Chapter 6-A Warrior's Path
"You know," Sio began as he started chewing on his lunch that Tai-San had made for him, "I wouldn't mind having a special someone, just like them Bray and Amber over there. I think it be kinda nice."
Tai-San's jaw tightened. She felt so sorry for Jett. After all, this was her fault like he said. It was Amber that she saw in his dreams. She had to be his soulmate. Or...was that someone else? Someone else who looks exactly like Amber?
"You know, Amber, though, really has a huge resemblense to Lillian." Sio spat out.
That's when it hit her. Lillian! Jett had mentioned her a lot when Sio came to the mall. It was Sio's last comment that startled her. She looked over at him and asked, "Sio, who exactly was Lillian?" Sio swallowed down his food. Without looking at her, he replied, "She was probably the toughest woman you will ever meet. Hell, she makes Ebony look like a rookie fighter. She knew Stryfe before the virus and evacuation, so Stryfe became like a big brother to her."
"Tell me, do you really think she looks like Amber?" Sio looked back over at Amber who was snuggling next to Bray. "Yeah, she exactly looks the same. Only..." "Only what?" Tai-San asked. "Only...Lillian has black hair. When she didn't have it tied in knots like Amber, the moon would shine so bright against it, it was like watching an angel."
Tai-San did not continue on. She knew the rest. Lillian and Jett meet when Jett joins the tribe, she falls in love with him, him with her, then suddenly they leave their tribe, and that's when....
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Dal say, "Hey everybody! Jett's back!" Dal pointed to an upcoming figure running towards them with a sword in it's scabbard that was strapped behind him.
Jett wasn't breathing hard at all...well, maybe a little. After all, he was an enhanced human being, almost like the six-million dollar man. Up ahead, he saw Dal and Jack wave to him. Good, nobody was inside the lab yet. Jett started to slow down his pace as he came by the tree where Sio and Tai-San sat under. Tai-San quickly jumped up and walked towards him. The expression of her face was that of sympathy and worry. He didn't like that.
"Jett..." She began as laid her hand on his shoulder. Was she making another move on him again? No, something was really wrong. Tai-San's gaze suddenly looked away from him and over to Amber. When he saw her, a sigh of relief left him and a bright smile curved on his lips when he saw her resting on a blanket. He could watch her sitting there, looking like an angel, smiling so lovely that a bright light would flash before his eyes. He ignored Tai-San and started to walk over to her. Tai-San was definetly worried.
She saw him walk up to her, and her smile faded. "Amber." He whispered as he stood right by her. She quickly stood up, not knowing what do to. How was she going to tell him? And why...why did he look so worried?
All questions were put on hold as he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. She slowly returned the hug. She looked like she was on the verge of crying. As they pulled away arms length, he notice her eyes becoming watery. "Amber, sweety, what's wrong?" He asked. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Suddenly, Jett noticed something of her neck. The leather necklace with his ring was gone. Could she have...?
"Jett!" Both Amber and Jett turned to see Bray walking to them. Relieved that his friend was alive, Bray embraced his best friend in a hug, which Jett slowly returned. They pulled apart, and then Bray put his arm around Amber. "Wow, guess the whole tribe's back together now."
That's when it finally hit Jett. She didn't tell him! Well...maybe she did mean to tell him but not yet. Or maybe she didn't want to, maybe she....maybe she loved Bray more.
He didn't show it, but Jett's heart was crushed yet again and he was angry, but he couldn't show it. He knew that if he did, then Bray would break up with Amber. She seemed so happy with Bray, much more happy than with him. He could never ruin something good for Bray, even if it meant losing a chance at real love.
"So...what's going on? Have you gone inside the lab yet?" Jett asked. "No, we just got here. We're waiting till morning to go inside, so we're gonna rest here tonight." Bray replied. Jett shook his head in agreement. His eyes came forward to the laboratory in front of him. This was the place where all information on him lied, especially the virus and the antidote for the virus.
Night came so fast that he felt it was still the night he learned of who and what he was. Then again, he really didn't know much at all, only that his arms, his legs, and his spine was replaced with enhanced metal. He needed to no more about himself, and somewhere inside that damn lab, were the answers to all his questions. That's when he knew, he had to go in there. Now.
He quietly got up on his feet and strapped back on Death Force, then marched his way into the lab. When he got inside, he walked through a concrete hallway and found himself in a with four computers at a table. Everything looked turned on. It was either that Phantom turned it all on or the adults left everything incase. He didn't care about that right now.
Aside the room, he noticed a door with a small glass window that was head level. On the door was labeled "SECRET." Why would somebody label this door SECRET? The answer immediately popped into his mind. He tried to open the door, but the door knop wouldn't budge. He stepped back a bit, and then slammed his foot against the door in a vicious kick. The strength of the kick knocked off the door from it's bolts, and the door flew to the ground loudly and hard.
There was a stairway. Jett walked down the stairway to a dark room. From the light at the top in the computer room, he could see a light switch by him. He flipped the switch, and was nearly blinded by the bright light from the ceiling. As his eyes became adjusted to the light, he noticed he was in an observatory room with a huge computer in the back that was similar to the to computer system he's seen in the Batman comics. It was beautiful even though he wasn't too much into computers like Jack.
The computer system seemed to be running, only there were too many confusing buttons that he didn't know which to push. His eyes noticed a red light blink from the side, then a black button below the red light. He began thinking for a moment. "Well, here goes." He said as he pressed the button.
The large computer screen started blinking green. The words "now loading" were flashing, then followed by "loading complete." Jett's mouth suddenly dropped as a pair of aged eyes from the past looked back at him from the screen. It was his father, his foster father.
"So, you've come, Jett. I knew...I knew that one day, you would come to this place. It was only a matter of time. When we took care of you and your two brothers, I knew for a second that the questions of who you are would run through your mind. That is why...why I have made this for you." His father took a short pause as he sighed. "Jett, I want to you know, that after all that I am about to reveal, that I and the rest of my colleagues only wanted to create something perfect for the world. Something that could bring peace and justice."
Jett crossed his arms, watching anxiously at the screen. He never noticed a shadow behind him.
"Long ago, when you were at an age of three, a horrible accident occured. I found you while walking down the beach one day. You were cut and bleeding badly. The only place close enough to take you was at the Eagle Mountain lab. We...barely saved your life, but your life was leaving you. There was no hope. But then...I remembered that me and my colleagues at Pandora were working on a project to make super soldiers. Something like your two favorite heroes, Wolverine and Iron Fist. I...had always wanted to make a real life super hero. That day, I felt like I did. Hours later, we transported you to Pandora's secret underground base. If you seen the files already, then you know about your spine, your arms, and your legs. Jett, the files that you must've seen do not tell all, since we destroyed all the rest of information." The old doctor took another rest before he continued. "That day, we applied what we call adamantium liquid, which strengthened your bones and made them indestructible. Your arms and legs are special. The enhancements in your arms increases your strength as much as you want, and your legs can increase your speed and agility."
One word came out of Jett's mouth. "Cool."
"Jett, there was once problem. You...were never finished. Since you have adamantium-powered bones, and special arm and legs enhancements, our options were limited since you were already human, and we did not dare to ruin the life of a living being. We did, however, to download everything on martial arts and combat skills in your mind. It's a long story, and I'm afraid I don't have much time left. I was very impressed with how you turned out over the years. Though you were an enhanced human being, you were a normal human boy like your brothers. Indeed though, I believe that I have made the ultimate warrior in you, my boy." The old doctor then frowned. "Jett, there is a bigger problem. You are the only human to ever go through this experiment, but here at Pandora, we made two androids out of human DNA. They look like teenagers, but they cannot age, and they are incredibly powerful. They were so destructive that they destroyed Pandora's underground laboratory along with the scientists and security guards working in the lab. We managed to shut them off, but only temporarily. One day, they will be released from where they are sleeping, and they will come looking for you since in a way, you are a part of them. That is why I gave you something very powerful and effective in both your hands. Trust me, you will need them soon enough."
The old man started to fall back, making Jett edge closer to the screen. "Jett...you have the best of both worlds, human and machine. You are human nonetheless and possess all that of a human, only your stronger, smarter, and faster than any human on the planet. You have not yet reached your limits I assume, but soon you will. Only then, will you be granted the title "the ultimate warrior." That is all...I can say for now. If....you...are looking for...the antidote. It is inside Pandora's main office building in the city, in the basement. We were able to move the antidote there to keep it safe from the android twins. Jett....my son....good luck." In the blink of an eye, the old man had vanished. The message was over.
"Jett?"
Jett quickly turned around, facing Trudy and Patsy. Both looked worried. Trudy noticed that Jett's face was wet from tears. He had been crying.
"He did this all....to save my life...and to give the world a hero." Jett whispered. Trudy came up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. He returned her strong embrace. He could hear her quietly sobbing, she was crying too, for him. "Oh Jett." She whispered.
They jumped at the loud sound of a huge explosion. "The engine room!" Jett cried. He lead Patsy and Trudy running upstairs. In the computer room were the others except Amber, Zandra, and Bray. Salene was holding Brady. "EVERYBODY OUT!" Jett shouted, and everyone oblidged, except for Salene who turned to Jett. "Wait! Jett, Bray and Amber are in the engine room downstairs!"
Shit, he thought. "I'll find them! Just go!" He said and rushed down to the engine room while Patsy and Trudy ran out with the others.
"Bray! Amber! Where are you?!" Jett called out. No answer. "BRAY!! AMBER!!" He called out again. This time, he heard someone cough. He ran in the direction of who was coughing and saw Amber with a knocked out Bray in her lap. She looked up and saw Jett, relief sparkled in her eyes as she ran to them. "You ok?" He asked as he kneeled to her. "Yeah, but Bray took a nasty hit to the head." He didn't wait for her to continue on. He helped her to her feet, then helped Bray up. He lead them to the computer room, then to the entrance of where the came in. They were almost to the entrance, until a scary gush of wind was blowing past them. Jett looked over to see a gush of fire head towards them. He knew what he wanted to do.
He gained enough strength in his arms to push Bray and Amber out of the entrance and into the safety of the other Mallrats, while Jett's entire body was consumed by fire.
They all watched the entrance, except for Bray who was still out. Their eyes were wide with horror in fear. Jett had done the ultimate sacrifice: giving up his life for others.
"JEEETT!!!" Amber cried. She began to rush forward to the entrance, but Lex and Salene stopped her. "JEEETT" She cried his name again as she reached her hand forward. Hot tears flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks. In her mind, she started blaming herself. If only she...
All froze as they heard a gasp from the flame-consumed entrance way. It was from Jett as he jumped out from the entrance. His overcoat was on fire, and he quickly tore it off of him, knocking Death Force a distance away. He stomped on his jacket till the flames were all out. When they were, his jacket was completely ruined. Oh well, he thought. I'll just get another one.
He looked up to see all eyes on him. Eyes with shock and surprise. But before anyone could speak, he winced at the strength of Amber's strong embrace. "Don't ever do that again, please...don't ever do that again." She sobbed as she cried. He returned her hug. "I had no choice. If anything would've happened to you..."
"I don't care! I...I don't care!" She cried. She cupped his face in her hands and looked into his blue eyes. "God, Jett...I love you..I love you so much." That moment, they had both forgotten about Bray and the others. "I love you...I love you." She repeated over and over as she hugged him again and cried in his shoulder. "Oh Amber." His eyes became watery, but he didn't cry.
He looked up to see the others staring at him. They looked like they wanted to know how he survived. He looked to see Bray looking at him...WOAH!! Wait a minute! Bray...he was awake....and looking right at him and Amber. Amber noticed that Jett was starting to pull away. She followed his gaze and saw Bray. Her face turned pale with his at the sight of Bray's jealous eyes.
"Wait! Where's Zan?" Lex cried.
"Right here." A deep voice replied from the side. Everyone looked to see a tall and masculine young man next to Zandra who was wrapped in a brown overcoat. "Stryfe?" Sio and Jett whispered.
Lex made no move to run up to his wife. His eyes were stuck on Stryfe and the smaller young boy next to him. "Rick?" Jett said. "One and only." Rick replied.
"You...you guys followed me? B-but where's Rock and Trish?" Jett asked. "Already back at HQ. Me and Rick decided to come after you to see you needed help. Knowing Phantom to well, it's a good thing we did. For...a couple of good reasons. Stryfe replied as he gazed at Zandra from the corner of his eye. "I second that." Rick said as he too gazed at Zandra.
Hours later. Everybody but Patsy, Stryfe, and Trudy gazed shocked at Jett. He had just finished with who and what he was.
"Wow." Jack said.
"Cool."
"Amazing."
"Unbelievable."
"...."
Jett rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah. So....that's about it." He said.
"..."
Amber sat next to him. Even she was shocked. Her new boyfriend was an enhanced human. It could take her weeks, maybe months to get use to the idea of her boyfriend being an enhanced human. No matter what though, he was human, and she loved him. She put a hand on his arm, but to her surprise he pushed her hand away. He then excused himself and grabbed her arm, leading to where Bray was leaning against a tree. He looked crushed, and too lost in thought that he didn't notice Jett leading Amber to him. When he did, he rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "You know, you two are the last people I want to see now."
"Ain't that a fucking shame." Jett said sarastically. He then moved Amber next to Bray, both looked at him surprised. "What's going on?" Bray asked. "What are you doing?" Amber asked more sternly.
Jett sighed. This was probably going to be the most stupidest thing he ever did in his life. "Bray, you are my best friend. And I know I screwed up badly. The night before last night, I slept with your girlfriend. At the time it felt right. Now I see...it was nothing but a huge mistake." Both were staring at him. "I think I had feelings for Amber because she looks like and reminds me a lot of Lillian. Guys, I loved Lillian more than anything in this world, and my missing her caused me to do the most regretful thing in history." He looked at Amber. "Amber, I'm sorry. I do love you, but I can live without you. It's Bray that you need. It's Bray that can't live without you." Then at Bray. "Bray, true real love is something people always dream about. You, my friend, you have it for real. Now's your chance to take hold of it. You two love each other. And I believe...even if I do sound like Tai-San...that you two are soulmates."
Both looked at Jett surprised. Bray had never seen his friend like this ever. Then again, Jett was sometimes the peacemaker.
"I have come to another decision. As of this day forward, I'm leaving the Mallrats. I'm going to hang on my own for a while. Try and find a meaning in my life or something." Jett said, not looking at his best friend and Lillian's blond look-a-like. "So, I just wanted to say...good-bye." With that, he quickly walked away.
"JETT!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Bray stood from the tree, his arm around Amber with her arm around his waist. "Thank you. You saved our lives from the explosion and by giving us the location of the antidote. The Mallrats are forever grateful to you."
He didn't reply. He looked back away and returned to his path. Stryfe watched after him. "Again, the ultimate warrior walks another path." Rick smirked. "Said it before, but I'm gonna miss that tough ass bastard." Suddenly, a hand brushed against his arm. Rick looked to his side to see Zandra.
"I just wanted to thank you for saving me. That was very brave of what you did." She told him. Rick just smiled goofily. Stryfe chuckled at this. "W-well...it uh..it was nothing. I mean...uh, well...uh..." "Just tell her you like her." Stryfe patted his shoulder than walked away with Rick glaring after him. "I'm gonna kill him one of these days."
"I don't think that could be possible. If I heard right, Stryfe crushed the Ghost Dragons with his bare hands." Zandra said, her eyes never leaving Rick. He looked at her shock. "You don't think I could take him on?" He asked incredulous. "Well...anything is possible." Zandra replied. "Anything?" He asked with a small sparkle in the corner of his eye. "Anything." She smiled.
Stryfe started to chuckle again as he watched the flirtation between Zandra and Rick. His smile suddenly faded as he noticed Salene staring at him. God, she was so beautiful. She really hadn't changed that much when he last saw her before the virus. But that was only by appearance. She looked like a whole different person. Much more stronger.
He wanted to go up and say hello to her, catch up on old times, but the strong wall around his heart kept him from what he wanted. He looked sternly at her, then looked away with his arms crossed. As much as she had changed, Stryfe too had changed. He never saw the hurt in her eyes as his face was turned the other way.
Sio then walked up to his leader, but he was looking at Rick and Zandra who were laughing together. "Well, guess we know whose gonna stay and help the Mallrats get that antidote."
"Don't be surprise if the girl comes back with him to the tribe." Stryfe replied as he looked over to see the figure of Jett now barely visible. "Damn, I'm really gonna miss that sword." At that, Sio started laughing. Stryfe glared at his trapmaster of his tribe, and Sio fell silent as he looked away.
"Hey, Superboy! Wait up!" A voice called far behind Jett.
He stopped and rolled his eyes. He knew who exactly it was. He looked over to see Ebony walking over to him. "Is there something you want?" "Yes, as a matter of fact there is." She smiled. "You headed back to the city?" "For the time, yeah. Why?" He asked her.
Her smile never left her. "Well, I think I'll come with you. Just to keep you out of trouble, you know." "More like to keep your ass from getting killed." Jett mumbled under his breath.
"Hey, who knows." She threw her arm around his shoulder. "You and I might even become good friends." He smirked. "A fucking nightmare come true." He never, though, moved her arm off him as the walked down a path to the city. For Jett, it was a path that would lead to more.
The End
Coming Soon...Return of the Ultimate Warrior
"You know," Sio began as he started chewing on his lunch that Tai-San had made for him, "I wouldn't mind having a special someone, just like them Bray and Amber over there. I think it be kinda nice."
Tai-San's jaw tightened. She felt so sorry for Jett. After all, this was her fault like he said. It was Amber that she saw in his dreams. She had to be his soulmate. Or...was that someone else? Someone else who looks exactly like Amber?
"You know, Amber, though, really has a huge resemblense to Lillian." Sio spat out.
That's when it hit her. Lillian! Jett had mentioned her a lot when Sio came to the mall. It was Sio's last comment that startled her. She looked over at him and asked, "Sio, who exactly was Lillian?" Sio swallowed down his food. Without looking at her, he replied, "She was probably the toughest woman you will ever meet. Hell, she makes Ebony look like a rookie fighter. She knew Stryfe before the virus and evacuation, so Stryfe became like a big brother to her."
"Tell me, do you really think she looks like Amber?" Sio looked back over at Amber who was snuggling next to Bray. "Yeah, she exactly looks the same. Only..." "Only what?" Tai-San asked. "Only...Lillian has black hair. When she didn't have it tied in knots like Amber, the moon would shine so bright against it, it was like watching an angel."
Tai-San did not continue on. She knew the rest. Lillian and Jett meet when Jett joins the tribe, she falls in love with him, him with her, then suddenly they leave their tribe, and that's when....
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Dal say, "Hey everybody! Jett's back!" Dal pointed to an upcoming figure running towards them with a sword in it's scabbard that was strapped behind him.
Jett wasn't breathing hard at all...well, maybe a little. After all, he was an enhanced human being, almost like the six-million dollar man. Up ahead, he saw Dal and Jack wave to him. Good, nobody was inside the lab yet. Jett started to slow down his pace as he came by the tree where Sio and Tai-San sat under. Tai-San quickly jumped up and walked towards him. The expression of her face was that of sympathy and worry. He didn't like that.
"Jett..." She began as laid her hand on his shoulder. Was she making another move on him again? No, something was really wrong. Tai-San's gaze suddenly looked away from him and over to Amber. When he saw her, a sigh of relief left him and a bright smile curved on his lips when he saw her resting on a blanket. He could watch her sitting there, looking like an angel, smiling so lovely that a bright light would flash before his eyes. He ignored Tai-San and started to walk over to her. Tai-San was definetly worried.
She saw him walk up to her, and her smile faded. "Amber." He whispered as he stood right by her. She quickly stood up, not knowing what do to. How was she going to tell him? And why...why did he look so worried?
All questions were put on hold as he kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. She slowly returned the hug. She looked like she was on the verge of crying. As they pulled away arms length, he notice her eyes becoming watery. "Amber, sweety, what's wrong?" He asked. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Suddenly, Jett noticed something of her neck. The leather necklace with his ring was gone. Could she have...?
"Jett!" Both Amber and Jett turned to see Bray walking to them. Relieved that his friend was alive, Bray embraced his best friend in a hug, which Jett slowly returned. They pulled apart, and then Bray put his arm around Amber. "Wow, guess the whole tribe's back together now."
That's when it finally hit Jett. She didn't tell him! Well...maybe she did mean to tell him but not yet. Or maybe she didn't want to, maybe she....maybe she loved Bray more.
He didn't show it, but Jett's heart was crushed yet again and he was angry, but he couldn't show it. He knew that if he did, then Bray would break up with Amber. She seemed so happy with Bray, much more happy than with him. He could never ruin something good for Bray, even if it meant losing a chance at real love.
"So...what's going on? Have you gone inside the lab yet?" Jett asked. "No, we just got here. We're waiting till morning to go inside, so we're gonna rest here tonight." Bray replied. Jett shook his head in agreement. His eyes came forward to the laboratory in front of him. This was the place where all information on him lied, especially the virus and the antidote for the virus.
Night came so fast that he felt it was still the night he learned of who and what he was. Then again, he really didn't know much at all, only that his arms, his legs, and his spine was replaced with enhanced metal. He needed to no more about himself, and somewhere inside that damn lab, were the answers to all his questions. That's when he knew, he had to go in there. Now.
He quietly got up on his feet and strapped back on Death Force, then marched his way into the lab. When he got inside, he walked through a concrete hallway and found himself in a with four computers at a table. Everything looked turned on. It was either that Phantom turned it all on or the adults left everything incase. He didn't care about that right now.
Aside the room, he noticed a door with a small glass window that was head level. On the door was labeled "SECRET." Why would somebody label this door SECRET? The answer immediately popped into his mind. He tried to open the door, but the door knop wouldn't budge. He stepped back a bit, and then slammed his foot against the door in a vicious kick. The strength of the kick knocked off the door from it's bolts, and the door flew to the ground loudly and hard.
There was a stairway. Jett walked down the stairway to a dark room. From the light at the top in the computer room, he could see a light switch by him. He flipped the switch, and was nearly blinded by the bright light from the ceiling. As his eyes became adjusted to the light, he noticed he was in an observatory room with a huge computer in the back that was similar to the to computer system he's seen in the Batman comics. It was beautiful even though he wasn't too much into computers like Jack.
The computer system seemed to be running, only there were too many confusing buttons that he didn't know which to push. His eyes noticed a red light blink from the side, then a black button below the red light. He began thinking for a moment. "Well, here goes." He said as he pressed the button.
The large computer screen started blinking green. The words "now loading" were flashing, then followed by "loading complete." Jett's mouth suddenly dropped as a pair of aged eyes from the past looked back at him from the screen. It was his father, his foster father.
"So, you've come, Jett. I knew...I knew that one day, you would come to this place. It was only a matter of time. When we took care of you and your two brothers, I knew for a second that the questions of who you are would run through your mind. That is why...why I have made this for you." His father took a short pause as he sighed. "Jett, I want to you know, that after all that I am about to reveal, that I and the rest of my colleagues only wanted to create something perfect for the world. Something that could bring peace and justice."
Jett crossed his arms, watching anxiously at the screen. He never noticed a shadow behind him.
"Long ago, when you were at an age of three, a horrible accident occured. I found you while walking down the beach one day. You were cut and bleeding badly. The only place close enough to take you was at the Eagle Mountain lab. We...barely saved your life, but your life was leaving you. There was no hope. But then...I remembered that me and my colleagues at Pandora were working on a project to make super soldiers. Something like your two favorite heroes, Wolverine and Iron Fist. I...had always wanted to make a real life super hero. That day, I felt like I did. Hours later, we transported you to Pandora's secret underground base. If you seen the files already, then you know about your spine, your arms, and your legs. Jett, the files that you must've seen do not tell all, since we destroyed all the rest of information." The old doctor took another rest before he continued. "That day, we applied what we call adamantium liquid, which strengthened your bones and made them indestructible. Your arms and legs are special. The enhancements in your arms increases your strength as much as you want, and your legs can increase your speed and agility."
One word came out of Jett's mouth. "Cool."
"Jett, there was once problem. You...were never finished. Since you have adamantium-powered bones, and special arm and legs enhancements, our options were limited since you were already human, and we did not dare to ruin the life of a living being. We did, however, to download everything on martial arts and combat skills in your mind. It's a long story, and I'm afraid I don't have much time left. I was very impressed with how you turned out over the years. Though you were an enhanced human being, you were a normal human boy like your brothers. Indeed though, I believe that I have made the ultimate warrior in you, my boy." The old doctor then frowned. "Jett, there is a bigger problem. You are the only human to ever go through this experiment, but here at Pandora, we made two androids out of human DNA. They look like teenagers, but they cannot age, and they are incredibly powerful. They were so destructive that they destroyed Pandora's underground laboratory along with the scientists and security guards working in the lab. We managed to shut them off, but only temporarily. One day, they will be released from where they are sleeping, and they will come looking for you since in a way, you are a part of them. That is why I gave you something very powerful and effective in both your hands. Trust me, you will need them soon enough."
The old man started to fall back, making Jett edge closer to the screen. "Jett...you have the best of both worlds, human and machine. You are human nonetheless and possess all that of a human, only your stronger, smarter, and faster than any human on the planet. You have not yet reached your limits I assume, but soon you will. Only then, will you be granted the title "the ultimate warrior." That is all...I can say for now. If....you...are looking for...the antidote. It is inside Pandora's main office building in the city, in the basement. We were able to move the antidote there to keep it safe from the android twins. Jett....my son....good luck." In the blink of an eye, the old man had vanished. The message was over.
"Jett?"
Jett quickly turned around, facing Trudy and Patsy. Both looked worried. Trudy noticed that Jett's face was wet from tears. He had been crying.
"He did this all....to save my life...and to give the world a hero." Jett whispered. Trudy came up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. He returned her strong embrace. He could hear her quietly sobbing, she was crying too, for him. "Oh Jett." She whispered.
They jumped at the loud sound of a huge explosion. "The engine room!" Jett cried. He lead Patsy and Trudy running upstairs. In the computer room were the others except Amber, Zandra, and Bray. Salene was holding Brady. "EVERYBODY OUT!" Jett shouted, and everyone oblidged, except for Salene who turned to Jett. "Wait! Jett, Bray and Amber are in the engine room downstairs!"
Shit, he thought. "I'll find them! Just go!" He said and rushed down to the engine room while Patsy and Trudy ran out with the others.
"Bray! Amber! Where are you?!" Jett called out. No answer. "BRAY!! AMBER!!" He called out again. This time, he heard someone cough. He ran in the direction of who was coughing and saw Amber with a knocked out Bray in her lap. She looked up and saw Jett, relief sparkled in her eyes as she ran to them. "You ok?" He asked as he kneeled to her. "Yeah, but Bray took a nasty hit to the head." He didn't wait for her to continue on. He helped her to her feet, then helped Bray up. He lead them to the computer room, then to the entrance of where the came in. They were almost to the entrance, until a scary gush of wind was blowing past them. Jett looked over to see a gush of fire head towards them. He knew what he wanted to do.
He gained enough strength in his arms to push Bray and Amber out of the entrance and into the safety of the other Mallrats, while Jett's entire body was consumed by fire.
They all watched the entrance, except for Bray who was still out. Their eyes were wide with horror in fear. Jett had done the ultimate sacrifice: giving up his life for others.
"JEEETT!!!" Amber cried. She began to rush forward to the entrance, but Lex and Salene stopped her. "JEEETT" She cried his name again as she reached her hand forward. Hot tears flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks. In her mind, she started blaming herself. If only she...
All froze as they heard a gasp from the flame-consumed entrance way. It was from Jett as he jumped out from the entrance. His overcoat was on fire, and he quickly tore it off of him, knocking Death Force a distance away. He stomped on his jacket till the flames were all out. When they were, his jacket was completely ruined. Oh well, he thought. I'll just get another one.
He looked up to see all eyes on him. Eyes with shock and surprise. But before anyone could speak, he winced at the strength of Amber's strong embrace. "Don't ever do that again, please...don't ever do that again." She sobbed as she cried. He returned her hug. "I had no choice. If anything would've happened to you..."
"I don't care! I...I don't care!" She cried. She cupped his face in her hands and looked into his blue eyes. "God, Jett...I love you..I love you so much." That moment, they had both forgotten about Bray and the others. "I love you...I love you." She repeated over and over as she hugged him again and cried in his shoulder. "Oh Amber." His eyes became watery, but he didn't cry.
He looked up to see the others staring at him. They looked like they wanted to know how he survived. He looked to see Bray looking at him...WOAH!! Wait a minute! Bray...he was awake....and looking right at him and Amber. Amber noticed that Jett was starting to pull away. She followed his gaze and saw Bray. Her face turned pale with his at the sight of Bray's jealous eyes.
"Wait! Where's Zan?" Lex cried.
"Right here." A deep voice replied from the side. Everyone looked to see a tall and masculine young man next to Zandra who was wrapped in a brown overcoat. "Stryfe?" Sio and Jett whispered.
Lex made no move to run up to his wife. His eyes were stuck on Stryfe and the smaller young boy next to him. "Rick?" Jett said. "One and only." Rick replied.
"You...you guys followed me? B-but where's Rock and Trish?" Jett asked. "Already back at HQ. Me and Rick decided to come after you to see you needed help. Knowing Phantom to well, it's a good thing we did. For...a couple of good reasons. Stryfe replied as he gazed at Zandra from the corner of his eye. "I second that." Rick said as he too gazed at Zandra.
Hours later. Everybody but Patsy, Stryfe, and Trudy gazed shocked at Jett. He had just finished with who and what he was.
"Wow." Jack said.
"Cool."
"Amazing."
"Unbelievable."
"...."
Jett rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah. So....that's about it." He said.
"..."
Amber sat next to him. Even she was shocked. Her new boyfriend was an enhanced human. It could take her weeks, maybe months to get use to the idea of her boyfriend being an enhanced human. No matter what though, he was human, and she loved him. She put a hand on his arm, but to her surprise he pushed her hand away. He then excused himself and grabbed her arm, leading to where Bray was leaning against a tree. He looked crushed, and too lost in thought that he didn't notice Jett leading Amber to him. When he did, he rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. "You know, you two are the last people I want to see now."
"Ain't that a fucking shame." Jett said sarastically. He then moved Amber next to Bray, both looked at him surprised. "What's going on?" Bray asked. "What are you doing?" Amber asked more sternly.
Jett sighed. This was probably going to be the most stupidest thing he ever did in his life. "Bray, you are my best friend. And I know I screwed up badly. The night before last night, I slept with your girlfriend. At the time it felt right. Now I see...it was nothing but a huge mistake." Both were staring at him. "I think I had feelings for Amber because she looks like and reminds me a lot of Lillian. Guys, I loved Lillian more than anything in this world, and my missing her caused me to do the most regretful thing in history." He looked at Amber. "Amber, I'm sorry. I do love you, but I can live without you. It's Bray that you need. It's Bray that can't live without you." Then at Bray. "Bray, true real love is something people always dream about. You, my friend, you have it for real. Now's your chance to take hold of it. You two love each other. And I believe...even if I do sound like Tai-San...that you two are soulmates."
Both looked at Jett surprised. Bray had never seen his friend like this ever. Then again, Jett was sometimes the peacemaker.
"I have come to another decision. As of this day forward, I'm leaving the Mallrats. I'm going to hang on my own for a while. Try and find a meaning in my life or something." Jett said, not looking at his best friend and Lillian's blond look-a-like. "So, I just wanted to say...good-bye." With that, he quickly walked away.
"JETT!" He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Bray stood from the tree, his arm around Amber with her arm around his waist. "Thank you. You saved our lives from the explosion and by giving us the location of the antidote. The Mallrats are forever grateful to you."
He didn't reply. He looked back away and returned to his path. Stryfe watched after him. "Again, the ultimate warrior walks another path." Rick smirked. "Said it before, but I'm gonna miss that tough ass bastard." Suddenly, a hand brushed against his arm. Rick looked to his side to see Zandra.
"I just wanted to thank you for saving me. That was very brave of what you did." She told him. Rick just smiled goofily. Stryfe chuckled at this. "W-well...it uh..it was nothing. I mean...uh, well...uh..." "Just tell her you like her." Stryfe patted his shoulder than walked away with Rick glaring after him. "I'm gonna kill him one of these days."
"I don't think that could be possible. If I heard right, Stryfe crushed the Ghost Dragons with his bare hands." Zandra said, her eyes never leaving Rick. He looked at her shock. "You don't think I could take him on?" He asked incredulous. "Well...anything is possible." Zandra replied. "Anything?" He asked with a small sparkle in the corner of his eye. "Anything." She smiled.
Stryfe started to chuckle again as he watched the flirtation between Zandra and Rick. His smile suddenly faded as he noticed Salene staring at him. God, she was so beautiful. She really hadn't changed that much when he last saw her before the virus. But that was only by appearance. She looked like a whole different person. Much more stronger.
He wanted to go up and say hello to her, catch up on old times, but the strong wall around his heart kept him from what he wanted. He looked sternly at her, then looked away with his arms crossed. As much as she had changed, Stryfe too had changed. He never saw the hurt in her eyes as his face was turned the other way.
Sio then walked up to his leader, but he was looking at Rick and Zandra who were laughing together. "Well, guess we know whose gonna stay and help the Mallrats get that antidote."
"Don't be surprise if the girl comes back with him to the tribe." Stryfe replied as he looked over to see the figure of Jett now barely visible. "Damn, I'm really gonna miss that sword." At that, Sio started laughing. Stryfe glared at his trapmaster of his tribe, and Sio fell silent as he looked away.
"Hey, Superboy! Wait up!" A voice called far behind Jett.
He stopped and rolled his eyes. He knew who exactly it was. He looked over to see Ebony walking over to him. "Is there something you want?" "Yes, as a matter of fact there is." She smiled. "You headed back to the city?" "For the time, yeah. Why?" He asked her.
Her smile never left her. "Well, I think I'll come with you. Just to keep you out of trouble, you know." "More like to keep your ass from getting killed." Jett mumbled under his breath.
"Hey, who knows." She threw her arm around his shoulder. "You and I might even become good friends." He smirked. "A fucking nightmare come true." He never, though, moved her arm off him as the walked down a path to the city. For Jett, it was a path that would lead to more.
The End
Coming Soon...Return of the Ultimate Warrior