Axel looked down at his watch to verify the time. Surely enough it was the same time on that same day that Reggie and Lance had their memories 3:33.

“Hey someone get that kid out of there!” Voices from the crowd screamed.

“Today we've got a special gift for you!” An announcer revealed to the crowd. “This little girl from the Rykers is no ordinary girl! She goes by the name of B! And anyone who calls her otherwise is in for a world of hurt!

The man with the metal jaw started laughing

“B?” He laughed “What does that stand for? Is it boy? She looks like one!”

The 6 year old child began to shake subtly as small deposits of the ground began to collect into her hands. After a few moments she had rock gauntlets in her hands the size of the large man's head.

“Oh so you want to fight pip-squeak? Well alright then!” The man said, taking the initiative. He approached B with a backhand aimed at her temple. With the utmost simplicity B dodged, swiftly ducking and then jumped into the air.

With a single blow to the man's temple she smashed his head in with her rock gauntlets sending him tumbling to the ground.

“This is my first day in this place so I'm only going to say it once” The little girl said whipping his blood from her hands. “My name is B., not boy, not best friend, it’s just B got it!”

“Hahah why am I surprised!” Axel said wiping his forehead. Of Course B was a fighter since birth.

The door to the next room opened leading Axel away.

As he entered the next room he heard voices behind a door.

“Wait what do you mean you don't have enough for the research?(woman)

“In order for a project to be fully successful we need your entire body to be submerged.”(man)

“Project Sentient isn’t going as well as us playing, where going to need a full body synchronization.(man)

“What do you mean how long is that going to take?”(woman)

“An eternity, you’re going to become fully computerized and your body will become a digital asset”.(man)

“No you can't do this to me! I won't let you take me, I won't let you leave Axel all alone!”(woman)

“The boy will be taken care of I assure you.”(man)

“No I won't let you do this! This isn't right! You said you just needed my cells this is way too much I want out of this!”(woman)

“If you do not comply we already have soldiers at you’re the ready your son will die. That bodyguard won’t be able to stop the entire NHA!”(man)

“You Bastard!” Axel’s mother said slapping the man.

The man touched his face softly and nodded his head.

“Even though you are just a Shifter… I will never place my hands on a woman” He said straightening his attire. After pressing a few buttons on his sleeve a virtual hologram appeared showing a camera view of Axel who will still a child at the time.

“Shall I give the order then?” The man said raising his hand

“No! Stop this madness!” Axel’s mother said pleading with the man. She extended out her hand trying to touch child Axel through the screen.

“Soo you will go along with our plan?” The man said grinning.

“Just… allow me to say goodbye to him...after that I do what you will just make sure he's okay”

ERRRR!

Axel darted through the next set of doors desperate to find what happened next.

After passing through the doors he arrived at a house. It was much nicer than his own. Instead of a secluded one bedroom shack in the middle of a wasteland, the house was a modern smart house in the middle of a cul de sac.

Kids zipped around on their hover scooters around the center while adults sat on their porch watching over them.

Before he could take in the view a hover car with the label NHA pulled up to the house. A group of soldiers walked out of the car walking right past Axel to the steps of the house.

Knock Knock Knock!

A middle aged man answered the door.

“Listen here Shifter, We're on the lookout from a man who just attacked The SPA! He’s said to be hiding around here! Have you seen this man?”

A human Soldier handed out a picture of a disgruntled man

“Darus 8 hand Krogh”

“Noo I've never seen that man before” He answered

“ Tck! Get out of our way!” The soldier said shoving the man aside.

The two soldiers barged into the house tearing it apart in the search for Darius finding only a young girl reading a book. With her tiny set of glasses, the young blond girl was diligently reading a physical text labeled “A study in Scarlet”.

“ Stupid little shifter! Reading books at age 5! Humans are literate by Age 2 and are fully fluent by Age 3, You'll never compare to us!” he said slapping the book out of her hands.

“Lets get out of here” The soldiers said. “They reek of Ether!”

The two soldiers exited and were driven away in their hovercar.

"Daddy, Why do humans hate us so much” She said sobbing.

“ I don't know, but they've always hated us and we've always hated them, but we try to live a life of Peace anyway,” her father answered.

“ But daddy where did humans come from? And where did we come from? Why are we so different”

“ I don't know… I don't think anyone does honey” He said stroking her hair.

“ But there has to be somewhere we came from.... There has to be a reason for why were different?"

“ Haha So curious just like your mother was. Here's what I'll do, there's a book you might not be able to understand now, but it's one of your mother's Teasures that she left for you. you've only been reading for about a year now I don't think you'll be able to understand it yet. but I want to give it to you. It might have the answers you're looking for.

“ Histories of a Pre Shift Era” By Matteo the Magistar He said handin gher the book.

“Thanks Daddy!" She said opening up the first page and with that another door opened for up for Axel.

“ What is the significance of this …” Axel asked. “Are these their memories… How and why can I see that... No I don't have time to overthink I've got to keep moving my way through 6 is waiting for me.

Axel gave his pendant a glance at before making his way to the last set of doors.

He arrived in a peaceful section of a city. A few feet in front of him he could see his child self walking with his mother. The sun was setting filling the horizon with a purple glow. As they walked holding hands child Axel and his mother came to a bridge with a beautiful lake below it.

“ Axel honey, how many times do I have to tell you... you can't use your powers, we have to stay here, where it's safe.”

“ But mommy I see those people in the SPA use their powers all the time I want to be just like them!” Axel said

“ And you can be, but not now…. right now we have to be safe! Right now we have to stay hidden until we can get somewhere safe only then can you use your powers you got it?" His mother ordered

"Yes, mother” child Axel answered

“ Good now be a good boy and run to the corner store, here I'll give you a few dollars to buy a few treats.”

“ Thanks!" Axel said gleefully running off towards the store.

“How much longer can you keep this up?” a teenager said. He had red hair and a bandana with a V on it.

  “Vincent?” Axel thought

“Everyday you stay here it's going to become riskier” Vincent said

“I know.. But I dont want to live in the badlands with lawless bandits always coming after us” Hera explained.

“The best place to hide is here in plain sight, upper Atlantica the land of the humans.”

“Id be there for you! Ill protect you until the end!” Vincent said valiantly.

“Vince, you have been so helpful all this time… The way you look over Axel he sees you as his older brother!” Hera said smiling “And even though you are not my child I still think of you the same!” She said smiling

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Heh, I dont think of you guys as family” Vince said crossing his arms.

“You guys are my family, silly” He said shaking his head

As Axel walked down to the corner store he walked under the bridge in the distance he saw a strange movement in the water. Running down the steps to the water's surface he saw in the distance a young girl flailing around in the water.

“Heellpp” She screamed.

As she stretched her arms towards Axel she was engulfed by water falling to the bottom of the river.

  Wasting no time, child Axel jumped into the water trying to save the young girl.

  “Wait a minute..” Axel said

  “Why don't I remember this?”

He hadn't remembered any of the previous situations but by the looks of things he was 5 or 6 here his memory at least went back that far.

“Also… If I remember correctly Vincent didnt teach me to swim until I was”

Glooowww!

Axels body began to overflow with power as a white light enveloped him.

“Thats right!” Axel said nodding his head.

“On this day I saved that girl!”

As child Axel sunk below the surface of the water, the water began to twist and turn. An enormous amount of pressure burst upward as a spiraling column of water spout out from the river. Water spouted out, covering the area in water as child Axel and the girl sailed across the sky.

After traveling some distance they landed on a grassy lawn near the rivers walkway. Axel leaned over the girl to check if she was ok. She was breathing but didnt seem to be cpnscious.

“What do you do again?” Axel said shaking his head. “Is it mouth to mouth?” He lowered his head to reach the girls lips.

“Hey Whats the big idea!” The girl said punching him in the face.

“Ow… that hurt” Axel said rubbing his face.

The girl was quite strange looking. She seemed to have most of her face covered in a dark makeup that was very gothic. The water had smeeared all over her making her face hard to make out. One thing Axel could make out was the glistening gold pendant hanging from her neck. It looked very similar to his.

After taking in a breath and realizing what happened, she calmed down.

“Thanks..” She said getting up. “If you hadn't done… well whatever you did… I would have never got to finish my comic book!” She said hugging a comic that said “Wonder Woman”

“It fell into the lake and I jumped in to get it… but I cant swim…” She said rubbing her head.

“Then why did you jump in!” Axel yelled in disbelief.

“Thats none of your business!” She said crossing her arms. “You cant swim either! Why did you jump into save me!” She said

Child Axel blushed, he wasn't ready to answer that question.

“Because I want to be a superhero! Just like Spiderman!” He said proudly.

“Why you want to become a superhero?”

   “Because I have power… and If I don't use that power people will suffer just like you did!”

“What you have powers? What are you talking about?”

“Im a Shifter! I saved you with my water powers!”

As he spoke the words the girls eyes popped open wider than ever.

“Your a… SH-”

“SHIFTER!!! it's a Shifter! Theres shifter shifter is here! get him out of here! Within moments Axel was picked up and grabbed by humans and was being dragged off the bridge.

In the next second he heard a loud crash and was free from his captors grasp.

“BIG BRO!!! Axel shouted as Vincent picked him up running out of the city.

“Axel!” His mother cried following close behind.

“Times up Hera” Vincent said “We go to the badlands Now!”

  ““How much time do we have?” Vincent asked Axels mother. They were sitting together in a one room hut hiding.

“It's nighttime now… but as soon as the morning comes he’ll find us…. And after that…. There's no telling what.”

Knock knock knock!

  The room filled with silence as someone approached the front door.

  Vincent looked through the peephole to see who it was.

  “SHIT!” He yelled “The New Human Alliance is here!”

  “Hera! Take Axel and leave through the back door! I'll hold them off!” He yelled scrambling to his feet.

  “We can't…” She sighed as she peered through the windows finding the other half of the home surrounded by SPA agents.

  Before they had time to react the both doors were kicked down with an old man smoking a pipe walking through one side and a blond haired human on the other.

“I finally found you” The blond haired man said slowly approaching Axel's mother.

  “Come with me now, and I can make this all go away.”

  “She won't be going anywhere with you!” The man with the pipe said standing between him and Axel’s mother.

“What the hell are you doing!” The blond haired human barked.

  “We’re escorting the criminal to a secure location where she can answer for her crimes.” The old man in an SPA jacket said.

  “What crimes has she committed? Grant! What the hell do you think your-” Vincent began

  “Can it kid!” A blond female agent said apprehending Vincent. “Don't you understand he's saving your ass right now!”

“What the hell gives you the right to do that!” The blond man yelled.

The old man said nothing simply looking on as his agents escorted the woman.

“I know all about you Commandant”, The old man said eyeing him down. “Were going to make sure she has her due process, I've got no intention of handing her over to you!”

“She made an infringement on a human city! It's not your jurisdiction!” The man said barking back.

“He… let's see you try and take her back then! Your NHA against my SPA!” the man said as his officers lined up behind him.

“You can’t do this! This is treason!” The man barked

“The minute you enter the Badlands you forfeited all rights! Even The NHA Government cant defend you here! You know the rule! Right men!” The old man barked

“All lands outside of the city states Shifters hear our cry! We trade law and order for Freedom and Liberty! Live and let die!” The men sang

“WOOOOHOOOOOOOO!” THe howled.

“Tskk” The blond man said as the SPA agents walked out with the apprehended woman.

“MOOOOMMM!!!” “HERAAA!!” Axel and Vince yelled.

“It's ok you two,” A female SPA agent said comforting them. “Well make sure your mother is safe! You can trust us the protectors of all shifters, we are SPA!”

“I tried to give you the easy way” The blond man said, raising his arm. “I guess we'll have to do it the hard way!”

“Dark vitriol!” A voice screamed in the darkness.

A huge updraft of gas blasted dozens of SPA agents into the air.

“ Fist of the desert!” another voice said.

Another dozen of agents were smashed by a horde of wild scarabs that had fashioned themselves into a giant fist smashing them.

“What's going on out there?” The old man barked.

“It's Darius’s crew there here!” One of his agents responded through his holographic tablet.

“What in the hell is Darius…” Grant began

He looked at the blond haired human realizing what happened.

“You piece of-”

“Hahahah!” The blond haired man said picking up Axel “You don't want to speak that way in front of a child now do we?”

“Let him go!” Vincent said yelling at the blond haired man

“You son of a bitch! Let him go he's just a child.” Grant said

“For now… but he could become the child that ended up dead in a misfire between the SPA and Darius’s fight!” The blond haired man laughed

“Mommmy!!!!” Axel wailed squirming around in the blond haired man hands.

In no time at all Darius’s henchmen had apprehended Axel's mother. With Axel as the blond haired man's hostage he had completely subdued the SPA .

“Now… it's time to put an end to this game of cat and mouse!” The blond haired man said drawing a gun to his side.

“I don't understand you told me you wanted the woman alive?” Gille said handing over Axels mother.

“I don't need her alive! I only need her cells!” the man said pointing the gun.

“Mooom!!” Axel cried

“Ughhh get away you worthless brat! The blond man said, throwing him to Gille

“Please Baron… I beg of you… Just leave my children alone!”

“I tried to reason with you! I did but you kept resisting !” Baron pointed the gun at Axels mother.

“Waittt! Please… not in front of the baby the baby!” She cried.

“BAronnn! YOU Bastard!!!!” A coloumn of red flames exploded into the air as Vincent screamed at the blond man.

  “IF YOU DARE LAY ONE FINGER ON-” Vincet was incapacated by a blow from Colonel grant.

  “Im sorry Vince…” Grant said

“I'm afraid we’re all out of time,” Baron said, aiming the pistol. “With the SPA involved now, this will get tied up into a bunch of litigation, I'll never get my hands on you now… Alive that is!”

“Axel… Vincent…” His mother said sobbing… “Im sorry”

“What were you saying earlier again?” Baron said raising the pistol “Oh yeah! Live! and let die!”

Booom!

“Axel….” His mother muttered as the light from her eyes slowly started to fade.

“HERRRAA!!!!!!!!” Vincent yelled.

  Axel’s mother fell to the ground, as the last of her life faded away into a pool of blood.

Axel’s face flooded with tears. He finally understood what he had blocked out from his past so long ago. He ran out to his mother embracing her as she fell to the ground only to find his hands penetrate straight through her like he was a ghost!

  “Mother!” he cried as the child version of him helplessly squirmed in the Gilles arms.

  As he cried his mother looked up towards him directly into his eyes.

  “Do not cry my child, I'm leaving you but… you are never alone the light of the father shines brightly within you…. It will guide you to where you truly belong.”

  And just like that she was gone. The light faded from her eyes and she became limp. Without moving a muscle he heard faint voices in the background as he stood by his mother's side.

  “Move the body out of my sights” The blond man ordered dropping.

  “We have no further business here,” Darius’s men said, getting into their hovercycle.

  “Gille?” Colonel grant said, confused as Gille let Axel go.

  “Our work here is done” Gille said, spitting on the ground. “I dont like humans any more than you do, but orders are orders.”

  Finally a pair of gold doors appeared behind Axel leading to the outside world.

  As they moved his mother's corpse into a vehicle he followed them into it never taking his eyes of her.

  “Axel!” The old man said “What did I tell you! Don't stay here too long you have to remember this is not-”

  “I KNOW!” Axel screamed at the old man “I know…” “I just… want to say goodbye… that's all.” He said touching his mother’s face with his holographic hands.

  “Mom…. I… still miss you…. To think this is how I lost you…. It was all my fault… I didn't listen… I'm sorry mom I really am!”

  As Axel sobbed over her, his mother's corpse began to resonate in white light. As he cried he felt a hand reach out and touch him.

  “It was my fault…” She said. “We should have never trusted the humans… we should have never came to this place…”

  “But mother….”  

  “Axel, I don't have much time, you will listen to your mother now, yeh? You are old enough to do that yeh?”

  “Yes mother….” He said drying his eyes. “What is it?”

  “I'm proud of who you have become, you've had a very hard life but now it's time for you to awaken your light.”

  “Mom…”

  “Go now into that light, your friend is waiting for you yeh?” She said.

  “Mom….. I don't want to leave.”

  His mother's light slowly began to fade

  “Silly boy I'm always with you even now…Now become the Super hero you always wanted to be” She said as the light went back into Axel’s pendant.

Closing his eyes Axel said his final goodbyes and made it back outside to the last set of doors.

“What about the children?” The humans said to the Baron.

“He… hell if I care, leave them… IF they become a problem we know who to call." He said taking his exit.

“That man!” Axel said gripping his fist.

“Once I defeat Darius I'm going to find him!” Axel said defiantly.

As Axel came through the doors he landed on the throne standing over his body. Surely enough the small of trickle blue energy that had been flowing through his body was now pouring out on to it.

  “So… now you know the truth” The old man said.

“   I knew all along I just wanted to forget, I’ve been depressed for so long and now I know why.”

  “So what now?”

“Now I save 6! Nothing changes, I’m going to find Darius, defeat him and make him tell me where that man is!”

  “And what will you do when you find out? Are you going to walk the path of revenge?”

  “I…. I don't know…. But one things for sure, I'm going to find that man and make him answer for the crime of killing my mother!”

  Axel looked around and found, that the doors that were previously getting their energy from the light had now created a network of energy between themselves. Blue light bounced around from one to the next creating a cycle of endless blue pathways.

“Does this mean I won't have any more dreams, does this mean that all the confusion is over? He asked.

“No, quite the contrary, it means that you will be able to see things you couldn't previously, you will understand things you couldn't previously understand, and you’ll be able to foresee things that you never could before.”

“But enough of that your friend needs you!” The old man said.

  “Right so how exactly do I get out of this place again?”

  “It’s a simple thing all you have to do is find the door to the outside world.

  “Oh yeah that's going to be very easy especially the fact that there's over 10,000 doors in here

  “The network of ether is no longer cut off so… you should be able to tell which one is the correct one.”

  “What are you….” As Axel spoke he started to feel as if something was calling him. It wasn't a voice but rather a faint hum that he could follow to a source,

  “You’re right I can feel it! it's like it's a part of my body that's itching that I have to touch.” “It’s coming from there!” he said pointing to a door all the way at the other side of the room.

  “I won't keep you any longer good luck” The old man said smiling.

  “Thanks for everything I'm sure we'll see each other again." Axel said warmly.

  “Oh yeah...I was wondering,” Axel said. “We are in my mind now… so why did you come to help me all this way?”

  “I was led here by the same light your friends were.” The old man said. “When I had lost all hope… I followed that light here. I was just doing my best to pay you back” The old man said gracefully bowing.

  “But…. I don't even know you… I haven't done anything for you!” Axel exclaimed.

  “Not yet…” The old man said standing back up “But in time, that will change, as will you.I only hope when that time comes you’ll be smiling as are now!”

  “Hehe Of course! You're welcome in my mind anytime old man! Just who are you anyway! Do you have a name?”

  “My name is Matteo” The old man smiled “Matteo the Magistar”

  "Matteo Huh?" Axel said scratching his chin. "Thanks for everything Matteo."

And without another word Axel burst through the last door back into the outside world