Operation: NECSUS, Part 11: Just Business

Chapter 11: Just Business

Shooting Star

Nebula and Vweeb were back in space with their new partner, Bender. The robot sat in the backseat, having to bend over since he was too tall for this kid-size spacecraft. "Maaaan, couldn't you make more adjustable seating?!"

"Well, it was never meant to carry adults to begin with." Nebula stated. "Adults of your height, anyhow…"

"Lucky I didn't need that seat!" Vweeb remarked.

"Man, if I knew I had to sit like this, I'd've sat on the roof! And why can't I smoke in here, again?"

"Because some lifeforms have lungs, and therefore need to breathe." Nebula stated.

"Can't you just open a window?"

"As much as I love open space, again, we need oxygen."

"Mmmeh-meh, I don't even NEED, mmm-mm, oxygen." Bender mumbled angrily.

"Wouldn't you LIKE being bent over?" Vweeb asked.

"NORMALLY, but when I don't have a comfy SEAT, it gets a little unpleasant! What's under this seat, anyway?" He wobbled in his seat as he glanced underneath. He reached under and pulled out a strange, red, rectangular block. "What the heck is this?"

Nebula turned back. "Hmm… good question. What's something like that doing there?"

"You think Pollyx's son left it?" Vweeb asked.

"We'll ask him after we land on Legola."

"Hey! Guys! Before we go there," Bender spoke up, "I wanna make a stop at the Hip Joint! I scheduled a date with a couple-a floozies, r-r-r-r-rowl."

"The Hip Joint?" Neb asked. "Do they even let kids in there?"

"What, they got juice. You meatbags drink that stuff, right?"

"Either way, I'm not good at parties." Vweeb said. "My view of a party: a bunch of giant feet stomping everywhere on anything aimlessly."

"Well, a drink wouldn't hurt." Nebula figured. "Let's just drop by and refuel."

Great Clock

George King sat in bed with his covers half-over as he half-tiredly watched the TV in their room. "Ohhhh…" He looked as MaKayla slouched in, dragging her feet and looking more tired than ever.

"MaKayla? Where were you this time?"

"Can't talk… must get sleep." With that, she fell and plopped on her bed, not bothering to put covers over her.

As George looked confusedly, he noticed a bunch of little circles dented on the bottoms of her feet. "What happened to your feet?"

"Huuuuh… Legola… bad floors… needs… remodeling." And she was soon fast asleep.

… George became more and more suspicious.

The Hip Joint

The Shooting Star landed on the parking lot of a nightclub adrift in the middle of space. The place was lively as aliens danced about crazily, with Bender dancing with some fembots. Nebula and Vweeb sat at the counter (well, Vweeb stood on it), laying the mysterious block on the counter as Nebula raised her communicator to it. A few seats down, a Togruta woman was talking with a floating ball of energy. "Look, it's not you, it's just, I'm looking for someone with a little more substance."

"I understand. One day, you will evolve beyond your physical being. When that time comes… I hope you will pick up the phone." The energy ball floated away.

"Hmm, that is an interesting object." Pollyx responded as he studied the block. "Judging by its structure, it looks like something from Planet Legola. I'm not sure why my son would have it, or why he'd hide it under your seat."

"Well, that is where we were headed." Nebula replied. "And it was under the backseat, which me and Vweeb had no reason for using until Bender came. It's really interesting…"

"First someone sends a note to Sector W7 to come help you, now this? Ahhhh, the mystery deepens. However, I believe I have an idea what this particular piece is: I heard a rumor that, 8 years ago, the ruler of Legola, Lord Business, was developing some kind of weapon, and there was only one object that could destroy it. He was said to have thrown that object down the 'Edge of the Universe.' How in the world would it end up in the Shooting Star?"

"If it's used for stopping a weapon, it may be a good idea to keep it. Anyway, we're gonna relax at this club for a short while before setting off to Legola. Keep you posted."

"Careful what you drink, now!" They hung up.

"Here's your juice, Honey." A fembot said as she placed a glass of juice on the counter. Nebula bent the thin straw and began to lightly sip it. She then picked the straw up in her mouth, held it above the counter, and let a few drops of juice drop so that Vweeb could drink them. "So… on a space journey, huh?" the fembot asked smoothly. "That sounds a little too much for a couple of kids. Let alone a little Kateenian like you."

Vweeb looked up and spoke proudly, "Well, I'm not just Kateenian: I'm half-Glomourian! The strength of a thousand proud warriors runs in my veins!"

"Mmm HM HM hm hm! Half-GLOMOURIAN? Then someone forgot to update my software!" She laughed hysterically and walked away.

"The heck's her problem?" Vweeb asked, offended.

Bender came to sit by them, blowing a cigar and holding an armful of beer. "Ahhh, nothing like a post-reactivation dance with a group of bimbos to get the motors runnin'. Well, that called for a drink!" He began chugging down one of his beers.

"Why does a robot need to drink?" Vweeb asked.

"I don't NEED to drink! I can quit whenever I want! Nah, actually I do. I use alcohol to charge my fuel cells. Without it, I'd go completely numb. When those Killbots were chasing me, I took cover in that shed, and I was able to survive their round of bullets, before one of them said something that made 'em kill each other. But by that time, my beer gauge was worn out from running, so I got stuck."

"But what're the cigars for?"

"They make me look cool." Bender blew a smoke. "So'd you find out what's with that seat-bump?"

"It's something from Legola, apparently, and it's used to destroy a weapon. Either way… we should probably be off now. You done partying?"

"Yeah, Ah'm meetin' up at Hedonismbot's later. So le's GET AWN to Legola! It gon' be fun on a bun!"

But screams erupted around the nightclub when space-pirates flew in through the windows. "AHA! AVAST ye, scurvy dancerats!" Captain Slag exclaimed. "Where be the duo of the Cruella-haired and robot of smoky mouth… AHA!" He jabbed his hook hand toward Nebula and Bender. "Ye mangy worms be makin' fools of me loyal mateys! Now Ay BELIEVE ye owe me something, ya trash-robbin' dogs!"

"Bender! Did you take the artifact? ?" Nebula questioned.

Bender took it out and said, "Yeah, but I can explain! It's really valuable!"

Nebula swiped it and said, "Look, you can have it, we don't need it." then tossed it to Slag.

"Pah." He tossed it aside. "Ay have no need for that sorry saw-proof pyramid. Thar be plenty more out there, and Ay'll have the one who can translate 'em!" He pointed at Nebula, who looked surprised. "With yer knowledge on the topic, I'll no doubt find the Dimensionator, and sail the briny stars like never befarrr!"

"Lads: take the Zathurian and (hiccup) lock 'er down under!" Rusty Pete commanded.

The three heroes bunched together as the pirates closed in, swords ready. "Don't worry, guys: I got a plan." Bender spoke. "Ah-he-hem: HEY, LOOK! The Dimensionator!"

"Warr?? WHERE?" Slag and the others looked that way. "I don't see it!"

"Bonkers, Cap'n! The Dimensionator isn't built yet (hiccup)!" Pete yelled.

"Well, slip me an olive, Rusty Pete. If it not be there, then where be-" When they turned back, the three were gone. "AHHH! Davy Jarg's beard! I've been bamboozled!"

The three hopped in the Shooting Star and sped away as the space-pirates chased in their small ships.

A few parsecs away (however space-travel is measured)

"You sure we're in the right place?" Aurorra asked as the three Star Wolf members flew across space in their Wolfens, alongside a squad of Ruffian ships.

"Sure I'm sure." John said. "This route lies between Space Junk and Legola, so they gotta be comin' through here. 'Fact, that nightclub's on this path, too, we oughta stop. …Ahh, see, here they come now!"

Just a short distance away, the Shooting Star was flying right to them. "Hey, Nebula! It's Star Wolf!" Vweeb pointed.

"Perfect." Neb smirked.

"Alright, brats, you want this to go easy, stop the ship right now or-" But the kids zipped past them, ignoring John's request.

"Byyye!" Neb cheered.

Star Wolf faced forward again, gasping as the pirates were coming, and both fleets stopped in place. "Arrr, outta the way ye bounty huntin' buffoons, and let us capture our prey!" Slag demanded.

"Hey, anyone's gettin' that prey, it's us, now BACK off you drunk clams." John retorted.

"Oi, if it's a tussle ye be wantin', a tussle ye shall get! Up them dukes, wily apes, and let's have a fair go at space-fisticuffs!"

"Ugh… this pirate-talk bugs the crap outta me. All right, let's do this."

Legola; Octan Tower

Lord Business stepped off his giant mech-legs and stepped out onto the balcony of his infinite-floor building. A ship hovered by as Mom stood on its balcony. "This better be important, Carol. Business don't have time to waste."

"You know what I came for, you Simpson-faced shrimphead." Mom retorted. "Give me the Dimensional Fragment and we'll lift that embargo on your planet."

"Afraid not, Mom. I've got important business with that fragment. After nearly 8 ½ years, the Kragle is finally ready to be unleashed into the world! Once it's put into action, the Corporate Presidents will finally see what potential I bring!"

"HA HA hahahahahaha! Bring whatever potential you want, Business, but you'll always be nothing more than an honorary member. And as any corporate head would know, that's the WORST kind of membership! No matter… I'll let you have your fun with it. But 'soon as your little experiment fails, I'M COMING for the fragment!" Her ship flew away.

"Grrrr." Business grumbled with hate as he went into his lab, where Sector DR sat around boredly. Doflamingo was kicked back in a chair and Sugar ate grapes off her fingers.

"You ain't the only one that don't got time to wait." Doffy stated. "We got business, too."

"I'll get your supplies, but first, how 'bout stayin' to watch me demonstrate my new weapon?" Business smirked.

"I'm always up for a new weapon!" Sweetie perked.

"Ring it up, Bad Cop!"

"Mmm." Bad Cop pressed a remote, making the floor open as a machine rose up. The Dimensional Fragment was in a dome at the top, and was channeling energy inside the device, and lodged in the center was the giant bottle of glue known as the Kragle. Business turned and aimed it out the window, skimming the earth for a target.

"Let's see… that new house seems like a good test. Lock on target… ready… FIRE!" The machine brimmed a dark pink before unleashing a mighty blast of glue.

Down below

The glue completely covered a two-story white house made of Legos, where Cleveland Brown was currently taking a bath. The glue seeped into the house as well, and Cleveland was unable to get out of his bathtub. "Well then… this is a good bowl of irony."

Octan Tower

"HA ha haaa! It works! Using the gravity powers encased in the Dimensional Fragment, I've increased the stickability of the Krazy Glue! Now all of my precious Legos will stick together perfectly, and all the chaos and distortion of this planet will be eliminated! And after you rescue this employee of yours, you can put in the good word to your dad!" He said to Doflamingo.

"Yeah… I'm sure he'll love it a lot. He'll also love it if I get this person back, so until I do…"

"Right right, of course." Business nodded. "I'll ready your supplies right away. After all… Business keeps no one waiting." He smirked deviously. "…Except customers. We make 'em wait all the time."

Outside Legola's atmosphere

The team of three were finally approaching the colorful planet made of blocks. "Oh yeah, I remember this place." Bender said. "It's where I got the pieces to make my graffiti. You know, I always wondered, how'd this planet get MADE, anyway? It's just a bunch of blocks stuck together, right?"

"Maybe their god did it." Vweeb assumed.

"I heard this planet was actually pretty spirited." Nebula said. "So hearing about a weapon, sounds kinda weird. But considering their skill as craftsmen, it's not impossible. Let's land and see what they know about this piece."

They took land in an open area a few yards away from a construction site. They stepped out, viewing the block-made expanse. (Play "Everything is Awesome!" from the Lego Movie!)

The city was flowing with little, happy yellow-skinned people, each seemingly on a set path as this song echoed across the city. The people at the construction site were happily building a brick wall, only to destroy it with a wrecking ball and build it again. Either way, the people of this planet seemed amazingly happy.

"Man, what's with all the mini Flanders'?" Bender asked.

"Hm hm hm." Nebula chuckled. "I heard this planet's always so lively. I guess you could expect it, since they're all a bunch of toys. But where to start looking for the fragment…"

"You wanted to ask 'em about this piece too, right?" Bender asked as he took out the Piece of Resistance. "Let's do that and maybe we can find somethin'." With that, he walked up to a random nearby cop and asked, "'ey, you. You know anything 'bout what this thing is for?"

He gasped with fright. "The Piece of Resistance!"

In seconds, the three were surrounded by cop cars speeding into the area. "Freeze. For trying to defy the President Business, you three are under arrest."

"Eyaaah!" The three immediately bolted. "I take it they aren't happy to see this thing!" Vweeb yelled.

"Should we tell them we come in peace??" Nebula asked.

"It's too late!" Bender yelled. "Just RUN FOR IT!"

Stage 12: Lego City

Mission: Find the Dimensional Fragment.

Act 1

Neb, Vweeb, and Bender hurried to the construction site, going up a stairway of bricks that led to a hanging metal (Lego) beam, hanging from a crane. The crane lifted them to a level on the scaffolding, so they began to cross when a wrecking ball swung by and destroyed part of the path. Nebula easily floated the gap while Bender stretched across. They made a left turn and encountered two Lego Cops, who jumped on either side of them respectively. Bender wrapped an arm around the scaffold under the left cop and bent it up, flinging him over to the other cop and making both fall.

They couldn't continue on this scaffold, so Bender stretched across and made a bridge to the second one. His friends crossed as Bender pulled over, and the group had to Wall Jump off a left vertical beam to reach the higher walkway. As they walked around, Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to knock down Lego Cops ahead. They reached a row of G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. targets that Nebula swung across to grab a Laser Wisp in its capsule. "LASER!" She zapped to the first Cyan Diamond and ricocheted all around the park before bursting through a huge, brick Lego wall. They had a view of the city ahead as Bender hurried over to them, panting. "Man, what kinda little girl are you?"

"With great responsibility comes great power." She remarked.

As they hurried to the city, another swarm of cop cars swerved in their path as cops jumped out. They shot small guns, but Bender twisted some of their heads backwards, so when they turned to face the main group, they fired in the opposite direction, shooting their allies. Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to knock them around while Vweeb climbed on them to shoot the parts where their limbs connected, making the Legos fall apart.

They made it to the vibrant Lego City, where the first road was blocked by construction, so they took a stairway along a left building to reach an outdoor café. Across the next street was a Gravity Space on the side of the parallel building, so Nebula channeled her energy to jump over. "Who-o-o-o-o-oa!" Bender moaned as he floated over as well, being close to Nebula. "Careful where you do that, I might drop my wallets!"

They walked up and landed on the building's outer walkway, where a squad of Groove Guys, Shy Guys in dancer uniforms, flew up and started twirling. A group of Medi Guys, Shy Guys in floating heart-pods with a needle at the bottom, floated above them. The Groove Guys swiftly dodged Nebula's S.H.O.O.T.E.R., spinning to and whacking her as she became dizzy as a result. They tried to hit Bender, but he jumped and began to tap-dance on some of their heads, eventually knocking them down. "Tap-dancing was my 10th hobby! And I dance on all my rivals' graves! Which results in the friction restarting their hearts and bringing them back to life, so…"

The Medi Guys knocked Bender away and stuck their needles in the Groove Guys, healing them. "They won't need your tap-dancing for that." Nebula stated. "Take out those flying ones."

"No one steals Bender's biz!" With that, the robot stretched to grab a floating pod and swing it into the others. He then used the Medi Guy as a bowling ball to knock the Groove Guys over, leaving Nebula to toss grenades and blast them away. The three went up some stairs, reaching a dead end, but another Grav-Path stretched buildings on the right side of the street. Bender stood close to Nebula so she could make them all float onto the path.

Some parts of the path listed left and right, so they had to cross carefully and not slip off. The path made a lot of zigzaggy turns, but Fly Guys were swooping across to try and push them off. They were able to evade the Shy Guys and drop onto a higher walkway. The Fly Guys still tried to push them, but Bender simply grabbed their propellers, bent them upward, and caused them to plummet. They reached a balcony where more Lego Cops came up, and floating over the ledge was a Legocopter. Nebula tossed grenades at the helicopter while Bender grabbed the cops and chucked them at the propeller.

It took a few more grenades until the Legocopter fell to pieces, and Bender tossed the last of the cops over the edge. There were Lego hovercars flying by, and in-between their routes were Space Lights, which Nebula formed into blocks. They jumped the blocks and had to ride the cars over a short distance to reach other Space Blocks, before finally jumping off on another building's walkway. They hurried to the edge of a balcony, where a track of three parallel rails stretched before them, sloping downward. But before they hopped on, there was a 20x40 booth on the left of the balcony.

"Heya, Slim! Enjoyin' your time on Legola? Make yourself a couple-a weapons why don'tcha! 'Course, just know, flabby blocks'll only get ya so far. Buy the new S.P.O.U.T. and send yer enemies sky-high! The Dibble Dops'll get a real squirt outta this one! Only 4000 Bolts!"

Nebula paid the money and acquired a high-tech squirt-gun.

Galactic Kids Next Door: S.P.O.U.T.

Shoots Powerful Oquatic Upping Terrorizers

With their new weapon acquired, Nebula and Bender began to grind across the rails. The rails were broken ahead, but a bunch of Lego carpenters were speedily fixing the rails as the group moved. They had to watch for and jump random gaps the carpenters decided to leave, and had to jump between rails when the carpenters chose to leave big chunks in other rails. They were finally grinding on whole, fixed rails again as the skies became stormy, and they were grinding above the vast Blue Block Sea. (Play "Twilight Falls Fighting" from Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon.)

Lego naval ships blasted cannonballs and destroyed chunks of the rails, once again forcing them to jump between. They eventually decided to unleash a massive cannonball that destroyed the rails completely, scattering them into the sea. Nebula and Bender dropped down, but still grinded the rails as they floated along the rising/sinking waves. It became harder to jump since the rails weren't aimed at each other, and also floated off course, but as they were nearing some floating islands, they slipped and fell into the sea.

Nebula quickly grabbed Vweeb as they resurfaced, and Bender was a little confused by this water. "'ey, if this water's made of Legos, how're we still floating?"

Nebula scooped some water in her hand and studied it. "Even though it's made of Legos, it's as liquid as normal water. The structure of this planet is unreal…"

They climbed onto the first island as the naval ships launched Pyro Guys over, Shy Guys made of fire. Bender tried to punch them, but his fists went right through their fire, and they piled on him to overheat his body. Nebula used her S.P.O.U.T. to blast waterballs that exploded into geysers of water, propelling the Pyro Guys upward. The water doused their flames as a result, and they were knocked out. A bunch of buoys with bells emerged from below the water, floating as the group used them as platforms to cross to other islands.

Lego Pirates jumped out from below the sea, wielding swords as they tossed them like boomerangs. Bender grabbed a sword and bent it like a boomerang before he threw it to bounce around their heads. Nebula fired her S.P.O.U.T. and sprung the pirates upwards, leaving them vulnerable so she could toss N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s and defeat them. More buoys emerged across the sea, but as they began to jump across, naval ships blasted cannonballs to destroy the ringing platforms. The bells signified the emerging buoys, and many bells could be heard, as even larger buoys emerged off their path. One of those larger buoys had a flag with a Bender Marking, so Nebula quickly snapped its picture before jumping ahead. "Hehehehehehe!"

At the end of the line of buoys, Nebula grabbed a capsule containing a Crimson Wisp that looked like an eagle. As it flew inside her, she was a little surprised. "I've never seen this kind of Wisp before…"

"I've never seen anyone look great as me: Bender!"

"Well, can you try it out NOW??" Vweeb yelled as the cannonballs were drawing closer.

"No time like the present. EAGLE!" In a flash, Nebula turned into a Crimson Eagle, which Bender and Vweeb rode upon as they soared across the sea. More naval ships fired at them, creating large geysers as they splashed in the water. They navigated around the geysers, but Sky Guys (Shy Guys on balloons) floated out from behind and blasted shotguns at them. Nebula dodged the guns and sliced their balloons with her eagle wings, letting them plummet to the sea.

The Color Power began to wear off as they were flying to a Lego pirate ship. Nebula floated down onto its deck as she reverted to normal. "Hooo… Man, if I wanna find a good workout coach, I WON'T go to you kids!" Bender remarked as he blew a smoke.

"We've been getting more than our share of exercise ourselves." Nebula said.

"OHO! Avast ye, scurvy dogs!" yelled some Lego Pirates as they approached with swords raised.

"Man, don't these guys have anything better to- Ow!" Bender was hit by a pirate's sword from behind, causing the Piece of Resistance to fall from his compartment.

"OHH?" The pirates stared in shock.

"Well, what be this, now?" The pirates stepped aside as their captain approached: a tall, muscular Legoan made up of many pieces, like a treasure chest for his chest, cannons on his left arm, Lego shark on his right arm, and a metal beard.

"Whoa. 'See I'm not the only one who just got back from the scrap heap." Bender remarked.

"Arrr, pray tell, what business have ye with that particular trinket?" He pointed at the rectangular block.

"What business have ye in questioning our business… of owning things??" Vweeb shot back.

"Who are you?" Nebula asked simply.

"Arrrr. I be Captain Metalbeard. Scurviest pirate ever ta sail the Seven Seas. From the Blue Block Sea, the Red Block Sea… they also got a Magenta Block Sea now. Do not be mistaken, for I once had a body of my own, one that conquered the high seas. But alas, it were taken from me by Lord Business, and Ay was forced to make a new body from scratch. And now, he be makin' his new weapon, and we pirates will be helpless before him. But soft, with that sacred piece, our freedom shall prevail!"

"What's this weapon?"

"Arrr, it be a dreaded device called the Kragle. One of many ancient weapons deep within the Ancient Underground. It contain a mighty substance that stick our feet to the ground ferever, and nothing drenched in its sticky figure are likely to move again. We had always believed the Piece o' Resistance, the one gem that could stop it, was lost to the universe. How do you kids be havin' it?"

"We… don't really know ourselves." Nebula answered. "But we would like to stop this weapon if he's threatening people with it. Where does Lord Business live?"

"Arrr. He dwell on the infinity-ith floor of his Octan Tower, which rest on an island in the middle of the Blue Block Sea. Ay will sail ye there… but be warned. His tower be treacherous, with many floors of fear. There be lasers. Sharks. Laser-SHARKS. Laser-sharks with chainsaws. And a chainsaw who's trained a little pet shark named LASSIE."

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" Vweeb screamed in fright.

"We'll have to take our chances." Nebula stated. "We think Lord Business has something of ours, too. Just sail us to the island and we'll take it from there."

"Vary well. It be your funeral, Lassie. Oh, but I have a warning for ye: when the Piece of Resistance seals the Kragle, an explosion may erupt. Be careful when the time comes…"

The crew sailed to the stormiest part of the sea, where a building of immeasurable height stretched miles above dark, spiraling clouds. "…WELL-P, see you kids when you get back." Bender stated. "I don't do stairs."

"Hey, your legs are good and flexible! I'm the little guy here!" Vweeb yelled.

"Hard to believe we didn't see that from the atmosphere." Nebula said.

"Arrr, that tower may take many a year to trek." Metalbeard said. "Ayyy… but I am sure you'll make it. And we'll be supporting ya!" Before they realized, the three heroes were on the island, and the pirates were miles away across the sea. "From over here!"

"YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF COWARDS!" Neb and Vweeb screamed. (Play "Big Bullet Brigade" from Mario 3-D World!)

Act 2: Octan Tower

There were soldiers marching within the lobby, and a Legoan working the reception desk. When they spotted the trio coming, they directed against them, and the receptionist whipped out his own missile-launcher. Bender whipped his arms over to bend their shotguns and Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to slice the components of the missile gun. Vweeb's Stun ray had no effect against the toy people, but his normal ray gun could burn their legs and make them stumble. When the enemies were dealt with in this area, Bender reached under the reception desk and found an elevator key. They used it to open the elevator at the end of the passage, traveling up the next floor.

This floor had a pool of water, and indeed, sharks with chainsaws swam around. The sharks wasted no time in destroying the bridge leading to the passage in the corner, letting Lego pieces float around the surface. When sharks peeped up and looked for prey, Bender stretched his arms and punched them, knocking them out long enough for Vweeb to jump across the small Legos. He made it to a tiny opening in the opposite wall, going inside to pull the switch. The others noticed the openings where the sharks came out sealed, and Grav Spaces appeared on them. Bender stretched an arm to Vweeb's area to let him get on his hand and bring him over.

Nebula used her bending to make the group float onto the individual Grav Spaces, aiming their position carefully since they were touching the water. They moved Gravity Spaces quickly before the sharks could bite them. The spaces were on higher points when they got to the narrow passage. Sharks were still jumping up and slashing chainsaws, so they had to jump spaces quickly. The passage turned left and became more narrow, where red lasers skimmed either left-and-right or up-and-down. Nebula floated them to Grav Spaces, timing their jumps so they can avoid the close lasers, then landing them on the foothold at the end.

They rode up another elevator, stopping at a floor of spikes. Shy Guys on stilts (Stilt Guys) walked around and shot slingshots at them, but Nebula used Bender as a shield. "Can your feet survive spikes?" Nebula asked.

"Sure, what's your point?" Bender asked.

"Your new hobby is stilts!" Nebula hopped over Bender's "shoulders."

"Aliope!" Bender stretched his legs higher and began to wobble across the spiked floor. On Nebula's shoulder, Vweeb countered the Shy Guys with his Stun gun, and once the enemies were dealt with, Bender stepped onto one of the slightly higher spiked floors. A spiked platform lowered down in the middle of the room, and Bender was able to extend a leg over, step on it, then the other leg flew over, resulting in a sudden spin as the kids almost lost balance. They patiently rode the platform upward, and Bender stepped over on a walkway going up the wall.

The robot stepped up a winding staircase and was forced to jump barrels that a Shy Guy was throwing down. The Shy Guy was standing on a flat floor at the top, so Bender happily kicked him off before letting his friends climb off and rest. "Sigh… Oh, beer!" He found a bottle laying on the floor and decided to drink, refueling himself. "Okay, let's go!" Nebula climbed on as Bender stretched his legs and stepped onto a circular spiked platform. This platform threatened to flip over before its descent down, so Bender quickly stepped on the next one. From there, he stepped onto the path through a spike-floored hallway, where horizontal lasers flew down from the opposite end.

Bender stepped over the low lasers, but had to bend back and dodged the higher ones, with Neb and Vweeb barely holding onto him. He thankfully made it to the safe floor at the end, where they got into an elevator. The next floor had a pit of Lego lava, with a walkway leading up and around the room. Fly Guys were sweeping large brooms over areas, so the kids took care to avoid them on their ascent. However, they heard a bubbling sound, and the lava began to rise. They rushed up this winding walkway, and were safe from the Fly Guys on a stable floor.

Nebula launched a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. target to pull herself up to a higher ledge, followed by Bender, then she floated them onto a winding Grav Path that led higher. Pieces of the wall with the Grav Path fell off, so Nebula had to float them over the gaps. There was a dead end at the top of this Grav Path, but Nebula saw Space Lights and formed blocks over them. Her group quickly began to jump up these blocks, but the rest were too high to reach. Nebula saw Grav Spaces on them and floated her friends up, making the moves quickly as the lava's speed was increasing. When the rising suddenly increased 10-fold, Bender grabbed Nebula, reached up to a platform up top, and pulled them all up, inches away from the lava before it stopped on said platform.

"PHEW!" Nebula huffed. "I'm glad we let you join!"

"I'LL say!" Vweeb exclaimed, his tiny heart racing.

"Oh, friends, don't praise me." Bender said humbly. "Just pay me."

"Maybe later." Neb said. With that, they entered the elevator and proceeded upwards.

"This tower can't REALLY be infinity floors high, can it?" Vweeb asked.

"It has to have SOME kind of limit." Nebula replied. "We'll just have to go as high as we can."

Right as the elevator stopped and opened, a swarm of Lego Troopers had them surrounded, aiming weapons as the trio put their hands up (but Vweeb immediately took cover in Nebula's shirt). "FREEZE." Bad Cop ordered. "This is as high as you go. We're taking you… UP town. …Okay, then THAT'LL be as high as you go."

"Well, we're boned…" Bender distinctly knew. (End song.)

Octan Tower; hangar

Sector DR and a squad of Shy Guys boarded a large ship made of Legos (what else do they make things with) as Lord Business watched them. "There you go, a ship packed with all the essentials. Cloaking device, X-ray scanners, missiles, etc.. Good luck looking for this employee. And remember our deal."

"Yeah yeah, we'll do something 'bout this Tachyon guy." Doflamingo replied simply as the ship began to lift off. As they left the atmosphere, Doflamingo was kicked back in his captain's seat with a smooth smile. "I dun' care about this Tachyon guy. But if he gets in our way of rescuing Caesar, I may consider it."

After Sector DR left, Bad Cop came in. "Sir: We've just captured a girl and a robot trying to break in to the tower."

"Ahhh, this day gets better and better…" Business said as he walked up to his lab.

Nebula and Bender were handcuffed as Lord Business and his henchman walked into the lab. The Corporate President approached and curiously opened Bender's compartment, finding the Piece of Resistance. "Uhhh… that isn't mine, I'm holding it for a friend." The robot said.

"Well, well…" Business began, "I heard rumors that a little Zathurian child was flying around space, doing who-knows-what… Looking for the Dimensional Fragment, I assume?"

"Do you know where it is??" Nebula questioned.

"Know where it is?! It's the crown jewel of my success! Thanks to the energy from that fragment, Legola will enter a golden age of still, perfect order!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Allow me to explain: see, Legola is divided into many different regions of many different Lego-made citizens, and in those regions, the Master Builders have all kinds of different styles of building. Even in the capital Lego City, carpenters used to build buildings in impossible shapes. But everywhere you look, structures were taken apart to build new structures, and then THOSE were taken apart, and the people of Legola built and shaped things with seemingly NO sense of direction or thinking. That… was before I came along.

"I believed in a nice and orderly utopia where work flows smoothly and never strays from the main path. After I took over as President, I created a set, perfect schedule for the carpenters of the capital to follow. The other regions refused to accept my rule, so I blocked all access to them. But I still couldn't just let them roam and do whatever. I wanted to show my order and perfection to all parts of the universe. I created a franchise of Legos that adults could use to make blueprints for their own little experiments in the glorious field that is business. But instead, they chose to allow their snot-nosed little kids to play with them and whip up whatever silly ideas they had in their heads! The chaos only continued!

"And I couldn't send complete, fixed sets to customers without them falling apart on the way! No matter what, they were bound to fall apart! That's why… I sought the Kragle. Among many ancient treasures left by the Giants of Legola, the Kragle possesses significant power. The power to glue items or people and stick them perfectly in place! But after many experiments, its power didn't live up to expectations. It seems age took its toll on it as well. So… I sought the legendary Dimensional Fragment hidden near the planet's core. The fragment possesses incredible power and manipulation of gravity. By mixing its gravity powers with the supreme stickability of the glue, my Legos will never fall apart! I'll glue the citizens of Legola in the perfect positions, and my planet will be the most orderly of Galaxia! Kids will never be able to rearrange my products again, and businessmen everywhere can safely use them for their intended purpose!"

"That has to be the dumbest plan I ever heard!" Nebula yelled. "Legola is renowned for its imaginative citizens inspiring creativity all across the universe! Heck, legends say that even psychicbenders developed their powers by hearing of this planet. It was never meant to be an 'orderly' planet. It was always supposed to be shaped and sized every which way, because people get new ideas every day!"

"Please, nobody cares about 'new' and creative ideas. A planet can never survive without orderly utopias! I mean, no one gave a damn about my ideas, MY creativity. That's because, in a world of business, the only things that matter are money and order. And if the people of this planet continue with this chaos, Legola will ultimately fall to pieces! So, it is up to me… to SAVE this planet! Throw them into the vortex, Bad Cop. I'm getting ready for liftoff!" With that, the villain climbed onto his giant mech-legs and stomped away.

As soon as he was gone, Bad Cop quickly went over to uncuff Nebula and Bender. "There, now you're a spacebender, right? Just jump off and float safely onto a lower ledge of the building." He whispered. "And your bending robot can just stretch to grab one."

"What'm I, chopped memory cards??" Bender asked offended.

"Huh? Why're you helping us?" Nebula asked.

"Look, I signed up with Business 'cause my family needed the extra money, but he tested his Kragle on my parents and froze them solid. I kept working for him to find a way to shut it down. With you guys' help, I might finally have a chance. Just get back down to Metalbeard and he'll help you further; we're sort of in league."

"Readying detachment. In 3… 2… 1…"

"It's lifting off, hurry!" the cop yelled. Looking slightly hesitant, the three heroes ran and jumped toward the spiraling chasm. They saw a walkway partway down the tower, so Nebula quickly floated over while Bender stretched and grabbed it. Once safely on ground, the three looked up and watched as the top chunk of the tower detached itself from the building, taking off in the form of a block-shaped ship.

"That thing can fly??" Vweeb exclaimed.

"If it's made by Legoans, it can." Neb said. "Let's find an elevator and get down fast."

Bottom of the tower

Metalbeard's ship sailed by again as the three were dashing out of the tower's entrance. They quickly boarded the Lego-made vessel and began to sail after the aircraft. "Arrrr, we saw yonder tower come loose and feared ye were too late, aye?"

"Not exactly." Nebula replied. "But he took the Piece of Resistance, we have to go after them!"

"He likely be headin' to the town! He'll cross them one by one, until every region in Lego Land be still statues. Let us lose no waves, and shove off!"

Lego City

The block-shaped ship was soon hovering over the vibrant city as the Kragle, attached to its machine, emerged from the bottom of the vessel. "HA ha ha ha ha ha ha! Behold the Just Business! The ship that will be the end of all chaos! FIRE!"

The citizens cowered and screamed as the Kragle began firing everywhere, gluing citizens perfectly in place. "Ehhh… the 'Just Business'?" Bad Cop questioned.

"Yes. 'Just' as in 'justice.' As in, my business as of this moment… is delivering justice!" Business explained with a smile. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Eh… not really."

"Hmph. Well, then who needs you." Business frowned and looked away. As the man focused his sights on the citizens, Bad Cop stared hopefully out the window.

The Lego Pirates were finally approaching the city from the shore, watching the havoc caused by the Kragle. "How're we supposed to get up there, anyway?" Vweeb asked.

Nebula noticed the Grav-Path leading up one of the buildings. "Hold on tight, guys."

"Ehhh- eh-yayayayayaya!" Bender flailed his arms as Nebula made them float onto the building's side, making them stand sideways.

"Good on ya, lads! And bring peace to Legola… while we wait over here!" Metalbeard and his crew were miles across the ocean again.

"YOU GUYS DON'T HELP US MUCH AT ALL!" Neb and Vweeb yelled. (Play "Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser" from Mario Galaxy.)

Boss fight: Just Business

Nebula and Bender hurried up the Gravity Path as huge Lego pieces dropped down, threatening to push them off. Fly Guys also floated up and blew fireballs, but Nebula tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to chop off their propellers. They had to navigate the usual zigzaggy paths and sliding platforms before reaching the skyscraper rooftops. They began to jump the rooftops while Lego Troopers dropped down and fired guns, and even though the bullets were simple little blocks, they hurt like regular bullets.

Bender grabbed and bent their guns back to make them shoot their selves while Nebula used the S.P.O.U.T. and propelled them upward. The next building was farther across the street, and too high to jump to, so Bender stretched and made a bridge for them to cross up. Spy Guys, Shy Guys dressed in camouflage uniform, dropped down and charged at them with hammers. Vweeb jumped in their faces to blast their mask-eyes so Nebula could hit with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. When one tried to swing its hammer at Bender, the robot grabbed and threw him into a nearby crate, breaking it as a Crimson Wisp came out.

"EAGLE!" Nebula absorbed the power and began to fly after the Just Business with Vweeb and Bender on her back. The huge block ship blasted Lego energy beams that the trio had to dodge, along with Sky Guys wielding guns. They were only minor obstacles, and the three managed to reach the bottom where the Kragle was firing. Once they were by it, Bender began to bend the small pink cords that flowed the fragment's energy into the Kragle, causing the energy to spew out. The cords were strong, so it took a few seconds for him to bend. He was able to break 3 of the 9 cords before the Color Power wore off.

The three fell to a street below, with Nebula softening her landing by floating, leaving Bender to fall with a thud. "Ow." More Spy Guys dropped down, wielding slingshots with bombs this time, but the group decided to bypass them and head up a left stairway onto another outdoor café. Several Space Lights floated on the building's side, so Nebula conjured moving Space Blocks on all of them. The first one simply moved left-and-right, and the next two parallel ones required Nebula and Bender to Wall Jump as they floated upward. At the top, they jumped to a block spinning vertically, then to another left-and-right block.

The next set of Space Blocks floated over the street, and required Nebula to float her friends onto their Grav-Spaces. The platforms turned, so it was all a matter of waiting for the Grav-Spaces to appear so they could jump. The last block had another Crimson Eagle, so Nebula absorbed and began flying to the Lego ship. The Just Business fired more energy beams, but it also launched glue blasts from the Kragle. Sky Guys also flew in their way, but Nebula simply flew in front of them so the Kragle would blast them instead, making them fall.

They were once again under the superweapon so Bender could bend its energy cords, leaving only 3 left before the Color Power wore off. The three hurried in an alley between two buildings that were starting to fall, quickly Wall Jumping up them to reach the roofs, only to find the buildings were now half as tall as others. They climbed the rugged side of this next building, having to quickly as the wall was already beginning to collapse.

They reached the top of the building and discovered a capsule holding a Cyan Laser Wisp. There was a set of Cyan Diamonds floating over the street, and the Just Business was about to pass over the last one in the set. Nebula broke the Wisp free and absorbed the power, holding onto her two friends as they became a cyan laser. "LASER!!" As fast as lightning, the three zipped around the diamonds as a laser, with the last diamond shooting them directly at the Kragle and piercing through the bottom.

"AAAAAHH!" Lord Business happened to be in their line of fire, and was blown to the top of the ship with the three heroes. As Neb, Vweeb, and Bender landed, they watched as Lord Business got up on his huge metal legs. "Grrrrr!" He then caught the Kragle when it fell back down, still attached to the Dimensional Fragment as energy still flowed to the glue. "Kids can never be trusted to leave Legos where they are! Or die in a swirling vortex. It's time for you to STOP!"

Boss fight: Lord Business

The group dodged as Business blasted the Krazy Glue, running separate directions as Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s at the businessman. He took the hits before stomping to Nebula and attempting to jump and smash her, but she dodged and ran before Bender stretched over to grab Business's front. He was several feet away as he flung himself like a slingshot, but Business quickly kicked upward and sent him flying. Nebula fired the S.P.O.U.T., but the water geysers had no effect on Business's strong legs.

Nebula tossed more N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s as Business chased, but the man shot the shurikens with his Kragle and made them fall. Nebula ran around the field as the businessman chased, not noticing as Bender was running behind him. The robot stretched, grabbed his mech-legs, and launched himself again. Business growled and kicked backward to send Bender flying again, but the robot held onto the mech-legs and bent them back, causing Business to fall. Nebula hurried over and laid punches against the man, but Business jumped back up and kicked her away.

He stomped toward her again and fired the Kragle, but Nebula dodged and blasted more water geysers in his path with the S.P.O.U.T.. He merely chuckled at this, but Nebula also tossed grenades for the geysers to push up, making them explode on Business and push him backward. Vweeb Wall Jumped between the giant legs, up to Business's head before shooting his left eye. As he tried to recover, Bender stretched, grabbed him by the front, and flung overhead as he threw the businessman forward.

Lord Business got up and jumped to one end of the field, doing the splits and sliding across while his legs stretched all the way across. The three easily jumped this attack, but Business came back to do it again. When Bender jumped it, he grabbed both legs and bent them back, lifting the businessman and slamming him around the field. The mech-legs retracted to normal as Bender tossed him away. Nebula saw the Piece of Resistance fly away from his possession.

She quickly ran to grab the piece as Business landed with a thud, looking up and exchanging a glare with Nebula. He flipped back to his mech-feet again and quickly blasted glue at Nebula, the girl dodging and jumping to stand on the front of his legs with her gravity powers. She ran up the legs, jumped high above his head, and forcefully brought her foot upon his face. With a dizzied expression, the businessman toppled back and landed with a thud. His hand barely clutched the Kragle. (End song.)

Nebula approached the Kragle calmly, ready to cap the Piece of Resistance over its hole. But Lord Business quickly regained consciousness, snatching the Piece and jumping back to his mech-legs. "Kids just DON'T know when ta quit."

"Gnnnn!..." Nebula growled.

"HWAH hahahahaha!" Lord Business turned as Mom floated overhead on her small ship. "I can say the same about YOU, Business! Always trying, ever since you were a rookie in the business field! Even making you an honorary member didn't SHUT you up."

"I was given that position because of my potential!" Business yelled. "I'm as well-respected as either of you!"

"OH please. You wanna know why we gave you such a crappy title?? For your RESOURCES. This planet has the best construction of ANY in the universe, and your sole purpose was to provide us with the perfect pieces we can use for our OWN inventions. Even though the parts you provided were useful… you were SO annoying. You and your little 'inventive' ideas for products our company could make. You're nothing but a wannabe fan-snot in charge of a silly little planet of happy-singy little RODENTS! That's why you'll never be fully accepted as one of our own! Now HURRY up and freeze Nebula so we can haul her ass to Zordoom!"

"Hold on!" Nebula yelled back. "You have no right bashing on someone's creativity! I don't know what his ideas were, or even if they were great… but he probably just wanted to help you!"

"Pfft, like I need some whiny FANboy's help. A businessman's only as good as the resources he has to offer, anything else he has can SCREW it. And what he can offer me NOW, is YOU frozen like a statue! Now GET ON WITH IT!"

"Business…" The man faced Nebula again. "It doesn't matter if no one else wants your ideas. They're YOURS to do something with."

"Are you gonna listen to a whiny child's simple rambunctions," Mom asked, "or are you gonna listen to the REAL higher-up?"

"She may be higher up than you, but she has no respect for you. She's… well, she's a bad guy. Do you wanna be a bad guy, too?"

Business stared intently at the Kragle and Piece of Resistance, looking back and forth between them. With no hesitation, he slammed the Piece of Resistance over the Kragle and snapped it shut. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, you bastard?!" Mom screamed.

"All I wanted was to be like you! To show you what I can bring! But now… I want NO business with you, ANY more!" He threw the Kragle down.

"Ugh! In the end, you're as WHINY as all these kids! You haven't seen the last of me, BASTARDS!" And her ship flew away.

"Man, to be able to yell that much at that age and still keep her lungs." Vweeb said.

Business looked down and raised a brow when the Kragle began to shake. "Uhhhh, guys? Why's it doing that?"

"Oh. Well, Metalbeard said that it… might blow up." Nebula replied.

"Oh. BLOW UP?!"

In a flash, the Just Business erupted in flames as the four were blown sky-high. "WAAAAAHHHH!" As they fell to the ground, Nebula used her power to float her and Vweeb, while Bender hit the ground on his back. An airbag popped out of his compartment as a result, letting Business land safely. As Nebula landed lightly on her feet, the Dimensional Fragment fell down as well. She smiled as she caught it.

Later…

The Lego Troopers were pulling citizens from their sticky positions, and reconstruction of the town began. "I am… truly sorry for all that has happened here." Business said to the three heroes. "For a long time, I have admired the Corporate Presidents' success and wanted to follow in their footsteps. But maybe… that was never a position for me."

"Maybe not." Nebula replied. "The sad truth is… the Corporate Presidents have no friendly feelings for each other. Just like Mom said, their only interest in each other is the resources they have to offer. If organizations were based more on friendship…" she smiled at Vweeb, "the universe would be a better place."

"Man, enough with the CHEESY crap." Bender retorted. "Wait… are our actors being paid by 4KIDS?? Man, I HATE those guys!"

"They're not THAT bad." Vweeb replied.

"Anyway… I have no need for that fragment anymore." Business said. "It's all yours. As for me… it's time for me to begin anew, and restore this planet to the way it's supposed to be: all regions thinking of and creating new ideas."

"That's a good idea right there." Nebula smirked.

"Oh, I didn't expect THAT line." Bender remarked. "I'm gettin' bored of this place already."

"But you have to admit, it's a nice place." Nebula said. "I wonder… how was Legola created, anyway?"

"Nobody knows for sure." Business replied. "But the legends say that Legola was created by Giants. Giants who shaped Legola to its very core, using all the tiny blocks they could acquire. And all our actions, every event that happens, all our movements, is due to the will of the Giants. And even so… we have no idea they exist."

"Wow… invisible Giants that control your every movement." Bender said, slightly amazed. "Like big robots controlling little humans."

"I wonder if… our lives are run by Giants, too." When Nebula spoke this, they all looked curiously at the camera.

"But anyway, thanks for giving us the fragment." Vweeb smiled. "Now we can get on with the next leg of our journey!"

"Right!" Nebula nodded with a confident smile. "It's time to find the next fragment! We'll see you later, Business!" she yelled as they ran off.

"Take care!" Vweeb cheered.

"And thanks for the WALLLLEEEET!" Bender cried in the distance.

"Heheheh…" Business actually liked those kids. "…H-HEY! MY WALLET!" He began to chase them.