Power Pack
Issue #6– School Dayz"BEEP! BEEP!" Came the sound from the alarm.
Alex rolled over and switched it off. He couldn't believe it was 6am already. He hadn't gotten much sleep, he had spent most of the night getting his stuff all moved in and situated. He got up and took a quick shower. He then walked out to the kitchen to eat a big breakfast. He wasn't too worried about being on time for his first class. Kofi would just slide him to class. As he grabbed the cereal he turned at the noise behind him.
"Morning, Kofi, want some cereal?" Alex asked.
"No thanks. I already ate," Kofi declined.
"Are you sure you would rather find a job than maybe go to school?" Alex asked.
"I don't think so. I never liked school on my planet so I'm sure I wouldn't like it here. I would rather get a job. I know I have plenty of money for now but it would be nice to still be able to have a way to replenish the money supply. Plus this will give me a little more personal freedom. Costume Off" Kofi laughed as he switched on his image induser he got from Reed Richards.
Reed Richard had given him a device that worked in conjunction with his costume changer. When he said costume on, his costume would appear and the image induser would shut off. When he said costume off, he would become human looking. Alex blinked as he tried to get used to Kofi looking like a human being. Blue eyes and blond hair, quite the hottie. Alex shook his head and had to refocus.
"So what do you have planned today?" Alex asked.
"Well thanks to your search last night on the computer, I'm going to go apply for a few jobs today," Kofi said.
"Good for you, but just remember to be careful out there," Alex said.
"I know don't worry," Kofi said.
"Well you better get me to class. Now remember to focus on the spot I showed you. We want to appear behind the building where no one will see us," Alex reminded.
Kofi nodded and took Alex's hand. Kofi called forth his powers and a black circle formed under them and began to rise quickly upwards, causing them to disappear. In a matter of moments Kofi had slid them from home to the building on campus. Alex looked around and didn't see anyone so he stepped out of the bushes with Kofi. After a little bit of chitchat, Alex waved goodbye to Kofi and ran into the building as Kofi walked off in the other direction.
Alex reached his classroom and took a seat. As he sat there he noticed a beautiful brunette girl staring at him. Alex thought she looked familiar but wasn't for sure. All during the class he kept catching at her staring, it was becoming too much, after class he would have to say something. Alex, for now, tried to shrug her off so he could take in the professor's words.
----
By 6:30am Julie was all dressed and ready for class. Actually she had been ready almost an hour ago. She was too excited. This was her second year in college, and she would actually get to take classes that pertained to her major. She looked over and saw that Samantha, her dorm mate, was tossing and turning in bed. Julie ran over to her.
"Samantha, wake up. Are you okay?" Julie asked shaking her.
"What?" Samantha jumped awake and pulled back from Julie.
"Are you okay? You were tossing and turning pretty hard and, and your all soaked?" Julie stared.
"I was just having a bad dream, that's all. I must have knocked my glass of water on my self in my sleep. I better get going or I will be late for class," Samantha said as she got up and quickly headed to the girls shower room.
Julie didn't take notice that there wasn't a glass anywhere near the bed, but just grabbed her books and headed down to the dining hall to eat some breakfast. As she sat there she saw Samantha come up and sit next to her. Julie saw that she didn't have a lot on her tray. Julie took a big drink of her orange juice.
"Hi, didn't mean to startle you earlier," Julie apologized.
"It's okay. I tend to have some pretty bad dreams, and I always wake up moody and sweaty. It must be getting used to not only a new school but a new country," Samantha said.
"It's okay, we have all been there. So what's your first class this morning?" Julie asked.
"I have to do warm ups and then I have swim practice," Samantha said.
"Well I have computers 201, but I think we will get out a little before you do. Mind if I meet you at the pool and then we can walk to our second class together since he both have class together?" Julie said taking her role as student mentor seriously. Plus, she craved having a new friend.
"Sure. I better go, I'll see you later," Samantha said as she darted out of the room.
Julie grabbed her books and headed to class. She had a big smile on her face; finally college was beginning to look a lot better than her first year here.
----
"Katie, wait up!" Franklin yelled as he ran up the school steps after Katie Powers.
"Franklin, you can't be seen with me. You're a first year and it wouldn't be cool. So pretend you don't know me," Kat said as she walked away. "Oh, by the way, my name is Kat." She turned and continued into the building.
Standing by the cafeteria tables was he friends Marci and Tracy. Kat ran up to them and started to talk to them, waiting for the warning bell to ring and they would be allowed to go to their lockers and then class. As Kat talked she saw Brent Taylor standing near a bunch of other guys and a few girls. He didn't once look her way. She just sighed. Suddenly she heard a big commotion. She turned to see what it was.
"Oh my! The rumors are true. Look everyone. It's Franklin, the son of the Fantastic Four!" Came the screams of children all over.
"Oh my God. Like he is that cool. I have known Franklin forever and he is a dork. I only talk to him because his parents are friends with mine," Kat said to her friends.
"I couldn't help but over hear, you know the Fantastic Four? Way cool!" Brent Taylor said as he passed by her.
Kat and her two friends stared in awe. They couldn't believe it. Not only did the most popular kid in school walk by them; he had spoken to Kat. Kat finally had a sparkle in her eye.
"Now, now, everyone, don't be crowding my good friend here," Kat said running quickly to Franklin's side.
"But Kat, I thought," Franklin started to say.
"But nothing, forget what I said to you earlier," Kat said as her two friends walked up to them and she noticed Brent glancing her way again.
"She is right," boomed a voice belonging to the new principal Drol Flow. "There will be no special treatment of the Richards boy. Anyone caught stalking or obsessing over the boy in any fashion, good or bad, will answer to me is that clear."
With great power, the excitement stopped and everyone ran to his or her classes. No one even dared to look Principal Flow's way.
----
Jack sat tapping his pencil on his desk. The chair next to him was empty. Steve had not shown up yet and the tardy bell for class was about to ring. Jack was angry at the fact that Steve might have gone last night to that gang and drug meeting. He had noticed that all morning and during the first class, he hadn't seen anyone from the gang. He had a bad feeling about it all. The bell rang and no Steve had shown up.
As soon as the bell rang Jack jumped up and ran out of class. He looked around, once third period bell rang there was no getting in or out of the school without facing consequences by one of several hall monitors cruising the building. Jack quickly stepped into the boy's bathroom. He would have to risk skipping his next class. He knew better than to use his powers in normal clothes so he shouted, "Costume on!"
Suddenly his body was surrounded with swirling smoke. In a matter of seconds the smoke evaporated and standing in his two-shaded blue costume was MassMaster. MassMaster turned into smoke and flew out the bathroom window. He quickly sifted around the whole school looking for any sign of his friend Steve. Finally he gasped and then sighed with relief, standing behind a bunch of trees off property was Steve smoking. MassMaster quickly landed and shifted back to normal attire and walked up to him.
"Hey, Steve, what are you doing out here?" Jack asked.
"Don't talk to me." Steve snarled.
"What's your deal?" Jack asked.
"I didn't go last night and I found out from a friend that everyone who went joined that gang and they are ranting that it was the best thing to ever happen to them. Thanks to you, I get to continue being a nobody," Steve yelled.
"Hey man, chill out. I still think something isn't quite on the level. Let's go back to class and then talk about it some more over lunch," Jack pleaded.
"No, I can't. I only came to tell you I didn't go I didn't break my word to you. I also came to tell you that I am going tonight, and I would like you to go with me," Steve said.
"Okay, I will meet you here at 7pm. We will check it out together and determine if it is safe or not," Jack replied.
They both shook hands and agreed to meet back here at 7pm. They would go together to check this thing out. Steve walked back towards his car while Jack went to sneak back into school. By the time Jack made it back in it was just in time for the next class. Jack was worried about this gang and this power drug. At least if something was not right he would be there to defend Steve if needed. Jack made it into his next class and waited for the 3 o'clock bell.
---
"Okay, Mister Whitemane, why should we hire you?" The man said looking at the application.
Kofi looked at the man. He was relived that Reed had also set it up so that there was documentation "proving" that he was an American citizen, originally from England. He was nervous about getting the job though. This was his seventh interview today, and his last on his list. The others had gone so wrong. How was he to know that flipping burgers meant turning them over and not tossing them across the room? No matter what he really knew he could do this job.
"Because I am dependable and I get the job done fast. You can say I can get the job done faster than anyone you could ever know," Kofi said as he continued to answer question after question.
"Congratulations Mr. Whitemane, you have the job. You will start off as a trainee, but if you prove yourself you could become our number one delivery person. You must always keep in mind that packages and what have you must get to whatever destination quickly, efficiently and confidentially," the man said shaking his hand.
Kofi quickly ran out the building and onto the street. He glanced up at the sky and smiled. Everything was working out for him on his new home. Kofi glanced at his watch. It was almost 4pm; he had to get home. The team would be showing up for a meeting. He stepped into the ally and looked around. The close was clear and he called forth his powers and in an instant he slid home.
----
"Hey there, Alex! Guess what? I got the job at Power Inc. as one of their delivery carriers," Kofi said walking up to Alex who was sitting by the fountain in front of the student union.
"Good for you. I was wondering what was keeping you," Alex said.
"Oh I didn't get out of the interview till late and then I had to stop at home and get things ready for Power Pack's first official meeting as a super hero team," Kofi exclaimed.
"Hey, keep it down. The whole point is to keep secret identities. We better get going," Alex said.
"Do you know that girl over there. She has been staring this way the whole time I have been here," Kofi said.
"No I don't. I mean she is in a few of my classes and she stared at me then too. I don't know what the deal is. I had thought about going up to her and finding out what is with the evil eye," Alex said.
"Well, maybe next time, we better get going. The others will be at our place shortly," Kofi said as him and Alex walked of to a secluded place to slide home.
----
"Alex I really like the place," Julie said.
"Thanks!" Alex responded.
They were all there except for Valeria. There was no way to get her over here without raising suspicion. Franklin was here but only in dream form. There was no way for him to get away either. This way he could get the information and could wake up and relay it easily to Val. Kofi stood in front of them and began his meeting.
"Hi there. I have some great surprises for all of you. First of all, you see that door over there? Well that leads to the basement. It is actually a false basement. Come with me," He led them to the door.
He explained to them that if you moved the light switch panel over to the right it revealed a button. When he pushed it, a hidden pathway dropped open from the stairs. He told them that it led to a small base and an underground water tunnel. Friday hid down there and could go under the water and come out through the bay without anyone noticing. They were all amazed.
"It's neat, but I feel sorry for Friday having to sit down there all the time," Franklin said as they all headed back by the living room.
"Oh, do not worry, I am not." came a voice behind them.
They all turned to see a small hovering robot in the air.
"Friday is that you?" Julie asked.
"Yes it is. I built and detached this from me and I can project my conscious into it. This way I can always be around everyone. I also used the image induser technology to do this." The robot now looked like parrot. "This makes me look like a parrot. I can fly around and people will think I am a talking parrot." Friday said as he switched it off and became the robot again.
"Wow, these were two good surprises," Julie said.
"Wait I have one more. It's the big part of our super hero team," Kofi said leading them to a closet door.
He opened the closet door. Inside were shelves with blankets towels and such on them. He opened a side panel that looked like a fuse box. Inside he flipped a bottom switch back and forth. Suddenly the shelves and wall rotated to the left revealing an elevator. They all got inside and suddenly found themselves on a top level. They got out and stepped into a fairly decent sized room.
On one wall was a whole computer system with viewing screens. The rest of the room had a meeting table with chairs, a semi enclosed area with ten chairs and head gear attached to them and a lounge area. Kofi motioned for them to step forward. He explained that the meeting table was where they could hold meetings and discuss things. The table was round and each chair had a symbol on the back indicating each of them. They lounge area was for kicking back or if guest were to come here.
He then said that the semi-enclosed area was for training sessions. They were to sit in the chairs and hook the head set over their heads and put the gloves and boots on. What it was, was a virtual reality system that allowed them to train. He then explained that the computer system allowed them to enter data on missions or known allies and foes. The last thing he showed them was a giant hole in the far wall.
"That is our secret way in and out of here when we are in super hero mode. It leads to an open vent on the roof. The vent looks like a chimney. When you enter or leave, the chimney blows out a gush of smoke. It looks like regular smoke but it will conceal you slipping down or out of it," Kofi explained.
"Wow this is really cool," Kat said.
"Yes, and if you or anyone manages to enter, Friday will know and alert us in the main apartment," Kofi concluded.
They all sat around the table and talked for a bit. Alex told them about the strange girl in his classes. They all teased him, and said that she probably wanted him but knew she wouldn't have a chance. Franklin told them that he had a weird feeling about the new principal but Kat said he was just upset because he took away his fame. Julie told them that she was worried about her roommate. She told them about the waking up wet and then when she had meet her after class and watched her swimming, she could have sworn she saw her skin become translucent when she was in the water. They all told her she must have been seeing things.
They soon dispersed because it was getting close to dinnertime. Jack hurried off. He knew he had to get home and then meet Steve. He didn't tell them about Steve yet. He said he would wait till after tonight to let the team in on this. Jack drove home with Kat, Franklin disappeared, and Julie used her powers to get her back to her dorm fast. That left Alex and Kofi alone. Kofi took this time to show Alex more features to the computer system and their new headquarters.
----
Jack and Kat pulled up into the driveway and headed into the house. Kat was the first one in the door.
"Kat, I left a message on your desk in your room. A Brent Taylor called; he wants you to call him. I want your homework done, and then we are going to be eating here when your dad gets home. You can call him back later understand," Margaret snapped.
"Gosh mom, what's with the attitude," Kat said heading into her room.
"Hi mom, I'm not staying for supper. I'm meeting Steve at his house for supper, I got to get going," Jack said coming through the door.
"The hell you are!" Margaret screamed. "You are grounded! I got a phone call telling me you skipped class today. You told me that you quit skipping and that you were going to try harder and that you swore you weren't doing drugs!" Margaret continued to yell.
"Mom, I am sorry, but I have to go. I swear I am not doing drugs, I told you that," Jack snapped back.
"Oh? Then why did I find this in your pants pocket?" Margaret said holding up a glass tube.
"Oh sh" Jack exclaimed at the "GM" labeled tube he forgot about in his packet. "Mom that is not mine. It is part of super hero business."
"You will go to your room and we will talk when you father gets home," Margaret yelled.
"Mom I don't have time for this. I have to go," He said as he started to head back to the front door.
"No you are not. You are grounded. Go to your room!" Margaret yelled as she held up a devise and pressed it.
"Ahhh!" Jack snapped as he dropped to his knees.
"Thanks to Reed he gave me this. It's like an upgraded spanking. When I press it, it dampens your powers so you can't use them. In turn, it makes your powers zap you with pain. Don't worry, I will only use it like Reed instructed, when I need to ground you and make a super hero child obey his or her parents," Margaret said as Jack weakly got up and went down to his room in anger.
----
Julie got back to her dorm and entered her building. When she got into her room she saw that Samantha was gone but there was water all over her side of the room. She was about to panic when Samantha came back in with towels and a mob bucket.
"Don't worry Julie. We got a prank played on us. This sorority wanted to rush me and came in and sprayed me with water guns. I chased them off and told them I wouldn't join," Samantha said as she began to clean up all the water.
"Oh I hate those frat rat types," Julie said as she got down on her knees and started to help her, even though she didn't quite believe her.
----
Steve stood on the corner. It had been an hour and no sign of Jack. Steve decided that he didn't need Jack, he knew what he was doing. Jack lit up a cigarette and headed off to the place he was told to meet these people.
----
Alex sat at the computer monitor. He knew he should be getting to bed with school in the morning but he wanted to do something. Them teasing him about that girl made him think of Jesse. He missed him so much. Alex decided to see what he could find out on this system. He typed some stuff into the system and the screen lit up. Alex gasped.
The computer was showing him news coverage from a few months ago back home in California. Some demon, as they called it, had trashed the campus and killed a lot of people. They almost caught it in the records' office but it had gotten away, but not without killing a few cops and the records' lady. Just as Alex was about to shut it down something caught his eye.
He typed up for the computer to enhance the image over and over again. Suddenly he could see what was on the dead lady's glasses. It was a reflection from the computer screen, right before it got shut off in the next scene. As he had the computer enhance even more he could swear it read Stone, Jesse. Alex's heart skipped a beat, could this be a coincidence?
Alex ran to the phone and dialed Jesse's number. There was no answer. Alex shook his head, it was nothing. This incident was dated before he had received the break up call from Jesse. Even though he wanted to dismiss it as just him missing him, he felt it was something more. He decided he would give it a week and then try calling again and maybe do a little more research, but for now he had to get to bed. Alex shut off the system and went down to bed.
----
The darkness faded as a light came on. The figure, feet chained to the wall looked up at what was coming into the room. The creature entered and tossed a tray of food in front of the chained man. The man chained to the wall looked away from it. The creature laughed out loud.
"You better eat my boy. I need you to keep your strength up. The only reason your alive is because I have great plans for you yet," the Boogy Man laughed.
"Let me go and you better leave Alex alone!" Jesse Stone yelled.
"Oh dear boy. I have just begun. I have great plans for Alex and his whole family," the Boogy Man laughed as he left leaving Jesse alone in the dark.
Next: Issue #7 – Turkey & Trash
