Chapter 25

             “Heyyyy, Pirates!” the school announce team cheerfully shouted into the PA, “It’s Wednesday!”

            “That means we’re halfway through the week!” the male announcer commented.

            “Zorb hasn’t been seen at all since the first of the month!” a female announcer said in feigned surprise. “Has he fled the solar system because of The Spektrum?”

            “Could be,” the others said in chorus.

            “Here’s hoping that it stays this way for the rest of the week,” a second female announcer said. The students and staff muttered to themselves and others that they hoped for the same thing. However, Simon knew better. He was the only one who could sense something was going to happen, something had to for Zorb to wait this long to reappear.

            Promptly at 11:30AM, another flash of light signaled the return of Zorb. This was one of the only times Simon hated being right.

            “No!” someone in Cyndi’s Second Block shouted. “We were so close to having a peaceful lunch.”

            Cyndi made her way to the window.

            “Wait… those aren’t his usual thugs…”

            In a semi-circle around their leader, Zorb’s new team of henchmen proudly stood, scanning the area with their eyes. She noticed the masks they wore, the intricate details barely noticeable from so far way. The one in the center, directly behind Zorb, was like a red tower of muscle!

            “Where did those guys come from?!” Simon whispered as he slipped out of Mr. Wever’s classroom.

            “Activate Code Silver!” he ordered Computer.

            In a flash of silver, The Spektrum had appeared and ran down the hall. He practically exploded through the door way and rushed into the Quad.

            “And just the human we wanted to see!” Zorb shouted in excitement. “Let me introduce you to my new friends, The Masqueraders! Now, let’s begin!”

            “Right-boss!” M2 said, the words coming out with such speed that they were almost together.

In a blur of blue, he rushed The Spektrum, followed by M4! Code Silver was blind-sided and turned around by M2’s hit-and-run attack. M4 launched himself into the air, and his forehead collided with the back of Code Silver’s left shoulder, turning him around again.

            M4 swung his head at The Spektrum, and hit him in the side. But he had changed to Code Blue by then, and the blow was ignored as The Spektrum grabbed and tossed M4 overhead. M4 regrouped with the other three, and M2 backed up.

            The red giant, M1, grabbed hold of the picnic table and pulled on it.

            “Yeah! Yeah!” the other aliens cheered. “Lift it up! Lift it up!”

            M1 gave another powerful yank on the wooden table, and the metal clamps snapped. He then hoisted it onto his shoulder and turned to face The Spektrum.

            M1 arrogantly grinned. He started to jog, and moved his hand behind the picnic table, the same way someone would have their hand behind a shot-put.

            “He’s going to throw it!?” a student shouted.

            The Spektrum looked and saw that, as usual, crowds had gathered, spilling out from the buildings and coming up from the P.E. fields.

            The Spektrum switched to Code Red and Activated Over-Drive. At high speed, he took off at M1, but the equally fast short one in blue, M2, intercepted.

            “Hey-buddy-what’s-going-on?!” he said in his fast way of talking.

            “Outta my way!”

            Code Red threw out a flurry of punches, but his blows were too slow to hit M2, who laughed at Red’s futile attempt.

            “Why-should-I? You-aren’t-the-boss-of-me!”

            A one-two, left-right beat of punches hit The Spektrum in the chest, and he was stunned.

            M1 launched the picnic table right at the Science Wing’s second floor, the very room the Fan Club was in!

            “Cyndi!!” he shouted.

            In Over-Drive, the table looked as if it were flying at half the speed it should be, like a video that was slowed down. Code Red could catch up to it, he just had to run up the wall and block it with Code Blue’s Force Field.

            Code Red kicked M2 away and started to run, but M2 snagged the bottom of his shirt and pulled him back.

            “You-ain’t-getting-away-that--”

            Red used the back of his head to hit M2 in the nose. The fast talking fighter stumbled back, and The Spektrum ran straight for the Science Wing.

            “Almost there! I can just--”

       Over-Drive Time Limit is up. Returning to normal speed.

     “Limit?! NO!”

            The Spektrum could feel himself slowing down, and the rest of the world returning to normal speed. With a thunderous smash and breaking of glass, the table crashed into the window, shattering the pane and bending the metal frames.

            “Cyndi!”

            M2 tackled him from behind, and the two tumbled onto the concrete, scraping away the skin on The Spektrum‘s forearms.

            “That-was-a bit-rude-back there, buddy-”

            Code Red punched M2 off of him, stood up, then kicked him in the face. He then looked up to see M4 jumping at him head-first again, his bronzed forehead reflecting The Spektrum’s face on its polished surface.

            With a thud, the bronze forehead collided with The Spektrum’s right shoulder, and he fell back with a clang against the bleachers that sat behind the stone columns.

            From a distance, The Spektrum can see M1 pulling up another picnic table.

            “Throw this one at that crowd of students over there!” M3, the one in green, shouted as he pointed to the area on The Spektrum’s right.

            The Spektrum fought to get up from the bleachers, but M4 pressed him down with one foot.

            As M1 ripped the picnic table out of its clamps, The Spektrum grabbed hold of M4’s foot, and pushed it off of him. As M1 hoisted the table onto his shoulder, The Spektrum switched from Code Red to Code Black. As M1 began his jog, Code Black kicked M4 in the crotch, rolled over, stood up and grabbed M4 by the throat. As M1 put his hand behind the table in shot-put style, Code Black slammed M4 into the window behind the bleachers, cracking the glass. As M1 pushed the table of his shoulder, The Spektrum returned to Code Red and re-Activated Over-Drive.

            “MOVE!” he shouted. “Get out of there!”

            The students understood and began to move, but there were too many of them, and the narrow pathways were soon clogged. At this rate, someone was going to get hit!

            M1 launched the table and The Spektrum judged where the table would land. The Spektrum ran, a plan already in his head. He arrived on the spot where the table would land and switched to Code Blue.

            He, but the force field of blue light wasn’t appearing. The table was getting closer, the students were still running for safety, others were shouting for The Spektrum to get away without running away themselves, and he was getting frustrated.

            “Come on already!” Blue shouted at himself.

            A buzz, a flash, and a crash, and The Spektrum found himself inside his blue force field. The table splintered and bent against it, and the blue dome managed to push some of the straggling students away. The table tumbled down, and The Spektrum deactivated the force field. His legs gave way, and he fell to one knee. All the switching and use of special abilities was wearing him out more than he thought.

            “Spektrum, are you okay?”

            “Go!” he responded. “Before they come over here!”

            “But-”

            “I said GO!”

            The Spektrum forced himself to his feet, and he noticed he had switched from Code Blue to Code Black.

            I didn’t order this…

            The Spektrum turned around to see Zorb’s masked men regrouping, the battered M2 and M4 convening with the other three as they walked.

            “Face it, small fry,” the massive M1 called out. “You can barely handle one of us. All five is suicidal.”

            The other M’s laughed and hollered as they walked. Zorb could be seen in the distance, smiling with pride at his new team. They were bringing The Spektrum to his limit, and had done quite the substantial collateral damage, neither of which could be said for his old team.

            “Give up now,” M5 suggested. “It’ll save time.”

            “And as for the rest of you,” M3 shouted at the regular human students. “Prepare to be servants to our boss, Zorb, Prince of Thieves!”

            The five M’s were coming closer and closer, but Code Black didn’t flinch. Without changing the stern expression on his face, he popped one of the bench planks off the picnic table’s frame and copied M1’s throwing stance.

            Code Black launched the plank at M1, and it flew faster than a bottle rocket.

            As M1 took the hit head on with his head, The Spektrum grabbed the picnic table by the other bench, then spun and flung it at the entire group of five. Only M1 chose not to scramble and avoid the flying table. The collision was solid, the broad side of the table slamming in to M1’s broad shoulders and chest, but he seemed to barely care.

            “That all you’ve got?!” he challenged.

            The Spektrum followed after the table, and climbed up onto it in a matter of only a couple steps. Code Black grabbed M1 around the head and let his body drop out of the air, resulting in M1’s head being rammed into the edge of the picnic table.

            Without pausing, Code Black threw right-hand punch after right-hand punch, trying to drive M1’s head through the wood bench.

            With his high-speed, M2 rushed The Spektrum. He rammed into the hero from behind, and knocked him into the table. M2 continued his offense with rapid-fire punches of his own, hitting the superhuman hard all over his back. Code Black growled and howled in pain, but he couldn’t get away! M1 held him in place, one massive hand gripping the front of his black no-sleeve!

            “Spektrum!!” some of the students yelled in fear for their hero’s life. M2’s barrage wasn’t ending, and M1’s grip wasn’t loosening.

            Struggling with the pain, The Spektrum wrapped his right hand around M1’s wide wrist. With what strength he could muster, Code Black clawed, scraped, and tore at the skin of the large red warrior.

            “Alright, enough of that!” M1 shouted in annoyance.

The red giant stood up and lifted The Spektrum off his feet. Effortlessly, The Spektrum was tossed ten yards with a back-hand throw from the massive M1.

            Just as Code Black staggered to his feet, M4 rammed forehead first into his chest. The Spektrum fell backwards, coughing and gasping for breath.

            M3 sauntered over and kicked Code Black in the side, rolling him over. M5 jumped onto Code Black’s back like a giddy child, and locked him into a Full Nelson using his legs. M5 reclined backwards and stretched The Spektrum’s stomach. M5 pulled one foot over each shoulder, and bent The Spektrum into a crescent shape. M5 laughed as he rocked back and forth with The Spektrum under him. It probably would’ve been more comical if it wasn’t torturing The Spektrum with the burning stretching of his muscles.

            “Alright, alright,” M3 said after several rounds of rocking, “let him go.”

            M5 let The Spektrum out of the Full Nelson hold, his multi-jointed legs flipping and folding, and The Spektrum’s face flopped onto the ground. M5 then rolled backwards onto his feet and stood over the beaten hero.

            I won’t lose, The Spektrum thought in frustration. Even if it is five-against-one, I‘m not going to lose!

            Zorb, who had been watching the entire time, applauded joyously.

            “Good job, all of you!” he congratulated as he moved closer.

            “Feh,” M2 scoffed. “M3-and-5-barely-did-anything!”

            “How much is not important,” Zorb insisted. “The fact that you succeeded is. Now, finish him.”

            M1 stepped forward, and raised his foot over The Spektrum’s head.

            “I won’t lose!!” Spektrum shouted.

            The Spektrum caught M1’s foot just inches away from his face, and pushed his arms to their limits to push the foot back.

            M1 stumbled back, and The Spektrum hurried back to his feet. He rammed M1’s knee, pushing the joint backwards. M1 let out a bark of pain as he fell down, and The Spektrum continued charging the others like a crazed beast.

            He grabbed for M3, but his slippery skin slid out of The Spektrum’s grasp, so instead, he spun around and kicked M3 in the stomach with his heel. He then gripped a handful of M3’s hair and swung him at M5. M4 leapt into the air, but The Spektrum blocked his flying head butt with M3’s body. The Spektrum used M3 as a weapon again, hitting M4 broadly across his face.

            The Spektrum tossed the limp M3 aside, and the green alien slid along the grass. M2 ran forward into The Spektrum headlong and solidly collided with the hero’s stomach. Gritting his teeth from the pain, The Spektrum grabbed M2 around the neck, and wrenched M2 around. The Spektrum jabbed his knee into M2’s side as he struggled to run away. Code Black’s iron-clad grip kept the scrawny blue man in place and the beat down continued until M2 weakly dropped to his knees and elbows.

            M4 returned, and hammered Code Black in the back with both fists. For only a brief moment was The Spektrum bent over from the blow. He straightened up quickly, and his red right eye glared over The Spektrum’s shoulder at the brass M4. The violent intent was palpable, and M4 backed up with every step The Spektrum took towards him.

            Zorb was beside himself. Where had this power come from so suddenly? His body had been beaten and bent beyond his limits. It couldn’t be his rage alone, could it?!

            “Taktikk,” he growled into his hidden communicator.

            “I don’t know what to do now!” the strategist insisted. “Our calculations said he would be in critical condition by now!”

            M4 turned to run, but The Spektrum grabbed hold of his pants waist with one hand. M4 struggled against The Spektrum’s grip, but there was no give, he was pulled backwards and was hit in the back of the head by a forearm. M4 fell onto his face right away, his brass forehead bouncing off the dirt and grass. The Spektrum stood over him like a hungry beast waiting to see if its prey was still alive. The desire for more fighting, more combat, and more violence burned like fire in the red eye as it moved from M4 to M3, then to M5. Something in The Spektrum’s mind triggered: Where was M2?

            A blur of blue could be seen in the reflection of the windows, and The Spektrum whipped around to see it circling the field. M2 was using all of the available space to build up speed. The Spektrum managed to track the blur’s movements as it came around counter-clockwise and circled back towards him. The Spektrum switched from Black to Red, and activated Overdrive. Now it appeared as if M2 was only going at a normal running speed. The two charged at each other, exchanged blows and dodged counters.

            A few seconds later, the two separated and stood yards away from each other, catching their breath. The Spektrum felt his anger waning, but so was his energy. Had he calmed down naturally? Or did it have to do with changing Codes?

            M1 staggered to his feet, keeping the injured leg tentatively off the ground. The Spektrum grimaced at the thought of having to fight that red giant more. He switched to Blue, preparing to take damage, when the sound of helicopter propellers could be heard echoing from the East.

            Everyone’s attention turned towards the sound, and a military grade transport helicopter flew over the gymnasium. It hovered in one place as cables were tossed out both sides. Troopers clad in all black, equipped with body-armor and rifles, rappelled down the cables. They turned to face The Spektrum and the aliens, rifles at the ready. The troopers then moved together towards them, and Zorb turned his head to look at The Spektrum.

            “Looks like you’re saved,” he said with a smirk. “I knew you were lying to me, you ARE a super-soldier, your soldier friends prove it!”

            “I’m not some government creation!” The Spektrum insisted. “And I don’t even know who these guys are, or where they came from!”

            The Spektrum took a better look at the troopers, and saw a strange symbol on the shoulders of each one. They were also aiming at Zorb and his Masqueraders. Even though The Spektrum didn’t know them, it seemed that the troopers knew who he was, and were on his side.

            “We’ll be leaving, then,” Zorb said as he pressed the button on his sleeve cuff.

            Just as the troopers opened fire, the familiar flash of light teleported Zorb and his banged-up henchmen away to his spaceship. The bullets kept flying and hit the wall of the main building.

            “HEY!” The Spektrum shouted at the troopers angrily. “Hold your fire! They’re gone!”

            The troops stopped, and the lead man walked up to The Spektrum.

            “What in the Hell are you shooting for?!” The Spektrum shouted. “They were leaving peacefully, you didn’t need to fire! And who sent you anyway?!”

            “Anonymous,” the trooper answered. “Darklite sent us, because you were in danger.”

            “W-wait, how…?” The Spektrum was trying to sort things in his mind. “How did he know I was fighting?”

            “Your card,” the trooper answered. “It sensed the fight happening.”

            “H-How does it do that?!”

            The trooper didn’t answer this time, but instead turned to his team. He signaled to them, waving at them, and they moved back to the helicopter. The Spektrum shouted for them to wait and answer him, but they didn’t listen. The troops climbed back into the helicopter, and it flew away, likely back to Anonymous headquarters.

            The Spektrum didn’t have time to worry about that, though. He turned his attention to the Science Wing, and the window that M1 had smashed out when he threw one of the picnic tables.

            From where he was on the ground, he couldn’t see anything inside, so he rushed to the stairs and headed up to the second floor. As he ran down the hall towards Room 243, he saw students shakily exit the room.

            “Cyndi!” he shouted as he swung inside, moving past club members. Under one of the tables by the window, he found Cyndi and Gary huddled together, Gary’s arm over her head.

            “Cyndi!” he shouted as he rushed forward and crouched by the table. “Cyndi, are you--?”

            “I’m fine,” she answered, her voice trembling. “Gary saved me, he got me under here.”

            The Spektrum checked on Gary, who was smiling softly as he looked up at him. There were no obvious injuries on his upper body, but there was a big shard of glass stuck in the back of Gary’s left calf. With help from Cyndi, The Spektrum pulled Gary out from under the table, then up onto his feet. The Spektrum supported Gary, and the two walked together down the other set of stairs.

            The two young men were quiet as they went down the first couple flights. The Spektrum felt horrible and pathetic for not being able to stop that table. If he had more time, or had been faster, he would’ve stopped it, and Gary wouldn’t be hurt. Sure, Gary wasn’t his closest friend, and was his unofficial rival when it came to Cyndi, but he didn’t want any harm to come to him.

            “Hey,” The Spektrum spoke up, “good job back there, Gary. If you hadn’t gotten her away from the window, Cyndi would’ve probably gotten hurt really bad. You’re a hero.”

            Gary was made speechless a moment by the compliment from the hometown hero.

            “Thanks,” he finally worked out of his throat. “That means a lot coming from someone who fought those five super-powered guys away.”

            The Spektrum fell silent again with a grimace. It was obvious that Gary missed seeing those Anonymous Inc. troopers fly in and force Zorb’s men to retreat. The two young men exited the stairwell and walked to a small side entrance. An ambulance was already waiting, and The Spektrum helped Gary get on one of the wheeled stretchers. As the ambulance drove Gary to the hospital, The Spektrum hurried to find somewhere to change back.

 

            Hours later, The Spektrum (as Simon), inspected his blank, black business card he got from Anonymous. From what the trooper told him, this card somehow knew he was fighting, and it transmitted a signal to Anonymous HQ, all from inside the pocket of his backpack he left it in, which was inside the classroom. With the card being so thin, how did Anonymous even fit any of that technology inside?

            Simon sat on his bed, hunched over with legs bent. He turned the card over and over, and looked closely at the edges.

            The different circuit boards and batteries must be microscopic! Is that level of technology really possible in reality?

            He bent the card, and it moved easily. He held it like that for several minutes before letting it go. The card returned to its natural flatness, and there were no creases at all on the surface.

            Simon wished he could talk with the other members of The Power Surge about this card, or better yet with someone from Anonymous Inc.

            Wait, I can!

            Simon moved to the edge of his bed and grabbed his cell phone off the night stand. He found the Anonymous Inc. number on his contacts list and pressed the “call” button. The line on the other end rang two times before there was an answer.

            “We’re sorry,” a clearly automated voice said, “but this number is no longer available.”

            That made no sense. This number was in use only a few days ago. Did Anonymous Inc. take it down as some kind of strange precaution? Either way, that just slammed the brakes on his plan. If it weren’t for the whole “Superhero Secret Identities” thing, he might’ve asked Catgirl for her number.

            Of course, the chances of her giving me it still would’ve been slim. Maybe. I couldn’t tell if she liked me…

            Simon sighed as he put his phone back down and stared at the card some more.

 

            “Sir.”

            “Yes?” Mr. Darklite answered his agent, looking up from his desk as he folded files on “The Power Surge” members closed.

            “On the issue in Calamar,” the agent continued, “were Metal-Head and Tyranno-Shark truly best for that?”

            “How do you mean?” Mr. Darklite asked back. “They were 100% successful in there mission there, the status report said so.”

            “Yes,” the agent agreed, “but what if there were witnesses? Both Metal-Head and Tyranno-shark made the news in America once before, if news organizations hear through the grape vine that they were in South America doing what they did, an investigation will be conducted and we could be found out.”

            “Calm down, calm down,” Mr. Darklite told his subordinate. “Like I said, the status report showed 100%, there wasn’t a single enemy survivor, and Agent Look-Out assured me absolutely no one got away from those two. Now, I will admit there is still more to do, much more, but like with the others, I wanted to start those two off easy. Another weekend is coming up, I‘m sure a few members of ‘The Power Surge’ can spare some time.”

             Mr. Darklite quickly browsed through the files, trying to decide who would be best for this return visit.

            “Metal-Head can go again,” he said, “and call-up… Catgirl and The Spektrum.”