Future Defenders - Book 1 - Rise of the Murderers

Chapter 5 - Remembering the Past

The next day, Riley woke up the orange skyline of the sun rising outside the window. He sat up with more ease than the day before. He was still slightly sore, but had recovered a bit more. The nurse that was around yesterday was still around, and upon noticing he was awake, walked over to him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better than before. Still sore though"

"Are you going to be okay to walk?"

"Should be"

"We're gonna have to move you to the lab in Electricity City. One of their workers scanned you whilst you were unconscious to find the problem. They'll tell you the results and anything that needs to happen. If needed, you may stay there for longer. Also, it's going to get crowded and loud soon as school is going to start soon. Is that alright?"

"Sounds good."

Riley got out the bed and walked outside the hospital wing towards the exit. He made a pit stop at his locker to grab his stuff before heading towards the car that would take him to the lab. As he went outside, a bus, which was the first bus of the day pulled up. It was mostly empty, but he recognised two people who left the bus.

"What are you two doing here this early" Riley asked Adam and Zachary.

"We wanted to come in early to check on you. Where are you going?" Adam replied.

"I've got to go to the lab. I can't talk any longer, so we'll talk later"

Riley got into the car and watched as Adam and Zachary entered the Academy. He just started out the window as the car drove off, watching the scenery go by him. The empty land around the Academy began to turn into power station like areas. When the car stopped for good, he stepped outside. In front of him, was a big lab, a place he hadn't been at a long. He used to work there when it first opened, but after a tragedy with one of his old friends, he stopped working there and avoided going back. Until now.

As he walked inside, the first person to great him, was his one of his friends, Jester. He didn't go to the Academy as much anymore, or hang out with him and the rest of the group, as he spent most of his time working at the lab, going into their systems and finding data. Only he could do that, as his powers was to enter the digital world.

"Long time no see, Jester"

"Ah, Riley. We've been expecting you. Please, follow me."

Riley followed Jester into his office. Jester sat down behind his desk Ed and pulled up the results of the scan on his computer.

"The good news is you can go home today. There's no major damage. Just a bit of exhaustion and some sore areas."

"I'm guessing there's bad news"

"Not really, there's just some guidelines you need to follow. They all apply till 2pm tomorrow. First thing, you are not to leave the area of your house for any reason, except for emergencies. Secondly, for the next two days, you are not to go to the Academy. Last but not least, no more than two guests can be in your house at a time, and they can only be around for 30 minutes. There must be a 1 hour gap between visiting guests. I know all of this sounds extreme, but not following these creates the potential risk of further damage. Can you handle this?"

"I should be able to"

"Alright then, you're all good to return home. You'll be notified when your time is up. Do you need a lift back?"

"I might just walk and enjoy the scenery. I haven't walked around these areas for a while."

Riley left the lab and began walking through the remainder of Electricity City, Magma Depths, The Crystal Caverns and most of Central Kennedy back to his house. Sure, it took a good two hours, but he had nothing better to do since everyone else was at school. When he got home, he went into his room and got changed into some new clothes, before hopping into the bed. Before he dozed off, he sent a message on the group chat, informing his friends about the results of the scan and the guidelines he had to follow.