#18

Disclaimer: Moved to footer.

There is, perhaps, in the entirety of the universe, only one single constant.

Nothing is constant.

[Gold stream.]

He was a creator, a forger, and inventor. He was brilliant, he knew, not ego speaking, but fact. His discoveries and inventions would change the face of science forever.

Assuming that they survived unbroken. Not for the first time, he considered trying to search for a device or an invention to dispatch what he considered the most annoying feature of his life. Dispatch? No, that wasn't fair. Replace? Simply… take the one, and replace it with another, hopefully more capable?

It stood to reason.

Then… to make the device that would solve the problem that plagued him. He smiled, his feet scuffling along the pristine floor of his laboratory.

[Green stream.]

He was a creator, a forger, and an inventor. He was a fool, he knew, behind the facade he often displayed. Few had interests, like his own, and he was often afraid that his knowledge would be useless once the immediate problem was solved.

Not, of course, that the problem was likely to be solved anytime soon. The key, or at least, one of them, was gone. And with her, a new problem.

He rubbed at his chin, leaning back in his chair and contemplating. The key to resolving the situation lay partially in the boy… and possibly the girl. He wasn't certain about that, other than the fact that he wished they got along better. Well, leave well enough alone, he supposed…

But her, on the other hand…

[Gold stream.]

He whistled to himself, polishing the already gleaming steel of his mecha, waiting for something to go wrong. It inevitably did, and he needed to be prepared… though it was easier with her gone, and her more than capable replacement made things even more so.

The computer sounded softly, its low and dulcet voice giving warning. He shrugged, boarding his mecha, and preparing for battle. He was used to this sort of things by now. And… maybe he'd take her along, as a reward for her assistance around the lab.

[Green stream.]

He frowned, watching the pilots on their monitors, struggling frantically with the oppressive enemy forces. The new one… was not as capable as the old one had been. He sighed, shaking his head. She was still in the large unit with the boy, though. Maybe enough could be salvaged.

He was part of the key, after all…

[Gold stream.]

His foes were dangerous, and his mecha crippled. It crouched low, conserving what fuel cells remained. Perhaps he was not so wise to bring the girl along. "I believe that we may have a problem," he enunciated, hands flying across the controls as he assessed his options.

She stepped forward from the back of the cockpit, where she had fallen, and placed her hands on the controls over his. In a very calm tone, she announced, "These are the Wings of the Light Hawk, Dexter-kun."

"What? I did not design this function…" he trailed off, realizing that he was wasting an opportunity, and girded himself to  enter combat as the power cells inexplicably recharged.

[Green stream.]

He grimaced, slapping one hand on the communications switch. "Kazuki-kun!? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" the boy said slowly, one hand on his head. "Dee? Are you okay?"

"Not Dee!" She shouted, inexplicably ecstatic despite the situation. "Dee-dee!"

Disclaimer: Dexter's Lab is property of Cartoon Networks, and Dual! is property of Pioneer.

Notes: By request. Thank Dark Alpha.

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: January 7, 2006