Chapter 11: Paradise Lost
(Based off of Secret World of Alex Mack: Paradise Lost Episode)
-Paradise Valley: Paradise Valley Chemical Plant-
Somewhere inside of a chemical plant, a man and a woman sat in an office and watched an advert of some sort. "Pain. Misery. Persperation..." A television spoke. The commercial showed muscles and something called Formula 161. "The pleasures of life. Lose weight. Build muscle. No exercise. No diet. No pain. A new life, a new you. The future is here. Formula 161." After that, the commercial shut off and the man used the TV remote to cut the TV off.
The woman chuckled. "I love it." The man turned to her. "GC-161 is fully ready to ship, it'll take hours to hit the shelves."
"Excellent." The woman smiled. "Ms. Atron..once people start taking the chemical. It won't be long before they're zapping electricity, floating objects and liquifying uncontrollably." The man said. "Then there's this," In a small glass box was a puddle of metallic liquid, moving around on it's own. "It liquefied like all the others, only for some reason it can't reform again." He explained. "That might be what happened to that kid we've been looking for..", The man continued, "If this happens to the public, there could be mass panic and major lawsuits. This whole country would be in an uproar." The man said.
Atron chuckled, "And when that happens, I'll be long gone with over a billion dollars to my name. And I'd advise you to get a move on too, Lars." She said with a confident smile, which made her assistant, Lars, shuffled around nervously. "Really? You're gonna run like a coward?" Vicky's voice echoed within the room. Atron and Lars spun around, only to see Vicky coming in through a corridor of darkness. "Who are you..and how did you get in?" Atron barked.
"Eh..I have my ways." Vicky shrugged, walking towards the two adults. "So, it seems that a lot of people are gonna come down with mysterious powers If they take that GC-161 crap..then it'll be chaos erupting throughout the nation? Why even stop there?" Vicky cackled.
"Where are you going with this, exactly?" Lars asked sternly, folding his arms. Vicky scoffed. "I'm saying, why not take it to the next level?" Vicky started. "You're gonna be filthy rich by the time that stuff hits the shelves right, Why not use that to conquer this world? You'll have both money and power, no one would even dare to go toe to toe with you, so in the end they'll have no choice but to respect you."
Vicky grinned, "I can give you the power to do that, y'know."
"I like the sound of that." Atron nodded. "What kind of power are we talking about exactly?" The older woman asked. "The power of darkness." Vicky said. "And trust me, you two have got just enough darkness packed up in those hearts to control the most powerful Heartless."
"Are you kidding?" Lars scoffed. "You're only a kid, what kind of kid knows about conquering an entire nation by solely using the power of darkness?"
"A kid who actually has a brain." Atron responded in Vicky's defense. "She seems to be smarter that most of the brats in this town, anyways." Atron said. "I like her."
Vickey grinned mischievously and batted her eyelashes. Lars rubbed his chin. "Will this power help us solve a certain problem?"
"That..and more." A dark aura washed over Vicky, she walked over to Lars and Atron. "Here.."
-Paradise Valley: Park-
(Field Theme: Concealed Secrets)
Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick walked into a park, looking around anything out of the ordinary. At first, they thought they had entered a wormhole and ended up back in Town of Mysteries, but this was just another world that looked vastly different. So far, there were no Heartless or any troublemakers. Everything seemed normal.
"So far so good..not a Heartless in sight." Kioku smiled to himself.. "Yeah SO FAR..doesn't matter if the Heartless haven't appeared, It's a matter of when they're going to appear." Spongebob said, dismissing Kioku's claim. From a distance. They could see three teenagers, two males and one female.
"Hey, we should ask them if they'd seen anything weird." Patrick asked. "Like if they've seen any Heartless,"
"If you're mentioning the word 'weird', they'd point right at us.." Kioku laughed. "Well we do stick out like sore thumbs. It's nearly obvious that we're outsiders." Spongebob agreed. Soon, they saw Heartless emerge near the teenagers, threatening to steal their hearts.
"Guys!" Kioku shouted, summoning his Keyblade. "That's our cue!" Spongebob and Patrick summoned their weapons and followed Kioku into battle. Once they reached the three teenagers, they got in front of them in defense. "Stay back, we'll handle this!" Kioku said, getting into a stance with his Keyblade.
(Battle Theme: The Secret's Revealed)
Kioku slashed away at the Heartless with swift strikes, swatting them out of the way. Spongebob fired a Thunder spell at a small drove of Shadows and vanquished them immediately, while Patrick tossed his two shields at another group of Heartless. More Heartless appeared, and it seemed like they were mostly Thunder-based, and the other ones were Neo Shadows. The three made quick work of them and vanquished them. Kioku panted and turned to the kids. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah!" The one of the boys said. "You guys have powers, too?"
"Uhh..sorta..." Spongebob shrugged. "Why, do you have powers?" he asked.
The boy laughed. "Not me! My friend Alex does, and I just found out." The girl Alex and the other boy glared at the boy. "Louis! You said you wouldn't tell everyone!" Alex shouted. Ray chuckled. "Don't worry Alex, these three look like they can keep a secret.."
Kioku looked at Alex, examining the girl throughly. "Doesn't really look like she has powers.." he said, folding his arms. Alex raised her hand, and she lifted her own hat off of her head using telekinesis. "Wha?!" Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick exclaimed in unison.
"Convinced?" Alex smiled, letting her hat fall back on her head. She giggled. "I'm Alex Mack."
"I'm Raymond Alvarado. Call me Ray." Ray said, introducing himself. "Louis Driscoll, nice to meet you guys." Louis introduced himself.
Kioku nodded. "I'm Kioku. And these two beside me are Spongebob and Patrick."
"Alex, mind if I ask, How did you get powers?" Spongebob asked.
"Long story. But I think I'll be able to explain it." Alex began. "It all started when I was walking home from my first day of junior high, I wasn't paying attention and a truck came speeding towards me. It swerved and I got covered in this golden liquid stuff called GC-161. Next thing I know, I'm zapping electricity out of my hands and lifting up stuff with my mind, and turning into liquid and stuff. And now the owner of the chemical plant and her workers are looking for me."
"And it's very important that no one knows about it." Ray added. "So, why didn't you fight the Heartless with us?" Patrick asked. "You could've easily taken them down."
Alex lowered her head. "I..was scared. But now, I see that they might cause trouble in the town, but.."
Kioku smirked. "You should team up with us and help take out the Heartless in this world." He suggested.
"What about the people in town, won't they find out?" Louis asked. "They won't if you don't tell everyone!" Ray said.
"No need to worry. Just don't use your powers while in public." Patrick said.
Alex paused and looked over to Ray, who nodded in approval. "Alex, you should help them. They look like they could need it." Ray said.
Alex sighed. "Okay, I'll do it."
"Great. Welcome to the team." Spongebob said.
(Alex has joined you!)
-Party Member info: Alex Mack-
Attacks:
Thunder Blast: Alex shoots an orb of lightning at the enemy.
Solid Slam: Alex turns her fist into solid metal and punches the enemy. If the hit lands, she will continue it on into a combo that holds enemies in place, so that Kioku can come in for Keyblade strikes.
Shockwave: Alex slams her hand on the ground, causing a massive shockwave that stuns the enemies.
Telekinesis Toss: Alex levitates the enemy and throws them.
Magnetism: Alex used a Magnetic orb to pull in far away enemies.
Zapperoo: Alex shoots 3 three electric lasers that home in on enemies.
Thunder Surge: Alex rushed forward a short distance while cloaked in electricity, stunning enemies on contact.
-Paradise Valley: Chemical Plant-
Back at the chemical plant, which was now filled with workers and other people alike, A man walked abruptly into Danielle Atron's office. She was calmly sitting at her desk, on the laptop. She heard footsteps and looked up. "I didn't hear you knock.." Danielle said.
"That's because I didn't." The man raised his voice. "Ms. Atron, I dunno how you got it approved, but if GC-161 hits the shelves you'll be putting the entire nation at risk!" The man yelled in a concerned tone. Danielle looked up and smiled. "We've made great strides on this formula since you worked on it George, pretty much worked most out the kinks, I wouldn't be so presumptuous."
George raised his voice. "Ms. Atron, I'm no idiot!"
The woman sighed, "George, I don't want things to end this way. You've been a valuable member of our team for a long, long time. But recently, someone's provided me with ideas that crushes yours," Atron explained." And the development's sending the plan in a new and different direction." Danielle said. "In short, I'm letting you go. Effective immediately."
George paused for a moment and gave Danielle a stern look. "That would be acceptable, Ms. Atron. I'll go get my things."
Atron shook her head, "Your things have been packed and are waiting for you out front."' she said, gesturing to the front door. "Oh and George, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that you took an oath of secrecy regarding all of your work here. I trust that you'll live up to that or I promise..consequences will occur." Danielle stated. George nodded and then walked out of her office with his head low.
-Paradise Valley: Park-
After Kioku and the gang left, Louis talked to Ray on his cellphone. "Hey Ray, Louis here! I can't stop thinking about what happened today! Those three weird looking guys took out those monsters!" He spoke quickly. "It was insane! I just wished that she would have helped fight too! I mean how could you not have told me she had secret powers after all these years?" Louis went on. "I thought we were buds, man. She could change into liquid and zap stuff. Not to mention that one kid, he had a weapon that was shaped like a key, Ray, A KEY!"
Ray's eyes widen, "Louis, are you on a cell phone?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" Louis asked. "Hang up, now!" Ray yelled.
"Aw c'mon Ray, you think the chemical plant monitors every single call in Paradise Valley?" Ray yelled once again. "HANG. UP. NOW!"
Louis hung up after Ray's yelling convinced him to. "What's his problem?" He continued on walking until a black truck slowly approached him. Two soldiers dressed in all black jumped out began to chase Louis. Louis ran with all his might, but ended up being tackled and dragged into the truck. "AH NO! WHO ARE YOU?!" Louis screamed. They threw him into the truck and shortly after, Lars and Vicky entered the back of the truck, where a blindfolded Louis waited. Lars took a seat next to Louis. Vicky stood up and glared at the boy.
"Hey what is this, Someone wanna tell me what the heck is going on here?" Louis yelled out in confusion. "We just need some answers." Lars said. "Then you'll be free to go."
"I-I dunno what the heck you want from me, I really don't." Louis said nervously. "Maybe this'll ring a bell." Vicky said. She played a recording on Louis's phone call.
"Hey Ray, Louis here! I can't stop thinking about what happened today! Those three guys took out those monsters! It was insane! I just wished that she would have helped fight too! I mean how could you not have told me she had secret powers after all these years?" Louis went on. "I thought we were buds, man. She could change into liquid and zap stuff. Not to mention that one kid, he had a weapon that was shaped like a key, Ray, A KEY-"
"Now, who has secret powers?" Lars asked. Louis kept his mouth shut, making Vicky grow impatient.
"Look twerp, we aren't the most patient people in the world." Vicky said, right before striking Louis with a punch to the jaw. Louis grunted in pain.
"Now, you're gonna tell us who these four are," Lars said. Vicky scoffed, "Never mind the other three, Lars. I can tell you that." Vicky said. "Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick. It's probably likely that they've teamed up with the kid with powers."
"Is that so?" Lars chuckled. "Now back to you, kid. You know the kid that was hit with the chemical and you're gonna tell us who they are."
"I'm not gonna tell you anything." Louis said. Vicky smirked and grabbed Louis by the neck and had begin to choke him. "Louis, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Lars said. "I-I don't care what you do to me. I'm not gonna tell anything!" Louis gagged.
"Don't be an idiot twerp, tell us who it is!" Vicky yelled. "Or I'll snap your neck like a twig." She grunted as he had tightened her grip. The boy squirmed around and gasped for air as Vicky nearly dug her fingernails into his skin. Louis couldn't take the pain and screeched. "ARGH! THE KID IS ALEX MACK!"
-Paradise Valley: Alex's House-
After patrolling the town for a while, Kioku, Spongebob, Patrick and Alex all retired back to Alex's house and sat in the kitchen. Shortly after they got there, Alex's mom came in with groceries. She noticed a concerned look on her daughter's face, "Alex, what's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing." Alex replied quietly. She looked up at her mom. "What's wrong with you?"
Mrs. Mack announced. "Danielle just fired your father."
"What?" Alex exclaimed loudly, standing up from her seat. "Where is he?"
"I suppose he's on his way home right now." Mrs. Mack said. She then turned her attention to Kioku and the others. "Oh sorry, you must be Alex's friends from school. A little early for Halloween, no?" The woman chuckled nervously. The trio looked at each other. "Uh yeah.. We're Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick.." Kioku introduced. "And what happened?"
Mrs. Mack sighed. "The FDA approved GC-161 to the public today and all the researchers that worked on it were let go."
"That sounds bad.." Spongebob said, looking around at everyone. "GC-161 was approved by the government?" Alex asked. "Yeah, it'll probably be on the shelves tomorrow." Mrs. Mack sighed. Alex looked at the Kioku and the others and quickly stormed up to her room.
"Should we go talk to her?" Patrick asked. "It would be the best thing to do." Mrs. Mack nodded. Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick then went up after her. It wasn't long before George got home, and then Alex's parents both left somewhere.
-Alex's room-
The three were talking for a while, with a very antsy and worried Alex pacing back and forth in her room. "Alex, you've got to calm down." Kioku said as he tried to calm her down..
"I can't everything's out of control now!" Alex yelled. "The plant's gonna sell GC-161 to the public, my dad got fired and Louis Driscoll knows about me! On top of that, there's monsters all over the town!"
"Well, when your parents get back you should tell them about what happened." Spongebob suggested. "I can't do that, Spongebob.." Alex said, shaking her head. "Why not?" Patrick asked.
Alex bit her lip, "My sister Annie and I have this agreement.."
"Well Annie's not here, is she?" Kioku asked. "No, I called her and her roommate told me that she was away for the weekend. But I'm sure she'll get my message a-and she'll come home!" Alex said nervously. "Alex, you probably can't wait that long." Kioku said, folding his arms.
Alex lowered her head and plopped down on her bed anxiously.
-Meanwhile-
Danielle, Lars and Vicky had a meeting within the office at the Chemical Plant. "It's so obvious that it's almost sickening that we didn't notice before." Danielle said. "Alex Mack.."
"Her father had great access to the GC-161 information, do you think he knows about her?" Lars asked.
"I doubt it.." Danielle answered. "What kind of parent doesn't report on what happened to his daughter? Especially if he knows about the dangers of the chemical. " Danielle went on. "And about these three brats, Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick are they affiliated with her?"
"Gotta be.." Vicky said. "The Heartless had to have appeared at some point, and they had to have met Alex while they were fighting the Heartless according to Louis's phone call. They might be with Alex as we speak."
Lars chimed in, "I've tried to alert George, Ms. Atron."
Atron quickly cut him off, "I know you Lars, you tell me. But why don't we just focus on the present and think about what we can do to make the problem go away." Danielle said. "We're way too close, so we have to worry about everybody."
"We need to find Alex and her friends and eliminate them." Lars said. "And when they're gone, Alex's family won't be able to prove a thing."
"Absolutely!" Atron nodded in agreement. "But first, I want Alex brought here for testing. That Driscoll kid said she had some kind of powers, right? As for the keybearer and his partners, have them brought here too." Danielle said. "And Vicky, make sure to wear them down with some Heartless first to weaken them up."
"My pleasure, Ms. Atron." Vicky cackled, bearing an evil smile. "I'll have them here ASAP." Lars nodded.
"Good. Tell the security people to be ready for anything." Atron ordered. "And if that Kioku kid uses that Keyblade as an act of self defense, have him and his friends eliminated immediately. But leave Mack alive." she ordered. Vicky smiled malevolently as she walked out of the office.
"Everything for me is smooth sailing.." Vicky muttered to herself.
-Alex's House: Living Room-
"I dunno what this Danielle Atron lady is capable of, but she sounds dangerous." Kioku said sternly. "If you wait any longer, who knows what could happen?"
"You don't understand, Kioku. My sister knows everything about me, and if I'm going to tell my parents, she'll need to be there when I do!" Alex explained.
"Alex, your dad got fired today, right? So isn't he possibly a threat to Danielle?" Kioku asked. "You may be loyal to your sister, but I'm afraid that she won't be here to hold your hand like you said that used to. Your parents can help you." The boy said, giving Alex a serious look.
Alex sighed. Outside, the sound of tires screeching to a stop was heard. The four of them all went to the windows to see who it was. Countless black cars with soldiers dressed in black with assault rifles jumped out and headed towards the door.
"Who are they?" Patrick asked.
"It's the security guys from the plant!" Alex said.
"We gotta get outta here!" Kioku yelled. They hurried towards the back door, but the security soldiers busted in. Kioku quickly summoned his Keyblade and knocked the group back with a strike, sending them all flying. Alex was in awe as she witnessed the Keyblade's magic. They ran out of the front door, where a massive group of security soldiers waited, rifles in hand.
"Hope you're ready for a fight." Kioku said, getting into a stance. Spongebob and Patrick summoned their weapons. Alex put up her fists. "Like i've got a choice.."
(INFORMATION: Escape the Chemical Plant Security!)
(Battle Music: Rowdy Rumble)
Kioku lashed out at the security guards, swiftly striking them with his Keyblade. Alex turned her fist into solid liquid and knocked one of the guards away and knocked them into the other guards. One of the guards threw a stun grenade at them. Patrick spun around and reflected the grenade off of his shields, making it explode and stun the guards for a while. "Run!" Kioku yelled. They all quickly ran down the street, but the security ended up chasing them in their cars. Alex grabbed Kioku's hand, "Grab on!" Spongebob and Patrick quickly grabbed onto Alex's shoulders. "Get ready guys." Alex muttered. They then all turned into a puddle of metallic liquid and traveled quickly away from the neighborhood. Once they got far enough, they all became reformed into their regular selves.
"Guys, I'm tired..I need a break.." Alex panted, as she was physically drained from using her powers. "So, how about going to the police?" Kioku suggested. "Never thought we'd have to result to doing that.." he groaned.
"I guess you're right." Alex nodded. As they were about to leave, a drove of Heartless appeared around them and surrounded them. Kioku sighed and summoned his Keyblade, "Ugh! Not you guys!" Just as he was about to fight, a security guard managed to catch Kioku off guard and tackled him down. "What the heck!?" Two other guards clubbed Spongebob and Patrick with the butts of their Assault Rifles, knocking them out instantly.
"Kioku! Spongebob! Patrick!" Alex screamed. As more and more security guards and Heartless surrounded them, Alex turned back into a puddle of liquid and attempted to run. But she was quickly captured in a small vacuum. Kioku squirmed around, trying to break free of the guard's grip. "LET..ME..GO!" The boy then felt the intense force of the butt of a rifle strike him in back of his head, instantly knocking him out. All four of them were apprehended and were now being taken to the Chemical Plant.
-Paradise Valley Chemical Plant: Experiment Room-
The four of them were being taken into the Chemical Plant, Kioku regained his consciousness. He noticed that he was being dragged somewhere, as he was surrounded by a gang of security guard. His vision was blurry at first, but when it got clearer, he looked around and saw a dark blue facility as it was foreign to him. Kioku looked over and saw Spongebob and Patrick, who were also being carried by two other guards. They were all brought into a big room with a large quarantine tube in the center. The guards threw Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick down on the cold, metal floor and put the liquefied Alex in the quarantine tube. After that, they left and coming in after them was Danielle Atron. Kioku glared and attempted to summon his Keyblade, but realized that he was handcuffed, Spongebob and Patrick were handcuffed too. Danielle chuckled as she walked over and watched the liquefied Alex trying to escape the tube. Kioku woke Spongebob and Patrick up eagerly. "Guys! Wake up, we've been kidnapped!"
Alex reformed into her human self and looked Danielle square in the face, only to see Danielle's malevolent, selfish glare. "Yes...I've been waiting for this moment for a long time." Danielle smirked. Alex looked around her, noticing the glass casing around her. She saw Kioku, Spongebob and Patrick handcuffed and on the floor.
"Guys!" Alex yelled. "What's going on!?"
-Winslow's Journal-
*Alex Mack: An average teenager in Paradise Valley. While walking home from school, she is nearly hit by a truck carrying GC-161 and is doused with it, thus giving her extraordinary powers. Because of this, she must keep her powers a secret in order to avoid being captured by Danielle Atron. She kept everything a secret in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994).
*Ray Alvarado: Alex's closest friend and next-door neighbor. He knows of Alex's powers and works hard to keep them under wraps. He is Alex's best friend in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994).
*Louis Driscoll: Alex and Ray's abrasive friend. After he learns of Alex's powers and witnesses Kioku fight the Heartless, he is captured and forced to spill the beans. Would you trust this nimrod in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994)?
*Danielle Atron: The owner/CEO of the Paradise Valley Chemical Plant. She wants to market GC-161 as a radical new weight-loss drug, and has made it her mission to find the GC-161 child and capture her, as both a test subject and a threat to the secrecy of her plans. She sides with Vicky and gains the power to control Heartless. She's a threatening villainess in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994).
*Lars Frederickson: A skilled chemist hailing from the Paradise Valley Chemical Plant's foreign branch. He becomes Danielle Atron's chief subordinate after her former one gets fired. He reluctantly sides with Vicky and gains the power to control Heartless. He's a total creeper in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994).
*George Mack: Alex's father. He is a brilliant chemist who used to work for Danielle Atron at the Paradise Valley Chemical Plant. But he and all the other researchers are fired unfortunately. He made a lot of chemistry in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994).
*Barbara Mack: Alex's mother. She is a more down-to-earth woman who works in a public relations firm. She was very motherly in "The Secret World of Alex Mack" (1994).
