All was quiet and the sun had not even begun to rise. The air felt thick and icy as it filled my lungs. I could hear someone breathing heavily next to my bed. I waited a second before I sat up to see Tyler lying on my ground. I lied back down and closed my eyes still too tired to think. I began to wonder,
'Why is Tyler was on the ground?'
I was still too tired to think straight when I felt five cold and clammy fingers wrap themselves around my neck. This sensation startled me into full awareness. I opened my eyes to see a boy with straight black hair and pale grey completion. He was pulling me out of my bed by my neck and I was helpless. I raked at his fingers but it did nothing except put a smile on his face. It seemed as though I had lost my powers and was actually becoming weaker by the second. I was being picked up when I saw him fully, he was no normal boy. I could tell this by his wings and eyes which had a white glow to them. And a black smoke exuded its self from him
I struggled to free myself but it was hopeless. I could feel myself losing consciousness. I looked at Tyler in search for help but when I saw him I wished I hadn't. He was lying next to Midna on the ground… dead. I tried to call to them knowing it would be useless to do any ways but I was still being held up by the boy. Their throats had been crushed as I was sure mine was going to be soon. I looked back at the boys face and watched as it grew a twisted smile. My eyes widened as I felt his hand tighten around my throat. It was over for me as he tightened his grip. I was on the verge of death and everything was going black. I watched as his lips moved as the last bit of life slipped out of me.
"See you soon. Hehehe."
I woke up covered in sweat and breathing heavily. I brought my hands to my throat and felt nothing. I looked around my room in a panic and saw that it was how I left it when I had fallen asleep.
"It was a dream?"
I gasped as I massaged my neck. It was so real though… I could still feel his hand on my throat… At least I think I could.
'See you soon'
I thought to myself as I got up and got breakfast. I just chalked the dream up to all the things that have been happening to me and stress, though it still made me feel uneasy. I was put under lots of stress the past day and I was lucky to be alive.
I decided to not even tell Midna about the dream that day. It wasn't long before Midna came back to check up on me, though she could not stay for very long. She told me how her family back home had been wondering where she had gone to for so long. She would have to stay home for a while because her father the king of twilight had really freaked out and she needed to calm him down. She left for her world and I went on with my day.
I went to school like I used to. Neither Tyler nor Aaron showed up that day which made the day that much longer. It must have been the longest school day ever. Eventually school let out instead of my mom there to pick me up, it was Aaron. He stood at the other end of the cross walk listening to his iPod.
"He Stu you ready? It's training time."
Aaron yelled over his iPod. It was a little awkward. He was not very good at remembering to keep his voice down when he had his ear buds in.
"Training… What do you mean training?"
I asked as I remembered the first time we tried to train at the X mansion. Aaron took out one of his head phones so he could hear me.
"It's more like studying at school. So prepare to be bored out of your mind."
Aaron said, showing his lack of enthusiasm for school. It's not that he's stupid he thinks it's all just pointless. He likes to learn by doing instead of being told.
"So how's Tyler?"
I asked, wanting to hear good news.
"I have no idea. The trials usually take at least two days to finish. Speaking of training we are also not sure of your skills so we need to see what you are capable of. If what you say is true, then we have only seen a little of what you can do."
Aaron shrugged as we teleported to the castle with the little remote Aaron had.
"What are we going to be taught and how long is it gonna take?"
I asked as we walk to a classroom. The halls of Hogwarts were slightly less exciting than I had expected.
"Just about the details of the jobs and a little bit more info on what we are after. It shouldn't take long. Midna should be here for this part, especially if she will be going with you, so could you call her here?"
"Sure, but she might be busy though."
I said to Aaron, but it ended up she wasn't. We arrived in a small empty room. Random objects lay about like every other room in the castle.
"So where is the teacher?"
I asked as we sat down.
"You're lookin' at him. You don't mind if I put some music on do you?"
Aaron said as he walked to the front of the room and pushed a button on his little silver remote. The walls started to play some classical music. Aaron was smart but he hated school and was constantly loosing iPod's to teachers. I think it's because it was too easy for him actually but in any case he didn't seem like the teaching person.
"Ha ha very funny… No really, where are they?"
Midna laughed as I turned to the door way expecting someone to walk in.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I want to get this over with as fast as you do, so could I please get this over with?"
Aaron sighed as he looked at Midna and me.
"Yes Mr. Schwartz, but why are you here to teach us?"
I asked mockingly to Aaron as I would a normal teacher.
"The Organization has put me in charge of you two. They said since I defended you so much they will make it so you are my responsibility."
"So what are you going to teach us today Mr. Schwartz?"
I asked once again in my teasing voice.
"First off stop the Mr. Schwartz thing… It's just creepy. Ok, I will tell you about the Organization. The Organization is as old as the Manifest, but their origins are unknown even by the members. No one really knows where the power originated, but the rumor is that it was a Manifest that gave people the power in the first place. We have been doing the same thing for as long as we can remember. All the horror stories like vampires and stuff. Well they all originated from manifest. Either they were a manifest that came out of some ones story like vampires or they were the inspiration for a monster."
Aaron paused for questions that were not asked so he went on.
"There are five main jobs. Our main job is the hunter whose job is to stop any Escaped Manifest, kinda of like a secret agent who takes out monsters in the real world. The other big job is Surfer. That's what I do. We go into the stories and must keep the existing leaders from escaping into are world. We do this by either killing them or temporarily sending them to other stories before they can corrupt it. The other three jobs you don't really need to know about. They are trainers, trackers and our leader. They are non-combat members of the organization so you don't have to worry about them. Trainers are the people in charge of finding and training the new members. Trackers are basically the guys who find where the Manifest leaders are hiding. And Kyle that big guy is our leader. He gives the orders on who goes where."
Aaron paused again.
"So what will we be doing?"
I asked, wanting to know if I will get a chance to get back at Zephon who was apparently Manifest leader.
"Well since you went above and beyond their expectations I would say you two will be leader hunters like me and skip being just normal Manifest hunters."
I still had no idea what I would have to do or even get out of this job.
"How did you become one by the way?"
Midna asked Aaron
"My dad was one when he was younger and since he's too old they wiped his mind and got me instead."
I was wondering if they would eventually try that on me when I thought of another question. I still had no idea what we had to do for our new job.
"So how does this whole job thing work?"
I asked.
"It's pretty simple actually. We are basically hit men. They call us, tell us where we are going, then send us after are target. The only thing is the targets like to hide in characters from the story and don't usually show themselves unless they are close enough to escaping. That's why we have to stay in the story as long as we do. The only edge we have is they usually pick villains to possess. Heroes don't seem to work for them as well. There has only been a few times where they have taken over a hero's body."
Aaron explained.
"So what do we get paid?"
I asked.
"Pay? Well they give us meals and a place to live. Most people who work here are orphans and that's all they need. You and I are some of the only people who have lives outside of the job. So you don't get much other than what you take from the stories. Don't tell anyone I told you to take stuff by the way. We are only supposed to take what we will be using. No trophies or mementos. They're really anal about that stuff especially Ricky"
Aaron whispered a little disappointed. I thought about the few mementoes I had taken out with me like the Heart Piece from Zelda or my demon skin rug.
"I guessed as much. So next you're going to tell us about the Manifest, right?"
Aaron nodded his head. He was obviously getting bored with all this teaching.
"Sure, why not? Like I said before, the Manifest are, in a sense, created by man's imagination. They develop in random stories and they are obsessed with becoming real so they can destroy and take over the real world. There are three distinct stages of a Manifest."
Aaron said as he raised three fingers.
"First off is the larval stage, the most common of the three. Ninety-nine present of Manifest don't make it past this stage because of the Organization or they just fade away. They don't pass this stage unless they are really lucky. There are many versions of this stage because they differ from story to story the range from monsters to simple villains. You can think of them as lackeys or minions. They are pretty easy to spot because they are usually all black and if they aren't then they give off a black smoke. They can be created by the higher up Manifest, and that's why there are so many of them. They do not think for themselves nor do they try to escape from the stories. They are not much of a threat without a leader. It takes a human lifetime for on single Manifest larva to go to the next stage.
The next stage is more of a transition stage that takes long enough to be considered a stage. It is where the Manifest starts to develop thoughts and a new body that look more…human I guess you would call it. They are nearly as powerful and smart as the end product, but they still are not as advanced. One example of them is this Duma guy who you fought and killed.
The Manifest leaders are few in number, but one is too many. Once they are to this stage the only thing you can do to stop them is keep them from corrupting a story and kill them, or at least scare them off to another world. The only reason they are really fucking hard to kill is they can escape to another story. Though they never can tell where they are going next. They usually stay inside a villain. To kill these guys you have to kill the thing they are staying in. once you o that they usually revert to a more monstrous form.
There have only been a few to escape to the real world and when that happened many people were killed and it had to be covered up. When they appear the come out as what they were when they left. That's how most mythical monsters where created. We actually made the people who saw those events, think it was a movie like A New Nightmare with Freddy Kruger or the Last Action Hero. This is the golden rule. Make sure you take this part to heart. The Manifests are nothing but pure evil and must be destroyed. No matter what they may say or do they are evil. They lie to you if you have them at your mercy and soon as you turn your back you're done for. You got all this so far?"
Aaron stopped to make sure that we weren't falling behind.
"Yeah, but could you tell us about Zephon?"
Midna asked wondering if he knew anything. From Aaron's expression during our trial it looked like he might. He had gotten away from us and we needed to finish what we started.
"There are at least two known Manifest leaders still out there, each with their own personality. The first calls herself Liana the Fiery Nymph. She is a crazy psycho bitch that loves to kill. We have seen her many times, but she has killed all of the previous leader hunters. It's best just to leave when you see her because she could give a crap about leaving the story. The other one we have both already seen... that's Zephon. He is the most common recurring leader. He's like a cockroach that just won't die. He is so common because he almost always has a minion and that makes him very easy to find."
I stopped Aaron and asked.
"Wait, you fought him before?"
Aaron looked at me and raised his left arm and pulled of the glove to reveal it was blackened up to his elbow. It looked almost like it had the life sucked out of it.
"See this? This is what happens when you are over taken by one of them… Yeah, I fought Zephon before. It was my first mission and I was cocky so I underestimated him. He tried to take over my body but luckily Ricky saved me. He still gloats about saving me. I have a score to settle with Zephon."
Aaron said with a look I had never seen before. It was cold and hateful. Midna and I looked at each other thinking about what Tyler asked us before he left.
"You think we will find Zephon ever again?"
I asked Aaron who nodded and rolled his eyes
"But it won't help kill the bitch. He just won't die."
He clearly had the same feeling for Zephon that we did.
"If that's all then I think it's time to move on. I'm getting tired of teaching anyways. Next will be a Q and A on your part about what powers you have."
Aaron said as he stepped out of the room. We entered a room where Alex sat tinkering with something. He looked up at us and flipped a switch to a computer. It turned on and started to record everything we said. He asked Midna and me what powers we had and to be very specific, so we did our best to describe them.
It was like a test that we didn't study for because we didn't want to look like we were lying. It was over rather quickly though and what we said seemed to please him. But near the end of Midna's interview the intercom beeped. Alex pushed another button, which sent a robot to go hit the button on the wall and give him the phone part.
"Yes boss… Uh huh… There right here... Um, ok. Oh, looks like we can't finish this interview now."
Aaron looked confused and asked.
"Why? What did Kyle say?"
Aaron asked not sure what was happening
"You three have a mission."
Alex told looking down.
"Where is it this time and why is Stuart being sent this soon?"
Aaron asked, almost concerned.
"It's not just Stuart. It's for all three of you. I don't know where it is yet so let's going to the prep room to find out, ok?"
Alex said as we walked to another room not too far down the hall. Except this one had so much stuff that it amazed me it didn't take up half the castle. Our attention was directed to a large dangling robot with screen all around it. It flashed on and showed a list of information.
"Hello Alex, Aaron and… Subject names not found… How are you today?"
I was surprised to hear a ladies voice say.
"Hey, GLaDOS."
Aaron and Alex said simultaneously. I leaned in close to Aaron and asked very confused.
"… Who's GLaDOS? (And why is it spelled like that?)"
Aaron looked at me and said almost like he was keeping a secret,
"She's a robot lady who takes care of mission briefings. Her name stands for Genetic Life-form and Disk Operating System. We got her out of a game called Portal. She kinda kooky but is really good at her job."
I had heard about that game and became worried from what I knew.
"Doesn't she like try to kill you in that game?"
Aaron looked at the screen and snickered, only saying,
"Hehe... Yeah."
I found Aaron's answer a little unnerving, but since no one seemed to worry I decided it would just be best to let it go.
"So what do you got for us today?"
Aaron asked the computer screen. The robotic voice answered him sarcastically, though it was kind of odd to have a monotone voice be sarcastic.
"I am glad you asked Aaron, I had completely forgotten to tell you. A slight surge of Manifest activity has been detected in the animated show Naruto…"
The voice said as it read what was on the screen, basically making the screen pointless.
"Naruto, What's that about?"
"I was just getting to that… Subject name not found… Basic information needed on subject… Naruto series… Main plot… The story follows Naruto Uzumaki and his friends' personal growth and development as ninja. Naruto finds two friends and comrades in Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, two fellow young ninja who are assigned with him to form a three-person team under an experienced sensei named Kakashi Hatake. Naruto also confides in other characters that he meets throughout the series as well, meaning in short that he makes many friends… They learn new abilities, get to know each other and other villagers better, and experience a coming-of-age journey as Naruto dreams of becoming the Hokage of Konohagakure… I love ninjas don't you? There could be about three in here right now and you wouldn't know."
I wasn't sure what to think of these mission briefings. I couldn't tell when GLaDOS was being sarcastic or serious.
"Main characters… Allies… Naruto Uzumaki is the primary protagonist of the Naruto series, meaning he is a good boy like you all should be. Due to being the host for the nine-tailed demon fox, a malevolent creature that attacked Konohagakure, he is ostracized by the other villagers. He compensates for this with his cheerful and boisterous personality that is sometimes mistaken for foolishness… Much like how Aaron's laziness is mistaken for stupidity. Most characters in the Leaf Village are on the side of good though there will be one or two bad ones.
Character possessed by Manifest… Orochimaru is one of the primary antagonists of the Naruto series, meaning he is a bad man. He appears pasty and sickly, in the series. Orochimaru is a former ninja of Konohagakure turned evil. Use extreme caution when encountering him. He is extremely powerful even without a Manifest possessing him…
Mission directive… Subject name not found and Aaron along with subject name not found if she so chooses too will enter during the Chunin Exam saga, you shall pose as a foreign Ninja squad of three that wishes to enter the Chunin Exam. Stay in the exam long enough for the Manifest leader to reveal them self then terminate… Then there will be cake and a party just for you."
"Wow… That's helpful… But it kinda takes the fun out of it, don't you think Aaron?"
Midna said wondering if all the mission briefings were all that way.
"I am just excited for the cake."
I said as I imagined a big ice-cream cake. I began to drool.
"The cake is a lie Stuart… So what ya got for us Alex?"
Aaron told me in a whisper then looked to Alex. He took out a box and began to pull stuff out. I didn't pay attention because the computer lady lied to me and I was upset.
"Well you will need proof of being Ninja. So we made these for you."
He said as he handed us pieces of cloth with a metal bare on it alongside a photo ID of us.
"Oo, what's this for? Is it like a clocking device or something? Or maybe it will be like a tracking devise."
I said not knowing what to do with it the metal band shined in the light.
"Um, Stuart… It's like a badge see."
Aaron said he tied it like a belt and Midna wore it in her hair as a hair tie.
"Oh… Ok then, I don't need it. I can make my own."
I said as I made my belt buckle into the same lightning bolt shape as the badge. Next he gave Aaron a map and official documents to get us in this Exam. He also gave Aaron some more info on the story for him to read later.
"That should be all you need."
Alex said as he prepared the screen for us to enter.
"Aren't you forgetting something? Where is she, you know it's kinda hard to fight without a weapon?"
Aaron said to Alex.
"Oh Um, sorry I forgot. She is all tuned and ready for action."
He said as he handed Aaron a guitar case that he strapped on to his back. I was confused as to what weapon Aaron had that he kept in a guitar case but I ignored it, because of the random Japanese intro that was now playing.
"I shall give you some advice before you go… Dieing will stop you from completing your mission… Avoid doing so…"
I thought about this advice and wondered if she was just messing with us. I got close to Alex and whispered.
"Hey Alex… Is she broken or something? She can't be serious."
He got an awkward grin on his face.
"Um no, it's true. If you die you can't finish the mission..."
Alex said as if he wasn't sure I would smack him or something. I paused for a moment and realized he was messing with me.
I laughed. He lost his awkward grin and put on a big smile because I was laughing at his joke.
I looked at the screen and entered with Aaron when given the green light. The rush that had become normal to me passed within seconds. I felt my feet hit the ground.
"We're here."