Chapter 2 – Settling In

After another two hours on the road, the officer drove onto a bridge, leading to a long island surrounded by water.

"We're here, Sweet," spoke the officer.

"Where's the Academy?" asked Sweet.

"Behind the airport... don't worry, I'm heading there," he assured Sweet.

Soon, they passed the airport and drove down an open lane behind it. Sweet eventually saw a grand complex that would be easily mistaken as a college or even a business area. The Academy of Honors. One of the buildings stands fifteen stories tall; and the two of them were heading there. The went into the front office.

"Good afternoon," said the woman at the desk, "what can I do for you?" She happens to be the principal of the Academy.

"I want to enlist this young man into this school," replied the officer.

"Okay, what are his gifts and talents?"

"Hmm... don't look into this the wrong way, but, he has super-powers."

"Super-powers, you say? Well, we have a policy about who we accept into our system. The policy is the same at our facility here, the six sister facilities across the country, and the college station in northern Texas. We take human students that learn and do things on higher standards that normal ones do. We will also take humanimals because there is no other school that will welcome them easily."

"Well...?" added the officer.

"Super-powers are not allowed here."

"What?" exclaimed Sweet, shocked at this statement.

"It is a rule because we fear of running into someone who does not quite know how to control their power. And depending on how much lack of control there is, who knows what might happen to the Academy?

"But," uttered the officer, "you don't understand. This boy, Sweet, has relatively good control of his powers. He just found out about them yesterday and took out a Sentinel this morning!"

"Nevertheless," she replied instantly, "we cannot change the rule without some breakthrough—proof, per se."

After she said that, an explosion is heard outside. Coincidentally, the three of them looked out of the window to see that a Sentinel was the cause of it.

"You think you can take on another one?" the officer asked Sweet, who then raced outside to confront the machine.

Witnessing, the principal saw that Sweet got the job done by using his laser to split the Sentinel in two.

"Those Sentinels are going to keep coming for Sweet," said the officer to the principal, as Sweet re-entered the office, "but he'll be ready for them whenever they come. It would be much easier to have more people like him, but until then, he's all we've got. Besides, there is no other school to turn to."

"How about this?" she answered. "Powers are allowed only in emergencies such as what had occured a moment ago."

"Are you saying that...?" Sweet questioned.

"Yes. Welcome to the Academy. You will start on Monday (it was Friday)."

Sweet has it made now. He's in the place he's needs to be in, with a great school to go to. But when he heard that the Sentinels would keep marauding him, that's when he started to see the responisibility on his shoulders that his foster parents spoke of before. He did not know it fully, but he was destined to be a hero.

The officer booked a weekend stay at a hotel in Galveston. No one else could watch over Sweet, so he had to.

The next day, he took Sweet sightseeing around the city. The thing that really caught Sweet's eye, was the extensively long beaches. It is not that he wanted to play, lie down or learn to surf, he thought about somehow finding a way to build his dream home. That was his main goal at this point. Making an island in the Gulf was beyond his ability, so he'll have to settle for less. He took out his work of art again, and this time, the officer saw it.

"Hey, let me see that," he said. "This is impressive. When did you do this?"

"I started when I was six," replied Sweet. "It's finished now."

"What's it for?"

"It's my dream home. Building it is the main reason I wanted to be out near water."

"Well, I don't know if you can get your own island for this place, but maybe we can find some workers who are just dying to build something."

Strangely, the two drove by a group of about forty workers standing in front of an unfinished building. The officer parked his car and he and Sweet went to talk with them.

"Hey," started the officer, "aren't you guys supposed to be on the job?"

"Actually, no," answered one of the men. "We're watching over this building until another group gets back. But they haven't stopped by in over an hour... so now, we're really looking for a job."

Sweet could see it on their faces. Under their hardhats were sweaty faces, under the scorching heat of the sun. Others didn't care about the heat, but they wondered "When are we going to do something?". That was when opportunity knocked.

"How good are you guys at what you do?" asked the officer.

"Only the best," immediately answered the head worker.

"The best, you say? All right, I want you to prove it. My little friend here has something for you."

"He does?" replied the head, with a testy smirk. Sweet gave him his work of art and that smirk turned into a dropped jaw. He had never seen anything like it... and along with that, he never thought that some kid would be able to draw something like it. Sweet told the workers about what he had fully planned on doing with his "dream".

"I'm not sure about him owning his own island paradise," began the head worker to the officer, "but, if we can send an owner's note to our company's officials and get this on blueprints with the scale of his choosing, we've got ourselves a deal." The head worker extended his hand to Sweet, as he then gratefully shook it.

"When and where can you guys start?" asked the officer.

"Hmm..." started the head worker, unsure of where to establish this project. Soon, he found just the place. "There is a bridge leading to an island north of here (Pelican Island). No one lives in the middle of the island, so we can move there and start our work tomorrow. And like I said before, we are the best group around. I'll bet that we will have this done by Sunday afternoon."

"We'll see to it then." The officer and Sweet left, looking forward to the beginning of a great dream come true.

The group of workers actually finished their work Sunday morning, without stopping. Why? The truth is, their company is linked with the national government. As it turns out, what Sweet had drawn of the tower contained the same replicas of structures pre-made inside and out by the government. Not only that, but they had just enough parts to build the tower itself. And everything inside was already in place. It was codenamed "Operation Titan". It was never used before until now, so the workers had the parts transported by air (it took A LOT of helicopter manuvering). The workers did the rest by piecing them together as shown by the blueprints, along with extra polishing and provisioning. Despite the heavy input and output into this project, it was done.

Later on in the evening, Sweet and the officer drove their way to the newly established tower. Sweet saw it from about five miles away, sitting near the tip of Galveston Island. No one could miss the T-shaped building in the distance. He couldn't wait to get there, as it looked just as he drew it. After ten minutes, they arrived. The head worker welcomed them.

"Gentlemen," he began, "welcome to Titans Tower."

The officer was extremely amazed. "How did you guys do THIS so fast?" he asked. The head worker then revealed who they really were. Again, Sweet's stroke of luck when it comes to meeting the right people is astounding.

"What's on the inside?" asked the officer.

"Your tour guide, Frank, will show you," said the head worker. "He is right there at the front entrance of the Tower. I will come with you." He escorted the officer and Sweet to Frank, who then led the three of them inside the Tower.

"Welcome again, to Titans Tower," Frank said. "Who is Sweet?" The red orangutan raised his hand. "This is all yours."

"ALL of it is his?" asked the officer, a little concerned. "I have to leave soon, back to Brownsville for border management. How will he manage himself here?"

"Anything he could ever need is already provided for him here," replied Frank. "You name it. Anything!"

The officer would believe the man for now. He found it hard to believe that one place could have everything one person needs. Frank then began the tour.

The four men stood in the Main Hall, which looked something like a hall of fame. There stood pedestals and arches in the walls, as a museum would look. Frank said that if Sweet won any awards or anything in particular, he could display them there. In the middle of the Hall, there was a door on the left, and another on the right. Frank took the group through the left door, leading to a downward stairway to the basement. As high-tech as the Tower looks on the outside, it had to look just as good on the inside, and that included the basement. It would be easily mistaken as a laboratory, as there was no wood in sight. But there was one thing that stood out. Frank led the group to a secret door behind one of the cabinets. The oversized garage.

"Here is where you build what you want to build," said Frank. "You're not old enough to do these things yet, but hey, who's stopping you? This is your place. And trust me, this is only the beginning."

"Only the beginning...?" Sweet was speechless. He has only seen the first and base sections of the Tower, and he already is amazed. The Tower-his Tower-is far more than he had imagined.

"Yes, the beginning. Once you're a bit older, you can ride these babies." Frank turned on a monitor that showed three forms of transportation. One was a white car, plated with bright blue high-tech parts-the T-Car. The second was an orange watercraft design with five cockpits-the T-Sub. And last but not least, a black travel jet that seats about twenty people...

"Gentlemen, BEHOLD!" stated Frank, "I give you the B-Jet!"

"Wait a minute," uttered the officer, "the B-Jet? Why isn't it the T-Jet?"

"Did you not notice the section in the middle of the Tower?" asked Frank, as he spoke of the flat "B" in the center of the Tower. It made the Tower look like two "F's" joined together.

"What about it?"

"It holds the suites. If Sweet ever has anyone else here, there are rooms for them there." He then spoke to Sweet. "And Sweet, it's completely up to you when it comes to who you want here." Sweet understood.

Frank led the group back to the Main Hall and through the right door this time, leading directly to the theater. It seats over a hundred people, but the best part is that the big screen is mobile. By the flip of a switch (on the wall), the screen elevates to the ceiling and unveils a stage. The officer started to question about how all of this, so far, can be possible.

Continuing on with the tour, Frank led the group to the back of the Main Hall, to the over-sized elevator. There were stairs going up on the left and right, but who wants to take stairs? The four of them went on to the second of the six sections of the Tower. Basically, this section is the recreational center, or the Zone. Gyms of all kinds, indoor pools, a game room, the works. Pretty self-explandatory. Moving on, the third section was the flat "B" of the Tower-the Suites. All of the rooms look as if they were taken from five-star hotels and put together side by side. Each one has a big bedroom, a full-sized bathroom and a living room. The only things that can be different in the rooms are the wall designs, the floors, or the room lighting.

Frank gave the guests a little warning before heading to the fourth section.

"All right," he began, "this next section has a mother-load of high-tech things in it. Don't touch anything, because even I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just showing you guys around." He then lead the group into the elevator, for the fourth section-the Facility. There was a room with lots of monitors and a centerpiece that displayed a hologram above it, showing the world-the Mission Room. After a ways down a few hallways, Frank stopped at another room.

"This..." he says, directing the men to a room with a gigantic computer of many components and a glass chamber pod to the back of the it, "is what I call the Super-Computer Room. The CIA say that it has its own defense mechanism, and that it connects every bit of data in the Tower. I have no idea how to operate it, but I don't want to mess anything up. So until someone is smart enough to handle this thing, no one touches it." Everyone took heed to that. They didn't want to see the whole Tower collapse.

The fifth and final section of the Tower (top of the "T") has the one room that everyone is familiar with... the living room; this one was the daddy of them all, though. Three big couches, a kitchen/bar in the back and the thirty-foot plasma screen TV. The officer stopped being curious because asking questions about the place was pointless now.

"That's a huge TV!" exclaimed Sweet.

"That's not the best part," said Frank, as he turned the TV on and then pressed the "smart" button on the remote, causing the screen to float toward the group and shrink its own size to a normal screen.

"No way..." Sweet said, awestruck.

"Wait for it..." said Frank. The screen then multiplied into four separate ones and then reformed itself into its original place. Frank turned the TV off afterwards. "We're almost done here, so you can go look around this section or go to the roof through that other elevator."

Sweet went to the kitchen first to see what was there. He opened the refrigerator and saw nothing. Cool air was flowing, though. "Where's the food?" he wondered. Luckily, he looked over and found a note that said "Speak what you desire." Sweet thought about it, then opened the refrigerator again.

"Um... grilled chicken?" he guessed. Within a few seconds, a light shined from the top of the fridge and then instantly, warm and steamy grilled chicken appeared. Sweet took it out and thought, "Unreal..."

Sweet sat down on the couch after finishing his meal. The officer came out of the second elevator from the roof. It had a multi-purpose court, for tennis, basketball and volleyball. After a moment, the group went back to the front entrance.

"Sweet," said the officer, "I have to be getting back to my border duties. I see no flaws here. Handle yourself now."

"All right," Sweet answered. "And thanks for watching over me." The officer saluted to him, got in his car, and drove off. Frank then asked about the "border duties", and Sweet told him the story. Frank made sure to tell the CIA about his journey.

"Well then, Sweet, Titans Tower belongs to you now," he told him, "and so does this check. It's yours to cash in." It was for ten million dollars. Sweet thought he had to pay the money.

"Um, before you guys leave, can someone help me out with this money?" he asked. He didn't need the money all at once.

Soon, Frank took Sweet inside the city. He had heard about the school he was about to begin attending tomorrow. So he decided to stay in Galveston for a day and provide him with what he needed. He bought Sweet some more clothes, a backpack, writing utensils, paper, and some more of the basic stuff. After getting what he needed, they went to a bank. Inside, they waited in line for one of the clerks.

"Good afternoon," she said, "what can I do for you?"

"My buddy here," said Frank, "would like to cash and deposit a check and keep some of the money." Sweet gave her the check, and then her eyes had widened by the sight of how much was on it. It was too much for an child to be handling.

"Don't be surprised," assured Frank, "this kid is really on top of his game."

"How much is he planning on keeping?"

"Ten thousand dollars would be good." The transaction was made, as Frank and Sweet headed out the door. Before they got back to the car, three objects were flying in from the Gulf.

"Hey, what are those over there?" asked Frank. When they appeared closer, Sweet recognized what they were. Three Sentinels were heading for Sweet, and he knew it. This time, handling more than one was a challenge for Sweet.

"You're with the... CIA, right?" he asked Frank. He nodded affirmatively. Sweet continued. "Then you know about the Sentinels. They are after me. If you can help me, please do... because I've never handled three before."

The three exterminators landed on the beach and Sweet ran in to confront them. He started to throw fireballs at all three of them. Witnessing the hidden talents of Sweet, Frank thought of something. He rallied about four other people and told them to grab a bucket from the trunk of his car (he had five) and run to the gas station to fill the buckets with gasoline. He then led the people to an overpass near the robots. By the time he did that, Sweet had already taken out two of the Sentinels by cutting off their legs for an easy shot at the heads with his metal claws. Unfortunately, the last one caught on to his plans and managed to knock Sweet over a few times. But Sweet kept getting back up. Soon, he saw Frank and the other four citizens at the overpass with buckets in their hands. The Sentinel grabbed Sweet only to get burned by the fire aura that Sweet had displayed while fighting his first Sentinel. After he was out of its grip, Sweet used bigger fireballs to push the Sentinel back to where the people were. Once the Sentinel got close enough, Frank yelled "Now!", signaling himself and the people to throw the buckets of gasoline at the robot and then run away. Then Sweet chunked another fireball at it, and saw that the Sentinel was completely enflamed. Unable to withstand the pressure of the heat, the Sentinel self-destructed. As Sweet walked back, Frank realized just how "on top of the game" Sweet is. If he were to be by himself for two more years, he would be just fine.

"They are after you," said Frank. "I just wish you knew other people like you-with powers and all. Things would be much easier if you had people like that."

"I know," replied Sweet. "How many of these things am I going to have to fight?"

"Who knows? Well, we should be heading back." The numerous people around them applauded Sweet as they left for Titans Tower. His dream is beginning to have a new meaning.

Whew, long chapter... for me at least.

Please let me know how I am doing with my stories by message or review, if at all possible.

One more chapter to this story.