Was it some kind of a ritual? In all my days of mowing the lawn, I had never seen my old neighbour move that fast...The two entourages on each side of him were different, their helmets had lights around their opaque visors that transitioned from red, white to blue like plane lights. They had rifles and I might say I was impressed with their sequence. Their footsteps were in sync as they approached the other brown camouflage guys who were lined up.
"Who are these guys?" The one in the middle talked to Mister Wigglesworth and I could not believe my eyes, the parcel in his hand levitated. I glanced at Morty and he was equally as amazed as me and I scoffed. The parcel in his hand was eye-catching. It was black, prism-shaped with many facets. "Whoa." He tapped on it and it morphed remaking itself into spikes, I heard a pulsing noise, it morphed into a cube then back to the prism. I grabbed Morty's shoulder.Another box materialized from out of nowhere and it stood at the centre like a podium in their centre, Mister Wigglesworth was nervous. They were expecting him to surrender the parcel and slot it into the box. 'What is that?' I thought."I'm taping this," I searched for my phone, I couldn't miss the holograms. I dropped Seymour and patted my pockets searching for my phone and came up empty. "Oh great. I need yours,"Morty frowned at me. "I don't know, Zack, this looks pretty sacred, wait no!_"I snatched his from him. "Give me your phone," This could be the biggest discovery of our lives and he was just letting it slip by. After all he did call me. I plucked out his phone and tapped the camera and Morty pulled it down."Let go!" I yanked it. Morty grabbed the other end and we wrestled."You're ruining my shot,"I turned pale at the lasers on us and kind of peed on myself at the shot taken at the crate in front of us, the edge of the crate melted down to the styrofoam inside of it, they sizzled down to the end and the phone dropped from our hands."They're spies!" He heard one of them say and he choked at a rifle on his throat, the leader of the Klozar ambassadors snatched the box."You're trying to two-time us. Old knight. Kill them,""These are pretty minuscule spies, my lord," The leader said into his comms. They chattered among themselves. We had our hands up when they surrounded us. My throat clogged and I was running out of oxygen. I could barely think or breath. Mister Wigglesworth was talking briskly with bulging eyes to the colossal men and a rifle was lodged in his throat.Mister Wigglesworth! Of all people was out there holding them off. Mort held on to the prism parcel. My eyes were pale. I got hit by the parcel. I held on to my stomach."Mort catch!" He threw the parcel, Mort winced when he failed to catch it. The box malfunctioned and I screamed at the blast and fell back into the shelter of more craters. I gasped.[ System Activated ][ Installing Nanites ][ 5%...10%...25%...50%....][ D******d complete ]"What's going on?"[ Greetings Mecha Knight Zack, I am Ash, a Morphian Artificial Intelligence Unit ]"No, it hurts," I did not feel like myself at all.Boxes scattered, lasers made noises. The lights flickered like someone through a flare in a dark cave. I was in agony. I saw Mister Wigglesworth leap on top of an entity's shoulders, he flipped over losing his balance, another masked fiend behind Mister Wigglesworth had him in his grip and Mister Wigglesworth hurled him to the ground shooting him dead. He was fast I thought I was seeing double like he was in two places at once. I wanted to hurl and Morty held me up."Oh my g_He just killed someone," I blurted with terror and my eyes rolled up slagging. We ducked as an entity flew over our heads to land against the wall and slumping.Morty gaped at John Doe's helmet and his beaded blue eyes, his skin was humanoid, it was sizzling like fried eggs_which was as pleasantly as I could describe it and it made me lose my dinner. I was turning green. My pain receptors were firing up to the extremes The background noise seemed to die down as well. A flourescent light tube clattered on the ground. The hangar was in shambles.....Mister Wigglesworth came around the crates and he hung up a rifle, he spoke into his watch in gibberish again like he always did. The coast was filled with molten dead bodies and the boxes were melting."Here, eat this," He gave me what looked like a mini croissant.I ate it and it tasted nothing like a croissant. It was more like mint and sandpaper but it did take the pain off.Mister Wigglesworth looked mad and he hoisted me up without effort. Morty was lost for words. He had the prism in his hand and his eyes had dark circles. "Do you two realize what you've done!?" Mr Wigglesworth began."It wasn't my fault, it was him!" Morty bumped me frowning."You led him here," Mister Wigglesworth added. I shook my head as if he were speaking a different language.Morty looked pretty mortified and glared at me."You should be proud of yourself, Dexter," He said."It's Zac_""I was curious," Morty confessed."You know what they say, Mort, curiosity kills the...thing," He said hesitantly while Seymour settled in front of him watchful. "I hope you two 're happy,""Frankly, Mister Wigglesworth, I'm not proud of myself, what we did and I want to ask for forgiveness," Morty said trying to act all mature."What about the..." I raised my eyebrow eyeing him. "That box. That parcel that floats? What's in it?""That's none of your concern, there's no reason to be concerned. You three should just go home," He added giving Seymour a quick rub.I was drawn to him at that moment. His enigmatic life seemed to hard to grasp especially when he was at that stage where he couldn't even move without slipping a disc. What was his life like?"Home? My dad's not expecting me till tomorrow," I said weakly."That's not my problem," He let out walking away, and looked back at us and me especially, I've done some really bad stuff or things that ended up going completely wrong but I certainly wasn't expecting to give my neighbor a bad rep. Those aliens were dangerous. "Those aliens? Who are they?""None of your business.""I'm sorry about your ritual. Okay, Frank?"His eyes narrowed. "As you've always been. And it's not a ritual. Now get going," He nodded to the doors and Morty looked anxious, I carried Seymour like a sack of feed dawdling slowly home by his side. My stomach felt like a beaten up rice bag. Who was he? What business did Wigglesworth have with these homicidal freaks? was I really in trouble? Morty wanted him to be a secret.Mister Wiggles_Frank was an understanding person it appeared and he didn't mean any harm and what did he mean 'As I've always been'? "Mister W_""You'll tell your father that you left early from your sleepover and you can forget that this ever happened, understand?""What is the truth? That thing that shot me. Why did it make me sick and craz_" I clamped up for the sake of my dignity."Here," Mister Wigglesworth said to me and handed me my bag and textbook. Like a new package."Thanks man,"He looked hesitant and meek again. "Don't thank me just yet," I emerged out of the red car weak in the knees. I opened the doggie pack to vomit.Dexter looked appalled. He grimaced. "Zack, what happened?""He came in sick with while I was out shopping," Mister Wigglesworth's head lowered avoiding his eyes. He fidgeted with his keys and Dexter covered his eyes. He started to leave and came back to reverse his car. I blinked twice, his muscle car was now the old rusty Volkswagen that I used to see parked in his backyard. "Whoa."Damn. Why would Frank help me in the first place? "You, Beck, and I are leaving for the hospital tomorrow morning."I swallowed hard...no matter how many times I visited the doctor, I was still scared of him but I couldn't let dad think I tricked Frank into thinking I was sick too.... I laid back in my hammock after that nightmarish experience. We nearl
The School was holding a ball and we had to look presentable. It was mandatory this year. I really truly hoped that Kendra would go out with me.Her mother Susan Gilles glared at me. I turned to Kendra holding a rake. Her dirty brown hair had split ends and she had the prettiest brown eyes, she wore a brown gardening outfit, her pink gloved hand tightened on her rake."Oh hi, Zach, what's shaking?" Me. My face was burning up. "Kendra? Can I ask you for a favour?" She fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh no, I'm all out of solids,"I turned red. "You see..." I saw the neon blue brackets circling her face. I flapped my hand across my face good thing she was checking her phone. "Oh, I just got an text from Al-Abadi, he asked me to come to the dance." She said. She studied physics.Amir? Amir Al-badi was like the worst human being on the planet to me. I doubt this'll go well. Besides I was not that great compared to him. "Um...That's... great_""Unbelievable..." I put my hands in front of my ey
"I really don't want to go anywhere else, and I have questions," I confessed to Mister Wigglesworth.He sighed. "My name is Zed Sharlowke, and I come from a planet named Morphius. It was peaceful, we were invincible, unbeatable, until we met our match, someone who could outmatch us. Sadly, an Overlord named Blaze Gondomier had other plans for us. He had his eyes on Zoldor, but we could not live as another Klozarian colony. So the Morphian sage, Teyen, the best among us, bargained for our most prized possession: Zoldor.""Where's Zoldor?""Zol-DOR," he corrected and glared at a monitor that beeped."What the—!?" I frowned at the aerial view of my porch, everything highly defined. "You set up a camera on my porch?""It's for the neighborhood watch; it tracks any interesting movement," he explained, tapping a neon keyboard as it zoomed in on Kendra, who was wearing a purple dress and heels."Why is she here?" I wondered aloud."I'll call you right back," I said and went outside to meet he
The rapid, metallic clang of gunfire echoed through the dimly lit alley. My shoulder screamed in pain as I dived behind a stack of wooden crates, the harsh breaths escaping my lips accompanied by the frantic thumping of my heart. Kendra's earlier appearance, now in the form of a lethal killing machine, had caught me completely off guard.From my hiding spot, I fumbled for the rifle, desperately needing some firepower to defend myself. The darkness was my only ally as I felt her approaching, the whirring of her robotic limbs reverberating in the eerie silence.Morty had fallen, unconscious and vulnerable, and I couldn't allow this menace to reach him. My other wound, from her previous attack, had miraculously healed again, a testament to the unsettling side effects of whatever had been injected into my system. A disturbing thought crossed my mind: was I becoming something more than human?The inhuman footsteps grew fainter as the Klozandroid continued to advance. She had morphed into a
Mister Wigglesworth sat up from his chair "You lost the machine!?" He looked dismal and I raked my hair feeling terrible and all the same useless."I'm sorry, I just didn't want Morty to get vaporized. But we can find her, right?" I encouraged.He worked on his computer fixated. "No, Klozandroids are extremely hard to pursue, especially one that shapeshifts," He said and I gulped. "I don't have much time. Ash gave me 2 days and this is the second." He searched his monitor for anything suspicious on the map. "And they are extremely dangerous," His eyes stirred momentarily and then he passed me a small cardboard parcel. I took it and read the label, unfolding it to pick out a key. It jingled in my hand. "What's this for?" I read the caption and, it had the VW sign. I realized that letter V was actually a boomerang. A decoy."It's the key to the Volkswagon Bug,""You want me to ride that hunk of junk?" Seriously? I'd be the laughingstock of the entire town. I wouldn't want Amir to see
"Step 1. Be unpredictable,"The robots were a challenge. One spun and tried to kick me, I clasped its foot in-between my hands and my knee went down and my foot pushed backwards against the ground.My hands crackled with electricity. Its eyes flashed, and I staggered forward when the other one booted me on the back of my head. I almost blacked out when I collided with the first one. I dropped and crawled away with a hand on my head and shuddered. Then my senses spurred on and I spun my body up, on my hands to evade a sweeping kick and flipped back blocking a heavy fist and I slammed my foot into the red bot's knee, it sparked after I crippled it.Their eyes flashed red. More emerged from the suitcase doubling up to fourteen_as much as I could count. "There's too many!" I said disoriented by them shuffling again. Mister Wigglesworth clenched his fist. "It's not about the size of a dog in a fight, it's about the size of the fight in a dog!""I am not a dog!!" I blocked my face on the
"You think it's broken?""Ha ha, as soon as the Box gets to Mister Wigglesworth, then we're good," I held it carefully and it wore on me like a sleeve. I pushed it off."What the hell!?" Morty pulled, it stretched like rubber and flickered sewing itself on to me.Seymour pawed at the remains in fascination."Zack!!" My dad was home and his voice was getting louder as he came by."Yeah, Zack!!" I snuffed at Lois's voice. She can barely put her sentences together and copies anyone who talks."Help," The alien stuff was creeping up to my face and I wheezed craning my neck away from it.He checked the house for any anomalies and glared at me. "What in the world are you wearing?"I hid the boot behind the rails."It's his costume," Morty said casually patting my head. The substance scaled up my neck and I hooded my face and I huffed at the holes he poked on it."Polkuhgeist,""It's an award-winning costume all right," Beck blew a raspberry at me holding a white package and a bottle of cho
The jets stopped for a moment, I spun over falling from the sky, diving in one direction, I was losing altitude and the red exclamation points were filling up my view. I glared at the trees.[ 3000 ft...2000 ft...500ft ]"Glider," The wings on my suit extended as I was plummeted and the traction in the wind pushed me back to a standing posture as I reached the dark park's proximity. I was hyperventilating. I searched the flaming field, the ship was a huge wreck. I lunged after her."A new knight?" She appeared confused and twirled her weapon. Well it doesn't matter,"We ran toward each other. She kicked me away brawling with Mister Wigglesworth. In the collision, I saw her claw emerging under him spinning rapidly and I shot it, the other whirled around her gripping my throat."Whoa!" I spun upside down and hit another tree. She dunked me into a puddle. He broke free of the collision and she screeched at the laser he shot in her eyes, he spun her arm around her neck and the claw ope
With the portal-like rift pulsating before them, Zack and Gwen exchanged one more glance, a mixture of apprehension and curiosity in their eyes. Captain Alissa and her Morphian Strike team remained vigilant, ready to respond to any developments.Zack: (determined) "Gwen, we didn't sign up for this adventure expecting it to be easy. Let's find out where this portal leads."Gwen: (resolute) "You're right, Zack. There's something extraordinary on the other side, and we can't turn away from it."With their decision made, Zack and Gwen stepped forward, crossing the threshold of the rift. It felt like being pulled through a swirling vortex, their senses overwhelmed by a kaleidoscope of colors and strange sensations.Moments later, they emerged in an alien landscape. The sky above them was a shade of deep indigo, adorned with multiple moons casting an otherworldly glow. The ground beneath their feet was not Earthly soil, but a crystalline surface that shimmered like a thousand stars.Captain
The bright Las Vegas sun hung high in the sky as Zack Trevor and Gwen prepared for an exhilarating adventure. They stood on the edge of a small airplane, the wind whipping around them, ready for their tandem skydiving experience.Zack, with an undeniable zest for life, grinned at Gwen, his wife, her eyes reflecting a mix of excitement and a hint of apprehension.Zack said grinning. "Gwen, you ready for this? It's gonna be a wild ride!"Gwen smiled nervously smiling. "I trust you, Zack. Let's do this."As they leaped from the plane, the world transformed around them. The roaring wind filled their ears, and the rush of adrenaline surged through their bodies. The sprawling city of Las Vegas stretched out below them, a vibrant mosaic of lights and life.Zack's heart pounded with the thrill of freefall, and Gwen, despite her initial hesitation, soon found herself caught up in the breathtaking beauty of the moment.Their descent continued, and with a graceful swoop, their parachute opened,
Zack wanted to leave a mark but he was afraid that he would go down with the authorities. It was against the law to distribute without a license but there were so many starving.He felt like he was being drawn from different directions. He couldn't bring himself to close up, but Vorax told him they would have to keep this a secret but to what end? He was paralyzed, they wanted different things.He gave out foodstuff and passed out water. He watched the cameras as a man in a white robe approached."Do you know who this is?" Vorax could have not been more paler. He kept his composure and arrived at the door.Zack approached the door."Open up at once."The security guards were infuriated."We did not approve of this activity."Vorax glanced at Zack. "I belong to the Morphian government if that's what you're asking. Zachary Trevor certified mech soldier at your service.""He is here because of me. I orchestrated this charity.""Vorax once again you have proven to be a hazard in this c
The lieutenant colonel and the rest of the MST joined Gwen and they watched the ship leave. She turned off her comms. Hoping she didn't make a mistake by letting him go.Echo, Lance and Raymond gathered. "I've done a research_""Since when?" Raymond asked recovering."Since now. He was right. We're going after him." Lance said.Raymond felt guilty for betraying Zack.... Zack watched space, it was incredibly dark. He smiled at the galaxies. "This will never get old." He expected a blow to the head but Vorax joined him."It's nothing new."He gazed at the interiors. "So this is what it feels like to be inside of Zoldor." "You'll get used to it." Zack retorted.Vorax glanced at him and his eyes crinkled. They stood in the awkward silence."So, how long have you been on combat training?""A millennium.""How old are you?""2500, that's 25 in the Terran time zone.""You're 25?""Is that wrong?" He asked."Do you think it's wrong?" Zack watched him intrigued. He waited as he put the Zo
"Of course not, you can trust me.""Well, you're wrong for taking their side. Your people can be wrong too." He said walking faster."You're giving it away after all you've been through?""I know, I just need to have a little faith." He said. "Besides the videos."She shut her eyes. "Oh...You're going against everything you've stood for just to help someone you barely even know. You're risking your career.""I don't have time for this. I don't stand for this either, I'm on his side and there's nothing they or you can do about it."He focused on the camera and left."Who are they?" Gwen folded her arms.He walked away from her. Zack approached Vorax alone, the behemoths turned their heads and parted ways when he walked boldly and swiftly towards Vorax who was sitting on a chair. He didn't know what he was grappling with.He had to save the Thegronians against all odds."I suppose your way did not work," Vorax said.Zack dropped his kit in the ship. He was done talking. "We have to g
Zack watched the images of his predecessors by flicking a button. He recalled what Deuce had said to him, he didn't seem pleased. "I lost." He buried his head inbetween his knees. He frowned clenching his hand. He couldn't just sit there and sulk. He hefted a sword swinging it. He wouldn't let Vorax beat him so easily."Combat mode." The sparring bots emerged from their chambers to attack him, their eyes flashed red running at him.Zack kicked back to dodged the shots. Gwen watched as he ravaged through the hourde swinging the staff. He jumped mildly twisting his body to stab the bot. He grabbed one by the core and squeezed it. Throwing it against the metallic wall, it dented. Another tossed a rock at him. He flipped over its head and he blasted it with a watch. He twisted kicking another. It had him in a crossbody position. Zack yanked its arm off causing himself to fall upside down. He grabbed its head inbetween his legs and tossed it to the wall. Gwen arrived at the control r
Zack had a lot to accomplish. He couldn't act with his colleagues. He rushed towards Lance who watched from afar.In the arena secluded for training. Zack and Lance exchanged blows and their swords clashed.Zack flipped over his head and landed on the tip of his toes. He gasped gazing at the tear on his suit."I am the fastest thing alive." Lance boasted grinning.Echo rolled her eyes watching from the nosebleed.Gwen watched biting her lower lip."What do you even see in that guy? He's obviously fighting a losing battle."Gwen frowned acknowledging it but she couldn't help it. "You're doing great."Zack held up his buffer barely registering her words. He knew Lance was holding back. None of it felt satisfactory. He gave it all he had to see how sharp his reflexes were.Lance waved a hand to his mouth yawning and he blocked his fist. Tossing him to the other side. He turned to the girls. "I am the greatest gladiator in all of Morphius_"Zack punched him. Lance landed on his face."Tha
Amidst the solitude, Zack sat alone in his spacious house, the silence around him as heavy as the weight he was about to lift. Echo, once his constant companion, had also ventured into the world of employment, leaving Zack with his thoughts. He decided to fill the empty wall with inspiration, pinning a poster of his favorite bodybuilder as a daily reminder of his goals.With determination burning in his eyes, Zack grasped the dumbbells, ready to push himself to new limits. "I'm gonna get stronger. Better," he muttered as he launched into his workout.Each rep felt like a step closer to his aspirations, and with each record-breaking lift, Zack's motivation soared. The sweat poured, but his spirits were high, driven by a newfound strength he hadn't thought possible.However, amid his physical triumphs, Zack couldn't escape a lingering sense of passivity in his life. Solitude loomed like a threatening shadow, and he grappled with the daunting prospect of going through this transformation
Zack and Gwen arrived at the house, their eyes taking in the impressive sight before them. "Pretty wild, isn't it?" Zack commented, his excitement palpable.Gwen glanced at the well-maintained lawn and the spacious garage. "It's beautiful," she replied, her voice filled with admiration.They stepped inside, exploring each room with curiosity. "Five bedrooms," Zack noted, mentally calculating the potential."That's a fair deal," Gwen muttered, her mind already sorting through financial plans.Zack leaned closer to her, his voice lowered. "Say, 10-14 years, and I'll be out of debt," he whispered."Why are you whispering?" Gwen asked, puzzled by his privacy. Her question echoed in the empty room, eliciting a chuckle from Zack.He rolled his eyes playfully and gestured towards a walk-in closet. "We have a walk-in closet too," he declared, attempting to change the subject."Why didn't you tell me you were getting a house?" Gwen questioned, a mix of surprise and annoyance in her voice."Beca