1. Chapter 1

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I do NOT own The Zeta Project!

_"My name is Zeta, I was built to destroy. I will not destroy anymore!"-Zee/Zeta_

_"We'll get you your freedom Zee, I know it!"-Ro Rowen_

**_The MJ project, Chapter 1_**

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"Ugh..." I groaned, the last thing I remember was being in Ms. Marshall's History Class. "Where am I?" I asked aloud waking up to find myself in an alley way. I looked down and grimaced, my clothes were a complete mess. My blue, short-sleeved sweatshirt that was on top of my black long sleeved shirt was covered in dirt, my blue jeans had a rip in the right knee, and my white sneakers were beat up.

"Hey, lookie here guys." some dude with long red hair said to his ugly friends,"Some kid in _our _territory." His friends smirked. One guy with a shaved head began to punch his fist into his left hand.

"You know what we do to trespassers?" I stayed silent. "We kill them!" they ran at me, I shut my eyes for the impact when all of a sudden, silence came. I heard the jerks groan and I peeked open my light brown eyes.

"Are you Ok?" a very familiar voice asked. "You-you're..." I stuttered, I couldn't believe my eyes. There, standing before me, were two of my favorite cartoon characters,"Zeta and Ro..." I whispered.

The silence was very awkward, Ro stared at me with shocked blue eyes, Zee had a befuddled look on his holographic face. "Who are you, how do you know us?" Ro questioned. I sat up and dusted of my pants.

"I'm not sure how I got here, my names Maddie June. Call me MJ. I know you because, you won't believe me, but you guys aren't real. You're both fictional characters produced by Warner Bros. Production. You first appeared during a pilot episode of Batman Beyond, again, fictional show. You want to be free from killing but Agent James Bennett doesn't believe you can be peaceful, he thinks that you were reprogrammed by a terrorist group called Brother's Day. Therefore, you are on a mission to find Dr. Eli Selig so that he can clear your name, he is your creator and the reason why you are a peaceful robot. Rosalie Rowen, or Ro, has accompanied you on your mission for freedom." I stopped and caught my breath

They stared a me with wide eyes, Ro busted out laughing after the small silence,"Yeah, right, fictional!" the blond gasped out, Zeta looked at her confused,"But Ro, she just explained to us our mission." "Pssh, she probably got that off the Net." "Yeah, sure, 'cuz the Net has _everything_." I said in sarcasm, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest. Ro glared at me.

"If what you say is true, then how did you get here?" Zeta asked,"I told you, I don't know." "Well, it's not our business." Ro brushed me off, starting to walk away. "I know where your brother is." I said.

She stopped and turned to me. "All right, you have my attention." I smirked inwardly,"First, I want to join you in your mission." "No way," I cut her off,"No deal, no info." She growled, Zee cut in,"We can't allow you to come, it's to dangerous."

"And I quote,'I have nowhere else to go, that's dangerous'." I stated, using the line Ro used in Episode 1. She gaped at me then smirked,"I like her, MJ, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship." She put her arm around me, leaving the Infiltration Unit to be confused.

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"First thing's first, you need a new look." my new blond friend said, studying my appearance. Zee finally agreed to let me join the team, although very reluctant at first.

I walked out of the dressing room wearing a white fitted, long-sleeved shirt under a sleeveless blue zip up vest with a hood, tight fitting jeans and black and white basketball sneakers. My shoulder length, blackish brown hair, that was frizzy earlier, was now straight and silky and tied in a low ponytail with the bangs framing my slightly tanned face.

Zee paid for my new look which cost 38 credits and escorted Ro and I out. "Thank you." I said gratefully. "Hey, you're part of the family now." Ro smiled. "Oh, that reminds me, your brother is in Golden Burg, you know, the place with the Trollis? He works as a reporter, goes by the name Casey McCurdy." I said.

"McCurdy?" Ro questioned,"Something about having a great foster mom." I shrugged,"Golden Burg, that's on the other side of the country." Zee said, processing the map and GPS system into his mechanical mind.

Ro smirked,"It's better then nothing, in the mean time, let's get more info on Dr. Selig." Zee nodded.

I strapped myself into the red hover car, Ro and Zee mimicked my movements and drove off to the next city,"Ground Wire?" "One in every town." I smiled.

Looks like adventure has finally made its landing into my life. Just, not the way I expected.

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**Review! Oh, and in the next chapter, I get myself familiar with the future.**

	2. Chapter 2

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I do NOT own The Zeta Project!

**_"My name is Zeta, I was built to destroy, I will not destroy anymore!"-Zee/Zeta_**

**_"We'll get you your freedom Zee, I know it!"-Ro Rowen_**

**_Chapter 2, Futuristic_**

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"Are we there yet?" I groaned, Zee smiled apologetically,"Nope, sorry." I sighed and stared out to the scenery, Ro smiled,"You bored too, Kiddo?" she asked, she began calling me 'Kiddo' for unknown reasons.

"Yes." I grunted. It felt like we've been driving for hours, but it's only been thirty minutes. "I was never the patient one back home." I grumbled, then I realized something.

"Oh. My. Gosh! Home! Oh, my mom must be worrying herself sick!" I groaned,"Didn't you say we were a TV show?" Ro asked,"Yeah, why?" "Well, if your mom's watching this, then she knows where you are." "Your logic is outstanding." I grumbled.

If mom did find out where I am, then I am guaranteed to be grounded 'til I turned eightteen, which meant six years with no parties. "Oh well, until I can find a way back home, I'm stuck here." I grumbled.

"Cheer up, you're spending a while with us, if that's not fun then what is?" Ro smirked. "Yeah," I smiled.

Adrenaline rushes were always fun.

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"So this is what a Cyber caffe' looks like, schway." I commented,"I thought you were new to this time period." Zee stated,"Fictional time period, I am. But I've watched your guys' show along with The Batman Beyond series dozens of times, enough to know the modern day slang." I explained.

"Ugh, great, more literal terms, just what I need." Ro muttered, I simply smiled while following my new friends inside.

Meanwhile...

"Sir! You may want to see this." Agent Rush pushed a tape into a VCR, it showed a guy with long orange hair,"It was freaky, we were just messing with some kid when a dude shows up with a blond chick and beated us 'til we groaned. What's weirder was the guy's arms stretched out when he grabbed us, like rope. Next thing we know, the kid disappeared with the dude and the chick."

Agent Bennett's eyes narrowed,"Zeta...where was this played?" "Brooklyn sir." "No doubt he'll be on the move, get agents to scout the East Coast area, we'll get that synthoid if it's the last thing we do." he declared.

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"Any luck?" I asked as I sipped my cherry cola,"It says that Dr. Selig is to appear in The Science Museum in New Jersey, he's going to give a speech on mechanical units that were shipped across the Pacific Ocean." Zee said, his downloading cord pressing info into his circuitry,"When exactly?" Ro pressed,"In five days."

"Then let's go, we have no time to waste." Ro said,"But it's late, we should stay here for tonight." Zee suggested, it was already five o'clock,"I saw a Motel not too far from here." "Ok, let's go."

The motel was nice, not like those kind with rats and roaches crawling about, it even had a gift shop,"Hey, can I check out the gift shop?" I asked, Zee looked a little reluctant to let me wander off,"I promise to be careful." I assured him, he nodded and gave me a cred card with 50 credits generated in, I thanked him and left.

I browsed around 'til I came upon a nice knap-sack, checking the price it only cost 15 credits. I thought that we could use a bag for things like phones or something.

Then I saw a medium sized journal with a black, silver-starred cover design with a matching pen and pencil, it cost-ed 5 credits. I saw a black baseball cap and thought,_'I may need to disguise myself.'_and added that to my basket. I saw some vid walkie talkies,"I could definitely use these." I muttered, I went to pay, it cost-ed 35 creds in all.

I walked back to the room,"Hey." I greeted Ro and Zee,"What'd you get?" Ro asked,"A Knapp-sack in case we need to hold some stuff, a journal and pen that way I can keep track of my adventures, a cap so I can disguise myself when needed, and some walkie-talkies if we are ever separated." I said, handing them their walkies talkies.

"Ok, now let's get some eats. I saw a Mexican place down the road, let's grab some tacos." Ro said, putting on a leather jacket, Zee would be accompanying us as well, even though he never ate.

At the restaurant, Zee made the orders while Ro and I waited at the table that we sat at. I ordered a Mexican burrito rap while Ro got two tacos, we ordered some nachoes too, that way Zee didn't look suspicious.

"So, MJ, what are we like in your world?" Ro asked, I then got a fun idea on how to tease them,"Well, a lot of people see you two as a couple." I stated nonchalantly, Ro choked a little on her beverage.

"Couple?" Zee asked confused,"You know, romantic interests, boyfriend-girlfriend. They think it's 'cute', like how you save Ro and how you help Zee." I stated, Ro blushed furiously,"Ro, you Ok? You look like a tomatoe." I asked, even though I knew why she was blushing.

"I still do not understand, we are friends," Zee stated,"Yeah, well, people think it would be SO cute for you guys to get together in,'that way'. You guys are basically Intimate Friends." I stated, sipping my soda after words.

"Wha-but Zee's my friend, you don't date friends!" Ro protested,"Oh God, where have I heard this before? Oh, pretty much _every_ cartoon where there are two friends where one's a girl and the other's a main character. Ai-yah." I muttered, completely ignoring her protests.

I froze when I looked out the window.

Agents West and Rush were outside, showing a holographic picture of Zee in synthoid and hologrammed human forms. "Uh, guys?" "What?" Ro asked, slightly irritated that I interupted her ranting.

"Um, are we allowed to leave out the back?" I asked, still staring out the window,"Why?" Zee questioned, I turned to look at them, slightly pale in coloring,"Federal Agents, across the street." I said slowly, Zee turned to where I was looking and his eyes widened slightly,"Run." he comanded.

Ro and I didn't waste time, we ran through the back doors, Zee running after us.

"Halt Zeta!" Agent West commanded when he turned to see us run frantically, he and Agent Rush ran across the street and into the restaurant. I huffed as I ran along side the two fugitives. Clutching my newly bought knapp-sack that had my belongings in them.

"Well, what's the plan?!" I said through gasps,"Plan?" Zee echoed,"You do have a plan, right Zee?" Ro asked desperately,"Keep running!" "Oh, I like that plan." I muttered, we passed through an alley, the Agents on our tails, they began to shoot.

"Crap." I said as I ducked some lasers, I saw some garbage cans and toppled them, blocking the path for the agents,"Ha!" I yelled in triumph as I blew a rasberry at them.

"Quickly now, board the bus!" Zee said, we were lucky that this bus was headed towards a train station, we quickly boarded, glad that we were the last of the passengers, and sighed in relief when we sat down.

I looked behind us to see the agents failing miserably to follow. "Woohoo, let's do that again." I said in sarcasm.

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"We lost the synthoid sir." Agent Rush said dully through the vid phone,"And?" "There was another girl with them, younger then 16, she looked to be asian." "Probably a hostage." Agent Bennett said accusingly, Agent Rush shook her head.

"She helped them escape willingly." Bennett's eyes widened slightly,"She must be a part of Brother's Day. Find them, I want more information on this girl."

"Ok, I'm thinking of a word, first two letters are 'D' and 'W', what word am I thinking of?" Ro asked, we were playing 'Guess What Word' to pass the time, Zee's eyes flashed green, "I have found three words that start with those two letters, Dwarf, Dwell and Dwindle. So it must be one of those words." The train ride was so boring.

I sighed irritably,"You forgot dweeb." I muttered, Zee raised an eyebrow in confusion. Ro simply shook her head and stared out the window. "Refreshments?" A young lady with a cart topped with food asked, her eyes gleamed when she saw Zee. I smirked in my head,_'Wait 'til she finds out he's a synthoid.'_ Zee just glanced at her, then stared at Ro and I, we both shook our heads a little,"No thank you." he said politely.

The girl, who had slightly tanned skin, black hair and green eyes, frowned and glared at Ro and I. Ro was too busy thinking to notice or care, but I glared right back. Zee kept staring at Ro.

The green-eyed girl didn't know when to take a hint 'cuz she kept on asking Zee in her stupidly fake, sugar-coated tone. "Are you sure? Are you sure?" I looked at her and then whispered to Ro so that Zee couldn't hear. She giggled.

"Yes, we're sure." she said, cuddling Zee's arm. He smiled calmly and didn't notice the girl fuming. With a 'Hmph!' she turned and left with her cart.

Ro and I busted out laughing, Zee looked at us confused,"Zee, that girl was hitting on you! You!" I giggled out,"Hitting?" Ro nodded,"That's why she kept asking if you wanted something to eat. I didn't notice at first, but when MJ explained the situation,"She began to have a giggle fit,"We decided that the only way for us to have some peace, was if I pretended to be your girlfriend."

Zee gave her a blank stare,"But, you _are _my girlfriend." he said slowly, Ro stopped laughing and turned scarlet red. Worried that his 'girlfriend' had caught a fever, he placed a hand on her head and studied her temperature. I laughed.

"I'm not your girlfriend!" she defended, Zee looked befuddled,"But, you're a female and my friend, are you not?" She nodded,"So that makes you my girlfriend." Ro turned red again, I was getting a stomache ache from laughing so much,"Zee, there's a difference from a girlfriend and a friend who's a girl."

Zee made an 'O' sound, like he comprehended what she had said. "What's the difference?" "Um-well-it's a -" my blond friend stuttered as Zee stared at her, awaiting her answer,"It's hard to explain,"I cut in, finally stopped laughing,"We'll tell you when we have a good and simple answer," Ro nodded in agreement. Zee smiled and suggested that we sleep, too tired to argue, Ro and I fell asleep, she slept on his lap and I slept on the one facing oppisite from them.

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The train came to a halt the next morning, we found ourselves five miles away in a station near Manhattan Bridge, cars flew all over the fron road near the gate, and I mean that literally.

"This could take some getting use to." I mused, staring at the hovering cars along with the synthoids, robots and holographic designs. "Let's get going, I'm giving you a tour of the future." Ro said grabbing my hand, Zee followed us in a hurry.

It was going to be a long day.

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**Sayuki:So, how was it? In the next one, I play at the VROOM! (Virtual Room) See ya next time!**

	3. Chapter 3

**I do NOT own TZP!**

**_"My name is Zeta, I was built to destroy, I will not destroy anymore!"-Zee/Zeta_**

**_"We'll get you your freedom Zee, I know it!"-Ro Rowen_**

**The MJ Project, Chapter 3 VROOM!**

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I was sitting on the beach in a blue bathing suit with a dark blue dragon design on the back, the beach was a little crowded. People were playing frizball or swimming, Ro wasn't too far from me, she layed on a red matt and bathed in the sun in her pink bikini.

Zee stood over us, "We should really be at The New Jersey Museum," Ro cut him off,"Zee, the speech isn't until tomorrow, chill." "Chill?" "You know, relax." I said, leaning on my elbows.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion,"We'll go later." I said, closing my eyes and enjoying the summer breeze, "Ok." I heard Zee reply. After two minutes, he stood over us again, his shadow blocking the sun.

"When is 'later'?" Ro and I groaned in exasperation. "How 'bout you get us some ice creams and we'll check out the museum right after?" I suggested, he nodded,"Flavors?" "Chocolate." "Vanilla." Ro and I said in unison, we looked at each other and said at the same time,"Chocolate-Vanilla swirl." Zee walked to the ice cream vendor,"Seriously, there should be an 'OFF' button for that guy's circuits." I stated, rolling my towel.

"You can't really blame him though, he really wants his freedom," Ro said,"Yeah, I think there's a VRoom next door to the museum, we can relax there." "Works for me."

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"Ha! Eat my lasers!" I exclaimed as I shot red lasers at zombies. Zee, Ro and I were at the VRoom next to the Museum, we had already checked the museum to find out that it was closed on Sundays. I was occupied playing Zombie Attack! III. "Oh, don't worry, I've saved enough for you Creep-Zilla!" I blasted the head of a giant Lizard-Zombie,"NEW HIGHSCORE, YOU WIN!!!" The machine's voice said with a computer accent, the screen showed the words,'YOU WIN! 10,000 POINTS!' in holographic yellow.

I smirked as I took off my helmet, I turned and froze. With my vid-game skills, I attracted a large group of nerdy looking boys my age."Oh no." "WOW! SO COOL!" They screamed, I gulped and ran. The nerds were chasing after me but I managed to hide in a broom closet.

"I'd better stay here for a bit." I whispered, I amused myself by singing a japanese song that my great grandma taught me.

_Bokura wa_

_kitto matteru_

_kimi to _

_mata aeru_

_hibi wo_

_Sakura namiki_

_no michi no_

_ue de_

_te wo furi_

_sakebu yo_

_Donna ni_

_Kurushii toki mo_

_kimi wa waratte_

_iru kara_

_kujikesou ni_

_nari kakete_

_mo_

_ganbareru ki ga_

_shita yo_

_kasumi yuku keshiki_

_no naka ni_

_ano hi no uta ga kikoeru_

_Sakura! Sakura! Ima_

_sakihokoru! Setsuna_

_ni chiri yuku_

_sadame to shitte_

_saraba tomo yo!_

_tabidachi no toki!_

_Kawaranai sono_

_omoi wo...Ima~_

I sang quietly, I felt a tear slide down my cheek because my greatgrandma died not long after she taught me this song. (You can find this song on youtube, Sakura SONG). When I was sure the coast was clear, I walked out of the closet, still humming the tune.

"There you are!" I heard Ro exclaim, I turned to see said girl and Zee jogging after me,"We've been looking _everywhere_ for you." She exasperated.

"Why?" I asked,"Well-" "FREEZE ZETA!" Federal Agents yelled,"Aw crap." I muttered, I ran with Zee and Ro,"Ok, Five Creds says that Agent West will somehow mess this up in three...two...one!" And as if on time, Agent West, who was standing in front of the other two agents, tripped, causing the others two trip over him.

"Ha! Only twips would bet against that." Ro said knowingly.

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We hid at a small hotel dorm that was very modest, only two single beds, a small table desk with a TV on it and two lamps. "We should stay here for a while, 'night." I said, slipping into one of the beds, Ro stayed in the other while Zee stayed on guard.

I fell into a light sleep.

"MJ, Ro. Wake up!" I heard Zee's voice whisper furiously, I popped open my eyes as I sat up straight,"Zee?" "We have to leave! Agents are swarming around the hotel." I grabbed my Knapp-sack and shook Ro,"Don't tell me, agents?" "Yep." "Slaggit."

"I thought I heard something over here." I heard Rush's voice mutter out in the hall. I widened my eyes,"What do we do, we can't leave out front!" I whispered, Ro hugged me to her body as Ze held both of us in one arm.

Opening the window, he used his free arm as a grabbling hook and threw it across another roof. It was still dark out so I guessed it was around three AM."Freeze Zeta!" Agent West yelled as we swung out the window.

"Aaaahhh!" I screamed a Tarzan scream,"What are you doing?" "I watched Tarzan too many times before, I had to try it." We safely landed on the roof, Agents began shooting at us.

"Oh slaggit." I mumbled as we ran,"Don't these guys ever sleep?!" I asked,"You have to respect the fact that they are so devoted." Zee stated,"You respect it!" Ro shot back.

We ran to a 24-Hour bus stop and boarded another bus,"Sorry we had to leave before the speech Zee." I said sincerely,"Some other time, perhaps." He said, Ro rubbed his back comfortingly.

We got away, yes, but we had lost the purpose for being here. Now, we needed another way to contact Dr. Selig .

It's still a long journey, but it'll be worth it, I know.

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**Sayuki: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy with school. Review!**

	4. Chapter 4

**I do NOT own the Zeta Project!**

**_"My name is Zeta, I was built to destroy. I will not destroy anymore!"-Zee/Zeta_**

**_"We'll get you your freedom Zee, I know it!"-Ro Rowen._**

**Chapter 3, Bucky Meet MJ**

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"Agent Bennett, we got a lead on where Zeta and the girls might be." Agent Rush stated,"Well?" "Sources say that they are nearing an institute for future scientists." "Hm, get agents to locate them immediately." "Right!"

"Ok, why are we here again?" I asked, we stopped in front of an Institute,"To see if we can get information on Dr. Selig." "Ugh, sadly, this is where Bucky is." "Ew, the annoying braniac, honestly, I wondered why his parents named him 'Bucky'. I mean, that's a name for a beaver." I said, Ro giggled.

We walked in to an office, being escorted by a guard, when we came upon a room with smoke coming out. "-cough- -cough- Bucky!" A lady's voice bellowed,"I must have set the reacter wrong, I can fix it!" "No, you're staying in your room 'til further-coughs- notice!" the door opened sending more smoke out, a lady with brown hair was holding Bucky by the elbow and pulling him out.

"Hey guys!" Bucky greeted sheepishly,"Who's this?" he asked, gesturing to me,"Ancient Proverb." I started," 'None of your Beeswax'!" Ro laughed, "Bucky,we need to speak to you." Zee said, he looked at the professer who was holding him, she growled and let Bucky go.

"30 minutes." she left with the guard. We walked into Bucky's completely disorganized room,"Ew." I said, walking over his dirty laundry. "Seriously, who is that?" Bucky asked, slightly annoyed that I sat on_ his _bed while reading _his _comic books.

"The name's MJ beaver-boy." I said, absently reading. He glared daggers into me,"She's from another reality, apparently we are all on a very popular show." "Tch, yeah right." Bucky muttered, after Zee explained to why I was here. "Bucky Buenventura, age 12, height "5'4, favorite food." I wrinkled my nose,"Ketchup and potatoe chip sandwitches." Ro made a gag sound while Bucky stared at me in shock,**(AN: I don't know if any of this is true, I totally made it up, except for his last name.) **I continued to flip through the comic book,"It was on your fansite, apparently you are very popular, but very annoying." I said, not looking up from the 'Plant-Men Comic'.

"Heh, the ladies love me." He said in a conceited voice,"Didn't say they were girls, Beaver-Boy." He took a minute too let my words sink in before making a face, Ro was on the part of the floor that was clean while laughing, I gave a smug smirk.

He 'hmphed!' and got on his computer,"What did'ya guys need?" He asked in his accent,"Info on Dr. Selig." I flipped another page, while reading I felt someone's gaze on me, I turned to see Bucky staring at me with a thoughtful look on his face.

"How _exactly _did you get here?" he questioned.

I shrugged,"One minute I'm in my reality, Ms. Marsall's History Class, the next, I was in an alley in New York." "Hm. Anything else." "I saw a bright light." I stated, Bucky began to type things on the Net,"Someone must have used a DT 3000." "???" I looked at Zee and Ro, Zee's eyes flashed green,"DT 'Dimensional Transporter'." I raised an eyebrow,"In order for you to get to your home, you need to have a reversed dimension scrambler." "English Einstien?" "We need to build a Dimension Generator."

"But?" "Buliding one we'll take a LONG time." I sighed,"Well, 'til we _can_ build one, I'm stuck here. Or until I find a portal." I added to myself quietly.

We managed to get information on Dr. Selig before we were kicked,"Later Beaver-Boy." I bidded, Bucky growled.

When we were out of the room, I could faintly hear Bucky's voice say,"Oh yeah, chickas dig me." I wrinkled my nose before shaking my head.

"Anything on the doctor?" "Yup, Bucky said that would be appearing in Ohio, didn't say when though." "Let's hop on the next flight after tonight."

And we were off, again!

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We stayed in a hotel in Pennsylvania, we had been driving for hours. After a good meal, I slid into bed. "I'll shut off too." Zee had said, which is why I now lay awake, lisening to Zee's snoring.

I sat up and wrote in my journal.

_"Today I met the oh-so-annoying Bucky Buenaventura. He is SO conceited, it annoys the heck out of me. He's useful though, he said something about a Dimension Scrambler Generator that can send me home. I don't know how though. Hope to write soon-MJ"_

I silently closed my journal when I heard two familiar voices. "Maybe Zeta's in one of these rooms." My breath hitched,"Slaggit." I jumped out of bed and shook Ro,"Hm?" "Feds!" I whispered frantically.

She sat up and jumped on Zee's Back,"Hm, Ro what is it?" he asked concerned,"I'll check here." West's voice sounded muffled,"The feds." I muttered, Zee holographically morphed and grabbed the two of us.

I grabbed my knap-sack before he swung his arm to a light post across the street,"Hold on!" we swung down. "FREEZE ZETA! RUSH I FOUND THEM!" West yelled.

The agents began to shoot at us, they hit the arm Zee had used to hold us. "Aaaahhh!!!" Ro and I screamed while following downwards, there was no way we'd survive this.

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**Sayuki: Oh Cliffie! Read and Review please! I apologize for not updating in like forever, I'm in LA, luckily, my mom let me take my laptop with me, so yeah.**

	5. Chapter 5

**I do NOT own the Zeta Project, But I do own MJ.**

**_"My name is Zeta, I was built to destroy. I will not destroy anymore!"-Zee/Zeta_**

_**"We'll get you your freedom Zee, I know it!" -Ro Rowen**_

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**Chapter 5, Memories Lost?**

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"Ah! Oof!" I fell on top of a garbage can, Ro fell beside me, but her head was hit against the brick wall before she fainted. "Ro? Ro!" I screamed, shaking her shoulders slightly, she wouldn't budge, a little blood trickled down her forehead. "Zee! Ro! She's hurt!" I cried out, the agents were about to get here. "No.." I heard Zee whisper in slight horror,"Not again.."

He grabbed Ro bridal style, and ran with me. We managed to ditch the agents at a mall, which we ran through furiously. We got Ro to an ambulance, saying she tripped and banged her head hard.

"She's fine, just a slight concussion, the wound was only mild. She was lucky you two were around." The ER doctor said before leaving. "Was she?" Zee asked himself,"She'll be fine Zee."

He didn't respond and sat down on the chair near the hospital bed. I was exhausted and fell into a light sleep at Ro's bedside. I awoke to hear Zee holomorph into his synthoid self. I kept my eyes closed and listened.

"You act so tough, I forget you're still a human. I'm sorry." he whispered,"For what?" I heard Ro say as she got up. "Ro!" I hugged her,"Who?" she asked with total confusion on her face.

I slowly let go of her. "Ro, that's your name. You don't remember?" I asked, she shook her head. Zee, who had changed back to human form, widened his eyes. "Get a medic!"

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The doctor came in and checked her brain waves,"Hm, slight amnesia, very common in most blows to the head, 99% temporary." "And the other 1?" "Permanent, it would most likely help if you showed her memories from before, slowly. Start with her name and age." he said,"I'll let her out of the hospital so she can get familiar to the outside world again."

So we checked out of the hospital, after some nurses got Ro dressed of course. We slowly walked out, Zee holding Ro's hand, leading her to wherever we we're going. It was odd to see Ro Rowen,"Action Hero" being dragged along. Usually, it was the other way around.

Many people whispered about the 'cute' sight of Zee and Ro holding hands. I smiled to myself.

We sat at a park bench and bought some bird food for the pigeons. "My name is Rosalie Rowen?" "Well, you usually go by the name 'Ro'." I said, throwing some grains to the ground.

"Ro?" she echoed, looking slightly thoughtful,"And you are my friends?" "Yes, my name is,Maddielyn June Miraco. Or MJ for short." "I'm Zeta." Zee said,"Zee, for short," I added.

"Zee?" she repeated,"That sounds familiar," "It should, you gave him that nickname." Ro smiled,"I think I remember you two, it's a little blurry though." "Well, it's better than nothing."

Zee got up and bought a couple of ice cream cones,"Here." he said handing me a vanilla one and the chocolate to Ro. She stared at it before licking it slowly,"Well, at least she still knows the basics of eating." I muttered, licking my cone lightly.

After the walk through the park, we stopped at a thrift shop. "You use to love shopping." I commented, putting an emphasis on 'shopping'.

She looked at a pair of bluish black jeans, she was about to strip her pants off before I stopped her,"Woah there, dressing rooms are that way." I pointed to a direction, she blankly stared at me, I sighed and grabbed her wrist,"We'll be right back." I said to an obviously amused Zee, I knew why he was amused. Usually _he _was the clueless one, of course he was worried, but it wasn't everyday you saw a human acting as clueless as a synthoid.

We purchased the pair of jeans when Ro saw what she liked in the dressing room mirror. I found a nice, long-sleeved , black shirt and bought it, wearing it proudly under my sleeveless blue hoodie-vest.

* * *

We slept in a red car that Zee had rented, we figured we'd throw off the agents by buying a swanked-out hotel room reservation, but we ended up sleeping at a garage at an abandoned ware-house. I didn't mind too much, but Ro was restless.

I was worried about her amnesia, so I woke her up.

"Huh?" "Ro, are you Ok? You keep on shifting in your sleep." "I-I think so. I had a really weird dream, but I can't remeber it now."

"Ro, MJ!" Zee came rushing in the garage, he had been on watch outside. "Federal Agents!" "Who?" "Talk later!" Zee hopped in the car and speeded out the back door.

We braced ourselves for everything,"Why are they chasing us?!" Ro cried,"They want Zee, they think he's a killer, your his best friend we're helping him bust out!" I replied.

The agents fired at us, West had a cannon laser. "West don't shoot! Don't- Damn it!" Benett yelled, "Oops."

The beam hit one side of the car and we fell off a cliff, Zee held us, using himself as a cushion since he could pretty much survive anything. "AAAAAHHH!"

We fell, everything went black.

* * *

"Zee, she's waking up!" I heard a girl's voice say, I shot up like a pop tart and saw Ro and Zee, who hugged me tightly,"Woah, that was some fall, huh?" "Yeah, I blame West." Ro said calmly.

Wait, we never told her anything specific about the agents, seeing a how it wasn't important. "Ro, you remember?" She smirked and nodded,"I took another blow to the head, this time, everything came back to me. I know you, Zee, the feds and our friends."

I hugged her,"What a relief." I sighed.

"Come on, let's go, we've still have to find Dr. Selig." Zee helped me up, and we walked off into the dawn of morning, hoping to find a city.

* * *

**Sayuki:So, how was it? Sorry I haven't updated, been having writer's block. I'll try to think hard for ideas, review!**

	6. The End?

**I do NOT own TZP!**

**_"My name is Zeta, I was built as a weapon to destroy. But I will not destroy anymore!"-Zee/Zeta_**

**_"We'll get you your freedom Zee, I know it!"-Ro Rowen_**

**Chapter 6, Big Brother**

* * *

We were riding on a motorcycle, away from the feds,"Ahhh!" I shrieked as they shot lasers at us,"You'd think they would stop by now," I muttered as Zee did this awesome drag-turn towards the next corner, barely making it.

"Get down!" Ro ordered, ducking as a net hurled past our heads. "Guys." Bucky said through the vid-screen,"Now's not a good time, beaver-boy." I said,"Can you help us escape Bennet?" Zee asked, Bucky smirked before shaking his head. "You're on your own, that's not why I called-" "Talk later." Ro hit the disconnect button over Zee's shoulder.

"Shit." I cursed as our motorcycle slowed down a little,"Out of gas." We hopped off the cycle and ran in through a door. "Phew, we lost them, for now at least." "Uh, I don't think we're in reality anymore." I pointed through the building. People were dressed as comic-book characters or cos-playing as TV-show characters.

"Ew, someone call the fashion police." Ro wrinkled her nose,"We seem to have stumbled upon a comic-fest." Zee stated,"Duh." I looked over behind my shoulder and froze,"Damn, they're back!"I pointed to the front door, two or three agents were running at us,"Hide!"

We ran across the room and into some closet, inside was a rack of costumes,"Ugh." Ro muttered as Zee handed her a brown cloak, like the ones that monks wear, he gave me a smaller one.

We placed on the hoods, Zee opened the door and we walked out slowly. The feds ran past us, we were heading to a public vid-phone when Bucky showed on the screen,"This better be good, Beaver-boy." I said coldly, he smirked when he saw the cloaks,"Ai Chihuahua, you guys in a temple?" Ro and I growled at him, Zee interrupted before a fight could happen,"What is it?"

"I found someone Ro may want to talk to," he reconnected the contact system,"This is the desk of Casey McCurdy." "Casey?" a man with orange red hair connected to a beard was on the screen, "You contacted me." He looked towards us, he had the same eyes as Ro.

"It's your brother." I whispered, she took off her hood before looking at a holographic photo,"You wouldn't happen to be missing a sister, would you?" she asked, hope in her voice.

Casey stared at her,"Rosalie?" "I don't believe it." tears clouded Ro's eyes slightly, I smiled at Zee who smile back. I sniffed a little,"I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry," I chanted,"Ah, who am I kidding I'm a sap!"I sobbed, totally touched by the moment.

Zee looked at me strangely,"Are you crying?" "I-I'm fine." I quickly wiped my face and turned to him, Zee stared at me for a couple of minutes before turning back to Ro and Casey's conversation.

"Where are you guys?" he asked,"We're just a couple of miles away, MJ said you lived in Golden Burg?" He nodded,"How'd she know?" "Long story, anyway, maybe we can meet up with you."

"Yeah, meet me at the Golden Burg Park in the city square. It'll be like finding home." Casey smiled warmly,"That sounds...nice." she said, the vid-screen turned black.

"-sigh- It's moments like this that make hanging out with you guys worth while." I said, smiling at them.

* * *

While we we're on a bus to Golden Burg, Zee stared out the window while Ro kept on looking at the hologram pic. of her brother. I smiled, _'It's only fitting that Ro get's to see her brother while traveling with Zee.' _I thought.

At Casey's workplace...(Third person POV)

"Congrats McCurdy, you just got the story of a lifetime." His editor said, turning the monitor on a computer to him. It showed wanted pics with mugshots of Zee, Ro and MJ.

"Sorry sir, I'm not turning them in, Rosalie is my sister." Casey retorted. The editor growled a little,"You know how many people dream for a story to just fall into their lap?!"

"I don't care." "At least think about it!" Casey didn't answer, he just walked off to the place that they were supposed to meet at.

* * *

"So, do you remember why our parents left us?" Ro asked, popping a dumpling into her mouth after. "Well, dad died in an accident and mom had to leave us with her paents fo a while." "What happened to them?" "They were old." "Oh..."

She decided to change the subject. "You know, you didn't make it easy to find you."

"But that didn't stop you, you're still a little bulldozer." She paused,"Bulldozer?" "When you were little and wanted something, you'd plow into every obstacle to get it, it was grandpa's nickname for you." Casey smiled as Ro whispered,"Granpa..."

He turned to look at Zee and me,"Are you sure your safe in the hand of an ex-killer robot?" Her head snapped up,"Zee isn't like that, he takes care of us, we take care of each other."

I threw some of the dumplings that I didn't eat onto the floor for the pigeons. Casey's cell rang.

"Hello, McCurdy." he answered.

_"Are you with them?"_

His eyes widened slightly. "I don't have an answer for you, but I'll give one too you later, bye." Ro's brother hung up his phone.

Casey's workplace...

"Was that enough for you?" the editor asked, Bennet looked at Agent Rush who nodded,"Yes, today we get the synthoid!"

* * *

"Fortune cookie?" Casey offered, Zee looked confused,"My human for is a hologram, I don't eat." He said,"Zee, it's not about the cookie, it's about the fortune inside." "I always thought that the fortunes were meaningless and random." "Just shut-up and read."

He did so. " 'You have a sharp-edge sense of humor'." He said aloud,"Hm, you're right it is random, Ro, what's your's say?" I asked," 'You care deeply for all living things'." She read, I snorted.

Zee just smiled at her before she switched the fortunes," 'Your life will be filled with a puzzled road'." I frowned,"I didn't need a fortune to tell me that." Casey laughed a little. "What?" "It's just, you're not what I expected from a killer-robot."

Zee smiled,"What does yours say?" " 'Your job is doing the thing that you love."

We spent the day touring Golden Burg, we took a picture in a booth. Four different pictures were printed out, I took the one of all of us smiling nicely, Zee took the one where we all hugged, Ro took the one of us making funny faces(Minus Zee who was confused about that one) and Casey kept the one of Zee, Ro and I.

* * *

We were all smiling and laughing, when agents came,"Run!" Zee said. We ran as fast as we could as Casey tried to compromise with them, I stopped and Ro tried to pull me."Come on! We have to go!"

"Ro, a portal!" I screamed,"It might take me back home!" I said. She looked at me then at the green glowing hole. "Zee! MJ found a way home!" She yelled, Zee stared at me as did Ro.

"Go. We won't forget you." Zee said, smiling a happy yet sad smile. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "There's no guarantee that I can make it home, but..." I hugged them both tightly.

"Goodbye. Good luck. I love you guys." I sniffed and let the tears flow freely,"Our paths may or may not cross again, so here." I gave Ro my hat, the one thing I had first bought and used. I gave Zee my scrunchie, putting it around his wrist.

"Tell Casey,'thanks'. Same with Be-I mean Bucky." I took a deep breathe as Ro hugged me. Before jumping in, she whispered,"Good luck, Kiddo." And I jumped.

* * *

The swirling vortex made me so dizzy, a bright light consumed my body. Then, all went black. I woke up to find myself, not only in cartoon form, but I was at least two years older then before. I was fourteen with a slightly more matured body. My clothes looked like they had shrunk. I gulped, across the alley that I had laid in was a bank.

New Gotham Bank. "I'm in Batman Beyond?!" I fainted.

* * *

To be continued...

**Sayuki:So, I know it sucked but I wanted to end my adventures in the Zeta Project. Look out for the upcoming sequel,'MJ Beyond'! Review, and I'll try to make the sequel longer and better!**

End file.

The MJ Project by Gotham Girl 101


The Simple Things

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Zeta Project'. I do not own any of its characters. It's just a fanfiic.

A/N As English isn't my native language, I want to thank Aldebaran8423 for her editing help on this drabble.

I like Aldebaran8423's idea we, all TZP fans, to celebrate Zee's Independence Day - August 5th, so I'm posting this short story for Zee's Independent Day!

The Simple Things

by Iglika

From what the little girl could see, I was her Dad, helping her learn to ride a bicycle.

The question escaped my lips. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, Daddy!" her resonant voice answered me immediately.

I let go of her bike and she shouted happily, "I'm doing it! Daddy, look!"

I remained in place, following her with my gaze. My answer: "I'm looking" had to be encouraging, but I knew it sounded sad.

Terribly sad.

Hopelessly sad.

Luckily the girl was too young and too occupied with the bike to notice. And her mother wasn't here...

Suddenly I sensed how from behind me, two warm hands gently touched my shoulders.

I didn't voice my surprise, but I knew my expression had betrayed how startled I was.

No one had touched me like this before. No one had trusted me.

No one had shown me love with even such a small, ordinary gesture.

I said nothing, but I turned to Mrs. Dolan, trying a smile.

Family.

Devotion.

Trust.

Love.

The most simple things.

The most important things.

And pain...

Now I knew they existed.

The real meaning of living beings had touched me.

And I already craved them for myself...

The end

A/N I wouldn't have internet access for three weeks. But please, please review!

I appreciate your comments, they are so important to me! I will answer you when I'll be back.

End file.

The Simple Things by Iglika


dominique jakowec

This is a test type

End file.

dominique jakowec by Djanimefan


More

**I've watched this movie 3 times this week and I love it so much, so I had an urge to write a little something about it. I know there's not much of a fandom for it, but I wanted to put it out there anyway. Also, there's some language and sex talk, but I didn't think it was enough to rate it mature. Thanks for reading! **

**Disclaimer: I do not profit from this, the concept belongs to the brain of our dark lord Kevin Smith.
**

It was a good night, Zack thought. His new friends were having a good time, the water and the electricity were back on, he was enjoying a cold beer, and best of all, every couple of minutes he could steal a long, interesting look at Miri.

Ah, Miri. He'd known her so long, and knew so many things about her. He knew that when her parents died 5 years earlier, she locked herself in her room and played her mom's Neil Diamond CD over and over again until finally she was able to come out of the room and talk to him about it. He knew her favorite movie was Sleepless in Seattle, although she told everyone it was Resevoir Dogs for some reason. He knew that when she thought nobody was looking, she'd pick her nose and flick the booger on the carpet. What he didn't know, until just recently that is, was how it felt to kiss her.

He thought about that as he played quarters and drank beer with his new friends. In fact, he pretty much couldn't stop thinking about it. He was never one to be a cheesy romantic, but the way Miri made him feel the second he kissed her, well, people could change. Making this movie; stepping up and doing something with his life--that felt good. But kissing Miriam Linky? That felt fucking amazing, and he wanted it to happen again as soon as possible. Zack wasn't totally sure, but he thought maybe she felt the same. That is until Stacy, who had been chatting with Miri, came over and changed everything yet again.

"Hey, Zack," Stacey said, smiling at him. It was a dangerous smile. She definitely had a mischevious look in her eye, which oddly was strange for her. Zack obviously didn't know her that well, but he did sense that even though she was a stripper, and even if she was willing to do whatever he asked her to do with both her tits and her ass during the movie, he thought she had an interesting innocence about her. She was a sweet girl. He liked her, but he wasn't prepared for what she was about to whisper in his ear.

"Hi, Stacey," he said, wondering what she was up to. He didn't have to wonder very long, as Stacey got right to the point.

"I think we should fuck tonight," she whispered in his ear. "You know, to get ready for tomorrow's scene. And also because I want to fuck you tonight!" She let out a drunken giggle that most people would probably consider adorable.

"Oh...okay, interesting," he said. "Um, were you just talking to Miri about this? What did she say?"

"She said it was cool to ask you about it," she said. "I thought it might be weird for her because you guys looked so amazing in your scene, but she said something about you guys being better actors than you thought."

Zack looked sideways at Miri. She tipped her beer in his direction, an unreadable expression on her face. Obviously she knew what Stacey was telling him, which confused the fuck out of him. What was Miri thinking? Didn't something happen with them during their scene? Wasn't there now this unspoken...something between them now? He understood that just because they had sex, that didn't mean they were in a relationship. But the mere thought of her fucking Lester after what happened between the two of them, well, it made him crazy. But if she was going to be like this, if she was going to tell Stacey it was okay to do something he was pretty sure he didn't want anyway, then he was going to do it. Was he trying to teach her a lesson? Maybe. He was hurt that she wanted this to happen, and he wasn't going to be the sucker in this situation. Now that was Stacey's job.

"Okay," Zack told Stacey. "Let's do it. Lead the way."

She giggled and jumped up. Grabbing his hand, she led him to his bedroom. He made eye contact with Miri as he followed Stacey. Zack knew Miri's face better than he knew his own. He knew all her facial expressions. And when she watched him go into the bedroom with Stacey, the look she had on her face could only be interpreted as heartbreak. But she didn't stop them. It was too late. The damage had already been done in her eyes. There was nothing he could do about it now.

Stacey didn't waste any time. As soon as he closed the door behind them, she threw him on his bed and mounted him to claim her territory. They rolled around on the bed for a few minutes, kissing and groping and stripping. If this were a week ago, maybe, he would have been ecstatic. Here was this hot, dirty girl in his bed ready to fuck him silly. Things were different now, though. Now, he couldn't help but notice that her lips were wetter than Miri's; thinner, too. Her breath smelled minty instead of cinnamon-y, like Miri's. Her breasts were bigger and harder than Miri's, which was obvious since they weren't created by nature. Even the way she moaned and sighed were different from Miri's moans. The way Miri moaned, the way she made him feel like a superhero, was something he'd never experienced before.

Something wasn't right about this. In fact, nothing was right about this.

When Stacey gave him an evil grin and moved south with her mouth, so to speak, he realized this would have to stop. He liked Stacey. He was attracted to her and was sure sex with her would be pleasurable. But it would just be to spite Miri for telling Stacey it was okay. And that was not okay with him.

"Stacey, Stacey, stop," he said. "I just can't do it. You're a nice girl and everything, but--"

"Miri," she sighed. "I knew you were going to say that. I just wanted to fuck you before you realized it."

He chuckled. "Sorry about this. Look, Stace...can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Zack," she said happily. He appreciated how perky she was even after being denied sex. Even if he did put a stop to it, he still had a massive case of blue balls.

"Do you really think Miri was okay with us fucking?"

"Hmm. She said she was, but maybe not. Maybe she's just trying to be brave. Maybe she's really confused about her feelings and doesn't know what to do about it, so instead she's pretending that nothing meaningful happened."

"Wow. That was really wise," Zack said, impressed.

"Oh, thanks. I took psychology in community college," she said. "Look, Zack, I have to say, I really wanted to have sex with you tonight because your scene with Miri was so hot. But it was more than that, it was sweet. It was intimate. And, well, I don't know much about a lot of things. But even I could see something change between the two of you once you kissed her. My question to you is, how come you didn't see it before? You've known her for how long, 20 years? That's a long time not to know what you really feel about her."

Wow. Not only could the girl have anal sex with Lester like a prize-winning champion, but she was also apparently an expert on relationships. He knew he needed her to call him out like this, but it still made him uncomfortable. Mostly because it was the question he'd been asking himself since the second he kissed Miri and changed his world.

"I didn't want to ruin a good thing," he said slowly. "Like I told Delaney, she wakes me up, she helps with the bills, she does the dishes...we have a comfortable friendship and I didn't want to change that. And, well, I didn't even KNOW that I had those feelings."

"Really? Now, Zack, I refused to believe that you never knew you had romantic feelings for her," Stacey said. "Have you ever hated any of her boyfriends?"

"All of them, but that's because most of them were fucking douchebags."

"Even though you live together and see each other more than you see anyone else, do you ever just call her in the middle of the day to see what she was doing?"

"Yeah, of course," he said, remembering all the times he'd use his 15 minute break at work to call her and complain about an asshole customer.

"Have you ever canceled plans with other people just so you could hang out with her more?"

He didn't say anything, mostly because he had done that more times than he could count. Just last week, one of his buddies wanted him to come play some pick-up hockey. He lied and said something about the dentist, but really he didn't want to leave the house. He and Miri were watching a Golden Girls marathon, why would he want to leave? Stacey smiled and nodded when he didn't say anything.

"The most important question--have you ever covered her up when she fell asleep?"

"Yeah," he said, thinking about when Miri fell asleep in the storage room of the coffee shop and he covered her with his coat. "But whatever, that's just common fucking courtesy."

"Sure, for someone in love," she said, grinning.

"Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Stacey punched his arm. "Yes, I'm saying what you think I'm saying. You should admit it to yourself so we can all move on with our lives. You want more than friendship. You _crave_ more. You love her, Zack. You love Miri. And you've been too much of a pussy to admit that."

And instantly, Zack knew she was right. He _was_ a pussy! And he was also in love with Miri. More, he wanted more. He wanted more than just hanging out with her, going through life and all its experiences without her by his side. _More._

He thought back over their relationship, to when he was 7 years old and saw her on the playground, wearing a red dress and a yellow ribbon in her hair. He remembered when they were 14 years old and Miri described to him, in great length, what her first kiss with Paul Fish was like. The next day, he punched Paul Fish in the face when Paul asked him to borrow a pencil. He remembered when she did finally come to him after her parents died, he held her for hours while she cried in his arms, how he was heartbroken for her and her grief. And he remembered what it was like to kiss her, to listen to her soft moans, what it felt like to be inside of her, and especially the way she looked at him when the sex was over. He wanted that look for the rest of his life.

"I want more." He finally said.

"And?" Stacey asked impatiently.

"And I love Miri." It felt strange to say out loud. Good strange.

"Yes, you do," she said. "I'm glad you can finally admit that to yourself. Now, let's talk about what you're going to do about it."

Zack and Stacey talked for another 2 hours. They talked about what his next step should be, about what it would be like in a relationship with her, what his favorite memories of the two of them together were (Homecoming 1997, when they got drunk on Miri's mom's red wine and then went to the football game wearing feather boas and lipstick and then attacked the school mascot, a badly dressed eagle, was one of the highlights), and other assorted things that had to do with Miri and Miri only.

When they finally ran out of things to talk about, Stacey kissed Zack on the cheek and said, "Well, I'm exhausted. It's so tiring to make people realize they're in love!"

"You can crash here if you want," Zack offered.

"That's sweet of you, but I can't wait to get into my own bed. And plus, you don't want Miri to think we spent the night together, do you?"

"Oh, God," he said, remembering that Miri was just down the hall. He wanted to run into her room and tell her immediately, but it was so late and she'd been so tired. He'd tell her after shooting tomorrow. No way she was going to do her scene with Lester now, right? "You're right. Good night, and thank you so much for everything you did for me tonight."

"No problem," she said. "You're a good friend, Zack, and I want you and Miri to be happy."

"Do you think she's going to want to be with me?" He asked her. He'd been avoiding asking the question all night, afraid of what Stacey would say.

"I think so," she said. "She might need some convincing, but not much. She loves you, Zack. I saw it in her eyes."

She smiled one last time and left. Zack went to sleep with a smile on his face for the first time in God knows how long. He was in love with Miri, and there was nothing wrong with that.

* * *

Of course, Miri was convinced that Zack slept with Stacey, and they had a blowout that resulted in 3 months of heartbreak, isolation and desperation. When Delaney found him and had a much needed intervention, Zack hauled ass to Miri's house, where he confessed his feelings to her. While she was in the bathroom of all places. And after his confession, and after he confirmed that she wasn't, in fact, fucking Lester, she dragged him into the bedroom where they made love again, this time without a crowd of people to watch them. When it was over, and it was not over quickly, they fell asleep together, whispering promises for the future to make up for the wrongs of the past. There was still a lot of struggle left for them to endure, but eventually they got the film company up and running and make a little nest egg for themselves.

But no matter how hard their financial troubles would get, and no matter how much every other aspect of his life started to suck, at least he had Miri by his side. His own sweet, beautiful, Stinky Linky. And on a particularly shitty day, he could always count on her to Dutch Rudder him into oblivion.

_The effin' end._

End file.

More by Lizwontcry


Change Comes From Within

**As usual, I own nothing. These characters and such do not belong to me. **

* * *

Between the two of them, neither could be exactly certain when their romantic feelings had truly begun; it had only really started to show when they'd started the process and planning for their porn movie. It had raised its head as something rather ugly and spiteful in the form of jealousy that neither of them could truly explain.

Really, all either of them knew was that the other having sex with anyone else was heartbreaking, to say the least. So when it came time for Zack and Miri to shoot their sex scene, both of them were nervous.

Honest to God, he wasn't sure why he'd shaved now. It seemed so fucking stupid. He looked like a goddamn beluga whale, and, Jesus, why was she looking at him like that? She looked stunned into silence. Was it really that bad?

Awkward silences were bountiful in the few minutes before hand. Both knew the other was nervous, but had nothing truly comforting to say. It was only when Miri, rather spastically, suggested they simply go shoot the scene did they seem to recover. Except, the before seemed to be the easy part.

And, good God, the first five minutes of their portion of the porn was a complete and utter fucking disaster. Jesus Christ, who actually said, "Yeah, I'm gonna deliver my cream"? Had he _really_ written that in the script? Zack made a mental note to either shoot himself in the head the next time such a stupid line became a train of thought, or to buy himself the best pair of skates money could buy because holy shit if he wasn't about to fuck the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. He'd said something stupid along the lines of, "Yeah, show me your titties!" but as soon as Miri began to work off her shirt, he changed his mind. Suddenly, the thought of other people seeing her naked bothered him. _I don't want anyone else to see her but me_. Where the fuck had that come from? She asked him a question, and he covered up his change of heart by saying that he had bigger tits than she did for Christ's sake, and it'd be embarrassing. She'd looked slightly hurt before nodding, and they continued to undress.

By the time they'd relatively stripped down and made it over to the large cloth bags that would serve as the make-shift bed, him straddling her and Miri's legs wrapped around his hips, Zack was so fucking ready to be done. But they'd decided to do this, and they'd put in so much effort already.

After glancing up at the camera to tell them to keep rolling, he looked down at Miri and almost stopped breathing.

He was suddenly very glad for his uncharacteristic act of prudishness earlier concerning her breasts. It was bad enough that other people would see some of her body, but the rest he wanted to himself. Her blue eyes were bright, and she gazed at him as if he were the only person in the world, as if there weren't six other people and goddamn video camera capturing her every movement not fifteen feet away. His throat was suddenly dry, but he pressed on as if everything were going according to plan. "Okay. We'll start kissing on three, okay?"

She nodded, small, hurried movements, her eyes dancing between his and his lips. He swallowed shallowly and counted down.

"One, two, three, go." He closed his eyes and kissed her.

He almost came then and there.

Holy shit, why had they not been doing this before now? Her lips were so soft, and she tasted like cinnamon, her favorite spice. She became the only person in the room, in the world. He wasn't sure if he'd stopped breathing, but he thought he might be close. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him down to her. He'd thought they'd end up kissing as quickly and passionately the way all the actors did in porn, but he'd been wrong. So wonderfully, fan-fucking-tastically wrong. Each kiss was slow, sensual, and not at all played up. He kissed her without reservation, completely lost. An unbidden thought settled across his mind: he'd been completely fucking stupid to think that this would just be clinical or any kind of wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am. It had moved, quite quickly, into how he felt about her. Slowly, he made his way down her jawline to her neck, melding each kiss to her skin into the next by sucking slightly. He hadn't even begun to settle in when she gently squeezed his shoulders. He looked up and found himself caught in her blue-eyed gaze.

"I'm ready," she breathed. He rose over her, silently questioning. Had that really been enough to get her wet already? "I'm ready." she said again, as if reading his thoughts. Her eyes were hazed over in lust and something...something else...

He nodded slightly, whispering a faint "Okay" and pushed himself slowly into her.

Her lips parted, and he heard her gasp faintly as he filled her, and noted with satisfaction that her back arched as he hit home. Almost overcome with how it felt to be inside her, he twined one of his hands with hers, telling her silently that they were in this together.

He began to move faster, and her hand traveled through his curls haphazardly. With every thrust, she gasped and he became the hardest he'd ever been in his life. Christ, why had they not done this again?

But even while all those thoughts ran through his mind at a million miles per hour, he was caught up in how gorgeous she was, and how much he loved and felt for this girl. He brought a hand up to cradle her head, mirroring her as he pushed into her over and over. He tilted his head until their foreheads touched.

He'd never had sex like this. Ever. He'd never felt such a primal urge to keep one woman to himself and cradle her and touch her and to be the only one to do so.

Just when he thought it couldn't get any better (he was _inside_ her for fuck's sake-pun intended), she _moaned_. He'd thought constant moaning was a turn on. He'd thought a woman _screaming his name_ was a turn on. Hell, he'd thought just being inside a woman was a damn turn on.

But hearing _Miri_ moan and knowing _he_ was the cause of it was the single, sexiest fucking thing he'd ever heard in his entire life. He'd do a thousand bad porn movie starts to hear that sound again. She'd moaned like it was something she couldn't hold back anymore, and goddamn if that wasn't the best fucking feeling, knowing that he'd overwhelmed her to the point where she had to make a sound, had made the sex so good she had no choice but to let it out.

Her lips were suddenly by his ear, which was so okay with him he couldn't think straight, and she let out a very breathy whisper, "I want you to come."

His brain short-circuited. He could barely breathe, let alone think. He blinked and found himself above her, somehow still thrusting into her, and she grabbed the lapels of his costume, whispering to him again. "I want you to come with me."

Shit.

He barely managed an "Okay" before he lost the last shred of his self-control. He began thrusting deeper, and this time, when he ripped the desperate moan from her throat, she pulled one from him. He cupped her face, their foreheads touching, as he pounded into her. Her moans were barely breaths, and he felt her body begin to clench around him which sent him completely over the edge. He thrust into her a few more times and felt the tightening in his stomach suddenly spiral out of control. He slammed into her as he came, and he felt her arch her back, gripping his back and shoulders tightly as she came underneath him. She pressed her breasts into his chest, eyes squeezed shut as she rode out the orgasm he gave her.

Even as his brain was exploding, he felt ridiculously fucking proud. _He'd_ been the one to make her come. He also knew that he wanted to be the only one to do that from now on.

She drifted slowly back down to him, and her hands came up to caress his face lovingly. His brown eyes met her smiling blue ones, and he smiled back, brushing hair from her face.

"Oh, God," he breathed, and even that was a miracle. He was pretty sure he'd never be able to form a coherent sentence for the rest of his life after sex like that.

Slowly, reality came flooding in.

There were six other people and a video camera watching them as they recovered from orgasm. Zack slowly looked up at them, wishing desperately that he could hide Miri with his body, shield her somehow so that no one could see her the way he just had. But they already had, and judging by Deacon's face, it hadn't been a bad show, either.

He glanced back at the woman beneath him and found that her eyes hadn't moved from him for a moment. He looked up at the camera reluctantly and called cut.

He raised himself up off of her, despite that fact that he had zero desire to ever be anywhere but there. He set about awkwardly pulling himself together, and Miri propped herself up on her elbows, gazing at him with a small amount of wariness in her eyes.

"Well," Deacon said as the group made their way over. "It wasn't what we shot-listed, but it was nice." He sounded genuine, but Zack had a hard time meeting anyone's eyes.

"It was so romantic," Stacy murmured, hands clutched to her chest.

Lester smiled. "Way to fuck, Zack."

God, did that douche really have to fuck Miri next? Zack found that the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. Lester would only be fucking Miri. He wouldn't be making love to her the way Zack had.

That stopped him short. Had they made love? He'd certainly felt lust for her during it, but it went deeper than that. The primal feelings he'd had couldn't just be summed up by lust.

He found his eyes wandering to Miri's face. "Uh...thanks...Lester. Uh, it wasn't just me though, guys." He gestured to Miri with one hand as he set about buckling his pants. "Give it up for my radiant costar here, Miri."

Everyone began clapping and the girls gave her hoots of encouragement. Zack swallowed and began buttoning his shirt. "Show's over in here, let's move out onto the next floor, start lighting the next scene."

The group made their way to the front of the store, talking amongst themselves.

"I thought they were gonna be fuckin' hard." Delaney said, smacking his fist for emphasis.

"But it was pretty," Stacy disagreed.

Delaney scoffed. "Pretty don't sell."

Bubbles patted Zack on the shoulder. "Good job."

He looked at her half-heartedly. "Thanks," he said, not really focused on her at all.

He and Miri were finally alone.

He turned back to the woman who held his attention, finishing up the top buttons of his costume. "You good, Mir?" he asked, and he knew his voice betrayed how awkward he felt. "Need anything?"

Miri looked up from buttoning her own blouse. Fuck if he didn't want to take her again right then and there, with her blue eyes gazing at him coyly, cheeks still flushed from orgasm. He didn't think he'd ever seen woman so beautiful as he did looking at her.

"I'm just...gonna take a minute, okay?"

He tried not to let his feelings show; he didn't want her to see how he felt rejected that she wanted to be left alone. He wasn't sure he succeeded.

"Okay. Uh...I'll just be out there." He jerked a thumb toward the room where the rest of the crew had disappeared.

Her gaze hadn't wavered an inch, and she watched him with an almost smile on her lips. "Yeah."

He was at a loss. He didn't know what to say, if anything.

"That was fun," he blurted, raising two thumbs up.

She seemed slightly startled by this. "Yeah, fun."

His brows came together over his eyes as he realized what he'd just said. He turned without another word. "'Fun'," He muttered under his breath, berating himself. "Fucking douche."

He walked through the doorway and let the door swing shut behind him. He leaned back against it, letting it all wash over him. Was it just sex, or had they made love? He was beginning to think it was the latter. Breathing was hard for a second. He could only find one word for it, whatever it was.

"Wow."

End file.

Change Comes From Within by Dominican Girl


Changes

You know that feeling where people believe that an impacting event just happens yesterday? Well, that was not the case for Miriam Linky. It felt like forever ago when she and Zack Brown had the conversation when they would have sex in the movie, where they said that post the fact, nothing would change. They would still be themselves. They would still be friends. However, that night everything, in fact, did change.

Miri was best friends with Zack ever since the first grade. All the while, they were thick as thieves, and nothing was going to change that fact. High school came around, and the two of them had put the word platonic to use. When they slept together, it was as if they had made a new history for themselves. Sure, there were longing gazes at times that Miri would send to Zack, but the expressions were barely detectable.

New discoveries popped out infront of the two, but unfortunately, one, fatal mistake made Miri's world come tumbling down; when she told Stacy that she could ask Zack if she could sleep with him. At first, Miri had told the young blonde no, in a stern tone, but took it back, not wanting to reveal her true feelings.

From the moment Miri saw Stacey and Zack walk out of the room, she knew what she had done was something that she could have changed from the start of the conversation. Hell, she could have admitted her feelings to Zack, but she didn't. Instead, when the argument between her and him at the coffee shop had went down, it caused her world to alter even more - and not for the better. She blamed him for something that was not even his doing to begin with, even despite the fact that it does, indeed, take two to tango. Zack could have declined the proposition of the bubbly blonde lap dancer, but he didn't.

Or did he? No, no. He had to have slept with her.

It was several months later. Miri obtained a new roommate; Lester. She needed someone that could help her pay the bills that she was not able to pay for all on her own. She was grateful that he was there to assist her. Truly. Miri missed Zack, though, immensely. Her world was so different once he was no longer in it. There were days that she would go into his room just to catch his scent once more.

Miri was having one of those moments. The sound of the creaking door of Zack's previous - now her bedroom - rung in her ears as she opened it. She sighed, taking in the scent and then sat herself down on the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, her brows raised. All she could think of was how things were not supposed to end up like this! It was just supposed to be sex, but it turned out to be so much more than just that. Those so-called longing gazes should have been a sign all along.

Feeling the sting of tears reach her eyes, her thoughts were interrupted - she was not so sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing - by the sound of the voice of none other than Lester!

Miri looked up at the thin, and also nude, male, then chuckled, "Lester.. in your favorite suit, as usual." She smiled lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to avert her gaze away. Eh, or at least keep her vision on his face.

"I love bein' naked. Nudity's just freedom, man." Lester countered with his daily, cheesy grin, nodding in agreement - of his own words, that is. He then motioned toward the golden-haired woman with his head and added, "You should try it sometime, Miri. Seriously. And then, then maybe," He lifted his hands as Miri eyed him with slight irritability, "we could be naked together on a bed and see what happens." Lester's expression was suggestive, as he wiggled his brows.

"Lester, I'm not having sex with you." Miri let out the statement that she had to repeat to him, at least, a million times! "You really, really should know that by now." Lester rolled his eyes and nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I know." A silence overtook the two of them, and then Miri's eyebrows both lifted upon her features, and she asked, "Is that really what you came in my room to talk to me about?"

"Oh no! No! See, I got all caught up in possibly, finally having you agree to fucking me, it slipped my mind!" Lester laughed quietly, and then continued, "But, nah, I wanted to introduce you to something! Give me your hand--" He reached for her palm.

Miri moved her hand out of his reach, "No, Lester! I'm good." She released a chortle, and Lester pouted.

Moments later, he whined, "How am I supposed to introduce you to the Dutch Rudder now?!"

End file.

Changes by michieexx3


Undying Hero

Zero percent.

Victory cannot be gained.

That is how the story went

And nothing had remained.

And yet I advanced.

I knew that I couldn't win.

My body rose as if entranced.

I looked up with a quiet grin.

I advanced toward victory

Would I "die" once more?

My fight was pointless to me

But for my family of four

Claws dragged across the ground.

They flew up into me.

And although I didn't make a sound,

I screamed in agony.

I reached death's edge

And I was yanked away.

I didn't fall from that ledge,

I didn't have a say.

I was brought back,

Was admonished, given shame

I was told I was on the right track

But still deserving of blame

I'm not good at a job I don't want

But like it or not, I try and try

I fight the odds, ignoring every taunt

Though I have a reason, I still wonder "why?"

They will not let me die

So I will continue to try.

It is a match between evil and I

To see who'll get tired of this lie

And finally, finally give up a sigh

Knowing that when we die,

No one will cry.

End file.

Undying Hero by Arukoir


Unlosing Haunted Mansion

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Zettai Hero Project: Unlosing Ranger VS. Darkdeath Evilman_, nor do I own anything created by those at _Nippon Ichi_. Mind you, I'd like to, but the world doesn't work that way.

I had originally written this for an English class I am in, as they asked for a work of fiction based on a Halloween prompt. I thought it nice enough, so I decided to share it with the community. The end bit was a part of the story I submitted to the teacher. I added it on because everyone who's played Z.H.P. knows that Main Character can't exactly die.

**Author's Note**: I **AM** working on Turnabout Vocaloid. I'm just really slow, and have to start beating myself until I actually get some work on it done. Sorry guys... Chapter 3 IS going to be done as soon as I can get it done though, so I promise I'll follow through on it.

* * *

I stood in front of the mansion indicated before. Everyone I had asked, in my civillian clothes mind you, had told me that the place was haunted, and to stay away from it. They all had told me to leave it alone, and to let a hero solve whatever was going on in that mansion... I smiled to myself at the irony, taking a quick glance down and checking to make sure my Morphing Belt was tightly fit around my waist. Being sure I was 120% determined, I adjusted my mantle and strode forward to the entrance into the mansion, throwing open the doors as they creaked loudly.

[I'm a hero.] Was the first thought to come to my mind, as I smirked at the creaking noise. [I've no reason to be afraid of anything here. Besides, even if I were afraid, I have to save the people from whatever plagues this house!] I easily stepped inside the house, at which point the doors quickly and loudly slammed shut behind me, closing before I could turn around to figure out what was going on. [...They're closed. ...Hm. They're probably locked now... well, my only way out of dungeons was through the Caravan, so I'm used to being unable to leave by this point...] Shaking my head, I turn back to look around inside the entry room. What catches my eye most is a rusted gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the candles of it being mostly burnt out save for a few exceptions. Almost typical... it seems that when people get a mansion, the first thing they get is a chandelier. ...Strange. I have this foreboding feeling about that chandelier... Is this that hero-like sixth sense that Pirohiko said you develop from dealing with dungeon traps...? It could be... but what is the chandelier going to do? Mulling the topic over to myself for a short moment, I...

Step around the area below the chandelier, moving towards the doorway off to the left. That foreboding feeling was too strong, the chandelier must have been a trap. As I walk through the ruined hallway, I can't help but think that the chandelier back in the first room was the only thing so far that might even remotely point towards this place being haunted. Were all those things they said just stories...? Am I being a hero, clearing out the evil within, or just a random passerby who walked in wondering what the place was like? [No. I'm definitely being a hero here. Even if this place isn't haunted, by going through and confirming that, I'm helping these townsfolk overcome their fears!] I can almost hear Pirohiko's voice echo in my head as I think that, speaking out my thoughts and cheering me on.

It's at this point in time that I halt in my tracks, being sure I spotted something moving at the end of the hallway. [What... was that?] I echo in my head, staring at where the object used to be. I shrug off the uneasy feeling welling up in my stomach, renewing my determination as I go forward. [I defeated Darkdeath Evilman. Whatever this is, it can't be any worse.] As I boldly stride forward, I hear one of the hallway windows shatter behind me, and I quickly prepare my combat stance as I turn around, my cape shifting and blowing in the sudden wind as I fight-

...Nothing. Confused by this, I slowly lower my fists back to my sides, my cape having lost whatever draft held it up. [...It was nothing. ...Could have just been someone throwing a rock through the window. Most teenagers have been doing stuff like that all the time nowadays. I'll have to let them know how that's bad later.] Turning my back on this window, I look behind me to give it one last glance before I continue onward.

[Aha! A way deeper into the dungeon!] I smile to myself, having found the way downward as I push a door open. [...Hm. But I haven't found any enemies yet, so I'm still level one... Should I stay on the floor and try to grind for experience, or should I move downward?] I clench my fist and steel myself, knowing full well the dangers ahead. [I'll just prepare my Unlosing Punch in case I run into anything. It's not the strongest move... but it should do.] I take a short break to focus, mentally going over the manuevers and preparing myself to unleash it when necessary. [Okay, time to keep moving! I have to help those townsfolk!] Renewing my 120% determination, I hastily step down the staircase.

It's upon finding myself in a catacomb beneath the mansion that I stop to think about what kind of dungeon I entered. I've seen a few different kinds, but I haven't run into a catacombs before. [...It's a bit damp in here.] I think, having to grab a torch off of one of the ruined walls in order to see ahead. [Barely any light in this place... it's even darker than the normal dungeons. Maybe this is just a further trial of my abilities?] I don't give the dungeon any further thought before I continue on, stepping into one of the hallways and moving forward.

As I keep moving a shrill, ominous sound fills the area, causing me to cover my ears and keep the torch pointed away from my hair. The sound stops rather abruptly, leaving a long silence in the area. [...It was nothing. Just the hallways echoing their silence. It can happen if a large room is quiet enough...] Successfully reassuring myself, I keep moving forward while ignoring the sense of dread nestled deep within my stomach.

I come to the end of the hallway, approaching another room as I step forward. When I make it to the doorway, the door suddenly slams shut on me, hitting me right in the face and causing me to stumble back for an instant. [Someone shut the door on me! Well, let's at least get it open again! Unlosing Punch!] Using the move I prepared earlier, I flail my arms wildly as I dash into the door, busting it open and crashing through as I pull out a handgun I've been carrying. [Now, who closed the-]

...Nobody. Failing to spot anyone at all here but me, I slowly stand up, keeping the gun pointed ahead of me as I turn and look around. [...Could have just been a strong draft. Or maybe I hit a tripwire and didn't see it...] Slowly putting the gun away, I narrow my eyes and glare around the room before walking off in the direction of a different hallway. [I'm glad I have this faceplate though... That door would've done a lot of damage if it hadn't been for the suit.]

[I'm through most of this floor and I still haven't run into any enemies...] Somewhat concerned by the lack of any threats so far, I sit down and rest for a minute, pulling out a small lunch I packed and beginning to dig in to it after lifting my visor out of the way. [All I've run into so far are traps... where are the actual enemies? Do I just have to go all the way through it to prove it isn't haunted?] I sprinkle a pinch of salt on a piece of meat I cooked before coming here, biting into it and enjoying the texture. [I have to keep my guard up, though... If I walk into anything with my guard lowered, I'll definitely be in trouble.]

The rest of my meal goes by without interruption, and I'm soon back on my way after packing up the remains and putting them away. [The short break should help keep me going. I need to look for whoever, or whatever set all these traps. I should raise more of my guard. Having a weapon handy would be a good thing...] I pull out the handgun I brought, holding it with both hands as I stop and crouch down. Pulling out the clip, I check the amount of rounds. [All 20 rounds... good. I have enough should I run into anything, though I should revert to my fists if they get too close.] Putting the clip back in, I pull back the slide and release as the gun chambers a round. [Loaded... okay. I'll have to be careful not to accidentally fire off a round.]

I press myself up against the wall, holding my gun with both hands before I step around the corner, pointing it ahead of me before lowering it back down when I don't spot anything. Slowly moving forward, I turn to look behind me with my gun raised before turning again to double check my front. Being sure there's nothing hostile around, I lower my gun as I continue moving forward. [There's nothing here... strange. I had figured there'd be something here, anything.] As I continue down the hallway, I notice my footsteps seeming to grow louder, despite trying to move quietly. [The surface changed. I'll have to be more careful if I want to stay quiet...]

I hear some form of ominous chanting as I continue down the hall, peeking out around the corner before going around it with my gun raised. [There has to be someone up ahead. It's the only possibility...] Taking a quick look behind me, I continue down the hall and slowly make my way towards the room at the end. When I near the end of the hallway, the chanting suddenly cuts out, not even finishing its word when it does. [...It stopped.] Stepping into the room, I look around to spot nothing except piles of bones and a few molten candles on the floor. [...It could have just been some kind of tape recorder, and it was set to repeat whatever it recorded. It must have died by the time I got near here...] Giving one of the piles a quick poke with my foot to be sure it's not going to get up and fight me, I turn to go down an adjacent passage.

[Aha! A way down!] Finding a path that leads downward, I keep my gun readied as I slowly make my way down it. By the time I've reached the third step, a shrill shrieking sound rings out behind me, causing me to stumble as I try to turn around, hitting my back against the staircase as I fall and begin to roll down the stairs. I reach the bottom of the staircase after a short moment, falling flat on my front against the cold floor as my gun falls out of my grasp, sliding just out of reach. [Ughh...] Dazed, I slowly pick myself up and crawl forward a bit, grabbing my gun and pulling it close in case whatever knocked me down shows up. [There's definitely something here... I've no doubt about that. Whatever it is, though, it's definitely not here to make friends.] After a long silence, I slowly rise to my feet, using a nearby wall to support myself as I glance around the room. [...Nothing. They must have gone back...] Turning to go for the staircase, I'm sent stumbling back by the impact as it suddenly collapses in front of me. [W-What!? They...!] Pointing my gun at the top of the staircase, I aim for- ...Nothing. [There's...! Nobody's...] I slowly lower my gun, turning to go for a way out of the room. [...That sound must have just been my imagination. The staircase must've been weak, and my collapsing on it weakened it further. It finally gave out under its own weight, now...] With no way of heading back up, my only option is to go forward, despite the bruises I've gained from falling down the stairs.

The ring of a wind chime catches my attention as I continue down the hall. [A wind chime...? Who would set one up down here? And what kind of draft would get down here, anyway?] I go around the corner, looking for the wind chime as it continues ringing, the sound growing louder and louder as I get closer to the room at the end of the hall. As before, the sound suddenly cuts out and abruptly stops when I enter the room, not a single trace of anything within this room. [Again there's... nothing.] I lower my gun again, still confused by all this. [...It has to be a hidden room. He's got some kind of wind chime in a hidden room, and I triggered something in the hall, causing it to start making noise. I must have triggered something entering the room, causing it to stop...] Shaking my head to myself and trying to ignore the feeling welling up in my stomach, I slowly make my way towards another hallway.

I hear a loud crashing sound behind me as I go down the hallway. Turning to look back with my gun raised, I don't spot anything as it echoes throughout the hall. [...Nothing. Not even the results of whatever crashed... ...Just my imagination. If I manage to calm down, then I should stop hearing all these noises.] This reassurance works for a moment, but my nerve is broken when a portion of the ceiling starts to collapse behind me, forcing me to dive forward to get out of the way as it crashes to the floor. [T-The ceiling collapsed!] Rising to my feet, I look at the rubble of the collapse, but fail to see any potential cause. [...It has to have been weak, and just finally gave out. That's the only explanation...] With the way behind me blocked, I continue down the hall.

As I turn the corner in the hallway, I spot something moving ahead of me. I quickly raise my gun and fire at whatever was moving, but only create a bullet hole in a wall at the opposite end of the hall, the object having disappeared entirely. [...wasted a bullet on a piece of my imagination.] Mentally berating myself for shooting before I knew what it was, I lower my gun and continue moving.

I fail to watch where I'm stepping as I continue moving. As a result of it, I end up stepping my left leg right into a bear trap, a searing pain rising throughout me as the metal jaws close around my leg, blood oozing from the wound. Wincing in pain, I get down on my other leg and begin trying to pull the jaws apart. [Who would set a bear trap down here? Someone who's very paranoid, I'm guessing...] I hear some kind of ominous sound ring out as I struggle with the bear trap, raising my gun up and looking down the sights towards either end of the hallway. I spot some kind of shadow-based creature at the end of the hallway, slowly approaching me as the sound grows louder. [An enemy! I'm stuck in this bear trap, though...] Still trying to pry the trap open with one hand, I point my gun towards this thing with my other and pulling the trigger, watching helplessly as the bullet passes through it. [No...! It's not working...!] I keep firing off at the creature, watching the bullets do nothing as it keeps moving. After having fired off 5 rounds at this thing, I put my gun away and use both hands to try and get this bear trap off. The sound has almost grown deafening, and the thing is only a few paces away from me when I finally get the bear trap off, forcing myself to move my bloodied leg out of the way as I make a quick move away from the thing. The sound then cuts out abruptly, and when I turn to look back, the thing is gone. [...I just wasted 5 rounds on a shadow...] As I move down the hallway, I make sure to avoid the bear trap this time. [I don't know what it was... but I'm sure now that something IS here.]

[Ugh, my leg...] I have to pause and take a short rest as the pain in my leg grows to be a bit much. Crouching down a bit and wincing at the pain, I pull a bandage out from my pack and begin wrapping it around the injury. I hear a momentary ominous noise and quickly draw my gun, pointing it around and pausing my medicating of the injury. [...Nothing.] Putting my gun away, I return to wrapping the bandage around the torn flesh. [I'm getting jumpy...]

I find the downward staircase, slowly making my way down it to account for my injured leg. I hear another ominous sound as I go down the stairs, and begin to turn with my gun raised as I'm struck while turning, a claw like attack slicing through me. Even if whatever caused the attack isn't physical, I can feel the wounds sprouting open as blood gushes out from my torso, spraying out from the wound as I fall down the stairs again.

I collapse on my face at the bottom of the stairs, my gun sliding out in front of me again as my wounds begin to form a pile of blood below me. The fall had torn open the bandage around my leg, and injured the wound further, helping fill up the pile of crimson liquid below me. Dazed by all the blood loss, I can barely even stretch my arm out to reach for my gun, having to use whatever's left of my strength to crawl forward as the ominous sound loudly returns behind me, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs reaching my ears. My crawling stops with the gun just out of my reach, my body giving out right before the finish line. [N-No...! O-One more...!] I force my body to move, making one more movement towards the blurry gun in front of me. I can hear the creature right above me, sharpening its claws as my hand rests on the gun, gripping tightly. It then grabs my back, flipping me over. All I can make out is a black humanoid shape, my vision blurred as it digs one of its claws into my gut, slowly moving it around as the pain grows even worse. [N-No! F-fight back! D-Don't lose...!] With my last ounces of strength, I shakily raise the gun, barely able to keep it steady as I try to point it at the creature's head. With a moment's effort, and the last bit of my strength, I pull the trigger, and with a bright flash, everything fades out.

* * *

I finally come to, my vision slowly returning as the taste of dried blood reaches my mouth. I can feel some kind of weight on my body, barely able to even move in the pool of blood below me. I lay there for what feels like hours until the chill in my body dies down a bit, some warmth returning. It's now that I'm able to move my arms, reaching up to grab the blurred form on top of me and slowly shift it away. Once the weight is off of me, I slowly begin to rise to a sitting position, looking over my bloodied, battered body. My whole suit is covered in dried blood. My blood... I give the form place beside me one last look, and crawl over to the wall, using it to support myself as I stand up. My leg has gone numb, the lack of blood in it resulting in a lack of feeling. Leaning heavily against the wall, I begin to look around for a way out. [I... defeated it. The monster... I defeated them...]

End file.

Unlosing Haunted Mansion by Smak64