“Hey guys!” Jin said loudly, cheerful and excited. “Ready for some real training?” He placed the bag he was carrying on the floor. “It's been awhile since I trained against other Exterminators.” He began stretching out.
“Hi, my name is Emily.” The girl waved to the boys. “I'm Jin's girlfriend, as he proudly announced,” she said sarcastically. “I'll be the other person you'll face today in this training exercise.” She also began to warm up.
“Okay, I have two questions,” Marshall spoke up.
“Of course you do. Go on.” Carl said, the other boys laughed.
“One, what type of training? Why are we facing each other? I thought we hunt monsters. Now we hunt each other? Also, my other question relates to Emily. Why don't we have a chick on our team?” This was a legitimate question only in Marshall's mind.
“Once the training is over today I'll discuss some things I chose to withdraw from conversations up until now. I'll tell you more about the Summoners.” The boys were intrigued by the title alone. “We'll discuss that once you complete the training. Now-” Carl began walking away. “-good luck. Jin and Emily do not hold back.”
“Never plan to.” Jin grabbed two rods. He created an elemental glove with one, slammed the other rod into his leg, creating the same Zoran attachment that Fred was so used to creating. Emily smiled and formed an elemental blaster. Her whole left arm became a vacuum looking blaster. The tip of it had four claw-like metal pieces closing the opening hole. The weapon's rugged, rocky-looking body was intimidating. “We strongly recommend you moving,” said Jin, grinning.
The boys departed, charging four different directions, trying to use the advantage of having more bodies on their team. Jin dashed towards Fred, knowing what weapon he'd go for. Fred was half-way towards his leg with his Rod before Jin was upon him. Before he could reach his leg Jin grabbed him by the shirt and swung him over as if he was a sack of potatoes. Fred came flying down on his back with a loud crunch, and he was out.
Emily's elemental blaster had opened up. The claws on the tip drew back and a blue light began to form inside the vacuum hole. Peter reacted to this by creating his elemental gloves. They formed in a moment, and he was already creating a fire-like energy ball. Nick also was now darting towards Emily from behind. He formed a pole-arm in seconds, not creating a spear, afraid of hurting anyone with the tip. As he was only few feet away from his target, Emily turned and raised the gun just to the side of him. A quick blue lighting ball flew out of her blaster, slamming into the floor of the gym. It shattered into a big force wave, knocking Nick back a few yards, slamming his legs and arms down in a horrible crash before finally rolling him over.
Peter took the moment of fighting as an opportunity. He threw the ball like a baseball. It was heading straight for her. “Let's see you counter that,” he thought as it was only mere feet away. With the Zoran weapon, Jin was already behind her. He grabbed the ball of fire, squashed it, and it absorbed into the glove. “Thanks,” Jin said, then formed his own ball and threw it. It landed only feet away from Peter. Peter knew what was coming next, he covered his face. An explosion went off and Peter flew to the side, smashing down harshly.
“Thanks, dear,” Emily said smiling.
“You got it, babe,” he responded.
Marshall came from the side. Both turned just in time. Marshall threw his fist forward, ready to make contact with Jin. Jin put his hand up and a blue bubble-type force field magically appeared. Marshall's fist made an indent on the invisible looking wall, but it couldn't reach close enough to Jin's face. Jin smiled and then clapped his hand. The pressure of the bubble wall blew, and Marshall was swung backwards.
All four boys laid on the floor, feeling defeated. All their training seemed to have gone to waste against the two experienced Exterminators. Jin gave his lover a quick kiss, both stating how good of a job they did. The boys moaned and groaned, trying to regain their footing.
“Better than expected. Two areas of attack, they both almost landed. It's too bad Jin is so well trained. Another Exterminator would have been in trouble.” Carl slowly walked around the back end of the gym, studying the fight. He was looking for opportunities to improve his unit. Soon he'd be taking them one on one, training them to keep up their advantages in fights. Their teamwork was better than most in such a short time, but not nearly perfect. Not yet. “Okay boys, get up. You can't be beaten so quickly.”
Nick was the first up. He wiped his face, feeling his side - hot from the attack of the blaster. Its force of impact did more damage than he expected. Once the ball of energy hit the floor, it ignited, and blew him backwards. The attack of the blue lighting ball still had some effect on him. He could feel his left arm tingle, his shirt ripped a bit on the bottom left side. “Guys, we need to try that again.”
“Again?” Jin asked, surprised.
“Again. Everyone!” Nick roared. The boys rose as if they were on call. They all grabbed their weapons, Fred finally able to create his Zoran boots. “Formation B.” Under the code, the boys moved.
“Babe, be careful,” Jin said smiling. The challenge was always welcomed.
Emily used her free hand and created a metallic hand very similar to Marshall's. “If he's hard hitting, so am I. We got this,” She smiled back at him.
Marshall went close to Peter. “Do it,” he said. Nick and Fred covered the boys.
“You coming or just gonna stand there?” Fred egged them on.
“Does he think we're kids?” Emily asked. Jin already launched himself forward. “Thanks for proving my point, hun,” she said, raising her blaster hand towards the boys.
“Fred, go!” Nick shouted. Fred dashed to the side, out of the way from the oncoming Marshall. Jin was trying to decide if he should chase Marshall or go ahead with his previous attack plan. He figured Emily could handle Fred so he went with attacking the boys head on.
“It’s set,” Peter whispered to Nick. Nick nodded and launched forward.
Fred stopped to the side and flung himself forward. He was heading right for Emily at high speed. She aimed at him, ready to fire when he got closer. He darted left to right, trying to throw off her aim.
Nick pounced, swinging his pole-arm forward. Jin easily dodged to the side, grabbed the pole-arm, pulled Nick forward, and elbowed him. Nick felt a horrible, piercing pain in his stomach, right before falling over. Jin let go of Nick's weapon and charged forward. Marshall twirled around, fist flying towards Jin. Jin put up another bubble to block Marshall’s fist. His fist once again began to go through the bubble.
“You guys need to try something new,” Jin said as he held up his elemental glove hand. The bubble was keeping up no matter how hard Marshall pushed.
“See, that's the thing about you older folks...” Marshall opened his palm; a ball of fire was now attached to the bubble. “-you always think you’re so damn smart.” Marshall hopped back. Jin didn't have time to react, the ball blew up. The fire destroyed the bubble completely, leaving Jin wide open. Marshall was already on his way towards him swinging. He threw his fist out front. Jin put his hands up in defense. There was a hard “crack” and Jin could feel his right arm blaring with pain. He gritted his teeth as he was pushed backwards. He almost tumbled over but managed to stand his ground. He separated his arms before he saw a blue ball drop near his feet. It rolled right below him. He threw up another bubble but it was too late. The blue explosion ripped his bubble into nothing, while it knocked him backwards.
Emily was ready to fire. She could feel her hand heating up. It was the price of using the blaster, it felt like your arm was on fire. Especially when you shot the blast. Fred kept dodging left to right, far faster than any human could do normally. She took a chance and aimed to the right. Fred was close enough now to leap, but he made the wrong choice. The elemental attack hit the floor right near him. Before he could dodge it, he was hit bad, slamming into the ground near Emily.
Nick, Jin, and Fred were all on the ground. Emily looked up at the la
st two standing. “Hope you have another move,” she started, aiming the blaster at both boys. “Because your time seems to be up.”
She shot the blast. Marshall started running to the side. Then changed direction and went flying towards the blast. He was going to meet the blue electrical blast head on. Emily screamed “Idiot, move!” and Carl tensed up. The blast head on would do serious damage. He couldn't risk his boys getting critically wounded.
Marshall matched the blast head on before anyone could react. He had his metal hand slamming into the blast, then within a second the ball of electricity blew up. Marshall could feel his entire arm going numb, but more so was his face catching sparks. It felt like a million pinches to his face. He yelled as he fell backwards. As he fell over, two balls of fire flew past him. Emily couldn't react in time and took both hits. One to the stomach, the next to the shoulder. Both blew up on impact, setting her clothes on fire. Carl was already on her within seconds, using elemental gloves to summon wind. The flames blew out in moments. She laid there, pain in both spots where she was hit.
Peter stood panting; he could feel almost all the energy in his body was gone. He grinned. “I say we deserve an explanation now.” He laughed, as did the other three boys on the floor. Even Jin laughed with Emily.
“No denying that. You guys did way better than anticipated. When you get fixed up, we'll finally talk.” Carl watched his boys slowly get back up. He saw the determination in their eyes, the fight that burned so bright. He felt they were growing into one of the strongest units he'd ever witness. He was proud, as a Bora, to watch over such talented fighters.
Fred sat down last. He could still feel the numbness in his body. The last blast that struck him felt bad enough to shake around his brain. “So, first thing we all want to know is what these Summoners are. Are they like Exterminators?” he asked as he rubbed his shoulders.
“Actually my first question is, when are we getting an Emily on our team?” The other boys rolled their eyes at Marshall. Carl chuckled. “I'm serious. I'm tired of fighting guys all the time here. Not to mention, she kind of kicked our butts pretty bad.”
“Aw, thank you Marshall!” she said smiling.
“Sorry lady, I got a girl now.” Marshall put up his hand.
“Good, cause if you didn't I was about to pound your face in,” Jin added.
“Ah, the love. How joyful you are.” Marshall gave Jin the thumbs up. Jin shook his head and looked away.
“Sir,” Peter spoke up. Carl looked at his student. He found Peter one of the most interesting in the group. Simply because he seemed out of place in his age group, or so it seemed, to Carl after watching him from a distance. Carl wanted to make him feel comfortable around his unit.
“Yes, Peter?” Carl asked.
“I was wondering if you could tell us about those Summoners.” Everybody now had their eye on Carl. Carl gave a quick glance at Jin and Emily. They both nodded.
Carl turned to his students. “As you know, we prevent these creatures, which we refer to as “Unknowns”, from crossing into our world. However, they don't just make their way in through the realms barriers. They are summoned.”
“So you're saying someone is bringing them over. This isn't just an act of a wild beast,” Fred spoke up.
“Yes, these monsters are pulled into our world,” Carl continued. “These people who break through the barriers and bring them in are called Summoners. They summon Unknowns from different realms and bring them here. They seem to believe they can create a world that consists of both us and the Unknowns. As you know, though, these beasts are almost always vicious. They are animals based on deadly instinct to attack. The realms are meant to keep species separated from their different worlds. The Summoners look to break that.”
The unit sat together, discussing the new information. Carl let them take in the information. He watched as questions arose and they tried to answer each other. Like school children, they kept throwing words back and forth.
“So, we do have enemies besides these monsters.”
“’Summoners is a cool nickname for them.”
“We have to figure out how to fight these guys.”
“I think the most important question now is, do we hunt humans as well?” The discussion stopped once Peter brought up the hunting of others. The boys looked at him then back at Carl, awaiting an answer.
“Yes,” Carl responded shortly. It was a chilling response. The kids sat there, unsure of what to say. Up until now they hunted Unknowns and that was okay. Killing them was killing animal-like creatures, not humans. Now they had to hunt human beings like themselves. People with family and friends, just like them. They weren't sure they could do it.
“Where are they?” Peter asked.
“They are in hiding. They have an organization just like us, except they are spread out more. They aren't as organized as us. We fight to prevent Unknowns from entering our world and damaging it. They spend days focusing on ways to bend the barriers and let them through. We do hunt them. It is part of this job.” The kids were muttering to each other. Carl waited, letting the kids take in all the information he had presented.
“I don't want to hunt people.” Everyone looked at Marshall. “It's not right. We aren't killers.”
“We've been killers,” Peter spoke up.
“No, we've killed creatures. Not humans.”
“Humans are creatures.” Peter protested.
“You know what I mean! We are going to hunt people like you and me. What if they have a family like us? What if one of them is family!? No. I refuse to do it.” Marshall got up from the group. He was about to walk out but Jin blocked his way.
“Sit down,” Carl said softly. Marshall had his back turned to him, staring at Jin.
“Move,” Marshall muttered. The anger was building in him, he curled his fingers.
“Marshall-” Carl began. “-take a seat. I don't expect you to hunt Summoners anytime soon. You just have to focus on the Unknowns and that's all. Now take a seat.” Carl pointed to the empty spot Marshall was once sitting in.
“Don't ever block my way again,” Marshall gritted his teeth as he spoke to Jin. He turned back around and sat down in his place. Jin moved back towards Emily.
“So, these Summoners, they let the beasts come through. Are they some type of cult or something?” Fred asked.
“They are led by one man who has the power to bend the realms. As long as he, and the Gada in our organization stand, the barriers can be traveled. They have imbedded in themselves a barrier-altering power. This power is granted down through the years of previous owners. The point is to pass it down to your follower. The one who deserves it the most will take the mantel. It's been said for years that this has happened, but doing so takes a heavy toll on your own body. So when they pass on the barrier power, chances are they won't be around much longer. The body will decay much quicker than expected, due to the huge energy lost that the body was once used to.”
“It's basically a death sentence then,” Nick countered. Carl nodded.
“What happens if they don't pass it down?” Peter wondered.
“If the body of the one who holds the barrier power passes away, there is no way to contain that power. Chances are the barriers with crash, cutting off the realm jumping. Meaning all the creatures summoned will be drawn back into their own realms. This hasn't been proven, though. The opposite could happen and it might open every single gate, letting every Unknown through, into our realm. We just never know, because they always pass on the barrier power.” Carl watched as the boys listened. He could feel their concern that they may have jumped into something way bigger than they once expected.
“I don't mean to place fear into you boys, but this information is very important. I don't want you to be clueless on exactly what you're doing out there in the world. Every mission given is very crucial.”
“Good vs. bad, it seems so cliché.” Marshall laughed at his own words.
“Shut up man. This stuf
f is serious,” Fred said peering down at the floor. He felt nervous, the voice in his head was speaking to him again. It was telling him that no matter what, he'll be safe in the room. The room where he could forget all these problems.
“So, our job is to hunt Unknowns but eventually take down the Summoners? I am intrigued to learn more about these Summoners. When do we hunt one? I'd like to join in the search for one.” Peter lacked the nervous and scared feelings the other boys were suffering through.
“You're a damn robot.” Marshall said shaking his head.
“No, I am eager to take down people trying to destroy our world. Sorry that you're too stupid to see that.” The boys were shocked, they had never heard Peter down play one of them.
“Hey you little son of-” Marshall began. Carl held his hand up. The boys fell into silence.
“This is a war that's been going on for far to long. The good vs. evil, the concept that one side is in the right and one in the wrong is very old. It also comes down to prospective. We believe we are doing the right thing, while they also believe they are doing the right thing. Who's really doing the right thing, you ask? No one really knows at this point. However, we have a job and we stick by it. You joined to stop them. That is your job overall, the one you are on right now.” Carl watched Peter. He could see Peter was unmoved by any of his speech. The boy was already 100 percent involved in the project to hunt the Summoners.
Marshall, however, was not convinced at all. He wasn't about to hunt any humans any time soon. Nick and Fred sat at their positions, trying to contemplate what to do. Nick felt that if push came to shove, if Summoners were as evil as Carl said, he could hunt them down. Fred, on the other hand, felt it was hard enough to kill the creatures. He did it because they attacked him. Could he do the same against other human beings? He doubted it.
Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) Page 17