The conversation was going fluidly and the three boys were enjoying themselves. The topics which they discussed ranged from videogames and music tastes to experiences with alcohol and women. At that point Garret and Tyler were fully aware of some of the reasons behind Ronnie's lifestyle and behaviour. Fortunately for Ronnie, his new friends understood the motives behind his choices, which proved that they were not narrow minded like the majority of people Ronnie was surrounded by.
- One could safely say that you preserved yourself from most of society's bad influence. - Garret concluded after Ronnie's long and detailed story.
- I've made my choice and this is how I live... for the time being. - said Ronnie.
- Mind if I alter the topic? Your story was intriguing, but I would prefer if we return the initial joy of this conversation. There's this question I've been meaning to ask you ever since we met...
- OK, go on. - said Ronnie and let Tyler continue.
- What does Ronnie stand for?
Ronnie was hesitant at first, but he answered:
- Well... um, it stands for Ronald.
- Fair enough. Why did you pause? - said Tyler.
- You see, when someone says the name Ronald, I associate it with Ronald McDonald and every time I hear this name, I feel like someone's going to yell in a bullying manner: "Hey Ronald, make me a cheeseburger, ya fucker!"
Both Tyler and Garret chuckled.
- See? This is exactly what I mean.
- I'm sorry, it's just... - Garret was interrupted by his own bursts of laughter.
- What about your name - Tyler? It's far from British in my book. - said Ronnie.
- Here's the thing; our families are very good friends. In the spring of 1993, my mom gave birth to me here, in this town, while she and my father were visiting Garret's family. My mother wanted to see them, which meant she had to disregard the doctor's advice against travelling during the pregnancy. I can only imagine how stressed dad was every time something seemed wrong with mom's condition; even something as simple as a headache had probably given him a heart attack! Shortly after my birth my parents thanked every single member of the hospital's personnel for the cooperation and wanted her child to carry a name that would remind her of the States, but retain a British sound to it.
- Hmm, interesting. - Ronnie was intrigued by Tyler's story.
- Yeah, and as a result of the friendship between our families we became close friends. So close in fact that we call ourselves brothers.
Ronnie couldn't possibly miss the brotherly bond between Tyler and Garret. The two were like a pair of gloves, Starsky and Hutch, a cigar and a glass of bourbon.
Suddenly the skyline was torn by a flame.
- Hey Tyler, look! Is that an asteroid? - said Garret.
- I doubt it. Provided they're small enough, they burn within the layers of the planet's atmosphere... if memory serves me correctly. - Tyler said.
Ronnie added:
- Plus it looks nothing even remotely close to an asteroid.
- Whatever it is, that thing is coming in our direction. We better move out of the way or it will hit us! - Garret was understandably worried.
- It's not going to hit us - everything is fine, Garret. - Tyler assured Garret.
- What if you're wrong, Mr. Scientist? - Ronnie yelled at him. - How would you act when something the size of a garage is about to fall on your head? Are you gonna make up theories or actually do something?
The object crash-landed. The noise created by the crash was like a thunderclap - sudden and almost deafening. Lots of dust and earth were kicked up as well. It was the container; apparently it had detected a possible match in the three young boys. Though they were still confused and a bit shocked.
- Well... it missed the stands. See, I told you!
- Yeah, yeah, quit showing off, Tyler. - said Ronnie.
Ronnie was slightly annoyed by Tyler's behaviour. But his annoyance was not as strong as his curiosity. In a moment of silence, when not even birds sang, nor cars were heard, he stared at the container and wondered what its purpose was. He broke the silence by saying:
- What do you say we investigate it?
- Have you gone mental? What if aliens pop out and shoot us down?
- Tyler, you aren't very consistent, are you? If your confidence persisted, you would have supported my idea wholeheartedly.
- Mm, he's got a point, buddy. - Garret supported Ronnie's statement.
- So now you're on his side? - said Tyler.
- Look, I'm just as curious as he is. I say we have a look at whatever that contraption is, along with its contents and leave it to the authorities to handle the dirty work.
Ronnie agreed with the idea and so did Tyler after some persuasion. As they approached the container, the three of them tried to figure out the purpose of the vessel.
- Do you think it's a ship, Tyler? - Garret began the discussion.
He answered:
- Usually I'd imagine ships being more streamlined than the brick we're currently looking at.
- Maybe it's a disguise. - Ronnie added to the list of theories. - Maybe someone wanted to hide something or someone important.
The brothers agreed:
- Plausible. - said Tyler.
- Yeah, sounds believable. - said Garret.
The brief disagreement turned into teamwork. Once they were within an arm's reach, Ronnie searched the hull for a switch or some other means of opening it:
- Do you see anything that could open this... container... ship... whatever it is, Garret?
- Hold on. You want to open this thing? - said Tyler.
- Of course I do. At this point this unidentified object is as interesting as a pile of bricks.
- That's an awful idea...
Tyler received a stare of confusion from Ronnie and Garret and then resumed:
-...but seeing as we've come this close to it...
Ronnie continued:
- So, does anyone see a switch or something like a lock?
- There it is! - Garret responded with the excitement of someone who's found a keychain he had in his hand no more than two minutes ago.
What Garret saw was a handle, which could be rotated within a ring - they all had seen a similar handle in all manner of sci-fi films and videogames.
- Any theories as to what it contains? - Ronnie asked once again.
Tyler then said:
- There's only one way to find out.
And so Ronnie rotated the handle to the left, but it didn't budge, so he rotated it to the right. That rotation was followed by a release of pressure and a continuous discharge of vapour. After the discharge ended, the hatch of the container began rising very slowly as if it had the weight of a tectonic plate. All three of them were full of excitement, anxiety and curiosity, all at the same time. What would they find? Would it be radioactive? Would it threaten their lives in any way?
The three gems revealed themselves through the steam. They each had a continuous, bright glow - red, blue and green for each respectively. Soon afterwards they began flashing in a set interval. The interval wasn't very short, but it possessed a sort of enigma.
Garret reached the conclusion that those were no aliens. Shortly afterwards he added:
- I don't even know where to begin... I... Wow... unbelievable. What do you suppose they do, Ronnie?
- No idea, or at least no clear idea. Whatever their purpose is, it has to be important. Also I hope they're not radioactive.
Tyler came up with another theory.
- What if these crystals are someone's treasure? They must be valuable, by the looks of it. I mean, gems are pretty much all style and no substance. Am I right, Garret?
- True that. However this box is definitely not man made, which makes me doubt the luxury status of these gems. What do you want to do now, Ronnie?
That question flummoxed Ronnie. Essentially he was given the opportunity to decide the fate of these gems with apparently no useful purpose. For years he had been waiting f
or such a moment: the possibility of a new adventure, a story ignited by a spontaneous event like the fall of an unidentified object from the sky. And yet, during that deciding moment, the young, visibly feeble and sometimes indecisive boy had to take action. It was his time to shine. Both Tyler and Garret saw the confused look in his eyes. The three of them couldn't just leave the container like nothing happened, like they hadn't opened it.
- Very well, let's have a closer look at these crystals.
So Ronnie picked up the red one. The gem had no distinct features to it, aside from the flashing.
- Obviously they're not dangerous. - Tyler noted. - Nor are they radioactive, seeing as we're not glowing.
That produced laughter from the three boys. At that very moment the flashing intensified and the crystals changed; markings appeared all over them, which looked like circuitry. The gems began levitating above the container and the interval of flashing decreased dramatically. No one knew what was going on.
- "Oh boy... this looks bad." - Ronnie thought.
The red crystal flew towards Ronnie, struck his chest as if in a fit of rage. He felt an immense amount of pain and could barely stand on his feet. Tyler and Garret were shocked.
- Ronnie, talk to me! Say something! - said Tyler.
- It... uugh... it's agony...
- What do we do, Garret?
- I don't see a solution. - he said.
The blue and green crystals "prepared" to dive. Garret and Tyler couldn't do anything to revert the effects caused by the gem, let alone use it to somehow fix the mess, because the gem had imbedded itself in Ronnie's body and bonded with it. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
- The other two! - he screamed by harnessing the remaining power of his voice, fuelled by the pain.
The remaining gems dove and stuck themselves in the chests of the two brothers. All three of them were helpless - the agony was so unbearable that they had no strength in their limbs and all they could do was roll on the ground in pain. The pain was combined with changes to their bodies - it was like someone was shoving scorching metal bars in their flesh and bones. Their body temperature was constantly fluctuating - heat waves were followed by cold waves. Their bodies were burning, freezing, dissolving and electrified; all at the same time.
The torture ended for them. Their screams and yells of suffering and pain had almost broken them completely. The experience was infernal for them, as if Satan himself had thrown them into a fountain of evil.
Chapter III
Maiden battle
The word "pain" has a multitude of definitions. But what the three boys felt exceeded every threshold of theirs. They were broken, shattered, helpless and no one could help them. It was strange how no one heard them scream and yell at the top of their lungs.
- Guys...? Are you here? - Garret groaned. He couldn't roll over to see if Ronnie and Tyler were still with him because of the pain in his back.
- Ugh... that was... utterly awful. - added Tyler and tried to stand up. His legs refused to cooperate:
- I can't stand up. My legs...
- I'll see if I can help you. - Ronnie rolled and lied on his belly. He pushed himself off the ground, stood on his knees and looked at his hands. He was in disbelief - the amount of heat and cold, the rapid temperature changes, the acid and electricity he felt through his skin, flesh and bones should have murdered him in an instant. Yet he was still alive, breathing and trying to find a logical explanation.
While Ronnie was thinking, Garret's pains somehow evaporated and he helped Tyler stand on his feet. At that moment he noticed something wrong with Tyler's face - it wasn't the same anymore. It was pale and his hair was a mess, as if he was a villain from a horror film.
- Uh, Tyler... - said Garret.
- What is it...? Good Lord, your face!
- Yours too! - said Garret.
The brothers were shocked. They thought their faces were affected by the heat, cold, acid and electricity, but upon closer inspection and after some sober thinking Garret had a brainwave:
- That could not have been caused by burns of any sort, otherwise we would not be alive, let alone still have skin on our bodies.
Tyler pulled his phone out of his pocket. It could hardly be called a phone anymore - what he held in his hand was a chunk of useless plastic and dead circuitry.
- This... transformation certainly didn't spare my phone. - he said.
That startled Ronnie and prompted him to check his:
- For God's sake! Ugh... well... it's not a big loss; after all, it had to be replaced, because the battery began dying on me very quickly.
- Our phones should be the least of our worries, guys. The bigger problems are related to hiding this mess from the media, the government and the military. - Garret shared his thoughts with the boys.
- I agree, but we can't just leave the stadium. What about the container? It has to be moved elsewhere. - Tyler added.
Ronnie's gaze darted between the container and the brothers and a few seconds later came to a conclusion:
- Moving that husk is impossible. We have to bring in a crane, which involves stealing it.
- We can all try and move it by hand.
- Tyler, have you lost your mind? We don't even know what it's made of. It could be made of something heavier than titanium, for example.
- Think about it, Ronnie - we have no other reasonable option. - Garret intervened and began walking towards the container. Once he reached it, he found a spot which could let him push with ease and shouted at Ronnie and Tyler:
- There's no way to know how heavy it is, unless we try. - he added.
Realising the gravity of the situation, Tyler and Ronnie strode towards the container and joined Garret. Once the trio used their collective might, the container slid across the dirt and grass as if it was on ice. Ronnie was flabbergasted:
- How did we do it? This should be impossible.
- Teamwork, Ronnie - that's the key. I believe Tyler will agree on this. - said Garret.
- That's true, but the crystals could have something to do with the effortless push. - said Tyler.
Ronnie looked at his hands with disbelief and wondered what other alterations his body had undergone. He wondered what else could happen, how they all would explain their transformation, how they would explain to the rest of the world what happened. Sadly he had no time to wonder, because the container needed a hiding spot and they had to move it before anyone saw even a glimpse of it. Dozens of thoughts invaded Ronnie's mind.
Suddenly a ship appeared in the sky. It flew towards the stadium at a steady pace and with a low pitch noise. It was undeniably extraterrestrial. No human being would design a vessel with such jagged edges and dark colours, unless that human happened to be an artist of some sort. Ronnie fixed his eyes on it and his face turned pale:
- Um, you two might want to stop and have a look at that... thing over there. - he said.
Tyler flinched and turned his gaze towards the ship and said:
- Hide behind the container!
And so they did. As they kneeled behind the container, Garret took a sneak peek and saw numerous creatures disembarking the vessel. They looked quite reptilian and behaved in a similar manner. Roughly half a dozen of them began approaching the container. One of them, presumably a commander, loaded his rifle and followed it with the words:
- Surrender to the Overlord, vermin! Your brethren are dead and your planet is in pieces.
The boys looked at each other with puzzled expressions. None of them had any idea what he was talking about.
- You cannot fool us with that disguise, Immortals! - another one of them said.
- What is he on about? - said Tyler.
- He probably thinks we're a part of a race they're chasing. How many of them are there, Garret? - Ronnie said.
- Let me check... Oh boy... At least a dozen.
- Any bright ideas, Tyler? - Ronnie asked.
During that short dialogue T
yler noticed something odd about the arms of both Garret and Ronnie. He saw nanobots - he could see them moving about in his muscles and bloodstream. They could transform into firearms. He saw hundreds of them in a list before his very eyes - a legitimate heads up display. These weapons could easily help them, when the situation goes out of hand.
- I've got a pretty good idea - I'll distract them whilst you find a way to use your firearms to eliminate them.
- What firearms? We have nothing! Wait!
Ronnie's words couldn't stop Tyler, as he stepped out of cover and said:
- What seems to be the problem, lads?
- We are the Akerun horde of the Overlord's army. Our master wants all of you transported to our home base. Surrender and you will not be harmed.
- Oh, an invitation! Do you guys have any booze and girls over there?
Ronnie became very anxious. Thankfully Garret assured him by saying in a soft voice:
- I know exactly what he's going to do. We have gone through similar situations in the past and it has always worked.
- He mentioned something about firearms... - said Ronnie.
- Your fingers have pistols. Or rather, your fingers are pistols. - said Garret.
- You two are mental! How could my fingers possibly...
With those words he glanced at his hands before realising that Garret was right. Ronnie's fingers had barrels. Soon afterwards he saw a heads up display and a list of handguns that seemed endless:
- Good Lord almighty!
- Exactly. - said Garret.
- I can pick any gun humankind has ever created!
The surprised look on Ronnie's face turned into an evil grin. After a brief moment of silence, a machine gun popped out of Garret's right arm.
- Is that an M60?
- No, it's an M249, a much more advanced version. - Garret said as he looked at it with a smirk on his face.
- Sweet.
Meanwhile Tyler wasn't having as much fun. Apparently his humorous approach did not appeal to the Akeruns. Instead two of them made him kneel and held his arms, while a third one kicked him repeatedly in the chest. After a couple of kicks were landed, Tyler became very annoyed and told Garret and Ronnie, who were still ducking behind the container:
The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance Page 2