《The Chronicles Of Max Hunter 2: With Much Deliberation》 53. Rejection He, irregardless, ate his breakfast and headed out to class, skateboarding, as per usual. It wasn''t long before he''d finally made it to school. Thirty minutes early, no less. To him, that was some kind of record for an ordinary school day. Max:(thinking: Alright, now that I''m here, I''ve gotta find those guys.) There was a lot they had to talk about. Their powers and Wolfram. He almost immediately found Tiffany by her locker, and he called her. Max: Tiff! Hey, what''s up! Tiffany: Max? He ran to her and got to her. Max: So, how goes it, m''lady? Max bowed to her playfully. Tiffany: I''m fine. How are you feeling? Max: I''m good, I''m good. He had so many questions. Tiffany: Great. At that moment, Tiffany took a step back and bowed to Max. Max: Wha... Tiffany: Thank you for saving me and my allies, Maximillian Hunter. I am indebted to you. Max: Huh? What?! Wait! You don''t have to pay me back for that. We''re teammates, right? Tiffany: Thank you for your kindness, Max. However, we are not teammates. Max: What!? But you said... Tiffany: I only said that to get rid of you. Max: But... Tiffany: Look, it''s not that I have no understanding of your strength, nor the fact that I do not believe you have the guts to put your life on the line for others. But rather, it is the fact that we as a team think it would be unwise to have you.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. She then gently closed her locker and slowly walked away. Max: But I... but I... Max stopped in shock for a moment before eventually following her. Max: Whaddya mean unwise? And whaddya mean team? You all decided I wasn''t cut out for this? Tiffany: Well, Rose still wanted you to be a part of the team, but the rest of us, not so much. Max:(thinking: Even Ken...)But... but why... Tiffany: Because you are far too big of a risk factor. Max: But... Tiffany: Don''t worry about it too much. In due time, you could actually end up joining us. But not right this moment. Max stopped in his tracks again before following her again. Max: Hold on. But I saved you guys. Tiffany: You did. And I am genuinely grateful for your help. However, that does not mean that you just get to join the team right away. Max: Well, what else is there? Tiffany: Max, do you know what a team is? Max: Huh? Tiffany: A team works with multiple people, like how your teeth all fulfil different roles. Max: Huh? Tiffany: Do you get it? Max: Uhhh. No. Tiffany: Each tooth does something different. Sure they can try and fulfill each others roles, but, in the end, if they can''t find out what they''re good at and focus on that as well as work well with the other teeth, all that would happen would be chaos. Max: What? Tiffany: You don''t get it? Max: No. I mean, yes... I mean no. I mean... I have super speed. No one on your team has that. Tiffany: True. But we already decided that that was not enough. Max: Huh? When? Tiffany: During our team meeting? Max: Team meeting? Wait, I missed a team meeting!? Tiffany: Shhh. Quiet down. There were plenty of students walking around in the vicinity. Max:(whispering)I missed a team meeting? Tiffany: Technically, no, because you''re not a part of the team. Max: But... That''s not fair. Tiffany: Max... Max: I should at least get a... err... briefing. Yeah. Tiffany: Oh, that? I already told you. You''re not a part of the team. Max: What! But... Max paused, and Tiffany continued walking. Tiffany: Like I said, Max. Maybe some time later. But not now. And also, it''s Tiffany. Max: But I... I just wanted to help. Max sighed as he turned to head to his locker. Max: Jeez. He pulled out yet another random set of books. "Who knew what he was studying that day and who cared?" he thought. Just as he was about to open his locker, he heard a voice. Ken: You best pick out the right books this time. Max: Ken! Ken: Morning, Max. How goes it? Max: I''m fine. And hey, what was that about? Ken: Hmmm? Max: The team. Tiffany told me. Ken: The team? You mean me vouching for you not to join? Max: Yeah. Why''d ya think I shouldn''t be on the team? Ken: Oh, that. Well, that has more to do with your personality and the fact that you''re new here and a lot less with your powers. Max: Whaddya mean? Ken: Well, I suppose I could elaborate further. We had a team meeting last night at about 8 pm. 54. Discussion: Aloysius Wolfram The day before at 8 pm. Something of an online meeting was taking place. The security of the conversation was being guarded by Ken''s bionics. Ken: Good evening, all of you. Rose: Evening Ken! Tiffany: Evening Ken. Ken: It would appear that Luke is late again. Tiffany: He said he had to deliver some more pizza. He said he''ll be here soon and that we can start without him. Ken was on a computer while consistently using his bionics to search out any potential online spies and take them out. Tiffany was on her phone and clipping her toenails. Rose was flat on her stomach on her bed, looking at her own laptop. Ken: (sighs) Alright. Shall we begin? Tiffany: Yeah. Tiffany took a deep breath. Tiffany: Before we begin, I would like to apologise to you all. Rose: Tiff... Tiffany: I wanna apologise for being down today. I was acting like this one setback meant the end of the world. Like because of this, we should all just give up instead of trying to pull you all up. Like I was the only one who was upset. I''m sorry. I wasn''t acting like a leader. The atmosphere of the meeting suddenly changed. Rose: Tiff... you... Ken: Hmmm. Well, I didn''t expect that response. In any case, it''s all good, watchful leader. Nothing to worry about. Rose: (sobbing) How can you take it like that, Ken? Tiff, I was so worried about you today. Tiffany: Rose... I... Thank you all. She let out a somewhat relieved breath. Rose: Don''t mention it. Tiffany: Alright. On to the next topic. Ken! The agenda? Ken: That would be Aloysius Wolfram and, of course, Maximillian Hunter. Rose: Max? Ken: Yes. Tiff and I just had a conversation about this earlier today. Max said he wanted to join the team, and given his abilities, I think he is worth considering.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Rose: (girly squeal) Really? Ken: Well... Tiffany: We can save that discussion for after we deal with Aloysius Wolfram. Rose: Awwwww. Ok. But wait... you know. I saw him today. Tiffany: You what? Rose: Uh huh. He was skateboarding, and he saved me from a fall. Tiffany: Again? Rose: Yeah. He''s so cool, isn''t he? Tiffany: Hmmm. Ken: It would appear that Mrs Hunter wasn''t kidding. If he was healthy enough to skateboard, then perhaps he is genuinely better. Tiffany: Yeah. Another relieved sigh escaped Tiffany''s mouth. Max was ok. That was a heavy weight off of her chest. Tiffany: Alright. Let''s start with Aloysius. Ken? Ken: Powers include dark energy manipulation, extensive dark crystal manipulation, and, of course, just like his little sister, he''s one tough cookie to knock down. Tiffany: No kidding. Tiffany loudly clipped another toe nail. Tiffany: Anything else. Ken: He would also seem to be quite a bit more intelligent than her. Rose: And he''s super strong, too! Ken: Yes, and significantly stronger than his sister. Tiffany: Hmph. Ken: I have a question. Just how many siblings do you think she has, anyway? Tiffany: Hopefully, just the one. Rose: I also hope there''s just one. He was super scary. Ken: Naturally. I did, however, notice that he lacked psychic powers. Dark blasts of energy, yes. But no psychic powers. Tiffany: What does that mean? Rose: Yeah, what? Ken: It simply means that each sibling would appear to have a unique power. One, crystal manipulation, and the other, psychic powers. Rose gulped. Rose: Noooooooooooooooo. I thought we were gonna go on like there were only two of them. Ken: You and I both know that that assumption is unwise, Rose. Rose: Mmmmmmmm. I really, really, really hope theres just two of them. Tiffany: Yeah, me too. Ken: In any case, as for the next topic, weaknesses. I''d say that there are no truly specific ones. Rose: What about Max? Ken: Irrelevant. The amount of electrical energy Max used was so absurd that considering that to be a weakness would be irresponsible. Rose: Huh. He was that powerful? Ken: Yes. Especially that final blow. If Aloysius had not protected himself, he might have died. Rose: No way! Tiffany: Hmmm. Ken: That being sai... Luke: Yo! Rose: Luke! Tiffany: You made it. Ken: Well, better late than never, I always say. Luke: Great to hear from you, too, Ken. Rose: Evening Luke! Luke: Evening Rose. Tiffany: Are you done with the pizzas? Luke: No. Still got a lot of work to do today. In fact, I''m still driving to deliver some pizzas. So you guys just keep going. I''ll pay attention. Luke kept his phone on and placed it on his phone holder. Ken: Alright. I''ll send you a recording of what you haven''t heard, as per usual. Luke: Great. Thanks. Ken: Alright then. As I was saying, the only one real weakness I can see is Luke. Luke: Huh. Ken: When Luke struck Wolfram, he did massive damage to his outer crystal shell. Even more than Max did before he went berserk. Rose: Really? Ken: Yes. Rose: Wow, Luke. You''re super strong. Luke: Heh. Thanks. Tiffany: So, Luke, is our answer to Wolfram? Ken: It would seem so. Rose: And Max. Tiffany: Ugh. I suppose now we could have that discussion about Max. 55. Objection! Ken: Discussion. Maximillian Hunter. He has the ability to manipulate electricity and move at inhuman speeds. Rose: I know, right? He''s so amazing. Ken: He is also Rose''s biggest crush. Rose: I do not have a crush on him! Ken: Yes, you do. Rose: I do not! Tiffany: Moving on... Ken: Right... right... Maximillian Hunter. Hypercity High''s newest student. Age: 15. He''s got the same classes we''ve got, and, so far, doesn''t seem to be suspicious. On top of that, he is willing to join the team. Even after that, his abilities would prove incredibly useful in combat scenarios. The battle with Wolfram being a case in point. Ken shared photos he''d taken with his bionic eyes during the fight. They showed Max clashing with Wolfram. Ken: And so... Rose: And so... does that mean he gets to be a part of the team? Rose spoke excitably. Ken: Let me finish. And so, Max, as an addition to the team, would be an absolute plus in all sorts of ways moving forward. Rose: Yay! Ken: However... Rose: Huh.. Ken: There are issues... Rose: Issues? Ken: Yes. Max is, at the moment, at least, too much of a risk factor. Rose: Wha... Tiffany: Agreed. Luke: I suppose that''s fair. Rose: But... but how? That''s not fair. Ken: It is. Rose: But how? Ken: Tiffany, if you will? Tiffany: Of course. Rose pouted on the screen. Tiffany: It''s not that I think Max shouldn''t join us, but rather that we still don''t know enough about him.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Rose: But he saved us. And he''s strong and super brave. He could really help us out. Tiffany: I agree with you. However, it''s because we know so little about him that we should be cautious. Rose: But what does that matter? What else do we need to know about him? Tiffany: For starters, his family. Or rather, his mom. Ken: Yes, that strange woman. Rose: What?! But she was so nice! Tiffany: And before that, she looked like she wanted us dead. Rose: But... but... well... what does that have to do with Max? Tiffany: It''s his mom. Imagine we told her that we would be taking her son into dangerous situations constantly. Rose: But... Tiffany: No buts. Luke and I don''t have parents, Ken does this in secret, and your parents are almost never home. But Max''s mom... she knows. I have a feeling that if we enlist Max. she will become a huge problem. Rose: Oh... Tiffany: I''m sorry, Rose. But we need to be careful. You know how dangerous our line of work is. Rose: Oh... ok. Tiffany: On top of that point. Max is too reckless. Ken: Agreed. Rose: What! But.. well... he.... Tiffany: You know I''m right, Rose. Jumping headlong into danger is a part of his personality. There''s just no getting through to him even when his life is in danger. Luke: Hmm. Fair. Rose: Awwwww. But he could still be a great teammate. Tiffany: True. But I still have one point left. Rose: Huh? Tiffany: It''s his powers. Though I suppose Ken can explain that better. Rose: His powers? Ken: Right. Ken brought up a photo of Max and Aloysius'' final clash. Rose: Huh? Ken: At that very moment, while Max attacked Aloysius, the electrical field on his skin became much stronger. I''d say by about a factor of nine. But right after that, it reduced to about 50% of its normal strength. Rose: Huh? Ken: Preceeding this transformation, the lights in the caves lost all of their electrical energy. So did all the mechanised doors and equipment as per my investigation. Rose: Woah. Luke: Huh. I forgot about that. Ken: I don''t believe I''ve seen something like that before. The energy was sapped so cleanly off the machines you''d think someone just didn''t charge them. Rose: Woah. Luke: So what you''re saying is... Ken: Yes. For starters, it would appear that Max has the ability to absorb electrical energy from machinery. But that''s not the main point. Tiff? Tiffany: Right. All of that is well and good. However, the real problem is when he went berserk. Rose: Huh? But... that''s what saved us. Tiffany: True. But while in that state, you noticed it too, right, Rose? Rose: Noticed what? Tiffany: Remember, when you called him? At that point, Rose had a flashback to that moment. She was calling Max''s name, but he did not answer. Rose: Oh yeah. I called him and he did not answer. Tiffany: Hmph. In that state, I''m guessing Max doesn''t have that much control over himself. He didn''t say a single word. In fact, I wonder if that was Max at all. Rose: Y... yeah... Tiffany: Did he talk to you about it while you were with him? Rose: N... no... Tiffany: I see. So it''s settled then. Max won''t be joining us, at least for now. Ken: Seconded. Luke: I agree. Rose: Well, I don''t. Tiffany, Ken and Luke: Huh? Rose: I mean... Max is our friend. We should at least give him a chance. Ken: Well... to be fair... Rose: Ken? Ken: We just met him yesterday, and you have a big... Tiffany: Let me handle this, Ken. Rose, believe me. If he checks out all the right boxes, I''ll let him join the team. Trust me. I don''t doubt his potential one bit. I''m just trying to make sure we don''t make a huge mistake. Rose: Mmmmm. Alright. Tiffany: Ok, I think that was it. Meeting adjourned. 56. Consequences Present day. Hypercity High. Ken: And that is that. (thinking: As per Rose''s request, I kept her crush on him a secret.) Max: Really? Ken: Yes, really. Max: But that''s not fair. Ken: It is in hindsight. Now we should get to class. I''m sure the others are already on their way there. Max begrudgingly sent his arm into his locker. Max: What class are we having? Ken: We''re having History. Max: Right, right. He searched his locker upsettedly. Max: So, how long till I can join the team? Ken: Hmmm. That depends... Max: Depends? Ken: It depends on the chief''s decision. Max: The chief? Ken: Tiff. Max: Her? But... Ken: No buts. She''s the team leader. Max: But... Ken: No buts. Max got the book and pulled it out of his locker before closing it. Max: That''s unfair. I just saved you guys. Doesn''t that make me a part of the team. Ken: Max, this isn''t a superhero cartoon. This is real life. And real life has consequences, speaking of.... It was at that moment that a loud voice was heard. It was Vince. Vince: HEY RUNT! Max: Wha....?! An angry and fuming Vince came walking straight towards them. The students in their midst held their tongue and got out of the way. Vince: You have any idea what you just cost me! Max: Wha...?! Max had completely forgotten about the food fight and only then began to remember it. Vince grabbed Max and slammed him against the locker. Max: Hey! What''s wrong with you? Vince: Shut it. It''s because of you that I got a red card.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Ken: A red card, really. Quite fascinating. Vince: Shut it, nerd. Max: What the heck''s a red card? Ken: It''s a school system. Remember how I said Principal Valencia had a habit of expelling people? Well, if you get three red cards, you''ll be expelled. Vince: I thought I told you to shut it. Ken: Right, right. My bad. Max: Hey! What do I have to do with this? It''s you who started it by bullying that guy. Vince: Oh! Really? Well, remind me? Who threw the first plate? Oh, that would be you. Moron. Max: Moron! Max and Vince stared each other down angrily. Vince: All you had to do was sit down and enjoy your "protection" from Luke. But no. You had to be a jerk and screw things up for me. Max: Well, you deserve it. Vince: Oh... A door opened, and a teacher looked at the pair. Max looked at him hopefully while Vince didn''t even bother to look at him. The teacher simply turned and walked away. Max: What the...?! Vince: You don''t get it, Max, do you? Max: What? Vince: When you mess with the wolf, you get the fangs. Max: Yeah, yeah. Hypercity school motto. Vince: Ohohohoh no. You don''t get it. You get the fangs, all the fangs. Speaking of... Members of the football team slowly started to appear. All bigger and stronger looking than Max. Ken backed away. Vince: Class is about to start. So... Vince landed a punch on Max''s stomach, causing him to flinch and drop to the ground. Voice: Nice one, Vince. A red-haired young man amongst the jocks high fived him. Name: Jeffrey Coleman Age: 15 Description: Your average jock Occupation: Student, left back on the football team Fact: He really loves ice cream. As in really. Vince: You know it. They high fived again while Max recoiled on the ground. Vince: Hey, let''s get to class. Jeffrey: Yeah. The other jocks agreed, and Vince took one more look at Max, only to see him defiantly glaring back even while in pain. Vince: Tch. Let''s go. They all dispersed while Max slowly got up. Ken: Are you... Max: What the heck was that about? Why didn''t you help me? Ken: I''m not the one who started the fire. You know what they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Max: But I thought we were friends. Ken: Friends don''t support their friends'' stupid decisions. Max: You don''t say. Voice: Max! It was Rose. She rushed across the halls to Max. Rose: Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I saw what happened. Are you alright? Max: Yeah, yeah, I''m fine. No thanks to somebody. Max looked at Ken. Ken: I''m always happy not to help. Max: Yeah, yeah... Rose: Vince was so mean to you. Hmph. You should have helped him, Ken! Ken: Oh, sweet innocent Rose. I would have loved to, but I want to leave high school in peace. Rose: Hmph! Max: It''s fine. It''s fine. It''s no big deal. Ken: No, Max, it is a big deal. Max: Huh? Ken: Listen, Max. Remember how Luke said that the jocks basically rule the school? Max: Yeah? Ken: Let''s just say that that wasn''t an over exaggeration. That is exactly true. Max: Yeah, but it''s like that in every high school, right? Ken: Well, here it''s about ten times worse. Remember that teacher who popped in and left? Max: Yeah. Ken: You''re gonna be seeing a lot of that. Max: But what about the principal? Vince seemed plenty scared of him. Ken: He is a whole ''nother beast. Probably one of the few people, if not the only one Vince is scared of. At that moment, the bell rang, and they all instinctively started to walk to class. Ken: We should get to class. Rose: Oh yeah. That''s right. It''s Mr. Diego''s class. Max: Huh. What''s so special about him? Ken: For starters, he''s the teacher that abandoned you in your time of need. Max: What? Really? Max, Rose, and Ken were walking towards the classroom. On the corner of her eye, Rose saw her trinket on Max''s arm and smiled to herself. Just as Max entered the door, a voice sounded from the school speaker. It was the principal. Richard: Maximillian Hunter. To my office, now! Max remained in place, stunned as Rose looked at him with concern and snickering could be heard from his classmates. 57. The Principals Judgement Afterwards, Max made his way to the principal''s office. It was an oddly fancy room with carpets all around the room and its walls. It also had a bookcase and amazing furniture and a miniature golf course complete with its own hole. Max: Woah! He took a moment to gaze upon the scenery. Richard: Good morning, Maximillian. Max: Oh. Good morning, Principal Richard. Richard: Please, have a seat. Max took a seat on the chair. Richard: Now, I suppose you may be wondering why I''d called you here. Max: Uhhhh... is it about the food fight on Monday? Richard: Yes. Very good, Maximillian. It is about just that. Max flinched at the thought. He could be in some serious trouble. Max: Uhh... yeah. Well, what about it? Richard: Well, seeing as you weren''t here yesterday, you did not see as to just how much damage was done that day. Max: Damage? Richard: Yes. To school property and, more importantly, to the student body. Max: The student body? Wait! People got hurt? Richard: Yes, Maximillian. Of course, the majority were nothing more than a few minor injuries, but you know parents and how they worry. Max: Y... yeah. Richard: Yes, it will cost the school quite a bit to fix all of that. That much being said, while the students were cleaning the mess hall, it would just so happen that one of our dear lunch ladies told me of what had really happened. Max: What!Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Richard: Yes, and it would seem that you and your friends deceived me. Max: But... but... Richard: But what? Max: But Vince started it! He''s the one who was bullying that guy. Richard: Who? Max: I uhh.... I don''t remember his name (thinking: Dang it. I dont even know who he is.), but... he still did it! Richard: If that is the case, then how do you fit in all of this? Max: I was standing up for him! Richard: Really? Max: Yeah, and then me and Vince had a fight, and then... It shortly after occured to Max that he''d just told the principal everything. He paused and flinched at the realisation. Richard: I see. Richard took a long sip of his tea. Richard: So, tell me, Max. Why did you, in this scenario, not call an adult for help? Max: Well... I... Richard: So you acted on your own volition. I see. Max: No... I mean... ugh. Richard: You mean yes, don''t you, my boy. Max: But it''s not fair. The teachers wouldn''t do anything anyway. Richard: Really, who told you that? Max: Ken! Richard: Kenneth? When was that? Max: This morning. Richard: I see. So you started a fight in the school premises of your own volition, is that right, Maximillian Hunter? Max: Huh? Richard: Seeing as Ken told you all that just this morning, you had no way of knowing that until just today, isn''t that right? Max flinched. "Was he being played?" he thought? Max: But... Richard: But nothing. I suppose that now, I will have to give you a proper punishment. Max flinched again. Max: Y... you mean the red card? Richard: Oh, you''ve heard of that? Heavens no. I would never give that to a student on his or her first week. I will instead give you a punishment. Max: A punishment? Richard: Yes. Today, you will be cleaning the kitchen after lunch. Max: Gross. What kind of punishment is that? Richard: The proper kind. The thoughts of disgusting and greasy ovens as well as dirty plates disgusted Max. He was not looking forward to it. Richard: Yes, it will be quite the challenge, but you will have to overcome it. But for now, you are dismissed. Max: (depressedly) Yeah. Max got up and walked out the door. "That guy." he thought. "He''s something else." Richard Valencia. His calm, eloquent, and benevolent voice could did not waver once during their conversation. And that was, perhaps, the most terrifying thing about him. Just as Max was at the door, he continued. Richard: And tell all those friends of yours that they have detention for deceiving me. Max winced at that last statement. Max: (thinking: Great, more bad news.) After Max was gone, Principal Richard Valencia got down to some golf. Richard: (thinking: Maximillian Hunter. He''s a strange one. Standing up against Vince to protect someone he doesn''t even know. I wonder as to why he did it.) He effortlessly landed a hole in one. Richard: (thinking: That boy... well, in the end, he will have to be punished for his wrong doings.) Meanwhile, Max made his way to his history class. 58. The Boring Lesson First Period: History class. Teacher: Diego Petrocelli. Max walked into class right at the middle of his lesson in an already somewhat bad mood. Mr. Diego was non-enthusiastically droning on about the first world war. The rest of the students were barely attentive. Diego was a slim man with a pot belly that looked like life had beaten the tar out of him. His face spoke of years of self-deprecation. Max was about to take a seat before Petrocelli stopped him. Diego: Excuse me, young man. Could you introduce yourself to the rest of the class? Name: Diego Petrocelli Age: 42 Description: Boring Occupation: History teacher Fact: He always carries a load of chewing gum. Max: Oh, right. Max introduced himself as usual and took a seat. The rest of his friends were there. Rose was seated next to Tiffany as usual, Luke was in the back with the other jocks, dosing off. Ken was seated next to an empty seat. And so naturally, Max sat right next to him. Ken: (whisper) Welcome back, weary traveller. Max: Weary traveller? Tch. Ken: Hmm? Having a bad day? Max: Are you kidding me? Diego: Quiet, Maximillian! Max: Right..., right... The rest of the lesson went on as one would expect. Absolute boredom. Max and the rest of the students tried to keep themselves from falling asleep. Luke had already lost that battle, Rose was trying desperately to stay awake so as to be polite. Only Ken and Tiffany had their eyes open.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Although, to be fair, Ken was also dosing off. He was just very good at keeping his eyes open. So, in reality, only Tiffany had the mental fortitude to stay wide awake and not to give in. His voice was monotonous and boring. It was then that a spit ball hit Maxs face. Max: What the... The spitball came from the back. It was Vince. He and the other jocks congratulated themselves with high fives, much to the cheer leaders'' amusement. Some laughter ensued. Max glared back at them. Max: Hey! Diego: Maximillian! Max: Oh, sorry. Diego: (sighs) Quiet all of you. The students slowly became quieter. The teacher went back to teaching, and Max went back to dosing off before another two more spitballs were fired at him. Max: Hey! Quit it! Diego: Maximillian! Another gaggle of laughter came from the back. Max: But he... Diego: No excuses. One more peep from you, and you''ll get detention. Max: But... Diego: Shhh. The teacher looked at him strictly before Max slunk back down into his chair. Rose: (thinking: Poor Max...) Max sighed before the teacher continued to drone on and on seemingly endlessly. They still had thirty minutes to go. Yet another spit ball hit his face, and another and another and another before Max finally reached his breaking point. Max: (thinking: That does it!) Max instinctively searched his bag for a straw. Max: (thinking: Well, two can play at that game.) He pulled one out and prepared to fire one back at Vince. Ken: (whisper) That''s not a very good idea. Max: Yeah, yeah... He turned to Vince to face him but was stopped by the teacher almost immediately. Diego: Maximillian Hunter! He flinched. Max: But he started it! Diego: (sighs) Detention! Max: But... Diego: No buts! The laughter in the class continued. Diego: Quiet down, all of you. The class slowly returned to normal. Rose: (thinking: Oh, Max.) Rose wanted to turn to him, but Tiffany held her hand and shook her head. Tiffany knew Max would have to deal with the consequences of his actions. Max groaned before choosing to simply remain quiet. The rest of the lesson went as such, with Max being spit balled at, Vince and the other jocks occasionally laughing, and the rest of the class paying attention to the spectacle rather than the teacher. Diego: ... and so after the war.... Max: (thinking: I''ve never seen a history teacher talk about something as cool as war so boringly.) The bell rang, and all the students energetically started getting up and getting out of class. Diego: And remember to do your homework all of you. Diego, after saying this, sat back down in his chair and got on his phone. Max and Ken walked out together. Rose, Tiffany, and Luke, who was woken up by Ken just before they left, followed behind them. Max: Jeez, that sucked. Ken: That would be what happens after you mess with Vince. Max: But why didn''t that teacher do anything about it? Ken: Because the school football team is almost sacred here. It''s the one thing that keeps this school on the map. Max: Ugh. Right, Luke told me that. Ken: And so, given your actions on Monday, you''ll be living like this for quite a while. Max: Ugh. 59. Cat And Dog Luke yawned heavily, and the group stopped walking and turned to him. Rose: Are you ok, Luke? Luke: Yeah. (yawn) I was just working till late last night. Rose: Oh dear. You poor thing. Luke stretched his arms. Luke: I''ll be fine. Besides, you know what lesson comes next, don''t you? Max: Huh? Ken: Oh yes, that will be quite inexhilerating. All things considered, though, it will be especially exhausting for you, Max. Max: What? Why? Luke: Cuz it''s gym class. Max: Gym? Luke: Yeah. My advice? Try to keep your head down. Max: Huh? Ken: He''s talking about Vince. Remember? Max: Huh? Ken: You''ll be having a gym class with a bunch of jocks all of whom, because of Vince, have a problem with you. Max: Hmmm. Oh yeah. Yeah. Vince. Ken: Hmm? Max: What? Ken: You don''t seem so worried. Max: Heh. It ain''t my first rodeo. Tiffany facepalmed, Luke chuckled, and Rose giggled. Ken: (sigh) You''re just full of surprises, aren''t you? Max: Hmph! Naturally. Tiffany: (sigh) Honestly... By the way, Max. What did the principal tell you? Max: Hmmm? Oh yeah, I''d totally forgotten about that. Max narrated to them what had happened in his office. Max: ...so yeah, sorry guys. Tiffany: (sigh) I knew he''d figure it out.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ken: Well, now I have to kiss my relaxing evening goodbye. Luke: Ugh. Well, I guess it''s no big deal. Max: Yeah, I''m really sorry about that. Luke: Don''t sweat it. Rose: Yeah, Max. It''s fine. Ken: Of course. After all, it won''t kill us. Tiffany: Yeah. Max smiled again. Being forgiven so easily warmed his heart. After all, that was not something he often experienced. Tiffany: Huh. Why are you smiling? Max: Huh. Oh. It''s nothing. Tiffany: In any case, I suppose it''s good he figured it out today. After all, we have no plans for later. Luke: Yeah. Ken: That much being said, we really should get to gym class. Rose: Oh, that''s right. It''s Mr. Collin''s class. The group all started walking towards the gym. Ken: Are you sure you''re ready for gym class, Max? Max: Yeah, of course. Don''t sweat it. I''ll be fine. Gym class. Max had never once felt too strongly about this place. To him, it was always more of a bother than anything else. A loud whistle was heard from a fit man well into his forties. Man: Hypercity Howlers! All the kids chanted, Woo! Woo! Woo! in unison. Name: Gilbert Collins Age: 46 Description: A high-energy man Occupation: Gym teacher Fact: Is a coffee connoiseur. Gilbert: That''s right. The teens were all in a group, seated down on the ground in the football pitch as he spoke to them all as a group. Gilbert: As you all may know, Hypercity High is the first ranked school when it comes to football. Can anyone here tell me why that is? A hand shot up. It was a jock. Gilbert: You! The teen stood up. Jock: Because we have effective P.E lessons, sir! Name: Samson Sanders Age: 15 Description: The most well-behaved jock Occupation: Student, fullback Fact: He dislikes the taste of candy or anything sweet for that matter. Gilbert: That''s right. Sit down soldier. Samson sat down. Gilbert: It''s because we push our kids to excellence not only in their studies, but also in their own physical health that all the students here not only maintain the countries top spots in multiple sports, but also the reason as to why our kids are the healthiest. Look around. How many fat students do you see? Max instinctively took a look around. He was right. Not a single kid in his class, male or female, was overweight. Gilbert: So, now then. As with last year, I''m going to push you till you hang on with the skin of your teeth. Understood? The class answered in howls. Gilbert: Those are my kids. Now... He got a clipboard and read it with a somewhat surprised look on his face. Gilbert: Well, it would seem I forgot something. We have a new howler. Maximillian Hunter. Where is he? Max got up and started to walk to the front. Gilbert: Hmmmm. I see. Why don''t you introduce yourself, Max? Max introduced himself as always. Gilbert: Good, good. I don''t know what school you came from, but here, being as lanky as that is unacceptable. Max: Huh? Gilbert: Looks like we''re gonna have to put you through the ringer. Isn''t that right, class? The class answered again in howls. Gilbert: Alright then, let''s begin. The gym coach told all the students to head to one side of the track and field to prepare for a relay run. Gilbert: The name of the game is simple. Cat and dog. The group immediately started murmuring. Max asked Ken, who was right next to him.... Max: What''s cat and dog? Ken: Basically, we all have to run laps while he chases after us? Max: What!? Ken: And whoever is overtaken by him has to do pushups until the last person is caught. Whoever lasts for ten laps or whoever can keep doing pushups till the ten laps are over is guaranteed to have passed. Max: And if I fail? Ken: You don''t wanna know. 60. So It Begins Max gulped. Gilbert: Alright, you know the drill. Ladies get a head start. If I pass a female student thrice, she''s out. Max: And girls have it easier? Ken: The female gender is physically weaker, and so it makes sense. Max: But what about Tiffany? Ken: Oh her? She''ll be absolutely fine. The jocks along with Luke, were hyping each other up on the sidelines before Luke suddenly came to the both of them and patted their backs. Luke: You two ready? Max: I guess so. Ken: Easy for you to say. Your superpower is super speed. Max: Well, not really. Luke and Ken: Huh? Max: It''s hard to explain, but that power doesn''t work unless I activate it. Ken and Luke: What?! Luke and Ken shared a glance. Ken: So, you''re saying that, since you can''t use your super speed, you''ll be using your normal stamina. Max: Yeah. Ken: And by that, you mean your normal human-esque stamina. Max: Yep. Ken: Which, judging by your physique, isn''t very good, is it? Max: Hey! Ken: Yep. You''re screwed. Max: Huh? Ken: Let''s just say that this gym coach is out of the ordinary. Max took a look at the coach and saw Vince whispering into his ear and pointing at him while the coach nodded. Ken noticed it as well.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Ken: No, I was wrong. You''re double screwed. Max gulped. Luke patted him on the back. Luke: Hey, relax. Maybe it won''t be so bad. Max: Yeah, maybe... Tiffany and Rose walked up to them. Tiffany: How''s everybody doing? Ken: We''re doing fine, my liegette? Luke: Fantastic, actually. I finally get to stretch my muscles a bit. Rose giggled. Rose: You never change Luke. Luke: Ha! Is that so? Max: Yeah, we''re fine. Tiffany: Great. Tiffany turned to Max. Tiffany: Now I know I''m not your leader, Max. However, I feel it would be best to advise you to keep your powers a secret. So, I would suggest holding back. Max: It''s alright. My mom already made me promise not to use my powers. Tiffany: Good. Ken: Besides, apparently, his powers only work once he activates them. Otherwise, he''s as physically fit as the average human being. Rose: Woah! Really? Ken: Yep. Tiffany: Oh. Ok. Then.. I guess my warning was completely unnecessary. Huh.... (thinking: This makes things a bit more difficult.) Tiffany was very shocked to hear that. She turned to the rest of them. Tiffany: Alright then, Luke, remember to keep your powers to a minimum. Luke: Yeah, yeah, I got it. Max: Huh, whaddya mean? Ken: Luke''s super strength is basically innate, so he has to control it constantly. Max: Really? Ken: Yes. And besides, we have to keep our abilities a secret. That much should be obvious even to you. Max: Hey, I know that. Tiffany: Irregardless, we should get ready. I''ll keep an eye on Rose. Ken, you keep an eye on Max. Ken: Right. Max: Hey, wait... Tiffany: Hmm? Max: What''s the big deal? I thought we weren''t a team. Why do I need to be watched? Tiffany and the others exchanged glances. Ken: You poor sweet summer child. Tiffany: Were you not paying attention to the speech he gave? Max: Huh? Tiffany: You''re so careless. Before they could explain further, a whistle loudly blew. Tiffany: No time. Just get ready. The coach''s voice bellowed from a distance. Gilbert: On the lanes, now! Max and the others all got on the ground and ready to run. Max: What''s the big deal? Luke: Just keep your head in the game! Max: What does that even mean? Rose: You''ve got this, Max. The coach blew his whistle once more. All the students were gathered in the same group. Gilbert: Alright. On your knees. They all got on their knees. Gilbert: Get set. They all poised themselves to run. Gilbert: And let the first run of the class of 2024..... begin! And at that point, they all started running around the track. Vince and Luke almost immediately took the lead. Vincent: Try to keep up, Luke. Luke: He... You got yourself a competition, Vince. (thinking: Gotta make this look realistic.) Tiffany didn''t take the lead amongst the girls. She instead ran alongside Rose, who was already struggling. Tiffany: Take it easy, Rose. Rose: (panting) Yeah. I will. Max and Ken were in the middle, running at an average pace. One thing was instantly clearly strange to Max. Everybody was running at a pretty fast pace for ten laps. Meanwhile, the coach was holding on to something unexpected. A paintball gun. 61. Its A Dog Eat Cat World Max observed the coach from the other side of the track while breathing heavily and trying to keep up with the other students. Max: So, what was the big deal? What were you guys so worried about? Ken: Don''t speak while you''re running. Conserve your energy. Max: Huh? Ken: Just make sure he doesn''t catch you till you reach the seventh lap. Then your legs won''t feel like noodles. Max: What? Max and the majority of the student body were two thirds through their first lap. It wasn''t a jog, but rather something of a sprint. The tensity in the air could be felt. Something was about to happen. Vince was in the lead, with Luke right behind him and a few other jocks as well. They were significantly closer to the coach than the rest of the students. Then Max started to notice it. The girls all started slowing down, or rather, all the guys started speeding up, and Ken signalled at him to keep up. Max: What''s going on? Ken simply pointed to the coach, who at that point, Vince and Luke had just passed. The coach got on his knees and into a "ready to run position." He remained in this position for a few more seconds as every guy running got much faster as they passed him in something of a panic. It was after a few jocks had passed him that he whistled loudly. It became quite obvious to anyone observing what was about to happen. However, the sheer extent of it would have shocked anyone. The coach started sprinting at an incredible pace. He was already fit and muscular enough that one would expect incredible feats from him. But this was overkill.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He wasn''t just sprinting. No, he was sprinting at full pelt. This grown man wasn''t going to hold back against kids. He passed Vince and Luke. Of course, because Vince and Luke passed him beforehand, he did not stop them. Max: What the!? It only took Max a second to feel the pressure. All the guys started to slowly leave him behind. Ken: Come on! Max started to run at his best as well. He was good enough on the skateboard, spectacular even. However, running had never been his strong suit. All his years sports had been something he had avoided, but here and now, it was almost as if all those P.E. classes were having their revenge for him finding ways to get out of them. He and the guys huffed it as the coach slowly gained ground on them. Brian: Move move move... A teen behind them yelled. Name: Brian Baxton Age: 15 Description: Doesn''t like the gym Occupation: Student, school band member Fact: Loves hawaiian pizza The race was on. At that point, all the guys were running at their best, panting heavily. Max kept his eyes on Ken and followed from behind him. A shrill cry was heard from the girls as the coach tore through their group, side stepping and avoiding colliding with all of them at a terrific speed. It served as a reminder. A solemn reminder that he was coming. Max rushed and caught up to Ken. Max: What the heck is his deal? Ken simply signalled at Max to look at the coach at that very moment. Max had just about made it through a half of his second lap, and at that point, the coach had caught his first victim. Lenny Lark. The coach slowed down behind Lenny and pointed the paintball gun at his back. Gilbert: Better run faster, kid! Lenny was already at his limit. Lenny: I... I''m sorry... coach... I... And a shot was heard. The coach, while jogging in place, continued while the other students watched while running. Gilbert: Get down and give me all you''ve got. Lenny: Y.. yes, sir. Lenny walked to the centre of the pitch and started doing push-ups. The coach promptly continued his run. Ken continued under his breath. Ken: That''s how you survive. You don''t have to be the fastest. You just have to make sure that as many people as possible are behind you. Max: Huh? Ken: To buy you time. The key is to buy time. Think of it as 5 seconds for every student he catches. Another shot was heard. Max and Ken had just made it past their 2nd lap. Max: And every second... Ken: Equals more time for us not to get caught until the seventh lap, so we have to endure till then. Alright? Max: Alright. The two teens continued their mad dash from the coach. 62. Sevens The Name Of The Game The seventh lap. The idea was simple. Survive till the seventh lap and then allow yourself to get caught. After that, you can do push-ups while the coach does the remaining three laps. It was a way to survive the coach''s brutal cat and dog game. A method devised by Ken specifically. One that he and the others would use not only to compensate for their lack of endurance should they suffer for it, but also to mask their identities as it would be quite odd if someone, say of Tiffany''s size and build was to manage all ten laps at the same time as Luke and Vince. It was a calculated manuevre. One Ken was quite proud of. As Max and Ken continued their sprint, more students were caught, mostly nerds. Two and a half laps. And the pain and agony of running really fast was starting to get to Max, who was now panting. The students who were caught remained in the middle of the pitch, struggling to do push-ups. All of a sudden, Lenny fell to the ground in defeat. He could go no further. The coach somehow immediately noticed this. Gilbert: Lenny! Strike two. Out! Lenny morosely lifted himself up and walked to the stairs and sat in the place in which the audience would sit during a game. Max: What is he...? Ken: Focus, Max! Max took his advice and continued to run irregardless of what had happened. Max and Ken passed by the girls'' group, dodging through all the girls who seemed to be running at an intentionally slower pace. He saw Tiffany and Rose. Tiffany: C''mon Rose. Keep up. Rose nodded her head as she continued to run. The majority of the guys passed the girls as they finished their third lap, and the coach was not too far behind. Rushing through the girls again in a similar manner as before.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. The girls had just about finished their second lap, and after the coach had finished his second run through them, they all immediately began to sprint as well. If the coach overtook them once more, they''d be on the ground doing push ups. The screams from the girls as they ran faster sounded audibly around the field. More and more students were caught. Maxs fourth lap. At this point, 10 students were caught, and four of them were on the audience seats. Luke and Vince passed Max. Vince: Keep up, loser. Luke: You got this, Max! The pair continued irregardless as other jocks passed by Max, some of them intentionally bumping into him. Max: Hey! Ken: Never mind that and move. Moments later, a loud scream was heard. The first girl had been caught. She sobbingly walked to the middle of the pitch and began to do girl push-ups. Max: (thinking: Girls get easier push-ups, too?) Fifth lap. At this point, Max could barely hold on. His feet were killing him. He continually wondered as to how Ken had not fallen apart yet. So far, 14 students had been caught. 10 guys and 4 girls. He just kept his eyes on the prize. There were two more laps to go. Sixth lap. He and Ken passed by Tiffany and Rose again. They were on their fourth lap. Tiffany: Come on, Rose, just a little longer. Rose was sweaty and exhausted. She was also on her last legs. Max: Rose? Rose: Max? Tiffany: Rose, focus! Rose turned to Tiffany and nodded her head. Tiffany looked at Max almost as if to tell him to move. Ken as well signalled to him to follow. After all, the mere fatc that they had just passed the girls again meant that the coach was about to catch them all. The calculations Ken made worked differently for the girls. This was because the workout would stop once the coach had finished running nine laps. As a result, there was no need for the girls to keep up with the guys, as they could simply wait till their fifth lap and then do easier push ups for around the same amount of time Ken had calculated the guys would be doing push ups. It was yet another part of Kens'' strategy. The coach promptly started shooting at the girls one by one, as they were all in around the same area. As the coach brushed through them, Tiffany and Rose were also caught. Max watched as the pair walked to the centre and started doing girl push-ups. Seventh lap. At this point, only a few students were left on the track. The majority had either been caught or were in the audience seats. Ken signalled to Max to slow down. Ken: Phew. Great job. Max: Yeah. Max almost collapsed. He felt like he''d just won a marathon. That running was absolutely brutal. The coach was gaining on them even faster, but that didn''t matter. After all, it was their arm muscles that they now had to worry about. On top of that, since there were fewer students on the track and so they would have to do push ups for a shorter time. It was then that the coach finally caught up with them. He shot Ken but did not shoot Max. 63. Full On Defiance Ken started to walk to the middle of the field but paused when he realised that Max had not been shot. Max paused as did the coach who remained running in place right next to him. Gilbert: Since you''re new, I''ve decided to make things interesting for ya. Max: Huh? Gilbert: I want you to continue running this track. And if I overtake you even once, you''re done. Max: But... The coach, without further elaboration, continued his run. There Max remained. Shocked and confused. He did not believe his luck. His legs were in so much pain that he could barely feel them. Just what was he supposed to do? Ken: Hey, Max. Move! The coach was already on his way to him. Ken: Trust me, you don''t wanna get caught. Max looked at Ken in disbelief. He couldn''t, could he? Max started with a weak jog as Ken settled in the centre to do his push-ups next to the girls. Tiffany was doing ok, but Rose was doing horribly. Rose: K.. Ken? Tiffany: Keep your mouth shut. Don''t waste your energy. Ken? Ken: Likely Vince''s doing. Tiffany: And... Ken: He''s probably screwed. Max bit his tongue as he continued. Could it really be that bad if he failed? What could possibly be worse than what he was feeling then? His legs felt like noodles, his mouth was dry, and his feet were on fire. 8th lap. The intrusive thoughts got worse. Why should he be doing this? More and more students were being caught. One by the other. There were only a handful of students left running, and Max felt that he was at his absolute limit. The coach was gaining on him, and his legs were on fire. Just how bad could it really be?Stolen story; please report. It was then that Luke and Vince passed him again. Vince: Good luck, loser! Vince smacked the top of his head, and Max almost fell. Luke: Hey! Vince: (sarcastically) Sorry! Luke stopped, and Vince continued. Max remained with his hands on his knees, panting. Luke: Look, Max, I know we''re not really close friends, but I can tell you from experience, it''ll hurt a lot worse if you get caught. Max: Huh? Luke: Trust me, you don''t want to get caught. Max: (panting) Easy for you to say, you''re... you''re... Luke: I wasn''t always this strong. So get up and move. Max hesitated. Luke: He''ll be here soon. Get up, or else. Luke started to jog in place. Luke: Hey, come on. I thought you were a fighter. Max looked at Luke for a moment. He looked serious. Luke started to jog off while Max started to follow after him. Whatever it was, Luke was trying to keep him from it, so it must be really bad, he thought. But there was yet another reason he chose to keep on running. He got up and started running again. Luke: That''s more like it. Luke turned and ran to catch up with Vince, who was waiting for Luke several metres away. Vince: You done peptalking the scrub. Luke: Yeah, yeah. I''m done. The pair stared down the finish line. It was their final lap after all. Vince: Wanna go all in? Luke: Yeah. Vince: Hmph. The pair started and ran at their top speed to the end of the pitch. Vince won just barely. Vince: Booyah. Luke: Man! Vince: Haha! Luke: Good job, good job. I''ll get you next time. The pair laughed before Max rushed right past them both. Vince noticed Max glaring right at him as he passed them. Vince: Tch. That guy..... Moments later, the coach passed them as well. At that moment, it was Max, a few other jocks and the coach on the field. Max had two and a half more laps to run, and his feet were killing him. He almost tripped multiple times, but he was motivated. Motivated to stick it to Vince. 9th lap. The coach was only moments away from him. Ken and Tiffany kept their eyes on him as he continued. Tiffany: You think he can do it? Ken: We''ll see. He is full of surprises. Tiffany: (thinking: Just what on earth did you tell him, Luke?) 10th lap. Endorphins were in Max''s body, giving him the break from pain he needed to keep himself running faster. He knew full well he would be in hell if the coach caught him. But even more, he had another reason. The coach unloaded his paintball gun. He was mere seconds behind Max. Max forced himself to just keep going irregardless. He was halfway there. The pain was kicking in quickly. He and the coach were the only ones left on the pitch. His throat was completely dry, and his feet were in pain he could not believe. Three-quarters way. Luke: Come on, Max. Move! The students on the seats, as well as the ones doing pushups, watched him intently. Could he actually do it? The coach put his paintball gun out. It was just about at his back. Mere moments away from it. Max pushed himself once more. Vince and Luke were at the very end. Both waiting. The white line was within reach. But at that point, the coach had stuck the gun to his back. Gilbert: Hey, get a move on or... Max simply dropped on the ground like a fly, much to the coach''s confusion. He hadn''t been paying attention to the field. Max had just crossed the finish line. And there he remained, on his knees, panting, looking defiantly at Vince, his real target. Gilbert: Well, now. You actually did it. 64. Kens Cryotherapy All the students doing pushups dropped to the ground in exhaustion. All of them starting to murmur. Be it that they had worries about their families, schoolwork, or their current physical and mental exhaustion. One thing was clear. Maximillian Hunter. That kid has guts. In an odd sense, his victory resonated with their hearts. Not enough that they would outright cheer him on, but enough that they noticed him. Rose dropped to the ground. Rose: I... is Max ok? Tiffany: Yeah. Ken: Yet again, full of surprises. Back with the others... Luke: Good job. Luke laid out a hand to lift Max up. Vince: Tch. Vince folded his hands and turned away. The coach blew his whistle. Gilbert: Alright, all kids. Everyone on the pitch can leave and go take a shower. All the kids on the bench, come with me. The other kids followed the coach morosely while those who had passed slowly walked off to shower. Tiffany got up and faked stretching while Rose and Ken sweatily got up and followed suit. Ken: (sigh) It''s finally over. Tiffany: Yeah. Rose immediately afterwards made for Max in spite of her exhaustion. Ken: Look at her go. Like a fly to a light. Tiffany did not reply but simply followed Rose as Ken sighed and also followed her. Back with Max and Luke, Luke had indeed put his hand out to Max, but he claimed that he could not stand up. Luke: Really? Max: Yeah. I can''t feel my legs. Rose made it to the pair. Rose: Max! That was incredible! Max: Thanks.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. She then noticed the look on his face. Rose: Are you ok? Max: Yeah, ''cept I can''t stand up. Tiffany and Ken arrived as well. Ken: Well now, that would appear to be quite the predicament. Tiffany: I agree. (sighs) Ken: It would seem that you overworked yourself. Max: No kidding. Luke: Whelp. Ken? Ken: Yeah. Luke and Ken bent down and carried Max from his sides, lifting him with his arms. Max''s legs touched the ground as he was lifted. Max: Ouch! Luke: Sorry! Ken: Seems you can feel your legs. Max: Hey! Rose: Ken, you''re so mean! Ken chuckled in response. Tiffany: (sighs) Well, I suppose you two know what to do. Luke: Yeah. Ken: Of course, my liegette. Tiffany: Alright. Well, I''ll leave it to you. Rose? Rose: Huh? Oh, right. Rose turned to Tiffany and followed her as she went to the bathroom. Rose: I hope you feel better soon, Max. Max: (exhaustedly) Thanks. The girls promptly left. Max: So, where are we going? Ken: To the bathroom. Max: Huh? Max, being carried by Luke and Ken, was taken to the school bathroom rather than the shower room. It was there that Ken let him go and went into an empty classroom to get a chair. Max: What are we doing? Luke: You''ll see. Ken came back with a chair, and Luke sat him down on said chair while Ken locked the door. Max: Ouch. Luke: Sorry. Max: It''s fine, it''s fine. So, what are you guys gonna do? Ken: Cryotherapy. Max: Huh? Luke: You ready? Ken: Yeah. Ken blew a light blue wind onto Max''s legs. Only for a second did he wonder as to what was going on before a horrible cold was felt on his feet. Max: Ou.... Luke grabbed his mouth and shut it. Luke: We should be quiet. Don''t want anybody to realise what''s going on in here. Ken simply nodded until Max''s legs were encased in something of frost. Luke then let go of Max, and he started gritting his teeth. Ken: Give it a few minutes. Max: A few minutes?!? Luke: Shhhhh. We should be quiet, remember? Max: Dang it! Max went back to holding back his agony. Ken laid an ear out of the bathroom. Luke: Anyone? Ken: No. Luke: Good. Ken: I also went ahead and replaced the security camera footage. Luke: Good job. Ken: So, what now? Luke: I dunno. And it''s gonna be a pain getting a shower after this cuz we''re so late. Ken: True. But at least we have the rest of the period till lunch free. Luke: Yeah. Muffled noises came out of Max''s mouth. Luke: Oh yeah, you don''t know. Ken: If the coach has a lesson, the next lesson is automatically free. That just goes to show you as to just how much of a slave driver he is. More muffled noises came out, something in the tone of seriously. Luke: Yeah. But in any case, you don''t need to worry about what happens to those who fail. Max: Mmm? Luke: Trust me, you dont wanna know. Ken: He''s right. Honestly, questions need to be asked about that man''s methods. But, irregardless, it does produce results. Luke: Yeah, enough results to keep a whole school in shape. Who would''ve thought? Max: Mmmmm. Luke: Oh yeah, Ken? Ken: Right, I think that does it. Ken blew a light red breath onto Max''s legs, causing the ice on them to melt away. Ken: And that is that, courtesy of Kenneth Stone. 65. Showers Max finally opened his mouth and exhaled before trying his feel on the ground. Luke: You good? Max stomped his feet on the ground. Max: No way. He felt almost no pain from his legs. Ken: Hmph. That was the expected result. Max: But how? Ken: Hmm? Cryotherapy has been a thing for a long time now. It helps heal muscles that have just been through incredibly strenuous exercise. In fact, a certain someone has needed such assistance quite regularly. Max: Huh? No kidding. (thinking: Certain someone? Does he mean Tiffany?) Max wiggled his feet in the air. He hardly felt any pain. Max: Thanks. Ken: Don''t mention it. Luke got the chair, and Ken opened the door so they could return said chair as well as head to the showers faster. Luke: Come on, let''s huff it. We still need to eat lunch. Ken: Yeah. The trio rushed over to the showers. Back with the girls. Rose and Tiffany had already finished showering and were now drying their hair while in towels alongside other girls. Rose: I mean, I like Max. But not like that. Tiffany: Uh huh. Tiffany and Rose wrapped their hair in smaller towels before heading off to properly dry off. Rose: But also, I really like how brave he is. Tiffany: Uh huh. Rose: So, what do you think of him? Tiffany: Huh? Rose: I mean, I''m just asking. Tiffany: (sighs) I''m not interested in him.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Rose: Oh great! I mean, oh... I mean... Tiffany sighed again. Tiffany: It''s fine. Rose: Is there someone you''re interested in? Tiffany paused for a moment and held her hands together, and looked at the ground as though she was deep in thought. Rose: Tiff? Tiffany: It''s fine. It''s nothing. Let''s just go eat. I''m starving. Rose: Ok... Rose followed after Tiffany, who promptly went to get changed. Moments later, they arose from the girls'' locker room, fully clothed, with plenty of time before the lunch period ended. Tiffany: We''re early. The guys will be late. Rose: Yeah, but it''s ok. I don''t mind waiting. Tiffany: Yeah. Tiffany sighed. Sometime later, Max, stretching his arms, left the boys'' locker room. They were the last guys who took a shower as a result of them coming late. Ken came out next, and Luke followed at last. Max let out a yawn. Max: Man, I''m beat. Hey Ken, what do we have after lunch? Ken: Its Biology. Max: Oh. Luke: (sighs) Great. Just after Luke said that, a large number of emotionally broken looking muddy and sweaty students came from the sports field. Max: Huh? All of them could barely walk, and they kept their gaze away from them. Max: What''s going on? Are those...? Ken: The ones who failed? Yes. Keep that in mind every time you enter gym class. Luke: Just don''t fail gym class... ever! Max gulped as the teens slowly walked into the locker room. The trio then made for the lunch room. Max: You think the girls will wait for us? Ken: Absolutely. The trio walked to the mess hall and found Rose and Tiffany waiting outside. Rose: They''re here! Tiffany: You guys are finally done. Luke: Yeah, sorry. You know how it is with, you know. Tiffany: It''s alright. Rose: Are you ok, Max? Max: Yeah, thanks to Ken. I still can''t believe that worked. By the way, Ken. What other powers do... Tiffany: Shhh! Max: Oh, right, right... Luke: Well, what are we waiting for? Let''s get in and eat. Rose: (giggle) You never change, Luke. Luke grinned as he opened the door. They, as usual, stayed in line with Luke and Tiffany as they got their meal. Roast beef, with a generous side of potato slices and salad. And as usual, they all sat down to enjoy their meal together. Rose: Bon appetit, everyone. Max: Thanks. Ken: Ditto. Tiffany: You too. Luke: Alright, let''s eat. Luke had scarcely taken in a bite of his food before the T.V screen in the mess hall suddenly and loudly lit up. T.V Report: Your current program has been interrupted to bring you the following news of an emergency. News Anchor: Hello, citizens of Hypercity. Dillan Robbinson of Hypercity news speaking. Name: Dillan Robbinson Age: 35 Description: Loves the finer things in life Occupation: News anchor Fact: Likes snowboarding and is currently aiming for black diamond. Dillan: I regret to inform you that our dear city is currently under massive attack from these "spider bots." Max: Spider bots? The rest of the class began to murmur before being harshly shushed by the other students. Short videos were shown of black quadrapedal orbs with red eyes and long spider like legs. The bots themselves were about the size of a dog. However, each bot was shown to fire off lasers from the large, single, red eye in front of their heads. 66. To Keep An Identity Dillan: We are now showing you footage live at the scene from the security cameras in the middle of the more bustling parts of Hypercity. In the footage, the robots were seen rushing through the city in the midst of screams and people running as far away as they could while the robots lasered at them. It was chaos with driving cars and screaming citizens. The camera then changed angles, moving upwards, showing that the robots all seemed to be gathering to a massive tower in the middle of the city. Dillan: As you can see, the robots all seem to be converging at the X-corp tower. An organisation that focuses on making products for the healthy development of growing babies. The robots were seen lasering at it as well. Dillan: As to where these robots came from, what they want, who made them, and why they appear to be interested in attacking a place that produces baby products is beyond me. But, I would like to advise all citizens of Hypercity to evacuate as quickly as possible. These robots are extremely dangerous, and several lives have been lost, as well as several casualties. Max: No way. Footage was shown of the wreckage around the robots with some bodies on the ground as well as ambulances moving away from the city. The entirety of the student body was silent as the news anchor continued. Dillan: You have been warned. If you see even one of said robots, do not approach it under any circumstances. Each robot has the ability to kill a normal human many times over and will not hesitate to do so. According to reports, this attack started at exactly 13.00pm. Max instinctively looked at the clock. Max: That was twenty minutes ago. Dillan: They suddenly appeared and started blasting at anyone in their near vicinity with reckless abandon before converging at X-corp, where the majority of them now reside.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Footage was shown of the spider bots climbing up the tower. Dillan: So far, over 100 people have either died or been brutally injured, be they X-corp employees or simple bystanders. Gasps and murmurs were heard in the mess hall. Dillan: For the moment, law enforcement and medical personnel are attempting to alleviate the situation. Footage was shown of police officers shooting at the spider bots and leading people to vehicles so they could flee. Dillan: You are advised to steer clear of this threat irregardless of the cost as it could mean your life. As of now, the mayor is trying to contact the president to enlist help from the national army. More on this after the break. At that point, one of the robots shot the security camera. The news channel jingle sent the news anchor off, and the class remained silent for a second before erupting in a noisy panic.. Most loud of those was from a tall teen with black hair. Voice: We''re all gonna die! Name: Tom Ferguson Age: 16 Description: That guy in class who''s always the first one to shout, and the loudest Occupation: Student Fact: He does charity for animal shelters. Tom: We''re all gonna die! Clarissa could also be heard. Clarissa: But.... I''m too pretty to die. This can''t be happening! Vince: This is insane! All the students had stopped eating, and some immediately started calling for their parents. Brian: But my mom works there.... Even the lunch ladies had already stopped serving food. Gertrude was the first one out the door. As the panic went on, Max looked to his friends with a resolute look in his eyes. They all knew in an instant what he was about to say. He slammed his fist onto the table. Max: Guys, we''ve gotta do something! They all exchanged glances with each other before all looking at Tiffany, who sighed before continuing. Tiffany: No. We can''t do anything. Max: What! But why? Tiffany: We usually work in the shadows to keep our identities secret. Working out in the open would put all of us and our personal lives in jeopardy. Max: But... Tiffany: Look, Max, as team leader, I have to make decisions that keep the team safe. Max: Huh? Ken: She makes a fair point, Max. If any mission would cause the destruction of the team, then it should at the very least be the main mission that the team had set out on doing. 67. The Mind Link Max: What! But that''s... Tiffany: Harsh? I know. But I can''t let myself think emotionally about that situation. Max: But that doesn''t make any sense. Aren''t you guys supposed to be superheroes? Luke quickly downed his meal and let out a massive belch. Luke: Yeah. Max: But... Tiffany: No buts. We''re staying put. Ken also took a bite out of his food. Ken: She has a point, Max. There are news stations covering the story all over the place, cars and vehicles trying to leave and of course, as per my calculations from the internet. About 500 spider bots. Trying to get in and out without notice would be almost impossible. Rose remained silent and turned her head away from Max. Luke: Yeah, just relax, Max. As a team, we''ve gotta think ahead. We can go in after a few hours. Tiffany: And besides, you''re not even a part of the team yet. Max turned and looked at all the members of the team. Max: You too, Rose? Rose: (flatly) Yeah. Rose still didn''t turn her head. Max paused with his mind, trying to understand as to why these people wouldn''t try to save the victims of the attack. He struggled with his thoughts for a second before continuing. Max: No way! Tiffany, Luke, Rose and Ken: Huh? Max: I said, "No way!" Max stood up as they all exchanged glances. Max: There''s just no way you guys are just gonna let people die.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Tiffany: Sorry, Max, but that''s just how it is. We need to keep ourselves away from the public eye, no matter the cost. Max: And so, what if the public eye sees us? Tiffany: Huh? Max: In all the comics I''ve read, every single hero would put his or her life on the line to protect people, no matter the cost. Tiffany: Max, you don''t know what you''re asking for. Living in a world where everyone knows you have powers is absolutely horrible. You become a target and not just that, your loved ones too. Max: Well, that doesn''t matter. Even still, I''ve gotta do something. Tiffany: No. It would be too risky. I''m not putting my teammates at risk. Max: Fine. Max sat down and started to eat his food, scarfing it down at an incredible pace. Ken: You should chew, Max. It''ll be fine. Don''t worry about it. Max: Like hell it will. I''m gonna go to save them. Tiffany, Luke, Rose and Ken: Huh? Tiffany: What? Max: That''s right. If you won''t save them, then I will. Tiffany: But what if you get caught? Max: Then I''ll.... Max paused for a moment to consider it. It was a very good point. Max: Then I''ll just figure something out. Tiffany: But... Max: No buts! Tiffany: What!? Max: There''s no way in hell I''m letting people die just because I''d be on my own or because my identity was in danger. Those people need a hero, and that''s just who I''m gonna be. That''s the Hunter way. Max was halfway through his meal. Max: Right after I''m done eating up. Tiffany stared agape at the young man for several moments before anything was said. Ken: (smiling) Quite the inspiration, I must say. Max: Huh? Ken: Whaddya say, Tiff? Seems we can''t stop him. Tiffany took a deep breath. Tiffany: Fine. He can come along. Max: Huh? Rose immediately turned around and took a deep breath. Max: What''s going on? Luke smiled and simply put a finger to his head while Rose profusely apologised to Max. Rose: I''m so so so so so so so... sorry. Max: Huh? It took him about a second to put two and two together. Max: What!? You guys had a psychic whole conversation without me?! Rose: Yeah, and I''m sooooooo sorry! Max: But when did... and how did... Tiffany: I signalled to Rose to start one about halfway through the news report. Max: But why... Tiffany: I was trying to find a way to keep you out of this. But, unfortunately... Ken: It would appear that young Maximillian is even more bullheaded than you''d thought, isn''t that right, Tiff? Tiffany: Yeah, yeah... Max: So you guys.... Tiffany: Were planning on going irregardless of the risk? Yeah. Max: No way, that''s so... Max remembered that he''d been tricked. Max: But hold on, why''d you try to get me to not try to save them? Tiffany: Because I... I don''t want to put your life at risk. Max: Huh? Tiffany: But since you''re already raring to go, we might as well take you with us. Ken: Hmph. Agreed. It was at that point that a loud screeching could be heard from the principal''s microphone in the room, almost as if intentional to silence the whole mess hall. 68. Principals Orders Principal Richard Valencia. As a man to whom the safety and well-being of the students of Hypercity High was entrusted, the news of the spider bot attack had no doubt left him quite troubled. But, as a man well accustomed to pressure filled situations, he took some time to sit down and think while in his office. "What should he do?" he pondered. He took a sip of tea as well as played a short round of golf while listening to the news to calm himself before eventually making a decision. One that he believed would keep the students calm and safe. Richard: Attention students, attention! The entire mess hall was silent in a few seconds, all in great anticipation of what would be said. The principal''s voice remained ever eloquent. Richard: As you all have seen in the news, it would appear that our dear Hypercity is in a great deal of trouble at the moment, and I can understand your fear and panic as a result. However, seeing as the danger seems to be concentrated at the city centre and seeing as we are several miles away from said attack, I will not condone the departure of any student from the school. At that point, he paused as several murmurs started. All of them going something along the lines of, "Is he for real?", "Man, I''m leaving." and "Yeah, screw him." And then, like clockwork, as the murmuring quietened down, he continued. Richard: It is well known to all of you that as the Principal of Hypercity High, it is my duty to ensure that nothing happens to you. As a result, no one will be allowed to leave the vicinity of this school without the escort of a trusted adult. Speaking of, I have already sent messages to all of your parents to come pick you all up. There will be no more lessons as of today, and all punishments such as detention have been overruled for now. And effective immediately, Hypercity High is officially on lockdown. For now, I advise all students to calm down, finish their meals, and prepare for their parents'' arrival.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The microphone was turned off, and almost immediately, everyone started murmuring again. Voice 1: Alright, I guess that''s fine. Voice 2: Yeah, I''ve just texted my mom. She''s on her way. Voice 3: My dad says he''s on his way, too. All the students immediately started conversing with their parents on their phones and with each other. To Max and his friends, one thing was clear. Getting out of school was going to be difficult. Max: What is "lockdown" anyway? It was at that moment that a distinct locking sound was heard all around the school. The sound was mechanised. Ken: Considering that, that would mean that all the doors of this school have been locked remotely. Max: Woah. Ken: I did once say that the principal was trying to booby trap the school, didn''t I? Max: Huh? (thinking: So he was serious that time.) Neat. Luke: Alright, alright... maybe you had a point. Ken: Hmph. Tiffany: Irregardless, getting out of here won''t be easy. Ken: True. On top of all the locked doors, we''ve also got to worry about the cameras and the fact that the entirety of the student body is still here with us. Being seen escaping by even one person could be devastating. Luke: Right. Rose: Hmph. Max: Ok, so what then? Tiffany: So, we''ll need to get past them. We''ll need a distraction. Max: A distraction? Tiffany: Yeah. Ken? Ken: Way ahead of you. Just say when. Tiffany: Alright. Max: Wait, what about the cameras and doors? Ken: Oh, dealing with those will be childsplay for me. Max: Huh. He immediately remembered what his powers were. The ability to connect to the internet at will. He then rationalised that that ability must be in some way behind his plan. Max was quite surprised to hear as to how quickly they''d already made up their minds. Max: That actually sounds like a good plan. Hold on, when did you come up with it? Was that a part of the psychic convo? Luke: Hmph. Let''s just say that this isn''t our first rodeo. Max had just then come into the full realisation of the fact that they were a team and were therefore used to working together. Max: Alright then. He let out one burp before continuing. Max: What are we waiting for? Max repacked his lunch. They all exchanged glances, and in the midst of the chaos that was the mess hall, they made their way to the exit and to the hallway. 69. The Artful Distractor And so it began. Luke, Tiffany, Ken, Max, and Rose got as close as possible to the front door without drawing any suspicions to the idea that they may be trying to escape. They remained close to one another and walked as naturally as they could. Ken: (to the others) Walk with me. Max: Huh? Ken led them away from the back door. He then used his bionic connection to the world wide web to record them walking away from the front door from the cameras point of view, saved it as a file and prepped himself to send it to the camera''s footage when necessary. All this he did, but not before erasing and replacing all the data showing them actually walking back at that time. Ken: Alright, we''re in position and were ready to go. Max: What? Ken: Don''t worry about it. Max looked questionably at the other three. They simply gave him affirmative nods. Ken continued to lead the way, his eyes turning to every direction, remotely hacking each camera while the others stayed right behind him. To a normal onlooker, it would have seemed as though a group of normal teens were simply hanging out. Within a few minutes, Ken finally stopped. Ken: Alright. We''re done. Tiffany: Hmph. Good. There were still plenty of students outside the classrooms, talking and hanging out. Max: What about the students? Ken: I''ve got that covered. Max: Couldn''t Rose just "psy-blast" them or something? Rose closed her mouth with her hands immediately.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Max: Huh? Tiffany: There''s too many people, and "psy-blasts" are very dangerous. Max: Huh? Tiffany: Besides, it''s unnecessary. Ken? Ken: Could it be that her royal Highness had made the request for a signal? Tiffany: Yeah. Do it! Ken: Ok. For a moment, there was silence, and Max was tempted to question it. Max: Sooooo... uhhhhh Just before Max could finish his sentence, the loud crying of a baby could be heard in the halls. Max: What the... It was a deep cry. The kind of baby cry that digs into the nerves and makes peoples skin crawl. Rose closed her ears and flinched, as did most other students. Voice 1: Where is that coming from? Voice 2: Whose kid is that? Voice 3: What''s going on with that poor baby? The cry was so realistic and pure that one would have thought it real, but of course, it was, in reality, a pre-recorded and greatly worked upon crying baby audio that Ken had played from a device in the school. Ken: And that is that. The students all walked over to see as to what had caused the trouble to the child, leaving the halls completely empty. The other four had their hands on their ears while waiting for the other students to pass. Rose: Ken, how could you? That was so mean. Ken: Yes, yes. But hey, it was successful, wasn''t it? The human mind can not help but respond to a child''s tears and wailing. Max: Yeah, wasn''t that overkill? Ken: Well, I thought it would be thematically sound, given today''s mission. Tiffany simply face palmed and decided to just go along with it. Tiffany: Alright. Let''s just go before someone gets suspicious. Max, Luke, Rose and Ken: Hmph. They all turned and made for the door, but Tiffany suddenly halted them just as they were one turn away. Tiffany: Hey, Rose? Rose: Yeah? Tiffany: Could you use your powers to scope the scene? I just wanna make sure that there is absolutely no one over there. Rose: Right. Ken: Not that there would be. Rose continued to search and was just about done when... Rose: Hold it. Someone''s coming. Tiffany: Huh? Rose: From over there. On the other side of the hall, from the other path to the front door, was a one Principal Richard Valencia, walking towards the front door. Rose held her mouth in shock to keep sounds from coming out of it while Tiffany and the others hid their heads behind the wall as the principal looked around and started to open the door. Max: (whisper) What is going on? Tiffany: I don''t know. Max: Why doesn''t he like babies? Tiffany: I don''t... The silliness of the question made Tiffany pause for a moment. Tiffany: ... know. Max: Ken? Ken simply shrugged. He also did not know what to make of it. Most men and women, on hearing a crying child, would run to its aid without a second thought. However, this calm and logical principal, even while hearing a crying child, could think clearly and deduce that it was a distraction of some kind, as their school had no babies that he knew of. 70. Orphan Clause Max: Just what kind of principal is he? Ken: (sighs) This is my bad. I''d forgot to account for the fact that he is some kind of monster. The principal looked around for a moment before walking to the door. He pulled out a card key. Rose: Oh no, he''s going outside. Tiffany: Yeah. Ken: This just got more complicated. The principal slid the key at the door and opened it. He then began to look outside the door. Ken: If he goes outside, who knows how long it will be before he comes back inside? Tiffany: No clue. And we need to get through the front door to get to the van. Any ideas, guys? Ken: Hmm. Give me a minute. Max: Nope. Rose: Sorry, I don''t have any. Luke did not answer. Tiffany: (sighs) Alright... Luke: I have one. Tiffany: Hmmm? Ken: Well, out with it? Luke: Well, I''m not gonna enjoy it, but.... just follow my lead. You three should get to the back door of the school. Think you can make it? He was referring to Ken, Rose, and Max. Ken nodded. Tiffany: What about me? Luke: Just follow my lead. I''ll send you guys a signal. Luke grabbed Tiffany, who instinctively turned her phone on to "call" Ken, and made for the principal just before he got out of the door.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Luke: (thinking: Well... here goes nothing.) Principal Richard! Principal Richard! Tiffany remained silent and simply walked next to him. Meanwhile, Ken and the other two made for the back door. Max: What''s going on? Ken: Don''t worry about it. Max: Huh? Rose: It''s ok, Max. We can trust Luke. He''s got this. As they walked through the empty hallway, Ken softly played the audio from Tiffany''s phone for Rose and Max to hear. Max: You can play audio? Ken: Yes. Yes, I can. The audio played as so. Richard: Ah, Mr. Luke Parks, what are you doing here? Luke: Well, we''ve been looking all over for you. Richard: Hmm? You and Miss Chang? Luke: Yes, you see.... Luke went on to explain that he and Tiffany were orphans and as a result, the both of them wanted to leave by his van, as no one would be coming to pick them up, much to Tiffany, Rose, Ken, Max and even the principal''s shock. Tiffany herself tried hard to hide her shock. There was a silence in the audio and as well as with the teens who were running to the back door. Max: Woah. Rose: Luke... Ken: Huh. Well, whaddya know... I never would have thought of trying that. The audio continued as they walked outside through the back door without any complications or interferences. Richard: I see. I am truly sorry about the fact that I had forgotten about your predicament, Luke Parks and Tiffany Chang. Very well. I shall open the door and let you both out. Luke: Thanks, I appreciate it. Richard: No thanks necessary. It is my duty, after all. The principal opened the door wide and let them both out. Richard: Come with me. The pair promptly followed after the principal as they walked outside the school towards the area in which all the cars were parked. The principal remained silent as Tiffany and Luke followed him to the van. Once they arrived, he started... Richard: I suppose this is it, Luke. Luke: Yeah. Richard: And where might the both of you be going? Luke: I... ahh.... I actually haven''t thought that through too well. Richard: I see. The principal stayed silent for a moment as Luke and Tiffany simply looked at him. Richard: You may try going North to Hypercity Hospital. Luke: Hypercity hospital? Richard: Yes. They no doubt have some knowledge of where people in desperate situations are headed to. Luke and Tiffany were both somewhat touched. Luke: Principal.. I... thank you. Richard: No need to thank me. I am simply doing my job. Ken, Rose, and Max heard it as well by the audio. They remained shocked by his response. Rose: Principal Richard... The audio continued. Richard: Very well. The best to the both of you. Luke and Tiffany: Thanks. Luke reversed and made for the back of the school. Luke: Just gonna go get Tiff''s bike. Richard: Alright. The principal walked away and walked back into the front door. He had decided to go and check the records for all orphans. That was the first thought in his mind. He had completely forgotten about that fact in all the chaos, and now he had to remedy that problem. Luke and Tiffany looked at the principal before Luke reversed the car and drove towards the back of the school. 71. Disguises Max: Man, the principal is something else. Ken: Agreed. Rose: Yeah... Ken: We should get into position. Rose: Yeah. They made sure to walk to places that ensured that people would not be able to see them through the window. That also meant walking by the bikes. As they passed by them, Max picked up his skateboard, and Ken picked up Tiffany''s bike. Max also noticed that the majority of the bikes were labelled. He paused for a moment as he looked at the bikes before continuing with the others as the van slowly backed up and came as close to the bikes as possible. Max had just had a very sudden and interesting idea. Students inside the building watched the van with curiosity but could not see the three teens hiding behind the bikes. The van''s door opened to the teens, and they all hopped in. Ken first, Rose second and Max last. Ken: Mission accomplished. Luke: Yeah... Rose: Luke. Are you ok? Luke: Yeah, I''m fine. It''s no big deal. Let''s just go. Rose: Alright.. Luke started the vehicle and made for the school exit. The three of them remained silent for a moment before anything was said. All the while heading for the city centre. Luke: Alright, so what''s the plan? Tiffany: Oh, right. Ken? Ken: By my calculations, we should make it there in about 20 minutes. Tiffany: Twenty minutes? Ken: I''ve checked the security cameras. There''s hardly a car going in that direction. Tiffany: I see. Alright. Can you block all the video and audio transmission in that area? Ken: Already on it. I''ve so far set up about 412 fire walls to ensure that not a single person will be able to open even a phone in that area.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Max: Woah. He didn''t quite know what or how firewalls worked. But he knew that 412 was a big number. Max: How''d you do that? Ken: I did it remotely. Of course, it will get easier the closer I get, but, for now, 412 should suffice. Max: Alright. Ken: While we''re on the subject of espionage... Luke, we''ll need to disguise the van. Luke: Hmph. Understood. Go on ahead. Ken: Right. Rose? Rose: Yeah. Ken: Do you have cosmetics by any chance? Rose: Well, yeah, of course. Rose handed over her bag, and Ken grabbed a bunch of cosmetics and started using his powers to cool, mix, and heat them together with the water in his bottle. Max looked on with intense curiosity. Max: Woah. What are you doing? Ken: Creating something of fake and temporary paint. Max: Huh? Ken held on to the "paint" in a small bowl from his backpack. It was a black and red colour. Max: Woah. Ken: Max, I''ll need you to paint the whole van with this. And also, remove the license plate. Max: Huh? Ken: With your super speed, of course. Max: Right, right... Max grabbed the bottle, and Luke slowed down and stopped the van in a somewhat empty spot while Max zipped around the van, painting the van in a black and red colour. Max came back in, handing the license plate to Ken. Max: Done. And may I say that it is quite the masterpiece. Rose giggled. Ken: Heh. We''ll be the judge of that. Luke started the van again. He looked out side to see that he had pained the van black with a red stripe on ths side Luke: Alright then. Let''s go. They all nodded affirmatively as Luke drove the van towards their destination. Tiffany: Alright, with that said and done, Ken, what''s the situation over there. Ken: 160 casualties and / or deaths. A few ambulances as well as policemen are still in the vicinity. Tiffany: Hmph. We''ll need to get them out of there somehow. Ken: According to reports, there are still civillians in the vicinity of X-corp. Tiffany: Great...... Ken: Going in guns blazing will attract too much attention and put too many lives at risk. Tiffany: I see. Tiffany sighed heavily. She had an idea but did not want to do it. They were closing in. Several cars were driving away while them and them alone were driving in the direction of the chaos. Several drivers noticed them for only a moment. Ken: We''ll need... Tiffany: I get it. Ken: Hmm? Tiffany took a deep breath. She really didn''t want to do this. Tiffany: Max, could you go cut ahead of us and clear out all the civilians? Max: Huh? Tiffany took another deep breath. Tiffany: We need your skills, Max. Rose winced in surprise. She did not expect her to change her mind about letting Max participate in missions so easily. Tiffany: We need you to cut ahead and take as many people from that area as possible so we can get in there and destroy those robots. Max was stunned for a moment before agreeing. Max: Yeah, I got this. Rose: Yay, Max. You''ve got this. Max: Hmph. Tiffany: But before you go. You''ll need a disguise. Max: Huh. Tiffany: If you slow down and someone sees your face, it could mean trouble. Luke? Luke: Yeah. He opened the compartment in his car, and a bunch of masks came out. Max: Huh? Luke: Like I said. This ain''t our first rodeo. 72. The Speeding Hero Max: Alright. Max put on the mask. It was a one-sided mask with eye holes. Rose: Can you see? Max: Yeah! Max pulled his jumper hood over his hair. Tiffany: Alright, I think that will work. Max: Oh yeah, I can also do this. Max tapped the odd button on his jacket. It turned from white to black. Ken: What? Rose: Woah. Tiffany: Huh? Luke: Hey, what''s going on back there? Rose: Max''s jacket just turned black. Luke: Huh? Tiffany: Yeah, but... Ken: Yeah, but how? Max: My mom made this jacket out of protonite tech. Pretty cool, huh? Ken: No kidding. (thinking: Curiouser and curiouser. Should I have scanned his sweater as well?) Tiffany: Alright. I think that''ll do for a disguise for now. Rose: Yeah, Max, you look great. Max: Thanks. Tiffany: Now then, listen closely, Max. Max: Huh... Tiffany: At least for now, no fighting unless necessary. Prioritise leading the civillians out of harm''s way and only attack if attacked. We can destroy the robots later. Max: Yeah, yeah, I''ve got it. I''ve got it. Ken: I think I can try to make a false report to get some of the cops to retreat and the ambulances to stop coming around. Max: Alright. Tiffany: One more thing. Ken? Ken: Oh yeah, I should probably give you one. Max: Huh?This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Ken got into his backpack and pulled out a small earpiece. Ken: Ear phones. Patent pending. Max: Huh? Neat. Tiffany: We all have one. The rest of the team started to put them on their ears except Ken. Max: Alright. He put his on. Max opened the van door and took a deep breath. He was about to save lives. A part of him had trouble processing it. Ken: Good luck, Max. Max: Yeah. Rose: You''ve got this. Max: Hmph. Luke: We''re counting on you. Max: Yeah. Tiffany: Alright. Go! Max: Hmph. Max zipped out of the van and sped ahead of them while Ken closed the van door. Ken: Alright, he''s gone. Tiffany: Use the cameras to keep an eye on him. Ken: Right. Tiffany: (thinking: Don''t die out there, Max. Don''t die.) Max sped ahead. The van was about five minutes away, and Max was there in almost no time at all. He struggled to process it. He was going to save people. Max: Guys, I''m almost there. There was a short delay before he heard an answer. Tiffany: Alright. Proceed. As he approached the robots, he noticed cops behind their cars trying to shoot back at the bots, but to no avail. Their lasers were too powerful, and the bullets didn''t seem to have an effect. Max rushed in and pushed the pair out of the way as a laser almost hit them, destroying the car in the process. He begun, in a muffled voice to make himself sound more heroic.... Max: Are you two alright? Policeman: Yeah... Uhh.. who are you? And where in the world did you come from? Name: Joseph Carmichael Age: 34 Description: Dutiful Occupation: Police officer Fact: Every Saturday, he and the cops have a guys night where they shoot random things up. Says it''s good for team morale. Max remained silent from a moment. Max: No time to talk. But I''m here to help. Tiffany suddenly came online. Tiffany: Max! Focus! Max: Alright, alright.... He then fired two electric bolts to the approaching spider bots, causing them to explode, much to the cops surprise. Joseph: What the...! Max: You need to get out of here. Now. The policeman was too stunned to reply. Max: Head that way! He pointed to the way from whence he came, which was free of spiderbots. Max: And I''ll keep them busy. He zipped away from the both of them, leaving them both in confusion. Other officer: Should we go back? Name: Leonard Ferriday. Age: 33 Description: Laid back Occupation: Police officer Fact: Is apparently skilled in Muay Thai Joseph: Nah. Robots and then some super speeding guy. Nah, even I dont want that smoke. Leonard: I''m glad to hear you say that. I''ll call in the chief and get the guys to stop coming here. Max rushed back to the scene. He couldn''t believe it. He''d just saved people. And he was about to do the same once again. It was an exhilirating feeling. He dashed around the scene, blasting at spider bots, one by one, giving people who would otherwise have died a way out of the madness. Back at the van... Tiffany: How''s he doing? Ken: He''s doing great. So far, 7 saves. Tiffany: And the police? Ken: Already sent the message. It would also seem that some other cops had the same idea. Tiffany: Alright. She turned to her earpiece. Tiffany: Max, how''s it going? Max didn''t answer for a second. Max: I''ve got this. Tiffany: Alright. Tiffany took a deep breath before pulling out a composite katana from her backpack. Three minutes before they made it there.... Tiifany: Are you all ready? Luke: Yeah. Rose: Hmph. Ken: Absolutely. And I believe that we''re all raring to go. Luke: Yeah. Luke stepped on the gas with a determined look on his face. 73. The Spider Bots The van approached the scene aggressively, as there was hardly a soul to be seen in the near vicinity. Tiffany: Rose? Can you sense any civillians outside the tower? They were only one minute away, and at that point, they could see a few spider bots. Rose: Yeah. But not too many of them near us. Max did a great job. Tiffany exhaled in relief. Max was fine, and the people were safe and far away from them. Meanwhile, the spider bots, taking notice of them, started to follow the van. Tiffany: (to Max) Max, we''re almost there. Are you done? Max: I think I''m done. Tiffany: Rose says there''s still some civillians out there. Max: Huh? Where? Max zipped to and fro, trying to see what he''d missed. Tiffany: Rose! Connect to Max and direct him. Rose flinched immediately before calmimg down. Rose: R... right... She turned on her earpiece. Rose: Max? Max: Yeah? Rose: So... uhhh... where are you? Max: Outside this japanese restaurant called Sushi Time. Rose: That''s three streets away. Ok. Max. From where you are, travel about 700 metres East. Theres two people over there. Max: Right. There was a silence for about a second as Max rushed to them to find two people hiding from a trio spider bots near them, which he promptly blasted. Max: Ok, I found them. Rose sighed in relief. Rose: Great, we did it!The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Max: Yeah. Tiffany: Alright. Great job. Now find the others. Tiffany quickly turned to the rest of them. Tiffany: Ken, are there any people left in X-corp? Ken: I''ve scanned their security cameras. I don''t think anyone there is alive. Tiffany: I see. Tiffany turned the earpiece back on. Tiffany: Max, keep at it! Max: Got it! Tiffany paused for a second before answering. Tiffany: Alright. Rose? Rose: Uh huh. I''ll direct him. At that point, several spider bots were chasing after them, shooting lasers and making the van unsteady, and causing them to hit the wall every once in a while. Luke: Tch. Come on... Luke made a sharp turn with the van as they got closer. Tiffany: Alright, here''s the plan. She brandished her katana in her hand. Tiffany: We''ll keep them busy while Max rescues the people in the vicinity. Our attack may be able to draw their attention. Luke: Alright. Luke made another sharp turn and drove right into the belly of the beast, bashing into several spider bots all at once. Rose: Right. Ken: Get me one of the robots to work with. Maybe I can hack into one of them and stop all of them at once. Tiffany: Hmph. Alright. Luke stopped the van as the spider bots surrounded them, and he and Tiffany came out of the van in masks of their own. Tiffany immediately started cutting them to bits while Luke ripped them apart and crushed them. Tiffany cut one in half and threw the pieces into the car, which Ken then quickly picked up. All the while, Rose gave directions to Max. Rose: I can sense someone 500 metres South. Max: Alright. Max sped into the more northward part of the area. There were fewer spider bots the further away one had gotten from X-corp, but even then, the wake of destruction there was brutally apparent with dead bodies here and there. Max: Ok, I''ve got her. Rose: Right. Mmmmmm... 200 metres West. Max: Got it. Max walked into a building and led a few grown adults as well as children through a safe path while blasting the few spider bots in his way. Meanwhile, Tiffany and Luke ruthlessly destroyed the robots with ease while Ken tinkered with the pieces he had inside of the van. Ken: (thinking: A whole specimen could have been more useful, but whatever.) As he began to scan one half of the bit, one thing became increasingly apparent to him. He suddenly stopped tinkering and turned to the other half and lasered it till it melted just as it had, on its own, gotten up on its legs. Tiffany and Luke had begun to notice it, too. Once a robot was destroyed, even though it took a little while, the bot would eventually reform all on its own. Tiffany: What the... Luke: Just what are these things. Hey, Ken. Ken turned on the earpiece channel to all of them. Ken: Everyone, listen up. They all perked their ears to hear him clearly. Ken: These robots. They''re not just some spider bots. They''re next gen. As in next next gen. Max: Huh? Tiffany: Elaborate. She swiftly cut two more apart before deflecting two more lasers. Ken: Each of these bots is made up of small nanomachines. You can''t see them because whoever made them is just that good. Tiffany: I see. Luke: So, what''s your point, Einstein? Luke stomped on one of them before crushing the others with his bare fists. Ken: My point is, these robots can''t be destroyed until a substantial amount of those nanobots are destroyed. 74. Final Save Tiffany: Tch. Tiffany cut down three more bots that had lept to attack and laser her. Luke crushed a few more bots and, using a stop sign, swung at a few more, sending them flying. Luke: Alright, so what then? Tiffany: Ken. Can you shut them down? Ken: No. These things are insane. Most robots I''ve seen are only complex enough that they can be shut down if I touch them, but these things, even getting information from them, is some other kind of insane. Tiffany: How insane? Ken: Let''s just say.... about 1500 firewalls insane. Max, Luke, Rose, and Tiffany, in spite of what they were doing, fighting bots, giving directions, or rushing back to X-corp''s vicinity, all froze for a moment before going on. Luke: Sheesh. Max: No kidding. Tiffany: I see. Tiffany cut two more up. Ken: And that''s just to get information from it. Trying to shut it down will be a whole other beast. Tiffany: How long till you can shut it down? Ken: About an hour? Tiffany: An hour? Luke smashed several more. The number of bots coming towards them was slowly increasing. Luke: I don''t think we''ll be able to play defence for that long. Tiffany: Yeah, we need another solution. Or at least a way to destroy them. She cut up yet another trio before tossing three shuriken into three others. Ken: I''m on it. Ken put his entire focus into trying to find a solution. A blue holographic page appeared in front of him and he started looking into the codes that were behind it, ardently searching for a way to stop them, looking at every bit of data that could explain just as to what this robot was.Stolen story; please report. Ken: (thinking: Just who on earth could have made so many of these things?) Meanwhile, Max was saving people from the spider bots. Each save was an odd experience for him. As per Tiffany''s instructions, he would not waste time asking follow-up questions such as, "How are you?" or "Are you ok?" He understood full well that each second wasted could mean the death of several, and so he simply accepted it. But an odd feeling was welling up in his heart with each save he made. Rose: 100 metres. East. Max: Right. Max dashed again, dodging each spider bot in his path and just searching for civillians. At times, a bot would shoot ar lunge at him, but he would avoid each and every one of them and focus on the goal. The exhilerating feeling of saving lives. It was a lot stronger than Max could have ever anticipated. Rose: Two more, Max. Max: Right. Rose also felt quite antsy. Her friends were doing battle without her support, and she, like Max, was not quite so used to saving people. Rose: 350 metres. One person. Max rushed in and pulled out a grown woman who was hiding away from a spider bot from the inside of a building Max appeared just in the nick of time to destroy the robot and lead her to safety. Rose: Max, I heard shooting. Are you ok? Max: Yeah, I''m fine. Just one more, right? Rose: Yeah. Really far from where you are. But I can feel it. His thoughts.... He''s terrified. Max: Hmph! Max rushed through the city once more, avoiding corpses and spider bots alike before eventually meeting the last person he had to save. Rose: Can you see him? Max: Yeah, I see him. Max finally arrived just to find a man struggling to enter a car while two spider bots slowly approached him. Man: Somebody help me! Name: Roy Shapiro Age: 50 Description: Your average business man Occupation: X-corp CEO Fact: Is a sumo fanatic. Max: I''ve got you. Max fired off a bolt that sent the spider bots near the car flying before zipping to him. Max: Are you ok, sir? The other spider bots immediately changed their target to Max. Roy frightenedly looked to Max. Roy: Errrr.... you''re here to save me, right? Max looked back at the bots and then back at the man. Max: Yeah. You need to get out of here, now. Rose: Max, is everything ok? Max: Yeah, it''s ok. I''ve got him. Just had to blast some spider bots. Rose: Oh, be careful. Ken said that they could just regenerate. Max: Huh. Oh yeah. Max looked at the destroyed clumps of black and red that were initially robots. It suddenly occurred to him that while he was told that they would regenerate, he hadn''t quite seen that happen before. He picked up a piece of the robot. It had not regenerated. Not even after several seconds had passed. Max: I guess they don''t regenerate when you electrocute them hard enough. It was at that point that Ken, Tiffany, and Luke immediately froze. Ken: Of course. It was right in front of me the whole time. Max, your powers. Your powers are the answer. 75. Electrokinesis Tiffany: Max''s powers? Ken: Max''s ability to electrocute things. If he electrocutes a spider robot, he shortcircuits the mainframe of all the nanobots at once. Luke: So you''re saying.... Ken: That Max is our best chance at beating them? Yes. Tiffany flinched. The last thing she wanted to hear was her needing to put Max in more danger. Rose: Oh my gosh. Max, did you hear that? Max: Hmph. Naturally. Rose giggled at his response. Luke: Alright then.... Luke smashed even more bots under his foot. Luke: ... we could use your help down here. Max: Alright. I''m on my way. Max looked around to make sure nothing was wrong as Roy started his car and then zipped away. Roy: Thank you, my good.... But Max had already gone and left him in the area. Roy: Oh. How rude! This was it. Max rushed almost excitedly towards all of them. Max: Alright, Rose, that was the last one. Rose: Hmph. Rose finally opened the van''s back door and walked into the fray, quickly using her psychic powers to send several bots flying. Luke and Tiffany: Rose! Rose: Hmph. I''ve got your backs. Luke: Heh. Thanks. Luke and Tiffany instinctively walked to Rose''s left and right. The spider bots approached them from all directions. A whizzing sound was heard before Max finally appeared before them. He stood in front of all of them, much to Tiffany''s displeasure.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Max: Ok then. I''m here. The bots all changed their focus to Max, and Tiffany rushed to his side. Tiffany: Hey. Max: Huh Tiffany readied her blade. Tiffany: Be careful, ok? Max: Yeah. Don''t worry, Tiff. I''ve got this. She was thinking too much to consider correcting him. Luke and Rose approached them as Max prepared his first strike. Max: Alright, you spider bots, get ready for this! Max fired a bolt that sent one flying instantly before it convulsed and fell apart. Rose: No way. Luke: He really can do it! Rose: Uh huh. Ken: I see. So it is effective. Max: Hmph. Luke cracked his knuckles. Luke: Keep it up. We''ll keep em busy. Luke turned to Rose, who nodded back and to a distracted Tiffany who didn''t look back at him. Luke: Tiff? Tiffany: Oh. Sorry. Yeah. Let''s go. The three of them immediately charged the enemy while Max, one by one, blasted at the spider bots. More robots started to charge after Max having witnessed that, but between Luke''s smashing, Tiffany''s cutting and Rose''s crushing them together by pushing them back, they had no way of stopping them. Ken: I think you''re doing it. So far, fifty of them have been completely destroyed. Max: Just fifty? Ken: Yes. About 450 to go. Max: 450! That number was quite a shock to him as he was already starting to get tired. Max: Sheesh! Rose: Max? Are you ok? Max: Yeah, I''ve got this. Tiffany: Don''t tire yourself out. Max: I know. I know. I just need a refill. Max lay his hand out, and an odd bluish and sparkling vapour began to come out of two of the robo spiders. Rose: Woah. Pretty. Luke: Yeah. Tiffany simply watched silently. The blue vapour was then absorbed by Max''s hand. He smirked while the two bots simply fell apart. Max: Pretty cool, huh? Rose: Yeah, super cool. Luke: Yeah, how''d you do that? Max: (playfully) Just one of my many talents. He then fired more bolts at the spider bots. Max: I can keep this up all day. Hmph. Ken: (thinking: I''d forgotten about the fact that he could simply absorb electricity from robots. Heh. Go figure.) Luke and Rose watched him for a moment before going on to continue bashing the bots with Tiffany, who was still cutting them down. Tiffany: Ken! How much longer till you can shut them down? From inside the van, while trying to make heads and tails of the spider bots, Ken did the maths. About 50 robots destroyed in this short period of time. He also calculated what he could assume was his teams stamina, as well as the fact that several bots were still in X-corp and had not come down yet. Per his calculations, they could pull it off. Though it would be pushing it. Especially considering the fact that the bots seemed to have changed targets from X-corp to them and seemed to be coming down at a faster pace. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: (thinking: Perhaps it''s about time I made an appearance.) He was just about to get up and head for the fight when all of a sudden, he saw a peculiar file opening onto the broken robot. Operation: Amalgamate activated. Ken: What in the world is amalgamate? He turned back to the screen and searched it up. What he found was enough to make him flinch immediately. Ken: (thinking: What a fiendish use for the nanobots! I never would have imagined.) 76. Amalgamate Tiffany had grown tired of calling for Ken and had made it her personal mission to find him herself. She made her way to the van only to be stopped by Ken, who quickly got out. Tiffany: Ken! What''s.... She wanted to continue, but the shocked look on Ken''s face stopped her immediately. Tiffany: Ken? Ken remained speechless, watching the spider bots as they paradoxically stopped moving. Max fired a few more bolts before he paused and realised that the bots had stopped firing lasers and were no longer approaching them. Max: Huh. Luke crushed a few more but also stopped when he saw the others in front of him simply stay in place. Luke: What? Rose sent several more of them flying with a psychic push but was also shocked to see them stop moving. Rose: Uhhh.... guys. There was only one logical answer, they all thought. Luke: Ken, did you shut them down? Ken did not answer. Tiffany: Ken? Ken flinched for a moment before starting. Ken: We need to leave. Now! Tiffany: Huh. Max: Hey. I got this, remember. Luke: Hey, what''s going on? Rose: Is everything ok, Ken? Rose, Luke, and Max approached Ken. Luke: What''s the matter? Ken simply pointed at X-corp. The spider bots on the ground were not moving. However, the ones in X-corp were steadily climbing down.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Luke: So you didn''t shut them down. Alright then. Luke was about to take a step forward when all of a sudden, Ken stopped him. Luke: Hey. Ken: Those nano bots... Luke: Huh? As the spider bots from X-corp settled down on the ground, they quickly began to climb the bots that were already on the ground. Ken: Whoever made these bots.... As the bots climbed onto each other, they began to leak nanobots in a sort of semi fluid pattern, almost as if melting. They all watched in shock as a brilliant vortex of black and red dots slowly formed out of the spider bots. The vortex sucked up even the spider bots that Max had shot down. Max: What''s going on! Ken: We need to leave... now! Luke: In the van, now! They all ran into the van. Luke as the driver, Tiffany riding shotgun and the other three in the back. The van immediately started as they all watched from the van as the vortex slowly began to take shape. Luke: Ken, what is that thing! Ken: It''s called Amalgamate. Luke: Huh. Max: What''s that? Ken: It''s a command. Basically, the nanobots forge themselves together to form a much bigger spider bot. Max: Bigger? Ken: About 500 times as big as the original. From the vortex, a heavy foot step could be heard falling to the ground. Tiffany: Luke? Luke: I got it. Luke started driving away as the other feet landed on the ground. They were about 100 feet away when all four feet were on the ground. Luke turned to his rear view mirror to gaze upon the beast. It was much bigger, alright. Several times bigger. Luke: Oh, boy. Max looked at the mirror himself, as did Rose, Ken, and Tiffany. Together, they all beheld it. A giant several foot tall spider bot, just like the original in shape and size. Luke hurried to the corner to make a turn as its red eye began to glow red. Ken: Luke? Luke: I''m on it. The van turned just in time for the robot to fire a devastating blast at them all, which just barely missed, but also decimated the entire medium-sized building in the way. Max: Woah! Rose: Eeep! From the rear view mirror, they saw the devastation, as the spider bot simply and almost automatically made for the van. Tiffany: It''s coming. Luke stepped on it as the robot continued after them in its usual fashion. It was tall. Not as tall as most sky scrapers, but tall enough that it towered over them. What''s more, it wasn''t a slouch. It rushed at them at a terrifying speed and, after the turn, was soon gaining on them. Max: You''ve gotta be kidding me. This thing is fast! Luke kept his eyes on the robot''s single red eye as he drove. He could not afford to let the team get hit by any of those blasts. Rose: What are we gonna do? The robot would soon be upon them. The rest of the team remained silent for a moment. All of them thinking of a way out of that situation while Luke hurried the van to the next turn. Suddenly, however, it was Max that made up his mind. Max: Rose, Ken. Hold on! Max opened the van back door, much to everyone''s shock. Rose: Max! Tiffany: No, stop! Yet again, he put himself in harm''s way. Max simply charged up an electric bolt and fired it at the giant robot, but, only a small number of nano bots in a sort of semi solid slosh could be seen falling off before the robot self repaired and started charging another laser. 77. The Day Of The Giant Walking Spider Max: Sheesh. His lightning bolt didn''t do nearly enough. And so, he fired some more. Tiffany: Max! Stop! Get inside! It''s dangerous. Ken: She''s right. Your bolts aren''t working. We should think of a better plan. Max: No way! Ken and Tiffany: Huh? Max: If we don''t do something, we''ll be fried.... Ken: But... Max: But nothing. We''ve gotta take this thing down somehow, right? He fired more bolts at it, one after the other. However, the robot continued to charge up its next blast irregardless, all the while gaining on them. Luke made the turn just in the nick of time yet again, leaving yet another destroyed building in the robot''s wake, as it turned again right after them. Luke: He''s right, there isn''t another turn for a while, and this road is pretty narrow. Tiffany: Tch... Tiffany desperately thought of another solution. Max: C''mon, c''mon, c''mon.... Max continued to fire off lightning bolts as the robot continued to chase after them. This time, it was almost on top of them, and its pointed legs threatened to impale the van more and more with every step. Luke struggled with his control over the van, trying to get it to go faster as the turn was close by. Luke: C''mon... Rose watched Max continue to fire off electricity. It was then that the spider bot was keeping up with them, its head directly over the van. The spider bot, however, shortly after, seemingly tripped itself and fell down behind them with a massive thud that almost hit them. That was Rose''s doing. Max: Huh?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Rose: Ummm... I''m sorry, I should have been more.... Max: No way. That was awesome. Rose: Really, you think so? Max: Yeah! The robot, while on the ground, turned its head and prepared yet another laser that fired just as Luke made a turn. Luke: Great job. But it''s not down yet. Max: Yeah. Max turned back to the opened back door as sounds of it getting back up were heard. Luke: We need a plan, now! Luke looked back at Tiffany with a stern glare, as if to say, focus. Tiffany took a quick, deep breath. She needed to stop worrying about Max. That was what he was saying. She knew that well, but how could she? Ken grabbed the spider bot half he had and started tinkering with it again. Ken: Well, I suppose I can''t let the both of you have all the fun. Tiffany: Ken... Ken: I know it will take a while to shut it down, but perhaps I can at least mess with it to some degree remotely. Tiffany looked back at the rest of her team. Rose was looking back at the giant robot spider as it emerged from the corner, chasing after them, Luke was driving to the best of his ability and Ken was trying his hardest to be of some use to the team. She clenched her fist before coming up with a plan. Tiffany: Alright, guys, here''s the plan. They all turned to her attentively, except Max, who kept his eyes on the robot. Tiffany: Rose, use your psychic powers to keep it busy for as long as possible. Focus on sudden pushing attacks to its legs just like your last one. Rose: Right. Tiffany: And alert us if we just so happen to be near a populated area. Rose: Hmph. Tiffany: Ken! I need you to map out a path to the most deserted place you can find while you work. Preferably as far from the city as possible. Ken: On it, chief. Tiffany: I''ll also need you to disable all audio and video devices while we pass through the city. Ken: (smirking) My, that''s almost too difficult. Tiffany: Luke! Luke: Yeah? Tiffany: Just focus entirely on the road. Leave the rest to us. Luke: You got it. Tiffany: And Max? Max: Yeah. The words struggled to come out of her mouth. Tiffany: I want you to keep doing what you were doing. Max: Huh? Max paused for a second before continuing. Max: You got it! Wait! Does that make me a part of the team? Tiffany did not answer for a second as the whole team looked at her. Tiffany: Ugh. Not yet. Rose closed her mouth and smiled. The spider bot was closing in on them once more. Rose: Guys.... As the robot approached them, Max continued to fire bolts at it. Ken: Luke! According to reports, the freedom highway just around the city outskirts is completely deserted at the moment. Luke: That place? It''s like a desert out there. Tiffany: Good job, Ken. Ken: Hmph. Tiffany: Any updates on the bot? Ken: Not much. But I think I might just be able to disable the robots laser function. But I''ll need a bit more time. Tiffany: Right. Focus on that for now. As the electric bolts were fired left and right, Rose kept her mind on searching for living life forms in the vicinity. Just to make sure they didn''t end up dragging the robot towards civillians. Tiffany looked upon her team for a moment. She didn''t like to admit it, but in a sense, Max had somehow reignited their will to fight. 78. Sacrifice Max: Jeez! Just how many nanobots are inside this thing anyway? Ken: According to this bot, about 410 bots worth now. Max: Seriously? Ken: Yes. Of course, with every clump of nanobots you deactivate, the giant spider bot becomes just a bit smaller. Max: Sheesh. Ken: Good job, irregardless. Max: (sarcastically) Thanks. Max turned back to firing bolts at it. Rose suddenly started. Rose: Luke! About a kilometre ahead! There''s some people there. And also in the West. But the East seems empty. Luke: Got it! Luke made a quick turn. Luke: This''ll take a little longer, so hold on. Tiffany simply looked at the spider bot. It was closing in on them again. Tiffany: Rose! Rose: Right. She stopped trying to sense people''s presence and once again made a very sudden psychic burst near the robots legs. It tripped itself again and fell. Max: Awesome Rose! Rose: Thanks Tiffany: Yeah, good job. (thinking: Yeah, this seems manageable.) Ken: Fascinating.... Tiffany turned to Ken, who was busy with the robot piece. Tiffany: Anything, Ken? Ken: Many interesting but unfortunately now irrelevant pieces of information. Tiffany: And stopping the laser? Ken: 33% done. Tiffany: Great. The robot could be seen getting up from a distance.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Max: Here we go again. Rose: Hmph. The spider bot rushed at them again. Just as before. But this time, it kept its distance just by a bit. Max prepared to fire more bolts of energy. However, this time, the robot began to prepare yet another laser while chasing after them. Tiffany: Rose! Rose: On it. Rose tried to suddenly trip it again, but this time, it would not fall. Its legs had begun to resist the force much more than before. Rose: Uhhhh.... Guys..... Tiffany: Something wrong? Rose: It''s not working. Tiffany: Huh. (thinking: But how?) Ken? Ken: It would appear that this robot''s ability to adapt is even better than I''d anticipated. Though at this point, I shouldn''t be surprised. The spider bot aimed its eye directly at them and approached them at a slower pace. Rose: What are we gonna do? Tiffany: Rose, keep at it! Max: C''mon... c''mon.... Max continued to fire lightning bolts at it. Even more desperately at that point. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: 62% Tiffany: Dang it! She turned to look at the road that lay in front of her. They still had a ways to go before Luke could make another turn. Tiffany: (thinking: C''mon... think, think.....) She was suddenly halted by Luke. Luke: Tiff! Take the wheel! Tiffany: Huh? Luke: Take the wheel! Tiffany: But... but I... Luke let go of the wheel and jumped into the back of the van. Luke: It''s alright. I''ve got this. Tiffany hurriedly grabbed the van''s steering wheel, all the while wondering about what in the world Luke was thinking. Tiffany: Luke. Luke walked past Ken, Rose, and at the entrance to the back door, he tapped Max. Luke: Hey, move over. Max: Huh. Luke stared the glowing red eye directly and held onto the sides of the back door. Tiffany: Luke. What are you doing? Max: Yeah, what''s going on? Rose: Luke... Luke: Stand to the sides of the van. Ken had already made heads and tails of his plan, and he simply braced himself for what was to come. The laser was fired, and Luke jumped right before it was fired. Instead of the van getting hit, it was Luke. The laser hit him just as he had jumped into the air and was a few metres from the van. However, after the impact, he was pushed back into the van at such a terrific speed that he sent the whole van hurtling forward. Rose, Max and Tiffany: Luke! Tiffany struggled to control the vehicle as it basically flew forward. This was her first time driving, after all. The van flew into the air before landing several hundred metres away. Tiffany stopped the van, as did everyone stop what they were doing to take a look at Luke. Tiffany: Luke! Max: Luke! Rose: Luke! His body was searing hot. His shirt had been burned off entirely. His pants were still on but were mostly burnt. But he was breathing, although also groaning. Ken took a moment to observe him before continuing with his hack. Tiffany: Luke, are you ok? Luke: Ugh. Yeah. yeah. I just need a sec. He held his head in pain. His body was so hot that it burnt some parts of the back of the seat. Tiffany: Luke... She felt the sting of guilt. After all, she had said that he could leave the rest to them. And the spider bot would not give them rest. Max: Dang it. Max got up and prepared to fire off another bolt before Ken suddenly spoke. Ken: 100% I''ve deactivated its lasers. Ken took another look at Luke before continuing. Ken: What''s next, chief? Tiffany looked directly at the approaching spider bot and back at Luke before jumping back onto the wheel. Tiffany: Proceed as planned. 79. Reversal The spider bot proceeded to give chase again. Electricity surged around Max''s arms as he prepared to fire again. Ken: Max! Max: Yeah? Ken: Keep it up! Max: Huh? Ken: It gets just a bit weaker and smaller every time you fire at it. That means it also gets slower with every blast you shoot at it. Max: Hmph. Good. Ken: (thinking: So he went on even though he wasn''t aware of how much progress he was making. This guy.... he''s just full of surprises.) Hmph. Alright then. Ken stood up and cracked his knuckles. He, like the rest of them, was sweating. Ken: I believe it''s about time I give some... physical assistance. Max: Hmph. Rose: Ken... Rose was still by Luke''s side. Luke: Go. Rose: But Luke... Luke: I''ll be fine. Just go. Rose winced and nodded before standing before the three. Tiffany looked fornlorningly in Luke''s direction before starting the car. Luke: You know how to drive, right, Tiff? Tiffany did not answer. Luke: I know you''re a fast learner. I also know that you''ve probably figured it out by now. And even though you don''t have a driver''s license.... I know you can pull it off. Tiffany: Hmph. Luke: Just forget about that whole honour thing for a bit, alright? Luke''s voice trailed off as he finished. Max, Ken, and Rose looked back at him with concern before looking at their enemy.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Luke: I''ll be fine. I just... really need a breather. Ken looked back at Luke and was about to give him a quick scan before Tiffany started. Tiffany: Alright. Here''s what we''re gonna do. The other three all shifted their attention. Tiffany: We''re gonna lead this thing to the desert region, far away from the public eye. She hesitated only a bit this time. Tiffany: Max, you take lead offence and fire as many bolts as you can. For each bolt, it gets just a bit smaller and weaker. That''ll buy us some time. Max: Hmph. Tiffany: Rose. Keep using your powers to sense civillians in the vicinity. Prioritise that for now. If the robot gets too close, I want you to use your psychic powers to slow it down. Rose: Ok. Tiffany: And Ken? Ken: Yes, our gracious leader? Tiffany: Use your lasers to support Max, but focus your lasers on its legs to melt them if it gets close. Otherwise, keep using your powers to keep us from being recorded. Tiffany had already noticed the melted piece of robot in the van and how it had not reformed. Ken: Hmmm... If I melt down its legs, it''ll be slowed down even more. Good strategy. Tiffany: Hmph. The spider bot was already halfway to them. Tiffany: Alright, team. Are you ready? Ken: Absolutely. Rose: Yep. Max: Yeah. Tiffany flinched just a bit again at the idea of Max being a part of the team, but she decided.... it had to be done. After all, he was in too deep. She started the car in a somewhat clumsy fashion before driving. It was her first rodeo. She''d learned very quickly as to how Luke drove, but she didn''t expect it to be so weirdly unstable. The van made a few odd turns before speeding off as a raging spider bot chased them down. Tiffany: Sorry. Rose: It''s ok, Tiff. Keep it up! Tiffany: Hmph. The van slowly steadied itself, and Max fired off an incredibly powerful electric blast. Max: Take this! An even bigger slosh of nanobots fell from the spider bot. Ken: (thinking: By my calculations, the robot loses approximately 1.2 spider bots every time Max fires at it.) Ken followed up with a focused laser attack from his eyes. The blast landed on its right front foot and was focused for about 15 seconds, which took some time because it was hard to keep aim while it was moving. The result was that a solid piece of black and molten nanobots fell from its foot, and it began to stumble. Max: Alright! Ken: Hmph. As expected. The leg, of course, was shortly regenerated. And its chase continued. Meanwhile, Rose kept her eyes on the surrounding area. Rose: 500 metres straight ahead. There''s more people behind that building. Tiffany: Alright. Ken, which way to the desert? Ken: Take a right! The robot was gaining on them once more. Rose shifted her focus and simply tried to hold the robot back, only slowing it down a bit. Its forefeet fiercely stabbed at the ground near the van''s back wheels as Ken lasered its feet. Tiffany: (thinking: Just a little longer....) Max''s electro bolts continued to weaken it. Ken: Max! 347 bots left inside. Max: Hmph! Tiffany suddenly started. Tiffany: Rose, Ken, Max, its right foot! Ken, Max and Rose: Right! They all blasted its right foot at full force just as the car made a sharp right turn. Before the spider could regenerate its whole right foot, it tripped while trying to make a right turn, causing it to crash right into a building. 80. This Thing Can Jump!? Max: Woohoo! Alright! That was awesome. Max prepared high fives for Ken and Rose, which they both accepted. Tiffany: Great job, but it''s not over yet. Ken: Hmph. The spider bot pulled itself out of the rubble and shook its head and turned to them. Ken: Although, that should buy us some time. Max: Yeah. Rose: Great thinking, Tiff. Tiffany: Hmph. Tiffany looked into her rear view mirror and realised that the robot was no longer following them. It simply stared at them from a distance. Tiffany: Uhhh... Ken? It''s not... Ken: I see. Max and Rose watched as Ken grabbed the robo spider piece and immediately started scanning it. Ken: Hmmm... No significant changes to its basic functions. Max: Huh. Then why''d it stop? Rose: Hmmmm. Tiffany: Is it tired of chasing us? Should I slow down the van? We do need to lead it out of here and... wait It was at that point that Tiffany noticed that the robo spider "squatted" and then jumped to an incredible height. Max: Woah! Tiffany: Oh no. Rose: Oh my gosh! Ken: This just gets more and more interesting with every second. It disappeared from their view. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: It''s... Ken paused before continuing. Ken: ...right above us.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The robo spider landed directly in front of them, and its round head rotated to face them. Rose gulped. Ken: Oh boy. Tiffany got on the wheel and turned aggressively as the spider bots pointed feet tried to stab at them. Rose: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Tiffany: Hang on! The spider bot''s feet made severe slashes at the side of the van. The rear view mirror on the left side fell off, the sides of the van were scratched and a single leg pierced straight through the back of the van, narrowly missing killing Max, Rose, Luke and or Ken. Rose: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Max: Sheesh. Ken: This thing... Max prepared to electrocute it again, but he couldn''t get a clear shot given how much Tiffany was turning the car. Tiffany: Rose! The van! Rose: Huh! Oh, right! Rose used her psychic powers to move the van further ahead and to dodge the spider''s pointed legs. Tiffany stepped on the gas again and tried to speed away as the spider bot gained on them yet again. Max fired another bolt at it. Ken: 300 bots remaining. Max: Alright. The spider bot had already grown smaller physically. It was now about 3 fifths of its original size. It still towered over even the van, but not by as much this time. Tiffany: Ken. How far till we reach the desert region? Ken: About 3 minutes. Tiffany let out a sigh of relief. It would soon be over. Ken: And, I have a plan. Tiffany: You do? Ken: Hmph. Just follow my lead. They all nodded in response as Max started to, rather than fire bolts, absorb electricity from the spider bot in a bluish sparkling vapour. Ken: Alright. For my first trick.... Tiffany had so far reached the border of the area. The desert sands were in sight. Ken: ... I would like us all to repeat what Tiffany had us do earlier. Max: Huh? Rose: But what if it jumps again? Ken: I''m counting on it. They all looked at him for a second. Max: Alright. Rose: Huh. You''re just going along with it? Max: Yeah. Truth is, I don''t really get it.... but you guys ain''t half bad. Rose: Max... Max: So I''ll follow your orders, Ken. Ken: Hmph. Rose: Alright. I''ll help, too! Tiffany: Alright Ken, lead the way. I suppose you aren''t planning on explaining this to us? Ken: No, it''ll take too long. Tiffany: Fine. Get ready, guys. Max, Rose, and Ken stared down the robo spider. Max prepared an electric bolt, Rose honed her powers, and Ken''s eyes turned red. Ken: In order for this plan to work, I''ll need you all to fire attacks at both legs. Max: Both legs? Ken: Yes. Rose: But why? Ken: This thing learns at an incredible pace. And so I figure one leg won''t be enough this time. Rose: But.... Ken: You''ll be most important in this plan, dear Rose. Rose: I... I will? Ken: Absolutely. In fact, while tripping it, don''t over exert yourself. Rose: Ok. Max: What about me? Ken: Do what you always seem to do. Give it your all! Max: Alright. Max ferociously charged two electric bolts. One on his left and one on his right. Max: I''m ready. Ken''s eyes began to glow red. Ken: As am I. Rose: Ok, I''m ready. Luke looked back at his friends but chose not to get up just yet. He could sense that something was about to happen. They entered the desert region. It was a single stretch of road with desert sands on both sides. Tiffany: We''re here! 81. Soundly Sunk Ken: Alright... He said this as both the van and the spider bot had entered the singular high way. There wasn''t a soul in sight. Ken: Now! Max gave it is all, sending two powerful bolts of electricity at the spider bots two front legs as Ken lasered them both, one after the other at full force as Rose psychically shoved at the both of its front legs at the same time. The result was as Ken had expected. The robo-spider tripped and fell once more. Max: We did it! Max took a breather. Rose: Yeah. Ken''s eyes remained focused on the robo spider. Ken: Rose, get ready. Rose: Huh? Ken: Get ready to use your powers. The robo-spider started to get up once more. Ken: Tiffany! Drive into the desert. Tiffany: Right. Tiffany turned the van into the desert sands. It was quite a bit harder to drive into the sand, but the van managed to make some distance. Rose: Oh no. We''re slowing down. Ken: That doesn''t matter. Ken looked back at the spider bot. Ken: (thinking: We''re quite a ways away from it now. Will it bite the bait?) The spider bot turned to face them, and just as before, it started to squat on the ground. Ken immediately closed the van''s back door. Rose: Ken! Ken: Tiffany. Reverse the van! Rose! Use your powers to pull us backwards. Now! Rose didn''t wait another second. From the moment the spider was in the air, Tiffany reversed while Rose pulled them backwards. The van pulled back at a ferocious speed against the sand. The spider bot landed several metres in front of them in a massive cloud of sand, blinding all of them.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Tiffany: Ugh. Rose: Ugh. Max and Ken covered their eyes, and they all braced themselves as the van was pushed back at a tremendous pace because of the impact. Ken: Hmph. Mission accomplished. It was a massive dust cloud. Luke suddenly got up. Luke: Is everyone ok? Max: Yeah. The impact combined with the pushback from Rose and Tiffany''s sudden reversal had sent Max, Rose, Ken, and Luke all flying to the back of the van. Max rubbed his head in agony. Max: Man, that hurt.... Rose gently tapped her head. Rose: Ouch ouch ouch.... Luke: You OK, Rose? Rose. Yeah. I''m glad to see you''re ok, Luke. Luke: Hmph. No problem. Tiffany remained silent. She was glad to hear that Luke was doing well, but her eyes were set on one specific goal. The spider bot. At a moment''s notice, she was ready to drive away, but such a thought would soon prove to be unnecessary, as the dust cloud dissappeared to reveal a spider bot stuck in the sand. Only its head remained above the ground. Otherwise, all of its legs were stuck in the sand. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Hmm? Tiffany: Good job. They all looked outside to bear witness to the spider bot that was now on the ground, struggling to move. Ken: Hmm. Naturally. Max: No way. Max super sped out of the van to get a closer look. Max: But how? The other four slowly made their way out of the van themselves. Ken: It''s elementary. Max: Huh? Ken: The spider''s legs are pointy and therefore have a low surface area. If it were to jump into desert sand... Max: It would get stuck. Man... Ken, you''re some kinda genius. Ken: Thank you, thank you very much. The robot turned to face them and started to struggle towards them. Max made a silly face at it. Rose: So, what are we gonna do now? Tiffany: Easy. We destroy it. Max: Yeah! Ken: Hmm! Max began to absorb electricity from the robot as Ken began to blow his cryo breath onto the spider. The robot was soon chilled and somewhat frosted, although not much, and Max was recharged. Ken: Rose? Could you hold it in down with your psychic powers? Rose: Oh, sure. She held it down. And while she couldn''t quite keep it from struggling, she was able to keep its body in its larger form, albeit not easily. Ken: (thinking: As I thought, that combined with the fact that it''s stuck, the fact that Max is sapping away at it''s energy and my cryo breath having slowed it down should make "de-amalgamating" quite the challenge.) Ken: Alright. Ready? Max: Hmph. Max fired powerful electro bolts at it while Ken lasered it. The rapid heating and cooling combined with the electric blasts made the robo-spider quickly become disoriented, lose nanobots, and then start sparking and shaking. Ken: Get back! Max, Rose, and Ken ran away from the giant robot, and a massive explosion occurred, leaving a crater on the ground and creating a dust storm as well as a glass figure of an explosion. Max: Awesome. Ken: Hmm. Rose: Yeah. The three of them took a sit down to admire the view. Meanwhile, Tiffany and Luke watched them from a distance. Tiffany: Sheesh. Who thought a bunch of measly bots could cause so much trouble? Luke: Yeah. Silence remained between the two of them for a moment. Luke: So, Max... Tiffany immediately flinched. Luke: You know he''ll ask you again, right? Tiffany: I know. Luke: And you know he''s not gonna stop. Tiffany: I know. Luke: I get it. Tiffany: Ugh. Let''s talk about that later. 82. The End Of The Spider Bots Voice: Reporter Janice Carlson here, reporting live from the scene. Name: Janice Carlson Age: 29 Description: Is a lot more chill than she looks on screen. Occupation: News reporter. Fact: She practises speaking with parrots at her home. Dillan: Hey there, Janice. Looking lovely as always. I, like the audience, would like to know, just what happened down there. Janice: Thanks, Dillan. According to police reports, while there is a large amount of property damage, there is no longer a sign of any of the spider bots anywhere. They all seem to have disappeared. Dillan: Really now! That is fascinating. Are there any eye witness reports of what happened? Janice: Unfortunately, no, Dillan. It would appear that no one is aware of how they disappeared. However, there seems to be a huge wake of destruction left in the area. Police reports state that there might have been an intense battle. Dillan: Oh, really? A battle? Janice: Yes. We are heading over to one of the ambulances now. An adult woman came out. Woman: No, really. I''m alright, I''m alright. Name: Kimberly Baxton Age: 38 Description: Stern mom Occupation: X-corp employee Fact: She swore off using hair products. Janice: Excuse me, miss? Kimberly: Oh yes. Hello. Oh, am I on TV? Hi honey? Janice: What is your name, and what do you do? Kimberly: Oh... right. My name is Kimberly Baxton, and I am an employee at the errr... X-Corporation. Mrs. Kimberly took a moment to turn back and look at the wake of destruction. X-corp was still standing, but there were several broken glasses, and the inside of it was completely destroyed. Janice: I see. Would you happen to know what happened?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Kimberly: Oh yes, of course. Kimberly cleared her throat. Kimberly: There I was, being chased down by those spider bots, running for my life, when I tripped and fell. And then some super speeding young man grabbed me and led me straight out of my hiding place into safety. I swear I''ve never seen any stroke of luck like it. Janice: Oh really? Kimberly: Oh yes, I''m quite grateful to be alive and well. Janice. We are all happy to see that you are. Kimberly: Oh you... Janice: Thank you for your time. Kimberly: No, thank you. She waved at the screen as Janice smiled and turned back to the camera. Janice: As you can see, Dillan. There appear to be reports of a young man clad in black with a mask on to hide his face that just so happened to save these peoples lives with "super speed" and "lightning powers" Dillan: Incredible! Janice: Absolutely. Mrs. Kimberly isn''t the only one with such information. The officers, other workers, and even the company CEO all seem to be saying the same thing. That a young man in black saved them from the spider bots. Dillan: I see. That is incredible. This super human man, did anyone happen to catch his name. Janice: No. Apparently, he simply led the civillians far out of harm''s way and disappeared. Dillan: I see. Is there any footage of what had happened to the spider bots? Janice: No, not even a bit. It would just so happen that all of the security cameras were mysteriously offline or shut down. Dillan: Really.? Janice: Yes, the.... Tiffany: Shut it off. The team was in the van, being driven by Tiffany, because Luke did not have a shirt. The van had already been cleaned by Max earlier and was back to its usual colour. Ken was playing the video from his eyes. The video was sucked back into his eyes. Max: Hey, I wanted to keep watching. Tiffany: Ugh. You only want that to happen because you want them to talk about you more. Max: Is that a crime? Tiffany sighed massively as the rest of the team laughed at her. The people of Hypercity, bit by bit, cancelled their plans for evacuation and made their way back to their homes if they were not destroyed that is. Back at Hypercity High, a large number of students who were still in school quickly became relieved after hearing about what had happened. Brian Baxton was in tears. Brian: My mom.... she''s alive.... she''s alive... Vince''s parents had arrived, and he went out to go get his bike, only to find that his helmet was greasy and surrounded by flies. Vince: Huh... In the helmet, there was a message in ketchup spelt, Max. Vince: MAAAAAX! Meanwhile, a troubled Julianne Hunter, who had just left her spa day early to go get Max, just heard what had happened on the news. She was mere moments away from the school and had told herself that she''d simply not call on his phone to ensure that he made the choice himself. As to whether he had remained in school or fought the spiders was a mystery to her. It was then that the news channel opened up the segment. Tears rolled down her cheek as she heard, "super speeding hero." More tears fell as she started outright crying on the steering wheel. She couldn''t believe it. All that waiting and patience paid off. Her son was a hero. Back at the van... As they drove by the crowded roads, Ken continued to tinker with the broken spider bot. Ken: And done. The spider bot suddenly dematerialised into dust. Max: Woah, what was that? Ken: I simply made sure that every last inch of that thing was history. Even the little bits that fell off on our way to the desert region. Tiffany: Good thinking, Ken. Max: Yeah, no kidding. Rose: Uh huh. Luke started. Luke: Oh, by the way..... on the way, could you guys buy me a shirt? Ken: Hmmm. Maybe.... Luke: Hey! Ken: Just kidding... just kidding... 83. Tiffanys Final Decision Luke looked around the van and sighed. There was a gaping hole on the top as well as damage to its sides. Rose: Is everything ok, Luke? Luke: Yeah, yeah.... it''ll just need some maintenance. Luke looked around the van again and scratched his head. Luke: (thinking: This''ll cost a lot.) Rose: Hey, Luke... maybe we could... Luke: No, no... I''ll be fine. Don''t worry about it. Rose: Are you sure? Luke: Don''t mention it. Rose: Alright. Well... at least you won''t have to work at Timo''s today. Luke: You kidding? National crises make a lot of people order fast food. So I''ll be busy all night. Rose: Oh my gosh! That''s horrible! Luke: It''s alright. Besides, I''ll make enough money to repair this thing. Rose: But then you''ve gotta rest, and then you''ve got school... Ken: Actually, no. Rose, Luke and Max: Huh? Ken: According to this text from Principal Valencia, we won''t be having school for the rest of the week. Rose: Really. Max: Awesome! Luke: Huh.. Max reclined in the back of the van. Max: That means I just get to relax for the rest of the week. He proudly smiled at himself. Rose looked at him and smiled.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Max: After all, we did just save the city, right? Rose: Yeah. Tiffany sighed behind the wheel. Max: Which reminds me? Tiff? Tiffany: Yeah... She replied dryly. Max: Since I helped save the day, does that mean that I.... Several thoughts ran through her mind that moment. It was Max''s decision to keep fighting in spite of the lack of a plan that got them out of that situation. He was the one who inspired them to fight even though they were unsure of what to do next. And although he was still reckless, hard-headed, and could have gotten them killed just as easily, she couldn''t deny the fact that his method did help get them out of the situation. And there was yet one more thing that was bothering her. She took a deep breath as he continued. Max: ...get to join the team? Tiffany waited for a moment to answer as the rest of the team looked in her direction. Tiffany: First off, it''s Tiffany. Max: Yeah... yeah... Tiffany: Second of, ...... She waited another moment. Tiffany: ... I''ll think about it. Max: What!? Max got off of his reclined position. Max: But that''s not fair. After what I did today, I should at least be able to... Tiffany knew that her team would likely side with Max. Tiffany: Ken? Max: Huh? Ken: Yes, Miss numero uno. Tiffany: Get Max''s contact details. Ken: Hmm? Max: What! The rest of the team and Max were genuinely shocked by her response. Ken: Well.... alright then... Ken''s eyes begun to glow blue. Rose: Wait, Tiff. Does that mean... Tiffany: No. Max: O.... k. But why.... Tiffany: Because... I''ve decided that you should at least be in the know about what happens with us. Luke: Hmph. Good thinking. Max: Huh... Luke: That means she''ll keep you in touch for when things go down. Max: Really? Luke: Yeah. I mean, you''re not a part of the team yet.... but... you know. Max: Huh.... ok. Max took a moment to think about it. He wasn''t a part of the team yet, but hey, progress. Max: Alright, I think I can live with that. My number is... Ken: Already got it. Max: Huh? Ken: I hacked into your phone, got your contact details, and then shared them with the rest of the group. Rose: You di... Max: YOU DID! Ken: Yes. It was quite easy, I must say. Max: But... that was my... and that... how could...?! Rose and Luke smiled as they watched Ken and Max discuss phone security. Tiffany: There is a catch, though, Max. Max: Huh? Tiffany: I''m gonna need you to talk to your mom about joining the team. Max: What! Max hadn''t thought of her all day. He hadn''t seen her since she had left his room the previous day. In fact, it had been over a day since he''d last seen her. Max: Mom.... Tiffany: It shouldn''t be so hard... considering that your mother probably watched the news. Ken: Good point, Tiffany. After all, his mother may react erratically. Tiffany: Hmph. Agreed. Rose looked forlorningly at a now stunned Max. Rose: Max.... The van drove silently for a while after that. 84. Roses Diary They stopped at a shop and bought Luke a shirt out of Luke''s own pocket. It was one of the few shops whose cashiers had either not evacuated or had, at the very least, quickly returned. The first house up was Max''s. He walked out of the van almost as though he''d just seen a ghost. Rose looked out the van and yelled as he left. Rose: It''s ok, Max. I''m sure your mom will be happy to hear from you. She''s super nice... (thinking right after: Wait, she''s his mom, and so he should know that.) Max weakly waved back as Rose as the van door closed and Luke drove away. There wasn''t a car in the driveway as usual. His mom wasn''t home yet. Ken: Well, his mom should know he''s back home now. Rose: Yeah. There was a silence in the van for a moment. Rose: Do you think he''ll be ok? The rest remained silent, and Rose crouched and hid her face behind her knees. The next house up was Rose''s. Rose: Bye, everyone. Tiffany: Goodbye, Rose. Luke: See ya, Rose. Ken: Hasta la vista, Rose The van door was shut, and Rose walked into her empty house. Yet again, mom and dad were not home. She sighed as she walked towards the front door and opened the automatic door. Rose: Door open.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Door: Good evening, Rose. The door opened as usual and she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She slowly climbed up as she always did before entering her room. It was a mess. Full of giant dolls, instruments, and even an aquarium. Rose: Here, fishy fishy.... She got a bit of fish food and fed the numerous pet fish in her room. A smile lit up in her face as she noticed that one of them was growing bigger. Rose: You''re a big boy now, huh. She tapped the glass right next to it, and it swam towards her. There she remained, smiling, before retiring to her bed and grebbing her diary. It was a bulky looking diary that was locked with an incredibly tough and expensive looking lock that could only be loosened with brute force or, in her case, with psychic brute force. She focused her power and forced it open. Afterwards, she got a pen and prepared to write. The pen lay on her lip as she thought of what to write that day. Rose: (thinking: How should I start?) Suddenly, the 15 year old started in a mad dash with her pen. "Dear Diary, today was amazing! Well, not at first! I woke up late and almost missed my first lesson. And then later, I had gym class, which was tough. But then... then.... I got to hang out with all my friends!" She picked up different coloured and expensive looking pens. She began to use different colours for each of her friends. "Tiff was, like always, super supportive. In gym class, she hung back to make sure I made it through. Luke was Luke as always. Super fast runner and super nice. He "almost" beat Vince. Even though he could''ve, he wanted to keep his identity a secret. But you know what, diary? I''m really glad Ken came up with that plan last semester. Because of that, I''m no longer all that worried about gym class." "And Max..." She took a moment to swoon as she continued. "Max was so so so cool! I mean, he got into trouble with the principal today, and he also kinda sorta got me into trouble as well. But ya know what, dear diary, he did all those 10 laps! Can you believe it? He''s so amazing. The coach and Vince stood against him, but he beat them both. He''s so tough." She excitedly stomped on the ground. "Oh, I can''t believe I almost didn''t tell you. At lunchtime, these spider robots attacked the city and tried to destroy X-corp. I was so shocked, but then Tiff had me open up a psychic conversation immediately. She''s so smart. She did it after only like 30 seconds. I bet her head is full of lightning bolts. Yknow, because lightning is super fast." "Speaking of lightning, ... Tiff told me and the others to keep our secret plan from Max. She wanted him to stay out of it, and so Luke, Ken, and Tiff all told him that they weren''t going. I couldn''t help much because I''m not a very good liar. But guess what..." She squealed. "Max was so cool. He didn''t even stop for a second. He just decided to go alone. Isn''t that amazing? Oh. Am I talking too much about Max? Sorry. Anyway, later..." 85. Reacquainted With Family The next house up was Ken''s. Luke: See ya, dude. Tiffany: Goodbye, Ken. Ken: Adios amigos. Ken had had Luke and Tiffany park several metres away from his house. After all, the less his parents saw, the less they worried. He, as usual, knocked on the door. Ken: I''m home. A few seconds passed, and he heard footsteps. It was his mother. Frida: Kenny! Ken: Hey mom.. He was sweaty, and his clothes looked quite a bit dusty. And, of course, he had not thought of the fact that he''d just spent the whole afternoon in battle. Sure, he thought about it from his perspective, but not nearly enough from his mother''s. Therefore, he was a bit shocked when his mother gave him a big hug. Frida: Oh Ken... Oh, Ken... Ken: Mom.... I.... He quickly realised his error and adjusted his mood. Ken: It''s alright, mom. I''m fine. Frida: I know that now, baby. I know that now. I was sooooo worried about you. Ken hugged his mother back. Ken: It''s alright, mom. I''m fine. Frida: Are you sure? She pulled back and immediately started to inspect his body. Frida: No cuts, no bruises, no muscle strains... Ken: No, no, not at all. Frida lifted his arms and checked underneath them. Ken: Mom, I''m fine. Really. Just tired.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Frida had a deep sigh of relief. Frida: Oh, thank the heavens. I was so worried about you. Ken: Sorry. Frida quickly stepped out of his way and let him inside, as she suddenly realised that she was in her son''s way. Frida: Come in, come in... She and her son walked into the house. Frida: I mean, when you texted to us that you were heading out of town with Luke and the others.... Ken had done this using his bionics earlier. Frida: ...well, let''s just say that your father was on your way to find you just before you texted us saying you were coming back. Ken: Dad? Frida: Mmmm, hmm. He just left to go get us some food. He figured we''d all be too tired to cook. Ken: I see. Ken walked up to his room and prepared to take a bath. Meanwhile... Luke drove Tiffany back to her home. She lived alone. Once the van stopped, she slowly walked outside the van. Luke: See ya later, Tiff. Tiffany: Yeah. See ya. Tiffany slowly walked away, and Luke slowly backed out of the driveway before Tiffany suddenly stopped and turned to him and stopped him. Tiffany: Luke! Luke stopped the van. Luke: Yeah? Tiffany looked worrisomely at the beat-up van. Tiffany: I could help you with that, you know. Luke smiled. Luke: No. It''s alright. Remember... Tiffany: I... I see. Luke backed out of the house, and Tiffany slowly walked into her house. It was a normal and completely normal looking house in which she lived alone. It was tidy, neat and all was well organised. She walked to the showers to take a bath. Luke got out of the driveway and made his way to Timo''s. He knew Timo would be expecting him. In fact, he''d checked his phone, and Timo had already asked him to come around if he was able. After all, he needed money to repair his van. And now was a perfect opportunity. After taking a shower at his home and getting a fresh change of clothes, he made his way to Timo''s. He made it to Timo''s and packed his car. There wasn''t a single bit of damage in the vicinity. The spider bots had never made it that far. Just as he''d parked, Timo, in spite of the long line, immediately rushed outside. Timo: Luke the man! Luke: Uncle Timo! He grabbed Luke and gave him a big hug. Timo: Where you been? You''re late. Luke: Oh, I''m sorry. I needed to take a bath and get a refuel. Timo: Oh, I see. Timo looked at the van and noticed the damage. Luke: In any case, I''m ready to work. Timo: Oh, Luke. You''ve had rough day, no? Luke: Huh? Luke looked at the damaged van as well. Luke: Yeah. But in any case, it still drives. And I need the money to repair the roof. Timo: I see. Timo put his hand on his chin. Timo: Tell you what. Since you had rough day, I repair van for you. Free of charge. Luke: Really? Luke couldn''t believe his luck. Timo: Of course. After all, you must be tired after today. Luke: Timo... th... thank you. Timo: No need to thank me. But, I still need someone to take pizza. Luke: I''m on it, boss! Timo: Good. You can take my car. Timo gave him a pair of keys as his other employees looked at the situation questionably. 86. Waiting On Mom Max walked into the house and opened it with his house keys. He opened the unlocked door and lazily walked upstairs. Who knew what awaited him when his mom came back? She hadn''t told him what she''d thought of him putting himself in danger. She didn''t tell him what her final thoughts were. And, of course, given what had just happened in the city, she would be looking for him. He sighed heavily as he walked past her room and walked to his. She would soon be there, at home, probably to take him out of school, he imagined. He hadn''t really thought about it much. She seemed to want him to go to school the next day, but she hadn''t said anything about the danger he was putting himself in. What Rose had told him that evening about being his mother being nice to her and the others had interrupted his thought process. He had decided not to worry about it then. She wanted him to go to school, but did she want him to be in danger? That was severely unlikely. He opened his room door and out of habit, changed his clothes, set his skateboard on the floor, and got ready to start playing Warring Dimensia 2 on his Playbox. The thoughts continued to run in his mind. What would she say? How would she say it? Was she going to be worried, would she tell him to no longer go on missions? There was no way he could avoid this conversation now. The anxiety had slowly begun to affect his gameplay. He missed a shot with the grapple gun and took some damage from the enemy as a result. Max: Dang it!Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. He put the game down for a moment and looked down the driveway from the window. Not a sign of her. But she would be here soon. His phone. That was his next idea. He got it and opened his chats. There was only one text from his mom. "I''m coming home soon." -Mom Max: (thinking: Great.) A part of him was hoping he wouldn''t have to have this converation just yet. Maybe that thing keeping her busy at 7am would keep her busy for a day longer. He sighed as he thought about it. Maybe even a week longer. His eyes turned around the room from place to place before eventually settling on the ceiling for a moment before turning to his video game. Another online round of Warring Dimensia 2. He played and lost his focus and lost once more. Max: Dang it! He almost slammed his fist against the wall before calming down and, with his Playbox and phone, going down the stairs and taking a seat at the dining table, or as he would aptly name it in this situation, the "sitdown" table. This had happened before. His mom''s "sitdowns." He knew what to expect. She was going to talk about how this was for his good and how this and that needed to happen. She had done this many times before. Him on one chair, her on another. Her facing him. Then would start the conversations about his safety and his wellbeing with several well thought out arguments that he had a hard time going against. He sighed, yet another loss. Three losses in a row. That wasn''t a first for him, but the way they''d happened was much faster than usual. His mind turned to the next thought. How would she say it this time? How would she react? He had no idea. However, the anxiety was enough to keep him on the edge of his seat, twiddling his thumbs. Maybe she would be ok with it? It is unlikely. But.... nope. He couldn''t see it happening. Fourth loss. At this point, he stopped playing the game for a second. Could he do missions in secret? No. He''d get caught eventually. He knew that much. The next game began. His fifth. She would probably start by trying to comfort him, he thought. She already knew how this was going to end. He already knew how this was going to end. After comforting him, she would then tell him of her plans. And how could he say no? What argument could he come up with against her? What could he say? Your son wants to put himself in danger because he wants to have friends? Does saying that to a mother even make sense? He lost again. Fifth loss in a row. This time, rather than bash a wall, he simply put the game down and waited. Clad in his home clothes, with his mom''s chat open on his phone and a turned off Playbox, he waited. No stimulation, just waiting. 87. Hero Cake Some time passed. About thirty minutes. The sounds of cars passing by. The sound of each car came with a new blast for anxiety for him. "Was that her? No. No, it was not." Finally, his mother appeared. Max''s eyes turned to the direction of the driveway. It was his mom''s car alright. She parked the car on the driveway as Max watched from the distance. He slowly got up and walked to the front door to welcome her home. A painful sinking feeling covered his heart. An almost suffocating one. Each step he made in that direction came with a bit of doubt. Should he just not open the door? He had no clue. But, irregardless, he walked to the door, his pace slowed by his own mental turmoil. Meanwhile, Julianne Hunter remotely closed her car doors after taking something massive out of her own car. It was in a massive box with the words Billiard''s Confectionery. She carried it with her own physical strength to the front door and unlocked it herself. She made it there before Max. Max stopped only a few feet from the front door as he heard his mother unlock it from the other side. She opened the door, and her eyes came upon her son. Julianne: Hey, champ. Max: Hey mom. Julianne: I saw what happened in the news. Are you ok? Max: Yeah, I''m fine. Julianne: Alright. There was a moment of silence between the two afterwards before Julianne simply started. Julianne: Max, could you help me carry this? Max: Sure. He walked to her and got the box from her. He could read the contents of the box. Confectionery meant cake, or something approximating that. Julianne: Be careful. It''s delicate. Max: Ok. He knew this trick all too well. A tasty treat to butter him up before the bad news came. He''d experienced it all too often. Max: Is it cake?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Julianne: Well, something like that. But don''t open it just yet. She hurriedly walked upstairs and went to her room as Max started at the cake. It was almost as if it was mocking him. Some kind of, "You''re gonna eat me, and then you''re gonna do what she says." He couldn''t stand it. It annoyed him to no end. There was no way out of this, he thought. It was several minutes later after Julianne Hunter finally made it back downstairs. She''d gone to change her clothes. Julianne: Sorry about that, champ. I just needed to unwind a bit. Max: Sure. It''s fine. She noticed the uncaring tone from her son, and her eyes simmered. Did he already know what to expect? Had she done this to her son all this time? Was her son''s suffering because of her decisions? Julianne had no idea, but, irregardless, she walked up to her son and took a long, hard look at his face. Max: Mom? Julianne: Sorry, champ. Just making sure nothing is wrong. Max: Mmmmm. Julianne: Have a seat. The pair sat down on the dining table. The giant cake box in between them. An odd silence between the two of them. Julianne: You can open the cake now. Max: Huh? Julianne: It''s ok. It''s a surprise. Max looked at the cake again. It served as a reminder to him. A reminder that this was just another trojan horse to cool him off before she told him about his worries. And so, he hesitated to open it. Julianne: Champ? She noticed his hesitance. Max: Ummm... mom.... I.... He searched hard for the words he wanted to say to his mother. "I''ll be fine." That wouldnt work. "I like it." She''ll talk about the danger he will be in. "I have friends now." You can find others. No, there was nothing he could say. Max: Mom... I... I just wanna say that... Julianne Hunter had caught on and instinctively opened the cake box herself to reveal a massive and expensive looking cake with long candles and little figurines. It was so colourful that Max couldn''t help but look away. But there was one more thing that hed noticed. On the cake, written in bright red, was "HERO." He couldn''t miss it. Max: Huh..... He hadn''t noticed at the time, but from the moment he had sat down, he hadn''t looked at his mom once. Her face wasn''t one full of worry and despair. It was one full of happiness and pride. There were tear marks, but those were tears of joy. Max: Mom.... Julianne: I saw what happened on the news. She stood up and went to him with a tear in her eyes and gave him a massive hug. Julianne: Your father would be so proud. Max: Mom.... Max hugged her back, and his heart immediately let all defences down. She was ok with it. He was finally certain. She was ok with it. There, they remained for about a minute before slowly letting go of each other. Max: Mom... I... Julianne: It''s alright, sweetie. On and this cake is for you. So, enjoy it. Max: Thanks... It was an odd sensation. The cake he''d just so deeply hated was now one he was welcoming into his mouth so happily. Julianne: But before you take a bite... Max: Huh. Julianne: I want to hear everything. The look in her eyes was not bitter or scared. It was genuinely excited. Max paused for a minute before excitedly starting while taking bites out of the cake. Max: Ok. So, it all started at around lunchtime.... Julianne Hunter listened with glee. Not once in her son''s life had he spoken of something with so much excitement. Not video games, not skateboarding, not even food. This experience. Seeing her son so happy filled a certain piece of her heart. What joy to a mother to see her son so excited about something! 88. So..., Mom..... It was over an hour after Max had finally finished telling his mother the story. She, like all mothers, was naturally pleased to see her son so passionate about something. However, at the moment, the Hunter residence found itself in silence. Not a brooding silence but rather a peaceful one. Julianne Hunter had long since retired to her bed. The events of the previous days had left this mother stressed and exhausted. She promptly fell asleep after hearing her son''s story. Max, on the other hand, was up, as usual, playing Warring Dimensia Two. This time, winning fight after fight. He still couldn''t quite believe it. His mother was ok with it. In fact, right then.... About an hour before.... Max: So, mom.... I.... I wanna join their team. He was still scarfing down more pieces of cake while his mother was at the sink washing a dish. Her heart flinched at the thought. She was happy he''d found something he liked, but that didn''t mean she didn''t worry. Julianne: I... I see.... She hesitated. Her son putting himself in danger again. What to do, oh what to do? The news had shown photos of the spider bots. They weren''t that big of a deal, at least to her. But given what had happened that Monday night.... If he joined their team, this would become a normal thing. He might even go into an overload again, or worse, come back home in pieces. She paused without making a sound for several seconds. Max''s initial excitement slowly turned to anxiety. Should he not have asked that right at that very moment? Was it too much? Was she going to say no? Meanwhile, Julianne asked herself, "Why should she say yes to this?" Everything in her heart screamed that she should say no. After all, why should she have to worry about him? Why should her son have to risk his life? He was all the family she had. And she his. Max slowly began to recoil back into his seat, thinking, "Yeah, maybe that was all too good to be true."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Julianne: I suppose it would be fine. Max: Huh?! Really?! Julianne: Absolutely. She said all this against herself. Her back was turned to hide a face, fighting back every single tear that wanted to fly out of her eyes. Behind the screaming wails of her soul was one statement. She knew she had to let him do this. Something deep in her heart said so. Was it her love for her son? After all, he wanted to do this. Her reverence for her late husband? She knew that he would approve. Or her sense of duty as a mother? That something in the very depths of her soul told her that this was the way to go, even though it was the most painful thing she had ever had to say. Max: For real!? Julianne: Of course, honey. Years of acting had left this woman with something of an arsenal of tricks and skills to hide her true emotions. One of them being, her knowledge of exactly what her voice sounded like and what her face looked like. As well as an interestingly large amount of knowledge about the human mind. Just as she''d finished her statement, she turned around with a somewhat realistic smile on her face with her eyes closed. It was a simple face. Eyes closed and smile often meant simple agreement to most people. They wouldn''t think twice about it. Max was so excited that his mind completely failed to notice that she turned her back on him right after saying that. Max: That''s... That''s great! I can''t wait to tell them! And Julianne was glad that he''d failed to notice her pain. But..... Max: We''re gonna go on all kinds of adventures. It''s gonna be so cool. As he continued to speak. Max: And we''re gonna fight all kinds of monsters, robots, and evil warriors. It''ll be so awesome. A certain pains lowly lifted from her heart. Almost as if hearing her son speak so excitedly about it calmed her down. Why did it, though? She may never know, she thought. Max: And then... and then.... His mother giggled. Julianne: Alright, alright... I get it. Something about his excitement calmed her down enough. Enough that she could laugh. Max: Huh? She put the plate onto the rack and walked towards her son. The tears in her eyes had been held back successfully. And on top of that, what she was about to do felt right. After all, she was still his mother. Julianne: You can go ahead and join their team. Her hand fell onto his hair. Gently rubbing his hair. Her face wasn''t happy or sad. Just concerned. Max: Mom... Julianne: But promise me... that if it ever gets too rough for you out there, you''ll never hesitate to ask me for help. Not even for second. Do you promise me that? There was a tinge of fear in her voice. But much more apparent was her motherly concern for him. Julianne: Promise? To Max, his mother had done one surprising thing after another this day. This one moment somehow stunned him more than everything else beforehand. Max: Yeah, I promise, mom. Julianne: Good. She got back up and stretched. Julianne: And don''t miss school because of your super heroics. Max: Ok. Julianne: And don''t fail your classes, or get in trouble at school,.... Max: Ok, mom.... Julianne: And don''t let anybody else see your powers. Max: Ok, mom..... I get it... Julianne: And... Max: Moooooooooommmm! 89. The Newest Member? Max reminisced about that conversation. Was something different about his mother? When was the last time they''d had a conversation like that? He comfortably lounged on his bed while playing yet another round of Warring Dimensia 2 before receiving a text on his phone. It was from Ken. The text read.... "Video team meeting in 10 minutes. Get ready." There was a link stated after the text. A team meeting. What could that have meant? Was he already a part of the team? He hadn''t yet told them of what his mother had said, and so getting that message from Ken was both amazing to him and a little confusing. Irregardless, in excitement, he got up, ruffled hs hair, and checked himself in the mirror after answering, "I''ll be there." Ten minutes. He could hardly wait to tell them. He was gonna be a superhero. Just like the guys on TV. After all, Tiffany could not possibly say no to him after he''d gotten his mom''s approval. Could she? The next ten minutes went on with Max imagining as to how he would tell them what had happened as he gleefully glossed over the next few games of Warring Dimensia 2, his eyes on the clock, counting every minute. Once he saw that the ten minutes were almost up, he wasted no time in getting up and turning his computer on and pasting the link. It was a weird link. Not one that he''d seen before, although he wasn''t exactly particular about the kinds of links used for video calls. And once he''d opened it, he found Rose, Tiffany, and Ken already online. Rose: (gleefully) Oh my gosh! Max! Hey! Ken: So you did show up. Tiffany: (flatly) Hey, Max.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Max: Hey guys! He could barely hide his childlike smile. Rose: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! This is your first team meeting! Max: Ehehe... yeah..... Uhhh.... where''s Luke? Rose: Oh.... he''s..... Ken: Busy. But he said he''d be here. Tiffany flinched slightly. After all, she knew how hard he had it. Tiffany: In any case, Max, welcome to your first official team meeting. Max: Cool! Tiffany: We have these every after a mission to discuss matters of importance, such as as to whether one of us is too injured or badly hurt or even to discuss bits and pieces of information abouut the enemy we discovered on the field of battle. Max: Oh.... sounds kinda boring. Tiffany''s eye twitched, Ken smirked, and Rose held her mouth shut and blushed. Max: I thought we''d be talking about new moves or combos or something. Tiffany: (sighs) Sure, we do a bit of that, too. Max: Alright. Ken: And I just so happen to be the one managing these team meetings. Max: Huh? Tiffany: That''s right. Ken uses his bionics to create a safe website in which we hold our discussions. It''s safe from any and all those who may try to hear as to what it is that goes on here. That way, not even the secret service can hear about what we''re planning. Ken: So if we ever need to rob a bank, we''ll have no trouble plotting it. Max smirked and broke into laughter as Ken followed, as Tiffany simply waited for them to finish, and Rose said nothing Tiffany: Moving on... our team meeting today is to discuss the spider bots we faced off with today afternoon. But before that. How are you all doing? Any injuries? Rose: I''m doing great, Tiff. Nothing to worry about. Ken: All''s good here, oh watchful leader. Max: I''m good. Tiffany let out a sigh of relief. Tiffany: Great! That''s good to hear. And then another sigh, because she knew what she was going to have to ask next. From the very moment the meeting had started, Max had been gleefully smiling. "Could it be?" she thought. Did his mother say, "Yes?" That wasn''t the most inexplicable thing that could have happened. But.... so soon. Ken had had similar thoughts. But to him, Max''s family became more and more interesting. Tiffany knew that she''d had to ask eventually. The sorrowful Max that left the van earlier that day was an entirely different creature from the Max that was before her at that very moment. Tiffany: Anyway, before I continue, Max? Max: Yeah? That yeah was way too cheerful for it to be anything else. But she continued. Tiffany: Did you talk to your mom about joining the team? Rose flinched, and her eyes turned to Max in fear of his reaction. Max: Yeah.... Max hid his smile completely. But Tiffany saw through it. Was he being intentionally vague? Tiffany: And what did she say? With a sudden, big toothy smile, Max loudly answered. Max: She said yes! 90. One Last Interjection... The looks of surprise on Tiffany and Ken''s faces were incredibly apparent. And Max would have noticed them had Rose not immediately started... Rose: Oh my gosh! Really? Max: Uh huh Rose: That''s amazing, Max. I''m so happy for you. Max: Thanks. He reclined a bit more with the same big smile on his face. Tiffany and Ken both remained silent. Thinking it was one thing, but seeing and believing it was another. On the one hand, Max did not appear to be lying. On the other hand, how could that possibly be true? Tiffany: (somewhat hesitantly) But.... how? Max: Hmmm? "There was no way, right?" she thought. The memories of that night still ran thick through her veins. There was no way she would forget that anger. No way. Max: (slightly confusedly) Well... I just asked her. Max then paused as though something was on his mind. It wasn''t like Max himself wasn''t shocked as well. He just wasn''t willing to talk about his family. Max: But it''s all good now, right? I can join the team, right? The online roon became silent for a moment. Ken would say nothing, Max waited expectantly as did Rose and Tiffany tried to do mental calculus to understand as to what it was that she could say. She gave him a condition. And he fulfilled it. So, why did she still feel so uneasy about it? Tiffany: (exhaustedly) Fine. Rose: Yippee!! Max: Alright.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Ken simply smirked and thought, "Well, that was interesting." Rose: Max, you did it. You''re a part of the team! Max: Yeah, I know, right? Finally, he had people just like him by his side. And a pretty cool job at that. Tiffany: On one final condition. The celebration stopped cold. Rose and Ken immediately paused in shock. Max: Huh?! For the second time since the meeting had begun, the online room remained silent, albeit for only a second. Max: But you said...!!!! Tiffany: I know what I said. However, there is one question I have left. Ken: (thinking: What kind of question?) Max: Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. Rose looked back from side to side, questioning as to whose side she should take. Rose: Ummmm.... uhhhhh.... Until very hesitantly.... Rose: I... It''s ok, Max. I''m sure you can do it. Max: Mmmmmmm. Fine. What is it? Tiffanys eyes turned somewhat serious. More serious than they were before. Tiffany: It''s about what happened that night. Max: Huh? Tiffany: That time we battled Wolfram. How could Max forget that fight? His life was on the line, and to top it all off, he never remembered as to what had happened after he''d blacked out. All he''d heard was that he overloaded. And he knew full well how that probably ended. Max: Oh...... He paused for a moment. What could she want to know? After all, what was there to ask him about? Tiffany: It''s about your "overload" Max: Overload? You mean.... Max still couldn''t make heads or tails of what she wanted to ask him. Tiffany: Ken? Ken: Yes, my queen? Tiffany: Bring up the video of Max in his overload state. Ken: My pleasure. (thinking: So that''s what it is, huh.) On his computer screen, a video of Max facing off with Wolfram in his overload state played. Max: You can take videos? Ken: Yep. Just one of my many talents. Max: That''s awesome. Hey, maybe you could.... Tiffany: Max! Max: Ok, ok. The video continued to play. On the screen, as the fight approached its climax, Rose could be heard calling for Max, but he did not answer. The real time Rose''s eyes simmered as she saw that. Tiffany: Pause. Ken: Rightio, your eloquence. The video paused, showing a scenic picture of Max''s final clash against Wolfram. Max: That was awesome! Tiffany''s eyes narrowed. For one thing, Max did not seem to be all that shocked about what had happened. That could only mean that the overload was something not too unfamiliar with him. So he had to know. Tiffany: That''s not the point. Max: Huh? Tiffany: The point is.... I want to know everything about your overload. Max: Everything? That, to Max, was one shocker of a question. What was the big deal with his overload? Rose: (thinking: Tiff....... ) 91. With Much Deliberation For the third time in their discussion, an awkward silence took over the room. Max didn''t know what to say. Or rather, where to start. Until... Max: Well, it''s a survival mechanism. Suddenly... Tiffany: Ken? Tell him. Ken: When you entered overload, your electricity productivity increased by a factor of about 9. Not only that, but your speed increased as well. Max: Yeah? Ken: So much so that you were able to take on Aloysius Wolfram. An opponent who''d made several preparations just to deal with your powers. Max still didn''t see what the problem was. Of course, the problem being that Tiffany had not yet gotten to the point. Tiffany: Thank you, Ken, that will be all. Ken: My pleasure. Max: Well, yeah. So what''s the big deal? Rose flinched. She wanted to say something but was hesitant to. Tiffany: Your mother already told us about your... "defence mechanism," and it is powerful. But there is one thing I need to know. But before that... I want to know everything about it. From you, specifically. Max flinched. What was she going on about? Max: Well.... what''s there to know? Tiffany simply looked at him. Max ran loops in his mind. What on earth could be the big deal? Tiffany: For starters, how does it activate? Max: Well.... He didn''t need to think much of it. After all, his mom had explained it to him once. Max: .... when my life is in danger. Tiffany: I see. And how exactly does it do that? Max: Huh? Tiffany: Ken, could you roll the clip back. Ken: Sure.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. As he rolled the clip back, Max waited impatiently. What on eath was she on about, he thought? Tiffany: Right there. Play the clip from that point on. Ken did as she requested. The clip? It was from the point during which Rose called out Max''s name, trying to get him to respond. Rose flinched in discomfort. The last thing she''d have wanted was to cause Max trouble. But even she had to admit, it was a bit disconcerting to know that Max didn''t answer her. Once the clip was fully played, Max slowly put two and two together. Tiffany: That is what I wanted to talk about. Your "overload." When you''re in that state, you''re not conscious, are you. That was true. He''d just never considered it to be a problem. Max: (slightly nervously) Well... yeah... but.... What''s the big deal? Tiffany sighed. Ken: Well, I suppose she will explain that to you. Max: Huh? Tiffany: Max, listen up. Max: Ok? Tiffany: If a team is going to work well together, all the parts of the team have to cover each others weaknesses. We have to communicate with each other. Max: Yeah, yeah, I get it. But... Tiffany: But nothing. Having a self defence mechanism that turns your brain off once you''re out of energy to fight is a useful tool once you''re on your own, but when fighting as a team, that could just as easily become a liability. Max: What!? Ken: She''s not wrong, Max. To top it all off, with the level of power you exhibited, you running into dangerous situations puts everything around you at risk. Max: But.... but..... Was he about to be rejected for something he couldn''t even control? Max: But that''s not fair! I can''t even control that power! Tiffany: Which is why it''s even more of a concern. Ken: Max, not that this is personal or anything, but your "overload" is so powerful that if we were to take you into a mission, we would end up having to protect you just to keep you from entering that state. Tiffany: That''s right. Max: But it''s not my fault I.....! Rose started, not to interrupt him, but rather, Max was so loud that he almost didn''t hear her. Rose: Yeah. I mean.... it was pretty scary seeing you like that. I mean, no offence, protonites are super powerful. Max suddenly paused just as she''d finished her sentence. Almost as if something had just occurred to him. Something truly bothersome. He stopped protesting for a moment, much to all of their shock. But then continued almost immediately. Max: It''s not that big a deal. Besides, I can take pretty good care of myself. And, on top of that, my mom always said that my "overload" only ever attacks threats. That just means that I''ll take the enemy down faster. Tiffany sighed. On the one hand, she didn''t want to do this, but on the other, she knew deep down that she had no choice. Tiffany: And then there''s your recklessness. Max: Recklessness? Tiffany: You rush into danger before even thinking things through. Honestly.... Max: Hey! That recklessness saved us that night. Tiffany: And could have just as easily gotten us killed. It was at that point that Ken noticed something. Something that made him smile. Not about Max, but about Tiffany and the way she was speaking to him. Max: Well... well it didn''t. Besides, like I said, it only ever goes after threats. Tiffany: And then there''s that rashness and bullheadedness. Max: Rashness? Tiffany: You don''t even see the problem with your overload and the trouble it would cause. And the Rose began to notice it too. Max: Oh. Well, how about your dishonesty? Tiffany: Dishonesty? Max: Yeah, you said I could join the team if I asked my mom. And I did, and then you... Ken: Young Maximillian Hunter. Max: Huh? Ken: You''re already a part of the team. 92. Probation Max: Huh!? His mouth lay wide open in surprise. Ken simply smirked happily while Rose held her mouth and giggled. Max: Huh?! He turned to look at Tiffany, who remained calm and relaxed as she sighed. Tiffany: I was planning on telling him that later. Ken: (grinning) Well, I simply wanted to spoil the surprise. Forgive me. Max: Huh?! Rose: (giggling) I should have known sooner. Tiff never lies about anything. Never ever. Ken: Facts. Max: Huh?! Ken and Rose nodded in agreement and smiled. After all, they knew their team leader well. Max: But... but.... Tiffany: (sighs) As per our agreement, you passed the moment your mom said yes. I was going to tell you. But only after I''d told you about the things I wanted you to work on. Your ..... The rest of the words went across Max''s head. Unheard and unminded. It was an odd state of pleasure. For some reason, it felt better than the first time. While Tiffany went on about Max''s poor team skills, recklessness, and need to think things through more... Max simply remained silent before exploding off of his seat in a massive boooyah, much to Ken and Rose''s delight, but to Tiffany''s annoyance. Tiffany: (sighs) And this is why I didn''t want to outright tell him about it. Ken: My apologies. Rose: Yay!!!! Congratulations, Max! You did it! Max: Yeah! I did! Wait! Wait! Do I get a codename? Like... Agent Electro, or.... the Sonic Boom..... or..... Tiffany: Ugh....If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Ken and Rose simply laughed. Tiffany: Alright, settle down, Max. Max: Ok ok ok.... He sat down and impatiently waited, slowly bouncing on the seat like a child. Tiffany: You are on the team. Max: Yeah, so.... Tiffany: But on probation. Max: Probation?! The words seared through his mind like a bullet through flesh. Probation? Max: What?! But!? Tiffany: That''s another reason I didn''t want to outright tell you that you were a part of the team. I wasn''t kidding when I said you were a liability. Max: But that''s so unfair! Besides, I... Tiffany: No buts, Max. Until I''m certain you can hold your own without having to rely on your "overload," I won''t let you join this team. Max: Eh..... Max looked to Ken, who simply nodded in agreement. Ken: Hmmm... fair. Rose also nodded in agreement. Rose: Well... I mean... you are still a part of the team, Max. It''s not so bad. After all, I really believe you''ve got what it takes. And after that, I''m sure she''ll add you to the team, right? Max: Mmmmmmm... Do I at least get to go on missions? Tiffany: You''re on probation, so only with my orders. Just before Max could object, a beeping sound was heard as well as a familiar voice. Voice: Probation? Tiffany, Rose and Max: Luke! Luke: Hey guys, how''s it going? Tiffany: Fine. Rose: It''s going really well. Tiffany let Max join the team on probation. Luke: Huh... Probation? Makes sense. Max: Huh?! You''re agreeing with her, too! Luke: Well, to be fair.... Ken: To summarize, Max. Tiffany thinks it would be reckless to add you to the team without some... caution. After all.... Max: But that''s still not fair! I just helped out today! That should at least get me something? Luke: Relax, man. I''m sure Tiffany''s just taking her time to make sure. After all, what we do is pretty dangerous. All in all, even in superhero stories, it made sense for the team leader to take his or her time to allow new members to the team. Though he struggled with it, Max slowly began to accept his new reality. Max: Ugh.... Fine. I''ll do the "probation thing." It didn''t mean he wasn''t still upset about it, though. Tiffany: Good. And now that that''s done and dealt with, we can move on to the next part of our discussion. Max: Next part? Tiffany: Yeah. Our discussion about what happened today. Normally, simple fights and bouts are nothing to worry about, but today''s enemy was unpredictably powerful. Luke: Agreed. Tiffany: Have you fully recovered yet, Luke? Rose: Yeah, that thing hit you hard. Are you ok? Luke: I''m fine. My body recovers quickly, remember. Ken: Well, to be fair, your body took a blast from a laser that could disintergrate a building, leaving nothing left. I would say that, had that laser hit any one of us, survival would have been impossible. A moment passed during which the danger of their previous situation sunk right in. Luke: I''m fine, though, really. Tiffany continued with a sigh of relief. Tiffany: Good. Now then... 93. The Web Of Spider Bots Tiffany: ... about those spider bots. Ken? Ken: About five hundred robots, each capable of killing several humans easily, far above the capabilities of any law enforcement I''ve heard of, incapable of being hacked by any normal or even extravagant means. I mean, I am pretty good... He smirked at himself for a moment. Ken: Fast enough to chase people down, are made of nanobots, hence making them impervious to most attacks, can turn into a much more dangerous version of themselves by merging, or should I say, amalgamating. I think that sums it up. Tiffany: Thank you, Ken. Max: Hey, hold on. Tiffany: Hmmm? Max: Does this kind of thing happen all the time? Tiffany: Well.... no. Ken: A few killer robots here, a few automated attack drones there, but never this. Their screens showed an image from Ken''s own recordings, showing the recorded footage of spider bots. Ken: Nanobot hardware and software is incredibly hard to come by. Max: Huh? How rare could it be? Ken: Rare enough that most people still think it''s science fiction. Rose and Max: Woah! Ken: To top it all off, there were five hundred of them. That means that whoever made them isn''t only incredibly intelligent, but also.... The answer was apparent to all of them immediately. There was a lot more where that came from. Max: Sheesh. Ken: Of course, luckily for us, we just so happened to have all the skills to survive such an encounter. Had we not been around, the entirety of Hypercity would have been destroyed, with no exceptions. The mere stating of it made Rose, Max, and even Luke flinch. Tiffany: Hold on, did you just say the entirety of Hypercity?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ken: Oh... yes. I''d almost completely forgotten. While I was unable to completely hack that monstrosity of computer coding, I was able to find this. He showed a series of cryptic codes on the screen. Max: What''s that? Ken: Allow me to decode it. The encrypted code slowly unravelled, revealing a command. Search and Destroy. Max: Huh? Tiffany: Search and Destroy? Ken: Please not the distinct lack of "X-corp" at the tail end of that statement. Max: Huh? Ken: Max, all machinery, big and small, all of them follow the instructions given to them without fail. Following every single order down to the letter. There is no way the creator could have been dumb enough to forget that. A sudden realisation swept through all of them. Tiffany: Are you sure you got the whole code? Ken: Absolutely. After all, it chased after us when we tried to stop it, didn''t it? It went so far as to avoid its "main objective" following us all the way out of town. Max: That means.... Ken: Yes, that this robot''s true intention was to destroy as much as it could, not to destroy "X-corp." A clever disguise, if I do say so myself. Rose flinched. She wasn''t keen on hearing about malevolent people. Max: That''s insane. Wait, but how did it end up destroying X-corp in the first place? Ken: My best guess. Someone dropped it off there and released it at a time. Tiffany: Tch. Ken: As to who and when that was, I have no idea. I''ve been searching up footage from their security cameras for hours now. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. I''ve even looked at their previous weeks footage. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. And there weren''t any security breaches of any kind. Of course, given this person''s work so far, I probably shouldn''t be surprised that I can''t find evidence. The complexity of the situation hit them. For Tiffany, Rose, and Luke, it was especially troubling. After all, they''d never seen something like this. Luke: Whoever made these things is really something. Tiffany: I see. Rose: Oh dear.... Tiffany: Ken, what are your thoughts on this? Ken: Hmm? Tiffany: You''re a tech whiz just like this guy. So, I''m guessing you have an idea of how this person thinks. So... Ken: Honestly... I''m stumped. Tiffany flinched. Ken: Theres just so many questions. Why "X-corp?" Why "Hypercity?" Why go through so much work to decimate an entire city? Whoever planned this is a complete genius? I doubt the police will ever catch on. They would probably assume that the perpetrator was from a rival company like Y-corp or something. And also... Tiffany: Yeah? Ken: ... this threat may be almost as dangerous as Wolfram, if not more. They all flinched at the statement, except Max. Max: Yaaaaaaawn! Tiffany: What!? Luke: Huh? Rose: Max? Ken: Hmm? He smirked and cockily started. Max: So what if this jerk''s got some suped up robots. We''ll take them down all the same. Easy! A silence covered the room for a moment as they were all in shock of what had been said before Ken started laughing. Ken: Always full of surprises, huh Max. Rose: (blushing) Oh... Max. Luke shook his head in disbelief, but not disdainfully. How could he make light of something like that? But, in some way, it felt good to him say that. That he could somehow make light of what was coming for them. Tiffany sighed. Tiffany: (thinking: Oh boy....) Meeting adjourned, everyone. Get some rest. And after a few good nights, the meeting was over. 94. Assemblers Origin In a sophisticated looking lab somewhere, far away from the eyes of the general public. This lab was expansive, and not only that, but there were also massive vessels containing massive obscure creatures floating in some kind of green liquid. All of the scientists were in masks, dissecting specimens, adding chemicals as well as using needles to remove fluids from them. The room was deathly silent. Not a word had been spoken by any scientist. On another side of the room was an entirely different lab. Scientists working on machine parts such as highly sophisticated robot arms, so sophisticated that it was able to morph into a gun, and then a cannon, and then a blade and finally a foot. The other scientists nearby nodded congratulatorily on seeing that. Above them was a man whose face was obscured by shadows, watching a video in silence, seated like a king on a throne. A scientist came by. His attire was different from the others'' attire. Instead of white lab coats, he wore an odd red one. Scientist: Good evening, sir. Name: Herbert Quinn Age: 33 Description: Knows his way around the lab Occupation: Scientist Fact: Loves all sorts of animals, but loves puppies especially because he enjoys experiencing the suffering they go through before they die after he feeds them chocolate. Man: Good evening. Name: Unknown. Age: Unknown Description: Unknown Occupation: Unknown Fact: Unknown. Herbert: I see you are enjoying the footage of today''s exploits.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Man: Yes The video turned out to be one of Max, Tiffany, Luke, Rose, and Ken trying to defeat the spider bot. Herbert: Those children were quite the handful for Assembler. Even after using its Amalgamate, they still found a way to defeat it. The man did not reply. Herbert: Ahem... well... I came here because I simply wanted to ask you a question. The man remained silent. Herbert: The question being, why did you have Assembler attack the X-corp branch in Hypercity? It simply makes no sense to me. After all, Assembler ended up being destroyed. The man continued to keep his silence. Herbert sighed. Almost as if he had already given up. He turned to walk away, and just as he had almost reached the door, the man started. Man: The human body is a fascinating thing, is it not? Herbert: Hmm? Man: When germs enter one''s bloodstream, one''s white blood cells work together to defend the body from disease. When the body is cut or bruised, platelets come in to close the opening to the body. In fact, even exhaustion is not safe from the body''s self-defense mechanisms. After all, we all sleep, do we not? Herbert was visibly confused. Man: For any system of any kind of proper functionality, everything must work together to achieve its own singular purpose. For the body, that means not only to survive but also to thrive. Herbert remained confused. Herbert: What are you getting at, sir? Man: Simply put.... The man clicked a button, and the screen changed. Now, it was showing facial profiles of Max, Tiffany, Luke, Ken, and Rose. Man: What do you think would happen, if a city was suddenly attacked? Most especially in a place well known to most as one that supports mothers and children. Herbert: They would.... It suddenly occured to him. Herbert: I see. A moment of silence followed during which Herbert admitted to himself that his plan was genius. After all, Assembler wasn''t something any normal human could kill. In fact, several non normal humans couldn''t destroy it. So, it was, in effect, a genius move. Herbert: Your wisdom never fails to astonish me. He bowed down to the man. Herbert: Forgive me for questioning it. The man did not even so much as turn to look at Herbert. He simply clicked a few buttons on his seat. Man: Keep an eye out on these five. Herbert looked up. Man: Especially these four. He left Tiffany out of the group. Herbert: Understood. He soon promptly left, only to meet a woman at the door. Name: May Summers Age: 32 Description: Knows her way around the lab. Occupation: Scientist Fact: She induces a small amount of a poison in her body every day. The kind of poison that would leave most humans writhing on the floor in pain. Said amount of poison has this effect for around a day. May: Good evening, sir. A call for you from the X-corp CEO. Herbert simply left without another word. Man: Tell him to give all of my employees a paid leave while repairs are being done. And settle all the accounts. May: Understood. She then promptly left as the man continued to look at their facial profiles. He then zoomed in onto Luke''s profile. 95. Kens Secret Mission A rite of passage. A custom. A way of life. A pastime. In many cultures, there just so happens to be something of the sort. Be it hunting a deer, or surviving in a pit for several days, or even wrestling your playmates. Every man, woman, and child learns of these tradition and, at one point in his or her life, indulges in said activity with others of the same tribe. Said traditions are said to, not only have a deeper purpose by building up one''s character, but also provide a sense of community. One that would eventually accentuate said individuals'' growth not just as a person, but also as a character. It may be true to say that one can not avoid this way of life. After all, as a human, no, as humans, the presence of a culture may very well be an immortal ethos. One that, irregardless of form, nature, occurrence, or even placement, will always find itself on the minds and shoulders of others. And, at least in spirit, will be passed on to the next generation. That was the case as well for the young Maximillian Hunter the next day. It was Thursday. Schools weren''t open as a result of the previous day''s occurrences, and several families were struggling to fix the damages and sort themselves out, to say nothing of those who had lost loved ones that day. It truly was a tragic scene, simply walking outside of his house. The solemn tears of the citizens of Hypercity. However, that, while touching Max''s heart, was not his objective that day. He skateboarded from his house after, as usual, hurriedly saying goodbye to his mother at the door. After all, he had plans. Kenneth Stone woke up quite late that day, but he knew full well what he was going to do that day. His mother and father had decided to go take a look outside to find a shop that wasn''t demolished by the spider bots so they could, in Frida''s words, eat some real food. Frida: Are you sure you can''t reschedule with that friend of yours coming over? I''d love to meet him.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ken: No, mom. He said he''d be busy. That was a lie. Gordon: Well, he must be quite the youngster if he can''t make it on a Friday, let alone the weekend. Does he have a job? Ken: Hmmm... No. None that I know of. Gordon: I see. Well then... I''ll, be off. Ken: Ok, bye. Frida: And remember Ken, if anything happens... Ken: Dont forget to call us. I understand. Frida: Phew.... ok. Have fun at your play date, honey! Ken: It''s not a.... (sigh) ok. His mother and father started out the door and once out of earshot. Frida: You sure we shouldn''t bring him along? Gordon: Oh, I''m sure. Frida: But this kid. He''s new. We dont even know him. And besides... Gordon: Frida... His eyes looked softly upon his wife. Frida: I''m sorry hon, it''s just.... after what happened yesterday. Gordon kissed his wife on the forehead. Gordon: It''s alright. He''s a big boy now. So don''t be worried. Frida: Mmmmmmm.... Gordon: Remember what we promised. As we grow older, our boy will have to start making decisions on his own. Good and bad ones. And that we would let him make his own mistakes. After all, his life doesn''t go on pause simply because we are worried about him. And he saw the news too, y''know. Frida: Mmmm... I suppose you''re right. It''s just... last night. She supposed she would have gotten used to it by then. But her son was always so logical. It really bothered her from time to time. It wasn''t that he didn''t have emotions, no. She''d seen him cry, seen him laugh and even seen him care. But last night, she expected, not that he didn''t show any, a lot more anxiety. She couldn''t help but feel that something was off. Gordon: Oh, you know how our boy is. Tough as nails that one. You''d need a whole snake just to scare him. Hmph.... Frida: Huh? Gordon: Hmm? Frida: Are you proud of him? Gordon: Hehehe! Well, what can I say? Our boy is a strong one. Frida: Oh you.... Her eyes looked away from her husband upsettedly. Gordon: Hey, now. He''ll be fine. And if it makes you feel better, we can call Ken every once in a while. After all, we''re still his parents. Frida: Yes, I think I''d like that. The pair had at that point entered the car and began to leave. Of course, Ken had heard the entire conversation through the house security cameras. He felt as though something was off when they''d left because his mother was oddly nonchalant about it. But he could rest his heart now. Good ol'' dad just calmed mom down, not that he blamed his mom for worrying. Which parent wouldn''t be bothered by her son coming home from what was mortal danger in a non rattled state? He acted as best he could, but acting could only go so far. His mom was getting closer to the truth, but she was still pretty far from it. After all, she didn''t know the truth. And Ken preferred it that way. Keeping his mom and dad from his life was a gift he wouldn''t trade for the world. Besides.... A door bell rang. ... he was working that day. Ken walked over to open it. It was Max. Max: Yo! 96. Warring Dimensia 2 Ken: Hmmm. You made it. Max: Like I''d fail to. Max was on his skateboard and had a helmet on. Ken: Come in. Come in. Max took his shoes off, got off his board, and took off his helmet before entering the house. Max: Nice place! Ken: Thank you. It was quite different from Max''s place. He could say that much, but for the most part, they were the same. Ken: My mom and dad won''t be here for a few hours. That means that we have the whole place to ourselves. Max: Great! He smiled. Ken: Which means.... Max: Hmph! The air in the room suddenly grew thick with tension as the pair glared at each other. In every culture and every generation, there is a pastime. And for these teenage boys, it was video games. Max: I brought snacks. Ken: The controllers in my room. And so the two teenagers left the room like gallant gentlemen preparing for battle. It was a common thing of sorts. After all, Warring Dimensia 2 was a famous and overtly played game. The idea of the game in and of itself was simple. Several dimensions with several kinds of warrior dimensions, each with their own philosophies, beliefs, ways of life and weaponry came into the fray, all looking for blood to see which dimension was truly the strongest in terms of combat.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. To do this, a player may pick any dimension''s warrior, playing just as one character, and then, in a one dimension vs. one dimension, or free for all war, containing over one thousand players at a time, a great war would ensue. In these battles, one death meant a true death. No respawns. Only valour and glory in battle, as you support your dimension by killing a load of other enemies or supporting your teammates. Truly, a battle from which only one side may obtain true victory. One that embraced cammeraderie, honour, and, of course, ruthless bloodshed. And oh boy, did teenage boys love it. Teenagers, such as Max Hunter and Kenneth Stone, who sat down and, opening a bag of chips, started the game up while munching on a few of them. Max: (mouthful) So, does Luke play this game, too? Ken: Hmm.. no. He wouldn''t have time to play this game anyway. Max: Oh..... well.... Max put his hand up for a high five with a big smile. Max: ... guess that makes us gaming buddies, huh? Ken was surprised by his odd reaction. He never expected him to be so friendly, seeing as they didn''t know each other that well. Ken: Heh.... sure. (thinking: Still full of surprises, I see.) He high fived him back before selecting one dimension vs. one dimension. Max: Alright. Time to get serious. Ken: Hmph. They moved on to the race selection screen. Ken: As per our agreement, I''ll be picking the Attritious race.... Every race from every dimension had a different set of weapons. Although, true to form in any war, one could steal another races weapons during a playthrough and use it in battle, albeit not at the very start of said battle. Friendly fire was always off, just to make it more realistic. Ken: ... seeing as they''re the race with gatling guns. Max: Fine by me. I''ll be picking the Dextrous race. They''re the ones with the grapple gun. Ken: Hmph... A war between those whose philosophy was to win through enduring hardship and patiently destroying the foe and those who would try to win by believing in human ingenuity and dexterity. Truly a battle of not just controllers but also... one''s very own meaning of life. Max: Ok... then..... The game began to load its starting screen. Both players at the ready. And then the screen fully loaded, Max on his own turf and Ken on his own turf. Both sides in their own camp with other players of their own side. In Ken''s world, there were several buildings and skyscrapers. In Max''s world, there were several oddy shaped buildings, which, while looking sophisticated, were, if one could put it, almost jungle like. Suddenly, a massive interdimensional portal opened in the distance in both worlds, opening to the other"s dimension. And with that, the game sounded its starting phrase. One which Max and Ken shouted in unison with it. Max and Ken: It''s on! 97. Attritious vs. Dextrous The battle raged on. The Attritious class, as one would put it, specialised in more sure fire ways of destruction such as high accuracy weapons or weapons with a large amount of ammo. This combination, simply put, worked very well, especially in large numbers and with one willing to strategize so as to achieve maximum output. The Dextrous class on the other hand, depended on weapons that depended highly on one''s own mastery of the control pad, and hence held on to weapons that required a large amount of finger-eye coordination and a lot of timing. This combination worked well enough if one had an especially exceptional hand eye coordination as well as the prospensity to think out of the box as well as more aggressively. Ken: You know, most people would rather not pick the dextrous class because some of it''s weapons are hard to use. Max: Yeah, I know. Ken: I hope you won''t use your superpowers to win. Max: Like I''d ever. Ken: Hmph... Very well then. I won''t be using my bionics either. In a Warring Dimensia contest, contrary to what one would initially think, victory between two players was not decided by who killed who, as two players actually meeting in the vast battlefield of several players was unlikely. Rather, the measure of success was the individuals own contribution to the war effort. Number of kills, number of heals, number of saves, and even the number of teammates supported with weaponry or shielding mattered. It was about winning the war, not the battle. And, after a loss, one could stay behind and watch or later be notified of the results of the war effort.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Even the losers would still receive the honour for their victory. Max started out with a grapple gun as Ken with a gatling gun, and both gave each other another glance before continuing onwards, killing whoever came their way. To say that they were both adept at this game would be an understatement. Ken, staying out of serious conflict, took advantage of the gatling guns rapid fire mods and his own calculating thinking pattern to lure several enemy players into a building, causing them to think he was fleeing, before spraying them all with bullets at once. Ken: Hmph... easy. Max: Oh yeah? Max, on the other hand, used the grapple gun to quickly move himself from building to building. The grapple gun was the kind of weapon that required an intense amount of finger eye coordination, as, while it was hard to hit a grappling target, one mistake would remind the player of the fact that the characters of the game were not superheroes. But in this case, Max started dropping bombs and grenades onto unsuspecting troops. Max: See that? Ken: Hmph... not bad. (thinking: To think he would use such an odd strategy. Well then.. this will be one heck of a contest.) The fight ended with Ken''s side winning the bout. However, neither player was too concerned about that. The in-game scores came in. Max won, albeit not by much. His kill count was higher than Ken''s, which edged out Ken''s own greater contribution to his own team. Max: Oh yeah, I win! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Ken: Hmph. Well done. (thinking: Hmmm.... losing to a dextrous class team member. I mean,my team won, but still... this guy.... He''s just full of surprises) Max: Hey, Ken. Let''s go again. Ken: Hmm? Max: I didn''t come all the way here just to beat you once. Ken smirked. Ken: Alright then. He cracked his knuckles. Ken: Let''s g..... Before they could continue, a phone call came from Ken''s mom, which he got up and promptly answered, putting her fears to rest before she ended the call. Dear ol'' mom, he thought. She must still be worried because of what happened yesterday. Max had already prepped himself up and was then munching on more snacks, and Ken joined him for what would be their second round. Max: Everything ok? Ken: Just my mom. Nothing to think much of. Ken prepped himself up again before. they started yet another game. Their competitive spirit only growing in size. Max and Ken: It''s on! And the battles waged on that day. 98. The Way Of Boy It had been about an hour since they had started playing. In the aftermath of Max''s victory, Ken had won three battles and Max, three, in addition to his first victory, making it four. All the while, the dextrous, except on 2 occasions, losing to the attritious. In the heat of the battle, the pair remained, eyes transfixed on the screen, never moving an inch from it and somewhat robotically taking a few bites from their snacks every now and then, while also coversing with one another. While playing a game like Warring Dimensia 2 with a friend, it was hard not to make a decision to meet up. A meet-up being, for two players to make a choice to meet up in the same area of the map for a one on one brawl. The area, of course, being decided upon during the gameplay, would be deserted enough that no one could interrupt them and large enough that they would not be able to see each other immediately. In other words, the fight would be as fair as possible in this game. Max and Ken, of course, could not resist the urge to try this. It was simply much too tempting. Max: So, Grudgemaster''s Gorge? Ken: Hmph! A nice middle ground for the two players, located in Max''s dimension. The cliffs were steep, so it would seem, at least to a casual player, that Max would have the advantage due to his greater mobility, which of course was true, however, the cliff faces meat that Max was a sitting duck, albeit a mobile one. The dextrous warrior that could avoid most hits versus the attritious warrior who would not miss. It would all come down to who landed the first blow. That much was obvious. Ken looked to Max, who simply seemed to be raring to go.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ken: (thinking: This guy....) And so their characters made it. Both players sneaking glances at each others screens to see where their opponent was exactly. But within a few seconds, it was bleedingly obvious to the both of them. They were on opposite sides of the gorge. Max on the higher peak and Ken on the slightly lower one. As they approached the cliff faces, and their characters'' faces became visible to the other, Ken and Max instinctively looked at each other. Max and Ken: Hmph! Max''s character ducked away at a volley of rounds from Ken''s. He knew it would miss. After all, he''d seen Max fight before and knew that he was adept at dodging. Ken instead reloaded and waited, aiming his minigun at the cliff faces side. After all, he knew well that Max would not try a direct overhead approach. Max: (thinking: So.... how do I get through Ken?) Ken, seeing Max perplexed, decided to throw grenades over head. Ken: Bombs away. Max: What the!? The grenades landed on the opposing cliff face and almost destroyed Max, leaving his hp at 35%. Max: Dang it! Ken: Hmph! I thought the dextrous were supposed to think on their feet. Max: Mmmmmmm.... Ken: (thinking: Well... now he''s getting serious. Good.) He racked his brain left and right. The attritious class just so happened to have better armour. Whatever way he called it, going blow for blow with Ken would never work. However, Max suddenly came up with a plan. His character ran to the top of the cliff face and shot a grapple line to Ken that firmly attached itself to the ground, as all grapple guns did. To Ken, that was a most absurd move. Simply put, while Max could theoretically bring himself to Ken, Ken would simply shoot him on the way. That was where Max''s plan came in. Just before he made himself visible, he started firing his very own minigun, much to Ken''s shock, as miniguns were not a dextrous class weapon. Ken: What the!? Max: You didn''t say anything about stealing the enemies weapons on the way. Ken: Tch!! Ken''s character had to take cover, giving Max''s character a chance to make it to his side of the cliff face and shoot Ken''s character after jumping, dodging his attacks with the grapple gun. Max: Booyah! And thereafter defeated Ken. Max: Oh yeah, that''s right! I beat you! Ken: Hmm. I guess you did. Max: And now, to loot your character. An exasperated Ken sighed. Ken: Sure. Max''s character started to loot his ammo and weaponry. However, Ken''s character suddenly blew up. Max: What the!? Ken: Hmph. Self-destructive heart that goes off after defeat. Neat trick, don''t you think. Max couldn''t hide his amazement. It was a legendary perk. One that he never would have thought to be careful about. And so that battle ended in a draw. Such was the violence of Warring Dimensia 2. 99. Downtime The aftermath of the before played game left a nasty after taste with Max, having been defeated. Sure, it was technically a draw, but still... Max: Mmmmmm.... Ken: Want a rematch? Of course, even Ken would feel a bit bitter after a defeat. Max: (sighs) Nah.... (sighs).... (slightly begrudgingly) Good game... Ken was slightly perplexed to hear that. Ken: Hmph. Good game. Of course, the next matter of due course for such a game was even more obvious. Before they''d tested their skill on the battlefield, and then they''d tested their skill against each other, and now they were gonna test their skill against the enemy, not as rivals, but as allies. Ken: So, how should we go about this? Max: Hmmmm. The answer was obvious. The pair would pick characters from an entirely different class. That way, neither one would have a significant advantage. In a sense, one could say that they were still competing. This time to see who was a better player out of their element. And, of course, the game was well equipped with its own randomizer to deal with such situations. A randomizer capable of neglecting certain options, in this case, the a Attritious and the Dextrous. The class was soon chosen. The Ballistic. A class focusing on high-powered explosives that, at times, would harm even the teammates of said users of said weapons. Missile launchers, time bombs, emps, you name it, they had it. A fitting end to their rivalry, one would say. And, of course, any teenage boy would have immediately, on first getting the game, have tried to use this class at least once. And Max and Ken were no exceptions. Ken: Not really my cup of tea, but yeah. He looked back at Max and shared a smirk with him. Max and Ken: It''s on!A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. And so the battle began, and several matches in, there was no clear winner, as the both of them had an even number of wins in terms of helping the war effort. In due time, however, as it would with all games, the competitiveness of it all began to slowly die down. The pair, rather than have matches to see who was better, soon begun to collaborate more.... Max: Alright, get the grenade launcher.... I''ve got you covered. Ken: Hmph. .... and after that, they began to experiment with other dimensions, of course with the randomizer, to keep it fair... Ken: Hmmm. The Chameleous. Max: Awwww, man. Using those guys is boring. Ken: Hmph. I suppose so. However, rules are rules. Max: Maaaaaaaaaaan! ...and even after that, they''d begun to play each others favourites while also teaching the other about their own favourite combos. First off being Ken''s.... Ken: ... so you see, using the attrituous is all about control, not just about safe damage. Max: Sheesh. All this time, I thought it was just some standard stuff, but... (thinking: Man! Ken is good!) and then Max''s... Max: Use the grappling hook on that point over there........... Ken pressed some buttons while he and Max were looking intently at the screen. Ken: Hmph. And so he did, allowing him to swing somewhat like an acrobat. Ken: Impressive. To think such combos were so efficient when it came to avoiding damage. Max: Hehe. I know, right? Ken: (thinking: I''ve heard of this strat. However, using it continuously requires incredible hand eye coordination. Max, you truly are something.) And so continued their day. Snacks, gameplay, occasional calls from his mother to check on him. She would always ask about the same things. His wellbeing, if he was in danger, how Max was and how he was doing. He''d have to forfeit a match every time he did this because the game was online, but that was no big deal to Ken. After all, winning was not his main objective that day. As they continued to play, the pair had begun to strike up a casual conversation while gaming. Max: Man, am I glad we,''ll be having a break till Monday. I really hate school. Ken: Agreed and seconded. Max: Huh? Ken: Hmm? Something wrong? Max: I dunno. I kinda figured you wouldn''t be the kind of guy to have a big problem with school. Ken smirked and chuckled. Ken: And why would you think that? Max: You can use your powers to learn anything, right? Tests and homework must be a cinch! He chuckled again. Ken: No. I truly despise it. Max: Really? Ken: Yes. Max: But... why? Ken: Max, normal people go to school to learn things. I, on the other hand, can learn everything I need in order to excel in any subject in just mere moments. And so, school is just torture. Max: Oh.... He had honestly never thought of it that way. Ken: That... and Tiffany does not allow me to cheat. Max: Wha....!! Ken: It''s one of her "honour" regulations for being part of the team. Max: Honour? Ken: You''ll learn about that soon enough. Max didn''t want to stress himself at that moment, and so, he let it go. Choosing not to bother with it. Max: (sighs) Fine. Ken: Which reminds me..... 100. Maxs Heart Ken had been planning on learning this about Max from the very beginning. Ken: ..... Max? Max: Yeah? Both of their faces were still glued to the T.V screen, playing Warring Dimensia 2. Ken: Would you mind if I''d asked you a serious question? Max: Huh? For him to make such a statement, moreover so seriously and at such a moment.... Max: Sure, I guess. Ken remained silent for a moment, almost as if to further stress Max out. What on earth did he want to know? Just before another word could escape Max''s mouth, Ken continued.... Ken: Why do you want to join the team, anyway? Max: Huh? For a second, Max was completely stunned by the question. What on earth could he have been talking about? Didn''t he say it was to save people from the Wolframs? He remained silent for a moment. Ken: I know you said you wanted to help people, and while that is something that most people would statistically consider doing, most people would run with their tails between their legs if and when things got tough or their lives were threatened. However... At that point, Max turned to Ken as he started to understand the question. Ken: ...when that happened to you, that did not happen. Instead, you willingly put your life on the line for people you hardly knew. Max flinched. Ken: And so, what I''m asking is... why? Max was too stunned to think of an answer. His player character remained in one spot on the T.V screen. Ken, too, stopped playing as he awaited an answer.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. A few more seconds passed, during which Ken decided that he may have gone too far. Ken: (slight sigh) You don''t have to answer that. Ken went back to playing without skipping a beat, and as did Max, albeit slowly. This silence went on for a few seconds before Max suddenly started. Max: Hey, Ken. Ken: Hmm? Max: Saving people. You know what it''s like, don''t you? Ken paused. An odd answer, to say the least. Ken: Hmm. Well, I suppose I have my fair share of saves. Why? Max: It''s...... amazing, isn''t it? Ken: Huh? The before solemn look on Maxs face was now covered with a somewhat grateful smile. Ken: Amazing? Max: Yeah... Ken: How so? Max: That rush... that feeling when you... save someone... Ken: Hmm? Max: I don''t know how to describe it, but....it''s like.... I don''t know how to describe it, you know? Ken: Max.... Max: But I.... you know..... Ken: I see. He had also felt that feeling before. He knew full well how intoxicating it felt, but had long since grown accustomed to it. That odd feeling of gratefulness. That gratefulness... that you were able to save the world. Max: You know, my dad died a long time ago. Ken: Oh.... Max: No, not that. He died saving a lot of innocent lives from some bad people. Ken: Hmmm... I see. Max: I guess in some way, I.... I''m glad I got to feel how he felt when saving all those people. Ken: Max.... Max: And also... He paused for a moment. What he wanted to say was that he was glad his father probably died proud of himself rather than in pain. But he couldn''t bring himself to say it. Max: Ahhhh.... nevermind. That''s about it. Ken: I see. (thinking: This just gets more and more interesting.) Max got his character back on track, having miraculously not been shot at once, and went on to win that campaign with Ken. A few hours later... Max and Ken were at the doorstep. Ken: They''ll be here in about 20 minutes, so you best get a head start. Max: Sure Come what may, Max had no qualms with not meeting Ken''s parents. Max. Wait, how do you know that? Do you have a tracker on them? Ken: No. That would be an invasion of privacy. Max: Then how...? Ken: I simply have my eyes on the security cameras in the city. Max: Th.... that''s the same thing. Ken: Hehehe... I suppose it is. Max: Mmmmmmm (sighs) Whatever... see ya at school, Ken. Ken: Yeah, see ya. They cautiously exchanged fist bumps before Max left off on his skateboard. Max waved one last time, and Ken waved back before returning to his room. Ken: Mission, 90% complete. 101. Kens True Intentions Ken opened his house door and walked back inside. His eyes began to glow. Ken: House. Dash 556677 elf zw?lf dreizehn uno deux trois. At that very moment, every single machine in the house, be it refridgerator, toaster, blender, even the light fixtures, were all reconfigured to form robots of different shapes and sizes depending on the machinery. Even the house security cameras changed form. Robots also came out of the couch, having apparently been hiding there all this time. Ken: Objective 3. Replay footage. The robots'' eyes all started glowing, as did Ken''s. In his mind, video footage of everything that had happened in the past few hours replayed. He left nothing to chance, watching every second of Max''s appearance in the house up till the last moment. And, after a few moments, a massive sigh of relief escaped his mouth. Not a thing. Not one suspicious thing. He could finally put his doubts to rest. Max Hunter was no threat. On top of that, he knew full well how and why Max wanted to be a part of the team, and so, he had no reason to believe he had a dangerous ulterior motive. Ken: Objective accomplished. Return. The robots reflexively returned to their normal forms, playing as the normal things one would use in a house, completely indistinguishable from ordinary refridgerators and toasters and such. Ken took a seat and turned the T.V. screen on. Ken: (thinking: Max, like all people, has secrets. But, at least for now, I can safely assume that none of those secrets will come to harm the team, or more importantly...) He looked at a family picture in a corner for a moment. Ken: (thinking: And I suppose I''ll keep Tiff''s principles and let Max keep his privacy. I won''t look up his private life.) The car pulled up in the driveway.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Ken instinctively got up to meet his parents and help them with their bags. Ken: (thinking: Well.... I did lie to him. Albeit only once.) Welcome back, dad, mom. Frida: Evening hon. Her eyes, it was clear to Ken that she was still worried about him, but experience had taught him long ago that the often best solution to such situations was to wait it out a bit. She''d calm down, eventually. Gordon: Hey, son. How about you help your old man with these bags? Ken: Sure... He walked to the back seat and pulled out some shopping bags containing a vast assortment of things. Mostly food, but some clothes as well. "Mom couldn''t resist," he thought. And then his eyes landed on the car radio. A part of the car that sent him into a short trance. It was a memory, a distinct memory. Quite some time ago, when he juryrigged the car radio to double as an audio recording device as well as a tracker and camera. He then promptly pulled out the bags. Gordon: Oh man. My boy''s getting strong. Strong. Right. After all... he was the one who was fighting villains all this time. Him becoming fitter was one of the obvious results of that. Gordon: Soon you''ll be able to take on your old man... huh? Dad was being dad again, just as he''d expect. Ken fakely embarassedly smiled. He carried the bags into the house and, with his family, went into the house. Frida: Oh! How was your day with Max? Has he already left? Ken: Oh.... yeah. He had to go home early. Frida: Oh... well thats a shame. I would have loved to meet him. (sighs) Well.... maybe next time. Ken: Yeah. Frida: Did you have fun? Ken: Yes. Frida: (giggles) Well, I''m glad to hear that. Come on. I''ll rustle you two some grub. Gordon: (suddenly and immediately) MM MM MMMMM. I can''t wait! Frida: Oh you.... This flirtatious conversation naturally disgusted Ken, causing him to simply leave upstairs. Frida: Oh! Ken? Ken: Yes, mom? Frida: Could you help me cook dinner? Ken: Sure. I''ll be right there. He started down the stairs just to find the pair speaking in low voices. He knew his mother didn''t call him to see that, but that didn''t matter because he had long sicne grown accustomed to it A sigh escaped his mouth as he looked upon his mother and father. Ken: (thinking: Everything in this house. Just about everything. Especially after I joined Tiffany''s team....) He started towards his parents. Ken: (thinking: ...has been turned to a weapon, camera, and tracker.) This included their phones, lap tops, you name it. Even the machinery they use while working, albeit not as much as in the house. His father walked over to watch T.V. while he and his mother started to cook. It was rice. Frida: Remember to drain the rice, Ken. Ken: Ok, mom. As he drained the rice, he looked at his mother once more. Her heart seemed to be more at rest. Of that, he was glad. Ken: (thinking: I''m the only one in this team with a normal family....) Frida: Oh, and the salt, too. Ken: Sure. (thinking: ... and I, for one, plan to keep it that way.) 102. Surprise Visit Around the time Max had disappeared to meet up with Ken for video games, a somewhat bothered but completely unsurprised Julianne Hunter remained in her dining room, sipping her coffee calmly. Julianne: (sighs) (thinking: Max leaving the house out of nowhere. That''s my boy...) She calmly took another sip before sighing again. Julianne: (thinking: Right after fighting giant robots yesterday, moreover.....) (sighs) (thinking: Where does that boy get his energy?) She took a look at the picture of her husband on the wall. Julianne: (thinking: Was it from you?) Her eyes stayed on his face from a moment as she, for a brief moment, reminisced about her husband''s own recklessness. Julianne sighed once more before thinking, "Boys will be boys." A short moment after that, her doorbell rang. Odd. She wasn''t expecting anyone. Her mind rolled through all the potential visitors she could have at that time and came up with nothing. There was the chance that it was an odd friend. But also, there was the chance that it was a paparazzi. The latter, of course, being a nuisance that wasn''t necessarily a big deal, as she was well versed in dealing with all kinds of them. She lazily picked herself up and prepared to think on her feet. Could it be Max? That thought did occur to her, but no, that was unlikely. Knowing him, he wouldn''t return so soon, and he''d never ring the doorbell because he had a key. She walked to the door and opened the door.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Had it been a paparazzi, what trick would she pull? Pretence, perhaps? What if an old friend? Who would it be? An enemy of some kind? She would find a way to deal with it. She was a Hunter, after all. These were the thoughts that rushed through her as she walked to the door knob. She turned it and was absolutely shocked to see who stood before her. With a brimming smile and cheerful outlook, it was Rose. Julianne: R... Rose? Rose: Hi, Mrs Hunter! Julianne: (thinking: What on earth is she doing here?!) It wasn''t like Julianne Hunter was unaware of how dubious her actions earlier that week were. Any normal person would have seriously questioned what had just happened. And after that, the last thing she''d expected was for any of them to comfortably enter her house, as Rose was doing right then. Just what on earth was going on in her mind, she thought. For a second, she was completely stunned, not knowing what to think, but she quickly regained her composure somewhat. Julianne: Wh... what.... what are you doing here? Rose: I just wanted to come visit. At that point, Rose looked at Max''s mother''s bothered face. Rose: I.... Is something wrong? Is now a bad time? Julianne: No, no, no. Nothing at all. There was nothing for it. This girl was absolutely strange. Not a single sign of fear in her. She genuinely wasn''t bothered by her at all. Could it be...? Julianne: It''s just that.... well... Max isn''t around. She immediately became somewhat upset. Rose: Oh... Her sorrow was so innocent and gentle that Julianne was taken aback. Could someone like her, at her age, be so... innocent? Rose: I... It''s ok. I''m guessing he''s busy somewhere. Julianne reminisced about her son. There was no way he was up to something serious. She knew that much. Rose: But... C... could I still come in? Julianne: Hmmm? Rose: I mean... I just want to chat, is all. If that''s ok with you, of course? She gently smiled at the end of her sentence. Julianne didn''t know what to think of this. This unassuming girl... wanted to talk to her? But why? She remained silent for a moment, trying to process it. A moment that began to bother Rose. Rose: I mean.... if it''s not too much trouble... then... Julianne: Of course. Come in. She let the girl in, and she gleefully entered the house. Rose: Thank you, Mrs Hunter. As she closed the door behind Rose and led her to the dining table, her mind slowly rushed with thoughts. Just what on earth had just happened? Who was this girl, exactly? Could she trust her? Was she being tricked? All in all, at the very least, this conversation would be interesting. 103. An Odd Question Rose took her time to look around the house as she walked towards the dining table seats, an act that only served to increase Julianne''s own incertainty. She was an alien, she thought. Just like her, so.... what could she want? Rose: I really like your place, Mrs Hunter. She was so busy in her mind that the comment caught her off guard. Julianne: Oh... uhhh.... thank you. She pulled a seat up for Rose. Julianne: Have a seat. Rose: Thank you, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: No problem. Every word she said was filled with uncertainty. Just what on earth could she want? Julianne: Can I get you anything, Rose? Rose quickly and politely shook her head. Rose: No. I''m fine. Julianne: Alright then. She herself took a seat across the table from Rose, staring directly at her, with her cup of coffee Was she here to attack her? Unlikely. After all, why would she? And even after that, she could stop her. She was a sirenite, and Julianne Hunter was well aware of how dangerous their species was. Psychic powers were no joke. But, being a protonite, her own mind couldn''t be read, and so she had no reason to be worried about that. However, that answered no questions... Why would she be here? A moment passed, with her heart burning with questions. Rose herself seemed to be happily looking around the house.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. And so, Julianne Hunter decided to take the moment by the reins. Julianne: So, Rose, what did you want to chat about? A little too direct for her tastes, but given the situation, anything could happen. Although, she did flinch after hearing what she herself said. Was she truly that uneasy? Rose: Oh.... well.... She slowly begun to recoil into unease herself, much to the older womans shock. Rose: I was... well.... if it''s not too much to ask... Julianne Hunter waited patiently, hanging on every word. This was it. What she wanted the whole time. Rose: Could you... tell me a little about being an alien on Earth.... and (shyly and quietly) about protonites? Julianne Hunter paused. That was it. That was all of it. Surely, there had to be more to it. After all, given who they were, given all that had happened... surely... She replied in shock, partially not to reveal her own disbelief, partially because she was genuinely interested in knowing what she was about to say. Julianne: About... being an alien? Rose: Well... She suddenly became a little embarrassed and emotional, speaking loudly as though in a short panic. Rose: ... I just figured that... well... you know? Since you''re older than me and since you''ve been here for a while.... well.... Still perturbed, even being unable to take a sip of her drink, she watched her continue to talk. Rose: .... I was just hoping you''d have some.... advice? She seemed really unsure of herself. Julianne: Rose... She couldn''t help but feel for the girl. For one thing, she seemed sincere. And on top of that, she, too, was once an alien on earth. She knew how tough it could be. Rose: I mean... if you''re busy... Julianne: I see. She cut her short. She needed to think this through. In spite of all that had happened, she, without hesitation, walked straight to her house and walked in. She didn''t seem to be on guard. No, not in the slightest. If she attacked her now, she wouldn''t expect it. So, in all likelihood, she was probably having a really hard time. But even then, she wouldn''t come here so quickly and freewheelingly. It had only been two days. So, could it be... Rose had frozen in silence as she watched Julianne Hunter think it through. Rose: Is... somethi.... Julianne: That''s no trouble at all! Julianne''s face showed a smile, but internally, she was conflicted. On the one hand, she didn''t want to let her guard down. On the other hand, this girl.... Rose: Oh! Thank you, Mrs Hunter! I really appreciate it! Her eyes gleamed with a beauteous glee. She was genuinely happy. Julianne: No problem, really. There was a chance that this was all a game to get something from her, and so Julianne Hunter was ready to play this game. After all, she was an expert. But, what if she was wrong? Truly, this was going to get interesting. 104. Motherly Advice And so it begun. Julianne: So, what do you want to know about? Rose: Well.... She shyly crossed her legs and twiddled her thumbs. Rose: ... I was wondering... how do you deal with fitting in with other humans? Julianne: Hmm? Yet another simple question. Rose: It''s just... sometimes I say something... or do something... and... well.... y''know? Julianne: I see... She put her finger on her lip. After being on Earth for year after year, she knew full well that what she was talking about was a big problem for most aliens. And so she debated, "Should she give her proper advice, or should she simply play a bit with her?" If she was being honest, the first answer was obvious. But if she had any ulterior motives... But, just to be sure... Julianne: You know, on my first day here... Rose''s eyes rose up with a shining light, like she was hungry to hear what she was about to say. Julianne: I was so freaked out by everything I''d seen, I was terrified of walking anywhere without my husband and without Max. And she surprised herself by talking more and more to Rose. Julianne: But those two... She found herself giggling. Julianne: ... they were so eager to see the world and experience it, even in spite of me. And eventually... they got me doing it, too.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Roses eyes shone brightly as she watched her, and, almost as if in response, Julianne continued... Julianne: If it wasn''t for them, I wouldn''t have managed to get a job as an actress, we wouldn''t have gotten any money, and we would''ve starved... probably. Rose kept staring at her. Julianne: Oh, sorry. I got ahead of myself. She really did. She''d never anticipated herself talking to her like this. After all, why would she open up to this stranger. Julianne: I suppose what I''m trying to say is... that you shouldn''t be so scared of showing who you truly are. Roses eyes shone more brightly. Julianne: Of course, you should probably stray from using your powers around them. However... Her eyes strayed to a picture of her husband, son, and herself, smiling, and Rose looked at it as well. Julianne: ... being a "foreigner" shouldn''t be an excuse for you to not be yourself. Roses eyes shone even more brightly, and she lightly whimpered. At that point, Julianne had begun to believe it. Maybe Rose was really just like that. Julianne: After all, you''d be surprised, but some humans are a lot more accepting of strange people than you could imagine. I should know. And though you might have some trouble finding them, staying away from people won''t make friends appear any faster. I should know that. And, of course, most people don''t pay that much attention to other people. Rose: Really! Julianne: (slightly shocked) Yes, really. So don''t be so bothered if you slip up every once in a while. It''s not that big of a deal, really. Just... give a generic excuse if things get hairy. Trust me, eventually, you''ll be used to it. Rose: Mrs Hunter... A few tears dropped from her eyes. Rose: Th... thank you... I.... I really needed to hear that. Julianne: Hmm? Rose: Sometimes... I.... I wonder about... whether or not people start to think something''s wrong with me... but... yeah... I really needed to hear that. Julianne: Glad I could help. She watched the girl in front of her. She was being completely honest. There was no mistaking it. Rose was just like that. Innocent as a dove. Julianne Hunter couldn''t help but marvel at her. She knew for a fact that sirenites were not like this. But her... there was something about her that was fundamentally different. In any case, she could finally let her guard down. Julianne: So, any other questions. Rose: (excitedly) Uhh... ye.. yeah... How do you hide your powers from people? And... and... how do you deal with all the weird human machines and... and... It at that moment occurred to Julianne Hunter that Rose had probably been struggling all this time. Rose: Sorry... I... I got ahead of myself... She calmed herself down. Julianne: It''s alright, Rose. I get it. She never intended on being so friendly to her, but here she was, comforting her. 105. How To Human Julianne: First off, about living on Earth. Rose: Uh huh. She listened attentively, like a cadet to a general. Julianne: You''ll get used to it more easily than you''d think. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm, hmm. Her eyes stared forlorningly into the air. Julianne: When I was first here, on earth, I had a tendency to try to recharge everything with my powers rather than with a socket. Believe me, it was so frustrating to learn to use a charger. Rose: (gasp) I know, right. Whenever I drop something, I usually use my powers to pick it right up. But when I''m at school, I get so scared that... Julianne: You can''t do anything? Rose: Oh my gosh! Yes! All this time, Julianne thought. All this time... perhaps this girl was just... lonely. Julianne: And then someone sees you, just standing there, looking confused... Rose: Yes! Julianne: And then... ugh... Believe me, I understand. Rose: Oh my gosh! Yes! That''s exactly how it happens! Julianne: Hmm. I know. Of course, her own friends would never understand that pain. After all, they were all human. They all knew human life, but an alien? An alien came to Earth not knowing its culture or systems and had to learn everything from scratch. And that, by no means, was an easy feat. Julianne Hunter knew that well. Julianne: But you shouldn''t let that bother you. It''s natural. Rose: But, what if someone begins to suspect that something is wrong with me? Julianne: Don''t worry about it. Rose: But... Julianne: Rose... Rose: Y.. yes, Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Believe me. Most people aren''t looking for an alien when they see something weird. So, there''s no need to worry.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Rose: Ok. Those words brought her some comfort, but she still looked quite troubled. Julianne: And if you want, you can do what I did... and practice. Rose: Practice. Julianne: Yes. Well, my husband had a habit of practising around other people.... Her eyes shone as she said that. Julianne: ... but in my case, I practised in my house. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm. hmmm. She stood up and got to her vacuum cleaner. Julianne: Now, I can easily recharge this thing with nothing more than my finger. She tapped it with her finger, and the battery bar slowly started to move from red to green. Julianne: But, in order to practise, even though no one can see me in my own home... She picked up the wire and attached it to the socket while Rose watched her intently. Julianne: ... I use it even though I don''t have to. Rose''s eyes shone again. Julianne: If you do that enough times... trust me, you''ll get so used to it that you won''t even have to think about it. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm, hmm. Absolutely. Rose: Oh, thank you, Mrs Hunter. Really! Rose git up herself and put her phone on the ground. She then, rather than psychically picking it up, picked it up with her own hands. Julianne: Just like that. As long as you do that at home, you''ll be fine in no time. Rose: Hmph! Julianne: Of course, you''ll need some time to flex your "muscles" every once in a while. So... I''d suggest finding a nice place from which to use your powers. Otherwise, you''ll get all pent up and upset. Rose: Oh.... ok. That''s no problem. I''ll use my powers to protect people with Tiff and the others. Julianne: That works. Rose: Hmph. Thank you again, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: Alright, any other questions? Rose immediately started to blush. An act that did not go past Julianne Hunter''s notice. Rose: Ummmm... well... you see... Julianne: You said you wanted to know more about protonites, right? Rose: Ummm... yeah... That! Her eyes and body shot up attentively, piquing Julianne''s curiosity. Julianne''s own eyes narrowed, almost as though something seriously bothered her. Julianne: That''s fine. But.... could I ask why? I mean... It''s not like I wont, its just... Rose: (suddenly) I... It''s nothing! She seemed more flustered than before. And that was the first time since she''d met her that she''d interrupted her. Rose: S... sorry. I''m... I''m... so sorry. Its... it''s nothing. I just... Her eyes avoided contact with Julianne and turned to the side of the room, making Julianne even more curious. Rose: I just... want to know how to... treat Max, y''know. He''s a... (like a question) new member of our team. Her eyes couldn''t look straight at the woman in front of her. Julianne had turned suspicious for just a moment, but her heart calmed down as she immediately discovered what had been bothering the girl. She sighed. Young love. She knew that feeling well. The blushing, the nervous looking away, all that was obvious. And, of course, she was talking to the mother of her crush. But, to keep Rose''s pride, she decided to pretend not to notice. Julianne: Oh, really. Well... I appreciate you trying to make my son feel at home in your team. Really... Roses eyes slowly and slightly ashamedly turned to Julianne. Julianne: ... but, I don''t think it will be necessary. Rose: Huh!? Julianne: Protonites, like sirenites, have a physiology similar to that of humans. As a result, there really isn''t that big of a difference between them. Rose: O.... oh.... She seemed really upset to hear that. 106. Protonites True Power Julianne, responding to Rose''s feelings, decided to tell him a bit about them. Julianne: Though, I suppose I could tell you a bit about us. Roses eyes lit up. Julianne: For one thing.... She put her finger on her lip, thinking of one thing she could tell her about Max. Julianne: ...protonites have the ability to control electricity. Her hand rose up, and blue electricity could be seen flowing from between her fingers. Julianne: We also have the ability to absorb it from machines. A blue aura came from the same vacuum cleaner, draining its battery rapidly. Rose: Uh huh. Julianne: I''m guessing you''ve already seen Max do that. Rose: Yeah, I did! Julianne: Well, have you ever seen him do this? The electricity shed absorbed flew into her body, and then, to Rose''s utter shock and amazement, another Julianne Hunter seemingly walked right out of the body Julianne Hunter. Rose: That''s... That''s amazing! Words could not describe it. What she had done was basically duplicate herself. Julianne: Mmm, hmm. This is an "electric doppelganger" that our species call a carbon copy. The "doppelganger" giggled. Rose: Woah! Julianne waved her hand, and the clone dissipated. Julianne: Protonites can use those to serve as decoys or support in battle, but they aren''t all that durable... Rose: That''s so cool! Protonites have so many powers!Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Julianne: Yes, I guess you could say that. Rose: I mean, electric powers, super speed, force fields, clones... Julianne flinched ever so slightly. Julianne: Yes, we are that powerful. Rose: Can Max do that, too? Julianne: Well.... no. At least not yet. Rose: Hmm? Julianne: It''s a... well... more advanced protonite technique. It takes a lot of time, maturation, and practise to use that move. Rose: Oh.... She seemed only slightly disappointed. Rose: But... you''re still really strong. Julianne: Well... that isn''t to say that sirenites aren''t powerful on their own. Psychic powers and mind reading are no joke in combat. I would even say that you''re one of the more powerful members of your own team. Rose: R... really? Julianne: Absolutely. Rose blushed. Rose: Thank you. Julianne: No problem at all. She found herself giggling. So that was what Rose was like. She was ridiculously innocent. Julianne: Alright. Any more questions? Rose: Ummm... no. I think that was it. She stood up and prepared to leave. Rose: I''m really glad you helped me, Mrs Hunter. I''m gonna put all those things into practice right away. Julianne: No, problem. She sipped her coffee without a worry. Julianne: It was no trouble at all. Rose politely bowed to Julianne, much to her disturbance. Why was she bowing anyway? Julianne: It''s ok, no need to bow. Rose: Oh, it''s ok. Julianne: Hmm? Rose: Tiffany told me to always bow to people to say thank you. That act in an of itself perturbed Julianne. For one thing, why would Tiffany have her bow? In fact, after a second thought, they did all fall on their knees to her earlier that week to apologiseforo what had happened to her son. Just who was Tiffany that she could inspire her team to do that. Even more, who were they that they would accept such an odd request. Julianne: Oh.... I.... see.... Rose: Well...goodbye, Mrs Hunter. She picked her phone up and prepared to leave. What happened next was the last thing Julianne Hunter could have seen coming. She''d have sooner expected Rose to turn around and attack her. It all started with a comment that she''d carelessly made. It was a comment that all people make to children when they see them leaving to head home. One that she would never have thought much about, after all, it ws just a common courtesy. Who would''ve thought....? Julianne: Goodbye, Rose. And then she continued... Julianne: And say hello to your parents when you get home. She didn''t know that many aliens, and she figured that knowing Rose''s parents wouldn''t be that big of a deal. But in this case... Rose didn''t answer. She simply paused in her step. Julianne: Hmmm? Rose? She slowly turned around and forced a smile. Rose: Oh.... ummm..... well.... the thing is.... Julianne''s mind immediately went into overdrive. Could she be an alien refugee? That wasn''t an uncommon thing in planets, as she''d learned in her younger years. However, that could also mean that she was on her own on Earth, probably illegally as well. So, why was she on Earth? 107. Maternal Instinct Rose: The thing is... that... well... Julianne: Do you... live alone? Rose: (panickedly) N... no... no.... She seemed quite flustered. Rose: Well... yes... but.... well... you see.... It wasn''t so much that Julianne had a problem with refugees, but it was more that she had a problem with not knowing her intentions on Earth. After all, if she had no parents... Rose: My mom and dad are really busy, so.... they''re almost never home. Her nature kept her from saying something else or not minding the simple request to say hello to her parents. Julianne: Oh.... To Julianne''s ears, as a mother, as well as one who was also a daughter, that was a painful thing to hear. But before she could say anything else. Rose: (panickedly) But it''s alright! Really! Her body and stature completely changed. Rose: Mom and dad left me with more than enough money, and a big house, and a lot of things to play with, and a school to go to... so I''m fine. As she spoke, her face showed a somewhat crippled smile. Julianne saw right through it. She was fighting to hide her emotions. After all, what daughter wouldn''t feel bad if and when her parents weren''t around. To top it all off, she was an alien. Being on another planet was like being in a different country, albeit perhaps worse in the sense that the multicultural misunderstandings were greater.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. And even worse, she was still just a teenager. Julianne Hunter couldn''t help but pity the girl. A funny end to her own preconceptions of this girl. She''d gone from distrusting her to letting her guard down and wanting to comfort her. Julianne: I... see.... Rose: Yeah... An odd silence crept into the room, as, but for a moment, Rose''s countenance changed to a more mournful one for a few seconds. Rose: B... but it''s ok. Really. No need to worry about me, Mrs Hunter, I''ll be OK! She tried to fake a smile again, but, like before, Julianne saw right through it. Julianne: Alright... She sighed. Rose nodded. It was a family matter. After all, for all she knew, her mother and father lived very complicated lives. Once again, Rose turned to leave. Julianne Hunter looked at a photo of her own family. Her husband and son. And then considered something. Just as Rose was at the door knob... Julianne: You know.... Rose.... Rose: Y... yes, Mrs Hunter? She was shocked to hear her continue the conversation. For just a second of silence, Julianne reconsidered this decision. Was she really about to do this? She couldn''t believe it. But anyway.... Julianne: I was just thinking.... She slowly got up and calmly walked towards Rose. Julianne: Well... I was about to spend the rest of my afternoon baking some cake for tonight, buuuut..... At that point, she''d caught up to Rose. Julianne: ... seeing as you''re here, I figured you could help me out. Rose: Wh... wh... what!? Julianne: After all, baking cake without your powers could be good practice for when you try to fit in in public. Words could not describe the shock in Ros''es eyes. Julianne didn''t want to do this, but... here she was. Rose: I... I mean... Mrs Hunter.... I.... Julianne: Hmm? Something wrong? Did you have plans? Rose: No. No. No. It''s just... I mean... Im.... She twiddled her thumbs for a moment. Rose: Would I be bothering you? I mean... Julianne: Not at all. Although, I''m gonna have to warn you. Max is a big eater, so we''re gonna have to bake a lot today. Rose: Oh.... The fact that she may have been doing this to make her feel better was not lost on Rose. Rose: Ummm... ok... Julianne: Great. Let''s see.... The mother turned and walked to the kitchen. Julianne: You know how to work an oven, right Rose? Rose: Y... yeah.... As Julianne turned, she noticed that Rose hadn''t budged an inch. Julianne: Rose? Rose: Oh... uhhh.... coming?! She shyly dashed to the woman and stood next to her in the kitchen. Julianne noticed it all. Julianne: Great! She began to pull out all the various things they''d need from the random parts of the kitchen. 108. Two Daughters Rose didn''t know quite what to say to her. Julianne: Rose, could you get me the eggs in the third counter? Rose: (quietly) Sure.... In her mind, she didn''t know what to say. After getting the eggs, she gave them to Julianne. Julianne: Thank you. She then promptly began to crack them over a bowl. Rose silently watched her as she added flour and then began to knead the dough for a few minutes until... Julianne: Ok. You try. Rose flinched. Her voice came up so suddenly. Rose: S... sure.... She awkwardly grabbed the bowl and began to weakly knead it herself, much to Julianne''s amusement. She giggled as she watched the teenager. Rose: I... I''m sorry. I''m not very... Julianne: Keep at it. Rose: Hmm? Julianne: You''ll get the hang of it. Trust me. Rose: Oh... Ok..... She continued to knead the dough while Julianne began to cut up fresh fruit for juice. Julianne: Y''know, I could always buy juice from the store, but... well, I guess I''m old-fashioned. Hehehe.... Rose: O... Oh.... Her answer wasn''t disinterested but rather disturbed. Julianne, naturally, noticed this as well. Rose continued to fight with the dough, this time mixing it in a bowl. In an ordinary scenario, she could use her psychic powers to deal with strenuous labour, but in this case.... Julianne paused to watch her struggle again, fighting as hard as she could with her own two hands to make sure she could move the ladel as well as trying to keep herself from spilling some of the dough.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A mess that shortly after followed, as she used too much force and dropped all the dough on the floor. Rose: Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! She immediately flew into a panic. Rose: I''m so so so sorry, Mrs Hunter! Please, let me clean.... Julianne: It''s alright. Rose: But... I.... Julianne: It''s ok, Rose. She gently put her hand on her shoulder. Julianne: It''s fine, really. Rose: But... I..... She had just been shown pity and love. And now, she''d just messed up the floor belonging to said person. What could she say? Her countenance was now that of a sorrowful child. Julianne turned and grabbed a mop, which Rose shot up to look at. Julianne: I''ll clean up. How about you try that again? Rose: Hmm? That statement shocked Rose even more. Rose: But... Mrs Hunter... I... Julianne: It''s alright. She forced a smile. Julianne: After all, you still have to "train." Rose stared in disbelief as Julianne motioned to her to start over. Her eyes turned hesitantly towards the bowl and ladel. The eggs and flour were still there. As was the sugar and salt. There was plenty. Julianne: And take your time. Trust me, no one gets it right on their first try. I sure didn''t. Rose hesitantly turned around to try once more. Her hands cautiously grabbed the eggs slowly cracked them open, a few eggshell pieces falling onto the bowl. Rose: Ummm.... Julianne: Use the spoon to get the pieces out. Rose: R... right... And so she did. And she did everything else relatively easily. And then came the beast. Mixing in all the ingredients with the ladel. She started again, this time, using more force. Her grunts echoed through the room as Julianne threw the remains of their previous attempt out. Her arms quickly got tired, but she pushed on even more, and after that, even more, after all, Julianne Hunter was shortly after then standing behind her. This went on for a few more moments. Julianne: You don''t have to push yourself so hard. Rose immediately paused and took a breather. Rose: O... k... Julianne simply took the bowl and ladel from her. Julianne: Don''t worry about it. It''s your first time. And first times are never easy. She mixed it only for a minute before returning it to Rose, who continued to struggle with it, while Julianne watched her. As per her instructions, she took the bowl and worked on the dough less aggressively, with Julianne giving instructions here and there. Rose: (panting) I.... I think I did it! Julianne: That you did! The pair shared a smile before Rose turned to give her the dough. Rose joyfully gave the dough to the mother before she put it in the oven. It was then that Rose wanted to say something. After all, Julianne Hunter had been so kind to her. However, before she could even put into words what she wanted to say... Julianne: And Rose? Rose: Y... yes, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: You don''t need to hide it. I mean... I get it. Rose gasped. She instantly knew what she was referring to. Julianne stood up, having closed and turned on the oven. She then turned to the teen girl in front of her, who was too shocked to move. Julianne placed her hand on her shoulder. Julianne: I was a teen daughter once, too, you know? Those words. All on their own, made tears come out of Rose''s eyes as she , shortly after, winced. Julianne hugged the sobbing girl. Julianne: It''s ok, Rose. It''s... ok. there... there.... 109. Cooking With Mrs. Hunter And so the rest of their day went. The air of the room had completely changed to a jovial one. Julianne: Some more eggs, please. Rose: Sure! A giddy Rose went off to get some eggs from the cup board while Julianne continued to mix some things in a bowl, and on receiving said eggs, with a smile.... Julianne: Thanks, dear. And Rose would nod with a smile on her face. In life, such things tend to happen. Had someone told Julianne Hunter that she would be cooking with Rose that very day, she never would have believed it. In fact, up till less than an hour ago, she would never have believed it. Rose wouldn''t have believed it either, albeit a bit less so. How did this happen? What exactly was going on? Such questions never ran through Julianne Hunter''s mind. Not even for a moment. She, instead, decided to cook with Rose, the very person she was initially very suspicious of. To top it all off, she was doing it without her guard up. But also, there was just something about her that she found charming. As Rose carefully cut the oranges and apples with a knife as Julianne watched her. Julianne: Be careful now... Rose: Ok.... She sheepishly started to cut the oranges. Cutting fruit, like most things, was usually a psychically performed act. But in this case, it was like a child trying a knife for the first time. Julianne: Gently now....This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Rose: Mm... hmm.... The room had become silent all of a sudden. Julianne: No pressure... Rose: Yes, ma''am. She was halfway through, cutting it on her hands. In most families, there lies something of a tradition. One can think of it as passing a torch, or perhaps the opening of the childs mind to newer realities. A good example would be riding a bike, or climbing a tree, or, in this case, using one of mankind''s oldest tools. The knife. Because of the danger involved and the fact that Rose had never used one before, Julianne, like any parent or adult or older figure would, looked over her. And then.... the blade finally fully struck through, leaving behind two halves of an orange, resting on the palm of her hands. Rose: (uncertainly) I did it? She looked at her hand in disbelief. No blood came out. She was fine. Rose: I did it! She almost jumped and dangerously flailed the knife in the air before immediately stopping, realising that what she was about to do was dangerous. Julianne: You sure did, Rose. You sure did. She meant every word. After all, like all creatures. There was something beautiful about seeing an infant learn something. To see one mature. A truly fascinating thing. Rose put the knife down and then continued her congratulatory jumps as Julianne looked on, smiling. Rose: I did it! I did it! I did it! She jumped closer to Julianne, holding her hands as she celebrated, much to her amusement. Julianne: Think you can do it again? She playfully pointed to the other fruits on the table. Rose turned to them and suddenly felt a bit intimidated, but took a short, quick breath before continuing... Rose: Yes ma''am. Julianne: Good. Rose walked towards the fruit, and Julianne turned back to the meat she was seasoning. Julianne: And Rose? Rose: Yes, Mrs Hunter. She turned back to Max''s mother. Julianne: Good job. The statement made Rose blush. She had just genuinely commended her on her actions. Rose: Th... thank you, Mrs Hunter. And so the rest of the day went. Rose, as with riding a bike, made several mistakes that day. For one... she did eventually cut herself. Rose: Ouch.... Julianne had bandages on the ready and quickly got to work. Julianne: It''s ok. These things happen. Even I cut myself every once in a while. Rose: Hmph. But that didn''t stop Rose from trying. And that didn''t stop Julianne from helping. And this went on for quite a while until they had cooked themselves and a then missing Max a meal fit for a king, that they soon after enjoyed together while watching TV and chatting. Rose: ... and then Luke said, (imitating Luke) "I was in the rain for an hour, so it counts as a shower." The pair laughed. Rose: Luke is sooo funny! And even Julianne opened up to her. Rose: I could never be a movie star like you, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: Oh, you get used to it. Rose: Really? 110. Red Velvet Cake Julianne: Oh, believe me. I was terrified... Rose listened intently. Julianne: ... every after a show, I''d hyperventilate for hours. Sometimes, I''d even pass out. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm... hmmm. If it wasn''t for my husband encouraging me, I would''ve acting a long time ago. Rose: (gasp) Really? There was something to be said about her honest interest in Julianne Hunter. Julianne: Really. She took a good long sip of her freshly squeezed drink. Julianne: Thanks for the juice, by the way. It tastes great. Rose blushed. Rose: It''s no problem, really. Julianne: Hmm. Anyway.... Julianne went on to talk about her troubles becoming a movie star. Rose: That sounds horrible! Julianne: I know. I had to do that many big movies all in one year. Needless to say, I was stressed beyond belief. Rose covered her mouth completely and winced loudly. Julianne: It was absolutely terrible. Her eyes faded away as she seemingly reminisced about those days. It was a long time ago, and she had long since quit the profession. Julianne: Between the overworking and the constant changes, I found myself overwhelmed and almost quit. Rose: Oh.... Julianne''s tone changed to something more serious towards the end. Julianne: Buuuut.... I made it through that and did all those movies, giving me enough money to do quite basically whatever I want. Rose: Really? Whatever you want? Julianne: Mm... hmmm. Showbiz may be tricky, but it sure pays big. Rose: Oh, how much? Julianne: Oh... let''s just say that... it''s not a number most people can deal with. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm... hmm... Once she''d explained how much money she earned from one movie premiere alone, a surprised coutenance was left on a face. But that face was Julianne Hunter. Julianne: Hmmm?Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Rose: Hmm? Julianne: Oh, sorry. I''m used to humans being scared of such numbers. Rose: Oh, that''s not it. Julianne: Hmm? Rose: It''s just... And Rose went on to explain that her own parents were loaded, much to Julianne''s surprise. Julianne: I... see.... Curiouser and curiouser. Just who was Rose Wright? And their day went like this for a while as they ate lunch. And once they''d finished eating.... Julianne: Take a break. No need to leave so soon. Rose: Really? Julianne: Mmm... hmm. Take all the time you need. Rose, according to her instructions, sat on the couch and, on Julianne''s suggestion, started to watch TV. While Julianne was in the bathroom, Rose found a cooking channel, much to her delight. The speaker was Mrs Viola Dupree. Viola: Baking a red velvet cake is easy with a few simple steps. Rose was immediately engaged. Name: Viola Dupree Age: 30 Description: Lean mean cooking machine, apparently Occupation: TV cooking channel speaker and cook Fact: She''s allergic to raisins. Rose: Red velvet cake.... She intently stared at the TV screen, watching Viola''s every move, as she energetically stated the ingredients. Viola: All you need is, baking soda, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, cocoa powder, butter mik, red food colouring, vanilla, vinegar, all purpose flour, cream cheese and powdered sugar. All those ingredients should show up on the screen right here. As she said, the ingredients conveniently popped up on the right side of the screen, where they could be easily read. As Rose continued to watch this... Julianne returned from the bathroom, only to find the teenagers eyes glued to the screen. Julianne: Rose? Rose: (Surprised) Oh, sorry, Mrs Hunter. Julianne''s eyes turned to the TV screen. Julianne: Red velvet cake, huh? Rose: Ummm... yeah. It looks really tasty. Julianne: It does... doesn''t it. The pair continued to watch in silence as Viola carefully stacked the layers of the cake, leaving frosting in between the layers. It was then that an odd suggestion entered Julianne Hunters mind. Julianne: How about we make one? Rose: Huh? The suggestion was a huge shock to Rose. Julianne: It can''t be that hard. Rose: But... it could take a lot of time. Julianne: It''s no problem, Rose. I''ve got time. After all, (smiling) it could be fun. Naturally, Rose didn''t want to be a burden and overstay her welcome, but in this case, with Julianne Hunter so willing to cook with her, ... And so they started. Julianne: You know, I bet Max would like some of this cake. Rose: Really?! Those words only served to further motivate Rose to continue baking with Max''s mother. And, perhaps one would call it a feminine instinct, the pair did not stop there. Viola''s channel was still on. And so were other cooking channels. This culminated in... Rose and Julianne Hunter cooking... for a very long time. Several hours, in fact. Neither one looked at the clock. Both simply enjoyed themselves. Perhaps because Rose was a lone alien before that day. Perhaps because Julianne Hunter wanted someone to cook with. The reasons were up in the air, but common sense finally returned to Rose once she''d noticed that it was getting dark. Rose: Oh... Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Yes. There was a black forest cake on the table and a white forest cake in the oven. There was also a bit of a mess in the kithen. Rose: It''s getting dark. Julianne: Hmm... It''s ok. You can stay in the guest room. Rose: R... really? Julianne: Absolutely. Rose was shocked to hear that, after all, that would be the second time she''d been in her house that week. But she was also happy, after all, she had a friend. Rose: (smiling to herself) Ok. It was a few more hours before Rose and Julianne finished cooking, or perhaps it would be better to say, decided it was time to go to bed. Julianne was the first to go to bed, surprising herself again by leaving an awake Rose in her house, alone and unguarded. Julianne: (thinking: My, how things have changed.) As she fell asleep, she heard a gentle "Good night, Mrs Hunter," from Rose, to which she returned, "Good night , Rose." One thing did leave her slightly bothered, though. Where was Max? He sent her a text, saying he''d be back later that night, but she couldn''t help but worry a little. Julianne: (thinking: It''s fine. After all, it''s not that late. It''s only 8pm.) (sigh) (What could that boy be up to now?) 111. The Skateboarding Genius In the human life, there is such a thing as an "art." "The sound of a skateboard running through the pavement." As we grow and mature, we develop many skills and talents to varying degrees. These talents eventually help us in our endeavours. We learn to drive a car to get somewhere faster, we learn to be courteous to be pleasing to others, and we learn to understand people to deepen our connections with them. Such things may be called an art. Something we learned. Something we use. Something that may very well be a part of our lives, and maybe even a part of us. Who knows? However, there are those, perhaps by destiny itself, that take this skill to a whole new level. "A kick flip from the aforementioned skateboard was heard." Such people make this skill an "art." Car drivers that can handle incredible speeds are in a league of their own, those so charming that all that see them nearby feel at ease and those that understand the depth of one''s soul can be, simply put, terrifying. Such people, through talent or hard work, usually both, have made this skill an art. " A frontside pop shuvit is seen." Something so great that the average onlooker may even view it as impossible, inhuman, and see said person as a "monster." That being said, there is something captivating about seeing such things. In any case, that was the degree to which Maximillian Hunter had mastered the art of the skateboard. He did a "varial kickflip" once before turning to another street. It had only been moments since he had left Ken''s place. And, him being him, he''d decided to spend some time skating before heading homeEnsure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Among video games, fast food, and movies, there was one other thing that had always managed to occupy Max Hunter''s mind. Skateboarding. He made a turn and gave his board a push. People on the street would, from time to time, watch, as Max skated. There was something carefree about it, one would say. Almost as though the skateboard was a part of his life that he''d grown weirdly accustomed to. After all, who among us could say that they''d never fallen off a skateboard, or had at the very least been intimidated by the idea of riding one. But with Max, there was no fear, little to no caution, seemingly little to no awareness of the surrounding situation and a sense of ease in his eyes. He was in his element. And, as he happened upon a set of stairs, he smirked before jumping onto the rail and riding across the entire thing in one go, surprising several onlookers. Max didn''t even look back. He just continued skating. After all, to him, skating was almost as relaxing as video games. That being the case, he took his time getting back home, skating all around town, simply enjoying the rush, challenging himself to do a trick every once in a while. He also made a stop by Mr. Sweets place to buy yet another set of treats. After all, they were pretty good. As he skated back home, he thought to himself, how lucky he''d gotten it. When he and his mother had first moved to Hypercity, he''d never thought it would he''d have it this good. Friends, fighting evil villains, being a hero. And that was only half of it. After all, his mother was ok with it. An odd thing, sure, but he was happy just to hear that from his mother. Words could not describe that feeling. Which reminded him. He should probably have a chat with them once her got home. He skated hurriedly back to his place. Super speed was an option, but why bother with it? Skateboarding was fun. And, shortly after his mother had fallen asleep, he''d finally arrived back home. Now, Maximillian Hunter was not a teen without vices, and one of those vices was being the kind of child not to check his phone for new chat messages for long periods of time, especially once hed left the house to skate board or to go to a gaming locale. Had his mother called him, perhaps, this scenario could have been avoided. But, Max, worry-free and unsuspectingly walked into his house, unlocking the door and walking in. Max: Mom... I''m home. He was sure not to be too loud or too soft. In the distance, he could hear a shower running and immediately assumed that that had to be her. Max: (thinking: Just a normal day, then.) He walked up the stairs after placing his board at the doorstep and walked up the stairs. For a brief moment before this, he noticed the mess in the kitchen but ignored it. After all, maybe his mom was just busy. The shower stopped. And Max simply walked towards his room, passing the door to the bathroom. He heard footsteps walking to open the door and heard the door click open. However, he did not expect a foreign voice to say. Rose: M... Max? He turned around to see a blushing Rose in a towel, to which his only response was to loudly yell... Max: ROSE!? 112. To Maxs Shock... A loud yell was heard from the Hunter household that night. One that echoed through the neighbouring houses, causing a slight alarm, mostly because it was still only 8 am. Max was, obviously, incredibly shocked. As for a terrified and horribly embarrassed Rose, who hadn''t heard the house door open, she didn''t know what to say. Her crush had just seen her in a towel. Granted, he hadn''t seen anything, but still.... And as for a tired and sleepy Julianne Hunter, she debated getting up and stopping them, but she figured it would be fine. After all, it wasn''t like her son was going to be killed. And on the very scene, it was a few seconds before Max finally regained his composure and could say something. Max: Wh... what... What are you doing here?! Rose: I... um.... I.... It was hard enough answering him in such a situation. Sure, she had a perfectly good reason to be there, but answering him while he was so intense. Rose: I... well... I.... Max: And.... you took a shower? Rose blushed in embarrassment. Rose: (embarrassedly) I... well.... I..... She didn''t know where to start. And he didn''t know where she''d begin. This girl was in his house. taking a shower..... like she lived there. Rose: I.... It took a while, but Max eventually very slowly learned what had happened from a very shy Rose. He would later check his phone and find out that his mother had sent him a text explaining all that. Of course, he would not learn to check his phone from this situation, but that is a tale for another day.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. That much having been explained, Max, about 30 minutes later, found himself on the dining room chair, eating the food Rose and his mom had earlier prepared quite relaxedly. Rose, in the meantime, changed clothes and shyly walked downstairs to have a chat with Max. That rush she felt when he suddenly appeared. She couldn''t get it out of her head. "Why couldn''t her heart stop beating?" She asked herself this over and over. Was it because he''d just appeared out of nowhere? Was it because he reacted so loudly? Was she just rattled? No. She knew it wasn''t just that. Once she''d finally made it downstairs... Rose: Umm... Max..... Max: Oh... Hey. She was wearing clothes Max''s mom said would be just fine for the night. Nothing revealing, just simple and comfy. And because Rose was a little smaller than Julianne, a little baggy. But that only served to make it comfier. Max, after his reply, quickly took a few more bites of food before something finally occurred to him. Max: Did you and mom make this? She flinched. Not because hed figured it out, but rather in honest hope and anticipation of potential acknowledgement. Rose: Y... yeah.... A normal thing for most infatuatued folk. The object of their affections holds more sway to the way they see themselves than most. Like in this case.... Max: Really? That''s awesome. You must be a great cook. He said this in his ordinary, carefree way, without giving much thought. He liked it, but he didn''t mean it enough for Rose''s response to make sense to him. Rose: Really!? She jolted and looked at him like she wanted to hear him say it again. Max: Uhhhh.... sure.... yeah. And a confused Max still didn''t know what was wrong with her. She let out a huge sigh in relief, confusing Max more. Rose: Thank you. Max: Are... you ok? Rose: (jolting) Y... yeah. Yeah. Im ok. Max: Ok... then. This confused Max even more. But his confusion did not put a pause on his appetite, and so he continued to eat, seemingly unperturbed until he looked questionably at Rose, confusing her as well. Why was he staring at her? She slowly grew more horrified before... Max: You know, you don''t have to keep standing there. The first statement made her flinch in the air. Max: You can have a seat. The next both calmed her and freaked her out, making her jolt once more, only serving to perturb Max even more. Rose: Y... yeah. Sure. He motioned her to the seat right at the table, and she subsequently calmed down, telling herself to calm down and not to freak out. After all, she was going to sit on the next table as him, alone and unsupervised by anyone else. The dining table was circular with six seats. She, in her nature, did not seat herself next to him or across from him, but rather chose a chair away from him, all the while twiddling her thumbs. Rose: (thinking: What is this feeling? Why can''t I calm down? Am I just... excited to meet another alien my age?) This quiet, shy looking, blushing alien''s thoughts ran rampant inside her mind. Rose: (thinking: Does he think Im weird?) And Max was none the wiser, as he gazed at her, not knowing why she seemed so anxious. Max: (thinking: I guess Ken was right. She is just like that.) 113. Nervous.... There was a silence in the room. It was nighttime, after all. Hardly a sound could be heard from outside the house other than the occasional car passing. Rose didn''t quite know what to say. She was far too nervous to speak. Max, on the other hand... Max: So, how''d you end up helping my mom cook? She turned to see him looking directly at her. She almost flinched again. Rose: Ummm... well.... I... Her original reason for being there came up to her head. Ordinarily, she would just tell the truth. But, could she? Somehow, coming here was easier than saying that to him. But, now that she was speaking to him, face to face, it seemed impossible to say that. This feeling, could it be? Was she really...? Rose: I... I... Max: Hmm? The red-faced girl made no sense to him. In her own mind, she was trying to understand as to why it was so hard to say something. Just why was it so hard? Max: Rose? She winced and jolted like something had just jump scared her. Rose: I.... I just wanted to say hi to you and your mom. Th... that''s all..... Her heart sank as she''d said that. Why did it sink? Max: Huh? Rose flinched again. Why was he confused? Did she say something wrong? The simple fact of the matter being that she''d neglected to tell him the rest of the story.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Max: That doesn''t really explain everything. Rose: Oh... well.... she... And she went on to explain what had happened in the previous several hours. She said it without looking him in the eye, but also, she found herself surprised by the fact that he didn''t seem disinterested in the story, as she gave a surprisingly detailed account of what had happened. Rose: ... and then she told me I could go take a shower, and well... Max: Huh. So, that''s what happened. He took another bite of the cake. Rose: Ummm... Max: Huh Rose: Sorry if the story was too long, ehehehe.... I''m not very good at telling stories. Max: It''s no big deal. He simply returned to eating. Rose flinched again. There was something about his carefree attitude. His nonchalance. In a way, it was honest. Even the way he''d said that was nonchalant. She watched him as he disorganisedly ate more cake. Max: This cake turned out great. You guys work amazingly together. Rose smiled and blushed. Rose: Thank you, Max. And Max smiled back at her. Max: You want some? With his hands, he offered her a piece. Rose: Oh... no, I already ate. Max: Ok, then. More for me. He took it back and gleefully ate it. She smiled and giggled as she watched him gorge down a few more slices. Max had simply accepted it. That was just who Rose was. After all, he couldn''t say anything bad about it. Sure, she was weird, but she wasn''t unpleasant to be around. Rose: You know, the cake is called Red Velvet. Max: (food in mouth) Really? Rose: Uh huh. It has all sorts of ingredients and took a lot of time to make. He swallowed the food. Max: Really now. Rose: Uh huh. But your mom is a genius. She figured it all out in no time at all. Max: Mom, huh... Good ol'' mom. Max wouldn''t say it, but he was relieved to hear that she was getting along with Rose. He''d never expected that to have happened so easily, but from her story, he could tell that Rose and his mother did not have any trouble with each other. He smiled to himself, much to Rose''s surprise. Max: Yeah, I guess she is a genius. He got up and started to wash the dishes. The Hunter household had a simple rule to washing dishes, which often led to Julianne washing the majority of dishes. But, Max, perhaps because he was grateful, perhaps not to his mom, but maybe to life itself, decided to wash the dishes. Was it really happening? Was his mom really letting him do this? He still couldn''t believe it. She''d never been like that before. Dad, sure. But her? Never. His sudden silence surprised Rose. Rose: Max.... is something... Max: Hmmm. No, it''s fine. It''s nothing. Which reminds me.... It wasn''t that he was only jumping out of the question, but also because he had something else he wanted to say. Something that had been gnawing on his mind for while then. 114. Shared Feelings Rose was, naturally, terrified of answering any unprovoked questions. Rose: S... sure. Max: How did it feel to... y''know? Rose: Hmm? His voice sounded oddly unsure. That was not something she was used to. Max: To be a part of the team? His face was turned away from her, and so she had no idea as to what was going on with him. She couldn''t see his facial expression, after all. In reality, he wasn''t crying, just... sad looking. Rose: Oh... well... it''s..... Her eyes turned to the side. It was something that she didn''t think too much about previously. Rose: It feels great. Max: Really? Rose: Uh huh. I really appreciate Tiff for letting me be a part of it. Max: Huh... You don''t say.... A smile formed on his face. He was glad. Rose: Before that... well.... Even she got a tad bit emotional about the subject. As she spoke more, her tone became progressively sadder. Rose: .... I .... didn''t really have any friends. No friends. Those words struck a cord with Max far too brutally. Rose: (cheering up) But then Tiff showed up, and then.... She sighed in glee. Rose: ... I finally got friends, you know?A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Max turned to look at her. Rose: And Tiff was sooooooo nice. She helped me figure all sorts of things out, and got me some new friends, like Ken and Luke and.... She turned to look at Max. Rose: ... you. Max: Me. They both spoke at the same time, and both chuckled right after. Max: Yeah... Being an alien on a planet was hard enough as an ordeal, but living without people who, even partially, understood your predicament was utterly aggravating. They were both glad that they''d found someone who could understand. Both themselves and the others. At that point, Max was finally done with the dishes. After all he''d gone through that day, he figured he was too tired to watch TV or game. Max: (huge yawn) Well, I''m spent. I''m headed to bed. Rose: Oh, sure. Max: You going too? Rose: Umm... yeah.. Her unsure answer was very much to Max''s surprise. Max: Huh? She winced once she realised what she''d just done. In her head, she looked like a huge weirdo in Max''s eyes. She''d been weird since she''d seen him. In fact, she''d probably been weird before that. As more intrusive thoughts clouded her mind, Max walked towards her and bent his head to take a look at Rose''s face. Max: Rose? Rose: Eeep! She jolted again. How could she not? How did he get there? How did she not hear him? Max: Rose? She shuddered. Rose: Y.... yeah.... Max: You ok? Rose: Y.... yeah.... I''m fine. She slowly started to calm down before.... Max: Man, you''re such a weirdo. Those words cut through Roses heart like a blade. In any ordinary sense, Rose would apologise for her insufficiencies and promise to be better. But in this case, how could she? It was like Max had cut a fundamental piece of her own soul up. She couldn''t see herself recovering. Not because of her personality, but because of him. It was almost as if he held a piece of her in his hands, and he''d just crushed it. And, as a result, Rose was too crushed to say, "Sorry, I''ll try to be less weird." Max turned to head to his bedroom, leaving Rose downtrodden and crushed. And what he said next completely shook Rose. Max: But y''know what... He turned and smiled at her. Max: ... I think your weirdness is pretty cool. She looked up to see him face to face, all the while in disbelief. Rose: (thinking: Did he just.. say......?) Max: Anyway, good night, Rose. He headed off to bed, and a previously downtrodden Rose had completely transformed into an entirely new creature. Now, her heart was filled with joy. He didn''t crush her. He breathed life into her. He didn''t destroy her. He built her up. All his words simply said one thing to her. In his eyes, she was acceptable. No, better. She was admirable. That was enough to keep her mind so occupied that she''d almost failed to hear him say good night. And when she heard it, she calmed herself. Rose: Yeah.... good night, Max. She smiled to herself, alone in the kitchen for a while, before leaving to the guest room, her heart all the while dancing. 115. Hunter Household Breakfast 8am in the Hunter household. Rose was putting on her own clothes. after the previous days cooking adventure, they smelled of sweat. But it was fine, as her house wasnt too far away. She would soon change. She got up, washed her mouth and then prepared to get back home. As she walked downstairs, she found Julianne Hunter, drinking coffee while peacefully reading a newspaper. Rose: Good morning, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: Oh... Morning, Rose. You''re up early. Rose: Ehehehe... yeah. Julianne: You want some breakfast? I''ve still got scones from yesterday. She motioned Rose to a half eaten scone that she''d been eating and then took a small bite and swallowed it. Julianne: And I''ve gotta say, they turned out great. I couldn''t have done it without you. The teen flinched. Rose: M... me? Julianne: Yep. Your idea to add a hint of lemon really gives them that kick. The statement of approval made Rose smile to herself. She''d had a really good day with the Hunters. To her, they''d both been so kind. Rose: (humbly) Thank you, Mrs Hunter. It was no trouble at all, really. She then gently bowed. Julianne: (thinking: So this is what all these kids are like, huh. Well.... maybe Max will learn some lessons from them.... errrrrrrr..... Maybe.) So, do you want some? Rose: Sure!The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. She couldn''t think of a reason to say no. This woman, .... Julianne: You know, Max is probably still sleeping. Knowing him, he''ll be out like a light for a little longer. ..... this alien woman,.... Julianne: Oh, you got to speak to him last night? Hmph. Then I guess it''s alright. .... she''d been so kind to her. Rose couldn''t believe her own luck. She''d found someone who could understand her troubles. And so, just as she''d finished her tea and scones with Max''s mother, she had something important to say. Rose: Errrmm... Mrs Hunter? Julianne: Yes, Rose? She stood up again and gave a deep bow. Rose: Thank you so much for all you''ve done for me today. I''ll be sure to take it all to heart, Mrs Hunter. The sight of the bow and the intensity of the speech struck something in the older woman. Simply put, she was moved. Julianne: Rose.... Such a remarkably honest and sweet girl. One would wonder how she came to be. She herself stood up and walked to the bowing girl, softly embracing her in a hug. Julianne: It''s no big deal, Rose. It''s no big deal. This embrace. She was now hugging her like she would someone close to her. Like she would someone she trusted. How the turns had tabled? Moments later... Julianne: Ok. Make sure you haven''t forgotten anything here. Rose put her shoes on one by one. Rose: It''s ok, Mrs Hunter. I haven''t forgotten anything. Julianne: Alright then. (thinking: I kinda wish Max could have been awake to see her off atleast.) After she''d slipped her shoes on, she turned to the door. Rose: Ok, I''m ready. Julianne: Alright. She opened the door for the teen, and Rose walked out. Rose: Goodbye, Mrs Hunter. Julianne: Goodbye, Rose. And, stay safe, alright? Come visit any time you''d like, ok? (thinking: Look at me now. Inviting her for another visit. Heh... things can change.) Rose: Uh huh. I will. She gleefully walked outside as Julianne watched her from the doorway. Just as she was about to get to the sidewalk, she heard a loud and familiar voice. Voice: Hey, Rose! Rose: Hmm? She turned to the direction from whence the voice had come. It was at the top of the Hunter household, or rather, its upper windows. It was Max, much to her shock. He was in his bedroom, looking out the window, waving at her, smiling. Max: See ya later! Rose: Yeah, see ya later! She couldn''t stop smiling to herself and giggled as she continued on her way. Julianne: (thinking: I suppose he did wake up in time. Hmmm.) Julianne then closed the door to her house. As for Rose, she couldn''t stop thinking about it. What a great day it had been! Indeed. What a great day it had been for her! In a worry free manner, she walked all the way back to her own home.