The False Conductor's Ensemble

Fandom: Infinity Train

Relationships: Ryan Akagi/Min-Gi Park Grace Monroe & Min-Gi Park Ryan Akagi & Simon Laurent Simon Laurent & Grace Monroe Ryan Akagi & Kez Kez & Min-Gi Park Ryan Akagi & Hazel Hazel & Min-Gi Park Ryan Akagi & Min-Gi Park & Grace Monroe & Simon Laurent

Characters Featured: Ryan Akag iMin-Gi Park Grace Monroe (Infinity Train) Simon LaurentTuba (Infinity Train) Hazel (Infinity Train) Kez (Infinity Train) Amelia Hughes Samantha | The Cat (Infinity Train) Original Train Denizen(s) (Infinity Train)

Summary: This fic takes place after the Art Gallery Car. Ryan and Min Gi get launched backward and come face to face with the Time Traveling Car, which sends them into the future! Just in time to save a certain purple gorilla from her death! What happens when the duo and the Apex run into each other?

This was my first infinity train fic.

Other Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Time Travel POV Alternating(between ryan and min ofc) Tuba is Saved It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better No Period-Typical Homophobia finally ryan gets the catharsis he needs cassette girl makes a few appearances here and there. ive called her portia Bisexual Ryan Akagi Bisexual Min-Gi Park Bi4Bi Ryan Akagi & Min-Gi Park

Ryan felt an immediate rush of relief when he was Min-Gi come sprawling through the door. Min grasped his thighs to catch his breath. When Ryan got closer, Min's sobs became more obvious to him. He was crying.

"You...left me," he choked. Ryan was about to reach out to him but Min-Gi pushed past him. "You left me there to die!"

"Min, I didn't-" Ryan reached out once more, only for Min to angrily shove his hand off his shoulder forcefully. He moved away once more, leaning over the rail to collect himself.

Ryan glanced at the hand Min pushed away, a flash of hurt and anger coming over him.

"Hey, if I wanted to leave, I would have," he snapped. Min-Gi's head jerked up, his eyes narrowing accusingly at Ryan.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Ryan's anger subsided, immediately replaced with crushing guilt.

"I... never mind," he mumbled. One day he'd be able to admit what a garbage friend he was. Today, especially right now, would not be that day. Thankfully, Min seemed to let it go.

"Hey, sooo, I know that last car was, like, all creepy and gross, but you know what's not?" Kez pipped up. "Casa de Kez!"

Min sighed and reached for the next car door. The car trembled, making him jerk his hand away and back up on the bridge. The bridge connecting the two cars split up, the one the two young men were on starting to rise.

"What's happening?" Ryan gasped, frozen in place with shock. "Why is the car moving?"

The trio was now too high up from the ground to safely jump without breaking their legs. Ryan stood there terrified as they were moved further and further away from the next car. After a while, the car lowed itself between two different cars. Ryan turned to look at Min-Gi, who was sitting on the ground with his face covered.

"We're...alive?" he asked, looking around.

"I... think so? Where are we now?"

"Oh fuck," Kez cursed. "I don't know how far back this car took us. "We've gotta be soooooo many more cars away! Ugh, we were so close!"

"We were so close, I should've jumped when I had the chance-"

"Ryan, it's ok!" she insisted, her smile not reaching her face. "A little setback never hurt us, huh? We'll figure this out. Come on."

The tiny bell led the two into the next car.

Instantly, Ryan found himself floating into the air. He scrambled frantically to get a proper footing in this seemingly expansive space. Identical glowing car doors floated around him.

"Soooo... seems like we have to find the right door and get out of here as soon as possible," Ryan said, making his way toward a door. Opening it, he sees himself in the middle of a tense fight in the van with his first ex-girlfriend. He slammed the door, panicked. Wayyy too soon to reopen those wounds.

He opened another door. Another fight with an ex, this time over cheating. His ex-boyfriend blamed him for pushing him away. Yeah right. He saw himself storming out of the school's music room in tears. He avoided that boy like the plague after that. He sighed and closed that door as well.

"Find anything?" Kez called out.

"Aside from reminders of my horrible dating history, not really," he sighed.

"I think I found it! The exit!" Min called out. Kez and Ryan made their way over there. The door opened to the next train car. Without hesitation, they rushed through.

Ryan opened his eyes and found himself on top of the train car. He sharply turned at the sound of someone crying for help. There was a purple gorilla clinging to the edge of the train.

In a knee-jerk reaction, Ryan rushed over and grabbed one of her hands. Min-Gi grabbed the other. Together, they managed to pull her back to safety. The movement made Ryan stumble and land flat on his ass, breathing heavily.

Ryan looked up and saw a pale blond man staring at him and Min.

"Please don't hurt us!" Min-Gi yelled as he and Ryan held their hands up in fear.

"Your numbers... they're in sync!" he exclaimed. "Come with me, there's someone who needs to see this."

They silently followed, the gorilla trailing close behind.

"Well what do we have here?" the man asks suddenly, peering over the edge of the train. The cars were connected via a bridge. He shrugged and led the group into the next car.

"I'm sure Simon and Tuba will be coming back soon, Hazel," a young woman said, holding onto a small child. She looked up and gasped happily upon seeing who Ryan assumed to be Simon. Hazel leaped out of the woman's arms and rushed past the group to cling to the purple gorilla.

"Tuba! You're ok!" she sighed as the gorilla scooped her up for a hug.

"Those two saved my life," Tuba said, nodding her head towards Ryan and Min-Gi.

As expected Min-Gi became bashful and tugged nervously at his collar.

"W-well it was nothing, really-" Hazel ran over and hugged his leg.

"Thanks for saving Tuba..." she said softly. Min Gi gave her a smile just as soft, ruffling her hair. Ryan loved his smile. He wondered if he'd ever get Min-Gi to smile at him like that again.

"You're welcome..."

Hazel detached herself from Min-Gi and ran up to latch onto Ryan's leg. He laughed, picking her up and tickling her chin. Hazel squealed with laughter. Ryan then became aware of Min-Gi watching him and Hazel. Min immediately cut his eyes as soon as Ryan looked up. The mood killed, he placed Hazel back on the ground, where she ran back to the comfort of Tuba's arms. He jammed his hands in his pockets, ignoring the whirring sound of his number changing.

He couldn't ignore Min-Gi mumbling, "They went up..." under his breath. He grimaced.

"Soooo, um, I'm Ryan, and this is Min-Gi and Kez," Ryan said.

"I'm Grace, this is Simon, and this is Hazel and Tuba," Grace said. "You guys are like, super lucky to have run into us. Let me see your numbers!"

She gently reached out and took Ryan's hand, examining it. Then she took Min-Gi's hand.

"H-hey!"

"You guys... have the same number?" She gasped.

"Yeah we...got on the train together and our numbers more or less go up and down in sync for the most part..."

"For the most part?" Min Gi asked. "What are you talking about, they've always gone up or down together."

Ryan flushed, feeling Min-Gi stare him down for an answer.

"I mean nothing..."

"Anyways," Simon said. "We've already wasted enough time here. We're so close to the Apex. Then we can deal with you two accordingly. Grace, let's move."

Grace nodded, leading the way. Hazel rested on top of Tuba's shoulders as she moved.

"Psst! Blink twice if you're being held captive," Kez whispered to Tuba. The gorilla gave her a confused look and shook her head.

"I had my doubts about Simon, but hopefully we'll end up seeing eye to eye. Plus, Hazel seems to like Grace a lot," Tuba said quietly.

Ryan looked up ahead. Grace and Simon were chattering excitedly about something, but they were too far away for him to hear exactly what was being said.

"You think those guys can be trusted?" Min Gi asked Kez.

"I'm gonna be honest, I've never been to this part of the train. Our best bet is sticking with these guys for now," she said. "Outside of like... my friends, these are one of the only people we've run into that didn't immediately try to kill or eat us."

They followed Grace and Simon through the trian cars. Occasionally, Simon would turn, pointing at Ryan, then go back to whispering with Grace. Ryan lowered his head and tried to focus on literally anything other than Simon, the Apex...or Min.

Eventually, they led the way into a car that looks like an abandoned mall. Suddenly, dozens of kids of all ages swarmed the area. They turned their attention to Tuba and started to scream.

"A null!" they yelled, surrounding Tuba and Hazel.

"I-I don't like these kids, Grace," Hazel whimpered, starting to tear up. She hid her face in Tuba's fur as Tuba tried her best to shrink away from the crowd of rowdy children and keep Hazel safe. Grace pushed through the crowd and commanded the kids to back up.

"It's ok guys! Tuba is not going to hurt anyone!"

"The null has a name?" a kid with an eyepatch asked. "But nulls...aren't people, right?"

"Well, Lucy, some nulls do have names! And Tuba is one of them," she said, trying to maintain the peace.

"I don't know what a null is," Kez said. "But it doesn't sound like a good thing."

The kids turned their attention to the little bell.

"Another null?!"

Kez barely managed to fly out of the kids' grasp, avoiding their makeshift weapons. Ryan looked around for an easy exit

"I uh, appreciate you guys bringing us here but I think it's time we leave now-"

Everywhere he tried to turn, kids blocked his path. Simon chuckled.

"We've got our work cut out for us, I see. Ryan's gonna come with me, and Grace? You deal with the other one," Simon said.

"What about the nulls?" Grace asked.

"What if we left it up to the kids?" he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "If they're still here by the time we get back, we'll figure something else out."

He took Ryan by the arm and somewhat dragged him into an abandoned store. Ryan put his hands up as soon as they are alone.

"Look, we didn't mean to cause any trouble-"

"Did that null tell you you needed to get your numbers down?" Simon demanded, examining Ryan's hand once more.

"If by 'that null' you mean Kez-" he snapped, taking his hand back. "Then yes."

"She's been lying to you, Ryan."

"H-Huh?"

"Let me give you a little apex history lesson," Simon sighed, leaning on the counter. "This train right here? Belongs to us. The nulls lie to people who come on the train to push us out of what's rightfully ours! That's why we gotta keep our numbers as high as possible, so they can never leave!"

Ryan jumped back, knocking over a clothing rack.

"Never leave?!" he gasped. "We can't say here, I'm sorry! I have a gig in New York and Min has to go to uni... we're supposed to be in Powell Lake right now!"

As soon as the words left his mouth he goes quiet.

"You don't seem awfully excited about that last part," Simon pointed out.

"I am!" He insisted. "I'm gonna continue my solo career and Min's gonna make something good out of his life when he goes to Uni and majors in finance. He'll get to have a nice job, meet someone he falls in love with and... do everything he ever wanted in life. I just wish..."

"Wish what?" Simon gently prodded him.

"I wish he hadn't left me the way he did!" he blurted out. "We had a plan, and he left, so I did it all on my own. Now we're back together but he's mad at me. All I wanted was him by my side through it all."

He clammed up once more, being reminded of how he nearly left Min-Gi behind at the mercy of the Docent. Simon placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Think of it this way," Simon said. "With the Apex, you'll never have to worry about anyone abandoning you again."

Ryan backed out of Simon's grasp, thoroughly creeped out.

"I could never do that to Min! As much as I want Chicken Choice Judy to ride again, I can't keep him here on this train against his will. I owe it to him to help him get back on the right path."

"Who says you have to keep him here against his will?"

"Uh, hello?" Ryan held up his glowing hand. "If my number goes up, so will his."

"Hmm. There might be some way to get you guys out of sync."

"What for?"

"Well I mean, it doesn't seem like you're all too eager to get off the train like your friend is."

"That's not true," he snapped. "All this... it's not normal...we can't stay here."

"Do you really want things to go 'back to normal'? He goes off to college and you do your little rock career alone?"

"I..." He stared at the cracks in the floor tiles.

"I'll let you sleep on it," Simon said, moving past him to open the store's door. Grace walked in with Min-Gi in tow.

"Looks like we ran into you guys just in time for another raid," she said. "We're going to the Candy Club car."

"Raid?" Min Gi exclaimed. "What do you mean by raid?"

"You'll see," she chuckles. "We'll need disguises to get in, though. The club has a very particular dress code. Come with me."

Grace grabbed both Ryan and Min-Gi by each hand and brought them to another store. Ryan spotted Kez trying to evade the mob of kids chasing her and Tuba.

"Kez!" Ryan called out, but Grace turned his attention away from her.

"Don't worry about those two," She insisted, just a hint of doubt in her voice. "Everything will be fine."

She started to rush the two away from the area and into the store.

"They're gonna hurt Kez!" He protested. He got no response from Grace, who twirled and leaped in and out of the clothing aisles. She took a brief look at the two men. Ryan looked at the floor once more. She turned and shoved a pile of clothes into both his and Min-Gi's arms.

"Try these on. If they don't fit I can find some different sizes. There's a bathroom really close to this place," she said, picking out a pretty dress for herself.

Ryan took off as soon as possible. He changed quickly and came out to find no one around. The sound of Kez screaming was coming closer. He turned around and spotted Kez flying at him with a group of kids chasing her.

"Kez-?"

The little bell wasn't looking where she was going and slammed right into Ryan's chest. He fell over, temporarily dazed by the impact. Terrified of being trampled by the mob of children, he squeezed his eyes shut and held Kez close as he braced for impact. It never came.

He carefully opened his eyes. He still had Kez clutched close to his body, dozens of kids surrounding the two. They all backed up when Ryan brought himself up.

"Ryan, thank GOD I ran into you," Kez wheezed. "They kept chasing me around the car and chanting!"

"What were they saying?"

"Uh.... 'Wheel the null' or something. What even is a null and what do they mean by wheeling nulls?"

Ryan was about to answer when a kid pointed her plunger at his face.

"Release the null! we will handle it!"

"No, no! You don't need to handle it! Kez isn't a 'null' and you can't wheel her!" He let Kez sit on top of his head. He crossed his arms, staring the kid down. She sighed and lowered the plunger.

"We gotta get Simon or Grace to handle this!"

The crowd started to move, only for Simon and Grace to show up playfully arguing.

"You couldn't have worn anything nice?" Grace teased, pulling at the jacket Simon chose to wear.

"What's the point? It'll get ruined after we're done with the car. You...look nice though."

Grace smirked and did a little twirl in her dress. She and Simon laughed. They trailed off upon spotting Ryan with Kez on top of his head.

"What happened to Tuba?" Grace asked.

"We uh, split up," Kez says guiltily. "I hope she's ok..."

Tuba came around, still being chased by a separate group of kids, Hazel among them.

"Tuba, wait!" The small child cried, pushing past the other kids. She managed to crawl on top of Tuba, wrapping her tiny arms around her neck. "Stay away from Tuba! I... I won't let you guys hurt her!"

Ryan stepped forward.

"Look, you guys gotta leave them alone. Kez is our friend and I won't let you hurt her!"

"Is Kez a person?" Simon asked.

"She's a talking bell. But that doesn't mean you get to treat her or the other denizens badly. Now back off, or we're out of here."

He and Simon stared each other down for what felt like an eternity. Ryan hoped Simon would back down soon, he was starting to swear. Simon blinked, then cleared his throat.

"Fine," he said, his face deadpan. "The nulls can stay."

Murmurs broke out amongst the crowd of children. Nulls in the Apex?

Ryan felt Kez relax her body on top of his head. He himself let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding. Grace made a buzzing sound with her lops, getting everyone's attention.

"Now that this is, um, taken care of, let's get to the next car, everyone!"

Grace led the pack out of the mall car. Ryan and Min Gi followed behind everyone else.

"That was...impressive," he heard Min-Gi say quietly. He turned to look at him, looking for any hint of sarcasm in his face. Did he look...genuine?

"What...really?"

"Yeah... I didn't think you'd pull that off."

Min probably didn't mean anything by it, but it felt incredibly backhanded. Ryan shrugged and continued to follow the Apex into the Candy Club car.

When the Apex arrived in the Candy Club Car, Min Gi stood there gawking at how extravagant the place was. Pink hardened candy lined the walls, giving the place a bright and colorful look. A long buffet table carried practically every sweet known to man. Human-like candy people moved together on the glowing dance board.

The Apex kids were cut loose and ran out to go have fun, Simon and Grace following behind. Hazel climbed off of Tuba's back and was about to follow only for the gorilla to block her path.

"I don't know about this, Hazel," she said cautiously. Hazel huffed as Tuba picked her up and placed her back on her shoulders. She shuffled awkwardly, looking at the Apex kids raiding the buffet.

"But I'm a kid too, just like them," Hazel protested, crossing her arms. "I promise I won't get hurt!"

Tuba frowned, looking again at the kids, then glancing back to Hazel.

"I can watch her," Min heard Ryan say suddenly. "I've watched kids all the time back home. She's in good hands."

Tuba still looked uncertain but placed Hazel on the ground once more. Moments later Ryan had taken off with Hazel firmly rested on his shoulders.

"I'll be outside until you guys are done," Tuba said, heading for the exit. Min followed Ryan and Hazel.

"Now for some throwback songs!" the DJ announced, playing a rather popular song.

"Throwback?' Ryan commented. "This song just came out a few weeks ago.'

It suddenly dawned on Min what had happened. The door they took didn't bring them to another car in the present. They had gone to the future. His sharp gasp caught Ryan's attention.

"Ryan... the door. it didn't take us to the present.. we're in the future!"

"What? How long have we been on this train then?" Ryan exclaimed. "Your parents must think you're dead by now!"

Min found it a little odd that Ryan did not mention his own parents.

"I'm sure your parents are just as worried, Ry," he said quietly. Ryan let out a bitter chuckle.

"Trust me," he scoffed. "They aren't. No one cares unless I'm doing... something."

"Ryan..."

"Look, we'll find your exit somehow... there's nothing back home for me."

Min Gi was about to respond when Kez floated in between the two with a party crown made of cotton candy

"Heyyy guys! Enjoying the party?" she asked. Ryan and Min shared a glance and nodded slowly.

"We're fine," Ryan said.

"We're great," Min hoped Kez didn't sense him lying through his teeth.

Kez looked relieved for some reason.

"We'' I'm glad you guys aren't fighting anymore," she said, floating away. Min Gi stood there, avoiding Ryan's gaze.

"Ryan?" Hazel gently poked his cheek. "Let's go and dance! I can teach you if you want!"

"Don't worry, Hazel," Ryan laughed, placing her on the ground and taking her hand. "Dancing's like, second nature to me. I've been to tons of parties! You coming, Min?"

Ryan gave him a half-smile. Min couldn't tell if he was being sincere or giving him an out.

"I'll... I'll catch up with you guys later."

Ryan's shoulders slumped slightly but quickly snapped to normal.

"Sure, whenever you're ready!" Ryan walked off with Hazel, leaving him alone at the buffet table.

He looked around, watching everyone dance and mingle. He looked at his hand, the glowing numbers practically mocking him.

"You don't look like you're having fun."

Min's eyes snapped up to see Grace standing next to him with a drink in her hand.

"You could say that..."

Grace took his arm and brought him over to a bar in the corner of the room. She waved the bartender over, nodding her head at Min-Gi. The tender passed him a pink drink with fruit and frosting decorating the rim of the glass.

"It's really good, I promise," she insisted, taking a drink from her own glass. He sighed and took a small sip. He shivered from how sweet it was.

"It's pretty good," he admitted, taking a larger gulp.

"So... what's on your mind?" Grace asked.

"Did you just come over with a drink to get me to spill my guts?"

"Of course not! It's just that you're very new to all this and as the Apex leader it's my job to make sure everyone feels at home here."

"Here...or anywhere on this train doesn't really feel like home to me..." he muttered, leaning against the bar. Grace frowned but nodded in understanding.

"Then... where is your home?" Grace asked. Min-Gi looked past her, at Ryan dancing with Hazel, Kez, and the other Apex kids. Grace gasped.

"Is it... Ryan? You...have a crush on him, don't you?"

Min Gi choked a little on his drink at the comment. His cheeks burned and he avoided Grace's eyes.

"What are you... I don't... um..."

"So it's true?" she teased. He sighed and lowered his head.

"Is it that obvious?" he muttered. Grace gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, I won't tell Ryan anything unless you want me to. I promise," she said quietly. Min Gi felt slightly relieved but kept some of his guards up.

"Thank you..."

"That being said, you ever need a wing woman-"

Min Gi groaned but he couldn't hold back a slight chuckle at Grace's eagerness.

"I'll let you know," he said. "I just... need the right time to tell him."

"At this rate, you're gonna die before telling him."

"I won't!! It's just that that'll change a lot between us. I want to make sure I'm ready to either experience the best moment of my life...or watch 18 years of friendship go down the drain."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. Is he also gay?" she asked. "If you don't mind me asking, obviously!"

"Bi, actually. So am I," he says quietly. "He's out, I'm not. Not even Ryan knows."

"I see. Then... what's the problem?" she asked, a bit confused.

"The problem isn't either of us liking guys. It's me liking Ryan. He's been my best friend since we were babies. I don't think he'd ever see me in that way."

"Hey," she said, gently taking his hand. "I know we kinda just met, but I bet Ryan would be really lucky to date someone like you."

"Thanks, but it's not that simple. I've seen his type. Tall, good looking, plays an instrument as a bonus... confident."

"That... doesn't seem like a specific type," she said.

That's just what most of his dates have in common, I dunno." he turned away from Grace, frustrated.

"Didn't mean to upset you," she said guiltily. He sighed.

"It's fine. Let's...just relax for a bit."

He looked up and watched Ryan continue to play around with Hazel and the Apex kids.

"He looks really good with kids," Grace commented.

"Yeah, he has a lot of siblings so it's not unexpected of him."

Every once in a while he caught Ryan's eye, but just as quickly averted his gaze. Eventually, Hazel broke away from the crowd and ran over to where Min-Gi and Grace were sitting.

"I think Ryan wants you to come dance with him now."

"Go for it, Min-Gi!"Grace insisted, egging him on.

Min Gi looked up and saw Ryan giving him an excited thumbs up. He looked back at Grace, then at Hazel.

"I guess... one dance couldn't hurt." he got up and made his way over to Ryan. Ryan's face brightened as soon as he stepped onto the dance board.

"Glad you could finally join me. The kids showed me some new dance moves, I'm impressed. I could show you if you want?"

"That sounds great..."

"Awesome. So, I take one of your hands like this, and you take the other one..." Ryan showed him the steps, and he was thankfully able to catch on quickly. "You're doing great. Let's try it all together, this seems like a good song to try it to!"

Min-Gi fumbled a few steps but eventually got the hang of it.

"Uh... so..."

"Um.... I see you're getting along with Grace," Ryan said.

"Yeah she's... she's nice," he replied.

"So. We're in the future."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"How are we gonna get you back home?"

"We'll figure something out," he lied, having no idea when or even if they would be able to leave the train.

Both went quiet, still dancing.

"Are we gonna stay with the Apex?" Ryan asked suddenly.

"I don't know, honestly," he said. "I like Grace but something about Simon feels...off."

"Yeah he is a little weird, I feel like he takes this Apex stuff wayyyy more seriously than Grace. " Ryan admitted. The two looked at each other, and in the awkward tension, started to laugh. Their movements became looser and lighter as they became more comfortable with each other on the dance floor. Ryan playfully took one of Min Gi's arms, turned him around, and dipped him.

"Whoa!"

"You seem like you're having fun," Ryan teased, causing Min-Gi to slightly flush.

"Well, yeah! We haven't really done stuff like this in a while. It's fun."

"Yeah, we haven't... because..." Ryan trailed off.

"I know..."

Ryan must have realized he was still really close to Min's face. He cleared his throat and helped him back upon his feet, hand still clasped in his. A slow song comes on, and people around them either leave or couple up on the dance floor. Min Gi looked at his hand in Ryan's. Ryan looked back at him and smiled softly.

"Follow my lead?" he asked. Min, too dazed to speak, nodded and let Ryan lead him through the dance.

"Ryan..." Min manages to get his voice back. "I thought when we played music in the bathroom, you and I were like... you know."

"Like... what?" Ryan asked.

Min Gi just shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I was stupid to believe it would change anything."

Ryan frowned, and Min could feel his careful grip loosening significantly.

"Change... what?"

"Change things... between us...I hate feeling like this. But when you left me...when you went through the door first-"

"I told you I didn't mean to-"

"It felt like the same thing you always do. You're my best friend. I know I should trust you... but the truth is..." Min went silent, but from Ryan's expression, he could tell he knew what he meant.

"You don't."

"I'm sorry... but I'm just so tired of faking it."

"I.... I see..."

Min Gi could sense the mood was killed, and he let go of Ryan. He turned to leave awkwardly when he heard the sound of children yelling and denizens screaming.

"What's going on?" Ryan asked as Simon ran past him with a bat.

"Did we not tell you? This is a raid! Don't just stand there, join us!"

"Huh?!" Both tried their best to avoid the angry denizens and kids, narrowly missing a few blows. Min got knocked onto the ground. When he looked up, Ryan was nowhere to be found.

"Ryan?!" He started to panic, sprawling to get out of the way of flying glass and candy. He found himself backed into a burly candy corn denizen. It growled and rose its fist angrily. He ducked and the denizen's fist breezed over his head. Min spotted the car's door and bolted, only for the same denizen to trip him. When Min Gi jumped up, it raised its fist again. Min covered his face, bracing for impact. Something slammed into him, knocking him over.

Ryan narrowly missed the fist of the angry denizen, shivering slightly at the breeze over his head. He lands clumsily, Min-Gi cushioning his fall. He quickly scrambles off of Min Gi and helps him up."

"You... saved me?" Min said, still dazed."

"You alright?" Ryan asked, ignoring the blush creeping on his face. Min grabbed his arm, a grave look on his face.

"We need to leave now," Min said urgently. He turned for the exit. Ryan pulled him back.

"We can't just leave them here!" Ryan insisted. Min frowned, looking back at the exit once more.

"I'm not letting you get yourself killed. Not again."

Min gently pulled at Ryan's arm again, a pleading look in his eyes. Ryan frowned and removed his arm.

"Why do you even care? You don't even trust me anymore...if you ever did."

"I didn't want to lie to you anymore."

"You might as well..."

Hazel ran past the two of them, a chocolate bar denizen on her trail. Ryan moved away from Min and pursued the denizen. Hazel was backed into a corner. Terrified, she curled up. Without a second thought, Ryan grabbed an empty mic stand and swept it under the denizen's feet. It fell with a muddy thud. Once the denizen is incapacitated, he rushed over to scoop Hazel up in his arms.

"I'm gonna find Grace and Simon so we can get out of here..." he told her.

"I-Is Tuba ok?" Hazel asked. She started to look around, her face flushed with worry. Ryan held her close as he did his best to avoid the ongoing brawl. He tried to shield Hazel's head and body from flying debris as he looked around for either of the Apex leaders."

"It's ok Hazel! She's waiting for us right outside this car, remember? I promised I wasn't gonna let anything bad happen to you, alright?" Ryan assured her. He gently stroked her hair until her breathing becomes less shaky. She wrapped her arms around Ryan's neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

He smiled a little, continuing to look through the chaos. He spotted Min making his way to the exit and frowns. He sighed and continued to look for the rest of the Apex. Kids engaged in an all-out food war against a group of gumball denizens. Grace fended off a gummy bear using a candy cane denizen as a sword.

"Grace needs help!""

"Let's get you to Tuba first! I'll deal with this," Ryan insisted.

"I can help too! The Apex is my home too!"

"Home? I... Hazel...."

Ryan did not have much time to be lost in thought when Grace called out, "Ryan, look out!"

Something wet fell on top of his head, causing him to yelp. Hazel shrieked and hid her face. Ryan looked up, and there was a massive jelly denizen looming over them both. Immediately, Ryan pushed through the rowdy crowd, shielding Hazel the best he can as the jelly denizen slithered towards them. He opened the car door and gently placed Hazel in Tuba's hands against her protests.

"Take Hazel back to the mall car," Ryan insisted. "I just need to find the rest of the Apex and-"

He jumped, shivering the moment he felt something cold and squishy wrap around his waist. He slowly turned his head and finds the gelatin denizen pulling him back in. He clung to the edges of the door trying to break free.

"Let me help! I wanna help!" Hazel reaches for Ryan but Tuba holds her back.

"Take her back now! Please!" Ryan repeated, struggling against the denizen. Despite Hazel's objections, Tuba nodded and started to turn away. Ryan caught a glimpse of Min looking at him. He could not read his expression. At that moment Ryan lost his grip and he is pulled back inside. He felt very cold. When he opened his eyes, the world around him is all green. The surrounding noise was muffled. He couldn't move. He realized he was inside of the jelly denizen.

He yelled, but no sound came out. He looked around frantically hoping someone would come into his very limited line of sight and help him. The entire gelatin body trembled violently.

He suddenly felt a draft on his right hand, and could only move that hand. Someone grabbed his free hand and pulled hard. He winced, as the rest of his body was still trapped.

After a few minutes, his head was free. He turned and saw Min Gi frantically tearing away chunks of jello. The denizen simply moved to recollect the torn pieces and regenerate, so Min shuddered and resorted to eating it himself. Ryan decided to speed up the process and join in. The jelly denizen rocked back and forth trying to throw Min off. By now Ryan's left arm and most of his torso were free. Min grasped at the denizen to stay on. Ryan tried to keep nausea at bay.

"Min!" he gasped. "Take my hand!"

He reached out with his free hand. Min missed a few times but he managed to hold onto Ryan's hand with both of his own.

"Whoa!" He gasped, startled by the sharp movements.

"It's ok! I got you!" Ryan held on even harder, pulling him close.

"Incoming!" They heard Simon yell. Ryan spotted Simon next to a punch bowl three times larger than he is. He swung at the punch bowl, allowing the punch to flow out and flood the entire car. The wave hit Ryan and Min, dissolving enough jello for Ryan to free himself completely. He sighed in relief, then notices Min still had his eyes shut clutching his hand.

"We're alive! Surprisingly!" Ryan commented. "You can open your eyes now, Min. It's safe."

Min-Gi hesitantly opened one eye, then both before looking around. The club was in ruins, remaining denizens sprawled on the floor. Some had dents, chips, and cracks in their hard exteriors. Ryan followed Min's gaze to what was left of the jello denizen. It crawls around trying to recover bits and pieces of itself that neither Ryan nor Min had destroyed. It stumbled and collapsed in a sad, gurgling heap. Ryan ignored the turning in his stomach and looked back at Min. Min's face was pale and guilt-ridden. Ryan squeezed his hand. Min-Gi noticed he and Ryan never let go and blushed.

"Erm... sorry about that," he stammered.

"No worries! That was so awesome! You looked so badass out there!"

Maybe he was exaggerating a little here. He just wanted Min to feel better about himself. Grace and Simon made their way over with the rest of the Apex kids.

"Not bad for your first raid," Simon commented, glancing at Min-Gi. "Small tip though? Go for the legs first."

Min did not respond. He lowered his head.

"Come on, give him more credit!" Grace interjected. "We could've lost Ryan if he hadn't acted quickly!"

Ryan gave Min-Gi a half-smile, hoping it would cheer him up. It did not.

"Can we... get out of here now?" Min asked suddenly. "I don't want my clothes to be permanently stuck to my body."

"Fair point," Grace said, looking at her own ruined dress.

"I told you it'd get messy," Simon chuckled.

"Totally worth it."

Grace led the Apex back to the mall car.

"So... that was interesting," Ryan attempted to make small talk.

"Ryan..." Min sounded shaken. "We could've died! You almost died. A-and everyone in the car-"

"Min! It's ok!" Ryan placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're fine and that's all that matters!"

"I... I don't like this at all, Ry," Min admitted. "Simon I'm not surprised, but how could someone like Grace be involved in all this?"

"Grace is nice."

"Yeah. She is."

"The Apex seems to know what they're doing! I'm sure we're in good hands!"

"We can't stay here forever. I-is every day going to be like this?"

"Unless... you have a better plan," Ryan said, his face sobering.

"I..." Min trailed off.

When the Apex arrives in the mall car, Grace and Simon usher the kids to get cleaned off.

"Ryan!" Hazel scrambled off of Tuba's body and rushed to hug his leg. "You're ok! And... sticky."

She stepped back a little and wiped her face. Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks to this guy," Ryan said, looping an arm around Min-Gi and pulling him closer to him.

"It's n-nothing honestly-"

"Did you see how cool Min-Gi was! So brave too!" Hazel piped up.

"Very brave!" Ryan agreed, teasingly pulling his ear. Min went completely red in the face and gently removed Ryan's hand.

"Ryan!"

"It's true! When that green jello man got Ryan, I thought he was a goner! But then Min was like 'I have to help him!' and ran in there fighting all the bad guys!" Hazel said, gesturing wildly to recount the event. Min's blush grows even deeper when Ryan leaned on him, putting a hand to his face and chest.

"My hero," he swooned jokingly. He burst out laughing upon seeing Min's face. Kez floated over to them, frosting on the dome of her surface.

"Hey, corpses! That was an um... a wild .... wild party, huh?"

Ryan laughed, albeit nervously. Min remained quiet.

"Yeah, ha ha... wild." Ryan chuckled.

"Soooo that was fun and all but I think it's time we continue looking for a way to get to Morgan. Surely she's wondering where I am...right?"

"Exactly Kez!" Min suddenly spoke up. "Let's go, Ryan!"

He took Ryan's arm and turned to leave, only for him to run into Grace.

'So glad I ran into you! I have the perfect new outfit for you! Since your clothes are... yeah"

She pulled him away before Min can protest.

"Does Min-Gi seem... off to you?" Kez asked.

"He hasn't been the same since the raid. We were having such a good time together...then he told me he doesn't trust me anymore. I thought he'd forgiven me for the art gallery incident...guess not...and I don't blame him either."

"Aw, I'm sorry Ry. I'm sure he'll come around," Kez tried to comfort him. "You guys are best friends!"

"Are we even friends anymore at this point..." Ryan mumbled. Kez gave him a pitiful look. Grace came back with Min-Gi in tow. He is wearing a plain grey tank top, black cargo pants, and boots.

"Wow..." Ryan found himself saying aloud. "You... you look good."

"Thanks..."

"I found a matching outfit you can wear Ryan!" Grace said, pulling him along as well. "There's a shower car right behind this one, can you believe it?"

Ryan went to clean all the sticky jello and punch off his body." His new clothes surprisingly fit well. He's wearing a black rash guard shirt, grey cargo pants, and black boots.

"This feels... great actually."

"Glad you like it! Now come on, you don't want to miss this!" She took his arm again and brought him up the escalator, where Min Gi and Simon were standing.

"What's going on? Why are we up here?" Min asked.

"Apex!" Grace raised a fist. "May our spirits be high!"

"And our numbers higher!" The kids yell.

"Now I know we don't usually do this, but we not only have not one, not two, but three new members of our group and it's time we properly introduce them! Here's Ryan, Min-Gi, and this is Hazel!"

She picked Hazel up and nudged Ryan and Min to make their way down the escalator. Ryan looked around at the swarm of kids yelling and cheering. He glanced at Min-Gi, who was staring straight ahead. Hazel waved excitedly giggling.

When they reached the bottom floor, Grace and Simon walked in front of the two. Grace let Hazel go join the crowd of kids. Ryan was about to follow when Grace stops him.

"Huh?"

"Just one thing!" she said. She takes out a tube of lipstick and smears a wavy line over his face. She smiled warmly at him. "Welcome to the Apex."

She handed the tube to Simon, who prepared to do the same with Min. Before the tip of the red lipstick can touch his face, Min grabbed Simon's arm and moved it away from him. The audience gasped then went eerily quiet.

"W-what?" Simon sounded more offended than shocked.

"I'm sorry... I can't be a part of the Apex."

"Great, he's gone. Let's get back to our usual activities," Simon insisted as Ryan stood there, staring in the direction Min-Gi left. Simon reached out for Ryan's shoulder, and he jerked it away with a scowl.

"I can't let him go. Not again," Ryan said. Simon scoffed.

"So you're leaving the Apex too?" he asked.

"No, I... I just need him back. This is supposed to be an 'us' thing! And if he's gone then we can't... you know?"

Simon looked utterly confused. To be honest, Ryan wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say either. Grace gently pulled Simon aside to talk. The two were too far away for Ryan to eavesdrop, but it seemed like Grace managed to change Simon's mind.

"Alright, Ryan," Simon huffed. "We've decided to humor your wild goose chase and try and bring your friend back. But I call the shots as to when we go back. Got it?"

"Fine," Ryan said. "Let's just hope we're not too late."

"It won't be. Promise," Grace assured him. Ryan was surprised to see the other Apex kids walking over.

"Uh..."

"What? If we're gonna do this we might as well get some raids under your belt." Simon handed him his own harpoon pack. Ryan reluctantly fit the equipment on his body, stumbling a bit from the sudden weight.

"If it makes you feel any better," Grace said, walking up behind him. "Apex gear looks good on you."

Ryan gave her a half-smile and followed her to the next car door, He noticed Kez floating close behind him. She looked worried.

"We'll find him," Ryan said, trying to mask his own uncertainty. "We...we have to."

"I know." Kez sounded uncertain herself. The two avoided each other's gaze as they entered the next car. He shivered upon stepping onto the sticky floor. The room is entirely made of green jello. Ryan winced remembering the fight at the Candy Club Car. He was about to suggest speeding through this car completely, but the Apex kids were cut loose before he can utter a word. Grace looked a little annoyed that they did not wait for her signal, but she brushed it off before any of the kids see and joined Simon in the raid.

Hazel climbed off of Tuba's back to join the raid and ran off before Tuba can stop her.

"Hazel, wait!" she called out.

"It's ok! I can make sure she stays out of trouble," Ryan offered. Tuba shook her head.

"I have a bad feeling about this place. Last time we barely escaped with our lives. You almost became lunch for a jello monster!"

Ryan shuddered.

"Point taken..."

"Just... bring her to the exit. I'll meet you both there." Tuba made her way to the end of the car. Ryan looked around to find Hazel.

"Yo! Ryan! Mind helping us out a little, or are you just going to stand there like a deer in headlights?" Simon called out. He kicked down a jello mold of a hot dog stand, sending little hot dog jellies flying out.

"I uh... I think I'll sit this one out," Ryan mumbled. Simon shrugged and continued to vandalize the jello town,

"If you're not gonna partake in the raid then stay out of the way," Simon warned. Ryan looks around, trying to figure out where Hazel ran off to.

"Kez!" Ryan called out to the floating service bell. "Did you see where Hazel went?"

"I think I saw her go under that highway," Kez said. Her face fell when she notices Ryan's expression. "Are you...ok?"

"Oh me? Yeah, we're great," he said absentmindedly.

"Uh...we?"

"I'm just worried about Min. We haven't really gotten to talk after that whole mess with the candy car. I thought maybe we were making progress...but all it did was confirm he hates my guts."

"Ryan...I don't think Min could ever hate you."

"You don't know him like I do."

"And you think he's the kind of person to hold a grudge over you forever?"

"I...don't know. I don't want to find out. But even if he'd be mad at me until we both die I have to bring him back. Who knows what he could run into on this crazy train. He could be hurt or worse-"

"Hey! Min's a great guy, I'm sure he can handle himself for a while. Besides, we'll find him eventually and we'll all be together to find a way back to our time period and then get back to getting you two home. Right?"

"Right...home."

Kez looked up and gasped. "Fuck, the highway is collapsing!"

Ryan grabbed Kez and did his best to avoid falling chunks of jello. He narrowly escaped to the other side, stumbling and landing on his stomach with Kez in his arms. He winced and immediately pulled his face off of the sticky surface. He spotted Hazel wandering aimlessly."

"Hazel! Come over here, I promised Tuba I'd--AHH!"

Something slimy dragged him by his leg and held him high over the ground. He finds himself dangling helplessly over a large gelatin man. The creature roared at him, sending chunks of jello flying into Ryan's face. He grimaced. He would never be able to look at the tiny desert the same again.

"I'll get help!" Kez exclaimed, flying away. Ryan flailed his free appendages, trying to loosen the grip on his stuck leg. There was a quick flash, and the jello creature's head came clean off. The rest of the body fell over, taking Ryan down with it. Thankfully the creatures' remains broke his fall and he landed relatively unscathed.

"I told you, you needed to stay out of the way," Simon said, retracting his grappling hook. "I think we're done here. Still no sign of your friend."

"We have to keep looking. He couldn't have gotten that far," Ryan insisted, stepping up to Simon. "You said you'd help me find him."

"I said we'd help look for him. There's no guarantee we'll find him. But onto the next train car, I guess," Simon sighed. Grace and the Apex caught up to Ryan and Simon. They opened the car door to Tuba standing there anxiously. She scooped Hazel up as soon as she spots her. Hazel looked disappointed.

"But we barely got to do anything!" She huffed. Ryan slightly crouched down to see Hazel eye to eye

"Maybe the next car will be a bit more exciting for you. And...safer," Ryan said, trying to assure her.

"I hope," Hazel said, climbing off of Tuba to stand by Ryan and cling to his leg. He ruffled her hair a little. Tuba frowned slightly when Hazel does not see her.

Grace opened the next car door and led the others in. The room looked like one massive outdoor playground.

"Oh, this will be a cakewalk," Grace said confidently. "Apex--"

She was cut off by a kid screaming. She turned around to find Lucy in a net of jump ropes. Grace tried to get her down, only for someone to poke her in the back with a large lego sword. She yelped and turned on her heel, ready to fight. An army of stuffed animals surrounded the Apex. Taking a screaming Lucy in the net, the army ushered the rest of the Apex over to a swingset, where an oversized teddy bear swung alone. Once they got close enough the bear jumped off the swing with a flip and landed on its feet. It adjusted the crown on its head and dusted off its cape.

"Oh boy, more friends to play games with! It's been getting sooooo boring being the only winner here," it squeaked happily.

"Friends?! Do you know who we are? What we stand for?" Simon demanded, moving to the front of the crowd. "We aren't friends with nulls , and we sure as hell don't play with them."

The bear blinked its beady eyes but did not seem to be phased.

"Well I dunno what a null is, but it's nice to meet ya! I am Sparklehearts Sugar Rainbow the third! I rule this kingdom here!" It lifted its arms excitedly, sending confetti and glitter flying.

"That's great and all, but we need to find our frie-" one of the guards thrust a lego sword in Grace's face to shut her up.

"I'm sorry," Sparklehearts said. "But the rules of my kingdom state you have to win my games to leave."

"We don't have time for games!" Simon protested. "Someone is missing."

"Well, look at it this way. You play and win my games, you'll find your friend faster!"

Grace groaned. Simon whispered something to her. Grace's demeanor changed almost instantly.

"Fine," she said calmly. "We'll play your little games, Sparklehearts."

The teddy bear squealed and clapped its hands together excitedly.

"Well, let's get started!" it said. It raised a gumball machine scepter ushering the Apex to a plain field separated by a few lines. Sparklehearts stood at the far end with a smile."

Ryan looked around for Kez. He sighed in relief when he spotted the little bell floating right behind him."

"Kez!" He whispered. "Try and find a way for us to get the hell out of here, will you?"

Kez nodded and flew away, undetected by all except Ryan.

"You guys heard of red light, green light?" Sparklehearts asks. "Get ready!"

The Apex members get ready at the starting point.

"Let's get this over with," Simon mumbles.

"Are you ready, Ryan?" Hazel asks, looking up at him. He smiles and nods at her.

"Try to keep up with me," he teases. She giggles.

"You have to try and keep up with ME."

"Green light!" Sparklehearts squeaked, and the Apex took off. Grace and Simon led the pack, Ryan close behind, and the Apex kids struggling to keep up in various positions on the field. Tuba staggered behind.

"Tuba, come on!" Hazel called out to her.

"Red light!" Everyone froze...except for two. Hazel continued to run, while Lucy stumbled over her own feet and falls.

"Lucy, are you ok?" Grace asked. Sparklehearts sighed

"Uh oh, looks like Hazel and Lucy are out of the game!"

Hazel and Lucy pouted. The ground opened up from under them and both fell through. Ryan could barely process what happened when Tuba yelled.

"Where did you take her?" The gorilla demanded. "Give Hazel back now!"

"Don't worry, people who get eliminated from the game have to spend the rest of the time benched! See," Sparklehearts explained, pulling up a mirror that shows Hazel and Lucy stuck to a bench.

"Let them go? What if they get hurt?" Grace demanded.

"They're fine, promise!" Sparklehearts insisted. It dropped its cutesy facade and its expression became more sinister. "Unless you want to join them to be sure?"

Grace shook her head. Sparklehearts snapped back to its normal demeanor and continued the game. The Apex kids dropped like flies until a small group of them remained. Grace was the first to cross the finish line, Simon and Ryan neck and neck behind her. Tuba was about to cross the finish line when Sparklehearts yelled out," "Red light!" at the last second. She fell. Ryan could swear he heard Simon snicker, but brushed it off as he was feeling lightheaded from the adrenaline.

"We've finished, now let us go," Simon said, crossing his arms. Sparklehearts pouted.

"But we aren't done playing," it huffed, stomping its feet. "Why leave in the middle of a game?"

The remaining Apex members were ushered to an area with a large jump rope in the middle. They line up against one side of the rope.

"Jump rope?" Grace asked. "I'm pretty much an expert at this kind of stuff."

"We're gonna count to 10!" Sparklehearts said." But if one person messes up, we gotta start over! Now let's start!"

"The rope rose and came down the other direction. Everyone made the jump once. Then twice. At the third swing, two kids tripped over the rope and were promptly swallowed by the ground. By the third attempt, only Grace, Simon, and Ryan remained on the rope.

"It's just us now so there's no way we can lose," Simon said with determination. The other two nodded and continued to jump over the rope.

"8...9...10!" All three immediately collapsed upon landing.

"We won!" Grace cheered, scooping both Ryan and Simon up in a hug. Ryan noticed Simon blushing but decided not to mention it.

"Well, well!" Sparklehearts said, clapping its hands together. "You guys won! Buuuuuuut I have to eliminate someone!"

"What? Why?" The three of them yelled. Sparklehearts didn't answer them.

"Einee meenie miney moe! Catch a teddy by its toe! If it hollers, let it go. Einee meenie miney moe!" Its paw landed on Grace, and she fell. Simon tried to grab her but she slipped out of his hands.

"She didn't even do anything!" Ryan protested. "We played your game just like she said. Now it's time to let our friends go and show us the exit!"

"Mmmmm are you sure she didn't do anything? A little birdie told me she and her blond boyfriend over there were planning to ruin the games," it said, feigning sadness. "Had to make sure everything went smoothly."

"B-boyfriend?" Simon spluttered. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"That's beyond the point," Ryan said. "Nothing happened, and we won. Where is the exit?"

"Just one more game, promise!" It squeaked. Simon looked pissed off, and Ryan was at his limit. They glanced at each other.

"One. More. Game," they said through gritted teeth. Sparklehearts cheered and ushered the two to a picnic table with two pillows and a bell at the top. They each placed an elbow on the pillows, sitting on opposite sides.

"Let's get this over with," Ryan sighs.

"Agreed. And what do you say to another raid once we finish?"" Simon offers.

"Let's not give this thing any more opportunities to trap us."

"Fine, fine. But you owe me."

"Round one out of three!" Sparklehearts squeaked.

"That guy's milking the fuck out of that last game huh," Simon said as the bell rang. The two struggled for a bit, but Simon eventually overpowered Ryan.

"Round one goes to Simon!"

The bell rang a second time. Ryan, determined not to lose a second time, came out on top.

"We're tied now," Simon commented.

"That we are."

The bell rang a third time. Ryan, having exhausted his efforts in the last round, struggled to keep his arm upward.

"Looks like I'm going to win," Simon said smugly.

"Oh fuck, Grace is being taken away by those nulls!" Ryan said quickly. Simon took the bait easily and Ryan slammed his arm down on the other side.

"You tricked me!" Simon scowled. "I don't like liars."

There's a faint whirring sound. Ryan lifted his hand to see his number escalate to the quadruple digits.

"Oh no..."

"What do you mean, that's a great thing," Simon assured him. "You're getting the hang of this Apex stuff after all."

"Looks like Ryan won the game!" Sparklehearts cheered. "Unfortunately that means Simon has lost so..."

The ground opened once more and Simon fell.

"But that's ok because we're all leaving now, right?" Ryan asked. Sparklehearts giggled.

"Someone isn't listening! I only said you can leave if you win. YOU won, they didn't," it explained, gesturing to the rest of the Apex and Tuba on the bench. "Now, unless you'd like to forfeit and join them--"

"That's enough! We played your stupid games fair and square. My best friend is missing and instead of going to look for him, I'm wasting my time playing patty cake with a stuffed animal. And I'll be damned if we lose any more time. Now let us go," Ryan snapped, picking Sparklehearts by the cape.

Sparklehearts growled, its eyes glowing red. Ryan gulped, worrying he went too far. He quickly put Sparklehearts back down. Suddenly, the growling stopped and Sparklehearts went back to looking cute.

"Tell ya what, Ry-Guy," it said. "If you play one more game with me and win, you AND your friends can all go!"

"Fine...and don't call me that. What game is it..." Ryan asked, exasperated.

"An obstacle course race! Whoever makes it to the end wins!"

"You can do it, Ryan!" Hazel called out from the bench.

"Yeah, no pressure or anything," Simon added. "Not like our freedom hinges on you winning!"

Ryan took a shaky breath and turns to Sparklehearts. He held out his hand. It took it and they shook.

"May the better man, er, bear win!" It giggled. A whistle was blown and the two took off. The Apex cheered Ryan on as he passed through the first obstacle with ease. He laughed as he gets further and further away from Sparklehearts. His laughter died down when he saw the bear's eyes glow red with anger. He yelped and picked up the pace.

"Ryan, watch out!" Hazel cried. He looked up and two large stuffed animals attempted to ambush him. He narrowly avoided the first dogpiling, but they grabbed him as he attempted to scale the monkey bars.

"You're cheating!" Ryan yelled as Sparklehearts caught up to him. The bear shruged as its minions pulled Ryan down.

"My kingdom, my rules!" it squeaked. It walked over Ryan's back and head, taking the time to wipe its feet on his hair before climbing the monkey bars. Ryan struggled to get up, only for one of the stuffed animals to push him back down. Sparklehearts was getting further and further away.

"Come on, get up!" Grace called out. "You're our last hope!"

"Uh, yeah, we're all counting on you. This is kind of a life or death situation."

"I'm trying!" Sparklehearts's goons laughed as they keep him down. Out of nowhere, he spotted Kez floating between the two goons. Ryan was about to call out to her when she shushed him. She gestured to the loose strings on one of the stuffed animals. Ryan took the string and tied it to the other stuffed animal's foot. He winked at Kez.

"Whoops!" Kez flew right in the face of the goon holding Ryan, causing them to lose their hold on Ryan. He immediately ran off. The goons tried to pursue him, but because Ryan tied them together, one would get dragged as soon as the other moved."

Ryan laughed as the two literally tore each other to bits trying to get away from each other. He could see the final obstacle and the finish line up ahead. He caught up behind Sparklehearts.

"It's over," the stuffed bear growled. "I win because it's my kingdom and I make the rules of how games work!"

It ran right into Ryan's leg, knocking him over before it ran off. Ryan recovered quickly and was hot on Sparklehearts' trail. The last obstacle was a flight of stairs leading to one large slide downhill. Beach balls rained from the skies, tumbling down the stairs. Both Ryan and Sparklehearts charged up the stairs, avoiding the falling beach balls."

Sparklehearts caught one of the beach balls and hurled it right at Ryan's head. In a flash, Ryan caught the ball with one hand and threw it back even harder. It struck Sparklehearts in the chest, sending it flying down the stairs. He wasted no time clearing the rest of the stairs and sliding his way down to victory."

The Apex members cheered when they were released and surrounded Ryan. He heard a faint whirring and checks his number. His number had gone up quite significantly.

"Nice one," Simon said, glancing at his hand. "I had my doubts, but you might get up to my level one day!"

He pulled down one sleeve of his hoodie to show off the numbers running down his arm. Ryan did not respond. The Apex started to murmur when they saw Sparklehearts, roughed up, approach them.

"You..." it whispered.

"I won. And like we agreed, you have to let us go. ALL of us," Ryan said, tense.

"Fine... you win," it grumbled. It handed Ryan its crown. "It's your kingdom now."

"What? I don't want your damn-"

"You should definitely claim it, Ryan. You earned it," Simon told him. "These nulls will learn not to mess with us like that again."

"All I'm worried about is Min-Gi. Not some...some nulls."

"We would have been on our way a long time ago if it wasn't for that thing!" Simon pointed accusingly at Sparklehearts.

"I..." Ryan felted someone tap him and nearly jumped. It's Hazel, holding Sparklehearts's crown in her hands.

"I can put the crown on for you, Ryan!" she offered. Ryan sighed and lowered his head. She stood on the tips of her toes to place it on his head. He looked up and gave her a halfhearted smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck. His smile became more genuine as he picked her up gently and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Hazel," he said quietly."Let's get out of here now. I think we're done here."

They rushed to the exit before Sparklehearts decided to change its mind.

"You did amazing out there, Ry!" Grace said smiling. "I knew you'd get the hang of it."

"Yeah... guess I did," Ryan mumbled, trying to shake that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he heard his number change once more. "Let's see what the next car has in store for us."

Ryan took a deep breath and opened the door. He nearly collieded with Min-Gi.

"Min-Gi is back!" Hazel pointed out, running over to hug him.

"Well look who came crawling back," Simon taunted. "You may have embarrassed yourself in front of the Apex, but I might be willing to give you a--"

"I didn't come back to join the Apex," Min-Gi interrupted. "When I said I wasn't joining, I meant it. I want no part in whatever this is. "

"Then... why did you come back?" Grace asked.

"I figured the time-traveling car must have been somewhere behind the mall car. Now, what are you doing here?"

"I...I wanted to give you another chance?" Ryan said, wincing.

"Ryan, I just said-"

"I know, but-"

"But nothing! I'm getting off this train, with or without you."

"So you're leaving again? Just like that?"

"Don't start, Ryan."

"Min-Gi, Ryan convinced us to come back for you against Simo- against our better judgment. He really cares about you. I think you should hear him out," Grace said.

Min-Gi sighed in exasperation. When he held Ryan by his shoulders, Ryan could see how disheveled he looked.

"Did the train give you a hard time too?" he chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood. "This last car we were in, let me tell you, we-"

"Ryan." He rarely heard Min-Gi say his name like that. "I saw our future.

"I...take it we were not" in New York rocking out, huh?"

"It some alternate reality... We were older, I graduated from college, you came back from your tour-"

"So things kinda worked out?" Ryan asked, knowing deep down this wasn't the case.

"Neither of us was happy with the paths we went down. When I went to visit you, you were acting really weird and I couldn't figure out what was wrong until you ran away and got on this damn train without me!"

"And....then what happened?"

"I didn't see."

"But why would you care about me getting back on the train? You're out here being successful. No one out there is worried about what I'm up to. But you? You matter to people. You have a purpose."

"So do you. And it's not here committing vandalism on this train. But like I said...I'm leaving with or without you. I've made my choice, Ryan. And clearly, so have you," Min-Gi says, glancing at Ryan's crown on his head and his roughed-up face. The crown felt uncomfortable and heavy on his head now, so he took it off.

"Min-Gi, I-"

"Goodbye, Ryan."

Before he could take another step, the train rumbled once more.

"Not again." Grace groaned. "We need to go, now! Min-Gi?"

He gave her a hard stare. She frowed. Simon stepped onto the other side of the bridge. Tuba quickly followed. As the bridge separated, Grace and Simon helped get the Apex kids to the other side one by one.

"Come on, Ryan!" Kez called out.

"He can't, it's too far!" Grace said. "It's ok, we can find our way back to the Apex like last time!"

"You guys can if you time the jump just right," Simon insisted. "Go for it, Ryan!"

Ryan took one last glance at Min-Gi, hoping he'd somehow change his mind before taking a running start and leaping over the bridge.

" Ryan! " Min-Gi's anguished voice startled him, and he fumbled the landing. He's frozen in fear when he lost his balance and fell over the edge. Someone grabbed him by his arm, pulling him to safety. Once he was sure he is secure on the ground, he collapsed on his knees. He looked back and saw Min-Gi staring at him with the most distraught look on his face he'd ever seen.

"We forgot about Hazel!" Grace gasped, realizing she never left Min-Gi's side as the other Apex kids crossed over to the other side. "She's too far away to jump and I can't risk throwing her over to Tuba..."

"Just... keep Hazel safe, please?" Tuba asked, looking pleadingly at Grace as her car is lifted up. Min-Gi was no longer looking at Ryan, but he could not get that look on his face out of his head.

"This is fine," Grace said calmly. "Simon and I got launched backwards before and we made it back to the Apex no problem."

Min-Gi remained quiet. One minute, he'd witnessed his childhood friend nearly fall to his death. The next, he was literally hurtling away from him.

"Yeah, Min-G" Hazel chimed in. "We'll be back before you know it!"

"I hope Ryan doesn't get into serious trouble while we're gone," Min said. "I know you and Simon are really close but I can't trust him as far as I can throw him. Him and Ryan together is a disaster waiting to happen."

"Min-Gi..." Grace said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Min sighed, feeling a little bad.

"Simon can be an...acquired taste for some, but I doubt he'd knowingly put a fellow Apex member in danger. Speaking of which-"

"My answer is still a hard no," he said firmly, crossing his arms. She sighed.

"Fine...but like I was saying, Ryan is gonna be fine. I know things seem bleak right now, but it's all gonna work out in the end."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Maybe not, but I DO know that he's really clever and quick witted. He knows what he's doing and you have to put more faith in him."

"I do-"

"I'm afraid you don't."

"It's just-"

"You guys are like...childhood friends right?"

"Of course. We've known each other since we were babies. Literally. It's like we were destined for each other..." Min-Gi said.

"I saw you two at the candy club car. You guys seemed to be getting along there...what happened?"

Min-Gi fell quiet once more, confirming to Grace what she already knew.

"It's not that I don't trust Ryan..."

"Min..."

"Ok, ok...it's just... he always does things like this! Always spontaneous decisions without giving a second thought to how they affect others. And I care about Ryan so much that I went along with them regardless of the outcome. And look where that got me. In the middle of nowhere on a never ending train."

"Ryan's the one who got you guys on the train? Grace asked.

"Well... yeah. He took my fucking keys and threw them into a portal. I don't think he knew we'd end up here of all places. But...we're here now. And...I just don't know where I'm going after this."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him eye to eye.

"I'm not gonna pretend to completely understand what's going on between you two, and I won't be able to solve your problems completely, but I'd hate to see you throw your friendship down the drain. When we get back to the Apex you and Ryan have got to talk things out. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah..." Min-Gi said. "I promise."

She smiled. "Great. Now let's find our way back to the Apex."

The car they were on landed and they scrambled to the next car. Min looked up and saw what appeared to be a large amusement park in front of them.

"Oh boy, wonder how this train car could possibly kill us," Min sighed, not trusting the ambivalent atmosphere.

"Looks fine to me. We can just walk through and be out of there in no time!" Grace said, pulling him and Hazel along.

But as they entered the amusement park, they soon found out the exit was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe there's a map or something we can use to find our way out of here," Min-Gi said, approaching what he assumes is a staff member. "Excuse me? Do you know how we can get the hell out of this car?'

The staff member turned around, revealing herself to be a sentient piece of cotton candy in a blue and white uniform. Min-Gi jumped back.

"If you want a map, you gotta ask Morton ova there!" she said, smacking her gum obnoxiously. She pointed over to a large walking piece of funnel cake.

"Hey, you got a map we can use to get out of here?" Grace asked, tapping on the guy's shoulder. Morton shook his head.

"Sorry, we're all out," he said. "I sent Kathy to print out new ones and she won't be back for a while. You guys are free to go explore, go on the rides. Maybe you'll find the exit on the way."

"We don't have time to explore!" Min protested

""Plus, you've got a map stuck in your dough right now?" Hazel pointed out. Morton moved his cap to hide the map. Hazel and Grace narrowed their eyes at him.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Don't play dumb with us, Morton," Grace warned. "Trust me, we aren't people you want to mess with."

She took a menacing step towards Morton, who gasped.

"Now, let's n-not all get worked up! I'm sure we can figure something out! Look what I have here isn't just any map. It's our magical map; it's the only one of its kind!"

"Looks like a regular map to me..." Min-Gi commented, peering closer. Morton waved him away rudely.

"To you," Morton said crossly. "Truly, I thought you'd be more understanding as to why I don't just want to give it away to a group of randoms."

"Whatever you want for it, we'll pay for it," Min-Gi said. "I'm sure my wallet is in here somewhere."

When he frantically patted his pockets for any money, Morton laughed.

"Oh, we don't take monetary fare over here," Morton said, stepping back and revealing a group of clown heads with deflated balloons mounted on a wall. He handed Grace and Min-Gi each a rainbow colored water gun."

"Ugh, another game?" Grace groaned in exasperation. Min-Gi wondered what cars Grace and the Apex went through before they ran into him.

"Just one game, I promise," Morton said innocently. Grace glared at him.

"So help me god if you're lying I-"

"Scouts honor! I swear!" Morton exclaimed, backing up in fear. "You gotta beat me in one game before you can pass and you can get the map. If you lose, you can pass, just not with this map!"

"Sure, sure, let's get this over with," Grace scoffed. Morton picked up a water gun himself and aimed at his target. Hazel watched them all in anticipation.

"Ready... Aim... Fire!" Morton yelled, pulling the trigger. Min-Gi and Grace fired their water guns as well. They both struggled to keep the water on the target as the balloons on the clown heads started to inflate and rise. Things became more difficult when the clown heads began to move around and rotate. Morton, having done this multiple times, did not seem to be bothered by this at all.

"Min. Watch your aim!" Grace scolded when he accidentally hit her in the ear with a stream of water. Hazel squealed when the residue water drops landed on her.

"I'm running low on water," Min-Gi said, struggling to keep his aim on the moving target.

"Ugh, same here," Grace said. Soon both their guns stopped spraying. "Fuck!"

Morton continued to spray his target with a whistle. There was a loud pop, and the balloon on Morton's target clown burst open. Morton chuckled, much to Grace and Min-Gi's disappointment.

"Sorry, kids, looks like I get to keep this here- HEY!"

Morton stared at his hand in horror. Where the map used to be was now in the clutches of a certain 6 ½ year old running away. Grace caught Min-Gi's eye. He looked at Hazel, then back at Grace and nodded. They took off after Hazel, Morton hot on their trail.

Grace caught up to Hazel and scooped her up to run faster.

"We gotta hide, or at least throw this overbaked pastry off our trail," Grace gasped, looking at the map. "Follow my lead, Min!"

She took a sharp turn. Min-Gi nearly tripped on his own two feet trying to follow her. She dragged him behind a booth as Morton ran by. They sat there together in absolute silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Grace released her grip on Min-Gi and motioned for him to follow her.

"Quick thinking," Min-Gi said. She beamed, proud of herself.

"Apex instinct," she whispered, making Min roll his eyes. "I know, I know, I'm not gonna convince you. Now let's follow this map."

Once she was sure they were no longer being followed, Grace pulled Min towards a roller coaster.

"Uh, Grace?" Min-Gi said. "This probably isn't the best ti-"

"The map says we have to go through this roller coaster to get to the other side.

"But what about Hazel! I bet she's too little to ride."

"Am not!" Hazel huffed, crossing her arms.

"Let's see what that worker over there has to say," Min decided. The worker had Hazel stand behind a cardboard standee and checked her height. She stood on the tips of her toes.

"Looks fine to me," the worker said. Min-Gi cursed under his breath, hoping that Hazel would be disqualified so that they could skip this ride. Every time he and Ryan's families went to the amusement park, Ryan would insist on going on all the crazy fast rides. Each and every one of them was a nightmare for him. Hazel looked ecstatic.

"My first roller coaster ride!" she giggled, pulling Grace to the front car. Min-Gi reluctantly followed behind and plopped right in the middle of the ride. He worried he might fall off the ride if he sat too far back. He remained frozen in place as the worker checked everyone's seatbelts and made sure everyone was secure. Grace turned and leaned back as much as her seatbelt would allow her.

"Min-Gi..." she teased. "You're not scared are ya?"

He zoned out for the majority of the ride after they went over the first large hump. It took Grace waving her hands in his face for him to snap back to reality.

"W-we're done?" he spluttered.

"Yeah! It was awesome!" Hazel giggled.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, Min!" Grace chuckled. "Maybe we should take a little break before we continue?"

"But what about-"

"Hey! He's fine. I told you, ya gotta put more faith in him! Now come on, I bet it's been so long since you've eaten anything of sustenance."

She was right. Aside from the drink Grace offered him in the Candy Club Car, his stomach was completely empty. He was starving.

Min-Gi practically collapsed on a nearby bench. His legs were numb and the ground continued to move uneasily. He took several shaky breaths to steady himself as he put his hair back into place the best that he could. Grace, with Hazel in tow, returned with arms full of snacks.

"We got you funnel cake!" Hazel said, handing him a container. The container was completely empty before Grace had finished her corndog. His legs had stopped shaking a little but he still felt rather numb.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?" Grace whispered, making sure Hazel was out of earshot but still in her line of sight.

"Go for it," he said, wiping his hands. She leaned in close to him.

"That ride was probably the scariest thing I'd ever experienced," she admitted. Min-Gi looked at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. Grace scoffed and lightly punched his shoulder.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just...I expected you to say something a little more...embarrassing? You know..."

"It is embarrassing, god..." she sighed, sitting on the bench with her face flushed. "I've swung from high places with my grappling hook but it's a roller coaster that freaks me out!"

"That's not embarrassing. Hell, I literally passed out before we even started going down the first hill. I'm sure Ryan could tell you even more embarrassing experiences I've had on roller coasters."

"Come on, you know it's not the same," she said.

"How so?"

"It's... it's just different, ok? Let's get going." She got up to stretch before looking for Hazel. "Are you done yet, Hazel?"

Hazel wiped her hands on her shirt and ran over."

"Ready!" She beamed at the two.

"Come on, let's get out of this car," Grace said, hoisting Hazel on her back and walking off. Min-Gi followed close behind.

"Did I... upset you?" Min-Gi asked, noticing Grace's expression.

"Hmm? Oh! No, no it's not you," she said quietly. "Just... thinking about stuff."

Min-Gi looked up ahead, deciding to give her space and not push her for more information.

"What's up next?" He asked, hoping it was not another fast ride.

"Boat ride," she said, pointing forwards. The three approached a large duck shaped boat. "All three of us can fit inside."

She helped Hazel in first, then climbed in herself. She moved over a little to make room for Min-Gi. The boat took off as soon as Min-Gi got inside.

Thankfully, the ride was slow and calm. Hazel started to fall asleep. Min-Gi leaned absentmindedly on the edge of the boat. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Grace removing one of her purple gloves and checking her number. Glowing green numbers lined her arm.

"Damn," he mumbled, not realizing it was audible. Grace quickly put her glove back on and folded her hands together in her lap.

"Not a word," she hissed.

"I'm not gonna say anything, promise," Min said, curious but still wanting to respect Grace's privacy.

"Thank you," she sighed. "And... sorry. I don't know what came over me just now."

"I get it... I've said things, hurtful things I didn't mean, to people I care about," he said, thinking about his arguments with Ryan in previous cars. "You have a lot on your mind right now. I won't press you about it but... you can talk to me about it if you want to."

Grace looked back at Hazel, who was fast asleep leaning on her.

"Well... it's just... my number's been going down!" she admitted, biting her lip.

"I'm...gonna assume that's a bad thing for you," he said.

"Ever since we met Hazel and Tuba something's changed with my number. I don't know what it is or why it's going down but it has to stop!"

"Hey now, what's the worst that could happen?" Min-Gi asked.

"If my number gets too low, the false conductor will come and take me away. I've seen it happen first hand! Someone's number got to zero, then this door appeared and sucked them away! Then, with a flash of light, they were gone! Who knows where they were taken?"

"Off... the train?" Min-Gi asked. Judging by the look on her face Min-Gi realized that probably was not the best thing to say. "I mean... look at it this way. Your number's still pretty high. I don't think that's gonna happen, not for a long time. And we'll get back to Simon and the others and they'll be able to fix this. Because I can tell he cares about you, no matter what's going on with your number."

"I thought you didn't like Simon," she teased. He groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I don't trust him. But in the time we've been forced to be in each other's presence I can tell you two mean a lot to each other. I doubt there's anything you guys can't do together. You trust him right?"

"Of course... I trust him more than anyone else on this train."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Also... I think we're nearing the end of this boat ride."

He climbed out of the boat first, holding out his hand to help Grace out before carrying Hazel gently. She wrapped her arms around Min-Gi, yawning. Min-Gi chuckled and moved her to his back. Grace followed quietly by his side.

"Just one more ride," Grace said. "Ferris wheel."

"Can't we just go around it?" Min asked.

"Nope! Map says we have to circle the wheel three times before we can pass."

They hopped onto one of the ferris wheel cars. Hazel remained firmly attached to Min's side. Min looked at Grace and they both laugh

"Today tired her out," Grace said. "I can't imagine how wild of a day today has been for you, Min-Gi."

"Yeah. One minute I'm about to be ripped limb from limb by some freak hand monster. The next...Ryan and I aren't speaking to each other. And who knows how many train cars we're far away from each other..."

Grace squeezed his shoulder gently. The two of them looked outside as the ferris wheel carried them higher and higher into the air.

"I wish Hazel was awake to see this," Grace murmured, ruffling the little girl's hair.

"Ryan would have loved being up here," Min said. "He'd probably make up a song about it."

He laughed, thinking of his friend perched on the seat next to him, guitar in his arms while strumming out a tune. He'd probably lean jokingly on Min's shoulder as he mumbled something random about being on a ferris wheel. Then when he'd humored himself enough, he'd look up at Min with a goofy grin to ask him what he thought. Maybe Min would join in on the song, arm around Ryan's waist...

"You doing alright, Min?" Grace asked, making him jump a little. "Your face is turning red."

"Yeah, I'm... I'm uh, doing great," he stammered, ignoring the heat rising to his face.

"Does Ryan always do things like that?" she asked. Min nodded with a smile.

"Ever since we were kids," he said softly. "There's nothing he wouldn't try to make a song about. Have you heard of our hit single, ‘Cat in a Toque'? We went platinum on debut!"

"Uh, maybe?" Grace snorted. "You must be some underground indie band the hipsters back home are into."

"Oh, I'm wounded!" He pretended to be struck in the heart and fell back onto his seat. The movement, along with Grace and Min's laughter, woke Hazel up.

"Sorry!" Grace said sheepishly "But hey, check out the view, Hazel!"

She hoisted Hazel up enough for her to see outside the ferris wheel.

"Wow!" Hazel looked over the amusement park in awe. Grace leaned back with a sigh.

"Don't get me wrong, I still want to get the hell off this train," Min-Gi said."

"Of course," Grace rolled her eyes.

"But... I have to say I enjoyed spending time with you and Hazel here. It's nice..."

She grinned. "Well, it's been nice spending time with you too. It's a nice change of pace from being with the Apex all day. Not that I don't like being with them. But still. It's nice."

"Looks like this is our last circle on the ride," Min pointed out.

"Then we can get out of here and back to the Apex. Who knows what awaits in the next car."

"Whatever it is, we can handle it,"" he said, looking at her with determination. He heard a whirring sound and checked his hand. His number had gone down a little. He could not figure out why his number had reached the thousands. Grace checked her own.

"No change." She sounded relieved.

"How'd you get your number so high?" he asked.

"Years and years of running the Apex," she said confidently. "I have the highest number on this train. And...it has to stay that way."

"Why?"

She frowned. "Because! I'm the leader! What would it look like if I didn't have the highest number? What if someone replaces me?'

No one could replace you, Grace. You're special."

"Not if I have nothing to show for it."

"Grace..."

"People look up to me, Min. Because of this number on my arm," she said, raising her arm to show her number once more. "I matter to people here. No one ever paid attention to me back home, no matter what" I did."

"Is that why you're on the train?" Min asked.

"When I was younger, I got some so-called friends to shoplift at a store. We've done it lots of times before. But one day...things went south and they ran and left me to take the brunt of it."

"You? A shoplifter?" Min gasped, making Grace scowl.

"I was 11, ok?" she grumbled, embarrassed.

"Sorry, you can continue."

"But anyways. I got arrested, my parents were really mad and they were arguing with the cop...it was a whole mess. Then this magical train showed up out of nowhere in the middle of the room. I don't know where it came from, or how it got into the room! But I really didn't want to deal with the aftermath of the shoplifting incident..."

"So here you are..."

"Yeah. Then I met Simon when I saved him from some ghom creature. We've been inseparable ever since. We eventually formed the Apex, showing the passengers on here the truth!'

"So the Apex is the first time you felt needed and appreciated, huh?" Min suggested. She nodded.

"Yep. So you see why this is important to me?"

"You're afraid of ending up back where you started. Alone," he said quietly. When Grace didn't respond, he turned to look at her. She was wiping tears from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry-"

"No, you're right. Not even roller coasters scare me as much as being alone again. I just want to be enough for people."

"But Grace... you are enough. I'm so sorry the people in your life weren't able to see that. And...I know how that feels."

"But you and Ryan are best friends!"

"So are you and Simon. Sometimes I wonder if it's too late for what we had before to be fixed. I've made so many mistakes both on and off the train with him. Stuff that...I'm not ready to talk about now... But I don't want to let that stop me from trying again. You helped me see that. So you shouldn't doubt yourself either."

The whirring sound started up again. Min-Gi's number went down significantly. It was now back to the hundreds. He sighed in relief.

"The rides stopped!" Hazel pointed out. Min-Gi was the first to get out of the car. He picked Hazel up and placed her on the ground gently." When he helped Grace out of the car, she hugged him tight.

"Thanks..." is all she said. Min-Gi said nothing and hugged her back.

"There's the door!" Hazel said.

"Huh, I wonder what was so special about this map that that Morton guy didn't want us to have it?" Min-Gi wondered. "We didn't come across anything special in particular."

He held up the map. It was now blank.

"Huh? I swear it had images on it before?!" Grace gasped.

"I told ya, it's a magic map!" Morton's voice made the trio jump. He stormed over and snatched the map back from Min-Gi. "It's a map that shifts to suit the needs of the person that holds it. Since you three made it to the end, it's blank because you no longer need its services."

"Ohhhh... that makes sense," Min-Gi said.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my job. If you three ever show your faces around here again, I'll-"

Min-Gi and Grace had already run off with Hazel before Morton could finish his threat. They slammed the door behind them and ran to the next car. Once they had made it to the next door, they collapsed into a heap. For a minute, they lay there breathing heavily.

"That was fun!" Hazel said.

"I suppose if you consider being chastised by living concession stand food items fun," Min wheezed.

Grace snorted. "You're an interesting person, Min-Gi."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, a little defensive.

"I mean it in a good way," she laughed. "You're really thoughtful and considerate and... a great friend. I know you and Ryan are gonna make things right with each other when we get back."

"Oh yeah...maybe," he said sheepishly.

"You will," she said, squeezing his hand and helping him up. They entered the next car, arms on each other's shoulders.

"So... what happens if we get back to the Apex headquarters and Grace and Min aren't there?" Ryan asked, trying to avoid the gaze of the beaten denizens in the playground car.

"We keep going until we find them," Simon said. "I know Grace can handle herself, but as for your friend...let's not wait for something else to go wrong."

"How were we supposed to know the cars would separate??" Ryan said defensively. "We don't even know what's causing the train cars to be ejected in the first place!"

"Don't get snappy at me. And don't forget your rank around here." He jammed his finger into Ryan's chest. The latter shoved him off.

"Don't forget who beat you in an arm-wrestling match-"

"Because you cheated, you fluke-"

"And saved your ass from becoming a part of a new toy line for an oversized, glitter-infested stuffed animal," Ryan continued. "Maybe you could take a few pointers from me."

The Apex kids giggled but then backed up in fear of Simon's reaction when he turned on his heel. He glared at Ryan.

"Thin ice, Akagi. Thin fucking ice," he hissed as the crowd behind them broke into whispers.

"Woah, Ry," Kez said. "Might have gone in on him a little too hard."

"He called me a fluke, Kez. Rank or not, I'm not taking that from him. Or anyone."

"Well... he's kind of our only option to find Min right now. I just think that maybeee you would have handled that better."

Ryan checked his hand to see his number had gone up to the thousands. He looked back at Simon and put his hand in his pocket. Kez looked on, her expression unreadable.

"Hey... is everything alright with you Kez? You seem tense," he asked softly. "Like you said. We'll find Min, and we'll figure out what to do next. If you're worried about Morgan-"

"It's not that. Well... not completely. It's just... your number's getting so high," she commented.

"Not as high as Grace's, but I'm getting there," he said.

"Aren't you... a little concerned?"

"Why would I be? I'm doing great!"

Kez sighed and moved forward, shaking her head. Ryan fell back to the end of the group, where Tuba followed along solemnly.

"I hope Hazel is alright," she said quietly.

"I'm sure she is," Ryan assured her. "She seems to like Grace and Min a lot."

"Yeah..." Tuba did not look at him. Ryan was quiet all the way back to the mall car. Grace, Min, and Hazel were nowhere to be found. Simon allowed the Apex to scatter and recuperate before they continued to find Grace and the others. Simon brought Ryan to a small room filled with musical instruments.

"Lucky for you, we just cleared out another shop for Apex members to sleep in. You'll be the first resident. You probably won't be alone here for long, but enjoy the privacy while you have it. I'll be in my room for a bit. I'll come to get you when we're ready to continue," Simon said, walking away with a dismissive wave.

Ryan made his way to the mattress lying on the ground. He flopped on it dramatically, causing dust to fly everywhere. He gagged, waving his arms frantically to avoid choking to death. When the dust cleared he lay back once more with a heavy sigh. Just as he was about to close his eyes, Kez flew in.

"Oh, you're here!" she said excitedly. "That Simon guy just ignored me when I asked where you went!"

"Figures. I...may have... made an enemy out of Simon," he chuckled sheepishly. Kez laughed as well, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Well, he didn't seem too upset with you," she chuckled.

"Kez... are you feeling ok? It's just us here."

"You've got a lot on your plate right now. Let's just focus on finding Min."

"But you-"

"Oh, by the way! I found your clothes where you left ‘em before! You totally don't have to change back if you don't want to and you like your new clothes... but if you ever change your mind..."

"Thanks, Kez," he said softly. He still wanted Kez to tell him what was making her behave so strangely lately. He took the clothes from her and lay back again with a sigh. Despite his best efforts, he could not bring himself to relax and fall asleep. He was barely nodding off when Simon barged in, making him jump.

"We're going, now."

"Can I do one thing first?" Ryan asked.

"Make it quick," Simon groaned, walking out of the room. Ryan turned to Kez.

"Do you remember where I left my guitar case?"

Kez and Ryan rushed off to where his guitar case lay. He quickly changed into his old clothes and left the new ones behind. Scooping up his guitar case, he rejoined the rest of the Apex. Kez looked at him and smiled.

"I'm gonna be honest, I never really liked your new fit," she admitted.

"It's fine, it's just not really... me," he said. Simon raised an eyebrow when he noticed the outfit change, but did not say anything about it.

"What's with the guitar?" he asked instead.

"My pride and joy. I don't know what I was thinking, leaving it alone again."

"You sure that's not gonna weigh you down? Looks heavy."

"Never," he said determinately. Simon rolled his eyes and gathered a group of Apex kids out of the crowd. The kids who were not chosen sulked and walked away.

The next car they entered resembled a massive arcade. Simon looked around pensively. The Apex kids tensed up waiting for someone or something to attack them.

"No sudden movements," Simon ordered, stepping forward.

"Guys, it's an arcade. I'm sure it's a harmless car," Ryan said. "We just gotta find the exit."

"Maybe we gotta split up to find it!" Lucy suggested. The group behind her murmured in agreement.

"Wait, don't!" Simon tried to stop the kids but they ran off in different directions before he could get them in line. Tuba, Kez, and Ryan were left in the area.

"Guess it's just us, Simon," Ryan said with a smug look. Simon scowled.

"Follow my lead."

"Whatever you say, captain," he snapped back sarcastically. Simon shot him a glare, making him chuckle. He quickly yanked Simon out of the way before he got run over by a living pinata denizen. Simon looked back at Ryan, bewildered.

"Nice eye..." he admitted grudgingly. Two of the Apex kids ran past the duo with sticks. The pinata evaded the kids and started to charge at Ryan and Simon. Both leaped out of the way, causing it to zoom past. The pinata charged toward Simon, who was still sprawled on the ground. Before it could reach him, Ryan lunged toward it, smashing the pinata with his guitar case. It burst open, sending confetti everywhere. In the remains lay a pile of golden coins, candy, and tickets. As Ryan scooped up the loot, his number rose.

"Not bad for a rookie Apex member, huh?" he asked, revealing his numbers had started to spill off of his palm and reach his wrist. Simon got himself up and scoffed.

"Keep it up and you might end up replacing me," he said with a smile.

"Really?" Ryan asked.

"No. Not even close," Simon said, scowling. "And again. If you're gonna be one of us, you gotta learn that there are rules you gotta follow. No more doing things your way."

Ryan scowled. "And since when is your way any better than mine? I literally just saved your ass. Twice."

"You still have a very long way to go before you even think of stepping to me."

"You weren't acting like this when Grace was around. What's your deal? Or do you only show your colors when you can't kiss up to her?"

"Grace and I are equals," Simon retorted. "She's the leader and I'm her right-hand man because we have the highest numbers on this train."

"So what happens when someone gets a higher number than you? Or Grace? Then what?"

"It took us years to get to where we are now. That won't happen."

"It could happen."

"It won't, and that's final. Now let's get going," he said with a glare.

Ryan rolled his eyes and followed Simon. He held up his loot in his hands

"What are we going to do with this stuff?" Ryan asked, trying to change the subject.

"I'll see what Grace decides to do with em. Otherwise, I'll put them in my room."

"They look relatively worthless outside of this car. Maybe we can eat the candy?" he suggested, holding up a coin to the light. A spherical robot with two dots for eyes in the middle was engraved on one side of the coin, with the infinity symbol engraved on the other side. The ticket was bright green with "Admit One" on the front side and the same robot drawn on the backside.

"There's the exit!" Simon pointed out. They raced to the door, but when Ryan tried to open the exit, it refused to budge. He pulled the handle with all his might but got flung backward into Simon. The latter shoved him off his body, annoyed.

"Let me guess, there's some sort of task we need to do before we can leave," Ryan groaned.

"So help me if it involves another children's game.." Simon grumbled. A large shadow rose over them both. Ryan looked up to see a giant animatronic macaw glaring down at them. Her eyes glowed a menacing blue. She screeched and scooped up both of them in her claws. Before they could yell for help, she flew away with them both.

"Kez! Where are you?" Ryan gasped, panicking.

"Apex, Atta- AHH!" The macaw tightened her grip on the two, painfully silencing them. She took the two into a dark, secluded room and dropped them hard on the ground. The door slammed shut behind them. They barely had time to adjust to the darkness when a bright light suddenly beamed at them.

Ryan recovered first, scrambling to his feet and looking around frantically. The sound of metallic tapping grew closer. All he could see was a large shadowy figure with glowing eyes slowly approaching the light.

"Whoever you are," Ryan yelled out. "Take Simon first!"

"What?!" Simon spluttered. In the midst of the anxiety-inducing moment, Ryan couldn't help but snicker a little. He suddenly yelped and fell flat on his back when Simon swept a leg under him. He could hear Simon chuckling himself.

"What the fuck?"

The two bickered childishly until the large figure came completely into the light. She screeched harshly, shutting them both up. It was the animatronic bird that grabbed the two and brought them to this room.

"You two must be new here. My name is Liv. But only my friends call me that. Everyone else calls me Olivia," she chirped.

"So... Can we call you Liv?" Ryan asked. Olivia shot him a look and he quieted down.

"Anyways...this here is my little entertainment center. Going strong for 45 years."

"Cool. Let us go," Simon demanded. Olivia shook her head.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Unfortunately, I've been alerted that you two were flagged for causing a disturbance!"

"What disturbance? We were trying to leave!" Ryan asked.

"Without the crowd of rowdy kids you brought in?" she screeched, tapping a button with her claw to turn on a TV. Ryan watched various Apex kids run amok, causing havoc on other animatronics, pinatas, and games. Coins, tickets, and candy littered the floor.

"We were gonna gather them all after we found the exit," Simon scoffed.

"Besides," Ryan added. "Are you really mad that kids act like... kids?"

"That doesn't mean you get to destroy my livelihood," she snapped. "I started this place with my daughter, Joy. This is our legacy. And I'll be damned if I let another Pizza Kez incident happen. I'm gonna catch every one of those brats and-"

"Wait, Pizza Kez incident? What-"

"If we gather all of the kids up will you let us go?" Simon asked, exasperated.

"As long as you overgrown delinquents and band of juvenile misfits never show your faces here again," she sighed. She snatched the two of them up by their arms and flew into the darkness. No sooner had the door swung open, Ryan found himself sprawled on the retro-themed floor.

"So, what do we do now, boss?" Ryan asked snarkily.

Simon got himself up and said, "We are not doing anything. I am going to get the Apex together and bounce. You... just stay out of my way."

"Don't you think it'll be better if we're both looking for them? There's, you know... a lot of them?"

"I don't have the second-highest number on the train for no reason. I can handle this on my own. Now if you get in the way again, I swear-"

"Alright, alright," Ryan sighed. The two walked off in separate directions, but not without shooting a glare at each other.

"Ryan!" Kez flew over to him, relief on her face. "I saw you and Simon get grabbed by Olivia and carried away! I thought she hurt you!"

She plucked a feather out of Ryan's hair before spitting it out of her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm mostly fine," Ryan says. "But... speaking of Olivia, do you know about a-"

"Wanna get some pizza?" She asked, nodding her head towards the booths.

"No! I mean, yeah! But... I wanted to ask about the-"

"I'll get Tuba over!" she said, flying off before Ryan could ask his question. He sighed and followed Kez to one of the booths.

"I uh... heard about some sort of Pizza incident and you were mentioned so I was kinda wondering... you're not listening to me right now are you.."

"Three large pizzas, please! Oh, and can we get a pitcher of lemonade soda! Plus breadsticks! And-"

"Let's not overwhelm the cooks, Kez!" Ryan warned. "But yeah let's get some pizza and drinks and some cheese bread..."

"Someone's hungry," Kez teased.

"Maybe a little," he admitted, flustered by his stomach growling. The waiter robot took their order and rolled away on skates. Ryan sighed and lay on the long seat on his side of the booth, staring up at the ceiling with his hands rested on his body. The sound of children squealing and arcade machines ringing filled the air. He thought of Min, and how horrified he looked when Ryan nearly fell to his death. Ryan felt bad about scaring Min, but in his defense, Min's yelling startled him mid-jump and made him lose his balance.

"Ryan!" Kez's voice snaps him out of his thoughts. The tiny bell floated right above his face. "Food's here!"

Ryan pulled himself up to the table and gawked at the amount of food on the table.

"I said-"

"We got some extra for Tuba. Gorillas eat a lot right?" Kez said. Tuba shrugged and started to dig in. Ryan slowly ate as well.

"Kez.. about this whole...Pizza Incident?" Ryan said suddenly. Kez frowned.

"Look, it wasn't my fault this time!" she blurted out. "At least... not completely."

"Just tell me the truth. Please."

"It was about a year ago. Well, a year in our time. My friends and I were here for my birthday. And it was fun! We ate a bunch of food and drank soda and played all the games and won the prizes..."

"So what happened?"

"Well... we were in this singing contest with one of my friends and the robot band that played here. We were getting pretty rowdy I guess... and Beehive knocked into me hard, and I knocked down one of the workers... this cat robot girl... She uh...she didn't get up. We haven't been back here since. Y'know, since we're decades into the future maybe they've forgotten?"

She laughed nervously, but it soon died down when she realized Ryan was not laughing along with her.

"Oh Kez..."

"I tried to fix things but they kicked us out."

"Another question. What does any of that have to do with pizza?"

"Well... Beehive slipped on a pizza slice... that I dropped while we were on stage. Guess that's why the sign says not to bring food on stage anymore..."

"Kez..."

"I know, ok! I messed up! If I could take it back, I would."

Ryan sighed. "I get it. It was an accident. But that doesn't explain why you've been acting so weird...even before we got to this car."

"I guess I just... really want to get back to our time... and back to Morgan."

Ryan looked at his hand and felt a little guilty. He really didn't want to go back... but Min and Kez didn't want to be here with the Apex.

"Look, Kez. I uh... when we find Min... I promise we'll get back to that time traveling car and you guys can go back. Things will be fine," he assured her.

"You're coming with us... right?" Kez asked. Ryan did not answer her and continued eating his pizza quietly.

Once he finished, he leaned back slightly and allowed lethargy to creep in. He held back a giggle watching Kez eat her pizza. She looked up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"You've never seen a girl eat a pizza before?"

"I've never seen a bell girl eat a pizza," he chuckled. "Do you even have teeth?"

"Do you want to fuck around and find out?" she teased.

"I'm good!" He laughed, easing the tension in his shoulders.

"Don't ask questions you aren't prepared to hear the answers to," she said with a wink.

The two continued to laugh together as Simon showed up alone. He looked completely exhausted and worn out.

"Soooo... how's the round up going?" Ryan asked, already knowing the answer.

"Shut up," he growled.

"Just asking a question, dude," Ryan said, holding his hands up. "You need something or..."

"They never listen to me unless Grace is around," he complained.

"Whaaat? The great and powerful Apex leader's second in command, Simon can't keep a bunch of kids in line?? Consider me scandalized!"

"Are you gonna keep mocking me or are you gonna help me... find them all?"

Ryan's eyes widened, then he smirked.

"What was that last part? I couldn't quite hear you," he teased. Simon scowled and turned red in the face.

"I said... I need your help..." he said through gritted teeth.

"You need my WHAAAT?"

"Ryan!" Simon snapped, slamming his hand on the table. "Are you gonna do it or not? Quit wasting my time."

"Alright, alright," he snorted, gulping down the last of his soda. "Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll help you out."

"Whatever. Let's go," Simon grumbled. He grabbed Ryan by the arm and pulled him away from the booth. They came across a pair of kids near a claw game machine. When they spotted Simon approaching, they pretended to ignore him.

"You guys look like you're having fun," Ryan commented. One of the kids, a girl with long red hair, turned around again.

"We want that toy in there," the kid said, pointing to a box holding a remote controlled race car. "But we keep losing."

"Maybe it wasn't meant to be," Simon said curtly. "Come on, there are better things out there."

The kid scowled and turned back to the claw game. The pair let out a collective groan when the claw dropped the toy again. The kids scrambled to find more tokens to play but came up empty. Ryan turned to SImon.

"Come on, it won't hurt to indulge them a little," he said. "We've got some tokens for them."

"Are we seriously wasting them on a toy?"

"No one outside of this car is gonna want these. Pretty much useless. Deadweight. Might as well put it to good use while we're here. Besides, how could you say no to those faces?"

Simon looked at the two kids staring at him with big puppy eyes. He groaned and handed Ryan a token.

"You do it," he said.

"Gladly," he said. Ryan took the coin and confidently strode over to the claw machine. Within a few tries, he managed to grab the box and handed it to the red-haired girl. She smiled and hugged him.

"You're the best, Ryan!" She said. He smiled and hugged her back.

"Now will you come with us to find the rest of your friends and move on to the next train car?"

She nodded and motioned for her friend to follow behind. Ryan looked at Simon with a grin. Simon did not respond. He simply continued walking. The next group of kids surrounded another pinata cowering in fear.

"They hurt Lucy!" One of the kids explained. "So this is payback!"

"Where's Lucy?" Ryan asked.

"We don't know! She ran away!" A girl with two long braids on her head said as she broke off a lever from a machine. "Either way, these nulls are gonna pay."

"Hey, that rhymes!" one of the other kids pointed out. The two of them giggled to themselves. While they were distracted, the pinata stood up and began to charge at them. Ryan smashed it before it could reach the kids. The smaller Apex members scrambled to loot the remains of the pinata.

"There's more coming!" Simon pointed out, as a stampede of pinatas ran their way. "I don't think swinging your guitar case at them willy nilly is gonna save us this time!"

"You're right. We gotta get out of this area!" Ryan picked up three kids and Simon grabbed the other two, taking off. They ran back to the booth, where Kez and Tuba had ordered more food for the table. Simon and Ryan left the kids at the booth and went looking for Lucy. They ran into a few more kids and managed to convince them to go wait by the booth where they'd have snacks and stay out of trouble. Soon all of the Apex kids that came with them were accounted for...except for Lucy.

"Ugh, it's always Lucy," Simon grumbled.

"What about Lucy?" Ryan asked.

"Always trying to do her own thing. You see that eyepatch on her face? She wasn't following directions when Grace explained how to use the harpoon pack. The rest is explanatory."

"She lost an eye?!"

"No, she just got a black eye. I don't know if it's healed by now, but she won't let anyone take it off her."

He grimaced.

"Yeah. She's... a good kid... but kinda weak...misguided..."

"What do you mean, weak?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know... she has this...soft spot for nulls."

"You mean denizens."

"Same thing. Null means nothing, not even a zero. They don't have numbers like you and I do."

"Is that why we have to fight them?"

"Have you not been paying attention this whole time? They hurt us, they're trying to take this train away from us!"

"What are you... never mind. We need to focus on getting Lucy and getting the hell out of here so we can find Min-Gi and Grace!"

"There's Lucy!" Simon pointed out. The small child sat by herself on top of playground equipment, curled up.

"Hey, Lucy," Ryan said softly. "Your friends told me you were hurt, mind if I check it out?"

Lucy looked down at him and turned away. Ryan noticed she was clutching her arm.

"Lucy, come on," Simon groaned. "We gotta get out of here before some robot bird lady comes and-"

"I'm not going!" she snapped. Simon and Ryan looked at each other, then back at Lucy, then back at each other.

"We can't just leave her here, especially not while she's hurt," Ryan said. "And I don't know how long it'll be before the other kids get restless."

"Well, how do we get her down from there?"

"What if one of us went up and got her?"

"We're too big, neither of us can fit!"

"I guess we gotta convince her to come out..." Ryan suggested. He looked up once again. "Luce, if you come down can we see what's wrong with your arm? We'll get you any prize you want from here!"

She made her way down, appearing right next to Ryan within minutes. He crouched down to look at her arm and found she had a bruise running down her shoulder. Ryan winced and put down his guitar case to look around for some bandages to wrap around Lucy's injury.

"How much stuff do you even carry in there?" Simon asked, looking over.

"Being on the road for about a year taught me that you have to be prepared for ANYTHING to go wrong. Van breaking down, roughhousing from club parties, too drunk to drive at night and too hungover to drive in the morning... even little kids with hurt shoulders," Ryan said. He finished wrapping Lucy's shoulder and helped her up on his own shoulders. "So, which prize are you going for?"

She pointed to what was probably the biggest prize in the entire area. It was a giant pink teddy bear. It bore an uncomfortable resemblance to Sparklehearts, the denizen who nearly added Simon and his fellow Apex members to its toy army. At least this bear looked normal and inanimate.

"Can you mayhaps pick a prize that doesn't look like someone who tried to kill us?" Simon groaned. Lucy scowled and shook her head. "Fine... what do we have to do to get it?"

"Woah, that's a lot of tickets we have to win!" Ryan gasped.

"That game gives out a lot of tickets!" Lucy pointed out.

Ryan turned his head back to the stage and noticed a large screen in the front. The words "Win Big!!" flashed on the screen in bold pink letters. Simon and Ryan walked back onto the stage, looking around for what to do. The stage shifted, and both guys fell through the floor screaming. Ryan hit the ground first and managed to narrowly roll out of the way before Simon landed. He heard Simon groaning in the dim and dusty room.

"I told you we should've just grabbed Lucy and gotten the hell out of here," Simon groaned.

"We can't just lie to her!"

"Yes we can."

"She's a kid!"

"So?"

Ryan was about to retort when he spotted a pair of pink glowing eyes right behind Simon. He froze in place. Simon turned his head despite Ryan frantically signaling for him to stop. He yelled, scrambling to his feet.

"Dude!" Ryan hissed.

"If there are other things like that bird robot in here, I don't want to stick around and find out. We can just find something else for Lucy if you're so concerned," he said, walking past him.

"We fell through the stage floor! How are we even getting out of here? I can barely even see anything."

"Less talking, more searching."

Ryan rolled his eyes but shuffled around, hands against the wall to feel for some semblance of an exit. His hands came across a cool metallic surface. He moved his hands along the surface until he came across a handle and pulled on it.

"I think I found the exit!" Ryan said excitedly. He struggled to get the handle open. "It's not...budging."

Simon made his way over and grabbed onto the handle itself. They yanked the handle as hard as they could until the entire door flew off, sending them flying as well. The door crashed onto the floor. Ryan winced at the sudden disturbance, covering his ears.

"Well... we got the door open," Simon said. He got back up quickly and ran back over. Head pounding, Ryan got up as well. "Weird... I can't find a way to get in."

Something clicked, and Simon jumped back in alarm.

"What is it?"

"Something in there moved... and my hand is...covered in oil?" He shook his hands vigorously, much to Ryan's annoyance.

"Now you've got oil on me! And what do you mean something moved? Can we go?"

A pair of golden eyes flashed back at them.

"It's another animatronic!" Simon hissed. He took a sharp turn on his heel and bolted. Ryan barely had enough time to register what had happened before Simon dragged him along by the collar of his jacket. They did not get very far before the same pink glowing eyes appeared right in front of them. They turned around to see the golden eyes approaching closer and closer.

"Are we gonna be stuffed into those robot suits to haunt this place forever?"

"What?" Simon spluttered. "That's just an urban legend that parents make up so they don't have to take their kids to places like this."

"It's not an urban legend, it actually happened!"

"Says you-"

"SHUT UP!" A voice roared in the darkness. The lights flashed on and Ryan looked up into the maw of a life-size robotic cat. Ryan noticed their chest cavity was open, revealing the machinery inside.

"S-simon...that wasn't a door we opened..." Ryan gulped.

"You said it was!"

"I couldn't see!"

The cat hissed, silencing them. A few more figures step into the light, including a rat, a tiger, and a goat.

"Well, now what?"

"This isn't my fault!"

"You wanted to get a damn stuffed toy so bad."

"Lucy wasn't gonna come down otherwise. You could stand to be a little nicer, you know."

"Well, none of that matters because we're about to be brutally murdered and no one will find our bodies here."

"What? No, we don't do that kind of stuff," the cat said, confused. "Although I am pretty mad at you two for ripping my chest open like that."

"We didn't know, I swear," Ryan said. "We'll fix it. If you let us get out of here and back to our friends."

"We don't know how to get out of here either," the goat says. "I'm Manny, the rat guy is Theo, and the tiger lady is Imogen. We've been doing this since the 1980s."

"You guys have been down here for 30 years?!" Simon exclaimed. "We're gonna die here..."

"How did you guys end up here?" Ryan asked.

"It all started when a little floating bell and her friends came here. We used to be a band that played together. " Theo said. Ryan sighed. "She knocked into Joy here and she fell over. Damaged her insides quite a bit. Nothing a bit of elbow grease couldn't fix, but Olivia wouldn't have it. She decided Joy would be better off doing the behind-the-scenes work and never interacting with the patrons again. She was only allowed to roam the restaurant when the place closed and no one was there. At first, the rest of us continued doing our thing without her, but every time one of us got hurt, we'd be brought down here. At least we're all together here with Joy."

"But that's so unfair. Why should you guys be punished over a mistake?" Ryan demanded. "Especially if Joy wasn't even hurt that bad?"

"Liv says it's for our protection," Manny said with a shrug. "It's not all bad, you know. We get all the pizza we can order here, we work at our own pace, and we can take breaks as much as we want. Plus, Liv still lets us out of here when everyone's gone. We just have to go back the next day when kids start to show up."

"Plus Liv still visits us every night," Imogen added. "You two are a bit more...fleshy than I expected, but I'm sure we can work something out."

Imogen pinched one of Simon's cheeks to prove her point. He shifted away from her, disturbed.

"Sorry, but we're not planning to stay here any longer than we have to," Simon interrupted.

"Joy, are you really happy being stuck doing this?" Ryan asked. "It doesn't seem like Oliva's listening to how you guys feel."

"Olivia is my mother," Joy said softly. "I trust her judgment."

"But what about the rest of your friends? It's not fair to keep them down here like this, even if you're ok with it!"

"What do you know? You don't know her like the rest of us do," Joy snapped. Something short-circuited and she stumbled. Ryan glanced at the door of her chest cavity lying in a pool of oil.

"You're right, I don't know, but that doesn't matter right now, I think we should-"

"I think YOU should just leave us alone, a-and g-g..." Joy collapsed before she could finish her sentence. The other animatronics rushed over, blocking out Ryan and Simon.

Ryan looked at his number again. It had gone past his wrists and was halfway down his forearm.

"Damn, most of the kids here take weeks or even months to get to where you are now."

"I... don't think I did anything wrong... at least not this time."

"Who cares? What matters is that your number is getting pretty high. Still not as high as mine or Grace, but you're getting there."

"Am I hearing praise from THE Simon, second in command of the Apex?" Ryan asked mockingly. "I just might faint from all this."

He dramatically fell over Simon, causing the latter to drop him on the floor.

"Don't spoil the moment," Simon scoffed. He looked back at the crowd surrounding Joy.

"Did you seriously rip the entire door off??" Imogen demanded. "What the fuck!"

"How were we supposed to know?" Simon rolled his eyes.

"I've got the door right here," Ryan said. "If you want, I've probably got some tools in my case here to fix things. You know since...it's the least I can do."

"I don't want you anywhere near her," Imogen hissed.

"...I think we should let them help. They are the reason Joy's like this now," Theo interrupted, moving aside so Ryan could walk through with his guitar case. He set it down gently with the door and got to work. Within half an hour, he had the door back on and any internal damage repaired. He moved back to wait for Joy to come up. The others stood there with baited breath. Joy shifted then sprung up, good as new.

"I'm... I'm alive."

"Thanks to this guy right here," Theo said, pushing Ryan forward. Ryan chuckled nervously, putting his guitar case behind him.

"You?"

Ryan nodded.

"I really am sorry about injuring you. But we really need to get out of here...If you wont stay up there, that's fine... but...I think you should get the chance to perform with the kids again."

"Well," Imogen piped up. "When this place closes for the night, Liv comes down here. The stage shifts so she can come down. But we aren't sure how she does it so it's not like we can sneak out when she's not looking."

"Have you tried physically moving the stage itself?" Simon suggested.

"We may be robots but we're still pretty breakable," Manny said. "Even if we could, none of us can reach the top on our own."

"You guys got a desk or something?" Ryan asked. They pushed a large office desk in the middle of the room. Ryan stood on top of the desk reaching for the ceiling. He is just a few inches away from its reach. "A little help, Simon?"

Simon groaned and made his way over to the desk to give Ryan a boost. When he reached the ceiling, he pushed on it to get it to budge. He sighed in relief when it shifted and started to open. He scrambled out on top of the stage and held out his hand to help Simon up. He looked down at the animatronics. Imogen shyly approached them and held out her hand. One by one he helped them all out onto the stage as it shifted shut. The group looked around in awe.

"It's been so long since we've seen this place while the kids are here," Manny said softly. Lucy sat by herself in front of the stage, patiently waiting with her legs crossed.

"Lucy! We're here!" Ryan called out. She looked up excitedly. "Ok, the stage here says we can win big. How do we do that?"

"Well, you gotta perform with us, and if you do a good job, you get a lot of tickets," Joy explained. "But we haven't done a live show in 30 years!"

"But we have band rehearsals on our break!" Imogen pointed out. "You're still really good, Joy!"

"And I'm sure these guys can get the hang of the song real quick!" Theo added.

"Speak for yourself," Simon said, climbing off the stage and leaving Ryan on his own. Ryan rolled his eyes and turned to the others.

"I'll play with you guys. It'll be just like old times," Ryan said, pulling out his guitar. The others moved to their instruments on the stage and got ready. Joy approached the front of the stage. The other Apex kids started to gather around the stage. Simon stood there with an annoyed look on his face, arms crossed.

Joy took one glance at Ryan, who smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She sighed and began the song. It was a relatively simple song with a catchy beat and chorus. After the first three verses, Ryan jumped in with his guitar to play along with the band. The audience cheered wildly as they played together. Ryan was beginning to enjoy himself, bouncing around on the stage and harmonizing with the lyrics.

"Go Ryan!" Kez called out. When the song ended, the room broke into applause. A large heap of tickets fell from the ceiling onto the stage.

"We did it!" Ryan cheered. He and Lucy collected all the fallen tickets and then rushed to the counter to claim their prize. Lucy grinned holding the stuffed bear in her arms. She turned and gave Ryan a tight hug around his leg.

"Thanks, Ryan," she said quietly. He ruffled the little girl's hair and grinned.

"How's your shoulder?" he asked.

"A little better," she said. He led her back to the rest of the Apex, where the kids are crowding the animatronic band for questions. Simon tried to get them to move back so they could leave, but they ignored him. A large wing cut through the crowd and pushed the kids aside forcibly.

"Liv!" Imogen gasped. Joy looked ashamed.

"Mom, listen, these two guys-"

"I don't want to hear it. Joy, dear, how could you do this to me?" Olivia said sadly. "I thought you were happy..."

"I thought I was too...but it's been so long since I've been on stage, being able to sing to a crowd of excited children...maybe the risk is worth it. Maybe I don't want to spend my life behind the scenes all the time."

"What?" Olivia turned around glaring at Ryan. "You! What did you do to her?"

"Nothing! You can't shield her her whole life because of one accident! She and her friends deserve to live their lives."

"You think you can just... show up here and mess up everything?" she huffed.

"We were just trying to get out of here, not find out you keep your daughter and her friends hidden away from other people!"

"All of them, especially my pride and joy, are so important to me. You think I want something horrible to happen to them and I lose them for good? I did what I thought was best."

"Do you even talk to your daughter about what's best for her? Like actually talk? Or did you just assume what you wanted was what SHE wanted and went about your day? You ought to pay more attention to her and listen...you might regret it someday if you don't. Trust me."

Joy approached her mother carefully.

"He's...he's right, mom. I don't think you've ever listened to me ever since that accident. I know you're worried about me and all, but this is my business too. We built up this place together, and I should be allowed to act for myself."

Ryan spotted Simon leading the Apex through the exit out of the corner of his eye. While Joy and Olivia engaged in a heated discussion, Ryan took the time to slip away and join the rest of the Apex out of the car after an awkward goodbye. He caught up with Kez and Tuba in the back of the crowd. Kez looked incredibly guilty.

"You alright?" Ryan asked.

"I... I'll be alright, Ry-guy," she said quietly. "You did awesome out there, by the way. Great stuff."

"I've never seen you this upset before..."

"I didn't think my dumb mistake would cause all of that..." she admitted. "If I could take it all back-"

"Hey, that was not your fault and you know it," Ryan interrupted. "It's not your fault that bird robot lady is insanely overprotective over her kid. You couldn't have known things like this would happen."

Kez did not respond to him. Ryan figured he would not be able to continue the conversation any further, so he fell to the back of the crowd. There was now a gap between himself and the Apex as they walked. The next car they entered was made entirely of pillows. The kids were tired from all the snacks and excitement of the last car. They decided to rest again before moving on. Ryan looked for Kez, but she was talking to Tuba. He decided not to bother her for now.

Ryan sat by himself under a pillow tree. He checked his number out of curiosity. Bright numbers on his arm glared back at him. He dug into his guitar case and pulled out a pair of fingerless gloves. He put them on and jammed his hands into his pockets as he leaned back and tried to sleep.

"Woah, how'd your number get so high?" Grace asked, staring at Min-Gi's arm. The numbers had escalated to the middle of his forearm, and he was absolutely alarmed.

"This has to be Ryan and Simon's doing. We literally counted sheep in the last car, there's no way my number could've gotten that bad from doing that! I'm never gonna get off this train. I'm gonna die here!"

"Hey! No one is dying here, especially not now. We'll figure this out when we meet up with the others again, I promise."

"Kinda hard to believe that, when my number is going up higher than my blood pressure at the moment..."

He balled his shaking fists in an attempt to calm down, but all it did was make him dig his fingernails into his palms. He let go once he realized his palms were starting to bleed from how tight they were being held.

"Min... breathe..." Grace gently held her hands in his. She briefly looked away from him, then looked back into his eyes. "We'll...we'll help you guys get home. At least I will. I still don't understand why you'd want to leave the train... but I can't change your mind."

"I'm in the wrong time period, Grace."" He moved away and looked over the railway of the moving train. One of hands gripped the rails instead while the other ran through his hair in frustration.

"You're from the past?"

"Yeah, Ryan and I ended up here a few decades later on this same damn train when we went into this time traveling car. All I have to do is find that car and Ryan and I can go home. Well... at least to our time period. Figuring out how to bring our numbers down is gonna take ages. We'll probably end up back here again by the time that happens. Only this time we'll have gray hairs and beards."

He laughed bitterly, taking a look at his hand again before shoving it back into his pockets. His mind was a storm of emotions rapidly" flashing between rage, anxiety, and sadness. He eventually recomposed himself and turned back to her. His hair remained messy and out of place. He couldn't be bothered to fix it at the moment. He opened the next car and entered wordlessly.

"Min?" Hazel piped up, tugging at his pant leg.

"Yeah?"

"Are you mad at Grace?" she asked.

"What? No, of course not."

"You look angry..."

"I am... just not at her. Don't worry about it, Hazel."

"Tuba says it's not good to keep your anger all bottled up," she said. "It makes people EXPLODE if you keep it in for too long."

"Well, obviously I'm not gonna explode any time soon," Min chuckled.

"Good. Because I'd be really sad if you did," Hazel said, latching onto his leg. "You wanna hear a song" Tuba taught me?"

He nodded, glad to steer Hazel away from the topic of him exploding. She started to sing what sounded like a child's lullaby."

"It looks like we're in a library... Oh! I recognize this car. I took books from here all the time when I was younger. They never caught me," Grace bragged.

"So... how do we get out of this one?" Min asked softly. He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or the girls that he was fine and had calmed down.

"It's simple. All we've gotta do is make sure the librarian doesn't see us as we get through and we're home free!"

"I don't think it'll be that simple, Miss Monroe," an older woman's voice made them all jump. Min turned around and came face to face with a familiar looking cat in a vest.

"Y-you!"" Min-Gi stumbled back.

"You look like that boy from the car with those bugs. But you haven't aged at all! Are you secretly immortal or something?"

"Uh, no. We're... in the future... long story... how are YOU still alive?" Min asked. The cat seemed insulted by the question, but shook it off. She turned her attention to Grace.

"I thought you were on vacation?" Grace said. "What gives?"

"An... old friend of mine had to call in a favor," she answered. "So now I'm here. And it appears you have a long list of books that you have yet to return."

"I was 13, come on," she huffed. "Those books could be anywhere now."

"Well, if you don't have them, I guess we'll need to talk about paying the fee-"

"Woah, maybe there's something else Grace can do to make up for the lost books," Min Gi interrupted. Grace cut him a look, but he ignored her.

"Well... I was going to return these books to their proper categories.... But I suppose I could pass on the mantle to you," the Cat said with a devious grin. Grace pulled Min aside.

"This is not a good idea," Grace hissed. "She left Simon to die when he was a kid. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. Let's just get out of here and avoid her as best we can. She's just some cat. It's not like she can stop us from leaving."

She grabbed his arm and took Hazel's hand, walking away from the Cat. Not too long into their journey they realized the library was too big and expansive for them to figure out where to go next. Grace groaned and led them back to the cat, who was still waiting for them with a smug look on her face.

"Well, look who came crawling back." the cat said, resting her head on her paw.

"Just give us the damn books and let us out of here," Grace growled. The cat shrugged and wheeled the cart of books over to the trio.

"Doesn't look like much," Min said. "We can blow through this no problem."

"We should split up the pile. I'll take these and you and Hazel take the rest," she told them, handing them both a pile. She walked off with her pile. Min looked down at Hazel. Her book pile looked larger than she was.

"So,where do we go first, Haze?" He said, taking her books and hoisting her on his shoulders.

"Hmm..." she pondered for a moment. She pointed to a book with a pirate on an island on the cover. "Let's get this book back to the pirates!"

"I don't think there are actual pirates around," Min chuckled, walking into one of the aisles.

"But what if we see one?" She asked.

"Then we'll give the book to them," Min replied. Hazel rested her arms and head on top of Min-Gi's head with a sigh. As he and Hazel traveled further down the aisle the books on the shelves started to disappear, and the air around them grew warmer and more humid. He was starting to sweat, so he took off his blue jacket and wrapped it around his waist.

"Min, look!" Hazel pointed out. "There's sand!"

Min looked down at his feet. Warm, yellow sand surrounded the ankles of his boots.

"So there is."

"I told you! I bet there are pirates here!"

"Or...maybe someone here got too much into the spirit of pirates and stuff. They don't really clean up around here huh..."

Hazel huffed and continued playing with his hair. Min got further along down the aisle when he realized there were no shelves and books anywhere, and now he was fully on the beach. When he turned back, the ending of the aisle was far behind him and Hazel.

"I see treasure!" Hazel pointed out. Against his better judgment, Min walked over to check it out. When he opened the treasure chest, he was surprised to find it full of books. All of them were pirate themed.

"I...guess this is where we're supposed to leave the book," Min said. He took the pirate book and was about to place it in the treasure chest when a sharp sword blocked his path. He came face to face with a large crab with a long beard.

"Get back!" the crab barked.

Min Gi stumbled backwards, making sure Hazel remained steady on his shoulders.

"Dude, we're just trying to return this book!"" He held up the book, arms shaking. He held his breath, praying for the crab to leave him alone. The crab snatched up the book and opened it. Min watched him skim through a few pages, stare at the two before looking back at the book. He pointed his sword towards the end of the aisle. Min did not wait for him to elaborate and ran off.

"That was close," Hazel giggled.

"Too close," Min sighed." He returned to the front of the library to collect the next book. Grace returned as well. She was shivering badly and looked practically blue.

"Grace is a snowman!" Hazel yelled.

"Grace, oh my god! Are you alright?" Min asked, brushing the snow off her hair and shoulders.

"Out of a-all t-the books I had to r-return, w-why did i-it have to be a book on m-mountain climbing sur-v-vival..." she groaned, rubbing her arms frantically to warm herself up.

"You should probably take a break from a while," Min suggested. "I'll handle the rest of the books."

"No, it's ok. I'm sure the next book isn't as bad," she insisted. Min sighed but picked up the next book. It was a cookbook. He and Hazel left Grace to return the book to the self-help section. As they traveled, the aroma of baked goods filled the air. Pigs wearing aprons and chef hats bustled about carrying bowls and plates on top of their hooves. Min-Gi momentarily felt his heart drop to his stomach when he spotted someone he thought looked like the pig baby he and Ryan encountered months ago."

He hurried along to place the book back on the shelf where it belonged. A smaller pig offered him and Hazel a plate of brownies. Hazel grabbed a few. Min-Gi took one for Grace and wrapped it in a plastic bag for her. He paused, then grabbed a few more for Ryan.

They returned back to the front of the library with no issue.

"There's Grace!" Hazel pointed out. When Min-Gi spotted her, she was soaking wet and wiping leaves and twigs off of her clothes.

"Wilderness survival book..." she mumbled.

"Let's swap a few books," Min offered. "We can handle some scary stuff, can't we, Hazel?"

Hazel nodded, wrapping her arms closer around his neck. Grace handed him a book with a ghost on it. He handed her a book with a princess on the cover.

"Looks relatively harmless," Grace commented. "Hazel, do you want to come with me for this one?"

"Uhmm..." Hazel looked between Min-Gi and Grace for a moment. "Min-Gi might be scared getting the book back alone. You can go have fun!"

Grace shrugged and walked off with her book.

"Hazel... I'm not scared-"

"Shh..." she interrupted. "It's ok if you're scared. I won't let the mean ghosts get you!"

He sighed and walked along with her firmly settled on his shoulders. He shivered as the room got colder and darker. He relied on the flickering lights surrounding the place to navigate.

"Do you see where we should leave the book?" Min asked.

"Hmm... no..."

Min continued looking around. He found himself in the middle of a graveyard, with no noticeable shelf to be found. He yelped when he felt something run across his back.

"Did you feel that?!" He gasped.

"No..." Hazel sounded confused. Min continued to move apprehensively." This time, he felt something wrap around his leg. He started to shake his leg around frantically, only to see that there was nothing on him at all. He worried he may accidentally drop Hazel, so he let her down gently and opted to hold her hand instead. She squeezed her hand in his and smiled softly. He gave her a small smile in return.

"We're ok," he said. The two came across an open, but empty grave. Min held Hazel back while he leaned over to get a closer look. Nothing but darkness. He turned his back to the grave and groaned, running a hand through his hair. Hazel shrieked.

"Min!"

"There's nothing here, Hazel," Min said. "I'm starting to doubt this book ever belonged to the library in the first place."

"Behind you!"

Min-Gi whipped around quickly, coming face to face with a spirit that had a TV for a head. The screen flickered on, and a snarling red face flashed at him. Min fell over in shock. The spirit moved right in front of Hazel and flickered again. Whatever Hazel saw on the screen must have been terrified, as she screamed and ran off before Min could recover and stop her. He snapped out of his stupor and took off after her and the spirit.

"Hazel! It's ok, I won't let that thing hurt you!" he called out breathlessly. She was nowhere to be seen, and neither was the spirit. He hunched over, struggling to catch his breath and focus. He looked at the faint glow of the numbers printed on his arm. Min called out for Hazel again. He heard faint cries and ran in the direction of the sound.

Hazel sat by herself in between two tombstones, curled up. He took a step forward, only for the same spirit from before to taunt him. He scowled and turned away from it, focusing on rescuing Hazel. He scooped her up, rubbing her back to calm her down. Her tiny body shook with sobs.

"I don't want to be here, Min!"

"I know, we're leaving. It's gonna be ok. How about we sing that little song you were talking to me about earlier?" He walked back over to where they were before. He fumbled around his pockets to pull out his mini-synth. He plays out the first few notes he remembers.

"D-don't be a worry baby..." she mumbled. He nodded and continued playing along. Hazel remained tightly attached to Min, continuing to sing the song quietly. He eventually got the hang of the lyrics and started to softly sing along with her. He continued until Hazel had stopped crying and she was relatively calm. Her grip loosened, but remained firm. At this point, Min didn't care where exactly they had to return the book, so he left it next to the empty grave. He saw a pair of arms grab the book from inside the grave and drag it backwards. He picked up the pace and ran back to the front of the library with Hazel. Grace stood there with a sparkly crown on her head and ate a cupcake.

"You two look like hell," she commented.

"We've seen it," Min replied.

"I told you she should've come with me," Grace sighed as Min placed Hazel back down.

"She said she wanted to come with me." Min rolled his eyes. "All that matters is that we're here now. What's left?"

"Just this romance novel...script?" She held up a pink book with a drawing of two young men passionately kissing on the grass as the sun set behind them. Min-Gi flushed and took the book.

"Do you wanna... go through this all together?" he asked. "Since it's just one book left."

She nodded and followed him once again through the aisles. To his surprise, nothing about the environment changed around them. He looked at Grace, who shrugged. He looked back at the book and wondered what was so special about this book. He ran smack into a young man in a brown leather jacket and shoulder-length black hair.

"Uh, sorry about that, we're just trying to return this-"

"I've been looking all over for that book, oh my god!" the man gasped, gawking at the book. Upon closer inspection, Min realized the young man looked rather familiar, but he could not put his finger on what rang a bell.

"I'm Phoenix," he said, dusting himself off.

"I'm Min, and this is Hazel and my friend Grace," Min said. Phoenix briefly narrowed his eyes at Min.

"Lowkey, you kinda remind me of my dad. Same first name too. But much younger," he commented. He shrugged, brushing off the observation, while Min just looked utterly confused. "Anyways, I uh...kinda need that book."

"We have to return it," Grace said. "You can take it when we get it back."

"I'll return it for you, I swear!" Phoenix insisted. "I just need it for something!"

"I take it you're an avid fan of romance novels?" Min asked, trying not to roll his eyes. Phoenix scowled at him.

"It's not a romance novel, it's a play in book form. I...I want to act it out...." he admitted.

"Uh, no offense, but doesn't romance involve two or more people?" Grace pointed out.

"That's because there's this guy I'm planning to ask out using this play. We'll act it out, he'll fall in love, then boom! We're dating! At least... if everything goes according to plan."

"Oh, that's so cute!" Grace giggled, gently nudging Min Gi. He ignored her.

"But we're still not giving the book to you," Min said, walking past Phoenix. The latter grabbed at the book, only for Min to snatch it back.

"You guys aren't even using it!" he insisted.

"We're just doing our job so we can get the hell out of here," Min grumbled, holding it high above his head.

"No one has to know you guys gave it to me!"

"I'm not taking that risk."

Phoenix huffed, crossing his arms.

"Fine, but just so you know, there's a bunch of books about to fall on your head."

"Huh?!"

Phoenix knocked back into one of the aisles, sending books crashing down. Grace, Min, and Hazel shrieked as they ducked for cover. In the chaos, Phoenix snatched away the book from Min and ran off. Min scrambled to his feet and chased after the young man. He followed Phoenix through sharp turns and narrowing aisles. He tripped over his own feet when Pheonix came to an abrupt stop and hid behind a pile of books. Phoenix quickly dragged Min-Gi behind him before he could react.

"Shh!" he hissed.

"What are you-"

"I said shush!" he whispered, pulling Min up to see what he was looking at. Another young man stood nearby, looking around with a bored expression on his face.

"Is... that the guy you have a crush on?" Min asked. Phoenix blushed and nodded.

"Julian," he said. "We've been best friends since we were babies, ‘cuz my dads and Julian's parents gave birth to us on the same day. We've been inseparable through everything. When my dads went on their band tour, he'd sometimes tag along with me so I wouldn't be lonely."

For some reason, Min's mind went back to Ryan and what used to be their band.

"Did something happen between you two?" Min asked pensively.

"Not between us, but to us. One day, he lost his dad, and his mom decided to move out of grief. Of course neither of us wanted that, but Julian was just so upset at the thought of not only losing his dad but also our friendship. He ran away from home and we didn't hear from him for months."

"Oh wow... I'm so sorry that happened to you guys..."

" I was so distraught I started slipping in school and stopped talking to my friends. My dad's put their tour on pause to help me feel better about Julian's disappearance. But nothing helped... I kept getting worse and my dads kept fighting all the time... and I couldn't take it anymore so I ran away from home... and this huge train showed up out of nowhere. I didn't have anywhere else to go, and I couldn't face my dads...so I boarded the train. I didn't expect to run into Julian here.""

"So...what does this have to do with the book?"

"Julian LOVES the romance genre. He's always talking about having the one romantic moment with someone he cares about just like in those books. And...I'm hoping to be that special person. I'm the only one he says he likes talking about this stuff with. U-unless this all goes wrong and I've completely misread Julian's signals! Oh god, this was a terrible mistake!"

Phoenix got up to run, only for Min to pull him back down.

"Woah, are you seriously backing out now?"

Phoenix shoved the book back at Min."

"J-just take it and put it back... I don't want to go through with this anymore and potentially embarrass myself."

Min frowned. He hated to admit this, but this was definitely something he would do. He'd try and do some sort of grand gesture to impress Ryan and chicken out at the last second.

"You know... I had a close childhood friend when I was around your age. Well... last...year? Whatever. We were supposed to perform in the battle of the bands together in high school. I was supposed to show up with these shirts for us to wear together on stage. It had our band logo on it and everything. But..I don't know... I couldn't bring myself to wear mine. So I left it behind and brought just his. And he loved it."

He blushed, thinking of the moment Ryan spontaneously threw his arms around Min and hugged him. He'd give anything to have that moment in time back. Maybe he would have hugged Ryan back.

"Wow, if a guy I liked did that for me, I'd have to marry him on the spot," Phoenix commented.

"Well, you could do something similar. You know... with... this.." he nodded his head towards the book sitting between them. Phoenix shook his head.

"It might have worked for you, but it won't work for me, trust me."

"Actually, Phoenix, it didn't work for me either...." Min admitted.

"What? Then what the hell was the point of telling me this?!" he demanded.

"I'm getting there," Min huffed. "Anyways, we were about to go on stage, when he suddenly told me that he'd gotten his dad's permission to take his van, and that we were going on tour right after graduation. And that's when everything just... froze. Then a million thoughts rushed into my head all at once. I was afraid... I'd always wanted to tour with him... but so soon? I had to pack my whole life up and just rush into the unknown? I couldn't. And so... I ran."

"Guess we're in the same boat now, huh," Phoenix said quietly.

"Eventually, we both ended up on the train at the same time. But... a lot's changed and it's all unfamiliar to me. I don't even know if things can go back to the way they were when I find him again. Now, I'm not saying the same is gonna happen to you if you chicken out, but I'd rather you not make the same mistakes as me. And... I'm sure both of your parents are really worried about you two. So maybe work on getting home too."

Min pushed the book back towards Phoenix. Face flushed, he took the book and slowly got up. Min watched him approach the other boy shyly. Julian scooped him up in a tight hug upon seeing him.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Julian said softly, placing Phoenix down. "I've been stuck in this crazy place for months. I've spent most of my time in this library here. The people are nice... for the most part. Except for this one old British lady I ran into."

"I got on here a few weeks ago."

Min watched the two catch up from behind the pile of books. Phoenix came back suddenly with Julian in tow.

"Everything ok?" Min asked.

"Yeah! Julian, this is Min. Min, this is Julian."

"He kinda looks like your dad, not gonna lie," Julian commented. "Are you sure your dad didn't have a secret" extra child or long lost twin or something?"

Phoenix scoffed and shook his head.

"Anyways. We uh, we wanted to ask if you wanted to help us act out this play?"

"Uh... I'd love to, but I really have to get back to my friends so we can get off this train."

Phoenix looked disappointed, but nodded in understanding.

"It's alright, Phoenix, I'm sure we'll manage just fine. Besides, it's been a while since we've been able to just be together alone," Julian said with a wink, taking his hand. "We have quite a bit to catch up on."

Phoenix turned bright red once more, following Julian with a small grin on his face. Min gave him a thumbs up just before he walked out of sight. Min-Gi signed and returned to Grace and Hazel.

"Well, that's the last of it. Let's get back to the front so we can get the hell out of here," he said. Grace nodded and took Hazel back, Min following behind.

"Alright, we got all the books put away, now can we go?" Grace demanded, glaring at the Cat.

"Calm down, I'm a woman of my word," Samantha said, tossing a key at them dismissively. She gave them the directions to the exit.

Grace scooped up the key and ushered Hazel and Min towards the exit. When they get to the door, Grace is surprised to find that there is no keyhole for her to insert the key.

"We could've left the whole time?" Min gasped.

"She made us do her dirty work for nothing," Grace muttered. "I told you we couldn't trust her!"

"I was just trying to get to the next car. How was I supposed to know she'd trick us?"

"I warned you!"

"Well... I'd rather be tricked into doing a little extra work than risk never getting out of here because none of us know how to get out of here. We did what was asked of us, now we're leaving."

Min Gi opened the door and led the others inside. The outside was dark and eerily quiet. The rumbling of the train was very faint. The door closed behind them as soon as Hazel entered. Grace rushed back to open the doors back up, but they would not budge.

"God..."

"She trapped us?!" Min gasped.

"Damn cat..."

"But... but she said..."

"She lied, Min," Grace groaned, sinking against the walls. Min felt around the room for some sort of light switch. His hands brushed across a keyboard, and several monitors lit up. They highlighted various areas of the library. His eyes zeroed in on the screen reflecting the Cat. She looked directly into the camera and smirked.

"Are we gonna stay here forever?" Hazel asked.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Grace said, trying to break down the door. "Maybe there's a secret hatchet somewhere that we can use to escape! Min, you check!"

Min did as she asked and looked for a way to escape through the ceiling of the room. Despite their best efforts, they could not find any way to get out of here.

"What does the cat even want with us now?" Min asked.

"Nothing good, I'm assuming. I bet she's planning to sell us out to the False Conductor," she said with a scowl.

"Grace... how much do you and Simon know about this False Conductor?" he asked quietly. "You guys talk about them a lot... but I've never heard of them until now."

"Well, when I was younger, the true conductor came and saved me when I first arrived on the train. But then One-One, this despicable little robot ball came and hijacked the train. That's the false conductor."

"...the False Conductor is a tiny robot ball? That's it?"

"He controls this entire train. He's been the one ejecting these cars with us in them. He's the reason you're not with Ryan right now. Don't you get it? It's been One-one behind all this nonsense. That's why as the Apex, we show that damn robot that we won't be taken from what's rightfully ours."

"But that's why I have to get out of here, Grace! I don't want any part of this. Look, I respect you guys' fight against the evil robot guy or whatever, but I just don't want any part of this. And I don't think Ryan wants that either."

"And how do you know what Ryan wants?" she asked.

"I...I... I don't, actually," Min admitted. "I thought he'd been having so much fun on his whole solo career after graduation. He gets to do what he wants! Go places, meet new people. So much more than what I could do. So I don't know why he'd want to stay on this crazy train for the rest of his life. I guess...I don't really know Ryan like I thought I did."

"A lot has changed between you guys, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Aww, they're dancing!" Hazel piped up, pointing at one of the computer monitors. Julian and Phoenix seemed to be acting out their play without a single hitch. Phoenix giggled as he spun Julian around before he pulled him into a low dip. Julian laughed, his face completely flushed as Phoenix pulled him back up close. The two were now face to face, barely inches between them.

"This is the part where they kiss, you know?" Julian pointed out. Phoenix blushed a deep red, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I guess so. But you know, we don't HAVE to do it if you don't want to," he stammered.

"Well maybe I want to?" He said with a grin.

"You're serious? You...like me?"

"Wouldn't want my first kiss to be with anyone other than you. I've always liked you, Phoenix. I uh, thought it was obvious."

"I didn't want to read too much into it," he admitted. "You're my best friend and you're really cool to hang around. I'd never imagine you'd be into me too."

"What? No way, YOU'RE the cool one. Who else has two dads that play in an awesome band known ALL over Canada? Now, are we gonna finish this play with a kiss or what?"

Phoenix smiled bashfully and leaned in for a kiss.

"Eww, kissing!" Hazel squealed. "Gross!"

Grace chuckled and pulled Hazel away from the monitor.

"It's not gross, Hazel, sometimes people do that when they have a crush on each other."

"What's a crush?"

"It's uh... well. I read it in this book when I was younger. It's like when there's a person you really like, and they make you feel like you have little butterflies in your tummy and you can't stop thinking about that person. Like Min-Gi and his crush-"

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying. A certain guitar-playing guy DOES give you those little butterflies in your tummy, doesn't he?"

"It's complicated, Grace," He groaned.

"Whatever you say, dude," she giggled. The door opened suddenly. The three scrambled to get out there only to be forcefully pushed back into the room.

"Hazel, are you ok?" Grace asked, crawling over to where the smaller girl landed. Hazel looked at her teary-eyed with a few scratches on her elbows. Min-Gi looked back at the door. A tall, elderly woman in the train's uniform stood in front of him.

"I've got them right where you asked, as per our deal," Samantha said, slinking from behind her."

"What do you want with us? Are you working with the False Conductor?" Grace demanded.

"The who?"

"I think she means... One-One?" Min suggested. The old woman looked utterly confused by the two of them and shook her head.

"Anyways... I've been looking for you in particular," the woman said, pointing towards Min-Gi. "Where is the other young man you showed up on this train with?"

"He's... uh..."

"He's too far away for you to get to him," Grace snapped. "Whatever you're planning, you won't get away with it!"

"Oh, please," the woman scoffed. "If I planned to do anything to hurt him, I would have done so by now. I saw him and his friend on this train decades ago, then they suddenly disappeared after leaving the art gallery car, and now they're here again. Because you two had been missing off the train but did not get your exit, there's now two errors in the system. Corrupted."

"Well it's not like we did it on purpose!" Min interrupted. "How were we supposed to know we'd end up this far in the future!"

"Well, now there's this weird paradox with time and your numbers, and I have to figure out how to restore things back to the way they were. You'll be coming with me" to be quarantined along with Ryan when I find him."

"Hold on," Grace said, standing up. "You're not taking him anywhere."

"Yeah, Min's staying with us!" Hazel added, standing up in front of Min as well.

"Please don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be," the woman groaned. "Min-Gi, come with me."

Min slowly got up to his feet and looked between Grace and the old woman.

"Amelia, is it?" Min said, reading off her name tag. "Look, I'm just trying to find my friend and go back to our time period. Everything will go back to normal once that happens."

"Well that's not up to you, now is it?" Amelia said. "I've been using a pulse to scan the car for corrupted code, aka you and Ryan. Ten weeks ago, the pulse started to eject cars with errors in them, and rather recently, they've been ejected more frequently. When exactly did you two arrive in this time period."

"Uh... like... a month I guess?" Min suggested with a shrug. She nodded.

"And here I have the source of the ejections."

"I told you, you're not taking him with you," Grace said firmly.

"I could care less about you and your band of misfits running around trashing cars wherever you go, but as long as Min-Gi and Ryan stay with you two, the car is at risk of being ejected. When they're quarantined, that won't happen anymore," Amelia explained.

"I think I should go with her," Min said. "I told you I can't join the Apex, and this just proves it. I don't want to be a burden on you guys."

""And you won't be."

"The cars are constantly getting ejected because of me and Ryan! With us out of the way you guys can go back to doing your Apex stuff!"

"But I don't want you and Ryan to go!" Hazel blurted out, clinging to his leg.

"I don't belong here, Hazel. I'm sorry," he said, crouching down to meet her eye to eye. "I've gotta get back home, and you've got to get your number fixed."

"But you'll come back, right?" she asked. He sighed.

"I can't promise that," Min said quietly. Hazel's face fell and she pulled away from him sadly. He felt bad about letting Hazel down like that, but it's not like he could have lied to her. He stood back up and faced Amelia.

"Well?" Amelia asked.

"Let's go and see how we can fix this," he said quietly. "And you can let my friends go, right?"

Amelia rolled her eyes and shrugged, leaving the room. Min Gi started to follow her, but quickly turned on his heel to envelop Grace in a big hug.

"If she does anything to you guys, we'll make her and One-One pay," she hissed, holding him tight.

"We'll be fine. I promise," he said. He let her go to hug Hazel. She stood there, clutching the hem of her shirt. "Hazel..."

She frowned and turned away from him.

"Hazel... this might be the last time we'll see Min-Gi. Don't you want to say goodbye at least?"

She continued to say nothing. Min-Gi felt a little stung, but he understood why Hazel was acting the way she was.

"You can...at least accompany us while we get to the quarantine car," Amelia said suddenly. "But after that, that's it."

Min gave Grace a half smile and led the others out of the room. He accidentally bumped into Amelia, who had stopped suddenly.

"What gives?" he asked. He looked up and saw several people flying through the air.

"It's the Apex!" Grace gasped, looking up happily.

"Where's Ryan?" Min rapidly scanned the air for any signs of his brown-haired friend.

"Out of the way!" Amelia called out, yanking the group away before a book shelf collapsed on them. In the rubble of books and splintered wood, Simon climbed on top. A group of Apex kids, Kez, and even Tuba soon followed. Ryan was nowhere to be found in the group.

"Alright Apex, you know the drill," Simon called out, signaling for the kids to break free and destroy the place. Phoenix and Julian came running out of one of the aisles hand in hand. Julian appeared to be limping, and he looked pretty roughed up.

"We'll get you to safety soon," Phoenix said, holding Julian close as they ran off. Min's heart dropped hearing the sound of his number changing again. He checked and it had gone even higher than before.

"Ryan!" he called out once more. "Where are you?"

"Don't separate from the group, it's not safe!" Amelia warned him.

Min Gi took off into one of the aisles looking for Ryan. He narrowly dodged the falling books and denizens running past him screaming. He went in the opposite direction everyone ran, hoping to find Ryan. He heard a familiar laugh right above him. Min-Gi craned his neck to get a better look, and there he was, using a grappling hook to get between each book shelf.

Min Gi considered calling his name out again, but he remembered the first time he startled Ryan mid-air. He decided to follow him the best he could on foot until he landed on the ground. He was so focused on keeping up with Ryan that he did not notice the large shelf coming down on him until it was nearly too late. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact. He felt an arm wrap around his waist and pull him into the air as the shelf crashed onto the ground. He looked up and saw Ryan smirking at him.

"Pretty cool, right?" he said with a grin. "Hang on. I'm still getting the hang of this thing!"

"You're what?!"

The two soared in the air as chaos unfolded beneath them. Min-Gi clung to Ryan for dear life and did not let go even when the two were on solid ground.

"Uh, Min? We're on the ground," Ryan said quietly. He flushed and quickly removed his arms from around Ryan's waist. Perhaps his eyes were deceiving him, but Min-Gi swore he saw a hint of red in Ryan's cheeks when he let go. Once the shock and terror of recent events had passed, he remembered his number. He took Ryan's arm, pulled off the glove, and pulled down the sleeve of his jacket. Ryan somehow looked as surprised as he was seeing the high number.

"Ryan, what the hell were you doing?" he demanded. "How could you have possibly gotten your number this high in the time we were apart?"

"Listen, I can explain!"

"Please do."

"Well, you see... stuff happened when we were coming to get you. A crazy animatronic bird lady tried to keep us trapped under the stage, and we got out and all but-"

"Get to the point, Ryan."

He sighed.

"We may have caused some collateral damage in the cars we were in," Ryan admitted awkwardly.

"How much damage could you have done that could possibly get our numbers this high?"

"I... I don't know, Min. My number only went up a little at a time at first, then next thing I know, it's halfway down my forearm!"

Min-Gi could tell Ryan knew more than what he was letting on, but he did not have the energy to go back and forth with him at the moment.

"Amelia's waiting for us. Our being here is causing some weird time paradox and now we're errors in the system. We'll need to be quarantined until she can figure out how to fix this... or send us home."

Ryan frowned.

"It can't be THAT bad, Min," he said."

"Every time she sends some sort of pulse through the train, it picks up on US. And the cars get ejected if we're in or near them! It's not fair to the others to keep that from them. It could even put them in danger," Min-Gi explained. Ryan went quiet for a minute. Simon ran up to the two of them.

"There you two are," he said. "You guys can kiss and make up later, we're done here."

Ryan and Min-Gi looked around at the ruined mess of the library. The cat was nowhere to be found. Random denizens littered the area tending to each other's wounds and trying to save each other from the rubble. Ryan followed Simon first, Min trailing behind.

"We're not done with this convo, just so you know," he whispered to Ryan. He stiffened but did not respond.

"The gang's all back together, I see?" Amelia said rather sarcastically. "Well, let's get the two of you to be quarantined."

"Wait, quarantined?" Simon interrupted. "Sorry, but we're not gonna let you take a fellow Apex member away from us."

"Your fellow Apex member is a danger to everyone he shares a car with. His and Min-Gi's presence in this state in the current timeline is messing up the system. I have to go back and fix things. Somehow. And I can't do that if you have them running amok and destroying the cars on a whim. It's been going on for over two months now!"

"And just why should we trust them in your hands?" Simon demanded.

"Because I'm the only one amongst you all that understands how this train works. I've been here for over 30 years and overseen thousands of train cars," she answered. "Now if you'd stop wasting my time, you can either accompany us to the quarantine car or get out of my way. Ryan and Min-Gi are coming with me and that's final."

Min Gi cast one look at Grace, then Hazel. Hazel looked tearful but did not acknowledge his glance. He sighed and followed Amelia out of the car. He looked back and to his relief found Ryan dragging his feet behind them. The Apex followed them as well. The walk to the quarantine car was painfully silent. Not even the kids said a word the entire time. Kez rested on his shoulder the entire way there. He could tell something was up with her as well.

Eventually he grew weary of the silence and decided to talk to Kez.

"What's up with Ryan's number, Kez?" He whispered. "I have a feeling he isn't telling me the whole truth."

"I... wasn't really paying attention," she admitted. "Ryan and I weren't together for most of the cars we were in. I did notice it got higher when I checked after we left the family entertainment car. He was trapped underneath this stage for a while. Can't imagine what he got into while he was down there."

"I can hear you both," Ryan said suddenly. "Everything Kez is saying right now is what I've already said."

"Then why do you sound like you're not telling the whole truth?"

"I don't know, ok?" he snapped. "Maybe you wouldn't sound like yourself if you had someone constantly nagging you after you just saved them."

"I wouldn't have even been in that situation if you just came with me like I said the first time."

"You're still on that?"

"I... yes???"

"This is the quarantine car," Amelia said, opening the door of the next train car. The room is incredibly spacious and lined with rows of individual white doors. She leads Ryan and Min Gi towards one of the doors and lets them in. This room is lined with gadgets and trinkets. It also had a TV standing right in the middle of two beds.

"Looks... cozy," Ryan commented.

"Each quarantine room is conditioned to fit the needs of everyone who I'd need to use it for. You'd never have to worry about going hungry or thirsty or anything like that. I'll come to collect you whenever necessary."

She left the two in the room and shut the door. Kez removed herself from Min-Gi's shoulder.

"Nice uh... nice place here," she said awkwardly.

"Ok, what's going on with you two?" Min Gi asked, absolutely fed up. "Kez, you've been acting weird ever since we've got here. And Ryan... it's like I'm seeing a completely different version of you ever since you joined the Apex.

"Hey, I'm still me. The same Ryan who's been your best friend since we saw each other in the hospital. Same Ryan who's been with you through every up and down of our lives. The Ryan who's gonna get you guys back home to the right time period and all this mess will go away. Promise," he said firmly. "Me being part of the Apex now won't change a thing."

He reached out for Min's shoulder, only for the latter to move back.

"It's changed a lot, Ryan. And you know it. May I remind you that our numbers are getting dangerously close to reaching our elbows?"

"Don't exaggerate."

"What do you mean, I'm seeing it happen on my own arm! It's not just your number, you know."

"I got it the first time you said it, Min," he sighed, flopping backwards onto one of the beds and curling up. Min Gi figured he was not going to get anything else out of Ryan for now, so he opted to look around the room. He came across a strange device alongside a singular tape with "Ryan Akagi and Min-Gi Park" on the front.

"Hey, I've seen those!" Kez said. "They get one for like, every person that comes on the train. They aren't usually given directly to the passengers though."

"Do you know what this is?" Min asked, holding up the smaller cube-like device.

"No... but I think it comes with this tube!" Kez said, pulling up a small glass container with even smaller balls in it. She removed the cork of the tube to get a closer look

"Amelia said this room is specifically designed to fit the needs of the people who inhabit the room... but what could we possibly need with this?"

"We should probably ask Ryan and see if he can figure it out," Kez suggested. "Might take his mind off of... all this."

"Yeah, maybe." Min Gi took the small tube from her and made it to Ryan's side of the room. He accidentally hit the bedside table, causing the tube to go flying out of his hands and land on the bed. The tiny balls quickly crawled out of the tube, approaching Ryan's head. Min-Gi tried his best to scoop them all up before they reached him, but they were too small and quickly got lost in Ryan's hair.

"What's that coming out of his head?" Kez gasped as a long black film emerged from the top of his head.

"It looks like some sort of...film?" Min said.

"We gotta get it out of him!"

"I don't know where it's coming from! I don't want to hurt him!"

"Oh, try putting the film through that device you have! I think they're supposed to go together!"

"Oh, r-right!" He grabbed at the film and stuck it through the tiny slot of the device. "How's this gonna help Ryan?"

"It can't hurt to try. The device lit up and projected a white screen in front of them. Once Min's eyes adjusted, he saw Ryan sitting next to Simon on top of a pile of pillows.

"So... you're actually serious about this Apex stuff," Simon said.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Your friend Min seemed really insistent on you guys going back home... back to your time period?"

"Yeah... I'm the reason we're on the train in the first place...I don't blame him for wanting to leave."

"Do you want to leave?"

Ryan crossed his arms and sighed. "There's nothing for me out there... not like i thought there was."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought it'd be fine and great to do a whole music career on my own after Min left me behind at the battle of the bands in high school. But the truth is...well... it's not what I expected."

"And you think hanging with us is better?"

Ryan shrugged. "At least people pay attention to me here."

"Well, it's your life," Simon said with a shrug. "But what are you gonna do about Min-Gi... and that bell? I don't think they're gonna just leave without you."

Ryan pondered for a moment. "I'll go with them back to the time traveling car... then let them go back before I return."

A familiar whirring sound started up. Ryan nervously pulled down his sleeve to see his number had gone significantly higher.

"Damn," was all Simon said.

"We should get going," Ryan said quickly, standing up and jamming his hands back into his pockets."

The projection started to glitch and flicker, as the actual Ryan was starting to wake up. Min Gi started to panic and tried to gently remove the film reel from Ryan's head. This only made the latter start to scream in absolute horror.

"What the hell is this?" He gasped, trying to pull the reel out of his head. The movement caused him intense discomfort, as he started to gag.

"Alright, alright, it's alright." He took one of Ryan's hands and applied pressure to his inner wrist." "Breathe... breathe..."

He managed to get Ryan calm enough for the rest of the film to be removed and get any remaining robots out of his hair. Min Gi cringed looking at the white and slimy substance at the end of the reel. He quickly tossed the reel aside and wiped his hands.

"What... the hell was that?" Ryan gasped, wiping his mouth and coughing.

"Well um, we found this device with...weird balls? We were going to show them to you, but Min Gi tripped and the balls landed near your head."

"We tried to stop them but they crawled away too fast and they got into your head, and they started making this weird film-"

"And you just watched it happen?"

"I tried to get it out of your head!"

"Min-Gi! Just...god," Ryan sighed, exasperated, turning his back on both of them. He unconsciously scratched the part of his hair where the bots entered his head. He shivered.

Min Gi stared at the tape on his own bed. Amelia entered the room with three trays of food. She looked between Ryan and Min Gi and shrugged, handing everyone their trays. The three of them ate in silence. Min Gi turned the tape in his hands. Min glanced at the TV in front of them, then back at the tape.

Approaching the TV slowly, Min-Gi looked around for a slot to insert the tape and turn the TV on. The screen glitched with static momentarily before flashing on with a bright light. The sensation knocked Min-Gi hard onto the ground. When he was able to open his eyes again, he found himself at his old high school behind the stage as a young man with long brown hair and red glasses stood by himself waiting.

The room had gone eerily silent after that large flash. Ryan turned his head slowly to see Min standing in front of the TV, unmoving. He was waiting for his friend to make a move, any move. Eventually, he got up from his bed and made his way over to get a closer look at Min-Gi." Ryan waved his arm in front of Min's face. Min did not even flinch at the movement. His eyes remained blank and his mouth had gone slack. He carefully tapped Min's shoulder, and he fell over.

"Min-Gi!" Ryan barely managed to catch Min before he collapsed limply into his arms. "Kez! What happened?"

"I don't know!" Kez said, looking frantically between the two and the TV. "He put the tape in and turned it on, next thing you know, this happens!"

"We need help! Get Amelia! Maybe she'll know what to do," He said, gently shaking Min-Gi in the hopes that he would snap out of whatever trance he was in. He felt the blood drain out of his face when all he saw was Min's blank expression staring back at him.

"The door's locked, I can't get out unless she comes back!" Her voice sounded pained. He pulled Min-Gi back to his own bed before returning to the door. Kez tried her best to get Min to wake up as Ryan knocked on the door rapidly.

"Someone please!" he yelled out in desperation. "He's not moving, we need help, please!"

This went on for what felt like an entire hour. The door never budged, and Min-Gi was still unconscious. Ryan let out a shaky sigh, sinking to the ground. He blinked away any tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

"Never expected to end up like this, to be honest," Kez muttered quietly.

"I never wanted any of this to happen," Ryan muttered.

"Hey, don't blame yourself for this-"

"We're here because of me ," he interrupted. "We ended up on this train because of me. And... none of this would've happened to him... if it weren't for me. I have to make this right somehow...and when I do, I'll send you guys back home."

"And... you're coming with us, right?" Kez asked. Ryan went silent. "You're coming with us, right , Ryan?"

He turned his back on her, pulling his knees to his chest.

"I know what I said," he mumbled. She floated right in front of him, her face serious.

"When those robot ball guys went into your head, we saw some clip of you-"

"Woah. Did you guys get into my mind? Like, my memories?" he gasped, backing up.

"It was an accident! We didn't know that would happen!" Kez interrupted. "But yes... we saw a recent memory... You told Simon you were gonna take us back to the time-traveling car and leave us in our time period to stay with the Apex."

"It's not like that," he said, trying to save face and turning away from her.

"It's your exact words, Ryan!" she snapped, tearing up. " You said, ‘I'll go with them back to the time traveling car... then let them go back before I return.' Do those words ring a bell? Uh, no pun intended...."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about, Kez," he insisted. She huffed and brought back the film with the strange device. She placed the film into the tiny slot and let it project into the air. There he was, sitting next to Simon on a pile of pillows as various Apex kids napped around them.

"I'll go with them back to the time-traveling car... then let them go back before I return."

"You don't get to use my own memories against me," he snapped, turning back around with a glare. He removed the film from its device slot and crushed the device under his boot.

" You don't get to lie, especially not to your friends, about things like this."

"Why do you even care? We'll figure out a way to get out of here, I'll send you guys back to your time period, and you and Min can get home! There's no need to worry about me, I'll be fine."

"We're not leaving without you, and that's final," she insisted firmly.

"If we can even get out of this place..."

The two sat in painful silence for a while. Occasionally Ryan got up to check on Min, only to walk back anxiously when he remained in the same position that he left him before.

The door swung open, causing the two to jump. Amelia stood in the doorway with Grace, Hazel, and Simon standing behind her.

"I heard yelling and came as soon as I could. Please tell me you two didn't attempt to kill each other while I was gone?" Amelia demanded.

"It's Min," Ryan answered. "He put this tape into the TV and it flashed and now he won't snap out of whatever trance he's in!"

Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "He's in his tape," she explained.

"But he's right here!"

"His subconscious is in the tape," she added. "Here, when you watch a tape, you go into them. You have to be careful if it's your own tape, or you can become trapped in there forever. I think it's a bit irresponsible to have tapes easily accessible to other passengers, but what do I know, I'm not the conductor."

Simon scoffed, and Amelia ignored him.

"Is Min gonna be trapped in there forever?" Ryan asked, gently grasping Min's hand and holding it close to his chest.

"He could free himself, but it's not a simple task. Someone else could also enter the tape and find him-"

"I'll do it," Ryan interrupted. "I'll go into the tape and find him."

"Remember, it's also your tape. If Min can get stuck in there, so can you," she warned.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take to bring him back," he said. "Please..."

"I'm coming with you," Kez said.

"Well... ok... how do we enter the tape?" Ryan asked.

"All you have to do is watch the tape," she said. Ryan and Kez sat in front of the TV in front of them and waited. The screen grew brighter and brighter. Ryan shut his eyes and did not open them until the light had lessened. He found himself inside his house. He checked his arm to see if he was actually home. His numbers stared back at him.

"I guess this is one of my memories," he said. He looked around for Min-Gi. Kez floated close behind him, looking around.

"Nice place you got here, Ry-Guy," Kez commented.

"It's alright, I guess," he said. The group turned its attention to the sound of cooing and giggling. Ryan spotted his parents and the Parks sitting around a pair of incredibly young children.

"Awww, baby Ryan and Min-Gi!" Kez coos. "You guys were so cute as babies."

Ryan rolled his eyes and watched Min-Gi's younger counterpart push himself onto two legs, standing straight up while the baby counterpart of Ryan watched him on all fours. He took one shaky step forward, then another one. The Park family cheered and cuddled the little boy as the Akagis gently encouraged Ryan to follow suit." Baby Ryan managed to stand upright, but when he tried to take a step, he fell backward on his ass and promptly burst into tears. His parents desperately tried to soothe the child. Baby Min stumbled back to where Ryan was and watched him. He gave him an attempt of a smile, then fell backward on his ass as well. Baby Ryan spotted him and soon stopped crying, watching his friend. He soon started to giggle.

"My parents said the first thing I did when I was born...was to look at Min and smile,"" Ryan said quietly. "And for the first time here... he smiled back. Heh, I guess we were each other's first reason to smile."

"That's so sweet," Kez commented. Ryan smiled a little but turned back to the others

"We should get going. Min could be anywhere in these memories."

He smiled, spotting his and Min-Gi's 15-year-old selves running out of the school building, ready to go to Dumptys and spend the rest of the afternoon talking about music and their band. He watched his younger self hop, skip, and jump around Min-Gi as they hurried to the fairytale-themed restaurant."

"I wish I could stay longer here today but I have to get ready for my viola recital," Young Min said, twirling a spoon in his hand.

"And I'll be there to cheer you on the whole time," Young Ryan said, determined.

"You promise not to be all loud like last time?" Young Min asked.

"No promises!"

"Ry..."

"Okay, okay... but don't expect me not to tackle you with the biggest hug ever afterward!" The two laughed leaning back in their seats to enjoy their meal.

"We can hang out more tomorrow since I don't have practice that day."

"Well, I'm taking Portia to the Valentine's Day dance tomorrow. I told you this, right?"

"I... I don't think so. But I hope you guys have fun!" his voice sounded...disappointed?

"Soooo... who's your date to the dance?" Young Ryan asked, leaning over in front of Young Min. The latter frowned and sank into his seat.

"I'm uh... not going to the dance," he said quietly.

"What? But it won't be the same without you!"

"I wouldn't want to feel like a third wheel there."

"Me and Portia are going as friends. She's cool and pretty, but I don't think she feels any kind of way about me," Young Ryan said. "If it makes you feel better, maybe I can ask one of her friends to be your date."

"I couldn't do that! Besides...I'm way out of their leagues."

"Pfft, what? Min-Gi Park, rumored to be the cutest boy in school, thinks he's out of their leagues?" Young Ryan gasped in mock horror." Young Min flushed and lowered his head.

"I'm just not...really interested in this dating stuff right now," he said quietly. Young Min checked his wrist watch and frowned "I gotta go. We can walk home together if you want."

"I'll get home later," Young Ryan told him with a wave of his hand. "I'm kinda hungry anyways."

Ryan watched Min's younger self trudge out of the diner alone. He passed by Ryan and Kez without a word."

When Ryan looked to his left, he was inside a humid gymnasium with red and pink lighting. Teenage couples in fancy clothes littered the dance floor. He spotted himself and Portia dancing together. They seemed to be having a good time dancing and laughing loudly. But as soon as Portia wasn't looking at him, Young Ryan's smile faded a little as he looked elsewhere.

"Is that your...girlfriend, Ryan?" Kez asked. Ryan reddened slightly and shook his head.

"We never dated. She's really sweet and I'm sure she'd totally be an awesome girlfriend but...it's complicated," Ryan said, watching Portia lead his younger self away from everyone else in the gym and towards a table in the back.

"Tired from dancing already?" Young Ryan teased. Portia wasn't smiling. "Did I... say something wrong?"

"Ryan... are you really having fun with me tonight?" she asked, her face pulled into a small pout.

"Of course I am! Having a blast with you. Why do you ask?"

Portia fidgeted with the pink rose she pulled from her hair, eyes oddly trained on the table cloth.

"I just.. I get the feeling there's been something on your mind..."

"I guess I'm just a little bummed Min-Gi didn't come to the dance with us. Then we could all have fun together."

"Well maybe later tonight we can invite him to get ice cream?" she suggested. Young Ryan's eyes brightened and he nodded.

"He'll love it."

"For now, let's get back to dancing!" she stood up and pulled him back to the dance floor as another upbeat song started to play.

"Poor Min," Kez's voice cut in. "Wonder why he didn't want to come to the dance?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask," Ryan said, shaking his head. He looked up and found himself in the back of his own van. His younger self and Portia sang loudly and off key to a song blasting on the radio. They stopped in front of what Ryan assumed was Min-Gi's house. Young Ryan climbed out of the van. A few minutes later, he came back.

"He uh... he's not in the mood tonight, his mom told me," Young Ryan said. "Sorry..."

"Don't be! It's getting kinda late anyways. Don't want my parents to wonder if we ran off together," Portia joked, giggling. Young Ryan laughed as well, albeit uneasily.

"So... heading to your place?"

"Yeah."

Ryan frowned and lowered his head. Kez gently nudged her head against his. Her cold surface felt strangely comforting. He found himself crouched behind the bushes of what he assumed was Portia's house as his younger self led her to the door.

"You had fun tonight?" Young Ryan asked.

"Of course. I hope you had a fun time too."

"Yeah. I had a really good time with you tonight."

Portia reached over and gave him a tight hug. Then she quickly pressed a kiss and turned to open her door.

"Well, goodnight," she said before heading inside and leaving Young Ryan standing still at her door steps.

"It seems she liked you a lot," Kez said.

"She did," Ryan groaned. "I'm such an idiot, I didn't realize until I went home. I kept replaying everything that happened that night."

"You didn't like her back?"

"It's not that. I did like her a lot. But after that night I felt... weirdly conflicted? I kept thinking about Min-Gi... and how he would feel if we started dating. I didn't know what it was that was holding me back. Maybe it's the band?" I didn't even know why I cared so much what Min thought about me dating her... but it just didn't feel right dating her while I was just-" he gestures wildly around his head. "--all ... yknow... inside. I ended up avoiding her for the rest of the year...and then I left town.""

"You didn't even talk to her once after that night?" Kez asked. "She at least deserves some sort of explanation or closure."

"I know... I messed up. At least she won't have to deal with me ever again now."

"Ryan..."

"Let's just keep looking for Min, ok? He's gotta be somewhere close here.""

The two continued to travel through Ryan's various memories up through their misadventures on the train. All the way until they got to the art gallery car. Ryan shuddered.

"If we get past this car, are we going to end up in the future...of a future tape?" Kez wondered.

"I really don't want to stick around long enough to find out." Ryan and Kez jumped at the sound of Min-Gi's voice.

"Min-Gi, I'm so glad you're-"

The sound of shattering glass cut him off dead in his tracks. Yelling from both men soon followed."

Ryan winced, rehearing all the awful things he'd said to and about Min-Gi. The two stood around awkwardly waiting for the argument to die down. The fighting seemed to only be getting louder. Surely they weren't standing around in the museum having a screaming match for that long?

The yelling continued in the background, but Ryan saw himself and Min standing on opposite sides of the room, seemingly ranting to no one.

"I don't have problems on my own!. He leaves, comes back, and his problems become my problems--"

"He's not going to get better. He's dead weight--"

"--doesn't undo 18 years of letdowns!"

"-- I refuse to end up just like Min. I'm going to make something of myself."

"We're getting out of here," Ryan said, shaking his head as the yelling persisted. "Where's the door?"

He stormed off, trying to find the one art piece that resembled the door. Once he came to the door, he stuck his hand in and stumbled through the door. Kez followed suit. He turned around, and Min was still back in the car. Again. His memory self tripped outside soon after.

"Oh my god... Min!" Kez gasped. Thankfully, Min-Gi passed through the door moments later, knocking Ryan down on the ground. They scrambled off each other quickly as they witnessed the scene play out in front of them.

"It's ok Min! I won't leave you! I'm not going anywhere!"

Ryan felt his blood chill once he heard those words. The train came to a violent stop, knocking everyone back down once more. In horror, he watched as the door appeared before his memory self, glowing tauntingly in front of him. As soon as his memory flinched slightly, his number went back up. The door disappeared, and the world around Ryan and Min became engulfed in static. Ryan got up quickly, his back turned to Min-Gi.

"You...you got your exit," Min said quietly behind him. He stiffened, then sighed.

"Yeah. While you were stuck with that weird hand creature, my number went down to 0, and I got my exit. And...I thought about taking it. And as soon as I thought of it, the exit disappeared. I didn't think you'd find out like this."

"Ryan..."

"It was super dumb anyways. I don't have anything going for me out there. There was no point in me taking that exit."

"But you get to go on tour and see all these different places and people. It's a lot better than living with your parents when you're nearly 19 and working at some dumb restaurant with shitty" old customers."

"You think I've been having such a good time going solo?" he asked, the sound of static getting increasingly loud in his head. "Why do you think I've been trying to get you to come with me to New York? Or at least trying to save our friendship? But now, what's the point? This train knows what a shitty person I am... and now so do you. But...I'm gonna do everything I can to make it up to you."

But when he looked up once more, Min-Gi and Kez were nowhere to be found, and nothing but static surrounded the area and engulfed his body.

"Ryan?" Min-Gi called out to a seemingly empty void of static. He turned to Kez. "Did you know about him getting his exit?"

Kez sighed. "By the time I realized what was happening, the last of the door disappeared. I don't know how or why he got his exit, but he didn't take it. Maybe there was a time limit?"

"I thought you knew how the train worked, Kez!" He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I do!' she huffed defensively. "I guess there are some things I still don't understand."

Min-Gi sighed and sank to the ground, legs trembling. He curled up tightly as he tried not to panic.

"We're going to die here before I can tell Ryan I..."

"You... what?"

"I still want to be in a band with him, go to New York, whatever. Just... be with him again," he admitted. Kez floated downwards, resting at the top of his knee. "I want things to go back to the way they were with him."

"Hey, it's not all over!" Kez said, trying to remain hopeful. She gently nudged his shoulder. He sighed and lay on his back in despair

"To think we were so close to meeting your friend Morgan. I bet he's really worried about you."

"He?" Kez looked confused.

"Yeah? The guy in the photo, Morgan?"

"Oh, that's not Morgan, that's my other friend Jeremy! Morgan's like this super huge castle. I've lived with her my whole life. But...we haven't talked in a while. I was hoping you guys meeting her would, yknow, break the ice?"

"And then what?" Min asked pensively. Kez frowned.

"I figured you guys could, y'know, keep her company for a while as we figured out what was going on with your number?"

"What? How's that going to help with our number? Kez...?" The bell's eerie silence caused an uneasy feeling to form in the pit of his stomach. "Kez...what's the real reason you wanted us to see Morgan?"

"She'd been really lonely ever since Jeremy's been gone. And... it's all my fault," she admitted. "I figured if I brought someone who'd be able to keep her company as Jeremy did, she'd stop being so mad at me for what happened."

"We were supposed to replace Jeremy?"

"No! No one could replace him... but I figured I'd make Morgan a little less lonely. At least for a little while. And think about it! You guys wouldn't have to deal with the problems you had off the train. No fighting, no fairytale-themed restaurants, no more being separated from each other."

"That doesn't mean we want to be stuck here being some moody castle's caretakers for the rest of our lives," Min-Gi snapped, standing up. "This whole time you just pretended to be our friend to trick us?"

"Dude, no. I'd never, ever, use you guys like that. I just wanted Morgan to stop being mad at me so she'd let me come home! I can't lose another friend."

"Friends don't lie to each other, or hide their true intentions from other people," Min hissed, his back to her.

"So what does that make you and Ryan, then?"

"Our situation is complicated. You were lying to us," he snapped, turning back once more.

"I didn't lie. I was going to explain things once we got to the castle and talked it out with Morgan-"

"Bullshit. I can't believe this. We could've avoided this whole mess if you just left us the hell alone."

Painful silence filled the air. For a second, Min felt a pang of guilt.

"You know what, Min?" Kez finally said." "I've made so many mistakes in my life, done things I can't ever take back as much as I want to. But at least I don't act like I'm a fucking saint."

"I never said I was perfect-"

"You act like it. You didn't even think you were supposed to be on this train in the first place! This whole time we've been together, it's been flipping between you two bickering like children to this period where you're weirdly chill with each other, then you go back to fighting! You don't even try to hear Ryan out before you shut him down. At least I try to fix my problems!"

"Running away from the scene of the crime and leaving other people to clean up the mess isn't ‘fixing' things. The parka denizens, the pig baby, the western insects. How did you go and fix them? Oh wait, you didn't. We had to run from them because they tried to kill US for YOUR fuck-ups!"

"Those guys could have killed me! I was gonna come back...once they were like, less ‘I'm gonna kill you' kind of mad. Plus-- where are you going? Min?"

"Somewhere. Anywhere but here. Before I say something I can't take back."

Min-Gi ran off into the static-filled void as fast as his legs could take him. He could hear Kez calling after him, but her voice quickly became engulfed by the sound of static. He briefly turned back around, tripping over his feet and slamming into the ground so hard sparks flew. Face smarting from the shocking impact, he didn't dare get up. Amidst the static, little crackling noises started to pop up."

The ground suddenly gave way underneath him, sending him free-falling. He closed his eyes and braced for impact, but the surface he landed on started to sink before bouncing him slightly in the air. When he was sure his surroundings were stable, he turned over on his back and saw Kez floating over him"

"Min, are you ok?" she asked."

"I.. what happened?"

"You ran off then disappeared...then you came back falling out of nowhere!"

Min-Gi sighed heavily, pulling himself onto his knees. Static engulfed the majority of his body, climbing up to his shoulders.

"Kez, I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"Well, to be fair..You were right."

"What, no -- Kez, I didn't have the right to say those things to you, knowing it'd make me a huge hypocrite. You're right... I haven't been completely honest with Ryan at all. And it's not like I've been trying to make things better with him either. If anything, things are even worse now. I wouldn't blame him if he hated my guts for good. I just really want to get the hell out of this place. And... whatever happened with you and Jeremy and Morgan...I hope you guys are able to figure it out."

"I don't know if I'll be able to fix it...what happened with Jeremy messed her up pretty bad."

"What did happen with Jeremy, if you don't mind me asking."

"It;s... kind of a long story," she admitted.

"Well, I don't think I'll be going anywhere any time soon," he said, patting his shoulder for her to rest. "Have at it."

Kez sighed and nestled onto Min-Gi's shoulder."

"So Jeremy showed up at our place years ago. A couple of passengers were with him too. He'd been staying with us for about five years. Morgan and I really liked him. Well, Morgan REALLY liked him. And when more passengers came and went through the castle, she got more and more upset, and very...like, attached to Jeremy. Not that Jeremy seemed to mind. He enjoyed taking care of Morgan, and Morgan liked being taken care of."

"I guess when he died it really hit her hard, huh?"

"What? No, he didn't die. At least not physically or anything. I don't think... what happens after people leave the train?"

"I...guess they go back home?" Min answered, not exactly sure himself.

"So like, it was the fifth anniversary of Jeremy staying with us and I noticed he seemed a little off. So, I decided to talk to him. He's still hung up over a car crash that took his mom and sister's lives. I tried to tell him that the accident was never his fault and all, and he said ‘I know', but I could tell he didn't actually believe it."

"Survivor's guilt," Min-Gi mumbled. Kez nodded

"Yeah. That. I told him that even though he's here on the train... he never left that fog that killed his family. I don't know what exactly I said triggered it, but his number started glowing and turned to zero, and this magical door appeared in front of us."

"Jeremy got his exit! Isn't that a good thing?"

"No! He was starting to disappear and I yelled for Morgan but it was too late by the time she came over and Jeremy was gone! I really messed up...I didn't mean to...if I'd known..."

"Kez, our numbers are...supposed to go down to zero. So we can leave? Isn't that like, the point of this place? Isn't that why Ryan and I are on this train?"

"I... I guess...but Jeremy meant a lot to me, even more so to Morgan, and I..."

"Morgan can be sad that she lost her friend, but that doesn't mean she can be mad at you because of how the train works." Min-Gi reached out, gently brushing the silver dome of Kez's head with his thumb. She sighed and melted slightly at the touch.

"But..."

"I think you're...basically good. You just have to like, get better at it. And you can't keep running away from your mistakes. When we get out of here, back to our time period, I want you and Morgan to talk things out, alright?"

"Alright," she said. "Only if you promise you and Ryan do the same."

"Of course."

"Thanks, Min-Gi." She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, and he fell over.

"I will never get used to your kisses being warm. What's your secret?" he asked.

"I think I've bared my soul enough for one day," she teased. "But thanks for listening..."

Min-Gi nodded, and suddenly the world around them went dark.

"Kez? Where are you?" Min-Gi called out, uselessly groping the air for his bell-shaped friend. He relaxed slightly when he felt her perched carefully on his shoulder. There's a flash, sending them both flying through a whirlwind of Ryan and Min's various memories before diving head first into a bright white light.

When Min opened his eyes, he seemed to be lying in a bed. Grace learned directly over him, a worried look on her face. He yelped and shot straight up, accidentally headbutting Grace.

"Ow! Min-Gi, what the hell?"

"Sorry! Sorry..." he mumbled.

"Min-Gi is awake!" Hazel pointed out.

"But Ryan..."

Min Gi practically launched himself out of bed, rushing to Ryan's side where he lay motionless."

"Oh my god... what happened to him?"

"Same thing as you. He's still in his tape," Amelia explained plainly. "I told him the risks of getting stuck in your own tape but..."

"He went through with it anyway to save you," Grace continued.

"Well I've gotta go back there for him," Min insisted, cradling Ryan's comatose body in his arms. Ryan's eyes were glazed over, looking up at Min but seemingly staring into nothingness. "I can't just leave him like this.."

Amelia shook her head.

"And then what happens when he's free and you're stuck in the tape once more? It'll be an endless cycle and waste everyone's time," Amelia said bluntly. "We'll have to find some other way to extract Ryan from his tape."

Amelia went over to eject the tape, but a massive shock caused her to jerk her hand back." She swore loudly, causing Grace to instinctively cover Hazel's ears. Smoke started to form, and the film in the tape started to sneak out.

"What happened? Is Ryan ok?" Min asked.

"The tape's corrupted..." Amelia said. "Because of you two's little time traveling stunt, your memories and progress on the train have glitched...We'll have to create a new one, and destroy this one."

"What? You can't destroy the tape while Ryan's still in it! What'll happen?"

"I... I don't know," for a second, Amelia's hardened mask cracked, showing genuine concern and pity for the young men's predicament.

"I'm going back for him," Min insisted. "Don't even think about touching that tape until I get back."

"Has that tape already fried your brain? It's entirely too risky to enter your own tape, especially in this condition!" Amelia hissed.

"Ryan didn't leave me when I needed him," Min said. "So I'm not going to leave him. Not now, or ever again."

A familiar whirring sound started up again. Min looked down at his arm to see his number rapidly going down. When it hit zero, it started to glow, and a glowing door appeared in front of him. The Dumpty's parking lot could be seen on the other side. He looked back at Ryan, his number still incredibly high on his arm.

"You got your exit," Amelia said, slightly bemused. "You should go on ahead. I'll deal with... whatever this is."

"Are you kidding? I'm not getting off of this train without him. And if it means that we'd end up stuck in a destroyed tape forever..."

He looked at the exit, pensively. For a split second he considered what would happen if he went through with it but immediately remembered Ryan. His best friend. His bandmate. The guy he loved more than anything or anyone else in this world. His number started to climb back up, and the door disappeared before he could make a decision. He sighed.

"Min?" Grace asked. "The door."

"I'm willing to take the risk," he said firmly. "We either both leave, or neither of us do."

Grace lowered her head. Hazel looked worried, while Simon seemed indifferent. Amelia sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Your funeral. I don't understand you people," she said in resignation."Good luck."

"Wait, Min," Kez interrupted. "I'm going with you."

"You still have to talk things out with Morgan. You owe it to both of you guys to get some closure once and for all. We'll never forget you."

"Don't say that!" she scolded. "I'm seeing you guys again. That's a promise."

She gently nuzzled the side of Min's face, her cool surface sending a shiver down his spine.

"Cold body yet warm kisses?" he mumbled, but he didn't have time to continue pondering Kez's contradictory body temperature. He closed his eyes and went back into his tape.

Min opened his eyes to find himself in the back of an auditorium in flames. The stage had collapsed in on itself, the spotlight in the center of the wreckage. The audience sat in place, unresponsive to the flames consuming them."

"Ryan!" Min Gi bolted to the front of the stage, peering inside the hole inside the stage for signs of his friend. There was Ryan, but in the same clothes he wore the day of the battle of the bands. Amidst all the wreckage and destruction, he continued to play his guitar and sing.

" Some people say that a smile is an upside down. But me? I know the truth... " Ryan softly sang.

"Ryan! We gotta get out of here!" Min Gi reached out his hand to grab Ryan out of the wreckage. Just touching Ryan's shoulder sent a shock down his arm, causing him to lose his balance and fall through the hole. He got up to his knees, the world spinning around him and his head throbbing. Disoriented from the impact, he fell back over and blacked out.

When he opened his eyes again, he felt someone holding onto him tight. Did he hear... crying?

"I just wish that... just once I'd be enough for you to stay. Now I have nothing... and I have no one to blame but myself."

Min Gi turned his head up. He and Ryan locked eyes. He gasped, quickly wiping his face. He'd seen Ryan cry a few times in their childhood, but very rarely openly.

"Ryan...?'

"You're... You're ok!" he said, softly cradling Min's face. Min's face turned bright red from the touch." "This is kind of embarrassing..."

"You're upset..."

"Smoke in my eyes," he mumbled. Min sat up and pulled Ryan into a tight hug.

"It's just us here, Ryan. I promise," he said, rubbing his back. "This whole thing... it's taken a toll on you. I can tell."

"I didn't know where you went after I told you about getting my exit. Next thing I know, I'm back here, at the battle of the bands. But then the place started going up in flames in the middle of my performance and stuff started to collapse and glitch... and I ended up here. When I saw you down here, you were lying on the ground and not moving. I thought you were..."

He quickly buried himself deeper into Min's embrace, but Min heard a slight gasp escape him before he completely broke down.

"I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere, not for a long time at least."

"You could've died out here! If I wasn't so stupid we'd be back to our time period by now. Maybe we'd even be home by now."

"Hey, that's not...that's not true," Min said, wincing as he remembered what he said in the car with the long line of robots. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. I don't think you're stupid."

Ryan said nothing, silent sobs wracking his smaller frame. Min-Gi continued to hold onto him until it seemed that he'd calmed down.

"Please don't tell anyone about this," he mumbled, wiping his face again. "I don't want them looking at me funny."

"I won't, I swear. Come on, let's get out of here," Min said, getting up and holding out his hand.

"I can't... I've tried looking everywhere for an exit... there's no way out."

"Well...I got out of this tape...I also got my exit."

"You got your exit?"

"Yeah... For a second... I considered taking it. Guess we're even now."

He chuckled, but Ryan didn't even budge.

"I'm the one who got us all into this mess, I've said horrible shit to and about you, I didn't even think about how staying with the Apex would affect you guys, I...I left you to die, Min. But you came back for me after all this?"

"Because you didn't leave me to die. You had a bad thought. I have those all the time. But they're not who you or I are," he said. " And yes, the things you say to me sometimes really sting, but I'd be lying if I wasn't guilty of the same stuff. Between you and me ...I've had some bad thoughts that made me run away from my problems like a damn coward instead of confronting them."

"Thoughts like what?"

"Like...how I feel about, well, us... When you said we were leaving in your dad's van that fateful night, those thoughts I kept hidden away for so long came rushing out. And I was scared of the outcome. This whole time... I thought I was running to find something... the whole time I was running from my feelings." I was scared of making the wrong choice, going down the wrong path and letting my family down. Worse, letting you down... I was worried about ruining our friendship. Guess it didn't matter in the end huh?"

"I'm always gonna want to be friends with you, Min. I just wish I'd known before I rushed into things like I always do. And... I'm sorry I'd been pushing you into things when you weren't ready. I'm sorry we fell apart."

"And I'm sorry I abandoned you instead of being honest with how I felt."

Ryan smiled and took his hand as Min pulled him up into a tight hug.

"I missed you," Ryan said softly. "I missed this."

The two jumped as flaming collateral crashed near them. They hid elsewhere from the collapsing wreckage, still holding on tight.

"We're ok..." Min wheezed.

"Not for long, this thing's gonna collapse on us!" Ryan pointed out.

"This is one of our memories, Ry. This never happened. None of this is real," Min assured him as another flaming beam landed near them.

"That fire looks pretty real to me!"

"We're gonna be fine, promise," Min said, noticing the ceiling in front of them looked ready to give way. "Just ... keep your eyes on me."

"Well, looking at you isn't a terrible way to go out," he admitted. The ceiling cracked once more, sending another chunk hurtling towards them both. Min lowered his head and closed his eyes after shielding Ryan the best he could with one arm." All of a sudden, he felt weightless and clung to Ryan even tighter. He dared to open his eyes and look around. He and Ryan seemed to be flying through the same memories Min-Gi went through when he first left his tape.

Once the bright lights subsided and his eyes adjusted once more, he saw Ryan in his arms slowly becoming concious as well. Amelia yanked the tape out of the TV, sparks flying. She threw the tape on the ground and smashed it to bits.

"Color me surprised," she said, looking at Min with a raised eyebrow. "You managed to bring him back.

"We're.... we're ok." Ryan checked his number. It's still high." He looked up at Min, his face a mixture of relief and yet disbelief. He hadn't let Ryan go yet, too scared he'd slip away again.

"I just... I can't believe I almost lost you," Min said quietly. "All because I was too much of a coward to tell you the truth."

"The truth? That you were nervous? Happens to the best of us! We'll work through it together."

"No Ryan...it's... I..." he went quiet and just hugged Ryan tighter. "Let's just get out of here..."

"Lucky for you, I've managed to track down the time-traveling car you two came in. As long as you don't go anywhere else, things should be fine. Probably. I'll get the shuttlecraft over shortly. In the meantime, get your goodbyes in," Amelia said, leaving the room.

"So... what's this mean for you and the Apex, Akagi?" Simon asked. "I mean I could care less either way-"

"Simon..." Grace groaned, gently elbowing him. He sulked and crossed his arms.

"Fine, I'd be lying if I said you weren't a force to be reckoned with and you have a lot of potential or whatever. But like I said, I could care less if you stayed or left."

"Thanks but...I think I'm sticking with these guys," Ryan said, pulling Min and Kez close to him. "My time with the Apex was fun-- well kind of if you take out all the denizens that tried to kill us and all-- but... it's not something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. And if he's still up to it, I really want to go to New York with Min."

Min's face heated up, and he smiled.

"Yeah... that's something I want to do."

Grace pulled Min aside to talk to him.

"Min, if there's ever a time to tell Ryan how you truly feel about him, it would be now," she whispered. "Or, sometime soon I guess. I'm glad you guys are friends again but if you are going to maintain your relationship, you guys gotta be honest with each other. The worst he can do is say he doesn't feel the same way."

"I... I will," he whispered back. Grace pulled him in for a hug as well.

""Don't get yourself killed out there."

"If you guys have radio out here, you better be listening for ‘Cat in a Toque'. It'll be a hit song one day!"

Grace snorted. "Okay, okay! Who knows, maybe I'll become one of the biggest fans of your...underground indie band."

"Chicken Choice Judy."

"Right...Well, bye, Min-Gi."

"Goodbye, Grace. And...Good luck with the Apex...and your number."

She frowned a little, looking at the gloves that covered the numbers on her arms. He squeezed her shoulder and joined the rest of the group. Hazel stood behind Simon watching all of them.

"Hazel...Don't you want to say bye to Ryan and Min?" Grace asked.

"They're not coming back?" she asked sadly.

"Well... no," Ryan admitted, crouching down to her level. "We've gotta get back to our homes, we can't stay here forever as much as we want to. Tell you what. I've got something for you."

Ryan rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a purple pic with a gold star on it. He pressed it onto Hazel's hands.

"What's this?"

"It's one of my favorite guitar pics. I want you to have it, so you can remember us when we're not physically here anymore. You'll always have a piece of us with you to carry around. Maybe learn to play guitar if you can find one?"

"I will!" Hazel said determinedly. "Thanks, Ryan! And...bye..."

She wrapped her arms around him as best as she could. Then she turned to Min and did the same thing. Simon had left the room. When Min peeked out to check on him, he seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation with Tuba.

"Amelia's almost here," Tuba pointed out.

"Then we'll be heading home..."

"Yep."

"Well, guess this is goodbye to the both of you."

"Yep."

Amelia arrived in the shuttlecraft, beckoning for Ryan, Min, and Kez to hop in.

"When you get to the time traveling car, you have to go to the exact date you first entered the car on. I've written the date down so you don't forget," Amelia told them, holding a piece of paper before handing it to them. Good luck."

Ryan and Min waved to the Apex members before the shuttlecraft took off, sending them hurtling towards the time-traveling car. While they were moving pretty fast, they still had a lot of cars to get to before they got there. Min ruminated on Grace's last words to him. Would now be the best time to tell him? He looked over at Ryan, who had fallen asleep and rested his head on Min's shoulder. He sighed and decided to let Ryan rest, gently shifting his body to put less pressure on his neck.

The shuttlecraft stopped right in front of what they assumed was the time-traveling car. Min-Gi gently nudged Ryan awake so they could enter the car together. All at once, Min felt weightless inside the car, watching various glowing doors float around them.

"Amelia said we've gotta go through the door that'll take us to the day we first left our time," Ryan said, pulling out the piece of paper she left. Do you see the door we're looking for?"

Min floated past various doors, giving him a look into different moments of his life.

"Why can't we just go through one of those doors and escape the train?" Ryan asked.

"I...don't think it'll be that simple. Plus, who knows what could happen if we existed at the same time as our past selves."

"What about us going to the future?"

"If we go back to our time period right before we left, maybe nothing will change?"

The two stared at each other in confusion before brushing it off.

"Ryan, look!" Min pointed to a door engraved with the exact date they left. He grabbed Ryan's arm as he and Kez made their way through the door. The trio collapsed into a heap once they got through.

"Are we...safe?" Ryan asked. Min checked his number. It'd all but gone all the way back to 202, the way they started.

"I think...our numbers reset."

Pensively, Ryan opened the door to the next car.

"A meadow," Kez said softly."

"I guess we still have ways to go before we get to Morgan's place, huh?" Ryan said. "Sorry, Kez. I know you really wanted us to meet Morgan."

Kez went quiet. Min looked at her, but she shook her head and mouthed the words, "Not now."

He nodded and followed Ryan into the meadow. He trailed behind, and Kez did the same.

"So... you going to tell him?" Kez whispered.

"About the thing with you or...?"

"The other thing, dude!"

"I don't know if its the best time for-"

"What better way to confess your feelings to someone than in the middle of a meadow?" she said, nudging him gently.

"But that's so cheesy..." Min groaned.

"Come onnnnn," she pleaded. "The worst he can do is say no."

"Fine...." But when he looked up, Ryan was nowhere to be found. "Ryan!"

"I'm ok!" his voice came from seemingly nowhere. "There's just... a lot of tall flowers here."

He stuck out an arm and waved it rapidly to alert the others. Kez looked at Min and winked, pushing him towards Ryan's location near one of the only trees in the area.

Min stumbled through the grass trying to find Ryan. He tripped over the tree's roots, but" Ryan caught him and helped him up.

"Thanks..."

"Where's Kez?"

"She's catching up. She said she... had to use the bathroom."

"How do bells even... You know what, I'm not gonna question it. Let's just wait for her here."

Ryan sat down, leaning back on the tree, and beckoned to Min.

"Ryan... back in our tape-"

"I know, it was really selfish of me to try and stay with the Apex. I thought if you and Kez went back to our time, that somehow our numbers would go out of sync and we wouldn't hold each other back. You could go home and go to uni and major in finance and do everything you wanted before I came back in your life."

"To be honest...I don't think I really wanted to go to uni and major in finance," Min-Gi admitted. "My parents are looking forward to it and all. But I... I don't know what I was thinking."

"You sounded really excited back at Dumpty's."

"Somehow I convinced myself that this would make me happy. But after all the hell we've been through these past few, I dunno, months? I realized the only thing I'd be happiest doing is playing in a band called Chicken Choice Judy...with someone I love more than anything."

Min Gi looked down at the ground, gripping his jacket sleeves as he waited for Ryan to respond.

"Someone you love more than- Oh! Oh.... Oh my god..."

"Ryan...?" Min asked, refusing to look up.

"When you were talking about being scared to tell me the truth, you meant...you were in love with me?"

"I still am...Always have been."

"So you...how did...How could I not realize..."

"To be fair...I hadn't made it that obvious," Min admitted. "But yeah. One day I stopped seeing you as a friend and started seeing you as someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with doing what we love. And if that means going to New York with you, so be it. Also uh... if this doesn't permanently change the trajectory of our relationship and you still wanna be fr-"

Ryan threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Min's face heated up almost immediately as he hugged Ryan back.

"If I may make a confession of my own," he mumbled, his voice slightly muffled. "All those exes I had... they were never gonna work as much as I tried to make myself believe that I could find someone else who'd be ‘the one' so I'd stop thinking of you when I left town. I couldn't figure out why I cared so much, why my mind kept going back to you that entire time. I thought I didn't need you in my life anymore. Heh, imagine how in denial I was crushing on my best friend since childhood that I'd date anyone who even remotely reminded me of you... just so I'd stop having feelings for the real deal. For a while... It worked. But then I came back to Powell Lake and everything just.. you know the rest. But I'm not gonna put that front up anymore."

"Does that mean that...?"

"Yeah..." he answered, taking Min's hand and holding it close to his rapidly beating chest. "I love you more than anything too, Min-Gi."

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch the last bit of what you said," Min teased. "You were a bit too muffled." Can you repeat it?"

Ryan smirked and held him at arm's length.

"I love you."

"Just one more time for me? I want to make sure I heard it correctly- WOAH!"

Ryan swept Min-Gi off his feet, spinning him around happily.

"I, Ryan Akagi, love you, Min-Gi Park, more than anything else in the world!" he yelled, laughing as Min yelped from dipping him.

"Okay, okay! I heard you loud and clear this time," Min laughed, feeling absolutely giddy. Ryan lowered him to the ground, linking his arm with Min's. Kez came back through the plants and gave Min a knowing look when she saw the two together.

"That felt... really freeing actually," Ryan admitted. "Like a huge weight's been pressing on my chest until someone came and blew that weight to bits."

"Same here. I'm just glad to have you back by my side again."

"Look, our numbers!"

Min and Ryan held up their hands simultaneously to find their numbers slowly but surely winding down to zero. Ryan squeezed Min's hand as their doors appeared and then combined to make an even larger door leading into Dumpty's parking lot. Ryan looked back at Kez, a little sad.

"Hey, you guys got your exit! Don't worry about me, I'll tell Morgan you guys said hi! Now go!"

Ryan still looked unsure of something.

"Ryan? What's wrong?" Min asked.

"Well uh, it's just. Kez can I just maybe see if the ringer on the top of your head works. I know this might be too forward but I don't know if I'll get another chance to do so..."

Kez laughed and lowered her head. Ryan pensively reached out and lightly tapped the top of her head. She dinged softly. Ryan laughed and pumped his fist in the air excitedly. Min chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"What? I'm sure he'd been holding onto that burning question for ages," Kez giggled. "Now get outta here, love birds."

Min took Ryan's hand and they ran out of the door laughing.

"Love you Kez!"

"We'll never forget you, Kez!"

Min opened his eyes once the bright lights dissipated. He was lying on the warm concrete of the parking lot that led to his (former) place of work. Ryan lay right beside him, eyes closed.

"We're...off the train!" As soon as Min got up, Ryan tackled him, laughing. Once Min recovered he spun him around. When he finally let Ryan down, he hugged him once more.

"We still have quite a bit to work on with each other," Ryan said, holding his hands in Min's. "But it's a start. I like this. I like you."

"I like you too. I don't know what's in our future, or if we'll even be able to sell a single album. But I'm ready to head into it all as long as we're together."

"Wow, that was corny," Ryan snorted. "But really sweet."

"Thanks," he chuckled, cupping Ryan's face. The latter made a few glances between Min's eyes and his lips. Min-Gi raised an eyebrow slightly, causing Ryan to snort once more and nod.

Min leaned in slowly as he gave Ryan a quick but sweet kiss on his lips. He pulled away just briefly, then he gave Ryan another, more heated kiss as he held him close by his waist. When he finally let go Ryan just stared at him with his face bright red.

"Lost for words for once, are we?" Min teased, feeling all sorts of excitement in his body.

"Hi...I'm just...wow. Did not know you had that in you."

"Guess I'm full of surprises."

The back door to Dumpty's opened, and a young woman walked out in the restaurant's uniform dragging a bag of garbage with her.

"Min? Where the hell have you been? Horace thought you were dead! I had to take on a lot more shifts while you were gone since no one else wants to work here.."

"Oh, hey Portia," Min said sheepishly. "I uh, got really sidetracked with stuff. But I'm back now. But...I'm probably quitting if I haven't been fired by now. Sorry dude..."

"Well maybe you can catch me up inside," she said, tossing the bag into the dumpster. "Horace isn't here today, and it's a pretty slow day sooo I guess I can take my break while you tell me why you have been missing for months. You too, Ryan. I feel we have a lot to talk about."

Ryan and Min shared a glance with each other. Ryan cracked a grin at him and led Min-Gi inside the fairytale-themed restaurant.