Ch. 5 Update

“Hey man, what’s up?” Trav greeted with a sly gesture with his two fingers, gliding off of the rails from the second floor leading into the secret headquarters of the CS production chamber; my basement.

“To be honest, Trav, I’m a little fretful,” Willy replied, sitting at the computer desk of Andy’s laptop. It was quite easy to establish between the other workstations in the basement, for the simple reason it was the only one there, and all of the Cheetos crumbs scattered around the desk after getting high off of some type of hallucinogenic drugs.

“Really? What’s up Willy-man?” Trav said, walking toward his best friend in the basement. He moved toward Willy, getting 2/3 too close to his personal space, for which Willy replied with a simple disgruntled frown.

“I was really looking forward to chapter 5 today. It seems Andy intends to delay the chapter because of his own incompetence to stimulate any source of incentive to write the chapter.” Willy said, leaning back against the black leathered rocker chair, his hands behind his head. Trav looked on, and folded his arms.

“Oh well, what can you do?” Trav began, with a brief shrug, and a sinister smirk. “Except go to his freakin’ house, duck tape him to his door, skank ride his horse and bum screw his inflatable girlfriend!” Trav exclaimed excitedly, seeming to believe he had just spewed the greatest plan since the concept of buttered toast.

Willy looked at Trav with the look that clearly told him straight up his idea was horrible. “Or, we could just wait diligently for the next chapter. I mean, he obviously has enough time to write up a short like this to entertain the very few people who actually read this blog, right? He’ll get around to it eventually, the least we owe him is our patience and indulgence.” Willy said, closing his eyes. “Besides, we’re technically in his house now, in his fictional basement, anyway. He actually writes all of these chapters on his desk or bed, depending on whether or not he’s feeling like a lazy ass, and anything short of a workstation is skewered by the crumbs of cheese hoagies.”

“Yeah, I suppose man,” Trav said. “Either way, is it really a loss anyway? Only like, what, two people actively read this blog?”

“One, actually. The other dude just reads whenever he thinks of it, or something. I don’t know,” Willy said.

The door to the basement busted down, shards and fragments of the metal door shimmered through the air, one piece knocking Trav in the eye. Trav fell on the concrete floor, crying with his good eye.

“I’m so angry!” Sid exclaimed, unleashing a burst of dark energy, pulsing through his body and destroying more needless, fictional accessories in the even more fictional workstation. “Where is chapter 5 I want r33d NAO PL0X” Sid’s face contorted into an angry troll face, as his anger and frustration alone began to disassemble the entire basement. “BRING IT OUT!!! RIGHT NOW!!!”

Willy sighed, gesturing with a wave of his hand toward Sid. “See, this is why we don’t have fans.”

“I thought that was because the story sucked…?” Trav said, through painful, gut wrenching sobs. Willy nodded.

“Well, that too, I guess.”

----

So yeah, chapter 5 will be delayed this week. I apologize for the inconvenience, as I know my very dedicated audience was looking forward to a new chapter. I will upload it either earlier next week, or next Saturday, depending on my workload (LOL). See you then, and take care.

~ Kazikaze (Andy)

Chapter 4 - Drop The World

Willy leaned offhandedly on the single chair in the single, rather dull living room, only a chair, table, TV, and a large box of collectables on the corner wall. The walls resonated with the stable tick of the traditional clock on the wall, which echoed in Willy’s head.

Willy escorted himself home early from school after he collapsed only three hours after he arrived. Ever since the incident with Arabella and her ‘purse snatcher’, he had been feeling ill, though he refused to admit it, merely shaking it all off until it was evident during his collapse. Willy didn’t remember anything after that, only the conversation with the school nurse after, he was transported to the Grand Metric Hospital in the center of the district, where he talked to his female doctor.

“Boy, I’ve never seen anything like this.” The nearly petite, light blue haired woman said solemnly, holding a clipboard in between her breasts. Willy laid stationary in the bed, only looking up slightly at the doctor, waiting for her to continue. “Seems you had ingested a unique form of a slow neurotoxin. It took nearly everything we had to set you straight again.” The doctor stated professionally, to which Willy was baffled. He stared at the doctor for a long period of time before making any other move.

“Neurotoxin?” Willy asked.

“It’s a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells which inhibits the functions of neurons, typically occurring in the nerve tissue.” The doctor paused, seeing Willy’s blank appearance plastered on his face. She laughed nervously, hoping to ease the tension. “Simply put, it attacks the nervous system. It continued to spread however, had I not caught it in time, your nervous system would have shut off completely, causing your body to shut down in response.”

Willy groaned. It wasn’t much that he wasn’t a science wiz; he was only concerned of how he could have possible come into contact with such a toxin. It didn’t take him long to consider the only possibilities of the day, that of which occurred during the battle with the SEAT agent. Ever since he was cut by his knives, he had been feeling nauseous and dizzy. Willy sighed in return, it had to be the reason.

“I see. Thank you Dr. Kayton.”

The incident today had reminded Willy that he was human, despite having powers beyond that of any ordinary human being. He was all too mortal, which is a fact that the SEAT agent knew well. Being so well equipped, prepared, and alone, Willy couldn’t help but think. “There must have been a bigger scheme, or some kind of scandal involved. Could it really have been a direct order from K.I.? It doesn’t make sense they would target me. They don’t want me dead. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding.”

Willy watched the flat-panel LCD TV attached through the wall as rationally as possible, leaning against the chair as a certain news story was brought into light at the station. The anchor woman was in much distress, clearly, as she sat in front of the camera, dark circles clearly distinct under her eyes. She folded her hands together intertwining her fingers, playing them with nervously. The background of the news room, despite looking anything less than chaotic, was an illusion that was not placed on Willy. No one knew this world more than he did.

“Good evening, I’m your anchor woman Clara Underwood. This just in, we have breaking news that the infamous faction known as K.I. has created another upsurge of anarchy spreading through the hearts of all nations worldwide. As of now, K.I., still concealed under an ominous silhouette, have given their final declaration, having issued a purge of all humanity who do not comply with their plan known as Order M.E; Mass Extermination. The president of the United States will speak soon in this urgent manner. For now, we ask that all citizens please remain calm in this dire situation…

Willy watched the news. Unbelievable, now K.I. was literally taking over the world, just like that. Willy was battling with himself, attempting to retain the outburst within him. When the rage began to build up inside of his psyche, it took over for a very brief moment. Willy, who always remained calm and collective, just this one time, could not.

He took his T.V. remote control, clenching it so hard his hand was throbbing. “K.I., and especially you Sid… you will regret this for your life! YOU HEAR ME?!” He threw it against the flat screen T.V., creating a small electrical burst; destroying fragments of the wall on the T.V., a crisp black outlined the structure of the wall. Willy clenched his hands together, running it harshly through his hair. He screamed loudly, holding nothing back now, glowering at the roof.

Willy’s eyes widened, as a sudden thought slapped him in the face like a floppy zucchini. His mouth gaped open, as he thought of the anchorwoman alone. He recognized her, her hair, her eyes, her face, he recognized all of it. He even recognized the name, Clara. He had heard that before. Willy thought, knowing who she was, but couldn’t place his finger on the exact resolution.

Willy attempted to shake it off, but to no avail. He knew her, he had to find her. He walked towards his door, opening it with a slow creak, revealing his head outside, which he wished he wouldn’t have done at first. The crowd of people leaving the city was astounding. People were thrown in a chaotic state. Packages were flying out of two story windows; personal belongings drenched on the sidelines, even people were brawling over stolen cars and money. People seemed to be in a riot. Willy sighed seeing the people of Earth in such a pathetic state of affairs. During these times, people really began to show their true colors. The fight for survival was a tough one. They were scared, they didn’t want to die, thinking they would, it was no holds barred. Willy understood the mentality, but never was one to subject to it irrationally. He leaped outside of his house.

“That anchor woman… I know her,” Willy said, the feeling returning inside of his head. He groaned in an unsatisfactory way. “I have to find her.” Perhaps she could give him a clue, any clue, to unraveling the mysteries behind K.I. Any step, no matter the size, in the right direction, was a step in the right direction.

Merely a kilometer a distance away from Willy, a duo of silhouettes stood side by side on an empire rooftop, watching the madness unfold in what was once the most glorified city of the United States of America; Heretic City, California. A tragedy larger than any natural disaster had struck. As quickly as the broadcast came, people panicked. The smaller figure laughed, a feminine laugh, chuckling heartily at the unfolding destruction.

“Look at these people. So pathetic, so defenseless in the wake of death,” the woman said with a hint of ecstasy. The man continued to examine Willy from his range, revealing his maroon, glass-like texture eyes. The eyes suddenly illuminated with a projection of much data simultaneously, processing every bit of information on the miniature screen immediately.

“It’s him. If there was an ever more perfect time to do this, it would be now. What are your commands, Sire?” the woman asked, as the man folded his arms powerfully.

“We will interrogate him, but do leave enough to keep his brain functioning. Attempt to avoid as much trauma to the head as absolutely necessary.” The man said with authority, his voice ringing with a deep, resonating with an almost robotic echo. “I will conduct the remains myself.”

“Understood, Sire,” the woman said, leaping off of the rooftop with astounding dexterity outside of normal human boundaries. The man watched the events unfold mysteriously, his red and blue striped, fuzzily designed cape gust in front of him, revealing a cryptic symbol engraved upon the center of the outside.

Trav had awakened like every other morning, heading to school like so. At first, Trav noticed nothing. Not being a very enthusiastic morning person, Trav did not rise well with the sun, and only noticed the changes of his school when he entered his locker. Trav was dismayed and stressed, at first thinking he was just being punk’d, or if the school hosted a special event and underwent major changes. Either way, the school was in even worse shape than what he was aware of his entire high school life. All of the promotional posters for in-school elections were completely gone, most of the water fountains were ripped out of the wall, the doors and walls themselves were very coarse and smothered with a black outline, also constantly drawn on with markers, some even graffiti that spelled out very offensive language. The staff was also almost nonexistent. It all hit Trav so fast, he was clueless to the changes for the worst.

“What is the meaning of this?” Trav asked no one, leaning against his locker in school. Trav continued to ponder, completely unsure of any of his surroundings. It was the same school Trav had known all of his life, but at the same time it wasn’t. Everything around him was different from what he expected, from what he had a habitual understanding of. His memory was blank, all from only a day ago, he could recall nothing. It bothered him roughly. He leaned back, the back of his head crashing against the locker door, thudding through thin air.

“I don’t know any of these people,” Trav said, his face contorted in a casual, yet crucial expression. Trav straightened out the ridges of his jacket. “I don’t recognize this school entirely.” Trav suddenly retorted with a resentful shout. “Why am I here?!” Trav banged his head once more against the locker, using his two hands to smash the other two beside of him. Trav’s hands bruised up from the dented impact. Students around the hallway turned their awareness to Trav, some stopped to stare for an extended period of time.

“Eh, what an attention whore. Leave the biscuit be,” one student said, passing by Trav, shoving him purposefully against the locker, resulting in Trav’s nonchalant roll to the floor. Trav had injured his shoulder during the descent to the tiled floor; however it went unnoticed and unattended.

“This isn’t right,” Trav uttered, his face now resorting back to the angry scowl. He supported his own weight up, once more dusting off his jacket, flapping it vigorously through the windy draft. A new look of pure determination lit Trav’s face in a silent fury inside. “Whatever is going on, I can’t just sit here and mope. I have to find out.”

As Trav reached the sliding glass doors of the school, which too were unfamiliar to him, he looked outside, noticing a large barrage of smoke engulfing the main terminal of the city. Sirens alarmed and flared toward the direction of the commotion. People screamed, which pierced and rang in Trav’s ears like a broken record. Trav’s eyes widened, as suddenly, his memory returned to him. Fragments of his memory condensed all at once, as he got a swift yet accurate look of the beholding future unfolding in front of his eyes, the future he was warned of.

“The future is a horrible place… - We were best friends… - He became mad, spiteful of me… - It’s the first time of my life I’ve ever felt so helpless…”

“Allow me to show you a world that is tainted black…”

Trav’s suddenly snapped back into awareness of the reality unfolding right in front of him. From seeing the commotion, his memory returned to him. Willman, Sid, Vince, Andy, Clara. They were here, they had to be. Trav’s fists clenched, overcoming with a fierce resolve. Just then, finally remembering the main fragments of the events that unfolded the day that changed Trav’s life forever, he remembered one thing Willy had said.

“Once you’re in, you’re in.”

Trav nodded. “I’m in.” Trav attempted to open the sliding glass door by a swift slide, but found the task impossible. The door was jammed. Students lined up behind Trav, creating a tumult behind of him. One boy even threw an empty Gatorade bottle at Trav’s head.

“’Ey boy, open the damn door already! Didn’t you hear the final bell ring?! Get that shit out of your ears!”

“Shut up Jeremy, we’re in a crisis! Look outside, damn fool! We’ll be safer in here as far as I’m concerned.”

Trav glared down at the door, deciding there was only one more reliable way to escape. Trav raised his foot, kicking through the glass of the door, resulting in a salvo of fallen glass particles soaring with an obstructive force. Trav leaped out of the glass-less door he had now just created, leaping out of the school, on his search for the man he had kept a promise to.

“You better be alright, Willy-man. I have no idea where you are, but I’m coming!”

Willy leaped across rooftop to rooftop. The rising smoke, the remaining debris of the fallen buildings was surfacing non-stop. Willy tuned out the screams of the innocent civilians who had been wronged on this day, the busy sirens attempting to save the lives of said citizens, lives they believed they had already lost to K.I. To this day, in 2024, K.I. had remained hidden for so long, only making them a known, reckoning organization with a hidden agenda in mind, demonstrating a surge of their power in 2015. by effortlessly killing 20 government officials and five world leaders in an onslaught, in less than 13 minutes, even going as far as to air the brutal murders on T.V. Since then, K.I. has been governing the rule of the world hidden in the depth of the dusk, until now.

“Why now, K.I.? What are you trying to prove?” Willy asked himself quietly, while making another leap toward an ongoing rooftop, looked above at one of the tall structural buildings. He had found the News Station for the U.S. news, which, conveniently, now operated in the corner of Sickmill Street. Willy approached the News Station, leaping off of the nearby rooftop, landing firmly yet gracefully on the cement ground below, in sight by no one… or so he believed.

“The fact they have been governing our lives for so long, why do this now? Is there something they want out of this? Are they finally done and bored with this planet?” Willy pondered, fighting his way through the crowd of protesters out in the street. Apparently people were so enraged they were protesting the News Station, claiming this to be a hoax. Willy knew better, he knew it was real. Willy forced his way through the crowd, pushing many people aside, was even attacked by one man with a 1980’s afro, but the afro man was easily vanquished by one blow, and a glass bottle against his head out of the furious crowd.

Willy entered the News Station. Noticing the guards were gone, he took the opportunity to waltz straight into the main room, after attempting many doorways and hallways to attempt to find the room. After finally reaching the broadcast room, Willy ran inside, the lights inside of the artificial room appeared to gleam on him, as if singling him out. The many staff of the studio stared at Willy with a raised brow. A rather large man wearing a tie, apparently in charge of the filming studio, approached Willy from the front. His face appeared very powerful and diligent, and he was dressed for success.

“Why, hello there,” he greeted with a smile. “Only personnel are allowed access in this room. I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Otherwise, I will be forced to escort you outside.” He clearly stated with a kind demeanor, not playing any games here. Willy wasn’t either.

“I need to see Clara Underwood immediately,” Willy announced to the man, wasting no time. The large man’s eyes flustered slightly, still glaring down at the younger man.

“Hey now, I just told you the policy, only staff is allowed in this room. Now, get out, now!” the man said, already losing his cool. Willy’s eyes altered, slanting up at the man, awfully serious.

“You don’t understand. It’s crucial I see her! I have to speak to her. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Willy?!” the older, familiar voice of the red haired, easily tempered woman resonated through the studio hall. Willy, along with the man, turned their attention to the approaching news anchor, Clara. Her face was contorted in a sudden shock, her mouth gaped open, uttering an unresponsive phrase, unsure of what to say, or how to react. Willy looked on, completely baffled.

“Clara… I remember you now,” Willy said, his eyes widened slowly. “You were one of Trav’s classmates.”

Clara walked toward Willy, staring at him up and down, examining every fiber of his being for a few seconds. Willy could tell she was in utter shock, and he was confused. “Clara?”

“You… you shouldn’t be here! How are you alive?!”

Willy’s eyes widened, his face twisted in a dark, blank gaze. He was speechless. She thought he was dead? He didn’t know how to react, so he didn’t clearly react. Clara appeared to have the same problem through their tense conversation.

“I ate lots of vegetables? Worked out daily? Serum extends my lifespan?” Willy answered dumbfounded. Clara shook her head, tears slowly flowing down her face. Even though Willy and Clara hardly spoke during Willy’s short role in Heretic High 23 years ago, she acted as if she had known him all of her life. Willy continued to stare, curious to know more, needing to know more.

“You were killed 23 years ago by K.I. After that time, Trav disappeared, presumed dead as well!” Clara explained almost irrationally, wiping the tears from her aging face. “And yet… you don’t look a day older than when you were taken from us.” Clara exhaled.

“Clara,” Willy began, grabbing her right shoulder as gently as remotely possible. He looked straight into her deep blue eyes. “What exactly happened to me? And what happened to this world?”

Clara returned the look of daze to Willy, obviously unsure how to answer at first. She collected her thoughts and began. “You were killed by Sid 23 years ago during you and Trav’s fight in the Heretic high gymnasium. Trav disappeared that day. Nobody knows if Sid spared him or what. He just… vanished off the face of the Earth.” Clara sighed. Willy’s tensed up during the mention of Trav.

“Damn, this is my fault,” Willy said solemnly, yet boldly. He turned away from Clara, facing the artificial lighting of the studio room, glaring brightly in his face. “I should not have involved all of you in this mess. Seems you’re now suffering because of my mistakes.”

“What are you talking about?” Clara asked, genuinely confused. Willy turned back to face Clara.

“I’ll explain later. Listen, you have to get out of here, now,” Willy said, strangely with a high demand. His face displayed the importance of the circumstances even more.

“But… I can’t leave,” Clara said, looking down toward the floor. “I have a job to do. I’m actually breaking the code of conduct talking to you now.”

“Never-mind that. Clara, the world is in extreme danger. I can’t even describe to you, or anyone, how bad of a situation we are in now. I’ve known Sid for years, I know them. K.I. isn’t bluffing. They’ll kill all of us,” Willy replied gravely. Despite the serious state of affairs plunging down, yet his face remained as diligent and cool as possible.

“Target locked. Target annihilated.”

Willy’s eyes widened heavily, his face suddenly twisted in a sense of terror. He knew it was coming, he only hoped he was quick enough to react. “Oh no... get down!”

Willy grabbed a bewildered Clara, lunging on the floor with her through the main desk of the studio. In that same instant, a large smokescreen rose above the building, followed by an explosion that shook the entire ground, inside of the building. The studio room of the news station was completely obliterated. A deep scarlet smoke rose from the depths of the debris of the once news station, now completely destroyed. The artificial lights busted, crashing on the ground, sending a flow of electricity surging through the debris, cackling hauntingly, taunting the remains of the building. The protestors ran, screaming at the top of their lungs. All in the crowd, except for one person, in the recognizable red and blue cape, stood in the street, watching the building crumble and burn.

“Finish it, Elementia.” The man said, no louder than a simple whisper, the voice of the man sounded as if going through a synthesizer, a robotic-like lower tuned pitch echoing from his vocals.

“Yes, Sire,” the female of the duo, Elementia, lifted her arms above her head, her robe, the same as her king’s, displayed a marvelous light show through the wind. The ground began to shake, once more. Cars, light signs, glass cracked, it felt like an earthquake was fast approaching, but Willy knew it was more than that.

Clara coughed, underneath of Willy, who had shielded her from the building’s destruction. The back of Willy’s clothes were tainted with his own blood, a large gash appeared on the back of his head and his back, just right below his spinal cord. Blood dripped down his back, as he was also electrocuted from the lights in the studio room. Both were undeniably covered in all sorts of dirt and excess. Despite all of the punishment, he stood up, straighter and bolder than ever.

“Is this… K.I.?” Clara asked, in between coughs. Willy didn’t answer immediately.

“Probably,” Willy simply answered. “I’ll get you out of here. Stay with me, don’t leave my side.” Willy said, as he grabbed Clara by her right hand, allowing her to stand up more easily. Clara coughed, as the ground began to shake. Willy’s eyes widened, glaring up at the woman in the cape, floating above them so easily, mocking them from above.

“Go!” Willy grabbed Clara by her hand, running across the piles of rubble from the former news station. Willy couldn’t help but not ignore the people inside of the station, scouring through the rubble, and the bodies that lay dormant below. This wasn’t the time to think of that though, much more casualties could become of this. Seemed K.I. really was here after all.

Before they could exit the remains of the building, the debris shook. Large, spiky vines shot up from the ground below, covering the perimeter of the building perfectly. The vines weaved through the air, blocking any and all exit from the news station. The vines intertwined, creating a large wall inside of the giant news station ground. In the end, the vines formed into the shape of a colossus eye, its image seen clearly from skyscraper heights above. The woman, Elementia, landed inside of the rubble, walking slowly toward Willy and Clara, her lavender corset seen visible through the blue and red cape that signaled her apparent allegiance. Willy glared at the strange woman.

“Wait… that cape,” Willy began, suddenly shocked. “You’re not from K.I.”

“My name is Elementia,” Elementia said, bowing before Willy. “I never thought I would meet someone of your caliber face to face. I must say, I’m honored.”

Willy’s brow twisted in a form of wonder. “Really? I’m not that amazing. I’m just a young boy with growing hormones.”

“You’re much too humble, my dear,” Elementia said with a seductive smile. “That will give me all the more pleasure, since it will be most appropriately me and Sire Xero, who will dethrone the great leader of K.I.”

Willy stared blankly at Elementia for several seconds. Even Clara glanced at Willy, an uncontrollable terror reacting over her.

“Excuse me,” Willy choked out, genuinely perplexed.

“Sid the Kid, your sentient existence will be terminated today.” The robotic pitched, horrifying voice echoed across the new battlefield of the colossus vine eye. Elementia chuckled lightly, as the man appeared behind Willy and Clara. He took off his hooded cloak, revealing his completely, almost metallic face. A large canister was placed in a red highlight above the crown of his head, his glass-like texture eyes swarmed with overcoming data that was processed almost immediately by the superficial brain that only anyone with a superhuman experience could have.

The android being’s voice startled Willy, and even more so Clara. Clara jumped from his voice, while Willy slowly turned around, masking his true feelings. “My name is Xero, leader of Pendulum, an android created in the year 2032.”

Willy recognized the name Xero, as a project of the past, but right now, he was not concerned with that. “I think you have me confused with someone else.” Willy said simply yet seriously. “I’m not Sid, and I am certainly not affiliated with K.I.!”

“You so blatantly lie,” the man said, his crimson eyes glared at Willy. “I can read your biomass, your essence. I know everything about you, Sid. Now that you have revealed yourself to the public eye, you are vulnerable; you can and will be killed, my loathsome copy.”

Willy’s eyes widened with huge alarm. “There’s no way that’s right…” Willy said slowly, glaring at Xero. Elementia, in the background, merely laughed.

“Listen to him, he sounds so desperate now. We caught you alone, no reinforcements this time. Now that you know your life can be taken by those stronger than you, what will you do? There’s nowhere to hide now, this dome can only be contained by me.” Elementia wiped her index finger across her lips. “Not so tough on your own, huh?”

“Ah yes, this woman, must have affiliation with you somehow, correct?” Xero asked coldly yet casually, locking down eyes with Willy. Willy glared at Xero, an intense showcasing of willpower was already under way. Willy couldn’t put his finger on why, but he felt a connection with Xero. It was a bizarre thing to think about, but he couldn’t shake the feeling. Willy frowned.

“You better not lay one hand on her-“

Before Willy could finish, Xero immediately lifted his right index finger. The sound of the shot resonated through Willy’s head, along with the pierce through the human flesh, and the sound of the blood splatter. Willy’s eyes widened heavily, his face wrinkled in horror, as the red haired anchor woman’s eyes faded lifelessly to the back of her head, falling on her knees, clutching her pierced heart in a painless agony. She fell down, face first through the pile of rubble. Willy’s whole body shook from the shock, it was so sudden, and could anyone truly be so heartless?

Xero continued to hold his finger through the air, a large screen of smoke lifted from the bullet that shot out of the cartridge in his finger. The bullet was no ordinary bullet however, it grazed through the woman like butter, twisting inside of her body, destroying her tissue from the inside out. Even taking a human life so nonchalantly with no second thought, Xero remained completely cold and calculative, just like a machine.

“You…. Really did that?” Willy said quietly, then immediately after, lifted up his head, ripping off his shirt, powering up immensely, his muscles budged, risen just as much as his anger had. Willy’s fury had finally been awaken for this moment. He had changed, he glared wrathfully at Xero. “You didn’t have to do that, you heartless piece of scrap! I’ll send you back to the junkyard… two hundred percent!!”

Xero grinned; the gust of wind blew gently across his metallic face. “Now the great emperor shows his true potential. You hate me. You want me to die. Come at me.” Xero said nonchalantly, his eyes narrowed toward Willy, with the will to provoke.

Chapter 3 - Little Bad Girl

Trav glared at the cloaked individual, who remained nonchalant after knocking Willy down with a great sense of surprise. Trav’s face twisted in an expression of anger and vengeance.

“Excuse me, who might you be?” Trav asked, but was more of a demand, pointing his index finger at the individual. Within the corner, Sid watched, blood dripping from his chest wound. His blood however, was completely cold and black, something even Trav could tell from his distance. How is he able to stand after such a blow? Trav thought, darting his eyes back to the stranger, his eyes squinting.

“Who are you?” Trav asked heavily, expecting no immediate answer out of him, but was quite surprised when he turned to him, baring his fangs immediately. He reached for his hoodie, removing the scarf from in front of his lower face, revealing rather sharp and considerably handsome features, with a mouth curved up in a strange mix between an ominous, and friendly, smile. Trav didn’t know the difference either way.

“My name, that is a very big secret. You however, may call be Zeru,” he said almost mockingly, closing his eyes, slanting them toward Trav. His black streaked hair ran down his face revealing almost razor-sharp outlines. “You understand nothing, simpleton. You are too careless, and much too human, to interfere in these matters.” He waved a wagging, mocking finger at the boy, which upset and confused Trav simultaneously. Still, however, he had to be an enemy, he attacked Willman. He could not stand for that. Above all, he hated his curved lip, the smile that mocked Trav at every turn.

“I don’t give a flying crap about that,” Trav said outright, raising his voice, breaking his restraint slowly but surely. He slowly stepped forward to the not frightened, scornful ‘Zeru’. “Willy’s business is now mine too. We’re in this together now. If you got beef with him, I suggest you take it up with me now.” Trav boldly stated, turning to Sid in the background, who suspiciously was only watching. What Trav hadn’t noticed at first though, was that Sid’s wound had already closed up. “That goes for you too, emo-boy. Got anything to say, I’m your guy.”

“Hmm,” Zeru hummed, placing his finger on his sharp chin. “That’s very bold of you. Although, very stupid.”

“Aack… for crisis sake… why are you here? Of all people,” Sid said groggily, wiping the dripping black blood from his oral cavity. Zeru merely laughed tauntingly, even to someone with a status as Sid, who Trav already knew to be very important in his and Willy’s time.

“It’s simple, meh’ lord,” Zeru started, placing his hands behind his back. “You were just about to die, weren’t ya’? If it weren’t for my clams, ya’d already be dead, aye? As of now, you’re not in much of a position to talk back to me in such a disrespectful way.” Sid’s face twisted in a fusion of resent and defeat, though Sid was the stubborn type, much like Willy, and would simply not admit defeat.

“You underestimate me. That’s not wise, Zeru,” Sid said, glaring profoundly at the mysterious man. Zeru was the only man in the room (still conscious), not frightened by Sid in the least.

“I think you give yourself a bit too much credit, my master. You are not at full power yet. However, I always am at my maximum potential.”

“Enough,” Sid demanded outright, walking toward Trav and the downed Willy. Sid glanced down at Willy for a brief moment, before turning a sneering gaze at the regular boy who was mixed in with this super-human madness. “You are in now. If you stubbornly insist of following Willy, then you may follow him to his eventual, evident grave.” Sid said, twisting into a smile. Trav gulped, but remained as strong as possible in Sid’s presence. “Or…”

Sid stepped on Trav’s right foot, causing him to rant and yell in pain, before being dragged into Sid’s face by his shirt collar, by Sid himself, not going simple on his grip. Sid glared at the boy.

“I have something more pleasurable planned for you lot, however.”

“You… lot? What do you mean?” Trav asked gravely, causing Sid to grin wider.

“Oh, you didn’t think you were going alone, did you?” Sid asked rhetorically, but to Trav, it wasn’t so rhetorical.

“The hell… surely you didn’t…-“

“Oh, we did,” Zeru said with a cool, smug smirk, and usual slanted eyes. He turned his scarf behind his back, and simply snapped. With the motion of the scarf, which radiated throughout the darkened gym, three bright blue radiating bubbles floated in mid-air. Inside of each bubble was one figure. As the bubbles appeared more in depth to Trav, his eyes widened at the people inside of the bubble.

“Vince… Andy… Clara?!” Trav glared at Sid, throwing a sudden punch for his face, which Sid caught with his free hand, still keeping Trav in his grip.

“You want me to break this hand as well?” Sid asked darkly. Trav groaned in frustration and anger, gritting his teeth in misery, hopeless misery. What could he do now?

“What do you want from me?” Trav asked, finally giving in, which caused Sid’s face to resort back into its original, apathetic and composed posture.

“I want the very essence of which you survive. I want your soul, mind, and body.” Sid said darkly, standing in a composed, rigid stance. Sid may have just been testing Trav, but more than likely he was dead serious; he didn’t know. He knew right there he could not back down.

“I thought your business here was with Willman?” Trav asked, causing Sid to chuckle lightly, along with Zeru, who laughed unusually loudly, poking the bubbles of Trav’s friends in suspended animation. Trav hated being the fool.

“That’s rather selfish of you to say,” Sid said smoothly. “You are in this with Willman now. With that sort of mentality, you will lose yourself quickly, and so will Willy-man.” Trav’s eyes widened.

“For hell’s sake… what are you talking about?” Trav asked, barely able to control his demeanor at this point, trying with all of his might to hold back his clenched readied fist.

“It’s quite comical, you know nothing of us. Perhaps you and your friends need a little illumination?” Sid suggested casually, for which Trav was taken aback.

“What do you intend to do? Leave my friends out of this! Your business… it’s with us!”

“Now that’s what I want to hear.” Sid said. “What I intend to do, you all will find out for yourselves.” Sid said with a brash smirk. Sid’s eyes darted to Zeru for a split second, as Sid began to pace the corner, his hands casually behind his back. He glanced down at the downed Willy, almost with a look of pity.

“Allow me to show you a world that is tainted black,” Sid shot his arm upwards toward the sky. Trav looked on, completely bewildered. More than anything however, he was concerned for his, Willy’s, and his friend’s safety.

Everything around Trav began to dim. His vision, hearing, and even the feeling of his sole shoes on the gym floor, even the smell of the sweat and blood stained from the battle. The sound of a blank click was all that resonated in his head, as everything faded to an unfathomable black, warping out of subsistence. He felt nothing but a never ending thump, until eventually; it was all gone.

Willy woke up from a profound slumber. He twisted and turned in his habitual bed, throwing the bed sheets to the floor without a care. He hadn’t even noticed the reverberating alarm on his green digital clock going off in a mad alert. Willy casually reached over to shut off the alarm, rubbing his eyes.

“Jeez, what an insane dream,” Willy said groggily, reaching in his closet for his school uniform, remembering as he reached he had left it in the dryer. As he worked diligently to himself, many thoughts raced through his head. “Felt so real though… more real than any delusion in my life.” It was just another day. At least everything seemed like so. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary on the outside.

Willy readied himself for school, exactly 7:35 A.M on the clock. Having missed the bus, Willy decided the best way to school would be to walk, since he only lived two blocks from school. After taking a shower, eating a cold bowl of cereal, gathering his belongings and his backpack, Willy stepped out of the door to head his way to school.

Despite the normality of this universe, Willy merely could not shake the feeling that nothing was as it seemed. Whether it was some outside force that was beckoning him, his own intuition, or the dream last night that felt so real, he wasn’t sure. He had an odd feeling that nothing was set in stone. Willy shook it off for the morning, heading to school like a casual teenager. On the inside, he knew what he truly was. The side of him that no one wanted to see, the sector of his internal, nearly unlimited potential, which deemed him a freak. The same reason Willy’s former best friends left.

“I couldn’t lead the life of a renegade,” Willy said silently to himself, passing by a woman on the street that seemed lost. Willy stopped, turning around after noticing the woman. She looked around almost frantically. It was not in Willy’s nature to leave the helpless defenseless. It was in Willy’s nature to satisfy everybody, and to never let himself give in.

The young woman appearing no later than her mid 20’s, appearing in a tight black shirt and white, rather tight jeans, her hair dressed in two accessories which flowed down her back in a graceful, pink elegance. looked up after a brief fifteen seconds, smiling gracefully at the young boy in front of her, shyly placing her hands behind her back, tip toeing toward him. She rubbed on his cheeks, stretching his skin. “My young man, are you by any chance taking any interest in me?” she asked in a sweet, yet at the same time absolute voice, her crystal blue eyes broadened cutely.

Willy’s brow raised his cheek flesh stung. “Erm, excuse me?”

“Well, I couldn’t help but notice, your eyes have been fastened on me for a few seconds. Do you want to ask me out on a date?” the woman replied, rubbing her hands across her gray, tight pants. Willy’s eyes widened slightly, unsure of how to reply for a second.

“You seem sort of lost,” Willy finally replied. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

The woman scratched her chin in wonder, snapping in front of her face, closing her eyes with a pointed index finger. “Now that you mention it, there is! You see, I recently lost my purse to a couple of thieves! Those dirty scoundrels.”

Willy looked on at the bizarre, yet bold and beautiful woman, yet his face resonated with absolute determination. “Which way did they go?”

The woman grabbed Willy by the head, thrusting his head in about twenty directions east and north. “They took that corner then went round-a-bout that way then leaped on the shaft there,” the woman pointed, “right there for emphasis, then they worked that pole over there, took advantage of the commotion in the street from a recent collision to sneak away to Maki Street!” The woman ended with a slight, nervous pant. A fiery resolve lit in Willy’s eyes.

“I’ll be back-“

“Wait!” The woman called out, causing Willy to stop in his tracks once more, this time a little more annoyed, but remained patient as could be. He turned around with a blank smile.

“What is it this time?” he asked composedly.

“I chased after the robbers and successfully snatched back my purse!” The woman replied, giving an immediate thumbs up. Willy’s eyes slanted, his shoulders fell down, and he face palmed.

“Then… what was the point of telling me this so frantically?” Willy asked in between his palm. “Everything worked out in the end, right?”

“Well, not exactly,” the woman corrected with a cute, seductive smile. “I chased the purse snatchers – even managed to take back my purse. But then, I came across another problem…” she sighed heavily, looking up at the sky in distraught. Willy turned back to the girl casually, clearly taking no sexual interest in her, as she probably had planned. “As I snatched back my purse, I dropped it again.”

Willy’s eyes glanced curiously back at the beautiful woman. “Yes? Where is it?”

The woman pointed up. “On the rooftop, above us.”

Willy looked up, his eyes widened in disbelief. For once, even though he didn’t speak, he actually was speechless. How someone managed to drop a item of valuable possession on the roof was way above him, literally.

“You’re… kidding right?” Willy asked which he knew he shouldn’t have. The woman nodded in a friendly gesture.

“No, I’m too scared to go up there by myself! I could really use some help… but who do I call?” The woman pleaded, as if talking to herself now. Willy heard her pleas, and being the heroic person he was defined as, he could not say no. He looked up bravely, nodding in an industrious manner.

“Alright, stay here. I’ll be right back,” Willy said with a swift glance, smiling warmly back at the woman. The woman clapped her hands together, and clapped in response to Willy’s heroism. Willy took a turn down the dark alley. His eyes widened for a split second, his muscles slightly pumped up. Willy flipped up, kicked off of the garbage can, used the momentum to leap from wall to wall diagonally in a straightforward fashion. He flipped up in a great dash of speed and velocity, flipping down, landing swiftly, and even more fluidly, on his feet, bending his legs, his hands folded across his knees. Willy’s eyes glanced up at the scene on the rooftop, looking for the purse on top. Soon enough, in the gutter, he would find exactly what he was looking for, more likely than not, not where he wanted to find it.

Willy sighed, “Of course I would find it here,” Willy walked toward the purse, kneeled down to pick it up from the soiled excess of waste in the gutter, when abruptly, he was stopped in his tracks by the sudden descent and puncture of three tanto knives, lodged within the gutter, and right below his feet, the other landing between his index and middle fingers. Willy looked up with widened eyes, as immediately as he did, he was kicked by the sole of a sharp shoe. Willy was nailed by sudden surprise, rolling off of the rooftop. Lucky for him, he only fell one level, as right below, there was another level only a floor length down. Willy hadn’t realized how far up he traveled to get the purse, but now, he had other issues.

Willy was surprised, he wasn’t sure if the knives were a purposeful, extremely dexterous miss, or a very lucky shot for him. Either way, the opponent he was dealing with, by landing those consecutive knives so in conjunction, knew he had his plate full now. Willy sighed heavily.

“Shit… seems like everything is back to normal now, eh?” Willy readied himself, watching across the shades and structures of the clear constructed rooftops for any sign of terrestrial life after his own. The rooftop was clear, there was literally nothing but the rooftop beneath him, and the level above, which was the only place the target could have been. Willy glared up at the top level, as a black swift of motion headed Willy’s way, dressed in a traditional ninja outfit with a metallic-like mask shaped with the design of a fox, with black engravings across the eye patches. Willy knew what that meant, and what this guy was a member of.

“Ah… the Special Enforcement Assassination Team, S.E.A.T., what business do you have with me?” Willy asked, remaining on guard. The S.E.A.T. were the special government agents of the new century of K.I.’s rule, who were derived from the leader of K.I. They were usually responsible for the assassination of any and all which opposed K.I.’s resolve, but most of the time they traveled in groups. Seeing a squad of three was very common, one, not so much. Willy was already suspicious that perhaps it was a rogue S.E.A.T.

“I have come to you with the direct order of your assassination. You must die,” The SEAT agent declared, unleashing from his black cape a chain of tanto knives tied across in rows of two. The SEAT agent twirled them above of his head, and dashed forward with the chains, amassing a large buildup of a strange black aura among the chain. The knives themselves were already tainted with the blood of its last victims. Willy’s eyes fixated on the chain, as he leaped through the chain, not even so much as taking a scratch. Willy glared up at the man, aiming a swift kick for the back of his left leg, in order to strike him down. The agent however foreseen the action, and back flipped back in the nick of time. Willy stood up straight, glaring at the agent. It bothered Willy, all of the time, if he could not see the face of anyone he was facing; one reason he hated the SEAT agents, as they were required to wear metallic masks.

The agent lifted up the chains in the air, twirling them like a mad tire in the air. The tanto knives detached themselves, hurling at Willy at great speed. Willy attempted to dodge them all in mid-air with a stylish jump, but simply found the task impossible. Willy grimaced as his left arm, and the very left side of his left ribs were grazed. Willy looked angrily on at the agent.

“One hundred twenty percent!” Willy declared, as the agent rushed for him, he withdrew a grenade, hurling it at Willy, creating a smoke distraction for him to sneak up behind Willy. Willy stood there as the man’s knife plunged for his throat, which Willy easily caught, kicking the man’s knife through the air. The agent stepped back, but remained calm, throwing a punch for Willy’s face. Willy dodged it, clenched his fist, and unleashed a powerful blow to the man’s stomach with excellent martial form, one leg bent forward, the other remained in place holding his stature. As the man fell down from the single blow, Willy held on to him in place of his fall. Willy looked down, throwing the man against the edge of the roof. Willy’s muscles relaxed, as he took a deep breath, facing up to the sky.

“What the hell was that all about? Could K.I. really be targeting me in this world already? That’s strange…” Willy said, leaping down from the rooftop stylishly, but not before grabbing the purse. He was met by the sweet embrace of the attractive woman as he landed, giving her back her purse.

“Thank you so much! Darn those masked robbers. They’ll think twice before snatching my stuff again!” the woman declared, stomping the ground for emphasis. Willy’s eyes widened as she mentioned the word masked. It rang a bell to him, but he thought it best not to interrogate the woman, not in this time. Willy saluted the woman in a friendly gaze.

“It was no problem. Glad to help anyone,” Willy said, holding the left side of his chest in a serration of pain. The pain seemed to spread throughout his body, he felt his left arm tingle from the shoulder down. Willy attempted to shake it off, and walked away from the woman, but not before she called out to him, one last time.

“Excuse me sir! What is your name?!” the woman asked from afar. Willy turned back casually, attempting to hide his sudden, unexplained fatigue.

“It’s Willman,” Willy replied coolly. The woman smiled, her eyes widened with thought.

“You may call me Arabella. Ara for short!” She waved Willy away. Willy turned a friendly gaze back at Ara, turned around and walked off with a wave.

As Willy walked away, Ara reached in her pants pocket to grab her cell phone. She speed dialed a number on her touch screen, folded her left arm under her breasts, and walked inside of the alley. She leaped, amazingly, on top of the rooftop, looking down at the downed SEAT agent with a small mischievous grin.

“Put me through to him, immediately.” Ara demanded in a less sweet, more declarative tone than before, still retaining that innocent, sweet look however. She smiled seductively as the familiar voice appeared on the other line.

“Ah yes, Sire. For sure, confirmation is essential, and I have proof.” She said, taking a short pause. “He is here. I have found him.” She paused, listening to her ‘master’ on the other side of the conversation.

“It’s definitely him. The Kid has returned to our time.”