Prologue: Phenomenon
By Hailey T. (Aggiepuff)
Huge waves crashed violently into the jagged rocks below an overhanging cliff. Atop the cliff was an old condemned factory, creaking and groaning as the harsh winds and heavy rain blew against it. An old sign hung lightly over the door and was being whipped around in the stinging wind and rain. Its writing having faded, one could barely make out the words 'Powerpuff Girls Xtreme Industries. Property of the Dick Hardly Co.'
The inside was nothing more than a dark metal cave. The walls, floor and ceiling were all grey, dusty, and charred black; evidence that some sort of explosion had occurred long ago. Old machines that were once alive and working, were now only twisted heaps of metal collecting cobwebs. Broken flasks of chemicals littered the half-standing tables, and only a few remained intact. Broken windows lined the walls, but they provided little light on this dark and gloomy evening.
In one violent push from the wind, the whole building began to rock to one side, and several of the boards that supported its ever weakening foundation upon the shaky cliff rocks, began to creak and snap. The whole building groaned in protest, machines screeched and clanked as they leaned, and tables toppled over, sending several bottles of mysterious chemicals to the floor. Two in particular hit the floor and shattered, one spilling a gooey black substance and the other spilling a sticky white substance all over the dirty floor. Instantly they reacted with each other, bubbling and fizzing as they oozed slowly across the ground, seeping dangerously close to some old frayed electrical wires.
As yet another burst of wind and rain blew fiercely into the old factory, it whipped around the old electric wires, tossing some sparks and throwing them into the pool of black and white ooze. Instantly an enormous chemical reaction occurred. The wires began to send off even more bright sparks at the sudden movement, and quickly the black and white puddle caught flame and began to fizz and crackle. The wires were also ignited, and, in a matter of time, the whole area was in a blaze. The wires shot more and more sparks, whipping around like giant gray snakes, shooting high voltage electric currants through the pool of chemicals.
After only a few moments, the flames around the chemicals suddenly began to glow a bright red, and the smoke became a deadly black. The flames grew even larger, and suddenly a huge explosion filled the factory. Although it was too far away for anyone to hear, it created a deafening blast that shook the unsteady foundation, and sent several cliff rocks hurdling into the sea below.
An eerie silence hung around the building and the only trace of anything unusual was the gray wisps of smoke coming from the now completely shattered windows. All the flames had somehow disappeared. The only evidence left was the black and white mixture of chemicals, which was now throbbing with a red, fiery glow and shooting out little lightning bolts all around it. It radiated a strange evil energy, which almost seemed to be alive.
It began to expand across the floor in all directions, growing very quickly until it stopped suddenly. Very slowly it began to sink into the middle and gradually grow upwards, forming into a figure as it seemed to crawl forwards and upwards toward the door. It grew until it was human sized, and laid on its hands and knees, and then it slowly raised itself up and stood upright, its mysterious figure hidden in the darkness.
Once the metamorphosis was complete, the creature stood still for a moment. Suddenly in a blast of invisible energy, the door burst down, and the violent wind and rain blew inside. A blinding lightning flash illuminated the entire building, creating a silhouette of the monstrosity. It was unnaturally tall, with unhumanly long, sharp fingers. Once the light had vanished a large crash of thunder sounded as its two glowing red eyes emerged in the darkness. The strange creature slowly took a few steps outside, and then scanned the surrounding area with its evil red eyes, setting its sights on a twinkling city skyline off in the distance.
In an instant it had vanished, its intentions for this little city unknown. The stormy clouds had suddenly vanished, and a calm breeze had begun to blow through the broken windows, creating a ghostly howl that echoed throughout the factory. The broken glass from the chemical bottles glittered in the now visible moonlight. And one was clearly marked with the letter X.