Chapter 25: Nucleon
After getting hit square in the chest by a nuclear flying cat, Felix was glad to be able to sit down and talk with the creature that had defended him. He laid himself down so that he could continue speaking with Alexander while Sylvia inspected his shell and tail for injuries. "Why are you here? The island is under quarantine for nuclear cleanup." Alexander buzzed curiously. Sylvia told Felix that he could trust him and started to tell him about Finn and how they were assigned to help control the situation here in Tandor. He explained how they got on the S.S. Tesla and came to the island and then their encounter with Eshouten and Tube face (Which Alex corrected by saying Tube face was something called a Trawpint). After telling him about why they were there, Felix asked him why he was here and if he knew anything about the incident.
The nuclear creature shuffled himself uneasily in his sphinx like pose as he prepared to tell them the details. "Three weeks ago, the reactor was churning along as it normally does. Alessandro was supervising while Athena, Edward, and I were tinkering, trying to make a telepathic machine interface that would be more portable. While we tinkered, the alarms started blaring, alerting us to a problem with the reactor. The three of us were just newly assigned, so we weren't quite sure of what to do. We decided to head down to the nuclear chamber to see if Alessandro knew what we could do. Athena, Edward, and I step into the reactor room and were immediately overcome with a powerful blast of nuclear energy. We were taught how to handle the Uranium and had even loaded the reactor several times, but we never were exposed to nearly as much radiation as what met us in the chamber. A massive creature, towering over twelve feet tall, greeted us as 'his minions' and proceeded to irradiate us. Athena was hit first, falling to the ground without any resistance. He proceeded to blast Edward and then me with nuclear energy, but I was not taken to the ground like my friends.
"Instead my body was charged by this power and became something different. I was transformed into this strange gray and green version of my species called Nucleon." He took a break from speaking to adjust how he sat on his small green feet. After he sat down, he proceeded to tell his tale. "After I turned into a Nucleon, the massive figure before started to speak to me in my head, almost telepathically. He told me he was Urayne and how he wanted to infuse everyone with his great power. He congratulated me on being able to become his minion, but I resisted. I saw Alessandro and my friends wake up with a crazy gleam in their eyes; feral, hungry for power, and chaotic. 'I want no part in this' I told him. Urayne only grew larger, swelling with a mixture of anger and pride. 'Well then, I have no use of you. Alessandro, destroy him and the rest of them.'
"Alessandro turned to face me with his eyes full of power and rage. He began to fire bolts of nuclear energy towards me, firing shot after shot without mercy. I could only run from the chamber in hopes of warning the others. I would talk to the various other workers about the threat while being chased by Alessandro. None of them were able to take me seriously and were quickly taken down and converted into Nuclear creatures. I was the only one that retained their sanity, all of the others immediately falling under Urayne's control. They would try to attack me, but I was always better at battling than most of them. I escaped from the plant and tried to find Philip so that I could get off, but he was under hot pursuit from Athena.
"Two weeks later, a Swampert came to the island to help with cleanup. I tried to warn him, but he thought I was an enemy. He attacked me, drawing his attention away from the real threat of Alessandro coming to help 'reform' him. I tried to intercept, but Alessandro was faster. The Swampert was a minion of Urayne. He was assigned to try and find something, and then went swimming up north. I've been stuck here ever since, trying to escape and help warn everyone." At the end of Alexander's tale, Felix was thinking about all that had happened here. How much things had changed because of Urayne. He was still tired however, getting in a nuclear battle.
"I see that you both are exhausted. I'll watch to make sure that Athena and Edward don't disturb us again." Alexander stood up to begin watching over Sylvia and Felix. As he lied there trying to take a nap in the noon day sun, he thought of how Alexander had his friends turned into ravaging beasts. He looked at Sylvia resting against the trunk of an oak tree, breathing deeply. Felix hoped he wouldn't have to experience what Alexander did, losing his friends, perhaps even permanently. He rested in hopes of being strong enough to defend the people, especially Sylvia.