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Frank awoke early the next morning to the lights flashing in the room. Looking down, he saw that his brother was still clinging tightly to him. He gently shook his shoulder. Joe's eyes slowly opened.
"We're still here aren't we?" Joe quietly asked.
Frank inwardly sighed. He had hoped this would be over and it would be a nightmare for him. "Yeah, we're still here." He paused, "We better go and have breakfast, it's going to be a long day."
Joe sat up in the bed. "I just wish this were all over. Something scares me about this whole thing."
As Joe said those words, Frank felt a bad feeling seeping into his entire being. Whenever his brother's instincts went into overdrive, he made sure not to ignore them. They cleaned up before heading into the dining area where the robots had already set out a breakfast feast. Frank was surprised that everyone was coming into the dining area at the same time. He reasoned that the flashing lights must have been some sort of wake up alarm for everyone.
"How did you sleep?" Ray asked as Joe piled his plate with some of the food.
"OK I guess. My instincts are in overdrive. I keep feeling something is going to go wrong," he admitted.
"Trust you're instincts." A voice spoke to him.
Joe turned to see a new face sitting next to him. He was wearing a set of light glasses and could have easily been one of Frank's friends. He thought he had met everyone yesterday.
"Who are you?"
The new person smiled behind his glasses. "My name is Randy. I already know about you Joe."
"How?" Frank asked, sitting next to them.
"I'm also one of the guardians. I don't speak often. I guess you could say I get nervous when speaking in public." he replied, "I will also be guiding you in your training."
Frank remembered him standing with Angel and the others, but not saying anything. He reasoned that if he didn't belong here, the Phoenix would have already told them. Joe quietly shrugged to his brother and returned to eating.
Breakfast was relatively quiet. As soon as they finished, Angel ushered them into the meditation room.
"Here you'll learn how to keep your physical, mental, and spiritual beings clear. With clear thoughts you'll be able to focus on your gifts a lot longer than you could have imagine and target with greater accuracy." He sat down on the ground with his legs folded. "Now everyone sit down and close your eyes."
Joe was pleasantly surprised that it was already mid-morning by the time their meditation exercises were over. He had never felt so clear before in his life. It was as if the air smelled fresher and everything was a new shade of color. Frank came up beside him.
"I feel great," he admitted.
Frank nodded. "I know what you mean. Meditation is great if you know how to perform it properly."
Joe smiled. "What do you suppose is next?"
Angel came up to them. "A light jog. We need to see how fast people can run. If they have speed abilities it will show."
They all started out slowly at first. Those like Frank and Joe began running ahead of the group. They looked at each other and smiled. Faster and faster they ran the area around them become a blur. They could hear Sunray's laugh, coming up faster behind them.
Staci noticed that Boomer slowly pulled ahead of all of them. Going faster he ran towards a nearby hill. They all stopped as Boomer was enveloped in a bright glow. The glow went from a dog-shape to a human shape, a human shape that was abnormally large. The glow died and Staci's eyes went wide as her dog became a werewolf!
"Boomer?" she quietly said.
Before she could move Boomer ran back to her side.
"It's good to finally be able to talk to you like this again," he said.
"Who, who are you?" she asked.
"I know you don't recognize me. It was arranged that way. I am your guardian," he said.
Joe was the first to step forward. "I don't understand. Her guardian. I thought there were guardians for everyone."
Boomer nodded. "She is the princess from her own kingdom. I am her guardian. Before she met Frank in her previous life, many a suitor came to corrupt her powers for themselves. So her father asked me to take the role which I happily accepted. I was the one who secured the invitation to your home planet. I looked into your brother's heart and knew Frank was the one for her."
Angel came to them. "Now that we know your hidden power, you might as well go and prepare for battle. There might be game on this planet to practice hunting with."
Boomer nodded and with a howl he was off in search of his prey. Staci stood there in shock. She was a princess? She didn't know what to say or do.
Frank put an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go. Boomer can take care of himself now."
Staci nodded as they heard Boomer howl again. They continued on their jog. Angel noticed that everyone seemed to have some sort of speed gift. Noel came over to him.
"At least now we know they can all keep up. We're going to have use other exercises to see who has what," he said, watching as those who were faster were laughing and playing tag. "They've all been torn from everything they've ever known. They know nothing of battle strategy, weaponry, maneuvers, nothing of the sort."
Angel nodded. "I know. This should have never have happened. At least the Phoenix is here. We can use her guidance."
Noel looked around. "Why do I get the feeling she's not revealing everything?"
Angel looked over at Cliff who was glowing a bit from the Phoenix. "We'll just have to trust her for now. Something has been definitely hidden. I have a feeling though we'll find out soon enough."
Noel went over to the group. "OK, I want everyone's attention."
Everyone stopped to look at him.
"Since it seems everyone has some sort of speed, we'll move on to water. I want everyone to run to the edge of that lake over there." He said, pointing. "Don't worry you'll be able to change into swim clothes. Rob will take you to the changing place that's been set up. You'll find clothes in there that should fit."
Frank walked with his brother and watched wide-eyed as a small building materialized out of the ground!
As they changed in private rooms, Joe turned to his brother. "Frank, what's going on around here? Buildings popping out of nowhere, Boomer turning into a werewolf... it's like we're trapped in a strange dream."
Frank put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I know the feeling. I want so much to wake up and be back in my room. You know I'd do anything I could to make this better."
Joe nodded and sighed, sitting down on a chair. "At first I thought all of these powers were a lot of fun. Breathing under water, throwing sound waves now ,it's just one big pain.:
Frank sat down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "I know the feeling. If we could all leave and forget about all of this we would, but we can't. I still have a hard time believing we're part of a royal family."
A few minutes later everyone had changed and was waiting by the water's edge. Staci looked at Noel again. He reminded her of a drill sergeant she had met while visiting the base where John Elliot was stationed. His blue hair made him unique despite his camouflage military clothes, only now he was wearing dark green speedos and standing knee deep in the water.
He stood before them. "OK, what we're going to find out is what kind of water powers people have if they do have them. I also want those who can power dive to retrieve a rock from the bottom of the lake and bring it to the surface. I'll be in the water at all times just to make sure nothing happens. For those of you who can't swim stay on the water's edge."
Joe was the first to morph into water and dive downward. Frank wasn't far behind him. Joe picked up one of the brightly colored stones. Frank picked up one for himself. The stones reminded him of carefully painted eggs. Several others gathered stones and returned to the surface of the water. Everyone watched as Sunray not only managed to powerdive, he was now floating on the surface of the water!
Joe floated up next to him. "Wow, how are you doing that?"
Sunray looked at the now water form of his brother. "I don't know. I just think and it happens."
He floated to the edge of the lake. Joe moved with him. As soon as his feet touched the lake's edge he turned back into flesh form. Frank walked next to him. He looked at the stone in his hand.
"That was amazing. I would have thought the pressure would have hurt or some people would have gotten the bends considering how far down we went," Frank said as he handed his stone to Noel.
Noel looked at all of them. "That was very impressive. Now I know that everyone has the ability to swim, which is good because that's one thing less we have to teach." He looked at Joe. "Do you have the ability to pass through objects?"
Joe shrugged. "I don't know yet. I really haven't tried."
Noel thought a moment, and he waved his hand. A short staff appeared in his hand. "Concentrate and let the staff pass through you using the water power. I want you to see if you can keep your flesh form but still have the water power."
Just as Noel was about to strike, a hand flashed out and stopped the staff.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" Frank demanded.
Noel saw a pair of brown eyes staring him down.
"It was a test. I wasn't going to hurt him. I need to see if your brother can retain flesh form but still have water power," Noel explained.
Frank let go of the staff but kept an eye on his brother. Noel swung the staff at his brother's arm. He watched wide-eyed as the staff passed through his brother's arm. Joe looked at his arm. It was amazing, all he had to do was think and the staff passed right though him!
"Wow," was the only word he could think of to say.
Noel gave him a small smile. "Keep that in mind in battle. Be careful that the object will hit whatever is behind you. This type of power is very good during close combat."
Joe nodded and gave a smile to his brother. Noel noticed up until then Frank was still watching him has if he'd hurt Joe.
"He'll always be that way around his baby brother," Angel told him in his mind.
"OK everyone." Noel said, turning to the group, "Let's get cleaned up we can do more swimming later. Right now I need to see what firing powers you've got."
"Fire power, like this?" Frank said.
In that instant his entire body was engulfed in flame. Noel's eyes went wide. "Somewhat, can you turn into different forms, like blue flame?"
"Like this?" Frank asked as he turned his palm so his fingers pointed towards the sky.
Suddenly blue flames erupted on his finger tips reminding Joe of a blowtorch. He watched in awe as his brother controlled the color and intensity of the flames at will.
Noel nodded. "Fine. You're probably only one of a few that can do that among all the people here. Having fire power takes a great amount of control."
The flames flashed off. Joe touched his brother's skin and was surprised to see it perfectly normal. Even his clothes didn't have any ash on them. They cleaned up and changed as Derek took them to a target range.
"Now I'll be setting up moving targets. We just want those that can fire projectiles in one form or another to take aim," Derek explained as he began moving them into the bleachers. "Now, moving targets will come across the field about a hundred meters from where I am standing. I want you to fire at them. I need to see what you can do and figure out the strength of it. Now those of you who don't have a firing power show me instead what you can do as an offense weapon."
The first were Frank and Joe. They fired their orb weapons at the floating bulls-eyes. Blasting them away perfectly, Derek nodded and moved on to the next person. Ray came to the target range and used targeted gusts of wind to blow apart the bulls-eyes. Dan used his power of earth to send huge boulders flying towards the targets, crushing them. Staci threw laser ninja stars that exploded on impact. Tony kicked laser exploding soccer balls, creating huge craters below the dust of the once intact targets.
Derek was impressed as the other demonstrated their mutant powers at the weapons. Noel came to his side.
"We know one thing for sure," Derek said, setting up the targets for later on.
"What's that?" Noel asked, as he looked them all over.
"No one will have to stay behind during a fight," he replied, as he finished.
Noel nodded. "That's a good thing to know. I hate it when you have to deal with leaving people behind just to protect those who can't come. It really divides up your forces."
It was during a break that Frank and Joe found themselves walking alone for a change along a path through a patch of forested land. Joe was little drained after using his new found powers all day long. It seemed like Noel, Derek, and the other guardians had put them through one exercise after the other.
"You know I thought for a second we were in some sort of boot camp," Joe remarked as he tried to work some tension out of his shoulder.
Frank nodded. "I won't argue with you there. I guess they're just trying to see who can do what. Sometimes working on exercises helps."
They sat down on a bench. Frank looked around and couldn't believe how beautiful and how perfect their surrounds had been kept. He sighed. As much as everything that had been happening had invoked in scientific curiosity beyond belief, he just wanted to go home. Looking over at his brother, he knew he felt the same way.
"I hope this ends soon. I like being here, but it's not home." Joe said, as he tried to relax, "Like when we were on that planet, our home planet... it just didn't feel like home." He looked up at the sky. For being an artificial one, it seemed so real. It was days like this where he would get his skateboard and head down to the park. The wind in his hair... trying out new tricks.... everything, and he missed it all. "I sometimes wish we were just normal. No secret powers, no aliens, no battles, just you and me, our friends and mysteries."
Frank was about to say something to that when he saw the sky change a bit in one part the east. The color was turning from bright blue to orange. Immediately his senses picked up. Joe stood up after seeing the same part of the sky.
"We've got to get back to the others," he said, breaking out into a run.
Frank ran with him, keeping up his pace.
"It's not good, I can feel it," he heard Joe's voice in his mind.
"Same here." He replied, "I think we'll be getting our first taste of real combat."
When the returned to the field Angel and Noel had already gathered some of the group and were taking them into the conference room. Derek and Randy were bringing in the others while Rob was setting up the room. Frank took a seat next to his brother. They watched as Rob already had a picture on the large plasma screen. It was a surveillance scan of the entire planet's orbit along with its brother planet Saturn as well as the distant planet of Mars. Once everyone was safely inside, Angel shut the doors.
"We have a threat heading this way," Noel said as an object appeared on the screen. "Several scout ships are heading towards this moon base. From what the scanners have indicated these are enemy scout ships programmed to destroy everything they find here."
"What are we going to do?" Dan said, looking at him. "Nobody here has trained for heavy combat."
"We know that. When the Phoenix brought all of us here, it was in the hopes that they wouldn't find us under the atmosphere. If they get through which we'll know if they can in twenty hours, we'll have to fight. I can get all of you some preliminary combat training, but it's going to be the barebones at best," Noel answered.
Angel looked at all of them. "This is the first real test of your skills as a team and skills in using your new gifts. We'll be fighting along with you."
The group went silent. Up until then it had just been them in training games. No one had expected to be fighting so soon!
"Wait, what about the methane in the air and the cold atmosphere, would they even be able to get through?" Frank asked, looking again at the screen.
"We don't know yet." Noel answered, "I haven't been able to see these ships functioning."
"I have." Dan said, causing everyone to turn their heads, "These ships are extremely fast and powerful. Yet they were fighting on my planet's surface, which is a nearly duplicate to Earth without all the pollution."
Noel looked over at the screen. "That could be an advantage, though the aliens that built this moonbase managed to overcome that."
"True, but I didn't see any kind of teleportation device on the ships. They will definitely have to get through the atmosphere to try any kind of attack," Dan said.
Phil looked at Noel. "Wouldn't any kind of battle set the atmosphere on fire with all the methane in it?"
"So they'd have to come here specifically for a land battle," Noel said, not wanting to lie to them.
Vanessa held onto her boyfriend's arm. She had hoped up until then that it was a terrible dream, and she'd wake up back in her nice warm bed. He put his arm around her. Just then lights flashed all around them and an electronic voice shouted.
[Intruder Alert...Intruder Alert...Intruder Alert...]
Angel brought up the monitors. They had no choice. They had to fight. He had to take charge. That was his duty. Just then Boomer came back. It was apparent from the traces of blood on his fangs that he had found game.
"OK, we're going to divide into teams led by a guardian," he explained before dividing them into groups.
Noel came over to the brothers. "You two will be on my team, as well the rest of the royal family, Cliff, Staci, and Boomer."
Boomer looked at him. "You want me to go ahead and scout around?"
"The sweepers are already doing that. It's better if we stay together. We don't want to take the chance that those scout ships can get through the atmosphere," he explained.
"All the groups will spread out across the main area which is also the largest." Angel told all of them, standing near the front entrance. "We'll start moving out now. The scout ships will be by in four hours. It's going to take that long to get into battle places."
Joe looked over at Vanessa who was already going to another group. Frank put an arm around his brother's shoulders. Joe sighed, knowing that if he and Vanessa had been split up it was for a reason. He couldn't fight in a battle and worry about protecting her at the same time. He had enough to worry about in protecting Frank.
Frank walked close to his brother as they walked outside into the light. He found it hard to believe that such a serene place could be invaded. They walked with Noel for a half enough until they walked behind a group of large boulders. Noel stood before them to give them some instructions.
"Now don't use your powers at full-blown intensity during the whole time. You'll only drain yourself faster. You'll grow stronger the more you use them, but you need to build your strength. You can combine powers in any combination just be careful of who you are linked with. You don't want to get that person hurt."
Staci looked at the sky. For some reason she had a feeling if she tried hard enough she could touch the clouds. "I've had a feeling for a long time that our powers run deeper than most of us can imagine. Is it possible we have hidden powers?"
He nodded. "It's possible. Some powers can be hidden not only to surprise the enemy but to protect the person that has them. That might sound strange but trust me, these powers can be every much a curse as they are a blessing."
A sudden flash of red light streaked across the sky.
"I think they're getting closer," Cliff said, looking up at the sky, his eyes glowing with fire.
Noel looked up the sky, his eyes glowing. "You're right. They're moving much faster than before."
Vanessa looked over at Randy, her team's leader. He was quiet in his manners and his speech, but it was clear that he knew what he was talking about. He had instructed them on their own limits and what they can and can't do with their own powers. It wasn't like what she had seen in some comic books. There was an energy limit to what her own body can do before she needed to eat and rest. She also had to watch out if she power linked with someone else. She had to make sure she didn't overtax someone else at the same time.
"Now, remember that although you have powers, you're not invulnerable to injury. You've become stronger and more impervious to harm, but not completely invulnerable to it." Randy explained, "Now remember that the atmosphere outside of the dome is extremely cold and highly flammable. Do not let the scout ships drag you up there. Unless you surround yourself with your own power, the atmosphere can kill you."
Vanessa looked around. She was with Chet, Biff, and the others she knew from around Bayport. She wished Joe could be with them, but Randy explained while they were walking that Joe needed to concentrate on himself. He would already be worried enough about his brother and didn't need any more things to worry about. In a battle it was dangerous to be distracted.
Pat Maverick looked over the group he was with. Having played combat games on his computer, he knew some military tactics and the limits to his own powers. Angel was the leader of their group. He found it so incredible that he looked so much like the actor on TV who played the character of Angel. Still, it was clear that he was had the skills necessary to be the leader of all the groups. He sighed, wishing for the first time that he could go back home and everything would be normal.
"You have to remember all of you were given powers and brought here for a reason. It might not seem fair now but trust me, this battle needs all of you to fight with clear minds," Angel explained, looking at all of them.
As Pat looked onward, he knew that now he couldn't back down. He had friends that were depending on him.
Noel moved the group closer to the group of boulders. He was still standing and walking tall, like he had been trained to do. He revealed that he had trained in the military on Earth and apologized if he appeared callous to them. He needed them to stay alert and stay focused. Any lapse in thinking could be fatal. He looked up as the red light seemed to spread across the entire sky.
"They've managed to get through the atmosphere, everyone brace for battle," he announced.
Suddenly huge ugly circle like UFO's appeared in the sky, looking like broken pieces of a large bee hive. The pieces hovered for a second before they spread further apart. The royal family watched as the ugly alien monsters they had fought on their home planet flew out from the ships like a huge swarm. They began firing laser-like blasts at the ground, creating explosions.
Angel was the first to fire, throwing a powerful blast. Then everyone started firing. To Joe it was like being in a field with farmers trying to blow back a never-ending swarm of locusts. He blasted alien after alien, feeling the explosions of their weapons shake the ground.
"Joe, look out!" he heard Frank scream.
Sudden he felt a pair of hands around his waist, tackling him hard. He flew forward with Frank on top of him, the ground where he once stood in flames.
"Move! Move!" Noel's voice screamed at them.
Frank practically carried his brother behind a large boulder, firing a laser blast above them for cover. More aliens fell, burning in the myriad of small fires on the ground. Joe threw a tidal wave blast, blowing apart one of the many ships that were hovering above them. He could already feeling his hands start to burn. Before they knew it Ray was with them. He used his earth powers to cause the ground to swallow up several land soldiers.
"We've got to push them back!" he screamed.
Joe stood up and with his hands outstretched a huge tidal wave came above them taking out nearly thirty of the alien fighters and several of their ships. Frank added a fire tornado, ripping through and entire line as they tried to fire on their shields. They watched as the others added their own powers, sometimes combining to double their strengths.
Suddenly Dan was standing next to them.
"You three OK?" he asked as an explosion ripped nearby them.
They all ducked as debris rained down around them. Joe could feel the ground shake beneath him. Just then Dan screamed at them.
"Everyone unite out powers we can blast them back!"
All four of them fired at once, creating a huge wave of energy that wiped clean the area around them, disintegrating the alien fighters into dust. Joe could feel the pain burning through his arms. Look at his brother and seeing the pain in his face, he knew he felt the same way. Suddenly they heard shrill cry, like that of a giant bird. Looking over the boulders they could see Cliff, engulfed with the Phoenix.
"Wow, amazing," Joe said, as he threw another energy blast.
The Phoenix flew through the air, taking out alien ships.
"Fire! Fire!" Noel's voice cut through the battle.
Joe did as he was told, firing energy blasts at the ground soldiers. He kept on firing. He could feel his brother standing beside him doing the same thing. He didn't have time to think about anything else. His mind was only concentrating on the battle, and the pain that was taking over his arms. He knew he couldn't let his brother down.
They continued fighting. The enemy soldiers continued coming in waves. Staci found herself feeling lightheaded and could hear another bird cry in her ears. A shrill so loud it nearly stopped her in her tracks. It wasn't the Phoenix... it was like the bald eagle she had seen once. She could feel it trying to take over her entire being. She covered her ears.
Frank looked over and could see something glowing inside her. He couldn't believe it. It was like something inside of her was about to explode!
"Frank, look out!" Joe screamed.
Frank looked up and instantly he was covered with a water dome shielding him from the blast. He looked over and could see a small patch of blood on his brother's nose. He knew if his brother was like this then the others were getting tired too. The battle had to end and it had to end now. Suddenly a shriek, louder than anything they had ever heard screamed through everything. They both looked over and saw Staci engulfed in a golden light, surrounded by a large bird of light, a combination of an eagle and a falcon!
Frank did know what to think. Joe looked on in awe. Staci had merged with a golden bird. She spread out her arms and took to the sky, surrounded by the enormous form. Her shriek spread across the entire plane, making everyone cover their ears. Her light power took out half the flying aliens along with their ships. Suddenly the bird retreated into her, causing her to collapse and fall from the sky!
"Someone catch her!" Frank screamed.
Suddenly Angel appeared in the sky next her. She collapsed in his arms. He flew back to the royal family, placing her on the ground.
"Keep fighting!" Noel shouted.
They continued throwing energy blasts, boulders, and everything else until finally the last of the scout ships retreated into the atmosphere.
Angel looked up at the sky. "They're gone."
Noel looked around. "Guardians! Take the wounded into the medical building. Let those that have the training tend to them."
Frank went over and carefully lifted Staci into his arms. He could believe how cold her skin felt. He could still see her engulfed by the bird of light. Boomer came over to them just as the rest of the group came to where Frank was standing.
"The guardian bird of prey of her home planet. I haven't seen it since I was a pup," Boomer said, looking at the sleeping princess.
"What?" Frank said, looking up at him.
Cliff came over to them, the Phoenix having retreated into him. "The guardian bird of her planet. All of the planets where we came from had at one time a guardian bird, just like me. Most of them were thought to be only legends. This bird must have been hidden inside of her to protect not only the last survivor of her planet, but to keep the power from being corrupted."
"Is that why her father asked you to be her guardian?" Joe asked, startled that she looked so pale.
He nodded. "I was the only one outside of the king who knew where the bird slept. He was psychic and knew one day of the destruction of the kingdom. He wanted to make sure that if I didn't live to protect her, the guardian bird would."
Angel looked down at her pale face. "Let's get her inside."
Frank followed Angel into the medical building. Her cousin Ronaldo gasped when he saw her and rushed over. He checked her over with his equipment.
"She's going to be OK." He declared, "She's just exhausted and her body doesn't know yet how to handle being merged with the guardian bird. It probably would have killed her had it not retreated."
"This thing can kill her?" Frank asked, looking right at Angel.
"It won't. Her body just has to grow stronger and it will. She just has to recognize her limits for now." Angel assured him. He turned to Cliff, "I think you'll be able to teach her more than I or the rest of the guardians can."
Cliff nodded. "That I will. Once she wakes up and is feeling better."
Angel looked back at Frank. "Are you OK?" Frank nodded. "Then take her back to her bed. She'll probably sleep until late tomorrow."
Joe followed his brother as he carefully carried his girlfriend back to the dorm rooms. Frank could have sworn she felt at least ten pounds lighter. Putting her in the bed he took off her sneakers and her belt so she'd feel more comfortable. Joe looked down at the sleeping form, wondering what it was like to have merged with raw energy. Taking a look at his brother, he sensed that Frank was still shaken by what he had seen.
"Frank, she'll be OK," he said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.
Frank nodded. "I know. It's just to think that she could be killed by this energy form."
He covered her with the blanket and took her hand, trying to rub some warmth into it. He didn't like being here any longer. He wanted to leave, taking his brother and his girlfriend with him. There was a knock at the door, snapping him out of his thoughts. Ronaldo was there with some paramedic equipment. He checked her over.
"I think she'll be OK. She's just exhausted. I've never seen anything like that," Ronaldo admitted as he put an IV in her arm.
He felt her forehead. He sighed when it felt cold.
He turned and looked at Joe. "I think there are some thick blankets in the closet, get one."
Joe nodded and went to retrieve a blanket. When he went into the closet and pulled out a blanket, he was surprised at how soft and warm it felt. He brought it back and handed it to his brother, who covered his girlfriend with it.
"That should help," Ronaldo said as he packed up his equipment. "I'll be back to change the IV. I want you to watch for any change in her condition if she gets too warm, take the cover off. If she starts to have any symptoms like she can't breathe, sweating, or anything else, use the intercom to call me."
He checked them both over before leaving to move on to the other fighters.
"Frank, I was thinking for awhile that this alien thing was so cool now it's a real pain. I just want to go home and forget about all of this. I thought we were supposed to be happy," Joe said, sitting on the other bed.
Frank nodded. "I know how you're feeling. I want to go home too. Just screw it all and go home. But I can't, you can't, none of us can."
Frank's voice wavered as he held onto Staci's hand. He was relieved to find a little bit of warmth in it. He could feel Joe's hand on his back, trying to offer some comfort. He looked around the room, wishing there was a football game or even some three stooges reruns to take their minds off of the situation. It was then that he noticed something that he hadn't felt before. He was hungry, hungrier than he had ever felt in his life, like he hadn't eaten in months. Just as he was about to suggest they go and get something to eat. Boomer came into the room.
"I'll stay with her. You two go eat. Dinner is already being set out," He said, sitting in a chair next to the bed.
Joe stood up. "Frank this is one time you can't pass on eating. We need to build up our reserves. There's no telling when the next battle with come here."
Frank let go of her hand, feeling his own stomach growl angrily at him. He reluctantly left the room and let Joe lead him to the cafeteria. The smell of food wafted into his nose as he grabbed a tray and put his plates, cup and silverware on it. Suddenly robots appeared handing out the food which was spaghetti and sauce, cheese ravioli, meatballs, garlic bread, and cannolis. Frank couldn't believe he was eating as much as his brother would eat in two meals! He only felt full after eating his fourth cannoli.
"Everyone I suggest now we relax in the mediation room before more a few exercises later tonight." Noel told them. He was mildly surprised at their looks, "Don't worry these are targeting exercises with the game systems here. Although everyone here has firing powers, everyone has to work on targeting in order to be efficient and not waste energy."
"I thought we did pretty good," Chet said after a mouth full of garlic bread.
"Good yes, great no. You have to work on efficiency." Noel sat down in front of him, "Your family runs a farm, yes?" He nodded. "OK, what system of watering your crops is better; the new drip down system or the typical water sprinkler?"
"The new system." Chet answered, "My father says it has cut our water use almost in half."
"That's what efficiency is. If you can find a way to use your powers better you don't use as much energy and become stronger."
Frank looked at Chet. "It's the way Bruce Lee thought and was the main part of his philosophy, which is why you don't see many dramatic and showy fight scenes in his movies. He was so fast sometimes the camera couldn't keep up. But any boxing coach would tell you that if you burn up all your energy too quickly you'll lose the fight."
Biff nodded. "That's true. My boxing coach taught me not only to pace myself but to get more out of each punch and how each punch is timed. Believe me you save a lot energy."
Chet nodded and went back to eating. Frank was surprised that he found himself eating some of the pudding that had been dished out into small cups. Beside him he could see his brother having a fifth cannoli.
Joe turned to see his brother loading up two plates with some of the sweet food, rolls, and other things. He then poured a large glass of water. Joe stopped eating and went over to help his brother carry the food back to Staci's room. There they found Boomer sitting on the floor watching the princess. His ears pricked up as they walked in carrying the food.
"That looks good," he remarked as they put the plates of food on the nightstand.
"I didn't want Staci to miss out on the food. If she's anything like my brother and me, she's going to be starving when she wakes up.
Boomer stood up from the floor, stretching his legs. "I know what you mean. I'll have to go hunting tonight so if you two can sit with her I'll appreciate that. I think for now though you two should get going to your meditation and targeting exercises. Noel doesn't like it when people are late."
Frank looked down at his girlfriend. He could see that the IV's were helping as her skin now had some pink returning to it. He brushed his hand across her arm and was relieved to feel some warmth had returned to it. Joe put a hand on his brother's shoulder and gently nudged him towards the door. Frank found himself reluctantly leaving her side again.
Joe was surprised at the site Noel had chosen for the start of targeting practice. It looked like the largest arcade he had ever seen only instead of the standard games that were in the mall, he saw more targeting style games.
"I want each of you to pair up and take turns targeting using one of the games here. From there you'll move on to the main targeting game outside of the building." Noel explained, "Don't worry about getting a perfect score. The goal is to increase your accuracy towards the target for now."
Frank teamed up with his brother as they took turns with a simple laser firing gun with lighted clay pigeons. Noel watched as usual their game turned into a friendly rivalry between them. It was good to see them so protective of each other. He worried a bit when he realized that it might come down to one brother surrendering his life for the other. Having no close relationship to his own brother, he could only wonder what it was like have that kind of bond.
Turning away he looked around as the rest of the Guardians moved about, offering encouragement and suggestions on improving scores. In an hour it would be time to move them on one team at a time to the outside to try out the new targeting system. He sneaked outside to see what it was like outside. The weather was perfect in every way. It was hard to believe that such a heavy battle had not left the slightest scar on the natural landscape.
It wasn't long before he felt a presence next to him.
"Something on your mind?" Angel asked, coming to stand next to him.
Angel sighed. It seemed like Angel knew everything that people were thinking and even feeling. He had to respect the guy as he seemed to be a natural born leader.
"It's these kids. What we fought today was merely a scratch on the surface of what those alien fighters can do. These kids are not ready."
Angel looked back at the building before looking over at the mountains in the distance. He knew what Noel was feeling. These kids didn't have the years of experience in training that they needed. It would be like trying to teach four years of college in less than a week.
"I know how you feel. I wish we have more experienced fighters, but these kids are all we have to work with. We both know we can't take on the entire army ourselves."
Noel looked out over the lake. He knew he was going to have to come back at night to try the waters out while they were chilled. "I know. I just wish we had more time."
"So do I." Angel said as he heard the childish laughter coming from the building, "So do I."
Joe enjoyed the games he played with his brother. The 3D graphic images were a lot more realistic than the games he played in the arcade back home. He couldn't believe how accurate his score had become after only an hour of playing one game. Beside him he could see his brother was having no problem staying on target, yet it was clear he was having trouble staying focused.
"You're worried about Staci," he said.
Frank paused in his laser gun targeting. "Yeah. I can't help but think that somehow that guardian bird is going to kill her."
"Angel did say that she will grow stronger. I don't think the bird would hurt her that way."
Joe thought back to the bird of golden light. He wondered what it was like to be possessed by such a power source. Although Cliff changed somewhat when the Phoenix was inside of him, like the Phoenix was in his body and not him. At first it seemed like it would be an amazing experience, but the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if it was more of a burden.
Frank didn't look too convinced. "I guess you're right. Maybe it's just the surprise of knowing that a second bird exists and that she's a princess. I guess I'm afraid it's going to change how she acts."
"You mean become stuffy, demanding, more princess-like?" Rob asked as he came over.
Frank nodded. "I'm afraid this is going to change what is between us."
"You love her don't you big brother?" Joe asked, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"I do."
Rob smiled. "Then don't worry. Staci had a strong head on her shoulders before everything happened. She's not going to change if anything she'll become stronger."
"I know," Frank admitted.
"It's just you're still worried." Rob said. Frank nodded. "It's what makes you who you are. You care about her and that's great, just don't let it cloud your judgment. Now I suggest you get back to the targeting practice. Noel doesn't like it when people slack off."
In her dreams she could see the bird of light standing before her.
"It's you." the princess said reaching out to touch one of its magnificent wings.
The bird smiled at her. "It's an honor to see you again great princess."
"Why didn't I remember you?"
The bird smiled sadly. "It was to protect you. Your father hid me inside of you to make sure there was a guardian for the future. I can become one with you like the Phoenix can become one with Cliff."
She sat down on the ground. "Why me? Why was I chosen and not someone else?"
The bird looked down at her. "Because you have the wisdom that is needed to take on such a responsibility. You will never let the power corrupt you or be corrupted."
Staci looked down at her hands then back up to the bird. "Why are we fighting this alien race? What is so important about it?"
"They are evil and will corrupt the powers for themselves. That's why you have to fight back. But the first battle was only a test. There is a second fleet on the way. You must warn the others and make sure the guardians get them ready to fight."
Staci watched wide-eyed as the bird flew up towards the skies. She stood up as the bird came back and merged with her once again.
Boomer whined a bit as he sat on the floor next to his friend. He wanted her to wake up so they could talk about what happened. He wondered what the Phoenix was saying to her. She appeared to be sleeping soundly and her skin had regained all of its tones. He yawned and stretched out for a nice long nap.
Noel watched over his new trainees as they played the games. He was impressed at how quickly they brought up their scores. Walking around he could see the other guardians offering up advice on how to become more efficient when taking down multiple targets. He knew once they started on the laser targets they could continue until what was considered nighttime, eat another meal then head to sleep. In the morning it would be real target practice outside.
As they continued and moved outside, Joe couldn't help but feel that there was something worse than the scout ships was coming towards Titan. It was as if his sixth sense had been turned onto high. Looking up he wondered if it was the alien race sending their army after them.
"Something wrong baby brother?" Frank asked as he walked by his side.
Joe shrugged and continued walking. "I don't know. All my senses are screaming at me, telling me something's coming to hurt everyone here."
Angel came over. "Don't worry I'll have the scanners working full time from now on. If you're sensing something I'm not going to ignore it."
Noel set up the moving targets which where clay pigeons to begin with. He wanted something small and light to start to before moving on to harder targets. Grouping up the other guardians with their fighting groups he had them each firing at clusters of clay pigeons he would fire over them.
Joe looked up and fired at the targets as they flew in random directions. This was a lot harder in that his aim had to be more precise that the laser target. He looked at his hand and realized that he was shooting a single small energy blast from his forefinger.
"Wow," he said as the other groups fired around him.
Frank's now sensitive ears picked up the word. "Wow, what."
"Noel was right. At first I was firing huge energy blasts now I'm firing smaller blasts and getting the same results."
Frank had noticed that himself. In fact he found himself firing two and three blasts, taking out multiple targets at one time. Looking around he found the others were slowly learning more of what they could do. He was surprised though when he realized he was hungry again!
"I'm becoming more like Joe!" Frank thought as he remembered how much his brother could eat in a day.
Noel ran them through some drills before Angel stopped them for the night. Bringing everyone back in, they were surprised at the snack of fruit and water that had been placed on the table. Angel encouraged everyone to eat even if they really didn't feel hungry. They had to replace the energy they spent.
As Joe ate, he noticed his brother was a little distracted.
"Thinking about Staci?" he asked.
Frank nodded as he ate a strawberry. "After our snack I want to go check up on her. Make sure she's at least eating."
Joe ate a mouthful of grapes. "You think she'll be awake? Ronaldo said she might be asleep all night. Don't forget Boomer's with her. If she is awake, he'll make sure she's eating."
Frank took some of the grapes from a plate. "I suppose you're right. With the amount of energy she must have lost, I'm surprised something worse didn't happen."
"OK everyone." Angel said causing the talk to stop, "Finish up and head to sleep. There's showers and stuff on all the floors but really it's time to get some sleep. We have a full day ahead tomorrow."
Frank piled up a plate of fruit and poured a glass of water before leaving the room. Joe followed him. He could use a hot shower before he went to bed and hoped to convince his brother to get some sleep. Coming into Staci's room, they found Boomer stretched out on the floor, sleeping. Staci opened her eyes slightly, she smiled at them. Frank came to her side. Joe left his brother to tend to his girlfriend while he got ready for bed.
As he stood in the shower, a feeling of foreboding came over him. The feeling was so real he could almost taste it. Trying to shake it off he finished up, put on fresh clothes and climbed into bed. Closing his eyes, he tried to find some peace in his sleep.
Before Frank's eyes he could see the battle before him. He saw the fighting all around him... friends falling... alien craft exploding...
He could see his brother paralyzed by an unknown force...
Unable to move... the aliens blocking him...
Joe!.... he had to get to Joe!....
He used his laser power to break through only to watch as his brother was murdered before him!
His brother... covered in blood...
Frank sat up in his bed, covered in sweat. He wiped his forehead with his hand and breathed hard, trying to get his pulse under control. He hadn't had nightmare like it since he and his brother had that case in Chile. He looked over and saw that Joe was sleeping peacefully in his bed. This time it was different. Now there were plenty of people who could help protect his brother. Laying back down he closed his eyes, trying again to get some sleep.
It was late the next morning before Joe managed to drag himself out of bed. His whole body ached, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He changed his clothes and went into the cafeteria for breakfast. To his surprise people were still getting there. Looking around he could see Frank helping Staci take her tray to the table. She looked tired but smiled when Frank put the tray down for her.
"You OK?" Joe asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, just a little tired."
They spent the rest of the morning tending to aches and pains, learning how to treat wounds out in the field, and learning how to use the surrounding areas as weapons. Noel was relieved as most of them had played enough video games to know what could be used as a weapon. He showed them some things that some wouldn't have thought of, such as creating fissures and holes in the ground to trip their opponent. They were all tired by lunch time by he was proud of their determination.
Joe found himself getting tired. Looking at everyone else, still going strong, he knew he couldn't complain.
"If they can work hard, so can I."he thought as he and his brother combined their powers to blast several boulders apart.
"OK. You've seen you can use the environment to your defense and you've seen by combining powers you can do a lot more." Derek said, getting everyone to look at him, "Now I want you to see what you can do with your own powers to yourself. Remember it's not just you that's changing mentally. Your entire body is changing physically. Watch."
He closed his eyes and they watched as his body grew to four times his size in weight and height! He opened his eyes to them and smiled. "See, you can do anything with your own body with the powers you have once you realize their potential. Now sometimes changing the body's structure rapidly can cause pain but that will pass will experience and building skills."
He showed off his laser skills. Frank noticed that as his body size increased, so did his power level. Derek shrank his size back to its normal state.
"You have to be careful." He explained, "At the increased size you can rapidly deplete your energy levels. Until you learn how to fully use your powers, only use the strongest ones for last resort."
Joe looked at his hand. He could see the cells growing in size, responding to his thoughts. Now he understood what Frank said his martial arts teachers had taught him, that the mind can control the body if you controlled your mind. He concentrated and a burning went through his entire arm. Suddenly the burning extended to his other arm, then his legs. Before he knew it, he was standing a foot taller than his brother!
"Wow," was all Frank could say as he watched his brother grow then go back to his normal size right before his eyes.
Just then all the warning alarms went off. Before they could take cover the sky seemed to explode as a second fleet poured through the dome, passing through it like it were a sheet of water. The ships were in disks and spheres, each bigger than the larger plane on Earth. Everyone ran for cover as the ships opened fire!
Explosions ripped through the ground all around them. The sky turned to red as the disks began to spray the sky with fire. Joe fired back sending a tidal wave of water, something he didn't know he could create. Frank added a large blast of heat, clearing the sky of several of the disks. They all began firing back. The sky filled as fast as they could clear it.
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Angel shouted, causing all of them to scatter further.
Staci fired upward, throwing fire waves. She was thrown to the ground as an explosion erupted in the ground behind her. Frank was about to teleport to where she was when alien fighters began to land on the ground. The alien fighters bore a resemblance to the monsters from the movie Alien. A large sonic wave of energy flew over his head, taking out several of the ground fighters. He looked and saw Joe standing up from behind a large boulder. He teleported to Joe's side as more fighters descended from the sky.
"They're everywhere!" Joe shouted as he threw another sonic wave.
Frank and Joe stood back to back as they combined their powers to create holes in the fleet. Cliff stood in the middle ground, his arms spread out wide. There was a sudden shriek as he became one with the Phoenix. He flew into the sky, cutting a wide swath through the fleet. Dan eyes glowed as the crystals responded to his commands and began firing energy waves, shaking the ground beneath the fighters, causing them to fall through to the lava pools deep in the planets surface. The holes would open as fast as the fighters came and close before they had a chance to react.
"Everyone keeping moving around! Don't let them pin you down!" Noel ordered.
Sunray closed his eyes and summoned a hurricane. The winds blew the fighters into each other, causing them to explode. Suddenly several large laser birds flew through the winds, taking down enemies as they flew through them. Randy stood next to Sunray as he used his winds to launch more laser birds.
Staci watched as Chet morphed into a wild buffalo made of metal and charged into the enemy fighters... bulldozing some while completely stomping out others. Boomer came next to her, fully transformed into a battle werewolf. He ran after and bit into enemy fighters, causing them to rapidly implode as if dunked in acid. Pat flew by in a bird kick, using his invulnerable form as a lethal weapon.
Dan watched as the battle moved around him. All of his brothers and new friends were fighting hard to keep the alien fighters from hurting anyone or advancing towards the buildings. He held out his hands and energy waves flew from them, creating quakes deep within the alien fighter ships, causing them to explode. He watched as his new friend Biff jumped up and punched the ground, sending a sonic wave that caused alien land fighters to explode on contact.
"We got to increase our power!" Angel yelled as he threw a laser blast, "Don't let them regroup!"
Tony stood up and used his own body to deflect a large blast back at a ship, blowing it to pieces. He followed it by a laser soccer ball that took down several land fighters. He kicked several more, though he found that after several shots, his foot began to burn slightly, as though he had dunked it in warm bath water.
Joe felt odd as he continued up the fight. His insides started to burn as if he had eaten some hot soup but not pleasant like chicken soup something more acidic in taste. Summoning up a wave of water, he pushed enemy fighters into crevices that were erupting in the ground. Feeling himself engulfed in water, he was shocked that it did nothing to soothe the burning sensation.
Frank could feel his brother's distress adding to his own increasing pain. Frank threw up a fire ball at an overhead fighter, blowing it to pieces. His hand was burning, feeling as if he had touched scalding water.
"EVERYONE REGROUP!" Noel screamed, repeating Angel's command.
He watched as they began to pair up. Frank stood next to Joe. Grabbing his hand, they combined their powers, in turn quadrupling their power levels. Joe watched in awe as their combined energy created a wide swath in the sky. Suddenly a blast forced them apart.
Joe felt nothing but pain as the laser blast tore open his chest. As if his organs had been burned and ripped out at the same time.
"JOE!" Frank screamed.
In a split second he felt the terrible pain his brother had gone through flash through his system nearly causing him to double over. He teleported over to his brother and created a fire shield to protect the two of them. Unable to see anything outside of the flames, he had to trust that the others were taking over their places. Looking over his brother, he could see the large wound that had been carved into his chest. He swallowed as he saw all the blood coming from the wound. Stripping off his shirt, he pressed it on the hole, trying to offer some protection.
"Joe," Frank shouted over the noise.
There was no response. Joe's eyes remained fixated on some point in the sky. Biff saw his friends go down, and the fire dome appearing over them. He threw a sonic punch towards the ground, blowing up a group of alien fighters that were trying to penetrate the dome. He combined his powers with Chet as they morphed into a giant ram. Charging through one of the enemy groups, Biff's power sent out sonic blasts that ripped every fighter to pieces.
The Guardians formed a ring around the fire dome, keeping the fighters at bay.
"Where are they coming from?" Tony shouted as he fought over several ground fighters.
"The ships!" Phil shouted back at him. "Destroy the ships and we take them down at the same time."
Sunray heard his voice and nodded. Closing his eyes he pictured the worst weather storms that history had recorded. Hurricane Katrina, the Blizzard of '93, Hurricane Andrew… all of them combining in mind. Dan watched in awe as his younger brother began crashing the alien fighter ships into each other, blowing them to pieces. As Phil had predicted, once the ships were blown up, no more fighters could come from them. He watched as some of the ground alien fighters became disoriented.
"So they're controlled by the ships!" Dan thought as he watched the fighters.
Summoning up the power he knew would help, he closed his eyes as he fixated on the moon's core. The energy moved to his thoughts as the plate moved underneath them. The ground opened up and blasts of hot gasses and lava shot hundreds of kilometers into the sky.
Using the volcanic distraction, Angel walked through the fire dome. Frank's eyes went wide as he walked through the fire as if he were walking through air!
"What happened?" Angel's voice asked in his mind.
"I don't know. Half his chest is blown out!" Frank answered back.
Angel pulled back the cloth to see the wound for himself. He could see that Joe was hanging on to life by a threat. His intestines and lower lungs were exposed as well as his heart. Frank visibly paled over at the site.
"He's not going to survive until the battle's over," he managed to choke out.
Angel nodded. He felt Joe's pulse. It was feint but there. He knew there was something he had to do.
"Frank, I need you to brace yourself." Frank heard in his mind.
"Why?"
"Because what I'm going to do next is going to feel very weird."
"What?" he asked.
"Hold onto your brother and don't let go."
Frank gathered his brother in his arms, holding on tight. He watched as Angel held out his hands. Suddenly there was no sound. The air around him became thick. He watched as the flames in the dome slowed down. He could see that there were individual swirls dancing around. Moving and dancing like slow swirls. He looked down at his brother. His eyes slowly went wide as the blood that once flowed freely from the wounds, slowed down to a trickle. Joe's eyes seem to take on a far away looking. Frank tried to open his mouth to speak to him but found that he couldn't even get his lips to work.
"So...that's...what...he...meant...by...feeling...weird..." Frank thought.
On the outside of the dome the battle raged. Biff found himself thrown off of Chet when he could no long hold the ram form. Chet writhed in pain on the ground, until Biff watched wide-eyed as he turned into a giant porcupine. Chet charged again, using his massive spikes as daggers. The spiked dripped in acid, destroying all enemy fighters it touched.
Noel used his powers to link up with Chad and Derek. The formed a ring of energy that destroyed enemy fighters when they touched it.
Sunray felt his entire body was engulfed in pain as the hurricane he created increased in strength. Dan came to him and he combined his power into the hurricane, creating a sky full of fire. The others joined in until the last of the enemy ships fell from the sky. The ground fighters, now totally disoriented, proved easy to take down. Dan used the last of his strength to sweep the robotic garbage into the moon's molten core.
Frank watched as Angel began to shake a bit. A trickle of blood appeared under his nose. His strength was failing. Slowly looking back down at his brother, he could see that even in the slow time, Joe was still dying. He could see his blood as it slowly soaked through the cloth. They had to find a healer among them.
Noel broke the energy ring. "Derek, Chad, Rob... see to the wounded. I'm going to go inside the dome. Find Ronaldo and get him in here."
Noel entered the fire dome and saw his friend had slowed down time inside the dome. Existing outside of the dimension of time, he found himself able to float over to where Frank was sitting on the ground, holding onto his brother. He could see for himself that the wounds on Joe would be fatal the instant Angel could no longer keep time from flowing at its normal pace.
Frank wondered how Noel managed to get through the fire dome. Despite everything else, he moved so fast, it looked like he was teleporting from one place to the other.
Outside the dome Big Jay, Staci, and Ronaldo had their hands full with the wounded. Robot drones came out with stretchers and helped to carry the injured into the medical building. Staci and Jay went inside while Ronaldo took a medical suitcase into the dome. With Randy's help he got through the dome. He could feel Noel take the suitcase from him but couldn't walk more than half a step at a time. Noel opened the case and saw that there was nothing inside that would save Joe. Even with his powers to move through the dimensions, he had nothing that could save him.
Frank felt as though something had struck him hard in his back. He could no longer focus on the fire dome, causing it to literally blow out. Angel collapsed next to Randy. He grabbed hold of him before he could fall to the ground. Frank watched as time reset itself and the wound on his brother's chest began to over flow in blood.
"Joe!" he screamed.
Noel felt for Joe's pulse. It was feint and fading fast. Ronaldo came over and tried to stabilize Joe's condition. Frank knew deep inside there was nothing Ronaldo or anyone else could do to save his brother. Tears flowed from his eyes. Despite the pains from his own injuries, nothing hurt worse than feeling his own brother slip away.
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