Super Glitches 3: Stranded

Never Talk To Strangers

"Talk to me, boy!" A hand slapped me around the face and I groaned. I raised my head and winced, looking my captor in the eye. The man glared back and slapped me again. A wall of shadows rushed up to defend myself and I smiled smugly. A fist came swinging in at the other side and my head snapped forwards, the shadows not quite quick enough to stop the blow this time. 

"Listen here," a new, deeper voice growled. "Either you co-operate or we take you to the boss."

"We can't take him to boss," the first man, my slapper, said in shock. "He'll murder us."

"He's always looking for new test subjects," Puncher said. "This kid is exactly what he's after."

"What about the three girls?" Slapper asked. 

"He's already got them."

"Let them go!" I shouted suddenly. The men jumped, backing away. The shadows lashed out and when the darkness had cleared I took in their appearances. Slapper was short and shaven, a thick-set man who looked like a thumb. Puncher was tall, thin and wearing a suit. I noticed several rings on his hand and as I looked at each individual one my face burned in a different place. 

"So, you can speak," Puncher sneered. "Good."

"Come with me," Slapper grunted. He grabbed my arm and I tried to wriggle free, kicking out and lunging to one side. Puncher shoved me back and I went tumbling into Slapper. I was clutched once more and dragged along, Slapper taking me to some sort of laboratory. I had been sat inside a small cage, the door wide open due to Slapper attacking me. That cage was in a warehouse, filled with large wooden crates, everything a dull grey. In the gloom even my outfit contrasted, darker shades than the drab around me. 

I blinked the white light away from my eyes just as Slapper dumped me in a metal chair. I shook my head and groaned, whacking it sharply on the back of the chair. I was clamped into place using handcuffs, cold iron encasing my wrists. I whimpered and tapped a rapid beat on the arm of the chair, legs twitching nervously. I'd never liked doctor's or dentist's visits, trapped into place for hours whilst some strange person poked you or poked stuff in you. In your mouth, that is! (Creeps...)

"Hello," a voice said quietly, the slapping sound of rubber hitting flesh carrying across the room. I shivered and increased the rhythm. Footsteps walked across the tiled floor, blue gloved hands reaching for a light above my head. I squeezed my eyes shut against the sudden glare and almost squeaked in fear. Hands gripped my jaw and raised me towards the lights. Shadows spat out from me in every direction, a burst of darkness restricted by the cold metal. 

"That's interesting," the voice said in the same monotonous way. "Shadows, eh? I can work with that..." A mask was placed over my lower face and I shook it off, aware that something was wrong. The hands tried again, forcing it over my mouth and nose. I inhaled a mysterious smelling thing and promptly collapsed.

*

"Ow," I moaned, opening my eyes and raising my head. Everywhere I looked my vision was dark, what seemed to be shadows licking at the edge of it. My body was cold and my limbs numb. I lowered my head again and stared at the ceiling, willing the oddness to go away.

"Shaade," the same voice as before said, "listen closely to me. You work only for me. You are a 'bad guy', not good, but your friends do not know that. You especially hate Georgina and whenever you see her you... hmm... you will be consumed by a fury like nothing you have ever felt before. No emotion can override the anger you will feel and your main mission from now on is to kill her and the other Super Glitches. But be warned; they now have powers. You don't think I'd make it easy, did you? No. They have been set free in New York City and you will follow them out there. To anyone else you will appear completely normal, smiling and charming your way out of any situation. Understood? Good. Now go. You will remember none of this and will proceed as your normal self. Oh, and one more thing. You now have the power to bring death to anything so be careful with the feroicty of your shadows. Go on, leave me." 

The clamps were unlocked and I sat up. My head was clear, my mind set. 

"Super Glitches?" I murmured to myself. I laughed cruelly. "Glitches, correct. Super? No."

*

Georgina blinked open her eyes and flinched. A cold, metal stopwatch was digging into her side, shoved into her pocket. She was sprawled on the ground in a back alley somewhere in New York City, alone and afraid.

"Where are we?" Rebecca asked. Not quite alone, then. "And why am I wearing this freaky hooded cloak?" 

Georgina stood up and looked around. Rebecca got to her feet just as Sophie appeared out of nowhere. Georgina stared for a second and then shook her head. It was no use trying to explain the weird goings on, she just had to roll with it. 

"I don't know why you're wearing the cape," Georgina replied, "but what I would like to know is why I suddenly have a stopwatch." 

Rebecca pulled her cloak away from her before giving a little twirl. It was brown in colour with a thick hood which she pulled onto her head. Sparks flew and water droplets formed around her as she spun and she stopped.

"That was weird," Rebecca said. "I just created fire and water!"

"Maybe you can control the elements," Sophie suggested. Her outfit had changed too; a lilac T-Shirt, dark jeans and hiking boots. Georgina glanced down at herself, wary of what she may look like after all the changes that had gone on. She grinned at what she saw.

Her outfit of black and white had been replaced. Instead she had pale blue jeans that looked almost faded, a grey T-Shirt with yellow lightening strikes and navy trainers. Her hair was neatly brushed over one shoulder, falling down her front slightly due to its length. Her fringe was longer and swept to one side. Despite all the neatness and order she still had a windswept look about her as if she was caught up in a storm. 

"Are my eyes still golden?" she asked. Rebecca and Sophie nodded and Georgina frowned. She folded her arms and tossed her hair back over her shoulders, pulling a scrunchie off her wrist and tying it back. Her fringe fell forwards, the same length as it was before; clipping it back created an illusion of length. 

"So, Rebecca can control the elements," Georgina began.

"Only fire, water, earth and air," Rebecca interrupted. "There are a lot more but those are the main ones. All others are just sub-elements."

"Show off. Anyway, you have a power," Georgina continued, "but what can we do? Sophie, try doing something."

"I've been hearing people talking, if that helps," Sophie said. "Voices that use English but aren't English. They talk about the most random things, too."

"Like?"

"Like worms and food and walks and-"

"I think you're hearing the voices of animals," Georgina sighed. "But you can't shut them off."

"That's an annoying glitch," Rebecca added. "I think mine is that I can't use only one power at a time. See, if I try to create fire, it freezes over." She demonstrated what she had found out and she was right. Fire froze over, grass got blown about, water evaporated or turned into clouds... you get the idea.

"But what can I do?" Georgina mused. "I have this stupid stopwatch..."

"Press it," Sophie suggested. Georgina raised an eyebrow.

"What if it destroys the universe?"

"Press it!" Rebecca said eagerly. Georgina looked at her friend in alarm and took a step back, walking into daylight and straight into a person. Just as the woman turned around to tell her off Georgina pressed the top of the stopwatch, button making a small clicking noise when touched. The woman froze mid-sentence, people stopped walking and birds stopped flying in the sky. Everything was tinged with a blue light and Georgina spun in a circle, amazed at the change. Only she, Rebecca and Sophie were able to move.

"I can freeze time!" Georgina yelled happily. "And only Super Glitches can move when I do it! How cool is that?!"

"Hang on," Sophie frowned, "talking of Super Glitches, where's Shaade?"