Episode 2:

"Boot The System- Part2"

When Ray shut his locker the next day, the expression Jake wore while waiting didn't do anything to restore his confidence.

"I had this really weird dream last night, and you were there," Jake told him wistfully, slowly pointing with an air of confusion and turning around to see Johnny, Hilary, and Ben and pointing at them as well. "And you were there!"

Ray sighed in resignation, leaning up against the cold metal locker as his friends gathered closer around. So much for that hope; the desperate plea that it had all been a concoction of his mind overnight. It really did happen. The machine, the robots, the powers; all of it.

And as he nodded in uncertain acceptance, another sinking feeling was setting; that whatever they had encountered the previous evening may not have well been over.

"Yeah," Ben agreed, before letting a cheeky grin spread across his cheeks. "We kind of figured that out this morning when Hilary tried out that metal thing in the bathroom. I didn't see it, but I heard it. The whole house did. Dad came bounding up the stairs to see what all the fuss was."

"What did you tell them?" Ray asked innocently.

"Let's just say they think now think I'm vain enough to scream over a zit," Hilary grumbled. "Or imagining one."

Ben's eyes narrowed as he stared at the tip of his sister's nose. "I don't know," he mused. "Maybe you didn't imagine it."

Hilary's only response was to give him a gentle punch in his arm.

"They also now think I'm scared of spiders," she continued. "From when I screamed again seeing this idiot hanging upside-down on his bedroom ceiling."

"Ooh," Jake could only give a sharp inhale in sympathy. "And how loud that scream?"

Hilary was about to grumble an answer when Ben beat her to it. "I can only hear out of one ear right now," he laughed.

"Maybe we give the power testing a bit of a rest," Ray advised. "Try not to run into any more trouble. For all we know, maybe these powers are only temporary."

Hopefully, he added to himself.

"But we don't know that right?" Ben added, face turning serious. "I mean, what if these powers come with some serious side effects?"

"Hello?" said Hilary. "Area 51? Government lab? Remember all that?"

"I'm just saying, that Benson guy didn't seem to know we had powers. I think he only arrived as those Byte-bot things were running away. Maybe he'd feel differently if he found out what his machine did to us?"

Ray had to admit it was worth a thought, and one had crossed his mind as well. But after Benson had so quickly gone from helpful to tightlipped, Ray wasn't exactly feeling ready to trust. Not until they knew more themselves.

"We just need to be careful," he decided. "See what we can find out on our own. Hilary, think you can work some of your magic and find something out about this guy?"

But the young hacker merely her head. "First thing I tried after the bathroom incident. Okay, I didn't exactly look for long, but I couldn't anything on this guy. Other than records of him graduating top of his class at Stanford, the guy's a total ghost. Even both his graduate and doctorate theses are classified."

"I mean if no one else is going to be able to help us…" Ben began.

But Ray cut him off with a shake of his head. Maybe, but not yet; not until there was no one else they could trust. Not that the list they were working from was particularly long. Or existent.

"I've got to admit," said Johnny, as they wandered down the hall, "these powers certainly came in handy after I slept through my alarm this morning."

The rest of the day was comparatively normal, a quiet trudge through the periods and a refreshing feeling of ordinariness. He never thought he'd welcome the plodding trudge of school, but after the night he'd had Ray was more than happy for something dull. Ray and Jake took the time to show Johnny around, and when they caught up at lunch Ray was relieved to hear that no one had had any embarrassing incidents of losing control of their new powers.

At the very least, whatever had happened to them didn't appear to be dangerous. Maybe they really could just forget about what had happened to them and learn to live with the changes they'd experienced. But all the while, Ray could help but shake that feeling. That same feeling that plagued him before entering the abandoned factory, that same feeling that told him to grab the Digitizer and run.

It wasn't over, even if they wanted it to be.

In gaps between classes, Hilary continued to try and dig around about Benson, and every time she came up blank.

"Not having Facebook doesn't make someone a bad guy," Ben pointed out.

"Yeah, but this is more than that," said Hilary. "This guy's way too clean. And if I can't find anything about him, then there's definitely something sketchy going on. It means that there's information he's trying to hide. If it's on the public internet, I can find it. That's got to mean into some classified government work or something."

"Government laaab…." Jake reminded them all.

The day went on, and while Hilary had computer club running later in the afternoon, the other four decided to wait behind and head to the Shak together when she was done. So late in the afternoon, the school was practically empty by the time they all met up. At least by now, with a whole day finished and nothing weird happening, all of them were beginning to relax.

"See," Jake decided, as they wandered through the hall and out to the school's rear carpark. "What did I tell you? A normal day, with nothing weird happening. None of us ended up on tables with wires poking out of us, no one revealed their superhero status to the world, and no one got jumped by killer robots. I think we can all decide to wisely put this whole thing behind us."

And then he opened the doors, and immediately regretted his words.

Byte-Bots. Far more than the previous night, they spread across the lot like an orange sea, menacingly waiting for them to come out. All heads snapped to the doors as the five teens stepped out into open.

Johnny shot Jake a look. "You had to say it, didn't you?"

But the Byte-Bots were not alone. In a flash of green light, they were joined by another, garbed from head to foot in solid, chunky plates of light, camo green. His face was concealed, hidden behind a helmet with a bright orange visor. But even without a face to look at, Ray could still tell the menacing expression the figure was glaring in their direction.

"The five of you insolents should kneel before Lord Gideon!" they hissed. "I am Cyrax, his trusted enforcer. You will come with us or suffer the consequences."

Ray shot the others a look, but the nerves from last night were gone. Behind them, the school's halls called them, beckoning them into the labyrinthine maze where maybe they could lose their enemies.

But last night they'd run, and it hadn't helped. If they ran again, then the armored warrior would only follow. As he looked at the face of his friends, he saw that they too had come to the same conclusion.

The time for running was done.

"We thought it over," Ray called back. "And we've decided that it's a hard 'no'."

And from behind his visor, Ray could swear that Cyrax was smiling.

"As you wish," he growled before turning to the small army he had behind him. "Byte-Bots, take them!"

The five teens dropped their bags and sprung before the Byte-Bots had even charged. Last night they didn't know what they were up against, but this time was different. They had already figured out the movements and limitations of their opponents, and this time, they were ready.

Ray hit the top step, launching into the air before spinning into a kicking tornado that cracked two bots in the face. Another two came at him, but his arms were already up and ready to counter. He blocked the strike, punching hard in the chest before grabbing the shoulder. Then he hurled it, flinging the robot into its comrade to send bother of them to the ground.

That's when the next one hit him from behind. It lunged from his blind spot, hurling its arms around his waist and tackling him to the ground. But Ray was already moving. He struck with his elbow, knocking it back before snapping his feet around another's ankle and twisting. The Byte-Bot flailed as it fell, spinning into its allies, a ball into a row of skittles Ray flipped to his feet. Then he realized his guard and charged again.

Back on the stairs, Ben and Hilary were back-to-back, covering each other to strike at any Byte-Bot coming while the other was turned. Some lunged in together, grabbing ahold of Hilary and forcing them apart to slam her into the railing with a painful thud. She stumbled, almost losing her balance, before recovering just in time to duck. Now it was Hilary's enemy that was the one-off balance. Moving without thinking, she flipped under the railing, the Byte-Bot's strike clanging harmlessly on the metal as she gripped tight and hoisted. The bar became a fulcrum, and both feet slammed into the robot's belly. The powerful kick launched the goon down the steps, soaring down the slope to clatter at the bottom as Ben skidded up beside her.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," he noted.

"You're always on my bad side."

"Look out!"

Hilary dived aside just as ben caught a striking arm, heaving the Bot backward as two more came toward them. Then, almost in sync, the twins stepped aside and spun, kicking the pair square in the chests to send them hurtling to the concrete below.

Jake and Johnny, meanwhile, had made their way to the bottom. Jake swung wide, throwing all his strength into his punches. They were strong but slow, and his target stepped side as the punch hit empty air. The Byte-Bot didn't waste a second, already looming as Jake recovered his balance. With too much into the swing, he was struggling to regain his footing, making him all too easy a target. The byte-bot charged, ready to strike.

Then Johnny lunged in.

Having taken care of the group he was with, he leaped and snapped into a flying kick that smashed Jake's attacker in the face. Skidding on his feet, he spun around to bring his guard up in front of Jake.

The blow too close to comfort, Jake stumbled back in fright, hands flailing back to slap on something smooth and plastic. A shopping cart; likely dumped late one evening. And it gave him an idea.

"Time to even the odds a little," he grinned.

He spun it around, metal frame like a ram in need of a doorway. Then he charged, the new weapon battering through the crowd as others dived out of the way. As some of them came at the sides, Jake spun it around, sweeping it across their legs and scattering them into the horde.

"Jake!" he heard Johnny call out. "Behind you!"

Jake obeyed without thinking, spinning backward as another Byte-bots lunged. He swung with the cart and he stuck out his leg, ankle looping behind the enemy feet and sweeping. With gravity revoked and nowhere to go, the robot tumbled, toppling head-first into the cart. In the corner of his vision, another group was already hurrying toward him. And Jake knew just what to do.

"Look's broken," Jake laughed. "Better return it!"

All the bot could do was flail as it watched from its prison, legs kicking helplessly in the air as Jake slammed his sole into the cart. The trolley went careening across the lot, rumbling over the even asphalt and right into the oath of the horde. The trolley collided, crashing into the bellies and shins and toppling them across the lot. With the numbers down and only a few remaining, the five teens took their chance to break the numbers.

The three on the steps descended, standing beside Jake and Johnny as the five stood united against the remnants of Cyrax's forces. But as Ray watched the warrior's posture change, shifting from proud bravado to growling impatience, his heart sunk as he realized they were far from done.

"If you want something done properly," Cyrax snarled, "do it yourself!"

Ray's eyes widened as Cyrax pulled a pair of blasters out into the open. The barrels snapped forward; triggers slammed as bolts of energy surged toward them. With barely a second to react, the five of them dived. The energy seared past, narrowly missing and shattering onto the stairs behind them.

And then they exploded.

With an earthshattering kaboom, a ball of fire erupted from the impact. From within the scorching flames, a shockwave rippled outward, catching the leaping teenagers and sending them flying. They hit the ground with painful thuds, groaning as they rolled across the asphalt.

As the five of them lay sprawled across the ground, Cyrax stood before them triumphantly.

"And to think," he mocked them. "This was what gave poor Kelgar so much trouble."

But as they slowly staggered to their feet, Ray caught are renewed resolve among his friends. They weren't out yet, and two could play at that game.

Ray snapped up his head and unleashed the lasers from his eyes. The red beams sliced through the air, sparks flying from the plates of the chest plate as Cyrax stumbled backward.

Taking his cue, the others didn't waste time either. Johnny bolted forward, vanishing in a black blur to slam a thousand punches at their enemy. Then Ben, having rushed up the nearby lamp post, dropped down from above, elbow poised to strike.

But Cyrax was ready. Having recovered from Johnny's barrage, he lashed out his hand to snatch Ben from midair. The blonde teen gasped as the warrior squeezed him by the next, eyes widening as he watched a blade of purple energy emerge in Cyrax's other hand.

"Foolish human," Cyrax snarled. He raised his blade, and still struggling in his grasp Ben winced and squeezed his eyes.

"Hey!"

Cyrax paused, head snapping around to see Hilary standing beside him. She cracked her neck, liquid metal flushing across her skin as her hand snapped to the wrist. Sword now locked against her iron grip, Cyrax snarled as Hilary stared in bold defiance.

"My turn."

She punched him square in the chest. Seeing the blow coming, Cyrax's hand relinquished Ben in a desperate bid to block. But he wasn't fast enough. Her first crunched into the breastplate, strength afforded by the metallic form send him hurtling across the lot. but he wasn't done flying, not yet.

Not with Jake awaiting at the end of the flight path.

As Cyrax soared, Jake flung out his hands, a powerful wave of concussive force unleashing like a hurricane. It rippled through the air, colliding with the falling Cyrax and whiplashing him back across the carpark. He hit the ground and tumbled, sparks kicking across his armor as he skidded across the cement to collide with a nearby car.

As the remaining Byte-Bots rushed to help him stand, the five teens regrouped. Standing strong and together, all of them resumed their fighting stances as Cyrax staggered to his feet and released an angry snarl.

"So how about it?" Ray taunted. "Ready for round two?"

"You may have won this time," Cyrax snarled as the Byte-Bots scampered behind him, "But next time you won't be as lucky!"

And then, with a flash of green light, he and the Byte-Bots vanished as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving the teenagers alone in the empty carpark.

With the parking lot now deserted, the five all let out a collective gasp of relief. They did it, they actually did it! They'd stood strong against those robots and somehow managed to come out on top.

These powers were incredible!

But the rush of elation from their victory was quickly replaced, now with a renewed sense of worry. The realization of just how quickly those robots had found them. And likely would again.

"Okay," Hilary gasped through panted breaths. "Just what on earth was that?"

Ray cast a look around the lot. Truth be told, they got lucky. This Cyrax had underestimated them, but he wouldn't make the mistake again. While the group he'd brought with him was larger than what they'd dealt with the previous evening, at the rate the number had grown Ray reasoned that plenty more would be coming their way.

Just as with their time for running, their time for caution was over.

"I don't know," he said to the others. "But I know who does. I think it's time we talked to Benson and find out what's really going on."


"Hey!" Johnny called out "What's up doc?"

His voice echoed through the warehouse, and the older man nearly leaped from his seat in surprise. Benson's desk was now scattered with loose wires and multiple monitors, his head popping from behind one of them with eyes wide in confusion.

"What are you guys doing here?" he demanded. "I told you not to get any more involved."

"I think it's a bit too late for that," said Ray. "I think we're involved whether we want to be or not."

Before Benson could answer more, Jake stepped and dropped a broken robot arm onto the desk. The man's expression dropped, jaw hanging slack as he looked at the still sparking wires protruding from where the limb had torn from the body.

"Those Byte-Bot things jumped us outside the school," Hilary explained.

"Yeah," added Ben, before anyone could stop him. "And why didn't tell us that that weird box thing could give us superpowers?"

The other four eyes all snapped to Ben, a mixture of fury and horror at him blurting it. They'd agreed to hold that back, first try to find what else Benson knew before telling him.

"What?" Ben said to his disgruntled friends. "I wanted to tell him in the first place."

Benson's eyes narrowed, slowly scanning each of them as if examining them some unseen sign.

"What kind of superpowers?" Benson asked them cautiously.

"Oh, you know, nothing major." Ben continued. "Just the being able to push objects with your mind, turning into steel, shooting lasers from your eyes… You know, growing pains, perfectly normal stuff."

"I've heard of puberty changing you, but this seems a little beyond the norm," Jake agreed.

Benson continued at them in disbelief, gasping in silence as if trying to comprehend what he was hearing. Nervously, the teens huddled closer, all uncertain of how the stranger would react. Preparing for a storm of government agents to burst in and bundle them into vans.

But then Benson released a long, heavy sigh of resignation. As he buried his face in his hands, the man before Ray seemed to change. No longer stern and mysterious, Benson almost melted into a man at the end of his tether, watching everything in front of him spiral out of control.

And even then, selfishly, Ray couldn't help but feel relief. Ben unloading about their powers had cleared the air and evened the field. They'd taken the step, now it was Benson's turn to trust them.

"Whatever's happening here," Ray said softly, "I think it's fair to say we're involved. We need to know what's going on."

Slowly, Benson lifted his head, emerging from palms to see five kids ready to hear him out. No judgment, no shame. Just answers.

"You're right," he decided, at last, voice a long, exhale of released anticipation. "You deserve to know. It's kind of a long story."

"We've got time," Hilary replied.

"I know," Benson admitted. "But even still, I think you all better take a seat."


High above the city, Kelgar gleefully tapped at his console while at last, the blinking dot stopped in place. He leaned in closer, examining the map read out before him to be certain the reading wasn't false. Then, location confirmed, he cackled maniacally as he spun t deliver the good news. "My lord, I have traced their energy signatures as requested! Those pesky little rats led us right to Dr. Benson!"

On his throne, their master smiled before turning to the armored warrior beside him.

"Good, then prepare the Byte-Bots. I have to admit, Cyrax, for a moment there I was afraid you weren't even letting them win."

"I can assure you, my lord," his voice curled into a growl. "A group of spoilt children is hardly a challenge for a warrior of my caliber. I merely had to sell their victory to them, lest it not be convincing."

"Then you will have no problem taking Kelgar's new virus and wiping them the face of the earth?"

"Of course, not my master."

Cyrax bowed and turned to leave, only for Gideon to stop him once again.

"Cyrax, to err is to be human," he said. "Don't hold back this time."

"Of course, my lord,"

Then he strode from the chamber, rage building with every step. In an admittance he would never dare utter aloud, he had underestimated them. They'd adapted to their powers faster than he'd anticipated, and their victory had been easier for them than he had planned.

But he was not going to make the same mistake again.

The new horde was nearly ready, and as he stepped into Kelgar's lab, he watched as the steams hissed from the digitizing chamber. The doors parted from the cylindrical machine, and what emerged was a hideous creature; a being in complete defilement of the laws of nature. Standing even taller than Cyrax, its body was a disturbing amalgam of machine parts of a feline body and machinery. It was perfect.

It stepped into the room with an excited roar. "Argh! I'm ready to end this game of cat and mouse!"

The Byte-Bots were already marching, feet stamping in perfect unison as they lined into formations Everything Cyrax needed to crush their enemy, once and for all.

Beneath his visor, Cyrax's stolen lips spread into a thin sinister smile. He was going to enjoy this. Yes, he was going to enjoy this very much.