I've been writing this series for a few years now, and I've just started writing Season 4 (FYI, Season 3 is insanely short). Let me know what you think.
"Knights & Pawns"
The City of Underwood
12-year-old Andy Morgan was running down the street late at night. Andy was dressed in green and white pajamas, with shaggy dishwater blonde hair. He kept looking back to make sure they weren't following. His bare feet avoided the puddles from the recent rain storm, afraid of what could happen to him if he touched the water. After what had just happened not even an hour ago, he now feared for his life.
It was then that he heard them coming for him. He could hear the screeching sound of the monsters sent to bring him back. He kept running, not sure of how much longer he could keep going. As Andy ran, several shadowy creatures were flowing like water across the ground not even a block behind him...
On top of a building, two teenagers were keeping watch over the city. A boy wearing a blue tank top, blue jean shorts, sky blue high tops, with a green backwards ball cap over his shaggy blonde hair, looked down at the street.
"This is boring," Ace said as he looked around, sighing. "Nothing's going to happen."
Another boy with shaggy brown hair, dressed in a red sweatshirt, blue jeans, and brown boots looked over at him.
"That's what you said before the eight foot killer robot decided to hit that science lab last month," Jesse replied.
"We kicked his butt easily," Ace told him, shaking his head. "There's just nothing challenging about what we do anymore."
"Ace, I'm sorry about your brother," Jesse told him. "I know ever since-"
"Could we just drop this?" Ace asked as he looked down below. "My brother's gone and I'll never see him again."
It was then that Jesse spotted Andy, then saw the dark, shadowy creatures behind him.
"You said something about being bored?" Jesse asked as he jumped over the edge of the building. Only he didn't fall. He floated in midair in front of Ace. "Let's go save the day."
Andy ran into the alley, which was a dead-end. He looked up at the metal fence that would have been easy to climb had he not been barefoot and without gloves. He saw the Shadow Demons headed toward him and backed up against the fence. He closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for whatever they were going to do.
As they were about to attack, two of the shadow demons were suddenly frozen over in a thick block of ice as Ace landed in the alley.
"What are these things?" Ace asked as he saw the creatures.
"They're ugly, that's what they are," Jesse replied as a fireball formed in his hand. He shot it forward, turning the demons to ash. The rest of the demons fell to the ground, and slithered away like shadows into the darkness, screeching as they went.
"You alright, kid?" Ace asked as Andy passed out. "Well, that was rude."
"We'd better get him back to the Mall of Justice," Jesse said as he picked the boy up. "Why did we choose that name again?"
"Because I won the deciding game of Monopoly," Ace replied as they walked out of the alley. "And as the king of Park Avenue, I thought it was a cooler name than Victoria's choice of 'The House of Style'."
"Dude, stop calling yourself the king of Park Avenue," Jesse told him. "It's been two years and it's still not funny."
Someone was watching the scene in the alley unfold.
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all..."
Hours later, Andy opened his eyes and saw he was surrounded by walls of packaged toys. He sat up and realized he was on a bed toward the front of a small toy store. He was in a clean pair of green pajamas, and found a pair of slippers by the bed. He put them on as he stepped outside of the store and realized he was in a mall. There was a video store, a book store, a pizza shop, a video arcade, and several other stores lining the hall. He looked around and saw an orange blur zip by.
"Heyguyshe'sawake!"
Andy stepped back as he saw a teenage girl with black hair, dressed in a stylish black mini-skirt and top with black heeled boots. The young woman was accompanied by a girl with long brown hair, dressed down in a pink t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots.
"Hmmm, the pajamas are definitely a fashion no-no," The girl in black said as she looked at the boy. "But I think it's workable."
"I think he's cute," The girl in pink replied as she looked at the boy. "What's your name?"
Andy looked around nervously as a boy wearing a blue tank top, blue jean shorts, and high tops, with a backwards ball cap over his blonde hair, approached.
"Give the kid some room," Ace told them as he walked up to Andy. "He's had a rough night."
"Rough night?" Another boy in a tight orange tank top, black shorts, and orange high tops said. He had shaggy light brown hair. "You want to talk rough? I've run all over town and I can't find those strawberry flavored twinkies I like."
A boy with brown, pudding bowl cut hair walked up to them, dressed in a purple and white shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. "I see the kid's awake. Anyone interrogate him yet?"
"Can we play good cop, bad cop?" Ace asked as everyone started talking at once. "Haven't done that in a while."
Andy started breathing heavily as everyone started talking loudly. He had no idea who these people were, or what he was doing here. He started crying as he leaned his back against the wall, and slid toward the floor.
"HEY!" A voice shouted as everyone turned their attention toward the corridor, where Jesse was floating. He flew toward them and landed in front of Andy and leaned down to look at him. "Let's keep focused on the kid, and why he was in that alley. You want to tell us why those... things were after you?"
Andy just looked at the group as the tears fell down his face. He was visibly shaking as the boy in red put his hand on Andy's shoulder. "He's upset. I think we should tell him who we are."
The boy stood up and looked at Andy. "My name's Jesse. And these are my friends. We're the Guardians. We're kind of like superheroes. Only without the costumes."
"Tights make me look fat," The girl in black said.
The boy in purple stepped forward. "I'm Sam."
The girl in black looked at him. "Victoria."
The girl in pink spoke up. "Carol."
The boy in orange looked over. "Walker."
The boy in blue added. "Ace."
"We rescued you from those creatures," Jesse said. "But the question is, why were they after you?"
"I'm Andy," The boy replied as he looked at them through the tears in his eyes. "And those things were after me because... I'm a freak."
Jesse stood up and made a fireball in the palm of his hand. "Then you're in the right place."
Ace held out his hand, which started to glow with a blue energy, forming ice crystals; Carol created sparks of light in her hands; Walker zipped from where he was standing to in front of Andy in the blink of an eye; Victoria picked up a bench in the corridor easily with one hand.
"I- I just build stuff," Sam shyly said.
Andy's eyes widened as he got up and started running down the corridor, scared of what he just saw.
"Aw, I was going to make him an ice squirrel," Ace said in a disappointed tone.
"We'd better find him," Jesse said as he looked at the group. "Before he finds something he's not supposed to."
Elsewhere in the city
"The boy escaped, father," A man in a dark purple and black robe said as he kneeled down in a darkened room, with a single light shining down on another man in a similar robe, his face hidden, only his piercing yellow eyes visible.
"I haven't spent all of this time and effort to have my plans foiled by a child," Dark Heart said. "The day when our plans will come to fruition is at hand. Soon everything and everyone will be in place, but that boy can ruin everything.... The Guardians have found him."
The other man's eyes widened. "If he tells them what he knows-"
"He won't," Dark Heart replied. "As long as you get him before he can tell them anything. The Guardians will play their part in my plan, I just don't want it to happen this soon. I'll arrange for them to come out into the open, and once we have them, we can get the child. Do not fail me, Kartheiser."
"Yes, father," The man replied as he stood up. "I promise you, I'll bring Andy back."
"See that you do," Dark Heart told him. "You really don't want to disappoint me."
Meanwhile, at the Mall of Justice
Andy was running as fast as he could, trying to get away from what he just saw. He looked around for an exit, but the mall so had so many turns that he couldn't find any exits. He heard someone coming, and ran into the video arcade as Ace and Walker rushed by.
Andy backed up and wound up almost falling on the ski-ball game. Ace and Walker came back by and saw him.
"Kid, we're not the bad guys," Ace told him as Andy pulled the ski-balls out of the hole and started tossing them. Walker easily ducked them, but Ace was beaned in the head.
"You alright?" Walker asked, amazed that Ace could take a wooden ball to the head.
"Good thing he hit the hard end," Ace said as he rubbed his forehead.
"Leave me alone!" Andy shouted, almost crying. "I'm not like you!"
"Kid, calm down," Jesse said as he flew in. "We're here to help you."
Andy climbed up on the ski-ball game, and wrapped his arms around his knees as he rocked back and forth. "I'm not like you..."
Victoria, Carol, and Sam arrived just as an alarm went off.
"Now what?" Jesse asked the wall mounted t.v.s turned on, and a man in a suit appeared.
"Hello, Guardians," The Mayor said as he looked at Andy. "I see you have a new member."
"He's actually just part of another case we're working on," Jesse told him. "What can we do for you tonight?"
"Your old enemy Automaton has been spotted downtown," The Mayor told them. "He's been spotted near the new nuclear power plant."
"Must be trying to recharge his batteries," Sam realized. "We're on it."
The monitors turned off as Jesse turned toward his team. "Let's go kick his robotic butt. Ace, I want you stay here with Andy and keep an eye on him."
"Are you really going to trust Ace with that kind of responsibility?" Sam whispered.
"It's either that or turn him loose in a place capable of blowing up the entire city," Jesse whispered back.
The five teens rushed out as Ace just stood there and looked over at Andy. Ace had no idea what to do, he'd never babysat a day in his life.
"Want to see me make an ice squirrel?"
At the nuclear power plant, a large, eight foot robot with a bald human head attached under a glass dome had broken through the wall of the newly constructed power plant. He was looking for the reactor when a fireball shot past him.
"Looking for a late night snack?" Jesse asked as the five teens arrived, ready to fight.
"Looks like he's got a new body," Carol said as she illuminated the room so they could see. "I guess since we broke the last one he got an upgrade."
"So, does this one have a off switch?" Walker asked as he shot toward Automaton, who caught Walker with his claw and lifted him into the air. Walker's legs kicked around as Automaton's claw held him around the waist as he struggled.
"You Guardians may be physically faster, but mentally I'm faster than all of you," Automaton said as the claw shot out, pinning Walker against the wall. "I calculated that you would arrive about now."
"Calculate this!" Victoria said as she tossed a piece of the downed wall at the robot, who flew backward, but caught himself before he could fall.
"You Guardians have been a virus in my system for far too long," Automaton said as a hole opened in the palm of his left hand, firing a net at the teens, trapping Sam and Carol as Jesse and Victoria jumped out of the way. Jesse rolled, but Victoria refused, simply just jumping and trying not to land on the dirty ground.
"You are so getting my cleaning bill," Victoria said angrily.
Jesse took to the air and created a fire-ball in his hand, and tossed it toward Automaton to try to distract him. Meanwhile, Walker was struggling to get out of the claw as Victoria went to help him.
"Don't worry, I'll have you out of here in no time," Victoria said as he pulled on the claw.
"Could it be a bit faster than that?" Walker asked.
Automaton saw Victoria and fired a blast of purple ooze at her, pinning her to the wall as well, right next to Walker.
"Ew, this stuff is going to ruin my outfit," Victoria said as she struggled.
"I have come prepared for all of you," Automaton said as his other arm fired foam at Jesse, who tried to avoid it, but was soon hit and fell to the ground, where Automaton fired a net to pin him to the ground as well. "I have more than enough power in my system, I don't need anything from this place. You twirps fell into our trap."
"OUR trap?" Jesse asked.
Seconds later, a dozen shadowy creatures began to rise from the ground.
"What are those things?" Walker asked.
"I don't know, but I think we're all in very deep trouble," Victoria said as the creatures wandered closer.
