As soon as the group entered the portal, it was already chaos. Ransack and Crumplezone were horribly caught off guard when their tires touch down on an ethereal road, making them slip and drift around. Everyone else was screaming and crying in terror as they flew around, especially the shark and mermaid as they did their best to hang on to the motorbike's handlebars.

Gladius was flying around frantically, trying and failing to use his telekinesis to help the Transformers. It wasn't working, especially since this strange ghostly road was just so unfamiliar to everyone.

"KID, WHAT'S UP WITH THIS ROAD?!" Ransack cried out.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Caleb cried back, bracing as he and the others inside of the CZ were tossed around like laundry in a washer. "THIS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!" There was a very scary drift. "GLADIUS DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm trying!" The sword barked. He tried again to stabilize the robots, but when that again did nothing, he threw his wings up and lifted them off the ethereal road. As soon as they were airborne, they stopped, and everyone relaxed.

"Thank you… Gladius…" Caleb droned out as everyone in the cockpit collapsed.

Crumplezone whined. "This is so humiliating… But thanks."

"No problem", the sword responded with a nod. "But I have to ask… Why did you two start going out of control?"

"Well, all of these lights and noises threw us off", Ransack said. "But you and Kat told me that there weren't any roads here! So me and CZ… Yeah, we got tripped up. It didn't help that this weird road was so slippery!"

"You guys live on a desert planet, or one with a bunch of rocks and not much else", Katania said as she started to calm down. "So it makes sense you guys never had to deal with icy or wet roads."

"Is it safe to say I'm not looking forward to the crazy driving conditions?" Crumplezone said.

"Trust me, you haven't seen Canada during the winter…" Caleb droned out as he rolled his eyes, adjusting himself in the seat. "Those roads can get really bad sometimes. So much ice…"

"I'll be sure to remember that." Ransack revved his tires a bit. "You can put us down now, Gladius. Me and CZ will take this easy."

"Alright…" The sword gently put the two Transformers down, and they started to head down the ghost road with no loss of traction. Gladius flew between them, and all the other passengers relaxed into their spots. Caleb smiled and leaned back looking out the glass dome to all the passing images on the tunnel walls.

His mind started to wander as he saw scenes play back on the fragments, moments from across history. Movies, TV Shows, Video Games… it was all there. As Caleb remained distracted, Zig looked towards Katania and gestured in worry.

"Caleb's fine", she whispered. "He's been through a lot, but right now we all just want to get back to the castle. He'll tell you guys the full story when he's ready."

"I promise." The girl and hyena jumped and looked at the boy in shock, who was shooting them an accusatory glare at them. But his smile did lighten the mood, all while Bernie giggled from the boy's lap.

Katania blushed and looked away. "Zig was just asking… Because we could see… a bit of the scars…" She said that last bit quietly, and Caleb's smile fell as he felt the back of his shirt. It was stretched a bit, and he could feel a bit of his top most back scar.

With a sigh, he pulled his shirt back up. "Kat's right, guys, I'll tell you later. Like when we get back to the Capital."

"If you say so kid", Crumplezone said. "But if we ever run into the punk that did that to you, then we'll tear them apart."

"You got that right, CZ!" Ransack cheered, with Sharko and Marina nodding with determined looks.

Caleb smiled weakly. "Thanks guys… But I don't think we ever will…"

KataNia looked up and shared a sombre look with Gladius, who was flying above.

After that little exchange, things fell into as peaceful of a silence that was possible. Everyone just relaxed as Ransack and Crumplezone continued down the tunnel, their tires gaining more traction as they went along the mysterious ethereal road.

Occasionally the others would spark up conversation, but it didn't last long as the road hit some… bumps, somehow. Ransack and Crumplezone slowed down a bit as they did so, the bumps making everyone raise a few eyebrows.

"Should this road be bumpy, Gladius?" Caleb asked, looking up at the blade in worry.

"N-No… I don't think so-" The sword stopped when there was a deep boom from behind the group, making everyone who could turn around.

"What was that?!" Ransack cried out. "Is it that scary guy you warned us about?!"

"Worst! It's a wave!" Gladius screamed. "The two of you, full throttle!" He flew down and forced himself inside of CZ's cockpit. The two Transformers didn't ask twice as they went to max speed, rushing down the road. Sharko looked behind them, and let out a very high-pitched scream when he saw the walls of the portal rippling right at them.

"Just keep driving!" Caleb cried out.

"We're almost there!" Katania shouted, pointing to the approaching white light at the end.

Marina cried out, latching onto Sharko with a death grip, Ransack and Crumplezone slammed on their gas, Zig was tackled by Bernie, and Caleb and Kat hugged each other close. They closed their eyes as they passed through, opened them for a second, and started screaming when they saw the two Transformers were shooting through space right towards a pristine white space station.

"I HATE THIS!" Crumplezone cried out as they crashed into the station. Thankfully, they crashed into what looked to be a hangar, so there was minimal damage to the station itself.

All the parked space ships in said hangar? Not so much…

Especially since all the passengers were thrown off/out of the Transformers, making more of a mess. Thankfully, the less durable members of the group were protected by Sharko, who used himself as a crash mat to break all their falls.

Caleb groaned and rolled off the shark, blinking his eyes and shaking his head. Sitting on the cold metal floor, he tried to stop the dizziness with little success.

After a moment, the others all slowly started to get back on their feet. Ransack and Crumplezone transformed back into their towering robot forms, CZ falling on his back with a deafening thud.

"Jeez, CZ, if no one knew we were here before, they do now!" Ransack scolded. He stood up and looked around, wincing at the three trashed ships they ploughed through. "Oooooookay… Hope they aren't too mad their rides are scrap…"

Caleb finally got back on his feet, quickly grabbing his crutch off the ground and using it as support. "Hopefully…" He trailed off as he looked at the ships, seeing how some of them were a design he recognised. "Wait… I think I've seen some of these ships before…"

He made his way over towards one of the less damaged ships, and caught sight of a logo on it. An atom above a crescent… And immediately it clicked.

"CRAP!"

Before anyone could ask what was wrong, several uniformed aliens of multiple different races surrounded the group, posed and ready for attack. The group all huddled together as Crumplezone and Ransack, the two robots looking ready to trash them all.

"Admiral DeGill", one of the uniformed rangers said into an earpiece. "We found the breach in the hanger. Several suspicious individuals, including two robots, a mermaid, hyena, shark, and two humans!"

"Humans?!" A voice shouted through the communicator, making all the odd uniformed people flinch. There was a door opening, and a goldfish dressed in a military uniform came over. He was smoking a pipe (well, considering the bubbles coming out of it smoking was a stretch), and leveled the group with a scrutinizing look.

"How did all of you get in here?" The fish asked. "Galactic Guardian Headquarters has a shield, and top notch security system."

Caleb swallowed nervously, so Katania took over speaking. "We're just travellers! The three for us", she gestured to herself and her two fellow Capital residents, "Accidently found ourselves away from home, and we're trying to get back."

"And the others?" The fish asked.

"Company from our travels", Gladius said, making all the 'Galactic Guardians' jump and get a bit more defensive. "We mean no harm, if that's what you're worried about. I promise you we are not hostile."

The fish hummed and blew some more bubbles out of his pipe. "I see. Well, until we can fully trust you, you are all to remain here under strict security. You won't have access everywhere, due to safety concerns. And since one of you seems injured…" He gave Caleb a quick apologetic look. "You'll have access to the medical ward. escort them out of here, maintenance will need to clean up…"

As the Galactic Guardians started to file everyone out of the room, two of them stopped the Transformers from following. Caleb gave them a sympathetic look as the door closed and they were led down a hallway. As they walked, Gladius hovered closer towards the fish.

"If I may ask, what is this whole operation?" The sword asked with a curious tone.

"We are the Galactic Guardians", the fish explained. "We keep order and peace across the galaxy from the various criminals that call it home. I'm Admiral DeGill, current head of the operation."

"So… Like superheroes?" Katania asked.

"Kind of, yes. There's not many of us, but we still leave our mark." DeGill led the group into a room, and smiled at them all. "This will be your main arrangements for the time being. Until a more reasonable solution is figured out." He left with the other Galactic Guardians in tow, the group remaining silent until the door shut.

"So what are we going to do now, Caleb?" Katania asked. "It's not like we can stay here and open our next portal out. With all the cameras and guardians and DeGill's own suspicions, we won't get a moment of peace."

"We'll figure something out", Caleb reassured. "Especially since I know someone here will help us out…"

~X~

An hour since arriving at Galactic Guardian HQ, Caleb, Kat, Gladius and Marina were exploring the areas they could. Alongside the guardians, there were security droids around every corner, making the quartet wonder how 'highly secured' this station was.

Marina paused at one point to look out a window to look out towards space and the planets in the system. It was a beautiful view, with the planets splashed with various colours and patterns. It was very art-deco.

It just so happened this spot also overlooked the main docking pad, and the group watched as a ship that looked like some from the hangar came down. It was white with red accents, and some sort of antenna thing at the nose of it. The group watched as it landed, and from underneath three people walked out.

One was a hovering yellow robot with an antenna on top of its head, and vibrant blue eyes. Second was a green alien in a red and white suit, with a tuft of sky blue hair and a massive green nose. Lastly was who seemed to be human, a girl with vibrant red hair styled in a massive ponytail and pink Galactic Guardian suit.

"Do you know who that is, Caleb?" Katania asked. It was clear to the others that Caleb did know where they were, he just hadn't said anything yet.

"That's the Galactic Guardian's best team. Atomic Betty, and her partners Sparky and X-5", the boy explained. He then lowered his voice. "Probably the only ones that actually do their job…"

Marina pursed her lips, and Gladius snorted. "Considering how good security is here, I'm not that surprised to hear that." He then looked out the window and watched as the trio on the landing platform headed inside the station proper. "But I'm wondering why they're here… For a super tech focused world, you'd think DeGill would brief them on their mission on their ship."

"I mean… we're here", Caleb said. "So it makes sense."

Marina said how he must've told them, and they're here to maybe talk with us. The others all nodded with uncertain looks, worried this wasn't going to be a nice talk. But Caleb did seem hopeful that the three Galactic Guardians wouldn't be super harsh on them. So the quartet started to head towards whatever room the landing pad connected to. It was a bit difficult, as the station didn't have any obvious maps around, but soon they found their way into a fairly big central room. There were a few other guardians walking around, plenty of security droids, and an elevator that the group assumed went up to DeGill's office.

There were a few tables with open seating around, and since they couldn't see Betty or her partners, they decided to just sit down and relax. So they took the nearest table and just sat down, looking around at all the surroundings. Marina was somewhat interested in a nearby flower bush, but she was thrown off when the face of Sparky suddenly filled her vision.

She screamed and flew backwards off her seat, making her other table mates look at Sparky with wide eyes.

"Huh, you guys don't look like how Admiral DeGill told us…" He said, pulling out a popcorn bucket out of nowhere and started eating the gross slugs inside like they were nothing.

Kat suddenly looked pale, so Caleb cleared his throat. "We kinda… crashed here. Not really something we meant to have happen. Although we do crash a lot…"

"Sparky's not trying to chew you out", a female voice added. "Admiral DeGill was just worried you all were up to something." The group looked over and watched as Atomic Betty herself walked over with X-5 by her side, the girl smiling brightly. "But just based on how you guys look… I can't say you guys are villains."

"We most certainly are not", Gladius said with dignity. "We have many heroic deeds under our belt, and plenty of our friends would defend us if they were here."

As Gladius spoke, X-5 hovered around the group, seemingly analysing them. After a moment, he moved a bit back. "Yes, I cannot seem to find anything directly nefarious about you. But only time will tell if that will change."

"That's reassuring…" Caleb said as he shared a nervous look with Katania, before he shook his head and faced them with a smile. "Well, uh, I know about you three! Atomic Betty, Sparky, and X-5! Heroes of the galaxy who've bested villains like Maximus IQ on the regular!"

"Ah, so you're a fan!" Sparky said with a smile. He then slid up next to Marina. "And I will say I'm not complaining." The mermaid scowled and walloped the pilot with a devastating punch, making the others all wince as he was sent flying. When Sparky crashed into a nearby trash can, Marina scoffed and crossed her arms, looking away indignantly.

"Yeah, Marina's taken…" Caleb explained as X-5 went to fish his partner out. "I'm Caleb by the way. And this is Katania and Gladius." He gestured to his two other friends, then smiled at Betty.

The Galactic Guardian smiled a bit tensely as she looked back. "Well, it is nice to meet you. Just uhhhh… Don't hurt Sparky too badly. He's a good guy, trust me."

"So far, he's not looking good…" Katania droned out with a flat look. "If my mom knew he was some protector and doing that, she'd have him do some pretty… rough exercises."

"You're mom's a…" Betty began, trailing off instantly.

"General. She's the general of the place that me, Caleb and Gladdy live in. My dad is one of the highest ranking soldiers, and Caleb's personal bodyguard."

"Wow, huh… Didn't think you guys had that sort of reach." Betty looked at Caleb curiously. "So, if that's the case… How are you here?"

"Gladius can open portals when I swing him around", Caleb explained. "After we watched a movie with my whole family, we accidently opened one. And that's how me, Kat and Gladdy got lost. An… incident during the portal trip… hurt my leg. It's getting better, but not 100% yet."

"A portal explains how they slipped past the shield…" X-5 whispered as he and a somewhat disheveled Sparky sat next to their friend. Betty shushed the robot and gave Caleb an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Caleb", she said. "Just know that as a Galactic Guardian, it's our duty to help anyone in need!"

"We really appreciate that, Betty, thanks…" Caleb's slight smile fell as he looked out the nearest window towards the vast expanse of space. "I will say though… I'm not looking forward to staying here. Not the kind of place I'm excited for."

"If you guys can open portals, why not just open one now?" Sparky asked.

"There needs to be a break period", Gladius explained, half-lying. "If we open portals too rapidly, there's more likelihood it'll be unstable and crush us as we pass through."

"Then perhaps we can help you find a more comfortable place to stay", X-5 offered. "Admiral DeGill gave us orders to keep watch of you, so if you need to find somewhere else, we can take you."

"That'll honestly be a lot better, thank you", Gladius said. Marina cheered and zipped over, bringing the trio of guardians into a tight hug. They were all horribly caught off guard for a moment, looking down at Caleb for help. He just smiled and shrugged, enjoying the view.

Betty sighed and wiggled her way out and dusted herself off. "I guess if we're going to take you guys somewhere more comfortable, we should meet all of you. I know there's a shark, hyena and… I think someone said hermit crab? And there's the two robots that we know are also around…"

Marina nodded just as Caleb opened his mouth to speak, and let out a very loud whistle. There was silence for only a moment before Sharko blasted through a nearby door. As soon as he locked eyes with Marina, he dashed over. Zig and Bernie were right behind, the hyena tripping right at the end and sliding on the floor till he was right before Caleb. He gave a thumbs up, making Bernie sigh.

Caleb giggled and gestured to them. "This is Sharko, Zig and Bernie. They can be a bit intense", that made the mermaid hunter and protector glare at him, "but they're really strong, cunning and protective. And Bernie here", the mollusk climbed up onto the boy's shoulder, "is a genius when it comes to inventing. You two could team up sometime, X-5!"

The robot hummed in thought as the mollusk jumped over on top of his head, making the bot simply blink.

Marina explained to Zig and Sharko about what was going on, and they both nodded, running off to go and let the Transformers know. Behind them, the others followed, partaking in more conversation as they walked.

"So you have a pretty big family then, huh?" Betty said to Caleb, responding to what he said as they left the room.

"Yep! They all mean a lot to me, and helped me through some pretty… rough times. So getting back to them is really important to me."

The Galactic Guardian nodded, and frowned a bit as her eyes wandered to Caleb crutch and injured leg. "I'm sure you'll find them soon, Caleb."

"Thanks, Betty."

~X~

After introductions with Ransack and Crumplezone were over with, the whole group were walking across the extended bridge back to the landing pad, where Betty's ship, the Starcruiser, was still parked. Ransack and Crumplezone were sharing little facts about themselves to an interested X-5, and Sparky was sharing some of his snacks with Zig and Bernie (the two island residents actually enjoying them).

Caleb and Betty were at the front of the pack, the girl smiling brightly as they talked.

"You're Canadian too?!" She said happily.

"Yep! Born in BC and lived there for… most of my life, eh!" Caleb said with a goofy smile.

"Wow, I didn't think-", the Guardian cut herself off. "How did you even find Gladius, though?"

Caleb's smile fell, and he sighed. "That's a very long story. I don't know I'd have time to tell it all."

"I see…" There was a brief lull in the conversation. "Well, since you're Canadian too… I could have you guys come and live with me in Moose Jaw Heights. I love my mom and dad, but… They aren't the most observant. So I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I am just about 19, so maybe I can pass as an exchange student, I don't know…"

"We'll figure it out." She started to climb up the ramp that headed inside the ship, with Caleb and the others all right behind. Except for the Transformers, who decided to ride on the ship while standing on the side wings.

Inside the ship, the fairly plain yellow metal made it feel a bit more cozy than Guardian HQ, but not by much. Heading to the front, Caleb and the others watched as Sparky and X-5 got in the front most seats, and Betty hopped onto the raised chair that was against the back wall.

"A lot of interesting tech here…" Gladius said with intrigue as he looked over the front console. "Must be hard to repair."

"Nah, I'm an expert with this stuff!" Sparky said in a bit of a boastful tone. "I know every little thing about this ship."

"And yet you still need me in case the hyperdrive or weapons systems are offline", X-5 said. Sparky glared at him, making Gladius groan.

"It's just like Flowey and Majima with the others…"

Betty gave Caleb a questioning look about the names, and he shrugged. "Just some of my family. Love them both, but they can be really annoying sometimes."

"Sounds wonderful…" The captain cleared her throat, making both her partners look up at her. "Alright! We're heading back to Moose Jaw Heights, so let's not dilly dally!"

"Right on, Captain!" Sparky said, with X-5 silently nodding. They both faced the console and turned the ship on, with the green alien lifting it off and shooting it through the stars.

Marina, who was on top of Sharko, was looking out the window in wonder and awe, her eyes literally sparkling as they passed by celestial bodies of all kinds. Caleb was also watching the stars and planets shoot past, smiling lightly as Gladius and Katania leaned against either side of him.

Betty looked down at them and smiled lightly, but knew she would have to ask for the whole story at some point. But for now, she'll just be a good friend and help these new faces.

It wasn't long till the ship entered Earth's atmosphere, and they started to descend to an isolated spot a distance away from Moose Jaw. Caleb looked out the window, and could make out the middle school, mall, fair, and even Betty's house. Of course, he didn't say anything out loud, but was a bit relieved regardless.

When the ship landed in a clearing in the forest, the group all started to file out. Except Sparky and X-5, who had to go run other errands. So they bid farewell and took the ship off again, leaving everyone else in the forest.

"We aren't that far from my house", Betty said as she adjusted her shirt. She had switched out of her Galactic Guardian uniform for a yellowed collared shirt, green skirt with matching headband, and tennis shoes with white socks. "C'mon."

"Hang on", Caleb started. He turned around to his other friends. "You guys should put on some disguises. This place isn't aware of anything Betty does. Or aliens in general, so put something on so no one panics."

Zig shot him a thumbs up and pulled out a pretty bulky disguise kit, and in a flash he dressed himself, Bernie, Sharko and Marina in more appropriate attire. While Zig, Sharko and Marina looked. As much like humans as they could, Bernie was disguised like a dog. Gladius decided to play along, sheathing himself and placing himself on Caleb's back.

"Well, looks like we're gonna be stuck in vehicle mode for a while, CZ", Ransack told his partner. "Hopefully you oiled your joints!"

"Eh', this'll be a good way to catch some sleep I missed." Crumplezone transformed into his car form, shortly followed by Ransack. Sharko and Marina hopped onto the bike, and Zig jumped into CZ's cockpit. "We'll see if there's a place we can park at or something."

"There's a motel not far from the mall", Betty explained. "So just get some rooms there."

"Got it. See ya' later, kid!" Ransack burned some rubber on the grass and pulled a wheelie as he raced ahead, Crumplezone shortly behind him. The others all waved them goodbye, and when they were alone, Betty returned to leading them towards her place.

When they left the forest, Caleb stopped and took a deep breath. "I missed Canada so much. Even though it isn't BC, Saskatchewan is still kinda home."

Betty looked at him as they walked. "You grew up in BC? Maybe we can find your home if you go looking."

Kat and Gladius shared a nervous look, but Caleb just sighed. "My home situation is more complicated than that, Betty. Trust me, I'll tell you when the time is right."

The girl pursed her lips, but relented. "Alright… But I'll want you to tell me sometime."

"I promise I will. Just… It's a lot."

"I get it, I'm sorry for pushing. I'm just worried, you know I care a lot to make sure everyone is safe."

"We're the same way, Betty", Katania mentioned. "We just want to see our family and friends smile and laugh. So yeah, you don't need to apologise."

Betty smiled and nodded, before looking to her right. "Ah, here's my home!" She walked up to the front door and opened it, leading the others inside. "Mom, dad, I'm home!" There was some shuffling, but only a cat came from around the corner.

"Cute cat", Katania said with a flat look. "But he looks spoiled."

"That's Purrsy, my mom's cat", Betty explained. "He… Yeah, he's spoiled. Really likes to push me around too."

"Makes me miss my kitten…" Caleb said sadly. "You'd love Purdy. She's a bit… absent minded, but she's a sweet and lazy kitten. Plus, adorable."

"I'll have to see it to believe it, I never had much luck with cats." She led the group on a tour of the house, and thankfully there was a guest room that was up for use. As the tour took the group to the backyard, Caleb looked up at the sky.

"Betty, can I talk to you about something?" The boy asked.

The Galactic Guardian looked up at him. "Yeah, what is it?"

"If you could… Would you, Sparky and X-5 like to tag along with us? Having more hands on deck to help would be nice. Plus, I feel like you guys could use a change of scenery."

Betty blinked, glanced back at Bernie and Katania (who both shrugged), then looked up to the sky. "Maybe… I love my job, because it just isn't me to just abandon people in need. So I'll need to think about it. And talk it over with Sparky and X-5."

"Alright. And you don't need to come up with some sort of answer right away, if you're worried about that."

"I'll keep that in mind." Betty smiled up at him, the. They both returned to gazing up at the sky, watching the clouds pass by for a bit longer before Betty led the group back inside. Purrsy eyed them with a glare, but Bernie just stared back, freaking the cat out and scaring him off.

The Galactic Guardian led them out of her house, and out front she was giving them directions to the motel. "I'm sorry I have to kick you guys out like this, I just would like you to meet my mom and dad when they are here."

"Nah, it's all good Betty!" Kat said with a smile and hand wave. "We get it. It'd be weird for your parents to get home and see you with a bunch of strangers. So we'll head to the motel and meet up tomorrow. And I want to let you know that we will always help if there's a mission or something."

"We've faced all manner of situations", Caleb added with a smile. "From giant monsters, to kidnapping, to universe ending threats. We'll back you and your team up, Betty."

"Thanks. I'll let you guys know if there's ever something that needs doing." She flashed them a smile. "Well, see you guys tomorrow! I gotta do some cleaning…"

"Good luck, Betty!" The group all waved her goodbye, and headed down the road towards where she said the motel was. Caleb took a deep breath and smiled, looking up at the sky as the ever so slightest hints of a sunset started to form. Kat took his hand, and the two of them shared a smile.

~X~

By the time they made it to the motel, it was already night. Caleb was lazing in bed, still and silent as Gladius, Zig, Bernie and Sharko slept in the same room. Marina and Kat had taken the next room over, and the two Transformers were in the parking lot, off in a corner to stay as far away from prying eyes as possible.

As he laid there, he let his somewhat storming thoughts just bounce around. There wasn't anything bad, just a collection of clouded thoughts that made it hard to sleep.

Rolling over a bit, he frowned as he thought about home. About everyone who was definitely worried sick.

And that was an understatement.

Back at the Capital, Maria was looking up at the night sky with a sombre expression. The mood was full and the stars twinkled, but she was not doing good. It had been almost a week since Caleb, Katania and Gladius went missing, and with no sign of even finding a shred of where they could be, morale and passion in the castle started to really dip.

While Virus and some of the others were still working tirelessly to find them, Maria was one of them who had to have constant mental reprieves to just not break down completely.

With a sigh, she took a sip of the tea she had on hand and leaned a bit forward, letting the cold nighttime air wash over her.

"I had a feeling you'd be out here…" Maria looked behind her to see her husband walk onto the balcony, a melancholy look on his face. He pulled a chair over and sat down next to her. "Still can't sleep?"

"I'm just worried, mi amor…" Maria began. "I know he's done this before, and he has Gladius and Katania… I just can't help but worry… This place is so empty without him here…"

"I know, mi amor. But he's strong, so I know we'll see him soon."

Maria nodded slowly, leaning against her husband as clouds started to form above. The couple didn't mind, but that changed when the door inside slammed open. They both jumped and stood up, looking back at a slightly crazed looking Amy.

"Amy, what's going on?" Manolo asked.

The redhead was taking rapid breaths, and was looking a little wild. "Get to Virus' room NOW. He said he's found something."

The Sanchez' shared a look, and abandoned what they were doing to run after Amy. They were so desperate to see what was found that it didn't take five minutes till Amy and the Sanchez' were in the room with all the others. The rest of the group all watched them run in as Virus dotted about with the screens.

"So what did Virus find?" Maria asked, looking around a bit wildly.

"We don't know", Ralph said, looking no better. "He's been really quiet about it."

"I swear, if all this worrying was for nothing…" Flowey mumbled.

"It's not", Virus said. "If it was, Rainbow would lose it. But I will say, I found a trace of Caleb's DNA in a world. A bit of… blood." That made the group all look a bit panicked. "But, thankfully, I extracted the memories from it. Don't ask, sometimes our powers and tech even confuse me. But what I was able to see was this…"

The glitchy purple blob turned on the largest screen, and the group all watched as an injured Caleb used Katania for support, a somewhat bloody Gladius following a bit behind, almost in shame.

"What the heck happened?!" Owen cried out.

"No idea", Virus said with a shake of his head. "But what all of this tells me is that they are okay, and are alive."

"Where did you find this?" Blossom asked.

"Tropical island from the show Zig & Sharko."

"Okay… Okay, so they're alive." Zomboss said. "Good. Just means we need to strengthen our search efforts."

"You heard him, gang!" Izzy barked out, standing up on a table. "We need all hands on deck, we're so close to finding the trio and getting them home!"

"YEAH!" The group all started running around, doing everything they could to help the search. Virus smiled and pulled out his phone, calling up his bedridden wife.

"Hey, honey, great news…"

~X~

And so ends the next major chapter! Yep, we're heading into the world of Canadian cartoon classic Atomic Betty, a show that is very near and dear to my life. Next to Ruby Gloom, it was probably one of the first shows I've watched. It's crazy to think about how long it's been…

But yeah, now we're doing space stuff after the two short chapters on Velocitron. This one I knew was gonna be beefy, so hopefully this suffices. Especially since I'm taking a trip with my family down to Mexico on the 29th. So don't expect a new chapter till I get back. Unless I bring my iPad with me and work on my stuff while we're there, lol.

Hope you all liked this chapter! Getting back into the groove of consistent posting, and longer chapters too. So expect this story to grow more!

Up next: Caleb and Co. join the Galactic Guardians on a trio of missions that build up the trust between the friends…

~Kat~