Clancy took a deep breath as he stood in front of Base Alpha. They had tied their horses to trees in a clearing about fifty meters back and walked the rest of the way to the base.
   Squid bases, in the modern day, are rather poorly laid out. Long ago a way had been found into the base through a hole in the fortress wall, and since then, the Teuthidans have had no idea how all these humans can get in so easily.
   Andy went through this hole first, followed by Exodus and Deanna, then Clancy and Vern. Clancy looked up and down the aisle they now stood in. It was dark out, the moon illuminating the grassless-dirt ground. No one was around; luckily, they weren't in training hours.
  "Okay." Clancy whispered. "Let's split up. Andy, you lead yourself, Exodus, and Deanna. Stick to the shadows, don't get caught. If you find Star, knock her out and radio me. Deanna, if you can, use your magic to do that. You guys take the second floor, we'll take the first. Any questions?"
   The others exchanged glances, but asked no questions. "Good." Clancy said. "Be careful. Moony, Vern, stay with me."
   With that, he crept back into the tunnel and into the squid base itself. The two groups separated and Vern and Clancy walked with Moon directly behind them.
   "...It's strange..." Vern whispered.
   "What?" Moon Moon replied.
   "Shouldn't there be squids around?"
   "Nah, they're all asleep." Clancy said.
   "But shouldn't there be guards at least?" Vern asked.
   Clancy shrugged. "I guess they're more laid back than we thought."
   Vern shook his head skeptically, but said nothing more.
   Clancy peered through an open door's entrance and he blinked. "...They have a lab?"
   "Clancy no."
   "But-!"
   Vern dragged Clancy along by his collar.
   Clancy sighed and kept walking. "You never wanna have fun in anything..."
   "True."
   Clancy simply rolled his eyes.
   Their search continued over ten minutes, Clancy and Vern bickering quietly every once in a while, before Clancy suddenly stopped.
   Vern looked back at him in confusion. "What?"
   Clancy looked all around him, then sighed. "We lost Moon Moon..."
   Vern's eyes widened slightly and he looked around himself before he sighed. "Damn."
   There was the sound of a door closing, echoing down the hall. Clancy jumped and looked up as he and Vern instinctually drew closer. "What was that?"
   "I don't know." Vern replied. His voice appeared calm but when Clancy looked at him, he could see fear in his eyes. Clancy swallowed and took his hand.
   "It'll be fine." He told him.
   Vern looked at him and to Clancy's surprise, he didn't pull his hand away.
   Then Clancy felt it.
   Something sharp, poking the center of his back. He closed his eyes and let go of Vern's hands, holding up his own. Vern looked at him in confusion before he looked back and froze. Behind them, a squid was pointing a sword at Clancy's back.
   The squid smirked slightly. "Hands on your head."
   Vern didn't argue, looking at Clancy, who was staring at him intensely. As he watched, he barely pointed at Vern, then up.
   Vern offered a tiny nod before he suddenly spun back. Clancy spun around as well and dove on the squid's legs. The squid lowered his sword in his distraction and Vern leapt on top of him, managing to push him to the ground. The ambassador snatched up the squid's sword with one hand and with the other dragged Clancy into a run down the hall by his collar.
  "That was awesome!" Clancy hissed and he sword he saw Vern grinning slightly.
   Then they turned a corner and them both skidded to a halt. Vern's sword clattered to the ground as the two saw almost a dozen Teuthidans standing there. Each of them had a sharp weapon. Two Star Cadets stood no chance. The two both sighed and held up their hands for real this time.

"I spy with my little eye, something blue."
   "Um..." Andy looked around. "...The ceiling?"
   "Nope." Exodus replied.
   "Is it the picture there?" Deanna tried gently.
   "Yeah!"
   "That's not blue, that's green!" Andy hissed.
   "No, it's blue!"
   Andy scowled. "You just let Deanna win because she's
   Deanna blushed.
   "What - no, that's not - no! I don't pick favorites! You're just being a sore loser!"
   "Oh, whatever." Andy scoffed.
   Deanna cleared her throat softly. "I spy with my little eye... Something blue."
   "Is it the damn picture?" Andy asked.
   Deanna shook her head.
   "The floor?"
   She shook her head again. "No, that's more of a grey-green than blue..."
   "Well it's hard to tell in this light." Exodus squinted for good measure. "How do Teuthidans see in this dark?"
   "They've got advanced eyes so they can see underwater of something, I dunno, ask Vern. He's the culturally adept one."
   "Hm... So... Is it the door we passed?"
   "Nope!"
   Andy hesitated, then smiled. "It's my hair isn't it."
   Deanna giggled, nodding. Andy rolled her eyes, ruffling Deanna's hair. "So pure." She said.
   "Alright, Andy, your turn." Exodus said obviously.
   "Okay, okay, let's see... I spy with my little eye, some-"
   She was interrupted when they heard a distant shout.
   Andy blinked in alarm as Deanna jumped beside her. Exodus snorted. "Andy, that isn't a color."
   Andy looked at him. "Ex, you would be smarter if you just didn't say anything. There was another shout and Andy took out her sword before running towards the noise quickly. Deanna and Exodus exchanged worried glances before following. As they grew closer, the shouts could be better heard; they were quiet, hoarse. As Andy jogged to a halt she found herself in a long hallway. On either side, there were cells. They were old fashioned, with rusted iron bars and benches attacked to the wall to sleep on. There was another shout and she went to the sound, looking into a cell. She gasped, stopping. "Moony?!"
  Deanna's eyes widened and she ran up to her. Her eyes widened even more as she looked to the cell. Moon Moon was crouched inside, but he looked horrible. It seemed as though he had been in the cell for days as opposed to mere minutes. He was pale and thin, his voice hoarse. He wasn't wearing his glasses.
   As he heard his name, he looked up and his eyes filled with hope. "A-Are you Sky Army...?!"
   Andy's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What? Of course we are, you came here with us!"
   "N-No I didn't! I - I've been here weeks!"
   Andy exchanged a quick confused glance with Exodus.
   Deanna shook her head. "Look, it doesn't matter now, we have to get him out." She held out her hands and they glowed a soft pale green as she touched the lock. She pulled, but nothing happened and she sighed.
   "Arth a lam!" She whispered a spell. Nothing. She looked up. "I-I'm sorry, I'm not good enough yet...!"
   "Don't worry about it." Exodus said before promptly slamming down the hilt of his sword on the lock. Luckily, Exodus was exceptionally strong for his age and the lock broke with a loud CLANG, making Andy cringe.
   There was quiet as all four listened, hoping to gods no one had heard. After several seconds passed in silence, Andy glared up at Exodus. "You moron." She whispered, backhanding Exodus's arm beforehand going into the cell. "Can you walk?" She asked Moon Moon gently.
   The librarian timidly shook his head. It was funny, he acted different than the Moony they knew. He seemed quieter, shyer... Probably because he got the living daylights scared out of him by the squids who put him in the cell. But that didn't explain why he thought he'd been there for weeks.
   "I'll get him." Exodus said, before picking up Moon Moon as though he were a princess. The librarian seemed to exhausted to care.
   "What do we do now?" Deanna asked.
   Andy huffed. "Deanna, go with Exodus and get Moon Moon out of here, just wait for me and the boys by the horses. If we're not out by dawn, leave without us. I'm calling an abort mission on trying to get Star."
   "Why?" Exodus and Deanna asked together.
   "Because," Andy tapped her ear. "All I'm getting from Clanker is static."

Clancy growled as he was shoved roughly into the cell. "Oi, you could at least be polite, you slimy gill-necked gi-!" He was cut off as Vern was suddenly shoved into him and the two fell to the ground. The squid who was on cell duty laughed and stalked off.
   Clancy scowled as he sat up, Vern rolling off of him with a sigh. "Why do they always have to laugh all maniacally like that?"
   "Because this is really all the fun they have." Vern said, trying to get his hair to stabilize.
   Clancy just groaned before he heard footsteps and he straightened up. Outside the bars, a familiar red-headed face appeared, smirking. "Glad you could visit me."
  Clancy's eyes narrowed. "Oh great. You're exactly who I'm looking for." He heard  Vern shuffling back behind him.
   Star smirked. "Is that a Lazorso? Tch. I expect no less."
   Vern, for once, had nothing to say.
   "We're already caught, what more can you want?" Clancy growled.
   "I just want to let you know I'm very happy in my new home." Star said. "And I don't believe I'll be going back to Yoglabs anytime soon."
   "Too bad. You're a criminal."
   "Not here I'm not." Star said. "Here, me being a killer of humans, I'm right at home." She smirked. "You on the other hand... You are the criminal here."
   "Bugger off." Clancy snapped.
   "How intelligent. No matter." Star waved a hand. "You'll be left here another few weeks, then we'll let you go so you can go and tell the Sky Army to give up trying to find me. I'm protected."
   Clancy just snarled as Star waved elegantly and stalked off. He looked at Vern as soon as she was gone. "You okay?"
   "Fine..." Vern muttered. He was sitting with his back to the wall opposite the door, his chin rested on his knees as he glare at the floor.
   Clancy stared at him a moment before he sighed and moved over, sitting beside him. "Don't listen to her."
   They were both quiet before Vern muttered, "She's a total bitch..."
   "Yeah, you're not wrong."
   "Guys!" They suddenly heard a familiar voice hiss. Both boys perked up and Clancy stood.
   "Andy?" He whispered.
   "Ha!" Andy looked through the bars as she ran into sight. "What the hell happened?!"
   "We lost Mister Moon and then got caught." Vern said as he stood.
   Andy snorted. "Mister Moon..." She coughed, drawing her own attention back to the matter at hand. "Speaking of Moony, he claims he's been here weeks. And he looks like it too, somehow I think he's telling the truth."
   "What? That's not possible, we walked into the base with him twenty minutes ago." Vern said.
   "I have no idea, but he looks half starved and sick, and he didn't have his glasses either. He couldn't even sta-"
   "Say that again."
   Andy blinked at Clancy. "He couldn't stand?"
   "No, you said he didn't have his glasses, is that true?" Clancy asked.
   Vern and Andy stared at him in confusion. "Yeah, it's true."
   Clancy groaned. "He has been here for weeks..." He said. "The Moon Moon we brought with us wasn't Moon Moonl that's why he disappeared. He used that device Star stole. He was Star. She had us completely fooled..."
   Andy's eyes widened.
   "Look, we gotta get outta here." Vern said.
   "Where are Deanna and Exodus?" Clancy asked.
   "They're outside with the real Moony." Andy said.
   "Good." Clancy said. Just then, a loud alarm rang throughout the entire squid base.

Deanna sighed as she stood staring at the base from the clearing where their horses were. "Damn it, guys..." She muttered.

   "Bad." Clancy said. "Andy, can you get us out?"
   "Um..." Andy looked around for a pair of keys before there was a loud shout and a squid charged to her. Her eyes narrowed and she stepped quickly out of the way, holding out a foot. The squid fell hard on his front and she stabbed him in the back with one of her daggers, snatching the keys up from his belt. "Indeed I can." She said before she unlocked the cell door.
   Clancy pushed out and looked around.
   "Let's go!" Andy started to run towards the stairwell, but Vern grabbed her arm.
   "We can't just go to the door, they'll be waiting there!" He said. "We need a plan." He and Andy immediately looked to Clancy.
  Clancy looked between them in confusion. "What?"
  "You're the genius, think of something!" Andy said.
  Clancy opened his mouth... And shut it again. His powerful mind went completely blank. "...Uh..."
  Vern groaned. "Damn it all, Barlow!"
  "Okay, okay, look!" Clancy said quickly. "You guys run for the entrance, I'll make a distraction!"
  "But no, that'll put you in danger!" Vern said.
  "Just do it!" Clancy snapped, sprinting up the stairs before he could be stopped.
  He didn't know if Andy and Vern were able to get out; he just hoped they did was he said as he took the stairs two by two, shouting all the way to get the squids' attention, going all the way up to the top of the second floor, which was in fact the roof. He looked around him and saw several planes all over the place and he swallowed. "Okay... This'll be an experience."
  He could hear soldiers shouting, coming up the stairs.
  Clancy got in the plane nearest him; a black biplane. He shut the side door and looked at the controls. "Um..." As the Teuthidan soldiers ran onto the roof and shouted at him, he panicked and hit a button. God was on his side today apparently, because the engine started. Clancy let out a laugh of triumph and shoved the joystick-looking-things forwards. The plane shot in the same direction and Clancy yelped as it gained speed, faster and faster, before it shot up the ramp into the air.
   It was only now that it occurred to Clancy that he had no idea how to fly a plane. If he really put his mind to it, he could probably build one. But flying one was a very different matter.
   Somehow, Clancy managed to keep it level in the air. Then he felt a massive jolt run through it and he yelped falling back. His head hit the handle of the door, causing it to open. He groaned, shaking his head, and his eyes wouldn't focus anymore. He saw the ground below and he cried out, scrambling back from the door. "Oh God, oh shit, I'm dead, I'm dead." He rubbed at his eyes, shook his head, but he only got more dizzy.
He stood, leaning against the chair, pulling up. Behind him, the sounds of guns died down and he knew he was out of range of the squids.
  He let out a sigh of relief and fell into the chair, holding his aching head.
  He must have dozed off, likely because of his head injury, because when Clancy woke up, he saw a completely unfamiliar forest below him. He squinted and swallowed. "Oh boy..."
  The plane trembled beneath him and he jumped. He hated heights... If he were to fall-
   Suddenly, the plane jolted and Clancy yelped, grabbing the controls. His eyes widened as he saw a huge tree fast approaching and he tried to go up, but it was already too late. Clancy fell got he ground and the door swung open again. The left wing of the plane was completely torn off as it his the tree and he shouted out in fear. Before he could catch his bearings, the floor gave out under him and he realized he'd tumbled right out the side door. And he was falling for a very brief period.
  From there, there really wasn't much else he could do before he landed hard on the roof of some poor civilian's house and rolled off the edge of that surface too. When he fell into the bushes by the door, he had been knocked out cold.
  The last thing he heard was an older voice, hinted with a tiny bit of a Brooklyn accent, saying: "That better not be the damn birds again."

"We gotta go after him!" Vern took a fast step forward, but Andy grabbed his arm.
   "Are you nuts?! We gotta get out of here, the squids will come after us!"
   Vern yanked his arm away. "He's crashed, I know he has! He got hit, I saw!"
   He tried to run again, and this time Exodus grabbed him, making it impossible for him to pull away. He let out an outraged scream. "He'll die! Let me go, lascia ADARE!"