Xelnak Stories - by a 9th grade SpideyFan914

[spideyfan914]

Hey, all! So, looking through my old stuff, I've run across some of the stories I wrote back in 9th grade! (Wow, that was a long time ago....) I'll be the first to admit - the writing's pretty lousy, and there are a LOT of plot devices. But it's decent stuff, so I figured I'd post the two big ones I wrote, featuring a future scientist named Xelnak. He's in both of them, even though there's little connection.


THE FUTURE HURTS- This one's about a miserable kid who tries to take his own life, but in a twist of fate, he winds up twenty years in the future instead, and is forced to deal with the questions of what he truly wants for himself.

OVERLOAD- On a scientific mission to the moon, astronaut Felicia Stevens undergoes a bizarre transformation, giving her unlimited power, but when this becomes uncontrollable, something must be done to contain her.

[spideyfan914]

THE FUTURE HURTS


I couldn’t believe what was happening. It didn’t seem possible. But it was true. My own sister had a deadly disease.

At school, I was the kid who never had anyone to sit with at lunch. I was the kid who was always picked last in sports. I was the kid who everyone – and I mean everyone – even the teachers – hated.
At home, it wasn’t any better. My own parents didn’t even love me. Not even my dog would be in the same room as me.
The only person on the face of the earth who was ever nice to me was my younger sister. She was twelve years old and knew how it felt to be left out. She was like me back in elementary school. But everything changed when she got to junior high. There, she befriended another young girl and is now in the top of her school’s social classes.
But she still remembers what it was like and tries to comfort me. We play and do our homework together whenever we can. I have long suspected that maybe she doesn’t just feel pity for me, but that perhaps she actually likes me as a friend....

The disease had never even been known of before. It had never before even been named.
All that was known about the disease was that it occurred in humans and would kill them in one week. During that week, the person would grow an eerie shade of green. For this, it was named “Human Death Week”, or HDW.

My life was in shambles. The only person who ever loved me was dying. I couldn’t stand it. I wanted to help her like how she helped me, but I couldn’t.
A week after my sister was diagnosed with HDW, she died of it, and right in front of my eyes.
“Bro,” she had said, “what is happening to me?”
“You’re gonna be alright, Sis,” I had assured her, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“But Bro,” she had continued, “how will you do that?”
“I’ll find a cure,” I explained, “I’m in the middle of working on one right now.”
“But it’s been a week now. The doctor said that’s all it’s going to take.”
“What do they know? You’ll survive. I’m sure of it.”
“You sure, Bro?”
“Positive.”
“Bro....”
“Yes, Sis?”
“Thanks,” she smiled at me. And then, she died.
I never knew whether she knew it would happen at that exact moment or not, but one thing was for sure. I could no longer live with myself.

I signed up for a transatlantic boat trip. I knew what had to be done. No one would miss me. It was for the better.
One night, while on the boat, I jumped into the freezing waters. I was somewhere in the middle of the ocean. The waters were colder than I expected. But it had to be done.
I saw a huge fish swim by. It seemed to be going down. I grabbed on and the fish plunged me deep in the Atlantic Ocean. I didn’t let go. Nor did I bother holding my breath. All my instincts were screaming, “Air! Air! Get some air!” but I stuffed them in the back of my brain and began to fall into a deep sleep....

I awoke in a bright room. I looked around, but my eyes were still blurry. All I could make out was some kind of blinding light coming from something above me. I could also clearly tell that I was lying down.
“He’s alive!” someone shouted. Just then, I recounted what I had been doing and snapped into focus.
“What the -? Where am I?” I screamed, glancing about. The room looked something like a dentist’s office, only without all of the teeth models surrounding the room. This, I was grateful for; those giant teeth often freak me out, especially when they’re yellow. I don’t like thinking about the many strange little mountains growing inside my mouth.
A man in a blue lab coat walked up to me. He had black gloves and goggles. Plus, he had – were those jeans? I don’t remember what he was wearing. But it was strange. And futuristic.
His face had quite distinct features. His mouth was a light shade of yellow and his nose, although normal in shape and size, showed a silver scar running horizontally across his nose. Although his goggles blocked view of his eyes, you could tell they were scarlet red. He had no hair on top of his head, but a ponytail existed on the back of his neck.
“Greetings, frozen specimen,” he said. I stared at the man blankly. “Welcome to my dwelling.”
“Is this heaven?”
“Why, no, masculine human!” After some more staring, I asked again, “Where in the world am I?”
“You are currently in X.I.L., Xelnak’s Intellectual Laboratory,” he explained. “I, Xelnak, will pose as your host.”
“What?”
“Please,” explained the man, “allow me to show to your dormitory.” Although I had no idea what was going on, I could tell that this guy knew so much, it couldn’t even be put it into sensible terms, so I followed him. Soon, he led me to a bedroom, although it didn’t look very cozy. There were no windows, the wallpaper was white, many strange electrical devices sat on a shelf near the door, and the bed seemed to be just a piece of raw wood.
“If you feel the urge to empty your bladder, there is a lavatory across the corridor. Good night!”
Finally, I thought, two words I understand. Sighing, I fell onto my “bed”.
It broke.
So there I was, stupidly lying on the floor.

In the morning, I was greeted by a blinding light and saw the ponytail guy standing in the doorway, his hand on the light switch.
“What'd you do that for?” I yawned, still groggy.
“It is AM.”
“What time is it?”
“The witching hour.” I gaped. I didn’t know exactly when the witching hour was, but I did know it was extremely early. Finally, I got enough nerve to ask my only true question.
“What is going on?” The man looked at me, as if surprised, almost as if he thought I knew. I suddenly felt it necessary to add an essential, “In English, please.”
The man sighed. “So then, you didn’t dedicate your life to science.”
“What? Of course not!”
“My name is Xelnak,” the man finally explained. “I found you encased within solid ice in the ocean. Using the time’s advanced technology, I freed you and –“
“What in the world are you talking about?” I questioned, completely baffled.
“This,” Xelnak said, “is the future.”
My heart sunk. This was not happening. I wanted to die, not go time-traveling!
“Th-that’s impossible!” I shouted.
“Alas, it is not,” Xelnak continued, “or else you wouldn’t be here right now. At first, I thought you to be a scientist who had frozen himself. But clearly, you arrived here on pure accident without the slightest wishes of –“
“Oh man, what year is it?” I wondered.
“2026,” Xelnak declared. “You, I estimate, are from 1990, 2000, 2010, something around there. I know this by your language, clothes, attitude, and obvious lack of manners. But don’t take my word for it! I’m sure you remember which year you -”
“I was frozen for 20 years! Oh man, I cannot believe this!”
“Ah, so you’re from 2006. OK, fine. I am sorry, however, that you were frozen. You must miss your family and friends. However, we now have a device that can send someone –“
“Are you kidding me? I hate those idiots! I –“
“Now,” Xelnak yelled, “it is my turn to speak!” I shut my mouth and listened. “I can send you back to your own time period.”
“Good,” I mumbled to myself, “then I can die in peace without some loser posing as my father.”
“However,” Xelnak resumed, “I won’t.”
I looked up, shocked. “What did you say?”
“I will not let you poison another timeline.” I could only stare. Xelnak could only stare back.
Finally, the silence was broken with Xelnak, “You carry a rare disease, frozen specimen, called HDW.” I gasped. He was talking about the Human Week Disease – the one that killed my sister! “Last night, my wife came to bring you water. But when she came to me, she claimed to have a severe stomach-ache. I gave her some pills, but the condition only got worse. I did some tests and learned what she had. I also happen to know that this disease is only obtained through others. I did a few tests on myself, too, and learned that I did not have the disease. Since my wife hadn’t been out in weeks, I knew that the only possible ‘carrying case’ for HDW was you.” I could not believe what I was hearing. Did I really carry HDW? Of course not! It was preposterous!
“I have invented a device, called the Viro-Extractor, which is able to scan the world and eradicate an entire disease, but it only works if used on the source. In this case, you are the source. Although, quite unfortunately, it removes not just the disease, but the source itself as well, due to a very bothersome bug. I am sorry, frozen specimen, but today, you will die.” I wanted to smile. All I wanted was to die. But my instincts screamed otherwise. And, although I wished to ignore them, deep down, I suppose I didn’t. I wasn’t the source, after all. Right?
Yes, I wasn’t the source! I would not die the same way my sister did. I would survive.
But, Xelnak had other plans. He was already pointing some type of gun at my forehead. I guessed it was the Viro-Extractor.
Thinking fast, I ducked underneath a laser and charged at the door, kicking it open. Behind me, I could hear Xelnak screaming about how much that cost him. Down the hallway, I found a window and peered outside. We were on the third floor. Great. I ran some more and turned at the corner. Where could a staircase be?
Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a sign reading “teleportation room”. Perfect! I ran inside and froze. The room was about the size of 1000 school gymnasiums and chock-full of futuristic laser-like electrical machinery, spitting little lightning bolts at each other. How in the world did I use them?
“Ah,” said a voice behind me, “I knew you’d try the teleportation room. But I am sorry to say that this room merely transfers teleportation commands from places all over the world and sends them elsewhere. It isn’t actually my teleporter.” I spun around and saw Xelnak smirking at me, his laser-gun raised.
“Say ‘aloha’!”
Just as he shot the laser, I ducked backwards. It barely missed me and went flying into one of the lightning bolts. Xelnak’s eyes widened.
“Oh no....”
The next thing I knew, Xelnak was blindly shooting his laser-gun, and even swinging it a few times. About 100 more shots were planted in the lightning bolts.
“You idiot!” Xelnak was shouting. “That laser went so close to you, it could’ve picked up the disease itself! You just killed another innocent life!”
“What are you talking about?” I shouted, hiding behind the machinery, where he couldn’t get me. Until now, I had survived by pure luck. I didn’t know how much longer that luck would hold out. I never was the luckiest person in the world, after all.
“The laser which missed you probably caught HDW! It hit a teleporter’s wisp, meaning that whoever that person was now has HDW! You’re plaguing my people!” I rolled my eyes. Xelnak was clearly nuts; I didn’t have HDW, no matter what he said. Or did I? I never did have any proof I didn’t carry it.
What was I thinking? Of course I didn’t have HDW, or else I’d be experiencing the symptoms. Or at least, I think I would be. Suddenly, the shooting stopped.
“What am I doing?” Xelnak thought out loud. “The laser is catching more wisps. More people are dying. And it’s my fault this time. No. No! It isn’t my fault because it isn’t going to happen! You!” I greatly suspected he was referring to me. “Come. We’ll do this outside.”
“Um, no?” I curtly responded. “I’m safe in here.” Xelnak sighed.
“I’ll give you a head start,” he said, seeming frustrated. I smiled. Now that more lives were supposedly at stake, he’s more desperate. He’ll do anything to get me out in the open.
“Wait one week,” I ordered.
“Are you kidding me? That’s the amount of time it takes to die with HDW! The population will be gone by then!”
“Fine,” I declared, “then I won’t move.”
There was a moment’s pause.
“Six days,” I heard Xelnak whisper, “is all I’ll give you.”
“Thank you very much,” I replied. I had a feeling he wouldn’t wait a week. But six days was good as well. I could spend that time escaping and –
“Just so you know, the guards in this city won’t let you in or out without citizenship. You can’t leave the city.” Well, OK, six days to familiarize myself with the environment and I only need to evade for one day. Then, when no one other than his wife dies, he’ll realize I don’t have the disease.
“Deal,” I said.
“It isn’t a deal,” Xelnak explained, “it is an act of desperation.”

Unfortunately, the city was bigger than I thought. If you take the size of New York City and triple that, then you still wouldn’t even get about half the size of this place. But eventually, I managed to familiarize myself with about a quarter of the city. And my six days were up.
I hid in a corner of the large city all the way on one end. But unfortunately, Xelnak’s labs were right in the middle of the city, so I couldn’t get that far away from it. All I could do was move around and blend in with the crowd.
But this was harder than it sounds. The clothes everyone wore were so bizarre, that I stuck out more than a sore thumb. And I couldn’t just buy new clothes, either. Apparently, the government had been overthrown and now there was a new type of currency. When I tried using some dollar bills, the store clerk began screaming at me and calling me a traitor.
Eventually, I needed to steal some clothes, which I hated to do because I have a huge - and very annoying – conscience. But if I didn’t, then I would’ve been killed. And that would be bad. Right? No good would come out of it. Right?
I snapped out of it. I almost began wondering if I had the disease again. But I don’t. Xelnak is simple crazy. Right? Of course!
Suddenly, I heard a frighteningly familiar voice, “Frozen specimen! I have found you!”
My heart sunk. Why me? I thought.
But the chase inevitably began anew. Xelnak and I raced through the streets for a few hours. A number of times, I ran out of breath and couldn’t help but stop to take a break. I kept on wondering why Xelnak hadn’t shot me with his Viro-Extractor – he had plenty of opportunities.
Finally, I figured it out. There were people around! He didn’t want to endanger anyone in crossfire! And then, I got my brilliant idea. If I could just stay near people, he wouldn’t shoot!
Or at least, that’s what I thought. But night fell sooner than I expected and people went home. Slowly but surely, my shield began to fade.
“Thought you had me, didn’t you, frozen specimen?” Xelnak cried out. “Well, I’ll get you yet. Now that everyone’s gone, I can defeat you. And there is still an hour before the witching hour.”
Oh great, I thought, another hour of dodging lasers!
Almost immediately, Xelnak began rapid fire. Again, I escaped by luck, for it just happened that a hover-car flew by at that next exact moment, blocking the lasers. I used my entire lack of common sense to grab onto that hover-car.
But, my hands were growing sweaty and I slipped – sixteen – stories – high.... Thankfully, Xelnak’s labs were directly below me, and they’re apparently fifteen stories high! If this were just a story, I’d complain that that is the worst plot device ever. But instead, I’m quite grateful.
And another lame plot device, but life-saver, is the fact that there were apparently still little doors on top of buildings, so I was not stranded. Thank you, lack of technology advancement.
Inside again, I ran around, wondering for the first time how Xelnak found me earlier. But it didn’t matter. I had lost him. I was safe. And soon, he’d realize that I didn’t carry HDW. After all, I didn’t. Or did I?
I caught myself being skeptical again. I looked around. There was a room to my right. It had a bunch of dead organisms in it. I looked disgustedly at it and then turned away, to see that in the next room, a woman was lying in bed. I walked up to her to take a closer look.
She had long, blonde hair, and one of those futuristic jumpsuits which everyone wore. But there was one oddity. She had green skin. Suddenly, I realized that she had HDW, just like my sister!
“Xelnak,” she said, “is that you? Xelnak, what is happening to me?”
“You’re gonna be alright,” I falsely assured her, “I won’t let anything happen to you.” I still don’t know why I said that. She wasn’t my wife. Why did I care? It was probably just my conscience.
“But Xelnak,” she continued, “how will you do that?”
“I’ll find a cure; I’m in the middle of working on one right now.” After saying that, I became really confused. I had left my work back in the past. Why was I saying these things?
“But it’s been a week now,” the woman cried out. “You said that’s all it’s going to take.”
“What did I know back then? You’ll survive. I’m sure of it.”
“You sure, Bro?” I stared for a moment, shocked. Did she just call me Bro?
“Xelnak?” I snapped out of it. I was imagining things. But why would I imagine that?
“Xelnak, are you sure?” I answered this time.
“Positive.”
“Xelnak....”
“Yes, Sis?” Before I had time to ask myself why I called her Sis, Xelnak’s wife continued.
“Thanks,” she smiled at me. And then, she died.
But it suddenly all made sense. She reminded me of my sister. Our conversation was even almost exactly the same as my last words with my sister.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a very loud Xelnak.
“Frozen specimen!” he screamed.
“How do you keep on finding me?” Suddenly, Xelnak reached over and pulled something off my neck. It appeared to be a miniature disc with a tiny beacon on top.
“With this tracking device,” he explained.“ But anyway, it may be too late for my wife, but I will still save the countless others whom you have doomed!”
“For the last time, I do not carry HDW! I’m not even the right hue!”
“Ha!” Xelnak guffawed. “Don’t make me laugh! You don’t need to have a disease in order to carry it!”
“What did you say?” I asked, surprised by this frightening fact. If this was true, then maybe I did carry HDW! I wanted to dismiss the thought, but I couldn’t, now that my only evidence against this had been rendered irrelevant. I almost wanted Xelnak to catch me.
And that moment of doubt was all that he needed.
There was a blinding light. I couldn’t see a thing. But I could still hear. Xelnak was muttering in the background.
“Only a few minutes to spare,” he was saying, “and I finally caught this little brat.” A second or two passed. “Why isn’t this working? According to my readings, the HDW victims this frozen specimen caused a week ago are still on a borderline!” My heart sunk. He was implying that I had given others HDW, and that he had proof! But that meant that I did carry HDW – there was no doubt about it!
“What if the gun doesn’t work? No! That’s impossible! I’ve tested it on lab mice and everything! But, then again, lab mice don’t have 100% of human genes.... What if it doesn’t work on humans?” My heart sunk even lower. If this was true, then the deaths would be all my fault. If I had cooperated, Xelnak would’ve learned of his failure sooner and maybe he would have been able to fix it.
“But the Viro-Extractor doesn’t have anything to do with genes! It eliminates the viruses and bacteria causing the disease. But wait, the frozen specimen is growing green! The unfortunate side-effect is that the carrier begins to fall victim to the disease.” My heart sunk as low as it could go. I had HDW now. And the only way that’s possible is if I carried it in the first place. I was the source of HDW. And now, the world would perish.
“Say, what’s this? I never really closely examined the readings, but there’s a case of HDW in this house, but not in the room? How is that possible? Unless.... Oh my.... The next room.... The Organism Recycling Room.... One of the dead organisms carries the disease, not this frozen specimen!” I suddenly assumed that it was Xelnak’s heart’s turn to sink. My heart was busy lifting. I didn’t carry HDW after all! Thank goodness!
“Oh, no, I’ve been chasing wild geese all day! And in the meantime, countless others grew sick, and now this kid has HDW, too!” My heart sunk again. I had completely forgotten about that part.
Suddenly, the room returned to my vision.
“I am so sorry,” Xelnak was saying. “I swear, I thought you were the source! I never suspected it was one of the dead animals! But I guess it was.... And now, everything makes sense! My wife was helping me test out the Viro-Extractor earlier the day she got HDW – and I had put her in charge of putting away the dead mouse into the Organism Recycling Room!” I didn’t ask what the purpose of this was. “She must have caught the disease there! And she was also going to put away the Viro-Extractor, but must’ve gone to ORR first! Which means that the Viro-Extractor itself carried HDW! That’s how everyone else got it! And now, you do, too....”
There was a moment of silence.
“I’m so sorry, frozen specimen.”
“At least now, you can really eliminate the source. It’s right across the hall, right?”
“Right....” Xelnak responded. “Wait here.”
A minute or two later, Xelnak returned.
“It’s done. The dead mouse was hit by the Viro-Extractor, and the Viro-Extractor is in the furnace. But I was too late. It’s well past the witching hour.”
“Oh.” I was practically in tears.
“Millions have perished, and it is all because I was so quick to jump to conclusions.”
I wanted to smile. I was rid of HDW. But I couldn’t, for this was surely not a time of rejoice.
I looked down at the floor. And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw that my hand was an eerie shade of green. My eyes popped out my head. I still had HDW.
“What’s going on, Xelnak?” I screamed. “I thought you said I was rid of HDW!” Suddenly, Xelnak came to the same realization as I.
“Oh my, something must have gone wrong. Maybe it’s because the mouse was already dead? Or maybe, because the Viro-Extractor itself had HDW, it couldn’t deal with it? Or maybe, it can only eliminate the disease from the same species of the source? Or maybe....”
“Who cares? I have HDW!” I was in tears now. “What am I going to do?” Xelnak looked thoughtful. Suddenly, he threw something at me – a tiny white ball.
“Here,” he said, “die in your own time period. Maybe there, you’ll find peace in you final days.”
“What, but I came here when –“ Before I could tell Xelnak that I really didn’t want to go home, the little white ball exploded into a cloud of blackness, which quickly engulfed me and when I awoke, I was back home.
I had returned to the miserable life I thought I had left behind. But what now?

Twenty years later, two men are in a lab. One of these men had once been a victim of HDW. However, he found some sort of cure by serendipity. Unfortunately, it took him twenty years and the help of a friend to figure out what that cure was.
Now, after a number of test runs, they are done.
“It’s ready,” says his friend.
“Perfect. And tomorrow, we give it to the world.”
And on that note, Xelnak and I leave our lab.

[spideyfan914]

OVERLOAD

“Tell me things I won’t mind forgetting,” she said. “Make it useless stuff or skip it.”
“But you need to know what the mission is!” shouted the NASA commander over the radio.
“I don’t care! Just spare me worries!” Felicia replied. Her boyfriend, Tom, turned to her.
“Felicia,” he said, rolling his eyes, “gimme the receiver.” He knew this would happen. Felicia was so persistent and carefree, that it was obvious from the start she would blow the mission. Tom could never tell why she became an astronaut – it seemed like the last thing she would ever want to be.
“George?” Tom called into the radio. “It’s Tom.”
“Thank you, Tom,” George declared. “Okay, so do you remember what to do?”
“Yup. Felicia and I just have to collect a few moon rock samples so that the astronomers can study its texture and learn how much dihydrogen oxide the moon holds.”
“Please, Tom, call it water like it is!” Felicia groaned.
“We’re landing, George!”
“Okay, Tom. Remember; be back in an hour for due course back home. Over and out,” George responded as the ship landed and the door opened.
Tom and Felicia stepped onto the moon’s hard, cold surface.
“That’s one small step for woman and one giant leap for woman-kind!” Felicia joked. Tom sighed as he picked up a small pebble and put it in his pouch.
“Ha!” Felicia laughed. “A pebble? Please, Tom! Go for the big stuff! I know I’m not gonna waste my chance to play on the moon!” She lifted up a huge boulder and shoved it into her pouch. “One sixth the weight means six times the strength!”
“Felicia, we’re not playing,” Tom stated, authoritatively. “We are on a scientific mission to help colonize -”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Felicia chanted, dumping her load into the cargo and beginning anew. Tom gave a forfeitable sigh and returned to picking up moon rocks. Felicia would never understand.
Suddenly, Tom heard an intense, high-pitched scream directly into his receiver.
“Felicia!” he shouted, turning around. Felicia was lying on the ground, lifelessly. An enormous cloud of black, red, and yellow smoke subsided around her. Tom was shocked. He could not move. He knew he had to check her pulse, but how could he admit that Felicia, the girl he loved, may have disappeared so quickly?

“Tom! Come in! Tom!”
“George....” Tom’s response was weak.
“Tom, what’s wrong?” George’s loud voice boomed. “It’s been five hours now! But the computers here at NASA indicate that your rocket is still surfaced. Is everything all right, man?”
“George....” Tom still couldn’t say any more.
“Tom, I swear. If this is some joke that Felicia convinced you to –“
“Felicia!!!!!!!!!!!!” Tom bawled. George gasped.
“Man, what happened up there? What happened to Felicia? Tom? Tom?! Tom!” Finally, Tom built up his courage, walked over to Felicia’s limp body, and felt her pulse.
He jumped back. Her pulse was there, miraculously. In fact, it was just fine. If anything, it was too fine. That was what made Tom wince. His love’s pulse was as fast as the speed of light.
“Tom!!!!!!!” George screamed. Tom opened his mouth.
“George, I think you need to see for yourself....”

Several days passed. Felicia’s condition was at an extreme, but it only increased. None of the doctors could tell what was wrong with her. They felt her pulse, listened to her heart, went through millions of physicals and each time the same result was given. Her condition was inhuman.
One day, Tom was in the lobby when he saw George approaching him.
“Tom!” George shouted. “How’s Felicia doing? Is she – err – normal again?”
“No, George,” Tom explained, “it’s still increasing. This whole thing is just so weird. One minute we’re collecting rocks. The next, she’s Wonder Woman. I just don’t get it. What was that smoke? It’s all so strange!”
“According to her latest physical,” George read from a notepad, “Felicia can run as fast as light and walk – walk – as fast as sound! She is emanating a mysterious glow and bizarre humming sounds for no reasons. She could lift Mt. Everest if she tried and it would take a black hole to kill her!”
“Bullet-proof, then?”
“Bullet-proof, lightning proof, fire proof, bug bite proof, you name it!”
“Temperature?”
George shrugged. “Dunno. Thermometer broke. Shattered to pieces when it touched her.”
“Anything else?”
“Anything else??? Man, I just wanna know when the Felicia comics will be put into circulation!”
“Felicia comics? You’re kidding me!”
“Am now. Won’t be soon,” George joked. Suddenly, a hoarse scream echoed behind them throughout the hospital halls. Felicia came running towards them. She wore a burning hospital gown, emanated a blinding light, and a loud humming could be heard, getting louder by the second. Around Felicia, all mechanical and electrical devices shorted out in a burst of blue lightning, which was sucked towards her. Steaming tears ran down Felicia’s cheeks.
“Felicia,” Tom said, bravely preparing to hug her, “what’s wrong?” George stepped back in fear. As Tom attempted to hug his girlfriend, Felicia winced away.
“T-Tom,” she stammered, “Mrs. Cornfield is dead!”
Tom froze with his mouth open.
“What did you say?”
“She – she was going to take blood. Needed to feel for a vein. All she did was touch me! All she did was touch me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Xelnak was an amazing scientist. He was known as the co-developer of the Heroe pills. Along with a now-deceased friend, he created the Heroe pills to cure HDW, Human Death Week. Shortly afterwards, the other co-developer died in a car accident. But Xelnak’s zoned-out life was improved once more as the US military soon came to him. They asked him to create weapons which they could use in battle to defeat the opposing rebel forces who were attempting to overthrow the government. He immediately accepted, proud to serve his country.
Recently, Xelnak has created his best invention yet – the Metallurgic Degenerator, or the MD. It has an uncanny ability to melt any metal within a set radius. He planned to use it to melt enemy weapons. Meanwhile, the US military could enter battle with non-metal weapons and then prove victorious!
Xelnak smiled at his little invention. He was proud of himself for creating it. He began to dial the military and tell them of his grand new weapon, when a loud, warning sound flared. Xelnak spun around and stared through his goggles at the bizarre statistics on his screen. He gasped and dropped the phone. It shattered as it plummeted to the ground.

“It is decided, then,” President Blaze declared, “Miss Stevens will be placed into the Captivation Jacket ASAP. Session dismissed.” George got up and turned to Tom.
“C’mon, man,” he said, “it’s not all bad. At least now you can kiss your girlfriend without dying!”
Tom nodded. “I know, it’s just – there has to be another way!”
“Mr. McKnight!” President Blaze blazed. “Would you like it if a million others just like Mrs. Cornfield died while we search for a way to save Stevens?”
Tom did not answer. George helped him up and the two left the White House. President Blaze would surely get on their case if they stuck around. After all, it was well known that the president hated Tom, for the First Lady once had a crush on the astronaut. It was only out of rejection that she went to the future president.
Besides, it could be said that Blaze was right. After the death of Mrs. Cornfield, it was soon discovered that Felicia had become a human mass of energy. Her ever-increasing power was uncontrollable, and something had to be done before she consumed the entire world! The Captivation Jacket would merely eliminate the energy. However, an unfortunate side effect will cripple Felicia, disabling her like the famous Stephen Hawkings!
“He’s leaving, sir,” the Head of the Military, Mr. Miller, said as Tom and George walked away.
“Good,” snarled President Blaze, “that son-of-a-______ had no place here! It’s none of his business what our decision is! Who cares if he’s the girl’s boyfriend? He’s just a rotten, ____ing _____ who tried to steal my wife!”
Tom was enraged at this comment. He was, after all, still in hearing range. His nostrils flared as he made a sharp U-turn and charged back, hysterical.
“Are you sure we’re doing the right thing, Mr. President?” questioned Miller. “I mean, you know about that operation we used on the Energy Dog. It could probably work on the girl.”
“No,” Blaze snorted, “the difference here is that humans can reason. That’s why we spaced the smoke. It is true dangerous. Anyone given that much controllable power could destroy the universe!” Tom froze. He realized what Blaze meant.
There was an alternative and President Blaze chose not to take it. He simply didn’t trust Felicia!

Xelnak stared at the statistics, frightened. They were off the scale. There was only one logical explanation. Somewhere, after many years, the Earth’s gravity had pulled many metal shards into its core. Now, these shards formed an enormous clump, which was increasing the Earth’s gravity immensely and would soon cause the world to implode!
There was a way out though. It was simply crazy! If Xelnak could harness enough energy, then perhaps he could direct a signal from the MD and save the world!
But no – it was insane. And so, Xelnak figured that he might as simply enjoy his last few days alive.

When Xelnak got downstairs (his laboratory is also his home), his wife was in the kitchen, cooking dinner and watching some report on a tsunami on the news.
“What’s cooking?” he asked, smelling something good in the oven.
“I’m making meatloaf again,” Xelnak’s wife replied. “Oh, listen to this report!”
“And so, twenty million people have died from this natural -”
“There!” she shouted, angrily. “Right there! All those people have died and all that that reporter cares about is his story! How selfish!”
“Yes,” said the main newsman, ready to change the topic, “that truly is a tragedy, but -”
“But what! You don’t care about those people at all, do you, you selfish, little ________!”
“Dear!” Xelnak screamed, annoyed.
“Miss Stevens must be placed in the Captivation Jacket, created by XIL -”
“Xelnak!” cheered Xelnak’s wife, who knew that her husband ran XIL. “You saved another life!”
“The Captivation Jacket?” Xelnak inquired. “Why would a human need to wear that?”
“The President had this to say: ‘It’s not really the fault of Miss Stevens, but since she was transformed into an unlimited mass of energy, she could easily -’”
“Dear,” Xelnak told his wife, “may I be excused?”

Felicia stared into the distance. She could not move a muscle. But she did not seem to mind.
And who could blame her? After all that had happened that day, after all of the lives which had been taken, the Captivation Jacket had finally been secured upon her.
Tom stared back. Tears poured down his eyes. He still could not believe that he was looking at his girlfriend in that jacket!
Of course, it did work. Felicia’s energy overload had finally been terminated. But all energy in her body had ceased to exist. She was merely a life-size doll. She lived, but death would probably be preferred.
Tom stormed out of the room, crying.

Xelnak approached. He knew that he would have to be extremely careful. As soon as he removed the jacket, Felicia’s energy would slowly increase once more. She was truly the most dangerous weapon in the world. She was also the most incredible power source in the world.
Xelnak knew what he had to do. He had to use Felicia as the battery for the MD in order to melt the chunk of metal in the earth’s core. Only then could he save the world.
It was quite unfortunate that Felicia would die in the process, but that was the price he would have to pay in order to save the world....

Tom went for the next few days without visiting Felicia. He could not stand to see her in her current position. Plus, knowing of Blaze’s alternative only upset Tom even more.
Why couldn’t they help Felicia? Tom asked himself. Why? Why?? WHY??? “WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The janitor gave Tom a strange look, but Tom ignored him. He knew what he had to do. He had to save Felicia.
Yes, Tom thought, I’ll save her. I’ll find Blaze and force him to help me save her. I will save her. Tom jumped up and began to run outside, across town, to the hospital, and down the hall to where Felicia was. He threw open the door and froze. No matter how bad the situation had been, it had just gotten worse.

He had her. Xelnak had the girl. All that was left now was to save the world. He ran up into a large room, where he kept the MD. Xelnak would have been there sooner, but it was difficult, for if anyone caught him in the middle of a kidnapping, his entire career – and life – would be over! It was amazing how much punishment had increased over the past thirty years....
But anyway, he placed the woman on the floor and walked over to the MD. He had been working upon increasing the battery pack and had finally succeeded – now even a human could fit inside! Xelnak only wished that this was the reason he had been required to enlarge it!
“I am sorry, Miss Felicia Stevens,” Xelnak uttered in a mysterious tone, “but to save the world, you must die....” And with that, he violently shoved her body inside of the MD, ready to activate it.

Felicia was gone. Tom gaped for a long while, trying to figure out what was going on. It was then that he decided to tell someone about this frightening turn of events. He ran out of the room and to the main desk as quickly as possible.
“Felicia’s gone!” he shouted in the nurse’s face.

“- This young woman, by the name of Felicia Stevens, has been kidnapped. The kidnapper is currently unknown; however, if you have any information, then please contact us at -”
I’ll have to work quickly, Xelnak thought upon hearing the news announcement. I’m not one hundred percent sure that no one saw me, and if this is traced back to me soon, then I may not have enough time to save the world!

The phone rang. Tom answered it.
“Hello? What? Really? Are you sure? Okay, thank you.”
Tom turned to the policemen surrounding him.
“She is at XIL.”

Xelnak was running out of time. The news reporter just stated that there had been an anonymous phone call directing the kidnapping towards someone! If that anonymous phone call was honest, then the police would be at XIL any minute!
“I knew I should’ve bought the ninja costume!” Xelnak grumbled.

The police car halted at XIL, and Tom jumped out of the back seat and charged in, kicking down the door. A blonde-haired woman jerked her head towards Tom and the dozens of officers behind him.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Without bothering to first answer the woman’s question, Tom simply told her, “We are here to see your husband.”

Xelnak was hurrying. He knew that they were right downstairs! He heard them kick open the door. There was only one thing to do. Xelnak shattered some glass, with a bizarre gun inside. Xelnak was no killer, but if that’s what it came down to, he would have to become one.

Tom did not even wait for the policemen. He followed the bawling woman’s instructions without any ado! The door was locked, but that would not stop him.
“XELNAK!!!!!!!!!!!!” he screamed through the door. “HAND BACK FELICIA RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I’LL FORCE YOU TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
There was no answer. Tom tried to kick down the door again, but this time, it was much more powerful. He glanced around for something he could use. And that is when he found it.

“Please,” Xelnak whispered, “don’t come in. I must do this. And – I am not sure if I can really kill you as well!” He knew that whoever was on the other side of his door (Xelnak thought it would be a police officer, but the man sounded more like he had a personal stake in Felicia’s safety much higher than a weekly salary) could not hear him, but he didn’t care.
Xelnak held the gun up high. Upon the pulling the trigger, it would send a laser-like beam, as thin as a strand of hair, which would pierce right through any organic matter. Or, if he changed the function, it would only pierce through inorganic matter. But the gun was currently set on ending life.
There was a loud bang on the door. It was a good thing that Xelnak had improved upon it to withstand any blow! Perhaps, Xelnak wouldn’t need to kill the man after all. He sighed a sigh of relief and got ready to return to his work when Xelnak suddenly heard a crackling sound and a chill went down spine.
Xelnak spun back around to see the entire door encased his ice.
“________!” he shouted loud and clear. “I forgot about the Fire Extinguisher 2020!” The Fire Extinguisher 2020 was an extremely up-to-date fire extinguisher which would completely encase its target in ice. But, in the wrong hands, it could be used for more than just putting out fires – even cracking his unbreakable door! A man came plunging through the door, shattering into icicles on his way!
Xelnak pulled the trigger.
But before anything else could happen, the man sprayed the Fire Extinguisher 2020 again, freezing the gun before it could even begin to shoot!
Xelnak had lost. He fell to his knees, dropping the gun, which shattered to pieces.
“I’ve failed....” he said as a tear ran from his eye.
“Give it up Xelnak,” the man said, “return Felicia, and perhaps the cops will go easy on you.”
Xelnak stared at the man and suddenly recognized him. This was Thomas McBride – expert astronaut and Felicia’s fiancée! But no fiancée would stop Xelnak from saving the world!
“I am sorry, McBride,” Xelnak sneered, “but to save the world, I must!” And on that note, Xelnak pulled the switch and Felicia Stevens’s Captivation Jacket was torn off of her, revealing her ordinary clothes beneath, along with an ear-splitting scream of agony which Felicia had obviously been waiting to holler since the start of all the craziness!
“FELICIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Tom cried out, running towards the switch and preparing to undo Xelnak’s work, but the famous – soon to be infamous – scientist snatched the fallen Fire Extinguisher 2020 and froze the switch into place. When Tom grabbed it, it shattered and Felicia raged on.
“I am sorry, McBride,” Xelnak recited gloomily, “but it had to be done. The world was about to end and I had to go through with this....”
“What???” Tom shouted hysterically. “You think that’s an excuse? YOU THINK THAT’S AN EXCUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“There – there were no alternatives!”
Alternatives. Tom froze. Alternatives. The word had hit a spot inside of him. Alternatives. He had had some frightening experiences these past few days, and they each had theirs. Alternatives. Much like President Blaze’s alternatives. He didn’t have to subdue Felicia – he could’ve helped her. And I know that Xelnak had his as well. If he had to use the machine with Felicia as a battery – well, what if she could control her energy? Like that Energy Dog which I refuse to even ask about....
“Alternatives....” The screaming stopped and the door opened. Tom could hear Felicia’s breathing behind him. He turned around with tears fogging his vision. He could, however, make out Felicia through all the tears, for nothing would stop him from having his final words with her.
Felicia’s color was dulling. She was almost invisible. Her voice was but a small whisper and all forms of energy could be seen floating away from her. Her breathing was heavy and her pulse rate was slow. Tom slowly stepped over to take her out, but her entire arm crumbled at his touch.
“You’re under arrest,” said a voice which Tom recognized as the police captain’s, “for kidnapping, resisting legal action, and -” There was a short pause. “- and murder in the first degree. Your defense?”
“There was this huge chunk of metal in the earth’s core and I-I required an enormous amount of energy in order to melt it!” pleaded Xelnak. “Don’t you see? I saved the world! Sure, there were sacrifices along the way, but I did it! I saved the world!”
“Right,” the captain droned, “so you plead insanity?”
“What? No! I saved the world! Hello? I saved the world!”
“So you plead insanity.”
“But I saved the world!” Xelnak cried out as the police maintained, captured, and lead him to the door. “I saved the world!!!!!!!!!!!”
At last, Tom was alone with Felicia.
“Felicia?” he whispered.
“Tom,” she replied, weakly, “I – I’m not sure.... What if Xelnak was right?”
“Forget about him,” he scowled.
“But, if he was, then, I -”
“He’s insane, Felicia. Forget about him!”
“There’s – there’s no way of telling for sure....” She sighed. “Tom?” she asked.
“Yes, Felicia?”
“I may be dying, but at least I’ll die a hero.” And then, Felicia breathed her last breathe and crumbled into dust. Tom could only stare.

“I quit.”
Tom turned around and marched out of the room. George was waiting for him just outside.
“Are you sure you did the right thing, buddy?” George asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. I could never go back to space without thinking of Felicia.” There was a short pause. “Y’know, George, I never did want to be an astronaut. I always wanted to save lives. The only problem was that I was never so great in battle. Only intense motivation could unlock my fighting skills. So, I actually wanted to be a journalist since the age of ten and a half. That way, although I’d be more of an information guy than anything else, I’d still be helping people know the difference between what they could do and what they should do.”
“So, you wanted to help them realize their alternatives?”
“Exactly,” Tom responded. He hesitated. “My dad wouldn’t let me. He told me to dedicate my life to science, but it just didn’t feel the same. I once vowed to break away from his dreams and focus more on mine. I feel as if lately I’ve been breaking that vow.”
“So, are you gonna go after it?” George questioned. “Your dream?”
“Yup.”
There was another pause.
“Don’t worry, man,” George said, trying to consol Tom. “I know you’ve been through a lot recently, but don’t gaze too much at the past. Instead, look towards the future. That’s what she would’ve wanted you to do. I know her philosophy of ‘no worries’ seemed somewhat shallow, but it could actually be considered as something to look up to.”
“I know,” Tom replied.
“She just didn’t want to look at all the crummy things in life. And she would want you to do the same. She would want you to just move on. Okay, buddy? Akuna matata?” Tom laughed.
“Sure, man, akuna matata!” He sighed. “You’re right, George. That is what she would want. After all, if there’s one person we all know, it’s Felicia!”

It was very dark, damp, and cold. Xelnak shivered.
“Oh, you cold?” asked the guard. Xelnak glanced up, hopefully. “Oh well! But of course, perhaps I should treat you better.... I mean, you did save the world!” He thought sarcastically for a few seconds and blurted out, “Naa!” Xelnak scowled. He had heard horrible things about jail, and even worse things about asylums! He had just never thought that he would be inside of one....
And now, he was left thinking – thinking of McBride. Perhaps, he had been right.... Perhaps there were alternatives.... Xelnak bit his lips. Who was he kidding? Of course McBride was right! There were always alternatives! And for not realizing that, Xelnak would have to pay the price....