Chapter 27 - Volume 1 Finale

              As Simon, The Spektrum returned to school on Monday, the matter of Anonymous Inc.’s morals still on his mind.

            Does Darklite really consider his organization’s a force for good when he lets his men just go and kill like that?

            His mind was so busy debating that he struggled to keep focus during his morning classes. He almost missed hearing the Graphic Design assignment’s due date.

            And that’s another thing, this last mission really made it hard for me to do my homework, had to cram it all in after church yesterday. It’s too much. Zorb’s visits are enough stress on school.

            Lunch period helped settle his mind a bit. Simon joined The Spektrum fan club in the patched-up Room 243.

            Gary was back in class, his hurt leg wrapped up, and one crutch under his arm as he took a seat next to Cyndi. Cyndi helped Gary sit down, and Simon noticed how close they seemed now. Simon sat down and faced them, and the windows behind them.

            The shattered window frame was covered up with a big, blue tarp and duct tape, which eliminated a lot of the natural lighting everyone liked. But even through the tarp, a familiar flash could be seen in the quad. As others rushed to the one good window, Simon snuck out of the room.

            “Odd,” Cyndi muttered, “it’s only Zorb. Hey, Simon, you should see…”

            She stopped talking as she turned to see Simon was gone.

            “Why does he always have to go when Zorb…?”

            A light bulb went off in Cyndi’s mind as she turned back to look out the window.

            “No… he couldn’t be…”

 

            The Spektrum Code Red ran down the stair well, and burst out into the Quad. He stopped almost immediately when he saw it was only Zorb. He looked around quickly. The only others out here were the students that were scrambling to get either back inside or up against walls.

            “Your guys aren’t playing hide-n-seek with those special cloaks, are they?”

            “No,” Zorb answered. “And they won’t show up so long as your little soldiers aren’t going to fly in on some gyro-machine.”

            “Don’t worry,” The Spektrum assured, “I essentially severed ties with them.”

            “Good,” Zorb said as he started walking towards The Spektrum. “Then this will be simple one-on-one.”

            “That’s just it,” The Spektrum said as he walked towards Zorb. “I’m surprised you are going about this personally.”

            “So am I, to be honest,” he replied. “I thought my team would be itching to fight you again. I put it to a vote for who would take you on, and astonishingly, all of them thought that I should be the one. Though I suppose it goes along with the saying, ‘no sense beating around the bush.’ So, here I am.”

            “Then why don’t we follow that saying’s advice and get to what we both came here for.”

            “Gladly!” Zorb said as he rolled up the sleeves of his violet, iron-pressed business-style shirt. Then, in a burst, he was running at The Spektrum with impressive speed. To pass him up, The Spektrum activated Over-Drive and used his increased agility to side-step Zorb. After deactivating, Code Red rushed Zorb with punches.

            Zorb blocked one, then another, and the third punch using his forearms, but the fourth went low and got his ribs. A jumping kick from Code Red made him take a couple steps back, but Zorb soon changed to offense with a kick of his own.

            He’s definitely fast, The Spektrum thought as he blocked the counter attack. His forearms stung from the blow, but he tuned it out. With a spin, he sent a kick back, but Zorb ducked it. Zorb sprang up and swiped at him, but The Spektrum’s agility allowed him to sway back and get out of the way by centimeters.

            Zorb continued the swipe’s spin with a back hand from his other hand. The Spektrum swayed back again only to get hit with an elbow. Zorb had feinted with the back hand!

            Code Red rolled and became Code Blue. From low on the ground, Blue lunged forward and rammed a shoulder into Zorb’s gut. The alien was knocked off his feet, and the super-human climbed up. He reached back to punch, but another swiping punch made him snap back.

            Using Blue’s shirt as a hand-hold, Zorb pulled himself up and head butted the human in the nose, then again and again. Now Zorb was on top, and he reached back for a strong head butt.

            In a flash, Code Silver appeared and overpowered Zorb’s grip. Using his legs, The Spektrum shoved Zorb away hard. Zorb hit the grass and rolled backwards. As Code Red, The Spektrum pursued as fast as possible so as not to give his opponent time to think.

            At full speed, The Spektrum collided straight on with Zorb. To his surprise, Zorb stayed on his feet this time. Zorb had dug his heels into the ground, and The Spektrum’s momentum was stopped by the dirt!

            Using incredible strength, Zorb pushed back, and Code Red moved back. Now back as Code Silver, The Spektrum went toe-to-toe in a battle of pushing power, the muscles in both legs and back putting in 100% effort to push Zorb.

            Zorb’s heels dug into dirt again as Silver’s strength started to win out. Using physics, Zorb turned to one side and let Silver’s strength propel him forward. The Spektrum was swung, thrown, and landed on his side. Zorb copied The Spektrum’s tactic and charged before the enemy had time to recover.

            However, Code Yellow’s brain moved faster than Zorb’s feet, and he already had a plan. He side-stepped again, got behind Zorb, and locked arms around Zorb’s waist. With a pop of the hips, Code Yellow tossed Zorb overhead as he fell backwards. While The Spektrum somewhat rolled into the fall, Zorb landed on his shoulders and upper back.

            Zorb sat up, grunting in pain, as The Spektrum got to his feet.

            “Zorb, why do you want to become the top criminal everywhere? What’s your reason for wanting to reach a goal like that?”

            “None of your business!” Zorb growled.

            The alien leapt to his feet and lunged at The Spektrum. Zorb got in a hit with his knee to The Spektrum’s ribs, then a punch to both shoulders. A spinning back hand was followed by a left straight punch, and The Spektrum staggered and spun, but stayed standing. He countered with a left jab, catching Zorb in the nose, then another. Then Code Red hit Zorb with a right roundhouse kick.

            Zorb took the momentum of the kick and twisted through the air, his heels hitting Code Red on the side of his head. With The Spektrum turned around by the blow, Zorb grabbed his collar and yanked him backwards. The Spektrum nearly fell off his feet, and Zorb’s knee hit him again, this time in the middle of his spine.

            But Zorb didn’t stop there. He held The Spektrum up, and head butted him in the base of the neck. Zorb then tripped The Spektrum, and let him fall into the dirt.

            “You’re underestimating me,” Zorb said. “I can tell. You think just because I have henchmen means I’m not very good at fighting. The reason I can get such impressive people to listen to me is because I am the best, and they know it from the minute they see me.”

            “Then I must be blind,” The Spektrum said, “because I don’t see it!”

            Code Red then leapt backwards and went for his special move, The Red Light.

            Zorb reacted just in time and blocked the move by pushing The Spektrum away. The Spektrum fell to the ground without taking Zorb with him, but got right back up. The two opponents charged at each other again, and each tried to get a hit in. The Spektrum went high while Zorb went for the middle. Zorb’s straight-forward kick made The Spektrum’s punch feel light since Zorb’s leg was longer than The Spektrum’s arm. The Spektrum recovered from the kick, and activated Over-Drive.

            At blurring speeds, Code Red moved forward and threw a punch at Zorb‘s face. Zorb blocked it, but found a second punch had already hit him in the stomach and a kick smacked his shoulder. Before Zorb could stop himself from stumbling, he got hit again in the stomach, then in the back, then in the face. The blow to the head made Zorb’s body twist and flip backwards, then land on his side.

            Zorb forced himself up, and brushed himself off.

            “Do you see it now?” he asked with a smile. “My natural biology makes me already on par with your species’ adult athletes during my childhood. Now, after years of training and growing, I’m scarcely challenged by the best. And that includes YOU.”

            The Spektrum jump-kicked Zorb, then shoved him back with synchronized punches to the shoulder.

            “Sure it does!” The Spektrum replied.

            From out of the windows behind Zorb, the windows above them both, and even far away in the main building, students could be seen and heard cheering. The Spektrum smirked while Zorb scowled.

            Zorb leapt forward, but so did The Spektrum. They collided, a punch each getting the other in the shoulder, then separated. The Spektrum’s heel stopped him from falling back, and he moved forward again. He tackled Zorb into the bleachers right beside the building, and with a thunderous boom, they slammed onto the lowest bench. The Spektrum Code Silver sat up and rained punches down, but Zorb kept his face covered up. Each hit made the bleachers boom, and The Spektrum could feel Zorb’s guard weaken.

            Punch after punch, he got closer and closer, then… BOOM! The Spektrum busted through Zorb’s defense, and a hard right hand landed, knocking Zorb into the gap between benches. As Code Yellow, The Spektrum went for a sleeper hold, but got smacked in the face by the back of Zorb’s head.

            The Spektrum reeled back while Zorb got onto the middle bench and crouched. Zorb aimed, then pounced, driving all his weight into The Spektrum’s shoulders. The impact of the fall was solid, but Zorb rolled forward gracefully as The Spektrum barked and growled in pain.

            Zorb rubbed the side of his face, the spot where Silver’s fist hit.

            That damn human, he’s going to leave a bruise now!

            Zorb kicked The Spektrum on the ground, and the point of his toe hit The Spektrum right in the ribs.

            Zorb continued stomping and kicking The Spektrum, moving him further towards the center of the Quad again. The on-looking students could now be heard booing.

            “C’mon, hero!” Zorb said with frustration. “Don’t let all your fans down!”

 

            “Girls! Girls!” Karina shouted to her friends as she ran up to the table.

            “Karina, calm down!” Zoey said. “What’s going on?”

            “I was checking my Facebook, and Haley’s step-cousin posted this link of a live streaming video on his Wall.”

            “Wait, you’re Facebook friends with her step-cousin?”

            “Yeah! I’m an honorary member of the fan club!”

            “What’s the video?” Marina asks.

            “It’s live streaming of The Spektrum fighting with Zorb!” Karina shouts.

            “What?!”

            The other girls gathered around Karina as she pulled out her iPhone.

            The Youtube video racked up hundreds of hits per second, and easily passed 100,000. The number of views continued to climb, along with comments.

            What? Zorb is fighting?

          IT’S ZORB!

          Finally! The Spektrum is going to beat those aliens once and for all!

          Oh no! He‘s losing!? D:

          How is Zorb this strong?!

 

            Zorb kicked The Spektrum again and again in the stomach, and The Spektrum rolled. Code Yellow became Code Blue, and ropes of light appeared. Zorb was distracted by the ropes as The Spektrum got up and ran towards them. Code Blue bounced off of the ropes of light and barreled into Zorb, knocking him off his feet.

            The Spektrum then picked Zorb back up and threw him over head. As Zorb hit the ground, Code Blue became Code Red and Over-Drive activated. Code Red ran past Zorb, made more ropes appear, and bounded off of those. Just as Zorb sat up, Code Red’s feet knocked him back down with a low-flying dropkick.

            The Spektrum deactivated Over-Drive, and moved to attack with punches again. Hit after hit landed, but Zorb was still able to fight back. The two actually rolled with the punches, and started to move closer to the main building.

            On bottom again, Zorb pushed The Spektrum off with a kick, and the human hero stumbled back to his feet. Zorb jumped up from the ground and tackled The Spektrum into the wall behind him. The Spektrum quickly countered with a blow to the back, then swinging Zorb sideways into the wall. There was a crash, and people inside screamed a bit. The Spektrum saw that he had swung Zorb into a window and broke it.

            Zorb countered back with shots to the bottom of The Spektrum’s ribs, then shoved him into the corner. Zorb then leapt punching at the hero, who dodged with a duck to his right. Zorb’s fist hit the wall and left a hole in it, showing The Spektrum the truth about the scale of his and Zorb’s strength.

            Focusing, Code Red swung a kick at Zorb, who leaned back to dodge, but Red’s leg hooked back and caught Zorb on the chin. Undaunted, Zorb jabbed Spektrum right in his nose. As The Spektrum stepped back and turned around, Zorb spun backwards and kicked the hero with a heel and into a window. The collision caused the pane to crack severely and cut The Spektrum‘s forehead!

 

            “Oh no!” Chloe said after seeing the glass shatter. “Is The Spektrum bleeding?”

            “It’s hard to tell, the camera’s so far away,” Marina said.

            On the tiny screen, the girls could see The Spektrum turn into Code Yellow and thrust his leg at Zorb sideways.

            “That’s his move!” Zoey said. “We used it together in Vegas!”

           

            Code Yellow’s Flash Kick was parried and Zorb grabbed hold of The Spektrum’s knee. Zorb twisted, and The Spektrum fell off his other foot, but The Spektrum rolled forward and pulled Zorb along. The Spektrum then grabbed Zorb’s leg and tripped him. The Spektrum bent Zorb’s leg, pushing the joint backwards.

            Zorb gritted his teeth in order to ignore the pain, and supported his weight on his hands. His free leg kicked The Spektrum in the jaw, and made him let go. However, The Spektrum fought back as Code Silver, who pushed himself forward along the ground and kicked Zorb back under the arm. Zorb fell on his face, and The Spektrum jumped on the arm. As he worked to bend that backwards, Zorb crawled forward to take away The Spektrum’s leverage.

            The two moved in a curve like that, The Spektrum gripping Zorb’s arm as Zorb crawled. Zorb managed to somersault onto his back, eliminating the pressure on the joint. Zorb rammed a knee into The Spektrum’s face, and as the hero reared back, Zorb pulled out a small object made of gold metal. With a flick of the wrist, he opened to reveal that it was another butterfly knife. As Zorb had done many times before, he reached back, aimed and threw the knife.

            Though his vision was blurred, The Spektrum managed to see Zorb pull out and throw the knife. As fast as possible, he changed from Code Silver to Code Red and moved out of the knife’s path. The Spektrum was able to get vital targets out of the way, but the blade still cut into his shoulder. The Spektrum spun with the slash, and Zorb took advantage by slamming an elbow into the base of The Spektrum’s neck. After steadying himself, The Spektrum turned and barged into Zorb with the cut shoulder, then kicked him in stomach.

            “Coward,” The Spektrum growled. “This is a fist fight, yet you use a knife!”

            “Who said this was a fist fight?” Zorb said as he drew his golden gun.

            BANG! Zorb fired, but missed as The Spektrum spun at super speed and swept the alien’s legs. Zorb hit the ground, but kept his focus, and pointed the gun at the crouched Code Red. BANG! Another shot fired! The bullet grazed The Spektrum’s ear, and he spun sharply as the scrape stung badly.

            Over his shoulder, The Spektrum saw Zorb aim a third time. In his super speed state, Code Red knew he could dodge the bullet, but he could see that he was by the windows. That bullet would rip through the glass and possibly hit someone inside!

            BANG! The bullet was fired, but it hit the ground to Zorb’s left! The alien was confused, but saw The Spektrum hold his hand. There was a scrape that wasn’t there before.

            “Did you just swat the bullet with your own hand?” Zorb asked, though he knew that was the case. He then surveyed the surroundings, and understood the reasons. “I’d say I respect your valor, but really, that was stupid! Now you have four parts of your body that are bleeding!”

            “Are you saying you wouldn’t put your body on the line to save one of your own? What about your girlfriend, Zita?”

            “That’s the thing, hero,” Zorb said. “I only have her, while you have ALL of these onlookers!”

            Zorb aimed at a window to the right but kept his eyes on The Spektrum. BANG! The gun fired, and the race was on! The Spektrum rushed in between the bullet, and pushed his changing speed to its limit as he went to Code Blue.

            Force Field, WORK!!

            *BWIZ! PING!*

 

            Mr. Darklite sat in Anonymous’ “war room”, and kept his eyes on the screen as a few of his agents entered.

            “Sir,” Agent Look-Out said, “should we mobilize?”

            “No need,” Mr. Darklite replied. “Everything’s going just fine as it is.”

            “But The Spektrum is being reckless!” Look-Out said. “He just jumped in front of a bullet!”

            “And activated his force field,” Mr. Darklite added. “Just in time, too! I was clenching there for a moment!”

            “Besides,” one of the other agents spoke up, “the little brat said he didn’t want our help anymore. If he wants to end up perforated, let him.”

            “Shut up, Smart Mouth!” Look-Out told the man. “You’re just still pissed at the kid for knocking you on your ass!”

            “That was a sucker punch!” Smart Mouth retorted as he glared at Look-Out.

            “Calm down, hotheads!” a female agent said as she walked between them. “Look-Out, I told you Mr. Darklite wouldn’t need us to mobilize over there! And it’s not because The Spektrum left us like Smart Mouth said. Mr. Darklite‘s taking care of it, right, sir?”

            “Quite right, Whip Cream,” their leader replied. “Now, everyone, just relax and watch the story unfold!”

 

            Back at San Leandro High, the students saw their hero was safe, his field was up, and the bullet had bounced off and hit the wall instead.

            “That was a close call,” Zorb said with a sinister smirk. “But I have a few more shots and plenty of targets left!”

            Zorb moved his arm to aim, but he couldn’t do anything more before The Spektrum was on top of him again with his super speed. The Spektrum made sure to knock the golden gun away before Code Black picked him up.

            “I’M your target!” The Spektrum shouted as he drove a knee into Zorb’s stomach.

            The Spektrum Code Black continued his retaliation. He took Zorb’s hair in hand and held him still as he aimed. With as much strength as his arm could give, Code Black’s fist hit the bruise on Zorb’s cheek with a thump that sent Zorb stumbling and falling.

            “You’re just like them,” The Spektrum growled as he approached. “You’ll do anything to get the job done. You’ll kill innocent people and not even bat an eye. You all sicken me…!”

            “While I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Zorb said as he got to his hands and knees, “I would love to meet them!”

            Zorb supported his weight on his hands as he kicked both feet back into The Spektrum’s stomach. Zorb scrambled to his feet and turned around to see that The Spektrum hadn’t been pushed back at all. Instead, The Spektrum kept moving forward, and was coming eye to eye with Zorb.

            Those eyes… The emotion…

            Code Black’s eyes stared directly into his. The red one was almost glowing. A tremor went through Zorb’s body, and he clenched his teeth. Zorb refused to believe he was scared by a human, or anyone for that matter.

            “I don’t care how much anger you have!” Zorb shouted. “I’m not scared of you!”

            “Then you’re a fool!” Code Black roared back as he kicked straight forward.

            Zorb was knocked over and rolled backwards. He recovered quickly, only to have The Spektrum grab him around the head and neck, then drop off his feet. Zorb’s head hit the dirt and bounced off. As Zorb rolled and held the top of his head, The Spektrum stalked him like a predator with its prey. The laugh from long ago boiled up inside of him as Zorb got back up.

            Zorb swung and caught The Spektrum on the cheek, but the chilling laughter continued. If anything, it may have gotten stronger.

            “What happened, Zorb?” The Spektrum asked. “I thought you were stronger than this. You said you were better than even this planet’s best, but I still don’t see it!”

            Zorb spun and jumped, kicking the back of his foot at The Spektrum’s chest. Zorb landed, but only on one foot. The Spektrum had caught the foot Zorb kicked with, turned and held the ankle under his shoulder. The Spektrum pulled back as he kicked Zorb’s other leg out from under him. Zorb fell to the ground, and The Spektrum continued to move backwards. Keeping Zorb down with his foot, The Spektrum pulled on the captured leg, aiming to pull it past its limits.

            Zorb let out shouts of pain as his groin and quadriceps started to burn from the pulling. He struggled to push The Spektrum off with only his arms and one leg, and in the position he was being held down. The Spektrum pulled as hard as he could, and Zorb felt the tearing happen. He let out a horrible howl as The Spektrum let go of the leg, its muscles torn apart.

            “You’re done,” The Spektrum said coldly. “Teleport back to your ship, and don’t return. Ever!”

            The students cheered from the windows, seeing this as a victory for The Spektrum and for them. With only one leg, and neither of his weapons to turn things around, it was clear The Spektrum had won this fight.

            Zorb glared up at The Spektrum while he gritted his teeth in pain.

            “I’m not done!” Zorb muttered as he struggled to get up. “I haven’t lost!!”

            Zorb managed to stand on one leg and land a punch, but was quickly knocked over by The Spektrum’s counter uppercut.

            “How about now?!” The Spektrum asked as he loomed over Zorb.

            VVFT! SPLOCK! The sound of a bullet zipping in was followed by the sounds of a bullet piercing a body and blood splattering.

            The Spektrum looked down, and saw the hole in his body. He felt the uttermost level of fear as he felt his life leave him. Zorb was as shocked as anyone else.

            “Who fired?” everyone wondered.

However, Zorb was far less concerned, and much more curious. Zorb looked at the rooftops, and saw something move from atop the building in front of him.

“Zita,” Zorb groaned. “Was that…?”

            “Oh my God!” a student cried out.

            The student was on the ground level, by the building that the mystery assassin had been on. She was blonde, slim, and wore Capri pants. She ran out towards the grass, headed for The Spektrum. The hero fell to his knees, feeling everything fade around him.

            Cyndi was horrified. She had just realized who The Spektrum was not too long ago, and now he’s dying! With tears in her eyes, she made it to The Spektrum’s side as Zorb sat up and unrolled his sleeves. Cyndi focused more on The Spektrum, who continued to bleed out. Zorb pressed the button on the cuff, and he was teleported away as the sounds of sirens echoed in the distance.

            The Spektrum finally noticed who was beside him.

            “C-Cyndi…” he whispered.

            “Simon,” she replied.

            The Spektrum’s eyes went wide.

            “Yes, I know,” Cyndi said. “Or, I just figured it out. Honestly, I should’ve known much sooner. I’m a bit disappointed in myself as a fan of superhero comics and stuff for not…”

            Cyndi’s soft smile was quickly wiped away as The Spektrum’s eyes rolled into the back of his head.

            “Simon! Simon, stay with me!”

            The Spektrum fell to the ground, and Cyndi turned him over in a panic. That’s when she saw the gaping hole in his body the bullet had created. Her hands immediately reached her mouth in shock, fear, and disgust.

            “O-oh God…!” she said shaking all over.

            The tears spilled over as The Spektrum’s body went limp. She whispered his name over and over again as the paramedics rushed in far too late.

 

            Zoey practically fell against the picnic table. Karina’s hands trembled, and she almost dropped the iPhone. Just about everyone else at Encinal High, and around the world watching the video online, was devastated. They had witnessed The Spektrum, a hero, a person, die.

            “No…” Zoey whispered. “No…!”

            The comments posted to the video were the same. No one wanted to believe what had happened before their very eyes. The only words being posted where “No!”, “Why?”, and “Who?”

 

            “On my mark,” Mr. Darklite ordered as he stood in front of a camera as a banner with an insignia fluttered behind him. “Livestream up in three. Two. One.”

            The camera began recording, and Mr. Darklite read his speech.

            “Greetings, citizens! My name is Gerald Tansy Darklite, and I am fully aware of the tragedy that has befallen us. As of 11:58AM Pacific Standard Time today in the United States, the teenage superhero known as ‘The Spektrum’ was shot and killed by an associate of the alien invader and criminal known as ‘Zorb’.

            “The Spektrum was one of my men, a secret agent within my organization, Reciprocity Incorporated. We will put every man and woman we have on the job of tracking down Zorb, wherever he is hiding, whether in space or on this planet.”

            The views sky rocketed, and the comments left asked questions.

            “Reciprocity Inc.?” Where did they even come from?

          The Spektrum was a secret agent?! Since when!?

          Will these guys really be able to stop Zorb?

            “Knowing Zorb is still out there,” Mr. Darklite continued, “Reciprocity Inc. will take charge of protecting the city of San Leandro from his men. The murder of The Spektrum will not go unpunished!”

 

            The paramedics zipped up the bag, and placed the body on a stretcher. The stretcher was wheeled outside to the street curb, with crying students looking from inside the classrooms. All they could do was watch as the stretcher was placed in the ambulance, and it drove away.

            No one said anything. No one could say anything. The entire school was silent, save a sob or sniffle here and there.

            Cyndi and Simon’s friends did their best to hold it together. They were the ones who knew the truth, but even in his death, they weren’t sure if the truth should be told. His friends planned on telling his parents and family somehow, and each of them worked out the words silently in their heads. Cyndi could only stare at her hands, stained with some of Simon’s blood.

 

            Go back. You are not meant to die this day. Not all of you, at least.

            Cold become warm and darkness became light. Numbness became feeling, and the still began to move. He opened his eyes, and saw light filtered through blue plastic.

            “W-what…?”

            Someone around him moved, and let out a shouted curse word. As he sat up, the person unzipped the bag.

            “How—?!” the paramedic stammered. “What?! You’re alive?!”

            “Guess so,” The Spektrum said groggily. “Where am I?”

            The paramedic silently stared. The gory bullet wound was completely gone! The Spektrum looked down at himself, and saw the same thing. However, his drowsiness kept him from being all that excited. The paramedic snapped to attention, and answered the question.

            “We just passed Maud, if that’s what you mean.”

            “Let me out here. I’ll make it home on my own.”

            “W-what?!”

            The ambulance pulled over, and The Spektrum made his way to the door.

            “Glenn!” the paramedic yelled at the driver. “We can’t let this guy out!”

            “The kid somehow healed and revived himself!” Glenn yelled back. “I say let him out!”

            The Spektrum opened the doors and made it to the sidewalk. As Glenn the ambulance driver argued with the paramedic, The Spektrum walked down the street and found his home. He knocked on the door a few times, and his father opened it.

            “S-Simon?!” he said in shocked surprise. “Is that you? What’re you doing home? What’re you doing dressed like that?! It’s only noon! Wait, the news said… Are you-?!”

            “Yes,” Simon replied. “We should talk.”

            The Spektrum changed back into Simon, and walked inside, closing the door behind him.