Author's Notes: Decided to go ahead and post the final chapter today, as had it not been for my stomach flu, this would've been the day it was posted anyway. Enjoy!

He wasn't injured. He wasn't harmed. He hadn't even had his entire intelligence drained. He was simply back to where he was at the beginning of all this. He had lost the knowledge he'd worked to steal, and that was it. He was back to normal. He should've considered himself lucky that was all she took from him.

That wasn't strictly true, however. He was missing a few things he'd been enjoying before. A girlfriend, for openers. It'd been so long since he'd actually enjoyed the companionship of a woman that he'd let himself not notice how obviously she'd been using him, and that's all he could really think about. It had been so obvious, and he'd been so lonely, he'd let himself fall for what was such a transparent performance. All the praise she'd given him, all the love she'd shown him – merely a smokescreen while she played him like a second rate fiddle.

He lay in a heap amongst the cows, not even really bothered by the increasingly alarming odor they were emitting. He just lay on the road outside the capital building, waiting for the ground to swallow him up or lightning to strike him or a dog to piddle on him or just something to make him feel worse.

He was dimly aware of the sound of footsteps approaching him, but he didn't bother to look up. He knew who it was.

A pair of small white and purple shoes appeared in front of him, flanked at both sides by some orange, white and black furry feet.

"Frank?" Calvin asked. "You okay?"

"… Leave me," Dr Brainstorm said in a defeated tone. He didn't want to bother with them right now.

"We saw what happened," Hobbes said gently. "Are you okay?"

Dr Brainstorm continued to lie in silent contemplation for another five seconds before he figured out what he could say to them. "… How could I have been such a fool?"

Socrates opened his mouth to say something, but Calvin and Hobbes both shot him a warning look, so he shut up and smiled pleasantly.

"Why didn't I see it? Was I so desperate for love that I willingly blinded myself from seeing what was right in front of my eyes?"

"Look, Frank, you didn't get the girl," Calvin sighed. "That's life in general. Women just cause trouble. In fact, I find they're just slimy in general. It's why I'm Dictator-for-Life of GROSS."

Dr Brainstorm stared up at him at last, but his expression was one of irritation. "You're only six," he growled. "Just wait until you grow up and have actual hormones coursing through your veins, and then you'll understand."

Calvin backed away in fear. "That's the most horrible thing anyone's ever said to me!"

"You don't get what it's like to be used! Chewed up! Spat out! Tossed aside like an old shoe!"

Socrates whistled. "Too bad Andy isn't here. He knows about that."

Hobbes looked confused. "He does?"

"Remember that stuff with that girl he liked who liked Calvin instead?"

"Don't remind me," Calvin grunted.

"Go away, please," Dr Brainstorm grumbled, rolling over so he didn't have to look at them.

"Hang on a second," Hobbes said, taking the MTM from Calvin. "I need to make a call. MTM – put me through to Andy's phone."

"We're seriously doing this?" Calvin whined.

"Why not? He might be able to help," Socrates said with a shrug.

"Why would he help me?" Dr Brainstorm sighed. "After what I did to his hamster… his pet… Why would he ever…?"

"Look, Frank," Calvin snapped. "It stinks you got your ego trodden on, but at the end of the day, she's still stuck as a stupid girl! There's nothing special about her! She's just like every other girl at the end of the day – sneaky, conniving, annoying and slimy! You're better off without her!"

Socrates rolled his eyes. "Can't wait to see you as a teenager," he muttered.

A second later, there was a bright flash of light, and everyone turned in surprise to see Andy standing in a small clearing amongst the cows, holding the hamster cage that carried Sherman, who looked surprisingly at ease with having just traveled such a distance.

Hobbes spoke up as he tossed the MTM back to Calvin. "Yeah, he said he'd do it."

Dr Brainstorm rolled over again to look up at the eight-year-old boy, who clearly looked like he'd just gotten done being very upset. He was looking down at him with a stern expression, and yet, there was a sort of wisdom in his eyes that seemed well beyond his years. His eyes flitted to the hamster in the cage, and he immediately felt that pesky conscience of his run laps through his noggin.

"Frank…," Andy said calmly.

"… Yes…?" he asked in a slightly worried tone.

"It's going to be okay. I know you're feeling lost and confused and like you put your heart on the line for this girl, but let me tell you right now. The world is still turning. There's going to be a tomorrow, and tomorrow, you're going to get up, face the world and remember that you're Dr Franklin J Brainstorm, and you deserve better than some girl who would just use you like that, so it's not worth being heartbroken over her."

Socrates blinked. "What does the 'J' stand for?" he whispered to Hobbes, but he only got a shrug in response.

Dr Brainstorm ignored them, instead choosing to focus on what Andy was telling him. "You really think I can find someone who genuinely likes me?" he asked quietly.

"You bet you can," Andy replied. "There's a woman out there who will love you for who you are, from your hair-trigger temper to your habit of getting your leg stuck in your rocket's steering wheel."

"She sounds great," Calvin muttered, crossing his arms in disgust.

Dr Brainstorm could only marvel at Andy in wonder. "… How did you get to be so wise?" he asked.

Andy shrugged. "I don't know. It just kind of happens."

At that moment, they were interrupted by the sudden movement of several cows apparently standing to attention. Dr Brainstorm had to get up off the ground to avoid getting a hoof on his hand. They looked all around to see what was happening.

"Looks like Veronica's preparing to storm the White House," said Hobbes, craning his neck to see over the cows.

It was true. The cows were slowly starting to march in formation.

"We've got to get after her," Calvin said urgently. "Come on. Safest way in is on top."

Catching on quickly, Hobbes gave his friend a leg up onto a passing cow before jumping after him. Socrates did the same in turn for Andy and the silent Sherman onto a second one, and Dr Brainstorm leapt onto a third. They rode slowly but surely into the heart of what was sure to be a pitched, albeit silly, battle.

If you care about politics at all, what happened next will be very satisfying. If you could care less about politics, it will be even more satisfying.

The point is that several congressmen being chased by a madwoman on the back of a bull is a very satisfying sight to behold no matter who you are, and as such, it can be greatly appreciated by all, regardless of background.

Veronica had given the command to the bull to run just fast enough that they could pose a threat without actually running them over. She had the megaphone in one hand while she held on with the other. "Come now, boys," she said coyly. "I've got all day! Those ancient old tickers of yours have to give out at some point from all this running!"

The congressmen kept running throughout the building, trying to find some sort of room they could duck into, but they were running so fast there wasn't time to stop and turn a doorknob, and before they knew it, they were trapped against the wall at the end of the corridor.

Veronica held up a command module and spoke into a speaker grille. "Halt, bull," she said calmly.

The bull obeyed, slowing down until it came to a gentle stop in front of the cowering men of politics.

"How appropriate to be chased by a bull of all things, eh, boys?" she asked smugly, remaining on the back of her chosen animal. "Now then – I want control over the country."

One elderly senator found his voice. "But… but how do we do that?"

Veronica blinked. "Excuse me?"

"How do we give you control over the country? How do we just… give it to you?"

There was a long awkward silence as Veronica began to contemplate that. How did she get control over the planet after this stage?

Riding the cows past the security guards hadn't been difficult. A few shots were being fired, but our heroes kept their heads down as they made into the room where a few other farm animals were grazing on various pieces of priceless furniture. Once they were in, they jumped down and tried to figure out where they were.

"So how do we find her now?" Socrates asked.

"I think we could stand a map right now," Hobbes said, looking around helplessly.

"We're in the Diplomatic Reception Room," Calvin announced, looking around frantically. "There are hoof prints heading out into the Center Hall. There should be a staircase to the right! Come on!"

Everyone looked at him in surprise as he turned and ran out the door.

"How did he know all that?" Dr Brainstorm asked.

Everyone looked at the hamster in the cage, which was eating a food pellet at the moment. Without much else to go on, they followed Calvin into the hall and towards the stairs.

Lots of furniture was muddied and knocked over, with a few pigs and chickens wandering around and causing random acts of untidiness. A horse came galloping out of the library and rounded the corner into the China Room.

"Not a bull, but in the same spirit," Andy remarked.

"Hope the President's got a decent cleaning crew," Socrates mumbled.

"The tracks continue upstairs," Calvin called down. "We need to get going onto the State Floor!"

They followed him up, following a singular set of tracks into the Cross Hall and to their left.

Veronica was racking her brain. "Uh… who do I talk to about getting control of the country?"

The trapped senators looked lost. "Well… I suppose you'd need to get in with the Pentagon…"

"Nobody here?"

"Well, we're not all that sure what you want."

"I don't know! I need to know who to get a hold of for conquest over the stupid country so I can move on to take over the world! I need… things! Intimidating things! Things like… like…"

"Nuclear launch codes?" a voice suggested.

"Yes! Thank you! I need those!"

Then she realized none of the senators had said that. In fact, the voice was familiar, and it was coming from behind her. She turned to look and was stunned to find the last person in the world she wanted to see.

Jack was leaning against the stationary bull, arms crossed and looking very casual. "Of course, that's just one place to start," he continued, looking at his metallic nails. "You could ask for weaponry, battleships, tanks, armored vehicles, etcetera… You know, there are thousands of brand new tanks and weapons just sitting around the various military bases in storage that never get used, despite the billions of dollars being spent on them? And don't try to make this one person's fault. This has been going on for years in multiple administrations."

"What are you doing here?!" Veronica hissed, glaring at him furiously.

"Just doing what I do best – pointing out the flaws in an evil plan. In fact, here's a flaw right here. You don't know what you're doing. You took the knowledge to control the animals, but you didn't bother with the knowledge to follow through with the 'taking over the world' part. You haven't made any substantial threats. You haven't got any serious weapons other than a bunch of farm animals milling around, and they require constant nourishment to remain healthy enough for you to use them indefinitely. To be honest, this was doomed from the start. You should've done something like controlling the weather or the water supply. This is just messy, and I can't believe you talked Frank into doing this."

"DR BRAINSTORM!"

Jack and Veronica turned around and saw that Dr Brainstorm was standing at the other end of the hall with Calvin, Hobbes, Andy and Socrates.

"Oh, hey, guys," he said casually, waving over at them.

Ignoring Socrates waving back, Dr Brainstorm stepped forward, looking his robot in the eye. "You came back," he said in a surprisingly quiet voice. "After how stupid I was and everything I did, you came back? And what's more – you've been paying attention to my half-crazed rants about world domination all these years?"

Jack smirked to keep himself from full-on smiling. "Oh, come on, Frank," he replied. "Did you really think I cared so little I'd let a woman come between us? I'd never abandon you, especially when you truly needed me."

The man and the robot stared at each other for a really long moment, as if they had suddenly realized how much they meant to each other.

But the moment was lost when Veronica suddenly pushed Jack aside and made a leap for Dr Brainstorm, holding the intelligence-stealer in her hands, hoping to get it back onto his head. "I need your knowledge of world-conquering, Frank!" she yelled frantically. "Now just hold still before I sick my bull on you!"

But Dr Brainstorm managed to grab her wrists and hold her at bay before she get could get the device on. "I think you've been sicking your 'bull' on me since you first got here," he replied angrily.

Calvin blinked. "I don't get it," he whispered to the others. They merely shrugged in response.

Dr Brainstorm managed to squeeze her wrist until she dropped the device on the floor, and he pushed against her until she was against the wall. "This is over, Veronica!" he growled. "It's time for you to go back to wherever you came from and forget about this!"

"Why'd you try to take over the world, anyway?" Hobbes asked. "What was the point of it?"

"Oh, I think I can answer that one," Jack said as he picked up the device and began fiddling with it. "I put in a few calls to your hometown, Veronica. Turns out you're falling a bit behind in a few payments here and there. Up to your pretty little nose in debt, it would appear."

Andy stared. "You mean to tell me this was all because you had credit card debt?" he demanded.

"They were going to audit her next Tuesday. I guess she figured she could take the easy way out."

"You found that out from calling her hometown?" Socrates asked.

"Yeah, they put me through to a certain friend of hers. I believe the young man's name was Fred?"

"A 'Fred' for a 'Frank'," MTM sighed. "Ugly business."

Veronica glared at them. "What are you going to do to me, Frank?"

Dr Brainstorm fixed his eyes on hers. "… I don't know," he replied quietly. "I wish I was the kind of man who did know, but then, I have some degree of a conscience."

She smirked. "Just as I thought. You don't have it in you to do anything untoward to a woman."

Calvin cleared his throat. "Well then, it's a good thing I'm here," he announced, taking a step forward. "As Dictator-for-Life of the GET RID OF SLIMY GIRLS Club, I hereby declare you to be a 'slimy girl' and, therefore, an open target. Open fire, men!"

Dr Brainstorm backed away from Veronica, and before she knew what was happening, she was pelted in the face by three water balloons, thrown by Calvin, Hobbes and Socrates. She spluttered helplessly as she tried to get the water out of her eyes, and while she was distracted, Jack slipped the intelligence device onto her head, and Dr Brainstorm slipped the other end into the hamster cage, adjusting the size so it would fit around Sherman's tiny head.

"Now, Jack!" he called.

Jack flipped a switch on the dial, and there was a force that knocked Veronica off her feet.

"She should really get off the floor with that bull around," Socrates remarked.

"Can we stop with the bull jokes, please?" Andy sighed. "I don't even get half of them."

There was a brief pause as no one seemed to know what to do. They waited patiently to see what Sherman would do. The little hamster rolled over in his cage, looking around curiously.

Andy knelt down next to him and looked into his eyes anxiously. "Shermie…?"

For a long moment, the hamster looked back at him. Then, he blinked heavily and stretched a crick out of his neck. "Gentlemen," he said with considerable dignity. "I believe I have been restored."

The others cheered delightedly as Andy opened the door and pulled his friend out.

Veronica glared at them in a puddle on the floor. She attempted to dry herself off as they went about congratulating each other.

"One thing still confuses me about all this," Socrates said. "How did Calvin know about the interior of the White House?"

Calvin shrugged. "I read about it."

Hobbes looked at him in surprise. "Really? Was it for an assignment?"

Sherman shook his head, looking at Calvin suspiciously. "We never had an assignment about the White House."

Calvin squirmed. "I was curious, so I looked it up!" he snapped. "I wanted to know what it was like in the President's house! We did that report on JFK and I started thinking about what it must be like to live here! It was inspired by Greek architecture, you know."

Sherman blinked. "We… didn't study the Greeks, either. Or architecture, for that matter."

"It just snowballed, okay! Geeze! Get off my case!"

"Calvin actually enjoys learning now," Andy remarked. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Oh, shut up!"

The others laughed.

Dr Brainstorm, however, looked thoughtful. "So you read up on all that knowledge and now have it at your disposal…," he murmured.

Calvin looked up at him in confusion. "Er… yeah?"

Dr Brainstorm looked at him, then at Sherman, and then at the intelligence-transfer device that he still hadn't come up with a satisfactory name for. Deciding that was one more reason for why he might as well do this, he lifted up his foot and crushed its remote under his shoe.

The others looked at him in surprise. "What'd you do that for?" Socrates asked.

"Because if I'm going to take over the world, I'm going to earn it," Dr Brainstorm replied. "I'm not going to take silly shortcuts like stealing knowledge. Whatever plan it is that gives me control of the planet, I'm going to learn the know-how myself."

Hobbes rubbed his eyes. "Man, there's so much growth going on here, it's throwing me off-balance."

At that moment, they were interrupted by the sound of a chicken clucking, and they saw one strutting past, robotically. Upon closer inspection, they realized they were surrounded by animals that were marching around and chewing on whatever was in the room.

"I knew we were forgetting something…," Calvin muttered.

Jack picked up the little handheld device with the speaker grille that Veronica had dropped. "I think it's time we got these creatures back home," he said.

"Yes, we might as well," Dr Brainstorm said. "Goodness knows how long it will be before Homeland Security shows up."

There was a flurry of clicks behind them all, and they turned to see several agents in black suits and earpieces holding nasty-looking rifles at them in action-man stances.

"About now, it would appear," Andy muttered.

"I was wondering where those congressmen disappeared to," Calvin whispered.

The agents stared down at the man in the lab coat, the soaked woman on the floor, the two boys, the stuffed tigers, the CD player and the hamster, not to mention what appeared to be a metal man off to the side, and glared at them professionally.

"Identify yourself," the lead agent said, aiming his gun and question at Dr Brainstorm.

Dr Brainstorm looked startled, but then his brain went into overdrive and figured out a plan. "Gentlemen," he said in a calm voice, "I have found the woman responsible for this, and I have subdued her thusly."

The agents looked at Veronica on the floor. She was looking very guilty right about now.

"That's her, all right," another agent said. "The security footage confirms it."

"But who are you?" the first agent demanded, still pointing his gun at the mad scientist before him.

"Who am I? Check your internet feeds, gentlemen! I believe you'll find I was trending with an internet fan club last summer! I am Doctor Franklin Brainstorm, and I am the future ruler of the world!"

They all stared at him blankly.

After a moment, one agent on the left who was fairly young spoke up. "Oh, wait, you're that guy who kidnapped that kid last summer!"

"Indeed! And I have apprehended this woman for you!"

"… Why?"

"Because I must ensure that it is I who takes over the world! Tell your friends and neighbors! Brainstorm is the future! Now, we must depart! I shall see to it that all these animals are returned safely! MTM – take us home!"

MTM seemed startled. "What…? Oh! Right! Er, off we go!"

There was a flash of electricity, and Calvin, Hobbes, Andy, Sherman, Socrates, MTM, Dr Brainstorm and Jack all disappeared, leaving Veronica behind to face Homeland Security.

The agents were startled, and they looked around to see if it was some sort of trick. After a few moments, they realized they weren't going to get anywhere, so they decided to work with what they had.

"All right, ma'am," the leader said, aiming his gun at her. "You want to explain what just happened?"

Veronica squirmed. "Erm…"

Back in the lab, everyone looked around to ensure that everything was okay.

They didn't get a chance to speak to Dr Brainstorm because he suddenly disappeared into the next room, throwing open the soundproof door and flooding the room with the incredibly loud noise of the machine that controlled the animals. They covered their ears for about a minute until it finally died down, and he stepped out again, shutting the door and dusting his hands.

"Okay," he said, "I gave the command for all the animals to walk home. That should take about three hours altogether. Once they're all home, I'll shut the machine off."

"And destroy it?" Hobbes asked.

"What? And lose such a powerful machine? Nah, I'll just repurpose it for something else."

They all looked at each other uncertainly, but they decided that if everything was back to normal, the odds of him succeeding would be, too.

"So everything's fine now? You're okay?" Andy asked.

Dr Brainstorm nodded. "I'm fine. Plenty of other fish in the sea. I'll eventually find someone who won't use me for their own nefarious purposes. Until then, I've got plenty of other things to do to keep me busy."

"And therefore, keeping us busy," Socrates sighed.

"Well, let's take another week before we go back complete normal," Calvin said firmly. "I've got to get home and resume my homework before the last day of school, so if we're done here, let's get going, huh?"

Sherman chuckled. "Yes, Calvin. We'll start right away."

Hobbes shook his head in amusement. "This is going to take some getting used to."

They all said their goodbyes and walked out of the lab.

Dr Brainstorm and Jack were left alone.

"Well…," Dr Brainstorm said, clearing his throat. "I guess I'll go get to work on altering the frequency device."

"Okeydokey," Jack replied with a nod.

Dr Brainstorm turned and walked towards the experimenting room. He stopped when he noticed the robot wasn't following him. "Ahem!"

Jack looked up, startled. "What?"

"Aren't you going to help me?"

"… I suppose so. You need all the help you can get."

"Gee, thanks."

With the old sarcasm and frustration seeping back in, they both knew things were returning to normal as they went back into the lab to make life difficult.

With the drama squared away, Calvin and Sherman resumed work on their studies together.

While they were busy, the world continued turning for a week, and few things happened in the meantime.

Dr Brainstorm and Jack succeeded in ordering the nation's livestock to turn around and head home. It took an entire day, but soon, all cows, horses, chickens, pigs, geese and sheep had all returned to their respective farms, and the whole thing was chalked up to weird hormonal imbalances caused by bad grain. It was left to animal rights activists and government officials to battle it out over how or if the animals should be punished.

Hobbes, Andy and Socrates kept to the weird side of things so Calvin wouldn't get distracted, and the first thing they did was use the MTM to hack into the government computers – which alarmingly only took a few minutes – and they got hold of the master copy of the security footage in the White House, wherein they digitally altered it so the five of them were too blurred to make out, so that no one would know they were involved in the entire affair. Dr Brainstorm and Jack were left as they were. They figured it would do his reputation some good if he could appear to have broken into the nation's capitol building, only to come and go as he pleased.

As a result, the news reports about the event spoke of a twisted madman and his robot battling a woman in the capitol building, with it ultimately being proven that she had been the mastermind. With Veronica being caught for tax evasion and skipping out on her audit, she was arrested and given at least five years in jail. Dr Brainstorm's fan club grew in number with many more excited about the prospect of their world's new future leader, and Socrates, as their fan club leader, sought to milk their enthusiasm for all it was worth.

While all of this went on, Calvin and Sherman continued to work away at the ever-shrinking pile of assignments. They studied fractions, the life cycle of plants, what the pilgrims did on Plymouth Rock, who the first guitar player was and did several book reports as well. Calvin still found a few subjects boring, but he knew that the only way out was to learn whatever he was told to. Math continued to be unexciting, but science and history were fairly interesting, and writing assignments ended up being his favorites as Sherman taught him about things like "generalizations" and "disputing facts".

At last, the week was up, and it was time to face the future.

Calvin turned in the last of his assignments at the beginning of class.

Miss Wormwood regarded him down the length of her nose but took them and proceeded to grade them.

The entire day was fairly relaxed. Kids were at their desks, having a chat and enjoying the last day before they didn't really see each other for the next three months. They were scattered around with their desks turned to each other and cracking loud jokes.

Calvin, on the other hand, stayed away from everyone else like he normally did, and he proceeded to enjoy drawing sketches on his notebook paper of the school being destroyed in an earthquake.

Susie had just finished talking to some friends and was coming over to gather up her textbooks so she could give them back to the school. She noticed Calvin on his own and decided to try and say something. "Calvin?"

"Yeah?" he asked, not looking up.

"Are you going to make it to second grade?"

"I don't know yet. My fate rests in the meaty hands of the woman behind the big desk."

Susie nodded. "Uh-huh… Well, I just wanted to say, for the record, I hope you pass."

Calvin finally looked up. "Oh… Er, thanks, Susie."

"And also…," she continued, "I truly hope we're in separate classes next year."

That caused a smile to split across Calvin's face. "As do I, Susie. As do I."

Susie smiled back and went back to talking to her friends.

Calvin was going to resume his doodling when he noticed Miss Wormwood looking directly at him. She was calling him over with her index finger. Swallowing down his nerves, he got up from his desk and went to see her.

"Yes, Miss Wormwood?" he asked, hoping not to draw attention to himself.

She set the papers down in front of him. "Calvin, I have reviewed your assignments and tabulated your scores, and I'm happy to say that you have successfully raised your grade to a 'C plus'."

Calvin's eyes widened, and then he felt his entire body relax as if a huge weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. "I did? I passed? I'm free?"

She closed her eyes patiently. "Yes, you've successfully completed the first grade."

"Thank you, Miss Wormwood," he said, trying to contain his delight. "I'm very pleased."

"I should think so."

At that moment, the bell rang, and everyone began gathering their things. Calvin returned to his desk to start doing likewise, trying not to dance a little jig as he went.

Miss Wormwood addressed them all. "Well, goodbye, everyone!" she said. "I wish you all the best of luck in your futures, and I hope that you will continue to value your education well beyond the second grade. It's the most important thing you can have as you head into adulthood."

The kids all chorused their goodbyes as they got the possessions in order and filed out the door.

"Calvin?" she called out.

Calvin stopped in his tracks as he was just on his way to the door. He felt his anxiety build up as he once again approached her desk. "Yes?"

"I hope you in particular have learned the value of an education and hard work," she said sternly. "You can't just sit around in a perpetual dream world forever. You have to start applying yourself and doing everything your future teachers tell you if you're ever going to get into a good college, and that's the only way you're ever going to make something of yourself. Remember what I once told you – what you get out of education is equivalent to what you put into it."

Calvin looked at her for a long time. He knew this was a pivotal moment in his life as his first grade teacher was no longer going to be a driving force in his existence. He took a moment to consider what he wanted to say before he closed this chapter for good.

"Miss Wormwood," he said slowly, "I can assure you that I have learned that learning can be fun, and education is a vital part of life."

"Good," she said, smiling in satisfaction.

"However," he continued, not about to let her 'win', "I have learned that learning is only fun if it is made fun, or at least remotely interesting, and regrettably, you are not an interesting teacher. You reduce everything to trivia and sound bites."

Now the smile was gone. She looked rather taken aback. "I beg your pardon?"

Calvin continued. "You don't even treat me like I'm an individual! Every time I try to make learning interesting for myself, you just grind me down until I'm just like everyone else and repeating all the fact you pour into my head like I'm a parrot! If I have any hopes for the second grade, it's that my teacher treats me like I'm a human being, and not like I'm some automated little windup toy! I only hope you're capable of learning how to treat kids like they're people and not a bunch of little automations to be programed to spout trivialities! Have a nice summer!"

And he walked away, feeling even better than he had before.

"You really said that?" Susie asked, looking alarmed.

Calvin leaned back in his seat on the bus. "Nahh, I just imagined it really hard," he replied in a tone that may or may not have been a lie. "Anyway, the grades are in, I'm moving on up, and I'm ready for whatever life's going to throw at me."

Susie nodded. "Well, good. Glad to hear it."

The school bus came to a stop outside Calvin's house. He said his goodbyes, climbed down the stairwell and onto the sidewalk, feeling confident about everything and feeling like nothing could stop him.

And of course, he walked up to his front door, opened it and yelled inside, "I'M HOME!"

He found himself flying backwards across the yard and landing in the shrubs that divided the yard. Branches and leaves obscured his vision, and he heard that familiar laugh.

"You know, for someone who just realized he enjoys learning, you don't do it very well," Hobbes remarked, dusting himself off.

Calvin growled and jumped him, and they both went wrestling across the yard. They fought for several minutes pummeling and attacking the life out of each other until they were so tired they just lay in a heap in the lawn, gasping for breath.

They looked up and saw Andy, Sherman and Socrates standing over them, looking amused. "Look who's home," Andy said with a smirk.

"I noticed…," Hobbes gasped.

"I take it all went well?" Sherman asked.

Calvin managed to nod. "Yeah, I passed," he wheezed. "Thanks, Sherman."

"Anytime. The lab door is always open."

They were just getting ready to walk away when Socrates suddenly spasmed. His entire head went into an involuntary twitch. "Uh-oh…," he announced.

"What is it?" asked Calvin.

"I'm getting a call on that transmitter thingy."

"Well, put it through. Let's see who it is."

Socrates nodded and pressed against his head. He immediately went into a backflip, landed on his hind legs and screwed up his face as he voluntarily activated the transmitter chip in his head. In a robotic voice, he announced, "Incoming transmission from: Galaxoid and Nebular."

His voice then took on a tone similar to Galaxoid's. "Earth Potentate Calvin! We have most distressing news!"

"What's up, guys?"

"We have intercepted a transmission from a neighboring galaxy that the Intergalactic Bounty Federation has put a price on your head and is out to capture you and your friends!"

Socrates briefly came out of transmission mode to make a remark. "I don't like the sound of that," he murmured.

He snapped back into his previous stance as Nebular took over, as if he were possessing the tiger. "There are plans to capture you and your friends within the next week. Unless you want the Earth reduced to ash floating throughout the cosmos, you need to be off this planet within the next few days!"

Calvin looked amongst his friends. This was happening way too fast. "Suggestions?" he asked hopefully.

Hobbes looked at his watch. "Well, I could be packed and ready to go in fifteen minutes, but something tells me we need to think this one through…"

Calvin nodded. "Okay, Galaxoid and Nebular - we'll reconvene later tonight to hammer out the fine details. We need to time to get our affairs in order before we just disappear off the face of the planet."

"Very well," Galaxoid's voice said through Socrates. "Call us when you're ready."

Socrates then spoke in the robotic voice. "Resume normal functions in three… two… one!" The tiger hiccupped and snapped out of transmission mode. He looked at his friends with some trepidation. "Are… we going into space?" he asked.

Calvin nodded. "Looks like we're going on the lamb for a while, boys," he said, looking up at the sky.

They all followed his gaze, aware that beyond the blueness of it were a bunch of aliens about to descend upon them.

Of all the ways summer vacation could have started, this wasn't exactly what they had in mind.

Author's Note: And now, the wait for the next story - Escape to Nowhere - begins. Thank you for reading this story. Can't wait to see what the next one is about!