Versus Mutations

Chapter 6

"You...are...CRAZY!"

That's what was belted from Morris's stomach as he found himself being part of a plan that ended in a way he didn't want to be involved in.

"Clever is more like it," the duplicate re-worded it, "you'll see. Once it's in my possession, all will work out like it should."

"We could get killed," Morris tried to change his mind, "you know how many guardians there are?"

"No how many?" The alternate clone inquired.

Morris paused to think for a second before shaking it off.

"Nevermind that. We're still outnumbered." He told him.

"That's why we need your access card. We take the tech and make weapons. Some of which Seth and Leo made before their fallout," the doppelganger explained, "we help ourselves and then take them out."

"You really think this'll work?" Morris asked.

"Oh please," the duplicate answered back, "we'll barely escape with our lives, but we'll get the job done."

"What about your little friend?" Morris mentioned.

Smiling, the teenage boy shoved his hands in his pockets.

"He's the key to us getting in," he said, "I need him for the vile in Sector 49. Weapons are a back up plan. Unless you wanna shoot for fun, then in that case be my guest."

Morris gave him a strange look.

"Your dark side is twisted." He commented.

"Thanks I appreciate it." The clone felt complimented.

******************

The oven had went off. Walking over to it, the sixteen year old went to go retrieve his mini savery treats. He grabbed the oven mits and open the oven. Pulling out the tray, he instantly dropped the pan on top of the stove due to the intense heat. He then closed the oven door and took off the mits. The noise from the pan colliding with the stove top made Mark's little brother's eyes shoot open. He had fallen asleep for a short time and unfortunately, that woke him up.

"Oh yeah, tater tots." Mark celebrated a bit.

He heard a groan from the couch as he grabbed his plate.

"You alright?" The former jock questioned.

"That pan slam woke me up," Ryan complained. He tried to get comfortable again, "why was it so loud?"

"The pan's hot." Mark told him.

Only nodding to that, the male technopath laid on his left side and attempted to fall back asleep. Meanwhile, the second oldest of the team recieved another text. It was from the same person.

Dane: Change of plans, Sean got caught for throwing that party in his dad's house two weeks ago so he's grounded. Blake has to babysit and Coby has to work.

Mark: That's ok man, I got something to handle anyway so it's all good.

Dane: I know, but I wanted to hang with all you guys again. We haven't been doing that since the Red Bloom thing. Carter's paranoid so he's not leaving the house anytime soon.

Mark: Lol well can you blame him?

The sixteen year old placed his tots on the plate.

Dane: No but still. Besides, we're about to be juniors in like half a month. We gotta get jobs and college applications all ready. I wanna hang out as much time as possible before we all go.

Mark: Aww dude, well we still have the summer.

Dane: I guess, but Jalen is gonna graduate and move pretty soon.

That almost made Mark drop a tater tot. Jalen is moving? How did he not know this?

Dane: Didn't he tell you?

Mark: ...no. U sure he's moving?

Dane: He told me three weeks ago, some trade school he applied for. He's gonna be in Tenesse.

Mark: TENNESSEE?!?!?!?!😲😲😲

Dane: Wow you really didn't know.

Mark: No dip I didn't know. Why didn't you tell me sooner?!

Dane: You didn't ask. Oh wait a second! Jay told me he didn't want you to hear about it for some reason. Still can't figure out why tho🤔.

His heart felt like it was starting to sink. Thankfully he hadn't left, but it hurt to know that one of his closest friends was going to travel far out and not even say goodbye to him. Yes he had Georgia, but she will not be around for long. Those two, if you obviously include his family and Dane, were very important to him. And it sucked that he heard this news the latest.

Dane: It'll be ok, I mean he's not leaving right away. He's taking the summer off and he'll go around October or November.

Mark watched the text pop up. He sighed. Just as he was about to shove a tot in his mouth, put on a fake smile, and send a false optimistic text, he recieved another text from someone. Swiping Dane out of the way, the star athlete read the message.

Spyder: V and the guys figured out how to fix the blood. You should come over and see.

Pulling himself out of his somber mood momentarily, the sixteen year old walked over to the wooden rack to grab his keys and coat. Looking over at the couch, he checked on his brother. Fortunately, the pilot looked pretty out of it and did not have the strength or will to move from where he was at. He did however take notice at his brother preparing to actually leave this time.

"Mech X4?" Ryan guessed.

"Yup," Mark replied as he put his hand on the doorknob, "I'll be back. Let you know if anything happens. Try to rest."

"We're on the same page for that one," Ryan agreed. He yawned a little, "get some more ginger ale while you're out?"

"Sure....if I don't drink it first," Mark joked as he opened the door, "later."

"Bye." Ryan responded.

The door shut. Lifting the pillow up a little higher, the ill child closed his eyes and let slumber suck him in. The reason why it happened so fast was because of the bug he caught and, can you guess? If you think it's a vision, then you're right on the money. It indeed was. And if he could, he would note that he had seen this vision before. Except this time however, it gave him a little more detail than his first encounter did.
  It was in the mist of a big battle. Mech X4 was outside fighting something off while Seth and Leo we're dealing with each other. The same girl had ran passed him so quickly that he couldn't tell who it was. At that moment, the male technopath had to duck so the blast from Leo's weapon didn't hit him as well. Although this was a vision, better to be safe than sorry. Common rule that should not be taken for granted.
   Running outback, the adopted kid saw not a monster attack, but a heated robot vs. robot fight. It surprised him since the monsters were usually the target. Who made the second robot? It resembled Mech X4 a lot, a little too much. You could clone the original, color it black and gray, and that's what we have here. There was no X on the front of it. Other than that, the details were pretty spot on. What confused him the most was what he saw inside.
  Able to use his powers for a short time, the actual Mech X was being piloted by none other than the technopathic guardian herself. While he would call this her boss moment, the actual controller seemed to be missing. He didn't know whether he was somewhere else or if he was held against his will. The possibilities multiplied as that became the central question. And as much as he wanted to understand what it all meant, just like the first time, the vision had vanished. It led to the freshman waking up a little, but still half asleep. Looking around, he reminded himself that he was alone. Shrugging groggily, he went back to sleep.