Spy Kids 3: AU

8.

They arrived at lava mountain, standing at the ledge between the mainland and a chasm filled with lava.

"Why is it that every game has lava in it?" Carmen complained as they stared down at their problem.

"Technically that's not true," Francis said. "Halo doesn't have lava. And in Metroid, it's technically molten magma."

Juni picked up a large rock. She crouched and dropped it into the lava. It immediately burned away. Juni sighed. "Touch lava and it's game over.”

“But I have 6 lives left,” Rez protested.

“Doesn’t matter. Fall in and you lose.” Carmen stated. Juni sighed. “Just like real life.”

“The game’s getting tougher,” Francis said. Arnold groaned. “This is impossible.”

“What do you think, Grandpa?” Carmen asked, leaning over to see him at the end of the group. Her Grandfather hummed. “Very difficult.”

Thanks for the wise words, Grandpa

“We’ll have to find another way, c’mon guys,” Carmen said, leading the way. The boys looked to Juni first. Juni stood. “She’s right. Let’s go,” She said before walking quickly to catch up with her sister.

Carmen looked at her oddly. “Look at you, finally becoming a leader. Too bad it had to be leading a bunch of nerds, first.”

Juni scoffed and knocked her shoulder with her own. “Ok, and leading me around is that much better?”

They continued to walk back to the other side of level five, but before they could reach the puzzle path, the ground started shaking. Then, hundreds of small bots sprung up from the ground, one even pushing itself up from beneath Arnold.

“Tinker Toys!” Francis yelled. Everyone scrambled to run back to the volcano. As Juni was running, she was hit by a thought.

“Hold on, which is worse, lava or Tinker Toys?” She shouted out. Francis glanced over his shoulder back at the mob of monsters. “Tinker Toys, definitely Tinker Toys!”

Carmen was ahead of the group by a large margin and didn’t look to be stopping. Juni tried not to scream, “Carmen what the hell are you doing!”

Carmen lept from the ledge straight down into the chasm below. Juni and the rest stopped at the ledge in time to see Carmen land on a slab of rock, splitting it from the rest of the mountain and using it as a surfboard.

Juni sighed and looked at her friends. “Plan Surfboard is a go!” Then, she followed in Carmen’s footsteps, the boys following shortly after her.

Juni heard an intense instrumental start playing in the background as she slammed into the lava, surfing down the molten stream. She laughed as she wove between rocky obstacles, enjoying the experience.
Juni gasped as she rode straight into a large pile of rocks, obliterating them and giving her a boost of air time. Her grandfather slid behind her, “Ride that wave, Juni!” He encouraged. Juni giggled as she continued down the path.

Suddenly, the music got more intense and a lava monster emerged from beneath the orange surface.

“This is new,” she heard Carmen comment. Juni gasped as she watched the monster pick up a large chunk of rock and hurl it at Carmen, dunking her beneath the surface.

“Carmen!” Juni called out. The monster continued to do this, taking out her group one by one.

“Grandpa!” She cried, increasingly distressed. She frowned as she was the last target the monster picked out.