Marty woke up fairly early for a Sunday. He was quickly putting on clothes, when he heard a knock on the door. “Oh shit oh shit,” He said, as he quickly pulled his pants up with his hand. He opened the door, “Spencer, I’m sorry I had trouble sleeping la-oh, hey Steven.” Steven was standing outside, and told him, “Uh…Oh right, you were gonna meet that trainer guy. Well, I just came to let you know that Mr. Noronake is doing research on this Endziel organization.” Marty replied, “Alright. I appreciate you getting help, but it may be for the best that we keep most of our friends out of it.” Steven nodded, “Of course. We wouldn’t want them getting targeted as well. I’ve told Justine about it as well. She can use criminal records to find people who may be involved.” Marty said, “Good good.” “See you later,” Steven walked away, and Marty closed the door. He let out a sigh of relief. Then, he heard banging on the door, “Oh shit…” Marty put on his belt, and opened the door. Spencer was standing there irritated, “This is the second time.” “I know, I know, I just forgot that I had homework for Mr. Rentson and had to do it overnight.” “Mr. Rentson doesn’t give homework.” “...Ok, I stayed up all night watching TV.” “Come on man, the trainer is gonna be upset with us if we don’t hurry!” “Alright, let's go.” They went back to the same room where they fought Evelyn and Lacey. The mirror was still dividing the room in two halves, and the desk was replaced by an identical one. “He’s not even here,” Marty told him. “That’s because we’re here before he is. He won’t wait for us if he comes and sees we aren’t here.” Then, from behind the two boys, someone walked into the room. “Hello,” He said. The third boy was a 6’5 muscular behemoth of a 14 year old that was- “Wait a minute!” Marty recognized him. The boy looked at Marty, and recalled, “WAIT A MINUTE!” Marty exclaimed, “I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, YOU CAN’T FOOL ME. YOU'RE-” “The guy who fixed your bike that one time!” “NO, YOU’RE-” The boy covered Marty’s mouth, and asked Spencer, “Let me have a few minutes to talk to him about something.” He then brought Marty to the room across, and closed the door. “YOU’RE IGNITED JUSTICE.” “Not so loud,” The boy shushed him. “Yes, I am Ignited Justice. But I have to keep my identity a secret, so do not call me that in public.” “Err…what even is your name?” “Helios Pyre.” “Alright. Helios, you aren’t hiding your identity very well.” Helios walked to the door, “I would appreciate it if you never spoke on the matter again, thank you!” He and Marty both walked back into the room with Spencer. Spencer looked at Helios, “Has anyone told you that you look like Ignited Justice?” Helios acted surprised, “Really? I mean, I’ve got a similar build to him, so I guess that makes sense.” “Yeah, but you have brown eyes and he has black eyes.” Marty was shocked, “HUH?” He looked at Helios’ eyes, and saw that they were brown. “Color contacts eh…” Helios cleared his throat, “Ahem. Men, we’re here to talk about workout plans. I’ll start with you Spencer, can you tell me a bit about yourself and what you plan to get from this?” “I’m a football player, so my legs are pretty strong. However, I feel like I’ve only focused on my legs and I wanna work on my arms.” Helios inspected Spencer, “Yes, these are definitely the legs of a football player. Your arms haven’t seen much work, however. Alright, nothing that a mix of pushups, curls, and dips can’t fix. I’ll send you a text message with more information once I’ve thought about it more.” He turned to Marty, “And you?” Marty stammered, “Uh…well…” Spencer told him, “He needs to get as strong as possible until Thursday. He’s gonna be fighting in an arm wrestle against someone with a super-strength signature.” “A tough spot, eh? HAHA, I find it interesting…I’ll help you.” Marty said, “Thanks! So, what’s the plan?” “Well, we need to start as soon as possible. Meet me in the gym room in an hour, you’ll spend the rest of the day there. And meet me there each day after school until Wednesday. If I arrive before you, I won’t help you anymore. You must be punctual! I’ll charge $50 for my service.” Marty listened, “Alright, it’s a plan then.” An hour later, Marty arrived at the gym. “Right on time I see!” Helios walked up behind him, with another student. “Yep.” Marty replied, and he looked at the other student who was with Helios. It was a boy with red hair and sunglasses on. Marty recognized that he was the same student who was driving the tank yesterday. “This here is Danny Determinator. He’ll be using his signature, Eye Of The Tiger, to help us out.” “How can it help us?” “It’s a signature that causes one to have a great amount of determination to do something. So he’ll be using it on you to make sure that you work as hard as possible.” Danny told Marty, “Come on! You can do this!” Marty felt a burst of confidence in himself, “EXACTLY! I CAN DO THIS! THIS IS NOTHING TO ME!” Helios pointed to the ground, “ALRIGHT! 150 pushups, right now!” Marty got on the ground, and started doing push ups. He worked out for the rest of the day, until 9 pm came around. “Alright Marty. You should get to bed at 10, so you can leave now. Same time tomorrow!” Marty was half-dead lying on the ground, “Right…” The next day, Marty woke up sore and started going to his classes.
Period 4, Journalism
Marty walked into the room, and saw Steven, Iris, and Seven talking to Jupiter. “Hey, Marty.” Iris said, “Jupiter has this class, so we were talking to him.” “Hello, Marty,” He said, before continuing his conversation, “Where was I again? Right, I made it myself. It’s mostly modeled after a German tank, though I took some creative liberties with it. It’s made for two people, one as the gunner and one as the driver. I named it Grauberg.” “Where do you keep it?” Steven asked. “I store it…here,” He pointed to his shirt pocket. “Oh right…that is your signature” Iris said. Justine and Filip came into the room, “You two have this class as well?” Seven asked. Justine responded,“Yeah, though we barely come since we have work.” The bell rang, and class started. Mr. Noronake sipped on coffee with on his phone,“Alright, class, the lessons online. Have fun.” When class was over, he said, “Steven and company, please stay here.” Steven and his three best friends stayed, along with Jupiter, Justine, Filip, and Ivy. Mr. Noronake took a deep breath, “Ivy, you’re irrelevant. Get out.” Ivy left without a word. “Alright guuuuuuys. Initially, a simple search didn’t give much results. But I went on the dark web, and found a website. I guess that’s how they get targets and assassins. Jupiter, tell us more about this process.” Jupiter began, “Alright.”
Pov Shift: Jupiter
A Few Weeks Ago
Jupiter was walking along the street, until he stopped at an orphanage. He looked through the windows, thinking deeply. He was then approached by a girl with a blue trapper hat and a clipboard. She was the same age as Jupiter, and had golden eyes. She asked, “You’ve free time?” Jupiter nodded his head, and the girl dug in her pockets. She pulled out a playing card deck, “Down for a game?” Jupiter said, “Sure…why not?” They both sat on the bench, and the girl asked, “Ur game?” Jupiter thought, “Hmm…do you know how to play Crazy Eights?” “Yeah, played it alot.” She started jotting down some notes, and then played. Jupiter won the game, “Well, good game.” The girl started jotting down something in her notes, “Heh, good indeed.” She then put her clipboard on the bench. She punched Jupiter in the face, and he fell to the ground. Jupiter asked, “OW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?” She responded, in a flat tone, “I’m mad you beat me in the game.” “But you asked!” “Emotion took over me.” “You sound like you don’t give a damn!” Jupiter got up, and into a fighting stance. “If you punch me for emotion…” He swung his fist, “THEN EXPECT MY FIST IN MOTION!” He then punched her in the face. She was barely knocked back by it. She picked back up her clipboard, and started writing down more notes. “What…are you writing about?” Jupiter asked. “You,” She answered. Jupiter asked,“Why?” She didn’t answer until she finished writing, “I wanted to see your eligibility for a program.” “What program?” She ignored the question, “Your hobbies, what are they?” “What pro-Ugh, nevermind. My hobby is tinkering in my garage with whatever I can find.” “Garage? You’ve a home?” “Yeah. What, you thought I was an orphan? No, I have a home, but my mom’s dead and my dad rarely comes around so it’s just me.” “You feel sad because of that?” “Do I sound sad? It’s helped me with my hobbies since I don’t have any authority telling me what I’m doing is wrong.” “What you’re doing is wrong?” “No, well yes. Legally, I shouldn’t be making the things I do. Morally, there’s not much of an issue.” “Please take me to your home. I’d like to see this in person.” “Umm…maybe I should know your name first.” “...Lumila.” “Alright. I’m Jupiter Jessen.” They walked over to Jupiter’s house, and to the back yard. There was a giant tank, Grauberg. “Waw,” Lumila went, “Your hobby seems like it could potentially be very…fruitful. We’ve an organization, where we’ve people work for us in exchange for a home. If you come with us, we’ll allow you to stay at the building and tinker all you’d like.” “That sounds interesting. Lousy pops probably wouldn’t know I’m gone. What work do I have to do?” Lumila paused for a second, “You’re gonna have to be an assassin. When I was writing of you, I was taking notes on your capability to kill people. Including your personality, physical strength, and intelligence. Your personality is okay and you’re extremely weak. However, to make a tank you must possess a great amount of intellect. What you’ve done is something special, which is why I want you to join us.” Jupiter thought on the matter, “I don’t think I can kill someone…Sorry, I can’t join.” Lumila’s face was unchanged, “Alright. I’d advise you not to tell people about me or anything I told you today.” She walked off. Jupiter looked up to his tank, and started thinking in his head, “My life is so…empty. No one appreciates my talent, but Lumila…she just called what I do special…” He turned around, “I’ll do it! I’ll join you guys!” Lumila turned around, “Okay. There’ll be a car here tomorrow at 3 am, get everything to travel. I await to see your experience with our organization.”
Pov Shift: Marty
Present
“After all of that, nothing much happened. I was driven to their building and pretty much waited there until school started and, eventually, I got my first mission. They didn’t let me meet any of the other Signature Assassins since I was new, but I know Lumila is one of them.” Jupiter finished his story. “Where’s the building,” Mr. Noronake asked. “I don’t know, they covered the car windows when I went inside so that I wouldn’t know.” “I think you gave enough information anyway,” Justine said, “We could probably find records on all the students here who are adopted, right Filip?” Filip thought on it, “Well…if this organization is any smart they probably erase those records. Isn’t that right, Jupiter?” “Yeah. Lumila once told me that they clear up all records relating to adoption.” “Well, that’s that out,” Steven added, “Perhaps we can get more from this Lumila girl. After all, if Endziel trusts her enough to recruit people then she must have a lot of info.” “She uses a different name when she goes to school. She didn’t tell me what it was though,” Jupiter shut down another idea. Marty told Iris, “You could search for her using Slide Zone.” “I could, but it’d take forever. I’ll wait to do it in the night, when everyone is sleeping in the dorm building.” “Alright, that should work,” Seven added. “Yep,” Jupiter said. Mr Noronake sent them out, “Alright guys, you can leave now. We’ve got ourselves a plan! Iris, I hope to see good progress tomorrow!” They left the room, with Jupiter, Justine, and Filip going their separate ways.
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Lunch
Seven suggested an idea, “Guys, we should go to the cafeteria. We always just walk around or go to the library and talk with Victoria. We haven’t seen what they started serving ever since I gave them all that money.” “Oh, you’re right,” Iris said, “I hope they’re at least serving something somewhat good.” “Same,” Marty said. They walked into the cafeteria, with a bunch of students eating and joking around at the tables. There were 9th graders, but also many upperclassmen. Steven looked around, and saw a table with Moby sitting on top of it with the blue outline around him. He waved over, and Steven and his friends walked over. “Steven, my man. Can you do a friend a favor and go get some more pudding. It’s the only thing that doesn’t require too much energy to eat here.” They went to get lunch. They all sat down with sandwiches, apples, and pudding. Marty looked at his sandwich, “This is sad. It looks like it was heated in a microwave.” He took a cautious bite out of the sandwich, and then started scarfing it down. “Wow,” Iris said, before taking a bite from her apple. Seven started eating his sandwich, and Steven passed his pudding over to Moby. “Thanks, man.” He took the pudding and slid it down his mouth. He then put the empty cup down, and curled back into his upright fetal position. The blue outline around him returned. He asked, “That tank on Saturday was gnarly though…Those construction men were confused I tell ya.” Steven asked Moby, “Can you do us a favor? If you see someone with a blue trapper hat, can you call us?” “Sure.” They continued to eat and talk, and lunch soon ended.
Afterschool
Marty went to train with Helios again, and went back to his dorm room even more tired and sore than before. “My body feels like it wants to die.” He went to sleep, and then to school the next day, tuesday.
Period 4, Journalism
“Didn’t find her,” Iris said. “Damn.” Marty said. “Jupiter, you got anything else we use to find her?” “Nothing I can think of, sorry.”
Afterschool
Marty trained once again. The soreness was growing even more in his body, and he could barely even last to wednesday.
Period 4, Journalism
Seven greeted Marty in class, “Hey, Marty! How was your day-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?” Marty came into class looking pale and like a zombie, “I’m cool, yeah, cooooooooool” Mr. Noronake walked up to him, “This is the result of your training, eh Marty? Well, you can sleep during this period, since it’s for a good cause.” Marty slept, though it barely helped his pains.
Afterschool
Marty told Helios, “I cannot go another day.” Danny said, “Come on, you can-” “No no,” Helios stopped him, “Let me do it this time.” Helios put his hand on Marty’s shoulder and started speaking in an inspirational tone, “Marty Morpho. Everyone is anticipating your arm wrestle match tomorrow, and so you have to give them a show! My boy, you’re gonna be great. BUT UNTIL THEN…we work like there’s no tomorrow. Because if we don’t, there won’t be.” Marty pointed to Danny, “Just hit me with the determination drug so I can get this over with.” Danny did so, “Alright Marty, you’ve got this! I know you can do it!” And so, Marty trained until 7 pm. “Marty,” Helios told him, “We’re ending early.” “Thank you…” Marty groaned, lying on the ground. Helios picked him up over his shoulder, and walked over to bring him to his dorm. He placed him onto the ground, and told him, “Open the door, I wanna talk to you inside.” Marty opened the door, and they walked in. Helios sat on Marty’s bed, and Marty laid on it. “I realized something, Marty. Have you been showering since we started training?” “No…” “I figured. That’s probably why you feel so sore. Well, that’s nothing a good cold shower can’t fix! Haha, well go shower.” Marty stood up, and started walking towards the bathroom. Helios stopped him, “Wait. Since you haven’t showered, perhaps you need extra assistance so that you can be the best you possible tomorrow. I’ll shower with you!” Marty was confused, “What???” “Yes, it’ll help you.” “That’s weird, man.” “IT’S ONLY WEIRD IF YOU MAKE IT! Just don’t mind it.” 5 minutes later, and Marty was standing in the shower across from Helios. Marty was avoiding contact, “This is still…really weird.” “How so? We still have our underwear on, so we’re not completely naked!” “I’m still showering with a dude.” “Don’t be like that! Does the cold shower feel good?” “I guess, I’d feel better if you weren’t here though.” “Come on man! I’ll give you my signature massage during this shower!” “No…please don’t.” “But you need it!” “No…I-” Before Marty could protest anymore, Helios grabbed him, “HEY WHAT THE HELL-” “Stay still now!” Helios pushed him onto the floor of the shower, and went on top of him. Marty started fighting back while Helios started rubbing him, “OH HELL NO! HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! AHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHH!” 5 minutes later, “Ahhhhh” Marty was relieved and stretching in the living room, with clothes on. “I feel so good right now. Like I could climb a mountain or swim to Japan. My body is ready for tomorrow.” Helios smiled, “Great to hear! I’ll be there to watch, get a good rest!” Marty woke up, feeling great. He woke up early and waited for Spencer in front of the school. “Holy…you got here before me?” Spencer was shocked. “Yeah brother,” Marty took a deep breath, “I feel high as a kite.” Spencer asked him, “You’re talking about emotions or drugs? Because with the way you’re acting, I can’t tell the difference.” “Let’s just get to the main event, brother.” They walked over, and while they did, they saw Danny leaning on the building. “Hey Danny, can you help me? Use your signature, Eye Of The Tiger, on me during my arm wrestle match.” Danny held his hand out, “20 dollars.” Marty dug into his pockets, and gave Danny a 20 dollar bill. The three of them all went to the sports meeting. When they entered the room, everyone’s heads turned to Marty. Beverley was sitting at the table, waiting for him. Beck shook his head. Helios gave Marty a thumbs up. Danny then told Marty, “Alright. Here you go. I’m quite intrigued on how you will do. Ahem. You can do it Marty! Alright, let’s go!” Marty felt a powerful surge of determination in his bones, and sat at the table. “Beverley, you’ll lose today. I’ll make sure of that!” He put his right arm on the table. Beverley chuckled, “Really now?” She put her arm on the table, and held Marty’s hand. “Beat It,” She said, as her hand started glowing red. Beck put his hands on both of theirs, “Alright…The match between Beverley Minibang and Marty Morpho is about to start!” Everyone in the room huddled towards the table to watch. “3.” Beverley looked Marty in the eyes. “2.” Marty looked Beverley in the eyes. “1.” They both tightened their grips on each other. “GO!” Marty started pushing her arm down, He started hyping himself up, “I’ve got to do this! Everyone is watching!” He pushed her arm down even more, “I need to win! No, I will win!” He pushed her arm down even more, “YES! EVERYONE WILL BE CHANTING MY NAME! I’LL FOR SURE WIN, I CAN ALREADY HEAR THEM!” He pushed her arm down right above the table, “THE LAST STRETCH, COME ONNNNNNNNNN!” “WHAM!” Beverley’s arm slammed on the table. She was in total shock. The crowd went wild. Marty jumped, and a bunch of people caught him and started throwing him up in the air. “Marty! Marty! Marty!” The sound of their chanting started sounding more and more distant, “Marty…marty…MARTY!” He opened his eyes, and noticed he was on his bed. He looked at Spencer, who was trying to wake him up. “Marty! For fucks sake, you’re finally up!” Marty asked, “I dreamt the arm wrestling match?” And looked down to his right arm in a cast. “No, you lost. Badly. It was actually really embarrassing. Let me tell you exactly how it went.”
A Few Hours Ago
Everyone in the room huddled towards the table to watch. “3.” Beverley looked Marty in the eyes. “2.” Marty looked Beverley in the eyes. “1.” They both tightened their grips on each other. “GO!” Beverley barely pushed her arm down, and Marty’s arm smashed through the table onto the ground and he was knocked unconscious. “Damn…” The crowd started murmuring. Beverley sighed.
Present
“And that’s how it went.” “Ah. Can you bring me to the healer, I can’t do much with a broken arm.” “We did. She says she can’t fix it.” “WHAT? WHY?” “Because, and I quote, ‘his bad actions have consequences.’” “What does that mean?” “IT MEANS I TOLD YOU SO! YOUR DUMBASS GOT HANDED TO YOU! THERE’S NOT MUCH MORE TO SAY ABOUT IT!” “...Okay…you were right. Are you happy?” “HMM, YEAH, I’M PRETTY HAPPY.” Spencer stood up, “Oh, by the way, there’s a line of people waiting to talk to you outside. Also, I think someone stole 5 dollars that was in your drawer. Alright, I’ll leave now.” Spencer left, and Helios entered. “Marty…my boy…this match was very unfair. Perhaps you were a bit conceited. I wish the best for your recovery!” Helios left, and Iris entered, “That wasn’t too smart of you, to be honest. But you know, I’ve never actually seen someone with a cast.” Iris took out a marker and drew a penis. “It’s just a weird looking face, don’t worry!” Iris left, and Steven entered. “Hey Marty. Umm…sorry about what happened to you. Also, what do you recommend I buy with 5 dollars? Actually nevermind, I’ll ask Seven once he’s done speaking with you.” Steven left, and Seven entered. “Oh man, Marty. This is terrible! Try not to move your arm too much, just let it heal. If you need to, make sure to take a few days off from school. Call me if you need assistance. I’ll go now.” Seven left, and Beverley entered. “You disappointed me today. I expected more from you, you know? I didn’t even prepare. I wasn’t even trying. Your performance was so lackluster that I could forget it if I tried.” “You seem quite mad for someone who won.” “I didn’t want to win. I thought that maybe someone would finally pose a challenge for me. But, whatever, I’m sure there are those better than you. I’ll find them. So goodbye.” Beverley left, and no one else entered. Marty sighed, “A damn broken arm…wow…”
Chapter 22.5: A Funny Joke
Last Saturday
Spencer and Marty were sitting in Spencer’s room. “Spencer, I’ve got a great joke!” “What is it?” “What do you call a football victory?” “A goal?” “No, a foot neuter! Because why would you want to have foot balls?” “That’s lame.”
Pov Shift: Lacey Lock
Evelyn and Lacey were sitting in Evelyn’s room. “Evelyn, I’ve got a great joke!” “What is it?” “What do you call a football victory?” “A goal?” “No, a foot neuter! Because why would you want to have foot balls?” “That’s lame.”