Opener: This chapter follows the Young Guardians through a little trip off the Island. Prepare for a bit of fun and dark themes.
We pickup with the Young Guardians riding inside a modified version of the Jeep. On its side a painted on white diamond. The truck is a deep lime green and silver. It's top and windows are down. The truck is hurling through the sky descending rapidly.
"Ahhhh!" The young heroes let out together.
"I thought you knew how to drive?" Ultraviolet shouts from the back seat. "We technically it's not driving it's flying but still." She adds and continues to scream.
"I'm only twelve!" Morph screams back at her from the driver's seat. Seated next to him is Stick and behind him is Shrink.
"So what I'm eleven!" Stick yells back in a nervous panic.
Stick hurriedly types the keyboard extending from the leather dashboard. He finally finds the correct button and engages the vehicle's flight mode. The trucks wheels turn horizontal and begin to act as propellers. And the dual exhaust pipes erupt with a fiery trail. The wheel transforms into two joy sticks.
"Nice going Stick!" Morph exclaims.
"Hey dudes where are we?" Ultraviolet begins. "Where's my phone?"
"Holy crap they must've dropped out while we were falling. Man how are we gonna get home?" Shrink exclaims in a panic.
"Let's try to land here. Maybe we can get directions or something." Morph suggest. He somehow manages to land the Guardian's vehicle in the middle of a busy parking lot. This disturbance causes the surrounding pedestrians to gaze at the kids.
"What you never seen a group of kids fall out of the sky in a flying green truck before, Jeez." Shrink exclaims to the bystanders.
The group piles out the truck and head into a rustic nearby store. Before they enter they pass a sign that reads "No Alphas Allowed." As the glass door opens a bell sounds signaling the arrival of more customers.
"Hi, me and my friends are just looking for directions back to Mansfield. Can you point us in the right direction?" Morph ask the cashier.
"Hmm is that so. You know we don't allow his kind in here." She sarcastically replies. Her eyes passes over the group and lingers on Stick's pale green skin. A look of disdain creeps up on her wrinkly face.
"His kind? What is that supposed to mean?" Ultraviolet starts.
"Um... we were just trying to get directions. We were just walking the trail and got turned around. So yeah those directions would be great." Morph adds reacting to the tension around the group.
"Just what I said! We don't allow his kind in here." The cashier repeats not knowing that the entire group is made up of Alphas, the others have no physical disfigurations due to their mutations.
"Listen lady there's no need to insult my friends we just need directions ok." Morph says with a low growl. His face is starting to contort with frustration.
The entire group makes their way out of the door when two guys rush into the convenience store dressed in all black. One of them pulls a gun from his waist. And holds the cashier hostage. All of a sudden pistol gets blasted from his hands.
"Hey I have one of those too, twins!" Shrink shouts with glee. Morph launches his spear at the other's gun as well.
"Seriously where do you get those?" Morph shouts. "I don't think these guys know who we are." He continues.
"Hey dipshits checkout the logo." Shrink begins while grasping her sleeve and flashing The Guardian Forces' white diamond logo. The gunmen face shoot up with horror.
"God damn Alphas!" One of the attackers yells.
Morph lets out a sly grin and shouts. "Guardians go!" With the command the group leaps into action. Stick immediately leaps onto the tile ceiling and darts straight toward the gunmen. Shrink grows twice her size and punches one of the attackers sending him to a rack of children's toys.
Ultraviolet shoots a ray of bright purple light into the eyes of the last gunmen briefly blinding him. Morph launches into the air and sends his spear hurling at the criminals pistol knocking it away. He finishes the brawl with a flying kick sending the would be thief back into the glass cooler shattering the case into hundreds of pieces.
Stick shoots thorns into the arms of the criminal as it lets out a cry. He jumps off the ceiling. Shrink flies into the battle shooting the gunmen in the arm. Stick engages the enemy, who sends a punch onto the young hero. Stick blocks the attack.
"Um I wouldn't touch my skin if I were you. I can sometimes exude poisonous fluid." Stick says. Disgusted the attacker steps back and is hit with a flying knee from Stick.
"Thank you." The cashier expels.
"We didn't do it for you lady. We did it because it's our job." Shrink replies as the group stunts out of the store.
The heroes make their way back to their truck and pass by a busy shopping center. Stick receives disgusted looks from the other pedestrians.
"Hey Shrink why are you still big?" Morph questions.
"Well I'm kinda stuck." She answer with a small adorable laugh. She then instantly becomes the size of a pen.
"Oh come on! Damnit I hate it when my powers go into flux" She expels.
"Guess you still got some training to do." Morph replies as Shrink crawls onto his shoulder.
"You may be the leader of this team, but don't think I won't shoot you." She threatens.
"You sure you don't want to borrow my hoodie Kyle?" Ultraviolet ask in a soothing voice.
"No I'm good thanks for asking though." He replies. Just then the entire group in bombarded by a group of teens catapult a load of trash.
"Freaks!" They shout.
"Huh." Stick softly sighs. "I should be used to this by now."
"Well it's been a rough few weeks for all of us you know. We don't ask for this." Shrink replies with compassion.
"But now it's our responsibility to help protect people. I wouldn't trade these powers for the world." Morph exclaims.
"Well some of would." Ultraviolet adds.
"It's not even just that I've always been bullied whether if it was my parents for just being me, or from other people for well looking like this." He group makes it back to the car. Instead of trying to get back home they sit there and comfort a now weeping Kyle. Shrink grows back to her normal height.
"What the fuck is happening?" She thinks.
"All I really want is a place to call by own." He states through his sobbing.
"For all of the ones who yell alone, you know." Shrink adds while she places a caring hand on Stick's shoulder. "I guess the Island is that place our home." He adds
Soon Ultraviolet interrupts the tender moment. "Wait your parents used to bullied you?"
"Yeah they were kind of horrible. Once my Dad had left my Mom got so drunk she locked me in the hallway closet for two days. The only reason I was let out is because my mom needed toilet paper." He answers.
In that moment the scream of a girl can be heard from nearby. The Young Guardians race to investigate the commotion. What they find is even worse than expected. They find seven Alphas in handcuffs being loaded onto a police transport vehicle, by S.W.A.T like armored officers.
"It's just some whiny criminals kids, nothing to see here." One sleazy officer says.
"Oh ok guess we will get going then." Morph says. Shrink turns around to go on her way. When she pivots her eyes lock with another teen in specialized teen gazes with eyes of despair accompanied by a small prayer for help.
"What exactly did…" But before Shrink can ask any questions she and all of her friends are jolted with heart stopping electricity rendering them unconscious.
Shrink and Stick awake in a small prison lined with bricks on three of the four sides. The fade of the room rest an array of steel bar and and a cage door. The room is pitch black all but one patch of sunshine peeking through tiny rectangular window. The ray rest on the small heap that is Shrink.
"Sarah you ok?" Stick attempts to move with a clank. "Did those guys but us in chains, and where's Morph and U.V?" He thinks to himself.
"Yeah I'm alright. How 'bout you?" She replies with a slow groan. She doesn't try to stand, as she feels her sprained ankle throbbing with pain.
"I'm fine just weak, are you chained up too?"
"No I'm not but I can't walk I think my I sprained my ankle. Oh and Stick."
"Yeah"
"My powers are still fluctuating. I can't grow."
"Well…" stick is interrupted by the low clanking of metal. The sound inches closer and closer until a man arrives at the cell.
"Yell look at this little pretty thing." The sleazy officer from earlier states as he drags his greasy fingers across Shrink's face.
"Don't touch me you piece of shit!" Sarah shouts.
"I'm gonna do a lot more than just touch you little girl." He replies. He picks up Sarah by the arms while she lets out a scream.
"You fucking piece of shit!" Stick shouts as he struggle against the rigid cell. Sarah is dragged off to the darker side of the cell.
The officer throws her on the concrete floor with a fierce growl. Soon metal begins to clank once again then he is on top of her. The clank of metal is heard once more and Sarah squirms on the ground. One arm of the officers is pinned against her chest.
"No, no please no!"
"Sarah no!"
Sarah's attacker begins to tear and cut the midsection of her green leather pants. He soon manages to get down to her underwear but it's sliced open quickly. The final slash creates a small cut across her labia.
Soon he is inside of her and lets out a low groan. Sarah has well into a loud sob.
"You son of a bitch I'm going to kill you!" Stick yells. His many abilities won't help in this situation. His hands begin to glow a dim yellow with a pulsing wave. He catches glimpses of the assault.
The officer continues to thrust to a medium paced rhythm. Every time Sarah lets out another low whimper in between her whaling. His pace steadily inclines. A clank cries out every time he thrust. A pistol rest on his waist holster.
Stick continues to sob from the the rough brick wall. All of a sudden a loud bangs sounds paired with a flash of light. Sarah soon crawls to the light with a pistol in her hand. She shoots the braces cuffing Sticks wrist. Thus setting him free. He immediately runs to Sarah's side, she simply wraps her arms around his neck. Now in the light the rest of the cell is illuminated, now he can see the exit. He tries to take the gun away from Sarah but she quickly pulls it back.
"I need you to shoot the lock can you do that for me please." Stick ask Sarah blast the lock off of the cell door allowing them to escape. Stick remembers the glowing light from his fist and begins to concentrate on his new found ability. He finally triggers it allowing him to see his surroundings.
He walks down the hall a few steps struggling to carry the added weight of his distraught teammate. He notices in the cell to his right Ultraviolet is sprawled across the cell wall. He kicks in the door to find a her and Morph chained up.
"Stick is that you? Is Shrink ok?" Ultraviolet ask with a low grumble.
"I have her she's far from ok but she will on let's get out of here. Where's Morph?" He replies.
"He's in here with me but I haven't seen him move." She adds with concern.
The group continues on and wakes the unconscious Morph.
They slowly exit the chamber in disbelief of what they heard moments ago. They notice the other chambers a filled with Alphas and the dead body of the teenage girl from earlier. Bloodied and beaten. They continue to rescue everyone they can. In several of the cells hangs a lynched deform e Alpha. Many more a bruised and scared.
All of a sudden two more officers burst into the building. The group recognizes the officers from before they were captured. Without hesitation Morph and Ultraviolet hound the too beating them down. Morph has found his spears and is ready to drive into the dirty cop's chest.
"No Morph we need him to explain to the police that he was running a child slavery ring based around Alphas." Stick explains. Morph transforms into a hulking Danger a Beast and slings the officers over his shoulders. They continue for what feels like hours finally erupting from their prison to the outside world.
They find the sun beginning to set over the cliff. At the edge of the cliff they come to a startling realization.
"No it can't be all of this right under our noses." Sarah begins with a shocked expression.
"They ran a child slavery ring in own city." Morph roars.
"These people, even those assholes back there, they are from the same city as us." Stick replies.
"How could we not have noticed. It's been right here, right here." Ultraviolet adds as she falls to her knees.
"Kyle take me home please." Sarah begins with a low voice.
"Sure Sarah whatever you want." Stick softly replies."Faith can you make a beacon." He continues, though he's horrified from the events of today he is still hopeful about his future with the Guardians. Faith nods and raises her hand releasing a bright purple ray of light into the air. The group simply stands there overlooking their schools, homes, and parks astonished by the fact.
The End. Next Chapter: I'm High on Doubt and Low on Faith. (No pun intended).
Author's Notes.
Well shit things got dark sorry Faith please don't hate me. But yeah that was...heavy to say the least. But the first part of the chapter serves as a good into to the team and their respective personalities and abilities, but also shows their limitations and that they like to have fun. Then I just shattered their world, because I can so. It's all about breaking them and building them back up. This chapter was influenced by the song All I Want by A Day to Remember.
Next Chapter will focus on the pairing of Magnus and Ethan, but I may end up changing the teams up a bit and pair Ethan with Brittany, or Ethan and Makenna. In order to set up Elementor, DJ and Magnus. Oh don't worry the next chapter is a slight change in tone to a more action packed exciting tone still with heavier themes tho, cus I'm a little hoe that likes breaking people's hearts. And because I'm the author. Damn I need to get this damn plot rolling fuck! The chapter after this is the female Guardians chapter. Yes Brittany gets something to do. Plus they are all gonna keep going through hell for the universe isn't done with them yet (insert evil laugh here). Also I may have killed a character in this chapter I'm not sure these notes are written after the chapter itself,but after at least a few days of editing I might have changed my mind.