The Shadowverse

by Francesca Gallo

  “But—”

  “Promise not to make noise!” he replied as he opened and closed the door in a swift manner. He elicited a relieved exhale.

  “Kids these days,” she grumbled as she turned and walked away. “So darn agitated.”

  Sam stood in the bathroom, his frosty persona having sent the temperature straight downhill. “Dusty look at this,” he motioned. A mist seeped out of palms, and it froze whatever it touched.

  “Wow,” he marveled. “Hate to cut you off but can I show you mine now?”

  “What? Oh yeah, yeah sure.”

  “Prepare to be amazed,” Dustin said. “And do you feel goosebumps too? I always thought getting powers would be awesome—”

  “I feel you man, this is so nuts,” Sam interrupted. “It’s like we’re literal y living out a comic-book.”

  “All right, here goes nothing,” Dustin said. When he channeled the same energy he used previously, air discharged from his fingers and palms, pushing things out of the way—in this case, the conglomeration of stuff on the bathroom sink.

  “That is awesome. But is that all you got? Moving some crap around doesn’t qualify as a power.”

  “Oh yeah? Watch this.” With that, he channeled far more energy, resulting in Sam being pushed farther and farther back, his mouth and eyes subject to the brute force of a hair dryer on steroids. “Awesome! This is literally crazy awesome! Now I know how Johnny felt.”

  “Stop! Stop!” he implored, arms in front of him to shield himself. “Gosh, I get it. Don’t have to literally blow me into the bathtub.”

  “And that’s like nowhere near what I can do,” Dustin replied. “I can feel it.”

  An idea popped into Sam’s mind. He chuckled in excitement. “Yo, blow a hard stream of air and let me freeze it.”

  “I like the way you’re thinking bro.” Once he thrust the air out, Sam let out a frozen cloud, which froze the air shot towards it. Sam created a spearhead of ice.

  “Whoa,” Sam said in awe. “This is so, so sick.”

  “I’m gonna like working together from now on,” Dustin responded, trying to keep warm from the now frigid bathroom.

  “Stole the words outta my mouth.”

  Just then, the phone rang. Dustin took it out of his pocket. “It’s Ryan,” he said. Then he looked up with excitement. “You don’t think—”

  “Pick it up!”

  He answered without another word. Ryan’s voice was a strained, rocky whisper.

  “Guys! Thank God! You picked up!” was the voice over the phone.

  “Dude! We hear you! You won’t believe what’s happened!” they relayed.

  “Let me guess,” he responded. “You got your powers.”

  They both glanced at each other with confused faces. “And how on Earth would you know that?” Sam asked.

  “Probably because I have mine! And I need you down here right now! I’ve cal ed Johnny twice; the kid doesn’t answer!”

  “We’re coming, dude.” They rushed out in a breeze. All the way down the elevator Dustin and Sam used their new powers, occasionally peeking at the cityscape, vibrant in the chilled air. Cold temperatures always seemed to enhance scenery, especial y metropolitan areas.

  It wasn’t until the doors opened when they stopped, although once people walked inside, they admitted it was unbearably cold, an ironic statement coming from a New Yorker.

  Sam suspected that Johnny was probably running al over the city. “That kid is gonna get himself into serious trouble.”

  Dustin chuckled in the middle of the apartment parking lot. “Kid probably already is in trouble.”

  “What kind?” Sam jested. “I saw the way he was staring.”

  “Oof,” Dustin snickered.

  “What powers do you think Ryan has?”

  “I don’t know,” Dustin replied. “Anything but controlling flowers, hopefully.”

  “He looked legit mad when you said that.”

  “What? It’s true. He’s hard on the outside, but if I was God and put him into a field of flowers, he would likely start dancing like a damsel.”

  They piled into the car and headed to Ryan’s house. Sam kept gassing it in order to arrive sooner. Thus, he received quite a few middle-fingers.

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER

  Behind the window shades, Ryan waited for them, since he didn’t want his mother to hear or see anything—at least not yet. She was still sound asleep, made obvious by the unrelenting snores. As the brothers made their way to the door, he opened it and motioned for them to stay quiet.

  “Whoa, Ryan, is that you?!” Sam whispered.

  “Yes, it’s me,” the deep, scratchy voice piped. “Just move along.

  “What are you metal-Hulk?” Dustin joked. “Totally fitting, though.”

  Once Ryan quietly shut the door behind them, there was Johnny—just standing there. “Yeah, I forgot to call you, but forget that. Let me explain.”

  “Yo! Johnny, how have you been?” Sam asked, his tone light. Johnny and the brothers shook each other’s hands in their own special fashion. The ‘Coolie’ as they labeled it, consisted of a vertical fist-bump in both directions succeeded by a backhanded high-five and then a normal one.

  “OK, I woke up and I could do this,” Ryan began. Clenching his fists, he shrank back into his typical size—the metallic color fading, as did his enormous size. Then he clutched the frame of his bed and held tight. Within seconds, his body transformed, hard as a rock and bulky, not to mention seven feet tal . “Check this out,” he motioned, his voice now gruff and deep. “Oh, and I was frickin’ scared when this happened.”

  “Of course, what do you expect?” Dustin jested.

  “Ya, it’s supposed to be life-changing,” Sam finished. “And we were too.”

  “OK good, for a second there, I thought I was tripping.”

  Johnny looked over at them and nodded. “You better watch this.”

  Moving over to his bed, Ryan picked the whole thing up with ease on only one hand.

  It creaked and threatened to break.

  The brothers jerked back, amazed. Ryan was blessed with an ability that corresponded to and fit his personality and bodily frame—which resembled the stern of a ship.

  “Crazy, right?” Johnny asked the brothers, who did not speak a word for quite a while.

  “Just wait until the girls find out,” Ryan said. “It’s gonna be lit.”

  At last, Sam gulped. “That is…insane!”

  “I know, right?” Ryan exclaimed, his self-confidence shooting up a mile.

  Jaw dropped to Hell itself, Dustin remained stationary. He cleared his throat. “So you’re…Superman now? Or Hulk? Or—Or—Or Juggernaut?!”

  “I don’t read comics much, so I wouldn’t know,” Ryan replied, smiling wide. “But I guess the answer to that is yes.”

  “Yo, don’t smile,” Dustin responded. “Your metallic face just looks so…weird.”

  “That ugly, huh?” Ryan replied. Without much effort, he laid the bed on the wooden floor.

  Sam nodded. “Yeah man.”

  “Eh, still awesome, though.”

  “That’s the understatement of the century,” Dustin replied. “Like, are you kidding me?

  I want to see more of what you can do!”

  “It’s so bizarre,” Johnny cut in. “We al seem to have superhuman abilities that match our personalities. Like, if someone came from the future and told teenage me that Sam would have ice powers, I would’ve believed him.”

  “Agreed,” Ryan replied in accordance.

  “I concur,” Dustin added. “You do have a good point.”

  “So wait, what is it?” Sam said. “Absorption? Is that what it’s called?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” Johnny replied, nodding. “Look at you! Sam Jones, superpower physicist!”

  Sam shook his head slightly, a frown creeping onto his face. “Uh, not funny.”

  Per the usual, Dustin snickered. “Yeah it was. And I have to say, Ryan, your
voice is so, uh, rocky.”

  “Wait, say that again,” Ryan replied.

  “Which part? Rocky?”

  Ryan smirked. “I really, really dig that name.”

  “Name?” Sam repeated, puzzled.

  “No, just no,” Dustin replied. “That will not be your nickname now.”

  “I gotta admit,” Johnny chimed in, “I think that suits you.”

  “See? Even Johnny digs it,” Ryan replied, pointing to him. “And we al know how much of a killjoy he is.”

  “Not wrong,” Johnny chuckled.

  “Can I touch you?” Sam asked.

  “Oh yeah, yeah sure,” Ryan agreed.

  Both Sam and Dustin placed their fingers on his chest. “Holy crap, you’re like iron!”

  Sam exclaimed.

  “So wait, you tel ing me you’re a walking bed?” Dustin asked. “Still amazing, though.”

  “I guess?”

  Sam interrupted them by showing off his new abilities. Immediately his hair shifted white, and the aura surrounding him chil ed.

  “Whoa, sick! Is that…ice?” Johnny ogled, flabbergasted and mouth wide open in awe.

  “I know, right? So cool.”

  “Seriously?”

  “What? Puns are dope!”

  “Sick flow,” Ryan praised, referring to Sam’s snow-like hair.

  “Thanks, although I kind of disagree on that one.”

  Dustin followed his actions of display, blowing Johnny straight into the floor. There was a regrettably loud bang.

  “Was that necessary?” he retorted.

  “My apologies,” Dustin responded, “but it was.”

  “Wait, so you got wind? Or air?” Ryan remarked. “Wow, that’s basically OP.”

  “You think so?” he asked.

  “I know so. Can’t fight the air.”

  A big smile found its way onto Dustin’s face. “And it’s such a breeze to learn.”

  They chuckled at the joke, despite it being cringe-worthy. “That was hel a cringy,”

  Ryan replied. “But still funny.”

  “Do it again, though,” Johnny demanded. “Please. Not on me, though.”

  “All right, here goes. Throw that pil ow.”

  Ryan threw a bed pillow at Dustin, who deflected the attack by thrusting the pillow into the direction from which it came. The supercharged air propelled the soft cushion straight into Ryan’s face.

  “Bingo!” Dustin jested.

  “Nice shot!” Johnny praised.

  “Dope,” Ryan replied. “So dope.”

  Now it was Sam’s chance to amaze himself and the others. “Johnny, fill up Ryan’s cup.”

  “Got it.” Johnny zoomed into the bathroom and back. “Here.”

  Concentrating the frosty blast onto the filled cup, Sam froze the plastic cup and the H2O inside. Sam took hold of it and flipped it over. When he did so, the frozen piece of ice, molded into the shape of the cup, dropped out.

  “Holy crap!” Ryan whispered.

  “That was…so cool,” Johnny added. “You do have cold powers. Remarkable.”

  “Yeah, and check this out,” Dustin motioned. He blew a fierce shot of air, which Sam froze completely into a frozen spire, suitable as a lethal weapon.

  “We’re stacked!” Johnny exclaimed. “I got speed, Ryan has absorption, you got air or whatever, Sam has cold abilities, and Jane has telekinesis.”

  Ryan snickered. “Agreed, so Sam is Elsa, and Dustin is, uh, a wind turbine?”

  “Jack Frost! Not Elsa you idiot!”

  “Real y? A wind turbine?” Dustin objected, unimpressed.

  Johnny chuckled, a smile unable to leave. It was always them. These were the best friends anyone could ask for. And now, together, they would begin a new journey.

  ~~~

  There was silence in only one part of the ship—the throne room. As a large entity viewed the grand expanse of the universe from his transparent chamber, a dark-clad, fully armored figure complete with an opaque helmet trudged in and bowed. “My lord,”

  he started, “did it work?”

  It shifted its weight and pivoted, its radiant, crimson eyes piercing even from a distance. “Rise.”

  The servant rose and ambled closer. “Is her interest peaked?”

  “Temporarily. I trust you to ensure the breach is ready for her. You must not fail, Solis,” it spoke, voice unlike any other. “And lastly, send a scout there. He must control the trap.”

  “Yes, my lord. You will not be disappointed.” He strode out, feet clanking on the polished, mirror-like floor.

  The being returned to his prior stance, hands locked together behind his back elegantly, a scowl pasted on his bald head. He could never tire of a simple gaze into the ever-expanding universe, wondering where he is.

  “Oh Sonovan, you can never understand my machinations,” he whispered to himself, the only one left in the room.

  CHAPTER 7

  A MEETING

  A full day had elapsed, and Jane and Rose had been shown the new and incredible powers Ryan, Sam, and Dustin were bestowed. As Ryan predicted, it was “lit.”

  Johnny, wearing a black jacket and jeans, knocked on Sam and Dustin’s apartment door. He only heard a few angry expletives, a bit shocked yet not. It was undeniably Dustin’s reaction to getting destroyed in some dumb video game. “Yo Sam, you in there?”

  In an answer to his question, Sam opened it quickly. “Oh hey, what’s up?” he responded.

  Johnny raised his eyebrow. “Uh, don’t you remember we’re meeting the other two?

  In, like, a little while?”

  Sam furrowed his brow, checking his watch. “Shit!” He slammed the door in Johnny’s face.

  Bruh, Johnny thought. But the foul language had ceased.

  Within a few minutes, though, out stepped the brothers. Sam wore white pants and a bright blue dress jacket. His hair, per the usual, was styled perfectly. Show off, Johnny thought. Of course, Dustin did not model himself after Sam. Instead, he donned simple sweat pants and a hoodie.

  “Let’s get it,” Sam said. His tone dripped in mischief.

  “Wearing that?” Johnny replied. “Dude, this isn’t a date.”

  Sam smirked. “Yeah it is. It’s a date with destiny.”

  Dustin chuckled, facing Sam. “He does not know the way.”

  Johnny frowned, face scrunched up in a tangle of different emotions. He shook his head in dismissal. “I’ll just ignore that,” he said. “Come on.”

  “Lead the way, sire,” Dustin implored.

  Again, Johnny shook his head, leading the way to the elevator. “So, how have your powers been working?”

  “Like a breeze,” Dustin said. “What about yours, speed demon?”

  “It’s been pretty mind-blowing, that’s al I can say,” he responded.

  “Mine’s been cool,” Sam added.

  “That really necessary?” Dustin shot back just as the elevator opened. Surprisingly, there were Rose and Jane.

  “Uh, this is a surprise,” Johnny said.

  “To be sure,” Dustin added.

  “But a welcome one,” Sam finished. Dustin turned his face to prevent an explosion of laughter. “That was way too perfect,” Sam joked.

  “Palpatine would be proud,” Dustin replied, holding it in.

  “Did you just get here?” Johnny asked the duo in the elevator.

  “Yep,” Rose answered. “Ryan’s downstairs, ‘morbids.’”

  Dustin smirked at the word choice. With that, the trio of morbids entered the elevator and descended towards the ground.

  The party set off to Kevin’s mansion, where he spends his days helping the government and developing new cyber-defense technology.

  Despite the monthly conversations he had with his parents, who implored him to find a different hobby and to act like the “normal kids,” Kevin Moon had always been so fascinated with computer technology. He received a doctorate in ethical hacking and one in cybersecurity.

  After
passing through the guarded gate, the two cars stopped in the large parking area. Rose knocked on the door, rang the bell twice, and stepped back. “Just remember, don’t stare,” she warned.

  Visibly confused, Sam asked, “At what?”

  Her response was quick and served its purpose. “Any of it.”

  A head popped into view on the side window. His eyes went wide and the door opened at once. Swinging it open like a maniac, an average-sized man stepped onto the front door entrance for al to inspect. His black hair hid his ears. It had been arranged on his pale skinned head in a messy congregation of sorts. Additional y, Kevin wore a dark cotton hoodie, which, judging by his parents’ status and funds, was likely in excess of several hundred dol ars. To complete the look, a pair of thin spectacles rested on his eyes.

  “Rose! It-It’s nice t-to see you!” he stuttered, oddly looking at the others from the corner of his eyes. “Since when did y-you get such t-tall friends?”

  “It’s kind of a freak accident,” she replied, nodding in agreement to his question.

  “Am I q-qualified to be brought up to speed?”

  “It’s why we’re here,” Johnny interjected.

  “And you are?”

  “Johnny Sparks. These are my buddies,” pointing to Dustin, Sam, and Ryan, who shook his hand.

  “Your man, Ryan Slade.”

  “Dustin Jones.”

  “I’m Sam, this guy’s bro.”

  “Nice to meet you a— oh I don’t think we met yet!” Kevin exclaimed, looking at Jane.

  “Who m-might you be?

  “Jane,” she greeted. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Pleasure’s all mine,” he responded quickly. Turning around in one motion, he welcomed them in. “Welcome to my humble abode.” The giant entry to the house was randomly littered with a variety of technology, including—ironically—an Xbox. Evidently, he sparsely, if at all, had visitors apart from his father and mother, who, despite their sixty and fifty-five years respectively, stil work.

  As they walked through the place, they ogled at the affluence of equipment Kevin owned. “Rose has told us a lot about you,” Johnny said. Johnny felt a tad out of his element. He never thought he could be in a rich man’s home—no—mansion.

  “Let’s hope n-not everything.”