N E O  
Chapter 4: The Blade   
By: The Green Gibbon!    

Green Gibbon! glances down at his watch.  

GG!: 'Sonic's all the way under Knuckles. 6:00 A.M. She's late.'  

He leans back on the bench at the bus stop and heaves a large sigh.  The area is empty except for a dark-haired boy, roughly fifteen or sixteen,  sitting on the next bench. A light morning breeze rustles the leaves in the  palm trees on the grass opposite the sidewalk. The orange sky slowly turns  a light shade of blue, and morning traffic begins crowding the roads.  

GG!: 'Can't trust someone who you think is your best friend. Can't trust  your co-workers...'  

He glances down at his watch again.  

GG!: 'Can't even trust a fortune teller to be on time. Who can you trust?'  

VOICE: 'Trust is a delusion.'  

GG! turns his head to the side. It's the boy on the next bench.  

GG!: 'A delusion?'  

The boy nods.  

BOY: 'I learned that the hard way.'  

GG! doesn't reply but sits up and gazes quizically at the boy.  

BOY: 'When you realize that everything you've ever been told is a lie...'  

The boy trails off.  

GG!: 'One of those nights, huh?'  

BOY: 'If only that were it.'  

GG!: 'Care to share the story? The person I'm supposed to be meeting here  doesn't seem to be in any hurry.'  

BOY: 'With a total stranger?'  

GG!: 'It's not my fault I'm strange, I was born this way!'  

The boy glances at GG!, who smiles broadly and extends his hand for  a shake.  

GG!: 'Well I'm Green Gibbon!, and that's NOT a lie!'  

The boy smiles slighly and accepts the shake.  

BOY: 'I'm Mart. Martin Braid. Atleast that's what I've always been told,  so it's probably a lie as well...'  

MOON: 'What are you doing here?!'  

GG! and Mart turn around to see Moon jogging up the sidewalk towards  them. GG! jumps out of the bench.  

GG!: 'Where were you?! You're forty-five minutes late!'  

MOON: 'I was right on time, you got the wrong bus stop!'  

GG!: 'Huh?'  

MOON: 'I wasn't even supposed to MEET you at a bus stop, I was just  supposed to go to Driftaway Studios! I don't know WHAT you're doing out here!'  

GG!: 'Oops...well, a bus stop is a cooler place to start!'  

Moon grumbles and shakes her head.  

MOON: 'You're not like normal people, are you?'  

MART: 'Maybe I should move to another bench...'  

GG!: 'No, don't bother, we were just leaving.'  

Moon and GG! walk off down the street while Mart scratches his head  and watches them trail off.  

MOON: 'I think you're already gone.'  

GG!: 'And just what's THAT supposed to mean?'  

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On the sidwalk in front of Driftaway Studios, Bo waves as the  'Gibbon-Mobile' drives off. It's a bright green Volkswagon Beetle with  yellow tires. Inside, Spam sits behind the wheel with GG! on the passenger  side. Moon sits alone in the back seat.  

MOON: 'Nice car.'  

SPAM: 'I painted the tires myself!'  

Gibbon pulls a map out of the glove compartment.  

GG!: 'Nevermind that, can you try to pinpoint where the energy reading is  coming from on this map?'  

Gibbon hands the map back to Moon who takes it and glances over it.  She folds it into a large paper plane and sends it back to the front.  

GG!: 'Why did you do that?'  

MOON: 'I can only tell which direction the energy's coming from, I don't  know how far off it is!'  

Gibbon tosses the map over Spam's face.  

SPAM: 'Hey!'  

GG!: 'Fold that thing back.'  

SPAM: 'But I can't-'  

GG!: 'If you can't tell how far off it is, how will we know when we GET  there?!'  

MOON: 'I'll be able to tell we're getting closer if the energy gets  stronger.'  

Spam struggles with the wheel in one hand while trying to pull the  map off his face with the other.  

SPAM: 'Uh, Double G...'  

GG!: 'Shutup, Spam! This is important!'  

SPAM: 'Hoo, boy...'  

GG!: 'Can you judge approximately how far away we are from the thing?'  

MOON: 'Hm...I'd wager no farther than around fifty miles, but that's  considering what I've honed in on is even the NEO Crystal at all.'  

GG!: 'Getting any interference?'  

MOON: 'Not much, it's definitely the strongest reading I'm getting on this  planet...'  

GG!: 'Then it's definitely the NEO Crystal, it's the strongest force ON  this plan-'  

At that moment the car jolts, knocking its three passengers out of  place. Spam pulls the map off of his face.  

SPAM: 'Uh-oh...'  

GG!: 'WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CAAAR?!'  

The three get out of the car to see the front bumper firmly smashed  into a fire hydrant, which is spouting water into the air.  

GG!: 'Waaaah!'  

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The Gibbon-Mobile (now with a teriffic dent in the front bumper)  drives along a lonely stretch of desert highway. The sun has set, and the  stars shine in full-force away from the glare of city lights. Inside the  vehicle, Spam, asleep at the wheel, drives with his feet. Moon, munching on  a bag of fries, marvels at this feat of feet (sorry...).  

MOON: 'How does he do that?'  

Gibbon pauses the Game Gear he's playing and looks up.  

GG!: 'Cruise control.'  

Moon shakes her head and looks out the window.  

MOON: 'Wow, you can see the stars alot more clearly out here than in Grand  City. I haven't seen the night sky like this in years...'  

Gibbon looks out the window.  

GG!: 'Me neither. Reminds me of the Star Light Zone...'  

MOON: 'The desert landscape only goes so far before vanishing into the  darkness, but the stars go out forever.'  

GG!: 'So you like Astronomy, huh?'  

MOON: 'Oh yes!'  

GG!: 'Do you read the future through those, too? Astrology?'  

Moon shakes her head.  

MOON: 'No, Astrology is piffle. I much prefer just to enjoy the beauty of  the stars. I actually specialize in tarot.'  

GG!: 'Can't you take something for that?'  

MOON: 'I mean tarot cards. I've never been wrong yet...'  

GG!: 'Oh, you predict the future with those things, too?'  

MOON: 'Yah, sorta.'  

GG!: 'Heeey, would you charge for a reading right here?'  

MOON: 'Hm? Okay, no problem.'  Moon pulls a deck of tarot cards out of her pocket and hands it to  Gibbon!  

MOON: 'You need to shuffle it.'  

GG!: 'Oh, cool! I always wanted to do that!'  

He eagerly grabs the deck of cards and mindlesly tosses them into  the air. The cards scatter and fall around the interior of the vehicle.  

MOON: 'Why did you do that?'  

GG!: 'I'm not finished!'  

Gibbon scrambles around the car and collects the cards back into a  deck. He then hands the deck to Moon.  

GG!: 'Like that?'  

MOON: 'Well I've never seen it done quite that way before, but I guess  that'll work...'  
Gibbon watches intently as Moon lays the cards out on the seat  beside her and pulls one at random. She glances at it, then looks back up  at Gibbon.  

MOON: 'Ace of Wands, upright.'  

GG!: 'There you go with those sexual innuendos again...'  

MOON: 'It means a new life, or a major turning point.'  

GG!: 'Huh?'  

MOON: 'Change, expect your life to change completely in the near future.'  

GG!: 'Oh...is that good?'  

Moon shrugs.  

MOON: 'Maybe. I didn't even think you had a life.'  

GG!: 'Hm...I wonder...'  

MOON: 'Wonder what?'  

GG!: 'Huh? Oh, nothing important...'  

Gibbon glances out the front window.  

GG!: 'Is the energy getting any stronger? We've been driving all day, and  we're definitely more than fifty miles east. We must be nearing Nevada by  now...shouldn't we have passed some mountains?'  

MOON: 'We did. How could you miss them?!'  

GG!: 'Oh, I must've been playing the Scrambled Egg Zone...it's full of  mountains so it probably mixed right in!'  

Moon gives Gibbon an odd stare.  

GG!: 'Anyway, what about the Crystal?'  

MOON: 'I think the energy's been on the move as well. But the signal is  getting stronger...'  

Moon shuts her eyes.  

MOON: 'We're close. VERY close.'  

At that moment, Spam jumps up and hits the brake.  

SPAM: 'Whoah!'  

A figure stands in the glow of the headlights. The trio watch  through the front window as it walks closer...  

GG!: 'Heeey, that's the chick from the other day!'  

MOON: 'Sailor Evil!'  

SPAM: 'Who?'  

GG!: 'It's a long story, just suffice to say she's a bad guy...'  

Moon leaps out of the back door. Spam and Gibbon exit on their  respective sides.  

MOON: 'Need a lift?'  

SE: 'Well now, fancy running into you all the way out here!'  

GG!: 'Where's the NEO Crystal?!'  

SE: 'The NEO Crystal?'  

GG!: 'Don't play dumb! We're willing to use force if necessary...'  

SE: 'Do you really think you can take me on?'  

GG!: 'Let's see.'  

Electricity begins circulating around GG!'s tails. Spam reaches to  his back as though he were preparing to unsheathe a sword.  

MOON: 'Stop, I'll handle this!'  

GG!: 'Huh?'  

MOON: 'It's time to end this here and now. Don't bring them into it, this  is our fight.'  

Spam puts his hand back down and the electricity around GG!'s tails  lessens. Sailor Evil smirks and walks up to Moon.  

SE: 'If that's the way you want it.'  

The two 'sisters' stare at each other for a few tense moments.  Finally, Sailor Evil jumps back and puts her right hand on her forehead.  Flames burst up around Moon, who seems unphased by the fire.  

GG!: 'Whoah...'  

Moon puts her hand on her own forehead. The flames around her  collect into a fireball and shoot back at Sailor Evil, who jumps away just  in time.  

SE: 'Fast.'  

Moon continues concentrating. A small light develops behind Sailor  Evil, unbeknownst to her. Holding her ground, SE places her hand on her  forehead again. A wind develops around Moon, gaining in speed. Resisting  the force, she continues to concentrate as the sphere of light behind SE  expands. As the wind around her increases in speed, Moon digs the heels of  her shoes into the ground and does her best to stand up straight against  the force of the strengthening wind. Sailor Evil smirks as she effortlessly  continues the whirlwind spell.  
SE: 'Now, don't let my power blow you away! Hahaha!'  

MOON: 'SOUL FLASH!'  

SE: 'What?'  

SE turns around and just notices the basketball-sized sphere of  light behind her. The sphere explodes in a blinding flash. The wind around  Moon instantly dies down. Sailor Evil lies wounded on the ground.  

SE: 'Hm, hm...so this is how it ends.'  

SPAM: 'Wow, that's some major magic!'  

Moon dusts herself off and takes a deep breath. Gibbon runs up to  Sailor Evil.  

GG!: 'Give us the NEO Crystal!'  

SE: 'Hahaha, haven't you figured it out yet?'  

GG!: 'Get to the point!'  

SE: 'It doesn't matter if I die right here. I was a decoy!'  

GG!: 'Say what?!'  

SE: 'A diversion! The NEO Crystal is well on its way to EON headquarters  in Tokyo, Japan! Eternal Gamer is doing the honors of transportation.'  

GG!: 'EG...'  

MOON: 'But...what about the energy I was following?! I can still feel it!'  

SE: 'You idiot, the energy is my own! The NEO Crystal is under a  protective coat, you can't track it telepathically.'  

MOON: 'That's impossible! You've never had this kind of aura before!'  

VOICE: 'And she still doesn't.'  

SE: 'Zero?!'  

Another figure floats out from the darkness...it's Zero, hovering  roughly five feet off the ground.  

ZERO: 'I knew you'd botch it up.'  

SE: 'Am I glad you're here!'  

Sailor Evil rises to her knees and crawls over to Zero.  

SE: 'Let's go!' 

 ZERO: 'Alright. Grab my hand.'  

Zero extends her hand, which Sailor Evil grabs. Suddenly a bright  flash flares out from their palms, and a blue glow appears around SE.  

SE: 'What- What are you doing?!'  

ZERO: 'You serve no purpose in this game. You're dead weight.'  

SE: 'What?!'  

Sailor Evil helplessly clasps Zero's hand as her eyes widen in  terror. Zero's face shows no trace of emotion.  

SE: 'No! NO!'  

Gibbon, Spam, and Moon watch in horror as Sailor Evil disappears  with a flash and a blood-curdling scream. Zero turns her sights toward the  trio standing around the car.  

MOON: 'The power was coming from her...we've been following Zero all along!'  

ZERO: 'Ah, so you're smarter than you look.'  

SPAM: 'No we're not!'  

ZERO: 'Your powers are admirable...Sailor Evil was quite a formidable  opponent.'  

MOON: 'YOU'RE the one who killed her!'  

ZERO: 'True, but you could easily have done so.'  

GG!: 'Screw that, what about the NEO Crystal?!'  

ZERO: 'You're not getting that back.'  

GG!: 'Why are you doing this? What are you using the Crystal for?'  

ZERO: 'That's no concern of yours.'  

GG!: 'It's a concern of everybody's! Do you have any idea of the  destructive force sealed within the Crystal?'  

Zero smirks evilly.  

ZERO: 'More than you could ever imagine.'  

GG!: 'THAT'S ENOUGH!'  

Electricity begins circulating around Gibbon's tails.  

MOON: 'Don't try anything, she's too powerful!'  

SPAM: 'Wait, I think he knows what he's doing...'  

MOON: 'Are you kidding me?'  

The stars are blocked out by dark clouds. Lightning streaks from  the sky followed by a monstrous clap of thunder.  

MOON: 'Whoah...not even I can do that!'  

SPAM: 'Double G commands the power of the elements, especially those  natural disasters caused by weather. He doesn't like to use the power more  often than necessary, though...'  
Gibbon holds his ground as the electricity around his tails creates  a field of static that causes the rest of his fur to stand on-end. Zero  narrows her eyes and looks toward the sky.  
MOON: 'What's he doing?'  

A hard, white rock falls from the sky and hits the ground in front  of Spam. It's a hailstone.  

SPAM: 'Duck and cover!'  

Spam dives into a nearby ravine, hauling Moon with him.  

MOON: 'Hey, put me down!' 

More hailstones follow, along with a noticable increase in wind  speed. Lightning can be seen far into the distance, a testament to the  size of Gibbon's storm. A slight rumble can be heard,  steadily increasing in volume. The wind continues to pick up at a teriffic  rate.  
SPAM: 'That nut, what about the car?!'  

Zero continues to scan the sky above, holding steady in the air  despite the gale-force winds. Gibbon holds his place with a look of strong  determination on his face. The wind begins pulling the Gibbon-Mobile  forward into the center of wind circulation...Zero. Zero continues to  watch the sky when the object of commotion comes into view. A relatively  small tornado is dipping down from the clouds, right over her. Although it  can't be seen in the darkness, the foursome are within a huge wall of dust  circulating around the battle site. The roar of the wind by this point is  far too loud to hear anything over. Zero raises her right hand in the air  and begins rotating it clockwise...the opposite direction the tornado is  spinning. Gibbon continues to hold his ground, as electricity continues  streaming across his tails. Slowly, the winds begin to die down, despite  Gibbon's continued exertion. In seconds, the tornado has dissipated into  nothing.  

GG!: 'DAMN!'  

Zero raises her other hand into the air, and makes a parting motion.  The clouds dissipate in seconds, allowing the stars and moon to shine  through as though nothing had ever happened. Gibbon grates his teeth and  falls to one knee. Zero looks back down at him and smiles.  ZERO: 'Not a bad attempt. I almost started perspiring.'  Gibbon, too out of breath to shout, mumbles under his breath.  

GG!: 'Zero...'  

ZERO: 'Allow me to put you out of your misery.'  

She extends her hand and fires a silver beam from her palm. The  beam hits Gibbon square in the chest, knocking him back onto the car.  

GG!: 'AAAGGGHHH!'  

Spam and Moon leap out from the ravine and run up to him.  

SPAM: 'Double G!'  

Gibbon lies motionless on the ground in front of the car. Moon  feels his pulse.  

MOON: 'That was a Heart Leech, it instantly paralyzes one's heart and gives  a teriffic blow to boot. Even if he is immortal, it may take him a few  minutes to recover from this...'  
Spam grates his teeth and reaches behind his back. He confidently  walks up to Zero and glares up at her.  

MOON: 'Spaaaam, what are you DOING?!'  

SPAM: 'If you wanted to play rough...'  

Spam unsheathes a sword with a six-foot blade from behind his back.  

SPAM: 'Why didn't you just SAY SO?!'  

Zero gasps after catching sight of the blade.  

ZERO: 'T- The Cow Blade...'  

SPAM: 'So you've heard of it? Allow me to formally introduce you.'  

Spam lunges at Zero, who dashes out of the way just in time. After  missing, he glances at the sword.  

SPAM: 'She's scared of it...how could she know-'  

Before he can finish his thought, however, Zero nails him with an  attack from behind.  
ZERO: 'ARCANE PULSE!'  

A translucent green bubble engulfs Spam, then evaporates. He falls  to the ground and struggles to get back up, but it's as though some  invisible force is holding him back.  
SPAM: 'What the hell?!'  

Moon, still standing near the car and Gibbon, calls over.  

MOON: 'The effect will wear off in a few minutes, but until then, you're  going to feel 1000 times your normal weight!'  

Zero begins hovering over to Spam, sights set on the Cow Blade.  

SPAM: 'Moon! Don't let her take it!'  

Thinking quickly, Moon places her right hand on her forehead. 

 MOON: 'Plane Shift!'  She teleports directly in front of Spam, and takes the Cow Blade  from his hands. Then she drops it back on the ground.  

MOON: 'Wow!'  

SPAM: 'Don't break it!'  

MOON: 'But it's heavy!'  

SPAM: 'Hurry, before Zero gets it!'  

Putting her hand on her forehead, Moon mumbles the words:  

MOON: 'Mind Strength!'  

With a grunt, she grabs the handle and successfully lifts the sword  into the air.  

MOON: 'Now what am I supposed to do?! I can barely hold it!'  

SPAM: 'Just stall until I get my strength back!'  

MOON: 'Wait a minute...I can feel a strong aura around this sword! If I  can just tap into this force...'  

Zero hovers directly in front of Moon, smiling. Moon struggles to  keep the sword in the air, and disregarding Zero, bets all her marbles on  the attempt to tap into the aura of power surrounding the blade. Zero  chuckles.  

ZERO: 'Moron, you're not the correct recipient of that power. You'll never  be able to tap into it.'  

A glow appears around Zero's hand, as though she is preparing to  cast a spell. She points her hand at Moon, who simply gasps and makes one  final effort to tap into the sword's strength. At that moment, a gun shot  rings out of the darkness, echoing in the silence. Zero glances upward.  

ZERO: 'Huh?'  The next minute, a shadowy figure leaps out from the darkness and  jump-kicks Zero from behind. The impact knocks her straight down...and  right into the upraised Cow Blade. Moon screams and drops the sword, with  Zero skewered right on it like soggy, limp shish ke bab. (Note...I wanted to  elaborate the detail even more than that, but Spam talked me out of it...)  

SPAM: 'What the-?!'  

At that moment, Gibbon regains consciousness and scans the scene.  

GG!: 'How come all the cool stuff happens when I'm asleep?!'  SPAM: 'Well if you wouldn't sleep until noon...'  

GG!: 'Shutup, Spam.'  

SPAM: 'Yes, your gibboness.'  

The figure who jump-kicked Zero into the blade lifts his head. It's  Martin Braid.  

GG!: 'You're the guy I talked to on the bench!'  

MART: 'Did I catch you at a bad time?'  

MOON: 'How did you get here?!'  

BO: 'I brought him.'  

Bo Bayles walks out from the darkness, pistol in-hand. Spam slowly  raises himself off the ground and dusts himself off.  

MOON: 'Bo!'  

SPAM: 'How did...'  

BO: 'Let's save this story for later, we've got a mess on our hands now.'  

Bo glances at Zero's skewered, blood-soaked body. Gibbon walks up  to it and leans over it.  
GG!: 'Eew...you played Aeris Gainsborough with Zero and didn't wake me?'  

At that moment, Zero slowly raises her head. Gibbon jumps back and  a gasp of surprise transpires all-around. Chuckling lightly, Zero raises  herself to hands and knees, with the Cow Blade still stuck firmly through  her chest. Looking at the terrified group, her eyes glow an eerie gold  color.  

ZERO: 'I must admit...I underestimated you.'  

GG!: 'I want my mommy!'  

ZERO: 'My over-confidence left me wide open to that surprise attack.  Hm, hm...but now the games are over. The next time we meet, I will be fully  prepared.'  

Zero lays her hand on the handle of the very sword that drips with  her own blood.  

ZERO: 'If you don't mind, I'll just take this with me.'  

With that, Zero and the Cow Blade vanish.  

SPAM: 'The Cow Blade!'  

MOON: 'Zero!'  

GG!: 'The car!'  

The others glance over to Gibbon, who is sobbing over a scratch in  the paint.  

GG!: 'It must've gotten scraped by a rock in the tornado! *sob*'  

SPAM: 'I guess he doesn't mind the dent in the bumper so much anymore...'  

Bo walks over to the spot on the road from where Zero vanished.  

BO: 'No blood, no tracks...you'd never even know she was here.'  

MART: 'Well, it looks like I joined up with this party at just the right  moment! It's like a bad RPG...'  

SPAM: 'So...what about Zero and the Cow Blade?'  

Gibbon walks away from the car  

GG!: 'We just need the NEO Crystal. That'll solve all the mysteries in one  fell swoop.'  
BO: 'So where do we find the NEO Crystal?'  

MOON: 'Sailor Evil said it was on its way to EON Headquarters in Tokyo.'  

GG!: 'Tokyo...'  

Gibbon turns his back on everyone and gazes toward the west, the  direction from whence they came.  

GG!: 'Then that's where I'm headed.'  

SPAM: 'That's where WE'RE headed!'  

Spam runs up to the door on the driver's side of the Gibbon-Mobile.  

SPAM: 'I need to get the Cow Blade back...'  Bo latches the pistol onto his belt and straightens it.  

BO: 'I can't let my best friends run off to Japan without coming along for  the ride! Count me in!'  

MOON: 'I wanna go, too!'  

The others glance at her. She shrugs in response.  

MOON: 'Might be a nice vacation?'  

BO: 'So where are you going now, Mart? Still wanna stick with this?'  

MART: 'Are you kidding? It's just starting to get good!'  

GG!: 'Well, if we're all good and finished the whole cheesy 'we're a team'  routine, can we please get going before any more time is wasted?'  

SPAM: 'Uh, Double G...'  

GG!: 'Shutup, Spam.'  

SPAM: 'The Gibbon-Mobile is on Empty...' 

 Gibbon falls to the ground, Bo scratches his head, and Mart folds  his arms and chuckles slightly.  

GG!: 'I want my mommy so bad.'  

Moon leans over him and smiles sweetly.  

MOON: 'That's okay, we can push!' 

Gibbon leaps back up.  

GG!: 'But the last gas station was forty-five miles back!'  

MART: 'If we don't get going, we'll never make it forty-four!'  

Gibbon looks at the ground while the other four position themselves  around the Gibbon-Mobile.  

GG!: 'I wonder how long it would take to burrow to Tokyo from here...'  

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Meanwhile, Eternal Gamer sits in the back of a private EON plane,  flying high above the Pacific Ocean. The small back area is empty except  for a few piles of crates. EG holds the wrapped NEO Crystal in his lap.  Gazing at the sphere, he slowly unravels the protective cloth. Initially  squinting from the illumination, his eyes adjust to the brightness as he  gazes into it. There is a vague figure inside...the figure is vibrating in  steady thumps, like a heartbeat.  EG: 'I never noticed that before...'  He continues to gaze into it, as though he couldn't look away if he  wanted to. His eyes widen as if in fear...  

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(^-^) (-_-) (º.º) End of Part 4 (O.O) (¤.¤) (~_~)