MewIchigoPrincess: Hey y'all! Sorry I was gone so long! I promised y'all I was going to finish this story and that's what I intend to do! So, if I'm gone awhile, don't think I quit this story! I am totally gonna finish it! So, here's chapter seven!

Chapter Seven

Research needed to be done, and fast! Even though they had used their powers for good, they never really intended on keeping their powers forever. I mean, how would you feel if you had superhuman powers and everyone wouldn't stop following you around like you were some super important celebrity? You're gonna want your privacy at times. So, work began immediately on a machine (in the very, very big and fancy un-used garage of the apartment homes) that would hopefully regenerate the nuclear storm and reverse their powers. It was headed by Bastion, who was hiding a secret of his own. No one noticed it until one day when Bastion was supposedly alone working on the machine. Alexis and Jaden had just gotten back from a stroll in the park in the starry night. With all the stress of their new found abilities, they needed a time alone together to just relax. Alexis had laid her head on his shoulder and they stayed like that for awhile. They finally decided to go back to their temporary home but not without a long and passionate kiss, which they had not done in awhile.

Ah, how they missed the scent of each other, intoxicating them and threatening to completely overwhelm their being. And the soft touch and sweet taste of each other's lips. It sure was something to savor. Well, Bastion had been working on the machine and hadn't even noticed that Jaden and Alexis had just come back from the moonlight stroll to check on how the machine was coming along. Jaden and Alexis noticed that Bastion was talking to himself, or so they thought. He was talking to somebody. Alexis had gone invisible and snuck up on Bastion to see who he was talking to. When she had found out, Alexis let out an audible gasp accidentally. When she realized she had blown her cover, she quickly covered her mouth and hoped that Bastion hadn't heard her.

All of her hopes were in vein, though. Bastion quickly looked up from his work and saw Jaden standing on the balcony that circumferenced the whole room.

"Jaden?! What are you doing down here!?" Bastion asked, with the element of surprise in his voice.

"Well, I was just---"

Jaden was cut off by Bastion who noticed that there was no way he could be alone. There had to be someone with him. Where else had that gasp come from? Jaden was too far away. It came from someone right next to him… and he knew who it was.

"Alexis? Show yourself Alexis! I know you're here!"

Alexis appeared reluctantly. She had on an apologetic look with a sweatdrop dropping down the side of her head. She waved nervously at him.

"Uh… heh, heh… h- hey Bastion. What's shakin' dude?"

Bastion put his hands on his hips and looked at her sternly.

"Uh… heh, heh… I could ask you the same thing, dude!" Bastion said imitating her.

"Hey, don't take it out on her Bastion! I'm the one who wanted to come and see how the progress was coming along on the machine! Alexis tried to stop me, telling me that we weren't allowed down her until the machine was finished but, I dragged her along with me." Jaden said, coming to the aide of Alexis.

"Well maybe so, but you shouldn't have come down here anyway. Now, you two go away now and I might throw you two dogs a bone later on. Now, shoo!" Bastion said as he pushed Alexis and Jaden towards the door.

What was the deal with Bastion? Sure he was working hard and didn't want anyone to bother him that they could understand. But, he usually wasn't this rude and petty even when he didn't get enough sleep. Maybe coming back from the dead made people cranky and irritable, who knows?

"Now wait just a minute, Bastion! If you let us stay for awhile and see how the progress is coming on the machine, we won't give away your secret!" Alexis said, her arms crossed over her chest with a cocky look on her face.

Bastion started to get nervous. Sweat started to trickle down his forehead. There was no way in hell he would ever tell the others about his own powers! They would want him to fight with them in battle and he couldn't do that now. He had to get this machine built and get them changed back to normal human beings. He just had to do it for them! After all, they were his friends and he owed it to them. Later on after they were back to normal would he tell them of his own powers. Bastion let out a sigh and finally decided to tell them about his powers. Hopefully, they would keep it to themselves.

"All right, all right… you got me. Yes, I do have powers of my own,"

"Aha! I knew it!" Alexis said with a cheer of victory.

"So, tell us Bastion, what are your powers?" Jaden chimed in. (AN: "I'd chime in with a haven't you people ever heard of, closing the goddamn door? No! It's much better to face these kinds of things with a sense of poise and rationality." Get it? It's from "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco, my all time FAVORITE band! Uh… heh, heh… back to the story!)

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, which you haven't, I can talk to machines. And not just these machines, machines of all kinds! Computers, microwaves, blenders, whatever! You name it and I can talk to it!"

Jaden and Alexis were psyched, yet bewildered at the same time. They couldn't get past why Bastion hadn't told them about his powers before. How long had he had his powers, anyway? And, what was he intending to do with his powers? All of these questions were floating through Jaden and Alexis' head, but before they could ask him, Akila ran in to the temporary laboratory frantic and hysterical.

"Jaden, Alexis come quick! We have an emergency! It's Chazz," Akila said that last part with just a hint of sadness in her sweet voice.

Jaden and Alexis exchanged looks of worry and quickly followed Akila upstairs, with Bastion still working on the machine. He had to get it done, no matter what and nothing would distract him. Or, so he thought…

Jaden and Alexis followed Akila silently, wondering what was going on. They followed her all the way to the top of the apartment buildings to a roof that overlooked the entire city! They could see the full moon and the bright shiny stars. They were so close that they felt like they could touch it if they wanted. There, on top of the roof was Chazz and an unconscious Atticus in a narrow glass box filled with water. Jaden, Akila, and especially Alexis were horrified by the scene in front of them.

"What's up, guys? I'm glad you could join me," Chazz said with a toothy grin.

"Chazz, what the hell is going on?! What did you do to Atticus!?" Alexis shouted her voice shaky and uneven. Tears started to flow out of her light brown eyes and down her now pale cheeks. What had Chazz done to him?

"What? Oh you mean putting Atticus here in a glass box filled with water? Nothing, my dear Alexis. I'm just slowly killing Atticus by extinguishing all of his fire powers and drowning him. It's not a big deal, really." Chazz said coldly. His eyes were as cold as ice and his heart as hard as a diamond. He didn't give a damn what happened to Atticus.

Hearing the coldness in his voice as he spoke made Alexis sick. She started to run toward Chazz, ready to give him everything she had with no mercy with tears running down her cheeks. But, Jaden grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him and held her tight. Alexis struggled at first but she quickly quit struggling and bawled her eyes out in Jaden's chest, holding him tight. Jaden pulled Alexis even closer, stroking her long blond hair and trying to calm her down. After a few minutes, Alexis finally did calm down. Jaden looked up at Chazz with anger and hatred burning in his eyes.

"Chazz, you're a sick bastard! There's no way you're gonna get away with this! I'll make sure of it!" Jaden yelled.

Chazz laughed diabolically.

"I'd love to see you try, Slifer Slacker!"

This was it. This was the beginning of the end. Only one of them was going to come out alive. Will it be the Fantastic Four? Or the evil Obelisk Blue Chazz? Only one thing was certain: this was going to be the toughest battle they've ever had to face. It was going to be harder than any duel they've ever dueled in their entire lives.

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MewIchigoPrincess: So, what did y'all think? I know, I know, it's short but its chalk full of suspense, romance, and action! You just wait until chapters eight, nine, and ten! It's gonna get intense! See y'all there!