Max Blizzard and The Scroll of Fate

by Patrick Hatt

  “I have to admit, that was impressive.” Carter spotted Mary’s projection in front of him. She looked troubled and pointed down. “They are pinned.”

  “Not for long.” Trudesile turned into a rhino and stomped on the floor.

  After her third stomp the floor gave way and she toppled to the second floor. More office workers scattered while alarms began to go off throughout the whole building. The second floor broke after Max’s dragon rammed it from above. The pair then toppled through and Max’s dragon sent flames at the guards. Trudesile rammed the remaining ones and cleared their path.

  “I could have taken them,” Duncan muttered.

  “Sure you could have,” Carter replied.

  “No time for egos, boys. Let’s move. Honey, can you get us to the top with a portal?” Morris asked.

  “No, Daddy. They are still blocking me in here.”

  “No sweat. Let’s go.” Duncan grabbed Mary and tried to run but he found his ability gone. “Dad, I’m toast.”

  Carter’s wings retracted, Max’s dragon vanished, and Trudesile reverted to her true form.

  “They must have something that can block everything now. We have to get out of here,” Morris stated.

  “Not so fast, alien scum. Like lambs to the slaughter.” Sarge appeared before them through a portal with an army of men behind him. He hit a button on a remote and a force field came down over the entire building. “All we needed was you in one spot. Such gullible aliens.”

  “We’re not aliens, you stupid human,” Lester blurted out.

  “Tell it to your maker.”

  “Dad, stop this nonsense.” Morris pushed his kids behind him and stepped to the front. “There are no aliens. When are you going to get that? These five are your grandchildren and the others are from another realm.”

  “Morris? What are you doing here? What happened to your face? I thought you were dead. This is some alien trick.” Sarge tried to see through Morris’s scarred face, wanting to believe it was him, but refusing to let his guard down.

  “It was a mistake, Dad. She didn’t mean to hurt me or take your leg.”

  “You are either an alien trick or aligned with an alien. That I can’t have. No son of mine would…”

  “Get a grip,” Lester blurted out.

  “What my friend is trying to say is that if you give us a chance, we can work together and show Earth what is really out there. I lived here before imagination was a thing. Even now that you have it, there is still so much more out there. Let us show you.” Max hoped reason would help Sarge realize that Morris was his son.

  “You’ll show us and kill us all or enslave us like the Earth had been thanks to those other aliens. You’re already plotting by breaking up our planet and making some clone of my dead son.”

  “If you’ll allow Morris to leave the building for a few minutes, we will show you that this isn’t a trick,” Trudesile stated.

  “And let you get back to your mothership? No way.”

  “You can keep your weapons on us and we won’t move. He just needs to climb into that pot of gold out there.” Trudesile nodded to Morris and then stepped in front of his kids.

  “Don’t you want your son back? I’d give anything to have my mother back and be in Dina’s arms right now,” Max stated.

  “He even wants to see his forced girlfriend, so you should take the chance. Me pot of gold can fix that.” Lester pointed to Morris’s face.

  “Sir, let’s waste them.”

  “Hold fire. Let’s see what these alien scum have up their sleeve. Then we waste them,” Sarge whispered. He placed his hand to his earpiece. “One going out.”

  Morris slowly backed up, eyeing his kids, each of them scared without their powers. Max and Lester joined Trudesile in protecting them while Morris stepped through the force field. He pulled himself into the pot of gold and then sunk within it.

  “How much longer is this going to take?” Mary whispered.

  “They look ready to lynch us,” Duncan stated.

  “Everyone be ready.” Trudesile moved her eyes to energy gathering above Sarge and his army.

  “Last chance. Give up this alien thing and we can all be friends.” Lester grinned.

  “Dad, let me in.” Morris banged on the portal and Sarge’s eyes widened.

  “Open the force field.”

  Sarge stayed focused on Morris as he stepped inside. Sarge stared at his son, lowering his weapon, while his mind tried to come to terms with Morris being alive.

  “Chaps, pull that cloak out and get down,” Bazooka yelled.

  Max extended his cloak from within and covered everyone with it. Bazooka sent lightning from his entire body in every direction. It vanished as it neared Max’s cloak, but it fried every guard except for Sarge, leaving them unconscious on the ground.

  Bazooka fell to Sarge’s side and slapped the laser gun from his hand.

  “Don’t make me regret not nailing you, chap.” Bazooka shoved him forward. “Now be a grandfather and meet your grandchildren.”

  Sarge inched toward Morris and his kids as the trio stepped aside. He eyed them all, finding the boys to resemble Morris when he was younger.

  “I thought she killed you. I thought that alien…”

  “Mom is not an alien, Grampy,” Allison insisted.

  “That’s right, Dad. I married her and we have six children. She’s not an alien. There are no aliens invading Earth. It’s something else. Something far worse.”

  “How? What? And if aliens aren’t invading what are they? They can create things out of thin air. That giant talking rabbit died and came back. What is he? What are they? What are your kids?” Sarge backed away. He could find no other reason other than they were aliens. His doubts began to rise again and he eyed a nearby gun on the floor.

  “Don’t try it, chap.” Bazooka kicked the gun away. “I’m a human who was an experiment. Those two are humans. He’s a half-human, half leprechaun. They are all human with powers gained from their mother who is her other half that she dispelled. See? No aliens. Can we go now?”

  “I think you caused his brain to burst,” Carter whispered.

  “Sarge, what is going on? Kill those aliens now. Kill them or there will be consequences.”

  “I thought you wanted some alive for study?” Sarge replied into his earpiece.

  “No. Kill them all. Those four behind you can’t be trusted.”

  “Sir, they may not be aliens. One claims to be my son. I think he is…Wait a minute. You said those four can’t be trusted, not all of them. What makes those four different and how do you know aliens?”

  “Never mind that. Kill them. That is an order from Earth’s supreme ruler.”

  “Dad, we have to get out of here. Can you turn off whatever is preventing their powers from working?” Morris asked, interrupting their conversation.

  “Lower the force field and turn off all jamming devices.”

  “Ignore that order. Sarge has been compromised by the aliens. Shoot to kill. Kill them all.”

  “Dirty rotten…” Sarge grabbed his earpiece, threw it to the floor, and stomped on it. “Can you still zap people?”

  “Nope. Out of juice. Your blocker got me after I returned, chap.”

  Sarge pushed Bazooka aside and then grabbed a laser weapon. He picked up a few more and tossed them to Morris and his grandchildren.

  “I don’t have a clue what is going on, but that guy is beyond cagey. I never liked him. So if I die a collaborator, so be it. I trust they know how to use these?”

  “You bet, Gramps,” Duncan replied.

  “Daddy made sure,” Sarah stated.

  “Good. Then stick them to stun and let’s stop this madness so we can find out what is really going on. But I swear if you are aliens I will take you all down.”

  “Dad, no need for that. It will all make sense after a long, long, long chat.”

  “Well what are you four waiting for? You’re more alien than any of us. Operations is on the
10th floor. Bust that and we’ll keep them busy.”

  “Max, how are we going to get up there?” Trudesile asked.

  “Easy.” Max grinned and then brought his cloak out again. He extended it and wrapped it around Trudesile. He then used it to fling her up through the hole in the ceiling. He quickly grabbed Bazooka and Lester and did the same. He then extended it to the others and they pulled him up.

  “Good luck, Max Blizzard. I hope my wife was right about you and your chicken legs always finding a way.” Morris took a deep breath and huddled down behind the ceiling debris with his kids. “Get ready, kids. Here they come.”

  “We have to hurry,” Max stated after hearing the battle below.

  “Did you know it could do that?” Lester asked.

  “No. But I let my imagination run and that’s what I came up with. You don’t always need power. The Cup of Kings taught me that.”

  “So let’s go get the crummy thing, chaps.” Bazooka ran to the elevator and pried the doors open.

  “Not sure why they’d have elevators and portals.” Trudesile shrugged and stepped inside with the others. She hit the tenth floor and then seconds later they appeared on the tenth floor. “I guess they don’t.”

  “Freeze, alien scum.”

  “This again.” Lester threw his arms in the air as guards swarmed them.

  “Get ready to destroy everything in here with all you have,” Max whispered.

  Max extended his cloak and tripped many guards. He sent it through them and used it to pull a few levers and hit some buttons.

  Lester kept concentrating and finally made a pot of gold appear, using it to smash a machine.

  “Now!” Trudesile turned into a gorilla and swatted the guards away. She then ran up to a nearby machine and smashed it to bits.

  Bazooka shot lightning from his toes and fried some more while Lester dropped anvils on the remaining ones. Max swung his cloak at the guards that appeared through an open portal. He then brought forth a copy of Davy Jones from his mind and used it to block the portal.

  “Time we end this alien crap,” Lester mumbled.

  “Got that right, chap. Being a giant talking bunny is bad enough.”

  Bazooka yanked open the elevator doors again and jumped inside. He waited for the others and then hit the top floor button, but nothing happened.

  “He must have blocked it out,” Trudesile stated.

  “Look.” Max pointed to Mary’s projection as she waved at them.

  A portal opened and then they ran to it. They hopped through and appeared on the top floor. They stood huddled together in the golden room that housed statues, which were exact duplicates of the ones they had seen on Momentus.

  “Pests. You may have ruined my plans for changing the world and saving my people the last time, but you aren’t going to this time.” Oxom stepped out from behind the pedestal that housed the Cup of Kings. He took his last known form to them and smiled.

  “Can’t the bad guys ever just stay in jail or dead?” Lester mumbled.

  “How did you escape?” Trudesile asked.

  “Did you think there weren’t those still loyal to me? One broke me out and took my place. And then I sensed the shift. Earth and Momentus were changing places. What better way to wipe out all those in my way than to arm these feeble beings. I’ve never seen any so afraid of their own shadow. Aliens. Right.” Oxom laughed to himself as he stared at the group, noticing them looking to the Cup of Kings. “Oh, you believed this was the cause of their quick advancement? This thing is nothing but a trinket.”

  “Is that Earth’s leader?” Sarge’s eye grew wide as he and the rest of his family stepped through a portal behind the others.

  “He’s nothing but a pompous old windbag,” Bazooka stated.

  “I’m one windbag that’s not to be messed with. My race will be free and never enslaved again. You don’t have Adam to save you this time.”

  “It is about time you showed up, Mr. Blizzard. Even with that imagination of yours, you could not imagine what I’ve had to endure.”

  “No. We have someone better. Duncan, get me to that.” Max smiled and pointed to the Cup of Kings after it spoke to him.

  Duncan grabbed him and sped him to the Cup. Max yanked the glass casing off and snatched it. A golden light engulfed the entire room and then the Cup fell to the floor, leaving only Bazooka and Tru’s family behind.

  “Just like those chaps to leave me behind.” Bazooka smirked while the others tried to figure out what just happened.

  ******************************

  Max, Trudesile, and Lester stood outside of a cage. Max was the only one to remember it from their last encounter, but they all grinned as Oxom shook at the bars while demanding to be released.

  “Let’s say we mute him.” The being of the Cup appeared before them in his alien form and clasped his fingers together. He smiled as Oxom’s lips moved but no sound came from them. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

  “Max, is he the one you told us about?” Lester whispered.

  “Yeah. He’s the being in the Cup.”

  “Why did you make us forget?” Trudesile asked.

  “Because, Miss Marick, at the time you weren’t ready. You still had a war raging within. Lester still wanted to be like you two, no matter how much he denied it. Now you are at peace with yourself and Lester is his own man. You are as ready as Mr. Blizzard.”

  “To rule? Now?” Lester grew scared of the very thought, not wanting that much responsibility.

  “One day. Whenever fate decides. Speaking of fate, you three have yourselves in quite the situation. Or do you? Was this fate changed or was this fate? Is there even a thing? Such are the questions and perils of having an imagination.”

  “Do you know where the fourth piece is?” Max asked.

  The being snapped his fingers and they all appeared in a small town. Max instantly knew it as he had fought there during his first encounter with the Cup.

  “As the clue said, Mr. Blizzard, it lies with you.”

  “It’s here? I’ve been to this realm over the years and nothing stood out.”

  “That is its purpose. Not to stand out. We wish we never created it, but we did hide it well.”

  “You’re my father? My other father?” Trudesile’s jaw dropped open as she stared at the being of the Cup.

  “Yes, Miss Marick, I am the other half of God. We thought it best to use my power to help the realms and created this Cup before splitting off. That is the true story of the Cup. The ones you have heard have all been make believe passed down through the ages.”

  “Then why didn’t you kick Oxom’s butt before we got here?” Lester asked. He then took a few steps back. “Are you crazy like Eve?”

  “No, young leprechaun. Eve was Adam’s doing. I never intervened because Earth had too many factions to ever learn of the realms. But, thanks to Oxom’s alien story, they have rallied together. The Earthlings are now in a place to become a part of the realms and accept them.”

  “You really have to think all of this stuff is pre-destined,” Trudesile mumbled while she still stood enamored over the being.

  “My mother dying is not pre-destined. I will change it. It’s time we found that fourth piece.”

  “Is anyone else wondering how we get Earth back on the pedestal? They may be ready, but they are stuck like Momentus was,” Lester stated.

  “Not like Momentus, Lester. For that to be free to return to the Pedestal of Realms, Adam had to die. Then all it took was the opening of the pedestal from someone who had been to Momentus. The very next realm switched places with it.”

  “So we have to cause this to another realm to get Earth’s realm back?” Trudesile asked.

  “Yes. That is correct.”

  “And I know just the one. We’ll go get Brozen and then let Atlantis drift off forever,” Max stated. “Then we get the fourth piece and save everyone.”

  “Be careful, Max Blizzard. Such power is a tric
ky thing. One moment you want to do good and then all that comes of it is bad. Go. I shall be there when you need me.”

  “You’ll put Mom back together?” Trudesile asked.

  “I’d like nothing more, daughter.” He snapped his fingers and the trio appeared back in the room.

  Lester poked at the Cup and then picked it up. He sighed after nothing happened to him.

  “Did you get what we need, chaps?”

  “No. But we now know where to look,” Max replied.

  “Where’s the leader? Did you kill him?” Sarge asked.

  “He’s locked away for good. But you crazy humans might want to give this a watch.” Lester pulled a button off his jacket and handed it to Sarge. “I thought that up when he started yapping.”

  “Let’s get you kids home and then we’ll put an end to this madness once and for all,” Trudesile stated.

  “Are you coming, Grampy?” Sarah asked.

  “Why not. I’ve already lost my job. I may as well lose my mind as well.”

  Allison opened a portal and they appeared outside the building. Duncan zipped around to the many portal pads and turned them all on. Allison then made one appear in front of another and they ran through.

  “Do either of you want to carry this?” Lester asked the others.

  “You keep it, Lester. You’re the one with the gold fetish.” Max smirked.

  “By your pot of gold,” Bazooka mocked him.

  “I’ll have it suck you in, rabbit.”

  “Not today, chap.” Bazooka hopped through the portal followed by Lester.

  “Max, do you really think we can change things? Should we?” Trudesile questioned.

  “We have to try. Adam isn’t going to stop until we force him to. Let’s go.”

  Trudesile followed Max through the portal. She still had her doubts that they should change things, but she knew that Max spoke the truth. Adam was out there somewhere, and they had to stop him before he made things worse.

  Chapter 16

  Collector’s Addition

  Tru’s kids scoured their home for their parents while the group eyed Sarge. His fear for them still evident to everyone by the way he kept his distance. They took satisfaction in letting him contemplate that they still may be aliens. Duncan rushed back to their side, shaking his head as Trudesile rocked Harrison in her arms.