Elixir of Life

Elixir of Life: Part I

Maximus IQ stood in front of the entrance to the Poison Grapple cafe. Many aliens of different species came in and out of the cafe. Most of them looked armed and dangerous and they all had deadly glares. He stood there as they walked by as if he was invisible. If they knew who he was, they obviously didn't care. "Should we really go inside your evilness'" Minimus felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

"Of course we're going inside. This is what we came for," Maximus tried to sound confident and failed miserably. He took a deep breath and started walking. The automatic metal doors opened to the sides to let him in. The Poison Grapple cafe was made of old parts of ships and space stations. It looked like the materials had been recycled from Crushta. Or rather than recycled, they were simply melted together. Some of the metal was not of the best quality and began to turn an odd brown color. Not being used to metal that actually rusts Maximus didn't know why this happened. Overall the appearance of the small building added to the dreaded atmosphere of the dark planet. Clearly, paint was not in the list of priorities of the owner, who ever that may be.

Inside the Poison Grapple, the atmosphere became more sinister. No one was throwing anyone against a wall, there was no fighting and no rain of lasers, but it looked as if a fight could begin any second with the slightest hint of provocation. "I don't like it here," Minimus complained in a quiet whisper.
"Sh! Don't say anything," Maximus didn't like it either. He walked around making his way to the bar, trying not to stare at the stranger alien species. It didn't look like those odd aliens appreciated his curiosity, so the lynx ended up staring at his feet most of the time. His ego wouldn't allow such behavior normally, but this place gave him a bad feeling. Still, Maximus was not going to leave until he did what he came here to do.

"Maximus IQ' Didn't think you'd come to a place like this" The alien in charge of the bar recognized him.

Maximus wasn't sure with what intentions those words were spoken. He didn't know if he was welcomed or not. In fact, he didn't even know if the spider like alien standing behind the bar was a man or a woman. "Why not'" Maximus' curious nature took the best of him again.

"This isn't a place for sheltered spoiled villains like you. See them'" The spider alien motioned to no one in particular, referring to the cafe in general. "Those are the true villains, not like those in your precious Villains Council. There are even rules and codes to follow and you call yourselves villains'"

"That's enough," another voice was heard, "I'll handle this." The spider alien immediately moved to the other end of the bar. A scorpion like alien looked at Maximus. "Our business runs on information, no purchase necessary. If you have a question or an answer this is the place. That's why our customers come, to ask or to answer. If the question or answer doesn't come right away, they wait and order some food and drinks. Want anything'"

The menacing looking scorpion appeared to have a permanent glare on his glowing red eyes. Unable to get any words out, Maximus simply nodded slowly and barely noticeably at first, then quickly and with energy as if his life depended on it when the scorpion appeared to sense his doubt. All the while Minimus silently stood next to Maximus shaking like a jelly. Both his faces had their eyes wide open in case of an attack. That was one of those times when he was glad to know he had an extra pair of eyes to watch his back.

"Here you go." The scorpion placed a pink frosting covered cupcake and a glass of light purple liquid on the bar in front of Maximus which, was a normal snack anywhere in the universe, but on that planet it was food for slaves or pets who couldn't digest what the locals ate. "Standard currency only," Maximus quickly paid, not realizing he had paid a little too much and stared at the food and drink, wondering if the grapple juice was in fact poisoned and quietly remembering how much he hated pink. "It's not poisoned if that's what you're wondering. Go ahead and eat it."

"I would but my sidekick is hungrier than me." Upon hearing Maximus say this, Minimus knew what was coming. Before the sidekick could escape, Maximus got up from his seat, picked up Minimus and made him sit down in front of the food. "You were telling me just before we arrived how hungry you were. I wouldn't want my sidekick to starve; eat, now," Maximus emphasized the last word impatiently.

Minimus looked from the food to Maximus, to the alien scorpion and back to the food. He gulped knowing one way or another he wouldn't escape without eating the pink frosting cupcake and drinking the grapple juice. Minimus picked up the cup cake and took a bite; surprisingly it tasted sweet, like it wasn't poisoned. He took a sip from the juice and did not find anything in the taste that indicated it was poisoned. He quickly finished the snack concluding it wasn't so bad after all. "That was good."

"I told you it wasn't poisoned," the scorpion laughed. "It's not what I normally serve but I doubt any of you can digest a real meal." Maximus thought about saying something but decided it was better for his heath not to comment on that statement. The scorpion muttered something about 'fragile creatures' that Maximus didn't completely catch then went back to business. "So why did you come here'"

"I'm here to hire someone that can destroy Atomic Betty" No sooner had Maximus said Atomic Betty's name the room erupted in laughter confirming his suspicious that everyone was listening to the conversation. "She can't be that invincible!" Maximus complained interpreting the laughter the wrong way.

"That's not the funny thing. The funny thing is that you haven't been able to destroy her. In this corner of the universe things are different." It was a very long trip there. Some called that place the end of the universe. Beyond that small planet was a large group of black holes. Powerful electric storms formed around the black holes constantly. Many had traveled endlessly trying to find a way around them, but they mysteriously arrived in that small planet again even if they had been initially traveling away from it. Some theories said that the large amount of energy in that place bended the space continuum causing that unusual effect. Going through the black holes was out of the question. Those who had tried, convinced their high tech ships could make it, didn't come back alive.

"Then it can be done'" Maximus asked. If Atomic Betty could be destroyed then his trip to that place would be worth it.

"Yes, but I doubt anyone will be interested," the scorpion informed. "Like I said, things are different here, your world is meaningless to us. Here is where the real battles are. Your kind is weak and we do not wish to associate with such pathetic creatures." It was obvious now that he wasn't welcome there. Maximus caught the meaning of the scorpion's words this time. His kind wasn't only the lynx, when that alien spoke of his kind, he meant everyone from outside that area, including the Galactic Guardians.

Without another word, Maximus turned to leave. A few aliens got up and blocked his path. It all became clear now; they didn't stop him before because they wanted to listen to the conversation, to hear what he had to say for their amusement. An alien that had the basic shape of a human but had four arms and no skin approached. The alien was made basically of reddish muscles with a few bones visible between them. "Not so fast, your kind may be pretty much useless for everything, except pets and slaves. You'd sell pretty well around here, but I'm in need of some skin, I like that fur coat of yours." Horrified, Maximus backed away. "There's no way out, and that smaller creature you've brought along will be put to good use too. I think I'll use him as fire wood when it gets cold. There's no sense in wasting good firewood so I'll burn him piece by piece."

xoxox xox xoxox

On Earth it was another normal day for Betty, or as normal as a day can be for a girl who's secretly a Galactic Guardian. As she got home from school she found a note from her mother saying she was going to stay at the mall until it closed that night because there was a sale on pet items. There was also a small pet contest, which of course Purrsey had to enter. Great, more cat toys to take up space in the house. Betty would have to be extra careful not to leave her comic books where her mother could find them and throw them away to make room for Purrsey's toys.

The Galactic Guaridan had finished reading the note when her bracelet beeped and she was called on another mission. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty!" She saluted the image of Admiral Degill in the hologram.

"Atomic Betty, an agent from a spy organization has been captured before finishing her mission. You must come to Headquarters for more information and some recordings," Admiral Degill informed.

"I'm on my way!" Atomic Betty saluted and was beamed up to the Starcruiser.

"Isn't this exiting chief' We get to be spies in this mission!" Sparky was quite pleased as he piloted the Starcruiser to the Galactic Guardians Headquarters.

"It will be interesting," Atomic Betty agreed. "Did the admiral say what the recordings are about'"

"Admiral Degill said he would give us the full details when we arrive," X-5 replied.

The trip passed quickly but for Sparky it was an eternity. "Let's go let's go!" He cheered as they landed.

The environment in the Galactic Guardians Headquarters was the same as usual. As they walked to Admiral Degill's office they saw a few familiar faces including Atomic Rodger and several other Galactic Guardians they knew. Betty knocked on the door. "Admiral Degill'"

"Come in," answered the admiral's voice from inside the office. Atomic Betty, Sparky and X-5 entered closing the door after they did. "Sit down and listen carefully." Atomic Betty and her team sat down at three chairs in front of Degill's desk. "This mission is unlike any other. Everything must be kept in complete secrecy." The three nodded indicating their understanding of the situation. "This computer is one of the most high tech portable super computers in the universe. It contains a recording of agent zero two five taken by her partner agent seven eight nine. I'll call them Zero and Seven. Unfortunately some of the recordings from the mission were lost. They both work for a spy agency that resolves internal conflicts in planets all over the universe to prevent war. In a galaxy called Larutna, a pair of twin brothers are fighting over the throne. The royal family has many magical items even if they cannot perform magic without them. Most of the items have small effects that don't pose a real danger to a trained spy or Galactic Guardian. However, there are two scepters that are to be used by the king and queen only. The two princes each has a scepter and have been fighting each other for months. Both scepters are evenly matched so they always ended up with a draw. Onebu agreed to give up the throne to his brother Olam even if he is the oldest by two and a half minutes. However, Olam refused and said he wanted to defeat Onebu to win the kingdom. The people of the Larutna galaxy saw the evil in Olam and made it clear they wanted Onebu as their next king. They had always been rivals, but after their parents passed away no one could stop them from a direct battle." Admiral Degill paused to let the team take in all the information. This was only the introduction to their next mission.

The goldfish admiral continued. "The Larutna galaxy is rich in natural resources. Almost any kind of flora can grow there, even if it's not native of that galaxy. It is composed by a solar star, a small planet called Florare, a larger planet called Popunatu and a medium size planet called Frutitas. The rest of the galaxy is made out of small planets with few or no people living in them and a few smaller stars that provide light to those furthest away from the main solar star. Planet Frutitas produces fruits of all kinds that are exported. Larutna galaxy's economy depends on Frutitas' products the most and also exportations from Florare. Another important thing is that the people, who mostly live of Popunatu, depend on the products from Frutitas and usually can't digest anything that's not fruit." Once again Degill paused. The introduction was over, now that they knew about the environment it was time for the main mission.

"Three days ago Zero was sent on a mission to stop Olam from destroying planet Frutitas as punishment for the people choosing his brother as their king. Olam retreated into one of the smaller planets before he could plant the bomb to destroy the planet. Zero chased him to arrest him and I have a video of a portion of her mission to show you. The agency was very strict with this recording but they must have known it was necessary for the investigations if they gave it to us. It is a little suspicious that they didn't send their own agents to investigate as they would usually do in these cases, but they had assisted the Galactic Guardians before and we must assist them." Admiral Degill showed them a devise consisting of a thin metallic band that fits around the head. There was a small circle on top of the band. "Zero had one of these. Most of the time the agents use a system where one is on the field and another stays on the ship, in this case Seven stayed on the ship. The ships have powerful radars that can send almost impossible to detect signals to determine the structure of buildings and the presence of life forms. The latest technology is used to make sure the transmission is safe while the agent on the ship acts as a guide to the one on the field." Degill pressed a few keys on the small laptop computer and a video appeared. "You will see everything for Zero's perspective by a camera like this one," he pointed to the small circle on the headband.

The video started playing, it looked like they had to play detectives before they played spies. "He hasn't gone too far you can catch him", a male voice was heard. They assumed it was seven eight nine speaking.

"Ok, just tell me which way to go," a female voice answered, this was zero two five.

The video continued in silence except for the natural sounds of the planet. This part of the mission happened when Olam escaped and Zero chased him to one of the smaller planets. This one was clearly far from the main solar star due to the darkness. A little light coming from a small star in the distance was just enough to make them able to identify the surroundings. The planet was covered in a dense forest the grass looked about four feet tall. The plants, from what they could see in the little light, came in many colors. As Zero went deeper into the forest it became too dark to distinguish anything. Then suddenly everything was clear as day. "A small modification to make the video easier to watch," Admiral Degill referred to the artificially added light.

The images sometimes showed a hand with a black glove and long black sleeve pushing branches away. "I don't like crawling round in a jungle like this, I tend to prefer high tech places," Zero commented.

"I like space stations too, but a few trees here and there are nice," Seven replied. "Keep going you almost have him. There is a building up ahead. It's made of wood from the Ghost Tree Forest according to the scanners."

Zero approached a house about three floors tall at a clearing. The Ghost Tree Forest was a place where a particular kind of tree grew. The wood was fragile in appearance but it was actually quite strong in reality. However, it was rarely ever used for anything. If too much of it was used a strange alien race would come. The species was attracted to that kind of wood. Very few studies had been made so little was known about this strange alien race that looked like ghosts. They were in fact alive and fed off energy. The semi transparent glowing white creatures could drain away a person's very life. But they weren't dangerous if handled properly. Their energy was somehow connected to emotions, certain emotions made people immune to them while others could render them defenseless against the alien race called 'ghosts' by some. Fear could not be present if one was to survive, or so said the theories.

Sparky, who was sitting between Betty and X-5, held both their hands as he watched. Zero entered the building ignoring the ghost like creatures flying around her. They did her no harm since she didn't show fear. "How do you do it' Those things scare me even if I'm only watching them on a monitor." Seven shivered.

"Contrary to what most believe, you can be afraid and come out of it alive. They scare me too, but I look right at them and keep walking so they stay away, it's all about facing them and staying strong," Zero explained. The journey inside the strange wooden building continued. The ghost like aliens rapidly flew around Zero angry to be ignored, but there was nothing they could do unless she stopped facing her fears exposing her energy to them. Instead the initial fear was disappearing as she slowly became accustomed to the ghostly atmosphere.

Seven's directions were heard many times as he told her where to turn and what doors and stairs to take. "Now turn left and you'll find him. He's just standing there and I'm not getting any unusual signals, but that would be too easy so watch out."

"Got it, I'll keep my guard up," Zero cautiously approached, then the screen went black.

After the video ended, Admiral Degill continued his explanation. "The camera was destroyed during the battle, but as you can see that part is missing and so is the rest of the mission before this. It was supposedly lost, but they might have decided not to give us that portion of the recording."

"With all that technology it's hard to think they lost the rest of the recording," Atomic Betty agreed.

"Yes, but those investigations will have to wait. Right now you must head to the palace in Popunatu, Larutna and speak to prince Onebu. Make sure the prince and kingdom are safe until Olam can be arrested," Admiral Degill instructed.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, at the place known as the end of the universe, Minimus woke up. The sidekick was in an uncomfortably small cage along with Maximus who was still unconscious. "Your evilness, wake up!" Minimus tried to shake him awake and noticed the large bump on his head, but Maximus didn't wake up. "You're still alive right' Wake up!" Minimus was scared and being scared and alone was worse.

"Keep it down," a human man spoke. "Your friend will wake up eventually I've seen people stay unconscious for longer and survive." His blonde hair varied from waist length to shoulder length as if it was cut with a knife and he didn't get to finish. He had dirty dark blue pants, a ragged white shirt and no shoes. The many scars that were visible hinted that he had been in numerous battles. He noticed Minimus cowering behind the unconscious Maximus. "Don't worry I'm not your enemy, I'm just like you, a prisoner." The man reached out of his cage and turned on a light switch.

Minimus stared at his surroundings. Many cages with different aliens were placed one on top of the other in the relatively small room. "Turn that off Ail!" A voice suddenly protested.

"Alright already I wasn't going to leave it on," the human man, named Ail, reached for the light switch and turned it off. "The owner of the place says our kind doesn't deserve the light. I came here to study the black holes, I used to be a space science student back then and this would make a great project. Then I got captured and have been kept around as a pet ever since. I've lived with many groups of aliens around this planet and none of them are one bit nice. My continuous yet ineffective attempts to escape landed me here. As you heard II am called Ail. What's your name and story'"

"I'm Minimus and this is Maximus. We came here looking to hire a strong warrior but got captured instead," Minimus left out the part about destroying Atomic Betty on purpose, in case Ail had a liking for Galactic Guardians or a dislike for super villains and their sidekicks. Minimus felt they were in enough trouble already and didn't need another enemy.

"Minimus and Maximus, those names sound familiar," Ail tried to remember where he heard those names before. "Wait isn't Maximus IQ that crazy kitten who wanted to take over the universe and Minimus PU was his sidekick'"

"Depends on if you like super villains or not," Minimus once again tried to hide behind the unconscious Maximus.

"So you're super villains now' I remember everyone saying it was just a phase because Maximus was almost a teenager and that he would grow out of it and stop trying to take over the universe. I guess he made a career out of it after all and you're still his sidekick. I've been without communication with the rest of the universe for too long." Ail spoke with a mixture of regret and sadness.

"So what's the escape plan'" Minimus asked.

A few laughs were heard not happy or amused, but sarcastic. "Poor ignorant creatures," the same voice that told Ail to turn off the lights before was heard again.

"That would be Xofi, the optimistic one," Ail spoke with almost as much sarcasm as the fox alien girl.

"I'm not being pessimistic, I'm being realistic," Xofi voiced in a serious tone.

"I won't lie, escaping is very hard, nearly impossible, but I'm not giving up hope. One way or another I want to get out of here one day and I know I will." Ail remained firm.

"Oh, yes you'll fly away," Xofi spoke in that sarcastic tone that annoyed Ail so much. He hasn't been in that room for too long but long enough to be severely annoyed by the fox girl. He awaited her sarcastic remark knowing it would inevitably come. "You'll fly away in the smoke when your body burns!"

"You're creepy, you know that right'" Ail received no response. Xofi thought she was better than everyone in that room even if she was a prisoner too. "Don't give up hope Minimus, as long as there's life there is a way to solve things."

An unpleasant noise of metal against metal was heard as the slide door was pushed aside and an alien entered the room. He turned on the lights and Minimus saw it was that same skinless alien from before. "This is my merchandise, take your prize and leave," he growled bitterly.

A gray scorpion with metallic skin, three tails and four arms entered the room and looked around. Everyone knew what he was there for except Minimus and of course Maximus who was still out cold. The alien known as Rickoon had won the planet's weekly tournament and was there to claim his price, an item owned by each of those who lost in the tournament. He could only choose one piece of merchandise from each one. Rickoon looked at each of the beings in the cages. There was a variety in size, colors, species and shapes. He finally made a choice. "This one," the large scorpion picked up the cage containing Maximus and Minimus.

"Which one'" The skinless alien was annoyed and wanted this to end as quickly as possible.

"You owe me from last time, remember' I can take both," Rickoon countered.

The reddish alien glared, he lost a good skin and a strange creature. "Fine, take your price and leave." He wouldn't be getting that fur coat after all.

After the two evil aliens were gone and the lights were turned off again, Ail continued to stare in direction to the closed metal door that was pushed back into place. "They're doomed," he heard Xofi's annoying voice.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Larutna galaxy, in planet Popunatu's royal palace, "I really wish there was another way," Onebu spoke sadly. "I do not wish to fight my brother. At first I wanted to fight for my right to the throne, but then I realized it would cause an unjustified war so I gave him the throne, but he didn't take it. He wants to defeat me in battle then take the kingdom. He was prevented from destroying planet Frutitas, but if he takes the throne he will find a way to make the people's lives miserable as revenge for being on my side." The prince, who looked identical to his brother had light purple hair and green eyes. He looked very similar to a human except for the wings with cyan feathers.

"Don't worry prince Onebu, we will make sure everyone is safe," Atomic Betty assured.

"Yeah, we'll arrest Olam before he hurts anyone, your highness," Sparky agreed.

Onebu had an angry look in his eyes for just a small moment before he forced an apologetic expression. "Forgive me; is that how I am perceived'"

Sparky was confused until X-5 whispered an explanation. "Sparky, in the Larutna galaxy, 'your highness' is a strictly sarcastic term. In other words you just called him a fat head."

"Oops," Sparky was trying to be polite and behave properly around royalty, but he messed it up. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that your highness means something else where I come from, it's nothing bad."

"That is alright, I understand," Onebu forced himself to smile.

"If it's alright, we would like to start our investigation and see if we can find any clues as to where Olam is. With your permission, prince Onebu," Atomic Betty emphasized the name.

It looked as if Onebu had a hard time keeping that fake smile on his face, but none the less his expression didn't change. "Of course, you have authorization to go anywhere in my kingdom."

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile in a galaxy far, far away... "What do you mean you lost the auction' I told you to pay any price!" The Empress, who had returned to her kingdom even if they didn't want her there, yelled as she threw a base at the leader of the royal council. The elder ducked just in time and the base shattered on the wall behind him. "The Elixir of Life must be mine, find the one who dared to outbid me and recover it!"

xoxox xox xoxox

As soon as they were out of the throne room and far enough so the prince couldn't hear them, Atomic Betty asked. "Did you notice anything suspicious about him'"

"Not really," Sparky replied. "Was I supposed to notice anything'"

"His smile appeared force, but maybe that is because Sparky insulted him," X-5 pointed out.

"I didn't know your highness was a bad thing!" Sparky defended. "It was a mistake anyone could have made and said I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"I think that wasn't Onebu," Atomic Betty instantly got Sparky's and X-5's full attention. "There's the obvious forced smile and he looked uncomfortable when I called him Onebu. They're identical twins and that might have been Olam for all we know."

"But if that's Olam then where's Onebu'" Sparky brought up a good question.

"I don't know and it's not a sure thing that it was Olam back there, but we can't let him know we suspect. Let's talk to people and search for clues until we have a more solid theory, then we'll know if we need to search for Olam or if Onebu is the one missing," Betty concluded.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the area called the end of the universe, Maximus slowly woke up; it took him a long time to regain consciousness since he wasn't used to being hit on the head like Minimus was. He was in an unfamiliar room made of metal melted together as were most of the buildings on that strange planet. It was kind of small and cluttered with space ship parts, tools and the like. Maximus got up from the bed he was left in and walked to the door.

Maximus cautiously looked outside and saw a larger room, big enough for a space ship; in fact, his own space ship was there. The ship looked like someone or something tried to tare it apart but he noticed that some parts of it looked as if they were recently repaired or replaced and only needed a little paint.

"Your evilness!" Minimus suddenly yelled.

"Ah!" Maximus almost jumped at the unexpected sound. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He hit Minimus on the head repeatedly.

A laugh was heard. "That was priceless," a raccoon-like alien known as a tanuki, came out from under the ship.

"Who are you and what did you do to my ship'" Maximus demanded to know.

"I'm Rickoon and I'm repairing your ship. The aliens around here messed it up, but I recovered it on time so it's possible to fix it. Oh, yeah and I also saved your life." The tanuki walked over to a large closet and opened it.

Maximus had another scare when he saw a grey scorpion with metallic skin, three tails and four arms inside the closet, but it didn't move, plus Minimus and Rickoon didn't look worried about it. "What is that ugly thing'"

"It's my alien disguise," Rickoon explained. It was big enough for one person to fit inside it. "One day I'll reveal myself as the real Rickoon and show those evil aliens that our kind isn't as weak as they think. Until then, I participate in their tournaments and earn enough money to work on my ship. I came here to figure out a way to get pass the black holes. Of course I'm not actually going to go myself. I always pilot the ships by remote control and I won't go until I'm sure beyond a doubt that I can make it to the other side alive."

"You should have seen that place your evilness," Minimus voiced. "There were aliens of all kinds in cages and there was that scary alien from the Poison Grapple and, and-"

"Alright I get the message!" Maximus interrupted, he was already going to have nightmares for months. "So why did you get us out of there'"

"Usually when I 'rescue' someone I knock them out and send them away on an escape pod. By the time they wake up they are already considerably far from here and have no intentions to return. That way no one will find out my secret. I need to make sure not to blow my cover so I can continue working towards my goal, to get to the other side of those back holes. If anyone tries to foolishly show their gratitude by convincing me to leave, it could be very troublesome. But you are Maximus IQ, the super villain. You invented the Over Loader right'" Rickoon said.

"Yes, I remember that. But then they dared to give the first price to Iciclea," Maximus hit Minimus, hitting his sidekick on the head was his way to get rid of stress.

"The shield generators always end up over loading and I was wondering if, since you invented the Over Loader, you could make an antidote," Rickoon explained.

"I suppose that could be possible, but what's at the other side of those black holes'" Maximus curiously asked.

"I don't know, no one has ever been there, but I think it's something good. Maybe it's a valuable treasure, or some sort of powerful magical item, or a super advanced civilization with lots of useful technology, or something equally as cool," Rickoon explained.

Maximus thought about it for a moment. "Alright I'll see if I can come up with an Anti-Over Loader, but when you make a ship that can survive the black holes, I want to know what's on the other side." If there was some sort of ultimate power of over there, Maximus had to have it. Besides, one thing the tanuki and the lynx had in common was their curiosity.

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile in planet Popunatu of the Larutna galaxy, "you may not pass," the guards blocked the entrance.

"Prince Onebu said that we had his authorization to visit all of the kingdom and investigate," Atomic Betty tried to explain.

"This is the dungeon, there's nothing to investigate here," the guards insisted and that only made it look more suspicious.

"Fine, we'll go investigate somewhere else," Betty left, followed by Sparky and X-5.

"What are we going to do chief'" Sparky asked once they were far enough so the guards didn't hear them.

"They're hiding something," Betty suspected. "It could be that the real Onebu is in that dungeon, we need to find another way in."

As they walked out of the dungeon, which was located under the palace, they found the one who claimed to be Onebu, whom they suspected was Olam. "You've been investigating for so long. Why don't you join me for dinner now'"

"That sounds great!" Sparky's mouth watered at the thought of enough food to fill his four stomachs, at least temporarily.

"Yes, it does sounds great but I'm afraid we can't," Betty didn't want to risk poison.

"We need to continue our mission," X-5 added. Sparky looked disappointed, he was about to say something, but X-5 pulled him away.

"We will report our progress to you, prince Onebu," Betty also walked away, along with Sparky and X-5.

"Why can't we eat'" Sparky sounded as if he was a second away from throwing a temper tantrum.

"The food could be poisoned," Betty explained after they were away from the suspicious prince.

"Good reason," Sparky admitted. "But I'm so hungry; I think I'll go investigate on planet Frutitas."

"Sparky we need to stay together," Betty emphasized. "Let's see if we can find another way into the dungeon. I heard this palace has many secret passages."

xoxox xox xoxox

On planet Coolosia, two rabbit aliens, a man and a woman, hid in the shadows. "Did they follow you'" Seven eight nine asked.

"No, the brat's army was after me but I lost them," zero two five replied. "Here is the elixir of life." She handed him a beautifully crafted bottle containing a shiny liquid substance.

Seven smiled, "Let's go inside." The two aliens went inside a house and locked the door. Zero felt satisfied seeing Seven holding the bottle with the elixir of life. He opened the bottle and prepared to drink it but before he did, he paused and looked at the female rabbit. "Tell me what is the thing you want most; something that you want more than anything' What is the wish in your heart'"

The female white rabbit alien, an usagi, was a little surprised by the question. "I want you to live."

"I know," he looked at the bottle of elixir then at her. "This elixir of life can cure anything" The gray usagi looked into her eyes. "But there is something else you want. For you and your best friend, who is more than a friend, to be together'"

She had liked him for a long time and was willing to break the rules to find the elixir that would free him of the curse that was going to kill him otherwise, "yes."

"Then the two of you shall be together," the gray usagi drank the elixir of life.

"Why the two of you and not us'" The girl whispered, he was the one she cared for. She suddenly had a bad feeling, as if disaster would happen and she couldn't do anything to stop it at that point.

To be Continued

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or Shrek. As you might have noticed the Poison Grapple is based on the Poison Apple from Shrek 2, only more evil. The spy theme came from a dream I had. Grapple is a combination of grape and apple but also a real word which means "to engage in a struggle or close encounter" and "to try to overcome or deal." The name puns are; Larutna: nature, Onebu: bueno (good in Spanish), Olam: malo (bad in Spanish), Florare: rare flora, Popunatu: population nature, Frutitas: little fruits in Spanish (frutas is fruits).

xoxox xox xoxox

Elixir of Life: Part II

A certain bratty Empress was throwing a temper tantrum, among other things. "Why couldn't I win the auction' Why did someone else had to get the elixir of life' I should have my wish granted!" She screamed throwing every object she could get her hands on at any and every unfortunate servant that was unlucky enough to cross her path.

xoxox xox xoxox

On Planet Popunatu, "what was that noise' We need to be quiet," Betty and her crew were sneaking around some secret passages that, in theory, led to the dungeon.

"That was my stomachs. Sorry chief, I'm just so hungry," Sparky whispered.

"Try to keep your stomachs quiet, we can't get caught." Betty approached the end of the little tunnel. The group moved a stone block out of the way and found themselves in the dungeon.

"I heard something over here," a voice was heard.

"They're coming," Betty quickly hid again, moving the black back into place. The guards examined the area, but obviously not well enough. They returned to their posts and the Galactic Guardians came out of hiding. Finding the real Onebu wasn't too hard and they freed him quite easily. In fact, it was all a little too easy.

xoxox xox xoxox

On planet Coolosia, Atomic Rodger's Galactic Guardian watch beeped and he quickly answered it. "Atomic Rodger reporting for duty!" He saluted the image of Admiral Degill on the hologram.

"Atomic Rodger, how is your mission progressing'" Admiral Degill asked.

"The Empress lost the auction at Mortavio and I've been following the one who won, a white usagi girl who bid a magical ice tiara. She's very fast and avoided the entire army that the Empress sent after her. I managed to follow her to planet Coolosia," Atomic Rodger gave his report.

There was a legend of an evil creature that was defeated a long time ago. His powers were drained away by a stronger wizard and he was turned into a normal mortal. However, with the elixir of life, the potion that cures everything, he could recover his power. Exa Jerada, a journalist known for her gossip, had reported that the Empress wanted to give the elixir of life to that evil being in exchange for one wish, the thing she wanted the most. That represented two problems, what her wish could be and the evil creature. Given the fact that Atomic Betty was already on a mission, Atomic Rodger was sent to recover the elixir of life before it got to the Empress, but it wasn't the one representing her who won the auction on Mortavio as they had expected.

An usagi girl offered a rare magic item worth more than the amount of money offered by the Empress, a tiara of unmelting ice that amplified ice magic. It was the kind of magical item that the royal family of the Larutna galaxy had among many others.

Admiral Degill thought bout the possibilities of there being a connection between Betty and Rodger's missions. "Was this her'" The hologram changed to show a picture of zero two five.

"Yes, that's her," Rodger confirmed.

"She is a spy that went missing" Admiral was supposed to keep everything in secrecy but given the very suspicious connection he wasn't going to endanger the atomics by not giving them the full story. "This information needs confidential."

"I understand," Rodger replied.

"Zero two five is her spy number," Admiral Degill explained. "Zero went missing while on a mission in the Larutna Galaxy. She was supposedly captured by prince Olam. Atomic Betty's mission is to protect prince Onebu, arrest Olam and rescue Zero, but this is definitely very suspicious. Continue your investigation and try to locate Zero as soon as possible. I will contact Atomic Betty with the news."

After the communication ended there was an explosion near by. Atomic Rodger ran to investigate. A gray rabbit alien ran away laughing evilly. There was also a white rabbit there, the one who won the auction, dead.

xoxox xox xoxxox

On planet Popunatu, "leaving so soon'" Olam and the guards stood in front of the back exit of the palace.

Betty's plan was to get prince Onebu to safety first then arrest Olam. "Olam, you are under arrest!"

"Olam is dead," he looked like Olam, but if he wasn't, then who was he' "There was once a legendary creature that was very powerful and very evil. He had the power to grant wishes but he interpreted them in his own way. He could read people's minds so that they could not hide their wishes from him. He also had the power to divide himself into two halves that could take whatever form he wanted. One day another wizard defeated him and took away his power, for that he shall pay. But the story continued, as time passed Oscuro recovered some of his powers. He could once again divide into two halves and as long as one lived so would the other. Both halves could also shape-shift into anything he wanted, including your dead brother or a spy agent."

"It's you. You're Oscuro, but why are you doing this. What do you wish to accomplish'" Betty demanded.

"Half of Oscuro," he clarified. "The other half is the one that drank the elixir of life and restored my full power!"

"It was a trap," Betty realized.

"I didn't know..." Prince Onebu whispered.

"Of course you didn't, no one did!" Oscuro laughed evilly.

Oscuro killed agent seven eight nine and took his place to trick agent zero two five into delivering the elixir of life to him. His other half killed Olam to gain access to the magic item that would win the auction. Zero accepted it in exchange for letting the one she thought was Olam go, so she could save Seven.

No one in the spy organization knew where Zero disappeared to, but they knew she always finished her missions. They knew she would return to finish the job later, but to force her to return now, they sent someone else to finish her job. The spy would never let a Galactic Guardian finish her mission. The two organizations lived in peace and helped each other, but they still competed and were rivals.

It all worked out perfectly for Oscuro since Atomic Betty would be kept busy until Zero delivered the elixir of life, while Zero was thinking she was going to save her best friend who was already dead. It was all a distraction to hide the true purpose, and now Oscuro had everything he needed.

"You won't get away with this!" Atomic Betty was ready to fight.

Oscuro threw the two scepters at her which she easily caught. But why would he give up the magical items' "I won't be needing those anymore. We will meet again Atomic Betty!" Then he disappeared.

"Where did he go'" Sparky looked around.

"He teleported," X-5 explained.

Atomic Betty's bracelet beeped and she answered it. "Atomic Betty reporting for duty! I have important news about the mission."

"So you already found the connection between your mission and Zero," Admiral Degill asked.

"Actually, I haven't found her but I found an evil wizard." After a quick explanation from Betty, it was clear what they had to do, now that they knew both sides of the story. If there was any hope of defeating Oscuro, they needed to find the one who defeated him the first time.

xoxox xox xoxox

Long ago there was a wizard who could divide himself into two halves. With his evil magic he threatened to conquer the universe until another wizard defeated him and took away his magic. Slowly, Oscuro's powers recovered until he could partially use magic and once again divide himself in two.

At Mortavio, Solovem auctioned a rare substance called the Elixir of Life, capable of healing any injury or illness. Because of the elixir's effect to restore living beings to full health, it could also restore lost magical powers.

Oscuro, the evil wizard, had the power to grant wishes though he interpreted them in his own way. As a secondary effect created by his own natural magic, when ever he accepted an item from someone he had to grant that person a wish in return. The Empress hoped to offer him the Elixir of Life in exchange for having her wish granted.

An usagi spy codenamed zero two five was sent on a mission to planet Popunatu to stop a battle between two twin brothers, the princes of that galaxy, and restore the throne to the rightful heir. Her partner and best friend, another spy codenamed seven eight nine, suffered an otherwise incurable illness that could only be healed by the Elixir of Life.

Queen Iciclea's birthday approached and her boyfriend, Solovem wanted to give her a special gift. He had heard about a magical ice tiara but did not know of its location. In hopes of finding it he started the auction in which he sold the Elixir of Life.

The elixir was won by Zero who made a deal with the evil price Olam letting him go in exchange for the magical ice tiara which Solovem wanted. Then, in hopes of saving her beloved Seven, Zero traded the tiara to Solovem for the Elixir of Life outbidding the Empress.

But it had all been a trap and Seven was already dead. One half of Oscuro had taken his place and the other half had killed Olam and taken his place continuing his battle with Onebu. The plan was to manipulate Zero into winning the auction with the item given to her by one of Oscuro's halves and delivering the Elixir of Life to the other. Everything went according to his plan.

Now Oscuro had his powers restored. The two halves have teleported and join forces, though they did not merge right away. There seems to be no way to stop him unless the wizard that defeated him in the first place is found.

Meanwhile Maximus and Minimus are in a place known as the End of the Universe. A massive area filled with black holes that no ship can go through. A tanuki called Rickoon is trying to construct a ship that can reach the other side and Maximus has agreed to work with him. Most of the events have connected but a few mysteries still remain.

At the End of the Universe, Maximus was examining at several devices. "Those black holes are not ordinary black holes."

"Yes, they have a lot of magic in them as if they were magical to begin with, or a spell was used on them. Either way that just makes me want to see what's out there even more, but it also makes it harder. Do you think an Anti-Over Loader will work to protect the ship even if the black holes contain magic'" Rickoon asked.

"I'm not sure but there might be a way to overload the black holes and dispel the magic so we'll only need to worry about using the Anti-Over Loader to protect the ship from the left over natural form of the black holes, if any," Maximus replied.

Rickoon gave it some thought. "You know what' Now I wonder why I didn't think of that. I guess trying too hard and hiding all the time has made me miss certain details. I always thought about keeping the ship stable to stop it from blowing up, but to do the opposite and interact with the black holes, I didn’t think of that."

"Well I am a genius. It'll work well if the black holes are magical or if the magic isn't for anything too important. But if they're natural and magic is containing them, the black holes might expand," Maximus explained.

"Then getting to the other side will be harder," Rickoon acknowledged the possible problem.

"That would be the least of our worries. If the black holes expand they'll swallow this planet and will most likely die," Maximus explained.

"In other words we need to make sure we know what the magic is for before attempting to dispel them, right'" Rickoon asked.

Maximus nodded, "right, we'll start the investigation immediately."

xoxox xox xoxox

At the Galactic Guardian Headquarters, the guardians had regrouped to prepare for the mission. "This will be one of our most dangerous opponents yet. Fighting him head on from the beginning is not an option. We first need to find out who defeated him in the past or at east how it was done. It should go without saying that an ordinary magic user will not stand a chance." Admiral Degill explained. "X-5, how is the research going'"

"I have found few clues but they all point to Mortavio. It is logical to think that the so called wizard who defeated Oscuro in the past is there as it is where many famous illusionists gather." X-5 being a robot, still did not acknowledge magic.

"Then our investigations will continue there," Admiral Degill decided.

"Admiral Degill!" Atomic Roger arrived at Degill's office.

"What is it Atomic Rodger," the gold fish alien asked.

"Oscuro has started attacking; both of his halves are in different parts of the universe. One was originally seen at Coolosia and another at Splatty when the attacks first started. At first the one at Coolosia was focusing on destroying that planet first and the other had been traveling by teleportation between Splatty, Lynxia and the surrounding planets. When the Galactic Guardians arrived, he changed his strategy and teleported away. After he was found he continued teleporting. The two halves finally fused soon after to become more powerful. We can't catch up with him," Rodger reported.

"Then there's no time to waste. All the Galactic Guardians will be needed for this mission. Atomic Rodger I'm giving you a special unit to command, the general will give you the details so you should be on your way to meet him at the docking bay," Degill commanded.

"Yes, Admiral Degill I'll definitely accomplish my mission." Rodger saluted and left.

Betty looked a bit curious. She didn't want to hog all the missions but wondered why she wasn't sent. "Admiral Degill, can I ask what Atomic Rodger's mission is'"

"The same as everyone else's," Degill sounded dissatisfied with the desperate course of action that had to be taken. "To protect as many innocent people as possible and buy some time. Information about this event is rare. I'll require all the robots here researching together to track down the wizard who defeated Oscuro, or find out his methods and find a magic user capable of repeating what was done. We should also stay open to the possibility of an alternate solution. Sparky, you too will have control of unit. This is a state of emergency and we need everyone out. There's no telling where Oscuro will appear next since his teleportation abilities are beyond that of most other magic users. By the time we arrive it might be too late for an entire civilization. Because of this, we need to have all the guardians on stand by at all time, all over the galaxy. Sparky, go meet the general now."

"Yes admiral," Sparky saluted. "But what about the chief'" He looked towards Betty.

"Atomic Betty will have her own mission on Mortavio," Admiral Degill reveal.

Sparky knew it was coming, yet he had full confidence in his captain. "Chief, be careful."

"Don't worry Sparky, I'll be fine," Atomic Betty assured.

After Sparky left to prepare for his mission, Admiral Degill explained Betty's mission. "We will continue researching and overseeing this entire operation from headquarters. Oscuro has caused a lot of destruction but because we don't know where he will strike next and we can't effectively chase him, we must position ourselves and wait for him. If we could keep him in one place long enough for reinforcements to arrive then we could, delay the destruction significantly."

"Just delay'" Betty asked. "Then it's clear we need to find the way he was defeated before. I have a guess of who the wizard was but no evidence."

"If you're thinking about Solovem that was my guess too. We will continue the research to see if it really was him and to find out what exactly happened back then in case he refuses to even tell us. But there might be a chance that he has a rivalry with Oscuro that could make him work with the Galactic Guardians temporarily." Admiral Degill knew their options were limited.

"Because the Galactic Guardians enforced the ban against black magic signed by King Rturmex, Solovem has an even bigger grudge against us. Will he make an exception against Oscuro'" Betty asked.

"I can't say. The situation at the moment doesn't look good but we can turn it around. I know we will be able to find out what happened or come up with an alternative solution eventually. But that’s the problem, it will take time that we do not have. Oscuro will continue to hurt innocent people during that time." Admiral Degill's frustration with the situation was clear.

"Right, there's no time to waste. I'll be on my way to Mortavio," Atomic Betty saluted and left.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the End of the Universe, Rickoon, Maximus and Minimus continued studying the black holes and working on devices to get past them or get them out of the way if they really were fully magical. The heavy metal door of the building began to open as if by magic. "Were you expecting someone'" Maximus asked.

"No, you two go hide," Rickoon quickly got into his robotic alien disguise. The door should not be opened that easily. Had his secret been discovered'

"Rickoon, where is the fuel orb'" The door closed behind the wizard Solovem as he asked his question.

Relived that it was someone familiar, even though not exactly an ally, Rickoon removed his disguise and Maximus and Minimus came out of hiding. "It's in the basement but I'm using it. Do you need it back' I'll trade back if you dispel the black holes near here, that is if they really are fully magical and won't be dangerous to dispel."

"Yes they are magical but they are also technological. Good to see you're here too Maximus, it saves me the trouble of tracking you down," Solovem said.

"Why were you looking for me'" Maximus asked.

"Because I need an Over Loader, a big one," Solovem revealed. "To power it the fuel orb will be required. This is to stop Oscuro by over loading him in his own power."

Rickoon, Maximus and Minimus looked confused. "Who'" The three asked at the same time.

Solovem shook his head; it seemed that they had not heard the news. "While the three of you are here, Oscuro, a dark wizard, is out destroying the galaxy. I stopped him years ago with my magic because I did not want a wizard more powerful then me to exist, but this time..."

"You're too old for this now'" Maximus asked.

Solovem glared. "Silence! Does it not bother you that Oscuro is causing more destruction than you could'"

That hit a sensitive spot for Maximus and he was determined to stop Oscuro. "How big does the Over Loader have to be'"

"Big enough to use the fuel orb to full power," Solovem replied.

Maximus didn't know of the fuel orb's full capabilities but Rickoon had been using it for a while. The magical fuel orb could power any machine infinitely. It was one of the rare few magical artifacts that could successfully interact with technology. "Is that even possible without the Over Loader overloading'" The tanuki asked.

"Build a stabilizer for it ," Solovem explained the entire plan. "The goal is to overload the microchips contained in the black holes which are protected by magic. Then once the technological barrier is gone from the black holes I will remove the remaining magical barrier and the black holes, Oscuro's old powers will be released. He seemed to have regenerated his power but the magic he used to have is still sealed here, in the form of these black holes. Since it was his power no doubt he will absorb it. The magic itself should seek him out if he doesn’t come for it. Then, since he already has recovered his power anew, absorbing his old magic will caused him to overload and be consumed by his own magic."

"Then let's begin, I'm not letting anyone cause more destruction than me!" Maximus agreed.

After a few hours of working, there was a knock on the door. "Solovem, Maximus, open the door," a girl's voice was heard from outside.

"Did you tell anyone else we're here'" Maximus asked.

"No and I didn't tell anyone I was coming, or of your location," Solovem answered.

"Is it a friend'" Minimus asked.

"She must be an ally by the sound of it," Rickoon reasoned. Though he wondered how she found them. He opened the door this time without his disguise and let her in.

"Atomic Betty! How did you find us'" Maximus sounded quite annoyed.

"So you were here too. I used a magic tracking devise to find Solovem after I realized he wasn't in Mortavio. I just thought you would be here too since I haven’t heard from you lately and you probably wouldn't want to miss out on getting revenge against someone who is causing more destruction than you," Atomic Betty explained.

Maximus was not happy to be so predictable. "Stalker!"

Betty rolled her eyes and ignored Maximus, then asked Solovem. "Are planning to stop Oscuro'"

"Yes, it's a personal rivalry between me and him; it has nothing to do with helping the Galactic Guardians. I have no inconveniences in letting him cause a little more destruction before stopping him," Solovem replied.

"But I do!" Maximus complained. "No one causes more destruction than me. We need to stop him right away the Over Loader is almost finished."

So the unlikely and not completely willing team continued their work until the new and improved Over Loaded was complete. "You do realize I'll have to confiscate this after we use it," Betty pointed out.

"No way, after the black holes are taken care of, I'm using this on Galactic Guardian Headquarters!" Maximus did his classic evil laugh.

"Let's not discuss that now. I want to see this at work!" Rickoon was certainly excited about seeing what was past those black holes after they were removed.

The Over Loader was a success and the technological barrier from the black holes that were Oscuro's past magic was removed. However even though it worked, the Over Loader overloaded and blew up after its job was done so it seemed that Maximus wouldn’t get a chance to use it on the Galactic Guardian Headquarters after all, it only worked with the fuel orb anyway and it had used all its power, proving that not even magic is infinite after all. Solovem removed the magical barrier, but to their surprise, as they went outside to see the black holes being set free, they found themselves surrounded by aliens.

"I knew I might eventually be discovered but why now'" Rickoon said.

"This is nothing we'll just... um... do something Atomic Betty!" Maximus complained.

"Me' Well I guess we'll have to fight if that's what they’re looking for," Atomic Betty got ready for the action.

"There's no time for this!" Solovem reminded them.

The aliens looked at the dark wizard and started talking among themselves. "Are you Solovem the great wizard who defeated Oscuro in the past'" One of them finally asked.

"Yes, I am Solovem," the dark wizard replied.

The aliens paused for a moment before running off in a panic. "What was that all about'" Maximus asked.

"I am a legend in this galaxy." To that the lynx couldn’t help it but to laugh. "What is so funny'" Solovem's voice echoed and dark magic surrounded him.

"No-nothing!" Maximus jumped back. More black magic came. "What's the problem now' I was laughing at... Minimus, yes, at Minimus, that's it!"

"I didn't do that," Solovem revealed.

"Overloading me with my own magic' Not a very creative plan. Oh wait, that's right, since you don't have enough magic of your own you need to try to use my own to defeat me. That's not happening Solovem!" Oscuro made himself visible in his true form. With both halves fused together he just looked like a mass of dark energy.

"That's what you say but no one can handle that much magic!" Solovem insisted.

Oscuro laughed evilly, which made Maximus angry because he felt he was being copied. The evil wizard then absorbed the magic and did not blow up. "Now I'm twice as powerful with this magic you gave me, your plan failed!"

"Why is he not blowing up' Did we just make him more powerful'" Maximus began to worry, yet everyone else seemed perfectly calm.

"It looks like everything worked out," Atomic Betty revealed.

"Exactly as planned," Rickoon agreed.

"Since I just gave you something and you accepted it, you must grant my wish and interpreting it in your own way will not work on me because my magic prevents it. You have no choice but to grant my wish the way I wish it and I wish you would lose all your magic forever!" Solovem put his real plan into action.

"No! That's worse than blowing up for a wizard!" Oscuro's magic acted on its own, granting Solovem’s wish. It was then very easy for Atomic Betty to arrest him after he was left without magic. The evil wizard Oscuro, was finally defeated and the state of emergency declared all over the galaxy was over.

"That was the plan all along'" Maximus asked, to which Minimus and Rickoon nodded. "I knew that!"

Solovem returned to Mortavio and Atomic Betty returned to the Galactic Guardian Headquarters with Oscuro arrested.

"Now that the black holes are gone there's a whole universe out there to explore," Rickoon looked longingly at the dark skies.

"I'm curious about it, but I need to return to my position of supreme evil overlord. I've been missing for too long and I need to prove that I can cause more destruction than Oscuro," Maximus decided.

"To think that all this time Solovem only let me keep the fuel orb to hide it. He must have known I wasn't thinking about removing the black holes, and didn't care if anyone got past them, but now the black holes are gone so I can explore." Rickoon couldn't wait to go explore what was out there. "I guess it's goodbye."

"Not quite, since the fuel orb was lost, you'll need a good ship and supplies for your explorations. I can provide all of that if you work for me and bring back whatever powers are found in the far reaches of the universe," Maximus offered.

Rickoon grinned, "you have a deal!" Though he didn't say when he would be coming back.

In the end Oscuro was defeated, left without magic and arrested by Atomic Betty. Onebu took his rightful place as the ruler of Popunatu. Solovem reclaimed his position as the greatest dark wizard and threw a big party for Iciclea. Rickoon left on a journey to the far away unexplored corners of the universe and Maximus and Minimus returned to the lair to work on the next evil plan.

End

Disclaimer, I don't own Atomic Betty or it's characters. The original characters I made for this story are mine. Oscuro means dark in Spanish.