Chapter 9: How I Met Your Mother
Max, the Ferrus Quintuplets, Alex, Rayne and C.Y.T.R.O. were looking through the N-Tek storage area. "Max, tell me again. What is it we're looking for?" Alex asked. "We're looking for a few parts for the project me and Berto are working on." Max said. "Yeah, Kat said we could find the parts in here." Zad said. As everyone looked, Xena accidently hit a few boxes with her elbow, knocking them over and spilling some of the contents all over the floor. "Oh, I am such a klutz." She said as she and the team picked up the contents and put them back in the boxes. Just then, Vandana found an odd-looking bracelet. "Oh, what a beautiful bracelet." She said. She picked it up and put it on her wrist. "Looks nice." She said. "Hey, guys, I found the parts I was looking for. Come on, let's head back for Berto's lab." Max said.
As they walked over to the lab, Steel flew up to them. "Hey, guys. What're you up to?" He asked. "Well, Berto and I are working on our special project right now. We needed some additional parts and went to get them from the storage area." Max said. "Oh, I want to know what this special project is, Max, please?" Steel asked. "No. It'll ruin the surprise." Max said as they entered the lab. "Max is right, Steel. You need to be patient until the project is done." Berto said. "Yeah, okay. I understand." Steel sighed with disappointment.
"What are you kids up to in here?" Forge asked as he walked in. "Max and Berto are working on their special project for Steel, Dad." Yeager said. "We just had to get some special parts from the storage area." Alex said. Forge chuckled at this. "Max is always working on his little projects. I remember when he built that mini robot to play with when he was 6." He said. Just then, his eyes spotted the bracelet on Vandana's wrist. "Vandana, where'd you get that bracelet?" He asked in surprise. "I found it in the storage area after Xena accidently knocked over some boxes. Why?" Vandana asked. "That bracelet once belonged to your mother, the day I met her." Forge revealed. That got the kids curious. "Dad, how did you meet mom?" Zad asked. "You did promise you would tell us the story one day." Wandella said. "Very well. But I'll tell you the story in the communication room. It's more private there." Forge said as he walked out of the lab. The team all looked at each other.
(Intro) (Team Turbo updated with Rayne and C.Y.T.R.O.)
Later, when Forge brought the team to the communication room, Molly, Amelia, Kat and Jefferson were already there. "Alright, everyone, gather around and I'll tell you the story about how I met Amelia." Forge said. "But before that, one thing you should know is that Forge is bisexual." Molly said. That surprised the team "Molly!" Forge exclaimed in embarrassment. "I figured you might have been gay for a time, Daddy." Vandana said. "How'd you guess?" Zad asked. "Just a hunch." Vandana said. "Well, I'm not the only one. I mean, Kat's a lesbian." Forge revealed. The team turned to Kat, who blushed from feeling embarrassed. "You're lesbian?" Xena asked. "It's true. I like dating girls. Jefferson knew too since we've known each other for years." Kat said. "Yeah. And I support her every step of the way." Jefferson said, giving his partner and best friend fist-bump. "Alright. That's enough of that. Let's get to the story. It all started at the burial." Forge said. "Burial?" Max asked. "The burial of Forge's boyfriend, Darwin Peterson." Molly said. "Yeah. That was a sad day." Forge said with a sad tone.
[Flashback]
A young Forge stood in tears over the grave of his late boyfriend, Darwin Peterson. He was killed in a car accident a couple days ago. Molly comforted her brother as the coffin was placed in the ground. A week after the funeral, Forge was still depressed after losing his love, finding it hard to move on. "Hey, bro. You doing okay?" Molly asked as she sat beside her brother on the couch. Forge just sighed in sadness, not answering. "Hey, how about if I take you to our favorite café? Help cheer you up?" Molly asked. Forge looked at his sister and nodded.
Later, Forge and Molly arrived at the café, sat at their usual booth and ordered their usual meal. But Forge was still feeling depressed. "You feeling better, Forge?" Molly asked. "A little. But I don't think I could get over what happened to Darwin." Forge said sadly. "Don't be that way, Forge. You'll find someone new someday." Molly said. "Mind if I join you?" A woman's voice asked. Forge and Molly turned to see a beautiful woman standing in front of their booth. "I noticed you looking so sad and thought you both would like some company." The woman said. Forge was smitten by the woman's beauty. "We could use some company. I'm Molly Ferrus. This is my brother, Forge." Molly introduced. "I'm Amelia." Amelia introduced as she sat next to Forge. "It's…nice to meet you." Forge said, shyly. "You looked sad earlier. What was wrong?" Amelia asked. "I lost my lover in a terrible car accident. I haven't been myself since his burial." Forge said. "You'll move on when you meet someone you truly love." Amelia said, comforting him. Forge smiled at her. Molly felt touched by the scene, thinking that her brother had found love again.
Suddenly, Amelia sensed someone. "We have to go. Now." She said. Forge and Molly were confused. Just then, a man in a trench coat entered the café and set his sights on Amelia. "Hey, leave the lady alone." Forge warned, getting up from his seat. But the man just grabbed him by his shirt collar and threw him into the wall. "Hey! Nobody does that to my brother!" Molly exclaimed as she got up. But the man grabbed her and tossed her at the bar. The man walked up to Amelia and grabbed her wrist. "Hey! I said leave her alone!" Forge exclaimed as he and Molly recovered and grabbed the man. As the man struggled against their hold, Forge punched him hard in the stomach, giving Molly the chance to slam him into a nearby jukebox. "Sorry about that. But we told you to leave her alone." Forge said. Suddenly, the man's face started glitching. "What's going on with your face?" Molly asked. Just then, the face was destroyed and revealed his true form. A Yautja. Forge and Molly were shocked and disgusted by the alien's appearance. "We need to get out of here!" Amelia exclaimed. She, Forge and Molly ran for Forge's car and drove off just as the sheriff arrived. The Yautja roared loudly as it exited the café. "Hold it right there, dreadlocks!" The sheriff exclaimed as he took out his gun and aimed it at the alien. But the Yautja knocked the sheriff aside, took the patrol car and drove after the trio.
As they drove away, Forge and Molly eyed Amelia curiously. "What was that thing? Why was it chasing you? What exactly is going on here?" Forge asked. "It's difficult to explain." Amelia said. "Then let's start simply. Who are you really?" Molly asked. "I already told you. My name is Amelia. That's all I can say." Amelia said. Forge slammed on the brakes and stopped in the middle of the street. "Okay. Enough playing 20 Questions. We can sit here until the freaky Jamaican reptile man shows up or you can come clean and tell us what's really going on." He said. "Fine. I'm not from around here. I'm an alien from a different planet. And the creature chasing me is an alien called a Yautja. They've been nicknamed Predators due to their natural hunting instincts. This one is named Yaigoot, and he's been after me for a while." Amelia explained. Forge and Molly were stunned by this. "Well, that's…impressive." Forge said. "Yeah. Pretty cool." Molly agreed. Amelia smiled at them. But then, they heard a police siren approaching. "He's coming!" She exclaimed. "And this is us going." Forge said, driving away.
As Yaigoot caught up with them, he slammed the patrol car into Forge's bumper. "Hey! I just had the car waxed!" Forge exclaimed. Yaigoot continued to carelessly try to run Forge, Molly and Amelia off the road, ramming their car into the railing on the cliff, scratching it. "Oh, that's it. You wanna play that way? Let's play." Forge said. As Yaigoot prepared to slam into the car again, Forge braked hard, causing Yaigoot to slam into the railing, spin out of control and crash into the slope. "Nice move, bro." Molly said. "He had it coming. Remember, I built this car myself." Forge said. But Yaigoot wasn't done yet. He activated his shoulder blaster and started shooting at them. As the chase continued, Forge, Molly and Amelia saw a damaged fuel truck up ahead. "Uh, shouldn't you stop?" Amelia asked worriedly. "That's one way to do it." Forge said. "But we prefer the alternative." Molly said. Forge drifted around the truck, causing the truck driver to jump out of the way before Yaigoot hits the truck, causing the fuel to explode. "That'll slow him down." Molly said. "But not for long." Amelia said. As they drove off, Yaigoot emerged from the flames and continued his hunt.
Forge, Molly and Amelia pulled into an abandoned gas station to hide out. "Joint's been stripped clean. No gas, no tools, no food." Molly said. "So, anything else we should know about you?" Forge asked. "Well, I have certain…abilities." Amelia said. "Why don't you use them?" Molly asked. "Because I can't. When Yaigoot first captured me, he put this wristband on me, locking me in this form and suppressing most of my powers." Amelia said, showing them the bracelet on her wrist. "Most of them?" Forge asked. "I can still use telepathy." Amelia said. "So, you can tell when Yaigoot gets close." Molly guessed. "Yes. My telepathic powers work on living creatures like Yaigoot. It's how I read your mind when I met you." Amelia said. "I bet it wasn't hard to tell what I was thinking." Forge said. "You were so distraught from losing the man you loved until you laid eyes on me." Amelia said. Forge smiled at that. But the moment was interrupted by an approaching car. "Hold that thought." Forge whispered. They hid behind the building as the car pulled up. After a minute, the car drove off. "That bracelet must also work like a tracking device." Molly guessed. "What do we do?" Amelia asked. "If we want to make sure Yaigoot can't follow us, we have to get it off of you. And I think I know where." Forge said.
Later, they arrived at a copper smelting factory. "What is this place?" Amelia asked. "It's a smelter. They smolt copper. A friend of ours worked here a few years ago." Molly said. Forge picked out a pair of metal sheers. "Try to stay still." He said. Amelia held out her arm and Forge tried to cut the bracelet off. But it didn't even chip or crack. "Ugh, no good. The metal's stronger than the sheers." Forge said. "Perhaps, I could be of help to you." A voice said. The trio turned around as a man walked up to them. Thinking this man was an enemy, Forge ran up to him and prepared to attack. But the man grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back. Molly was almost amazed by such a move. "I would appreciate it if you didn't do that again." The man said as he held out his hand. Forge took it as he got up. "Who are you?" Molly asked. "My name is Jim McGrath. I'm here to take Amelia back home." Jim said. Amelia was happy to hear this. But then she noticed a sudden sad look on Forge's face.
Before anyone could say or do anything, Yaigoot showed up and attacked the smelter. "We got to stop Yaigoot." Molly said. "This is my fault. My escape brought him here. I shouldn't have put you 2 in this situation." Amelia said. "Don't be. We wanted to help you. And I would do it again." Forge said. Amelia smiled at this. "I have an idea. Do you trust me?" Forge asked.
As Yaigoot continued searching for her, Amelia made her appearance known. Yaigoot chased her up to the rafters. He leapt up onto a platform hanging over a vat of molten copper. Just then, Forge leapt down onto the platform and cut off Yaigoot's blaster with the sheers. But Yaigoot smacked him close to the edge. Forge snipped the chains with the sheers and leapt off the platform, landing on second floor. But as the other chains began to snap, Yaigoot leapt off the platform before it fell into the vat of smelted copper. Forge held his left knee in pain as Molly, Amelia and Jim ran to help him. "Forge, are you okay?" Molly asked worriedly. "It's my knee. I wasn't expecting to land that hard." Forge said. "I know the feeling." Amelia said. But then, Yaigoot revealed his survival. The 4 ran out of the smelter, but Yaigoot reattached his blaster and fired a stun blast at them, stunning them. He picked up Amelia and carried her off. Forge tried to help her, but the stun blast finally knocked him out.
Later, after Forge, Molly and Jim recovered, they drove Forge's car after Amelia and Yaigoot. "We're coming for you, Amelia." Forge said. "But how are we gonna find her? We don't know where Yaigoot's ship is." Molly said. "Forge, didn't Amelia say she only had her telepathic powers left when you met her?" Jim asked. "Yes, she did." Forge said. "When you met her, she formed a psychic bond through your mind. You can use that bond to find where Yaigoot's ship is." Jim said as he explained. "It's worth a shot, Forge." Molly said. "Alright. Let's give it a try." Forge said. He focused his mind and used his bond to try and find Amelia. "Well, Forge?" Molly asked. "I found her." Forge said.
Yaigoot's ship was located near the Old Gulch Mine. Amelia was chained to the outside as Yaigoot repaired it. "Hey, ugly!" Forge's voice exclaimed. Yaigoot turned around just as Forge punched him in the face. As Yaigoot began to retaliate, Molly ran in and kicked him in the head. But as the Ferrus siblings prepared to hit him again, Yaigoot seized their punches, shocking them. "Let them go!" Jim exclaimed as he ran towards them. But Yaigoot threw Forge and Molly at him, knocking him down. "You won't stop me again, Jim McGrath. You shot down my ship, but you won't be so lucky again." Yaigoot said through his mask. "Why are you doing this? What do you want with her?!" Forge demanded. "She's an Anodite." Yaigoot revealed. "An Ano-what?" Molly asked in confusion. "It means I'm an Energy Being. Yaigoot wants to use me like a battery to power his kind's weaponry…until I'm drained dry." Amelia explained. "After I heard that she got captured, I shot his ship down when they passed over Earth. She escaped and he's been looking for her until she met you at the café." Jim explained. "What's one life compared to superior beings like myself?" Yaigoot said. "Well, the way I see it, any life is precious. But you wouldn't know that because since you're a Predator, you don't value anyone's life, but your own. Anyway, you can't have her!" Forge exclaimed. Amelia felt touched by those words. Yaigoot grabbed Forge by the throat and raised him up. "But I will have her. And you will be destroyed, just as everyone on this irrelevant planet." He said.
Suddenly, as Jim recovered and stood up, his fists started glowing blue and fueling with energy. "This is your last chance, Yaigoot. Release the Anodite and put Forge down." He warned. "You have no authority, Jim McGrath. Your Turbo Energy will not stop me again." Yaigoot said as he tossed Forge aside. "Forge!" Molly cried as she rushed to her brother's side. "Put your hands where I can see them!" Jim demanded as his fists glowed brighter. "As you wish." Yaigoot said. He raised his hands, but he fired another blast at Jim, knocking him out again. As Forge recovered, Yaigoot grabbed Amelia and carried her into his ship. Molly helped Jim as he slowly recovered. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Yes. But Amelia. You have to save her, Forge." Jim said. "But how?" Forge asked. "You'll know how." Jim said, handing Forge a blaster.
On board the ship, Yaigoot placed Amelia inside a glass container and began siphoning her mana energy. Just then, Forge entered the ship and aimed his blaster at Yaigoot. "Let her go now or I will blow your head off." He warned. "Please. Your weapon isn't strong enough to kill me." Yaigoot gloated. Just then, Amelia sent him a telepathic message, showing him the ship's power core. "Oh, I'm not gonna shoot you, reptile. But your power core on the other hand." Forge said as he turned and fired the blaster at the power core, causing it to overload the entire ship. "NO!" Yaigoot exclaimed. The container opened, freeing Amelia. "You know, we gotta stop meeting like this." Forge said as he helped her up before they ran out of the ship while Yaigoot tried to override the overload to no avail. After Forge and Amelia exited the ship and regrouped with Molly and Jim, they all leapt for cover as the ship blew up, killing Yaigoot. "Nice work, bro." Molly said. "It was no problem." Forge assured.
Just then, Amelia's bracelet fell off and revealed her true form. "I…I'm free!" She cheered. Forge and Molly were amazed by Amelia's true form. "This is how you normally look?" Forge asked. "Does it displease you?" Amelia asked worriedly. "No. You look beautiful." Forge said. Amelia smiled at those words. "As much as I hate to disrupt the moment, but I have to return you to your home planet now." Jim said. Forge felt sad when he heard that. Amelia sensed his sadness. "No. I do not wish to return to my planet." She said suddenly. "What? But you don't belong here." Jim said. "I don't care. Forge has already lost one lover. I do not desire him to lose another." Amelia said. Forge was surprised by what she said, but smiled warmly. Molly was happy to hear this. Jim, although somewhat disappointed that there was no longer need of a rescue, smiled at the moment of love. "Very well. But don't think this is goodbye forever. I have a feeling the 4 of us are about to accomplish great things together one day." He said. Forge shook Jim's hand in saying goodbye. As Molly walked up to him, Jim gave her a kiss on her hand before leaving to his ship as it uncloaked itself. After Jim got into his ship and took off, Molly looked at her hand and blushed hard. Forge and Amelia looked at each other, and kissed on their lips, sealing their newfound love.
[Flashback End]
"And we've been happy together ever since." Forge said, finishing the story. The team was in awe at that ending. "That was a great story, Dad." Zad said. "I actually felt sorry that you lost your boyfriend, Daddy." Vandana said. "That's okay, sweetie. Although Darwin's gone, he'll always be watching over us." Forge said. "Alright, everyone, story time's over. You kids have school tomorrow." Molly said. "Yes, Aunt Molly." The quintuplets said simultaneously. As everyone started to leave, Max was still sitting down. "Max, you coming?" Xena asked. "Yeah. You guys go on. I'll catch up." Max said. The others left, leaving Max to his thoughts. 'So, Dad was…an alien. I mean, he'd have to be considering my Turbo Energy. But I wonder which planet did he come from?' He thought as he wondered about the mysteries he and his team will have to investigate.
Well, how was that for an original chapter? Forge tells the story about how he met Amelia. And yes, it's revealed that Forge is bisexual and Kat is a lesbian. There's nothing wrong with that. But what other secrets will Max and his team learn about N-Tek? What else is there about Jim McGrath? Leave a review if you want.