It was a bright Saturday morning, the kind that practically screamed "adventure," and for Milo Murphy and his friends, there was only one destination that could possibly top the list—Doctor Zone-Con: The Ultimate Fan Experience.

The downtown convention center was nearly bursting at the seams with costumed attendees, giant set pieces, time-machine replicas, and the sounds of the Doctor Zone theme song playing on an eternal loop from twenty-seven different booths. Giant holographic banners floated above the crowd, announcing panels, giveaways, and surprise appearances. Every fan within five states had converged for the weekend, and excitement vibrated through the air like static electricity.

Milo stood in the middle of the main hall with stars in his eyes.

"This is better than the time I accidentally launched myself into a traveling Renaissance fair," he said, spinning slowly to take it all in. His cosplay—a lovingly crafted replica of Doctor Zone's outfit, complete with chronal gauntlet and light-up wrist time dial—sparkled slightly under the overhead lights.

Zack, clad in a comfortable but clearly fanboy-level hoodie featuring Time Ape's iconic battle pose, adjusted his convention badge and looked around nervously. "Yeah, great. So many... moving parts. Large objects. Suspended lighting rigs. Foam weapons with surprising structural integrity. This place is just a health hazard waiting to happen."

"Welcome to conventions," said Melissa dryly, her Brigette Quantum costume sharp and efficient. She had even found the exact brand of clipboard used in the show—because Melissa did her research. "Just don't stand under anything that's swaying."

Sara, who was completely in her element, wielded a custom-built Time Czar staff and wore shimmering LED epaulets that pulsed in sync with her movements. She already had the entire convention mapped out in a color-coded itinerary with timestamps accurate to the minute.

"We'll hit the Time Ape photo op at 10:45," she said, leading the group forward through the crowd like a general. "Then the interactive Time Lab, followed by the original Brigette Quantum voice actress Q , then the merchandise floor."

Trailing behind them, Neal chomped on a turkey leg (where he found it was a mystery) and wore a shirt that read "Time Travel Messes with My Snack Schedule."

They had just finished taking a group selfie in front of the full-scale Chrono-Chamber set when a thunderous announcement blared through the overhead speakers:

"ATTENTION, TIME TRAVELERS! THE ORIGINAL ACTOR FOR TIME APE IS ON THE MAIN STAGE FOR A SURPRISE PANEL—RIGHT NOW!"

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, chaos.

The convention center transformed into a stampede of eager fans, cosplayers, and camera crews all surging toward the main stage. Booth displays were bumped, props knocked over, and a group of foam-sword-wielding Time Apes started a conga line for some reason.

In the flurry, the group was jostled hard. Sara tried to hold her map up like a beacon. Zack reached for Melissa's hand. Milo ducked under a flying popcorn bucket. Neal clung to his turkey leg for dear life.

And just like that—Melissa was gone.

Everyone froze.

"MELISSA?!" Zack called, spinning around in place. "Where did she go?!"

They all looked around frantically. Milo stood on tiptoe, scanning the crowd. Sara used her staff to push through a group of teens arguing about Season 3 canon. Neal slowly licked cinnamon sugar off his fingers, unconcerned.

"Maybe she got swept up in the crowd," Sara said.

Zack's eyes widened with panic. "Swept up?! You mean like, lost?! In this deathtrap of a convention center?!"

"Zack, she'll be fine," Milo said calmly, dusting churro powder off his vest. "We have a protocol for this."

Zack grabbed Milo by the shoulders. "How can you be calm right now?! Melissa could be anywhere! What if she's stuck in a merch booth with a dozen Time Apes?! Or trapped behind the food court fencing?! Or worse—what if she fell into a rogue time portal?!"

Sara sighed. "Oh no, not the rogue portal theory again."

"Zack," Milo said, gently peeling his friend's hands off, "trust me. If one of us gets lost at a large, chaotic event with thousands of people and questionable structural safety..."

"We go to the churro stand," Sara finished.

Zack blinked. "Wait, what?"

Milo smiled. "It's our system. The Churro Protocol. We've been using it since fourth grade. Science fairs, school carnivals, that one ill-advised field trip to the jellybean museum... every time we've been separated, we meet at the food court. Specifically, at the churro stand."

Neal nodded, mouth full. "Best. Plan. Ever."

Zack hesitated, still anxious, but after a moment he sighed and followed as Milo led the way through the crowd.

On the way, they had to duck through a foam banana duel, navigate a trivia showdown that had turned into an actual courtroom scene, and avoid a malfunctioning hoverboard prop zipping in circles. Milo narrowly avoided a dropped light fixture by pure instinct, and Zack reflexively pulled him out of the way—only for Sara to casually point out, "It was made of foam."

Finally, they reached the food court.

And there, leaning against the churro counter with one leg crossed over the other, was Melissa.

She was casually sipping a soda, churro in hand, and scrolling through her phone like she hadn't just vanished into the convention abyss.

"Oh," she said, glancing up. "Hey."

Zack nearly stumbled over a "Time Ape: Feral Edition" standee. "Melissa! You're okay!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You were gone," he said, out of breath. "I thought you'd been trampled by a Time Czar cosplay battalion!"

She smirked. "Please. I can handle a few out-of-control Time Czars."

"But I was worried," he admitted, cheeks flushing. "Like... really worried. You mean a lot to me, and just not knowing where you were—"

Melissa blinked. Then she stepped forward and brushed a hand down his arm.

"That's kind of sweet," she said. "You worried about me."

Zack rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well... I mean, I care about you. A lot."

Melissa looked at him a moment longer, then leaned in and kissed him. It was a gentle, confident kiss—just long enough to make Zack stop breathing and forget what planet he was on.

When she pulled back, she gave him a sideways smile.

"Next time I get separated, you can come find me. But start with the churro stand."

Behind them, Milo grinned proudly. "The system works."

Neal clapped slowly. "Best convention ever."

Sara glanced at her itinerary. "We've got fifteen minutes before the voice actor panel starts. Time enough for a churro refill and a detour past the cosplay contest."

The group fell into step together, churros in hand and smiles on their faces, ready to conquer the rest of the convention floor—and whatever Murphy's Law threw their way.

Because with friends like these, even chaos had a system.