Lucille tried to wiggle out of the light’s grasp, but she couldn’t so much as get her pinkie to twitch. Her body burned as if she was running a high fever. All she wanted to do was curl up in her father’s arms and cry. The only things under her control were her thoughts, and they were a whirlwind of panic.

Mahthim! Tabtoap! Help me, please! Help! I’m scared! I’m scared! I want daddy! Tabtoap help! Mahthim! Mahthim! Don’t let them take me! I don’t wanna go! Don’t make me! TABTOAP!

Sky blue and blazing white filled her vision until it was all she could see. Hushed Atlantean whispers hissed in her ears with voices upon voices piled on top of and through one another, making it impossible to discern what was actually said. The tones ranged from curious, to tender, to confused, and some were angry. The young princess tried to relax and in doing so, could make out some of the speech.

“The youngest we’ve ever had…”

“Too young!”

“Where is her crystal?”

“Outrageous!”

“…terrified out of her wits…”

“This sort of thing didn’t happen when I was king! I told you the outsider was trouble!”

“Why not her mother again?”

“Something’s wrong! Something’s horribly, horribly wrong!”

Then nothing.

It was suddenly silent and Lucille felt very alone. If she had any control over her body it would have been shivering. The utter quiet was freezing. I’m in a cave, she thought, a big, cold, scary cave all by myself. My tummy hurts. I feel sick. I want to go home. I want to go home!

Around the Crystal, the rock effigies of the rulers of the past spun faster and faster, becoming blue-lined gray blurs. In his tumbling with Vinny, Rourke flew right into the stones’ orbit. There was a blinding flash of red light and then searing pain as the demon screamed. Nearly an entire jagged crystal wing had been shattered, leaving him flapping lopsided. Pieces, dark blue with dull red veins, fell into the lava river below. Both angel and demon watched as the crystal bits sizzled and left nothing behind but steam.

Vinny smiled lazily and slowly chewed on a matchstick. He looked up and with no hesitation punched Rourke on the jaw and sent him back into the ring. As Rourke desperately tried to pull himself away from the pummeling rocks, Vinny shook out his sore fist.

“Okay, now things are getting’ good.” Bits of crystal sailed past his ears. He ignored Rourke’s screams. “Y’know,” he drawled, “I coulda told ya that gettin’ in league with the Devil was a bad idea. I mean, I grew up Catholic, went to church every Sunday, had Communion. I liked the wine. The wine was good. Didn’t go to confession that much, though, not after that one priest told the cops I’d set the neighbor’s shed on fire. Wasn’t my fault, though. I had no idea when I tossed the little cherry bomb through the window that they’d been keeping some fireworks in there. Musta been for the church picnic comin’ up. Oh well. They should have given me back my football from the get-go or I wouldn’t-a tossed in the cherry bomb in the first place. Not like I made it go into their yard…”

Over the sound of his grunts and body being smacked to and fro, Rourke couldn’t hear Vinny. He couldn’t even tell which direction he was facing after being knocked around so much. His crystalline body was numb, but he was vaguely aware that nearly half of his other wing was missing, he’d lost a few fingers, and a chunk of one shoulder was gone, as well as large bits from his torso and legs. With one last bludgeon, he was hurled back out of the ring and into calm space.

Vinny’s mouth went slack and his matchstick slipped out. His wits came back to him, and he shouted, “NO!”

The high frequency howl of the whirling effigies had ceased, and Rourke realized he was behind them, next to a now child shaped crystal. He flapped his half a wing rapidly to get him in a crooked hover, puzzling over this new predicament. Could he simply just—

GRAB IT, YOU FOOL! Hell screamed.

OOOH, GOOD DIALOGUE!

THANK YOU.

VERY COMIC BOOK BADDIE OR BOND VILLAIN-ESQUE. YOU FORGOT TO SHAKE A FIST, THOUGH. YOU CAN’T SAY THAT SORT OF THING WITHOUT SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED FIST SHAKING.

WELL PARDON MOI! NEXT TIME I’LL ASK FOR YOUR SUGGESTIONS BEFORE GIVING IMPROPTU INSTRUCTIONS TO OUR DEMON MINIONS!

JUST SAYIN’… OH DEAR. THE KEEPERS ARE BEING ANNOYING AGAIN.

Claire and Diana stood outside of the pit, arms extended, fingers out, the Possibilities flowing out and into the hole. Claire didn’t want to admit it, but ever since Lucille had been taken up into the Heart, she’d been extremely dizzy. The crystal necklace she wore pulsed and flashed, as if it were sending out a distress signal. She knew she was weaving as she walked, but she chose not to focus on it, and instead on just sealing up the leak.

WE’RE MORE THAN A ‘LEAK’ NOW, YOU KNOW. TA’KASHI NEARLY HAD US FREED. YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO. YOU SEEM A LITTLE WINDED, KEEPER. NEED A BREAK?

Claire gritted her teeth and put more force into her concentration. “Shut the Hell up!”

Hell cackled, spitting up bits of brimstone. ‘SHUT THE HELL UP,’ OH THAT’S FUNNY! YOUR WIT’S A BIT LACKLUSTER, SWEETIE. MAYBE YOU SHOULD LIE DOWN. WE’VE GOT A LOVELY BED OF SPIKES DOWN HERE.

“Her wit’s weak?” spat Diana. “You’re about as funny as an opening guest monologue on Saturday Night Live!”

Hell was silent for a moment. WHAT IF IT’S TOM HANKS?

Diana growled, “Especially if it’s Tom Hanks!”

GASP! There was a faint, broken-breath whimpering as Hell sulked. YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO BE SO MEAN.

BY THE WAY, Hell brightened a bit, DID YOU KNOW THAT WITH YOUR ARMS OUT AND YOUR FINGERS WAGGLING LIKE THAT, YOU TWO LOOK LIKE MICKEY MOUSE IN FANTASIA?

AND DID YOU ALSO KNOW…

Claire never heard the shuffling behind her, or smelled the rancid breath on her neck; she only felt a sharp sting as a large rock came down on top of her head. She crumpled into a heap on the dusty ground, and Diana ducked aside just in time to avoid a swing from Ta’Kashi.

…THAT WE’RE BEING DISTRACTING?

Diana had to take her focus off of the glowing, hissing pit, but wasted no power on the evil Keeper. Instead she reacted as any teenage girl would--she spun, one leg out, and kicked him square in the crotch. A low whine escaped from between his clenched lips and, knees bent together, he fell like a squat, fat, four feet tall tree, landing on his side and curling into a fetal position. Just for good measure Diana gave him an extra punt in the ribs.

“What is you damage, man?” she shrieked. “Do you have any idea how stupid you’re being?!”

ARE YOU GOING TO LAUNCH INTO THE LECTURE ABOUT HOW WE’RE JUST USING HIM FOR OUR PLOT FOR UNIVERSAL DOMINATION AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE DISPOSED OF HIM OURSELVES WHEN WE HAD NO FURTHER USE FOR HIM?

Diana blinked. “No, you seem to have covered that pretty well.” She left Ta’Kashi crying and rushed to her sister’s side. Fretting or breaking into hysterics would do no good. The young Keeper flung her backpack off and simply yanked it apart at one end, nearly destroying the zipper. Her mother had always told her to have a first aid kit on hand for just this sort of occasion. Had she packed one? A shuffling of shirts and underwear revealed that no, she hadn’t. “Da—“

EEEEEEE!

“—ng it.”

POOPIE.

Claire was unconscious and a thin stream of blood trickled down her forehead. Diana wasted no time. She pulled a long-sleeved shirt out of her bag. She gave it a good look and then put it back. She liked that one. Then she took out another one, ripped off a sleeve, and used it to bandage the wound. After that she carefully, very carefully, dragged Claire away from the pit and sat her up against an arguably uncomfortable wall of rock.

She didn’t want to leave her alone, but she still had a gaping hole to Hell to close and a bad Keeper to deal with. She wished Dean was there. He would know how to properly take care of the gash and he would keep her safe.

Diana’s attention was pulled from her thoughts to the crystal resting on Claire’s chest. The bright aqua blue darkened and dulled. Then it started to fill with a flowing crimson light that broke into little streams that curled and lashed out like vipers. Soon the crystal was blood red, pulsating with a dull throb.

The elder sibling’s eyes shot open. No pupils, irises, or whites remained. Only glowing red light filled them. A hand shot out and latched onto Diana’s wrist, clasping it with physical force far beyond Claire’s strength.

“Shit!” Diana tried to wrench herself free, but with all of her tugging, couldn’t squirm out of her sister’s grasp.

Claire opened her mouth, but the sound that emerged was completely alien to Diana. The dozens of voices of past kings and queens buzzed past Claire’s lips, melding together until it was one coherent, androgynous voice speaking stilted English.

“Protect the Heart! Do not let it fall to the evil. Save the Heart! Save Atlantis!”

Then Claire’s eyes shut and she fell back. Her hold went slack and her hand dropped. The crystal still gave off its red glow.

Diana was suddenly aware that the same shade now darkened the earth and gave the underground world a blanket of crimson. She turned and looked up into the sky to see the jagged demon plummeting down with the big, red crystal held in his burly arms. Vinny was in pursuit, arms straight in front and wings pressed against him, looking like some divine diving hawk.

With only part of one wing, though, he was spiraling out of control, spinning like a torpedo towards the lava river. Rourke flapped frantically, never slowing his descent enough for Vinny to nab him. He wasn’t about to let the angel to catch him.

IDIOT! Hell screamed.

Closer now… He was mere feet away from the bubbling, red river.

Diana tried to draw into the Possibilities, working as fast as she could to gain enough power to stop him. “Not enough time!” she groaned.

Rourke’s face contorted in horror, realizing his doom.

OH IT’S ALL OVER! Hell sobbed. NO MORE CRYSTAL!

BUT THAT MEANS NO MORE ATLANTIS.

YEAH, I SUPPOSE SOMETHING GOOD COMES OUT OF IT. STILL… BUMMER FOR US.

“AHHHHHRRGHHH!” Rourke shut his eyes tightly, preparing for a sizzling lava bath. When he noticed he wasn’t melting, he opened his eyes, wondering if his demonic powers had kept him safe. He was floating above the moat, his chin hardly an inch from its surface. A strong hand gripped his ankle firmly.

“He’s…too…heavy!” a voice above him groaned.

The demon jerked his head back to see a young, glasses wearing, muscular man. Sweat dripped down his brow, but he didn’t dare let one hand go to wipe it away. He was sitting in a flying stone fish. Next to him was Helga. Now caught up, Vinny lent a helping hand in holding Rourke.

Curling her lip in disdain, the ghost snarled down at Rourke, “Can’t we just get the Crystal and let him drop?”

Dean grunted. “If I could…”

OOH, IS MR. GOODY-GOODY ENTERTAINING SOME DEVIOUS THOUGHTS?

“I still wouldn’t do it. Claire knows how to take care of these guys.”

BOO.

Helga rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun, Mr. McIssac. You’re worse than Thatch.”

At that moment, Kida and Milo swooped down and hovered next to them in a stingray ship. The royal couple leaned out and helped Dean and Vinny haul Rourke and the crystal princess into their vehicle. Kida went to hug her daughter, but stopped.

“Milo,” tears filled her eyes, “something’s wrong! He shouldn’t have been able to grab her!”

The king grimaced and embraced his queen. “Don’t worry, Kida. Everything will turn out okay. We’ll get her back.” He shot a narrow-eyed glare at Rourke. “Vinny, don’t let him get away. I’m sure Claire knows how to destroy him.”

Both vehicles touched down on the soil near the accident site, and Milo, Kida, and Dean jumped out. The crystal princess floated nearby, staring blankly into space. Helga’s flare gun, which was being carried by Kida, was accidently left behind in the seat, so the spirit stayed with it. She wanted to keep an extra close eye on Rourke, anyway. Vinny stayed behind and kept Rourke’s arms pinned down to his sides. The battered and broken demon struggled weakly, but the angel kept him at bay.

Catching sight of his girlfriend, Dean rushed to Claire’s side. “What happened to her?” he demanded, inspecting her gash. He gently stroked his hand through her dark hair and lightly kissed her cheek.

Diana had been occupying herself by using some old rope she found near the crashed gyro-evac to tie up Ta’Kashi. “Grease ball here knocked her out. But then that necklace turned red and she went all Linda Blaire on me and told me to keep the Heart safe, whatever that is.” She shoved a pair of socks into the teacher’s mouth and dusted off her hands. Then she walked over to the group. “Still need to close up that hole, though. “

Milo looked at the crystal around Claire’s neck. “This must be Lucille’s,” he murmured. “I don’t remember giving Claire one.” He turned to Kida. “Do you?”

She shook her head. “That must be why the Heart’s defenses aren’t working. Lucille needs her crystal.” She reached out to grab it, but the red shard zapped her. “Skree-ishka!” Shaking her stinging hand, she cursed in Atlantean under her breath. Then Kida lifted her own necklace and waved it over Claire’s wound. The gash healed and all that was left behind was some dried blood. “Milo, do you have any ideas?”

“I wish I did.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I just want to get our little girl back! I’d do anything.”

I CAN CUT YOU A DEAL…

Diana rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to it.” With a smile she patted Milo’s shoulder. “We’ll fix this. I promise.”

Rourke suddenly screamed, “The Crystal!”

The Heart of Atlantis pulsated and started to spin, glowing brighter and brighter. Claire once again opened her eyes, the red orbs shining with a supernatural glow. She stood, and as she got to her feet, the crystal she wore floated up. She slowly stepped forward towards the hovering crystal princess.

Everyone’s eyes were on her except for Helga’s. The ghost was watching Rourke. She knew he was up to something…

Quicker than her thoughts could register, Rourke’s hand slipped back and took hold of his flare gun.

“Vinny!” she shouted.

But by the time it had left her lips, the demon had spun and slipped out of the distracted angel’s grasp, given him a kick, and fired off the flare gun. Vinny ducked in time and a smoking cylinder went whistling over his head.

Rourke launched himself up and snatched up the Heart in his mangled arms. Vinny flapped his wings, overestimating the demon’s distance. He shot up above him, corrected himself, and then headed back down. Rourke hit the ground, rolled, and leapt right into the pit.

It had happened in the blink of an eye. Milo and Kida crashed into the dirt at the edge of the hole, arms reaching out, screaming their daughter’s name. Vinny tried to follow after, but was spat back out.

SORRY. NO ANGELS ALLOWED! Hell guffawed. IT SEEMS WE NOW HAVE THE POWERFUL HEART OF ATLANTIS IN OUR GRASP, KEEPERS! HA HA HA! MWAH HA HA! BWAH HA HA HA HA! Hell’s laughter filled the cave, spilled out like toxic waste, and oozed into the city. I WIN! EPIC FAIL, KEEPERS!

Diana pulled Milo and Kida to their feet. “All Hell’s gonna break loose unless we act fast!”