Operation: NECSUS, Part 10: The Universe’s Greatest Bender

Chapter 10: The Universe's Greatest Bender

Great Clock

"Did you see the way she used that Chrono Staff, Sir??" Sigmund asked excitedly as he and Jagar walked down a hall (not that Sig walks). "No doubt, she really takes after her father."

"But it's too strange, Sigmund… How would she know how to fix time distortions? I never had time to go over them…"

"Well, uh… I wasn't planning to tell you, but last night she kinda came to me for a few lessons, and she uh, 'borrowed' your staff. She wants to be a Junior Caretaker, can you believe that??"

"So you… taught her that?"

"Well, yes, but… the way she did it, it's like she's always known. Intuition… maybe?"

"Hmmm… Sigmund, you watered the plants in Sector 5, right?"

"AHH! R-Right away, Sir!" He zipped down the hall, speeding past Misty as she walked by.

The woman wiggled the toes of her bare feet. "MaKayla's right. I love how clean these floors are! So what's up with Speedy Gonzales? He need to use the bathroom or something?" She laughed.

"Probly… Apparently, our daughter's been going to him for 'lessons' last night."

"Really? Well, she's already more proficient than her brother at timebending."

"That's not what I'm concerned about. I think…I think she might be the Gatekeeper."

Misty frowned instantly. "You mean…"

"Yeah…"

It was something they've known for a while. But they had no idea, how soon it would come. They were terrified.

Shooting Star

"Did the pirates find anything in the Space Junk Region, yet?" Nebula asked.

"They're still skimming the area, I think. After all, searching for one item in a trash field is like looking for hay in a needlestack." Pollyx replied.

"Isn't it 'needle in a haystack'?" Vweeb asked.

"Only if you're a moonbilly. They can't use ships to enter with all the debris and asteroids, so they use jetpacks. Unfortunately, there's oil drums everywhere… um, but your Gravity Body should allow you to find distinguishable areas of strong gravity and let you float across the Junk Zone safely. Oh, yes… the Junk Zone happens to be in an Oxygen Bubble, so breathing won't be a problem. Ehh, if you can withstand smelly junk, that is…"

"Hm-hm, I'm sure I can manage." Nebula laughed. "But Vweeb, however…"

"Hey, I withstood Anthony and Kimaya. Junk is nothing." Vweeb retorted.

Soon, they arrived at the Space Junk Zone, taking land on a circular platform just outside. Nebula climbed out with Vweeb once again on her shoulder, as they viewed the expanse of floating junk before them. (Play "Space Junk Galaxy" from Super Mario Galaxy.)

Stage 10: Space Junk Zone

Mission: Look for the Zathurian Artifact within the scrap zone.

Nebula stood on the edge of the landing pad, viewing the endless sea of floating junk. Everywhere you look, floating trash, large and small, spun slowly in place, for miles and miles. From where they stood, there didn't seem to be any clear path. "Ummm… wanna show me that new move of yours?" Vweeb asked.

Nebula looked up and spotted a glowing blue spot on an asteroid. "Don't get gravitysick."

"Whooooa!" A tingling sensation fell over Vweeb as they suddenly floated up and landed on the asteroid. They looked up and saw their ship parked upside-down.

"Hm hm, you're not gonna puke, are ya?" Nebula asked with a humorous smile.

"I hope not… I doubt the junkpeople want barf floating across space."

"Kateeny barf, they won't even notice. Just don't get it on me 'cause I just polished this suit. Okay, hang on, I see another one." And light on her feet, Nebula jumped to a higher asteroid, defying gravity as she stood on it perfectly, despite that it was turning from right-side-up to upside-down. They had to wait 'til it was sideways to Gravity Jump to another asteroid, on its right side.

A circle of space mines looped around the next asteroid, but the openings were large enough to jump through. The next asteroid was directly below, among a large grouping of junk, so they avoided the asteroids and dropped down once again. A series of Space Lights led through a tunnel in the debris, so Nebula created the Space Blocks and calmly jumped across, having to levitate to reach some of them. The path led upward before they reached the tunnel's exit, but the next Space Light was too high to jump to. But when Nebula formed the block, it was shown to be spinning as well, with its own Grav Space on one side. Nebula jumped onto the space as more consecutive Space Lights formed blocks with Grav Spaces.

They reached a region where mines floated at them, threatening to blow up their blocks, so they had to jump to each block quickly. They made their way inside a cluttered space of trash, where two flat, metal scrap pieces were floating up and down, parallel to each other, allowing Nebula to Wall Jump up them. They landed on a flat asteroid at the top, and were directly above this region of the Junk Zone. No trash floated across this top region, giving them a lovely view of the distant stars.

They had to stand and admire this sight. A sun was shining in the distance, making the sea of junk seem more vibrant than it actually was. "Boy… can you believe this is where all the junk of Galaxia ends up." Vweeb said with astonishment.

"I know… your everyday junkyard can tell so much history… but seeing an ocean like this… reminds you how endless space is."

"If endless is the way to put it."

"I know… a million stars in the sky… each holding a different galaxy. And from them… a million stars in their sky… they never… end…"

Vweeb looked up at her eyes, noting her strange tone. Her eyes were fixed on the endless stars, like she was in a hypnotic trance. "…I can probably float us across." She finally said. She jumped off the asteroid and began to float across the trash, letting no gravity weigh her down. The sensation was wonderful… feeling lighter than even air. Never has Nebula felt so one with space. Being out in its atmosphere, not inside some stuffy ship… So many directions to go, but so little time to explore it all. That's why Time opposed Space, she thought.

Her eyes were closed, and Vweeb noticed the peaceful smile on her face. Her long black and white hair flowed behind her, by what little air this region had. He's never seen Nebula look so peaceful before. She always had the aura of some serious businesswoman. But being out here, in endless space, she never looked so joyous. Her mind was totally adrift in the stars. That's why Space was her element. The feeling of floating freely… with nothing holding you down… it gave her a greater feeling than air. The space gave Nebula… light.

But it was at that moment she remembered her powers were limited. "Whoooaa-!" They landed on a convenient platform below.

"Heheh! Lost in thought there?" Vweeb laughed.

"Hm hm… yeah."

The two decided to sit on the edge of the platform, viewing the sunny stars in the distance. It mellowed their minds after such a long journey. "Hey, Vweeb… you ever have a dream?"

"Hm?" He looked confused.

"You know. A goal?"

"Oh… well, my dream, I guess… to become strong enough to take down my mom in a head-to-head fight!"

"Hm, come up with something original!" she laughed.

"Well, what's YOUR dream, anyway?" he smirked.

"My dream…" She stared out into the endless stars once more. "I've always wanted… to see every star out there. See what every galaxy is like. Then maybe… I can start Kids Next Doors in those galaxies… a series of Galactic Kids Next Doors all over the universe… and each one, allied with their individual planets. A tremendous compilation of races… all across the universe… teamed up for a greater good."

"E-yep. You've really taken after your mother."

"Hm-hm, it's not like that. But… the stars are endless. It could never happen…"

"Maybe… but in Space, the idea of 'wishing upon a star' is increased 10-fold. If you really wanted to… you could float all across the universe."

"If I could… yeah…" However, their phone suddenly rang, and they answered to Pollyx.

"I don't mean to interrupt your romantic moment, but… what the hell are you doing? You're in the middle of a stage. Viewers wanna see story-progressing, not this emotional garbage."

"R-Right. Sorry." Nebula hung up as she stood and picked Vweeb up. "Well, let's go."

"Okay…" Vweeb looked sad now.

They swung a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target to reach a platform where some space-pirates were gathered. They started to blast guns, but the kids easily avoided as Nebula threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to knock their heads around, then quickly blasted them with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. They went up a short slope, spotting a Grav Spot on a floating oil drum, so Nebula easily jumped to it. They overlooked a series of oil drums, and flying toward them were space-pirates on jetpacks. They moved slowly and mindlessly, their bodies showing little animation as if they were part of the junk. Regardless, they had to jump across the oil drums fast before the pirates flew into them and blew them up with their jetpacks.

The oil drums led to a row of G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets, landing them safely on a flat asteroid. They overlooked a route between a trench of floating junk, where more pirates mindlessly floated about on wonky jetpacks, floating from one wall to the other. The kids couldn't tell if these pirates were dead, too dumb to notice, or were simply enjoying the sensation of flying through space. Either way, they looked silly. The pirates served as the perfect platforms to bounce across the chasm, while Nebula had to swing G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets in some areas.

They made it out of the trench and rested on another platform. They overlooked another region of Space Lights, in which the blocks formed were spinning and had Grav Spaces. Nebula formed and jumped to the first one, but some Eeligons; floating red space-worms made up of several see-through blocks, started to fly at them. They had to jump the Space Blocks quickly before the worms could push them off. When they made it out of the Eeligon region, they landed on a stable Space Block that didn't spin.

They were within another cluttering of space junk as they overlooked a region of Warpids; peaceful, harmless ball-shaped creatures that warped across space, staring blankly with dim yellow eyes. There were plenty scattered about, so Nebula was able to jump them, but had to be careful as some were vanishing aimlessly. When a Warpid she intended to land on vanished, she simply hovered safely to another one, continuing to bounce across.

She landed on a floating, abandoned hovercar, using the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to once again swing a set of targets over a chasm. Finally, they took land on a much wider platform, where an old, abandoned garage rested. They stepped inside the pitch-black shed, where the smell of dust immediately fell to their noses. (Pause music.)

It was a fairly small shed. They looked all around, but it still looked like useless junk. …However, something on the other end caught their eye: yet another pixelly portrait of that same robot's face. …And below it, a dirty, broken robot with a rusty face, which looked like a 5-o'clock shadow. The robot was gray-colored, with an antenna on its head, a door on its chest, and flexible arms and legs. It was slumped in a pile of junk, having seemingly exhausted all of its energy. Its groggy eyes, which appeared to share a single long socket, looked lifeless.

Nebula and Vweeb stepped forward, staring over this machine with curiosity. "Is it…?" Nebula spoke lowly.

To their shock, the robot moaned, turning its head slightly. "Ohhhhh… beeeer… I need… beer… And a cigar! Bring me beeeer and a cigaaaaarr."

"None of those things are healthy for you!" Vweeb retorted.

"Mind your own race's health concerns, Bug Boy. Ohhhhhh…" A shutter closed over his eyes.

"Siiiigh. Okay." Nebula sighed, turning to walk out. "But in return, you better help us." (Resume "Space Junk Galaxy" theme.)

There was a path on the right of the shed, leading to a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target that swung them to a wider platform. There were 3 chests scattered around, where Swabs – large, electrified pirates, popped out and charged at the duo. One launched its hook hand and zapped Nebula, but Vweeb quickly blasted its knees and made him drop. The others launched hook hands, but Nebula jumped away and threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to distract them. She tossed grenades for extra damage, but they were still on her as they stunned her with more electricity.

One of them smacked her across the face and sent her across the platform. They ran at her again, but Vweeb zapped their legs with his Stun ray, but it only slowed them down slightly. Nebula tossed more grenades, but it still didn't do much as they chased her around the field. They didn't go down until after a few more rounds of bombs. "Hoo… that was rough." She sighed.

"Hopefully we'll get stronger weapons later." Vweeb said.

This platform was linked to 3 others via walkways, forming a circle. They were on the lowest one, the side ones were medium, and the one across was the highest. They walked to the right platform and saw a row of Space Lights leading over an empty chasm. Nebula was able to activate them all at the same time, and the blocks were speedily moving left-and-right, up-and-down, forward-backward, and some were spinning, respectively. It was fast, tricky platforming, but at the end of the floating blocks, Nebula found a discarded, floating beer bottle. "Hmmm… looks fresh enough. Besides, he's a robot."

She took the beer and jumped her way across the blocks, then afterwards swung back to the robot. She gave him the beer, and he had enough strength to drink away. "Gla-glu-gla…" When he finished, he released a "BUUUURP", surprising the kids as fire came out. "Mmmmoooore…"

They went back to the platforms and took the left one this time. They overlooked a grouping of cluttered junk as a blue Gravity Path seemed to stretch across long, scattered remains of a fallen ship. Nebula jumped to the path's beginning and started to walk across. There were cannons and flamethrowers blasting from the sides of the path, but Nebula walked past them easily. They reached the end of the path and had to jump to the parallel one (above their heads from their view). This path had gaps in it, which Nebula simply had to Grav-Jump. One of the spaces flipped between a flat space and spikes, so Nebula jumped it when it was flat, then jumped to the next. The next space opened and closed, revealing flames underneath, so obviously Nebula jumped it when it closed. At the end of the path was another beer bottle floating in place.

They returned to the robot and gave him the beer to drink. "Gluh-glah-gluh, BUUUUURP. Haven't you ever worked at a Hooters? I said, more beer!"

They returned to the platforms and walked to the higher one. Two Corsair Pirates were in turrets and blasting the kids, but Nebula easily dodged to the first one and wiped it out with grenades. With that, she manned the turret and proceeded to blast away the other one. A swarm of pirates suddenly charged in, so Nebula had to blast them all using the turret. They got fairly close, but Nebula was still able to stop them. The last pirate was another Swab, which was glowing a cyan color. Nebula blasted it quickly, but it took the hits and bashed her turret until it was destroyed. Nebula was shocked by its hook, but Vweeb stunned his legs to weaken him so Nebula could run to the other turret. She quickly dealt the last round of bullets before he was destroyed.

The pirate released a Cyan Laser Wisp, which granted Nebula its power. She looked up and noticed the set of Cyan Diamonds leading up and around. "LASER!" She zapped to the first one and zipped up as fast as lightning. She reverted to normal in a flash at the top, where a beer floated in place. She smiled and took it before dropping down very lightly.

They were about to return to the robot, but there was still the matter of the cigar. However, they noticed a tiny path leading down and around the first platform. Vweeb followed it down and discovered a cigar lying on the edge. He smiled and brought it up, and they proceeded back to the robot. (Pause song.)

"Glah-gluh-glah-gluh… Uuuuh." He drank the last beer and dropped the bottle. His body instantly shook as his eyes seemed to regain life. The dents in his body became straight again, his rusty beard faded away, and any wet parts became clean. He jumped to his feet and yelled with enthusiasm, "WOOOO! Hot-diggity DAFFODIL! That hit the spot, baby!" He took the cigar from Nebula, lit it, and inhaled and blew out a smoke. "Ahhhh. Olll' Smokey. Came far after doin' those lousy 'forest fire' ads. Hey, thanks for the help there, kids! Say, what's a couple-a squirts doin' out here, anyway?"

Neb and Vweeb exchanged confused glances. "Um, we're… looking for an artifact." Nebula answered.

"Oh, trash-robbin', are ya? Well, good to meet ya! My name's Bender. My full name is Bender Bending R-R-R-R-Rodríguez. Yeah, my middle name's Bending. I'm a bender."

"Oh?" Vweeb perked with interest. "What's your element?"

"What the-?? Noooo! Not THAT kinda bender! I bend stuff! Like girders! Or jail bars. Or people!"

"Oh… you're a BENDING robot." Vweeb concluded.

"Eeee-yep." He stated proudly, blowing a smoke. "Well… I'm goin' to go kill myself. Later, kids." He passed them and began to walk away.

"What?! Why?" Nebula asked.

He stopped and sighed, "It's just not as fun as it used to be. Bending. I mean… back in the day, I could bend all the girders. 30 feet high to 15 inches… and any angle, too! 30 degrees, 31 degrees, you name it! 32…" His expression became sad, "But I couldn't go on knowing what the girders were used for."

"What?" Vweeb asked.

"Suicide Booths. So I escaped from labor and joined this delivery company… but business got slow, so I resorted to my backup hobby, stealing. Which I enjoy. Eventually, Mom caught on to my 'defection,' so she sent the Killbots after me, and then I got dumped in this place. She can't stand a defective robot ruining her reputation. …Say, think you can spot me some change for the booth? I'm just gonna wrap a string around and pull it back."

Vweeb immediately jumped to his head, then landed on the spot between Bender's eyes. "You can't kill yourself!!"

"Hey, back away, Shrimpy, I got nothin' else to live for and the minute I set foot on Coruscant, those Killbots'll be on me again."

Vweeb jumped to the ground and yelled up at him, "If you kill yourself, you'll miss out on the rest of your life and you'll NEVER know what good things could happen! And what about your own life's goals?? You may be a robot, but haven't you ever had a dream to follow??"

This made the robot reflect for a bit. Indeed… he did have a goal he wanted to follow. "My dream?" Vweeb smiled, seeing his sudden change in spirit. "My dream… is…" With pure confidence, he raised his arms and announced to the world, "TO KILL ALL HUMANS!!"

Vweeb and Nebula did an anime falling style. "Oh…" Bender noticed something. "You're a human, aren't ya?"

Still fallen, Nebula said dizzily, "Well… my mom was Zathurian, and my dad was a Wisp who became human. He was Jamaican, too."

"Oh! Well, you don't really qualify then! He- Waaaait…" Bender's eyes furrowed at the word 'Jamaican.' "Is your dad a bureaucrat?"

"Um… no, he's a councilman."

"Oh. Well, I know a Jamaican guy! He's actually on my 'Do Not Kill' list. So you're all right!"

Nebula got up and brushed herself. "Look… it's not a goal I can just let you follow peacefully… but if you help us out, I'll help you follow it as much as I can…"

"Frankly, there's a FEW humans we'd like killed!" Vweeb perked with a smile. "Like Mom! Uh, the person."

"Hang on now! I can't kill Mom! She created me! She's… my mommy." He said goofily. "Even IF she wanted me trashed. Anyway… you kids seem alright, and… I got nothin' else to do, so… how 'bout I help you rob this artifact??" He looked excited.

"Well, I guess a bending robot could be useful." Nebula figured.

"SWEET! Bender is back, babeh!" He did a dance.

"I'm Nebula, by the way." She mentioned.

"And I'm Vweeb!" Vweeb declared proudly.

"What're you, her pet?"

Nebula giggled while Vweeb glared.

"But just remember, you're all inferior to me: Bender!" They looked disbelieved. "Oh, by the way, forgot to mention: noticed any of my 'Special Markings' everywhere?" Their eyes directed back at the pixelly picture inside the shack.

"Wait… so YOU'VE been leaving those?" Nebula asked.

"Yep! Making graffiti art is my FOURTH hobby!"

"How many hobbies do you have?" Vweeb asked.

"Ehh, just a couple hundred. But between you and me, I actually downloaded a bit of my data into these pixels!" he explained as he pulled out a camera from his compartment. "Just so people could have an extra taste of Bender. But if you snap them with these cameras, I can get that data back and do more cool stuff! Like so." With that, he snapped a picture of his graffiti, downloading the data. "I put these all over the galaxy, so try to find them if you can!" He tossed Nebula the camera.

Side Mission unlocked: Locate Bender's Graffiti Markings across the galaxy!

"Umm… we'll keep an eye out. So shall we get going?"

"YOU got it! Now let's go already! I got a date with a hot floozy at 5!" As he walked away, Neb and Vweeb still looked with disbelief.

Bender Rodríguez joined your crew! His bending powers outmatch all those across the universe! ("That's right, babeh!") If there's a huge, metal wall you need bent down, Bender's the guy to call! Oh, and he can do other things, too!

(Resume "Space Junk Galaxy" again!) They looked and saw another path to the left of the shack, where another road lay across a chasm. Bender's arms and legs stretched across so he could grab the edge of that road, allowing Nebula and Vweeb to cross him like a bridge. Once across, Bender pulled himself over as they approached a large wall with a huge, metal door. "Stand back and see why they call me 'Bender the Magnificent'!" The robot declared as he stretched an arm, grabbed the top of the door, and touched his other arm to the bottom as he easily bent it down.

They continued further as a squad of Buccaneers charged from ahead, this time wielding large shields. Nebula tossed grenades, but their shields proved stronger as they continued to blast. "Heh heh heh." Bender laughed smugly. "You and those silly toys. This is how robots get things done. Namely, me: Bender!" With that, the robot stretched over to bend each of their shields, making them obsolete as they tossed them away. Nebula was able to toss grenades and bomb them, while Bender jumped behind them, stretched his legs, and wrapped around the pirates to throw them into others.

"I didn't think you were built for combat." Nebula said as they moved along.

"What're you talking about, 'course I am! My 5th hobby was Robot Wrestling! They called me 'Bender the Offender'!"

They passed another doorway and encountered a trio of Swabs ahead. One launched its electric hook and grabbed Bender's antenna. Bender began sizzling with sensation as the electricity flowed through him. "A-a-a-a-a-w-w-w-w ye-e-e-e-a-a-a-h." He grabbed the Swab's chain and swung him around the air before tossing him at another. He then reached to grab the third one, bending him backward and using him as a weapon to bash the previous two. He then tossed the pirate over the edge as Vweeb Stunned the others' legs, leaving Nebula to toss grenades and finish them.

They were nearing the end of the road, reaching another wall with a barred door. "Hmmm, probably gonna take someone strong and capable at bending to bend these bars." Bender figured.

Nebula smiled and casually pushed the door open. "It's open." They walked in.

"…Aww." Bender frowned and glumly followed them in. However, he reached back and bent the bars. "Hehehehehehehehe!" (End song.)

They entered a small field of trash piles and found a small, black pyramid sitting on a pile in the center. "Ooooh! Shiny!" Bender said.

Nebula took the artifact and aimed the bottom scanner at her eye. After it scanned, the Zathurian message presented itself. "'You, who is descended from the Clan of Space and wishes to harness our ancient power, seek the 6 pieces that will make our invention whole. The next Dimensional Fragment can be found on Legola, the planet of craftsmen and master builders alike. But let it be known, the carpenters of this planet serve a greater purpose than what they appear. Good luck, and beware the darkness that Space holds.' …"

"Wow! I didn't know you were Egyptian!" Bender perked.

"It's Zathurian. And it's a clue, telling us the location of a piece of the Dimensionator. …I think I have some explaining."

"Yeah, well, at any rate," he took out another cigar from his chest, "how much is that artifact, we could probably make some good cash off it."

"Just leave it for the pirates, they won't get much from it. We have to get to Legola before the Drophyds catch wind." She dropped the artifact and was about to leave with Vweeb.

"A'ight, you have fun with that." Bender told them. "Ah'm just gonna look for more treasures."

They turned back. "You're coming with us, aren't you?" Vweeb asked.

Bender turned with slight surprise. "You want me to come with you? An old, but still very great bending robot you found in the trash?"

"Well, you helped us just now." Nebula said. "Besides, having more company would be nice."

"Awwww, you kids." He grinned sheepishly. "Sure Ah'll come with you! 'Long as we make a quick stop first." He proceeded to follow them.

"Where to?" Vweeb asked.

"Ehh, no place special." With that, they were on their way back to the ship. However, Bender's hand reached back and took the artifact. "Hehehehehehehehe!"

From behind a pile of trash, Captain Slag and Rusty Pete peeked out. "Arrrr… I thought Ay caught wind of a sniffling space-rat. Well, they aren't outhoistin' this captain, aye?"

"You said it, Captain! But say, you think we can ask that girl how she does her hair? Ah'm lookin' to try new wigs, you see!"

"Siiiigh…"

Sector V's captured Drophyd ship

"Have you guys rescued the captive operatives?" Jerome asked through the terminal monitor. They were able to link the ship's communications to his communicator thanks to Vanel and Game-and-Watch's hacking.

"Most of them, 'far as we know." Aurora said. "We had to get a few extras." Behind her, the Kateenian kids had tackled Chris to the floor.

"That'll have to do. Just take everyone back to their respective planets. As for the operatives, put them in the care of the Kids Next Doors on those planets. My recon shows they're holding up fairly well, so they should be safe. And that includes Makava, take her to the Glomourian Kids Next Door. I'll explain to her parents."

"Don't forget to send us coordinates." Aurora noted. "Not like we can fly around space on our own."

"But since that Trunchbull spotted us, they're probably gonna send troopers out to get us." Dillon figured. "And I doubt Game-and-Watch can fool 'em for long."

Beep. BOOP. Game-and-Watch beeped.

"Let's just deliver as many of these kids as we can before then." Aurora said. "Some of these planets'll take us out of Galaxia for delivery. Let's get on it, team."

Caesar's Lab

"YOU SCATTER-BRAINED SACK OF GASEOUS STUPID JUICE!" yelled Mom as she smacked and forcefully grabbed Caesar's cheek. "You gave me a lousy Devil Fruit!"

"Owwww! I told you the Neanderthal Fruit was still experimental! I didn't have enough time to put in the special abilities before you rushed me!"

"I'LL RUSH YOUR FACE!"

"Oooow!" Another smack.

"Oh, leave him alone, Carol." Tachyon ordered as he stomped over on his walking throne. "Vendra just called and reported that Nebula was on Endor. She found a Space Rift and acquired one of her lost powers. She must be aiming to recover her spacebending and destroy me! We have to step up our forces and-" The small monitor on Tachyon's throne started ringing.

"PERCIVAAAAL!" Trunchbull's furious image appeared. "One of your feeble fish-men brought a bunch of renegade hooligans to my school and escaped with over FIFTY of my students!"

"What?! Tell me, were they Sector V by any chance?"

"Sector V, Sector W, I don't know what the hell letter they belong to, all I know is THEY'RE CUTTING MY CLASSES!"

"Oh, just settle down, we'll get your kids back. If they rescued a bunch of alien kids, they'll likely be aiming to drop them off on their respective planets. We'll send troops and try to secure the atmosphere around-"

"Emperor." The Drophyd Leader marched in. "One of our ships just picked up an uncharted frequency, coming from one of our own. We tracked the source heading for Galaxia's border."

"It must be them! Perfect! Send some troopers to ambush them, and have Star Wolf accompany. Meanwhile, we need to refocus our efforts on taking the Dimensional Fragment from Legola. It seems Lord Business hasn't decided my proposal."

"He is one of the Corporate Presidents, he won't abide easy." Drophyd Leader said.

"Not exactly." Mom smirked. "The truth is, he is only an honorary member. At the moment, he's too small-time to be full-fledged, and none of the others take him seriously. If he doesn't give us the fragment, we'll waste him easy."

"I should hope so." Tachyon said. "It seems Nebula has caught wind of the artifact in the Space Junk. She'll be off to Legola soon…"

Great Clock

It was nighttime on Great Clock (time was confusing in space), and the King Family was asleep. But once again, MaKayla shot awake, eyes glowing their mysterious blue. Still in her pajamas, she got up, took her father's Chrono Staff, and was off to the Planet Rooms.

In Sector 3 of the station, MaKayla climbed to a hologram of Planet Legola. She conjured the Time Gate and entered to the past.

Planet Legola; 8 ½ years ago

MaKayla appeared in a hallway of the Octan Tower, hiding behind a corner as some Lego Troopers marched down an intersecting hall. "Hey, did you hear about that weapon Lord Business was making?"

"Yeah, he found one of those treasures in the Ancient Underground and now he's making something outta it. Something that'll take his business to a 'whole new level.'"

"I'm sure that'll go well." He said sarcastically.

"Yeah, and apparently he's got the one item that can stop his weapon, which he's planning to toss off the Edge of the Universe."

"Ahh. Speakin' of which, who builds an infinity-foot high building next to a black hole?"

"I dunno."

MaKayla watched them leave and looked curiously. As she walked forward, the hard, lumpy substance that made up the Lego World's ground was rough on her feet. "Earthbenders should never come here…" (Play the "Big Bullet Brigade" from Mario 3-D World.)

Stage 11: Octan Tower

Mission: Obtain the Piece of Resistance from Lord Business.

MaKayla passed the hallway and peeked into a large room where Lego Troopers were grouped in perfect rows. Some marched left, some marched right, but they all gathered at the center before splitting. MaKayla had to run forward while they were split, jumping behind two short walls to evade their vision. She ran further when the next half turned, making it onto a set of large stairs. One of the stairs was too high to jump to, and two soldiers were marching beneath it. She waited 'til they were turned from her before throwing a Time Bomb, slowing them down, and jumping off their heads to reach that floor.

She turned left to a short hall of rapid-blinking, colorful floor panels, with some kind of generator in the center. She threw a Time Bomb at that generator, and a particular trail of red panels appeared at where she stood, while all the others were orange. She got on, and the panels changed red as they moved along, but a panel at the start reverted to orange as a result. She carefully stayed on this path as it went random directions, but was able to make it across, anyway.

She reached an outside balcony, overlooking the dark, stormy expanse as a spiraling black hole loomed deep below. MaKayla followed the path on the building's side, stepping on a switch that made a platform float up to a higher path. However, it only stayed up when she stood on the switch, and it came down when she got off. So she had to use Time Recordance to have a clone stand on the switch, while she got on the platform and rode up.

She hid behind a metal crate before a thin bridge where duos of soldiers marched back-and-forth. Individual pairs marched opposite ways, so MaKayla wouldn't hide from them well. The sides of the bridge had red lasers for railing, but the left side seemed to originate from the wall. When the first line of soldiers was turned, she pushed the block left, then forward to block the lasers' path. With that, she was able to grab a metal beam just below the ledge, holding tight as she grappled under and across the walkway. "So I told Business, forget health insurance, forget coffee breaks, I JUST want a decent railing!" a soldier stated.

"I know, I almost touched those lasers so many times!"

"Yeah, and what's he got us for if he has though deathtraps, anyhow?"

"I mean, what's the harm if we lean too much, anyway?"

"Siiigh, those business guys."

MaKayla climbed back up once on the other side, then had to push another metal block below a high ledge, allowing her to climb up. A group of Lego Spinners, Bladed Spinners made of Legos, led across to the next platform, which was back over the way she came from. She slowed the Spinners with a Time Bomb to jump them more safely, and once at the platform, she had to grapple across a small ledge. Lego Snapdragons tried to gnash her, but she whacked them with her staff, breaking their Legos as they fell into the abyss.

MaKayla reached the next platform and entered the building again. She was on a walkway over a pit of Lego-lava, and in the room's center was a platform surrounded by lasers, protecting a huge bottle labeled Kragle. She went up some stairs to the second-floor walkway, where some Fly Guys, Shy Guys with propellers, held giant brooms and swept across the path, aiming to sweep intruders off. MaKayla dodged the brooms carefully as she crossed the bridge, then went up more stairs to the next room.

She was in another room of flashing panels. She threw a Time Bomb at the generator, and the trail she had to follow blinked red for a few seconds before becoming orange. She stepped across the first panels carefully, but was very nervous about stepping on the wrong ones. However, when she looked closely, the right panels were a faint shade of red, so she walked across them quickly before the Time Bomb stopped. She made it across and went up some stairs to the next floor, reaching a room of businessmen on many terminals.

Business's henchman, Bad Cop was marching down the center aisle, and when his back turned, MaKayla simply hid in between the terminals, since the businessmen were too focused on their work. She managed to get past the cop and entered the chamber of Lord Business. The evil businessman himself held a large, red rectangular block known as the Piece of Resistance, pacing back-and-forth before the chasm on his giant legs. (End song.)

"Ugh, those stupid kids using my precious Legos as their little toys." He said to himself. "Well, not anymore! The Kragle will soon change ALL of that! Ugh, but it's been out of use for so long, it's lost its touch. I know something that'll help me power it… but I'll need to find it first. Once it's ready, I can finally keep my Lego sets together and still, and the Corporate Presidents may finally accept me as one of their own! And if THIS is never seen again," he raised the Piece of Resistance, "there will be NOTHING that can stop me! Have fun spinning in infinite nothingness, AHHH hahahahaha!" The moment he tossed the block into the chasm, MaKayla tossed a Time Bomb and slowed him down, dashing past and jumping after the block.

MaKayla dove fast and grabbed the Piece of Resistance, clutching tight as the wind rushed past while she fell. She calmly focused her energy, and just seconds before vanishing in the black hole, she vanished in a time-warp.

Great Clock

MaKayla reappeared in the Planet Room, rubbing her sore feet after the arduous trek across the Lego grounds. "You are not yet finished." Clockwork reminded her. "You must make one more trip to deliver the piece to one who will use it."

"Yeah, I know… hoo, all this time-jumping is making me nauseous." With that, she was on her way to another planet projector. From a nearby doorway, Jagar watched his daughter with worry. It seems his suspicions were true…

Sargasso Space Station

The Ruffians and Star Wolf were gearing up their spacecraft to take off when John Fett hurried up to his team. "Just got a call from the Emp.. He wants us to go with the Drophyds after a renegade transport ship."

"But Vendra ordered us to go after Nebula." Aurorra said. "What should we do?"

"I'd rather go with Vendra's mission." Daddy said. "She and her brother are so hot-headed."

"Well, Tachyon is the one who's ultimately paying us." John replied. "Hmm… Why don't we send him after those kids?"

"HIM?" Aurorra questioned. "That guy can barely catch a cat in his own litter box."

"Hey, he's still got the goods. Look, we'll have him go with the Drophyds and get the kids, the rest of us'll go and grab Nebula, then BOTH of them can be happy. I'll go get 'im."

John walked to a higher floor and entered a small room, where a mysterious man sat in the shadows. "Whoa, Baby… save the spotlights for later." He spoke with a smooth voice.

"In your dreams. Listen, new guy, we got a job for you."

"A job, you say? Well, who am I to disappoint my fans."

"Yeah, yeah. Couple-a snot-nosed kids escaped with a bunch MORE snot-nosed kids, and you gotta stop them from gettin' to their planets."

"I see. Well…" He stepped out of the shadows. He was a thin, early-20s man with a sleek, black pompadour, white spacesuit, and gorgeous black eyes. "That's just dandy."