Chapter 6

YAAAWN!

The clouds in the sky began to form again. The lightning grew more and more, but oddly enough there was no rain. Rainless lightning became increasingly more common. It was a result of large electrical discharges from the ground into the sky. 

"Hey Zack," Ruby started. "Nice job with the lightning. You just created a storm outside."

"Just let me sleep!" Zack yelled from the back. "You try creating an entire frenzy of lightning!" Zack then lifted his blanket up higher and turned the other way, attempting to get some more sleep. His eyes were weak from exhaustion, unable to be opened with even hundreds of newtons of force. Zack's legs begin to twitch. The nerves begin to act erratically, shaking around as if a fish seeking water.

"What's going on?" Asher asked. "Are you that drained?"

"His legs are going to discharge!" Ruby exclaimed, horrified. "Quick! Put his feet out the window!" Ruby begins rolling the back windows down, allowing Asher to reach from the bed of the trunk and lift Zack's legs out of the window. 

ZAPPPPPPPPPP!

Seconds later, a bolt of lightning shoots into the sky, causing several lightning strikes to launch from the area the bolt hit the sky.

"What the heck!" Asher squeaks. "Is that the electrical discharge from lightning people I've heard of so much?"

"Yes," Ruby began. "It's caused by the buildup of electrons in his legs attempting to leave and as such, irritates his nerves in his legs as they seek a material that nullifies the electricity. The bolt was a result of the body being unable to find a material that could… WHY AM I EXPLAINING THIS TO YOU?"

"Because you're a nice person?" Asher asked sheepishly and sarcastically.

"How you got a better grade than me in social science is beyond me!" Ruby exclaimed. "My god!"

"This is why you don't miss movie night with Mr. Spence," Asher retorted. "Imagine going to a-"

"OKAY!" Ruby yelled. "I get it! Would you PLEASE shut up?"

"Hey," Asher said coolly. "Relax. Road rage is no joke!"

"Hey guys!" Zack barked. "Trying to sleep here!"

"Well, it's your lucky day doggy!" Ruby retorted. "We're about to reach Urbana! You can sleep AFTER we get what I came for."

"Which is?" Asher began. "You still haven't told us what you wanted. Are you trying to get your brother back?"

"Why would I care about that idiot?" Ruby asked angrily. "He's even dumber than you!"

"But he's your brother!" Asher answered boldly. "He never seemed to be a bad brother! Br-"

"Don't you DARE say his name!" Ruby yelled.

"Brother?" Zack said with confusion.

"Yeah," Asher confirmed. "He and I were friends in high school and later college. He's a year older than me, but we're still closer than anyone else at the school!"

"Seems to be a cool guy!" Zack said aloud.

"Yeah!" Asher shared. "He's like the brother I never had-"

` "WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Ruby yelled again, momentarily losing control of the wheel. "I do not give a single flying crap about that moron!"

"Hey Ruby," Asher began.

"WHAT?" Ruby asked violently

"You missed the exit…" Asher answered

"Next time I'm driving," Ruby began. "Don't distract me!" The three were now hiding under a bridge nearby the campus, with patrols swarming the college town from every way, closing in on the bridge. The truck was below the overpass but would be discovered eventually.

"Alright, relax!" Zack said. "We need to hide the truck and bike in an area where it isn't seen but can be accessed easily. Is there anywhere like that?"

"Yeah, there is," Asher began. "There's a small garage in the auto shop in the engineering building. We can probably fit both of the vehicles there."

"How about this?" Ruby proposed. "I'll drive the truck to the auto shop, and you two sneak into the campus and create a distraction." 

"Why should we d-" Zack began.

"Fine," Asher interrupted. "We'll act as a distraction while you take the truck to the auto shop."

"Good," Ruby said. "Glad to see you have at least a little sense in that otherwise empty noggin!"

"Thanks!" Asher said excitedly. "Hey wait a minute!"

"Alright!" Ruby said to Asher and Zack. "See you boys below!" Ruby then hopped into her truck and left the bridge, somehow avoiding every patrol she came across.

"Thank god she's gone!" Zack exclaimed in relief. "Why do you insist we work with her on this mission?"

"She's hurting," Asher said. "There's some conflict she has with this place. And the way she talked about her brother, it was jarring, to say the least."

"So you're saying there's something wrong with her?" Zack asked.

"I don't know. Remember, this is the first time she has probably interacted with other people like this."

"So who is this brother anyway?" Zack asked. "You seem to know him well."

"OH!" Asher exclaimed. "Brock! He's my friend and lab partner in chemistry. He taught me everything about engineering and is super good at origami."

"Origami?" Zack asked. "So he's an origami kind of kid?"

"YEAH!" Asher exclaimed excitedly. "He uses origami techniques for all of his projects!"

"Well, let's hope we find him," Zack said with interest. "I would like to see some of Brock's origami." Asher and Zack look out of the overpass. Ruby is long gone by now, with only tire tracks as proof she was ever here.

"Hey Asher," Zack began. "That's going to be a problem." Zack then points to the tire tracks left over.

"Ruby will be fine," Asher stated. "Besides, her escape route is also dependent on her stealth." Asher and Zack leave the underpass just in time, hiding in the bushes beside. A large zever tank rolls by, with wheels the size of entire cars and cannons below the hull and on top. The front was slightly triangular, allowing to plow through objects in the way.

A rusted car was lying bottom-side-up. The windows were shattered into millions of tiny fragile shards of glass, glimmering on the light from the remaining highway lights. The Zever tank was advancing towards the long-since decommissioned vehicle, never hesitating for a second. Zever robots were mounted to the top, with one motioning to go forward despite the obstacle. The tank, instead of slowing down, sped up drastically, ramming into the car, and cleanly slicing it in two separate halves. 

"WHAT!" Asher whispers sharply. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

"Looks like the more populated areas have heavier machinery," Zack whispered. "Let's stay sharp." Zack peeked out of the bush, looking at the end of the tank as it rolled away into the campus. "It's clear!" Zack whispered loudly. "Let's go!"

"Alright," Asher replied. Asher dragged himself out of the tangled branches. He was half tempted to set the bush on fire but remembered how distracting that would be. 

"Were you about to set the bush on fire?" Zack questioned.

"ZACK!" Asher whispered loudly. "I'M STUCK! HELP ME OUT!" Asher's arms were tangled in the vines and branches of the bush. The thorns were poking Asher's leg scars, causing the thorns to burn up. "OWW!" Asher yelped. "It burns!"

"You idiot," Zack said under his breath. "Alright. Sit still, I'll get you out." Zack looks around, eventually spotting a shard of glass from the destroyed car. "Alright. Time to see if my knife skills are still sharp." Zack begins to slice up the bush, carefully avoiding Asher's limbs. The thorns began to retract but resulted in Asher's clothes being torn up. 

"Aw! Man!" Asher said disappointedly. "It took me a week to make this outfit!" His clothes were wearable but were torn in several places. A small cut began to show itself on Asher's arm. "Ow! It hurts!"

"Don't be a baby!" Zack yelled. "Let's get back on task." Zack then hopped onto the road. The next patrol was in sight, causing Zack some concern. The bush was now in shreds, with Asher standing beside blowing on his arm to suppress the pain. "Hey Asher! Get down here, the next patrol is coming!"

"Hold on a sec!" Asher yelled from the side of the road. "It still hurts a lot!"

"Fine!" Zack yelled. "Then stay there, I'll pull you!" Zack then grabbed an old telephone cable and threw it at Asher, wrapping it around him. Asher was now tied up.

"ZACK?" Asher yelped with surprise. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Asher was full of concern, with sweat forming on his face, dripping down like coffee from a filter.

YANK!!

Zack tugged on the rope, sending Asher flying toward the road. Zack then let go with one hand and sent a jolt of lightning into the side of a manhole, sending it flying like Asher. Asher was getting close when Zack hopped into the sewer, causing Asher to accelerate toward the ground, slamming into the asphalt before falling into the manhole, and landing in a puddle of goop.

"OW!" Asher yelped in pain. "Now my arm is EVEN WORSE!"

"Why does your arm hurt so much!" Zack asked loudly and with confusion. "You literally jumped from buildings all day yesterday and had no issues!"

"The cut is ON MY SCAR!" Asher yelled. "You know? The part of my skin that is super ultra sensitive?"

"Burn scars?" Zack asked. "Do they really hurt that much?"

"YES!" Asher yelled, now feeling tired.

"Alright relax," Zack told Asher. "I'll patch it up once we find some bandages."

"Uhhhh." Asher groaned. "Okay." Asher clenched his arm, which began to heal, albeit very slowly.

"I guess it's true fire users have the most weaknesses," Zack joked. "I mean, you can jump from three stories high but one paper cut to your burn scars and you're down for the count?"

"Yeah my dad would say stuff like that all the time," Asher groaned. "Unlike other magic attributes, fire has almost no advantages to the others. They even call fire the weaker lightning!"

"I can see why!" Zack laughed. "But still, it's like the world made what could be the coolest attribute into the weakest one of them all."

"It sucks!" Asher exclaimed. "You get all the cons from lightning with not being able to create, but also the cons of water and earth with not being able to have much punch in my attacks."

"Almost every fire magic user I've met hasn't been very tough to fight with just fire," Zack said. "They either use a sword or gun to fight with fire."

"Mhm," Asher said, trying to look for something to heal his scratch, finding nothing.

"So why don't you or the Colonel use anything?" Zack questioned. "You both seem to just set your fists on fire and punch."

"Well, fire tends to pulse with the breath unlike water or earth or even lightning!" Asher started explaining. "It's like it's alive or something. Dad and I use that pulse to generate enough kinetic energy to punch faster."

"How does that help?" Zack asked.

"Well, the rise in kinetic energy is due to increased speed, meaning if I increase my speed exponentially, I generate an increasing acceleration which creates a bigger impact force."

"So explain the breath stuff," Zack asked. "How does it work?"

"Well when I start my flames or expel flames, I exhale, and then inhale to absorb the thermal energy from fire, allowing me to snuff out flames." Asher said in one big breath.

"So heat powers?" Zack asked. "It's just heat?"

"Yeah I guess?" Asher said. "I guess I never thought of it like that. LOOK! I see another manhole!" Asher pointed upward towards the top of the sewer, finding a man hole cover above.

"Finally," Zack sighed. "It's really smelly in here."

"Just wait till we go back to Chicago in a couple of days!" Asher exclaimed gleefully. "You'll wish you stayed in here!" Asher then grabs onto a ladder on the side of the sewage line. "C'mon! We gotta get those people out!" Asher urged.

"Alright don't worry," Zack said. "Trust me, no one wants outta here more than me!" Asher and Zack eventually reach the top, uncovering the manhole slightly to get a view of the street. 

Asher pops up slowly under the cover to get a look. His eyes scan the neighborhood for anything that could cause trouble but hadn't discovered anything hostile at first. The streets were full of litter, mostly papers from the students. Many of the rental homes were still intact, with only a few being damaged. The few cars were slightly damaged, but seemed functional, with only a tire or two being punctured.

"Damn," Asher said to himself, "The neighborhood seems to be in decent condition… for an alien invasion at least!"

"Well I doubt the zevers would have needed to attack the entirety of the city," Zack commented. "Just the places the people would have been."

"But the zevers shouldn't have known that almost all the students would have been in the school," Asher replied.

"That is true," Zack confirmed. "Still, it seems like the zevers had some sort of strategy when it came to conquering the planet. It would be a stupid idea to invade a planet without gathering intelligence on it first."

"You would be an expert on that wouldn't ya?" Asher teased.

"Well, I am a lieutenant colonel in the midwestern homeland security force for the Republic of North America." Zack boasted.

"Ya gonna put that on a t-shirt or business card or something?" Asher asked sarcastically.

"If we survive this, then maybe" Zack answered.

"HAHA!" Asher laughed. "We'll get through this! I do remember saying to myself that I had a good feeling about this!"

"You are a very weird kid," Zack said cautiously.

"I swear you are the four hundred-thirty second person to say that!" Asher expressed.

"Okay, one!" Zack began. "The fact that you counted is weird! And TWO! It's the truth!"

"I know…" Asher said softly. "But it is something I take GREAT JOY IN!" Asher's voice echoed through the abandoned streets. Lights began to flicker and shine through the streets, with several footsteps following. The houses began to turn on one by one.

"IT'S A TRAP!" Asher yelled.

"ASHER!" Zack yelled. "This is the THIRD TIME your carelessness has gotten us found by the Zevers in only TWO DAYS!"

"Stop sticking to the past!" Asher yelled. "We gotta RUN!" The two ran through the streets, looking for a hiding place. Several evergreen trees were lining the sides of the houses, each very large with several thick branches.

"Asher!" Zack yelled. "LOOK!" Zack pointed to one of the larger trees.

"Let's go in that one then!" Asher yelled. He and Zack made their way up into the higher parts of the trees. Once they were both concealed, they hid.

"I love trees!" Asher whispered to Zack. "They're so much fun to climb." Zack just nodded and stared into the street. Soon, entire waves of zever robots flooded the streets, all with searchlights. There was also now an additional tank vehicle from earlier that rolled to the march of the robots. The canon atop the tank swiveled, pointing at the tree of the next-door house.

"FIRE!" a robot yelled. The robot seemed different. It had extra markings on its head and limbs, with dark green stripes all over it. It also had seven digits instead of the regular four that the others had. It also had more of a personality compared to the others. It moved with more emotion and yet had a more chilling presence. 

Soon after it gave the command, the cannon on the tank fired at the tree. In a matter of seconds, the ball of leaves became a ball of fire, burning the wood down into ashes. Asher and Zack stared at the tree with shock. Their eyes were wide with fear.

"HOLY CRAP!" Asher whispered sharply. "WE ALMOST DIED!"

"Just relax!" Zack replied. "They probably shot a random tree to scare people out. Just don't react, scream, or run!" Zack then covered Asher's mouth to stop him from speaking.

The tank and robots continued away down the street. Eventually, the streets were clear and the boys were free to continue exploring. 

"AAAAAA!" Asher gasped. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!"

"If you kept yelling," Zack began, "We would have been caught. So I shut you up."

"FINE!" Asher yelled. "Well, we're still far from the main building. Let's go!"

"Alright," Zack exhaled, "I'll follow you since you know this place well."

"Why are you suddenly acting so mature?" Asher asked.

"Because I feel like it," Zack answered. "That and I realized I have to act mature to keep you in check."

"Heh, okay," Asher taunted. "Let's go mister big boy!"

"Oh shut up!" Zack grunted with annoyance. He and Asher continued down the street, keeping their mouths shut and eyes sharp. They weren't going to get caught again on this mission. At least that's what those boys thought.