Back in New York
Austin Penthouse
Jonathan indulged in a delicious meal. His plate had several diced wagyu steak slabs coated with red wine and bacon gravy.
The elevator opened as he skewed the slab of meat with his fork and knife. Quickly, he stood up and said, "Master Austin...."
Before him stood a beautiful young woman in a white pantsuit. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was 5 feet and 9.5 inches tall. Her eyes sparkled likes jewels. Now beautifully carved, without an eyelid crease, they confirmed from a distance that she was Asian.
"Mariko?" Jonathan asked, puzzled by an unexpected visit.
"Jonathan dear, it's good to see you," Mariko smiled.
She enveloped him with a warm embrace. Once she let go of him, she spoke, "Kon'nichiwa," Mariko said as Jonathan chuckled.
The Watanabe and the Austin family had known each other for years and had a business relationship. Jonathan, Sam's Earth father, hosted them for dinner at his house on several occasions. It was then Sam met Mariko and had a likening to her. All the while, she was intrigued by him. Since they were often distant apart, they couldn't nurture their relationship into something more. However, whenever their families met, they connected more without the hindrance of technological devices.
"Watashi wa Genki desu. Daijōbu?" Jonathan asked.
She smiled, impressed by the latter's improvement regarding his knowledge of Japanese.
Jonathan has always been fascinated by the Japanese language. The Watanabe's influenced him greatly, and he took the initiative to learn the language through his research and also through the help of a Japanese linguist.
"I am good, so where is Sam? I haven't seen him for quite some time?" She asked.
*********
At an Abandoned airstrip, Sam's car drove up the rear-ramp door of the jet. When it reached the cargo room, it parked itself.
A loud thunderclap echoed as Sam landed on the ground. From the blue sky, a man in a coat of flames descended to the plot of land. Not far behind, he was followed by a female companion who exuded a wine-purple aura. It was Diana and Dan.
Dan used his coat of flames as propellers, while Diana used her aura's energy as propellers. When the two descended on the ground, right behind the jet, they returned to normal as Diana's aura dissipated, while Dan's flames did the same.
Diana stroked her left cheek as they mounted the rear ramp door. Instead of a rough surface, she felt a smooth one. She once developed red blotches during her scuffle with Dan. However, it would appear as though they have vanished.
She slipped her hand into her right pocket and pulled out a pocket mirror. When she opened it, she marveled at her reflection. The second-degree burns she sustained had leisurely withered away.
"Strange?" She replied.
When the three entered the cargo room, the plane's system lifted the ramp door and closed the room.
"What's so strange, my dear? Is it because I whooped your ass?" Dan retorted.
Her face boiled red as she clenched her teeth. Coming to terms with his nature, she took a deep breath and calmed down.
"Keep it together, Diana. He's just a moron," she reflected.
"Awe, is it eating you up already? What a shame, have some balls and accept your loss. Oh wait, I forgot, you don't have any," he burst into laughter.
"You know what... I've had it with you. You're a fucking moron, a huge pile of elephant shit!" She shouted.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Sam exclaimed. The tone of his voice testified of exasperation.
Dan chuckled, "Jeez, people, relax... I was only kidding. Y'all are worked up for nothing."
She exhaled while Sam turned his attention to her.
"Do you mind telling us about what you said ... About something being strange?"
"Well, I don't have the second burns I got from fighting Dan..."
She looked at Dan and bore witness to an appalling fact. It was the fact that his right cheek was in good condition. New cells replaced the dying ones that once resided in his skin.
"Wait, even you?"
Dan raised his eyebrows with shock and failed to understand what she was saying.
Sam responded, "Oh yeah, it slipped my mind... I forgot to tell you that our species are more durable than humans. Those who have awakened their dormant cells can heal within an hour, or even thirty minutes at least."
"What, wait? Well, that does explain why my injuries healed faster when I was a kid," she said.
The three entered the cabin through the back door from the cargo room. Harrison was reclining on the couch when they first walked in. With his feet propped up on the left arm of the sofa and his head perched on the right, he donned a pair of headphones. He was in his element as the music notes danced cheerfully in his ear, stimulating a sense of bliss while they made their way down the canal. When he saw the three, he swiftly got off the couch and set the headphones aside as they drew nearer.
He lifted his hands and roared in annoyance, "I have been waiting for three hours!"
"Calm down, princess, " replied Diana while Dan chuckled.
"Mr. Austin, are you ready to leave?" Barney asked through the intercom.
"Yes," Sam said.
Within minutes, the jet blasted off into the air.
Meanwhile, Dan took a glass and poured himself a drink. He smelt the scent of the drink and asked, "What kind of drink is this?"
"A martini," replied Sam.
He chugged it down with one gulp and said, "That was one hell of a drink. "
Diana approached the glass desk and sat on the chair. She opened her Mac book while Dan looked at her with intrigue.
"Aren't you gonna have a drink?"
"Nope, unlike you, I'm not a sucker for booze."
He narrowed his eyes with an irritant. She put her headsets on in the meantime and got to work.
He turned around to face Sam.
"So, Mr. Austin, would you mind telling me why I'm here?"
"Well, I have a reason to believe that you...I mean, the three of you are my long-lost siblings," Sam replied.
"That's bull!" Dan said.
"It's not; I also haven't yet wrapped my head around it. "
Dan scoffed and asked, "Then why bring us here?"
"I know that the three of you are trying to suppress the connection you get when we're together, but I know that you feel something, " Sam replied.
"I can't explain it, but I feel like I can trust you," Dan said with his arms crossed.
A mighty thud then hit the ship.
"What the hell is that?" Dan asked as he turned to look at the ceiling.
"I don't know," replied Sam.
Everyone froze from where they were. Curious about current events, Diana removed her headsets and closed her Macbook. She got up from her chair and scoped around.
Sam and Dan looked at each other with disbelief. Then they directed their gaze at the cockpit door and stormed there in pursuit. When Sam burst into the cockpit, he found Barney lying on the steering wheel; his shirt was drenched with blood. Fortunately, the plane had a built-in system that enabled it to continue flying on autopilot if something happened to the pilot. Sam rushed to the panels and addressed his siblings through the speaker.
"Guys, brace yourself; it looks like we've got company. "
Sam and Dan approached the other two from the cockpit. Instinctively, they formed a circle.
"I wonder what's coming for us," Harrison said, with a voice laced with trepidation.
"Guys, be ready for anything," replied Sam.
"I'm always ready," said Diana.
********
From outside of the jet, a space scout ship trailed after them. The figure who assumed the helm was none other than Gordon. He activated the ship's arsenal system, releasing a series of plasma cannons underneath the spaceship.
From inside the jet, Dan turned to face Sam with a smile, "I'm gonna do something you won't like. It's nothing personal."
He stretched his hand towards the ceiling and launched a heat blast. The hungry flames devoured through the matter of the roof until nothing but a large gape was eventually carved.
"What is that?" Harrison inquired as he locked eyes with the scout ship approaching them.
"I don't know," replied Sam.
********
"Shall I commence with the attack, sir?" Fox Fire inquired from inside the scout ship.
Gordon touched his lower lip and answered, "Yes."
While Foxfire initiated the attack, he thought, "So these puny pests are Caldor's children, hey? What a joke! Well, let's see what they can do. Entertain me, brats!"
Foxfire fired numerous plasma beams at the jet plane, and Sam retaliated by launching U.V. rays from his hands into the plasma beams. An immense explosion occurred when the elements came in contact with each other.
Gordon rubbed his chin and smirked, "How fascinating?"
Diana propelled herself in the air through the gape with her aura. She stretched her hands towards the scout ship and thrust forth a series of air-pressure projectile attacks. The projectile attacks struck the vessel with significant impact. They also caused the metal components of the ship's exterior and the cannons to rust. Even the thrusters began to deteriorate and slowly struggled to work effectively.
"Sir, it appears that we have a list of problems. For starters, the canons are no longer in use. Also, the thrusters are failing to produce the required heat to help the ship remain in the air."
A scowl filled Gordon's face; he then pressed a red button. It released another cannon from the right side of the scout ship. From there onward, the canon fired a massive plasma beam, incinerating the jet's right-side wind turbine.
Then, the jet sank downward while gravity yanked the four away from its floor and into the abyss. Since Harrison couldn't fly, Sam flew to him and carried him away while Diana and Dan took possession of flight through their powers.
********
The four landed on the ground after some time.
"Is everyone alright?" Sam inquired with concern.
They nodded and directed their gazes towards the scout ship, which advanced towards them from the dark, black sky. As it flew towards them, it fired more plasma beams at them. When the rays came in contact with them, they were repelled away as they collided through a row of trees.
When Dan sat up after falling on his back, he held his chest, "Uh man, this has been one lousy day."
"Nchoo, and here I thought you were Mr. Tough Guy, " taunted Diana.
"Shut your cry hole!" He retorted while she chuckled at him.
They got up to their feet and formed a circle again, with their fists tucked aside and their dominant legs positioned forward. Although they formed a circle to increase their chances of survival, fear still held them hostage. As they looked around, their guards escalated while their bodies responded to the situation.
A clump of veins danced around Dan's fist as he tightened it. Meanwhile, Diana'a pupils dilated. Harrison's heartbeat increased while Sam's breathing also increased.
"Where are you?" Sam pondered.
The scout ship approached them from a southerly direction. This indicated that it moved opposite from where it began when it attacked them. Harrison was the first to catch a glimpse of it from afar. As it advanced in his direction, his lungs began to inflate. He shouted at the top of them after that.
"It's coming this way!"
They broke their circle and stood in a row while the ship sped toward them. They looked at each other first before deciding to attack. They prepared their attacks with a nod while Gordon laughed maniacally from inside the ship.
"Oh, so you decided to be sitting ducks for me; thanks for the offer; I'll gladly take it." He cackled and pressed the red button dozens of times. At that moment, it's as if he were a child possessed by the idea of repeatedly pressing the lights. As such, the ship fired numerous plasma beams at them.
The four separated from where they stood while the beams incited an explosion in the soil that once supported their weight. Having spread in different locations, they, too, advanced towards the scout ship from different directions. For instance, Sam approached the ship using flight from the right, while Dan flew to the vessel from the left using his flames.
When that happened, they sandwiched the ship. Much to his oblivion, Gordon thought he had wounded them so severely that they couldn't defend themselves. However, as you know, fate is not so kind. Sam fired a U.V ray from his side while Dan fired a heat blast from his side. The two forces incinerated the trusters completely.
"Warning, warning, warning, all thrusters have been critically damaged, prepare for a devastating landing," exclaimed Foxfire while Gordon widened his eyes with shock.
"What?" He commented.
Diana appeared from above the vessel and launched more projectile attacks at it. The projectile attacks struck the ship and spread a field of rust around it.
As the ship flew over Harrison in a downward direction, the young lad grabbed a boulder with his hands and threw it at the spaceship. The boulder triturated the vessel when it came in contact with the ground. After that, a vast explosion erupted.