#dr. mantis

Chapter 2: Intergalactic Rescue

The dual colored rocket lifted on its launch pad and rose toward the cloudy sky. Initiating countdown in his head, flames burst from its nozzle and the rocket soared upward, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

On the ground below, Sheen and Carl were approaching the clubhouse while they watched their best friend disappear above the clouds.

“WHAT?! Jimmy left on a space adventure WITHOUT us?!” Sheen spat.

Carl looked on in a bit of concern. “I don’t know Sheen, I don’t have a really good feeling about this…”

The boys turned to find their friend approaching them. Libby’s eyes were swollen with tears.

“Did you guys hear?! Cindy… she’s… she’s missing!”

“Missing?!”

“I just talked to her parents, because I was going over to check on her,” she lamented, covering her eyes with open palms. “No one has seen her, she just… she just vanished.”

Sheen took it upon himself to console his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“There, there, Love Muffin,” he cooed, ignoring her slight cringe at the pet name. “I’m sure she’s just away somewhere, frolicking in a flowery meadow.”

“Or possibly abducted by one of Jimmy’s enemies…” Carl whimpered, nervously flicking his fingers.

“Carl! I’m trying to think positive!”

Libby wiped her eyes before gazing up at the trail of smoke. “Did Jimmy just leave for space?”

“Yeah, without his best friends, at that,” Sheen responded with a huff.

“Sheen, it seemed pretty urgent,” the ginger defended.

Libby’s eyes widened in suspicion. “You don’t think…?”

The three gasped in unison. “CINDY!”

“My girl’s in trouble!” she exclaimed, grabbing her temples in panic. “Why didn’t he let us know so we could help?!”

“There’s only one way to find out…” Sheen clenched a fist before thrusting it into the air. “TO THE LAB!”

—— ⚛️ ——

Jimmy steered his rocket forward through the cosmos. Billions of stars painted his field of view with atroids and nebulas zooming by. The beauty failed to capture his attention as he kept his eyes glued on the direction ahead, the coordinates of Cindy’s prison repeating in his thoughts.

A sigh escaped his lips. There’s been numerous times he could have told her how much he loved her, but he always pushed the opportunity aside.

His grip tightened on the yoke. He narrowed his eyes on the planet growing larger ahead of him.

“I’m coming for you, Mantis… If you even lay a finger on her, you’re going to regret it.”

The tiny ball floating in space quickly shifted to a gigantic mass as he continued to approach. What looked like blurs of color soon became apparent landmasses and foliage before Jimmy’s rocket came to a landing at the provided coordinates.

“This must be the place,” he said to himself as the young genius hopped out of the spacecraft, gazing up at a high tech building. The structure’s lights glowed brightly against the dark sky like a cityscape.

He traversed to the entrance cautiously, stepping up to the mechanical doors. A beam of light stopped him in his tracks as it formed a cyan image resembling the Insectian doctor, as if he were standing right in front of him. Jimmy drew backward on his heels with a yelp.

The holographic Mantis snickered in response, “Surprise, surprise. I see you’ve come alone… good boy. Step inside.”

With a flash the hologram vanished, leaving him alone once again in the dead of night. The mechanical doors slid apart, allowing him entrance. He prudently stepped into the building.

A long hallway guided him forward with steel riveted walls flanking him, dimly lit with green hues. Splotches of rust—or at least, he hoped it was rust—textured the floor panels. His face displayed a mix of determination and apprehension as he kept his eyes glued on the approaching doorway. Finally, he entered the laboratory’s main room and was greeted by a familiar voice.

“Neutron!”

“Cindy!” he called out in response, finding her in the same position she was in the ransom call. Dr. Mantis stood at her side with both sets of arms clasped behind his back. Jimmy’s heart plummeted.

He was so tall.

A smirk formed across Mantis’ mandibles, “Ah, James, at last… our fated meeting, face to face.”

Jimmy stood his ground, lowering clenched fists to his waist and peering at the mad scientist.

“Alright Doctor, you got what you wanted. I came alone. Now let her go!”

“Ah ah ah, let’s not be so hasty,” the Insectian responded. “First, I must have proof you aren’t hiding anything slick up your sleeves…”

The brainiac grunted in annoyance, thrusting his open hands out in front of him. “I don’t have anything at all on me right now! You can take my word for it.”

Mantis traversed in his direction and towered over him like a skyscraper. Jimmy swallowed before being grabbed by the fabric of his shirt, dangling in the air inches away from the scientist’s face.

“Hey!” Cindy snarled, “Let go of him!”

A suppressed chuckle escaped his mandibles. His robotic hand met Jimmy’s face and squeezed his cheeks mockingly, causing the boy to shove his hand away.

“How small for such a big brain.”

A growl formed in his throat in response, before he was shaken rapidly like a ragdoll in an attempt to knock any devices loose.

“Hmm…” Mantis observed, eventually eyeing his metal wristband. With a quick snatch, he unhooked it from his wrist.

“What’s this? I will just have to confiscate this.”

“Hey, wait!” Jimmy sputtered. “Give that back!”

Mantis ignored his pleas before dropping the boy to the floor with a thud, Jimmy’s eyes rotating around their sockets as he held his head.

“Okay, I’m obviously unarmed. Now you can have me— just let her go free like promised!”

The Insectian rested his four appendages behind his back, pacing back over to the bound Vortex.

“Yes, about that…”

Jimmy tensed.

“I may just have to keep her as well. I can’t risk her going back to your planet and sending any assistance here, can I? Talk about meddling, tch!”

The young genius threw his fists at his sides with one foot stamped forward.

“No! That’s not fair, we had a deal!”

Mantis peered down at him with a snicker.

“You should know that I don’t always keep my word, Neutron. Have you not dealt with villains in the past?”

Before he could react, the crazed doctor snapped his fingers and gazed at something out of sight.

“Eve, be a dear and let our lab rat have a nice, long nap.”

A sudden, sharp pain jolted through the back of his neck, causing him to let out a yelp. The culprit buzzed from behind him and hovered over to Mantis, perching gracefully on his shoulder. He returned an affectionate head scratch to the mosquito-like creature.

“Leapin’… leptons—”

Jimmy's words trailed off and he was on his knees. Everything grew blurry. He was so tired, an uncontrollable urge to slip into unconsciousness taking over his body. What was happening?

Cindy’s concerned cries of his name began to feel more distant. He could barely feel his limp body hit the floor below him, his eyes shutting as the world around him started to vanish.

Everything went black.

—— ⚛️——

“J…Ji..mmy…!”

“…Jimmy, can you hear me..?”

“..Neutron..!”

“Jimmy, wake up!”

The young genius came to with a startled jolt. Pushing himself up with shaky arms, he rubbed his aching cranium. Once his vision returned, he was met with emerald eyes worriedly exchanging his gaze.

“Agh… Cindy? I… I had the craziest dream, that you were kidnapped by this alien doctor, and I managed to make it to his lab to—”

His sentence trailed off once he focused on cage bars entrapping them both.

“…Save you.”

“Yeah,” Cindy replied with a groan. “I wish it really were a dream.”

Jimmy clutched the cage bars and scanned around the lab. “How long have I been out?”

“A few hours. That creepy mosquito thing… it must’ve had extremely potent venom or something.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a warm pinprick beneath his fingers. “Definitely…”

“Bug Brain left an hour ago. He said he was gonna rest for the night, since you were out,” she continued. “We have until morning before he comes back…”

Jimmy desperately searched around the room for anything nearby to escape with, but to no avail. The cage was far away from all possible tools. Letting go of the bars with a sigh, he lifted a hand to his chin.

“If only I had my watch, I could magnetize it to grab something we could use to escape.”

“I’ve already looked around for possible strategies while you were out, but there’s just nothing that can help us.”

The two grew silent before it was soon broken by Cindy’s sigh. She drew circles on the floor with a finger.

“I… I can’t believe you came all this way and risked your life, just to save me.”

“Of course I did, I couldn’t let that guy hurt you. What made you think I would?”

Cindy shuffled her spine against the cage bars and tucked her knees into her chest. “Well, it’s just that I don’t happen to be Betty Quinlan.”

“Cindy, please,” he huffed, flicking his gaze upward. “Not this again.”

“Oh no, no. We never discussed any of this and I’d like to bring it up now, while we’ve got plenty of time to do nothing else.”

Jimmy pinched the bridge of his nose. “But there’s nothing to discuss! My thing for Betty is over, it’s all in the past. Can we just drop it?”

“You claimed that before the gross collection of photos of her I found in your lab. You’re lucky I still decided to save your butt after that!”

“Again, those photos were all trashed and I can’t even remember the last time I thought about her. Why are you still holding this against me?”

“Because I- I…” she paused her words, trying to grasp her feelings. “I’m not perfect, like she seems to be…”

Jimmy’s eyebrows pinched upward. “What?”

“I don’t have the looks like she has, or the talent, or the popularity. She has everything I could only wish to have. Everyone in town apparently loves her and holds her in high regard. She’s got it all.”

Her voice minimized to a soft whisper. “It’s no wonder why you preferred her over me…”

Tears glistened in her eyes as silence took over the room, a hitched breath escaping her lips before turning her face away from him. With a faint sound of movement beside her, a hand gently cupped her cheek and wiped a glimmering tear from it. She bashfully returned his gaze.

“Cindy… you’re smarter than anyone I’ve ever met. Not only that, but you’re artistically talented and could even take down a Gorlock with your strength, if you wanted to. You’re also… r-really pretty. I mean, I could put you next to the Mona Lisa, and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

His cheeks glowed with a warm red. “I suppose I was too naive to realize that Betty isn’t my type at all. I’ve always admired you, Cindy. To me… you’re perfect.”

Her emerald irises flickered as tears dribbled down her cheeks, a gasp escaping her lips.

“R…really?”

He nodded, a soft smile forming.

“Jimmy…” she said faintly, letting out a gentle chuckle. “Mona Lisa, huh? You really have a way with words, don’t you?”

“Hey, that came more from my heart than my brain for once.”

She giggled and wiped the tears from her face. Scooting over to sit at her side, Jimmy eyed her in concern.

“I know I probably sound like such a jealous jerk,” she sighed, “but it’s just that… My parents have always wanted me to be the perfect daughter. Well, my mom especially. I had to make the best grades, win contests, have outstanding talents. I felt like if I didn’t live up to their standards, I would just disappoint them.”

She rubbed her arms insecurely as Jimmy keenly listened.

“If someone seems better than me, I guess it makes me feel like a failure. As if I’m not good enough. That’s why I’ve always tried to outsmart you, and why I’m so intimidated by Betty.”

“I’m sure your parents are always proud of you,” he chimed in. “You’re on the same level of intelligence as I am, and you have various other strengths too! If you’re not filled with talent, then I don’t know what is.”

Her eyes sparkled. “That… was the first time you’ve ever said I was as smart as you.”

“O-oh,” he blushed, rubbing the back of his head. “Uh, well, I um… never wanted to admit it before. By the way, I… kind of understand always feeling pressured to be the best.”

“Wait, you do? Your parents pressure you too?”

“No, it’s not them. It’s… myself. My genius is what I’ve always relied on, and it’s what everyone expects of me. Most of the time, my super intelligence is what’s kept Retroville safe from outside threats. Sure, it’s a heavy burden at times, but… I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

He hugged his knees, resting his chin on them. “If something ever happened and I lost it, I… I would lose sight of who I even am. I may act brave and overconfident, but deep down inside… I’m terrified of that possibility.”

Cindy gazed at him in heartfelt silence before nudging closer. He felt a warm hand embracing his own.

“Even if you did somehow lose your intelligence, I wouldn’t see you any differently. You’d still always be the sweetest, funniest, most thoughtful guy I’ve ever met.”

She gave him a peck on the cheek, his face filling with a pink warmth. The couple kept their hands clasped together at their side in comfortable silence.

“If we ever make it home, do you think that… we could drop the rival act and be more like an actual couple?” she asked.

“I would love that,” Jimmy replied with a grin. “So like Sheen and Libby?”

She snickered, “Just without all the crazy and Ultra Lord obsession.”

“It’s a deal,” he responded before the two of them shared a laugh. Cindy nuzzled closer and rested her temple on his warm shoulder. She frowned, their grim situation returning to her memory.

“We’ll figure out how to get out of this… right?”

“There’s gotta be a way we can outsmart Mantis,” Jimmy pondered, biting his lip. “I’m sure I can figure something out. Just leave it to me.”

Chapter 1: Gone Missing

"And this is why I believe all llamas should be free to roam around the world, just as people," the heavy set ginger concluded, his arms swaying gracefully in the air with a toy llama held in his hand.

"That was a… nice sentiment, Carl," the birdlike teacher responded as she watched him return to his desk gleefully. "Though I'm not sure what that had to do with the assiiiignment!"

Sitting next to Carl was a brunette with a swirly hairdo, propping his head up as he somberly stared at the empty desk beside him. The blonde that normally sat there was nowhere to be seen. She was always in class, even carrying the pride of a perfect attendance award. Seeing her absent was very abnormal, and to Jimmy, even worrisome. It wasn't the same without her witty insults and competitive attitude, which the two have always exchanged as a cover-up of their romantic relationship.

'I'm sure she's fine,' Jimmy thought, letting out a quiet sigh. 'Maybe she just came down with a cold, or even went out of town for one of those taekwondo competitions. That's a very logical explanation—'

His thoughts were cut short by Ms. Fowl's loud squawk at him, snapping him back to reality. The class's eyes fell on him.

"Jimmy, I've been calling out your name repeatedly, braaawwk! Being distracted is highly unlike you."

Jimmy rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Sorry Ms. Fowl, I was just… thinking about something."

Before the teacher could respond, the shrill sound of the bell rang through the classroom.

"Well it's time for lunch anyways," she stated, pushing her glasses in place with two fingers. "We'll continue this when we're back in claaass!"

The students made their way out the door, leaving Jimmy, Carl, Sheen, and Libby behind. The three friends eyed Jimmy curiously, sensing something was worrying him.

"Hey Jimmy, are you feeling alright? You haven't been acting yourself today," Carl asked sincerely.

"Yeah Carl, I'm fine," he responded, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I'm just overthinking about something, like usual. You know, being a genius and all."

Libby crossed her arms with a knowing look. "Mhmm, I know what it is. You're missing Cindy, aren't you?"

Jimmy was taken aback, waving his hands defensively. "W-what?! No that's— hahah, that's preposterous! Why would I miss Cindy?"

The three all stared back at him with unamusement.

"Yeah, looks like he's still in denial," Sheen jested, rolling his eyes. "C'mon Jimmy, it's so obvious that you and Cindy are a thing now. Just like how Libby's my girl."

Carl nodded, "Yeah, remember when you kissed her in that alley after the whole news broadcast ordeal?"

Sheen and Libby halted with mouths agape, "Jimmy and Cindy kissed?!"

Jimmy grimaced with a hot flush billowing into his cheeks. "C-Carl, you're mistaking reality with your dreams! That only happened in your dream, remember?"

"Mmm… nope, pretty sure this happened that night too, Jim," Carl responded with a finger on his chin.

The young genius huffed in defeat before looking to Libby, aiming to change the subject. "I am a bit curious as to why Cindy's not here though. Have you, um… heard from her lately, Libby?"

"I did try calling her yesterday 'cause I wanted to hang out, but she never answered," she replied, rubbing her arm in concern herself. "So… honestly I haven't heard from her since a couple days ago, but I assumed she was just not feeling well or busy, or something like that."

Carl twirled his fingers worriedly. "Oh dear… what if something happened to her?"

Jimmy returned a glance to Carl in distraught.

—— ⚛️ ——

After school, Jimmy parted ways from his friends and was headed towards the Vortex residence.

'Maybe she's been sick… well, guess I could get her a get well soon card or something if that's the case. Or even a bouquet of flowers! I know some of her favorite flowers happen to be…'

Before he could continue with the thoughts, the sound of distressed sobbing reached his ears as he approached Cindy's house. With a gasp, he sprinted up to the doorstep where the Vortex parents were consoling each other in tears.

"Mr. & Mrs. Vortex! What's wrong, what's happened?!" Jimmy spouted, eyeing them in concern.

'Please don't be Cindy, please, don't be Cindy…'

Sasha Vortex wiped her eyes before looking down at the boy.

"My precious girl is… we haven't been able to find her anywhere, she's… she's just gone!"

Jimmy clenched his teeth and glanced down, trying to process the situation. Lex consoled his wife, displaying a mutual troubled look.

"Carl was right…" he said to himself. His face grew determined as he gazed back up to the Vortex couple. "Don't worry. I'll figure out what happened to Cindy. I'm sure I'll be able to find out something at the lab!"

With those determined words, the young genius pushed the button on his jetpack and lifted up in the air. He sped off into the direction of his home, the girl he was truly in love with—though he would not admit this aloud—being locked in his mind.

—— ⚛️ ——

Coming down for a landing in his yard, his father and mechanical canine greeted him from the ground below.

"Hey, Jimbo! Wanna try playing ball with me today? I think I've finally gotten the pitching down pat!" Hugh called, clumsily tossing his baseball up in the air before it plummeted down onto his head with a hollow sounding PLUNK!

Once Jimmy's feet reached the grassy lawn, he darted off in the clubhouse's direction.

"Can't right now, Dad! Cindy may be in trouble!" he exclaimed with distress in his voice. His hand gestured for his loyal companion to follow. "C'mon Goddard!"

"BARK BARK!"

"Oh that's too bad, son, maybe next time we could—" Hugh finally processed Jimmy's words in mid sentence. "Cindy's in trouble? Well, that can't be good! Baseball will have to wait, this is a serious matter!"

"Hugh, my homemade cherry pie is fresh out of the oven!" the sweet voice of his wife called out from the house. His expression went from serious to pleasure within a matter of seconds before rubbing his tummy with a baseball mitt.

"Mmmm, pie! Coming, Sugar Booger!"

—— ⚛️ ——

Jimmy and Goddard slipped into the lab, the boy planting himself into his chair while Goddard gazed up at the giant screen towering over them.

"Okay, let's see… if I insert data related to Cindy into Vox, it should be able to scan around until it finds her location's coordinates."

He pulled out his filing cabinet drawer to retrieve a photograph, holding it up with two fingers. His eyes gazed into the girl's emerald eyes within the photo before smiling back at her.

"Don't worry, Cindy… I'll find you, I promise."

After giving the photograph a quick kiss, he lifted it up to a device connected to his computer system and it scanned the image swiftly. It began to analyze with a progress bar slowly filling on the screen.

"ANALYZING… ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE CINDY VORTEX."

The boy's finger tapped anxiously on the edge of the keyboard.

"ANALYZING…"

…

"…UNABLE TO LOCATE CINDY VORTEX WITHIN EARTH'S COORDINATES."

"What?!" he spouted, pushing himself backward in the chair. "How is that possible?! It's never resulted in failure—"

His eyes widened at the realization.

"…Unless, she was taken away from earth… Gah! I bet it was that rotten egg Goobot, or… or even Junkman! There's too many possibilities with all the enemies I've made! Although, what would they want with her? I'm the one they're enemies with…"

Jimmy spun his chair around and hopped onto his feet. "Goddard, to the rocket!"

"BARK!" the robotic canine responded before following after his owner.

…

"Ah, James Issac Neutron… At last, I've made contact with you."

Jimmy stopped dead in his tracks at the unfamiliar voice coming from behind them. Rotating slowly on his heel, the unknown figure's face leered back at him from the screen. A mechanical snarl exited Goddard's mouth as he crouched in defense.

Jimmy let out a yelp of surprise. "Who the heck are you?"

Staring back at him were two giant compound eyes with red pupils. The perpetrator was what looked like a humanoid insect in a lab coat with goggles resting on top of his head. Certainly a new face he has never before met.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself," the creature responded, dusting off his sleeveless lab coat with a mechanical hand. "I am Dr. Prey N. Mantis, or simply Dr. Mantis, for short. I come from the planet Sectopia, which isn't too far from your home planet— Earth, as it is called, yes?"

His eyes blinked separately with twitchy antennas, sending a chill down Jimmy's spine. Was he seriously having a conversation with a giant bug?

"Okay…" the boy stammered in response, attempting to process the situation. "Uh, a more important question; what exactly do you want?"

He was met with a sneer and fiddling fingers, "I come with a simple request- well, that is, if you comply."

"Comply?"

"You see, Neutron," he continued, "Rumor has it you possess an incredibly powerful IQ, and even defeated some of the most notorious villains in the universe. That right there, has captured my attention. You, child, are a remarkable figure in the scientific community; and the galaxy, even so!"

Jimmy rubbed the back of his head, his ego surfacing. "Oh, uh, heh! Thanks." He quickly clicked back into seriousness. "Hey, wait a minute! What about the compliance? Are you trying to negotiate with me for something?"

"That all depends on you," Mantis answered, leaning closer to the camera. "You see, I desire to use that big brain of yours for research… research for the entire Insectian race. I need to discover what type of genetics enable your genius IQ, and replicate it for our planet. Then, with the power of super intelligence, the Insectians will rise to superiority!"

"Wait, what?" the boy genius' eyebrows furrowed. "You're saying you want to do experiments on me to steal my genetic code, only to use it for your own superiority complex? That's insanity, no deal!"

The Insectian responded with a cunning chuckle. "I had a feeling you might refuse, which is why I fully prepared a bargaining chip that will sway your decision…"

The camera panned to the side, and to Jimmy's horror, revealed a familiar face.

"Cindy?!"

The blonde returned his gaze with perturbed emerald eyes as she squirmed in her restraints, her mouth being sealed by thick duct tape.

"What did you do?! Let her go!"

His demands were only met with diabolical laughter. Cindy glared at the crazed doctor, returning to the camera's view beside her. "Now, at last, we understand each other. Brilliant!"

Jimmy's teeth clenched and aggressive barks emitted from Goddard's mouth.

"I will surely let your precious girlfriend go free," he sneered, running robotic claws through her ponytail. "That is, if you agree to become my test subject."

The genius' lips curled into a snarl, "Alright, alright! Fine! Just- just get your paws off her!"

"Good boy… Come alone, and don't even think about having any tricks or contraptions up those clever sleeves of yours."

A soft 'ding' sounded in the background and the Insectian lit up joyfully in response.

"Oooh, my scones! Snack break."

Jimmy leered at the screen in defeat before holding a hand out toward it.

"D-don't worry Cindy, I'm—"

The screen went black, leaving him alone in silence.

"Coming…"

Goddard whined and glanced up at his owner. With a sigh, Jimmy knelt down to cup a hand on his metal jaw.

"I'm sorry, boy… I have to go alone. There's no telling what could happen to Cindy if I go against his wishes. I have to keep her safe."

Another whine leaked from the canine's mouth as he pawed Jimmy's leg.

"I promise I'll come back soon," he assured, making his way toward his rocket. "Stay here and keep an eye on Mom, Dad, Sheen and Carl while I'm gone, okay?"

Goddard obediently planted himself onto the floor and watched his best friend leave the room, metal ears dropping in worry.

—— ⚛️ ——

Meanwhile on Sectopia, the Insectian scientist ripped the tape off Cindy's lips with a chuckle.

"OW!" the blonde yelped, glaring up at him defensively. "If I weren't tied up I would kick your butt so hard it'd send you back to the screwed up experiment you came from, ya big ugly bug brain!"

"Ooh, such a feisty one," Mantis replied with a smirk. "I'm glad you are Neutron's partner, otherwise I wouldn't be enjoying such marvelous entertainment."

"I'm not Nerdtron's partner!" she spat, before her cheeks grew rosy. "But um, why? Did he say anything about us being together?"

The Insectian paced in front of her with arms tucked behind his back. "I've done quite a lot of research on him, including his inventions, his ideas…" He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"…and even his personal life and relationships."

"You know he's kicked several other villains' butts before yours, right? What makes you any different?"

Mantis towered over her, squinting menacingly with his compound eyes. She squirmed in discomfort.

"The difference is, I have the upper hand. As long as you're my prisoner, he won't try anything funny. He won't want to see his precious girlfriend receive punishment for his own actions… now would he?"

She swallowed, beads of sweat forming on her temple.

"What are you gonna do to me?"

"There seem to be countless ways to inflict pain on a human," he responded. "I'll do whatever is necessary if Neutron decides to be wily. He'll have to comply and come straight into my grasp. And when he does…"

He clasped his claws together.