Ray was filled with enough confusion to not pay attention to anything the randomly appearing woman had said. "Excuse me, who are you?" he asked, asking one question at a time.
She laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot all this is too much to process right now. I am Bea Rold. I first designed and created this ancient temple more than a millennium ago, in hopes of finding a worthy wielder for the weapon I found. You all have been challenged both physically and mentally, and succeeded wonderfully, though I am terribly sorry for the last one. Still, the most powerful weapon is now in your hands. Guard it with your life."
Five heads nodded respectfully. Ray thought she seemed much younger than what a thousand-year-old human would look like, but he didn't dare ask how. The ground before Bea crumbled down and a golden pedestal rose up. And on it lay a double-bladed sword connected by a short golden handle. Bea cautiously lifted the sword from its placement and offered it to Ray, bowing in recognition. Ray was reluctant to take it. Why him? He took it anyway and held it firmly, not knowing what to do next. His friends huddled around him, touching and feeling the "all powerful" Blades.
"Hey, what's so special about this thing? It's just another old-style fighting tool...but polished, right?" Carson observed. "Mine is more unique." Bea shot him a stern glare that almost looked offended. Ray was thinking the same thing while spinning the object like he did as a kid with any wooden stick he could find.
"Slam it into the ground and you'll know what I mean," she explained. Ray heard and crashed it down hard. He expected it to only go an inch below the floor, but instead it went down what he estimated as a foot long. He pulled it out with minimum effort, jaw wide open. The flooring was solid ground like what you'd find in a jungle, and the blade going through would be almost an impossibility. Still, it happened.
"It is made of Khalanium, a metal which can cut through any other known material, even diamonds," she said, grinning like she had never seen anyone as shocked and in disbelief as the five teenagers. "Anyway, I don't wish to delay your return to North America you've been waiting for." And with that, she made a circle with her two fingers in the air. And in Ray's perspective, the world around him pixelated, and the next thing he saw were abundant trees and grass, along with parrots and birds. They were in the jungle again.
Ray's initial reaction was to find Pia, Rook, and Borris right away. But he recalled the strong possibility of Conquest attacking them for the acquired weapon. In fact, the three adults could have been already captured and used for bait. He motioned his friends to a halt.
"What's wrong, Ray?" Jane asked. Ray immediately shushed her.
"Conquest might be waiting for us, watching us," he replied quietly.
They all spread out, not to far from each other, making sure they weren't being followed or spied. When other signs of life were affirmed negative, they reluctantly made their way back to the jet, following the leader with a map. Entering what would be the landing space, they gasped upon seeing fire and smoke instead. The jet was still quite intact but wasn't it good shape at all. There were bullet marks on the fuselage, and a torn piece of red cloth lay on the ground. Ray could only assume that whoever wrecked their way home had a cape...or used a thin towel and decided to tear it. No one dared to shout or call for the rest of the team, lest they draw unwanted attention. Even though, they all had the feeling that any bush nearby could have a guy behind it.
The entrance into the spacecraft was sealed shut, and the lonely teenagers were beginning to feel really thirsty. But it wasn't like they were all willing to carry a water jug strapped to them the whole way through. Besides, their powers and messed up DNA gave them the ability to hold off hunger and thirst longer. Distracted and carried away, not one heard or noticed the harsh rustling of trees until the noise was too close.
And to their surprise, a human-looking robot flew across overhead, and taking a sharp turn, landed near them swiftly, its scarlet cape swaying in the wind. It stood still like what a robot would do, like it was posing or something. It had facial features similar to a human male, and it wore only its metal plating, designed with streaks of green, red, and white. Its eyes were horrifyingly like an exact duplicate of an actual man, and it stared, possibly registering them.
It then made its introduction. "I am Alpha, the first of a powerful, dominant army of androids just like me to prepare worlds for its unification with Conquest. Anyway, I must prevent you, representatives of evil, from using the Khalanium Blades."
Before any of the Specials could react, Alpha lunged towards Sam, fist first.
Sam already had a defensive stance ready and held back the punch. But the android countered with another strike aimed towards his hip. The teen plopped down, his face showing how strong it was. "He's not messing around," Sam warned. Ray hadn't wasted the delay and ran behind the ship. Sarah "won" her confrontation, for she managed to slice off another long strip of the cape.
"Hey! Do you know that this cape cost almost three hundred dollars just to let me fly better? Shows what you know about money value," Alpha fired back. Ray's eyes widened. So the murderous robot actually does have personality, Ray thought. Sarah shot another beam, but this time, Alpha stopped it halfway in the air with its red lasers. Ray gathered momentum and stepped on the jet, next leaping onto the hostile machine. He grabbed its neck and brought it down to his knees from behind. His hands were also ignited, but the heat did not melt the metal...or whatever material was used. Its lasers followed, nearly missing a parrot in the sky.
"You know, it's not like you see a parrot everyday, so please try not to kill it," it said, grasping Ray's arms and with remarkable strength, threw him overhead and into Sam, who was going to join the battle. They both tumbled over, and Carson, Sarah, and Jane rushed in from all sorts of directions. The ninja had climbed up a sturdy tree and leaped off, slamming the katana into the enemy's head. Only the tip of the blade was engraved, but the energy emitting from it surged into the android.
Alpha vibrated roughly and dropped on his knees. "Rebooting in three seconds," it said. Ray didn't waste their advantage and gestured to his team to hide somewhere, since he learned the element of surprise was all they had against Alpha. They all ran behind the trees, rocks, and the jet. After the whirring sounds of a machine, the android sighed with annoyance. "Come out, gifted humans, or should I say cursed, since the only "gift" you've ever gotten, wanted by so many children, turned out to be the ultimate cause of this life-threatening experience."
"Come on," it nagged. "Can't you just hand the Blades over? Why is it so hard to simply give an android what it desires?"
Ray, hiding behind a particularly huge tree, gasped, realizing he no longer had the weapon in his grasp. He caught Jane's attention from her tree beside his, and did his best in playing charades with only his hands. After a while, Jane understood, and Ray turned to his right to peek. But before he could withdraw, he was face-to-face with Alpha himself!
"Is there something you might like to share with me? I'm much better at playing charades than your lady friend behind the tree, since I already know you lost it," it said. Deep inside, Ray burst with shock. He let out a yelp and stumbled backwards but on physically nothing.
"Stay back!" he yelled, as Alpha stood over him. Upon instinct, he let out a blast, stronger than usual, and slowly but progressively pushed the android back.
"Android abuse and how to do it seriously shouldn't be a topic taught at school. Unless, of course, that's how you teenagers naturally react upon seeing a highly intelligent being," it protested. It twirled around and flew off into the opposite direction.
"I sent Carson off to find the Blades while you distracted Alpha," Jane told Ray, looking nervous. "That's what I should have done...right?" Ray nodded. He trusted the ninja's ability to do so quickly, but he didn't trust their enemy to avoid a confrontation with Carson along the way. * * *
Carson had only one mission, maybe the most important one so far, and he did not intend to mess it up, despite the risks. He did have super-speed, but nothing compared to a fictional hero. He also knew Alpha would come for him eventually, so he used his advantage to the fullest. While jumping over rocks, dodging animals, and also trying to keep his speed consistent, he made sure he was spriting in a straight line...or maybe the path was diagonal. Could I have exited from the wrong side of the clearing? he asked himself. He brushed off the doubts and put on a burst of remaining energy.
But his guess was right, and he could see Alpha up in the sky left of him. "Going somewhere, Carson?" it taunted. "Then I should follow you...you know, in case you trip over a rock or something." Then it faked a smile. Ok, so now we're racing, he thought. So be it.
"You are aware you're a terrible liar, right?" Carson said, laughing slightly.
"Whatever. You can't blame me, lying isn't part of my system." And he burst of with incredible velocity. Carson clenched his teeth and tried to do the same, but his legs were already starting to be fatigued.
"Not if I get there first!" he muttered and quickened his pace. He bounced off a rock and captured a glimpse of the upper half of the temple. He reached his destination, but from a distance, watched Alpha already examining the Blades. By the time the android looked up, it felt a strong blow to its midsection. Carson, having rammed into it, jumped up and snatched the weapon from the atmosphere. He faced the cluster of trees, and without deterring, dashed off, once again earning a boost that would again prove ineffective. His shoulder ached, and he vowed to never smash into metal ever again.
"Now I've run out of patience," Alpha declared from behind. "The Director will not tolerate failure." Then the shooting began. Carson couldn't see the lasers or how close his feet were from permanent retirement. So he trusted his unpredictable running style to be...unpredictable. He could also just actually trip over a rock, but that would mean Conquest's imminent victory. No, he reminded himself. Stop doubting yourself, Carson!
They both reached the clearing, and as usual, the others were ready. "Carson! Throw it over here!" Sam shouted. He tossed it without spinning it too much, and turned to help his other friends. Jane was blocking Alpha from coming closer, and Sarah aimed for the cape, since flight might no longer be possible afterwards. He wanted to help, but instead his legs just collapsed beneath him. He leaned on the jet's nose, watching as Sam threw Ray onto Alpha, who just had lost its cape. Jane trapped the android in a spinning hula-hoop of wind, while Ray, wielding the Khalanium Blades, let out a battle cry and stabbed the sword into Alpha's back.
What seemed to be formerly Project Alpha shut down, and Ray jumped off with the extraordinary weapon that saved their lives as a game-changer. "Self-destruct in three, two, one." Everyone braced for impact. Carson looked up and saw the smoke and fire on the trees. But through all that, he could barely see figures emerging from behind all the thick gas.
Many groups of men and women, all discernable as Conquest's recruits, spread out and surrounded the perimeter. The teens didn't move. A man, recognizable as distinguished and high-ranking by his posture alone, walked in. But the last group shocked the five.
Rook, Pia, Borris, and Director Quick emerged, all hands tied to electric ropes.