Neptune lay on the sea floor covered in pink clouds. He was scuffed up quite a bit, and there was a satisfied smile on his face. Jorgan came to the patron god of the sea, also smiling. The fairy wasn't hurt at all.
Jorgan asked, "Did you enjoy our fight?"
Neptune sat out a bit of Orange slime and said, "Your clever ways are truly legendary."
Jorgan noticed the goo and looked up.
Neptune asked, "Everything okay?"
Jorgan said, "Yes, But Ortega is near."
Neptune asked, "Who is Ortega?"
Jorgan replied, "I have to go; consider us even."
Jorgan disappeared in a puff of pink cloud. POOF!
Neptune got out of the clouds and looked up.
Neptune gawed in awe as a giant bird came down from the sky into the water to gently kiss Neptune on the forehead.
It spoke, "I am Ortega."
Neptune squeaked, "Oh, I see."
Ortega said in a timid yet regretful way, "I must warn you that my shadow looms over your domain. My dearest son has once again, unfortunately, gotten it in his head that he should destroy the world I made."
Neptune asked, "Can't you stop him?"
Ortega whimpered, "I wish I could, but I'm not strong enough."
Neptune was horrified and asked, "Well, what do you suppose I can do to stop him if not even his father can?"
Ortega replied, "Well, Neptune, I was thinking that you would simply hold him down for a time.
Professor Calamituos, Vlad Plasmius, and Evil Jimmy gathered around the Infini-Cube. The Statue loomed in the background like a spectator.
Vlad asked, "So what's in here that interests you, Professor?"
Professor Calamituos said, "It's not what, but who. Release the Mawgu!"
Evil Jimmy asked, "Is the statue creeping out anyone else?"
Calamitous said, "Will you please focus, Jimmy?"
Evil Jimmy said, "Right."
He took up the Infini-Cube and activated it. The Mawgu was released, and he sighed.
Vlad asked, "What's with the long face, Mawgu?"
Evil Jimmy chuckled, "Yeah, I didn't think my goody self would tire you like this!"
The Mawgu snapped, "You three just get it! I hate having to be everyone's pawn. Well, guess what? I won't be yours anymore!"
He knocked them all away and lunged at the Statue, but he stopped to stare at it. It was like he was listening for something.
"I want my legs back," He muttered.
Then, without warning, he gently placed a hand on the Statue's outstretched arm. Two legs made of a sort of purple crystal sprang from his midsection. He then let go of the Statue.
The Mawgu said, "Now take heed, Evil Syndicate. Soon, it will rain down orange on all worlds. The Doomsday Bots proceeding, and then the Great Calamity that kick-started the universe will return. Until then, enjoy your little trophy. For in time, it will no longer be yours to keep!"
Then he opened a portal that glowed green and entered it. It shut abruptly behind him.
Timmy and SpongeBob were in the headquarters when the Mawgu came inside. The volcano villain kneeled in the headquarters, for one, because he was huge and couldn't quite fit otherwise. He also desperately wanted to avoid having his body brutally beaten.
Cosmo turned into a giant hammer and Wanda into a shovel. Timmy wielded both, but SpongeBob put a hand in front of him to stop him. He seemed to have clocked what the Mawgu was trying to telegraph.
"I don't think the Mawgu is here for a fight," SpongeBob said, "Let me talk to him."
SpongeBob approached the Mawgu very cautiously.
SpongeBob asked, "Why are you here?"
The Mawgu's eyes wheeled up, and he sobbed, "I'm sorry."
Timmy, SpongeBob, and Jimmy, who just came into the room, were in absolute shock.
Still crying, the Mawgu said, "I didn't mean to cause so much damage; I just wanted to protect you the only way I knew how."
Jimmy asked, "Protect us from what exactly? And why would you have to drain the whole universe to do it?"
Timmy was still frozen in shock.
SpongeBob was growing empathetic.
The Mawgu, calming down, explained, "Well, there's this beast of goo and ooze that exists as Ortega's antitheses. Instead of making worlds, he consumes them. I do not know his name, but I will pretty soon; the sky will have a drippy nose."
Timmy finally squeaked, "That's too much, man!"
Jimmy asked, "Is that your catchphrase?"
Timmy shrugged.
SpongeBob asked, "And the best way you thought to protect us was to drain the universe?"
The Mawgu rubbed his head in embarrassment, "I don't know how to do anything else. That has been my sole purpose."
Jimmy and Timmy exchanged a look of suspicion, and SpongeBob gently placed a hand on the Mawgu's chin. He very gently dried the Mawgu's tears, still dripping down his face.
SpongeBob offered a soft smile and said, "It's okay, we'll figure something out."
A strange pang of comfort washed over the Mawgu.
Jimmy asked, "Why were you imprisoned in a volcano?"
Mawgu replied, "Oh, funny story actually, I wasn't imprisoned there. I was stationed there."
SpongeBob and Timmy asked, "What?"
The Mawgu said, "If I may, Big-Headed Boy, there's a way to teleport to my base of operations next to the belly of the volcano."
Jimmy scrunched his face in disapproval, but he hesitantly said, "Sure?"
The Mawgu came to VOX and typed a bit on it. The portal opened, and much to everyone's surprise, it was an ominous white. The vortex crackled with lighting, and the hexagonal frame creaked as if it couldn't hold the portal's natural round shape.
Timmy, concerned, said, "I'm afraid."
Jimmy said, "No time to be afraid. We have to protect the universe again."
Timmy sighed, "That's what I was afraid of."
The Mawgu then asked, "Where's "The Ghost Boy?"
Jimmy answered, "Oh, He's busy helping Zim recruit a new member into our B-team."
The skies over Tremorton thundered with sonic booms as Jenny and Danny blasted at each other. Neither could land a hit. Danny was intangible, and Ectoplasmic beams didn't affect Jenny.
Jenny snapped, "Take it back!"
Danny refused, "I would if it wasn't true, you bucket of bolts!"
Jenny wailed, "You're mean!"
Tuck and Sheldon were sitting on a nearby hill, munching on popcorn. Brad approached them curiously.
Brad looked at Jenny and Danny, who were hurling plasma beams and insults at each other, and asked, "So, how long have they been at this?"
Tuck said with a shrug, "I don't know, awhile."
Sheldon answered, clearly way too absorbed, "Two days."
Brad sighed, "Of course they have."
Tuck asked, "Are you going to try to stop them?"
Brad sat next to them with his legs crisscrossed and said, "No, I'm just going to give them my signature: 'This needs to end soon.' Look and hope for the best."
He crossed his arms, furrowing his brow, and just scrunched up his whole face in disappointment.
Danny spotted the look, the two other spectators, and stopped. Jenny was still charging at him.
Danny said, holding up one hand on top of the other in a 'T' formation, "Hey, Time-out! Time-out!"
Jenny stopped, confused. Danny gestured to the three boys. Jenny's eyes met Brad's disappointed gaze, and she grew distraught.
Jenny pointed at Danny and said, "He started it!"
Brad raised an eyebrow skeptically.
Jenny drifted down to the ground in front of Brad a bit sulkingly.
Danny followed her, taking note of how bashful she was now.
Brad probed them, "How are your batteries not completely drained?"
Jenny replied, "Solar power!"
Sheldon was starstruck.
Brad turned to Danny and pointedly asked, "How are you not dead?"
Danny replied, "Oh, funny story, actually. I'm already dead."
Danny's eyes glowed bright green.
Brad said, "Oh."
Then, a low buzzing could be heard.
Danny then said, "Excuse me, will you?"
Danny rushed behind a tree and powered down. He collapsed in a heap and pulled out the Neutronic Recaller to see who it was. Mercifully, it was SpongeBob.
Danny answered the video call, fighting the urge to pass out.
"Hey Danny," SpongeBob chirped and then grew worried, "are you alright?"
Danny sighed, "No, This Jenny girl is really tough."
Jenny eavesdropped on their conversation, unbeknownst to Danny.
SpongeBob said sympathetically, "Oh, Danny, buddy. I hope you're not too drained."
"I'm fine," Danny wheezed, "I just need a nap."
SpongeBob asked, "Did you eat the lunch I packed?"
Danny replied, "Not yet, but thanks for reminding me! I sometimes forget that I'm only half-ghost."
Jenny was shocked, feeling deeply ashamed and confused. She stopped listening to gather her thoughts.
Danny then asked, "What would you do to help convince Jenny to be on our side?"
SpongeBob enthusiastically replied, "Oh, that's easy; I would sing a song to convince her!"
Danny rolled his eyes as he quipped, "Of course you would."
SpongeBob sighed, "At least come back to headquarters in one piece."
Danny smiled and said, "I promise. I'll talk to you later, SpongeBuddy."
SpongeBob chirped, "See you soon, Danny."
After he hung up, Danny reached behind himself to pull out a little paper sack. It had Krusty Krab branding on it, and he opened it to reveal its contents: a Kaboby Patty with Kelp Fries. He tried a fry first, and it was the right amount of salty. Then, he unwrapped the sandwich. To Danny, the kaboby patty didn't look remarkably different from a regular hamburger.
Danny muttered, "The way SpongeBob described it, you would have thought it would have some heavenly glow to it."
The smell was also familiar. It reminded him of vegan meatloaf. Sam often encouraged Danny to try new vegan recipes with her she found online. Danny very hesitantly took a bite of the sandwich. He couldn't believe his taste buds. It was incredible! It was so soft and juicy on the outside, with a nice crunchy outside. He practically inhaled the rest.
Danny finished his meal with a chuckle, "Now I understand why SpongeBob thinks so highly of these things."
He threw away his trash in a nearby bin. He felt his energy refill in a surge of power he'd honestly never felt before.
Danny said, "GOING GHOST!"
He transformed into his phantom form, feeling rejuvenated. Then he approached Jenny. She was sulking.
Jenny asked, "How long are you planning on with-holding your true identity as a regular human?"
Danny stuttered, "I-uh, well uh, I..."
Jenny chuckled, "Don't get all worked up. I won't tell unless you promise to keep a secret for me."
Danny sighed in relief, "Anything."
"I envy you," Jenny admitted, "You get to have time away from saving the day, and your family doesn't mind. Me? I don't get that."
Danny asked, "Why?"
Jenny replied, "She tells me that I'm the protector of the world, and that's it."
Danny asked, "Have you ever tried to tell her how you feel?"
Jenny snapped, "I did, and she didn't listen."
Almost Human
(Jenny: You just don't understand; I'm not even seen as a person!
Danny: Uh, hello, Half ghost here! Of course, I understand.)
Danny: All I've ever heard was fear from those I tried to protect with my power.
Aah, look, a ghost run the other way!
Like that doesn't hurt.
It's like they can't see that I'm a person too.
It's like everything that I was taught about kindness didn't apply because I was one of them.
But it's my friends that can see the real me.
And it makes it all okay.
They're the ones that make my day.
To remind me that no matter what, I'm still Almost Human.
Ghost or not, Almost Human, just like them.
Jenny: I think I understand.
My mom built me up to make me my world's protector.
But what's the point if I can't see any of it?
She still calls me by my model number.
Like that's all I am to her, a weapon.
But she can't see there's so much more to me.
It's like she can't see how much it hurts.
It's like everything I do only matters to obey her whims.
But my friends can see the real me.
The me that's longing and feeling.
They remind me that I'm Almost Human.
Robot or not, I'm Almost Human, just like them.
Both: Growing up is hard enough.
But protecting the world is just as tough.
The power and responsibilities are crushing me, and I think I have just about enough.
But our friends can see.
They can see we're not so different!
Danny: I'm more than a ghost.
Jenny: I'm more than just a machine.
Both: We're Almost Human!
Almost Adults.
We're still changing and growing just like them!
We're Almost Human, just like them.
Growing up is hard enough.
But protecting the world is just as tough.
The power and responsibilities are crushing me, and I think I have just about enough.
But our friends can see.
They can see we're not so different!
Danny: I'm more than a ghost.
Jenny: I'm more than just a machine.
Both: We're Almost Human!
Almost Adults.
We're still changing and growing just like them!
We're Almost Human, just like them.
All I ever wanted was to grow up like a normal kid.
But fate had derailed that.
Danny: A freak accident took it away!
Jenny: I wasn't made to be social with others.
Growing up is hard enough.
But protecting the world is just as tough.
The power and responsibilities are crushing me, and I think I have just about enough.
But our friends can see.
They can see we're not so different!
Jenny: You're more than a ghost.
Danny: You're more than just a machine.
Both: We're Almost Human!
Almost Adults.
We're still changing and growing just like them!
We're Almost Human, just like them.
The two teens then hugged each other.
Danny then sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made fun of you. I know what it's like to feel different."
Jenny smirked and said, "Apology accepted, Ghost Boy."
Danny then asked, "So you want to help us fulfill this whole Prophecy of the Slimes?"
Jenny shrugged and said, "Got nothing better to do this summer."
Danny let her go, opened a portal, and got into headquarters with Jenny shortly behind.
MEANWHILE,
Tak was in the jungle of Pupununu. Alongside him was Zim, still in his human disguise, and Manny, who was wearing his El Tigre costume and playfully chasing an actual tiger cub.
Tak asked Zim, "So why are you helping me again?"
"Well," Zim replied, "To be honest, you intrigue me, Tak. I've never seen anything like your culture before. I've hardly gotten even the smallest glimpses of what lies beyond..." He stopped, hesitating to finish that thought. Worry crept into Zim's mind like a sneaky lizard. He thought, "If I tell him about my work for the glorious Irken Empire, he might turn on me."
Tak gave a puzzled look as he tried to finish Zim's sentence, "What lies beyond your modern city?"
Zim was caught off guard and replied, "Uh, yeah. I'm not usually the explorer type."
Tak could tell Zim was hiding something but decided to let the matter rest for now.
El Tigre managed to tire out the tiger cub and rushed over to the other two. He was a bit disappointed at the sight of Zim.
Manny asked, "Where did your big antenna and compound eyes go?"
Tak was a bit shocked and asked, "You have antennae and compound eyes?"
"Yes," Zim answered, then quickly came up with a lie, "But it's like Your costume, Manyy. It's not what I really look like. I uh, only become the uh, Increadable Irken Invader when necessary."
Manny and Tak said as if understanding, "Ooooh, okay."
Then, a loud SPLOOSH! Echoed from within the village. Tak rushed over, staff in hand, and a large glob of orange ooze blanketed his village. The other two boys rushed shortly behind to see what that sound was, too.
Tak noted, "It almost looks like Ortega's slime, but it's far too chunky."
A choir of horrified screams and pained moans filled the air as the people of his village were also covered in the goop. Tak tried to use his Jujumagic to clean it up, but it was too late; the mysterious sludge had his people by their very essence.
They spoke in unison as if puppeteered by it, "Foolish little Shawman, you have no power over me. My slime is coming to crush your tiny world and all who live in it."
Tak was heartbroken. Then, the green hexagonal portal to headquarters opened, and they all rushed inside as more ooze splattered the jungle.
To be continued...