous, and I expect to face many challenges, especially from Julia Spurr. Having known her for a long time before you decided to concern yourself with my story, I can safely say that she is a deadly opponent. If she's Asterparan, we have all the more reason to fear her. That's why I've made certain leaps in logic to ensure that if something goes wrong, I will always have a backup. As a point of fact, I've set up several plot holes that, if activated, will be our fail-safe. You're no stranger to the Deus Ex Machina, and while I don't want it to come to that, we may be left with no choice if things get really ugly. Just understand that I've planned this out so that we're somewhat ready. I may not be perfect, but I've made damn well sure that we always have a way out."

Elkay clapped slowly.

"Wow. I've heard less pandering in presidential speeches."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm just trying to say that we'll be fine. Fine-ish. It depends on how bad this adventure gets. It might be challenging. For me. Since I'm new to this. And afraid."

Elkay smiled warmly.

"Well, considering you rescued me from a hellish pit of death and despair, I think we can trust in your godly competence."

Ellie sighed.

"I hope so. I just worry that something worse is coming. It seems to me that every time I think I've faced my biggest challenge, something new rears its ugly head."

Elkay's ear twitched.

"Yeah, but I'm probably to blame for that. I always made sure that the story got bigger and bigger as time went on. Well . . . up until I went crazy."

"Even then, you had space-pirates."

"Yeah, but that was stupid. That was really stupid. God, what was I thinking?"

"You weren't thinking. You kind of jumped the shark."

Elkay nodded.

"Speaking of sharks, where's Zebil?"

Ellie blinked.

"That seems like an odd dot to connect . . ."

Elkay rolled her eyes, chuckling quietly.

"Sharks are famous ocean predators. Tigers are famous land predators. And they're both blue."

"Sharks are gray."

"Not blue sharks."

"Great white sharks are gray."

"Which really makes no sense, when you think about it."

Ellie frowned.

"Wait. Why didn't you make the connection by thinking about tiger sharks? That would have been the most logical thought process, relatively speaking."

Elkay chuckled lightly.

"Oh, Ellie. My mind is a mysterious and wonderful thing. You never know what I'll come up with next. Speaking of segues, how's the story coming along?"

Ellie flipped through her notebook.

"Fine. We've reached the initial incident. Claire Dearing is a stegoceratops. See?"

She held up the page for the dragon to see. After scanning a couple of lines, Elkay raised her eyebrows.

"Cool. What's next?"

"They're going to fly to Cambodia."

"How?"

"I'm helping them."

Before Elkay could warn Ellie about her explicit intervention, a rather large blue tiger bounded up to them merrily.

"I'm back!" he whooped.

"From where?" Elkay asked.

"Still as attentive as ever, I see," Ellie quipped.

"Oh, hush! He didn't know when I was in the Beneath," the dragon retorted.

"Quiet, both of you!" Zebil huffed, "I have news. Julia Spurr is tracking Claire Dearing."

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"You don't have to use their full names, you know. I already addressed that in my narration."

"I know! I've been reading," Zebil replied testily, "But your auto-narration for the events outside of your control indicates that Spurr is somehow planning to use Claire to her advantage."

Ellie nodded.

"So I gathered. I vote that we investigate."

Zebil flicked his stub of a tail.

"I can scout out her fortress in Madrid. I may even be able to stop her. Maybe. If I judge the situation to be too dangerous, we'll have to meet up and fight together. Elkay, do you still have your armor from the Asterparan wars?"

Elkay rubbed her chin.

"I think so. Last time I checked, it was in my hoard."

"Your hoard? . . ." Ellie echoed.

"Yeah, you know, like a hoard of gold, only my hoard mostly consists of odd bits of merchandise that I've collected over the years."

Ellie hummed.

"I guess we'd better take a look, then. Zebil, be careful if you're going to scout out the premises. I get the feeling that Spurr knows more than she lets on."

Zebil nodded.

"I'm pretty sure she's aware that she's being narrated for. Whenever she brings up her master plan, she's deliberately vague about it. Still, it can't hurt to read her segments, in case she accidentally reveals crucial details."

"What do we know so far?" Elkay asked.

"She wants to contact June, presumably to interfere with my reformation plan," Ellie declared, "And speaking of which, I know I promised we could go to Costa Rica, but it looks like we'll have to bite the bullet and go straight to Cambodia. By the time we're done locating your armor, Claire and Owen will have arrived."

"What about Barry?" Elkay asked.

"I see no problem with leaving him behind," Ellie said dismissively, "There's no way he can catch up with them, and besides, he won't contribute much to the story as I've planned it."

Elkay held up her claw.

"Ah-ah-ah! What did we say about overconfidence? . . ."

Ellie rolled her eyes.

"You don't have to hammer it in."

Zebil stepped between them.

"So, do we want to send me in as a spy, or . . ."

"Actually . . . No. Just stay with us for now," Ellie replied, "Until we analyze the situation, I don't want to put you in a potentially dangerous locale. There's safety in numbers, you know."

"Yeah!" Elkay yapped brightly, pushing Ellie to the side, "Plus, I kind of need you to help me find my armor. If my hoard-cave is as messy as the last time I saw it, we'd better sort it out together."

Ellie nodded sharply.

"Right. Does this mean we're headed to Asterpara?"

Elkay spread her wings.

"I can't think of a clever comeback, so I'll just say 'yes'."

"Let's go!" Ellie whooped.

They shot into the sky with a strong beat of their wings. The sun glared radiantly as they disappeared into the wild blue yonder. Below, Zebil frowned and flicked his tail-nub.

"Sure. Alright. Go ahead and fly away without me. I'll catch up. I guess."