"I'm telling you, I am Aiden!" Benny exclaimed in mock indignation, though his trembling voice betrayed his nervousness.
"Clearly, you're not," Drake shot back firmly, his sharp eyes piercing through the mask of confidence Benny was desperately trying to maintain.
Benny froze, caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew convincing Drake would be nearly impossible—after all, he was the leader of the agents, someone accustomed to unraveling lies and manipulations. His mind raced, but every idea that surfaced seemed more far-fetched than the last.
"This is your last chance, kid," Drake warned, crossing his arms with a stern expression. "Either you tell me the truth right now, or I'll have to call in someone who won't hesitate to get it out of you."
Marie, who had remained silent until then, chimed in with a calm yet chilling tone: "Listen to him, kid. Torture isn't really my thing… but there are agents who don't mind using more… persuasive methods to extract the truth." Her words hung ominously in the air, sending a shiver down Benny's spine.
The pressure was suffocating. Under the weight of both adults' piercing gazes, Benny realized he could no longer sustain the charade. Slowly, he let out a defeated sigh and allowed his form to shift, revealing his true identity. Standing before them was no longer "Aiden," but Benny, resignation etched across his face.
"I knew you weren't him," Drake said with a smug half-smile, turning to Marie. "Pay up."
Marie rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed at losing the bet, but quickly refocused her attention on Benny. Both looked at him curiously as they asked in unison:
"And who exactly are you?"
"It's me, Benny, Agent B-9," the boy declared, straightening up slightly in an attempt to regain some confidence under their skeptical stares.
They exchanged a quick glance before responding almost simultaneously:
"No, B-9 is another kid," Marie stated firmly, crossing her arms as she assessed Benny with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
"That's because he's an identity thief! I'm the real Agent B-9!" Benny insisted, raising his hands defensively. His tone was passionate, as if determined to convince them at any cost. "I'm the agent with elastic powers!"
Marie furrowed her brow slightly, tilting her head as she processed his words. She seemed to be searching her memory for any record of what Benny was saying. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, she murmured uncertainly:
"Ah… I think I've heard of an agent like that… maybe."
Her voice carried doubt, but also a hint of openness to considering the possibility. Still, her expression remained cautious, unwilling to take anything for granted without stronger evidence. Her eyes scanned Benny from head to toe, analyzing every detail, from his posture to the determination in his gaze.
Drake, however, wasn't interested in trivialities. With a serious gesture, he leaned forward and asked:
"Alright, spill it: where are your companions? What happened to the other young agents you were with?"
Benny swallowed hard, knowing he had no choice but to come clean.
"Well," he began, taking a deep breath to gather his thoughts, "I'll tell you everything that's happened."
"All of them went to a planet far, far away!" Drake exclaimed, his voice heavy with frustration and concern as he paced back and forth. His face reflected a mix of restrained anger and anguish, as if every word he spoke was a weight he could barely bear.
Marie tried to calm him, approaching cautiously. "Sir, please try to calm down. You can't get so worked up—it might affect your health."
Drake stopped abruptly, turning to her with a sharp look. "How do you expect me to calm down? My grandson and the other young agents are on an unexplored planet—unknown to any human! Who knows what dangers that place holds?" His tone was desperate but also filled with genuine concern for everyone's safety.
"Please, sir, calm down before something happens," Marie insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.
After a few tense minutes, Drake managed to compose himself enough to address Benny. The boy watched him intently, waiting for the right moment to ask a question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Sir…" Benny finally said, breaking the silence, "What gave me away?"
Drake looked at him coldly, as if weighing whether Benny deserved an answer. Finally, he spoke in a severe tone:
"To start with, my grandson knows what my power is. I saw your astonishment when I told you I could make my creations talk. Two: I had very little time to give you a hug, but when I did, it felt forced. His hugs were weak, but they still conveyed love—something you couldn't replicate. And lastly, the cherry on top: his inseparable companion, the dog Podbe, wasn't with you."
"Oh!" Benny murmured, feeling his plan crumble before his eyes. In his mind, he scolded himself: I should have created a Podbe too. What a mistake.
Marie, who had been listening attentively, interjected with a new question:
"Hey, why didn't your powers deactivate while you were wearing that electronic shackle?" she asked, looking at Benny curiously.
"It was probably coded to disable his portal-creation ability," Marie answered before anyone else could speak.
Drake shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't think so. Adrian's invention doesn't disable specific powers—it disables any abilities possessed by whoever wears the electronic shackle. Most likely, Dustin tampered with the device when he touched it, just as Benny told us. That's my intuition, and that's why Benny was able to use his power."
He paused, reflecting for a moment before continuing in a more serious tone:
"This information doesn't leave this room. It's best if you continue disguised as Aiden, and I'll create the others using my powers. You people give me more headaches than our enemies."
Then, addressing Benny with a stern look, he added:
"And you—go back to your room without raising suspicion. You're grounded."
"I'm grounded, sir?" Benny asked, his voice trembling, clearly intimidated.
"Yes, grounded. Go straight to your room until further notice. The punishment I give all of you when I bring them back will be exemplary," Drake declared, leaving no room for argument.
Without another word, Benny bolted from the spot, transforming back into "Aiden" to avoid suspicion.
Drake sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if trying to stave off an impending migraine. Then, looking at Marie, he said:
"We'd better go see Adrian. If anyone can find a way to reach them, it's him."
Then, muttering to himself in a tone laden with frustration and irritation, Drake said:
"That Dustin… How could he go along with those kids instead of following instructions?"
His words hung in the air as if he were trying to make sense of a situation that was slipping beyond his control, while they exited the library.
Meanwhile, on the unknown planet, the kids who had entered the portal were caught in a spiraling vortex within the dimensional rift. They spun uncontrollably, enveloped in a swirl of colors and lights that seemed to distort space and time. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they landed on solid ground.
The place where they had fallen was similar to Earth but carried a strange, mysterious aura. They found themselves in the middle of a vast desert, surrounded by towering rock formations that rose like spires toward the sky. These rocky structures seemed to stand guard over the area, casting long, protective shadows over the newcomers. The horizon was bathed in a golden glow from the sun beginning to set, painting the landscape in warm, surreal tones.
The silence was absolute, broken only by the soft whisper of the wind brushing against the dunes. The children looked around in awe, their eyes wide with wonder, but also alert, knowing this new world might hide unimaginable dangers.
"What is this place?" they all asked, gazing around in amazement and confusion.
"I don't know," Gat replied as he struggled to get up after landing hard on the ground. He brushed the dust off his hands and observed the desert landscape surrounding them.
"This must be the planet Lux," Akira said, squinting his eyes to peer further into the horizon.
"But it looks so much like Earth," Megumi commented, bending down to scoop up some sand in her hands. "I see the same components as on our planet's soil."
"If this is an alien planet, shouldn't we be out of air, like in the movies?" Dante asked skeptically, crossing his arms.
"I doubt it," Liam interjected calmly, scanning the area. "If that were the case, we'd all already be dead."
At that moment, a scream of fear shattered the group's silence. Everyone quickly turned toward the source of the sound and saw that it was Timmy who had cried out.
"What's wrong?" Billy asked, rushing over with concern.
Timmy pointed shakily at Floud, stammering nervously:
"L-Look at Floud! His face is blue!"
"How can his face be blue?" Billy retorted incredulously. He approached Floud and grabbed his shoulder to examine him more closely. Upon seeing him, his eyes widened in shock.
"What happened to you, Floud?! Did you eat some weird candy or something?"
"I didn't give him anything before we traveled," Amaya quickly assured them.
Floud, still visibly confused, looked around and then replied with a shy half-smile:
"But… why are you all so surprised? You guys have blue skin too!"
"Huh?!" Billy exclaimed, turning his gaze back to Timmy. Upon closer inspection, he confirmed that Floud was right. Timmy—and likely all of them—now had intensely blue skin.
"This must be what Yu did to us," Riota remarked, scratching his head in disbelief.
"Yes, it must be that," Amaya agreed, smiling as she looked at Floud affectionately. "Though… you look cute with blue skin. It really brings out your orange eyes, Floud."
"Thanks," Floud responded, blushing slightly at the compliment.
Just then, another shout echoed nearby. It was the turn of the Gold and Silver girls, who exclaimed in unison:
"Our skin is blue! Both of us!" Then, glancing at each other, they added competitively, "But my skin is bluer than yours."
Josh, who had been silent until now, looked down at his hands and legs, noticing that the change wasn't limited to their faces.
"It's not just our faces! It's our whole bodies!" he said, wiggling his fingers as if to confirm he was still himself.
Abel, always with a touch of sarcastic humor, burst into laughter as he examined himself from head to toe.
"Great, now I look like one of those aliens from some movie—I can't even remember the name."
His brother Cain couldn't help but laugh too, though he tried to console him.
"At least you're not a giant or anything. You're still your size."
"What's going on? Why all the fuss?" Aiden asked, slowly getting up as he observed his companions curiously.
"It's because… we're all blue because of what Yu gave us! That's what I think," María explained, but before she could continue, her jaw dropped as she stared at Aiden—and especially at Podbe. Her surprise was evident; she seemed at a loss for words.
"Why are you all making those faces?" Aiden insisted, looking around at the others in confusion.
Maria finally found her voice and gestured dramatically toward him.
"Because you didn't get anything like the rest of us, and yet you're still blue!"
Aiden glanced down at his own hands, confirming that his skin had also taken on an intense blue hue. After a few seconds, he nodded slowly, as if something were starting to make sense.
"I get it… It must be because Aiden is half Lux through his mother. Well, that's what Zeus said," Gat interjected, breaking in with his usual analytical tone.
But then Aiden noticed something else. His eyes widened when his gaze fell on Podbe.
"Podbe… blue?" he murmured, leaning down to get a better look at his loyal canine companion. Upon seeing him, his expression shifted from surprise to disbelief. Podbe, always light beige-brown, now had a bluish tint that contrasted sharply with his usual appearance.
"Could it be that he's also from this planet? That's what I'm thinking," Diego said, scratching his head as he observed the dog curiously.
"It's strange… We need to figure it out," Max added thoughtfully, crossing his arms as he continued examining Podbe.
At that exact moment, Dustin came running into the group, his labored breathing sounding like a hurried drumbeat while his tense, pale face reflected an urgency that left no room for doubt. His eyes quickly scanned the others, as if trying to assess the situation while simultaneously warning them.
"You shouldn't have made such a commotion!" he said firmly, his tone conveying concern more than reproach. "Guys, we've got company."
The gravity of his words fell over the group like a heavy blanket, erasing any trace of lightheartedness from moments before. Everyone froze for an instant, processing what they had just heard, as tension began weaving itself among them like an invisible net.
The group immediately went on high alert. Their gazes turned toward the towering rocks surrounding them, where several shadows began to emerge. Each shadow had bright, menacing eyes that seemed to pierce through the twilight's gloom. The atmosphere shifted radically: the previous silence was replaced by an almost palpable tension, as if the very air had grown thicker.