Heroes of the Future (Book One: The Prophecy)

Chapter Three: What Is It Gonna Take?

Oh, hey. It's Xavier again. You're still here? You really are interested in this adventure I take it. Good because it's only going to get better from here I promise. Prepare yourself, fasten your seatbelts because here we go.

So, as you already know, we were heading out to go to the town to go spread what I called the L exposure articles. The LEA for short as the group had named them as a joke on the way. Elizabeth sat in the back with us and Brayden and Josh drove. Josh yelled to Nella, Elizabeth and I to get me disguised so I wouldn't be caught as we were only ten minutes from our destination. Elizabeth opened a compartment behind her and grabbed a long robe and Nella handed me a rubber mask. I remember throwing it on and feeling how uncomfortable it actually was. The mask just stuck to my face in the sweltering heat that day. I mean, it was good I guess so people wouldn't actually see it as a mask and as my real face instead. So it was worth it, I guess. Not so much the pain afterwards though.

I heard the SUV stop abrubtly as Josh slammed the brakes. I remember Nella slapped him on the head because he had scared her and worried everyone in the back. Josh chuckled and then looked at me as I gave him a stare and he turned around with no hesitation. Elizabeth looked out the window and made sure the coast was clear before making sure I was ready to go one last time. She opened up the back of the SUV and had Nella go around to help me out. I looked around and saw that we weren't the only ones there. Of course, our plan now had a wrench in it. I signaled Nella to come over and motioned her to look. L had sent guards everywhere to find me and of course, six of them were here. I sighed and sat down frustrated. I told Elizabeth we should just go back to base but then she pointed at my commander pin. I nodded and took a deep breath. She motioned to help me up out the SUV and get me on my feet.

I sighed before I called the group to gather around. I thought of a plan right there and then. And trust me, this was good. After discussing, I motioned the group to go do their set plans to achieve this plan. Remember the flame in hand thing? Good because it gets important here. I never mentioned it earlier, but remember how Nella took me to see the friend who understood the flame? Well she did, and I learned something. And I was beginning to be able to control it now. I figured out that I could do some pretty cool things wih it too. So, of course, you know I had to use this and try it out. So, it became part of this very risky but interesting plan. What was the plan you ask? Right, I'm getting to that hold on. So, I positioned Elizabeth to go to the side across from us, way over to the left. She was about 2 miles away from us and about 3 from the guards. Brayden was about 3 miles from us and 4 from the soldiers. Josh was the closest at about 1 mile from us and about a few meters from the guards. Nella stayed with me of course to protect me at all costs. I mean I was the one they wanted so I was in danger.

Everyone had spread out and taken their positions and each had a stack of LEAs (the exposure articles remember?) and headed off. I had a few of course and Nella had a smaller stack. I had tested our communication radios and sent the code word over to make sure everyone was in place. I recieved each clear code word from the group and was ready to go. I took a deep breath and gave the group the all clear to start. We all handed out the LEAs for an hour and then checked in on each other. After that, we would hand out again. At around noon or so, we stopped to eat. That was when Josh came over the radio. He said the guards were headed his way. I acted quick and told everyone to watch their papers. I closed my eyes and inhaled. I focused and brought a silver flame into my hand. Nella kept a lookout. I was clear. I focused more and shot the silver flame upwards. Everyone was quiet. Elizabeth had asked what I did and I told the group to look at the papers now. I had changed them and disguised them. Josh clicked his radio on as the guards reached him. They asked him some questions like, has he seen me which of course, he said no. They asked him what he was handing out and he showed them the newspaper, or the LEA in disguse. They bought it. But then the unexpected happened. One of them asked to buy one. Josh was silent. Nella touched my shoulder quickly. I whispered to Josh to agree but he had to do something first. Josh told the guard yes and waited for the payment. I told Josh he needed to spin his index finger clockwise twice in the middle to permanently keep it as the newspaper. He did so and code worded when he finished. He handed the guard the newspaper and when they were out of his range I shot another silver flame upwards and changed them back.

I needed to get a new plan. Fast. I told the group to start knocking on doors. But, again to keep out of suspicion. Well, it worked. Went really well actually. We met up at around dusk and discussed. Well when we went to eat, I took my mask off at the worst time. Just as we were loading the van, I was spotted. Not by the guards, but by a loyalist to L. Just when we had finished it went wrong. I told everyone to hide their faces before they were spotted and ordered them to run to the SUV. We got in quick. I gasped then. I had to change the identification appearance on the SUV. I acted quick and disguised the SUV and made it almost impossible to see. We got out of there and headed back to base.

We made it back around nearly midnight and walked into base. It had been awfully quiet. Where was Luke? Everyone else? I was worried. Well, we did some exploring. We found everyone else. But no sign of Luke. His soldiers told us that they had been raided while we were away. I fell to the ground and punched it. I remember storming off. Luke had been taken because of me. It was my fault! I had blamed myself for his capture. I dragged him into this. I slammed myself down in my bunk which was relocated to Nella's bunk. Yes, I bunked with her now focus. I laid down and shut out the world. I had been so angry then that I hadn't heard Nella come in. She walked to her bunk and laid down next to me. I remember she had done something crazy that I never knew then and I was so angry I hadn't said anything. But, I was pretty sure she made our bunks fuse together simply by touching them. It was insane, I know, but it happened. At least I had thought? Anyways, I digress. She laid down next to me and pulled me close. She held me in her arms and comforted me the best she could. I still loved her though and she knew that. She just wanted me happy and I knew that. She sat there with me all night and comforted me. I remember she got up once and let my squad in becuase they wanted to check on me. What I didn't realize was that they each left a plan that they had come up with themselves. I hadn't seen until the next morning because Nella fell asleep with me after comforting me last night.

I had looked through all of the plans and carried them with me as I went to get coffee. Except that's not what I found. I found a note. It was from L. I snarled and threw the plans down and gathered the others. They followed me back to the kitchen as I read it. L wanted me to come in exchange for Luke. But I had to go alone. I sat down. It was over. Everything we had built. It was done for. L was gonna shut us down for good. The squad gathered around me. Nella handed me something and told me she found it laying in Luke's office looking for clues. It was a box with my name on it. I opened it and the squad watched. I gasped. Luke had made me a new pin with some sort of mechanic in the back of it. I took off the commander pin and placed this one on my outfit. The squad watched as my outfit shaped into titanium and had a cool blue pattern on the edges and was all black elsewhere. I touched the armor. It was bulletproof. How much I wasn't sure but I found out later.

I remember I gathered the group together and discussed a plan. I ended up adding Sheri to the squad. I mean, come on, she was the techie. She was gonna be a major help moving forward. So, we welcomed her to the squad and discussed. We ended up gathering all of Luke's soldiers because we would need everyone on this mission. We had to rescue Luke. He was my friend, my higher leader, a military force commander, and someone who inspired me to keep fighting this far. We had to get him. And we, well I, had to end L's reign of terror. Or at least try. But were we really ready to do that? I doubted everyone a little. Even Nella, who I loved. What would she be able to do? I didn't want her to fight. I loved her and I didn't want to lose her. But what would I do? I couldn't tell everyone that they weren't allowed to fight. They would get mad at me and who knows what would happen then. Well, I did, actually. Remember, time and space power now?

Anyways, I figured they can be some help so of course, they're my squad. I had to let them help. I was their sergeant now after all. Luke promoted me so he definitely trusted me to figure something out. Which means if he trusted me, I can believe in myself. My squad of course, relied on me too so they for sure thought I could do it. I had a meeting with everyone that night. I told them that to take on L we needed to train. A lot. And of course, we needed a game plan. And I had one. But I would have to get all of the soldiers on board for this. It could work, I remember thinking. But of course, I can't say too much now. You'll have to wait a little longer for that. Sorry, rules are rules. Even though this is my story, I can't spoil everything you know. You have to read that in order to know what happens. Like come on, I won't baby feed you everything. Like maybe, one day I won't be narrating the story anymore. Maybe L will conquer again and finally capture me. But as I said, you'll have to find out. Don't lose interest! I'm trusting that you'll read my story until the end! I have a lot of faith in you right now reader! Don't blow it.

For now reader, I must go. Nella's calling me for dinner. Yes, I'm still with her. It's been 20 years with her and I love her still. Don't forget reader, I have a lot of faith that you'll stick around when I come back! I mean it! Talk to you soon I hope!