The Return of Celia Synoptics: Part Three

     "Probably an empty lab," said DeSoni, in his typical carefree style.

     "This room," said the pretty red Aisha, holding a door open for the red Ruki and yellow Aisha.

     The lights were off, but DeSoni didn't worry. It was standard procedure to preserve the Space Station's limited energy supplies without exhausting its generators.

     So the tiny yellow really Alien Aisha went on in and reached for the paw-scan light, only to find his entire arm enveloped in some giant paw.

     Thinking quickly, he shouted "ROCKY!" and twisted so his other paw could turn the light on. It was not a pleasant sight.

     "SONI!" shouted Rocky. He knew something like this would happen. Things like this always happened around DeSoni. He dashed forward to free his friend from the giant green Alien Aisha.

     The Ruki may have super-speed, but unfortunately not super-invulnerability or super-balance. Simply put, the pretty "red Aisha" stuck out a back paw and he tripped before he went two steps. It wouldn't have been too bad, except for the fact that, since he'd been utilizing his speed, he went flying and landed with a smack against the floor, tangling his four legs.

     "You do mean 'Sonix,' don't you?" she said, whipping off the blue hat to reveal two extra earstalks. Her voice was different too, lower and colder.

     DeSoni's mouth dropped open and his earstalks stood straight up in horror and shock. "Ce-Celia?! Celia Synoptics!?" he couldn't help gasping.

     "Who?" asked Rocky, scrambling to get his feet in order.

     The giant who held DeSoni leaned over and looked closer at the Aisha. "Guess this proved me wrong. If he knows Miss Synoptics he must be the traitor." He seemed almost sad at the prospect.

     "My childhood rival," said DeSoni. "She hates my guts because I topped her on a stupid test!" He squirmed, yanking on his arm, to no avail against the rock-solid grip.

     By now Rocky had untangled his many legs and rushed over to DeSoni's side. He grabbed the arm that trapped his friend.

     "Get your dirty paws off my friend!" Rocky growled angrily. The giant found himself straining against the super-powered Ruki's strength.

     "Get out of our way!" screeched Celia. "Green! Take out the Ruki!"

     "Easier said then done," grunted Green. Finally, he tossed DeSoni aside and barreled into Rocky headlong.

     The Ruki just barely braced himself in time. Celia's screams of outrage were barely heard; they were both straining so hard. The red Alien Aisha obviously had no idea how the lanky Ruki was holding up against her giant minion.

     "Hang in there, Rocky!" shouted DeSoni, scanning the walls for something, anything to help. His eyes fell on the light paw-scanner. Maybe… if he distracted the giant, Rocky could make use of his super-speed. His buddy could whip around behind the green guy and knock him out.

     Celia spotted her nemesis and leaped before he could do anything. Maybe it was many, many years since they'd last seen each other, but DeSoni was scarcely any bigger. Her full weight bashing into him was more than enough to knock him down. He fell and she yanked his tiny arms behind him cruelly, still kneeling on his back to hold him down.

     "Go ahead!" she laughed, giving the arms an extra yank. "Scream, cry!"

     Stubbornly, DeSoni refused to do either, except grit his teeth at the pain scorching itself up to his shoulders.

     While still leaning on top of the tiny Aisha, Celia held his arms down with one paw and yanked a blaster out with the other. She aimed at Rocky, still locked in a battle of strengths with green. Neither strong-guy noticed her, but DeSoni felt her shift of balance. Painfully, he turned his head just enough to see what she was doing.

     He was just in time to see her yank back on the trigger.

     "ROCKY!!" he shouted, furiously struggling to get up. It was hopeless; he was just too small.

     No amount of super-speed can help anyone if they can't use it. All Rocky's attention was focused on bracing his legs and straining with his arms. The laser hit him directly in the center of his back, and he crumbled to the ground.

     "No! No!!" shouted DeSoni, trying feverishly to wrench himself from Celia. His old enemy holstered the blaster and yanked his arms back again, painfully twisting, to haul him up to his knees.

     "That was a coward's shot," grumbled Green.

     "Shut up!" she scolded.

     "You've changed, Celia," gasped DeSoni, giving up the fight and staring at his downed best friend in horrified silence.

     "You never hurt anyone else before. Rocky did nothing to you-" he broke off and clenched his teeth as she twisted his arms behind him. "Or is it an insult to you that I had a friend?" he whispered through gritted teeth.

     The red Alien Aisha stared. "What is this?" she asked, deceptively calm, and motioned to green to hold the tiny Alien Aisha minus two earstalks down. "A psychoanalysis?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously and her tone turned cold. "I've had a lot of those, and all because of you. Apparently it's a sign of psychological imbalance to beat up a freak!" She glared evilly.

     Green yanked DeSoni upright all the way, holding a massive paw over each of DeSoni's small arms. The tiny yellow Aisha could hardly move.

     "Celia… why? Why can't we drop this? We're adults now; it's old… it's behind us."

     The red Alien Aisha grew angrier. Suddenly she unholstered her blaster and fired him in the chest. As DeSoni crumbled, held up only by green's massive paws, Celia whispered menacingly.

     "It may be behind you, Derek, but you didn't suffer through years of humiliating 'special' classes and teachers! You didn't have your entire future dashed to shreds. It will never be behind me!"

     ******

     2000 hours, Space Faerie's Ready Room

     The Space Faerie paced back and forth. He was supposed to be here an hour ago!

     The lieutenants she had sent out returned and bowed. She nodded her head for them to report.

     "His parents were suspicious of my questions, but obviously had no idea what I was talking about."

     "His lecture ended on schedule."

     "He did not return to his room after the lecture."

     "He did not visit any meal or snack room."

     "He did not visit any entertainment room, research room, or laboratory."

     "He did not leave S.S.T.I. through any monitored paths."

     The Space Faerie clenched her fists. "Then where is he?! It's not like DeSoni to miss an arrangement!" She waved her hands dismissively and the lieutenants left. She had one duty that had to be done alone.

     She paged Fyora. "My queen? We have a situation…"

     ******

     Rocky woozily woke to a horribly acrid smell. Gradually, he realized he was lying on his stomach and someone was whispering his name. He blinked his eyes open, but his vision was so blurry the whole room appeared to be underwater. The voice kept whispering, "Rickster_Rocker…" He blurrily shook his head to clear it, only succeeding in the opposite. All the shapes and colors seemed to whirl together.

     A gentle paw lifted his head and poured something down his throat. Slowly things began to clear as the medicine took its effect. A very pretty, very mature looking yellow Alien Aisha knelt beside him, with another yellow Alien Aisha off to the side with the Space Faerie.

     Automatically, the Ruki tried to push himself upright, but suddenly a point in the center of his back began burning like a fire. He groaned and clung tightly to the rug he was laying belly-down on, trying desperately not to cry out.

     "Rocky?" asked the Space Faerie, seeming doubtful for the first time in her life. "Where's DeSoni? What happened?"

     The pretty Alien Aisha, who Rocky rightly assumed had to be DeSoni's mom, was applying a salve to the burning spot, cooling it to a more manageable level.

     The other Alien Aisha, must be his pops, had been scanning the room in a way nearly identical to his buddy's manner. He finished his scrutiny and turned back to the Ruki.

     "You are a friend of our son's, are you not? That's our technology that gave you that wound, young Neopet, so don't bother hiding anything."

     The Space Faerie nodded. "It was either keep the secret and lose you, or beg Fyora's permission to explain everything to the emissaries. It was pure chance an ensign even stumbled into this room." She looked around, and for the first time Rocky really noticed how bleak, dusty, and unused the room was.

     "Do you know a… a Celia Synoptics?" asked Rocky wearily.

     Mr. and Mrs. Sonix stared at Rocky in shock and quickly began explaining the story of the evil brat to the Space Faerie. After a minute, the faerie hushed them and motioned the red Ruki to continue.

     "She was with a… huge green Alien Aisha. Nearly twice… my size. I fought him, but we… equally matched." He paused as if he had to really concentrate to remember what had happened. "I… I don't know what happened after that. Celia must've shot me… from behind. Must've… taken DeSoni with them." The poor Ruki didn't even seem all together sure of what he was saying. His brain was still fuzzy.

     "I know who he's talking about," said DeSoni's father. "A henchman for hire, not brilliantly intelligent, and only goes by the name of Green. But he is most certainly a giant; there's no way a common Neopian Ruki held up against him…"

     The Space Faerie gracefully held up an arm to silence him. "Rocky? My sources indicate some very unusual attributes of yours. Did DeSoni, by any chance, ever give you a potion?"

     The Ruki seemed to be drifting off to sleep again. He blinked his giant eyes wearily and grinned. "XG12C," he whispered, and closed his eyes.

     "The military was feverishly trying to locate that formula since Derek disappeared," said Mr. Sonix. "Until, without explanation, the Madam Commander called off the search a couple months ago."

     Mrs. Sonix nodded and stood up from where she'd been kneeling at the now unconscious Ruki's side. "It was the last thing Derek was assigned to work on, a potion to grant superpowers to the drinker. Speed, strength, vision, and hearing I believe."

     "So that's how he held up," said the Space Faerie thoughtfully. "But what's wrong with him now?" She gestured to his quiet body.

     "It was strictly a non-regulation weapon," explained DeSoni's dad. "Nothing we use currently leaves any marks or contains a confusion draught. It seems clear to me Rocky wasn't altogether sure of what was going on just now, and that's the only explanation. He must've received a rather high-level blast."

     "Don't worry," said DeSoni's mom. "I've seen it before. His mind and body are simply shutting down to compensate. He needs to sleep for at least half an hour, otherwise his body may not be able to control whatever toxins that spiteful brat mixed in."

     The Space Faerie rubbed her temples in exhaustion. "He can have his half-hour. We'll use it for planning and searching. I really hope DeSoni's okay."

     "So do we," whispered DeSoni's mother.

To be continued...

Author's Note: I'm sure any fan of my first DeSoni/Rocky series was just WAITING for Rocky to use his powers in a big fight scene. Well, got your wish if you did! Let me know what you think--I can't get better if I don't know which my best written parts are!