The beeps of medical equipment wakes him up. Chris opens his eyes a crack and regrets doing so. The light from above nearly blinding him. It was as if the whole ceiling was one big light fixture. He tries to move his head to the side but it’s held fast. In fact he can’t move at all. He tries to move the rest of his body but can only manage to wiggle a small amount. Something has him bond tight.

  A door opens.

  “So good to have you back.” The Director’s noticeable voice tells him.

  Now he knows where he’s at. Just great.

  “Now that your back we can test out Tetra’s higher functions.”

  He can hardly wait.

  Chris is released from his restraints and helped to the viewing room over looking the garden. He was still groggy and his legs were a little numb but he could still walk on his own. Unfortunately though, his powers were gone…again.

  The rest of his friends are in there, but no parents. Elle runs to him and throws her arms around him, crying. He holds her tight, and not about to let go.

  “Our parents are gonna be the next subjects.” She tells him through her sobs.

  “Cause he’s insane.” Jackson snarls.

  “Now, now. You will all get your turn. Bring out the subjects.”

  Chris watches his parents being shoved into the garden. His dad turns and decks one of the guards. But gets shocked by some of the others. Chris is beside himself all he can do is watch. He’d gdly take their pce if he could.

  Simon and Melissa are shoved through next.

  “Mom! Dad!” Elle yells.

  “Wait. Our mom doesn’t have any powers!” Jackson tells the Director.

  “It’ll be all right, child. We have wonderful medical facilities here. Your mother will be fine. Though she may get a bruise or two.” The Director mocks.

  Almost instantly, Jackson and Jerry spring on the Director, tackling him to the ground, were they start punching him. The Director struggles to get up but can’t. The door opens and his assistant comes in, with two guards right behind her. Chris and Elle nod to each other. They dart forward and ram the door with their shoulders. Chris hit’s the button next to the door to lock the guards out.

  The assistant is yelling for the boys to stop. Elle walks up and kicks her hard in the shin. Then while the assistant is hopping on one leg Elle decks her as hard as she can. The assistant goes down hard, hitting her head on the wall. All Chris does is lean back and watching in delight.

  “Elle! Check her pockets!” Jerry yells over.

  The guards outside bang on the door. Good thing the doors around here are solid. Chris goes and helps with the Director. The three of them succeed in pinning him down.

  “Here.” Elle comes over with what looks like a fancy gun. But it has a vial of funky liquid on top. She hands it to Chris, who puts it against the Director’s shoulder.

  “Let our parents go. Now!” Chris orders him.

  “I-I have to…get to the intercom.” The Director tells.

  “Get him up. Watch him.” Chris tells Jackson and Jerry. The tranquilizer gun thing still pressed tight against him.

  The guards weren’t banging anymore. They better make this quick. The boys walk the Director to the intercom.

  “I got it. Keep hold of his arms.” Elle says walking over. She pushes the talk button and orders him to tell the guards to let their parents out.

  Chris watches Jackson and Jerry wrench his arms behind his back. He grimaces from the strain. “Release, ah…release the project!”

  Bad move.

  “What!?” Elle yells.

  “Begin! Level 3!”

  Chris has had it. He pulls the trigger on the gun. A click followed by a hiss sounds from the gun. The Director yelps.

  “At Level 3 the whole facility…is sealed off. You…won’t be getting…out.” The Director slumps in Jackson and Jerry’s arms, unconscious. They let go of him, he drops with a, thump, to the floor.

  Elle comes over and kicks him. “Bastard!”

  Chris hops over the sleeping Director to look out the big window. The other door in the garden opens and Tetra steps forward. He walks forward eyeing his opponents.

  Elle beats on the window. “Damn it. We gotta get down there.”

  Chris looks down into the garden. Tetra has begun. The ground heaves around his parents and the Prowman’s, sending them airborne. Except that his parents are the only ones remaining airborne. Ariel is carrying Melissa who can’t fly, much less use any powers.

  “Come on.” Elle grabs Chris and pulls him over to the assistant. She takes the knockout gun from him and puts it to her neck. “Wake up, bitch!” Elle sps her.

  The assistant wakes up disoriented.

  “Get up!” Elle pulls on her suit vest her face twisted with rage and anxiousness.

  Chris never knew she had a violent streak like this. Makes him think she has a little fire element in her too. He can’t bme her though, with what the Director’s put her through. He helps her pull the assistant up.

  “W-What are you doing?”

  Elle and Chris pull her over to the intercom. “Tell that monster down their to stop.” Elle yells at her.

  “I-I can’t. He only responds to the Director.”

  Elle pulls the knockout gun from her neck and repces it against her temple.

  “Then tell us how to stop him! Or I’ll pump this shit straight into your brain, bitch.” Elle starts hiccupping from anger. Tears forming in her eyes.

  Jackson and Jerry come over to try and calm her down.

  Chris wonders…

  “Is that gss bulletproof?” He asks the Miss Carlton.

  “N-No.”

  Jackson goes to the intercom and pushes the button to talk. “Dad! Bst the gss up here! We’ll help!”

  Tetra was unching fireballs at their parents. Dad was redirecting them to the opposite side of the atrium from their viewing room. Some of the trees were now on fire.

  Chris’ dad yells at Simon who’s busy keeping Tetra’s fmes away from Melissa with a little force of chi. Larry takes over protecting Melissa, with Ariel’s help. Simon turns and brings his hands to his right side. Cupping his hands. His chi coalesces into a ball of energy that quickly grows to a bright ball of chi.

  “Everyone! Get away from the window!” Chris yells.

  Elle and her brothers let go of the assistant and duck behind a solid part of the room. The fire ball hits and the gss explodes with a loud boom. The kids duck and cover from the shower of gss, which showers them. Chris hears the crash and tinkle of gss as it hit’s the walls in the room. He also hears the yelp of the assistant.

  Chris gets up once the noise subsides. The huge gss window is no more. Its frame bent beyond repair. Elle’s dad sure was strong in Spirit power.

  Miss Carlton groans and moans.

  Chris goes over and sees her lying on her side a few shards of gss sticking out of her. Her face bloodied up. He takes a step back in horror. What did he do? He didn’t mean for this to happen. The Director is still out and covered in gss bits.

  “Chris!” His dad calls to him while hovering in the hole where the window was. Ariel calling for him to hurry up. “Come on. We need you guys.”

  Elle and her brothers run for the opening. Larry grabs hold of Jackson and Jerry. Chris feels his powers returning, quicker this time. Probably due to the short time they were out.

  “Chris! Bring Elle.” Larry says.

  “Come on, Chris.” Elle says in a hurry.

  Chris leaves the assistant and takes Elle into the garden, piggyback. He lifts off with his power, feeling good to be able to fly again.

  Tetra stops his attack. He looks over with a confused look.

  “Hit him now, kids!”

  Chris raises his power. He pauses a moment, taking in the fact that he can use his powers again, and hits Tetra with an updraft. He tries to hold him as best he can but Tetra pulls up pilrs of rock, randomly. Jackson and Jerry dodge and retaliate. Jackson with a heat wave attack, raising the temperature of the updraft to desert temperatures. While Jerry takes chunks of the rock pilrs and hurls them into the swirling mix.

  Chris looks to Elle, who is over with her parents. He doesn’t bme her for loosing her focus.

  “Hold him, Chris!” Larry say, as he starts building an air ball.

  Tetra screams and rambles something Chris doesn’t understand. Tetra then starts randomly throwing elements in all directions.

  Chris‘ dad starts filling an airball with air. “When I say, let him go!”

  It doesn’t take long till his father tells him to shut off the whirlwind. Chris does as his father tells him and Tetra starts falling. His dad throws the air ball like a baseball and hits Tetra as he hit’s the ground. Double whammy.

  All is silent as they listen for signs of Tetra’s consciousness: moving, moaning, ripping the ground apart. But they hear nothing. Tetra is out.

  Chris sighs in relief. Everyone sighs in relief. They won, at least against Tetra.