Chapter 10
Silence filled the room as the words left Plankton's mouth.
"She's pregnant."
"Pregnant."
The words echoed through Spongebob's young mind, "You're going to be a father." A smile slowly crossed his lips at the thought of a child, even if it weren't planned but his smile soon vanished.
"That's not possible, me and Libby were safe!" Spongebob protested, but Plankton seemed unmoved, "You didn't happen to use anything she gave you, did you? I can remember giving her a pack of at least four rubbers to use." Plankton asked as he looked back towards the square sponge.
"Knowing you, once you got a taste of the good stuff, I figured you'd go back for more." Plankton laughed.
Spongebob and Libby's jaw dropped, he looked towards Libby who looked away. Which seemed to confirm what Plankton had said.
"I don't believe you." Spongebob turned back to Plankton who shrugged, "You don't have to believe me, believe what you want, but hear this before you dismiss it, Karen's security system doesn't lie. Including Spot, and I, there are six of us in this chum bucket with a beating heart, not including my wife. Tell me why she picked up on a seventh?" Plankton asked.
"Spongebob, don't listen to him!" Libby said before she was silenced as Plankton muted her, "Quiet you, I'll talk to you when I am finished over here." Plankton ordered before he turned back towards Spongebob.
"Still don't believe me, we'll show you." Plankton said before he clapped, and Karen entered the room and did as Plankton commanded her and placed a sensor in front of Libby's stomach and a display crossed her screen.
Everyone remained silent as they heard Libby's pulse that was accompanied by a second pulse that was very small and almost hard to hear. The world stood still around him as Spongebob stared at the screen, at the tiny heart beat on Karen's monitor.
'That's my baby.' SpongeBob thought to himself as a million other thoughts filled his head.
"Most tests and doctors offices aren't able to pick up on these kinds of things this early, but Karen is far more advanced than any of the technology that a doctors office could have, and she can detect the smallest bit of movement, it might not look like much now, but in a few months, you will have a baby boy or girl." Plankton informed as Karen zoomed in on the tiny heart where it continued to grow a little.
Tears started to fall from Spongebob's eyes, seeing such a small little thing, and it was the most precious thing in the world.
"I'm going to be a dad." he spoke to himself before he smiled, "I'm going to be a Father!" he cried out before he snapped back to reality as Mr. Krabs grabbed him by his shoulder.
"Focus lad, he's tryin to trick ya." Mr. Krabs said, Spongebob looked towards Mr. Krabs before looking towards the screen, "It's no trick, she is with child, and Spongebob, I know you are a family man, are you really going to let your first and possibly only child die by electrocution?" Plankton asked as he pointed to the embryo.
"You wouldn't dare, she's pregnant, you can't!" Spongebob shook his head as he looked towards Libby who he wanted to run to and hug.
"Oh but I would, haven't you been listening? When I Said I'd do anything to get what I want, that means anything, including making sure that she doesn't give birth to Spongebob Jr. there, unless you have something nice to say." Plankton smirked.
"Plankton, you are diabolical!" Mr. Krabs shouted at him.
"Don't listen to him, Lad he's playin ya." Mr. Krabs grabbed Spongebob's shoulders, "I can't, Mr. Krabs what if it's the truth, what if she really is pregnant, and that is my baby? I can't, sir you can't make me sit here and watch as he murders my family." Spongebob shook his head, pleading with his boss to give Plankton what he wanted.
"All you have to do is tell me one little secret, which is How to make a Krabby Patty." Plankton said as he inspected his hand.
"If I tell you, you'll let us go, including her?" SpongeBob asked, there wasn't much of a choice, was the Krabby Patty really worth more then his child's life?
"I swear it on my Great Aunt Latesha. I'll give you ten seconds to think about it or your girlfriend and child get to meet Neptune." Plankton said as he raised his hand.
"9"
SpongeBob took a moment to process, could he be willing to throw it all away?
"7"
Before he could say anything Mr. Krabs jumped on him and took him to the floor. They fell hard as Mr. Krabs held his mouth shut.
"4"
"Don't listen to him, he ain't got no Aunt Latesha. I ain't falling fer it." Mr. Krabs said as he forced SpongeBobs head down.
SpongeBob screamed at his boss, kicking and punching to get him off but failed.
"Mr. Krabs! No you can't! Stop he'll kill them!" SpongeBob cried as he tried to fight but was held back.
"2"
"Don't you do it Plankton!"
"Give me the secret formula Krabs! I'm not bluffing!" Plankton warned.
"Over my dead body!" Krabs shouted at the green bug.
"You mean over Her dead body!" Plankton shouted before he smashed the button.
SpongeBob watched in slow motion as the machine was activated in front of him and a strong burst of electricity surged through Libby's small body.
SpongeBob screamed at the top of his lungs, "NO!" He began to fight harder, "please oh please, Mr. Krabs he's killing her!" SpongeBob cried begging to be let go.
After a moment the machine stopped and the small heart beat that belonged to the child still remained but was a little weaker, "Wow, what a fighter the squirt is, it must get it from it's father, tell me what I want to know, and they can both live." Plankton said as he turned back to the men.
Libby was on her knees, crying from the pain, was this what SpongeBob went through, she could hear everything that was going on outside but it was as if no one could hear her speak.
Seeing SpongeBob in such a way, it broke her heart. Libby looked towards her left to find the computer she'd met at the mall staring at her, but she didn't say anything.
"Did you really think Eugene cared about you? He could tell me what the Krabby patty is made of, but yet he chooses to silence you and force you to watch your child suffer. Tell me what the formula is and I'll let her go, Eugene." Plankton looked back at Mr. Krabs.
By this time Spongebob was a crying mess, unable to get up as he was held back, "I'm begging you! Stop! I'll tell you whatever you need to know, just let her go!" SpongeBob cried as he struggled to fight Mr. Krabs off.
"Don't listen to him lad, he's lying! Do ya think he'd stop just because ya tell em? If you tell him he'll ruin me business, I mean us!" Mr. Krabs shouted at his frycook.
SpongeBob gained a little strength to kick and punch Mr. Krabs off of him before he ran to the front of the glass.
"The first ingredient is - gah Mr. Krabs no!" SpongeBob shouted as he was taken to the floor again by Mr. Krabs and Squidward who had been encouraged to help.
As he fell to the floor Plankton turned to face Libby who he unmuted, "You know, come to think about it, you did betray me." Plankton reminded her, Libby looked towards him, tears stained her cheeks.
"The one thing I told you Not to do, and you went and did it. I thought you were better then that, Ealgress." Plankton shook his head with disappointment.
Libby smiled between breaths, "What can I say? You should have chosen someone better for the job." Libby said before she looked towards Spongebob who was a wreck.
"All that time and money I wasted on you, I gave you everything you asked for, I paid for your living expense, your food, your clothes, all you had to do was get me a fucking Patty! You didn't even have to get him to say anything, you could have gotten one to go if it was so hard to do." Plankton said but he sighed.
"But you had to fall in love with him, after I told you not to. I guess it couldn't be helped. Young love, I understand, after all I am a married man, and I was a stupid man in love once, and there was a time I would have done anything for the woman I loved, but you had a job, you took the money." Plankton pointed at her.
"If it's about the money, Plankton. I'll pay you back!" Libby said, but Plankton shook his head. "It's not about the money, sweet heart, it was never about the money, matter of fact keep it. You'll need it for the funeral." Plankton said before he pressed the button and electrocuted her once again.
Libbys screams filled the chum bucket, "This is what you get for betraying me!" Plankton said as he increased the settings.
"Plankton! You Monster! I can't believe you'd do this to a little girl!" Mr. Krabs shouted as he continued to keep Spongebob silent, who fought his hardest to break free.
"Tell me what the recipe is Krabs, and this will all stop." Plankton said, "Or I will light her on fire, and then you'll have to explain to your frycook why this had to happen." Plankton said as he slowly began to increase the power once again.
"OK!" Mr. Krabs shouted over her screams which stopped soon after, and Libby fell back to the floor.
"You have ten seconds." Plankton said as he tapped his foot, clearly growing impatient.
Mr. Krabs glared at the green bug with angered hate, he looked down at Spongebob who sobbed uncontrollably, and yet Mr. Krabs still didn't let him go.
"I'll tell ya if you let them go." Mr. Krabs pointed at Plankton.
"I'm listening."
"The recipe yields 8 servings, so adjust to yer needs." Mr. Krabs glared at him.
"The first ingredient is two pounds of mixed ground meat, next get a couple of potatoes, dice em up real nice-" Mr. Krabs began when Spongebob screamed behind his tie that had shoved in his mouth, upon hearing him scream Mr. Krabs punched him in the back and told him to shut up before he began labeling off different ingredients.
After a few moments of Plankton writing down the recipe, he was satisfied, looking over the recipe that he had obtained.
"See, Eugene, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Plankton asked as he showed them the written formula.
"Great, now ye have me secret recipe. Let us go." Mr. Krabs said as he stood up, as soon as he did Spongebob shoved him away from him and ran to the front of the glass, screaming for Libby's name.
Libby picked her head up a little, she fought to get up but failed.
"Plankton! Let me out of here! She needs me!" Spongebob cried to him, Plankton looked up from the paper and smirked that all too familiar mischievous grin.
"Do you really think I'm just going to let you go? For what, so you could stop me from taking over the world. I don't think so." Plankton said as he turned the dial on the board and then pressed a button that directed the electricity to both chambers.
Plankton's evil laugh filled the chum bucket as they were all electrocuted with maximum power. Through the bright flashing lights Spongebob reached for Libby but was unable to reach her, and he could see that she was no longer responding to the painful volts.
Then it stopped.
"What?" Plankton looked around, confused as to why the machines had stopped.
"That is enough, Sheldon. They told you what you wanted, now it's time to let them go." Karen said before she opened the glass chambers.
"Wait! What are you doing! Those are my prisoners!" Plankton shouted at her before a metal hand snatched the paper from him, "You won't get this back until they leave here safe." Karen said as she turned her monitor towards Spongebob who pushed past them and ran to Libby's side.
He quickly fell to his knees, he began to shake her to try and wake her, tears falling from his face, tears he had never cried before. His heart pounded out of his chest, his vision began to cloud with the oncoming tears.
"Libby! Libby Please Answer me! Oh dear Neptune she isn't responding, WHY isn't she responding!" Spongebob began to cry before he placed his ear against her chest. Slowly the room felt bigger then it was, and he began to drift away as he heard nothing.
"Spongebob." Mr. Krabs said his name but the sponge ignored him and began CPR, he began to count under his breath before covering her nose and blowing into her mouth.
"Oh Dear Neptune, Somebody Help me! Don't just stand there! HELP ME!" he screamed at them before Karen pushed between them and proceeded to jump start Libby's heart that had stopped.
"That should do it." Karen spoke to him, Spongebob looked up to her, thanking her before he remembered something.
"Karen, my baby!" he shouted at her, Karen stared down at him for a moment, "I'm sorry Spongebob, but" "Check again!" he demanded.
It amazed even the computer how assertive he was, "You really do love her, don't you." she said before she scanned Libby's stomach and showed that there wasn't a heart beat. Spongebob began to cry out in pain, pain he had never experienced in his life before at the loss of something he had for only a few minutes.
"Spongebob, there is no heartbeat, because there was never a heartbeat to begin with." Karen finally informed him. Spongebob stopped crying, looking up at her, "I'm sorry but, it was all apart of Sheldons plan to get you to talk, there was never a baby. It's impossible to detect life after one day." Karen explained.
Spongebob glared up at her, "What was the point of showing me that!? Couldn't you have told me that earlier? Instead of wasting my time!" Spongebob screamed at her before he felt movement in his arms.
He quickly looked down to see her move, while she didn't open her eyes, it did confirm that she was alive.
"Oh, Thank Neptune!" Spongebob breathed before his own vision started to blur and he blacked out.
To Be continued..