Inside the control room, the machines were running at maximum power, the screens displayed all kinds of numbers, and the lights on the panels burned like small flames. Still in the chair, Tara's eyes shone with an intense red, but things didn't end there; her entire body was covered by a crimson aura. This, in turn, ran through the cable that sprouted from the helmet to reach the machine on the ceiling. It buzzed like an enraged mechanical bumblebee.

"Tara?! Are you okay?!"

"Calm down, Chad. I can handle this."

Despite her words, the girl sounded like the effort was devouring her. Her face was drenched in sweat and contorted by great pressure.

"Excellent," said Gangreen, oblivious to this and with his eyes on the main monitor. "The tomato population has already been reduced by sixty percent."

He pressed a button, and the screen showed images collected from around the world. A New York subway train arrived at a station, and as the doors opened, a wave of tomato sauce burst out. Oxford Street was empty and silent, covered by the same red paste that splattered buildings and cars. The Roman Colosseum looked like a giant bowl of gazpacho, and red waves swept a beach in Rio de Janeiro. All while the red rain continued to fall.

"Gosh, doctor. I didn't know the dudette had that much power."

"Well, actually, she doesn't. That's why the amplifier machine is taking it 'on loan' from somewhere else."

The monitor showed the pillar of light rising from the tower until it left the planet behind. It traveled through space until it reached something that, at first glance, seemed to be the planet Mars. But the planet began to move, rotating on its axis with relative speed to reveal that it had a face. The camera zoomed out to reveal that it was Larry, the giant tomato. The pillar of light hit him on the bottom, and as a result, his stomach trembled. The result was that the giant constantly burped, as if Tara's powers were an energetic version of Alka-Promo. And with each burp, more of that red rain was released over the earth.

"The girl's powers convert the massive amount of energy stored by Larry into the ultimate weapon against the tomatoes."

"Gary?" asked Igor, confused.

"Larry, fly brain."

"Oh, it's the tomato you couldn't control, right, doc? Remember? The one you tried to control with Tara's help, but she betrayed you again. And then Chadster sent him to space with an explosion. Ha ha, oh man, doc, they really made you look like a fool that time. "

Gangreen, who had become considerably furious with each new word from Igor, grabbed him again by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to his face. He spoke grinding his teeth.

"Yes, Igor... They made me look like a fool."

F.T. shrieked in surprise and covered his face with his tendrils so as not to see the punishment Igor received. Chad and Tara didn't pay attention to this, even when the beating Gangreen gave his henchman could be heard in the background. Something more serious was going through their minds.

"Chad!"

"Tara?"

The girl sounded not only exhausted but also horrified.

"It's horrible. I hate having to do this to my fellow tomatoes."

He wanted to comfort her, but it wasn't convenient to touch her at that moment. Not with so much power running through her body.

"I know, Tara. I wish you didn't have to do it."

"It's not like I haven't helped destroy tomatoes before... But never like this."

Her voice sounded like it was being torn apart. The young girl seemed on the verge of tears. He couldn't let her continue like that; victory wasn't worth sacrificing his best friend like that.

"Listen, Tara. If this is too much for you... or if you don't feel comfortable doing it... Just stop. It's enough."

She smiled weakly.

"Oh, Chad. I know you can understand me better than anyone, but I also know you have to hear this: between the tomatoes or you guys... I choose you!"

The glow in her eyes became more intense, and the inside of the tower was tinted red as her powers began to overflow onto the machines. A red so thick that nothing that remained trapped inside could be distingued. Chad opened his mouth in amazement.

"Wow, it's like being inside a... a... "

"Tomato!"

The boy turned to discover Tomato Guy standing next to him.

"Oh, great. Did you have to show up now?"

At that moment, Chad saw something out of the corner of his eye. Or rather, he didn't see something out of the corner of his eye. Or better said, he didn't see someone out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey! Where are Gangreen and Igor?"

And then the glow of Tara's powers faded, taking the electrical energy of the machines with it. The red turned to black as the tower fell silent. Everything was swallowed by a thick darkness, like a television being turned off. After that display of power, the sudden quietness was unreal and unsettling. Something that shouldn't have happened.

Chad extended a hand, expecting to touch the young girl who had been in front of him seconds before. His voice came out as a thin thread.

"Tara?"