AAOOOSC! United

"Do I Really Have To Explode Again?"

Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
July 9, 2017
Evening

A golden door knob slowly rotates. The wooden door it is connected to is gradually pulled open, creating an eerie, squeaky sound. A shadow pours from the doorway, sweeping over the room the door leads to.

The room is carpeted and empty with a dim light coming from the evening sun through a single window. Even though the light is weak, the contents of the room are noticeable:

Lying on the floor, still and silent, are Toews, Patrick, Nathan, Pekka, and Nolan. It seems as if they are in a deep sleep.

Looming over them from the doorway is Carter. He has narrowed eyes on them, scanning them from head to toe for any sign of movement.

"So that's where he went," he mutters, eyeing Nolan. "Good to know pretty boy hasn't escaped. Connor knows how to make hostages stay without complaining—"

BOOM! CRASH! CLA-AA-AANG!!!

Carter freezes at the sound with wide eyes. He instantly whirls around, gazing down the dusky hallway, where the sounds echoed from.

He shuts the door of the hostage room and rushes down the hallway. He halts in front of a door deeper to his right and throws it open. His eyes fly open at the sight.

The room is brightly lit with the ceiling lights. Spewed across the floor are fragments and shards of furniture and objects, which seem to collapse due to a harsh force upon them. Standing in the middle of the room with a grimace is Connor himself.

"What on earth...?" Carter squeaks out, darting his eyes at the disarrayed room.

Connor eyes his destroyed furniture with tentativeness. "Heh, heh..." He gazes at the goalie. "I was trying to master reality manipulation." He clasps his hands together, attempting to soothe his nerves.

Carter raises his eyebrows at the sight. "Yikes."

"No worries, though, this is a breeze to clean up." In a snap, Connor whirls around to face his room and sweeps his glowing hands across the room, unleashing a ribbon of yellow energy.

The ribbon stretches and bursts into a bright white light. Once the light recedes, what is now being displayed is a tidy bedroom with intact furniture.

Connor whirls around to face the goalie again with a proud smile. "See? It's as good as new!"

Carter nods his head, approving of the fixture. "Okay, good..." He cocks his head at him. "Any luck though with the reality manipulation?"

The skater groans in his throat with a pursed smile. "No...," he ends up growling with a scowl. "I'll get there soon."

Carter peers behind his shoulder, catching a quick glance at the closed door of the hostage room. "I'll give kudos to you for creating the most tolerable hostages though." He faces him again. "I've never seen Nolan so quiet before. You did the impossible."

Connor nods his head with a satisfied smile. "It's always been my pleasure to do the impossible."

Auston then slides into view next to the goalie. "Connor? Is it alright if we do it now?"

Carter peers up at him. "Do what—?"

"But I haven't even mastered reality manipulation yet!" Connor exclaims madly, throwing his hands up in the air.

Carter turns to Connor with a perplexed expression. "Do what—?"

"You don't need reality manipulation," Auston explains to the skater calmly. "Just you alone can take 'em all out."