Chapter 7: Decay and Change

After getting information on the Dark Trade and realizing the truth, Zin gave a general order that for now, everyone except for Kyle has to stay in the Tower. As he made that order, of coarse the others were in disagreement to this. As much as they argued it over, Zin's mind was clear on the matter. They had to stay so that they could be safe. Only until Kyle can gather more data and intel about the Dark Trade that is.

As Kyle walked along to school with June and Xander, he couldn't shake the feeling of uselessness out of his mind. Sure he had been providing information, but in the end that was all he was truly good for. His doubt and uneasiness was showing as he walked with his friends and they could tell. They watched as he walked with a non focused look, almost as if he wasn't paying attention to what was around him. They were very surprised when C.J. ran up from behind and jumped on his back, bringing them both down to the ground. It was a first that C.J. was able to surprise Kyle and bring him down with her attacks.

"Okay, that's it." June started in an irritated tone as she pulled the two up. "Dude, what is wrong you?" She said as she brought Kyle up and shook him until he answered her.

"Nothing, but could you stop shaking me please." Kyle managed to say as he was starting to get queasy from her violent shakes. It almost reminded him of the way Vi shakes him when she's annoyed with something. Only hers are a little more violent than June's.

"Nothing huh." Xander started as he picked C.J. up and placed her behind him. "You know usually C.J. doesn't get the drop on you and take you to the ground so damn easily. So it's definitely not 'nothing'."

Kyle saw the concerned looks on their faces. He could tell that they were worried about him, and when they get worried usually Kyle starts feeling freaked out and cracks under the pressure. He was never good at handling his friends when they were being genuinely serious and concerned for their friend. Realizing that he couldn't tell them what he's been up to for the past week and a half, Kyle had to make up some sort of excuse fast to reassure them.

"I'm just thinking about Violet and her brother, alright. That's all." Kyle was good at lying his way out of things, but for the most part he was telling the truth. He was thinking about all of them.

"What's up with that chick and her bro?" C.J. asked in a nonchalant way.

"Well, they've just been in some trouble lately and I'm just worried, okay." Kyle continued.

"That sucks." June said while crossing her arms across her bust. "Do you want to ditch school go and check up on them or something?"

Kyle didn't want his normal human friends to meet his not so normal alien friends just yet. "No, I promised Violet that I'd finish this project so we can both get A's in this class. It's due today anyway."

The three could tell it was bothering him to talk about it, so they just trusted him and let the matter be. They all left and went through the woods like usual. As they were walking onto the school grounds though, everyone there were crowded around something. Since it was still early in the morning, not many students were inside the school yet.

"The hell is goin on over there?" Xander asked in confusion.

The others shrugged in confusion. The group decided to go and find out just what exactly was getting everyone's attention, until they saw a man in the center of it all. The four could easily tell why everyone was staring at him at this point. He was wearing some sort of tight black and grey tattered outfit that had some strange lights and wires connected to some pack on his back. He was wearing some kind of goggles that covered his entire face but not his shaggy and messed up brown hair. He was carrying some kind of device that was also connected to the pack with wires. The device was some kind of silver rod with a black ball on the tip of it. He was waving the rod at the side of the school and being laughed at by every student before the principle showed up.

"Excuse me sir." He said to the strange man. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the premises right now."

When the principle put his hand on the man's shoulder, that was when the funny times were over. The man looked at the principle and grabbed him by the collar with his free hand. He raised the principle up and tossed him clear across the field and into a tree. Everyone started to panic and run away from what had just happened. The man looked around in a slightly confused manner, wondering just why exactly everyone was running from him, until he saw Kyle. He stared at the black haired boy and started to move toward him with the silver rod pointing directly at him. Kyle noticed this and started to run along with his friends and everyone else.

"You won't get away from me alien." The man said to himself in a low, and gruff voice. He started to run in Kyle's direction and got a glimpse of the black haired boy again. He took off in a full sprint and shouted. "I WILL CATCH YOU AND YOUR KIND THIS TIME!"

Kyle could somewhat understand just what the man was talking about. The aliens at the Tower of Life. This guy must be mistaking Kyle for them. It would make sense, Kyle had been spending an immense amount of time with them, and it is likely that he has some kind of remnants of them on himself.

"Crap." Kyle said to himself in a low tone before realizing that he was putting his friends in danger.

They were all in the forest by the time Kyle thought of his next move. He stopped and ran back toward the man much to the surprise and shock of his friends.

"KYLE!" They shouted as he ran to his right and the man followed him.

Since the man was following him, he decided to communicate the aliens with his bracelet. They had taught him how to use it as a means of communication last week. He pressed a button on the side of the bracelet and it started to glow until he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Kyle. What's up dude?" Fret said over the comms.

"Fret." Kyle started in an exhausted tone. He had been running in circles deliberately to throw the man off, and he was getting very tired now. "I kinda need your help now. Some weird dude in a creepy grey and black outfit is chasing me with some sort of freaky lookin tech. And he also shouted 'I will catch you and your kind this time'."

Fret gasped at what Kyle had just told him. "Where exactly are you right now man?"

"Just circling a path a few dozens yards away from the tower." Kyle said.

"Alright. Head to the beach and make your way over to us as fast as you can." This time it was Zin on the other end of the comms.

"I hate to break it to you Zin," Kyle started as he fell to his knees in complete exhaustion. "But I don't think I can make it that far right now." He panted out.

"Then I think it's time to teach you something else about that bracelet." Zin started. "Press the button and turn it 90 degrees clockwise. That'll give you the boost you need, but you need to hurry over here, now."

Kyle did that just as the man started to walk ominously toward. "I have you this time." He said as he raised the rod up.

Kyle turned it 90 degrees and felt an unbelievable jolt of energy engulf his body. The blue bracelet's energy encased him and formed an armor around him completely like a shell. The rod bounced off the armor and Kyle stood up and ran faster than he ever had before. He made his way to the beach while the man chased him down again. Kyle ran toward the tower as the man chased him and saw Zin and Kellu standing there waiting for him. As Kyle approached them, he could feel something was wrong with himself, and he fell right at their feet.

"Damn." Zin started in a panicked tone. "Vi, get Kyle in the ship and tell Tret to start the procedure right now!" He shouted at the tower.

A large hand came from the entrance made entirely of water and quickly grabbed and carried Kyle inside the tower.

"After years of searching," the ma said as he walked slowly towards the two. "After losing every bit of my research and everything I own. After everyone telling me how insane I was to chase a false dream, I finally have proof that I was right all along."

He pulled out a vial of black liquid from a pocket on his suit. He removed his mask to reveal an old man with large eyes and a sinister smile. He looked at the two and drank all of the black substance. After a few seconds, his skin started to peal from him. Zin and Kellu looked in horror as the man laughed and started to tear at his falling skin. Underneath that wasn't muscle, but instead some kind of black, liquid substance that was all over his body. His suit started to rip off of him and expose the rest of his expanding body. As he got bigger, the black substance on him started to change from a liquid to a solid and hardened around him quickly. When it finally hardened, the monster standing in front of the two aliens roared at them, shaking the very ground, sand, forest and sea around him.

"This is not good." Kellu started. "Captain, what do we do now?"

Zin looked at the mechanic and then back to the monster in front of him. Suddenly, both Ellix and Fret dropped down and stood next to the two, ready to defend their tower. "We fight until Kyle is ready. Until then," the dark red orbs inside of Zin glowed fiercely and so did his eyes. "We make sure this thing doesn't get pass us."

Done With This Chapter. Finally. Hope You Guys Like It. The Next Chapter Might Be A Short One, I Really Don't Know. But If It Is, I'll Post It Hopefully By Next Friday Or Saturday.

Hope You Guys Enjoyed This Chapter. Review For More And As Always,

Stay Sexy Out There, PEACE!