This is it!

The Final Chapter! The Grand Finale!

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Okay... Here it is...

All's Fair:

Reunions and Revolutions Part 3

No One's POV

Forced back up into the very prison they just escaped, Lee and the gang had little choice but to walk off the submarine back onto the loading dock. Lynch was standing there waiting for them still partly disguised and using the controls to remotely steer the sub back into positon. Being Lynch, he was a little clumsy with the controls. "Whoopsie! Awful sorry." He said, not meaning it.

The first to come out with an angry frown was Biffy. Ready to use his build as bully to its full extent on Lynch. "Oh, you're gonna be a lot sorry when I-whoa!" Lynch jostled the controls purposely to make Biffy fall over.

"Oops! My ba-"

"HI-YAH!"

Something came from above and completely knocked Lynch to the floor. He dropped the controls and looked fearfully at what had knocked him down and was currently gazing down at him with the wrath of a mother bear.

"YOU VILE, INCOMPETENT, BACK-STABBING LITTLE WEASEL!" Nora had Lynch pinned to the ground with pure rage written on every feature. She shook Lynch by the collar as she continued to yell at him on the ground. "Who do you think you are bringing them back when they were safely out?! How dare you put my kids in danger again!"

Yes, Nora Prowler had snuck her way right to the loading dock to confront Lynch. But she was so absorbed in her anger and yelling at the man that she failed to look up. Hearing all the noise one-by–one Lee Ping, Tina Kwee, Jenny Jerkins and Holger Holgart looked out of the submarine's door.

"Is that…?" Tina asked in disbelief.

"Is she really…?" Jenny smiled from ear to ear.

"Nora!" Lee cried out in pure joy.

At her name, Nora dropped Lynch and looked up. For the first time in what had been weeks of imprisonment, the friends she had loved and protected were right there in the room with her. A big smile accompanied by restrained tears crossed her face. What could she say? She couldn't think of anything. Not just a single thing!

Lee came running to her, but since Biffy had fallen close he got to her first. "Nora, you're alive!" Biffy practically crushed Nora in a tight hug, filled with all the worry, sadness and fear he had felt when he first heard she was gone. It was enough to shock Nora into finally saying something.

"Aw, guys! I'm so glad to see you're all alright!"

Lee joined in the hug. "Man! We've been so worried!"

Jenny came up and wrapped her arms around Nora's neck. "First everyone thought you were dead, and then we heard you were in Coral Grove!"

Next was Tina, finding space between Lee and Jenny. "Then those goons said you had been interrogated here, but you weren't in any of the cell holdings here."

Lastly was Holger who found some room between Biffy and Jenny. "But we knowing you were alive, Nora! You being our ghostly guardian for all times!"

No more than two or three tears slipped from Nora's eyes. Attributed to both the tightness and the emotions swelling up inside her. "Aw… I really missed all of you too. I've been trying to help you from here as best that I can. I've found out so much! But I never stopped worrying about you guys either! It's just been one trial after the next for all of us. This is the best thing that's happened to me in weeks!"

"That's great. Now could you all get off of me?" Came Lynch's voice, breaking up the moment. The reunited friends all looked down to see that they were all standing on top of Lynch. Everyone scowled at him, but got off and Biffy set Nora down. She turned and pointed a finger at Lynch.

"You've got a lot of nerve, bud." She told him. "Just what did you think you were doing bringing them back here? They were home-free."

"Don't you understand? Even if they did make it out they would just be sent back here anyway!"

"Excuse me?" Nora began rolling up her sleeve. Lee placed a hand on her arm to bring her standing back with the group, but looked just as angrily at Lynch.

"And what about my real mom?" he demanded. "Is she really here, or is that just another stupid mind game?"

"Forget this guy." Biffy said, grinning. "Hey, Nora? Could you demonstrate how to wrestle a tazelwurm on Lynch for us?"

"Everyone just take her down a notch or two! Tempers are a tad high." Lynch begged.

Nora went right up to him and stared him straight in the eye. "Lynch, you have about three seconds before I start considering Biffy's request. So you better have something we'd like to hear!"

"Okay! Okay!" Lynch held up his hands for her to back down. "Ping's mom is in the cloning lab. They keep her there in case they need more DNA when a clone dies out. Maybe we can swing by there for a little mother-son heart-to-heart later." Lynch walked up to the door and used part of his disguise to open the door. "But first we see Finnwich! Now come on, before they send more guards."

No one moved.

Nora took a deep breath through her nose and let it out her mouth. "Everyone," she said to them in a matter-of –fact voice, "unfortunately… I have to go with Lynch on this one."

"WHAT?!" erupted from the crowd.

Nora turned to Lee and spoke directly to him. "Lee, I've been staying with Finnwich for this last week. He is here, and he did make the call to send Lynch to get you."

"I told you!" Lynch said. He was ignored.

"He hasn't told me everything. But the way he's been talking lately, it sounds like everything can be brought to an end today!"

"Really?" the fifteen-year-old asked. "Today? You serious?"

"Yes. But we have to go now. We'll come back up here when it's all over and go home."

As Nora walked out the door that Lynch had opened, her friends followed. Biffy elbowed Lynch in the ribs for good measure, and Lynch closed the door behind him when he went in last.

Nora's POV

Finally, here at the near-end we're all back together. This just feels so right! I've been away from these guys for too long and I really missed them. While we tried to sneak around quietly, the kids couldn't help asking me questions. After we got through the door, "So what happened, Nora?" Biffy was the first to ask, "How'd you get caught and sent here?"

"Wurst convinced me to come to the school that night to help clear up Lee's name." I explained. "When I found out he and his clone-brothers were trying to capture me, I used the second key to escape to the Tunnels."

"You got the second key?" Biffy sounded offended, he and Holger shot a glare over at Lee.

"She's the most responsible!" Lee defended himself. "And it turned out she needed it."

"I did." I said, trying to end the argument. "But The Serpent was waiting for me down in the Tunnels. We fought all over the place until he knocked me out and I'm guessing sent me here via submarine."

"Boy, I'd have liked to see that" Jenny remarked. The rest of the gang, even Lynch agreed.

I chuckled in amusement. "Well, at least you guys haven't been completely won over by Serpent since then."

The whole group suddenly stopped behind me. It was the sound of Lynch colliding and falling to the floor that made me look back. Another 'record scratch' moment had happened.

"Nora…" Biffy squeaked out. "How did you know about that?"

I put my hands on my hips and looked at all of them with a meaningful expression. Yeah, I'm still a little mad about that. "Do you mean how I knew Jenny was out dating him when she should have known better?" Jenny gulped, she and Tina looked at each other. "Or do you mean how earlier today three of you suddenly became fans when you saw him fighting Cassandra's robots?" The three boys went bug-eyed. I stood there looking at all of them quizzically.

"How… did you find out about that?" Tina was the only one brave enough to ask.

I smiled and shrugged. "You all thought that just because I was imprisoned, meant I wouldn't know what you were up to? I won't hold anything against Lee because Serpent is his brother, but I would expect a little more loyalty from the rest of you."

Revealing that I knew everything, but not how, I turned and continued on down the hall. Behind me I heard them all whispering.

Lynch: "Okay, she's really spooky!"

Tina: "What else does she know?"

Biffy: "How did she know?"

Holger: "Nora have even stronger magics than Holger!"

I giggled in my secretiveness. Lee came running up behind me and whispered so nobody else could hear. "Reality Border?'

"Oh, yeah." I answered back. "I'll give you the full description later."

Lee smiled. "Glad to have you back… Sis."

"Glad to be back." I smiled too.

Above us I could feel something was going on, like some kind of power shift. I tried to ignore my other senses in favor of the task at hand. I knew Finnwich needed to see Lee, but Lee needed to save his mom first. How long could she have been here? Has it been since the Prank, or some time between then and now? Did Dr. Ping know his wife was replaced? Glad I was training to be a student counselor and not a family counselor today. Maybe we'll all have a more fitting reunion once we finish up those two things.

I led the way downward. There weren't any guards in our way and all the cells had gone into isolation made due to the state of emergency. Problem is: I'm not sure which way a cloning lab would be in this facility. For more than half the time I've been asleep down here!

"I got it! This way!" Lee stated pointing to a sign with a beaker and arrow on it.

I said, "Works for me." We all started walking in the way the sign said. Well, not all of us.

"Wrong way, buckaroo-sams!" Lynch called after us, annoyed that no one was listening to him. "That's to the cloning labs! Hey!"

"We're going there first, Lynch!" I called back. "We need to get Mrs. Ping back."

"I said stop!"

I buzzing sound was heard and a blue ray resulted in a chunk of blue crystal on the ceiling. Apparently, Mr. Webber here is armed. Did Finnwich give him that? Oh! Grampa, if you're watching all this I hope you realize what a bad idea that was. We all stood looking angrily at Lynch. Haven't we all put up with just about enough?

"My mom is here, right?" Lee took a few steps towards him. "Put that down and just come along!"

"Why can't you ever listen, Ping!?" Lynch complained back.

"Simple!" I pushed my way through the crowd and came right up to Lynch's pale, frightened face. "I've been stuck down here for weeks and have had my body pushed to its limit for half that time. Biffy is one of the strongest and most tech-savvy boys of the generation. Jenny's got a knock-out left hook, and Tina's got more sense and logic than a ninety-year-old lunatic who thinks frogs and apples blown up together make a good soda!" I took Lynch by the shoulder in a vice-like grip and knocked the small ray gun out of his hand. "I've granted you mercy before, Lynch. After all we've had to put up with, don't think I'll make the same mistake twice!"

Biffy and Holger came up behind me and restrained Lynch by his arms. Lee picked up the crystallizer. In a sarcastic tone he pointed it at said lunatic, "Knock, knock! Who's there? Lee. Lee who? Lee Ping! And Lee Ping says we go this way!"

"Wait we can't take him along." Tina said.

Jenny agreed with her saying, "Yeah! He'll totally do something to get us busted."

With no one able to say otherwise Biffy suggested we zap him and leave him crystalized. That would solve a lot of problems.

"No, that's mean!" Tina objected again. "We're the good guys we don't zap someone when they become an inconvenience. That's what bad guys do." She looked over my way for back up. "Right, Nora?"

I have been favoring violence more recently. But I know Tina is right about this. We're the good guys here, not the bad guys. I sigh and nod in agreement with her. "Alright, Tina. But we can't trust him to be on his own either."

"She's right!" Lynch said, being held in the air by Biffy. "I would have zapped the ca-powies clean out of ya!"

I shot a glare in his direction.

"I'll guard him." Tina took the crystallizer from Lee and told him "Go. Just make sure to come back with your mom."

"Thanks." Lee put his hand on her shoulder and leaned close to her. "We'll be back. I promise."

I could see some sparks there. Aw! That's really sweet. But of course Lynch had to ruin the moment. "Oh, will you just kiss already?!"

"Shut it!"

"What?" Lynch asked the group. "We're all thinking it." Biffy abruptly dropped him to the floor. "Oof!"

To Tina I said. "Follow close behind him, Tina. He makes one move, you can zap him." And to Lynch I said in a low, threatening voice, "And if Tina gets into any kind of danger, even if it's not your fault, the blame is going to fall on you!" He gulped and nodded that he understood.

We continued to follow the signs for the cloning lab, Jenny taking the lead since she had the robot cuff to open the doors. Tina was a bit behind, making sure Lynch didn't try anything on our way down. Thankfully, we didn't run into much more trouble. I am really feeling out of practice. On my list of things to do when I get home: training. One of the many things I have to take care of when I get home. I just have too many things to do here though.

I look on at the group as we walk. I can tell that a lot more has happened than what I saw them doing on the Reality Border. They keep asking me questions about what I was doing while I was here. Surprisingly, none of their questions led back to Finnwich or how I even met him. They mostly ask what happened to me while I was here, and I tell them things like my interrogation (which made all of them laugh), Serpent's installment of the monitor in my room (weirded looks), and my brief talks with Veronica Victoria (Holger reminded me that she was bad news, but I fully explained that our talks were harmless). None of the questions led back to Finnwich or why I had been sick. I'm not sure if Lynch knows about me being Finnwich's descendent either, I'm grateful that he and Tina are a ways behind.

On the course of our journey, Jenny managed to take me aside so she could talk with me quietly. "Nora, I need a sister-sister talk like now." She sounded urgent.

"What is it?" I can kind of guess. It probably has something to do with Lee and Tina seeming a lot closer now.

"Um… on the day you left Tina and I were kinda fighting."

"Over Lee?" I said for her.

"Yeah. So we could stay friends we made a pact that neither of us would date him, but…"

Wait a second. I remember once when I followed The Serpent to the school on the Reality Border Lee said he had his heart crushed. Connecting the dots with that and this pact, and it looks like a relationship train wreck happened not a day after I was gone. When Jenny was nervously stalling her sentence I finished for her again. "But now it looks like Lee really likes Tina and Tina likes him. Though it doesn't look like she's going to break her promise with you."

"Yeah… again."

I placed my hand on Jenny's shoulder. "Aw, I'm sorry, Jenny. I know you liked Lee too, but it looks like he's made a choice. You're still a good friend to him, it's just… he and Tina do have more history." Jenny also did kind of go astray on her crush on him, but I'm not going to mention that. "But you're all still friends. Lee likes you, just not the same way he likes Tina is all."

Jenny sighed, dejectedly. "It's just… What do I do?"

Straight-faced, I told her gently, "Set it right."

"Yoo-hoo~! Friends!" Holger called back to us. Jenny and I stopped our conversation to catch up.

Lee's POV

We were able to avoid guards all the way to the cloning room. This is actually going pretty smoothly! I feel like we're a lot safer here with Nora back with us, it's been forever since she's had our backs. And I just remembered something.

Elbowing Biffy, I say "Biffy, maybe now would be a good time to give it back?"

"Wha? Oh right!" Ever since I first told Biffy that Nora was missing, and showed him my evidence, he's been keeping something with him out of being sad. Jenny enters the room just as Biffy reaches into his pocket to pull it out. "What?" To the left side of my vision I see a group of familiar scientists. Biffy's parents! "Here? Okay, this makes no sense." He tosses the item, Nora's detracted long- staff, over his shoulder and runs off after them. Nora catches it with a look of surprise I've never seen on her before.

"How long-?" She starts to ask.

"Biff, wait!" I can't have us all separating now! No one knows their way around here, or who could be around here. I can't stop Biffy now that he's run after his parents, instead I tell Holger to stick with him in case anything goes down. And with our luck, it probably is! So it's me, Jenny and Nora going into the cloning room to find my real mom.

"Were you guys carrying this around all day?" Nora asks, referring to Long Silver in her hands.

Trying to close the door so no one follows us, I tell her. "He's had it for weeks. When we all thought you were dead, I showed them your staff as evidence since you never go anywhere without it. I know I got it wrong, but I thought I had to tell everybody to let them know how serious this was. Biffy really wanted to keep it, he said it counted as 'technical material.'"

Hands on her hips, Nora smiles over to Jenny. "Not everyone believed you though, am I right?" Jenny smiles back.

That's right. I'm the only one who knows Nora can visit people in their dreams! Apparently that's a secret she wants to keep from Jenny. "True."

Nora's POV

I knew that Jenny wanted to talk to Lee on her own so I walked away from them into the darkness of the room. I could hear them talking, I just wasn't paying much attention. I knew it was about what Jenny told me earlier. My eyes usually adjust well to darkness, but it was so black in here I extended my long staff to its familiar long length, and began feeling out with my hand in front of me. What would be in a cloning lab?

I heard a switch flip from by the door. The lights turned. Le exclaimed, "Whoa, that's a lot of clones…" He's not kidding! There were miles high of cloning pods with some kind of feeder at the center.

"So this is where they keep the people they need to clone." Are all these people still alive? Freeing them could either confuse or kill them, so I won't get any ideas about a mass break out. We're only here for Mrs. Ping. I let Lee and Jenny finish their conversation while I look at the cloning pods. Abrahms, Adams, Axelrove… These are all alphabetical. "Well, okay, that makes it easier for us."

"What does?" It's Jenny who asks. Their conversation must be over.

"The pods are in alphabetical order. That will make it easier to find Lee's mom." We head straight to P section. "Let's see… Parsons, Paramore, Penhall, Picasso, Piper… Her name isn't here." Sue Ping. Why isn't she here? Don't tell me there's another cloning room to search!

Lee walks a ways down from me and Jenny, down to the S section. "But her maiden name… It's Shi Hu!"

"Why would she be put in by her maiden name?" I ask.

Lee wipes away some condensation on the pod's glass. There we can all see the face of his sleeping mother. She's here!

"Mom!" Lee calls out hoping she can hear him.

"O.M.G!" Jenny shouts. "It's her! How do you open it?"

I hear the sound of a raspy, deep voice. "I wouldn't do that." I don't know this voice. But as I turn around, the face is one I've only seen once in a picture Grandpa showed me. Looking down at us from a high monitor is… "His Eminence…" I sneer. That freak of nature has been causing me, my friends, and my family for three generations, nothing but trouble.

"What?" Lee and Jenny gasp beside me.

"Ah, Miss Prowler!" He greets me, "A pleasure to finally meet you. Heh-heh, I must say you're mere presence in my facility has caused quite an uproar. And I extend a sincere welcome to you as well… Mr. Ping."

Two blue reaper-mats show up, blocking our only exit. I glare up in the creature clad in blue.

Elsewhere in Coral Grove…

The Serpent's POV

I sit and wait. It's boring, but I know I will not be here forever. His Eminence is the only truly in charge of Cassandra, and I work directly under him now. He does not forget such favors. Just as I do not forget the great insults Cassandra has paid to me over the years. It's all her fault I'm an assassin that my real mother may never accept. But, Dr. Ping, my real father, he expressed that there may be hope if I can set everything right. If I can come squeaky clean, and make up for my crimes.

"Hmph." I breathe out standing up. "Try telling that to Nora."

I know she isn't on this floor anymore. She is with Grand-daddy Finnwich, safe and cozy in the deepest, most well-equipped, dungeon. Again she strikes me with irony. Not only are we both descendants of the mark , now I am prisoner in Coral Grove while she is in more comfortable conditions. I would like to see her. Even the seething scowl on her face would be a delight right now. Its Cassandra's fault she hates me too! Everything would be fine between us had it not be for that vile woman's interventions in my life.

"Sooo, if you're not really evil like Biffy says…" Wait, I know that bratty, little voice. Kimberly. Cassandra's darling, little, golden girl who seems to have after all these years become wise to her mother's real business. Oh, this is laughable! The girl is just fifteen and only now does she learn about her mother's dirty dealings while I've known about them since day one. Kimmie doesn't know me… but I know of her.

Leaning comfortably against the wall of my cell, I see Cassandra use a high-power shocker on one of the guards escorting her and her daughter away. But on the second one there is no power left in it. The machine-guard reaches to constrain Casandra. But she is quicker, and stronger. She grabs hold of both its arms and with both feet kicks it into the closest open cell, keeping the now detached arms with her. She then activates the gauntlet with the guard still in the doorway, effectively putting the stupid machine out of commission.

Cassandra grabs her daughter by the arm and starts to lead her away. "Okay. It's official. You're evil." Hm, perhaps I can take advantage of this.

From my place I begin a slow clap for Kimmie's long-overdue realization. "Bravo." They face me. Then I say to my former-mother/mentor, "Looks like someone got in trouble, huh? Wanna to talk about it?" I folded my arms in front of me. I can say things that will make the mini-blonde's extensions fall out. And Cassandra still doesn't seem to want to give up those kinds of secrets.

She tries to take her away. "C'mon Kimmie, we're leaving."

I narrow my gaze at her. "Sure about that?"

From the end of the hallway two of the blue guards are flying her way. "I could help you." I offer. She is desperate in this situation, I can see that clearly. "You know…like old times?"

Her daughter gasps, afraid of the sudden danger she has found herself in so suddenly. Another pair of guards is coming from the opposite end of the hall as well. For her daughter's sake, I know Cassandra will act.

"Fine," She says deactivating that annoying shield. Foolish old dragon-woman. "But you better-" Too slow~! I am already behind her in a second. I use a constraining technique she taught me herself, pining her arms right up against her chest. When I used this move once on Nora during a lesson in the woods I gave her moving room so that she would be able to break free. Not this time. I use all my strength, holding this woman down so tightly that am practically cutting off her air supply. "This is for hurting my snake, Priscilla." I whisper to her. "And everything else!"

Kimmie futilely beats my back and demands I release her mother. She doesn't know how better off she will be. This will be the last time I kill someone, then I do what I can to repair the damage done to my life. Through strained gasps Cassandra speaks to me. "Short-sighted fool! You want to… go back… into your… cage?"

As much as I hate to admit: she is right. Those machines are only getting closer, I need more time to do this effectively and they will only tear her away from me and shove me back into my cell.

"Fine." I say, releasing her. "Truce for now~!" and we both engage the robots.

Nora's POV

We're cornered by the guards. I'm so out of it, otherwise they'd be toasters by now! Whoa… where have I heard that before? I keep my long-staff tight in my grip, I'll attack once His Eminence orders them to, then Lee and Jenny can make a break for it. "I'm just like you." The creature said. "I just want to go home."

"Why do I not believe you?" I ask sarcastically.

"You have something I want." One of the hazmats behind us fired a small levitation beam at Lee. We gasped, but it only took the key from his pocket. That's no small deal, I just knew he could still do a lot worse.

"And you." He said pointing to the three of us.

"Me?" I asked.

"No, not you."

"Me?" asked Jenny.

"No, him!"

"This guy?" Lee pointed over his shoulder at the hazmat.

His Eminence laughed. "I may seem odd, and a bit frightening to you," Among other things. "but let me show you my appreciation."

The pod holding Mrs. Ping suddenly opened releasing a white mist along with its captive.

"Mom!" Lee immediately ran over to his mother who stepped out of the pod dazed and wobbling. He caught her when she fell of, and helped support her. "Are you alright?" He asks, extremely worried. Is she the real deal? Will she know Lee?

She looks afraid as she says, "Lee? Where am I?"

I'll take that as a confirmation. I'm so glad Lee's real Mom is okay.

"And just so you know," says His Eminence, "capturing her was not my idea. It was all-"

The monitor suddenly goes to static, then reactivates to show us on odd scene. Cassandra, standing directly in front of the camera in the lobby, with Kimmie behind her at a desk and The Serpent fighting off hazmat forces behind her. I forgot about those three. But why is she cutting off her boss?

"Attention." Cassandra commands in her CEO voice. "There has been a hostile takeover in management. I'm here to set the record straight." She points to Kimmie, who seeing the signal presses a button on the computer in front of her. Some kind of music starts playing.

In a panic, Lee shouts to us. "Nora! Jenny! Cover your ears!"

We do. We also keep watching the screen, I can't hear the music, but I can make out what Cassandra is saying.

"I am the CEO of this operation. His Eminence and all of his vile robots must be stopped at all costs." She then picks up a crystallizer gun like Lynch had and aims it behind her. "Oh, and bring me Lee Ping!"

She fires, encasing The Serpent entirely in green crystal. I gasp. Is he hurt? It catches Lee's attention, but I don't pay much attention to him. I keep watching the monitor.

"Mom, you totally betrayed him!" Kimmie points angrily.

"I totally do a lot of things. Now keep quiet and-" It went to static again.

The two hazmats in the room with us turn their full attention to Lee and his mother. "Not today, boys!" I yell, jumping in front of them. One of them zaps me with those levitation rays, leaving me helplessly floating. "Rgh!" I growl. Then I take my long-staff in my hand and throw it like a spear. It goes straight through the hazmat's head, and I'm dropped. Right on my side, that really hurts when you're still recovering. The other one lifts its arm to attack next all three of us. I try to get back up, but before I do the robot is suddenly encased in crystal itself. Everyone gasps and looks over at Jenny, smiling with a just-fired crystallizer in her hands.

"Nice!" I tell her.

"I found it by this feeder thingy." Jenny walks over to us.

"Thanks, who's got the moves?" Lee high-fives her. Friendship confirmed.

"What is going on, Lee?" Mrs. Ping asks, standing on her own.

I talk to her as I pull my staff out of the hazmat's head. "We've been trying to tell you since the beginning, Mrs. Ping. But right now we need to get out of here and find the Amazing Finnwich to get this all settled."

All of us run out the exit.

All of Coral Grove is officially a warzone. Scientists are engaging hazmats, leaving the only ones to not really worry about to be the prisoners. Jenny and I do our best to make sure no one identifies Lee. To do that we either knock out of crystallize anyone who comes in our path or sets their eyes on our group. Lee acquires his own crystallizer, and Mrs. Ping runs alongside us as we make our way to the elevator.

"You protected me and my son. Why?" She suddenly asks me.

Looking over the next corner, I tell her. "I've been friends with your son for a while now. I'm a college student who got assigned to the school for credit. My job was to watch the detention group and I met Lee there." I scientist comes running down the hall. I surprise and knock him out with a spin-heel kick. "Your family's been involved in a world conspiracy long before even Dr. Ping was born, and I have family involved in this too." I turn and face her signaling the all clear for us to go this way. I smile at her and say. "Basically Mrs. Ping, I'm here because your son is a good kid, and a good friend. And I'm supposed to be here to help him."

Mrs. Ping looked somewhere between amazed and confused. She does deserve a more thorough explanation, but she's found out at the worst possible time. She had never believed her son was innocent, if she had maybe he wouldn't have worked so hard to prove he was innocent to her. I used to be so mad at this woman for putting perfectionist expectations on her only son, but hopefully after all this maybe she'll lighten up.

We continued running down the hall. Hitting and blasting anyone and anything that could report or potentially capture us. "You know Lee, a mother always gets worried when her son becomes so good at being sneaky." Lee's mother scolds.

I rolled my eyes and said under my breath, "Then she's going to have a heart-attack over her other son."

"Shh!" Lee whispered to his mother. "Or they'll hear-"

Too late. The scientists and robots may be on opposite sides, but both were ordered to capture Lee. "Lee Ping!" The second they saw us, they pointed it out to all the rest and there was too may for us to take on at once. To our backs there was an explosion that left a hole in the wall! Now what? But contrary to my thoughts, this was good news. Out of the whole, waving hello, was Biffy with a crystallizer machine gun and Holger wearing Cassandra's battle suit! "Hello citizens! It is time to disco-party!"

"Holger?" I was surprised. "Are you wearing-?"

"Ya! Holger be having the slime framing. And there is much more wiggling room in metal clothes, 'specially round Holger's bottom area."

Oh, I can get a lot of mileage outta that one. Heh heh… Back to the matter at hand! "Get down!" Biffy shouted. We all ducked, while he and Holger blasted the goons behind us, effectively stopping any kind of capture attempt on us. "Who da man?" Biffy high-fived Holger. "Nice work, Lanky."

"Holg, you rock!" Lee cheered.

A door opened behind us. "Keep moving, weirdo." It was Tina with Lynch at gunpoint. Good, they caught up. Tina must have been avoiding areas with too much commotion going on, no wonder she was slowed down. "We heard an explosion is everyone- Mrs. Ping? You're okay!"

Biffy and Holger also came over to us. The whole gang was together again. "So?" Biffy whispered to Lee. "What now?"

I answered. "Well, we're all here. Why don't we go down and see Finnwich? It's about time we officially stopped Cassandra and His Eminence after all this time."

"Who?" Mrs. Ping asked.

I kept my staff at full length and slung it over my shoulder as I walked to the elevator. "I can bring you up to speed on the way. I can't believe after all this time it's almost over!"

I saw Jenny whisper something to Tina, and then she pushed her in Lee's direction. That's a good girl.

"Lee?" Tina said to him. He turned and faced her. "So… Just in case we don't make back I…"

Lynch face-palmed. "Ugh! You like each other, kiss already!" Standing behind Lynch was able to give him a well-deserved punch on the arm. "Ow! What?"

I pointed to Mrs. Ping. "In front of his mother, Lynch?"

Mrs. Ping was sending a look towards her son, telling him that she did not approve. Right then the elevator dinged, and we all stepped in. I began telling them about what I knew about that monster we saw in the cloning room.

The elevator opened to the reverberating sounds of the organ playing. "Finnwich!" I called out cheerfully, "We're back!" He stopped, and turned around to see us.

"Ah, you've arrived, and not a moment too soon. I was keeping track of you, my dear. An excellent show and mission well accomplished!"

I went up and hugged him. I wasn't mad anymore, and I was happy to be here for the end of all this madness. "Thanks, Grampa."

At a volume that could rival a jet, the many voices in the room echoed, "GRAMPA!?"

I turned around, but remained in the hug. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. More like, great-grandpa, I found out after I was brought here."

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Lynch demanded. "Nora Prowler? The great-granddaughter of The Amazing Finnwich? How did this happen?"

"Almost two lifetimes ago." Finnwich answered. "The research I had you doing on her family tree, my assistant, finally mapped out where my Elena had gone. But it is not my family who are the guests of honor this evening." Gently, he sent me back to stand with the rest of the group. They're going to be looking at me funny for awhile after this.

"Mrs. Ping you must be proud. Your son is quite exceptional." Mrs. Ping sent shared a look with her son, that I wasn't sure how to read, but she didn't seem angry. "I'm sure you all want answers. Just as I'm sure that it's only a matter of time until my lovely assistant is about to betray us." Lynch was just hovering over the metronome with Mr. Nigma's glasses on the desk. "Yet again."

Caught, he looked up. "I-I-I was just-… Aw, phooey."

Finnwich played two notes, and a green mist from Lynch's suit knocked him out cold. "Ha-ha!" I laughed. He had deserved that.

Finnwich then turned his attention back to us. "Now is not the time to be taking chances. Nora, you have proved to both the world and yourself that you can make it through even the most challenging of circumstances. I hope what you have learned here in Coral Grove will serve you well in the future."

He was right. It actually was a very good thing that I came here. I learned and mastered my abilities as a Dream-Walker, faced the darkest part of myself, gained a new will to fight harder to protect my friends, and found out about an incredible part of my family. All that feels worth it to have almost everyone back together here with me, and I couldn't feel prouder of Finnwich for all he's been through to finally put an end to all this tragedy.

"And now you, Lee. You must see this."

Lee handed his crystallizer to Biffy and walked up next to Finnwich. Those two… This is really the end. Then… why does something feel…wrong? I kept my eyes on Finnwich. What would he do now? How does Lee being here end the conspiracy?

The moment that Lee was beside him, Finnwich played two more keys and a red dome formed up from the floor encasing both of them! "Hey! You let my son go now!" screamed Mrs. Ping.

"What are you doing?" Lee gasped for air, wide-eyed.

Biffy cried out, angrily. "It's a double-cross! Blast him!"

The blasting started. I couldn't move. Why…? He said… Again. It happened again. And this time by a member of my own family. Everything fired at the shield bounced right off it, one of the crystallizers encasing Mrs. Ping. Lee gasped, seeing his mother. "Mom!"

"Sorry for the ruse, my boy," Finnwich calmly said, "but it's the only way I can ensure that blasted Pyramid never opens again." Finnwich hit a low note on the organ this time. The sound of wind came from the pipes of the instrument. Lee began coughing.

"He's sucking all the air out!" I ran up to the shield and hit it with my staff at hard as I could. Nothing worked, and the backlash was doing more damage to me than anything. Biffy came over to try and help, it only shocked him as hard as it did me.

"Why?!" I cried, pounding my fists to the shield. "Why are you doing this?" Tears were coming out my eyes.

"Because…" Finnwich coughed, leaning against the organ while Lee was on the floor gasping for breath. "We are both… to important… and dangerous …to remain… in the picture." As Finnwich spoke he slowly began to fall to the floor.

He had been planning this… Maybe even before he knew I was in Coral Grove, he had planned this! He'd been planning to kill himself along with Lee! He didn't tell me because he knew I'd oppose it. "There has to be another way! You haven't thought this through!"

I continued to pound away at the dome, it was futile, but I couldn't think of anything else to do. I didn't even notice the sound of the elevator opening, and I didn't notice we had more company until Holger screamed in a shrill voice. "AHHH! Monster-person!" I looked over and saw four red reaper-mats only with His Eminence enter the room. Holger flew and his behind a covered pieced of machinery.

"That Maxwell Finnwich!" His Eminence angrily identified him, "Always up to your dirty little magic tricks!" He pointed his cane at the dome and a purple beam made contact with it. The shield instantly deactivated, and he set another shield up around the organ to stop the air suction from working on the whole room. I rushed over to Lee. He took in a huge breath and began panting before starting to breathe more normally.

"He's okay!" I told everyone. Then I said to Lee, "That was a close one! Who'd have thought in the end it would be a bad guy saving your life from…?" I looked over at Finnwich, and then quickly looked away. How could he? Not only did he try to kill Lee, he tried to kill himself.

Tina handed the hand-crystallizer to Jenny and ran over to help Lee up. Lee and Tina held onto each other's arms even when they were both fully up. "Wow, that really was too close!" Lee admitted.

"You're telling me! Ugh!" Tina furiously pounded Lee on the chest. She then grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up to her. "That's it! No more 'almosts'!" She pulled Lee down onto her lips. Lee's eyes went wide looking at his mother. But since she was too busy being frozen in crystal at the moment, Lee happily closed his eyes and accepted the kiss. I looked over at Jenny. This is okay right? Jenny nodded back to me, indicating this was okay with her. I watched the new couple for a second. 'No more almosts', eh Tina? I've had a few of those too, and the same guy is somewhere in this prison frozen in crystal. Oh!
I'll have to ask Mrs. Ping about that later.

The good moment couldn't last forever. Biffy reminded us, "Uh, yeah that's great. Let's not forget about that humanoid lizard in the room."

"Oh, right!" I called over to Holger. "Hey, Holg! Think you could send us a little firepower from there?"

Holger bravely hovered over the floor and cried out. "By the power of robot-spaghetti!" He blasted two shots from his wrists. Normally, Holger's luck tends to hold out until the end, so it's just now that we find out that not only do red hazmats have red shields to deflect the suit, they can also project shields around Holger, Biffy, me, Jenny and lastly Tina!

"What the?!" I could move, just not away from my current position. And when Lee tried to help Tina, he only got shocked when he touched the red light. Now we're all perfect examples of sitting ducks! This is even worse than being stuck in that cell! That disgusting creature known as His Eminence stalked towards us.

"Now that that's settled, I believe you have something I want." He held out his giant hand for Lee to give him the key. I glared, but looking around the room there was really no other option. Lee unhappily handed him the key to the Pyramid.

"Finally!" His Eminence, wrapped his long fingers around the object and brought it close to himself. "It's all coming together." He tapped his cane on the ground once. The huge monitor turned on to reveal what looked like the Pyramid room at A. Nigma High under siege! The screen zoomed in on a Wurst.

"Mr. Wurst," the creature said in his snarl-like voice. "Is the Pyramid ready?" Looking behind Wurst, I could see that somehow the Pyramid had been rebuilt. Oh, no! But… what's going on over there?

Wurst was looking at whatever camera was projecting this with worry on his face. He's panting. "Your Eminence, we had a wee pickle of a dealy-o of a dilemma. But-!" He was cut off by being shot and encased in green crystal.

From the background I hear the sounds of a guitar and a "He-He Yeah!" telling me that the shot was from Cam! The screen then showed a close-up of our dear friend and revolutionary. Holger excited waved to him. "Hi-yah, Cam! It's Holger from school!"

"Holger? Dudes, what's up! Wait, is that Nora? Senorita, I can't believe you're like among the living and stuff! Welcome back! Hey, can you explain this whole crazy dream-thing we've been having? Oh man, evil-lizard-bro caught you? Well, on the, like, plus side we got it all under control over here, yo."

"That's the second best news I've heard all day, Cam." I replied. Now officially, I had seen everyone down here. Kind of a happy feeling on in its own way.

"Do you really?" His Eminence asked smugly. He held up one finger to the robots behind him and they activated something on their gauntlet. Sounds came from off camera, in the background we could see blue tazelborgs tunneling through the walls, one of them leapt to attack Cam. Just as I gasp the red taz blocks the blue and saves Camillo. Cam unfreezes Brandy who must have been crystallized earlier, she returns in full fury to attack whoever got her. I may not have talked to her much, but I think I like Brandy. I see that the rest of the students are in the Pyramid room, also armed and able to defend themselves.

His Eminence snarled. "That vile red tazelwurm! He's the one who ruined the plans in the first place!"

When Alexander Nigma had opened the Pyramid, Finnwich told me that the tazelwurm had taken the key and hidden it from them. Man, for being over a hundred years old that little guy is pretty spry. "Maybe" Finnwich wheezed from behind me. I had forgotten that he was lying there on the floor. "that's because he doesn't like your plans!"

His Eminence walked up to him. I tried to move, it was just futile even with my staff in my hand. "What do you know about it, old man?" He demanded.

"Seriously?" I deadpanned. "You're calling him that?"

Finnwich glared furiously at the creature. "I know what I read on the wall. All that time ago, while you were locked in. It was the so-called 'vile creatures' who decided when the Pyramid was truly to be opened again!"

Is that why the tazelwurms guard the Pyramid? And why all the blue ones had to be kept under the council's control? Guess 'His Eminence' isn't really the master of his fate like he thinks.

"Impossible!" The lizard-man protested. "I decide! And I decide-" Finnwich shot a purple laser out from his hat (never knew about that either) aiming it at the monster's face. He avoided it, the distraction was enough for Finnwich to knock the cane away with his hand and toss it a distance away from His Eminence. The only other one who could get it right now is Lee! "Go!" Finnwich yelled at him. Lee ran towards the cane, His Eminence ordered a hazmat to hit him with a laser. Seeing it, I yelled, "Duck!" Just in time Lee dove to the floor and caught the cane in his hand. "Yes!"

Finnwich called out again. "Use the cane!" Lee grabbed hold of the taz-figure on top. Only to be shot nonetheless by the red beam which left him as stuck as the rest of us. I face-palmed. We're doomed. Lee's caught! This can't be how it ends.

And it wasn't. The hazmat that shot at Lee was suddenly blasted from behind by green crystal. Looking over their shoulders, so were the other three His Eminence had brought with him. "Huh? But we're all here. Who's left to-" Okay, now reality is pulling a one-eighty on me.

Cassandra and Kimmie came into the room holding crystallizer guns. "Uh… thanks?" Lee wasn't sure what they were here for, or if he should be thanking them for it.

"Don't mention it." Kimmie told him in a bored voice. She stopped when she came up to Biffy. "What are you doing here? And why are you wearing a force field?"

Biffy crossed his arms at her. "Yeah, like this was really a choice."

I joked. "Don't you see that everyone's wearing one, Kimmie?"

"Oh hey, Nora right? I heard you were dead." Kimmie pointed her laser at Biffy in an attempt to get him out. She didn't know that these shields reflect and hers crystallizes. The effect was Kimmie being frozen from her neck down.

Rolling his eyes at her, Biffy sarcastically said. "Yeeeeah, nice rescue." I guess it's the thought that counts (50% sarcasm).

I look over at Lee to see him trying to figure out how the cane works. "Stupid cane! How do I-? Urgh!"

Meanwhile, Cassandra had both His Eminence and Finnwich in the corner, completely defenseless while she was fully armed. "Well, well. I'm not sure which one of you I like the least."

Holger pointed. "Holger picks scary monster fella."

"I would too." I say quietly.

"Yeah, thanks I didn't ask you by the way. And are you wearing my outfit!?"

Holger laughed nervously. Yes he is. And it turns out you have a huge butt to hide in that, Cassandra. She glared at Holger, and then turned her attention to the two… males in front of her. "I believe you have something that is now mine. I appreciate you looking after it." Casandra held out her hand. Much to his chagrin, His Eminence took out the key. "Well?" Cassandra demanded. His response was a threatening growl. "Okay, this is taking took long." Out of patience Cassandra fired at him and encased all but his hand holding the key so she could take it.

"The Pyramid must not be opened!" Finnwich warned her.

"He's right!" Said Lee. "A bunch more of them will be freed! It'll be bad."

So that's the Pyramid's real secret! His Eminence's species are in there, and if they're anything like him, they really will bring about the end of the world!

"Duh!" Cassandra shrugged at the two of them. "Like I don't already know that. Hello!"

"Soo… You're going to do something good?" Lee tried to clarify. I wouldn't bet on that, bro.

Cassandra squinted her eyes at him. "Well I wasn't, but then it hit me. Open the Pyramid carefully, don't wake up the sleeping-lizard beauties, and loot what's there. Steal their technology and make a fortune!"

Greedy, witch, vile, dragon- woman! Someone has delusions of grandeur.

"We already have a fortune." Kimmie told her mother.

"Oh, you can never have a big enough fortune."

"This is why I can't stand rich people." I muttered.

"So, did you finally get my memo that your mom is evil?" Biffy asked Kimmie.

"Got it. Read it. And… totally."

I feel bad for Kimmie. She's every bit the spoiled, rich girl, but I know a bad skeleton in the closet can change the outlook of your family. Cassandra seems to have just noticed her daughter is trapped. "Kimberly!" She switches the mode on her gun and frees her. Huh, even Cassandra has something she really does love…

"For goodness sake, boy!" Finnwich called over to Lee. "Twist it twice to the left and press the button." That would have been helpful sooner, Grampa. Sure enough, the shield around Lee disappeared. Cassandra was not happy with this.

"You are the most troublesome kid, ever!" She fired.

Lee jumped out of the way, landing in front of the now frozen hazmats. "Tell me something I don't know." Lee fired using the cane.

Cassandra crouched down and then leaped in the air to a height I had only seen The Serpent reach. Mid-air she aimed her gun at Lee. He gasped, unable to move out of her sight.

From out of nowhere a ray of green shot Cassandra by surprise in the back. Her crystallized self crashed to the floor with Lee able to roll away in the nick of time. "How did that-?" We all turned our heads to look at the only person in the room who had a crystallizing rifle.

Kimmie McAdams.

And the gun was still smoking.

She sighed sadly, then said, "Okay, my mom totally needs therapy. I get it."

One by one, Lee released all of us, including his mom.

In the quiet of that moment I walked up to Finnwich. Glare hardened and arms to my sides.

"N-Now No-Nora, I can explain all this."

"A DOUBLE SUICIDE?!" I screamed at him, throwing my arms up. "That's your way of fixing everything? A DOUBLE SUICIDE?"

He was totally cowering away. "Nora, just let me say-"

"Don't care! Absolutely nothing you say could have called for death by suffocation! Even if Lee died, Dr. Ping and The Serpent are still out there to open the Pyramid! And how would killing yourself in front of us possibly validate any excuse!?" I took a deep breath and brought my hand to my face. "You've just done an amazingly stupid thing, Finnwich." And I told him. "If you want me to trust you again after pulling a move like that, then forget it. You even knew what the risks were for lying to me like this, why else would you refuse to tell me?"

He said nothing in his own defense. This isn't being harsh, he knew this would be coming, obviously. "But…" I said the next part with an even expression and slow voice, "You're my grandfather. So I think, in time, I can forgive you for this." His eyes went up, not expecting this reaction from me. He moved in for a hug; I stepped back and held up a hand to tell him to stop. "However, I don't want to see or speak to you until I can."

He started to make an excuse. Before any sound could come out of his mouth I had already turned and walked over to my friend's group.

"Uh, guys?" came a friend's voice on the monitor. "A little help?" Cam was being chased by two eye-bots.

"But what can we do?" I asked no one in particular, "They're all the way back at the school!"

"We've got to call them off." Lee said.

Finnwich chimed in. "Allow me." He gestured toward the organ. I was skeptical, but Lee got rid of the shield. Finnwich threw a connector cord to Holger. "Plug me in." Holger flew up to the screen and did so. The song he'd been playing so often down here flew from his fingers. At A. Nigma all the machines and all of the cyborg tazelwurms just shut down! Crashing to the floor right where they were.

"How does that song do, like, everything?" Lee wondered.

"It's not just any song, you know." Finnwich explained. "It's the very first song, ever!"

At the sight of officially no more threats around me, I felt a huge burden of anxiety and fear being lifted off my back. "It's finally over." I whispered in awe. I could see Cam and Brandy kissing on the screen as well as the jock, Steve, and mathlete, Greta, hugging.

Holger clasped his hands getting a closer look. "Aw, happy ending!"

Finnwich went to the other side of his desk where Lynch was still unconscious. He waved his mechanical hand over him and emitted a white steam. Lynch opened his eyes and sat up. "Hu? Wah?" Finnwich held out his hand to help him up. "Golly. Thanks, chief!"

I'm going to be mad at my grandfather for a little while now. With I enough time I think I can find a way to forgive him for what he did. If Alex and The Serpent are capable of any redemption, then he is too. But now it's time for that well overdue reunion.

I close up my long staff and tuck it into my belt loop, I don't need it anymore. Mrs. Ping, Jenny, Kimmie with Biffy, Tina with Lee, Holger and I all come together by the chairs where I first woke up here. Mrs. Ping even walks right up to me to say something.

"You've been protecting my son all this time, haven't you?"

Not sure what to really say, I just silently nod. In a surprising move, Mrs. Ping takes my hand with a grateful expression. "Thank you. I can tell he has caused you a lot of trouble."

I roll my eyes but laugh. "Honestly, Mrs. Ping? It's been the greatest experience of my life."

Jovially, Holger lands at the far end of the group. "This place reek of love smell! Even the Amazing Sandwich is being the nice! Everybody is to being with somebody! Everybody except… Holgermeister!" He started to cry.

Holger began looking across the group. He looked past me and at Jenny. He sent he a pleading smile. "Well, okay." She consented with a friendly smile. "But just this one time. And not on the lips." Jenny held out her arms for Holger, but instead he ran right to Mrs. Ping!

"Oh-ho! Mrs. Ping so snuggly."

I laughed, and gave Jenny a one arm hug from the side. Grinning, Lee came up behind his friend and tapped him on the arm. "My turn, big guy!" Holger stepped back from her to let Lee hug his mother. "Love you, Mom!"

Mrs. Ping lovingly hugged him back. "You're father has a lot to explain when we get home! And…" she gently patted him on the back. "I love you too." She is a good mom.

Holger threw his arms up in the air and declared. "Group hug!" Even when Biffy protested saying one a day was already too much, Tina pulled him back in and he accepted.

I know this isn't completely over for us yet. Before we even go home we have to find someone and let him out of the crystal I guess. Whatever Lee decides to do about his brother, I'll stay out of it unless he comes to me for help. And Mrs. Ping is right that her husband owes them a few explanations. So does my dad! But really… nothing else really matters to me right now. I did what I set out to do. Lee's mom now knows he's innocent, I got my friends all back, the monster that broke apart my life and my family is stopped, and I found out more about my own past and present than I could have ever imagined! At every trial, we've all made it through some way or another. And I know we'll continue to.

If all's fair in love and war, then whatever lies in our future, we're going to make it out.

The End...

For now.

A/N: And that's All's Fair.

What can I say? It's been a pleasure, but everything reaches it's end eventually.

Nora's adventures are over at this point, but will she come back?

I'll either do some one shots with her and some of the characters or do my own Season 5 if one doesn't come. maybe even a spin-off.

But for now I need to get back to things like college, family, making scarves, listening to Skariginals, and finding new inspiration.

New readers and old (before I get really preachy) leave reviews on the chapters you liked and what you like about them!

See ya!

-Crystalmoon39

(P.S.) March 3, 2015: I want to thank everyone who helped this story get 10,000 Views! THANK YOU! :) :) :) :)