 
Interference

Shaanzaè Shahid

Published by Vohh Books

Smashwords Edition

***~~~***

Copyright 2015 Shaanzaè Shahid

Discover other titles by Shaanzaè Shahid at Smashwords.com:

1- The Magic Building

2- Refraction of Beauty

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Who is Felix Estabon?

A Special Birthday Wish

Falcora

The Secret's Out

Setting Priorities

Dingle Berry's Pink Water Spa

The Cream Spray

Mr. Gary

Pawns In A Game

Saccharine Skillip

Estabon Reunion

Unexpected Strength

Talent Fest

The Virus Follows Home

Octopi

War

Unecton Breach

Earth's Own Little Problems

Gamzash Appears

Play Ideas

Gamzash And Ludenwich

Two Felix Estabons

Planet Of The Invisibles

Not So Lunatic

Showdown

Separate Lives

A New Beginning

\-- CHAPTER ONE \--

Who Is Felix Estabon?

We do not understand much about life, and cannot therefore seek an explanation for most of the wondrous things in it. One such instance comes in the form of a story. This story is of a boy, who, like a few boys in this universe and the next, turned out to be fantastically extraordinary.

Felix Estabon started off as one of the many children in Madame La Fume's Orphanage in the quiet little town of Mulberry Hill, New England.

Atop a yellow untidy mop of hair, Felix had streaks of chestnut here and there, with soft yet intelligently hypnotic caramel eyes. His face was compelling; there had always been something about him that added to his appeal.

The night Felix became a part of the family at Madame La Fume's he was found in a basket next to the door of the basement. Nobody understood how he was left at that specific spot. And the note 'take care of Felix Estabon, the son of the future' did not help either.

Owing to his peculiar attractiveness, almost all parents wanted to adopt him. Except, he was the one child who would decline politely and say 'he was not ready yet'. Almost as if he intrinsically knew what his mission was all along.

He always felt he didn't know enough about the orphanage. As if the most ordinary and most standard of buildings with the most simple of functions could house more than just hopeful little children.

Felix knew he had a secret friend in the basement. Every night, when the lights went off and the orphanage was fast asleep, he would steal downstairs and stand next to the locked door.

A small little note would come flying through the bottom space, carrying messages for him like 'Hello, Felix' or 'I hope you are healthy and well' or even more detailed notes: 'I can't wait for you to return and see your real world.'

He had promised his secret friend he would never tell anyone about the existence of these interactions. Besides which, he wanted to figure it out himself first.

Felix had lots of other friends there apart from the one he never saw. These friends had once eagerly hoped each and every day the many promising parents that seldom visited would adopt them.

But their connection with Felix and how he said he was not 'ready' made them feel that way too.

So Felix along with his three best friends Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma continued to amuse themselves and the rest of the children with their charming plays and enactments of the brave and exhilarating heroes they read in books.

Terrence or 'Terrie' had his eyes completely covered because of his long brown bangs. He was the tallest and most interested in books out of all of them.

Jimmy had the complexion of a freckled snowflake along with the reddest and brightest hair in the whole orphanage.

And then there was Jemma. The soft burgundy coloured hair that fell till her shoulders framed her sweet face and brought focus to her crescent shaped smile. She was the voice of reason in the group and liked to play the damsel in distress in their plays.

They often wished when the time did come for them to be adopted, their new parents would appreciate and encourage their imagination just like the orphanage did.

They also hoped the parents would be sweet and loved Chinese food just as much as they did.

Perhaps the only thing that these four best friends found discomforting about finally getting adopted was the thought of being separated from one another. They had known each other for twelve years and had been the liveliest of the children.

They knew they could not put it off any longer since they had almost reached their teenage years, and Madame La Fume herself, an old but gentle lady, had told them to accept any offer that came next before it was too late.

Another discomforting thought that loomed only in Jemma's mind it seems was the possibility of her and Felix getting adopted by the same parents. She could not have 'those' kind of feelings for a brother. Oh, no.

But till such a time came, she promised never to mention it to Felix lest he stopped being her friend.

And so, the games continued.

Until one day.

\-- CHAPTER TWO --

A Special Birthday Wish

The day Felix turned thirteen he got two exciting surprises.

Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma had prepared a surprise for him and with permission from Madame La Fume, had left the orphanage to get him presents.

A midnight bash was underway and there was laughter and music all around. Felix was the first child to become a teenager at the orphanage.

However, even in the merriest of instances when everyone delighted and reveled in the most whimsical play the three friends had put on to date, the grumpy janitor Mr. Fitzwilliam still moped about.

'What in heavens name is the big deal in celebrating the child's one step away from childhood?' He asked Madame La Fume ever so morbidly.

'That is precisely the point, Fitzwilliam.' Madame La Fume adjusted her spectacles and turned up her nose. 'The boy is no longer a boy. It is celebratory!'

'Bah!' Fitzwilliam folded his arms in defeat, and not letting go of that foul scowl he added, 'I wish he wouldn't have turned thirteen.'

'Nonsense! Clarissa and Evans cease and desist! Do not fight over that last bit of cake!' Madame La Fume quickly split the piece of sugary delight between the two before the squabbling youngsters had begun to hit each other.

'I'm sorry Fitzwilliam but do try some cake! I had the children bring an extra strawberry shortcake for us!'

Fitzwilliam grumbled and walked to the drawing room where Madame La Fume dealt with the parents. There a feast had been laid out for the adults. Namely, Madame La Fume herself, Fitzwilliam, the house caretaker Mrs. Schofield, the chef Mr. Connor, the gardener Mr. Sinclair and Mistress Helen who was the children's governess.

It had been a while since any of them were treated to a fancy feast and so they heartily enjoyed themselves.

Among the children, there was one little group that did not enjoy the festivities either, just like Mr. Fitzwilliam.

'What's the big deal? He's ONLY one month older to me and people are treating him like some prince!' Micah 'Mercury' Peterson exclaimed haughtily.

Micah, who had given himself the nickname Mercury and the self appointed surname of Peterson because Felix had been christened with a full name, was visibly miserable.

'It's all a bit stupid, don't you think?' He asked his own band of friends, twins Jason and Mason, who nodded their little skinny faces in unison.

'Very stupid Micah!' They both cried together.

'But, I expect something grander than this little depressing gathering you understand me?' Micah eyed the two cowardly twins menacingly.

'I don't want him to think he's more popular than I am.'

'How can he? You're more intelligent and good looking than he is.' Jason and Mason began twisting their hands in nervousness; they never wanted to displease Micah.

'Yes, I suppose you're right.' Micah sneered and pushed back his chocolate brown curls from his forehead.

'Now go get me cake!' He demanded.

'Right away!' Jason and Mason simpered off, banging into each other.

Felix, who all this while had been amongst the rest of the cheerful children and his three best friends, began reading out the lovely cards he had received.

'Dearest Felix, I hope you have the greatest day ever and never forget about me when you get adopted.

'Oh, George! Thank you.' Felix hugged the little shy seven year old.

'Sorry I didn't get you a present. I spent my allowance buying all those lollipops.' His apologetic, ice blue eyes appeared glossy.

'Don't sweat it!'

Terrie then brought out his present.

'Everybody step aside, best friend coming through!' He seated himself on the bench that was surrounded by the chattering birthday crowd and plopped his present on Felix's lap.

'Lo and behold, mate! I got you what I know you wanted!'

Felix undid the cherry red and deep blue wrapping paper that fell with a crinkling sound to the floor.

'The new Watergate Pirates novel! I love it Terrie.'

'I knew you would.' Terrie grinned.

'Open mine next, Felix!' Jemma presented an immaculately wrapped circular box that had a small note neatly pinned at the top of the ivy green ribbon.

The note read: 'May you always continue hitting all your targets!'

The box contained a dart set.

'Wow, thanks Jem. I especially love the note!'

'Cheesier than the pizza over there, if you ask me.' Micah scoffed.

He rolled his eyes and stuffed his face with the cake his little minions had brought him, who once more nodded stupidly.

'And last but not least, ladies and gentlemen, the dashing and super, super close friend of Felix Estabon shall reveal his present to you all.' Jimmy announced theatrically. He had always enjoyed melodrama.

Felix opened the little flimsy parcel Jimmy had handed to him and saw that it was a jersey that had his favourite football team's name on it.

'Radical! Thanks, Jim.' Felix and Jimmy exchanged fist pumps, much to the elation of the younger children.

Just then, the adult party entered the room and announced everyone's bedtime.

'All right, children, I hope this little celebration put everyone in a good mood?' Madame La Fume asked, completely ignoring the snorts made by Fitzwilliam and Micah.

'It's time to sleep now young ones. Good night to all and many pleasant dreams!'

Instantly all was commotion again once the adults had exited. As they went up to their bedrooms, they kept going on about the delicious food and the birthday celebration that was still grand despite Jimmy forgetting to bring the balloons.

'You guys are the greatest! I loved today to bits and pieces.' Felix had kept all his special presents next to his bed and all the little notes under his pillow.

'I wasn't expecting any of it, honestly.' His eyes showed the graciousness and gratefulness his heart felt as he sat on the bed talking to Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma.

'We had been planning this day for months! Got Madame La Fume's permission ages ago! Not to mention we asked for our two months' allowance in advance.' Jemma told him excitedly, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

'Yeah. But it was worth it.' Jimmy nodded.

'Well, all that running from shop to shop and the final shindig sure has me exhausted! Let's hit our beds in solace tonight, shall we?' Terrence who had his head on his pillow and was seconds away from snoozing mumbled sleepily.

'Sure! Good night1'

Jemma left to join the girls dormitory and Felix put out the light in his, Jimmy's and Terrence's minuscule bedroom. All three were allowed to share the small room.

Convinced by both Terrence and Jimmy's heavy snoring that the two were fast asleep some time later, Felix reached for his torch. It was dead in the night, and he knew now was his only chance to go down and stand outside the locked basement's door.

He anticipated his friend's birthday note would be on its way.

As he went down the stairs as quietly as a mouse, trying to avoid the spots where he knew they creaked, he couldn't help feeling excited. This was the time of their correspondence.

Receiving a birthday note from his secret friend also, would really make it the best birthday ever.

After waiting for what seemed like ten minutes, a small square piece of paper floated from the bottom of the door. Felix caught it and saw that it was the longest note he had ever gotten.

'Happy Birthday Felix. You are no longer a boy now. You are man enough to enter your real world. The time has come for you to know the truth about me and where I am. But most importantly, it is now time for me to meet you personally.'

Felix's heart skipped a beat at the last sentence. He was going to meet this secret friend of his that nobody had ever seen or heard of, and who resided in the locked 'storage keeping' basement.

But how was he going to meet him?

Just then, another note flew up.

'I am sending you a key. Use it to open the basement door and come down. If you wish to know who I am then do not hesitate. I will be waiting.'

Sure enough, Felix saw something glinting beneath the door. He slid it towards himself and observed the key. It was rhombus shaped.

Equipped with bravado and recklessness, Felix inserted and turned the key. He was in the locked up basement at last. Only, it wasn't a basement. He was in a greenhouse, and it was bright daylight. Through the glass walls he saw hundreds of people walking non-stop.

In fact, beyond the four walls he could see nothing but walking people. Why weren't any people standing or stopping? Why were they continuously walking?

But before he could think further, he came face to face with a tall, blonde and handsome man. The man – his friend, finally revealed.

'Hello Felix. We meet at last.'

'Er, yes.' Felix stammered. 'Who are you?'

The man smiled.

'I am you from the future.'

\-- CHAPTER THREE \--

Falcora

Felix was taken aback.

Not just by meeting his future self, but also by how he had entered a whole new planet through the locked basement door of his orphanage.

'You just entered through a portal.' Future Felix pointed at the brown basement door. 'You're not on planet Earth anymore.'

'Not on planet Earth anymore?' Felix repeated, shocked.

'No.' Future Felix took his younger self by the hand and motioned him towards one of the benches.

'I'm breaking a lot of rules by being here, by sitting here.' He raised his eyebrows and gave off a sigh.

'What do you mean? And why is everybody walking so much?' The younger Felix had a spinning head. He stared at the walls, the people beyond all four corners of the greenhouse who wouldn't even stop to glance in, and then at his older self.

He thought he looked like an archetypical romantic hero with that blonde hair and physique.

'I shall explain it all but you must know that we are pressed for time. Both of us.'

'Yeah. I wouldn't want anybody checking up on me at this hour. Definitely not Mr. Fitzwilliam! He'd rat me out if he knew I was snooping around his territory!' Felix answered, gripping at his collar.

'Don't worry about that. Listen, I need you to understand why you're finally here.'

Future Felix pointed towards the glass walls.

'Life outside is horrible. Falcora is a miserable place!'

'But why? I don't understand.' Felix said, earnestly.

'You see, nobody can sleep here. It is impossible.' Future Felix lowered his eyes. 'What I would give to dream again.'

'I'm sorry? How can you not sleep?' Felix held out his hands and asked his older self very surprised.

Everything was alien to Felix. There was nothing to make two plus two out of.

'It started off as simple insomnia...which spread and spread, becoming a worldwide epidemic!' Future Felix's eyes widened.

Suddenly there was a beeping sound.

'It's coming from your watch.' Felix pointed out.

Future Felix shut his eyes and disappointedly emerged from the bench. He had exceeded his time in the greenhouse.

'You and I have to hurry before we're caught! There's really no time to explain. Just be back here, same time tomorrow and I shall tell you the rest!'

'Yes, I understand!' Felix ran off to the basement door and hurriedly rummaged his pocket for the rhombus key.

'Don't forget Felix!' His future self instructed his younger self before shutting the door.

'I won't.' And with those last words, the basement door became locked once again.

*

The next morning, during Mistress Helen's mathematics lesson in the classroom upstairs, Terrence asked about his lengthy disappearance the previous night.

'What? You noticed that?' Felix whispered over his books.

'Of course. Don't be mislead by my snoring, I'm actually a light sleeper!' Terrence whispered back.

'Silence the two of you!' Mistress Helen harshly asserted mid-way her equation on the board.

'What do you think is the formula, Mr. Estabon?' Mistress Helen inquired.

Felix flushed. He didn't know what was happening on the board because he couldn't get Falcora and his future self out of his mind.

'Stand up, please.' Mistress Helen said sternly.

'Um...it's...' Felix fumbled miserably.

But luckily, Terrence jotted it down on his notepad.

'The formula is radius divided by three sixty, multiplied by, um...' He removed the piece of paper that obscured the rest of the answer. '...Ninety!'

'Yes...' Mistress Helen acknowledged suspiciously. 'But stay more attentive!'

Felix nodded like an obedient puppy.

Then she resumed the mundane lecture.

'Thanks...' Felix said to Terrence who also heaved a sigh of relief.

Had Felix not answered correctly, he would have been in trouble too for causing the disturbance.

Terrence scribbled quickly, 'catch up with the rest later', and resumed on his calculator.

During history, which was much more lively, it was Jemma who asked what Jimmy and Terrence had been gossiping about.

'Was my stay that long?' Felix asked in disbelief.

'Maybe. I said so myself that it wasn't such a big deal and that you could have been in the washroom.

'I hope the cheese macaroons didn't make you sick! I picked them out!'

'No, Jem. I love those too.'

Just then a hand shot in the air. It was Micah's.

'Mistress Helen, Felix is making noise at the back!'

Both Jason and Mason sniggered.

'Tut, tut, tut! Even in my second class? Birthday celebrations are over Mr. Estabon! Please get your head out of the clouds.'

What an impossibility after the discovery made a few hours ago, thought Felix.

In order to make sense of all that was spinning inside his head, he began to scribble it down on his notebook.

Deprived of sleep, forceful walking all the time, no dreaming, what did it all mean? Felix crossed it all off, helplessly. He couldn't make sense of anything at all.

He knew he needed help. He had decided to tell his friends the secret at last.

As soon as the class was over, everyone ran off to the dining room. It was time for lunch. Lots of chicken sandwiches had been laid out on the table along with a huge bowl of fresh green salad.

Everyone tugged at each other to get the plates first. Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma waited patiently on the side while Micah occupied himself on a large couch all by himself. As usual Jason and Mason were attending to his lunch details.

'Here you are Micah! We got you a bendy straw for your chocolate milk!' Jason's high-pitched voice sounded more ridiculous than usual since Micah's unsatisfied glares always made him nervous.

'Refer to me as Mercury! If you lot don't, how's the whole orphanage supposed to catch up?' He scowled.

'Yes Micah – we mean Mercury!' They said together.

'Better.' Micah gave off his sinister little smirk. And snatched his plate from the whimpering twins.

'Poor Jason and Mason.' Jemma said sympathetically. 'That Micah is such a slug!'

'They let him treat them that way, Jem!' Jimmy broke out.

'Madame La Fume even said so to the twins once to own their ground!'

'They are – but through something else, evidently!' Terrence also contributed. 'They've put on weight.'

'And I reckon that's what we ought to do too!' Felix said finally. 'I'm famished. Let's go get some lunch!'

After half an hour the rest of the day's classes resumed. The classes included double English, where the children were allowed to read whichever book they wanted and write a synopsis of it at the end.

Felix had planned on reading The Watergate Pirates but instead he utilized the time in thinking more about Falcora.

He knew he was crucial in his future self's plan. And he knew he was going to have to do something to help stop the people of Falcora from eternal walking.

Perhaps he was sent to this world as a witness to what the past was like? Maybe he would have to testify in a court.

Whatever the reason, at around the same time tonight, he would venture into Falcora and find out more.

*

Once all the classes finished, the children were free to do whatever they wanted.

Some of the girls went out to admire the new pansies and petunias Mr. Sinclair had added to the garden outside.

As part of their social studies class, they had to go and write a report on the different kinds of plant life.

Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma were in the boys' bedroom upstairs going through Jimmy's comic books.

Felix was on his way upstairs as he had gone to the kitchen to fetch himself apple juice, when a low, menacing voice stopped him.

'You seem to be staring at the basement door a lot more than you should, Estabon.' It was Mr. Fitzwilliam.

'Just a matter of old habit, Mr. Fitzwilliam.' Felix replied innocently.

'Well, you better stay away! That there is MY domain. And I don't want annoying children such as yourself thinking it's OK to be snooping there.'

'Mr. Fitzwilliam you make it sound as if you're hiding something.'

Felix knew he shouldn't have said that.

Mr. Fitzwilliam narrowed his eyes and made the foulest expression.

'Wise guy, eh?' He said mockingly. He grabbed Felix's arm and dragged him down the stairs and towards the basement door.

He began shuffling through the wad of keys that would jangle as he walked, until he found the basement key.

'Madame La Fume trusts ME with all the keys to every single room in this orphanage.

'That means I am in charge of all the rooms and can decide who goes in and who doesn't.'

He mumbled something next but Felix was glad he couldn't hear it since he guessed it was something unpleasant.

Mr. Fitzwilliam opened the basement door and switched on the lights.

It was just an ordinary basement. With darkness, and brooms and old chairs blanketed in thick sheets of dust. It was nothing like the colourful planet he saw last night!

'But...why would you need to lock this room?'

'Because children like you would meddle with my things and ruin them!

'Now get going and stay away!'

Gladly, thought Felix. He was more than happy to get back to his room where his friends waited for him.

Upstairs, all three of them erupted into spasms of delight when Felix came and said, 'I've got a lot to tell you guys,' whilst shutting the door.

Then, Felix told his friends about everything.

He started from the secret friend, to the secret basement door, to his future self, to Falcora and finally, to grumpy old Mr. Fitzwilliam.

All he got in response were dropped jaws and the occasional, 'swear you're not lying!'

And Felix would reassure them that he wasn't.

\-- CHAPTER FOUR \--

The Secret's Out

It was nighttime and all the children were told to be in their dormitories, getting ready to sleep. All the children obeyed of course, except for the four who were plagued with rather unusual questions.

'So, when will you get another message from yourself?' Jimmy asked.

'Well, I'd be dead if Fitzwilliam caught me near the door. His orders were explicit! Otherwise, yeah, same dead in the night situation.'

'We're going to have to back you up! Your future self will be waiting!' Jemma said.

'Yeah, I know.'

'Of course I'm keen to help too, but you should know we can get into serious trouble if Fitzwilliam tells on us. Imagine Madame La Fume grounding us or taking away our privileges!' Terrence pointed out, agitated.

'We have to be a part of this Terrie! Are you crazy? It is the future at stake here.

Would you like to walk all the time and never sleep?' Jimmy asked excitedly.

'Er, no.' Terrence admitted.

'Then it's settled. We're thinking of a plan right now!' Jimmy went to get rough papers and began scribbling down ideas.

'Er, Felix?' Jemma asked shyly and in a low tone, 'did your future self say that you were married?'

'What? No... Wait, Jimmy, I think you're on to something!' Felix replied without paying much heed.

'Right...' Jemma blushed, and huddled with the rest looking at what Jimmy had drawn.

Jimmy had drawn little cartoon faces representing the four friends and the best grouchy imitation of Fitzwilliam in Felix's opinion.

'Felix, you'll go down to the basement as planned and enter the world of Falcora.'

He circled Felix's head and drew an arrow towards the locked basement's door.

'Terrence and I will stand guard outside Fitzwilliam's bedroom, and we'll leave the slippery peels we got from the joke emporium last Christmas on the floor!'

'So that if he comes out he can slip and give us time! Nice!' Felix grinned.

'Precisely. Terrence and I will then booby trap the living room and buy you a few more minutes so he's not really able to cross over to the basement door!

'Meanwhile, Jemma will be outside the basement door and knock on it should you stay in for too long and things get hasty outside!' He then positioned Jemma's head with the same animation.

'Worth a try!' Felix agreed.

It was at half past one that the four friends initiated the plan. Felix went and stood outside the otherwise dark and locked basement. Just then, his anticipated note came.

'Are you ready?' It read.

Indeed he was, for he took out the special rhombus key.

'Oh my gosh, he really was telling the truth.' Terrence gasped as all his previous doubts vanished. This was also because he beheld a glance of the bright and glary view of Falcora itself.

Inside, Felix didn't see his future self immediately. In fact, he wasn't really there.

'Er, hello?' Felix's voice echoed in the quaint, but beautiful greenhouse. 'My future self, can you hear me?'

There was no response.

Felix however, went to the glass walls and stood staring at the people who appeared to him like mindless drones; they didn't cease for a single moment and kept walking on and on.

Not once, not twice, not even thrice, but on several intervals, the 'walkers' bumped into each other. There was a loud sound that emerged shortly after; it sort of sounded like the clinking of many coins piling on top of one another.

'You see, the bumping helps in an exchange of energy.' Future Felix spoke at last, but he did so while walking. He was taking rounds of the greenhouse.

'Why can't you stop and talk properly?' Felix asked, slightly exasperated; he feared this feat had attached itself to his older body too.

'I can't. Falcorians are forever doomed to this repellent existence.' He shouted to sound audible as he completed another round.

'How can I help? Please tell me why you're here and I'm on planet Earth!'

'You were sent to Earth as a witness to how life used to be like in the past! Slow, creative, and encouraging!'

Future Felix started walking in close proximity to his younger self for better hearing.

'Originally you were born here on Falcora and have Falcorian blood gushing through your veins!

'But, after Professor Lunatic 'miscalculated' his special genetic code modifiers, which were designed to eliminate our fatigue, it completely removed our body's need to ever rest causing them to go crazy!

'We have been walking ever since because we don't know what else we can do. There's no creativity in our lives! We cannot sleep so we cannot have any dreams and therefore we cannot invent and progress forward like we really ought to in the future.'

Felix began keeping pace with his older self but it got him worked up easily since he hardly exercised much.

'Who is this Professor Lunatic? Why can't he invent something cancelling out the effects of the genetic code modifier?' Felix panted.

'It doesn't work that way. He works for the Falcorian League that plotted to take over Falcora long, long ago. It was their plan to have the planet break out into chaos!'

Just then, future Felix's watch started to give off the familiar beeping.

'No! Please continue!' Felix impatiently cried.

'All right, exit the greenhouse and walk out with me for a while! You can return to the portal afterwards but again you've got to hurry as you can't walk so much!'

Both the Felixes exited the greenhouse and Felix beheld the world of Falcora.

It had a yellow sky with tall spaghetti shaped skyscrapers. The 'walkers' had assembled themselves in lanes and appeared the spitting image of ants on a busy trail.

'Felix, listen closely. The Falcorian League wants to get their hands on our planet's rich and powerful energy source that will give them the strength to cross over universes.

They will take over Earth as well. Oh, watch out!' Future Felix nearly saved younger Felix from a lady who intended on bumping into him.

'You must watch out, or the Falcorian League's authorities will put you in jail jeopardizing our existence in the space-time continuum.'

'What happens if she did bump into me?'

'There would be no exchange of energy and you would be declared an intruder! Like a virus inside the human body!'

'How very delightful...' Felix distorted his face; he was slightly horrified.

'As I was saying, we can tell how much of Unecton – our energy source connected to the sun - is being extracted by the colouring of our sky.

'You see the end part?' Future Felix pointed at the end of the sky that was black and not mustard yellow like the rest.

'Once the whole sky becomes black, Falcora will be doomed and destroyed.'

Felix started to heave big sighs; he was clearly becoming tired.

'Let's head back to the greenhouse, nobody comes there.' Future Felix patted his younger self on the back.

'Who do I need to be a witness to?' Felix asked, breathlessly.

'To the most powerful alien in the entire galaxy: Gamzash. He controls all the activities of the planets and visits Falcora every thirteen years. JUST the right time for you to speak for us about life here and life on Earth!'

'What? Why don't you speak out?'

'Only a real Earthling can vouch for another planet. And you must do so before we stop existing!'

They had reached the basement door and Felix could hear Jemma softly calling out his name and tapping on the door.

Felix, who was very disoriented, pressed his future self for an answer as to how he existed in two planets at the same time.

'Wait! There's so much more I need to know besides! My parents? Our parents?'

'Go now...we will meet tomorrow!' The authority police robots could be heard and so they had to hurry.

'Be safe!' The younger version called out.

With that, Future Felix left the greenhouse while younger Felix shut the basement door behind him.

Upon entering the orphanage, Felix fell down to the ground.

'Thank God no endless walking here!' He exultantly claimed.

'Felix! Felix!' Jemma exclaimed. She had been faithfully waiting outside the door. 'We've got to get to our bedrooms! It's three in the night!'

They both got up and passed Fitzwilliam's bedroom and saw Terrence and Jimmy asleep against the wall.

'So much for guarding!' Felix sighed.

After waking the two and returning to the bedroom, it was evident no one could sleep after that.

It was only after all had been disclosed that they hit the beds and fell asleep. It was five in the morning.

'Jem?' Felix stopped her before she could go to her dormitory.

'Thank you for calling out to me and staying at the door all the while.'

It was a good thing Felix turned and shut his bedroom door or else he would have gotten worried at the pomegranate colour Jemma's complexion had turned.

\-- CHAPTER FIVE \--

Setting Priorities

The next morning, all four friends called in sick. They hadn't gotten any sleep at all and begged Madame La Fume for a day to recuperate.

Terrence eventually got up and attended his morning lessons; having a lot of missed work would make him sicker.

Madame La Fume was concerned about the random fatigue the four children had but others weren't quite on the same page.

'Felix is such a faker. I bet he's lying just to avoid Mistress Helen's boring Astronomy class!' Micah complained to his two crones.

Felix, Jimmy and Jemma joined the latter half of their classes but they were still absent, mentally.

Along with working out what Falcora and his future self had told him, another tension that loomed about was how to accurately time these endeavours so as to not disrupt the daily routines.

'It can't be done.' Felix said to his friends during science class.

'I have to stick to my mission and free the Falcorians.'

Mistress Helen was at her desk observing a cactus plant and diligently writing down its labels on a piece of chart paper.

So today, she was not irritated by the whisperings in the backseats.

'That's very noble of you and all but you do realize you have a life here!' continued Jemma, visibly distraught.

'It really doesn't matter because life here is not my purpose anymore.

'If you really think about it, I mean my future as well. The Falcorians, including myself, have no time. I'll die once the sky turns black.' Felix said solemnly.

Jimmy was glum and unhappy at these words but said nothing. He knew this meant goodbye. It was worse than separation via adoption.

Terrence wasn't present, as he had requested time to get started on his plant report.

'But - ' Jemma was cut off by Madame La Fume's sudden entry into the tiny classroom.

'Mistress Helen, the children are to report to the drawing room as we have hopeful parents visiting us.' She gleefully told the governess who had managed an occasional 'ouch' during her cactus labeling.

All the children sprung up from their seats.

'Order! Order!' Mistress Helen called at the chattering groups of boys and girls as she got up hastily and tidied her long floral skirt into position.

Felix, Jimmy and Jemma were simply uninterested. A lot weighed on their shoulders at the moment. They just drudged along into the packed drawing room with the younger squealing children.

They saw Micah twist his curly hair into knots and put on a smile that was super pretentious.

Jason and Mason kept whimpering on the side, hoping to get adopted by the same parents as their leader.

'I'm going to beat that crummy Felix by turning down an adoption offer. Soon I'll have set the record myself.' Micah sneered.

'Micah - we mean Mercury – shouldn't you take up a good option though? We'd finally get a loving mummy and daddy!' The twins asked optimistically.

'No.' Micah's curt answer didn't shoot down the twins' positivity as much as his glare did.

He walked over to Felix who was as low as his friends. Terrence was usually the same during adoption drills, but right now he felt annoyed at the interruption in his plant report.

'Listen you, I'm going to beat you by turning down an adoption offer so you'll have nothing to boast about in the future!' Micah pointed at Felix's face and tried to speak in his most threatening voice.

Felix looked up at his face upon hearing the word 'future'.

'Sure, if such things give you a kick in life.' He said with his chin resting in his hand.

'Are you insulting me?' Micah asked, his pale face inclining towards crimson.

'I really couldn't care less.' Felix said in a bored tone.

'Why you... I'll teach you what it's like to mock Mercury Peterson!'

'Sit down, Micah.' Mistress Helen instructed him. 'The parents are coming in with Madame La Fume, so do not utter a word!'

Micah sunk back into the sofa and growled.

The parents that entered appeared wholesome and had the sweetest smelling auroma about them.

'Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Gregory.' Mistress Helen extended her hand that the parents shook vivaciously.

'I am the children's governess, Helen Hugo. Such a pleasure to meet you.'

Only on occasions like these did Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma ever see their teacher smile with all her teeth showing.

'Such darling children!' Mrs. Gregory exclaimed to her husband, waving at some of the little children.

As they went along speaking and interacting with everyone, Micah went and stood in front of them and was like a tape recorder that wouldn't shut up.

'Hello. My name is Micah Peterson but everybody here calls me Mercury. I'm quite popular here you see and really the most handsome and intelligent of the lot. And also the most helpful and compassionate child you're ever likely to find. I can also tap dance rather tremendously.'

He began to tap dance but there was no use as the floor was carpeted and it really just looked like he was stomping his feet.

'Wow, that's lovely.' Mrs. Gregory said, causing Micah to give off his little superior sneer as he sat down between the twins who applauded his performance with loud clapping.

Felix and his friends tried their best to curb the laughter that left them in peels at Micah's well-rehearsed and speedy introductory speech.

'All of it is one hundred percent true!' Jimmy laughed.

Finally the parents got to Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma.

'My, my, all of you are such attractive little adults.' Mrs. Gregory cooed.

'What's your name, son?' Mr. Gregory asked Felix.

'Felix Estabon, sir.'

'His hair is as blonde as my father's, don't you think Marianne?'

'Oh, certainly. Uncle will be so pleased we got such a resembling boy into our...'

'What kind of statement is that?' Micah broke out. 'His hair is as blonde as your father's? You're really thinking of adopting him based on that?' He was astounded his routine didn't impress.

'Now, now, Micah settle down.' Mistress Helen instructed. 'Mr. and Mrs. Gregory may say whatsoever they like.'

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory on the other hand were quite interested in adopting Felix, to nobody's surprise.

'So what do you say, son?' Mr. Gregory began. 'You want to change that surname and become a Gregory?'

There was an awkward pause. The couple had assumed Felix would jump at the opportunity of such quick adoption, but Felix now had the burden of saving the future on his shoulders.

'Your offer is wonderful and I would have been delighted to have you as my parents...but I'm afraid,' and he said the line the whole orphanage room said with him, 'I'm not ready yet.'

The couple stood there completely astounded.

Madame La Fume came rushing in. She took Felix by the side and started to protest.

'Felix! I thought we spoke about this. How long are you going to put good parents off?'

'I'm sorry but I can't get adopted, Madame.'

'And why not, Felix? It's really a beautiful thing to have parents and have someone watch over you.'

'You do that here. Besides, I have my friends and my life is happy. Please understand.'

Madame La Fume told him she would continue the conversation later and went to apologise to the parents, who looked flabbergasted.

It took her a while to convince them that Felix was very shy and that he loved his friends too much to leave them behind. And all the other excuses she could think of.

Mr. and Mrs. Gregory were further amazed at how he had said no to several parents who were left in the same position as themselves by Felix before.

They said they would give the child some time and return to adopt him later as they felt he had an unexplainably charming and irresistible persona about him.

After they left, the children dispersed.

Nobody was really disheartened as they usually were since the enigma of Felix never accepting parents' offers seemed more poignant than ever.

They could not make out why the boy who attracted so many to him would decline his chances of a better and more secure future so readily.

It was only Terrence, Jimmy, Jemma and Felix himself, who understood the irony of the matter.

*

At nighttime, the four of them began to think of another plan. They knew sleeping wasn't on the cards.

Felix had to return from Falcora with more knowledge and information this time.

That meant he would have to take more time down the basement if necessary.

'My heart leapt when the parents wanted to adopt you, Felix!' Jemma said. 'Same way it always does, to be honest.'

'Well, I'm not going anywhere. Certainly not after what I've learned from my future self.' Felix said in a relaxed sort of way.

'On top of that, I could never leave you guys. Adoption is just out of the question.' Felix replied authoritatively.

'We've got to make one thing certain,' Terrence began, 'our time must be devoted to solving Falcora's mystery and helping Felix engage with his parallel world without disrupting his life in this world.'

'Agreed.' Jimmy said.

'Therefore, I think we're going to have to carry on with this until we know we're done with Falcora,' Terrence moved up on the bed.

'Felix, even if you sleep during class, the three of us will help you through with the work. We won't let Mistress Helen get on your case nor have any of the others suspecting you!'

'Thanks, guys. I wouldn't be able to get through with this double life without you.'

'Er, Felix...I've got just one question.' Jimmy asked skeptically.

'Yeah? What?'

'What happens after you've saved Falcora? Do you return back or stay where you're meant to be?' He spoke sadly.

There was no answer.

Felix didn't know the answer to that himself.

\-- CHAPTER ONE \--

Dingle Berry's Pink Water Spa

Following the same route of correspondence, Felix and his friends positioned themselves.

However, there was no note from his future self. They waited and waited but there was no response.

'Do you think he forgot?' Jimmy asked.

'The Falcorians are in the middle of a resistance and you think Felix would forget to contact himself?' Terrence responded hastily.

'No need to get testy with me Terrence.' Jimmy crossed his arms and looked on, sternly.

'Unless I got captured!' Felix said worriedly.

'Do you think the League sent in their authorities and put him in jail?' Jemma also wondered, looking quite tense.

'Well, we could stand here all night and not quite know anything properly. I've got to go in and see things for myself.' Felix said with a strong sense of focus.

'It's a huge risk, Felix,' Terrence exchanged mutual looks of anxiety with everyone else, 'you need someone to guide you in there!'

'I'm wasting my time Terrie. I've got to go and explore Falcora and figure out what's the matter.'

He held out the rhombus key and opened the door.

'Wait!' Jemma held him by the shoulder as he put one foot into the other planet. 'Don't do anything stupid!'

Felix nodded, proceeding onwards.

'And please!' Jemma continued, holding him still, 'when you get tired, report back to Planet Earth immediately! I don't want that psycho environment exhausting you to death!' Her persistence had palpable ounces of alarm attached to it.

It was only when Jimmy intervened and pulled Jemma's solidified hand from Felix's shoulder that he was freed and fully entered Falcora.

'Just be safe, buddy. I'll take care of grandmother Jemma here.'

Jimmy's mischievous smile was shot down by Jemma's immensely vexed stare. His carelessness did not amuse her.

Felix, however, closed the basement door amid the three friends' good luck wishes and entered the territory he was still not quite used to: his real home planet.

He had deduced just as much. His future self was nowhere to be found, and he realized he was going to venture out of the greenhouse on his own.

Felix prepared himself to walk for as long as necessary.

As he got out, he tried to stay away from the lanes of walkers that had formed as he suddenly remembered about the bumping. The occasional 'coin clashing' sound filled the air.

Falcora had needle thin skyscrapers planted in every direction, with human hand shaped buildings next to them. Felix creeped up behind one large hand and observed the walkers on the streets further.

There were many humans walking about but among them there were triangle shaped creatures too, then creatures with several wire like hands protruding out of their heads, and individuals with different types of shaded complexions.

Suddenly, what appeared to be a chicken ran past Felix, who quickly hid himself behind one large forgotten dumpster. It clucked several times and seemed to be running away from a bunch of walkers who speedily ran after it.

One of the walkers it seemed, who looked like he had a squiggly noodle dangling from his chin, held out his rifle and shot at the chicken. But the chicken didn't die. It turned back, clucked a few more times, and sped off in the opposite direction. Felix saw that its heart had come out of its chest and shifted places.

'Dang chicken!' The man with the squiggly noodle beard shouted in what appeared like a southern country accent.

'That dang heart keeps moving all around its body, Henry! We can never know where it'll be next.' The man's partner replied in a slow, dimwitted tone. He had what looked like bee stings all over his face.

'Keep tryin'!' And with that, Henry took off with his two partners.

Felix slowly got out of his hiding place and started to walk in the direction of those crazily excited walkers. He walked into a part of the planet which was deserted and had very few, if any at all, individuals walking listlessly.

In this section of Falcora, he beheld all sorts of differently crafted buildings that were painted in the flashiest of colours and had the silliest of names, eliciting a chortle that he could not curb.

He came across a red and purple painted building that, though marked with 'out of order' signs, was crafted in the shape of a cartoon cloud, which in Felix's opinion resembled the fluffy structure of cotton candy.

The evident ghostliness of this part of Falcora made it much easier for Felix to commute.

He entered the eccentric building and read its name that sort of justified the ridiculous structure: 'Welcome to Dingle Berry's Pink Water Spa'.

Raising an eyebrow at the weird name, Felix went over to the counter for some information but the whole inside was deserted as well. It had gone through an infrastructural carnage as the wallpaper was scraped from the walls and the tables and chairs were broken.

It was, however, fluorescently decorated internally too; there were elaborately made marbles with pink liquid running through the swirls on the floor that, albeit beautiful, had several cracks, causing the liquid to come squirting on top like tiny fountains.

The place gave him the odd impression of a fluffy and adorable bunny rabbit suddenly making friends with a dangerous and razor sharp machete.

'All part of Professor Lunatic and the League's awesome chaos inducing plan, I suppose.' Felix said to himself.

He walked on and on in the strangely shaped spa building, coming into a room dubbed 'blue hazy sauna.' He understood the fantasy-riddled theme of the room as well. The water was pink but the steam it transcended into was a silvery blue.

The sauna room had metallic floors, perforated with minuscule holes. He entered the room and immediately felt the steam appear like perspiration all over his body. Felix came across a gigantic balcony inside the sauna. As he tilted his head to the ceiling, he saw it had lots of seats. Leaning below the balcony, he could see glimmering beneath the pink water a television screen.

Situated like light switches on the wall, he saw a motion detector in the shape of a hand. He held his palm parallel to the motion detector and saw it gleam red. The television turned on.

Felix observed the ceiling seats lower down. He himself leaned over the rod of the balcony and saw through the pink water a clearly showing television screen that played an advertisement. Or so it looked like one.

It had a man appear on it, clad in a crisp white laboratory coat and thick rectangular shaped spectacles that obscured most of his face. He began to speak in a course and thick British accent:

'Are you tired of wasting your life yet? Sitting in one spot forever and looking at your technologically advanced devices as if that was it? Technologically advanced my foot!'

The man hit his shoe as hard as he could on the ground.

'I am prepared to offer you a world where you, the citizens, will be entitled to a life which few have the privilege of leading. The future is becoming fast paced and we must join in or bear the burn of getting lost in the past forever.'

His tone took a fiercer and more frustrated note.

'Such rubbish it is to not keep up. Therefore, I, Professor Ludenwich, have created for you a gene modifier. You will no longer require sleep or rest or the need to ever sit down for that matter! One small pill will physically and psychologically enhance your senses to live life unbound by Nature's limits of strength recovery.'

He held out a pill towards the camera that filmed him. Instead, a holographic projection brought his hand out of the water, causing the pill to drop into the small wooden collector on the balcony rod. The box filled itself with dozens like it.

'This little pill is your key. Have it and feast your eyes on what it is like to really be the future. We will put galaxies behind us.'

With that, the television screen went blank and the seats readjusted themselves. Felix picked up the pill and observed it. It was like all ordinary looking pills, except, he knew what would happen to him if he swallowed it.

But, gripped by the enticing clue before him, he put one in his pocket. He thought it would come in handy later on.

He exited the sauna with a few facts intact. Professor Lunatic's real name was Ludenwich and he must have brainwashed the Falcorians by repeatedly showing them this message. The pill turned out to be too much for the genetic structure and caused them to start walking, endlessly. Or, Professor Ludenwich knew exactly what would happen.

Felix started exploring the other parts of the deserted section. He saw brochures and pamphlets about the pill. 'The Pill' became a sensation with several newspapers printing the sensational new creation that was supposed to turn the Falcorians into infallible creatures.

The newspapers projected holograms, with the pill coming out of virtually every news item. The accessibility of the poisonous pill was widespread. It made sense as the side effects surfaced once everyone had it.

Felix saw further in the abandoned area of the planet, how the walls were graffiti painted with the pill and how it was some generic saviour of the masses to pull them out of the 'slow' monotony of their lives. It was branded as the greatest thing to ever be patented on Falcora or any other planet.

He entered several neighbouring buildings and saw the same technique of playing the message everywhere. In the barbershop, the candy store, the automobile shops – where Felix discovered mammoth sized vehicles – and even miscellaneous stores such as those that housed clothing, repair materials and music discs.

This part of the planet was a fusion of retro settings that were peppered with futuristic gimmicks. Felix entered a restaurant where the food came from under the ground that opened temporarily and floated to the top where the seats were situated.

The same replay of Professor Ludenwich's message made Felix's stomach writhe.

He ran out and went over to the other sections of Falcora. He set foot on two sets of rock next to the noodle shaped skyscraper that began to float and drag him till the top of the pointed building.

There was only one vacant seat at the top that Felix then proceeded to occupy. He held the two stones closely and clutched the seat so as not to fall. From this seat, Felix was able to behold the grand master view of the entire planet.

There were lots of these needle shaped buildings, like wheat in a crop of rice. He saw next, a division of lanes on the ground. The walkers, who had concentrated in the west part of the planet, were divided into lanes. In these lanes they either sped up or slowed down, walking unremittingly all the same.

As he looked, a large billboard with a recorder caught his eye and ear. It said: 'Reality fell like concrete on all my dreams, but the pill made me run faster and avoid it.' A man in a tuxedo flexed his muscle, depicting the universal sign for fitness and triumph.

What an awful analogy, Felix thought. He averted his gaze as he reckoned it was just another pill advertisement but by chance he decided to look at the billboard again.

Beneath it, a large elevator began to go down a freakishly tall building. Felix saw it enter underground and the glass-enclosed space between the floor and the billboard filled up with water. Two gigantic octopuses began to float up from the bottom. It made for a really interesting sight.

Felix tapped at the two stones and put them under his feet and got flown down to the ground, right before disappearing. Once on the ground he ran towards the octopus infested building. He just had to figure out a way to get in there. While wracking his grey matter he started walking towards it; whatever he was figuring out he could not afford to be the only one standing idle in an adrenaline packed planet.

*

Back on planet Earth, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma lay in anticipation over what Felix was up to.

'I hate this. He could be in danger and we're just here guessing helplessly.' Jemma voiced her inner agitation.

'Yeah Jem, but what can we do? D'you reckon we should accompany Felix on this mad planet shifting trip?' Jimmy asked Terrence who sat on the floor, cross-legged, and with a frown barely visible beneath his shaggy brown bangs.

'I really haven't quite figured out the time zone issue yet. Look at my watch; it's a quarter to four in the morning. How will we explain these lapses in time and our restlessness throughout the day to everyone?' he asked.

'I don't know...but there is only one Felix and four of us! It does not seem fair that he has to figure this entire ludicrous plot on his own while we wait here and not offer any useful input.' Jemma moaned.

'I think I have an idea,' Terrence said suddenly, getting up from his yoga position, 'what if we faked adoption?'

Jimmy and Jemma stared at him. 'Fake adoption?' Jimmy asked surprised, 'how would we enter the orphanage then? It would be forever good bye and I don't know if you've noticed but we don't know of another portal.' He added matter-of-factly.

Terrence stared at Jimmy, offended. He hated being answered back to without someone hearing his full theory first.

'Jim,' he resumed sweetly and patiently, 'I was thinking we ask Gary Smith the candy man from across the street to fake-adopt us. We could still continue living here except we wouldn't be held accountable for the day-to-day activities at the orphanage!'

'How is this going to work out, Terrie? I really want it to work out though!' Jemma herself began to ponder over the possibilities of physically aiding Felix on his mission in Falcora quite seriously.

'Well, Gary is the most honest and most amicable person in this entire neighbourhood and we've known him since we were babies, so he's bound to help us. We'll pitch in a story about how we want to evade adoption but Madame La Fume has pending parents or something of the sort, and –'

'We'll tell Gary we want to seek refuge under his wings for a bit!' Jimmy broke in.

'Yeah.' Terrence said through gritted teeth. He really hated interruptions. 'Gary, however, will be told about how we're working on a secret 'project' and that our supplies exist in the orphanage building thus he shouldn't be too concerned about our time spending here.'

'Brilliant theory! Think Madame will buy it?' Jemma asked.

'Oh, absolutely. In fact, we'll tell her we're still going to visit the orphanage on a daily basis to help the younger ones with their projects and dare I say it...the upcoming talent show!' Terrence snapped his fingers in pure delight at the stroke of genius in recalling the helpful information randomly.

'The talent show always has a slot reserved for us. We'll simply tell her we're rehearsing at the orphanage for old time's sake!' Terrence rounded up his awesome plan with a wink of the eye.

'Think that'll work?' Jimmy asked finally.

'We've got to make it work.' Jemma chimed in determinedly. 'For the sake of Felix.'

*

Felix, who had been able to strategically avoid 'bumping' into the walkers, just like his future self had told him, reached the building. He stood at the foot of it, with the large monstrous octopuses intimidating him silly.

'All right...let's see if there's an entrance here...' Felix walked around but he couldn't find any opening. It was all sealed from the outside and it looked as if the only way down was up.

He had to make his way to the top of the billboard with the two stones he kept with him from the previous skyscraper, and wait for the elevator to come. That too, without any guarantee of it being empty from the inside when it did come. The situation seemed overly tricky, and Felix had to think fast.

\-- CHAPTER SEVEN \--

The Cream Spray

Felix walked towards the octopus building – as he began to refer to it as that – and saw there were four guards circling it constantly.

'Even they can't stand still?' Felix ejaculated in shock.

He counted his obstacles. There was no entrance from the bottom, the guards were constantly circling the non-existent-entrance-from-the-bottom, and he could not fly. He really wanted to check out what all occurred beneath the giant billboard.

Then suddenly, practically out of nowhere he saw two children stride right towards him, without seeming to care that this one individual actually stood stationary. It was because their intentions became suddenly clear to Felix that he moved; they intended on 'bumping' into him for regeneration.

He made a quick dash into the smaller parallelogram shaped sooty building. The place was totally cramped with storage on the inside. It was quite dark too, save for the miniature holes on the sides that let in Falcora's yellow light. He quickly hid behind a few boxes trying to evade the robotic children that seemed to plummet towards him like a missile.

They passed by the store as a quick glance of Felix's non-existence within eyeshot caused them to make a U-turn and go back. It was literally quite impossible for them to stop and take a look inside – walking away briskly towards a new victim that they might come across some way again would obviously save them more time. The irrationality, though obvious, actually got belittled in Felix's mind since it meant the children's going away from him, which was far better than common sense. Especially when Falcora was doomed the minute 'rest' became irrelevant.

As Felix got out from his hiding place, he realized the storage that filled up the small quaint building, consisted of cardboard boxes. He opened them up and unleashed what he thought was dust and psychologically blocked his nose with a finger to avoid sneezing, except it was Falcorian dust – a silvery powder that began to sneeze itself. 'Achoo! Achoo!' resonated in the entire storage building.

Cautiously, he looked inside the cardboard box. Amid many curious and funny looking objects, he picked up what looked like a spray-on cream can. It was the only normal looking and 'Earthly' thing there. He held it up and read the heading: 'Loweez's Favourite Creamy Whipped Imagination.'

The title didn't really make the purpose of the cream can quite apparent, which made Felix feel the need to test it out. He shook the can and heard the typical sound of a small bead bouncing back and forth in the metallic interior and felt ready to push the tip, except his elbow hit the flap of a bigger cardboard box releasing the self sneezing silver dust into the air again. They created such a noise that Felix wished nothing more than to shut them up at that moment.

He sprayed the can into thin air and what happened next made Felix's jaw drop wide. The snow-white cream that oozed from the tip integrated itself into a huge vacuum cleaner that sucked up the self-sneezing dust in an instant. The integration itself took a split second.

Felix held the can closer to his face and read the instructions at the back:

Shake and spray away using Professor Ludenwich's new integration mixture! Think of a certain something and let the magical spray form it out of the special cream that only Falcora is home to. Coupling it with the snazzy digital board means you control the size and direction of your imaginings. Well, get creative and get creaming! Terms and conditions apply. Not suitable for anyone with an irresponsible or immature personality; guardians be advised. Useful only until cream lasts.

Immediately, Felix began the search for the digital board in the cardboard boxes. He came across a small rectangle with the cream spray's symbol on the side, indicating to the correct match. With a smile that lit up his face, he looked around for a test subject.

Unable to really see anything clearly due to the storage room being big and the general light permeating through the holes not so bright, he thought of a large torchlight that could ease this problem. He sprayed it onto the digital board that released a green laser and created a holographic image that went tangible in a few seconds. The humongous torchlight switched on. It looked like a chandelier positioned upside down had been activated.

The board's screen depicted a message for Felix that said the one way the users of the special cream can could increase the amount of cream inside for 'bonus' rounds would be if the user thought of outrageous ways to solve an easy problem.

'Makes for a lot of use of imagination!' Felix thought aloud. He could then make out how the constant walking completely drained the lives of the Falcorians. The entire building had gone sooty on its own because it went out of business. It was the building's expression of mourning, since the walkers didn't have time for such petty uses any longer. No sleep meant no dreams. And no dreams, meant no imagination.

Future Felix, wherever he was, had said so upon his second meeting with younger Felix that he would give anything to dream again.

The building on the inside had its wallpapers constantly change and rearrange patterns. It was a real lively place that went with the temperaments of its visitors. Felix had kind of awakened it a bit.

'If the Falcorians are made aware of their dormant imagination, maybe they'll take control of their mindless walking,' Felix got up from his sitting position, 'maybe then they'll all stand up to the League and force them to reverse the action of the pill!'

He held the cream can, along with the digital board and walked out of the building, which he deciphered was an imagination emporium that must have once housed a variety of creative objects that were now put away in boxes.

Once more he beheld the octopus-building. The cream spray was his ticket to the top! He held up the board and unlocked a bunch of command modules. One of them had the option of making his integrated objects appear invisible to onlookers and another increased their size by a good few numbers.

He thought about an outrageous way of getting to the top apart from usual boring ways such as jetpacks or flying stones - like the ones he used previously. Then suddenly, the craziest idea hit him.

He went and clicked at the settings on his special tablet and adjusted the invisibility settings and size settings. Whatever he thought of was going to be huge. Much, much huger than the two whale sized purple octopuses that swam about creepily in the distance between the ground and the top floor.

He held the can and shook; then he took a deep breath and sprayed at the screen of the tablet. Suddenly, right before Felix's eyes only, a car the size of a house appeared right next to the building. It was followed by five more that piled one on top of the other, forming a car ladder. It was a stupendous sight. A bar filled up on the tablet screen that depicted the increased amount of cream that formed from the car-ladder being a substitute for the more hackneyed choices of getting to the top.

And now, he had to figure out how he was going to climb the large cars. He sprayed at the screen again and saw how the cream melted inside – as if devoured by it – and the next thing he knew, his whole body got covered in many tiny magnetic circles that spit fire. That is how he was going to go up his magnetic car-ladder.

With the view of the horrendous octopuses obscured by the large cars only he could see, Felix made his way to the top of the building with the help of his fire-spitting-magnet-suit.

There he saw lots of tables that were clothed in sheets that looked like blueprints. It was empty inside so he decided to enter and have a look at the blueprints.

They were plans of extracting Unecton. The blueprints gave Felix the idea that this was inextricably linked to the League and rogue Professor Ludenwich, who was definitely the one perpetrating the whole operation. After all, he was the one who patented the pills that wrecked the natural system of living.

Felix unwrinkled a heavily creased piece of newspaper that was also on the table. It seemed old as it depicted a picture of a large group of people standing together for a photograph. It headlined the opening of the new theatre of Falcora where the famous Gamzash – the powerful entity that went from one planet to another, making sure of their well being - would be entertained during his visit to the planet after thirteen years.

Felix read more of the outdated newspapers and saw the headline of Gamzash visiting on the Falcorian date of three thousand, four hundred and seventy. He had no idea what time or date or even day it was in Falcorian terms, but he kept the date in mind nonetheless.

Gamzash's impending visit seemed to upset whoever owned the top room, an office evidently. It seemed to Felix the League wanted the extraction of Unecton before the date of Gamzash's return to Falcora or else they would be faced with his immense power of rebuttal. Future Felix wanted him to be a witness to Gamzash and explain the atrocities of Professor Ludenwich's scheme, but what worried him now was how the League was consciously aware of the visit and surely trying their best to supersede any interference by garnering all of Unecton quickly.

The top floor began to vibrate all of a sudden, and it occurred to Felix that the elevator must be on its way up. He quickly took out the spray along with the tablet, that he tucked into his loose trouser pockets and sprayed. He had himself integrated into a fly with the head of a camera. The sensation he felt of his arms and limbs contracting into the tiny stick-lick prickly legs of a fly and the small wings sprouting from his back was painful, but his eyes recording the surrounding like a camera was worth the transformation.

Sure enough, it was the elevator. Felix flew up and perched himself comfortably on the wall beside the elevator. When it opened, a strange looking tall creature with black and white straps on its pot shaped face, emerged and went to the table to put down some more sheets.

It was either look at the new sheets or have a look underground by going inside the elevator. But the creature seemed to be coming back too, so Felix flew up and captured the sheets with his camera eyes. Then he too went down the elevator with the strange creature – an unaffected Falcorian; a non-walker.

After what seemed like several minutes, Felix was finally underground. He saw it was a factory. It was undeniably where the League carried out their Unecton extractions he thought, only, it wasn't. It turned out that Unecton was extracted from the sky – which explained why part of it was black – and the underground factory merely stored it and concealed it from the walkers. They could never in their frenzy to not stop walking have gotten to the top of the building and, subsequently, down it either. Felix, apart from the League, was the only one.

'After seventy o' clock, Falcorian sky will be half black.' One of the giraffe like workers said to his fellow creature, who looked like a giant boot. They were unloading Unecton into cylinders.

'Yes, yes...' the boot like creature said, 'but have they caught him yet?'

'No. Stupid man can control himself a bit better than the other walkers. He's out hiding.' The giraffe lookalike said.

'They better find him! Sources say Professor Ludenwich thinks he's brought in a virus to the planet!'

'Always knew he was a troublemaker...couldn't he be like everyone else?' the giraffe began stirring the Unecton, 'that Felix Estabon!'

Felix jerked his head. No wonder he hadn't heard from himself! The League was after him.

The elevator door opened again. The same monochrome creature was behind it and Felix – still in his fly form – hitched a ride back to the top.

Once up and after the same drill where the monochrome creature left a few more sheets on the desk and went down again, Felix went to the spray and tablet he had kept in the corner of the room and pressed his entire body at the nozzle to get the cream oozing out. The cream that fell onto the tablet integrated Felix back to his normal self. He sprayed the can again – sorely in need of some bonus cream – and had integrated a gigantic slide that connected the building to the greenhouse. It was time to slide back home.

Though stretchy and high, the slide was fun and he reached the greenhouse quicker than ever. To his delight, he saw that his idea had produced bonus cream into the can after all. He went to the basement door, unlocked it, and returned to planet Earth where his friends lay, snoring away.

\-- CHAPTER EIGHT \--

Mr. Gary

Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma had returned to the dormitories' hall after it was past six o' clock. They went back not because they were tired – which they were – but mostly because if they were caught outside the basement door, Mr. Fitzwilliam was going to have thrown the biggest fit ever and aroused everybody's unneeded attention.

They instead stayed in the hall so as to distract whosoever awoke earlier than the rest till Felix made his way back. Unfortunately the long wait had weary effects on their bodies, even Jemma's, that they began snoring away in the hall before long. Anyone who did arise before everybody else would be sufficiently distracted by the random slumbering in the hall.

Felix came and awoke his friends who all greeted him with their cut through snoring that sounded like pig snorts. They went together to Felix's bedroom and put up a 'do not disturb' sign on their door.

He divulged everything he experienced.

'That was quite an adventure,' Jimmy yawned.

Felix then showed them the cream spray, the wondrous tablet and the pictures taken during the 'factory' visit. He also took out the infamous pill from his pocket.

Everyone sprang up and shook off their sleep.

'This is the pill that caused endless walking?' Jemma asked as she held the magenta pink cylindrical capsule against the light, clearly amazed how one small pill held such genetic code rewritings.

'Yes,' Felix said slowly, 'but this spray here literally integrates anything and everything you think of. Major lifesaver.'

'Can I try it?' Jimmy asked excitedly gripping the can away from Felix's hand. He began shaking it.

'No Jim!' Felix quickly took it back from him. 'I don't know where I'll find it again so I need to save as much as possible for my interrogations in Falcora!'

'Oh, rats.' Jimmy sunk back on his bed, disappointed.

'But...I guess a little can't hurt,' he shook the can and sprayed, waiting for the materialization to begin. But instead of anything cool, out came regular white cream.

'What? What gives?' Felix was clearly confused...one second it was this crazy imagination fuel and now regular looking boring cream? What gives, indeed!

'Don't waste it!' Jemma piped in, 'maybe it only works in Falcora.'

'Yeah I sure hope so...I don't want anything happening to this thing,' he said as he put it in his backpack.

'Frankly, I'm more interested in how the workers said the Falcorian sky was going to be half black soon,' Terrence looked up solemnly at Felix after examining the pictures, 'you don't have much time.'

'Yeah Terrie, I don't,' Felix got up and stood facing his three friends, 'we've got to find a way to locate Professor Ludenwich and my future self. I'm the only one who can offer some valuable input on the timing of Falcora – well, my future form at least.'

It was then when the three of them told Felix of their faking adoption plan which would allow them to accompany him to Falcora. Not only would he cover more ground with the help of his friends, but also be able to put together a lot of jigsaw pieces that were so far scattered and not in the perimeter of a cohesive picture.

'Let's carry out this operation today! We'll ask Madame La Fume to let us go visit Gary and his candy store,' Jimmy explained, 'we can then speak to him about what we decided earlier.' He turned to face Terrence and Jemma who nodded in unison.

*

As per Madame La Fume's instructions, the children were to be given a tour of the park that day by the orphanage's gardener, Mr. Sinclair. She wanted them all to be familiar with the different varieties of plant life that existed beyond the garden they were accustomed to, but deep down, Felix and his friends knew she just wanted to show how many of that plant life existed in her own gardens.

Mr. Sinclair was a short, stout old man, who always wore his signature straw hat everywhere. He was usually clad in an unruly grey shirt inserted rather untidily into his beige trousers, but today he had a waistcoat on as well, keeping with the formal occasion of course. Despite his age however, he had exceptional physical strength – just yesterday he stopped the neighbours' tree from falling into the orphanage, and onto his precious rose bush.

A small little bus had been rented by Madame La Fume for the occasion. It was everybody's first proper 'official' outing, so it obviously elicited unprecedented excitement from the little children.

Micah and his two cronies, Jason and Mason went and occupied the backbench of the bus and wore their silly expression of superiority that nobody took seriously, ever.

Felix and Terrence sat on the middle bench with Jimmy and Jemma on the one behind it, amidst the cries and laughter of all the other children – enthralled by just sitting in the vehicle that promised a good day at the park.

'Was it just me, or did I actually see a smile on old Fitzwilliam's face today?' Jimmy asked, inclining forward and protruding his head between Felix and Terrence's.

'What do you expect?' Jemma turned to face Jimmy, 'he's mad happy to have all the children vacate the orphanage for a while!' she replied knowledgably.

'Yeah, too bad it's only temporary,' Felix hung his head with a puppy-dog pout that soon broke into laughter.

'It's good to get out and stretch our legs a bit, you know?' Jimmy leaned back on the bench, but immediately sprang back up to echo in Felix's ear: 'Course you've been stretching yours a lot!'

'Which just means he's more experienced and won't get tired!' Jemma piped in.

'Jemma, why do you ALWAYS have to take Felix's side on everything? Like, literally everything?' Jimmy asked her with a raised eyebrow, his grin looking as mischievous as ever. 'Just wish you know, you would, well, STOP! But I don't think you can help it.' Jimmy started to 'tsk' pityingly.

'Can't you ever take, oh, I don't know, MY side for once?' He pressed further.

'Nope. Because you're stupid.' She replied with a self-assuring smile spreading across her face.

'Honest as ever,' mumbled Jimmy.

'Well, I think the exercise will do each of us good.' Felix replied in a tone of goodwill.

'The ambassador of peace and harmony in this world would obviously pass another obnoxiously safe statement.' A taunting voice soon blared through their ears. 'Nothing but the most diplomatic code of conduct, eh Felix?'

Micah, to nobody's surprise grew bored of Jason and Mason's obedient conversation and thought of 'interacting' with the others on the bus.

'You do realise nobody adopts you because they can smell your sparkling personality a mile away, right?' Felix asked him nonchalantly.

'No parent who's up to Mercury's mark has come by yet!' Jason's shrilly voice commandeered itself between Micah and Felix's exchange of glares.

'Exactly! Me-mercury is capable of wiping the floor with people like you.' Mason looked at Micah's face with a hopeful look in his eye – he thought he gave a pretty good comeback. But unfortunately, his boss's icy ignoring didn't think so.

'Listen, let me tell you something Felix,' Micah put his leg on to the edge of the bench where Felix and Terrence sat, and leaned forward, 'you should really stop giving that peacock impression of yours. If you don't want to be adopted, stay out of my way.' He grinned smugly and walked off with that little threat, Jason and Mason faithfully running after him at the snap of his fingers.

All Micah cared about was getting adopted before Felix, but that too after he turned down a few offers himself just like he did. Thinking of Micah's problems, Felix's stomach writhed at the great leap his own issues took in size. Like great leap into the future size.

Terrence, who had stayed quiet throughout took out a book from his bag and began flipping through its pages.

'I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to really enjoy discovering all the various plant species I've identified in this book. I went through a lot of persistent perseverance getting Mistress Helen to lend it to me from the library!'

'Why did you borrow a book on plant life?' Jimmy asked; he was clearly disgusted since he hated all kinds of 'study' books.

'Because I knew Madame La Fume would arrange this field trip sooner or later given our science class on plants! I wanted to be more prepared so I don't waste time.' He sauntered off to the front seat where Mr. Sinclair sat and began asking him questions about flowers that Felix couldn't hear. Not that he was complaining.

'When Terrie gets back, I think we ought to plan out our fake adoption scheme more seriously. Mr. Gary's candy shop isn't very far from where we're going.' Felix turned his head to view Jimmy and Jemma more clearly.

They nodded their heads. Based on votes, it was decided that after the park tour had been concluded, Terrence would whisk Mr. Sinclair away on a 'plant identifying' project while Felix, Jimmy and Jemma sneaked off to Mr. Gary's candy shop. After all, voting or no voting, Terrence always had an abundance of questions that only teachers would not find as gibberish – clear distraction material, right there.

When the bus did stop and everyone descended onto the grass of Mulberry's finest park, instead of ordering everyone to assemble into a line like the four friends thought, Mr. Sinclair told everyone to go off on their own and explore. He said once everybody had become acquainted with the place, he would start his explanatory tour and better engage the children's interest that way.

Naturally, Felix and his friends seized the opportunity and took off in the direction of Mr. Gary's sweets and confectionary treats' store. Considering the size of the park, nobody would want to leave it quickly and so would undeniably indulge in prolonging the trip for as long as possible.

'Guess the heavens decided to save themselves the trouble of wanting to hear your gobsmacking and utterly nonsensical questioning, eh Terrie?' Jimmy teased with his smirk and eyes that appeared like slits in his face, spelling mischief all over.

'At least I can spell chrysanthemum.' Terrence replied calmly, topping off his composure with a smirk of his own.

'Whatever.' Jimmy retorted.

The candy store was within eyeshot, and the children could see the giant signature taffy statue next to the house's chimney beckoning them to hurry.

'Can't resist taffy! Won't hurt to get a small packet after our little business negotiation!' Jimmy proclaimed excitedly, making a slurping noise with his tongue and rubbing his stomach simultaneously. He had no issue looking like a complete cartoon when he wanted to.

After what seemed like a good walk – which to Felix and the others' relief was hiccupped with occasional stops on the way – they finally reached the candy store.

The sweet melodious bell sounded the air, the way it always did when customers entered the shop. Since Mulberry was a close-knit town, everyone remembered everyone – even if they did not know a lot about them. Given that, Mr. Gary knew the children the minute they walked in, hypnotised by the layers and layers of candy in the shop despite being bound by their little mission.

'Ah, Felix, Jemma, Terrence and Jimbo!' Mr. Gary announced in his equally sweet tone that was in sync with the sweet aura of his shop. Jimmy was his particular favourite since he usually financed his business the most with innumerable taffy purchases.

'Hello, Mr. Gary!' the children greeted effervescently, as they ambled on the checkered floor.

'Come, come, come in!' Mr. Gary adjusted his oval spectacles and gestured with his large hand towards the front desk where he stood. He put down the big book he was reading and looked at them with full attention, 'here for my new chocolate sundae flavoured taffy?' He eyed Jimmy with his usual I-know-you-can-never-resist-what-I-just-said look, who expectantly, stared puppy-eyed.

Jemma struck Jimmy with her elbow who winced in return. He had to stay focused. After all, they had snuck out without quite telling anyone. And getting Jimmy to focus was a task of its own.

'Erm, Mr. Gary we're not here for candy,' Felix began, 'we're here to ask you something which we hope you'll agree to.'

Mr. Gary became worried.

'Ask me? Ask me what?' He asked inclining forward to hear the children better.

'It's a business proposition!' Jimmy piped in, only to be cut off by another one of Jemma's rather painful, albeit necessary elbow nudges.

She glared him down and told him very sternly 'not to blow it' and to let the matter 'get decided with Felix and Terrence leading the way'.

Jimmy crossed his arms and cleared the path. Felix and Terrence then put forward what they had rehearsed in their heads.

'We'd like you to adopt us, Mr. Gary.' Felix said to the befuddled candy shopkeeper.

'Adopt you?' echoed Mr. Gary. 'Don't I need paperwork for that?'

'Uh...' Felix and Terrence tried their best to press the matter but they had reached a slump. Mr. Gary was relentlessly focused on the paperwork.

'I don't want to cause trouble, but I think I need the paperwork!' He pressed once more. It was a gone case – slipping through their fingers, thought Felix and Terrence. Their tongues appeared frozen.

'Well not really,' Jemma chimed in all of a sudden, 'but we want you to come by to the orphanage and pop the idea to Madame La Fume because we want you to be our guardian... However, this won't be forever you see, we just need a house to live in with a parental figure as we're running an important project that would never be complete if we remain on our own! Not that we won't be going back to the orphanage because that's where our special project resides and it's a secret and we just really, really need your help. Please don't refuse us!' she finished off breathlessly and as quickly as a tape recorder on fast-forward. Her earnest eyes though, had the power of converting all those against her favour, in her favour.

Though it was Jemma who did all the talking, it was Mr. Gary who also caught his breath.

'Well – all right,' Mr. Gary said, 'let me know when to come by. And, tell me, very slowly this time, how long you require this 'parental figure' for. I don't think my wife will mind, as it'll be nice having young children around; it will be good for attracting business to the store too! Been sixteen years since my elder ones took off...' He seemed to be caught in a trance for a bit but came back to as Jemma broke the silence; 'Mr. Gary?'

The fist that cushioned Mr. Gary's chin fell down giving him quite a fabulous jolt.

'Right, of course, children,' he said, a bit abstractedly, 'I will meet you at Madame La Fume's and we shall discuss this further.' His smile, though warm, indicated to an end of the conversation, and subsequently, their visit.

The children began leaving the store one by one. Except for Felix, however. He made a beeline towards Mr. Gary and purchased as many taffy flavoured candies, as his time and pocket would possibly allow. Thrusting them into Jimmy's hands, the gang ran back to the rest of their fellow trip mates; Jimmy's squeal of delight photographed on his face throughout.

Back at the park, a lot of impishness had left its trail marks. Micah had tricked Jason and Mason that the special Ichiras flower – a kind of tulip – was edible and entertained the greatest taste in the world. The twins, to the astonishment of nobody, gulped the flowers down.

Naturally, as any sane person might have deduced, the bitter taste of the petals elicited from the twins the urge to spit them out. Poor Millie – one of Jemma's friends – suffered the twins' gag reflex and had to wipe off the saliva-ridden petals off of her face. The partial blinding she endured caused her to step on Yeager's feet – also about the same age group as Felix and with a preposterous fear of snails - who let out a massive howl, frightening the younger children into crying.

And, that's not all. The panic resulted in Mr. Sinclair to come running towards the screaming Millie and howling Yeager in futility as he slipped on the lubricious soil and fell down, hard.

Thus, Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma returned to what appeared to be a circus turned upside down.

The panic, of course, afforded them the liberty to camouflage their 'disappearance' and enabled them to seamlessly merge with the crowd.

'What on Earth?' Terrence looked around in utter bewilderment.

'Couldn't have asked for a better ending,' Jimmy exclaimed excitedly as he reveled in both the taste of his special candy, and the free entertainment along with it.

'C'mon, let's help Mr. Sinclair up!' Jemma cried, resulting in all the gang running towards their gardener come teacher; careful not to get clumsy feet on the glistening soil themselves.

Mr. Sinclair, after recovering himself, looked befuddled.

'Were you children with us, presently?' he asked Jemma.

Jemma gazed around at her friends and collected her puzzlement, 'yes of course, Terrence was inclined towards the primroses so we had to go to the other - ouch' Mr. Sinclair gripped her shoulder rather harshly, in his attempt to steer his heavy body off the ground. '...Garden' she added quickly, massaging her bruised shoulder.

'Yes...' Mr. Sinclair watched them all suspiciously. 'But do remember, whatever primroses you were studying do not exist in this garden,' he stopped on the stable grass and stared them down with his reedy eyes.

'Not primroses, Jem!' Terrence dramatically ejaculated. 'They were the polyanthus flowers, sir!'

Felix and Jimmy nodded in their affirmation of the 'mix-up'.

Mr. Sinclair sighed a breath of relief, 'Well now Terrence, only YOU could spot the difference, dear old boy!' He went and slapped, instead of patted, Terrence's back, who tried concealing his would-be-great-yelp with a tiny squeal. 'Madame La Fume's going to be extra proud of you.'

Terrence gave this two thumbs up. He clearly got more than he bargained for in terms of appreciation.

'Well all right everyone,' Mr. Sinclair clapped tremendously, silencing the chattering children. 'On to the bus, the lot of you!'

Like tiny focused ants, all the children ascended the bus without question. The little ones began to whine about their practically non-existent sunburns and a few even complained about sore feet.

'All of you need to buckle up for more future excursions like this!' Mr. Sinclair proclaimed. 'You're all such chickens!'

'Puck-puck-puckah!' Micah gave his best imitation that was later drowned in the twins' untimely uproar.

'So get ready for some physical exercise tomorrow!' Mr. Sinclair continued, 'we ought to organize some sports events to waken you people up. Also, I want a full essay report on the trip – make sure you don't mix up the flower names!' He glanced quickly at Jemma who flushed pink.

Having made his big announcements, Mr. Sinclair resumed the titian tainted passenger seat. Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma could not wait to get home. They had to inform Madame La Fume about Mr. Gary wanting to adopt them and the need for 'paperwork' to seal the deal.

In about twenty-five minutes, the bus returned to the orphanage. Everybody raced out of their travel vehicle and fought their way to the door in a most rudimentary fashion. Once inside, they went to their lounge and plopped on the soft couches; some felt that the fluffy carpet was enough and scattered themselves on top of it like a pack of cards.

Madame La Fume made her inspection and asked how the trip had been for all the children, receiving a unanimous 'it was wonderful!' for a response. She then informed the breathless children that lunch was pasta. An orchestra of delight sounded the air, with only Micah's complaint being off-key.

As the various sonorous forks pinned the softened and golden tinged penne ziti, exuding the herb infused creamy, not too mention cheesy sauce from both ends like a candy wrapper, Felix and his friends discussed their plans for that night.

'If only there was a way we could go right now...I mean after lunch – chef Connor has outdone himself today!' Jimmy slurped the pasta sauce that dripped from his fork.

'We probably will soon. Madame La Fume just needs to know about Mr. Gary', Terrence acquiescently reminded his friends.

Meanwhile, Micah played around with his food.

'How can you people eat this slimy stuff?' he asked with the twitch of his eyebrows.

'It's not that bad! It's actually pretty good.' Jason replied between stuffing his mouth with the penne ziti.

'Pretty good, is it? I reckon it's time for a bit of fun...'

A little whispering ensued but nothing quite audible, and so Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma conversed away until things started getting loud.

'Hey, Felix?' Yeager cried suddenly from the other end of the rectangular table, in their tiny yet spacious dining room that was always draped in the same sunflower ridden tablecloth.

'Yeah?' Felix called back. Yeager often asked him for some advice on matters. He felt Felix gave 'reasonably cool' relief givers.

'Is it true that pasta comes from the snail family?' he asked, super seriously against Micah and his cronies' up-to-no-good laughter.

'Did I really just eat snails? Oh, I can't eat anymore!' he disgustedly spit out his bite, not being able to withstand the sluggish thoughts that corrupted his mind soon after.

'Yeager, no! Of course not!' Felix protested almost half-screamingly. 'Who told you that?'

Yeager pointed towards Micah and Jason and Mason, who were literally falling off their chair in the laughter that pinched them blue all over. They were breathless.

'Micah!' Felix sternly confronted, 'do you think its fair to go around making sick jokes like that? Refrain yourself at least when we're all eating, will you?'

Everyone became silent and viewed the heated strife that was inevitably going to rise up between the two.

Micah stopped his laughing and stared wide-eyed at his rival.

'Oh powder puff goodwill ambassador for this year twenty fifteen did I offend you?' he sneered.

'Once I tell Madame La Fume, you're really in for it then,' Felix replied, calmly.

'Oh my. Nice way to evade a little showdown. But it's to be expected; you're not very manly, are you Felix?' Micah sounded like a sweet knife; subtly bruising his rival without adhering to intonation of speech for extra emphasis.

'I'm not an idiot who's going to sit by and watch you make a fool out of everyone. Manly or not, you'd better watch out after I'm finished with Madame La Fume,' Felix replied, calmer still.

Micah was not very pleased at the lack of vehemence in Felix's tone. He had nothing to hold against him. And because Felix's threat did not waver, he felt uneasy. Leaving his pasta, he pulled Jason and Mason by the collar, away from their half-eaten pastas too, and retreated to his dormitory.

*

After lunch, Felix and his friends went in search of Madame La Fume. They felt Mr. Gary would probably visit any time and so they had to let their caretaker know about the expectancy.

But Madame La Fume was nowhere to be found. They did meet, however unwontedly, Mr. Fitzwilliam, who glared them down in his usual repugnant way. He too, exited the orphanage through the front door, rather unexpectedly.

Asking around for her did not help matters either, as nobody knew the right answer.

'How could she disappear on us like that?' Jemma moaned.

'It doesn't matter! Fitzwilliam left just now. This is one possible hour of exploring Falcora that we've got.' Felix pointed out.

'Sounds good, about time we saw your actual planet,' Terrence adjoined, for once without his streak of paranoia.

With that, the four friends raced to their own dormitory and collected the materials they felt would aid them. Sliding on individual backpacks, they felt the adrenaline cease them as Felix held out the famous rhombus key before the basement door's lock.

\-- CHAPTER NINE \--

Pawns In A Game

The glass walled greenhouse looked dewy; the ceiling had shimmering driblets that would occasionally form transparent streaks. It was raining.

But this was not ordinary rain. There was a thick layer of net that had covered the sky; the diamond shaped craftsmanship looked impeccable, and upon it were gargantuan spider webs. From there descended the raindrops that were attached to the end of the spider strings that glided their way slowly to the ground. The strings would then metamorphose into mist and perfume the air. This captivating act took place in the blink of an eye: ever so rapidly.

Because the Falcorian sky was hidden, it was not possible to determine how much yellow still remained. The walkers were in that same disheveled state; walking frantically; never desisting; and bumping into each other for energy transfer.

Falcora had not one sky, but multiple skies, which would form layers in front of the main yellow coloured one and initiate the weather. It was again, a very different concept from that of Earth's.

Except for Felix, the three friends were in a state of utter disbelief, yet again. They were in Falcora, inhaling the same air as all the other Falcorians, about to explore, discover and possibly conquer puzzles that unlocked the planet's wondrous secrets! And feeling gusto over their impending adventure, their silent undertaking of prevailing in the acclimation to the walkers' lifestyle in tact, a sense of belief was exhaled, finally thus.

Before exiting the green and silver sheath that beamed from the abandoned greenhouse, Felix laid down the ground rules once more, of never arousing suspicion by standing idle anywhere near the walkers, and avoiding bumping into them at all costs. Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma all nodded.

'There's an imagination emporium here...we need to go to it and look for more useful things that will help us in locating my future self!' Felix informed.

'Absolutely!' Jemma beamed, 'but how will we get there?'

It was at that moment that Felix unzipped his backpack and took out the special integration cream can and its complementary tablet.

'Quick! Think of an outrageous way for us to teleport to the emporium!' Felix said whilst shaking the can like a vertical pendulum.

'Uh...' Jimmy immediately started, 'we could...we could...uh,' stopping just as immediately.

'What about air balloons?' Jemma suggested.

'It's too much of a cliché,' Felix replied, 'think outside the box.'

'How about we ride bicycles to our destination? But on a line we'll connect from this place to the emporium in mid air?' Terrence suggested.

'Not bad...it's worth a go!' Felix then worked out the technical details on the tablet, explaining the location and number of bicycles needed, and sprayed the frothy cream on the screen. Instantly, out of thin air, four different bicycles integrated themselves and a long thick wire adjoined itself from the roof of the greenhouse and trailed itself far and wide to, presumably, the emporium.

The idea impressed the tablet and they received a little bonus cream. By then, the rain had been reduced to mere drizzling, but what a spectacular scene it depicted. The weather was hypnotizing.

As the friends rode their bicycles one after another, they saw the titanic spider webs radiate piercing white electricity: lightening, in Earth terms. Powerful thunder resounded right after; the bodies of the bicycles vibrated from the effect. The rain continued to fall in its peculiar way, with the droplets attached to the end of the long silky and silvery spider strings, which would now slowly extend from the net like sky towards the ground and within seconds, transmogrify into mist. The diminutive droplets of rain themselves contained all the natural wetness of water, pinching skins with their iciness.

In about ten minutes, Felix and his friends were able to reach the end of the thick wire and rode their bicycles to the ground. The air had become chilly; every individual leaf seemed to unleash whopping winds.

As they entered the deserted emporium, it was exactly how Felix had left it last. All the boxes had blankets of dust heaped on them, their own protection call from the shift in temperature.

Everyone began to rummage through the stuff, hoping to come across a navigational device that would sort the geography of Falcora for them. Jemma came across another interesting invention, which was basically two small Siamese rubber balls attached together, faded orange in colour, that if placed in an area of a lot of water could suck the entire quantity up within minutes. So, Jemma included it in her backpack should the need arise later.

Jimmy, on the other hand, discovered a cardboard with several zigzag patterns latched onto one another as if deliberately done to obfuscate someone's view. Which is precisely what it turned out to be, as each one of the wacky inventions had attached with them little manuals, describing the nature of their purpose. He kept the piece that was indispensable to every prankster or trickster within his safety quickly. He knew it was going to serve mad "distractional" purposes. Way to sum it up, Jimmy.

'Okay, so up till now we've found dresses that can re-sew themselves if torn, glasses that don't break, papers upon which you can keep writing dozens of things, layers upon layers, filling each and every part to its core and still being able to read, along with edible glitter confetti which has made its way into Jimmy's mouth,' Felix said, 'but nothing which can help us in mapping our ways around the planet?'

Silence prevailed.

'We're still searching, Felix,' Jemma comfortingly assured him, 'we won't stop till we do.'

'Well, I guess you can take your break early, gentlefolk, for I just found ourselves a teleporter thingy!' Terrence exclaimed happily, 'with the map of Falcora woven on top...' he added, realizing it himself later.

Terrence found a large mat, which had, embroidered upon it, an image of a mesmerizing water fountain. But really, it was an amalgamation of all the places of significance in Falcora. The images could be zoomed and had the texture of water. When a place was dabbed, a splashing sound could be heard; just like a lake. The manual that accompanied it stated explicitly, that upon choosing and enlarging the desired destination upon the whole mat, the creation exercised the power of allowing the user or users to jump into it, like a portal, and be transported to that very place. It could be rolled up and carried around very easily due to its lightness, despite the unbelievable properties.

'Terrie, you genius!' Felix cried joyfully, 'we can look for my future self now!'

'But first, we have to understand all the divisions on this mat...the embroidery is so intricate. And look, see here,' Terrence zoomed the particular portion, 'the emporium! That's where we are!' The embroidery that had embedded the design of the emporium upon the mat glowed fuchsia pink. The mat affirmed their location.

'Falcora is very small,' Terrence inferred, 'if the total regions that divide up the planet are abstrusely embroidered in this design of a water fountain – possibly the unity symbol here – then it means that we can explore more terrain speedily.'

'Yeah, main part is figuring out which areas are relevant to us! We don't want to waste time now do we?' Jimmy chimed in.

'Of course we don't. Let's see...shall we patrol the police stations for your future self, Felix? He got captured, didn't he?' Terrence peered, inquisitively.

'Yes. But there must be so many of them! Where will you look first?' Felix examined the mat and felt daunted at the elaborateness of the designs.

'Oh, don't worry. You leave that to me,' Terrence replied in his most assuring manner. He had no difficulty in understanding the mechanism of the mat and began to elucidate the ways of working through it.

'Check this, the water fountain has a tiny little pump on the side, the 'p' from there relates to all the places starting with the letter getting highlighted in canary yellow. Sort of like a map key. I'll just zoom in all those – aha!' Terrence focused on the centre image that read 'Falcorian East Bank Police Enforcement' in the form of a hologram projected above the mat.

'Did you help make this mat, Terrie?' Jemma asked in awe, 'how could you figure so much of it out?'

'Well,' Terrence began first of all in a solemn attempt to conceal his self pleasure, 'I just paid more attention in Mistress Helen's cultural class on maps,' he added in another attempt to abstain from a clichéd response. Both attempts failed.

'Now we just need to get there!' Jimmy spoke while dabbing away at the mat. He enjoyed the water splashing sounds.

'Say no more,' Terrence enlarged the image to its full capacity and laid the mat on the floor. 'We're supposed to jump into that.' He pointed at the clear image of the police headquarters.

'What becomes of the mat after all of us go through it?' Jemma asked concernedly.

'The mat will stay with us now. The manual says, "The mat's loyalty to its owner or owners shall prove a survivor in the most unlikeliest of surprising exigencies".' Terrence replied, most factually.

Jimmy looked dumbfounded.

'Too bad I left out that linguistics chapter from English class or I might have actually known what you meant.'

The four friends then, turn wise, jumped into the picture-like portal, with the mat's surface wobbling like water concealed in a plastic seal. Instantaneously, they were transported to the police station in the Eastern side of the Falcorian hemisphere. Their bodies jerked like a bouncy harmonium. It was quick. It was dizzying. It was truly exhilarating.

They tumbled over each other, and took a few minutes to fully stabilize themselves before proceeding onwards. It was Jemma who first shook off the effects of the teleportation and realized the abandonment of the police station.

'It's closed!' she was able to work that out through the locked doors, 'and I don't think anybody's inside!'

'Could it be another police station then?' Terrence asked, immediately pressing his thumb and middle finger to his forehead, which began to ache from the body displacement they endured.

'I am not going through that again!' Jimmy almost instantly blurted out, 'that trip was insane!'

'Perhaps I should have read the terms and conditions a bit more clearly,' Terrence admitted.

'A bit?' Jimmy sarcastically asserted.

'You guys!' Felix broke in, 'we have to figure out a way inside...for all we know I could be locked in there! My future I,' he added to erase the nonplussed looks from his friends' faces. They still could not wrap their heads around the idea of a future Felix existing simultaneously.

Felix began to look for windows or anything that could give him a way to look inside the building. It was a trapezium shaped structure with an elephantine image of the letters 'F' and 'P' latched onto the ceiling. The doors were made of emerald green glass and it was very difficult to see through them clearly. As for windows, there were small circles on the top of the doors; it basically meant they were next to none. The rain had stopped and the spider webs in the sky began to sway like silk because of the breeze, creating ripples.

'Let me try and see if there's anything useful on the backside of this place,' he said, scurrying past the hedges towards the opposite part. He had no luck. There was no opening there of any sort; it seemed only one door lead to the entrance and exit of the police officers and convicts. It was quite strange, especially when such a building would entail a lot of activity.

Wasting no further time in giving way to fruitless exploration, Felix unzipped his backpack. He then took out the object that almost became his sidekick due to the numerous occasions it assisted him most profoundly: the cream spray. He gave it a generous bit of shaking and taking out his equally trusted tablet, unleashed the thick snow like mixture.

Forming out of nothingness, yet again, there appeared in Felix's hand a small black ball. Two red lights switched on the surface of the little palm shaped sphere. Without uttering a word himself and walking between the ensuing silence of his friends, Felix placed the ball in the middle of the glass door and saw it successfully stick to it like glue. Then from the four curves of the device, there spread extremely long diagonals that formed a cross on the door. They had been drilled into the edges of the entrance and began to shake as well as tremble. The door had been dismantled; and was about to fall. Felix quickly prevented it from smashing itself to smithereens and Terrence and Jimmy followed suit. They carried it to the side of the building, and Felix took the tiny device off of the middle, its four legs disappearing back into the body.

'How did you think of that?' Jimmy asked breathlessly as he stepped back from the carefully placed glass door. The tablet shown brightly, the cream bottle had received some more bonus cream. 'I'm glad to know all these crazy ideas will keep refilling our imagination's reality.' He glanced at the cream spray and saw the tiny device disintegrate; it was just like all the other creations after they had been used.

'I remembered that from a spy book I read ages ago. Except now that I think about it more clearly, there had been lasers instead of legs,' Felix spoke as he walked into the police headquarters.

It was dark inside as was predicted before hand by Jemma and so she lit up her torchlight and illuminated the way for her friends. The walls of the building were more thematic than solemn – as one would imagine given the nature of the duty the station emitted.

The walls had postcards plastered all over them. These postcards had a potpourri of names, which the children inferred would probably be representative of the different regions of Falcora. On the postcards, there were pictures of all the convicts they had caught or were going to catch, at least. Markers and notes and lists had been scribbled alongside the postcards. Either this was an artistic rendition of an otherwise mundane job or the convicts were to be shipped off somewhere.

'Imagine yourself sending a friend a letter with one of these postcards – I'd probably rip the envelope up if you sent this guy's face,' Jimmy said to Terrence, as he pointed to a particularly gruesome looking convict's visage.

The floor was like a chessboard, monochrome blocks alternating one another. As they moved towards what seemed like the cellars, each barred jail had a piece from the game of chess, itself. The cellars were empty and the obvious deduction of walking uncontrollably came into everyone's minds as being the strongest reason. However, it seemed like there was much more to the scenario than what met the eye. As the four friends continued walking down the narrow cellar filled passageway, they realised that the only chess piece that was missing from its place was the Queen. What further intrigued them was an incomplete chess game at the end of the passageway, situated on a small table with abandoned chairs.

'I can't understand a word. The players look so convoluted!' Jemma sighed. It seemed as if the players had left their game midway.

Terrence was staring at the board long and hard. 'A perplexing game all right...but I think it appears to be nearing a...'

'...Checkmate.' Jimmy finished both the sentence and the game by cornering the white king with the black queen.

Felix looked up at his friend in astonishment. 'I never knew you could play chess, Jim,' he spoke in a genuinely surprised way.

'Terrie and I began to play while you explored Falcora in the early days. He didn't think I caught on all the tricks,' Jimmy winked at his other flabbergasted friend.

'You guys...what's happening there?' Jemma directed their attention towards the passageway they just crossed. A staircase opened downwards and neon lights brightened the newly opened basement. The unfinished chess game was a trigger. And Jimmy had instigated its effect.

Guardedly, they went down. As they approached the last step, they began to detect audibly, a sort of shuffling noise against the floor. That shuffling noise alluded to the several criminals and convicts that ought to have been in the cellars upstairs, but were walking constantly in a large glass encasement with tube lights plastered all over the ceiling. They were like zombies; they were too hypnotically consumed in their act of walking ceaselessly; they 'bumped' into each other and were likely to continue doing this for the rest of their lives as projected through the disorientation on their faces.

It looked like once the effects of the pills kicked in, whosoever was in charge of the police station shifted all the convicts to their secret basement, for them to wander on and on listlessly.

'Corruption within an organization seeking to purge away the corruption of society itself...poetic,' Jimmy sighed.

'Wait a minute, Felix,' Terrence suddenly exclaimed, 'look at the shirts of the convicts.'

Instead of the typical orange jumpsuit that categorized criminals back on Earth, here the various characters from the chess game worked as the identification of the convicts. All four of them were intent on finding the one with the Queen on him, but they couldn't see. A computerised list of the convicts with their current status was recorded at the end of the basement. Discerning the names they stumbled upon the one they had been looking for: Felix Estabon's, with current status marked as: missing and the chess piece assigned based on characteristics: Queen.

'You don't suppose your future self is a regular here, do you?' Jemma asked apprehensively, 'the Queen is the most powerful and invaluable piece on the board.'

'I...can't really say anything,' Felix admitted. After all, what could he join together from the scattered moments he had spent with his older version?

Beside the list, each convict's tracking signal was shown as active. It must have been implanted on them that would allow whosoever – the police, namely – to find their location. Wanting to know more, Felix quickly took out the cream spray and sprayed on his tablet, amidst several astonished cries his friends gave out. The tablet, however, in effect, began talking in an automated voice explaining the way this procedure worked. It was then that Felix and the others understood that the tracking system. Everyone paid attention to the audio that could be sounded thus:

'The Falcorian Police Federation have adopted the more sophisticated and clandestine method of keeping an eye on the civilians that go astray. The individual tracker that has been implanted on all who enter the finest cells seen in the whole west wing of Falcora can be initiated through the chess pieces that have been assigned to them based on their characters. You get the piece and place it on top of the Falcorian map and the location of the desired person will glow; but be warned. The person and or persons are subject to change, especially since Professor Ludenwich's special pill charges the individual with the constant need to walk.'

To the relief of them all, the convicts come walkers were totally uninterested in the little audio that just filled the air, ever so robotically. But suddenly, the fact that the alarm went off and the entire basement seemed to ring the shrilly bell from its walls, the convicts became alert of the presence. They began banging on the glass doors, despite walking by briskly, trying to communicate something that was lost in translation.

They could hear angry manly voices coming from above. It was either the police force of Falcora or the League's henchmen.

Terrence quickly took out the map mat and rolled it on the floor. Given the necessity of the situation he randomly selected a place and enlarged its image, with Jemma and Jimmy both jumping into the portal. Before Terrence could jump, Felix dashed off in the opposite direction and towards the chessboard to retrieve the Queen. As soon as he reached the top, he could see the walkers rushing towards him. Quickly, he jumped over most of the stairs and called after Terrence to plunge into the picture quickly. Felix, too, escaped narrowly, for he felt the hands of the agitated walkers brush his hair.

It was a close call.

\-- CHAPTER TEN \--

Saccharine Skillip

Breathless and exhausted from this close encounter, it became apparent to all of them how the authorities were not just after Future Felix but young Felix too now.

In their attempt to expeditiously leave the police headquarters, they had all tumbled upon one another and were lying flat on the ground.

They got up and dusted the blue dust off of themselves and looked around. They appeared to be in some sort of neighbourhood. It was the first time Felix had also been in a residential area of his birth planet. They saw the area that glowed pink on their map and realised they were in the 'Falcorian Cottage District'. This too, was deserted.

'I think all the walkers can't go off wandering here and there because they have their appointed lanes,' Terrence rightly pointed out. 'That's why the convicts were shifted to the basement. The glass encasements had neon lanes and that's where they walked.'

'Good observation, Terrie,' Felix said appreciatively.

'Yeah. Means we get more room for snooping around,' Jimmy added cheekily.

'Those people who showed up after us weren't police officers. If they were, they wouldn't have been able to leave their lanes; the extensive walking would kill them. It was definitely the League. Ludenwich's after us,' Felix reflected soberly.

'So we better get moving then!' Jemma said optimistically, not wanting Felix to lose hope or feel dull. She held him by the arm and dragged him towards the turnip shaped cottages.

They were not sure if they would find something meaningful in the cottages but they proceeded on anyway. They made their way into one of the smaller ones that was incredibly stuffy.

'Do you want to find out how the Falcorians lived, do you?' Jimmy asked sarcastically, coughing, as the general air of suffocation was unendurable. 'I say this is useless!'

'Will you stop complaining?' Terrence retorted, 'we're trying to find out as much as we can! Besides, it's better to stay on our guard – and we'll be concealed just fine inside.'

Felix opened the purple door that had swirls of violet decorated on top. The mismatched colour theme looked ridiculous. But the friends took it in their stride as normal interior designing for the residents. The cottage looked empty and as the door grazed the wall, a fresh perfume of dust was brought in from the outside and filled their nostrils, in the otherwise clean surrounding.

Moving through the awkward furniture, that was gaudy and broken, they heard something metallic suddenly drop. Everyone turned an angry eye towards Jimmy who shrugged. But the sound came from what appeared to look like a kitchen – very Earth-like. So, it couldn't possibly have been Jimmy!

'Be very careful, guys,' Felix began whispering, 'we're going to go investigate.'

As soon as Felix stepped foot in the kitchen, a large saucepan was pointed at his direction.

'Stay back!' a shrilly voice pinched the swiftly silent air. 'You monstrous walkers! Get out of my house!'

'Walkers? No, we're not one of the walkers!' Felix ejaculated, trying to clear the air before they got hit with the saucepan that the aroused holder began swinging. It appeared to be a woman with a plastic basket shielding her head like a helmet, bits of her fierce red hair sticking out.

'If you could just put the saucepan down, maybe we could talk!' Jemma voiced out slowly.

'How do I know you're not lying?' she persisted, dubiously.

'No we aren't! I'm Felix, and this is Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma,' Felix gestured towards everyone.

'You're not armed,' the woman said after running her eyes all over them. She lowered the saucepan and took off her plastic kitchenware masquerading as war-wear, revealing magnificently straight and long scarlet hair, 'I'm Saccharine Skillip.'

Though appearing human like in form and feature, her arms and hands, as was later revealed, looked like branches; and her skin was sprayed bronze all over. It was as if she was the child of a tree and a long red dress; her hair was not like the Earthly strands Felix and his friends were born with, but instead an elongated ruby cloth substituted it; real hair did not exist. She appeared to be a sort of cross species, or just one of the many versatile looking creatures Falcora had churned out. Saccharine was also really tall and mature though youthful of face; thus based on Earthly figures, she seemed to be in her early twenties.

'Pleased to meet you,' Felix replied, 'why are you hiding here?'

'I ought to be asking you lot why you're not walkers!' she spoke passionately, swinging her unique hair along with a toss of the head to which they belonged.

'We...uh, never took the pill,' Jimmy answered back, rather sheepishly.

'Outrageous! Everybody took the pill, how could you be excused? Unless,' she quickly grabbed the saucepan again, 'you're part of the League!'

'Calm down!' Felix spoke quickly, 'we're not from this planet so we couldn't have possibly taken the pill!'

Saccharine looked perplexed.

'...Not from this planet?' she repeated disbelievingly, 'how is that likely?'

'We'll disclose the second part of our information after you tell us why you're hiding here,' Jemma spoke decisively, repeating Felix's original question.

'I,' she stopped short and lowered her head in disappointment, 'couldn't take it anymore,' erupting into a steady silence.

'What do you mean?' Felix asked.

'My family is out there. Walking. Never stopping. Never caring for anything else...or anyone else. But I suppose the heinous pill is to be blamed. Not them,' she sank down by the kitchen counter, 'I'm afraid of turning into that, afraid of the whole concept of walking for all eternity. I'd much rather just stay in what used to be my family home.'

'Saccharine,' Felix got down to his knees so as to look her in the eye; 'you won't do a single thing to stop this madness, knowing that your family is caught up in this?'

'How can I?' she spoke out vehemently, 'I'm just a stupid girl. If I step out the League will find me and forcefully feed me that deadly pill. I've been under house arrest ever since the walker epidemic, so I'd much rather stay in hiding.'

'Or you can help us,' Felix said fixedly.

Saccharine looked up, 'how?' she asked, 'what do you want?'

'I think I can help save you from this fate,' Felix replied, 'I came to this planet so I could bear witness that this way of living is not normal to Gamzash when he visits your planet. And so Gamzash will use his powers to destroy the League and hopefully restore things back to the way they were.'

Saccharine eyed Felix suspiciously, 'which planet are you from?'

'Earth.'

'How did you get here?' she continued.

'Saccharine, I need to know if you're acquainted with a certain Felix Estabon here?' Felix inquired, ignoring her actual query.

'Felix...Estabon?' she repeated, widening her eyes, 'of course! He would bring me food while I sought refuge in my cottage since both of us were the only ones who never took the pill. He was so helpful. But it's been two days since he last dropped by...ever since the sirens bellowed the news in the streets that the League had captured him. I shudder to think further!

'We exchanged notes on why neither of us considered taking the pill. I was always against artificial gene modification. I knew it was a terrible idea to play against Nature in the first place. I was never believed in and had several Falcorians laugh at me...dark time...but even I didn't think the pill would actually cause endless walking!' she stopped for a moment, gulped, and proceeded, 'Felix told me he realised it became questionable the moment his father – the lead engineer at Falcora's immensely powerful energy factories – reported back signs of Unecton depletion. But nobody linked Professor Lunatic's latest invention with something as serious though 'unconfirmed' as that...except for Felix...'

'I see,' the smaller version of Felix exclaimed.

'After I told Felix to go into hiding too he said how it couldn't be done, due to a secret plan that was being worked on to try to set things right; because after the Falcorians lost their sleep and need to rest, Felix broke into the League's nerve centre, in his expensive Micheti Ferventore car, (Saccharine narrated that last bit with a lot of relish), and found out their treacherous plans of sucking the life out of their own planet,' she spoke with a lot of exhibitionism.

'Felix also realised one way out of the situation was by pleading to Gamzash – the master of the planets – by finding,' she halted her speech immediately and turned to face young Felix in a trance like state, 'you. You're the project he was working on? You're looking creepily familiar all of a sudden.'

Saccharine got up and backed up behind the island counter in her kitchen.

'Are you...the Felix Estabon?' she asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Yes...I'm Felix Estabon of Earth.'

'I can't believe his plan worked,' Saccharine mumbled.

'I can't believe the Falcorians have been walking for thirteen years!' Jimmy spoke out.

'Terrence,' Felix directed his gaze towards his friend without moving an inch of his body that faced Saccharine, 'take out the map.'

Terrence did as he was instructed and laid it down before everyone.

'Where did you get that from? I haven't used, let alone seen one in ages!' Saccharine gasped.

Without a word, Felix took out his hand from his jacket pocket and placed the Queen on top of the map mat. It shimmered an ethereal turquoise and the chess piece moved on its own towards the southern part of the geographical design. That particular part glowed yellow and enlarged itself: it depicted an entrance to a most majestic looking mansion, with the holographic letters emerging shortly into mid air stating 'Estabon Estate, 1808'.

'That's where we're going next,' Felix said.

'What about Saccharine?' Jemma asked.

Felix turned to look at Saccharine one more time, gave a gentle thanks for the input, and asked if she should like to get over her fear of the walker epidemic and join them. But Saccharine simply shook her head and continued to stare on in bewildered entrancement.

With that, the four friends jumped into the portal, the well-known feeling of body imbalance not far behind.

\-- CHAPTER ELEVEN \--

Estabon Reunion

After a few exceeded minutes of recovery from the teleportation, Felix and his friends walked towards the beautiful ice sculptured gate that looked like closed swan wings. As they reached the middle, the lock of the gate began to move. It then transfigured into a long neck that further transmuted into the head of a swan, itself. The swan, though still sheathed in the scintillating silver, which glistened under the Falcorian sky that began to show signs of its original gilded colour, opened its eyes and moved its head towards Felix, gazing at him for a moment, after which it blinked. Instantaneously the closed wings withdrew and spread out as mesmerisingly as one would behold the natural phenomenon but with more magnified aptitude. The gates opened.

There was an enormously regal fountain before the mansion set in the centre of the intricate stonework on the floor. Jemma and Terrence almost found it an insult to the gorgeously labyrinthine stone carvings on the ground that they had to walk over them.

The fountain had a deep sapphire stream of water gushing from its mouth. Along the water there were tiny luminescent dots that emerged too...they looked like fireflies; but they were actually small little glowing inhabitants of the fountain \- another addition to the different Falcorian creatures encountered.

Upon the base, there were flowers imbued in stone, with different shades of pink, violet, white and peach painted inside them. From within the concrete structure of the fountain, real leaves emerged and curled around the crafted flowers. Shades of green swirled, varying between yellow-green to emerald-green, some virescent leaves intermingled with malachite leaves. It was a work of art.

As the friends peered closely at the sumptuous texture, they realized the following words were embossed in mossy granite on the fountain:

The Estabon heritage will live on in the universe forever. Gamzash chooses Falcora's representation with a name that has fulfilled its ranks of prestige. The name is now among the galaxies' conferment of stars.

After a few moments of silence, Jimmy looked at Felix with wide eyes.

'You're like a star of the galaxy! Your family's a huge deal.'

Felix returned with a half grin, 'well, technically my family, yeah.'

Of course, Terrence and Jemma also exchanged bedazzled looks. The big stamp-mark that their friend held such esteem in the galaxies was certainly something to write home about. Or better yet, certainly something to write to Micah about.

Moving round the fountain, which they matched as the same one on the magic transporter mat, the grand granite-glass infused entrance doors beckoned them. The platinum tainted graffiti that appears fossilized in granite was suffused within the transparency of the glass layered structure. So far, the entire estate depicted architectural wonder, and the fact that Terrence controlled his 'dying-to-examine-the infrastructure' urges was itself a wonder. But, the four friends were aware this was where future Felix was. It was imperative for them to locate him before events got awry again.

When Felix reached the door, he turned the crystal knob that immediately opened the way to an ephemeral site. Well, further ephemeral sites. The mansion was as white as snow on the inside, with sharp contrastive red sofas, turquoise lamps, emerald green carpets and royal blue curtains. It was incredible how the Falcorian golden sunlight that permeated through the windows introduced a harmonizing effect and synced all the shades together. The staircase, spiraling as high as the eye could see was indeed mystifying; the wood was not only a deep purple, but had veins of magenta scribbled all over in hundreds of directions. The stairs gave off the optical illusion of being never ending, but once Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma trotted upwards, they realized the stairs went up till the fourth floor and that all floors of the many rooms kept rotating vertically and horizontally.

The walls of the mansion were metallic in some areas, with a brilliant lustre emitted by hues of silver, rose-golden and champagne. Light switches were not ordinary things either. There was a stylus next to the buttons on the sensitive screen. You would draw the frequency of lights wanted or required at a particular time. If the task appears cumbersome, just know it was Jimmy who easily navigated his way through the unusual contraption. What a genius! (In case he reads this manuscript of his great adventures).

Moving on, the children also discovered a most beautiful study. The walls here were an entirely different work of art. There were countless tiny levers latched on, in fact, there was no wall only gravity defying levers, giving a three dimensional look to the whole room. Jimmy pulled one of them, which in turn, performed a function. In to the air was released a little chocolate scented mist of moderate temperature that refreshed everybody's faces. Having his olfactory senses engaged he went mad pulling all the other tiny levers. Each had a slightly modified function from the next; for instance sometimes the mist appeared too hot, or too cold. Considering the dozens of levers, the function allotment seemed understandable yet unreasonable at the same time. As they walked around the otherwise empty room save for one sofa and lamp in the middle, they realized the ceiling was also covered in tiny, shrunk levers.

There was a clock like contraption embedded between the lever carpet on the wall opposite a maroon desk. Fifteen hours, seventeen periwinkle blue coloured second hands, three brown coloured minute hands and oddly enough, one long mustard coloured hour hand. It was a complicated and obviously new method for reading time. What all four children understood unanimously was the time of thirty minutes past thirteen. Reading it entailed quite the feeling of triumph as the 'mathemicality of time' in Terrence's words, was like a code.

'Staring at this erm, clock, makes me wonder what time it must be on Earth,' he added.

'Yeah, none of us bothered to keep track of that, now did we?' Jimmy piped in.

'Not until we find Future Felix and assemble together some of Falcora's bits and pieces!' Jemma answered, enthused with emotion.

'Since we've taken so much time anyway, might as well continue a bit longer. I can sense we're getting warmer.'

Felix, who was at the desk, began to look through some of the books on it. They seemed Earthly. They were also the only books in the whole study. While he looked through them, Jemma was the one who examined a large glass globe in the centre – it was not to be dismissed as just mere decoration. Inside, she found a small note that said, "Burn Me".

Carrying out the instructions she incinerated it from the fire provided by the candle. Immediately the whole room became dark save the light that penetrated from the reddish-orangey haze emitted from the tiny glass globe, and the note, which sprung out of Jemma's hands and landed on the ground, glowing lime. Four symbols appeared on it in different colours. However, the foursome were too preoccupied in reading the flame letters that appeared mid-air:

"One of the levers connects to the next

Pull them in sequence

And you will find me, Felix"

Jemma read them aloud. But just as soon as she did, the letters began to smoke away. Jimmy quickly took out his flashlight from the bag pack on his back and shot the ray of illumination towards where the words appeared. The study stayed dark.

'Yeah but which one is the first?!' Jimmy asked.

Terrence moved towards the note and picked it up, Jimmy quickly patching the sight impairment up with his torch, as the note stopped glowing.

'These are the levers...colour coded. The red one's the first. See? There are tiny numbers next to them. The pattern looks like a...rhombus. The red one is positioned...' Terrence moved beneath the desk, inserting Jimmy's flashlight into his mouth and using both his hands to move the desk, 'heah.' He said so in a muffled voice, pointing towards a tiny red lever beneath the desk.

'There's the first. Now use your flashlights and search through the lever walls for the coloured ones. They'll be camouflaged real well.' He handed back Jimmy's flashlight who in turn said, 'Nah...how about you give me yours?'

Jemma found a green one hidden amidst the silvery levers while Jimmy after using a 'Terrie-spit-free' flashlight, located a blue one. The last one, a yellow lever was going to be on the ceiling; the only way the rhombus shape would be completed. Since there was no other way of reaching the rooftop, Felix took out the cream spray. He let out a dollop of cream that integrated two large books out of nothingness. Unfortunately the lack of creativity did not get him any bonus cream, however, saved time. Climbing atop the books he spread out his torchlight and located the yellow lever after many minutes.

Remaining positioned next to their levers, Terrence gave the go ahead for the sequence in which they were to be pulled. Jemma would go first, he would go second, Jimmy third and Felix last. And so, it was initiated. The room's lighting came back on and the wooden panels of the floor disbanded, projecting a basement. The friends collected towards the mouth of the newly opened passageway.

'Wow, talk about a dramatic entrance! The lights just came back on!' Jimmy said, not interested in the mini tunnel that had been unlocked.

'Meh', he continued, 'thought the one at the police station was cooler.'

This underground passageway had a teal highlight streaming through the floor, which cast shadows everywhere. It was plain; narrow; it was almost never ending. It swirled and twirled as if they were travelling inside the body of a gigantic stony snake. Considering the possibility of great impossibilities in Falcora, Jemma abandoned this notion immediately.

Towards the end of the long passageway, the four friends observed a great yellow haze. As they got closer they beheld what looked like a further entrance into a laboratory. There were several potion filled tables, whiteboards with scribbled ideas and half erased scientific equations, lots of semi built inventions and all sorts of whacky looking contraptions scattered everywhere.

They began to cautiously roam around the vicinity even more when their ears picked up some loud grunts up ahead. Loud "no, no, no"'s filled the air. Moving up closer they saw the figure of a tall man trying to ignite two crystals of an immensely bright yellow together that just did not gel together like he wanted. This man also had the same hue of brightness when it came to his blonde hair.

'Felix?' Felix called out to himself.

The man immediately turned round. He looked shocked.

'Felix!' he cried, 'you made it! Who are these people with you?'

'So, unfathomably creepy this is,' Jimmy murmured to his equally stunned and rather frozen friends.

'They're my best friends: Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma.'

Future Felix shook hands with 'his' friends. Jemma felt sure his eye contact with her was a few milliseconds more prolonged than the others.

Felix began to stare at the bright yellow substance that his future self was having disappointing results with.

'What's this?' he asked.

'Unecton. I'm using it to make a portal for Gamzash. I received a message saying that he wanted to postpone the visit to Falcora because his ministers can't create a stable pathway here. Too much external galaxy traffic or something like it...didn't even receive the whole message. But I am trying to help out you see,' he motioned towards the contraption he was working on.

'This is the solution! We need to move faster because Unecton is almost drained! Falcora will die if Gamzash doesn't meet you Felix! He must not under any circumstances be given the impression that the walker epidemic is our natural way of life! Or else the League will claim victory. Ludenwich will probably oust Gamzash himself for supreme leadership of the galaxies.'

'Oh my!' Terrence exclaimed.

'I didn't realize the situation was so intense.' Felix returned.

'It is, it is,' Future Felix said after re-wearing his safety goggles and trying the Unecton fusion once more on the other side of the lab. The experiment still did not succeed.

The four children went towards the adult version of Felix.

'I don't mean to alarm you at this already critical moment but can't the League or the Falcorian police force get to you? I mean there isn't much security...'

'Oh don't worry about security;' Future Felix cut his younger version off, 'our gate is magical. The swan only lets the Estabon bloodline through. It recognized you.'

'That's great but what about my friends?'

'Are we secretly brothers and sister?' Jimmy broke out excitedly, while a dark cloud hovered over Jemma's heart as she held her breath at the utterance.

'No,' he returned with Jemma's 'That's a relief!' causing everyone to turn back and stare at her.

'The swan sensed purity in your friends' veins. There was no danger. They care for you. That is why they were allowed.'

'Wow, thank you for the support swan gate!' Jimmy wiped a fake tear from his eye and burst into laughter, 'always knew I was gosh darn special!'

Future Felix went towards one of the whiteboards and exclaimed if there had been any miscalculation that prompted the portal's failure. Young Felix on the other hand, went to him and asked where he got the Unecton.

'This Unecton? Oh, I stole it.

\-- CHAPTER TWELVE \--

Unexpected Strength

'Stole it?' Felix echoed, 'perhaps that's why the police was after you. You were captured for a while weren't you?'

'Several times, actually.'

'And you always managed to escape.'

'Well, yes. I'm quite difficult to capture. And to think, I never took that horrendous pill,' he said with a smirk.

Future Felix went towards the whiteboard once more. He began beating against the stone cold plastic with his marker. However, characteristic of the planet's reinvention of most ordinary things into extraordinary terms, the marker started to join the bits and pieces of diagrams on its own together. They began to commute like strands on the surface of water, ever so harmoniously.

'If only I could go to sleep again,' Future Felix mumbled to himself in a state of extreme disappointment.

'What do you mean sleep?' Felix spoke after having caught on what his future version had said, 'why can't you nap? You didn't even take the pill...like you just said,' he quickly added – who would want to seem inattentive in front of their older selves? That's right. Only Jimmy.

'I'm afraid the situation is much more complicated now...' he moved himself adjacently to face the children, apprehension as obviously plastered over their faces as Christmas decorations on ordinary pine trees.

'The whole environment of Falcora seems to have reset. Sleeping is not the kind of sleep you Earthlings are accustomed to, because you do not value its importance. Sleep here is a gateway for us to new ideas, new inventions and new creativities. Through this process our minds get the cranial power needed to generate the power of Falcora. The Unecton barriers have been made weak because of this lack of spiritual exercise. The sleep lane, where you "walk sleep" or "sleep walk" is not the same since you are constantly, well, walking. The body's energies are focused on our physicality instead.'

Future Felix moved towards an old newspaper clipping that had been framed on the wall. 'That was the day Professor Lunatic invented the integrative cream spray. It was considered breakthrough technology. We funded his entire operation. He had dreamed the idea.'

'So you sleep, whilst making the intention to create, and so dream new ideas?' Young Felix asked.

'Yes. Only Falcorians are born with this ability, which is why Lunatic's plan was so ingenious! The perfect trap for us all.' Future Felix pushed back his hair in utter frustration. He then went back to his unsuccessful contraption.

Young Felix on the other hand, began to think...hard. Until he finally asserted, 'If this is intrinsic to every Falcorian, why don't I go back to Earth and think of some way to help you better your design?'

Future Felix immediately turned back and began to smile slowly.

'That is not a bad idea at all, my younger more wiser self,' he said, 'you will most definitely find the solution if you sleep on it. Our primary weapon is imagination, as you know. Go now. Waste no more time here. I will be waiting for you in the lab.'

He then walked with the rest towards the exit, and didn't move an inch beyond that perimeter.

'What'sa matter?' Jimmy joked. 'It's like you'll get fried if you step one foot outside your lab!'

'To the contrary,' returned Future Felix, 'I cannot step out of the laboratory until my time limit is up – see that timer up yonder?' he pointed towards the digital clock above the door as soon as he saw his younger version and his friends' confused faces, 'it shows I still have twenty three minutes in here. Let's see how I put those minutes to use. These force-field timers are great for charging creativity...no time for wasting!' The last words echoed as he went back to his station.

Jimmy, still appalled at the strange work ethic called out to his friend of the same age, 'Felix, don't turn into a psycho workaholic like yourself, please.'

Felix laughed. 'Don't worry Jim, if I can help it, I won't. I hope.'

\-- CHAPTER THIRTEEN \--

Talent Fest

It was quite the task getting back to the greenhouse. But Jemma's odd idea of crafting a floating carpet out of several sofas made the odyssey easy and interesting. On Earth, life had not really moved forward. When asked about the whereabouts of Felix and his crew by the adults to the children, they simply said their location must be 'up or down or out' as they were 'always travelling'. While this was ongoing, Mr. Gary came over and settled the adoption affair with Madame La Fume. The latter had been out of the house for a while herself, no one knew where though. So as soon as the meeting was over, the children made their grand appearance. It was a stroke of the greatest luck to not have Fitzwilliam around when the basement door opened.

'Right, seems around seven-ish,' Jimmy monitored, quickly miming out 'the time' with his lips given the raised eyebrow of Terrence.

'I wonder if all the children are asleep already? Seems a bit too quiet,' Jemma deduced from the solemnity of the otherwise exuberantly boisterous halls.

Just then Mistress Helen passed them by. About twenty seconds later, she came back and addressed them.

'There you are! For goodness sake where had you all disappeared? Have you any clue as to what's been going on?' she demanded with her hands on her hips.

'We...we...weren't here?' Jimmy asked, looking super shocked. The pretense was too obvious to elicit a separate reply so Mistress Helen just sighed.

'I don't have time for this playing around, Jimmy! Hurry up and go upstairs! The lot of you...Madame La Fume is in the auditorium. Plans for the orphanage talent show are underway!' with that brief utterance, she went back to what she was doing previously, scurrying around.

'The talent show?' Jimmy echoed, 'I can't believe I forgot about that!'

'You guys need to go and find out about Mr. Gary and if the adoption's done or not,' Felix tried controlling the energized Jimmy who sped towards the staircase, 'I need to go to sleep!'

'Why are you still here?' Mistress Helen suddenly popped up from behind them, 'come with me this instant!' and she dragged the children with her to the orphanage's unusually large auditorium, where they had all their talent shows – an event quite popular in the whole neighbourhood.

Everyone was chattering incessantly in the great big room but the minute Felix and his friends walked in, silence prevailed. Their disappearance had clearly been the subject of much talk.

Micah was eyeing them the most suspiciously. Jemma was able to infer accurately how he was going to pose a great challenge to their next Falcorian venture.

Madame La Fume, surprisingly, didn't seem to care about their prolonged absence, 'Ah yes children! Please settle down. We must get going with the ideas appertaining to this year's talent show! As you are all aware, we invite all the neighbourhoods in this vicinity and have a small price on the tickets. The proceedings help us to make the orphanage the best in all of England and help shelter the underprivileged children that are found in great number all over the country. This time, due to a lot of interest shown by the "Children's Smile and brush-your-teeth-regularly Foundation" and their relentless support for the welfare of the orphanage we're going to hold a much more grander celebration in the Western Daisy Park!'

All the children gleefully gasped at the last utterance and exchanged excited looks with one another. Western Daisy Park was the biggest and most spacious – in the broadest sense of the word – park in the United Kingdom. It held great attraction for everyone and the fact that their little talent show (which grew from a small execution of entertainment for the orphanage and then eventual expansion to neighbourhood families...in fact, children were being sent to Madame La Fume's because of the quality of education and grooming being par excellence) was going to be such a large festivity to be looked forward to.

Madam La Fume had also just announced that the two leading organizers in all of Mulberry Town were going to help in the planning. The two twins Linda and Belinda were coming. Their story is also very interesting and not because they had been organiser prodigies. Linda was the quintessential perfect daughter – smart, beautiful, patient, humble, creative, talented, etc. While Belinda was well, thought to be not so bright. What was more frustrating for Belinda was the very fact that her name could be broken down to 'Be Linda'. Yes, the agony. But more on them later.

Felix immediately grabbed Terrence by the arm, 'Terrie, I'm going to sleep,' he ended the statement by giving a strong sustained intense stare – a confirmation of the necessity of the action.

'Yeah, go, go!' Terrence tapped him on his shoulder. 'Wait, before I forget! Do give me the pill. I want to run it through my microscope.'

After taking the pill out of his pocket and handing it to Terrence, Felix then went towards his old room. Old because really, his mind was soaked with his 'new' parallel life.

'Felix has the map and everything in his bag pack. We should take some of the documents out to investigate,' Jimmy whispered to Terrence so nobody would hear him – or so he thought.

'Yeah, in a bit. I just need to find out my marks in Geography first. Oh, Mistress He-le-en!' Terrence musically called out to the teacher all others sped away from – quite literally sped away from, except Terrie. Good old bookworm Terrie!

'I'll never understand that one,' Jimmy mused disappointedly, 'how'd we even become friends? What was I even thinking...' So on and so forth.

Felix, meanwhile, made his way to his room, Micah, feeling quite suspicious, followed him. As the former got into his bed and fervently engulfed himself in his favourite blanket, Micah snuck inside.

'What're you hiding, Felix?' he murmured. 'Why don't I take a look inside this back pack of yours?' He cooed innocently and began unzipping it.

'Ooh, documents! As your good friend Terrence and Jimmy spoke about so stupidly. I know you've been working on the talent show...you coy little mastermind...'

Gripping the papers strongly, he slipped out of the room and scuttled towards his own dormitory. But along the way, he had a quick craving for a peanut butter sandwich so he took a detour towards the kitchen. There, Terrence and Jimmy were already waiting. Wonders of wonders! Jimmy, too, had a craving for the obviously delectably and wholesomely nutritious peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Not a clichéd good snack, at all, right? Anyway, while Terrence busied himself with setting up his microscope, the walker tablet next to him on the table, Jimmy was storming through the cupboards, very displeased, (read: noisily displeased) at the empty peanut butter jars – indeed jars because it was always a battle of the Mercury versus the, well, Jimmy. A battle of epic proportions. A battle for delectable, gooey, sticky, crunchy peanut butter. Okay, coming back to the action at hand, in his boisterous enthusiasm Jimmy dismantled one of the cupboards (surprise, surprise) and Terrence grumpily ran to his assistance. One cannot simply waste Terrence's time when he has one of his "brain-buzzes" as he happened to have that very moment. And would you have it? Micah walked in that very instant as well. And at that very instant, Terrence and Jimmy began to squabble about how one of them should take the tablet for a creative energy spurt (not mentioned earlier, but they both complained over their lack of vitality – the little drama queens). And it just so happens that Micah should misinterpret it.

'I mean I have to return it to Felix, so hurry up! I was also thinking how we really ought to thank Mr. Gary. Man this is heavy – what'd you do?' Terrence voiced out breathlessly, as both positioned the leaden cupboard back into its original spot at the other end of the kitchen.

Micah's eyes gleamed. It belonged to Felix? The value of that mysterious tablet just quadrupled – no it, uh, add the 'pled' to a hundred, subtracting a 'd'. Hundrepled. Yeah. It hundrepled.

'I've got to have that tab!' He whispered. And with that – all thoughts of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich vanishing quicker than the arousal of envy towards Felix – he made a beeline towards the table, scooped up the tablet and as stealthily as wind (indeed) dashed towards the staircase, like nothing happened.

Of course after finally realizing that Jimmy was going to get into trouble anyway, Terrence put the cupboard door on the saucer bar next to the stove and went back to his little work station. However, discovering that the precious or extremely sinister walker tablet was nowhere to be found, naturally Terrence swelled up with terror.

'Oh the terror!' he cried. 'I don't know where the tablet is!'

'The terror, Terrence! The terror! The terror!' Jimmy began echoing. 'The terror!'

'WHY are you repeating terror so much?' replied an exasperated Terrence.

'I forgot what an interesting sound it makes,' he answered back, sheepishly.

'THE TABLET!'

'Stop screaming! Let's look under the chairs, your crummy microscope and oh, even your dumb scientist wannabe plastic bags.'

'It's not here!' Terrence was more agitated than ever. Anyone would be if they knew an alien substance, which harboured the power to literally make you walk and only walk till the end of all existence, was lost, and under the threat of coming into contact with the wrong hands, you'd be dead because of the tension. And mother of all contingencies, Micah, of all people, had it.

'Keep searching! Keep searching!' Terrence instructed; panic and him were side by side.

*

Micah was now in his room. The two sidekicks, Jason and Mason were also faithfully present.

'Do you know, Felix is such a cheat. He had this special tablet reserved for some sort of a brain boost? Exactly. He wants first prize at our talent show! (Micah's conclusions were certainly always correct, it would seem.) And he thinks a fancy candy like drug is going to help him? Not if I BEAT him at his own game!'

'Mercury, do you really think that's a good idea?' Mason asked, timidly.

'Of course it is. Felix is no fool. I know for a fact he and his dumb friends have been sneaking off to Mr. Gary's for this! I heard Terr-what's-his-face say so himself.'

'But, it could be a drug,' Mason persisted. It was great progress that he was speaking so much. He had his own twin stare at him with two seconds of admiration. Two seconds is a lot, don't snicker.

'Have you gone bazooka? It's a creativity boosting candy-tablet. I'm going to have it. Bet Felix thinks he's so great but I'm going to win everything!' And so, after these powerful words, Micah took the wondrous sounding pill and yanked it down his throat, washing it off with the water from his flask. Yes. He did it. He actually did it. He swallowed the pill he was obviously not supposed to.

And so what happened next, was a shocker for Felix and his friends, without a doubt, but nobody said it wasn't entertaining.

\-- CHAPTER FOURTEEN \--

The Virus Follows Home

Micah turned into a walker. At first, there weren't any discernible signs but he began to rapidly resist the urge of 'sitting down' or 'slowing' down, at all (and that's really the biggest sign!). It's just that the environment of Earth was not conducive to walkers. Or maybe it was that the entire phenomenon was just...freaky. Remember when Jemma inferred he was going to be a threat to their next Falcorian adventure? Well, that didn't turn out to be colossally true, because he was more of a victim, but it certainly did rewrite the four friends' plans. Dynamically.

'Micah! What on Earth has gotten into you?' Madame la Fume questioned on day three of the walker pill's power. She was exasperated. Of course she had to be! How would she know his constant urge to continue 'jogging' even at night was sound...well, in Falcorian terms. And there this was a massive, massive problem kept under wraps so very strategically. Micah's case was the first cross-intergalactic use of the pill.

'Madame La Fume obviously didn't intend that pun, now did she?' Jimmy choked out, amidst his tears of laughter. He was always hysterical, that one.

Micah, on the other hand was a curious mix of what one might call, or rather, to quote an average example in Earthly terms (no offence intended, we are all part of the same soil...erm yes and now to continue!) someone who got badly injured and had his arm in a cast, only to receive the doting affection of girls who would never have even looked at him before.

He reveled in how he had become the 'talk' of the orphanage. Jason and Mason felt more important too. After all it was their ringleader who was getting all the attention. They would try their best in keeping up with Micah's ever increasing pace, providing him with juice and small snacks here and there, but that just, didn't work out. It was particularly entertaining to see how he couldn't be contained in a car when Madame la Fume offered to take him to the local pediatrician and his legs wouldn't stop shuffling. And so, that idea was a clear bust! What posed as the most entertaining of all incidents was how Micah couldn't go to the toilet anymore! He had to wear diapers.

Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma knew all this meant one thing: Micah was going to have to come with them to Falcora and (this part was everyone's favourite) they were going to have to leave him there. But don't think this conclusion came about easily! Want to know why? Because Micah isn't likable and they didn't want him in on their secret EVEN if he had swallowed half of the planet within himself. The end.

But because the group had Felix – the leader, who had the fate of his entire birth planet resting on his shoulders and Terrence – the man who just could not let stupid personal grudges accede better judgement, the conclusion was definite albeit chequered with a lot of those very personal grudges.

So while Madame La Fume went on about how to solve the crisis, she decided to telephone Mr. Fitzwilliam. After the children's immersion into the world of Falcora, Mr. Fitzwilliam had a sudden 'urgent' need to visit his great Aunt's home in Scotland. And clearly the Madame wanted all the help she could get (a boy in her care was now walking all the time, rarely sitting, her upset demeanour knew no bounds, naturally! Perhaps the only natural thing in this otherwise unnatural case). And the teacher's reply certainly bamboozled her. He was strangely catatonic. The answer read as follows:

'Madame, do not worry, I have a friend who works at the local library and he told me it has something to do with the hyper activation of insulin in the legs of maturing children. It happens all the time, though it is certainly rare. (What!?) So do not worry. I shall be returning soon. Meanwhile, I suggest you let him wander with that Felix child. It might seem a little unorthodox, a little out of the ordinary (he's talking about the fact that he chose to partner Micah up with his most favourite care, Felix – remember, opposite day! – that is why the advice is strange) but I've seen him and his friends take long walks out in the park. They're probably the only ones who do so. (How did Fitzwilliam reach this conclusion?) Their physical capacity should be fine in dealing with this. So let them.'

And so he hung up.

Till Madame La Fume could arrange for the pediatrician to come and observe Micah at the orphanage, she handed his care over to Felix and the gang, just as Mr. Fitzwilliam had instructed. She was desperate, hence the earnest complying.

In all the strangeness of this recent excitement, Felix's new idea is forgotten. It isn't as though this idea chase was the real reason behind their coming back to Earth or anything. It was! Where is your concentration?

The tiny lapse in memory shall be forgiven. And in the continued spirit of graciousness, the idea shall also be revealed. But first, a little recap is due. We all know the only way to end the walker epidemic is through Felix giving witness to how that lifestyle is not the 'norm' of this part of the galaxy. An important point needs to be made here too. The galaxy is divided into four parts, Exa, Aio, Wer and Fye - after the Earthly elements of Earth, Air, Water and Fire and are known as Galaxy 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Every form of creative energy or life force, known as either chakra or manna, all correspond to these basic elements. The region that contains Falcora and Earth (which explains the swift transference between the two planets) is Aio. Gamzash, in his 'patrols' around the galaxies, visits the primal 'heads' of the regions – and Falcora is the appointed head of Aio (thanks to your Estabons!). Gamzash's patrols also have layers: the first layer is just visiting the heads and the second layer is when an individual viewing of the planets is observed. The second patrol would take ten zillion years (that's next to impossible, so just don't waste your time working out the logicality behind it, thanks). The first layer patrol coincidentally matched the League's timing at Unecton extraction – and aided their perfect plan in passing off the walker epidemic as 'part of life'. Thus forth, Earth had to intervene. It is the only planet along with Falcora that sustains life.

Future Felix wanted Felix to think of an idea that would enable his device to work, bridging the time between Gamzash's arrival to Falcora as there is only quarter of the yellow colour remaining in the sky now – indicative of the last remnants of Unecton. Time is clearly very short. Felix, in his dream, remembered the two tiny balls Jemma found in the emporium. They could suck up huge amounts of water without expanding in size and obliterate it into nothingness. The same concept could be applied here, but instead of sucking up water, it could suck up the time gap. This could be a result of maximizing the effect of those balls and putting them into hyper drive, something Future Felix's device is capable of. So from sucking up water, it would lead to sucking up air, then that sucked up air would create a momentary vacuum and then a further sucking up of that vacuum would tear the sphere of 'time' and open an expanse of universe. That would create an open 'string' for Gamzash's travel log to detect and connect it to Falcora quicker, instead of the whole lengthy process of circumnavigating from the outer hemispheres of the planets towards their internal structures. The metaphorical idea of 'bridge' thus comes into play.

For this plan to gain motion, Felix and his friends had to travel back to Falcora. And this would not have been an issue since they would have faked 'sleeping at Mr. Gary's' while transmitting themselves from one planet to the other. But then came along Micah. Lots of new questions arose as a result: to have Micah pitch into the secret of the walkers, Felix's true identity, the fate of the universe, Gamzash, Saccharine and the wondrous Emporium (among other things) or not?

The answer is the age-old anecdote everyone uses all over the galaxies when refraining from definite answers: 'We don't know'. And so, 'we don't know' it was.

\-- CHAPTER FIFTEEN \--

Octopi

'Micah,' Felix began talking to him as he continued to walk. His trail had been diverted towards the park – more space you see. Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma kept Jason and Mason entertained at the orphanage, without the use of any gimmicks. How? Interesting conversation goes a long way. Who knew they all had similar interests?

Anyway back to Felix and Micah.

'We are not best friends, Felix. You DON'T have to put on a fake gentle angelic voice,' Micah retorted.

'I really don't care, honestly,' replied Felix, more to himself than to Micah it seemed. 'Something tells me you're not going to understand.'

'Try me, why don't you? Given the level of confidence you have, clearly you understand what the others fail to see. So. Why AM I walking so much?' he sneered.

Felix wanted to leave him to his misery because of all those haughty remarks, but still, of course he couldn't. Micah could walk all he wanted with the rest of the walkers. Sadly, Falcora was going to have to become Micah's secret. He had no choice.

'The condition you have is...'

'It's because of that pill, isn't it? This is all your fault! I ought to go and tell Madame La Fume that you're carrying drugs! Now, I'm going to die walking and it's all your fault! I knew I shouldn't have taken it but Mason and Jason also encouraged me! And now it's all your nasty fault!'

'MICAH!' Felix nearly shouted. Obviously. Do you believe all that gibberish coming out of Micah's mouth? Technically, he should really continue in his pantomimic wandering for the rest of his life.

'That pill that you stole from Terrence, isn't from planet Earth. It's from a planet called Falcora and...'

'HA! Do you really expect me to believe that the pill was an alien? Another planet? You've gone cuckoo. At last!'

'Fortunately no one cares about what you have to say. You're coming with us to Falcora,' Felix thought once more he'd leave the conversation at that but then in one breath, 'There's this thing called the walker epidemic and basically you're part of that. We'll leave you there while we try to save the planet,' finished off.

He grabbed Micah by the arm and then made his way towards the orphanage.

'Hey! Let GO Estabon! If THAT'S really your real name!'

'Not a chance Peterson, which by the way is your real name isn't it?'

Micah was obviously squirming a lot. Felix, on the other hand, was on top of his game, physically. Though out of breath, he didn't relent. That is an achievement considering how strenuous the task was.

'Make ONE more sound and see if I don't shut you up myself.'

'You wouldn't dare.'

And sure enough, after entering the orphanage and collecting his friends, Felix stayed true to his word. At first he tried using the cream spray but that just spritzed ordinary foam onto his mouth, which he immediately spit out. At least one thing got certain, only the 'imaginative air' of Falcora could support the materialization of their abstract notions. But that didn't mean 'Earthly' procedures couldn't be taken. Confining him in the lavatory, the boys first tied up his hands and then wrapped a cloth around his mouth. He was shouting, naturally but nobody was going to help him. Madame La Fume and the other domestic staff members were having their ritualistic tea time in the upstairs formal room while the children played outside, screaming away, with just enough shrill in their voices to drown Micah's off-tune roars. Perfect kidnap set up.

What about Jason and Mason you ask?

Remember that zigzag cardboard Jimmy picked up back at the emporium? They used it as a massive distraction for the twins. It would probably be easier to keep them in the loop for some time till they returned or better yet, 'escaped' to Falcora. The zigzag pattern made them see zebra patterns everywhere till eventually falling into a stronger daze and collapsing to the ground. It's not dangerous because it's all illusionary...and temporary. Terrence left them a note in Micah's handwriting and made it sound as abrupt as possible: "Gone with Felix and his dumb dumbies" but then felt he oughtn't degrade himself that much: "Gone with Felix and Terrence. Stay here. I'll be back" but there was still something wrong. So he finally came up with: "Out with Felix and his gang. Stay in this room. If I don't return soon, he'll explain to you why. I need to be cured, that special I am". Yeah, sounded just about appropriate.

The rhombus key in tact, the children made their way through the basement door and into the world of the Falcorians. Micah's eyes bulged out. He was dreaming, surely? No. No, he wasn't.

'The only way you won't heat up is if we leave you with your own kind. We're going to leave you in the walker lanes now. Bump into as many people as you like to get instantaneous energy. There are shower lanes and sleep walk lanes also. You can go explore them all now,' Felix instructed, calmly.

'I...I...I...,' Micah began to ramble.

Felix directed him towards the lanes and before long Micah was among Falcora's walkers. The familiar 'ka ching' sound of coins colliding against one another filled the air as a bunch of walkers bumped into models of their same motion and transferred immediate energy. The eerie idea of it all aside, it was the most beautiful, orderly sight ever.

This was their first experience in Falcora at night. The walker lanes had lit up luminescently and were in neon golden, fantastically synonymous with the Unecton filled sky but it wasn't so at the moment. There was a layer of 'night' sky beneath the original sky that covered any traces of gilded colour. This particular layer looked like a thousand black cats one on top of the other; the clouds appearing oddly reminiscent of onyx cake icing, lime cat eyes glinting as stars, or was it the other way around? Whatever the case, it was a bewitching spectacle. You could almost perceive a faint, though absolutely melodious 'meow' fill the air too - to better aid your auditory imagery, picture being surrounded by wind chimes that sway ever so gently amidst the rustling wind. Ting. Ting. Ting. It was like a lullaby.

The next goal for the children was to reach Future Felix. They took out the map mat and leaped into the magic portal; bodily disorientation accompanied them as usual.

Back at the Estabons', Future Felix was right where they left him. But before that there was another code the children had to crack. And who better to crack it for them, than Terrence? This code was very interesting as the trick behind it was how arbitrary the answers were. What they had to do basically was assign a group of numbers on a scale of 1 – 10 genders. The same had to be done with colours. We all do it, don't we? We assume certain numbers have certain genders and we all know the stereotype that surrounds pink and blue don't we? Future Felix had placed a typewriter with only giant number dials protruding outwards on top of the laboratory entrance so that an instant solving of the puzzle would result in a snappy opening. There were two transparent plastic jars that contained colourful balloons with their shade names written on them in black permanent marker. The same went for the other jar that had the respective genders: male, female and trans, imprinted on several of them. At first everyone spent time in figuring out what possible link the two jars could have in common. And then the typewriter?

What happened was totally unplanned and as random as the puzzle. Had Terrence not made the connection in his head they might have ended up wasting a lot of time in cooking up something more complicated. This brought forth an interesting yet familiar philosophy on life, to keep matters simple. It's not necessary to always embroil things. Continuing with the adventure that elucidated this bit of reality, Terrence ended up saying this aloud: 'I always assume that number one is male.' And then instinctively he just picked up the balloon that said 'male' and engulfed the dial 'one' in that. The balloon, limp before, swelled up and began to glow. The dial got pressed on its on and a small portion of the entrance opened. That was the sign signaling towards this method being right.

Gaining confidence, he added, 'And I always think number one is the colour white', he took up the white balloon and again spread the elastic of the rubbery balloon and slapped it on top of another 'one' dial so that it may be completely covered (the typewriter had four rows of the 1 – 10 range). The white balloon again swelled up and began to emit white light. The entrance opened a bit more.

'Yeah Terrie, you're doing it! Let me try,' Jemma squeaked, 'this is so fun.'

'I always imagined the colour two as a girl and having the colour red represent it.'

She repeated Terrence's actions and saw the balloons radiate crimson energy.

Then all the friends joined in! They gave seven the title of the 'flirtatious' male and the colour turquoise. The number four was baby pink and the 'pretty' lady. Then they made up theories about how all the other numbers wanted seven who in turn had a long relationship with four. But seven felt the number eight (Colour: Purplish-red, gender: female) was too sweet and steady to be a recipient of heartbreak so he had an ongoing problem. The number five was purple and their transgender friend, the 'jokester' of the group – a dubbing imparted rightfully by Jimmy. Six was orange and again female; she was the drama queen; she was the emotional type, always pining after seven. Nine was black and ten was auburn; female and male respectively; they were a steady couple. Three was blue and male, and four's younger brother.

This sort of reminded the group of their favourite Archie comics. Good old Archie comics.

Each time, the balloons would flare up, light up, and the big button dial would produce a 'click' sound after getting punched in and the entrance would open, until finally leaving no obstructed space at all.

Then off they went towards the inside of the quaint little laboratory.

Future Felix was inside working on some chemicals – the different test tubes contained liquids that glowed the exact same colours as the balloons upstairs.

'Ah! My young counterpart,' he greeted, 'well? Good news?'

'Yup,' Felix answered back, looking like the picture of a smiley emoticon.

'The solution is in these balls. Jem, would you please?' he tilted his head to face Jemma as she took out the secret catalyzer from her backpack.

She handed them over to Future Felix who brought the balls towards his eye for a magnified reading.

'They can be used as time bombs - can rip the fabric of time for you to make a bridge for Gamzash,' Felix responded after a rather prolonged scrutiny of the balls by his older self.

'Fascinating...'

Well mustn't waste time!' he grabbed his safety goggles and began to insert the balls into his machine.

'I'll run a few test drives. This should hopefully work! Uh oh.'

'There's an "uh oh" still?' Jimmy gasped, 'don't tell me there's an "uh oh"!'

'Yes, I'm afraid I hate that phrase myself, wastes time,' Future Felix said slowly, removing his safety goggles, shaking his golden, spiky hair. It was as if someone pulled down the tips of pine trees and then released them with force, causing them to sway momentarily.

'I'm out of Unecton. I need some more to put these balls into hyper drive. But the balls need massive amounts of water first. I thought I could insert a synthetic reading of certain quantities of hydrogen and oxygen molecular structures, thus forth tricking it into believing it had the amounts of water, but looks like we'll need to do it the old fashioned way.

Now from where can you get such huge amounts of water?' he asked with furrowed brows. Jemma should really not stare at Future Felix with mystified eyes lest it be mistaken for something else, not that she didn't know what it was.

'Aren't there any lakes or beaches or water localities around Falcora? Some water tanks, maybe?' Terrence asked.

'Dried out. Unecton has been depleted too much. There are some water posts situated where the walker lanes are but getting there is impossible. A bump from any of the walkers may kill you. Their energy readings are too, too, high for the normal human anatomy to handle,' Future Felix replied.

'How do you survive then? Don't you need water too?' Jemma asked thoughtfully.

'That's a good question, but no. You see that hydrogen and oxygen synthesizer I was telling you about is what I've done to myself. My body thinks it's receiving its intake of water but really I'm just providing it with the necessary elements for life sustenance, that's all.'

'Isn't that dangerous?' She persisted anyway.

'Buys me the time I need till I can get Gamzash and Felix to meet,' he answered solemnly, 'Falcora's needs before mine. Thousands of Falcorians will die unless we get back the stolen Unecton. And it's absolutely necessary to think of water! Sadly we can't create natural entities.'

'I bet the League have their own supply of water,' Jimmy voiced out.

'Yes I'm sure they do but we need gallons of water.'

'There is one source that I know of...we'll get plenty of water from there,' Felix addressed his fellow comrades.

'Really? From where?' Future Felix asked with glinting eyes and an amazed expression.

'Professor Ludenwich's building. It's where I saw two giant octopuses. Below that place they have the Unecton extraction plant. You can get the Unecton you need from there.'

Felix took out the blueprints he took from that escapade as a fly from his backpack. 'Here!'

'This building is rather new and flamboyant. They must've structured it while I was confined in this solitary dome,' Future Felix admitted while examining the blueprints. 'Lunatic was always the extravagant sort.'

'We'll split up. We need to break through the containment and suck up that water. Meanwhile, the other team will go and take the required doses of Unecton.' Felix asserted.

'Wait, if this is where all the Unecton extraction takes place then why don't we just blow it up?' Jimmy asked, pointing at the blueprint.

'We can't take that risk, Jimmy,' Future Felix replied, 'all the layers of Unecton will be lost and destroyed in the process. Falcora will die there and then. Remember that our main purpose is to get Gamzash to take down the League and restore order. Otherwise we'll remain under the imminence of extinction!'

Jimmy twitched his nose. Who doesn't love fireworks and a quick easy win defeating the bad guys?

'It's going to be really dangerous,' Future Felix said very seriously, 'you're not going to get away with the water just like that. The octopuses won't die and they will put up a nasty fight. That's their design. You're going to be battling mutated monstrous water creatures. They're not even from this planet. They're from Planet Trovcove, Wer region, Galaxy 3. The land of the Merbeasts.'

'Wow...Merbeasts?' Jimmy was clearly amazed. He loved monsters.

'Not as wow when they'll try to kill you,' Future Felix replied.

That instantly quieted Jimmy. At least, for a little while. Because, he loved monsters.

'How do you know they're from Trovcove?' Felix asked his older self.

'Falcora is no home to water based creatures. The octopuses belong to the ancient Octipatrux race; Octopi for short.

'Now, I don't want to keep fighting them as the number one option here,' he continued, 'but we must be prepared with a blueprint of contingencies. We need ideas on how to, well, sock it to them, in case the need arises,' everyone was quiet. 'So, any ideas?'

'Wait, what's the first option if killing them is our back up?' Terrence raised the much-needed answered question.

'We could increase our speed in getting the Unecton AND water and also just hope the lack of water does not agitate them to the point of attack? When in water, they're masked with an air of serenity. But when they're in air, then it's basically severe hostility.'

Terrence stared at Future Felix. It was the kind of stare that said, 'how convenient is this logic?' type of look.

'I'm just kidding. I don't think the last part is true!' he suddenly said between sporadic chuckles.

Terrence stared again. With wide eyes.

'Okay...could we at least knock them out with some sedatives? To immobilize them?'

'Falcorian PILLS won't be able to kill them!' Future Felix laughed (some more), 'why not feed them or inject them poison then? I should honestly take you to Trovcove some time – that planet's animal anatomy will leave you dumbstruck.'

'I think I can barely fathom Falcora,' Terrence replied in a queasy voice.

'Wait...I have been working on a matter-degeneration-gun, which can administer anything into concrete matter. By placing the balls into my gun, they'll pass through the glass encasement, sucking up the water. Afterwards, we'll just pull them back out! There's no need to make contact with the octopi at all!'

'Not bad,' Terrence commented, 'smooth technology!'

'Yes, but we should brainstorm some more on ways to combat the octopi. I'm quite curious,' he responded.

Everyone went quiet. What could they use on Planet Trovcove inhabitants?

'Lasers! We can use lasers and cut off their tentacles!' Felix suggested, shaking the group from their comatose trance.

'They'll grow back,' Future Felix responded, 'sorry to be a Debbie Downer but that's just something that can distract the creatures for a few moments but nothing serious.'

'Can't we use the cream spray as our ultimate weapon?' Jimmy said.

'No, if you conjure anything with the intent of making contact with non-Falcorian entities using that cream, it won't work,' Future Felix replied.

'Well THAT limits a lot of options! Who knows about Merbeasts around here? Is there any advanced online search for us to check from? Considering this IS the future and everything!' Jimmy continued. The future must hold the slickest (for lack of a better word) search system.

'Lunatic's shut down all online facilities.'

'Okay now you really are a Debbie Downer!' Jimmy frowned.

'There is only one person who can assist us...she always was obsessed with these things...'

'Who? Speak man!' Jimmy blurted.

'An old friend of mine, Saccharine Skillip. We can go to her. Though I doubt she'll be stable enough to think straight. We must try though. She's a bit eccentric but means well, really.'

'We know, we met her,' Felix's head replayed their meeting with the jittery Saccharine.

Future Felix froze for a split second and stared at Felix, amused.

'Oh, really?'

His mouth then curled into a one sided smirk.

Jemma nearly passed out.

'Yeah, shall we go to her then?' Felix resumed, unfazed, 'Terrie, mat please.'

'Aye aye cap'n!'

So it was said, and so it was done. The mat was laid out onto the floor and away they went. The fact that they never rode those "tipsy turvy roller coasters" in Madame La Fume's words felt like a fib. They'd been on the craziest 'physical' ride ever since they found the map-mat.

Saccharine seemed to be in her own little cocoon – pretty much like the last time Felix and his friends encountered her. But only this time, Felix's older version and the version she was well acquainted with was there, creating an air of comfort and "oh you're okay"'s, and basically, to cut a rather long sentence short, she was much more cooperative.

To strike the enemy, they had to know the enemy first. Technically, so. Despite not knowing much about Professor Lunatic, these were monsters they were dealing with. And monsters weigh more than crazy scientists hell bent on destroying several galaxies.

'Octopi are Kings of the merbeasts, they hail from a royal lineage – they have been considered Swiss army knives. Eight fat tentacles, suckers that can drain you of your blood, spiky teeth, a large eyeball that can see what lies behind them and in front of them, along with the opaque ink they squirt to confuse and ultimately kill their predators.'

It was like a marine biology lesson except with several modifications of their Earthly counterparts. You'd think there were several parallel worlds to our own out there. "Out there" because truly, where is the proof that none of this exists?

'Octopi have three hearts that pump blue blood – similar to your average Earth type octopus, undoubtedly inferior to their animal gods...,' Saccharine spoke while eyeing Felix and the gang (excluding Future Felix, of course). 'Their three hearts keep rotating. And by rotating I mean they keep travelling all over their bodies...nobody knows where the heart will be next. You gotta strike all three to kill it completely, or else they will revive after a few moments.'

'It's similar to a crazy chicken creature I saw on my first day in Falcora!' Felix said, 'you know the heart thing,' he added quickly as everyone stared at him for the random interjection.

'For starters', continued Saccharine, 'there is some vital equipment you need to have with you. Felix was working on a special focaliser glass. Weren't you?' she immediately turned to face him who nodded in approval.

They're like X-Ray vision glasses. Except, instead of giving you the entire internal skeleton of an object, you can focus on one particular entity. Use them in your might-happen-and-we-should-be-prepared-if-it-does battle with the Octopi.'

'We'll get them from Felix, er, my lab?' Felix ended on an innocent questioning tone. It IS a question after all.

In order to save time, Future Felix and Terrence went back to the laboratory to retrieve the special glasses. Terrence was like the unofficial caretaker of the map-mat so it seemed fitting that he would go back and retrieve them.

The glasses were shaded cobalt with a dash of silver – they looked like cartoon spectacles. The kind a person who had newly joined the elite gangster community would have donned. They were quite the exciting fashion statement. Felix and the gang scrutinized them. How would the glasses receive the command alerting it to focus on what they wanted?

Apparently, you just had to talk to them. Voice control of the highest order. Imagination really was Falcora's great, dwindling, chunk of power. After they'd focus on the octopi's hearts with the glasses, they could easily use the lasers to annihilate the beasts. Of course, aiming at them was an entirely different (or difficult) task.

'Well, we know a lot of things we can try doing! But first, let's go and inject the balls. Terrie and Jimmy, you focus on getting the Unecton. It should, hopefully be a piece of cake!'

'Yeah sounds about right. Super easy. Well, let's get to it!' Jimmy clapped both his hands and gave off his best optimistic smile.

'We've been saying that since the last twenty minutes,' Jemma said, twisting her arms in a knot and rolling her eyes, 'can somebody please get laser guns here so we can arm ourselves and maybe move out?'

'I've got a few,' Saccharine said, 'wait here.'

She returned after some moments with some wicked looking guns. The party that was going to extract water from the octopi encasement was given the biggest ones. While the party assigned Unecton duty was handed the "travel friendly" sizes.

'Heat helps fry the suckers' suckers,' Saccharine mentioned quickly as Terrence readied the travel mat.

'Heat?' Jemma repeated, 'like prolonged heat, extremely hot heat, or?'

'The suckers are sensitive to any kind of heat, that's why octopi have damp, slimy skin, to keep them cool at all times,' Saccharine raised her hand and shook her eyes when Felix pointed towards the travel mat (in her species that's a sign of "no". If anybody else tried it, friends would undoubtedly question that person's sanity.

'Saccharine, it's a war against Lunatic. How long will you keep this up?' Future Felix said to her solemnly.

'I can't go through it Felix. Not after what I've seen it do to my family,' she said with watery eyes.

'It won't happen to you. You're not alone and we've certainly got your back. Do it for your family. Come with us,' he held out his hand for her.

Saccharine stared at it hard. With furrowed brows, she crossed her arms against her chest and looked down.

'I'm sorry.'

After that both Felix Estabons and the gang immersed their bodies in the teleportation and the feeling of falling down a never ending space – strong wind blowing them up – an ironic poetic experience (perhaps for those other than the ones experiencing it).

They landed right in front of the building. Everyone "froze dead solid" (in Jimmy's words) after viewing the monstrosities swishing around before them.

'NO WAY can anyone fight THOSE things!' he broke out, 'HOW can anyone beat them? How will all of this pan out? But thank goodness nobody needs to do that. Thanks to our nifty gun! But suppose you lot do. What'll happen then? Do you know how, Felix?'

'Yes, of course I know Jimmy; years of octopi training have led me to my final moment,' was Felix's enthusiastic reply.

'This plan is a goner,' Jimmy murmured.

They needed to get inside the building so the parties could disperse. They walked towards the building, slowly. Falcorian weather had also changed; it had become chilly. There was a sheet of black that covered the sky and instead of the ice-blue snowflakes we are accustomed to in Earth, tiny orange luminescent flakes fell to the ground. It combined the sensation of chills and the fiery turbulence of "what ifs" perfectly, in the lava-illusionary-snowflakes bonanza that gripped Falcora.

As the building drew closer, Jemma suddenly straddled in a diametric direction and into a smaller room like construction titled "Dominique's Spinffy Parlour for Hairrifics" in dinghy lighting.

'What, she wants to look beautiful if she dies battling those things?' Jimmy blurted.

Terrence nudged him. 'Positive thoughts, much?'

'HAVE YOU SEEN THE SIZE OF THE OCTOPUSES?' he screamed in Terrence's face.

'Jemma?' called out Felix, but Jemma walked into the parlour.

Inside she searched frantically for a hairdryer. If you thought she did that because she heeded Saccharine's words about the whole octopus-suckers-not-liking-heat-thing then you're wrong, she really did want to look good. Actually, not even a sucker would fall for that idea.

As she searched, her eyes fell on the large rainbow lit walls that had posters of outrageous hairstyles on Falcora's female species. The various newspaper clippings that had been framed as part of the parlour's pride told her the crazier the hairstyle the more in fashion the lady would be. The hairstyles ranged from chocolate wrappers inserted into big hairy loops, to candy pink bouquets of flowers, to yellow hair being moulded into a giant vase and so on. It was a real trend at Falcora to look ridiculous and be considered in vogue. In Jemma's eyes, it was a funny satire on the fashions of Earth.

Minutes later she was running back to her befuddled and terrified friends. She asked for the cream spray and took it from Felix's hand. One shake later, a small does was given to the hairdryer.

'There! That should make it work without any plug in issues,' she said smugly.

Felix pointed towards the hairdryer, 'Uh, Jem?'

'You heard Saccharine!' she held up her latest weapon, 'to fry the suckers...in case!'

Like a jet, Jimmy zoomed towards Jemma. 'Enhance our lasers too! Don't want to get creamed by these m-m-monsters!'

'All right, what do you want?' Felix asked.

'Anything! Anything! Just do something!'

But interestingly as Felix squeezed the tip, the can coughed up nothing. Immediately he took out the tab, and saw what really scared him the most, were they out of cream?

'That's impossible!' he muttered, 'we had so much!'

Future Felix grabbed the can and turned it around. He then took the tablet. 'You can't update any weapons. There's no way you can. What'll you do? Make the beams brighter than they already are? Poor, poor use of imagination. The cream spray can't stand for that.'

Jimmy's mouth dropped. He pointed at the spray can and said in a threatening voice, 'If something happens to me, I swear I'll kill you.'

With that out of the way, Felix shook the can and sprayed. They had to get up on top of the building quickly so Terrence and Jimmy could sneak into the factory below and retrieve Unecton. What the spray created was a gigantic curtain blind, everyone wrapped themselves in the top layer and that's when the blind closed. It propelled everyone with great speed to the top. It was like a canon shot. Felix used his laser and blasted the windows creating an opening for their landing.

Inside the tiny office, there was one of Lunatic's workers who started screaming, 'Intruders!' Not the best way to react when you're outnumbered, is it? Jemma used her hairdryer and blew it on his face, catching him off guard; Terrence took one of the flowerpots and yanked it on his head, knocking the worker unconscious.

All the commotion had sounded the security alarms. Future Felix quickly took down the three dimensional portrait of flowers from the wall and hot-wired the system causing it to cease its shrill sound. Lunatic always placed security systems behind flower portraits as Felix's mother felt it was beautiful how something so fragile harboured something as robust as an alarm. Being a part of the same family Lunatic had previously worked for has its perks.

Terrence and Jimmy made their way down the elevator, wits in tact. They had to succeed in the Unecton retrieval. It was better than the other party's job. There was no room for failure.

Future Felix placed the balls into his gun. He walked toward the boxed octopi – gentle swishing noises permeating through the thick fish tank. He placed the gun towards the glass wall, with the balls making it to the other side. They began guzzling up the water in an instant. Before they knew it, the balls had sucked up the gallons.

The octopi fell to the bottom of the glass encasement with a thud. One of them stretched out its massive tentacle to try and break the gun but it was pulled out just in time by Future Felix. Since they were done so quickly, it was assumed the octopi might die of hunger eventually or try to devour each other. Or whatever happened to them next, certainly was not their headache anymore! Until...

Felix and the gang got a call from Terrence and Jimmy. There was a tower inside containing the Unecton but in order to access it they required two keys. Giant keys. They had one of the workers at laser point and asked about the mysterious keyholes. The answer was shocking. In order to make sure that nobody accessed the Unecton reserves except for himself, he implanted two giant keys in the heads of the octopi. So there were only two ways the reserve was going to open: find Ludenwich, face his army of walkers, get his key (if there even was one and risk getting captured – jeopardizing all of Falcora), or, since time was short, battle the octopi, take the keys from their heads and then hand them over to Jimmy and Terrence.

The battle was inevitable.

They broke the encasement and out came the gigantic octopi.

Let the battle begin.

\-- CHAPTER SIXTEEN \--

War

They were on top of the building, and the octopi had surrounded them. It was a delicate matter. How would they tackle their first move? While all these mathematical calculations took place, the bigger, blacker octopus smashed through them with its tentacle. The entire building fell down in a one-fold blow.

Future Felix clung onto the tentacle – an arduous task as the skin was slimy - and when it was a few feet above the ground, he jumped. Like rapid fire, he blasted a few rounds of his laser at the octopus. The second one was in frenzy and it tried wrapping its tentacles around him.

Jemma grabbed Felix and leapt upon the elevator and dropped inside, she kicked the buttons and had the elevator go down. That's how she and Felix rolled outside and began to laser the octopi. Everyone was aiming for the eyes.

The octopi had huge bulbous heads that leaned back. One would only safely assume that the eyes would be positioned on the two ends of the head and make it easy for the gang to blind them. However, the eyes began to move around too. Unless one of them was on top of them nobody was going to successfully penetrate the eyes.

The roar of the octopi was particularly scary. It sent chills down the gang's spines. They shot their lasers as much as possible with Jemma successfully hitting one. Felix took the X-ray glasses and frantically screamed 'Aim for the hearts!' enabling his specific vision. The hearts were moving at a thunderously speedy light. It was difficult focusing on them.

A tentacle was about to wrap itself around Felix, snaking its way upwards from his feet. Jemma used her hair dryer, causing the suckers to explode. The octopus plummeted in pain.

With the momentary confusion, Felix zapped at one of the hearts, striking it. There were five more shots he had to make.

The other, more older looking octopus grabbed at Future Felix viciously who had been trying to make it to the top of its head. The octopus began to move him towards his mouth. Before Felix and Jemma could retaliate, two mammoth tentacles pinned them to the ground. Future Felix was a goner!

But just then a giant laser zap exploded its eye, causing it to drop Future Felix. It was Saccharine. She had decided to brave it all after hearing the heart sinking octopi shrills. Someone had to assist them in such a dire time. And someone who was well acquainted with this type of monster was not such a bad idea.

She used her laser to seamlessly cut through the other octopus's tentacles releasing Felix and Jemma.

'Felix! You just keep aiming for those hearts!' she cried.

Felix decided he needed to get to a higher vantage point, in order to aim for the hearts more properly. There was only one weapon that could assist him in matters like that. It was, of course, the cream spray. He took out the can from his bag, and began to shake it – anything he conjured without directly linking its effects to the octopi and maintaining effective use of imagination was all he needed to bear in mind.

He had thought of creating a large telescope like tower, with his body merged with the machinery. Like a dragon sniper, he'd be granted a focused aim. But just then, one of the tentacles swiped him, resulting in his whole body to be violently flung on the other side. That same tentacle dropped hard on the cream spray that had fallen from Felix's hand post impact, and destroyed it.

'NO!' Felix cried out helplessly. His most important tool had been eliminated just like that. No remorse.

'Felix!' cried his Future self who was trying to use a grapple brought by Saccharine around one of the monstrosity's heads, 'forget the spray! Move North!'

That was a signal for him to aim at the eyes. Future Felix had grappled the giant bulbous head, bringing it down. In the process, the octopus's tooth had severed his arm, injuring it. But while consumed in pain, he waited for his younger self to finish the job. Felix ran straight toward the octopus, dodging the wayward tentacles and started to laser its eyes – victory! He did it.

One octopus was now vulnerable to the attacks. The same had to be done to the other one, who had been distracted by re-growing its tentacles. The girls had been using their lasers in rapid succession. However, the octopus squirted its ink on them. The purplish black liquid made it impossible to see for Jemma who had it blanket her face. And taking advantage of its enemy's confusion, the octopus launched its tentacle into the air, ready for a staggering collision.

Felix began to frantically laser the tentacle but it was so haphazard, the beams kept missing. Thus, he ran and pulled Jemma out of that tight spot just in time. There was no other way, it was going to have to be a hit and run endeavour.

'Saccharine, you and Jemma work around this octopus, put it off temporarily. While I take care of the other one,' he said, rushing towards the big shell-less mollusk pinned to the ground.

Jemma began to fry the octopus's suckers. The momentary pain that resulted from them blowing up, was enough for Saccharine to expertly aim at the eyes, and blind it.

Felix began running around the octopus that Future Felix was now having a hard time controlling and began to shoot at it with all his might. He managed to bring down the hearts. He shot one heart while it was moving towards the end of the octopus's tentacle. Another one he got near the mouth of the octopus and the last one was on top of the head.

The octopus let out one last roar before its tentacles fell down, limp, lifeless.

Future Felix rose to the top (it was a task on its own getting atop the slimy skin) and cut through the head. He took out the rose tinted golden key. It was huge. With that he leapt to the ground.

'Hurry guys!'

'Working on it,' mumbled Saccharine. She was using her grapple to pin together the octopus's tentacles. Felix was taking his aim, while Jemma kept using her hair dryer.

In the midst of it all, one of the grapples was not strong enough to contain the largest tentacle and it got loose. The tentacle swished past Felix hard – though it missed him (the results of which might have been disastrous) but the way it whipped the air around him, caused the X-ray glasses to be carried by the wind. Without the glasses, it was near impossible to shoot the hearts.

But luckily, Future Felix had come to the rescue. He caught on to the glasses. His arm had become a little numb from the injury but he returned them to his young self as quickly as possible, who then readied his laser and shot the three remaining hearts that danced their ways inside the body of the octopus. Surprisingly, they were all shot in one tentacle.

Saccharine retrieved the other key after the octopus fell flat to the ground.

They had the keys. Now all they had to do was get it to Terrence and Jimmy.

\-- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN \--

Unecton Breach

Future Felix had to be treated for his severed arm as it began bleeding. It was interesting how nobody had with them a first aid kit. Saccharine tore off a bit of her cloth-like hair and wrapped it around his arm.

She and Jemma carried the two keys inside the underground factory facility. The weather had stayed the same; the sky was still black. But it was the weather, right? Felix wondered if the second layer of sky disappeared and depicted the actual dead Falcorian sky. He dispelled these negative thoughts, when he saw hints of golden at the far end of his sight. However, 'hints' was not really a good sign, either.

Once in the Unecton extraction plant, or seed as Jemma pointed out, due to it being in the basement, they walked over to where Jimmy and Terrence had told them they would be.

To the gang's surprise, their friends had cornered all the Falcorian workers in a tiny ring with the help of their laser guns. Jimmy then took out the tiny cardboard he had found at the Emporium from his bag pack and set it out in front of the workers. Since it is difficult to remember what happened so long ago after the influx of events that followed, a brief reminder is due. This cardboard was covered in several zigzag patterns – it was almost maddening. For once, Jimmy had read the instructions manual that explained it could project its maddening zigzag patterns onto whoever the owner wished to keep aloof for a while. Its timer allowed 'derveet' minutes, which in Earth terms meant seventy-six minutes.

So there was not much for them to do. It was quite the neat execution.

The keys had to be inserted in two large clay like moulds on the wall. After a lot of effort, they were placed in their positions. Instantly, the Iron Gate descended and they were exposed to the Unecton reserve.

It shone more brightly than gold itself and became a little overbearing. Future Felix used his syringe and extracted just the amount he needed. After that, he placed one of his room time force fields – of exactly one day. This would prevent anyone's entry into the vault, giving Future Felix enough time to connect with Gamzash.

With that the gang dispersed. Future Felix and Saccharine left for his lab and Felix, Jemma, Terrence, Jimmy went back to Earth

\-- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN \--

Earth's Own Little Problems

It was quite another feeling of disorientation involved in resuming Earthly activities after the adventures of Falcora. Similar to the feeling one gets after waking up from an unplanned nap. However, there was no escaping it.

The children snuck out of the orphanage's basement, hoping nobody would be able to spot them. This here was another thrill! Of course they didn't want to get caught by Fitzwilliam. What time was it even? In fact, what day?

They had left Micah with the walkers. But strangely, Fitzwilliam had their back on that one. He was nowhere to be seen and it looked like it was about one in the morning. It was way past their bedtime at the orphanage.

Remembering their deal with Mr. Gary, they quietly left the building and made their way towards his candy store. He had given Jemma a spare key to the store. Once there, they went up to their little bedroom. Exhausted and dead tired, they fell fast asleep.

In the morning, they were able to sleep in a little, since they did not have to wake up to the punctual alarms set up by Mistress Helen. Once they did wake up though, Terrence had a fit. He felt he needed to intellectually stimulate himself and thus started preparing to go back to the orphanage for some lessons. There always is that one crazy person in the galaxy who would still want to make it to class.

'Everyone's probably covered the Genghis Khan history lesson! Oh I sure hope they didn't,' he voiced out while frantically searching for his socks.

'Terrie I'm not even going to try and comfort you,' Jimmy replied in a disgusted tone.

They met with Mr. Gary and his wife who were having their breakfast downstairs. His wife was a sweet looking woman whose wrinkles contrasted with the immaculate ripple free texture of her dress. Her snow-white hair was tied in a bun. They were a very old couple.

'Oh, morning sleepy heads!' he called out jovially, 'since this was your first night, we didn't want to wake you...though you DID miss breakfast,' Mr. Gary teased.

'Nonsense, Gary! I made some fresh pumpkin juice for you sweethearts,' Mrs. Gary got up and poured the refreshment for them, 'and I'm making whatever it is that you'd like to have. Pancakes? Omelettes? French toast?'

'Oh, temporary mother, how I missed you!' Jimmy ran towards Mrs. Gary and hugged her. 'French toast, please.'

'And what about you, dears?' she asked the rest.

'Oh, anything at all. Thank you,' Felix answered demurely. Personally speaking, he didn't really care. And why would he, at that? He was too much invested in Falcora at the moment. But...wouldn't all that octopi killing have mustered up some sort of massive hunger?

It did. And so he gobbled down the crisp rimmed honey tinged French toast in a jiffy.

'We, uh, actually have to be on our way to Madame La Fume's now,' Felix said right after swallowing his last bite, 'we needed to, uh, check on something, right guys?'

Jemma understood immediately what Felix was really implying. What it is that he was implying isn't really a shocker now, is it! The very fact that they had endured an extensive battle in Falcora rooted their interest slightly more. They wanted to know the outcomes of the situation.

Continuing with the plan, they set out for the orphanage. Before that, Mr. Gary and Mrs. Gary did ask a few questions, like 'how long' and 'what is it?' and 'is it really necessary to leave now, we were hoping to have you assist us in the candy assortments!' etc. They were all swiftly handled by the fitting answer of 'Please don't worry, we'll be back soon!' and after a voracious 'I'll be back to help you with those!' from Jimmy, they set out.

Back at the orphanage, it turned out Fitzwilliam was still in Scotland. Nobody quite understood why, and frankly nobody was told and another frankly, nobody was complaining. Therefore, everyone assumed with the daily activities.

The orphanage was the same, the little ones wondered at Felix and his friends' having moved out, thus making things a little boring. But other than that, life continued, as did Mistress Helen's homework.

Many even wondered where Micah went – reluctantly at that, to show 'compassion' as one of the character building lessons demonstrated. The children would ask Felix, Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma, and they would just tell them that he was with 'his own kind'. The logical conclusion that was summed up by many was that he had been adopted. They knew they need not dwell on it too much as Madame La Fume, in one of her morning announcements had stated that he would return once he was 'cured'.

The only two who were really interested in knowing the whereabouts of Micah were, (you guessed it), Jason and Mason. The loss of their alpha meant a lot of aimlessness – well, a lot more than the usual share.

'Where did Mercury go?' they asked.

'I can't tell you guys, sorry,' Felix answered back. There had to be a way for the gang to shake them off so they could get down in the basement slash planet.

'There's no way we get any respect around here, without Mercury!' they moaned.

'Respect? What do you mean by respect?' Jemma could not help herself. She navigated her way from the back to the front of the boys to face the twins. 'It's the most absurd thing I've heard all day (technically Jemma's day had just started, but this here was much needed)! You lot were the laughing stock here. Please do yourselves a favour and learn something about yourselves. It's groovy to be nice and kind to people, not boss them around or make fun of them, thinking that it will get you popularity points. Micah was a bad influence on you and I think it's about time the two of you realised it also.'

That sort of left the twins dumbstruck.

'Well, what do we do?' Mason asked Jemma.

'I don't know...busy yourselves with what interests you. Go in the kitchen and learn how to make boring and mundane food exciting,' she said, throwing in a random suggestion.

'Okay, we won't let you down!' They both trotted towards the kitchen.

'Uh oh, Jem, I think you're their new alpha,' Jimmy teased.

'Good grief!' she sighed.

Now the gang trotted towards the basement door, with Felix reaching into his pocket, and grabbing on to the rhombus key. But before they could move any closer to the door, Madame La Fume appeared.

'Children!' she called from the stairs. 'So wonderful seeing you! Mr. Gary called to inform you would be coming. I need your assistance! Linda and Belinda are upstairs in the teachers lounge and I need you to go to them and plan the talent show.'

'But Madame La Fume, since they're the best, what do you need us for?' Felix answered in a 'wait, what' sort of way.

'No, no, no. They want to hear all about your exciting plays! Come now!'

And with that, they went up. Falcora would have to wait, sadly. Wonder if Future Felix was able to get the machine up and running?

\-- CHAPTER NINETEEN \--

Gamzash Appears

In Falcora, Future Felix was indeed able to create the portal. It would help him quickly reach Gamzash regarding his planet's rapidly deteriorating state. They could not wait any longer. If they did, the sky would officially turn permanently black, destroying all its life force. A purple gateway, it created a swirling sphere in midair and then a wide door. Out came Gamzash: the leader of the galaxies.

Gamzash had a large robust body, a circular head, and three eyes. He had indigo skin but his face was of a dirty yellow colour. He was dressed in satin robes of periwinkle and had with him a tiny dagger set on to his hip. He wore big brown boots that had been stringed together – giving off a Viking feel. He was a tall creature, thereby making him more intimidating.

'Gamzash, welcome to Falcora! (This is the first time he has come). At last I can meet you,' Future Felix gasped happily. 'The heavens know how hard this has been for us.'

'Felix Estabon,' he replied in a deep voice, 'How so this portal? You were able to expedite my journey after all. Not even my best advisers could conjure up something as complex as this. Ingenious.'

'Yes Gamzash, I had a little help. But I'm afraid there was an urgency that I must dismiss by speaking to you face to face.'

'Go on then child, your family is very dear to me. We have met many times at the grand interchange of families (Felix and his family represented Falcora in a fancy elitist dinner party of sorts held in the middle of the galaxy. Here all-important families representing their home planets and regions would come and mingle with the rest and interact with Gamzash. This explains the fountain at the front of the Estabon mansion), though this is the first time I am in your abode. Speak, I am all ears,' he swayed his gigantic hands as he spoke. He had several chunky rings in the shape and colour of the many planets he was in charge of on his fingers. Gamzash's five advisers stood behind him.

'Falcora is dying. The League is extracting Unecton causing our sky to turn black from its golden shade. The people of Falcora have been fed a pill that causes them to walk all the time – there is utter chaos here – it is not the way of life.'

'I would like to see this. Navigate the way for us.'

After observing the walker lanes (in which Micah was also mindlessly walking) Gamzash spoke to Felix.

'The lanes look orderly. What is wrong? This is the only planet in my patrol of the Aio region and to me this looks like nothing out of the ordinary. All inhabitants of the planets Trovcove, Huiszeen, Kylore and Falcora are in order.' These planets are the heads of the regions and different galaxies. They are the only ones Gamzash is visiting as part of his 'first layer' patrol.

'Gamzash there has to be a reason why I am not a walker or among them. My family is. Saccharine and I are all alone. We are not walkers. Falcorians lead normal lives like those on Earth.'

'Earth...' Gamzash mused, 'it would have been fascinating viewing the most quiet planet of all...just not possible in this patrol. Different level of energy is required and that only comes through in the second patrol. Not even your inventions could bring closer the trixillion eons between the two patrols.'

'Exactly, which is why I have for you a witness. He's half Falcorian. Born here but raised on Earth. He's aware of the life that exists on both planets. The two planets ought to have the same life pattern – one of the reasons why they are placed in Aio.'

'Where is this witness?'

'I will call him.'

'You must speak to Ludenwich – leader of the League – to cease Unecton extraction immediately and restore it so that the people can come back to normal.'

'Ludenwich is in charge?!' Gamzash asked, outraged.

'Yes.'

'I must speak to him. This is preposterous!'

'Please Gamzash! I, on the other hand will contact our witness. I need to go to the greenhouse.'

'Summon Ludenwich,' Gamzash ordered his advisers. 'I will speak to this man about the atrocities he is committing against the people of Falcora. I was under the impression he was conducting welfare experiments. This is a violation of so many codes. He must be imprisoned.

'Go Felix. Go to your greenhouse. Meet us again at the Centrepoint. Take this ring, it will grant you and your witness admission.' He took off the yellow ring from his finger – it had to be the one symbolizing Falcora. Centrepoint was the middle of all the four universes and Gamzash's lair.

Gamzash exited the laboratory and Future Felix sped towards the greenhouse to drop his younger self the very important note. Things were about to boil – Ludenwich would certainly put up a nasty fight.

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY \--

Play Ideas

'The talent show should totally feature some great guitarists this year. Think climactic! Every tune should induce some amazing eureka moment,' Linda said cheerily. She was the twin who dressed up brightly, spoke loudly, and batted eyes quickly.

'Belinda don't you think so?'

Belinda nodded. She didn't really respond as anything she would say ended up being called 'Linda's back up'. It was a politer form of rejection, basically. She intrigued Terrence, however. The sense of 'aloof-ness' she projected was fascinating. She wore a black sweater, black stockings, black shoes and black earring studs. All that black hair complemented the blackness of her outfit. Her pale skin really stood out...accentuated her eyes.

'Oh my gosh, when we won the "Perfect Duo to organize events because everything we do together is perfect" award, I had no idea, right? But I got a sense of certain things during our time backstage, a "vibe" as you say, that this would be it. I feel that aura with you guys,' Linda continued in her chatty way, 'like your plays seem so amazing. Be the closing act at the talent show! But like, first tell us an idea that's original and basically one that you know I know we know will dazzle the crowd.' She ended her last part deictically, by pointing fingers.

'Imagine a world where you did nothing but walk. All day. All night. All the time. No breaks,' Jimmy talked in his 'Mr. Cool' voice.

Felix stared at him with furrowed brows. What was he doing?

'Is this a play idea?' Linda asked excitedly.

'Oh yeah, prospective play. And see in this world, we (motioning to himself and his friends) play the heroes that save the day.'

'I'm listening!'

'And we perform it with the moral at the end of how you know, "stop living a fast paced life it'll get you killed and slow down and smell the roses" sort of thing.'

'Love it! Subtle. Convincing. Belinda, what do you think?'

Belinda looked up to face Jimmy then she spoke. 'It doesn't seem original.'

'Doesn't seem original?' Jimmy blurted out. 'And where have you heard or seen anything like this?'

'No I mean it just isn't possible.'

'That's why it's poetic, Belinda,' Linda chimed in, 'everyone will love the exaggeration of it all. Perfect for parents looking to adopt to understand how it metaphorically stands for life fleeting us by. And then they'll definitely adopt you deep, insightful kids,' she added.

'Well I suppose we could give it a try,' Belinda relented. 'Will you try to include some fancy way of ending it like a switch that controls the mindless zombies or something?'

'Yeah Jim, we'd love to hear how it ends,' Felix said smugly.

'Oh I don't know yet, haven't thought that far ahead.'

'It should stop when you finally realise that life isn't meant for horizontal scaling...but vertical. When you see what's above you, you truly see what's below you.' Belinda replied.

Everyone just stared at her. What on Earth did that just mean?

Right then Madame La Fume and Mrs. Schofield appeared in the lounge. The children rarely encountered private little Mrs. Schofield so it was a surprise seeing her there. They began discussing the décor for the talent show.

It was then that Felix's rhombus key began to glow. Terrence spotted it in his pocket and alerted him. They knew it meant something to do with the basement door. And right they were!

They excused themselves for a bit and since they had been able to discuss some productive things regarding the talent show, Madame La Fume allowed the 'emergency dismissal' to take place. However, she questioned why all of them had to leave at once. Nobody could give a straight answer. Therefore, only Felix could go under the guise of an innocent bathroom break, while Terrence, Jimmy and Jemma had to stay with the visitors in the lounge.

'I'll meet you guys as soon as I can,' he whispered before leaving. Then he turned to Jimmy, 'try not to get too carried away with your "play" idea.'

'Won't pick it up till you return,' he responded.

And with that, Felix snuck down to the basement door where a note was waiting for him. The message made his heart leap:

'Gamzash is here!! Now's our time. Come QUICK!'

Felix began to think. Should he have his friends accompany him in case things got dodgy? Or should he leave on his own considering the urgency pressed by his future self? Surely it wouldn't take long? He just had to state life on Earth in front of the galaxies' leader. He could do that. Getting the gang to come from the lounge would arouse Madame La Fume's suspicions. He ought to go alone...and hurriedly at that!

He inserted the rhombus key into its keyhole.

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE \--

Gamzash And Ludenwich

Before Felix got back to Falcora, Gamzash met with Professor Ludenwich at the Centrepoint.

He was standing in the middle of a rotating orb a few meters above the ground. The point he stood upon did not rotate.

In entered, Ludenwich, known fondly as Professor Lunatic. A good scientist gone rogue. He was a tall, lanky fellow with a dirty white lab coat, several spills indicative of the time he spent in his laboratory. He had long silver hair.

'LUDENWICH, HOW DARE YOU?' Gamzash thundered.

'Gamzash...I don't know what to say...' Ludenwich stammered. 'Let me explain...'

'EXPLAIN THE DELAY IN UNECTON EXTRACTION! How DARE Estabon come so close to this plan's ruination? How DARE you be sloppy in this operation!'

Wait, what.

'Sloppy? Do you realise how large the sky of Falcora is? We're doing as much as possible given the circumstances and...'

'DON'T forget what I am,' Gamzash sneered, 'I will kill your daughter RIGHT before your very eyes if you do not do as you are told.'

'Leave Alaiyah out of this, Gamzash. You have already prohibited me from seeing her. Already, so much time has passed and I am alive on your hollow assurance of her safety. What goes on in my head each time no one else is aware.'

'Your sentimentality is of no value to me. In order to bridge the limitations in my power I need Unecton. Falcora is the only planet that wields the power of imagination. IMAGINE what I can become WITH the strength of my mind translated into the raw dexterity of my hands,' as he spoke his eyes glimmered with greed.

'With Unecton, I will be unstoppable. There will no longer be any first and second patrol nonsense. Nothing. I will have the strength to cross over into the forbidden realms of the galaxies.'

Here opens another point. Gamzash has relinquished his good authority in favour of more control and more domination. There are zones in every region that are inaccessible to its inhabitants. The previous leader Oiorto had experienced the severity of these zones by exposing himself to their power – he was not acquainted with that level of radiation and so his body could not take it. He died as a result, and Gamzash succeeded him. Gamzash lead himself to believe ever since then that he could do the impossible – crossing the "forbidden" wall into the unexplored zones if he obtained Aio region's most formidable life force: Falcora's Unecton. Despite being leader of his zone, he was willing to destroy an entire planet, eliminate it forever, just so he could test the limits of his rule and achieve what the great Oiorto failed to.

Gamzash enlisted Rogemere Ludenwich. He kidnapped his daughter Alaiyah and threatened to kill her if Ludenwich did not comply. Now, there is no expectation to weigh out what is more important here. Perhaps this just exposes the mortality of even the most brilliant of minds. We can never understand one's reasons to choose the decisions they choose. What would you expect a man to do, when his whole world is pit against his whole world? Some are willing to sacrifice. Some can sacrifice. Others cannot. They're as good as dead without their reasons to live. And Alaiyah was Ludenwich's reason to live. Planet or no planet.

Ludenwich, who had been working on the walker pill as an actual design for the eradication of laziness all over and generate more creativity – since Falcora is the planet of imagination – was forced to increase the power of the pill at Gamzash's behest. This turned it into something that caused nonstop walking. First it was only thought of as a giver of extra walking prowess for a certain period of time, enabling the user to get through with a lot of jobs and tasks without the need of wasting time 'sitting' down, since sleeping meant thinking through problems. But now the pill had been modified to act as a mutation source. And coupled with how long they were exposed to Unecton, their walking power would never die. So now the confusion and energy burn up would create the perfect distraction.

Ludenwich and his daughter had been promised safety in one of Gamzash's palaces. Whether this would come true or not meant little. Ludenwich had nothing to fight for except his daughter.

There was never any 'League'. It was all a decoy of sorts. This was done as evidence of Ludenwich's previously believed lunacy and how he headed the extraction. The workers were not under Ludenwich's control after all. But Gamzash's. Gamzash's all along.

'Ludenwich, Felix is going to arrive any second with some witness of his – explaining life on Earth. When they get here, lock them up after I leave. Make sure you get the job done before he does something. His ardent enthusiasm is irritating. Thankfully, there is only one Felix.'

Gamzash looked on menacingly, as the helpless so called Professor 'Lunatic' nodded sadly.

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO \--

Two Felix Estabons

Felix and his future self made their way back to the laboratory where the portal had been opened. Saccharine was waiting for them there.

On the way, (since they no longer possessed the cream spray and it was only Terrie who knew how to work the map-mat, being clever about commutation was in order) they spotted Micah. Walking, walking and more walking had substituted his talking, talking and more talking. An obnoxious way, really, of saying how Felix did not have to put up with his quips. However, one should always be careful of what one says, you never know when the opposite might occur just to scare you!

And strangest of all strange things, it was quite the game of chance that paved everybody's way next. Micah had seen Felix, and began to shout:

'Felix! Oh you better get me out of here or I swear Mercury's wrath will get you detention at the orphanage!'

But more extraordinarily astounding than the extraordinarily stupid use of 'detention' as a threat was the fact that Micah had his senses (as odd as that sounds)! How come he was not a zombie? Were the side effects of the pill becoming weaker?

They realised something. Well at least the other older half of Felix realised something. It was the environment of Falcora that made it possible for the walkers to continue walking for so long. Long before Felix got to Falcora, they had never stopped, because the pills inside their bodies had absorbed enough Unecton to keep at it. So even now the depletion of Unecton is not a deterrent to their walking. They will inevitably walk themselves towards the finale of the planet unless stopped. Micah was introduced into the system after the levels were significantly weakened. Also, the pill had been exposed to Earth's atmosphere for a while during the time it resided in Felix's pocket. Whatever little power the pill possessed had seemingly worn off.

This theory became even more plausible when Micah began to slow down then suddenly walked out of the walker lanes.

'Now then, just wait till I tell Madame La Fume about how you kidnapped me,' he spoke while marching towards them. Future Felix scooped in hurriedly and dragged him away from the lanes.

'Ouch, let go of your horrendously tight grip on my arm Fe-' he stopped suddenly, trying to read Future Felix's face. He was befuddled.

'You're Felix?' he asked confusedly, 'what is going on!!' he squeaked.

'Micah, relax. We have no time to spare. Just keep quiet and follow our lead,' Felix addressed him from the other side, prompting him to swipe his worried face to the left to better see him.

There was an overwhelming look of disgust on his face. Nobody had any patience to continue easing him into the scene, as he was very difficult.

Micah felt intimidated by Future Felix. That worked out well for them since he kept quiet as a mouse and did as he was told, or at least during the journey.

Back at the laboratory (it is amazing how the Swan gate let Micah in. Is it because he's just a harmless yet seriously obnoxious brat?), Saccharine was going through her own restlessness.

'Oh thank goodness, you're back! Wait, who is he?' she skeptically pointed towards Micah.

'A she-tree? A talking she-tree?' Micah continued on in his unpleasant way, 'what is she meant to do? Give you shade when the sun's too bright?' He started snickering to himself.

'No you little turd, I can turn wooden porcupine princess whenever I want,' Saccharine threatened him by elongating her fingers that stuck out like sharp shards, causing Micah to whimper.

'Told you to remain quiet,' Felix replied, 'Saccharine he's from Earth. He'll be gone soon don't worry.'

Future Felix took out the ring Gamzash gave him, 'you ready?'

'Let's go,' Felix replied.

Future Felix turned to face Saccharine, 'think you can keep an eye on him for a few minutes? Hopefully this shouldn't take very long.'

Saccharine turned menacingly towards Micah, steadily increasing the length of her fingers, who looked back at her with fear.

'Yes, I think it shouldn't be a problem.'

With that both the Felix Estabons made their way to the Centrepoint through the portal.

Along the way Felix couldn't help but ask, 'Saccharine was so nervous when I met her for the first time, yet she was so...almost scary with Micah. How?'

Future Felix smiled, 'oh she has two younger brothers who are just like your little Earth friend. That's the way she handles them.'

'Makes sense to me,' agreed the fellow with the same name.

At the Centrepoint, they walked down a great sea-green coloured hall that had above it a canopy of stars from the galaxy around it. Before the two massive royal blue gates stood two guards of the Raquetix race. They had rackets for heads, and Felix found the name of their breed unintentionally amusing. Future and younger Felix were allowed entrance after the guards validated the yellow globe ring.

Inside, they encountered Gamzash, who was seated on his massive throne. He was alone in the enormous room.

'Welcome Felix! And our special guest,' he spoke in a bearing voice that echoed in the entire room.

'Greetings Gamzash, I would like to introduce to you the witness. He is my younger self. Felix Estabon of Earth.'

Gamzash furrowed his eyebrows. They appeared as two points on the top of his middle eye. 'How is this possible?'

'Gamzash, I needed someone who had been properly raised on Earth according to the rules that legitimize witnesses in Falcora's legal book. There was no one else whom I could send to Earth for this purpose, as I had limited time and the league kept feeding toddlers the pill too after taking all newborn babies hostage. My good friend Saccharine Skillip and I were too old to meet the requirements of the inter-planetary witness program. I enlisted the help of a parallel stone that allowed me to introduce an alternate story to myself. I knew I would be the only one who could truly get through with this – risking no other Falcorian's life but my own. All to help save my planet.'

Gamzash was clearly taken aback. This was clearly a lot more complicated than he had anticipated.

'And where is this parallel stone?'

'It is at our mansion.'

'What are the properties of this parallel stone?'

'It holds the power of creating a duplicate of yourself but with different circumstances. You lead different lives. There's no interference.'

Gamzash did not know what hit him. Two birds at the throw of one stone? He seemed to lick his lips at the thought of so much power. He wanted that stone.

'However, the stone only works once. It has already been used and is practically dead now.'

'Can there be more of them?' It is not like Gamzash will quit once such stupendous knowledge came knocking at his door.

'I do not think so.'

That was not what he wanted to hear.

'What is this, "think", child? I require a definitive answer.'

'I do not play games with you,' Future Felix replied in a slightly curt manner. He didn't understand why Gamzash was being so childish himself. 'I confess to you all that is made aware to me. May the witness now bear testament to-'

'Where did you get the stone from?' Gamzash continued after interrupting the matter they truly came here for.

'It was a favour from...my father's friends,' Future Felix said.

'What are these friends?'

'With all due respect sir, we have been sworn to secrecy that we will not let anyone but ourselves know their identity. We saved their lives and this was a small token of appreciation. The purpose has been fulfilled,' after feeling he had divulged enough, he nudged his younger self to step forth and express his own purpose.

Just as Felix opened his mouth to speak, Gamzash uttered in an ominous tone, 'leave me for a few moments.'

Before anybody could do anything, the two guards came in and forcefully escorted both of them out of the hall.

Gamzash was thinking of another idea, by using a parallel stone, not only could he indefinitely expedite Unecton extraction but also create a separate form of himself in case his other form died while crossing the forbidden barrier. That way he could still make use of the Unecton from somewhere else. He called in Ludenwich and directed him to stage a scene by kidnapping the older Felix and coercing him to speak if he wished to save his other self. While these plans were being negotiated, unbeknownst to anyone, Future Felix had activated a small chip in his ear, which he installed previously. This small chip enabled him to increase sound frequencies, and pick up on anything inaudible before.

It is through the chip that he found out a terrible reality and one from which he had to escape immediately. He grabbed Felix's arm and ran towards the point where the portals were connected.

'What are you doing?' he exclaimed, 'what about the testament?'

'Forget that! We need to get out of here as soon as possible. Gamzash is working with Ludenwich! I heard them talking!'

Felix was clearly too dumbstruck to register anything else after that fiery utterance.

What happened was that the two of them returned to the laboratory and told both Saccharine and Micah to 'run for it'. Since the portal was placed inside the Estabon Estate, the Swan gate would not be able to act as a force field. They had to evade the premises pronto.

Since Future Felix had mentioned the greenhouse to Gamzash, they could not go there as yet. They had to think of something else, but fast.

It seemed a far-fetched notion but there could be one place that would grant them some sense of direction. This seemed to be one of those times when the 'right' became so elusive and difficult to determine. It looked to be a sinking ship; Gamzash and Ludenwich; what could they do?

There came into his mind like a whistle from a familiar place, a visit to his father's friends. It was like a whistle in a ghost town. Every other option appeared dead.

'Since we can't get far in this limited time, follow me to the top of the mansion,' Future Felix decided it might be best to stay in the Estate after all.

'The top?' Saccharine repeated. She obviously knew that's what he said but it was more of an are-you-joking kind of ejaculation.

The top of the mansion was like any ordinary looking Earth-like drawing room. In fact it was quite demure and had a Victorian era theme. There were two mustard tinged suede sofas atop a dirty green-carpeted floor. Some chocolate coloured wooden desks with tiny trinkets on them peppered the room. Framed paintings were hung up on the walls and occasional embroidered rugs were placed below them for more decoration. One lamp that faced the entrance cast an autumnal glow in the otherwise dark room. It was sheathed in a layer of pink dust as nobody had been there for ages.

'Felix, are you sure this is safe?' Saccharine pressed, 'what about the two of us?' She motioned towards herself and Micah.

Suddenly some guns started firing. That lead to one logical deduction: Gamzash and his men were probably there. The room started to shake.

Micah got down on the floor and dramatically shrieked in a girlish voice, 'you're going to have me killed! You're going to get me killed!'

'Shut up!' Saccharine responded, 'It isn't always about you! Felix?' She asked earnestly. They needed to know the next step of action now.

'Come quick, help me move the sofa!' Future Felix said. Saccharine and Felix helped move the piece of furniture, which better revealed one elaborately done rug that had been placed under it, a little bit of it exposed previously for feet to be placed on it once seated on the sofa.

Future Felix removed the mat just a little bit, and revealed a big rectangular mirror placed on the ground.

'Everyone, jump in!' he cried.

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE \--

Planet Of The Invisibles

Saccharine was the last to go as she stretched her branches and moved the sofa a little back and pulled over the rug before finally taking her leap. They entered a very strange realm.

It was a bare looking planet, sort of like the moon; silvery and misty, but much, much darker. There was no sky above it either. It was also completely deserted. Future Felix later told them they were actually a level below where they had to go.

They began walking on the silver dirt filled ground, a noise of rocks delicately crushing behind their heels. Future Felix stopped them suddenly.

'Wait, wait, where are we NOW?' Micah squealed. Nobody really answered him.

'Quiet now, adults are speaking.' Saccharine replied after he began tugging at her cloth hair like a child.

'Beyond this point, you two won't be allowed,' Future Felix said to Saccharine and Micah. 'Only Felix and I can venture forth. We'll be back, don't worry.'

Saccharine did not shake eyes but instead gave him a fixated stare. She had her eyebrows furrowed and was worried. But her look meant she understood everything.

'MORE waiting?' Micah complained, 'I thought I was going to be part of some action already!'

'I thought you didn't want to get killed,' Saccharine replied sulkily as Future Felix and Felix continued walking on. But before that he handed the two of them small guns.

'They're electro shocks. I want you to stand guard in case anyone makes it through the mirror though they probably won't,' Future Felix added quickly after he saw Micah's jaw drop.

He then continued on in the empty abyss with his other self, till they reached two large boulders.

'We have to climb over them to get to the top,' he told his younger self.

'Where exactly are we?' Felix asked.

'Since you're me and we're technically the same person, it makes it okay for you to know...we're on...the planet of the invisibles.'

'Invisibles? We're on another planet?'

'Yes we are. But this is a planet missing from the universe's potpourri of planets. It is on a different tangent, we can't place it. Stumbled upon it while discovering the many mysteries of our Estate,' he continued as his younger mystified counterpart listened on, 'and now after, you know discovering them, we formed an alliance with them by swearing we would never reveal their existence to anyone. Only our father and we know.'

'How did you form the alliance?'

'They just needed friendship. We extended to them food – they've got a thing for marshmallows – and brought them occasional toys. Once, one of the little ones was hurt, an injury in the arm. Father made a special liquid that could heal their wounds after taking a sample of their DNA. He poured it on her arm and it started healing. Since then, it absolutely confirmed to them our loyalty as friends. While we can't identify the race, we could work out potions that matched their blood frequencies.

They were full of gratitude. After the walker epidemic, they gave me the parallel stone to help call you.'

'Why can't I see them?' Felix asked as they stopped in the middle of the barren ice themed desert.

'Not yet you can't. Here, take my flashlight,' Future Felix instructed. Felix did as he was told, 'now, point.'

Strange as this was, he pointed. And what an incredible vision it was! There had been a lot of these incredible visions lately but what an actually spectacular discovery. As Felix projected his flashlight he saw tiny grey coloured people. Wherever he would point he would view the people only in that direction. It was like reading a message in invisible ink; your light guided your vision and helped you see, otherwise you would just be staring at a blank. Were they holograms? As hollow and wrapped in light? No, they were real beings. The flashlight Future Felix had given him was a very concentrated source of light energy – the only way for the naked eye to gaze upon the mysterious, yet beautiful creatures.

'This is amazing!' he cried, just as he began blinking the flashlight. When the light would be off the invisibles would become, well, invisible and under the light they would appear as real as you or me.

'How is this,' Felix began.

'...Possible?' returned his older self, 'our hunch was that they're luminescent creatures. Possessing the ability to shine when exposed to Delixirium light. A light as pure as the Sun's that kisses your planet. Father cleverly manipulated it into his flashlight...which now belongs to me.'

He took the flashlight from Felix and blinked it three times. After a steady use of flash it was made clear that it was a signal to the Queen of the invisibles who slowly emerged from the ground. It was almost like she rose from her sleep. She was much larger than the others.

'Felix Estabon. You return,' she spoke in a trance like voice.

'Queen Nabu,' he bowed and Felix followed suit.

'How are there two of you?' she continued in her slow, hypnotic tone.

'With the help of your parallel stone,' Future Felix returned, 'he is I from Earth.'

'Very nice,' she hissed without sounding sinister, 'I sense in you worry. What can we help you with?'

'My plan did not quite end up the way I had expected. Gamzash, who I thought would be our saviour turned out to be our destroyer. Falcora is doomed,' he ended on a note of palpable grief.

'Can you not fight thisss...Gamzash?' she returned in a calm or perhaps monotone way. But even then there was sincerity in what the Queen said.

'How? We don't have much of a choice.'

'Unless,' Felix began, 'unless we know exactly what we're dealing with. Do you know anything about Gamzash's history or family?'

'No. But to get to know anything about his history we would have to travel to the Centrepoint again...and that would be suicide right now.'

'What about Ludenwich? Did he have a family?'

'I don't...I don't remember... He never let us visit his family because he wasn't the proprietor of mingling his private life and inventor life together. He worked with our family professionally...always mysterious he was.' Future Felix said.

'Do you know where Ludenwich lived?' he asked.

'In the West upper wing of Falcora... we would often send him our car to be picked up.'

'I'm going to check it out.' Felix replied assertively.

'What are you talking about? Gamzash and Ludenwich will find you and kill you! What if they're in there together? You can't be sure!'

'We have to try. How else are we going to defeat our enemies if we don't have a clue about them! Trust me, I'll manage. I...have a plan,' he stopped after seeing Queen Nabu stare intently at them both.

He pulled his older self to the side and said to him in a whisper, 'ever think of getting the Queen to let us use her invisibles in...a fight?'

'Are you crazy? People will know about their existence!'

'They can't if they can't see them,' said Felix with raised eyebrows, and with that he went towards the exit and entrance.

'What are you doing?' His older (and wiser?) self screamed at his young self.

'We have no other option but to try everything we can,' he returned back, 'now then what plan do I have?' he said to himself quietly.

Back at where they had left Saccharine and Micah waiting, he asked her if she could help open the mirror gap for him. Her response was the same as Felix's. Naturally. But eventually she was coerced since Felix was too determined. He told Micah to come with him.

'Why? If you're endangering your life, leave mine out of it!' he said panic-stricken.

'I'm going to drop you off at Earth,' he said after the two of them climbed out of the mirror, 'because you're right there's no reason why you should endanger your life.'

Outside the invisibles' realm, it looked like the guards had visited the drawing room, as tables were thrown down, sofas turned and trinkets destroyed. The room was definitely searched for them. They walked cautiously by the door, gripping the weaponry they did possess tightly. Hoping that the time they spent on the planet of the invisibles was enough to help them buy their way out of the mansion.

'I wish I still had my cream spray,' Felix spoke quietly.

'What cream spray!' Micah whispered back.

Thinking on it, Felix reached for his backpack. He still had the tablet, but what good was the tablet without the cream bottle or the cream itself? Holding on to it nevertheless, and observing the clear coast, they moved out. Though no sign of Gamzash and Ludenwich, they saw some guards scattered by the main door from the top of the staircase. Felix began searching the tablet for anything they could use. He came across a feature called 'twister upon twist'. He stretched out his finger and created a tornado like drawing triggering a countdown. The feature set a force field shock on the tablet since it sensed its owner being stuck in a 'twist' (knot, but 'twist' added to the alliteration's style). He skid it down the stairs. It landed on the floor with the guards circling around it analytically. The timer that appeared on the screen neared its end:

3...2...1

And a massive force wave blew them away from the centre as if the wind had pushed them. They hit the glass walls, shattering them, and also knocking them unconscious.

'Whoa! I can't believe that worked!' Felix cried as he scooped up the tablet from the ground.

With that they ran out of the entrance. The greenhouse was not very far but they had some tricky obstacles to dodge along the way. Felix spotted the Emporium and dragged Micah in it for refuge as he saw some guards hover above them.

'What a sad excuse of a day! First walking on like an imbecile then running for your life in an alien world. Could it get any better?' said Micah.

He hit one of the boxes and the pink dust sprang up causing him to erupt into a rapid sneeze fire. It sounded like the air was being whipped.

'Sh! Come quickly,' Felix motioned him after letting out a hearty laugh. There was no need to stifle it, or perhaps 'need' is the wrong word. He couldn't. But just as long as no guard heard them.

Felix grabbed a bat that was leaning out of the boxes next to the door, in a sort of an involuntary act. They ran out and towards the familiar greenhouse.

Opening it with his rhombus key they made it back to Earth. Not only was he going to drop Micah but also get the map-mat. He had no clue where the West Upper Wing of Falcora was and he certainly wasn't going to waste any time looking for it.

'Wait till I tell Madame La Fume everything. Everything!' Micah threatened while eyeballing Felix viciously. The child just does not have any gratitude within him now does he?

'Oh stop whining Micah,' replied a tired Felix.

'Why or you'll hit me with that useless bat you carried back with you? Puh-lease,' he taunted back.

Felix looked at the bat and turned it around. It read, "Forget me-Forget all Stick".

'On second thought,' Felix replied. He smacked Micah with the bat, which caused him to forget the whole ordeal. He dragged the unconscious Micah and put him next to the staircase, taking out the electro shocker gun from his pocket.

'Now then, Terrie, wonder if you're still with the twins?'

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR \--

Not So Lunatic

The twins had left and Madame La Fume was not there. Felix heard her voice from the kitchen and inferred she might either be inspecting or requesting Mr. Connor to prepare something. The gang was in his bedroom waiting for him.

'Felix!' Jemma wore an expression of absolute disbelief and joy, 'thank goodness you're okay!' She got up from her cross-legged position on the bed and embraced her friend. All of them had been worried sick, because frankly things went from here to there in a flash in Falcora.

'I don't have any time, guys,' he said, 'I need to get back immediately.'

'But you just got here,' Jemma replied worriedly.

'Terrie, I came back for the map-mat. Give it to me now.'

'Of course, but what happened,' Terrence spoke as he rushed toward his bag and took out the magic transporter.

'Just know that Ludenwich's not the only one that's behind Falcora,' he said solemnly while taking the map-mat from his friend's hand, 'Gamzash is working with the League.'

'Gamzash?' Jimmy said shocked. None of his smart quips followed suit. The news struck them the same way it did Felix.

'We're going with you, no way you're facing this ordeal alone!' Jemma spoke assertively as she held his hand from opening the door.

'No,' Felix replied with a very serious look on his face, 'there is absolutely no way all of you get to put your lives in danger. Falcora is my home planet, not yours. Gamzash and Ludenwich are together and dozens of their guards are roaming around. It's not safe,' he added by shaking his head.

'And it's okay for you to put your life on the line? I don't think so. I'm coming with you,' Jemma said emotionally.

'No guys, I want you to have my back here. Stall for me again. I,'

'C'mon he's not going to listen to us so better that we just move out,' Terrence opened the door with Jimmy and Jemma walking ahead of him too, 'we didn't initiate the Mr. Gary operation for nothing.'

They're not going to listen to me, thought Felix. There has to be something else I can try.

They walked down the stairs and saw Micah still at the bottom of them. At that very moment however, in walked Mr. Fitzwilliam from the front door. Everyone froze solid.

'Where is this group off to?' he snarled.

'A-a-afternoon Mr. Fitzwilliam,' they stammered, 'good to see you again, sir.'

'Bah!' he returned grumpily. Even he knew them being glad to see him was all gibberish.

Fitzwilliam suddenly turned towards Micah. 'What? This one's fixed is he?

With a stick he began poking Micah in the stomach, 'how is he unconscious?'

'We don't know sir,' Jimmy replied feebly.

'Well then get to know old chappy,' he returned fiercely. 'Come and see!'

In the commotion that started thanks to Fitzwilliam's sudden arrival, interest in Micah's condition and the importance of compassion, Felix thought it was an excellent occasion for him to sneak away back to Falcora. And so he did. Quick as a deer bot fly and quiet as a chinchilla, he inserted the rhombus key on Earth and took it out on Falcora.

When he returned Falcora seemed much darker than before. Emergency lights began lighting up on the roads, quite like a brighter version of the cat lights set parallel on a runway at the airport.

He laid the map-mat on the floor and got to work.

'Alright, West wing...west wing...where art thou west wing,' he mumbled indistinctly while grazing his finger against the magical map. 'A ha!' After enlarging it, he made his jump.

The West Wing was a very demure place, with shades of stone grey, arctic blue and the-colour-of-your-cell-phone-screen black. And with the current conditions of Falcora, it seemed darker. Due to the now near its end Unecton, there was only half a layer of new Falcorian sky that Felix could see from his location. It was a little farther away, but he could tell it was something to do with intertwining branches – ever seen the intricate designs of a pie with leftover pastry? It was something along those lines, in Felix's head. Like cut off electrical wires, the sides where the sky ended, some sort of sparks was being emitted. It looked brutal.

It was not difficult making out which house was Ludenwich's. The letterbox in front of his house directed Felix's attention. It was a very basic looking house, with nothing to boast of. Simplistic in furniture, it maintained the colour palette of its neighbourhood. Thinking he would have to search far and wide for anything useful and how much time it would take, he did not have to. As Felix moved his flashlight about in what seemed like the family lounge, he saw a large wall decorated from ceiling to floor in framed pictures. He ran towards it and stared hard.

The entire wall was filled with pictures of Ludenwich, full of laughter in each shot. Everyone was healthy and hearty. But one person seemed to dominate the pictures: a girl. Pink cheeks, auburn hair and large blue eyes were her defining factors. The girl's childhood was captured perfectly with every stage put up with frames of evolutionary sizes. One with her being given a pony back ride on Ludenwich's shoulders and one with her holding up what looks like an invention next to a beaming Ludenwich. There was wide variety. Felix also noticed newspaper clippings that had been framed and put up on the wall too. The headlines read as follows: "Baby girl born to Falcora's lead inventor", "Ludenwich and daughter: Future of Falcora?", "The Estabons, Ludenwichs, and their heirs – Falcora's heirs", "Welcome aboard the tech train, Alaiyah Ludenwich", etc.

'Ludenwich has a daughter?' Felix said, 'there's so much love in all these pictures...no way could he have given all this up for Unecton!'

He peered closer at one of the newspaper dates; it seemed to be exactly thirteen years ago when this craze started.

'He couldn't have brought on the walker epidemic and included his daughter in it...something's definitely not right here.'

Suddenly there was a huge explosion that obliterated the front door completely. The guards came barging in; they had trailed Felix to Ludenwich's house. But what was perhaps most surprising was that Ludenwich was with them. He pointed a gun towards Felix and told him to quietly get inside the floating net – Falcora's form of handcuffs.

'Professor,' Felix replied with his hands in the air and trying his best to press urgently whilst remaining calm.

'Do not speak to me!' he returned almost fanatically, keeping his 'lunatic' reputation alive, 'force him into the net!' he screamed at the guards.

'I know about your daughter!' Felix shouted.

Ludenwich froze. The guards still seized Felix and were about to put him in the net until his latest shout 'Why would you turn Alaiyah into a walker?' really rung through his ears, unfreezing him.

He quickly yelled, 'Yelpa Zel!' causing the guards to stop what they were doing. It turned out the guards were robots and Ludenwich's elaborate utterance was to temporarily put them off guard. He began to walk towards Felix.

'I would give up my life for her,' he said to him solemnly, 'and I did not turn her into a walker. It's been thirteen years since I saw my little girl,' he broke down with tears streaming down his face.

'Then why ARE you after the Unecton?'

Ludenwich looked at him with blank eyes, he did not really care to conceal anything anymore. 'Gamzash is the one behind it all.'

So it was made clear to Felix the entire reality of the situation. How Ludenwich was only a puppet and how the puppet master had to be controlled by all means.

'I can help you get your daughter back, but you need to work with me.'

Upon receiving his nod, Felix added, 'stop the Unecton drainage and start putting it back into the Falcorian sky.'

Ludenwich's face darkened, 'Gamzash will kill,'

'We will take care of Gamzash. I have what he wants as well...the parallel stone,' Felix replied assertively, 'you NEED to go and do this or else we will all die. And you'll never see Alaiyah again.'

Ludenwich returned that he would go and reverse the suction immediately. Bringing his bot guards to life he quickly disappeared. Having learned from Ludenwich that Gamzash was back at the Centrepoint, he knew what he had to do. He did not have the parallel stone.

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE \--

Showdown

In order to get to the Centrepoint, Felix had to get back to the mansion, which meant running into his older self and Saccharine. But they were not there. Did they anger the planet of the invisibles? Were they being held captive? It appeared to be such a mucky situation inside Felix's head that he deemed it best to head for Gamzash himself. If he got captured too then Gamzash would surely return to Falcora and unload the Unecton. There would never be any progress.

This is what his entire life purpose had been. He was the extra extension, the extra miracle, to make sure Falcora survived. Felix began searching the laboratory for any equipment or weapons he might use in his encounter with Gamzash. But apart from beakers, bottles and chemicals he could find nothing. This was so adult like, without the help of his future self they were of no use anyway. He had to make use of tools only he was able to comprehend very well. Jimmy's magic had rubbed off on him as he spotted something of his nature in one of the test tubes. It had been labeled 'Goop'. Simply 'goop'. Felix inserted a cork in it and put it in his backpack. He found several explosive rock bombs as well– perfect.

'Here it goes,' he took a deep breath and went into the portal.

The guards were not at the door like they had been previously. Felix made his move and entered the room Gamzash used as his official conduction place. But Gamzash was not there either. Felix walked around the absolutely empty room and began to wonder at what he could do next.

He went through the other door – where Ludenwich had been hiding – into a much larger chamber. Alaiyah lay on the edge of the floor, unconscious. Felix ran to her to check for a pulse, she was breathing. Gamzash was there too and was adjusting onto his body a big belt like contraption.

Felix, who had been crouching behind some jury benches that enveloped Alaiyah's body, tried moving in front but the wood creaked.

'Ah, little...Felix...Estabon...,' Gamzash said in a low, eerie voice.

Felix got up and faced him.

'That's a rather ugly accessory you have on,' he said.

'This?' Gamzash casually glanced toward his back, 'through this the Unecton will pour into my body giving me unlimited power. I will soon be the greatest leader.'

'Some leader...leading a whole planet to death for your own gains,' Felix answered back pitifully.

'You never go down in history as the "good" leader. Powerful rulers who strike fear in the hearts of many are remembered through the centuries. The more heinous the crime, the more eagerly children pick up their history books,' he added the last part cheekily.

'You're destroying your legacy. If you fail to,'

'Gamzash lives by NO if's!' he interrupted Felix viciously, 'I am capable of all that cowards such as yourself deem impossible. I AM the impossible.'

Not if I can stop it...thought Felix. Aiming for the belt, Felix took one of his rock bombs and smashed it on Gamzash's contraption. This resulted in Gamzash's anger. Felix took out several of the rock bombs and threw them at his face. They were like acid – very corrosive and stinging. One of the rocks hit his middle eye.

Stinging with much more than just pain, Gamzash charged at Felix. Felix, on the other hand, ran toward Gamzash and dropped the goop, sliding from under his legs. The goop resulted in Gamzash's tumble. Felix took out his tablet, he had set it on another one of those twist things and dropped it into the contraption on Gamzash's back. There was a big explosion and half of it came off as the belt buckle broke.

Suddenly, in what felt like the blink of an eye Felix hit the wall. Gamzash had taken a swipe at him with his ferociously large hand. Semi-unconscious, he tried getting up from the floor quickly as Gamzash's loud footsteps got closer and closer, but too late. He held Felix by the throat.

'You did try little feeble copy, but I'm afraid you just can't stand in my way,' he said as Felix began to choke.

'Yes I can!' screamed a voice from the background and a huge punch later, Gamzash was knocked to the other side, releasing Felix.

Invisible punches started coming in from all directions. Gamzash's face, his stomach and his back were all struck.

'What the?' Gamzash moaned in between the hundreds of fierce strokes of wind.

It was Future Felix, Saccharine and the invisibles that had come to the rescue. They were convinced after all! The chamber light was not bright enough to illuminate the invisibles' bodies therefore Gamzash remained confused.

Future Felix suddenly loaded a huge laser, but before he could fire it he got hit with one of the invisibles. Gamzash realised body like structures and he grabbed them one by one and started firing them around. One of the invisibles held on to Saccharine's hair to prevent itself from falling but inadvertently pulled her down due to its weight.

'You can't stop me Estabon! Falcora is MINE,' Gamzash said manically.

'Think again, Gamzash. It's over.'

Felix took hold of the laser and blasted it towards Gamzash, hitting him right in the chest. With no armour to shield him, the blast burned up his entire body. It was a pathetic end to a mortal being who chased his own death. Unlimited power is only a concept.

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX \--

Separate Lives

After Gamzash's defeat, everyone returned to Falcora. The sky was back to its former golden glory. It was the first time Felix saw sunshine yellow as far as the eye could see without any patches of black. Alaiyah returned too, conscious this time. Saccharine was able to wake her by giving her body warmth – another bonus of the tree-clan.

Ludenwich had restored the Unecton. His greatest prize was seeing his daughter alive and well. They had a teary reunion. He took off his glasses and gratefully remarked at the wonderful change of fate.

This was not the only tearful reunion. What was more surprising was the end of the dreadful walker epidemic. The charged level of Unecton was enough energy and stimulation for Ludenwich to reverse engineer a cure. It was an orange perfume that he released from the top of the former Octopi building. It was a sight that gave Felix goose bumps. Long lost friends and family members embracing each other after so many years, despite having been together through it all. Walked side by side but consumed in the robotic realm of nothingness. Everyone was finally human again.

Felix was introduced to his real family: the Mr. and Mrs. Estabon, who embraced the older version with so much fervour. Upon realizing who Felix was and the whole story behind their planet's survival, they hugged their son again, this time their little, yet not so little son from Earth.

The heads of communication, in charge of making contact with other planets, recently released from their trance like existence notified important heads of their ally planets. They informed them of the situation and the hero: Felix Estabon. But which one?

The next part is very interesting: the parallel stone, which was the reason behind the existence of the two Felix Estabons, gave two options. One was that it be destroyed completely and both Future Felix and young Felix merge into one existence, the real one at Falcora. He would be hailed a hero for centuries to come as the saviour of Falcora from the destroyer, Gamzash. The other option was that the parallel stone be broken down and allow the two of them to lead their separate lives. Except that Felix would be given no recognition or hero status on Earth and would not be known by his true nature on Falcora either. Only Future Felix would be accorded the latter status, with hero privileges.

'There's so much I want to know about,' Felix said to his future self and family, 'about my real mother, about my real father...'

'Then stay son!' his mother broke out.

'I can't. I have another family waiting for me back on Earth. I wish to go back to them.'

With heavy hearts they agreed to part ways. The invisibles returned to their planet but after splitting the stone into two parts. Felix departed with his half.

'Goodbye, Future Felix,' he replied with a smile on his face, 'I'll never forget you.'

'Neither will I,' returned his older version, 'and thank you.'

\-- CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN \--

A New Beginning

It was back on Earth, however, where the biggest surprise of all lay. While his friends had been worried sick, covering for him in front of both Madame La Fume and Mr. Gary, they were moved to tears on his tale of what he had accomplished before coming home. During a random conversation in their dormitory, where Felix casually remarked, 'yeah just saved Falcora, nothing big,' Mr. Fitzwilliam called him.

'Boy, come with me,' he said in a tender, not-his-usual-way manner.

Remember how every planet has a head and Felix wondered about how everyone communicated? It turns out Fitzwilliam was the correspondent for Earth! He went to visit his aunt in Scotland? Wrong. That's where his base was. He tried keeping Felix away from Falcora due to the walker epidemic, but to his great surprise and relief, he still did and communicated with his future self (of all people) and got around and eventually saved the planet (and Earth) from Gamzash.

What happened next, is sweet and would be strange to a past Felix and his friends because Fitzwilliam decided to adopt him. He made Felix the next head on Earth giving him a great way to keep track of Falcora's resource materials. And...a great way to always communicate with the new leader of the galaxy after Gamzash (since the greenhouse was destroyed)...his older, familiar friend. Future Felix was elected as new leader of the galaxies.

He restored Falcora to its original beauty by remedying all the destruction. He pardoned Ludenwich's crimes but gave him some community welfare projects to even it out. Oh, he also married Saccharine. But his younger self could see that coming for himself in the future!

As for the gang, they pulled off a great talent show – a mini play on Falcora and the walker epidemic, with a great message at the end to always treasure precious moments and of not getting caught up in base things. The greatest most potent message of all was standing up for what you believed in: the power of imagination.

So many children got adopted after that as people came from far and wide to see the talent show. Even Micah got adopted, along with the twins. The parents fell for the twins who later begged them to adopt their 'brother' Micah Mercury Peterson. Believe it or not, that really struck his emotional chord.

Madame La Fume was overjoyed. Her name was associated with being the force behind such creative, imaginative and confident young adults. The orphanage became a proper school. Children from far and wide came to study under the name that brought out such successful individuals.

Years passed. While Felix was adopted by Fitzwilliam (having moved to Scotland) his friends moved with them. He was like a father figure to all. Jemma became a strong journalist, Terrence discovered new plant life, Jimmy opened up his own Emporium, and Felix became an inventor, putting his Falcorian blood to good use.

And after some more years passed, Felix and Jemma tied the knot too.

So wraps up the story of a boy, who, like a few boys in this universe and the next, turned out to be fantastically extraordinary.

Felix Estabon.

###

About the author:

Shaanzaè Shahid, a 19 year old budding Pakistani author has ventured into the writing sphere for the third time with her science fiction & fantasy novel. Her second book Refraction of Beauty a novella, is published both online and in print edition. She was the youngest student on her English Literature course Brontës from Oxford University and has successfully completed two courses from Harvard University, namely Justice and The Ancient Greek Hero. She was a panelist at the Lahore Khayaal Creative Network Literary Festival and also spoke on the power of writing at the Lahore American School. She is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in English from Goldsmiths, University of London, at The LGS International Degree Programme.

Also read her other ebook publications:

1- The Magic Building

2- Refraction of Beauty

Connect with the Author:

Email: charcoalmagic@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/shaanzaeshahid

