"Brother, please! I know you're in there! Come home! Mother's worried 
sick about you and so am I! Even Teacher is worried! Just stop this and come 
back with me!" I begged. I hated to see the empty shell of my brother being 
used to the point of exhaustion. His eyes were empty. I saw right through them 
into his tortured soul. Robert clicked his watch and turned his metal cuff 
into a blade. He slashed it at me.
	"Liar! Nobody's worried about me! Mother always loved you more than 
me! You were so gifted and so precious! Leave me alone!" I clicked my watch 
and used both of my metal cuffs to make a thin shield. Enough, at least, to 
stop his blade.
	"That's one of the lies Ziff has fed to you, Brother! Mother loves 
you, and so do I! I won't fight you!" I heard a laugh echo throughout the 
domed room.
	"Well, that's too bad, Erik, because your brother has no choice!" I 
snarled as I recognized the voice.
	"Ziff! You let him go! I'll kill you for stealing my brother!" Ziff 
laughed. 
	"Your brother is no longer there. Just his body. He's under my control 
and will do what I say no matter what! He's mine now, so just leave!" I yelled 
at the top of my lungs in anger.
	"I don't believe you! My brother's in there somewhere! His watch 
wouldn't work if his soul was gone! Brother!" I turned to Robert. "Brother, 
I'm begging you! You used to hate being controlled by other people! Mother, 
Teacher... You always wanted to do things your own way! Ziff just admitted 
he's using you! Please snap out of it!" I saw just the slightest hint of color 
return to Robert's eyes.
	"Using me..." Robert whispered. Ziff leaned forward.
	"Obey your master, you useless worm! Finish him off!" Robert's face 
contorted with anger, but it wasn't aimed towards me this time. He spun around 
and stared wildly at Ziff.
	"Stupid... No master..." Robert growled in a low voice. He lifted a 
hand to his forehead. "Headache..." he mumbled. Robert was gaining back his 
memory. I got a headache every time I remembered something. A flourish of hope 
seized me.
	"Brother! Help me kick his can!" I yelled. I confidently Ran towards 
Ziff, but Robert stopped me. He looked into my eyes intently. He had bright, 
blue eyes. The eyes I remembered.
	"No, Erik. He has minions crawling this place. We're outnumbered. Get 
out of here!" I grabbed Robert's shoulder and tugged on it.
	"Then come with me, Brother!" I yelled urgently. "Come with me! We'll 
regroup and I'll bring you to Mother!" Robert's eyes flashed brightly.
	"Mother?" He asked. I pulled on Robert's arm and we both started to 
run.
	"Stop, Agent One! I command you to stop!" Robert spun around and stuck 
his tongue out at Ziff like a little kid.
	"Stop, yourself!" he yelled. I was dizzy with happiness. My brother 
was back! We ran out of headquarters like maniacs. All the guards and robots 
were too stunned and confused to do anything. The number one agent was running 
out of the main hallway with the number one on the wanted list! Ahead was the 
separating wall between the barrenlands and Bambay City. I clicked my watch 
and blew a hole in the wall and we both escaped into the Mines of Kenat. 
	
	"Robert! I can't tell you how happy I am to know you're back! This 
changes everything!" I laughed out of pure joy. I heard it echo behind me. We 
were sitting in the mouth of one of the many caves in the Kenat Mines. I 
hadn't felt this happy for a long time. "I feel like we've already won the 
battle!" I said. Robert sat beside me.
	"We may have won this battle, but there's still a whole war to fight, 
Brother." I stopped smiling. He was right. Suddenly, I looked up and saw a 
figure walking through the barrenlands a short ways away. I gasped and stood 
up. Robert looked alarmed.
	"What? Is someone out there? Are they from Bambay City?" I shook my 
head.
	"It's Andy!" I yelled. "Andy! Over here, buddy!" The little blue and 
yellow robot looked up and saw me. He ran towards me as fast as his little 
legs could carry him. Suddenly, he screeched and jumped away.
	"Erik! You're standing next to HIM!" he yelled, pointing to Robert.
	"No, Andy! It's okay now! He's not under Ziff's control anymore! This 
is my brother!" Hesitantly, Andy edged forward to get a better look at Robert. 
Robert smiled and held out his hand.
	"Hello, little robot." He said. Andy looked up at me.
	"Well, go on." I said. Andy held out his little sphere of a hand (that 
was only connected to his body by magnetism) and shook Robert's hand.
	"Wow." Andy said. "If you're really as strong as Erik says you are, 
then we're sure to win!" he said. Robert laughed. I sat back down next to my 
brother. 
	"So where's Sally?" I asked Andy. Andy jumped.
	"Uhh... That's an interesting question." he said. I sat up.
	"Andy..." I said. 
	"Well, she was with us after you left to Bambay City, but you were 
there overnight which really worried her. So she escaped and went after you. I 
wanted to make sure she'd be okay (because you'd kill me if I didn't!) so I 
followed her there but lost her when she got mixed up with the Psycho-girl 
with the purple hair! She got out, though. I know that much. The only thing 
is, I don't know where she is." I jumped.
	"She got in a fight with Mi-atra?" I gasped. I knew how powerful 
Mi-atra was. She had nearly killed me.
	"Any idea where she could be?" I asked.
	"Well, I tapped into Bambay City's security systems before I left, and 
she's definitely not in Bambay City anymore. But Stephan said she hasn't gone 
through the Kenat Pass. He would've seen her. So she's either in the 
barrenlands, or here in the Mines of Kenat. I've been scanning the barrenlands 
for hours and I haven't found her, so I was just about to start scanning the 
Mines when I found you!" I tapped my chin.
	"You couldn't have scanned all the barrenlands, they're too big." Andy 
nodded.
	"But why would she go to the outskirts? There's nothing out there for 
miles." I sighed.
	"True. We need to look for her." I said.
	"Actually, Erik, When I was talking to Stephan about Sally, he said if 
I found you I should tell you to go to the pass and give a status report. 
Don't worry. I'll look for Sally." Andy said. I nodded. 
	"I'll bring you with me, Brother! When they realize you're on our 
side, we'll have a much better advantage!" Robert smiled at me. I realized how 
terribly I'd missed that smile before. I was glad he was back. I led him 
through the mines to the pass. As we walked, Robert spoke.
	"So who's this Sally you were talking about earlier?" I glanced at 
Robert. 
	"She's a half-human. You know, one of those people that have had their 
soul and another creature's soul mixed together using dimensionism." I said. 
Robert looked at me incredulously.
	"You can do that?" he asked. I nodded.
	"Yeah, but the cost was Sally's health. She doesn't eat much and she 
gets sick easily."
	"So she fused her soul with something else? How does that work?" 
Robert asked. I looked at Robert.
	"She didn't fuse them together! She was kidnapped and experimented on 
in an underground science lab in Firo! The practice of creating a half-human 
is extremely dangerous! Sally's one of the only ones that survived! I learned 
about them in the Momad Swamplands. And it's a little hard to explain how it 
works. Sally's fused together with a mutant dog with supernatural strength. 
She can turn into it whenever she likes. They created the mutant beforehand 
and then fused it with Sally." I explained. Robert nodded.
	"That would be so awesome if the cost wasn't so bad." he said. I 
nodded.
	"I've been trying to find a cure for her sickness in my spare time. 
Something that will help her to feel better. But she never complains when 
she's in pain. She worries too much about everyone else." I said. Robert 
smiled.
	"Sounds like you have quite an attachment to this girl." he said. I 
nudged him with my elbow.
	"You know I don't have time for things like that. I'm too busy trying 
to overthrow the Emperor!" I said. Robert laughed.
	"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." He winked. I swallowed. I 
was about to protest when I heard someone calling my name.
	"Erik! Look out! Agent One is right behind you!" It was Stephan. I 
smiled and waved.
	"This isn't Agent One, Teacher! It's Robert! He's back!" Robert waved 
timidly and bowed.
	"Hello, Teacher." he said. Stephan was standing a little ways away. He 
said nothing for a long time. Then he walked forward and held out his hand. 
	"Welcome back, Robert." he said gruffly. Robert reached out and shook 
Stephan's hand. Suddenly, Stephan pulled Robert forward and with one swift 
movement, sent him flying. I started.
	"Teacher!" I yelled. Stephan ignored me and turned to poor Robert, 
scraping himself off the ground a few yards away.
	"That's for turning your back on everything you loved!" Stephan 
yelled.
	"Teacher!" I said again. I was standing there with my mouth open in 
disbelief. Robert held up his hand.
	"It's alright, Brother. I deserved that." he said, standing up. 
Stephan smiled.
	"I knew you'd eventually come around." he said. I was slightly dazed. 
Stephan patted me on the back.
	"Come on, you two. Let's get to the base. We have things to discuss."
	
	We entered the campsite as quietly as possible. A lot of the 
dimensionists would attack Robert on sight if they knew he was here. Robert 
sighed.
	"I feel like a fugitive." He whispered to me. I frowned. Why should 
Robert have to feel vulnerable here? He was on our side. He was the reason I 
was still fighting. 'If I can just get my brother back,' I'd think to myself. 
'That would be enough for me.' 
	"I know I deserve this." Robert continued. "It's my own fault nobody 
trusts me." I nudged him with my elbow.
	"Aw, come on." I muttered. "Once everyone learns you're one of the 
good guys, you'll be treated just like everyone else! I promise." Stephan 
turned his head.
	"Hush." He whispered. "Or you'll draw attention." We headed straight 
for the biggest tent in the middle. That was where we made the battle plans. A 
guard-dimensionist stood in the doorway. Stephan took his hood off and nodded 
to the guard.
	"Barta. It's me. I've brought Erik back from Bambay City." Barta 
nodded. I glanced at Robert and noticed he was trying to hide his face with 
his black bangs. Barta saw him.
	"And who's this?" He asked, pointing his finger at Robert.
	"This is Robert, Erik's brother." Stephan said coolly. Barta gasped, 
but Stephan raised his hand.
	"It's alright Barta. He's one of us now." Barta took a minute to 
respond, but he finally nodded and allowed us in. Robert sighed with relief.
	"That guy was huge." He said to me. I laughed.
	"You'll get used to him. He's actually really nice." I answered. 
Suddenly, I heard another voice from the other side of the tent.
	"Is that you Stephan? Is someone with you?" Robert and I both looked 
up. Stephan laughed quietly.
	"Yes, Natalie. I brought some people to see you." He stepped to the 
side and Robert and I both gasped. 
	"Mother!" we yelled. Mother gasped when she saw us. Her eyes lit up. I 
could almost see every emotion she was feeling. She was excited. But there was 
something else. Fear? Maybe because she didn't know Robert was on our side 
yet. Suddenly, she stood up and held her arms out to us.
	"Come here, you two!" she said. Robert and I both ran to her like 
little kids and hugged her. Then I stepped back and allowed Robert to talk to 
her. Mother smiled and took Robert's face in her hands. She had tears 
trickling down her cheeks.
	"Oh, Robert! I missed you so much!" She said. I looked at Robert and 
was surprised to see tears in his eyes as well.
	"I missed you too, Mother. I'm so sorry." He started to cry, muttering 
how sorry he was for leaving her and everything he'd done. 
	"It's all right, Sweetheart. All that matters now is that you're you 
again. And that you're safe." She looked up at me and smiled.
	"I knew you'd keep your promise." She whispered. "I knew you'd bring 
Robert back to us." My throat tightened. I just smiled back at her. Robert 
lifted his head to look at her.
	"Mother? Were you afraid when you first saw me?" he asked. So he'd 
noticed it too.
	"I was, darling. But then I saw your eyes. I saw them and I thought, 
'Those are my Robert's eyes.' and I knew it was you." Robert smiled. Suddenly, 
there was a loud noise outside. Stephan stood up.
	"What was that?" I asked.
	"That was the warning signal. Someone's trying to invade our camp." 
Stephan said. Mother gasped. I realized how dangerous for her this could be. 
Why had she come here? I was happy to see her, but she put herself in the line 
of fire by being here. I wanted to keep as many people I loved out of the war 
as I could. 
	Which reminded me... Where was Sally? Shouldn't she and Andy be back 
by now? I pulled my watch out of my pocket and rushed out the door. Robert 
followed me. We screeched to a halt when we saw what was coming toward our 
camp. I gasped. It looked like a giant, mechanical spider.
	"What is that thing?" I yelled. Robert grabbed my shoulder.
	"It's Ziff! He's using dimensionism to move the entire main hall on 
its own! He's coming for me!" I turned to look at him.
	"What? Why would he come out here personally?" I asked.
	"I'm Agent One! I'm the second-most powerful person in that army! The 
only one more powerful than me is him! He'd have to come out here to get me!" 
he said. I could now see that people were riding on top of the giant spider. 
One of them had bright, purple hair. I gasped.
	"It's Mi-atra!" A wave of fear went through me. Suddenly, the spider 
stopped and all the noise was suddenly gone. Ziff appeared.
	"Rebels! If you wish to live, bring to me my Agent!" I looked around 
and saw that the other dimensionists that had gathered around were looking 
about in confusion. They had no idea Robert was even here. Robert was shaking. 
His breath was uneven. He grabbed my forearm.
	"Erik..." he whispered."You're not safe around me. You'd better just 
turn me in." I looked at him as if he were crazy.
	"Are you kidding? You're my brother! I just got you back! I'm not 
going to lose you again!" I said. Robert smiled sadly. 
	"I've missed you, Brother. It was so good to see you again." he said 
quietly. I shook his shoulder.
	"Robert! You sound like you're already saying goodbye! What happened 
to the Robert who'd never give up without a fight?" Robert's face hardened.
	"Innocent people here will die if I don't go!" he said.
	"Innocent people all over Solondria will die if you do!" I answered. 
Robert sighed. 
	"Erik, Ziff already has control over me. I thought I could escape it 
by coming with you, but now I realize I've just put all of you in danger. Even 
being around me is dangerous." he said, beginning to shake even worse.
	"What are you talking about?" I asked.
	"If Ziff says certain words, he'll be able to regain control over my 
mind again. And then I won't be able to stop myself from hurting you, or 
Teacher, or even Mother!" He bent over and gasped, still grasping my arm.
	"I don't want to go back there, Erik! It was dark and cold... For 
100 years it was like that. I watched as my body did terrible things... I 
couldn't stop... I couldn’t stop them from happening..." He started to cry 
again. I put a hand on his back.
	"Robert, fight it! You don't have to go back! Fight!" I said. Robert 
weakly pushed me away.
	"Go. Get out of here... Take Mother..." he muttered.
	"I'm not leaving you!" I yelled.
	"GO!" he shouted.
	"Agent One!" Ziff boomed, silencing everyone and everything around. 
"It's time to come home, now!" he said. Robert moaned and slumped to his 
knees. I ran to him.
	"Robert! Snap out of it!" I yelled. Suddenly, I remembered the first 
time Ziff took over Robert's body. It was happening again.
	"Robert!" I yelled again. I lifted his head to see his eyes. They were 
slowly fading. "Robert!" Tears began to stream down my face. Just like before. 
	"Robert!" I whispered. "Don't go where I can't follow." Robert's eyes 
seemed to regain some of their color. He looked at me blankly and whispered,
	"I'm sorry, Brother." Then his eyes faded to black. I wanted to stay 
there, to try and bring him back. But he suddenly stood up and threw me off. I 
landed a few feet away. 
	My brother was gone again.
	In a sudden rage, I picked up my watch and yelled.
	"Ziff! You give me back my brother right now! I went through too much 
to get him to let you take him away from me now!" Ziff threw back his head and 
laughed.
	"Ah, so it's you again, is it? Erik, you take dimensionism way too 
seriously, you know?" I was confused by his question. But he continued.
	"You think that the rules of dimensionism apply to everything. It 
takes energy to manipulate. Everything is equal, everything is fair. But life 
is not fair, Erik Felton. You thought that since you gave up all that physical 
energy crossing the country and fighting everything I threw at you that you'd 
earn your brother back?" he laughed again. "You, Erik, are a fool." Then he 
nodded to Mi-atra. She smiled and jumped down from the giant spider and landed 
on her feet. Then she ran towards me. 
	I jumped up and dodged her as she came flying by with a shiny little 
knife. I hadn't even noticed that she pulled it out. She was faster than last 
time. She laughed and ran towards Robert. I didn't even have time to call out 
to him. But she didn't harm him. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
	"I missed you while you were gone, Baby." she said. Robert smiled and 
put and arm around her.
	"I'll try not to let that happen again, Love." he said. I sighed in 
frustration. Ziff sighed too.
	"I don't want this to take too long. Erik might find a way to persuade 
you back to his side again. Agent One, finish him." Robert's eyes glinted. He 
turned to me with a fierce look in his eyes. I was suddenly scared. I knew 
what Robert was capable of. I quickly clicked my watch and turned my cuffs 
into shields again and backed away. Robert sniffed.
	"Aw, looks like you're not going to give me any fun. Don't you want to 
fight back?" I slowly shook my head. Suddenly, Stephan was standing next to 
me. I was grateful for his presence.
	"You don't have to die with me, Teacher." I said hopelessly. Stephan 
chuckled.
	"Nobody's gonna die, kid." he said. I sighed and wished I could 
believe that. I found that my will to fight was gone. I had lost the only 
thing I was fighting for after I just got it. My brother was gone again. And 
it seemed like this time, it was for good. Suddenly, I heard a loud and 
frightening roar. It sent a thrill of hope through me.
	"It's Sally!" A giant, white dog-looking monster swiftly jumped down 
the canyon wall and leaped directly for Mi-atra, knocking her off her feet. 
	"I'm calling for a rematch!" she growled tenaciously. She bit into 
Mi-atra's arm. Suddenly, Robert ran towards them. I ran after him. If it 
became Robert and Mi-atra versus Sally... I didn't want to think about that. 
	"Hey, Robert! Running out on a fight?" I said desperately. I didn't 
want him to get anywhere near Sally. He turned back to me with a grin.
	"So this is the Sally you were talking about, Brother!" I gasped. 
	"Don't you dare-" I began. Stephan grabbed the collar of my 
dimensionist jacket and held me back.
	"He's trying to get under your skin. You know Mi-atra would never 
allow someone to help her fight. Not even Robert." I realized he was right. I 
almost fell for it. Sure enough, Robert didn't enter the brawl, but continued 
to stare at me with his empty eyes. 
	I was frightened. After he killed me, what would he do next? Ziff 
would probably make him kill Mother and Stephan, too. That way, there'd be 
nobody to try and convince him back to normal. I had to get him away. I had to 
lead him out so Stephan and the other dimensionists could get a plan together 
to fight back. I knew things were bad now that Ziff had come, but it would be 
worse if Ziff and Robert were there. 
	I jumped up and clicked on my watch, using some of my energy to 
manipulate the canyon wall to make a set of jagged stairs. I quickly made it 
up the stairs and destroyed them before Robert could follow me. I had to make 
it seem like I wasn't trying to lead him away, or he'd stay.
	"I bet you can't do that, Brother! I said tauntingly. Robert grimaced 
and repeated my move.
	"Of course I can!" he yelled. He followed me up the canyon. "Now I'll 
finish you off!"
	"Only if you can catch me!" I said. Then I jumped into one of the 
mining caves of Kenat and ran. I ran for my life. I really was scared. Nobody 
would show up to save me this time. It was just me and the shadow of my 
brother. I heard his footsteps echo behind me. It was hard to believe that 
just an hour ago, I was sitting in one of these caves talking and laughing 
with him. 
	"You're not very light on your feet, are you?" Robert called from 
behind me. "I can hear everywhere you go. You can never lose me." Suddenly, 
the cave walls in front of me collapsed. I skidded to a stop just in time. I 
turned around and saw that Robert was holding up his watch with a smile. 
	I clicked my watch and blew another hole to escape through, hoping it 
wouldn't cause a cave in. I kept making my tunnel longer until I found another 
mining cave. I ran down the dark cave, manipulating my energy to make a small 
light that lit my way. I could still hear Robert behind me. 
	Suddenly, I stopped. Ahead of me was a dead end, and I was already 
using my energy to make the little light hovering overhead. Robert caught up 
to me. We were both panting. He smiled. 
	"Oh, dear. You're in trouble now." He laughed. 
	"Finish him, Agent One." I heard Ziff say in the darkness. I smiled. 
This was better than I could've hoped.
	"Ha! I've led you both into my trap!" I yelled. Robert frowned.
	"What do you mean?" He asked. I laughed. 
	"These are the Kenat Mines. You'll never be able to find a way 
out. And I know you knew how to get in here, Ziff, because you can sense 
Robert. But how do you get out?" Ziff and Robert were both silent for a long 
time. I continued.
	"And even if you did get out, by the time you do, the Rebellion will 
already have relocated and you'd never find them again! Dimensionism really is 
a handy thing." I smiled. Robert roared in frustration, but Ziff was silent. 
Finally, he spoke.
	"What does that matter? Agent One and I will find our way out 
after we kill you. And then we'll simply return to Bambay City and continue to 
make the rest of the country bow to our will. You and your little rebellion 
mean nothing to me." he spat. My smile fell. Robert laughed triumphantly. 
	"And now," Ziff said. "Kill him, Agent One." Robert stepped forward 
and clicked his watch. He turned his cuff into a long, thin blade. I backed up 
against the wall. If I wanted to fight back, I'd have to turn out the light I 
was making. Ziff could see in the dark so I had as much chance of survival as 
I did now. I backed up against the wall and waited as Robert advanced forward. 
He came closer until there were only a few inches between us. Then he lifted 
his blade with a grin.
	"Goodbye, Brother!" he said. I looked up into his colorless eyes. I 
had never dreamed this was the way I would die. I never dreamed I would be 
murdered in cold blood by my own brother. 
	Memories came back to me, memories of us as children. We were so happy 
together. We protected each other. We did everything together. Now he was 
standing in front of me holding a knife above his head. A small tear slid down 
my cheek as I whispered,
	"Goodbye... Brother." Robert hesitated. I saw as a little bit of the 
color returned to his eyes. Then all at once. He dropped his hand and 
looked at me.
	"What am I doing?" he asked. Ziff hissed.
	"Kill him, Agent One! Kill him!" Ziff lunged forward and pushed Robert 
against me. I grunted as I felt the blade on Robert's wrist slice 
through me.
	"NO!" Robert screamed. He pushed backwards and threw Ziff back, 
knocking him unconscious against the cave wall, and saw what had happened. I 
bent forwards and grabbed my wound. Robert looked horrified. He stared dumbly 
at the bloody knife attached to his wrist. 
	“Brother! Brother! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to… I just…” I put a hand 
on Robert’s shoulder.
	“It wasn’t your fault, Robert. It’s okay.” Robert shook his head.
	“No! Erik! I can fix this!” he fumbled with his watch. I grabbed his 
hand and stopped him.
	“No, Robert. Dimensionism isn’t going to fix this.” I said. Robert 
sighed.
	“I can at least teleport you to a doctor.” He said. I shook my head.
	“Ziff would find some way to cause us more grief.” I said. I stood up. 
“I’m going to try to get back to the campsite.” Robert grabbed my arm.
	“I’ll help you, Brother. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” He said. I 
laughed quietly.
	“You have nothing you need to be forgiven of. Now Ziff, on the other 
hand…” I trailed off. Robert half smiled. We walked quietly through the caves, 
trying to find our way out. It seemed impossible. Robert finally sighed.
	“This is hopeless, Brother.” He said. “I have to teleport you 
somewhere.” 
	“No, Robert. If you take me to a doctor, Ziff will sense where you are 
and teleport there too. Then he’d probably kill everyone in sight.”
	“Then nobody is safe around me.” Robert said sadly.
	“Not until you break the bond between you and Ziff. If you can find a 
way to free yourself from him, then people will be safe.” Robert lifted his 
head.
	“I could go to Vulcan Island. Ziff’s sense is limited. I could live 
there until I can break the bond and then I’ll come back!” He said excitedly. 
I nodded.
	“Good plan. You should probably go. Ziff could wake up at any moment.”
	“But I have to take care of you!” Robert argued.
	“Shh. I think I hear something.” I said. Robert jumped.
	“Is it Ziff? Oh, no!” He gasped.
	“It doesn’t sound like Ziff. It sounds more like…”
	“Erik! Robert! The first life forms I’ve scanned for hours!”
	“Andy!” Robert and I both said.
	“Hello, Robert! Hello, Erik! What are you still doing in the Kenat 
Mines?” he asked. Robert shook his head. 
	“Not still, we came back. It’s kind of a long story. But we don’t 
have much time. We need to get Erik back to the campsite. Can you get us 
there?” Andy nodded. I shook my head. 
	“Robert. I’ve got Andy to help me now. Go to Vulcan Island. I’ll come 
find you.” Robert nodded. He looked down at Andy.
	“Take good care of my brother for me, okay?” He asked. Andy nodded. 
	“I have been.” He smiled. Robert held up his watch and disappeared. 
	“Goodbye, Brother.” I said again. I tried to act strong while he was 
there, but I knew for a fact I was dying. I looked behind me at the trail of 
blood I left as we walked.
	“Well, Andy. Let’s get going.”

	I bent over forwards and groaned. I wasn't going to last much longer. 
This was my fifth break. I was frequently running out of breath and almost 
fainting. Andy let out a sigh. I looked up at him.
	"Are you alright, Andy?" I asked. Andy grunted.
	"That's hardly a question you should be asking." He said, standing up. 
"You're bleeding to death and all you can ask is if I'm all right?" I smiled 
at the little robot. Andy came closer to me.
	"You're not really bleeding to death, are you?" He asked. "You look 
really pale. Stop scaring me." It was my turn to sigh. I leaned back against 
the wall of the small cave.
	"I'm afraid I might be, Andy." Andy gasped. 
	"But you're Erik Felton! You can't! You have to save Solondria! Don't 
leave me alone!" He whimpered. I reached out and patted the little robot's 
head.
	"Calm down, Andy. It's okay." Andy sighed.
	"Couldn't you use your watch to help? You could fix yourself!" I shook 
my head and swallowed hard. Everything was becoming blurry.
	"I can't do anything. Dimensionism doesn’t work like that." I groaned 
and tightened my grip around my middle. My right arm was covered in blood. 
Andy stood up.
	"I've gotta find help! You'll be alright!" He said. He ran out of the 
cave into the rain.
	"Wait, Andy!" I said. "There's nobody around! How do you expect-" I 
was cut off by a faint roar. 
	Could it be? She survived the fight? How had she found us?
	"Sally! Over here! Help!" Andy waved his little yellow hands and 
jumped up and down. Soon, I saw four giant white paws outside the cave. I 
smiled. So I'd be able to see Sally one last time... I liked that...
	"Erik? What happened?" I heard Sally's voice say. I opened my mouth, 
but no words came out. Andy's high-pitched voice rang out.
	"Sally! You've gotta turn back into your mutant form and carry 
him to a doctor or something!" 
	"I can't!" Sally said sadly. "The terrain is too bumpy for him! 
The ride would only kill him faster!" 
	"Well, we have to do something! We can't just let him die here!" There 
was a silence. 
	"Alright. We'll give it a try. Erik, can you get up?" I opened my eyes 
and saw Sally. She leaned over me and looked into my eyes.
	"Erik? We're going to try to get you to a doctor." She said. I 
struggled to get up. I felt faint and my legs felt like jelly. Sally bent over 
and transformed. Soon, I was leaning against a big, white, furry 
creature. Sally spoke softly.
	"Erik, climb on my back. And hang on tight." I coughed and slumped 
over Sally's back.
	"I can't climb on... It's too hard." I muttered. Andy tugged at my 
pants.
	"What kind of talk is that? Is this Erik speaking? You can make it!" I 
shook my head and slid to the ground.
	"It's too late. I didn't get the key, and Ziff’s probably already back 
in Bambay City by now. He's probably already looking for Robert. He’ll send 
Mi-atra after him. I've failed." I coughed again and groaned. I laid my head 
back and concentrated on breathing. Sally transformed back into a human and 
bent over me. 
	"Are you okay?" She asked. I coughed a laugh. I opened my mouth and 
talked, but my words were slurred.
	"I'm lying in a cave bleeding profusely and you ask if I'm okay?" I 
joked. Sally didn't say anything. It was getting difficult to breathe. I 
swallowed.
	"I'm fine, Sally. I'll be alright." I said gently. I started to sweat. 
Was it getting hot in here? Sally's eyes filled with tears.
	"Oh, why didn't I think to bring a first-aid kit or something? At 
least someone to help! I'm such an idiot!" She began to cry. I frowned. This 
was not how I wanted to see Sally in my last moments. With my free hand, I 
reached up and brushed my fingers gently across her cheek. Sally sniffed.
	"Please be okay." She whispered. "I know there’s nothing I can do to 
help, but you have to be okay." I felt sad. Because I couldn't do what she 
wanted. I swallowed again. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t speak, and it was 
getting even harder to breathe. I pulled her closer until her head was resting 
on my shoulder. Her little body shook with sobs. I stroked her hair for a 
while. Then I whispered,
	"Take care of Andy and Mother for me, okay?" Sally silently nodded. 
There was one more thing.
	"And tell Stephan... tell Stephan I'm sorry." 
	"Erik..." Sally quietly muttered. I felt a faint pain shoot through my 
body.
	"I... I love you Sally..." I whispered. Then my grip loosened and I 
couldn't think or feel anymore. But I could faintly hear Andy shouting 
something for a few more seconds before I slipped away into total 
nothingness...

	My head swam. My thoughts blurred. Was something underneath me? I 
could feel hard... cold... flat. I was lying down. I could sense a light above 
me through my closed eyelids. Suddenly, I could hear. Footsteps. Going 
backwards and forwards. Someone was pacing beside me. Suddenly, I heard the 
most beautiful and relieving noise.
	"Stephan! Is he going to wake up soon?" It was Sally. I let out a sigh 
of relief. Then I realized that I was breathing. I was still alive! That made 
me happier than I'd ever felt before. 
	"Soon, Sally. I think he's regaining his senses. His breathing has 
changed, see?" It was quiet for a while. I assumed they were both looking at 
me. I tried to move, but my body seemed to be made of stone. 
	How had I got here? Wasn't I in a cave before? Wasn't I supposed to be 
dead? I felt a tingling sensation in my fingertips. I clenched my hands into 
fists. I could move now. Sally gasped.
	"He's moving! He's waking up!" I winced and opened my eyes. Then I let 
out a groan. I was staring into a bright light. Sally threw herself on top of 
me.
	"Erik! I was so worried! Don't you ever die on me again!" I cringed at 
the disturbance Sally had caused to my midriff, where I had been sliced 
practically in half. 
	"Die on you?" I said soothingly. "I didn't die, Sally. I'm okay." 
Stephan stepped forward. His blue eyes seemed to slice through the air to 
stare at me.
	"Erik, you weren't aware of anything that happened at all, then?" He 
asked. I couldn’t tell if he was anxious or angry.
	"What do you mean?" I asked. Stephan sighed.
	"We'll get to that later. The important thing right now is that you're 
alright." Sally nodded. 
	"Yes. Thanks to Andy. The little dear. He sac-" She was cut off by 
Stephan, who raised his hand to stop her.
	"There's no need to worry Erik with that now." He said in a commanding 
voice. I raised myself onto my elbow to look up at Stephan.
	"What about Andy?" I asked. I looked around the room. He was nowhere 
in sight. That was strange. I would've imagined that he would be as worried as 
Sally was. "Where is he?" I asked. Nobody said a word. I looked up at Sally. 
She bit her lip. She looked terribly upset. She turned to Stephan with a 
pleading look.
	"May I?" She asked. Stephan was silent for a long time. He finally 
nodded. Sally turned back to me and held my hand.
	"Erik, Andy sacrificed his soul to bring you back." She said quietly. 
She got up and picked up a little box that had been sitting on a nearby chair. 
She set it on my lap. I picked it up and opened it. I gasped when I realized 
what it was. It was Andy's tiny metal body, curled up in the little box. I 
picked it up and held it in my hand. It was limp and lifeless. My throat 
tightened.
	"I... I don't understand..." I whispered. Stephan stepped forward.
	"After Ziff returned to the campsite and retreated his army, I sent 
Sally out to look for you in the mining caves of Kenat since you didn't 
return. When she didn't return either, I went out to look for you myself. By 
the time I found you, you had already been dead for about three hours. Sally
was crying on your dead corpse and Andy was yelling out of control. I used my 
dimensionism to bring everyone back to the camp. We had quite a lot of trouble 
figuring out what to do with you. Since you were dead, the plan was ruined. We 
would either have to give up altogether or regroup in Invisitown. But it was 
Andy who came up with the idea to use his soul as a substitute to dimesionize 
your soul back into existence." Stephan explained. I sighed and looked at 
Andy's little body in my hand.
	"'No matter can be created. It must be made out of components that 
already exist.' Andy paid better attention than I thought when I explained the 
rules of dimensionism to him. He knew that you couldn't simply bring my soul 
back, but that you'd have to sacrifice another in its place." I put Andy's 
body back in the box and closed it again. Sally sat quietly beside the table I 
was lying on.
	"He really wanted to be a hero. Now he is, but he's not here to 
enjoy it." She bowed her head and a tear trickled down her face.