A/N: Guest reviewers Toni and Lionwolf174 requested a second part from Zak's perspective, so here it is! (Written in under two hours, as per my usual for by Zak Storm stories apparently. XD)

To address a concern by Lionwolf174, the "kiss of life" mentioned in the previous chapter was just Calabrass' term for CPR. It's something I see a lot in cartoons, and thought it would be funny to have Calabrass say that Zak needed a kiss of life. Sorry if I confused anyone.

Everyone on Marituga is going to die if the C's don't do something.

Zak wracks his brain for an idea, theory, wild scheme, anything! He draws a blank, though, and the cannon only shakes harder.

"Maybe we can block the cannon!" Zak thinks wildly. "Then the blast wouldn't have anywhere to go. The whole ship would blow up instead, just like the movies!"

It's an idea, but how exactly does one plug a cannon? It's going to blow any second, and it's not like he can summon a giant cork out of thin air!

Maybe force back the blast? From Caramba's ramblings, the cannon is going to shoot concentrated energy. Like lightning in a cannon ball. How would one stop lightning...

Zak looks at Calabrass in his hand. How powerful is his Eye of Aeria shield? Calabrass stares back, seemingly knowing what Zak is thinking.

"Ah could take the blow, but ya can't," Calabrass mutters. "Tis a fool's errand, trying that."

Zak thinks about the heroes in his favorite movies. None of them would hesitate in this sort of decision. Their life to save a whole city? They'd be fixing the issue already, not standing still.

It's the only way, Zak realizes. There's no time for another plan.

Telling himself that the shaking of his body is just from the cannon, Zak steps to the end of the barrel. Takes a breath, steeling himself.

"Now all of you, off this ship." Zak's proud that his voice is steady.

"What are you going to do?" Cece asks, suspicious.

"Crogar doesn't leave. Crogar fights!"

Zak couldn't have asked for a better crew, but they can't help him in his decision. The realization hurts more than Zak thinks it should, and he can't stand straight anymore. His shoulders bow forward and he closes his eyes for a second.

When he opens them, his vision is blurry. He steps onto the waiting plank and blinks his eyes clear before turning to his crew.

"The time for fighting is over."

Cece frowns as the plank backs away. Does she think he's going to run away?

"I could maybe try to-" Caramba starts to say, but Zak doesn't let him finish.

"Forgive me, guys."

"For what?"

Cece's suspicious now. Zak's come up with wild ideas before, and she's usually hesitant to use them without careful planning. But there's no time for planning or explaining. The back of the cannon glows with power.

"Calabrass, Eye of Aeria!"

Zak's cry lacks the usual enthusiasm, and he feels a frown tugging at his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, Zak sees the Chaos racing toward the ship. He's coming to rescue his crew, and Zak intends to see that at least three of the C's are off to safety.

He looks at the three in front of him. Crogar is bracing himself against the shaking, holding his airplane wing-sword like he can bash the energy away from Marituga. Caramba's digital face is terrified, but he's standing firm. Cece stares back at Zak, eyes confused and stance ready to go down with the mission.

Zak lifts the Calabrass-shield up to his shoulder, then hesitates.

He's twelve years old. He's not ready to die! There's so many waves to surf, adventures to face, people to meet, places to visit. How can he die so far from home, leaving his dad with no explanation as to what happened?

How do the heroes in movies do it?

Zak thinks about the people of Marituga, waiting and expectant. They trust the C's to save the day, like they always did.

He thinks of the crew -no, his best friends- so willing to stand by his side in an impossible fight. They don't know there's a way to stop the Lemurian ship, but they refuse to abandon Zak.

Zak thinks of his dad. His dad always told him to do what was right, no matter how much it hurt.

"Sacrifice is stupid," Zak remembers telling Cece earlier.

Zak sweeps his arm to the side, summoning wind to blow his friends from the barrel. He hears them thud against the Chaos' deck.

Protect Marituga. Save his friends.

"But there isn't any other choice."

Zak guides the plank in front of the cannon. He stares into the light of the cannon, and looks at Calabrass. He tightens his grip.

"What power do ya want?" Calabrass asks.

Zak's silently glad that Calabrass doesn't argue his decision. "Give me everything you've got left!"

Energy flows through Zak's body. He's never felt so powerful! But in the light of the cannon's power, he's never felt so weak. Zak bows his head and closes his eyes.

He once promised himself that he wouldn't leave his friends until he found a way out of the Bermuda Triangle. Well, it seems like he couldn't keep that promise.

"I'm sorry," Zak thinks. "Sorry that I can't bring my friends home. I hope… I hope that you find a way home without me. I'm sorry, Dad… I won't be coming home."

Zak opens his eyes. Energy hums in the air. It's now or never.

The plank races forward and Zak releases a battle cry. He pushes all of Calabrass' energy into the shield, blocking the cannon's barrel and forcing its power back.

His hair stands on end. He can taste the very air burning. His body shakes from too much energy.

"Always do what's right." Zak braces himself for the final push. "No matter how hard."

Zak surges forward. Everything's white and bright. His body hurts, but his mind is numb. Some inhuman cry escapes his lips.

And the world explodes.

His body jars against something, then he's in the open air. Sunlight is dim after the cannon. He's shooting skyward, fast as a rocket.

Is this death? He can't feel a thing, not even wind on his face. His brain refuses to work, registering that his body is still there only when his momentum slows and his arms drift up into view.

Calabrass is there, eyes closed. The plank goes higher, then stops. Zak sees them, and he knows then. He is still alive.

And now he's falling.

He hopes his plan worked. He hopes the people of Marituga are okay. He hopes that the crew got away safely. He hopes they aren't mad.

He wishes he could have said good-bye.

A ghostly chill passes through Zak, jerking his unfeeling body. His eyes close and everything fades as coldness washes over him.

"I'm not dead?" is Zak's first semi-coherent thought. His next is, "Wow, I hurt."

Zak tries to move his arm, but his whole body is sore and damp. He lets out an inadvertent groan, and hears people moving around him.

Zak carefully shifts his body, and is relieved when there isn't any major pain. Just an overall feeling of ouch.

He dares to open his eyes. He's forced to squint by the blinding light. For a moment, he wonders if he's really dead and if this is Heaven.

Then his eyes adjust to the sunlight, and he realizes that his friends are staring at him hopefully. He grunts in confusion and tries to focus.

He has to ask. "Did we win?"