LAST TIME ON DIMENSION HEROES...

Our heroes overcame their own personal demons and took down Clonar's five dark Creturians. Clonar then engaged them in a final showdown. It was a long, hard battle, but the Dimensional Guardians emerged victorious. With their mission seemingly finished, Rob, Chip, Brittany, and Tami resumed their normal lives, and Wyn took off on his next adventure. But little do they realize, things aren't entirely back to normal...

Dimension Heroes, Book 14

Departure For Angel Mountain

The rebuilding of Feldnaut City was quick to begin. After combing the city for signs of anything that could even be remotely considered a threat to it and finding none, authorities sent forth the word to begin repairing the staggering number of destroyed homes and businesses throughout the town. Citizens, still shaken by the nightmarish ordeal they had all gone through the day prior, tried their hardest to go about their day as if things were perfectly normal.

But really, how could they expect to do so? Over the past few weeks there was no avoiding the news reports of mysterious monsters appearing throughout the city and causing chaos. Most who had never seen one of the so-called monsters in the flesh simply shrugged the reports off and went about their business.

Yesterday, however, proved to be the final day there would be any doubters. The various isolated incidents involving the creatures were nothing compared to what that day brought upon the hapless citizens: a group of five monsters tore through Feldnaut City, wiping entire districts off the map and sending everyone into a panic. They could do little more than cower in the makeshift shelters, listen to the city above being ripped apart, wonder how the military would fare against the fierce creatures, and ponder just where exactly they had come from and what they wanted. Many thought the end of the world had come.

What a relief it proved to be when they were given an all-clear signal and allowed to return to the surface! However, their sense of security had been completely shattered when they realized the extent of the damage the city had undertaken, the monsters nowhere to be seen. They appeared safe for now, but several questions remained...questions that no one knew the answers to.

“City authorities are baffled as to who the mysterious man truly was or what happened to him and his group of monsters,” said the newscaster from a TV set sitting in a hardware store window, “but defense forces assure them that they will keep on the watch 24/7 for signs of any new suspicious activity and take it down without question.”

A passerby scoffed to his friend as they walked past the display. “Yeah, right. They did such a great job before.”

“Well, it looks like they got rid of them, didn't they?” said the other guy. “I ain't worried anymore.”

Chip Stamper had never seen so much construction work in the sixteen years he had lived in Feldnaut City. Everywhere he turned there was another damaged building being tended to, workers feverishly moving from one job to the next without a moment to catch their breath. They sure have their work cut out for them, he thought to himself. I'm so glad everything is finally going to go back to normal.

While many employees were less-than-thrilled about the work they had to do (many simply cleaning up whatever messes the big attack had caused to their places of employment), Brittany Housley was humming and twirling about happily as she stocked shelves at the grocery store she worked in. Lucky for her, it remained relatively undamaged.

“You sure seem chipper this morning, Miss Housley,” her manager pointed out as she walked by.

“Oh, I guess it's just one of those days!” Brittany smiled, knowing that there was, of course, more to it than that. Now that the Creturians are gone, it feels like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm even happy to be here at work early in the morning!

Chip made his way to the front of the line of the coffee shop. Behind the counter, Tami Webb turned around from her work and smiled. “Hey, Chip, how are you?” she asked.

“Heh, you sound like you haven't seen me in months,” he said. “I've never felt more relaxed than I do right now.”

Tami giggled. “Then might I suggest you get decaf?”

“Ha ha. I just might. You know, I was never a coffee drinker until the Creturians first appeared.”

“Hee hee, I bet you drank coffee by the pot after that, huh?” Tami put her chin in her hands. There were no customers waiting, so she could afford to talk to Chip for a while.

“Nah, half a pot was sufficient. Had to save some for my parents, you know.”

Rob Anthony was neither working nor out socializing. After the big battle with Clonar, all he wanted to do was laze around his apartment in front of the air conditioner. “Normally I'd be complaining about being bored right about now,” he said to himself as he let his head sink into a throw pillow, “but for some reason...just lounging about feels really good.”

About twenty miles away, Wyn Locke walked briskly through a meadow. The sojourner had been stuck in Feldnaut City for about a month, helping Rob and crew in their fight against Clonar. With the threat vanquished, he resumed his journey, traversing wherever the wind took him. And on a beautiful, carefree summer day like today, the feel of the cool wind lapping against his face felt great. Caught up in his relaxation, he didn't even notice the faint holographic image fizzling in and out on the Guardian band rested on his arm.

Also going unnoticed were the faint holographic images fizzling in and out on the other Guardian bands—Brittany's on her vanity in her room, Tami's on her bedpost, Chip's in his desk drawer, and Rob's on the doorknob of his room door. A voice faded in and out along with the image: “--uardians--ome in—Dimensio—ardia--”

As if an invisible barrier had just been blasted away, the image exploded onto Wyn's Guardian band with a brilliant flash of blue light, catching him by surprise. He gazed at the crystal clear image of a mustachioed man in awe.

“Guardians, come in!” the man said, his voice now coming in clearly, as well.

“What the--?!” Wyn blinked several times.

“Good,” said the man, “I finally managed to establish a connection with you.” He paused as he and Wyn stared at each other for a few moments. “What? You're just a boy.”

“Yeah, last time I checked,”said Wyn. “And what exactly are you supposed to be?”

The man cleared his throat.”Ah, yes, please forgive my rudeness. My name is Gubaru, and I have something of the utmost urgency to discuss with you and any others who have happened to stumble upon the Guardian bands.”

“Uh, okay.” Wyn crossed his arms, pulling Gubaru's image closer to his face. “And just what would that urgent matter be?”

“First of all, I have a question for you. We've detected five of the activated Guardian bands in close vicinity over the last several weeks, so would it not be reasonable for me to assume you're associated with other ones with Guardian bands?”

“I'd say that's for me to know and you to possibly find out. Why exactly should I tell you anything?”

“Because...” Gubaru paused, as if intentionally trying to build dramatic tension. “I was the Commander of the original Dimensional Guardians.”

Rob's Guardian band. Hard to believe the little trinket, which now dangled lifelessly from his doorknob, had given him the power to save the city—and in a much broader sense the world—just a day earlier. And now what purpose did it serve outside of being a memory of days past? I still can't believe it's over, Rob thought, memories of the all- too-short period in which he could proudly identify himself as a Dimensional Guardian swirling through his mind. I guess I should be happy...nearly a third of summer is over, and instead of lounging around with nothing to do, I got to help save the world from a diabolical madman and make several new friends in the process. And now I have a chance to relax and take it easy...but I'm not happy. Everything is finally back to normal. Wyn...Chip...Brittany...Tami...they're all eagerly returning to their normal lives...and I'm back to my lonely old existence. What a drag...

He shifted his gaze to his skateboard sitting in his corner. It had seemed like an eternity since he had the time to ride it. Maybe going boarding for a bit would take his mind off things.

A good idea, perhaps, but one that wouldn't be effective for long; within a few minutes of riding, he smashed into a pedestrian. A pedestrian he certainly wasn't expecting to run into.

Pulling himself up off the ground, Wyn rubbed his head and bellowed, “Why don't you watch where you're going, you--”

He stopped as he noticed just who the careless fool was he had run into. “Rob!”

“Wyn!”

Rob was well aware Wyn had a bad attitude, but he figured he'd at least manage a “hello” before going into rant mode.

“...why don't you watch where you're going?!” he said.

Nope.

“Wyn, what are you doing back here?” Rob asked. “I thought you were long gone.”

“I was hoping to be,” Wyn said, “but it seems fate had other plans for me. Look, we need to round up Chip, Brittany and Tami ASAP.”

Rob had absolutely no idea what Wyn was talking about, but cracked a smile. He had a feeling something really cool was about to happen.

Tami's glance shifted towards the door of the coffee shop as an eccentric character spouting apologies to the patrons he pushed through made his way up to her.

“Rob? Wow, all my friends are stopping by to visit today. I feel so special.”

“Sorry, Tam, but I'm not here just to say hi.” Rob panted, trying to catch his breath after the long run. “Something big is going down.”

Tami tilted her head sideways in confusion. “...what do you mean?”

“Wyn, what a pleasant surprise!” said Brittany as Wyn ran up to her, surprised more by the fact that he knew where she worked than the fact that he was back in town. “But what are you doing here?”

“We've got something we need to discuss,” he stated simply. “Right now.”

Chip turned as he heard his name being called, seeing Rob, Brittany, Wyn, and Tami charging towards him. He assumed by the stone serious looks on their faces that they weren't getting the old gang back together to reminisce about “old times.” “Whoa, hey, guys. What's going on?” he asked cautiously.

“Guardian business at the park,” Rob replied quickly without stopping. “Very cool-sounding stuff going down. Join us.”

Chip watched them run on past him. “I can hardly contain my excitement,” he said sarcastically, then reluctantly took off after his friends.

At the park, the five Dimensional Guardians huddled around Gubaru's holographic image in fevered anticipation at what he had to say. “So, I think we're all quite curious what your story is, old man,” said Wyn.

“Don't be so rude, Wyn,” Tami scolded him. “Please, sir, tell us more about who you are.”

“I'd be glad to,” said the man. “My name is Gubaru. As I told your associate Wyn here, I was once the commander of the original Dimensional Guardians.”

Everyone besides Wyn gasped.

“With all due respect, sir, if you've had the power to contact us this whole time, why haven't you?” Chip asked him.

“Actually, I haven't been able to,” Gubaru said. “Our communications have been blocked since any of the Guardian powers were reactivated. Only today have we somehow found a way around it.”

“Maybe it was Clonar's presence in this world that caused the connection to go all wonky,” Brittany suggested.

“And now that he's gone, communications are back up,” added Chip. “Sounds reasonable to me.”

“So let's get down to business here,” said Rob. “You know where the Dimensional Guardian powers came from and what their purpose is?”

“I certainly do. Allow me to start from the beginning: I'm sure you're quite aware by now of the world of Creturia, are you not?”

“We don't know a lot about it,” said Brittany, “but we've had run-ins with several of its inhabitants for a while now.”

Gubaru drew a deep breath and prepared to tell his tale. “Well, it is but one of myriads upon myriads of different dimensions in the multiverse. Each of these worlds occupies its own spot in time and space. Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong, whether it be worlds merging together or inhabitants from other dimensions mucking around in worlds where they don't belong. That's where my group comes in. I'm a member of a society known as The Brotherhood of Dimensional Order. As our name implies, we're responsible for keeping the dimensions in check. And whenever something goes wrong, we use our technology to right it.

“From our base, it's quite easy to fix problems such as, say, a crack between dimensions. But there are some problems that aren't so simple to fix. Believe it or not, it's quite common for organisms with dimension-hopping capabilities to travel to other worlds. Oftentimes it's harmless enough; perhaps they desire to research other worlds or forge alliances with them. There are rare cases, however, in which creatures decide to use their dimension-hopping powers for wrong. And the only way we could keep such ones under control was to combat them on their level. Thus, the Dimensional Guardians were born.

“The Dimensional Guardians acted as a sort of...inter dimensional police force, if you will. Whenever evil forces reared their ugly heads, the Guardians were there to bring them to justice with an arsenal of the most advanced high-tech weaponry.”

“That's pretty cool,” said Tami. “And we all happened to stumble upon them.”

“That's interesting and all,” said Brittany, “but how and why did the Dimensional Guardian powers end up here in our dimension?”

“It was a catastrophe that continues to haunt me to this day,” Gubaru said softly. “Usually the Dimensional Guardians had little to no trouble apprehending their targets, but there was one foe in particular that gave them a greater challenge than any other...and that's where Creturia comes in.

“One day we noticed an anomaly on our scanners. It appeared that some creature was causing trouble in a dimension other than its own. Scans indicated it actually originated from a world known as Creturia and was terrorizing inhabitants of other worlds. Naturally, we sent the Dimensional Guardians to deal with it. It was a long, hard battle, with an outcome that no one could have predicted. The seven Guardians fought the monster to a standstill, with no side having even the slightest advantage over the other. The only way they could stop the monster's reign of terror...was to sacrifice their own lives to seal it away for good. And so they did. The battle was won, and the multiverse was safe once more...but at a terrible price.”

“Wow. Now that's what I call bravery,” Rob interjected.

Gubaru continued, “Little did we know the safety of the multiverse would be very short-lived; the ones who held the powers of the Dimensional Guardians were wiped out of existence, but the Guardian powers themselves remained. No longer with any DNA to bond to, the powers were jettisoned away. They tore through the dimensional wall of Creturia and ended up in another nearby dimension.”

Rob gasped. “I remember now! When I met my first Creturian, he told me that Creturia was a world parallel to ours.”

Gubaru nodded. “That is correct. Creturia is indeed parallel to your world, which is why the Guardian bands ended up here. It would appear that the point where the Guardian bands came through was above this very city.”

“That's a good theory,” said Wyn, “but I happened to discover my Guardian band a great distance to the north of here.”

Gubaru ran his fingers through his mustache. “Hmmm, that is rather strange, but I don't think it's any mere coincidence that most of the bands ended up in roughly the same area. Anyway, that's not important right now. I didn't contact you simply to tell you about the Guardian powers. There's a much more urgent matter to attend to.”

“Please tell us,” said Rob.

“You can't see it, but somewhere above this city is a tear in the fabric of space and time between your world and Creturia. That is why several Creturians have stumbled upon your world. Recently we've come to the horrifying realization that this tear is disrupting the fabric of time and space itself. The two worlds are very slowly beginning to merge together, and eventually either one will overtake the other, or far more likely, the two worlds will cancel each other out and be wiped out of existence.”

Everyone gasped again. Things were far more serious than they first thought.

“And you're not fixing the problem why?” Wyn asked in an annoyed tone.

“The Guardian bands were more than mere technology,” Gubaru explained. “Each one of them contained an amazing power source known as a cybasphere, which we created from a number of materials found in various dimensions. The cybaspheres are extremely powerful, both granting the Guardians an extension of their powers and enabling them to travel from one dimension to another with ease. The tear in dimensions was brought about due to a combination of the Dimensional Guardian energy and cybasphere energy. Unfortunately, the only things that have the power to repair said tear are the cybaspheres themselves.”

“Wait, so if these cybaspheres helped power up the Guardian bands, that means we have them with us, right?” asked Tami.

“I wish I could say so, but while the Guardian bands crossed over to Earth, the cybaspheres did not.”

“So they're still in Creturia somewhere?” asked Rob.

“That's right. The thing is, we at the Brotherhood are unable to recover them ourselves. It's a job that only the Dimensional Guardians can accomplish.”

Chip threw his head back in frustration. “Aw man, I totally see where this is going.”

“You're saying you want us to go to Creturia and recover the cybaspheres, is that it?” asked Wyn.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” said Gubaru in the most sympathetic tone he could muster, “but please understand, there's no other force in the multiverse that can save your two worlds. The Guardian powers are bonded to each of your DNA, so you are the only hope Earth and Creturia have.”

“Aw, man,” Chip repeated. “That's just downright insane.”

“So you're saying you want us to leave our home, our families, and our friends, and traverse through a strange new world, fighting masses of wild Creturians to find some weird stones that can save two worlds?” It sounded less and less appealing as each word left Tami's mouth.

“I can't force you to go on this journey, of course,” said Gubaru. “But to be perfectly blunt, if the five of you decide not to do this, the lives of you and all those that you hold dear will be wiped out. I really, really wish that there was some other way to go about this, but there's not.”

Tears began to well up in Brittany's eyes. “I—I thought all this monster stuff was done and over with...I thought I could go back to living a normal life...why does this have to happen...? Are you sure there's no one else who can do this?”

“I'm sorry,” Gubaru said again.

“This has to be a dream. There's no other explanation. There's no such thing as other dimensions, strange cybernetic armor, dimensional police...” Chip rattled on. “This is all one big dream. No, it's a big, horrible nightmare that I'll eventually wake up from.”

Tami bowed her head. “I had a vacation to look forward to...with my family. I can't just up and abandon everyone I care about...abandon the life I live...”

Wyn, who really hadn't anything to lose, stayed silent.

“This whole thing sounds like a dream come true,” said Rob. “Being able to go on an amazing adventure, saving a world or two...but...I agree with my friends. My life is fairly dull, but having to give it up to go on a dangerous journey I might never come back from...? That's too much.”

“I understand your feelings,” Gubaru said. “You have all the time you need to think things over. But please please please remember...you are the only ones in the entire multiverse who can save your worlds, and if you don't do it...you—as well as everyone else both in your world and in Creturia...” He tried to make his last statement carry as much weight as possible. “...are as good as dead anyway. I'm sorry. I really am...

Everyone stayed silent for a few moments until Rob finally spoke up. “Can...can we get back to your with our answers, Gubaru? I think we all have a lot of thinking to do.”

“Of course. I have opened up a new line of communication through your Guardian bands, so you may contact me at any time at the push of a button.”

Rob nodded. “Thanks. We'll get back to you soon, hopefully.”

Gubaru nodded back solemnly as his holographic image disappeared.

PART 2

None of the five Guardians spoke as they slowly shuffled down the cobblestone road, each one mired deep in thought. They replayed in their heads every minute detail that Gubaru had spoken to them. It was a long process simply to take in all of the information, let alone make a decision as to how to act on it. Then again, it seemed the decision had more or less already been made for them.

Having sufficiently mulled over the information to his satisfaction, Rob finally spoke up. “Well, guys? What do you think?” Everyone remained silent, blank looks plastered on their faces. “I'm sure we all share the same feelings, but you heard what Gubaru said: if we don't do this, our world is doomed.”

“That may be so, but even if we did go on this crazy adventure, who's to say we'd succeed?” asked Chip. “We'd be searching for five tiny orbs all throughout a world we know nothing of, battling who knows what kind of vicious monsters.”

“Chip's got a point,” Tami said. “I'd rather live a nice, peaceful life for a few more years—or however long we have left—than risk my life on a mission I'm fairly sure we'd never return from.”

“Didn't we all feel hesitant about taking on Clonar and his minions?” Rob asked.

“Well, yeah,” said Brittany, “but--”

“'But' nothing,” he interrupted. “I've heard enough 'buts' today for my liking. We've gone through a lot. We overcame the odds and saved both our city and the world. We're a lot stronger than you guys are giving us credit for.”

“Fighting Clonar is one thing,” Brittany countered. “Going on a grand adventure in another world is something completely different.”

“Look, I'm just as scared as you guys, but I don't really see it as having to abandon our lives as much as I see it as...well, as an opportunity. A chance for us to grow, to learn about ourselves. To grow stronger as human beings.” Rob smiled in an attempt to make the entire ordeal sound appealing, something he knew was far easier said than done. “And of course who can say they had an opportunity to save two entire dimensions? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I'm sure Gubaru wouldn't be asking this monumental task of us if he didn't think we could do it.”

Tami responded, “No, he asked us because we just happen to be stuck with the only powers in the multiverse that can do anything to fix the problem.”

“Well, still...I have faith in us,” Rob continued. “And there are billions of living, breathing creatures, both in our world and Creturia, that will be putting their faith in us, too. And...I couldn't look at myself in the mirror again if I knew there was a chance to save the world and I wasn't willing to do anything.”

Everyone remained silent, perhaps, Rob hoped, considering his words.

Brittany kicked at the ground and spoke softly, “I just...don't think I can handle uprooting my life like that...”

“Well, that's your decision, I guess. But I think I've made my mind up,” Rob stood up tall in an attempt to look heroic. “I'm gonna go for it. It's going to be hard. Very hard. And if even if I don't make it back, I'll go out knowing I did my best to save my world and the people I love.”

“Sounds like a plan, then.”

Rob turned. “Wyn?”

Wyn leaned against a tree and closed his eyes as he spoke. “Traveling the world is nice, but as you said, it's not every day you're called to travel through a completely new world. I think it'd be fun.”

“I knew I could count on you, Wyn.” Rob smiled and turned to his friends.”You guys can keep thinking about it if you want, but Wyn and I know what we're doing. Let's go decide our next move.”

As Rob began walking off to no place in particular, Wyn cut in front of him. “Hold on, now. I'm the most experienced fighter, so I'm going to be the one leading us, got it?”

Brittany, Tami, and Chip watched them walk off without uttering another word. Finally, Chip spoke up: “Fine. I'm in.”

Brittany and Tami looked at him wide-eyed. Rob and Wyn stopped mid-step, turned, and did the same.

“Whoa,” Rob said.

“Are you serious, Chip?” Tami asked the boy she imagined would be the last person to take up such a dangerous mission.

Chip gazed down at the grass as he spoke with conviction. “Yep. I've grown more as a person in the last month of being around you guys than I have my whole life prior. I've learned a lot more about myself, my strengths and weaknesses. And as much as I've complained and whined...you know, deep down, I've actually really enjoyed myself. As scared as I am at the thought of doing this, I want to become a better person. A stronger person. Maybe I'm having a massive brain lapse, I don't know. But I...” He looked back up at the others. “I think I want to do this. So count me in.”

“Chip...great!” Rob said. “That makes three, then. Ladies?”

Tami bowed her head again. “I was supposed to go to the Bahamas...” Quicker than anyone was expecting, she raised it back up. “Okay, I'll go! I have a feeling I'll end up regretting it, but...you guys have become my closest friends. I'm not about to let you go it alone. We're in this together, all or nothing.”

The four heroes, their minds made up, flicked their gazes to Brittany, who wrapped her arms around herself insecurely. “I—I don't know. I know it's the right thing to do, but...”

“Do you need some more time to think about it?” Rob asked.

Brittany stayed silent, contemplating all that Gubaru and her friends had said. I'm so scared...and I don't want to leave everyone...but...they're right. We're the only ones who can do this. Two worlds are counting on us. It's an opportunity for me to grow into a stronger person. And can I really let my friends do this by themselves? That'd be totally selfish of me. We're a team. And if they're willing to make such noble sacrifices...then I should be willing, too.

“N-No,” she finally replied. “I think I've made my decision...”

Everyone leaned in towards her anxiously.

“I—I—I want to go with you guys!” she said with a heavy exhale.

Everyone simply smiled.

“I can't really add any more to what you've already said,” she continued. “I have an important part to play, and as much as I don't want to do this, I know I have to. I don't want to—no, I won't let anyone down.”

Rob nodded. “That's a good attitude.”

“It looks like our little group is complete, then,” said Wyn. “Now, let's get this show on the road.”

The five Guardians, ready for adventure, made their way to a park bench and contacted Gubaru once more. “You got back to me fairly quickly,” Gubaru said. “Have you made your decision?”

“We sure have,” said Rob. “We're going to do it!”

Gubaru's holographic image almost appeared to glow brighter. “Oh, that's fantastic!”

“Okay, let's get down to why we're here,” Wyn said, ever impatient. “We need to know what our next move is.”

“Yes. First, you're going to have to get to Creturia.”

“You do know how to get us there, right?” Chip asked.

“Of course. Unfortunately, without the cybaspheres, it's not going to be as easy as simply transporting there.” Gubaru paused. “Well, actually that's not true. Transportation is definitely the method of choice, but it's going to take a bit of effort on your part to find the transporter to use.”

“What do you mean?” Tami asked.

“Our sensors are picking up an otherworldly signature a short ways to the north of your location. Upon further inspection, it appears to be a type of transportation device. And thankfully, it appears to be an operational one.”

“Wait. Just how far to the north are we talking, here?” asked Wyn.

“Let me see...” Gubaru seemed to walk out of the image for a moment, then returned moments later. “...about four miles, actually.”

Tami sighed. “Oh no. I think I know where this otherworldly signature is coming from.”

“Clonar's fortress?” Rob asked.

“It must be the device he used to bring over his dark Creturians.” said Brittany.

“Clonar?” asked Gubaru.

“It's a long story,” Rob said. “We'll fill you in later. What should we do after we find the transporter?”

“If you find the transporter and enter the correct code sequence, you'll all be instantly transported to the location of the first cybasphere.”

“Will we have to fight off loads of Clonar's servants to get to said transporter, I wonder?” asked Chip.

“I'd imagine with Clonar destroyed, he'd no longer have control of any of the Creturians remaining in this world,” said Brittany.

“Oh, speaking of Creturia, there's a very important piece of information you may want to take note of: time in Creturia moves differently than your world,” Gubaru said. “One day there amounts to roughly one hour on Earth.”

“Wow, really? That means that one day here would be...” Rob did made some complicated hand gestures that looked nothing like solving a math problem. “Um...let's see...carry the seven...divide by pi...24 days there.”

“Interesting method there, Rob. So a week in our world would be around...” Chip did the math in his head. “168 days there, about 24 weeks.”

Tami ran her fingers through her hair. “Wow, so we could be gone half a year in Creturia and only a week would pass here. That's crazy.”

“Now that you've figured that out, you can adjust your plans accordingly,” said Gubaru. “I have faith that you can succeed, Dimensional Guardians. Any teenagers who can overcome the odds you apparently have must be pretty tough.”

The Guardians chuckled.

“Whenever you head off to find the transporter, please contact me, and I'll help lead you to it and give you the code to input. Until then, take care.” With that, Gubaru's transmission fizzled out.

Rob looked up. “Well, gang. We have our mission.”

“We sure do.” Wyn started walking briskly. “Let's go.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on, Wyn,” said Tami. “We're going on a long and perilous journey here. We need to gather up supplies and say goodbye to our loved ones first.”

Brittany inhaled sharply. “That's not going to be easy...”

Chip agreed. “Yeah. We're not going to be able to say, 'Hey, guys, just letting you know I'm off to a parallel universe, be back sometime.' We need a convincing alibi.”

Unable to come up with an alibi they all liked, Rob, Chip, Brittany, and Tami each formulated their own, tailoring them to suit their needs.

“Hey, uh, mom, I know this is kind of sudden, but...” Tami twiddled her thumbs. “One of my friends from Sharsu invited me to spend the week with her. You know, check out the sights, maybe hit a couple of spas, that sort of thing.”

“I didn't know you had any friends in Sharsu,” her mom said. “That's a good two hour drive from here.”

“Yeah, I met her during the last field trip we had at school. We've kept in close contact. I'll be fine.”

“I trust you. You can go if you want. I just wish you'd given us a heads up.”

“Sorry about that. You could say it kind of just..came up.”

“When are you leaving?”

“She's coming to pick me up tomorrow morning, bright and early. I should be back within a week or so.” Tami wasn't sure exactly how long she'd be gone, but she figured with Creturia's crazy time difference, it would give her ample leverage.

Just then, her significantly larger older brother burst in the room and put her in a choke hold. “Aww, Tam, how am I going to survive an entire week without my precious little sister?” he joked.

Tami's face matched the color of her purple shirt. “If you keep choking me, it'll be a lot longer than that.”

“Not so rough, Connor,” their dad said, getting up off the couch. “Of course you'll have your cell phone on you, right, Tami?”

“Of course, no sweat. I'm...not sure how good the reception will be where I'm at, though...”

“An entire week??” Chip's mom asked in surprise.

“Or two,” Chip added. “Not sure at this point how long it's going to be.”

“That's the longest computer convention I've ever heard of,” said his dad.

Chip chuckled. “Oh, you know how we nerds are. We always have a lot to talk about.”

Rob tried a slightly different approach.

“I didn't know they had video game camps,” his dad said.

“Heh heh, yeah, they're all the rage,” said Rob. “Surprised you haven't heard about them. I leave tomorrow.”

“I guess you can go if you really want to,” said his mom. “It'll be nice for you to get out and meet new people.

“Oh yeah, I'm sure I'll meet plenty.”

“Um, dad, why is Brittany hugging the dog?” Brittany's sister asked, the eyes of her and her parents glued to the odd spectable before them.

“I'll miss you too, Woofy!” said Brittany, hugging her schnauzer uncomfortably tight. “You take care of yourself.”

“I have no idea,” said her father. “She's only going to be gone a few weeks...”

Rob hadn't figured it would take so long to pack a single backpack, but there was no telling how long he'd be gone. Or even—as much as he dreaded thinking about it—if he'd return. He kept running through his head which items would be of the utmost importance on a long journey, and around midnight, he had finally finished. Not that getting to bed early really mattered; he wasn't going to sleep a wink anyway. Not with the unpredictable day he had to look forward to. Just as the sun peeked over the horizon, Rob quietly sneaked into his parents' room, backpack in tow. He looked down at them, sleeping soundly under the heavy covers. The ones he had been closest to in all seventeen years of his existence. What if this was the last time he'd ever see them? What if last night was the last time they would ever see him? He tried to brush the thoughts away. He couldn't be frozen by sentimentality. He had a job to accomplish, a job for the well-being of billions of people, including his parents. If anything, he had to do this for them.

“I love you, mom and dad,” he whispered softly, leaning over his mom and giving her a soft peck on the cheek. “I'll be back. I promise.” His mom shuffled over in bed and smiled, the same smile that always assured him that everything would be okay. He fought back tears as he grabbed his backback and closed their door behind him.

After leaving the apartment, he took one long, last look at the apartment complex he had come to call home, the soft sunlight brushing up against it, then took off for the park. He didn't look back.

“Video game camp??” asked Chip in disbelief.

Rob shrugged. “Hey, they bought it, that's all that matters.”

“I still can't believe this is really happening,” said Tami. “We're about to embark on an adventure like no other.”

“I've never felt such a combination of excitement and fear,” said Brittany.

“Don't get too excited,” Wyn put in. “This isn't going to be a day at the beach.”

Tami huffed. “You had to bring up the beach, didn't you?”

Rob could barely contain his excitement. “This is going to be so cool!” He pointed his finger carelessly in a random direction. “Onward, ho! To adventure!”

And thus, the ultimate journey of the Dimensional Guardians begins. What new dangers await them on their perilous trek? Find out in the next exciting episode of Dimension Heroes!

TO BE CONTINUED...