October 19, 1999
Lucas Hancock had dealt with all manner of strange things during his thirty-four years as a police officer. He'd lived in Toronto for over two decades before returning to the sleepy town of his youth, and the capital had attracted quite a few eccentric criminals. That was one of the reasons he'd come back to Lanesboro in the first place- he didn't want to deal with the crazies anymore.
But a pair of internationally famous space aliens landing a flying hover bike in front of his police station at three o'clock in the morning beat anything and everything he'd experienced in the capital.
The somewhat hysterical night watchman had been incoherent on the phone, and Hancock didn't blame him. He certainly didn't appreciate being awakened in the dead of night (nor did his wife), but he had to admit that the deputy had done the right thing.
By the time he arrived at the station, a pair of teenage girls had shown up. He recognized them as Roxanne Ritchie and Maria Williams, the aliens' almost-as-famous-as-they-were girlfriends. What they were doing in Canada or how they'd arrived there he had no idea.
His stupefied deputy provided the answer. "They were cubes," he squeaked. "They were little blue glowy boxes, and they turned into human beings."
"Take the rest of the night off," he ordered. The kid couldn't be right… could he? Because in a world where aliens were real, who could say for certain the cubes couldn't transform into teenagers?
The younger cop fled. Hancock idly noted that he probably wouldn't last long in this line of work.
Then he looked at the aliens- the big-headed blue boy and his fish-finned brother, whose glowing hair was not helping- and had to fight the temptation to run after him.
He sucked in a breath, swallowed, forced out the words. "I thought you were kidnapped?"
"I was," the fishy one- Kelly, that was his name, Kelly Auslander- replied flippantly. "They were holding me in this U place about ten miles that way." He pointed north-northeast. "But Syx, Maria, Roxanne, and Bernard found me."
Hancock wished he'd thought to bring Tylenol. Or maybe whiskey would be more appropriate. But bizarre or not, protocol was protocol. Trying to remain professional, he said, "Okay then. Just come into my office, and you can tell me the entire story."
They obeyed.
The next forty minutes were filled with an insane yarn that couldn't possibly be true- and yet it was. The proof sat before him.
"Let's see if I've got this straight," he said. "You, Syx, were able to find him, Kelly. I have no idea how you managed that, but anyways, you brought a trio of teenagers to save him."
"Right so far." Syx had the grace to look embarrassed.
"We didn't give him much of a choice," Roxanne pointed out. "He knew there was no way we would let him go off on his own."
"You flew in on a flying motorcycle, used a glorified laser pen and a pacifier-powered gun to destroy half the kidnappers' vehicles, became invisible, tore two holes in the wall, and defeated the baddies by turning them into glowing blue cubes. Then you turned your girlfriends into boxes and flew off on aforementioned flying motorcycle while taking potshots at the cars that weren't destroyed."
"Technically, I wasn't the one who did all that. Roxanne, Maria, and Bernard tore the second hole in the wall, and Kelly was the one who did most of the shooting. But you've got the gist of it."
Hancock closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Now you've hauled those little boxes to me because they have criminals inside of them, except that one has your friend Bernard and two others have a bunch of metal that could crush us all."
"Indeed."
He did not whimper. He refused to whimper. "…I don't get paid enough for this."
Syx chuckled ruefully. "Warden Ridgeway, our guardian, says the exact same thing."
October 19, 1999
After a sleepless night spent tossing and turning in bed, Lee returned himself to the prison. He ignored the mass of reporters, pushing through them to reach his destination.
Ryan Ritchie was still in his Syx disguise. That was both good and bad: good because he hadn't been busted (yet), and bad because Syx hadn't returned. The warden thought of what he'd said to Maria's father- if they weren't back soon, they wouldn't be back.
His heart sank, but he had a job to do. He had to keep up the act, make it seem like the blue boy within the cell was real, buy Syx and Kelly time. "Any escape attempts?" he asked the disguised human.
Ryan shook his head. He yawned widely. Apparently Lee wasn't the only one who'd had trouble sleeping.
"He's been quiet as a lamb," one of the guards announced. "Odd, that. I thought he'd be more concerned about his… brother."
Ridgeway scowled. "Listen, you," he began.
"Warden! Warden!"
Everyone spun to face Enrique. "Syx and Kelly are- how did you get here so fast?" This was directed at the still-disguised Ryan. "You were outside just a minute ago."
"Holo-watch," the boy replied gleefully. He removed it from his wrist, revealing Ryan Ritchie. "The real Syx has been gone for hours."
The government-appointed guards gawked, stunned into motionlessness. Ryan smirked evilly at them.
"Oh." Enrique blinked. "That explains how he ended up in Canada without anyone raising the alarm. But anyways, he's back. And he's brought Kelly!"
Ryan whooped. "Ha ha, victory!" He quieted, became serious. "What about my sister Roxanne?"
"She seems okay," the guard replied. "Tired, but just fine."
But Ridgeway didn't hear their conversation. He had already bolted through the halls, ignoring the startled calls of the prisoners. His boys were his only concern.
The four teens, not wanting to stay outside in the cold (and where the media could see them), had crowded into the entryway. Maria had trapped her boyfriend in an embrace; she wasn't letting him anywhere out of her sight for a long, long time. Syx and Roxanne's foreheads were pressed together. They spoke softly. The Vihiln toyed with two dehydrated somethings.
Lee laughed aloud. Tears of joy threatened, but he forced them back. Only a wide grin betrayed his happiness. "Ayzin vo, Messerosyx." Good work, Hero.
His charge blushed purple. "I had lots of help," he mumbled. "If Maria hadn't driven that car through the wall, they'd have shot me. And if Roxanne hadn't-"
"All right, then. Good work, heroes."
Syx smiled.
October 19- October 31, 1999
Syx's biggest concern (aside from Bernard's bullet wound) had been the illegal border crossing. Canada and America were on good terms, but he had been fairly certain that flying across their border in the dead of night would step on more than a few toes.
He was pleasantly surprised when both countries bent over backwards to absolve him and his three human friends of their crime. Canada was embarrassed for not believing his claim that Kelly was on their territory. The prime minister and his staff believed that if they did the Auslanders enough favors, the brothers would gloss over their country's incompetence in handling the kidnapping. The American government took one look at Syx's inventions and decided that anyone who could create things like that at such a young age was someone to be courted, not thrown in an underground facility and dissected.
So, instead of clapping the aliens and their accomplices in irons, they hailed the teens as heroes. Even Kelly was lauded for his 'bravery under fire,' whatever that meant.
The official statement they released to the media strongly hinted that the governments had been doing everything in their power to rescue Kelly. If Syx hadn't gotten there first (quite heroically, they always hastened to add), the criminal compound would have been destroyed within the week.
The Auslanders, not wanting to push their luck, simply smiled and nodded.
Roxanne was somewhat annoyed at the two governments' evasions, but she understood why she had to keep quiet. These people had the power to keep her boyfriend and future brother-in-law alive, so she would humor them.
Bernard was out of the hospital in record time. Apparently, being dehydrated had done something to his cells which accelerated the healing process. Syx had multiple theories about why that might be, but Roxanne couldn't understand any of them. She was intelligent, but there were only so many ten-syllable words a girl could take.
Whatever the reason, he was back at school the next Monday: a bit paler than normal, but whole and healthy.
Much to the dour boy's surprise, he received a standing ovation. The entire population of Metro High knew what he'd done, and they weren't about to forget it. "BER-NARD! BER-NARD! BER-NARD!"
"I should get shot more often," he murmured.
Maria, who had insisted on escorting him to his first class of the day, gaped. "Bernard, are you smiling?"
"No, I'm exercising my lips. The upwards position works a lot more muscles than my usual one."
"You are smiling!"
Her normally grouchy cousin graced her with a wide grin. It was probably the widest he'd ever smiled in his life. In front of them, the cheers redoubled.
Bernard might have been a hero, but he wasn't above milking his injury for everything it was worth. Jocks carried his books; pretty girls listened to his tale with bated breath.
"What a twit," Maria laughed.
"I think it runs in the family," her boyfriend teased. She shoved him playfully.
"How long do you think that's going to last?" Syx wondered.
"I give it till Christmas," Roxanne decided.
"I give it a week," Kelly countered.
"Wanna bet, fish-boy?"
"You're on, monkey girl."
Bernard's recovery had been swift and without complication, but the other gunshot victim was not nearly so lucky. Charlie Ming's wound became infected four days after his initial injury. He had to stay in the hospital almost until Halloween.
But the Auslanders hadn't forgotten the officer- or their promise to him. On Halloween afternoon, hours before the first trick-or-treaters were due to arrive, the doorbell to his house rang. "I'll get it," called Charlie's daughter Qing. She opened the door- and screamed.
Her family came running: the heavily pregnant woman of the house, the girl's older brother Bao, her still-weak father.
They found the girl wrapped around Syx's waist, still screaming in joy. Beside him, Kelly hid a laugh.
"You're early," Charlie observed.
"You arranged this?" squealed Qing. "Oh, thank you Daddy, thank you thank you thank you thank you! You're the best daddy in the world." She hugged Syx tighter.
Bao stared at the aliens with bulging brown eyes. Very slowly, he raised his hand in a wave. "Darjot."
"Darjot, Bao," Kelly replied.
The boy beamed. "For once, Dad, I agree with Qing. You really are the world's best dad."
Then he realized what the aliens were wearing. Syx was clad in a skintight black jumpsuit. A deep blue, shining cape hung from his shoulders. The cape flared upward in a high collar. Kelly wore an exact replica of Yoda's robes.
Bao's eyes bulged even more. "No way…."
"Well," Charlie shrugged, "I could hardly let your pregnant mother take you trick-or-treating, now, could I? And since I can't go myself…."
Qing shrieked in joy and hugged Syx once again. "Easy there!" the blue boy cried. "You're going to suffocate me. See? I'm already turning blue!"
She giggled. "You're funny!" But she did let go. "Oh Daddy, thank you so much! I'll be good forever and ever and ever."
"Or until next Tuesday," her mother muttered. "Whichever comes first."
They didn't leave until two hours later, at which point Qing became a fairy princess and Bao a ninja. The quartet attracted quite a bit of attention as they wandered the streets, begging for candy. (Even Syx tried to beg, though Kelly put a stop to that after the first house. "You're too old for that," he chided gently. "Leave some for the kids, okay?" To which Qing had replied, "Don't worry, Syx. I'll give you my Tootsie Rolls. I hate Tootsie Rolls.")
For years to come, the Ming children would view that Halloween as the best day ever. Not even Wayne Scott's unwelcome intervention could spoil their fun.
He, too, was dressed in a Halloween costume- except for him, the white-and-gold ensemble wasn't exactly a costume. It was (in his mind, at least) the uniform of the Official Hero of Metro City.
He floated down, bright and shining in the darkening street, chest puffed out in a way that was supposed to make him look majestic but only made him seem pompous. "Showing your true colors, I see," he sneered, eyeballing Syx's costume.
"…You realize that this is Halloween, right?"
Metro Dude swaggered over. He was tall, much larger than the skinny Syx. The blue boy stepped back. Behind him, Kelly's fins flattened against his head.
"We're not doing anything wrong," the Pir growled. "We're just taking some kids-"
"Hostages."
"We're not hostages!" Qing cried. She threw her candy-filled basket at the Glau's face. It bounced off. "You're just jealous!"
"Go away!" her brother added.
The super's jaw twitched. Their mind-control powers must be very strong indeed. "I'm watching you," he vowed darkly, and flew off into the night.
The four trick-or-treaters watched him go. Then Kelly turned to Syx. "You know, we really need to do something about him."
High above them, Wayne smiled. That was a villainous sentiment if he ever heard one.
Syx grinned. "You leave that to me."
Personally, I wouldn't want to name my daughter Qing Ming, but the name 'Qing' can refer to either blue or green.
Next chapter is the last. The epilogue, if you will.
-Corona