Hunters: Parent Planning (Original Edit)
This is the fifth story, and direct sequel to "Deception". This is when I start to reveal more about the past and how the powers came about. Its not very good in terms of revealing. Most of this won't even make it in the new edit, especially them getting gear and such.
“Ace I think it’s time that we tell your parents about what we’re doing, since they happen to be part of the program.” Kevin said, looking at his friend. He and Ace had just gotten the news from the defeated Delila Delphi, the Gen4 known as Deception, that Ace’s parents were the ones responsible for creating the Gen4s. Ace had taken it to heart, but was trying to deny it all. Kevin had other ideas.
“No, I’m not talking to my parents. I don’t want to be turned in, and I certainly don’t want to be told that I can’t do this anymore.” Ace admitted, as he drove his car toward his parents. He knew in his heart that it was right to go with what his friend was saying, but the thought of his parents being the ones who created them were just unbearable.
“Look I know it’s a tough thing to understand Ace, but I think they had a purpose behind given the Company the idea for what the Gen4s turned out to be. I think if we tell them that we know and that we need their help that perhaps they’ll help us and that they’ll understand us.” Kevin told his friend. He could tell that Ace was scared, but he knew in his heart that Ace was beginning to understand.
With a deep sigh Ace turned and pulled into his parent’s driveway. “Fine. We’ll do this. But…if they start to disagree…promise me you’ll wipe their minds of the whole thing….if this is the wrong idea, then I don’t want them to know about us, about us being the Hunters.” Ace asked his friend.
Kevin smiled. “Sure. I think I can bend my rules this time.” Ace stopped the car and then the guys got out. Kevin looked at him, took a sigh, and then closed the door along with Ace. They slowly walked up to the door and entered.
“Ready?” Ace asked, as he walked through the house looking for his parents. He stopped to wait for Kevin’s answer.
“Yes, let’s do this.” Kevin replied, patting his friend on the back. They slowly entered the kitchen where his mom was cooking supper and his dad was reading a newspaper. They both looked up at Ace.
This was the first time Kevin had ever met the Micheals. He looked at Ace’s mom. She was a very beautiful woman, with dark red hair and wise brown eyes. She was as tall as him, which would explain Ace’s height. He also noticed Ace’s dad looked exactly like him, just an older and more experienced version. Except this version was slightly balding and had some gray hairs building up.
“Hey Ace. I take it this is Kevin?” Ace’s mom asked, as she stopped cooking. She walked over to Kevin and shook his hand. “Ace talks a lot about you. Seems he’s found a good friend in you.”
“Yes I have. Mom, Dad, this is Kevin Duval. Kevin, my mom and my dad.” Ace said, introducing his friend to his parents.
Kevin took Ace’s mom’s hand and kissed it. “Well it’s nice to meet the mother of my friend here.” Kevin then turned and shook Ace’s dad’s hand. “And it’s also nice to meet the father too.”
“Well he certainly has manners, maybe he can teach you a few, huh Ace?” Ace’s dad commented, looking at his son. “So what brings you two mischief makers here?”
Ace took a deep breath and patted his hands together. He was already getting nervous. “I think we need to talk Dad. And I think you both should sit, since I think this is really gonna shock you guys.”
Ace’s dad got a worried look on his face, as he looked at Kevin. “You’re not…gay are you?”
Kevin’s face turned really red, as Ace’s face whitened a bit more. “NO! That’s not it. Just hush and let me talk, for once, okay?”
“Sure son. Speak your mind.” His mom replied, sitting down next to her husband. They held hands as they eagerly awaited Ace’s news.
Ace looked deep into his parents’ eyes. He didn’t want to hurt them by what he had to say, and he didn’t know how they might react. He took another deep breath and sat down in a chair. “We know about what you did a long time ago, before we were born. We know about the project, about Project Gen. We know that you’re both part of Gen3 and that you came up with the idea for the Gene classes and for how Gen4, or us, how we were to be.” Ace admitted to his parents.
Both his parents blushed a bit and then their faces started to lose some coloring. They looked at each other and then at the boys. “So it’s that time then huh?” His mom asked, looking at Ace.
“What time?” Ace replied, surprised at their reaction.
“Time for you to be taken to the Company to be reprogrammed. I take it Stife and the others came and got you, but are giving you a chance to say goodbye?” Ace’s dad asked, looking at Kevin and Ace.
Ace looked at Kevin. “No, Dad, actually we kinda took out Stife, and the Company is sorta our enemy. We’re fighting the Company, Dad.”
“WHAT!?” Both of Ace’s parents yelled, jumping up. “You’ve got to be nuts dear. They trained most of the Gen3s and Gen2s to be assassins and killers for the government. That’s what you both are supposed to be, too. How can you be fighting them? And Stife? You took out Stife?”
Ace stood up and looked at Kevin. “Yes we took out Stife. We also know about our powers and we also know about their little plan. Unfortunately we don’t want that to happen. We’re not gonna be their little soldiers. That’s why we came here, but obviously it was a huge mistake. K…you know what to do.”
“No…don’t, and besides, it won’t work. I’m more of mentalist than Kevin is, well, atleast more experienced. Gen4s are directly more powerful than Gen3s, and even with little experience, just common sense can teach a Gen4 to beat one of us. Look that’s not what we want. Actually we’re surprised that you’re even attempting this, son.” Ace’s dad said, patting his son’s shoulder.
“Your father and I have been thinking this for a while, waiting for the day that you might be taken off by the Company. But we also figured that because of the way we raised you, that you would rise against them, that you would do what you felt was right in your heart. I think what you’re doing is exactly what we’ve always wanted you to do.” Ace’s mom admitted.
Ace was stunned. “So you actually want us to be fighting the Company?”
Ace’s father turned to Ace and held his hand on his shoulder. “Yes son we do. That’s why we gave you the Leader class genes, and unbeknownst to the Company, we kinda altered your genes a bit too, so you’re technically more powerful than what the Leader was intended to be.”
Kevin and Ace now even more stunned. “So you mean to tell us that you knew about us and you’re actually glad that we’re fighting?” Kevin asked, still shocked.
“Yes, Kevin. That’s why we moved Ace down here. We knew that we had to get him together with some of the other Gen4s, and hopefully that natural instinct of his to be the leader and to do the right thing would make him do this. Apparently it did.” Ace’s mom admitted, staring at her son.
“Then we’ll you help us out, join us maybe?” Ace asked. He looked at his parents with a grave sternness.
“No, that’s the one thing we can’t do, well join you that is. We can help you. Actually we’ve been working on a few things, because we figured you were on this path already.” Ace’s dad said. “Let me guess, you named yourselves the Hunters right?”
Ace’s jaw dropped. “How did you…”
“Know? Well quite simple. Let’s just say that we let some tiny little plans in the back of several Gen4s that we thought would be perfect for a team. You’ve found the main one we wanted, Kevin, which we knew you would, since we left plans for him to seek you out as soon as he saw you. And several of us Gen3s actually went rogue once, and before you ask, yes, we are part of that group. We called ourselves the Hunters along time ago, but we weren’t this defiant. We knew our future offspring would eventually do the job we wanted to do. And here you are, all ready to continue our dream.” Ace’s dad admitted.
“Wow.” Was all that Ace could muster out. This was even more shocking than hearing the news from Delila Delphi. He looked at Kevin and could see that smile of his. Ace threw him a dirty look, as Kevin sent one back that said ‘I told you so.’
“So how exactly do you plan on helping us?” Kevin asked.
“Come with us.” Ace’s dad ordered, getting up. He and Ace’s mom walked toward a back room that had been locked ever since they moved in. Even Ace didn’t know what was in the room. They took out a small key and unlocked the door. They slowly entered the room and the two Hunters were shocked.
Inside the room was a small lab, complete with tools and equipment. It was totally futuristic looking, but nothing Ace hadn’t already seen before.
“You built a mini-lab, like you have at the plant here in town.” Ace said, examining the room.
“Sorta, except here we can work on some of the more intrigue parts of your equipment, without the Company really messing with us about it. Come, let us give you your new eq.” Ace’s mom said, pushing her son in the room.
Kevin followed the Micheals into the room and looked around. Most of the stuff was computerized and seemed to be more involved with metallurgy and cybernetics, which was what the Micheals did for a living.
“So what do you have for us?” Ace asked, eager to see the equipment they were being offered.
Ace’s dad walked over to a small cabinet and opened the doors up. Inside were several watches all aligned in a row, a long metallic cylinder, some arm guards, and a laptop. “We haven’t completed making some of your stuff, we’ve really just begun. This is just the basic stuff, and mainly for you to use with the core Hunters group.”
“The core group? Like who?” Ace asked, checking out the watches. They were silver or platinum, as far as he could tell, and they had a lot of buttons. He took on out and looked it over. On one button was a small christmas-tree looking shape, which was done with triangles and was cut in half. On one side it was white with a black base, and the other side was black with a white base. He recognized the symbol as an old thing he used to sign his artwork with. It was his symbol.
“Well we don’t know the names really, but we know the classes. The core group includes 6 members, but we think you can deal with just 3 or 4. Of course, Ace you’re the Leader. Kevin is obviously the Operative, whom we wanted to be in the group due to his power and skill, and apparently you also got some added bonuses in brain power and common sense. Let’s see, we thought you might want the Martial Artist, the Weapon Master, the Gunner or Sniper, whatever we called him, and the Grunt. These are the few classes that got a mixture of powers, instead of just being specific in one area.” Ace’s mom explained. “See we’ve only added Ace’s symbol because we knew who he was. When you find the rest of them, then we shall name then and give them symbols.” She added, pointing the symbol out on the watch.
“So what’s with the gear?” Kevin asked, checking out the cylinder. He pulled it from the cabinet. “This kinda reminds me of that Sith LightSaber I bought when he fought Stife.”
Ace’s dad looked at Kevin and then at the cylinder. “Well you’re somewhat close. That’s supposed to be a collapsible metallic staff, for the Weapon Master. There’s a button in the middle, along the edge, that once pushed, will extend the ends out. Then it’s a staff and it’s very durable. It’s made from titanium, mixed with a little aluminum, to make it light weight yet strong. But since we don’t have the Weapon Master, I guess you could use it.”
Kevin smiled. “Thanks. I’m sure I could use it, since I like having a staff around me. Call it some weird instinct.” He stepped back a few feet and then held it out. He slowly pushed the button. Suddenly the ends jolted out and the stick had now extended into a 7 foot staff. “Sweeet!”
“So what do I get as a weapon?” Ace asked, looking around the lab.
“Son, um…you are your weapon. Remember?” Ace’s dad asked, looking at his son. “You do have claws right?”
Ace raised his fist up and extended his claws. “Yes I do. But I don’t like to use them, since I could possibly kill with them.”
“We understand that son, but sometimes you have to use them. But use other things Ace. You have the gift of making yourself stronger and faster. Learn martial arts. Learn to fight. Use things around you. Do what you feel is the right way to fight son.” Ace’s mom replied, hugging her son. “We’re so proud of you right now, for admitting this to us.”
Ace got a tear in his eye. “Really?”
“Yes, we are. What, you thought we were gonna turn you in or something?” She asked, wiping Ace’s tear away.
“Well sorta. We didn’t know how you might react. We thought you might turn us in, or perhaps you might tell us that we can’t fight anymore. But we never thought you had this all planned, even before we got together.” Ace admitted, hugging his mom back.
“We knew that this day would come son, that you might be the one who would stop the Company. It just worked out fine.” She told him, just holding on.
“Thanks mom. And I hope we don’t let you two down or anyone else that’s depending on us.” Ace told his parents.
“Ah, I like this.” Kevin commented, hugging the Micheals. “So let’s say we take this gear and start looking for our friends, our Hunters Ace?”
Ace looked at his goatee-d friend. “Let’s do this. It’s time we make our team. And I think I know the perfect person who might just be the Martial Artist.”
“Katlin Orchid.” Kevin added to his friend’s thought. “That’s three of us.”
“And just the right amount to truly start fighting the Company. But just don’t stop there. Recruit whoever you can. Don’t fear letting them join you, but make sure you trust them. You never know who’s working for who, and you never want to have someone who’s an enemy working side-by-side with you.” Ace’s dad suggested to them. He gave his son and Kevin a pat on the back.
Kevin stepped back a bit and walked back over to the cabinet. “What about the laptop in here?”
Ace’s dad walked over to Kevin. “We’re almost done with it. It’s supposed to be a very powerful computer, probably a few years ahead of the current market on computers. It’s got most of the Company’s top equipment in it, but we’re trying to make sure that they can’t track you with it. And we’re also trying to add more and more stuff, like their documents and files to the database in it. We’re also working on hookups, like one for a server and a PC here, that way you can store information here and not have to carry it all on there. Why don’t we keep it for a while, since it’s not done, but when it is done, we’ll give it to you. Ace isn’t much into computers.”
“Thanks Dad.” Ace moaned to his dad. He picked up a watch and put it on. “Well I’m taking a watch. Why don’t you take one too, Kevin?”
“Sure. By the way, what do they do?” Kevin asked, slipping a watch on.
“Ace, keep him okay?” Ace’s mom told her son, patting him on the head. “Kevin, you’re obviously the brains. Okay, what you’re wearing is a small digital communicator. It’s got 8 channels on it, so up to 8 people can talk on it. The receiver is at the top and the speakers are on the bottom and on the sides, and the volume can be set on both. It does the standard watch things, like keep time, but it also gives you a geo-location, acts as a compass, carries up to 25 separate phone numbers, and can act as a magnetic override for most electronic locks. Very convenient, light weight, and its virtually indestructible. Go ahead and take them. And when you get symbols for the team, then we’ll add them on to the watches.”
Kevin was tinkering with his watch. “This is cool.”
“Hell yeah.” Ace agreed, switching to the different modes on the watch. “Wow this is almost better than Christmas.”
“Well...you never know Ace.” Ace’s mom joked, patting her son.
Ace rolled his eyes and then laughed with his mom. “Thanks. So you’ll help us I take it?”
“Yes we will, you’re our son Ace. We’re behind you and we’ll continue to be behind you. You can use whatever you need from the house and you can even fix up your car, since you’re now officially in the superhero business.” Ace’s dad answered, looking at his son.
“Wow...thanks...again...” Ace replied, looking at Kevin. Kevin smiled, and Ace slowly walked out of the room. “I’m going to the garage.”
Ace sat in the garage staring at his car. The backend had been burnt by someone named Napalm that he fought while under Deception’s control. He looked at his car and then his thoughts turned back to Deception.
Delila...why...why do I have to fall for the bad ones....she was so hot too...and she liked me... He thought to himself, a silent tear running down his face. He wiped the tear away and just stared at the car.
His parents had allowed him to work on it in the garage with things from the labs, and Kevin was gonna install a place in the dash board for the laptop they had given him. Ace just stared at the car.
“Cheer up Ace.” Kevin said, coming into the garage. He sat down next to Ace and handed him a Dr. Pepper. “Look, maybe someday she’ll come back to you. But I think now she’s gotta go and face the Company. Right now though, we need to fix the Monster. C’mon.”
Kevin jumped down and walked over to the car. He flicked a bunch of the burnt paint off and looked at Ace. “Well I think we can just repaint her, but I think your dad had a good idea for it.”
“What’s that?” Ace asked, getting down. He stepped next to Kevin.
“We’re replacing the outer shell with a new aluminum and titanium mix. She’ll survive just about any attack. And besides that, I’m gonna work on her while you’re at school, trying to replace the inner shell as well. I might even tweak the engine, since I know you like to speed son.” Ace’s dad explained. “But for now, you’re gonna have to walk. I’m starting to work on her new engine parts and she’s just not gonna be moving for a while. Can you handle that?”
Ace was a bit stunned. “Sure, I can deal with that.” Ace then left the garage, still just a bit stunned. He walked into his bedroom and closed the door.
Kevin slowly followed him and entered. “Dude, you okay?”
Ace rolled over on his bed. “No, I’m not. My parents are overwhelming me. I feel like I’m a little kid again.”
Kevin sat on the bed. “They’re excited Ace. Give them time to get adjusted to what you do. I’m sure my parents might act this way, except they just worked on computers. They weren’t as useful as your parents were. Just accept their help Ace, it’s what they want to do.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right.” Kevin said, sarcastically. Ace smacked in the head with a pillow.
Ace smiled at Kevin, and now he knew he made the right decision talking to his parents. Now he had truly found his the path to destiny. He was the leader, the leader of the Hunters. His best friend and his female friend were Hunters along with some people who would eventually meet later on in life. He could just feel destiny cheering for him. For once in Ace’s life, he was truly happy and ready to move on and become this person his parents had planned on him to become
“Ace I think it’s time that we tell your parents about what we’re doing, since they happen to be part of the program.” Kevin said, looking at his friend. He and Ace had just gotten the news from the defeated Delila Delphi, the Gen4 known as Deception, that Ace’s parents were the ones responsible for creating the Gen4s. Ace had taken it to heart, but was trying to deny it all. Kevin had other ideas.
“No, I’m not talking to my parents. I don’t want to be turned in, and I certainly don’t want to be told that I can’t do this anymore.” Ace admitted, as he drove his car toward his parents. He knew in his heart that it was right to go with what his friend was saying, but the thought of his parents being the ones who created them were just unbearable.
“Look I know it’s a tough thing to understand Ace, but I think they had a purpose behind given the Company the idea for what the Gen4s turned out to be. I think if we tell them that we know and that we need their help that perhaps they’ll help us and that they’ll understand us.” Kevin told his friend. He could tell that Ace was scared, but he knew in his heart that Ace was beginning to understand.
With a deep sigh Ace turned and pulled into his parent’s driveway. “Fine. We’ll do this. But…if they start to disagree…promise me you’ll wipe their minds of the whole thing….if this is the wrong idea, then I don’t want them to know about us, about us being the Hunters.” Ace asked his friend.
Kevin smiled. “Sure. I think I can bend my rules this time.” Ace stopped the car and then the guys got out. Kevin looked at him, took a sigh, and then closed the door along with Ace. They slowly walked up to the door and entered.
“Ready?” Ace asked, as he walked through the house looking for his parents. He stopped to wait for Kevin’s answer.
“Yes, let’s do this.” Kevin replied, patting his friend on the back. They slowly entered the kitchen where his mom was cooking supper and his dad was reading a newspaper. They both looked up at Ace.
This was the first time Kevin had ever met the Micheals. He looked at Ace’s mom. She was a very beautiful woman, with dark red hair and wise brown eyes. She was as tall as him, which would explain Ace’s height. He also noticed Ace’s dad looked exactly like him, just an older and more experienced version. Except this version was slightly balding and had some gray hairs building up.
“Hey Ace. I take it this is Kevin?” Ace’s mom asked, as she stopped cooking. She walked over to Kevin and shook his hand. “Ace talks a lot about you. Seems he’s found a good friend in you.”
“Yes I have. Mom, Dad, this is Kevin Duval. Kevin, my mom and my dad.” Ace said, introducing his friend to his parents.
Kevin took Ace’s mom’s hand and kissed it. “Well it’s nice to meet the mother of my friend here.” Kevin then turned and shook Ace’s dad’s hand. “And it’s also nice to meet the father too.”
“Well he certainly has manners, maybe he can teach you a few, huh Ace?” Ace’s dad commented, looking at his son. “So what brings you two mischief makers here?”
Ace took a deep breath and patted his hands together. He was already getting nervous. “I think we need to talk Dad. And I think you both should sit, since I think this is really gonna shock you guys.”
Ace’s dad got a worried look on his face, as he looked at Kevin. “You’re not…gay are you?”
Kevin’s face turned really red, as Ace’s face whitened a bit more. “NO! That’s not it. Just hush and let me talk, for once, okay?”
“Sure son. Speak your mind.” His mom replied, sitting down next to her husband. They held hands as they eagerly awaited Ace’s news.
Ace looked deep into his parents’ eyes. He didn’t want to hurt them by what he had to say, and he didn’t know how they might react. He took another deep breath and sat down in a chair. “We know about what you did a long time ago, before we were born. We know about the project, about Project Gen. We know that you’re both part of Gen3 and that you came up with the idea for the Gene classes and for how Gen4, or us, how we were to be.” Ace admitted to his parents.
Both his parents blushed a bit and then their faces started to lose some coloring. They looked at each other and then at the boys. “So it’s that time then huh?” His mom asked, looking at Ace.
“What time?” Ace replied, surprised at their reaction.
“Time for you to be taken to the Company to be reprogrammed. I take it Stife and the others came and got you, but are giving you a chance to say goodbye?” Ace’s dad asked, looking at Kevin and Ace.
Ace looked at Kevin. “No, Dad, actually we kinda took out Stife, and the Company is sorta our enemy. We’re fighting the Company, Dad.”
“WHAT!?” Both of Ace’s parents yelled, jumping up. “You’ve got to be nuts dear. They trained most of the Gen3s and Gen2s to be assassins and killers for the government. That’s what you both are supposed to be, too. How can you be fighting them? And Stife? You took out Stife?”
Ace stood up and looked at Kevin. “Yes we took out Stife. We also know about our powers and we also know about their little plan. Unfortunately we don’t want that to happen. We’re not gonna be their little soldiers. That’s why we came here, but obviously it was a huge mistake. K…you know what to do.”
“No…don’t, and besides, it won’t work. I’m more of mentalist than Kevin is, well, atleast more experienced. Gen4s are directly more powerful than Gen3s, and even with little experience, just common sense can teach a Gen4 to beat one of us. Look that’s not what we want. Actually we’re surprised that you’re even attempting this, son.” Ace’s dad said, patting his son’s shoulder.
“Your father and I have been thinking this for a while, waiting for the day that you might be taken off by the Company. But we also figured that because of the way we raised you, that you would rise against them, that you would do what you felt was right in your heart. I think what you’re doing is exactly what we’ve always wanted you to do.” Ace’s mom admitted.
Ace was stunned. “So you actually want us to be fighting the Company?”
Ace’s father turned to Ace and held his hand on his shoulder. “Yes son we do. That’s why we gave you the Leader class genes, and unbeknownst to the Company, we kinda altered your genes a bit too, so you’re technically more powerful than what the Leader was intended to be.”
Kevin and Ace now even more stunned. “So you mean to tell us that you knew about us and you’re actually glad that we’re fighting?” Kevin asked, still shocked.
“Yes, Kevin. That’s why we moved Ace down here. We knew that we had to get him together with some of the other Gen4s, and hopefully that natural instinct of his to be the leader and to do the right thing would make him do this. Apparently it did.” Ace’s mom admitted, staring at her son.
“Then we’ll you help us out, join us maybe?” Ace asked. He looked at his parents with a grave sternness.
“No, that’s the one thing we can’t do, well join you that is. We can help you. Actually we’ve been working on a few things, because we figured you were on this path already.” Ace’s dad said. “Let me guess, you named yourselves the Hunters right?”
Ace’s jaw dropped. “How did you…”
“Know? Well quite simple. Let’s just say that we let some tiny little plans in the back of several Gen4s that we thought would be perfect for a team. You’ve found the main one we wanted, Kevin, which we knew you would, since we left plans for him to seek you out as soon as he saw you. And several of us Gen3s actually went rogue once, and before you ask, yes, we are part of that group. We called ourselves the Hunters along time ago, but we weren’t this defiant. We knew our future offspring would eventually do the job we wanted to do. And here you are, all ready to continue our dream.” Ace’s dad admitted.
“Wow.” Was all that Ace could muster out. This was even more shocking than hearing the news from Delila Delphi. He looked at Kevin and could see that smile of his. Ace threw him a dirty look, as Kevin sent one back that said ‘I told you so.’
“So how exactly do you plan on helping us?” Kevin asked.
“Come with us.” Ace’s dad ordered, getting up. He and Ace’s mom walked toward a back room that had been locked ever since they moved in. Even Ace didn’t know what was in the room. They took out a small key and unlocked the door. They slowly entered the room and the two Hunters were shocked.
Inside the room was a small lab, complete with tools and equipment. It was totally futuristic looking, but nothing Ace hadn’t already seen before.
“You built a mini-lab, like you have at the plant here in town.” Ace said, examining the room.
“Sorta, except here we can work on some of the more intrigue parts of your equipment, without the Company really messing with us about it. Come, let us give you your new eq.” Ace’s mom said, pushing her son in the room.
Kevin followed the Micheals into the room and looked around. Most of the stuff was computerized and seemed to be more involved with metallurgy and cybernetics, which was what the Micheals did for a living.
“So what do you have for us?” Ace asked, eager to see the equipment they were being offered.
Ace’s dad walked over to a small cabinet and opened the doors up. Inside were several watches all aligned in a row, a long metallic cylinder, some arm guards, and a laptop. “We haven’t completed making some of your stuff, we’ve really just begun. This is just the basic stuff, and mainly for you to use with the core Hunters group.”
“The core group? Like who?” Ace asked, checking out the watches. They were silver or platinum, as far as he could tell, and they had a lot of buttons. He took on out and looked it over. On one button was a small christmas-tree looking shape, which was done with triangles and was cut in half. On one side it was white with a black base, and the other side was black with a white base. He recognized the symbol as an old thing he used to sign his artwork with. It was his symbol.
“Well we don’t know the names really, but we know the classes. The core group includes 6 members, but we think you can deal with just 3 or 4. Of course, Ace you’re the Leader. Kevin is obviously the Operative, whom we wanted to be in the group due to his power and skill, and apparently you also got some added bonuses in brain power and common sense. Let’s see, we thought you might want the Martial Artist, the Weapon Master, the Gunner or Sniper, whatever we called him, and the Grunt. These are the few classes that got a mixture of powers, instead of just being specific in one area.” Ace’s mom explained. “See we’ve only added Ace’s symbol because we knew who he was. When you find the rest of them, then we shall name then and give them symbols.” She added, pointing the symbol out on the watch.
“So what’s with the gear?” Kevin asked, checking out the cylinder. He pulled it from the cabinet. “This kinda reminds me of that Sith LightSaber I bought when he fought Stife.”
Ace’s dad looked at Kevin and then at the cylinder. “Well you’re somewhat close. That’s supposed to be a collapsible metallic staff, for the Weapon Master. There’s a button in the middle, along the edge, that once pushed, will extend the ends out. Then it’s a staff and it’s very durable. It’s made from titanium, mixed with a little aluminum, to make it light weight yet strong. But since we don’t have the Weapon Master, I guess you could use it.”
Kevin smiled. “Thanks. I’m sure I could use it, since I like having a staff around me. Call it some weird instinct.” He stepped back a few feet and then held it out. He slowly pushed the button. Suddenly the ends jolted out and the stick had now extended into a 7 foot staff. “Sweeet!”
“So what do I get as a weapon?” Ace asked, looking around the lab.
“Son, um…you are your weapon. Remember?” Ace’s dad asked, looking at his son. “You do have claws right?”
Ace raised his fist up and extended his claws. “Yes I do. But I don’t like to use them, since I could possibly kill with them.”
“We understand that son, but sometimes you have to use them. But use other things Ace. You have the gift of making yourself stronger and faster. Learn martial arts. Learn to fight. Use things around you. Do what you feel is the right way to fight son.” Ace’s mom replied, hugging her son. “We’re so proud of you right now, for admitting this to us.”
Ace got a tear in his eye. “Really?”
“Yes, we are. What, you thought we were gonna turn you in or something?” She asked, wiping Ace’s tear away.
“Well sorta. We didn’t know how you might react. We thought you might turn us in, or perhaps you might tell us that we can’t fight anymore. But we never thought you had this all planned, even before we got together.” Ace admitted, hugging his mom back.
“We knew that this day would come son, that you might be the one who would stop the Company. It just worked out fine.” She told him, just holding on.
“Thanks mom. And I hope we don’t let you two down or anyone else that’s depending on us.” Ace told his parents.
“Ah, I like this.” Kevin commented, hugging the Micheals. “So let’s say we take this gear and start looking for our friends, our Hunters Ace?”
Ace looked at his goatee-d friend. “Let’s do this. It’s time we make our team. And I think I know the perfect person who might just be the Martial Artist.”
“Katlin Orchid.” Kevin added to his friend’s thought. “That’s three of us.”
“And just the right amount to truly start fighting the Company. But just don’t stop there. Recruit whoever you can. Don’t fear letting them join you, but make sure you trust them. You never know who’s working for who, and you never want to have someone who’s an enemy working side-by-side with you.” Ace’s dad suggested to them. He gave his son and Kevin a pat on the back.
Kevin stepped back a bit and walked back over to the cabinet. “What about the laptop in here?”
Ace’s dad walked over to Kevin. “We’re almost done with it. It’s supposed to be a very powerful computer, probably a few years ahead of the current market on computers. It’s got most of the Company’s top equipment in it, but we’re trying to make sure that they can’t track you with it. And we’re also trying to add more and more stuff, like their documents and files to the database in it. We’re also working on hookups, like one for a server and a PC here, that way you can store information here and not have to carry it all on there. Why don’t we keep it for a while, since it’s not done, but when it is done, we’ll give it to you. Ace isn’t much into computers.”
“Thanks Dad.” Ace moaned to his dad. He picked up a watch and put it on. “Well I’m taking a watch. Why don’t you take one too, Kevin?”
“Sure. By the way, what do they do?” Kevin asked, slipping a watch on.
“Ace, keep him okay?” Ace’s mom told her son, patting him on the head. “Kevin, you’re obviously the brains. Okay, what you’re wearing is a small digital communicator. It’s got 8 channels on it, so up to 8 people can talk on it. The receiver is at the top and the speakers are on the bottom and on the sides, and the volume can be set on both. It does the standard watch things, like keep time, but it also gives you a geo-location, acts as a compass, carries up to 25 separate phone numbers, and can act as a magnetic override for most electronic locks. Very convenient, light weight, and its virtually indestructible. Go ahead and take them. And when you get symbols for the team, then we’ll add them on to the watches.”
Kevin was tinkering with his watch. “This is cool.”
“Hell yeah.” Ace agreed, switching to the different modes on the watch. “Wow this is almost better than Christmas.”
“Well...you never know Ace.” Ace’s mom joked, patting her son.
Ace rolled his eyes and then laughed with his mom. “Thanks. So you’ll help us I take it?”
“Yes we will, you’re our son Ace. We’re behind you and we’ll continue to be behind you. You can use whatever you need from the house and you can even fix up your car, since you’re now officially in the superhero business.” Ace’s dad answered, looking at his son.
“Wow...thanks...again...” Ace replied, looking at Kevin. Kevin smiled, and Ace slowly walked out of the room. “I’m going to the garage.”
Ace sat in the garage staring at his car. The backend had been burnt by someone named Napalm that he fought while under Deception’s control. He looked at his car and then his thoughts turned back to Deception.
Delila...why...why do I have to fall for the bad ones....she was so hot too...and she liked me... He thought to himself, a silent tear running down his face. He wiped the tear away and just stared at the car.
His parents had allowed him to work on it in the garage with things from the labs, and Kevin was gonna install a place in the dash board for the laptop they had given him. Ace just stared at the car.
“Cheer up Ace.” Kevin said, coming into the garage. He sat down next to Ace and handed him a Dr. Pepper. “Look, maybe someday she’ll come back to you. But I think now she’s gotta go and face the Company. Right now though, we need to fix the Monster. C’mon.”
Kevin jumped down and walked over to the car. He flicked a bunch of the burnt paint off and looked at Ace. “Well I think we can just repaint her, but I think your dad had a good idea for it.”
“What’s that?” Ace asked, getting down. He stepped next to Kevin.
“We’re replacing the outer shell with a new aluminum and titanium mix. She’ll survive just about any attack. And besides that, I’m gonna work on her while you’re at school, trying to replace the inner shell as well. I might even tweak the engine, since I know you like to speed son.” Ace’s dad explained. “But for now, you’re gonna have to walk. I’m starting to work on her new engine parts and she’s just not gonna be moving for a while. Can you handle that?”
Ace was a bit stunned. “Sure, I can deal with that.” Ace then left the garage, still just a bit stunned. He walked into his bedroom and closed the door.
Kevin slowly followed him and entered. “Dude, you okay?”
Ace rolled over on his bed. “No, I’m not. My parents are overwhelming me. I feel like I’m a little kid again.”
Kevin sat on the bed. “They’re excited Ace. Give them time to get adjusted to what you do. I’m sure my parents might act this way, except they just worked on computers. They weren’t as useful as your parents were. Just accept their help Ace, it’s what they want to do.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right.” Kevin said, sarcastically. Ace smacked in the head with a pillow.
Ace smiled at Kevin, and now he knew he made the right decision talking to his parents. Now he had truly found his the path to destiny. He was the leader, the leader of the Hunters. His best friend and his female friend were Hunters along with some people who would eventually meet later on in life. He could just feel destiny cheering for him. For once in Ace’s life, he was truly happy and ready to move on and become this person his parents had planned on him to become