The Alpha Squad: Trust Issues

The Alpha Squad

Return Of The Dark-Rider Part 2

Trust Issues

 

Prologue

 

            

It had been a week now since the death of The Dark-Rider, and the world was at war!  Nations who had not bowed to Superior were now under attack by The Society’s forces.  The United States being one of them, its people took up in arms as their forefathers did during The Revolutionary War.  The Alpha Squad was glad that they weren’t the only ones’ in this war; this allowed them to focus on the villains they had fought in the past.  Sparks made blueprints for a building that would begin to house the villains as they were caught, he called it The Cell. 

            

However that was not the only issue going on in the ranks, for The Alpha Squad had a new member under a probationary status:  Technonia.  Though everyone had voted in that her request for asylum was accepted, not everyone was thrilled…actually make that one person.

 

Chapter One

 

            

“I don’t care if we voted for her to stay!  I don’t want her here!”  Erica screamed at the top of her lungs.  “As soon as we finish building The Cell I want her to be the first inmate!”

            

“We can’t just break our word like that Erica, besides you voted along with us to grant her asylum.”  Nicole reminded her. All the girls except Technonia were in Nicole’s room for a night of make-over and girl talk that ended up to turning into a heated discussion.

            

“That’s because I knew I’d be the only one that would vote otherwise.”  Erica explained, “With many grounds for reason.”

            

“Like what?”  Clara asked.

            

“Such as abducting Mike and torturing him!”  Erica answered violently.  “And before that leading him on to be his girlfriend! 

            

“You’re bringing up stuff we already know sis!”  Her twin sister Erin argued.

            

“Am I?  Do you know what he bequeathed to me?”  She asked them and they gave her blank looks, “His personal video logs of every case and everything he went through until the day he was taken from us!”

            

Those video logs were to be kept under lock and key!”  Nicole stood up.  “You have no right…”

            

“I have no right?  Says the girl that left him for another for another guy!” 

            

SLAP! 

            

All of the girls gasped in shock!  For Nicole had struck Erica in the face! 

            

“Do you wanna go?”  Erica asked.

            

“Holo-Dome now!”  Nicole bellowed and motioned for Erica to lead the way.  The girls followed them down the hallway and as they did so they knocked on the guys’ doors and told them to follow them down.  As they went down the steps they told the guys what had happened.

            

“Remind me never to go to any of their makeovers.”  Dan murmured to the other guys, and they snickered.

            

As soon as they got down to The Holo-Dome they activated their Bio-Suits and went inside.  “Abilities or no abilities?”  Light-Blader asked.

            

“Let’s pull no punches!”  Shieldra told her and then she blasted Light-Blader with a series of punches added with her shield abilities. 

            

“So Erica’s mad because we decided to keep Technonia around.”  John started.

            

“And then Nicole got mad because Erica admitted that Mike had bequeathed her his personal video logs.”  Dave continued.

            

“Then Erica brought up Justin, and then that’s the straw that broke the camels’ back.”  Dan finished.

            

“Well in the process we have a cat fight to watch.”  John added and then looked at his girlfriend who gave him an annoyed look, “I think I’m in the dog house boys.”

            

“This is why I don’t date co-workers.”  Dave told them as they watched.

            

Light-Blader formed a shield on her left arm and a sword in her light hand.  “You’re just mad because Mike chose me when I came into the fold and not return to you.”  She struck down with all of her might, but thanks to Shieldras’ ability to make herself completely invulnerable to attacks.

            

“You would like to think that, but Mike and I agreed to be friends!  It was his idea to allow you to become a member of The Alpha Squad because he liked you, but didn’t know how to show it at the time.”

            

“That might be true, but the thing is he was afraid of hurting you if he did date me.”  She told Shieldra, “But then he decided to go after you because he go one day without thinking about you.”

            

“How do you know that?”

            

“He told me, and he wanted to be sure my feelings wouldn’t be hurt if he asked to be with you!”

            

“What is the meaning of this?”  Jacobs’ voice bellowed throughout the dome.

            

“Oh crap…”  Shieldra uttered.

            

“I won’t ask again.”  Jacob came forward.

            

“I thought you were gone?”  Shieldra asked him.

            

“That was until I received a message from I.Q. that someone had activated The Holo-Dome without authorization.  Now I’ll ask the both of you one last time, what is the meaning of this?”

            

“Just a misunderstanding between two girls.”  Shieldra answered.

            

“Is that correct Light-Blader?”  Jacob asked her.

            

“Yes that is correct.”

            

“Is it?  Then why did the others tell me that it was over petty things such as jealousy?”

            

“It’s not just about that…”  Shieldra started to say.

            

“That is exactly what it is!  Dark-rider is gone; we are at war with the greatest of our enemies.  Samhain has the whole world going to hell, and you both are fighting over something as petty as loving the same man!  Who only God truly knows when he is coming back!  What would he think about this?”

            

“Why don’t you ask her?”  Shieldra pointed at Light-Blader, “She has all of his video personal logs.”

            

“I know…”  Jacob began to say.

            

“What do you mean you know?”  Shieldra asked in disbelief.

            

“Mike had left me a letter saying in the event of his death as it were that Light-Blader would receive all of his video logs and I was to give to her personally.”

            

“And you didn’t think that I or any of the others wouldn’t mind seeing them?”  Shieldra argued.

            

“I followed his instructions to the letter, and I don’t find any fault in what I did.  However you are the leader now, so act like one!”  Jacob got in her face, “Stop acting like a teen age girl and start acting like a woman that I know you are!  The one I raised you to be!”

            

“I’m sorry Uncle.”  Nicole said as she deactivated her Bio-Suit.

            

“I’m sorry too.”  Erica followed suit.

            

“I too am sorry girls, as of right now though it pains me you two are suspended until further notice.”   He looked upon their shocked faces, “Molder will be in charge until I lift the suspension. In the mean time you two are going to be seeing a lot of each other.”

            

“What do you mean?”  Erica asked.

            

“You’ll find out in the morning.”  Jacob told them and he turned to the others, “Is there anyone else that want to fight against another?”  The all shook their heads no.  “Good and now everyone to bed and that’s an order.”

            

The Dark-Rider looked through the well in disappointment and shook his head, “I expected more out of those two.”

            

“To whom are you referring?”  Michael asked him.

            

“My first girlfriend and my…well what would be my current girlfriend if I was with there with them.”

            

“And what do you think Jacob will do?”  Gabriel asked next.

            

“Knowing him, something that would force the two of them to work together; one way or another those two need to learn to put their personal feelings aside and to stay focused at the task at hand.”

 

Chapter 2

 

            

Shieldra and Light-Blader woke up next to one another which startled them at first.  They looked around and they both realized that they were not in either of their rooms but in the middle of a jungle.  “Let me guess, this is your Uncles’ idea?”  Light-Blader asked.

            

“So it would appear.”  Shieldra answered as she got up.  “Uncle I know that this is a simulation, so I know that you can hear me.”

            

“You are correct my niece, I told you two that you would find out this morning what was to happen.”  Jacobs’ voice rang throughout the simulated jungle.  “You two are to recover a golden artifact, there will be dangers that both of you must work together to overcome.  This simulation will not end until both of you have touched it.”

            

“How far is the artifact from here?”  Light-Blader asked.

            

“That is for you to figure out.”  Jacob answered, “Think of this as a mission that you must succeed without any help from me or the others.”

            

“Very well Uncle, we will do as you have assigned us and we will succeed.”  Shieldra vowed.

            

“Then I suggest that you get moving…now!”  Jacob told them and as soon as his voice had left, they could hear in the distance sounds of men talking in a foreign language. 

            

“I don’t need MIndra here to know that those voices mean trouble for us.”  Light-Blader mentioned.

            

“Which way should we go?”  Shieldra asked her.

            

“The direction that the voices are coming from.”  She answered.

            

“Are you kidding me?”  Shieldra asked her in disbelief, “We’ll get ambushed!”

            

“Not if we hide until after they walk by us and then continue on that way.”  Light-Blader said brightly.

            

“I have rank above you…”  Shieldra began to say, and then an arrow struck her from behind.

            

“Lethal attack!”  The Holo-Dome computer announced, “Life points have been depleted; restarting simulation.”

            

“Let me guess, if either of us ‘dies’, we have to start over.”  Light-Blader guessed.

            

“Would seem that way.”  Shieldra agreed reluctantly.  “Okay we’ll try your way and if that don’t work then we’ll try a different route.”  Light-Blader nodded and they hid in the bushes waiting for the natives to pass by.

           

 Outside of The Holo-Dome the rest of The Alpha Squad joined up with Jacob to watch the show.  “So are they working together or pulling at each other’s hair?”  Molder asked.

            

“I think after Shieldra lost all of her life points in one shot they realized that they have no choice but to work together.”  Jacob answered him.  “I trust that all of you are not planning on watching them all day?”

            

“We could use the entertainment…”  Sparks began to say, “But we do have a project to work on.”

            

“Spot Check are you ready for a mass teleportation?”  Molder asked her.

            

“I am ready when you are.”  She answered, “I’ve been practicing for the last week in there.  Now’s the best time than any.”  They held hands together and she concentrated on the site of where The Cell was to be constructed and within seconds they were there.  Spot Check fell to her knees in exhaustion.  “That was fun…”

            

“Take a break as long as you like.”  Molder told her and then turned to the others, “Let’s get to work.” Molder stretched out his hands and began forming the foundation.

 

Chapter 3

 

            

The girls had been walking in the jungle for what seemed like hours.  “How long do you think we have been in here?”  Light-Blader asked.

            

“According to my Bio-Suit we’ve been in here for three hours.”  Shieldra answered, “Were you ever this impatient when you were with Dark-Rider?”

            

“I was actually more impatient with myself actually, well before he and I started dating.” 

            

“I didn’t have that problem, I knew I wanted to be with him at the time and so I did what I did best and that was being forward.”  Shieldra explained.

            

“What is it about Mike that girls like us like him?”  Light-Blader asked her next.

            

“You know that question has never…”  Shieldra began to say and then before she could finish her she found herself in a snare and hanging above the ground.  “You did that on purpose!”

            

“Oh yeah I knew there was a snare there and let you just walked right into it.”  Light-Blader said sarcastically.

            

“Yeah you were around Dark-Rider too much.”  Shieldra told her crossing her arms.

            

“You make that sound like a bad thing.”  Light-Blader responded as she made a Light Dagger, “Now hold still.”

            

“No!  Wait!  Don’t!”  Shieldra protested and before she knew it the dagger sliced through the snare and she fell to the ground. 

            

“Are you ok?”

            

“Again I believe you are the impatient one, if you had just given me at least three seconds all I had to do was extend my shield around my ankle and would’ve landed on my own two feet.”

            

“True, but this was more fun don’t you think?”  Light-Blader asked her with a smile.

            

“You are Dark-Riders’ girlfriend that’s for sure, only he would think something like this would be funny.”  She got up and dusted herself off, “At least I didn’t waste any life points.”

            

“And we need to stop wasting time let’s get moving.”  Light-Blader than took off in a jog.

            

“Again, she’s the impatient one.”  Shieldra sighed, “Dark-Rider how you put up with her I would like to know when you get back.”

            

Unknown to the two girls that Dark-Rider was watching them from above in the well and laughing his head off!  “Oh man she is my girlfriend that is for sure.”

            

“You find this funny?”  Gabriel asked him curiously.

            

“Sorry, but I haven’t had a good laugh like that in…well since I got here.”  Dark-Rider apologized.  “But yes, I find it a bit funny.”

            

“In all our years of serving our Master and observing humans, humor is something that we have to fully understand.”  Michael informed him.

            

“Thanks for the analysis Mr. Spock.”  Dark-Rider joked.

            

“Huh?”  Michael asked.

            

“He was making a joke.”  Gabriel smiled at this angelic brother.

            

“At least he’s catching on.”  Dark-Rider pointed out, “And now to catch up to see how the others are doing on The Cell.”

 

 

Chapter 4

 

            

Spot Check was feeling better now that she had at least an hour of rest.  She offered to help where she could by teleporting to different areas of where The Cell was being built.  She found it hard to believe that not even a full month had gone by since she and others were rescued by their new friends The Alpha Squad.  She was really surprised when they had asked her if she’d wish to join them!  She used to the kid that always got picked last for a team when she was growing up.  She was also used to being an outcast, and bullied by some of the other girls she had gone to school with.  However that was also when her ability to teleport first appeared.  She was being ganged up by a group of girls that like bullying her and as they surrounded her she wished that she was in the comforts of her room.

            

But even then home wasn’t the safest place to be, her father was an alcoholic who'd beaten her since she was old enough to remember.  He was smart about though, he was a police man, the good guy, if only his fellow officers knew the truth.  When she realized that she could teleport anywhere her mind could think of as long as she had been there before she would be there instantly!  The last time her father would ever have a chance of hurting her again.  The final time that he was to hit her, she teleported to the school at her locker, grabbed her back pack that she had stashed in there was some change of clothes and then she hit the streets of Portland on her own. 

            

She had befriended a local minister at a Youth Mission for homeless teens.  He too was someone who could teleport from one place to another.  He showed her how to use abilities to help others…that was until The S.H.I.N.E. Organization took them away to a facility.  For four years she would go from one facility to another.  She had not seen Father Thomas since she had left the first facility, she didn’t know if he was alive or dead, but she knew that one way or another she would find out, and now that she was a member of The Alpha Squad, she would hope that one day together they would find him and others like them so they too would be free!

            

The Alpha Squad had finished the skeleton of the building by noon and had sat down to eat some lunch before continuing on.  “So Nightshade…”  Molder started to say.

            

“Actually Jacob thought the name Night Stalker would be a better name for me.”  He informed the others.

            

“Well then Night Stalker why don’t you tell us about yourself.”  Molder offered.

            

“Sure, I was raised in Los Angles as in the real bad part of the city.”  He started out, “My parents abandoned me at the age of five saying that they were going on an adventure and would come back for me in a few days.  They left me in front of an Orphanage which I thought at the time was a place to sleep for they had left me there before but this was the last time.  I didn’t know at the time that my parents were fugitives from the law and that the times they had dropped me off were when they were court ordered, and this final time was when they were sent to prison for life, you know the three strikes rule?”  The others nodded motioning him to continue and that they were listening.

            

“As I grew up there were several people that would come in and see us boys and take us to a good home and such.  But each foster parent that they placed me with never turned out to be a good fit for me.  They would either have too many rules or they would have very little rules which of course I would take advantage of by hanging out with friends from school.  The final foster home I found myself in was when my ability to blend in within darkened areas.  The foster parents came into my room one night and thought I had left and called the police.  When they opened the door again but this time turned the light on they say that I was there but when they turned off the lights it looked like I was gone.  The police then told them that they were going to take me to a place where I would be ‘fixed’.  What a joke!  The sad thing is that my foster dad was one of the scientists that I saw at the facility that I was being held in.  He would’ve taken me himself but he then he would have to explain to his wife what he really did for a living.”

            

“Wow talk about family secrets.”  Lie Detector said out loud.

            

“Speaking of which how about we turn to you?”  Frezor brought up.

            

“I grew up in a rich family; my father was a lawyer just like his dad and his dad before him.  My mother was a counselor at a prominent private high school.  Between the two I learned many different traits.  My mother said it was always best to be a good listener and my dad was all about the truth.  So when my ability to know when someone was telling the truth or was lying both of those traits came in handy.  But after a couple of years of using them my dad found out, and wasn’t about to have a freak lie detector in his home for he had started representing some pretty shady clients, I no longer became his son but saw me as a loose end and a liability.”

            

“How sad…”  Spot Check said quietly.

            

“Yeah the next thing I know I’m being led away by a bunch of guys in blue suits and took me to a facility.”

            

“Well I guess it’s my turn.”  Spot Check said and she told them her story.  When she was done she asked, “Do you think he might still be alive?”

            

“Let’s hope so.”  Blaze said as she walked over and gave her a hug.  “We’ll tell Jacob and ask him to look into it.”

           

“If you don’t mind I’ll hold off until Shieldra gets back to share my story.”  Bottle Rocket spoke up, “I don’t think it would be fair to her if I told you guys’ about my life without her being around.”  The others nodded in agreement.

            

“Sounds good to me.”  Molder assured him as he looked at his watch, “Time to get back to work.”

 

Chapter 5

 

            

Technonia didn’t know what to think about the last few days.  She had once been a part of The Society in their science division, had even thought that she was close to her father…that was until when he was going to kill her under Superiors’ orders!  She could not believe that her own father was willing to kill her over the fact that she was his daughter!  Yes she had been sneaky by putting in a failsafe device in her fathers’ robotic body just in case he ever did turn on her, but she had learned from the best…her father.  Whom she now had the honor of guarding in The Alpha Squads’ brig they had built until The Cell was finished. 

            

It was their way to see if they could trust her, which she understood beings that she had been their enemy for the past couple of years.  She knew that Light-Blader didn’t trust her, she was Dark-Riders’ girlfriend and when they told her that he was to be coming back it had gotten her hopes up but knew that there was no way that Dark-Rider when he did return to be with her but would instead return to Light-Blader.   Technonia knew that she had to prove to them that she was sincere in joining the good guys…but how?  She decided to go ahead and check to see what the others were doing since her father wasn’t going anywhere; since they had put him in the brig she had pulled out his power source and his brain was taken into The Med Lab to be put under life support until The Cell was finished.  She left The Security Room which showed the monitors of The Med Lab and The Brig.

            

She entered the main part of the underground headquarters and saw that Jacob was standing at the console that controlled The Holo-Dome.  She had suggested a couple of things to improve it both Jacob and Sparks said they would think about it.  She walked up to Jacob and asked, “So where are the others?”

            

“Shieldra and Light-Blader are both in The Holo-Dome and the others are out building The Cell.”  Jacob answered her and then turned to her, “And what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”  He offered her some cookies and a drink that was sitting on the small table next to him.

            

“I needed a break from The Security Room, my father won’t be going anywhere until we put in The Cell once it’s finished.”  She explained, “With his body and brain separated there is no way he can be threat.”

            

“You have a point.”  He agreed, “How would you like to help the two in there?”

            

“I don’t think they would like me interfering with whatever they are doing.”  She gave an excuse.

            

“Actually I think it would be a splendid idea being that part of the reason that they are both in there is the fact that they don’t trust you.”  Jacob began to tell her, “They both don’t trust you…”

            

“And for good reason.”

            

“That might be so, however I think if you were to go in there and help them it would show them how sincere you are to be on our side.”

            

“Well if you think it would help them to start trusting me, then I shall go in.”  She decided as she activated the new Bio-Suit that was given to her the other day.  “Actually this fits a lot better and feels a lot nicer than my old suit I made.”

            

“And it comes equipped with everything your old suit once had.”  Jacob reminded her.

            

“So if I needed to call upon some of my Techno Drones I can do so from in there?”

            

“Actually they would be simulated versions of them but yes.”

            

“Cool!  Then I’m going in.”  She held her head up high and stood in front of the door.

            

“One moment, they are just about…yep they are now starting over.”

            

“How long have they been in there?”  She asked him.

            

“Since 6am this morning.”  He answered as he looked at his watch.

            

“They’ve been in there for over six hours and they still haven’t completed their simulated mission?”

            

“Let’s just say that you’re not the only one that they are having trust issues with.”  Jacob hinted.

            

“I see; ok here goes nothing.”  She said as she entered The Holo-Dome not only to prove to the two girls that she was sincere but to show the others as well once they came back for the evening by Jacobs’ report to them.  “I will show them that I belong here!”  She declared as the door shut behind her.

 

Chapter 6

 

            

“Blast it Light-Blader!  We just needed to pick out a golden artifact and both of us to touch it but you just had to rush into it!”  Shieldra complained as the simulation restarted.

            

“Well you were too busy taking your time trying to figure out which one to grab.”  Light-Blader pointed out, “And plus how was I supposed to know that there would be booby traps!

            

“I take it Dark-Rider never had you watch any of his Indiana Jones’ movies?”  Shieldra shook her head as they began their journey once again.

            

“I watched a couple of them, but I would fall asleep in his arms.”  She smiled at the thought.

            

“I think I’m going to be sick.”  Shieldra said weakly.

            

“Fine just don’t puke on me ok?” A voice came up from behind them and they pointed their stun blasters at the person and Technonia said, “Whoa!  I come in peace…I’m on your side now remember.”

            

Both girls but their arms down and Light-Blader asked, “What are doing in here?”

            

“Allow me to explain…”  Jacobs’ voice came over the intercom once more, “I have decided that since all three of you have trust issues among each other that now all three of you shall now be a part of this simulation.  Now all three of you must touch the artifact to finish.”

            

“Okay let me get this straight, we got dragged out of our beds and put in here for a lesson on trust and now you bring her into the picture?”  Shieldra argued.

            

“Actually I volunteered.”  Technonia spoke up.

            

“Oh that’s even better.”  Shieldra threw her hands up in the air.

            

“What next?  You’re going to bring her father into the picture?”  Light-Blader asked.

            

“Hey!”  Technonia called to them to get their attention as they were about to turn away and start over again, “Now I know you two don’t like me or trust me and I don’t blame you.  But I am here because I want to prove to you and everyone else that I want to be a part of this team.  So you two can either get over it or work together with me long enough to get through this war.  And if I decide to leave you can throw a party if you want, I don’t care.”

            

“And when Dark-Rider comes back?”  Shieldra asked.

            

“I already know he’s chosen the one whom he wants to be with.”  Technonia pointed to Light-Blader, “And I respect that and will respect that when he does come back.”  There was a moment of silence, “Now shall we be on our way or are we going to stand here for the rest of our lives?”  She started out and found a snare!  “Okay that wasn’t smart on my part was it?”

           

 “Oh this is going to be fun.” Light-Blader smiled as she made a dagger.

            

“Consider this to be a part of your initiation into The Alpha Squad.”  Shieldra told Technonia as Light-Blader threw the dagger at Technonias’ ankle and as she came down…she landed on her feet.

            

“Thanks for the assist, shall we continue?”  Technonia said as she kept walking.

            

“I wonder if she’s part cat?”  Light-Blader wondered.

            

“We could always have her tested.”  Shieldra suggested.

            

“No I wouldn’t want to get trouble of testing on animals.”  Light-Blader laughed and so did Shieldra.

            

“At least they’re laughing…but too bad it’s at my expense.”  Technonia thought to herself, “I just hope that the other girls don’t think of me like they do.”  She wiped a tear from her eye and kept going.

            

On outside of the dome Jacob watched, “I have forgotten how cruel some girls can be.”  He felt sorry for Technonia…wait he felt sorry?  Yes he did, wow talk about your surprises in life.

            

Inside The Med Lab…the brain of Cykrill…began to glow.

 

Chapter 7

 

            

The exterior of The Cell was nearly complete when the others decided to take a break.  They had all been using their abilities to get it done and were exhausted.  Sparks looked at the plans that he made for The Cell to make sure that it was all coming together as he had planned and so far it had.  “The fun part is going to be the interior.”  Sparks told them.

            

“How so?”  Bottle Rocket asked.

            

“Once we get all of the cells made which shouldn’t take long…”  Sparks began to say.

            

“Wait how many cells are we talking about?”  Metallacia asked him.

            

“By my calculations at least…5,000.”  He answered and she threw an apple at him.  “Hey…you’re supposed to throw the apple core at someone not the whole apple!”  The others laughed at them which helped break up the tension of working.  “Besides I knew that we wouldn’t get it all done in one day.”

            

“Yeah because we all know Rome was built in a day.”  Spot Check spoke up.

            

“It actually took…”  Frezor began to say.

            

“No one cares!”  The others said at one time and they all busted up laughing!

            

Inside of The Big House Headquarters Cykrills’ body came out of its cell after it had broken through the barrier and before that it had remotely turned off all other security measures.  It walked towards the brain…it was calling it…wanting it to join.  The body grabbed the plastic box that had covered the brain; it took hold of the brain and placed it in designated place.  “Now to finish my mission.”  Cykrill said as he left The Med Lab and snuck up behind Jacob and knocked him out.  “I shall save you for last Jacob Cagney, so that after I kill all of the others you will have nothing to live for.”  He activated the door to open that led into The Holo-Dome.

 

Chapter 8

 

            

Dark-Rider didn’t like what he was seeing…He had just witnessed Cykrill retrieve his brain and knock out Jacob…and now he was going after the girls!  “The part of being dead I hate…not begin able to do anything!”

            

“You don’t think the three girls can beat him?”  Michael asked him.

            

“I don’t doubt their abilities but the last time we had to face him he took all of us out within seconds!  And they don’t have The Sword of Power!  That’s what stopped him the last time!”

            

“Let us look upon the well and see what happens.”  Gabriel suggested.

            

Inside The Holo-Dome a warning went off from the girls’ Changers, “Warning unauthorized entrant.”

            

“What does that mean?”  Technonia asked.

            

“It means someone is in here that shouldn't be.”  Light-Blader answered.

            

“But I told you I volunteered.”  Technonia said in her defense.

            

“I don’t think she was talking about you.”  Shieldra told her.

            

“But who else could it be?”  Light-Blader asked.

            

“Father…”  Technonia answered weakly as she pointed to her fathers’ robotic body.

            

“You let him out didn’t you?”  Shieldra asked as they began to run.

            

“How could I when I have been in here with you for the last three hours.”  Technonia once again defended herself.  Which was true, she had helped them along their way to the temple that held three different golden artifacts.  When battling the natives she called for her Techno Drones to take care of them while the girls could continue on with their mission.

            

“She’s got a point.”  Light-Blader came to Technonias’ defense.  “Besides he’s got to navigate through all this holographic jungle like we do and we know where we’re going.”

            

“There’s a problem with that, he can see through holograms like these.”  Technonia told them.

            

“Now you tell us.”  Shieldra complained as she threw up a shield to block not only arrow s filled with poison that would cause them to go back to the beginning but also the laser attacks by Cykrill. 

            

“There’s the temple!”  Light-Blader said with excitement in her voice.  They went in and there before them were three golden artifacts.

            

“We need to pick one now!”  Shieldra told them.  “Not so we can finally be done with this mission but we need fighting room.”  They looked at the three artifacts there was one that looked like Dark-Rider; the second was that of a king and other third…a unicorn!  “The unicorn!”  Shieldra told the others and they looked at one another with a big smile on each of their faces and touched it at the same time! 

            

“Simulation completed!”  I.Q. stated as everything around them turned to normal.

            

“Well now we can see him without anything in our way.”  Light-Balder said as she formed a sword in her right hand a shield in the other.

            

“Wait let me try this first.”  Technonia held up her hands and then pressed a button on her right arms’ console and activated the failsafe…but it didn’t work.  “I don’t understand!”

            

“Then allow me to explain to you my daughter before I kill you.”  Cyrkill offered, “Superior knew that you had placed a failsafe within my body.  So he had Dr. Wrong change it to where it would only be able to be used once.  Superior knew that when he sent me to kill you a few days ago that you would use it against me and that you would most likely join up with our enemies…turns out he was right.”

            

“You don’t sound surprised.”  Shieldra told him.

            

“Of course not, I taught her the meaning of survival.  This is now a mistake I shall now fix.”  Cykrill began his attack but Shieldra placed up a shield to protect them.  “Your shield will only protect you for two minutes at this intensity, and then you will die.”

            

“He’s right.”  Technonia told her.

            

“I’m opened to any ideas at the moment.”  Shieldra grunted as she struggled to keep the shield up.

            

“There’s one more failsafe.”  Technonia told them sadly.

            

“What is it?”  Light-Blader asked sensing that there was something wrong.

            

“It’s one I placed as a backup and one I hoped to never have to use…but on his back panel once it’s pierced it will send…a poison straight to the brain…and kill him.”

            

“A brain needs oxygen can’t Shieldra place a shield over his brain?”  Light-Blader wondered.

            

“The suit gives him the oxygen he needs, plus there’s an oxygen tank for those types of attacks.”  Technonia told her.

            

“Wow you thought of everything when you were fighting us huh?”  Shieldra asked her.

            

“Yes and now I’m going to have to do what needs to be done.”  Technonia said as she jumped out of the shield and Light-Blader joined her as a distraction.

            

“A suicidal attempt but acceptable.”  Cykrill told them as they began their attack.  He picked up his daughter and threw her into a nearby wall while he fought the other two.  “I shall kill my daughter last; you two are the most logical threats!”

            

“Is that so?” Light-Blader asked as she threw her sword at him purposely missing.

            

“That was futile.”  Cykrill commented.

            

“Was it?”  Light-Blader asked. 

            

“Yes, it is not…”  He began to say and then there was a sword of light shoved through his torso.  “Logical…”  He finished weakly as the poison began to fill his brain and he fell to the ground.

            

Jacob busted through the door with the rest of The Alpha Squad but saw that the battle was over.  He saw Technonia with a light sword in hand which she dropped and broke down and cried…and the two girls with her took her into their arms letting her know that she did what had to be done.

            

“Did we miss something?”  Molder asked.

            

“Yeah cause those three I would think would be at each other’s throats.”  Frezor told them.

            

“I’m pretty sure it will all be in their reports.”  Jacob told them, “But right now I think its best we leave them be.”

 

Chapter 9

 

            

Hours later after the three girls had filled out their reports on what had happened in their fight against Cykrill, Frezor came out of The Med Lab with a chip in his hand.  “This is what allowed the body to find the brain.”  He told the others as he froze the chip and shattered it.

            

“Looks like Dr. Wrongs’ handy work.”  Sparks said.

            

“My thoughts exactly.”  Frezor agreed.

            

“It’s like we’re playing a game of chess with The Society.”  Lie Detector brought up.

            

“Yeah they thought they were two steps ahead of us, but thanks to Technonia we were the ones who won the battle.”  Star Girl spoke up.

            

“What did you do to the brain?”  Molder thought to himself.

            

“Blaze is disposing of it as we speak.”  Frezor answered him.

            

In Technonias’ quarters she laid in bed crying…she had just killed her father.  Something she thought she never had to do.  There was a knock on the door, “Come in.”  She said trying to sound strong.  Nicole and Erica entered with a gift in hand.

            

“We’ve come to say that…we’re sorry.”  Nicole started to say.

            

“We were wrong not to trust you or even wanting to be friends with you.”  Erica told her.

            

“It’s ok really.” 

            

“No it’s not Debbie.”  Nicole countered.

            

“You called me by name.”  She said in surprise.

            

“Of course, cause well that’s what friends do, call each other by name.”  Erica assured her, “And we’re sorry for the names we called you earlier in the simulation.”

            

“Yeah and without you helping us, she and I might still be in there.”  Nicole said laughing and the other two girls joined in.

            

“What’s that there?”  Debbie asked them pointing at the box.

            

“This is a peace offering so to speak but also a way of saying welcome to the family.”  Nicole told her as she gave it to her.  Debbie opened it up and pulled out a golden unicorn.  “We hope you like it.”

            

“I love it!”  Debbie said with gladness in her voice.

            

“There’s one more thing in there.”  Erica told her and Debbie pulled out a necklace with a unicorn on it.  “We each now have one.”  Erica said as she and Nicole pulled theirs out to show her.

            

“Does this mean we’re Unicorn Sisters?”  Debbie asked them.

            

“Actually I like that name.”  Nicole said with a smile.

            

“Same here, so yeah!  We’re The Unicorn Sisters from here on out.”  Erica agreed and they sat on Debbie’s bed and began to have some girl talk.

            

Dark-Rider stood over them knowing that they could not see him.  “Now that’s something I never expected.”  He said, “But now that you three have made up…it’s time I pay one other person a visit.”

 

Chapter 10

 

            

In Washington D.C. Superior was sitting in his chambers, when Dr. Wrong entered.  “I have some bad news my leader.”

            

“What is it?”

            

“The chip that we had implanted in Cykrill…it’s gone offline.”  Dr. Wrong said softly.

            

“And of Cykrill?”

            

“He’s dead; the chip had sent data saying that he had been poisoned within his brain.”  Dr. Wrong gulped.

            

“It would appear we had underestimated his daughter and her brilliance.”  Superior admitted and then looked to his right and saw The Dark-Rider, “Leave me Dr. Wrong that will be all.”  Dr. Wrong bowed and left the room, “Come here to gloat have you my enemy?”

            

“Not exactly.”  Dark-Rider told him.

            

“Then why are you here?”

            

“Well hearing you admit something like you did just a moment ago…it was quite human.”  Dark-Rider joked, “Maybe you’ve been around humans too much that you’re being exposed to their cooties.”

            

“You dare insult me!”  Superior shouted and threw a cup at Dark-Rider that went right through him.

            

“Well that was pointless wasn’t it?”

            

“Hear me Dark-Rider, and hear me well!  I will destroy everything last member of your precious Alpha Squad and will even conquer this world and then heaven!”

            

“You know that has to be the most original thing I’ve heard you say…or close to it, but you sound like all those villains that I read in my comic books.”  Dark-Rider said with a smirk, “But know this and know it well, I’ll be coming back and when I do, you’ll learn that it is not just my team and other teams that you have underestimated but me!”

            

“We shall see Dark-Rider.”  Superior said quietly as Dark-Rider disappeared, “We shall see indeed.”  As spikes began to grow from his shoulders.