San Francisco

	Carmen saw the C-5 open up and saw a redhead Azalea and another girl.

	"Azalea, what'd you do to yourself? I swear to God you look exactly 
like your mother if you were two inches taller." Carmen said.

	"I needed a disguise?" Azalea answered back. "How's Michael?"

	"He's doing fine. Just not out of the clear yet," Carmen answered.

	"We found something really disturbing about Lydexter." Kristy 
announced.

	"And what's that?" Carmen asked.

	"He's developing a laser gun prototype."

	"Laser guns? Heh, Lydexter tried to make one back in '05 before he 
lost one of his best technicians due to an explosion experimenting with laser 
weaponry. Swore that he'll never try laser experimentation again." Carmen 
nearly laughed at the thought. Then she became serious again. "But still, 
laser guns can blow assault rifles out of the competition if they're handled 
carefully. Puts a new meaning to Laser Tag. And now that Lydexter is 
tinkering with the thought of lasers, he could possibly develop something 
even more powerful than what was available before the Crash."

	"But that's impossible. I mean, remember the time we saw that 
8,000-peso motorcyle in Spain? Even 10,000 dollars in American money or any 
kind of money wouldn't be able to buy a crappy-working PlayStation3, much 
less a Color Game Boy." Azalea said. "Where does Lydexter get the money to 
finance all this junk in post-Crash America?"

	"That, I don't know." Carmen shrugged.

				  **********

Edward's factory
May 31, 2024

	Tina was looking over Edward's plans when Azalea C-5ed in. "What are 
you doing here, Azalea?" Tina asked.

	"Kristy told me Lydexter's creating a laser gun prototype. I went on 
Ryan's computer yesterday and did a little hacking onto Lydexter's computers 
and got this." Azalea handed a picture of a normal looking gun to Tina.

	"Azalea, this is just a regular pistol. There's nothing special about 
it," Tina said.

	"That's the point. It's disguised as a regular pistol to fool anyone 
who betrays Lydexter." Azalea said, starting to get a bit ticked off at 
Tina's casual demeanor.

	"And your point is?" Tina asked.

	"You really don't get it, do you?" Azalea's eyes had narrowed to 
slits.

	"Uh oh..." Tina braced herself for a barrage of words.

	"If Lydexter uses this laser gun on any of us, we would just simply 
vanish! We'll be atomized! We wouldn't be found, no one would be able to find 
us, and we wouldn't even be able to get a decent burial because our bodies 
are gone! It's the perfect weapon if you want to kill someone and don't want 
the body discovered!" Azalea ranted.

	"Slow down, Azalea. You're saying if Lydexter uses this, this laser 
weapon on us we'll just vanish?" Tina asked.

	"YES!" Azalea shouted.

	"What's going on?" Jeffrey walked in.

	"Kristy and Azalea found out Lydexter's developing a laser gun 
powerful enough to vaporize a person who gets hit," Tina said.

	"Damn! That means we've been outsmarted..." Jeffrey silently cursed 
himself.

	"You know, maybe we could pull off a counter-attack if we can see and 
feel the actual model itself..." Tina said.

	"Maybe I should go back to Ryan's apartment and cool off. I'll catch 
you guys later." Azalea C-5ed out.

				  **********

San Francisco, California

	Azalea looked down at the headstones. "'Ivy Azalea Hayes, born May 
12, 1982, died April 23, 2009. Thomas Andrew Hayes, born December 11, 1980, 
died April 23, 2009.' Hm, I have the same first and middle names with Mom, 
but reversed." Azalea noted. "My only regret is that I have but one life to 
give...and the life I am given in is in total chaos."

	She looked at the ruined Golden Gate Bridge. "If I could only use the 
Chronoskimmer and time travel back when Mom and Dad were still alive...
experience the wealthy life I was born in but to end up orphaned and a pauper 
15 and a half years later..."

				  **********

Madrid, Spain

	Michael looked the photo albums at Carmen's home. "Lucky I managed to 
escape from the hospital. I coulda stayed and continue treatment, but Azalea 
needs me...even though she doesn't know it." He flipped through pages of 
photos. 'No wonder why Carmen says I look so much like Dad...It's probably 
the eyes.' He flipped a few more pages until his eye fell on a picture of a 
baby, a woman, and a birthday cake with one candle on it. 'That's me when I 
turned one years old...and that's Mom..."

	He put down the photo album and glanced at Carmen's computer screen. 
"The email's dated May 31. 'Ryan--I heard Lydexter's improving on his laser 
gun prototype. Is this fact or not? And by the way, has Azalea dropped by? I 
haven't seen that girl since her makeover to look like her mom. Carmen.' 
Lydexter's making a laser gun--that's not good," Michael said to himself.

				  **********

Antarctica
June 2, 2024

	Azalea watched as Lydexter's men worked about.

	"How's the laser gun going?" one of them asked.

	"Lydexter said he wants to change it. It fires too slowly and he 
wants the design changed to a submachinegun, at the least. And throw in a 
silencer while we're at it," the second man said.

	Azalea was starting to grow worried from all this talk. 'Oh no...what 
is Lydexter capable of?'

	"That's practically impossible! It would take decades, especially at 
this time!" a third person spoke up.

	"Got that right," the second man mumbled. "The laser ammunition isn't 
very stable. And it's only beta ammo too. We need more time to correct any 
defects the ammo has."

	"What kind of fool is Lydexter, anyway?" the first one complained.

	Azalea quickly but silently ran underneath a security camera to avoid 
detection. 'Where's the power box when you need one?' While the camera faced 
away from the door Azalea ran in and gave a swift kick to the mechanic 
repairing the computer, knocking him out. Going over to the computer, she saw 
schedules for the security cameras. 'Perfect...' Azalea popped in a CD and 
typed in a few codes. 'Good, now I've disabled the cameras. Time to roam the 
grounds and kick butt if needed.'

	Azalea left the computer room and saw the three men still working on 
the laser gun. A voice called out on the intercom, "Lunch time."

	"Woohoo!" all three men shouted, leaving the laser gun and ammo 
alone. 

	After all three left, Azalea quickly descended the stairs to see the 
laser gun. While she was looking at the laser gun, one of the three men 
struck up a conversation. "Man, I wish I had my old job back." the third 
person said.

	"What was your old job?" the first man asked.

	"I used to work for this software company called The Broder Company 
in California. It was later sold to another software company called 
LearningArts." the third person answered.

	"What software did you guys create back at the Broder Company?" the 
second one asked, throwing a scrunched-up napkin into the trashcan. 
"Bulls-eye! Nothin' but net."

	"Some educational games, some for pure entertainment. I remember one 
of them was like, maybe Charlene Sentiego, it was an education game for 
kids...it's been a long time," the third one answered.

	Azalea quickly pocketed the laser gun and took some sample 
ammunition. Then she hit the C-5 to leave.

				  **********

On top of the Space Needle
Seattle

	Carmen looked down at the ruined city. 'Michael's gone...'

	The Chief popped up next to Carmen. "What's up? And what's with the 
long face?"

	"Michael's disappeared from the hospital. The doctors are baffled 
since he was making good progress and now that he's out he could worsen," 
Carmen answered.

	"I was right all this time," the Chief said.

	"About what?" Carmen asked back.

	"About not being able to death with Zack and Ivy's deaths..." the 
Chief trailed off.

	Carmen sighed. "Maybe we should do something special when--and if--we 
catch Lydexter. Something to bring closure to the wound inside the two of 
us." She paused. "Chief, do you ever think of Zack and Ivy?"

	"Lots of times. I'd wish the old boss at Acme didn't hire Lydexter in 
the first place."

	"Got that right," Carmen mumbled. She watched as the sun set, casting 
a glow on the city. "Even the day must give way to night. I wish things 
hadn't turned out the way it did."

	"Same with me, Carmen," the Chief said. "The world should've stopped 
when everything just...died."

	"No, more like when Lydexter proposed his plan of creating 
bioengineered detectives--who were smarter, faster, could take more damage...
everything we weren't. Samuel, you, me, the others." Carmen said. "I think 
that's when the bomb dropped."

	"Why do you think that?" the Chief asked.

	"Chief, this was back in the 1980s. DNA testing wasn't really used as 
often as it was before I left Acme, after Zack and Ivy came to Acme, after 
Y2K, and now...it's used for weapons of destruction." Carmen looked and saw a 
shooting star. "There are only so many shooting stars...and so many wishes to 
grant..."

	"It's too bad the ones we wish for aren't going to be true," the 
Chief said.

				  **********

Tina and Jeffrey's home

	"Tina! Jeff! Where the hell are you guys?" Azalea shouted. An 
explosion sounded upstairs, followed by someone coughing and smoke billowing 
out.

	"Hello? Is anyone even here?" Azalea ran upstairs and bumped into a 
dirty-looking Fredrika. "Fredrika? What'd you do now?"

	"Botched an experiment with explosives," Fredrika coughed. "If you're 
looking for Tina and Jeffrey, keep going up to the loft. That's where the 
twins are hiding. I'm going to take a shower."

	"Aren't explosives supposed to be tested outside?" Azalea asked, 
watching Fredrika take off her soot-covered safety goggles.

	"Yeah, but I don't feel like paying the gardener overtime for fixing 
the gardens," Fredrika said. "And I can always redecorate the lab area." Then 
she left.

	"Oh well...her loss." Azalea shrugged. She climbed the second set of 
stairs up to the loft to find Tina, Jeffrey, Kristy, and Isaac. "What's up 
with you guys hiding in the loft?"

	"We're trying to stay as far away as we can from Fredrika with her 
explosives testing," Jeffrey answered. "Pull up the ladder. We don't want any 
of the smoke to come in here."

	Azalea pulled up the ladder and closed the floor shaft. "I got a 
laser gun prototype from Lydexter's base in Antarctica, along with some laser 
ammo." Azalea removed the firearm and ammunition from the inside pocket of 
her jacket and placed it on the floor.

	"Hm, it does look like a regular pistol," Tina said. "Kinda reminds 
me of a 9mm semiauto."

	"The worst part is this--Lydexter wants to upgrade it from pistol to 
submachine gun." Azalea added.

	"Anything else?" Isaac asked.

	"A silencer. If he wants the laser gun from pistol to a submachine 
he'll probably want some stealth to it and faster firing rate," Azalea said. 
"The million-dollar question is, what's with Lydexter's ideas of a laser gun 
and why is he upgrading it to a SMG?"

	"If I answer it correctly do I get two million dollars since you 
asked two questions instead of one?" Issac asked.

	"No!" Azalea looked at Issac strangely. "Nice try though."

				  **********

Antarctica

	"Alright. How's the progress going on with the laser gun?" Lydexter 
asked.

	All the workers looked at one to another. Then one of them spoke up. 
"It was going along fine..."

	"Was going along fine? Robinson, I put you in charge of the project! 
What do you mean it was going along fine?" Lydexter barked.

	"Boss, the problem was that it vanished a few days ago. Or someone 
stole it. Either way, we couldn't find it and we were afraid of reporting it 
missing since we have all the high tech security you could afford, Mr. 
Lydexter. We assumed it was impossible for someone to get in and steal the 
gun," another worker spoke up.

	"What if it was one of you that stole the gun?" Lydexter asked.

	A look of panic swept through each worker.

	Lydexter turned to his entourage of soldiers. "Full body cavity 
search. All of them," Lydexter ordered. "And while you're at it, search every 
office and restroom area."

				  **********

London, England
June 4, 2024

	Fredrika carefully poured the orange fluid into the green liquid. Almost 
there...

	The sound of the C-5 distracted her. "Dammit!" Fredrika dropped both test 
tubes and they exploded. "Oh crud..." she muttered. She turned to see a blonde boy 
waiting for her.

	"What do you want?" Fredrika asked.

	"Got any red-dye capsules?" he asked.

	"Name your choice," Fredrika said.

	"I'll like the explosives," he said.

	"I can't give you that one. I haven't done enough field tests on it," 
Fredrika answered.

	"I don't care. I intend to join with my cousin Azalea," the boy said.

	This was new to Fredrika. "Are you sure?"

	"I'm positive," the boy answered.

	Fredrika looked through her cabinet and retrieved a box. "Here. Be careful 
if you decide to use them on yourself, though. There's a good chance you could suffer 
serious body harm from it."

	"I'm not afraid," the boy replied.

	"I wish you luck," Fredrika said, watching him exit via the C-5. "I hope he 
won't have to use them on himself."

				  **********

June 14, 2024
New York City, New York

	The uncompleted towers stood before the former master thief. They looked as 
if they were so close to completion, yet at the same time so far from it.

	Carmen read the plaque inplanted in the cement ground. "This memorial is 
dedicated to the people who perished in the World Trade Centers on September 11, 
2001." She recalled the horrible tragedy, recounting the last moments before the 
planes crashed, before the towers collapsed, the emotional response in the 
aftermath...

	Looking up at the fading sky, Carmen gave a silent prayer. 'Please, please, 
Suhara...save me of what's left of my heart and soul. Protect Azalea tomorrow at the 
raid. She is our champion against the injustice Zack and Ivy died from.'