Chapter 10: ….And Your Enemies Even Closer!

'The honeymoon for the two hosts was over just as fast as it started and now the prisoners have escaped! Looks like Anne must call in the calvary!'

Previously

Giving Darcy what she wanted, Anne quickly reached down, gripped the chain the key was on, and swiped the key from Darcy's robe. The thai then tossed the key back towards her nightstand as the necklace landed under the furniture and out of sight.
"Got it!" Anne smiled as she de-escalated the kiss while still engaged.

"You certainly do!" Darcy continued as she pulled back slightly to take in the thai's image. Leaning back in to reignite the kiss, Darcy was mere inches from the thai when an explosion outside of the castle broke both hosts concentration! Andrias was heard shouting outside of the window below the balcony along with other familiar voices. Quickly wrapping herself up in the covers, Anne rushed to the balcony and what she saw caused her hair to flare a fiery red as rose throne stems emerged from her fiery hair.

"Unbelievable!" Anne shouted as her eyes shined an angry bright muted red and orange. Darcy quickly placed on her robe and rushed to the balcony alongside Anne. "How did he not keep them from escaping?!"

"Don't worry love, I'll handle it!" Darcy stated in a hurry.

"No, I'll handle it." Anne replied, her voice echoing those of the great minds she were possessed by. "It looks like I have to get my hands dirty!"

Stepping back into the room, the bedsheets the thai were wrapped in conformed to her body from head to toe, instantly changing her back into her core attire, her crown included. As her fiery red curls continued flaring, Anne extended her right arm as the flaming scythe appeared in it.

"I'm going to enjoy this!" Anne smirked as she phased out of the bedroom while leaving sparks of flames in her wake.

Looking to the bed, Darcy sighed as she mourned the missing three thousand count Egyptian cotton top sheet she looked all over Newtopia for to match the current nautical bed sheet scheme.

"That sheet was so hard to find!" Darcy lightly whined. "Now I have to search for another set."

Currently

Song Played: Trying to Feel Alive by Porter Robinson

Undisclosed Laboratory (Earth)

"And I'm telling you sir, there is a major war coming!" Terri spoke with concern as she whipped around to Mr. X from her computer. "Anne's stone is not supposed to look like this! That is pure corruption!"

"And what does her stone look like to be exact?" Mr. X curiously inquired as he raised his right eyebrow in confusion.

"It looks like any other flawless stone that was carved with exact precision but used to travel to other dimensions." Terri explained as she grabbed her laptop and set the machine down on the desk with the screen facing the flamboyant FBI agent. "There are three stones that are embedded in a music box that, when a certain note is played, can transport the holder of the box and gem to another dimension, but in this instance, Amphibia!"

The agent remained silent as the scientist continued her explanation.

"The first stone is green, the second blue, and the last a reddish magenta." Terri continued her explanation. "Each of these stones posses the same power, but is unique to the user. The blue represents heart or the ability of the gem holder to be empathetic to others, thus Anne who is very empathic to everyone she meets. The second is green, which presents wit or high intelligence. The holder of this gem is highly intelligent, good at complex puzzles, and other challenging matters. Lastly, the magenta stone which represents strength. The holder of this gem is exceptionally strong both mentally and physically. While I understand Anne's gem, I am not clear who possesses the other two. Now when I informed you moments ago that the blue stone is looking not in the best shape, that is an indication of corruption of some kind, which is what I am doing my level best to investigate."

The FBI agent's attention shifted from the scientist to the computer screen before him, noticing a raging storm brewing inside of the cyan gem as it rotated counterclockwise on the screen. Memories then flooded back to the FBI agent when he cornered Anne, her parents, and those in kahoots with the Boonchuys at a warehouse laboratory as they tried to get Anne back to Amphibia. The glow the teen exhibited, the power that surged through the room, and the undeniable force that was one to be wrecked with.

Flashback

"No... we're so close!" Anne exclaimed in near defeat as the FBI continued to surround everyone in the lab.

Mr. X nonchalantly entered the lab as he clapped slowly and made his way over to Anne and the Plantars.

"Not bad, Anne." Mr. X smugly spoke to the girl. "Not bad at all. Turns out, you were more capablethan I thought."

Mr. X then snapped his fingers at the teen as an even bigger grin grew on his features."But... you still fail becauseno matter WHAT you do, you're still just a kid!"

Lowering her head, a cynical grin spreads across the cyan warrior's face. With renewed confidence, Anne slapped X's hand away, which stunned the agent.

"You're right, X." Anne responded in a low tone. "I am just a kid, but today reminded me that with the right people by my side, I can doANYTHING!"

A sudden change in the teen's voice unearthed her gem's powers.

Raising her left foot, Anne then stomped on the ground with tremendous force that caused Mr. X, Jenny, and the FBI swat team to fall further away from her and the Plantars. Quickly shaking out of his shock, X quickly adjusted his glasses to get a better look at Anne.

"What are you?!" Mr. X inquired while trying to keep his fear under control.

"ANNE, LOOK!" Sprig excitedly yelled as he pointed towards the portal while Polly and Hop Pop were just as shocked at what was in front of them."THE PORTAL!"

Hearing the frequencies from the computer monitors that picked up on Anne's powers, she looked to the screens and noticed the needles were moving erratically, indicating the gem's power signature. Grinning, the teen pointed her right hand towards the portal and with her powers, made the portal even bigger. Everyone was shocked yet impressed at the display. Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy gasped at the sight, especially Oum who saw her daughter as more than her little girl, but a hero.

"The portal!" Dr. Jan gasped along with Terri.

"How is that possible?" Terri inquired.

"She's powering it like some sort of..." Ally began.

"Human battery!" Jess concluded Ally's thought.

Present

The display on that day was enough for X to realize that he was not dealing with an ordinary kid, but someone with immense power beyond his or anyone's imagination.

"Sir? Sir!" Terri called out to the agent, whose mind was still in the past. "Mr. X!"

Mr. X then snapped back to reality and caught Terri's vision.

"I have been calling you for the past 5 minutes." Terri calmly informed the agent. "I asked whether you wanted to understand more about the music box?"

"Sorry about that, my mind just wandered." Mr. X replied to Terri. "No, that is more your vernacular. But I do want you to continue your research and provide me with any updates you have regarding this impending war. The better prepared we are, the better."

Grabbing her computer from X's desk, Terri closed it while nodding.

"Also, please call Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy." Mr. X requested. "I have a feeling their assistance will come in handy very soon."

"Right away sir!" Terri confirmed.

Fungi Forest, Amphibia

Clashing swords against the heated metal of the scythe echoed throughout the forest along with grunts of exhaustion from the fight. Sasha fended off every attack thrown her way by the controlled thai who sought complete dominance over her enemy. Swinging the scythe towards the blonde from left to right, Sasha bowed backwards to the avoid the blade that was threatening to behead her.

"Anne, you have to listen to me!" Sasha tried reasoning with the angry thai as she narrowly avoided the flaming scythe that were mere inches from her right arm. "I know this isn't you! Darcy has gained control of you and you have to fight it!"

"Whose to say that I didn't want this control and this much power?" Anne taunted as she took a step closer to the blonde warrior, enjoying the intimidation she were able to pull from her. "And what's this? The mighty Sasha is pleading with little ol' me? Just what do I owe the pleasure?"

Feeling her fear beginning to empty from her pores, Sasha quickly gathered herself as she stood mere inches from who she considered her best friend. Anne, seeing the fear-inducing look in the blonde's eyes, Sasha was determined to get through to Anne if that were the last thing she did.

"Sasha, I must say." Anne began as took a step closer to Sasha as the blonde took a step back. "I really love the scent of your perfume. What is that? Fear?"

Breaking into a hysterical chuckle, Sasha's temper bubbled to the surface as she grabbed her double heron swords from their sheaths and placed them at her side with anticipation of another battle with Anne.

"Anne, I don't want to fight you, but I will do what I have to to protect Amphibia from your tyranny!" Sasha growled as she presented her battle stance.

Wildly grinning, Anne quickly and fiercely swung the flaming scythe in Sasha's direction once more. The blonde warrior quickly blocked the blade of the weapon with her swords that were crisscrossed in front of her. Anne took another step closer while placing pressure on Sasha's swords with the scythe, the heat from the scythe causing the blonde to sweat and nearly lose focus. Sweat running down the blonde's brow, Sasha quickly uncrossed the right sword and swung it upwards, which knocked the scythe out of Anne's hands. The flaming weapon landed into the ground like an axe a foot from both. With the host disarmed, Sasha swung the right sword towards the left side of Anne's neck, stopping mere inches from the thai's flesh. Cutting her eyes to the left to view the blade, Anne's grin lessened as she looked back to the blonde.

"Impressive." Anne simply stated. "And here I thought you would fold at the sight of me. What was I thinking?"

"I told you I would do what I had to to protect Amphibia from you and Darcy!" Sasha growled as she took a step closer to Anne. "Now if I were you, I'd perk those ears up and pay attention! The next thing you're going to-"

A sudden frosty chill rushed into the area that caused Sasha's form to tense up, replacing the usually humid forest air with an unusual cold front.

"Well, well, well." Darcy's playful voice rung out from behind the blonde. "Isn't this an interesting turn of events?"

Sasha felt her blood run cold from hearing the original host's voice behind her, not knowing what the deranged collection of the hivemind had up her sleeve. Seeing the helmetless Darcy behind Sasha, the thai cracked a twisted smile knowing what Darcy's next move was going to be.

"You were saying something dear?" Darcy's spoke in a cynically playful tone. "What was my beloved going to do again?"

Sasha's breathing suddenly quickened, unsure of what her next move was going to be. With Darcy behind her and Anne trapped in front, she was literally stuck between a rock and a hard place!

"Spit it out!" Darcy demanded, her voice spoke in the numerous voices of the core.

"I-I—uh-" Sasha stuttered while trying to mentally formulate a quick plan to escape.

The blonde's mind suddenly stopped on a dime as a stream of blood suddenly curdled up from her mouth and trickled out of the right corner of her lips. Her body beginning to horribly tremble, the blonde slowly looked down to find the flaming blade of Darcy's dagger sticking out of her midsection.

"Oops, my hand slipped." Darcy cynically stated as she broke into a hysterical chuckle.

Feeling her body becoming weak, Sasha looked back up to Anne to see the thai evilly grinning at her.

"Night night Sash." Anne playfully greeted as she gave the girl a light wave.

Sasha opened her mouth to speak, but felt her eyes become heavy before she could make her statement. Too weak to hold onto her swords any longer, the weapons fell from the blonde's hands. Not too far from the swords, Sasha's body hit the ground of the forest with a low thud, the flaming blade still stuck in her abdomen.

With eyes opening wide, Sasha sat up with a start, her breathing labored from the dream she had. Focusing her vision to scan where she was located, a sharp shot of pain rushed through the blonde as she grabbed her abdomen, hissing wildly from the shock.

"So it wasn't a nightmare!" Sasha stated through gritted teeth as she struggled to sit up the wall she were laying against.

"Sasha! You're awake!" Grime's excited voice spoke from the blonde's right. Turning her head to the voice, Sasha spotted her father rushing up to her. Kneeling besides the blonde, the toad hurriedly embraced the girl in his arms while holding back tears.

"Lieutenant! I thought we lost you!" Grime stated, his tone full of concern as he hugged the teen tighter. "I'm glad we found you when we did or there was no telling what would have happened!"

"So it wasn't a dream after all." Sasha whispered as Grime released the girl. "It all really happened."

Quickly brushing off her impending sadness, Sasha turned back to Grime with a look of confusion.

"Wait, whose we?" Sasha inquired with a cocked eyebrow.

"Me and the rest of the resistance." Grime replied. "We were alerted to where you and Anne were fighting and tried to get to you before Darcy did."

Sasha sighed heavily as she continued pushing herself against the wall to sit herself up. With her back fully against the wall, the blonde released a heavy sigh as she hung her head down.

"I failed didn't I grime?" Sasha quietly inquired as she placed her left hand on her bandaged wound while looking to the ceiling. "I failed to reach Anne and I failed to save Marcy, I failed."

The toad positioned himself to sit next to Sasha and released a sigh.

"Of course not Lieutenant." Grime replied with care as the blonde turned to him. "While I will say going after Anne after the jail break was a bad idea, you were doing what your heart led you to do, try to talk some sense into her. Even if it meant putting yourself at risk."

"Why can't I listen to reason or follow strategies that I give to others?" Sasha growled as she looked away from her father. "Why do I have to care so much when it's abundantly clear that neither of them care any longer!"

"Because that's who you are and the Sasha everyone has come to love, even Sprig." Grime patiently replied. "When you turned over a new leaf, you showed all of Amphibia who Sasha truly is. You always had it in you, you were just too stubborn to show it."

Sasha's expression softened at grime's explanation as a small smile appeared on her face.

"And Anne and Marcy are not themselves, you can clearly see that." Grime continued as he clasped his hands together. "If Anne had not submitted to Darcy, she would still be the lovable commander that we came to love, but right now, things are very complicated. Once we get her back, she will be the Anne we all know. It's just not possible right now."

"I guess you're right." Sasha stated with a light sigh as she looked back down to her abdomen, to the intricate bandaging that was done to cover the wound. "She was so close Grime, I just wanted to hug her and tell her I'm not leaving her and that I'm going to help her and Marcy. But I couldn't even get through to her by just talking. The way she looked at me with such contempt with those eyes. That image is permanently glued in the back of my mind!"

"I can imagine how scary that was seeing Anne like that." Grime sympathized with the blonde. "But she is still in there and we will get through to her if that's the last thing WE do."

The small smile grew a bit wider onto the blonde's face as she leaned over on Grime's left shoulder.

"How did I get so lucky to have a dad like you?" Sasha asked with true sincerity.

"I could ask the same when it comes to having an amazing daughter like you." Grime replied with a chuckle as the two leaned into the other while enjoying the silence of the bunker.

Newtopian Castle (Strategy Room)

"I told you to grab her, not stab her!" Anne fumed at Darcy, who remained calm at the thai's tirade. "How did you manage to get those instructions mixed up?!"

"I understand my love, but she was mere inches from hurting you and I had to stop her at all costs." Darcy calmly replied.

"I knew she were going to come after me once she managed that jail break!" Anne huffed as she threw her hands in the air, her fists becoming engulfed in flames. "If you had of grabbed her, that would have been perfect. If there's anyone who can break that girl, it's me!"

Darcy opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it to continue listening to Anne speak.

"I've been giving this a lot of thought and Sasha can be very useful to us." Anne spoke calmly as the flames around her hands rescinded. "She has that power that we can use and with her on our side, there would be nothing stopping us from taking over earth and draining it of all its resources! We would be unstoppable, but while she remains with the resistance, she is an obstacle to my plans."

"I believe two hosts are enough." Darcy replied. "We have all the power that we need to conquer earth and more. Plus, we are still newly weds and have plenty more bonding to do."

"That can wait, this is much more important." Anne stated as she waved her right hand in the air, dismissing Darcy. "In the meantime, have all the frobots recalibrated and sent out to search for the resistance. Leave no stone unturned and ensure Sasha is brought here unharmed and I'll handle the rest!"

Darcy nodded to Anne as the thai smiled and stamped out of the room.

The muffling voices of the core began chattering as the loudest voice of the hivemind came forward.

"She is not going along with the plans already set forth!" Alrich's voice came forward and stormed at Darcy. "You said she would go along with our plans if she became one of us!"

"Don't worry, she will." Darcy mentally replied to Alrich in a calm tone. "Right now, she is just becoming settled into her new role. Just give it time!"

"Time?!" Another elderly newt impatiently spat. "Time?! We don't have time! We are on a tight deadline to replenish our resources! Did you suddenly forget that we cannot survive without them?! For that matter, neither can you?!"

"No, I didn't." Darcy replied with a deep sigh.

"You better get that girl on track or you know what will happen to you if you fail!" Alrich warned as he faded back into the hivemind consciousness along with the other newts of the hivemind.

Sighing while shaking her head, Darcy then left the room herself.

A/N: The holidays coupled with my surgery during the holidays created the extended timeline, but hopefully this installment was worth waiting for.