Meap Me in St. Louis

Chapter 13: So Close...

UNIVERSE 524

BREA

Ever since Perry the Platypus entered the field with his kick-ass theme song, we've been OWNING. He truly turned the tide of the battle. We were losing before he showed up, and now we're actually pushing them back. He gave us the edge we needed.

Just a few minutes after he joins, some of the Meapians' wrist watches start flashing a blue light. Most of their mustaches have been burned off, torn to pieces, or destroyed, so they can only communicate in "meap"s. They "meap" with each other and begin to run back to the ship. They leave behind any weapons and remnants of destroyed mech, and teams of Meapians carry nets that are holding other Meapians.

"Hey, I think the army's retreating!" Brielle says, getting everyone else to notice.

"YEAH! Get outta here!"I shout.

"Go back to where you came from!" Jack shouts.

It takes several minutes for the battlefield to be clear of all Meapians. Once they've all boarded the ship, it lifts off the ground and flies away from the field. Our side erupts into victorious celebration, sharing high-fives, fist bumps, and cheers all around. Me, I'm riding high on the thrill of a massive W. A few of the YAGs had to be taken away and tended to for injuries, but not me or any of my friends. No one died, either, which is always a good thing. Not that I was worried about anybody dying on these guys' watch. That's how awesome they are.

On that note, MAN, does it feel amazing to be back at it with these fellas! Since our hunt for Kaori's Treasure three years ago (which we still haven't claimed), I've been DYING to get back in on the action with them. My normal friend group is fun and all, but how beast is it to go out with the most badass people my age and join their crazy adventures? And with other universes involved? This is just bonkers!

I can even hear whooping and shouting from the lab through the comms. "Woo! Go Perry the Platypus!" Dr. Doofenshmirtz shouts.

"Are you seriously rooting for your nemesis?" I hear Mackenzie ask in the background.

Rachel gives an exhausted thumbs-up to her recruits. "Great job, everyone! Thanks for helping us out. We'll take it from here. You are dismissed." The YAGs head back to the jet, and the rest of us stay behind.

"Heinz just finished his machine, and we're converting Shanna's cuteness into a serum that we can put into the vaccine," Benny tells us. "She'll be protected before you know it."

Relieved, we start making our way back to the base. And that's when I notice something a little unsettling. Mitch's ship is still here, hovering above the house.

I'm the first to point it out. "Uh, guys? Mitch's ship hasn't left yet."

The rest of the team looks up at the ship. Surely, if the Meapians had called uncle and surrendered, they'd have gone back to their universe by now. We beat them, fair and square.

Unless, of course, it isn't actually over yet.

And the longer Mitch's ship remains without leaving, the more that possibility manifests into us.

—

So, what actually happened?

Well, unbeknownst to everyone (including the Meapian army), Mitch's assistant snuck away from the battle after they began their advance. He went to universe 525 at Mitch's request to help him during the fight with the PKs (which nobody in 524 was aware of). The Meapians weren't retreating; they were called back to base by Mitch, since he successfully captured Meap and reclaimed his cuteness extractor.