CHAPTER 1
"It's over Sudden Death!" Ish yelled.
"You may have won this time Guardians, but next time you won't be so lucky." He shouted.
The Guardians watched as Sudden Death and The Anticorians retreated back to the rock they had crawled out of.
"Are you all right?" Ish asked as the Lions Rusher came up to them. He handed him the megacore.
The Rusher nodded and left to put the megacore back in the vault.
"Now that that's over what do you guys wanna do?" Asked Marty.
"Let's head to The Bulldog and play a couple games." Suggested Tua.
There were murmurs of agreement.
"Sorry guys I've gotta head home. My dad's girlfriend is coming over for dinner." Ash said gloomily.
"Later Ash." They said.
The Bulldog
-2 hours later-
"That's game guys." Troy said. "I'm broke."
"Same here." Ricky stated.
"Ditto." Tua said.
The four friends said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
8 o' clock- Ash's House
"Dinner was wonderful Charles, thank you. It was nice seeing you again Ash." Linda said, giving the redhead a hug.
Ash just nodded and looked at her feet. The feeling in the pit of her stomach told her everything was not going to be okay once Linda drove away. She feared what her father had planned as punishment for 'disobeying' him.
The second Linda's car was out of sight Charles grabbed his daughter's arm and threw her against the wall. He towered over her, menacingly he snarled, "Didn't I tell you not to speak during dinner!" He backhanded her across the face. "Answer me you worthless piece of filth."
Ash held her stinging cheek, loud sobs beginning to escape her throat.
"Y-Yes s-sir."
He smacked her again and she screamed. He punched her and kicked her until she passed out.
9 o' clock- Troy's House
Troy struggled for breath as he fell to his knees. His father's punch had knocked almost all the wind out of him. He gasped.
"Get up!" Mr. Kang ordered. When he didn't obey Troy felt himself pulled up by his shirt collar.
"Let go!" That earned him a hard smack.
"Shut your mouth. I told you to come straight home from school and you didn't!"
Troy coughed.
"It wasn't my fault. Sudden Death decided to attack-"
"I SAID SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
The last thing Troy saw was his father's fist heading towards his face.
10 o' clock- Marty's House
Marty grunted as his father bashed his head into the wall.
"Just because you're a Guardian doesn't mean you're better than me."
Two teeth fell out.
"I-I n-never s-said-"
A lamp came crashing down on his head before he could finish.
11 o' clock- Tua's House
Tua struggled to his feet. His uncle punched him again and he staggered back.
"You're worthless. You can't fight and you're dumber than a pile of bricks."
He punched his nephew's face and the only thing Tua could make out was a ring of stars in his peripheral vision.
12 o' clock- Ricky's House
Ricky dodged his dad's oncoming fist.
"Hold still!" He shouted.
He dodged another and aimed a kick at his father's face. His dad caught it and gave it a sharp twist, earning a cry of pain from his son. He threw him into the wall and hit him in the head until he passed out.
1 o' clock- Ish's House
Ish screamed as the whip came down on his bare back. He felt the blood pouring down his back in ungodly amounts. The whip came down again and again, each hit more painful than the last.
Finally when it seemed the torture would never stop, Ish Taylor lost consciousness.
6 weeks later
"Guardians it's time for your physical." RZ announced.
They all gasped.
"RZ...could we maybe, um,... you know...skip the physical this time?" Ish asked. He could tell something was wrong with his fellow Guardians and even though his back still hurt from the whipping last night, he was more worried about them.
"I am afraid not Ish. The six of you missed the physical last week, so we must make up for lost time. Do not be concerned. Your parents gave their consent for you to have this done."
Ash bit her lip as several Rusherz came out with equipment.
"RZ, I don't-"
"Quit trying to get out of it, you guys need these physicals to make sure your body is doing well. You wanna keep playing football don't you?"
They all nodded.
"Then you need to have the physicals. Come on, no stalling."
Sighing in defeat they each walked to a cot where a Rusher was waiting.
"Remove your shirt please Ish." The Chargers Rusher said.
He hesitated.
The Rusher noticed this.
"What's wrong?"
He shook his head and took off his shirt. Ish was glad they were hidden by a curtain. He didn't want his friends to see his back. The Rusher began the physical: checking his lungs and heart, his reflexes everything. All was well until-
"I need to check your back Ish."
His heart stopped.
"W-why?"
"To make sure there's no damage from any of Sudden Death's attacks."
He paled, leaping off the cot and wrapping himself up in the curtain. The Rusher just stared at him.
"Ish...what is it?"
The boy shook his head, like a stubborn little child who refused to share his favorite toy.
"Why don't you let me look at your back?"
He shook his head again, causing the Rusher to sigh.
"The physical is over then. I'll give RZ the reuslts."
Ish replaced his shirt and went to wait outside.
"Everything looks good Tua." The Bears Rusher said, causing a small smile to appear on the boy's face. "I just need to check your ribs."
"Do we have to?"
The Rusher nodded.
"The x-ray won't take long."
"You're going to...give me an x-ray?"
"Yup. Wait right here."
Tua's vision was back to normal, but he was pretty sure he had a couple broken ribs from his 'training session' with his uncle. If anyone found out he'd be in big trouble.
Taking a look around, Tua carefully got off the cot and headed for the exit.
"I'm fine!" Ricky screamed.
The Cardinals Rusher had asked him to try out his balance on his right foot. Ricky had refused saying he was fine and that this physical was just a waste of time. He had been asked again which had resulted in a screaming match between the two.
"If your fine then balancing on your foot shouldn't be a problem then should it?"
He bit his lip. Sighing he balanced on his foot for five seconds and looked at the Rusher.
"See? Fine."
The Rusher grunted and went to give his report to RZ.
"Ow."
"Hold still."
Marty squirmed as the Browns Rusher checked his mouth.
"What happened to your teeth?"
"They fell out while I was playing a game of football." Marty said quickly.
The Rusher nodded.
"Wait here. I'm gonna give my report to RZ."
Marty sighed as he waited for the Rusher's return.
Troy tapped his hand on the cot. He wanted to get home before his dad did.
"Impatient are we?" The Saints Rusher asked.
"A little."
The Rusher smiled as he checked Troy's lungs, not missing a wince whenever the boy took a breath.
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Troy took another deep breath. "Ugh."
The Rusher stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
The Rusher shook his head.
"I'm ordering an x-ray."
Ash bit her lip as The Patriots Rusher examined her. She was glad that she was wearing her shirt. No one would be able to see the scars from her last 'punishment'.
The Rusher scribbled something down on the clipboard and turned his attention to his patient.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
"Nothing hurts? When you were here six weeks ago you complained about very bad headaches, a broken arm and a twisted ankle."
Ash gulped.
"I'm fine. Nothing hurts."
"Ok then. You can wait outside while the others finish up."
She sighed and walked outside.
45 minutes later
"Everything looked well except for Tua and Troy. Both your x-rays revealed several broken ribs." The Vikings Rusher looked at the two boys. "Care to explain how that happened?"
"Football practice." Said Tua.
"Skateboarding." Troy stated.
He raised an eyebrow at the responses as did their friends and all the Rushers.
"Okay then. You guys are good to go but you'll have to come back for a follow up next week."
They nodded and went on their way.
The gang sat at their usual table in The Bulldog and remained quiet. Everyone was a little uneasy.
"You didn't really break your ribs playing football, did you Tua?" Ish asked.
The large boy gasped then shook his head.
"I didn't."
Ish turned his attention to Troy.
"You didn't break your ribs skateboarding."
He gulped.
"I didn't." He admitted.
"What's going on guys?" Ash demanded.
Both boys bit their lips and shook their heads.
"You can tell us." She coaxed gently.
"I've gotta go." They both said as they got up and raced out of the building, leaving their friends staring at their empty seats in shock.
Marty finished his shake.
"Who wants to bowl?"
Ash lay in bed, unable to sleep she was staring at the ceiling. She listened for any sign that her father was waking and when she heard nothing released a small sigh of relief. The redhead tossed and turned and after an hour fell into an uneasy sleep.
She awoke to find herself lying on soft grass. Looking around Ash gasped as she saw the Rusherz occupied with a game of football.
Shouldn't they be protecting their Megacores? She wondered.
The Rushers hadn't noticed her yet and even when she walked up to them they didn't pay attention to her. They continued to play their game like she wasn't even there.
The Packers rusher tossed it to the Bears rusher and everyone cheered.
"Excuse me?" She said.
They didn't look at her, just went back to playing their game.
'What's going on? Can't they see me?' She wondered. Her question was soon answered when another Rusher tossed the football in her direction and it passed right through her. She gasped.
Taking a deep breath she ran up to them and tried to get their attention, only to be completely ignored. She attempted to grab a Rusher, but her hand went right through them.
As she struggled to remain calm a strange light erupted from a temple and struck the Rusherz, levitating them into the air. There was a brief flash of light and...
Ash opened her eyes to find herself in her room. No noise came from downstairs so she assumed her father had gone to work already. She winced as she rose from bed, getting dressed quickly the girl headed for The Bulldog to meet her friends.
"And Ricky Cervantes is the undefeated world bowling champion! The crowd goes wild." Marty shouted as Ricky finished bowling a perfect strike.
"You know there's no one here to announce to, right Marty?" Troy asked.
"I know." The energetic blond said.
Ash, Tua and Ish sipped their shakes in silence.
That silence was broken when their NFLR's went off.
"What is it RZ?"
"Guardians please report to the H.O.K. immediately."
"On our way."
HALL OF KNOWLEDGE
"Thanks for coming Guardians." The Vikings Rusher said.
"What's wrong?" Tua asked.
"The Minnesota Vikings have received a threat from Sudden Death." RZ explained.
He played the video which showed Sudden Death standing next to some strange equipment.
"If the Megacores are not given to me in 2 hours I will destroy the city of Minneapolis and if the Guardians try to interfere I will destroy them as well." The video ended.
"What's that equipment he was standing next to? It looked weird." Ash said.
"I am not sure, but whatever it is it can't be good. Guardians since we do not know the magnitude of the situation please transform now."
They nodded.
"ENTER THE RUSH ZONE!"
LAMBO FIELD
Ish yelled as the Blitzborg fired a shot at him from its cannon. The orange ray struck him and he fell to the ground.
"ISH!" Marty yelled.
Ish was groaning as his entire body was wracked with pain. He transformed out of his suit as his friends ran to his side. He clutched his head in pain.
"You'll pay for that! Ice Blast Power Pass!"
"Super Stomp!"
The combined attack froze all the Blitzborgs and shattered them into a million tiny pieces. The only ones left to deal with were the Anticorians and Sudden Death. Just as the four of them were being surrounded Stellaria quickly pressed a button on the laser-type equipment that was at the field. A round of shots struck each Guardian in turn and soon, they were all on the ground clutching their heads in pain.
"We may not have gotten the Megacore, but we did put you out of commission for a little while." Angkoro stated. "The six of you have just been struck with a MUCH more powerful strain of Anticorian virus than you faced last year." He took a breath. "Chance of death...95%. Farewell Guardians."
They disappeared, leaving six detransformed guardians lying in pain on the field. They would have been there forever if the Vikings hadn't come onto the field and immediately contacted their parents. They were taken to their homes and their punishments were worse than anything they had ever experienced.
NEXT DAY
HALL OF KNOWLEDGE
"Rusherz, I have been trying to contact the Guardians for several hours and have been unsuccessful."
"They didn't report in after the mission either. That's not like them." The Packers Rusher was heard.
"Indeed it is not. I would like several of you to go and check on them. Make sure they are doing well."
The Rusherz nodded in agreement. After everything the Guardians had done for the world, the NFL and them it was the least they could do to return the favor.
They grouped up in 3s and were off to check on their friends.
MARTY
The Browns, Eagles, and Chiefs Rusherz were trying to open the window as quietly as possible, after all no one except for his parents knew that Marty was a Guardian. They didn't want an encounter with someone that didn't know about Marty's activities. His identity was supposed to be a secret.
They were impressed as they stepped into the boy's room. He was truly a Cleveland Browns fan. Newspaper clippings lined every inch of wall in his room, a Browns desk with a Browns lamp was in the corner near his bed complete with Browns bedsheet and Browns blanket which at the moment, had a lump underneath it.
Marty.
The Browns Rusher gently shook the boy.
"Marty. Wake up." He said.
The lump began trembling at the contact. Grabbing a corner and carefully peeling back the blanket they gasped in horror at the sight.
Marty's hands and feet were bound with thick ropes behind his back, the right side of his face was bruised and he had a black eye. The bruises didn't stop there, walking to the other side of the bed they saw a ball gag and what looked like a thick white towel in his mouth. His left eye was a little better though not by much and dried blood covered his nose. His breathing was shallow, his skin deathly pale and when they looked at his back were shocked by the bruises.
"I'm contacting RZ." One of them said. "RZ you need to see this."
The Rusher showed him the now freed Marty. RZ gasped in disbelief.
"Bring him to the H.O.K. immediately. We can better tend to his injuries there."
"What about his parents? Shouldn't we let them know-"
"We will deal with them when the time comes. Right now Marty is our first priority."
All three nodded and quickly left after firmly securing the boy between them.
TUA
"Why would someone do this?" Asked the Bears Rusher.
"I don't know, but we need to get him to the H.O.K. and fix him up." The Jets Rusher said.
The 49ers Rusher just nodded in agreement.
The three Rushers found Tua unconscious in his room.
He was on his stomach and his arms and legs were tied to the bedframes. His back was covered in what appeared to be large purple bruises. They went all the way to his legs.
Curiously, the Bears Rusher gingerly pressed down on Tua's side, causing a gasp to escape his lips.
"I think he may have a broken rib or two, but we'll need an x-ray to be sure."
"Agreed. Let's get him out of here."
They freed him and lifted him off the bed as gently as they could. They struggled under the weight, but managed to get him through The Passage to the H.O.K where RZ was preparing the Medbay for Tua and the others.
RICKY
The Cardinals, Lions and Raiders Rusherz were shocked when they saw Ricky hanging from the ceiling. The eleven-year-old was chained to the ceiling. His hat was on the floor and part of his pants were torn. One eye was bruised and swollen shut while one of his ankles was sticking out at an abnormal angle. The boy's lips were split and from what they could see one of his arms appeared to have been burned.
The Raiders Rusher looked like he was about to puke any second.
The Cardinals Rusher flew up to the boy and attempted to wake him up.
"Ricky."
Nothing
"Ricky!"
The boy didn't even whine.
"He's unconscious. We need to get him to the H.O.K. NOW!"
As the Lions Rusher began lowering him down, the chain snapped and he came crashing down on the hard tile floor. The Cardinals Rusher managed to grab hold of his shoulders, but the change in movement had startled the boy awake just in time to scream when his injured ankle hit the floor with a loud thud.
"It's okay Ricky. You're safe now. Shh." The Cardinals Rusher calmed the boy as tears flowed down his face.
The Guardian continued screaming and crying as the Rusher held him to his chest. Just as the Raiders Rusher was about to contact RZ a loud voice came from downstairs, "Ricky?"
Three Rushers looked at each other.
Loud footsteps were coming up the stairs.
"We need to get Ricky out of here. Now!"
They opened The Passage and disappeared just as Ricky's father unlocked the door and entered the room.
TROY
He was pale and struggled to get air in his lungs. The Saints Rusher placed a hand on the boy's forehead. He was warm.
"He doesn't look well. We need to get him to the H.O.K."
"Agreed."
Troy had a broken nose and one wrist was bent awkwardly. The boy's stomach had several wounds and his chest looked as if someone had decided to take a knife to it. It was riddled with scars as was his back. One arm was tied behind his back and his legs had many bruises.
Dried blood covered his nose and mouth and one eye was extremely dark.
The Saints Rusher began to carefully cut the ropes; after that was done the Titans Rusher helped get the child into a sitting position so he would be easier to maneuver around. He gave a small moan of pain. The Titans Rusher soothed him.
"Everything's gonna be fine Troy. We're gonna get ya out of here."
Together with the Falcons Rusher they hoisted the injured youth between them and soon disappeared into The Passage on the way to the H.O.K.
ISH
"Ish! Hey Ish!" The Chargers Rusher yelled. "Wake up."
The boy didn't even blink. He was covered in what seemed to be whiplashes from head to toe and he appeared to be running a fever. His neck had marks on it as if someone had attempted to strangle him in his sleep. They didn't like it.
"We need to get him to the H.O.K. now!"
The child moaned as he was gingerly moved from the bed. He whimpered as the Chargers and Packers Rusherz moved him to the middle of the room.
"Stay with us Ish." The Chargers Rusher said.
The boy mumbled something unintelligible under his breath and they looked at each other. The Seahawks Rusher opened the Passage and their young friend was gasping for breath as he was taken from his room to the H.O.K for treatment.
They hoped he would be all right.
ASH
The Patriots Rusher untied Ash from the chair she sat on. The redhead fell to the floor, completely unconscious. Her hands were untied from behind her back and her face was bruised. When she opened her mouth and uttered a little moan a tooth was missing.
"Poor kid." The Patriots Rusher was heard.
The Ravens Rusher felt her forehead and noticed it was slightly warm. He frowned.
"What's wrong?" Asked the Dolphins Rusher.
"She feels warm. I think she has a fever."
They scooped her up and she groaned in pain.
The Patriots Rusher felt her head as well.
"Something's definitely wrong with her."
"Let's get her to the Hall of Knowledge."
The three Rusherz nodded and went to the H.O.K. with their redheaded friend in tow.