CODE NAME : UNIVERAL

Code Name: Universal -Chapter 1: A Glitch in the Matrix

The Trinidadian sun beat down on Princes Town, turning the asphalt roads into shimmering mirages. Michael, a lanky teenager with a shock of curly hair, wiped sweat from his brow and squinted at the news report playing on his phone.

"Adriano Reyes, a promising young scientist, vanished without a trace from the Horizon Labs facility last night," the newscaster droned. "Police are baffled, and rumors of a lab explosion and a possible superhuman escape have been circulating."

Michael's heart skipped a beat. Adriano, his best friend since childhood, had always been a bit of a brainiac, but this was beyond anything they'd ever talked about. A super escape? It sounded like something out of a comic book.

Across the street, LaQuisha, Michael's girlfriend, watched him with concern. Her eyes, usually sparkling with mischief, were shadowed by worry. She had a way of seeing into his soul, and Michael knew she sensed the turmoil brewing beneath his laid-back exterior.

"Mick," she said, her voice soft, "you knew Adriano better than anyone. Do you think there's any truth to this?"

Michael shook his head, trying to force a smile. "Adriano wouldn't hurt a fly, Latte. He was all circuits and code, not some mutant superhero."

But the doubt gnawed at him. Adriano had been secretive lately, spending long hours at the lab, always returning with a haunted look in his eyes. Michael had pushed it aside then, attributing it to the pressure of his research, but now, the pieces were falling into a terrifying puzzle.

That night, a storm raged, mirroring the turmoil in Michael's mind. He tossed and turned, Adriano's face morphing into a stranger's, his eyes glowing with an unnatural energy. Suddenly, a jolt of electricity shot through him, waking him with a gasp.

He sat up, heart hammering, and stared at his trembling hands. Light danced at his fingertips, crackling with a power he never knew he possessed. A wave of understanding washed over him: Adriano's experiment, a fusion of flesh and machine, had gone wrong. Adriano wasn't missing; he was gone, replaced by something…else.

Fear morphed into determination. He had to find Adriano, to understand what had happened, and to stop him if he posed a threat. He wouldn't let his friend become a monster.

The next day, a new energy pulsed through Michael. He felt connected to the world around him, to the wind whispering secrets through the trees, to the sun warming his skin. He could sense the rhythm of the universe, a symphony of elements and forces.

He looked at LaQuisha, his eyes wide with wonder. "Latte," he whispered, "I can do things…things I never thought possible."

He extended his hand, and a single leaf, defying gravity, floated towards him. LaQuisha gasped, her own hand outstretched, and a nearby flower bloomed, its petals glowing in the morning sun.

In that moment, they knew. They were no longer just Michael and LaQuisha. They were Universal and Uni, two souls intertwined with the universe itself, destined to face the rising darkness.

And their quest for Adriano had just begun.