Chapter 12: Setra

No.9 turned around to find himself face to face with what had to be Setra. He was the spitting image of a medieval dragon. His body was at least fifty feet long and slender and lizard-like, covered in scales that were a deep, blood red. His infamous head had four ivory tusks sticking out like a crown, two on either side. At that instant his nostrils were flaring from his protruding nose and his beetle-black eyes were narrowed in hatred.

No.9 glanced sideways at the rest of the team a few paces away. They were frozen in fear just like No.9, L.G. and Mortimer were in that instant. Suddenly, without hesitation, Genie Wiz rushed over to Setra with her flamethrower ready for action. Setra happened to notice this too and focused his attention to the tiny attacker.

"Quick," No.9 yelled to Genie Wiz, "go for his tail!"

Genie Wiz tried to edge by Setra to get to his tail, but he was too quick for her. In an instant he had whipped his body around and was facing her head on. His tail was whipping back and forth wildly near No.9, L.G. and Mortimer now and they just barely managed to escape to the rest of the group before the six ivory spikes along each of its sides impaled each of them.

"Invent," L.G. yelled out as he ran towards the group, "use your Confuser Grenades!"

Mr. Invent rummaged through his back pack and pulled out a cluster of three of the gas bombs. Genie Wiz was dodging Setra's snapping mouth a few feet away as Mr. Invent fumbled through his pockets for his lighter.

"Hurry up!" Genie Wiz yelled out as Setra's razor sharp teeth narrowly missed her leg.

Mr. Invent finally secured his lighter and quickly lit the fuses for the Confuser Grenades. As soon as he did so he threw the sizzling cluster near Setra's clawed feet.A second later there was a loud CRACK and neon green gas floated in the air around the beast. The noise distracted Setra and the sight of the gas itself was enough to direct his anger away from Genie Wiz.

Setra looked dumbfounded as the gas floated higher and higher towards his horned head. The team stood still and cautious a few feet away with their weapons ready. Suddenly, Setra took a deep sniff of the green gas and within a few seconds his eyes had closed shut and his enormous body collapsed on the ground, shaking all of the charred trees around them.

Genie Wiz took this opportunity and darted towards Setra's tail with her flamethrower at the ready.

"Careful," Mr. Invent called out, "this stuff was meant for humans. I don't know how long the effects will last!"

Genie Wiz pulled the flamethrower's trigger and an amazing burst of flame erupted from the barrel and engulfed Setra's tail. When the tank on Genie Wiz's back was empty the flames died down and the effects of the fiery assault could be seen by the whole team.

The tail was unharmed.

"We never catch a break, do we?" Bombshell blurted out in amazement.

"Never mind," No.9 replied to the whole group, "we got what we came for. Let's get out of here while the thing's still knocked out."

Everyone agreed with this plan wholeheartedly. They had all started to gather their weapons together when a loud beeping noise started coming from L.G.'s pocket.

"The danger meter," L.G. said with a worried expression as he took the black box from his pocket.

"Where are they?" No.9 asked hurriedly. It had to be Team 114 closing in.

"Theyre-"

"Right behind you."

No.9 turned towards the burnt forest behind him at the sound of the voice, which was quickly followed by the cock of a pistol. Six agents emerged from the trees with their weapons drawn.

"Give us the particle and no one gets hurt," said a burly man from Team 114.

No.9 turned his head to face his fellow team members. He had let them down. They were in no position to negotiate with these men and No.9 knew that they were unlikely to escape punishment from the agency if Team 114 didn't kill them first. He was just about to pull out the container housing the Satar particle when he noticed Genie Wiz holding something long and shiny behind her back.

"No," Blonde Bomb yelled back at the husky agent. "You can come get it over our dead bodies."

The agents from Team 114 laughed at Blonde Bomb's foolish courage.

"I suppose we'll have to take you up on that offer," the agent replied with a wicked smile. "You heard her boys. Over their dead bodies."

Team 114 aimed their pistols directly at Blonde Bomb's heart. Little did they know that 10 feet to her right, Genie Wiz had programmed her Booma-Bat to target all six of them.

Quick as a flash, Genie Wiz hurled the bat towards the six gunmen. The bat zoomed directly towards the husky agent and smacked his head with a loud crack. It whirled around to the knocked out point man's right and whacked another agent dead in the nose before he even knew what was happening. Suddenly, the four remaining agents turned on the bat with confusion as it continued to assault them. Three more of the agents had been knocked unconscious before the last man standing realized what was happening. He weaved from left to right to avoid the blows as the bat whooshed past him. The desperate survivor fired a shot at the bat as it came racing towards his head but he missed and hit Setra instead, who let out a loud, painful roar. The beast tried to get to his feet but was quickly back on the ground and unconscious again.

The agent lost his concentration at the sight of Setra and the bat finally managed to strike a blow. However, instead of hitting him in the head, the bat smacked him directly in his right arm. As it did so his muscles reacted, just like anyone's body would, and his fingers twitched, firing a single shot from the pistol.

BANG!

Time seemed to slow down as the bullet fired. No.9 could almost see the trajectory and he looked on in horror as the cold grey cylinder glided towards Mortimer standing a foot away from him.

In less than a second the bullet had hit Mortimer. In less than a second the bullet had broken the skin. In less than a second Mortimer had fallen to the ground, a green substance oozing out of his wound.

"Mortimer!!!" No.9 shouted as he knelt down to his fallen friend.

The Booma-Bat made another turn in midair and headed towards the remaining agent. He took aim and fired six times. Two of them made contact and the Booma-Bat fell to the ground.

"I think you dislocated my shoulder you little brats!" The agent was rubbing his arm where the bat had struck him as he snarled at No.9 and the rest of the team. "You'll pay for that dearly!"

The agent raised his weapon once more and pointed it at No.9. There was a small click as he pulled the trigger. He was out of ammo.

No.9 stood up consumed in anger. With one motion he ripped the Stun Sabre from his gym bag and swiped at the agent as he frantically tried to reload. The gun fell to the ground at No.9's feet as he swung wildly through the air at the last remaining member of Team 114, the last connection to the agency that had betrayed him. Through gritted teeth and angry tears No.9 slashed through the air. The agent tried desperately to get away but was unsuccessful. No.9 landed a heavy blow to the man's temple and he fell like a sack of bricks to the dirt floor.

No.9 dropped the Stun Sabre and ran over to Mortimer. Bombshell was cradling his head and Genie Wiz was throwing the contents of No.9's supply box through the air in search of medical supplies.

"Mortimer," No.9 let out with tears still streaming down his face, "It should have been me, Mortimer! I'm so sorry!"

No.9 knelt down next to his recent companion. This was what he had been afraid of: losing someone. And although he had just met this strange alien, they wouldn't be anywhere without him.

"Stop your crying over me, sir," Mortimer let out weakly. "I'm going to be just fine."

No.9 wiped away the tears and did his best to reply in a firm voice. "You've been shot, Mortimer," he replied. "What can we do to help?"

"My step mother," Mortimer replied. "She's a sorceress. Can make a missing leg seem like a scratch. You take me to her in my village, sir, and I know I'll be just fine." Mortimer lifted his pink hand and placed it lightly on No.9's shoulder. "A simple bullet isn't going to kill an Ubleg, sir. Not today."

No.9 gave Mortimer a quick smile before leaping into action.

"Alright," he directed the team, "we're getting out of here immediately. How far is your village from here Mortimer?" 

"About a mile west of here, sir," Mortimer replied.

"Right then. L.G., help me make a stretcher from some of these branches that aren't burnt. Genie Wiz, stay with Mortimer and keep him awake. Blonde Bomb, keep an eye on Setra. Bombshell, you make sure those agents don't wake up."

Everyone jumped into action immediately and within five minutes No.9 and L.G. had made a long enough stretcher for Mortimer to lay on. They lifted his body as carefully as possible and were surprised at how light he actually was. After they made sure Mortimer was comfortable, L.G. and No.9 lifted the stretcher up and began to walk down the path.

"Um, guys," said Blonde Bomb quietly. "You might want to see this."

No.9 and L.G. turned around to see what Blonde Bomb was talking about. Directly in front of her, Setra's sleeping body had begun to glow a bright orange.

"Everyone gear up," No.9 yelled out as he carefully put the stretcher down.

"No, sir," Mortimer replied, "don't!"

"What are you talking about?!" Mr. Invent yelled back in a panic as he pulled out more Confuser Grenades.

"He's changing, sir. He's so near death that he has to evolve into something else. Something harmless so he won't be attacked."

"Well what are we supposed to do?" Blonde Bomb cried back as the glow became brighter and brighter.

"Leave him be miss," Mortimer replied. "Anything you wish, but don't attack. He may be a beast, but he belongs to this garden just as we belong out of it."

"Stand down," No.9 ordered. "Let's make sure we've got nothing to worry about and then move on."

No.9 watched closely as the dragon-like beast began to shrink and morph. His scaly skin was shed in an instant and replaced with jet black fur. His once long and slender body had been compacted into a rough ball. His horns and claws that were once the size of elephant tusks had been shrunken down to the size of a bird's beak. Its once long and deadly tail had been replaced by two white and rubbery wings. If they had encountered this Setra moments ago they would have laughed at its harmlessness or been overwhelmed by its cuteness.

Blonde Bomb took a few paces towards the new Setra lying in the grass.

"There's no time, Blonde Bomb," No.9 called out as he and L.G. picked up Mortimer's stretcher again. "We've gotta move. Now."

"Hold on," she called back as she approached the ball of fur. "I think...I think its dying"

Blonde Bomb carefully lifted Setra into her arms. The bullet that had hit its once intimidating body was lodged into it's right side and the creature was struggling to take a breath.

"I think it was shot in the lung," Blonde Bomb cried out. "We have to help him, 9."

"We don't have time!" No.9 yelled impatiently at Blonde Bomb. "That thing would have killed all of us without a thought. We need to get Mortimer to his village!"

"Wait, sir," Mortimer called out. "She's right. If you help him maybe he will be in your debt. A creature like that is a strong ally to have, sir."

No.9 considered Mortimer's words before agreeing to help Setra.

"Alright," he said to Blonde Bomb. "But you keep an eye on it. If he tries to change again to catch us off guard we're killing it."

Blonde Bomb placed Setra into her shoulder bag softly and followed behind No.9 and L.G. The team reached the gate of the garden after a few minutes and they continued through it. They had made it back into the dessert again. Although Mortimer was injured, they had all made it out alive. A better outcome than No.9 had expected. They headed Westward through the dessert towards Mortimer's village. No.9 glanced down at Mortimer as his pink eyelids struggled to remain open.

"Wake up, Mort!" Genie Wiz yelled out. Mortimer opened his eyes wide and smiled back.

"Sorry, miss," he said. "I'm just so tired suddenly."

No.9 picked up the pace. Throughout his time at the agency he had never once failed a mission or directive, a streak that continues after rescuing the Satar particle.

Now he had a new mission: to make it back to Mortimer's village on time for him to be rescued.

No.9 was planning on keeping more than his perfect record alive today.

Chapter 11: The Garden of Sacoy

Mortimer led them on through the vast desert.

"What a sight, eh?" Mortimer offered after what must have been miles of dirt and shrubs.

"Yeah, great," No.9 responded, trying his best to hide his true opinions.

After what felt like hours of follow-the-leader, Mortimer stopped.

"Here we are at last," he exclaimed with a trembling voice.

No.9 stared at what looked to be the same desert they had walked through for miles in front of Mortimer. There wasn't a garden in sight. At that moment, No.9 seriously questioned if Mortimer was truly all there. Perhaps trusting him wasn't the right call after all...

"Um, I can't see anything," Blonde Bomb replied to Mortimer.

"Yeah," Mr. Invent cut in behind No.9, "come on Mortimer! You said you would take us there!"

Mortimer looked at everyone in confusion. "But I did! It's right in front of your eyes," he said, pointing at Blonde Bomb.

"Where?!" Everyone yelled back in frustration.

Mortimer glanced around nervously for a few moments before slapping his four fingered hand to his forehead.

"Of course," Mortimer replied. "The security system won't deactivate for outsiders!"

"Security system?" L.G. spoke up.

"Yes, sir. It's intended to keep any unwanted visitors away," Mortimer explained. "If any men from the continents were to wander here by accident all they would find is an endless desert. We started taking our security pretty seriously after the Deltoids."

Suddenly it all made sense in No.9's head. The picture they had seen shatter to a million pieces before landing, the blacker than black that took over the windows after they had landed. This was all meant to drive them away. It was just one big fence that they needed to climb over to reach their goal.

"How can we bypass the security system?" No.9 asked Mortimer.

"There's a special vocal recognition," Mortimer replied. "Each of you need to repeat exactly what I tell you. Afterwards, you'll be saved into the security system permanently. You'll be able to see everything as it really is."

"Great," No.9 replied enthusiastically. "Let's get started. We'll start with Blonde Bomb and go down through the line."

The team formed a straight line from the rough one they had been in while walking through the desert. Blonde Bomb stood alert at the front next to Mortimer, ready for instructions. Bringing up the rear was No.9 after he switched spots with Mr. Invent. Out of sight at the back of the line, he had unzipped his gym bag and quietly pulled out his Stun Sabre in case something should go wrong. He trusted Mortimer, but only as far as he could throw him.

"Alright," Mortimer motioned for Blonde Bomb to walk forward. She walked a few paces until Mortimer frantically waved his arms and yelled at her to stop. "Far enough! Far Enough!" Mortimer sighed in relief before continuing with his instructions. "Repeat these words exactly as I say em'," he directed Blonde Bomb. "Luthra," Mortimer called out this strange word in an unknown dialect. "Silconium. Gardius." He paused between each word and then nodded to Blonde Bomb to repeat them.

Blonde Bomb stared into thin air and repeated each strange word exactly as Mortimer had told her to. For a few seconds she looked around worried that she had said something wrong or couldn't mimic the alien accent just right. But suddenly her eyes opened wide and she stood dumbfounded on the spot. She slowly backed away with her mouth open wide.

"You guys are never going to believe this," Blonde Bomb finally let out in shock.

Soon they wouldn't have to take her word for it.

Genie Wiz followed Blonde Bomb in line and No.9 stuffed the Stun Sabre back into his gym bag without anyone noticing. After repeating the pass phrase her reaction was similar to Blonde Bomb's. The two girls walked slowly over and settled behind Mortimer. No.9 couldn't be sure if this was because they felt Mortimer was the only one who understood what they were both seeing, or if it was because they were afraid and Mortimer offered a tall pink shield to hide behind.

L.G. and Bombshell followed Genie Wiz. It took L.G. a minute or two to file out of the line because he was so interested in the once invisible garden. Finally, Mr. Invent successfully repeated the "magic words" and No.9 was all that was left. He repeated the words slowly and accurately and looked to Mortimer when he was done. Mortimer stared back and gave No.9 a small nod in approval. No.9 smiled and turned his head slowly in front of him, where the Garden of Saccoy was starting to appear in front of him.

Inches from No.9's face was a charred black iron gate at least thirty feet high, covered in green vines. A black fence connected to the gate and stretched left to right for at least a mile, but through the spaces between each jet black iron bar No.8 could make out the inside of the garden. There was a dirt path that lead from the gate and all around it were blue and red and white rosebushes that must have been six or seven feet high. Strange bugs, (or were they birds?), glided between each of the saucer sized flowers. In the distance No.9 could make out what must be the center of the garden. A huge stone fountain jutted out from a large circular pool around it.

"It's-it's-it's," No.9 stammered, "beautiful."

"Yes, sir," Mortimer replied, his voice still trembling. "Beautiful, and deadly."

Mortimer walked over to the gate and put his pink hand onto it before he turned around to face everyone. "Are you ready, sir?" Mortimer asked No.9.

"Let's go," No.9 replied with determination.

Mortimer pushed on the black gate. It swung open and squeaked loudly. The team walked into the garden behind Mortimer, each looking around nervously for any sign of Setra. When they had walked a few paces in the path split. One way leading left, the other right. No.9 scanned around for the pillars, but couldn't make them out. To the right was a sort of meadow that fed into the the fountain, with a small pond covered in lily pads and surrounded by tall grass. To the left was a group of tress, a sort of forested corner, but all of the trees had been burned black.  

Setra, No.9 thought as he gulped.

"Alright everyone," No.9 turned to face them all. "Our best bet is to stick together and follow the path around the garden. Gear up and be prepared for anything. Setra or human. Don't forget that we've got Cobbledhead's agents to worry about too."

Everyone fumbled through their backpacks and bags and pulled out their weapon of choice.

"Which way should we start?" Genie Wiz asked as she strapped her flamethrower to her back.

"The left's looking a little risky at this point," No. 9 replied, pointing out the burnt trees. "Best to follow from the right where it doesn't look like a volcano monster has been hanging around."

The team nodded in understanding, and probably relief, and followed No.9 as he walked on the path leading right with Mortimer at his side.

"You wouldn't happen to know where this Zeusi pillar is off the top of your head would you, Mortimer?" No.9 looked around them for anything pillar-shaped.

"No, sir," he replied apologetically. "I don't really come here if I can help it."

No.9 suddenly felt sorry for dragging Mortimer into this. They would have been stuck in an imaginary desert forever without his help, sure. But he shouldn't have to be in here risking his life for them.

After a few minutes the trail reached the small pond and curved left. As they came around the bend, grass on either side of the trail became as tall as Mortimer and formed a sort of grass tunnel. No.9 led everyone through the tunnel carefully and was relieved to reach the other side when a giant grey figure suddenly came into sight to the right of the trail.

No.9 stopped dead, his heart racing.

"Setra?" he asked Mortimer. The rest of the group stood silently behind them, trying not to move. Suddenly Mr. Invent started scratching all over his head and chest.

"Shhhh!" Blonde Bomb and Genie Wiz hissed at him.

"I can't help it," he replied desperately. "I'm allergic to grass!"

"Not to worry sirs," Mortimer replied. "This is just the first pillar."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Mr. Invent continued to scratch hectically all over.

"Believe me," Mortimer continued, "when Setra decides to show himself, we will know."

No.9 didn't like that Mortimer chose to say "when" instead of "if." Nevertheless he walked quickly over to the pillar and started inspecting every inch of it.

"Look for the symbol," No.9 instructed the others.

Everyone spent a few seconds running their hands around the stone pillar before Mr. Invent exclaimed, "Found it!"

Everyone in the group looked over to Mr. Invent's hand. It was covering a stone carving that looked like some sort of animal that a four year old might draw.

"Ah," said Mortimer above and behind everyone's heads, "that's Seti's symbol. Zeusi's will look like a bolt of light from the sky."

Lightning. Of course! Was it a coincidence that the gods of Saccoy were so similar to the gods of ancient Greece? How did No.9 not recognize Zeusi right away?

"Let's keep moving," No.9 said as he got back onto the dirt path.

They walked faster now, but still looking over their shoulder or in each direction in case of a hidden threat. Mortimer assured them that looking for Setra this way was a waste of time. Setra wouldn't bother to hide from them at all. Still, who knows what other dangers were in this garden, or if one of Team 114 was waiting to pounce...

They reached the second pillar shortly before the path curved to the left again. This time the pillar was easier to spot as it stood tall in a pit of tiny pebbles. Genie Wiz found the symbol of a sun ("Lorti," Mortimer told them) and they continued down the path again.

"Where do you learn about these stories and symbols and stuff, Mortimer?" L.G. questioned after they hurried away from the second pillar.

"Oh we all know the stories and myths in Saccoy, sir," Mortimer replied. "Every Ubleg is sent to Collag after they've learned to think and until they lose room to learn any more."

"Collag? That's like school then?" Bombshell offered.

"What is 'school' miss?" Mortimer replied with confusion.

"Never mind," Bombshell replied with a little laugh.

Trees were growing up all around them now, but not the burnt ones No.9 had noticed near the entrance. These were some sort of fruit trees, but No.9 couldn't name any of the strange shaped purple fruit he was looking at. The trees started to clump together the further they walked, and soon only a small patch of sky could be seen above them. Just ahead they could make out another pillar that was covered in moss.

Please let this be it, No. 9 thought as he searched around for a symbol.

"We should have started out to the left," Blonde Bomb called out. Her finger was pointing  at a crescent shape that must have been the moon.

"Nearly there, guys," No.9 offered as reassurance.

Suddenly a whirrling noise was coming from the sky above them. They all looked into the tiny patch of sky that wasn't covered in trees to see a black blotch in the sky lowering towards them. It was a helicopter.

"They're here," Bombshell said.

"Come on," L.G. ran down the path ahead of them, "what are we waiting for?!"

No.9 sprinted as fast as he could with L.G. leading the way. The helicopter was getting louder by the second. No doubt that Team 114 would be in the garden in less than a minute. Without having to worry about what could be hiding in the bushes and trees around them they made good time to the next pillar. The fact that the trees became darker and darker with soot the further they ran never crossed No.9's mind.

L.G. and No.9 outran everyone except Mortimer. As soon as they reached the pillar Mortimer pointed out the lightning bolt symbol. No.9 pulled a plastic container out of his gym bag to capture the Satar particle. L.G. gave him a look to ask if he was ready. No.9 nodded and L.G. pushed the lightning bolt symbol into the pillar as if it were a button. A circular patch of stone that had the carving on it disappeared into the pillar and was replaced by a glowing yellow ball of light. No.9 placed the container below the opening and the orb slithered out and landed safely inside.

No.9 clamped the lid on the container as quickly as he could. In the corner of his eye he could see L.G. looking behind him, frozen still.

Just before No.9 could turn around, a low, deafening growl echoed through the garden.

Chapter 10: Mortimer the Ubleg

Everyone froze inside of the hovercraft. Was that a voice they had just heard? No.9 stared at the black dome roof of the Alley Cat in disbelief. He had expected to encounter some sort of ferocious beast, but not whoever, or whatever, was outside banging on the roof.

"Who's out there?" No.9 called out cautiously.

"Ah, I knew you's was in there!" the voice replied. "I have come on behalf of the Ublegs."

No.9 looked around the cabin at everyone's dumbfounded faces.

"Ublegs?" No.9 replied with confusion.

"S'right, the Ublegs," the voice came again. "We saw your ship approach from the heavens."

No.9 had no idea how to respond to this. In a few seconds they had all learned that they had indeed landed on some mysterious place and that it was was inhabited by something called Ublegs.

"What do you think?" No.9 whispered to the group.

"It could be a trap," Mr. Invent whispered back, shaking his head. "Who knows where we are? We can't even see out of the windows!"

Mr. Invent was right of course. The view from the windows was solid black all around. But they were at least somewhere and not floating in space where they could be sucked out and frozen like popsicles in a split second if they opened the door.

"Are you friendly?" No.9 yelled at the dome. For some reason he didn't feel like taking Mr. Invent's advice. Playing it safe just wasn't what he was about.

"Friendly?" the Ubleg replied. "We're the kindest folk in all o' Sacoy."

Well, at least they knew they had made it to Sacoy. No.9 glanced at the others for their thoughts. They still looked unsure about trusting this voice.

"What's your name?" Mr. Invent called out.

"Mortimer, son of Tuplas the Wise. Can you all stop jawin' and let me in?!"

Mr. Invent hesitated for a second, looked around at the others, and pulled out the remote for the dome. Everyone held their breath as he pushed the button, not knowing if Mortimer was really some kind of evil beast in disguise, or if they'd be able to breathe at all once the door was open.

As the dome cracked open a bright burst of sunlight shone on everyone's faces. They all shielded their eyes and squinted towards the opening to get a look at Mortimer the Ubleg. Instead, all they could see was a deep blue sky.

No.9 walked towards the ladder leading to the outside. He had just put his foot on the first rung when he heard a galloping sound on the ramp of the Alley Cat. Seconds later something was in the air above the entrance. It flipped itself forward twice before landing with a thud in the main cabin a few feet from where No.9 was standing.

Everybody backed away in shock and Blonde Bomb and Genie Wiz both screamed.

Mortimer was definitely not a human. He was tall and slender with long arms and legs. His face was like an upside down triangle. His nose was squished almost flat and his ears were long and drooping down to his skinny neck. His entire body was pink and hairless and he had only four fingers and toes on his hands and feet. He was wearing some sort of fuzzy wool cloak that covered most of his body. It looked like he was wearing a large sock with arm and leg holes cut out. From far away this creature would look menacing, and No.9 was definitely afraid of him at first, until he noticed Mortimer's eyes. He had kind, brown eyes.

Mortimer stood there with a smile on his face and his arms outstretched as if he were waiting for applause. After a few seconds he put his arms down and scratched his bald head nervously.

"Uh, well," No.9 spoke behind Mortimer. "You wanted to speak with us?"

"Oh, right!" Mortimer replied, turning around to face No.9. "I was sent to ask why you's all came here on this ship."

No.9 looked around at his crew. They were all staring at Mortimer in disbelief and unable to speak.

"Well," No.9 replied nervously, "I guess I better start at the beginning." He walked from behind Mortimer and stood in front of the rest of his team. "First off, I'm No.9."

Mortimer stuck out his four fingered hand and said "Nice to meet you!"

No.9 shook the Ubleg's pink hand and went on. "This is L.G., Bombshell, Blonde Bomb, Mr, Invent, and Genie Wiz," he said, pointing to each of them as he said their name. "We're all secret agents."

"Oh, how exciting that must be!" Mortimer gasped. "I bet there's loads of danger in your line of work, eh?"

"Um, yes there is," No.9 replied. Like talking to giant pink aliens, he thought to himself. "But anyways, we all used to be members of an organization of agents, but one of our group leaders was some sort of spy or double agent for someone else. He was using us to steal parts for a weapon called the Fulton."

"Did you say Fulton?!" Mortimer suddenly cut in.

"Yeah, the Fulton device," L.G. replied. "We have it right over there." He pointed to the co-pilot seat of the Alley Cat.

Mortimer walked over to the Fulton and stopped dead in his tracks. "How can this be," he turned towards them frantically. "Is this the same Fulton that imprisoned the Deltoids?!"

No one understood what Mortimer was talking about. No.9 shrugged, "I'm not sure. All I know is that it's some sort of weapon."

"I believe it is," Mortimer replied, picking up the Fulton. "It's not much of a weapon though. More of a transporter."

"What are Deltoids?" Blonde Bomb asked Mortimer from the back of the cabin.

"The Deltoids were the peace keepers in Sacoy," Mortimer replied as if remembering an old story. "They traveled around the darkest parts of this land over a hundred years ago, turning hatred in some of the worst creatures' hearts to love. They stopped wars before they could even begin. Turned rivals into allies. They almost drove all evil away from here!"

"Almost?" Genie Wiz asked.

"Yes, almost," Mortimer replied hanging his head low. "They disappeared."

"What happened to them?" No.9 asked.

"According to the stories," Mortimer continued, "they had a massive ship called Sol-Ren. That's where they all lived, and they would travel from place to place stopping any sorts of evil or violence."

No.9 and the team listened silently, but closely. Not understanding everything Mortimer said was going to be a trend.

"One day they took off for the Kudeta region," Mortimer went on, "the last stronghold of all of the evil and darkness in Sacoy. A warlord had suddenly appeared there and was building an army. He was threatening to march over all of Sacoy. The story says that the Deltoids succeeded in stopping the warlord...but their ship disappeared."

Mortimer sat down holding onto the Fulton. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. His eyes were beginning to fill with tears.

"I'm sorry," Blonde Bomb replied in a comforting tone. "How exactly did they disappear?"

"The Fulton," Mr. Invent responded. Mortimer nodded his head.

"We've been visited by your people for hundreds of years now," Mortimer added. "Some made it here by mistake, but most of those that came were science men. They had never seen our rocks or minerals or elements before. They used them to make many things. The last of these was said to be the Fulton. Those men never came back when the Deltoids disappeared. Most of us here in Saccoy believe that these science men were the ones that took the Deltoids. They used the Fulton and put them who knows where. Ever since the Deltoids disappeared there's been war and killing and more evil than any of us have ever seen before..."

Mortimer put the Fulton down as if it was too heavy to hold onto anymore.

"I have to ask you," Mortimer said looking straight into No.9's eyes, "are you with those science men?"

No.9 stared back at Mortimer, making sure not to blink when he replied. "No, Mortimer. I promise you. And if there's anything we can do to bring the Deltoids back I swear that we will do it."

Mortimer stared into No.9 eyes for a few seconds more. Finally, he smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Nine," he said.

"Before we can help you though," No.9 said as he picked up the Fulton and put it back in the co-pilot's seat, "we need you to help us."

"You've got it, sir," Mortimer replied, standing up and shaking No.9's hand again.

"Do you know where we can find the Garden of Sacoy?" No.9 asked.

"Oh, yes," Mortimer replied with a serious tone. "I don't know why you'd want to go there though. That's where Setra lives..."

"So we've heard," No.9 said. "What can you tell us about the garden? We need to know more about four pillars inside; and anything you know about Setra or the Satar particle could come in handy, too."

"The Garden is famous in all of Sacoy," Mortimer replied. "It has been around for many generations. There is a legend about the garden and the Four Pillars of Sabri. The pillars are said to be the remains of four gods: Destri, Lorti, Seti, and Zeusi. Sabri was a farmer who had found the bodies of the four gods in a patch of land filled with weeds and thorn bushes. Sabri decided to make a memorial for the fallen gods and turned this land into a beautiful garden. He planted many exotic plants and fruit trees and burned all of the weeds and thorn bushes. He then cremated the bodies of the dead gods and used their ashes to make a strong clay to mold each pillar as a tribute to each god."

This was a lot of information for the team to take in. Gods, legends, Deltoids...where in the world were they?

"Setra," Mortimer continued with his story, "was meant to guard the garden after the Deltoids had disappeared. An army of warriors trapped him in chains inside of his volcano lair and marched him all the way to the Garden. They used the strongest chains ever made to bind him inside of the garden, but the chains did not hold. Setra killed the entire army minutes after he was brought inside the Garden, where he has stayed ever since."

"And what about his face and his eyes?" Mr. Invent asked shakily. "Can you tell us a little about those?"

"I am not sure, sir," Mortimer replied. "I have never seen Setra myself. But I believe it is best to stay away from both of them."

"And the Satar particle?" No.9 pressed. "Or Cryton? Have you heard of Cryton?"

"Oh, yes, the Satar," Mortimer nodded in understanding. "After the Deltoids disappeared there were rumors that the scientists had also made a way to destroy the Fulton forever. The Satar particle is the only way to ensure that the Deltoids never return. But," Mortimer put up a single pink finger and smiled, "someone stole it a long time ago." Mortimer suddenly fell silent and looked quickly at everyone in the cabin. "Why are these things important to you?" He backed up and sounded slightly defensive. "You told me you weren't with the science men, right?"

"Relax," said No.9, putting up a hand to calm Mortimer down. "I promise we don't have anything to do with them. When we formed our own team we started spying on our old organization to get a lead on what they were up to," No.9 explained. "They've been trying to get all of the pieces of the Fulton together, but we stopped them. Now they're coming after the Satar particle. They're trying to protect some secret," No. 9 went on. "Something called Cryton..."

"I am sorry, sir, but I do not know what Cryton is or what any of its secrets could be," Mortimer replied.

"Trust me," said L.G. "you've taught us more than enough today."

Everyone let out a small laugh except for Mortimer.

 No.9 went to the co-pilot seat and grabbed his gym bag. For a moment he debated whether or not he should bring the Fulton, but decided it would be safe enough inside of the Alley Cat. He wouldn't want to accidentally destroy it while capturing the Satar particle either.

As he walked back into the main cabin, No.9 looked up at Mortimer's brown eyes. Even though he was somewhat scary, No.9 was glad to have met Mortimer and learn about Sacoy. He decided that Mortimer would be considered a friend from here on out.

"Mortimer," said No.9, "can you take us to the garden?"

Mortimer looked a little frightened at the idea. No.9 couldn't blame him though. He was frightened of Setra after one day, he couldn't imagine how many stories there were about him after a hundred years.

"For the Deltoids?" No.9 offered as motivation.

At this Mortimer stood straight and tall. "It would be an honor, sir," he replied.

Everyone grabbed their gear and climbed out of the Alley Cat. They had landed in a dry, dusty dessert as far as they could see. The only life around them were small shrubs that poked out of the cracked dirt.

"Well, follow me," Mortimer motioned them all to walk on.

As they followed Mortimer in a single line, Mr. Invent closed the pod door of the Alley Cat and filed in towards the back behind No.9.

"You know," No.9 said to Mr. Invent, "I'm feeling pretty optomistic about our chances here."

"I think that's just one of the side effects of my energy bars," Mr. Invent replied gravely, following the rest of the team behind Mortimer the Ubleg, toward Setra and the Garden of Sacoy.