It’s early Sunday morning, January 22nd, in Washington D.C when Darklite, Whip Cream and Smart Mouth are again ushered into the Oval Office.
“What the hell is this?!” President Csuja asks the moment
the door is closed behind them.
He turns his computer monitor around to face them, and it
has the Siro video paused and in full screen.
“We’re trying to figure this out ourselves, Mr.
President,” Darklite says as he takes off his hat.
“Do you believe him when he says he’s a clone?” Csuja
asks.
“That is also unclear,” Darklite says.
“Then what the hell IS clear?!” Csuja shouts, slamming
his hands on the desk as he stands. “Do you have proof this is a clone and not
the original Spektrum? How do you know he’s not brainwashed or confused?”
“We know for a fact it’s not the original Spektrum,”
Darklite says.
“And how do you know that? Do you have the body?”
December 19th, the day The Spektrum died, he
was put in the back of an ambulance, and he was driven down Bancroft Avenue.
But he didn’t stay dead.
“W-what…?”
Andrew the paramedic watched as the body bag squirmed and
cursed in a flustered breath. The body sat up, so the paramedic unzipped the bag.
“How—?!” the paramedic stammered. “What?! You’re alive?!”
“Guess so,” The Spektrum said groggily. “Where am I?”
Andrew 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. Andrew snapped to
attention, and answered the question.
“We just passed Maud, if that’s what you mean.”
“Let me out here,” The Spektrum said. “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, hopped out, and made it to
the sidewalk.
“Dude, seriously?!” Andrew argued with Glenn. “We can’t
let him go! Just because he came back to life doesn’t mean he’s okay!”
“Yeah, because it might mean he’s a zombie or something!”
“Are you serious? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard
you say the entire time I’ve known you.”
“Well do you have any other explanation?” Glenn
countered.
“I mean, he’s a superhero or something, right?” Andrew
said. “What if this is one of his powers?”
“Then all the more reason not to worry about him!” Glenn
said.
“And what’re we supposed to tell them when we get
there?!” Andrew said as Glenn pulled the ambulance off the curb. “They’re gonna
wonder where his body went! … Glenn!?”
“I’m thinking!” Glenn shouted.
Glenn looked at the rear view mirror.
“And would you close that damn door?!”
Andrew carefully made his way to the back of the
ambulance and grabbed the open door as it flapped around. He slammed it closed
and sat back down. And just in time, as police cars went zipping past them,
headed for the school.
The ambulance drove to Callan Avenue and turned into
Memorial Park by San Leandro Creek. They pulled into the parking lot, where a
car with white wall tires waited.
“So you got the body?” White Walls asked as she and Whip
Cream walked over.
“Umm…” Andrew said, glancing at Glenn.
“He got up,” Glenn said.
“He what?” Whip Cream said.
“He got up!” Glenn repeated. “He came back to life and
got up out of the ambulance.”
“And you let him?!” Whip Cream said.
“I wanted to go get him!” Andrew said. “But Glenn thought
he was a zombie or something.”
“Are you serious?” White Walls said, just as stunned as
Andrew.
“You paid us to pick up a body!” Glenn countered. “Nobody
said anything about it coming back to life!”
“He has a fair point there,” Whip Cream said.
“I gotta call this in,” White Walls said as she brought
out her phone.
White Walls used speed dial to call Phonebook.
“Is everything going as planned?” the woman on the other
end asked White Walls.
“Hello to you, too, PB,” White Walls grumbled. “And no,
not at all. The idiots don’t have him!”
“What do you mean they don’t have him?!”
“Something about him coming back to life! He got up and
walked out of the ambulance!”
“Mr. Darklite’s not gonna like that.”
“Yeah, no shit!” White Walls snapped at her. “Sorry. Let
him know we’ll just continue as is.”
“Right,” Phonebook said.
White Walls hung up and turned back to the ambulance
driver and paramedic.
“Well, boys,” she said to them. “You better hope our boss
doesn’t get too upset over this.”
“Otherwise,” Whip Cream said, “we’ll have to take back
the hundreds of thousands of dollars we gave you. Even if it hurts.”
“Our lips are sealed,” Glenn said.
“Y-Yeah,” Andrew said. “We’ll take this secret to our
graves.”
But then both he and Glenn winced hearing him say that.
“Here’s the replacement body, like we discussed,” White
Walls said as Whip Cream dragged it out of the trunk. “Get that to the hospital
and make sure it’s your little friend on duty. Otherwise, she’s gonna have to
pay ATM back, too.”
“Right, of course,” Glenn said.
“We
double checked with her before we left,” Andrew said.
“Very good,” White Walls said. “Pleasure doing business
with you boys.”
White Walls and Whip Cream left in their car while Andrew
and Glenn got the body in the back of the ambulance. They circled back to the
hospital through the backstreets, and pulled into the back. Molly was already
waiting at the door to help them get the body into the morgue. She did all the
paperwork to claim this body was The Spektrum’s, and the three took a deep
breath as they put the body in an open chamber.
“Yes,” Darklite says in present day. “Or, we did. If you
check the records at the San Leandro Hospital morgue, he was checked in on the
very day he died. And sadly, because no one claimed his body, it was cremated
before Christmas.”
“So then how did a space alien criminal recreate him?!”
Csuja asks.
“Well, obviously, he found DNA remnants of The Spektrum
somewhere,” Darklite says. “I believe the video references blood, does it not?”
“It’s like you didn’t even watch the video,” Smart Mouth
says.
Whip Cream slaps Smart Mouth in the arm for his snark.
“Well you can’t exactly believe everything you hear on
the internet,” Csuja counters, to which Whip Cream smirks at Smart Mouth.
“If that is all, Mr. President,” Darklite says, “I really
must get back. My team and I must be ready the next time this ‘Siro’ shows
himself in public.”
Csuja sighs and sits back down.
“Fine,” he says with a wave of his hand. “But make sure
you handle this.”
“Of course, Mr. President,” Darklite says. “You can count
on us.”
Darklite puts his hat back on his head to tilt it in
farewell. He turns and leaves, Whip Cream and Smart Mouth in tow. Darklite’s
polite demeanor changes the moment the door closes again.
“Call ahead,” he says in a grumble. “I want this sorted, immediately!”
In Reciprocity Incorporated’s headquarters, in their
medical facility, Craig lay in a bed, an oxygen mask on his bed as a machine
made sure he breathed while in his coma. At his bedside are Hayden and Alan.
“It’s like, a miracle that he’s still alive,” Hayden
says.
“The doctors said it was the Hardwire implant,” Alan
says. “The Spektrum—I mean, his clone—hit him so hard, it was like getting hit
by a truck. His head should’ve been cracked open, but the wires strengthened
his bones.”
“But he’s still completely out of it,” Hayden says. “What
if he never wakes up?”
“Hey,” Look Out says as he walks into the room quickly.
“Get ready to take off.”
“We’re doing a mission now?” Hayden says. “But Smart Mouth isn’t even back.”
“It’s not one of those missions,” Look Out says. “Though,
Smart Mouth will be there.”
“What do you mean?” Alan asks.
“Where’re we going?” Hayden asks.
“You’re both meeting him in California,” Look Out says.
The sun rose on the West Coast, but Simon was already
awake. He couldn’t sleep well with his mind racing about Cyndi being upset with
him for what Siro said, or how his parents were after seeing the video for
themselves. But when 8 o’clock came around, he still got out of bed and got
ready for church.
“Hey,” Zoey says as Simon walks in for the 9 o’clock
service. “How’re you holding up?”
“Well, I don’t want to die at church on a Sunday,” he
says, “so not well.”
“Yeah, you don’t look it,” she says. “I didn’t want to
just come out and say it until I asked you, though.”
“Thanks,” he manages to chuckle.
He continues on into the sanctuary while Zoey hangs back.
She’s waiting for her friends, but her friends sneak up on her.
“So, Zo,” Marina asks. “What’s going on with Tobey
McGuire?”
“What?” Zoey giggles.
“What were you talking with Simon about?” Karina asks.
“Well,” Zoey hesitates. “I didn’t want to gossip or
anything, but after seeing Siro’s video, he and Cyndi are on the rocks. And
from how tired he looks, it hasn’t smoothed over.”
“So are they breaking up?” Chloe asks.
“What? No, I said they’re on the rocks. They’re just
having a rough time with how that clone put that promo out there in the world.”
“Promo?” Marina asks in confusion.
“It’s how Simon put it,” Zoey says. “But that’s beside
the point. She didn’t like having to hear all that in Simon’s voice since Siro
is his clone.”
“To be honest, even if you didn’t know who Simon was,”
Chloe says, “Siro’s pretty scary. He sounded really, really angry…”
“But what if they do
break up?” Karina asks. “Are you going to make a move?”
“What?” Zoey and Chloe both say.
“Karina, come on,” Zoey says. “I wouldn’t just jump after
a guy like that.”
“If it was the guy I liked, I would,” Karina says.
“Oh of course you would,” Zoey says.
“I don’t know if you should at all,” Chloe says.
“What?” Zoey and Karina both say.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zoey asks.
“Well, after seeing his dark side talk for him, how do
you know he’s not the same?”
“Chloe, I can’t believe you,” Zoey says. “You sound just
like Cyndi. Don’t judge Simon by what Siro says. He’s the evil clone, emphasis
on ‘evil.’”
“Well, I guess you know him better than we do,” Chloe
says. “Just be careful, okay?”
“Um, ladies?” Mr. Osou says as he walks up. “The service
is about to begin, so perhaps you should get to your seats.”
“Right, of course,” Zoey says.
“Sorry, Dad,” Karina says.
The four girls go upstairs to the balcony seating while
Mr. Osou joins Mrs. Osou in the pews.
Tyler “Tiger” Garrett walks in from the pool. He dries
off with a towel while texting Julie to get him something for lunch. Then he
heads upstairs to get dressed.
“Good morning, Tiger,” the 6’1” brunette says from the
bed.
She sits up, not worried when the blanket falls off her
tan-lined body.
“Good morning to you… Heather?”
“Helena,” she corrects.
“Close enough,” he shrugs. “Are you sticking around? I
could order you something, too.”
“I probably shouldn’t,” she says. “My professor didn’t
give me as much of an extension on my research project as I hoped for.”
“Really? I would’ve given you all the time in the world.”
Helena chuckles as she gets up. She puts on her clothes
before heading downstairs. Tiger changes out of his Speedo into slacks when he hears
Helena let out a sharp scream. He heads downstairs and spots her backed up
against the kitchen island staring at something around the corner. He turns at
the bottom of the stairs to look into the living room, where someone in a mask
sits in the leather arm chair. The masked man wears red and black, with a stark
white circle with a slash through it on his chest.
“Well she’s
definitely over 18,” Siro says, slightly sarcastic.
“You?!” Tiger growls. “How they hell did you find me?”
“Oh y’know, facial recognition type stuff,” Siro says as
he admires the craftsmanship on the chair. “But even with that, we only
narrowed it down to the city of Miami. You should really be more careful what
you post on the internet.”
“I didn’t post anything,” Tiger says.
But then he realizes Siro wasn’t talking to him. Tiger
looks at Helena.
“Well, how else would my friends believe me?” she
defends.
“Just get out of here!” Tiger shouts.
Helena runs for the front door as Tiger glares at Siro.
Siro stands up as Helena slams the door behind her.
“So what’re you even doing here?” Tiger asks him. “Going
to haunt me like you’re The Spektrum’s ghost? I didn’t kill him, by the way.”
“No, of course you didn’t,” Siro says. “But this vist
isn’t about The Spektrum. This is about you. About how you’re scum, and how
you’re going to be an example for the rest of the scum.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Tiger sneers. “Especially
without pretty Kitty around.”
Siro turns all black and runs at Tiger! Tiger kicks him
in the chest but Siro rolls back. Tiger runs at Siro and practically field goal
kicks, but Siro goes blue to take the hit solid! Then he turns yellow as he
grabs the leg. Siro holds the leg in one arm as he stands up, and then he spins
as he falls down, twisting Tiger’s leg at the knee!
“AGH!” Tiger lets out as he turns sideways.
Siro keeps hold of the leg and rolls backwards to get to
his feet. Tiger falls forward and Siro pulls back, foot planted in Tiger’s
back. Tiger growls as he wriggles his way out from under. The two rotate and
Tiger kicks with his free leg into Siro’s side. Tiger says as he gets both feet
into Siro’s stomach.
Tiger shoves Siro away with both legs, and Siro crashes
into the coffee table. To Siro’s surprise and dismay, it doesn’t break, so his
crash landing is extra painful. The table topples over with him.
“You and you’re stupid pro-wrestling style,” Tiger says
as he walks over. “You probably thought that would break like those gimmick
ones they use.”
“Don’t talk trash when you haven’t even won,” Siro says.
“Or did you not notice my colors changing?”
Siro in blue picks the table up and throws it at Tiger!
Tiger puts up his arms but obviously that doesn’t stop anything. The table hits
him hard in the elbow, and he hobbles away as he clutches that arm.
Tiger goes to the kitchen area while Siro picks up the
table.
“Bet you wish it broke on me now, huh?” Siro says as he
turns silver.
Siro
breaks off one of the table’s thick legs, and throws it at Tiger. It hits Tiger
in the head with a *TWHACK* and Tiger tumbles into the bar stools by the
kitchen island. Siro breaks the other legs off to keep just the flat top. He
brings that over as Tiger crawls. Siro aims and thrusts but Tiger ducks, and
the table top hits the oven door. Tiger tackles Siro out from under and they
hit the fallen bar stools.
The two scuffle on top of the stool legs, and Siro
punches Tiger into the side of the island. Tiger gets up and swipes at Siro’s
shoulder, and Siro gets cut! Tiger’s nails are claws now!
Tiger drags Siro up and throws him at the back door. Siro
tumbles out to poolside and Tiger stalks behind him.
“Y’know, I didn’t like you before, just off my first
impression,” Tiger says. “But I really
don’t like you after your video. I’m not going to listen to some brat talk
about how other people should live their lives when you probably haven’t even
hit puberty yet!”
“So now age matters to you?” Siro says as he slowly sits
up. “You sure didn’t hesitate to force yourself on Catgirl!”
“Oh please,” Tiger says. “She wanted it! It was so
obvious. She wore the dress, she ate the food. She was clearly all for it, she
just didn’t know how to say it.”
“You know,” Siro says as he starts standing up. “You’re
right about me being wrong. You’re not trash. You’re toxic waste, blessed with
things you don’t deserve! And I’m not going to tell you how to live. I’m going
to tell you how to die!!”
Siro turns red and activates Overdrive and he SPEARS
Tiger down! They skid into the wall, and Siro gets up to rain down fists from
both sides! Tiger can’t get his guard up, but he does grab Siro’s arms. Tiger
holds tight, but Siro turns yellow and uses Tiger’s own grip to bring him up
into a monkey flip! Tiger flies overhead and hits the ground hard.
Siro’s arms are free, and he kip-ups to his feet. He
turns and sees Tiger stand back up. Siro uses Yellow’s Flash Kick to hit Tiger
in the back of the head! Tiger falls face
first into the pool with a big splash, then sinks to the bottom.
“Maybe that’ll wash away the scum,” Siro mutters to
himself.
But Tiger springs up and yanks Siro’s foot out from under
him! Siro hits the edge of the pool with his chin before being dragged into the
water! Siro flails and kicks as Tiger has him in the deep end! Tiger becomes
more and more tiger-like, his tail and ears coming out. Tiger claws at Siro
even more, but the water does drag him down, too. Siro uses Red and Overdrive
again to kick Tiger away then scramble for the edge.
However, Simon was never the best swimmer, so neither is
Siro. His form is sloppy, so Tiger catches up to him easily. Tiger claws his
legs as he drags him back in. Siro turns blue and rears back. His head hits
Tiger in the nose and Tiger snaps back from the pain. Siro goes back to Red,
waits until his feet touch the bottom of the pool, and then uses Overdrive to
run through the water to get to the edge. He then jumps up and breaches out of
the water to flop onto the ground.
Siro gasps for air, but his mask is soaked and stifling.
He pulls it off so he can breathe. He crawls, then walks on his knees, as he
falls back from the pool area.
“This is really starting to piss me off!” Tiger says as
he transforms into Man-Tiger.
Man-Tiger wipes his bloody nose off on his fur-covered
arm. Siro wrings out his mask before putting it back on. He continues to
retreat, and goes around the corner, only to see an even bigger house up ahead.
“This was the guest house?!” Siro shouts.
“How dare you call it a ‘guest house?!’” Tiger shouts.
“No guests stay here, it’s my loft!”
Tiger swings a big right paw, but Siro ducks to ram his
shoulder into Tiger’s stomach. Siro turns Silver and throws big body shots.
Tiger coughs but spins to kick Siro back in the stomach. Tiger then front kicks
Siro in the chest before hitting him with a wheel kick, clipping Siro’s cheek
with his tiger paw heel. Siro wobbles, and Tiger grabs him by a leg, to drag
him, swing him, and throw him at the mansion!
Siro crashes into the table on the patio, and this one
breaks while sending the chairs scattering. Siro coughs and sputters as he lies
in the wreckage.
“Owwwwww…!” he lets out in a frustrated groan.
Siro gets up and turns Blue. Tiger runs as a tiger would
on all fours, and Siro braces himself. Siro wants to activate the force field,
but it doesn’t.
C’mon! Siro
thinks with panic and frustration. Activate!
“Stupid dumbass bullsh-”
Tiger pounces on Siro and they bust through the door!
Wood and glass goes everywhere while Tiger and Siro hit the marble floor and
slide.
Tiger gets up first, shaking off the splinters and shards
as he stands to his full seven feet in height. He bends down to grab Siro by
his collar and drag him up to his feet.
“Your revenge plan seems more like a suicide mission,”
Tiger says. “You should’ve just brought a gun and shot me.”
“And where’s the fun in that?” Siro says through a groan.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Tiger says with a grin full of
sharp fangs. “That would’ve been too easy for both of us. If you’d shot me like
a coward, I wouldn’t get to do this!”
Tiger opens his jaw wide, ready to bite Siro’s head off!
But Siro turns Red and quickly jabs him in the throat!
Tiger lets Siro go as he coughs and gasps. Siro drops to
the floor, but sits up enough to kick Tiger in the back of the leg. Tiger falls
to his knee while Siro gets up. Siro aims and kicks Tiger in the head with a
“buzzsaw” roundhouse! Tiger is dazed but Siro is slowed down by his cuts and
bruises. Siro still manages to grab Tiger’s tail! Tiger lets out a loud “RAWR!”
in both pain and anger as Siro gives it a hard yank!
Tiger growls as he gets up to his feet. He hooks his leg
back to hook his tail and free it from Siro’s grip, then mule kicks into Siro’s
stomach. Siro doubles over, then Tiger kicks him so hard in the head that Siro
spins sideways into the wall. Siro flops to the ground, but he’s Blue now.
Tiger drags him up to ram a knee into his ribs! But then he feels pain in his
knee and he hobbles back. There’s a glowing blue panel where he went to hit
Siro!
“What is that?!” Tiger shouts. “I thought you could only
make that dome!”
“I leveled up recently,” Siro says. “But I haven’t gotten
used to the new requirements to mold my force field energy yet. Otherwise you
would’ve run into a wall outside. But again, it’s no fun if it’s too easy,
right?”
Siro leans back into light ropes to spring forward! He
turns Red to Overdrive and SPEAR Tiger again, right into the wall! Then as
Silver, he carries Tiger to ram him into the wall again! And again! And again!
The wall gives way and the two fall through plaster and plywood to end up in
the dining room!
Siro gets up first this time, and he hobbles away while
stretching out his back.
“I wonder if we can break this table,” Siro says as he
looks the long wooden rectangle up and down.
“Don’t you even think about it,” Tiger growls and groans.
“Oh? This table suddenly matters to you?”
“My mother… Chose it…” Tiger says between raspy breaths.
“It’s all that’s… left of her.”
“I’m sorry,” Siro says, “am I supposed to care?”
“W-What?” Tiger says, completely stunned.
“Your mother is gone, and yet you live like this?” Siro
says. “And I don’t mean richly. I mean like a stain on the clothes of the
world. I mean like a complete and utter sleaze. I mean in a way that would
surely make your mother absolutely disappointed in you.”
Tiger takes seething breaths through grit teeth, and he
roars as he leaps up to his feet. He rushes Siro in rage, but Siro always stays
just out of reach of the claws. They end up out of the dining room and in the
front lobby of the house. Siro sees the stairs and heads up there to avoid
being cornered. Tiger leaps up ahead of him! Siro barely turns around before
Tiger grabs him and throws him further up!
Siro tumbles at the top of the stairs and Tiger runs on
all fours to catch up. Siro gets to his feet and Tiger tackles him into the
pictures on the wall. Tiger throws Siro into the railing but Siro keeps himself
from falling over. Siro rolls along the railing to evade as Tiger rushes in
again. Tiger keeps swinging as Siro backs away. Siro trips on a seam as the
floor changes from hardwood to carpet! Tiger back hands Siro and sends him
tumbling.
Siro gets to his feet and sees this area is like a game
room, with a couch and television on the far end, and a pool table before them.
Tiger grabs Siro and throws him onto said pool table! Siro lands onto the balls
and knocks a few of them into holes. Tiger grabs a pool cue off the wall and
SMACKS Siro on the back with it! Siro arches back as he shouts in pain, but
Tiger just keeps smacking him until the cue stick breaks.
Tiger rips the dangling part off to hold just the jagged
base of the stick. Tiger aims, both hands holding the stick, ready to stab! But
Siro rolls away and Tiger stabs nothing but green felt. Siro flops off the
table and rolls into railing.
Tiger looks at the stick, and it’s been mashed by the
wood under the felt. He tosses it aside, and growls as he comes around the
table. Siro scrambles to his feet but Tiger grabs him around the throat with
one big paw.
“If my mother was alive, maybe she would disapprove of
how I’ve turned out,” Tiger says, motioning to his Man-Tiger self. “But she’s
not, so she can’t be. There’s nothing but this life, so why should I care what
other people say about living it? Though, you should feel so lucky as to die
twice!”
Tiger lifts Siro up and looks down. The game room
overlooks the dining room, and that means the dining room table.
“Sorry, Ma,” Tiger says under his breath.
But then Siro smacks him in the head, with the 8 Ball!
Then he kicks Tiger in the balls!
Tiger doubles over, and Siro grabs his arm to swing him
at light ropes. Tiger staggers and rebounds off them, and Siro Silver suplexes
and THROWS Tiger over the railing! Tiger this the chandelier on the way down,
and then crashes head first through
Mrs. Garrett’s dining room table, splitting it down the middle!
Siro stares down at Tiger from over the railing, but
Tiger doesn’t move. He does change back to being human, however.
Siro finds his way back down the stairs and around to the
dining room. Tiger’s neck is in a horrifyingly unnatural position. His eyes are
lifeless, and mouth agape as his body is just a rag doll on top of the
splintered wood.
“Si- … In. Siro, come in.”
Siro pulls his mask off to check the communicator in his
ear. He blows on it then puts it back in.
“What?” he asks as he has a finger on it.
“Your Earth poli- … ming!” Zorb says, the signal still
patchy. “And a … them!”
Siro didn’t need to guess what Zorb meant when he could
hear sirens in the distance.
Guess this is a
crime scene now, Siro thinks.
But then Tiger’s neck starts to correct itself! Tiger’s
head is back the way it should be, and life returns to his eyes.
“AAAAAH!” Tiger shouts in intense fright!
Tiger gets up fast, slapping himself all over, as if
trying to put out fire. His eyes have tears pouring out as he looks around
frantically. Then he sees Siro and scrambles backwards to the corner.
“What did you do to me?!” he shouts, so angry and afraid.
“You came back to life,” Siro says.
“What?!” Tiger shouts. “Back… I died?!”
“Which means…” Siro says, completely ignoring Tiger’s
trauma as he thinks. “HE came back!!”
Siro turns Red again to use what energy he has left for
Overdrive. He uses his superspeed to return to the backyard. He stands still
long enough for Zorb to get a lock and *WHOOMF* teleport him back to the ship.
“What were you talking to yourself about in there?” Zorb
asks.
“He’s alive!” Siro growls. “He’s been alive this entire
time!”
“Who has?” Zita asks.
“The Spektrum!!” Siro shouts.
As for Tiger, he is almost in the fetal position in the
corner of the dining room. He shivers from fear as he looks at the broken
table. Police come up to the front door and start banging but he doesn’t
notice. His mind is racing from what he saw.
He was in darkness, and saw the bright light. It was so
cliché, he would’ve rolled his eyes if he could. But he was stuck staring at
the light. And in that light, his mother appeared, and she looked the same as
she did all those years ago. But she was crying. She was crying more than he
could remember her ever crying when she was alive.
“Tyler,” she said with such sorrow. “My baby boy… Please,
no! No!”
He wanted to ask why she was crying, why she was so sad.
But he couldn’t say anything, because it felt like someone’s hand was over his
mouth. The hand was ice cold, but there was a heat at his back. He felt so cold
on one side, and so hot on the other. Then things flipped! He felt so cold at
his back and so hot on his face! The immediate switch from extreme cold to
extreme heat was like being cooked on a skillet! Hot, cold, hot, cold, spinning
around and around and all the time, just pain! And just as that pain hit its
peak, he came back to reality. Or, to life, as The Spektrum’s clone put it.
“Sir? Sir?”
Tiger snaps to attention and sees the police officers in
front of him.
“What happened here?” the one kneeling in front of him
asks.
Despite shouting at Siro just before, Tiger struggles to
speak now.
“I… I died…” he says, voice cracking and a tear falling.
Back in California, the Michaels return home from Alameda,
but there is a car parked on the curb and people waiting on the porch.
“Who the heck are they?” Mr. Michaels says.
“Scotty,” Mrs. Michaels reprimands.
“What? I said ‘heck.’”
“He did say ‘heck,’ Mom,” James says.
But Simon immediately knows who these visitors are the
moment he sees them over his brothers’ heads.
“Oh no,” he says.
“What?” Mrs. Michaels asks. “Did you forget something at
church?”
Mr. Michaels parks in the driveway, and Simon immediately
unbuckles.
“Simon,” Mrs. Michaels says, “you have to wait until we
stop moving.”
The moment the car stops, Simon gets out of the door and
heads right for the porch.
“What’re you doing here?” he shouts at Darklite.
Darklite sat on the porch bench while Hayden and Alan sat
on the steps. Simon recognizes Smart Mouth standing by their door, but not Whip
Cream, who was standing closer to Darklite.
“It’s good to see you, again, too,” Darklite says.
“Answer my question, damn it!” Simon shouts.
“Simon,” Mrs. Michaels reprimands while both Hayden and
Alan let out a “Whoa...!”
“Watch your tone,” Whip Cream says as she unfurls a whip.
“Everyone, let’s just calm down,” Darklite says with a
wave of his hand. “Though, it should be obvious why we’re here, aren’t we?”
“No, it isn’t,” Mrs. Michaels says as she steps in front
of her son. “Why are you on our porch? Who are you people?”
“They’re from Reciprocity, Mom,” Simon says. “The people
I was telling you about the other day.”
“Oh good, so your family does know,” Darklite says. “I
suppose that makes this easier.”
“Makes what easier?” Josh asks as he, James and Mr.
Michaels walk up behind Simon and their mother.
Darklite gets up with help from his obsidian cane.
“What are you doing on that video?” Darklite asks, his
voice much more stern than just a moment ago.
“Video?” James asks.
Simon’s expression goes flat.
“Are you serious?” he asks back. “You’re here because of
Siro’s video? How freakin’ stupid are all of you!?”
“Simon!” Mrs. Michaels reprimands even stronger.
“I said ‘freaking’,” Simon snaps back. “And to think the
leader of a shadow organization is that stupid to think I’d be able to just go
back and forth between my house and Zorb’s spaceship! Siro and I are completely
different people!”
“And we’re really supposed to believe he’s just a clone?”
Smart Mouth says.
“Yeah, numb nuts, you are,” Simon snaps at him.
Simon’s brothers both chuckle while Smart Mouth sneers.
“What made you think I was even working with Zorb
anyway?” Simon asks.
“Well, the fact you got up and walked out of an
ambulance,” Smart Mouth says.
“Wait, you knew about that?”
“Idiot,” Whip Cream snarls at Smart Mouth.
“Just because Siro says he’s your clone isn’t proof to
us,” Smart Mouth continues, not bothering to register Whip Cream’s mood.
“How about me being in two places at once?” Simon
counters. “When Siro showed up, I was there watching him.”
“Another likely story,” Smart Mouth says. “If there isn’t
proof that you’re somewhere else while Siro is beating up Hardwire-”
*dudu dudu, dudu dudu* A phone rings, cutting Smart Mouth
off.
“Oh, it’s me,” Darklite says.
He flips his phone open and puts it to his ear.
“What is it, Phonebook?” he says.
“It’s Tiger,” she says. “He just called after having
dealt with police. He didn’t sound good.”
“Is he really calling in a favor over a run in with the
authorities?” Darklite asks. “Doesn’t his father have people for that?”
“It’s because it has to do with something the police
can’t handle,” she explains. “Siro attacked him. And… killed him.”
Darklite’s eyes widen, and he slowly takes off his
sunglasses. He walks down the steps, and squints as he leaves the shadow of the
porch awning.
“He was with you all morning, wasn’t he?” Darklite asks
Mr. & Mrs. Michaels.
“Yes, he was,” Mr. Michaels says.
“Then there’s your proof,” Darklite says to Smart Mouth.
“Siro was in Florida just now, having apparently fought, and killed, Tiger.”
“What?!” Smart Mouth blurts while Alan and Hayden stand
up, looks of shock on their faces.
“He’s dead?!” Alan asks.
“No,” Darklite says. “He came back to life. Just like The
Spektrum, it seems.”
“The Spektrum?” both James and Josh say.
“But he’s not The Spektrum,” James says.
Simon changes to Code Silver and his brothers practically
jump off the ground.
“He killed someone?” Mrs. Michaels says.
She looks at her son with an even sadder look than
yesterday.
“It’s not me, Mom!” he defends.
“Maybe not physically,” Smart Mouth says. “But we all
know something went down between you and Tiger, so maybe Siro is just getting
revenge for the both of you.”
“Well considering Tiger tried to rape Zoey- Uh, Cat-”
“Wait, what?” Mr. Michaels says. “Zoey’s The Catgirl?”
“She’s not ‘The Catgirl’, it’s just Catgirl,” The
Spektrum says. “Though, actually, that’d be a better name.”
“So Siro really is a clone,” Hayden says. “And he’s the
one who put Hardwire in a coma. So then we don’t have a reason to be mad at The
Spektrum at all.”
“Meh,” Alan says as he shrugs. “Just means I don’t get to
shoot up stuff.”
“Well, then,” Darklite says. “I suppose we should come up
with a way to stop Siro. Let’s get going then.”
Whip Cream walks down the stairs, ushering Alan and
Hayden on.
“C’mon,” Smart Mouth says to The Spektrum. “We’ll go pick
up Catgirl, too.”
“Uh, how about no?” Spektrum says. “I told you I’m done
with you after you almost shot a bunch of holes at my school. And you’re not
dragging Zoey into this, either. Siro is my
clone, I’ll fight him.”
“As if you could,” Smart Mouth says. “See, the math is
pretty simple here. Those masked aliens? You weren’t able to beat them, but
Hardwire was. And then this clone of yours comes around and beats Hardwire.
Therefore, your own clone is too strong for even you to beat.”
“I must’ve scrambled your brain when I punched you,” Spektrum
says as he changes to Code Black. “Maybe I should punch you again, see if it
helps you think clearly. I, would, have, won! You’re the idiots who rushed in!”
“Because you were losing,”
Smart Mouth says.
The two are almost face to face, but Whip Cream pulls
Smart Mouth back.
“We’re supposed to be on the same side,” she says.
“Yeah, I don’t see it,” Spektrum says, turning back to
Silver. “But now that you know we’re not the same person, you can go back to
dwelling in your little dungeon with Daddy Darklite. Go on. Go home.”
Spektrum shoos Smart Mouth with a wave of his hand. Smart
Mouth grumbles, but stops when he sees someone coming up from behind. Spektrum
looks over and sees Zoey, now in casual clothing as opposed to what she wore to
church.
“Oh…” she says when she notices the Reciprocity Inc.
members. “Um…”
“Everyone knows, Cat,” Spektrum says. “Don’t worry.”
“Oh,” she says, only slightly relieved. “In that case,
everyone should want to see this, then.”
She walks over to Simon as she brings out her phone.
“Siro posted another video,” she says as she shows it to
him.
Simon stares at the same thumbnail image, but the title
confirms it’s a new video.
I KNØW YØU LIVE
Simon stares at the screen sternly as Zoey taps it to
play. The thumbnail fades out again, and Siro is now in another room of Zorb’s
ship.
After Siro returned to the ship, Zorb and Zita had the
Masqueraders bring him into the medical bay.
“Get in the healing tub,” Zita said as she pressed the
button on the panel.
The tub assembled itself and then filled with water.
“Wait,” Zita said. “You need to strip.”
“Seriously?” Siro sighed.
“We saw you naked in the clone tube, stop being so
self-conscious,” Zorb said.
Siro frowned at them but he pulled off his gear, despite his
whole body hurting, and got in the tub.
“Get the video recorder,” Siro said. “I’m going to post a
new promo.”
“Not in the shape you’re in,” Zita said. “You need to
rest.”
“I’ll rest after I’ve recorded the promo,” he said.
“No, you record the promo after you’ve rested,” Zorb
said. “That’s final.”
Zorb led everyone else to the door.
“I’m not your child,” Siro snarled.
“Obviously,” Zorb said. “You’re my subordinate and my
investment. You’re not at 100% so you’re in no position to disagree.”
Siro grumbled but he couldn’t counter since his body’s
pain proved Zorb right. Zorb and the others left to leave Siro alone.
Siro rested for only an hour before he got out of the
tub. He dried and dressed himself before going to the living room. He didn’t
say a word to the others as he picked up the camera and took it to his room.
The video starts with Siro seething as he glares right
into the camera. Simon takes note of the bed he sits on. The frame is basic black
and the rest of the room is white. Siro himself looks awful with all the
scratches and bruises on his shoulders and arms. Simon stares back, and almost
it’s as if they’re looking at each other through the video.
“You’re alive, aren’t you?” Siro finally says. “You
didn’t die that day in December. At least, you didn’t stay dead. If Tyler
‘Tiger’ Garrett came back from the dead, then surely you did. Which means when
we sent down the Masqueraders that day, and Hardwire stood in their way, you
stayed hidden. Like a coward! You didn’t confront Craig before I did, because
you are a coward! And because you are a coward, I bet you won’t even show up to
fight me. I will give you until this Friday, January 27th, to find
your balls and be a man again. Until
then, enjoy your borrowed time on this Earth.”
The video ends, making the screen go to black. Siro is
gone, but Simon’s own reflection glares back at him.
Zoey looks up at Simon as they’re shoulder to shoulder.
He’s Code Black, but she can’t see his glowing red eye directly.
“Why did he give you until Friday?” Hayden asks. “Why
doesn’t he just show up right here and now? Like, he knows this is your house,
right? I mean, he’s you.”
“There seem to be a few reasons,” Simon says. “He hadn’t
healed yet. He should’ve Deactivated, and that would’ve fixed those scratches
and bruises. Though, he’d still be tired, too, so it’s all the same.”
“Plus, how do you think Zorb and his people are able to
teleport?” Zoey says. “It’s because they can watch us from space. If Earth has
satellite camera technology, don’t you think they’d have similar? He can see
all of you hear. Even if he brought the other Masqueraders, he doesn’t want to
cause a huge fight that would endanger the family.”
“What would that matter to him?” Smart Mouth scowls.
“Good or bad, family is family,” Zoey says. “He wants
this to just be the two of them. Siro VS The Spektrum, nothing more, nothing
less. I’m just worried that you won’t have all-”
“I’ll be fine, Zoey,” Simon says. “And if I don’t win,
then and only then, can Reciprocity
make a move.”
“Or we could just not care and go after him right when he
shows up,” Smart Mouth says.
“Hey!” Zoey snaps at him. “What’s the point of you moving
me and my cousins here if we’re not supposed to handle things?”
“You’re going
to fight Siro when he fails?” Smart
Mouth says, pointing to Zoey and Simon in turn.
“I won’t fail,” Simon says as Zoey says, “He won’t fail.”
“And why not me?” Zoey says. “I’m still Reciprocity,
aren’t I? And if I need help, then I’ll get my cousins.”
“Well alright, then,” Darklite says before Smart Mouth
can retort. “The Spektrum will take on his evil clone, with Catgirl and her
cousins as his reinforcements.”
“Wait, Zoey’s cousins are superheroes, too?” James asks.
“That’s not fair!” Josh says. “We play video games all
the time and we don’t have superpowers!”
“Well they weren’t exactly handing them out at the
store,” Simon says, back as Silver.
“Let’s get going, everyone,” Darklite says as he heads to
the Reciprocity SUV.
Darklite hops in the front passenger seat, Whip Cream is
the driver, and Smart Mouth piles in with Hayden and Alan in the back. The
vehicle drives off and the Michaels finally get inside their own house. But Simon
changes back to himself as stays outside with Zoey.
“So you’re going to go through with the fight?” Zoey asks
him. “Even with only two out of five Color Codes?”
“Yeah,” he says, “because I’m not a coward. But since he
gave us until Friday, maybe we can train until then, see if I can’t get at
least one Code back before then.”
“Okay,” Zoey says. “But what about telling Cyndi all this
first?”
“I suppose I’ll have to,” Simon sighs. “Tomorrow, after
school.”
“Or you could try right now,” Zoey says. “She’s only the
next block over.”
“I don’t think she’ll listen to me if she doesn’t have
to,” Simon says. “She hasn’t called or texted back, and she probably won’t
answer the door.”
“Probably not,” Zoey says. “Honestly, I’m a bit surprised
she hasn’t shown up here, either. Don’t you think she would’ve seen Siro’s new
video?”
“I don’t think she would, after the first one,” Simon
says.
“Oh, also true. Ugh, I don’t know why she’s being so
difficult. I wouldn’t be like this if I were your girlfriend.”
The two are quiet a moment until they both realize what
Zoey said.
“What?” he says as Zoey lets out a long, “Uhhh…”
“Not that I could be your girlfriend, because Cyndi
hasn’t confirmed if she’s dumped you,” Zoey panics. “She shouldn’t dump you,
because that’s silly. I wouldn’t dump you over this. Not that I would date you.
No, I mean, not that… Um… I should go, got lots of homework still to do! Bye!”
“Wait!” Simon says as Zoey runs off. “What did you mean?”
Simon sighs as she’s already at the corner and checking
for cars as she jogs across the street. He’d run after, but he’s not that fast
without Red. He just goes inside the house with a confused frown on his face.
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