The Alta Heroes (J.F.)

Fiction's Laws Evermore Fictional

"Well, this is the day," Jayden says while walking with his team to the living room where Starsis resides. Things between the group have now mellowed out, or at least that's what he hopes.
"Yep, the day we start trying to save the multiverse or whatever," Ashley apathetically tells as it is. She hides the guilt still lingering from last night with a small smile on his face which mimics the rest of the group's expressions.
"I know, right?" Aubrey says with great positivity in her voice.
"Man, I can't wait for some of those locations we're gonna visit. Who knows, maybe during our crystal hunting, there'll be some babes I could ask out?" Shadow Bird boasts, making the team laugh at his arrogant demeanor.
"Ahh, good morning. How was breakfast in bed?" The entity of light greets them cheerfully as he sits on his comfy chair, his favorite tea in his hands recently poured in his favorite cup.
"Great. The food was really good too, especially the pancakes. How'd you do that anyway?" Remarks Aubrey. Aubrey's never seen those machines before. Sure, maybe in a cartoon. But, in real life, it's impossible.
"All thanks to Fic-City's built-in kitchens in your room," Starsis remarks before sipping his tea.
"Wait, huh?" Ashley blurts out. The rest of the teens become confused yet again. What does the man mean? Fic-City?
"Oh, please sit down." The group does so as Starsis finishes his tea and sets the empty cup on a table.
"Fic-City is a place where anything is possible. Many species coexist, many advancements in technology exist, hence the breakfast in bed, and the atmosphere contains a very vibrant society." Starsis' words further blow the teens' minds. Their mind-blowing silence soon breaks when Ashley speaks up about the journey.
"So, what's up?"
"Ahh, the locations are here," He says as Starsis pulls the object from the chair and gives it to the group. Jayden turns on the object as the locations pop up.
"So, which one do we click on first?" Jayden asks stoically.
"Anywhere you would like," Starsis says calmly.
"What about this one?" Aubrey blurts out as she points to the one on the far right.
"What do you mean, the one-" Ashley freezes as she sees Fic-City on the screen.
"Fic-City?! One of the shards is there?!" Ashley shouts. Her emerald eyes lock onto Fic-City's coordinates instantly; and when she does so, she and the other team members see that the location is at the top of the map. How weird is this journey going to be?
"Yes, somewhere in the city. You can explore the fascinating city if you'd like. But don't take too long," Starsis reassures.
"Well guys, you wanna do this one first?" Jayden asks while taking short glances at each of his teammates.
"Sure, I don't care," Ashley says, her relaxed tone of voice hiding her curious mind.
"Sure thing. This universe sounds badass," Shadow Bird says with great interest.
"Yeah, I wanna go there too." Aubrey loves trying new things. It's one of the best things ever and this isn't any different.
"Me too. It sounds awesome." Asori's more than happy to go there as she shared everyone's interests.
"Well, looks like we're going to Fic-City," Says Jayden in a simple manner.
"Good luck, everyone. Be careful, have fun, stay focused, and bond with each other," Starsis says, his heart filled with full faith in the teens. After nodding in unison to the man's words, Jayden presses the button to Fic-City and the group immediately leaves the house. When our heroes go to the location they've been sent to, no words can possibly describe what's in front of them. Actually, there are many things to say, and yes, it's about the town. After placing the device in the backpack he gave to Shadow Bird, Jayden leads the team into the city. Fic-City's ginormous atmosphere captures the team in its grasp as they speechlessly walk through the city. The numerous wonders the teens come across range from anthropomorphic animals like dogs and cats playing with their children, multi-colored people walking the streets with them, some but not many driving various shapes of cars, and there are many different restaurants and shops as well. Although not many people notice the group, one man's gaze takes wind of the group's surprise entrance. Dennis Carter's seen many things in his police career. But, five teens appearing out of thin air from some tablet is one of the strangest sights he's seen in his life. Following his gut, right after throwing away his downed coffee cup, the man follows the team to wherever they're going. During their stroll, commentary about what the group is seeing ensues.
Aubrey comments, "My god." Aubrey can't take her eyes off of the site. It's... Well, there's not a single word that can describe this place. It's its own little world. Jayden is more than impressed with everything like this existing. Hell, even he wouldn't be able to draw this entire city in one day if he wants to. Aubrey immediately begins taking pictures of the great painting they're in as Shadow Bird begins speaking.
"Everything looks like it came from the future. No, this has gotta be the future."
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Asori asks with her eyes glued to the environment she's focused on.
"More than beautiful, this place's extraordinary," Shadow Bird says, still stunned beyond mere words regarding everything he's seeing. Ashley, out of all of them, is speechless by all she sees. How can something like this even exist? Suddenly, the team's thoughts of wonder at the very thoughts they have of this city are interrupted by a man's screams. They're painful as if he's being tortured in a death trap. Out of instinct, the group runs as fast as they can to the sound of the screams. They stop to find a group of thugs attacking a police officer. Their leader continues smiling sadistically as he delivers a swift kick to the officer's stomach, making the man cough up some blood. They also see an injured bystander who had the crap beaten out of him earlier. A part of all of them wants to run, get the police, and have them end this situation. But, they're here, and they have the power to stop these asshats. Before one of the thugs resumes their attacks, Aubrey speeds to them and gives a vicious roundhouse kick to the thug leader's temple. The man slams his head against the wall, knocking him out in an instant. The entire group of thugs becomes left in pure shock. To the teen team, this is perfect for them. Asori jumps in front of one of the thugs and delivers a swift scissor kick to the man's face, its great force strong enough to knock the thug out cold. A broken and bloody nose accompanies his unconscious state. Aubrey runs to and kicks a thug so hard in the stomach that he staggers backward onto the ground. The thug tries getting up and giving the little shit the beating of a lifetime, but he stumbles and vomits into an open trash can. Aubrey finishes the guy off by slamming her foot into the guy's head. Ashley and Jayden help the cop and civilian out of the situation while Shadow Bird knocks out the remaining thug. The rest of the group then tends to the wounded as the cop regains his focus.
"Thank you. Thank you guys so much," The light brown-haired man says with a smile slightly riddled with blood. Helping him rest against a wall, Ashley allows the others to speak with the beat cop.
"No problem, officer," Jayden says in an attempt to reassure the man things are ok.
"What the hell were those guys after?" Ashley asks.
"Just a few jerks trying to bully innocent people out of their money," The officer says, breathing heavily. Speaking of innocent people, the injured bystander held by Shadow Bird and Aubrey speaks up.
"Thank you. Seriously, I tried to get away from those guys, but they just ganged up on me," The man says through heavy breaths.
"Not your fault, citizen," Says the officer, heavy breaths in between his wordplay as well.
"Let's just take you two to the hospital," Jayden says before the cop points to where they should go.
"It's just up the street next to the local drugstore," The police officer tells them as he grunts in pain, him being held up by Ashley and Asori.
"It's ok, Nathan." Everyone turns to see another police officer standing in front of them, one of the clearly superior ranks to the officer the kids just saved.
"Lieutenant Carter. I-" The policeman manages to say before he grunts a bit. The thugs did a number on him, and Dennis wants him to rest.
"Say no more, you rest." Nathan nods his head as two more officers soon arrive. They go to take Nathan off of Ashley and Asori's hands. That also goes for the bystander Shadow Bird and Aubrey held up.
"Nice work, kids," One of the female cops speaks. The team nods positively as to thank her for her compliment. The police lieutenant calmly gestures to the young heroes to walk with him. During their walk, Aubrey and Jayden glance to see a police car arriving to pick up the beaten-up thugs.
"I saw you guys appear from that light with that device you have. What was that?" The man says with great interest as to where these kids came from.
"That was a teleportation device a friend of ours gave us," Jayden says honestly, wanting to make a good start with the police here.
"Really? Who's this friend of yours?" Dennis questions further, his eyebrows sternly raised.
"His name's Starsis," Jayden says as his way of calmly answering the man's questions.
"Interesting. What're you guys doing here?" Dennis inquires with his gaze slightly softening.
"Well, we're looking for a shard of this crystal that can do pretty much anything. Starsis needs it to regain his full power. And, if we don't find all of the shards, then our friend's evil brother will swallow the whole multiverse in darkness once he uses the crystal to regain his full power," Asori explains to the man of authority.
"What? Is this some type of joke?" Dennis questions in a very stern, unconvinced manner of speaking. Don't be surprised. This man has heard of many things of many kinds. But, this is a bit new to him.
"Trust me, officer. I'm as lost as you are regarding this wackiness," Ashley comments casually. The police lieutenant leads them into a diner where the group sits side by side together. Lieutenant Carter sits next to Shadow Bird and Jayden as he reignites their conversation.
"If you don't mind me asking, sir. What's this about?" Jayden asks, a bit wary of the man's intentions.
"This is simply my way of thanking you guys for saving those two," The smiling Dennis confesses.
"Well, thank you then," Jayden says on behalf of the group.
"No problem, kid" The group starts shaking hands with the man right off the bat.
"My name's Jayden."
"Name's Ashley."
"Shadow Bird."
"Aubrey."
"Asori, sir."
"Nice to meet you all. And, call me Dennis, kid." After handshakes stop, a voice of pure calmness enters the scene.
"So, Fic-City's bravest officer is treating a group of heroes to lunch. Very nice of you, Dennis." The group turns around to see a full-bearded man with mid-length swept-back gray hair in glasses wearing an all gray suit standing behind them. He then sits next to Ashley and Aubrey.
"My name is Dr. Mackinder by the way," The nice man says, getting handshakes from the group as they continue chatting.
"Friend of yours?" Ashley instinctively inquires.
"A very good friend of mine," The police lieutenant admits as Dr. Mackinder begins speaking again.
"I saw what you kids did back there. That was real selflessness, and for that, you all deserve this lunch."
"T-Thank you, sir," Asori says, deeply touched by the man's kind gesture.
"So, do you work with Lieutenant Carter often?'' Jayden asks.
"Not all the time but when we need to," Dennis says confidently.
"Exactly," Dr. Mackinder proudly says.
"Welcome to Dustin's! How can I serve ya?" The teen waiter says slyly. Taking a glance at the menu, the group immediately gives the young man their orders.
"Get me a double stack burger with steak fries, garlic sauce on the side, and a Coke, Nevin," Dennis causally orders.
"I'll take the avocado pepper burger with regular fries, BBQ sauce on the side, and a strawberry-banana smoothie please," The more polite man orders.
"As always, Dennis and Brad. What about you guys?" The boy asks the group after taking the two men's menus.
"I'll take the triple stack burger with regular fries and a Pepsi," Jayden says, his eyes liking what's on the menu displayed beneath him.
"I'll have a buffalo sauce burger with regular fries and a Coke," Ashley orders casually.
"Mine will be the bacon with Swiss cheddar burger. I'll also have a Dr. Pepper to drink and string fries on the side please," Asori politely orders.
"The same with sharp cheddar, steak fries, and a Mountain Dew," Aubrey cheerfully requests.
"And mine will be the jalapeño double stack burger with extra hot sauce. My drink will be a root beer with steak fries on the side," Shadow Bird confidently orders.
"Ok. Just be sure not to bite off more than you can chew," Nevin says as the two grin at each other.
"You two are definitely the spicy ones," Dennis comments.
"Exactly. You guys aren't?" Shadow Bird retorts.
"While I do love spicy food, it's not my all-time favorite food," Bradford comments calmly.
"Hey, it's cool. Anyways, how long have you two exactly known each other?" Ashley inquires.
"About three years. What about you guys?" Dennis asks back.
"We met just yesterday," Jayden answers.
"Ahh. Tell me, what brings you kids here to this town?" Bradford inquires.
"Well, we're supposed to be searching for these crystal shards for Starsis, the guy who sent us on this journey in the first place," Shadow Bird explains. Asori feels a rush of worry cross into her being. Should they really be having lunch right now at a time like this? What if the villains collect all the shards before they can? But, a steadier, more calming thought enters that worried mind of hers. She's not the boss of everyone, and she doesn't want the wrath of Ashley to come back at her again. And of course, she doesn't want to end up like... like... like that bastard. Taking a few deep breaths, Asori comes back into reality to which her cornflower blue eyes catch wind of a particular necklace in Ashley's pants pocket. Ashley, whilst the group continues speaking with the two men, catches Asori's peeping eyes in the act.
"What?" Ashley asks, not being fully aware of what she's looking at her for.
"Ohh, it's nothing," Asori quickly says. A brief awkward silence follows between the two girls before they speak again.
Asori inquires, "So, I'm not trying to pry, but are you a gamer at all?" Ashley, hoping to get on fairer terms with her teammate, reciprocates her conversation attempt with her own words.
"Ohh, hell yeah. Asori, just because I'm dealing with a lot right now doesn't mean I haven't picked up a game before. Have you heard of the Arkham series?" She asks in response.
Asori remarks happily, "Yeah. In fact, I actually played a round or two of Arkham City with one of Jerrod's client's kids before we played The Force Unleashed."
Ashley says in retaliation, "Cool. Well, I played a few video games myself at one of my ex-friend's houses a few times. Stuff like brawler and shooting games."
Asori remarks back, "Sweet. I mean, I do enjoy video games and I wish I could play them more often, but I had to focus on my modeling career."
Ashley, upon seeing Asori's face grow sad, admits, "Yeah, I get it." Ashley's face grows melancholic too as the two stop talking for a bit. Their pasts aren't happy ones and they don't wanna talk about it anymore. The latter of the team, on the other hand, is full of conversation as they chat with the two professional men.
"Ok, so what you're saying is that your tech can identify anyone just by scanning their body?" Shadow Bird asks Dennis casually.
"Yep. Also, we practically identify the weapon of the killer just by scanning the victim's body at the lab," Dennis says casually.
"Sweet. Man, you guys must be one of the tech giants in the multiverse," Shadow Bird comments.
"Well, I wouldn't call us the most advanced universe out there, but we're close," Dennis humbly remarks.
"Ya know, we have this friend named Sam who'd really like you, Shadow Bird," Dr. Mackinder says, making his presence known.
"She just another friend of yours?" Shadow Bird asks.
"You could say that," Dennis says in a tone of voice both praising and critiquing Sam.
"She's a nerd, but she's also a-" Dennis gets cut off by Brad due to the psychologist wanting the police lieutenant to not be too hard on their comic shop owner friend.
"Very strong-willed girl. Yes, she does have her quirks-"
"That makes her a borderline pain in the ass sometimes," Dennis remarks, cutting Bradford off quite rudely. God, how her snarkiness and cocky attitude get on his nerves. It's gotten to the point that his career, and life, almost ended because of her. Bradford, while being aware of Sam's slight arrogance, does enjoy her ever so positive attitude. What fifteen-year-old doesn't act like that from time to time?
"Ahh, so I would like her," Shadow Bird says in that charismatic tone of voice he's famous for.
"Is Sam a student or anything?" Aubrey asks.
"Nope. You could say she's living the dream," Dennis says in an ever so blunt manner.
"And, which dream is that?" Shadow Bird inquires.
"Just hop by her shop, and you'll see what they mean. It's called Anything, Nerd?" The young waiter says while delivering everyone's food.
"You a friend of hers?" Shadow Bird asks.
"Best friend," Nevin says after delivering the final trays to the two silent girls.
"Thanks," Jayden says for the rest of the team. The group begins chowing down right then and there. The food's amazing. No, it's extraordinary. No, it's astonishing. The tender meat, well-cut vegetables, very tangy sauces, and exquisite taste make these some of the best burgers the team have had in their entire lives. Ashley and Asori's sadness is replaced by the sweet joy of good quality food entering their hungry mouths. For now, the journey is placed on hold by an astonishing lunch at Dustin's Dinisty. That journey soon gets back on track after lunch. Everyone groans a bit as their stomachs are stuffed with the good food they spent a whole fifteen minutes shoving down their throats.
"Thanks, you guys. Really appreciate it," Jayden says as he shakes Dennis and Bradford's hands, leading the rest of the team to do the same.
"It's no problem," Dennis states rather bluntly.
"Feel free to come back here whenever you wish," Bradford says as he beamed with joy.
"Of course, and it was nice to meet you guys," Asori says after shaking Brad's hand. The team then walks off to where the shard is, Asori holding the device after grabbing it from Shadow Bird's backpack. Dennis and Bradford look on for a short while before walking in the opposite direction.
"This thing is badass," Shadow Bird says as the group continues walking to where the shard was, his eyes unable to remove themselves from the screen.
"Yeah, this thing is like four devices into one, or at least what Starsis told us," Jayden says as Asori holds the device while walking with the group.
"If that weren't the case, I wonder how many more options this device has. A billion?" Aubrey asks with the same amount of interest as Jayden regarding the object.
"Hey, is that Sam's comic shop?" Asori asks while they're walking.
"Hmm?" The leader hums as he and the rest of the group look up to the sign. Anything, Nerd? Yep, that's the shop.
"A pretty cool comic shop if I say so myself," Ashley remarks.
"And according to the device, it's here," Shadow Bird points out.
"Really?" Jayden asks as he and the group look at the device to see they're right in front of it.
"I guess this is our stop," Asori says as she placed the device in the backpack and entered the shop, signaling to the rest of the group to enter the store with her.
A cocky voice shouts, "Yo, Anything Nerds?!" They turn to see a girl their age sitting at the counter. She wore a Venom hoodie with a black beanie over her head.
"So, you're Sam. Correct?" Shadow Bird inquiries with a smile on his face.
"Yep. Sam Holland, but just call me Sam," Sam snarks. The confidence in her radiated off of everyone present.
"And from what we heard, you own this place?" Jayden asks.
"Hell yeah! What do you think?! I'm some gal employed by a forty-something asshole who doesn't know shit about comics?!" The group, despite their laughs at her snarky comments, is very surprised. How can someone their age be doing something like this? Shouldn't this girl be at school?
"How are you the owner of this place?" Asori speaks, ceasing the chuckles.
"I took a test to prove that I can run this place on my own and they permitted me. Simple as that." The team's eyes widen but stop with them engaging in conversation with the girl they've just met.
"Well, it's great you're doing something you want to do for a living," Aubrey says as she's impressed with her job.
"Sure is. We're open from 8:30 in the morning to 9:30 at night. And, my pay is how much I make from selling stuff. So, what can I do for ya?" Sam asks.
"Well, we're actually looking for a crystal shard for our friend Starsis," Asori explains.
"Ohh, you mean this thing?" Sam remarks while pulling out the sacred object she found yesterday.
"Ohh, sweet." Asori tries to grab it from Sam's hand but is instead foiled by the snarky girl pulling it away from her.
"I'm considering pawning this thing. But, you guys can have it if you answer a trivia question I have for you correctly." Seeing no other options, namely ones that don't involve Sam becoming their enemy, the team plays along.
"Ok. Guess my favorite movie character. And no, it's not Venom." It doesn't take long for Asori to open her mouth in an attempt to correctly answer her question.
"You a Star Wars fan?"
"Why, yes. That's the franchise I'm talking about. But, which character?" Sam remarks in a cocky manner.
Asori then reasons, "Ok. Sith Lords."
Sam says, "Getting warmer." Asori manages to get the prize just by listing off the evil characters from the franchise.
"Darth Vader,-"
"You got it!" Sam shouts. Asori and her other teammates jump and yelp for joy as she gets the crystal and places it in Shadow Bird's backpack.
"You really are a Star Wars geek. I mean, besides the obvious," Sam says while referring to Asori's fashion sense.
"Yes, I am," Asori says, beaming with joy. Ashley firmly smacks Asori's back, leaving the black-haired girl surprised, to congratulate her victory.
"Nice work, Asori!" Shadow Bird comments in a vigorous jest of gratitude.
"Yeah, you kicked ass right there!" Ashley exclaims proudly. Asori's self-confidence rises to great heights thanks to all the praise. However, while her pride does go up, so does her fear.
"Thanks, guys. And thank you, Sam!" Asori says excitedly.
Sam admits while leaning on the counter, "No prob." The team then left the building, only for Sam to call out to them one last time for a while.
"Come back again soon, you guys!"
"We'll think about it," Jayden says before being the last one exiting the building. Before the team makes any more moves, two figures stop them dead in their tracks. And yes, they're Silencer and Raptor.