Kihonne: SURPRISE! Since I'm leaving for a family vacation in about half an hour, I figured I'd surprise you all with an early update, so I'd come home to a bunch of reviews. So anyway, this chapter is Alan's Reign of Terror. Not a bad episode, though not one of my favorites. Still, I get to have a little fun with Alan's character, who admittedly hasn't been in many chapters. It's not that I think he's a bad character – just because I don't necessary like him, doesn't mean his character is poorly written or uninteresting – it's just he hasn't really done anything yet to move the plot along, so I've been excluding him. But not this time! Anyway, it's almost time for the chapter, but first: shoutouts!
Xxx
LabGirl2001: I'm glad you enjoyed it, especially the funny parts. And yeah, maybe I could have made the sneak peek a little longer, but if you remember from the episode, the next scene involves Kaz and Oliver talking about their powers, and I don't want to reveal what Dani's abilities will be yet. As for Alivia…well, you could be right.
Algernon: No problem. I also liked this episode because of how much we got to see of Skylar – we haven't seen too many scenes completely focused on her, so it's a good episode to get a view of her personality. As for why some froze and some didn't, I actually have a theory about that. In the episode, the only people who didn't freeze were Kaz, Oliver, Skylar, Timeline, and Crimson Demon. They're also the only people in the room who would ever have powers. Skylar had abilities in the past (and in the future), Timeline and Crimson Demon had abilities in the present, and Kaz and Oliver will both have abilities in the future. Since Timeline was combining all three time zones, it seems like a fairly logical reason to theorize that only people who would never have superpowers (in the past, present, or future) would be affected by Timeline's ability to freeze time. Either that, or it was a matter of proximity, since most of the students were farther away from Timeline. Either theory is possible, though I'm more of a fan of the first one. I'm going to bring it up in a future chapter probably, though I'm not sure when. I'm glad you're so interested in Alivia. In this story, I'm really putting a lot of work into character development, and for both her and Dani (and Kaz and Oliver), this is serving as an origin story. I think you're really going to be interested in the direction I plan to take with Alivia's character. And yes, I'm planning Kani eventually, though I make no promises on when they're getting together. And thanks for the congratulations, though I must say that the seniors at your school are lucky for graduating so early. Our school semester goes right up to the end of June. My graduation date is the 29th of June or something.
Avaoreo1112: To be honest, I miss Calla too. Writing her was so much fun. As for Dani and Calla and how they will get along, it's going to be a very interesting relationship. Maybe a bit complicated, but they're definitely going to have a very strong bond. I think a lot of people are going to like it. And thanks for the wish of good luck, but I no longer need it – I got accepted last month to a nearby university. Now…Return of Heroes. Honestly, I've hit a bit of writer's block with that. I don't know why, but even though I know what I need to do with the chapter, I just can't seem to get the words out right. I'll finish the story one day, but I'm not sure when. And when I do update it, it's updating will most likely not affect The Days of Our Lives or The Power of Seven, whichever one of those I'm on at the time. I'm a little torn on my opinion of Elite Force. I think it's off to a great start. The Roman and Riker thing is progressing a little slowly and there aren't many actions scenes, but that was how it was when Lab Rats started. I can't remember a decent right scene in the first season at all. The main reason why I'm frustrated is how the characters are being written. I think the writers are focusing too much on certain aspects of a character and not others. Like with Oliver – in Mighty Med, he was Skylar's friend, even though he had a crush on her. Now, it's obsessive, and occasionally creepy, love for her. Or Chase, who's being written off as too full of himself and too science-y (I mean, they are big aspects of his personality, but I think they're going overboard with it). But in the long run, I think the series will do well.
xxx
Kihonne: Anyway, on with the chapter!
Alan: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med. She only owns this story, Dani, Alivia, and anything else you don't recognize.
Oliver's POV
"Face it Kaz; you're just wrong this time." I insisted as we walked into the rec room. Dani was sitting in one of the chairs by the TV, writing something down on a clipboard while Skylar jumped rope. Even though she wasn't a superhero anymore, she still kept up with her training. It was her way of still feeling like she's a superhero, and I think Dani was beginning to appreciate the company on her morning runs, so it kinda worked out for both girls.
I noticed a man in a Mighty Med-issue maintenance uniform kneeling by the TV, fiddling with wires underneath.
"What's going on?" Kaz inquired.
"Oh, he's installing a new security system for the hospital." Dani replied, not looking up. "It's really high-tech and stuff. Still in the testing phase."
"Which is why Horace doesn't want us to touch it." Skylar added. Immediately, Kaz reached out to touch it. I slapped his hand away, then looked at Skylar and Dani.
"Settle an argument for us." I requested.
"If this is still about whose feet are more attractive, leave me out of it." Dani responded, tilting her head back to look at us.
"No, this argument is much more important." I insisted. "Kaz says that villains are born evil and I say that they become evil because they're mistreated and humiliated during their life. What do you guys think?"
"Ollie's right. Sorta." Dani replied.
"What, no he's not!" Kaz protested. I smirked.
"Thanks D-wait. What do you mean 'sorta'?" I questioned. She shrugged, turning the chair around so she could face us.
"Well, no one is born evil. Supervillains are turned evil, but not necessarily through humiliation or mistreatment. Look at the Reverse Flash, or Mr. Freeze, or Nightstrike. They're all villains who turned to the dark side because of events that happened in their life." She reasoned. "So, you're right in saying that supervillains are turned evil, but I don't think their motives are limited to humiliation or mistreatment."
"What do you think, Skylar?" Kaz questioned, obviously hoping to get someone on his side.
"Well, not all villains are the same, and sometimes it's impossible to tell if someone's evil until it's too late." She replied thoughtfully.
"There's always signs." Kaz dismissed it. "For example, if you cackle evilly while stroking a pet, then you might be a pet, you might be a villain."
"Or if your favorite phrases are: 'Victory is mine!', 'You'll rue the day,' or 'So, we meet again,', you might be a villain." I agreed.
"Hey Alan." Dani greeted as the sweater-vest loving boy came into the room, riding a tricycle. There was a mound of white fur in the basket hanging off the handlebars.
"My uncle Horace said I couldn't ride a unicycle, but look at me! I'm riding three of them at once!" He proclaimed proudly. "I did it! Victory is mine. He'll rue the day he doubted me!" He looked at us, acknowledging for the first time that we were in the room. "So, we meet again."
"I think Alan might be a villain." Kaz mentioned, collapsing into the chair next Dani as we watched Alan bike around the room.
"No, Alan may be annoying, but he's not a villain." I told him. "Now, if Horace keeps putting him down all the time, he might become a villain. You know what, I'm going to go talk to Horace about treating Alan with more respect."
"Don't!" Skylar stopped me. "You know what we do on my planet to people who butt into other people's business? We take them to the circus."
"That doesn't sound so bad." I grinned. I'd always liked the circus.
"Circus is our word for guillotine." She informed me.
"Well, that doesn't sound fun." Dani hummed. I sent her a look as Alan biked closer to us.
"Come Mittens," he petted the fur in the basket as he biked. He laughed evilly as he biked around, clearly enjoying himself.
"Evil cackle, check. Stroking a pet, check." Dani looked at me. "Oh, he's a villain."
"Not if I can help it." I wasn't going to let the way Horace treated Alan turn him into a villain. I walked over to him, smiling kindly. "Hey Alan, that's a cute cat."
Alan looked up at me, confused. "It's not a cat! It's my earmuffs! I call them 'Mittens'." He pulled the earmuffs out of the basket and put them over his ears. "C'mon Mittens, let's go continue planning for world domination."
He biked away after that, laughing to himself.
"Oh, right." Dani snapped her fingers. "I forgot. If your hobbies include planning world domination, you might be a villain."
Xxx
After having a very long conversation with Horace, I walked back into the main ER, feeling very proud of myself. "So, I talked to Horace about Alan, and it went very well." I announced, heading over to Skylar.
"Oh, I should give you a hug." She offered. I grinned.
"Okay." I replied. She raised one hand and slapped me upside the head. "Ow!" I complained. "Let me guess: that's a hug on your planet?"
"No, this is." She flicked me on the forehead.
"Ow!" I protested, rubbing my head.
"Why did you talk to Horace? I specifically told you not to butt in!" She snapped, annoyed.
"Don't worry; it's all good." I reassured her. "Horace agreed to give Alan more opportunities at the hospital to help build his self-esteem."
As if on cue, Alan walked into the room. "Excuse me! Fellow co-workers!" He called. "My Uncle Horace is at a medical conference on Neptune today and he's put me in charge while he's gone. I look forward to working with each and every one of you, and I promise to do my best."
I smiled, knowing that I'd done the right thing. "Another villain prevented; you're welcome world."
"Nice job." Skylar crossed her arms. "I should give you a hug."
I flinched back instantly, reaching up to cover my head. "Please don't!" I said quickly.
"Anyway, carry on and don't worry; nothing is going to change." Alan continued. He then reached into his pocket, pulled out a remote control, and hit a button. A roll of paper above the Mighty Med sign unrolled, covering the logo with a picture of Alan's face. "Now listen up, drones!" He shouted. I stared at him, stunned. "From now on, everything's going to change. Starting with…no more calling me Alan! Call me Chief Executive Senior Prime Minister International Supreme Overlord of Mighty Med."
Oops. "See what you did!" Skylar glared at me.
"C'mon. It'll be good for Alan." Maybe he was a little full of himself, but he wasn't evil. "It's one afternoon; how bad can it be?"
"You two!" Alan called us over. "Reflexor's recovering upstairs and he needs some organic milk."
"Easy." I agreed. "No problem."
"Fresh organic milk." Alan insisted, pulling a metal bucket out from underneath a nearby bed. He handed it to me.
"Fine." I said reluctantly.
"Fresh, organic, whale milk." He added. "Killer whale milk. Serial killer whale milk."
I grimaced, turning back to Skylar as he left. "You were saying?" She questioned, crossing her arms.
Dani's POV
"I found a Blue Tornado one." Alivia hummed, looking through the box of comics she was going to. Skylar had sent me a text while we were on our lunch break, saying that Alan was taking over the hospital, so Kaz and I had decided to take the afternoon off before he could stop us. As a result, we were hanging at the Domain. Alivia and I were looking for some new reading material, while Kaz was attempting to win at some video game.
"They're having a sale on Mesmira comics." I mentioned to Kaz as I browsed through the comic book selection.
"Yes!" He shouted.
"I know. They're like half-off!" I agreed.
"No, not you." He told me. I looked up to see him grinning like a fool. "I just beat your high score on Asteroid Assassin."
"That's not me." I hummed, confused.
"Sure it isn't." He scoffed. "Read it and weep CutiePie15." He chuckled. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You really think I'd use CutiePie15 as a username?" I questioned skeptically. His face fell, realizing how out of character that would be for me.
"But if you're not CutiePie15, then who is?" He questioned.
"You beat my high score?!" Clyde demanded, walking over to us with a not-so-happy look on his face. "That was the most important thing in my life!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! More important than your brother, who makes you soup?" Wallace questioned. "You are so ungrateful! I can not believe I gave you my kidney…bean soup."
Clyde looked at him. "Hey, why do you always pause after you say the word kidney…bean soup? Wow, never mind. I do it too."
I rolled my eyes. "Clyde, don't take it so hard." I told the store owner. "Records are made to be broken."
"And so are windows." Kaz added. He chuckled nervously. "By the way, I broke your window."
Clyde was still upset. "Nobody beats CutiePie15. I want a re-match! I dare you to play me, and if I win, you're banished from the store forever."
Kaz smirked confidently. "Okay, but if I win, I get one of every Tecton collectible in the store for free."
Clyde hesitated. "Even the Tecton Tectons?"
"Even the Tecton Tectons." He agreed. Clyde considered it for a very long moment. Eventually, he nodded.
"Deal!" He agreed. "Seven P.M., tonight. Be there. Unless you're chicken…noodle soup. Why do I do that?"
He and Wallace walked away. Alivia and I turned to Kaz, concerned. "Kaz, are you sure about that? Those are pretty high stakes. Do you really think you can beat him?" I questioned. Clyde didn't often play video games during store hours, but I'd seen him partake in a tournament or two, and even I had to admit he was pretty good.
"No!" Kaz retorted nervously. "I stink at this game!"
Alivia frowned, confused. "Then how'd you break his record?"
"I was in one of those zones where you can do no wrong." Kaz shook his head helplessly. "Like the time I remembered all of my siblings' names, all ten of them."
I sighed. "Eleven."
"What?" Kaz looked at me.
"You said ten siblings. You have eleven." I reminded him. He gave me a sheepish smile.
"Right." He agreed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Look, if you're bad at the game, why'd you agree to the rematch?" She questioned, looking at him like he was an idiot. I sighed.
"Because Clyde dared him." I told her. "And when it comes to dares, Kaz has no common sense."
Kaz looked at me, annoyed. "I can't back down from a dare!" He protested. "I'm biologically incapable of it." Alivia hummed thoughtfully.
"I never knew that." She commented. I smirked, looking around. I caught sight of a little old lady looking over a display, probably looking for a gift for her grandchild or something.
"Hey Kaz," I smiled, turning to him. "I dare you to go kiss that little old lady on the cheek."
He looked at me. "I hate you somedays." He let me know before walking over to the old lady and boldly kissing her on the cheek. She stared at him for a moment before pulling a card out of her pocket and handing it to him. When Kaz looked at her, confused, she gave him a smile then left the store.
He walked back over to us. "She gave me her number." He said confused.
"You're kidding." Alivia laughed in disbelief, taking the paper from him. She looked it over, then laughed some more. "Kaz, she's a therapist."
"Really?" Kaz looked at her. The red-head nodded. "That makes so much sense."
"Hey." I took the card from her and slipped into Kaz's shirt pocket. "You should probably keep this."
Oliver's POV
"I can't believe Alan's making us wear these." Skylar complained, adjusting the sweater vest Alan had made mandatory for all employees to wear."
"It could be worse." I tried to assure her. She was about to argue when a hologram of Alan's face appeared above the circle of counters.
"Good Alan to you." The recording began. "Here at Alan, our doctors, who will now be known as Alan, shall provide the best service to our patients, who will also be known as Alan. Have an Alan day!"
"That's going to get old quickly." I muttered. Skylar turned to me, furious.
"You had to talk to Horace." She told me. "Now Alan is mad with power, and he's making us do all the worst jobs! It's all your fault, Oliver!"
"C'mon! Our jobs are not that bad." I reasoned. "Now grab the weed wacker – we have to go trim Gargantuan's nose hairs."
Alan walked up to us, smiling cheerfully. "Good Alan to you Alans." He greeted us. "I have good Alan. My reign as Alan as Alan will continue Alan Alan. Any Alans?
"I have an Alan." I replied. "What are you talking about?"
"Fine." He sighed. "My reign over this hospital will continue indefinitely."
"What?" Skylar demanded. "But Horace is supposed to be back tonight!"
"Oh, he'll be back tonight." He agreed before smiling cruelly. "But I tricked the Great Defender into slowing down Neptune's rotation so tonight, for my Uncle Horace, won't be for another sixty years."
He walked away, humming to himself. Skylar looked like she'd had enough.
"That's it! I am calling Horace." She decided, pulling out her cell phone. She dialed the number and brought it up to her ear, scowling when it failed to connect. "Ugh! Neptune has the worst reception!"
"Don't worry; I can save Alan before he turns into a full fledged villain." I promised her. "I just to need to talk to him, treat him with kindness and respect, and everything will be fine."
Xxx
Okay, so maybe things didn't go exactly as I planned. Half an hour later, I found myself trapped in Dimension Zero, my only way to communicate with Skylar and the rest of the outside world being a small window.
"So, how'd your talk go with Alan?" Skylar hummed, giving me an I-told-you-so look.
"Apparently, he doesn't like it when you think outside the box." I commented dryly.
Dani's POV
(After watching Kaz lose at the video game several times)
Once again, Kaz was killed on the video game. He'd been practicing all day, and every time, he lost before he got even a hundred points. I let out a groan, burying my face in my hands.
"Damn, Kaz, you really do suck at this." I muttered.
"You even spelled your name wrong." Alivia laughed lightly. "You put a percentage sign in there."
I raised my head, brushing my hair out of my eyes to see that she was right.
"I'm just nervous!" Kaz protested. I pushed myself off the couch.
"Okay, okay. Settle down K%Z." I smirked a little at his frustrated look. "Look, you just need to get back into your zone.
"How?" Kaz questioned.
"Name all your siblings!" Alivia suggested, trying to be helpful. Kaz nodded.
"Okay." He thought for a second, then began counting them off on his fingers. "Katie, Kenny, Kevin, Kaley, Kasey, Kyle, Karen, Kasey-"
"You already said Kasey." Alivia pointed out, interrupting him. He nodded.
"Yeah, there's two Kaseys. One's a guy, one's a girl." Kaz explained. "My parents just get lazy after the seventh kid. I've got a baby sister whose name is just K."
Clyde walked over to us then, a confident smirk on his face and a large fish in his hand. "So, Kaz, I've got a little riddle for you. What do you and this herring both have in common?" He tapped Kaz on his shoulders and forehead with the fish.
"We both smell like herring now?" Kaz guessed, raising an eyebrow.
"No, tonight you're both going to get smoked." Clyde announced. We all looked at him, confused. He sighed and quickly explained. "Herring is a fish commonly served smoked-you know what, I'm going to go get a salmon and try again."
"You're awfully confident for someone who's about to get his butt kicked." I said, walking up to Clyde. He was overconfident, and kind of annoying.
"Oh really?" Clyde asked me, his tone mocking me a little.
"Really." I agreed. I heard Alivia in the background, trying to get me to back off, but I continued quickly, not even thinking about what I was saying. "In fact, let's raise the stakes. If Kaz wins, Oliver, Kaz, and I all get memorabilia of our favorite superheroes."
"And if you lose, all three of you are banned from the store forever." Clyde added. And before I knew what I was doing or saying, I nodded.
"Bring it." I growled before any of my friends could stop me. Clyde looked past me, at Kaz.
"You better take your hide to a tanning salon because I am going to tan your hide." He paused. "Yeah, that makes sense."
The moment he was gone, Kaz turned on me. "Dani!" He exclaimed, exasperated.
"I'm sorry!" I cried. "Sorry, I kinda got caught up in the moment and I didn't think. I'm sorry."
Kaz sighed. "Yeah, well if I lose, you're going to be the one to tell Oliver why we can't come back here."
"If you lose." Alivia agreed. "But you can still win. You just need some practice. And maybe some luck."
"Hey, aren't the Irish supposed to be lucky or something?" I teased. She laughed lightly, unoffended, but proceeded to push me to the side a little.
Oliver's POV
After being stuck in Dimension Zero for over an hour, even I had to admit that Alan was evil. "Okay, I was wrong." I admitted to Skylar. She'd brought the Dimension Zero window into the rec room and turned it to face away from the door. "Alan was born evil. We have to end his reign or tyranny."
"Okay. But first, I was to try something." She reached out and spread her hand on the window. Though I couldn't tell what she was seeing, she smiled. "Cool! Dimension Zero has a zoom feature. Is anyone else in there?"
She began to slide her fingers across the window. The window would go black for a second, but each time, it lit back up, revealing Skylar's face. "Me. Me." I told her as she continued to swipe through the window (or windows?). "Still me. Please stop." She sighed, but did as I requested. "Now turn me around so I call rally the staff of Mighty Med to revolt! We have strength in numbers."
Skylar sighed and turned me around. To my genuine shock, the only other staff member in the room was Lizardman. "Where is everyone?" I questioned.
"They all left." Skylar explained. "Lizardman's the only one here because…well, where's he gonna go? He's a lizard-man."
"So!" Alan pushed into the room, followed by two of Mighty Med's security guards. "You sniveling ingrates are trying to take me down!"
"How did you know that?" Skylar demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know." He replied.
Skylar looked at him. "I would."
"I overheard." He explained. "I was right outside, getting a snack from the vending machine."
"Oh, what'd you get?" Skylar as curiously.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" Alan said again.
Skylar looked at him. "Again, yes I would."
"Trail mix. I like salty-sweet." Alan admitted before going straight back to business. "Anyway, now I must punish you cowards for your acts of treason."
I scoffed. "What could you possibly do to make things worse than they already are?"
Alan snorted, amused. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Skylar gave him an annoyed look. "Seriously?"
"Fine. I'll show you." Alan decided.
Xxx
To be perfectly honest, Alan's punishment wasn't the worst thing I could think of. In fact, I was actually enjoying having Skylar's company now that she too was trapped in Dimension Zero. However, she didn't seem too pleased at the tight squeeze.
"You're right; this is worse." She complained as I laid my head on her shoulder.
"I don't know. It's not so bad." I hummed happily. Suddenly, Lizardman startled me from behind, as I'd forgotten that he had also been shoved in here at the same time as Skylar. "Ah! Dude, you're wrecking it!"
Xxx
After making sure that we were all secure in Dimension Zero, Alan had the guards bring us out into the main E.R.
"You have been found guilty of mutiny." He announced. "And the punishment is to be hung…on the wall."
"You're hanging us on the wall?" Skylar questioned as the guards removed a framed photograph of a bridge and replaced it with the Dimension Zero window. "What's so bad about that?"
"I'm going to have you hung slightly askew." He decided. One of the guards tipped the window to the side a bit, angling it, and all of Dimension Zero tipped too. It took me a moment to find my footing, as it wasn't the most comfortable position.
The guards handed Alan the picture of the bridge, unsure of what to do with it. "I hate bridges!" He shouted childishly, pushing it back into the guard's arms. "And now," Alan turned back to us, "to prevent future mutinies, I'm going to activate the new security system."
"It hasn't been tested yet!" I reminded him. "No one can touch it; Horace specifically forbid it."
"My Uncle Horace isn't in charge anymore. I am!" Alan snapped before raising his head. "Computer, activate the security system!"
There were two quick beeps, then a distinctly feminine voice responded. "You must enter the correct password."
"WHAT?" Alan demanded, angry and shocked. There was another ding.
"Password accepted." The computer announced. Alan nodded, smirking.
"Security bots!" He called. Two black, robotic orbs floated down from the ceiling to hover right in front of him. "Make sure these prisoners do not escape from Dimension Zero."
The security bots either misunderstood Alan's instructions or had some kind of glitch, because they suddenly began to attack the E.R. They shot laser beams left and right, blasting things every where. Thankfully, there weren't any patients in the E.R. yet, and the real guards had fled the room, so there weren't many people to get hurt.
Alan ducked behind one of the counters, staring at the orbs in fear. "When my Uncle Horace gets back, he's going to kill me." He looked at us pleadingly. "You guys have to help me!"
"Never!" I retorted. "You humiliated us, and laughed at us, and made us milk a serial killer whale!"
He shrugged sheepishly, a half-guilty smile on his face. "You made us suffer, and now I will watch Horace make you suffer! Yes! You will snivel and cower before him!" I laughed.
Skylar looked at me, aghast. "That was an evil cackle. You're getting pleasure from his misfortune." She told me sternly. "You're turning into a villain."
"How dare you call me a villain!" I snapped, seriously offended. "You will rue the-oh dang it, I am a villain."
I looked at Alan, immediately feeling guilty. "Well, it's not too late for me." I decided. "Alan, let us out so we can help you."
He snatched a remote off the nearest counter and hit a button. Instantly, Skylar, Lizardman, and I fell out of Dimension Zero through the window, hitting the ground. Lizardman took one look at the security bots and ran for the hills, while Skylar and I climbed to our feet, already trying to think of a way to stop them.
Alan and I leapt behind the nearest counter as lasers continued to be shot our way, while Skylar ducked behind a nearby column. This was not going to be easy, that was for sure.
Dani's POV
I grimaced as we all watched Clyde's score rise higher and higher. Not only was he doing wonderfully at the game, but the competition had attracted a crowd. Why'd I have to open my big mouth earlier? Now Ollie, Kaz, and I were all going to get kicked out of the store.
"Yeah!" Clyde shouted victoriously as his new score appeared on the screen.
"It's a new high score!" Wallace announced for everyone to hear. Clyde smirked and looked in our direction.
"Let's see you beat that, Kaz!" He exclaimed. Kaz looked at him nervously, his hands shoved in his pockets to stop him from rubbing them together – a nervous habit of his I happened to notice. "Of course that's just an expression – I don't actually want to see you beat that, because that record is the most important thing in my life."
"Hey!" Wallace looked hurt. "You own a business."
"Co-own." Clyde corrected him. "I don't own it unless you die."
"Wow. That rolled off your tongue a little too easily." Wallace accused. Alivia looked at me, frowning.
"Do all twins fight like that?" She asked. I shook my head.
"No, just them." I assured her. At least, Ollie and I didn't fight like that. We'd get in some argument, maybe a little roughhousing when we were little, but never an actual fight.
"Alright Kaz, you're up!" Clyde announced, holding out the controller. "Enjoy this moment because it's going to be your last in this store, forever."
"I should have known I could never beat him." Kaz muttered. Alivia patted his shoulder.
"You'll do fine." She assured him. Kaz looked at her like she was crazy.
"I've only wasted, like, five years of my life on these things. He's wasted like fifty." He reasoned. Clyde looked at him, offended, but didn't comment.
"I don't want to hear any negative talk out of you; that's Jordan's thing." The Irish girl insisted. "Now go kick his ass so I don't have to listen to you, Oliver, and Dani pout about not being able to come in here again."
"I think that's the first time I've ever heard you swear." I hummed. She shrugged.
"You're a bad influence." She told me. I nodded.
"Good." I turned back to Kaz. "Look, just go out there, and don't totally humiliate yourself."
"Well, that's encouraging." He grumbled. I rolled my eyes.
"Just go." I pushed him gently towards the TV, knowing fully well that this was not going to end in our favor.
Oliver's POV
"That's it! I'm out of here!" Alan muttered beside me before running screaming from the room. The security bots continued to fire on us. I glanced as Skylar, who appeared to be trapped behind the column.
I bolted forward, sliding to my knees to avoid getting hit by a laser. I managed to hide behind a tray of medical equipment, near Skylar, but not quite close enough to hide in the same spot as her.
"These things are everywhere! What are we going to do?" She demanded.
"I have a plan." I told her. "Remember Vanquisher issue 217?"
If it had been Kaz or Dani, they would have known my plan right off the bat, just by being told the issue number. But Skylar just looked at me, confused. "I was in comic books, I don't read comic books!" She snapped.
Note to self: make Skylar read comic books. "Well, the Vanquisher was battling some very similar robots. They used thermal and motion sensors, so the Vanquisher confused their targeting systems, creating false heat signatur-"
"And this is why I don't read comic books." Skylar interrupted me. I sighed.
"Here's the plan." I told her. "You draw the bots' attention because you're so hot." She looked at me, and I quickly realized what I said. "I mean, your body temperature is higher than Normos."
"Sure." She didn't believe my correction for a moment, but I quickly continued.
"I'll use the surgical lasers and go all Asteroid Assassin on them. You ever play that game? It's awesome." I grinned.
"I was in video games. I don't play video games!" She snapped before leaping into action. She ran across the room, hopping over gurneys and ducking under lasers. She even managed to grab a metal tray and use it to deflect one of the lasers back at the security bot. The blow didn't destroy the machine, but it definitely did some damage. I grabbed one of the laser machines and ran to the side, taking a very well-aimed shot at them.
Unfortunately, the laser wasn't powerful enough to destroy the bots on its own, so I was going to have to get a few good shots in before I would be able to stop them. I ducked and rolled, before taking aim again, this time hitting the bot in such a way that it was hit off its path. It corrected itself quickly, but it was still an amazing shot.
Skylar did a flip over one of the counters, drawing the bot's fire. I slid forward, kicking my legs out in front of me instinctively, taking a shot. Thankfully, the shot hit it in just the right spot to deactivate it.
"Oliver behind you!" Skylar shouted suddenly. I quickly turned the weapon around in my hands, shooting it over my shoulder without looking. I smirked cockily when I heard the bot hit the ground with a clang.
"Wow." Skylar offered me a hand up. "Not bad for a Normo."
"All in a day's work." I replied, moving the laser blaster behind my back. My finger accidently hit the on button though, and even though the laser was only on briefly, it burnt my leg. "Ow."
"You just shot yourself, didn't you?" Skylar guessed.
"No." I lied, even though it hurt. Like a lot.
"Well, it's over." Skylar smiled. "We won."
Dani's POV
"It's over!" Clyde cheered, parading around Kaz as the scores appeared on the screen. "You lost."
Kaz sighed, clearly annoyed. "You got the second lowest score ever." Clyde chuckled. "Right above someone named K%Z."
"But I looked so cool!" The black haired boy protested. "I even did one of these!" He spun around and pretended to shoot something under his leg.
"Yeah, well now you're banished." Clyde cheered. "For good."
"Wait." I stopped him. "I want a rematch. Against me this time. And if I win, Kaz, Ollie, and I aren't banished anymore."
"And if I win?" Clyde questioned. I hesitated, then said the first thing I could think of.
"Kaz gives you his pants." I blurted out.
"What?" Kaz stared at me. "I love these pants."
"They are nice pants." Clyde hummed. I looked at him hopefully. "It's a deal."
Xxx
Clyde cheered as my score appeared on the screen, my number not even close to his. "You didn't even try!" Kaz accused.
"I hate to admit it, but I actually did." I sighed. "But hey, at least my score was higher than yours."
"I can't not believe I have to do this." Kaz muttered, unzipping his pants. He pulled them off, and to my and Alivia's surprise, he was wearing a pair of sweat pants underneath. He handed his pants to Clyde, while we looked at him.
"You're wearing two pairs of pants?" Alivia questioned. He nodded, frowning.
"Yeah, why? How many are you wearing?" He questioned.
Oliver's POV
Even though the E.R. room was a mess, I had to say that things could have gone a lot worse. "Nice job, Oliver." Skylar told me sincerely. "You wanna hug."
"Yes." I grinned, then remembered earlier. "No! Do I? I'm so confused!"
Skylar chuckled lightly, then looked around. "Where's Alan?" She questioned.
"Is it over?" We heard him ask. We both turned around to see that he'd jumped into the Dimension Zero window. I sighed and grabbed the remote, hitting the button to release him.
He landed on the floor clumsily, then pushed himself up. "Thanks for helping me, guys." He told us. "No one's ever treated me this nicely before. I better get this all cleaned up before my Uncle Horace gets back."
I smiled and looked at Skylar. "See? I was right. You treat someone well, and you put them on the path to being a good person."
Suddenly, one of the bots twitched. "Wait, one of the bots are still alive!" I exclaimed, grabbing the laser. I shot at the bot, but the laser went right through Alan's earmuffs. Sure, I managed to stop the bot before it regained its power, but the earmuffs were destroyed.
"Mittens! No!" Alan cried in horror. He glared at me, furious. "You'll rue the day."
"And now I turned him back." I admitted. Suddenly, my phone rang. I quickly answered it. "Yeah?"
"Ollie?" Dani's reply was slow and hesitant, as if she was unsure about something.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked.
"Um…I did something that you're not gonna like…" She said slowly. "And I need you to come down to the Domain. Like right now."
"Why? Are you in trouble?" I demanded, worried. She laughed darkly.
"Uh, not yet, no. But I…look, just get down here right now." She insisted before hanging up. I looked at Skylar, concerned.
Xxx
When I ran into The Domain, I honestly expected something to be wrong. I didn't expect to see everyone watching Clyde pull on a pair of pants, while Kaz stood in his sweatpants.
"Hey, Dee, are you…" I stopped midsentence, staring at them. "Kaz, why is Clyde wearing your pants?"
"Dani?" Kaz gave my sister a pointed look, expecting her to explain.
"Uh, there was a bet, and technically it was my fault, and Kaz and I lost to Clyde at Alien Assassins, so now Ollie, Kaz, and I are banished from the Domain and Kaz had to give him his pants." Dani winced, looking at me as if she expected me to be angry. But after the day I just had, I was too tired to actually get upset. "I'm sorry."
"Wait, we never said. Are we banned for my life, or yours?" Kaz questioned, looking at Clyde. "Because you're like, what? Eighty?"
"How about a rematch?" I questioned, walking up to him. "And if I win, then Kaz, Dani, and I are allowed to come back here whenever we want. And if you win-"
"Ollie gives you his pants!" Dani exclaimed. Kaz turned to look at her.
"What is with you and pants today?" He demanded. She shrugged, a slight smirk on her face. I looked at Clyde confidently.
"It's a deal." I told him. Kaz looked at uncertainly.
"Are you sure?" He asked. I smiled.
"Don't worry; after the day I just had, I've got this." I assured him.
Xxx
"Pants please." Clyde held out his hand after I lost. I sighed and pulled off my jeans, revealing the sweat pants I was wearing underneath.
"Why are you both wearing multiple layers of pants?" Alivia questioned, frowning. I looked at her as I handed my pants to Clyde.
"You think this is the first time Dani's used our pants as bargaining chips?" I countered.
"What's going on?" Wallace asked, walking over to us. Clyde smirked.
"CutiePie15 is once again the reigning champion, and Kaz, Oliver, and Dani are banished from the store forever." He proclaimed proudly before he looked at us. "Now split…pea soup. I really have to see a doctor."
"Hold on." Wallace stopped us, then pulled his brother over to the side. Alivia turned to Dani.
"Okay, I need to know; just how many pairs of pants have Kaz and Oliver lost because of one of your bets?"
Wallace's POV
I glanced at the kids to make sure they couldn't hear us, then looked at my other half. "We can't banish Kaz, Oliver, or Dani. We need them around so they can lead us to Mighty Med."
"Oh yeah, I totally forgot." He agreed. "I got so worked up. And these are really nice pants." He held up Oliver's pants to prove his point.
"These are really nice pants." I agreed, looking them over. We talked about them for a moment before walking back over to the kids.
"Kids, kids. Good news." I told the children. "Clyde here just reconsidered and you are no longer banished."
"Nah, it's okay." Kaz assured us. "We'll just buy our comics online."
"No!" I snapped quickly. "You guys are our best customers, even though you rarely buy anything. We really want you to stay. Right Clyde?"
My other was reluctant to answer, but eventually saw sense. "Yes. Please stay." He ground out through his teeth.
"Okay, but we want our pants back." Oliver demanded. My other half sighed.
"Fine." He agreed.
"And all the Tecton collectables." Kaz added.
"What?" I grabbed the nearest Tecton memorabilia. "Even the Tecton Hong Kong Ping Pong?"
"Even the Tecton Hong Kong Ping Pong." Kaz agreed.
"Fine." I agreed. Kaz took the toy from me.
"I will be back for the rest after I get my Tecton Two Tote Carry On." He told us. The kids left the store, the boys carrying their pants over their shoulders.
"Even when I win, I still lose." My other half sighed. "Those children will rue the day. Yes, we will meet again and victory will be ours."
"And we will wipe out every superhero in the world and take their lives." I agreed.
"And their pants." He added. I looked at him.
"That goes without saying."
Xxx
Kihonne: So, what did you guys think? Good, bad? In between? Let me know! I write these stories for you guys, but I won't know how you guys like it if no one tells me. So make sure to review!
Anyway, here's the schedule for the next few weeks:
May 23rd – Lockdown
May 29th – So You Think You Can Be a Sidekick
June 5th – The Friend of my Friend is my Enemy
Anyway, make sure to review! I'll see you guys on Monday.
