Teen Powers

Chapter 18: Fake

Chapter eighteen:

After early morning training the next day Aaron stopped Willow in the hallway. Willow had left the base after the discussion that they had in the training room and he wanted to know where she had gone. "So where'd you go last night?" Aaron crossed his arms and stood in Willow's path.

"Um, I don't think I have to answer to you Aaron. You're not the General." Willow replied impatiently and walked around Aaron, continuing down the hallway toward where the team ate breakfast. Aaron stepped in front of Willow again and this time he wouldn't let her pass.

"You were with Ryan weren't you?" Aaron laughed a little and stared down at Willow.

"What is with you? Why are you acting so weird?" Willow questioned Aaron angrily.

"I'm not acting weird. I'm just trying to protect you!" Aaron shot back.

"From what?!"

"Ryan!"

"I don't need your protection. Why do you care? And don't say it's because you hate Ryan." Willow glared up at Aaron, waiting for his reply.

"You're different alright." Aaron sighed and got closer to Willow. "You're not like those other guys, you're not afraid of me. You're the closest thing I have to.....family." Aaron looked at Willow with a serious look. "There, is that what you wanted to hear?" Aaron groaned and leaned against the wall. Willow grinned and hugged Aaron.

"You're like my big brother Aaron." Willow said quietly and smiled.

"Yeah but if you tell anyone that I have a soft spot for you I'll torch you." Aaron joked and pulled away from the hug.

"I won't tell. Now come on! We have to get to breakfast before Benny eats all the strawberries." Willow giggled and ran down the hall. Aaron sighed with disappointment.

What Willow didn't know was that Aaron thought of Willow as a little more than just family. Aaron walked slowly to the base's cafeteria and, as usual, ate by himself.

Later that day Ryan and Willow were working in the training room except instead of working they were talking and messing around with the equipment.

"How much can you lift all at once?" Willow giggled as she watched Ryan showing off by tossing around a giant metal ball like it was a baseball.

"Im pretty sure I could have tossed Dr. Drill's robot into space."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Well... Uh... Err.." Ryan's face turned a light shade of red, he couldn't lie to Willow. "Alright fine, I tried lifting it when it started going up in smoke but I didn't know you were still on it and then you fell off. I lost my concentration." Ryan sighed and sat down on the metal ball.

He frowned and looked at Willow with a guilty expression. Willow sat down with him and gave him a hug.

"Hey, it's ok. It's not like I died or anything." Willow laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. All of a sudden an alarm blared and the door to the training room slammed shut and locked.

"What's going on now?!" Willow covered her ears and looked around. Ryan's face slowly showed signs of panic. Something was obviously really wrong.

"Someone broke into the base!" Ryan yelled back to Willow. "And this time it's not a prank!" Ryan ran over to the door and ripped it off it's hinges. "Come on, we've got to go!" Ryan and Willow ran out and went toward General Wallow's office. The door was locked but Ryan rammed right through it.

"General Wallows?! Are you here?" Willow ran in and looked around the small office. There was papers scattered across the floor and the desk was flipped over.

"There was definitely a struggle here! We have to find everyone. We're all in grave danger!" Ryan flew out of the room. Willow followed after him.

Ryan sounded like he knew just who had broken into the base and by the sound of it, it certainly was someone really bad.

Suddenly the lights went out and the alarm went silent. Willow couldn't see anything. It was pitch black and she was afraid to even breath. "Willow? Are you ok?" Ryan whispered. Willow was rushed with feelings of relief, she had forgotten that Ryan was with her.

"Yeah, I guess the power went out." Willow responded and felt around for the wall. Then the lights went back on. Willow smiled and looked around for Ryan but he was nowhere in sight. "Ryan?" Willow called out but there was no answer.

Willow was very confused, Ryan was just next to her. How could he have just disappeared? Willow walked down the hallway and peeked around the corner but Ryan wasn't there.

All of a sudden Willow felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned around to see Ryan with a big smile. Willow hugged Ryan and sighed with even more relief.

"Where'd you go? You were right here and then you just vanished." Willow tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at Ryan.

"Why whatever do you mean dear Willow?" Ryan answered back with a small smile. Willow stepped back from Ryan, it was unlike Ryan to talk like that.

Then Willow noticed Ryan's eyes, they were usually a beautiful shade of blue but right now they were brown. It hit Willow just then that this wasn't Ryan.

"You're not Ryan." Willow sped down the hallway, trying to get away from the fake Ryan. Willow turned around the corners and didn't stop to catch her breath. Then she came to a dead end in the hallway, she was trapped!

Willow spun around to see fake Ryan right behind her with a very evil grin. "What do you want?!" Willow cried in fear. Fake Ryan was now towering over Willow. He put on a gas mask and looked down at Willow.

"You." he answered. Suddenly the room filled with strange smelling gas and before Willow could run she fell to the ground and everything slowly went black.

Fake Ryan took off the gas mask and gave a small laugh. "I got what I came for." Fake Ryan picked up unconscious Willow and left the base.

General Wallows and the other were locked in a supply closet. They too were unconscious from the strange gas. Slowly General Wallows woke up and saw where he was. He slammed himself against the door again and again but he wasn't strong enough.

"Hey wake up! Willow's in danger!" General Wallows yelled. Katie got up from the floor and groaned. Slowly the team gained consciousness.

Ryan broke down the door with ease and ran down the hallway to the door that led to the outside. He banged on it continuously but it wouldn't budge.

"Forget it stupid, even you can't get that door open." Aaron sneered and gave Ryan a mean glance.

"SHUT UP! THAT MONSTER HAS WILLOW!" Ryan screamed and banged on the door even harder.

"Ryan's right. We have to get her back. Who knows what that monster of a man will do to her." General Wallows stated. He unlocked the main door and the team ran off toward the General's jet.