Author's note: So here it is, my newest power rangers fanfic. I did want to have a prologue or at least an introduction, but nothing really came to mind. At least, not enough to have an entire page for. All I really have to mention is that this story is going to be a little similar to Oneiro and a lot more different. I won't have as much "care" put behind the words with this one, so it's not going to be as good as Oneiro, but still, I hope it isn't bad either. So if you see a difference in my writing style, it's really just that: less time taken to plan the right words so it can be written faster.

I hope everyone enjoys the new cast and crew. If you don't... too bad haha just kidding. Please, do review if you have the time and the fingers to type. Thank you, everyone. Enjoy the story!

The calm of space.

Stars shimmered all around, unobstructed by any planet or local sun. All there was for light-years was a lone silver ship, rockets blasting with a destination in mind. The vacuum of space deprived the highly advanced engines of any sound, making its journey a peaceful one. That is, only on the outside. Inside, it was like a pack of quapenprons were devouring a helpless mlerfenite.

The flying saucer's interior was a clamor of alarm sirens, red lights flashing from the corners of the room. A short grey alien floated inside of the fluid-filled glass chamber, a series of tubes and wires attached to the temples of his giant head. The white space suit he wore had the numbers "137" running sideways on his right side. Monitoring screens cycled around in front of the chamber, revealing the endless space outside and the empty rooms inside.

The wall screen before him zapped on, showing the image of a similar-looking alien, horns accompanied by spikes on his head, almost resembling a biological crown. "Crypto! Wake up! Wake up, I say." He held his fist up angrily, shaking them at the camera. "I command you..."

Crypto shook awake, mumbling groggily. "What? What? I'm awake. I was just plotting the next course." He fumbled his gloved hands around, palming the glass, searching for the controls. "Ehh, who's flying this thing?"

"There is no new course! Why is it that every time you need to stay focused, I find you goofing around with the idiot Tube."

As the chamber drained with the sound of a toilet flushing, the tubes detached from Crypto's head, leaking foamy fluid. He swung open the front glass, letting the remaining water spill out onto the floor. "Don't worry, Poxy. I doubt we veered too far off. The autopilot knows how to go in a straight line."

The massive image of Orthopox squinted his pure black eyes at him. "Have you no idea how much fuel we have?"

Crypto scanned around the control panel, checking for the fuel gage. He found that the bar meter was at the bottom line. "Hmm, looks like we're running on empty. You think there's a fuel station nearby?"

Orthopox changed his image to the map of their location. "Just look at the map. Look really good. Do you see anything?"

Crypto looked away from the controls and glanced up at the blank black screen. "Uhh, did you turn the camera off? I don't see anything."

Orthopox reappeared on-screen, making Crypto reel back in his hover chair. "Of course you don't see anything! We are in the middle of nowhere!"

Crypto waved a hand at it. "You're just being paranoid, Poxy." His fingers tapped rapidly on the keypads, blipping and blooping. "I'll find something to land on and get us some Plutonium."

Orthopox zoomed back from the camera, his floating throne connected to the sides of his head with two thick cables. Crossing his arms, he huffed smugly. "I doubt you could even find a trace of hydrogen from where we–"

"– Hey, I found something."

Orthopox's eyes bulged out. "Neh?! How can that be? We're not even near a solar system."

Crypto watched the grid outline of a planet rotate on the small screen between his keypads, information written in an alien language quickly scrolling upwards next to it. "Apparently, there's a planet called Pluto following the edge of a small sun's gravity field. But, the place is packed with Plutonium. Go figure."

Orthopox's voice lowered. "It sounds... suspicious."

Leaning back in his chair, Crypto laced his fingers behind his head and plopped his booted-feet on the controls. "Well, it is about -369 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's going to be a little chilly. But if you want, I'll get you a sweater while you wait."

Orthopox let out a raspy sigh, rolling his eyes. "First you get us lost and now you're making wisecracks about our impending doom. Just fix what you mess up and I'll consider keeping this quiet if we return to the empire."

"How thoughtful," Crypto stated flatly.

Shifting the steering sticks to the right, Crypto changed course to head towards the small speck in front of the nearest star. With the face of the flying saucer in the right direction, its back flared with green flames, rocketing off to find the important fuel to resume their not-so-stellar journey.

. . .

The landing legs squealed out of the flying saucer's underbelly, four spider-like limbs that bent at the weight to settle into its vertical landing. Icy wind from the dying engines blew furiously around it, the crystal tan surface sending icicles flying about. The fuel station was nothing but a rickety shack, the attendant previously sleeping on a chair by the loose door until their noisy arrival. The grey mustached slug creature in mechanic's clothing opened his eyes that hung on antennas above his bloated head, one at a time. Crypto hovered down from the center of the ship, using the tractor beam in reverse as an elevator.

Cupping a hand by the side of his sharp toothed skeletal mouth, he called out over the howling winds. "Excuse me, useless life form. Are you open?"

The slug kept its lazy-eyed gaze, humming in a gruff tone. "Mmm-hmm."

"Good. Then fill her up and we can get going."

The slug headed over to the pump, slithering its lower body inch by inch. "Mmm-hmm."

Crypto watched the slug slowly cross his path to reach the nearby pump. His foot started to tap impatiently. "We're in a bit of a hurry, if you don't mind."

The slug didn't look at him, continuing its weaving back and forth. "Mmm-hmm."

Crypto turned around, examining the flat and barren wasteland made of ice. There wasn't anything else around, or even on the planet itself. Even the sky was a dark blob, obscured by the frozen methane emitting from the ground. The heat of his suit made stink lines waft from under his feet, his helmet luckily protecting him from the smell. That didn't stop his suit's sensors to inform him of its presence.

He looked down at wrist screen. "Great. We're on a planet made entirely of farts and highly unstable plutonium. At least we don't have to worry about the place going super nova." The thought hit him, making him put a finger to his helmet's glass. "Although, that would be pretty cool to see. Maybe after the mission, we can use this place as target practice."

Orthopox's hologram blipped out of the wrist screen, his face a transparent blue haze of static. "How is the refueling progress, Crypto."

"So far so good. The fuel guy is a little sluggish but all he has to do now is–" Turning around, he saw the slug was still in the same place, only getting five inches closer, still far away from the pump. "–get to the pump..."

"His incompetence is interfering with Furon government business. Eliminate him."

"But then who's going to pump the plutonium?"

"You have hands don't you?"

Crypto pulled out a weapon grip, the rest of the gun unfolding and stamping itself into place. "You know, Poxy, I seem to forget why you're here sometimes."

"It's simple. I bought the ship."

With his Zap-O-Matic finished constructing itself, its pincer shaped barrel held a high-voltage tesla bolt between the points, lighting up the area around the groaning alien. "I think I should get a raise after this. I am walking around on a ground made of farts."

The hologram of Orthopox sputtered around pixelated segments. "Enough about farts! You caused this! Denied! Now rid of the slug before you become just as useless."

The slug kept on shifting along until Crypto tapped him on the back of his blobby shape. "Mmm?"

"Don't take this personal, space-waster." The grinning alien charged up the Zap-O-Matic, sparks dripping off its barrel. "Sorry if this comes to you as a shock."

Inside the shack, something was watching through the window. It's robotic blue eyes widened at the sight of the slug convulsing and wiggling until it burst into a shower of green goo. Letting go of the sill, it sat against the wall, laughing happily. Clapping, it hooted like a monkey, its legs squeaking as it wiggled them wildly.

"Yay! Again, again!" The robot cheered in its high pitched voice. "I wanna see more Zappy-do!"

Running out the door, it found Crypto grabbing for the pump and heading to the ship. While Crypto walked, he noticed a fast squeaking noise behind him, like someone squeezing a toy spastically. He stopped, looking around, but seeing nothing, the robot right under his suit-limited sight. Resuming his walk to the flying saucer, he shoved the nozzle into the preopened hatch and waited for the tanks to fill up, whistling to himself. Behind one of the landing legs, the robot hid; its bucket-shaped head sticking out from the sides, the bulb tipped antenna on top leaning back.

Finishing up, Crypto tossed the pump aside; glowing purple fluid spraying out and growing a puddle on the frozen ground. "All topped off," Crypto reported into his communicator. "Let's get off of this miserable stink hole."

The tractor beam activated, bringing the robot up into the ship. It spun in place, giggling and flipping. Crypto followed right after, the beam's doors closing once he was inside. Hopping the ship in the air with its legs, Crypto receded the legs back into their holds and took off. Back in space, Orthopox met up with Crypto in the control room, his fingers tapping on his armrest irritably.

"I don't know how you do it, Crypto, but you always manage to yuck up just enough for us to survive."

Crypto deactivated his helmet, the glass returning to the collar around his narrow neck. "I try my best."

"Well, at least this time nothing bad happened. Back to the controls with you. I don't want any more distractions–"

The robot flew down from the ceiling, landing right between the two furons. "Hello!" It screamed.

Both of the aliens jumped back, shouting in astonishment. The robot stood there with a simple-minded grin on its face, tongue hanging out. Crypto whipped out his Zap-O-Matic. "Don't worry, Poxy. I'll turn this thing into scrap metal."

Orthopox gasped. "Wait, Crypto, don't! Do you have any idea what this machine is?"

He looked off to the side of his two handed weapon. "Ehh, Looks like a can of beans with arms and legs."

Orthopox hovered closer to the robot. "No, no, no, no. This is a lost prototype the empire has been searching for, for years now."

"So then you don't want me to blow it up." He clutched the side of his head. "I don't know how to feel about this. There's so many conflictions. I think I need some alone time."

Orthopox lowered down to talk to the little robot at his eye level. "You! State your operational title."

The robot's eyes turned red, its metal claw for a hand rising up to salute. "Sir, Grr, reporting for duty."

"Grr? I've never heard of a Grr unit before."

"What's so special about the robot? It looks like a hunk of junk to me."

Grr's eyes changed back to blue. "Ooo, I like junk." It ran around in a circle, arms flailing around. "Waaa-hoo!"

Orthopox tracked its path with his head, twisting it around. "Incredible! It's survived the depth of space for years with only a minor A.I. malfunction."

Crypto raised his leg, Grr running under and crawling up his back. He held it up by the underarms, its little legs still running in place. "So you're saying space is what made it retarded. Right?"

"Correct!" Orthopox bellowed triumphantly. "And now we possess it and its sweet, world crushing, power!"

"I'm all up for free stuff, Poxy, but can't we just put him back on that Pluto place? This ship isn't exactly idiot-proof."

"We are keeping it and that's final. I shall use the rest of our trip to decide whether to try and unlock his unstoppable weaponry or trade it for a glorious fortune." He rubbed his hands together, guffawing at the thoughts coming to mind. "Yes. Ooo, I bet he has one of those. Oh, we could buy so much stuff. Ahh, yes."

Crypto looked back at his hands, his fingers gripping nothing but air. "Hey! We'd the can of beans go?"

"The what?" Orthopox shook his head out of deep thought, searching around the room. "Oh, no!"

In front of the control panel, Grr drooled over all the knobs and buttons. "Ooo, what's this do?" It started pushing random buttons all over, poking so fast its hands were two long blurs. "What's that do? What's this do? What's that do? What's this do? What's that do?"

Machines and tools rose and fell from the ceiling, air vents flapping along with doors whooshing open and closed. Orthopox shouted, pointing at the robot. "Deeaaah! Hurry, stop him Crypto. Before he does damage to the ship."

Through the flurry of Grr's button pressing, its claw pushed down on a button labeled "Main Plutonium Tank release". Outside of the ship, the fuel tank in the back shot off, its own set of rockets sending it in the opposite direction of the ship. The interior shook during the blast off, the engines humming to a stop. Using his jetpacks, Crypto fought through the shift in gravity from the ship spinning out control. With everything in the saucer tumbling around like a washing machine, he hoisted up Grr and took him away from the controls; the ship returning to normal right away.

While Crypto locked Grr in the chamber and filled it with fluid, Orthopox clutched at the back window, watching the Fuel tank disappear into the distance. "Crypto, do you realized what he's done?!"

"Still wanna keep him, Pox?"

"We must," Orthopox demanded, face scrunched up with determination. "For the power. For the money! So much money." He pressed his face back to the glass. "But without that fuel, our substitute tanks won't have enough to get us out of this solar system."

"Don't worry," Crypto assured with a comforting hand on Orthopox's shoulder. "That Pluto place was made of the stuff. All we gotta do is set up the holding device and we can simply refuel there."

Behind him, the other window showed the distant Pluto in its last second of being in one piece. The giant explosion lit up the flying saucer for a second, the sight of millions of icy rocks flying around in the vast of space; the planet gone for good. Orthopox growled, shoving his hands over his eyes. Crypto hurried over to the computer, typing the coordinates of the ejected tank. The screen showed a pixelated picture of the flying saucer, the tank, and a planet; a white dotted line connecting the three.

"Save your tears, Poxy, 'cause I found the stinking thing. We won't be able to catch up to it, but at least another planet is going to catch it. All we gotta do is pick it up and we'll be on our way."

"All right, fine." Orthopox floated over to Crypto, sitting by him in front of the screen. "What's the planet called?"

"Earth."

"Earth?" Orthopox hummed. "Hmm, sounds simple."

"It sounds like a disease," Crypto countered. "And look, the sensors tell me that there's life there."

Orthopox's eyes widened. "Really?" He looked all over the image of the rotating green and blue planet. "It must be one of those savage planets. Clearly there couldn't be any intelligent life there. Look, there's no moon colony. No space stations. No tracking satellites. There's not even a simple space elevator."

"This solar system is a little dim if you ask me. No wonder Furon convoys always pass right by it. It's too barren to even bother with."

Orthopox huffed expressively, heading to his room. "This is all your fault! All thanks to you we have to go on this out of the way detour and risk being stranded in the most pathetic excuse of a solar system! I should have never cheapened out when it comes to hired help." The mechanical door closed behind him, twisting and hissing to lock itself tight.

Crypto growled. "Don't blame me, I was standing right in front of you!" He slumped forward. "Great. Now we gotta go to Earth."

Grr flapped his arms, squeaking rapidly and filling the chamber with bubbles. "Yay! I like Earth."

"Well," Crypto slammed his boots on the controls, leaning back to relax. "At least we can just blow up the puny planet once we retrieve the fuel tank." The image of Earth rotated a little so the sun peeked out from the side. "I always find a way to look at the bright side..."

"Lollypop, lollypop, ohh lolly-lolly-lolly. Lollypop! Bum-bum bum bum bum–"

The radio played next to the car in the driveway, its long wire snaking all the way into the garage. It was the only source of noise in the peaceful suburban neighborhood, other than the morning lawnmowers and chirping birds. A paper boy rode by, tossing the newspaper straight at the freshly waxed red car in the driveway. A buff hand caught it before it could crash through the windshield, squeezing it angrily. The baseball cap wearing paperboy skidded to a stop, surprised that his plan was foiled.

Rock snapped his head towards the little boy, his pompadour styled hair wobbling from the movement and its thickness. "Ay yo! Even think about breaking the glass and I'mma break yo' face!"

"Yeah, blow it out your ear, tough guy." The kid taunted before kicking off to pedal away.

Rock's grip tightened on the paper, eyes narrowing. "Oh, I see how he wants to play."

Rock quickly swiped a finger under his nose, adjusted his black leather jacket, and then wound up for the pitch. The paper flipped like a ninja star, ready to intercept the moving target. Jammed right in the spoke, the thick roll of newspaper blasted the kid into the air and straight down into the bushes. The paperboy's legs dangled helplessly while Rock returned to check up on his sleek convertible. Whistling, Rock rubbed out a small spot of dirt with his finger; drowning out the boy's cries for help.

The neighbor next door left her house, slipping on her limp backpack on her way out. Leaping over the steps, she waved goodbye to her parents. "I'm heading off to school," she called out, swinging open the low white wooden gate. "I promise to be back before supper this time."

Her mother waved her arm out of the doorway. "Take care, dear."

A wooden pipe stuck out of the doorway next to the arm, bobbling as her father spoke. "Be a good girl, now."

Skipping away, her short red hair fluttered up and down with her hops. "Don't worry, I will."

Her little white dog hopped along with her on the other side of the fence, popping his head over the fence with a happy young bark, tongue flopping around. She allowed him to follow her down the fence line, like every school directed morning. Once the fence ended–and like always–the dog yipped as he crashed into the wood, a silhouette of his short body fading the paint from constant collisions. Shaking his head with his ears flapping around, the dog then held his paws between the pickets, watching her leave with his tail wagging happily.

The radio stopped its music abruptly, a news report growing louder as she walked. "And now for some breaking news," the announcer said. "A strange meteorite has been found on a local cow pasture and is now under close study. Experts believe it holds highly radioactive material and officials strongly urge anyone who finds anything that falls out of the sky to report it immediately..."

By the time she crossed Rock's driveway, the paper boy was still in the bushes, the bike's front wheel slowly spinning. Right away, she knew it was Rock's doing. "Isn't it a little too early to emotionally scare children for life?" she asked with her hands to her hips, pushing her black skirt inward.

Rock looked over his shoulder, head under the hood of his precious car. "No. It's never too early."

"I probably shouldn't even bother telling you, but you know school's going to start in a few minutes. Right?"

Rock dipped his head, stopping the work he was doing with the engine. Leaning back to slam the hood down, he turned around, wiping his hands off with a rag. "You're right, pirate girl. Don't bother."

She looked down at her black shirt with a Jolly Rodger skull that he was referring to, the skull with a pink bubble gum bubble being blown over its toothy grin. Tossing her head to the side, she let out a scoff. "Whatever. Just don't expect anyone to be in class. The whole school is having a field trip today at the new power plant." She smirked smugly. "So, your welcome."

He waved her away, returning to his car. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. My dad wouldn't shut up about it. Just beat it, would'ya. If someone sees me talking to you, my reputation is gonna drop like a bomb."

She stomped her way to the stop sign, not wanting to skip anymore. "Jerk..."

. . .

On the long sidewalk in front of Nowersvil High School, students were lined up to enter the school buses, coming out of their introduction class to be told which bus will be the one they take. In front of bus blue forty two, a giggling group of girls had circled around each other. A pile of poodle skirts surrounded one of the girls, all listening to her adoringly. She lowered her hands at them, stifling their laughter.

"And then what happened, Dorothy," one of the girls asked.

"Well, the mall security came into the picture, dragged both of them out by the ear, and the two boneheads had to explain why they were covered in mashed potatoes!"

The girls started laughing again, Dorothy using the break to quickly apply some lipstick. One of the female teachers stood over the crunched up bunch and cleared her throat, making all of them look up. Dorothy was the only one that didn't– she was too busy popping her lips to make sure they were fully covered. The teacher cleared her throat louder, Dorothy reacting with an exasperated sigh.

"Do you have, like, Bronchitis or something?"

The teacher clapped, motioning them to get on their feet. "Let's go, ladies. You're holding up the line here."

Dorothy held a finger up, shifting her head side to side. "Uh, excuse me. I'm like, having a conversation here. Do you mind?"

The teacher pointed her finger at the glass door waiting for them. "Continue it inside."

Dorothy clicked her makeup mirror closed, tossing her ponytail into the teacher's face. "Fine. Let's go, girls."

Stepping up into the cramped aisle, the girls strutted along the chorus of loud chatter and the flight paths of paper airplanes. There was only one seat with three empty spots, Dorothy snapping and pointing to tell the extra girls to take seats nearby. In unison, her and two of her "higher ranking" friends scooted in. As they did so, a scrawny boy with glasses smacked his friend's shoulder, stopping the conversation him and another was having.

"Look, look! Someone girls are going to fall for the trap," he said.

The three girls sat down at the same time, letting out loud, echoed, flatulence. Everyone on the bus was in an uproar, sounding like a colony of howler monkeys, hooting and hollering. Reaching under themselves, the three pulled out whoopee cushions, annoyance hitting them the second their eyes saw the tongued airbag in their hands. Growling like a pack of lionesses, they searched around for the culprit.

The skinny boy pumped his fist in victory. "Critical hit!"

His overweight friend snorted, squinting through his coke-bottle lenses. "I see they're popular. Great catch, Harvey." A firm pat on the back nearly made Harvey fall out of his seat. "You're dexterity level never ceases to amaze me."

"Time for the unmasking," Harvey said quickly, standing up to bath in the spotlight. "Thank you. Thank you." He bowed as if people were throwing roses at him during an award ceremony. "Thank you very much. I'll be here all week!"

"Geek!" Dorothy tossed the whoopee cushion right at his face, the toy letting out a quick and small poot.

Without any kind of announcement, the bus broke away from the curb, speeding into the street. Harvey flew off his feet, forced to sit down on the back of the bus, caught between the shoulders of his friends. Heading towards the down town area of Nowersvil, the passing trees turned into passing storefronts; the heart of the city made of pure concrete and extensive man-hours. Cornelius was disappointed by the change of scenery, dropping away from the window and turning to Harvey.

"Drat. I hope another meteorite doesn't fall during this field trip. I'd miss the perfect chance to get my name in the papers."

"Another one?" Harvey questioned, making trenches in his big forehead.

"Yes. I saw the first one last night through my Cosmos-for-Kids telescope." His lisp sent spit flying for every "s" he said, Harvey blinking to avoid getting any in his eyes. "It wasn't big enough to cause much of an impact, so that allows my theory of a second–split off section–to arrive in a soon and timely manner. And once I find it, I shall rule the headlines!" He laughed manically, forming his hands into claws. It only took him a second to stop, clearing his throat with a wheeze. "... For one day." At the thought of it, he frowned.

October overhead the conversation about meteorites, leaning into the aisle and twisted back. She took a deep breath to start talking. "Hey, I heard–"

Right away, a horn started honking wildly, drowning out her voice. Everyone shifted to the left side of the bus; a speeding red convertible drawing everyone's attention. October tried her best to fight back the crowd, pushing bodies away, but quickly succumbing to their overpowering weight. Rock was driving the car, the other seats filled with guys and girls who happily waved at the ogling teens. Loud rock 'n' roll played from his stereo, blaring over the honking and shouting.

Dorothy stuck her head out the window, waving happily. "Rocky, over here! Take me with you! I love you!"

Rock peeked at her over his sunglasses, pointing at her over the head of his passenger. "Love you, babe!"

Another girl stuck her head out the window, her long curly hair engulfing the window due to the strong wind. "Hey, Rocky! Last night was so much fun!" She stuck out her pinky and thumb against the side of her face. "Call me!"

Dorothy glared at her, quickly balling her hand into a fist. "Hey! Back off, cooty queen! He's mine!"

The other girl glared back. "Oh, yeah?! Says who?!"

Dorothy shook her fist at her. "Says me, ya French Poodle!"

"Who're you calling a French Poodle?!"

"You, ya ugly Wombat!"

"Who're you calling an ugly Wombat?!"

"You, ya–"

The bus driver stopped the bus at the red light. "Get back inside," the driver barked at the girls. "I don't want any severed heads like last time!"

Rock's car sped by, nearly causing a collision with two other cars in the intersection. Dorothy and everyone else sat right back down, some even politely putting their hands in their laps. The bus was quiet enough to hear a student coughing from the very back. Dorothy and her friends all shot each other worried looks, not saying anything. Thankfully, the bus ride wasn't much longer.

Lines of people–students as well as casual attendees–flooded the entrance to the brand new nuclear power plant, all waiting for their chance to see what was inside. A man in an Uncle Sam costume waddled around on stilts, handing out balloon animals to the kids. Food vendors called out their specialty, wheeling around their food carts between the numerous lines. Hundreds of balloons floated over the crowd, released at the same time the doors opened. The ocean was nearby, seagulls squawking and eating left behind popcorn from the ground.

A voice came from the speakers attached to the pillars before the doorway, played on an endless loop. "Welcome to Nowervil's first nuclear power plant! With nuclear energy comes the future! Do not touch or lick anything labeled with the radioactive symbol or our employees. We will not be held responsible for anything that happens during your visit. Enjoy and explore! Welcome to Nowervil's..."

Inside, the lobby greeted them with a giant display of an atom, the cluster of colored metal balls surrounded by gyroscope "electron" hoops. Each teacher lead their students down a different corridor, the people not affiliated with the school going down their own route. Scientist in lab coats traveled down the halls, each one holding a clipboard. Even the tour guide wore a lab coat and glasses, his shiny bald head gleaming under the bright lights.

"Each one of these rooms is filled with machines and workers," the guide said as they passed by a few metal doors, "all serving their own crucial purpose to keep our beloved nuclear plant running efficiently. Reactor core monitoring, uranium storage, shipment examination, grid control, bowling alley..."

The sound of pins being struck was muffled behind the door. Looking into the line of students, the teacher furrowed her brow. "Where's Hugo? Have any of you seen Hugo?"

. . .

Behind the side of the wall to the power plant's main building, trails of smoke snaked out. A group of teens sat around, leaning against the wall. The cigarettes in their hands flared when they took a hit, showing bright in the shaded area they hung out in. A girl hugged one of the tougher looking boys, massaging his massive peck through the unbuttoned top of his red shirt. Flipping her fluffy hair away from his face, she took his cigarette and sucked on it like a straw.

Smoke puffed out of her mouth as she talked. "Why did you even bother going this stupid field trip, Hugo? It's not like you to follow school rules."

"That numb skull principal's got it out for me. If I get caught anytime soon, I'm out of school for good." He ran a finger across his neck. "Keeek. Good bye, brains. You don't want me to be without an education. Do you, Sissy?"

"You don't need education. Learning's for stupid people. Just blow rings in his face. Like this."

She inhaled then made her mouth into an "O", blowing a ring that floated up in front of Hugo's face, her laugh louder than wanted. If it wasn't for his fade-out haircut and bulky arms, he'd appear more feminine than masculine, his face the one of a "pretty boy". Hugo glanced at her with his piercing green eyes, the kind any girl could stare at for hours. Plucking the cigarette from his gal, he flicked it away; Sissy reaching out for it as he did.

He wagged his finger at her. "How many times do I have to tell you: you get lipstick all over the filter, baby. The boys are going to think I'm frooty if I get it on my lips."

She chuckled, scrunching her nose. "Then let's cut out the middle man."

"Oh, yeah." He leaned in for the kiss, both of them giggling happily.

Near the bottom of the stairs, a familiar voice called out angrily. "Ay, yo!"

Sissy gasped, holding Hugo tighter. Three greasers marched up to them, knocking cigarettes out of everyone's hands, stomping them out with mocking chuckles. Hugo stood firm, meeting with their leader, Rocky, eye-to-eye. All three of the leather wearing greases crackled their knuckles and stretched their shoulders, getting ready to start some trouble.

"What do you want greaseballs?" Hugo asked.

"Ay! Don't dis the grease!" Rock held his hand outward as he talked, bobbing his head. "You know," he started, tauntingly adjusting his jacket, "I think you got a hard time listening. I thought I told you to quit kissing my baby sister."

"She's a big girl," Hugo defended, looked down Sissy's shirt. "Especially where it counts. She can kiss whoever she wants."

Rock scowled, making his pointed nose stand out more. "Not guys that get her arrested."

"It was an accident, Rock," Sissy pleaded. "He didn't mean to do it."

Rock pointed at his pals, moving his whole body as he did. "Peanut. Moose. Teach him a lesson."

The two greasers closed in, smirking. Hugo backed up, bumping against the base of the stairs. "Gotta go, toots," He said to Sissy.

She stepped aside, waving goodbye. "Be careful, honey."

Rock popped his head over his lackeys. "Ay! Don't 'honey' him!"

Hugo motioned to his friends, swinging his open hands towards the greasers. "Beat 'em up, boys!"

The two cliques clashed, punching and pushing. Kicking off the wall, Hugo caught the side of the stone stairs and climbed his way up. Rock was already stuck in the fray when he saw Hugo's feet dangle above them. He struggled to hold back one of the thugs, trying not to lose sight of Hugo.

"You're not getting away from me this time!"

With one punch to the nose, Rock knocked out the thug instantly. Sprinting, he charged up the stairs, pushing aside anyone in his way. Despite all of the people gathered outside, nobody noticed the strange glimmer of light high in the morning sky. Nobody even noticed how it was coming closer and growing in size.

. . .

The tour guide stopped in front of a room with the title "Emergency" written in red above the double doors. "Here, we have the safe room. If, by any chance, there happens to be a meltdown, this room is the best way to survive; next to not being inside the power plant, that is." He chuckled, but none of the kids did. His smile quickly dropped, returning to the room's description, rushing through it. "Three feet of lead walls, automatic doors, and it has its own built-in soda fountain. Moving on."

One of the students in the front raised his hand. "Excuse me. Can someone actually survive a nuclear explosion?"

"A wha– survive?! Did you just say–?" The guide started laughing widely, all of the teenagers staring at him in fright. He nudged to a passing by scientist. "They want to know if someone could survive a nuclear blast!"

The scientist tossed his clipboard, laughing uncontrollably. Every one of the students kept their faces blank.

Finally, the guide calmed down, wiping a tear from his eye. "Ehh... no. Instantaneous death. Very tragic. Moving on!"

"I'd hate to be the poor sap that has something like that happen to them," Harvey said to one of his friends.

While the students walked away from the room to move on to the next, a loud commotion made everyone turn their heads. Hugo pushed a scientist back into the room he was just coming out of, papers flying in the air from his clipboard. Splitting the line of teens, he headed straight towards the double doors. Rock was right behind him, gaining ground.

The tour guide tried to intercept them. "Hey, you can't go in there! Plant personnel only!" The teens pushed their way right inside, the doors opening for them. He still yelled at them as the doors closed. "You're going to break something!"

The room resembled a futuristic locker room, benches and lockers lined up in aisles, all empty. Chrome walls reflected everything, almost like mirrors. Right when Hugo reached the middle of the room's entrance, Rock tackled right into him. Both of them crashed into the metal wall, struggling to stay on top and to throw the other one down. Shifting to the right, Rock's shoulder pressed a big red button on the wall labeled "Lockdown".

Deaf from the fighting, they didn't hear the emergency alarm sound, red lights flashing everywhere. Outside of the room, everyone paced away from the door, a thick slab of metal slamming down to cover the opening. Air hissed under the doorway, sealing the room tight. Scientist scurried around, trying to pry the door open and searching for something that'll deactivate the lockdown.

Only until it was bigger than the sun did the people outside notice the ball of flame heading straight for Earth. The planet's atmosphere had burned up the alien fuel tank's heat shielding and it would not be able to stay intact on impact. Straight down the plant's massive smoke stack, the alien object smashed straight through, burning a clean hole diagonally across the stack's middle. It didn't stop until it broke through the top of the safe room's roof, the fighting teens right there in the epicenter. After the loud and earth shaking explosion, purple smoke bloomed out of the broken open stack.

The only people who were safe were the ones outside of the safe room.

To be continued...