Work in Progress

Prologue

Cody bit his lip. Either this would go well, or it would blow up in his face. Literally. This was his one chance, to rescue the city he loved. And that damn Raven wouldn't stop him. 'Brite! Get over here' he called out.

'Sir?' 

'Turn the fans on: the laser's overheating.' 

'Right away sir, of course, sir' 

Cody was really stressed. Ever since his last base had been discovered and destroyed, they'd been working in the back of a van. Not the best place for high-tech activity. If Raven turned up now, when he was aiming the laser, that was the end of his career. He needed to do this. 'Brite, press the button marked: fire'

'Are you sure, sir?'

'Yes'

'It needs a key'

Cody slipped the key off his neck-chain, and tossed it over the pile of books on his desk, to Brite. 'Here'

'Got it. Go out the back now; it's about to heat' she shouted, over the electronic humming.

'Ok!' Cody jumped through the escape hatch on the roof, and Brite followed, into the helicopter parked next to it. 'You still have the key, Brite?'

'Oh, umm' she swore, 'dammit, I left it there!'

'Ok... RUN!' Cody jumped out again and sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him. Behind him, the van exploded in a beam of light and Cody continued running. 'YES!' he screamed; a proud inventor scream, that one would scream when the project they worked on for ages worked.

They were going to change the world. And around them, the world burned.